California Adventures (not the theme park)

This last weekend for my 21st Birthday me and some of my friends headed out to California
to go to Six Flags!
The first day we left home at 7:22, later than I expected
but it still worked perfect.
We drove straight to Santa Monica beach!!!
I love that beach!
It is so fun to see all the cool gymnastic like equipment where you can swing around, do flips,
etc.
Also, they have this amazing pier with so many fun shops, street performers, a ferris wheel, etc.
We walked down that, took pictures, were mesmerized by the ocean and
the little sea gulls and pigeons flying around.
After enjoying the pier we headed to the water!! I jumped in first and quickly
got to jumping with the huge waves that were coming in.
I love when they come and crash right by me or right after me so I can jump with it.
I love playing in the ocean. Seriously.
I don't think I can properly explain it to you, you just have to see it in action.
Good thing I am going to Hawaii in 2 weeks ;)
It was over cast at the beach so it was a bit chilly but we still
stayed in for a good amount of time.
So after we enjoyed the water we went to lunch at a place with Shwarma!
It is a pita gyro like item that I ate a lot in Jerusalem! It was
so fun to eat shwarma in the states and to share it with my friends.
So after we ate we drove to our hotel in Valencia and since traffic is ALWAYS
sooo congested in Ca it took us like an hour.
But thats ok I had the window rolled down basically for 3/4s of the drive
to the hotel and it was the best.
I love the balmy Ca air.
So then we went to Vons which is the equivialent of Safeway here. Who knew??
It was nice to use my value card.
After this we went and checked into our hotel and ate our dinners we bought
at Vons.
I bought a rotisserie chicken and apricots and I ended up eating the whole chicken except the thighs.
I would eat a piece of chicken with a dried apricot. MMM divine.
So then we watched Mega Mind which is actually DARLING. I really liked it.
We didn't finish it because we fell asleep ha at 11:30.
We definitely stayed out late, you knowww.
Actually we are way lame and get 8 hours of sleep on vacation both nights, what ev.
So Saturday we woke up and ate breakfast and went to Six Flags!
We got there a half hour early so we were in the first 100 people to get in the park.
Grant told us we had to run to X2 cause its the best ride so he led all of us in
a run
UP this
huge HILL.
Ok wait.
Hill??
Running??
I didn't sign up for this.
But alas I ran to the ride (with maybe a quick break)
and we only had to wait like 10 mins for a ride that has a 2 hour wait midday, so it was
worth it. We rode Viper, De Ja Vu, the WAY dumb river raft ride where Grant and I got COMPLETELY soaked. Aprils shoes got soaked, like mine and for the next few hours we were both complaining
of our sloshing shoes so for lunch we let our socks and shoes air out.
I always think of Forrest Gump where the lieutenatn Dan tells Forrest that he can't wear wet socks ever becasue your feet will rot.
I don't want my feet to rot! So I avoid wet socks.
So we ate lunch then we went on scream (this guy gave us a free fast pass for it!)
Collusus, Riddlers Revenge, Ninja, Tatsu and another one I can't think of.
The park was packed but we got to do all the major rides so I was way happy!!
I really loved it.
Roller coasters are a blast!!
I loved spending the day with April, Wesley, Grant, and Hayley. We
all got along so well and had no drama.
SO after Six Flags which ended at 10:3o pm we left and went to Dennys which is right by our hotel.
Haha
the lady didn't put our name down we realized after waiting forever and people getting called before us, then we didn't hear our name get called, haha so we waited for like an hour at Dennys.
Then we finally got to eat.
I ate coconut pineapple pancakes which were so good.
YES delicious.
We went straight to bed after that!
Sunday we went to church where the high counselor talked about missionary work in our homes and how we can develop a plan to help
those around us learn the gospel.
It made me so excited for when I have a family!
I want to have a home where missionary work is very important,
where my children know the missionaries will
be coming over with investigators
once a week, where
our friends will gather and we will have fun together and
they can learn gospel truths from us.
I am just way excited for the opportunity
to create that environment in my future home.
So that was great.
Then we were driving to LA when we saw the sign for Hollywood boulevard so we got on it and drove down it, it was cool.
Also we drove down Sunset boulevard and then
we went over to Beverly Hills!
The houses are soo cool looking and the cars!
We drove down Rodeo drive and I was just in awe the whole time, seeing
stores that I have only seen mentioned in Vogue or something
haha.
It was fun.
Then we drove around LA trying to find the temple that Wesley
thought he had found on his
navigation on his Iphone haha.
It was a fruitless search.
But it was fun to drive around nonetheless.
We got home around 10 last night.
It was such a fun fun trip where many memories were made!
I can't wait to go back :)

SO I wanted to do some clarification about my last post because I reread it and I sound all mushy. I did in fact giggle at myself and think I was a little crazy for crying while holding a new born. I didn't want to be all theatrical or anything but it was just this automated response that came on. So yes, I think my little tearing up incident is a little funny but all the same very sweet because I know it happened because of the tender feelings I was feeling while holding a new spirit that had just come to this world. Anywayyy that is all!! Ciao!

Last Friday I　ｈａｄ　ｔｈｅ　ｏｐｐｏｒｔｕｎｉｔｙ　ｔｏ　ｖｉｓｉｔ　ｍｙ　ａｕｎｔｓ　ｗｈｏ　ｌｉｖｅ　ｏｕｔ　ｉｎ　Ｓｕｒｐｒｉｓｅ　Ａｒｉｚｏｎa whom I don't see often because they live so far away.
My aunt Jamie had a baby and I haven't held a newborn since I don't know when.
I LOVED holding baby Eastyn, he is only 2 weeks old and he
just slept in my arms. It was so wonderful.
I stared down at his sweet, sweet face and was in awe.
I felt tears well up in my eyes and then spill over, I cried.
My sweet little cousins, one is 8 the other 6 came over and Chaylee the 6 year old stared at me and said "why are your eyes dripping?"
Such a sweet question!
After that Rylin wiped my tears since I was holding the baby.
It was so darling of both of them and I think they were able to feel too how special that baby is.
As I held Eastyn I wondered to myself what it would be like to create
a child with someone you love so much, your husband.
Honestly, I don't know because, 1- I don't have a husband, and 2- I haven't ever had a baby.
But I can only imagine the intense amazingness it would be, the bond you would feel and the
intense love you would have for each other and for that
being.
I am so excited to be able to experience the blessing
of bringing children into this world with the person I love most.
Someday that dream will come true, I know it will.
It is an amazing thing that our Heavenly Father gives us the opportunity to rear up His children on this earth, to teach them and help them return to Him.
What a sacred and important calling; the most sacred and the most important.
Anyway, I was so happy I got to hold baby Eastyn.
In other news, today I made bread for the first time,
I made black bread, it is really good!!
I was pretty proud of myself!
It was so nice to have the day off of work so I could just bake at home and relax, its been
a while since I did that.
I hope your week is going well :)
lots of love
ps
I am going to Six Flags this weekend.
Ask me if I am excited.
I AM.

I am supposed to be leaving to go visit my new baby cousin but I just ate the most bomb lunch and felt the urge to blog about it.
So I toasted one piece of Ezekial sprouted grain bread (gluten free bread), spread
chunky almond butter on it, and topped it with a sliced fresh peach
from the tree complete with a very miniscule amount
of honey drizzled over the top of the peach.
It was DIVINE.
Hello breakfast tomorrow.
I am so excited to go visit my cousin!
Hes two weeks old and I haven't held a newborn in years.
Im talking since I was like 12 (maybe?)
I can't even remember the last time.
GPT this morning was NOT fun.
OH well.
Also, I am starting to hate texting.
It is really bothersome sometimes!!
It doesn't help that my phone requires complete concentration when composing a text.
NOT a fan.
I am going to Six Flags in one week from today.
It feels surreal, I am soooo excited!!
Hello beach!!!
Hello screaming at the top of my lungs on rides!
Hello fun times with great friends!!
:)

Scrubs

Today I headed on over to Scrubs and Beyond and I picked out my very own pair
of red scrubs.
I put them on for work today and still haven't taken them off.
I think I could live in scrubs. Seriously, they are so comfortable!
I want to have a profession where I live in scrubs now because they are so darn comfy!!
I don't really have anything else to say.
Life is great.
Jaxon got ordained an elder yesterday and it was so special.
I am so thankful he is such an awesome kid who is worthy to hold the priesthood.
I love him!!

Even though it has been almost 2 months it still hurts.
Not a fan.
Oh well.
In other news, I have an issue with proper comma use as you probably
could tell by my terrible writing on this blog.
My English teacher graded my autobiography and he gave me an 80 on
account of my comma splice problem.
I guess that is what happens when you haven't had to do any quality writing
for the past 3 years.
Summer is over 1/4 over.
I am going to start interning at a sport chiropractors office on Monday. I am very excited!!
Dr. Bates said he is going to teach me as much as I want to know which
will be a lot because I LOVE learning new things.
I am so excited. I miss school and I miss learning.

My primary responsibility at his office will be helping the patients with their exercises after
Dr. Bates works with them; he is way into preventative measures so instead
of just adjusting a patient he teaches them
stabilization exercises
after to help strengthen their muscles so that
they prevent further damage.
I am really excited because it is right up my alley!
The best part is that I get to wear scrubs. OH YEAH.
In other news I went to the batting cages last night. After striking out my first 5 balls I hit 90% of the rest. Ya. I am good.
Haha
It was my first time ever being at the batting cages and I am pretty proud of how I went from 0 hits
to almost every one!
It was really fun.
It makes me want to join an adult softball league.
That could be fun, right??
Everyday I wake up super sniffly and super tired.
I hate it.
I wonder if its allergies.
Back at the JC we had a devotional by Elder Holland where he told us we could never
go back to fishing.
He was referencing the apostles when they go back to the Galilee after
Jesus' resurrection and they just go fishing again
and Christ tells them to leave their nets and feed his sheep.
Elder Holland said we couldn't leave Jerusalem and just
go back to fishing, being exactly what we used to be.
Well I think that some days I do a lot of fishing.
I need to change that.
I need to look outside of myself and really follow Christ's admonition
to feed his sheep.
I don't want to just float through life fishing although sometimes
I feel like that is exactly what I am doing.
Here is to a better week of less fishing and more improving and being better everyday.