California Dreaming and I love the Beach PART 2

My recent family vacation to the lush, wonderland that is Southern California.

Our family vacation had a little bit of a rough start-- Stephanie got sick and bailed on the whole thing...which meant that the family vacation became a family vacation-Stephanie vacation. And let's be honest, Stephanie is the heart and soul of the crew. She's the loud and funny one. I mean, they are all loud and funny, but as the oldest, she is the ringleader.

The following is a list of things that occurred on said family vacation:

1. IT TOOK A SOLID 10 HOURS TO DRIVE FROM ST. GEORGE TO LA.  This is supposed to be a 6 hour drive. The logical person might conclude that something terrible must have happened for it to have taken so incredibly long to arrive at destination b. No. Nothing happened. except my father. who was in an unusually good mood and decided to stop a total of 6 times. 3 of those stops were in LAS VEGAS. you read that right. He had also wanted to stop in Mesquite... but I was able to convince him not to. It was a miserable drive. But my father was like singing and whistling to himself the whole time, like there could not be a better drive, ever. Adorable.

2. The first day we went to the wonderful land of Lompoc. My father's dreamland (that must have been why he was so jolly the day before). My dad went to high school and left on his mission from this little California coastal town, and it holds a very special place in his heart. We had never been there before this trip-- and we were all actually very excited to visit too. We wanted to see it. And it was lovely. We loved Lompoc. We were there for the annual Flower Festival. We went to the parade (I LOVE parades) and the festival (oohhh and I love festivals), and then we drove around and he showed us his old house and everything. It really was a dream. :)

what a lovely bunch of parade goers.

3. After much discussion and persuasion (and there might have been a pickled herring involved), my mother and I were able to convince Andrew and father that driving to Neverland Ranch was in their best interest. A difficult feat, mind you. My brother and dad are two of the most persuasive people I have ever met, so they know all the secrets and getting them to do what you want is very hard. BUT, I think my puppy dog eyes are finally what did it (at least I'd like to think so). Andrew realized that driving the extra half hour to Neverland would be a dream come true for me. And it was...even though we could only see the gate. And it wasn't even the same gate that was there when Michael was in residence. But it was still great. Pictures are below, never fear.

The new gate.

4. Many of the car rides included rousing games of "Arthur Trivia" or "Boy Band Trivia." Elise and I make up the best games in this world. These 2 games consisted of everyone taking turns asking questions about Mark Brown's television show, "Arthur" or else questions about 90's boy bands. Both are excellent games. Elise won Arthur Trivia by a long shot (even though we didn't keep score), and I think I take the cake on the boy band one. Boy bands, if you didn't know, are my specialty.

5. Sunday was spent at a church in the LA area and at the LA temple. We walked around the grounds and then hung out at the visitor's center. We also made an appearance at this one terrifying beach... you know, just to splash around and see all the freaks and weirdos on the boardwalk. I was very uncomfortable, actually. Not that great.

my darling baby jo... who is going to be 17 next month. WHA???????

I told elise to get rid of that butt crack part like 12 times, just so you know.

6. Santa Monica beach on Monday. I love the ocean. so sososososoososososo much. The beach was beautiful and warm (except kind of not really. I think I was cold for like a solid three days on this trip. California is super tricky... because you think it's supposed to be warm... and then it's SOO not.) and I went a little too far into the ocean, I think. The lifeguard got a little angry with Andrew and I. I was just annoyed because the lifeguard assumed I wasn't a good swimmer. I am, okay? I just get in that there ocean and want to go out farther and farther and farther. It feels so amazing to get swallowed up in the waves. You feel so small and insignificant-- and so in awe of the wonder of the ocean. How the waves break and then disappear. How they create chaos and then an instant calm. it's amazing. But so anyway, there was an adorable pier on the beach. We rode the ferris wheel and had amazing hamburgers. Holy cow.

yummmm they love that ice cream. my parents are more adorable than yours.

7. The trip included a lot of bonding. We really had so much fun as a family, but I really missed Stephanie. There was definitely a hole. We love her.

8. I read a book, mostly on the road. Divergent. Not that good. Many people had recommended it... but I didn't like it well enough to even read the second one, so there.

9. My father snores, fyi.

10. My mother wore tie-dye sunglasses.

11. Andrew and Mallory were continuously adorable.

12. Moriah kept trying to take naps on me in the back seat. The back seat is mine, okay Baby jo?

13. And Elise just kept getting mad every time I tried to read. So rude.

14. An unexpectedly small amount of arguing and/or stressful decision making. We were all very chill. Unusually so. I feel like there is generally this expectation in my family that we all always have a say in everything. And we all care where we eat, every time. We each, individually, care so much, that it takes a lengthy, full one discussion about where to stop the car for lunch. It's so ridiculous. But there was very little of that on this trip. I think it's partly because I chose to keep my mouth shut (let's face it...I'm probably a large part of that problem), and because we've all matured quite a bit since the last go-around. Anyway, it was lovely.

So thank you, mom and dad, for taking us on this heavenly, peaceful, and lovely vacation. Love you tons.

ID Stole My Heart

Thus begins a tale of a self-indulgent, expensive, quick trip to sin city to see the hottest new boy band that I've been a fan of for, oh, like 4 months.

Was it worth it?

Yes. Definitely yes.

I drove down to St. George with my friend Candace on June 8--- you know, to prepare for the concert on June 9. We slept at my house and then spent the next day making our shirts and then driving down to Vegas. We got there a couple hours early, and there was already a massive line of SCREAMING girls. Yes. They were already screaming. Why? Because that is what teeny boppers do. They scream. We cut in line with some other Provo girls that we know--who had also made some rad shirts--and commenced our own screaming. Girls came running down the line to tell everyone to sing "What Makes You Beautiful" as a group, or else they just came down the line to scream, and for no other purpose.

yes, that is still on my car.

But everyone in line, and near our seats (once we sat down like an hour late) was very friendly and very nice. And I was led to the conclusion that teeny boppers-- and Directioners in general--are a great kind of people. You know, when you are sitting there screaming with someone, a special kind of bond forms.

Megan, Karen, Candace, Me. Yes, her shirt says, "It's Gotta Be Harry Styles." I was jealous.

At one point, before the concert started, there was a commotion in the lower bowl (yes, our seats were at the tippy top. Did we care? no no no no). We looked down but couldn't really tell what was going on. It looked as though the One Direction boys were down in the crowd! Taking pictures with people. So. Candace used her super duper camera to zoom in on the crowd and take some super-up-close pictures.And guess what we found?? THEY WERE IMPOSTERS!!! There were 5 fake look-a-like imposter One Direction boys down in the crowd causing mass hysteria. How rude, right? The 11 year old girls behind us were FREAKING OUT. The one girl started crying. So we turned around and showed them our pictures. They calmed down a lot once they realized that the people in the lower bowl weren't meeting the real thing. But how evil and tricky of those imposters, right?

So there were 2 opening acts. One random girl who was really lame and not even a good singer. And then this dude, Olly Murs, who was also on the British X-Factor, who was so rad I couldn't even stand it. He was awesome. And his background singers were GROOVIN'. Seriously. He was kind of '50s old style with a modern twist-- a little Bruno Mars-y, but no gross. You know what I'm saying. He was adorable and just precious. And he could move. Man, he could move.

A VERY blurry Olly Murs and his rad backgrounds.

Harry, Zayn, Liam, Louis, Niall

AND THEN. Enter One Direction. They were so so great. You know, I can't even remember what they started the show with. Honestly, I've never experience such screaming in my entire life. Even the boys kept saying, "YOU GUYS ARE LOUD!!" And then they would just scream louder. And then Harry would say something, and screaming would block out any possibility of any other sound. It was deafening, and actually very hard to hear the music. But those One Direction boys are so funny. They made all sorts of jokes and they were adorable, and they sounded GREAT live. Great. And Niall was always off on the side of the stage doing his own thing-- I don't even know. And Louis and Harry were just so funny! Zayn probably didn't talk the whole time. I don't think he said a word. But he sang. And it melted our hearts. I think that Zayn has the best quality to his voice, and s probably, technically, the best singer. I mean, I prefer Harry's voice, because it is deeper and super manly (and the kid's got massive amounts of swag), but Zayn is cool. He's a cool kid. Liam is the adult. Somehow it seems like he's the leader, like he's in charge. That might be because he acts a lot older than the others-- but he also sings like every first verse. He the first voice you hear in all the songs, there's probably some sort of subliminal message in that. Anywho, the whole thing was magical. Candace recorded like all the songs on her awesome camera. I have yet to acquire those videos into my collection of awesome things. But I will.

some mid-concert excitement, if you will.

Other fans, in the crowd,  to note:
The family in front and to my left. It was a mother, 2 daughters, and probably a 9 year old son. The mother was more excited than anyone. And after downing a couple of beers she gettin' down more than anyone else around. It was quite a spectacle. And the kids were just taking pictures of her like they thought it was hilarious! I would have been so terribly embarrassed. If my mother acted like that, I would not go out with her in public. Period. haha.


There was a couple directly in front of me that was utterly atrocious to behold. They were dressed in formal clothes. Like, prom dress and tux. For the One Direction concert. And the girl would like, try to get excited, but the boy was like all up in her grill like the whole time. I would have been like, "dude!! ONE DIRECTION! Get off me!!!" At least I couldn't hear the slurping noises over the screaming.


So my favorite parts of the show were during "One Thing" and "What Makes You Beautiful." As per their request, I called the Jessica Bodily during "One Thing" and Adrienne during "Beautiful." It made it at least a gazillion times more fun to know that I was sharing the joy with others. :) And they loved it-- they said they could hear every word and that it was amazing. Because it was.

After the supposed "final song," the boys left and everyone started crying. Okay, not really, but kind of. People started yelled "encore" or else rushed toward the exits. And let me just tell you, those people who rushed toward the exits MISSED OUT. Those One Direction boys came back on stage in SUITS. people, I'm telling the truth. Harry had a bow tie. This is real life. And they sang another song, and then the crying began in earnest (still, not really, but I assume some people cried...)

yes.

Everyone left in such a rush that there were screaming girls packed in the hallways and main entrance area to the arena like sardines. We were all smashed up against each other. So hilarious. And then, in true One Direction spirit, a rousing rendition of "What Makes You Beautiful" arose from the crowd. It was magical. And so hilarious. obv.

There was joy to be had all around.

All I can say is, after seeing One Direction, I HAVE to see Bieber. I would be a crazy person if I missed the Believe tour. So now, I just have to save my pennies and buy tickets before they get too expensive--- which was, like, a month ago. Who knows, maybe I'll win tickets on the radio or something. A girl can hope.

Cause I might be a Directioner, but I'm a Belieber first.

Loomis, CA

Will include my trip with Mike and Drake to their homeland: Loomis, Sacramento, and San Francisco.

And how it changed my world.

May the odds be ever in your favor.

So I know that Hunger Games mania has crawled to a walking pace, but I never posted these pictures, or about my wonderful weekend in St. George when I saw that movie the first time.

That weekend, which was like 2 months ago now, included the following:

1. Matching mockingjay shirts. Compliments of Stephanie Lin Spainhower.

2. All the cool people in my family. Which, interpreted, means everyone, because we all qualify as cool.
3. A flag-football tournament that my rockstar brother played in with his buddies. It was a tournament put on by some summer sales company as a recruiting thing. The boys didn't want to be recruited-- they just wanted to win the grand prize: 32" flat-screen TVs for each of them. Question for you: what do you think the chances are that they would win? Answer: very high. They even named their team the "32 inch FLATTYS." And then they won. And joy and happiness was to be had by all, except the losing teams, who should have been celebrating their chance to play against such an amazing flag-football team. Jk, but it was really fun to watch. And Andrew got a free TV that he promptly sold to Stephanie at a highly discounted price. win-win.
4. A really, really great movie. That I have now seen 3 times. The 3rd time was probably a mistake... I was totally bored and sleepy... but the first time I saw it, it was epic. I sat between my father and my sister-in-law, that lovely Mallory. We screamed and gasped together and it was great. And my verdict on the movie: I feel as though that movie is not trying to be a copycat of the book. It's like a companion piece. It adds to the story, rather than detracting, which is rare rare rare for a book-into-movie scenario. I loved the extra insight into Seneca Crane and the gamemakers. It was incredible. And the whole tone of the movie was appropriate. It was serious and conveyed the right message, but it's wasn't too dark and creepy. Well done Lionsgate. Well done.
5. This weekend, as all St. George weekends do, included a trip to Durangos. I seriously make an appearance at this eatery every time I go to St. George. Last week when I was in town, I was really busy with all sorts of stuff, and I forgot about Durangos until my mother casually mentioned it. And then it was over. There was no going back. I had to have Durangos. Within the hour.

You know, more and more, I realize that my life revolves around food. When and where I am going to get it. I eat out too much. I spend way too much money on delicious food that someone else cooks for me in an instant with next to no effort on my part. It's a miracle, really. Eating out, I mean. But I need to stop. :) It isn't healthy for my body or my wallet. But it's just so fun!!

Well, so anyway. I have been bad at blogging lately. really bad. But I'm going to try and catch up. This is the start. The events in this post happened in March.... but now they have been recorded. So three cheers for Audrey.

today already.

Things that happened today

1. I was stuck in traffic for 3.5 hours. And got sick of all the radio songs. and the morning zoo on 97.1.
2. Talked to Andrew for exactly 100 minutes and 52 seconds.
3. Heard "Truly Madly Deeply" on the radio.... this is when the day started to get better.
4. Had Chick-fil-A for lunch.... with a cute boy. And it's not the cute boy you think it is.
5. finished the work day... which was shorter than usual because of the traffic delay. And when I say delay, I mean I got to work at 11:00am. I left my house at 7:26am.

But I'm going to go shopping and I'm going to dinner with some coworkers, and life is just peachy.

Also. Yesterday I met the most beautiful little 1-day-old girl. Check Rachelle's facebook page for pictures. But seriously, I teared up a little when I met her. Child birth is such a miracle. I just can't get over how amazing it is. Brad and Rachelle have been trusted with a sweet, special spirit to take care of. And they get to teach her and love her and protect her, and that is just so lucky. And so I just want to say congratulations to the happy couple and baby. :)

24

Tomorrow I will celebrate my 24th birthday. It will be full of laughter and merriment... although I will be woeful about my increasing age.

But tomorrow I will also celebrate something else... that is even more glorious and wonderful and supremely delicious. And do you know what that is? The one year anniversary of my last day of student teaching. I can commemorate the end of all sadness and stress in my life. The past year has been blissful, comparatively. I have a great job outside of the teaching profession. I have great friends. And great possibilities for my future. And I never have to set my eyes on that school again. I still have nightmares about it, honestly. It tortures me. But at least in real life, I don't have to go there. ever. And that is simply the best thought I could have, on my birthday, every year for the rest of my life.

ALSO. Tomorrow pre-sale begins for the epic US concert tour of the one and only One Direction. July 25, 2013, I will be there. And I will buy my tickets tomorrow.

And a random thought:

So I love it when people allow the post on facebook that says they got a new high score on angry birds. I'm like, "CONGRATULATIONS! What a load of time you are wasting on facebook....and angry birds! Your life must be so cool!" and then I remember that I was probably on facebook for the same amount of time... I was just looking at other people's pictures... and then I realize that trying to beat a high score on a dumb game is probably higher than photo stalking on the productive scale. But only just barely.

Who Says

1. raise your hand if you think JLo should stop recording music. I see that everyone's hands are raised. (I bow).

2. I am not ashamed to admit that I listen to "Boyfriend" on repeat daily. I haven't synced my ipod to my itunes in a couple of days, but the play count just in itunes is 36. The song is 4 minutes long. that's a lot of bieber time.

3. One direction. Have taken over and consumed my life, in a really great way. I never thought the boy band would be super cool again (at least for a really long time), but I was very wrong. One Direction has it all. And I am in love. with their whole album. and their cute little 18 year old faces. love them. Go to vevo.com, type in "one direction," and watch all of their videos. You will not even be able to hear the music "over their gorgeousness" (glozell).

4. See future post for my weekend in St. George--- a couple weeks ago. I have realized that my stg weekends are the most eventful recently... I hope that means it's just getting close to finals and all my friends who are students are occupied and that once summer starts my social life will start to get fun agan. I hope i hope i hope i hope. Because I miss my friends.

5. I just finished reading Mockingjay again. And it is so beautiful. I enjoyed it a lot more the second time-- I mean, I still have my complaints. But that's because the book is about a war. It's not going to end neatly and perfectly, exactly the way you want it. It's about pain and struggle and suffering, and somehow, it feels very real. Suzanne Collins gave the world a gift. And I hope people realize what she is trying to teach us. I love the way she paints life, imperfections of humanity, painful hope for the future, and how overwhelmingly, there is always something to live for-- even in the most desperate of situations. People go on living. They survive. And it's beautiful. It's colorful and dramatic and anxious and real.

6. When I read those books I have dreams about them all night--- for days. And it's not pleasant, but I like it. I feel like, if I have dreams about something, it means it has really left an impression in my brain. And that's cool. I want to be able to do that for people one day. Teach what I want them to know--- so that they think about it hard enough that it pervades their mind in sleep. But how do I do that? That, my friends, is the lifelong pursuit. Finding a way to make an impact on people. Teach them what I know. And I'm not talking about brainwashing, obviously. I'm talking about inciting crucial critical thinking.