Out west... and back east

The other day when I told Brendan about the 'back-east' trip I went on with my family several years ago, he couldn't get over the fact that I called it that. A back-east trip. What of it? It's normal talk, right? Not for eastcoasters, apparently. And then I asked Brendan if he ever went on an 'out-west' trip. Apparently that's not a thing.

Well, as promised... here is a little re-cap of my 'out-west' trip that I took back in November. It was wonderful. Friends and family galore. 

I was lucky enough to be a soloist in the Zion's Youth Chorus & Symphony in the Smith Center in Vegas! It was an incredible experience. Definitely one of the most beautiful venues I have ever performed in. I am so glad they asked me to join them and I can't wait to go back next month to perform with them again! And also with the very talented Dallyn Bayles. Should be a good time!

Can you find me? Where's Debdo?

It was gorgeous backstage and I was especially lovin' my shwanky dressing room!

Action shot...

A little sneak peek of what my view was from the stage. I'm tellin' ya... this theater is incredible. It's where they put the Broadway tours that come through town.

And here's the ma and pa and I with Jeffrey, my voice teacher from the time I was just a wee 16 year old. I sure do owe a lot to that man!

Mommy dearest and I at home after the concert. I love going home to my parent's house. Definitely one of my favorite places. It's a toss up between that and... Harlem, of course. ;)

And would you just look at these 2 people with me? They are incredible. I love them so much and am so grateful for everything they have done and continue to do for me. They have always been my biggest fans on and off the stage... as they are for all of their kiddos... and I will forever be in their debt. 

My parents have been very exemplary eaters as of late and here's the proof... homemade pun'kin soup with a little salad and a temple roll. Delish! And totes healthy.

So after the Vegas performance, I hopped in one of my parent's cars and headed up to Provo! And here is a little re-cap of some of my adventures up there...

I got to see this little guy and his 3 brothers and 1 sister! Darren and Melissa have beautiful blonde haired, blue eyed chilluns. I loved living so close to them during my Utah days!

And here we have 2 of my friendly Provo neighbors, Seth and Steve. (Not pictured: Philip, who was ironically in NYC during most of my visit. Switcharoo!) Nothin' like a nightly chat and late night snack with the neighbs. Except for the times when Seth dumped a whole half gallon of ice cream down the sink just to prove that we could combat our sugar cravings. (True story. Still haven't forgiven him.)

Stacia... one of my besties. We had lunch together at Malawi's and caught up on the latest and greatest. She is one of those amazing friends who you can pick up with right where you left off. Love her to bitsies.

I enjoyed a Vocal Point concert with some of the fam! It was really fun to see Cousin Chase and Amberlyn and it's always a good time with Amanda and her cute boyf, Skylar. 

My old Provo roomies were kind enough to let me stay with them for the week. We had a blast. I only lived with them for about 3 months over the summer, but I LOVED my time with them. Such amazing girls. And always entertaining... here's the proof! Lori woke up with puffy eyes on Sunday morning and she said that someone had told her if you freeze spoons and then cover your eyes with them, then the puffiness goes away. Didn't work, in case you were wondering. 

The timing of my trip was perfect and I was able to be there for Lori's master recital! It was amazing and so fun to see her do her thang. Here we are after the recital... Lori, Katherine and Mariah. We were missing Ruth!

Again, missing Ruth, but we just had to do a photo shoot with all of us in red dresses! Yes, it was planned. Cuz we coo' like dat.

And of course we needed a pic with Lori's recital flowers! Duh.

I'm so glad I was able to spend the summer with these lovely ladies in South Provo. It was just what the doctor ordered for that specific time in my life. I loved my ward there and everyone around me... which made it pretty hard to move to NYC, believe it or not! But I love that I can go back and visit and still feel at home. It's amazing how things work out, right? Heavenly Father sure does watch out for us. 

And one last girl pic for your viewing pleasure. This time we added Jamie to the mix, who I love dearly!

I also have a lot of special friends in Pleasant Grove, of all places! I lived in a beautiful condo with Janae and Ashley for 2 years and it was a heaven send. It was the perfect thing for me as I got back on my feet after the crazy happenings of 2010. So... of course we had to have a reunion with all of our old friends out there! We all got together for a homemade Cafe Rio Sunday dinner and it was a hoot. All of our old neighbs were there, some of which were with their new wives, and it was so good to see everyone. These people will always be near and dear. Here I am with Natalie and Aly... I miss our girl chats! These two together are a riot. I love them!

And here I am with Janae and Ashley... aka... my sisters from other misters. But seriously. They are sisters to me. They both got married last Spring/Summer, which is why I made the move to Provo, but I probably would have lived with them forever if the hubsies would have allowed it. :) We have so much history together. Starting all the way back in our Freshman and Sophomore years at BYU. Oh, the mems...

I also spent a lot of time visiting my friends at Imagine Learning (my workplace for 2 1/2 years!) as well. Some of my closest friends now are people that I worked with there. I LOVED my time with them and it was definitely hard to leave that job, but alas... the citay was callin' my name. 

I got to see Nate and some of my Hale Centre Theatre friends as well! I even saw both casts of 'Oliver'. I love going back to the Hale. 

Okay, so after I party hardied it up in Utah, I drove back down to Vegas with Amanda for Thanksgiving! 

We laughed...

We cried...

Yes, that's what you think it is. Totes got pulled over just 30 minutes away from home. Ugh. And I wasn't even speeding! Got a ticket for "tailgating"... whaaaaat?? Anyone who knows me knows that I'm not much of a tailgater... much more of a speeder (Cover your ears, mom and dad), but what can ya do? It made for a good story. :)

And here are a few pics from the rest of the trip! Whew! You gettin' tired of reading this yet? This is a long post. Feel free to stand up and stretch yer legs now if you'd like.

We skyped Darla and her cute kids one morning. SO stinkin cute. I loved seeing their faces up there on the big screen.

Amanda and I accompanied our amazing momiondo to her exercise class one morning. It is a class specifically for senior citizens and we just HAD to snap a pic. Not to show off our own hot bods, but to capture Roger in action. (Roger is behind us in... yes... the purple button-up) He was the star student and was so ready to go. At 9 am sharp he yelled, "Jerry, it's 9 o'clock!" So amazing. And yes, you guessed it... my mom put us all to shame. She's a rockstar!

And here is her rockstar hubbie! Rockin that plastic eye wear. My dad is the ultimate handy man and is always working on some sort of project around the house. A man of many talents.

Thai food with Grandma May! Does life get any better???

Grandma May and I in her adorable condo. I love my visits with her. She is a whoppin' 95 years old and is still the sharpest crayon in the box. I'm lucky to have her home in Henderson now. She and my Grandpa May lived in Denver for all my childhood. But we went on some amazing trips as little girls and got to spend time with them every summer. 

Turkey time! We were joined by grandma, Aunt Susan, friends from the ward, Cousin Jeff and his roomie. Such a fun bunch!

Oh ya know... just Vanna White-ing it with the pies. 

This is the view of the strip from my parent's neighborhood. Beautiful, eh?  

And what's Thanksgiving Day without a good movie and a good game of black jack?? We saw Wreck-It Ralph togeths and actually decided to forego the gambling this time around. 

All in all, it was an amazing trip back home and I can't believe I get to go back for another 2 weeks in just one month! Woooooeeee! 

And if you read this whole thing... props to you. :)