but really, not much exciting stuff has happened.
For New Years Day we (Karen, Me and Dad) went tide-pooling at Sunset Cliffs with some Read cousins, including Andrew, McKenna, Madeleine, Josh, and Ben.
We saw lots of really cool creatures, like Starfish and Limpets, but the highlight of the day was about 10 minutes before we needed to leave;
Allen spotted an octopus, a BIG octopus. We had a LOT of fun with him, watching him change colors and inking all over us (well, some of us). The thing could move really quickly and we followed him as he moved across the tide pool rocks looking for a place to squeeze in and hide.It was sad that we had to leave so soon. But we were looking forward to a delicious Chinese dinner with the rest of the Read clan.
After dinner, while we were waiting for everyone to be done, a few of us decided to have fun in a very weird way. Armed with my camera, we walked into the Vons. We went on a picture scavenger hunt where we had to find products in alphabetical order without repeating isles. What can I say? We were bored, and it was enough fun to entertain us!
January 30We had a really fun day at the Mormon Battalion. I volunteered at the Furs table for a couple of hours with some other girls from the 18th ward.
We had to dress in period clothing. I, of course, love to dress up, and I had my old outfit from when I went on Pioneer trek in Utah. It was fun to walk around in the dress, and I kept thinking about that trek, one of the best experiences of my life.
Dad, Chris, Vanesa, and Ken Lazarus performed in a band together, singing classic American songs from the period.I was really happy to have my two friends, Brittany and Kristine, come to enjoy the festivities. It was my first year going, so we all enjoyed the stuff together. We had fun making dolls and trying out the stilts. I think we're going to need more practice.
February 5
My friends and I had a really fun dinner party.
We decided to dress up and have a big salad dinner. We had almost every topping imaginable.
It was a beautiful dinner.
When we were done eating, we played a very funny game, which is actually a drinking game, but we only play with soda and stuff.
The game is called King's cup, and the basic idea is that we draw cards to determine how our drinks get mixed,
and when someone draws a King, they will have to drink it.We had some Orange Soda, Cactus Cooler, Apple juice, cream soda, and milk. Yes, milk. Strangely, it was really good! We've invented a new drink! And it even looks pretty.
I went really crazy making my Valentine's cards this year. We're talking an hour+ per card. 
I started doing them with Kristine, at Shannon's house. But naturally I didn't get many done, so I continued at my house- and then the elaborate craziness really started.I have nothing else to do after my classes (btw- I'm only taking Yoga and Aerobics), so I made all these cards while I watched all the tv shows I love.
I've been told multiple times that I should make cards professionally, but that would be really time consuming, and I ran out of ideas really quickly (all of the cards have some similar designs).
I was hoping to have a Valentine's (or Single's Awareness) party with my friends, but it never worked out. I still have a couple cards to give.
February 15
Since we didn't have a Valentine's party, Kristine, Cynthia, and I still
wanted to get together.It was such a beautiful day on Monday; I thought it should be a crime to stay inside, so I called Kristine and we went for a bit of an adventure in Pacific Beach and at Coronado.
We came up with a code phrase for "we need to go do something new, somewhere new."
It's "Let's go fly a kite." We love doing crazy things, and we really love to go new places.
I had never been to the Hotel Del Coronado, it was my new place for the day, so we walked around it, and we even went inside it. We walked up the stairs and took the elevator down. It would be really fun to stay a
night there and spend the day on the beach.Kristine and I took some fun photos on the rocks right in front of the hotel, and we climbed around them to find some sea anemones and crabs.
While we waited for Cynthia we walked along the beach
looking at shells (I found a sand dollar), and just before Cynthia got there, I saw something really cool.A crab was just within the water's reach, and he was raising his claws up in
defense as the water rushed over him (that's how I knew he wasn't a shell from a distance)."I'm warning you- I have very sharp claws!"
Unfortunately for him, his claws aren't big enough to hurt us, so we picked him up and played with him for a while. 
He was climbing all over our arms, and even up Kristine's leg.
Lots of people stopped to look at him, and a Japanese guy asked us if he could take a picture.We decided to name him Tiger because he had beautiful little stripes on the back of his shell. He was my favorite part of the day.
Crabs and other sea animals are just too much fun for me.
