Happy Birthday Dad!

Last week was my dad's 50th birthday. I was lucky enough to fly in and surprise him for a fun birthday weekend. I came in early Thursday morning; Mom, Becca and I made a banner, wrapped presents, and got ready for Dad to come home that afternoon.
That night we had a wonderful cake made by our friend Dannii and then opened presents. We wrapped up clues to what we were going to do that weekend. Here is what was in the box: a pencil, a sketch book, rocks, a picture of a fountain, and sunscreen. Can you guess what we did? Well I guess Dad has aquired a some wisdom over the last 50 years because it didn't take him long to figure out we were going to Ohiopyle, Penn to go kayaking and see Falling Water.
Friday morning we packed up, stopped at Chick-Fil-a, and then headed to Ohiopyle. Once we got there we got settled into the lodge that we were staying at and then went to see Falling Water.

Unfortunately we were not allowed to take pictures of the inside of the building. The one picture of the living room is from a website I found. It is an amazing home and if you ever get the opportunity to go to Pennsylvania you have to make a stop at Falling Water. After Falling Water we grabbed our swimsuits and headed to the natural water slides. After dinner mom, dad, and dillon managed to squeeze in a bike ride before it was time to go back to the lodge. Mom really wanted to cross the bridge you see behind Trevor so they made it happen. Once we got back to the lodge we had to make this trip an official Redd Outing by Taylor beating us in Settlers of Catan. Sorry mom you were so close!

The next day we started our adventure in white water kayaking. We had a blast. It was really different than I was expecting. You use your lower body a lot in kayaking. We spent the morning learning and practicing different skills. After a surprisingly good meal provided by the company we were taking lessons from we stepped it up a little and headed to Class II rapids (with Class III consequences-instructor's words not mine). So I guess you could say we went through Class III rapids our first time kayaking. I wish I we would have bought a waterproof camera so I could show everyone how great we did. Everyone successfully went through the rapids and Mom even did it going backwards. She is such a show off! (just kidding mom) Trevor was also the little show off by almost mastering the advanced skill of barrell rolling. Well we had an amazing time on the water. After we got cleaned up we headed home, but first we had to stop at the outlets for shopping and load up on fish and steak. What a weekend. I hope through all our efforts my Dad forgot how old he is getting.

One last thing I just wanted to say how great my Dad is! Thanks for everyone who helped out with our list of 50 Nifty Things about Hugh Redd. It turned out great! We love you Dad!

La Jolla Shores

Yesterday I went down to San Diego to meet up with my Aunt, Uncle, and their two kids. They were here on vacation and I wanted to tag along for the day. I met them at the US Grant Hotel in downtown San Diego. It was beautiful! We had lunch at Seaport Village and then headed to the beach! I had a lot of fun chasing my cousins, playing in the water, and enjoying the ocean breeze (something I wish we could feel in Redlands). I can't believe how big my little cousins are getting, they are growing up so fast.

Intervention

Jessica and I have been married for almost a year and a half, and since day one she has been a cover stealer. But if you ask her, she will deny she has a problem. So I am asking you all to help in this intervention. One night last week I was able to document Jessica in action. The problem now is helping Jessica realize that she has a problem. The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem. I have a feeling this is going to be a tough time for Jessica, but with all of our help she will come through this. Phone Calls would be nice.

(As you can see nothing is left on my side)

The States we've visited

Between Lance and I we are only missing 5 states: Alaska, Oregon, Montana (although we did see the border at Yellowstone), New Jersey, and Rhode Island. I can thank my parents for always taking us on long road trips in the summers and always making us get out when we entered a new state. Hopefully we will hit Alaska next summer. I heard Lance's dad is paying for the whole family to make a trip. Well, that's what Lance is telling me.

Where in the world have we been?

So many places, so little time.

San Diego

Coronado Island

USS Midway


A couple weeks ago Lance had a conference in San Diego. The company had buses going back and forth between Redlands and San Diego for all the employees attending the conference. I was lucky enough to hop on the bus with him. I spent a few hours with Lance walking around before he had to start working. Then I met up with a lady (I met her at church & she works for the same company) who took the day off to show me around the city. We took a ferry ride to Coronado Island. It was beautiful! Unfortunately we missed the ferry going back to the convention center so we had to take a taxi back.

Petco Stadium and the World's Largest Aloha Shirt. Yes, Lance really wanted to buy one, but I thought a picture would be enough.

Lance and I grabbed a snack right before he had to go to the convention center. Mrs. Redd's amazing pies.

Inland Empire 66ers

Usually a typical weekend night at our place includes several rounds of Ticket to Ride (thank you Natalie & Quincy for introducing the game to us), hanging out at the club house, and watching a movie. However, we have managed to go out a couple times. One weekend some friends at church invited us to a minor league baseball game. We had great seats and it was a lot of fun. Unfortunately we got there to late to get a free bobble head of one of the players.

The game was very entertaining and so was the crowd. This guy in the blue shirt in particular. For some reason he thought going commando and wearing really loose, low jeans to a baseball game was a good idea. Every time he stood up to get a drink, stretch, or cheer, well you can imagine the view we got. Do you ever have the urge to go up to people and just ask why?

We had a great time and it was a beautiful night.

Living it up in LA

Saturday we took Lisha back to Pasadena where she introduced us to Aguas at this local Mexican restraunt. Aguas are these fruit drinks that taste like you just put a straw into that fruit. We tried the pineapple and I thought it was fantastic! Lance and I headed over to see the Rose Bowl Stadium and some other interesting buildings in Pasadena. After seeing the sites in Pasadena we headed to China Town in L.A. and Hollywood Blvd. Our favorite moment was watching a group of break dancers. It brought back some good memories of Sophomore year at BYU.

Lisha in the HOUSE

Lisha came to stay with us this weekend! I was really glad she came 1. because she is so much fun to hang out with and 2. because Lance ended up working until 10pm Friday night. Lisha and I had a great time shopping, getting our nails done, and making cookies. She also showed me up in pool and putt-putt. In my defense....our complex has a small putting green that we were playing on. I was doing very well when Lisha made an amazing putt from one end of the green to the other and I had to give her best putter of the day.

4th of July Extravaganza

I love this holiday! We started off our morning with red&blue pancakes. Lance reminded me that I forgot the white, but I thought the plate counted. Thanks to Linda we had a festive table cloth to help us celebrate. We decided to go out to a great American neighborhood grill, Applebees for lunch. You've got to try their Aloha Burger and their Quesadilla Burger. We then went to an afternoon movie. That night we watched the D.C. fireworks show, there were some great performances and it was fun to reminisce about past Independence Days. Reading Ashley's comments on 4th of July in Argentina reminded me of my 4th of July experience in Thailand. This is what I wrote in my journal that day about why I love America.

"I am grateful for .............America the Beautiful. I am grateful to be a citizen of a land that encourages personal growth, creativity, equality, women's rights. To be a citizen of a country that cares about education and service in the communities. A country that was established under the guidance of God. To come from a home where the mother's opinion is equally valued as the fathers. To have a home that has carpet, air conditioning throughout the entire house, flushing toilets, hot water out of every faucet. Knowing that you can drink out of the sink and not get a parasite."

We are blessed to have what we do.

Projects

Well since we've moved I've been working on a few projects. Right before we moved we acquired a table and six chairs from a neighbor. They were in good shape, except for the hideous fabric. So I decided to learn how to upholster. Reupholstery is a lot harder than I imagined it was going to be, but I had a lot of fun in the process. Thanks mom for helping me along the way!

BEFORE

AFTER

The other project I 've finished is window treatments. I was in Texas for Sean's wedding and had my grandma direct me in making these drapes. It was also a learning process was also a learning process.

A Rodent in the Kitchen

So my parents found this strange creature in their kitchen and have no idea what to do with it. Anybody have any ideas? What's the best way of exterminating one of these?

No hard feelings Lisha! We think you're great!

Growing Up

Once we got back to California it finally hit us that we were no longer in Provo. We graduated and were entering a new chapter of our lives. Graduation was a lot of fun and we were so happy to have so many family members and friends come to celebrate with us.


After all the graduation ceremonies we had a BBQ in Rock Canyon Park. At the BBQ I could see my mom's grandmother hunger grow. Every picture we have of her from that day she has a baby in her hands.

Mom, I put this picture of Dad up for you.... look he is showing teeth!


For any of you that know Lance's mom, she is the Banner Queen. She sent us a banner to hang at our BBQ.... we loved it!



Although we miss Utah for a lot of reasons we are really enjoying California. It has been fun meeting people, finding new places to hang out and explore, and decorating a new apartment.

The Real Reason I Love Thailand

Well this is my last post on our Southeast Asia Adventure. I'm sure you can see from all our pictures a few reasons why I love that part of the world so much. However, one of the biggest reasons I love Thailand is the people. Our last day in Thailand was a Sunday, so we headed to the closest area that I served in ( Bangkhen). We went to church and I was lucky enough to get called as a speaker (without them asking me first of coarse). It was so good to see the members and the investigators I taught that are now members or still going to church. It was fun to introduce Lance to all people so he could match names with faces. The next day we left early for the airport and headed back to reality.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Well after enjoying the beautiful beaches of Thailand, we went to visit family in Malaysia. Lance's cousin and his family live in KL and we were very nice to open their home to us. They were great hosts! We got to see Petronas Towers, which are the world's largest twin towers and second and third largest single towers. Another big attraction we went to was the Batu Caves. Batu Caves is a limestone hill that has several caves and temples inside. The big statue in front is Lord Murugan, and behind him are 272 stairs that we climbed to see the temple inside. They also have an annual festival called Thaipusam where millions of people come to show their devotion to the Hindu religion. We watched a video showing scenes from the festival and it's pretty crazy. Google Thaipusam for some interesting pictures. Our hosts also took us to the China Market and out for some yummy Malaysian food. We had a great time visiting and seeing the city, it was tough to leave.