Day 20: Sixty Day Photo Challenge

Somewhere I'd love to travel...

Egypt.

Ok, so considering the slight unrest in that country, I probably won't make it to Egpyt for a while.

But that doesn't change the fact that I once had an obsession...

I would still like to visit Alexandria, Cairo, Gisa, Luxor, Valley of the Kings, etc...

I would love to take a mini cruise down the Nile...

I would love to explore the pyramids and tombs...

I'm a nut. And I love it.

lake arrowhead

Lake Arrowhead holds a special place in the hearts of the Sheranian Family.

My great-grandfather owned a cabin up at the lake for years and years.

My grandfather grew up going to the lake for a couple months every summer.

And then my dad went up to the cabin for a few weeks every summer.

So when we were talking about venues for a family reunion,

we decided it was about time to go back to the lake...

We had to wait before we could check-in to our cabin for the weekend, so we killed some time by eating lunch at Lake Arrowhead's very own Malt Shop.. 

it's been here a long time... ;D

i loved the authentic retro decor. amazing. i felt like i was stepping back into the 1950s. 

which was the point. i was.

right?

Bryan with his pineapple shake. I think he got it only because it reminded him of Shawn and Gus. ;D

Afterwards, we went straight to our cabin (aka mansion...WOW!)

view of the "cabin" from the dock area...

the pathway up to the house...

the gathering area on the second floor...

the gorgeous windows in the gathering area... great view, right?

our very own dock!! ... which included two kayaks...

the view of the lake from one of the decks...

me lounging in the coveted hammock... perfect bliss *sigh* i miss it already.

Saturday morning, a few people took the kayaks out...

uncle Steve just getting back from kayaking out to "the island"...

"the island" was just across from the dock where my dad and his brothers grew up vacationing. so they used to swim to the island and play there all day. most of us made it onto the island at one point or another during the trip... including me. although i cheated by taking a speed boat during a tour around the lake... haha

right around this time is when Bryan lost his glasses... so my dad (deciding it was worth it to risk the cold for $200), jumped in the lake to dive for them.... unsuccessfully...

(disregard my nerdy-ness)... *facepalm*


my lovely family (and the t-shirt i designed...)

Steve and Shari sportin the family shirt. While I was walking through the village to the dock where our family was water skiing, a guy walked past Sarah and I and said, "You guys are everywhere!"
We were both confused for a second before we looked down and remembered that we were wearing the reunion t-shirts. ;D Hah. Glad we stood out of the crowd. Go Sheranians!


lake tour by speedboat...


me and Bry...


Bry and Harrison...

Alex, Scott and Bryan after water skiing
(i wasn't on that boat, so i don't have the awesome photos...)


Bry's wound from water skiing...


our tour--as you can tell, it was almost too much for Harrison to handle... ;D

We had a blast.
It should have lasted a week, instead of four-ish days. Just wasn't enough.

So here's something you might enjoy:

Grandma lounging on the dock with a friend (i think when she was dating my grandpa)...
she's on the left...

and grandma lounging on the dock at our reunion...


i ♥ it.

Day 19: Sixty Day Photo Challenge

When I was little:

That's me on the back of Sarah's tricycle.

I feel no shame in showing off my extraordinarily beautiful young self.

Aren't I adorable?

ward camp-out

So for my ward's "big summer event" we went on a camp-out to McGrath State Beach in Oxnard. There were about fifty people who showed up (whew!). We had fun despite the June Gloom weather (overnight rain), and the partitioned beach (due to the endangered bird species living there). Great friends, great food.

I put up my very first tent! (I know, I know--pathetic...) But every other time I've gone "tent-camping" I've been with either my Dad (who puts it up for me), or we show up for Girls Camp, and they are already set up by our leaders.

Isn't my tent amazing? ;D I'm very proud. Allana and I put it up together. Only took us 20 minutes (haha). And the zipper is totally broken. We safety-pinned ourselves in for the night. Although, I ended up sleeping in the backseat of my car. My back/hips were killing me and I couldn't fall asleep. So around 4am, I gave up, unpinned myself from my tent, and dragged my sleeping bag through the damp dirt into the backseat of my dad's very comfortable (hah) SUV. But thankfully, I was able to sleep for at least three hours. haha.

We, of course, had some pretty fantastic food as well.

Tin foil dinners. YUM

Bacon-wrapped chicken. *sigh* Drooling just thinking about it. Bacon makes everything better.

Yummy peach cobbler, upside-down pineapple cake, and a chocolate berry concoction all due to Andrew Whiteside's skills. (He is now considered the ward's #1 bachelor!)

Masato and Johnny making everyone breakfast. We really took the gourmet route for our camping trip!

I never made it to the beach--it was too cold (that is my excuse), but we occupied ourselves very well.

Badminton, yay!

Campfire gatherings... talking, marshmallows... you know the drill.

And early morning ultimate frisbee!

A success, if I do say so myself--even if I had nothing to do with the planning or execution of the entire trip. ;D Way to go Ali and Dan!

Day 18: Sixty Day Photo Challenge

My biggest insecurity....

So I thought about lying, and saying that my biggest insecurity is my nose...But that is not true. My nose is awesome. And it doesn't bug me. It fits my face. Or my face fits my nose. Either way, I have no insecure feelings about my nose.

But, obviously, my weight has always been a big insecurity. I don't have the greatest will power when it comes to exercise or dieting. I'm aware that I need a life-style change to be healthier.

However, what I have worked on harder than the weight-loss, has been acceptance of my body. I think I have gained a point in my life where I am happy with who I am, body and all. I'm aware that I am overweight and that there are health risks involved. And I go through stages of working towards a healthier me. But I have always felt that self-confidence in whatever body type I may have, is more important. I want to be happy all the time. Not always unhappy striving for the "skinny me."

I read a book recently by Don Miguel Ruiz called "The Four Agreements: A Toltec Wisdom Book." Definitely a self-help book, but a lot of my family recommended the book. Nothing in the book was glaringly new, but it reminded me to strive better to accept myself. He said, 

"We have the need to be accepted and loved by others, but [the problem is that] we cannot accept and love ourselves. The more self-love we have, the less we will experience self-abuse. Self-abuse comes from self-rejection, and self-rejection comes from having an image of what it means to be perfect and never measuring up to that ideal. Our image of perfection is the reason we reject ourselves; it is why we don't accept ourselves the way we are, and we don't accept others the way they are."

Self-love and exercise: the key to healthy happiness. ;D

Day 17: Sixty Day Photo Challenge

Something that has made a huge impact on my life recently.

Sarah & Brent's wedding last August definitely made an impact on 

the lives of my entire family. But seeing her follow through on her decision

to marry a worthy man in the temple, made my own desire for a temple marriage

increase even more than I thought it could.

Way to be a good example, sister. ♥

chad is married

So I know it's long overdue, but here is an update from the month of May: Chad is married. *Gasp* Yes, I know. And I totally made it to his wedding. Daniel, Melissa, the babe, and I all drove the 7-ish hours from LA to Sacramento.

I was in the backseat with the babe:

(And no, she was not always this happy. Part of the time she was screaming at the top of her lungs. Sad day that she can't sleep in the car)...

But I still love her....

So on Friday the 13th, while Dan and Melissa went to the sealing, Juliet and I played outside. That girly is hilarious. She's scared of grass and water (there's a big fountain in front of the Sac Temple), so she stuck to the concrete.

How do I know she's scared of grass? Well, here's her face when I put her on the grass...

She's totally giving me the evil eye, right? haha.

And then she ran away from me...towards the water. That was how upset she was with me for the grass incident...

And finally, Chad and Kristy walked out of the temple, all married and stuff.

Kristy totally made her wedding dress. I know. Amazing, right?

Congrats Chad! I'm so happy for you and Kristy!

Day 16: Sixty Day Photo Challenge

Someone who inspires me:

Bethany Hamilton

She's the awesome surfer who lost her arm in a shark attack...

and then got back into the ocean.

Faith over fear.

Day 15: Sixty Day Photo Challenge

Something I want to do before I die: Visit Santorini, Greece. Every picture I've ever seen is absolutely breathtaking. It's definitely at the top of my list for world-wide travel.

I mean, the architecture? the vibrant colors? not to mention the view?

what's not to like?

Day 14: Sixty Day Photo Challenge

Someone I could never imagine my life without:

There really are no other words.
I ♥ you, sister.

Day 13: Sixty Day Photo Challenge

So I know I'm totally behind on my photo challenge. Pathetic, right? I dropped my blog for a while with all the crazy happenings in my life. But here's a quick post.


My current obsession is Ingrid Michaelson. I know, I know, nothing new. But I seriously have been listening to her non-stop in my car. ♥ ♥ ♥