Devonshire

There is an apartment complex at the corner of 700 N and University Ave. in Provo, UT called the Devonshire. It's the average college condo/apartment complex directly south of BYU campus; nothing to the structure (besides a remarkably poorly constructed underground parking lot) that would make this complex any greater than the next. Yet for three years of my college life I spent living within the walls of this seemingly "magical" place. I know you might ask "What makes something magical?" No the Devonshire was not sprinkled with fairy dust or was renowned throughout campus as a famous place of residence, but the most remarkable thing happened during my years there...

The stars seemed to align by allowing the most diverse, caring, fun, loving people, all at the same points in their lives, struggling with the same difficulties, embracing the excitement and thrills that life had to offer, to live within the walls of Devonshire. I moved into my apartment there, not knowing anyone, during the spring of 2002 and exited spring of 2005 having met and created some of the closest most life changing friends in my life to date.

We went on some of the greatest road trips at least once a month; destinations including Zions National Park, Las Vegas, Denver, Disneyland, and Bryce Canyon. We would set up elaborate group dates with a new creative theme where dressing up was mandatory. But my favorite is how we would stay up till the wee hours of the morning sitting in the halls, playing cards, talking, or getting into spontaneous water fights, just because we couldn't get enough of each other.

I keep telling Dallas that there is a "Devonshire" code that I stick to in life. Basically described as dropping everything to help a friend in need. For example, before Dallas and I met, one of these "Dev" friends, whom I had not seen or spoken to for a couple years, called out of the blue needing a place to stay for the night while traveling through on business. I didn't think twice about the request and was excited to introduce my roommates to someone whom had impacted my life so fully.

Today I make it a special effort to stay in contact with my friends and love any excuse to reunite for a fun adventure! I first met Maren while living in the Devonshire and am happy to say that 8 years later she is still one of my closest friends. When she came to visit in March I knew it was the perfect excuse to get together our other Dev friends whom have moved to the Bay area. We all met up at Tilden Park for a picnic lunch. There's nothing like good friends and perfect weather!

Thanks again Maren, Whitney, Alex, Jill, Abby, Ben, Jackie, and Dave for spoiling me with such GREAT friends!! We need to get together more often!!

Whale Watching in Monterey

So I realize that Dallas and I have already been whale watching within the last five months, but I couldn't give up the chance to take Maren down to Monterey while she was visiting. It is always a new experience and I see something different each time I go, plus I had never been out past Monterey point before. Dallas thinks it's pretty funny for someone who gets so motion sick, I can't think of anywhere I'd rather be than out on the water.

Oddly enough I had never been to Fisherman's Wharf in Monterey, even though I have an annual pass to the Monterey Bay Aquarium that I frequently visit, and was very excited to check things out while we waited to board. We both stocked up on motion sickness lozenges and pills before the trip, which turned out to be an incredibly smart decision since the swells were extremely high. At one point the boat was being thrown back and forth so much that I literally fell into Maren, then was tossed back into a total stranger, and nearly went flying overboard. I'm sure everyone thought we were the drunk girls celebrating spring break or something...little did they know that I'm just a total klutz!

We were able to see a pod of over 30 dolphin that were playing along and in the wake of our boat for a few miles. Then we were also able to see 5 different gray whales; a couple of which even breached! It was seriously amazing and of course I wasn't able to capture any of it on my camera. It's never quite possible to capture the magic unless you're physically there. That's probably why I keep going back. I think my favorite was watching Maren trying to maneuver on deck while holding a fleece blanket wrapped around her body! Being from Vegas, she has become quite the wimp to the colder weather, but I guess I got a little chilly too...

We finished off the exciting adventure by eating at one of the local fish grottos along the pier. Nothing like fresh fish and chips to make and end to a perfect day!

Golden Gate Bridge

The Golden Gate bridge has been the famous icon of San Francisco since it's completion in 1937. I remember back in middle school when we were challenged in science class to build a bridge out of toothpicks; the winner being whichever bridge could hold the most weight. My partner and I worked forever on the little wooden replica and I thought for sure it was strong enough to surmount any weight our teacher were to place on it. Sadly, during the challenge, we were one of the first pairings to be eliminated. I often think back on this experiment while visiting the Golden Gate Bridge and think "Thank heaven's this bridge is NOT made of toothpicks!"

Since I have become quite the tour guide with all my friends visiting throughout the past couple of years, one of the popular stops is obviously the Golden Gate Bridge. I am constantly amazed by it's beauty. It doesn't hurt that it crosses the gorgeous bay with incredible views of Marin, San Francisco, Alcatraz, and Treasure Island (just to name a few).

I thought it'd be fun to throw in some interesting facts about this beautiful landmark.

One of the most interesting facts I found was that only eleven workers died during construction, a new safety record for the time. In the 1930s, bridge builders expected 1 fatality per $1 million in construction costs, and builders expected 35 people to die while building the Golden Gate Bridge. One safety trick was a net suspended under the floor. This net saved the lives of 19 men during construction, whom are often called the members of the "Half Way to Hell Club."

Some other cool facts are that the bridge itself was made in New Jersey, Maryland, and Pennsylvania and then shipped via the Panama Canal. There are about 41 million vehicles that cross the bridge per year. The diameter of each of the cables is greater than 36 inches.

Finally, the bridge is constantly being painted to keep it's golden hue...yes you heard it...38 painters are constantly employed to keep the bridge shiny and new. Just think how much money that takes!? And instead of cutting back in other areas, the Govenor decides to cut from education...but that's a whole other topic in itself...

King Tut Exhibit

While Maren was visiting in March, we decided to go to the King Tut Exhibit at the De Young Museum in Golden Gate Park. It had opened in June of 2009 and I had been wanting to check it out ever since I'd started seeing the advertisements all over the city. It was set to close on March 28th so having Maren come to stay with us was the perfect excuse to see the exhibit before it left.

Now from the advertisements above, one would obviously think that they were going to be able to see the actual tomb of King Tut. Sadly, there was only a projection of the sarcophagus and not the actual artifact. We had spent over an hour exploring the exhibit, which in it's one right was beautifully designed, but we of course were looking most forward to the final exhibit room. Not to mention that since it was the last week it was going to be open, it was PACKED. At one point Maren brushed up against a mother openly breast feeding her child while gazing at one of the artifacts (fully exposing both breasts in the process!) Oh the joys of living in such a liberal city! Overall we were kind of disappointed. Yes the exhibit was beautiful and the artifacts were incredible to learn about, but after the advertising, we totally thought we were going to see the famous tomb...since that's what it said we were going to see!!

Oh well...maybe this will just inspire me to go back to Egypt.

Japanese Tea Gardens

So one of my favorite places to take people when they visit are the Japanese Tea Gardens at Golden Gate Park. There is something about the serenity that fascinates me. It's incredible to think that just inside the walls the hustle and bustle of the city are forgotten. This is my favorite time of the year as Spring is bringing new blossoms to life and the colors are more vibrant than one can imagine.

Over the past couple months I've had some great friends come into town for a week's stay each. Our first visitor, Maren, is one of my best friends from college and she's become quite the live-in addition to Dallas and I's apartment. I can honestly say that I would give just about anything to convince her to move in permanently!! But since her life isn't going to lead her to the Bay Area for work, I decided I had better get my Maren fix as long as I can.

My other two visitors, Janelle and Jason, have become family over the years, after teaching at the same school in Provo together. They flew out for their spring break and I took them to the Gardens for a picnic and an impromptu photo session. Jason has the most incredible camera and has totally inspired me to take up photography! We'll see if I can raise the funds for the hardware...

Here are some of my favorite shots from both of my trips to the Japanese Tea Gardens this spring...

I'm never quite sure how I can get my face to form such interesting facial expressions. I guess it's just one of those hidden talents!

If you haven't gotten the chance to visit Golden Gate Park, do so, but try to go in the spring when the blossoms are all emerging. It's gorgeous!

I swear we are alive!

I can't believe it has been almost six weeks since I last posted!

There have been so many things going on and adventures had that I feel pretty overwhelmed trying to update everyone. I'll be flying up to Washington in a few hours to say goodbye to my baby brother before he leaves on his mission to Brazil for 2 years. Hopefully I'll be able to catch up with our posts then...we shall see...

I know you are all just dieing to hear what has been happening in our lives!

Just know we've been having lots of fun and can't wait to share our stories soon.

Love you all!

Surfing--What A Life

On Monday my friend, Tammy, and I decided to spend the day in Pacifica with her little girl and one of her best friends. (Can't go wrong with two adorable four year olds!) Pacifica is a small beach town about 15 miles south of San Francisco; right along highway 1.

As we were walking across the sand, we came across a surfer who looked like he was in his late 40's-early 50's. We said hello and the kids wanted to know everything about the waves and his board. While setting up our picnic I noticed another group of surfers, about 12 total, all eagerly waiting to catch the next wave.

It got me thinking...

Here I am chilling at the beach on a Monday, when most everyone (including my husband) is starting their work day. Sadly, unfortunate circumstances have placed me in the unemployed category along with several other teachers in this state, but I couldn't figure out the story behind the countless wetsuits joining in on the ocean activities.

Sure we have the "surfer bums", whom typically are obsessed with one thing only: catching the next "big one" and never catching a job; living off of almost nothing and sharing small apartments with about 6 other surfer bums.

But what about the man we had passed earlier. If you went on straight looks he was well groomed, well mannered and carried himself with power. It was hard for me to picture him as anything but an influencial businessman. And yet here he is amongst the 20 year olds, surfing with the best of them. Maybe he was an insanely accomplished '.com' participant who got to retire at the age of 40...who knows, but as I continued to look at all the forms gliding among the water I saw more and more of these anomolies.

What ever has brought them the luxury to play on the surf and sand in the middle of a week day...

It must be quite a life!

And yes, for the time being, I can include myself in this luxury (maybe not by my own doing, but I might as well live it up while I can!)