Huntington Beach, California...April 2010

Huntington Beach Experience

In an effort to be obedient to my bishop's counsel and in finding an opportunity for a little adventure... I went with a couple of my brave friends, Jen and Robynn, to the Huntington Beach, California mid singles conference in the end of April. We flew out of Seattle early April 23rd. When we arrived in LA, we got our little rental car and headed to the Santa Monica pier. This is the boardwalk that has been made famous in different movies through the years...don't ask me what movies right now...I just know that it has. :) It is also the end of the famous Route 66. It was a beautiful day and we seized the moment to take lots of photos and to also enjoy a ferris wheel ride. It was awesome! Before the trip, I had told my friends that I had to eat at an In N' Out while we were in California. So, after our stop at the Santa Monica pier, we headed for some yummy food from a personal favorite of mine. It definitely hit-the-spot. :) We then headed to Huntington Beach where we checked into the Howard Johnson Hotel and took a quick nap to reenergize our already tired bodies for our weekend of fun in the sun. We then got ready to go to the Mid Singles Conference...I'm not gonna lie. We were a bit nervous and apprehensive and didn't really know quite what to expect. Friday night was actually a ton of fun! :) There was a dance at the church with a live band there from the '80s...no lie...they were totally decked out in '80s clothes and were singing songs from that popular decade we all grew up in. In the rooms surrounding the cultural hall, there were different activities going on. There was speed dating...quite the experience, Rock Band...love it, Foos Ball, Table Tennis, Karaoke, etc. We had fun experiencing it all. And, we got some flirting in with some cute guys...always a plus! :) Saturday they had different workshops that were all really good and insightful. The Long Beach, California mission president was one of the speakers and actually was probably my favorite. That afternoon, we all headed to the beach for some good times in the sun. It wasn't too hot...just right with temps at about 70-75. Jen, Robynn and I enjoyed some window shopping and some delicious ice cream there, too. Saturday night, there was another dance and some other activities. Once again, fun times for all ! We flew home on Sunday and all agreed that we would definitely be checking out the upcoming mid singles conferences in the future. We had a great time and I think we all needed the time away to meet and mingle with other people who are at the same place in life. I think they said that the total number of attendees for the weekend was 1200. Amazing! I am really, really, really glad we went. I am pretty sure that Robynn and Jen can say the same thing. :)

The Hicks...A Special Treasure from GKHS

Fun with the Hicks at Ruby Tuesdays...April 2010...

Brunch with the Hicks August 2008...

In April, I had the opportunity of meeting up with a former student of mine, Michelle Hicks, and her parents, Drew and Joan. I absolutely love the Hicks Family. I met Michelle when she was a junior in high school and when it was my first year at GKHS. Michelle was different than many of my students and she would come in often to share with me what was happening in her life and the adventures that she was experiencing as a high school student. She always wanted to hear about my life, too. And, I would share. We developed a very close relationship over the two years that we shared together at GKHS. Michelle graduated in 2008 but our relationship has remained strong. Right before Michelle went off to Eastern Washington University for her freshman year, I went with her family to a special brunch on the waterfront in Tacoma. Since then we have been to dinner at the Olive Garden a few times and most recently we met up at Ruby Tuesdays for dinner and a good catch up time. Michelle is working up in Alaska this summer and I will get to see her when we make our port stop in Skegway. I am very excited! :) Not only is Michelle totally awesome but so are her parents. I have come to love this family SO much and truly consider them to be a treasure that I have been blessed with by working at GKHS.

My New Life

This was on my sister-in-laws blog and it touched my heart and soul. I am amazed by the strength of this woman. Who obviously gets her strength from the Lord. (Make sure to go to my music and push pause so that you can hear the video). Enjoy!

FUN IN CANADA!!!

Last weekend, Jessica and I took a trip North to the beautiful city of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It was my first experience EVER using my Passport! I was so excited. The guy at the Port of Entry was a bit scary with all of the questions that he asked but he was nice enough to stamp our passports. :) After waiting in heavy traffic for a while, we finally arrived in Vancouver. We looked around the city for a bit and then quickly found a delicious local restaurant for dinner. It was called Earl's. The food was delish! :) We then headed to the hotel. We stayed at the Empire Hotel. And, although it was a bit run down we found that it was clean and definitely a safe place to stay for the night. Plus, the price was right...and let's be honest, that is always a plus! The next day, we did some window shopping in Vancouver, drove around a beautiful park, Stanley Park, that reminded me a lot of Point Defiance (one of my most favorite spots in Washington), and found a suspension bridge that I walked across in the middle of a lush, green forest...Jess was a good sport. She is totally afraid of heights but was patient so that I could have my experience. We then drove south to Langley where the new Vancouver Temple has been built. It was the second day that the temple was having the open house and so we got to go through and see everything. The temple was breathtaking! Honestly, one of the most beautiful I have seen! The colors they chose to decorate with were beautiful...greens and blues. Plus, there were paintings of beautiful areas in British Columbia that adorned the walls. I was also a huge fan of the upholstery that they chose to use for the pews...I know it might sound strange but honestly...so classy and elegant. I loved it! After the temple, we began our trek home. We once again passed through customs...this time the guy didn't stamp our passports and actually laughed when we asked him to. But, it was still fun to be able to use the passport. This trip was a lot of fun and was definitely a nice break away. It was a great ending to a nice, relaxing Spring Break! :)

Tip Toe Through The Tulips

On Friday, my friend, Jessica, and I began our trek North. We first made our stop in Skagit Valley at the Tulip Festival. This is an incredible event that occurs every Spring. If you are a fan of beautiful flowers...this one is a must! There are so many different types of tulips. It is amazing. My favorite ones this year were the beautiful red ones, "Isle de France," and the deep purple ones, "Negritas". Jess and I enjoyed our "tip toe through the tulips!"