hot, hot, heat

Power outage in the OC ... whatever will we do? You see it wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't still 100 degrees at 6 pm. I am melting ... ahhhhh. So the folks and I went to the pool. It was lukewarm but nice enough. We stayed until my fingers and toes were all prune-like. That is when you know its time to get out.

Its my last night in the OC until November or December and its hotter than Hades. Kind of makes me happy to move to the Pacific Northwest and embrace the rain ... hahaha ... yeah right. I just gotta keep reminding myself of this deathly heat come November. Oh yeah, did I mention I have to wake up at 4:15 in order to catch my plane ... yeah ... good times.

Peace-out OC vacation life ... its been good while it lasted. Pictures from the past month to be posted when I get a wireless network for my lap top set up. Be excited. Be very excited.

unemployment = a great tan

You know its been a good month when you have managed to get the best tan you have had in years. Really it just represents that I am unemployed and will soon be heading back to school ... but I am perfectly ok with that. Either way I am more tan now than I have been in the past 4 years combined!

Working is so over-rated. Living with your parents for a month in Southern California, going to the beach a few times a week, and driving your mom's 350-Z around town is sooo under-rated. But one does need to make a living to support themselves, so I will live it up now while I still can. Only four more days of the OC vacation life ... then I am off to Oregon on Tuesday to start the next chapter of my life - GRADUATE SCHOOL (imagine dramatic music here).

can you hear me now?

My phone bit the dust today .... and of course I lost all my numbers. I got a new phone so email/call/text me with your number so that we can still be friends. I miss you already ... I'm missin you like candy, even.

the happiest place on earth - vintage

Kelly and I went to Disneyland the other day. It is always magical ... wouldn't expect anything less of the Magic Kingdom. On our way in under the bridge and onto Main Street, I always love to look at the posters they have up for the different lands and movies. Very retro, very vintage. I LOVE IT. Then, on the way out we stopped in some shops and I came across a bunch that you could purchase. Now, I couldn't justify buying any of them since I don't have a place for them (aka: a home), but I found them online to share ... love, love, love these posters.

Don't even know why this is tomorrowland ... but I want it.

Perfect for a little boys room!

Love the colors and the shapes in this one!

For a little boy again.


I love the drama of this one ... and the yellow background.

I think that the Haunted Mansion is the place
I would want to work if I worked at Disneyland ... I love the old Victorian house!


And last, but not least ... how can you not LOVE Small World?
Its old school - yes ... a little politically incorrect - yes ...
but it means well and has a great message.
Sad to say its in Fantasyland ... never really understood that one ...
however, we must remember that it was built before the internet.
I think the idea that the world is small is no longer a fantasy ...
ladies and gentleman, we have arrived (the world is now officially small!)

Missin You Like Candy

Mandy Moore at the House of Blues, Anaheim ... it was great. Go ahead - judge me. I don't care.

Have to respect a woman who can look back at being 14 and agree that it was silly. She too thought that "missin you like candy" made no sense ... but I was still happy she sang it for us. She sang this song too ... you may hate it, but I thought it was good.

Let me just say that I like that Mandy Moore ... she's a nice girl.

travel as education

Traveling teaches so many lessons. Everyone should take some time to do some traveling. To get the most out of your traveling experience, one should go to places that you have never been to before because this world is full of surprises. When you get on a plane, train, or metro you are bound to have some interesting experiences. Community travel (aka commercial airline, train or bus and NOT a road trip in your own personal vehicle) is a talent, one that often must be learned. Patience, kindness, and compassion are just a few traits that can be developed while traveling if you will only allow it. And believe me, it is not always easy. Crying babies, individuals with more bags than they can carry (I have done this while moving across the country so I know have a little more compassion), loud snoring, loud talkers, bad smells, circulated air ... really the list could go on. But seriously, all these things just end up being good stories to tell ... so don't worry - you'll get through it.

Staying in a new place, whether it be the pull out sofa-bed of my brother and sister-in-laws
condo with their four little kids waking up at 6:30 am all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, or in the plush double-bed of a Hampton Inn suite, also teaches a few lessons. It always requires some flexibility and adventure when you aren't in your usual sleeping environment.

Traveling also breaks down stereotypes and preconceived notions. So many times have I been to places with low expectations and discovered the unique gems that individual cities have to offer. Boise, Idaho is a perfect example of this. It is a great city with a fun downtown vibe. Quaint but hip. I really really enjoyed it.



I believe places have souls - drawn from the people, the architecture, the environment, the history, and the present activities. You can feel a city's soul almost immediately ... you just get this cool vibe from places and you can feel what a city is all about. That is not to say that these vibes can't change and evolve with time as you spend a few days walking down its streets and seeking out the aspects that give the city its defining characteristics ... because they most definitely do. But I have found that time just ends up elaborating on the first impression vibe.

The more I travel - domestically and internationally - the more I realize that this world is amazing. There is so much to see and do and experience. So many different ways to live your life and so many places to live it. With all the places I have traveled to and all the states I have lived in, I find that each location provides me with a different perspective. Sometimes I feel like a chameleon because I change a little bit depending on the city I live in. My style changes a bit, my activities change a bit, and my interests change a bit. Sometimes that makes me feel like I am unsure of who I am, but really I think that its just a reflection of my learning and growth. I hope that the places I have been will continue to shape me.

Dem Peeps

No, I don't mean "them peeps" ... I mean Dem. Peeps ... or Mormons that are democrats. My favorite example, unfortunately, just passed away August 10, 2007, President James E. Faust. Now, you may be thinking ... "hmmm, I would have thought that Brother Harry Reid would be her favorite example of a dem peep" and you would be correct in the realm of politics. President Faust was very political yes (as you can see here) but he was not currently serving in a political capacity for the last 12+ years. He was instead serving the Lord as the Second Counselor to the President and Prophet Gordon B. Hinckley at the time of his passing and for those of you who are thinking "and that means??" ... it means that he was pretty well respected in the church. Not to mention he was pretty in tune with the man upstairs if you know what I mean.


President Faust's thoughtful talks given in General Conference and his kind demeanor are things I will most miss. He was compassionate, loving and urged forgiveness and brotherly kindness. Most important to me, especially at this time in my life now, he represented that the gospel of Jesus Christ is not political. At least it was not meant to be politicized or polarizing. The Salt Lake Tribune refers to Faust's own sentiments expressed to his biographer:

"I am a conservative on fiscal and property matters, and I am liberal in terms of human values and human rights," Faust told his biographer, James P. Bell. "I believe what it says in the Book of Mormon, that the Lord values all of his children equally - black and white, bond and free, male and female, Jew and gentile - and that the Lord likewise has compassion for the heathen."

"He went on to say that the LDS Church would prefer to have members in both parties."

My dad jokes that the "heathens" he is referring to are the Republicans ... only I don't think he is actually joking when he says that. Anyway, the article opens up with a great reference to Bill Clinton - please read it (see link above).

I know what will be on my Christmas list this year - President James E. Faust's biography by James P. Bell In the Strength of the Lord: The Life and Teachings of James E. Faust.