Cal-i-for-nia Girls

So it had been about 12 years since I had really been to L.A. I've done quick little stops, but hadn't really gone around the city in a while! It was the perfect weekend getaway with my best friend, Natasha! She is incredible, and we've been besties for almost 10 years. Nobody understands our sense of humor or how we act. Good thing we have each other. I already miss being on vacation and am so happy we decided to go!

Day 1:

We got off of our planes at the same time, met up at LAX (which if you haven't been there, it's a huge airport and difficult to find each other when you're on opposite sides of the place)! We got our rental car, and were off. We stayed the first night with one of my long-time friends, Jessica. She was the best host and had the cutest place! We were starving and went to Pink's hot dogs. Famous, iconic hot dog stand. SO worth it. We ventured over to Hollywood and saw all our favorite stars (including Bob Barker, Rugrats, Destiny's Child, and Britney. Ya we're 90's kids.). We walked around the Grove and the farmer's market and got a Sprinkles cupcake. Delish! We were so exhausted after our day, so we went to a women's spa in Koreatown. Ha so great. And slightly hilarious/awkward. There's a shower room that you start out in and you're butt naked with everyone (awk), then you go into different sauna rooms, an oxygen room, clay room, ice room. It felt sooo nice. Such a great first day!

Day 2:

I seriously took so many pictures of palm trees. They just never got old! We started out day 2 by going back to Hollywood to the Museum of Death. Sounds sketch, right? Ya kind of is. It's a museum that shows all of these famous murders that happened in L.A. and all of the things from the crime scene -- evidence, pictures (gruesome pictures), newspapers clippings, etc. Ya, we're freaks. But it was way sweet. To make ourselves feel better, we drove around Beverly Hills looking at all the rich people houses, then wandered down Rodeo Drive. I can't believe people are rich enough to live there and shop at those places. One can dream, ya? Afterwards, we went to Santa Monica and ate delicious fish tacos. One thing I miss about living on the coast is the seafood. Step it up, Utah. We rode bikes all the way to Venice beach and people-watched. Venice is a crazy place. We walked along the Santa Monica Pier where there's sweet rides and booths. Then of course we had to top off the night with some Cheesecake Factory and met up with Brooke and Scott where we stayed the next two nights!

Day 3:

There's a famous bookstore downtown L.A. called 'The Last Bookstore' that we went to. It had the coolest artwork and a book tunnel, plus thousands upon thousands of books. There's even little shops upstairs. So cool. There was a farmer's market outside --- and a lot of crazy people. I forgot how huge and populated L.A. is. You're gonna get a lot of crazies. It was cloudy in the morning, but the sun came out for us to go paddle boarding and kayaking! We went to Marina Del Ray. Paddle boarding is way easier than I thought, but is a great work out! It was fun to see all of the ginormous boats and houses along the water. Afterwards, we went to Manhattan Beach. This was my ultimate favorite spot. I wouldn't want to live in L.A., but if I did, it would be Manhattan beach. We ate the best ice cream cone ever, laid out, watched the sunset, then drooled over the most delicious Italian Food. We went back to Brooke and Scott's, hot-tubbed, then watched a movie. A perfect day. So fun to be with both my best friends!

Day 4:

It's a good thing we went to the beach the other two days because our last day was super cloudy. We went to Griffith Park and went on a little hike. To our right was the Hollywood sign, and the left was downtown L.A. So cool. And of course before we left we had to get California donuts. Totally hit the spot. But I have to say, a donut is a donut to me. They weren't any better than anywhere else but had some unique flavors. After that we went back to our favorite place (Manhattan Beach) and shopped for a while. We ate at a cute pub overlooking the water and reminisced on our trip. We left L.A. in the evening and were not ready to go back home! It was really the perfect best friend trip! 'Til next time, L.A.

xoxo, kay

April is a Happy Time!

Where did April go? I swear April fools day was a long time ago, but in between---don't know where that went. I feel happier that the weather has been happier! Spring is a fun time because there's a lot of change. People moving away after graduation, people starting new jobs, people changing their lifestyle to get a summer bod ;) Oh wait, that's me. Yes, I have been trying to do the Kayla Itsines body guide. The workouts are roooough. I haven't worked out this hard since high school basketball. I sure miss those days. But the eating part is the hardest. I don't want to kill my happiness, so I still let myself indulge on occasion. I'm about 90% healthy right now though. That's pretty good! I might not be following it to a T, but it has been helping me be more conscious. I only started it a week and a half ago...so we will see if I keep this up.

This was a fun month filled with friends and all things spring! I wish it would stay. Not a huge fan of weather over 75 degrees...or below 50. I miss Seattle! But here's the month in review!

Baseball season is finally among us! I grew up in a baseball family. Brothers played, my dad was a coach and a scout...it's a part of me. I secretly hated it and only made it to T-ball. It's still fun to go to a BYU game and talk with lovely people though! 

This right here is my girl, Allie. And yes, we went to a Southern cooking class. Pan-fried catfish and deep fried okra! Oh man, what a time. I could eat a million of those okra. So good. Makes me want to go to the South even more. (I'm a little obsessed with the South. I don't know why)

This was the best part of my month! I don't know why I had the idea, but I really really wanted to have a tea party. I kind of planned things last minute but all my girls were able to come! It was one of the funnest thing I have done. The blossom tree in our back yard was perfect, the weather was perfect, and all my food actually turned out. I made little tea sandwiches, scones and lemon curd, and some fruit cookie pizzas. AND of course some tea. I grew up on herbal tea because of my Mom. She is the queen of tea, and I will keep the tradition alive. All these girls mean so much to me and I love every one to death! So glad we could have girl time together.

One of my best friends since birth is having a baby of her own! Yay Annie! And yay baby Rosalie! That child is going to be perfect and have the perfect mother. Seems like yesterday, Annie and I were 5 years old playing in her back yard. Can't wait to meet baby Roaslie! She got so many cute things :) We had Annie and Ryan stay with us these last few days while they were in between moving. I was so sad to see them go! It was so fun to have roommates again. Off to San Diego!

Summer means bonfires for days! I know it's not summer yet, but it sure feels like it. We now have a favorite spot at Utah Lake. S'mores are basically my favorite food, so if anyone wants to do a bonfire and s'mores, I'm totally down.

Tulip festival is happening! I get amazed by how beautiful nature is. And tulips are my favorite flower, so this was extra amazing. Tulips, fountains, a man serenading us with his accordion. I felt like I was walking in France. We were walking a lot, so we sat and listened to that accordion for about a half hour just enjoying the sunshine and music. So many pretty and fun things! This time really is the best. Aaaaand of course we had to top it off with SmartCookie :)

I am feeling depressed that two of my favorite humans have left me! Allie is off to Ohio where her hubs is starting medical school, and Emma is pursuing her art degree back in Seattle. SO PROUD OF THESE TWO. I love them so so much! Okay, enough heartfelt crap. They really got me through most of my life in Provo though. Don't know who will make late-night Mickey D's runs with me anymore... YAY GRADUATION THOUGH! Crazy to think I've almost been graduated for 2 years. Where has the time gone.

Alright, quick shout-out to Alex, besides the fact that he can rock the man-bun now. Last month, he got an offer from a big company in basically his dream position. We would have moved to the east coast (also our dream place), but alas, we stayed here and he is still at Domo. BUT, it has been a huge blessing. Some of his friends thought he was crazy for not taking the job, but Alex has bigger plans. His goal is to go to business school, and to work at a large company like everyone else applying, it wasn't appealing to him. Domo actually promoted him from an analyst to a business consultant, (what he wanted to do anyways), which was so great. He'll get way more opportunities than at a large company. Here's to a couple more years in Provo, GMAT prep and testing, and grad school applications. 

Here's also to the start of a busy, busy summer. Looking at the calendar, we literally have one free weekend. GREAT! Jk, this summer will be the bomb.