Shamu, churros, & Chimps

We met up with my dad and Patty for a few fun-filled days in San Diego. On Thursday, we went to Sea World. Now, for some reason my parents LOVE them some Sea World. It's not very crowded there, so we got to see lots of stuff.

We got to feed the seals, sea lions, flamingos and dolphins. We also pet some sting rays, starfish and dolphins. Of course, starfish can't breathe out of water. Here is some strange little boy telling my dad to leave him in the water. Sheesh! He was like the starfish Nazi. We told the starfish to hold his breath, what more do you want?
We also checked out the polar bears and peguins.
On Friday, we went to Tijuana to see if we could score some good deals. We didn't get much, but it was still fun haggling and, of course, taking this picture.
The next day, we decided to go to the San Diego Zoo. It's probably been over 20 years since I have been. I just remembered how big it was and some things don't change. I got a good butt workout hoofin' it through those hills. The best part of the trip to the zoo was feeding the giraffes.Their tongues were long and slobbery, but it was so neat. We saw a ton of other animals...here are a few:
We had such a great time! The weather was perfect throughout the entire trip.

Scrap-a-thon

On Wednesday I drove up to the cabin to spend some time with the folks. It's fun hanging out with them. Patty and I decided to have a scrap marathon to bust out some pages and we did just that. I had to create a scrap challenge so here's the result of that:

Of course, the wild turkeys were there every morning looking for some handouts. My dad thinks they sound like the ladies from Relief Society. I'm just sayin'...there's a shocking resemblance.He also refers to them as the "Behmer Family Food Storage".

Anyway, we had a lot of fun just dilly-dallying around...going to Roberts and Top Spot (my favorite) and Rusty's.

Valley of Fire

Last weekend, we went to the Valley of Fire with my dad and Patty. I hadn't been out there in years. I'm a terrible wife. First we went to Roger Springs which I must say looks downright terrible now that all the trees are gone. I used to love swimming here but now that they've discovered some sort of amoeba, I guess nobody swims there anymore.

Next, we went to Echo Bay. It's so weird to see the lake lookin' so raggedy. But the carp are still there and my dad really enjoys feeding those carp. The birds didn't seem to mind either.

Afterwards, we went to the Valley of Fire. Holy smokes, it's easily been 15 years since I've been. Here's Elephant Rock.

We even saw a longhorn sheep.
We went through the whole park checking everything out again. My dad's favorite is Mouse's Tank. I used to think it was so lame because it was just a little hole with some water in it. But now that I understand and appreciate the story, I think it's pretty cool. This is the watering hole an Indian named Mouse used to hide near after he had stolen things from settlers. I guess he was a pretty brazen guy. When he finally got caught, he decided he wasn't going without a bang and so he mooned his capturers. Legend has it they shot him right in the butt!
The rest are just some pictures of us goofing around.

Home Already

I got home last night and it just seems like time always flies when I'm on vacation. Oregon was so much fun-Brenda and I had a blast. We truly can't be trusted together. Here is a picture of Kitten, the stowaway. I think he planned on coming with me.Once I got there, we went to coach some little kids in volleyball. The Brownsville Rec Center reminds me a lot of the Logandale Community Center before they refurbished it. It has that old gym smell. The next day we went and walked with Brenda's neighbor Tom. Tom is this mean, cranky old man (ex-LAPD that moved there for some peace and quiet!) that has 2 bulldogs. What are their names? Spike? Butch? Nope. Cupcake and Buttercup. CUPCAKE AND BUTTERCUP! Just goes to show that even the scariest of men have their girlie side. Anyway, I really like Tom, he makes me laugh and his dogs are so stinkin' adorable.
That's cupcake. Below is Buttercup.
They're so funny. They snort and drool and are crazy but I have to get my fix of the girls. We walked to Randy's where yes, he did in fact have blackberry crumb cake made just for me. So fabulous. Here's me and Randy and the poetry that is crumb cake.
I don't know why my hair looks like that. I was cold and apparently didn't care. Brenda and I also had some hot chocolate to warm up (it was way too stinkin' cold there).
We spent the majority of the time shopping, scrapbooking and taking housewife naps...and sitting in the principal's office. Taylor got in a fight at school and we had to go talk to the principal. I'm pretty sure that would be an extremely sucky job. Anyway, I can't wait for Brenda to come visit in March!

Brownsville, Oregon

Today I'm off to Oregon to visit Brenda & her family. I love going to Oregon, it's so fun. I love going to places that are green. Brownsville is particularly fun because it's so stinkin' small (yes, smaller than Overton--easily!). There's no grocery store. No street lights. There's a gas station and a bank and a bar. This is a picture of downtown. ALL of downtown.

And Randy's. Randy's is a fabulous coffee shop that sells everything homemade. It's so good. Last time I was there we stopped and had a devine berry crumb cake. I loved it so much that Brenda stopped in last week to warn Randy I'm coming and that he better make some for me. Brownsville is where the movie Stand By Me was filmed. Brownsville natives are very proud of this fact and they have an annual Stand By Me celebration every summer. This is the Coke wall in the movie.Something I find very charming is that there is a town dog. I don't know it's name, but basically this dog just runs around town and different business owners/government officials feed him and take care of him. He sleeps in the bank at night. When you walk down the streets, you can see his doggie toys lying around and there will be watering bowls and food dishes for him. Here he is hanging out in someone's truck while they're at the bank.It feels like forever since I went to Africa (September!) and a vacation is definitely due. I love spending time with Brenda because she truly lives the life I need to lead. Everyday she has designated housewife naps from 12-2. And she takes Thursdays off. How does a stay at home mom take a day off? She doesn't clean. She doesn't cook. The kids have to cook for themselves that day. It cracks me up-that's totally something I'd do!

Christmas

Christmas was good this year. I know the post is a little late, but that's okay. I got some of my favorite pictures I've taken framed, a plane ticket to Oregon, and a Wii Fit (we got a Wii from my parents)...which by the way, I have to tell you about the Wii Fit. I love it! It's so fun...the only bad thing is when I get on, it groans! It seriously groans! Like I'm too fat. Way harsh. Later in the afternoon, we went to Overton to spend the holiday with my parents and the extended family. My extended family are evil beasts, but it cracks me up. My grandma hasn't been doing so well, but there's certainly nothing wrong with her tongue--she's still just as nasty as ever.It was good to see everyone. Of course, we played our traditional Bingo game. Now, I've got to tell you that we have played Bingo for as long as I have been alive and I am convinced the old Bingo set was missing a few numbers. The's the only explanation for why I lose EVERY stinkin' year. Except one year, I did win one game. The prize? A toilet brush! Who does that?!? So anyway, this year, my present to my grandparents was a new Bingo set...with all the pieces. Well, I still lost. But Dan won twice, so he gave me one of his prizes.
The thing I love about Behmer Christmases are the treats. People in the city don't make treats like they do in the country. No home-made caramels or suckers. None of that. My favorite is the Raspberry Slush that, again, has been a Behmer tradition since before I was born.That's Dan making slush. There was a crazy storm in Overton on Christmas night. It was still a great Christmas...one to remember.

Birthday

Today I turned 28. I feel old. Well, not particularly old, but I guess I was hoping I would have done more with my life by now. Ever get that feeling? I pictured myself having done great things by the time I was 25 and now here I am...3 years past my deadline...wondering what the crap happened! So I have decided I will list the things that I HAVE done so far in hopes it will make me feel a little better about turning another year older.

I have climbed the Eiffel Tower in Paris and swam with sea turtles in Tahiti. I have been on an African Safari and been to a bull fight in Spain. I've been on a cruise and sky dived from a plane. I bungee jumped from the tallest bungee in the world. I have bought a house and para-sailed in Mexico. I got a degree (worthless I tell ya!) and jumped against a Velcro wall with a Velcro suit. I've been a tutor, Santa's helper, and helped build a house. I've taken a mug shot (wouldn't you like to know!) and swam with dolphins. I've celebrated New Years in Las Vegas and saw a Broadway show in New York. I've watched whales in Canada and walked through a tree. I've been psychologically analyzed (no meds=success, right?!?) and been introduced to a whole new way of thinking. I've caught a firefly, eaten escargot, and bought a car.

So here are some things that I plan to do (hopefully within the next 5 years). I want to bobsled in Switzerland and visit a concentration camp in Germany. I hope to climb through Angkor Wat and see Machu Picchu. I hope to move to another state (anywhere at this point) and try some exotic foods that I can't even describe because I don't know about them yet. I hope to get another degree and maybe my masters by then. I want to finally find a volunteer program that I love and am proud to be a part of. I think that's it. That's a lot for 5 years, so even if I do only a fraction of the things listed above, I'll feel accomplished. That's it...it's time to start livin'.