A good long break

(pictures are forthcoming)

So I spent the last week in Palm Desert, California (near Palm Springs) with lovely lovely Rachelle, her fabulous mother Janet, and the little sisters, Elise, Lauren, and Patrisha. I have never spent so much time relaxing. The weather was perfect, the sunshine was very sunshiny just the way I like it, and I got to hang out with all those people that I love!

Highlights:

1. The gym at the resort where we stayed. First of all, elevation in Palm Desert is super low so it was a whole lot easier to run for a long time than it is in Provo, and second of all, the machines had INDIVIDUAL TVs ON THEM! They were super cool. You could even hook up an iPod and control your music by the computer screen on the machine. Too bad I don't have an iPod.

2. Joshua Tree National Park. It was a highlight because it was a very hilarious experience. Apparently the park is really big, and we were at the wrong end of it. The tour guide people told us that we would have to drive for like 1.5 hours to get to the recommended hikes and stuff. We nodded to the lady and acted like that was a good idea, but once we walked away we were like, "what? Is she crazy? Those hikes don't even sound cool anyway!" We were in the middle of the desert, and let's face it, the terrain was quite ugly. So, Janet said, "let's just find something scenic, take a picture, and get outta here." So that's what we did. The funniest part about that is that we were in a National Park, and we had to search for something scenic that was worth taking a picture of. That is one challenge I have never had to face before. I guess we are just spoiled by all the fabulous National Parks in Utah. So anyway, we drove about 5 minutes up the road and took a picture by a Joshua Tree. Those trees look like Trafala Trees from The Lorax who "speaks for the trees."

3. IRONMAN 2. One of my favorite parts of the trip. I LOVE IRONMAN. Rachelle loves the first movie, but we never watched it together. Prior to this trip I had only seen the first movie one time. And I really liked it when I saw it, but for some reason, I never watched it again. But now I have seen it two more times and went to the new movie, and I CAN'T GET ENOUGH. I am in love with Tony Stark. Marry me please, dear Tony. I don't even care that you are kind of old. You are rich, handsome, really super smart, hilarious, and well, a superhero. What more could a girl want?

4. We played Clue one afternoon. Lauren won. And she was so insistent on winning that I have never been happier to lose a game of Clue. I would have feared for my life had I beat her at this game. And you know how I feel about Clue. It's the best game ever invented, and I'll admit, I really really really take it seriously and try to win. And I usually do. But this time, I lost gracefully (hold your applause).

5. SLEEPING IN. We literally slept in until eleven everyday. Like, after the first couple of days, I didn't even STIR until about that time. Crazy. Elise, for some reason, had a very difficult time with sleeping in. She literally automatically woke up everyday at 6:50, went back to sleep, and then woke up at like 9. She had to wait for everyone else to wake up, so she just sat by the window and read a magazine. Silly Elise.

6. Sitting at the pool. I love bleaching my hair in the sun and making my skin turn brown. I have already accepted the fact that I will have skin cancer when I'm old. It's just a fact of life. I like being tan.

7. Trying to read. So... I read "The Last Song" by Nicholas Sparks. And people, don't even try to read it. It was one of the most obnoxious books I have ever read. Point of view shifted so often that I didn't care one bit about any of the characters, and really, they were unrealistic anyway. AND, you could just tell that the book was written to be turned into movie. Like it was done on purpose. That is so annoying. Like, the movie wasn't that great anyway. And the book would NEVER have been turned into a movie if it hadn't have been Nicholas Sparks who wrote it. It's like Rachelle said, he's past the tipping point in popularity, and nobody examines his work for quality anymore. They just assume it's good. So then, there are just all sorts of ignorant teenagers walking around trying to read a good book, and then they read that and get all sorts of misconceptions about reading. They read a book that is supposedly "good," but when it's not, they think that all "good" books are that dumb, and they don't read anymore. You see the damage that commercialized book franchises can do? It's awful. So, in short, don't read that book. So, second I tried to read "The Alchemyst" by Michael Scott. It was recommended to me by my cousin Shawn (shout-out to Shawn and his wife Anna. They just had a baby!). I've been meaning to read it since Christmas, and I finally bought it. I'm about halfway through and am not in love with it. Maybe I'm hard to please. I'll finish the book before I complain about it. :)

8. We went to a street fair in Palm Springs on Thursday night. There were all sorts of vendors with jewelry, home decor, art, and all sorts of other crazy stuff. There were lots of old couples holding hangs, men walking around together, and punk/creepy teenagers doing drugs (well, they looked like they could easily be seen slinking around in dark alleyways doing drugs...). It was a weird experience. But super fun. I bought a chocolate covered frozen banana.

9. We ate lots and lots of cookies. And bite size butterfingers.

10. We played Balderdash. Did you know that in Riverside County, California it is against the law to stick your tongue out at a dog? Well, since we were in Riverside we decided that we were going to break that law... but we kept forgetting when we went out. I guess it's just so ingrained to CTR that we even blocked out the idea of breaking any rules. Also, there's a movie called, "Under the Rainbow." And guess what it's about? Munchkins from the Wizard of Oz GONE CRAZY! Let's just say that if I had netflix, it would be next on my queue.

11. I decided, while were there, that pants and capris are too restricting in general. Skirts and dresses are the way to go. Or shorts that aren't made of denim. We'll see how long that decision lasts now that I'm back in Provo (and it's way colder here than it was in the desert of California).

12. "I'm just workin'... workin' hard to please you." Love, Justin Bieber (funnyordie.com) JB=theme of the trip.

13. We went to the pool everyday in search of eye candy. Unfortunately, the pickings were actually very slim. There were like two attractive men at the pool TOTAL. And they were probably younger than us. Well, Rachelle and I did get hit on by some foreign golfers while walking back to the villa one day... they were a little bit hot. And a little bit old. But still.

So doesn't it just sound great? I came home with blonder hair and browner skin. A much improved Audrey. Plus I'm all ready to get into a schedule again- I've had enough relaxing (which is good, because I was really sick of having to get up early every morning with no respite from the routine). It was very very enjoyable while it lasted, but I'm glad to be home. Ya'll know I can only stand to live without a plan for a short amount of time. :)

But Rachelle, thank you so so so so much for inviting me. It was fabulous. A perfect end to our lives as roommates. And while I may not be ready to close that chapter in my life- I feel closure. I can move on... but you have to come visit every weekend and we have to have frequent sleepovers. I don't know how I'll survive without your nightly insight into my life and problems. Plus I need to help you with relationship issues. You know I'm good at that, if only because I listen while you talk everything out. So anyway, love you and miss you. And thank you.