Concert Get-Away!

INCUBUS BABE-EH!!!!!!

This concert was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!! We had front row seats too!!!! (They didn't allow me to bring my Cannon camera in, so we only got a shot at the end of the concert!... they suck!) Anyhow, I'm glad that my persuasion convinced Josh to come with me!!! And!... This says it best..............

-Incubus returns to stage with a performance that didn’t, well... succubus.
In fact, the talented musicians wowed the sold-out crowd with its hits like “Pardon Me,” “Love Hurts,” “Stellar” and “Anna Molly” and a selection of songs from its new CD “Moments and Melodies.”
Brandon Boyd's perfect pitch voice sent the crowd out of their seats, where we stood in awe for the duration of the show.
The band sounded polished, especially with their smoother acoustic set, when they played “Make Yourself” and a beautiful, nearly 10-minute rendition of “Dig.”
The acoustic set also showcased the band’s use of instruments not usually seen in a rock show, including a didgeridoo. Yep, a didgeridoo — hooked up to an amplifier and played by lead singer Boyd. And what rock show would be complete without bongos and a djembe?
The interesting instruments are just part and parcel with the group’s unique sound as well as DJ Kilmore's turntable scratchologist.
Another highlight of the show included “A Certain Shade of Green” and “Oil and Water.”
The band ended the first set with an energetic performance of its hit “Wish You Were Here,” as a shirtless Boyd worked the stage, looking just as transfixed with the music as the excited crowd (we sang at the top of our lungs).
Incubus returned for a second set with “Punch Drunk” and “Circles.” The group ended the explosive show with a beautiful rendition of “Aqueous Transmission,” with Einzinger playing a Chinese instrument called a pipa and Boyd again showing his vocal prowess.
As the rock band walked off stage, we chanted for more, only to be greeted by Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” and wanting more!!!! We LOVED IT!!!


The following day was full of site seeing in Santa Barbara, shopping, ice cream & a stroll on the Pier. Seashell searching on the beach, which, instead we found these gooey, slimy creatures covering the shoreline! I was so intrigued over what the heck these "gooey monsters" were!... Josh just laughed at me! A pond filled with flowing moss and seaweed was the perfect life for Chinese gold fish and adorable lil turtles.


We had a fabulous get-away! Thank you Incubus & Santa Barbara!.... we needed it!!!

Thought of the day:
"You simply will not be the same person two months from now after consciously giving thanks each day for the abundance that exists in your life. And you will have set in motion an ancient spiritual law: the more you have and are grateful for, the more will be given you."
~SBB~

Fabulous 4th!

Let FREEDOM ring!.....
What happened to the Stadium of Fire and Jonas Brothers this year?!.... so sad to say that it was difficult to get the my whole fam together for our annual gathering. :( So... Although a lil homesick, we decided to get out and make it a day to remember with the "family" we have here.

Our 4th of July started with a Diet Coke ;) :) a quick change into one of the many swimsuits (hee hee!) to hit the Santa Monica Beach oh, and... stopped for twizzler bits and some other goodies! :) If you know me..... diet coke and twizzler bits are a MUST for me!!!
Josh decided to grab a bat and wiffle ball, which was a blast hitting into the waves! Ha, ha!... good luck to whoever had to go fetch em in the water!! ;)
Our friends have boogie boards and of course Brittany somehow talked me and Jenika into getting in the water. Oh... and just prior to our venture into the water she was discussing how a shark was spotted in the EXACT same area!.... Yeah!.... that made me feel all warm and fuzzy! What was I thinking getting in???! So.... it makes sense now why the lifeguard boat was patrolling our area as well as helicopter watch. :) Anyhow, we had a BLAST catching a few waves together! Too bad my camera battery died right as we entered the water!!!

Thank you to the Davis's for the De-li-cious BBQ they prepared and to our chef (Katie) for her amazing talent in baking.... strawberry short cake made from scratch! Oh, it was to die for!!! I bet she gets a few great tips from working on Giada's show!

So, not only did we get some sun and sand..... delicious BBQ food and something sweet to top it off, we got a great show of fireworks at the CC High School. Like Brittany said, "This was the best 4th of July ever!... Oh, wait!... besides the Washington D.C fireworks!" LOL!
Yeah, although very few firework shows can top The Stadium of Fire for us!... We still had a fabulously fun time with our friends!!! Thanks guys!... We Love You!! ;) :)

Thought of the day:
"Treat your friends as you do your pictures, and place them in their best light." ~JJC

The Boss's Wedding...

Yikes!!!! What do you wear to your boss's wedding??! I'll tell ya what!... I've never been this stressed out searching for the perfect evening gown, accessories, jewelry, etc. for a "black tie" wedding since my own wedding! Wait!... I wasn't even this stressed for my own!! Oh, and I have to add that... I even had to buy a "clutch". Will I ever use it again... NO!

Well, I guess you have to know 'the boss' though! My friend, Chang, and I weren't even allowed to leave her bridal shower early! It went from 4-midnight or later.... we snuck out at 10:30!

I've never been to a Jewish wedding, but it was absolutely gorgeous! Yep... very glamorous, as "the boss" would want it that way! Persian food is delicious and how about dancing the night away??! We enjoyed meeting new faces, food and of course the bride and groom!

I couldn't pack my big cannon camera in my clutch, LOL! So here are just a couple shots before we left.

Thought of the day:

"Women wish to be loved not because they are pretty, or good, or well bred, or graceful, or intelligent, but because they are themselves."~HFA

Events in a Nutshell!... or Stone?!

WoW!... where to begin?!...........

First off!.... Josh made the "Dean's List" for the fifth time in a row!!! I am SO SO PROUD of him!!!!!! Congrats Lovey!

Well... after Josh's thrilling time in Costa Rica and Nicaragua, he flew home and we started our quick road trip visit to Utah. This gave a little time for Josh to relax with family, and for me... another year at BYU Women's Conference with my sis and Mom! We had a great time together! And of course heard some very helpful and inspirational advice from guest speakers.

Thank You Mom and Layner for taking time out of your schedules to be together and to make this happen!!

We're back home now and headed for a chillaxin day at the beach (which btw, was... heavenly!!) Josh just laughs at me when we hit the beach! Yeah!... I'm insanely crazy over seashells for some odd reason! I'll go to extreme measures, risking my life in the crashing waves to get a seashell! LOL!

Next in our chain of events... Jimmy Kimmel Live show! Yep!... I was tickled pink! Wha-hooo!!! I'm just lovin' the shows! So fun! Anyhow, I kept getting emails saying the show was on, then canceled, then on again, then off, then good to go, etc! So we decided to check it out since I still had tickets.... dragging our friends Nate & Katie with us! Sorry guys! ;) Ended up that the show was only for the unemployed workers of Detroit and special guest that flew every single one of them out... Eminem himself! We had a pretty sweet time at the concert, besides the standing for 6 hours!! Although... I was seriously afraid there was gonna be some gang shootings or something! LOL!... I'm a dork! How 'bout having Mike Tyson on with Mr. Slim Shady?! I'd like to see them go the rounds too!! ha ha ha!


Our next event took place after lounging all day and eating nothing but CRAP!!! (that's what happens when the wife has a sweet tooth all day, every day!) We were watching a movie when Josh left the room then came back in white as a ghost, holding his lower stomach and panting like he was in serious pain! My first thought?!.......

I questioned him and the pain, which was worse than the pain of his appendix from the previous year. Josh tolerates pain very very well, so I was in complete shock and panicked when he said lets go to the ER!!! Oh, and btw!... he was out on the computer trying to diagnose himself, yet again!!! We're in the ER until 6:00 Sun am and I still have to go teach my kids! That was a killer! But the pain subsided which was more important! Oh, and after CT scan and pee test the results were EXACTLY what "the wife" thought!...... A Kidney Stone!!!! So, for future reference... Josh will be giving birth for the both of us!!! LOL! ;) And!... there's the proof of 'the passing of THE STONE!!!'

So while Josh was passing his stone on Monday, (which we didn't know if and when it was going to come!) I and a few others were having a Blasty Blast at the "Ellen Degeneres Back lot Bash" Party!!! Yep!... Another show! I tried for tickets just for my Mom!... but other plans were definitely more important and ranked first priority! So, I invited Sister, Katie and Lynn (Brenda's friend). Besides the blistering heat and getting split up at the show... I think we all had a super fab time?!!!! Ellen is like a once in a lifetime deal, ya know?! :) So, I tried to make it what it was worth! I hope it was a good time for everyone!!! (we're on the balcony of the house Ellen "bought"... and also came out of at the beginning of the show!) Yay!!! ;) :) :) Good times!

Oh, and we had an earthquake again!... pretty crazy! So, that is what our past month has been like!

Happy Birthday Jaclyn!!!! We Love You! :)

Thought of the day:

"He who never walks except where he sees other men's tracks will make no discoveries." ~AU

"Gnarly"

Alright, well... as it turns out it wasn't my crazy lil husband that was injured!! It brought great relief when he called and confirmed that he was still alive and in one piece! So! Here is his email to me, just so ya'll know why I was freaking!!! (He is talking about the waterfalls they hiked to in Costa Rica)...

"we went to some heated natural pools and it had a water slide and super hot pools up to 150 F. i didn't venture into the boiling water...ouch!!!! the water slide was so gnarly and there is an exciting story of injury and rescue which i will tell later when i have some time. it was me who was hurt and everybody is okay, but it was a little scary for a few minutes."

Yeah! So, here I am having a full on heart attack and nearly throwing up! Come to find out, it was "Big K" (pic above) who was injured. He is ok though, which is a blessing! I guess they were going down this "gnarly" slide, as Josh called it. Kaulana somehow hit his head while racing on the water slide, which knocked him unconscious. He then came flying out and dropped like a cannon bomb into the water... right! Well, everybody is waiting for him to pop up outta the water, but.... nothing! They wait a sec longer, and still... no Kaulana! That is when one of the guys (Cody?) decided to jump in after him! Kaulana is a tall Hawaiian dude too! But, they managed to pull him out of the water. He was still unconscious, but after a minute (which I'm sure felt like...forever) he came to. Josh said he had a big gash above his eye. Bad enough to need some stitches, but nowhere to go?! He also feels as though he may have broken a rib or two. Oh, I'm just thankful that Kaulana is ok and it wasn't like an air flight to the hospital or something! And!... I'm relieved that Josh is in one piece too! It's time to tell these guys that they're no longer 13 yrs old!.... they're 30!!!!!! No more head first diving and screwin' around boys!!! ;) :) :) ha ha!

Thought of the day:

"I am willing to put myself through anything; temporary pain or discomfort means nothing to me as long as I can see that the experience will take me to a new level. I am interested in the unknown, and the only path to the unknown is through breaking barriers, an often-painful process." ~DN