California Trip Oh9. Through Pictures. Hmmm. You'll like it, I know these things.

Dear World.
Hello. This post does have meaning. As you know, It was recently Christmas. There was a break. My fam and I decided to go to San Diego, (meaning Saint James) California. We stayed on misson beach. My mother grew up in San Diego. We headed out at 10 o'clock, day after Christmas. Here is our story, In pictures....

Well. First of all. We started out, excited, thrilled to leave the cold. The parents in front, the kids in back, plugged in to the portable T.V. About two hours into the trip, my brother, had a spasm. He flailed his arms and shrieked. I looked at him, rather puzzled and he told me that the top off his ear bud had come off and was lodged in his ear. He was frantic. I calmly told my father to pull over so I could care for my spastic brother. He did so. Part of being a First Responder is being prepared. I had tweezers. I leapt out of the car with my tweezers and camera, and after taking a few snap shots, I calmly told my brother to hold still while I practically preformed surgery on my brothers left ear. And I am proud to say....all is well. That was the first experience of the whole trip, and perhaps, the most dramatic.

Now. onto the good stuff.


We stayed, on our way to misson beach, In my dear cousin Jackie's house. She has a statue of a naked man, which makes me rather uncomfortable, but, she is not married. It is okay for her. She has to have a thrill somehow. And i mean that in the purest way possible.

Welcome to Mission Beach


This is me, in my wetsuit, preparing for the beach. I like the beach. The boardwalks. The pier. The smells. The cracked seashells which are of no value to you, but mean the world to me.

Marshall. A tourist.

Pardon my naked face, but, I do enjoy rollerblading on the boardwalks without make up, saying hello to all those around me, who think I am a freak because I am friendly. Well EXCUSE me for being happy and loving life. Maybe you should lay off the drugs and partying for a little while and learn to be happy as well.

Hillcrest, San Diego, California. Where boys like boys. They make me extremely uncomfortable, yet, at times, I find it quite comical.

Got Rod Stewart?

Perhaps one of my favorite parks in the world is Balboa Park in Saint James, California. We went there, we always go there. I thought you would enjoy some pictures. So. Enjoy! I dare you.

Welcome to Balboa.

Modern art, this is. Show them who you are Makayla.

I have always been told I resemble a Who. It would be nice to live down in Who-ville.

Man. Standing on bridge. Mandi. Took picture of man. Man noticed. Man gave Mandi weird look. Mandi laughed. Man will never see this picture.

This is me, not even contemplating suicide. You wonder why? Well this bridge is of great importance. A movie, which I hold dear to my heart has a nice scene in which a boy, named, Lane contemplates jumping off because he cannot bear the pain of a breakup, just when he changes his mind, he is accidentally pushed, landing, thankfully, in a garbage truck. Overhead, a black man says a very significant line, which brings a smile to my lips everytime I hear it:

"Shame people be throwing away a perfectly good white boy like that."

Yes. This is the bridge from Better Off Dead. And I am pround to say I have stood upon it.

Balboa tower with "buttermilk clouds" as my 101 year old great grandmother would say.

"Open your eyes! I am!" There were many Asians. I am obsessed with Asians. If I could, I would be an Asian. I envy asians. They are my brothers. And they flock in California.

Museum of Man. Man steps on Man. Man tramples Man. Man conquers Man. History of Man.

Smoking Cigars is very popular in Southern California, though it reeks. Worse than any cigarette I have ever whiffed. Also, the man with the curly hair? He's my boyfriend. Shhhh. We are keeping that one on the DL.

You may not be able to see it very well, but Marsh and I are standing in front of a fountain. This is not an ordinary fountain. Oh ho ho oh no. You see, when I was maybe 8 and marshall 7? Maybe? I beat him up, behind the fountain, thinking I was hidden from sight, I wailed on my poor, helpless little brother, leaving him to die, I ran away, acting like nothing happend. I remembered this. But. Told no one. Then, about 8 years later, while watching home videos, we discovered a scene, in which I was using my little brother as a punching bag, by this very same fountain, memories came rushing back. It was, by chance, that my father recorded me wailing on my little bro those 8 years ago. So, as a memorial to that day, Marsh and I stood in front of that fountain of despair for he, victory for myself, arms around eachother, showing that we have put that behind us. Marshall and I are friends. We like eachother now. I don't fight him anymore. Why? Well probably because it is he, that could wail on I now. That is a Danger Zone. I have learned to love and harass from a distance.

Three sisters. Miss Mandi, Makayla, and Megan. Is there a resemblance. Do we look like sisters. We may act like it, but do we really look like family? I dunno....you tell me.

We don't really have wine isles in Utah. So, just for kicks and giggles, I took a snap shot. If martenelli's make me tipsy, I don't think I should even try wine....

For Fun. I play in the ocean. It's cold. I am a tourist. We are the only ones psycho enough to be in the water. The waves are salty. They burn my eyes. Its fun. I like it.

California is real nice and all, but my heart belongs in Utah. The people, the boys, the smells, the weather, the Church. Yes. It belongs in Utah. I am a die hard Utah girl. And proud of it.

Dear Cute Surfer Boy,

You don't know I have this picture of you, but as we were taking family pictures, you caught my eye. I watched you ride the waves. You were very majestic out there, you were. When you strode out of the water towards me, my heart leapt. I whipped out my new camera and took a shot of you, pretending to shoot the ocean. When really I shot you. Surfer Boy, will you be mine? I have a wet suit and know how to boogie board. We could be friends.

I love you.

Yours Truly,

Miss Mandi (aka stalker girl)

After our Mission Beach days were over, we headed to Palm Springs to celebrate the coming of the New Year with Uncle Jack and Aunt Norma. Relatives that spoil us rotten, fatten us up and to my surprise and extreme joy, took us to the Living Desert.

Welcome to The Living Desert.

Oh. Please. Please. Please. When I die, please let me be remembered through a warthog statue. Please. There is nothing else I ask for, but this. Please let me be remembered as Elaine and Joshua Green jr. Please. It would truly be an honor.

Closet you will ever see Miss Mandi to Evil, stink eye giving, goreing goats. Read on for a tale of a little girl and goat that gores. I call him Demon Goat.

Does this Goat look Evil? Yes, you are correct, he does. Why? Paha. Well that is only because he is. This goat is evil. Yes, see the stink eye!? He gored my little sister. What a demon goat. He shall pay for this one day. See? Demon Goat. Demon Goat.

Elder's Grove. Could it be, from this tree, the Elder Tree that the Elder Wand, The deathstick was conjured. Could it be that Death itself lives in this Grove? Could it? The world will never know.

And That, my friends pretty much sums up the Califonia Trip of Oh9. It was nice. It was a treat. It was warm, but folks, I am happy to be home. Utahns, props to you. For the kindness. For having the guts to say hi. For that, I thank you.

Yours Truly:

Miss Mandi