Adios Espana, Hello America

MAY THE WORLD WELCOME MS. EMILY REDD BACK TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!!!

That’s right. Emily Redd, one of my best friends in the world, has just returned from her 18 month mission in Bilbao, Spain. She got back last Thursday. After a month of planning with her mom I flew into LA on Saturday, totally catching her by surprise. I… LOVE… SURPRISES! She had no clue, and the look on her face was priceless.

I had such a fun weekend with her and her family, plus the added bonus of seeing Kim Paul, another old friend who may be one of my favorite people in the world. You know the mark of a good friend when you can get together after almost 2 years (in Emily’s case) and 4 months (for Kim) and it’s like you picked up where you left off. I am so lucky to have such good friends.

Some highlights of the trip:
• The DMV in Wittier county, receiving a wonderful cultural diversity lesson.
• Eating out – Panera, Chipotle, Ruby’s Diner. Yum.
• 2 Sacrament meetings… twice the blessings. Yessssss.
• Catching up.
• Shopping.
• Lots and lots of laughing… mostly at old memories, and a few at new ones.
• Walking around Huntington Beach at night. (see pic below)

And last but not least…

• DISNEYLAND/CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE… for free! (Thanks to Emily’s dad’s sweet hookups)

The classic Disneyland photo-op
I couldn't resist

Called to Serve

Congratulations Jace! You will be an amazing missionary serving in

Kobe, Japan

Those folks won't know what to do with themselves.
And no, it's not Kobe Bryant.

Mes livres...

A house without books is like a room without windows. ~Heinrich Mann

And with that it's time to divulge my new hobby to the cyber-world.

Despite my right-brained tendencies that have created the accountant/mathematician inside of me, one of my biggest passions is creating new things. I've never been a painter, but I do like creating other forms of art--like this summer, for example, when I randomly decided to make a mosaic for my mother.

Well last semester I really got into BOOKBINDING. That's right, I make books. I love the possibilities book making provides -- you start with a stack of large papers, some binders board, PVA, and the random tools required. There's something about letting those creative juices flow--for me it happens late at night with the right music... like last night, I stayed up till 2 am finishing a book while zoning out to Sigur Ros. mmm... now that's what I call a happy place.

Here are some of the books I've made. I have given some away as gifts, so my collection here is not complete, but it tells enough.

LEFT: my first book ever.








RIGHT: my final project. It's a compilation of pictures from my four years of college. Sentimental, is what it is. (below is a shot of one of the inside pages).










LEFT: My all-time favorite. It's a rounded spine book, with inserts of that flower printed Tibetan rice paper throughout. I especially love that paper because I got it at a mega hippie shop on Haight & Ashbury street in San Francisco.


RIGHT: The newest edition. I'm loving the vintage outside fabric combined with organic looking red paper spread throughout. A true gem.

What happens in Vegas... is on my blog?

My celebration of America's presidents this weekend occurred in the city of sin. Yep, the one and only Las Vegas. My parental units met us there, along with my lovely grandparents who live in San Francisco. I think the highlight was seeing "Phantom of the Opera." -- I had my hesitations about the Vegas production, thinking it would be gaudy and overdone. But I was totally and completely impressed. I highly recommend it!

All in all, it was a fabulous weekend with lots of food, sleep, shows, lights, and laughter. Thanks again Mom and Dad for everything... you're the best.

The McLaws kids with Grandma Pedie. She's my hero.
This picture makes me laugh. But it's with my brother, whom I love. Also, it's in front of the Beatles, so it might be the best picture ever.
We went on a dam tour. The Hoover dam--pretty dang cool.
Featured: Jace and I with the one and only Grandpa Bob.
I love them.

PS. This is a shout out to Mike. I hear you're pretty cool and I'm looking forward to meeting you someday.

The world must see this

Brittney I love you. I love this picture. I love that you were a vampire (I think?) and I was Little Bo-Beep who lost my sheep (that I apparently found?). Apparently our halloween character choice had developed in a strange direction from the previous year, as depicted HERE.

Here's to the days.

PS. If you would like to see this gem a little larger (which I highly recommend), just go ahead and give it a little click with the mouse.

hey man, slow down.

Recently I've been listening to this Radiohead song called "The Tourist." It's psychedelic, mellow, and incredible. And what's more, Thom Yorke is singing this song to me. Ok, maybe he's not saying "Camille, here's your song," but I do feel like I could learn something from it.

Sometimes I get overcharged,
that's when you see sparks.
They ask me where the [heck] I'm going?
At a 1000 feet per second,

hey man, slow down, slow down.


We live in a world where everything moves at "a 1000 feet per second." It's go, go, go all day long. Well, not for me these days. I have never had so much free time on my hands. It's pretty nice to finally not have to worry about tests, papers, recruiting, etc. and have FREE TIME. But honestly? I've kind of been having a hard time with it. I feel BAD about not being busy every minute of the day... and today I realized that that is a sad thing. I think the Lord has given me this period in my life to force me to sit back and contemplate, to meditate, and to just SLOW DOWN.

And this week I have finally accepted it. I have been able to reflect on all of the things in my life that I am grateful for, that I would like to improve, and how I can help everyone else around me in the meantime. And you know what? I AM SO HAPPY. I have never felt so content and at peace with everything. I just keep thinking... life is too beautiful... why not be happy? Yes, I am getting slightly stir-crazy, antsy, anxious, whatever you want to call it, to start the next chapter of my life and move to San Francisco, but until that chapter comes, and I know it will be sooner than later, I am going to enjoy the moment I have to just SLOW DOWN.

The Ultimate Jump

Skydiving - check. Next step: THIS.
(Mom, you better not watch this.)

wingsuit base jumping from Ali on Vimeo.

That Thing You Do

What did I do Friday night? Oh, let me tell you. I drove up to Salt Lake City with girl Erin and boy Aaron and went to Studio 600. I know what you're thinking, "YOU went to Studio 600?" I know, right? For all you non-Utahns, Studio 600 is this huge dance club up in Salt Lake... TOTALLY not my scene. But I went, and I will openly admit I had the time of my life.

This little random evening on the dance floor got me thinking. This is a shout out to my roommate Erin, the one in the boss-awesome headband. She is a dance education major, and quite honestly, dance is her life. When she is performing she looks like the happiest person in the world. Complete bliss. I asked her about it later, and she went on to say how when she's dancing she doesn't have a care in the world.

So... as most deep questions lead... I thought, "what's my thing?" What is it that I love? Well let's see. I love snowboarding, skiing, yoga, rock climbing, camping, biking, running, etc. Then I thought, the tying factor of all of my favorite hobbies involve being in the outdoors. I realized the times I am outside is when I am most content and at peace with my life. Everything that matters becomes a little clearer, and the things that just aren't that important fade. In a sense, I don't have a care in the world. I am reminded of how I have a Heavenly Father who loves me enough to have created this beautiful earth and give me the cherished moments when I can enjoy it.

So my friends, what is that thing you do that makes all your cares in the world fade, even if it's for just a short time? Don't be shy, this is a blog of sharing and caring.