Abby's Wonders of the World

So there are so many places that I want to go see, I decided that I would make a list of MY wonders of the world.  They aren't in any particular order, just things I want to see before I'm gone.
1.  Mount Rushmore:  Luckily, I'm going to  see that over Labor Day weekend.  A patriotic tribute any American will love.  So, can you name each President on the mountain?  I can, and I've made the informational packet to prove it.
2.  Chichen Itza:  The ancient Mayans built elaborate and extremely adorned ceremonial architecture including temple-pyramids, observatories and palaces all built expertly and soundly without any metal tools, fascinating archaeologists to this day. 
3.  The Great Wall of China:  Winding 4,163 miles up and down across deserts, grasslands, plateaus and mountains like a mythological dragon, The Great Wall of China has stood the test of time for more than 2000 years. Though some sections of the wall are now in ruins or even completely disappeared, it is still one of the most alluring attractions in the world.
4.  Glacier Bay, Alaska:  Glaciers descending from high snow capped mountains into the bay create spectacular displays of ice and iceberg formation.  Most visitors see the Lamplugh or Margerie Glaciers.
5.  Petra, Jordan:  Although much has been written about Petra, nothing really prepares you for this amazing place. It has to be seen to be believed.  Entrance to the city is through the Siq, a narrow gorge, over 1 kilometre in length, which is flanked on either side by soaring, 80 metres high cliffs. Just walking through the Siq is an experience in itself. The colours and formations of the rocks are dazzling. As you reach the end of the Siq you will catch your first glimpse of Al-Khazneh (Treasury).
6. Christ the Redeemer:  Christ the Redeemer  is a statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The statue stands 30 metres (98 ft) wide and 38 metres (120 ft) tall with its pedestal. It weighs 635 tons, and is located at the peak of the 700 metres (2,300 ft) Corcovado mountain in the Tijuca Forest National Park overlooking the city.
7.  Leaning Tower of Pisa:  Although intended to stand vertically, the tower began leaning to the southeast soon after the onset of construction in 1173 due to a poorly laid foundation and loose substrate that has allowed the foundation to shift direction. The tower presently leans to the southwest.
8.  The Taj-Mahal:  The Taj-Mahal  is the most beautiful monument built by the Mughals, the Muslim rulers of India. Taj Mahal is built entirely of white marble. Its stunning architectural beauty is beyond adequate description, particularly at dawn and sunset. The Taj seems to glow in the light of the full moon. On a foggy morning, the visitors experience the Taj as if suspended when viewed from across the Jamuna river.
9.  The Great Sphinx of Giza:  The Great  Sphinx of Giza is a statue of a reclining lion with a human head that stands on the Giza Plateau on the west bank of the Nile, near modern-day Cairo, in Egypt. It is the largest monolith statue in the world, standing 73.5 m (241 ft) long, 6 m (20 ft) wide, and 20 m (65 ft) high. It is the oldest known monumental sculpture, and is commonly believed to have been built by ancient Egyptians in the third millennium.
10.  Kilauea:  The word kīlauea means  "spewing" or "much spreading", in reference to the mountain's frequent outpouring of lava.  In local belief the volcano is the home of the Hawaiʻian goddess of volcanoes, Pele. Legend says that eruptions take place whenever the goddess is angry. These concepts are included in tribal chants practiced by residents of the region.
11.  The Parthenon:  The Parthenon (Ancient Greek: Παρθενών) is a temple of the Greek goddess Athena whom the people of Athens considered their protector. It was built in the 5th century BC on the Athenian Acropolis.  Its decorative sculptures are considered one of the high points of Greek art.
12.  The Eiffel Tower:  Named after its designer, engineer Gustave Eiffel, the Eiffel   Tower is the tallest building in Paris. More than 200,000,000 people have visited the tower since its construction in 1889, including 6,719,200 in 2006, making it the most visited paid monument in the world.  Including the 24 m (79 ft) antenna, the structure is 324 m (1,063 ft) high (since 2000), which is equivalent to about 81 levels in a conventional building.
13. The Kremlin:  The Kremlin is the historical, spiritual and political heart of  Moscow and the city's most famous landmark and tourist attraction. It's an intriguing ensemble of buildings with an architectural variety that reveals a long and fascinating history. The Kremlin stands at the confluence of the Moscow and Neglinaya Rivers on Borovitsky Hill, named after the pine forests (bor in Russian) that used to cover it.  Maybe that guy in the picture will take us on a tour? 
14. The Colosseum:  Capable of seating 50,000 spectators, the Colosseum was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles. As well as the gladiatorial games, other public spectacles were held there, such as mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, and dramas based on Classical mythology. The building ceased to be used for entertainment in the early medieval era. It was later reused for such purposes as housing, workshops, quarters for a religious order, a fortress, a quarry, and a Christian shrine.  It has been estimated that about 500,000 people and over a million wild animals died in the Colosseum games.
15.  Neuschwanstein Castle:  A 19th-century Bavarian palace on a rugged hill near  Hohenschwangau and Füssen in southwest Bavaria, Germany. The palace was commissioned by Ludwig II of Bavaria as a retreat and as an homage to Richard Wagner, the King's inspiring muse. Although public photography of the interior is not permitted, it is the most photographed building in Germany and is one of the country's most popular tourist destinations.
16:  Sydney Opera House: The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre on Bennelong Point in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, who in 2003 received the Pritzker Prize, architecture's highest honour. 
17: Aurora Borealis:  The aurora borealis is also called the northern polar lights, as it is only visible in the sky from the Northern Hemisphere, the chance of visibility increasing with proximity to the North Magnetic Pole, which is currently in the arctic islands of northern Canada. Auroras seen near the magnetic pole may be high overhead, but from further away, they illuminate the northern horizon as a greenish glow or sometimes a faint red, as if the sun was rising from an unusual direction. The aurora borealis most often occurs from September to October and from March to April.
18. Westminster Abbey:  The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, which is almost always referred to popularly and informally as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in Westminster, London, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English, later British and later still (and currently) monarchs of the Commonwealth Realms. It briefly held the status of a cathedral from 1546–1556, and is a Royal Peculiar.
19.  Washington D.C.:  I could spend at least a week here visiting all of the history sites including:  the National Mall, White House, Smithsonian, War Memorials, all the Museums, the Washington D.C. temple, the Pentagon, the Library of Congress, and the list goes on and on.
20.  Jerusalem: One of the most spiritual places in the world.  And one of the oldest cities in the world.  Christianity reveres Jerusalem not only for its Old Testament history but also for its significance in the life of Jesus. According to the New Testament, Jesus was brought to Jerusalem soon after his birth. The Cenacle, believed to be the site of Jesus' Last Supper, is located on Mount Zion in the same building that houses the Tomb of King David. Another prominent Christian site in Jerusalem is Golgotha, the site of the crucifixion. The land currently occupied by the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is considered one of the top candidates for Golgotha and thus has been a Christian pilgrimage site for the past two thousand years

OK, so there are my top 20 wonders of the world - places I want to see before I'm gone.  So now the question is which ones to you want to go with me to?

Our Secret World

I live in two worlds.  The first is full of responsibility, expectations, mortgages, bosses, bills, work, church, family, friends, etc.  The second is a world I share only with:
 
When the kids are tucked into bed, we enter our own secret world.  In our secret world we can turn on the smooth jazz of Miles Davis and lay on the bed talking about all the far away adventures all over the world that we plan on having.  In our secret world, we lounge on the front porch playing the "guess how many white cars are going to pass by" game.  In our secret world Matt pops some popcorn and we cuddle on the couch and watch our favorite episodes of Psych until I am so tired, he has to carry me upstairs and put me to bed.  In our secret world we can have entire conversations without saying one word.  In our secret world we pull on some hoodies and take a stroll around the neighborhood just holding hands.  In our secret world we can lay a blanket on the grass and look up at the sky searching for shooting stars.  In our secret world nothing else matters but myself and Matt.  Every worry of the day melts away and the only thing I see is my Pookie.  And that is all I need.
 

Oquirrh Mountain Temple

Saturday we took the family up to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple Open House.  They were less than enthused.  They were expecting LONG lines and shuttle buses.  You can imagine our surprise when we got there and were told that we could park right in the temple parking lot.  We were escorted to a tent where we watched a video of the temple.  It was different than the Draper Temple one. 



After the movie, we walked right into the Temple.  It was beautiful as usual.  There wasn't anyone in front of us.  Jeremy was once again enthralled with the baptismal font.  He counted all 12 oxen and Matt explained about the 12 tribes of Israel.  When we got into the sealing room, we were able to spend as long as we wanted in there.  Mom took Bailee to the mirrors and explained about eternity.  As we exited the temple we were ushered into a reception hall for cookies.  We chatted for a bit about our impressions of the temple and took some pictures.


It was a cloudy day, but the rain subsided long enough to take some exterior pictures.

 
I am grateful for my family and the knowledge that we can be together forever.  I am grateful I had the opportunity to take my children to the temple and teach them the importance of going to the temple.  I LOVE the temple and I find great joy in serving in the House of the Lord.  There is no other place like it in the world.

Can't Leave Out Grandpa

In a previous post, for FHE we went to Color Me Mine to make some plates for my Mom for Mother's Day.  When we were done, as we were headed home, Jeremy started crying.  When I asked him what was wrong, this is what he said "We need to come back so I can create something for Papa.  I can't leave him out Mom he'll feel bad."  I tried to explain that Grandpa was a big boy and it didn't matter, but he was firm and wanted to include Grandpa. 
So we went to Color Me Mine for FHE last night.  I figured instead of making two somethings, we could just make one big something.  Anyone who knows Dad, knows that he LOVES popcorn.  Mom even had a contest to see how long it would take him to eat a 50 lb. bag of popcorn.  So when we got to the store we decided to paint a big popcorn bowl for him.
The kids were excited.  We grabbed our paint and set to painting.


We had the kids put their hand prints on it and put some polka dots on it.  I'm excited to see how it turned out.

Summer of Movies 2009

This year, most of the best movies opened in May.  So the Summer of Movies is already half-way through.  We started out with:
Star Trek:  I'm not really a Star Trek fan and didn't have any expectations for this movie.  But it was excellent.  The story-line was solid.  It wasn't too intense or too slow.  I've been wanting to go back ever since I watched it.

Angels & Demons:  I have never read the book, but right from the beginning I knew who the bad guy was.  I wasn't as dull as Da Vinci Code, there was more action and less prose which made for a better movie.  Ewan McGreggor was excellent and the setting and backdrop was more rich and vibrant.  It was OK, I don't know if I would want to see it again though.

Terminator Salvation:  I've never been a fan of the Terminator series, but I figured I would give it a try since it was only rated PG-13.  I must admit, the special effects were stellar.  The story line was upbeat and skillfully thought-out and managed to explain everything keeping true to the original movies.  The only drawback was listening to Christian Bale speak.  I always flashed back to Batman.  That deep gravely voice is meant for the Dark Knight not John Connor.  Sorry.
 
Up:  I read 5-star reviews of this movie so I figured we'd take the kids to see it.  The story is touching with mostly, adult themes.  The colors are vibrant and the sidekick keeps the children entertained.  I loved the movie.  I don't want to ruin it for anyone who hasn't seen it, needless to say, I give it 5-stars as well.
 
Night at the Museum 2:  I thought I would want to take the kids to this, but Matt convinced me to go just with him, so we went.  I'm glad that we didn't take the kids.  There were some rather scary moments.  Hank Azaria was hilarious and it was definitely a star-packed movie.  I wouldn't see it again.
 
There are still some good ones that are coming up.  Transformers at the end of June, July has Ice Age 3 and Harry Potter 6.  GI Joe (one I am really looking forward to) comes out in August.  So there will be some more movies to look forward too.
It's been fun to be able to go to the movies with Matt.  I look forward to our date night and the time we get to spend with each other.  It's the best.

RE: Facebook

June 11, 2009

To Whom It May Concern:

Lately, I have been receiving emails expressing concern over how much time I spend on :

I feel the need to assure all loved ones that I am not obsessed with facebook.  I don't change my status every 30 minutes:

I am certainly not stalking anyone at all:

The reason that whenever you guys log on and you see my little name down in corner with a green dot by it is because I am talking to this hottie:

Matt signed up for facebook so now we can chat throughout the day.  It's great.  We talk about everything.  So calm your fears and know that I'm talking with my best friend and all is well.  Thanks for the concern though.

Sincerely,

A Non-facebook addict.

Must Be Called of God

Last night for Family Home Evening, we decided to start back up with the Articles of Faith. Jeremy was quite happy . . . "Finally we're doing these, I need to learn them to go on a mission Mom." I assured him that we would continue working with them, until he memorized all of them. They did great a usual. Bailee had a little more trouble with this one.

The Bestest Friend Evah!!!

So Holly is my best friend.  Most of you know that.  We tell each other everything - and I mean everything.  So she knew I was stressed and whatnot, so for my birthday she decided to TAKE ME TO VEGAS!!!!  I was totally stoked.  She got a room at the Tropicana and had a few other surprises planned.  Let me start at the beginning.
Sunday night, she came and picked me up and we headed down to Cedar.  We crashed at her sisters house.  We were welcomed with a steak dinner (very nice Danielle - thanks a bunch).  The next morning we got up and headed to sin city.
We checked into the Tropicana (one of the original Vegas hotels by the way), and we headed across the street.  Holly had planned on taking me to a Cirque de Soleil show. Yipee!!!  It all started about ten years ago when her and I would frequent Vegas when we were going to school.  We had stayed one night at the Treasure Island and we wanted to go see Mystere so so bad, but we were poor college students then.  So we got our tickets and headed back to the hotel.  We went inside the M&M Factory and watched their little 3-D movie:



So then we go back to the hotel and change into our suits and hit the pool.  There is a frat formal at the Tropicana, so the place is packed and it was this little experience where I came to a realization.  I like lounging by the pool.  Most of you know that I am a get up and go person.  I need to be constantly going somewhere or doing something, but that all changed as soon as I hit that lounge chair.  I was relaxed and I could have stayed there for hours.  It was sunny (no wind) and whenever I started to get hot, I just took a dip in the pool.  Best pool day ever.  So now I might just reconsider those trips where you sleep in and relax by the pool with no where to go and nothing that needs to be done.  I liked it.  After a few hours we decided we needed to get ready for the show.  So we head to the Treasure Island.  We headed in and were told that no cameras or pictures could be used.  I tried to sneak one of these creepy baby carriages before the show even started and camera nazi usher came and reamed me out so this is what I got.

The next few pictures were some I found online, but it was an amazing show.
  



So the show ended and as we were walking out, I tried to snap a shot of the finale

Nazi usher guy was NOT happy.  It was WAY fun and it was even better sharing it with my best friend.  After the show we grabbed some ice cream and hit the hay.
The next day we went to a little presentation where a lady told me that she couldn't talk to me because I was Mormon and I couldn't make decisions - only my husband could.  Then we headed over to Ceasars to get a souvenir from Planet Hollywood and hangout by the ginormous fish tank.  I picked out a cute little hat and Holly opted for a necklace.


Then we headed to MY vegas - the Bellagio.



Last time I came to the Bellagio, we had Bailee and they don't let anyone under 18 into the hotel unless you are guest, so we couldn't go in, but it was just me and Holly so we went into the Garden room.  One of my favorite places.  They change it every few months to fit with the seasons.  It was breathtaking as usual:





I don't think I need to mention how good it smelled in there, which is mostly due to these babies:

 
We noticed the time and decided to head back to the hotel, we were meeting an old college friend at her house so we spend the rest of the night visiting with Susie.  The next day, I bounced Holly out of bed and we headed for home.  It was a fun relaxing break from the stresses of life, but it was good to see my two little kiddos and my sweetie.
Thanks Holly for taking me to Vegas and spoiling me rotten.  That's what best friends do right?  I love you and you're the bestest best friend a girl could ever hope for.