ore egg in. or again. oregon!

i'm packing my bags for the second time this summer. this time i'm off to oregon. over the next two weeks (maybe more) i'll be going from ashland to mitchell, antelope to madras, and back again. you can expect blogs about rafting down the rogue; an adventure at the antone; frolicking, fishing, and having fun at the big muddy; and celebrating a second reception at the riffle. now, you're probably thinking to yourself, huh? the antone? what's the big muddy? the riffle? don't worry, i promise to explain over the next couple of weeks and fill you in on all the fun stuff oregon has in store. beaver state, here i come!

i want to swim with an elephant.

happy fathers' day!

how awesome are we?

thanks for being the best dad ever!

my brother got married!

my brother tied the knot yesterday with the amazing megan zimmer (well, i suppose now she's megan reinhardt)! it was the cutest little backyard wedding, right on big bear lake. we walked down the aisle, taffy performed his first wedding ever (way to go, taff), and they said their vows and became "man and wife." pictures were taken, bocce ball and horseshoes and croquet were played, and s'mores were made. we ate some delectible roast beef dinner and delicious cake and candy and cookies, cried with laughter at the best best-man speech ever given (props to david hughes), and danced the night away until the happy couple drove off down the mountain...

i couldn't be happier for mark and megan. and i hear they're settled in, soaking up some hawaiian sun and honeymooning their little hearts out. congratulations guys & i love you both!

i am a hero

because today i saved ten little baby quails from being eaten up by a big mean hawk. there i was, just reading some harry potter and soaking up some sun in the park, when a mommy quail came out of the bushes, and then out popped ten little baby quails following behind her like a little swarm of adorable bumble bees. they were just frolicking about pecking at little bugs or seeds or whatever it is they eat, when all of the sudden this giant hawk comes and tries to grab one! they all race back into the bushes and the hawk follows them. now all i can see is the bush shaking and little baby birds chirping panicked chirps and squealing pitiful little squeals. it was heart breaking. they might as well have been shouting, "help us, alli!" and so, i did. i ran over there shouting and waving my arms and yes, at this point i realize i look like a complete freak. luckily no one else was there, and even more luckily, it worked! the hawk flew away and all the little birdies were saved. i've never felt so foolish and so heroic at the same time. you're quite welcome, baby quails. as a thank you, feel free to fly to my doorstep and be my pets.

“sometimes, if you stand on the bottom rail of a bridge and lean over to watch the river slipping slowly away beneath you, you will suddenly know everything there is to be known.” -a.a. milne, winnie the pooh

nants ingonyama bagithi baba!

if that doesn't sound familiar, maybe this will: naaaaaa sayvenya babaditsi baba! ...no? that's what i always thought it was, at least. and by "it" i mean the opening of "the circle of life." no matter how you sing the intro, though, does not matter. what matters is that you just can't help but love the lion king. and last night, i took my mom to see the broadway production at the orange county performing arts center. if you haven't seen this award winning musical, you need to. even if you don't like musicals. because, like i said, who doesn't like the lion king? trust me, no matter how old you are or whoever you are, you will thoroughly enjoy it. my mom and i definitely did. what's not to love about people in giant elephant costumes trapsing down the aisles? seriously, though. the costumes are incredible. in-cred-ible. the whole thing was, really. so next time it comes to town, go. don't think, just get tickets. you won't regret it. oh, and try and sit on the aisle...

where in the world?

i realize that some of you might be wondering where in the world i have been these past three weeks, and why haven't a posted and post? well, i mentioned it before, but you might have forgotten. i've been studying abroad in the british isles! and, alas, i have been posting many posts. just not on this blog. but rather, on this blog. you can read all about my trip there, if--for whatever reason--you haven't been keeping up already. and now that i'm back home, i'll be back to this blog. let the heart to hardt recommence!