My home away from home!

Considering that I have been to California 3 times this year I am officially calling it my home away from home. I love everything about Cali. The weather is always perfect and they have so many things you can do there. For this trip the highlight was going to watch the Yankees play in Anaheim....it was also the reason or I could say our excuse to go. We arrived on Thursday and came home on Monday. I had a great time hanging out with family and entertaining my cousins boy Tristan. Since my aunt and uncle live in Thousand Oaks we decided to get a hotel for one night in Anaheim. I was glad my aunt came up with the idea cuz it took us over 2 hours to get there. They had the freeway closed down for a funeral or something. Traffic would be my only complaint with California.....it is way to crowed and takes forever to get anywhere. Once we got to Anaheim we went to this place Dave & Busters that I love. It is kinda like a high class Chucky Cheese. We ate our lunch then played games forever until we could check in at the hotel. That night we went to the game. Angel stadium is a really nice and our seats turned out great. The only bad part of the night was the Yanks lost, but other than that it was awesome. They had the coolest fireworks I have ever seen after the game. The next day we got up early(for me) and headed over to California Adventures. Some of my family had never been there so they enjoyed that. Plus they had a new ride since the last time I went and it was fun. After we went on most of the rides there we headed over to Disneyland. I was very surprised that it wasn't more crowed especially since it was a Saturday. The longest we waited was 40 minutes for Space Mountain, which is nothing compared to the 90 minutes I have waited previously. We just relaxed the next day watching the Olympics and had some ice cream and cake for Scott's bday. My aunt made her famous chocolate cake which everybody loved yet again. On Monday we met up with my cousin Aimee who had been in Maui all week. Ya I know I'm jealous too!! We went to this place in Malibu that Scott loves for his bday and I had some yummy pizza. We got back to their house in just enough time for Scott to shove in another piece of cake and leave. Once we got on the freeway it gave us about 1 hour before our flight. Needless to say I was kinda freaking. We had to still return our rental car plus check in. Everything worked out in our favor though. Luckily the flight was delayed or else we would've been spending the night in Cali. one more night. Which of course I wouldn't have mind......but my work probably would have.


Happy Birthday Scott!!

Fun on the 24th

Me and the fam went to the rodeo last Wednesday.  My friend Jess came along too because Jim had to go out of town on business so we had an extra ticket. I hadn't been in awhile.....but not much had changed.  It was still really crowded and there were a ton of interesting people to watch.  One person me and Jess were keeping an eye on was this hot guy that was helping out at the rodeo.  He was there to help wrangle up the bulls and horses after the riders had fallen off.  We had front row seats so we had a pretty good view of him and dang he was good looking.  I usually don't go for cowboys or think they are really hot, but I would've made an exception for this guy.  Justin and Erin had a lot of fun at the rodeo too, but it had nothing to do with the animals.  Justin just liked to dance every time a song would come on and Erin was pretending to style mine and Jess's hair.  I guess afterwards they were able to both sit on a horse because of someone Ryan knew.  Erin said her favorite part was riding a horse! I thought that was pretty funny.  The next day I slept in, because I hardly ever get to LOL. We then got the gang back together and headed up to the Fish Farm in No. Ogden.  Other than it being ridiculously hot we had a good time.  Justin did  a good job and even caught a fish all by himself without falling in.  I was just glad that Scott was gracious enough to take the hook out of all the fish I caught, because I DO NOT like to touch the fish.  Everyone came over that night and we cooked the fish and it was delish.  For dessert we cooked smores over our charcoal grill and then did some fireworks.  It was a fun couple of days and I definitely wasn't looking forward to going back to work on Friday!!! 

Checking it off the list.

One of my goals for 2008 was to FINALLY use my passport.  I have had it for over a year and I'm sad to say I have yet to use it.  Well things are about to change.  Luckily I have a good friend Jess that served her mission to a foreign country and she just happens to be going back to visit.  I wasn't about to miss my opportunity to finally bust out my passport so I sorta invited myself along.  We will be going to Sao Paulo, Brazil for ten days in September and I can't wait.  The only thing holding me back is that I have to get a visa.  I am probably like most people when I didn't realize I would need one.  It's just a good thing Jess knows what she is doing and has been there before.  It kinda sucks though because it's like 200 bucks......but it will be well worth it.  I have to pay 140 to the consulate to get my visa, but because you can't just mail it in like a passport I have to pay another 55 bucks so someone can physically go to L.A. and turn it in for me and pick it up.  I am just glad they have these services because $55 dollars is a lot cheaper than and airplane ticket.  I will be in L.A next month but unfortunately the only time you can pickup the passport from there is a Tues. or Thurs. from 12-1 pm, crazy huh?  Wish me luck with the whole visa thing, I will keep you updated on if I get accepted or not.  I thought I would post a couple of pics of some of the beaches we are wanting to visit.  

Looks pretty sweet huh? I will admit I've been wanting to go to Europe forever, but I think South America has a lot to offer.  The best part is our dollar is more than their money (unlike Europe) so we can get a beach house in this city for like sixty bucks a night and that is split 3 ways!!! I don't think the motel in Roy is as cheap as that!

These are a few of my favorite things.

I have recently discovered (or rediscovered in some cases) things in the last couple of months ranging from new food to music.  I decided to name a few of my favorite things I have been doing instead of blogging......sorry unfortunately I am still a slacker and with the good weather we've had lately I'm not behind the computer as much......anyways here is the list. 

Badminton- I bought a sweet set at Wal-Mart and me and my friends (Pej) can't get enough.

Wendy's spicy chicken sandwiches....they are definitely spicy but really good.

Lupe Fiasco- After seeing him in concert I can't get enough of his new Cd "The Cool" for those of you still into hip hop I highly recommend it. 

Papa Murphy's Take n Bake- I use to think is was a hassle to have to cook it yourself but I prefer their sauces and ingredients.  My favs are the Gourmet Vegetarian w/o tomatoes and onions and the Mediterranean. 

Reading!!!! I used to never read in fact I can probably count on one hand how many books I had read (all the way through) in the last 5 years until "Twilight". I owe this book and the ones that followed a lot of credit for getting me to read again.  Since finishing the first 3 books I have read 4 more.  I'm definitely not a speed reader but I stay up all hours of the night so I can read for hours on end and usually finish them within a week. So far the best book I have read besides the Twilight series is "My Sister's Keeper". It is a tear jerker but a pretty interesting story. 

Rob & Big reruns- Since the show is officially over now I am getting caught up on all of the great fun and adventures that Rob & Big had.  I used to watch the show occasionally but now that my bro has been recording them I watch them all the time and laugh my butt off every episode.  I know some people have been watching them from the start like my friend Jodi, but I am just glad its on MTV so I know I can catch them all in reruns.   

Blackberry- I am starting to wonder how I ever survived without it!! 

Another artist I have constantly been listening to on repeat is Sia. The whole Cd is really good but one song I can't get enough of is called "Little Black Sandals" it's on her Some People Have Real Problems album so check it out if you have the time. Thanks again Aimee for the Cd.

Racketball- I used to play this back in the day and until recently I hadn't played in years.  Me and a couple of friends started playing again at Golds in Ogden.  If any of you play let me know and you can get in on the fun....that is if you don't mind a few curse words now and then!! 

 I noticed my list is getting long so I will end with a website my cousin Aimee also hooked me up with it's called Sidestep.com.   For all of you travelers out there it is a really convenient site. You can go there and check out airfare, hotel, cruises, etc. and it searches for it on a ton of different websites to tell you where to go to get the best deal.  They also send you weekly emails to keep you updated whenever there is a good travel deal going on.  

I hope you guys will check out some of my favorite stuff.....let me know what you think of about any of it if you agree or disagree.  

Summer is finally here!!!

                               The Gang

        

To celebrate the beginning of summer I decided to have a little BBQ at my house.  It was a small gathering of friends so it was really fun.  A couple of my friends live or lived out of state and I hadn't seen them in awhile so we had a nice little reunion.  I was really proud of myself  because I had to start the grill with a match and I didn't singe my hair or burn down the house. Jessica and I did a great job cooking up the hot dogs and hamburgers, Amy made a yummy dessert, and Jo made a great salad (at least that's what I am told since I don't really eat salad).  We had fun playing with all the little kiddies.  My friends all have the cutest kids and they are such great moms.  Although, they are definitely lacking in the Guitar Hero skills department.  I am proud of my friend Tiff cuz she finally passed a song now I just need to help Lori get there.  Thanks to everyone for coming we need to do it again soon!!! I bought a badminton set to play but we didn't have time so the next one we will have to for sure.  We played it a little tonight with my family and I am happy to say that me and Ryan beat everyone.  I think it helped though the fact that Jen couldn't serve the birdie over the net if her life depended on it.      

Here is a picture of my friend Amy with her cute little girl Sydney.    

   

   

Jodi and Heston (he didn't want to look at the camera that night). 

Jess and Deagon.  Lori joked that Deagon looks more like Jess than her, I think I might agree.

The best 10 bucks I've spent in a long time!!!

Two weeks ago I got an email about STP tickets going on sale for 10 bucks if you bought them between that Sat and Sun.  I sent a message to my sister Heather to see if she was interested and she was down so she bought our tickets as soon as they went on sale the next day.  We weren't expecting much since the tickets were so cheap we were just hoping for something in lower bowl.  I called Heather to see where she got our seats and to my surprise she said we got 6th row on the floor.  I couldn't believe they still had seats that close available. She bought four tickets for me, Heather, her friend Nicole, and Scott.  I drove us down and we got there early so we were able to eat at the Training Table before the concert started.  The opening act was already playing when we arrived.  They're a local band called Royal Bliss.  I have heard of them before but didn't know many of their songs. They were pretty good, although no one else I was with was a fan.  We had some interesting people next to us as usual.  I think the winners for most annoying went to the two dudes in front of us.  One guy had a sparkly blue button up shirt on with dark brown dress pants and dress shoes.  I wish I would've got a pic of him but you will just have to visualize it yourself.  Him and his buddy kept doing the fist pump and giving each other double high fives all night long.  Luckily I remembered earplugs this time so I was able to tune most of it out.  Fortunately we were so close to the stage there wasn't too many distractions anyways.  They sang all of their hits and all looked the same as they did the last time they were together.  Scott Weiland was great I was very impressed.  He started out the night with this nice suit on but was shirtless by the end of the night.  If the concert would've went on any longer he might of been down to his skivvies. I was able to hear all of the songs perfectly even with the earplugs and my ears didn't ring at all after (unlike Kanye).  I think I'm going with the earplugs from now on.  Also I got a little camera crazy and took way too many pics and some video.  I posted some of the best ones for those of you who care. 

                 Before STP went on

                   The evolution of Scott

    I wasn't too sure about the bright orange streaks in his hair but he is a rocker so I guess he can get away with it!!! 

Am I getting too old?

Or are the girls nowadays just getting skankier and skankier? I went to the the Kanye West concert last night with my friends Ashely and Natalie and it was ridiculous.  The night started off on a bad note when the concert got delayed for about 2 hours.  I guess one of the semi's that carries the stage set up was stuck in traffic in AZ and made it so our concert was late.  It wouldn't have been that bad if there were only two performers but since there were four acts it made for a long night.  Don't get me wrong it was a fun night and the acts were all great...just a lot of b.s for one night.  There were a bunch of skanky drunk girls in front of us that kept trying to pick fights with other skanky drunk girls.  They all looked too young to be drinking in the first place but I guess that's what fake I.D's are for.  At one point one of them tried to call on my friend Ashley just for looking in her direction.  This girl was so immature it was sad.  I know Ash could've taken her (even though she had the flu).  After putting up with all of the drama and throw-up (we still never figured out who the culprit was but we could sure smell it) Kanye finally came on at about 11:45.  I have never been to a concert that was that far behind, and I have definitely been to my fare share of concerts.  I know it's not Kanye's fault but it sure would've been nice if he would've apologized or even acted like he cared we were there.  He is a great performer and very talented person just a little too cocky.  I doubt Kanye will ever be back (especially cuz the place wasn't very full) so I am glad I did see him.  I just hope one day he will get over himself.  I did think Rihanna looked amazing and I was very impressed with Lupe Fiasco.  I always have a good time going to concerts with the Holt sisters.  We have been to a lot of good concerts and it's always a guaranteed good time.  Hopefully my concert tomorrow (Stone Temple Pilots) goes a little better than this one.  At least I will remember some earplugs this time cuz the E-center sound sucks and I could barely understand what anyone was singing.  Here is a picture of two of the girls that were in front of us. My only question is that really a dress or is it suppose to be a shirt?

                      

On a positive note: I did become a fan of the guy that sings background on Lupe Fiasco's "Superstar" song.  His name is Matthew Santos and he is really cute and talented. Here are a few pics of him so you can see for yourself.  Unfortunately after googling his name to find some pictures to post it came to my attention he was just here last month!!! I guess he performed after the Ogden Marathon for only ten bucks......dang I'm sad I missed it.