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2010-08-24T17:09:00.000-07:00

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Tiger Kingdom. Chiang Mai, Thailand.

2010-08-07T01:35:00.000-07:00

Northern Thailand. Chiang Mai and Pai.

2010-08-07T01:29:00.000-07:00

We only stayed one night in Phuket but it seemed like a pretty fun place. We went to dinner, slept and got on the plane early the next morning. It was a 2 hour flight to Chiang Mai. Then as soon as we got to Chiang Mai we took a 3 hour bus ride up north to Pai. I loved Pai. The first thing we did was ride the elephants. It was amazing! I loved being in the water with them. They were trained to throw us off their backs into the water. It was hysterical. We rented motorbikes and were able to drive all around Pai and the outskirts. It was such a great way to see Thailand. We went to huge caves with 3000 year old coffins in them with thousands of bats as well. We relaxed in Pai for about 3 days before heading back to Chiang Mai. This is when I said goodbye to the group and went my own way. I had plans to go to the Elephant sanctuary and then back to Bangkok then to Cambodia. So it was adios. Or so I thought.

When I got to Chiang Mai the temples were closed but the Tiger Kingdom was open! I had to go. First I played with the huge tigers. It was amazing but then I got to play with the new 1 month old babies. That was my favorite. They were just learning how to walk and already had a pretty strong bite. I didn’t want to leave them! That night I went to the Sunday night bazaar and shopped and sure enough ran into Steven and Mike. We said hello and goodbye again. They were off to Africa the next morning.

Phi Phi Island Thailand

2010-06-28T01:50:00.001-07:00

When we got to Phi Phi it immediately started to rain so we took cover in an internet café. I knew where I wanted to stay while on this island but the price was $28 a night and the other didn’t want to pay that much. So they decided on another place one beach away from Relax Beach Resort, where I wanted to stay. So I decided to stay one night with them at their place and then move over the next morning to Relax Beach. I’m so glad I did.

At the main docking area they picked the place they were going to stay and were told that the boat would be leaving in 5 min to take them to that side of the island. I ran quickly to check something online and in 2 minutes they were gone. The next boat wouldn’t leave for that beach for 4 hours. So I spent a lot of the time online researching how I was going to get to Cambodia safely and where I should stay when I get there. I then found a dinner buffet for $6 and ate my heart out. By that time it was time for me to take the boat over to the other beach. When I got there everyone else was just relaxing and had checked into their bungalows and had lunch as 4 hours had already gone by. I felt bad that they were worried about me being left behind and apparently 2 of them snorkeled over to Relax Beach to see if I had made it there. I appreciated it but I really didn’t want anyone worrying about me. That night we had dinner at that beach. I hated my bungalow though. It was just gross and I was glad I was only there one night. I had hiked over to relax beach and made a reservation for the next night. They told me I could check in as early as 9am and still pay for only day. That night after dinner Steven grabbed his laptop and we set it up to watch a movie on the beach. It was just so much fun! I’m not complaining but it is hard to hear a movie out of small speakers against the sound of the waves coming in and out. Happy times!

The next morning I got up and got a long boat over to the other beach which was a 5 min ride. The guy charged me $6 for the ride. I wasn’t too happy about that but was so excited to check into my new place. It was so nice and clean and the resort was incredible. I’d recommend it to anyone going to Phi Phi Island. At about noon the guys walked up onto the shore while I was swinging on a hammock. They came to tell me that they decided to do the island tour with the kids that ran the place they were staying at and that they would only charge us $12 for the whole day. So I grabbed my stuff and hiked back to the other beach.

The day was May 25^th. This was probably one of my favorite days of the trip although it hard to pick a favorite. But we snorkeled in the most beautiful place I have ever been in my entire life. We saw Maya beach where the movie “The Beach” was filmed which was my inspiration 10 years earlier to even see Thailand. It was as beautiful as I expected. The water was crystal clear and the colors under the water were spectacular. The bright yellows and purples…I wish I knew that names of the things I was looking at. We saw Viking Cave, snorkeled at Pi Leh Bay and Lohsamah Bay and of course sailed through Maya Bay.

That night I was dropped off at Relax Beach. Took a nice shower, had dinner on the beach with a mango lassie drink and laid on a hammock for about an hour watching the crabs run about the beach listening to music. Heaven on earth. My bed was a huge king size bed and I had a front porch that overlooked the ocean with the traditional Thai pillows on it. I just lay for about 30 minutes before I went to bed. The next morning I woke up and had breakfast on the beach and got another massage on the beach. This one was a bit more expensive at $9 for an hour. I relaxed on a hammock until noon when I had to catch the boat to the main pier to meet the rest of group so we could catch the boat to Phuket.

Krabi and Tonsai Beach. Southern Thailand.

2010-06-28T00:35:00.000-07:00

Arriving on Tonsai beach I thought I had left this world and gone to another. We walked around this tiny little town and found these little bungalows on some beach front property which wasn’t hard because all Tonsai is… is beachfront. My little bungalow cost me 200Baht per night equal to $6 But ever better there was a little massage place right on the water. This older woman was the masseuse and at first I thought that there would be no way she could give a great massage. Needless to say I have never had a better massage in my life. She tied me into a pretzel practically and did one over on me. The price for the massage was 150 Baht ($4.50) for one hour of heaven right on a beautiful jungle beach.

The only thing about my little bungalow is that the bathroom wasn’t really a bathroom it was just out a back door barley covered by a tin roof, no sink, just a spiket and a toilet that looked just like a toilet but had no plumbing attached to it. This is where I learned what the buckets are for. You fill them up with water and pour it into the toilet and that’s how you ‘flush.”

The challenge here in Tonsai is that you are really in the jungle so as soon as you step away from your shower almost before you can dry off you are attacked by misquotes so fast. You’re just running for the spray before you can even get dry. The best thing about Tonsai for me was all the monkeys. Early our first morning I could hear these calls up in the trees over my bungalow. I went out and looked up and saw the coolest monkeys I have ever seen in my life. They are called Dusky Leave Monkeys. Ohh how I wish I could bring a few home. Also, one of the employees at the place we stayed had a monkey pet named Ben. In many ways I felt sorry for Ben, thinking he should be free to roam the jungle but at the same time it gave me the chance to play with a real monkey for hours of fun! Oh how we adored Ben. He was there every day and we would feed him from our plate which probably wasn’t great but he loved the tomatoes and lettuce and carrots that we gave him…his little fingers picking out the seeds of the tomato was so cute.

On my first day in Tonsai I walked with Mark, Mike and Autumn over to a beach on the other side of the peninsula. We had to hike back over the same mountain, only this time it didn’t seem so bad without the bags on our backs and I put on tennis shoes. We went over to this beach that had tons and tons of monkeys! You could buy bananas and feed them and 5 or 6 would come running over. It was paradise. We walked down this beach to the very end and swam for about an hour. I just couldn’t take it all in….the beauty and uniqueness of this place. The water was warm so even though we were hot….it wasn’t to refreshing although very comfortable. We stayed until it started to get dark and walked back to Tonsai, hiking up and down the mountain again and made it back to meet up with the rest of the group for dinner. Another massage that night.

Our second day in Tonsai, now its May 23^rd, we paid a long boat to take us out to these islands to snorkel. So incredible. Amazing. Unforgettable! All these small rocks sticking out of the sea, so green surrounded by the bluest of water. We stopped at this beach that had a large monkey troop just waiting for us to leave our belongings on the beach so we had to pile rocks on them. I didn’t have a snorkel and mask and was going to share with Aliska and go out when she came back. So I waited by our stuff and sat on my little towel on the beach. Then as I was relaxing the biggest male of the troop started to approach me…not in a nice way and would charge then stop. I could tell he didn’t want me there. So I grabbed my bag and towel and got up and walked away a few feet. The male monkey then looked back at the rest of the group and gave then a signal that it was ok to cross the beach. A few seconds later the entire monkey group came down off the rocks and followed him across the beach and up into another tree. I realized that he just wanted me to move out of the way so he could safely move his family across the beach. It was really a cool thing to see in these wild monkeys.

When Aliska swam back in she looked like she was in pain and said she was stung by a jellyfish out by the big rock and to be careful not to go out that far. So I put on her mask and made sure I stayed fairly close to the shore then out of the blue (literally) BAM! Right on the lip a jellyfish stung me. It felt like a needle going through your face. As I was swimming around I noticed the rest of the group was back on the beach and when I got back I realized everyone had got stung. Every one of us. Autumn got it the worst this thing had wrapped all the way around her arm and it was just so red! I felt so bad for her. We were all laughing and in so much pain with 3 of us with swollen lips that looked like very bad lip enhancement job. We were laughing at each other…but oh how it stung. It continued to sting for the next 24 hours. Then finally one moment I realized the stinging was gone. Finally. That night at dinner a local lady gave us vinegar to put on our stings it seemed to take the edge off.

The morning of May 24^th we had to say goodbye to Tonsai beach and caught the boat to Koh Phi Phi. The boat ride was incredible. We were sailing through all these little rocks and islands along the way. I just laid on the side of the boat letting my feet hang over, put my headphones on and just tried to take it all in.

The islands, when approached by boat, rise from the sea like a fortress. Sheer cliffs tower overhead, and then give way to beach-fronted jungle. It's love at first sight. Koh Phi Phi.

Koh Tao Island. Southern Thailand

2010-06-25T23:52:00.000-07:00

Ko Tao was an amazing island. We immediately found these great bungalows right on the beach. We wouldn’t have found them if it wasn’t for Mark and Autumn who discovered them on a previous trip to Thailand. They were way out of the way. The place was called “OK Two.” And we all loved it. We got 5 bungalows all right next to each other. The fir thing we did was go for a swim in the beautiful warm water. It was really incredible. On Koh Tao I continued with my daily massages here they cost $9 for an hour rather than the $4 an hour by my hotel in Bangkok. On Koh Tao we rode the bikes everywhere.

On the second day, May 19^th, we rode the bikes way to the other side of the island. Only part of the road was paved and some of it was straight downhill. There was a point where I had to leave my bike on the side of the road and walk the rest of the way to the beach with Autumn. It was so hard to control the bike on a steep dirt hill. The beach we went to was breathtaking. The plan for the day was to snorkel to this beach where we could jump off cliffs and snorkel through caves. The swim over was fine but it took about an hour and a half or so. We made it to the other beach and hiked up the rocks to where we could jump off the cliffs. I was soo freaked out as to how high the jump was…so all us 3 girls wussed out and jumped off the 10 foot one instead of the 20 foot jump. At this point it was getting late in the day and we still wanted to swim under through the cave and snorkel back to the original beach. Diving down through the cave wasn’t hard but ya know, not something you do every day. At this point it was dusk and the water was very choppy. I actually still can’t believe we made it back unscathed. We arrived at the other beach by dark, so ya we were swimming pretty much the last part in the dark sea. I just had to keep my eyes on the restaurant lights and stay on track. I have never in my life been through a swim like that. It was so intense. Then we had to find my bike. So I jumped on the back of Stevens bike until it was too steep to have me on and found my bike still off the side of the road. After riding about another 10 min we stopped at the small restaurant up on this hill. The sweetest yet craziest lady ran the restaurant. I started to feel nauseous from the sun and swimming in the ocean for 3 hours….the cold coke helped but she could tell I was still not looking so good so she put some towels in ice and brought them over to me and laid them over my face and chest. It helped so much. I was so grateful for her hospitality I thought I was going to cry. After laying down for 10 min or so I walked up to the seating area overlook where the rest of the group was. The lady brought us, of all things, cowboy hats to wear. We still have no idea why she brought us cowboy hats but we put them on graciously.

After hanging out about an hour we headed back to our bungalows. But of course its pitch dark so we just following the lights from the bikes. As we got closer to “civilization” we were flagged down by some people at a small bar who were celebrating the bar tenders bday. We stopped and they handed us all some kind of lethal smelling drink in a shot glass. The smell alone made me gag. So I gave mine away without them seeing it. It’s offensive to turn down what’s being given so you have to be discrete. Also, they had the cutest little dogs there!!! This little puppy…ohh so cute. Finally was made it back to our bungalows and sure enough the dog that had followed me home the night before was waiting for me on my porch. It was the cutest thing. I had left water out for him just in case he came back. He was so skinny. The next night I stopped at the 7/11 and bought some hot dogs for him in case he was there again the next night and sure enough he was and he devoured the hot dogs!

The next morning decided to stay closer into town. We found another bungalow with A/C. Ohhh what a luxury. This day I went and got 2 massages. One 1 hr oil massage then another 1 hour Thai massage. Total price $18. Yeah! But the boys had taken off to go to the top point of the island to see the view and took both keys to the place so I wasn’t very happy about being locked out of my bungalow. But I rested on the beach and shopped around a bit. I mean I shouldn’t complain the most beautiful beach and sunset was taking places 6 steps from out bungalow. Truly an amazing experience.

That night was when I discovered the Thai pancake with banana and nuttella. Delicious! I had many more after that.

On Friday May 21 were decided to go scuba diving. We were told that there were whale sharks in the area and I really wanted to so one up close and personal. The dive was beautiful. I bought an $18 underwater camera that was supposed to go to 90 feet down but at 60 feet it felt a pop and sure enough it was cracked and bubbles were coming out of it. So much or some underwater pics huh. Anyway, we did a 2 tank dive that day and I loved it. But didn’t see a whale shark. I love being on the water, in the water by the water….I love the ocean! After the snorkel we rested and ate and then got ready to return the bikes to get on the night boat to Krabi when there we would hike to Tonsai beach.

The overnight boat was a crazy experience . I guess our boat either hit or was about to hit another boat and because we were in the downstairs part of the boat all we could hear was screaming and yelling in Thai and people running frantically up and down the boat. The other boat was through tires over the side to block us from hitting it. This went on for then minutes, Total insanity. I was so caught up in the in-saneness I forgot to turn on my camera to capture even a moment of the fiasco. Soon enough we were on our way. I think the boat ride was 7 hours and we had mattresses and mats to sleep on. I really didn’t sleep much but it was a very cool experience.

We arrived early in the morning to Raylee beach and it was here that we had to hike and I mean HIKE straight up a mountain to get over to Tonsai beach where we wanted to stay. I mean you had to have ropes and everything. So there I was in flip flops with a 30 pound bag on my back and my day pack over the front …climbing up a steep and slippery hill and then down. I was exhausted by the time we got to Tonsai. But Tonsai was just incredible. A place that will live forever in my memory.

Bangkok, Thailand

2010-06-19T02:56:00.000-07:00

Thailand/Cambodia
Trip dates May 13 – June 7

Well Ill begin with Bangkok....so much to write about the trip….should have written along the way.

I arrived in Bangkok on May 14th, 2 days before the rest of the group. I was happy because it gave me a couple of days to go about at my will. I knew I wanted to see the temples there and take a tuk tuk around to see the city. It was hotter than ever!! I was melting. I had found a hotel before I left called Sawasdee Smile. It was off the main backpacker’s road called Khou San Road. I actually didn’t know that until I got there and felt lucky because the next night I was to meet everyone on Khou San Road…so lucky choice.

Everyone was so nice in Bangkok and I immediately began to meet people from all over. My first two friends were from Australia and Wales. We just happen to be staying at the same hotel. My hotel cost for the night was $9 which included breakfast, hot shower (a luxury) and A/C (also a luxury).

My first day in Bangkok I got up early and found a tuk tuk…not hard to find as they come up to you saying “tuk tuk?” OVER and OVER! So I went on a wild goose chase. Mostly to places I wanted to see except the main temples and of course my driver took me to all the “commission shops” to buy stuff even if I said I didn’t want to. But in between all the shops I got to see some very cool things. One place was called the Marble Temple. Really an amazing place and so peaceful. The monks were inside chanting so I went in and sat down for a while. That night I got my first Thai massage. Heaven on earth for the bargain price of $4.50 an hour.

Day 2 in Bangkok I headed to the Grand Palace early in the morning. As I was walking there I found a really cool place where you can get amulets. They are like prayers you can wear around your neck. You are supposed to borrow them or be giving them but….who’s gonna give me an amulet so I bought a couple for 60 cents each and they are very very cool!

The Grand Palace was ….breathtaking! I have never in my life seen such a place. At the Grand Palace they have the Emerald Buddha…seriously incredible. I sat inside the temple of the Emerald Buddha for about 30 min. It was very peaceful and just so marvelous and spectacular. You can’t wear tank tops to the Grand Palace so they give you these pink shirts which you can see in the photo. No I did not wear a button pink oversized shirt to tour on the temple on purpose…but you have to wear them out of respect…which is fine. After the Grand Palace I walked to another temple called Wat Po. Again….never seen anything like it in my life! Here they have the giant laying Buddha and when I say giant I mean GIANT! The architecture of Wat Po is out of this world, seriously. It had rained earlier that morning so the sky was grey so it made it difficult to get the color to come across on the camera. But the colors were vivid!! It was here at Wat Po that I was approached by an older women (Thai) who offered to take a photo for me. Then (and a huge mistake on my part) asked me where my friends were….I said they will be here tonight….OHHHH UGH…..should have said “Oh they are just over there.”

She claimed to be from Cambodia on holiday in Bangkok for a few days and was traveling alone and visiting the temples alone. She had a map and a travel bag. I told he thanks for taking the pic but I needed to get going. She said “just come to one pagoda with me here at Wat Po and I’ll show you how to properly do a ceremony to Buddha. So I said ok. We went in to the pagoda and light and candles, the incense, the bowing etc. I said thanks and that I needed to be on my way. She asked me if I was going to the next temple, Wat Arun. I said yes I’m heading there now. She said well I’m going there too should we go together, it would be nice to have a friend. I thought, well ok I mean what harm can it do if she tags along with me…I know where I’m going. So I told her well we need to walk to the boat dock to get across the river which costs 3 Baht or 1 cent. She said ok great and we walked to the docking area…she then suggested we take a long boat. It’s more traditional and they use them all over Thailand. She paid my boat fare and said she was just grateful I was willing to see Wat Arun with her so she didn’t have to travel alone.

As we’re getting on the long boat I noticed no one else was getting on this boat and it made me nervous. I thought instinctively to get off the boat…but then my other mind said, well she paid your boat fare…don’t be rude. So I get on the boat thinking we’re just going straight across the river. Next think I know were on the Canal tour. I was never interested in the canal tour, it takes about an hour and it’s just a bunch of rickety, run down houses along a river. Its cool to see but wasn’t a priority of mine. But there I was on the canal tour. I made the best of it….looking forward to getting around the canal and dropped off at Wat Arun.

As soon as we entered the main water area…a huge inlet with commercial boats etc, the boat driver killed the motor and it was at this point that the lady I was with pretended to hand him 3,500 Baht or $108 US dollars. She turned to me and said, “You have to pay the driver 3,500Baht.” I said Ummm No I don’t think so, we already paid the boat ticket and we don’t pay him more. The lady then pretended to be distraught saying “but I can’t afford to pay him for both of us…that would be 7000 Baht for me. I said well you shouldn’t have paid him then. I don’t have that much with me anyway. This is when she got really mad. I’m now realizing that I’m in a huge body of water, not swimmable with 2 crooks on a boat and my fee to get off the boat…$108.00 or 3,500 Baht. After 10 minutes of arguing I just wanted out. So I told her Ill pay you just take me to the dock. I paid her and got the hell out of there.

Of course in hindsight the wise thing to have done would be to go along and say…”Hey sure no problem, let’s go to the dock and I’ll go to an ATM and get your money.” Then I could have bailed. But as they say hindsight is 20/20. But I’m grateful I was not robbed of my passport which I had on me and much needed credit cards for the rest of the trip. I went back to my hotel room sooo mad, not about the $100 but because I knew better and I had been scammed big time! But after a few hours and another hour long conversation with my new Australian friend I realized I got out of pretty unscathed and he told me stories of laptops, heirloom jewelry and passports stolen all over Bangkok.

Now don’t get me wrong, Bangkok is a fun and interesting place…just be wiser than I was in that moment and it’s a great experience. Although, I will say 3 days in Bangkok is all you need. That’s how long I was there and was very anxious to get down to southern Thailand to the Islands.

That night about 12:30am I met up with Steven, Aliska, Nate, Mike, Mark and Autumn. So great to have friends show up! They wanted at least one day in Bangkok so I knew I had to spend one more there. I did laundry, slept in, and got my 3rd Thai massage (Yes, almost 1 massage a day)…they are only $4.50 for 1 hour of complete bliss!

That night we left on an overnight bus to Chumphon in order to catch the ferry to the island of Koh Tao. The bus ride was 10 hours but really went by fast considering we we’re all exhausted and Steven had his laptop which had episodes of ‘Arrested Development’ on it.

5am we arrived in Chumphon and had to wait another hour for another bus to take us to the ferry. It was the first time I ever had noodles for breakfast. When the ferry arrived we all slept for the 3 hour ride and then, woke up to an incredible island paradise. At the main pier we rented motorbikes for the next 3 days and headed to an amazing place! We got these bungalows right on the ocean. And I mean right on the water. Just incredible views and a walk down the rocks to swim in the warm Thai water. We each got our own bungalow for $15 a night.

It is now May 18th. Koh Tao, Thailand.

Dont forget the plans for the traditional snowman.

2009-11-29T00:03:00.001-08:00

A little ice skating with the family.

2009-11-28T23:28:00.001-08:00

2009-11-28T23:25:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Fourth of July videos

2009-07-09T15:46:00.000-07:00

Another 4th of July with Glenn Beck

2009-07-07T02:13:00.000-07:00

We had another great year with Glenn Beck and family. Friday the 3rd we had an all day rehearsal and Saturday was show time. I always look forward to the 4th not only because it’s one of my favorite holidays but I get to spend time with Glenn and his family. This year was a bit different as I feel like we are becoming more friends than just working together. Everyone laughs and jokes around a lot. Glenn is hysterical.

There were some great moments one in which Glenn talked with me and Darren for 20 minutes. Just one on one. It was such an incredible conversation and Glenn just got teary eyed when talking about the priesthood and freedom and how important it is to go to the temple and pray for this country. He asked us pray for him as he has had many death threats lately against him and his family and how much he needs the men of the priesthood out West to “wake up” and realize what we are up against. He talked about how he doesn’t always know the right thing to say and how much he needs the spirit to be with him to guide him in his words (especially in what not to say and when to keep his mouth shut) and how much help he really needs from those of us who love this country and was to keep it the way the founding fathers would have wanted it, the greatest nation, and to continue being a free people.

Another time we were all sitting around this table going over the script and this kid comes up and hands Glenn a copy of his own book ‘Common Sense’ and says “My friend wanted me to give this to you.” Glenn said “thank you” and the guy walked away. So Glenn thinks that maybe he wrote some notes in it or something and flips through the pages...but nothing. He looks up at Darren and I and says “Wait…did he just give me a copy of my own book?” The expression on his face was priceless and everyone was so baffled …we all just laughed!

We also gave Glenn a cool gift. It was this saying from Joseph Smith that reads:
“The Constitution of our country formed by the Fathers of Liberty…Sacred is the Memory of that Blood which bought for us our liberty.” Signed, Joseph Smith. We had it framed and when we gave it to him he was just so emotional over it and so grateful. It was just a cool moment.

This year Glenn’s friend Pat Grey was there as well. He actually is the one who worked with Glenn for years and is the one that Glenn refers to a lot in his conversion story. Glenn asked Pat to baptize him when he decided to join the church. Pat is very very funny. I guess Pat Grey is joining Glenn soon on the radio show. That’s gonna be great!

Darren gave Glenn a signed football from Spencer Larsen; Darren’s friend who plays for the Denver Broncos. Although, I think Pat was a bit envious as he is the true sports fan and knows exactly who Spencer Larsen is.

At the end of the day Saturday the 4th we all said goodbye and Glenn gave me a kiss on the cheek and a huge hug and expressed sincere gratitude for the gifts and for everything we did.

I am just so humbled by him and always walk away feeling like I learned something of great value and just how much courage it takes to stand up for something you believe in.

Prayer

2009-06-18T23:45:00.000-07:00

In Prayer, human beings seek to augment their finite energy by addressing themselves to the Infinite source of all energy. When we pray, we link ourselves with the inexhaustible motive power that spins the universe. We pray that a part of this power be apportioned to our needs. Even in asking, our human deficiencies are filled and we arise strengthened and repaired...Whenever we address God in fervent prayer, we change both soul and body for the better.

AZ and Utah betwixt and between.

2009-06-18T23:30:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to find a job in Phoenix and not sure at this point if its actually going to happen. I have been driving back and forth from Salt Lake City to Phoenix for a few months now. I had made many new friends but still no job offers. Its getting very scary. There are "bridge" jobs that I could take temporarily but I just don't think they will cut it....but out of sheer need...I may have to break down and just try to hang in there.

I have never been out of work this long so its all new territory for me. I must say though that I feel very grateful for the time it has allowed me to visit friends and family near and far. Rekindle old friendships and forge new ones.

"A mere man alone can easily be defeated, but a man alive with the power of God within him is invincible."

Saturday Night Live

2009-04-29T22:24:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine took this pic of me and my brother said that it looks like I'm hosting Saturday Night Live and I thought...That would be cool. : )

Just got back from the Huntington Beach Singles Conference. I had a better time this year I guess because I really really didn't care. The saying is true... "ever since I gave up hope I feel much better."

What a relief. Happy day.

2009-03-23T17:55:00.001-07:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

The Mexican

2009-03-22T01:47:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I went to Santo Tomas Mexico with 17 people. I really only knew 1 of them when I left on the trip and had only known him for a week. But I couldn't resist a trip to Mexico invitation. I'm glad I went. We had a blast and I met some very cool people. Here are a few photos of the weekend.

Santo Tomas

2009-03-16T00:23:00.000-07:00

As some of you know I have decided to spend the month of March in Scottsdale AZ. My first weekend here I went to a party and met a few people who then invited me to go to Mexico with them this past weekend. I had a great time. There were 17 of us in a huge house on a private beach south of Rocky Pointe called Santo Tomas.

One evening during our Yoga session on the beach there were masses of fish. I have attached a video here of the strange phenomenon. Ill post pics of Mexico a bit later.

I have to find out what this is and why this occurs. Amazing.

Australia please pick me

2009-02-13T19:01:00.000-08:00

So I have decided to apply for this dream job in Australia. Its for 6 months and you basically just write a blog about all things you are doing on this island. Its a marketing gig to bring in more tourists. And I want the job! So my brother and I made a cool little video as you have to submit a 60 second video about why they should choose you. So using green screen and adobe premier here is our creation.
WISH ME LUCK!

Times

2009-02-09T21:05:00.000-08:00

So Im looking to move to the Tempe/Phoenix area for the month of March to job hunt and get a feel for the area. I have found that finding a furnished room for rent for 1 month is very difficult indeed.

Things are a bit discombobulated right now as I have moved from my place in Sandy and temporarily into my aunt’s house in Sugarhouse. I have always loved Sugarhouse however.

Lately on facebook I have been found by and have found many old high school friends. It has been so great to hear from so many people that I have lost touch with for so long. Most have kids and almost all are married. It still seems like such a miracle to me that 2 people can feel exactly the same way about one another and at the same time. It has happened to me once. Long story. Should have married him.

But as such the search goes on. I am always so happy for my friends who are in their 30’s and still single when they finally find their match. I think it gets harder the older you get and lives become more complex.

I have also began the process of scanning old photos. It is a long and tedious process but worth it. Especially getting all the old BYU-H pictures done because I have so many wonderful memories of those days. I had the world in the palm of my hand and I knew that anything was possible.

I have put up a few of my favorites.

Sundance and Slash

2009-01-23T01:07:00.000-08:00

I had the opportunity to work at at private party up at Sundance. To my surprise Slash among others (Paris Hilton, Kevin Bacon, Chris Rock, Wesley Snipes, Mike Tyson) were also guests.

It was really cool to see Slash in person. Now I'm not gonna lie I have always been more a Van Halen fan but Slash is an icon. I wished so much I could take a pic with him but because I was working and it was a private party that opportunity had to pass me by.

But wow that would have have been really something cool to have. At least I was close enough to him to absorb his awesomeness. : ) So I cant complain. His friend, who I have no idea who he was, talked to me quite a bit. I didn't want to ask him his name in case I should know better but he seemed younger than slash and maybe was just a friend. Anyway, it was a great experience. But sometimes being professional sucks. NO PICS. UUUGH!

New Years Resolutions

2009-01-05T18:04:00.000-08:00

All 5 and here they are:

1) Plan to exercise then don't (this one will be sooooooo easy)

2) Use the exact same amount of fowl language I always have.

3) Watch way too much Seinfeld, 30 Rock, Simpsons, The Office and become way more lost in LOST.

4) Plan to save more money but then buy the 52" plasma tv that I have always wanted along with the latest edition of RockBand and Guitar Hero.

5) And I would also like to lose 8 pounds however this goal is being put in the long term goal resolution section so I have waaay more time for this one.

My cup runneth over

2009-01-04T23:14:00.000-08:00

This year we went to Boise for Christmas...well as usual I should say. We had a great time though. We went sledding at Bogus Basin and played guitar hero. And I finally got my 24 inch computer monitor. I was very excited!

It was a Christmas of lots O' Goodies thanks to the Ellen Christmas giveaway show. I gave some of it away to family and I am so grateful that I had it to give.

The day of Ellen was great indeed as that night we went to the premier of 'Last Chance Harvey' and I was able to sit next to Dustin Hoffman during his interview. He said so much great stuff. And I mean it. If Joe Blow had said the same thing I would be as impressed. I have a lot of respect for Dustin and I actually learned a few things that night listening to him. His interview is posted on the LA Times Red Envelope. Too bad they can use only use about 5 min of the hour and a half interview. Im so glad I was able to be there.

Below...check out the sledding. : )

Somewhere on a dark Hwy. 200,000 MILES!

2008-11-11T23:31:00.000-08:00

I hit it! 200,000 Miles! When I got my car in 1998 it had 10 miles on it.

I was on my way to Cali this past Thursday and it turned. I pulled over, turned up the stereo and danced on the side of the road. Once in a lifetime... perhaps.

Halloween, Jobs and Falling Leaves

2008-10-29T23:03:00.000-07:00

So Im back in SLC. Yo Gabba Gabba wrapped season 2 in Sept. It was a great diversion but now I need to find that JOB. Ya know the one you do for many years because thats life. Anyway, Im loving the fall season here in Utah. Its always a favorite. My family spent the day in Millcreek Canyon. It was so beautiful!!

Halloween is a favorite time for me. The past few years I have worn the same 2 costumes but this year I got new gig.

Ellen Degeneres Show

2008-10-01T00:33:00.000-07:00

This past week I decided to head back to LA due to the fact that I had tickets to the Ellen Degeneres show. We showed up, got in line, got stamped, got seat numbers and even though we had numbers 80-83 we got seated in the front row! It was awesome!

As we were leaving the show we found out that Ellen films 2 shows on Thursday. One becomes the Friday show and the other becomes the Monday show. So we asked. "Who is the guest on the next show?" The reply came back Lacy Schwimmer from Dancing with the Stars. Well Lacy so happens to be Jeans husbands cousin. So we asked if we could go back stage to see her. After calling her to confirm and getting the ok by the show coordinators we got a tour of backstage Ellen and said hello to Lacy.

They had given us numbers when we came back the second time and told us that we would not get into the show but were welcome to come into the Riff Raff room. This is where Ellen puts all her overflow. So there we were. Well to entertain those in the Riff Raff room they have drawings. They randomly select numbers from a bag and you win something. As luck will have it they called my number. I went up to counter and I asked what did I win? They said 2 tickets to come back to another Ellen taping. Well I wasnt that excited as I had just sat through 2 of them. But then they handed me the December calendar and said "You won tickets to the Ellen Christmas Giveaway show." YIPPEEE! I was so excited. Looks like I will be making another trip to LA in December.

5 days left at Yo Gabba Gabba

2008-08-25T16:42:00.001-07:00

So this Friday is my last day here at Yo Gabba Gabba. It was an unexpected detour in my life but ended up being a very cool experience and quite a roller coaster ride. I met some very talented an interesting people. Everyone was freaking out over Jack Black and as I was excited for him to be here, I was even more excited to meet Paul Williams.

If you don't know who Paul Williams is you may have heard his music growing up. He wrote most of the music for 'The Muppet Show' and his one of his most famous pieces is 'Rainbow Connection" of which Kermit the Frog sang on a very unforgettable episode. My family also without fail watches "Muppet Christmas Carol" every season and we know every song. Paul Williams wrote all these songs. He is amazing. Such a huge part of my childhood. Standing at 4 feet 2 inches he has been a large yet small part of my life. When I met him I just said "You had such a great influence on my childhood. I grew up on all your music and still love your music today." He said thanks, I love to hear that.

I learned about some bands I would have never heard of otherwise and was introduced to so much new music. It was great to see Jack Black work as well as Rachel Dratch and I will say that Andy Samberg was the nicest guest we had. At least to me.

Its amazing the work that goes into a children's TV show.

So I will stay in Cali 10 days after I finish here to visit friends and have some time to relax on the beach. However I still have two gorgeous pups I need to find wonderful homes for. I just pray the right family comes along. They are such beautiful sweet puppies. I found perfect homes for the other 3 and I know they will have happy lives. I have always felt such a sense of responsibly for them as if it wasn't for me they wouldn't be here. I feel accountable for their well being.

Only 10 more production days

2008-07-22T11:22:00.000-07:00

We have only 10 more production days at Yo Gabba Gabba. I am excited that it is almost done. Its been fun and will be bitter sweet when it's over. Although I am ready to move on. I have learned a lot about the makings of a children's television show and I have met many interesting and creative people. I had no idea the work that goes into what seems like a simple production.
Ill post some pics later from a few fun days.

The Pups are here

2008-07-22T11:14:00.001-07:00

A day at work

2008-06-04T19:45:00.000-07:00

So I am working on a TV right now called Yo Gabba. I happen to have my camera with me this day and was able to capture this moment.

Dangle de-gays his apartment

2008-06-03T14:42:00.001-07:00

Another great clip from Reno 911

Saran Wrap Enthusiast

2008-06-03T14:19:00.001-07:00

One of my favorite TV shows is Reno 911. One of my favorite characters is Lieutenant Dangle.

People Have Talent

2008-06-03T13:10:00.000-07:00

So one of my favorite movies is Rockstar with Mark Walberg and Jennifer Anniston. Well turns another dream has come true with this guy from the Philippines. Here he is singing Separate Ways and sounds almost exactly like Steve Perry, who for me, is one of the greatest vocalist ever. One of the members of Journey found him on YouTube. Amazing.

Paris and Scotland Nov - Dec 2007

2008-05-11T20:43:00.001-07:00

Yo Gabba

2008-05-11T20:25:00.000-07:00

Want to travel

2008-05-08T16:51:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been really wishing I could just travel around the world hanging out with Orangutans and swimming with dolphins. So many places I want to go!

Top of my list Greece, South coast of France and Italy, Thailand, South Africa, Eastern Europe.

Got to start playing the lottery again. Otherwise there will be no way. I have even been thinking about joining the Peace Corps just to at least see Africa and do some good while there.

So Yo Gabba Gabba is going well. I will post some pics when can. The set is almost done.

I went to SLC last weekend and got Keltee. It's nice to have her here. Although she isn't feeling well and has not eaten or drank much water in the past two days. Im worried so I have made an appointment with a vet for Saturday morning. Im hoping that Keltee is pregnant so we'll see.

Until then...

What the blog?

2008-04-21T17:37:00.000-07:00

So everyone seems to be starting a blog. I guess it can be a good thing for friends and family although I think it easier to just send an email with pics and info than to send someone to your blog. But we'll see how it goes.

Right now I am in Cali working on a TV show for Nickelodeon. Its called Yo Gabba Gabba. Its been a very fun experience.

Ill try to take some pictures of the production and I have some fun videos of the crew.

Anyway...off to a meeting with the musicians so....until later