I have two things I want to say.

First, we saw How to Train Your Dragon last night. Ummm...best movie I've ever seen? Yes. There's even a tender sequence where the boy and dragon are doing art therapy together. (Ok, where has this movie been all my life?) Is it weird to say I think I even felt the spirit a few times while watching it? Because I'm pretty sure I did. I'm also pretty sure I almost cried...three times. Basically, me and How to Train Your Dragon are M.F.E.O. (made for each other).

Pixar shmixar. 

Also, you see those girls sitting on the couch in the video below? I used to live with them in the Flower Basket last year. I have so much respect and love for those three cuties. I think the four of us made a curious bunch. We all are so different but also all strong and independent women with a deep mutual respect and genuine admiration for one another. Kara, Mylee, and Meg were the perfect girls for me to live with during what was a rather strange transitional time in my life.

Kara (the Hawaiian princess) started this hot new Provo girl band, Kara and the Shivaree. In fact, they are playing at Velour tomorrow night and are so fun to watch live- they always have different kinds of "instruments" each show. You should go. It will probably be one of the best bands you hear at Velour. 

This is one of my favorite songs.

Girl Band of Provo from Irek Reyd on Vimeo.

You're impressed, huh? Totally cute.

model behavior

How many girls do you know who have been a real-deal model

AND have ALSO gone on to serve an LDS mission?
That's what I thought.

Well now you can say you know one. Her name is Rosie but you can call her Pudge. Pudge is my little sister.

In a few weeks, Pudge will be leaving for 18 months to serve a full-time mission in Mesa, Arizona. Chas made these darling AZ cupcakes for her birthday/going away party this week.

I want to be like Pudge when I grow up.

the best

Today was an immensely good day. Well, it kinda started out like every other day, nothing too spectacular and maybe even kinda boring. By the time 3pm rolled around, I had done two groups, was so tired, and still had two more groups to get through. But then my last evening adolescent group was hands down the best group I have ever had in the three years of practicing art therapy. True story. I can't go into any more detail so I'll just say it again. The best group I have ever had! It was such an emotional rush, I still feel like I'm coming down from the high of it, hours later. Groups like that make all the tedious, challenging days oh so worth it. I love being an art therapist. 

But wait- there's more. 

I come home and Chas is wearing the cutest outfit. He's made all the cupcakes for Rosie's birthday/farewell party tomorrow night and is working on cooking us up some tacos for dinner. I couldn't stop jumping around, smiling, and hugging him...all at the same time.   

Californ I A

After driving through the night, which Chas refers to as "the tough journey," we're back. So get ready to be overloaded with pictures.

While Chas, Michael, Liz, and Pudge spent the day at Knott's Berry Farm, the rest of us felt much happier with something different. First, Sarah gave us the San Clemente tour. We also walked around Laguna Beach and then drove up and down the fanciest Newport Beach streets o0o0o0o-ing and ahhhh-ing at the houses.

(Daisies are my favorite. Especially when it looks like I'm wearing them as a huge bra.)

Before heading back for the day, we grabbed some frozen bananas or, in my case, frozen tiramisu dipped in chocolate, on a stick. I couldn't not try it. And, yes, it was disgusting. You should also know that we saw Angela from The Office just a block down from this bench.

Of course we had our share of beach days.

Family dance pose.

Just a little dolphin sand sculpture by me and Chas. All the nearby 5 year-olds were totally impressed.

And what trip to the beach (or any event in life, for that matter) is complete without tons of jumping-in-the-air pics?

Someone please tell my mom to stop being so beautiful all the time. Jeeze louise.

 

You knew this had to happen.

We also went to the Geddy in Los Angeles. Because, as Pudge put it, "you have to like art museums if you want to be in this family."  

Chas and Liz made these masks in the children's section. Let's just say if Chas's mask was made by a patient in one of my art therapy groups, I would be very concerned.

That same night, we drove for 2 hours in awful LA traffic. Our destination, however, was worth it: an Angel's game.

And no, these next pictures are not photoshopped in any way. The Card family is actually at a real-live sporting event together. Believe it. This is the new influence of Chas Kelly on our family, working its magic.

 

This is Chas's I'm-so-happy-because-I'm-at-a-baseball-game face.

Surpisingly, I think this game turned out to be one of our most favorite parts about the trip.

Well, maybe I should say it was on par (which is saying a lot) with the amazing puppy haven pet store Sarah took the girls to. You wouldn't believe how many puppies this place had. We're talking extreme cute overload dot com (thanks, Zina). Loved watching all those good boys biting heads non-stop.

I usually don't put bulldogs in the "cute" category but this little sad face had the sweetest spirit. We'd name him Douglas.

like on vaca? road trip!!

(Movie trivia for the post's title....answer at end of post. - See this fun game I just made up?)

Tomorrow morning me and him will join my family for a Cali vacation to visit Sarah and Michael.

It'll be my first vacation in probably three years.

Yeeesssssss.

(Movie trivia answer: Legally Blonde)

today I am this many

25

The day started out like this.

Chas woke up extra early to make me my requested bday bfast: sausage, eggs, and muffins. (It tasted a lot better than this picture makes it look.) Yum in my tum tum.

The middle of the day went like this:

I went into work for a little bit to lead a child inpatient group,

made a bank deposit

came home, layed down on the bed and felt just a little bit sad for a few brief moments (mostly because I was laying about, all by myself, on my birthday).

Answered my phone just then- sister Rosie was calling.

Cried to Pudge (that's what we call her) about how I wasn't doing anything particularly exciting on my bday right at the moment and

got a little help/perspective when she said, "well, why don't you just come run errands with me and Liz? It's better than just sitting around."

Alright.

Went to the mall with little sisters and listened to Pudge's really bad mixed cd (worse than listening to the radio)- sorry, Pudge, it's true.

Once at the mall to do a return, was reminded why I haven't been to a mall in years. Gross.

Felt immensely grateful for Pudge and Liz's call to rescue me from my deluge of self-pity and weirdness.

Forgot all about being sad, 

and came home to this amazing birthday tribute post written for me by my sister-in-law, Liza. (I seriously have the best in-laws, do I not?)

And the day ended like this:

Chas' present to me. I don't think he was expecting me to start crying when I opened it. I wasn't either. I promise it was a happy cry. One of those I-don't-even-know-why-I'm-crying cries. (I also promise I'm not an emotional crazy person all the time.)

Then we went out to eat a special dinner.

And last, but mos def not least, Chas made me my favorite of favorite-est cookies:

Root beer cookies. When paired with a cold cream soda, I'd throw myself in front of a bus for these guys.

And now I have been alive for a full quarter century.

Hooray!

almost birfday time

I wish I could've seen Chas riding scootie home today with this bouquet peaking out the top of his backpack.

He surprised me with them because it's my bday eve.

recipe

for cinnamon pecan waffles. 

hehe.

now that's more like it

This weekend makes up for the embarrassment that was last weekend.

We basically never spend money to see movies in the theater (they are almost never worth it) but we thought that shelling out the 9 bones each would be a more than worthy cause if it only helped us avoid a repeat of last Friday. So we saw Babies. Chas told me it's an observational documentary. Translation: all babies all the time. Mostly made me want to be a mom real bad.

The rest of the weeked we took a few little scootie rides, took Archie on a walk, found the babiest little bird on the walk, took the baby bird home, thought seriously- albeit briefly- about keeping it and raising it as my very own, read on a website that doing so would probably not end up so well for the baby bird, decided to take the baby bird back to where we found it, was finally able to pull myself away from the baby bird and let the circle of life run its course, went out for Thai food, watched our new Netflix (She's the Man), made cinnamon pecan waffles with icing drizzle and cinnamon sugar, took a nap, were social at a ward ice cream social, and sat out on our front steps watching the evening rain fall and listening to the thunder.

There may have been a connection between me seeing Babies on Friday night and then wanting to adopt the baby bird on Saturday. Maybe.