live... laugh... love...

Lisa and Me

Lisa and I have known each other since 1984 when we were 13.  We were in the same ward and lived in the same neighborhood, but the school district boundaries went through our neighborhood, so I went to a different junior high and high school in a whole different school district than Lisa.  So we were friends on a church level, but not really more than that.  We did go to EFY together as roommates when we were 14, but that was about the extent of any outside of church interactions.  Then at BYU we were in the same dorm (Deseret Towers (DT), S-Hall, me on the 4th floor, she on the 5th).  We were in the same ward (two girls floors and two boys floors made up a ward).  We became real friends that year, hanging out with a great group of kids and going on some fun group dates.  After our freshman year, we became roommates for the next 2+ years until I got married.  We've never lived near each other again, but our friendship has remained strong through the years.  

Dinner at the Little Pasta Inn for my 19th birthday in 1990.

Hiking in Provo Canyon.

Freshman year - 1989-90.  Lisa and I were going on a date with the Beazer twins from our ward.  We decided to surprise them and dress like twins ourselves.  Oh, those cute things you do in college!

Sophomore year - 1990-91.  Lisa and I would make a no-bake cheesecake for the guys we were friends with who went into the Mission Training Center (MTC) which was (and still is) located just up 9th East from everywhere we lived together.  We'd go take them to the MTC for immediate delivery.  (Lisa, do you still have that recipe?)

Junior year - Halloween 1991 - Lisa and I dressed as a clothes line for our ward Halloween party.

And the Polyester Prom later our Junior year.

That was then...

 

This is now...

So gratefull for this amazing friend! Love you, Lis!

 

!Viva Febrero!

I have been unmotivated about my blog lately.  

But there is nothing like a beautiful Saturday afternoon at the beach to inspire me!  

Yes... Definitely inspired!

 

9 of 9: April

(click to view larger)

 

01:  Spring break in the desert from Wednesday to Saturday.  We survived the high winds and loved the cooler than usual temperatures.  My favorites from the trip?  The ride to Shell Reef and playing Nerts and Speed Scrabble in the Day's trailer.

02:  Maren's favorites from the trip?  "Going on the ride we just went on to Shell Reef and going bowling.  I liked everything!" (photo taken on that ride)

03:  Lauren and Justin ready to ride.  Lauren's favorites:  The airplane graveyard (a random scrap metal lot in the middle of the desert) and Mexican food was good (we discovered a local Mexican restaurant on our excursion to El Centro for bowling).

04:  Craig's favorites:  Mexican food restaurant, the ride to Shell Reef (photo taken there), spending time with family, and he liked watching how our kids are progressing in the sport (of motorcycle riding). Ashley's favorites:  "I liked bowling.  I liked the hikes that we did and all the rides".

05:  "Oh my gosh!  This is the best part of my trip!"  Emily got to drive the rhino on our long ride for the first time with Mom as passenger (not her first time driving the rhino though).  Other favorites included watching movies in our trailer and going bowling.

06:  Playing cards with Grammy.  We stopped in Fallbrook on the way home from the desert to celebrate Grammy's 68th birthday.  

07:  Grammy and Grandpa's house in Fallbrook.  This is the house Craig grew up in from the time he was about 10.

08:  Emily's crazy quilt.  Emily put together the squares; there is one more row of 3 that got cropped from the photo to fit above.  Then Grammy sewed them together with the sashing and binding and quilted it on her friend's long-arm machine.  It has a really cute jungle-print minkie on the back.  Emily is so excited about her eclectic creation.

09:  Nathan, crashed in our bed.  Nathan can only go to sleep at night in his bed if Craig or I lay by him until he falls asleep.  Usually we can do that for him, but tonight we were busy unloading the trailer, so he curled up in our bed.  Nathan's favorites from the trip:  "Best part?  Riding my motorcycle on all the rides, and bowling, and getting my two hot wheels cars" (from the Super Wal-Mart in El Centro on our outing).

 

a "personal" day

 

 

Maren took a "personal" day off school today.  She and I drove to LA to see a matinee performance of Beauty and the Beast at the Pantages theater in Hollywood.  We arrived a little over an hour before show time with the intention of getting some lunch near the theater.  We parked kitty corner from the theater, crossed over to it, then walked on past, and crossed back over to the other side of the street.  She was slightly freaked out by all the people on the streets.  Some were certainly interesting; there was certainly more ethnic diversity than we see in our "Talega bubble".  A couple times she said, "I don't know any of these people", looking like she was about to cry.  We went into a Mediterranean place, kind of like a Daphne's, directly across the street from the Pantages.  It was modern and clean and their were a couple of families with kids, so she felt comfortable.  We shared a gyro sandwich, a salad and some fries.  Then we walked back over to the theater.  The doors were open into the lobby at this point, but not yet into the actual auditorium (is that what you'd call it?)  We finally could take our seats about 20 minutes before the curtain went up.  We were up in the mezzanine, three rows from the front, so we had a good view.  Nothing like our seats at Wicked though.  But I think it was better for Maren because the loud music and when it was really dark on stage frightened her a little.  She enjoyed it though.  She was so happy at the end to hear her favorite line, "Mama, do I still have to sleep in the cupboard?"  When I asked if she'd enjoyed it once we got into the car to go home she said, "Yes, it was very entertaining".  I thought that was funny.  It was a great date with Maren.  

a WICKED good time

Emily, Lauren and I spent the evening 'defying gravity'.  

The girls' first time to see Wicked.  It didn't fail to impress.

I don't think I would ever get tired of listening to/seeing those last few minutes of Act I.  

Outstanding!

(... although these pictures we took are less than impressive.  How I dislike our Olympus!)

Segerstrom Center for the Performing Arts 

Orchestra Level, Row C, Seats 12-14, only 6 rows from the stage and just slightly off center stage.  The premium price was worth it!

The curtain with the map of OZ.   


 

Pioneer Trek

 

 

 

 

And they are off!  Let the adventure begin! 

(I wish I were there to document it!)

a night on the town

A little over a month ago, my friend Allison asked me to block off Friday, February 25th on my calendar. She said she had something planned to celebrate my 40th birthday.  All the details I got to know were: 1) we would be driving to LA and 2) dinner was involved.  Fun!  Last week she emailed me a few more hints like appropriate attire (dressy casual), the restaurant's Oscar menu (TRUE GRIT:  “Texas Style Barbeque,” Slow Cooked Baby Back Ribs, Mattie’s Polenta Corn Bread, Spicy Jalapeno Coleslaw, LaBoeuf Bourbon Whiskey Glaze), and movies that have featured this venue (this email never made it to me, but we discussed it later over dinner - Beverly Hills Cop and The Way We Were, to name two).  

Allison picked me up at 5 on Friday night.  I was pleasantly surprised to find another good friend, Wendy, in the back seat.  We braved blustery weather and major traffic up the 405 to Santa Monica Blvd, then on into Beverly Hills.  (Two and a half hours, folks!  But I wasn't driving.  And I'm told that is good for a Friday night!)        

Our destination?  The Beverly Hills Hotel!  Our table was ready for us when we walked into the famous Polo Lounge.  Although we were tucked into a quiet corner, we had views of the front of the restaurant and partial views of the bar.  Allison said she'd been praying that we would see someone famous.  Then, after thinking a white-haired gentleman a few tables away from us was a producer she'd seen on an awards show, she said she was amending her prayer to "Please let us see someone we actually recognize".  That cracked me up.  Her prayer was answered though as we saw Reese Witherspoon at a table and later in the bathroom (She walked right passed Wendy in the bathroom.  I was washing my hands, so missed her.) Allison also saw Lori Loughlin of Full House fame. 

Allison, me, and Wendy

We enjoyed attentive service and great food.  I ordered the scallops, of course, my favorite, served over a delicious risotto.  We shared a chocolate souffle at the end of the meal that was a beautiful presentation, but not as good as the richer, denser, chocolatier molten lava cakes I am partial too.

 

What an absolutely relaxing and memorable night!  Certainly not something I would have thought to plan for myself.  I think that's what made it especially fun. Thank you, Allison, for such a wonderful night!  

we got the fever!

Emily, Lauren and Ashley have all seen the Justin Bieber movie.                                                       And all of a sudden they are fans!  

 

Bieber Fever has hit the Puckett house!

 

supercross

Craig took Emily, Lauren, and Nathan to the Supercross races in Anaheim last night.  Rex and Drew, Mike and Ryland, and Jorge and Justin went with them.  They arrived early and visited the pits before the races began.  Nathan got to meet Chad Reed and have him sign Nate's hat.  It was a big deal to Nathan.  He's gone to Supercross the last couple of years with Craig and this is the first year they've gone to the pits.  And it's the first year the girls have gone.  They had a great time as well, with the "main event" being their favorite race.  James "Bubba" Stewart won... no surprise there.

 

What did you wake up to?

This is an excerpt from an email my sister in Illinois sent me yesterday:

"Here is what I woke up to this morning.  I tried to see if I could get my car out, but the snow was up to my knees and I don't have a shovel.  Not sure when the apartments will come and plow the parking lot - I don't mind being stuck in my house, but I just opened my last diet coke - things could be rough this afternoon.... :)"

 

This got the blogger in me thinking: "What a fun post! Let's take pictures of what I see tomorrow morning!" So after dropping kids off to school this morning, Maren and I went for a little drive (and for those of you not familiar with where I live, I do mean little, 5 miles max) and snapped these:

Before you all feel too jealous I will disclose that it was only 45 degrees while I snapped these photos at 8 a.m.  (Of course, we are expecting a high of 62, but that still borders on cold to me!)  

PJ-clad Maren enjoying her favorite bagel (blueberry with blueberry cream cheese) from our favorite local bagel joint, the Bagel Shack.

And a couple shots at home:

The view from our backyard.  We enjoy a peek-a-boo ocean view to the left of the hills... Hey, it's enough to put on a flyer someday if we ever sell!  

So, what did you wake up to today?  I'd love to hear and see!