Sunny California

On Saturday, the girls in the fam took our yearly day trip to California for some shopping. (Remember last year when we inexplicably took the only picture of the day in front of Frederick's of Hollywood?) This time Lalli, Ashley, Brenn, and I had a great time bouncing all around the outdoor mall in nearly 70 degree weather.

Let me just mention that again for emphasis:


Seventy. Degree. Weather.

It was fantastic. We all agreed that the only thing keeping us in Utah is, well, each other. So basically, that's it. Hey there! Friends and family, I'm talking to YOU! We're all channeling our pioneer heritage and moving out in one big mass exodus.

I was pleasantly surprised by my ability to find a few cute things for my wardrobe despite the current size of my uterus. I'm at that rough pregnant lady stage where I hate every single thing that I own that still fits me, but I refuse to purchase one more item with the word 'maternity' on the label. Luckily, I scored a lovely detailed cardigan and a blouse-y top, both of which work now AND after Sherm makes his debut, along with a pretty sparkley sash for belting the sweater around my belly.

After hours and hours of hauling Sherman around, we were definitely ready for some sustenance. With the unfaltering assistance of Ashley's phone GPS, we found ourselves safely on Olvera Street, wolfing down tacitos and teasing the boys back home for missing out on all the fun.

A few minutes after this picture was taken, I scraped the last bite of beans off my plate, and placed my folded napkin on top. During the telling of what was surely a super interesting story, my hand hit the edge of that (luckily empty) plate and launched my napkin into outer space. When it re-entered the atmosphere, it was on a direct trajectory for the woman at the next table. There was simply nothing I could do to stop it. As if in slow motion, I watched that white paper napkin fall from the heavens and land squarely in her lap.

The outside of the napkin was dry, and I apologized profusely through my bouts of embarrassed laughter, but that woman was not the least bit amused. The way I see it, she should count her many blessings because we only narrowly averted true disaster. Those plates come from the counter COVERED in sauce and refried beans. A mere 7 minutes earlier, and we would both be showered in famous avocado sauce from head to toe.

We missed Kimmi this year on our trip. Rather than dancing around in the sunshine, she was busy floundering in feet of snow in the good ol' Alaska.

The biggest victory of the day, at least in my book, was landing safely back on the snowy tarmac in SLC with Sherm and all his amniotic fluid safely tucked away where it should be. I like California and all, but I sure didn't want to pop out a baby unexpectedly there.