Mormon Olympics

So challenge number two was basically a track meet and the first part was named the 

"Capistrano Ragnar." 

The family was divided into four teams of 6 and had to relay race down the length of Beach Road (that's literally the name of the street our beach house is on). 

 I was assigned to run the first leg. I've never been so nervous in my life.

Each leg of the race was about 400 meters and it was way harder for me than it should have been. 

But don't worry, my team pulled out the victory! 

After the relay race, there was a 50 yard dash and a running long jump competition. 

It was pretty epic. But the best part of the day was when the guy next door (whom we haven't spoken to at all) came out and asked if this was the 

Mormon Olympics?*

Yes my friend, it certainly is. How far can you jump?

*We still don't know how he guessed we were LDS... Modest swim suits? Lots of children? Minimal profanity? Traveling in huge groups? It's anyone's guess. 

Introducing...

The oldest and youngest members of the Collins family!

First, this is my Gram:

She's the one who makes it possible to come to the beach every year and she is one of those people that always think of others before herself. 

She is basically everything I want to be when I am older. She's awesome. 

And this is Jane:

She has a death glare that could wither a cactus. 

And she informed earlier that she is my favorite buddy, just in case I had forgotten. 

She is the cutest little girl in the entire world. 

Oh, and it's her 4th birthday today!

:)

Challenge #1

We had a ball! 

Challenge #1 involved a series of ball-related athletic events. I'm happy to report no one cried (okay, two people cried) or was seriously injured (my aunt almost broke her ankle, but "almost" doesn't count). 

First we had to throw golf balls off the deck and have them land in various-sized containers
 (harder than it sounds, trust me)

Next we had to throw a football through a variety of hoops. 
Once again, more difficult than it sounds. 

(okay, maybe just in my case)

 My hair in humidity = lion's mane. 

The next game was an egg toss using golf balls. 

 You would have thought that we were tossing golden eggs and the sand was lava, that's how seriously everyone was taking it. 

Luckily even though my family seems like they want to kill each other while they're competing, there are usually no hard feelings after its all over. 

The Collins family All-Star competition is well underway. 

Hope you are all having a wonderful week!

Collins All-Stars

So each year we try to do something that makes our week at the beach a little different or special than the year before. This year we decided that the theme was going to be "A Star-Studded week at the beach" and planned activities that had to do with stars, being an all-star, etc.

We are having an all-star talent show, a week-long athletic competition with challenges each day than you can earn points doing (+3 points if you go boogie-boarding that day, +2 points if you went running, +10 points if you won the daily challenge, -2 points if you cry, etc) and if you win, then you are the Collins family all-star. (you get the idea)

It is a blast and makes it super fun for the little kids 

and because my family is competitive to a fault, 

it makes it really fun for the adults too haha. 

But my Gram, aka matriarch of the Collins family, kicked off the week by giving all the boys a towel with their initials and a star embroidered on it, 

and she gave all the girls these amazing star necklaces!

Capistrano Beach 2011

46 year tradition.

27 People.

20 iPhones.

13 iPods.

13 boogie boards.

9 cameras.

8 air mattresses.

7 iPads.

6 laptops. 

5 SUV's. 

2 Surfboards.

1 house. 

Let the fun begin!

 Taken from in front of our house!

 Our lovely beach house.

We have boogie fever. You can't keep us out of the ocean.

Wedding Tour 2011

Meet Jani. 

She is the cutest. We met on my London study abroad and she even travelled with us after!

 

Her parents were life savers and met us in Salzburg, Austria at 4 AM and let us crash in their hotel room... it's quite the story actually.

But she is now a married woman! And so naturally we went to celebrate with her. 

She looked absolutely gorgeous and so so happy. 

The reception was fun too, they had a typewriter for guests to sign in on which we succeeded in breaking after using an entire page to write a very funny and probably noncoherent message. (the people in line behind us were not amused...)

London Friends 4lyfe.

*************************************************

The next wedding we attended was beautiful as well and my roommate Rach was a bridesmaid! 

I haven't seen her since winter semester ended in April!

 She might be of African descent, or maybe its just her Texan blood. 

I mean seriously look how tan she is!

And this is wedding #24 for me and Jean!

You'd think he would start to catch on wouldn't you?

;) 

just kidding, kinda.

3 Weddings and a Plane Ride

Yep, that's not a joke. I am going to 2 weddings tonight and have one tomorrow. 

Then on Sunday I'm leaving to fly to California!!

I am SO. EXCITED. 

In the last two years, my family has ABANDONED me and gone to California like 4 times without me (thanks BYU for not having Fall Break or Spring Break) but I get to go this time! 

My whole Dad's side of the family goes and we all stay in one house and it is right on the beach! Literally. Like I could throw something into the ocean from the porch.

SUCCESS!

 I have a sprout!!

Four sprouts, to be exact. 

Remember when I planted my flower garden?

It's growing :)

I Feel Pretty

Oh so pretty

I feel pretty

And witty

And bright!

And I pity

Anyone who doesn't have these nails tonight!

I totally stole the idea from this blog,

but I like mine better :)

Redecorating

I FINALLY finished redecorating my room! 

I am moving out again in the Fall so this was more of a fun summer project to keep me busy, but I am quite pleased with the results! Let me know what you think!

Before:

 

During:

Jean Paul was very nice and helped a lot during this part...

AFTER:

I'm a pretty big fan of Sperry Topsiders...

*Bedspread, Bedskirt, and Pillows: Anthropologie 

(on super sale too! They are all from different collections and I think we had to call every Anthro in the USA to piece together the whole thing... totally worth it)

 *Lamp: vintage from my Grandma's basement (awesome find)

 *Curtains: Homemade