Vacation Updates

Day 1: Arrived in Seattle, WA. I fortunately made my connecting flight in Dallas, TX. It was a long day flying, but so worth it to be home!

Day 2: The weather in Seattle was quite stormy. I stayed in the house and played with Haley and Nat. Haley showed me her new tutu Lesley made her. Doesn't get much cuter than this! Haley and I also made sure I toes were painted pretty for Christmas. Natalie is the sweetest, smiley baby! My favorite is when she puts her little hands on my face for a kiss. Brian finally arrived, after his flight was delayed 6 hours!

Day 3: CHRISTMAS for the girls! Jared & Lesley are headed to UT for Christmas, so Haley and Natalie got to open their gifts early. The Huff family doesn't mess around. Lesley and Jared woke Brian and I up at 7:30a.m. They even woke Haley up to open presents!

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Natlie loves her new toy! She was rocking out to the music, and loved checking herself out in that mirror!

Haley is very into Disney Princesses. Here Haley is showing off her new Little Mermaid outfit.

Haley tearing open more gifts!

I absolutely love being an aunt. It really is too much fun. These girls are the sweetest, and I can't get enough of them!

Day 4: Brian and I safely made it over the pass, and arrived home to mom and dad. We were welcomed home with a nice, warm meal! I love going home and spending time with my family! We even decided to do a little bowling...mom takes #1! I noticed this picture hanging on the refrigerator--my parents goofing off in a photo booth! I love it.

Viva Puerto Rico!

I heart Puerto Rico. The reasons why:

A. Spending time with these lovely ladies: Kim, Mel, Chels, Me, Adi


B. Touring around beautiful, Old San Juan. C. continuous photo shoots throughout the trip...such a good looking group!
Adam, Mel, Chels, KYea, Me, Adi




D. Piña Coladas!!! I consumed at least 4 on the trip.
E. The El Yunque Rain Forest. This was one of my favorite stops of the trip. It was absolutely beautiful. We had fun hiking around, playing in waterfalls, and avoiding monogooses.


F. Driving around with the "Puma" Family. (side note: we names ourselves the Puma Family, after we all went crazy at the Puma store in San Juan. Some of us a little more than others :) Got to love a good sale). I found myself in the backseat for the majority of the trip. The backseat was referred to as the "monkey cage." Yes, at times we got a little out of control. Monkeys just wanna have fun!
G. Condom World was everywhere. Seriously on every block. Hey, at least they are promoting safer sex. Perhaps if this was on every block in DC, my clients would stop getting pregnant. They really need to get a new logo.

H. Riding the ferry to the island of Vieques. Adi and I took a little snooze on the way there, enjoying the sunshine!!I. V.I.E.Q.U.E.S. I loved, loved, LOVED this island. Vieques is a small island east of the Puerto Rican mainland. It was here, that we went kayaking in the Bioluminescent Bay. The "bio bay" consists of water that has four times as much salt as the ocean. The luminescence is caused by micro-organisms, which glow whenever the water disturbed. Swimming around in glow-in-the-dark water was seriously one of the coolest things I've ever done.


J. Navio Beach- I've been to quite a few beaches, (Cancun, Jamaica, Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Miami) BUT none of them compared to Navio Beach. Not only was this beach breathtaking, but we had the entire beach to ourselves for a good chunk of the day. Navio Beach is on the island of Vieques. It is a beach that is mostly known by the locals. A little off-roading is required to get to the beach. The water was so warm and clear. I couldn't wipe the smile off my face when we first arrived to this beach. I wish I could do a better job of adequately describing it's beauty!

Cindee, Annette, Me, Chels, Adi, Kim

K. Blessing the rains down in "Africa". Don't worry--we had a little sing-a-long at dinner one night to Toto's, "Africa". I think everyone at the bar/restaurant thought we were a little nuts, or perhaps intoxicated. I tell you, it's amazing what a cherry coke can do to you!

L. Dinner/Lunch with these quality people: Kyea, Mel, Adi, Me, Adam



M. Adi and I maybe stayed up all night before we left for PR, making these crazy shirts for the girls. We had a few problems with electronics that night, i.e. internet connection, and printer. I kind of like the lighting in this pic.

Could have done without: the crazy wild cats roaming around EVERYWHERE! Sick. Seriously, where do they come from, and WHY so many?? I hate cats.

Football Season 2008

Football season hasn't quite been the same since I left college. Since my time at BYU, I've made it to a few away games: Notre Dame, Boston College, and the University of Utah. Every year during my BYU days, I would gather with friends at early hours of the morning, to get in line for a season sports pass. I always looked forward to opening game at LaVell Edwards Stadium. Students were back from the summer, ready for a new semester to begin. I cannot adequately express the excitement I felt as I entered the stadium for the first time of a season. Almost spiritual. I attended BYU in the days of Luke Staley, Brandon Doman, Reno Mahe, and Matt Payne. My freshman year the cougars went undefeated in our home stadium! It was such a great year. I love winning. I remember charging the field when we beat the U. Such a glorious day. BYU dominated Utah in the 70's, 80's and early 90's. Since the 21st century, the Utes and the Cougars have battled back and forth to win the holy war. Unfortunately, this year ended with a U win. I woke up the morning of the 22nd with butterflies in my stomach. A group of us headed to a local pub to watch the holy war this year. It was wonderful to watch with friends, even though some are U FANS!!! Adi, Lisa, and I made a bet on the game. I regret to post the following video:


I can only hope next year's game will end differently. I suppose I will keep this one as a friend, even though he's a U fan.

The group at Crystal City Pub.

Soulja Boy

Photo Shoots in DC

I am loving DC in the fall! It is gorgeous here, and the colors are breath taking. In the last couple of weeks, I've ventured into the district to walk around the monuments. I love the monuments at night. I especially enjoy the World War II Memorial, and the Lincoln Memorial. Sometimes I stop myself and think, I really live here!! It is fun having friends and FAMILY come to visit, and taking them around to all the hot spots in the district. Adam and I found some great spots to take pictures at the Jefferson Memorial. Why shadows are so exciting, I don't know! Last weekend my dear friend, Natalie came to visit me from Boston. I hadn't seen this girl in over a year! We did what we always do when we get together: chat, eat, shop, would-you-rather, rank order, and prank call. We are very mature. We also participated in a photo shoot at the monuments. We walked, and walked and walked some more...from the Capitol to the Lincoln, then over to the Jefferson Memorial. Nat, it was so great to see you!


Adam is looking pretty buff in this pic

We thought it would be funny to post this picture as a surprise to you all :)


VOTE FOR LINCOLN!!!
Only the coolest pose EVER!! Jeff, I still got hops :)

I. Love. BYU. Football

Dearest cougars,

I haven't blogged about you yet this season. Please don't feel neglected. I don't know why I've been holding out...maybe to allow for more victories to accumulate. I can now brag ABOUT your AMAZING record!! I direct my friends here to see for themselves your 6 (soon to be 7) straight W's. I want you to know I will be thinking of you tomorrow night. If I may offer some words of encouragement and commentary...

* Play with confidence, you're a cougar, not a horned frog!

*Hall, I need you to focus and play the game you know how to play. You've only been sacked once this season. ONCE. I am not sure ANY other first string QB can say the same.

* Collie keep your eyes on the ball. Make every play count.

* I love you Fui Vakapuna. I love saying your name even more.

* If you don't know how to pronounce Unga correctly, just ask JKP (Janice Kapp Perry).

* Limit your penalties.

* W.I.N.

I look forward to spending the evening with you tomorrow.

Your truest fan,

Michele

I LOVE THESE GIRLS!!

You know you are getting old WHEN...Part 2

This is another adult purchase to add to my list! It is much more exciting than a vacuum and ironing board! Thank you Pier 1 for having a sale. And thank you Adi and Kyea for helping me pick this up in the rain! Now I need to work on the wall above my bed! Any thoughts??

GC and Life

Random thoughts this week...

1. I loved General Conference weekend. I was sad it ended so quickly. I came away with renewed motivation to do a little better, and try a little harder. I loved the messages of hope and prayer. I loved how individual and inspired the messages were. I am grateful for opportunities to feel the Spirit in my life. I know that President Thomas S. Monson is a Prophet of God. For my non-lds blog readers, you can learn more about General Conference, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints here.
And how about 5 new temples?! That is definitely something to get excited about. Hopefully I will still be around to attend the Philadelphia, PA temple dedication. I still remember the conference session when President Hinckley announced there would be a temple somewhere in the Tri-Cities area of the state of Washington! Such a good moment!

I was missing the fam this weekend. They were all together visiting my grandparents; stalking my brother on his date :) Brian, you are a good sport! Final thought on General Conference: My friends and I decided if we played General Conference Bingo this year we would add the word: Lehonti (He was mentioned quite a few times!) Overall, a wonderful weekend spent with friends (the next best to my family)!

2. I hate being a girl sometimes. Guys, don't even try to empathize.

3. I am sick of the elections. Can it please be November 4th already?

4. I wish I had Direct tv to watch my FNL friends. I am especially missing Coach Taylor and Matt Saracen.

5. Did anyone see this movie? I went with a few friends Saturday night, and really enjoyed it! I found myself getting a little choked up at the end...you should go see it.



That's all for now!

"Africa"

I've been kind of obsessed with Toto lately. Thank goodness for youtube and these amazing music videos. Seriously cracking me up right now.

"I want it that way"

This summer has been a summer full of concerts. Celine deserved her own post, but I thought I'd update you on the other rockin' concerts I went to in the last few months.

1. AMERICAN IDOL

My friends and I were a little obsessed with this season's American Idol. What a better way to celebrate the season then joining the idols on tour! The best part is that Lisa, Adi, and Amber got to meet the idols earlier that day! What, what!!

Adi and Jason Castro

Lisa and her man, David Cook


Isn't archie adorable?!

My favorite song of the night goes to Michael Johns, singing a couple Queen covers! How did MJ get kicked off so early!? Good times at the Verizon Center!

Concert #2: Maroon 5 & Counting Crows

Lisa, Melissa, Chelsea and I headed to the Nissan Pavilion to enjoy some good tunes. Thanks to Meliss, we got VIP parking and tailgated a little before the concert. Maroon 5 was a lot of fun...I found Adam Levine to be pretty nice on the eyes. Counting Crows was kind of a disappointment. The lead singer was seriously on crack, or something stronger. He was ALL over the place. Lisa and I enjoyed watching the entertaining people around us. Got to love how out of it people get at concerts.

Concert #3: Backstreet's Back ALRIGHT!! Yes, I went to a Backstreet Boy Concert!

You all know you listened to, "I want it that way" on repeat. Lisa got us free tickets to go see the bsb at Wolf Trap. I don't think I've been to this loud of a concert ever. The teens were going crazy. I especially enjoyed the props they used while performing. Nick Carter... always a heart breaker! They sang a lot of their old hits, "Quit Playing Games With My Heart", "Everybody (Backstreet's back)", "Larger than Life" and "Show Me the Meaning of being Lonely". Ladies, get excited, they came out with a new album!
Concert #4: Cheap Trick, Heart & Journey!!!

All three bands hold a special place in my heart. This is my kind of music. Sometimes I wonder what i would have been like as a teenager in the 80's. I love, love, love 80's rock. Adam and I made cd's of these groups before the concert, to brush up on the lyrics. We got to the concert a little late and missed cheap trick. I loved Heart, especially when the sang "Alone". Celine Dion sang "Alone" at her concert as well...such a great song! I think I may have missed my other favorite Heart song, "What About Love." It was interesting to listen to Journey with their new lead singer, who sounds exactly the same as the original lead singer. The band replaced their lead singer in December 2007, after seeing him on Youtube videos doing Journey covers! I got the chills when they sang, "Don't Stop Believing." "Faithfully, "Anyway You Want It" and "Open Arms" were a few more favorites. I love concerts at Nissan Pavilion. It is such a beautiful venue.
Adam and I going a little crazy after the concert!

"My Heart Will Go On"

I can check off one of my life goals: experiencing the greatness of Celine. I've been anticipating this concert for over a year now. I've heard Celine concerts are powerful, some have even said spiritual. Probably one of the most dramatic concerts I have EVER been to. But seriously, she was so energetic, and a great performer. Mel came to visit for the weekend, which made it even a greater experience. We purchased pink Celine t-shirts...every girl needs one of these by the way!

We were pretty giddy after purchasing our pink shirts!




Before the show we met up with the girls for some pizza at Matchbox. The Canadian star reached up and brought it back down! Thank you Celine for your inspiring words. A new day has come.