Memorial Day Weekend

I love three day weekends!! No work...sleeping in...it's great!!

Saturday I finally crossed something off my "bucket list"...I went to the San Diego Zoo! It was so much fun! Normally I'm not a big animal person, but there were a lot of little baby animals so I was pretty entertained!

Pandas have the good life. All they do is eat&&sleep!

I thought it was funny :)

Awww baby gorilla!! It was so cute!!

The elephants got a whole new exhibit! That weird thing behind it provides heat during the winter and sprays a mist of water during the summer...I just love their wrinkles all over!

Awww a tiny giraffe....Cute, huh??

Sunday was my lazy beach day and it was fabulous! I went to Del Mar with my brother&&sister in law, and her family, and just laid around all day! They have this spot that is a big grassy area right above the beach, so instead of having to deal with sand all day you can lay on the grass and walk down to the sand. It was perfect!! We had so much food I thought I was going to explode! haha And I think I sunburned the top of my head, but other than that it was one of my best days in California. ((Stupid me forgot my camera in the truck, so no pictures :( But I'm sure most people are sick of me showing off the beautiful ocean I live by lol ))


Monday was just a lazy day in general. I've neglected my laundry for almost a month and needed to go grocery shopping so I spent most of my time at my house doing domestic things. I finally watched "Bridget Jones Diary" for the first time and just hung out mostly.

Normally on Monday I would have been with my family going to the cemetery and putting flowers on all the graves. It's still strange for me NOT to be with my family doing these things...so maybe it is a good thing I'm moving back! It's very sad how many family members I have in the cemetery. Most of them, including my Grandpa Stringham and my Uncle Kary, I never met but a part of me still feels very connected to them. There are a few family members I did know that are now buried there and I'm going to take a minute and remember them.

UNCLE CHARLIE: He died when I was 9 years old from a massive heart attack. He was such a funny guy! He would always tell me, "Hey slim, come over here and I'll pay you a dollar to rub my back!" haha he was a great guy! I wish I could have known him better but he'll never be forgotten in my family.

AUNT DODE: She passed away when I was in high school. She lived right around the corner from my Aunt Lola and she always so sweet and nice to me whenever we got together. I didn't get to spend as much time with her as I should have, but I know she was an amazing lady with a big heart!

AUNT LOLA: It's still hard to believe that she's really gone. Now when I call my Dad and I tell him goodbye I have to stop myself before I say, "Tell Lola hi and that I love her." It's still hard on everyone that she's not here with us. The day she died was one of the worst days of my life and I think about it often. But we all know she's in a much better place and is keeping busy until we all see her again.

GRANNY BLACKBURN: Even though she's not buried in Vernal, I wanted to mention her. She died when I was 13 from complications due to a stroke. I was a disaster when she died. Even though she lived 7 hours away from us I was pretty close to her. I blame my addiction to cheesecake and sweet things on her! haha She was such a strong woman and wasn't scared to draw outside the lines. I really look up to her and miss her all the time. I hope she's proud of me and what I'm doing in my life...

Absolutely horrible!

All I can say about this is I hope they charge her with murder and as an ADULT! This is so disturbing and disgusting!!!


Teen allegedly asks man for beating to induce miscarriage

Crime » Police don't buy her story that she was mugged, assaulted.

By Nate Carlisle
The Salt Lake Tribune

Police in eastern Utah say a pregnant teenager asked a man to beat her up so she would miscarry.

The teenager suffered severe bruising around her stomach. The unborn child appears to be OK, but doctors won't know for sure until it is born, said Naples police Chief Mark J. Watkins.

Both the pregnant teenager and the man have been arrested for suspicion of attempted murder against the unborn child.

"Never in my 21 years [in law enforcement] was I shocked so much," Watkins said Thursday. "It's just cold and ruthless."

The 17-year-old girl is seven months pregnant, Watkins said, and has told police she had carried the child too long and did not want to give birth.

The girl went to an acquaintance, 21-year-old Arron N. Harrison, and asked him to assault her and spur the miscarriage, Watkins said. The chief said the girl also offered some incentive to Harrison. Watkins declined to elaborate.

Late Tuesday or early Wednesday, the girl went to Harrison's home in Naples and Harrison beat her with his fists, Watkins said. Then the girl went home and told her family an unknown person mugged and sexually assaulted her, Watkins said.

The family called police, but the story did not make sense to officers, Watkins said. Eventually, the girl admitted what happened, Watkins said.

The girl is in a juvenile detention center. Harrison on Thursday night remained in the Uintah County jail in lieu of $10,000 bail. Formal charges have no been filed.

Bucket List

I have a small list of things I want to do before I leave California:

This little restaurant overlooks the ocean and I would love to eat here during sunset. It seems so pretty and we all know how much I love sunsets over the ocean :)


SKYDIVE!! I couldn't ask for a better view in Southern California! The ocean...the mountains...downtown San Diego. It's going to be amazing!!


It almost seems criminal that I've lived here a year and haven't had a beach bonfire yet! Now I just need to figure out where to do it at...




I haven't decided which one I should go to. I know lots of people that come to San Diego and those are the first places they go, and I haven't been to either! Kind of pathetic, I know.

So that's my list. I plan on basically living at the beach until I leave, but if anyone can think of anything else I should do, let me know!

Happy List

I've seen this on a few blogs so I'm stealing it from them ;)
It's pretty fun so everyone else should steal it and do it too!!





Andrea's little list of Happiness:

**That first step onto the beach on a warm summer day. Hot sand between your toes, cool ocean breeze blowing through your hair, and the smell of salt in the air.

**Rolling my windows down, cranking the music up, and singing my heart out!

**Making my nephews and "little guys" smile&&laugh.

**Long naps on a lazy days.

**Anything sweet&&tasty...Fudge, cheesecake, my sister's cookies, ice cream.

**Driving up the mountain during the Fall.

**Reaching into a random pocket and finding $1 or $5 bill.

**Being girly! Manicures, pedicures, tanning, getting my hair done. It's fun!

**Taking nice, long, hot showers.

**Jamba Juice. Always!

Happy Mother's Day!!

REASONS WHY I LOVE MY MOMMA J:

*She's never been afraid to "rock the boat". She was one of only 10 women in her graduating law school class. She was the first female County Attorney in Uintah County and has held that post for 15 years!
*She was an amazing single mother! My parents divorced when I was 8 and my Mom took care of us both without ANY financial help from my Dad. Everything we had growing up came from Mom. Then, to top it off, she put BOTH me and my sister through college...by herself again!
*She's a great person to go to for advice. We didn't get along very well when I was in high school, but it seemed like the week I moved to college I was calling her three times a week to talk and ask her advice. She's always tells it how it is and helps me make the best decision I can.
*She's smart...beautiful...intelligent. Basically, she rocks! And...

*She's put up with me for the last 22 years! Enough said :)

There are so many many reasons why I love my Mom, those are just a few I can actually put into words. She's always been there to support me and my sister, and I wouldn't be where I am today without her.
I LOVE YOU MOM!! HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!

My Mom and I when I was about 4 years old...Wasn't I adorable? lol

Sydney, Mom, and I Christmas 2006.

Me and Mom shopping in Buenos Aires, Argentina in March 2007

My Mom...being a pervert to the statue! haha

Mom, me, and Syd last October in Carlsbad, CA

Nothing Risked...Nothing Gained

I've been an emotional basket case lately. Good things have happened which, strange as it sounds, have added an enormous amount of stress into my life

• I got accepted to the U as a non-matriculated student (which means I'm not working towards a degree) for Fall semester. **good!

• I got permission from both professors to take my grad level classes. **great!

• I figured out a possible way to get my residency reinstated so I don't have to pay an extra $5,000 in tuition. **if it works, fantastic! if it doesn't work, very bad!

It didn't hit me until this week that by getting accepted to the U and getting ready for grad school, that I'd have to move back to Utah.

Most people are probably thinking, "Well DUH Andrea! The school is in Utah so of course you'd have to move back!" I knew I'd be moving back, I just didn't realize how hard it would be to actually leave California.

I went to the beach in San Clemente yesterday and seriously started crying every time I thought about leaving this place. It was horrible.

Here's the worst case scenario (and the one I can't stop thinking about):

I move back in June and don't get in state tuition, so I'll have to take out a loan. Then after I take the classes this fall I don't get into grad school. Basically making this whole move a complete waste of time. Plus I'll be out of a full time job with benefits.

No wonder I've been freaking out so much!

I talked to my Mom a lot this weekend and her best advice is to think about the worst case scenario and think if I can live with that. Obviously the scenario with the least amount of risks is to stay in California and stay at my current job.

But then my Mom said something that I have to keep thinking about or else I'll stress about this for life...

"NOTHING RISKED. NOTHING GAINED."

I am risking A LOT with this move! I'm leaving a job I like, a place I love, and a life I've grown comfortable in. It's a lot to lose...I'm just hoping that by moving I'll be gaining a lot too!

WISH ME LUCK!