The Simple Life

Palisades...

that one time the circus came to town...

i always say i bring my circus where ever we go, and our entertainment for you is free, but this time we paid to see the semi real deal, ha ha! anthony had a hard time with all the loud music, everyone yelling and screaming. he's always been super sensitive to sounds and sirens, anything loud. i need to invest in some good earplugs for him, how will he even enjoy the monster truck rally when we decide to go?! 

i asked them what their favorite thing was and they all said "the clowns!"

look at jeremy's happiest face!

Disneyland Black Friday Deals with Get Away Today...

 

it's that time of year again, ALREADY??!

Adults at Kids' Prices valid for travel through ALL of 2017 on all 3-day and longer Disneyland tickets. This includes both Park Hopper and 1-Park per Day tickets. So purchase now to lock in these great prices for 2017!

and save an ADDITIONAL $20 off using my code "SIMPLE" for any 2-night or longer vacation package. (2 ticket minimum) and it will work for any Southern California vacation package, not just Disneyland AND you can combine with their free night hotel specials.

$20 off is only valid during the Black Friday sale November 21-28th 2016! REMEMBER you can always LOCK DOWN your prices with Get Away Today's LAYAWAY plan for only $125 down. which is what we do! 

Legoland also has an amazing promotion right now KIDS are FREE til December 24, 2016. You can get a 1-Day LEGOLAND/Sea Life Hopper Child ticket for free with each paying adult. 

as always for more vacation ideas you can visit Get Away Today's site, it gets addicting to plan to get away!:)

 

 

ruby snap in salt lake #rubysnap

this is the cutest little brick store with the best gourmet cookies! love the name, Ruby Snap, and their packaging ♥

a must stop when you are in salt lake. right of the 600 South exit. 770 S 300 W in SLC. 

explore...

my sister is here visiting for a few days, so we showed her what's left of this neat little house after a frozen yogurt/library trip. 

utah treats + park...

last minute trip on a whim...we went up north to pick up our teepee! (i'll post it soon, it's lovely!)and to just get out. levi is always working, so he hasn't been out for a while.

first stop: the provo bakery 

www.theprovobakery.com

we love a good donut, for me anything with chocolate, although i love a good old fashioned glazed donut too.

the boys went for a sugar cookie, the colorful frosting gets them every time! jeremy got mad because he was so excited to bite into his cookie that it jumped right out of his hand and onto the floor.

second stop: discovery park in pleasant grove

1550 N 100 E pleasant grove, ut

we haven't been to this park since we moved, the girls didn't even remember it! lots of towers and bridges, the boys had fun chasing each other all over. we met jeremy and visited for a bit while the kids played, we missed georgia this time, she had a game.  

and last... wood + hexagons #floorlove 

last minute getaway...

after being home for thanksgiving...we felt like we needed to get out! thought about st george but then realized it was unrealistic, so we went to salt lake instead! i got orders out, came home from the post office and packed within 40 minutes and we were out! checked into our hotel, went to costco and filled up with gas under $2 a gallon, YES! jeremy and amy met us at the front runner station and we were off to salt lake. it only took a year for us to finally ride. everytime we go up, i forget that they don't run on sunday's. we checked out the new church history museum, went to city creek, with hopes of leaving our kids to shop for a minute ;) ya right! and best of all the lights. it was freezing! but yay for TRADITIONS! i love when cousins can get together, we need them back here! we made it back on the train with all 12 kids and big strollers, be proud, no one was left behind. we tried, ha ha! a few lost gloves and scarves along the way, but got lucky and found them all. a quick stop at hobby lobby, for levi, i stayed in the parking lot, i had 10 min in ross and got lucky and found a coat. we had a late dinner at red robin and went back home. short, but definetly packed in a lot of fun and chaos. they don't call it hustle and bustle for nothing!

 

 

Get Away Today Disneyland Black Friday and Cyber Monday coupon codes

can you believe thanksgiving is here! i'm ready to stay home!

but first i have to share some great deals for Disneyland with Get Away Today, they are celebrating Black Friday sales early, starting on Monday November 23rd, 2015!

BLACK FRIDAY deal:

$75 off any 4-night or longer Southern California package (2 ticket minimum) for travel January – March 1, 2016. The package must be booked by Sunday, November 29.

The promo code is: BlackFriday15

CYBER MONDAY deal:

Monday, November 30, and will be good for $50 off the same package requirements: 4-night Southern California vacations w/a minimum of 2 tickets for travel January 1 – March 1, 2016. This will need to be booked by Saturday, December 5, 2015.

The promo code is: CyberMonday15

be sure to mention my blog "The Simple Life" when booking ♥

and, both of these specials can be used with any of these specials:

• Free Night Specials
• Extra Day Free Disneyland Tickets
• Save up to 20% at the Disneyland Resort Hotels
• Layaway Plans starting at $125 down

have any of you visited Disneyland during the holidays? it's over the top amazing and EXTRA magical! 

i mean look at main street USA with all the Christmas lights!

GET AWAY TODAY also has a $100 off promo code: GATT1115 good for any 3-night or longer vacation package to Hawaii, Mexico or Orlando. This promo code can be combined with any of our current specials, must be booked by 11/29/15 and requires a $1,000 minimum with blackout dates: 11/19-25, 12/15-31/15 and 3/5-26/16. It can be used on their site or over the phone 855-GET-AWAY.

be safe AND HAPPY THANKSGIVING ♥

heritage day weekend...

the first busiest day of the whole year in our small town, heritage day. got the first sneak peek of the art squared paintings last night...loved this painting of this old country path, now i wish i would have bid on it!

 

because you know i love a good ol raggedy ann doll and vintage cowboy boots ♥

 

love kathy peterson's paintings, and especially her frames. 

got up early this morning...only a few hours of sleep, finished pricing more items for my sale over at the old school, and then lunch prep at our church. my mom and dad, and chelsey came down late last night for this weekend, glad they are here!

 

the kids and my mom and chelsey got to ride in this cool classic car! never get in a stranger's car when they offer you a ride, unless it's a bel air, ha ha! (and you're with your aunt and grandma)

 

 

 

my favorite artist...randall lake! love that his place just down the street. they added these awesome shutters inside ♥

 

hhello lovely vintage quilts ♥

i love our small town...so many charming stone homes and buildings. we got a sneak peek of the third floor of the old school...they have done so much work, it looks so good!

 

and my favorite barn...some day, we will have one too! going to give up some garden space for it, levi put it in the plans last year, can't wait!

 

and the biggest miracle of all! we didn't get rain at all, even though it was forecasted, all the surrounding areas got poured on...while our little town was protected with good weather and sunshine until the evening. 

sunday hike...

after sunday lunch/dinner...we hike! this time just us girls.

and just as i was parking, isabella said "first things first, we have to find the perfect hiking stick!" and then she ran and almost grabbed the knawed off deer leg..."ewww, this is definitely not a hiking stick!" the things we find out in the country. ha ha!

our special place...i will always treasure these moments with them. 

temple square trip #ShareTheGift

we took our young women to temple square today! we tried to plan this trip last year, but we couldn't fit it in, so this year was it! we drove up to provo and took the front runner to salt lake, loved it, and reminded me of my past travels in chicago, and london and paris, oh how i want to go back to london sooo bad! ours was super clean and new, and hello wi-fi ♥

i enjoyed walking around the temple grounds and exploring the visitors center with my class and presidency, grateful for their examples to follow Christ. and if you've never been to temple square to see the Christmas lights you MUST go!! 

please remember in this busy holiday season WHY we even CELEBRATE...Jesus Christ IS the GIFT! 

 

#sharethegift #HeIStheGift

road trip...

enjoying his new shades! on our way to idaho for RJ's graduation, here's to leaving later than we always plan to, hope we make it in time.

Getaway Today discounts on Disneyland tickets

a few weeks ago, i booked our first trip to disneyland through Getaway Today! i have been waiting anxiously to do take my girls there for four years now! (and now we we have 2 boys) so i have been searching high and low for the best price on disneyland tickets for our family. i looked on every website possible. and in the end i kept coming back to Getaway Today...if you've seen their commercials, you'll have their song stuck in your head. i've found myself singing it forever ;) they are based out of utah, but anyone can book a vacation with them, they are the BEST!

Get Away Today has a Best Price, Best Service Guarantee! i immediately called them to play around with disneyland costs, tickets, hotels, and they were so helpful. they will help you with every detail on your vacation. they suggested in getting a shuttle pass, to get to and from the hotel...which i completely forgot that you have to pay $16 per day to park at disneyland!

right now Get Away Today is offering an awesome promotion! You can get Adults at Kids’ Prices on all 3, 4, and 5-day Disneyland tickets for travel in May and September! 

this is a savings of up to $21 per ticket ($16 savings on 3-day, $20 savings on 4-day and $21 savings on 5-day). Also in May, Disneyland is hosting a 24 hour party called "Rock Your Disney Side." check out their post for more info http://www.getawaytoday.com/blogs/2014/03/24/Rock-Your-Disney-Side-with-24-Hours-at-Disneyland.  be sure to check out 3rd and 4th night free specials available during the same time the discounted tickets are available! 

and you also get a $10 discount on any southern California vacation just for reading and mentioning my blog! sweet! use coupon code SIMPLE14 for $10 off.

you can book the tickets online or call them at Get Away Today at 855-GET-AWAY.

i went with their layaway plan, because i knew if it was up to me and just "saving" my money until i had enough, it wouldn't happen. i've never really been the best at saving money, so this was the best option for me! and it's only $50 to do a payment plan. and if you are booking a few months or longer in advance, i would definitely add on their "peace of mind" plan. since we are self employed, we never have a set work schedule. plus you never know if one may get sick, car breaks down...etc right when you are suppose to be leaving! 

i was a bit hesitant about adding that at first. because i want to save as much as possible. but now it totally makes sense for us to have it added onto our disneyland vacation package! (and it's only $60. which is far less than what you would have to pay to reschedule your vacation package. 

we are super excited to finally go to disneyland...i will keep you updated on all the latest disney promotions from GetAway Today as well as our trip! 

festival of colors...

i finally got to go! claudia and i met chelsey, annareigh, rj and giovanna in spanish fork. it was so cool! i recommend going at least once! since i missed the fairgrounds parking lot, i just kept driving til i found another place to park. then we walked about a mile to the krishna temple. there were so many people of all ages young and old either leaving or going to the holi festival. probably the closest i'll come to experience the 70s... i loved all the colors and happy people! sunglasses are a must...so that you don't get the color in your eyes, you never know where it'll end up. and don't forget to completely cover your vehicle seats with trash bags and/or old towels. definitely going again next year!

sunday happenings...

happily going to church on sunday.

 

the primary room had the cutest little kid size pews. so i had to get a picture after church was over. i envisioned a cute photo with all four sitting in order. well...you know that's nearly impossible. 

 

so this is what we got. 

gulianna...always ready.

isabella covering her face with her paper. (she wanted it in the picture.)

anthony ready to leave. (he's getting hangry)

jeremy just wanted to be set free and make a run for it.

then of course isa starts pouting and getting dramatic. levi intervenes. and this is what i get. typical photo.

after church we had lunch and then the kids played outside for the rest of the afternoon. jeremy took a nap, levi and i snuck away to urban renewal just to look. then later we had a dutch oven dinner at lana's uncle's house. it was super good! chicken and potatoes. that's all i need. 

jett also got the legos out. anthony was in heaven!

then all of a sudden he was playing with this little truck and i asked him who built it. "i did, it was me, mom!" he even had a little chain for towing. that's our boy! he was so proud.

gulianna begs all the time for a teeter totter! i thought this was pretty smart to put the lounge chair underneath. i almost got down and sat in it. didn't want to put my back out though. they had a blast playing with alea.

so there was a fence next to the slide that alea would climb up, and gulianna tried but couldn't quite get up, and then isabella jumped in and said "i can do it gulianna, WATCH AND LEARN!" and of course she just climbed right up. little stinker.

 

 

emry showed me their fort that they built in the backyard. it was pretty cool. i loved to build forts! they did a good job with the floor too, i was impressed!

we went swimming as soon as we got to st george, with aros and lana. actually...first rock climbing. because that's all that matters when we are in st george. being outside and rock climbing. 

{this was in the parking lot}

later that night, after we put jeremy to bed, and the kids were somewhat settled in their cousins awesome teepee...we snuck out to get some ice cream at cold stone! i can't believe jett is old enough to babysit now. 

so i guess you can count that as a date night? no kids right?

our visit to This is The Place

my parents took us to This is The Place Heritage Park in salt lake, we've always wanted to go but never been! i love to see all the old cabins and barns from the pioneers that settled here. 

no more complaining of no room and living in a small house! some raised 11 kids in these one room cabins!

 

gulianna loved this rock!

 

what the hairy cow?!

 

my mom, taking pictures...

 

oh, that's over a hundred years old? sure we'll climb all over that!

 

gulianna wanted to pose by one of the cabins. she loves watching my favorite show, it's hers too, little house on the prairie.

 

i loved this old mill. i think it was my favorite structure on the whole place! we had fun walking around. i guess they only do the renactments in the spring/summer? so most of it was closed. you can still walk around though. we tripped a few alarms breaking into some of the houses! ok not really breaking in, but they didn't lock the back doors :)

 

it's so hard to say goodbye...

we had to say goodbye to our awesome neighbors this morning! we stayed in a cabin together, just outside of moab, it was beautiful. 

come back soon josh and mineko...we will miss you guys and your cute kids!