No More Baking Until Next Year!

I think I am officially on strike from holiday baking for a while... And it will be a well deserved break! 6 lbs of homemade peppermint cherry chip bark, 3 loaves of banana walnut bread, 3 loaves of chocolate chip bread, 2 loaves of walnut chocolate chip banana bread, and two dozen hand rolled buckeyes deserves a vacation from baking (at least until next Christmas)! My fingers are literally numb from peeling candy canes! To be honest, I loved every Betty Crocker moment today! But I will definitely be paying for it tomorrow... I will also be sleeping in!




Guess who's not cleaning the kitchen tonight!? I am seriously hoping elves drop by to clean it while I sleep, like some sort of Christmas miracle... Or an act of mercy! ;)

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Reno Rewind Weekend

So it's december 13th, and I woke up this morning to more flowers blooming!



The holidays have officially started, and I am still finding it very hard to believe that they're here! This year has gone by so fast! The weather here has been gorgeous, my daily uniform has been t-shirts and flip flops! No white Christmas this year!
Now on to the Reno Rewind Weekend! This might be a long one! We got back yesterday, and for a short road trip it was pretty epic!
I did get to see some snow in Reno this weekend, the drive up there was fantastic! We traveled the 395 and it was a clear trip the whole way up and barely any traffic... Along the way we got to stop at some fun places and enjoy some of the most breathtaking views!


Outside Mojave on the 395
The Sierras

Lake Mono
Our Hotel, The Grand Sierra in Reno

It took us a little over 8 hours (with stops) to get to our final destination, and our hotel was awesome! Ryan's friend Chris got us a three room suite at the Grand Sierra, our bathroom was no joke the size of our living room and had two showers! Talk about spoiled! ;) After we got settled in Ryan got cleaned up and headed out to sound check at The Alley while Alexis and me hung out in the suite and got ready. Alexis' husband hit a quadruple jackpot while we were getting ready and cleaned out a slot machine before the show, luck was definitely on his side that night!

We got to The Alley just before the doors opened and we were greeted by a pretty big crowd at the door! (I got to say "I'm with the band" and bypassed the crowd, I loved it! lol)



The show was pretty insane, not what I expected at all! People literally went nuts as soon as the bands started up, and even more so when Ryan's band hit the stage! The crowd went so crazy they crashed a security barricade and the show was almost stopped in the middle of one of Sworn Vengeance's songs! Go Ryan! Actually, all the bands were pretty amazing! They all deserve a pretty big pat on the back for the show they put on! :)


Ryan and me behind the merch table before the show started.
Tony being... Well... Tony!
Ryan getting geared up for his set.

I finally got to meet Ryan's old friends Jose and Amy, it was so nice to finally put faces to names, Jose even got on stage and rocked out with Ryan and the band for a song!



Here are some more photos from the show...



Glen and Jason babysitting me during Ryan's set!
Alexis, my partner in crime! :)

Chris, AKA the jackpot king! He's also Alexis' hubby.
And finally, some shots of Ryan on stage!






All the bands rocked it! The show lasted until about 12:30 am, then we all headed over to the Peppermill for casino omelets and hot chocolate/hot tea! (Reno was freakin' cold! I have turned into a total wuss when it comes to the cold ever since I moved from Utah lol) We pulled a pretty late nighter that night, it was almost 4 am when we finally got back to our hotel and crashed.

The next morning we got up early, yes, I said early (bleh), to get ready to meet everyone for breakfast before we hit the road...


The cutest little rockstar in training I have ever seen!
Our boys after the traditional "Day After Mayhem" Program breakfast.


We got on the road about noon after the breakfast, and we decided to take the 395 back home. We stopped at the chocolate factory and loaded up, seriously, we have like three pounds of chocolate and ice mints laid out on the kitchen table right now!



The place was pretty awesome, tons of homemade goodness, and they had one of those weird giant miners on the hill behind their store!




After that we made a quick drive past Lake Topaz...



And then a few hours later we stopped in Historic Bridgeport for some of the most delicious burgers at Rhino's, right across from the old Bridgeport Inn...




The rest of the drive was pretty uneventful, we were on a mission to get home... But we did run across the historic Western Film Museum on the 395...



Wow, this really was a long one! I was going to add some other updates to it, but I think I will hold off for another day! I took a ton of photos from our awesome road trip weekend, you can view them all here...

Reno Rewind Weekend Part 1
Reno Rewind Weekend Part 2

So I guess that's it for this post! Take care! :)

Jed Paul "Cole" Naisbitt

Jed Paul Collin (known as Cole) Naisbitt died Saturday, November 20, 2010 while stationed in the U.S. Army at Fort Hood, Texas. Cole passed away in the prime of his life from a gunshot wound by an unknown assailant for an unknown reason.
He was a fun loving gregarious person who will be forever missed by his family and friends.

Cole is survived by his mother, Pam Oldroyd, father, Jed Naisbitt, sister, Tiffany Winger and brother, Steele Naisbitt.

Cole’s memorial service will be held Friday, December 3rd at 3 p.m. at Lindquist’s Ogden Mortuary, 3408 Washington Blvd.

A special remembrance and celebration of his life will take place at the Ben Lomond Hotel, 2510 Washington Blvd., where family, coworkers, and close friends are invited, on Friday beginning at 5 p.m.

Email condolences to the family at: www.lindquistmortuary.com

News Updates... Cole Naisbitt

There have been no updates from the police yet, but news reports with more information are starting to trickle in.

Click on the links below for the stories:

ABC4
KSL
The Salt Lake Tribune
Central Texas Now KCEN
CBS19 KYTX Killeen
chron/ AP Texas News
Killeen Newswire
Standard Examiner Ogden
KHOU Houston
KENS San Antonio
KAUZ Wichita Falls
ALL VOICES
KVUE Texas
KCBD
Deseret News
ABC13
Statesman Edition
KTXS12
KLTV East Texas
My Fox Lubbock
Ogden Newswire
ShareThis

Killeen, Texas Police Department

Detectives are asking anyone with information about this shooting to call Crime Stoppers at 526-TIPS (8477), or go online, or text a tip to KILLEEN plus the tip to CRIMES (274637). All information is confidential, and if the tip results in the arrest of the suspect responsible for this crime, you could receive a reward up to $1,000 in cash.

I Want To Be Thankful...

“Truly great friends are hard to find, difficult to leave,
and impossible to forget.”

This is the time of year to be thankful. Tonight, I am thankful for my friend Cole. We grew up together in South Ogden, and odds were, if I was in trouble he was usually sitting right there next to me! He took me to my first Metallica concert up at WSU, we spent the summers sneaking out and swimming in his parents pool, I was sitting next to him for his first "fender bender"... I was also sitting next to him when we got caught drinking beer past curfew in the foothills above the university (yes, we were underage... tsk tsk tsk). Many of my great memories from childhood leading to adulthood involved Cole, and for that I am very thankful. One could not ask for a better friend.

Saturday morning Cole's life was taken by an unknown gunman. He was shot in his car in the early hours of the morning by someone who didn't stop to think they were taking the life of someone's son, brother or friend... He was also the love of someone's life. I am trying so hard to be thankful for the time I was granted with him, but I can't help feeling resentful that I was robbed of so much more by someone who placed no value on a human life.





I would love to be able to share every story and 'Coleism', but my heart aches, and I just don't know that I can do that right now.

If you're lucky enough to have a friend in your life as wonderful as Cole, cherish every moment, and never take that person for granted. Be ever thankful for them and always remember that life is precious.






Cole Naisbitt
1980-2010

Hollywood Forever Part 2

I have decided this entry is going to be part blog, part history lesson today! Yesterday I posted the pictures from my first trip to Hollywood Forever. This cemetery is rich with history, not just of the golden era of Hollywood to present, but also for the city of Los Angeles as well. The cemetery was founded in 1899, and built on 100+ acres of property with the most enviable views of the Hollywood Hills in the city. Originally called Hollywood Memorial Park Cemetery, this plot of land became the final resting place for the who's who of Hollywood, socialites, notorious criminals, historical figures, composers and the founders of Hollywood... And for the right price, any regular Joe could be buried in the midst of screen legends and heroes.



Did you know Hollywood was given its name by a honeymooner? Seriously, the "Father of Hollywood" Hobart Johnstone Whitley found his inspiration while honeymooning! (He's buried here, so is Harvey Henderson Wilcox, who founded the city of Hollywood!)


From the period of 1940 to 1998, the cemetery was under the control of a man named Jules Roth, I am sure the name sounds familiar, he was a real winner. He barred Hattie McDaniel's burial there because she was an African American (she was Mamie in Gone With the Wind). She was buried at an alternate cemetery, but in 1999, wrongs were made right and she was given a beautiful cenotaph in the park next to the reflection pond when the cemetery came under new ownership.



There's no nicer way to put this... Jules Roth was pretty crooked, during his reign, the cemetery fell into such disrepair that it was shut down and barred from new plot sales. It was so bad there, in profitable years they were making their money disinterring people whose families wanted them moved to more respectable cemeteries. By the time Roth died in the late 90's, the cemetery was down to 62 acres (Paramount Pictures purchased 40 acres behind the Beth Olam section in 1920 with RKO pictures to build their studios on, Roth sold the land in front of the cemetery to developers who built a strip mall there)...



An earthquake had left the cemetery crippled and severely wrecked, mausoleums were shut down, crypts were "bandaged" with plywood and headstones were left over turned. All the money that should have been trusted for the care of the park was gone... Spent on yachts and expensive homes for Roth. It would be a massive understatement to say that people weren't outraged. Jules died in 1998 while under investigation by a board of attorneys for the state and he is interred in the Cathedral Mausoleum under his parents (and not too far from Valentino!). You can learn more about him here... Profile: Jules Roth

I first learned about this cemetery in 2002 while watching the premiere of 'The Young and the Dead' on HBO, a documentary about the refurbishment and new ownership of the cemetery. In 1998, Tyler Cassity bought the cemetery for $375,000, and by 2002 he had restored the cemetery, given it a new name, the ban on the sale of plots was lifted, and it was added to the National Historic Places Registry. Now instead of an eye sore, the park has become a place of celebration, reflection and remembrance.

In the summertime, thousands of people show up weekly with picnic blankets and lawn chairs to watch old movies projected on the sides of Mausoleums, and in the fall, the cemetery is home to the largest Dia de los Muertos celebration in California. Each year, approximately 10,000 people attend this celebration... This year we were two of those people!



I have yet to get an accurate count of all the notable people buried here, it varies depending on who you ask, 171, 193, 510, 270... and so on, you get the picture!

Charlotte Bridgewood, the mother of the first screen star Florence Lawrence is interred in the Columbarium. Florence was so heart broken when her mother died that she commissioned a one of a kind marble statue of her mother's veiled likeness to adorn her niche, it really is quite beautiful.



Sadly, in 1938, Florence decided to take her own life. When Florence died she was penniless. Bad investments, crashes, and the Great Depression had erased her film and cosmetics fortune. She was buried on the grounds of the park... In an unmarked pauper's grave. In 1991, Roddy McDowell paid for a grave marker for her that reads "The Biograph Girl/The First Movie Star."

On a lighter note... Ryan and me did have a moment to share a laugh over an 'Enriko Palazzo' joke...



For those of you who are scratching your heads and wondering what is wrong with us, let me enlighten you...





As you can see the joke never gets old for Ryan... ;)



For you Ramones Fans...



Dee Dee's final resting place is located here, and there is a pretty awesome cenotaph for Johnny here (His ashes are with his widow and friends).

(Dee Dee's grave pretty much always looks like it was the site of a raging kegger!)

Peter Finch is also interred here...



He was the first actor to receive a posthumous Academy Award (The only other actor to receive the honor is Heath Ledger).

Interesting fact about Valentino's final resting place... his death was so unexpected there were no plans made for him, and he was "temporarily" interred in the crypt of his good friend June Mathis. Unfortunately she died soon after, and permanent plans had not been made for Valentino yet. In the end, June was interred in her husband's crypt, and Valentino's family purchased her crypt from her husband, and there he still lies today.



There was fresh lipstick on the crypt the day we visited!



The famed "Lady in Black" is still seen roaming the cemetery, she brings roses to Valentino every week. A few weeks after this visit I brought my sister and her family here, we got to see the "Lady in Black", sitting on the steps of a private mausoleum, reapplying her lipstick! I hear the new "Lady in Black" runs a tour though here once a week... Interesting.


(I don't know how well you can see her... But there she is!)

Another fun fact about Valentino's grave, it gets kissed so often the plaque has to be removed two or three times a year for heavy cleaning, and the marble is polished on a weekly basis... Imagine the germ fest these ladies are sticking their lips to... Ewww!

The Valentino shrine is also home to one of the weirdest and most entertaining epitaphs I have ever seen...



Rock On!

The full set of captioned photos from our second trip to the park can be found here... I tried to 'Wiki' as many people as I could in the captions, I hope you find them as interesting as I did!

I could go on for days about this plot of land and the people under it... But for now I think I have posted enough! Who knows, if there's a part 3, I may include more! ;) Until then, enjoy the pictures and the stories of the people in them!

WOW! This was a long one!!!! I think this should totally make up for my months of slacking this summer!