I'm done with Phoenix. I'm exhausted. This week has been one thing after another, including this:
Not to mention, I am sick of hearing the news anchors attempt to scare everyone to death about The Baseline Killer and the Serial Shooter.
I'm over it.
One of the amazing things about Phoenix in the summer is that the hotel rates for 4 Star resorts are ridiculously low. This is the one time of year that I get to live in luxury which helps make up for the 114 degree heat.
Yesterday afternoon I checked into my room and I couldn't have been happier. A king sized bed. A poolside room. An insanely comfortable bed. I am in heaven.
At 1.30 I turn out the lights and get some much needed sleep. At 4.30am I hear it. The dreaded fire alarm. Just my luck. After about 10 minutes of this thing going off I decided to evacuate. Funny thing is that there were no firetrucks or employees of the hotel to be found. Just 100 guests with bedhead standing around in their pajamas. It's now 90 degrees outside and the concrete was still hot.
After about 15 minutes and still no sign of anyone from the hotel or firetrucks, we headed inside. One hotel employee comes out of nowhere and just stands at the desk as if nothing was wrong! A guy finally goes up and has to ask what was going on and the employee says that it was a false alarm and that we could go back to our rooms. "The alarms will be turned off momentarily" he assures us.
I found some earplugs that I travel with and try to get some rest. Didn't happen. The alarm stayed on for the next hour and a half! At 6am I finally fell asleep only to be awakened by my alarm 20 minutes later. Argh.
Fast forward to this evening and the monsoon that is happening outside my window. I don't know how this is possible but there is water dripping into my room and I'm on second of three floors. How is this possible? Once again, I am kept from my precious sleep ... when will this insanity end?!
I am so ready for vacation next week!
It's hard to believe but just one short year ago, I drove into Huntington Beach ready to start my new life. Oh. My. Gosh. Where has the time gone?! It feels like just yesterday I arrived at my tiny little apartment and wondered what in the hell I had done. Why did I abandon the life I had loved so much in TN? Why did I sell my house? Why did I give up my dog? Was I going to be able to succeed in my new position? I never had a desire to live in California so what made me decide to make this move?
Well, looking back, it was the hardest year but probably the best year of my life. I've had a lot of fun, a lot of heartache, and a lot of time to do some real soul searching. If I've learned nothing else from this past year, I've learned who I really am, what I want out of life, and most importantly how important my family and friends are to me.
Not to mention, I get to see sunsets like this every night:
A friend of mine said that a life change of this sort would either make you more fearful or it would make you a much more grounded/confident person. I'm just thankful that it was the latter that happened to me. I have realized that we are capable of so much more than we give ourselves credit for - especially if we have faith.
This weekend marked another first for me - the rodeo! I found myself at the biggest rodeo in the state of California! So big that they pronounce rodeo as "row-day-oh". No lie.
This is the event of the year in Salinas, CA and the entire town goes crazy. I've never seen so many cowboy hats, wranglers and handlebar mustaches in my life! The city was sold out of hotel rooms, all of the store window fronts were painted in a rodeo theme and you could find signs like this everywhere:
I never realized that they had so many events at a rodeo: a stunt horse rider, 5 well trained stunt dogs, barrel racing, roping, bull riding, bareback riding, and bullfighting just to name a few. The bull riders were my favorite by far. Check it out:
These guys are crazy! 
Luckily I didn't see any of the riders get seriously injured but I did see a lot of this:
For the grand finale they brought out the bull fighters. These guys have to be the bravest or dumbest people I have ever seen. Dressed up as clowns, they willing put themselves within touching distance of a bull and dance around in front of their faces. All the while dodging the bulls attempts to kill them.
This was the only bull fighter that used the barrel as a prop in his "show". If you look closely, you can see the rodeo clown rolled up inside of that barrel. After I shot this picture, the bull fighter standing jumped on top of the barrel and ran down the bulls back!
It was amazing....and I loved every minute of it!
What a difference 10 years can make!
I'm posting these photos in honor of my 10 year high school reunion (which I will not be attending) and I hope that you get as much of a kick out of them as I do...
Age: 17 (Graduation Photo)
Age - 27 (Exactly one week before my 28th BIRTHDAY!
Hmmm...I wonder what I am going to look like in another 10 years?!
Happy 4th of July everyone!
I have so many stories but not enough time. It will be soon though...I promise.
Tell me a good story and I am a happy girl.
Tonight I decided that if I could sit down and chat with a musician about their life and experiences I would choose this man: 
I have a feeling that he could tell some pretty amazing stories.
Who would you choose?
I'm thoroughly convinced that you meet the most interesting people in airports.
I met this guy while waiting in line to board our flight leaving LAX. He was in his late 40's, British, and incredibly sarcastic. We had been talking for awhile - he was giving me the 20 questions bit about my life and I was playing along to pass the time. At one point he ran out of questions and said out loud "Hmm...what else can I bother you about?" My response was "Nothing, I'm absolutely boring and there is nothing else to know." Needless to say, I was dumbstruck when he said "Nonsense! Boring girls don't wear earrings like that." What!?! Since when did earrings become a symbol of how you act?
I have an account that is located in the San Bernardino Mountains and I always love going to visit them. Not only is it beautiful but something interesting always happens. For instance, the first time I was there they were testing out the storm sirens. The next time I was there it started raining, the storm sirens went off and we nearly had to evacuate the mountain. Today it was a fire drill - that lasted an hour and a half.
I can only imagine what is going to happen on my next visit....
This evening marks the second time that the HB Fire Department has been called to put out a house fire within a block of where I live. The first time was about 6 months ago and the house was only 3 doors down. This time it was about 6 houses away - still a bit too close for comfort.
So about an hour after I hear the sirens, I hopped in my car to head to my class. When I pulled out of the alley I realized that the fire department and police officers had blocked off the entire street and in order for me to get out the cop had to lower the "Police Do Not Cross" line. It was a strange feeling and now I know what my mom & dad felt when that happened to them. Thankfully mine was only for a fire. They, on the other hand, were police ordered to stay on the pier after a high speed chase ended with a guy shooting himself. Welcome to California!
Now for the Public Service Announcement: Please check the batteries in your fire alarms! I did that a few weeks ago (thinking that was done before I moved in) and to my surprise, there wasn't even a battery in the alarm! Thank God I didn't need it within the last 10 months...
Hi,
Everyone expected House Republicans to give up efforts to kill NPR and PBS after a massive public outcry stopped them last year. But they've just voted to eliminate funding for NPR and PBS—unbelievably, starting with programs like "Sesame Street."
Public broadcasting would lose nearly a quarter of its federal funding this year. Even worse, all funding would be eliminated in two years--threatening one of the last remaining sources of watchdog journalism.
Sign the petition telling Congress to save NPR and PBS again this year:
http://civic.moveon.org/publicbroadcasting/
Last year, millions of us took action to save NPR and PBS, and Congress listened. We can do it again if enough of us sign the petition in time.
This would be the most severe cut in the history of public broadcasting. The Boston Globe reports the cuts "could force the elimination of some popular PBS and NPR programs." NPR's president expects rural public radio stations may be forced to shut down.
The House and Senate are deciding if public broadcasting will survive, and they need to hear from viewers like you.
Sign the petition at:http://civic.moveon.org/publicbroadcasting/
Thanks!
P.S. Read the Boston Globe story on the threat to NPR and PBS at:
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1864
If you notice someone staring at you and you glance back once in awhile to see if they are still looking - does that mean that you are staring at them too?
What do you get when you mix 38,000 people, 21 vineyards, and 105 degree weather? The Temecula Balloon & Wine Festival! On Saturday Josh, Lauren & I sprayed on the sunscreen and hit the desert.
It was a full day but it seemed to go by pretty fast. We started off the afternoon with a performance by Howard Jones. I didn't recognize his name but Lauren is a huge fun so we watched the show. Turns out, I know more of his music than I thought I did.
After the show we hit the wine tents for samples. My pick of the day was the Almond Champagne from Wilson Creek Winery. Mmmm! I'm not really a champagne kind of girl but I really enjoyed it! I didn't get to try as many of the wines as I would have liked so if anyone is interested in going on a tour of wine country - let me know!
There was a top 40 band playing on the side stage who managed to turn "Golddigger" into a ska song. Needless to say, they weren't the best but they did get all of the drunk people dancing. Some of the people were funny, some of them sad and some just made me feel dirty watching them! It was very entertaining...
The big finale was the balloon glow which was pretty cool:
My only wish was that there were more balloons flying around during the day. They were out at 8am and didn't return until after dark. Do you think that they couldn't fly during the day because of the heat? That's the excuse that I'm going with....
Do any of you remember the TV show Dallas? With J.R. Ewing & The Southfork Ranch? I don't recall much of the series because I was pretty young when it was popular but I do remember that my mom loved it. We would watch it religiously and I was always intrigued by the characters, the outfits and especially Southfork Ranch. Well, the last few times that I've traveled to Reno I have stayed at the Hilton and I always think that this hotel would have been a perfect location for an episode of Dallas. Check it out: 
The 80's Western font, the gold tinted windows, the smoky casino on the first floor...it's perfect! Wouldn't you agree?
Anyone recognize this sign from the show Reno 911?
And now for the creepy photo of the day:
Thank God I'm not staying at Circus Circus.
On Sunday Mags & I made a trip down to the world famous San Diego Zoo. It may be famous for the animals but certainly not for an abundance of parking! It took us over an hour to find a place to park due to the holiday weekend, the lack of parking attendants and no overflow parking. Someone on the zoo staff finally showed us mercy and opened a back lot for a few cars to park in. Thankfully we were one of them.
After we entered the park I realized that it was well worth the wait. The animals were amazing, the Zoo was huge and it was a beautiful day to walk around. It also gave me the opportunity to snap some photos. Here are a few of my favorites from the day:
The Zebra:
The Polar Bear:
I was a bit disappointed that we missed seeing the Panda Bears that were on exhibit. We chose to forego them and see as many of the other animals as possible since we were a little short on time. If you ever go, you really need to plan on being there for about 4 hours. After the Zoo, we headed down to Little Italy and ate at Mona Lisa's. Not quite as good as the Italian in NYC's Little Italy but excellent none-the-less.
Tonight Cerina, Laura and I took in the Angels vs. Twins game. It's been awhile since I've sat in the nosebleeds but it was a lot of fun. My only dilemma was choosing a team to root for. Do I go for the current home team (Anaheim) or go back to my roots and cheer for MN? I decided to go with Anaheim which was a good choice because they ended up wining. Here's a view from the cheapseats:
After the game they shot off fireworks to celebrate Memorial Day. It was a great show and now I'm excited for the 4th of July. It's funny how fireworks can make you feel like a kid again. I love it. I tried my best to get some good photos but they were a little tricky. Any suggestions for taking firework pictures are welcome. 
Tomorrow it's back to the grind. I hope y'all had a safe & happy weekend...
This weekend my friend Maggie is visiting from the Northeast and we have been busy girls. We spent Friday afternoon in Hollywood hitting up all of the tourist spots which was nothing short of hilarious.
Our first stop was at Grauman's Chinese Theatre where we got our photos taken with Chewbacca & Yoda from Star Wars. I'm not exactly sure why but Chewey said it was gonna be free (ie..no tip) so of course we took him up on the offer!
This would later become the scene where I was chased by a little person dressed up as Chuckie. I figured he would give up but the kept following me and jabbing a prop knife into the back of my leg. He ended up sandwiching me inbetween himself and a Storm Trooper. Quite the predicament, huh? We also shared an elevator with Michael Meyers from Halloween & Pinhead from Hellraiser (which, unbelievably, were scarier without the masks on).
After that we hit up the Hollywood Wax Museum & The Guinness World Of Records Museum which was kind of fascinating. Here's Mags in the Worlds Largest Waist figure: 
Next stop was Rodeo Drive. Most of the stores were closed but we still took the opportunity to just walk around and snap some photos. Maria was taking my picture when all of the sudden, this man came from out of nowhere and started hitting on me. I think I told a record number of lies in the course of 5 minutes - for which I am probably going to Hell. Here's the deal - he was actually good looking but he kept going on and on about how lived in both NY & LA. Really pulling out all the stops to impress but the entire time I could only focus on the dirty stained t-shirt that he was wearing!
We talk for a couple of minutes (more like he interrogated me) and then not wanting to leave Maggie out of the mix, he calls over his friend who was in town visiting. The guy saunters over and when he reaches out to shake my hand I notice the longest thumb nail I have seen in my life. Added to the nappy dreaded hair, the beret hat and lumberjack looking jacket, he wasn't exactly her type. Long story short, I made up a huge string of lies to get them to leave us alone. Now I ask you this - if you are on Rodeo Drive trying to pick up women wouldn't you at least put on a clean shirt?! Or trim your incredibly long thumbnail? I don't get it...
Today we hit up Fiesta Hermosa in Hermosa Beach. These types of festivals are sure to provide good people watching and some new invention that I never would have thought up. This years invention was a pair of flip flops with a built in bottle opener; priced at a mere $45. What will they think of next? I did get to see some amazing photography which was the best part of the festival. We ended the day by walking to the end of the pier and snapping this shot:
Happy Memorial Day everyone!
The Temecula Valley Balloon & Wine Festival looks like it is going to be awesome!
To those of you who normally hit up the wine/beer/whiskey festivals with me, it won't be the same without you...
Friends, it is true. There really are homeless men with squeegees running around LA who are more than willing to clean your car windshield. How do I know this? Because one got me. Against my will. I was not happy....
It was around 11.30 pm and I was finally on my way home from LAX. It was a pretty warm night so I had my window half ways down and I was sitting at a red light minding my own business. All of the sudden, I see this homeless man weaving in and out of lanes wielding a squeegee and a rag ... Cleaning car windshields! (Seriously - I thought this was just a joke and didn't ever happen to real people. Especially me.)
As I am watching this bizarre man scurry from car to car I began praying that he wouldn't come my way. Apparently God didn't hear that prayer or just wanted me to add another random story to my vast collection. Suddenly, the man runs towards my car and I begin shaking my head no. He then smiles at me and gets closer. I say out the window "no thanks". He responds "It's alright, sweetheart. This will only take a second". At this point I say louder "NO" and add hand gestures to accompany my head moving from side to side in a "no" kind of movement. The man continues towards me and washes my windshield anyways! What the heck!? Even though I him not to do it he still expected me to give him money. I don't get it. I think they try to guilt you into it. They stand there and flash that toothless smile as if to say "Look at the great job I just did. Who cares that I probably stole the squeegee and rag from an Arco up the street. I just cleaned your windshield and I should be rewarded for that". Well, my friends, I didn't fall for it and when the light turned green all got was a view of my taillights fading into the distance.
Has this happened to anyone else out there?
p.s. don't ever forget where you've parked your car in the C Lot at LAX. I think that has to be about the biggest parking lot I've ever seen. And no, this didn't happen to me...
I've been tagged by Nonblonde to complete my very first meme! Get ready to find out more than you ever wanted to know about yours truly.
Accent - It's an odd mix of southern and northern (Minnesota). Though since I've moved to So Cal it seems like it's gotten kind of bland. Is that possible?
Booze - Mmm...red wine. It doesn't really matter what Vineyard it came from, what year, etc. My friend John once said "I never met a red I didn't like". I'd have to agree.
Chore I hate - Cleaning the toilet. That's just nasty.
Dogs/Cats - Still a sore subject because I had to give up my dog (Lincoln) to move to Cali. He was a rescue dog that I got from the shelter. Nobody could ever say what he was but our best guess was red heeler/boxer mix. Probably a bit of Jack Russell thrown in since he was off the charts hyper. What I miss most is getting pulled around the block by him during our nightly walks.
Essential Electronics - Hands down my Ipod. This little electronic wonder has changed my life. I can not leave the house without it.
Favorite Perfume / Cologne - Clinique Happy. It's just makes me so darned happy!
Gold/Silver - I'm a silver girl.
Hometown - Born in Red Wing, Minnesota.
Insomnia - Unfortunately it comes and goes in waves. When I'm stressed out it gets pretty bad. When I am able to sleep, I cherish it.
Job Title - Field Sales & Marketing Representative
Living Arrangements - Alone in a cozy apartment 3 blocks from the beach. Jealous?
Most Admired Trait - I would guess that it would be my sense of adventure. I'm pretty willing to try anything once...
Overnight Hospital Stays - Total nights in the hospital....9 that I can think of. I had pins put in my hips when I was in 6th grade because my growth plate had slipped. In 8th grade they had to remove the pins....Gross, huh?
Phobias - Spiders. Snakes. Possessed/insane clowns - especially those who follow me through haunted houses scaring the hell out of me. Walking up concrete stairs, tripping & knocking out all of my teeth. Standing too close when when pulling open a door and busting my nose. I'm weird, I know....
Quote - "Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood."
- Emerson
Religion - Practicing Christian
Siblings - I'm the baby. I have one brother (30) and an awesome sister-in-law (27).
Time I Usually Wake Up - Depends on the day and what time my first appointment is at. Generally I set the alarm for 6.30 and hit the snooze button for 45 minutes. I'm sure my future husband will love that....
Unusual Talent - Does changing clothes while driving a car constitute as an unusual talent?
Vegetable - Love me some broccoli. Steamed with a dash of garlic salt and I'm in heaven.
Worst Habit - Tailgating on the freeway. I tend to scare those who are riding with me...Sorry.
X-rays - Geez...Too many to count. It seemed like I had about 50 when I was going through all the hip stuff. Then there's the broken elbow x-rays. Dental x-rays. Wisdom teeth x-rays. Shouldn't I be glowing green or something by now?
Yummy Food I Make - Neiman Marcus Cookies (basically a pimped out Chocolate Chip cookie). Though these tend to burn up my mixer because the batter gets so thick. But boy are they worth it!
Zodiac Sign - Cancer. I don't really believe in astrology but I sometimes read the horoscopes for a good laugh.
Now the fun part of getting to tag someone else (that doesn't sound right). So, Mags...tag! you're it!
Let me begin by saying that I travel a lot. I'm a firm believer that you see what a person is really made of when they travel. You either see the best in people or the worst. What I saw of the man next to me on my last flight was not quite what I had expected. Here is my most recent airplane story:
About a week ago, I was boarding a flight from Nashville to LA. Luckily, the flight was only half full so the middle seat was open, leaving me by the window and a guy in the aisle seat. Perfect! I really don't like making small talk with people on planes so I've sort of trained myself to fall asleep before the flight takes off. By the time I wake up, we are past 10,000 feet and I can either use my Ipod or watch a DVD on my laptop. Great plan, huh?
It's about two and half hours into the flight and I still haven't talked to Mr. Aisle Seat. I sort of have to go to the bathroom and all of the sudden Mr. Aisle Seat gets up so I decide to follow. This is where it gets funny. I failed to see which way he went so I assumed he went to the restroom in the back. After all, the restroom sign in the front of the plane said it was open so I head in that direction. I grab the door and jerk it open only to see Mr. Aisle Seat relieving himself. What are the chances?! I quickly shut the door and walk to the rear of the plane to use to use the other bathroom. Unfortunately, some fella was taking a really long time so I had to stand there for about 10 minutes (no lie) and wait patiently. The stewardess offered me a free magazine to pass time so I took it and began reading. The guy finally comes out and I wearily head in, go number 1 and quickly leave. It was not until I was about half way back to my seat when I realized how bad this looked. I am returning from the bathroom after 15 minutes - carrying a magazine! Mr. Aisle Seat had to think that I was doing more than just 'number 1'. Embarrassing....
Now begins the awkward conversation:
Mr. Aisle Seat: "Were you the one who walked in on me?"
Me: "Yup."
Mr. Aisle Seat: "I'm sorry. I thought I locked the door."
Me: "No worries. Happens to the best of us." (trying to make him feel better)
This turns into 5 minutes of awkward conversation that neither of us cares about. He obviously did not get the "I don't want to talk" vibe I was throwing out - even though I have one headphone in my ear and the other suspended about two inches away from the other. He noticed that I was watching Office Space and begins talking about that and his office and his boss and yada, yada, yada - I don't care! After awhile I ended the conversation quickly by nodding in agreement and putting in my other headphone. Rude? Maybe. But it was totally worth it to escape the half-hearted conversation. I didn't talk to him for the rest of the flight.
One other thing that I found particularly amusing (yet incredibly repulsive) was that Mr. Aisle Seat had been throwing the mac down on the new flight attendant for 4 & 1/2 hours. When we landed he immediately called his wife and began gushing about how much he missed her and loved her, etc! What in the heck!? I certainly hope that all married/spoken for me don't act that way or I am in a world of trouble....
