A New Year

I know it has been a really long time since I have made a post. SORRY. Im sure you have all just had a huge empty gapping hole in your life without being able to read my latest rant or story..am I right...Mom?

I am sure there a million little stories and details that have happened since my July post...You're not gonna get 'em, sorry, Im took lazy, but here's the gist of it: Came back to BYU. Been dancing on the Ballroom Company again, Dancing competitively with ex-girlfriend (I know what you're thinking...no we haven't killed each other, yes, you can be great friends post breakup, and apparently great dance partners :)  Love you Becks...I made a whole slew of dresses for the November dance championships...It was a blast, stressful, chaotic, humbling, great learning experience. A big thanks and shout out to those girls! You all looked amazing in your dresses and also a thank you to my mother, I wouldn't have gotten it all done on time without her help and reassurance!!!!! Post November comp I was exhausted mentally and had little drive for school! Senioritis much...I THINK SO!

I also came to a decision about making the push for graduation in April. To make such event happen, I have two classes and an internship to complete...I had no clue what to do for an internship, but thanks to THE Big Guy up top, an opportunity literally fell into my hands. I applied and made the first cut of interviews, then the next, and then I made top three. I had a one on one interview. I was the first of the group, and I was given the position on the spot! Pretty awesome. I was totally shocked. So this coming semester I will be interning at ZPW law in south Salt Lake. More deets will come as I get into it. I am excited and a little intimidated all at the same time, but am ready to impress the pants off those lawyers :P

Finals were...well finals. Couldn't wait to have them over and done with. Walked out of my last final, packed the car and drove east the following morning. SIGH.

People always ask me ugh WHY do you even bother driving home why dont you fly? My first reason is well, My parents rarely ever get a ticket bought when they somewhat cheap, because flying to IOWA, is NOT cheap :-/ But to be honest, I don't really mind it all that much. I have an obscene amount of music on my iPod, and I just set it to shuffle and drive! Belting right along with Adele, jamming along with Incubus...discovering songs and artists that I haven't listened to in a while, but absolutely love. I have refreshed some of my current playlists bringing these old gems back.

Being home was nice, but this was definitely the year that I discovered that my parents house is no longer my home. It will always have the nostalgic homey feel, but its not my place anymore. There is nothing for me there anymore besides family and friends. I will always love visiting...as long as I am not forced into labor...It's called Christmas Vacation for a reason...but I felt the need to get ready to set my own roots down somewhere. Even if it is only for a few years, or in Salt Lake, anywhere but Provo would be fine haha. Im ready to be in my own place, that I can do whatever I want with. I am ready to start the next phase of my life.

2012 

Which brings me to the main segment of my post. A few days before the New Year rang in, I looked back and surveyed 2011. I'll be honest, it was a long and hard year. I had a lot of growing up to do, heartache to mend, depression and demons to battle, friends lost, and new ones gained. It wasn't necessarily year of triumph, but it was one that taught me a lot about myself. I have learned that I can adapt to just about any trial, or situation tossed my way. I learned that I can do anything i put my mind to. Sounds cliche, but it's true. There's nothing I can't do. I have gained confidence in myself, and my capabilities. I made a decision that I don't want 2012 to be a replay of 2011. I decided that I was going to take all my hard earned life lessons and skills from the past year and put them to work for my benefit. This is the year that I put myself in control of my future instead of sitting on my hands waiting for the best thing to come my way. I have to forge my own path, live my own life. I can't tell you the countless times that I've asked my big sis what to do with my life, and she would always have great ideas and answers, but she always reminded me that I have to do things for me, because I want to. Because I am passionate about it, because it's what I love to do. So this year I have made it a goal to live unapologetically me. Do things that I have always wanted to. Be better than I have been. Live life happily and proactively. The things that terrified me before, like graduating, moving on with life, and starting a career, have become my ambitions. I am an adult, and I need to be one.  I am ready to be one. I don't know why I haven't been one.  So this year I don't have any dumb resolutions,or a list of things that I want to do in the next 12 months, just the reality check that 2012 is the year that I, Brian John Youngblut, will grow up. Wish me luck.

One Week Left

Well its been about 2 weeks or so, I figured it was time to grace you with another update :P This summer has blown by in a whirlwind of tests and trials, experiences, hardships and lots of stories that I will be able to look back and laugh at...As I look back over the weeks I hope that I have grown, changed, or developed in some manor. I came out here to California pretty much on a whim, dragging Caitlin along with me in the beginning, but was quickly left to my own devices. I wanted this summer to be something different, something new...something NOT PROVO! I have always been a big dreamer. I've dreamed of becoming a movie star, a singer, a famous socialite, a world renowned dancer, and a cutting edge fashion designer. I think the best lesson that I learned this summer is that I can do ANYTHING I set my heart on. With drive and hard work you would be amazed at what you can accomplish. There was one point towards the beginning of my California adventure where I had about $15 dollars to my name, no way to pay my rent, and an empty gas tank that I decided that no matter what came my way, I wasn't going home to Iowa, or Utah during this summer because I failed, or because I ran dry. This summer has been everything but easy, but I'd like to believe that I'm stronger for it. Calling upon higher powers and hidden talents I was able to not only survive, but come out on top.

There wasn't just one thing that helped me, no secret ingredient, it was mostly pure will power, heavenly guidance, and lot of answered prayers. I taught private dance lessons, group classes, gave up many Friday nights to work, spent countless hours on sewing projects and rhinestoning. Even when the bouts of anxiety were overpowering leaving me feel drowned and helpless, there was always a way, usually not out, but a safe route through the treacherous territory. The life lessons learned and experiences gained are innumerable.

Sorry for the reflection heavy intro to this post. I blame it on the nearing birthday and the simultaneous conclusion of this summer in L.A. Which reminds me: JULY 29th friends!

Seriously though...don't forget it, or I'll forget you...haha, but seriously....

I'm turning the big 24...one more year before I'm a Mormon Menace to society...Sorry Mom there's not many prospects on the books... Speaking of weddings though, congrats are in order to my CUZINS STEVE & ANDEE OTT! They were sealed with their little ones on the 16th! I was sooooo happy to get to attend the festivities and see family that I haven't seen in awhile. Especially happy to see G...thats my Grandma Jo...she's pretty awesome.

I feel that the older I get the better my relationships with my parents, grandparents, and siblings become. I feel like I am finally realizing how awesome they all are...too bad it's only taken me 24 years...ooops better late than never right. But seriously, I feel like I spent too much of high school trying to get away from them instead of fostering my relationships with them. For example, My mom! We've had our up's and down's, especially during my teens, but this past year or so I have been discovering how much of her personality and creativity and other awesome traits I have so fortunately inherited from her. MY MOM IS AWESOME! There isn't any other mom as cool, talented, loving, or helpful as she. She's the best :) Love you lots Mom!

This familial appreciation hasn't just been extended to her, but I have felt it towards all my family members, even though I know I haven't expressed it. My dad, mom, brothers, sisters, and their kids have come to mean the world to me this year. I don't know why...haha I know that sounds a little funny, but for me it is...If you know me really well, you'll know that as much as I am a socialite, I am a recluse. I like to keep to myself...I have always been the independent, strong willed one out of all my siblings. The one who moved away and stayed away...well thus far...call it home sickness, or whatever, but I have gained a greater love and respect for each of them and I look forward to seeing them on our family vacation in August! :)

I know this blog is usually been a regurgitation of my weekly dealings, but after a while it just gets old spitting up the same old routine to you, sorry. These last few weeks nothing really big has happened...Studio wise, just getting back into the swing of things after my Utah trip, Sewing wise is continually busy! I made a practice shirt for Vadim and he order a competition shirt from me for IGB next week...so I am staying pretty busy. I will have to post pictures when everything is finished... it's a velvet turtle neck, so far it is turning out really nice. PROVO DANCERS, GUYS AND GALS, I WILL BE OPEN FOR BUSINESS UPON MY ARRIVAL!!! Get your ideas and designs put together...I am in LA so if you want me to grab you fabric or whatever before I come back gimme a call!

Speaking of design and all things fab, I was with my saving grace Mrz Merry Jane Clift in Beverly Hills the other day! It was a delight. We ran a muck up and down Robertson Blvd, Rodeo Drive, Melrose window shopping and drooling over haute couture. It was awesome! My first visceral reaction was "ugh I belong here!" It would be amazing to own my own label and store. There is something special about that place. We had lunch at a quaint little cafe just down from the famous Ivy, which is a Hollywood hotspot. It was a fun day. Ooo I also got to meet Schuron, one of Merry's besties that works at the MAC pro shop in B. Hills...She's super rad. She is just a genuine loving human being. She is just so much awesome in one person! You would have to meet her to understand how great she is, and beautiful! Merry has the coolest friends and connections you could ever imagine! Probably because Merry is one of the coolest people you could ever meet.

A little background story for those who don't know...Merry's family is from Iowa and she grew up in as one of my Mom's young women and a good family friend. When she was attending BYU and while my family was living in UT, MJ lived with us, and she was my nanny! We were besties from the start. Even though I was super young we had a strong bond that after all these years. Well here I am house sitting for her all summer until she got back last weekend so we could hangout before I leave. She is a gem! an answered prayer, and a stronghold for me this summer. She is a total blast to be with and has helped me so much. She is the kind of person that everyone needs to have in their life. Loving, reassuring, confident, accepting, fun, and creative. The list could go on forever. One of the biggest gifts that she has given me, is the knowledge that she believes in me, my talent, my being. She is a friend for life, and I have loved being here with her and her family! They feel like an extension of my own.

Well that about wraps it up here for me. Life is moving fast...This coming week last year I was in San Francisco dancing at IGB, celebrating my bday, and morning the loss of my Grandpa Dale who died on my bday. It's been a year and we still miss him. He was a great man who changed and lead this family. So many great memories that will forever be cherished.

Not to leave you on a downer note...but hey, life is short. If you haven't done something you've been wanting to do all summer, do it this week!!!! Summer is almost over. I will see all of you utah people soon , until then :)


BRI

Say yes to the stress...I mean dress

Well I know it has been longer than a week, but at least it's not 20 days this time. So much to tell you , but I have no idea where to even start as it has all passed by in a rapid blur...Well my 4th of July weekend was a total bummer. First it kicked off with a dress order that had to be done in like 3 days...the order and measurements came in Sunday night, the 3rd, so Monday was spent slaving away on this dress as to have the 1st fitting on Tuesday morning. The concept of the dress is a dark colored nude body suit with black mesh on top, velvet neckline in front and back, and then velvet detailing on the sides, with a feather skirt...conceptually it wasn't all that difficult...by Monday 3am I had everything ready for the fitting, the bodysuit, sleeves, skirt, etc...well the Tuesday fitting came and went pretty quick and left me with a TON of alterations...Vicki is one of my bosses who took the order and made the design and handed it over to me to construct...she is very picky and detail oriented, which is a good thing, but not when she demanded that the dress be done by Thursday night...needless to say I went back to work on the dress...this time Becky who was in town jumped on board to help. I can't even dive into all of the details with how much we had to change and fix, just know that it was lot... Well we stayed up all night and had another fitting on Wednesday...Vicki ripped it all to shreds again...by this time my mental and emotional capacity was seriously lacking and the fact the Vikii was so brutal wasn't helping all that much, especially when I made all the alterations that she marked! So The rest of Wednesday was spent working on the dress, but tonight we did sleep. We went to bed around midnight or so...

8 AM came pretty quick, and a good night's rest did us some good. We were able to focus and work with clear minds. We worked all through the day, and finally started stoning around 3pm...Ummm yeah this dress has around 7,000 stones on it...that's no typo and you did read that right SEVEN THOUSAND, probably more. I have never seen so many rhinestones in my life. We stoned into the night. Vicki and Vadim came around 10PM, only for Vicki to point out things that she wanted changed...mind you this dress was suppose to be handed over today in the afternoon, but we got an extension until Friday morning...Ugh I wanted to kill her!!!! So we changed everything she asked, while she got to stoning. V & V were stoning with us until about 4am, and we stayed up and finished around 8am...by the end of it I couldn't even get my hands to move...and to top it off I went to sew some of the velvet detailing on the gloves and my needle broke... I was soo tired that I couldn't remember or find my extras, so it all had to be done by hand....awesome...NOT. V&V came to pick up the dress around 830 to run the dress down to Palm Desert so Beverly could wear for the comp that same day...I guess they walked in just in time and got her in it minutes before she had to go on.

The dress held up and looked great! She won all first places too! Vicki tells me a lot of people were talking about the dress and that we got a lot of referrals from it...So it was a success...a massive pain in the butt and a headache, but a success none the less. Here are some pics:

We ourselves went down to the comp and met up with friends. Again it was hard not to dance, but it was fun to watch friends compete. Fun story: As I was walking out of the ballroom at the end of the night this girl stops me and asks if she knows me...I didn't recognize her at all so I apologized and said that I didn't think so...then she asked me if I was someone famous or something because she swears she has seen my face before in a movie or something and she saw all of these different people coming up and talking to me at the comp and she said to herself if one more person came up to talk to me that she would ask me my name...I informed her, that I surely was no celeb, and no one cool or famous... Although I think we both walked away feel a little dumb, it was a nice ego boost.

With the dress stress behind us we could focus on fun in the sun and dancing! The rest of the weekend was spent getting choreography and hitting the beach. We hit up Santa Monica beach and rode on the Ferris Wheel on the pier.

Did you know that the Santa Monica Ferris wheel is the world's first and only solar powered Ferris wheel?

It was a fun day in the sun, and I was eager to fall into bed at the end of the night.

Sunday was a nice quiet day relaxed and fun. Went for a walk around the LA Temple at night. It is such a beautiful building and site amidst the LA skyline.


Today, Monday, We got totally worked by Vicki and Vadim, It was a really great day and we danced a bazillion hours. It felt really good, and I am looking forward to competing.

A downer this week, I think someone stole my iPod...I left it at work, and when I came back to get it, it was gone and no one has seen it... :( ugh I didn't even make it a year with that thing. Hopefully it will turn up.

Well, I think this brings you all up to speed. I will be in Utah in a few days for a family wedding, and then back down to LA to finish up my summer teaching at Regency. Life has been good. Lots of lessons learned, and some that I feel that I am still in the process of learning. Tables are turning and life is moving a million miles a minute here...nothing new really. I just wish that things weren't sooo intense for me aaaaalllllll the time. It's like one trial after another after another. I'm exhausted already sheeesh... Ok friends im off to bed. Early day at the studio tomorrow and lots of work to get done before this Utah trip. Stay classy...



Bri

Has it really been 20 days?

Ok I am a failed blogger... It's been 20 days since I have written a post. I am sorry, but things have gotten busy busy busy here...Just think, this way, my post today won't just be a monotonous run down of my routine-ish weeks...I am trying to think if there have been any major events that have gone on in this past month... Well after Caitlin left, life around here got quiet quick, but work kept me busy, and I have been sewing and working on costumes. I was able to go to San Diego to watch friends Shane and Shannon Jensen dance at the competition. They got second in the Amateur Latin Championship! I was so glad to see good friends, but it was excruciating not to be able to compete.

I have been doing some tryouts trying to find a new partner, thinking that I would stay here in LA for the rest of the year while finishing up my studies online and graduating. I have had a good handful of tryouts, but no one really suited me. My coaches Vadim and Viki have been really great. They've been trying to help me find a partner, and they invited me over to their house for Sunday dinner. Viki made a really great Russian meal. I have no idea what it was called, but it was sooooo good and I was stuffed to the gills... We spent the night just talking about dance, and family, and home. Vadim was skyping with his Dad in Russia, it was fun to see Vadim in his element...I feel that here they don't have many friends outside of the studio, but they have befriended me. I couldn't imagine how hard it would be move to a country where you don't speak the language, don't know anyone, and have little to no money, and try to forge a new life and career. It would be really hard. Vadim found out that I could sew and so he has asked to see some of my work with the possibility to start designing and working for a boutique that he owns...Well he likes my work and has brought me on to the company. I am now a designer and tailor for V & V couture! It was pretty cool to get asked to sell my dresses along international designers like Melnokoff (Anna Melnikova's mom) and VESA....It makes me nervous and really anal about all of garments that I construct. I have one dress completely done, and Vadim has asked me to make 3 more to sell in the store...He has priced my first dress at $1500 dollars!!!! I couldn't believe that. When he told me that, my jaw dropped to the floor...News of my talents spread like wildfire and soon people all around the studio people were asking me left and right if I had a website, and how they could go about getting one of my costumes...Needless to say, I am going to be really busy for the rest of the summer. Vadim is also wanting to start a practice wear line...ugh I dont even know where I am going to find the time to make everything, and still teach and dance!

I recently found out that I got a full-ride to BYU next year...that really threw me for a loop. I'll admit, after I found out that I did not make touring team I was embarrassed, sad, disappointed, and a mixture of a whole lot of other emotions. I have been working and practicing for the last few years to make the touring team, and not making it hurt...a lot! So it was easy for me to just want to disappear and hide my face from BYU. I had decided that I wanted to stay out here in California, and I was looking for every way possible to just graduate and be done, but things weren't working out very well that way...I know that finishing my education is very important, but I didn't know if I could go back and face everyone after not making that team. I didn't want to go back and face the rumors or drama or whatever happens to those who don't make the touring team...

When I found out that I got full tuition for next year a part of me immediately knew that I had to go back. Sunday at church I had this overwhelming feeling that I needed to go back to BYU, so that just confirmed previous thoughts, but it was still a little bit of an internal struggle. I love it out here. I have found my own little niche and have met some really great people and connections. I finally had to realize thanks to caring friends, family and mentors that LA isn't going to go anywhere , but the opportunities and experiences that I can have at BYU and on the ballroom company are once in a lifetime. So it is my plan to go back to BYU and dance on the Back-Up touring team again, work on myself as an individual and a team dancer, and tryout for the Blackpool team next year. I want nothing more than to be on that team, it has been the dream that started my whole ballroom career, and maybe yeah my ideal plan of moving up each year didn't work out, but I will do whatever it takes to be apart of that team.

So friends I am coming back to Provo for next year! I can't wait to see you and be on team with you :) I have missed you more than you know....I have no where to live yet, so if any of you have a place let me know ASAP!!!! preferably close to the RB....7 am practice comes really early and fast. I will be here till the first part of August before I head off on a little family vacay!

Life is good here, relatively calm...I have been working on some new dresses...I am working on this hott black feather one...all I can say is hott, and not just because I made it, but it is....see for yourself: (She's still under construction here)

Thoughts? I will be back in Provo and open for orders...all of my dresses have body suits, and I can tailor it to any size and I have tons of cool designs and fabrics...If you are interested text me, or email me...I am going to get a design blog up soon that has pics of the dresses that I have made and designs that I have...Don't worry I won't charge California prices...

One of the biggest things that I am going to miss about living here in LA is the fashion district. I love being able to drive 15 minutes down town and be in the midst of the most magical place in LA! Ugh I go nutz here just runnin around and finding all the cool fabric and trims and such. My design flag flys high! Seriously it is such a cool place to be and I have made good friends with some of these shop owners. It will be hard to leave this part behind.

It will also be hard leaving behind all the other cool places in the area that I have gotten to explore. Such being the Sky bar in Beverly Hill! woo woo thanks Merry Jane for getting us the hook ups! My friend Jen and I went out to dinner and dancing there! It was an expensive meal but sooooooooo good. One of the best meals I have ever eaten, and dessert to die for!

(Yes, Jen I do pick out the ugliest pictures of us to post on my blog)

The place was ridiculously swanky and the view of the valley was breathtaking. While Jen was in town we also went to the beach and to Hollywood Blvd, or better known as the walk of fame. It was awesome to get to walk around the Kodak, Chinese and Egyptian Grauman theaters...ahhh love me some Hollywood. Made me feel that ambition to become a star and get my own little square on that pavement. It was a blast having Jen here, and I was sad to see her go even though I was a little crab her last day here! Too many late nights and not enough sleep im sure!

Since I have decided to move back to BYU I have been happier and things have been going much better for me. I am excited for July to be here. My cousin Steve and his family are getting sealed in the temple, my gmas birthday is coming up, my birthday is coming up....and you all best be getting me something cool :P

iPad 2 is at the top of the list!

hello gorgeous!

My latest obsessions have been grilled cheese sandwiches ,
the samsung galaxy s 2 (Can't wait for the US release),
crystal light mojito mix ,
Lady Gaga's new CD ,
high top sneakers ( can't get enough),

and breakfast burritos with mango and peach salsa mmmmmmm!


Well I love you all...sorry for the lack of an update, and i'm sorry if this one sucked...I am tired, but I really needed to get something out. I promise I'll try to be better. Hope you're having a good summer!



BRI

Cupcakes and Traffic

It is already June! I can't believe how fast May went by. I have already been living here in LA for a month! I feel like so much has happened in this past month that more time had to of passed, but thankfully it hasn't! I want to enjoy every day I can here in California. The weather has been great lately, but now that we are entering June, we have been warned of whats called "June Gloom". This means that June is mostly overcast, but to be honest I don't really mind a few cloudy days, especially when I still get to see palm trees and the beach on a daily basis with near perfect weather every other day :) sigh ... yeah, I never want to leave haha.

This last week was suffered in traffic! Moving from Manhattan Beach to Burbank creates a little bit more of a journey for me to make to work, but the first few mornings weren't that bad...I was seriously jaded about LA traffic...The great thing about commuting with your dance partner is the carpool lane! There's nothing quite like the feeling of blazing past hundreds of cars jammed in traffic :) Don't worry I will have my time in that mess soon enough. Caitlin will be heading back to Utah and I'll have my patience and brakes tested every morning and every night in the commute.

I left you off at last Tuesday, which was my long day of lessons. Wednesday was a nice morning off and then lessons and dancing at the studio in the afternoon and classes at night... Nothing really eventful went on today. It was a pretty low key and relaxed day, leaving later in the day meant hardly any traffic.

Thursday was another long day start with 3 lessons right away in the morning. After our morning lessons we went to the beach on our lunch break. It was kind of a cool day to lay out, but truth be told that vicious burn is easing in to a nice dark tan! It's a continuous and arduous effort believe me, but I WILL BE TAN by the end of this summer :P It was nice for about 20 minutes and then we spent the rest of the hour being sandblasted by the gusting sea breeze that decided to pick up. There were no seagull defenders to protect us from this elemental force, so we decided to call it a day for the beach. I have to give my mother a grateful shout out for calling me to tell me to turn over so I wouldn't burn...laugh as you may, but she had perfect timing :) So because our beach day was an epic fail due to the relentless winds, we decided to FINALLY stop at the Hostess Bakery Outlet on our way back to work. A little back story on this appealing little treasure chest of sugary goodies, it happens to be on the same street where we work and we drove by it every day when I lived in Manhattan Beach, and every day I said "Ugh we need to go there" Dreams of cheap Ding Dongs and Cupcakes, Twinkies, and Zingers blurred my judgement ...Don't worry this adventure was another epic fail...this little treasure chest was 1st, locked with a "Be Back In 10" sign on the front...20 minutes later, some home-girl comes from the back of the store and opens the door, when it was then that we soon discovered that everything was about to expire, or already expired, which didn't really deter me at first, but then when I realized that the "amazing deal" wasn't so amazing at all, we bailed...Another epic fail to chalk up for the day. We got pizza and bread sticks at Little Caesar's for lunch...our bread sticks were rock hard...triple whammy of failure! hahaha We just laughed at how goofy this day has been.

The rest of the day was spent teaching and combing sand out our hair, armpits, eyebrows, butt cracks, ears, and any other bodily sand trap that was covered with that salty little grain.

Tonight in our Cha Cha class we did what is similar to a medals exam where the students danced with either Caitlin or I, and the other gave comments to the students. It was fun to see how they've progressed throughout the class this month and to see some of them get into their performance mode. I was surprised when students told us that NO other teacher has ever done anything like this before, and that they really liked it. It made me feel good, made me feel like I was doing something that was helping others and making them feel good about themselves. They are a great class! Next month we are going to do a Rumba routine! THANK YOU Curt Holman for teaching me how to amalgamate in the Latin Theory class! That class has really helped, I just wish I could find my Paso book that went missing...if any of you find it in the RB ship it to me stat!

Friday morning was a nice day to sleep in as we had the morning off. We headed to the Glendale Galleria to find a belt for the dress that I FINALLY finished for Caitlin, then we headed to H&M! Ahhh so nice having that store within 20 minutes :) Tonight was the big showcase, so I had a lesson with Agnes before the show to put all the finishing touches on her rumba. She was really nervous, but She pulled it off wonderfully! Tonight was also her birthday, so we had a big cake and everything at the studio. Caitlin and I danced our rumba for the showcase because tonight was her last night here. She is leaving to go back to Utah for Touring Team orientation! So I am left without a partner for now, as I will be staying here in LA to finish the internship here at Regency. The rest of the night was filled with fun, dancing, and my favorite...cake :P When the night ended I was ready to crash, thats for sure! I had a patron approach me about possibly doing bronze and silver pro-am events, so that will be something fun to start working towards.

Saturday we had off, so of course Caitlin took her last free day to go to the fashion district and pick up some stuff for her and friends before making the trek back to Utah! It's kind of sad, but owners of fabric stores are starting to recognize me and call me by name! When I leave it isn't "Thank you come again", that they say, its, "Thanks, see ya next week". Haha There are benefits to my frequent stops into their shops. Because they know me, they give me cheaper prices because they know I'll be back...and they are easier to barter with too. Today I bought fabric to venture into making pants!!!! I'm nervous but really excited. It will be an adventure that's for sure! But I need to finish the current project that I have on the table, which is another dress...I started it on Monday and it's coming along pretty well!

Sunday was kind of spent running around like a chicken with it's head cut off! Caitlin found this really "great" website that had a list of all the YSA wards and branches in SoCal, so We looked up the one closet to us and headed there for 11:00 am service...ummm yeah.... SO her website said it was at the institute building...we get there and of course no one is there! So then we head to the nearest church which happens to be where the YSA is actually supposed to meet, but was anyone there? .....NOOOOOOO! So then we go aaaalllllll the way to the other side of LA in case there was a stake conference or something on this side, and go to the LA 1st ward, which is a YSA ward...Yes there was church...we were just an hour early for it...It was a nice break from traffic and it's frustration to get mentally ready for church. People were nice and the ward had a good spirit about it, but it was not like going to church in Utah that's for sure. With today being fast Sunday, they had a break the fast potluck after church, and all those "nice" people that introduced themselves all disappeared...well not actually, they were there, they just didn't talk or even look at us any more...We sat at a table by ourselves...then someone came and put their stuff at our table, only to move later...then these two guys came and sat at our table, but didn't even shoot us a glance. Some girls came to sit with them, but when they realized they were seated to close to us they asked their group to scoot over... Needless to say this free meal and less than welcoming group of individuals at this ward function left a bad taste in my mouth. The drive home traffic was a little crazy...Caitlin will claim that we almost died...don't believe her...

The rest of the day was pretty chill. I had a hankering for some cupcakes, but we didn't have any shortening...so I found an interesting recipe that called for no shortening, but mayonnaise. It sounds gross, but I'm not gunna lie, these are the best cupcakes I have ever had and that I have ever eaten...Yes I know I'm patting myself on the back, but if you ate one, you would testify of their deliciousness! Here is the site and the recipe: (Click the Cupcake for the Link)

(The Handsome Chef)

Friend Nicole Evensen who was in town for a little getaway came to pick Cailtin up. We sat and talked for a few hours and it was good to add someone else to the equation, not that you weren't good company Caitlin, but it was just nice to interact with other friends hahaha! She's gunna take that personal no matter what. Anyways...after some laughs and goodbyes Caitlin was gone...it was weird, the house was quiet....hahaha...but seriously...I had kind of a sad realization that I was now alone...to face California by myself. I don't know if they can handle me!

Monday was suuuucccccchhhh a lazy day. I didn't leave the house all day hahaha! I didn't have to, nor did I really feel like combating traffic either. So, I flipped on the movie channels and got to working on the current dress. It's coming along. This one is different than the last because the last one I did as little cutting at possible. This one has been all about making precision cuts and lining up the stripes and making sure everything is sewed to a snug and tailored fit. It's starting to look pretty good. Here is a pic sans skirt... I will post more when it's finished

It will have a long black skirt which will have at the bottom a block of the same pattern that's at the bust and hips. I hope to have it finished in the next day or so. I dunno whos gunna wear it...if anyone is interested, it's a size small/medium...let me know and we will talk.


Well that about wraps it up. Today is Tuesday, and not much is going on...Today is my long day before I get to face the traffic on the journey home :) Ohhh JOY! ha I hope you are all doing well and having fun with your summer breaks. Keep me up to date! Don't be strangers. Love you all



BRI