Malibu Shaun

Shaun has moved to Malibu.

He started at Pepperdine Law School the 3rd week of August.

I was in Arizona helping with newborn Hannah when he needed to move, so Duff and Mike and Josh and Meredith and Ainsley helped him pack up and relocate.

 

 He literally lives on the beach.

The college has a binder with available housing options.

He found a studio apartment in a gated community kitty-corner from campus.  It is the third floor of a 3 story guest house on the owners lot.  Since their family is now raised, this couple rents to law school students from the college.  The price was right, all utilities included as well as cable, etc. etc.

 

 The front door at the top of the winding stairs.

The screen door lets in all those cool ocean breezes.

 

 Tired movers.

A view from the bedroom/living room angle to the front door/ kitchenette/bathroom.

 

 Ainsley was a trooper!

 

 This is Shaun at his desk.

How'd you like to wake up to that view everyday?!

 

The Josh Duffy's after a morning of hard work.

His neighbors are some pretty interesting people.  Hollywood members that you would immediately recognize their names looking for some privacy on the beach.

 

As soon as I got home from AZ, Duff, Chris, and I went up so we could see him and his new digs.  I helped him organize the very tiny kitchen and then we went to the grocery store to stock up and get a frozen yogurt at the local Malibu hangout.  It was a lot of fun.

 

His landlords were hosting their law firm's annual summer party, and we were invited to stay for it.  We were sweaty and tired, but they didn't care.  We had a lovely time, the food was GREAT (found out it was a premier caterer in LA), and finally found ourselves on our way home.

 

Shaun is enjoying law school and is doing well so far.  Says it's the one of the hardest things he's ever done.  Josh, Nats, and Robert keept telling him to just focus on the first year because it's the hardest.  After that it eases up.

 

YOU GO, SHAUN!



Homecoming 2012

 

 

Homecoming Dance 2012

September 13th

 Dinner at California Pizza Kitchen.

Dance in the school gym.

Pictures at Wiley Wilderness Park.

 

 The Group.

 

 Caitlin and Christine.

 

 ...more of the group.

It was crazy.  So many parents with cameras!

 

 Christine and Christina.

I absolutely love this picture.

The girls look absolutely beautiful.

 

 Christine and Caitlin.

 

 THE shoes.

These are very popular right now.

 

 Sammy and Christine.

 

 ...and another group photo on the bench.

 

 Sammy and Chris.

 

 The three Amigas.

 

 They were so cute walking to the hills and field.

Love the back of their dresses.

Christine's was so flowy with the chiffon bottom.

 

 They had fun stepping up on these and posing.

I LOVE this picture.

She is so pretty.

 

This time of day was so pretty.

 



 The hair and earrings.

I didn't realize how much reddish/auburn she has in her hair when the light hits it just right.

 

A fun fact about her dress:

 

Adrianne works at Wet Seal in the corporate offices here in Foothill Ranch.

A couple times a year they have a sample sale by ticket admittance only.

Christine found this strapless dress a few months ago for $8.00!!!!!

The front length was perfect.

We had the bodice taken in at the sides and the plunging neckline sewn up and added a ruched shrug to match the ruching on the bodice.

 

Voila!  A beautiful Homecoming ensemble for under $50.

Can't beat that.



Clutz

Do you remember the 'clutz' scene in the movie, Miss Congeniality?

We laugh and laugh and laugh at it.

Most of us have probably had such a scene in our life.

 

Natalie had one in the parking lot at Borders when she got her bracelet for the new Harry Potter book coming out at midnight a few years ago. At night.  It was dark.

 

I just had one last Saturday in the Target parking lot. During the day.  It was light.

It was homecoming dance day.  Christine and I had just left Meredith and Josh's where Mere had done her hair in a beautiful messy bun reminiscent of Taylor Swift.  We had to stop at Target to get some make-up to take to Caitlin's house where they were getting their make-up done by Cait's aunt who is a make-up artist in Hollywood.

 

We were very pressed for time.  I had a small list of things to get and didn't want to have to come back later on, so I was telling her that we were going to divide and conquer:  her to the make-up aisles and me to the laundry items aisles.  She was walking a little ahead of me and turned around a little bit quickly and it caught me off-guard, so I kinda leaned back with my head and shoulders.  My brain didn't tell that to my feet.  They kept going and I hit the curb as hard as I could.  The impact threw me face and knees first 1/2 on the sidewalk and 1/2 on the asphalt!!!

 

I knew I was going down and all I could think about was, "Cindy, don't hit your head!"

Fortunately, my head was saved.  But my knees, arms, hands and palms were skinned and bruised.  I was SO embarrassed!  Christine thought she might have to call 911.  She kept saying, "You went down soooo hard, Mom!  Are you okay?"

No time to worry.  Good thing I have wipes in the car.

We brushed me off and we shopped at Target.  Then went straight to Caitlin's.  All I wanted to do was cry and get some ice I was hurting so bad.  But I put on a brave face.

Then we came straight home, she got dressed and we headed to picture taking at Wiley Wilderness Park.

The group headed to dinner and the dance, and Duff and I came home.  I took two Advil and layed on the couch.

The next morning I could hardly move.  My shoulders were so sore from taking a lot of the brunt of the fall.

 

Sad thing was, not one person stopped to see if I was ok.  Maybe they didn't want me to be more embarrassed.  I was kind of okay with that.

 

By the way, Christine's make-up was amazing and she looked gorgeous!



Heroes

"Like Nephi Of Old"

by:  Liz Lemon Swindle

 

I've always loved this picture.

I finally hung one in my home.

Here is the story behind the art:

 

"Heroes:  Like Nephi Of Old, began in the summer of 1991.  My original idea was a picture of a father and his young son reading the Book of Mormon.  I asked a young boy, Nathan, to model for the painting.

 

"Before we started, we talked about his favorite Book of Mormon characters and Nathan told me about  Nephi.  When Nathan spoke of him, he talked as if Nephi lived next door.  The longer I listened, the more I came to understand that Nathan truly knew Nephi.  Heroes:  Like Nephi of Old emerged from this experience.

 

"Listening to Nathan started me thinking about how close the heroes of the past are to those who listen.  As I look around I am reminded that we clearly live in a world where righteousness is seldom the standard by which heroes are measured.

 

"Nathan reminded me that heroes are only heroes if they give more than they take, if they lift more than they hinder and love more than they hurt.  Nathan taught me that our greatest heroes never emerge from the pages of a comic book, but are found in our past."

Cute As Can Be

Ainsley on her way with the family to help Shaun move into his apartment in Malibu.

Cute as can be!

Hiking In Midway

Hiking with Meredith in Midway.
So pretty.
The view and Christine!

Erik's On His Way

Erik entered the MTC on August 8th.

He will be serving in the Dominican Republic.

Last thing he and Christine did together before she left for EFY and he for the MTC was go to Original Pancake House.  Their tradition and favorite breakfast place.

Good Luck, Erik.

We LOVE you!

Fire on the Way to Utah

Utah has had it's share of fires this season!

Here are some shots Christine captured on my cell phone while we were driving up for lacrosse camp and the 4th of July holiday with the family on July 1st.

 

 We were just driving along on the 15 and all of a sudden came upon this smoke that kept getting worse and bigger.  There was cloud cover and threatening rain, but none of it produced.

 

Most of my pictures are from my cell phone these days.

Hoping for a better phone soon, and hoping with that the pics will be better too!

Cute Cartoon!

Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.......!

Catching Turtles

Meredith's brother, Erik, is leaving on his mission soon.

Christine and Erik are close friends.

They have been trying to do as much as possible together before he leaves.

They went turtle catching in the Coto Resevoir.

You wade in, find the turtles, catch them, and release them back.

It's fun, horribly muddy, and adventurous.

 

Cute turtles!