Flashback Friday: Dad Edition

I probably should have done this before Father's Day but here are a few oldies of my dad! I stole this photos from my mom's Facebook page so they aren't very great, I'm pretty sure she took pictures of pictures...

My dad and I aren't super close but I love him a lot and can't wait to see him in July! He is a pretty awesome person who can fix everything and build everything!

My dad is in the stripes, the one in red is my uncle

mom and dad

my favorite picture of me and dad

100th Post

Boo-ya, this is my one hundredth post. And, they said it wouldn't last. Ha, just kidding, no one said that to me. I'm just a nerd.

I can't believe I've made 100 posts. Kind of crazy. I have been wanting to post about the camping trip that set this whole crazy RV thing in motion. I have been putting it off because my computer broke and I really wanted to post some of the awesome pictures we took over that almost two week period. Since I am sitting on Rob's laptop, looking across the room at my still broken laptop I have decided to just do what I always do...steal photos from my personal Facebook page.

One year ago, in May, we went on our first camping trip as a family. Rob was at work one night when he sent me a text of the TV box they were printing and said "I want to go here". He said he thought it was a photo of a place in Utah called Arches. I turned to my best friend, you know, Google, and found out where Arches National Park was. We decided to plan a camping trip to Utah to see the arches.

We also decided (because we are CRAZY) to drive on to Denver. Then, we added Mount Rushmore to our list. We planned it all out and booked the campgrounds. We stayed at a KOA in Moab, Utah, a hotel in Denver, Colorado and another KOA outside Rapid City, South Dakota. On the way back from South Dakota we stayed at a hotel in Salt Lake City. It was an amazing trip, we saw so many awesome things and had so much fun. While in South Dakota we walked around the campground admiring all the huge RVs and talking about how fun it would be to travel around the country having fun. The seed was planted. We didn't talk much about it again for a few months, then all of a sudden we were packing up our life in California for life on the road.

I miss the travels already. We took the travel trailer to Alabama this week. It is going to hang out at my father-in-law's house. There are so many things we want to see and do and I hope we will do them, soon! I also want to tent camp more because we had such a fun time the first time around.

Arches National Park

Our last morning in Utah, C and I were the only ones awake for A LONG TIME

Bottom of the Rockies in Colorado

Snow at the top of the Rockies in Colorado

The antelope are EVERYWHERE in Wyoming

first rest stop in Wyoming. C loved looking at the cows

Maybe some mineral hot springs in Wyoming

Setting up the tent in Hill City, South Dakota

we loved this little ground squirrel and his friends

One of the statues on the Presidential Walk in Rapid City

 

We hunted high and low to find buffalo and when we did we took a million pictures of them. This one is the best I could find

G was in Heaven at this gas station petting zoo outside of Salt Lake City

On our way home. Sun setting over Nevada

Flashback Friday: Incubus

This is probably going to be my last Flashback Friday until we get our stuff out of storage so I can find some really old photos!

One benefit to living in Southern California is a lot of cool things happen out there and a lot of awesome bands call the state home. In July of 2011 Incubus (my favorite band EVER, since I was about 17, don't judge!) was gearing up to release their album, If Not Now When? and embark on a tour to promote the new album. In preparation for their tour, the band set up a rehearsal studio in L.A. and opened it up to fans. In order to stop by fans had to reserve a time slot online. So, I did that for Rob and myself.

It was a long, hot, stand-around-and-wait kind of day but it was totally worth it in the end because we were able to attend the private concert by the band that night! There were only a few hundred people, if that and we were only about 20 feet away from the band. It was very intimate and completely awesome! After the rehearsal most of the band members stuck around to talk with and meet fans so we met a few of the guys which was also awesome!!

Me and the Hubs

This is the drummer, Jose Pasillas. He's short and I felt weird standing next to him

Ben Kenney, bass player for the band

DJ Chris Kilmore

Here are a few videos from our concert (I didn't film these):

Watching these videos makes me happy!!

Flashback Friday: Love Day Edition

Since it was Valentine's day I figured I'd share a few pictures from early in my relationship with Rob.

Please be advised these photos are horrible quality. They are the only two pictures I have on this computer from this time period. I am pretty sure someone took a photo of these and then put them on Facebook, not sure if it was me or my mom but I found them on this computer so I am going to use them!

This first one is a few days before we got married. Notice that Rob has a beer in his hand, even though he was not old enough to drink, hey he was getting married AND going to the NAVY in a few days, he should at least be able to have a beer before doing all that, right? He was 20 when we got married, I was 19. We didn't have a big wedding and we didn't really invite anyone. Rob didn't want to get dressed up so we wore some pretty lame clothes for our Vegas wedding.

This first photo is from the party we had at my parents' house before heading to Vegas. We didn't invite anyone to this either, none of my friends were there. Only my parents, their best friends, my brother, Rob's parents, his brother and his sister were there. We had our wedding cake that day. It was my favorite cake, white cake with white icing, made by my parents' friend who is an awesome cake decorator. She was one of the few people there. Oh, also, my parents' friends' kids were at this party too. They were little and now they are almost all grownups, one just joined the military. CRAZY!

Rob and I only knew each other for six months before getting married. I don't remember exactly how we decided to get married but we did. He gave me my engagement ring (that I don't have anymore) while sitting next to me on my mom's couch. I'm pretty sure his exact words were "here". Amazing story right, so romantic! We were young and I guess dumb.

P.S. I would like to be this tan and skinny again. I guess I should keep dreaming!

 

 This picture was taken in Chicago O'Hare airport. Rob had just graduated from Navy bootcamp and was on his way to his schooling. My mom and I were the only ones that were able to go to his graduation. It was an adventure getting there, let me tell you. But, luckily we made it in time to see him graduate and spend time with him before he had to leave. This was, hold on while I do the math, maybe two months after the first picture. I think. I'm not sure and I'm too lazy to really try to figure it out for you. The first picture should have been taken around the beginning of August 2000 and this bottom one should have been taken around October 2000. But, It's been a long time and I can't remember EVERYTHING!

So, there you go. Here's us. Back when we were younger, thinner, blonder (at least I was) and crazier. We have been through a lot over the last 12 years but I love him and I'm pretty sure he loves me too.

Another P.S. I will NEVER cut my hair that short again. Gosh, it's awful. But, I do miss being blonde!

Flashback Friday: 1980's Edition

It's Friday so that means it's time for old photos. This week I am sharing pictures of me when I was little. These beauties are courtesy of my mother. I think she originally posted them on her Facebook page and I stole them.


This first one is my favorite. It is of my grandma, me and my mom. I love it because I loved my grandma very much and miss her bunches also! I am pretty sure I was three or four in this picture. We lived with my grandma at the time. Shortly after we moved out of her house she died from cancer.

I 

I was probably two or three in this picture, too. That boy in the back is my cousin, who may be the one that sucked his thumb all the way into adulthood???? That was our dog, Brandie. And, the arm holding our dog is either my dad or my mom's can't tell for sure.

This last one is a gem! Man, I was styling as a kid. Look at that outfit! Wow! Gotta love the sweatsuit with a belt. I wish you could see my feet because I'm pretty positive I'm wearing some jelly sandals. If you couldn't tell, I'm the kid in the middle. I don't remember any of the names of these kids but we played together when we were little, they all lived on our street. I was at least five in this picture, no older than seven.

Flashback Friday

The other day I was looking for a picture on my computer. I never found what I was looking for but I did find some older photos that brought back great memories. Because of this, I have decided to start Flashback Friday. Each Friday I'll post an old picture or two...or more, who knows. This means that Confession Fridays will be posted on a different day of the week, maybe Tuesday, who knows...yet. 

This week's flashback is to December 25, 2011. I took these pictures using the camera Rob bought me for Christmas, which is the little bugger I still use now while I dream of a DSLR.

Look how bald she was

My G!

This is still my fav pic of A, I wish she knew where that Minnie hat was. And, of course L is back there looking adorable