Things that turn my husband into a giddy little boy

(Stole this one from Cousin Cyndi). 

- Ice on Strawberry Reservoir 

- The Bros

- Vacation

A recent vacation

- Songs with lots of bass

- Enchiladas

- New episodes of Gold Rush or Alone

- Playing Bohnanza

One of our favorite card games

- Sleeping

- Maps

- Driving with the window down

- Hamburgers

Big Jud's

- Soda sales (buy 2 get 3 free)

- The Masters and the Open Championship

- Rope

Scotty swinging off the roof on his mission

- Soggy cereal

- Snakes and lizards

- Jungle Cruise jokes

- Peanut butter

- Finding golf balls

A small fraction of Scotty and Nicky's golf ball collection

Brocation Ten Years Later

In 2016, my husband, Scotty, and some friends went on a trip to Disneyland. Lovingly deemed "Brocation," it has become an annual tradition. 

You can read a little about the history of Brocation in this post, but I think it's time for a little update about what Brocation has become. When I wrote that post, the largest group to attend Brocation had been 12 bros. This year they had 26. 

Brocation 2026

Here are some updated facts about Brocation:

-They now wear matching shirts. But not just custom t-shirts. They wear button-down collared shirts that make them look like a giant troop of Boy Scouts. Everyone has a nickname and a number on the back of their shirt, and they sew patches on their shirts. Some patches representative of who they are. They have all sorts of Disney character patches but also things like NASA, military, sasquatch, and more. They also earn a star for every year they go on Brocation, so every bro has a row of stars showing their Brocation history. 

-The hotel they stay at knows who they are and has notes and treats waiting for them in their rooms when they get there.

Welcome goodies from the hotel

-They have a long-standing tradition of trying to fit as many people in a seat on a ride as possible, and the Disney cast members are very accommodating on this (surprisingly!) They basically say if your butt is on the seat and the lap belt locks, you can ride! 

Three bros on Mr. Toad's Wild Ride

-This year they had some firsts: first time riding the carousel, first jazzy chair rental, and first legally blind attendee (cane and all!)

An "Incredible" day at DCA!

-They have a mission statement and bro code of conduct. Since they are such a large group and stand out a bit, the Founders felt it was important to encourage good behavior, so they came up with some guidelines and expectations that they make sure everyone understands when they join the trip.

-Some of the cast members remember them from year to year and ask for photos

Some cast member from Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway

(and Mark with his jazzy)

-The week before the trip, all of the bros get together for the Brocation Feast (they can bring a +1, so a lot of the wives come too). At the Feast, they eat dinner, sew patches on their shirts, and watch the slideshows from past years. This event feels like being part of the weirdest cult on earth. But it’s a blast! This year they also reviewed the bro code. 

Bros at The Feast 2026

-They have several "sewing nights" during the weeks leading up to the trip so they can get their shirts up to date. 

-They get some perks for being well-behaved and noticeable. People venmo them churro money. Sometimes a cast member will hook them up with Lightning Lane passes or set them up with their own boat or train on a ride. People love taking photos with them, and they have gotten shout outs from Getaway Today two years in a row. They also met Gwen Stefani. 

Shout out from Getaway Today

Scotty with YouTuber Chris Provost

-The men who go on this trip are randomly pieced together. It started out with four men who were friends from church. Then it expanded to a few more guys from church and a few brothers. Then it went as far as "My boss wants to come!" "My friend from high school wants to come!" "My bishop wants to come!" They've even had people fly in from other states. Some guys have joined knowing only one other person, but by the time they go home, they have more best friends than they can count on two hands.

Three to a seat on Big Thunder

It's now been ten years since Brocation started! It's kind of trippy (no pun intended) to think about how the bros are all an entire decade older now than they were on that first vacation! It's been a really fun tradition for all of them. A bit ridiculous in some ways, but a very uplifting and unique thing to be a part of!

Him & Me

1. Who is more likely to embarrass the other while drunk?

Since neither of us has ever been drunk, I don't really know, but probably Scotty because he embarrasses me while sober, so it would probably just be amped up with him on alcohol. 

2. Who is most likely to die in a zombie apocalypse?

I've already decided to just surrender to the zombies. Why not just join them? So me. 

3. Who is most likely to discuss your private life in public?

Me.

4. Who is most likely to prank the other?

Me. Because Scotty would like it. If he pulled a prank on me, he would be in the doghouse for a long time, and he knows that. 

5. Who is most likely to buy a gift the other person hates?

Scotty.

6. Who is most likely to be arrested for something stupid?

I don't think either of us. 

7. Who is most likely to forget the name of someone they know?

Scotty. Hands down. 

8. Who is most likely to cook dinner?

Me.

9. Who is most likely to quit their job to travel?

Neither of us. We kind of need the jobs so we can travel, but I know that's not a mentality that everyone has. 

10. Who is most likely to get jealous over something trivial?

Me. 

11. Who is most likely to lose something in the house?

Both of us lose stuff. 

12. Who's most likely to be grumpy when they're hungry?

Me.

13. Who's most likely to overspend at the grocery store?

Me on the day to day shopping, but Scotty if there's a camping trip involved. 

14. Who is most likely to tell the best jokes?

Me. Scotty's jokes are dumb.

15. Who is most likely to buy a new car without telling the other?

Neither of us would do that. 

16. Who is most likely to win a game of cards?

Scotty. Unless it's a word game like Quiddler. 

17. Who is most likely to complain about something?

Me. 

18. Who is most likely to go to bed before 9 pm?

Scotty. 

19. Who is most likely to come up with a world-changing invention?

Scotty. 

20. Who is most likely to bring home a surprise kitten?

Me. 

21. Who is most likely to binge-watch a TV series?

Either of us. Scotty watches a lot of shows while donating plasma twice a week, and I usually have a show playing in the background while I work. 

22. Who is most likely to plan things on a vacation?

Scotty does the logistics while I do the food and packing. 

23. Who is most likely to be pulled over for bad driving?

Scotty. He is more aggressive, doesn't signal for the proper amount of time, passes on the right... 

24. Who is most likely to retrain in a new career?

Either one of us could, but Scotty is the one who actually has. At this point, though, he'll probably stick with what he knows, and I'm the one who might end up somewhere entirely new someday. 

25. Who is most likely to want to go on a cruise?

Scotty. 

26. Who is more likely to drop something?

Me. I'm clumsy.

27. Who is most likely to watch a horror movie?

Scotty. 

28. Who is most likely to forget why they walked into a room?

Me.

29. Who is most likely to get annoyed with the other's music?

Me. Scotty listens to some stuff that's just awful!

30. Who is most likely to fall asleep at the movie theater?

Scotty. He always does. 

31. Who is most likely to be scared of spiders?

We don't love spiders, but neither of us is particularly scared of them. 

32. Who is most likely to have nightmares?

Me. I'm a dreamer. Scotty is not. 

33. Who is most likely to get dressed up in a fancy dress?

Definitely me. 

34. Who is most likely to spend all the savings?

Me. 

35. Who is most likely to read a book?

Me. 

36. Who is most likely to drop their phone in the toilet?

Me, considering I've done in three times, and Scotty has never. 

37. Who is most likely to grow their own fruits and vegetables?

This is something we do together!

38. Who is most likely to win in a spelling bee?

Me. I'm the better speller between us, BUT I can't spell aloud. So there will never be any reason for us to do a spelling bee together. 

39. Who is most likely to get a piercing?

Me.

40. Who is most likely to start a business?

Scotty.

41. Who is most likely to forget where they parked the car?

Me. 

42. Who is most likely to fart in public?

Me. Scotty has manners. I'm practically Shrek. 

43. Who is most likely to eat spicy food?

Scotty.

44. Who's most likely to use a swear word?

Me.

45. Who's most likely to get plastic surgery?

Me. 

46. Who spends the most money on clothes?

Me.

47. 

While You Were Away

Scotty recently returned from a business trip to Asia. Being on the other side of the world didn’t give us much time to talk while he was gone (my days were his nights and my todays were his tomorrows), so I kept a little journal of sorts (i.e. blog post in my draft folder) where I wrote to him about what happened while he was gone. 

Day 1: Saturday 

I woke up at 5:30 to take you to the airport. Chick-fil-A doesn’t start serving breakfast until 6:30, but it’s fine. It’s not like I hoped for a chicken biscuit (i.e. drug biscuit) before 6:00… ahem… 

The kids and I went to your family’s Halloween party - except for Nicky who was having his first go at the ACT. Then we went to our ward chili cook off.

I tried to stay up and wait for our teenagers to get home from a region dance, but that 5:30 am airport drop off sans drug biscuit kicked in, and I passed out while watching Lessons in Chemistry. I set my alarm clock on my phone for every half hour so I could wake up and track the kids on my phone until they came home at almost midnight. They had to do a late-night McDonald’s run, of course.

Day 2: Sunday

I took the kids to church, and you texted me a few minutes into sacrament meeting to let me know you had finally arrived in Cambodia. After church we FaceTimed, and the kids were running around in the background and bringing grasshoppers in the house - reminding me why I never talk on the phone while they are home.

I let them play the Nintendo, which is normally something I make them take a break from on Sunday. They fought like vultures over a rabbit carcass. Then I made them all get in the van, and we went park hopping. We stopped at five parks. There was more fighting. 

In the evening, we went to your mom’s house to have breakfast burritos for dinner. Zoe and Eva actually got along while we were there, so that was nothing short of a miracle. We came home at 6:30, and I let them play Nintendo again, and they fought some more. At some point everyone ended up asleep, but I don’t remember how it happened. 

Day 3: Monday

I bailed on my morning walk with Julie and KoriAnn because I was coughing a ton. When I got up this morning, I was really fatigued. I decided to give myself a resting day. After I got everyone to school, you FaceTimed me for a bit. We are thirteen hours apart, so it was night there. We watched the crazy traffic at the intersection below your hotel window. 

You visited a garment manufacturer and a shoe manufacturer today. You ate some really creepy looking sea creatures and had a 90 minute massage where you had to wear very tiny underwear, and a Cambodian woman climbed on your back. Eek. 

Meanwhile, back in the USofA, I got swindled by Chick-fil-A (charged for a meal that was supposed to be free due to a glitch in the app) and took an hour long nap. I made chili mac for dinner and then spent a couple of hours out in the garage cutting out styrofoam coral reef. I wore sandals and ate ice cream out there - kind of oblivious to the 30-degree weather until I tried to walk and discovered that my feet didn’t work. A few hours later, they still didn’t feel right. Oops.

I made the mistake of googling the effects of inhaling melted styrofoam, and it turns out, I am going to die. 

Day 4: Halloween

Yesterday you left Cambodia and went to Vietnam. On Sunday I told your family that I hoped you would have to use one of those hole-in-the-floor toilets my Cambodian friend Mary used to show me photos of in high school. I got my wish, except you only had to pee. I secretly hope you have to poop in one before you come home, but I know you’d have to be pretty desperate. 

Today was exhausting. I finished painting a bunch of props for the musical at the high school and delivered them to the theatre teacher. 

I made some ham and potato soup and went to Timber’s for dinner. 

Then we met up with our neighbors and went trick or treating. I’ve never seen so many Spidermans (Spidermen?) in my life! I thought this was the year of Barbie, but Spiderman ruleth.

The house is a disaster, but I have another busy day tomorrow, so I’m not sure when I’ll be able to attend to that. Also, the girls are incessantly asking for pets, and they’re driving me nuts. 

Eva’s teacher emailed me today and said Eva kicked a kid in the crotch at school. So there’s that. 

Day 5: Wednesday

This morning I woke up to a photo of the eggs you were offered in Vietnam. OMG! (Oh my gag!)

Our house has been overtaken with donuts. Your mom showed up with donuts on Halloween. Then the neighbors brought us a dozen donuts. Then, when we trick or treated at your mom’s house, your mom gave each of the kids another donut. Guess what Zoe wants to take to school for her birthday tomorrow? Donuts! 

Today was pretty uneventful. I ran a lot of meaningless errands as to avoid housework. I started taking down all the Halloween decorations, but didn’t have the umph to finish.

Day 6: Zoe’s Birthday

We have another 11-year-old in the house!

Zoe woke up dark & early and made me sing Happy Birthday to her. Then she insisted on playing the Switch before school because it’s her birthday. She got dressed up in her homemade birthday sash, and then we went and picked up her donuts and took them to the school.

I am so sick of donuts.

I spent a few hours picking apart our Christmas tree in the back yard today. I clipped most of the decorations off and took off the lights. I’m getting rid of the tree after 20 years.

Daisy had a dance performance this afternoon, and she debuted her own choreography, which she hasn’t let us see because she wanted us to be surprised. I was so proud of her that I cried through the whole thing. I took a video, but she won’t let me show you. She wants you to wait and see it on stage with costumes.

We went out for Chinese food for Zoe’s birthday. Zoe chugged two glasses of water before her dinner came out, and then she was too full of liquid to eat. 

I bought Zoe and Eva new coats today, and by the fact that they wore them the rest of the night, I’m guessing they like them. 

Day 7: Friday

When we bought a new van a few weeks ago, I knew an appliance would go out within the month. I didn’t expect it to go like this:

Day 8: Saturday

You FaceTimed me from the Taipei Taiwan temple grounds today. You were headed to church in an English speaking ward. 

We had a bit of a lazy day. I let the girls play Roblox for way too long, but I also made them help me clean. I got the last of the Halloween decorations put away, but they are sitting in two giant bins stacked in the middle of the living room waiting for a big, strong man to move them for me (I mean, I could do it, but why?) I vacuumed up tons and tons of glass from the oven. I knocked most of it out, but little bits just keep falling, so I just keep vacuuming. I ordered a new oven, but it won’t be here until next Saturday. 

I dyed my hair a little lighter and covered my roots. I’ll be gray again by the time you get home.

Today is Michelle’s 40th birthday. We celebrated with a Turkey dinner at her house. I made stuffing in our broken oven.

Day 9: Sunday

Daylight Saving Time ended today. I remembered last night, but I forgot this morning, so I got up when I thought it was 8:00 and started getting ready for church. I was about to wake up the kids when I checked my watch and saw that it was 7:22. I was almost one of those people who show up an hour early to church! 

I was set apart for my new calling, and then I hit choir practice and squeaked my way through the songs (my voice is strained from the stupid cough I’ve had for three weeks). 

I tried to be a good mom today. I played games with the kids, dealt patiently with their fighting, and walked with Eva up to your mom’s house. 

Day 10: Monday

From this photo you sent from Taiwan, I can tell you are truly suffering!

Today was long. I’m writing this at 6:30 pm, but it feels like 9:30. We still have two hours until Daisy’s dance class… which I have to attend because it’s “parent watch day.” It was dark by 5:30, so I’m pretty sure I shouldn’t be leaving the house.

I did lots of laundry today, did makeup at the high school for a run through of the musical, then came home and did more laundry. 

The Tooth Fairy is coming for Eva tonight! She pulled out a tooth during dinner.

Day 11: Tuesday

This morning I made a legit omelette. Not an omelette turned scramble. 

I have conquered the mighty omelette!

I also cleaned Zoe and Eva’s room, so today pretty much deserves trophies all around. 

Day 12: Wednesday

Took Daisy to school. Took Zoe to Lego League. Took Eva to school. Worked on The Little Mermaid Set at the high school for six hours. Picked up Daisy from school. Picked up Zoe from school. Made dinner. Picked up Eva from Tennis & Tutoring. Took Eva to my mom’s house. Put Zoe in the bath. Took Daisy to Young Women. Picked up Eva from my mom’s house. Put Eva in the bath. Tucked everyone in bed.

Thank you and goodnight.

Day 13: Thursday 

McDonald’s raised their drink prices overnight. So long, $1 large Cokes. Yesterday my Coke cost $1.08 with tax. Today it was $1.40. 

I’m quitting again on Monday. Or maybe for Chinese New Year of 2024. Time will tell.

Our fence got tagged (again) last night as well as all the usual neighbors’ fences. I had to wait for the frost to melt off so I could go out and paint it. 

The weather has been amazing while you’ve been gone. This has been a perfect fall! But we had quite a bit of frost this morning. 

Zoe had her Hope of America program at the school tonight. That girl loves to perform! 

Boys have stopped by three times by dark of night to talk to Daisy while you’ve been gone. They are noisy. 

Tonight mom told me I look like I have a fever. I love when she tries to convince me that I’m sick. 

As of tonight, you are en route to home. Manila to Tokyo to LA to Salt Lake. See you in 24 hours.

Day 13: Friday

I did more set work at the high school today. I had big dreams of welcoming you home to a clean(ish) house with a home-cooked meal, but instead you came home to a normal (for us) messy house and Costco pizza.

The good news is… you made it back safe and sound.

The bad news is… you never had to poop in one of those Cambodian floor holes.

Ring-a-Ling

September Writing Challenge - Prompt #7: 

Jewelry

I picked out my own wedding ring. It wasn't really any surprise to anyone that Scotty and I were going to get married. We were pretty much engaged to be engaged for four years. I had our appointment scheduled at the temple before I had the ring on my finger (you have to be ahead of the game if you're getting married the week after the semester ends). I just had this rule that Scotty couldn't formally propose to me until I was 19, so with our wedding date already scheduled, we waited to make things “official.” I believed that I would peak in maturity and be ready for marriage after that special occasion. Scotty met my demands and proposed three days after my birthday. 

Since I picked out my ring while I was still 18, I definitely took a status symbol approach to it. The sample ring I chose was a karat, but we had a half-karat budget. When I saw how tiny my diamond was (in comparison to what I envisioned based on the ring I'd picked out at the store) I was pretty disappointed. If only I'd waited until I was 19 to choose my ring... I'm sure I would have been far more grateful and practical in my expectations. 

I ended up only wearing my ring for the first year of our marriage. I got fat fingers quickly. To this day, I've never done anything about it. It turns out, the farther I've gotten from age 19, the less a status symbol the ring has become.  For the last 19 years (apparently 19 is the number of the day), I haven't worn a wedding ring, and wouldn’t you know! No one has even hit on me!

Every year when our anniversary rolls around, I think I'm going to get my ring sized for my anniversary. And I never do. It's on my perpetual to do list. 

Oh, but Scotty? He has to wear a ring. I'm not saying all the ladies are gonna be up in his grill if he takes it off, but I'm also not going to take any chances. I have staked my claim!

How I Live After Hours

September Writing Challenge - Prompt #22: 

After Hours

In our current phase of parenting, we don’t really enforce a bed time for Nicky (16) and Daisy (13.9). We just ask them to be wise about what time to go to sleep so they don’t suffer so much in the morning, and they’re pretty good about it. Zoe (10.8) and Eva (8) still have bed time - there’s not an “official” time, but on school nights we try to have them in bed by 9:00. On the weekends, as long as they aren’t fighting, we let them stay up as late as they want. Zoe is good about going to bed at a reasonable time. Eva is more of a night owl, but she usually gets pretty tired and ends up going to bed by 10:30-11:00 at the latest.

I’ve been getting up pretty early now that the kids are back in school. Some days I walk with my friends at 5:45, and I usually end up waking up before my alarm goes off at 5:30. Since I get up early, I can’t make it much past 10:00 p.m. before I pass out. 

During the time between putting Zoe and Eva to bed and falling asleep, myself, there are a lot of things I want to do. Nothing productive, mind you, other than spending time with Scotty. When the girls get in bed, we have to put the house in lockdown so they will go to sleep. This is not a time to clean or do work. This is a time for darkness and silence, save for the forest sounds that Zoe likes to listen to for twenty minutes every night on the Echo. So Scotty and I retreat to our bedroom and Nicky and Daisy head to one of the lower levels of the house (we have four levels which makes our house sound big, but that’s not how it goes. It’s about 1,900 sq ft). 

If all goes well and the girls aren’t fighting in their room, Scotty and I will usually watch a few minutes of a show (we have a TV in our bedroom. I’ll own up to this sin. You wanna know the best part? It’s a 50” TV! You can judge us. I don’t care!) Scotty always goes to sleep pretty quickly. If he had it his way, all the kids would be in bed by 8:00 pm, and he would be snoring away by 8:05. But to his dismay, he doesn’t get to conk out until more like 9:15 (we watch shows together in 15 minute increments. It’s taken us about three weeks to get through The Hobbit).

After he falls asleep, I stay up for a while and live my night life. There is so much I want to do during this time - watch shows, read, text my friends, blog, scroll through recipes on my phone, contemplate the mysteries of the universe, etc. So I do those things until I pass out. I usually end with reading, and I know it’s time to stop when I start sleep reading, which is when I swear I fall asleep with my eyes open and begin dreaming a new plot to the book while still scanning the words. That’s when I put my phone down (I usually opt for an e-book at night), and roll over and fall asleep (Oooo another sin! Looking at my phone right before bed! I am truly reckless!)

For most of society, I go to bed “early.” But in my marriage, I’m the wild one who stays up late! It always feels like I live a whole other life after Scotty goes to sleep! Forty-five-ish minutes of adventure in a dark, quiet house. This very post is a product of that time. At least… the first half. The second half was written at 5:30 the next morning when I was wide awake even though I canceled walking with my friends so I could “sleep in” since my kids didn’t have school.

A Very Disney Anniversary

Tuesday was Scotty’s and my 20th wedding anniversary. Every time we reach a milestone anniversary (which seems to be any anniversary divisible by five), I feel like we should do something special, but we made the mistake of getting married in May, and we didn’t know that getting married in May and having a family meant that we would always be too broke and too busy on our anniversary to ever do anything more than (maybe) get Chinese food three weeks later. 

As our 20th anniversary approached, I really wanted to do something, and I wanted to do it as near to our actual wedding date as possible, so I suggested to Scotty that we make a plan. We considered a few options and decided to go to Disneyland because A) we had Sky Miles, B) it’s close enough to make a quick trip, and C) it’s familiar enough that we don’t feel like we need to do every single thing there. 

We ended up booking a really short trip (60 hours total - the only way we could make it happen during May), and with the help of our moms, we went to Disneyland! We flew out Saturday night after Eva’s baptism and came home Tuesday morning (following a three-hour flight delay due to the airplane needing a tire change).

The night we left (Top Gun vibes?)

Rainbow over Delta

Scotty and I had never been to Disneyland just the two of us, so we thought it would be an interesting marriage test. Luckily, we had a lot of fun and came home agreeing to stay married.

Since I’m an enthusiast for documenting events, here is the rundown of what we did for two days at Disneyland (yes, I kept notes. It's what I do):

DAY 1: Sunday

8:00 a.m. California Adventure

Rope dropped Guardians of the Galaxy (x2)

Breakfast at Pym Test Kitchen

Behold my tiny egg

Web Slingers

Soarin’ Over the World

Radiator Springs Racers

Food break (tacos, bread pudding, sourdough loaf)

Best Fast Sunday ever!

Little Mermaid

Incredicoaster 

Midway Mania

Goofy’s Sky School

Soarin’ Over the World

PARK HOP: Disneyland

Jungle Cruise

Pirates of the Caribbean

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

Food break: Golden Horseshoe (chicken tenders, mozzarella sticks, fries, peach cobbler sundae)

Splash Mountain

Haunted Mansion

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

Food break: chimichanga

Snow White

Pinocchio

Magic Happens Parade

Small World

Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway

Food break (Scotty): cream cheese pretzel

Shopping (Britt): sweatshirt

Indiana Jones

Buzz

HyperSpace Mountain

Autopia

Train from Tomorrowland to Fantasy Land

Story Book Boats

Peter Pan

Total rides: 27

DAY 2: Monday

8:00 a.m. Disneyland

Rope dropped HyperSpace Mountain

Food break: breakfast chimichangas

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

Pirates of the Caribbean

Food break: beignets

Jungle Cruise

Pirates of the Caribbean

Indiana Jones

Haunted Mansion

Splash Mountain

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

Food break: hamburger (Britt), chimichanga (Scotty)

Alice

Mr. Toad

[Scotty nap on bench]

HyperSpace Mountain

Food break: pastries

Pastries

PARK HOP: California Adventure

Radiator Springs Racers

Midway Mania

Food break: Mickey pretzel (Britt)

Goofy’s Sky School

Guardians of the Galaxy

Monsters Inc

Food break: shawarma (Scotty)

Mater

Soarin’ Over the World

Little Mermaid

Incredicoaster

Food break: sourdough Mickey

Incredicoaster

Total rides: 22

On Tuesday we had to get up at 4:45 to catch a Lyft to the airport at 5:00. As previously mentioned, our flight ended up delayed for a few hours, but we were kid free, so it was tolerable. 

Here are some comments and memories from the trip:

I discovered that I have a very distinct "woo" I do on rides. I also make a lot of sound effects throughout the day - especially "boop" and "wahwah." I didn't even realize that I did these things until I got away from my kids' constant noise for 60 hours and was left to face Scotty's and my noises. Speaking of which... Scotty whistles or hums constantly. I mean... I knew he whistled (Zoe does it, too) but I didn't realize how much!

Sunday was Goth Day at Disneyland and Monday was Star Wars Nite, so there were some great people watching opportunities. And so many lightsabers. So very many.

We officially rode Splash Mountain for the last time (since it is closing this month and will be renovated to Tiana's Bayou Adventure). I decided I'd go big and take the front seat. I've ridden in the front before, but this was definitely the wettest I've gotten! In fact, I never dried off.

Before

After

Back in 2016, I discovered that if you sit in the front seat on Incredicoaster (at the time it was California Screamin') at dusk, you will get hit in the face repeatedly by swarms of bugs. I can confirm that this is still true. 

I'm deeply bothered by some of the impractical outfits people wear to Disneyland. Please wear proper footwear and secure your boobs. No one needs a nip slip on Guardians of the Galaxy. 

I am also deeply bothered by the foul language I overheard in Disneyland. That hasn't been a major problem in the past, but holy moly! There were 'F' words flying all over the place. I'm finding more and more that people no longer hold their tongues around children. It makes me really sad. 

I've always thought the food prices at Disney parks were atrocious, but now that the cost of everything has gone up so much everywhere else, Disney food doesn't seem so bad anymore. Even though Disney has raised prices for a lot of things, their food prices don't seem to have increased at the rate of everything else (when they read my blog, they'll raise everything. Just wait!) 

Trying to stay soda sober at Disneyland was so hard! I love drinking Coke at Disneyland, and the second I walked in, I was tempted at every angle. I can't even tell you how many times I almost broke down and bought a Coke. Then, finally, during the last two hours at California Adventure, I made the decision that I was going to have a Coke. Just one. And I remembered something... they have paper straws. I hate paper straws and always take my own straws to Disney parks, but this time I didn't because I wasn't going to drink any soda. That is what got me through. My hate of paper straws is stronger than my love of Coke. Thus I remain 129 days soda sober.

During the last few years, while I've been away from Disneyland (my last trip was December 2019), I've been exposed to some "influencer Disney culture" (not even on purpose! I don't follow any of it - but you know how the algorithms be), and I started to get a tainted view of what Disneyland is like. I was worried that I'd get there, and it would be full of Disney Bounders and influencers, and that the whole place would be overrun by Tik Tok trends. I definitely saw some of that, but it was minimal, and I'm happy to report that Disneyland is still Disneyland... full of tired, screaming children; arguing spouses; and people who can't walk straight. And while I hate all that, I'm just happy that Disneyland is still full of normal people. 

Speaking of arguing spouses...

Scotty and I hate Autopia, and we were like, "It's so nice not having the kids here because we don't have to ride stupid Autopia!" But then the sun went down, and I was like, "Hey, have we ever ridden Autopia in the dark?" and Scotty was like, "No! I don't think so!" so we decided to ride it. Suddenly we became an elderly couple arguing on the road for the entire ride! Scotty drove while I nagged him about following too close. We hit our twentieth anniversary and turned into Scotty's parents!

I've been to Disneyland somewhere between 22-25 times (I tried to figure it out while we were there, but I couldn't get an exact number), and I've never bought myself a clothing item from there. I didn't take a jacket, and I never dried from Splash Mountain, so I was freezing. I ended up buying my first Disneyland shirt ever! It's laughably low quality, and I look like a fruity, alcoholic beverage in it, but I have arrived!

After Splash Mountain got the best of me

We usually run into someone we know any time we go to Disneyland. This time we didn't, and we're still shocked. However, there was a man I walked past that I know I've seen before. I wish I would have seen his kids so I could see if I recognize them. 

We didn't even step foot in Galaxy's Edge.

As you can see in one of the photos above, I took a word puzzle book in the park with me, and I was perfectly happy playing my word games while waiting in line. De. Light. Ful.  

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And there you have my re-cap of what may be my 25th trip to Disneyland, but I really don't know. But for sure, it was my first trip to with just Scotty, and I'm not opposed to 24 more. 

Your Mom Likes to Date

My Church strongly encourages youth to not start dating until age 16. This was a hard principle to observe as a 14 year old who was head over heels in love with a high school senior. Fortunately, Scotty was really shy and reserved and didn't make any moves on me at that young age. Our romantic life consisted of him driving past my house every night on his way home from work and waving... even though my house was not on the route home.

One spring evening, my brother came in my room and told me there was a phone call for me. I had the thought that it might be Scotty - a secret hope that flared up every time there was a phone call for me, but talking on the phone wasn't something Scotty and I really did. So imagine my surprise and fluttering teenage heart when it actually was Scotty. He was calling to invite me to his high school graduation and then to dinner with his mom and step-dad.

I was so excited and terrified. I arrived at the graduation with Scotty and his mom and step-dad. Then Scotty left us (to go be a graduate), and I was alone with his parents. I have no recollection of how that went, but I'm sure I wrote about it in my journal.

After Scotty's graduation ceremony, we went to a restaurant, and I had no idea how to act or what to order. It was like a date because I was there with Scotty, but it also wasn’t like a date because I wasn’t 16 yet, and we were with his parents. I remember being completely awkward about the entire situation, and I was probably a huge disappointment conversationally. At the end of the meal, I needed to pee really bad, but I was too embarrassed to excuse myself to use the restroom.

As we drove away from the restaurant, Scotty's mom proposed that I come to their house to watch Summer of the Monkeys. I had zero desire to watch Summer of the Monkeys, but to spend more time with Scotty, I was willing to suffer many afflictions.

I accepted the invitation, but there was one problem - I still needed to pee. 

We ended up swinging past Blockbuster to get the movie, and then Scotty's mom made a brilliant suggestion that we stop by my house so I could change clothes (I wore a dress to the graduation). I was so relieved because I was fully planning on holding my bladder for the entire movie, which I'm sure would have caused me to implode. 

That night, during the movie, Scotty held my hand for the first time right in front of his mom! I wanted to crawl under a rock and die, and yet, I was the happiest girl on earth. I couldn't help but think how weird it was that we were basically on a double-date with his parents. I would have rather pulled my fingernails out than be in that situation with my own parents. 

Now Scotty and I have been married for nearly twenty years, and we have a son who is turning 16 really soon. 

The other day, I was daydreaming about all of the events I want to attend in the coming year, some of which I want to take Nicky to, and I had the thought, "Oh! He might want to bring a date. I wonder if I should plan on buying an extra ticket!"

And then I realized... the tides have turned! I've become my mother-in-law. I just assume my son wants to go on double dates with me! I had to check myself. Britt, maybe your son doesn't want to bring dates when he goes places with you! But then Nah! Why wouldn't he?

So now I'm in a phase of life where I totally expect my son to be cool bringing his dates around me, and that might not be how things really are. I'll get a copy of Summer of the Monkeys ready just in case.

(Though I'm not sure I want to sit through that again).

Throw Pillows, South America, and a Little Tom Cruise for Good Measure

Now that COVID isn't as much of a threat, Scotty has resumed traveling for work. A few months ago, he went to Mexico. Right now he's in South America. Normally, I don't write anything on my blog about him being out of town until he comes back, but I'm making an exception this time. He'll be happy to know that I haven't purchased any animals while he's been gone. I settled for throw pillows, some pricey hair products, and two new shirts... for now. There's still time...

(Or is there? I'm not going to tell you, Internet!)

People are often curious about why Scotty travels, so let me fill you in. He works for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (our church). For a few years, he worked with temples, and he traveled quite a bit for that. Then, last year he took a new position working with religious clothing. Part of his responsibilities include finding vendors and manufacturers to produce temple garments. This has been a bit of a challenge and adventure due to the supply shortages of the past few years. Latin America produces a lot of textiles, so Scotty has been going to trade shows and visiting manufacturing facilities in Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay. 

Whenever Scotty is out of town, I have to deal with things. I don't want to use any adjectives to describe the things that happen while he's gone because I don't want the universe to try and prove anything to me along the lines of "it could be worse." So I just try to optimistically deal with whatever comes my way. This time, our swamp cooler died, Zoe started having chronic nosebleeds, my laptop began shooting sparks, and our garage got overtaken by mice. Thank heavens for Nicky (my Mini Scotty). He climbed up on the roof about a dozen times and went with me to Lowe's three times to buy parts for the swamp cooler. We got it fixed to the point where it can run on low. If we turn it on high, it shuts down, but low will suffice for now. Nicky has also taken care of all the mice. I think we've caught five so far - one wasn't dead, and he made it dead, and I told him not to tell me about it, but he hasn't stopped telling me about it. 

It dawned on me a few days ago that my kids have gone back to school without their dad around. Scotty hasn't been here while we've developed and gotten used to a back to school routine. He's going to come home to a completely different life than he left (assuming he makes it home - I'm being positive but realistic here). He and I have already discussed the fact that I'll be mad at him for about a week when he gets home (I always am - I rock at life while he's gone because I have to, and then when he comes home, I unleash all my emotions), and I'll repeatedly say things to him like, "That's not how we do things!" Somehow, we're going to have to find his place in our routine. I just hope he's okay with my new tradition of putting the kids to bed and staying up til midnight watching Tom Cruise movies. 

Three Tales

The Ladybug's Tale

Last night Scotty went for a run. When he came home, I noticed something dark on the back of his neck. My first thought was that it was a tick since he’d just returned from camping a few days prior and had found three ticks on him while he was gone. 

Upon closer inspection, I realized it was a small ladybug. Scotty was about to get in the shower, so he took the ladybug off his neck and put it on the bathroom counter.

A day later, the ladybug is still in the bathroom. So I guess it just lives there now. 

Yes, this photo was taken from the toilet. Don't judge me!

A Tale of Big, Dumb Ideas

While Scotty was camping, I was desperate to keep my girls busy. We have an old playset in our backyard that we started to refinish several years ago and never finished. 

I decided to get out all my old paint from the garage and shed and let the girls paint it however they wanted. I knew it wouldn't be pretty, but I imagined them painting rainbows, flowers, and sunsets and having a joyous time.

Instead, I got this.

I have regrets.

The Tell Tale Tooth 

Throughout our marriage, Scotty and I have always thrown our change into an old pot and cashed it in every few years or so to use toward a vacation. It's usually enough to sponsor a few gas station snacks on a road trip. We call it our "pot money."

Today, Nicky and I went to the bank and cashed in our coins for an upcoming trip. The bank teller has to take the coins and dump them in a machine to count them. Then we can cash out in bills or deposit the balance in our account. Every time we do this, the teller brings back a few random items from our pot - usually car wash tokens, Canadian currency, and a stray thumb tack or golf tee. 

Today, the teller returned with our receipt for $102.95. Then he said, "Here's your screw, your key ring, and your tooth."

Then he handed me the inventory, and sure enough, there was a tooth. And a weird looking tooth, at that. 

 

In shock, I stuttered, "I have no idea why there was a tooth in there!" but every word felt like a cover story for some sick tooth fetish or something. There is a walk of shame I didn't previously know, and that is when your bank teller finds a tooth in your money and places it in your hand, and you have to leave the facility. 

I really didn't know where the tooth came from, but when Scotty got home, the mystery unraveled... kind of. When I showed Scotty the tooth, he said, "Oh! It's my grandpa's!" You see... Scotty inherited some of his grandpa's teeth. I don't know why his grandpa's teeth aren't in his grandpa's mouth. But apparently Grandpa had some gold crowns, and he kept his teeth to sell someday, and those teeth now belong to my husband. As you can see from the photo, the crown is missing from the tooth. Scotty sold it for a few bucks, and somehow the rest of the tooth ended up in our pot. 

How? Why? That is the remaining mystery as well as how and why the teeth were removed from Grandpa's body in the first place.