Family Weekend

Jon & I got to be with Daniel & Heather & their beautiful children. They are simply beautiful and just the sweetest kids. I'm so glad when they come to visit from Colorado. Things have been a little crazy, from Jon's birthday & our anniversary happening this weekend, to our sweet niece breaking her arm at the pool. I apologize for my neglect, and I will update you more fully, but in the meantime. Enjoy my darling niece & nephews!

Love

My husband recently sent me an email with things he had learned in the past year. It was about what Mike, Jon's father and his ongoing struggles with cancer has taught him. He wanted to express how he had come to realized that "it seems easier to appreciate and really love those around you without feeling strange, awkward or weird by telling them of your feelings." It was most of all a simple testimony of love. Jonathan has always been so good with words, able to convey so much in very few. He is always able to make you feel loved. This is his list:

1. Life is fragile.
2. Never miss an opportunity to tell others of your feelings for them; whether it be of love, admiration or a compliment.
3. While life is fragile it is we who must be strong.
4. The frailties of life mustn't destroy our happiness.
5. Beauty, love, happiness and peace can be found all around us.
6. Often times, to recognize those listed in #5 we must sit back, and look with our hearts rather than our eyes.
7. God's love for us, his children is evident in every event that occurs in our lives.
8. Our family is a forever family
9. Beyond what I originally had been revealed to me I have come to realize more of David's healing and comforting power given him by Heavenly Father
10. My father truly loves my mother (and doesn't care who knows it)

Weekend Recap

This weekend was really great in a lot of ways, and not so great in others.

The Good News:
My mom, dad & Brandon were here for the week. It was SO fun! On Thursday Jon & Brandon went long boarding down Provo Canyon, then that evening they played PS3 Black Ops with Michael online. It was a great boys evening. On Sunday we all got together and we had "match box rocket cars" and eventually went long boarding (on our butts) down the street.

The Bad News:
Friday night we had spent some time with the family until... Jon's face began swelling & causing him horrible pain. After a trip to the ER and a late night we discovered he had peri optical cellulitis. Which turns out isn't fatal, but VERY painful and you need lots of antibiotics to get rid of it. So, for the past weekend we've been making daily trips to the Hospital for IV Therapy. I am happy to report that Jon now only has mild swelling below his eye and will be going to a primary care physician to finally get rid of it. On a side note, I also got pink eye this weekend (we're thinking they were related) and both Jon & I stayed in on Monday & Tuesday of this week to recover. Luckily, we have amazing jobs that allow us to work from home. I plan to post videos of our Match Box Rocket Cars & the Long Board Race (in which I bump into Jon & he falls but makes an amazing save) a little later on!

Monday's Photos

So, as planned Brit came to Provo to kindly take our photos (for which we paid her in toasted coconut marshmallows) and everything was going according to plan. That is until we began taking photos a wind storm blew in, throwing dust into our eyes and under my contacts. Resulting in only two images coming out. So enjoy! Another family photo shoot is in the works.




Just a glimpse of what the weather was like (and most of our photos were like this)

Young Love

So as you know I fell in love with my husband at the ripe old age of 18, and was engaged & married by 19. While being married so young may seem alien, weird, and just plain dumb I have a few opinions about this topic:

• First of all, physical age doesn't define a person, its their decisions, disposition, maturity, etc that age you. Thats why you can be "forever young," and "wise beyond your years." So before you judge me, keep in mind that I was ready.
• Second, by "ready" I do not mean that I wasn't naive. It just means that I was ready to make that meaningful commitment. Yes, I was very stupid. I had never had a full time job, never lived on my own, and had never paid for rent, car payments, insurance, etc. There was obviously SO much that a few more years on my own would have prepared me for, but that doesn't mean it wasn't the best decision I ever made.
• Third & most importantly, I was completely and irrecoverably in love. And if you say that I was too young to know what love is, refer back to #1.

our engagement photo

Jon & I are coming up on our 3 year anniversary. And in memory of that, please enjoy this Q&A my best friend Anna Milne gave to Jon in preparation for my Bridal Shower in 2008:

How/where did you guys meet?

We met on the 14th of January of 2008 in our physical science lab at about 5:30 p.m. (Specific, I know, but I am kind of a nerd) I was in class and I noticed that this beautiful woman with the most amazing curly hair was looking at me. I would look over at her and she would look away. It happened a few times. I was really starting to like it though. It so happened that that day we were doing an experiment that required that we get in groups and I waited towards the back so that I could be in her group. Once we were in the same group she came to me and asked me if she knew me from somewhere. I didn’t recognize her from anywhere but went along with it, because it’s not every day that a gorgeous girls says that she recognizes you. We introduced ourselves and then she told me that she was from California. Towards the end of class I was hoping to walk her home when I saw another man waiting at the door for her. He talked with her in such a way that I thought that they had been friends for a while. I was a little bitter, but I figured that I had until next week, and facebook was always a possibility.

What was the first thing Jon noticed about Savanna?

I looked over from the desk that I was sitting at and I saw this girl with the most amazing hair. It was long and curly and had a reddish tint to it. Her hair was covering her face, but I did notice that she was dressed to impress and laughed kind of loud (you don’t have to tell her that).

What was the first thing Savanna noticed about Jon?

You know what, I am actually not sure! I think that she saw a tall, handsome man that was flirting with her a little bit and she kind of liked it.

If you could pick a dream vacation, would you go?

I personally would probably go somewhere cold, but I know that Savanna would go to a warm place. But wherever Savanna goes, I will follow. She is always cold and I am always hot, so together we make a pretty good couple.

What is Jon’s favorite color?

Green

How many kids would you want to have?

I think 5 would almost be a good number, but as many as Savanna can take we are having!

When/where was your first kiss?

On Sunday night (27 January) when I arrived back in Provo we went out to watch The Princess Bride in a park nearby in my car. The movie was playing, but neither of us was really focusing. I just wanted to kiss her soooo bad! So I stopped thinking about it and just went for it. She then recoiled her head and started laughing! She didn’t think that I was serious! So a few minutes later, I gained the courage up and went for it again. But this time, she didn’t move back and I kissed her.

What kinds of movies does Savanna like?

One of Savanna’s great characteristics is that she can watch and like any type of movie. Almost any Disney movie is already going to be on the top of her list. Peter Pan may be one of her all time favorites.

What is Jon’s favorite type of music?

I love just about any type of music; I like country, rap, alternative, dance, some oldies, just about anything.

What is Savanna’s favorite food?

Sushi, In and out, Orange Works and Arby’s

Describe your first date.

We went to Starbucks on the 16th of January at 7:00 p.m. where she consistently beat me at several card games as if I had never even picked up a deck of cards before. We were sitting at a table next to these two old guys that started talking to us. One was talking to me and the other was talking to her. I was getting frustrated because I felt like these guys were wasting my time. I didn’t want to be rude so I just sat there waiting for them to stop. Then out of nowhere, she interrupted both of them and said “guys, we are on our first date and we want to get to know each other.” I felt super small like I should have been the one that said something. We kept on playing cards and I was constantly looking for new ways just to make contact, by bumping her knee or shaking her hand as she shuffled the cards.

The date went well. I was taking her home and as a missionary would do, asked her when we could go out again, trying to get her to commit, exactly like a missionary. She then answered by telling me that she was already busy that weekend. When a guy hears that the only thing that he thinks of is that she isn’t interested, and that’s exactly how I took it! So I didn’t ask her out for a few days and then she kind of asked me. “Hey, so didn’t you say that you and I would go play some pool? When are we going to go?” When she said that, my heart jumped because, I knew that she was interested too!

If you could have a dog or cat for a pet which would you choose?

I would totally choose a dog. In fact, if I had a choice, I would choose a dog exactly like Peanut. I guess I would change one thing; I would want a dog that loves me too, and not just Savanna!

Does Jon like polo shirts, t-shirts, or button down shirts?

I would say that I rarely just ever wear t-shirts. I like wearing polo’s a lot. I wouldn’t be able to say which I like more between button up shirts of polo’s.

Is Savanna more dressy or a jeans and t-shirt type of girl?

Savanna is so varied. She likes to just relax in some jeans and a hoody and look amazing. On Sundays when she dresses up my heart completely stops. So most of the time it’s just jeans and a shirt though.

What sports or activities did Jon like to do when he was little?

I loved baseball and soccer when I was younger.

What is an embarrassing story of Savanna’s?

She has told me a few stories but unfortunately I don’t remember the embarrassing things. However, there was one small one that was pretty funny. It was after class and we walked back to her apartment. I was just dropping her off and while I was walking away, I turned around as she was going up the stairs and she tripped and nearly ate it on the stairs. I turned around and acted like I didn’t see it, but it was pretty funny.

What is Jon’s favorite subject?

Savanna. If I had to choose one I would say business, or perhaps art.

Where did you guys like to spend most of your free time together?

There are a few places. The library, Barnes and Noble, either one of our apartments and the temple grounds.

What is Savanna’s favorite flower?

This is embarrassing! I am not exactly sure. I have brought her roses before, but I think she liked the other flowers that I brought her which were just a bouquet of spring flowers. Anything with a lot of color strikes her fancy.

How did Jon propose to Savanna?

That’s quite the story! I came down to California on the 2nd of June to come and see her, The next day, we went to Disneyland. Savanna had made me the cutest most creative map that I have ever seen with a set of clues. Each clue led me to a different part of the park. They were all very well thought out and it was obvious that she has spent a lot of time of it. The last clue led me to the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Towards the end of the ride in the treasure

room, she handed me the last clue, which actually turned out to be a very sweet poem that said

“I may not glitter

And I am surely not gold

But if you let me be your treasure

I’ll be yours ‘til we’re old

If you ask me that question

You know what I’ll say

Please ask me quickly

Don’t make me wait all day.”

I had the ring in my pocket so I took it out and slipped it on her finger. I just held her close and she whispered in my ear “are you going to ask me?” My heart was beating a million miles an hour and I asked her, and she said yes! Not very romantic, I know. I was actually planning on asking her on the train. I was going to try and wait until night, but the ring was burning a hole in my pocket!

Task 1:

When you were a child, how did you express your creativity?

Based on the date I was 3 years old.

When I was little, I really loved arts & crafts at school. And luckily, I had very supportive parents who encouraged and nurtured that talent. Even before I started school I had begun drawing. I always believed that I was gifted & loved to doodle. One of my moms favorite crafts I ever made was the book I wrote "My Room is a Mess" in 3rd grade where each picture had me looking up into the thought bubble above my head. My eyes were huge, and my mom laughs every time she sees it. I'll have to figure out a way to scan that in someday. I used to get entered into Art Shows with the school & I remember when I received a blue ribbon for this bird collage. I was really proud.

This is me and my pet cat: kittypurr. I was not very creative with names.

I love how on the bottom right I drew Nightmare Before Christmas

Aside from my drawings, I also loved music, singing, dress up, etc. I love these photos my mom sent to demonstrate my darling little creative side:

I loved having blankets, towels, and frequently my brothers pants draped across my head because to me it felt like long hair. I think that its quite clever to drape pants over my head!

My mom made me this darling little play dough doll, and as you can see I came from creative roots.

Finally, I really loved to sing. Unfortunately I don't know how to play an instrument, one of my biggest regrets. (I know Mom, I'm sorry about those Piano lessons that I wasted)

June Vacation: Part 2

Mike & Brit came in late Thursday night, so we woke up bright & early to get into Disneyland to get our Star Tours fast passes. Brit & I were most excited for our maiden voyage on Ariel's Undersea Adventure! You probably couldn't tell though from our attire. All day long we were getting giggles and comments on where we bought our cute seashell bras. My Dad was serious about us purchasing more of those, painting them and selling them "under the radar" at Disneyland. We did so many new things at the park we hadn't done before:

1. rode the revamped Star Tours - which was amazing & had us all wondering what took them so long to update it.
   
   
2. went to the petting zoo at Thunder Mountain Ranch - the goats were so cute & tired, they just let you hug them
3. rode the newest California Adventure ride Ariel's Undersea Adventure - seriously reminded me why I loved mermaids so much growing up, its definitely a close second to my longtime favorite Peter Pan
4. went to elecTRONica the new psychedelic dance party on Hollywood Blvd. in DCA and saw the most amazing Laserman!

We had a great time, but mostly just because we were together!

But... I have just a few more pictures I feel that I MUST share :) Enjoy...

Dead Center of the Park!

Our stinker husbands ruined what would have been a darling picture... although, I might love this version more. Not sure which is better: Jon's face or Michael's sneaky finger.
Michael really wanted to wear both our mermaid headbands.

June Vacation: Part 1

After a very fun & very long weekend, I am home. And as much fun as traveling is, nothing beats coming home to your mattress & pillows that are perfectly molded to fit your body.

Japanese Garden

So our weekend started out at 4am on Thursday morning. Jon & I woke up, got our pups packed & in the car & headed out. After little traffic and a couple pit stops we found ourselves in Irvine! On to our first destination, the Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden at CSULB. It was so spectacular. The pond had hundreds of Koi fish, and they had been trained to eat directly out of your palm. They even make this funny slurping sound! But the garden itself was magnificent! We got there a little late, just before it closed at 3:30pm, but luckily were able to enjoy its serenity and peaceful organization.

HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY

So I am VERY happy today! Why you might ask?

• because today is my last day at work this week
• because tomorrow Jon I will wake up at the crack of dawn for a road trip
• because I love being with Jon for long periods of uninterrupted time
• because that road trip is taking us to California
• because we are going to a Japanese garden in Long Beach
• because while we are in Long Beach we are going to Roscoe's for chicken & waffles
• because Mike & Brit will drive in before midnight
• because we are all going to DISNEYLAND on Friday morning
• because we will be riding the new Little Mermaid & Star Tours rides
• because we will watch Billy Hill & the Hill Billies with Dad & Rachel
• because we're going to the beach on Saturday
• because I have a cute new swimsuit to wear to the beach
• because I hope to get some color on my white legs

but mostly because I get to be with my family all weekend long!

In anticipation for the fun photos we'll be taking this weekend, here is one from our last trip to Disneyland! See you next week!

Happy Father's Day!

I am so grateful for the fathers in my life!

I am a Daddy's girl three times over! I have a father, a step-father, and a father-in-law who all love me immeasurably! How did I ever get so lucky to have so many wonderful, strong, and faithful men as examples in my life?


My dad and I have always been able to talk about anything. We get along so well because we both have a love for the stupid, silly, and Disney. We always were able to have a good time, whether we went to the park, the beach, Disneyland, or even just on a walk around the neighborhood. He is the perfect example of someone who would give anything for those they love, and I try to emulate him.


This is my other dad who raised me. Although he is hidden in the back of this picture he was never hidden from my life. Always there to support and guide me, he was the quiet strong example I often think of when going through hard things.



This is the newest dad in my life. Although he didn't raise me through the terrible toes or my teenage years, he has taught me so much in the past three years about true devotion to family, and he has shown me a real love of gardening.

I am so grateful for these fathers who have taught me so much, and will continue to teach me.

All in the Garden

We have our own little garden area surrounding our entry way. It makes me SO happy to see the little blossoms greeting me every morning.


This is our little herb garden box that Jon actually made last year. Its mostly filled with flowers, but there are a few chives that have grown back from the herbs we planted last year.


This is a juniper that Jon clipped to looking like a bonsai. It sits near the end of our box and we even have a solar spotlight which lightly illuminates it at night!


This is a hanging basket that Jon actually bought me for my birthday back in March. We don't know how, but it has survived all the snow and is still going strong! I think hanging baskets might be my new favorite way to display flowers.


We actually bought this flower basket on Saturday, from a little booth on the side of the road by the freeway entrance on Center Street. Only $15 for this beautiful, flower filled basket. I'm loving summer!


Beautiful entry way.

While I was outside Jon was having some bonding time with our pups.

Most Thoughtful Husband

Jonathan Rodriguez, is the sweetest husband!

This morning what I thought was going to be a lazy regular Saturday, turned out to be a well thought out plan meant especially for me. We headed out this morning to spend some time together at BYU by going to the Museum of Art. Unfortunately, that didn't open until 10am and we got there at about 9:20. We decided to walk around BYU instead, and happened to run into a book fair. It turned out in our favor because we got warm roasted almonds from a local vendor. They were delicious. I loved walking hand and hand with my love in the place where we first met. Afterward we drove around the Provo temple, just enjoying this beautiful Saturday. There we ran into Aubrey Barker, Jon's cousin and one of my closest friends. She invited me to shopping with her, and so I headed off. I had no idea that this was anything but a chance meeting. Jon gave me some cash & thoughtful note, and told me to have fun shopping. I didn't think anything of it again (silly me). Aubrey & I spent some time at Cherry Lane Boutique off University.





Then Aubrey and I headed off to the mall, where we ran into Brit. Again I believed it was a chance meeting. Silly naive me. Brit explained she was getting her nails done & invited me to go along. I didn't want to just ditch Aubrey, but Aubrey suggested I go & said she had to go somewhere else & handed me a thoughtful note. Suddenly, I KNEW this was all a part of a bigger scheme. I knew the only one who could be behind it was Jon.


After our pedicures Brit took me to a nearby salon and where we got HAIR FEATHERS! I was so excited! Jon & I had seen these about a month ago and I had LOVED them, but had forgotten about them. Jon didn't though. He remembers everything that I love! Both Brit & I were so excited for our fun additions to our hair which only took about 10 minutes to put in.






After putting our cute feathers in, my brother Michael picked me up to see Kung Fu Panda II. Brit left me after giving me her own thoughtful note! I was aware of the routine by now, but was really wondering when I was going to see my sweet husband. I enjoyed every second of Kung Fu Panda with Michael. We watched the first one together when I was still engaged to Jon. After the movie, Michael gave me his note & Jon picked me up. My evening wasn't over, as we went on a hike with our two pups and later to a park with a fun river that our dogs absolutely loved. After leaving the park wet and happy, we found Mike & Brit at home ready to eat dinner (a dinner that Jon had spent hours preparing) with us.

WHAT A WONDERFUL LIFE I HAVE! I have already put the heart felt messages my family wrote to me in my journal so that I'll always have their sweet words. Don't forget to show those you love how much they mean to you! Maybe you don't have to plan something this elaborate, but I know that this is a Saturday I'll never forget. I love you Jon!

Memorable Memorial Weekend

I am SO glad we got to spend so much time with family. I don't have much to say that I haven't already written, but I do need to post some more darling pictures!

On Saturday, I did some crafts with Rachel & Emma. They loved their fairy wands and crowns, and it was so easy to make. They honestly wore them all day, especially Rachel, who truly believes she lives in a fairy tale.


Beautiful Emma


After Abby woke up from her little nap I was able to make the craft with her, look at her just glowing at her reflection.


This is the best part, when she realized what I was doing and asked "Are you taking pictures of me?" She looks so upset here, even though she really wasn't, and in the next picture she was asking to see herself.




So the boys got a little jealous that they weren't doing projects with me, and got kind of bored of playing with the pups outside. They kept asking me when I'd be done with the girl crafts so I could start doing the boy stuff. So this.... was my solution! A spider on a stick! I hadn't really prepared a boy activity (note for next trip) and so this was my impromptu creation with the left over goodies. But I feel like the options are limitless with a bit of pipe cleaners, bbq sticks, and hot glue.


But I do believe that it turned out to be quite the hit. Quinton was being a stinker though & wouldn't let me take a photo of just him. This was the best I could get.


Evan was much more obliging. Look at his darling grin.




The evening was ended watching some classic Disney cartoons like Moose Hunters and the Skeleton Dance. I love how Michael looks so little in this picture next to Jon.