SLC Y.U.M.

When I find myself in new environs, I like to immediately find the things I need: grocery stores, parks, gas stations.

But there is something I have to seek out even before all that: FOOD.

I have a few restaurant types that are necessities. And in Utah, that unfortunately doesn't include Mexican food (growing up in southern California has made me a major Mexican food snob).

First, I have to find the best Chinese food restaurant. We visited Ho Ho Gourmet after our first day in our new place, and I was near tears after every bite. It was so good! And they give 10% off every take-out order. You know we will be returning sooner than later.

Next, I have to find the best donuts. We had a few fabulous options when we lived in Riverton, but this food type proved more challenging in our new digs. We were able to seek out Parson's Bakery, though—they have some delicious desserts, as well as fancy donuts. Wouldn't you know, it's in the same shopping center as Ho Ho Gourmet.

And of course, you need a good hamburger. As luck would have it, we are less than a block away from Atlantis Burger. We visited there before we unpacked one box, and they have the best variety of American food ever—plus gyros, people!

What are your Must Have Restaurants in your area?

Utah locals, what restaurants do you suggest?

A California Trip, Summer-Style

Our reason for a 4th of July trip to Redlands, California was two-fold: 1) Any excuse to go to California is a good one and 2) The Chatfield sisters being spread across the globe is eminent.

My sister Julie (and her husband Corbin and their baby Theo) is leaving Utah in two weeks to move to Ithaca, NY for Corbin's graduate studies. My sisters Shelley (and her husband Rick and her 3.5-year-old son Jett) and Kellie are moving to Buenos Aires later this summer. Pretty soon, the only Californian will be my sister Carlie and the only (temporarily) Utahan will be me.

And we'll miss each other terribly.

So, we all gathered at my parents' house in Redlands to spend some quality time together.

The kids were superstar road trippers; although, Jacko passed down his habit of barfing to Lu, who threw up twice in the first half of the trip. We drove down on Saturday morning, arriving in Redlands just in time for Lucy to fall off a chair and give herself a nasty gash (and give me an "I'm so tired after driving all day" meltdown).

We went to church the next day and enjoyed one another's company. On Monday, we packed up a picnic and headed to the Redlands Dog Park to be voyeurs; the hill by the gated dog area is perfect for checking out all of the cute doggies from afar. There is also a duck pond and a playground at the park, both of which we used to their full extent. This dog park experience was the one thing Jacko wanted to do while we were in California—yes, it's that fun.

Much of the down time was spent outside in the backyard; the kids played on the swings, drew with sidewalk chalk, or fought the ivy covering the fence with croquet mallets. We also ate our meals outside, which was a fun change of pace (even with the bugs!). The boys went on a walk with Uncle Rick to "clean the cactus"; the neighbors have a large cactus, and for some reason, the boys left the house with several sponges. You do the math.

The Chatfield girls made another Sisters movie, which will probably end up on the blog someday. This filming was much more low-key than the others, but when it's 85 degrees in the house (no A/C, just a swamp cooler), it's best to keep stress at arm's length.

On the 4th of July, we took family pictures at JC Penney, then relaxed together. I was in charge of dinner, so I tasked my dad with grilling in the backyard.

After dinner, we all headed to the fields of Clement Middle School (where my dad had his first teaching job); there is a perfect view of the University of Redlands fireworks there, as well as tons of room to run! Jacko flew his first kite, the kids had a blast setting off tiny fireworks, and I enjoyed texting with Caleb (who had to stay in Utah to work).

The next day, we visited Corona Del Mar beach; it was overcast and cool, which was perfect (and deceptive, says the girl who got crazy sunburned). Lucy wasn't keen on adventuring, so she stayed close and rolled around in the sand. Jacko believes that the beach is solely for making sand castles, so he set down to business immediately. He also coerced Jett into taking a walk on the beach to pick up trash. Jacko is a man of action.

Our trip was not all sunshine and rainbows. I had my fair share of crying jags; Lucy honestly hurt herself every other hour, Jacko never took a nap, the stress of dealing with both of my kids sans Caleb was overwhelming. But my family is lovely and helped out with my kids a ton—they even let me sleep when Jacko tricked me and got up from our nap after twenty minutes!

We didn't want to leave, though we missed Caleb, and saying goodbye to my soon-to-be-far-away family was excruciating.

But here we are back in Utah. The adjustment has been tough, but real life also means getting to sleep in your own bed. So, there's that.

A Recap of SDB's Recent Guest Posts

Hey! It's Holly again. I've missed you.

Being in California over the 4th of July meant the world to me; I'll fill you in on all of our adventures next week, but right now I want to thank Priscilla Montgomery for her fantastic road trip navigating. She's the best, you guys. I feel an interview coming on....

A special thanks also goes to the fabulous friends who filled in for me here at So Dang Brilliant this week. I told Priscilla somewhere on the I-15 that I wish I traveled more often—I love reading what my favorite bloggers have written especially for you guys!

Here are the links, in case you missed any or have been meaning to reread some:

• Experience New Places Like a Local with Kam
• Record Your Summer with Amy
• The Right to Bare (Hairy) Arms with Kimberly
• Feel Better Healthy with Cori
• A Handmade Day in the Life of Liz
• A Few of Mandy's Favorite Nerdy Things

Experience New Places Like a Local and Do a Bit of Memory Keeping!

Hi So Dang Brilliant readers, I'm Kam of Campfire Chic. I enjoy blogging, working on more projects than I can handle, and being outdoors with my boyfriend of 5 1/2 years. We recently spent 5 days traveling through Colorado, specifically, through Denver, Boulder, and Rocky Mountain National Park.

My boyfriend, Alex, and I did not do much planning for the trip other than soliciting a few locals from our online worlds for some restaurant recommendations. Flying by the seat of our pants, we knew we wanted to try and avoid chain restaurants we could get in California and eat where the locals eat and play where the locals play!

In order to do this, we asked connections via Twitter and message boards, and used the Yelp! app on our phones. 

Use keywords, the 'hot new businesses' or 'deals' features to find places you'd dig. There is also a newer feature about the local scene, but it may not be up to date for the city (ours kept showing activities that occurred weeks prior)

Now, I'm really into memory keeping...scrapbook pages, mini albums, blog posts, and Project Life are all ways I document our adventures and daily life. While I used ideas from Ali Edwards' Scrapbook on the Road self-paced course, I also did a few things to prepare for the trip, which I cover in this post. 

While on the road, I made a joke of 'checking in' on foursquare...a location-based social networking mobile site that I stopped using a while ago. 

Then it hit me: I can keep my 'check ins' private and use the "what are you doing?" section to journal!! How perfect—I got the name, location, time I was at a certain location, PLUS I could add a bit of journaling!

Now, if I thought of it, I could've done the same on the Yelp! app, but who said I needed to make things easier on myself?

Other ways to journal while on the road:

• Facebook check-in
• Instagram with a geo-located photo
• Notes apps on your phone
• Updating that Path account you got and abandoned
• A good old fashioned notebook

What apps do you use when you travel?

Do you document your travels somehow? How?

Note: Please take your safety and the safety of your family in mind when posting information about being away from your home. While your family and close friends may enjoy the real-time updates and you get the added benefit of information for your memory-keeping, somebody else may see this as an opportunity to "visit" your home while you are away or come "visit" you while you are out and about.

Kam is the blogger behind Campfire Chic, where she documents her outdoor adventures, creative projects, and information on social media and organization. She lives in Southern California with her boyfriend and their cat, Rintu. When Kam isn't blogging or at her day job, she enjoys hiking, watching House Hunters, and spending time in the yoga studio. To follow Kam's everyday ramblings, follow her on Twitter. 

Holly's Summer Manifesto

Photo by Paige Evans

Don't worry, friends—my kids are sick. Again. This time, it's Hand, Foot, and Mouth disease; it's a highly contagious illness that looks like chicken pox, but only around your limbs and your lips. See you in 10 days when the disease isn't communicable anymore.

The words that have been echoing after my sick-kid complaints have been, "Sometimes, kids just get sick. There's not much you can do."

But there IS something I can do!

I am dreaming of the best summer ever, and I'm making plans to put it in motion. Sick kids or not, I am going to make these things happen:

• Write a special summer 'zine made by moi
• Fall in love with Mexican food again
• Rummage through my parents' house and kidnap some treasures to bring back home
• Drink more sparkling pink lemonade
• Make a summer playlist on GrooveShark
• Be rid of full trash bags laying around
• Scrape my knees doing something crazy
• Finally do batting cages for the first time in my life
• Put ice in my water every day
• Create the best Chatfield Sisters movie yet

No matter how many germs get between me and my perfect life, I'm going to be checking these off my summer list one by one. Germs don't know that they shouldn't come between me and my goals. Or maybe I'm too thick to realize that I can't just enable the powers of mind over matter.

To misquote Coldplay: Germs and I never change, do we? Germs and I never learn, do we?

What's your summer manifesto?

 

Summer manifesto idea from Kimberly Adami-Hasegawa

California Dreamin' Tee Giveaway

You know I have California love, right?

So when I saw this shirt in The Printed Palette etsy shop, I instantly swooned. I knew I had to give one away to one of my awesome readers.

The shirt is printed with water-based ink on an American Apparel cotton tee. You can choose between the unisex tee or the fitted women's tee seen below, and it's available in sizes S through 2x!

There are five ways you can enter:

• Go to Facebook and "like" The Printed Palette
• Favorite the Printed Palette shop on Etsy
• Follow me on Twitter at @flolly
• Follow So Dang Brilliant on Google Reader, Bloglovin', or another RSS feed
• Tweet/Facebook a link to this giveaway

Leave a separate comment for each item you've completed, which means up to five entries!


The giveaway will be open until Friday, June 15th at midnight. The winner will be notified by email and given 72 hours to reply, otherwise another winner will be chosen.

Houston is a Land of Dreams (and of Beyonce)

Our trip to Houston, TX last month was needed—you may recall that I was at my wits' end with the kids and things were feeling a little stale around our house.

I am pretty sure that all photographic evidence of this trip came from my family-in-law's cameras, which is why we are just now getting around to sharing the trip on the Internet.

Caleb's youngest sister Cymbre became Jacko's BFF; Jack told me yesterday, "Cymbre is my bestest buddy." But then again, he also told me yesterday that Percy the Tank Engine was his daddy. Can't trust a three-year-old, guys.

The photos below depict fun around the house, trips to the zoo and the aquarium, and more wild animals than the kids knew what to do with. I would caption them further, but the minutiae of the photos can be encapsulated in a few words: We had fun.

Lucy saw the camera, struck this pose, and said, "Cheeeeeeee."

SDB Interviews: Whitney of Making It Here

If I called Whitney Hardie a glamor queen, she would punch me in the face. Then she'd be flattered.

If I referred to Whitney as fancy NYC city dweller, she would remind me that she has to carry a stroller onto the subway.

If I mentioned that to Whitney that she is a fantastic photographer who I have trusted several times with family memories, she would tell me that she's a mama and a wife first.

Whitney moved into an apartment below mine when she and her husband Joe first got married. The first time I spoke with her, I mentioned that I rarely liked the female counterpart of most married couples I meet; she told her husband to not answer the door if I came to visit when he was home alone (but she kindly waited until I had left the room). Whitney knew early on that I was a man-eater. Or something.

That was 2007, and since then, Whitney and I have become dear friends. We have seen each other cry, laugh, partially naked (thanks to clothes shopping!), and involved in many life changes. In fact, I was hunting around my personal archives for a photo to add to this post, and I truly started tearing up when I realized how pervasive Whitney's face is in so many of my pictures.

But not only is Whitney a great friend, she is a fantastic photographer and a talented writer.

The photo on my "About" page was taken by her, as have Jack's newborn photos and several candid shots from our adventures together. Whitney is based in New York City, but has traveled around the country to take incredible photos for weddings, birth stories, and families. Her rates & packages and portfolio can be found at Hardie Photography.

Her personal blog, Making It Here, depicts her life as a mama in the big city. Whitney's honest take on the struggles & joys of motherhood, city living, and finding yourself reminds me that there is so much in life that deserves to be documented—good and bad.

Whitney is open and welcoming. I hope you fall in love with her through this interview, then reach out to her through her sites and even through the comments section on this interview. Here are a few of the fantastic things she has to say.


1. Please describe your blogs to the uninitiated. How would you describe each one in three words?
Three words, eh?
Hardie Photography—professional, photographs, please-hire-me-so-I-can-

continue-to-do-what-I-love
Making It Here—honest, witty, personal-stories-about-our-family-and-observations-about-life.

I struggle with word limits.

2. Tell us about your glamorous life in New York City.

I don't know if glamorous quite describes it. We are four people living in a one bedroom apartment, after all.

Our life in New York City is so different from what I ever pictured for us.  I never thought I would live in a big city—but here we are. We take public transit everywhere. We walk and we climb stairs, stairs, and more stairs. We order our groceries online, pay way too much for rent, see world famous works of art for free, and grumble about how slow tourists move. Our friends are artists and law students and scientists and yoga instructors—everyone is doing something amazing it seems. Our daughter can recognize subways, airplanes and pigeons, but she doesn't know what grass is. Sometimes it feels like we live on another planet. Other days it just feels like normal life. New York is an adventure, to be sure.

3. How do you practice seeing good in the bad and beauty in the ugly? Not all of your photos are of stereotypically "pretty" things.

How do I do it? I don't know. I have a lot of practice in it. As the child of an alcoholic, growing up in a very "nontraditional" household, I survived by finding the good in the bad. I don't know if that idea comes through in my professional work so much. But when I shoot personal work I am often drawn to unpolished objects. Subjects that are rough around the edges are just more interesting, more real. 

I think that's true of people as well. If everything is your life is perfect, I'll probably find you boring. But if you've got a colorful past or a deep dark secret, let's be best friends.

4. What kind of balance are you achieving between motherhood and pursuing your art and other interests?

Balance? I think that idea is completely flawed. We're always looking for balance—some way to do it all. I struggle with this constantly. But the truth I've come to accept is that you simply can't do it all. When I'm busy with photography, I don't spend as much time crafting or trying new recipes. When my children require all of my attention (which is most of the time) I don't get a chance to blog or read or do the many other things I find interesting. To be perfectly honest, I spend way more time wiping butts than turning pages. I often wish it was different, but that's just where we are right now.

I am learning how to give my energy to whatever seems the most pressing at any given time. And I hope that it will balance out in the long run. But my days are not balanced. They are feast and famine.

5. You are staring down the barrel of adding another child to the family; how are you feeling about your soon-to-be life change? [Ed. Note: I sent this interview to Whitney before the December 2011 birth of her daughter]

I love the phrase "staring down the barrel" because that is exactly how I felt waiting for Wren to come. I had such a hard time after the birth of my first child. I was pretty sure life was ruined. It took MONTHS for me to feel normal again. I was so worried about that happening again.

So the biggest thing I did to prepare for this change was to constantly remind myself to lower my expectations. When I thought I had a pretty good idea of what I could accomplish with a newborn and a toddler, I just thought to myself, "Lower.  Go lower." Lowering my expectations has done a lot to stave off the feelings of failure and frustration I experienced the first time around. I work every day to accept where I am and to not freak out about where I think I should be. Very zen, right?

There are still plenty of tears and I yell more than I care to admit, but I think we're adjusting to this new life. We're slowly, awkwardly coming into it and trying to enjoy the little victories along the way.

It Ain't Easy Being Wet

What name do you think of when you see this face?

Jack thinks "Mister."

My dad is Jim Henson's biggest fan; one of my most vivid memories of childhood was the day that Jim Henson died, because I remember my daddy being so sad. Luckily, Jim Henson lives on in Sesame Street, The Muppet Show, and especially in the Muppets themselves. And my dad loves all of them.

My dad has an Animal hand puppet that has seen better days. It is so old, so worn, and so loved that he is barely recognizable. The mouth and eyebrows can be moved--so fun! He was unearthed during our California trip, and he didn't leave Jack's side until we headed back to Utah. And I was the only one who could voice Animal, as other family members were deemed too scary by Jacko.

There were a few times when my hand was tired from being in Animal's head, so once I told Jack to play with Animal by himself. And he said, "No, his name is Mister. Mister. MISTER." Then off he went.

My mom, my tripmate Cari, and I were talking in the living room when we heard a splash come from the back of the house. I felt like my body went parallel with the floor as I rushed down the hall to see what had happened. Then what to my wondering eyes should appear Jack coming out of the bathroom with a soaking wet Mister.

The first words out of Jack's mouth were, "Mommy, Mister had to go stinky."

And with that, I couldn't be mad at him. He explained to me that he was helping Mister sit on the toilet, when all of a sudden, he fell in. Jack was upset that his friend had a traumatic experience, and I was glad that everyone was safe. I took Mister outside to dry off in the sun, and Jack never let him out of his sight; he played sidewalk chalk and cars until Mister was feeling better.

Jim Henson might have been a little upset that one of his creations got a swirlie, but he couldn't have gotten mad at a little boy trying to help his friend. After all, isn't that what the Muppets are all about?

Flannys Do Disney

We made it, Mickey! We came to visit you on your turf.

Jack is a Disneyland pro, having been three times in his first year alone, in addition to many times since then. Lucy had not visited yet, but it was obvious when she went through the gates that she was excited. Almost every attraction was met with the fervor seen below.

Lucy's highlight of the day was "It's a Small World." She loves to hear singing and the stunning, glittery visuals of the ride provided something to look at at every turn. She sat with Grandma Chatfield and took in the sights.

And Jack's trusty adviser on this Disneyland trip was his cousin Jett. Jett lives in Pasadena and goes with his meemaw (my sister Shelley) frequently; he knew exactly what he wanted Jack to see. We made it onto Dumbo, Buzz Lightyear, the Adventures of Pinocchio, Peter Pan's Flight, and many others. The boys had a stellar time, and I can honestly say that I loved watching them every minute of the trip.

And in case you're wondering, yes, my children went three shades darker while in California. The tan suits them, as does California.

Cleaning Up in the Game of Life

Remember my whining about not being in California anymore?

Thanks to my stay-at-home lifestyle and my cousin Cari's sudden unemployment, that whining will abate for about a week. We decided over dinner a couple of nights ago to head to Disneyland, after griping that my sister, my nephew, and my mom have been three times in the last three weeks. I am so thrilled because:

• I love unexpected trips--spontaneity rocks!
• Disneyland with an almost-three-year-old is going to be so awesome.
• Cari is one of my favorite people ever, so spending so much time with her is going to rule.
• Not living right next to my sister Shelley has left a gaping hole in my heart, so I need some visits to spackle it temporarily when she moves to South America.
• We don't have to worry about driving through snow AT ALL.

My goals are to keep blogging while I'm in Redlands and to take a ton of photos to remember all of the fun we have.

Do you take spontaneous trips?

When was the last time you went to Disneyland?

Want to have lunch with me while we're down there?

When the Cat's Away, The Mice Will Play

An enormous benefit to having family visit is that one tends to find fun things in the area to do. Like, not just lunch at McDonald's or a quick trip to Target. Another huge benefit to having family in town is having an instant babysitter--who's with me?!

Caleb's little sisters Cymbre and Cooper each took a turn coming to Utah to visit us this summer. Caleb and I had a list of things that we wanted to do while each of the girls were in town--no parents means that we could keep them up all night watching horror movies and eating cookie dough if we wanted! However, we kept it a little more low key than that. I know, I know, boring time.

Cymbre came first, and her trip happened to be around her birthday. Jack was ecstatic to make her a cake!

We went to the zoo and the BYU bookstore with Aunt Cymbre, in between packing for our big move. We didn't have our car for most of her trip, since Caleb was having to drive to work for the month of July. Our lack of transportation meant that we didn't get to see her as much as we wanted, since her home base was thirty minutes north with Shyla. We did, however, get to eat cinnamon rolls with Aunt Cymbre, and that's all that matters, right?

Then, we moved northward and were able to spend more time with Aunt Cooper when she came to Utah. We checked out the Living Planet aquarium, the museum of Ancient Life, the Kennecott copper mines, and several yummy trips to some yummy restaurants. Due to some interesting events, we all didn't play as much as I would have liked, but that's life!

I was really happy that the girls got to play with my kids; my kids are awesome, and they are even better in real life!

Pajama Party in the Park

Caleb has had the car at work this week, so when he took his newly-fixed scooter today, I was determined to make the most of our time with the car. Lucy and I had been awake since 6 am, and Jack was finished watching Curious George at 7:25; before 7:30 hit, we were in the car to go to the park. I was so proud of myself for being productive!

And now, here is a pictorial of how our trip went.

Yay! Climbing and running are so fun!

Pajama parties rock, even when the girls aren't wearing makeup!

"Will this hot wheels car drive down the slide? You bet it will!"

"Huhhh? What is that sputtering, splashy sound?"

"SPRINKLERSSSSSSS!"

And that is when me, the kids, the blanket, and the car seat got soaked. If I weren't having to carry a six-month-old and her gear, plus usher a screaming two-year-old, it would have been extremely fun.

Perfect Strangers

 As has been documented in my life list and some of my encouragement posts, I am no fan of strangers. I wish I had some deep, childhood trauma-related reasoning for this fear, but ultimately, I just don't like 'em. My sisters will recoil when I even talk to them near a grocery store register, since I begged them for so many years to buy my gum or magazines in proxy so I wouldn't have to talk to the cashier. I even gave them the money! I purposely did not go through drive-thrus because I felt the minimum waged employee would judge me if I took even a millisecond to decide on my order; this particular facet was erased as soon as I became one of those employeed to listen through a headset to orders of burgers and fries, and I always appreciated the extra time their thinking gave me to do other things. My whole life, I have been a stranger scaredy-cat.

Cut to our recent trip to California; Caleb and I had the opportunity to celebrate our 5th anniversary by taking an overnight trip to Disneyland, recreating our spectacular honeymoon. My sisters watched our kids and were rock stars in the process. We had a fantastic time being together, and though we did talk about parenting and other unromantic topics, there was a definite romantic air about the trip. We even got to sleep through the night -- in the same bed! There was one oddity about the whole outing, however: I found myself essentially accosting strangers in order to chat with them.

Side note: Caleb and I have this weird pact that on any adventure we take alone, we don't take photos. It's a little selfish, because we don't want to share our special memories with anyone else. That is why there is no photographic evidence of what I am about to tell you.

After looking in several places for Phineas and Ferb gear for Jack, I jumped off a bench in California Adventure at two young adults who were wearing Perry the Platypus shirts. With an ice cream sandwich in hand, I leaped off the bench shouting, "Excuse me, but where did you find those t-shirts???? I LOVE THEM!" The startled gentleman whispered, "Wal-Mart?" in a questioning tone and kept walking. This was only the beginning of my reign of terror. I stopped in a Disneyland restaurant to tell a mommy that her sleeping child was adorable. I prolonged a friendly conversation with a cashier in one of the Disneyland stores. On the way back to Utah, I exclaimed to a family eating lunch after church that their baby was "SOOOOO CUUUUUTE."

Who was this person that I became?

I honestly believe that I changed when I read this story by Moorea Seal about how a man complimented her in a coffee shop. When I have something positive to say about someone that I see, I have decided to say it. Maybe I will stop the "jumping towards them in a frantic manner" tactic, but I definitely want to continue to make others feel good about themselves.

In a similar way, I have decided to reach out to others online and use Amy's advice when it comes to commenting on blogs I love. Maybe some of the more popular blogs that get comments in the double digits on every post don't NEED my comment, but I know that there is a person behind that blog who is just like me -- they appreciate kindness and want to know that people enjoy their work. And as for the smaller blogs? It is just the same.

I want to let everyone, stranger or not, know that they mean something to someone.

Maybe I'll lick this stranger danger fear yet.

Stop Me If You've Heard This Whining Before...

When it comes to whining, I do my fair share. I don't like how I look, I don't like the choices people make, I don't like the current weather (whether it be rain or snow or sun). I'm a whiner sometimes.

But it is usually pretty surface-based. Deep down, I just don't care that much.

This "Leaving California" thing, though.... I am feeling it deep down inside. And this kind of pain I usually don't broadcast. You would think that I would be focusing on the positive of returning to Utah: the children will be back to their schedule, Caleb will be able to go to work again, and I won't have to deal with another southern California summer with no air conditioning. But look at these pictures and tell me you wouldn't be doing some major soul-searching in order to get back to times like these.

My biggest problem is that I do not know when I will go back. There are no more high school graduations to attend, no weddings in the near future, and no events that are a Must Go. I have been living away from California for almost 10 years, and I think I am done with this portion of my life. California is in my heart and my blood; this wasn't an instance of going to a place and falling in love or enjoying the sights and sounds for a few days. At Disneyland, I got emotional in the line for the Matterhorn; tears didn't come because I love the happiest place on Earth (I do, though!) or because I could finally enjoy the summer sun. The line was long enough that I could watch the people walking by and appreciate what made them different. There were crazy hairstyles, funky accessories, incredibly amazing intellectual conversations, and so much more. I love Utah for the great qualities it has, but being a melting pot is not one of them.

I want my kids to have what I had growing up. There are communities where I am needed, and I don't think they are within the Utah state limits. I am beginning to realize that I am being homogenized from the outside in -- I am becoming Utah through osmosis! I feel like I am coming to a crossroads, which is funny because I know that I am not. What is going on in my heart is not in line with my current reality.

And speaking of reality, this post was brought to you by a dream I had during a nap today, with the theme "Keep Austin Weird." I want to go to there.

I Wish I Could Be a California Girl

When I travel, I feel completed disconnected to the online world. I can't say that it's on purpose, but I would be lying if I said I try hard to get online but fail in doing so.

But when I come to my hometown of Redlands, California, all bets are off. I can't tear myself away from the happenings at any moment to get to a computer. I happen to be here in Redlands right now. I am sitting on the loveseat that has seen many a Sunday nap, looking at the top of the fridge where my mom has kept the sharpies for years, and wishing that my dad would come home soon from teaching high school just like I always have. I often enjoy my time in my parents' house, and I am only online right now because it's nap time.

Scheduling guest bloggers and writing scheduled posts would have been a responsible thing to do. I am not really into "responsible" right now.

I am into guaranteed sun, comfy family gatherings, tangible delight, and eclectic southern California compadres.

Don't make me go back to Utah! I think I will cry on the way back to Utah.