THE SORENSEN FAMILY

Should I, or Should I Not???

2011-02-07T18:02:00.002-07:00

Wow it's been almost TWO years since I've blogged. Wow, if Mitchell's mission goes by that fast, it will be awesome!!! I'm going to put pictures on with captions of happenings in the past few years. That sounds kind of funny. That is if I remember how to do all of this fun blogging stuff.

Advice: Next time leave the camera home...

2009-04-14T10:35:00.011-06:00

We have been gone for the past week on our own California Adventure. Brian decided to take advantage of the fun photo opportunities that the parks offered so I will post a few of them. At the end of our vacation, the kids suggested to Brian that with the amount of money that was spent on each of these photos we could have had a really nice photo sitting session-- BUT would they look like these and show our real personalities??? What a fun time we had. Our first full day we spent at Sea World where Amanda and Alisha were able to interact with the dolphins. They couldn't get the smile off their faces.

The first coaster we rode was Atlantis at Sea World. The kids said I looked EMO so they told Brian he had to buy it.

I'm the one with the jacket over my head that you can't see. Sorry these are so small. I probably should have fixed them when I scanned them in. Oh well. The next day we went to DISNEYLAND!!!!! "The happiest place on earth"? For most....YES! We went on Space Mountain and Splash Mountain.

Oh, I get it it's kind of like a game where you pick your poses for fun!! This one we decided to show NO emotion and act like this is boring. I think the workers rigged it because we all had ponchos on and we all got off soaked. I think they turned up the water just to spite us thinking we were all cool by not getting wet. After the ride, we did kind of look like this when our ploy to not get wet didn't work. No time to waste throwing a pitty party. On to more rides. I paid 15.00 for a service on the internet that you input all of the rides you want to ride and they spit out an itinerary for you that gives you the best options with not much waiting. It worked!! We rode everything we wanted and some twice. Saturday we went to Universal Studios where they had a photo special 4- 5x7's for 24.95. Great!! We'll do it so here are three of the four. The one at the beginning is one of them.
This is front of the Haunted House. It was real SPOOKY!
This is the ride "Revenge of the Mummy". It's one we hadn't been on before. Lots of Fun!

The photo above is on the "Jurassic Park" ride. It's a hard one to see because there are 2 shots on a 5x7. Our last day we went to California Adventures. One of the "cast" members dressed like a Bellhop approached Nick and Amanda and asked if they were alone and Amanda said her family (us) were with them. The Bellhop asked if we would like to take the dare. We said sure. So he told us to follow him and then proceded to tell us we were going to be the first family at California Adventure that day which meant we got to sign in the hotel (Tower of Terror) guest book and carry the big velvet rope with the people BEHIND us into the park. We would also be the first on the Tower of Terror ride in our own elevator and 2 fast passes to use whenever we wanted throughout the day on that ride. SCORE!!!!! Sarah and Amanda have pictures of that so you'll have to check their blogs and see if they post them.

Notice our family pose. It would be great in a 16x20 frame except for one problem....where's Kyle???? He had to stay home and work. Bummer!! We missed you! Maybe we can photoshop him in.

We had a great get-away!!! It's always good to be home. Does anyone know where to get a mean batch of cotton candy???? I'm going through withdrawls. Mitch said he couldn't believe I would drive all the way to California for cotton candy when walmart has the same thing.....duh---it never tastes the same unless you're actually there. Thanks for the fun.

Refrigerator Worthy???

2009-03-27T13:17:00.004-06:00

So as I continue to look through scrapbook photos, I run across a few that really give me a big smile! This is one that I found and so I put it on the fridge. What cuties!!! Every once in a while I will hang something from the past on the fridge. A week or so ago, Mitch needed to write an essay on something that he did in his life that no one else has done, that had an effect on him. So I dug into the past (my treasure box of their memories) and found this....

Mitch chose this to write his essay on. He brought this home from elementary school one day and casually handed it to me and said it was from his teacher. So he did write and complete his essay of which he received a great grade on and yes, this has been hung back on the fridge (until I have time to get it back where it needs to go and not lose it). A few days later when I passed by the fridge (I do pass it frequently - I just don't pay a lot of attention to what's on there since I'm the one that puts it there) I found a new item hanging on it that caught my attention......

I thought it funny that Mitch would hang his first driving ticket on the fridge but figured it was one of three reasons.

1. He was proud of it?????

2. He wanted to keep the memory of it going strong?????

3. He had gone longer than any of his sisters without getting a ticket and wanted to proove it???

I figure it was so he wouldn't forget to call and get it paid in the timely manner. $82.00. Sorry about the ticket cute boy.

I think every fridge has a story!!!

Cheap Therapy

2009-02-02T14:41:00.002-07:00

I ran across these 2 pictures as I was rummaging through the scrapbook "stuff" and found these 2 pictures and they took me back....to the day when we had a bird in one of the window wells that couldn't fly. Now everyone that knows Tasha (the Beagle dog)knows that she is instinctively ready for the hunt. Shanna thought she would get a shovel and help the bird out while someone was to keep watch on the dog inside the house and NOT let her out. That someone turned for a brief moment as another human went out and the dog followed and ran directly to the shovel and in one quick snatch helped the bird out of it's misery. Alisha screamed and yelled at Tasha but of course it won't bring the nice birdy back. We had our discussion on the food chain with a bit of hunting instinct lesson so I figured we had everything understood. I had gone on with my day and was doing some cleaning in the bedroom when under the door these 2 pictures were slid by 2 very small hands. They tell the whole story.... and she went on to play.

2009-02-02T14:33:00.002-07:00

2009-01-23T09:42:00.002-07:00

Last fall, Sarah and I talked about running the St. George 1/2 marathon that was January 17. Okay I said that means A LOT of time on the treadmill. UGH!! I really enjoy being outside but it's a bit too cold and not too good on the ankles dodging the ice chunks. So I committed to train inside.

We took Grandma and Alisha to Cedar City to spend the night with Kyle, Gina, and the girls. We ate dinner at the NINJA (like Benihana's). That was fun to visit a short bit with them. Then on to St. George.

The morning weather was beautiful in St. George - up to 60 degrees and not even much of a breeze. I start off doing great and then my feet went numb - oh man! I really had intended on getting a good time but was afraid I might twist an ankle or fall because I couldn't feel my feet SOOOoooo.....I slowed down. Big mistake! Well let's just say we finished --not last but not as good of a time as I had wanted. Sarah tried with all of her might to get me to get the lead out!!! She is so much fun to be with and I appreciate her "taking one for the team" and staying with me. I'm sure she could have finished AT LEAST 45 minutes sooner. Thank You Sarah for the fun! Looking forward to Ogden in May.

A great way to start the year!!

2009-01-23T09:40:00.002-07:00

2008-12-31T11:47:00.001-07:00

Do I Have To????

2008-12-31T11:19:00.002-07:00

So I thought I better get one blog post in this month before it ends. I only have a few more hours. I think it's pretty good to get at least one post a month in. Amanda tells me that I am to blog weekly. UGH!! Who is ever going to read or care about what I have to say. But I will do it anyway. We've had a very busy December. For the past few years I have taken the girls to the Creche display in Midway and then shopping in Park City the first weekend of December and last year we said lets spend the night at the cabin. So we had a lot of fun at the cabin. We had "Fondue Friday" which is where you eat fondue on Friday night. It was sooo good and I do have to admit the chocolate was SLAMMIN'. I also had been thinking of a tradition that we could start and came up with studying a different country's Christmas celebration each year. We started with Denmark and made woven heart baskets to hang on the tree and did the rice pudding where you hide the almond and whoever gets it gets a prize. Well I'm used to instant rice where you put equal amounts of rice to water instead of long cooked rice so we had a very huge pan of dry rice. Oh well, by the time we evened it out, we were out of milk but it was still kind of tasty. Us girls talked and laughed until midnight and the boys??? I'm not quite sure where the boys were. I couldn't talk anyone into the Creche display so it was on to Park City. Not too many good buys so I saved a few dollars. When we got home Brian and I went with our friends Thomas' and Baggett's to the BYU Christmas concert. It was fantastic! I love the Christmas season for the spirit that comes with the music. OUr friends the Shook's had 2 extra tickets to THe Forgotten Carols so Brian and I went to that. I haven't seen it before and it was also spectacular. We even went to a live Nativity that our friend Will Thomas was a wiseman in and sang wonderfully. It was at Liberty Park and sounds like they might do it again next year. Christmas came so fast and it was also so much fun. I thought once the kids grew up, we would get more sleep on Christmas Eve and up later on Christmas. We went to bed at 2:15 and up at 5:12 (by my clock). We had a great day which included our traditional breakfast. Our kids decided that instead of exchanging gifts that we do a nice activity as a family. THis year we chose to go to Body Worlds. I had read on the internet that parking was kind of a pain and the roads were still really slushy from snow so we road trax. It was cold and believe me when a car drives by, you take cover so as to not be sprayed with a mud slurpee. We thought the display was pretty amazing and we all had a greater appreciation for our bodies. That lasted until we got out and said "where is the closest place to eat"? We ate at an italian place called Stoneground just across the street from the museum. It was very good. This blog is getting way too long and so I will cut off by saying MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!

2008-11-04T14:53:00.000-07:00

2008-11-04T14:41:00.000-07:00

2008-11-04T14:18:00.002-07:00

We've been a busy bunch the last month or so. I loved listening to General Conference at the first of October. I always enjoy listening to the talks. I also took the time to put a puzzle together while listening. We haven't taken family pictures for a couple of years so we took an afternoon and went downtown to the Gallavan Plaza and took some. I will post a few for viewing. The weather was perfect and Brian and I always love being with the (you) kids. After viewing the pix, as usual, I realize (again or still) that the camera didn't magically take 20 pounds OFF of me so I have decided to pump up the excercise and eating habits to try and be in better shape for the next year. (I say that every year) Oh well, at least I'm consistant. Sarah and I have decided to do a 1/2 marathon in St. George in January so I will have to get the training started. Sarah did her fall-a-thon the middle of October while Amanda and I rode bikes behind her. My rear end was a bit sore the next day. Next time maybe I'll use one of those blow up donuts that people with tailbone injuries use on the seat for added comfort. I can hear the comments now. haha! Mitch went with Brian to Chicago for a few days to work and see the city. They said they had a great time. Mitch felt very accomplished by eating at Giardano's Pizza, Dunkin' Donuts, White Castles, his first Chicago Dog, and Gyro. He also got to visit the city and see the tall buildings. They visited an area that Brian served in on his mission and they went for very brief stops to Wisconsin and Oh Crap! Indiana (inside joke). Also in October, Mitch was nominated to run for the Movie Miner Man at Bingham High School. He needed a costume and a talent. Costume: Peter Pan, Talent: Ribbon Dancing to Janet Jackson's Black Cat. I felt he should have won but he didn't. He was the very best talent for sure. We did record parts of it so if your interested, let me know. We are trying to raise a few extra bucks for Christmas. J/K haha. We have survived another Halloween. And what fun we had. Sarah came over and with the help of her, Alisha, and Taylor (Alisha's friend) we made caramel apples and pumpkin fudge. The girls stuffed some costumes and used manequin heads for a cool porch scene. We only had about 10 different groups of trick-or-treaters so it was pretty quiet. I'm sure I've left out a few activities but the arthritis is setting in.

2008-10-01T13:00:00.000-06:00

ALOHA!!

2008-10-01T12:38:00.002-06:00

Last week Brian had to go to Hawaii to do some work and I was lucky enough to get to go with him - with the stipulation that I would help him get the work done. Are you kidding??? If I can go to Hawaii I will do it! So we went and had a WONDERFUL time. We went to the big island this time and after the work was done (we installed a satellite dish), we got to PLAY - YAY! We saw the black sand beach, a volcano in action, and snorkeled with sea turtles. And what is a trip to Hawaii without the fresh pineapple sundae. We crammed as much as we could into our 5 day getaway. Thanks Bri for a great sunny getaway! I just love him!!

2008-09-17T12:13:00.000-06:00

OK I get it! The vacation's over...

2008-09-17T11:25:00.003-06:00

I've decided that it's time for me to quit playing so much and get to work. Just one more boat ride PPLLEEAASSEE.... Yeah!! We keep saying "Let's go one more time" and we actually do. The last 2 times we've been out to Utah Lake, and other than the fact you feel like your in nothing short of secondary water, it was really calm and we had a great time. (We've decided that maybe it is a good thing that we can't see below the water surface). We are all trying to improve our skills on the wakeskate. It is sooo much fun. Also I have been in sort of a creative mode this past week. I finally hung a vinyl project that has been moved back and forth from the dresser to the bed to under the piano to back to the bed and back to the dresser, and finished a small eye spy quiet toy that has literally been ON my dresser for 3 years. My goal this week was to SEE the dresser top and to actually put the items away that are on it whether it be to file, scrapbook, or just trash stuff. I've also done some crocheting (finished Mitch's afghan I've been working on it for 5 years), sewing, including a baby blanket for a friend, and tried my hand at salsa with tomatoes from the garden. Hey don't think that I'm trying to brag, I have been pretty SEDENTARY the past few months maybe even years. And I really don't have a reason for it.

2008-09-02T17:43:00.000-06:00

The Last Summer Bash!!

2008-09-02T14:22:00.000-06:00

I can't believe how quickly summer has gone by. We've been trying to pack in every last ounce of fun into the last few weekends before the snow hits. It actually caught us last weekend at the cabin BUT didn't stay for long....WHEWWWWW! At the beginning of summer we (the family) were talking and I asked them what things they wanted to do before summer was over so we could get them all in. Some things suggested were, Yuba Lake for a few nights, Camping in a campground with possibly a tent (that was Nick's), Swissdays including a few nights at the cabin, and hiking up to Mt. Timpanogos cave. We've accomplished everything except Timp which is scheduled in a few weeks. I wish we had a few more weekends. Everyone voted for 1 more boating trip which we are hoping the weather will be warm enough by Saturday to do. I am going to try to put a slide show of some of the fun times. If it doesn't work, I'll have to ask for help.

2008-08-12T14:11:00.002-06:00

Can You Say Virgin Blogger??
What the heck am I doing... this blogging stuff looks like fun but I'm having a hard time finding what buttons to push, how to format, and I have to have a password for this too? I thought this would be a much better and more exciting way to journal than writing in the book. I have inquired help from the more experienced, (the children) whom have been more than anxious to get me started in this effort. So... If this is the right place to post and if I've done it right, I will add more for sure.