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!

The Verdict Is In

After a lot of flip-flopping between the pros and cons of Pepperdine and the University of San Diego, I have finally decided that I’m going to start grad school at USD in the fall. A couple weeks ago I took a trip down to So. Cal to visit Pepperdine in the hopes that I would get a feel for which program is right for me, and although Pepperdine was extremely tempting (translation: I had a difficult time passing up a school that is right on the beach in Malibu), USD’s benefits ultimately surpassed Pepperdine’s. Although both schools undoubtedly offer amazing programs, USD is nationally accredited, allows flexibility with class choices and schedules, and offers study abroad opportunities. I just couldn’t deny such substantial benefits, and USD consequently seems to be a better fit for me personally…but I’m still lamenting the loss of Pepperdine’s incredible campus.

Although my trip to San Diego was brief, I was grateful for the chance to spend a little time with the fam. The weather was absolutely gorgeous (big shocker) and we made sure to take advantage of the sunshine.

Courtney and I hit up a sunset at Ponto one evening, and I was vividly reminded of how lucky I am to have spent my whole life right next to the beach. The sand, the waves, the sunshine, and the salty air always manage to lull me into some kind of euphoria.

We also spent a sunny Saturday in Encinitas doing a few things that were reminiscent of good old high school days. Talk about a blast from the past! We started our day with breakfast at the Potato Shack (oh American fries, why do you have to be so delicious and fattening?)

After breakfast, we walked around our favorite stores and surf shops until our food had digested enough to make room for slurpees and Funyuns from the 7-11 on D Street. It has been way too long since I have indulged in this little pleasure.

We also made it to the Seaside Bazaar, which is always a fun place to find unique and homemade little treasures. The economy has clearly taken a toll on everyone, because one sales guy actually chased me around the bazaar with a messenger bag I had momentarily considered buying. He kept offering to give me a special deal on the bag, and for a moment I couldn’t actually figure out whether I was in Encinitas or Tijuana.

Courtney bought me this darling hat from a little stand at the bazaar, along with an adorable purple one for herself: Cute, eh?

I guess it won’t be too long before I’ll be back down in the San Diego sunshine for good! I can’t believe how many changes are taking place in my life right now. I won’t deny that I’m a little apprehensive…I’ve always been the type of person who likes security and consistency. I am NOT looking forward to racking up a load of debt from grad school, and I’m kinda nervous about packing up my whole life and starting a brand new chapter. But I guess the flip-side of fear is excitement, and I am thrilled to make a fresh start towards improving my life and making a better future for myself. And while we’re on the topic of personal enrichment…being back in beach country won’t be the worst thing in the world either.

Festival of Colors

The local Hare Krishna temple hosted its annual Holi Festival of Colors yesterday and thousands of people flocked from all over Utah to attend. I have been looking forward to this festival all month and there was NO way I was going to miss it. The Holi Festival celebrates the arrival of spring and the passing of winter, and tradition dictates that all grudges and negative feelings must be abandoned for a day of merriment. According to the Hare Krishna website, people are supposed to “bury their hatchets with a warm embrace and throw their worries to the wind”…and those worries are apparently represented by enough colorful powder to bury us all.

The festival began with singing and dancing, followed by a bonfire and ceremony in which an effigy of the evil demoness Holika was burned…and then we all counted down to the moment when we could throw around our multi-colored powder with reckless abandon. You would not believe the wonderful chaos that ensued! The air was so thick with powder that I couldn’t breathe…I had colors caked in my eyes, nose, and mouth…and the massive crowd trampled me like a herd of wild buffalo. It was fantastic!

We may have been gagging on powder and unable to open our eyes for a while, but we had so much fun...and we definitely looked festive!

We spent the next couple of hours dancing and singing along with the music (which wasn’t difficult to do, because apparently the Hare Krishnas just repeat the same words over and over to different tunes).

Not so sure about this weird food on my plate…

The Holi Festival of Colors was an unforgettable experience and I loved every minute of it! I was genuinely disappointed when the sun started to go down and the freezing temperatures forced us to leave…

…but I received quite a shock when I got home and saw this in the mirror:

Yikes! I hadn’t realized how truly colorful I was! My hair is still kinda pink (even after four shampoos), my eyes are still burning, and my fingernails appear to be stained purple…but it was SO worth it.

Oh Happy Day!

I think that Robert Smith from The Cure was talking about me when he wrote the opening lyrics to the song Mint Car:

The sun is up, I’m so happy I could scream!

WHY am I so happy, you may ask? Because I just found out that I was accepted at the University of San Diego and Pepperdine University for my master’s program!

I must be honest…I was a little skeptical about getting accepted into these two schools. I mean…come on…USD and Pepperdine are hard to get into. I applied with high hopes, but I was grateful that I would have San Diego State or Cal State Long Beach waiting in the wings if I needed them. Yet somehow I was lucky enough to be accepted into my top two choices!

I feel so, SO blessed.

So now what do I do?! Which school do I choose? Both schools have amazing programs (and both are unfortunately really expensive). Do I pick USD, which is located in my beloved hometown, has an incredibly beautiful campus, and offers an impressive curriculum with a chance to study abroad? Or do I opt for Pepperdine, a school that also has a remarkable curriculum, a reputation that speaks for itself, and is located right by the beach in Malibu?

PLEASE give me your opinions!

Blog Visitors

Ever since I added the live traffic feed to my blog page, I have been wondering about the plethora of IP addresses from random locations that visit my blog on a regular basis. I mean…who ARE these people who take the time to type in my blog address and read about the happenings of my life? Family? Friends? Acquaintances? Complete strangers who spend their time blog-stalking? People from my past?

I’ve considered making my blog private many times, but I’m hesitant to block out the family members and friends who seem to be constantly popping up in the blogging world. My blog has therefore remained public, although I still don’t really like the idea of having my posts on display. I am fully aware that the world wide web is a public place where anyone in the world can gain access to your personal information…however, I can’t help but find it strange that I get visitors from places like Malaysia, Brazil, and Thailand. Who are these people?

And more importantly…who is the person in Fort Meyers, Florida who has apparently discovered my blog and keeps coming back on a regular basis? Strangely enough, this person also seems quite interested in my sister Courtney’s blog. I’m fairly certain that I know who this visitor is, and I must admit that I am intrigued. Despite the fact that my blog is extremely enticing and oh-so-delightful, I can’t imagine why this particular person would want to read about my life. I suppose the answer to this puzzle can be summed up by the wise words of Jim Morrison and the Doors when they aptly stated, “People are strange.”

2 Legit 2 Quit

February 27 was a historic night on which a phenomenon swept through Utah. This particular rarity had not occurred on the earth for nearly twenty years, and those of us who were lucky enough to witness it are not likely to forget the experience anytime soon.

The miracle I am referring to goes by a plethora of titles, the most recent of which is “Hammer Pants and Ice”…more commonly known as the MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice flashback concert!

All technicalities aside, these labels are simply euphemisms for “Two washed-up rappers from the early 90’s who must be a little low on funds and therefore want to earn some extra money by putting on a ridiculous concert in Utah.”

Yes, the concert was ludicrous. Totally absurd. It was also completely and utterly AWESOME! I mean, seriously, how many of you know every single word to “Ice Ice Baby”? I certainly do! And who has participated in a little booty-shaking to “U Can’t Touch This” on countless occasions? I have!

Be honest…at some point in our lives, haven’t we all wanted to roll in a 5.0 with the rag-top down so our hair can blow? And come on…you know you got to pray just to make it today. Oh the nostalgia.

I'll be the first one to admit that the concert was pretty idiotic, but there is no way I would have missed it! We laughed through the whole thing, sang along to every song, and danced until we almost passed out from exhaustion. I quickly learned that just because I was surrounded by music from the early 90’s didn’t mean that I had the same level of endurance that I had in back in 1992.

This is some of the priceless merchandise available at the concert.  Admit it, you are so lusting after the “Word to You Mutha” shirt.

All in all, I give the concert two thumbs up. I think MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice have officially proven to the world that they really are too legit to quit!