Cell Phones

We've all gotten on a plane, put our luggage in the overhead bins, and traveled to our destinations only to realize at the end of the flight that the cell phone never got turned off. "I guess it can't be too dangerous", you think as you walk off the plane. Well, I was curious as to the actual reason for the no cell phone rule and apparently there is some justification for not allowing cell phones to be used in the air. The biggest reason being that travelers are worried that flying will no longer be an escape from our noisy cell phone world. I couldn't agree more. Can you imagine a flight of a couple hundred people all talking on their cell phones? A part of me wishes that other places had the same rule. Everyone understands that you were not able to answer your phone when you tell them you were flying. It's too bad some people aren't so understanding when you tell them you are spending time with your family or in the middle of dinner. Maybe I'm the only one with this problem because Ryan gets so many calls every day. For the most part I've gotten used to calls interrupting our time together and most of the time I understand that the business we're in depends on a lot of talking on the phone, but every once in a while it would be nice to pretend we're flying and make a no cell phone rule.

HAWAII

We took so many pictures in Hawaii it was hard to choose which ones to post. Hopefully the ones I chose will help to tell about all the amazing things we saw and did. The week was pretty jammed packed with activities. I can honestly say that there was never a dull moment, especially with Landon. We were able to see 5 waterfalls, go on 4 hikes, go snorkeling, surfing, go on a private tour of Pearl Harbor (thanks to Tyler), go kayaking, swimming, visit with family, go to the punchbowl memorial, and see some other lookouts/attractions all in a week. We had an amazing time and can't wait until we can go back.

Utah Adventure

Life has been a little hectic for the past couple of weeks. It all started the end of February when I found out that my Grandma Bowen passed away. She has been sick for the past couple of years so I am glad she didn't have to suffer too long here in this life, but, of course, she will be missed greatly. I really felt like I should attend her funeral but Ryan couldn't take off work and plane tickets were outrageous for a last minute flight so my sister, Cindy with her 2 kids, and Landon and I decided to drive.
On March 1 we loaded the kids into the van at 4 a.m. and off we went. The drive to Utah went o.k. We hit a little snow where we had to slow down and the last hour Landon (9 months) and Allison (15 months) started to have crying wars, but other than that they did really well. We arrived late on Saturday night so we were able to attend both the viewing on Sunday and the funeral on Monday. Both went really well. I always love to hear about the lives of people I love.
Then since neither Cindy nor I had to be back right away we decided to stay in Utah for the week. We had a great time visiting with family and friends and and Saturday morning we left at 2 a.m. By 6:30 a.m. we were almost to Battle Mountain ( which is the half way point) so we were feeling pretty proud of ourselves. That is until we were 20 miles outside of Battle Mountain and we ran out of gas. We were so bummed. It isn't like either of us to run out of gas and although we were cutting it a little close I don't feel like it is entirely our fault. You see, we borrowed the van we were driving and we didn't know that it runs out of gas right before the display says it has an 1/8 of a tank. So...we sat on the side of the road for a couple hours waiting for roadside assistance to come help us and then off we went again. It turned into a 15 hour journey back home, but I'm thankful that we made it back safe and sound. It can be pretty scary sitting on the side of a freeway with humongous semi's passing.

Short Hair

Here's for my friend Shauna who wanted a side view. I also did a back view.

Beautiful Green Hills

It has been another cold and rainy week which has made our surrounding hills a beautiful green. I'm glad that we were able to get outside last weekend before the cold weather came again. We went hiking on Saturday and for a nice easy stroll around a lake on Sunday. We found out that Landon really loves to play with grass. Who knew that picking grass would be so much fun....AND the thing that really amazed me was he didn't eat it. It may be the only thing that hasn't gone straight to his mouth.

Happy Valentines Day

Happy Valentines Day! To celebrate our relationship Ryan, Landon, and I went out to lunch. While we were eating we were thinking back about our single years and how when you don't have a special someone in your life Valentines day is more of a "Single Awareness " Day. I think back to Mr. Fillmore's class in 9th grade when I shared with a boy how I hated Valentines day because I never got a gift from a special someone (except from my mom). Well, Valentines day was two days later. I remember it being on a Saturday that year because I went grocery shopping with my mom in the morning and when I got home there were some roses for me. These roses made me so happy that day. I didn't care that they didn't have a name from who they were from, although I have a pretty good idea (since the boy I was complaining to worked at a flower shop), all I cared about is that I got some special gift... Then you get married and Valentines day comes around every year and if you're like me you see all the cute decorations and fun doo-dads while you're shopping and a part of you wants to buy something for your sweet husband, but the other part of you says he doesn't really care about a heart-shaped chocolate candy so you shouldn't waste money. So for the past 4 years I only remember buying Ryan a Valentine present one time. Something we've only used 1 time. The rest of the times I have always made him a really nice meal, usually something Italian (because Italian food seems romantic) and a special dessert. He seems to like this better than gifts and I think I do to. I can't think of anything that I would want more than to spend quality time with my husband. Anyway, I guess I think it's kind of funny how gifts were so important to me when I was single and now that I have been blessed with a wonderful husband who I love and I know loves me a simple meal with some time together is all I want.

Another Note....

I have been contemplating cutting my hair for the past few months and I finally did it on Monday. Here's a picture. I was super scared because I have never cut my hair shorter than my shoulders, but I really like. It's easy to do, doesn't get tangly, and Landon doesn't pull it anymore.

Fun Day!

Today was one of my favorite types of days. Ryan was caught up with work and it was warm enough to go outside so we we were able to go on a hike together. We went to one of my favorite places. It is called Rancho San Antonia state park. We seem to always go on the same trail there...Wild Cat Trail. I was counting today and Landon has already been on this trail four times, but it's a great trail so I'm sure we'll keep going back. It's only about 3.5 miles, so it's great if you only have a couple of hours. It takes you to a beautiful overlook of the Bay Area so the hiking up hill is totally worth it. We tried out a new carrier for Landon. It wasn't as comfortable as the baby bjorn is, but Landon is getting heavier and I think he's growing out of the bjorn very quickly. I am amazed at how fast my little boy is growing. Here is a picture of him riding on his car. He likes to sit on it when he's in front of the mirror. I haven't figured out if he knows that it is him in the mirror or if he thinks another baby is coming towards him.