Temper Tantrum

A few days ago I came home from work to find the February Ensign methodically placed on my accumulating pile of stuff in the kitchen. It was neatly folded open to an article titled "Dating and the Eternal Perspective." The first thing that came to my mind was "Mom, are you kidding me right now?" I'm embarrassed to even say this, but I was furious. I was so mad that this article had been placed on MY STUFF for ME to read, that I took it and chucked it across the counter. Funny thing is, when I threw it, the magazine flipped open to another article titled "Tempering our Tempers" or something like that. Coincidence? "I don't think so Tim."

Needless to say, I walked over to where the magazine had landed, politely picked it up and said "sorry" to my mother who had watched the entire tantrum unfold. I vowed that when I had some free time, I would read the article.

Well, my friends. I have been called to repentance. The article was wonderful. So wonderful that I'm including a link on my blog for you to find it and read it yourself...that is...if you're single and of dating age (just click on the title above). The article breaks down the stigmas of dating. One idea about how the world believes, and the other about what the Lord would have us believe. Its awesome. I hope you read it. You deserve some revelation today!

NYC

In 3 short weeks my friend Kristin and I will be in New York for my birthday and I really want to see something on Broadway while I'm there. Since I'm not really a theater person I have NO CLUE what to see. The last (and only show I've ever seen) was Greece back in 1992. I'm pathetic! Does anyone have any recommendations for me? And please keep in mind that we plan on waiting in line the day of to get something cheap so the most popular shows like Wicked and Lion King will probably be sold out...unless anyone has a better idea. Leave any help in the comments section. Thanks!

Part 2 & 3: INDIA & INDONESIA

I finished it! Tonight our Book Club met to discuss the last two sections of the book "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert. The book is about one woman's spiritual journey through Italy, India, and Indonesia...and all of her experiences in between. We met at April's house as usual and enjoyed some traditional Indian and Indonesian food: spicy vegetarian curry, flat bread with an array of flavored humus, and a delicious vegetable and rice dish. As we snacked we discussed our thoughts on the last two sections and shared our favorite parts of the book. 

Here's my favorite passage from the Indonesia section. To set the stage, Liz, the author/main character is having a moment of self-reflection after having received a proposal to stay the night with the man she is dating.  She writes: "I have a history of making decisions very quickly about men.  I have always fallen in love fast and without measuring risks.  I have a tendency not only to see the best in everyone, but to assume that everyone is emotionally capable of reaching his highest potential.  I have fallen in love more times that I care to count with the highest potential of a man, rather than with the man himself, and then I have hung on to the relationship for a long time (sometimes far too long) waiting for the man to ascend to his own greatness.  Many times in romance I have been a victim of my own optimism."  That is some good stuff right there!

Friday Night at The Roxy

Friday night Kristin and I went up to LA to see our friend Henry Ammar perform at The Roxy. If you wanna see what went down that night visit Quinn's blog by clicking HERE. And yes, he looks like Ryan Seacrest's identical twin.

Wakeboarding in March?

You better believe it! I know some of you reading this are thinking we must all be crazy...well...and we are! But please understand this. When we planned the trip, the sun was shining, the temperature outside was a warm 82 and the prospect of being able to wakeboard, even during the winter sounded amazing! So, the trip was scheduled, friends were invited, and then Saturday morning happened.

I woke up to a bitter cold, overcast, dewey morning. Oh, but "Don't worry Aubs, it'll be like 75 and sunny at the lake. Promise!" Brad calmly assured me.  So, with the little faith Brad had lent me, I put on my jeans and sweatshirt and grabbed my wetsuit and board that had been waiting to be used for months.

I'll let these pictures help tell the story of the day:

Here is Bradley, captain of the day, and Mr. Optimism.  And get this, he actually just had shoulder surgery not too long ago which means he planned this fabulous trip knowing full well that he wouldn't be participating in the excitement.  Brad, you rock!

Ryan was one of the first to jump in the water and show us all how its done.

Here he is doing a tail grab.  I thought it a little inappropriate to post the pictures of me doing black flips and air railleys for fear that it would make the guys feel dumb. (Yeah right, in my dreams!) 

Meanwhile, Tristen, one of the only smart ones, stayed high and dry with a couple of warm towels and a good book.

Here's Allie, our flag girl, isn't she cute!  You'll get to see her mad skills in a second.

Tristen and Alice, trying to keep warm.  Just wait, there's more of that to come...

Captain Brad showing off his hot bod and chick glasses.

Direct quote from Tristen: "Andrew!  Either put your leg down, or put some underwear on!"

What is Brad doing in this picture?

What am I doing in this picture?

Thank you Alice for getting out there on a ski.

Allie, my hero!

The water was sooo cold, all the blood left Allie's feet and they were sooo WHITE!  And honey, Alllie, ain't white!

It's starting to get really cold now!  I'm pretty sure the temp has dropped from 60 to about 55 now.

I'm not even sure how many people are even in this picture.  Three?  Four?  All just trying to stay warm.

Lookin good Captain.

Let the spooning begin.

Or the dog piles!

Notice Brad still holding the flag.  Love it!

Sorry Andrew, no room for you!

And one big giant spoon session to finish off the day!

Despite the cold weather and frigid water, the day was a blast.  The water was pretty glassy in the earlier hours and I got in a couple of fun runs. But more importantly, the company was FABULOUS!  I think everyone had a great time;.  I just hope the weather warms up soon cuz I'm anxious to get there again soon!

DON'T FORGET TO VOTE!

There's only three more days left to vote for Stehpanie Cook to be on HGTV's next DesignStar. You can cast your vote only once each day before March 3rd, when the polls close. In case you forgot why it is you're voting, scroll down to the post "Vote for the next 'DESIGNSTAR'" and check out her work. And while you're at it, you might get a good laugh from reading the comment section. Apparently Kim's husband, the other girl who is competing against Stephanie for a spot on the show, felt it necessary to pick an argument with my mother. Funny stuff! So PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE take just a few seconds to vote for Stephanie. Her work is amazing and she definitely deserves the spot on DesignStar! Click HERE to cast your vote.

The Club

Wednesday night at the Marbella Country Club is always endless pasta night. Its my favorite! My dad's membership allows him to spend a certain amount in the dining room each month, and this month he has some left over funds which he graciously donated to me and a few of my friends.

We all had a great time dressing up and chatting over Shirley Temples and Lemonade. And I'm so excited for the next pasta night because Bunker and Allie showed me how to mix the Alfredo and Marinara sauce to make the most amazing dish! Thanks everyone for a memorable night.

Rock the Guitar Band Hero 2008

Guitar Hero and Rock Band. Best ward activity of all time! You're gonna want to get a closer look at these babies. Trust me!

Happy 16th Birthday Scotty!

You rip!

Friday Night

"Super fun!"  These pictures pretty much tell it all...


Friday night I met my girlfriends Kristin, Allie, and Amanda at Irvine Valley College for a fun little carnival in celebration of the Lasers last home basketball game.  I felt like I was 18 again...and I was loving it!   There was free food, cotton candy, and this awesome picture booth!  Kristin works with the Student Affairs at IVC and plans fun things like this all the time.  I was lucky enough to be invited.

After playing around for a little while we watched the Lasers smear the Gauchos (yes, those really are the school mascots).  At half-time Kristin was in charge of the Homecoming show where the 1st King and Queen were crowned.  After the game we decided to get some delicious frozen yogurt from Yorgurtland (scrowl down to read about my new obsession with this place).

We topped off the night with a party in Costa Mesa, followed by a midnight drive on PCH with the top down, the heater up, and the music blasting!  There's not much that beats a great night out on the town with your girlfriends.

Vote for the next 'DESIGNSTAR'

Orange County native Stephanie Cook is competing for a spot to be on Season 3 of HGTV's Design Star. Originally from Carslbad, California, the 27 year old graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Interior Design from the prestigious Interior Designer's Institute in Newport Beach. Stephanie, now the owner of Cal Coast Designs, a successful Interior Design business, is asking for our help to make her HGTV's next Design Star. If you need some convincing, here's a little peak at her work:

Master Bedroom

Kitchen & Breakfast Nook

Home Office

Master Bathroom

Fantasy Suite

I told you she's good!  So if you, like me, want Stephanie to be on the next season of Design Star, you can vote by clicking HERE or by going to www.hgtv.com/designstar.  Vote once a day for Stephanie Cook!

Here's to you Mr. President.

A tribute to the President's of the past:

Thank you for giving me the day off work. Thank you for letting me sleep in until 8:00 and lay in bed doing nothing until 9, just because I could. Thank you for allowing me to take a brisk walk through my beautiful neighborhood while enjoying the fresh sea air. Thank you for my line of credit that allowed me to purchase new jeans, a tie for my brother, and some hot new Chanel glasses which I am in love with. Thank you for giving me an evening of barbecuing with my friends and stuffing our faces with burgers and fruit salads. And thank you for an enjoyable evening at the movies. Let's do this again next year.

Yogurtland.

I have a new love. Yogurtland. They feature 16 diferent flavors of Non-Fat Frozen Yogurt, 33 different kinds of fresh fruits and toppings at 30 cents an ounce, all with the convenience of self-serve. Load me up! I first experienced this phenomenon Saturday night after the UCI v. BYU Men's Volleyball game...BYU creamed them (no pun intended) 3 games to 1. Ok, back to the Yogurt.

I have heard so many wonderful things about this place so needless to say I was so excited to finally try it for myself. When we pulled up the line was out the door. It was unbelievable. There were at least 50 people in front of me. I thought I was getting in line to ride Space Mountain. I thought to myself, "This place better be worth it, cuz this is ridiculous!" Oh, and it was! I filled up on the most delicious Strawberry, Peach, Mango, and Blueberry Yogurt, topped with cheescake bites, fresh strwaberries, blackberries, and mango.


Right now the closest location to my house is all the way in Irvine, so I checked their website to see if they would be franchising anytime soon. And sweet mercy, they're comin' down south. I can't wait.

3 Reasons Why I loved Valentine's Day:

1.  I  got be creative and crafty...

2. I got these beautiful flowers and delish carmel apples from my Mom & Dad...

FYI Boys - Flowers and Apple Pie Carmel Apples are the way to my heart!

3. I got to hang out with all my other single girlfriends, eat chocolate 'til we were sick, and enjoy a (pretend) striptease from our friend Nate. Hillarious! My girlfriends are the BEST!

The theme of the party was Madonna, so Holly made up these amazing "dolla-dolla-bills-ya'll" that had Madonna on the front and hearts on the back.  Little did we know what they would be used for.  Amazing!

The ladies were loving it!

Work it baby!

Blowing kisses...

Tristen gettin' in on the action!

Yup!  That last one pretty much sums it up.  Thanks for a great Valentine's day in 2000 and 8!