the pier.

we planned on visiting disneyland one last time before we left LA.

we figured we might as well.. we're here.

but after researching whether or not early-april is a good time to do disney, we figured out it is NOT.

on a busy-ness scale, this time of year was ranked 'insanely busy'. [thanks to spring break].

and, since we had no interest in spending loads of money to endure a day of squeezing our way through crowds of people sporting tacky disney apparel, we sadly removed disneyland from our LA bucket list.

oh well. now we have another reason to come back and visit.

we decided to make a trip to santa monica instead.
we figured it was another iconic LA place to visit.

we rode the ferris wheel on the pier. this was our view from the top:

after, we grabbed some food from pier burger and then headed up to the third street promenade.

while on the promenade, we found the perfect california souvenir to take back to canada.
we had been patiently waiting for the perfect souvenir to pop up, so that was exciting.

the move.

i think we all know how i feel about cold weather.
if you don't, i'm not sure why you are reading this. because you clearly don't know me very well.
it doesn't really seem fair then, that i grew up in such a cold place.
why!!
i am very aware of the fact that calgary is a great city.
i spent 20 years there.. i know it's great.
it's just not where i want to be.
despite the fact that i had an amazing childhood there, and we have an unbelievable support system of family and friends there, and there are so many opportunities to succeed there, i just don't want to live there.
especially now that i have had a taste of what it is like to live in a place like california.
this past year has been amazing. so warm. so sunny. so beautiful.
and, although i do love a good tan, my reasons for loving this place aren't that shallow.
i simply want to live somewhere warm so that i can be outside with my kids.
i don't want to be a stay-at-home mom who is stuck inside most of the year. nothing good will come of that.
and i don't want my kids to be stuck inside either. that thought makes me sad.
this past year my boys and i have played outside for hours every day.
well, that's not true. there have been maybe a weeks worth of days where we stayed inside due to rain or wind.
but i would say that it a pretty good ratio of inside/outside days.
my boys are happy. and i'm happy. and that is exactly what i want as a mom.

however, the one thing that makes us question our life here is matt's work.
he loves his job - loves what he does and who he works with.
the company treats him really well, and has rewarded him for his hard work.
but his hours are super long.
he is exhausted, our boys miss him, and i am far too needy to be alone so much.
so, when a job opportunity in calgary that would allow matt to be home more arose, we started to think about it.
and we thought.
and we talked.
and we researched.
and we made lists.
and we reviewed those lists.
and we reviewed our life goals.
and we prayed.
and we prayed some more.

and, in the end, i wanted to stay here.

and matt wanted to go.

which was not ideal.

but, in time, [leaving out all the grisly details] we agreed that we both just want what was best for our family.
and, for now, it seems like calgary might be a better choice.
soo.. in about a week, we will be moving back to calgary. 
temporarily.
'temporarily' meaning that, when things line up so we can move back to a less depressing climate, we will.
we have written and signed a contract that says we will!
the timeline is undetermined so, in the meantime, our goal is to take advantage of all that calgary has to offer.

but even though i know this won't be forever, and i can see that we will benefit from this move, i have been sad.
really. sad.

i was so happy to hear the words of elder uchtdorf in the sunday morning session of conference.
i know my present-day challenge probably seems silly to some, and i know that there are people out there with much bigger challenges then me, but i feel like his message was just what i needed to hear.


"Everyones situation is different, and the details of each life are unique. Nevertheless, I have learned that there is something that would take away the bitterness that may come into our lives. There is one thing that we can do that will make our lives sweeter, even joyful, even glorious: We can be grateful.

..We can choose to be grateful no matter what.

This type of gratitude transcends whatever is happening around us. It surpasses disappointment, discouragement, and despair. It blooms just as beautifully in the icy landscape of winter as it does in the blessed warmth of summer.

..We sometimes think that being grateful is something we do after our problems are solved, but how terribly short-sighted that is. How much of life do we miss by waiting to see the rainbow, before thanking God that there is rain. Being grateful in times of distress does not mean that we are pleased with our circumstances. It does mean that, through the eyes of faith, we look beyond our present day challenges."

Elder Uchtdorf

talk about perfect advice for sappy old me.
the line about winter and summer was undoubtably written for me!

i truly do have so much to be grateful for, even if i'm sad.

it's unreal how well things have been working out with this move:

- the timing has been perfect. everything that we are legally bound to [lease, cell plans, etc.] end right when we leave.

- my uncle's town home in calgary became available to rent within weeks of our move up.

- matt is leaving his work on good terms. they don't want him to go, and they would love to take him back.

- his new job is something he is excited about. it pays well, requires him to work less, and won't be as stressful.

- matt gets a work truck. which means, for the first time in 4 years, our family will have 2 cars!

- we have been able to sell all of our furniture to make the move more simple, and less costly.

- my parents are willing and able to make the 50 hour round trip to help us move.

- our friends and our ward have been so sweet and supportive.
- we have the best friends and family up in calgary that we look forward to reuniting with.

- chet and holden have been happy amidst the chaos of a half-packed home.

- and heck, we got to live here. what an adventure it has been!

[plus, there are a billion other not-move-related things to be grateful for too.]

we are so blessed.

and i am happy that elder uchtdorf reminded me of that.

so here's to another new home.. and another move, dang it!

i saw that pretty greeting card at trader joe's the other day and i had to snatch one up.
perfect advice.

some thoughts.

holden had a check-up today.

he is healthy as ever, and growing like a weed.

98% for height. 77% for weight. 88% for head.

tall and blonde, just like his parents.

but, wait a minute.. his parents aren't..

they really need to figure out a nicer way to vaccinate children.

this whole stabbing-them-in-their-chunky-thighs-with-17-inch-needles thing seems so barbaric.

i still cry every time.

but i also still cry at every haircut.. so.. i probably have some issues i should get addressed.

i haven't seen the movie frozen.

go ahead, gasp.

but, it's the truth. i haven't seen it.

and i'm actually kind of proud of that fact.

i am so sick of the movie, and i don't even know what it is about.

all i know is that it is an animated film. AKA a cartoon.
and people are obsessed with it. and that is weird.

and, oh my word, that 'let it go' song.. ugh.

it's not even good.

and can someone please explain to me how my 4 year old knows the words to that song?

he saw the movie FIVE months ago with his grandparents.

since then, we haven't had anything to do with that movie.

nothing.

we don't even have cable, so he isn't hearing that song on commercials.

is 'let it go' a new primary song?!

because that boy is out of my sight for just a handful of hours each week and him learning those lyrics at church is the only explanation i can come up with.

i bought velveeta the other day for the first time.

matt and i wanted to make that velveeta/rotel queso.

i was totally disgusted when i opened the package and cast my eyes on my first velveeta cube.

umm...

what is velveeta?!

it is not like any other cheese i have ever known.

i'm not sure it can be classified as cheese.

i'm not even sure it can be classified as food.

i can guarantee you i will not be purchasing velveeta cheese again. ever.

and while we are on the topic of gross food.. can heinz kethup please stop trying to venture out of the condiment realm.
i have had to look at this recipe for 'tic tac toe cookies' (that call for 1/2 cup of ketchup in them) for several months now, and it makes me feel ill.

dear ketchup,
you will never be a dessert.
and that is ok.
because you rock at being a condiment.
sincerely, pam.

we live within walking distance to a lot of fancy car dealerships - porsche, ferrari, lamborghini.

and we have seen more snazzy cars in our 10 months of living in california then we have seen in the rest of our lives combined.

yet chet's favorite car is a van. he thinks they are the bomb.

and he really hopes to get to drive in a yellow volkswagen bug someday.

kudos to chet, for setting an achievable goal.

and my final thought for the say is: i say my kids are playing with lego, not legos.
and i will never change that.

tour bus & tournament.

last friday, matt and i ditched our boys with our friends and headed down to hollywood for a date.

we had always heard that hollywood was a sketchy place, and that definitely proved to be true!

there were a whole lot of interesting people to watch.

we didn't spend much time right in the thick of it. we were just there to catch a tacky roofless tour bus to take us snooping around beverly hills & hollywood in search of celebrity homes.

we were a little bit embarrassed to be seen on the bus - we felt like super nerdy tourists! - but we still had fun touring around the hills.

the tour guide talked nonstop about celebrity gossip. i swear he knew everything.

matt and i don't know much about that stuff, and don't care to, but we loved getting to see all the gorgeous kazillion dollar homes.

up in those hills is a world we will neverrrr be a part of!

the next morning we headed down to UCLA for the annual 3 on 3 tournament that matt's company has.

PCL renovated the pauley pavilion (where the bruins play) a few years back, so now they get to use the court for their tournament each year.

it was such a fun morning.

it was neat to be hanging out on such a fancy court. and to have it all to ourselves!

PCL puts on the best events for their employees. we always leave feeling spoiled rotten.

i hope our boys want to play basketball when they get bigger.

i would really enjoy watching them play.

but, of course, i would love watching them succeed at whatever they are passionate about.

chet and i went on a date a couple weekends ago to see one of my young women in her school's production of 'charlie and the chocolate factory'.

i figured chet would like it because he really likes music. but he ended up loving it more then i had expected.

he sat there in the audience with me bobbing his head to all the songs.

so perhaps i will be watching him in a school play one day.

which couldn't be more opposite then me.

the worst grade i ever got - by far! - was 7th grade drama.

just thinking about that class gives me anxiety.

when i told chet we were going on a date, he instantly knew he wanted to wear a bow tie.

classy.

and then i let him pick out the rest of his outfit too.

this is what he came up with:

i loved his thought process.

bow tie - because apparently that is what you wear when you go on a date.

blue button up shirt - because button up shirts go with bow ties. and he likes blue.

brown shorts - because he hates wearing pants. and his sweat pant shorts were dirty.

church shoes - because he wanted to wear his fanciest shoes.

i couldn't have asked for a more handsome date.

and here we are attempting to take bathroom selfies during intermission: