Sara

Springtime, Home Depot, and the Coopster

2010-04-02T20:54:00.008-07:00

Spring has finally come to Phoenix. Last weekend I got planting fever and made an afternoon trip to the Home Depot. I do not easily make decisions, which causes me to rapidly fill my cart. Sometimes I forget I only have a MINI Cooper. However, with proper packing the Coopster can hold just about anything. I don't need a truck!

The Charlie kindly dug a hole for me. He was not happy to have a rose bush planted to fill it in.

Thank goodness mom and dad came to help me plant. My dad does the heavy lifting while entertaining Charlie too. My mom just has the naturally green thumb. I'm glad I can always depend on them to come help me out.

This is how I like to sleep

2010-03-31T20:42:00.001-07:00

Whenever it gets too quiet and Charlie hasn't been seen for a while, I can almost always find him sleeping underneath my bed. Ever since I brought him home, he has loved to sleep underneath my bed. It's where he runs when he's in trouble and the place where he hides all of his treasures. His balls are his most prized possessions. When it got way too quiet one night I found him snuggled up with his ball underneath my bed.

The Puppies Playing

2010-03-18T21:27:00.006-07:00

While Paul & Rachelle were on their honeymoon, I watched their puppy, Indiana. Charlie and Indiana are brothers, from the same litter. Here is a video of them playing. I now know what they do all day while I am gone. Check out the video below. Charlie is the one without the collar.

2009 Recap

2010-01-10T22:08:00.014-07:00

So, it has taken me a while to do this, but here is my 2009 recap in photos. Sadly, some events I just don't have photos for, like Lindsey's wedding in December 2009 and New Year's Eve in LA 2009. But it was a very fun year. So far 2010 has been fabulous and I will get some posts done about what's been going on lately. Enjoy.

Charlie Brown and I

2009-12-05T00:25:00.004-07:00

It was more difficult than I thought to get Charlie to pose for my holiday card photo shoot. Here are a few pictures of me and Charlie Brown. Holiday cards coming soon!

The Fall

2009-11-30T22:45:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos from the Fall. It's been a busy few months with school, work, and other commitments.

Oregon for Lindsey's Bachelorette: We spent a long weekend in October in Oregon. We stayed in Portland for two days then traveled to Willamette Valley and stayed in the most fantastic bed and breakfast. I can't wait to go back someday.

Paul's best friend from childhood, Ryan, got married in October. Paul was his best man and the whole family attended.

I like this photo of Mathew and Andrew look very Don Draper-ish. Oh, Don Draper.

The Charlie

2009-11-11T16:42:00.006-07:00

Charlie is getting bigger and bigger everyday. I can't believe how fast he is growing. This week we have been working on "sit", "give", and "stay". He's getting an A+ in "give", a B+ in "sit", and he's pretty much failing "stay". Ha! He's just too curious. So far he's only freaked out and barked at the jack-o-lantern and the toilet I removed from my guest bathroom- he did NOT like that one. He's had a few play dates with his partner in crime, Indiana. They are so stinking cute together. My mom told Andrew that's what he and Mathew were like at little babies. Charlie loves to crawl under the bed and poke his head out from underneath the dust ruffle. He runs under there as fast as he can when he knows he's in trouble. It's also where he takes his toys to chew on them, uninterrupted. Here's there super cute Charlie:
My brother and I. I bet you can't tell which on is which? We're twins.

Yes, I love Micheal Kors too. He tastes delicious. However, shortly after this photo was taken the shoe was ripped from mouth and I was told I was a "bad Charlie". I just want to help hang pictures like everyone else. I think this hammer weighed more than me however.
The bed. I love it under here. No one bothers me...well, not usually.
Here I am! Aren't I the cutest?

Charlie- 11 Weeks Old

2009-10-30T14:22:00.006-07:00

Charlie is my crazy puppy. He has rebounded pretty well from the broken leg. Well, there was the trip to the animal hospital at 10:00 p.m. Four hours and $400 later, Charlie was unbroken, splintless, and sent home with antibiotics. Here are a few of my favorite snapshots from the past week and a half.

Introducing Charlie

2009-10-13T12:42:00.003-07:00

After days of being nameless, I would like to introduce you to my new puppy, Charlie! He is a German Short-haired Pointer. Yes, that is a splint you see on Charlie's hind leg. Sadly, his leg was broken a few weeks ago when the breeder's daughter stepped on him. How could I resist fellow broken creature? I acquired Charlie after my brother, Paul, went to purchase Charlie's brother, Indiana. Paul called me and told me about the cute puppy with the broken leg. I'm a sucker for the broken, wounded, and discounted. It does not slow him down one bit or stop him from climbing all over the moving boxes. I'm afraid of the speed he'll pick up once the splint comes off in the next two weeks. All visitors beware, Charlie likes to play tug-o-war with your pants, while you are wearing them. Charlie also enjoys pouncing on bugs, playing with his toys, sleeping on dirty laundry, pulling anything with strings or belts, and sleeping underneath my bed at night. I'm sure I'm in for a whole lot more. Charlie looks forward to meeting all of you!

The House, The Home

2009-09-15T22:12:00.006-07:00

By popular demand, here are pictures of my new home! It's still a work-in-progress; the thing was built in 1957 and still has some original features. I've completed about half of the painting. My new appliances were delivered on Saturday. I was super excited about that, which made me feel old. The new carpet for my room should be installed some time within the week. As soon as the carpet is installed, I can move in. I'm excited to decorate!

Before:

Master bedroom. No, the toilet is not in the closet. It's a pass through bathroom to the kitchen.
"Jackson Pollack" Room, a.k.a Andrew's room:
Hall bathroom. Too bad you can't see the in-the-wall heater or the butterfly decals on the bathtub. The butterflies are in the process of being removed.
The living room.
The living room, a different view.
The kitchen floor, it's original. The purple wall is now gone. As we work:

We've worked on the kitchen FOREVER. Dad has painted three rooms and mom and I still aren't done with the cabinets. We're beginning to think it's just us. Taping takes forever too. Thank goodness for my parents. I would not be moving before the end of the month without them. Oh, and a shout out to Paul and Mathew for doing my lights (pictures to come soon). Thanks guys.
It took two coats of white paint to cover the green in the living room. Thanks, Dad.
Getting better:

Last Saturday my stove arrived. I didn't realize I needed a gas valve on the gas pipe. Why don't they tell you these things at Home Depot when you buy the appliance? So I paid for installation and didn't get my stove installed. Paul and his friend, Ryan, save the day. I paid Ryan with the old stove and ceiling fans for his rentals. They successfully attached the valve and hooked up the stove. It makes me wonder if I will survive owning a house on my own. Thank goodness Paul is only a mile away- lucky him!Doesn't the Coopster look so little next to the delivery truck? I know, only I would take a picture of my car and blog about it.Voila! The stove is hooked up and ready to go! Thanks guys. More pictures of the blue and yellow kitchen soon. And, here it is......my cute little home. The 13 yr. old neighbor boy mowed the lawn and trimmed the bushes for $20. Thanks to Paul, I have a lawn. He fixed all my sprinklers for me. He's amazing. It keeps getting greener everyday!

Family Vacation

2009-08-22T21:50:00.004-07:00

I left San Francisco and met the family in Florida for a family vacation. A week on the beach was just what I needed. I had lots of fun with family and visiting my grandparents. Paul even brought Rachelle to meet the grandparents.
Mathew trying to dress like me.....he's just jealous of my style.
Grandma, Cyndi, Mom and I had brunch at the Sanibel Island Resort. It was so beautiful We always enjoy our girls' lunch when we get together. While we were at lunch one day, the boys went fishing. Paul caught the biggest fish, while Drew caught some rays.

I was sad for our trip to end. It wasn't nearly long enough and I didn't get to take enough pictures. I guess that means I have to go back soon!

Visiting Betina!

2009-08-16T22:37:00.000-07:00

I went to visit Beth in San Jose for the weekend. Another friend, Sarah, came along as well. We had such a good time in San Jose and San Francisco. We "biked the bridge" from fisherman's warf to Sausalito. It was about a seven or eight mile ride. We were in luck and it was a beautiful sunny, seventy-five degree day in San Fran. We couldn't have asked for better weather. We also hit up Ghirardelli Square (yummy) and Stanford in Palo Alto, holy smokes it was beautiful! The best part of the trip was visiting Beth and staying up late talking. Sometimes I don't realize how much I miss people until I see them again. I definitely miss Beth a lot but I am so happy she has found such a fabulous home in San Jose (until she returns to Phoenix anyway. Hint. Hint. ha ha ha.).

So Busy!

2009-08-13T22:17:00.002-07:00

Well, I am just about the worst blogger ever! I apologize. The summer has been strangely busy for me. Actually, all of 2009 has been strangely busy for me!! I spent most of June in a sling from my 4th shoulder surgery. I was not too excited to learn that it was going to be nearly six weeks in a sling rather than the two I anticipated. No bueno. Then I endeavored in physical therapy until August. I could not have managed without my mom. She's so wonderful.
While I was still in a sling I began the process of purchasing a home! Totally unexpected. I discovered I could own a home for less than it would cost me to rent downtown. I'm supposed to close on the 25th- cross your fingers for me. It's been quite the cycle. Pictures will follow as soon as I have the keys! I also managed to fit in a trip to San Francisco and a trip to Florida. Posts will follow. The semester started at the end of August. So much for all the free time I thought I had. I'm booked up to the rest of the year!

Garden Fresh- Yummy!

2009-06-11T10:05:00.004-07:00

Back at the beginning of March my mom, with the help of my dad and Mathew, planted a garden in the back yard. We haven't had a garden at the house since I was in early elementary school. I must say I have a greater appreciation of my mother's green thumb now, as opposed to when I was eight. I suppose it's only natural since I come from a long line of gardeners. When my grandmother was 80 she planted an orchard on her property complete with an irrigation system. No, she didn't hire anyone to dig the ditches for her. My grandmother has never shied away from heavy-duty gardening. She does it all. Now my mother's garden is not quite like my grandmother's but it definitely is providing plenty of veggies for our family.
My favorite are the tomatoes. There is nothing better than a vine-ripe, garden fresh tomato. Really, you should come over and try them. Every afternoon after work my mom goes to "harvest" her garden. We currently have more tomatoes than we can consume. I love it! We had a green cabbage for dinner last nigh, it was mighty tasty too. There is a little crooked neck yellow squash in this plant. You can't see it very well though. We've eaten one so far and it was pretty delicious. Our grapevine has come back again this year. It's fuller and more beautiful than ever. Each year it grows and makes me forget I live in the middle of the desert.
I chased the Scout Dog around the yard for a little while. We've become good friends lately, well at least until Mathew or Andrew come around. Mathew, you haven't seen him in a while. He's gotten so skinny and has so much more energy. We quit feeding him meat because it was making him sick and now he loves his dog food! It's like he went on The Biggest Loser for Dogs! You wouldn't even know he's 8 1/2. The other plant we have in the back yard, or rather a tree, is the pomegranate tree. This poor tree has survived it all. It was originally taken as a switch from my grandmother's pomegranate tree and planted in our old home in downtown Phoenix. When my family moved to North Central Phoenix in 1987, my mother took along a switch of the pomegranate tree to plant at our new home. My father then proceeded to mow it over or cut it down several times before my mom got really, really mad. It has since been left alone and able to grow beautifully. We now have four other small pomegranate trees growing in the back yard too.

Jenn's Memorial Weekend Wedding!

2009-05-30T21:34:00.000-07:00

Jenn and Ross finally tied the knot on May 23rd. We had such a great time at the wedding. By far, our table was the rowdiest and the d.j. was not the only one who noticed. I was really excited for the formal wedding because I was able to wear the gown I wore in Brooke's wedding again. I love that dress. I need a few more black-tie events! Congrats Jenn!!!!

Jimmy Buffett Returns! Fins Up!

2009-05-15T21:39:00.011-07:00

Jimmy Buffett returned to Phoenix this year after taking the past few years off. We were more than excited! There's just something about summertime, tailgating, and Jimmy Buffett. We happily made it girls affair. Through work, Shannon received to tickets that werea] about 5th row. We took turns going to the front for the show. I was more than excited to be upfront when Jimmy crooned "Last Mango in Paris". I love that song. Going to Jimmy Buffett concerts with the girls has turned into one of my most favorite traditions.

Amanda's Hawaiian Wedding

2009-05-07T23:07:00.002-07:00

Amanda got married in Hawaii on April 30, 2009. It was such a beautiful ceremony and a great three day trip to the islands. Brooke and I barely arrived in time for the rehearsal dinner the day before the ceremony. We met up with everyone at the pool before we made our way to the rehearsal dinner. Four out of the five bridesmaids were able to make it to Hawaii for the wedding. We missed you Sarah! We began getting ready early the next day. We did make it to the pool for a few hours earlier in the morning.The bride and groom seeing each other for the very first time that day!We stayed at the Sheraton Maui. It was so beautiful. We spent our last few days by the water and the pool. I wish I could go back now! Before our flight out, Jake, Lindsey, and I ate at Cheeseburger in Paradise. We also went to the top of Haleakala- the volcano on the island. It was freezing cold at the top with some very strong wind. It was quite the site to be above the cloud line. Then it was off to the airport for our midnight flights.

Baby Lucy

2009-04-25T19:38:00.000-07:00

I'm not certain why it has taken me so long to post about Lucy, but it has. Tiffany had her second little girl on March 21st. Lucy is absolutely adorable. Sadly, it took me a month to come see her since I was incapacitated due to the broken ankle. Shortly before the broken ankle I was lucky enough to give Tiffany luncheon for Lucy. I had to push sisters and other friends out of the way to do it though! Tiff's cousin Courtney co-hosted with me. I was so grateful to have the help.
By the time I finally got to see Lucy she was so big! Well, she was still a newborn but I missed an entire month of her life! However, I do love my visits to the Hill's home. Audrey is the most precious little girl and the best big sister. She definitely entertains me.
P.S. I look like a mess because my 10 year reunion was the night before and my ankle was still mostly broken!

SHS Ten Year Reunion

2009-04-22T10:10:00.006-07:00

Holy smokes! I can't believe it has been ten years since I graduated from high school. This past weekend I attended my ten year high school reunion! Rachel, our senior class president, so graciously nominated me to the reunion committee with her. With help from Sarah and Jenna we planned the reunion for a very long 8 months. Saturday night was definitely worth all the effort. We had a great night and a great weekend.

A Few of My New Favorite Things!

2009-04-16T11:46:00.001-07:00

Since have been crippled for the past two months with my broken ankle, I have discovered few more things to add to my favorites list!

The Flats: I have never been one to object to buying new shoes but I never really saw the purpose in purchasing a pair of flats. I'm 5'1" for crying out loud. I can't walk around in flats all day. Heels have been my life. I didn't even own a pair of flats until I broke my ankle. Now I adore my Michael Kors' flats and the ten other pair I have purchased......oops.
Calvin Klein Jeans: Since I now have to wear flat shoes all my pants are much too long for me, see all my old pants are tailored to heels. But Calvin Klein makes extremely comfortable (and affordable) jeans in petites. Perfect for me. I'm bring back the Calvin Klein jeans, although I don't look like Brooke Shields.
Amazon: I have been a fan of amazon.com for a while but while I was stranded in bed unable to drive or walk, I really learned to love the site. I found books for school, deals on music and it was all delivered to my door step. Now all I need is a kindle!

David Gray: I have always been a David Gray fan, but this album is probably one of my all time favorites. I still haven't grown tired of it after more than two months of listening to it.

Half Way Through

2009-03-07T10:44:00.003-07:00

This week my spring break begins. I am now half way through my first official semester of graduate school! Until this semester I had forgotten how much I enjoy learning and being in school. It so different from my undergraduate experience. (For one thing, I am paying my own tuition! ha ha.) I think this time around I appreciate what I am learning and can actually apply it to real life. There is definitely something said for going back to school with some real life experience.

This semester I have two classes, 501- Public Service Research I and 503- Public Affairs. I thought 503 would be my favorite class, since it encompasses so much history. But, last weekend I spent Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in my 501 class. I am really interested in public research (research for the social sciences). If I like 502 just as much I may have to consider a Ph.D.. After all, what else do I have to do?

Broken

2009-02-22T10:27:00.008-07:00

Last weekend Shannon, Lindsey and I made our way to Flagstaff. Shannon and I planned to get out of town for the Valentine's Day weekend since we're the "singles." Linds jumped in when Jake found out he had conference all weekend. We had planned for a weekend of skiing and fun, but that's not exactly what we got. It was entertaining but not in a good way... for me at least! We hit the mountain bright and early on Saturday to take advantage of the fresh powder.
Shannon decided to take a skiing lesson in the morning so Mathew, Andrew, Lindsey and I headed to the top of the mountain for some skiing.
The trouble began when Mathew and Andrew coaxed Lindsey and I into some back woods skiing. But, who could resist making new tracks in fresh snow? Really? Drew even made a snow angel!
We decided to do the run one more time before meeting Shannon in the Lodge for breakfast. Of course I had to take the path less traveled. I ended up hitting a giant rock that was covered by nearly a foot of fresh powder. I felt my leg contort in two different directions and then I heard the snaps. That is one sound I never need to hear again. Lindsey so graciously took a picture of me writhing in pain while I waited for ski patrol to come rescue me from the woods. I was trying not to laugh because it hurt so badly!
So, I got a ride down the mountain courtesy of ski patrol. Then I was put into an ambulance and taken to Flagstaff Medical Center. I was the first accident of the day! Lucky me, they even had to cut my ski pants off because my ski boot could not be removed. Here I am all doped up on morphine and Adavant. Diagnoses: broken right ankle and sprained knee.
Now, I have a pretty blue cast on my right ankle that I get to wear for the next five weeks while my ankle heals. Then I will start physical therapy for my knee and ankle. Oh, did I mention that my shoulder is in need of repair too? I'm an orthopedic mess! And, in case anyone is wondering, yes I will be skiing again! I only have a ski accident every twelve years or so.

Bridesmaids

2009-01-24T17:54:00.000-07:00

So, 2009 has happily turned into "the year of the wedding." We have three friends marrying this year and two of them before June! When Lindsey, Shannon, and I had dinner together (no one else could make it), Lindsey surprised us with gifts. Shannon and I each received a little cookie in the shape of dress with a question in the middle. My question read: "Sara, will you be my maid of honor?" I was so excited I nearly jumped out of my seat at Corbin's. Lindsey is certainly setting the bar high for Shannon and I now! ha ha ha. I'm so excited to be in Lindsey's wedding and to be able to stand up for her. December will be here in no time!

Utah- The First Trip of 2009

2009-01-20T15:42:00.006-07:00

Every year in January Park City is a major destination for all sorts of people. The Sundance Film Festival lures them in. This year I was no exception, though I did have another reason for hitting Utah on opening weekend. Rachel, Lauren, Kristen, and Gloria were staying in Park City for skiing and the festival. I decided to join them for the first half of MLK weekend. We had a FANTASTIC time.

On Saturday, we spent the day skiing Park City Mountain. It was sunny and nearly 40 degrees outside. There wasn't fresh snow but we found some powder in the woods. Have you ever seen so many coats on the red carpet?! Thanks to Glo we were on our way to Ashton and Demi's Spread party. Good times.

While I was in Utah, I was also able to spend time with Autumn, Tim, and their families. I enjoy every moment I am able to spend with them. Meeting little Nolan and being a part of his blessing day meant so much to me. Only seeing them once or twice a year is not enough. I miss them very much.I stole this picture off Autumn's blog! Thanks girl!

Back to School

2009-01-19T12:57:00.002-07:00

The past three weeks have been rather grueling for me! Well, that's not counting the trip the LA or the trip to Park City. That part was packed with fun. No, I'm talking about the three week statistics course I just finished. I didn't do too hot in stats during college, mostly because I didn't understand the dumb stuff. In order to start my MPA program this semester I had to take a three week online intensive course. I lost a lot of sleep and probably shed a few pounds due to stress but it was all worth it when I managed an A+ in the class! I never thought I could teach myself statistics and pass! Now, I'm ready to be a student again. I'm so excited!!

Goodbye 2008. Hello 2009!

2009-01-01T13:37:00.004-07:00

New Year's Eve. There is something funny about New Year's Eve. It never seems to live up to all the hype. Well, I guess that is, unless I go somewhere. This year I decided to spend the final moments of 2008 with Rachel and Sarah in Los Angeles. It was a fabulous way to ring in the new year. Why do I not live in LA? I should move. The SC wristband Rachel is wearing in the picture above is only a slight indication that these were some USC fans. Since we were so close to Pasadena anyway, we went to the Rose Bowl on New Year's day. It was definitely a sight to see and I got to be honorary USC alum for the day. I must say I was exhausted by the end of the game however. I had been going non-stop since I hit the airport mid-day on NYE. My pajama's never sounded so good.

Christmas- I Love It

2008-12-25T22:18:00.001-07:00

Paul brought us a Christmas tree before we went to Florida in December. I was so excited. It had been nearly two years since we had a tree (I think my parents got tired of the mess). This year I tried really hard to make it Christmas around house. Everything for hanging lights the day after Thanksgiving to wrapping presents and putting them underneath the tree. I can't wait for Christmas to come again this year! Scout is so unamused with me when I get out the camera. I don't think he appreciated me taking pictures of the Christmas tree and then him. Paul and Rachelle got a puppy, Corbin, for Christmas. He was adorable. He and Scout had some issues at first but now they are best friends. Scout was even upset with Paul and Rachelle came over last weekend without Corbin.
This year Christmas was quiet around our house. Mathew went to Colorado to spend Christmas with Andrew and enjoyed a week touring the ski resorts of Colorado. I must say I was more than slightly jealous to be left out of this adventure. Next year guys.....As usual, we spent the holiday at my grandmother's house. We brought her a television. She was very surprised. It was time for the old tube to go. Paul loved his gift. Chocolates. He probably ate them all that same day and then complained of a stomach ache. Only kidding Paul. I'm sure it took you two days to finish them.

My Favorite Time of Year

2008-12-23T12:44:00.004-07:00

No, I'm not going to talk about the snow again (although I am sort of tempted). I love the holiday season. I enjoy the music, the lights, the cold air, short days, and of course all the shopping! But, I think the one thing I enjoy most is giving gifts. I love everything about gift-giving, from making my list and purchasing the gifts all the way to wrapping and giving the present away. This year I was most excited to give Tiffany and Troy's little girl, Audrey, her gift. I got her a Cabbage Patch Doll. I remember getting my first Cabbage Patch Doll in the early eighties. This year marks the 25th Anniversary of the Cabbage Patch Doll. I thought it was only appropriate that Audrey have her first CPD as well. Perhaps I was a little more excited to give it away than she was to get it, but I still think she liked it. I think her mom liked it too. Tiff remarked how wonderful it was to receive a gift for Audrey that doesn't make noise! I hope Audrey enjoys it.

Holiday Girls' Dinner

2008-12-19T23:30:00.008-07:00

Instead of purchasing gifts for each other this year, we decided to spend the evening together over a fabulous meal. We picked T. Cooks at the luxurious Royal Palms Resort in Scottsdale. The food was more wonderful than I expected. I think each of us felt this way. We were not disappointed with our meal. It was so nice to spend the evening together, just the girls. Everyone is so busy with life now it's harder and harder to find the time when we can be together. Amanda is getting married in four months, and this month Lindsey and Jenn both became engaged. Life goes by so fast, it was so nice to take a moment during the holiday season and reflect on our friendships.
To ALL my friends: I'm so grateful for the understanding, love, support, and unconditional friendship that you give me. It's the greatest gift I could ask for. Thank you!

Lubbock, Texas- I Need Not Return

2008-12-18T21:54:00.000-07:00

I traveled to Lubbock, Texas this past week for work. I must say, if I never return to Lubbock, I will not be saddened. I get a kick out of Texas, football fields and oil fields. Football in a small town is just as important as football in a big city, sometimes I think it might be more so in a small town. Lubbock has one thing- Texas Tech. Lubbock is the home of Buddy Holly and Bobby Knight's Red Raiders. It's a fairly small city in Norther Texas, between New Mexico and Oklahoma. I did get a kick out of the picture below. Texas is the "Lone Star State", so it was totally appropriate to have a "loan star" in Texas. A few other shops like the sharp shooter and taxidermist did catch my eye as well, but this is a fairly short post.
From Lubbock, I travel approximately eighty miles southeast to a small town called Snyder. Along the way I drove through oil fields, cotton fields, and windmill fields (like the big ones near Palm Springs). I must say I am fascinated with small town America. Small town America in the mid-west is not far removed from a small town in any other part of the nation. I believe the chasm between the haves and have-nots is greatly exemplified in these small towns. The poor work jobs for minimum wage while the haves own land and prominent businesses in these towns. It's hard to find a "middle class". The towns are crumbling. Buildings are vacant and dilapidated. Here is a windmill I found in someone's yard.
An original Sinclair gas station, old pumps and all.
It was definitely an interesting place to visit. But it's cold, windy and smells like oil. My client referred to it as the "smell of money." I don't like that smell of money. I'll keep my debit card.

Florida in December

2008-12-10T19:12:00.000-07:00

I made a rather unexpected trip to Florida this month to visit my grandparents. My mother, father and brother, Andrew, came along and made it sort of a family trip. Paul started a new job so he was not able to make the trip. And Mathew had finals so he was unable to make the trip as well. Lucky for Andrew he celebrated his birthday while we were in Florida. My aunt and grandmother went all out for the happy occasion.One afternoon we headed to "Ding" Darling wildlife refuge on Sanibel Island. We had a pretty good time looking at all the animals. We only found one alligator. He looks like a log floating in the water...but it's not a log. He was watching all the birds. The mangrove trees provide homes for all types of animals. The red mangrove trees were the prettiest but I liked the picture of this grove:
Can you find the bird in this picture? I was so happy that I was able to see my grandparents during the holiday season. I wish I was able to visit with them more often. Hopefully, my next trip back won't be long delayed.

No Children, But I Have a Scout

2008-12-01T21:31:00.004-07:00

I have no children so I talk about my dog, a lot. The other day I referenced him as an "only dog" instead of usual term "only child". He is so happy when I walk through the door that it warms my heart. Sometimes he'll follow me around the house just so he doesn't have to be alone. He is a great friend to me. He truly is a member of our family. My parents swore no dog would ever live inside the house. Scout does. No other dog was given weekly baths. Scout gets them. No dog has ever dictated to our family. We all listen to Scout. For over seven years he has been a part of our family. I really don't know what I would do without him. He is so smart and so loving. So, when I see him sad, it's breaks my heart. My brothers are his most favorite people. He loves the boys, probably because they wrestle with him, take him running, and let him play in the front yard. Mathew and Andrew left after being home for the holiday weekend. Last night Scout laid in Mathew's room waiting for his return. When they weren't home by midnight, Scout moved to the front room, where he laid by the front door awaiting the boys. At some point in the night he gave up and probably realized they weren't coming home, especially since they packed their suitcases and loaded up their cars. (Scout knows what the suitcase means.) This morning I found Scout on his bed like this:He looked so sad curled up with his paw covering his face. He misses his friends. I'm sure he will be so excited come Christmas. The house will be busy and full again.

Thanksgiving

2008-11-30T17:29:00.005-07:00

Happy Thanksgiving! This year Thanksgiving was rather quiet. Mathew and Andrew both came home for the long weekend. We kept our usual tradition of having Thanksgiving lunch at my grandmother's house in Northern Arizona. Paul spent the holiday with Rachelle's family so he did not eat turkey with us. I absolutely adore my bothers and love spending time with them whenever possible. No one can make me laugh like my bothers do. I appreciate all of their humor, it eases my Type A personality. Poor Scout Dog. With Mathew and Andrew both home he didn't know where to sleep and ended up being shut out of both Mathew and Andrew's rooms. He finally made his way to his bed in another part of the house. In the morning, I found him so dejected and depressed lying on his bed, like this: Imagine what the poor Scout is like when everyone leaves.

Friday morning I actually awoke, grabbed breakfast at Starbucks, and made it to Target by 6:15 am. I wasn't even shopping for anything. I just couldn't sleep and shopping is one of my favorite things to do. Eventually after some confusion as to where I was, my mom joined me for Black Friday shopping. I didn't find any fabulous deals but I did purchase gifts for almost everyone on my list. I don't think I have ever been done with my Christmas shopping prior to Christmas Eve. Now what?

We decorated the house Friday afternoon as well. I cajoled Mathew and Andrew into hanging Christmas lights. I definitely could not have done this alone. It took so much longer than I anticipated especially after Mathew and I hung the first lights and in the end they did not work (and we did test them before hanging)! I totally appreciate Mathew's help with the roof. I'm not a fan of heights, and I've worked in personal injury for way too long! Soon, decorating the house became a family affair. It was a really nice way to spend the holiday with the family.Mathew and Andrew both left today. It is way too quiet around here now. I miss the 2:00 am ruckus, the sibling banter, and the laughter. But most of all, I just miss my brothers. This Thanksgiving I am most thankful for my brothers and, of course, my kind and loving parents.

Olive & Ivy

2008-11-22T22:36:00.003-07:00

It was girl's night Friday night. Brooke, Britton, Kate and Kristy all had babies over the summer. So, when Brooke suggested going out it sounded like heaven to all the moms. I begged Nick to come meet us at Olive & Ivy . There is definitely plenty of laughter when he is around. Plus, I was no longer the only single, childless person. It was definitely a good night with plenty of good food and friends.

Walking Scout

2008-11-20T21:15:00.002-07:00

As soon as Scout sees his harness or the leash he is absolutely out of control excited. He runs around in circles, barks and jumps. There has never been a happier dog. He loves his harness so much that he practically jumps in it before we can properly put it on him. It's a sight to see. Shortly after Andrew finished his time with the Air Force he came home to Phoenix. Being the avid outdoors man and taking advantage of the great weather, he started taking Scout running. Andrew became Scouts most favorite person in no time. Now Scout wants to go for a walk every day. I am certain that no matter how many times I take him for a walk, I will never be his favorite person. Darn.

History and a Book

2008-11-04T13:43:00.005-07:00

A few days prior to Election Day I was in Borders browsing the books as I waited to meet a friend. I review the titles in the same fashion every time. I start with the new hard cover releases. If nothing catches my eye I move on to the newly released paperbacks, then to the buy 2 get 3 books, and then to the shelved books starting in literature and working my way throughout the store until something catches my eye. I rarely leave Borders without a book.
On this particular trip I did not even make it to the new paperback releases. The yellow jacket with a picture of Abraham Lincoln and Union soldiers caught my eye. As a student of History I have grown to love the Civil War. It is, perhaps, my most favorite part of the past. As soon as I saw James McPherson authored the book I knew I would be taking this one home with me. McPherson is undoubtedly the foremost Civil War historian of our time. He has done countless research, written numerous books, and can actually write so the reader understands what is going on. Tried By War has been featured on NPR and reviewed by The New York Times.

So, as I sat there on Election Night watching Barack Obama become our President-elect, I could not help but think of another President from Illinois who laid the foundation for a man like Obama to be able to achieve what no other has done.

If you're interested in the Civil War, I suggest starting with McPherson's Battle Cry of Freedom. It's the most comprehensive account of the Civil War in one book. The size is intimidating but it just might inspire you to read more about this period of History.

Teavana

2008-11-03T09:30:00.013-07:00

So, I've found a new expensive guilty pleasure...tea. I gave up soda a little over two months ago and have become obsessed with teas. I have most recently converted to whole leaf teas. Whole leaf teas are fresh and do not come in little bags. Over the weekend I stumbled upon a new little store at the Biltmore called TEAVANA. I was in tea heaven. They have an entire wall filled with different types of teas: white, black, green, red, and herbal. Some of the combinations I could smell from across the store. I wouldn't say the tea is exactly cheap, but it's so flavorful that it's worth it, especially if you love tea.

Rachel's Vegas Birthday Bash (Part Deux)

2008-10-26T21:25:00.011-07:00

Last weekend myself and ten other girls met in Las Vegas to celebrate Rachel's 28th birthday. The weekend had been planned for six months so its arrival was anxiously awaited. Last year only five of us made the trip. We more than doubled our rowdy number this year.Friday night we checked into the Venetian and barely made our dinner reservations at San Marcos. Luckily, we arrived five minutes before the kitchen closed and were still able to order dinner.Then we spent the night dancing at Tao. We had to work our way through he jungle of people and up to the VIP area. Seth MacFarlane (super-cute creator of the Family Guy and American Dad) hosted the night at Tao and even came to dance with us- happy birthday to Rachel.
Saturday we made our way down to the Bellagio for a late late breakfast next to the garden. I love the Bellagio, it's beautiful and has the most delicious restaurants.
Saturday night we dined at the recently opened Lavo at the Venetian. I don't think any of us knew exactly what to expect. I would describe it as a sort of Mediterranean tapas. It was pretty dang good. While the restaurant was fantastic, the night club, not so much. The age group 28 to 35 seemed to have disappeared from Vegas last weekend. But there was no end to the AMEX black-card carrying college senior that claimed Vegas was "....just what we do...." when we asked if they were there for a special occasion. Typical. We moved on the JET fairly quickly after Lavo. Supposedly, Justin Timberlake was supposed to be appearing at JET, but we only saw some Privilege stars.We had a fabulous 36 hours in Las Vegas. Happy Birthday Rachel!

Limoges

2008-10-12T13:13:00.009-07:00

In August 2006, I traveled to France with my mother, grandmother, great aunt, and second cousin. After we spent an amazing week in Paris, we traveled to Toulouse in Southern France. When planning our trip, we decided to drive the 586 kilometers (roughly 364 miles- the distance from Phoenix to Los Angeles) from Paris to Toulouse. This was a serious road trip. We took two days to travel the route because there were so many places to see along the way. This included more cathedrals than I can count. As day one of our road trip came to a close we decided to spend the evening in Limoges, France. We found a quirky boutique hotel that defined "shabby chic". Limoges is famous for one thing- French porcelain. So after our night's rest in the shabby chic hotel and breakfast next to an original RCA phonograph with the signature RCA dog listening (above), we headed to the porcelain factories. It was at the Royal Limoges factory that I fell in love with French porcelain. My Aunt Kathy and I outside the Royal Limoges factory.Here I am pointing to the plate pattern I like. I now know what a china shop looks like. This picture doesn't accurately portray the factory. It was huge and there were so many beautiful patters to choose from. Finally, I made a purchase, larger than I would have liked at the time, but not nearly enough since I returned home. I returned home with a rather expensive tea cup and saucer and a few other pieces. I fell in love with the Gilda pattern. I have since learned I cannot purchase this pattern in the United States. Sigh. And so, I have a hobby that I do not believe a single one of my friends know about. I collect French porcelain. Not all of my pieces match, but that doesn't matter to me. Someday I hope to visit Limoges again and purchase the remainder of the Gilda set. But for right now I am loving the vintage dishes from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. I'm really having a great time browsing the antique shops for Limoges treasures. So, next time you see a vintage plate flip it over and admire where it came from.

Four Seasons- Not the Hotel

2008-10-06T13:48:00.006-07:00

Sadly, I am not writing about a fabulous stay at the luxury resort. As the weather is changing all over the country from Summer to Fall, I got to thinking about the things I miss out on living in Arizona. Granted I get a sunny sixty degree day in January but there are definitely things I miss about living in Utah. Next to Winter, Fall is my most favorite season. The air changes, the temperature drops, and leaves change. Perhaps it's more the excitement that Winter is coming that I love it so much. I'm so ready for ski season that I check out the Alta website weekly. Here are a few of the most recent pictures of Little Cottonwood Canyon. This is why I miss Utah.
Yup, I took all the pictures from the Alta site for the last three weeks, but they are the prettiest! It's snowing in Utah, Colorado, and Montana within the next week! Needless to say I am very excited because those are all the places I am skiing this winter. Now, if it will only cool off in Phoenix!

Birthdays

2008-09-25T21:10:00.003-07:00

I'm not a huge fan of birthdays. Well, actually, I'm just not a fan of celebrating my birthday. I don't mind helping others celebrate their own. But I do love birthday cake. Thanks to my family for supplying the dinner and cake!It wasn't called "Sara's Birthday Dinner" but that's probably because everyone knew I wouldn't show up! Sarah was in town so we made reservations for Asia de Cuba at the Mondrian. The decor was interesting, especially the giant rooster painted on the white walls. Everything was white, table, chairs, and all the sculptures. Congo music played loudly throughout the restaurant and bar. I expected Chiquita Banana to come out and dance for us. The food was not so amazing that it merited the large bill we received. It was decent but I don't think I will be going back.

Maroon 5/Counting Crows

2008-09-13T19:00:00.005-07:00

Lindsey, Shannon, Amanda, and I hit the Counting Crows/Maroon 5 concert at the beginning of September. I love the Counting Crows and really enjoy their quirky lyrics. Sadly, their portion of the show was not nearly as entertaining as previous concerts I've seen. I was disappointed when it was all over. And amazingly Maroon 5 was good. They put on a good show. We also discovered sitting in family section of the lawn provided us really good seats without the rowdy crowd.

Monsoon Season

2008-08-31T20:00:00.000-07:00

A severe monsoon storm rolled through downtown Phoenix last Thursday evening. The wind reached 110 miles per hour and we received almost 2 inches of rain. This was the craziest storm I have seen. The temperature dropped about twenty degrees and the sky lit up with strobe light-like lightening. My dog was definitely freaked out. The next day traffic was nightmare. My typical drive to work is only ten minutes. Friday, it took me about twenty-five minutes to go about a mile. I actually didn't even make it to the office. Our building has lost power, the glass was broken and all the trees were blown down. Central Phoenix looked like a disaster area. There were hundred year old trees uprooted. It was quite the scene. Here's a picture of a tree down in my neighborhood.

Florida- Family Vacation

2008-08-13T15:24:00.011-07:00

It has probably been over ten years since my entire immediate family has been on vacation together. Sure, we see each other at Christmas and other holidays, but this was the first time we have really vacationed together in a very long time. A few months ago we decided to visit my grandparents in Ft. Myers, Florida. We had a great time....There are so many sea shells and sand dollars along Ft. Myers Beach. There were so many sand dollars in the water you could take a step without finding one. They turned our feet yellow, it was sort of weird.

Being from Arizona, it's always a special treat to go to the beach. We have been going to Ft. Myer's beach for nearly twenty years. It's so nice to walk outside of the condo and be on the beautiful white sand beaches. The water is warm and perfect for swimming. Needless to say, I spent time every day of my vacation on the beach. Check out Andrew's scar from his collar bone surgery in April. Hopefully, his next ski season won't end so early.
We rented scooters one afternoon and cruised around the island. I made Mathew share with me. Poor Mat. We watched the most beautiful sunsets every night from our condo. The sky was especially pretty when the Sun was setting after a storm. Below is a picture of the Sun setting over Sanibel Island. On our last night in town we decided to check out the nightlife on the beach. My grandmother and aunt talked up the Lani Kai a whole lot. We decided we had to see this place for ourselves. We hit a few places along the way....including karaoke. This was a good night. We had too much fun. Thanks guys.
DFW; I hate that airport. All of our travel problems arose because of DFW. If I never travel through it again, I will be happy. We all traveled as far as Dallas together. There Andrew got on a plane for Denver. I miss you Andrew. It was such a great trip. It was completely relaxing and so much fun. I loved spending time with my parents and my brothers like we did when we were kids. Only this time there were no fights! It was also great to see my grandparents. I know I haven't posted any photos of them but they were main reason for our trip. Hopefully, I will be able to go back again soon.

John Mayer

2008-07-30T23:00:00.004-07:00

About four months ago Tiffany asked if I was interested in seeing John Mayer when his tour stopped in Phoenix. Of course sitting outside sounds nice in April. The day of the show it was probably 110 degrees outside and pretty humid too. We couldn't really figure out why any artist would want to play in Phoenix, outside, in the summer time. It was so hot we stuck to our plastic seats. However, the show turned out to be fabulous. I would actually put it in my top five. John Mayer is pretty amazing live.

4th of July Quiz

2008-07-02T14:40:00.005-07:00

Rachelle sent me this 4th of July quiz. I hate to admit I have a degree in history and only got 22 out of 30 correct. Ouch. However, I did pass the MSNBC citizenship quiz with 100%. I didn't know this but the new naturalization/citizenship is not multiple choice. That's tough! Have a happy and safe 4th of July!

San Diego

2008-06-24T16:09:00.003-07:00

I spent the weekend in La Jolla with Lindsey and her family. The weather was perfect. Well, actually it seemed a little warm to the Californians but for us Phoenicians, 92 degrees was just perfect for the beach! I had such a great weekend relaxing by the sea. The water was so pretty- Caribbean like.

Baby Addie

2008-06-20T10:58:00.003-07:00

She's finally here! Yesterday, Brooke gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. Addison Lauren Coty arrived yesterday morning weighing 6 lbs. 2 oz. and measuring 18 inches long! I went by the hospital to see them yesterday. Mom and baby are doing great. I was lucky enough to greet Addie in her first few hours of life! She is so adorable. I love her.

What's wrong with America?

2008-06-19T21:07:00.003-07:00

No, that's not an open ended response question. That was my thought as I left the MINI dealership this afternoon. I love my MINI service advisor. Yes, I have a true love for the man who makes sure my car is always operating smoothly. Today, I took my precious car for new tires. I was sad to break down for the $866 expense (that was only two tires), but with summer in Arizona well underway I had no choice. When I arrived to retrieve my car, Justin, my service advisor, told me they found my arm bushings had "separated completely" (I can't explain it. All I know is they are expensive and my car is not under warranty). Thankfully, he called MINI HQ and talked them into covering the full cost of replacing the arm bushings. Amazing! He saved me nearly a thousand dollars. Now what does this have to do with America? Earlier this week I went to my doctors office. I made an appointment for my last injection of a series of three. I specifically made my appointment in 2008 so my health insurance would cover the injection. Last year I paid out of pocket for my second because the first one ate up the allotted amount for injections under my plan. So, this week I was informed that since I did not follow up the third injection in the specified four months I would have to pay out of pocket for the stupid thing. Seriously? I had to pay out of pocket for the second because the insurance wouldn't cover even though it was done in the appropriate time frame. I said "no thanks" to the $300 injection and made it clear something was amiss- "we'll get back to you." Right.

So, how is it that I get better treatment at my car dealership than my doctor's office? Isn't my doctor supposed to be my advocate? I wish my MINI service advisor was my doctor.

No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problem

2008-06-01T22:18:00.001-07:00

Shortly after our return from Mexico, Lindsey, Shannon and I attended the Kenny Chesney Poets & Pirates concert. A Kenny Chesney concert is pretty much akin to a Jimmy Buffet concert, well for us anyway. Good times.

Oh, Mexico

2008-05-30T21:09:00.014-07:00

James Taylor, Kenny Chesney, Roger Clyne, and so many others have penned songs about locales south of the border. There's just something about sitting on a beach in Mexico. Shannon, Lindsey and I enjoyed our trip so much two years ago we decided it was time for another. Sarah and Rachel joined us on this one. Jenn, lost her passport and became our first casualty. We thought we were going to lose Sarah too when she missed her flight Thursday morning! Luckily, she got another and found her way to the house. Jose let us use his home in Puerto Vallarta for the weekend. We had a fabulous time, even with karma's wicked sense of humor.

We kicked off Friday morning with a zipline canopy tour . This was fun. It was much better than the one I did few years ago in Vallarta. Rachel made more than a few boyfriends on the zipline. Being a group of five girls was not a bad thing! After resting up from our zipline adventure, i.e. laying in the pool all afternoon, we headed out for a night on the town. Some other friends were in P.V. for a wedding that weekend as well. We met up with them at La Bodeguita del Medio, a.k.a. the Cuban restaurant. Our zipline boyfriends were supposed to meet us there, but much to Rachel's disappointment, they never showed (or we were late?).

Um, yes, Lindsey, Shannon and I all wore the exact same color of orange. Weird.
After spending most of the morning not feeling so hot, we headed to Las Animas for an afternoon on the beach. You can only access Las Animas via water taxi. The water was a little rough and we had to load and unload on this, what I would call, dilapidated dock. I much preferred the beach loading technique. I think everyone just about lost some fingers or other body parts trying to get back in.
That day Lindsey made a new friend. Shannon and I got a real kick out of it! I swear, I think it's the same dog that befriended Lindsey two years ago! See:

After two nights of cooking we decided there was no way we were eating salmon and chicken again (I may never eat chicken again after my recent conversion to a vegetarian- we'll see how long it lasts). We headed for dinner at a local Italian restaurant on the malecon. Below is a picture of Shannon and Rachel "hugging" John Travolta. He was having dinner a few tables over from us. He's on Shannon's "list". I was going to say she "about" cried when she saw him, but no, she did. Sorry, Shan. We had the nerve to say hello but not to ask for a picture. He was about a foot away. Rumor was George Clooney was there. Too bad we didn't see him!
We spent Sunday at another beach, Yelapa. It was much more beautiful and calm. We had a good day until we got a visitor.
This guy, according to Rachel, was "...everything she hates about Texas plus some." He was rather ridiculous.
Sunday night was the last night we were all at the house. We had dinner at La Palapa on the beach in town. We decided to check out the night life one more time before we left. Just as we were settling in, the lights went out. I mean, all over town. There was no electricity. After sitting in the dark for thirty minutes we decided to call it a night. We went back home.

Monday was sort of crazy. We woke up to no running water in the house. Luckily we got the problem solved- I called the house keeper. Sadly, there was no running water before Rachel and Sarah had to leave to get on their planes. I think it was the warmest day of our trip too! Sorry girls, I hope it doesn't deter you from going next time!

Well, Linds headed back to the house with Sarah and Rachel, Shannon and I shopped and signed the three of us for a cruise on the Marigalante, a.k.a. the pirate ship. I must admit, I was not very excited to go. I had been a few years earlier. But begrudgingly I went. I had so much more fun than I anticipated. It was a really good time.
Tuesday was sad. We were most definitely not ready to leave. I easily could have finished out the week relaxing by the pool or on the beach.
We decided to have a little adventure on our way back to the airport. We took the bus with all of our luggage back to town instead of a taxi. It was quite the sight to see, three American girls with an ungodly amount of luggage on the $0.60 bus. We got a laugh out of it anyway. Thanks for coming girls. I had a great time!

ATONEMENT

2008-05-18T20:46:00.004-07:00

Months ago I started reading Atonement by Ian McEwan. I recently finished the novel on my trip to Milwaukee. And I finally viewed the film this weekend. I probably would not have read the novel were it not for the film. I loved Pride & Prejudice and when I discovered Atonement was produced and directed by the by the same it peaked my interest. I was not disappointed by neither the book nor the film. But of course, I am a helpless romantic and enjoy most any love story. However, this one is definitely on the darker side and I cried. I appreciate novels and films so much more when I'm thinking about them long after their conclusions. It will probably be a while before another book or film affects me the way of Atonement. I highly recommend it, in either form.

Shannon's Birthday

2008-04-27T22:02:00.005-07:00

We celebrated Shannon's birthday with a delicious dinner at Roaring Fork and then dancing at PCL. I always enjoy a meal at RF especially if it includes the green chili. I'm sure there are other items on the menu that are equally as delicious but I love the green chili so much it's all I order.This is my new do. I decided to go back to being a brunette. Blonde was fun but it didn't fit my pessimistic demeanor. I just couldn't be so happy all the time! Hee, hee, hee.It was such a random night. Beth and the Thunderbird crew ended up celebrating their graduation at PCL that night. We were more than happy to join their jubilee.

Shannon, for her birthday, decided to do what none of us have done before....she sat in the dirty swing. For those who don't know, PCL is owned by Jenna Jameson (need I say more?). We just don't sit in swings.....Happy Birthday Shannon!

One More Time

2008-04-13T20:58:00.003-07:00

Snow fell from the sky in great abundance this winter. So, once again I packed my skis and trekked to Utah for the final weekend of the ski season. Andrew broke his collar bone in four places so I couldn't go to Colorado to ski with him. So I changed my ticket to Salt Lake. Alta had a 175 inch base when I stepped off the plane Friday morning. I love that mountain. Sadly, this was my last trip of the season. Rumor has it Snowbird is staying open until Memorial Day! I doubt I can make it back before then. The snow is not the only reason I am compelled to visit Utah. I love seeing Autumn, Tim and Miles. The Skousens are some of my most favorite people. I always have a good time in their company. It's fun to watch Miles grow every time I visit. There are only two things enticing me to move back to Utah, the skiing and the Skousens. Maybe someday.....

My Chemical Romance

2008-03-29T17:46:00.005-07:00

My Chemical Romance played at the Tempe Music Festival Friday night, along with Puddle of Mudd and some other bands I had no clue about. It was quite the crowd, including: the blonde-haired tweens constantly screaming "My Chemical Romance, we love you!"; the forty-some-year-old mom's and dad's rocking out with their children in tow (this was really weird); and the classic gothic teenagers. I'm sure Rachel was seriously confused as to why I picked her up from the airport and brought her there. I did explain Shannon's affinity for guys with eyeliner. And Gerard Way did not disappoint, he had on his eyeliner. I did prefer his platinum hair to the black, but ah, oh well. MCR was very interesting but a good time nonetheless. It was worth the people watching experience.

Old Friends

2008-03-23T13:56:00.004-07:00

This past weekend I was lucky enough to have dinner with my old friends, the Lows and the Hills. Janae, Steve and their precious little girl, Madeline, were in town for a little R & R at the Wigwam. Tiff lives here but she's been busy being a mom and doing a little thing called law school on the side. So, it was great to see her, Troy, and the adorable Miss Audrey at dinner.I can't believe it's been over five years since I left BYU and started a life outside a two mile radius of these girls. Janae and I go way back to the summer of '99 when we lived in S-Hall of Deseret Towers. We were crazy freshmen (about as crazy as freshmen girls are at BYU). Janae & April lived about four doors down the hall from me. Janae would periodically dress up like Britney Spears and sing "...Baby One More Time" down the hall. This was much more entertaining than the English 115 papers we were supposed to be writing. That was a fun summer.

After our two week summer break, we were back at school but in a different locale, Helaman Halls. It was quite an improvement from DT. Janae even convinced me, not that it took much convincing, to move out of Stover into David John. I got my own bathroom and April & Janae became my immediate neighbors. It was a win/win deal for me. Once I moved to David John, Tiffany was all the way down at the other end of the floor. I knew she was from Arizona but that was about it. I didn't really know Tiff until one Sunday afternoon when Tiffany, April, and myself found ourselves at McDonald's, where we weren't supposed to be. As far as Sunday's go, that day is one of my favorites. There are so many stories I would love to share from the year but I feel there is neither enough time nor space to do so adequately.

Anyone that knows me is aware I didn't love BYU, but I the friendships that were cultivated there have each had a significant impact on my life. I can't imagine what my life would be like without a single friend of mine from BYU (or UofU). So, Tiffany, Autumn, Stephanie, Janae and April, thanks. I love you girls.

Pizza!

2008-03-08T17:49:00.002-07:00

Shannon and I headed to First Friday last night but we got a little sidetracked. She had never been to Pizzeria Bianco so we figured we would eat dinner there. We put our name on the list at 6:30 and were finally seated at 9:30. They are not kidding when they say the wait is 3 hours long. But the pizza is pretty delicious. Yes, it is ridiculous to wait three hours to eat pizza, but this pizza has been voted the best in the country. It was even featured on Oprah. Well, needless to say we didn't make it out to First Friday but we certainly did have good food.

Scrabulous

2008-03-07T09:51:00.003-07:00

I am totally addicted to Scrabble on-line, thanks Autumn. This is the greatest thing since sliced bread, well maybe not, I do love the new pair of shoes I just bought.....I digress. I currently have Rachel and Mathew equally addicted. Mathew and I even got wild and crazy and purchased the old fashioned board game the other night. I don't think Paul and Rachelle were as excited to play Scrabble as we were.

There Will Be Blood

2008-02-24T21:54:00.006-07:00

Although "There Will Be Blood" did not win the Oscar for Best Picture, Daniel Day-Lewis won for Best Actor. If you haven't seen this movie yet, you must. Daniel Day-Lewis gives one of the best performances I have seen in a long time. "No Country for Old Men" deserved to win the Oscar too but I'm disappointed "There Will Be Blood" didn't win for Best Picture.

Chicago, It's My Kind of Town

2008-02-19T18:40:00.002-07:00

Over the long holiday I toured the Windy City. Chicago is one city I never tire of visiting. Next time I may go in the summer though. It was a bit chilly in February, at least this trip I didn't get sick! I was lucky enough to travel with my mom, aunt and my cousin, Cami. It wasn't too hard to convince her to ditch school for the day and come vacation with us. I hope she enjoyed her trip to the big city!
The day we arrived we toured The Art Institute of Chicago. This is a must see for me on every visit to the Windy City. My favorite Picasso is on display there, The Old Guitarist. There are many beautiful paintings in the museum but this is my favorite. Seeing my favorite paintings is like seeing old friends. I find new ways to appreciate them and they get better as time goes on. This time I bought a small print to bring home with me. Now I can look at the Guitarist any time I want. I only wish I could have seen the Edward Hopper exhibit, but I suppose that gives me a reason to go back!

The next day we walked down Michigan Avenue from our hotel. As we crossed the bridge over the Chicago River we were stunned to see the slabs of ice covering nearly the entire river.We walked down about a mile to the John Hancock building. The observatory at the top gives a pretty good view of the city and Lake Michigan.Parts of the lake were frozen just like the Chicago River. I can't even imagine how cold that water is. It's cold in the summer time at 50 degrees (or something like that.) You can see Navy Pier in the far right of the photo.The beach along Lake Shore is completely covered in snow. I couldn't believe how much snow was in the city. But then again Madison, WI received 7 feet of snow while we were in Chicago.

The rest of the afternoon we spent in shopping on Michigan Avenue. We even went to the Hershey store for an afternoon snack, it was pretty delicious. Below is my mom and I with the Chicago Water Tower lit up behind us. This is a picture of the river lit up on our walk back to the hotel. Since I had no flowers to take pictures of I had to settle for city shots!
Though it was extremely cold for part of the weekend it was a great trip. Chicago is definitely my kind of town!

The Open

2008-02-03T20:53:00.002-07:00

Saturday we headed to the FBR Open along with 170,802 other golf fans. Actually, some weren't there for the golf, like the girl who lost her tube-dress as she rolled down hill on the backside of the 18th hole. That got lots of cheers too. We parked ourselves at the 17th hole. We had to covertly take pictures because cameras and cell phones were restricted. Good times.Here we are on the 17th hole. This was right after I slid on who-knows-what (yuck it was gross) and landed on my knees. I did manage to save both of my drinks....amazing. Shannon hasn't sent out her pictures yet, so I can't post them! (hint hint)

Shannon sent me her pictures, so I suppose I will post them now! Thanks Shannon.

NKOTB!

2008-01-28T21:42:00.001-07:00

Holy crap! I can't believe it but Shannon sent me this article today. New Kids on the Block are reuniting! The NKOTB website is up and running to. Girls, I don't think we'll be missing this reunion tour! Maybe I should get some stirrup pants. Hmmm.....

Flagstaff, it's that cold place north of Phoenix

2008-01-27T22:07:00.000-07:00

Well Lindsey, Shannon and I decided we wanted to see some snow. Mathew was lonely and wanted some company, so us three girls invaded his place in Flagstaff for the weekend. We promptly left after work on Friday (I was only 5 minutes late). That night Mathew killed us in Phase 10. I think Shannon still wants a rematch. Saturday we headed to Snowbowl to partake in the rare snowy season they are having. I even convinced Mathew to rent skis instead of snowboarding. Mathew, Lindsey and I hit the mountain while Shannon read by the fire in the lodge. There were a few times that morning I thought I should have been in the lodge. It was pretty cold. At least Mathew let me barrow his cool new hat. I think I might steal it next time I see it. Just kidding Mathew, I'll only barrow it for an extended period of time. :) After skiing all day we were ready for a night out in downtown Flagstaff, it's about a three block radius. We had a delicious dinner at Beaver Street Brewery. Sadly, we felt like we had been stalked from the mountain. A group of extremely obnoxious guys sat next to us at lunch and appeared at dinner as well. We strained our ears to hear where they were going next so we could avoid them. We did a pretty good job of it.You can't even tell we are related, can you? You can barely see him but the guy behind me is a one man band and he was in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Don't ask me what his name is though.Here we are at Charly's at the Hotel Weatherford. It was our final stop on the downtown Flagstaff tour. Shannon made some new friends. They were GREAT, even played the mandolin. My brother was not amused. After Charly's we called it a night. Sunday we woke up to fresh snow on the ground. It was so pretty. We headed to The Place for a delicious breakfast and then headed back home. It snowed/rained the entire way from Flagstaff to Phoenix.

We had such a great Flagstaff trip. Maybe next time Shannon will ski with us? Yes? :) Thanks for hosting us Mathew. We'll be back again, don't you worry! Love you.

Decisions, Decisions!

2008-01-24T23:09:00.000-07:00

The New York Times has endorsed Hillary Clinton and John McCain. Why do they have to confuse me so! The Arizona primary election is less than two weeks away. If I wait much longer to cast my vote I won't be able to use my mail in ballot! Time for me to woman-up and make a decision. Hmmm......

Oh, Happy Day!

2008-01-21T16:19:00.000-07:00

Alta has 15 inches of new snow! That's since last night. I definitely think I am going to be packing my bags and heading to Utah again. I'm so sad we aren't there for the Sundance Film Festival again this year.

What's Up With the Stirrup?

2008-01-20T23:25:00.000-07:00

So, there we were at the Crown Room Saturday night doing our usual thing....standing around talking to each other (because why would we want to talk to anyone else?). While we were admiring the dancing fools behind us in slinky dresses and tube tops (seriously, it was 45 degrees outside), we noticed something very interesting, the girl with the tube top was wearing stirrup pants. I haven't seen stirrup pants since 1989 when I was wearing Esprit and scrunch socks. That is one fashion item that should remain dead and gone. The idea of the stirrup pant making a comeback is so disturbing.

There Will Be Blood

2008-01-07T08:00:00.000-07:00

"There Will Be Blood" is perhaps my most favorite movie to come out of 2007. It exceeded all my expectations. I know Mathew will disagree with me but I think this is far and away the best picture of last year. I liked "No Country for Old Men", "Juno", and "The Hunting Party", but "There Will Be Blood" was excellent. I can only think of a few films in the last few years I have equally enjoyed. Daniel Day-Lewis is exceptional and gives one of the best performances I have seen in a long time. I'm hoping it receives at least a few Oscar nominations. The New York Times has a great review and lists the film as one of the year's best movies.

Brooke & Rodney's Wedding

2007-12-31T20:32:00.000-07:00

We closed out the year in the most fantastic way with Brooke & Rodney's wedding. Brooke has been one of my best friends since we nine years old. When I found out she was getting married I was so excited that I laughed, screamed, and cried for about twenty minutes. I was more than happy to be bridesmaid and help her with wedding plans.The weekend festivities kicked off Friday night at Laurie and Michael's house with dinner. Above are all the bridesmaids (minus Lauree). We were sitting on the couch singing Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'". Girls, you can ask Sarah for the video.

Saturday we had the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner at Aunt Childa's. I spent most of the day trying to get some last minute alterations to my dress. I foolishly didn't try it on after my original alterations. It all worked out in the end. Brooke, Sarah, Amanda, and I had one final slumber party at the hotel the night before the wedding. After opening a bottle of wine, Sarah was able to write her speech. I mostly obsessed about the pedicure and manicure from Hell that Brooke, Sarah and I sat through on Friday. I don't think Brooke's hives have gone away yet. It was a funny story for us anyway.

The next day, Sunday, was pretty crazy. The chaos started around 9:00 am with the hairstylist and rest of the bridal party showing up to our room. At least we had bagels, mimosas, and black coffee. The haze in the picture below is due to all the hairspray in the air. The wedding was so beautiful. And thankfully it was quick because it was cold outside! After the ceremony we headed inside to eat and dance. We all even made it through the hora without falling down! Good times.The look on Rodney's face cracks me up. Britton snapped this photo when they were being lifted up on the chairs for the hora. There are tons of pictures I would love to post but I won't. Below are some other pictures from our table and the rest of the night. Brooke you looked beautiful! Thank you for letting be a part of your special day. I love you!

Ugly Sweaters

2007-12-23T19:57:00.000-07:00

Mathew invited me to a sleazy holiday sweater party with him Saturday night. Well, really it was too cold for "sleazy" sweaters so ugly holiday sweaters had to do. I am now convinced that turtlenecks might be the ugliest sweaters ever....not a flattering picture but my sweater is great! Mathew picked it out for me. You can't see Mathew's turtleneck but it has little pale blue and silver snowflakes on it- hilarious. I especially loved the women's jacket he had on.

Brooke's Bridal Luncheon

2007-12-22T18:36:00.000-07:00

Today we had Brooke's bridesmaids luncheon at House of Tricks in Tempe. I can't believe the wedding is a week away!

Holiday Reading

2007-12-19T22:35:00.000-07:00

I am currently reading Holidays On Ice by David Sedaris. It's been around for a decade or so but if you haven't read it you should. It's easy to read and highly entertaining. I also recommend just about anything else by Sedaris as well.

Cold Weather Weekend

2007-12-17T17:10:00.000-07:00

Thursday night I arrived in Salt Lake for a weekend of skiing and visiting old friends. Snow was falling as the plane hit the tarmac, which made me slightly nervous declining that liability insurance on the rental car. But paying an extra $25.99 a day was slightly ridiculous. I regretted my decision only for a few moments on my drive to the Skousen's home. It had been a while since I'd driven in snowy/icy weather at night no less. Luckily I arrived safely to Autumn & Tim's house. I was greeted by Miles, who is one of the most adorable two-year-olds I know. I enjoyed playing with him the entire weekend.

Friday, I hit the mountain with seven inches of fresh powder. I wish I was there this weekend, the snow pack has doubled! If there is one thing that could compel me to move back to Utah it would be the skiing. Here are some pics from Alta:
The temperature dips to about 15 degrees at the base of the mountain. It was even colder at the top with wind chill. I have not been that cold in a very long time. So, this was the sign posted at the top of the mountain:This was really comforting to me since my feet were already cold! But I was determined to stay on the mountain for as long as possible since I rented some demo skis to test out. I loved them. I won't go on and on about them because last year I talked about my boots a little too much. But if anyone is in the market for some very fun carving skis I must recommend the K2 Burning Love. So much fun! Too bad Santa is bring me new bedding.

There was a ton of snow on the ground at Autumn & Tim's as well. Miles received a sled for his birthday, so naturally we had to take him sledding. Only he wasn't so thrilled with the idea of dressing up like the child from Christmas Story and flying a snow covered hill. Autumn and I weren't too bright and both stood in the path of the sled only to be plowed over. We thought we were hilarious. I'm sure the video is great.....Tim? Autumn has a ton of pictures from the sledding adventure (hint, hint). I think Tim, Autumn, and I had more fun on the sled than Miles did.

Really the weekend went to too quickly. It was so good to see the Skousen's, but I just miss them even more now. Autumn, I may be back in January and if not I will see you in Romania whenever that maybe! :) Thanks!

Winter + Snow = Happiness

2007-12-07T18:46:00.000-07:00

Oh, happy day! Alta just received 14 inches of snow! After the two week delay in opening, I was getting worried. There is more snow in the forecast so next week I'm packing my skis and boots and heading to Utah! I can't wait for the "greatest snow on earth."

Jury Duty

2007-12-05T18:41:00.000-07:00

I was lucky enough to receive a jury summons last month. So, Monday morning I reported for jury duty at 8:00 am. I walked into the already crowded room and filled out my information. I expected my experience to be like tha last time I summoned. I expected to show up, watch a few movies, do a little work, and at the end of the day go home. I was very surprised when my name was called shortly after 9:00 am for the very first jury pool. I was lucky number 18 and I sat right up front during voir dire (where the judge and attorneys ask questions). I was shocked by the number of people with DUI or other serious criminal violations. So from a panel of 21 persons, I was chosen to sit on the jury of 9. I couldn't believe it. I work for attorneys; I thought for sure I would have been stricken. I've been told, those who say the least often get picked. Alas, I have spent the last three days listening to testimony in a criminal trial.

We try cases all the time in my office, granted we do civil litigation. But the responsibility of being a juror on a criminal trial was quite heavy. The duty to determine someone's guilt or innocence was difficult for me. There are no smoking guns and there are no absolute certainties. My type-A personality does not like this! There is always a "what if". But I suppose this is why we have juries, to determine, based on the evidience, the guilt or innocence of the persons charged.

I convicted someone of a very serious crime today. Justice doesn't always feel good.

Stupid People

2007-11-27T23:23:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my car was broken into! And it was in my own office parking lot no less. They didn't take anything from my car (there was absolutely nothing inside it) but they destroyed my window and scratched my paint. My poor little car.......I'm so sad.

Thanksgiving

2007-11-22T20:37:00.000-07:00

The holidays have finally arrived. I can't believe it has been nearly a month since I was carving jack-o'-lanterns for Halloween. Now, I am eating leftover turkey and other delicious Thanksgiving foods. I spent Thanksgiving at my grandmother's house in Camp Verde. I love spending the holidays with my family. As we drove to my grandmother's I thought about the things in my life I am most grateful for. My family is one of the most important influences in my life. I am so grateful for all the support and love they give to me. My friends are a very close second! I have been fortunate enough to have most of my friends for over twenty years. I can't imagine my life without them. My family and my friends help me strive to be a better person. I learn a lot from you guys and I am so lucky to have you in my life! There is so much more I am grateful for but I have to leave something for next year! I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Shannon's New Pad

2007-11-04T21:39:00.000-07:00

Lucky for us Shannon bought a condo...a housewarming party was the perfect excuse to get us all together! Since I don't have any pictures of the new of the place I'll just have to post the ones of us.Another bit of good news was Brooke's engagement! CONGRATULATIONS BROOKE! I am so excited for you. I can't wait until December! We did move the party across the street to Sandbar after a few hours. The fun just continued...well for those of us who remember it anyway!

Jack-O'-Lanterns

2007-10-30T10:23:00.000-07:00

In celebration of Halloween, Andrew, Tyler, and I carved jack-o'-lanterns last night. We had a great time creating the little guys. We opted to forgo the new stencil patterns and carve classic jacks. Oh, the things that make me happy! Click here for the history of the Jack-O'-Lantern.

If You're Attacked by Monkeys....

2007-10-26T13:57:00.000-07:00

In case anyone has been wondering what you should do if you are attacked by macaques or baboons here is an article for you. You never know, this could save your life! LOL :)

Scout Dog

2007-10-24T21:23:00.000-07:00

My poor puppy. Every time my brother, Mat, returns to school at NAU my dog goes into serious depression. He lays around like this for days: There is, of course, a serious debate in my family as to whether or not Scout is actually my dog. He only seems to love me when Mathew leaves or I have treats! I love him even if I'm not his favorite.

Vegas!

2007-10-21T21:46:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Rachel's birthday in Vegas this weekend. It was 36 hours of fun, minus the 8 am flight this morning. Friday night we ate dinner at Tao at the Venetian. It was very delicious. Then we headed upstairs to dance the night away to songs from the 90's. It was so much fun!
Saturday we spent most of the day watching football games and trying to figure out where to eat dinner! Funny how most of my trips revolve around food. Thanks to the concierge at Caesar's we were able to get reservations at Fiamma at the MGM and passes into LAX at the Luxor. It's never a bad thing to have a group of five girls in Vegas!Sadly I had no big winnings. I think I actually lost money in the penny slots! But the trip was quick and fun. Welcome to 27 Rachel!

Two Homecomings and a Wedding

2007-10-14T17:08:00.000-07:00

This weekend marked the first time over a year and half that my entire family has been together. A week ago Andrew returned from his 12 month tour of duty in Korea. And last Thursday Paul came home too (he was only in town to attend a wedding but still...). It was great to be with all of my brothers again.

My parents, Paul and I attended Rachelle's sister's wedding Friday night.
Paul and Rachelle I miss you!

At Last!

2007-10-11T15:40:00.000-07:00

If you haven't heard, Arapahoe Basin, which is just west of Denver, opened for the season yesterday! It was their earliest winter opening in 61 years! Woo Hoo! This marks my most favorite time year. I look forward to ski season all year long. If the snow keeps up it is going to be a great season in the Rockies!

Just for fun here are some pictures from my most favorite mountain, Alta, last year:I got new boots last season and obsessed about them the entire trip. I can't wait to go skiing this year. Pray for snow!

The Hunting Party

2007-10-08T11:33:00.000-07:00

So far this is my movie recommendation of the fall. For anyone who loved the Matador you have to see The Hunting Party. It is hilarious. The movie is based on the Esquire article "What I Did on My Summer Vacation", by Scott Anderson. So funny.

October in Phoenix

2007-10-07T20:21:00.000-07:00

Since the weather was so nice this weekend I decided to take a hike up Squaw Peak. It was a beautiful day. I'm excited for another season of hiking in Phoenix. The air doesn't look so clear but it really was a nice day for a hike.

Flowers

2007-09-25T22:10:00.000-07:00

My office sent me flowers for my birthday. They were beautiful but the card cracked me up. The people who work in my office are Jose, Bob, Jennie, Julia and Kathleen. This was the card I got with my flowers.....If you can't see it, it reads "Jose, Bod, Geni, Carlin and Julia." My name and the law firm's name were wrong too. It's a wonder I even got my flowers!

Seattle

2007-09-10T23:05:00.000-07:00

Well, when we weren't walking 60 miles, sleeping in tents, or collecting food from total strangers, we took the time to take in some great Seattle sights.

These pigs are all over Seattle (the pig that went to market- get it?). Well the Disco Pig just happened to be outside out hotel. We couldn't resist taking a few snapshots with the little fellow.

We managed to hop a ferry over to Bainbridge Island the day before the walk. I figure we added an additional five miles this day. Riding the ferry was so Grey's Anatomy! See the Space Needle, we walked all the way through downtown (and that was the easy part).

The day after the walk we had breakfast at Pike's Market. Well, technically it was lunch we had clam chowder in bread bowls. And we wonder how we walked 60 miles and actually managed to gain weight! And yes, Lindsey, Shannon and I look like we have been skiing.

So, I have a slight obsession with taking pictures of flowers. I think it stems from my subconscious desire to be a florist. This flower is a dahlia. It was so pretty and unique I couldn't help but take a picture. They grow all over in Washington.

Shannon, Lindsey, and Rachel, you will be disappointed to know that contrary to the trivia cards The 3-Day gave us this is not the state flower of Washington. The Coast Rhododendron is the state flower of Washington.

Breast Cancer 3-Day Sept. 7-9, 2007

2007-09-09T22:30:00.000-07:00

After 6 months of training, Lindsey, Shannon, Rachel and I headed to Seattle to participate in the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 3-Day. We walked 60 miles over the course of 3 days. It was intense! We were so focused on training for the distance we neglected to train for the the hills! Seattle is full of hills.
Day 1: 23.5 Miles- We walked from Bellevue across Mercer Island and the I-90 Bridge over Lake Washington to Seattle. We had lunch on the shore of Lake Washington. It was a beautiful day, about 70 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. After lunch we continued along Lake Washington over to Renton, Tukwila (Amanda & Jeremy made it to cheer us on there) and SeaTac. We finally ended in Burien at our campsite. We came in at 200 that day. There were approximately 2,300 walkers. Needles to say we had no lines for showers! Rachel was my tent-mate and we slept in these pink tents on the high school baseball field.
Day 2: 20 Miles- We woke up late on Day 2. We left camp about 7:30 a.m.. We were sore and tired and the temperature had dropped to the 40's overnight. Once we got to our first pit stop we were counted at 1600(that means there were approximately 1600 walkers in front of us). By the end of the day we came in at 270! All the training paid off! However, I was physically wrecked after this day. The hills were hard and there were a lot of them. I wasn't sure how I was going to walk the next day since I developed terrible blisters on my feet! I won't describe them because you won't believe me.
Day 3: Over 15 miles left! Day three was most definitely the hardest day for me- I think for us all. It was beautiful though. We started in Lincoln Park and walked along Alki Beach around Puget Sound all the way into Seattle. Once we got into downtown Seattle we were cheered on by drunken football fans awaiting the Seahawk's season opener. They had no reservations about telling us how much they loved boobs. It was great. Once we got to Pioneer Square we knew we were close. Only a few more miles to go. Then we hit Pikes Market. About a mile further was the Space Needle- our final destination. I almost cried the last mile- because of agonizing pain and the sheer joy of completing 60 miles. It was quite the journey. A very worthwhile and heartfelt journey.Closing Ceremonies: I don't have anyone in my family who has been stricken with breast cancer but I decided to participate in this walk with my friends. It seemed like a good cause. After walking for three days along side survivors, widows, and friends and family of those have fought breast cancer I have a new perspective on the disease. It doesn't discriminate. There were survivors of all ages and 1 out of 8 women will fight breast cancer. It was a very eye opening experience for me. The 3-Day Seattle raised over 6.4 million dollars! Most of that money will go to breast cancer programs in the Puget Sound area. The rest will go to Susan G. Komen for the Cure to help research. Overall, it was an amazing experience. I can't wait for next year. We are going to San Francisco!

Walking with you girls really got me through. There is no way I could have made it without you! Linds, thanks for offering to carry me that last mile! I was so happy that Amanda was able to come cheer us on and Rachel was able to walk with us at the last minute.

Czech Republic & Poland

2007-06-22T13:06:00.000-07:00

In early June I got the crazy idea I would go to Prague. A good friend of mine, Beth, was studying there for the summer. I decide to take her up on her offer to host me and I bought a ticket ten days before departure (www.flycheapabroad.com). I traveled nearly 12,000 miles and 41 hours for five days in Prague. It was the most fabulous wild time!

Prague is BEAUTIFUL! I loved it there. It probably helped that the weather was so nice , but then again coming from 115 degrees almost anything is nice. Prague is definitely a city of "old Europe". The architecture is amazing. I felt like I was right in the middle of the Sound of Music, but of course that was Austria. Eastern Europe was so fantastic, I can't wait to go back again. It was so different from England, France and Spain.

Here I am on the famous Charles Bridge with the Prague Castle behind me. I was laughing because of the guy next to me but you can't see him.
The Old Town Square was amazing. It was jam packed with tourist of course but it didn't make it any less stunning.
In the middle of my trip to Prague we decided it was time for a European Road Trip. We googled the route to Krakow, rented a car (a Skoda-awesome!), and we were off to Poland. It was a crazy 36 hour trip. Here is a picture of the Polish countryside. It was so beautiful. I only wish my pictures could actually capture what I saw.

Krakow was crazy. It has the largest town square in Europe. It was huge! And rumor has it it has over 400 bars in the square. Of course it was also filled with all sorts of boutiques, shops, restaurants and jewelery stores. Poland is known for it's amber jewelery. I bought a very funky, very cool ring for myself and some earrings for my mom. I don't think she has worn them yet, I may have to confiscate them.
There were also many performers in the square too. Some were traditional, some were very interesting.....

We had a great time in Krakow for the evening. The people were so kind and so nice. It was a different feel from Prague. We didn't experience too much of that post-Soviet mentality. The people were very warm. Our hotel on the other had looked like it came straight from Moscow at the peak of Soviet influence. Minimalists they were.The next morning we drove about thirty to forty-five minutes southwest of Krakow, almost to the Slovakia border. Here in Oswiecim, Poland was the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum. We had only planned on staying a little while, maybe and hour or so but once we got there we knew we couldn't leave until we saw it all. It was a very emotional and somber Sunday afternoon. The sky was so blue and beautiful and there were little yellow flowers growing in the meadows. Through the barbed wire fence you could see the pine-covered Carpathian Mountains. It was so hard to realized that all this beauty surrounded the most horrific death camp of all. I was a history major in college and studied World War II pretty intensely but nothing could have prepared me for actually seeing Auschwitz firsthand. It was almost impossible to comprehend the magnitude and the gravity of what took place there. I've decided not to post any pictures of the camp for several reason but mostly out of respect for those who died there.

Well after our sobering afternoon at Auschwitz and Birkenau (we toured them both), we were on our way back to Prague. Beth and Meredith had class the next morning at 8:00 am and a finance project to compete. So being the three extremely intelligent girls that we are, we decided to forgo driving back north to the interstate and over to Prague. We figured we were south so why not take that little road through the mountains near the Slovakia border and up to Prague? Well, apparently, the Pols know something we don't. The road through the mountain was horrible and slow. We added at least an hour and half to our drive this way! So we downed Red Bulls, scanned the radio for anything decent and prayed our little Skoda would get us home safe. We pulled into Praha 2 about 1:30 am. It was a crazy adventure but well worth it! If anyone happens to be in the relative area of Krakow I highly recommend the journey! I can't wait to go back!

The next day I was all on my own. This was a great day.I toured Prague by myself for about 12 hours. I ate gelato for breakfast. It was the easiest (and most delicious) thing to eat while walking.

I was on a mission that day. Aside from collecting all my Czech souvenirs, I was walking from our flat to the Prague Castle. It's all the way on top of that hill. It was quite the walk. I'm guessing it was seven to ten miles round-trip. It was great, except for the blister I developed in the bottom of my foot by the end of the day. The St. Vitus Cathedral is what is really at the top of the hill inside the castle walls.

After many stops into little shops along the way, I made it to the Castle just in time to see the changing of the guard. It wasn't as grand as the changing of the guard atBuckingham Palace but it was enjoyable because I was so close. I loved seeing all the traditions.

The Castle was beautiful inside and out.

The cathedral was beautiful too but if you've seen one cathedral in Europe you've pretty much seen them all (there are a few exceptions however). The St. Vitus was rather large and had that traditional European Gothic architecture. It wasn't as outrageous as Gaudi's La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona but it was pretty ridiculous. Stained-glass windows are almost as fun to take pictures of as flowers. Depending on the light the windows always look different. Sadly, my pictures don't do justice to the windows. If you click on the picture you can see all the detail of the window. It's pretty amazing.

This is a picture of the "Lennon Wall" in the Mala Strana, or Lesser Town. After Lennon was killed in 1980 someone placed his face in this wall. It became a place of protests for students under the Communist regime. It's located near all the embassies in Prague. The French Ambassador's window faces the wall. I was told the French ambassador loves the wall and has declared it a French monument so the wall will not be destroyed. I'm not really sure how that works since it is owned by the neighboring church. Apparently they allow the graffiti to continue.

I have so many more photos I would love to share but time and space are limited. Here are just a few from my collection: These two pictures show the view of Prague from the outermost wall of the Prague Castle. I like the clouds in the first picture and all the bridges in the second one.

This is the street leading up the castle from the Charles Bridge.

This is the famous astrological clock in the the Old Town Square.

I just like this picture. They really like music in Eastern Europe. There were people playing instruments around every corner. This washboard-jazz band on the bridge brought a smile to my face.

I Heart Paris!

2007-03-16T21:52:00.000-07:00

First let me say, I love Paris. If there were anywhere in the world I would love to live it would be Paris. I have enjoyed every trip to France I've taken. This trip was a bit a whirlwind and full of surprises. It was only supposed to be a day trip from London. We caught the train in Waterloo Station at 5:00 a.m., we went under the Channel and arrived in Paris at 9:00 am. It was so cold when we got there. I didn't bring a jacket because I thought we were only going to be there a few hours. We hopped on the subway at the train station. Paris probably has the best public transit system in the world. The subway is so easy to take and you can get virtually anywhere.

So we headed down to the banks of the Seine River to St. Chapelle Cathedral. It's smaller and not as well known as Notre Dame but it's beautiful. The stained glass windows are quite impressive. The walls were pretty much made up of windows and they were huge. The rose windows at the either end of the cathedral were beautiful. (My picture isn't so good here, I didn't get the lighting right- see me?)The cathedral was so much smaller than what it appeared to be on the outside. It had two levels to it as well.

We then walked down to Notre Dame Cathedral after that. Notre Dame Cathedral, as always, was beautiful. So many people visit the Cathedral every day. This trip we were fairly lucky since we got there so early. We did not have to wait in a long line to get inside. Here I am with the cathedral in the back ground.

The sun finally came out and started to warm everything up. It was turning out to be a lovely day. It looks like a cold winter day but it was actually a nice spring day. It didn't rain the rest of the day.

This is a picture of an alley of the Left Bank of the Seine. I just like it. We walked down the Left Bank to the Musée d'Orsay.

Here are some of the places we got to visit while we were in Paris:

The Musée d'Orsay. I loved this museum! It houses a vast French impressionist collection (mostly from 1848 to 1914). Some of Monet's and Renior's most famous works are there. The Orsay was originally a train station. This is a must see for anyone going to Paris, but it's closed on Mondays. I only this because on my first trip to Paris it was closed the day I wanted to go. I was very excited to see the Orsay on this trip. I love museums, it must be that history thing.

From the Orsay we took the subway down to the Arc de Triomphe. We got on the SARA train to get to the Arc.
This was so much better than I thought it would be. There is a viewing deck on the top of the Arc. I could see all over Paris from here. Here are a few pictures : The view down Champs-Elysees was amazing.

After we were finished with the Arc, we headed to the Eiffel Tower. I saw it on my first trip to Paris but it is always so exciting to see. I took quite a few pictures of the tower:

The line for elevators to the top was about three hours. We still wanted to see the Louvre Museum so we decided to forgo the trip to the top.

The Louvre is amazing. I could spend a month there and still not see everything. I really enjoy the Louvre and it is a must see in Paris too, but I like the art in the Orsay a little bit more.
By the time we saw the Mona Lisa and checked out some of the other art it was time for us to leave Paris. We got on the subway and headed back to the train station when we arrived we saw this:There were no trains going to London from anywhere in Europe. A fire broke out near the Waterloo Station in London and all rail traffic was shut down. We were stranded in Paris with no clothes, no hotel, and no idea of how we were going to get back to London! Luckily, after searching the nearby hotels, which we learned were all booked, we decided to try the hotel we stayed in on our previous trip. We were so happy to be back at our cute little Parisian hotel, Hotel Astor Saint Honore. We were very tired by the time we arrived though. We weren't quite sure what we were going to do the next day.

London

2007-03-15T21:05:00.000-07:00

I took my first trip to London in March. My mom and I flew over for a week. We had a great time and got to see many great things. We also took a day trip down to Paris, which was fabulous as always. The first night we were in London we got to see Wicked. I was really excited to go to the theater while we were there. I really enjoyed the show too. I only regret I didn't see more while I was there.
The next day was our first full day in London. Here are some of the things we did:On our way to Buckingham Palace I met this nice officer. He let me take a picture with him. How nice.
This is me in St. James Park. We were walking through the park to get to Buckingham Palace for the grand changing of the guard ceremony. All the daffodils were in bloom since the weather had started to warm up a bit. The park was covered in green and yellow. It was very pretty.
Me laughing (what else) at the giant bird that just flew over my head.

This little Italian boy was the cutest. On the other side of the fence is the water and all the swans and ducks. He wanted to go play with them. He started to crawl underneath the fence, stopped, looked up as his dad and said "Ciao Papa!". Then he continued to try to wiggle underneath the fence. It was the cutest thing.

Here is Buckingham Palace behind me. After all our efforts to see the changing of the guard, we just barely missed it. We were able to catch the end of it however. This poor old man had no clue why we wanted our picture taken with him. He looks bewildered.

Westminster Abbey! This was very fun to see. The Abbey has been around for almost a thousand years. Almost every monarch since William the Conqueror has been crowned there and there are over 17 monarchs buried there including Elizabeth I. Many other famous people buried here too like Charles Dickens, Oliver Cromwell, Winston Churchill, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Issac Newton, and William Shakespeare just to name a few. Actually there are over 3,000 people buried here. Not all of them have head stones or monuments. It was very fun to walk around recognizing peoples names carved in stone on the floor. The Abbey was very beautiful too. I am really glad I got to see it.

After viewing the Abbey we walked over to Parliament. It was right next door. After going through a rigorous screening process they let us inside. It must not have been a big debate day because it wasn't very exciting and there was hardly anyone there. But it was fun to sit in the gallery and watch what I see on CSPAN live. I don't have my pictures of Parliament to post. I will have to find them. This is what Parliament looks like on the outside.

Right around the corner from Westminster Abbey and Parliament is Big Ben. This was another impressive landmark. It was more impressive than I thought it would have been.

I loved all the red phone booths on the streets. I figured I had to have my picture taken with one. I did look a little ridiculous on the street taking my picture in a phone booth however.

After viewing Big Ben we then headed over the West End to see Harrod's. Harrod's was huge! I couldn't believe how big it was. I wish we had a store like that in Phoenix. Then again, I don't need another place to shop!
The next day we headed to Paris.