California Dreamin'

We've been busy having a little fun over our summer! A little rest and relaxation is always welcome, and this time we ended up in Newport Beach for it. Nikki's aunt, uncle, and cousins were kind enough to give us an invite to come stay with them. So we did! Here's a little bit of our adventure:

The last time we went to California we had to go to Disneyland because Nikki hadn't been since she was a young, little babe. Now she seems to be somewhat addicted. So of course, we had to go again. It was their 60th Anniversary to the day which meant we got these awesome little cupcakes and a button. This cupcake did not disappoint.

It was great this time too because we got to go with Nikki's cousins, Jessica and Amanda, who I don't think had been to Disneyland in a while. They're a ton of fun to be around too.

Our last little bit of time in California before we had to head back to Arizona through the torrential downpour was spent at Huntington Beach meeting up with my brother Max and his girlfriend Jessica. We hadn't seen Max since the last time we were in California. It was nice to catch up and wish them both well before they begin their new life in Portland.

Helping HALO Animal Rescue

It has been a busy couple of weeks, but I was finally able to get started on something that Nikki and I got involved with last month. That is HALO Animal Rescue.

We had been looking for somewhere to volunteer our time with for a while, and since Nikki is in love with all animals this seemed fitting. After following their page it became apparent that they may be able to use our help. We reached out to them and got in touch with one of their coordinators who set us up with an orientation time at their main location in Phoenix. Once we had gone through the short orientation we were ready. It's really that simple!

Now for a little bit about HALO Animal Rescue. HALO is a no-kill animal shelter here in Phoenix, Arizona. They take pride in providing refuge for animals that may be destroyed at other shelters for reasons such as an injury, illness, or simply because they are too young or scared to go up for adoption at the time. They're a passionate group of individuals that really care about the animals that they serve.

At Metrocenter Mall resides one of their secondary adoption centers for a handful of animals, and this is where they held their 21st birthday adoption event. I had the pleasure of documenting some of the event. Without further ado here are some of those photos!

As a little bonus here's a quick video montage of some of what went on.