Playing Mary & Joseph + Sunny Arizona Christmas

This year at the annual Snarr family nativity re-enactment, Ryan and I got to play Joseph & Mary. While we're not the only expecting parents in the group, we were cast the parts because our baby is due the soonest. Plus, as Uncle Danny, the handlebar-mustached mayor, said to me, "You're looking BIG." (Yup, he's known for saying it like it is.) While our narrator read the Cliff notes version of the nativity, I could relate to Luke 2:6:

And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

I can hardly imagine how Mary rode a donkey to Bethlehem. Poor gal! It's hard enough for me at 34.5 weeks now to even sit in a car. Since I shared 29 surprises of pregnancy last month,* I've encountered quite a few new surprises: All my maternity clothes are too snug now, my fingers swell so bad they go numb in the night, and even walking is a challenge. Forget about bending over! I gained 10 pounds in a three-week stretch (ahh!)...but I'm trying not to think about that too much.

I remind myself as I feel our girl wiggling around and entertaining us with the waves she causes on my belly that there will never be another time in life it's THIS easy to take care of her. Right now she's well-fed, quiet, diaper-free, and I always know where she is. It's worth it. I'm willing to be uncomfortable for awhile so she can be a healthy, full-term baby.

As you can see in the picture above, we had the special treat of holding little four-month old Sawyer, Ryan's cousin's baby. Soft and sweet, she played a cheerful baby Jesus. She looked at all of us in our costumes, curious about unfamiliar faces. I couldn't help but say a few times, "We're going to have one of these soon!" It's exciting and somewhat surreal that sometime in the next three to seven weeks, we'll meet our daughter.

Sunny Arizona Christmas

The next day we left for Arizona for a week. It literally warmed my soul to replace Utah's 30-degree weather with bright and sunny days in the 70s. Ryan missed having a white Christmas, (we have clashing feelings about snow) but we'll have more than enough white for months, says I. Soaking up the rays, I spent happy hours outside, picking oranges and lemons from my parents' trees, and going on leisurely neighborhood walks.

It was so nice to see family and friends down south! Between school + work, we honestly don't get full days dedicated to playing games, catching up with relatives, and eating good food. We got pretty used to sleeping in, too. I wish I'd taken more pictures with my mom's side, but here are some highlights:

On Christmas Eve, we visited the beautifully-lit LDS Mesa temple. It was warm enough, my uncle wore shorts. 

With six kids + spouses + parents, it sure was a ginormous pile of presents. We're spoiled.

Was so nice to have ALL siblings in one place for Christmas - doesn't happen every year.

Yes, I know. I'm huge. Sigh...it's for the best of causes.

My sis Emily was pretty pumped to get her favorite Sariachi sauce. It's the little things in life.

What do you get a soon-to-be-grandpa who has everything? This year we opted for a shark fin for pool time. Big hit.

And that's a Christmas wrap folks. Hope you had a happy holiday. Wishing you well in the new year!

*One never knows who's reading out there, but my surprises of pregnancy post surprised me itself: It's had 1,382 views so far - a new Our Beck Treks record. Thanks for being part of our treks.

Cars Land Opens Today! Tips to Skip Disneyland Lines

Buckle up, and prepared to be WOWED.

Disney's California Adventure opens the long awaited Cars Land to the public today! We were there two weeks ago with the "coming soon" signs everywhere and wished we could see the $1.1 billion addition. With seven years in the making, it must be PACKED today with excited guests!

The closest we got to the 12-acre rendition of Radiator Springs was the sneak peek blueprints, photos, and video journal in the Blue Sky Cellar. We learned the Imagineering team road-tripped Route 66 so they could authentic Cars Land with the spirit of the road, people, and places. Their world-class designers, architects, engineers, artists make every detail of "Cars" come to life - even down to exactly replicating the mountain lines of Ornament Valley. Disney sure knows how to make dreams a reality.Check out their rad Cars Land site.

With that being said, I promised to share how we were able to go on EVERY big ride in both parks in one day (except Star Tours, cause it makes me queasy) - without waiting any longer than 20 minutes for any given ride. Shout out to our Pannell cousins who taught us the pro way to do the park. It's not about going at crazy warp speed all day - we still had time to chill and take in the wondrous details, like a Mary Poppins performance and baby ducks swimming in the ride water. The secret? It all boils down to FastPasses:

If you haven't been to a Disney park in more than a decade, I'll explain: When you get a FastPass, you "reserve" a time to come back to a ride. They set aside a FastPass lane, and you get to whiz past all the peeps in the long standby line. (We practically jumped onto Splash Mountain, bypassing the hundreds waiting for 70 minutes - oh yeah.) Disney provides FastPasses for big rides (as seen above), like Indiana Jones, Tower of Terror, Soaring Over California, and for BIG events like World of Color. They have strict FastPass rules, but when you know how to work the system, it's definitely more enjoyable a day when you forego never-ending lines.While these tips won't likely work for the next couple months cause the park will be SO populated for the Cars Land debut, they can always help.

Tips to Skip Disneyland lines - the "Leapfrog" Method:

1) Get to the Disneyland early in the morning - within the first 30 minutes of opening (usually 8am).

2) Go STRAIGHT to a pre-chosen ride and get a fast pass. (We started off with Indiana Jones, but whatever you want most, get that FastPass first.) While it's extremely tempting to meander, admire, take pictures - NOT YET! THIS IS CRUCIAL. Once you have your pass, you have an hour or two to come back and use it - giving you time for childlike wonder. We recommend doing Astro Blasters in Tomorrowland while you wait, as it's a fun way to start the day and generally has a super short morning line.

3) Your FastPass gives you a range of time to return (say 9:15 to 10:15am), and a time you can get another FastPass, which is the same time as the beginning of the return time (9:15am). Just before you get on the first ride, grab another set of FastPasses for another ride - giving you two at a time.

4) Go on the first ride you chose, feeling like a V.I.P. as you cut past the line. 

5) When you get off, enjoy your time on other rides when you wait for FastPass #2 to clock in, and make sure to grab another set of FastPasses before you get on it.

6) Continue "leapfrogging" FastPasses the rest of the day, and you're bound to get in more rides, less whines, and more happy.

Bonus: Remember to go to California Adventure when it opens (usually 10am) and pick up World of Color passes. Without a pass, you can't get a good spot, and believe me - you'll be glad you did. While you're there, pick up a FastPass. The FastPass systems are separate between Disneyland and California Adventure, and you can go back and forth to hit the best of both.

Enjoy! Let us know how your trip goes!

P.S. If you like this post, will you please do me a quick favor and click the blue "Join this site" button? It's always nice to know who's reading out there! You're welcome to Our Beck Treks anytime.

Another Gal Smooched My Husband at Disneyland

Well, that's if you count Minnie Mouse. (wink!)

Ryan kept bringing it up the rest of the day; he was pretty proud of his Minnie kiss. What would Mickey think about that? For me, I didn't feel too bad since I got plenty of smooches myself (see Splash Mountain picture below.)

When little girl in pink saw this picture, she said in a Southern accent, "Mama, look, they're smoochin' in the back!"

Although it already feels like a happy blur, we had a magical Disneyland day yesterday. It was one year (to the day!) since our epic Disneyland visit with our Kau and Pannell cousins, the true park pros. They taught us how to work the FastPass system. Thanks to their proven tips, yesterday we literally went on every big ride in both Disneyland and California Adventure - and never waited longer than 15 minutes for a ride! (I'll be sharing those tips in another post, if you're interested.)

Like the greeting sign says, we left today and "entered the world of yesterday, tomorrow and fantasy." Nothing like truly being kids again for 24 hours. We made a splash with Brer Rabbit, yo-ho yo-hoed with pirates, had a jolly holiday with Mary Poppins, and watched Captain EO save the planet. In a cute moment, we saw baby ducks follow their daddy into the "It's a Small World" ride water, and the workers saving them. Just like last year, we were blown away by the beauty and wonder of "World of Color." If you've not seen it yet, click here to see a video - it's my very favorite park attraction.

We were surrounded by families with babies and little kids at the park, and mentioned quite a few times how it was likely the only Disney trip we'll ever make with just the two of us, with the grand adventure of parenthood coming in the next couple years. We both decided that although strollers slow you down, it'll be a blast to share Disneyland with kiddos someday. As a duo we lived it up, wore ourselves out and literally loved every second. 

Only year of our lives to have annual passes! (Thanks, mom!) We finally used them the day before they expired.

2011 Trip

2012 Trip

Bless Walt Disney for building such a magical place!

The mama scolding her babies to get out of the water, but they followed the daddy, right in front of our boat.

Disney workers helped get the babies out. It was cute! I heard one of them say, "this happens every year!"

As a Construction Management major, Ryan couldn't help but ask the Cars Land crew questions about their project.

I dreamed of being a Disney animator as a kid -  no wonder I love drawing at the "Animation Academy" 

I still have the song in my head, "When Mary 'olds your 'and, you feel so grand..."

We couldn't believe we ran into the Glenns! We met them in Dominican Republic -  it IS a SMALL WORLD after all!

Best part of the day - the night show!

Brotherly Reunion

Beck family breaking news: Welcome home, Randy!

Our brother Randy returned from his two-year LDS mission to Vina del Mar Chile today. I was sad to miss the airport reunion, but couldn't take time off work. Ryan carved time into his school schedule to join the Beck family at the SLC airport. (Since he didn't supply me with a single picture of today's blissful family reuniting, I figure this old picture of Randy and Ryan in a German BMW Exhibit will suffice for blog purposes.) Vrrooommm, vrrrooommm ... more family adventures ahead!

We're so glad you're back, Randy. You've been in our prayers for two years, and I'm excited to get to know you now as your sister-in-law, since I was just "Ryan's girlfriend" when you left.

Oh, and BYU-Idaho ladies, prepare yourselves. You have a stud coming your way soon!

P.S. This picture hints at the next blog post coming soon: His & Hers: Car Genius v. Oblivious (I'll let you guess who is which)

Get your jump on, it's Leap Day!

I knew I was marrying into a jumpy-picture family when we did this at Yellowstone:

I like their concept of jumping when you're happy, and this was a jump-for-joy day:

HAPPY LEAP DAY!

Get your jump on ...

Chips & Salsa in Puerto Vallarta

When my mom was pregnant with me, she wildly craved chips and salsa. Perhaps that explains my own obsession with the salty savoryness of my staple snack. This week I scarfed more than my fair share of authentic chips and salsa...in Mexico!

Yesterday Ryan and I returned from a Puerto Vallarta luxury adventure with my family. My dad and stepmom Sue were so generous to take all 6 of us kids (and two spouses now...we're growin!) for an action-packed, yet soothingly-relaxing vacation. Ryan and I had to come back early so he wouldn't miss finals review, but the 4 days we were there were memorable indeed.

We hit the skies on a parasail, soaring 300 feet over the bay, and I looked DOWN at a flying gull. Then we got friendly with Dory the dolphin who gave us kisses














I karaoke sang/danced my once-17-year-old heart out to "Dancing Queen."
We all made excellent tree monkeys on the canopy zip line, and loved the ocean scene. Ryan can't get enough of playing in water, and he spent many gleeful hours bodysurfing.

Thanks again Dad and Sue! We love you!

p.s. To my bro-in-law Matt: congrats on your new job!