Date Night, Baby Shower and UCLA Orientation

This weekend was packed with activities. Let's start with the big highlight of the weekend: date night for Ryan and me. After Ryan's long week in Denver, and my long week here without him, we were both in need of a relaxing evening out - and we all know what relaxing means when you're a parent... no children. So Friday night we finally sucked it up and PAID for a babysitter (first time ever) to come do her homework at our house while Westin slept (ah, the life of a teenager. lucky girl). Ryan and I joined Nate and Abby for dinner and a movie, Date Night. I thought it was pretty hilarious. I'm not sure if that's because I rarely see movies anymore and just the thought of sitting in a dark theater with nothing else to think of made me a little giddy inside or if the movie was actually that funny, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it if you're in need of some entertainment.

Saturday morning Ryan started his 2-day UCLA Orientation (Anderson Days) with beach football. Around the same time, I dropped Westin off at the Elton's house to play with Eli and Tanner while Megan and I went to her baby shower (#2 will be here in just two weeks). Megan's friends from the Santa Monica 1st Ward did a great job with the baby shower. And it was nice to have a second mommy break and enjoy time with the girls.

It was fun to catch up with the girls from our old ward and to meet some new girls. About half the group there was preggers. Amazing how babies arrive in waves at a time. Something in the water here, I guess.

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Andrea, Bethany, Megan, Stephanie, me, Natalie and Eleanor, Lindy, Sarah, Shauna, and Emily.

After beach football, Ryan headed over to the UCLA campus for more orientation activities. Westin and I joined him after Westin's nap. However, we actually didn't see Ryan until the evening. I had my own activities to attend. I'm now considered a Sig-O (significant other) among the business school students. So Westin and I took a campus tour and stopped by a wine social - which, as you can imagine, we didn't last long at. About 15 minutes of that and Westin I were off to the main quad to roll Hot Wheel cars around the sidewalk until it was time for the In n' Out truck.

Ryan had more events to attend that evening and throughout Sunday. So when church came along yesterday, I realized I didn't have anyone to watch W while I taught primary. Yikes. Luckily, we have awesome nursery leaders and I was able to sneak Westin in (ok, it wasn't that big of a deal, but it was a huge help). I was planning on getting him out after I taught during second hour, but he was having a great time and the leaders said he could stay! Awesome! Now, I'm not planning on making this a weekly occurance (Westin still has 2 months before he's "allowed" in), but it's so nice to know that he's going to like it.

It was a very fun weekend and it's so nice to have Ryan home. I think he'll be in town this week, but it wouldn't surprise me if he gets called out any minute.

This next picture is totally random and will likely only be appreciated by a few people. My friend Beth was recently in Pittsburgh and stopped by our old neighborhood (where we first became friends). She walked around our old stomping grounds and snapped a few pictures of our old houses.

This was our house in Lincoln Park. For a minute I didn't think it was right. I always thought our house was so big and it doesn't really appear that way in this picture. But, it's ours! The backyard was huge (if I remember that correctly) and had a ton of trees (kind of forest-like, or so we thought as kids). We used to trek back there on explorations or to walk to a friend's house. During some part of the year (spring, maybe?), there would be tent worms (like millions of them) in all of the trees and we'd have to burn them out (totally the coolest thing ever... as a kid, of course). We'd also sled down the hill in front and build forts near the bushes to the right of the picture...

It's been years (lots of years) since the Carlstons lived in that house, but the memories made there will definitely last forever. Thanks for snapping a picture, Beth, and for letting me take a walk down memory lane. Hope the fam enjoyed this little surprise too.