pompeii and napoli, october 2009

so i am sure you all have just been dying to see more pictures of italy! probably not, but i really need to finish the trip. after this post all we will have left is rome. which is about 100 posts in and of itself. i'm kidding! i hope you may still find some enjoyment in the photos anyway.

we are still staying in sorrento on the amalfi coast here. i loved sorrento. although it was pretty touristy, it was beautiful. so, i can see why the tourists would want to visit.

as you can tell, i am looking right in to the sun in this photo. dan always curses his glasses, but i think they provided some protection to his eyes here. i am not jealous though! this picture is overlooking the bay of sorrento. lots of cruise ships stop here, in fact one is in the picture! it was so nice and warm.

the thing i really liked about sorrento was the super narrow streets. cars would still go up and down them like it was no big deal. they had street after street very similar to this. lots of little shops and restaurants. it was wonderful.


we took the better part of a day and went to pompeii. for those who don't know what pompeii is, google it. pompeii was a bustling city back in the day. in 79 a.d., it was buried under the eruption of mt. vesuvius which is close by. the city was practically frozen in time. it has slowly but surely been excavated over the last few decades. it was accidentally discovered around 1748, almost 1700 years after it had been buried. it is incredible to know that people walked up and down these streets and lived here. they are still working on excavations to this day. all the more reason to have to go back one day and see what else they have uncovered!!!
an amphitheater. amazing how in tact it still is!
the city was actually a port city. meaning the water came right up to the edge of the city. there is now quite a bit of land between the ocean and edge of the city. quite a bit meaning there is a train and a lot of houses and roads. anyway, this is a typical street in pompeii. the two stones in the middle mean that it is a two-way street. the streets were usually filled with water and so the stones were so people could cross without getting their feet wet. if there was only one stone it was a one way street, two, two-way, and three meant it was a major thorough fare. and the stones were positioned just so, so that the chariot wheels would fit around them just fine. a lot of the streets still had the grooves in them from the wheels of the chariots. incredible.
this would have been some sort of eatery. this could have been where they cooked the food and kept it warm and served it.
most all of the roofs collapsed in from the weight of the ash and pumice. but, a lot of walls and columns survived.
this was a bath in one of the bath houses. almost looks as good as a hot tub!
an intact statue from on of the houses.
a person, who is obviously trying to cover their face with their hand.
and a dog.
and another person trying to cover their face.
we also spent one day in napoli. i was super freaked out to go here. dan had told me some stories about how scary it was. in fact, while on his mission, dan got held up here. but, the thieves didn't want a copy of the book of mormon! we started at the museum in napoli. it held a lot of the items that have been found in pompeii. for the sake of keeping my blog clean and suitable for young children, i won't post any of the pictures from inside the museum. let's just say pompeii might have been like las vegas is today.

dad thoroughly enjoyed all the public displays of affection. people in italy sure don't care who is watching or what they are doing! i thought it was quite funny to see dad's continual disgust!
more of napoli
and there is mt. vesuvius. thank goodness it was clear enough to see most of it. it was the only day i could get a somewhat good shot!
and this, my friends, was worth every cent it took us to get to italy. this here is a naptan pizza. or in other words, heaven on freaking earth. i cannot describe this pizza. no words do it justice. as i sit here and type, my mouth is watering! we had some fine pizza in italy. none compared to this. funny thing is, it was the least expensive of any meal we had. seriously, go to italy, to napoli, just for this piece of paradise! i cannot wait to go back to napoli just for this. and even though i was freaked out to go to napoli, i would go again in a heartbeat.
dan enjoying his naptan pizza.
and while we are on the subject of food, i had the BEST ravioli in sorrento. doesn't that just look divine? it was. but don't take my word for it. come along next time!

me through dan's eyes, and dan through my eyes

so i've seen this questionnaire, or various versions of it, on other people's blogs. they ask their kids questions about themselves. well, no kids here. so dan suggested he answer the questions for me. here's what i got. my thoughts are in parentheses as he is answering!

What is my favorite color?
"pink"

Do you like my cooking?
"yes i do"

What do I do that makes you happy?
laughing..."you"...thinking...."i know i see it...you keep me from being uncivilized"

If I was a cartoon character who would I be?
"minnie mouse"

What is my favorite food?
"pasta, my pasta, i hope. or onions, that hardly qualifies as food though."

What makes me happy?
"when i help with things around the house"

What is my job?
"keeping me from having to help with things around the house!"

Do I make you proud?
"yes"

How?
"because even on your bad days you still smile sometimes" (he thought this was pretty funny)

What do i always say to you?
"i'da had that done by now"

Am I a fun wife?
"yes, very fun"

How tall am I?
"5 foot 10 and a half" (really just under 5'10")

What do I like best about you?
"hum, my sense of humor..."(he looks at my facial response and laughs) "and my taste in music" (i say hardly! we will never really agree on music because he won't listen to anything made after 1992)

What animal do i remind you of?
"cheetah" (i don't even want to know!)

What do you think I was like as a child?
"quiet" (if i would have asked mom, she would have said bossy, but i'm over that now!!! just ask dan. now i'm just always right.)

What do I do that makes you laugh?
"yooouuu...."(thinking real hard) "i don't know, i'm laughing at you most the time, but in a good way"

How old am I?
"30"

What do I like to do?
"sit around the house and eat bon bons....that's a joke! you like to help other people"

How are we the same?
"hum, we both enjoy italy and everything italian"

How are we different?
"the way we, uh, both choose to deal with life"

What do I do when you are not here?
"clean and cook me dinner and work out at the gym"

What do you want to do more of together?
"travel"

How do you know I love you?
"because you tell me and you scratch my back sometimes"

What do you like best about me?
(he thought too hard on this one) "your personality"


Hi ho, Kermit the Frog here. Actually, it's just Dan. I'm breaking in to ask Annie the same questions about me. Her answers are below:

What is my favorite color?
"Red" (what a liar) "It's not, it's blue." (it usually is blue, but sometimes it's green or black)

Do you like my cooking?
"Well, you only ever cook pasta, so yeah" (that's true. I don't know how to cook anything else)

What do I do that makes you happy?
Long pause. More pause. "You kill all the bees nests we have outside" (good thing there are a lot of bees)

If I was a cartoon character who would I be?
"I don't know very many cartoons. Umm. I'm gonna say one of the transformers. Because, like, you can change at the drop of a hat, like from being happy to being grumpy" (I don't even wear hats)

What is my favorite food?
"Pasta" (Yeah, that's probably true. Just not Olive Garden pasta) "And your favorite non-pasta food would be a good burger" (mmm. Dan hungry)

What makes me happy?
"Being far away from chaotic situations. And planning" (I think that being around lots of people steals my soul, like taking photographs of indians)

What is my job?
"To do a lot for a little" (too true)

Do I make you proud?
"yes, very"

How?
"You... are pretty much the star employee. Everyone comes to you for the answers" (if only they knew I made most stuff up on the spot)

What does Mommy (Dan) always say to you?
"Not a whole lot actually" (I actually talk all the time, she just doesn't hear me)

Am I a fun Mommy (husband)?
"Yep, except when you're grumpy" (So I must be fun all the time) "Whatever"

How tall am I?
"6'4 1/2" (When I'm happy. 6'3 1/2" when I'm sad)

What do I like best about Daddy (you)?
"Lots of things. Mostly that I'm always right. And my silky soft hair"

What animal does Mommy (Dan) remind you of?
"A tiger, because you used to wear a tiger's tail in high school. Oh, heaven help me!" (Sure, if you take it out of context anything seems strange)

What do you think I was like as a child?
"Stubborn, and opinionated, and difficult. much like you are as an adult." (Ouch)

What do I do that makes you laugh?
"Everything"

How old am I?
"33 years, 8 months, and 2 weeks" (I'll take her word for it, even on the years part)

What do I like to do?
"You like to do anything computer related, watch scary shows, and work out at the gym." (That about sums it up)

How are we the same?
"We're both smart. And we both like frozen custard" (Who doesn't like it, though? Just people who've never tried it, I suppose)

How are we different?
"I'm always right, you're usually wrong" (no hesitation there at all)

What do I do when you are not here?
"Program, program, program. I wouldn't say clean. That's for sure." (I clean all the time. She just doesn't notice)

What do you want to do more of together?
"How about what do you want to do less of together? Shop, because you're not a good shopping partner." (If you've seen one shirt you've seen them all, right?)

How do you know I love you?
"Because you get up real early to go to work every day. And because you tell me." (I'm very thoughtful like that)

What do you like best about me?
"You can pretty much do anything." (It's just deciding to do things that stumps me.)

and now, nothing

-dan and i are babysitting tonight
-we're nice like that i guess
-so to pass the time, here is what is going on
-this last week has been pretty boring
-our dishwasher AND dryer both finally gave out last saturday
-luckily i have a super handy and smart husband who could fix them
-we ordered the parts from the same website 8 hours apart
-we had to pay shipping twice
-i hate paying shipping
-i bought my first and last clothing item online this last week too
-i hate paying shipping
-had to pay it twice since i returned the item
-they would only take it back if i insured it and payed for tracking
-seriously, i'll just stick with amazon
-nothing is happening with our house
-i am not surprised, its the middle of winter
-i sure wish someone would buy it though
-i cleaned all the baseboards and blinds this week
-just to make me feel better
-i think someone else would appreciate clean baseboards and blinds
-maybe most people just don't care and i should just let them get dirty
-i have been the relief society secretary for 4 weeks now
- i really like it
-we have had two babies born and two funeral luncheons
-all in less than 4 weeks
-i'd say our presidency is officially been caught up to speed
-i am liking my new calling
-especially since we now have 9 a.m. church
-i am not a morning person
-and now i don't have to prepare a lesson every week!
-i do miss my primary class though
-this next week does not look to be anymore exciting
-sorry
-that's just the way it is
-and i guess that is ok
-i think i'll go paint my toe nails now

girls weekend

last weekend was our annual granquist/reimann girls weekend. my mom and her friend (who is also my friend and was my 2nd mother growing up!) started this tradition ten or so years ago. it is so fun! every year it gets better and more exciting! this year we had quite the group! 13 of us total. we were missing a few, you know who you are! and we did miss you! and we expect you next year.





at girls weekend, we eat. and we eat a lot!

we play games. katie can't even cheat as much as she normally does because there are too many people around to stop her.
we share beds. even katie and i sharing a hide-a-bed is worth it...i think! she gave me a whole 6 inches to work with.

we shop. and we shop a lot. katie really wanted the mermaid. i talked her out of it.
we witness disasters. the fire sprinklers that were being worked on while we checked in broke while we were playing games at 11 p.m. there was quite the waterfall, and mess.
we soak. we find the nearest hot pools and enjoy ourselves. luckily no men came along...there is no necking or petting allowed. and we follow rules!
and yes, those are katie's feet under the bathroom stall door. needless to say there was not a lot of leg room!
we also crime stop! don't text and drive or my sister will call the police on you. even after we try to get your attention and warn you TWICE that we are going to call the cops. then don't deny it. because we have cell phone footage. (not taken by the driver of our vehicle, but the passenger). don't lie to the cop and tell him you were checking the time on your phone. there is a working clock on your dash, even the cop saw it! just don't text and drive. you will be putting my sister and her unborn child in danger (her words to the dispatcher, not mine. and it was funny!) we know an intexticated driver when we see one!

hopefully the next 12 months pass quick! can't wait until next year. thanks ladies for a great time!

welcome 2010, really

most people take this opportunity to reflect on the past year. the ups and downs. the achievements, successes, and good times. i don't care to. all i really care to remember about 2009 is here in this blog. dan and i took some great trips that i will never forget. those are the things i want to remember about 2009. to end the year on a happy note, we celebrated a little with liz and katie and their families.

there were plenty of games. the kids really liked apples to apples.

there was plenty of food.
there was plenty of uncle cory (shawn's brother) playing the game of life with the kids.

and of course there was plenty of rock band!

for the kids and the adults!!!
and when the noise just got too much for some, there was the basement!
dan and i were home safely tucked into bed by 10:00 p.m. i managed to stay awake til midnight, barely! i must say that we are really happy to see 2009 go.

we are looking forward to all the wonderful things 2010 will hold. we hope that we can see new places, meet new people, make some new friends, and of course keep all of our current friends. we hope to find a new home, find a new job, find a renewed love of life. we hope to help others more, be happier, be more positive. we hope to feel better physically. we hope to love more, have more faith, and patience. we hope we are ready for whatever is in store!!!

new years day was nice. our friend mickey organized a 5K and 10K. we decided it would be a great way to start the new year. i have really needed a challenge that i enjoy. so, we joined in the fun!!!

at first i was just going to do the 5K. my body has not allowed me to do any serious running for a while. it has been hard for me to get back in the swing of things since i have been feeling somewhat better. i just didn't want to kill myself on my first run in a while. i guess my adrenaline got the best of me and i decided to do the 10K. yep, i am crazy. 6.2 miles. in freezing cold weather!

before we left the house, i had to convince dan that he would want a jacket, and maybe long pants. he told me he couldn't run in pants. i told him he'd never tried! i think he was glad to be warm...until the race got going!
here we all are at the starting line. mickey and her family had so kindly marked the course with spray paint. and her dad drove around checking on everyone. i was grateful to know i could have jumped in the back of his pick up if i needed to!!!
shawn had trained plenty. pretty sure he ran circles around me! way to go shawn!
mickey. i am so proud of her. you are doing fabulous mickey!!!
dan, all bundled up. for now anyway! i have to say one really great thing about 2009 was dan discovering exercise. and that he likes it! i never in a bagillion kazillion years thought i would ever get dan to really exercise. i love that he loves it. i love that he is so good at everything he does, including running. he has amazed me this year. way to go dear!!!
me and anna and kenzi. they ran with me for a minute. if only i had their energy.
mickey crossing the finish line. and shawn, crossing for probably the 3rd time!!!
kenzi and anna did such a great job! way to go girlies!
dan crossing the finish line.
and me, with some help from kenzi, anna, megan, mikey, and shawn.
i still can't believe i did it. it was slow going, but i did it. i kept telling myself that i have done a lot of hard things the past two years that were not my choice. they have not been fun. i wanted to do something hard, that was my choice, that was fun. fun to me anyway.

the only problem is now there are no more excuses! i hope my health holds up and i can continue. i feel so much better when i do exercise.

saturday i was pretty sore. but in a good way. i look forward to more races, and more sense of accomplishment. it is a great feeling.

the rest of january 1st was spent relaxing! i think we deserved it. so, here's to 2010. bring it on!!!

christmas day 2009

most people know i just didn't have the spirit this year. i never really did get into the holidays. which, quite frankly, is a first for me. dan was super excited. i was not. i hope 2010 is better. but, i thought i'd share our festivities anyway.

see that poinsettia on our hutch? that was our tree this year. i was so not into it, that we didn't even get a tree up. pathetic, i know. but, that is just the way it was. christmas morning we slept in. i didn't get up until 9 or so. i'm pretty sure dan woke up every half hour from 5 on. it is funny how we really reversed excitement levels this year!!! i think dan was so excited because he finally found a perfect gift for me. all by himself. he needed no help from anyone. i still am a little in shock. his thoughtfulness was the best part about the day.
use your imagination. pretend there is a lovely tree with a tree skirt and stockings. or, you can check out my christmas 2008 pictures. it would have been the same photo!!!


a time or two, a couple of years ago, i mentioned how i would LOVE to have the complete series of dr. quinn medicine woman. i just couldn't bring myself to spend the $100+ for it. well, dan somehow remembered i said i wanted it. and, he bought it. i have been in HEAVEN the last week. the day after christmas, i spent the entire day watching season one. seriously. from about 11 a.m. until 2 a.m. sunday morning. it was great. we still are not done with season 2! plenty more to watch. i don't know why or how i grew to love this show. it just happened. i never watched it when it originally aired. i was in middle school. i remember being over at my friend's house and her dad was watching it. then, later when i was in college, i would catch an episode here or there in the afternoons. it is a great show. thanks dan. you outdid yourself!!! i was completely surprised!
my gifts for dan were not nearly as exciting. i made a book of our adventures in 2009. everywhere we go, we manage to take a lot of self portraits. mostly because there is no one to take our picture for us. this book is entirely self portraits. we have been a lot of places in 2009. i also got him criminal minds season one. let me just say that watching dr. quinn before bed is a lot less nerve racking than watching criminal minds!!!
we headed over to mom and dad's in the early afternoon. mom and dad got snuggies from ryan and barb. i should've made them model for us!!
matt was so excited to help me open gifts!
katie and mike found these great t-shirts. 'max hall hates me'! hilarious.
seven of the nine grandkids. the 2 littlest wouldn't hold still long enough for a group photo!
the kids waiting for grampa to pass out the presents.

the following 4 photos are what you get when you are behind the wheel and katie has your camera in the back seat. thank you katie. we surely enjoy the scenery!





byu or utah??? matt just wanted to wear his cousins new hat! along with his new jersey. funny kid.
erin posing with a couple of her new stuffed animals. the girl is animal crazy!!!
no one likes sour cream more than mikey. the big white globs, you guessed it. i'm still cringing! i like sour cream. but, all things in moderation!
dad was able to go get grandma and bring her from her rest home. she was actually in good spirits. it was good to have her there with us.
aunt kathy was sure to not forget her camera! katie and i went to pick her up. she cannot hear anything. conversations are quite entertaining with her.
just before the night ended, shawn was sure to share his mtn. dew with matt!
before we made it home, we stopped to visit dan's mom and dad. rob was still there so we pulled out our new game. it is called word on the street. it was really fun. we had a nice time visiting and playing.

so there you have it. the day was great. and, unlike last year, there were no storms!!! it was really nice to travel! now, i am hoping that next year i will have the christmas spirit with me. i will start trying now to prepare myself. i am making no guarantees. but, i will try. and just for the record, it only took me 30 seconds to put away all our christmas decorations! i hope you all had a wonderful christmas day!

christmas eve 2009

christmas eve 2009 was fabulous. katie and mike hosted their annual breakfast for dinner. everyone comes in their new pajamas. we have lots of good food and fun. i posted almost every picture i took. for me. i like to look a them. for some reason, some of them are somewhat fuzzy. i think there was lots of bacon and sausage grease in the air!


mike and his dad cooking up the best part of the meal, the bacon and sausage. i think mom bought about 5 pounds of each. this may be the first year we have had leftovers on the meat!!



matt had more syrup than pancakes. although i think he did eat 5!
mike forgot his pajamas...better luck next year mike!
anna sure loves her dad!
shawn's brother cory joined us this year. he, too, forgot his pajamas. next year cory...
these two make me smile! dan and rachel.
although dan has had the same pajama bottoms for the last 5 years, he only wears them once a year. so, they are pretty much new. i am sure he will have them even 5 years from now!
i love these crazy girls. erin, anna, and jenna.
and who could not love this girl!
and of course, there was plenty of testosterone to go around. whenever matt and mikey get together there is bound to be wrestling!
erin and anna entertained us with some holiday dance moves. jenna was too embarrassed!

last year we brought dan's parents chimes. they were a big hit. i think we are going to have to make our own set. and maybe next year we can add a few more songs to the mix!

matt looks so patient waiting for his turn to chime!
dad even got in on the action!
the chimes are intense, in case you couldn't tell by looking at all their faces!!!

the best part about this christmas eve was that there was not a major snow storm on the way home!!! we made it safe and sound, just in time for santa!