BASEBALL AND BODY BUILDING

After working all day Saturday last week, I was more than ready for this weekend to roll around. Saturday was rainy, but we passed the time at our friend's first body-building competition. She competed in the bikini category, which means that instead of having crazy muscles, she just looks super fit and awesome in a swimsuit. Needless to say, I was inspired to finally put down the junk food (goodbye, Sour Patch Kids and french fries) and get my diet on.

We also went to the Real game on Saturday, the Bees game on Sunday, and made plenty of time to hang out with Daisy. Hope your weekend was just as relaxing!

LONDON PART II - ARSENAL

The best (okay, the only) way to get my husband to Europe was to promise him a few sports-related stops. In London, we toured the Arsenal stadium and then came back the next day for a game. Our tour was actually really fun, and it was led by a former player, Charlie George, who entertained us with stories of playing for 30 pounds a game and riding the bus back home. The game was pretty cool too, and we even ran into an old friend from Logan, Nate, in the gift shop. Small world!

Matt and former Arsenal player Charlie George

CRAVING SOME SUNSHINE

I can't believe that Salt Lake is still stuck in the 30's and 40's! I was trying to make myself feel better this weekend by going through some pics from last summer and reminding myself that yes, the sun will shine again.

THROWBACK THURSDAY - COACHELLA

Since Coachella is this weekend, I wanted to take a little trip down memory lane. We went to Coachella right before the festival got super popular. Matt and I flew in to Long Beach and stopped for the night about halfway to Indigo, at the Five Star Inn. The motel actually looked really nice from the outside, but inside, it was basically a crime scene waiting to happen. Stains on the sheets, duct tape covering holes in the curtains - just awful. Needless to say, we left without even trying to get our money back.

Looks pretty nice, right?

Not so nice.

Once we finally made it to Coachella, we had a blast. Great bands, even better people watching.

In an effort to save a little money, I booked our tickets back out of Long Beach for 8 a.m. the following morning so that we could just drive back after the concert rather than paying for another hotel. It was a terrible idea, and I don't think I've ever been so tired in my life. Oh to be young and poor again.  

MAD MEN

One of my favorite shows on TV is finally back! We were invited to a Mad Men dinner party last night to watch the premier. I was a little thrown by Betty's even-weirder-than-usual demeanor. Anyone else wonder if she was channeling Megan with that hair? Is Peggy the new Don Draper? Are sideburns the new suit and tie? What's going on with Don and the neighbor? Did Sandy really head for California or do those hippies know more than they were revealing? So many questions, and only two more seasons to answer them all!

A few other fun and nerdy Mad Men facts:

Did you know that the actor who plays Pete has to shave his hairline for the role (ew), and is engaged to his season five love interest in real life?

John Slattery, who plays Roger in the show, is married in real life to his first wife from the show (who was once married to George Clooney).

Oh, and keep a lookout for Betty Draper in Draper, Utah. January Jones's mom is the GM of the Utah Scheels.

HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH STRANGERS

Have you ever been on vacation and wanted to take a picture of a colorful local character, but felt weird or shy? I definitely have. Have you ever tried to snap a sneaky pic and then either gotten yelled at or had the person demand money? Don't worry, that's happened to me too. Luckily, National Geographic has some great ideas for taking pictures of strangers without coming off like a total creeper (via Today, I'm Bobbi).

I really like the idea of giving something back to the person you want to photograph, whether it's buying something that they are selling or just taking a few minutes to talk to them. I also love the idea of using your camera as an excuse to get to chat with people. I'm not a natural extrovert by any means, but I love to meet new people and hear their stories. When I was a reporter, I used my job as an excuse to carry on conversations with people who I normally would never have had the guts to talk to. Maybe now, my camera can be my excuse.

A boy and his donkey in St. Kitts. I think we gave him a dollar or two to take his picture.

A fiesty 91-year-old Pearl Harbor vet. He said it was okay if we took his picture, "if we hurried".

Old man out for a stroll in Madrid

Cinque Terre, Italy. The best part of going to any European beach is the people watching. I've learned that many Europeans (not all, but many) have a "smaller is better" philosophy when it comes to swimwear. See exhibit A.

HAPPY EASTER!

It was a gorgeous Easter weekend in Salt Lake. We spent Sunday with my family, hunting for eggs and playing with my sweet little niece. Holidays are so much more fun when there are kids involved!