Trunk or Treat

Happy Halloween!!!!

We went to church with the Youngs for Trunk or Treat. We had actually never been over there since we have no kids to go trick or treating but Kenny and Hannah really wanted us to go so we decided we would. We were all going to be pirates but at the last minute Dan and I changed our minds.... He went as a Marine and I dressed up in an old dance costume from the 50's. It was actually fun and the little kids that were there were adorable of course. It will be a lot more fun when we can dress up our little one but for now we have to do the dressing up ourselves!

Haunted Hollywood

So this weekend we decided to go to Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights. We usually go to Knott's Scarey Farm but wanted to try something new. Don't think we will go back that is for sure. It was fun but SO CROWDED. They only have about 5-6 mazes/rides to go on and the shortest time of waiting was like 30 minutes and that was right when the doors opened. After that the line for one maze got up to 2 hours.... That's crazy. Knott's is always busy but never like that, and there are more mazes to go through anyways.

They had lost of monsters hanging out and of course those are scarey no matter where you are. The one thing that I didn't like of course is the fact that there were tons (and I mean tons) of guys with chainsaws walking through the whole park. I HATE chainsaws. Ever since I was tormented by one at Knott's when I was a freshman they are my worst fear. The only good part is that you can hear them coming from a mile away.

There was a big group of us that went which always makes the night more fun, and the more boys you have the more protected you feel. It was me, Dan, Maria, Marvin, Cesar and Sara. We all did have fun but the crowds were out of control.

Ahoy, Matey

What Freaks, right?! Well we went to the Pirate Adventure Dinner Show on Saturday night. The Youngs are the ones who really were going to dress up and make it a big party and then Dan jumped in (of course) and decided that he wanted to be a pirate too. I really was not sure about the whole pirate thing but didn't want to be totally left out so I had a shirt that said "I love Pirates" and then my pirate costume skirt.

The crazy part is that I have actually been to the show before and seen people dressed up so that I kinda why I went along with the whole thing and told Tiffany, "yeah you can dress up I've seen other people do it". Well I guess all of the other freaks that would have normally dressed up for something like this were at a Halloween party or something because we were the only ones dressed up. No, really, The Only Ones. But the show was fun and everyone did tell us how cute we looked and how much fun we were...

Happiest Place on Earth

We went to Disneyland this weekend with Ken (dan's boss), his wife Tiffany (one of my closest friends), and their two kids Kenny (8) and Hannah (5). It has been a while since Dan and I had been to Disneyland with little ones but we all had a great time. The parks were totally done up for Halloween (which was the first time they have ever decorated for the season) so it was really cute and fun to see that too.

Dan and Aranne under the HUGE Candy Corn at California Adventure. We spent some time there as well. The theme at that park was definitely candy corn, it was everywhere you looked.

This is Tiffany, me, Hannah and Kenny inside the "O" of California that they have right in front of California Adventure. They had changed all of the letters to look like Candy Corn. It was adorable. It was foggy (I mean really foggy) in the morning but then we had a beautiful day.

Dan and the kids in front of some more candy corn decorations at California Adventure.

Me and Dan on the Autopia at Disneyland. No matter what you can't help but have a great time at Disneyland... After all it is the Happiest Place on Earth.

It's Official

Alright, we got our OFFICIAL letter from LDS Family Services in the mail about a month ago telling us that we were approved for adoption. That was a very exciting day. I told Dan it was like we were going on a mission. He was at work and I was not allowed to open it until he got home as if it was our "calling" I was about to read. It was very exiciting to actually see it in writing finally that all of our hard work over the past few months was finally over and that we were finally ready to proceed with the process.

Now the best part. Thanks to a wonderful sister-in-law (Maile Urbancic) our profile is now online and able to be viewed by everyone. This has only happened in the last 2 weeks. It is beautiful and we are so thankful for all of the hardwork that she put into it for us. If you want to take a look at it go to www.itsaboutlove.com and click on search adoption profiles. Our profile name is DanielAndAranne and you will find us there.

This is both an exciting time for us and a very nerve racking time too. We have now done all that we can do and now we must sit back and place our trust and faith in the Lord's hands and be patient (something I am learning to be). We know that when the time is right and when Heavenly Father has found the right child for our home he will bless us and until then we need to just continue to be patient and understanding but that is a hard thing for us to just sit back and do nothing. We are blessed in so many other ways with great friends, an amazing family and a wonderful marriage and we think of these things daily. We know the Lord will bless us with a child and when that time comes our hearts will be completely full. Until then we pray for our sweet spirit wherever they may be and our birth mother wherever she is also.

Go Team!!

Ok... So I know that the Steelers did not win their last game this Sunday but they are doing okay this season. They do have a new head coach this year so you have to cut them some slack. And you had to cut them some slack last year because Ben had a rough year with being injured, having surgery and being sick. And no those are not just excuses.

It is fun to have a team and get excited about how they are doing and cheer for them. I definitely have not always been a football fan and would still not say that I am a fan. I like to know about the Steelers and will watch a few games a week with Dan. But that is the part that I like. It is fun to be involved with something that Dan really enjoys. I am learning a lot about the game and I think I am impressing Dan weekly with the things and I am learning. I am doing my best to keep up with the statistics and the things that he is trying to teach me as we go along and watch together.

The only reason I started this whole crazy football thing in our house was because I walked through the room while Dan was watching a game where the Steelers were playing and I noticed a very cute boy on the screen. His name I later found out was "Big Ben". The rest is pretty much history. I only cheer for the Steelers. This season Dan seems to be cheering for the Colts and the Saints. He doesn't really have a team but it doesn't seem to matter to him. He is just very excited that I am finally watching football and that is good enough for him. Go BIG BEN!!

Sweet Treats

I finished making these treats that I am giving out for Halloween and I was very excited. I think they are WAY cute. I am taking them over to my old doctor's office next week just because and I am also going to take them to dance class with me on Monday. Any that I have left over I will then take with me to Trunk or Treat to hand out too. It is just fun to make something a little extra special for Halloween and it didn't take that long to do. It is nice to put a smile on people's face when I bring in goodies and it is just fun to do. HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Hear Ye, Hear Ye

RENAISSANCE FAIR 2007

Dan, my dad, our friend Misa, her son Dominick and myself all went to Sunset Park on Saturday to step back in time and enjoy the festivities of the Renaissance Fair. Besides the long line to get in and the unusually warm weather that day we had a great time. The food was fabulous of course and I was able to add another rose to my collection. This time it is a pink rose made from burlap. Really pretty actually. The fair is growing year after year and we are not quite sure how much longer they are going to be able to hold it in Sunset Park they are just outgrowing the space, that is for sure. It is always fun to see how many people have these elaborate costumes that they come dressed up in and then to see the prices they paid for them. They spend a lot of money on these things and you wonder if they only wear them once a year or if there is an underground group of people who are out there who wear these things and get together doing who knows what wearing these outfits together throughout the year. I don't know but it definitely made me think?!

Lemony Snicket: A Series of Unfortunate Events

So I got these books two years ago at Christmas and have now just gotten around to start reading them. I have been reading other things and not had a chance to read these. I really wanted them and it was when the movie was out (which I did see). I have the whole set, 9 books in total, and my goal is to read, read, read and hopefully finish all of the books before Christmas this year. It doesn't seem too bad since I started the first book on Monday and I am already starting the second book today. But I know what I do, I get excited about a new book and read a lot in the beginning and then it tapers off as time goes by. Wish me luck and hopefully I will report success before Christmas, and then I can start a new series...maybe the new books by Stephanie Meyer....

177th Semi-Annual

General Conference....

Well our callings allow us to attend ever session of General Conference at the Stake Center. As we sit in the building mostly with just the missionaries and sometimes with only 1 or 2 other people with think to ourselves "why are we here when we could be at home?" or "why don't we just invite everyone in this room to our house to watch this, they would all fit." But as we sat through Conference this weekend we were able to hear the words of our leaders and feel of their sweet spirits. It makes such a difference to get dressed in our Sunday best and make the drive to the church and sit and listen and sing along with the choir. We are able to get so much more out of Conference then we ever have just by watching it at home or reading it in the next issue of the Ensign. We come to realize even more strongly that sometimes the callings are not for the people that we serve but more importantly for us. We are blessed by our calling and blessed for the opportunity that we have to attend Conference and hear the talks and learn from our leaders and feel of their spirits. We hope that the building will be full and that our stake members will also realize the importance of General Conference and how much more you get from actually attending and watching from the Stake Center but for now we are content with just watching by ourselves and being able to hear that still small voice loud and clear.

Be Aware

How aware are we?

It is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and today is actually Lee Denim Day. Last year I would have thought nothing of it and knew nothing of it but this year I seem to be much more aware and more interested in the whole idea. I am not sure if it is because my mom had a little bit of a scare with the breast cancer thing last year, or if it is because my grandma is going through lung cancer right now as we speak or if it is just because I am getting older. Either way I realize how many lives this touches and how easy it is to detect and potentially prevent and a lot of times save. It is not a nice topic but one that needs to be discussed. So like I said today is Lee Denim Day and I am proud to say that I did my part in donating for the cause and will stand up and wear my jeans and go the extra mile and wear PINK as well. May we all remember those who have lost their lives and those who are fighting right now....

5 things about Dan

Since this is a site about Dan and Aranne both I figured Dan should have to answer some of the same questions too so here are his thoughts on 5 things....

1. 5 things I was doing 10 years ago..

(I was 17 at the time)

playing football

sitting in class

staying up late

finishing my Eagle Scout

dating

2. 5 things on my "to do" list...

raise a family

skydive

see more of the world (travel)

go back to school

do more projects aruond the house

3. 5 things I would do if I were a millionaire...

Travel more

learn to golf (because all millionaires golf)

purchase a Dream Home

Invest

spoil my wife (kissing up!!)

4. 5 bad habits...

don't eat right (no vegetables!)

don't exercise enough

sleep too much

don't have self control (want it = buy it)

I am not organized

5. 5 things I would never wear again...

NEON!

Rolled up shorts

socks with sandels

a part on the side of my hair

missionary tag

6. 5 of my favorite toys...

my video games (x-box)

my snowboard

my jetskis

my boogie board

my tools

Well there are a few areas were Dan and I are very much alike and some where we are not.. It is fun to see the differences and the things we have in common.

5 things....

Okay this is just kind of a fun thing and since Kirsten asked me to do it I thought I would so here it goes....

1. 5 things I was doing 10 years ago..
(well 10 years ago I was 16)
getting my drivers license
spending the year with Lina
trying to make it through Biology
living in Downey, CA
starting my first job at Dr. Weiss' office

2. 5 things on my "to do" list
travel to London one day
actually start writing in a journal
be a good mom
go parasailing
go on a zipline in the rainforest

3. 5 things I would do if I were a millionaire
pay off my credit cards (see how not fun I am)
take a nice, long vacation
give some money to my parents so they can pay some bills
go shopping
buy a new, big house

4. 5 bad habits
I don't wash my face like I should
I am very impatient
I don't do dishes (unless I absolutely have to) I make Dan do them
I have a hard time saying "No"
I nag about not having a laundry room

5. 5 things I would never wear again
Braces
multiple socks in different colors
neon
shoulder pads
big scrunchies

6. 5 of my favorite toys
my snowboard
our jetskis
my scrapbook stuff
my computer
our spa

There you go... now you know a little more about me and who I really am and where I came from!

End of summer

We took the skis out one last time for the end of summer. The water was still 81 degrees and it was 92 degrees by the time we left the lake, so a pretty nice day. The only down side was the wind. It did get pretty windy which caused some pretty big waves but made it quite an adventure out on the lake. All in all it was a fun day and nice to go out one last time. One good point of living in the desert... summer comes early and stays late...

Now we just have to pull out the snowboards and get ready for winter and put the skis away until next summer. But we will for sure be ready for it when it comes.