My new home office...

Well today is day 1 of working from my home office. As you can see, unpacking is still in process. I woke up at 6 am and went to work. I work predominently with the East Coast, so my main work hours will be 6am-3pm - with a few West Coast clients thrown in afterwards for good measure. I am used to working long hours though, so it should not be a problem. We no longer have a guest bedroom however, so if you plan on visiting (but really who ever does) - I will need some major warning :) (That was really for you Jenny). I am praying this new situation works out well for everyone. This will be a dream job for me. Same job I had before, minus the hour commute each way. Wish me luck.

Tragedy...too close to home.

James Ian Stanley Innes
January 13, 1949 - July 19, 2008

This past Saturday tragedy hit much too close to home for me. My boss and dear friend James Innes was killed in a helicopter accident in Southern Utah. I have worked for James as his "right-hand" for the past 5 years - just me and him building a company from the bottom up. We have had our ups and downs, but we always worked through everything together and were an amazing team. James was a very skilled helicopter pilot with over 15,000 hours in Hughes 500 models - the type of machine he was flying that day. His son Andrew (30), also a close friend of mine was also taken in this tragic accident. I have such a heavy heart as James was not only my boss and friend, but also a father figure many times. I will miss him so much, and will try to make him proud carrying on his business as successfully as I am able. I love you James.

Happy Birthday to me...

For my 28th birthday this year me, my sister Megan and her daughter Madi hopped on a plane and flew to California for some fun in LA shopping and a couple days at Disneyland. It was good time. This picture just makes me laugh. We stayed at the Grand Hyatt in Irvine, and this sign was posted in the hallway...some kids having a laugh I guess.

Saturday we boarded a plane at 8:30 am, and arrived at Long Beach Airport around 9:30. I love getting that extra hour back when traveling further West. We spent that day shopping in "the alley" in Los Angeles. This is where they have the most amazing knock-off purses and clothes. We got some really good finds...probably spent WAY too much money. In fact I had to buy an extra travel bag to carry all my goodies. The second day we headed to Disneyland for day 1 of our park-hoppers.

We had so much fun - well accept for one incident that happened at California Adventure. I won't go into the sordid details, but Megan almost got beat up...long not so funny story. Geez people, we just wanted to find out which Disney character we were most like. :) And I thought Disneyland was the happiest place on earth. There sure are a lot of grumpy people out there. It was a long VERY hot day, but the crowds were minimal and the lines were short. Apparently Sunday is the day to go to Dland. The next day we

Day 2 began with us getting in line for CA Adventure at 9:15 - the park opens at 10. We got into line that early because there is a new ride which opened 13 days prior - Toy Story the ride. This ride had a line of and hour and a half all day the day before. Apparently, a lot of people had the same idea as us, so there was a mad rush to the ride (at the VERY back of the park) when the gates opened. We only had to wait in line for about 15 minutes, and the ride was AWESOME. It is a 3D ride, where you get to shoot at things, and get a score at the end - you know I love a good competition. Kind of like Buzz Lightyear on crack... Anyway, after the ride we went and ate breakfast and had a more mellow day. The parks were a lot busier on the 2nd day. This was my actual birthday, so I got to wear a "Happy Birthday" Disney pin with my name on it. Every 5 minutes a castmember would wish me a happy birthday - so much fun.

We got to ride everything we wanted and had a great time. I love Disneyland so much and can't wait to go back. It is definitely my favorite place to be. That night we went home after the fireworks show, picked up some In'N'Out and ate it in bed at the hotel - yum!

Yesterday morning we got up and headed out for a day at Irvine Spectrum and South Coast Plaza and a quick stop at Trader Joe's (my first time there). A few of our favorite places from growing up in So Cal. At Irvine Spectrum we ate at Wahoo's (my absolute favorite) and got some amazing yogurt from Pinkberry - oh my goodness, when will they bring one to utah? We did a little more shopping until it was time for our flight and by then we were all ready to get home to our guys. I had so much fun, but I definitely missed Darren more than anything and was so ready to be home with him.

And to end this post - my favorite picture from the trip....

Flickr Post - Courtney

1. Go to www.flickr.com2. Type in your answer to the question in the "search" box3. Use only the first page4. Copy the html and paste for the answer.





1. Your First Name?
http://flickr.com/photos/davidgutierrez/2440778497/

2. What is your Favorite food?

http://flickr.com/photos/jeffcam/364590052/

3. Favorite Dessert?


http://flickr.com/photos/lybouchard/1205588362/

4. Favorite Hobby?
http://flickr.com/photos/52657704@N00/331152398/

5. Favorite Drink?
http://flickr.com/photos/dotsara/2253760893/

6. Where did you Grow up?
http://flickr.com/photos/soulcookie/8684516/

7. One word that describes you?
http://flickr.com/photos/person-qtr/2204274220/

8. Dream Vacation?
http://flickr.com/photos/melody_am/2071543582/

In case the pictures don't come out, the following were my responses:

1. Chelsea
2. Wahoo's
3. Strawberry Sorbet
4. Favorite Hobby
5. Lemon Drop Martini
6. Mission Viejo
7. Fashion
8. Milan

Weekend Fun

I apologize ahead of time for the camera phone pictures - I am not the best photographer :) This weekend was so much fun. Friday after work I went home and went rollerblading with my good friend Lissa and her baby Brianna. It was such a good workout. After that I went home and spent the night at home on the couch with a good movie. Darren had headed over to a friend's house and I was exhausted so I opted out.

Saturday morning my friend Lissa and her two kids piled into the Tahoe and headed to Salt Lake to meet Liz with Chloe and Jack (spencer's kids). We picked the kids up and took them to Lagoon with us for the day. We had so much fun. The picture above is Chloe being brave and raising her arms in the air on The Tiki boat ride. The kids loved Lagoon. Me and D got them season passes for their birthdays, so I am sure this will be a mainstay activity this summer. We spent about 5 hours there and decided we had had enough fun in the sun and went home. That night D and I took Chloe and Jack to dinner at Spencer's restaurant, MacCool's. He has so much fun showing off his kids to his co-workers and the regulars there. After that we took the kids to our house for a slumber party and some movie watching. We watched the BEE movie and went to bed. Spencer picked the kids up the next morning.

Sunday morning after the kids left, D and I headed to our usual breakfast at Mimi's Cafe, and then decided to brave the freezing cold weather and head to Lagoon again. We did not wait in a single line all day. I think in total there was about 60 people in the park all day - trust me when I said FREEZING weather. We went on about 5 rides and called it a day and went home to take a nap. After our nap we went to see "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" with some friends. This movie was HILARIOUS, and I would definitely recommend it! We went to a new movei theatre in Ogden to see the movie. This movie had a full restauarant menu (mexican food, soup, burgers, pasta, concessions, etc) and had assigned seating - like an airplane. Weirdest thing ever, but so cool. After the movie we headed home to watch Desperate Housewives on Tivo and called it a night. It was a jam packed weekend filled with a lot of fun....and I am already ready for another one!

It's been a while...

Well we just got back from a quick trip to Vegas. It was so much fun, and a much needed break from Utah. I won $500 on a $5 Wheel of Fortune machine, while D was much luckier and won $500 on a $.01 Wheel of Fortune machine. So essentially I trip was paid for with those two wins. Friday morning we flew in a did a little shopping at The Fashion Show. That night we got dressed up and went to dinner at The Cheesecake Factory and then went dancing at Pure. We spent most of the night in The Pussycat Dolls Lounge, which was so much fun. The show is so sexy and fun. I would love to have the confidence to be in something like that. The next day we got up and grabbed some In N Out burger...can't go to vegas without In N Out, and sending Spencer a picture text to be jealous about. Then we went and watched the NCAA games at Hooters with some friends. That night we got dressed up again and once again headed to Cheesecake Factor - something about being in the Forum shops we love I guess. Then we went to Tao Beach for some dancing. It was amazing up there - the weather, the people, the music. After Tao we went to O'Shea's for some karaoke. It was a blast. The next morning we had ALL day before our flight out at 9:40p. We spent most of the time at The Palms playing some slots. Then we saw the movie "21", and then had some dinner at La Salsa Cantina before heading to the airport. I have been so exhausted this week at work from having such a packed weekend, but it was definitely worth it. Monday I decided we already need another vacation and put the deposit down for a cruise in November. Has anyone been on a cruise that can give me some cruising advice? We are going through Mexico ie: Puerta Vallarta, Mazatlan, Cabo...etc. Should be so much fun. Sorry no pictures - I have no camera :(

Something must be in the water....

So I just received confirmation yesterday that a 4th sister is pregnant. Holly is due in October with Baby #38. And Melissa just found out today that she is having a girl. Exciting times in the Bridges family. I think they are all just waiting for me to now jump on the bandwagon :) I guess I am just not one to follow the crowd anymore.