So as everyone knows Valentine's Day was a few weeks ago. I was wondering what Richard would do for me because he is extremely thoughtful when it comes to showing that he loves me. We decided that we wouldn't do very much for each other because we were going to save money for another trip that we are going on. But I should have know that he had something up his sleeve when he started selling his old lacrosse gear and not buying new shoes like he said that he was going to do. Then about a week before the big day Richard surprised me by saying that we were going to Disneyland for Valentine's Day!!! I was so excited!!! I have been wanting to go to Disneyland with my sweetheart for a long time but with Beau and work and school, not to mention the expense, I thought that it would be a long time before we would be able to get away. However, Richard being who he is, found us amazingly low priced tickets to Disneyland and our friends James and Jerrica went with us so we split the cost of gas and the hotel room. We spent what most couples spend on flowers and a nice dinner on an amazing weekend together in Disneyland!
We left Beau with Grandma and Grandpa. That was hard because it was our first time apart over night but Beau was a great baby and my family loved having him there. We started driving down after I got off work. Richard and James took turns driving. All was well when it was James turn at the wheel and he handled the roads nicely. When we stopped to gas up the car and stretch our legs James and Richard switched places. After this switch we got going again and that is when we hit some problems. The night was darker than usual because of the clouds covering the moon and stars. We were afraid that as we were going that we would hit a snow storm. We felt good about the trip so far but as we neared St. George small, delicate lakes began to whisper down all around us. After a while the snow became heavier and harder to navigate in, especially because we were in a rear wheel drive vehicle. This is when we all bowed our heads and asked our Heavenly Father for the safety for all those driving in this weather. Richard's skill impressed us all. We swerved slightly twice and drove very slowly. Other cars and even trucks ended up in the ditch next to us but our car drove as straight as an arrow with the guiding hand of my husband and Heavenly Father. We ended up grabbing a hotel in Las Vegas at the Flamingo Hotel at about 3:00 in the morning. In the morning we went and looked at the birds that made the hotel famous for having live exotic birds. The flamingos were odd looking birds but the best one was the Crown Crane. She had a beautiful blond fro!! This amazing looking bird was the Queen of the Island. That was fun to see all of the birds and the humongous fish. Right before we left I gave Richard his present. I gave him a complete set of the Obsession for Men. He loves it and now wears it everyday.
We left fairly soon after we woke up and headed on to Sunny California. The rest of drive was uneventful, except for when Richard pulled out a box that held a sparkling ring that held two blue tanzinite stones. The rest of the way went well and we made it to our hotel in good order. We then went to Downtown Disney. Our hotel was a 5 minute walk to Disneyland and that was quite convenient. We looked around and snapped some pictures. Richard and I loved all of the live music that was found at regular intervals throughout the walk. While we were walking amid the noise and color I spotted a cart that held beautiful pearls in gold and silver settings that took my breath away. Every time I see a pearl I think of my husband and his mission to New Caledonia. What was truly fantastic for me was that at this cart I could open my own clam and claim a pearl. Richard saw my fascination with this concept so he bought me a clam to open. I carefully selected the shell that would hold my reminder of my husband. I finally picked one and had the sales woman open it for me. Inside there laid a beautiful cream colored pearl and it was a big one, too! We decided to wait and get it set into something that really reflects me so we shall see what that looks like. We ate dinner at the ESPN restaurant. That was fun even though we had to wait for a very long time. The restaurant had huge TVs every where and every game was on as well. Because we waited longer than the estimated time they gave us a table that had a touch screen TV right on the table! That was fun and the food was great. The restaurant had an arcade/game room up stairs to keep us occupied as we waited. After dinner we headed back to the hotel and went hot tubing. We then went bed quivering with excitement for the day ahead.
We woke up bright and early the next morning and headed to Disneyland!!!! The weather forecast said that it was supposed to rain on us while we were there but the day was perfect! But the best thing was that because the forecast said rain the locals stayed home and we basically had free rein of the park. Jerrica and James were so fun to go to the park with because they go so often that they know when to go to what rides and which line is the fastest. The four of us had a blast at Disneyland. We hit the Peter Pan ride first and though it was not the most exciting ride it was the most detailed. I felt as if Peter had taken me off to Neverland. It was by far my most favorite ride that we went on that day. After that it was a whirl wind of activities. We never waited for more than 30 minutes to go on a ride and that in and of itself made the day better. Pictures with Mickey and Goofy were at the top of our list and we obtained these easily. It was amazing to be there and we had great time! I am so excited that we had the opportunity to go!
