life in a northern town

I love me some west yellowstone. my dads side of the family have been going there for years. in fact next summer is our 20 year anniversary staying at hebgen lake, just a few miles north of town. I love this trip. I didnt get to go last year because I was in arizona. bleh. so I was thrilled to be going this summer. its da best.

I love this place. so so much.

and this little duder. my nephew tucker

chaco season

 

we love the playmill

and I love these two

discovering all the things that fit in his toes

$5 5XL? why not?

melissa is working in yellystone and she had visitors conveniently come the same week I was there.

 

buckaroo bills 'gambling man' banana split. gave 'the sink' at angies a run for its money.

they are favorite cousins for sure.

handled

we got delayed in the park for quite some time due to the mangy bison

so we took pictures on the side of the road

we drove through jackson hole and stopped at my favorite pizza joint. cant wait till I am back in a month with the other side of the fam

cant wait to get back here!

I hate I am not gonna see this little chub every day.

all in all, such a great time. a GREAT time. I love my family. they are amazing and sometimes I wonder why I was placed on this earth with such amazing people in my family. it was so nice to go home for a short trip and spend time with them all. best part is they are all coming here in week! beach, food, family and disneyland. too perfect...

design for humanity

  two weeks ago jess, holland, haley and I headed off to the paramount studio lot for Billabong's Design for Humanity Event. basically we got tickets soley for the Edward Sharp and the Magnetic Zeros concert. luckily it turned out to be oh so much more then that. the whole event is to raise money and awareness about the importance of music, art and design in our education system. there was an art walk and silent auction, graffiti, surf boards being carved, dj's the concert and a fashion show put on by billabong, which was rad. here's some highlights...

 

 

and on our way out we spotted jess' boo.
oh hey justin bobby.

where did four weeks go?

isnt that crazy? time flies when your doing what you love. all I can say is that this summer is going MUCH faster then last summer. much faster.

this week was eventful as always. work started slow...not too much to do. however there were two large bins filled with samples that needed to be sorted and returned to the PDC (Pacific Design Center).

behold. the PDC.

six stories of high end design showrooms. a humongo shopping mall for designers and architects. pretty rad. kinda weird that the halls inside are basically empty. its a destination place, not a walk around and parooze type of place. so we sorted samples for a good while, loaded up and Lauren (the other intern) and I headed out.

lost all circulation in my arms, but the PDC was rad. I also enjoyed the showrooms that had complimentary drinks and snacks. real nice feature.

mostly at work I have doing interior elevations for kellys retail store, choosing the finishes and designing the kitchen and fitting rooms. its been way fun. hopefully she likes it all, cause if she does, her store will have Brady stamped all over it. unreal. sometimes I cant believe I am here working for her. being in LA really has made me see how lucky this opportunity is. I feel very very blessed.

as posted previously, I really enjoy me gym here as well. tuesday night I hit up a spin class after work that I loved. kicked my butt, but it was great to be back in the saddle. even with my sore undercarriage the next day. feels good to be sore, just not down there.

thursday was fun because cousin kyle arrived for a 10 day business venture here in LA. so I have a temporary roommate, which is nice. thursday night at about 10:30pm I was hit with unbearble pizza cravings. I called all over the place for somewhere that delivered, but ended up at a great little spot open super late, had free wifi and sweet modern decor. earthy, organic italian cuisine. I took my computer, ordered some caprese and a marghareta pizza and was happy as a clam for about 2 hours.

this was a winner. definitely going back in the future.

friday the other three aggies and I hit up some brunch at a great place called trimana, then headed to the hills for an afternoon hike. on our way we spotted a sample sale at the james perse store in hollywood. first of all, this was my first sample sale (didnt know why it was so special in the first place. apparently the items used for runway and other shows are discounted up to 60%) so there were some good bargains. second, his store is SICK. its an old warehouse.

I loved the california flag mural. the overall experience was pleasing. I snagged a black no hood sweatshirt. originally $98. I paid much much less. go sample sale.

our hike was a great adventure. sunny weather, plenty of other interesting hikers to admire and laugh at as well.

we found shmeagal in her cave. it was cozy, and she was very hospitable.

 

holland and I opted to climb the rock face. the girls chose to stay at the bottom, and naturally, they missed out. killer views from the top.

we then headed towards another trail that after a good long while we found was taking us towards the hollywood sign. we were deceived. the trail kept winding and winding, but we never reached it. so close, yet so far.

 

 you wouldnt believe how long this picture took. dont try it. we kept having to start over cause we all were laughing too hard. but it paid off.

saturday was a lazy day. read, grocery shopped, napped and then kyle and I went to pink taco again. we really enjoyed it. today was a splendid day. minus the fact that I got ready for church, showed up at the meetinghouse then quickly realized I didn't see anyone I knew. oh, maybe it was because I showed up AN HOUR EARLY. its not like I haven't been here for four weeks. so that was funny. I sat in my car and read my marriage and family prep manual. very insightful. for reals though, it was. then I fell asleep in my car. which is always a little awkward when the family who owned the car next to me got in to see slumbering me. ah well. church was great. really great. we talked a lot about missionary work and I got inspired to make one of those "I am a mormon" profiles. apparently President Monson encouraged LDS members to have 100,000 online by the end of the year. news to me, but I think its a fantastic idea. if you havent checked it out yet, you should.

the bishop of my ward then invited those who had birthdays in april, may and june over to his house for dinner. gourmet burgers, watermelon, ice cream and smores. such a perfect summer evening sunday meal. gorgeous house and yard, great company, new friends a enriching conversations. it was a great day and evening. 

cant wait for this week! a, because I love working here. b, because I am excited for celebrity gym time and c, I am flying back to utah friday for these guys wedding...

 cant wait to see everyone at it! then its home for four days then west yellowstone! yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeah.

celebrity gym time

today during celeb gym time I had two great encounters. I went in, hopped on an elliptical machine and got at it. it was a good few minutes before I glanced to my left and noticed two machines away from me was this lovely girl...

Amanda Bynes. the tv comedian that entertained me in my youth. also in Easy A. I will say that she is much prettier in person, with little make up and her hair in a pony tail sporting gym attire. she was on that elliptical for LONG time. most the time I was at the gym.

a little while later I then spotted this Disney star on a stationary bike...

ashley tisdale. aka Charpay. also, MUCH much prettier in person. when her hair is pulled back and she isnt pursing her lips. her hair was dark, like it is here. something about her though...not right. she kind of has "eff off" written on her forhead.

so yeah, eventful day at Equinox

new taste buds

working for someone whose designs are not necessarily my personal style has been such a good experience. I was nervous at first for some reason, thinking that maybe I wouldn't enjoy tasks at hand due to my dislike of the design. quite on the contrary. I am gaining new appreciation, and love for many things since designing here in LA for K Dubs.

some appreciations are new.
others just rediscovered.

 

my number one new love. GOLD

did I used to not like gold cause I thought it was:

dated, at times tacky and not silver or steel?

yes.

do I now think of things I could guild in gold?

yes.

am I leaning towards a gold wedding ring?

yes.

back to this picture of the Tides Hotel in South Beach by K Dubs- what I love...

-the gold striped screen in the back
-the natural branches. wood. wood. wood. she loves wood and so do I! but that wasnt anything new.
-the gold tufted sofa. A: because the whole thing is tufted. B: because its huge. two of me could nap on that bad boy.
-the gold garden stools
-the gold lamp shades.

moving on...

-gold stripped wall again.
-gold covered plant on the left
-tortoise shells. such a rad idea.

welcome to the Viceroy Anguila...

-stone. so much stone. stone everywhere!
-outdoor shower. for two
-wood chair and ottoman.
-private sundeck out of stone. I would nap out there. in the nude. which makes sense cause I would have just been in the shower. made out of stone.
-tub faucet.
-gold garden stool again

-wood ceiling. I LOVE THE CEILING.
-gold trimmed wall. with gold alcoves.
-custom chairs. all custom. most her stuff is custom.

-wood ceiling.
-STONE FREAKIN' WALL
-wood bar.
-giant balls of wood

-WOOD CEILING. LOOK AT THE CEILING!
-back wall. I am obsessed with it. five different kinds of stone. I love it.
-wood chairs and table.

-gold coffee table. rad.
-wood lamp shade. I want. I could make that pretty darn easily. and paint it GOOOOLD.

-stone, stone, stone. love the stone.
-those chairs are a K Dub originally. she uses them everywhere. the croc skin I picked up last week just got thrown on some. and they are gold

the Tides pool cabana. I want it all.

-wood wall. and the burled wood tables.
-again. gold garden stools.
-and that couch.
-alcove chairs. so rad.

her display at Bergdorf. its cool.

-gold table base
-gold spikey ball I love
-gold trimmed alcoves.
-giant gold dice
-wompy wood stools with gold inlay

-that starburst pattern tile, its made of pressed straw, and its AMAZING. K Dubs just did a dining room with this covering the walls. so rad..
-black and creme chevron wood flooring
-gold accessories
-that pen line drawing, I have been doing so many of those, and I love it.

summing this gibberish up....

GOLD, really a fan. 
STONE, my love has been strengthened.
WOOD, always been a fan.

some cheesy something or other said, "Mother Nature is the best architect and designer."

point proven.
I would also add VINTAGE.
my appreciation for vintage finds runs much deeper.
recycle, reuse, repurpose. put it on your bumper.

again, let me say, I am having a ball. to be in this creative city is a blast.