Hello Blog, Remember Me?

I made it back from Europe! I feel like I have been gone for SO long, and my poor neglected blog reflects my absence. I unfortunately have no idea when I will actually have time to update this bad boy and tell all of you about our European adventures! Easton and I took over three thousand pictures on our trip, and it is proving to be quite a chore to sort through them. I’m sure I would have already spent more time trying to organize pictures and draft some blog posts if it weren’t for the fact that I’m moving back to San Diego in TWO WEEKS! I can’t believe the time has come for me to move! I’m excited and absolutely terrified at the same time.

To complicate matters even more, I’m taking off tomorrow for a final hurrah in Lake Powell before I permanently leave Utah in the dust. Time is definitely not on my side, friends. After I get back from Lake Powell I’ll be turning into a packing machine, and I think it’s safe to say that blogging will continue to take a back seat to the events of my crazy life. I hope it won’t be TOO long before I can get my butt in gear and give my blog the attention it deserves!

I hope everyone is having an amazing summer!

So long, Farewell

I’m off to Europe for the rest of the month! I’ll see everyone in August!

Interstate Love Song

A few weeks ago I had a date with Scott Weiland. After seventeen years as the front man for two of the greatest bands of all time…Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver…Scott decided to take a break from the fame and glory to come visit his number one fan and true love. Yes, I’m referring to ME. Don’t think I haven’t noticed the way he has stared earnestly into my eyes from the stage during the plethora of concerts I have attended over the years. Some people have tried to convince me that Scott’s intense gaze has merely been the result of my insane, somewhat fanatical behavior at his shows…but I know the truth. That’s right, Scott loves me…and he came all the way to Salt Lake just to do a little singing for yours truly.

Okay fine, I may have exaggerated a little bit. It is possible that my recent encounter with Scott was less of a meeting between two enamored people in love, and more of a meeting between rock star and stalker. You say potato, I say potahto.

Anyway, the Scott Weiland concert did not disappoint. I have been following Scott’s career ever since he first emerged with Stone Temple Pilots when I was in junior high. As a matter of fact, I purchased STP’s first album on cassette tape…THAT is how long I have loved Scott Weiland.

This picture was taken right after Scott came onstage!
I think my enormous grin speaks for itself.

The stage was rigged with a huge dry ice machine, and during a really long jam of “Sour Girl” the band played their instruments while simultaneously rolling around in the haze.

At one point during the concert, the lead guitarist walked along the stage with his guitar held out for the crowd to touch. Easton snapped a picture of me touching the guitar and acting like the frenzied groupie that I am.

Hey Court, does the sticker on this guitar look familiar to you?

After two hours of incredible music along with the obligatory encore, Scott and the band said good night and walked offstage…but not before the bass player threw his guitar pick into the crowd and hit me in the head with it! Luckily, Easton is an extremely observant and sprightly boyfriend who managed to snatch up the offending pick before anyone else could grab it.

Yep, this bad boy pelted me right in the forehead.

I also yelled at one of the roadies (while bouncing up and down for emphasis) until he agreed to peel a set list off of the stage floor for me. The particular set list I ended up with was stationed directly in front of Scott’s microphone, which means that I am the lucky owner of a set list covered in Scott Weiland’s footprints!

To top off an already incredible evening, we waited around after the show to see if we could track down Scott…and our stalkerish ways paid off! We managed to bombard him on the way to his tour bus…and OH HAPPY DAY…Scott Weiland autographed my favorite STP album booklet and let me take a picture with him!

Here I am with the man himself…who has most certainly changed quite a bit since his sexy heartthrob days on MTV’s unplugged.
Despite my sneaking suspicion that he possibly dabbles in illegal substances…Scott Weiland still rocks my world.

Easton and Justin jumped in on the action as well.

Overall, our night with Scott Weiland was an absolute blast! The experience was also fairly lucrative, considering that I walked away with a set list (AND a collection of Scott’s footprints), a guitar pick, a signed CD booklet, and the long-lasting memory of getting up close and personal with Scott Weiland.

Here I am with all my loot from the show:

I really don’t think I will ever get sick of going to concerts. One day I will probably become one of those old ladies who rock out at concerts while all the young folk stare mockingly. And when that day comes, I have no doubt that I will still love every minute of it.

Dynamite Dinosaurs

Did you know that Thanksgiving Point is home to the Largest Dinosaur Museum in the World? At least, that’s what the billboard says. So, in an effort to break up the monotony of daily life, Easton and I decided to jump in the car on Saturday and make some new prehistoric friends.

I was pretty pumped to see all of the huge dinosaur bones, but Easton was so fascinated by the posters about dirt and tectonic plates and the separation of Pangaea that I could hardly drag him away. I had to impatiently tap my foot for at least thirty minutes before he was finally willing to move on.

The museum was huge! And I was totally fascinated by all of the exhibits. Sometimes I find it hard to believe that creatures as huge as dinosaurs actually lived on the very same planet that we live on today.

Do you see a resemblance here?

Dancing with Dino.

Watching the 3D “Dinosaur Giants of Patagonia” movie.

Megalodon. I was beyond terrified by the description of this shark.

Yes, Easton and I are technically adults. But that didn’t stop us from running around taking pictures of ourselves pretending to be eaten by dinosaurs and climbing into exhibits that were supposedly off-limits, all while simultaneously eating blow pops that had previously doubled as walrus tusks.

Other people at the museum may have scoffed at us…but we thought we were absolutely hilarious.

What Happens in Vegas…

…stays in Vegas. But I must admit, my recent trip to Las Vegas didn’t include a single scandalous or sordid event that would need to be locked away in a secret vault in Vegas. In fact…I think the population of Las Vegas was probably bored to tears by our mellow group.

I have been SO stressed out lately and I was in desperate need of a relaxing getaway. My friend Tom offered up the perfect excuse to escape town for a few days by suggesting we all meet in Vegas, and I was pretty quick to jump on the bandwagon.

Our weekend consisted of a few distinct elements:

We hung out by the pool…

...tackled some roller coasters…

...ate A LOT of food…

...and were driven around all weekend by our chauffeur, Justin, who is from New York and is therefore accustomed to crazy driving conditions.

Overall, our quick Vegas jaunt was incredibly low-key and restful, which was just what the doctor ordered. When the weekend came to an end and we began our drive back to Utah, I started to feel a little blue about the fact that I was heading straight back to all the stress and anxiety of daily life. We drove into a patch of gloomy rain, which added to my melancholy mood even more…until we emerged from the rainstorm into the bright sunshine and saw the most beautiful rainbow.

This definitely made me smile…

I’d like to think that the rainbow was a little sign that life will work itself out and everything will be just fine. Or maybe it was just a kick in the butt to remind me that I am so unbelievably blessed and shouldn’t be complaining about the challenges that tend to stress me out. Or maybe it was none of those things at all, and I was just searching for some special meaning in a simple rainbow.

Either way, I hope I never stop being grateful for my amazing life. The world is wide open to me right now! How lucky am I?

Spoonman

I have a few sincere words of wisdom I would like to share with all of you:

Chris Cornell is a Rock GOD.

That’s right, I said it. He rocks my world. And that’s exactly what he did at his mind-blowing concert a couple weeks ago!

Here we are waiting for the doors to open…

This picture was taken right after Chris Cornell stepped onstage!
That huge smile didn’t leave my face ALL night.

We started the concert in the second row, but those of you who know me will understand that second row would never be adequate when Chris Cornell is involved. Once the music got going and everyone started pushing and shoving, I just kept my little hand in a deathgrip on the front rail and managed to squish all the way forward.

Let me paint you a picture. Chris Cornell was no more than a few measly feet in front of me, and I was in a position to see every miniscule detail. I was close enough to see that Chris had Calvin Klein underwear peeking out of his Chip and Pepper jeans. The jeans I speak of were being held up by a shoelace instead of a belt, and were tucked nonchalantly into Fluevog boots. He was wearing a simple bracelet made of little wooden beads, and among his multitude of necklaces was a thin leather cord bearing a tiny turquoise charm. That’s right folks, I could see all of this in perfect clarity.

Now for the best part of the whole evening…Chris grabbed my hand TWICE during the concert. I almost fainted! And you can make fun of me all you want and say that I’m pathetic and fanatical, but I don’t care because I got to hold Chris Cornell’s hand and you didn’t.

Here are a few highlights from the show:

About halfway through the concert, Chris Cornell threw a guitar pick into the crowd and Easton caught it in midair! He clearly has some very impressive hand-eye coordination.

I would like to take a second to point out that Easton is the BEST person to go to concerts with. Without him around to be my bodyguard, there is no way I would be able to withstand the front row of a rock concert without getting totally trampled. But when I have Easton placed strategically behind me, I just get to jump around and enjoy the concert while he acts as a very effective barrier from all the wild people around us. I suppose there are some very distinct advantages to dating such a big guy!

We ended up running into our friends Justin and Christine in the swarm of crazy fans, which meant that we were able to expand our team for even more efficient crowd control.

By the end of the concert, I was running on pure adrenaline and continuing to scream myself hoarse. When Chris Cornell finally said good night and walked offstage, I felt a surge of disappointment…until the guitarist handed me the guitar pick he had been using and the drummer gave me one of his drumsticks! Oh what a night.

Here I am with my loot from the concert. Lucky lucky me.

Life can be so fun sometimes! Music has always had an amazing power to make me happy. I’ll never forget such an incredible concert…or the feeling of Chris Cornell’s beautiful hand in mine.

And Chris…if you happen to stumble upon my blog and are reading these words, I’d like you to know that I LOVE YOU!

Happy Mother’s Day!

I have the best mom in the world.

No, seriously. I know you’re sitting there thinking, “Come on now, don’t exaggerate.” But really…my mom is absolutely, positively, unquestionably, indubitably, assuredly, unconditionally the GREATEST mom in existence.

One time I picked up my mom’s scriptures and a small scrap of paper fell to the floor. I hastily scooped the paper into my hand, intending to return it to the front pocket of the scripture case, and I glanced with mild interest at the words written on the little note. The paper had clearly been given to Mum at church, and one side was stamped with instructions for each person to write down their hopes and dreams.

I turned the paper over and discovered my mom’s answer to the question, written in her familiar handwriting: “I wish for the happiness and success of my children.”

I have no doubt that Mum is overflowing with hopes and dreams of her own…but I am certain that she would willingly sacrifice everything in this world to ensure the happiness of her children. My sisters and I are so, SO lucky to have a mother who loves us so much.

One day I hope to repay my mom for her selflessness and generosity by purchasing her a luxury condo on the beach where she can eventually enjoy retirement. Sounds pretty plush, eh? Although I have no doubt that she would appreciate the gesture, even extravagant real estate seems to pale in comparison to everything my mom has done for me over the past 28 years of my life.

I love you, Mum! You are my best friend and I don’t know what I would do without you. I love the way we can sit and talk for hours and hours, and I am constantly amazed that we somehow never manage to run out of things to say. No one else is capable of making me laugh until my cheeks hurt the way you do! You guide me through every twist and turn that life throws in my direction, and you offer infallible support whenever I struggle. I am so grateful for you, and I hope that I can always take care of you and enrich your life the same way you have always done for me. Happy Mother’s Day!