Goodbye Vista - A Photo Essay

Adam took the Boy Scouts camping this weekend and with it he took our car. So I started a bike gang. I'm the only member so far and I spend all my free time in it now. Yesterday I biked the 10 miles home from work -- when have you biked from the middle of one city (Carlsbad) to the bitter end of another (Vista)? Well, it has been done. Several times. By me. When I am carless. And then when I got near home I decided to just keep biking -- dropping off my backpack for my camera pack -- much lighter! I wanted to capture Vista before I left. The cute little Southern California town that Adam and I will remember fondly as the place we happily spent our first year of marriage. I also woke up early this morning and went biking for some more pics. Like I told you, the gang is my life now.

Oh, by the way. We are moving. In 2 weeks to Irvine, CA. Adam's company is moving up there, only an hour from here. But since he and I are firmly against commuting long distances, we have chosen to uproot, me quit my job and...go. It has caused a few different emotions in me. I feel ready to quit. But not exactly ready to move...Vista has grown on me. I hated it for awhile, but we've gotten settled in our ward and we love our little studio apartment. Alas, I am a creature of change and have always prided myself on thriving on it. So we will move and start over and probably grow into our new space just great all over again.

So here are a few pics of Vista that really sum it up for me. It's a little city with a country feel to it. I have taken that for granted, I fear, because O.C. is much more congested. But. Nevermind. Let the happy memories roll.

These 2 things I see every morning at about 6:10 am on my run with friends Merrilee and Shannon. This mailbox says: Dude, surf's up and, like, whooooaaaaa why did my $500 self get all cut up just for this? I almost trip on memory lane every time I see it. Adorable.

This picture captured one California mainstay: hardworking Mexican immigrants. It was 6:30 pm and it didn't look like these guys were going home anytime soon. These people work harder than I will ever have to. A little mailbox that says: I live in the country. That was the token trait of Vista: close proximity to both city life and rural life.

This was kind of an Asian shop with a Hispanic twist. Couldn't really figure it out. But Lita and family sold me a mean salmon steak when I was hankering for one. Cheapest movies in town, hands down. The couple that owned this place was so nice and SO smart -- price the movies at 94 cents and with tax it turns out to be a real 1 dollar flat. When does that happen anymore? So what if half the place is VHS and the other half are new releases that are 2+ dollars...? I go with 4 quarters in hand and 4 quarters only. I Heart Books was a book exchange shop that gave out free bags of old English muffins every Monday.I never made it to a play here but I always thought it was the cutest little oldfashioned thing in town.Vista went through a mural spasm at some point before I got here. These murals used to cause my eyes actual pain as I winced in the other direction. Now I think they're kind of quaint. This shop makes some great fresh tortillas. Who can hate a painted shop in which singing sombreroed men make fresh tortillas? This scene depicts our kind mayor, Mayor Vance, who happens to be in our ward. Miss Vista is also in our ward, except this year she is blonde. And not 37 years old.

I had no idea THIS was going on. I guess a perk of jaunting out into the world at 7:30 on a Saturday morning. Vista's very own little morning market! Uh! I guess we have one more Saturday to enjoy it. Goodbye, Vista. You've been great. We will miss you.

Memorial Day in Morgan, UT

My family in Utah spent Memorial Day visiting Morgan, UT, where my mom grew up. Here's Nick, Carrie's husband, my brother, Owen, and my sister, Heather, just hanging out in that wilderness we loved so much as kids.

Carrie and Nick

This picture basically sums up where Carrie and I spent many summers being farm girls. The barn in the back is where we swung from ropes, held tea parties on haystacks, hid from the gross boys, looked in on the horses and smelled the leather saddles.

Congrats Em!

My old roommate Emily got married a couple months ago. Emily, you look gorgeous. Wish I could have been there.

Old friends from P-town -- cousin Carrie, Marcie, Emily, Casey

Balboa Park

I've always been a little frustrated that San Diego seemed devoid of interesting, historical architecture. Then I went to Balboa Park. This is as old as it gets, folks. Good job.

My brother, the former Palo Al, came to visit a few weeks ago so we explored BP together. He is now San Al, having moved from Palo Alto San Jose recently. Ladies, he's single. He's employed. And he drives the loudest little red Honda Civic you've ever heard.

I don't really get this theatre-type structure. It is huge. It accommodates thousands. Someone plays creepy organ music all day from some unseen chamber inside.

Allen is the only male we Hullinger girls have been able to convince to read books by Haven Kimmel. Here's Allen reading the latest one now: "She Got up Off the Couch...And Other Heroic Acts from Mooreland, Indiana." Allen is no fool. He knows that book is hilarious. Adam and me in front of the fountain.

We lunched at a cute Japanese tea house

Allen and Adam chewing the fat.

Jammed Last Night With...

Went to my 3rd John Mayer concert last night. Adam was kind enough to come. His interest was solely in this guy: None other than my other favorite Piano Man: Ben Folds. He opened. I appreciate that he's a pianist. And a sythesizer. He puts on a good show, jumping on his piano, throwing his chair at it, singing Dr. Dre raps. A definite rebel.

And then....the man, the machine, the face melter himself. Playing face melting songs...so much so that his own face melts. Does he exercise these faces behind stage? Or just risk pulling every muscle on stage? He's a risk taker. And thank the good stars he cut his hair. And also thank you stars that Jessica Simpleton was not allowed to step one foot in San Diego county. Finally, stars, thank you that she returned to her blonde roots.

He wailed like this all evening.

Really hitting a high one at this point. Not sure but I'm almost certain he did one of these. There was a rumor going around. At this point very nigh to explosion.

And on the 3rd encore song, Waiting on the World to Change, he delighted the crowd with one of these.
That daring kick delighted me, I tell you what. Faces and kicks and throwing things. What a great night.

ladies having babies

Shout out to the 3 fertile Mitchell sisters of Utah Valley. They had their girls all in the same week. Top 2 are Josie Scout, Miriam's baby (high school BFF). Next is Mae Ella, by Eirene. And third is Emily's baby Hazel Ann.

Another friend, Marilee, had a baby this same week. Here is little Laya Nanette. Way to go, girls!

Last Brazil Post, I Promise

After taking a bus from Paraty to Fabiola's house, we spent our final 3 hours in Brazil eating traditional food with a lovely family, celebrating Mother's Day.

Fabiola's parents and sister.

In the very last few minutes before we hopped in the car to go to the airport, Fabiola and her mom were kind enough to write down some recipes for me: one for coconut flan and one for banana pie. Yum!!

Thanks Fabiola and Diogo for a great trip!