The Walking Dead

Last month, Louis and I were lucky enough to go to the big premiere of Season 2 of The Walking Dead  If you haven't seen it, please tune in.  I admit, it isn't a show that I normally would be into, but I really love it.  One of my great friends (and sorority sisters), Denise Huth, from my Pepperdine days, is actually one of the Producers.  Let me clarify, she is not just one of the    producers, she is THE BEST producer.  Everyone that knows me, pretty much knows all about her because I am just so proud of all of her successes, and I brag about her all the time.  Anyway, we had an absolute blast.  The night started at the Regal L.A. Live Theater which is right next to the Staples Center.  After waiting for Denise and watching her walk down the red carpet (so exciting), we found our seats.  After a few remarks from the President of AMC and the Executive Producer, the show began.  Wow!  What can I say...very intense!  It was so much better (and scarier) on the big screen.  Then it was time for the party portion of the night.  That was held at Vibiana, which is a huge special event venue in the heart of L.A.  There were zombies roaming around, lots of fog, lots of good food and cocktails, and lots of fun.  It was perfect!  The cast and crew we met were all genuinely nice and personable and I can't wait for the Season 3 Premiere!  Thanks Denise for including us in your special night!  I love you!

Waiting for the show to begin

There she is on the red carpet.  Go Denise!

Bonding with the zombies.
That's Terri next to me.  Another great friend from Pepperdine that came out from Colorado for the big event.

The Denise Huth fan club

Louis with his dream girl, Sarah.
He was so nervous to meet her, I thought he was going to puke right on her shoes.

Denise and Sarah.
Denise knew Louis has a big crush on her and promised to introduce them.

Louis is feeling pretty lucky right now.

Me and my new boyfriend. :)

There she is...Producer Extraordinare.  Love you Denise!

Terri, Denise and Brian (aka Gopher).
Brian is another friend from Pepperdine and the night wouldn't have been half the fun with out him.  He was our designated photographer, comedian, set designer and handler.  I swore I would never go to another Premiere without him! Thanks Brian.

Our trip to the Windy City

On top of the tallest building in North America, 

the Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower) 

Chicago has been on my list of places that I've wanted to visit, for a long time now.  Louis had some vacation days coming up, so we decided to plan a trip to see his brother Adam and his family, who moved there a year ago.  Adam and Jill had little Sarah in May, so we thought it was a perfect time to go meet our newest little niece.
We arrived in Chicago on a Thursday night.  We went straight from the airport to Key Lime Cove; a super-fun, super-cool indoor water park.  The girls were in heaven.  I have to say, that was my favorite part of the trip.  We had a blast going down the many water-slides, coasting along the lazy-river and playing in the arcade.

Adam and little Christopher

Grace was in heaven all week with baby Sarah

Relaxing in the lazy river

Louis and Sarah

Over the weekend we headed into the city of Chicago to check it out.  Jill and the little kids stayed home, while Adam acted as our tour guide.  High on the list to experience during our trip was a Chicago Dog and Chicago deep dish pizza.  I know it's sad that food tops the list, but that's just the way we are. :)  

So yummy!

Standing on the glass floor looking down 109 flights to the streets below

Awww...brothers!

View from the top

That's Lake Michigan in the distance.  It looks just like the ocean.

Check out the sign...

Navy Pier

Louis and Sarah

Hannalihn

Louis and Christopher.  He kept calling Louis "grandpa".  It was hilarious.

Emma and Sarah

Grace and Sarah

Our last day in town we spent at the "beach".  It is actually Lake Michigan, but it looks just like the ocean.  Even from the airplane you couldn't see the other side,

The Newest Navarro

We have once again entered the world of puppy ownership. Not exactly by my choice, but I have fallen in love with our newest addition nonetheless.

Meet Cocoa. Also known as Cocoa Puff. She is an ultra- adorable, super cuddly, and amazingly sweet little miniature daschund.

The story of how she became part of our family began way back in July when we found her momma, Selena, who got separated from her owners at a Fourth of July festival in Flagstaff, AZ. We took her in and was able to track down her, very worried owners the next day. Turns out that little Selena was pregnant, and the owners were so happy we found her, they offered us one of the puppies for free. We of course did not want a puppy at the time, but my great friend, Darlene, who happened to be visiting us in Flagstaff at the time, and who was actually the one who found Selena that night, wanted one of the puppies for her mom.

Fast forward a couple of months...Selena had her puppies and it was time for Darlene to claim her puppy. Well, she couldn't make the trip to Flagstaff, so Louis and I decided to take the girls out of school for a couple of days and head to Flagstaff ourselves. The plan was to pick the puppy up on Sunday, the night before we were to head home, so we didn't have to care for her all weekend. But, the girls begged us to go and "see" the puppies on Friday. Well, long story short, we walked out of there on Friday afternoon with not one, but two puppies. One for Darlene's mom and one for us. The minute we walked in, Cocoa leaped into Louis's arms and promptly cuddled up to him and fell asleep. He instantly fell in love and wasn't walking out of there without her. It was actually incredibly sweet.

They are both fast asleep

Louis with his "baby"

Did I mention she is super cuddly?

She even helps the girls' with their homework

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Slippin' and Slidin' at Slide Rock

The four cousins...Grace, Sara, Cole and Emma

Grace has been bugging me all summer to go to Slide Rock. It is this stretch of slippery rocks where the water runs down off the mountains and creates these natural water slides. It's about 35 minutes away, halfway between Flagstaff and Sedona. It is a lot of fun, but the water is so cold. The kids just love it though. With Bran, Brian and the kids visiting this week, we thought it would be a great time to finally go, and we all had a great time!

Brandi and Brian -- Even after 20 years together, these two are still so in love! :)

Bran and I

Sammi and Emma

Cole and Sara

I forget who that is...

There they are..all wet, sunburned and very tired

That's me slidin' down. Yep, I braved the 60 degree water and had a great time doin' it.

Little Grace...She was so happy to FINALLY get to go to Slide Rock!

Emma and Sara. Boy, are we gonna miss her when she goes back to Florida in a couple of weeks. We've sure had fun having her around this summer.

The view from Slide Rock is so beautiful, it's breathtaking. I just love the red rock mountains and the green trees.