Karma Chameleon

JULY 2016

It seems that even I can be slowly broken down, my authority eroded away like a rock formation near a riverbed. It's always a no when it comes to pets, sure I like to fancy the idea of a cuddly lap dog that adores me but we all know the dark truth. Pets will make you love them, in turn you will care for them and end up spending endless amounts of money on their behalf. They will poo on the carpet and run away for an adventure. You will have to do favors for other pet owners because you need someone to take care of yours while you are out of town. But I am weak and after endless begging, being forced to watch tutorials, and random fact sharing from Jace I gave in and he got a pet chameleon. His name is Finn and he's pretty chill so I guess we will let him hang out for awhile.

Twenty One Pilots

JULY 15, 2016

Thanks to our favorite radio station X107.5 we won tickets with meet and greets for Twenty One Pilots. I technically won the tickets so I was just there to verify that it was me and I was going to let Lauren and Sydney do the meet and greet. Well I just hung out with them and when we went in the venue I just followed along and I was able to meet Tyler and Josh and get a photo with them too! After the meet and greet I left and the girls stayed and enjoyed the concert (there were only 2 tickets=bummer!). 

The Joint empty before the concert

The Trek

JUNE 2016

Our stake thought it would be a great idea for the youth to participate in a mock pioneer trek in a valley near Provo, Utah. There would be no amenities, muscles would be used, and memories would be made. It was sounding like a good experience for the youth, something that would build character. The only problem was that these kids needed "Ma's and Pa's" to guide them on their journey and Jason and I were asked to participate. Not exactly my idea of a fun weekend but we decided to go for it. It was a smidge hot, the walking could get tedious, and there were no fountain drinks with caffeine- but we survived! We had a great group of kids and the lessons learned along the way were invaluable. I can't say that I would do it again, maybe I would consider, but I am happy that I got to experience the trek at least once. I think Jace enjoyed for the most part as well. I think my favorite part would have to be the river crossing. I loved seeing the young men step up and carry the young women across the water. Most frustrating part- the womens pull. We totally could have pulled the wagon on our own, except they had us do it on a hill with about five extra inches of sand. The handcart wheel sank into it and spit it out, constantly kicking up dirt into the air. I know they wanted to make it harder to prove a point and I suppose it made surviving the half mile a greater accomplishment for us, but it was torture for a few minutes!Overall, it was a great experience for all that participated and I'm happy that we could be a part of it.

Jason, me, and our "kids" for the trek

Jace and his french braid

Jace and Erick

Brooke braided my hair

Jace pulling the cart with his pioneer family

Two Turned Forty!

In order to ease the devastation of turning the big 4-0 we plan a get away for the victim. This year there were two. My sister Stephanie and my cousin Rachel. So in true Hollywood fashion we planned to kidnap them and enjoy a weekend getaway in California. Our first stop was the tv gameshow Let's Make a Deal. We all dressed up as burglars, waited patiently in line, got bussed to the studio to film the show, got to see Wayne Brady, acted enthusiastically but sadly none of us were chosen to 'make a deal.' It was still a ton of fun and were were on national television!!

After the taping of the show we drove over to Hollywood and checked out the stars on the Walk of Fame, followed by dinner at Mel's Diner. Of course there was still room for dessert at Ghiradelli's! We also drove up to Griffith Observatory and checked out the view and Hollywood sign.

The next day we rented bikes at Balboa Beach, lounged in the sand, had frozen bananas on Balboa Island, and watched the sun set. Dinner was Black Angus and we ate far too much! We laughed hysterically at mom because she looked nude from the waist down sitting in the booth. 

We laughed hysterically again when we got back to Aunt Fran's house. Honestly, I can't even remember why but I'm sure that it was funny enough for these two to pee their pants. Good thing we still had our swimsuits on!

The next morning after leaving Aunt Fran's we paid a visit to the delicious Donut Man on Route 66. We stopped by the mega tree for some pics then headed home. It was a much needed, fun get away for all! Thanks for turning 40 Steph and Rachel!