7.02.2011

Mehico thus far.




It's no secret we LOVE mexico. Isn't it obvious? We tend to gravitate south of the border every few months or so and this time we are here for over 2 weeks! Now, I'm not going to pretend Mexico is this glamorous place. OOOHHH no. Its most definitely a diiiiiiirty destination. Literally. You know that scripture "from dust thou art. . .?" Well we are living proof of this. Especially when you're camping. You kind of start to turn into a giant crust ball. I don't think I even brought deodorant. SO ya, the flies are attracted to us needless to say. I give major props to Phoebs. She's had her moments (as 22 month olds do) but over all she's been a real champ, thanks to a little thing called a DVD player and snacks and pools when where available. I also give major props to myself for having such a good attitude! Even Dave said so. A girl can only be dirty for so long ya know? And of course I give props to Dave for being out numbered and for ALWAYS being so darn cheerful about it. He loves his girls. Even if we are a bit crusty. K. Here's the breakdown. The first day/night of driving was hell. Phoebs was ridiculously insane and I was also nuts from dealing with her, and we couldn't find a decent place to camp (we almost got totally scammed at K38 by some lame "surfer" trying to sell us a night at his overly clean, overly priced pompous place. He was a real dork.) So we finally found a place to camp just south of Enseñada. Little did we know it was like Mexican Disneyland. We wake up to music bumping, Mexicans ziplining and paddleboating, crossing crazy high bridge w/ death traps, splashing in a humongous water park, etc. You simply cannot find anything this death defyingly awesome in the USA. Whoever said Mexico is a dangerous place did not visit camp Las Cañadas. Definitely made up for our rough start.
A few hundred miles later in Cataviña we stayed in a hotel! The AC was glorious. I loved the architecture here and Phoebs loved running around and swimming. We had an impromptu photo shoot in the early morning. (Disclaimer: I'm not a photographer.) A few hundred miles after that and we ended up in this place, Dave refuses stating the name of places where good waves are. . .but if you're really curious give him a call. It was super awesome, because the owner of Aussie Dogs, Chris, has a fishing compound here (AD sponsors the surf team, and his daughter was in Dave's class.) So we just camped on his lot. Clean flushable toilets and showers are a rarity when you're camping in Mex. He also took us on his boat and I caught my first edible fish, actually I caught 3! It's called pinto bass and makes excellent fish tacos. Absolutely the highlight of our boat trip was when a pelican came outta no where and landed right on Chris' head. He stayed there for a good 5 minutes! A first for Chris. We also spotted lots of dolphins and turtles. The ocean is definitely alive here.This is Dave's dream set up. Homey ain't it?
Fashionable melt down.taking it back to '75. Dave's student (whose name is also Stephanie), was Phoebe's best friend for a few days. Dave is inside of this tube. For real.This Bay is probably the most beautiful I've seen. The water had to of been at least 80 degrees. It was sooooooooooooooooo nice to be in WARM WATER! Phoebs was in heaven. At night Phoebs, Dave and I laid in the water starring at the starlit sky. Well I laid and Phoebs did a "1, 2, 3, GOOO run into the water to dad, and repeated this several thousand times.) So, 4 days into traveling we are now in Cabo, and have been here 3 nights so far. This part of Mexico is definitely "glamorous" I use quotations because we have quite the scene here. Anywhere from "girls gone wild, summer '11" crew, to the older midwestern folk, to the honeymooners. It's fun being a tourist. We are lucky enough to be staying in Dave's surf team student's dad's hotel, his dad's dad was the architect and built it in the 80's and it is quite a work of art.

Phoebs has the pool all to herself and we can't keep her out of it. I have a hard time coming out too.
This is a scene you would ONLY get in a tourist destination of Mexico. and in the SC 3rd ward. Phoebs was way into the show. First half down. Time to go to Lover's Beach. Adios.

6.14.2011

Smokin' Weiners performing "Baby"

Dave is in a band. It's a teacher band. And he is playing to an audience bursting with bieber fever. Enjoy this punk rock version of pre-adolescent bieberness.

Surprise!

It all started when Julie B called to see if I wanted to help her throw a surprise party for Dave and Johnny. Duh, of course! Surprises are what I'm all about. So we decided on a date and a place. . .then she calls a week later and suggests we surprise them with an LA get-a-way instead. Even better. No work and it's almost like it's our birthday present too. So we started off the night with two things: blindfolds and an awesome birthday soundtrack including "since u been gone" "baby" and "hey ya!" You know its gonna be a good time when those songs are included. Not to mention blindfolds. So right after the Shorecliff's talent show (future post, but here's a preview)

Dave as Justin BieberDave and I got in the car, and we headed up to Huntington. Before I exited Euclid I asked Dave to put on the blindfold. We pulled up to JB's parents house, they got in the car and Johnny put on his blindfold. The jams started playing and it was a quick 40 min to the JW at LA Live. Johnny was very impressed with Julie's surprising skillz. We get there, I jump out check us in and hang up their birthday sign. Of course I told them we were at the gas station. . .had to keep the surprise going til the last minute!and we unveil heaven on earth. A cake made by Julz. The rooftop pool and spa were involved of course. Bethany Hamilton shot.Dave was hating all the picture taking going on. Johnny and I were loving it. He helped me stage this photo. Great lighting!And we ate lunch at the home of the BEST french toast on the planet. A place called the Farm of Beverly Hills. It is seriously the best. Moral of the story, when deciding whether to throw a surprise party or go here. . .well it's obvious right? You won't regret it!