Trip to LA & Rehearsal Dinner

And we are on the road again! Andrew and I have two weddings this week so we spent the day traveling to LA. Unfortunately the car started overheating after only a couple hours, so we spent the rest of the drive (in the desert no less) with no ac! We did arrive safe and sound, and hurried to get changed for the rehearsal dinner for RJ & Sarah's wedding. 

The rehearsal dinner was held in Pasadena on an outside patio. Luckily for us the sunset was beyond beautiful. 

I just love how the sunset bounced off this building next to us. 

I mean...come on. Just beautiful. 

Andrew and I enjoying the dinner (and thank goodness it's not ours)! 

The beautiful bride and groom. Just a stunning couple inside and out and we can't wait to help them celebrate their big day tomorrow. 

July Fourth

Once again we made the trek to the cabin to celebrate July 4th. Luckily this year some friends cancelled, so last minute we were able to invite our friends Stevie and Travis! Stevie's birthday happens to be on July 5th so we get to celebrate both occasions in one glorious weekend! 

Filling up the tank

Filling up the tank in Prescott before heading out on the open road. This beautiful mural was painted after the Hotshots died last year and is a stunning reminder of those who put their lives on the line everyday. 

Andrew being silly behind the wheel

Road trip selfie

And of course no road trip would be complete without acting completely ridiculous! 

We found this gem of a license plate about halfway into our trip. It turns out the driver was a rather large white woman which confused both of us!

We made it to the cabin just in time for dinner and margaritas! Andrew and I drank one too many and then passed out! Stevie and Travis had a terribly long trip from Nor Cal and ended up arriving well past 1am. 

The following morning we were all in high spirits and excited to get out on the boat. 

Stevie and me

No July 4th is complete without at least one article of clothing that has the US flag on it! I found this beaut at a store in Prescott a few months ago and new I had to have it! 

What's the point of friends if you can't be silly together!?

It's so fun to spend time with friends that allow you to be yourself! Stevie and I met our sophmore year in high school and have been pretty inseparable every since! 

Stevie and her bf Travis

Stevie and Travis getting comfortable in the boat. Stevie's hat wasn't very welcomed by Andrew's family, since they are die hard Dodger fans! The hat even took a plunge in the water and A was nice enough to turn the boat around to retrieve it. He must really love Stevie because he wouldn't have turned around for anyone! 

A and me

The only picture I got of A and myself! At least it's a good one of the two of us. After taking a loop around the lake we dropped anchor and played around in the water. 

Caught Stevie applying suncreen

Sunscreen is a must at the lake! Unfortunately she didn't reapply on her back and got a pretty bad sunburn! 

A had to save his beer and the football

Someone (*cough Stevie) overthrew the football to Andrew and here he is gracefully swimming with beer in hand to try and retrieve it! 

After the water

After an hour or so the clouds started rolling in, so while the boys were trying to bring up the anchor Stevie and I took a few more pics together! 

Distracted or striking a pose?

Although this may look like a posed shot we were both looking at the rope that A's brother almost hit us with! 

Unfortunately the boys couldn't pull up the anchor (we all figured it got trapped on the bottom covered in sediment) so we cut it loose and docked the boat back in the slip. Just in time too because the clouds rolled in and the rain came down. 

We drove back to the cabin, played a fun board game, and ate dinner with our friends and neighbors. We quickly had to change and headed back down to the boat to watch the fireworks from the lake. 

Perfect nighttime attire 

I had to wear the shirt again...there aren't many days of the year that one can wear an overt American flag shirt without looking like an idiot! Also jackets are mandatory because it gets pretty cold when the wind picks up on the lake. 

Christina and Theo

Bridget, Daniel, and Christina brought the dogs down to watch the fireworks. The dogs aren't allowed on the boat and the girls get sea sick, so they stayed on docks to watch the fireworks. Lucky thing too because Cooper almost jumped in the water when the fireworks started! 

Stevie getting comfy on the boat

There's that smile

Stevie getting ready for the fireworks! We took the boat out to the middle of the lake and tied up to one of the buoys. This year was ALAs 40th year celebration so the fireworks were bigger and better than any year prior. 

The display was much better than years previous, however, the music they played was all over the map! Overall it was a fun day spent with good friends and family!

Los Angeles

A and I drove to LA to surprise his mom for her birthday! The road was pretty quiet the whole way and we managed to make it there in good time. 

She was completely surprised and was quite happy to find out that none of us had forgotten her birthday. She has decided now that she has reached a happy age and will now count backwards! 

After a few hours of getting ourselves together we dressed ourselves up and went out to dinner. 

After dinner we went to a great show at Cal Tech called Capitol Steps. 

We had amazing seats, which was wonderful because the show was an absolute riot! A and I couldn't stop laughing the whole time. Very smart political humor. 

Cal Techs theatre was incredible to look at. This is an image of the ceiling! It was an intense gold that my camera wasn't quite able to capture. 

The following day the whole family went to the shooting range. This was the first time I had ever been to a range and it was quite exciting. Even though we went early morning it was still pretty busy...which means loud. So many guns going off you didn't need a reminder to wear your ear plugs! 

The boys checking on our targets. They were inspecting to see if my bullets actually hit the thing!

The coolest part about the range is that it's nestled into California national park! So even though you're shooting at targets you still have this beautiful view beyond. 

Here's an action shot of me shooting my little birthday present!

And A's mom shooting an awesome rifle called a Keltec Sub 2000 a friend brought along. 

Then on Sunday A and I were able to catch up with my old roomies and bestie! We all met at Gladstones in Malibu and proceeded to order bottomless mimosas. 

Our waiter kept us all very happy by refilling our mimosas before we were finished with them! He definitely knew the way into our hearts! All throughout our brunch this group of pelicans kept flying overhead. I was finally able to get them in a shot but wasn't nearly as cool as in person. 

My two former roomies. 

All the girls in their Sunday best! We make brunch look good! 

It's always a fun time when we get out to LA but this weekend was especially nice. We were both super bummed to have to drive home so soon, but luckily I'll be back out soon for my bridal shower! Can't wait! 

Weekend so far

This weekend has been pretty entertaining so far. This is the first time I've spent more than a dinner with Andrew's brother and its been quite a riot. Andrew had to come down to the cabin to help finish off his parents deck and decided it would be nice to drag me along. I thought it would just be me and the two boys (them working and me being left to my own devices) but it turned out Andrew's parents would be here too.

I was very happy to find this out because it meant that my soon-to-be mother-in-law could spend some girl time together. The poor woman...she's the only female in a house of men. Don't worry too much because she can more than stand her ground, but somedays you just need a girls day. 

After a morning run (I ran almost 4 miles!) and some delicious breakfast, Donna and I headed out the door. We first stopped off at the cutest bakery. 

It was filled with some of the cutest candies and cupcakes! 

Beer & pretzel flavored cupcakes! And you didn't have to be 21+ to buy! 

French toast!

Homemade toffees! 

After we picked up some delectables for dessert we made our way to the village. After what seemed like an eternity cruising the parking lot, we were able to stalk someone and snapped up their spot! 

After strolling around and running into a million dogs (seriously, everyone and their mother had their dog out with them today) we walked into the Coach store. It seemed to be our lucky day because they just opened up a bigger, better store and were offering 50% your entire purchase! With savings like that we would be foolish not to buy something! 

I've been looking for a backpack for quite a while, but was never able to find one that I totally loved. In the clearance section I found a super cute leather backpack, just big enough to fit an iPad. I convinced myself this purse would work perfectly for school. Who needs a backpack to actually carry your books right?! 

Well I was walking around the store and we crossed over to the men's section and that's when I saw the most beautiful backpack ever! A dark military green waxed canvas bag...I was smitten. And this is actually a bag I can carry things in. You know like folders and books and snacks.

I love it, and will post a pic soon!

The Drive, The View

Sometimes I forget just how beautiful the landscape near our little town is. Seriously gorgeous. We live in the high desert and when the monsoon roll in everything turns green! 

Our drive yesterday was no exception. Just beautiful landscapes (for the majority of the trip)! 

 I was even able to capture this awesome image from the side mirror of the clouds reflecting off the car windows! Now that's a cool shot!