I've Now Lived in Utah as Long as I Lived in California

It's happened.

I'm at a midpoint.

That conundrum of how do I answer when asked, "Where are you from?"

California or Utah?

19 years in both.

California was my youth.  My growing up years.  That's important, right?  

And Utah is my young adult years. Navigating life post primary education.  Equally important.

My family moved to Utah several months before the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City.  We were not expecting on moving at all.  I was attending College of the Sequoias in Visalia California.  Honestly, I loved that school.  They had just finished building a multi-million dollar music building.  Started several new music associate degrees.  And I LOVED that choir.  Having a music degree I've been in a lot of choirs, but that choir from a junior college was my favorite.  Great musical literature.  And we sounded awesome.  Plus the choir director gave me challenging parts.  I mainly sang alto, but also got to sing tenor and second soprano, and it was just so much fun.

I didn't want to move to Utah. At all.  I didn't want to go live where the "Utah Mormons," as we called them then (we call ourselves Latter-Day Saints), lived. There was a stigma that I just didn't want to be apart of.  When I was a kid I vowed never to move to Utah. No joke. I really did.

But my family needed a change, and my Dad decided to put out word in possibly wanting to move to Utah in a couple years.  Putting out the feelers.  That very day his boss was talking to the SLC boss, who said they just had an opening and needed someone.  My Dad asked, two hours later he had a job offer.  When God wants you to move somewhere, the doors flood open.

I could have stayed in California.  Live with my Grandparents and finish my associates.  A good financially responsible choice.  But I prayed, and knew.  I just knew I needed to follow my family to Utah and put my education on hold, which ended up being a 1 1/2 year pause so education was at an affordably manageable rate again.  

Years later it was the right choice.  I'm where I'm meant to be. I love it here.  

And now I'm at that cross road, the further down this road I go my Utah years overshadow my California.  I guess, now, I'm an official Utahn.

But, just so you know, I say the "T" in Mountain.  So my Cali-ness still shows...

Celebrating the Lunar New Year with Mulan at Disney California Adventure Park, Disneyland 2020

Lunar New Years was celebrated at Disney California Adventure Park, Disneyland, from January 17 - February 09, 2020.  Unfortunately it ended last Sunday, though this has been celebrated in years past, so hopefully they do it again next year.  2020 is technically the year of the rat, but with a little Disney magic California Adventure celebrated the year of the mouse, which is very Mickey and Minnie appropriate.

My Mom and I took my two older nieces last week to the Disney parks.  The last time we took them was three years ago.  With all the cramming we did in those three days (Disneyland CA is doing a 3 day pass, $67 dollar a day, one park per day, no hopper, for kids from now until May 18, 2020, if you buy the tickets online), there was one thing I wanted my nieces to see, and that was Mulan's Lunar New Years Procession.

It's a fun show that took place close to the Little Mermaid ride showcasing cultural dancing (no expert, so not sure which Asian cultures are represented) and Disney characters in special outfits.  It really was a good show, and the younger of my two nieces turned to me right when it ended and said, "That was so cool!"  And let me tell you a little something about this girl: she's hard to please, opinionated, never wastes a compliment, and will tell you exactly what she thinks, so when she likes something it's heartfelt.

5 Reasons Why Soarin' Over California is the Best Version

Soarin' Over California is my favorite Disney ride, so maybe I'm starting this blog a little biased.  It's so relaxing. Peaceful and fun at the same time.  The rolling movements. The scents. And seeing the scope of California's beauty is an added bonus.

When Soarin' Around the World came out I was excited, hoping for the best, but was ultimately disappointed by the updated ride.  Would Soarin' Over California become a distant memory, a fragmented remembrance of a favorite experience?  Rides come and go at Disneyland. The parks are ever changing.  I still miss the rocket ride that replaced the People Movers, but it was removed over structural problems and whatnot.  That was such a fun ride! And it was always breaking down, adding exuberance to the ride when it did work.  And I miss the People Movers. There's just no winning.

When it was announced Soarin' Over California was coming back last June for a month I was excited, and sad I'd miss it, but glad that there was a chance it could be brought back in the future.  Then it was expanded to July, when I did get to go, and I rode it at least 4 times. (Soarin' Over California ultimately went through August, turning a one month return into three.  That's just how awesome this ride is.  And all the message boards and comment sections online praised this old favorite while bemoaning the new, making me realize I'm not the only one who loves this classic ride.)

5 Reasons Why Soarin' Over California is the Best Soarin' Ride

1. Soarin' over California is a celebration of Nature.  Sure, California has many landmarks, and you see the Golden Gate bridge right off the bat, but California has such a vast range of natural wonders.  When the river scene comes on, and it feels like your feet is going to touch the water, it's pure magic.  Throughout the ride you see Oceans, Waterfalls, Mountains, and Deserts. It's all rejuvenating, and it feels like a journey, the sort of things you'd want to soar over.
2. Authenticity! Soarin' Over California feels authentic. They're real scenes. It feels like you're cutting into true moments. Whereas Soarin' Around the World is such a CGI fest it just feels like an interactive movie.
3. Subtle transitions that flow from one scene to the next.  Soarin' Over California just cuts between each scene. No fanfare. No gimmicks. This style of transition adds to the flow and gentleness of the ride.  Around the World transitions with dirt being flown up, kite/bird/plane zooming in and swishing across the screen, flashes of light.  I guess they're trying to make the ride more exciting, but I think it disrupts the flow.
4. Better scents. Around the World does have a nice flower scent, but I'm okay not smelling the grass.  But with Soarin' Over California you have the smell of Pine, the ocean, and the oranges!  I'd love a candle with that orange scent. 
5. No tall buildings in a majority of scenes.  The only way to experience Soarin' Around the World is in the middle section of seats. The curvature of the screen makes the Eiffel Tower and other tall objects bend if you're on the side. It's awkward.  Because Soarin' Over California is more nature focused, the scenes don't have tall objects that get distorted by the screen, therefore making it a better experience for more riders in the theater.

Don't get me wrong, I still like Soarin' Around the World, but it doesn't spark the same joy Soarin' Over California brings.  In my humble opinion it's just a better experience, one I miss every time I visit California Adventure.  And, come on, for a park called "California Adventure" shouldn't Soarin' Over California be a staple? It's the most California part of the park!  Especially since so much of the park is getting rebranded.  It would have been cool if each Soarin' ride was different, highlighting the areas in which each Soarin' ride was based. Soarin' over France. Soarin' over Japan. Soarin' over Florida.  That would be so neat.  And yet there is a California version that's still very much loved, yet it gets brushed aside.

Tiptoeing on Route 66 and Driving through the Desert

I just got back from a short trip to California.  With the passing of my Grandfather we had some stuff to finish up, one of which involved his RV which is registered in CA and required an in person visit to the DMV.

Yay!  A trip to California just to visit the DMV.  Sounds like fun, right?  Well, my Mom decided a side trip to Disneyland for just us two was in order, like old times when we would visit my Grandpa in Ventura and do a day trip to the Disney parks.  All those early mornings getting back to Ventura around 3:00 am.  Ah man.

Which DMV would be the best to visit?  I was assigned research duty, as it's something I actually enjoy, and found Needles CA to be the best bet.  The town where Snoopy's brother Spike lives.  That's the only reason I even know about Needles, good ol' Spike.  This DMV had good ratings compared to Barstow and other locations I looked up.  And the ratings and reviews held up as this DMV was such an easy visit, with a portion of the time my Mom and I being the only ones there along with the employees.

From previous trips through the desert I knew Route 66 ran through Barstow, but I didn't know there's a strip of it in Needles.  One of my bucket list items is to drive down as much of Route 66 that remains from Chicago to Santa Monica.  The whole notion just feels so romantic.  Unfortunately much of it is destroyed or changed.

My Great-Grandparents and Grandparents traveled down 66 in its heyday.  My Grandma was telling me that she remembers going down Route 66 when she was a kid on a trip from Riverside CA to Iowa and back, in the 1940's I believe.  Which means that little strip of Route 66 in Needles that I got out to walk on was traveled on by my family long ago.  It was a really cool feeling trying to imagine what they may have been thinking and seeing.

To get back home we traveled down route 95 to Las Vegas, and parts of it reminded me what it must have been like traveling down Route 66 way back when.  Single lane roads.  Trains going this way and that, and even stopping for a train.  Desert mountains on either side.

When we went through Searchlight Nevada the time of day was somewhere between dusk and twilight, the lights of the city advertising gambling, saloons, restaurants, and whatnot's.  It felt like a step in time.  As we approached Las Vegas I put on classic Frank Sinatra, completing the affect of the evening.

Such a pleasant little trip.

Checking Out Calico Ghost Town, California

 I have no idea how many times I've been through the Mojave desert.  So many times.  It's a rather boring strip along the I-15 with highlights ranging from Barstow to Baker and this little sign with Zzyzx written on it.  Joshua trees dot the horizon while golden hills line the distance.  I'm making it sound far more romantic than it really is.  There's also a ghost town of a failed water park right off the freeway.  Another ghost town I've never actually been to, and far more easily accessible than I knew, is Calico, 1896, the largest silver mining camp in California.

Calico is only 13.4 miles north of Barstow, about 4 miles directly off the I-15 from the Ghost Town Rd exit.  I've always seen the signs advertising Calico from the freeway, always curious, but I never made an effort to go.  Studying up on Calico last month I read many people saying that it's a little tourist trap, a convenient, interesting stop if traveling from California to Las Vegas and back.

The big complaint I read was that you have to pay an entrance fee of $8 an adult and $5 a kid, 5 and under free, and on top of that pay for all the little things in addition to the entrance fee such as the train ride, self mining tour, and so on.  I read someone write that you pay to shop, and I have to agree with that.  I only did the train ride on top of looking through some stores, which was $4 an adult, if I remember correctly, and $2 a kid.

Calico closes at 5:00, and we got there around 3:30.  1 1/2 hours isn't enough time to properly explore.  I've read that 3 hrs. is a good average amount to experience the basics of Calico.  With that time we were only able to venture up half the street and do the train ride, no eating. 

 A map and a listing of stores you can shop in.

 A view from the entrance of the street.  It curves, but we never made it to the curve.

 The general store is one of the few original buildings in Calico.  Many of the buildings have been restored or replaced and given a facade that looks ol' time western.  I would have liked something a little more authentic, though it's fun.

 The soap and candle store.  This was my favorite shop.  It smelled so good!

 The store I really wanted to go into, but we ran out of time.  I love geology.

 Going to the train ride.

 The train ride was much shorter than I thought it would be.  It was interesting, and we learned some history about the area that was cool, but really you just go slowly around a hill.

 We didn't go into this store, though I would have liked to.  I bet it looks really cool inside at sunset with the green glass bottled walls lighting up.

Old China Town ruins.

It was a fun little stop.  I do agree with the sentiment that you pay to shop. I bought some things from the general store, print shop, and soap.  But if you have a long drive through the Mojave desert and would like an interesting place to stop, not minding the entrance fee, I recommend Calico.

Dreaming of California

I just realized that this is the first year in my life I haven't visited or lived in California.  It's where I was born.  When I moved with my family to Utah at 19 I've somehow managed to visit good ol' Cali every year since the move.  Well, 2016 is the year I avoided California.  Not by choice, but out of circumstance.  I can't complain, really, as I've done an amazing amount of travel this year, but I miss it.

My Mom, Grandma, and I were suppose to visit Atascadero, Cambria, and Santa Barbara this week.  But the trip fell through.  Financially it's all for the best.  My Mom and I were taking my Grandma to visit her brother.  Hanging out in Cambria was the fringe benefit.  I miss Cambria most of all.

Well, I'll visit Cambria in my dreams.  Disneyland is my second favorite place in the World for me next to Cambria.  I love it that much.  (Is it sad I love Disneyland so much as well?)  Still, salty air, scent of pines and herbs, walking above and along Moonstone beach, hearing the waves and otters crack shells in the distance.  Heaven on Earth, really.  I'm just glad I've had so many opportunities to visit.

Paris Flood, Counting My Blessings, and listening to Nature's Cycles & Warnings (Earthquakes and Supervolcanoes)

(I took this photo April 12th)

I was in shock this morning, listening to the news on the radio, willing my brain to wake up when I heard the Seine River in Paris France was flooding, and that the Louvre and Musée d'Orsay were closed in order to save precious art.

An article from The Independent showed humbling photos of the floods and the high level of water of the Seine, the same river I walked along over a month ago.

On May 10th, 2016, we drove back from Issoudun to the Charles De Gaulle airport, driving along the A10 through Orleans up to Paris.  Even on that day it was raining really hard.  It was pretty scary, cars zipping by driving over 120 km an hour (74 mph) on standing water.  Really dangerous, especially after the experience my Mom and I had last March driving along the I-15 to Nevada when an SUV lost control in the rain and almost hit us.  The article in The Independent states: "The main A10 motorway from Paris to the south west remains flooded north of Orleans.  On Wednesday, 650 motorists and truckers were stranded after the motorway turned into a river.  Amphibious army trucks were sent to rescue them."

From what I've read the flooding of the Seine happens every century, the last happening in 1910.  Current water levels don't match the level reached in 1910, though with more rainfall predicted it's possible the situation will get worse.  The RER C train, which I took to Versailles, is closed.  If the water level rises a few more feet the subways will be affected.  The situation is grim.

I'm praying Paris will recover, as I pray everyone surviving the Texas floods will recover, where there's 31 Texas counties flooded.

It's important to listen to the cycles and patterns of nature, stretching hundreds, thousands or more years.  Living in the Western United States we have our own patterns to watch for, many of which are pretty terrifying.  The super-volcano Yellowstone, a six hour drive from here, is overdue.  The Wasatch mountains have about a 47% chance of Earthquake in the next 50 years, with great devastation predicted (Utah Valley floor dropping 15 feet, liquefaction due to fine soil sediments, floods from Salt Lake and mountain lakes,etc). San Andreas is 60 years overdue.  The overdue Earthquake that's the stuff of nightmares is the Cascadia subduction zone, which will not just affect California, Washington, and Oregon, but Japan as well, and will be overwhelmingly devastating due to the nature of this Earthquake running along the pacific coast.  The Cascadia subduction zone erupts every 240 years.  The last one took place 316 years ago.  It's due.  And it will be terrifying.  Far worse then San Andreas.  Oh, and there's another super-volcano near Mono Lake in the Eastern Sierra Nevada's that's showing movement, so there you go.

I didn't write the last paragraph to scare anyone, especially since mostly everyone I love lives in the Western USA.  I'm not moving anytime soon.  I love Utah, and I know this is where I'm supposed to be, but it's important to be aware of the dangers that surrounds us and to prepare accordingly.  A lot of dangers we can't prepare for, but for those in which we can, we should.

We shouldn't live in fear as fear merely robs us of our present and future.

With everything I've thought about today thus far, I'm thankful.  Every moment I'm alive I'm thankful.  And I'm thankful my Mom and I got to experience France and come home safely.  It's humbling.

And I'm praying for all of those living through natural and unnatural disasters/tragedies throughout the World.

Martinelli's, Utah, California, and New Years

Happy 2016!!  Can you believe we've been in 2016 for a week now?  I keep writing 2015 instead of 2016, so a part of me is still trapped in the past.

Last week, while perusing around Costco for New Years stuff, I stumbled upon this giant crate of Martinelli's sparkling Cider.  I don't think I've seen this much Martinelli in one place, and my first thought was, "Only in Utah."  This drink is definitely the special occasion drink of choice around these parts.

And then memories of visiting Costco many times in Visalia and Oxnard CA came to mind.  Since moving to Utah over a decade ago, and adjusting to life in this new state--and it is an adjustment, even though I'm LDS aka Mormon--I seem now to always forget Costco has wine aisles in other states.  They don't here.  You can't by wine or alcohol at all, and at typical grocery stores it's nearly the same.  The alcohol is found in the soda section.

The same startled remembrance would also happen all those times I would shop at Albertsons and Vons in Ventura while visiting my grandpa before he sold his home.  (Man, I'm kinda going through withdrawals.  I miss those visits.  Totally took it all for granted.)  But it was always weird walking around California grocery stores and coming upon the wine section.  The things we forget.

You know what's weird!!!???  This Summer I will have lived in Utah for 15 years.  It doesn't seem possible.  I lived in Porterville for 14 years, Kindergarten through my first year at College (PC & COS), and before then Southern California, totaling 19 years in the state.

So Happy New Years everyone!

I hope you haven't given up on any New Years Resolutions.  I'm only just starting mine.  Last night Highland dance stated again, and I have three classes next week.  And this weekend I'm revamping my "diet," and I put the quotations around diet because I need a way of life, not a temporary system.  So this weekend I'm going to clean out the fridge, evaluate the extended pantry, look through cookbooks, and go grocery shopping.  It will be quite the project, but it will be good.

Here's to a great year!  It will be interesting.

Santa Barbara Revisited

 It's probably safe to say that I've visited Santa Barbara every year for the last 20 years of my life, many years with multiple visits.  Since my Grandfather sold his home in Ventura last November, I figured making the visit would become few and far between.  Luckily this last girls trip to the central coast offered a jaunt to this beautiful place.

I appreciated this visit a whole lot more, because I don't know when I'll be able to visit again.  It might be years, which will be weird, honestly.  We visited many of our favorite places.

 The Paseo Nuevo outdoor mall.  And a little ways down State Street is a silver store we always visit, which offers good prices.  It's always fun to see what treasures can be gleaned.

 The Dolphins are Blue!

 We ate at the Breakwater restaurant, more for sentimental sake.  There's a lot of restaurants in that area I've wanted to try!  But my Grandfather is a creature of habit, and he ate there because his dog, Ginger, could join us on the patio.  I got the Salmon meal, which was yummy as always.  Unfortunately my Mom, Aunt, and Grandmother didn't have as great an experience with their food, which isn't typical for this place.

 I have so many fond memories of the marina.

 Seeing this bridge makes me want to run down it and visit the boats.  I miss visiting my Grandpa's boat, which was sold a couple years ago.  If you want a great nights sleep, I recommend sleeping on a boat.  The gentle roll of the ocean is so soothing.

True story: When I was 14 I had jaw surgery and was sewn shut for 9 1/2 weeks, having to carry wire cutters with me in case I started throwing up or some other case of emergency.  To this day my Mom can't believe she let me go sailing.  As we would do back then, we took the boat on a short ride around an oil rig and back.  On the way there I was fine, but then started getting sea sick, so I went below to take a nap, which was really rocky.  Thankfully nothing bad happened, but I don't like to imagine if something had.  BTW: When I was sewn shut it's interesting that I discovered eating to be something I quickly stopping craving.  I forgot what food taste like.  It was singing, not being able to sing, that was the hardest.

 A beautiful sunset at the marina.

This is how I want to remember Santa Barbara.