Visiting heaven again

I have often said that Tuolomne Meadows is what I envision heaven to be like for me. In July, my friend Kari and I took a great day hike to check out the waterfalls. The weather was perfect, the company was great, and the hike was just long enough to be a great adventure without being exhausting.
And as usual, I was a pathological picture taker trying to capture my version of heaven.












The next day, we spent a relaxing day in Yosemite Valley taking pictures, leisurely strolling around, watching the families rafting down the river, and of course, sitting at the base of El Capitan searching for those crazy climbers.





I can't believe how lucky I am to live so close to this little piece of heaven! In fact, going through these pictures again makes me want to go back now!

Tuxedo t-shirts, hats, and kilts..... oh my!

So what kind of event would I be going to, with this fantastic hat?
Easter Sunday?
A Saturday BBQ?

Nope.... it's a friend's wedding!

My fun friend John, is one of a kind. So, of course, his wedding had to be unique as well.

When I got my invitation in the mail, it said "Ladies, don your best hats. Gentlemen, wear your best tuxedo t-shirt." No joke! I wasn't quite sure what to expect, so I donned my hat and drove to the nuptuals.

The groom was in a traditional kilt, with an untraditional tuxedo t-shirt underneath. Not to be the only guy in a skirt on his wedding day, all of his groomsmen, including Andy, had to wear kilts too. Now I was really interested to see the bride....

Natalie was gorgeous!!!! She was escorted by her parents (note the powder blue tuxedo shirt) into the backyard ceremony while serenaded by beautiful harp music.

They make each other happy. What more could you ask for? Honestly, I think John scored big time! She is not only beautiful, but intelligent and kind to boot.
The ceremony overlooked the mountains behind John's parents home. Simple.




The happy couple after it was all a done deal. No going back now kids!
(and P.S. doesn't Natalie have a great sense of style? Kinda puts John's kilt to shame!)

The wedding was simple. Not alot of fanfare (but lots of guys with hairy legs in kilts!) What else was unique about the wedding, you may ask? Well.... let me tell you:

Mohawks.... as John said, if he had an avatar, it would have to have a mohawk to truly portray him.
The most decorative socks in the house belongs to a guy.



You gotta have "facilities". These port-a-potties and port-a-sink were shielded from the view of the party for privacy. That's one way to do it.

The watchdog to make sure no unsavory folks came to crash the party. Thanks Fido.

Who knew they were popular enough for ZZ Top to attend? Awesome!

A photo booth to pretend you are king or queen for the day. Even had real swords for props. Although, I was concerned about the swords combined with alcohol, but it seemed to go alright.
There were other fun things that I don't have pictures for, including a guy in a tuxedo t-shirt putting his shotgun away in the nearby truck before the wedding. Was this a true shotgun wedding??? (ha ha)

And I got to hang out with a couple of friends I don't see often.


A little dancing, some cake, and some great laughs! Congrats John and Natalie on finding each other, and then throwing a unique party to celebrate it all. Yeah!

Happiest Place on Earth

Why is Disneyland the happiest place on earth? Well let me tell you!!!

Happiness is having your very own hotel room key with your name and everything.

Happiness is smiling like a pretty princess at Snow White.

Happiness is using your astroblaster to help Buzz Lightyear save the world

Happiness is using Auntie Hoot's camera to take pictures during dinner.

Happiness is driving a fire truck that is just the right size.

Happiness is getting picked for Jedi Academy to fight the dark side.

Happiness is getting Darth Maul's autograph, and then showing him your best scowl.

Happiness is the new 3D Toy Story ride in California Adventures with Papa.

Happiness is flying high in Dumbo's ride.

Happiness is living in a make believe land where anything is possible.

Happiness is meeting friendly giant dogs.

Happiness is bedtime stories from Memor and Papa under a sky of fireworks.


Happiness is dancing to the beat of your own drum (and others drums too!)

Happiness is extra large and more frequent treats because it's Disneyland!

Happiness is defending Sleeping Beauty's castle, because you are now trained as a Jedi, and yes, you are that good!

Happiness is spending a Disneyland vacation with family, and seeing it through the eyes of a child once again.

(And, if you ask Nathan... happiness is not letting Auntie Hoot pick scary rides for you anymore!)

Naked Mondayz

What can I say?
We rock, we laugh, We RULE!!

Dang, I love these girls.

Hogbjerg family get-together

If you didn't already know, I LOVE my family! And since I love them so much, an opportunity to get together with them is definitely up there on my list of fun things to do.
My great aunt Jytte came to visit her son, Johs, in Los Angeles, and we were lucky enough to get a chance to see her while she was here. And Aunt Jytte was such a celebrity that she drew in my other cousins and aunts and uncles too. Lucky me got to see them all!

My cousin Johs was gracious enough to host us at their gorgeous home for an afternoon BBQ.

My mom and her siblings spent time with Aunt Jytte going over old pictures. Aunt Jytte's english is so good that she was able to tell us some great stories about growing up in Denmark, and my grandfather's antics. She makes me want to learn Danish! And, it also brings back my desire to continue my family history research on this great Danish ancestry I have!

I love my Danish heritage. I am so lucky to have relationships with my extended family. I truly appreciate them, and miss my other family members who weren't able to come share in the joy - that is exactly what it was... joy!

Jeg elske deg!

Third time is the charm!

I ran my third half-marathon. I must admit that I felt unprepared, and kinda unmotivated this time. I had hoped to improve my time from the previous ones, but as the time got close, I began to lose hope.
I had two things going for me, though. The course was pretty much flat (always helpful), and I had friends to run with. And it worked! I cut 5 minutes off my time! It was because I was running with someone to motivate me to not stop. Thanks Suzy!



Will I do a full marathon? Doubtful.
Another half-marathon? You bet. Just not quite yet.

The love of a mother

What a great idea to set aside a day to make sure we tell our moms how much we love them. Not that we aren't grateful, but sometimes I think we take them for granted, and don't tell them we love them as often as we should.

I have a wonderful mother. She is part Pollyanna, part strength, part cheerleader, part referee, part wise sage, part all-seeing eye, and part unconditional love. Put all those parts together, and I lucked out to have a wholely wonderful mom.

I love you Janna!