Life In Motion

January in Minnesota....

2010-01-03T14:02:00.003-08:00

All About Castles

2009-03-20T20:54:00.000-07:00

My fascination for expensive real estate has finally hit a personal note...I've discovered 'Castle Nicole'. Check it out:

This castle has a total of 7,719 square feet and a price tag of $3,788,000. I guess they gave it the right name because it's the most expensive castle plan on the site! Now I wonder, does it come with Prince Charming?

I haven't really associated the US with castles (and I still don't) but there is a gorgeous one in Idaho called 'Castle Kataryna' that is currently for sale:

It kind of looks like something you would see in an animated Disney movie, doesn't it?

All this talk of "castles" is beginning to jog my memory! There is a castle outside of Versailles, KY that I've driven past several times and was always fascinated with. This is how I remember it:

This image is so vivid in my memory because I knew there had to be a great story behind it. Seriously, who would build such a thing in rural KY?! At the time (1997) it seemed that nobody really knew what was going on with the property and I eventually forgot about it. Well, I did some digging and my instincts were right; this place has got a lot of history! Here's a quick recap:

It's a fascinating story of a husband (Rex Martin) building a castle for his bride after a trip abroad where she fell in love with castles and their architecture. Construction began in 1969 but the couple divorced in 1975. At this point, Mr. Martin ceased construction of the castle and the place sat unfinished and unoccupied for decades. You can see unfinished interior photos of the structure here.

Mr. Martin moved to Florida and made a half-hearted attempt to sell the property. Apparently, all inquiries about the property and its sale went unanswered. It's the classic case of can't live with it, can't live without it. Mr. Martin passed away in 2003 and a Miami lawyer spent a year and a half attempting to purchase the castle from Mr. Martins estate. He finally succeeded and began renovations in 2004. Six months had passed until a fire suddenly destroyed the interior castle wiping out all of the renovations.
The new owner soldiered on and once again began to reconstruct the castle. After several years of construction, the place is now complete. At the end of 2008 it was opened to the public as a tourist home/inn called The Castle Post. You can rent out a room for the night and prices range from $1000-$3000. However, if you really want to feel like the king of the castle, you can rent the whole kit and caboodle for 3 days and it will only cost you $50,000.

I must admit, the owner did a magnificent job. You can view a photo gallery of the new structure here. The grounds don't seem to have that eerie/haunting feeling that the old place had.

It seems unreal that I first passed this place 12 years ago. That just amazes me! It's these quirky little things that you run across while traveling that makes it all worth while!

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T21:14:00.000-07:00

Hello, Truman....

2008-10-15T21:01:00.000-07:00

Meet the newest addition to the family...Truman.

Is It Just Me.....

2008-07-19T05:32:00.000-07:00

Or is it uber creepy to see a 60 year old man buying a Playboy magazine?

At the airport.

At 6am.

Ewh.

Happy Birthday - To Me!

2008-07-15T21:46:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I left my 20's behind and headed into the unknown (and sometimes dreaded) 30's.

As you might have guessed, I am not the type of woman who gets depressed because their life isn't what they had envisioned it being when they hit the big 3-oh. I'll admit, when I was much, much younger I had thought that I would marry around age 27 and probably begin a family when I was around 30. However, as the old adage goes "Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans". Those words have never been more true!

Instead of getting married, I flew the coop and headed west for one of the biggest adventures of my life. There was an abundance of travel, laughter, tears, friends made and relationships lost along the way but through it all I realize that I am simply evolving into a better version of myself. And I like it!

A dear friend of mine and I were at church when the pastor was talking about two different types of people: those who love the journey and those who just want to get to the destination. When he said that we looked at each other and laughed knowing that we were the textbook examples of each. She was the destination type and I was the journey. I sincerely doubt that surprises anyone who knows me. Some of my best friends say that I am the true definition of a "free spirit".

I've managed to cram a lot of crap into the past 30 years and I can't wait to see what is yet to come. I'm living life, enjoying the journey and loving every minute of it.

After all, 30 is the new 20....right?!

'You're Like A Disney Princess...'

2008-07-08T22:57:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine told me the other day "You're like a Disney princess, all the wild animals want to be near you!" My response? "If they want to clean, cook and sew they are welcome. Otherwise, they can keep on moving!"

It's been several years since I have lived in the country. It's great to be back however, I am having my fair share of battles with the many animals on the property. First up, I've got the deer. A whole herd of them. I'm convinced that they are out to get me.
They have uprooted the potted flowers in front of my house so many times that I've give up. All flowers are now quarantined to my deck which is well out of reach for the deer. Did I mention that one plant is missing completely? Oh yeah - all that is left is the soil and pot that it was planted in. Don't even get me started on the garden. I have frogs that hop into my garage. Coyotes howling. Moles, gophers and bunnies - who are also fond of the potted flowers. Ducks, geese, hummingbirds, butterflies, robins, woodpeckers, grosbeaks, butterflies and of course, orioles. Get this, the orioles actually knock on my patio door with their beaks and wake me up in the morning. What is the deal?! I did have a great photo of an oriole but blogger is being fussy and I can't upload it. Guess you'll just have to use your imagination.

I really am convinced that I live in the midst of a national geographic film.

July 6.

2008-07-08T22:22:00.000-07:00

The one year mark has come and gone but I still miss him like crazy. Here is one of my favorite photos:
What I wouldn't give just to hear him laugh one more time....

Summer of Nicole

2008-06-12T14:40:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I came to the realization that I have no stress. I used to say that the people who claimed they didn't have any stress were liars. Surely they were in denial because nobody is stress free! Well my friends, I'm in uncharted territory because I've become the person who is stress-less. Unbelievable, right?

Today I went out in my kayak. Since the weather has been so goofy this year I've only gotten to go a handful of times but today was the best. The sun was shining bright, it was 80 degrees and breezy - just the perfect day.
I paddled around for a little over two hours. Only deciding to throw in the towel when the wind picked up and a kid on a jet ski started hauling ass on the lake. Sometimes I wonder how easy I am to see on the water (even though my kayak is bright red) and I didn't want to chance it. When I got off the water I had that great summer time feeling - your skin is moist with sunscreen and starting to freckle. Your hair is wild from the wind and the breeze from the car window feels incredible. It is finally summer and I love it.

The Space Between Awe & Fear

2008-06-06T12:56:00.000-07:00

Mother nature is amazing. I was up most of last night watching a fantastic storm take over the serene landscape that is my home. One of the best things about living in rural America is getting to witness first hand how breath taking a summer storm can be. You have no distractions of city lights, car horns, police sirens or helicopters flying overhead. I've always enjoyed a good rain, thunderstorm or lightning show. I am always in awe.

Then a tornado watch is announced. Immediately my awe turns into a healthy respect for the growing storm. It's almost fear. The temperatures have risen 10 degrees, even though it is well after dark. The winds howl and blow at a steady 30 mph - gusts are up to 50. It's only after I walk outside that I realize the rain is coming down sideways. I suddenly have visions of me in a sleeping bag curled up on the basement floor.

Fast forward 24 hours and it's now still. The winds have all but disappeared and the chorus of toads, crickets (and God knows what else) is singing into the night. I love it.

What are you listening to?

2008-04-09T19:44:00.000-07:00

About 5 years ago, I won a sales contest and the prize was an Ipod. It sat in a box, unopened, for a good month until my friend Jason spotted it. He asked why it was unopened and my response was "I don't have the time to set it up". So, over the course of the next hour, he sat in my office and hooked me up. Little did I know that I would be so addicted to the dumb thing.

So...in honor of my Ipod (and my very eclectic mix of music) I give you the Ipod meme:

Basic Info:

Total Length:
~5824 songs, 147.6 days, 21.71GB

First & Last Songs (sorted by title):
~`a Quai - Amelie Soundtrack
~ 99 In The Shade - Bon Jovi

Shortest & Longest Songs:
~Funny How I'm Losing You - Ryan Adams (:01)
~Sleep Don't Weep - Damien Rice (21:54)

First & Last Albums (by title):
~ About A Boy - Badly Drawn Boy
~ 9 - Damien Rice

First & Last Artist:
~ a-Ha
~ 50 Cent

Top 5 Most Played Songs:
~ Good Life - Kanye West
~ Wall to Wall - Chris Brown
~ Kiss Kiss - Chris Brown
~ Candyman - Christina Aguilera
~F**k Me Pumps - Amy Winehouse

Search for the following words. How many songs show up?
~Sex: 27
~Death: 62
~Love: 428
~You: 782
~Home: 70
~Boy: 161
~Girl: 90

First 5 songs that come up on Party Shuffle:
~ A Boy Named Sue - Johnny Cash
~ Aqua De Beber - Sophie Milman
~ Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress - The Hollies
~ Winding Road - Bonnie Somerville
~Cherry, Cherry - Neil Diamond

Now for the questions:

The Rules:
1. Put your music player on shuffle
2. Press forward for each question
3. Use the song title as the answer to your question
4. NO CHEATING

Q: What does the next year have in store for you?
A: Frontin’ by Jamie Cullum
~Don’t hate the playa – hate the game!

Q: What does your love life look like next year?
A: Excuse Me If I Break My Own Heart Tonight by Whiskeytown
~oh my...that's not how it's supposed to go!

Q: What do you say when life gets hard?
A: Too Much Fun by Starflyer 59

Q: Song that reminds you of the good times?
A: Square One by Coldplay

~I kind of wore myself out on Coldplay and hardly listen to them anymore.

Q: What do you think of when you get up in the morning?
A: Butterfly by Donavon Frankenreiter

Q: What song will you dance to at your wedding?
A: Pennies from Heaven by Dean Martin & The Rat Pack

Q: Song that reminds you of your first kiss?
A: Charborg by Pinback
~The lyrics start out decent enough but then it turns into a microphone check – ending with ‘these monitors suck’. Amazing…

Q: Your favorite saying?
A: Shoot Out the Lights by The Prix
~Could work….

Q: Favorite place?
A:. 9 Crimes by Damien Rice
~I saw him at The Greek Theater in LA and it was the best show I saw in '07.

Q: Most missed memory?
A: Closer I Am To Fine by the Indigo Girls
~This song actually brings back a lot of memories…it came off a mix CD that was made for me.

Q: What song describes your best friend?
A: Dark Horse by Amanda Marshall
~Such a great artist – what ever happened to her!?

Q: What song describes your ex?
A: Be True to Your School by The Beach Boys
~“So be true to your school – just like you would to your girl now” Hmmm…..interesting.

Q: Where would you go on your first date?
A: Ticket To Ride by The Beatles

~If the Beatles are involved in the date, I don't care where we are going.

Q: Drug of choice?

A: Broken by Jack Johnson

~Off of the Curious George Soundtrack - a nice CD to listen to when you want to chill out.

Q: What song best describes you?
A: Working Too Hard by Lyle Lovett
~I still can't believe he was married to Julia Roberts.

Q: What is the thing you like doing most?
A: River, Sea, Ocean by About A Boy
~Considering my enthusiasm for water activities – this is pretty accurate.

Q: What song best describes the president?
A: Honey Honey by Feist
~Uh…don’t think so.

Q: Where will you be in ten years?
A: Twilight by Electric Light Orchestra
~The most random stuff pops up!

Q: Your love life right now?
A: There Goes by Alan Jackson
~The lyrics would indicate that someone has a crush on me….

Q: What is your state of mind at the moment?
A: Slang by Def Leppard
~One of my least favorite Def Leppard songs - in fact, I think I will delete it.

Q: How will you die?
A: Everything I Do by Whiskeytown
~Oh Ryan Adams – you’re such a heartbreaker.

Now it's your turn. What are you listening to?

You've Got To Be Kidding Me

2008-04-03T22:32:00.000-07:00

After two days of a scratchy throat I decided to take a closer look. So, I walked into my bathroom, opened wide, and aimed my book light (in lieu of a flashlight) into the back of my mouth. The image staring back at me in the mirror looked remarkably like this:

Ew. I have strep throat.

Funny part is that I had excellent insurance coverage until my job ended on Monday. Three. Days. Ago. Are you kidding me?!

Why is it that you never need insurance until you don't have it?

Let It Snow....

2008-04-01T12:22:00.000-07:00

I think that I am the only person in Minnesota who isn't sick of winter.

Maybe it's because I've successfully managed to avoid the really cold weather (we're talking 45 below zero, folks) by being in CA or AZ. Maybe it's because I like watching the big fat snow flakes fall to the ground while drinking hot coffee. Maybe it's because I spent the last couple of years in a constant state of summer bliss. Or...it could be that I can be a full grown adult and still enjoy playing in the snow.

Last night I bundled up in all my snow gear and headed outside for some good clean fun. Here's my snowman (albeit he looks like he's doing the 'Pepsi wave'):

And my snow angel:
The funniest part is that my brother came outside and goes "Are you bored or something?"

I might be staring down the barrel of 30 but dang it, I can still play in the snow like a little kid!

In Retrospect....

2008-01-27T22:25:00.001-08:00

It might not have been such a good idea for me to watch the movie Vacancy before going out on the road for a week. 5 nights. 5 hotels. And 1 girl with way too active of an imagination.

Even before watching the movie I was a little wigged out by older mom and pop type of hotels. Maybe I'm paranoid but you just never know what is going on at these places!

The worst hotel I've stayed at was in TN where there was the cleaning guy stopped to cup his hands up to the window (to block the glare) and stared into my hotel room. Creepy! Not to mention - the gum on the wall, the missing light bulbs, mold in the shower, the bugs - need I go on? Ewh....

An Excuse...

2008-01-16T15:40:00.000-08:00

I realize that I've been absent for awhile and now it's time for me to give you the excuse as to why....are you ready?

A sucky internet connection + A computer crash that required a new hard drive.

Technically that is two excuses but I'm going to stick with it. A lot of stuff (some good and some bad) has been going on since my last post. I'll do my best to fill you in soon. I've not forgotten about this wee little blog - I've just been busy....

A Numbers Game

2007-10-30T23:11:00.000-07:00

In the past 9 days I have done the following:

Taken 6 flights
Been to 5 states &
6 different airports
Replaced 1 suitcase
Stayed in 6 different hotels
Attended 1 Halloween Party
Saw 1 girl attempt to flee on foot from the cops (she was caught)

And in the past 24 hours:

Had 3 rental cars (all in one city)
1 flat tire & a 75 minute wait for a tow truck
Drove 250 miles
Sat at a dead stop on the interstate for 45 minutes at 8.30pm

I'm sure that more will come to me but for now it's 1.27 am and I must go to bed.

Now I'm 39...

2007-09-05T22:37:00.001-07:00

Who could have imagined that you can tell how old your brain is by playing rock, paper, scissors? This is the most addictive game ever:

As of this morning, my brain is a whopping 39 years old. Looks like I've got a bit of work ahead of me!

No, You're Just Having Fun

2007-08-28T21:05:00.000-07:00

The following is a conversation that I had last night at GameStop.....

Clerk: Do you have a photo ID?
Me: I can't find my license - use this old one from TN
Clerk: And your phone number?
Me: 714.555.5555
Clerk: Isn't that a California number?
Me: Yes
Clerk: (laughing)
Me: Whats so funny?
Clerk: You are in Scottsdale, Arizona buying a video game with a TN drivers license and a CA phone number. It's just funny....
Me: Yeah, that makes me sound like a scam artist, doesn't it?
Clerk: No, it just means that you're having fun!

The Price Is.....what!?!

2007-08-23T23:07:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while something happens that makes you go "what"?!

Well, today I had on the Price is Right in the background while I was working. A friend of mine had gone to see the show and I was scanning the crowd to see if I could spot'em. I didn't but I did get to witness a couple of pretty odd things. My first 'huh?' moment came with the announcement of this prize: a brand new desktop computer paired with a one year supply of Gold Bond lotion. What!? Gross.
The second "you've got to be kidding me" moment came during the showcase showdown. After viewing the first showcase, the lady passed it onto the young man standing next to her. I don't even know what the showcase was (I wasn't really paying attention) but I heard something about a rug and a motorcycle. All of the sudden I hear this young man say "$250,000". WHAT?! That got my attention. I look over at the TV just in time to see the "what the hell" look on Bob's face and then he goes "Are you sure about that? Maybe you should think about this for a second." Oh. My. Gosh. Hilarious. The guy then proceeds to lower his bid to $60,000 (which was still way too high). The program goes on to show the second showcase and when it comes time for the lady to bid she does the most classic thing ever - she bids $1 and wins the whole shebang. It was priceless.

Gumball Alley

2007-08-22T22:10:00.000-07:00

Every town you go to has something unique. The city of San Luis Obispo, CA has a little something called 'Gumball Alley' and it looks like this:

This has to be one of the more interesting (yet disgusting) things that I've ever seen.

Ohhh....the intimidation

2007-08-20T22:41:00.000-07:00

If we are in a casino and you can't find me this is the first place you should look:

On my last trip to Vegas I overcame the intimidation of the Craps table. After about an hour of pure observation, I pulled a crisp $100 bill out of my wallet and found the cheapest table around. Let me just say, the words 'win big / lose big' have never been so true!

I started out doing so well and was up around $45. Great, right? Well...all of the sudden I started feeling confident and began to throw out chips like it wasn't real money. At one point I looked down and saw that I had around $70 worth of chips on the table and then I freaked out. Unfortunately, the shooter rolled the "number we don't say" and I lost all of it. Ouch! After that healthy dose of reality, I decided to cut my losses and walk away with $55 in hand.

Fast forward to last week...I was in Reno for work and decided to find a cheap Craps table to try my luck again. When I came across a $1 table I nearly passed out. Considering that the tables in Vegas all had a $10 minimum, this was childs play! I spent a good portion of the night getting more comfortable with the game and the best part is that it didn't cost me a fortune.

I love you, baby.

2007-08-06T20:30:00.000-07:00

Those were the last words that my father said to me.

It was exactly one month ago that he passed away. Needless to say, it's been a pretty bad day.

How Old Is Too Old?

2007-07-02T22:06:00.000-07:00

"Age is an issue of mind over matter.

If you don't mind, it doesn't matter."

~Mark Twain

The question of "how old is too old" has been haunting me lately. A few weeks ago I found myself attacted to a man who was around 40 and it got me thinking about the issue of age and relationships. Is 40 years old too old for a 28 year old? Would that qualify me as the "mid-life crisis girl"?

Oddly enough, as I was flipping through the TV channels tonight I ran across a show called "Age of Love". The plot of the show is to have a single man in his 30's decide who would be a better partner - a girl in her 20's or a woman in her 40's - the kittens vs. the cougars.

As you may have guessed, I was sucked in and had to watch the show. It was amazing to see the difference between the two age groups. The 40's were confident, mature and fun. The 20's, on the other hand, were the exact opposite: jealous, insecure and surprisingly boring. Now I understand that this could all be the work of the show producers and editors but I think that the concept is fascinating. Especially since I've been wresting with the issue of age myself.

What do you guys think...does age really matter?

What's A Girl To Do...

2007-07-01T21:20:00.000-07:00

In case you couldn't tell from all of my prior blogs, I travel...a lot. In the past two months, I have been on 10 different round trip flights so I think I know a little something about airline etiquette. I know all the do's and don'ts but this is one area that I'm a little grey in...the pick up. It's happened before: the lawyer, the college football coach, the Marine, the owner of a construction company and this last week, it was Michael - the land developer.

It's generally the same routine: I'm sitting by the window minding my own business (trying to avoid the person sitting next to me). The guy sitting in the middle seat becomes incredibly persistent at engaging me in conversation. I give in and finally talk; most of the time it's sub-par conversation but once in awhile it's actually fun (this is rare). You cover all the basics in flight - where are you from/where are you going/what do you do, etc. By the time that the flight ends you feel as though you somewhat know this person. When you are able to get off the plane, the guy waits for you at the door to escort you to either the baggage claim or the connecting gate. They give you their number and ask you to call them. In most cases, I smile and take the number not wanting to hurt any feelings, however, this last time it was a bit different. I actually thought about calling him. In the end, I didn't but I did listen to all of his suggestions of cool shops, restaurants and other public places to go (which were all great, by the way).

So out of curiosity, I have to ask this question: if you met a guy on an airplane (who didn't seem like he was going to rape, kill and then cut you into pieces) would you call him?

Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel

2007-06-21T23:47:00.001-07:00

In May, my friend Jenny came out to visit. After spending a few days in my sleepy beach town, we decided to head up to LA for a night out.

We started out the day by hitting up the garment district to pick up a few purses. Whenever you go shopping there you have to look like hell so that you can barter for lower prices. So Jenny & I head up to LA in sweats, tank tops and baseball caps all in an effort to blend in and look as poor as possible. Believe it or not, this does come into play later...

After spending some time at the garment district, we decided to go and check into our hotel room for the night. We are responsible girls who do not drink and drive. Jenny had always wanted to stay at the Roosevelt Hotel because it has so much Hollywood history and is a very trendy place to hang out. Here is where the fun begins....

We arrive at the ridiculously priced Hotel at around 4 pm for check in. Mind you, we originally requested a 1.30 check in and was told this would not be a problem. After waiting in the reception line (for what seemed like ages) we were informed that our room would not be ready for another HOUR. Not to mention, they didn't give us the room we originally booked even though it was reserved. Apparently, reservations at this place are not really valid seeing as the other 2 people checking in had gotten screwed too. The receptionist told us that she would call us as soon as the room was cleaned. With nothing else to do, we walked down Hollywood Boulevard (looking like hell on earth) waiting for the call to come in. We are not off to a good start here.

After an hour of aimless wandering and a bit of shopping, we headed back to the hotel to try and get into our room. We got the keys and couldn't wait - this was the most expensive hotel I've ever stayed in and was expecting a lot. This is what it looked like - the bed:

The bathroom:

The only thing missing from these photos would be the front door and a the mirrored wall opposite the bed. The design of the room was just OK but all of the concrete in the restroom made it feel like a prison. Not quite what I was expecting when the room rate is over $700/night. Here is a view of the pool and Tropicana Bar from our balcony:

By the time that we got checked in, it was time to get ready to go for dinner. Jenny had made reservations at Parc where we had a good meal and great people watching - including a few celebrities. After dinner we walked back to our hotel which was just a few short blocks away. Of course we had to stop by some stars and hand prints along the way...

Once back at our hotel we changed clothes and headed down to the Tropicana Bar. The place was packed and we had a great time. We made our way into a couple of roped off areas and we even crashed some guys birthday party. He was nice....

The next morning when Jenny went to check out she was presented with a bill for over $400 from the Tropicana Bar. Apparently, someone was charging all of their shots, drinks and food to our hotel room. When Jenny tried to fight the charge they were total jerks about it! Long story short, they charged over $2000 to Jenny's card and it 5 phone calls, two bank reversals and a whole lot of yelling to get it fixed. Unbelievable!

I think at some point we were asked not to snap structural photos but considering how hellish the whole stay was, I'm posting these just to piss'em off. Enjoy!

Playing A Little Bit Of Catch Up...

2007-06-21T23:01:00.000-07:00

Life is busy.

I'm sure that we can all attest to that but I really have to ask - what happened to May 16th -June 21st? It's all a distant memory at this point and I'll see if I can catch you up to speed here. I guess the easiest way to tackle this is going to be in the form of several smaller blogs so I don't overwhelm myself.....here goes nothing!

Let The Games Begin

2007-06-15T00:11:00.001-07:00

Hmmmm....

2007-06-11T22:21:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Southwest Louisiana.

2007-06-04T22:03:00.000-07:00

It's hot. It's humid. And could someone please tell me why it smells like an armpit?

Dallas Skyline

2007-06-03T23:30:00.000-07:00

I think that Dallas might be my new favorite skyline:

Have you seen some of the architecture in the city? Good stuff...

*image from the web

Steeplechase 2007

2007-05-16T22:25:00.000-07:00

This last weekend I headed back to Nashville, TN for Steeplechase 2007. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the race it's a charity event that benefits the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt.

It was my first time attending Steeplechase and I really enjoyed myself. After dressing up in our summer dresses we headed out to the race track. The majority of the day was spent in the infield drinking, mingling with people and checking out some outrageous hats/outfits. In my opinion, the best part was getting to see these beautiful horses race. Hope you enjoy the photos:

The one thing that I always forget about Nashville is how hot it gets, even in May. Those poor horses had to be miserable considering that temperatures were in the high 80's with around 95% humidity. The heat, I can handle but the humidity is just awful. Now I remember why I moved to the beach!

I Feel Like A Kid Again

2007-05-14T21:47:00.000-07:00

What is it about swimming pools that makes me feel like a little kid again? Most people I know like to take it slow; walking down the stairs and letting their bodies adjust to the water. Not me - I like to run, plug my nose and jump in the deep end. It's all or nothing in this girls world.

So tonight I find myself in Phoenix, AZ and the hotel I'm staying in has the best pool area that I have ever seen. It is a childs dream come true and a parents worst nightmare. There is a sport pool where I was shooting hoops for awhile. Then I moved onto the lazy river where I floated around the property on an inner tube. After that was the pool that had two waterfalls and last but certainly not least, was the water slide. It was awesome!

There is nothing that will make me feel more like a kid again than flying down a waterside. Not to mention it was close to sunset so I had the place all to myself. What more could a girl ask for?!

Summer Is Here!

2007-05-05T17:53:00.000-07:00

It's a beautiful day in Southern California. The temperatures have risen enough for me to head to the beach for the first time this year. As I was walking to the beach (yes, I live that close to the ocean- jealous?) I noticed some things that let us know summer is upon us:

Parking becomes scarce on the numbered streets.
The pro-volleyball tournament is back in town this weekend.
The airplanes that fly ad banners behind them are back.
It's almost impossible to cross over PCH because of all the traffic.

I spent two hours trying to turn my pale skin brown. The cool wind finally won the battle and I had to head inside.

There weren't too many people in the water today, however, since it was rather windy, a lot of kite surfers were out. I'm always amazed at how they can control these monstrous kites and it provides great entertainment while taking a break from reading my book. Here is just one of the six that were out today:

Off to dinner now - hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Leaving Albuquerque With A Flash

2007-05-02T21:37:00.000-07:00

So it's Tuesday afternoon and I am in the security line at the airport. I'm wearing a super cute outfit - great jeans, cute wedge heels and this very loose fitting top:

Why is my outfit so important? Well, you're about to find out.

Have you ever been through one of those air puffer security machines at the airport? If not, it's a machine that you stand inside that blows several short puffs of air on you to ensure that you aren't carrying any explosives. I've been through them several times before and it's never been a big deal.

Well, it's my turn to go into the air puffer so off I go. I enter the machine and wait for the blasts of air. The first few came at me - my legs, stomach, face - and that was fine. Then all of the sudden there was a blast of air that went up the back of my shirt that started to balloon it out. As I lifted up my arms to pat it down another blast shot up the front of my shirt, also causing it to fly up. The end result? I totally flashed the (male) security guard. Whoops.

That, my friends, is why I can say that I left Albuquerque with a flash!

From Nashville To Albuquerque

2007-04-30T22:30:00.000-07:00

Ah, Nashville…another trip has come and gone. Here are some of my favorite moments from this past week:

Spending the afternoon at Centennial Park by myself – it was the first chance I had to truly relax in ages!

The BBQ at J&C’s house on Saturday night – a fire pit, cocktails, cigars, good company and stories that become so exaggerated that they take on a life of their own. Oh…and did I mention the Smores?

The tacky tourist shops in downtown Nashville. Coby, John and I set out to find the perfect Tennessee magnet for me to add to my collection and we succeeded. John also found a bumper sticker that said “The beer can doesn’t fall far from the trailer” which still makes me chuckle…
Sitting on the deck at Satco on 21st Ave and enjoying conversation with a good friend.

The view from my hotel room. Here are just a couple of photos of the Country Music Hall of Fame and one of the new Nashville Symphony Hall:

Seeing old acquaintances from years gone by and spending time with friends that I don’t hold as close as I should.
Realizing that I’ve made mistakes in relationships but being thankful for the growth that has occurred because of it.
Sambuca – before heading out of town Rick and I dined here. It was a first for both of us and we were quite impressed.

The trip to Nashville is over and now it's onto Albuquerque, New Mexico. It rained earlier this evening and afterwards a beautiful rainbow emerged. I hope you enjoy it....

Music City USA

2007-04-21T00:42:00.000-07:00

In just a few short hours I will be jumping on a plane bound for Nashville, TN.

This trip has kind of snuck up on me, so if I failed to tell you I was coming into town and you want to get together - give me a call!

Todays Observations

2007-04-17T23:59:00.000-07:00

1.) I hate the dentist. You go in for a check up/cleaning and 18 x-rays later you leave feeling like you were hit in the mouth by a baseball bat. The pain continues for the next 5 hours...and that's just a precursor to whats coming up in 6 weeks. Ugh.

2.) I hate LA traffic. If you don't get through LA by 3pm you will be stuck in gridlock for hours. It once took me 3.5 hours to drive a measly 75 miles. Did I mention that my car is a 5 speed? Right.

3.) Crying is exhausting. Not to mention, it always gives me a headache. I hate getting bad phone calls and I'll leave it at that.

4.) You know you are worn out when a cute guy at the restaurant offers to buy you a nice glass of wine and you turn him down. In fact, you're kind of irritated that he's interrupting you. What is up with that!?

5.) There are thousands of songs on my Ipod but whenever I put it on shuffle it picks the same songs over and over. Word to the wise, don't ever load a book on your Ipod because the shuffle mode likes to pick on the individual chapters. Annoying.

6.) Speaking of music; is it just me or does it seem like I hear bands like Def Leopard & Journey on the radio more now vs. when they were at their peak years ago?

7.) Santa Barbara has an adorable downtown area and a surprising number of homeless people. They also have a farmers market on Tuesday afternoons - don't these people work?

8.) I've been informed that the "comments" section of my blog isn't working properly and your notes to me are disappearing. Is this happening to a lot of you? If so, drop me an email so we can figure out what's going on....

What Is This World Coming To?

2007-04-16T23:23:00.000-07:00

I'm sure that the kids at Virginia Tech (and everyone affected by what happened today) would appreciate your prayers. What a sad day....

Blogger Template Hell

2007-04-16T00:29:00.000-07:00

If I ever see this message again I am going to rip my hair out:

Your template could not be parsed as it is not well-formed. Please make sure all XML elements are closed properly. XML error message: The element type "img" must be terminated by the matching end-tag "".

Is it too much to ask for a nice/modern template that isn't being used by everyone on blogger? I decided to take a look around the web for some other options and I found some that I really liked. However, when I would try to put the code into blogger, that lovely error message would pop back up. It's enough to drive a girl insane! I hope you guys enjoy the skyline view because it's here to stay...

What Are You Thinking About?

2007-04-15T16:26:00.000-07:00

I’ve been tagged by Digital Rich to list out my 5 most obsessive thoughts. Here they are in no particular order...

Death/Heaven: You never know when you’re going to die or how it will happen. When I do die; what will heaven be like? And eternity? The thought of it blows my mind…

Health: I’ve been spending a lot more time focusing on my overall health. I’m eating as many organic foods as possible, cutting out white flour/sugar/soda from my diet and working out every day (except Sundays). Last week the owner of the gym I go to completely reworked my routine and I’ve been in pain ever since. Must be working, right?

Family: Even though they reside 2000 miles away, they still occupy my thoughts and prayers. I’ve only seen my Godson once and whenever I get new photos you can see that he’s growing up so quick! I hate that I’m missing out on it.

Finances: Unless you are Bill Gates, I think this one is a given.

My Schedule: In my personal life I’ve never been a big “scheduler” and I always thrived on spontaneity. However, two years ago I accepted a job that required me to travel full time – I could be 20 miles away from home or in a completely different state. Enter the schedule. The good part is that I know where I will be on any given day. The bad part is that it’s beginning to creep into my personal life. Nowadays, whenever I’m asked to do something, my response is generally “I think I’m in town that day - let me check my schedule”. How snobbish is that?

Okay, No Spiders Allowed and When Pink Pigs Fly – it’s your turn to share!

My Easter Weekend

2007-04-09T21:52:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered what kind of trip you can plan over a three day weekend? With less than one weeks notice, this is what I came up with....

Day 1: The Tulip Festival in northern Washington.

It's the perfect time of year to see the flowers in bloom and I was blown away by how beautiful it was. Imagine staring at acres full of tulips stretching out as far as the eye can see. It was just gorgeous and this photo does not do it justice.

On a side note - I think that tulips are my new favorite flower!

Day 2: Drive to Vancouver, BC and walk across The Capilano Suspension Bridge .

Built in 1889, the bridge is a whopping 230 ft above the Capilano River and 450 ft long. Did I mention that it sways, shakes and moves while you are walking across it? I am not going to lie - I was scared as all get out my first time across! Of course, I was on it when this 18 year old jackass grabbed both rails and started shaking it back and forth...at that point I thought I was going to have to start crawling to the other side. Luckily, a nice lady on the intercom told him to stop and I walked the rest of the way.

Once on the other side of the bridge they had signs directing you to the "treetop adventure". It's a shorter series of 6 bridges that run between several trees to give you a "squirrels eye view" of the forest. The short bridges were neat but more importantly I used them as practice before my final run across the big one.

On my last walk across the 'big one' I discovered that the fewer amount of people on the bridge; the more stable it is. Therefore, I waited for it to clear out before I went across. Because it was less shaky, I was able to stand in the middle of the bridge and snap some photos and admire the view for a bit without white knuckling the railing! Here is a straight shot down to the river blow - yikes! I stayed the night in Vancouver and the next morning headed to the Granville Island Public Market. It was my first time at such a large public market and I loved it - it made me wish that I had one closer to where I live!

Vancouver was great and I definitely need to go back and spend some more time there. There are a million bridges that connect different parts of the city and here is one of them:

I thought these birds were cool - not to mention there were about 200 of them.

Day 3: Drive to Seattle. I got a late start because I spent so much time on Granville Island that I got into Seattle around 6pm. After checking into my hotel I walked down to Pike Place Market. I wanted to see the guys throwing fish but unfortunately almost all the vendors had shut down. Here is a photo that I shot later on in the evening.

My next stop was the Space Needle. I got there as the sun was setting and it was fun just messing around with my camera to see what kind of photos I could get. I think that this one is kind of interesting:

It was surprisingly more difficult that I imagined trying to take photos that wouldn't come out blurry. The later in the evening that it got, the more the wind picked up and the building began to sway. Not good for trying to get decent shots.

And from the bottom up:

When it was all said and done I came home with nearly 500 photos to sort through...which is just crazy but wonderful at the same time. I loved having the time just to screw around and get creative with my camera again.

I also realized that I can now mark Washington off my list of "states to see". That makes 39 down and only 11 more to go. They are:

*Alaska *Oregon *Montana *Idaho *Utah *Wyoming *Rhode Island *Vermont *New Hampshire *Maine *Louisiana

Anyone up for an adventure?

Who Knew A Ford Escort Had That Much Power?

2007-04-02T21:43:00.000-07:00

Have you ever seen a Ford Escort take out a street light pole? As of about 7pm tonight, I can say that I have.

I was sitting in the parking lot of a store talking on my cell phone when all of the sudden I hear this huge boom and see a light pole falling down. It was the craziest thing - a little ford escort must have lost control and hit the pole with such force that it knocked over the pole and then completely turned the car around so it was facing oncoming traffic.

Luckily everyone in the car was OK but holy crap! I've never seen an accident like that happen right in front of my eyes - it was W-I-L-D.

Reality TV At Its Finest

2007-04-01T20:52:00.000-07:00

So I finally had some time to watch a little TV this weekend and I was excited to run across a commercial for the third season of Deadliest Catch. I have no idea why I love this show but it has certainly become one of my favorites. When I hit up Google images for some crab fishing photos, I was surprised to see that one of the fishermen from the show ( Corey Arnold ) is also a photographer. Here are a couple of his photos:

Both of these photos came from this site since I couldn't access anything on his direct page.

Speaking of reality TV - it reminded me of a question that my friend Nate would always ask on his annual birthday quiz: If you could be on any reality TV show - which would it be? For me, it would be the Amazing Race. What about you?

Edinburgh / London

2007-03-27T20:13:00.000-07:00

Edinburgh, Scotland is my new favorite city and I would move there tomorrow if I had the chance.

Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland and has a population under 500,000. The city felt clean, safe and was so much less intimidating than London. It doesn't hurt that the people were all very friendly and welcoming of us. Including one Scot that proclaimed his love for me - which was actually a bit scary.

It was funny to run across a guy who had a sign stating "piper for hire" playing on the street corner (below). It was freezing cold out and starting to rain but this guy just played on. I'll admit, it was pretty cool to be walking around with bagpipes in the background.

In order to make the most of our time in Edinburgh and to see as much as possible, we took one day to ride the tour buses. I'm not generally a fan of these but it was nice to know what you were looking at and to learn some of the local history.

One of the tour buses took us out to the coast and I was able to snap this quick shot. I love boats, the harbor, lighthouses and as previously mentioned, anything that has to do with water!

This little street was just the cutest. It had a lot of great little shops and the only Mexican restaurant that we saw during the entire trip.

After 3 days in Scotland it was time to pack it up and head back down to London. It was nice to take the train during the day so we could see some of the countryside and the coast.

We ended up getting back into London earlier than expected so we headed out to do more sight seeing. I had cashed in some of my Hilton points and scored us a room at the Hilton Green Park. The location was amazing and so worth the 40,000 points! Just a short walk across Green Park and we found ourselves in front of Buckingham Palace. Well, this is just one of the gates....

But here is the real deal!

We did get to see some of the guards change posts but it wasn't the official changing of the guards ceremony. Could someone please tell me how the gentlemen on the far left can see anything!?

We started walking away from the Palace and got a great view of the London Eye:

I have no idea what this is but I thought it was really neat.

We continued walking down to Trafalgar Square which was really pretty when lit up at night. There were crews working like crazy trying to get ready for the big St. Patricks Day parade which was held on Sunday the 18th.

Later that night we ended up stopping by the box office for the show Les Miserables. The seats were sold out but we were able to buy a standing ticket for 10 pounds ($20). We kind of felt like the red headed step child standing at the back of the theatre but it saved us some money and we got to see the show. It was amazing and well worth it!

The next day we headed over to Notting Hill. Sara had wanted to see the Travel Book Store from the movie 'Notting Hill' but since the movie was filmed its been changed into a furniture store. The area was still a fun place to have lunch and browse the shops. Not to mention that the town is just adorable and I loved all of the different colored buildings.

Obviously Notting Hill is a nice area but we were in no way prepared for the price of real estate. There were some ads listing homes for sale around 3-4million pounds. Wow.

The next stop was Abbey Road studios.

On my previous trip we had driven by but did not stop. It was nice to have a chance to look at it closer and add our names to the wall out front. We ended up running into another group of American girls which was kind of funny. They (unlike us) nearly got hit by cars as they tried to recreate the famous Beatles sidewalk crossing photo - over and over. Idiots! The road is far too busy to do that and I remember my previous tour guide saying that many people get hit because of that.

After we left the studio we hit up a lot of the other famous areas of London like Piccadilly Circus and shopping down Oxford Street. We finished our last night in London with dinner in Covent Garden.

It was great to see so many new places and meet so many new people. If I had my choice I would have stayed for an extra 10 days! Guess that just means that I'll have to go back!

Stonehenge / Stanage Edge / Chatsworth House

2007-03-25T19:22:00.000-07:00

After spending about 48 hours in London we hopped a train that took us out to Stonehenge. I have to admit that I've always been a bit intrigued by this place - how was it made, why was it made, etc. so it was pretty neat to see it in person.

While we were waiting for our train to take us to Derby, we stopped in and ate at this cute little pub. I'm sure that it is just gorgeous in the Spring when everything is in bloom.

In Derby, we picked up a rental car and head out towards the Peak District. Since I was the only one who could drive a stick shift & who had experience with driving on the wrong side of the road - I was the designated driver. It had been 5 years since I'd driven over there but it was kind of like riding a bike - it came right back. Thank God!

The next big stop was at Stanage Edge which was beautiful! One of the girls had seen it in the new Pride & Prejudice movie and wanted to check it out.

It was about a 2 mile hike to get to the top of the edge but it was well worth it. The views were amazing and we decided to take advantage of it with a little photo shoot. The wind was blowing really hard so I crawled out to the edge of the cliff.

Here is the good / normal photo - check out the countryside behind me. It was just beautiful!

The photo below will give you a little better idea as to why I was crawling to the edge of the rock! Since the cliffs are so high and steep, there were a ton of rock climbers out. It was neat to see them but I couldn't help but think they were crazy!

Here is a photo looking away from the cliffs on top of the edge:

On the hike down we passed a herd of sheep that were grazing. I guess they are used to people because they weren't startled at all when they girls started "talking" to them.

After that we jumped in the car and headed over to the Chatsworth House. This estate was just beautiful and it was also used in the move Pride & Prejudice.

Here is just one of the photos that I took inside the house - this is The Painted Hall.

The gardens surrounding the house were just beautiful. I've always been a big fan of fountains and anything that includes water so I found this fact fascinating - this is the oldest water fountain in the UK and it's entirely gravity fed. Crazy, huh?!
They also had a garden maze which is always fun. The last time I did one was at Hever Castle 5 years ago and that was child's play compared to the one at Chatsworth! It took nearly 45 minutes to find the center and I was the only one to find it! The middle was a bit anticlimactic; there was just a tree and a bench. I didn't even have time to enjoy it because we had to leave right away to get back to the train station to head up to Scotland.

Check back for more about Scotland and the rest of our London stay.

My Backpacking Tour of Hilton Hotels

2007-03-23T06:06:00.000-07:00

Here is a conversation that I had with this cute little British man while standing in line at the Hilton in London:

Him: "Are you backpacking across the UK?"
Me: "Well, kind of. We are traveling through England/Scotland but our plans to stay in hostels changed."

Him: "So your trip turned into a backpacking tour of Hilton Hotels?"
Me: "Yeah, pretty much."

Since Sara, Stephanie and I all live in different parts of the US we decided to just meet up in London. After everyone arrived we hit the streets to check out some of the sights. One of the first things you'll see are the words 'look right' & 'look left' painted on the sidewalks warning pedestrians (tourists) of oncoming traffic.

Here we are in front of Big Ben:

Here is a better shot of Big Ben with the London Eye in the background:

And the Tower Bridge:

City Sign:

I just thought this building was cool - maybe because it reminded me of the flatiron building in NY - just not as tall!

Here is a cute little neighborhood that we walked by on our way to the underground station. The bright red was a nice change from all of the other dull colored buildings that we passed.

We spent more time in London at the end of the trip but next up was Stonehenge - more to come on that soon!

All Good Things Must Come To An End

2007-03-20T20:25:00.000-07:00

Ten days of vacation is just not enough. I had an amazing time in the UK and promise to write more about it soon. In the meantime, here is a photo that I took in Edinburgh, Scotland. Hope you enjoy.

History Always Repeats Itself

2007-03-08T22:39:00.000-08:00

When I lived in Tennessee I had a horrible habit of locking myself out of my house. It wasn't my fault - honestly. Let me explain. Over the course of a year I had remodeled my house and had upgraded all of the doorknobs and locks. The beautiful silver locks that I fell in love with ended up being the locks from hell. When the door was locked, you could turn the handle from the inside and it would still turn thus giving you the impression that the door was unlocked. This tripped up myself and my roommate at least 5 times over the course of a year. Whenever I had guests over they would (with good intentions) try to "unlock" the door which in turn would really lock the door and ultimately leave us locked out of the house. Usually when you get locked out you immediately know what has just happened. That sinking realization is the worst feeling in the world.

Well, that feeling returned tonight. I have a lot going on right now with work, stress and planning a vacation - I really think that I'm losing my mind. I was, of course, multitasking grabbing my purse, ipod, and my bags to run errands, locking the door and walking outside all while talking on the phone with Sara M. I was distracted to say the least. Immediately after I shut the door I knew what I had done. I locked myself out of the house. Tonight was the absolute WORST time for this to happen. None of my neighbors are home, nobody else has a copy of the key and I am standing in the dark outside my door looking in. Idiot.

To quickly wrap this up, it was Will to the rescue with the help of a very tall ladder. The bedroom window was cracked and I stood below and watched how easily he was able to gain access to my home. It was kind of an odd feeling, I must admit. Thankfully he could break in otherwise I would probably still be waiting for the locksmith to show up....

This reminded me of the funniest story that I have of locking myself out. A friend of mine had dropped his dog off at my house and somehow I managed to get locked out. I found myself standing on the front steps staring through the glass door at two dogs that were locked inside. Petrified that they were going to tear apart my house, I quickly walked (barefooted) to my friend Roberts house across the street but he wasn't home. His new roommate (whom I had never met) answered the door shirtless with one boot on and one boot off. He was more than happy to help out the damsel in distress and ended up asking me out. I guess that's one way to meet the neighbors!

Oh yeah, and the dogs (Lincoln & Jackson) were both good boys and didn't wreck anything. Thank God.

Question of the Week

2007-03-07T00:10:00.000-08:00

Edinburgh, Scotland

Paris, France

A Good Run Of Bad Luck

2007-02-26T20:45:00.000-08:00

Have you ever had a few days where it just seems like things are not going your way? Well, I'm currently on day 3 of a good run of bad luck. Check it out:

Saturday: I lost $20 while walking up the side of a mountain. Of course I couldn't have lost the $5 bill - it had to be the $20. Oh well. That couldn't put a damper on the incredible time that we had over the weekend. A cabin in the mountains with fresh snow and clean air. It doesn't get any better than that!

Sunday: When we got back from Lake Arrowhead I discovered that my windshield has a foot long crack running across it. Oh joy.

Monday: Where do I start? I nearly missed an early morning flight due to horrific traffic on the 405. Cars were stopped all the way from Orange County to LAX - argh. So I'm running incredibly late and made a last minute decision to pull out all of the liquids from my suitcase and carry on my luggage. I had a small bottle of hairspray that wouldn't fit in the zip lock bag so I just threw it in my purse.
How on earth could this little bottle of hairspray cost me $600? Let me explain. Over the course of my 90 minute flight the bottle of hairspray leaked all over my cell phone. The result is obvious - my phone is fried. I can't believe that happened.

The cherry on top is that I was supposed to call an old roommate who is in LA to set up a time/place to meet for dinner. How am I supposed to do that with no phone/no phone number? You never really realize how much you depend on those things until you don't have them anymore. When I get home tomorrow night I'm going to see if I can sync the phone to my laptop one more time but if it doesn't work out you will probably get an email from me asking for your updated information.

Lets just hope that the rest of this week goes a little smoother.

Elephant Seals

2007-02-21T23:47:00.000-08:00

When you live in a state as large as California, you can continuously find new things to check out. Last year a friend of mine told me about the elephant seals that migrate to the beaches near San Simeon. "There are thousands of them" my friend said. That was enough to peak my curiosity and I had to go see for myself.

The seals come to this beach twice a year to mate, give birth, molt (shed their skin) and rest. When I arrived I was awe struck by the sheer number of elephant seals that occupied the beach. The majority of the seals are babies who have to learn how to swim, hunt, and build up their strength so that they are not so vulnerable in the ocean.

I had come up in March of 06 and decided to go again in Jan of 07. It was just as I remembered; the sound was awful and it stank beyond belief. All that aside, it was still pretty cool to witness these wild animals in their natural environment.

Want to find out more about the elephant seals? You can check it out here.

I'm Ready For My Close Up!

2007-02-13T21:23:00.000-08:00

Did you see me on TV?! Did you see me on TV?!

I told you to keep an eye out but in case you missed it, I looked a little something like this:

and this:

Thanks to all of you that kept an eye out for us. According the the phone calls & text messages you guys sent me, I was spotted at least 7 times on programs like E!, TV Guide, VH1, Access Hollywood, etc.

Clint was able to get the hook up with free tickets to the show (which was great) but we weren't able to get into any good after parties so we just headed back to the hotel room. Here we are after our 12 hour day:
I would say that we can clean up pretty good considering this is what we looked like the day before:

I'm already looking forward to next year!

G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S

2007-02-07T21:12:00.000-08:00

How on earth am I going to recreate this hair on Sunday?

This beautiful hair is courtesy of my stylist, DeAnna. I simply went in to get my roots touched up but when I told her of my glamorous dress she came up with this amazing idea. We decided to test it out tonight and I can't believe how great it came out!

Now for the random moment of the day - as I was leaving the salon, I mentioned that I would go home, try on the dress and send her a photo. Sounded easy enough, right? Well, I've never really tried to photograph myself in a dress and it was just not working. I needed someone to take it for me and my only option was to ask one of my neighbors. There is a couple that lives in front of me and I was going to ask the girl to snap a quick photo - she's nice and probably wouldn't think I was too odd when I explained what was going on.

So off I go, with my glamorous hair, fabulous dress and three inch heels headed over to their place. When I rounded the corner to the front of the house I ran into my other neighbor - the young, single guy - who now probably thinks I'm a lunatic. Of course, we started talking and I had to explain what the hell I was doing dressed to the nine & holding a camera. To make a long story short - I had him take my photo but it was only after he positioned me in front of the palm tree & after we waited for about 4 people to walk by. It suddenly felt like I was getting my graduation photo taken all over again...hilarious! It's such an awkward photo that I refuse to post it but don't worry - you'll get to see the real deal in just a couple of days!

Countdown To The Grammys

2007-02-06T23:46:00.000-08:00

This weekend I will be making my red carpet debut! I'll be making two appearances; I like to think of them as the rehearsal and then the big show. The first will be on Friday night at the MusiCares dinner honoring Don Henley. Then the second will be on Sunday at the Grammy Awards! My job will be as an artist escort which basically means that I have to escort the celebrities down the red carpet and make sure that they make it to each interview spot. It's going to be a blast! Who knows, you might even see me on TV - just keep an eye on the red carpet interviews before the show (thus the need to look gorgeous as mentioned in a previous post).

It's exciting but I still have so much to do to get ready for this weekend. I'm beginning to realize why celebrities looks stunning all of the time - it's because they have people to do everything for them! Hair, makeup, wardrobe - everything is taken care of and all they have to do is show up. Must be nice...

Stupid Girl & Sunless Tanner

2007-02-05T21:23:00.000-08:00

Have you ever seen the video to "Stupid Girl" by Pink? If not, you should really check it out. One of the funniest scenes in this video is when Pink goes into the sunless tanning booth and comes out orange:

Well, I have to admit, this past weekend I decided to go in for my first ever Mystic Tan. I have two big events coming up this weekend (more on that later) and wanted to have a little color to go with my two new fabulous dresses. So I make my appointment and headed over to the tanning salon.

Upon arrival, the girl hooked me up with all the basics of the spray tan process. The two most important instructions are as follows:

1.) Lather your hands and feet up with lotion as much as possible. This will prevent them from turning 10 shades darker than your arms & legs.
2.) Be sure to buff yourself with the towel when finished to remove excess bronzer so that you don't end up with orange splotches.

No problem, right? What I wasn't prepared for was the initial blast of tanner being shot at my face. I'm not going to lie - it's a little shocking at first and Pinks portrayal of this is spot on! So of course it made me start laughing - not smart because I then inhaled a bunch of the fumes. Thankfully, I made it through four of the ten second bursts of spray and jumped out to dry off.

I'm not gonna lie - I was a bit of a skeptic walking out. You leave basically the same color as when you arrived but you know what? That crap works! At 8pm I was pale white and by 9 am I looked like I had just stepped off a plane from Miami. Amazing! The best part is that it looks pretty natural - not orange! I tested several of my friends on this - including one who was anti spray tan - and they all reassured me that I am a normal shade of tan.

So, ladies (or men, i guess?!), if you are in a fix and need a quick touch of color added to your winter white skin, I would highly recommend the spray tan. Just remember to hold your breath!

Score: Nicole - 1 Men - 0

2007-02-03T23:27:00.000-08:00

The only part that sucks about being a good friend is that you get roped into doing stuff that is not fun. It happens to all of us and we dread hearing those words "can you help me move"? Ugh. Well, today was my day to be a good friend and load up a truck heading to the East coast. Thank God there weren't any stairs...

After spending the morning packing up the Uhaul, it was time to attach the car trailer to the truck. This was, simply stated, one of the funniest things I've ever witnessed. My dear friend made this big deal about the men hooking up the trailer. Naturally, I assumed that the men would know how to do it...oh how I was mistaken! They did manage to get the truck lined up with the trailer - kudos. After that it was similar to watching a monkey do a math problem.

Now, I am in no way an expert when it comes to attaching trailers, nor am I a big "girl power" kind of person. I was, however, gifted with a fair amount of common sense. Common sense told me that two men who work corporate jobs were not going to be able to strong arm a piece of metal that is refusing to budge. Something is obviously wrong and I couldn't take it anymore - I had to intervene. I called for backup. My brother owns a construction business and is well versed when it comes to all things mechanical - including trailers - score! After explaining our situation, he was able to walk me through the steps to fix the problem and properly attach the trailer. I was a happy girl.

What I didn't realize was how emasculating that was for the guys. Fellas, is it really that big of a deal!? One of the guys brought it up a couple of times so I would love some insight here.

All this made me think of the fine line between independence and dependence. I know that I am incredibly independent - almost to a fault. Over the years I think it's almost become a bit of a defense mechanism - if you don't rely on anyone else then you will never be disappointed. How did I get to this point? And why do I see dependence on others as a sign of weakness?

George Michael Would Be Proud

2007-01-29T21:22:00.000-08:00

Everyone knows that I have a lot of odd stories and strange things that happen to me. The event today was no exception and one that this man would probably be proud of.

This afternoon I stopped at a gas station to use the restroom. It was a unisex restroom which is disgusting but after too much coffee I didn't really have a choice. So I take note of the sign that says " if door is locked restroom is in use". The door wasn't shut all of the way so I grabbed the handle and jerked it open. What I saw next left me speechless and incredibly uncomfortable. There was a man standing in front of the mirror masturbating. What the hell!?! Who does that a.) in a public bathroom and b.) with the door unlocked! Ewh...

I was so shocked that I just mumbled out "oh, sorry", shut the restroom door and immediately left the gas station. I just have one question - what in the world was this man thinking?!

Six Hours

2007-01-25T22:48:00.000-08:00

This is the sign of a bad/stressful day.

At 7am the battery on my phone was fully charged. By 7pm the battery was dead. Now, when I say dead, I mean it turned itself off and disconnected the call D-E-A-D.

So this made me wonder how much time I spent on the phone. The answer: SIX HOURS. According to the web, my phone has a has a battery life of 6 talking hours. I used them all in less than 12 hours. That has to be a new world record....

Across the Pond

2007-01-21T22:27:00.000-08:00

This past weekend I booked my ticket to go here:

It's been over 5 years since I was last in the UK and I couldn't be more excited to go back. At this point we are planning on spending a few days in London and then spending a week traveling through the countryside.

So....if anyone should have any suggestions of places to see outside of London, I would love to hear about them!

My Pet Peeve

2007-01-17T00:33:00.000-08:00

Could someone please explain to me why it is so hard to return a shopping cart to the cart return area? This loose cart phenomenon has worked its way up to the top of my pet peeves list.

This is a photo that I took at my local Target:

Judging from this photo, you would assume that a cart return area was not available or it was located across the parking lot. Not so. It was only 5 feet away from all of these carts! What gives!? I've seen people wrestle with carts to lodge them onto a curb when they could have just walked the cart to the return area in less time. On more than one occasion I've been tempted to ask one of these people what in the world they are thinking. Is it really that hard to walk the extra 5 feet to put your cart away? I don't get it...

Do you have a random pet peeve? If so, please share!

What Would You Do?

2007-01-10T00:01:00.000-08:00

You are staying in a hotel and your neighbors appear to be throwing a party in their room. The loud noise is keeping you from your precious sleep. Would you:

A.) Call the front desk/request to change rooms
B.) Walk next door and confront the little punks yourself
C.) Do nothing but turn on something for background noise and hope for the best
D.) Other

What would you do?

Sign Of The Times

2007-01-09T23:34:00.000-08:00

This is photo that I took at a gas station in Reno, NV back in April of 2006.

This photo crossed my mind today while I was filling up my car at nearly $3 per gallon. Does anyone else remember when gas was under a dollar? Oh, the good old days....please come back!

Tag - You're It!

2007-01-03T21:08:00.000-08:00

Over the Christmas break I was tagged by DigitalRich. This one is to come up with 5 little known things about yours truly. Enjoy...

1.) I once bought a car off of ebay from a man that, I swear, was affiliated with the mafia. The story of me flying to pick up the car and drive it home is worthy of its own post...

2.) When I was 18 I was hired as a security guard. My assignment was to kick out the homeless people who wandered into the Cokesbury building in downtown Nashville. I accepted the job but after taking a tour of the building I got cold feet and quit. Did you know that as a security guard you are expected to lay your life on the line and you don't even get pepper spray!?

3.) This one is embarrassing - when I was younger I went to see Color Me Badd in concert. Remember them? Yeah...it was awful.

4.) I love the smell of fresh cut wood. It takes me back to being 5 years old and moving into the new A frame house my parents built.

5.) I have been deer hunting. When I was around 16 years old I went hunting in an attempt to bond with my dad. We got all dressed up in fluorescent orange and headed out. After about an hour of freezing our butts off we saw a big buck and my dad urged me to take a shot. I did and missed, thankfully! Had I really got him I would have felt awful! That day was the beginning and ending of my hunting career. It was cold, boring and deer hunter orange isn't exactly a good color for me. ;)

Now, I have the pleasure of tagging 5 of my good friends:

Glamorous Jo
NonBlonde
Little Redd
Bananie
Len

Have fun everyone!

Life Rolls On - They Will Surf Again

2006-12-14T21:41:00.000-08:00

So I've been learning a lot lately. Most recently and probably the heaviest on my heart has been the lesson of being selfless, putting others first and giving my life away. This last weekend I really saw people joining together to help others and it was incredibly inspiring.

There is an organization called Life Rolls On (you may have seen it featured on Extreme Home Makeover this past Sunday). One of the most popular programs with Life Rolls On is They Will Surf Again . This program gives wheelchair bound men and women the chance to surf again with help from a specially designed board.

In order to make sure that all of the surfers are safe in the water, it requires many, many volunteers. The people in my life group from church have kind of adopted these volunteers. If they are willing to give their time to help someone surf, we will give our time and feed them a hot breakfast to show our appreciation. We cooked everyone pancakes & sausage and provided them with hot coffee (it was freezing!). Here was our little set up and some of people from our group:

It had rained pretty hard on Saturday night so we weren't sure if the surfers were going to get a chance to go out. After eating breakfast & hanging out on the beach for awhile they decided to give it a try. This gentlemen was the first one up:
Here is a shot of some of the the volunteers:
Even with the wetsuits on these guys and girls had to be cold!

Blogger is being a pain and not letting me post more photos ... but there were a few good ones that we got of the guys surfing in. I'll try to put 'em up later....

When the guys rode the waves all the way in they were greeted by everyone on the beach clapping & cheering for them. It was heart warming to see these people who press on and don't let anything hold them back. I think that we could all learn a bit from them...

Christmas In So Cal

2006-12-12T21:32:00.000-08:00

If you find yourself around the Naples Island area be sure to walk along the canals to see all of the amazing home decorated for Christmas. Here is a snap shot of one of the most creative houses on the row:

And this one captures the So Cal Christmas mentality the best - Santa in a hammock between 2 palm trees. Does it get any better than this?

Christmas Lights & New Hope Academy

2006-12-11T20:54:00.000-08:00

Have you ever had one of those days where you feel like you are going non-stop at 100 mph? Well, take that and stretch it out to a three week span and you will get a glimpse into my reality.

Thursday night was our "free night" from sales conference. So I called up my girl Carol and we dined at Calypso Cafe (hands down my favorite restaurant in the Nashville area). While we were eating, Carol pointed out that Kenny Chesney had walked in. It's funny but I think that I saw more famous people this weekend than I had in my entire 9 years of living in Nashville. After dinner, I met up with Jeremy N. and we went to see a home that single handedly lights up the neighborhood. The story, in a nutshell, is that each year this mans son "BJ" wanted his dad to hang more Christmas lights. When BJ passed away of cancer in 1993 the father lit up his house like the 4th of July in honor of his son. Check it out: Friday was an incredible day. The company that I work for has adopted a theme of giving our Christmas away. Instead of spending a lot of money on Christmas gifts or party for the employees, they pool the money and donate it all to a charitable organization. In 2003 & 2004 each employee got to choose angels for the Angel Tree program. In 2005 we partnered with Sweet Sleep - an organization in Maldova to buy winter coats, mittens and thermals for over 1,000 orphans. This year we donated a gross amount of money to a private school in Franklin, TN called New Hope Academy. Here's a quick description of the school:

New Hope Academy is a Christ-centered community school with an economically, racially, and culturally diverse student body. It exists to serve low-income families by establishing a solid Biblical world view, instilling vision, confirming hope and preparing each young person for a life of service.

Each employee was able to donate an item to the school from a wish list that teachers from New Hope created. The items ranged from a rug for the pre-K classroom, to books, hula hoops, instruments, gym equipment, etc. After each employee picked an item to donate we all boarded the busses to head down to the school.

When we arrived, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. We joined the kids for their devotions, worship and birthday dedications. Then the CEO of our company presented them with all our donations. Not only did we get all of the items on their wish list but we were able to donate all new music instruments, new uniforms and money to contribute to Christmas day meals for the underprivileged kids. One by one you could see all of the teachers tearing up; which then led all of the women (including myself) to start crying. Needless to say, I was blown away.

The kids rounded out our time in the auditorium by performing a music program. It was so cute! After that we all broke out and went to different classrooms (I chose a 4th grade class). I was picked by the cutest little 10 year old who presented me with a mug she made. It was a drawing of a pine branch, her favorite Bible verse and a Christmas greeting. In turn, she taught me how to draw the same pine branch and I got to make a bookmark for her. We had about a half an hour to spend with our kid and when it was time to go my little girl goes "no" and then gave me the biggest hug you could imagine. It just melted my heart....

We were able to see the gratitude in the faces, tears and smiles of the teaching staff and kids at New Hope Academy. At the end of the day I don't know who was more impacted by this event; the folks at NHA or us.

A Week In Nashville...

2006-12-03T20:20:00.000-08:00

I'll start off by saying it's cold in Nashville!

It's been a busy weekend ever since arriving late Friday night. This weekend (although it is sales conference week) is going to be fun....

Saturday was jam packed with friends...lunch with Jason, Jeremy & Scotty. A Christmas Parade in Franklin. Dinner at Mafiaoza's with Brian & Stephanie. Then it was off to the Predators vs. Blackhawks game. Thanks to Sara, we had amazing seats in the lower bowl of the GEC...

Sadly, the Preds lost to the Blackhawks in overtime but it was a close and very exciting game. The last stop of the night for me was over at Diane's Christmas Tree Trimming party. Good friends, games, food and not to mention a viewing of the National Lampoons Christmas Vacation. It was a long but great day...

Sunday was more relaxing - visiting my old church, a bit of shopping and resting up for the week to come. Later we broke out season one of Arrested Development (my new favorite show), pizza and much red wine.

Side Note: Whenever I stay at J & C's house something random always happens. Tonight it was C. trying to figure out which jacket was warmer. The new coat (black) or the trusted coat from last year (red). This "experiment" consisted of her putting on different coats and sitting on their deck - in the freezing cold. And the winner is? There is no winner. They were both warm.

Though you can't see it in these photos, she did bring out a glass of wine with her. And she calls me crazy....

Top of the Rock

2006-11-28T20:47:00.000-08:00

I forgot to mention that during our trip we went up to the Top of the Rock Observation Deck and got some amazing views of the city. It was well worth the $20 fee.

Here's a view of Central Park:
And a shot of the Empire State Building:
It was pretty hazy/gross day so I flipped them into B&W. Here is another that I took of St. Patricks Cathedral:

NYC - Done.

Next up - Nashville, TN

In A New York Minute...

2006-11-27T20:17:00.000-08:00

My trip to New York City has come and gone quicker than I ever imagined. I had a great opportunity to meet up with Jenny & Jamie in NYC. Jennys friends were out of town and asked her to house sit their apartment at the Trump World Tower. I am lucky enough to be her friend and got to stay in a premier location for free. Sweet!

I spent Tuesday, from sunrise to sunset, flying cross country. It normally wouldn't take so long but of course, the plane I was on had mechanical problems so we sat on the plane for nearly 2 hours before it got fixed and we were able to take off. Upon arrival in NYC I had just enough time to meet up with the girls, get cleaned up and head out for dinner at STK in the Meatpacking District. Great food but horrible service which seemed to be the theme of the week. After dinner we headed over to Hotel Gansevoort for cocktails in the O Bar. The dirty martinis were great but a word to the wise, if you haven't drank a lot of water or eaten anything that day, you might want to avoid them. Jenny & I learned that one the hard way...

On Wednesday, we went down to the Ground Zero. I had never seen the twin towers in person but all of the images that I saw on the news came flooding back to me. It's hard to believe that something like this could happen in the US. There is a great memorial dedicated to all of those that lost their lives on 9/11 that I was able to get a photo of:

They had the perimeter of the site blocked off by fences so it was hard to get a good shot of the site. The photos that I did get do not do it justice - the depth and sheer size of the area was astounding.

That night we headed over to Tao for dinner and cocktails. This place was probably my favorite of the night spots that we hit. Great music, awesome food, good sake...what more could you ask for? For desert we ordered the Tao Chocolate Buddahs just because we were curious. I kind of felt bad for biting the head off of someone's god...but it sure was good!

Thursday (Thanksgiving Day) I had planned on going down to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade but that didn't exactly happen. I woke up and saw how awful the weather was (cold & raining) so we staying in bed and watched it on TV. How awesome is that!? When we all finally go out of bed we headed out for lunch in Rockefeller Center and then went to the Radio City Christmas Spectacular featuring the Rockettes. If you make it to NYC over the holidays, you should really check out this show. It's amazing how the Rockettes dance moves can be so precise. I thoroughly enjoyed it and it was well worth the money.

Our next stop was back to the Trump for a bit of rest before dinner. On our way back into the apartment we noticed that Megu was open so we decided to make a stop in for cocktails.

A couple of things to note: the restaurant was completely dead with the three of us being the only customers in the place. Since we were only there for cocktails, the chef sent over what was the equivalent of a friend noodle with sea salt on it. When the waitress delivered in she said "Compliments of the chef. Though some people are allergic to this and could die. Enjoy". It was the strangest thing. So we gave up eating them and had swordfights, smoked or made walrus teeth of them.

The noodle was gross but we did discover the best martini ever called "Blessing" made with pomegranate juice...mmmm! We also discovered the electronic commode. Here is a quick description that I found of one:

"Plus, you can kiss your bidet goodbye. Neorest is outfitted with "Washlet" technology, a warm-water cleansing unit that includes oscillating spray massage, front- and back-aerated warm water spray, and a warm-air dryer. Of course, there's also a heated seat. "

Ummm...it was C-R-A-Z-Y! It probably doesn't help that we found that after a few drinks...

After the excitement of the toilet, we headed over to SAPA for Thanksgiving dinner. Traditional turkey, stuffing, etc all done gourmet style. It certainly wasn't moms cooking but it was good - probably not worth the $100 but oh well.

Friday was the big shopping day. Jenny & Jane hit 5th Ave while Jamie and I headed to SoHo. Hands down the best store design I have ever seen was at the Prada store. You can check out a couple of the photos here.

That night we had dinner reservations at Butter. The DJ was playing some great music but much to our dismay, it was a very light night and they closed down at about 1.30. Though we did celebrate my birthday (again) and the DJ played happy birthday for me. Did I mention that it was another dirty martini night? Not smart...

Hotel QT was the next bar we hit but there wasn't much of a scene. We did, however, see a man wearing a speedo that had "I AM SPARTACUS" written across his bum. We got a photo but this thing isn't letting me upload it. Dang it!

Next stop was The Cellar Bar in Bryant Park. This place was dead! It had to be because it was the day after Thanksgiving and people were all tired or something. We managed to close down 2 bars in the city that never sleeps...how is that possible? I think we finally got home around 4am.

Saturday morning was not pretty for the three of us. Luckily all we had to do was get up and fly home. All in all it was an awesome trip and I can't wait to go back again....

I Miss Him...

2006-11-20T21:49:00.000-08:00

Tonight I got an email from the couple that adopted Lincoln when I moved to California. They were kind enough to send me some photos which makes me happy and sad all at the same time. I'm happy to hear that he is doing well and is healthy. He has adjusted well and has even gotten a new little play buddy to hang out with during the day so he is not alone. Here is the current photo of him (I'm not sure why he looks a bit pissed):

Now here is the way that I remember him:

I'd always wanted a puppy and Lincoln was my first pet that I got as an adult (aside from Hamilton the Goldfish - R.I.P.) Lincoln was a find from Petfinder.com and I fell in love with him immediately. For the next 15 months he became my best friend and the day I had to give him up I bawled like a baby. I knew that it was the best decision for him but it still doesn't make it any easier. I often think of him and it makes me realize how much I miss him. I miss our nightly walks around the block and us stopping to look at the stars at the end of the road. I miss him being so excited for me to come home and play with him. I miss taking him to the park. I miss how easy it is to meet people when you have a dog! I miss seeing him play with his toys - all 500 of them. I miss chasing him with the vacuum cleaner. And the list goes on...

It struck me tonight that in some small way Lincoln represents the final stage of me letting go of my life in Nashville. I miss so many things about it but the thing I miss most was the feeling of having a HOME. Not just a house with flowers but a home. Do you know the difference? It's a funny feeling that I can't quite explain when you realize that you don't have that anymore. My house that was always full of friends and laughter has now become an apartment that I barely see. Hotel rooms, airports and highways have replaced my house, my neighborhood and my dog. My family & closest friends are all over 2000 miles away and I miss them like crazy. They say that 'home is where your heart is' and if that is the case then I guess mine is in my suitcase traveling around the United States.

All this to say, if you truly have a HOME to go to this Thanksgiving, don't take it for granted. Soak it up. Tell your friends and family that you love them. Take the extra minute to call your grandmother in the nursing home when you think of it. A gesture so small to you could mean the world to them...

Damien Rice 9

2006-11-14T22:29:00.000-08:00

Go buy this today - you will not be disappointed.

Side note: The artwork on this CD is really cool so I would suggest buying it at retail vs. downloading it online. :)

Not So Much...

2006-11-14T21:33:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I don't really think that I look like these people. Do you?!

For Your Consideration

2006-11-11T15:18:00.000-08:00

For Your Consideration

I'm counting down the days until this little jem arrives in theatres.

Break Out The Vino

2006-11-09T23:52:00.000-08:00

This post is coming a bit late but here are some fun photos from Wine Down Main Street in Franklin, TN. It's always a blast walking around with friends, perusing shops, and sipping on various wines.
We were all enjoying our wine until we discovered this lady and her table full of liquor. Then it all went downhill. I think this might have been the hot apple pie shot, an amarula shot (so, so good) and of course my glass of wine:

They say a photo is worth a thousand words and I'd have to agree:
The night ended with us all going back to the house, smoking cigars and singing karaoke. A fun night was had by all. Next up? Feile Franklin in March. I think that should give us all enough time to recover....

Halloween Snap Shots

2006-11-09T22:57:00.000-08:00

Halloween was a success again this year...here are some more photos:

The second party I went to was John & Carol's annual Halloween throwdown. Here are the highlights:

We drank - a lot. (mmm..pumpkin shots!)
We smoked cigars: We sang metal karaoke: We covered our heads with newspaper for The Rocky Horror Picture Show: And this is one of my favorite shots. The morning after - all of the liquor bottles on one side of the stove and the aspirin bottle on the opposite side. Then on Halloween night I headed to East Nashville to celebrate with another group of friends:

Smurfette & the Green Lantern:
The Pirate and the Mime:

I must admit, the Smurfette costume was a success. However, if one more person starts singing the theme song to me or asks me how Papa Smurf is in bed - I'm gonna punch'em. One other thing, I was told by several men that Smurfette was their first crush - I never would have guess that one.

Next year I vow to come up with a costume that does not require paint. It was fun while it lasted but I'm over it.

Happy Halloween!

2006-10-31T00:12:00.000-08:00

Two Halloween Parties down - one to go!

Party #1 - Dead Bride
Party #2: Smurfette

Judging from these photos - I would say that blondes have more fun!

More photos to come soon...

Hawaii - The Rest of the Story (short version)

2006-10-30T18:42:00.000-08:00

In an effort to save time, I'm going to give you the bullet points on the rest of the Hawaii trip.

Jenny and I tried to act as if we were both fine and healthy - even going out for dinner & drinks at Tiki's on Waikiki. A Jamaican lady selling jewelry did a photo shoot for us (no lie) with the Tiki statue.

And we were given the standard Orchids to decorate our hair....

That night (along with all the others) I was in bed by 9pm only to wake at 1.30 with the realization that I could not fly to Maui the next day due to pressure in my head/ears. I called my boss and cried. It was embarrassing and after he realized that I was not in jail he was sympathetic. Though I'm sure I'm going to be teased forever about getting "sick" in Hawaii...

Jenny was also feeling ill so first thing on Wednesday morning we made a trip to 'Doctors On Call'. This is me checking in:

Jenny had bad serious sinus problems (dang VOG!) and I was apparently worse off. They gave me a shot and over $100 worth of prescriptions. I spent the next couple of days trying to rest but it obviously did not work. When it came time for me to fly home I felt as though my head was going to explode then I spent all weekend in bed.

But alas, we survived everything (including almost drowning from laughing so hard when we crashed jumping into the swimming pool) and we made it home safe and sound. We made some great memories and managed to have an amazing time despite everything that happened.

I can hardly wait to see what happens on our trip back to Hawaii in March...

Hawaii - The first 12 hours

2006-10-23T21:34:00.000-07:00

So I'm sitting on my flight from The OC to Honolulu and I hear this announcement:

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We've just been informed that there has been a 6.8 magnitude earthquake off the island of Kona. At this point, we are going to continue on with the flight but be advised that some of the aftershocks have affected the island of Oahu. We'll keep you posted as we get more information."

This is how my trip to Hawaii started out last Sunday. My friend Jenny and I were so excited about our trip. I was going to work during the day and then we were going to hang out at night. Little did I know that this was just the beginning of the "best worst" trip ever!

My flight landed in Honolulu at noon and we were informed that the entire island of Oahu was without power. That's right - the ENTIRE island. Have you ever been in an airport that didn't have electricity? It was kind of odd. Luckily we were one of the first flights in and we were able to get the stairs so that we could get off the plane quickly. Next was the walk across the tarmac and into the dark and hot terminal. It was the strangest feeling of being cut off from the rest of the world. We were in the midst of a major disaster and had no means of connecting to the news. When I finally made it down to the baggage claim area it was chaos. The airline employees had to carry our bags in one at a time and line them up in a row for us to claim. It took forever but luckily everyone was patient. Here is what the baggage claim area looked like:

Next task was to pick up the rental car. With the computer systems down the attendants had to write out everything on carbon copy paper. No problems and I headed out to the hotel. It was almost surreal driving down the streets and seeing everything closed down. Since there wasn't electricity, the stoplights weren't working. It's amazing how reckless people can drive and how many people don't treat intersections as a 4 way stop when the lights are out.

Luckily when I got to the hotel I was able to check in. Room 856...the infamous 856! The room was awful and its safe to say that we will not be staying there again. The computers & elevators were working on a backup generator but there was no power in the rooms so I got a GLOWSTICK. Yup, the bright green kind that kids walk around with on Halloween. Exciting, huh?

Jenny finally arrived around 5 but all remaining flights into and out of Honolulu had been cancelled. While I was circling the airport to get her the power had come back on and people were clapping, whistling and cheering. She was lucky enough to get her bag from the carousel and didn't have to go through the same ordeal that I had been through.

So we headed back to the hotel and on the way I got screamed at by a traffic cop. This is what happened - he was waving the people in the left turn lane to go and dropped his arm down to his side and it looked like he was waving me forward. No so. I realized my error and stopped but it was too late. The dude flipped out and came charging towards the car. When I rolled down my window he started shouting at me and I couldn't even get a word out. Instead we just had to sit there listening to him chew me out and then when he was finished he made us sit and wait at the intersection for 5 minutes. No lie - he was a total ass.

So Jenny & I get back to the hotel and we decide that we needed to find some food for dinner. The only restaurant in Waikiki that was open had a 2 & 1/2 hour wait for a salad bar. Not willing to wait around for that long we decided to head out to see what else we could find. We hit up a couple of other places with no luck and then we found Harry's Market. The place was sold out of food but we were able to pick up some water & candles and our new friend Harry hooked us up with pop cans for candle holders. Then we found a gift store where they were letting people in one at a time to buy supplies. The stores were lit by employees carrying flashlights and everything was bought on a cash only basis. We were able to get some crackers, cheese (that was on ice), wine, sunchips and pop tarts. It was the most random snack crap that you could imagine but it was better than nothing. I had a great photo of the candlelight/glowstick dinner but for some reason it won't let me load it...

By this point it was after 10pm and much to our surprise the power came on. Everyone was on their balconies and we all clapped, cheered, whistled, etc for the power. It makes you realize how much you take it for granted when you don't have it. It also makes you realize that there is absolutely nothing to do on Oahu when you have no power...

I later found out from one of my accounts that this was the worst power outage in the history of Oahu. Why does that not surprise me? I've now made history...

Well, that's the first day - I have so much more to tell but must get some rest before an early morning flight tomorrow. More coming soon....

Shake It Like An Earthquake

2006-10-16T23:32:00.000-07:00

For anyone who may be curious - I am still alive.

I survived Sundays 6.6 earthquake on the island of Kona. The impact of the quake and the aftershocks hit the island of Oahu hard but we are safe. We are in a state that has been declared a statewide emergency . We are under flood and landslide warnings. We are having one heck of an adventure.

Many stories to come....stay tuned!

I Am One In A Million

2006-10-10T22:39:00.000-07:00

So about a month ago I discovered some broken spokes on my bike. How this happens, I have no clue. What I do know is that the cost to repair a spoke is obscene. A spoke costs $0.75 but the labor to replace the spoke is $35. Insane...

I bit the bullet and took my bike in for repairs and was pleasantly surprised when I found that the tires were under warranty therefore replaced for free. Sweet!

The reason for the broken spokes? Defective. That's right, I was told that 1 million bicycles were sent out with defective spokes and I just happened to buy one of them. Guess this is proof that I really am "one in a million"!

Now if I could only turn that luck around and use it towards winning the lotto.....

"The Ozzy" ... Too Hot To Handle

2006-10-09T22:49:00.000-07:00

It was another busy weekend is So Cal. On Friday night it was drinks, dinner and good conversation at a local Peruvian restaurant. It was my first time trying this kind of food and it was good but odd to have rice and potatoes at the same time. As for the drinks, they went down far too easily...

Saturday was another new experience. I headed up to LA with every intention of checking out The Brewery Art Walk but those plans were soon thrown out the window. Instead, we went for a totally random tour of LA.

First off, I was introduced to Pink's on La Brea in LA.

Pink's is a family run hot dog stand that has been in the same location since 1939. It's become a local favorite and people stand in line for hours waiting to get one of their famous dogs. (Think Pancake Pantry for you folks in Nashville) We got lucky and found the line "reasonably short" and only had to wait about 45 minutes. I was thankful for the wait because it gave me time to figure out what the heck I was going to order. Everything on the menu had some weird twist to it - mayonnaise & bacon or horshradish & guacamole...you get the idea. Most of them are also named after celebrities that frequent the restaurant.

I was urged to try something out of the norm so I went for the "Ozzy Osbourne Dog". The description is enough to churn your stomach - check it out: Spicy Polish dog, nacho cheese, American cheese, grilled onions, guacamole & chopped tomatoes. Obviously I didn't realize what I was getting myself into when this picture was taken.

When they said "spicy" I think they really meant to say "hell fire". Not quite what I was expecting. I am a total wuss and gave up about half way through. The whole experience was pretty hilarious.

Next we headed over to the La Brea Tar Pits. It was too dark for any photos but we got to see (and smell) the bubbling tar. It certainly looks interesting and I think I'll go back and check out the museum when I get a chance.

We then headed over to the Farmers Market - which was closing down - so we walked over to The Grove. Barnes n' Nobles was the only store open so we browsed the books & I hit up the music section. I forget how expensive their CD's are...yikes! I've been searching for the Amelie soundtrack so instead of paying $19 for it I decided to run by Amoeba Music. Unfortunately, it had gotten a bit too late and we arrived just in time to see them close the doors. Bummer.

It was a fun night but after the drive back to the OC it was nearly 2am and my tummy ached. It was a fun and totally random night but I think it's safe to say that "The Ozzy" and I will never meet again....

Autumn In Minnesota

2006-10-05T23:07:00.000-07:00

Aside from the whole lost luggage issue on my trip home, I had an amazing time. The trees were in the process of changing colors and it was simply gorgeous.

The weekend was jam packed and on one of our trips out we hit up the apple orchards. I love going to the orchards because it brings back great memories from when I was a kid. We picked up a bunch of apples (yumm!), some apple cider & these pumpkins. Believe it or not, we carved these ourselves! Pretty impressive, huh?

On Saturday night we had a bunch of family members over to play games and I kicked butt playing NERTZ. We had a blast and I think that half of that was due to watching my dad get frustrated when he couldn't win.

A very nice treat was when my mom surprised me with a 1 hour massage. She knows what a fan I am of a good massage and it was just what I needed to really get relaxed.

I also spent a lot of time just enjoying the fall colors. On one of my trips out on the quad I ran across a field that was covered with bright yellow wildflowers. Thankfully, I took the time to stop and just watch in amazement the beauty of a million wildflowers dancing in the breeze.

Here is one last fall photo for you of a little park that is near my grandmothers nursing home. Seriously, how cute is that?!

US Air - How I Hate Thee

2006-10-04T20:25:00.000-07:00

Let me count the ways...

I flew into Minneapolis/St. Paul on Friday night but instead of coming with me; my bag went to Kansas City. When I realized that my bag was not coming down the belt I went to file a claim for delayed luggage. After all, a bag that looks like this is not hard to miss:

So I asked for money to buy a toothbrush, etc. but my request was denied. Instead I got this:

I nearly laughed in her face and asked her if she was joking when she laid it on the counter. To my dismay she was not kidding and sent me on my way. I was told that they do not issue money for clothes until the second day of a lost bag. Even then you only get a $25 allowance - do these people realize how unrealistic that is? Trying to suppress my anger, I left confident that I would get my bag the next day.

On Saturday I called the claims 800 number and discovered that the agent who filed my claim has messed up all of my contact information - wrong cell number, home number and address of where I was staying in Minnesota. The agent on the phone and I updated everything and I was asked to call back because they didn't know where the bag was - seriously - it could be anywhere in the U.S.

So on my second call I get a hold of an agent who told me that the bag arrived from Kansas City and that someone ("we don't know who" were the exact words) would deliver my bag by 9pm. No such luck. I called back at 9.30 and was assured that another company picked it up and it was on the way and was guaranteed to arrive by midnight. Again, no bag. I'm pissed and I'm tired of wearing my moms clothes (I had NO time to shop).

On Sunday morning I was able to contact someone at the airport. The agent explains that they had the bag and that it had never gone out for delivery the prior day. At this point I am furious. The company that the agent on the phone told me about DOES NOT EXIST and he flat out LIED to me. What the hell!?! The cherry on top was the fact there was NO record of my previous phone calls from Saturday. Argh...

When it was all said and done I got my bag on Sunday night (just in time for me to fly home basically). Not to mention that when the bag finally arrived it was filthy. It was worse than my previous suitcase that had seen foreign countries and nearly all of the United States. I understand that bags get dirty but this was just ridiculous.

So, US Air will be getting an unpleasant letter from me this week...

I failed to mention that I had used a travel voucher from a previous flight that they screwed up on. They cancelled my flight to LAX and left me stranded in Phoenix for a night.

Way to go US Air/America West - you're currently at 100% error rate. Congratulations!

Delightfully Tacky - The Madonna Inn

2006-09-26T23:17:00.000-07:00

Every once in awhile I get to stay in some pretty unique places including this one: The Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo, CA. Unfortunately, I failed to get a good shot of the outside of the hotel so you'll have to click on the link to see it in all of it's glory!

Each room in this unique hotel has a different theme: golf, caves, waterfalls, flowers, etc. Anything you could imagine probably exists in some distorted fashion at this hotel. My room for the night was the Floral Fantasy Suite and it certainly lived up to its name. Check it out:

Gotta love the red leather arm chair:

And then there is the restroom (note the floor tiles):

The entire night I wasn't really sure how to feel about my surroundings. I found it humorous but slightly disturbing at the same time. I mean, who really designs stuff like this!?

To get a feel for the other rooms that are available; check out some of these links: The Buffalo Room, The Caveman Room, and The Love Nest . Each room has a personality of its own and each one delightfully tacky.

Before I checked out I was told that I had to see the most famous part of the hotel: the "world famous" rock waterfall urinal . Check it out:

In my opinion; you can dress it up however you want to but it still smells like a urinal!

One interesting thing that I've just discovered is that The Madonna Inn was liked as the #10 Quirkiest Hotels in the world by tripadvisor.com. Of the ten hotels listed, only 2 of them were located in the United States. Guess I know how to pick'em!

Crazy Man 1, 2 & 3 - All In A Friday Night

2006-09-26T21:50:00.000-07:00

This weekend was jam packed! So of course I have a story or two to tell...

Lets start with Friday night when I got a flat tire. Just my luck! So I'm in the alley behind my house emptying out my trunk so that the guy from AAA could get to the spare (more to come on this later). All of the sudden, Crazy Man #1 walks into the alley and decides to start up a conversation with me. Here are some of the highlights:

He had just come from Brad Nowell's (Sublime) gravesite where he poured out baccardi, burned a joint, and snubbed out a cigarette on his tombstone - all in remberance of him. Not to mention, he cussed him out for "leaving us too early". I got the full play by play reenactment of this. Including him singing a Sublime song and playing air guitar. Amazing!
He then invited me to Tommy's house on 17th Street. Since I didn't know him he thought that I might know Jimmy over on 14th. Negative...but that shouldn't stop me from heading over to Tommy's for a "kick ass" house party.
So then he introduces himself (I can't remember his name) but when I said Nicole he immediately started calling me "Niki". We are suddenly best friends...
He leaves and then not even two minutes later runs back around the corner and I hear "Hey Niki! Wanna go shoot some pool across the street". Me: "Nah, I'm about to head out." Crazy Man says: "I'm not trying to pick you up, Niki. I got a girl down in Laguna - I just wanna shoot some pool". Me: "No worries but my friend and I are about to take off. See ya later." I wave goodbye and pray that crazy man doesn't break into my house.

So my friend and I come around to the front of my house and we see a guy sitting on the steps smoking a cigarette. I should mention that the man looked very similar to this:

I'm totally freaked out at this point because we just left Crazy Guy #1 only to encounter Crazy Guy #2 who is actually in my front yard! So I say hello and asked if he knew Keith (my neighbor). He says yes and then explains that he is just there to lift some weights and then he's going to leave. I should mention that my neighbor brought home a weight bench & set of weights about two weeks ago and my front yard now resembles a prison yard. He said that the weights are his attempt to get in shape because he's going through a mid-life crisis...no lie. I shake my head and say goodbye to Crazy Man #2.

After my friend and I get back to my place I decide to call AAA to have them change the tire. I could have done it myself but I've paid for AAA for 5 years and never used it so why not try it now? Enter Crazy Man #3 (from Mandic Motors - insert your own joke here). "Yon" was his name and the moment he steps out of the truck I realize that he is RIPPED! It takes him well over an hour to change one tire. By the time that he finished I was pissed because I could have changed it in 15 minutes and I'm not even the professional! Friday night ends and I am exhausted....

So Saturday rolls around and I spent the entire morning running errands - 2 new tires (argh!), oil changes, etc. It's amazing how much there is to do when you are gone for nearly two weeks! At around 2pm I headed to the beach to meet some friends for a volleyball tournament, cook out and campfire at night. So much fun! After the fire, I headed up to Hermosa Beach to visit David who was in town visiting from TN. It was a fun night as we headed downtown and hung out with his brother, sister-in-law & a couple of their friends. Much, much later that night (or morning) Dave and I got to meet an "enchanting" dog. Bet you can't say that you've met one of those....

Sunday was spent napping/relaxing at home and getting ready for the end of the month.

Hmm...I wonder what adventures will be in store for me this week!?

The Great Alaskan....

2006-09-19T20:42:00.000-07:00

I think that this is hands down the best name for a strip joint that I have ever seen. Check it out:

In case you are wondering, this place really does exist and no I did not go inside to check it out.

Ayyyy, Matey!

2006-09-19T17:37:00.000-07:00

Happy "Talk Like A Pirate Day" everyone!

Random, I know, but I ran across it on the internet and thought I would spread the word!

In honor of Talk Like A Pirate Day, I found the top 10 pick up lines for the fellas to use on this special occasion (courtesy of TLAPD website):

10 . Avast, me proud beauty! Wanna know why my Roger is so Jolly?
9. Have ya ever met a man with a real yardarm?
8. Come on up and see me urchins.
7. Yes, that is a hornpipe in my pocket and I am happy to see you.
6. I'd love to drop anchor in your lagoon.
5. Pardon me, but would ya mind if fired me cannon through your porthole?
4. How'd you like to scrape the barnacles off of me rudder?
3. Ya know, darlinÂ, IÂm 97 percent chum free.
2. Well blow me down?
And the number one pickup line for use on International Talk Like a Pirate Day is Â
1. Prepare to be boarded.

Suck It Up! Boba Tea Co.

2006-09-19T01:25:00.000-07:00

Quite the catch line, isn't it?

Last week I found myself in Albuquerque and as always, I had to find something that had a local feel to it. Enter Boba Tea Company. It came highly recommended by a guy that I knew so I figured it was safe. Apparently, Boba Tea Co. is local to the city and offers a unique drink of boba tea. What is boba tea, you ask? Here is the description he gave me: it is tea with balls of tapioca in the bottom of the cup that you suck up through a big straw. Pretty accurate, if you ask me.

Here is what a normal glass of Passion Black Tea w/Boba looks like:

The tea by itself was good. The balls on the other hand took a while to get used to. Check 'em out:

Not only did it feel like you were sucking up a gummy bear through a straw the size of your pinky; but they had kind of a gross aftertaste. I guess that I ordered the wrong drink beacuse it wasn't very good. Guess I'll have to try it again on the next trip...gulp!

My First CA Wildfire

2006-09-07T23:19:00.000-07:00

My favorite part of the drive on I-5 North is going by Pyramid Lake. Unfortunately, on my drive earlier this week I saw that a wildfire had broken out in the forest surrounding the lake. Check it out:

Shortly after taking this photo I came around to the back side of the mountain that was completely engulfed with wildfire and smoke. I counted 4 helicopters circling the skies and saw numerous fire trucks en route to the blaze.

One odd thing I noticed is that they have a sign up when you enter the forest saying "Chance of wildfire is "HIGH" today". Ya think?!

Hawaiian Hostels & Broken Showers

2006-09-05T22:34:00.000-07:00

One of the great perks of my job is that I get paid to go to Hawaii. That's right - they PAY ME to go to one of the most beautiful places on earth and I love it. The following story is something that could only happen to me ... enjoy.

This past fall I went to Hawaii for work but extended my stay for a few days of vacation. Unwilling to pay $200 a night for a hotel; I decided to check into the local hostel. For the first night I was booked in the dorms. It looks just like it sounds, one room with 2 bunk beds and a bathroom in it. There were three other people already checked into the room but they weren't there so I took this as an opportunity to take a nice, hot shower. It had been a long day and I was exhausted, sunburned and I smelled like sunscreen.

The shower looked a bit sketchy but I wasn't worried because, after all, what could happen? So I jumped in wearing nothing but my flip flops and cranked on the hot water. I waited for a moment but it wasn't hot so I give it another turn. Still cold. I look at it a bit closer and think that maybe the pipe coming from the wall is spinning so I decided to hold that steady and turn the nozzle one last time. Big mistake...

The nozzle (including the pipe that I was holding) comes flying out of the wall and a constant jet stream of water is shooting out of the wall where the nozzle once was. Now, when I say a "jet stream" I am not kidding. Water is shooting out so hard that it is hitting the back wall of the shower! My first reaction was just to laugh because seriously, who else would this happen to!?

So after I died laughing, I decided that I should try to fix this thing. My first approach was to shove the pipe and nozzle back into the wall but of course that didn't work. I only managed to spray water everywhere. Next, I decided to shut off water to the toilet and sink - after all maye I would get lucky and they are somehow connected to the shower. No such luck. When all plans failed I decided to go for help.

I threw on my clothes and frantically bust out of the bathroom only to run into my new roommates. Mind you, I am seeing/meeting them for the first time ever. They happened to be a French girl (bi-lingual) and two French Canadian guys (who spoke zero English). I quickly tried to explain to her that the shower is broken and not to go in the bathroom. She, in turn, is trying to translate to the guys and it suddenly becomes a big fat lost in translation mess. Could this get any worse?

The lady working the counter (a college student from England) said she would come help me. Thinking that it was just a drip from the faucet she opened the door to the bathroom and proceeded to die laughing. She said "there is no way in Hell that i can fix this" and left to get some "real" help. The "real help" ended up being another college kid - who was doubling as the maintenance guy for the week while the real manager was on another island.

Long story short, the kid turned off so many water pipes that it messed up water pressure to the hostel. In all, 15 people came to my aid but none could fix the broken shower nor turn off the water so they ended up calling a real plumber who shut off the water supply to the entire hostel for the next 2 hours.

At the time, I was so embarrassed but I must admit that it was quite the ice breaker. We all ended up sitting around drinking beer and exchanging embarrassing stories for the rest of the night.

Ahh, the memories....

Roadside America

2006-08-28T22:17:00.000-07:00

This is an actual water tower that I happened across in the city of Kingsburg, CA:

I was so intrigued by it that I took a photo and decided to look it up on the internet when I got home. Turns out, there is a whole webpage dedicated to coffee pot/tea pot designed water towers across the US. Who knew?!

Something else that is kind of funny - several offbeat things that I have "discovered" in my travels are listed on a website called Roadside America which claims to be 'Your Online Guide To Offbeat Tourist Attractions'.

Beware: I think that I may be a direct descendant of Clark W Griswald...

San Diego Bay

2006-08-27T22:34:00.000-07:00

This past Friday night I had to opportunity to go out on a private chartered yacht for the evening. After fighting rush hour traffic all the way from LA to San Diego I was ready to kick back and relax! We boarded around 6pm and headed out for a three hour tour of the bay. Enjoy the photos:

Boats in the harbor:

The city from the bay:

While we were sailing through the bay we got a close up view of The Coronado Naval Amphibious Base. Here are some of the ships that they had in the dry docks for maintenance and repairs:

And my favorite photo from the evening is this shot of the Coronado Bridge.

It was a fantastic night and I can't wait until I get the chance to do it again.

If you ever have the opportunity to visit San Diego I would certainly suggest that you do it. The city is amazing - so much charm & character that you are sure to fall in love with it. I know that I have....

Snakes On A Plane

2006-08-24T22:17:00.000-07:00

This last weekend I went with some friends to go see Snakes On A Plane.

I must first clarify that we did not go see the movie because we thought it was going to be good. It was quite the opposite - we went because we knew it was going to be awful and good for a few laughs. Simply stated, it was everything we thought it would be and we were not disappointed. Especially with the strategically placed snake bites....totally ridiculous!

The absolute best part of the movie was this line:

Imagine a whole (or at least 1/4 full) theatre of people screaming that line with Samuel L Jackson! Immediately after we all broke out with cheers, applause and many laughs. So much fun!

The snakes on the other hand, not so fun. I'm petrified of them to be quite honest and spent half the movie hunched down in my seat with my hands covering my eyes. I think I even screamed a few times - but C'mon, there's snakes on a plane! Who wouldn't scream?! I'm a total girl, I know....

Oh and did I mention that you can have Samuel L Jackson call one of your friends? Whoever thought of this is brilliant! Not to mention, it actually works. Enjoy!

Andy Warhol's Dream America

2006-08-21T23:14:00.000-07:00

About a month ago I was at the San Diego Museum of Art and they had an exhibit for Andy Warhol's Dream America. I must admit that I was totally drawn in and intrigued by it all. The Marilyn Monroe print has always been a favorite of mine and is one of his most recognizable images:

While I was admiring this screen print, I leaned in to read a bit about it. Needless to say, I was floored when I read this:

"As the public is subjected to this constant stream of images, the effect is one of indifference to the original meaning and historical context associated with the depicted figures or events. Warhol capitalized on this effect, turning Marilyn Monroe into a permanent icon of sexuality, rather than a star whose life tragically ended in apparent suicide."

Isn't that so true?! When you look at this photo, what do you see? A glamorous star of days gone by or a suicidal woman?

Another quote that stuck with me was this:

"And your own life while it's happening to you never has any atmosphere until it's a memory." Andy Warhol, America, 1985

Interesting, isn't it?

Camarillo Air Show

2006-08-20T22:33:00.000-07:00

The Camarillo Air Show was today and I got to catch a little bit of it. After seeing some impressive stunts while sitting on the interstate in traffic, I decided to pull off and take in about an hour of the show. Hope you enjoy the photos:

This plane (above) did some amazing maneuvers! Here he is after I think he did a Barrel Roll:

And I believe this guy had just done a Hamerhead Turn:

It was truly amazing at how much control these guys had over their aircrafts; even when it looked as though they were spiraling out of control. It looked like they were having so much fun that it made me want to be up there with them! Seriously, I've already jumped out of a plane so how bad could aerobatics be?

The Road To Yuma

2006-08-20T21:57:00.000-07:00

This past week I took a quick trip over to Yuma, AZ and as always, I brought along my camera. So for those of you who have never took a trip on the 8 West to AZ - these photos are for you.

I've never seen electric windmills in real life until I moved to California. There are a few on the way to AZ but if you ever make it out to Palm Springs, CA you will see thousands of them!

Next up is the trip through the rocky mountain range:

This is also where you can check out the Desert View Tower . I would recommend having someone else with you if you decide to check it out - it's a bit too creepy to go it alone.

One thing that I love about AZ is the amazing sunsets:

And for those of you who have never been stopped by the US Border Patrol, this is what it looks like:

Thankfully the Border Patrol Cop didn't yell at me this time! Just a friendly chat and then I was on my way. I did, however, get to see a girl hauled away from her car in handcuffs though.

Never a dull moment....

Another "Only In California" Moment

2006-08-20T21:26:00.000-07:00

So I'm driving on the 101 North through Santa Barbara and traffic suddenly slows down. We're cruising along at about 45 mph when I look over at the car next to me and what should I see?

THE LADY DRIVING THE CAR WAS LIGHTING A BONG!!

I couldn't help but stare and I'm pretty sure that my jaw had dropped open as well. All of the sudden I realized that she and her 3 passengers were all staring back at me. I quickly looked away and tried to register what I just saw. When the shock finally wore off I decided that I didn't want to be anywhere near that car and sped off as quickly as I could.

Looking back at this I can only shake my head and chalk it up as another "Only in California" moment.

A Strange Mix Of Events

2006-08-13T11:58:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday I ventured out from behind the orange curtain to visit my friend Stephanie who lives near LA.

We started out by hitting up Ciaoti Pizza Cafe in Studio City for some lunch. They have a great variety of pizzas that are definitely not run of the mill. We went for the Buffalo Pizza - consisting of Jacks Hot Sauce for a base with real buffalo meat, onions and cheese. Neither of us had ever tried buffalo before and we were both pleasantly surprised. We also tried "The THE Salad" which was amazing. With a Coke Light on the side it a great lunch for a decent price.

Next we headed over to The Gilded Rose Manor Tea House to pick up some loose leaf tea.

I've never really been to a Tea House before so this was all new territory to me. Everything was decorated in a Victorian style which translates into flowers, lace, pink, purple and lots of delicate china like this:

We were just going to go buy some tea and leave but we got there just as they were beginning the 3.30 tea service. Since we weren't really pressed for time we decided to stay for afternoon tea. Yes, that is correct, I had afternoon tea and here is the photo to prove it:

After tea we met up with a couple of friends and headed over to the Hollywood Forever Cemetery for a viewing of Psycho. A local organization called Cinespia shows a different movie there every Saturday night and it's obviously very popular! Due to heavy traffic we got there around 7 and stood in a line with about 1000 other people . Unfortunately the movie sold out and left about 500 of us to improvise. We all had a good time by spreading out blankets and eating picnics outside the cemetery walls. I did have photos of this but you'll have to use your imagination because for some reason it's not letting me upload them...sorry!

All of this talk about scary movies and cemeteries reminds me of Halloween! Hmm...what should I dress up as this year?

Land Of 10,000 Lakes

2006-08-11T17:38:00.000-07:00

One interesting thing that I realized on my vacation is that I never really gave life in Minnesota a fair chance. After several years away from it, I can truly say that I enjoy going home to visit.

My week of vacation went by far too quick but I still managed to cram a lot of fun things into the time that I had. We went to the awesome 80's prom, threw a baby shower for my sister-in-law, went to a pool party for my 2 cousins 16th birthdays, visited with my grandma, had lunch with a cousin I hadn't seen in 5 years, drove the "Mafia car", saw Talladega Nights (hilarious!), and spent a couple of days camping and fishing. I even caught this monster of a sunfish:

One thing that always cracks me up is that when my mom & I go anywhere people always comment on how much I look like her:

And to think, my brother used to try and convince me that I was adopted. Nice try!

The Awesome 80's Prom

2006-08-10T21:08:00.000-07:00

This last weekend I went to the prom...The Awesome 80's Prom!

It's an interactive play where you step back in time to the Wanaget High Class of 1989 Senior Prom. I'm not sure who had better costumes, the actors or some of the audience members! The cast consisted of all your typical high school stereotypes: the jock, the geek, the cheerleader, the Asian foreign exchange student, etc. The even threw in the Swiss beauty who spent the night doing the splits in front our table...which I think the guys enjoyed a bit too much. A majority of the drama was centered around who would be crowned the next homecoming king and queen. Hilarious! And then there was the surprise performance from Prince:

Overall we had a great time. We danced with the cast, talked about our plans after graduation and we even got scolded by the principal. The one benefit of going to this prom? They serve wine & beer...