Quarter of a Century!

Sometimes, I make my birthday unnecessarily difficult. Like too much pressure on those I love with my passive aggressive interest. Every year is the new best birthday and about May or so I get some wacky, over-the-top idea about what my friends and I are going to do for my birthday. Then about September or so I understand that not everyone will make it but that, I'll still do some thing great with a close friend or family member. THEN about mid October I know no one will make it, and money might be tight, but without a doubt, I WILL DO SOMETHING MAGICAL FOR MY BIRTHDAY! Then about a week out from my birthday and get grumpy and secretly but not-so-secretly convince myself my birthday will suck and no one cares.

Yeah. 

It's a lot. 

And with this year being my ever-magical quarter of a century, big 2-5, TWENTY FIVE YEAR BIRTHDAY, tensions were even higher. 

I know this is loooong story short, but I am pleased to announce that this year's birthday may have been the best yet!! It was so much fun to feel an outpouring of love from all the best people in my life. 

I was bummed to find out that Ross just started the (rumored?) most grueling rotation of third year the week of my birthday. So you can imagine my pure shock when Ross told me he had a short day the day before my birthday, and the night shift on my birthday. I guess I'm getting used to him constantly being gone because this was music to my ears. THIS! ladies and gentlemen, was a schedule I could work with! So we planned to leave Thursday night for San Diego and stay a little on Friday (my birthday) before heading back so Ross could get back to school/ work. Ross kindly agreed that this would work so we made it happen. 

Thursday night (after a comedy of errors) we ended up eating at this way-to-chic-for-me sushi place in downtown San Diego. I'm not sure if I enjoyed it, or if I was just way too overwhelmed with chopstick mal-use insecurity. Because that's a real thing. But despite my chopstick utilizing, sushi grappling lack of skills, it was amazing, beautiful, and unique.

I spent the rest of the night with a debilitating headache but that's almost standard now. 

Friday morning we were up and off to Old Town San Diego, an accomplice in the previous Honeymoon From Hell melodrama circa 2011. It was amazing to go back and have a short, simple, fun look around. We started at the Mormon Battalion Museum.



Everything else was closed but you know you can always count on the Mormons to have those doors open bright and early. I was fully expecting it to be pretty lame (albeit a good place to kill time -Bad Mormon Of The Year Award). I was blown off my feet to see a really interesting and interactive exhibit!

I got to teach Ross how to pan for gold because hello, I graduated from fourth grade in California so I know a lot of important things about California history (starting to learn that fourth grade was a pivotal point in my life).



Proud miners with our gold nuggets... that we got to keep... so pretty much we are rich.

Afterwards we saw this fantastic car in the parking lot. I have no idea.



Then wandered around Old Town.



Eyeballing fancy things that I need to have in my life.



And enjoying some history.



Oh, and creepy llama toys that were very soft but very possibly made out of human hair.

After all that we were pretty famished so we at at the much anticipated Rockin' Baja Lobster. We were going to eat here on HFH (Honeymoon From Hell) but we spent all our money on car repairs and consequently ate frozen pizza. #stillbitter But now Ross is a doctor and I pan for gold, we are pretty much rich, so it was time.



The decor was awesome, it had a fun cantina feel and the food was absolutely amazing! We got a free dessert since it was my birthday but we were so full I don't know how we ate any of it.



Also, I got a pina coloada because I AM 15 YEAR OLD KRISTEN AND I DO WHAT I WANT. It was fabulous, btw.

We were pretty fat and happy so we decided to head home. It was a perfect birthday and to add to the joy I got a call from a potential job that they wanted to move me forward to the next step in the hiring process and check out my references! Wahoo (not that I need a job because of said mining).

On the way home I slowly opened my presents because I love the mystery of not knowing. But I also love presents. You can see the "before" picture on the right. My LUSH induced haze as I sniff the present and my eyes roll back in my head. And the "after" picture on the left as I am still ecstatic even though I already knew it was something from LUSH.



Here is my birthday loot form Ross.



LUSH, beautiful purple abalone earrings, LEGO minifigures, and Minnetonka shoes! I have wanted Minnetonka shoes ever since I was young. It was a fun surprise to unwrap them because I had no idea. I even saw some while we were walking around Old Town and sighed a heavy sigh that "Someday, I will get some."

When we got home I was overjoyed to see so many packages sitting by the door! Ross saw the flowers and had a moment of panic like, "Shoot! FLOWERS! I should have gotten her flowers!" I was so excited to get beautiful bright flowers. All set up in a vase and everything.



My parents came that evening because I had hatched a plan, so the birthday festivities continued!

With pizza of course.



We hung out a bit, and I opened even more presents.



I love the wide variety, it is so fun to see how well everyone knows me. Arts and crafts, glow sticks, flowers, and nail polish. I wish you could see the pictures better, particularly of the nail polish. I can't wait to put it to use.

Sadly Ross had to get to work, but my parents whisked me away to Palmdale.



I had some "birthday" pumpkin cheesecake, and got to hang out and relax with the family. Words cannot express what a great birthday it was. It's funny to think back at how wildly different it was from my previous birthday. I feel so honored and blessed to be surrounded by such amazing people that call me their friend. I am a lucky person and I look forward to all that 25 has to offer.

In particular... My next big adventures. Which just so happens to start on MONDAY!

Oh Hai Utah: Part II

Friday morning we set out to Salt Lake City, making a few stops along the way. One of which led us to run in to this lady, bringing her pet bird into the store with her. The bird just very nicely sat on her purse, in the cart while she shopped around.

In Hollywood we get puppies in purses, and in St. George you get parrots on purses. 

Since California is experiencing a pretty massive drought, it was incredible to see how green southern Utah is! They had some huge rainstorms come through, and although they resulted in road closures and flooding, looks like a bunch of green popped up. The colors, reds, blues, greens, were really bright. 

We made it to Utah and had a fun time hanging out, and playing with Jen's dog, Corndog. 

Corndog tends to steal the show whenever she is around, mostly because she is so cute, partially because she is pretty hyper.

This weekend is what we call in the LDS church, "Conference Weekend." It comes twice a year and it is the opportunity we have to listen to church in our jammies hear from Church leaders and our Prophet. We projected it up on the wall so we could watch in IMAX style. Although the event spans two days, we still had time to do some fun things. We made some delicious personal pizzas, took a walk in the park, and did some shopping. 

But the biggest event of the weekend was celebrating Rissa's birthday!! She is going to be out of town on her birthday, so it actually worked out great to come to Utah and celebrate early. You can tell my sister is a genius because she chose a variety cheesecake.

Rissa also finally taught me how to make these cool crepe flowers! 

Sadly we had to say goodbye Monday, and we headed back. Quite unfortunately for us, we were hungry right around Payson, which next to maybe Beaver, couldn't be a more fantastically horrific place to be hungry in Utah. I might even take mid-southern highway weeds to eateries in that area, particularly after my mom's bout of food poisoning on the way up. 

But, mom, always giving people the benefit of the doubt and searching for the next big thing, was convinced we could find something. Ali and I, thoroughly unimpressed and jaded from years of sub-par "mexican" restaurants in Utah, were fairly unenthused about Don Chuy's. We sat in the parking lot awhile convincing my mom that we shouldn't go in. 

But, as you might imagine, mom won. And it wasn't half bad (given the circumstances). The carnitas was crispy and flavorful and the carne asada was a little spicy and didn't have a bunch of gristle. The employees were super friendly and helpful too. But the best part? No food poisoning yaaay!

Our next food stop was just outside of Vegas at a Triple D restaurant. It took us forever to navigate to it, and we were pretty hungry when we arrived, but it was worth it. It's a place called Lola's, a Louisiana kitchen. And the food was incredible. I would definitely go out of my way to go back there. 

After a stop at State line it was the long boring drive back, but at least we got a beautiful sunset.

Glass Blowing: A How to Guide

It has been a long time since I wrote one of my super useful tutorials. So here I go again.

How to Blow Glass
1.) Convince your sister that this is a worthy cause and totally worth her time
2.) Buy Groupon
3.) Use Groupon

I know, I know, it's really almost the most simple thing in the world. Especially if you have a totally amazing sister like I do. Then there is not so much the need for convincing as there is for scheduling.

Way way back in a time before Kristen was in America for real, a lonely and excited for summer adventures girl saw an incredible deal on Groupon. The opportunity to form and mold an amazing glass flower out of just a lil blob of glass.



It was sadly too quick, but fun and challenging (if you have tiny little t-rex arms like me so you need the guy's help to actually do it).



We got to choose our colors for the petals and the stem. Then the masters gave us a little demo, then helped us with our own.



It was soo cool!

The worst part is that we had to leave them there so they could fire and set them. We got to wander around the studio for a little bit and the sculptures and works of art they produce are breathtaking.



They have done work for Mormon temples, business, and even homes! I have a new measure of wealth. True wealth is being able to have a huge three paneled stained glass masterpiece in your bedroom. Wow.

Here is Rissa's finished flower. I love the way it turned out.

Mine didn't turn out exactly how I pictured it. The stem was a little more poopy-green than I expected. But I picked the colors to match my bedspread/ shower curtain so I guess it will go perfect in the bathroom.



Also, Marissa and I are fairly sure that we need to go to school to learn how to do all of those things. I mean, how amazing would it be to be able to create those things just out of your hand and your brains (with extensive schooling, practice, and expensive materials).

Concert time: USANA Style

There have been many activities that I have been plotting planning before I even stepped on this blessed American soil. I love going to concerts and I was hoping that Ross and I would be able to go to one or two this summer. In my searching for a suitable concert, I found an amazing line-up!

Plain White T's

Daughtry

Goo Goo Dolls

Whhaaa?! All bands that I had heard of? In an outdoor amphitheater at dusk? And... the best of them all... affordable? I couldn't believe it. But the real shock came when Ross gave me the "Hell no." look. I thought maaaybe he would do it for me.



Growing up, sharing a room with my older sister has shaped me in the best possible way. People often are surprised to hear I know of and enjoy bands far before my prime. But that is because I shared a stereo with my sister and I happily stole all of her cds to listen to (sorry Tarzan soundtrack, you just aren't that hip). So after Ross's "look" I went running to my sister. I knew for sure she would be up for it. The tickets were soon purchased and we hatched a plan to make my mom and two other sisters come to the concert with us.



In the end not all were able to come, and ironically enough Ross came.We had an absolutely amazing time.

The Usana amphitheater was a lot of fun. Rissa had been there before, so she knew what was up. The seats are just a matter of preference/ poison. You get to decide if you prefer the alcoholics in the seated section, or the stoners on the lawn section. We were fortunate enough to be far enough back in the seat section that we didn't get alcohol spilled on us, but were able to enjoy some second hand baking from the lawn section.

Perfection. Almost. The most perfect part of the evening was still to come. 

I was a bit shocked and appalled that Plain White T's were the opening act. But I was still so beyond my teenage-girl-dreams pleased to be seeing them live that I was okay with it. 

I remember finding them when I was in junior high, on a site called Pure Volume. This webiste was my goldmine for finding new bands and listening to cool music. Like Myspace and a 2000s version of Spotify. That was my most visited site, and I remember falling in love with The Plain White T's, and following them. You can imagine my betrayal when "Hey There Delilah" was such a huge hit. 

Way back in those days when tiny little Kristen could only dream about going to a live concert, I thought it would be simply brilliant to wear a plain white t-shirt to the concert. Because, get it?!?! Yeah I was weird even back then. I had a huge crush on the lead singer, Tom. 

The performance was amazing, and I almost got weepy during Delilah, but the pre-teens who incorrectly thought that song was for them were getting on my nerves and I couldn't show my weak side. After their set I went to check out their merch table (although, c'mon, I already HAD my plain white tee band shirt). I saw some creepers hovering by the back gate to the stage. Poking through the cracks. 

Pfffttttttttt!!!!!!!! What a bunch of wierdos right? Until Tom briefly poked out to say hello. 

HOLY FAN GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I totally lost my cool in the most epic fashion. Not in a flipping out going nuts fashion, at least not outwardly. I totally froze. I couldn't move my limbs and my face got flushed. 

Ross urged me to go over and say hi. I'm not even kidding, ^ that was me. I found some ounce of gumption somewhere in my body and went over. My mind was racing. I couldn't think straight. What would I say to him?! That I had followed him since purevolume.com, pre-Hey There Delilah days!? Sign my shirt? Be my best friend? Shake my hand?! HUG ME!??!?

My face flushed and I couldn't breathe. Right before he was going to sneak back away forever I asked if I could get a picture with him and in a hot sweaty beautiful mess of a side embrace, Ross aka best husband in the world, took this picture for me. 

One of the most insane moments of my life. I was so overcome with joy. I am 90% sure I am happier in this photo than all of my wedding photos, or maybe any photo ever taken of me ever. 

I think that is all I actually said to him. My heart was racing and I couldn't think.

That ladies and gentlemen is how you fangirl so hard. I still can't decide if I am mortified about it or just over-the-moon about it all. 

I'm pretty sure ^that is how I looked when I was walking up to him. I spend the rest of the night trying to recover from that glorious event. Daughtry isn't my favorite but it was a fun set. Goo Goo Dolls were amazing. He puts on a great live show, all the chatter between each song was fantastic. I love when you get to see the comical side of musicians. It was epic hearing "Iris" live.

Can summer please last forever? 

Take Me Out To the Ballgame

Friday night I decided I should exercise my Pass of All Passes and go to a ballgame. Being the rebel I am, I rooted for the away team. I mean, its the Ogden RAPTORS for goodness sake.

Ross's "vintage" hat from when he was little. I don't think it gets much cooler than that. 

Don't be surprised when I say I don't care too much for baseball. It's probably true that it's the one sport that I am closest to understanding, but you know what else I understand? Ballpark food. Greasy, half warm, half cold ballpark food. Mmm. Yessir I'm an American after all. 

That is one excited kid with a bratwurst on a pretzel bun.

Please note Rissa's bipartisan approach to the game. The Orem Owlz are red and are a feeder team for the Anaheim Angels. The Ogden Raptors are blue and a feeder team for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Gotta represent LA!

I'm the luckiest girl in the world to finally be living close to the best roommate ever.

It was a very beautiful night, nice fluffy clouds as the sun set. The Orem Owlz lead at first, but then the Raptors totally dominated and smashed them. 

Rissa and I bowed out early, however. So we were unable to see the beautiful defeat, but instead we were able to see a beautiful human being! My sister flew in from Ghana where she was doing an internship for the past several weeks. I take full credit for the creativity of the ginormous 'Murican flag cookie with about a half inch of frosting. 

After hours and hours of flying you can tell Cass is so excited for the cookie!!

SISTERS are the BEST!!! Watch out Utah, 3 Widdi crazies at once, in one place. 

Donut Falls

Saturday started off great because I woke up at my sister's. The night before, she went online and scoped a hike out for us. So we got ready and headed out and up Little Cottonwood Canyon.

It was a beautiful drive. These great big green mountains never get old (until they are covered in snow -then I can do without them). The hike was called Donut Falls.

It was nicely marked and a family friendly trail. It was a bit crowded, which is still something I have a hard time getting used to coming from lil old Grenada.

On the hike you walk along the river and cross it too.



 And being at a higher altitude, I even saw a couple snow patches.

The hike ends at the Donut waterfall.

Rissa was telling me that it is called Donut Falls because it is a bit of a geological wonder. You can see in the second picture a closer view of the "donut" in the rock. The water flows into the rock, disappears, then pops back out the other side instead if flowing down and over the surface of the rock. Pretty cool. 

It was such a beautiful day we took a moment along the river bank on the way back.

After the hike we went to Lone Star Taqueria. I guess Rissa and I were on a Latino food blitz. That and I feel the need to prove (if for none other than myself) that there are decent Mexican food places in Utah. 

The food was great. They have homemade tamales, and delicious fish (& shrimp) tacos. 

But I had to take one point off just because they don't have horchata. ;)