Happy Birthday Harrison!

Harrison's birthday is in July (shows you how far behind I am in blogging). Luckily Harrison's mom came to visit that month, so she was able to spoil him during birthday month. Harrison chose to go to The Melting Pot for his birthday dinner. It was so fun. We enjoyed getting to experience something new and special. We also went to The Huntington, which is a place that has lots of gardens, a house made into an art gallery, and a library. It is a beautiful place. We loved it so much that we got a year long membership so that we could go back again and again. It was such a special weekend. We always love when we get to be with family. So, on Harrison's actual birthDAY we decided to go to Disneyland. You get free admission on your birthday this year, so we didn't want to pass it up. We left after work, so we didn't have much time. We really had to map out what we were going to ride and see. We did a lot in the small amount of time we were there, but have decided we need to go back one more time to get the full experience. I think Harrison had a pretty good birthday this year...at least that is what he told me. Here are some pictures:

Keith Urban Concert!

Harrison and I heard that Keith Urban was coming to LA, so we looked up tickets. Unfortunately, all the tickets were sold out. So, we entered a contest held by Verizon with very little belief that we would win. One day I got a voicemail that said that I was one of the contest winners, but I wouldn't believe it until I spoke with someone in person. So, I called back and she said that I had won tickets!!! We were so excited!! We had floor seats, not too close to the stage, but he came out to a backstage and we were RIGHT THERE!! It was so great. It was a great concert. Lady Antebellum opened for him and they were great too. The bonus was that his wife was there in the sound booth for a minute and we saw her (just in case you don't know...Keith Urban is married to Nicole Kidman)!!! That's right...my first real star sighting since I moved to California. We had a great night listening to Keith Urban at the Staple Center! As usual, here are some pics.

Karland Jo Curtis, June 25 2009

My sister, Kelly, was due on June 25th. So, we were anxiously awaiting the call for when they were heading to the hospital. That call finally came on Tuesday, June 24th and the waiting began. I kept getting updates all day about how she was doing. Finally, they called at 10 something (our time) and said that Karland had finally made her entrance into the world. SO, Karland was actually born on June 25th (her due date...so like her mom...has to be exact). Harrison and I had to wait 2 whole months before we got to see her, but when we did, it was such an amazing experience. I never knew that being an aunt would bring me so much joy. Being the aunt and uncle who are far away, we get updates all the time. Pictures, by text email and videos by skype have been the tie between the miles of space between us. We can’t wait for our next visit…and for more nieces and nephews!! Here are some of my favorites:

The Two Week Turn-around

One of my best friends, Ashley, whom I love dearly got married 2 weeks after my sister. So, Harrison and I flew to Atlanta, stayed for 5 days and flew back home. Then 2 weeks later, we flew back to Atlanta, stayed for 3 days and flew back home. It was crazy to be away from home for so long and then go twice in a matter of days. It was great though! It was such an amazing weekend to share with some of my closest friends. Ashley and Josh are such a great couple and I wouldn't have missed their wedding for anything. I was also able to go to my sister, Kelly's baby shower while I was home. I was so glad to be able to go to one, so that I could take part in celebrating Kale and Kelly's sweet baby Karland before her birth. Here are some pics from the baby shower. I don't have any from Ashley's wedding.

A New Brother!!

I know it has been a while...I actually got reprimanded from one of my friends who said she was sick of seeing the Dodgers game at the top of my blog. So, I am going to try and catch you up on some very exciting events that have been happening...one blog at a time. I am going to try and keep it in chronological order. Starting with...my sisters wedding!!

So, my sister Paige got engaged in February to Jason Dees. They set the day for May 23rd and we prepared to make the trip across the country! We were so excited to be gaining a brother, sharing in this happy event, and also to have a reason to go home to see family. It was a very eventful weekend to say the least. Wedding weekends are always crazy, but the fact that it rained (it was an outside wedding) all weekend made it even crazier. We ended up moving the wedding inside and it turned out beautful!!! Thankfully Paige was an easy-going bride and Jason just went with the flow too. It was wonderful! Here are a few pictures. These are from my cousin, Courtney, because I didn't get a lot. I think the rain kept me from taking any pictures!

The whole Gang

Our First Dodgers Game

Our friend Brian had a birthday on May 12th. Kelly, his wife, organized a trip to the Dodgers game to celebrate. We brought our own grilled hot dogs, chips and drinks and enjoyed the view way up from the top. It was great!!! There is nothing like a good hot dog and cheap seats at a baseball game. I love it! At the end of the game (which we lost) they had fireworks. They actually opened up the field and we got to go out on the grass and watch the show. It was awesome. It was themed to music and everything. Here are some pictures from that night. Hope you enjoy!

On the field!

Brian and Kelly catching a (pretend) fly ball

Our own "Kiss Cam"

A lady playing the organ for "Take Me Out To The Ball Game." I didn't know that there was someone who actually played this live!!

I don't know why this is on here twice...but I can't get it to delete...Sorry!

Just arriving at the field!

I definitely need to preface this video...

Harrison thought it would be fun to get a view of the whole stadium and have us spinning with the camera. This is a pretty crazy video...especially when Kelly starts to fall.

Cam and Sarah come to visit!

Harrison and I were so excited for Cam and Sarah to come in April. We had a lot of fun the week they were here, but of course it went really fast. We did a lot while they were here. We made it to Malibu, Irvine, Fullerton, San Clemente (for some clam chowder in a bread bowl) and then we went to Temecula. Temecula is close to the Ranch that Harrison's Grandfather managed during his retirement years. It was so great to see a place that holds such a special place in Harrison's heart. Here are a few pictures we took on the Ranch. Sorry there aren't more.

Joshua Tree

During the long Easter weekend we decided to go camping. Any long weekend we get, we don't want to waste it. So, we headed to Joshua Tree, which is about 2 hours from us. We went with some friends from work and school, Brian and Kelly. When we got there (around 4pm on Thursday), we found out that every campsite was full!! The Ranger informed us that they had overflow campsites that we could use that were right outside of the park. By the time we got to the end of Joshua Tree (where the overflow camping was) it was late, so we were searching in the dark. We ended up finding a dirt road that had a few open dirt spots with a rock-made fire pit. They were pretty bare, but they were free. So, we set up camp in the dark and started making dinner. The next day we went hiking and found the Palm Springs Oasis. We headed back home on Saturday, to get ready for church on Sunday. It was a very full weekend, but it was fun. We had a great time and are looking forward to camping some more in California.

This is what a Joshua Tree looks like

Our very desolate campsite

At Palm Springs Oasis

A Few Updates

Its been a few weeks since I posted anything, so I wanted to catch you up on a few things. Harrison and I went with Patrick and Lindsey for a drive down Sunset Blvd. This was our March adventure and the book (1,000 Places to See Before You Die) told us what we were looking at and where we were as we drove from one end to the other. We were in the car most of the time, but once we made it to the coast we got out, stretched our legs and took some pictures. Our next adventure was to go to "The Getty." This is a really nice Museum that sits up on a hill in L.A. We enjoyed it, but it was definitely more than we bargained for. We got to the Getty and had to wait in line to get into the parking deck. Once we paid the parking fee and got in the deck, we waited in another line. Then we parked and started walking, then we realized that we had to wait in line to catch the tram that takes you up to the Getty. There were quite a few lines. It was really nice though...once we finally got up there. For April, we finally made it to the beach!! We have been waiting on beach weather for a month now and we finally had a great weekend. We didn't stay very long, which probably helped us not get burned, but we are hoping to go the beach a lot more on the weekends. That's it for now. I will catch you up on a few other things very soon.