Giving thanks in Rancho Santa Margarita

Thanksgiving this year was quite the eventful trip! I kinda like that every year for Thanksgiving since I came to college I have done something completely different with different people every time. This time around I went to sunny CA, specifically Rancho Santa Margarita, with Josh and Tiersha and we picked up Taylor in Vegas. It was a party to say the least! Day 1 was spent at Disneyland, courtesy of Grandma Whitmore. This place is seriously magical. Sadly Tiersh didn't go because her back was hurting her too much, so it was just me and the boys. We had a great time and oh did the memories begin.

We went on a bunch of awesome rides including Splash Mountain, the Haunted Mansion, Thunder Mountain, Star Tours, Indiana Jones (twice!), Space Mountain, Buzz Lightyear, and the Finding Nemo ride. I loved all of them, but Space Mountain definitely takes the cake. I just love that you are in the total dark and there are so many sharp turns and fun drops - you never know what's next! Spooky! Here is Taylor and I in front of the Haunted Mansion, and let me just add that during this ride we saw Josh pull his iphone out. He obviously has been to Disneyland wayyy too many times since he met Tiersha (like 20. For real. Spoiled and starting to take it for granted clearly!).

Taylor's favorite ride was Star Tours and since he's obsessed with Star Wars. A little too much maybe, but shhh don't tell. I won't lie, it was pretty sweet and I liked it a lot too - it was a simulation, so it felt so real like we were really in the scene and flying and stuff! Here we are with our sweet 3D glasses on. We're pretty cool, you don't have to tell us!

I have to admit that I wasn't very impressed with the castle during the daytime, but at night it was seriously magical. Probably because it looked more like it does when you see it in the previews before a movie starts! I could not stop staring at it and it was at this point that I came to believe that Disneyland really is the happiest place on earth. :) Here I am in front of the castle.

At the end of the night we saw the Fireworks show and it was so great! It was pretty short, but since I tend to get antsy I kinda liked it that way. Definitely short and sweet! The fake snow was killing me. I loved all the Christmas decor too! Here is the three of us in front of the tree, which I will say is prettier than the one in NYC (which I know is so cool b/c it's real, but still, they could decorate it better. come on now!).

Overall, Disneyland was awesome! Thank you Grandma for allowing me to go! Day 2 was Thanksgiving Day, which we spent with a bunch of Tiersh's extended family. It was a day full of great food and great company. On the way over, I started taking pictures Tiersh's little adopted siblings. They are so cute! Here are the twins, Lillee and William and they're 2.

I think it's safe to say that we are all quite obsessed with them! Then there is Gracee who is 7 and so cute and tiny. Here she is in an apron that she got as a present - I thought it was so precious so I had to take a picture!

Here are the four of us after stuffing ourselves with food. Can you tell? Lets hope not. I know I had a food baby!

The highlight of the evening was getting to see my cousin Amy, now Sister Christensen, who is serving in Tiersh's ward right now. We went over to Tiersh's cousin's house to visit with her and her companion and it was seriously so great to see her again! I am so happy that she is serving there so that it was possible! She seemed great and pretty much freaked out with excitement when she saw me. :) It was a lot of fun to catch up and the ward seems to love her and think she is a great missionary. So proud of her! Here are the four of us and then just Sister Christensen and I.

Day 2 and Day 3 kinda blend together because of the chaos of the event I will call Black Friday. Oh man, where do begin. I can't believe I participated in it to the extent I did this year! I think only twice have I even went shopping at all on this famous day, but I went during normal hours of the day. This time things got waaay crazier! Josh, Tiersh, Annie (Tiersh's sister), and I started by going to Target at midnight. K so I've never really gone to a store on Black Friday right when it opens, but I've definitely envisioned it in my head. I know there are crazy people in this world who camp out, line up, and there's huge hoopla. However, I just pictured that once the clock strikes midnight the store opens and everyone just rushes in - maybe a few people die in the process, but then come 12:02 no one is outside. So when we left at midnight I figured that we would just be able to walk right in. Ohhhh was I sooo wrong! We got there and the line was SO long, my jaw dropped. I couldn't believe my eyes. I instantly got a pit in my stomach and thought how have I become a psychotic person to do anything to get a good deal on Black Friday. I thought for sure there would be no way we'd get into the store like another hour and I felt sick thinking about sitting and waiting, when I really just wanted to sleep. Well, we drove around for a few minutes and when we went back around we actually noticed that the line was way shorter! So we made an executive decision to go ahead and just get in line and wait to get in. I then thought that was also stupid because I figured if we wanted to buy anything we'd have to wait in line for 4690809456 hours and I did NOT feel like doing that. Again, I was SO wrong! We were in and out in less than 20 minutes and we all bought stuff. I was stunned! I got catch phrase for half off since I left my old one in Africa and also got the Blindside for 4 bucks. What a steal! I started to feel rejuvenated and that I could survive Black Friday after all, which I know Tiersh is very happy about because I could tell she was getting scared I would back out in the morning. And by morning I mean 2 and a half hours later. That's right, we went back to her house and slept for 2 and a half hours and then went to the mall at 4am. Are we crazy? Probably, but it was sooo worth it. We even paid a few bucks so that we could get valet parking and walk right into the mall. Holla! I was tired for the first few minutes, but once I started trying on clothes I was perfectly fine. I may have went a little crazy and spent nearly all of my Christmas money in 7 hours (yeah, we were there for 7 hours, that is not a typo), but it was so worth it! I rarely shop for new clothes while I'm in school, so I feel that for Christmas and my birthday I deserve to go all out and update my wardrobe a bit. The best part was that everything at The Loft was 50% off and they have nice clothes so I was able to get some timeless, classy, nice items there! I also got stuff at Forever 21 and Old Navy that I was super happy about and then got my new niece who is coming any day the CUTEST outfit from Baby Gap! Seriously can't WAIT to see her in it. Yay for sales! I am now a huge fan of Black Friday and will definitely participate every year from now on. Tiersh's mom joined us for the last bit of shopping and she bought some clothes for the little kids. Here is Lillee in one of her new outfits from Baby Gap! I was dying over how cute it was.

After stopping at Burlington Coat Factory, we went home and showered and ate a little bit (we were famished... well at least I was) and were feeling great! Then we went back out with the boys and went BACK to the mall (I like to think that it was for them, but it was really for us again...ha) and then to Nordstrom Rack and Best Buy. What a crazy day of shopping! I was pooped by the end of it. That night Taylor and I took it easy with Annie and the little kids while Tiersh and Josh went with Tiersh's parents to an anniversary party for her aunt and uncle. It was nice to relax, although we also played Just Dance which was a work out but I can never say no to that game! So fun. Then I did a little photoshoot with Gracee and Gregory and here is one of the gems.
It took Gregory a LOT to kiss me on the cheek and after he did he was freaking out. It was hilarious! The last day, Day 4, we woke up early and all went to the Swap meet. They had everything you could ever think of! Since I depleted my funds, I only bought a present for my sister for Christmas, which was an accomplishment. It's a surprise so I'm sure the suspense is killing her right now. We let the twins out of the stroller for the last little bit and after holding our hands for a while they both ended up on the boys' shoulders so I had to take a pic! Too cute!

That afternoon I took a nap to make up for lost sleep from Black Friday and then woke up to Gracee telling me she was bored. What do I do when I little kid tells me they are bored? Why give them a make over and a crazy hairdo of course! It is the best because it keeps them entertained and it is fun for me without having to exert too much energy. She was dying after I finished and couldn't stop laughing at all the make up and her crazy hair! See for yourself. I basically did a ton of little braids and then put a bunch of random hair bows all over the place. A great look if you ask me!

We showed her family and I think they all thought I was crazy after that. I guess it's true though, so what can you do. Then Gracee wanted to have a photo shoot and she was doing all these crazy poses, it was killing me!

Meanwhile, the twins and Josh were going crazy in this little car or whatever it is. Lillee kept making the funniest facial expressions!

That night to end the break with a bang the four of us went to Laguna Beach and ate at BJ's. We had some pizza that was delish and I got a pazookie too... it was heavenly. Here we are outside of BJ's - this picture is courtesy of some crazy drunk man who also took a picture of himself that I am sparing you of. You can thank me for that!

It was pretty cold so we only walked onto the beach for a sec, basically long enough to take this picture. It was so dark so you couldn't see the water very well on camera (although the waves were huge!) so I just took this picture by the lighthouse or whatever it is.

As you can see, it was an eventful break full of many adventures. To end the trip on a high note, during the long car ride home I called my dad and he told me to get the iPhone. I never thought I would ever hear such words out of his mouth. It was a true Christmas miracle!

What I hate to say is that I found out tonight I can't get it for free anymore because I've had my new phone longer than 30 days.... but we won't dwell on that.

Thanksgiving was perfect! There is so much to be grateful for. Hope I haven't bored you to tears. :) Until next time.