Happy Birthday To You!

Two of my very close friends Mark and Kelley Hicken were celebrating birthdays this week and so we threw them a little shindig with a Halloween theme (of course). Having been planning this since July I was so excited the day finally came around.

Someone with a costume that looked like a giant birthday package come in. We could not figure out who it was and then the box came off and surprise! It was Kelley's mother who had come from Denver to be with them on their birthday. What a great gift!

We saw some great costumes last night. This team of ninjas is the birthday couple and Jeff their brother. Mark and I did the 50's thing.

My mom and sister joined in the fun of course!

Just in case you weren't sure...yes, that is a man in a the dress.

Lots and lots of sweets! It is a Halloween/Birthday party!

And lots of goury decorations! Thanks mom for the head collection!

It was chilly outside which was perfect for making smores.

What's a party without Beatles Rock Band?????

And some Kareoke!

What a party! It was such a blast! Thanks everyone who came and had a good time.

Spaceship...or U2 Concert?

Tuesday night we attended the U2 concert in the Cardinal's stadium. What a show!

Black Eyed Peas opened with exploding energy and a great set list.

Bono on the big screen.

Above: They bring out the disco ball!
Below: Bono requests they bring out their cell phones

I have never been a big U2 fan but this show was on Mark's bucket list. Good thing I let him drag me along because it was quite the production. Lot's of fun!

When I met Mark at the age of 20 I had only been to three concerts; Ringo, Goo Goo Dolls and The Monkees. Mark had been to tons of shows between middle school and his mission so when we started dating music became a part of how we spent our time with each other. Funny thing though, over the years I am the one who can't get enough of live shows and Mark has slowed down seeing only a couple a year. I feel extremely blessed to have had the opportunity to attend so many events and to witness such talent. So I decided to share with you the bands I have seen. Good chance you won't recognize all of them but I only put them on the list if they have had a song on the radio. They are listed in no particular order.

Shows I have seen with Mark:
Goo Goo Dolls (3)
Third Eye Blind (2)
Motley Crew
Aerosmith
Vanessa Carlton
Ringo Starr and his All Star Tour (1995, 2006)
Evanescence
The Format (3)
Steve Miller Band
Velvet Revolver
Tool
Paul McCartney (2001, 2002, 2005)
Anthrax
Metallica
Godsmack
No FX
Three Doors Down
Shine Down
Pearl Jam
Green Day
Jimmy Eat World (2)
Eve 6
Lit
Rob Thomas
Gladys Knight
Queen
Yellow Card
Blue October
Chris Cornell
Linkin Park
Weezer
Jewel
Def Leapord
Poison
Stained
Creed
Black Eyed Peas
U2

Shows I have seen without Mark:
Donny Osmond
Secondhand Serenade
Parachute
Monkees
Big N Rich
Mary Wilson
James Blunt
All American Rejects
Dashboard Confessional (2)
My Chemical Romance
Raise Against
Alan Jackson
Reliant K
Augustana (2)
Maroon 5
Counting Crows
Plain White T's
Panic at the Disco
Thriving Ivory
No Doubt
Paramour
The Cab (4)

So, curious at all to know which shows I thought were the best and worst? Well, for a long time my top three favorite shows were Paul McCartney, James Blunt and My Chemical Romance. However, this year I have seen two shows that earned their way into two of the top three spots and they were Jewel and U2. Of course I'm leaving Paul McCartney in the top three with them. Worst shows would have to be Motley Crew and Third Eye Blind where both singers were very disappointing.

Family, friends, and a bit of history!

Mark and I took a quick trip to Kansas City, Missouri last weekend to visit friends and family and to see historical sites of the surrounding area. The night that we flew in we had a little time to visit the site of the Liberty Jail where prominent leaders of the Mormon church were held without just cause for months.

We spent the next day in Liberty, MO where president Truman lived most his life. We toured his museum and his house, it was really interesting.

Later that evening we had dinner with friends that we hadn't seen for eight years. Mike and Mark served a short time together on their mission in Oregon. We double dated a couple times back when we were first married. We had a great time sitting by the fire and visiting late into the night.

The next day we spent time with my extended family. My aunt and uncle and their children live in Kansas City and a surprise birthday party was thrown for my aunt Jan. I got to see family members that I hadn't seen in years.

The next day we drove up to Council Bluffs, Iowa to see the first tabernacle built and used by the members of the church. It was here that Brigham Young was confirmed the second prophet of the church in December of 1847.

This is Brigham Young with his two councilors Heber C. Kimball and Willard Richards.

The Tabernacle.

Next, we headed over to Winter Quarters, just north of Omaha, Nebraska. There we toured the visitor center which taught about the trek the Mormon pioneers faced when driven from their homes in Nauvoo, Illinois.

Funniest thing. Our friend Jeff flew out to Chicago to meet up with his mother as she was released from her mission. He was helping her drive her car home from Illinois to Utah and they decided to stop by Winter Quarters. They started in Illinois and we started in Missouri and we met up in Nebraska! It was crazy!

Our last stop before flying home this morning was at Far West, Missouri. We visited the four cornerstones laid by the saints for the temple that will eventually be built there.

All in all it was a great trip!

Trip to Pittsburgh, PA / Kirtland, OH

We took a little trip last weekend flying in to Pittsburgh and spending a day there seeing the sights. We took a tram up the side of the mountain incline and took in the great view below. Next we toured a submarine and then took a duck tour around downtown. Ended the day with dinner at the Hard Rock where I got to get a picture with an original John Lennon leather jacket.

Next, we took a two hour drive to Kirtland, Ohio for some LDS church history. Our first stop was at the visitor center where we were taken to several different restored sites including homes and businesses from the 1830s.

This is where the Word of Wisdom was born.


Here we are at the Johnson Farm.
D&C 76 occurred in this room. Wow!

The highlight of the trip for me was visiting the Kirtland Temple, the first temple built by the Latter Day Saints. At the end of the tour we were seated in the congregational pews and the tour guide asked if we would like to sing a hymn. So, we stood and sang the first verse of "Spirit of God". It was a sweet experience for me. I'm so greatful for the opportunity we had to experience a part of history.

This is president Garfields home. He was the 20th president of the United States and he was shot just months after being sworn into office and died 80 days later. This house was gorgeous! We drove up to Erie, Ohio which is named after Lake Erie which it borders. We visited the Maritime Museum which included a tour of the brig Niagra. The Niagra played a big role in the war of 1812. This is not the original but supposed to be an exact replica.

The night before we came home we went over to Amish country to have dinner. Mark gets such a kick out of seeing the horse and buggy going down the street. We were driving by the school and saw one parked in the lot and Mark made me take a picture.

This was so cute! It's a different language for these drivers. Lol.

Getting Ready For Halloween

Isn't she adorable!

My mom came to help me spook up the house.