Saturday, May 28, 2011

Two Decades Old!

My birthday came just as it does every year, but this time I turned 20. Wait, what? TWENTY? That just sounds so...old. Of course nobody else seems to think so, except for kids I babysit who have this idea in their heads, like me, that "twenty" means mature and grown up. It's kind of sad: I will never be a teenager again. But, moving on...my "twenties" will be fantastic!

I was fortunate to get some nice Ed Hardy perfume and a good guitar case from my parents, a new pair of sweeet sunglasses from Sta, and a guitar stand from James. The stand came in three pieces, so James wrapped each one separately and hid them, making me read through riddles to find them. It was so cute. Sis. Rasmussen, Moose, and Sara came over for dessert and were joined by Travis and Mandy Speed a little later. Corinne was there for dinner (corned beef, as always!) and she brought be back an awesome bracelet from Vietnam and some strange Vietnamese candy haha. I had to work that day, which was kind of a bummer, but I guess that's just what twenty-year-olds do!

James hid my present in a tree!

Blowing out my candles

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Mom for a Weekend

I had my hands full watching the three Perkins kids while their parents went away for the weekend. What an adventure! We did a lot of fun activities, and even managed to get through sacrament meeting without a fuss from Avery. Mission impossible: accomplished. Some of the fun things we did:
  • Antelope Hills carnival. We walked to the school across the street and had a blast at this free carnival going on. The kids got their face painted, ate ice cream, played on the big blow-up slides, and danced on stage! Those three kids have some crazy dance skills!
  • Walking Oreo. A visit to my house proved eventful when we took Oreo on a walk to the park by my house. We took turns holding the leash and then ran around with Oreo once we got to the park. Brayden had fun going down the slide with Oreo.
  • Mulligan's. Lizzie and Tony gave me some free miniature golf passes before they left, so we went down to Mulligan's to make good use of them. I told the kids we could do mini gold and ONE other thing only, due to the outrageous prices. Of course, that never satisfies anyone. Brayden didn't wear socks with his shoes, so he got a blister and that sure didn't help his mood when I said no to the arcade games. We did come to a compromise though. Camden could do the rookie go-carts for his "one other thing" and Brayden could have a few bucks for the arcade for his "one other thing." Brayden exchanged his tickets for a "go go ninja" which he took practically everywhere he went for the rest of the weekend. I made sure we didn't lose that little guy...or else the world as Brayden knew it might as well have ended haha. Mini golf was a blast! Avery was so cute with her golf club as she followed the boys and tried to get her ball into the hole.
  • Playdate with the Dyer's. The boys were asking me all day "When can we go to the Dyer's house?" So it was a nice break for me when they went over there for a while. After Avery woke up from her nap, I took the opportunity and went and picked up a few things at the store-dinner for that night and breakfast the next morning. Then the Dyer's came over to our house and we all ate dinner and then the kids played outside for a while. They all play so well together! It made my job a lot easier!
  • Church on Sunday. I guess I kinda just wanted to prove to myself that I could get three kids ready for church by myself and sit quietly through sacrament. Success! I packed a bag with extra diapers, paper, and toys for the kids. We were a little late, despite my efforts to get there early haha. Avery had a cold and so she didn't go to nursery. So she rested in the foyer with me while the boys were in primary. She started getting fussy toward the end of the third hour and had no problem going down for a nap when we arrived home!
It was definitely a busy weekend, but it was a good experience for me, and the kids too (I hope!). It was cute, Brayden didn't want me to leave and tried to block the door so that I couldn't go home.

**Wish I had pictures! Unfortunately my memory card for my camera is not behaving.

Saturday, May 14, 2011

New Lyrics!

Where You Belong

Wake up and feel the sun shining on my face
Another sunny day
In Californ-i-a

But though the weather's nice, I've got nothing to do
Wishing I was with you
Hoping you feel the same way too

[Chorus:]
I've been to the beach a hundred times
Felt the sand between my toes
Hollywood, Newport, and San Diego
It's not bad I suppose
But with summer so near and you so far
Baby I can't wait that long
I want you back in California
Back where you belong

I dream I'm walking along the coast with your had laced in mine
That would be just fine
I think about it all the time

We'd laugh as the tide comes in from the sea
You make me so happy
I need you here with me

[Bridge:]
'Cause I'm out here all alone
just waiting
Underneath a cloudless sky.
I'm out here all alone
just praying
That soon enough you'll arrive
And we can finally start our life...
-----------

Very rough draft of course! But a good start I'd say. Now I just need to write the guitar part...

Monday, May 9, 2011

Sunburned Never Felt So Good

California has been treating me well! The weather has been absolutely beautiful. After a long winter in Utah, I love just being outside and feeling the sun beating down on my face. Its been quite boring compared to my busy college life that I love so much. But last week, I had the chance to go to the beach with Rebekah. It was 93 degrees at the beach! Glorious. We only got waste-deep in the ocean because it was freezing cold. It felt good to be in the water again though. I definitely got sunburned, but it was just enough to turn my white Utah skin a shade or two darker the next day. The week got even better when we decided to go to Seaport Village and Coronado Island with Rachel and their friend Laura the following day. Seaport is one of my favorite places in San Diego, and San Diego is one of my favorite places in the world. I had never been to Coronado, however, and after only a few minutes after crossing that stunning bridge, I knew I had found a new favorite place. We ate dinner at Panera Bread, another new favorite! Then we went to visit the famous Hotel Del. We first parked right next to the parking lot, but Laura insisted she knew a better way. So we ended up parking by the beach and hiking the whole way in the sand by the water up to the hotel. Rebekah's dad was with us, not dressed in anything remotely close to beach attire haha. We laughed the entire way there about how silly it was for us to walk all this way. When we (finally) got to the hotel, we explored a little bit and looked at the shops and expensive restaurants. The hotel and its location was breathtaking!


Back to the beach!

Oceanside pier

By the time we got to Panera Bread, we were all starving!

Hotel Del Coronado!