Magic Mountain

How do I begin? Let me mention first that we went to Magic Mountain about 8 years ago. We were there for a total of 6 hours and were only able to get on 2 rides. After those 2 rides, we tried to get something to eat. We were in line for food for a 1/2 hour and only moved a foot or two. At that point we decided it wasn't worth it and left. So we were a little skeptical about going again.

When we were researching and deciding whether or not to go, we found something called the "Flash Pass" on their website. The idea is much like Disneyland's Fast Pass. There are two versions of the Flash Pass. The first one allows you to place yourself in line (without actually being there) and receive a message letting you know when it's your turn to go on the ride. At that point, you proceed to the ride and go through a special entrance for Flash Pass holders. The second option was the Gold Flash Pass. This one is much the same, only it reduces the wait time by up to 75%. Because of our previous visit, we decided not to take any chances and go with the Gold Pass. Let me just say... GREAT DECISION!!! To give you an idea, our longest wait time for any of the rides was 15 minutes. If we ever get to go again, we'll be buying that pass again.

On to the rides. Last time we went, our favorite (of the two rides we got to go on) was Goliath. It's a pretty simple coaster, but goes fairly high and has some good speed on it. This time that coaster felt like a walk in the park. This time we ended up with a few favorites. X2 was pretty amazing! You are seated and harnessed in and then your chair is tilted back, as though you are laying down. As you are going up the first hill, you move up backwards so that you cannot see where the top of the hill is or what will happen. The other crazy part of this ride is that the seats are able to flip 360 degrees. It's mechanically controlled but the feeling is indescribable.

I think our favorite ride overall had to be Tatsu. This one is really hard to describe and do it justice. This one is kinda opposite seating from X2. You're harnessed into your seat, with cuffs around your ankles as well. But instead of lying back, the lower part of your seat is brought up so that your whole body is facing down, as though you are in a "flying" position. One of the scariest things about this ride is that your whole body weight is pressing against your harness and you know that if it fails you will fall straight down. We were able to get the front row seat on this one and it was trippy to say the least. The other thing that made it scary was the height. Not only are you facing the ground, but you know that if you fall, you have a long way to go. You stay up high almost the whole ride. Throughout the ride, there are at least 3 barrel rolls (or something like that) and one incredibly wicked loop. You have to imagine yourself in flying position, diving down and then on to your back at the bottom of the loop. It was an insane feeling, one that really cannot be described. I felt as though my feet, gut, throat, etc. were all at the top of my head. When you get to the bottom of that loop, you can't talk or scream because of the pressure. Simply, incredible. I can't imagine another coaster coming close to that one.

We had an amazing time... much better than our previous experience and hope to be able to get back there again before too long. One upsetting thing about our trip is that I had taken my SD card out of our camera to blog about our first day at Disneyland. I forgot to put it back in for Magic Mountain, so I do not have any pictures of our day there. So you will all have to put up with internet pictures and video.



X2



Tatsu

Our Trip - Day 1

What a day! It felt very long, yet flew by. Our morning began with getting up at 5 in the morning so that we could catch our 7:30 flight. We love getting to the airport pretty early. First, because we always get breakfast from Burger King before we fly out. And second, we fly enough, but not too much, so we still get excited at the airport and love the atmosphere there. Anyway, we sat on the plane by a really sweet girl from Utah who now lives in LA and works for Disney studios. It was fun getting talking to her and helped the flight go by faster. The flight was smooth with only a few bumps here and there. We landed safely and went out to get our luggage and car rental. Our luggage came much quicker than usual. Our car ended up being a cute, black Toyota Yaris. It's a really little 4-door car, but with more room than you'd think. Ryan has decided it'll be the next car we buy.

We drove over and parked at Mickey and friends and took the tram over to Disneyland. We got fast passes for Splash Mountain (since it was bloody hot, and we knew we'd need to get wet!) and hopped on Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean. Then we went to eat lunch at my favorite place, The Hungry Bear. I had my funnel cake (which was AWESOME!) and we were visited by a look a like kitty of our cat, Beast. From there, it was time to use our fast passes, so we avoided a 45 minute line and watched as everyone scowled at us as we passed them in line.

After that, we decided to head over to California Adventure. We went right to the back of the park and went on Screamin and then Toy Story Mania. And usually we don't bother going on Maliboomer (since we have The Rocket at Lagoon), but the line was so short that we decided to go on that one. Then our last ride of the day was Grizzly River Run. We decided that since it was really hot and we were tired from getting up so early, that we would go back to the hotel early and get some extra rest so that we would have as much energy as possible for today. We are heading over to Magic Mountain today and will get to go on some more extreme rides than what Disneyland has to offer. I'm hoping to have some fun pictures of our day today. Here are the few that we took yesterday.

Interesting Article

Ryan forwarded this article on to me and I found it incredibly interesting since I actually have this issue. It's kinda nice to know that it's not just me. I just wish that all dentists had this article so that I didn't feel like an idiot every time I try to tell them that I don't numb well and how bad my fear is. They look at me like I'm a pill popper or something and that I'm just trying to get more drugs.


Study: Redheads' extra pain may cause fear of dentist

(CNN) -- Despite two injections of anesthetic, Amy Anderson felt like her dentist was jamming rods into her tooth during a root canal. She writhed in pain as her infected tooth was hollowed with a drill, its nerve amputated, and then sealed.
Studies say redheads avoid dental care after having painful experiences and may require more anesthetics.

Studies say redheads avoid dental care after having painful experiences and may require more anesthetics.

"I knew this time something was wrong. I could feel my lips," said the Syracuse, New York, resident, who told her dentist the drugs weren't working.

Her doctor kept assuring her she had given her a proper dose and said: "I'm almost done."

"I was hurting so bad, I was hitting myself in the stomach," said Anderson, a redhead. "I almost wanted to hit her."

Studies have indicated that redheads may be more sensitive to pain and may need more anesthetics to numb them.

New research published in this month's Journal of American Dental Association found that painful experiences at the dentist might cause more anxiety for men and women with red hair, who were twice as likely to avoid dental care than people with dark hair.

"Redheads are sensitive to pain," said Dr. Daniel Sessler, an Outcomes Research Department chair at The Cleveland Clinic, in Cleveland, Ohio, who is one of the authors.

"They require more generalized anesthesia, localized anesthesia. The conventional doses fail. They have bad experiences at the dentist and because of the bad experiences, they could avoid dental care."
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Sessler, an anesthesiologist, began studying redheads' sensitivity to pain after hearing chatter from colleagues.

"The persistent rumor in the anesthesia community was that redheads were difficult to anesthetize," Sessler said. "They didn't go under, had a lot of pain, didn't respond well to anesthesia. Urban legends usually don't start studies, but it was such an intriguing observation."

This led to two studies. In 2004, research showed that people with red hair need 20 percent more general anesthesia than blonds and brunettes.

A 2005 study indicated that redheads are more sensitive to thermal pain and are more resistant to the effects of local anesthesia.

Researchers believe variants of the melanocortin-1 receptor gene play a role. This MC1R gene produces melanin, which gives skin, hair and eyes their color.

While blond, brown and black-haired people produce melanin, those with red hair have a mutation of this receptor. It produces a different coloring called pheomelanin, which results in freckles, fair skin and ginger hair. About 5 percent of whites are estimated to have these characteristics.

While the relationship between MC1R and pain sensitivity is not entirely understood, researchers have found MC1R receptors in the brain and some of them are known to influence pain sensitivity.

Non-redheads can also carry a variant of the MC1R gene. In this dental study that had 144 participants, about a quarter of the non-redheads had variants of the MC1R gene. These people also experienced heightened anxiety and avoided dental care compared with others who did not have the variant.

There is no commercial test available for variations of the MC1R gene.

After Sessler and his colleagues published the first studies about redheads and pain susceptibility, he received nearly 100 e-mails from redheads around the country who complained of terrible experiences at the dentist's office.

Dr. Christine Binkley, an associate professor at the University of Louisville's School of Dentistry, in Kentucky, also observed the same phenomenon in her 25 years of practice.

Her redheaded patients seemed "anxious and didn't get numb. It's a difficult experience for them," said Binkley, one of the study's authors.

But this doesn't seem to affect all people with red hair.

"I have a [redheaded] hygienist that I have to numb up a lot more than normal, " said Dr. Peter Vanstrom, an Atlanta, Georgia, dentist. "She's very sensitive. I have another redheaded patient who is tough as nails, but his father is extremely difficult to numb."
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Binkley said the best tip for dentists is to "pay more attention, evaluate everyone for dental anxiety, and ask them about previous experiences."

"If you know someone's anxious, do different things," she said. "Make sure they're numb before you start working on them."

Patients who've had bad experiences with pain should inform their dentists.

The next phase of research is to evaluate whether more anesthesia is needed for people with red hair and those with variants of the MCR1 gene for dental procedures.

The authors say an unpleasant incident -- much like the one Anderson had this January -- could cause patients to postpone dental care and exacerbate any problems they might have.

Anderson got a root canal because she dreaded the dentist after a bad experience of getting cavity fillings. Inevitably, Anderson has to return to her dentist to follow up on her root canal and this fills her with apprehension.

"I have wicked dread of the dentist," she said. "I was up for two hours in the middle of the night because of the dentist."

So Lazy

I don't know what my problem is, but I have been way too lazy to blog lately.

I had the most amazing time in Park City with my best friends from July 20-22. Sadly, I didn't end up taking very many pictures. But there will be so many things about that trip that I remember forever. We did everything from shopping and seeing a movie to risking our lives on the zip line. :) We made sure to hit the swimming pool every day and made up a fun pool game with plastic bracelets. Totally unforgettable! I am so grateful for my friends. I love having wonderful people that I can get away with and enjoy every minute with them. Every day since coming home I have missed spending time with them. Thank you girls! You don't know how much you mean to me!

On to updates about my boys. Alex is still doing great and really enjoying summer. He is loving all the playtime with friends. In the past week I've had him working in a workbook doing a few pages a day to get ready for 1st grade. He could probably go through the book in no time at all and he amazes me with how quickly he learns. We recently heard from RUSH soccer about teams for the fall. It turns out they didn't have very many volunteers this year and needed some serious help. So guess who is going to coach Alex's soccer team this fall??? Yep... it's ME! I'm not a great soccer player, but hopefully I'll be good enough to be able to handle teaching 6-7 year olds. His first game will be during the first week of school, so it should be pretty interesting. Alex is a little nervous about starting school again, but knows of at least 4 kids he knows that will be in his class, so that helps.

Darek seems to be growing like crazy! He has gotten a lot taller in last little while and is actually a little heavy to carry in his car seat. Almost time to upgrade to another seat. Darek is all over the place. He has mastered crawling and is FAST! He can zoom upstairs in no time at all. He has also learned how great big people food is. His gag reflex has gotten much better recently, so he can handle pieces of food. He learned just yesterday how tasty pizza is. He was really angry with me when it was all gone. I know I keep saying this, but he is such a funny little boy. He loves to make faces so that people will laugh. And he is constantly cracking himself up. But he is my little sweetie and still loves to cuddle and just talk to me. This has probably been my favorite stage with him so far. Even though he's into everything, his personality is just coming out and I'm loving it!

Most people will know soon enough, but I just got a new stake calling. I'm pretty excited about it. I will be the stake women's sports specialist. Meaning that I get to schedule all of the buildings, games, get rosters together, etc. for the whole stake. I'm a little nervous to get it all started, but I'm really happy that our stake is finally getting a great sports program together. I love playing, and knowing that I'll be taking a really huge part in getting it all together really makes me happy. I'll still be keeping my nursery calling for now. But I'm thinking that as soon as Darek is 18 months and supposed to be in nursery that I'll ask to be released.

Ryan finished his 3rd sememster of his program with straight A's. He constantly amazes me! I truly don't know how he does it. So, 2 more semesters and he'll graduate. YAY! Then we'll decide if we want to stay here and have him specialize in his field. In fact, that's most likely what we'll do, since it will only take another 6 months or so. But as soon as he graduates we will start applying for jobs in the places that we are thinking about moving. There is one place we are leaning towards, but ultimately it will all depend on where Ryan gets a job.

Life is so exciting for us right now. We have had such a great summer and are really looking forward to our trip in just a few days. Ryan and I have our little getaway to California without the boys. It'll be weird and really hard not having them there, but it will be so nice to have some time together. We're gonna try out some great coasters and really enjoy ourselves. Hopefully I'll get one more post in before we leave.

Glee

We watched the pilot of this show back in the spring and totally fell in love with it. I'm already loving the characters and the music. I know it's a High School Musical type show, but I love listening to what people can do with different songs. When we heard "Don't Stop Believin'" on the show, I almost started crying. Why? Who knows. But I've now become a little obsessed with the song and have downloaded it. I can't wait for this show to come back on and I hope it does really well! I know it'll be cheesy, but I think I'll still love it. Here's the video to Don't Stop Believin' for anyone who hasn't seen it yet.

Camping Trip

We went on a wonderful camping trip with our awesome friends Reese, Tammy and Kaylene Nielsen this weekend. We had the BEST time! I used to camp quite a bit when I was younger, but haven't found the time (or had any of the equipment necessary) to go recently. The last time Ryan and I went was when Alex was less than a year old. We left him with my parents and went for a night. So this was our first camping trip in 5 years and it was Alex and Darek's very first trip.

We went up Friday after Ryan got home from clinicals. We really enjoyed the beautiful trip up there and got our tent set up without much trouble. We were all sitting around talking and we heard a crashing noise on the highway. Through the trees we couldn't really see what happened, but when cars were stopping along the highway, Ryan decided he'd go up there and see what was going on. After he didn't come back for a long time, Kaylene and I decided we'd go see where he was. Turns out a motorcyclist lost control coming down the hill and flew off his bike. When I got up there, they were a lot of people surrounding him doing compressions on him. We were across the street, so we couldn't actually see him (which was probably good). We kept our distance. They ended up shutting down traffic to fly life flight in. Sadly, it was too late. It was a very sad incident and got us talking that night about life and how quickly it can be taken away. We ended up having a really nice chat while we had our smores. We then went to bed so I wouldn't have a meltdown from Darek.

Saturday was a really relaxing and fun day. We played a lot of games. We introduced Farkle to the Nielsens and it became a favorite instantly! We even got Reese to play with us. :) Ryan and I took the boys on a drive up around Strawberry Reservoir. It was a beautiful drive. Alex and I enjoyed getting out to go 'touch the water'. We ended up playing more games after we got back and had fun riding bikes and scooters. A few went on a small hike. Overall, just a really wonderful day!

Sunday morning we got up and cleaned up camp, took the tent down and all packed up. After that was done, we made pancakes and bacon for breakfast. After cleaning up breakfast we all sat down to play one more game of Farkle before hitting the road. Ryan and I took Immigration Canyon home which was a really nice detour. The boys slept most of the way home so Ryan and I enjoyed talking and reflecting.

This was one of those weekends when I can't help but think what a wonderful and blessed life I have. We have such wonderful friends that we love and love us. I have the most wonderful little family. Alex and Darek are the best little boys. For this being their first camping trip, they were both amazing! Both of them were in their element. I think they would both be content living outdoors. And it was so nice to have that extra time with Ryan. I love talking to him and just being with him. Needless to say, after such a wonderful weekend, we will be going again in a month.... and I can't wait!

Tasty Dessert

Alright, one more quick post before I attempt to go to bed. I tried out a really tasty dessert recipe tonight. I had quite a few 'guinea pigs' test it out for me to make sure it tasted good. I had a few request seconds, so I guess they liked it! It's actually very easy to make and really pretty to look at. Anyway, I took a few pictures of the outcome and I think I did pretty well. I'm testing different things out since one day my dream is to have a catering/cake business. One day...


The only thing I would've liked to have is some mint on the top... but forgot to get some. I'm thinking I just need to buy a mint plant and grow my own. Just looking at these pictures make me want to make more!

Just Because I'm Up...

I'm up really late when I shouldn't be, so I thought I'd post a few little random things from the past couple weeks. Obviously I posted a lot about Darek's birthday, but didn't post about the other fun things I was able to do.

It was a crazy week! My older sister Hayley sent her two oldest kids up from St. George with my other sister Bethany and her husband Chad. They arrived Sunday the 28th of June and stayed until Monday, July 6th. Our week went like this:

Monday, June 29th - We took the kids to Kangaroo Zoo to do some bouncing and run off some energy. Beth and I had to get some shopping in, so I think we went to 3 different stores with the kids. After the cake catastrophe, we celebrated Darek's birthday that evening.

Tuesday, June 30th - Took all 5 kids (my 2, my sisters 2 and Truman, the little boy I watch) to the Gateway. We went to Discovery Gateway first so the kids could have fun with all the neat things there. Then we let them all get in their swim gear and play in the fountain there. That doesn't sound like a lot, but my word we were exhausted by the end of it all!

Wednesday, July 1st - Beth and Chad went down to IKEA and I volunteered to stay with the kids and play at home. So I had the 5 kids and one of Alex's kindergarten buddies over to play for the day. I let them swim in the backyard and have a fun water fight. That night we all went to Chuck E Cheeses for some fun! I can't tell you truly how much fun I have at that place! I don't know exactly why, but it's one of those places that all stress melts away and you just focus on having a good time! Again, doesn't sound like a busy day, but I was SO tired by the end of it!

Thursday, July 2nd - We decided it would be a great day for the zoo. I'm not really one for the zoo, but it was fun. We were there during nap time (or so it seemed), so we didn't get to see much of the animals. But I got some great exercise out of it!

Friday, July 3rd - Went down to Jungle Jims (which is a little inside amusement ride/games facility for kids) and spent several hours there. It was fun to watch all of the kids go on the rides... and even go with them on a few. We played a few games and won enough tickets to get a few prizes. That night we went up to the fireworks at the Eaglewood Golf course. We go just about every year and it's always fun because I run into people I haven't seen for a while. I got to see one of my old co workers from Primary Children's that I just adore. She got to see Darek after not seeing him for several months. It was so fun catching up. It really made me miss that job. I truly did love it! Ryan and I left just minutes before the fireworks display. He was supposed to be at work, but someone was sweet enough to cover for him until he could get there. So to be nice, we didn't wait in all the going home traffic and just came home so he could get off to work.

Saturday, July 4th - This was one of our more relaxing days. We took it easy at home, ate a delicious BBQ and did our own fireworks in front of the house that night. It was so laid back, which was REALLY needed.

Sunday and Monday were also just relaxed and we were sad to say goodbye on Monday. The kids are actually coming back this coming Tuesday with Hayley, Mike and baby Brayden. It'll be fun to see Brayden and Darek play since they're only a month apart in age. Although I'm sure Brayden could crush Darek pretty easily. :) So I'm sure we'll have another few fun-filled days when they get back up here. I know Lagoon is on our list for one of those days and I can't wait.

For now, here are a few of my favorite pictures from our exciting week!

NILMDTS - Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep

For those who have never heard of this program, you should read up on it. It's a very inspired program and one that has touched our lives. I'm not sure if I mentioned in previous posts, but when we were told that Ian was going to die, we asked if we could get back there before he passed away. When we were told no, we were very concerned in getting someone to the hospital that we knew and could trust with our baby. Of course, the wonderful people we stayed with were more than willing. But one thing that never occurred to me was to have someone there to take pictures of our baby before he died. Luckily, our social worker mentioned this wonderful program called Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep. Volunteer photographers are "on call" when a situation like this arises. They get to the hospital (or home) and take pictures of a baby who has passed away or will soon. Jessica Riehl is the name of our photographer. She was absolutely amazing and stayed there with Ian, our friends, the nurses and doctors throughout the whole process so that we would be able to have pictures of our beautiful baby.

A few months ago, I was contacted by Jessica and a journalist with the Virginia Pilot that would be doing an article about NILMDTS. I was interviewed and asked if they could use a photo of Ian. Of course I agreed. I have been looking for that article since it came out, but could not find it. But I finally did locate it through Jessica's blog. If you would like to read the article, click here. Hopefully it'll work.

Happy Birthday Little Boys

It's official, my babies are 1! I just wanted to wish them both a happy birthday. I can't believe so much time has gone by. It's hard to think of what my life was like a year ago and the fact that I had no idea that 2 babies were being born across the country that soon would be mine. I do love the fact that I know exactly where I was and what I was doing at the exact time they were born.

Darek - Look how much you've grown! You are so strong and such a good baby! You have given me so much joy and love. I love your giggles and babbling. I love to watch you learn how to do new things. You are so happy and full of life! You are a beautiful little boy. You attract people to you where ever we go. I look forward to all the things that you will learn to do, the struggles that we will work our way through, and all the happy memories we will share. I love you!



Ian - I knew this day would be hard. I know that you are being watched over, but can't stand that you are not here to take part in this wonderful day. I miss you so much. I feel so jipped that I only was able to spend a little over a month with you. I see your brother now and wonder what things you would be doing. I know that I am missing out on your giggles and cuddles. I missed you so much when we celebrated your 1st birthday. I will never get to see you open your presents and see the excitement on your face with each one. I will never see you taste your first bite of cake and ice cream. I will never get to take you in my arms, kiss you and wish you a happy birthday. All I can do is decorate your little grave and hope that where you are, you get to celebrate along with us. I hope you know that there are so many people that will be thinking of you all day, wishing that you were here. Thank you for hanging in there and giving us the little time we did have with you. I will cherish that forever. I love you sweet boy. Happy Birthday!