Lynsie's Visit With Santa

I would have sent this out sooner, but really when you see the picture you have to hear the story behind it. Otherwise, the picture is just confusing and maybe sad. Haha!

For at least a month we have really been pumping up Lynsie for Santa Claus. We finally got around to heading to the mall this weekend so she could have her chance to tell Santa what she wants for Christmas. She's been prepped and talking about sitting on Santa's lap for awhile now, but I was still unsure of how it would go when the time came to actually do it.

We got to the mall before Santa had arrived at his chair but luckily only a few minutes. I heard some chatter and saw that Santa was making his way through the mall. I pointed him out to Lynsie and it was like she'd seen a movie star. She was so excited! Haha! She just kept pointing and staring, covering her mouth in awe. It was so funny!

As we waited for our turn to see Santa, she did really well and was pretty patient. It was then our turn and I didn't know what was going to happen. I really hoped I wasn't going to have two years of crying pictures from sitting on Santa's lap. We walked up and she immediately got very shy and put her head down. Santa was good though and started talking to her and I tried to encourage her to go closer. I then asked if she wanted to sit on his lap and he reached out his arms and she went right to him. Yay!! Success! Now he asked her what she wanted for Christmas and she said, "Princesses". Very cute!

Now it came time for the picture, I had high hopes that we'd get a great picture this year with a big smile. Well, something like that happened. The girl taking the pictures asked her to smile and what we got was one of her infamous "fake smiles". She even said "CHEESE" on a couple of them, but a real smile was nowhere to be seen. It was hilarious to say the least and it was all we could get in 3 of 4 pictures. The 4th picture featured Lynsie with her fist in her mouth thanks to the last of her 2 year molars making its way through. Everyone was laughing at her goofy face and you know, it's just classic and something we will be laughing about for years.

She was so darn excited even after leaving Santa's lap but just couldn't give that real smile. In fact, she is STILL talking about it this morning. Pretty much anytime she sees Santa anywhere, we hear about how she sat on his lap.

Now, when you look at this picture remember the above story and know that while it looks like she is sad... she really isn't. She's "smiling"!! HA!

Twilight Trip 2009

The weekend finally arrived for our much anticipated trip to Washington to visit the real life places featured in our favorite books, The Twilight Saga written by Stephenie Meyer.

Katie, Jennifer, & I headed out early Saturday morning. Our first stop was going to be in Port Angeles, WA which plays a small role in the first book Twilight. This is where Bella & Edward have their first date at Bella Italia. We arrived in the early afternoon and decided to walk around town and grab a light lunch before our dinner reservations at 5:45 p.m. We saw several different places that were featured in the book, including the book store Bella was looking for, the shop Bella and her friends tried dresses on in for prom, and there was even a Dazzled by Twilight store in town. We walked through but decided to wait until we got to Forks to buy any Twilight gear. When 5:45 p.m. finally rolled around we headed to the restaurant for our Twilight inspired dinner. Alright, so nobody ordered the Mushroom Ravioli like in the book, but I'll tell ya the food was FANTASTIC! I ate way too much but it was worth every calorie. Yummy!!!

After dinner we headed out of Port Angeles and on to Forks. On the way to Forks, we came upon a beautiful lake called Lake Crescent. We rounded a corner and the sun was shining just perfectly from behind one of the mountains that it looked like the air above the water was glowing. We had to stop and take some pictures! After our brief stop, we headed into Forks and to the Cullen House Bed & Breakfast (aka. the Miller Tree Inn Bed & Breakfast). Arriving at the Cullen House was so exciting, even Edward was waiting for us in the front window. Haha! The house is just beautiful and whether you are a Twilight Fan or not, this is a must see and must stay Bed & Breakfast. The owners, Bill & Susan were so hospitable and nice to us. Not to mention Edwards Italian Eggs for breakfast were to die for. At the end of our stay, we even got a Twilight themed goodie bag for us as another way to remember our trip. Click on the photo at the right to read the letter we got from the Cullen family.

Sunday morning following an early breakfast, we headed down the street to Dazzled by Twilight Tours. This is where we embarked on our Breaking Dawn Twilight Tour. The tour took us all over Forks, showing us where characters from the books lived and worked. Once we'd driven all around Forks, the bus headed toward the Quileute Indian Reservation which is where La Push and First Beach are located. These locations play a big role in the second book, New Moon. Also on the tour was the "Treaty Line" where the Cullens are forbidden to cross or hunt.

When we arrived at First Beach, it was absolutely beautiful. We were so lucky that the sun came out for our trip because that doesn't happen often. The area receives approximately 11 to 12 feet of rain every year. While at First Beach we spotted a bald eagle sitting on some rocks. The whole place was just amazing and again, a place to visit whether or not you are a Twilight fan. This was our last big stop on the tour, other then a couple quick stops at the treaty line and the "Welcome to Forks" sign. The bus headed back to Forks where we were able to do a little Twilight shopping in the Dazzled by Twilight store. I of course had to get a couple things... haha, which included a sweatshirt, t-shirt, a coffee mug, and a couple magnets.

Once our... probably mostly my... shopping spree was done, it was time to get our stuff and head home. All in all, it was a fabulous trip and I'd do it all over again. If you are a fan of the saga or just want to see a beautiful place you might not normally visit, this is the place to go. Enjoy the photos and trinkets in the slideshow below!