A Post that Needs no Introduction

This, folks, is what 14 hours in Disneyland and California Adventure looks like. As I relive the experience through these photos, my feet ache with the pain that can only come from 14 hours of walking.

First thing in the morning, when we were excited and ready to go.

Yes, these are real-life green army men. Kinda creepy, I'm not gonna lie.

Classic Cody, wearing 3-D glasses for the Toy Story ride.

Standing in line for the Indiana Jones ride.

The Paradise Pier roller coaster. Best ride in the park.

Don't let Mickey fool you. This ride will jack you up (Especially if you have motion sickness. Then again, if you have motion sickness, what would you be doing in an amusement park? Logic FAIL).

I took quite a few pictures, but many of them turned out blurry. Pat blames user error. I blame the camera. I'm holding out hope that one of these days Patrick will agree to let me buy this beauty. I've been swooning over this camera for months.

After 14 hours in the park, including 3 meals of overpriced amusement park food, we were completely tuckered out by the end of the day. Even the 2 block walk to our motel seemed too exhausting to handle. Somehow we managed to make it back just in time to pop open a bottle of wine and watch the fireworks. We slept for close to 12 hours that night, before venturing into LA one last time on Sunday to hit the farmer's market and eat the best fish tacos I've ever had. Hollywood Boulevard and Rodeo Drive are overrated. The Los Angeles Farmer's Market is a much better tourist stop if you're really interested in getting a taste of the diversity that exists in this city. Very highly recommended.

My final commentary on Disneyland. If it's really the happiest place on Earth, why do all the parents leaving the park look so miserable? Riddle me that.

Ok, that's it for this post. I'll be writing one final post this evening to bring y'all up to date about the 2010 happs in the Groff household. Thanks for bearing with me through all the rambling.

Beaches and Sun and Handbags, Oh My!

I know I promised a plethora of posts between yesterday and today. My best intentions for this blog have not always come to fruition. But this time, folks, is when I deliver.

As a little disclaimer, I must admit that I learned a major lesson on putting my foot in my mouth during our trip to Southern California last weekend. To give you a little background, Pat had suggested moving to Southern California instead of Northern California when we first started discussing moving away from Montana. I swiftly shot down the suggestion, because of a particularly strong opinion I had about LA (the word I used in reference to the City of Angels is reserved only for mature audiences only). Besides, I thought, Pat has only ever spent time in Huntington Beach and Hollywood. What does he know about Southern California? Truth be told, it would have been a lot harder to make a start in an area with such a drastically higher cost-of-living than we were accustomed to in Montana. However, after having spent the weekend in Santa Monica, Malibu, and Anaheim, my opinion has changed. Drastically. You'll understand when you view the pictures below just how beautiful this area is. Especially Santa Monica and Malibu. It's easy to see why so many celebrities and musicians call this place home. 75*, surfing, Frisbee on the beach, all in the month of January. What's not to like? $1700/month for a studio apartment with no refrigerator. (Yes, I looked on craiglist.) ::gulp:: Oh yeah, that's right. But seeing the smile that crossed my husband's face as we approached the Santa Monica boardwalk was awesome. And you really can't buy that kind of happiness, right? That feeling of freedom and serenity that engulfs you when you're dipping your feet in the water, feeling the cold, wet sand squish between your toes. That, my friends, is priceless. So I fully intend to spend the next 16 months attempting to convince the hubbs to move to Southern California when I'm finished with my masters. I'll let you know how that one works out... In the meantime, here are our pics of Santa Monica and Malibu:

Ahh, refreshing. I never said the water was warm. ;)

Santa Monica Pier

A lovely couple from Texas (who were surprisingly chipper considering their team had just lost the BCS game the day before) offered to take our picture on the beach.

Patrick on the beach.

Happy as a clam after a few beers and a buffalo chicken sandwich at Sonny McLean's, a New England-themed sports bar in Santa Monica. This may be, by far, my best bargaining tool.

The sunset crept up on us as we were driving up the Pacific Coast Highway to Malibu, so I was forced to take a few pics from the car.

We finally stopped to take a picture at a public beach in Malibu. Incredible. I'm a sucker for a pretty sunset.

There were so many highlights to this trip. However, the best part came during our stroll on Wilshire in Santa Monica after our delicious lunch at Sonny McLeans. There was a designer handbag outlet on the corner that we had driven by a few times that I was dying to go into, if for no other reason than just to do some window shopping. My amazing husband, knowing that I was dying to go check it out, was not only a great sport in offering to venture into the store, but also surprised me by offering to buy me one!!! I have bought many a purse and handbag throughout my 24 years on this Earth, but this one rivals all. I always used to mock people that spent ridiculous amounts of money on a purse. Well now that I own one, I can understand the importance of owning a quality handbag. Without further aideu, allow me to introduce my new purse!

In the days since I've owned this bag, my love for it grows with each new compliment I receive. Perfect size. Perfect color. Perfect bag. Simple as that.

Stay tuned, another post will follow with pics of our main reason for venturing down to SoCal in the first place: DISNEYLAND!!!

And now, some lyrics.

To go along with my recent 90's grunge kick, here are some lyrics from one of my all-time favorite bands. The words of this song seem to fit well with the theme of new renewals and moving past heartbreak. Just when we think we've overcome a really difficult challenge, there's always something else waiting in the wings to test our faith.

If you've never heard this song, click here to hear it.

Wheels by Foo Fighters

I know what you're thinkin'
We were goin' down
I can feel the sinkin'
But then I came around

And everyone I've loved before
Flashed before my eyes
And nothin' mattered anymore
I looked into the sky

Well I wanted something better, man
I wished for something new
Yeah, I wanted something beautiful
I wished for something true
Been lookin' for a reason, man
Something to lose

When the wheels come down (When the wheels come down)
When the wheels touch ground (When the wheels touch ground)
And you feel like it's all over
There's another round for you
When the wheels come down (When the wheels come down)

Know your head is spinnin'
Broken hearts will mend
This is our beginning
Comin' to an end

Well, you wanted something better, man
You wished for something new
Well, you wanted something beautiful
You wished for something true
Been lookin for a reason, man
Something to lose

When the wheels come down (When the wheels come down)
When the wheels touch ground (When the wheels touch ground)
And you feel like it's all over
There's another round for you
When the wheels come down (When the wheels come down)

To New Beginnings...

Attention all. I have a very important announcement. I have finally overcome my writer's block. I plan to celebrate with a plethora of blog posts within the next 24 hours. So hang onto your pants, this is going to be fun!

What's is the fuel to my creative fire, you ask? 90's grunge music. Laugh if you must. I'm not kidding. What spurred all of this? A book I received as a Christmas present (Scar Tissue by Anthony Kieidis, who is one of the many musical geniuses of my generation. I've been raving about this book for weeks, I could go on and on about the insight I gained from reading this book, so much so that I read it twice in a little over a week. But that's another post for another time). The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nirvana, and Foo Fighters have been on constant rotation in both my I-Pod and my car. In fact, at the very second I write this, the song "Everlong" is blaring through my speakers, via my 90's grunge Pandora station. :)

Speaking of newfound motivation, I feel as if I have to discuss how much I love this time of year. I'm not huge on New Year's Resolutions (or any other situation in which there is all this societal pressure to set unrealistic goals that ultimately set people up for failure). However, I do love the sense of renewal that happens when one year ends and another begins.

2009 packed a punch. Y'all are fully aware of the health issues we were faced with in 2009. For this reason, 2009 tested our marriage. 2009 was full of life-changing events that were tough on our families, leaving many feeling hurt and angry (to put it mildly). Although I do believe that positive outcomes can come from just about any situation, some relationships suffered permanent damage in 2009, which may or may not be repairable. And that is hard. So I find myself looking to 2010 with great optimism for what the future holds for our little family. 2009 was the very beginning of great things, and I have unwavering faith in the fact that 2010 will be the continuation of these great things, for both us and our families and friends.

In honor of the new year, here are some pics of our New Year's Eve. We spent the evening at a rather low-key party with some close friends. This was the first year since we've been in California that we rang in the new year somewhere other than home (and actually stayed up until midnight, for that matter).

This is my best CA girlfriend, Danielle. Love her! ;)

Happy 2010!

Ahhhh, feels good to be back. :)

A Photo Montage

I'm feeling incredibly guilty about not writing anything inspiring or witty today. But for some reason, I'm just not feeling it. I uploaded these pics and sat here, attempting to channel my best creative juices. But I've got nothin'. So in lieu of a word-heavy post detailing all the fun goings-on, here's a photojournal of our Christmas holiday.

I think that sums it up pretty well. Happy Holidays, and here's to twenty-ten! Cheers!

One day (and one surgery) at a time...

Hello All,
I had such high hopes of writing post after post after post to make up for lost time. But I find that I am enjoying my time off so much that I haven't gotten to that. Although, I have lots of new info to share, as it's been a busy couple weeks.

First and foremost, a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my amazing stepmom, Karyn. Hope you have an absolutely wonderful day and an enjoyable week off!!!!

Well, I am officially finished with my first semester of grad school. One down, three to go. I have been tossing around the idea of going on to get my DSW (Doctorate in Social Work), because if I am going to do so, I have to start thinking about my thesis right now. Most schools only accept 7-10 students per year, so it's a highly competitive program. Although that thought is in the back of my mind, I can't get ahead of myself, because so much could change in the next 17 months. Summer 2011 is going to be a busy time, between Trevor's High School graduation, Mom & Jeff's 20th Wedding Anniversary, Mother's Day, and my birthday, which all fall within about 3 weeks of each other. I have been crossing my fingers that Trev's graduation and mine will not fall on the same day.

Moving along to other (not so great) news, I am looking at having to have a couple more surgeries in 2010, much to my dismay. No need to worry, both of these surgeries are outpatient and relatively minor, and not related in any way to the Great Lump Scare of '09. I thought 2009 was the end of the surgery business, but I was wrong. It's always something, right? Anyway, those of you who are familiar with my history know that I have bad sinuses. I've had two previous surgeries to fix structural problems, and my Ear, Nose, and Throat Doc is recommending one more to address some swelling and infection issues. I'm trying to get this one scheduled for January, so I can get it over with before school starts again. I also have to get a gum graft done sometime this year (might be pushing that one off until the summer). One surgery at a time, that's how I roll. ;)

Otherwise, we have been super busy around here getting ready for Christmas. Both Lori and Michelle will be joining us, in about 12 hours actually. We actually spent the better part of Sunday cleaning and getting everything ready. My wonderful hubbs, God bless him, spent about 8 hours helping me do an intense deep clean on Sunday. What a good man he is. :)

And with that, I guess I will wrap things up. Happy Holidays to all of our dear family and friends!!! We are so grateful to have you all in our lives!

Blogging is my Therapy

Because of my chosen line of work, I'm very well aware of the fact that everyone has to have some form of release. Some people do yoga, some people drink, some people take drives. I write. I don't just write bits and pieces here and there. I vomit words onto paper (believe me, I have notebook upon notebook from my middle school and high school years in a box in the garage to prove it).

You might even say that writing is my therapy. Blogging has actually been my first experience at putting some of these words out there for others to read, analyze, scrutinize, whatever.

The fact I've been too busy even to blog speaks volumes about the current state of my mental well-being. To say that I am all out of sorts is a gross understatement.

Lately I've been feeling as if I'm going to explode because I have so many thoughts, so many words, that need to be released. So consider this blog post as my mini crisis session, to get me through the next week until I can sit down and return to my previous state of conducting weekly (and sometimes bi-weekly) "sessions" with y'all. I promise that I will be back and better than ever, after Tuesday December 15th at approximately 5:55pm (but who's keeping track???).

::6 more days, 6 more days, 6 more days::