Two Weeks in Paradise

My parents live on Balboa Island. They live there! Most people vacation there (or near there), but my parents LIVE there! It's awesome!

I spent two weeks in Southern CA with my family and I had a blast! The only bad part was that Josh had to work so he couldn't come : (

Here's a list of what the two weeks consisted of:

-Luke came home from his mission

-We rented a Duffy Boat and cruised around Balboa Island (complete with sandwiches and Sprinkle Cupcakes)

[Sea Lions]

[My dad, me, and Brady]

 

-Luke, Missy, and I got Disneyland passes so we spent a few FUN days at the Parks with our cousins

[The Group - we were outnumbered by the kids but it was a BLAST!]

[Me and Charlotte]

-Luke and I went to Disneyland one day by ourselves for "Big Kid Day"

[Us on Splash Mountain]

[Luke is awesome! And loves Star Wars!]

-We had a birthday party for Luke and Brady

-We went on daily walks around the Island

- I ate a lot of fruit! Yes, this is a HUGE deal because there is no fresh fruit to be found in North Dakota!

I'm sure there are other things I am forgetting but overall it was a great trip and I miss my family already!

2nd Anniversary!

As of March 21, 2013, Josh and I have been together for two years! TWO YEARS! Before Josh my longest relationship was a few months... maybe... That's why I'm shocked. Honestly. Seriously! I love him!

Well, we didn't do anything crazy like last year. It's hard to get away from North Dakota in the winter, so we just had a nice night at home : ) 

Hooray for us! 

Oh Technology!

My phone jumped out of my hand and landed on the tile floor. I swear it did. Yes, it did. I swear! IT JUMPED! I SWEAR!

Okay, I lied. I dropped it. Oops. My bad.

What is with me?! I've broken the screen on TWO different phones in the last 6 months AND my computer decided to jump out of my hands too! Yes, it did! I swear! IT JUMPED! I SWEAR! 

Okay, I lied. Again. 

Ugh!

It's frustrating how much we rely on technology. I hate it. I really do! I DO!

Okay, I don't.

: P

Computer Problems

I went home to CA for two weeks and I can't blog about it because my beautiful, 5-year-old Macbook is broken, again. My pictures are on my external hard drive but it is a Mac external hard drive so it isn't compatible with Josh's PC (which is what I am using right now).

A few days before I was heading to CA my computer decided to have a mental breakdown. The keyboard stopped working, it wouldn't turn on, it wouldn't turn off, it wouldn't charge, it would charge and overheat, etc. 

So, I decided to take my broken Macbook to CA with me so that I could have the nerds at the Apple Store fix it. I arrived in CA, took my computer in, got it diagnosed by the nerds, and they sent it off to be fixed. A few days later I received a call that it was all better! Yeah! They ended up replacing the entire keyboard and frame, installing a new battery, and a bunch of other things. AND it only ended up costing me $290 (which is a lot cheaper then buying a new $1200 Macbook). I was so excited! And one of the guys at Apple told me that it should last a lot longer if I take good care of it. DONE! : )

Well, I spent the next two weeks in CA (I'll blog about later), and then came home to ND. The Sunday after I got back, Josh actually had the day off. I was excited, but honestly I wasn't use to having him around all day. So, I did what I usually did: sat on the couch, watched TV, and played on my Macbook. When I was done using the computer I put it on the ground next to me. Big mistake! I ran off to take a shower and then CRACK! Josh stepped on my Mac : (

NOOOOOOO!

It was my fault. Who leaves a $1200 Macbook on the floor? This goober does. I'm not ashamed to say that I cried. I really did.

So, I took it to a computer place in Minot (no Apple Stores around here) and they just called and told me it would cost over $350 just to fix the screen AND it won't be ready until next week sometime! Ugh! I'm so mad! I can't believe I did that! 

Once I get my computer back I am going to take such good care of it and I'll catch up on my blogging!

Freezer Froze

I know it's an oxymoron, but our freezer froze. If it gets too cold your fridge/freezer can freeze up and stop working. So, I moved our food to a cooler and buried it in the snow. Smart, huh?!

 

Luckily, the freezer came back to life a few days later.

Count your blessings!

Bottom line: If we wake up with heat and running water, it's a good day up here in northern North Dakota : )

Welcome Home Elder Neilson!

Remember when my little brother left on his mission?! I do!!

Well, after two long years we are all gathered together to welcome him home! 

[Brady playing with trains]

Missy, Brady, and I made posters and bought Luke some balloons. I'm pretty sure Brady thought they were for him though : )

[Brady with his poster]

As per tradition, we headed to the airport to welcome Luke back!

[The group with our signs]

[Jessica and Me]

[LUKE!] 

[It was so fun to see him running down the stairs towards all of us]  

 [First hug goes to mom]

[Luke and Jessica]

[Luke, Dad, and Brady]

[Jared, Darbi, Luke, Haylee, and Walt] 

[Luke meeting Brady for the first time. Brady was born 3 days after Luke left] 

[Missy, Dad, Brady, Luke, Me, and Mom] 

[Luke and the happy parents] 

[Luke and the Grandparents] 

[Lisa, Luke, and Jody]

[The whole group]

After the airport, we headed to In-n-Out! It was delicious and a lot of fun to hang out with family.

[Luke with his signs and balloons]

[Brady] 

[Uncle and nephew]

Welcome back Luke! I am excited to spend this week with the family (minus Josh)!