{Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl 2015}

A few weeks ago we had the opportunity of a LIFETIME to stand on the sidelines of the Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl and cheer on the Cougars against the Utes!  

Mike worked the recruiting booth for the game, and so he was able to get all access passes for the sidelines.  We were also able to score some tickets for our friends and family to come and watch the game with us as well!  

Mom & Dad came down and received these early Christmas gifts from Jana and Julie to wear to the game!  They looked rather dashing in their BYU gear! 

They also brought Quincy and Collin (sadly, Utah fans) to join in the fun as well.

Clearly Dad did not give up on the Cougars despite a rough start to the game!  

Aaron and Rachel traveled down from Provo to spend Rachel's 21st birthday here with us!  We had fun playing games and catching up with them on the eve of the bowl.

Morgan & Alex also came from Cedar to cheer on the dark side!  (We still love them anyway). 

And Brett came into town from Phoenix to join us also!  

This game was a great chance to catch up with some family and dear friends from the past!

Okay so lets get to the details of the game... 

Here we are in front of the BYU trailer where the football equipment is transported *chills* 

About to go into the game!  I am super excited in this picture because the BYU team is right behind us about ready to run onto the field!

  

Exploring the sidelines with my handsome man!

This was where we watched the game from!  Grant said he saw us a lot on ESPN, which is pretty cool! 

This game was particularly memorable because it was the end of an era - the Bronco Mendenhall era.  He is leaving to coach at Virginia next year, which I am sad about - he was a great coach in my opinion!  Here he is walking with Robert Anae (offensive coordinator who is also going to Virginia) prior to the game starting.  Had BYU won this game it would have been Mendenhall's 100th win with BYU.  Despite the loss he leaves a great legacy in Provo! 

As were standing near the team we were able to meet some of the BYU greats!  I saw Max Hall walking behind us (quarterback from 06-09).  He was leading the Cougars when my fandom was born, so he is particularly cool to me!  He also did a brief stint as QB for the Arizona Cardinals, before he got his concussion.  Now he plays for the Canadian Football League.  Extremely cool dude and didn't mind stopping to take this picture with us at all!

TAYSOM HILL!  Probably one of the most athletic (although short-lived as his career was) quarterbacks BYU has seen.  As I asked him to take this photo it was right as he was trying to head to the locker room for the half and BYU was down 35-7.  He was so nice and cool about taking a picture with a fan even though he was sad about losing! He seemed so humble and nice.  

And finally to add to our QB collection, Brett was able to snag this picture with the current quarterback... Brother Tanner Mangum.  Tanner just came off his mission in March - missing spring football with the team.  However after Taysom's injury in the first game, Mangum stepped up under immense pressure to lead the team to a winning season.  He is extremely talented and I am excited to see what this kid will do for BYU over the next few years! 

This was our view of the game... so amazing!

BYU defense taking a break.

Tanner Mangum in between plays

That's where we were on TV! You can see Brett and half of Mike in this shot!  Consequently this is the play where Mike lost his voice screaming so loud for this amazing catch by Devon Blackmon!

Bronson Kaufusi - amazing defensive player! (And huge!)

Brett got this photo in the locker room after the game.  This is where Bronco officially announced Sitake as the new head coach next year.  What an amazing locker room talk to be a part of!

Anyways, the game was awesome and BYU played SO WELL after those first five drives, with the score ending 35-27.  It was a nail biting game and I was so excited I started having contractions!  Love the BYU Cougars and couldn't think of a better way to end the season then seeing them in action against Utah.  We'll get them in September!! 

{California Adventures}

This past week we did one of our bucket list goals for travelling this year and hit the road for a trip to Cali!  

The trip was inspired by our Hawaii friends, the Aubrey's, who were visiting family in California.  They were kind enough to find us some friends to stay with and we had a really nice time!

We met the Aubrey's at Disneyland... I LOVE going to Disneyland at Christmas time!  Something extra magical.  Rachel and I are both pregnant again, so we had to sit out some rides, but since we both have little ones it all worked out quite nicely! 

Grandma Reynolds gave Calvin this sweet little Mickey Mouse outfit - he was a hit all over the park! 

Rachel, Glenda & Jordan on "It's A Small World."  Our first ride of the day!

Calvin was ready for a nap but this ride entranced him!

This is Eva K!  Calvin's potential future wife :) She has the sparkliest blue eyes and most expressive face (obviously, look at this photo).  She is DARLING and such a mellow, sweet little girl!

This is Calvin & Daddy in the New Orleans sections... we enjoyed some tasty gumbo for lunch, one of my new favorites :)

Cute Mickey Mouse tail... so much fun.  Waiting in line for "Pirates of the Caribbean."

..

Love this picture!  Taken at the Haunted Mansion... At Christmas they turn it into "The Night Before Christmas" and it's pretty neat!

Calvin was a little concerned by what he was seeing inside the Haunted Mansion.

Of course we couldn't pass up on the "Star Tours" ride!  Mike was even the Rebel Spy on board the ride which was pretty funny!  It made me a tiny bit motion sick but it was a fun ride! 

Vinny loved looking out the windows of Nemo's Submarine! 

We ended the night by eating ourselves into a food coma and getting "Tigger Tails" as our last treat.  Marshmallows dipped in white chocolate, caramel, and orange sugar crystals... I found a copycat recipe on pinterest and can't wait to try it!!  They were the bomb. 

The next day we went to the Santa Monica Pier and strolled around.  I really like it and when Calvin gets a little older we will definitely go back to enjoy some of the cute rides they have there as well as the arcade and aquarium! 

Tender kisses from my sweet little man are theee best!  He is such a loving boy. 

Beautiful, breezy beach day!  Love these handsome men!

Looking up to Daddy.  He is such a little peanut.

We spent the afternoon relaxing and watching football games, as we are known to do at this time of year.  We watched Alabama beat Florida for the SEC title, so our day ended on a happy note :) 

Our last day in Cali we met up with the Aubrey's at Knottsberry Farm.  During the month of November/December they do a Veterans discount so we were able to get in for free (SCORE).  

Trying to get a picture of these two together AND smiling was nigh near impossible!  

The Aubrey Clan

Clearly Cal wasn't too enthused on this train ride ...  :)

This was a boat ride that rocked back and forth.. Calvin started laughing and enjoying it after a while but Eva K obviously had cause for concern!  

So sweet... Cal's first ride on a Merry-Go-Round.  It was a great last ride for him to experience.  

We ended the night by eating at the fabulous "Chicken Dinner" restaurant just outside Knottsberry.  

It was a fun escape from the daily grind and it was wonderful to catch up with Rachel as well!  

Can't wait until Harry Potter World opens in California in April 2016!! :D

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving 2015 was one filled with many "firsts."

It was my first time hosting!  I was nervous/anxious to host Thanksgiving - especially when family was travelling long distances to be here - BUT it turned out so nice and I loved having family to enjoy the holiday with! 

Lisa flew in from Seattle on Wednesday.  She missed her original flight and so she was stuck at the airport for several hours before being able to get another one - lucky her.  

Grant and Marie and boys drove down on Wednesday also.  I went to see them Wednesday night at Mandalay Bay where they were staying.  We visited for awhile and Grant convinced me to bet on the football games (first time betting on a game!)  I bet on the Eagles to beat the Lions which was a bad decision...  Luckily I also bet on the Panthers and they made me break even!  It made watching the games on Thanksgiving even more fun since we all placed bets. 

Thursday morning was pretty hectic getting everything ready.  It was pretty tasty though and everyone had enough to eat with TONS leftover...  Cal enjoyed being around his cousins who took care of him and made sure he had all his toys and everything he could possibly need.  It was really sweet. 

After we ate we just relaxed, watched football & played some games.  That night we went down to the strip and walked around... We made some stops at the arcade at the Excalibur as well as the M&M world store!

Carter and Isaac met Santa at the Excalibur Hotel! 

Isaac got a balloon which Calvin enjoyed playing with also.

Aunt Lisa teaching Isaac how to play Pac Man.

 Special moments while we all waited for the tram! 

Friday morning we got up early  for a fun trip to the Hoover Dam!  

Calvin likes to use Dad's ears as handles when he gets a shoulder ride.

I believe the phrase "Hurry up and take the dam picture" was used multiple times during this excursion! 

Friday night we went to see the "Tournament of Kings" dinner show at Excalibur.  The boys thought it was pretty cool to see medieval jousting and dancers and horses during dinner!  Calvin was a little concerned with the loud noises but seemed to be entranced throughout the whole show! 

After the show the boys came and had a cousin sleepover.  We enjoyed one last evening together before they took off the next morning.  

Lisa and I hit up the Las Vegas Outlets and did some Christmas shopping all afternoon on Saturday - her flight left early Sunday morning and despite my ineptitude in getting her to the right place she managed to make it! 

It was such a lovely weekend - living away from family makes me really appreciate all the times we get to enjoy together! 

Happy Turkey Day!