48 reminders.

 

This post is a picture-post.  Because I have such a varied audience, I try to keep my posts diverse.  I have some people who enjoy reading my musings on the deeper-ish things of life.  Some use my blog as a way to keep in touch and see kidlet updates etc...so they like lots of picture.  Some people I went to high school with and they are curious if I'm still the same crazy home-schooled kid they remember. Some people don't know why they read it.  They simply use my blog as a means to delay the inevitable homework, chore, list, relationship break-up or whatever it is they are procrastinating on. 

All of that to say, this is a picture post.  Of all the fun things I did on my trip to california.  And while this might be self-explanatory, I shall explain it anyway. There will be captions to describe what is going on in each picture.  the title is inspired by the fact that there are 48 pictures.  mhm. that's right.  And my biggest dilemma right now is whether or not to put the captions above or below the pictures.  Hmm...I shall choose, but if you have any preference in the matter for future posts, please let me know.  Because I'm pretty sure we've all had those moments where you're not sure which caption belongs to which picture and you finally just pick top or bottom.  And it may actually work for a while. But then the words say something that is totally not happening in the picture and you have to start at the beginning with the OTHER option.  All the sudden, you see clearly that "Jane and the Cow" wasn't a metaphor for that picture of Jane and Aunt Gertrude, but it was actually for Jane and a cow...in the picture below.

For your convenience, I'll tell you, the captions for each picture are UNDER each picture =)

disfruta.

FINALLY ARRIVED IN CALIFORNIA.  Normally I fly into LAX, but it was fun to mix it up with Ontario.  

Glorious view of the mountains.  I sitting there just trying to soak it all in.  It was warm..but a DRY heat. love it.

Yay!  finally time with my Mumzy!  I love her a lot.  She picked me up from the airport and where was our first stop?  THRIFT STORE! found me some winter boots, a few tops and a scarf!  my mumzy is a pro thrift store shopper.

 

FIRST dinner with mom and dad on the back porch.  I requested Carnitas, because it is a favorite that I haven't had since I moved here.  It was a lovely evening.

Got to enjoy our delightful backyard.  My mom enjoys her plants and flowers.  And our pomegranate tree is actually bearing a lot of fru-its this year!  (if the squirrels don't eat them all, I told my mom to mail me one in November when they're ripe). 

YAY!!!! Los Angeles County Fair!  

I had just experienced the MN State Fair, and really needed to compare the two.  In fact, I sort of built my trip home around when the fair would be going...which isn't hard, since it lasts for a month.  I have gone to the fair in CA for every year I can remember.  The last few have been with just my parents and brother, and it's become a fun family tradition!

Joey and I getting ready for a day of FUN! 

Mumzy and Dad also ready for a good day!  

In MN they have Butter carving where they carve girls' faces into blocks of butter.  in CA, we have cheese carving.  And I may be a little biased, but I feel like cheddar cheese would be far harder to carve than butter...  

If you notice the tractor says, "Minneapolis Moline." 

No clue what a Moline is...but I felt I could identify with it in some way because we both have some sort of connection to MN.  

Really, there's not much to explain here...except maybe that city folk like to pretend they're from the country every once in a while?

This is the one event we schedule our day around.  The PEKING/CHINESE ACROBATS!!  Super much fun to watch.  We've got it down to a science.  Don't go to their first performance, cuz they're just warming up.  Don't go to their last performance of the day cuz then they'll be all worn out.  Pick a middle-of-the-day performance...and they are FANTASTIC! 

 

Guy on a stack of chairs balanced on four empty bottles on a table. none of it is permanently attached to anything else. the guy is not even tied off to a bungee rope or anything.  

They just kept handing him chairs.  until he does THIS.  

and...THIS!  

People in the audience kept gasping and these kids were covering their eyes. 

This is Dad and Joe listening with rapt attention to the guy doing a cooking demonstration in what he says are the best pots and pans ever.  Let me insert here that we already own these pots and pans...bought them at the fair a few years ago.  But they still go and listen.  And somehow, these demo guys always make the most amazing things.  Every year, we leave the fair inspired and determined to make pineapple upside-down cake on the stove.  and every year, it never works out.  I think those guys have a set of magic pans just for demos at the fair.  

This guy is a LA County Fair staple.  Same guy. Same stand. Past...who knows how many years.  He has the same routine. Says the same jokes.  Shows the same tricks.  I think Joey bought a kit one year.  He doesn't know us.  but we know him. (that sounds creepier than it really is...)  We were gonna ask to take a picture with him...but figured the old "stand-right-there-and-I'll-pretend-to-take-a-picture-of-you-while-I'm-really-taking-a-picture-of-him" trick would be better and less weird for everyone involved. 

THE QUEEN.  Our plants/flowers building had a London theme this year.  These are made out of....(refer to picture below.)

Ingredients of the portraits.  Due to the Rose Parade, I think we have the best mastery of plant-material-for-artistry ever. 

GLORIOUS fair day.  Love the palms sticking up above everything.  Two of the three Ferris wheels  

I was amazed and a little shocked that the MN state fair didn't have Footsie Wootsies.   They are a LIFE saver.  Best usage of $0.25 since the jawbreaker. 

 

Music building...Joey mixing some beats on the electric drumset

 

 

 



La Wheel Grande.  The only ride we do at the fair.

 

 

 



waiting in line.

I love the views from the top of the Ferris Wheel.  Carnival area. 

looking out over the Grand-stand and the city beyond. 

 

 



The people masses...and the city lights...I love Los Angeles! 

 

 

So in conclusion...the two fairs are not really comparable.  They are just too different.  Different foods, different events and activities, different grounds, different people watching...They are each unique and fantastic in their own way.  (But LA county fair will always have a special place in my heart!)

 

 



This is my mom's new favorite store.  Super King.  Supposedly it's been here for a long time and we only just discovered it.  It is packed all the time.  The food and patrons reflect Hispanic, Asian and Armenian influences.  Such a fun mix. 

 

 



Bins of peppers...fresh and yummy.

 



Love the color and amount of bell peppers and other vegetables. 

 

 



The...not even sure aisle.  rice, beans, grains.  Bags and bags stacked on top of each other.  Things I've never eaten or heard of before. 

 

 

 



The meat...oh the meat.  Animal parts that I would never dare put in my mouth.  bleh. 

 

 



Armenian and mexican nuts and candies.  People go by with bags and make themselves little mixes.

 

 

 



The piñatas!!  fun and bright!

 

 

 



more bins of nuts and random muchy mixes...unlike you've ever seen before. 

 

 

 

 



In this picture I am standing at the front door of my cousins' little apartment.  Jon and Kali have the most ideal location...three doors down from the beach.  Cannot explain to you how amazing it is to play their piano by an open window while listening to the waves crash and watching the sun go down and being caressed by a cool seabreeze. 

 

 

 



Driving back from Santa Monica at night...love Downtown LA with all the lights and cars. 

 

 

 



Breakfast with my friends Jerod, Jess and Nick at IHOP.  I like them. 

 

 

 

 



Verses about light all around the Biola Library.

 

 

 



Sitting on the patio of the Kincaids in Redondo Beach.  So I love DT St. Paul's location and everything...but this is kind of amazing.

 

 

 



Redondo Beach. 

 

 



Redondo Beach Wharf.

 

 

 



So I'm driving along alone, singing with my music, soaking in the day, thinking lots of thoughts, and all the sudden I find myself on the overpass......or in the carpool lane, rather.  I have gotten so used to driving this way with people, it felt like second nature. 

There was no one behind me, so I slowed down a bit and took a picture. 

Pretty clear days for summertime.  105 overpass to the mountains...with DT in the sights. 

 

 

 



 

NOTE: This is the caption for the following three pictures.  

 

So I was at my friends house a few blocks away and decided to walk home instead of getting picked up.   These are the three Armenian bakeries within two blocks of each other.  Past my street a little ways there is at least one more.  Mmmm baklava, lahmajun, cheese boreg...Oh how I miss me some tasty Armenian baked goods. 



Back to previous captioning.

Oh yeah, my dog.  She was having a grand old time...I got an email update, a few text updates and this one picture.  The bottom dog is Sierra, and the one above her is Nan.  She belongs to a family from church who graciously agreed to keep Sierra while I was gone.  Apparently things didn't go too bad, since Sierra is happy and the family is still talking to me.  It was good to know she was taken care of. 

 

 

Well, there are my 48 reminders.  Someone else's 48 excuses to procrastinate.  another person's 48 random pictures of people and places they know or care nothing about.  And my grandmas', family's and friends' 48 ways to keep up to speed on my life.

 

Thanks for sharing this time, these pictures and all the memories with me, whatever the reason is you're here. 

=)