IMAX Transformers 2

Yesterday, Robert and I saw IMAX Transformers 2. The IMAX is a bit more expensive than a regular show but it's well worth it! I loved the huge screen! The sound is incredible too! It's so loud I don't think you'd be able to hear a baby cry in the middle of the movie! Transformers 2 is full of action and just as good as the first one. I didn'tknow the characters that well since I never have read the comic books or seen the cartoons. But Rob knows the Transformers inside and out so I could ask him any questions. Afterwards we ateat Joe's Crab Shack. I love that place! But it's changed so much: the funky decorations and lights are gone and the menu was new. The food was still delicious! And the music was still awesome(70s & 80s music)! But the atmosphere was not as impressionable as it used to be(and maybe that's because we went at a low time--only maybe 10 people there--usually it's packed).

Crashing HS Reunion

Recently, I was able to get connected with some former best friends from 7th grade: Beth Appelhans Richert and Lisa Yasenovsky Beagle. We all were living in Knob Noster, Missouri together and then moved. Since it was our 25th high school reunion this year, we thought it would be funny to attend Knob Noster High's reunion! This idea was soon formed into a reality! We found an alumni web-site and were notified of the reunion. Lisa flew from California, I flew from SLC and Beth drove from Oklahoma. We all met at the Kansas City airport one afternoon! We had not seen each other for 30 years! It was a blast to reunite with them! We laughed and laughed at memories, pictures(especially the clothes we wore!), autograph books and notes to each other. It was great reminiscing! Later that night we met more of our fellow classmates. And yes we remembered many of them, but there were some that came after our time there. There was probably a total of 20 people at the reunion(including spouses). Their graduating class was only 56 people! It was nice to be remembered! So we got reacquainted and acquainted with people. After dinner, we all went over to the Power & Light District. It's a huge outdoor area with furniture and big screen tv. It's surrounded by night clubs. We went to Big Sky, which had a mechanical bull in it. A few of the gals wanted to try it out, so I led the way! We were wishing we could find karaoke but there was none to be found. But at the Big Sky they would play familiar songs that everyone knew really loud and while everyone was singing the words, they would turn the volume down so it was just the crowd singing. So that was as close as we got to karaoke! We all had a fun time singing, dancing and convincing people to ride the mechanical bull! The next day, Lisa, Beth and I drove to Knob Noster to see our old stomping grounds! Back when we were there, the population was 2,264 and now it is 2,462! So it's grown by a couple hundred in the past 30 years! I don't know how to explain it, but as we walked around places the memories and past seemed so close! I'm glad we took time to visit there! Then it was time for Beth, Lisa and I to part ways! We loved our spontaneous, wacky time together! Hopefully it won't be 30 more years before we see each other again!

Tuacahn Theater

I met TJ, Sarah and Alyssa in St. George for their activity with me. They live in Ely, NV now, so it was about a 4 hour drive for both of us to meet in St. George. We met at Wingers for lunch(I always order the original hot wings dinner everytime!). Then we hung out at the mall and their condo(time-share). We were waiting for the night to come because we were going to Tuacahn, the outdoor ampitheater, to see Annie. Dinner was served before the show. Then we had some time before the show to wait. There was a place where many kids were playing jumprope. Alyssa had never jump-roped before, but she got in line too. The first couple of times she didn't even get one jump over the rope. As she continued to get in line and jump again, she was eventually able to get to 12 jumps in a row! It was fun to see her learn and progress so quickly! The show was fun(I liked the 2nd half better than the 1st)! Alyssa was able to get her picture taken with Annie after the show since the cast comes out after the show. We had a fun time tonight!

Disneyland

The day school was out, Jennifer Dahl and I left for California. We stayed with her aunt and uncle in Huntington Beach. It's close to Disney and beaches! When we rented a car, we were given a choice between a Yaris or Mustang...as you can imagine, we picked the Mustang '10. We thought we were pretty darn cool in that car! I always love Disneyland! I think it's my 5th time here(that I remember). We rode on all the rides we wanted, my favorite being the Indiana Jones Adventure(4-wheeling), Space Mountain(rollercoaster in space), and a new one we tried called Buzz Lightyear Astro Blaster. The Astro Blaster is an interactive ride. So you are shooting your lasergun at targets while riding(and getting points). We rode that one many times because we both wanted to beat our scores from before. I did try to find Jack Sparrow at the Pirates Lair but was told he was on a long voyage...boo hoo! We ate dinner one night at the Blue Bayou, which is the restaurant that you see at the beginning of Pirates of Caribbean ride. The atmosphere was great and the food was even better! That has to be the best restaurant in the Disney parks! We had to make a reservation the day before we went because it is so popular! California Adventureland is just across from Disneyland. We made it a goal to go on every ride there, which we did. My favorite rides from there were California Screamer(long, fast rollercoaster), Soarin' over California(simulated flying over CA), and Toy Story(another interactive 3-D ride shooting at targets)! Between the 2 parks we were able to get pictures with many Disney characters. And the lines were not so bad, but we still got Fast Passes for our favorite rides. And the weather was in the 70's in the daytime and 60's at night. So it was cooler and I loved that! Only problem with cooler weather was at the beach! It was freezing just to sit on the beach relaxing because of the temperatures and the wind! But since we were at the beach, we did get in the water to freeze more! You can't go to a beach and not get in the water somehow. That was at Huntington Beach. Then we went to Laguna Beach because it has more rocks/cliffs to protect you from the wind. So I got my beach chair out there to write postcards. The high tide was coming in so it was getting my feet. But then a huge tide came in and about carried me and my chair away. Decided it was time to move! We didn't get as much beach time as we would have liked because of the weather. But it did save me from too many UV rays! Disneyland seems like such an equalizer of people because no matter your age or lifestyle, everyone acts younger and seems a bit happier!

NYC

Over Memorial Weekend, I went to New York City with my friend, Chunhee. Our hotel was more of an apartment! It was better than what I live in now! So it was a comfortable place to be. But the nights were noisy( I think I heard more sirens this weekend than a do in a whole year in Utah). Luckily we were in walking distance of most midtown sights. But because places were walk-able, we would always end up walking way too much so that our feet and legs were hurting by the end of each night. Needless to say, as the days went on, we rode the subways more, even if it was just one stop away. There's plenty of walking even with the subways too! Chunhee had never been to NYC. This was my 4th time visiting, yet it was the warmest time of year I have been there. We did the regular touristy things like Times Square, Empire State Bldg(also went to Rockerfeller Observatory that has more space to move around and you get a great view of Central Park and Empire State Bldg), WTC, Statue of Liberty(which I never tire of seeing). We also saw Wicked(3rd time for me, but I love it! It's one of those shows you can see over and over again like Phantom or Les Mis). I never tire of it! Also, we took time to explore Central Park as much as we could in one day. It's so huge! We got to the Central Park zoo(sea lions, penguins, and polar bears, oh my), Belevedere Castle(great view), Bethesda Fountain and the Carousel( it's the fastest and has groovy music). Not only that, but we rented bikes, learning that you can't ride your bikes inside on all the paths---you can only ride the perimeter(which took us an hour). So we had to hoof it inside the park which has to be the easiest place to get lost. There were maps, but none of the paths are labeled in a way to find your place from one spot to another. I swear when we were looking for something specific, we couldn't find it. But we would always happen to find it by chance when we weren't looking. So from my point of view, it's pure luck to find what your looking for in the park. We didn't get lost once in the city, but were constantly finding ourselves in the wrong place in Central Park. But I guess finding your way through the park was half the adventure. We also spent time relaxing in the park too. Other parks we enjoyed were Bryant Park(we had a picnic there) and Roosevelt Island. To get to Roosevelt island, you rode a tram across the East River. At the end of the island is a park and lighthouse. I loved the parks because it was a chance to get away from the noise and smells(car exhaust and garbage) of the city! I also really enjoyed the activities like the cruise around Statue of Liberty(where we also got to see the place of the famous airplane landing in Hudson River a few months ago) and walking across the Brooklyn Bridge. Those are both refreshing activities. But I think the most memorable event was in Chinatown(where you can buy mock name brand purses, watches, etc). The better the quality of mock items you want, the more secretive and hidden the place you go to purchase them. So in all the shops they have a hidden door in the back for those who are interested. I've even been taken to warehouses to secret rooms. So Chunhee wanted a purse. We were led from the shop and down some streets to a van(with no windows in the back). The seller opened the van door and all three of us got in. She shut the door, turned on a light and it was full of purses(and it was miserably hot in the van). My friend did find a bag she wanted. So when we were ready to leave, the seller had to first call her look-out person to make sure it was "safe" for us to exit the van. Never a dull moment in Chinatown! And I thought I had anxiety watching the cabs and cars weave quickly through the streets until I took a cab to church on Sunday. Trust me, I had much more anxiety riding in the cab and watching near misses. And speaking of church, I saw 2 co-workers from the high school there with their families! I just can't escape school! What are the odds of that happening?! But it was nice to see familiar faces! I love visiting NYC! But I loved getting home to my breathable air and less congested roads. It felt so good to drive home myself from the airport(a control issue).