Cricket

Panera Bread and Craft

2011-06-23T14:51:00.000-07:00

Today was our last day in Cali. I always hate when vacation comes to an end, especially since we had such a great time this trip. We kind of just took it easy today and relaxed with Stephanie and some of the kids. For lunch we went to Panera Bread and OH MY was it GOOOOD!!!

I got this super yummy chicken summer salad that had strawberries, blackberries, and pineapple and some kind of yummy vinaigrette dressing. The soup was a broccoli cheese that was to die for! Annie's nephew Ethan loves this soup so much that he kept trying to steal his sister's soup and then he kept eyeballing mine and kept asking if I was going to finish it. Yes, it was really that good. =]

Trying to be sneaky and get video of Hunter, Ethan, and Megan singing in the back of the car.

Before we went to California, I told Annie that I wanted to try Tom Colicchio's restaurant. For those of you who don't know who that is, he is the head judge off of the reality show Top Chef. The show is about 20 chefs that compete to be Top Chef. Each week they get a quick fire challenge, and then a regular challenge that consists of them making some kind of meal that they are then judged on. Of course she was up for it. We knew that Michael and Stephanie would be up for it too, since they love good food as much as we do. So for our last night in town we decided to head to Craft in Santa Monica.

We started off with drinks and appetizers in the bar area since we got there an hour before out reservation.

Veal Meatballs

These were so tender, moist, and super delicious!

Ricotta, lemon, and squash blossom flat bread

I've always wanted to try a squash blossom, and I finally did. It was surprisingly really good.

Our Amuse bouche of lemon gelee and cucumber.

I was super excited for this, because this is something that comes up every once in the quick fire challenges. It's basically a one bite hors d'oeuvre meant to showcase the chef's artistry and to give a glimpse into their style of cooking. It was to die for and the way the lemon and cucumber complimented each other was amazing. So so good!

This was Steph's avocado, tomatillo, and beer nut salad

I think this was one of my favorite dishes. I'm not sure what the dressing was on top, but it brought out the flavor of the avocado so well. The extra crunch from the nuts gave it a nice texture. I'm drooling right now just thinking about it again.

Dry rubbed sirloin steak

This was what Michael and Steph ordered and it was absolutely the best sirloin I think I've ever had. So much flavor!

Yukon gold puree

I'm sure that these potatoes are loaded with calories, but they were a little piece of heaven. So creamy and smooth and full of flavor. I could seriously take a bath in this stuff. As a matter of fact, I think that Me, Annie, and Steph talked about doing that very thing as we were chowing down on this stuff.

Asparagus

Probably the best cooked asparagus I've ever tried. It was the perfect amount of crispness and tenderness.

Augratin potatoes

These were Michaels and I don't think any of the rest of us tried them, cause we were too busy swimming in out potato puree.

Salmon

This is what Annie and I shared. I can't say that it was my favorite salmon ever, but it was still really good.

We had leftovers to take home, so they took them, boxed them up, and then gave us a number to pick them up when we were done. It was so nice to not have boxes sitting on our table while we tried to enjoy our dessert.

Apricot sorbet

They brought this out before out dessert to cleanse our palates.

Strawberry shortcake

The best dessert ever! I was in heaven eating this. The strawberries tasted like they had just been picked from the garden that morning and the pastry was so moist.

Mint chocolate chip ice cream

This was Steph's dessert and again, so delicious! It tasted like there was an actual mint leaf in the ice cream. It was so refreshing.

Beignets

Super good, but not my favorite out of the three desserts we ordered.

S'mores and Caramel popcorn

After dessert, another surprise from the kitchen. I was stuffed to the rafts, but I managed to muscle a s'more down and try some of the popcorn.

Our bill. Yes, it was absolutely worth every penny! And I would totally do it again. Not only for the food, but for the experience. I've never had such an enjoyable time out to eat before.

Carrot Raisin Muffin

One last surprise from the kitchen before we headed home. A muffin to enjoy for breakfast in the morning.

The four of us getting ready to enjoy our yummy meal.

Glen Ivy Spa Day

2011-06-22T14:27:00.000-07:00

Wednesday was the best of the vacation, or should I say the most relaxing. We headed to Corona to Glen Ivy Hot Springs for the whole day and let me just say it was a much needed day of relaxation. This place is like a spa amusement park for adults.

We got our own parking spot with the cabana that we reserved.

Emily, Stephanie, Amber, soaking in our own private spa.

Me, Annie, and Amy getting ready to relax!

Our sweet cabana! We had a yummy fruit bowl waiting for us when we got there.

Me, Amy, Emily, Stephanie, Annie, Amber, Lacey

I burned myself at the beach the day before, which made soaking my feet in the spa very uncomfortable. =[ Fortunately, it didn't prevent me from enjoying my massage and some of the other great features here.

The view from the balcony

The other side of the balcony.

Our yummy lunch!

Annie and I after enjoying our massages.

I decided to do a hot stone massage for the first time, and oh my was it so nice. It was the best, most relaxing massage I think I've ever had. My massage therapist gave me a face massage also, and she used some cold stone which felt amazing. Then when she started using the stones, it almost felt like she was using some warming lotion that was just spreading this wonderful heat throughout my body. AMAZING!!!

This is us heading into Club Mud. It's a red clay that you rub all over your body, then let it dry, brush it off, which acts as an exfoliator, and it makes your skin feel super soft and smooth! The only down side is that it can stain your swimsuit. I wasn't planning on getting in, so I didn't bring a different swimsuit, but then changed my mind, so I was trying really hard to not get mud on my suit.

Stephanie, Emily, Me, and Amber

Lacey, Me, Amber, Emily, Annie, and Stephanie

After exfoliating ourselves, it was time to head to the Grotto. This was my favorite part of the day, besides my awesome massage. For this part, the staff at the grotto take these huge paint brushes and brush this green lotion which is a mixture of aloe, shea, and coconut lotion all over our skin. Then we head into the grotto which kind of looks like a cave and it feels like a sauna. This opens the pores and your supposed to massage the lotion in. It felt so good on my sunburned skin and it was super relaxing. After rinsing the lotion off, we got to head into a different area of the grotto and enjoyed a nice crisp green apple. Yum!

Me, Annie, Amber, Josh, Stephanie, Lacey, Emily

We had to get a picture with our cabana boy before we left. We were literally the last ones out of the spa aside from the employees.

The best way to finish the day was with some delicious cheese bread and salad at Northwoods Inn.

Lacey, Emily, Amber, Stephanie, Me, Annie

Relaxed, happy, and satisfied.

Newport Beach and Kristen's House

2011-06-21T14:13:00.000-07:00

Tuesday we all packed up and headed to the beach! I love, love, love the beach! It is definitely a place that makes me feel relaxed and refreshed. There is nothing better than sitting on the beach listening to the waves roll in and soaking up the sun.

Nothing like some morning L.A. traffic to get the day started. =p

Me and Annie at the beach

Ethan was loving playing in the waves

Hunter and Megan having some fun in the waves

Kristin and her boys Andrew and Alexander. She and Chad are in the process of adopting two kids, and they couldn't be there with us today. We were bummed we didn't get to meet Christopher and Monica.

Andrew and Annie

Annie Grandpa decided to play a little football with the kids

Kelly showing off her throwing arm

Frisbee anyone?

Annie, Kristin, Emily, and Stephanie

Had to get a picture of Grandpa Lawrence playing in the sand with Kelly

After playing at the beach we went to Kristin's for some lunch...

...and some shootin'

Grandpa Lawrence, Megan, Sabryn, Andrew, Alex, Hunter and Ethan

Annie posing with her guns

Annie with her nieces and nephews, minus the two new ones.

Grandpa Lawrence, Stephanie, Emily, Annie, Kristin, Kelly, Ina

Alex, Hunter, Ethan, Megan, and Sabryn

Andrew was not in the mood for joining in the big group picture

Me, Annie, and Stephanie went for dinner at In N Out once we got back to Steph's house, followed by the movie Bridesmaids where we enjoyed some side splitting hilarity.

BJ's and Dodger's Game

2011-06-20T13:57:00.000-07:00

Monday was a relaxing morning, and then we headed out for lunch at BJ's. I feel like I never get enough food while I'm in Cali, because there are so many really delicious food places here.

Hunter ready for the baseball game later that night

After our yummy pizza, we got dessert, a pizzookie!

Dodger Stadium

The kids were excited to get Navarro's autograph.

Mmmmm, my very first Dodger Dog

My ice cream came in a cute pink Dodgers hat

Michael's loaded Dodger Dog

Me, Annie, Dean, Ina

Stephanie, Michael, Hunter, Kelly

Sabryn, Megan, Emily, Ethan, Scott

Dodger's oldest fan. 90 years old and he threw the first pitch

We had some pretty good seats along the 3rd baseline, and we were hoping that a fly ball would come our way, but no luck. Oh well. We had a great time at the game, and the Dodgers won!

Father's Day

2011-06-19T13:51:00.000-07:00

Father's Day we went to brunch at a super delicious breakfast place. I had nutella crepes, but was wishing I would have gotten eggs benedict after I tried a bite of Annie's.

Lacey, Annie, Me

After brunch, Me, Stephanie, Michael, Annie, Hunter and Sabryn watched Super 8. It was a very good movie, there were a few scary parts for Sabryn, but I think she ended up liking it in the end.

For dinner we went to Bucca di Beppo's which is a yummy Italian restaurant. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Sabryn didn't come with us, because she wanted to sleep over at the neighbors.

Ready for some killer food!

Michael, Stephanie, Annie, Me, Hunter

Crab Boil!

2011-06-18T13:18:00.000-07:00

While we were at the play, Stephanie and Michael were slaving away on a delicious meal for us. They went all out, and the food was absolutely AMAZING!!! We all stuffed ourselves silly and could not give enough compliments to the chef. Thanks Steph and Michael for a killer meal!

The yummy potatoes and artichokes

Drawn butter for the crab. Mmmm.

The table all set for dinner

Sabryn back to her normal self, even after her injury

Ethan getting in a little tether ball before dinner

The yummy tea cakes we picked up in Glendale for dessert

Cutest napkin holders ever!

Annie and Michael putting the crab and shrimp in to cook

Hunter and Kelly ready to eat some crab!

Megan and Ethan with their crab bibs on

Sabryn finally decided to show off for the camera

Throwing the food on the table

Soooo Good!!!!

Annie's blurry, but it's the only picture we got of the four of us. =[

L-R: Scott, Emily, Joan, Brad, Michael, Stephanie, Me, Annie, Lacey, Anne, and Tom. Annie's mom was taking the picture, and I'm not sure where her Grandpa was for this picture.

Ethan was so worn out that he literally passed out on the couch. It was the cutest thing. It was even funnier watching his dad try to wake him up to go home.

Porto's and Glendale Centre Theatre

2011-06-18T13:07:00.000-07:00

Saturday we went to Glendale with Annie's Mom, Grandpa, Emily, Kelly, Hunter, Sabryn, Megan, and Ethan to watch a play at the Glendale Theatre. This is where Annie's Mom would take her and her sisters to plays when they were growing up. We stopped for lunch first at Porto's Cafe.

Of course we had to get dessert too.

Poor Sabryn got her fingers slammed in the car door before we went to the play. She was a trooper though and we got some ice for her and she made it through the play.

I was trying to record the girls singing in the car to the radio. Sabryn did not want to perform, but Megan had no problems. =]

Magic Mountain and Houston's

2011-06-17T12:58:00.000-07:00

Friday we spent the day at Magic Mountain with some of Annie's sister's and their kids, and her mom and Grandpa riding roller coaster's. I was bummed that the batman ride was not working that day, but we got some good rides it.

Annie with her Grandpa Lawrence, and nephews Ethan, and Hunter.

Emily and Annie. We were waiting for her step sister Kelly, Megan, Sabryn and her Mom to get done riding X2.

Hunter and Ethan were looking at a lizard that was sitting on the wall. If you zoom in, it's sitting to the left of the mailbox. They tried to get closer, but it ran off. Then we got to laugh at a woman that tried chasing it down to try and catch it. She didn't succeed. =]

Hunter was talking to his Great Grandpa about his first job. It was so cute to watch him engaging and listening so intently to what he had to say. Later her told him mom, "Grandpa is so cool!"

We were sitting by the Superman ride, waiting for some of the group to get done riding Goliath. Every time the ride would take off, it was so loud, that Hunter and Dean would cover their ears.

Emily was asking Annie if she thought Ethan's pupils were too small. He wanted to see what they looked like, so I took a picture so he could see.

After Six Flags, we got cleaned up and headed to dinner with Stephanie, Michael, and Hunter. We went to Houston's and had some killer food. They have a really yummy crab and toasted coconut roll that we started off with, and then we had some of the most delicious ribs I've ever had. We stuffed ourselves silly, it was so good.

Hunter, Me, Annie, Stephanie, and Michael, just before digging into the ribs. Sabryn didn't come with us because she wanted to stay at her Grandma's house.

Dinner at Ann's

2011-06-16T12:52:00.000-07:00

We woke up early to work out. Who does that on vacation? Stephanie lives in a pretty hilly area, so we decided to speed walk around the neighborhood and down the hill to the playground. We did some arms and calves workouts on the playground equipment. On the way back up the hill, Annie said she wanted to run. I thought, sure we can do that, it's not that far. Well, let's just say it was a little farther than we thought and it was a steeper hill going up. We went about 3/4 of the way jogging before we needed to stop and gasp for breath. After we caught our breath were making our way back up, a cop car drove past and Annie waved at them. That sort of thing doesn't happen in Cali, so they made a U turn and pulled up next to us. Annie went over to talk to them and we're both feeling a little embarrassed because we're huffing and puffing. They asked if we lived in the neighborhood, we said no, but that Annie's sister did. They asked if she had an HOA for her subdivision and we said yes, but that we didn't have any of their information. Annie said she could ask her sister. They had someone in the back of their car, so when we were ready to walk back the rest of the way, we had to continue running to get Stephanie. I stopped just as we got to Stephanie's street, and Annie kept going. Just as she got to Stephanie's driveway, she rolled her ankle and biffed it. Stephanie was still asleep when Annie went in to ask her for her HOA info, so she was confused as to what was going on, the officer was downstairs waiting, and Annie was out of breath so she couldn't get out what she needed to say. It was pretty funny. Once we got ready for the day, we went over to Emily's house for breakfast. She made the most delicious biscuits and gravy. Mmm, Mmm, Mmm. So good. We just relaxed for the day over at Emily's, and then went to Emily's in law's house for swimming and dinner. The pool felt great and we had a good time visiting. The dinner was delicious, which is always the case with anyone in Annie's family. They all know how to cook, and it is always good.

Hunter and Sabryn rode over the Ann's in our car.

I had my hands full when we were walking over to Ann's, so Hunter said he would hold my sunglasses for me. He decided he wanted to try them on for size.

Megan practicing her softball pitch.

Sabryn going for the backwards plunge off the slide.

Hunter trying to be sneaky and scare Ethan as he was going down the slide.

Ethan going down the slide.

Megan doing her scorpion.

Goin' Back to Cali, Cali, Cali

2011-06-15T12:44:00.000-07:00

Ahhhh, summer is finally here, well sort of. The weather keeps playing cruel jokes on us. Making us think that the warm weather is here, but then raining the next day. So, what does one do when the weather is not cooperating? GO TO CALIFORNIA!!!

Annie was too focused on driving to look at my camera. Which was probably a good thing. =]

It was a long drive, so I was entertaining myself with my new ipone app.

We rolled into town around 8 p.m. and met up with two of Annie's sisters and their families for some

In N Out, which is always a must when going to California. We stayed with Annie's sister Stephanie in their new home, which is beautiful! Her kids were so excited to show us their movie room and immediately wanted to pop us some popcorn and watch a movie. Annie and I were so tired, we had to promise to watch a movie another night.

Shoshone Falls

2011-05-30T18:06:00.000-07:00

Me, Stacy, her husband Jason, and his boss and his kid and friend went to Shoshone falls. Stacy had never been before, and I've never been when the falls were so full. Let me just say, it is pretty impressive when the reservoir is full. I can totally see why they call it the Niagara Falls of the West. The only thing I didn't really prepare for was all the mist. I brought a light jacket, but I should have brought a rain jacket and an umbrella! The wind that was blowing that day didn't help either, but we still had a good time despite looking like drowned rats when we were done. I need to get the group picture from Stacy so I at least have some proof that we were all there.

Wicked!

2011-05-15T18:12:00.000-07:00

Wicked came to Boise and you better believe I was going to get tickets. This was my second time watching the musical and I loved it just as much as the first time. Annie looked at me a little funny when I said, I wish I had tickets for tomorrow night. Apparently she thought that was a little excessive, but I totally would have done it if I had the money for it. I love this show!

Impact Guns Shooting Range

2011-05-10T19:07:00.000-07:00

Impact Guns shooting range had a deal on Groupon for an hour of shooting with two guns and two targets, so I snatched it up. I called Stacy and Jason up to come with us, and we had such a fun time. We had 4 different guns that we shot with. We got a .22 and a .9mm from the range, and Annie brought her .45 and .380 that we shot with as well.

Ready to shoot some guns!

My first shots.

Showing off my 10!

Stacy got a 10 too!

Annie showing us how it's done.

Mother's Day gift for Lisa

2011-04-30T17:55:00.000-07:00

Brian asked if I would take some pictures of him and his kids as a Mother's Day present for Lisa. Here are some of my favorites.

Easter

2011-04-24T17:42:00.000-07:00

Easter was celebrated over at Aunt Sue's house this year, and it was a fun day. There was lots of yummy food, good company, and we had some fun watching the kids look for Easter eggs.

The yummy carrot cake that the Klena's brought.

Terry, Brian, Bill, Rachel, and Sarah

Emitt Jordan Hernandez

2011-04-23T17:22:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the world Emmitt! Becky and Manny's little guy is finally here and once again I had the pleasure of taking some photos for them. He is the cutest little guy!

Becky and Manny Hernandez Maternity Shoot

2011-03-13T17:04:00.000-07:00

Becky and Manny are expecting a little baby boy in April, and I was so excited when they asked me to take some maternity pictures for them. Here are some of my favorites from the shoot.

Jack's Blessing

2011-01-30T16:54:00.000-08:00

Heather and Brandon blessed Jack today. Mike and Sarah were able to come into town, so it was really nice to have the whole family together.

Me and my two cute nephews.

Starla and Sean Ezell Wedding

2011-01-01T09:55:00.000-08:00

Stacy's cousin got married on New Year's Day, and she asked me to take some pictures for her. They had the wedding inside Stacy's Mom's house. There was a good turnout, yummy food, and it was a beautiful wedding.

Christmas

2010-12-25T10:26:00.000-08:00

Christmas started out over at the Klena's, with the usual good food and good company.

Then I headed over to my parent's house to finish off the evening.

Grandma and Grandpa Barrus with Jack

Kade enjoying playing with the marbles.

My favorite tradition of Christmas, candles on the tree!

Newborn Photos of Jack

2010-12-24T16:09:00.000-08:00

I got to take some newborn pictures of Jack and we had a blast! We did have a hard getting him to pose and not cry, but we still got some fun shots. Love this little man!

I love that he looks like he's smiling in this picture.

I couldn't decide which one I liked best, so that's why there are two. Which one do you like best?

Chowda' Night

2010-12-23T07:54:00.000-08:00

Annie's family has a chowder/game night during Christmas over at Lisa's house and it was so much fun!

There was a crab chowder and a clam chowder and of course they were to die for!

Uncle Bill and Uncle Rich goofing off.

I always love the decorations Lisa has out at her house.

The delicious soup. Mmmm Good!

I got a Wii for Christmas, but of course opened it early. We set it up over at Lisa's house so we could break it in.

Garrett, Kate and Morgan were the first to bust out with some Wii bowling. It was so fun to watch them try to imitate their dad by putting a spin on the ball to try and get more pins. It was pretty impressive that most of the time they got strikes!

Sarah, Cindi, Lisa, Rachel and Rich enjoying some good conversation.

Brian is very serious when he bowls.

Rick, Terry, and Bill

Lisa had Annie's name for Christmas and had asked me if I had any good ideas for gift for her. Annie was wanting Mario cart for the Wii, so that's what Lisa got her. She was so surprised!

Lisa testing out Mario cart, she doesn't look too sure about it.

Uncle Bill looked like a little kid playing Mario cart, it was so much fun to watch.

Morgan was having a great time climbing all over the walls.

Annie bought Just Dance 2 for the Wii and we brought that with us too. Everyone had a great time busting a move and working up a sweat.

Aunt Sue, Bill, Terry and Bill finally got a turn at Wii bowling.

It was a fun, relaxing night. There's nothing I love more than spending time with family and friends.

Welcome to the world Jack J Capener!

2010-12-02T17:25:00.000-08:00

I have another nephew! Heather sent me a message at work saying that she was in the hospital around 10:45 saying she was dilated to a 3. I was so excited, I could hardly work the rest of the day. Then I got a second text from her at almost 3 saying that Migs was here and that he had arrived at 1:36. I left straight from work and headed to the hospital. Unfortunately I was getting over a little cold, and didn't want to share my sick germs with the baby, so I had to wear a mask.

Jack J Capener

6lbs. 6oz.

20 1/14 in.

He is the sweetest little thing, and I can't wait to watch him grow and see the kind of man he is going to grow into. Your Auntie Heidi loves you Jack!

Glenn's Ferry

2010-11-27T07:42:00.000-08:00

Saturday, my parents, me, Mike, Sarah, and Topher went out to Glenn's Ferry. I never knew that we used to have a ferry around these parts, but you learn something new every day. It's open as a sort of museum now I guess. There are all sorts of bird houses along the path we were walking on that have these uplifting sayings. It was pretty cold out there, but it was a lot of fun, almost like a little world away from the world.

Sarah wanted to make sure she got a picture with Shakespeare.

Albino peacocks! We kept trying to get them to open their tails, but they weren't having it.

On the way home we stopped to get a family picture for Mike and Sarah so they could have one to send out with their Christmas cards. Sarah was hoping for some snow, but there wasn't really any to be found.

Thanksgiving at Grandma and Grandpa Barrus' House

2010-11-26T10:10:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving at Grandma's house was a special one this year, because my Aunt and Uncle Petersen and their daughter Michelle and her family came to visit for the holiday. It was so good to see them and I'm so glad they were able to work it out in their schedules to come spend time with all of us. I think that's the thing I hate the most about growing up, I haven't seen a lot of my cousins for a really long time because we're all grown up and living life, and it's hard to get everyone together. C'est la vie, right? Here's some pictures of the fun at Grandma's house.

Savannah and her little boy Kade

Heather and Brandon

One of Michelle's boys Aleky

My nephew Topher, can't believe how big he is getting

Michelle's boys were watching a movie in Grandma and Grandpa's office

Travis and his wife Sam

Michelle's boy Quinten was such a cutie! He had no problems getting passed around to anyone that was willing to hold him. He was starting to get a little rash on his neck, so Heather too his shirt off and rubbed some lotion on him. He was having a good time playing with the bottle after that.

Topher and Brandon

Grandpa and Kyle

Tyler's wife Allison (whose 5 months pregnant in this pic) and my Dad

Michelle's boy David and Topher playing with my Dad's phone

Michelle's sons Donvan and Michael getting some dessert

Michael

Khayyam and Tyler

Quinten found something else to stick in his mouth, one of Grandpa's puzzles

Topher playing with one of Grandpa's puzzles

Kyle showing Topher how to spin the top

Quinten wanted to get in on the fun too

Mom, Aunt Brenda, and Kyle

Grandma wanted to show us her plant that only gets flowers in the winter. I can't for the life of me remember the name of it though.

Grandpa and Grandma Barrus, aren't they so cute?!

I wanted to get a picture with all the cousins, but the Comstock kids took off before I could get them in the picture.

Michelle, Mike, Me, Heather (and Migs) and Kyle

Thanksgiving at the Klena's

2010-11-25T18:50:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving dinner at the Klena's is always a good time. The food is delicious and the company couldn't be better.

Cindi always puts together the cutest table settings for gatherings at her house.

My drink had my initial on it.

The yummy food!

Me and Annie about ready to stuff our faces. =]

Stacy's Birthday

2010-11-12T18:48:00.000-08:00

Stacy turned the big 26! To celebrate, we went to dinner at Chicago Connection, and then to the Venue to listen to some bands play. It was a lot of fun celebrating with Stacy.

Me, Stacy, Michelle, and Annie

Bridgewater/Hernandez Family

2010-11-04T09:37:00.000-07:00

I have known Becky for a really long time. We grew up together, went to school together since I think about 1st grade, and just lived across the church parking lot from each other. I was so glad she asked me to take some family photos of her and her fiancee and her parents. We had a lot of fun and got some great shots! Thanks Jodi, Roy, Becky and Manny!

Klena Family

2010-10-30T09:19:00.000-07:00

I got to take family photos for Annie's Aunt Cindi, and they turned out great! It was a lot of fun getting to take their pictures, and they are all so dang photogenic. Thank you Klena family for letting me take your pictures!

My 29th Birthday Party (Halloween Style)

2010-10-29T08:50:00.000-07:00

For my 29th birthday I had family and friends over to help me celebrate. I decided to have my party Halloween style again and had everyone dress up. It was fun to see everyone's costumes, some of them were really creative. It was a great night filled with great company and awesome food. (Always the best part at any good gathering.)

Some of the decorations we put up around the house.

Mmmm, the food.

The Sieminski Family

Stacy, Billie, and Annie

Great minds think alike. =]

Garret was a sniper.

I loved Sue's makeup and the Dude came dressed as the Dude. However, he did mention after the party that he might be willing to dress up next year. Sweeeet!

Brandon and Heather. Heather's shirt is a thought bubble that says, "I'm dressed up as my mom."

Me and Sheena.

The gypsy with her vampire parents.

Tim as "the Situation" and his fairy daughter Emerson.

Me and the crazy cat lady. I thought Stacy's costume was so perfect for her.

I love Krista, she's always good for a laugh.

Where's Waldo?

Rachel, (Marilyn Monroe) Cindi, (Cleopatra) and Sarah, (Joan Halloway from Mad Men)

Stephanie (Mimi Bobeck from Drew Carey) and Annie as the Joker.

Cleopatra and her guard.

Jeff and Sarah as characters from Mad Men.

I was having a lot of fun with my gypsy costume. And the wig was so good, that everyone thought it was my real hair! =]

After the party, some of us decided to go walk around downtown with our costumes. It was a lot of fun. Marilyn Monroe and Waldo were getting a lot of attention.

Can you find waldo?

We went into the Egyptian to get a picture of Rich and Cindi and everyone was loving their costumes.

103.3 Kiss FM was downtown outside one of the clubs and loved all of our costumes, so they took our picture and posted it on their website!

Brian showing off what was under the grape costume.

Cheese Tasting

2010-10-28T08:41:00.000-07:00

Annie's cousin Sarah used to work at a winery in Texas where they would have cheese and wine tasting classes. She thought it would be fun to have a bunch of girls over to her mom's house for something similar.

Our cheese plates. She had them laid out like the face of a clock, and then had a sheet of paper coordinating with the names so we knew what we were eating. The paper also had a place for us to write notes so we could remember which cheeses we liked or didn't like.

One of the cheeses she had on the plate was called Beecher Cheese. Oh, it was sooo good! By far my favorite that night, followed closely by a spanish cheese that I can't remember the name of.

It was fun to see everyone's different reactions to different cheeses. Some were a little on the strong side, and there was a goat cheese that tasted like I was eating from the pasture it's self. Not my favorite.

It was a lot of fun and interesting to learn about different cheeses.

Kolb Family Photoshoot

2010-10-23T09:55:00.000-07:00

Fall is a great time for taking family photos, and I got to take some more family pictures for another great family! I took family pictures of Annie's cousin Michelle and her family last year, and I'm so glad that they asked me to do it again this year! Thanks Tim, Michelle, and Emerson, it was a lot of fun!

Heather's Maternity Photos

2010-10-22T08:32:00.000-07:00

I took some maternity photos for Heather, so she could have a reminder of what her belly looked like while she was carrying Baby Migs. We are all excited for the little bundle of joy to get here! Only 2 more months!

Playdate with Emerson

2010-10-16T14:43:00.000-07:00

Annie and I got to babysit Annie's cousin's little girl Emerson, so we decided to take her to the Farmstead. It's a corn maze with a ton of stuff for little kids to do.

Waiting in line to get our tickets.

She was pretty apprehensive about going down the slide by herself, so I had to go down with her. Let's just say, it was not the most comfortable slide since it's made out of a bunch of pvc pipe.

Going on the Cow Train.

Jumping Pillow! She did not want to stop jumping.

She was having a blast walking around on the hay bales with "Nannie" as she calls Annie.

After the Farmstead we went to the "farm" as Emerson calls it. We went to the Barn where we watch the away games for BSU. We won and had a good time eating good food of course, and chatting with friends.

She said, "Nannie, color with me?" It was the cutest thing ever!

She kept saying, "take my picture." And then she'd say, "Lemme see it."

FALL!

2010-10-10T14:01:00.000-07:00

Fall is finally here! I love this time of year, the leaves start changing and everything looks like it's on fire. In a good way. The warmer weather has been sticking around a lot longer this year, which I have been loving. The days have been sunny and in the mid to high 70's and it makes me wish I didn't have to be couped up working on those days so I could be outside enjoying the sun.

On another note, today is 10-10-10 and it's one of my best friend's birthdays. Happy Birthday Allison!

This little river otter popped up when I was taking pictures of the trees, as soon as my shutter clicked, he dove back under the water.

I was taking pictures of this tree lined street when I noticed some movement out of the corner of my eye. The picture below is what I saw.

This cute deer that was nibbling on someone's lawn.

10 Year High School Reunion - Day Two

2010-09-25T12:19:00.000-07:00

Saturday, we took a tour of the High School. A few years after we graduated, they expanded the High School and added the freshman to the school, so we wanted to see the updates. Most everything looked the same, the lunch room was expanded and there was a whole new wing of classes and a smaller gym added to the school. Mrs. Adams gave us the tour of the school.

Mrs. Adams, Jennifer Hill Haustveit, Mary Bowen Hathaway, Me, Meagan O'Bannon, Daniel O'Bannon, Alan Andrews, Shayla Hogg, Mandy Hurley Rodriguez, Munch Rodriguez, Jared Lowder, Amanda Sheets.

Part of the new lunchroom expansion.

All of us again in front of Clyde the Cougar. Alan didn't get the memo that we wanted to see the head of the cougar. =]

We left a message on Mr. Hauge's whiteboard.

After the reunion we went to the park and had lunch and continued hanging out.

Patrick Vernon standing off to the right. He graduated a year before us, but had a lot of friends in our class and decided he wanted to come to ours as well.

We got a bouncy house for the kids to play in, they had a good time.

Me and Mary's little girl Hailey. She attached her self to me when we were taking the tour of the school. Then when I got to the park she came right over to me. She was really enjoying sharing my fries too.

Shayla Hogg and one of her "babies" I can't remember the cats name, but she named it something spanish. And yes, that's a leash on the cat. Amy Howe Selvester is next to her holding Jennifer Hill Haustveit's new baby Allison.

Shayla Hogg and Munch Rodriguez talking to DG Sams.

Trevor Wilson and his adorable little girl.

Later that night we had dinner at the Bent Fork in Caldwell. We had a blast eating, enjoying each others company, and then watching a slide show that I put together of our younger years grade K-12.

Meagan O'Bannon, Daniel O'Bannon, Munch Rodriguez

Forest Thacker, Janelle Davis Thacker, Amy Howe Selvester

Jennifer Hill Haustveit and Me

Jennifer's little girl Allison

Russell Shoemaker and Me

Sandy Espinosa, Chris Shoemaker, Teresa Rizo Lechuga, DG Sams

Kyle trying to act nonchalant for the camera.

Erika Tovar, her boyfriend, and Sandy Espinosa

Jared Lowder, Jennifer Cox, Tyler Robinson, Amy Howe Selvester, Kyle Allcott, Crystal Reich Giambo, Aisha Halverson, Kathleen Hulme (couldn't find her married name), Me, TeAwna Houston Peterson, and Janelle Davis Thacker.

After dinner a big group of us went over to Victor's for dancing. It was actually a lot of fun, minus the pain my feet endured because I was wearing heels and there was no way I was going to go barefoot. I stayed out until about 2 in the morning, and was glad I didn't have to wake up early the next day.

Kyle Allcott, Jennifer Cox, Aisha Halverson, Crystal Reich Giambo

Janelle Davis Thacker, Me, Kyle Allcott

Ashley Wood, Krystal Wilson Brenneck, Me, Munch Rodriguez, Kathleen Hulme

Jaime Acosta, Me, Alan Andrews

Billy Weymouth and Me

Kyle Allcott, Janelle Davis Thacker, Aisha Halverson, Mandy Hurley Rodriguez, Crystal Reich Giambo, Amy Howe, Selvester, Russell Shoemaker, and Me.

Janelle and Amy working it on the dance floor.

Mandy's got some killer moves.

Me, Sandy Espinosa, Martha Lopez

Kyle was getting jiggy wit it.

Jason Yee, Me, Martha Lopez, Brian Tucker

Can't wait for the 20 Year Reunion!

10 Year High School Reunion - Day One

2010-09-24T11:16:00.000-07:00

I still can't believe it's been 10 years since I graduated High School. Those of us that were the senior class officers when we graduated, helped put it together, will the help of some other volunteers. It was a lot of work and there wasn't too much appreciation until after the whole event was over. I know a lot of people think that the 10 year is lame, and we had a lot of people who complained about when we were having it and what we were doing. But, we put that all behind us and those of us that did go, had a really good time catching up and reconnecting with old friends.

We started out with the Homecoming parade, and by the end we were all making jokes how we were too old to walk that far. I certainly don't remember the parade being that long, but I was a lot younger then too and had way more energy.

Emily and Mary, stoked to get the parade started.

Amy's dad let her drive his mustang in the parade.

This is TeAwna's little guy Liam, so cute!

A few of us got tired of walking, so we climbed in the back of Kyle's truck to ride the rest of the way.

Next we went to the football game, and I don't know that any of us actually watched the game. We were having too much fun chit chatting. I do know that we lost though, which isn't too big of a surprise.

Teresa and Sandy

TeAwna, Russell, Billy, and Lisa

Becky and her fiancee Manny.

Mary and I.

TeAwna and Mandy

Kyle, Jennifer, and Crystal

Munch, Trevor, Me, Billy, and Mandy

Me and TeAwna

Alan and Jaime

After the game got over, there was a small group of us that stayed talking. We talked so long, that they turned the lights out on us.

Labor Day Weekend

2010-09-05T10:28:00.000-07:00

Labor Day was an impromptu trip to Yellowstone. One of Annie's good friends from high school was in Yellowstone with her boyfriend and wanted to stop by and stay with Annie. Obviously that wasn't going to work though since Annie is on the opposite side of the state, so we decided to go to them. We stayed with Nicole's parents, and she and her husband happened to be in town for the long weekend as well.

We had to wake up super early to meet up with them, since it's a drive from Rexburg. But, we got to enjoy a beautiful sunrise on the way.

We saw this hawk soaring up above us, and then in the picture below it swooped down and caught a fish.

I can't remember the name of this hotspring, but I love all the colors it has.

We decided to head up to Mammoth Falls, because someone told us that there were a lot of elk up there. Once we got to Mammoth Terraces though it started snowing quite a bit, so I got a few pictures and then we headed back to Rexburg.

On the way out of the park, we saw this bison walking on the road.

I tried to get a picture of it walking past Annie, but it's all blurry. I should have put my flash on.

We also got stuck in some traffic closer to the entrance to the park.

And this was why we were stuck in all that traffic.

Oregon Coast - Day Six, Multnoma Falls and Home

2010-08-27T10:05:00.000-07:00

Friday we packed up and headed home. We tried to find Einstein Bagels on our way out of town because that's what Stacy was craving. We found it, but unfortunately it was closed for the summer because it was on the college campus. So we got breakfast somewhere else, and then headed to Multnoma Falls.

The train went by right was we got there.

Some artists painting the falls.

Stacy, Jason, and I decided to hike up to the top of the falls. Annie stayed in the car cause she was exhausted, and there was no way she was going to be able to hike to the falls with her bum knee.

It was a very long, steep, hike, but I'm definitely glad we did it. It was beautiful up there.

Looking over the edge of the top of the falls. On the far right corner, you can see the bridge that is at the bottom of the falls.

We decided to get a picture of Annie in the car. She's in the green mercedes in the first row of cars, next to the sidewalk.

I'm amazed at how far the artists had gotten on their paintings by the time we got back down to the bottom.

We made it home safely, and I'm already ready for another vacation.

Oregon Coast - Day Five, Portland

2010-08-26T08:46:00.000-07:00

Thursday we had to say goodbye to Lincoln City and the wonderful beach that I love. We headed into Portland and stayed the night at a hotel there.

This was our beach house, just the bottom half of the house.

Flounders Crib

The view of the beach from the front window.

There was one thing I had on my list when we got to Portland. One of Annie's co-workers was telling her there was a really good doughnut shop there called Voodoo Doughnuts, so I really wanted to check it out. When we got there, there was a line all the way around the corner. So we decided that we'd find a place for dinner first and then come back later.

As we were walking around downtown Portland trying to find a place to eat, I saw a Tiffany's. Of course I couldn't resist the urge to go in and look at all the pretty, sparkly, beautiful jewels. While the rest of us were drooling, Jason asked one of the sales ladies if she had any good suggestions for dinner. Pretty risky considering what we went through in Seaside. One of the suggestions she gave us was the Portland City Grill. It wasn't too far from where we were, so we decided we'd check it out. It's up on the 30th floor of the Unico US Bank Building and it was definitely a good suggestion. We got a seat right next to the window, so we had a really awesome view.

I noticed while I was looking down, that I could see the entrance to Voodoo doughnuts, with a really long line still.

While we were waiting for dinner, we noticed the bridge was raising to let a ship pass under.

Doughnuts at last. There was still a line when we got finished with dinner, but not nearly as long as when we first drove past the place.

After our experience at the doughnut shop, which I will explain below, this sign could not be more true.

This is the building where we had dinner.

The chandelier inside Voodoo Doughnuts.

So we finally get up to the counter to order, and all the workers seemed to disappear to the back. Annie sees one of them eat a piece of doughnut and then lick his fingers. Then without washing his hands, came over and asked us what we wanted. And the girl that was helping some ladies next to us was talking to her coworker about how demanding some previous customers were while she standing there waving there doughnut in their faces. Stacy told the guy she wanted a maple bar so he went and grabbed her one, with a tissue, thank goodness. He had a tissue on the counter and practically threw her doughnut down, and then it rolled right onto the bare counter. I swear for a minute the guy considered just putting it back on the tissue without a second thought, but he saw the look we gave him and he grabbed a new one. We ordered our other doughnuts and then had to ask him for a box cause he didn't even offer us one. We were very disappointed with the customer service, it was as if they didn't care about pleasing the customers, because there would always be a line of customers. The disappointing thing, was that they weren't to die for doughnuts, they were just ok doughnuts. Oh well, it was an experience at least. =]

Jason's fruitloop doughnut and Stacy and I split the voodoo man.

The maple one with the mustache was mine with yummy bavarian cream in the middle.

We had to get a picture of Jason eating his fruitloop doughnut.

He said the fruitloops tasted kind of stale, but he looked happy eating it.

Oregon Coast - Day Four, Seaside and Canon Beach

2010-08-25T07:39:00.000-07:00

Wednesday we headed up to Seaside. Stacy said it was her favorite place on the Coast and the rest of us have never been there. We were hoping for some nice weather once we got up there, but it was cloudy and cold. It was still a neat little coastal town and we had a good time looking around. We also loaded up on some more salt water taffy.

We asked a guy at the bike rental shop if he had any good suggestions for places to eat and he gave us a couple of ideas. One of them was Big Kahuna, and we thought it sounded like a good place to eat. Well, we were wrong. Jason and Stacy ended up getting burgers, and Annie and I got the chicken and shrimp terriyaki. It took forever for Annie and I to get our food, and then when it came, it was on styrofoam plates and the meat tasted horrible. So needless to say, we didn't eat very much of our food, and we will not ever be returning there for food again.

After we left Seaside we decided to stop at Canon Beach, where the sun was shining a little more. The last time I was at Canon Beach, it was rainy and cold, but it was beautiful this time. I loved this beach, and definitely think this needs to be a place to stay on a future trip.

We were trying to make it look like Stacy was pushing the rocks, but it didn't work out so well. =[

Oregon Coast - Day Three, Beach Day

2010-08-24T06:16:00.000-07:00

The beach house we got was in Lincoln City and we were practically right off the beach. I definitely think a beach house on the beach will be the way to go next time, but this wasn't a bad deal either. Tuesday we had a beach day. The weather was perfect, sun shining, hardly any wind, and the temperature was around 72-75. Just perfect! We took naps, read books, flew kites, and just had a nice time relaxing on the beach. Did I mention how much I love it here? Cause I do, A LOT! After we played on the beach, we headed to Lincoln City's outlet mall, which was really awesome! We all had forgotten to bring clothes that we were ok with getting smoky, so that was our main goal. We found some comfy sweats at Old Navy for super cheap, and also picked up some salt water taffy. We went grocery shopping, had dinner and then started a fire so we could roast smores.

On the way back from the outlet mall, we saw these funny looking totems, and Stacy and I decided that we wanted to get some pictures with them.

We decided to have a little photo shoot with the girls while Jason was busy getting the fire started.

We had to get Jason in on the photo shoot too.

Annie, Jason, and Stacy

Jason was really excited about the s'mores. They were really good!