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Happiest Place on Earth

Ben and I went to Disneyland with the families I nanny for last weekend! Although it was 101 degree's one day we had a great time! This is one of my favorite pictures of the whole trip, the two of us riding Space Mountain. It was our last night at the park we stayed until 1:00 AM and rode rides sometimes twice without getting off. Space Mountain is my favorite ride and I kept asking Ben if he wanted to go again and he insisted he was ok to move on, it wasn't until I saw the picture exiting the ride that I knew why he was done. Deep breathing... deep breathing...


For those who are interested, we'll work on posting a slide show of all our Disneyland pictures this weekend!

We, Loved Raymond

On April 7th Mandy and I went to the Paramount to see stand up comedy. The act was Ray Romano and Brad Garrett most famously known from the TV show Everybody Loves Raymond. We had great seats, we were right up front and in the middle but not too close to be picked on by the comedians (thank goodness). After the show Mandy and I were walking back to the car and noticed some people gathering around a limousene. We saw the performers signing autographs and we decided to head over and get our tickets signed. They didn't have time to take pictures individually so this is what I got...

My Own "Bucket List"

A few years back I sat down and compiled a list of all of the things I wanted to accomplish in my life, some people call this a "Life List." I continue to add new goals to my "Life List", at the beginning of each year, or as I think of them. The majority of the list consists of travel and entertainment options, but equally as important are the little goals like gallop on a horse, (I've been horseback riding but we never galloped!) Other goals are of a more spiritual nature, while some are pretty lighthearted. No matter how crazy or small the goal is it has been very rewarding checking them off my list. This list has helped me narrow my focus in life and more importantly caused me to be grateful for the experiences I have had. When I was a boy I made a goal to live in Seattle and now as I type I can see the Space Needle from my own window! When you sit down and compile a list of goals you hopefully will realize how blessed you have been.

Here is just a portion of some of the things that are on my list (some of the more personal have been omitted):
a See Bruce Springsteen & The E-Street Band perform live ( I had seen him before but it was a solo tour and not with the E-Street Band)
Visit all 50 states (34 to go!)
Learn Spanish
Learn to play a musical instrument (harmonica, guitar, piano...)
Visit England
Gallop on a horse
a Move to Seattle
Learn to swim (properly)
Learn to cook (better)
Keep in touch with old friends
Visit every LDS Temple in the USA
Do an open mic stand up routine
Be a morning person
See a live taping of Saturday Night Live
Go on a cruise
a Be on the cover of a DVD case
Learn to drive a stick shift
Visit all 7 continents (I can't wait for Antarctica!)
Run a 5K (I'm just being realistic)
a Hitch hike
a Ride in a hot air balloon
Jump on a train while it's moving a.k.a. "ride the rails"
Keep a journal
See a concert at The Gorge
See a concert at Red Rocks
Understand Isaiah
a Have a backstage pass at a concert
Sit on the court for a NBA basketball game (preferably a Jazz game)

And the list goes on...

Ben Can Die Happy!

I know that my obsession with all things Springsteen is not my most attractive feature. That being said, this blog not only serves as a way for us to keep in touch with our friends and family but also serves as a journal of sorts. So with that in mind I would like to reminisce on one of the best weekends of my life (for all you that are concerned that my priorities are out of whack for saying that, know that I am exaggerating... a little bit:))

The weekend started with Mandy and I leaving Seattle early (for our taste) and driving through the rain/snow to Portland for the first night of a Bruce Springsteen double header. It should be noted that Portland is quickly becoming my second favorite city right behind Seattle. I love everything about the place it's wet, green, surrounded by water, there are cool bridges everywhere, more people walk and ride bikes than use their cars, and they also have a history of great music. I think its safe to say that I love the Northwest. Anyway I digress. We pulled into Portland, checked into the full hotel and I counted the hours until the concert. We went to Vancouver (minutes away) to spend time with Mandy's sister and her family. We had a fun time hanging out with them and the time passed away quickly, I left Mandy with her sister and I headed over to the Rose Garden Arena for the show.

When I got to my seat and was settled in all I could do was watch the clock. The show started an hour late but I'll tell you it was worth every minute. When it finally got started I had goose bumps all over me. They came out the Boss shouted "Portland" for what felt like fourteen times and then they begin to play "Night." During that song and the next I was shockingly underwhelmed. I thought to myself "What was I expecting?" Was I expecting the heavens to part and angels to start singing along with the band? I kept thinking to myself that it's my own fault for having built up expectations that no human could possibly live up to. But then the third song began to play and everything started to click. I was immediately overcome and I did not sit down for the rest of the time. I guess it just took me a few minutes to realize what was happening, and to soak it all in. The Boss played for close to three hours (pretty impressive for a 58 year old!) and it was all I wanted it to be. During the second to last song (Born to Run) the lyrics to the song I Don't Want to Miss a Thing kept creeping into my head: "I don't want to close my eyes, I don't want to fall asleep... I don't want to miss a thing." I left feeling pretty grateful that I have a wife that would put up with all my shenanigans and allow me to make a completely unnecessary trip to Portland to see a concert. I walked back to the hotel that night with a permanent grin on my face. The 15 year wait was well worth it.

On the way to the concert the next day Mandy asked if I thought the Seattle show would be better than the Portland show. I told her honestly that if the show was EXACTLY the same I would still be elated. We had better seats at the Key Arena than the seat I had in Portland and I couldn't even believe that I was going to go through all of it again. When the lights came down and the first few bars of Trapped began, I was in heaven. When considering which of the shows was better I imagine it like picking your favorite child, "you love them both the same." But it's safe to say that the Seattle show was the better of the two, I came to realize that when he played Because the Night. But the pinnacle of my concert going life was during the encore when the band played Rosalita Come Out Tonight). I have told Mandy previously that if for some reason the "Make a Wish Foundation" were to grant me one wish that wish would be to see Bruce Springsteen & The E-Street Band perform the song Rosalita (Come Out Tonight). The song was pure bliss and a perfect ending to a perfect weekend.

For anyone who cares here is the setlists from both nights.

Portland Setlist:

Night

Radio Nowhere

Lonesome Day

Gypsy Biker

Magic

Reason to Believe

Candy's Room

Prove It All Night

She's the One

Livin' in the Future

The Promised Land

ForYou

Lost in the Flood

Devil's Arcade

The Rising

Last to Die

Long Walk Home

Badlands

**Encore**

Girls in Their Summer Clothes

Jungleland (Best of the night)

Born to Run

Dancing in the Dark

American Land

Seattle Setlist:

Trapped

Radio Nowhere

No Surrender

Lonesome Day

Gypsy Biker

Magic

Reason to Believe

Darkness on the Edge of Town

Because the Night

She's the One

Livin' in the Future

The Promised Land

Waitin' on a Sunny Day

Your Own Worst Enemy

Point Blank

Devil's Arcade

The Rising

Last to Die

Long Walk Home

Badlands

**Encore**

Tenth Avenue Freeze-out

Rosalita (Come out Tonight) *Best concert experience EVER*

Born to Run

American Land

Spring Cleaning

Anyone else out there hate emptying out their bag less vacuum? Everytime we open it up and dump the contents inside a garbage all the dust that my hepa filtered vacuum has eliminated goes flying through the air. I invested in a stylish mask to prevent breathing in the dirt, dust, & whatever else particles flying through the air. Ben thinks it's funny...