wild west

In February I road-tripped to southern Arizona to see Tombstone and some ghost towns. The weather was great (cool and slightly overcast at times). We found tons of cool, off-the-beaten-path things to see.

To be honest, Tombstone itself was a bit of a disappointment. It is small, which I expected, but it is also largely commercialized now - with souvenir shops and restaurants making up most of the town. Next we traveled to Gleeson (just outside Tombstone). There was a ranch there owned by some people who have made somewhat of a museum of odd trinkets and what nots. It was really neat. They also sell rattlesnake crafts.

Gleeson is also home to it's own ghost town. We saw the old jail

and the remains of the school. It was really cool, I love history!

Next we drove through Lowell. It's an old town that reminds me of a route 66 town that the movie Cars was based on. Bright colors, old fashioned buildings in great shape.

From there, we went to Bisbee, another really neat older town. This is an artsy town, the homes and businesses all are very fun to look at. Great restaurants and really good antique shops too.

All in all, it was the perfect long weekend trip!

and there went 2011

I have been so bad about keeping up with my blog the entire year of 2011! It is now nearly over, and I haven't posted once. I am going to try to blog once a day over the next week or so about all of the cool trips I have been on this year. STAY TUNED!

auld lang syne

Since I realize it's been half a year since I had posted, I thought I would pay an homage to 2010. Some highlights of my year:

• finished 3rd consecutive semester of school (a huge feat for someone that has resisted doing so for SO MANY years)
• bought a fancy new mattress
• refinished an old bed
• refinished an old dresser
• (FINALLY) bought a new car
• taught a year of Old Testament (as Gospel Doctrine teacher in my ward)
• hiked the Narrows in Zion
• got a new flat screen tv
• got 2 African dwarf frogs (Macaroni & Cheese), 2 snails, a beta (Corduroy), and 2 small fish
• got a little promotion at work
• made many new friends

And to ring in the New Year, some things I am looking forward to in 2011:

• trip to Indonesia in March to pick up Whitney
• transfer to a University to finish my last 2 semesters of school (I will announce the location when I know for sure)
• starting a new job
• plans to travel to Argentina, and Europe
• enjoying the last year of my 20's

Hope you all are safe and happy! 

the Incredible Machine

For my mom's 50th birthday (and because I have been DYING to see them), I took her to the Greek Theatre to see Sugarland. IT was AWESOME! We had so much fun! It's an outdoor ampitheatre, only seats 7,000 so it was a little more intimate, and it was a perfect southern California summer evening. Here we are in front of one of their tour bus'.

And here I am with a view of the stage in the background (hat and all).

This is when they first came on stage.

Jennifer Nettles has SO MUCH energy, I'm pretty sure she has ADD. She was ALL OVER THE PLACE. They were outstanding live. Better than any studio recording I've ever heard. I'm going to spend some time in the South this fall, and I am planning on seeing them again live in Savannah, Georgia ... I can't wait!

Azusa canyon

A few weekends ago we drive up Azusa canyon (which is in my backyard, but I had never in my life been there before). We parked near the San Gabriel river and hiked down the path awhile till we hit a good spot to stop and swim. It was a beautiful southern California day, perfect weather! I'm constantly amazed at how much beauty there is in LA!