thanksgiving redux

because we were partying it up at disneyland on thanksgiving day, we didn't have a thanksgiving dinner, or even a world-famous disneyland turkey leg. tess didn't really have a sufficient turkey dinner either, so we decided to have our own.

people, i roasted my first turkey yesterday. it was awesome. well, truth be told, it was a little dry, but it was a learning experience, alright? but it was cooked, it didn't explode, and i removed all the gross bits with no difficulty. i felt pretty accomplished.

we also had real mashed potatoes, yams with brown sugar and pecans, stuffing with sausage, dinner rolls, and pumpkin pie bars. and delightful dinner conversation, of course.

obviously i wouldn't have traded that thursday at disneyland, even for mom's thanksgiving dinner. but it did feel like something was missing. good thing we are competent and creative people. happy thanksgiving once again!

another long night

last night was another one of those nights when i went to bed, not necessarily at a decent hour, but whatever, and then after half an hour of tossing and turning, i decided to just be up for another few hours or so. i don't know why that happens sometimes. by all accounts, i should always be tired enough at two in the morning to be able to fall right asleep. but that's not always how it goes. but last night i at least ended up being kind of productive in my nocturnal state.

stuff i did from 2:30-6:00 am last night:
read a chapter from alma. a really good chapter, actually.
unpacked from california, which might be some kind of record.
went through my dresser and closet for clothes to give to d.i. and clothes to put in my summer bin.
watched a movie.
researched jack nicholson, christian bale, and charles manson (why i did that, i'm not sure. creepy.) on wikipedia.
drank about 40 oz. of water.
watched an episode of parks and rec.

and then i woke up at 10:30. and i'm starting to feel the effects. but it's kinda too bad i typically need/want more than four hours of sleep each night, because i could probably get a lot done. although, let's face it, it's not like i don't have time enough in the day to get things done and it still doesn't happen.

but anyway. i'm off to the store to stock up on christmas supplies. i can never resist the decorations!

a conundrum

why does it always seem like as soon as i start to figure out one thing in my life, really get a handle on it, something else that i thought i understood starts to fall apart? i guess the lesson is that you are never as in control as you think you are.

i just don't know which thing i would rather have figured out at this point. both of them are pretty important. oh well.

thoughts and observations from my trip to california

 i can't believe the trip is already over. it was great, though it definitely wasn't a relaxing trip. but it was a ton of fun and i still love my family, which is sometimes a feat after a ten hour car ride :)

but here are some thoughts, in no particular order.

this is not me in a skirt, in case you were confused.

--i rocked a skirt at disneyland all day on saturday. it was awesome.
--i satisfied my craving for clam chowder in a bread bowl (memo to self: it wasn't that good; don't spend the ten dollars again.). but i gained a new, last minute craving for this amazing-looking hot roast beef sandwich that will be calling my name until i visit the magic kingdom once again.

--visiting new temples is the best. it's always interesting to see how different each temple is and especially how different each temple is from the provo temple. and it was great to meet up with family and friends at the newport beach temple.

--world of color at california adventure. see it for sure. i saw it from the back (meaning, without seeing the accompanying video), and it was still amazing. i die over anything rainbow, so i was freaking out over the displays of color.

--sibling hotel room: lived up to all of my expectations. looooooooooots of laughter.
--hot tub conversations with strangers=always interesting.
--we still know how to work the parks like pros. and, in case anyone is wondering and for my own future reference, disneyland is not that crazy over thanksgiving. we didn't typically have to wait for anything longer than 30 or 35 minutes.
--cars land is awesome and the new cars ride is great. maybe one of my favorite things, though i'm glad i didn't stand in line for 2 hours.
--i did not choose wisely at miguel's, which is a serious bummer. you have to take advantage of miguel's when you get it, and i did not.
--meredith had the flu for most of the trip, which was even more of a serious bummer. the flu is the worst and i hope she gets better soon. out sibling hotel room wasn't as much fun without her.

--las vegas is super sketchy. i know a lot of people from there, and they seem to like it, but i really don't like it. sorry, people.
--the disneyland resort is the best during the holidays. one of the greatest parts of going around christmastime is seeing the fireworks show and the snow on main street. this year, the fireworks show was cancelled for us due to "unfavorable weather conditions" (boo), but the snow and the lighting of sleeping beauty's castle still made the night pretty magical. 
--...i didn't get any grading done..but who really thought i would?
--i'm super grateful for my family and for dad, who took us all to disneyland even though he doesn't really love it.

okay, now all i have to do is get through two more weeks of class and then finals and i'm home free for three weeks! just kidding, it won't really be as easy as that since i still have a lot of work to do. but the end is in sight!

thankful 2012: day four

here we go again:

i'm grateful for cars and when they function properly.
i'm grateful for miguel's even though i apparently get something different than the rest of my family and am the black sheep.
i'm grateful for classic rock.
i'm grateful for that feeling when things finally start coming together.
i'm grateful for laughter and for jokes and for word play and puns.
i'm grateful for good friends who make me laugh and let me cry and lift me up.
i'm grateful for hottubs.
i'm grateful for missionaries and all of their sacrifices.
i'm grateful for disneyland :)
i'm grateful for shoes.
i'm grateful for garlic bread, which i crave at almost all times.
i'm grateful for time with my family.

and that's all i will say for today, the eve of day one at disneyland. the internet at our hotel is spotty, and i'm due for a dip in the hottub!

we're going to disneyland!!!

i haven't devoted nearly enough time on my blog to our upcoming beesley family trip extravaganza to southern california over thanksgiving, especially considering how much time we devote to talking about it and thinking about it in real life.

back in like september or so, carter invited us three girls to a sibling text group which would be for the purpose of counting down to our trip, sharing memories of disneyland, and just generally expressing our excitement. so, for the past two months, everyday one of us will send a text saying "58 days!!!!" or "i was running and a car went by and it smelled like autopia" or whatever. it's been pretty funny/a little annoying because it means i get a ton of notifications from the group text since we're all seeing things and responding at pretty much the same time. but mostly it's been an awesome way to get pumped about the trip.

and, we've been trading awesome facebook posts back and forth:

of course, i am jasmine, my all-time favorite princess. berg knows me well :)

we as a family really, really love disneyland. most people who know me/us know that. i have so many great memories, some of which aren't detailed remembrances of specific events as much as general warm fuzziness, of being at disneyland with my family. it's just such a magical place!

so, this week we will spend two days at disneyland and california adventure, thanksgiving day and saturday. we expect a crowded park, which means long lines, but it will still be awesome. the only downside: my disneyland t-shirt, ordered last week per our intention to all buy new shirts for the trip, doesn't look like it's going come in time :( oh well. i'll just have to rearrange my outfit a little bit.

off to the happiest place on earth in less than 24 hours!

thankful 2012: day three

this isn't going to be much more than an awesome list :)

i'm grateful for ice cream and cream puffs. and a whole host of other treats. like the mickey-shaped sugar cookies i've been waiting for for so long that are in the kitchen right now awaiting frosting.
i'm grateful for hair products.
i'm grateful for lovely little accessories.
i'm grateful for a beautiful world and little moments when i remember that, like yesterday when i walked under an arch of leaves that were transitioning from green to brown.
i'm grateful for classy outfits.
i'm grateful for talents.
i'm grateful for church and for the priesthood leaders who strive to make it meaningful each week.
i'm grateful for tithing.
i'm grateful for rainbows.
i'm grateful for cell phones and free minutes after 7 and on the weekends and group texting.
i'm grateful for a place to live that is warm and whole and has a nice bed for me to sleep in. and an oven. and a bathroom. and a refrigerator. and, bonus, a balcony.
i'm grateful for music, in so many ways. for music to sing to, for music to dance to, for music to cry to, for music to smile to. right now i'm especially grateful for the carpenters christmas collection :)

this is all i can think of right now, but there will be more. happy thanksgiving week!