That Night Must Have Been A Good Good Night!

I have never been one to run off and vacationate letting go of all my responsibilities and worries.  Most of the time for vacations I sit at home and watch an entire TV Show.  House, Buffy, Veronica Mars, How I Met Your Mother.  Yea that's kinda my life.  This year however I tried something a little different.  I went big!  I was sitting in church two weeks ago and my friend Shelley asked me if I had plans.  She then invited me to come to San Diego with her and 5 guys.  Heck yes!  My fabulous roommate Jordan also joined.  We had our group and were ready to party! Josh, Cody, Sam, Peter, Jason, Shelley, Jordan, and Me!

We left Sunday Night.  Josh had slept through the day, drank an energy drink, and taken his ADD meds so he was wide awake and drove the whole way.  Shelley, Me, and Jordan took the back seat. We were insanely squashed but we didn't mind because we were, after all, going to the best place ever!  We slept very seldomly.  We reached Vegas at like 5 in the morning and took a minute to drive the strip and take a pic in front of the sign.

Then it was on the road again.  We watched the sun rise in San Bernadino and finally drove into the city at about 10.  We were really sick of the car but were loving the city.  Skyscrapers, Taxis, Cute little shops, and then I saw it.  Right in front of us was the biggest most beautiful hotel I've ever seen!  It was a silver rounded building and on the side it said Marriott.  I was so excited when Josh pulled in.  This was our hotel??!!!  Never could I have imagined this nice of a place!  We went inside and were in awe.  People in business suits walking around and us in our T-shirts and shorts.  Out back I went into shock.  There were two pools.  The Pools were surrounded by palm trees and tanning chairs.  Out of the way in back were hot tubs.  I knew where I was going to be spending my vacation.  The first day was just resting.  We tanned and slept under the sun.  We did a little shopping because we were right by the city.  We had a very rejuvenating first day.  That night we went to a Brewery and had a fantastic dinner.  Then we all hit the sack pretty early

Day 2 brought another set of adventures.  We went to the Beach!  It was so so good!  I was the only one who played in the water but that was fine.  I also played soccer with this really cute kid Stefan!  Even got his digits.  Ah yea!  We had amazing sandwiches made by the guys and chased the seagulls away courtesy of Jason.  We stayed for a couple hours.  We buried Cody in the sand, tanned, relaxed and let our cares fly away with the breeze.  It was awesome!  Then we went back to the hotel and swam for a while.  We were all starting to get hungry so we were going to walk over to the Fish Market for dinner.  Along the coast we watched the sun set, talked to the local shop owners and took pictures.  It was a gorgeous night!  The Fish Market had a long wait so we decided to get out of the city for the night.  We drove over to the San Diego Temple and took some pictures there.

Then we went to a little set of restaurants and had whatever food we wanted.  I got pizza.  It was way good!  Back at the hotel it was time to decide what we were going to do for day 3.  It was a split decision between Knott's Berry Farm, San Diego Zoo, and Sea World.  After a lot of discussing (we decided on six flags but they were closed) we decided on Knott's Berry Farm.  I had never been there and was insanely excited.

The drive took an hour and a half but it didn't matter.  We had a blast listening to music and talking.  We arrived at the park at about noon after having lunch at Subway.  From then on we had a blast going on ride after ride.  The Xcelerator took us on a exhilarating 0-80 in 3 seconds.  The Ghostrider gave us a bumpy thrill, the Silver Bullet took us on twists and turns of all sorts.  Still my favorite ride must have been the Pony Express!  You got to ride a horse!  It was so so fun!  I went all day without stopping!  Others got tired and took breaks but not me!  I wore myself down.  So that night when we returned home all I could think about was going to sleep.  Then Cody mentioned he wanted to experience the night life of San Diego.  This was something I really wanted to do.  I was dead but agreed to go anyway.  Three of us: Josh, Cody, and I started driving around.  Then came the  energy drink.  Now folks I have only had 1 energy drink in my life before this.  Girls camp 07.  It was not a pretty picture.  I don't remember much of it.  That night was 10 times worse.  I downed it and well I'll just let you see what happened after. . .


Anyway so yea I drove with them a while, went crazy in my hotel room, laughed, cried, exposed secrets, watched Psych and eventually (4-5 AM) crashed.  The next morning I got filled in on the night.  Wow.  That is all I can say.  Such is my life I suppose.

Thursday we drove a lot!  We stopped in Vegas for dinner.  I gambled a whole dollar and lost it terribly.  I played the Ocean's 11 theme song while walking through the Bellagio, and eventually we drove home.  It was a long ride but we did make it.

Seriously it was the best vacation ever.  Fun people, fun activities, relaxing, exciting, at times a little overboard perhaps but truly "inspirational"

 

~TTP

Some Vids

One thing many people know about me is that I'm a Broadcast Journalism major.  I have done a number of packages for ATV.  This semester however I'm taking a video productions class.  I have done a couple of other videos for the class that are a little more fun.   The first is of two of my friends Audri and Dallin.  They are married and adorable.  They agreed to let me film them for the day.  The second is of a night in Salt Lake City with me and all my friends.  It is less structured and not tripod-ed but I still like it!  Check em out and comment with your thoughts.
~TTP

Dear Boys

I saw this on a Blog once and I loved the idea of it.  Here are letters to all the guys in my life.  The ones I loved, the ones I liked, and the ones I never got the chance to like.

Dear High School,
You taught me so much about life and relationships.  You gave me the butterflies in my tummy.  You gave me the giggles.  You gave me a reason to talk to my older siblings for advice.  For the first time in my life I shared a lot of feelings with a boy.  I trusted you.  We had a blast even though half the time I think we were so uncomfortable with our relationship.  Breaking up hurt more than I could bear even though I knew it was right.  Over time I thought more and more about our journey and in the end I never regretted it.
Love,
TTP

Dear Woodward,
You were my first love.  I think I can honestly say that. We had a relationship that was give and take.  We had that: will they (kiss), won't they tension that I've always wanted.  You cared about the things I cared about solely because I cared about them.  You were the reason for waking up in the morning.  You were the reason I went to class.  You were the reason I went to certain musicals.  Then I saw things I wish I hadn't.  And it hurt.  You hurt me so much and it was so hard to let go but I did and now I understand everything.  It all makes sense now.  I wish it had then.
Love,
TTP

Dear Dan,
No Dan is not your real name but you were Dan.  You were what I needed however short of time we had.  You took me on one of the best dates I've ever been on.  You were so kind to me and respected me in every way.  You were dang hot!  We were young and infatuated.  We were stupid and didn't say how we felt.   I'm glad we got to share the memories.
Love,
TTP

Dear Artemev,
Will I ever get over you?  Let's face it.  I've tried and then you creep back in and surprise me.  We get along with our wit and sarcasm.  There are even some things that we have in common.  If you could just get on board there could be a future so just get on board.  Maybe it will never work out.  Maybe I just can't be the one to grow you up.  But every time I see you or talk to you the thought just comes back.  There's been a lot of empty promises and commitments and eventually I'll give up but having you there in the back of my mind is comforting.  You are the one who got away and maybe just maybe I'll get a second chance.
Love,
TTP

Dear Rusty,
You were the second boy I loved even though I won't admit it even to myself.  We had fun.  We had laughs.  We had cries.  We went on adventures on screen and off.  We never got tired of each other.  I saw the future and it made me smile.  Then it was different.  Then it changed.  I wish there were no lies.   I wish you wanted me.  I wish I could have been different.  I wish you could have been different.  I wish we could have aligned our lives.  I still think about you.  Wish I didn't but I do.  It kills me to think of the pain we both went through.  In the back of my mind I still have that future with you and it won't turn off.
Love,
TTP

Dear Rebound,
You were everything I needed.  I screwed it up.  I know that.  If it had been a different time, a different circumstance, if I just didn't say a few things who knows.  Maybe I could have fixed myself for you.  Maybe we could have worked some things out.  But I will never regret all the fun times we had.  They were so fun!  We had so much in common.  You were great!
Love,
TTP

Dear Drive,
We'll always have Logan.
Love,
TTP

Dear Wishful Thinking,
Dang.  That is all I can say because that is what I thought about you.  You were so so attractive and sweet and smart.  You were everything I was looking for and more.  I planned our entire life together.  I knew how I felt about you.  I was perfect for you.  You were perfect for me.  We got along great!  We laughed.  We shared moments of happiness.  We liked the same music.  We connected deeper than normal.  We talked about culture, books, movies, TV.  You made fun of me at times but I knew it was all in jest.  There was only one problem.  You never asked me out.
Love,
TTP

I'm Toast

Dear Reader,

You are at this point wondering why I created a Blog entitled: The Toast Phenomenon.  Well it's like this: I love toast!  I mean I am obsessed with it!  I eat it all the time.  Toast crumbs fill my life and my counter tops.  for those who are still skeptic about why toast is the best thing in the world here are the top ten reasons why it rocks socks!

10) It's quick: all you need is a toaster some bread and butter and about 5 minutes.  Perfect for any college student.

9) It's cheap: on a tight budget?  That's fine.  Bread is $1.29 at your local grocery store and a cheap toaster runs at about $20.  Find yourself a handy dandy outlet and you're all set!

8) It's healthy: Let's say your chillin on the coach after a long day.  There is a bag of potato chips OR you can just make yourself a quick healthy slice of toast!  Go toast you won't regret it!

7) It requires few dishes: Here's another one for all those college students out there.  You all have sinks full of dirty dishes that never go away.  Toast requires no frying pan, no pot, just a knife and a toaster.

6) It brings life to the party!  My wonderful roommates threw me a toast birthday party 2 years ago and can I just say it was the best of my life.  Guests bring a loaf of bread, you get a few toasters and let the party begin!

5) French Toast: We've all had it we all love it.  It's like pancakes but better!  Nuff said.

4-2) It's good for any meal: Breakfast? Add eggs and Bacon and make it a meal.  Lunch? stick some tuna fish or scrambled eggs between it and it's perfect for that time of day.  Dinner? Put some garlic on it and add some pasta and you've got a romantic Italian evening!

1) It's delicious!  Don't take my word for it try it!

Will this blog be all about toast?  No.  This blog is about me.  About my love and life and desires and accomplishments and occasionally my woes and sadness.  But I wanted to entitle it something that I loved so so much and that just comes down to toast!

Sincerely
~EKL