Adventures and Non-Adventures of Cheryl & Kyle

Birthday #32

2012-01-29T11:24:00.000-08:00

Last week I celebrated my 32nd birthday. The older one gets the less important they seem. But Kyle did spoil me and surprised me with a new bike. He has been detailing some vehicles for Felt Bicycles and was able to trade his services for a road bike for him. I mentioned that I would like one in the future, so he told me it would take about a month for them to have more work for him to do to be able to trade for a bike for me. But lo and behold, what did he come home with on my birthday but a pretty new bike. Guess he talked them into giving him the bike early and will do the work for them soon. I've already gone for a few short rides and love it. It sure is much faster than a mountian bike. I just need this wind to stop and the days to be longer so that I can fit in some evening rides.
That evening Kyle took me to my favorite restaurant which is Las Campanas at the Mission Inn. Always a great place to eat with great scenery. Then we walked over to the Fox Theater where we saw the Mythbusters show. The following Sunday we went over to my parents for my birthday dinner and cake. I requested Hamburger Pie and German chocolate cake.

Outside the newly remodeled Fox Theater

Mission Inn

My new road bike, isn't she pretty?

Doheny Beach

2012-01-04T12:40:00.000-08:00

Back in July I wanted to go camping at the beach. Well you usually have to book that 7 months to the day in advance, so there was no way that was going to happen soon. So I thought, "Why not go beach camping in December when I'm off from work?" So I went online and made reservations. Two days before our reservation started it was windy and cold in Fontana, and I was dreading being cold and miserable in a tent. So................I asked my wonderful in-laws if we could borrow their motorhome, and it worked out perfectly.

The campgrounds were less than half full, it was decently warm and sunny during the day (it did get chilly at night and would have miserable sleeping in a tent), and we enjoyed relaxing and bike riding. I loved it so much I want to make a yearly tradition of it.

Front Porch Finished

2011-12-17T14:50:00.000-08:00

A few posts ago I mentioned that we were finally doing our front porch area. Kyle put a lot of work and effort into it and it looks great. He bought a flag pole at the LA County Fair back in Sept and has been just waiting to be able to use it, and now he does.

Finished front porch with concrete slabs and grass

Kyle's new flagpole, he even hooked up a light to the house to shine on it

Principal of the Year

2011-12-17T14:40:00.000-08:00

My mom is the coolest! She was the Principal of the Year for the entire district!! Love you mom!

Dumont Dunes Thanksgiving 2011

2011-12-17T14:36:00.000-08:00

This trip didn't turn out as planned but we made the best of it anyways.

The plan was for all of us to drive up to Dumont Monday morning, stay 5 days, have Thanksgiving all together and then come back home Friday afternoon. Well...my mother-in-law woke up Monday at 3 am with extreme pain in her side and abdomen. So much so that she decided to go to the hospital. Turns out she had kidney stones. Kyle's parents told us to just go without them and they would head up when the kidney stones had passed and she was feeling better. Turns out they released her from the hospital around 10 am and she was doing much better, so they decided we would all head up as planned.

The kidney stones reared their ugly head twice more while we at the dunes, and then it was decided that she needed to leave and get to a hospital again. Kyle and I stayed behind seeing that it wouldn't do any good to have 6 people in the hospital room staring at her waiting and waiting for them to pass. My family came up on Wednesday and spent the day riding and hanging out, Kyle and I had Thanksgiving with friends, and then brought the motor home and trailer home.

Kyle pulling Kaleb

My sister Erin enjoying the ride

My brother Brian tearing it up

Our friend Troy let my brother Brian give his bike a go

Brian getting some air

Kyle teaching Zeke how to ride

My dad Mark putting around with his grandson Zeke

Zeke better learn to love the dunes with his Auntie Cheryl

Zeke getting a better view while driving the Rhino

Thanksgiving dinner with the Andersons and Hickens

Last Pack Meeting

2011-10-19T20:42:00.000-07:00

Kyle and I had our last Pack Meeting last night and it was kind of sad. The boys earned tons of awards and are really doing well, but I guess it is time to move on. Kyle was called to be the Scout Master, and I was called to be the Relief Society President, so we are both going to be super busy and had to give up the Cub Scout and Sunbeam Teacher callings.

JUSD Picnic

2011-10-19T20:35:00.000-07:00

Recently my school district put on a BBQ/Picnic for all employees and their families. We decided to take our nephews and had a great time. There were jumpers, a Choo Choo train, a petting zoo, crafts, a band, a creepy looking ventriloquist, and some decent food.

Front Porch

2011-10-19T20:29:00.000-07:00

Kyle and I have talking and talking and talking about what to do with our front porch area, seeing that it was just dirt and rocks. We finally had it narrowed down and had been discussing it for a month or so, but when our neighbor down the street asked for the phone number of the guy who did the concrete on the other side of our house, we jumped to action. These neighbors bought the house directly across from us and are going to rent it out and wanted to have some concrete work done in the back. Kyle talked to the concrete guy and worked a deal to have him form and pour at our house on the same day as our neighbor to save delivery costs. So within the week Kyle had the area prepped, trenched and ready. They workers showed up early Saturday morning, put in the forms and poured the cement.

Now we have to get Kyle's flagpole in place, the rest of the area prepped and ready for large pavers with grass in between.

BYU vs Pepperdine Volleyball

2011-10-19T20:21:00.000-07:00

My very tall cousin, Emillie Toone, who used to play volleyball for the University of Utah and on the Slovenian National team, is now an Assistant Coach for BYU. Sat, Oct 8 BYU played Pepperdine University, so my mom, brother Brian and I drove out to Malibu to surprise her at the game. I bet as a coach now she doesn't get too many fans who come to watch her, so we thought it would be fun to show up. Unfortunately BYU lost 3-1 and totally could have won the 4th game but....somehow they just didn't.

Brooke & DJ's Wedding

2011-10-19T20:14:00.000-07:00

Last month I was able to attend the wedding of a dear friend in the San Diego Temple.

I think I will always remember this wedding because she called me at midnight the night before the wedding saying that they had forgotten the petticoat at home and they were already in San Diego for the night. She asked if I could stop by her parents house on the way down to SD, "break into the house", retrieve the petticoat and bring it to the temple. I did all of this with ease except getting there on time. On the drive down the I-15 through Temecula there had been a CHP involved accident that caused traffic to back up for 45 minutes. When we arrived at the temple, Kyle pulled up to the curb, I literally jumped out of the car and ran into the temple, where I handed the petticoat off to a Sister that was waiting for it. They quickly ushered me up to the sealing room and I sat down right as the sealer was beginning.

Cheryl & Brooke (Brooke wore her mother's wedding dress and looked fabulous in it)

The reception was held at the Mission Inn in downtown Riverside and was gorgeous. I love it when LDS receptions are NOT held in a church building.

Palm Springs Tram & Hike

2011-09-05T21:32:00.000-07:00

My family decided to take advantage of the day off from work due to Labor Day and headed to Palm Springs, where we took the tram to the top of Mt San Jacinto for a hike.

In all seriousness my dad spent 30 minutes the night before getting stuff down from the garage attic in preparation for this 'day hike' and his day pack must have weighed at least 25 pounds. But fret not, he had every essential imaginable and was prepared, or so he thought.

When he got out of the truck in the parking lot at the base of the tram he remembers his boots feeling weird and then once we got to the the building he realized that the bottoms of his boots had come undone. The rubber soles had disintegrated and the years of neglect of sitting in the attic had been too much for the rubber. So we laughed and laughed all the way back into downtown Palm Springs where we found a Big 5 for him to buy new shoes at. Then we were back to the tram and up the mountain.

Kyle & Cheryl about to begin the 5 mile Round Valley Loop

Kyle & Cheryl under a large boulder

My brother Brian, the Zen Master

It started to rain at our halfway point and my mom quickly took one of the many ponchos that my dad had packed.

Kyle, Cheryl, Brian, Joan & Mark by one of the old trams.

Clark Dumont Dunes

2011-09-05T21:19:00.001-07:00

Kyle created this video from photos of our family trips to Dumont Dunes. Dune season will shortly be here and I'm excited!

Zeke Half Birthday

2011-09-03T23:21:00.000-07:00

Seeing that my sister has a July birthday she puts more emphasis on half birthdays than I would. Guess that is what happens when you have a summer birthday. So....when her little Zeke (my nephew) turned 6 months, it was time to celebrate. We had a little family dinner and then Zeke got to stare at a cupcake and have a small taste of the frosting.

Rock Climbing

2011-09-03T23:03:00.000-07:00

Tonight we went rock climbing with some friends. Great thing is that it ended up being free. They have monthly passes to the climbing gym and didn't realize that they get a free guest pass every month. Now they know, so it looks we could be going more often.....like every month:)

My forearms and hands are still sore.

Matisyahu

2011-08-18T22:41:00.000-07:00

If you ever have the chance to go to a Matisyahu concert, I highly recommend it. If you have never heard of Matisyahu or listened to his stuff, I say, "shame on you".

Jumping Jacks

2011-08-18T22:37:00.000-07:00

We took the nephews to Jumping Jacks (an indoor inflatable place) a few nights ago and had a blast. It could be considered exercise without much of a sweat I was working up.

LASIK

2011-08-02T13:09:00.000-07:00

Since I was 14 back in 1994, I have been wearing contacts. Put them in in the morning. Take them out at night. Repeat for the next 17 years. This process was getting old. Nevermind the fact that camping or swimming with them was a pain. So, I decided to finally change that forever.

Last day I will ever have to wear my glasses again. Until my eyes get 'old' and I will have to wear reading glasses that is.

They put numbing drops in my eyes so I had to let them set in.

After the procedure I had to sit with my eyes closed for 20 minutes.

I seriously should have done this procedure a LONG time ago. I wasn't that nervous going in but I shouldn't have even been a tiny bit nervous because it was much easier than anticipated. I thought I would have a hard time not being able to blink, but I didn't even feel the need. It was kind of a weird thought to know that he was slicing off a bit of my eye, and I could see him pulling the flap back, and could smell the laser burning my eye, but all in all it was really easy. I didn't have any pain afterward, and just came home, slept from 11am-7pm, ate dinner and then went back to bed from 9pm-6am. Woke up this morning and could see clear as day without having to put any contacts in:)

San Diego for AVID Summer Institute

2011-07-29T17:08:00.000-07:00

This coming year I will be teaching an AVID elective class.....so I got to go to San Diego these past 4 days to attend a conference about it. It was held at the Town & Country near Fashion Valley, and most of the 3300 participants stayed there at the hotel, but I was a late add-on so they were booked by the time I tried to make reservations, as were all the neighboring hotels. So I ended up booking a hotel in Old Town San Diego, which was fine by me because I like that area of SD.

The Mormon Battalion in Old Town SD

Baby Del on Coronado

The Mormon Battalion has been completely remodeled and is done very authentically

Ocean Beach

Kyle hung out at the hotel during the day when I had class, but afterward we would explore Old Town, or Coronado Island

Megan Hall and Loretta Durkin from Michigan were in SD for a family luau, and I was able to meet up with them one night and have a fun Girls Night Out in Old Town

I took the trolley from Old Town to Fashion Valley everyday for the conference. I was really impressed with the people of SD: 1. a girl in her 20's gave up her seat for an elderly man when he got on the trolley. 2. at the next stop a thuggish looking man gave up his seat when a lady got on the trolley. 3. when a gentleman got off at a stop he picked up all of the trash from the seats and put them in the trash can. Way to go people of San Diego!!! You impressed me with your kindness.

I wish there was some form of trolley/subway/metro from my house to my place of work, I would totally take advantage of it.

Last Beach Day for the Summer

2011-07-26T08:49:00.000-07:00

A fun family tradition has come to an end. This summer my family has made it to the beach every Monday. But today was our last time. Erin, Rich and Zeke are off to New York and Texas for 3 weeks, I am getting LASIK next Monday and then the week after that school starts. So....my summer is coming to an end, but it was a great summer.

Cucamonga Peak

2011-07-26T08:46:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday I went hiking with my boot camp people. We hiked to the saddle of Cucamonga Peak. Didn't have the extra time to make it to the peak because I had to get home and ready for the Pioneer Day Celebration at my Stake Center.

Beach Day

2011-07-20T11:36:00.000-07:00

As per tradition, we made it down to the beach again on Monday, and even Kyle came this time. We cooled off in the water, played CornHole, hung out with Zeke, Brittany and Brixton, Erin got kicked out of the surf area because she was on a boogie board, and had a great time.

Malibu Lagoon Beach

2011-07-12T09:27:00.000-07:00

In following our Monday Beach day tradition during this summer, we headed to a new beach, Malibu

Lagoon. It wasn't very crowded and the surf was good for my brother in law Richie. But the traffic coming home from Malibu is horrible.

Grand Performances

2011-07-12T09:24:00.000-07:00

Somehow I became aware of a free summer concert series in downtown Los Angeles called Grand Performances, so Kyle and I went to our first one a few days ago. The location is really cool but to get the good seating up top you have to get there early. The two performers we saw were not as good as I had hoped for, but from looking at the calendar there should be some fun ones coming up.

Family Reunion & More

2011-07-05T16:27:00.000-07:00

A family reunion in Idaho is what brought all of this on. We made an adventure out of our drive and had

a wonderful time.

Geyser at Soda Springs, Idaho

Bryce Canyon, Utah

Cheryl & Amy- BYU friends

Cheryl & Kyle at Manti Temple

Skinner Canyon, Idaho

Logan Temple, Utah

Kim & Cheryl- mission companions in Michigan

Oquirrah Temple, Utah

My car was covered with bugs by the end of the trip

Kyle & Cheryl at Romeo & Juliet at Utah Shakespeare Festival in Cedar City, Utah

Snow covering the road back to Paris Idaho Ice Caves, which blocked our way

Family at Lava Hot Springs, Idaho

Cheryl & Kyle jumping off 5 meter platform at Lava

We innertubed the Portneuf River in Lava Hot Springs, Idaho

My brother, Brian, did some crazy gainers from the 10 meter (33 feet) platform

Family at Kennecott Copper Mine in Utah

Grandma Lauritzen with Zeke, one of her 70+ great-grandchildren

Family hiking Queen's Garden at Bryce Canyon, Utah

Extended family at campfire during family reunion, Idaho

Sunrise P Ranch, Heyburn Idaho

Sunrise P Ranch

Brian tearing it up on the Snake River

Brother-in-law Richie getting some air

More Calafia Beach

2011-06-20T20:32:00.000-07:00

My family was able to make it to Calafia Beach again this Monday, and we are going to try and make it a Monday tradition during this summer if we can.

Just a side note, and I think I have even mentioned this before in a post....parents please teach your children not to get walk/run right next to other people thereby getting sand on them. That would be MUCH appreciated. thanks.

Calafia Beach

2011-06-14T09:06:00.000-07:00

I love being a teacher and having the whole summer off to do whatever I want. If I could I would spend everyday at the beach, especially my favorite Calafia Beach in San Clemente. It is small, parking is close to the beach, and you get to see Amtrak go by every half hour or so.

This was Zeke's first full day at the beach and he did great.

Richie testing how Zeke likes the cold water and he did not cry once. Now Rich has a surfing buddy.

Mud Run, Oceanside, Laguna, Halls

2011-06-14T09:01:00.000-07:00

Early Saturday morning we headed down to San Diego County to participate in the World Famous Camp Pendleton Mud Run, which is a 10k race through the marine base of Camp Pendleton. Hills, mud pits, walls, a reservoir, tunnels full of mud, and one Slippery Hill all in the name of fun.

We spent the night in Oceanside and just walked around then the next day we slowly made our way north along the 5 freeway, stopping when we felt like it, until we finally made our way to Irvine for a family get-together celebrating my cousin's graduation from UCLA, my grandmother's birthday and an early Father's Day.

Brian & Sarah at family gathering

Barbara holding Zeke for the first time

Grandma Hall with one of her 8 great-children

We stumbled upon a Car Show in San Clemente, so of course we stopped seeing that Kyle is such a car guy.

Happy Birthday Mom

2011-06-09T13:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my mom's birthday. She likes to go to theater shows. Last Christmas we got her tickets to see the Marvelous Wonderettes playing at the La Mirada Theater this June, so we just got tickets for the day of her birthday. We got a limo. We went to dinner. Our limo driver must have thought we were in the Indy 500 because it was a crazy ride, actually a little scary. (He could have been the older brother of Glen, for anyone who knows my dad's "computer guy".)

Mark, Joan, Cheryl & Kyle

Mark & Joan in the limo

Kyle & Cheryl

P.S. to my sister Erin- once again you were not invited to this event but not spitefully. We already had the tickets since Christmas, and the tickets and limo were on ITEX (Kyle's barter company).

NoHo & Studio City

2011-06-08T14:41:00.000-07:00

Seeing that school is out for the summer, one could say I have some free time on my hands. I have been working out and running a lot, but wanted to do something fun. I have had this book Walking LA for a few months now and figured I would put it to good use. So yesterday my mom and I headed down to NoHo (North Hollywood) and Studio City to follow 2 of the walking tours found in the book.

Academy of Television Arts and Sciences

Cheryl with Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball statues

The Brady Bunch house

A cute stone cottage house

Yummy gelato

Etiwanda Falls

2011-06-08T14:28:00.000-07:00

Ever since moving to this area 4 years ago, I had heard about a hike that led to a waterfall but was unaware where it was exactly. So yesterday I googled Etiwanda Falls and then made it happen. Funny thing is that Kyle and I had hiked this trail about 2 years ago, but only made it halfway up until we turned around. We were so close to it but didn't even realize that it was there. It really is beautiful and a gem of a spot.

Nephew Zeke Baby Blessing

2011-06-06T08:28:00.000-07:00

Sunday 5 June 2011, little Ezekiel 'Zeke' George Psillos was given a name and blessing by his father. Uncles and friends held this sweet little guy in their hands as a beautiful blessing was given to him.

Fontana Days 5k

2011-06-06T08:24:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was the Fontana Days Half Marathon and 5k. I did the half marathon 2 years ago, and don't think I am over the pain of it still. JK.

I ended up doing the 5k and beat my previous 5k time by 2 minutes. So my time this race was 25:37. I learned that you should listen to your body and use the restroom even if you think to yourself, 'but i just went before we left the house." Doesn't matter because running with that feeling only makes it worse.

Kyle & Cheryl at the starting line

Cheryl with her medal at the Finish

Malibu Creek State Park

2011-06-02T11:43:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day 2011 my family decided to go hiking at the Malibu Creek State Park. It was an easy 4 mile round trip with a stop at a small lake, rocks where some people were rock climbing, and a another lake surrounded by rocks that people were jumping from. After the hike we drove south along PCH where we had lunch at the Malibu Inn, which has a great decor and style.

Tour of California

2011-06-02T11:31:00.000-07:00

Kyle and I just finished reading Floyd Landis' book "Positively False" a month ago and when I saw a billboard that the Tour of California was coming to our area I was excited. I'm not a cyclist myself and in fact don't really like to ride bikes, especially at spinning classes at the gym, but we had just learned a lot about the sport from the book.

Team Radioshack Team Bus which took this corner like it was the Indy 500

The peloton heading up Mt Baldy Road in Claremont, CA

2011-04-27T21:11:00.000-07:00

Kyle and I attended a wedding reception recently that was...interesting. The theme was similar to that of the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland.

This character was the best man and wore a purple shirt, purple crush velvet jacket, and top hat with a large feather

Bride and Groom cutting the Mad Hatter cake

Mission Reunions, Nauvoo Reunion & General Concference

2011-04-27T21:01:00.000-07:00

Kyle and I made a quick trip up to Utah at the beginning of April for several reasons:

Mission reunions: Cheryl (Michigan) and Kyle (Texas)
Nauvoo Reunion

General Conference

Cheryl with Pres & Sis Church

Flowers on Temple Square on Saturday (temperature was in the 70's)

Woke up Sunday morning to 6 inches of snow

Enjoying the snowflakes on Temple Square

Kyle & Cheryl in front of Conference Center

Kyle & Cheryl inside of Conference Center

Cheryl at St George Temple

Side Gate & Concrete

2011-04-27T20:20:00.000-07:00

Just doing some projects around the house and this was a big one. We tore out the grass on the side of the house and transplanted it to the back yard where there were some dead spots. Then Kyle raked and leveled the dirt and got it ready for concrete. He had a gate made and had it powder coated so that it will not rust.

Getting ready and level for concrete

New concrete

Side gate that Kyle can park his trailer behind now

A New Car

2011-04-18T18:10:00.000-07:00

Kyle and I bought a 2011 Ford Edge Sport. It's pretty sweet!

Comes with 22 inch rims, MyFord/Sync system where I can talk to the car and tell it what to do, backup camera, ambient lighting, Panoramic Vista moonroofs, and lots of other cool features.

An Old Car

2011-04-12T06:29:00.000-07:00

So my 2001 Infiniti I30 is getting a bit old, and has quite a few miles on her- 184,446 to be exact.

So Kyle and I have been planning and saving to buy a new car for quite some time now and decided that Thursday March 24 would be the day. So what happens to me on Wednesday, March 23? I got rear-ended. Yep, I was backing out from the bank when some lady creamed into the back of me. I had a witness tell me the driver was going very fast and had actually sped up so as to cut him off from crossing the parking lot.

Long story short, their insurance cut us a check and we sold the car last night as is, with no repairs, and ended up making more money on the car than we would have if we had traded it in at the dealer.

Nuclear Cowboyz

2011-04-12T06:16:00.000-07:00

Kyle's brother's friend had a box suite at the Arena for the Nuclear Cowboyz, so we luckily got to go. Kyle was enthralled and loved every minute of it, especially when the quads did back flips.

Cheryl & Kyle enjoying to motorcycle show

Ezekiel George Psillos

2011-04-10T20:06:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, 2 March 2011, at 5:20pm my sister Erin gave birth to Ezekiel "Zeke" George Psillos who was 7 lbs 10 ounces and 20.5 inches. I was a bit hesitant to be in the delivery room seeing that they had asked me to take rated G pictures, but I think I handled it like a champ. Learned a LOT but was glad to see little Zeke come into the world.

Erin longing for her baby

Zeke already striking a pose

The Psillos Family- Rich, Erin & Zeke

Aunt Cheryl

A little toilet paper never hurt anyone......

2011-04-10T19:48:00.000-07:00

Funny Story:

3 female coworkers and myself decided to Toilet Paper the house of a male coworker and had all the plans in place. Night of the event approaches and 2 of the female coworkers decided they were too tired to go out and do this activity. So....us remaining two females called up the original male vicitm and got him to help us TP the two females who bailed on us.

Lesson to be Learned:

Do not make plans and then bail out with LAME excuses.

It was a ton of fun to act like a teenage again

Erin's Baby Shower

2011-04-10T19:39:00.000-07:00

Back in early February I threw a baby shower for my sister Erin. Lots of friends and family showed up and helped Erin and Richie with fun things for their first baby.

Cheryl & Erin

Vicki, Erin, Joan & Cheryl

Erin's friends from high school

All the ladies who attended the baby shower

Erin with a diaper cake

Dana Point

2011-01-23T15:14:00.000-08:00

My grandparents are down from Idaho and have rented a condo in Dana Point, so we went down yesterday to visit with them. Kyle and I now want to move there.

"The Strand"
A housing development across the street from their condo that has lots for sale, and if we could afford it that is where we would building a house.

Kyle walking down the path to the beach

Kyle & Cheryl enjoying The Strand Beach

31 Birthday

2011-01-22T10:29:00.000-08:00

Celebrated my 31st birthday with two great things: Funfetti cake and & Chocalate Malted Crunch ice cream

MLK 2011

2011-01-22T08:32:00.000-08:00

Seeing that I have Monday 17 January off for Martin Luther King Jr day, we figured to make a day of it and head down to San Diego. We first visited the USS Midway, which is an aircraft carrier for the Navy but has now been turned into a museum where you can take tours. They have many restored airplanes and helicopters on the deck and it was cool to walk through the ship and see what it would be like to live on one.

We then drove out to Ocean Beach and had yummy fish tacos at a Mexican restaurant.

We headed out Point Loma to the end where we got free entrance into the Cabrillo National Monument because it was MLK Day. We could see downtown San Diego on one side and the Pacific Island on the other side of the point.

On the way back we stopped at the Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery where many Navy persons are buried.

We then drove back around the bay and up and over the bridge to Coronado Island. We walked along the beach to the Hotel del Coronado where we walked along the grounds and through the lobby. It was a wonderful day and I am grateful to MLK for the national holiday.

Cheryl & Kyle at beach on Coronado Island

Cheryl at Coronado

Hotel del Coronado

Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery

Cheryl at Point Loma

Point Loma Lighthouse

Sleeping area on USS Midway, an aircraft carrier

Kyle & Cheryl on flight deck of USS Midway in San Diego

Carnival Cruise

2011-01-18T21:43:00.000-08:00

My co-worker got married on a cruise ship, so we were able to go on a 3 day cruise to Ensenada. Somethings I learned while on the cruise ship:

rooms without a window are like caves
cell phones don't have coverage
wear a watch
some people get really drunk and are funny to watch
if you go with friends put something on your doors so that you know which rooms they are in

telephone booth outside the Queen Mary

pizza available 24 hours a day

Kyle & Cheryl with Long Beach in the background before heading out to sea

Marci, Matty, Kyle and Cheryl waiting for the comedy show

one of many pictures taken by cruise photographers, the only one purchased

Kyle in Ensenada, Mexico

Kyle & Cheryl in Ensenada, Mexico

Cheryl in Ensenada

Kyle ordering some fish tacos that were amazing!

Ensenada has Thrifty Ice Cream- Chocolate Malted Crunch

Cleaning out the closet

2011-01-06T14:30:00.000-08:00

The closet in our office was starting to get messy and out of control. So for Christmas my mom got me some shelves so that I could make some sense out of this mess.

Before

After

Rose Parade Floats

2011-01-02T18:05:00.000-08:00

I'm beginning to think that the Rose Parade and me are not to be friends. During the 100+ years that it has been happening there have only been 2 times that has rained during the parade. Well, the one and only time that I attended (Jan 2, 2006) it poured. I mean great big buckets of water came down in deluge.

Today Kyle, my mom and I decided to go see the floats up close and personal. And guess what?....It was raining. Not a flood this time but enough to get my boots with the fur soaking wet.

Dumont Dec 2010

2010-12-31T11:54:00.000-08:00

The road into Dumont got flooded from all the rain we had and this idiot thought he could get through.

Cheryl & Kyle at Dumont

Nephew Kaleb on his quad

Bryant Anderson getting some major air

Kaleb and Kyle

Mitchell Anderson

Lyn Anderson, Kati Clark, Lolly Clark, Cheryl Clark at Dumont

Cheryl showing cousin Ian how to ride a quad

Cheryl jumping

Cody Mission Farewell and Temple

2010-12-31T11:28:00.000-08:00

Kyle's brother, Cody, received his mission call and will be reporting to the MTC on Jan 12, and then heading down to the St George Utah Mission for the next 2 years.

The Clark Family at the Redlands Temple

Kyle and Cheryl at the Redlands Temple

The whole Clark/Miller clan at Cody's mission farewell

Texas Family Pictures

2010-12-31T11:15:00.000-08:00

While in Texas my sister in law Holly was able to get a great photographer come and take some family photos.

Texas

2010-12-31T11:10:00.000-08:00

This post is a month late but I have been dealing with technical problems. We bought a new desktop a few months ago and my external hard drive was not syncing with it. So I bought a new 1 TB external hard drive, spent 2 full days of my Christmas break transferring 200 Gb of data, which included 40,000 pictures, from my old external to my new. Now I am ready to rock and roll.

Kyle served his mission in Texas Lubbock, so we decided to go back for a visit and spend Thanksgiving in Austin with my brother and his family.

Kyle and Cheryl at Texas Tech football game

Cheryl & Kyle at Lubbock Temple

With the Smith Family of Lubbock

Welcome to Texas

Sunset on our drive home

Total miles for the trip= 3249.2 in 10 days

Cadillac Ranch outside of Amarillo, Texas

Cheryl & Kyle at Cadillac Ranch

Kyle at Cadillac Ranch

Cheryl on Texas bench in Fredricksburg, TX

Cheryl at Rustlin' Bob's in Fredricksburg, TX

Cheryl in Fredricksburg, TX

Birthday boy nephew Chase at Chuck E Cheese

Nephew Tyson having fun at Chuck E Cheese

The Driskill Hotel in downtown Austin

Cheryl & Kyle at Old Settlers Park

Erin & Richie at Old Settlers Park

Kyle & Cheryl at Old Settlers Park

Cheryl, Joan & Erin at Old Settlers Park

Brian at Old Settlers Park

Cheryl & Kyle at Old Settlers Park

Chase with his new harmonica

Cheryl playing pool

Tyson playing with some motorcycles

Richie helping Chase with one of his birthday gifts

The White House

2010-11-11T20:49:00.000-08:00

I had a relaxing and fun day off for Veteran's Day and enjoyed spending the day with my husband. I got to sleep in until 8:30, Kyle made me breakfast, then some errands to Home Depot, Kohl's, pick up some t-shirts for our Cub pack, buy an office chair and then dinner at The White House in Anaheim, which was amazing and delicious.

Farmer's Market

2010-11-11T20:44:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I stumbled upon a Farmer's Market and have been wanting to go back seeing that it was closing time the first time. So, I got there early this past Saturday and bought some Cinnamon Raisin bread, pita chips with hummus, broccoli, green beans, apples, and flowers.

Wedding at the Mission Inn

2010-10-23T22:32:00.000-07:00

Photo Scavenger Hunt

2010-10-20T20:07:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday we hosted a Photo Scavenger Hunt. Coworkers and friends had to create teams of 4-5 people and wear matching color shirts. I then gave them a list of things that they had to take pictures with/doing as they drove around the city. After a 3 hour time limit all teams met back at our house where we looked at all the team pictures on the TV and laughed hysterically at the craziness. Some of the 40+ things we had to do:

Take a picture with a guy wearing a tie.

We just happened to see the Elders riding by and chased them down.

Jumping in a bounce house

With a librarian

In a shopping cart

In a military, security or police uniform

In a wheelbarrow

Human pyramid with strangers

Playing hopscotch

Picture Star

2010-10-20T19:49:00.000-07:00

My mother-in-law invited me to a Super Saturday in her ward to make these cool picture stars. I made one using pictures from our wedding. Goes perfectly on our star wall in the office.

Name Update

2010-09-23T11:44:00.000-07:00

I've noticed on a few of my friends blogs where they have their blog list that they still have my maiden name. I got married over a year ago, so go ahead and update that on your blog list. My husband's name is Kyle and our last name is Clark.

Magic Mountain

2010-08-30T07:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went to Mormon Day at Six Flags Magic Mountain and had a great time. We even had perfect weather, which I was nervous about seeing how insanely hot the week had been.

Hawaii

2010-08-12T20:08:00.000-07:00

Went to the island of Kauai in Hawaii a week and a half ago and had a great time.

Cheryl & Kyle at Waimea Canyon Lookout

At Spouting Horn, where we saw about 4 turtles

Cheryl & Kyle at valley that overlooks backside of Na Pali Coast

Cheryl & Kyle at Tunnel's Beach

Clark family picture at Waiohai, Poipu

Kati, Lolly & Cheryl

Larry, Cody, Kyle & Nick

Cheryl paddle boarding at Hanalei Pier

Kyle dressed up

Cheryl zip-lining

Family at Waimea Canyon

Kyle's Sexy Garage

2010-08-12T19:38:00.000-07:00

When we first bought the house there was a 'band room' in the garage.

This is what the garage looked like during the demo phase

This is the wall primed and taped off

Here is one of the two aqua walls, our new bike stand (thank you Lowry's), and storage container holder uppers (thank you Ousley's)

The other aqua wall, with our new Rain Soft water filtration system next to the water heater that we just had installed (and are loving)

Shelves, Kyle's workbench and tool chest

Black metal cabinets and a free gun safe (thank you Lowry's)

Kyle had the floors epoxied with lots of flakes and even some automotive flecks that add sparkle

OC Fair, Jeff Dunham & The Drive-In

2010-07-26T10:26:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday we headed down to the Orange County Fair where you must get a turkey leg and eat like a caveman.

Then you must go see Jeff Dunham with his friends Achmed the Dead Terrorist, Peanut and Walter. Hilarious!!!

Then Saturday night we went with some friends to the drive-in and saw Salt.

Hot Wedding

2010-07-19T13:22:00.000-07:00

Yesterday one of my co-workers got married and it was a HHOOOOOOTTTTTT wedding. 3:30 in the afternoon in Riverside in July is HOT!!! The chairs were under the big trees, but the shade was in the wrong spot.

Bride Allison and her father

They had a cupcake cake

We had fun watching everyone else get drunk and act like fools.

Metrolink

2010-07-19T13:16:00.000-07:00

When we moved into our house we received free train tickets on the Metrolink, trying to inform new people to the area of the public transit systems offered. So, Kyle and I caught the 7:30 am train down to Union Station in L.A. It was pretty fun and interesting to look out the window and see everything along the way.

From Union Station, we took the Red Line Metro Subway up to Hollywood Blvd and Vine. We proceeded to walk along Hollywood Blvd just checking out the crazy stores and even crazier people.

Michael Jackson was even there for some photos.

It was a clear enough day that we could see the Hollywood sign near CPK at the Kodak Theatre.

On our way back to Union Station we stopped at the Jewelry District to have my wedding ring cleaned and polished and took in Pershing Square while we waited.

One Year Anniversary

2010-07-12T16:18:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday, July 10, Kyle and I celebrated our first year of marriage. What a great and wonderful year it has been. Kyle booked us a room at a lodge in Big Bear where we had the place to ourselves.

I have always wanted to do the Alpine Slide there in Big Bear and finally got the chance.

Weather was much warmer than we were anticipating but it was very nice to be removed from smog and city life.

Saturday night we drove along the top of the mountain over to Crestline where we attended a wedding reception of a friend.

Hollywood Bowl

2010-07-03T15:37:00.000-07:00

Got to check another thing off of my Life's To Do List: Go to the Hollywood Bowl

My mom got tickets at half price so we picnicked at some tables near the parking lot and enjoyed a night at the Bowl.

Cheryl & Kyle at the Hollywood Bowl

Vince Gill performed with the LA Philharmonic and was really good. He has a very smooth voice, and the fireworks at the end were fun and perfectly timed.

LA Wedding

2010-07-01T09:10:00.000-07:00

Last Friday we went down to the LA Temple for the wedding of Kyle's cousin, Sarah.

Here are a few tips/pointers I learned from the day:

Don't wear a leopard bra when the sealing is a white wedding that requires you to wear your white temple clothes....my bad
DO NOT let a family member be your 'photographer'. Even if your family member is free or cheap, the money spent on a real photographer is ALWAYS worth the money.

The happy couple and her parents

Amazing LA Race & Imogen Heap

2010-06-24T14:54:00.000-07:00

As big fans of the TV show Amazing Race, and since our audition tapes were rejected 3 years ago, our family did the next best thing. We signed up for the Amazing LA Race!! Two guys in LA put this race/sight-seeing tour on where teams from 2-8 people use clues to get around the city of Los Angeles. If you are ever in LA on a weekend and have 3-5 hours to spend, sign up for this fun and exhausting adventure.

As you can see from our matching attire, we were very into the 'team' concept and we were out to kill it. Believe me, my family can be very competitive.

Sarah (brother's girlfriend), Brian (brother), Richie (brother-in-law), Erin (sister), Joan (mom), Mark (dad), Cheryl, Kyle (husband)

This is our team trying to figure out our first clue

I won't give away too many details in case any of you end up doing this event and it would ruin it, but a few tips:

wear running shoes
wear comfortable clothing
have coins ready for the Metro and buy return tickets if possible
have everyone carry a cellphone to prevent people from taking off and not being able to contact them
don't take off too far from the group
remember that you have more puzzles to do
bring snacks and water and eat on the Metro (even though you are not supposed to, this is the only down time you have to do so)
have FUN!!!

Well, our outcome was......2nd place out of 9 teams. Now, some of you might think that is pretty respectable, but not for TEAM NINJA. We analyzed and analyzed some more the mistakes we made, where we could have done something faster, smarter, better. Especially since our time was 3:01 and the first place team was only 2:57, a mere 4 minutes ahead of us. They are planning on starting a race down in Santa Monica next month, so we have firm goals to redeem ourselves and get 1st.

After the race we all headed over stinky and sweaty to CPK for dinner. After that Kyle and I went to the 24 Hour Fitness on Sunset and Vine where we showered and cleaned up before heading to the Greek Theatre for our Imogen Heap concert. It was a great show and she really is very talented.

House Projects

2010-06-16T20:17:00.000-07:00

We have been doing a few projects around the house and making it our own. We bought 3 pots a month ago and finally found the bamboo we have been looking for.

This is really called Horsetail Reed and not bamboo but we like to call it bamboo

I like the color of this James Walker Bougainvillea

Kyle bought this cool and compact pub table for the big empty space that was in our kitchen, it is perfect for breakfast

We painted the wall in our bedroom from this......

To this.......

We painted two walls in the family room from this.....

to this......

Happy Birthday Mom!

2010-06-09T20:35:00.000-07:00

So, yesterday was my mom's birthday. I won't say how old she turned but I think she looks quite young, although Kyle did accidently try to make her a decade older with the number of candles he put on the cake.

We had her and the rest of my family up to our house for dinner and cake.

Happy Birthday Mom!

Cody the Graduate

2010-05-29T10:52:00.000-07:00

Kyle's younger brother, Cody, graduated from Kaiser High School this past week and we were able to take off half day from work to attend the ceremonies, which were held at the Citizens Business Band Arena. I understand the District paid $180,000 to the Arena, but this large sum reserved the whole place for three days and they were able to have graduations ceremonies for 6 high schools, 2 each day. It was quite nice being inside a big arena and not having to push and shove and fight for seating at an outdoor football field.

Kyle, Cody the Graduate and Cheryl

Cody got lei'ed

Cheryl & Kyle waiting for the ceremony to begin

Fun with the settings on my camera

New Callings

2010-05-22T16:10:00.000-07:00

Barely in our new ward for a month and they gave us callings...CUB SCOUTS!! Now, one of my brothers is an Eagle Scout and my husband is an Eagle Scout, but I know NOTHING about scouting. Guess I have some learning to do.

District Picnic

2010-05-22T15:51:00.000-07:00

Today was a picnic for the school district in which I work. We took our nephew and had fun.

Kyle & Kaleb painting a rock

Kyle showing Kaleb how to bowl

Kaleb & Cheryl eating lunch

Balboa Peninsula

2010-05-16T22:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we made it down to Newport/Balboa Peninsula just for the fun of it and had a great time eating pizza, watching the 3 car ferry shuttle back and forth, and looking at the amazing homes. If we had some money we would buy house there.

Circus Vargas

2010-05-05T20:39:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we went to Circus Vargas. Think of Cirque du Soleil on a smaller and cheaper scale. Actually not too bad of a program, but a little stuffy in the big top.

FlightDeck

2010-05-05T20:35:00.000-07:00

For Christmas Kyle and I bought his brother, Cody, a Gift Certificate to FlightDeck. This is a place where you get to fly F-16 fighter plane simulators. Yeah, pretty much I sucked the first 30 minutes until I finally got the hang of it and then it was lots of fun. We definitely plan on doing this one again.

Our House

2010-05-05T20:26:00.000-07:00

So I hope I figured Blogger out by changing my Editor choice in Settings.

Here are some pictures of our house. Upcoming projects include painting a wall in family room, two walls in the master bedroom and painting the garage, and eventually doing epoxy on garage floor. Also, we need to someday figure out what landscaping to do in the front. We have a few ideas and I keep my eyes open as I go for walks around the neighborhood.

Help!

2010-04-27T19:08:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to post pictures of the house for the past 3 days now, and for some reason Blogger won't let me. It goes through the action like it is uploading them and says DONE, but nothing shows up in the compose section.

Anyone else having problems posting pictures?

9 months of marriage today and what do we get?......

2010-04-10T06:53:00.000-07:00

A NEW HOUSE!!!

We bought a house and move in today. Pictures to follow:)

No Computer = No Post

2010-03-29T19:49:00.000-07:00

So, our computer got a virus about a month ago and we got it "fixed", but it is still acting up. Thus the reason I have not posted in awhile.

Last month we went snowboarding with Spencer and Alyse at Mt High

Alyse and Cheryl on the chairlift

Kyle and Cheryl looking fresh

Our school had this circus guy come and teach our PE students how to use the Diabolo, which was quite interesting and fun

We went to Wabi Sabi for my dad's birthday

Mark, Joan, Cheryl and Kyle

We went to Dumont Dunes again this past weekend

Kyle getting some BIG air

Kyle and Cheryl at the North Pole

Kyle, Larry and Nick putting a Santa decoration on the North Pole

Troy jumping

Game Night

2010-02-19T07:49:00.000-08:00

Last night we had the Chows & Knudsens over for pizza and some games and we had a great time. Always fun to get together with friends and have some good wholesome fun.

Dumont with the Chows

2010-02-15T18:16:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday we loaded up the trailer and headed out at 5 am for a quick day trip to Dumont Dunes with our friends the Chows. They were debating about buying some quads, so we figured we would take them up and have them try it out.

Alyse & Spencer Chow at the North Pole

They seemed to have great time and caught on very quickly. So, I think we have some dune friends:)

Alyse having fun

Our friends the Anderson's were up there as well, and this is Troy jumping his bike

So....there was this crazy guy riding around in just a thong and I couldn't resist getting a photo

Flat Tire

2010-02-05T23:14:00.000-08:00

So, this morning I asked to take Kyle's truck to work so that he could have my car and wash it for me.

This is what I did to the back right tire 15 minutes after driving it on the freeway. Completely shredded.

Like the good husband that he is, he immediately left the gym, sped down to where I was stranded, and expertly changed the tire.

Birthday Cake

2010-01-25T17:48:00.000-08:00

Seeing that I was at the Dunes on my actual birthday, we were finally able to make it over to my parent's for my birthday dinner and cake. It was delicious!

Las Vegas

2010-01-25T17:38:00.000-08:00

So this past weekend Kyle surprised me and took me to Las Vegas for my 30th birthday.

He got tickets for Phantom of the Opera, playing at The Venetian

I think Kyle is now in love with gelato, but with good reason. Who can resist?

Cheryl and Kyle at The Grand Canal Shoppes
We made a stop to the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, which is where they tape "Pawn Stars", a TV series on The History Channel. We were even in the shop during taping, so keep an eye out for us, we could be famous:)

Kyle in front of our hotel- New York New York

Cheryl at the M&M Factory Store

Thank you sweet husband for surprising me and make my 30th a great one!!! Of course I don't expect this much spoiling for every birthday.

And no we did not gamble, never have and never will.

30th Birthday at Dumont

2010-01-20T15:59:00.000-08:00

So this past weekend we headed up once again to Dumont Dunes to ride quads. My 30th birthday was on Monday, Jan 18, and seeing that it was MLK day and I had the day off we made it a 3 day weekend.

Lolly with Kaleb and Kory on the quad

Cheryl on her new quad (more like a hand me down from Kyle, but I'll still take it)
Kaleb on his new quad

Kyle doing what he does bestCheryl working it:)

New Year's at Dumont Dunes

2010-01-03T22:18:00.000-08:00

So about a month ago, shortly after returning from the dunes last time, Kyle found a great deal on a Honda 450x so we bought it. I in turn got his old quad and now we can all ride at the dunes when out with his family.

This past Thursday thru Sunday we went out to Dumont Dunes with his family and had a good time riding quads and quietly spending New Year's.

Larry, Lolly & Cody

Kyle & Cheryl with their own quads

We met up and camped with Troy & Lyn Anderson and family

Snowboarding at Mt High

2009-12-27T16:01:00.000-08:00

Saturday we went up to Mt High thinking it would be packed seeing that it was the day after Christmas, but it wasn't near as full as we thought it would be.

Kyle, Cheryl & Cody

Cheryl & Kyle

Christmas

2009-12-27T15:40:00.000-08:00

Our first Christmas as a married couple.

We slept in and opened our gifts to each other.

Christmas Eve we spent with my family opening gifts and this is what my brother's dog was fixated on all night.

Opening gifts from my family.

Richie & Erin, the world travelers, opening their gifts.

Christmas Day we spent with Kyle's family.

Mission Inn

2009-12-19T21:51:00.001-08:00

Each Christmas Season the Mission Inn goes all out with lights and Christmas decorations. Seeing that my favorite restaurant, Las Campanas, is at the Mission Inn, and that I had a gift card from one of my good friends and old roommates, Teresa, we had to go with some friends and we had a great time and even better food.

Thanks Teresa!!!!

Devil's Punchbowl

2009-12-19T13:40:00.000-08:00

Just got back from hiking Devil's Punchbowl with some people from my boot camp. The unique rock formations were formed when two tectonic plates pushed into each other during an earthquake.

Most of the group out at the Devil's Chair where you get a great view.

A nice 7 mile hike

Motorcycles on Ice

2009-12-19T13:30:00.001-08:00

Saturday 12 Dec 2009 Kyle and I went with his brother to the ICE Championship, which is quads and motorcycles racing on ice.

In the Unlimited Pro series they are allowed to use 400 studs in their tires in any configuration that they want. They also had amatuer races which consisted of local people wanting to get in on the action and they were limited to only 100 studs, which didn't give them as much traction and hook.

Santa

2009-12-10T06:27:00.000-08:00

Saturday night we had our Ward Christmas party and Santa came, so of course we had to get a picture with him.

Dumont Dunes

2009-11-28T14:29:00.000-08:00

Saturday thru Wednesday we camped out and rode quads at Dumont Dunes.

The whole family at Dumont
Kyle with his nephew

My mom came up for a day and we even got her to ride.

Camping at Carpinteria Beach

2009-11-11T07:39:00.000-08:00

Kyle and I have been wanting to go camping for the past couple of months, so we got reservations at Carpinteria Beach near Santa Barbara, packed up the truck and headed out for a three day weekend.
Our little campsite, and I mean little. These ones available for tent camping are very small and very close. But we had fun.Our first night there we were woken up at 3:30 am by the sound of something scavenging through our food. With flashlight in hand Kyle unzipped our tent to find about 6 raccoons in our ice chest and Tupperware bins where we were storing our food. We chased them off, got rid of the crumbs and wrappers they left behind so they wouldn't come back and waited for their return so that we could throw stuff at them. These were pesky and persistent little suckers and we quickly learned to lock up all of our food in the truck.

You can see their grubby little hand prints on the edge of the cooler.

Enjoying the nice sun and warmth down at the beach. We took lots of naps and just relaxed this whole trip.

We drove the 12 miles to Santa Barbara for a half day where we walked the pier, Paseo Nuevo mall district and had dinner at a Thai restaurant.