Harry 30th Birthday

Anyway who knows me knows that I am not very good at keeping secrets when it comes to gift giving. When I finally figure out the perfect gift, I want to shout it from the rooftops. I'm notorious for giving in early and letting people open their gifts early so I can see their reaction because I know they're going to love it. Well, I am so proud of myself because I was able to keep Jordan's 30th Birthday present a surprise! Go me!

So how was I able to pull this off? Well, first Jordan decided that he wanted to go to the temple for his birthday (so very Peter Priesthood of him, but I was excited to go as well). We arranged for Mom to watch the kiddos so we could go to Atlanta. We got a killer deal on a hotel in Atlanta through Hotwire. A few days later, we saw that the Atlanta temple was going to be closed for two weeks starting the week we were going. FABULOUS! This has been the Florida Golds' luck for the past year. So we called Hotwire and asked about a refund. They said they couldn't give one because it was one of their super hot deals. The dilemma was do we go anyway since we already paid and just say we tried to go to the temple or do we just suck it up and head to Orlando. We had planned this trip with another couple, the Lasters (David and Becca). Becca and I were talking about it and felt like we should go to Orlando so we could go to the temple since we already had babysitting covered and a rental car. We then decided it would be a wonderful idea to surprise Jordan with tickets to Universal Studios Island of Adventures so he could go to Harry Potter World. We figured out the cost of the new hotel room and the discounted tickets through David's work. As luck would have it, I had some Christmas money left over that I could finagle to cover the cost. The thing you have to know is Jordan watches our finances like a hawk. There was no way for me to pull this off if I had to withdraw money because he would know before I got home that money had been withdrawn. So the saved Christmas money was enough to cover both tickets with a whopping three dollars left over.

The next phase of the plan was to talk Jordan into Orlando. This was no easy task. Jordan didn't want to give up the amount from the Atlanta hotel reservation. This part of the plan required me to be a little bit grouchy to get him to change his mind. Jordan is normally one to go with the flow whereas I'm more the uptight one. Well the roles were reversed this week (this was partly induced because of some not so great events...an IRS letter saying we filed our taxes wrong probably due to my stinking tutoring I did last year AND the car started overheating for mysterious reasons). It took a while, but we finally convinced him to be okay with going to Orlando.

An adult trip to Orlando was exactly what we needed. We made the six hour drive Friday afternoon with no kids. This meant it actually took six hours instead of eight. No one was grumpy or picking at the other one on the ride down. Again, just what we needed. Saturday morning we woke up super early to go to the temple. Becca's Mom works there and informed us that there were six buses scheduled for Saturday. (I can't wait for the Fort Lauderdale temple to open! It'll cut down some of the traffic to the Orlando temple.) We got there so early, the temple wasn't even opened yet. I could tell Jordan was not that excited about being there so early. We had a great session though. We were both grateful to have the opportunity to go to the temple despite all of the hardships we had faced making plans for this trip. When we left, there was a line out the door with about 75 people waiting to show their recommends. INSANE!

After the temple, David had mentioned that he had never been to City Walk (the shops and restaurants outside of Universal). So we rushed over to City Walk. Becca told Jordan that you could see Harry Potter World from the gates. We walked down to get a glimpse. The boys took a bathroom break when we got to the gates. While they were gone, Becca asked me how I was going to tell him we had tickets. I told her I had no idea. I honestly didn't think we'd make it this far without him knowing. So when he came back, here's what happened.



So we rushed in and headed to Harry Potter World without Fast Passes (since they cost tons extra at Universal). Let me just say that I am so glad we didn't buy Fast Passes! Instead of taking 45 minutes just to buy a Butterbeer, it only took 5. The Harry Potter Ride was only a 45 minutes wait versus the normal 2 hours and 45 minutes. That was followed by 2 minute waits as single riders so we could ride again and again quickly. It was AMAZING! Here are some of the things we did and saw.


The Hogwarts Express.


Butterbeers, which were super sweet and rich but delicious!




Hogwarts Castle was amazing!


The boys had to make sure they could fit in the seats before getting in line.


What's that? There's no stroller to be pushed? So FABULOUS!



A wand selection demonstration at Ollivanders. Yes, those are wands from the floor to the ceiling. All different kinds of wands. Jordan was too chicken to buy a wand. He didn't want to be that dorky...though he really is and I love that about him.

We ended up closing down the park...leaving at 6:55. An hour before it closed, we decided to go on the water rides since the high that day had been 80 degrees. By the time we went, the sun was down and it was cold if you were one of those idiots that were wet...which we were. He had the best time though! Best. Birthday. EVER.

2012 Resolution

Two thousand eleven was a very difficult year for me. It was the end of Jordan's college undertaking. This meant he was going to get a fabulous job making enough money so that I could stay home and raise Callie. It was supposed to be the year we got pregnant with baby #3 and continue to grow our little family.

As the school chapter of our lives came to a close, I grew very excited. Where would Jordan get a job? Would he get it before the summer so that my summer checks could be put into our money market account to help save for a nicer/larger home? Would we have to move? The thought of packing up our life and moving excited and frightened me all at the same time. As time progressed, the summer came and went without finding any kind of job. Thankfully we were used to living on a meager teacher salary, so we were accustomed to very tight budgeting. Right before the school year started last fall, Jordan got a part-time job with Hertz. We were very grateful. He has continued to work at Hertz part-time while still looking for a full-time position elsewhere. We have chased lead after lead without luck. Needless to say, my 2011 was not what I expected it to be. Many of my dreams and goals were forced to be put on hold. All of the stress from our situation and the disappointment really took its toll on me.

As 2012 approached, everyone began making their resolutions. As I thought about what I wanted from 2012, I realized it really came down to one thing...happiness. So my goal for 2012 is just one thing...to be happy no matter what the situation may be. It sounds a little selfish and not that big of a goal until you break it down as to how I'll be able to achieve it.

1.) Read My Scriptures Daily - Last year, I hate to admit it, but I did not read daily. When I do read, I always feel peace. I need that peace daily to be truly happy,

2.) Family Home Evening - We were good about it during the first part of the year. When Jordan got his job we slacked off because his schedule changes weekly. Every Sunday I fill out our weekly dry erase calendar board to keep us all on the same page. This year I'll put FHE on a day when all of us will be home, not just autofill it on Monday.

3.) Exercise - I'm not one of those people who loves to exercise. I like when I'm half way done...I feel proud that I made myself do it and feel energized afterwards. The last six months I've done a lot of stress eating. Exercising will help me feel good and help take care of that stress eating weight.

4.) Keep My Toenails Painted - Painted toenails make me smile. I've always loved having polish on my toes. They rarely go naked...until last year. The stress of everything just seemed to consume me until I didn't even make time for myself. This year, they'll never go naked. Just thinking abut that makes me smile.

5.) Try New Recipes - I love to cook, and I do so regularly. I love not only providing a delicious meal for my family, but the art of cooking in my kitchen by myself is quite enjoyable. It is one of those things that makes me happy, and I'm good at it. I'm usually up for trying new recipes. Last year, I didn't try the first new recipe...wait, I did try one at Thanksgiving. This year I am going to dig through all of my recipe books and find some recipes to try.

6.) Get My Craft On - Last year I didn't make time for this...not the first scrapbook page or hair bow made. This year I'm making time for crafts. I enjoy them and they make me happy. I'll even include the kiddos in some.

I know my resolution is a little different this year, but I'm excited to see how 2012 turns out because of it. What is your resolution for 2012?

First Loose Tooth

Carson could not wait until his first tooth came out. Everyone else was losing teeth, but him. Finally the time came for his first loose tooth. He loved it. Then, he realized it had to come out...not so fun. He was quite the scared one. It took 4 minutes of coaxing to finally get it out. This was the Sunday of the Primary Program so we were rushing around trying to get to church early. All throughout the program he kept feeling the hole where his tooth used to be. Here's the whole tooth extraction. If you decide to watch the whole thing, be sure to notice the huge proud smile at the end. I was able to capture complete joy on his face.

Bob

This is Bob. He's our elf on the shelf. This was his second year in the Gold home. Last year, he was a bit shy. This year, he was much more mischievous. For any of you that don't know about elf on the shelf, he's an elf that flies back and forth to the North Pole every night to report on how the kids are doing (naughty or nice). When the family is around, he is still like a toy. When we are sleeping, he becomes his elf-self and can sometimes get into things. If the elf is touched, his magic disappears. Carson named ours Bob (let's just say when baby #3 rolls around, he won't be helping us name it...hehe). Here are some images of Bob and his adventures.

Bob found himself a girlfriend. Don't worry, we didn't tell Mickey.

One night Bob decided it would be humorous to color the kids' noses. He chose a marker from Callie's room. He thought he was getting green, but really ended up with purple (that's why the marker lid doesn't match the noses).


At first, the kids didn't notice the marked up noses (perhaps because it was wearing off from all of their tossing and turning). They came into my room and Callie announced, "The elf took my fricking marker! That naughty elf came into my room and took my marker!" First off, I was completely appalled at the word choice and knew I needed to be a little more careful about my language. At the same time, I was overcome by laughter at her thought process. I regained my composure and asked them which one of them had marked on their noses. They both looked at me shocked and told me neither had. They ran to the bathroom to check their faces. We decided it must have been that pesky elf, Bob.


Bob became quite active the week of Christmas. He decided it would be funny to doodle on the kids' pictures. They got a good kick out of it.

One night Bob decided to go repelling with Barbie. It looks like Barbie was stuck and in need of some help. Bob was coming after her when the kids woke up and he was forced to become a toy.

Christmas Eve was Bob's last night with us. He decided to TP the Christmas tree
before he left.

He even left us a little note.
We are going to miss our little buddy Bob the elf. I'm sure he'll have lots of new adventures with us next Christmas season.

Oh, Lookie There, I've Got a Bite

One of Jordan's favorite songs is The Fishing Song by Brad Paisley (you may also know it as I'm Gonna Miss Her). For those of you unfamiliar with the awesomeness that is Brad Paisley, the song is about the love of fishing. We recently went up to Tennessee to visit family. One day while we were up there, we went fishing. The pictures we took definitely describe fishing in through the eyes of the kids.
Phase 1: The Honeymoon Period

Look at how excited everyone is to be fishing. Of course these pictures were taken two minutes after we got there.

I love that Cade is fishing like a man with that pink fishing pole.

Phase 2: Boredom

Five minutes later, this is what everyone looked like.
Phase 3: Happiness

Callie caught the first fish. That reinvigorated everyone else!

Dad was very proud!

It wasn't much longer until other fish were caught.

Everyone was happy!

Reasons We Love Florida

I'm surprised at how many people don't really like where they live. It's crazy to me because I absolutely love where we live. There are so many reasons we love Florida. Here are a few...

Sunsets at the beach.

Cars can drive on sand.

Fabulous kids to grow up with my kids.

Wonderful friends to do things with.

An endless supply of water.

It's the one place it's okay to show a little crack.

Great educational opportunities.

Grilling out requires an Aunt Jemima rag.

You never have to let the cat die.

There's no age requirement to become a hair dresser.

Hotels have special beds for kids.

Parks that bring a smile to your face no matter how hot it is outside.

Fun uncles that are willing to sweat along with you.

Redneck fireworks.

Parades that throw candy, beads, and popsicles.

Pools are everywhere.

Plants are shaped like our favorite characters.

You can nap anywhere.

Dogs are bigger than you are.

Everyone hugs everyone.

Faith

When we found out that I was pregnant with Carson, we had only been married for a few months. We were both working at the time, and I was going to school full time. We were unsure of what to do. Should I quit school and stay at home with Carson (even though my school was paid for)? Should I continue school? What about the work situation? We had a lot of questions and no answers. Everyone around us had their versions of the answers for us. We decided to turn to the Lord in prayer. We both felt that I should continue school, but one of us should always be home with the kids. That is when we came up with our plan. I would go to school and stay home with Carson while Jordan worked full time to support us. I would work a few hours when Jordan was home to help. When I graduated, I would teach to put Jordan through school and he could be home with the kids. When he finished school, he would get a job and I could return home with the kids. We prayed about our plan and again felt that this was the right path for us. Many people didn't agree with it or couldn't understand why we decided on this, but we didn't care. We knew we had prayed and received our answer.

Well fast forward almost 7 years later, Jordan is graduating May 1st. Life hasn't been as easy as we thought it would be when we decided on this plan. It feels like we are finally at the end of a long, long road. Right now we are in the process of finding Jordan a job (something much easier said than done). This job hunting is very frustrating at times. Do we move? Do we stay? Can we find a job that will allow me to stay home? Anyone who knows me knows that I have a very black and white personality. I am a planner. I like to have my ducks in a row at all times. This uncertainty of life is really testing me. I know it will work out. However, I am not a patient one. Through this I am learning patience and faith. Monday night I became frustrated with it all. I turned to my scriptures for comfort. I happened to be in Mosiah and read about Abinadi. I have read this story numerous times, but I felt differently about it on this occasion. I thought here is a man who knows that people want to capture him and he goes back in disguise anyway. Once he is back, he professes he is Abinadi and begins teaching. He knows what is going to happen to him (and it is in no way pleasant), yet he had the faith to go back. This made me think of Samuel the Lamanite as well. He was similar in how he went back to a hostile environment. These men had incredible faith. Why can't I? I am already blessed to have a job. I can work another year if I need to. We are trying to do what the Lord has asked of us. Why wouldn't he bless us with a fabulous job opportunity? There are so many examples of inspiration in the scriptures. I am so grateful for the scriptures!