my birthday is in less than a month. i wish for a puppy.

**brief summary: i am no longer employed. it felt great to work, earn money, interact with people and be busy, but in the end it was NOT worth the pay, the time, the demands of the position, etc (lots of other cons, but like i said, brief summary...)

 since leaving that job, our home has returned to its lovely state of cleanliness and yummy smells. there is fresh produce in the refrigerator, dinner is being cooked and we have clean clothes.  in the month that i was working, things took a bit of a tumble around here.  jared has been fairly vocal about how much better life has been since i quit (aka- less tired, less grumpy, less high strung beckie).  

and it's not like we need the extra money. 

we only live in one of the countries most expensive zip codes, with a 9.5% sales tax, $5 a gallon gas, two older cars, and a billion other bills we kinda didn't realize we'd have...and...i like nice things... but who needs money. ok. we do. so yes, i am eagerly seeking a better fit for my employment and excited to help contribute more.

no job means i am back to an aimless and boring existence.  and worse- jared is out of town for an entire week on his annual "gentleman's pheasant hunt".  in his absence, i have reconnected with my former love/hate relationship with jillian.

i love this yoga dvd.  i have loved yoga for years and my dedication to the lifestyle has been spotty but i love how quickly my body gets back in the mode. this video is traditional yoga/pilates with cardio.  so yes, it is definitely a more westernized version of the practice, but it gets the job done and my spine is already feeling fluid again.

it is also a good idea that i incorporate a bit more exercise into my daily routine.  because i think that i am getting fat. this past weekend was one of the best since we have lived here and we ate a lot.  two of jared's old roommates and best friends, zac and shane, came to LA for a few days and it was everything we hoped it would be.  when i was dating jared, i was also somewhat dating his whole apartment. when those boys get together there is more joy amongst them than a pack of unicorns.  jared had been working SO hard to get everything in order at work, church and home before leaving on his hunting trip.  having the boys stay with us was another reward for his diligence.  friends in town is also a good time for us to explore more things in the city.  but we do have our favorites...where we take EVERYONE.  

(sorry, most of you are on my fbook or instagram too, so these pictures are repeats...)

there was 800 degrees pizza, diddy riese, hollywood, the temple, rodeo drive, celeb houses, croquet, the beach, and late nights of sharing giggles and feelings.

(i thought that was a cute outfit, until i saw this picture and realized i look like a 7 year old. and zac stole jared's glasses...his eyes aren't naturally more squinty than mine.  shane and zac matched on purpose.)

and when we go to the pier, we must get our bacon cheese dogs. grilled, buttery bun, fake cheddar cheese, a giant hotdog wrapped in bacon. AMAZING. how did i ever do that vegetarian life?  thanks to spud and katie for actually being the ones to introduce us to the glorious caloric monstrosity. 

we also had a little history lesson when we went and saw Argo.

ben affleck has yet to let me down as a movie director.  it was outstanding and from what i read, pretty accurate.  we had seen Looper a couple of weeks ago and i assumed that it would be my favorite film until the holidays (when les mis and great gatsby premiere!) but Argo is now on my list. i happen to love alan arkin and john goodman, especially together.  that duo combined with gritty historical controversy, a strong sense of patriotism and mr. affleck make for a completely enjoyable and justifiable reason to sit for 2 hours.

one of our last adventures was going to lunch at a russian restaurant in hollywood.  it was AUTHENTIC russian food.  luckily, jared was able to speak with impressive fluency. one reason that i liked him when we first met was that he wasn't one of those guys who was constantly referring to his mission.  he was so humble about the whole experience. he loved his mission, he served faithfully, and would love to go back, but he has never felt the need to broadcast it.  the food at this restaurant was amazing, jared was able to enjoy his some of his favorites, speak russian with ease, and teach all of us more about the culture and share some his experiences.

but all good things must come to an end.  within 36 hours, all three boys were gone.  and now i am home, watching way too many episodes of vampire diaries and laughing/crying my eyes out to this book:

which reminds me that i really need a dog. these "mr. husband outta town" days wouldn't be so bad if i had a puppy to run around and cuddle with. 

i have small dreams.

at first i thought that i had a rather boring weekend. but looking back, i realize that it was actually a pretty good one. friday night i had a couple social obligations... well i came home from work at 5 and fell asleep until 9. oops. but it did feel really good to catch up on sleep. i cannot remember the last time that i wasn't just a little bit tired. jared was understanding and let me have my nap and then we went to the gym. i have never been one to work out with other people.  but it was actually pretty enjoyable.  saturday morning we met up and went to yoga, then made a healthy breakfast and took care of our errands, homework, cleaning, etc. later that night, i accompanied the boys to the car show. 

i loved seeing the old cars. and they were pristine. but i have to admit, the new cars were pretty darn nice. some were pretty interesting... and some (the bottom right) cost more than the average american home. why not, right? motivation for higher education. but the truth was...out of all those cars ranging from the ford focus to the maserati, my dream car was still,

that sweedish beauty. safe and pretty. powerful and understated. i loved it.

[segue here]

once upon a time i used to work out a lot. and i mean a lot. at least 2 hours a day and sometimes twice or three times or day. or i would just wear gym clothes constantly and run or use weights around my house, pilates bands, yoga balls, you name it. i loved it. but it was a little ridiculous. i wasn't trying to attain anything. i wasn't training for anything. yet i would blow off socializing to go the gym. i would end dates early so i could get to the gym. i would show up to dinner in gym clothes (...ok i still do that) i would watch the basketball games the gym instead of on the big screen with my friends. once...i even watched general conference on a treadmill.

but then i just kinda stopped. i don't know why. but out of nowhere, i just completely dropped it. i continued to run and do yoga of  course but i became totally complacent about all of it, yet complained about my body.

sooo... i have started going back to the gym, running regularly, practicing yoga daily and eating healthier. and i have felt so much better. i sleep so hard. i wake up well rested and happier. i can feel my muscles getting stronger and my plushies less plushy.  plus it has been good bonding time for me and the guy.  

but there is one problem.

i am trying to eat healthier and he continues to eat like a 17 year old boy. and let's just say there are 2 pies there for a reason... i tend to give in.  i am all about snacks and treats. i don't believe in depriving myself of things. just moderation and balancing out calories with exercise.  vale sent this picture to me the other day

that is me in a 18 oz water bottle right there.

but anyway, jared is trying to eat healthier, i am trying to buy and cook better. in the meantime, when we aren't flirtatiously bickering over our treat binges or attempting to work those off at the gym,  lookie what came in the mail:

keeping it old school and simple.

i am generally against

participating in anything for christmas (besides shopping) until after thanksgiving. i was thrilled when i saw this:

but i have officially caved and given into the holiday treats. it started with a bag of 

but last night it escalated to

i wanted a mirror so that i could get ready for the day in my own room. sharing the bathroom with one outlet, limited space and cranky morning people is just no bueno. jared was so sweet and jetted us off to target to get a mirror. when we walked by the christmas tree cakes we both got so excited at the exact same time. they are so gross but so wonderful. we may have bought more than one box.

we are sort of obsessed with this too

archer farms blueberry granola with flax.  i have been trying to get j in the habit of eating breakfast. he is a stubborn little stinker sometimes but this seems to be helping. 

but i am still holding off on the christmas music. for those that choose to participate in the festivities early, i say go for it. if it makes you happier and treat the people around you better- how bad can it be?

just remember to be thankful first. i love thanksgiving. i love eating until i cannot eat anymore. i love the autumness and family get togetherness of it. this year i will be celebrating in vegas... i am skeptical as to how autumny it will feel without any trees... boooo.

well...hello.

it's been a little minute since i have blogged (approx 648,000 minutes...). i have had every intention to post again but i was just getting so far behind and it was overwhelming trying to think of a way to write about everything that has been going on. because you know me, my life is so exciting and there is always something new and fabulous worthy of cyber report. i lieu of the sarcastic nature of that previous statement, i am going to proceed with this post as though there has been no hiatus.

this past week we had our first snowfall. i was not happy about it because i do not like being cold. however, all things considered, this has been a very mild end of autumn thus far. the night prior to the mini blizzard (like 100 snowflakes total), j and i had been outside in shorts playing tennis. such pleasant weather should have been a red flag. as soon as i felt the chill that morning, i knew that there was only one thing to do.  make grilled cheese and tomato soup for dinner that night.

i never buy bread. and i definitely don't buy grandma sycamore bread. not because it is bad but because it is so ridicuously good, that i could eat a whole loaf in a sitting. however, if you don't have fresh sour dough, it is the only way to go. and i don't believe in kraft singles. cheddar is better. lots of butter, a pan and some heat and yum. pacific organic soups are my favorite. add some basil and you have a warm, yummy meal.  and of course, you may only cut your sandwich in triangles, how else can you effectively dip??

i enjoy cooking. i have a lot of fun learning new recipes, making up my own and trying new foods. it has been fun to make dinner for j and myself a few nights a week. and the best part:

i cook, he eats and then he helps clean (and always takes out the trash), it is a beautiful system we have going. 

let's see....some other things that have been going on besides school and work... ummm oh yeah, the cardinals  WON THE WORLD SERIES!!!

i hope that ya'll watched the series, especially the epic game 6. one of the most amazing displays of baseball that i have ever witnessed. i am so happy for our cardinals! although tony will be very missed. i remember dancing to this song in the fourth grade on his behalf.  aww and remember ozzie?  the good ol' days.

and for some more big news...( that is such a relative term)

i got my first pair of big girl, leather boots. they are a great winter accessory, fashionable and functional, but i could not bring myself to make the $200+ investment. well, thanks to birthday love and bargain shopping, i didn't have to. it is taking a little adjusting to wear something so trendy, but i have suffered through enough cold, wet footed winters.  the time was at hand. plus they go so well with my other accessory obsession.

this is the best bag that i have ever had. they fold up into the tiniest things but hold SO many things! sturdy, classy, leather and waterproof. god bless longchamp. 

i hate school. but i love my job.  i miss my yoga class but have decided to get back into it myself. plane tickets for the holidays are purchased. new iphone is in the mail. the general conference issue of the ensign is here. j is the best and i love him a bushel and peck and hug around the neck. life is going well.

tonight we are off to a cabin in southern utah with his family. should be a great time. more bloggy love to come.

.

things are starting to fall into place for this upcoming year. anna and alexa both moved in this past weekend and school starts today. luckily, i only go tuesday and thursdays, but it will still be time consuming. but at least it is progress. 

saturday was a fun filled day... it was, after all, the last saturday of the summer. dan and i had been wanting to go for a hike, so we rounded up a couple others and hit the trails. squaw peak trail, actually. it was a good hike. we had fun...but it has been determined that dan and i planning hikes is just bad news bears. last time was the jeep fiasco and this time it was two flat tires. luckily the manly men were able to collaborate efforts with les (les schwab mechanic, fondly now known as les) to get this fixed right up. 

we came down off the mountain dirty, itchy, tanned and sore. but guess what (or should i say who) was waiting when i got back?

joely.

i KNEW he was coming. he had not told me that he was coming, in fact, we had been talking the day before and he never mentioned it. he made it sound like we wouldn't be seeing each other for a while. oh that jokester. sadly, he did not bring:

newman. joely's new puppy. i was so sad that he got a dog without me, but then when i saw how cute he was, i totally understood. but it turned into a night flurry of activity when justin and ethan showed up too. it is official, the boys are back in town and i am so happy. i always miss joel but i am so glad that he came for a 24 hour visit and that the others are here to stay.

church was a bit...overwhelming?  i am used to having about 40 people there at the most. but there were about 120 this week. everyone was hopped up on that nervous energy of meeting and impressing new people. there was this constant buzz of hyperness around me. i came home exhausted from all of it. but i am sure it will be....great...

and now, i would like to introduce my friend, the doctor.

good looking man, right? yes i swoon just a little (i blame it on the cardigan). but really, he is one of my favorite people to talk to. sucky part is that he goes to med school in ohio... so our interaction is pretty limited to cyberspace and our 10 page emails. one reason i mention him, he has recently started a book collection. and by collection, i mean that he has amazoned everything that i have recommended to him. this is the picture that he sent to me last night.

this was in comparison to the picture i posted last week:

he is a minimalist. but well on his way. i find myself very excited over the literary achievements of others.
and um, he is cute. and nice. and smart. and funny. and stuff.

immediate sharing.

there is a particular boy in my life who knows me far too well, without even really knowing me. we have a beautiful friendship. and this is what he just shared with me via fbook and i have already read 4-5 times.

***please note: female readers do not just read drama filled, intense, fictitious novels.  thus the melodramatic side of the reader that Urquico describes, is not always present (e.g. "weeping at 2 AM"? i don't weep. i sigh and sniffle, and only occasionally).

Date A Girl Who Reads by Rosemarie Urquico

(In Response to Charles Warnke’s You Should Date An Illiterate Girl.)

Date a girl who reads. Date a girl who spends her money on books instead of clothes. She has problems with closet space because she has too many books. Date a girl who has a list of books she wants to read, who has had a library card since she was twelve.

Find a girl who reads. You’ll know that she does because she will always have an unread book in her bag.She’s the one lovingly looking over the shelves in the bookstore, the one who quietly cries out when she finds the book she wants. You see the weird chick sniffing the pages of an old book in a second hand book shop? That’s the reader. They can never resist smelling the pages, especially when they are yellow.

She’s the girl reading while waiting in that coffee shop down the street. If you take a peek at her mug, the non-dairy creamer is floating on top because she’s kind of engrossed already. Lost in a world of the author’s making. Sit down. She might give you a glare, as most girls who read do not like to be interrupted. Ask her if she likes the book.

Buy her another cup of coffee.

Let her know what you really think of Murakami. See if she got through the first chapter of Fellowship. Understand that if she says she understood James Joyce’s Ulysses she’s just saying that to sound intelligent.  Ask her if she loves Alice or she would like to be Alice.

It’s easy to date a girl who reads. Give her books for her birthday, for Christmas and for anniversaries. Give her the gift of words, in poetry, in song. Give her Neruda, Pound, Sexton, Cummings. Let her know that you understand that words are love. Understand that she knows the difference between books and reality but by god, she’s going to try to make her life a little like her favorite book. It will never be your fault if she does.

She has to give it a shot somehow.

Lie to her. If she understands syntax, she will understand your need to lie. Behind words are other things: motivation, value, nuance, dialogue. It will not be the end of the world.

Fail her. Because a girl who reads knows that failure always leads up to the climax. Because girls who understand that all things will come to end. That you can always write a sequel. That you can begin again and again and still be the hero. That life is meant to have a villain or two.

Why be frightened of everything that you are not? Girls who read understand that people, like characters, develop. Except in the Twilightseries.

If you find a girl who reads, keep her close. When you find her up at 2 AM clutching a book to her chest and weeping, make her a cup of tea and hold her. You may lose her for a couple of hours but she will always come back to you. She’ll talk as if the characters in the book are real, because for a while, they always are.

You will propose on a hot air balloon. Or during a rock concert. Or very casually next time she’s sick. Over Skype.

You will smile so hard you will wonder why your heart hasn’t burst and bled out all over your chest yet. You will write the story of your lives, have kids with strange names and even stranger tastes. She will introduce your children to the Cat in the Hat and Aslan, maybe in the same day. You will walk the winters of your old age together and she will recite Keats under her breath while you shake the snow off your boots.

Date a girl who reads because you deserve it. You deserve a girl who can give you the most colorful life imaginable. If you can only give her monotony, and stale hours and half-baked proposals, then you’re better off alone. If you want the world and the worlds beyond it, date a girl who reads.

Or better yet, date a girl who writes.

j'aime toujours l'été.

il est vrai.

again with all the fun, outdoorsy, freebie fun- how can you not love summer.

i go back to work next monday and school starts the monday after that. so this hiatus is just an overload of summer activities again.  the nature of the events tends to remain pretty linear- just different bands at the concerts, different trails, different places, etc.

tuesday was our ward closing social. we had jet skis, wake boarding, foods, games and some great swimming. it is hard to believe that summer is really coming to an end already. i have not been all that active in the ward this summer (just the ward- not church) but i have come to know some great people thoroughly enjoyed my time there. and this would include getting to know my summer tennis friend. i would just like to say that our domination this week was probably hardly deserved, but such a pleasure nonetheless.

bright eyes was fantastic. i met up with arthur and company to enjoy of evening of second hand mary jane (wanted to throw up) and conor oberst in his all of his ecentric, talented beauty.  the donwside of these concerts is that they bring out all sorts of trash. that is a very harsh and judgmental declaration but it is true. we saw so many teenagers bent over their bongs and just acting like idiots. so young and stupid. and worse- there were parents there doing the same thing with their little children (we literally saw toddlers). the smell and the thought of those poor kids' circumstances was nauseating.  luckily, i was with a great group of clean cut, fun and responsible people. none of us ever have or ever would have anything to do with that, so we did our best to just watch the show.

friday, i played sidekick on a one day st. george excursion with b. nothing like the last minute to get those little things like classes and housing situated.  we sang along to the world's most random playlists, talked about everything such a playlist could stir up, and laughed ourselves exhausted to the red rocks and back.

it is so pretty down there. i will always prefer my greenery and it was hotter than hades' armpit down there, but it is a beautiful area. we were just sad that we missed anna and t dawg. no worries kiddos- we will be seeing each other SOON!

i guess that planning on running a half marathon with people the weekend before graduation, spouse's birthdays and the last week of the semester is not the best idea...because no one was doing it anymore. so today i went for an epic trail run and then counteracted all of the calorie burning with another summer favorite:

and now i have to get back to packing and cleaning. so though it looks like all i am doing is having fun- it is busy. it is busyness that i create but it keeps me happy.

ps: i hate moving. i have done it quite a bit in the past few years and i really detest it.

summer freedom.

and i really do mean free.

one of the biggest perks about utah summers: there are adventures aplenty that won't cost a dime. 

for example:

movies in the park. every monday, at rock canyon park- grab a cuddle buddy, some snacks and blankets and enjoy a new flick on a giant screen with a few hundred of your closest, thrifty friends.

trail runs: now that all the snow is melted, there are endless trails to choose from. weather you want to pound it out on foot or grab your bike- lot's of options.

then there is camping: if you already have own or have access to camping equipment, you can have a free night under the stars. this last weekend some friends and i did just that. grabbed some climbing and camping gear and headed for the mountains. my friend fuzzy and i threw on our matching shirts (we bond over a love of north face-literally, it is how we became friends) and scrambled up a mountain. i have approximately 14 cuts and scratches as a result of this decision but i would never take it back. i am glad that i have friends that go into adventure mode with me... i don't know if i am fearless or just stupid when it comes to this sort of thing. but no worries, having fuzzy as a wingman was much safer than the free climbing i barely survived beforehand. i know. i sound so hardcore. but i'm not. 

i could barely move by the time we got back to the valley but there was no time for rest and lollygagging, because i had big saturday night plans with the boys....

i had no idea this man was so sexy. and we touched. i never get starstruck and i definitely was not freaking out but i WAS having the time of my life. it turned out to be the perfect evening for some tim, luke bryan and the band perry (ang and z- i thought about you guys the whole time- esp when l.bryan was busting out his "rain makes corn song).

and believe it or not, this was actually free too. gary had VIP suite tickets to the concert and i was one of the lucky ladies that was able to go. luckily, i also have pretty friends- so while walking around, a random man offered us pit passes. hence how i got right up to the stage. country music brings out all sorts of interesting types. i was groped, spilled on, and shoved around - but again, it was worth it. 

last week we went to see thurston moore in concert and then this week...wait for it...bright eyes! salt lake has some surprisingly cool summer events open to the public and i cannot wait.

i am moving into my new apartment next week (cannot wait to live with anna and alexa) so the rest of this week will be consumed by working, running, yoga'ing, music, packing, boating, climbing, and hopefully some sleep here or there. i am a creature of habit- the packing activity aside- it will be a fairly normal, jam packed week in the blunderous life of beckie.

but PS: i have had a lot of people asking about where i have been and why i have been unresponsive to their friendly attempts of communication and i apologize. this is why. i am sucking the life out of my summer before school starts...in 20 days. and with one of my best friends being here this summer (for the first time in years), i have been taking advantage of that too. sorryyyyy.

we came, we did.

or we saw, we conquered. however that phrase goes.

this morning my friend and i hiked up to silver lake. it was an absolutely perfect day for the occasion.  we knew where the trail head was, but since there are several lakes and trails, we thought that we would explore a little and see how far we could get. 

poor ruby got herself very intricately wedged between several aspens and dry dirt...bad combo (sorry papa randy).

well...

we made some friends (literally...they asked us to come jeeping with them sometime. digits exchanged and everything.).   i was so pleasantly surprised at the readiness of strangers to come help us. mind you, this was no short task. we had gotten ourselves pretty far up there and caught in the tightest possible spot on that road. whoops. but 5 men, 1 beckie, 2 jeeps, 1 truck, 1 tow rope,1 wench and 1 hour later... we were ready for our hike.

holy gorgeous. it was a decently difficult hike (only priming us for timpanogas next month) and well worth it in the end.

when we arrived at the top, we were greeted by this lovely lake scene. and of course there is only thing to do when you reach the peak of a hike- jump in. but please note all the snow that surrounded that lovely body of water. let's just say that once i got under water and started to swim to shore- i didn't almost drown because i cannot swim- but because i could not feel anything from the extremely cold temperatures of the water. dan jumped in a bit a after me and when he came out he exclaimed "i feel so alive! well... that was either death or alive- i am not sure which!" and right he was. it was refreshing, but frigid.

we hiked around the lake a bit and i cannot wait to get the pictures that he took with his super cool camera. it was breathtaking being up there. i could see for miles and it was all landscape brushed by the hands of god and untouched by "human intrusion" (para daniel). 

how does beckie survive a hike? nothing like sweedish fish to get those glucose levels up. we pretty much ran down the rest of the way and it felt great (my knees have only been throbbing the last 4 hours, nbd).

pictures just do not serve the view justice. we found a pretty cool rock ledge to climb out onto (only slightly, totally stupid and scary since our legs were jell-o) and just sat out there in our soaking wetness and overlooked all of this. it is moments like these that i just cannot understand how people don't believe in a god. our bodies were capable of getting there and to see that view: simply stunning.

we got home around 7 pm and as we were grabbing things out of the jeep some girls were also just getting home and so we chatted for a moment. i looked at them- in their adorable little dresses, hats and shoes and they told me that they had just returned home from a tea party. there was a stark contrast between their ladylike attire and my own...i looked down at my tie-dyed t-shirt, muddy legs, and shoes (not to mention the hair, no make up, need i really go on??) and just sort of laughed to myself. what is worse is that only a part of me was horribly embarrassed for my messy, boyish, disheveled look- but the larger part of me didn't care at all. i was explaining this to my friend's husband tonight and just laughing about it and said,

"and that is why those girls will get married someday, unlike myself." 

and his perfect reply, 

"no. that just means that you and your husband will be kick ass together!" 

so my resolution to become more feminine--> short lived. i may love cute clothes, but muddy hikes and lakes will always win out in my book.

team edward.

gotchya. because i am, of course, referring to edward sharpe and the magnetic zeros.

every summer, SLC hosts this amazing free night out- the twilight concert series. they bring in some pretty spectacular talent for your viewing and listening pleasure (not to mention the masses of oddities in the crowd to look at). i pretty much cried when i realized that i would be out of town for explosions in the sky, but last night made up for it.

i am always hesitant to eagerly claim my fanhood of bands/singers like edward sharpe, fleet foxes, ben kweller, mason jennings (oh and i love him), etc. because by fan, i simply mean that i own and love their music. but it does not mean that i am some vintage hipster- which tends to be the surrounding stereotype assosicated with said performers. not there is anything wrong with those people, met plenty of them last night and they were a blast to dance and sing with. but it just isn't me. there is quite a difference between hipster and hippie. and i tend to veer much more towards the latter.

i ran into so many people that i had not seen in years and being there made me all the more excited for moving out of the valley.

the performance was absolutely smashing. they have such an entertaining presence and really put on a fantastic show. and there is a trumpet player...so obviously i love them.

it is recommended to arrive early for good seats. gary and i take that pretty seriously. i thought that i would get some reading done, but found far too many distractions. we walked around the farmers market first where i ate my first and my last vegetarian hot dog, found some insanely cool journals made of recycled books, and many other treasures. second only to the music, were the people there. sure it was nice to be surrounded by people that also love chacos and birkenstocks (gary was still embarrassed by me), but there were some straight up freaks. oh, how i love to people watch.

this old man was a real trooper. but i can only imagine that a watching a concert with pain killers flowing your body would be all the more enjoyable. pretty sure that there were plenty of people doing just that (no worries, he is still in recovery. his narcotics were legit.). 

how cute are these two. too bad miss on the left is going on a mission. well not too bad, she is going to rock those argentines. of course, once the opening band (woof) was finished, we couldn't stay sitting for long. 

alexander ebert may very well be certifiably insane, but the man and his buddies can jam. 

seeing as how i am child size, it was rather difficult to get all the way to front, let alone to get any good pictures. luckily i met some men that were vertically blessed and without hesitation, they offered to throw me up on their shoulders. it was like safe crowd surfing. dancing on some strangers shoulders and getting mediocre pictures? great experience. but just when i thought that i had a good thing going, these monkeys showed up

use what ya got. those two were instantly famous. they received a band shout out, cheers and flashing cameras from a few hundred of their closest new friends.

poor gary literally got kicked by a midget (i am pretty sure if he wasn't broken right now, he would have kicked him back), i stepped on his newly sutured toes, and we stayed at the pie until after midnight. one sketchy gas station, a long chat on the ride home, sleeping in til 10, awful waffle stop and a blog post later- here we are.

i cannot wait to go to bright eyes next week. going with a great group of friends and it's free again. cannot beat that. of course, today i do look and feel a bit like i was hit by a train, but nothing a good run, a nap and some snuggle time can't fix. school starts in exactly one month. i have to get all this out of my system while i actually have the time (ah but we all know that i have peter pan syndrome so my need for fun will never die...).

ps: yoga in the park is tomorrow at 10 AM. be there...

and here is a little mason for ya.