California Trip

So I took a vacation to Southern California 3 days after school got out. It was so much fun. For the first week, I stayed with one of my besties, Kim. Her and her family are so nice for me to stay with them. I stayed in Santa Paula where I grew up throughout middle school and the first part of high school. Kim took me to the beach 2 days in a row. SO much fun!! I loved every minute of it. Being there reminded me why I declare the beach my 2nd home. That is how much I love it! It is like a whole new world surfing the waves! It is just you and the water. Nobody else.

On the way to the beach! Yay!

2 of my besties! Kim and Mayra! Love you all!

Yup! :)

"I can fly"

Sorry Kim. I had to...haha

Perfect

Mayra and I. Love that girl.

Guess who is who. Ready...go.

On the Ventura Pier. Windy day.

"You're here. There's nothing I fear."

I just barely noticed I'm wearing an Ireland shirt while posing with the American Flag. Awesome.

My new friend. I call him Earl.

Right after I got flipped by a huge wave. This was the last picture I got from the trip because the sand got into the camera lens..lame sauce.

The day after the beach, Me, Kim, Mayra and Kiely all went to 6 flags. Talk about a day full of adrenaline rush. We went on the Goliath, Scream, X2, Deja Vu, Log Jammer, Jet Stream, Ninja and the Gold Rush. Seems like we went on more, but I can't remember. I LOVE rollercoasters. As much as I love being around people, there were people at 6 flags who were keep on staring at me. You know that scene in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" towards the beginning of the movie where that main actress just stopped and stared at the hot guy at the diner. Yup, that happened to me. No idea why they were staring at me. But if I must give a reason, I just can say they stare at me because of my height. Has anybody out there ever seen a 5'11 1/2'' woman? No idea. But that is my guess. That night, Kim, Mayra and I met up with Lauren at Bjs. I think it is called that. AMAZING food I might add. And apparently we were celebrating my birthday too. Oh How I just love those girls. So much fun to be with.

That Saturday, I got to spend the afternoon with family from the Green side. Haven't seen them in ages. It was so good to catch up with them. I love them all dearly.

Then on Sunday, I went to my old church. It was so nice to see people I haven't seen in awhile. I loved it. Then I spent more time with Kim, Lauren and Mayra. Did I mention I love them all? Maybe, but saying that again doesn't hurt. We played games and watched Shark Week.

Then I met up with my aunt Jamie and cousin Maryn at the LA temple visitors center. From there we went to OC where my extended lived. We went to Sunrise Beach. I love it. We also went to the OC fair. I also got to spend a night having fun at Disneyland and California Adventure. My aunt Jamie is so funny. She recorded these guys on the Tower of Terror because they were screaming like girls. Made my day when she did that. I got to go on Splash Mountain twice and I really didn't get wet on both times so during the midnight ride or Splash Mountain, Aunt Jamie was keep on splashing me. Maybe I had something to do with it by starting it...lol. Oops. ;) Also got to go on Pirates, Ariel, California Screamin, Indiana Jones, Jungle Cruise, Haunted House and my favorite, Space Mountain. I felt the need for speed. One of the workers got me and group all fast passes after all the passes were sold out. She will be forever blessed. Then on Friday, I got to visit more family. Pam, Jim, James. Sarah and Jon and their cute family. Got to eat yummy food. Then I went back home on August 6th. This is a vacation I will never forget.

Love, Laurel

LIVE LAUGH LOVE

Live Laugh Love. You may notice that these three words all start with the letter L. But it has a whole new meaning. These three words have changed my life for the better. There is a quote that involves these words. "Live every moment. Laugh often. Love beyond words." Of course this is a simple quote, but if you ponder after awhile you might figure out how it can help and change people for the better. It helped me greatly when I took that quote into action. Lets break it down.



First is LIVE. When I was younger, I thought that life wasn't important until I experienced some difficulties that caused me to get sick a lot. It was hard to bare. I thought I was alone and that nobody was understanding of what I was going through. It reached to the point where I had to ask God for help..which I should have done in the first place. This is where my biggest lesson I ever had began. I learned not to feel bad for myself. It lasted for awhile and I was just feeling miserable. Nothing was getting better with that. So after awhile, I learned to be happy of what I was going through. Not that it was desirable, but of what I may have learned from it. Trials are tough, but with the help and Love from God, it can make our trial(s) easier to endure. Living every moment has changed my life. Life is short. So I decided by doing good deeds for other people are very important and it teaches us to LIVE every moment.


Second is LAUGH. I believe that Laughter is the best medicine for anything. It creates a good time. Sometimes I can't stop laughing to which the point my ribs hurt and I can't breathe. What do you think about the word laughter? I hope its good, because its the best thing ever in my opinion. Especially when you know of someone that has an infectious laugh which makes it even better. By Laughing everyday or often, it creates a beautiful thing for life. It sure does make life easier to live and helps our trials a lot. I love laughter.


Third is LOVE. What do you think about when you hear the word Love? Some of you may think of your significant other, family, friends, or even chick flick movies. Whenever I think about this word, I think of loving people beyond measure no matter who they are whether. It changed everything for me, when this became a habit. I believe that this good habit will never leave me because its just who I am. I love all people. Its a beautiful feeling to love them. People are my drug. I am addicted and I love to be around them which creates my love for everybody. That might sound strange, but its so true. By having love for people and wanting them to have joy in their lives is life changing. There is good to be seen in everyone. Imagine what this earth would be like if people started to spread more love to one another. I often imagine what it would be like, but until the contention is gone, I just keep smiling and say Life is full of amazing opportunities that we can be part of. Life is short so might as well make it amazing and have love towards other people no matter who they are.

Well, this is my little thought for the day. I hope you enjoyed it. Please comment or give feedback. Love you all!

Love, Laurel

Sisters 4 Life Quiz