Fun times with the Barnsies!

madi & mo came up to santa cruz for a few days and boy did we have funsies!

we saw the dodgers play the giants in san francisco. dodgers won, what-what!

we played an oh-so serious game of miniature golf on the boardwalk.

then we treated ourselves to some yummy ice cream!

fun times, y'all! thanks for making the trip =)

Life's a Beach

my life has been crazy lately, and it's only going to get crazier! i'm glad i was able to get away from all the madness and have some time to myself (even if it was just for a short while).

She's Married!

My baby cousin is a wifey!! Mariana married the love of her life, Morgan, and became Mrs. Barnes on June 20th! Family and friends were there to witness and celebrate their union, and I, for one, thought it was all so beautiful.
I had the pleasure of being one of Mariana's bridesmaids. It was an honor being a part of her special day. From the early morning hair appointments, to the pictures at the park, and dancing the night away at the reception, I could see a glow on her face the entire time. There was no bridezilla moment, just pure, happy, sweet-as-can-be Mariana.
Mariana is really one of the sweetest and most loving girls out there. Knowing that she found someone who will love her, treat her right, and be by her side makes me super happy.
She made for a beautiful bride and will be a wonderful wife. I wish her well as she and her hubby take on their new life together. I look forward to watching them grow as a married couple, and hope their future is full of love, laughter, and happiness.

The Great Outdoors

i'm a sucker for spectacular, breath taking views. i was able to get some snapshots of mother nature at her finest on my latest camping adventure, which by the way, was super fun!

huntington lake

rancheria falls

the sun peeking out over huntington
(i could have sat there forever)

Stick Figs

this is what happens when you're killing time in a hotel room:

i doodled the picture in the hotel that rich's brother, simon, was staying at in san francisco. rich and simon drove up to sf last thursday, and i met them there. we all went to see kings of leon in concert, and afterwards, rich and i drove back to santa cruz while simon kicked it in the city. i had to go down to fresno for the weekend, so rich drove back down with me on friday. when we got to his house, and walked into his room, the picture was sitting on his nightstand. apparently simon got a kick out of my so-called "artistic ability" and couldn't leave it behind. that alone made me laugh! i'm glad he saved it though...my stick figure portraits are one of a kind, not to mention all that i can freakin draw ;)

Cuppycakes!

last wednesday i flew to la for my bff's bachelorette party. the festivities didnt start until friday, but i went a couple of days earlier to have some bff time and im so glad that i did. my trip consisted of soooo many fun-filled activities, but my favorite thing had to be the cupcake decorating party. when shannon picked me up from lax, she mentioned that she baked some cupcakes and had bought a few things to use to decorate them with...boy did she ever! all sorts of candy, sprinkles, food coloring, and a set of those metal tips that you use with the frosting bag to make cute flowery shapes. she also had a book that had super duper cute ways to decorate cupcakes, but it was way beyond our skill level. we didn't care though. we just blasted some tunes and made do with what we could come up with.

VOILA! our yummy creations!

GO DODGERS!

guess what team my niece and nephew play for in their t-ball league?

i love it!!
(if only you could see the happy tears streaming down my face)