Weekend Fun With the Wee Men

So, a couple of weeks ago, I watched my nephews so that my brother and his wife could go away for their anniversary. (Their anniversary isn't until December 15th, but they'll have a brand new baby by then, so going away alone would be pretty much out of the question.) I decided that I should take the boys on a little adventure. Usually, an adventure for me and the boys includes a trip to Target (where else!?!) hehe, so I made sure this one was a little different. I took them to the Mary Vagle Nature Center in Fontana. It's sort of a little nature preserve area in the Jurupa Hills. It has a man made lake with lots of ducks, geese, turtles, plants, etc. They also have a building that you can go into where they have snakes, spiders, chinchillas, bugs, etc. First, we went over to the lake and fed the ducks.

After feeding the ducks, we went inside where we got to look at some cool animals. Cy got hold of a magnifying glass and so, of course he had to use it to look at everything through it. Like:this snake...
and these chinchillas!

They also got to see a couple of bearded dragonshuge tarantulasgross beetles We got to learn about and look at different mineralsand Joey taught us all about the chinchillas!
These are just a few of the things we got to see and it was way cool!

When we went back outside, the boys wanted to walk around the lake.


These are just some shots from our walk around the lake.
I know that the last 2 are almost the same, but I couldn't decide which was cuter, so I put them both up. : )

After this, we drove to the library, where each little man got to choose a story for me to read to them.

That night, we decided to make some spooky root beer and a cool Jack 'o Lantern cookie. The boys got to help mix everything up and then at the end I put in some dry ice, which the boys thought was awesome! Our made-from-scratch root beer turned out pretty delicious, if I do say so myself. ; )






I had tons of fun with my sweet nephews! I love being their auntie!

Adventure at the Westgate

Thanks to a family wedding, my siblings and I were all able to gather together, along with our parents, and spend some quality time together. In fact, here's a rare photo op: all of us Wheeler ladies together!
As you can imagine, the months before the wedding were quite eventful and, at times, very stressful. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to have some R & R time with my sister, Diane, immediately following the reception. Diane is an accountant for an oil company and her company owns a bunch of hotels. For every year that she is with the company, she accrues 2 complimentary nights at the company hotel of her choosing, for herself and a guest. So, she invited me to come along. We stayed in the Westgate Hotel in downtown San Diego, which has an interior modeled after the Palace of Versailles. Here's a pic I found of the lobby: It was B-E-A-utiful and definitely the nicest place I will probably ever have a chance to stay in. We checked out the room...... and then ordered room service at about 1:00 a.m. This was the first time I've ever ordered room service and it was way cool. They rolled in a little cart and then put the sides up, so that it made a round table, then the guy put two chairs up to the table for us. There was even a real flower on the table. The food was delish!

After our late dinner, we just chilled in the room for a bit. We had the coolest view! This is the view from the balcony of our 18th floor room. Amazing! In the daylight we also had a view of the ocean to the right and in front of us.


The next morning, we got ready and went to breakfast. I got to use the big marble shower just off of the dressing room and Diane took a bath in the huge bathtub. It was way fancy!
This is the dressing room and you can see the shower in the back.

We had breakfast at the restaurant in the hotel. I had waffles with carmelized banana slices and a smoothie.
Diane and me at breakfast:

After breakfast, we explored the hotel a little bit. Here we are in the lobby:
Here's a picture in the hallway. We thought it was kinda funny that even the hallways had even the smallest detail perfect. The bottom of the curtains were all fanned out at the bottom like people fan out the trains on wedding dresses for pictures.
After breakfast we walked to Seaport Village to check out a couple of shops. On the way, we passed some cool stuff downtown.

It was a beautiful day in San Diego and the ocean, as usual, was simply beautiful!


Finally, we went back to the hotel to get our bags and check out and we headed to the San Diego Temple. Unfortunately, it had closed early that day because of the Relief Society broadcast, so we just took a look at it and then drove home. We had a great time and it was nice to spend some quality time with my sister!

ORANGE you glad to see me?

Last night, I came up the hill to hang out with my brother and his family. I had promised my nephews a sleepover and last night was the night! When I got there, we went to the Apple Valley High vs. Granite High football game. As some of you know, my brother is an assistant principal at Apple Valley, so of course we went ORANGE! I was super excited because I now had a reason to bust out my orange nail polish, orange flip flops, orange shirt, and put an orange flower thing in my hair. Orange is my favorite color, so I love that the colors at Apple are orange and white!
The football and cheer uniforms are orange! And all the administrators and guys on the sidelines wear orange. There's my brother, looking all official, on the right side.Here's my B-E-A-uitful sister-in-law and me at the game...Joey, all bundled up. It was the first the first sweater weather of the season, by the way!David and WissDavid and me
It was a fun night!

Scary, Spooky, Boo!

On Labor Day the family got together for our typical family barbecue. We just hung out and enjoyed each others' company. On Saturday I woke up with a hankering to do something crafy, which never happens to me because I'm not very...well...crafty! So, I visited the craft blog of a friend of a friend and found a super cute craft to make. She did hers in a Spring theme, but I decided to change it up and do a Halloween theme instead. It's really cool because you really can make it fit any occasion or time of year. Her blog is called "Part Time Crafter" and there's a link on the right hand column of my blog, if you're interested.
The project was especially awesome because my sister and my sister-in-law decided to make one too!

Here's my before shot:













Here's the "during" shot:














And here are the finished products:



"Boo" is Wiss', "Scary" is Nancy's, and "Spooky" is mine!




The project was quick, easy, and lots of fun!

Tick Tock

Once upon a time, there was a clock. A beautiful clock. It hung on our living room wall since before I was born. My parents had bought it in Solvang many years ago; my dad says they got it on their honeymoon and my mom says she doesn't remember one way or another (lol). As a child, the clock was hung high up above my reach, but I remember always looking up at it and thinking that it was the most amazing clock there ever was. I loved the bright red color, the cool mushroom outside of the little chalet, and of course, the little boy and girl that told the weather. I loved that clock.

Ok. Now fast forward to present day, semi-grown-up Rachel. My mom and I took a little trip and stopped by Solvang last March and as we perused the shops, we came across a shop that sold the very same clock! Well...close to it. It had the same bright red trim, the little boy and girl, and even the same adorable mushroom! I had to have it, so now I do! It hangs in my bedroom and everytime I see it, it makes me happy. Also, when my nephews come over, I see them go over to my clock and look at it. And what do they notice? The bright red color, the little boy and girl, and, of course, the mushroom! I love it!

So, when I move away...potentially far away from my amazing family (*tears*), I'll be glad to know that I will still carry with me a little tangible piece of home.

This is the clock that started it all and...
















...this is my new clock!

Raindrops on Roses and Whiskers on Kittens...

Well...if you've seen The Sound of Music you probably know exactly what this post is about; if you haven't, that's very sad and you should watch it immediately. It's too great to miss out on! Anyhow, I was thinking about what to blog about and I realized that I had never written the obligatory "my favorite things" blog.

So, here it is, in no particular order!

Vans are my favorite shoes! I started wearing them in high school and haven't stopped since! I love that they're comfy, cute, and last forever!


I love, love, LOVE to travel! So far, I've been to about 26 states and 3 countries (besides the USA). I have always had a hunger for learning stuff and when I travel and see things that I've learned about, it comes t life for me. I love seeing new things and being out on the road. I never thought I would have the opportunity to see even half the things I've seen or go half the places I've been. I consider it a huge privilege and am very grateful for the opportunity to explore the world!

Have you ever stared up into the night sky and wondered exactly where you are in the universe or what's up there? Have you ever gotten lost in thought while staring up into the endless expanse of the heavens? I have. And still do it...all the time. I have always been amazed by the night sky and love to stargaze. I never miss a big meteor shower and have extremely fond memories of going out with my family on clear nights and watching the stars. Sometimes we would invite my aunt, uncle, and cousins to come and they would bring a telescope to get a better view. I love getting lost in the sky; to this day, it's one of the only things that can completely soothe me and make me feel like everything is just as it should be, regardless of the situation.

As you may know, my curly mane has waged war on me time and time again. Argh!!! I was at a loss of what I could do to tame it until I found these little beauties! The Totally Twisted line by Herbal Essence came to the rescue and has been a constant companion for years now. I still have trouble with my crazy hair sometimes, but I least it fits through a door! haha

Oh Target! How I love you! Target is a magical wonderland and it has seen me through tears of sorrow and tears of joy, alike. If you ever have a question...ANY question, the answer will ALWAYS be Target! For example:
Q: What came first, the chicken or the egg?
A: Who knows! Lets go to Target!
or
Q: How can we manage the national debt?
A: Beats me! Lets go to Target!
or
Q: World peace?
A: You got it! Lets go to Target!
See! Target solves all problems and soothes all fears. Enough said.

Orange is my favorite color! Doesn't it just make you feel good inside? It's so bright and happy...just always makes me feel cheerful!

Ooooo! The Temple! I love the temple. It's one of my very favorite places to be and it always makes me realize that the craziness of day-to-day life is nothing to worry about; good times and bad, there's a reason that we're going through the stuff we're going through...good and bad AND that we're NEVER alone. It's good to know and nice to have a place that serves as a constant reminder. I love all temples since the ordinances are all the same, regardless of where you are, but the Newport Beach Temple will always have a very special place in my heart.

GLEE!!! Yes. Sad, but true. I've become a Gleek. It all started a couple of months ago. I was laying on my hotel bed in Texas, while on vacation, reading some stuff on the Internet when I saw it: the sad news that Ghost Whisperer had been canceled! What!?! How could this be?!? What is the meaning of life!?! So, I pushed forward on a quest to find a new show. Peer pressure to the rescue! My sister, sister-in-law, and brother had already been hooked by the show and convinced me to give it a shot. So, here I am...a Glee lover! It's a funny show and the awesome musical numbers and drama remind me of good times in high school. There you have it! See you at Gleeks Anonymous!

Fishing!!! Nope. I have never caught a fish. Do I care? Not in the least! : ) I have found fishing to be a very relaxing activity. I'm not all hardcore with it, but I just love sitting by the lake and watching the water...so peaceful! Love it!

My name is Rachel and I have a problem. I love movies! It's almost an addiction, but I love watching movies, listening to movies in the background when I'm trying to get stuff done, watching movies when I don't want to do the stuff I'm supposed to be doing (homework, grading papers, preparing talks, lessons, etc.), you know the usual stuff!

I love Christmas! It's my favorite holiday. Hands down. Not only are we celebrating the birth of our Savior, but we also get to spend quality time with family and take a little breather from work. I love Christmas music and listen to it year-round AND I love how the weather is all cold-ish and we get to snuggle up in sweaters and blankets. Sorry...that's A LOT of "and"s! : ) It also seems like people, in general, are nicer to others over the holidays. I love it when "peace on earth, good will toward men" becomes slightly more a reality than it is in normal everyday life.

Oh man! This guy is hilarious! Brian Regan is my favorite comedian. My brother and sister-in-law introduced me to him and I was hooked! His work is amzing and he's clean! Not a dirty joke or bad word comes out of his mouth during any of the routines I've seen him do. You should watch him on youtube. It's well worth your time!

I love Amazon.com because it saves me lots of money and you can find nearly anything on there. It's a miracle...really.

Autumn is my very favorite season. I love the cooler weather and even though people say the leaves don't change color in California, I have noticed that THEY DO! I understand that our colored leaves can't compare with the variety of shades in other places, but our green, red, yellow, and orange speckled trees put a smile on my face and make me grateful that we are done with yet another California roast aka summer. Also, the decor that comes out for fall amazes me. Uhhh...you know who sells great fall decor? TARGET!!! haha! See! it really is the answer to everything!

There you have it! These are a few of my favorite things! When the dog bites, when the bee stings, when I'm feeling sad, I simply remember my favorite things and then I don't feeeeeeeel sooooo baaaaaaad! : )