Too much good stuff

The past month or so has been jam packed full of fun.  I feel like this is the first time in a long time that I have been able to sit down and just relax. I posted about some of things that I have been doing like the triathlon, beverly hills, disneyland etc... But here are some of the other highlights of my life.  

Julie, Jodi, Juan, Jeremy

Jodi, Julie, Juan, and Jeremy all came out to visit about a month ago. Juan and Jeremy came out for the mid-singles conference to try to find themselves a wife and Julie and Jodi came to hang out with yours truly (and their many other friends in the area).  They came on a perfect weekend.  It was super hot out so it was a great day to spend a the beach! 

Oh I love the beach. 

After the beach we decided to do something a little more active so we headed up to Seal Beach and went kayaking in Huntington Harbor. 

Juan and Julie had the low rider boat. 

Although there were three in this boat Jeremy ended up doing most of the paddling. 

Jared and I were pretty much professional kayakers and had no problems. 

The other highlight of the trip was on Monday when Julie and I went on a rollerblading adventure. There is a trail called back bay that is near my house that I have always wanted to go rollerblading on (yes... I still rollerblade). 

It's a 10 mile loop and I thought that we could handle it no probelm.  And we probably could've...except that at about mile 6 (after we had gotten lost of the trail and ended up going two miles extra) Julie's rollerblades broke. Both of them!  We couldn't believe it.  The straps on the top that I was wearing were removable so first we tried to use those to tie around her ankles to hold them together but that wasn't cutting it. So we ended up having to go to the gas station. Leaving my camera there in exchange for some duct tape (since we didn't have any money to pay for it) with the promise that when we got back to the car we would come and give the money for the duct tape. So poor Julie had to rollerblade the last 6 miles with her rollerblade looking like this.   

Julie is such a trooper.  She handled like a champ. I introduced her to yogurtland after that and it made everything seem all better.

Meet Alice

This is Alice.  She is one of the reasons that my job is so entertaining.  She is my parent partner at work and she is one of the greatest people ever. She lives out in long beach so I promised her that I would come out to her house and again and that we would get some chicken and waffles. 

It was a fun night with Alice. She has been through so much and has so many stories to tell.  I could listen to her for hours (and she could talk for hours too). Love her.  

Buble in Santa Barbara

So back in March when we went to Pismo beach we drove through Santa Barbara.  I never realized how close Santa Barbara was from us.  I always imagined that it was really a lot farther that it really is.  So I realized that it was ridiculous that I had never been there before.  So when Holly told me that she was going to a Michael Buble concert there I decided that I needed to go to.  Holly had already bought her tickets for her and the three other girls so I talked my roommate Laura into going.  

Neither of us were big Buble fans before the concert but that quickly changed as say him in person.  He put on a great show.  

Laura, Me, Mia, Lisa, Holly, and Charity.

Beautiful blondes

The next day we spent exploring Santa Barbara.  Lisa and I went running in the morning down to the beach.  Running with Lisa was awesome.  She is such a fun girl and we are about the same level in running so it was a great run.  I think was the beginning of a beautiful running partnership.  After running we met with the other girls to do some shopping and eating in downtown Santa Barbara.  It was so cute up there.  

After lunch Holly, Mia, and Lisa had to head home but Laura, Charity, and I drove up the coast a little more to check out the town of Solvang.  It is a cute little Danish town full of windmills, souvenir shops, fudge factories, and bakeries.  

Charity and Laura

Arizona

So my sister started working for Delta in February. So as everyone knows when you work for the airlines you get special hook-ups.  One of them being buddy passes.  So my sister and I thought that it would be a great idea if I tried to use a buddy pass to go out to visit her in Hawaii.  I was really excited to go.  It has been a year (exactly) since I have been to Hawaii (which is a long time for me) and its been almost six months since I have seen the babies.  So needless to say I was super excited to go.  

Well... one thing about using a buddy pass is... that they suck.  So you go to the airport thinking that you are going to be flying to a beautiful tropical island to play with your niece and nephew. Then you leave the airport realizing that 30 other people were above you on the priority list and that there was no room for you. As if not getting on the flight wasn't crappy enough they throw in an additional slap in the face by sending your bag there.  So my bag wen to hawaii but I did not.  

So after a few attempts of getting onto a flight I decided that it just wasn't meant to be.  BUT... my bag was already packed, the time was already taken off of work, and I was in a need of a vacation so I decided to hop in my car (save the buddy pass for another time) and drive to Arizona to visit to of my very best friends: Jodi and Julie.

As you can see they were both really excited to see me.  

Okay... so many of you know that I have an obsession with ice cream and with McDonalds ice cream at that.  So one night as we were getting ready to head out of town to go boating in the morning we stopped by to get a treat.  At McDonalds in AZ you get the choice of a small or a large (how great is that?)  So Julie went with the small and I went with the large (cause thats the kind of girl that I am).  Check out the size difference in the cone.  Mine was huge.  It was the happiest day of my life. Well that might be an exaggeration but really... here is the deal.  Every time you go to get an ice cream cone you always hope that they are going to hook you up. This was more than I could ask for... Thank you Mr. Ronald.

So that night we stayed out at Julie and Jodi's friend Jeremy's house and in the morning we took his boat out to Lake Pleasant.  It was perfect.  We got out there early in the morning and the water was still pretty glassy.  I had really only been wakeboarding one other time which was on a holiday and at noon when everyone and their mom's were also on the lake. So this time was really fun. 

After we all had our fair share of wakeboarding we pumped up "the island" and enjoyed the beautiful weather and sunshine.  This is what heaven will be like for me.  It will involve lots of water and lots of sun. 

After lounging on the island we decided to bring out the death trap (aka the tube).  

So Juan and I ended up riding it together.  I don't know if you can tell but there is just a little weight difference between Juan and I so this turned into an even crazier ride then either of us expected. 

My friends are pretty... even after hours of boating.

So even though I didn't make it to Hawaii I still had a great time.  I once had a friend that would always tease me because I say "it was so good just to get away"... but really it was really nice just to get away and to hang out with these girls.  I had so much fun.

Cardinals vs. Padres

We headed down to San Diego to watch Jared's favorite team play the Padres. It was a really fun night. The combination of the chatter box teachers behind us and the drunk girls in front of us we were thoroughly entertained... oh and the baseball was good too. 

Grad school

This month I also found out that I got accepted into Cal State Fullertons Masters in Counseling Program. I was super excited to find out that I got accepted.  I am still not positive that I am going to do the program but its awesome to know that the option is there!

Dinner Parties hosted by Holly, Charity, and Melissa  

One thing that I love about my friends is that they love the throw parties.  These dinner parties are a fun way to get people together in a situation where they can actually interact without the distraction of loud thumping music (not that i don't enjoy a good HB party every now and then but you know what I mean) Here are some  from get togethers over the last month or so. 

 

My Psuedo-Roommates.  I love these girls. (Holly was really excited to be taking this picure)

Seeing this face was a fun blast from the past!  

This past month has been crazy busy but fun!  And looking at the calendar it looks like the rest of the summer is going to be just as busy.  I guess that is the way I like it!