Shawn Mendes Concert LA & Grand Canyon Epic Summer Activities

Hey everyone! Long time, no see.

From traveling in an RV over the 4th of July to coming home to LA and seeing Shawn Mendes live in concert at the Staples Center, it has been a crazy couple of weeks.

For the 4th of July, my family and I decided to take a trip to the Grand Canyon. My mom and dad decided it would be a great idea to travel in an RV and drive to Arizona and see the Grand Canyon over the 4th of July. This idea came about because for the past 4 years, my parents have wanted to do something to honor The United States of America during the 4th of July because it is a very historical holiday and celebration.

On the first day, we left our big 2 story home in sunny Woodland Hills, CA to depart to Las Vegas, Nevada as our first destination. Along the way, about halfway through, we stopped in the famous historical town of Barstow, CA where Route 66 is and of course to see all the cool shops inside the McDonalds/Panda Express little shopping mall. After that, It took us about 4 hours to get to Las Vegas. As soon as we got there, we drove to the RV park we bought out for the night. After we got settled, we went to the Vegas Strip and went to the Mandalay Bay Hotel and had dinner at Wolfgang Puck. TBH, the smell in the hotels in Vegas is amazing, unforgettable, indescribable, and legendary. #summervibes #summervacay #lasvegas

2nd Day: Depart for Lake Powell, AZ  

Tuesday morning, we departed for Lake Powell to see our neighbors/friends who own a house boat on the lake. It was 4th of July and we were there to see the fireworks and also because we wanted to see their houseboat after almost 12 years of planning. FINALLY. #tooklongenough Also, our friend took us out on a ride on their little speedboat where we saw the mind-blowing Antelope Canyon canyons with all its unimaginable colors. Then, later that evening, we finally saw the fireworks.

3rd Day: wake up and explore(what else is there to do on a lake with no cell service?)

That morning, my mom went paddle boarding and really enjoyed it. Later, my mom, dad,  sister, and I all went riding on jetskis/wave runners. I went with my mom on one and my sister and dad went on the other. It was kind of scary because the water was very rough but it brought back some childhood memories to when I went on a houseboat with my dad, sister, and some family friends, and we would also go on the jet skis there all the time. Later that afternoon, it was time to depart to our next destination, the Grand Canyon.

Along the way to the next destination, we stopped in a little town called Williams. It was such a cute town with the tourist shops and having an interesting Zip line right in the center of the town. I highly recommend going to see the town of Williams for some cool exploring and some great small town food. Then, we went to stay in our next RV park for the night.

4th Day: Depart to Walaupi Lodge, Walaupi, AZ

It was an early morning about 5am where I woke up to the feel of the engine of the RV in motion already driving to Walaupi, about an hour and 15 min away from Williams, where we would be staying for our last night and where we would be catching the bus to take us to the river where we would be departing for the river rafting experience through the Colorado River. Once we got to the lodge, it was time to prepare for the experience. We had to get wristbands so we would know which group we were. Once we got on the bus and got to the river, I got more and more aniexty, especially because it was so hot(about 100 degrees and up). I saw the rafts and they were so tiny. I didnt understand how they would fit so many people. But, they managed to. My raft driver was Christina.

On a river rafting trip, there are different types of rapids and they are based on their intensity from a scale. Our scale was from 1 to 10. We had rapids starting from 3 and 4 and ending at 7. I got a little freaked out because my mom told me before that the rapids would only be from 2 to 3. Finding out there was going to be a 7 made my heart race, FAST. After the first rapid which was a 4, we stopped for a little hike where you could see waterfalls coming from the huge rock cliffsides. It was interesting. Then we got back on the rafts. We went through about 6 or 7 rapids through out the whole trip and ended up getting soaked. We had a lunch break and also got to go swimming in the Colorado River which was honestly amazing being that it was so hot outside. When we got to the end, we were flown out from the bottom of the river, inside a helicopter to the top. I thought it was going to be scary because the last time I was on a helicopter was when I was in Hawaii when I was around 5 years old and had to wear earphones for the loudness. This time, I did’t have to and it was cool to see everything from in the air. It was a great experience that I am happy I got to do.

5th Day: Depart Home

On the last day, we got an early start and headed home. Even though we did lots of cool things, I was ready to go home and sleep in my own bed and see my dogs. It took us about 8 hours to get home but it was a trip of laughs and family bonding.

Shawn Mendes Concert

A week later, it was Wednesday July 12, 2017, the night of the SOLD OUT Shawn Mendes Concert at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. With Charlie Puth as the opener, who wouldn’t want to be at this show with all this crazy talent?

Charlie Puth opened singing his hit songs including See You Again, Marvin Gaye, and Attention. Every performance of each song was amazing and I am addicted to the song Attention. I can’t get it out of my head.

Then, it was time for Shawn to come out. I had floor seats: Floor 6 Row 10 seats 3 & 4. I couldn’t have asked for better seats. His set started with a huge white ball in the middle of the air that had lights coming off of it that when you see in photos, it looks like the moon. The sounds before Shawn came on were reporters’ voices talking about Shawn and his sold out shows. He finally came out singing the song There’s Nothing Holding Me Back. The crowd could not have been more ecstatic and there was not one empty seat in the venue. Shawn spoke about how he had performed at the Staples Center before but always with other artist and never by himself. He said how he wanted to make this show unforgettable. He defiantly did.

At one point in the middle of his set, Shawn disappeared as to what just seemed like a break but ended up at another stage in the center of the venue on the floor seats right near where I was sitting. I managed to make my way to the front of where he was performing and I looked right at him while I was standing 10 feet away from him. Seeing him that close was epic. I was freaking out. Then, my friend yelled, “Hey Canada” and he looked over and I freaked out again. He looked right at us and I totally made eye contact with him. There is nothing more epic than seeing your celebrity crush looks right into your eyes. He played guitar and piano mostly the whole night except for not using them for only 2 songs. He has so much talent. It was one of the most epic nights ever in my life. Thank you Shawn Mendes, I will love you forever!!