Sunday, August 23, 2015

Stagecoach 2015!!!

 

It's funny looking back over all these photos and this being the first one in this post.  We all look so calm since we'd all just met.  We were so lucky to stay in Jeff's parent's Palm Springs house which was probably 2 miles from Stagecoach.  A perfect location. Jeff and Laura had invited us along with his two cousins and their friend.  There were eventually 10 total that stayed at the house but even though there were only 3 rooms, we fit perfectly and all got along beautifully.

This is the back yard to the house, right on this beautiful lake with the mountains in the background and it was gorgeous.  Garrett had never been to Stagecoach nor is he a country music fan but he was looking forward to a wild weekend and fun times.  He had no idea what he was in store for. :)


And Nick!  He's as far from a county music fan as you can get, but he pulled up his britches and gave it a shot!




We all liquored up at the house and after a group shot, literally, we headed out.  Most people brought bikes but some didn't have one so Nick, Jacquie, Mia and I Ubered there, which was only $12.  We had to walk through a lot of dirt and a long way but finally got into the heart of Stagecoach and met up with the others.

Garrett and the rest rode in which was a bit longer than the Uber but when you bike in, you can ride right up into Stagecoach, no dusty walking.

We made it, let the fun begin!!!



Getting a drink was the first thing to tackle and a difficult one since obviously there were thousands of people at Stagecoach and everyone wanted a drink.  But everyone was all smiles and we found a great spot to lay our blankets, and just walked around between the different stages, singing, dancing and having lots of fun.
While waiting in line for food, we got a little silly with our hats. :)




And that night we watched Tim McGraw on the main stage as the final act.  He was awesome and sounded as smooth and sexy as usual. :)  After the concerts were over, everyone headed either back to the bikes or back to the Uber line.  Garrett's bike chain had broken on the way in so he said he'd ride my bike back and I'd sit on the broken bike and steer while he pulled me, and another person was going to join the Uber line and ride home.  Well, somehow we all got separated and since I hadn't come in on the bikes, I couldn't help Garrett and Jeff's cousin remember where they'd parked the bikes.  Grrr, very frustrating after an hour of walking back and forth and having each of them say, "Oh, I think that row of bushes looks familiar!"  When we finally did find the bikes, only two were left, not three, and both broken!  We walked them out for quite a long walk and then finally, when the others had made it home on their bikes and were able to plug their phones in since almost all of our phones died, Jeff called us and drove back to pick us up.  Thank goodness for Jeff!!


After lots of sleep, quality food, and showers, we were up and at it again for day two!  Today was red shirt day for our group!  Garrett's coworker's roommate makes tshirts so we had some made for both the girls and the boys.  Ours said "Tip it on Back with Dirks Bentley at Stagecoach 2015", super cute.  We all cut the tack tops to our liking and looked pretty darn cute!

These two also had red shirts, the front said, "10 girls, 2 guns and beer!  Stagecoach 2015" with "Free wagon rides" on the back, refrencing Miranda Lamberts Little Red Wagon song.

These two got lots of attention!!




Garrett and Jeff had taken in the bikes to a repair shop and got all tires, chains and issues worked out with the bikes, and Garrett took Jacquie to Target where she bought a new bike, so we were all set for a ride!



What a beautiful shot!  We kept saying we'd ride this ferris wheel but we never did.  And the shirts not only got us a lot of attention, but we could pick each other out in the crowd!



We headed over to one of the stages to hear a band and some dancing commenced...









And then we needed some food and of course, Jacquie and I needed this picture! :)







Dirks Bentley came on and we all went wild!!!



And this time, we all found out bikes and made it home in record time.  The best part about coming home was the food service we received.  These two would go right to work preparing us a delicious meal and everyone was appreciative!


Our last and final day.  This was the best picture ever!!!









The sun set on an amazing weekend!  It was so fun, so good, so wonderful, we have to do this again next year!!!



Sunday, August 16, 2015

Mattie's 8th birthday at Disneyland!!!

These two cuties have been BFFs from before birth, due to their mommies being besties of course. :)  So it was super sweet of Mattie to invite only Tatum to join her on a trip to Disneyland for her 8th birthday.  The girls were soooo excited!!

And not to mention, a little bit goofy!  Tatum and I actually got up and left the house at 7 am so we could drive up to the Irvine train station and jump in Jenny's car.  Made for an early day!

But we got in shortly after Disneyland opened and these two marched down Main Street with a mission!

We all enjoyed Thunder Mountain, this was Tatum's first time on this ride and she was so excited!

And Jenny and I have been on this ride together at least a few times over our childhood.

The crazies!

Tatum and I had never seen Star Tours since she's never seen Star Wars, but we loved it!

We even hung with Star Troopers!

We caught a photo with him outside too, he wasn't talking much but the girls loved standing next to him.

Then it was Space Mountain time!!!

And Mr. Toad's wild ride!


Tatum also enjoyed Splash Mountain for the first time, she LOVED it!

Then back to Thunder Mountain where these two went on themselves!

Mid day craziness!


We were on the Alice and Wonderland ride when the afternoon parade came right by us.


We checked out Minnie's house in Toon Town

And then Jenny waited for us while we rode Space Mountain one more time!  We were all suppose to do the stick out your tongue face but my big head covered Tatum and I guess the other two decided hands in the air was better. :)
 
What an awesome day at Disneyland!  These two got along beautifully, never fought or disagreed, everything went very smoothly and Tatum said this is what she wants to do for her birthday next year.  I can't wait!!!

Spring Break!

We had a full week of vacation in front of us and had so many things we wanted to do!  We headed to a new jump place called Jump Around.  The girls LOVED this bungee jump!
 
They also did pretty great on the balance beam.  Here's Ellie showing her stuff.


Ty and Blaine opted to jump and play dodge ball.  They were so fast, I couldn't get a clear picture of them!

The girls also liked this rock wall


Pretty cool to watch your friend climb up on the other side through the glass.

Then we went to LEGOLAND to get passes and check out the fun.  Here's Tatum driving her own car.  Oh no!!! :)

We all enjoyed the helicopters




And Ty's a natural boat driver. :)

While the girls went on the dinosaur rollercoaster 5 times, Ty and I opted for a more save safari ride. :)

We also had a garage sale over our week off and our wonderful neighbors Pamela and Destiny came by with their dog Tinker.  Our next door neighbor's daughter's dog came over too, what a happy family!

We also hit the Marvel show, these three couldn't wait!

Ty loved that his cotton candy came in this hat!



Who are we kidding, I loved it!


 

 
These two changed a bit after the show, they really got into character...

climbing poles and everything!

The afternoon ended at Stone Brewery which the parents appreciated immensely! A wonderful spring break!