Thoughts from a Twentysomething

Rose Nail #7

2009-06-24T13:15:00.000-07:00

Last night was my third cake decorating class and this week, it was a bit more challenging. We learned how to make really beautiful roses out of frosting... except they were really hard to actually make really beautiful. The steps really didn't seem that hard, but since it's so awkward to hold the frosting bag, apply just the right amount of pressure AND twist a slippery rose nail so the frosting magically changes from a lump of pink to gorgeous petals, I felt like it was taking me forever to get it right. Since I'm such a perfectionist, this was even more of a challenge for me and I ended up dumping about six roses back into the frosting bowl. By the end though, I was able to semi-figure it out keep about half of the ones I made. Everyone in the class was asked to leave our roses behind, so I'm assuming we'll be using them to decorate our cakes next week. (That's right - we're really decorating cakes next week!) I think I might try making some more roses tonight and putting them on some of the leftover cupcakes from my "burgers." I'll post pictures if they come out OK.

In other baking news, how is anyone supposed to come up with original baking ideas these days? I feel like all the truly creative and delicious ideas are already taken. I was trying to think of something new to make and I came up with the idea of making sweet potato cornbread muffins with bacon... except, it wasn't all that original of an idea. A google search resulted in a bunch of recipes just like it. Back to the drawing board, I guess, but I'm wondering - have you come up with any recipe ideas that were really original? If so, send some creative vibes my way!

Cakes, Cakes, Cakes!

2009-06-21T13:58:00.000-07:00

The title of this post is so appropriate because I can't stop thinking about cakes. That's right, I think I have a full blown addiction to baking and decorating cakes! After my frosting mishap last week, I decided to take on a new cake project and kind of challenge myself a bit. The result... a grill cake! My cousin Jason's wife Rachel (hi Rachel!) sent me a link to an AWESOME blog dedicated to creative cakes and all things baked - Bakerella. This blog has some of the most amazing ideas ever and I immediately became obsessed with it, and was determined to create something using some of her ideas for a Father's Day cake. I'm so excited to share these photos with you because I worked so hard on this cake for the past few days. And the best part is, the frosting came out right - yippie! I even got to save the old batch my mixing it in with the new one.

OK, Eeeee - I'm nervous for you to see this, but what do you think?! I'll be sharing this cake with my family later, so fingers crossed that they like it!

One of the many cupcakes that would be turned into the burger buns!

I was baking forever! I cut the brownies out into circles to use as the burgers :)

Here's the finished product - a BBQ and two burgers!

Close-up shot of the grill top.

Close-up shot of the burger cupcakes. I used most of the Bakerella ideas here, but added my own - a slice of cheese!

I can't wait to eat them!!

Any ideas for my next cake project? I can't wait to make another one!

PS: A special thanks to Todd for all his help on this project as my "assistant." I promise I'll make you some pies soon!

Cake Numero Uno

2009-06-17T23:04:00.000-07:00

Well, I've picked up a new hobby. In fact, it's not really so much a new hobby as a re-awakened one. Anyone who knows me knows that I've always had a thing for baking. It's probably thanks to my great-grandmother, Mama, and her baking expertise - I basically grew up around an amazing baker who made delicious cookies and cakes all the time. I wish I would have paid more attention to all the little things she was doing, but one thing that she really passed along was the desire to bake. So, since I love to bake... even more than I like to eat baked goods (OK, maybe that's a lie)... I've been thinking for a while about seeing if I was actually any good at it. That's why a week ago I started taking a cake decorating class after about a year of trying to decide if I should do it. I'm not sure why I couldn't make up my mind about signing up, but I'm so glad I finally decided to try it. It's amazingly fun. And a perfect creative outlet for me. So far, I've only been to two classes, but I've already learned a ton. I've also already learned a very valuable lesson - follow the recipe directions. No, really. Follow them. I'm kind of embarrassed to share this with you (remember, I'm a Leo and was an only child forever, so I hate to fail), but I figure it was my first try and I now know how to make frosting the right way ;) I can say that my cake was delicious, so that's a plus. It was also completely homemade, which was fun. But, the frosting... oh, the frosting. In my excitement to get decorating, I completely read the ingredient amounts wrong and added too much water. What resulted was a runny, mess of white frosting. I tried to salvage it, and it tasted good, but it wasn't at all the right consistency for cake decorating. I'm going to try again either tomorrow or this weekend because I'm determined to get this right! But, without further ado, I'd like to introduce my first cake. I'm posting these pictures with hopes that by the end of all this, I'll have some amazing masterpieces to share and this will be something I can look back on and laugh about. For now though, enjoy what I like to call the Ecto-Cooler Cake (think the Ghostbusters 90's drink and note the drippy, green frosting down the sides. I'll just lie and say that was on purpose). Much more decorating (that's actually good) to come.

Wedding Craziness!

2009-05-14T16:22:00.000-07:00

Updates, updates... where to start! First off, hi there! Hope everyone who still has the patience to check in on me is doing well! It's almost the end of the day for me and I'm hoping a little blogging will give me a creative energy boost that will last until 5:30 (when work ends). My life has been great lately. Busy, as usual, but still fun. Thinking back, I have no idea where the time has been going. Kinda seems like the weeks are flying by, but that's good I guess since Todd and I are incessantly counting down till June 12, 2010! Woohoo! Most of you have probably already seen our wedding Web site, but in case you haven't, check it out! Todd and I had a bunch of fun making it and writing all the great stories about how me met each other and our awesome bridal party, so we hope you'll enjoy it too. Don't forget to sign the guest book!

In other wedding news, we took our engagement photos last weekend, which was a blast! I was really nervous at first, but by the end of it, I think we were all relaxed and just having a great time. The photos were actually taken by our friend Megan (and Brent on "Camera B") and I would highly recommend her to anyone who is looking to have photos taken of anything really. Todd and I are still anxiously awaiting the big reveal of our photo shoot, but I do have this gem to share with you. I'm really in love with this photo, which was taken in Coronado, on the little stretch of beach where we got engaged. It was a perfect day for pictures, and we really lucked out since we somehow avoided the inevitable "May Grey" San Diego tends to have this time of the year. Anyway, I can't wait to see the rest and I'll be sure to share them with all of you ASAP! More life updates to come soon...

June 12, 2010

2009-04-20T18:40:00.000-07:00

Well, I can't believe it, but somehow one month has gone by since the big day (more on this later), and it's more than halfway through April. So much has happened over the past month and I finally feel caught up enough to blog. I just got back from a celebratory dinner with Todd and now I'm sitting in my apartment that is a bajillion degrees right now. We've been having this crazy heat wave in SoCal lately, so it was about 95 degrees today. Yesterday, Todd, my mom and co. were up at California Adventure and it was also SOOO hot! We were all melting!

Anyway, back to a month ago. As most of you know, it's the day Todd and I got ENGAGED!! It's still so crazy to write/say/think about. You can read Todd's re-cap here (if you haven't already), which basically covers it all. I guess from my perspective, I was completely surprised. I was mainly just confused and hungry, and didn't get why we couldn't eat before going to the beach (typical). The funny thing is that when we were walking to the beach, Todd had all this gear - sleeping bag, backpack, etc. - and I thought to myself, "what if he has the champagne in there?" (note: the champagne is this special bottle of almond champ that Todd had been saving for a year for a "special occasion." I would always joke that it was for when we got engaged). So, yes, I thought that it would be funny if it was the champagne, but never actually thought it was. I was totally shocked when all of a sudden the champagne was ACTUALLY there, with a ring. WOW, such an exciting night :D Anyway, now looking back, all these weird things make sense - like how Todd was begging me to leave work early that day and how I couldn't look at his phone at all (there were secret engagement e-mails on it). Plus, a couple days before, he came over to my house really, REALLY excited (the day he got the ring). I remember wondering what the heck was going on! OK, back to the night... the exciting engagement happened and I said YES (obvi) and then we went to dinner at Il Fornaio and stayed the night at the Hotel Del. Since then, we've been crazy talking and planning. So far, we have the church and reception place (almost) booked, and the date... June 12, 2010!

We're so excited and are having a ton of fun planning. Woohooo! Other than that, we just got back from a fabulous vacation in Florida last week. We stayed at Todd's grandmother's beach condo, which is now owned by his Aunt and Uncle. We had a great time hanging out with the family and making difficult decisions like "Hmmm, what should we do today? Pool, beach, pool, pool, beach, pool, beach? Or beach, beach, pool, beach, pool, pool?" I really miss Todd's parents, Lin and Chris. The week went by too fast. But, we also got to spend some time with my dad, Rose and the kids in Orlando, which was a great ending to a FUN weekl!

It's been difficult transitioning back into the usual schedule, but hopefully, we'll get the hang of it soon :) Plus, I'm sure I'll have bunches of updates in the coming weeks and months, and I can't wait to share them with you!

Childhood Things.

2009-03-12T10:37:00.001-07:00

My best friend, Alyx, and I were having this great conversation this morning that sparked all kinds of reminiscing. We were chatting about all of the great things they had when we were kids - things that really shaped our school years. Things that kids today probably wouldn't care about because they're so high tech (wow, I sound old). I decided I would share these things with you because you may have loved them too. Here goes...

1. Book It! - Man do I miss this. Book It was a program run by pizza hut that basically encoruaged kids to read by bribing them with a personal pan pizza (yummm!). I think they still have this program, but I doubt it's as cool. Do kids today get the sweet button that had the little stickers you would get to add once you read a new book? Do they even have the eat-in pizza hut restaurants anymore? Mmmm, I could really go for a quick game of X-Men while I wait to be seated, followed by some delicious breadsticks right now (but only if I get to be Storm).

2. Choose Your Own Adventure Books - These were the absolute BEST! Boy, did I love them... especially the Goosebumps versions (did anyone else make them?).

I wish they made these for adults, because I would definitely read them. I can already imagine the Twilight version. Does Bella choose Edward or Jacob? Turn to page 35 for Edward or page 61 for Jacob.

3. Dunkaroos and Shark Bites - Alyx says they still have these, which is great news because they were SO cool! I loved the Dunkaroos that had the sprinkes in the cookies with chocolate frosting and the sharks that were white. Those were so much better than the rest.

4. Pogs - Heck yeah I played with Pogs! My grandfather would buy me so many of these. I had such awesome slammers and I have great memories of playing with my cousin Jason during our annual Christmas Eve get together. I wonder where mine are? I must have at least 5 containers of them somewhere.

5. Yikes Pencils - I was obsessed with these. They were all swirly and colorful. Plus, they had those crazy erasers that came in weird shapes. They were totally a plus while doing school work. Especially if you added one of those squishy, finger protector things.

6. Trapper Keepers and Lisa Frank Folders - Everyone had these. And it's true, you weren't cool without them. The zippers, the velcro, the crazy colors!
I wish these were required supplies at work!

Man, I could go on and on. There were so many other cool things I loved. Guess I'll have to save them for another post, but what cool things did you have as a kid? Did you love any of these things as much as I did?

One Song. Glory.

2009-03-11T12:02:00.000-07:00

Last night I saw RENT! And, boy, was it amazing. It even featured original cast members Adam Pascal, Anthony Rapp and Gwen Stewart. I think this was my second time seeing it live, but I've probably watched the movie a million times! I was basically bouncing around in my seat the whole time, silently singing all of the songs. Everything about the play is wonderful - the set, the music, the perfectly rhymed lyrics - but my favorite part is probably the message. I think these lyrics sum it up perfectly: "There's only us. There's only this. Forget regret - or life is yours to miss." It's so true. We're only here for a short amount of time and in the end, all you really have are moments and people that have touched you. RENT should inspire everyone to live life in the moment... to the fullest. A hard thing to do, believe me. Most of you know that I'm constantly planning, so this is something I've struggled with. I'm going to try to live the lyrics for now though, and maybe if I forget to do it after a while, I'll have to see the show again (no complaints here).

So, I'm wondering what your favorite show is. Mine is for sure Phantom, but RENT is a close second. What shows and music touch you? Let me know!

And, if you're obsessed with musicals like me and live in San Diego, check out Broadway San Diego's Web site. Todd and I just bought a flex pack that includes tickets to Wicked (I'm giddy already), The Lion King and In the Heights. I wanted to buy tickets to every show, but I don't think I could have convinced Todd to see Legally Blonde... hmmm :)

Anza

2009-03-09T13:52:00.000-07:00

This twentysomething has been a busy bee (hehe) at work. I just got out of a meeting all about blogs so I decided to "practice what we preach" here at work and get to updating! This weekend was another adventure for Todd and I, as we decided to venture out to the desert. Well, actually, we had our trip planned for another weekend, but that's a whole other story. Friday was our packing day and they Saturday morning, we were off! The drive to the desert is a beautiful one, and I'm still always surprised at how quickly the terrain changes. San Diego is just one of those places, I guess. You really can see it all - snow, desert, beach, city - within a fairly short drive. Anyway, our drive started out through the strangely peaceful and tree-line streets of Scripps Ranch, through stop-and-go Ramona and briefly in Julian, where Todd and I made a quick detour at Dudley's Bakery. For some reason, I really had to stop at Dudley's. I feel like I've been going on and on about it ever since this camping trip was planned. I think it has something to do with high school and the fact that we stopped there our our field trip to the desert, but anyway, we stopped and picked up some bread. I got a cheddar loaf and Todd got jalapeno. We also ordered a sandwich for later, which gave us some time to look around the gift shop that was full of Native American nick nacks. After Dudley's we were back in the car and back to winding roads through the beautiful mountains and valleys. I think the drive was something like an hour and 30 mins, and when we finally made it to Anza-Borrego, we realized we weren't the only ones who had the idea of going to the desert! There were millions of people everywhere, and it took us a while to finally find some parking and get hiking. We did the typical Palm Canyon hike, which according to the park ranger, is a 5.5 mile-hike from the visitor's center to this crazy palm tree oasis in the middle of the desert. It's the weirdest thing ever - there's all this sand and cacti and then all of a sudden there is water and trees. It's totally worth the hike! Once we were done with our workout for the day, we headed back to the campground, which really turned out to be nice (I was kind of freaked out prior to checking in since it really was in the middle of nowhere. City girl, remember?) Todd and I had fun doing nothing. We played the game of Life, where I chose to go to college and then ended up being an athlete who only made 20,000 a payday.
Todd, on the other hand, skipped college and ended up as a multi-millionaire. I guess I learned my lesson! We also made hot dogs (I'm embarrassed to say how many), jiffy pop and heated cookies over the fire (the best idea ever). We also watched a movie, because, hey - we're high tech! Todd even made this crazy contraption to hold his iPhone up like a movie screen so we could lie in the tent and have the movie playing above us. He basically kept saying: "Be prepared. It's the boy scout motto," which made me laugh, but it's true. We had all these random things that were really useful! The only thing we were missing were camping chairs. So, all in all, I am going to say that camping was a success! We somehow avoided seeing any bugs, made it through the freezing night (OK, not freezing, but still cold) and made it back to Julian in time to have delicious apple pie and coffee for breakfast!

Next trip stop - Disneyland :)

Weekend time.

2009-02-06T09:56:00.001-08:00

Bloggg time! It's "raining" again in San Diego. Actually, last night it really was pouring. I think the weather forecast even said something about thunderstorms this weekend... wouldn't that be great? Haha, I just love these days! I can't wait to get back home and put on comfy clothes and just relax. Tonight, Kaleigh is sleeping over! It should be a lot of fun. I haven't had a real sleepover in forever. I miss those days.

Tonight, Elysia, Kayl and I plan on:

1. Baking cookies and decorating cookies. And then eating them.
2. Possibly playing a board game?
3. Watching Anne of Green Gables. Hopefully all the way through to the end of the Continuing. We'll probably be up all night.

Anyway, it should be a great girls night! The rest of my weekend is slam packed too, but I'm really looking forward to it. Tomorrow, Todd, Elysia and possibly Rylan, and I are going to try and volunteer at Habitat. I'll let you know how that goes. Then, Sunday there is a free salsa/samba class in PB. Should be fun! Maybe Todd and I will get back into salsa dancing again :)

That's it for now. Happy Weekend!!

Food Diary

2009-02-02T10:22:00.000-08:00

Hi there (hello, Ma)! Well, it's Monday and it's February and I'm taking a minute to blog :) I am still recovering from the super bowl yesterday... mainly from the food at our super bowl "party" (if you can even call it that, haha). I didn't really watch the game, but I did eat tons. My super bowl stuff-your-face fest consisted of:

1. Homemade nachos. A lot of them. With a lot of guac, salsa and sour cream :x
2. One hot dog. I later saw the commercial for Hebrew National and was sad that I ate the cheap-o brand that most likely contained the "butt."
3. Two diet cherry pepsis (wow, that word looks weird). I was gonna have three, but decided that might be overdoing it a bit. Everyone else was drinking beer.
4. 3 chocolate chip cookies. They were so good and made by Elysia. I kept taking a half and then going back for the rest later. Come to think of it, I probably had 10 halves, which is 5 cookies - yikes!

Anyway, I woke up starving this morning - at 4 a.m., I might add - and I blame it all on the fact that I ate so much food all day. So, now, I'm deliriously at work (waking up at 4 a.m. for no apparent reason is not fun) and have already had one granola bar and an everything bagel... and I'm still STARVING. Ahhh, this really is going to be a long day.

Hey, at least I updated!

Christmas cheer.

2008-12-09T16:44:00.000-08:00

Christmas is in full-swing around here. Have you stopped to look at the calendar lately? Because, it's in only 16 DAYS!! Ahhh! My mom and I went shopping for hours on Sunday night. I think I got home at 11ish or something crazy. We thought we were done, but then decided to head over to Target since they close super late these days. I got the baby a really cute puppy that barks and a bunch of other stuff I didn't need to buy like Christmas note pads. Daniel wants a real puppy for Christmas this year. In fact, the other day, Todd told the baby he had a surprise for him (some chocolate, I think), and the baby said, "is it a puppy?" Uh oh!

But, anyway, I'm almost done with my gift buying! I think I have only a couple more things to get. I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone open their gifts! I'm also excited to get home tonight and wrap everything. I think I'm really bad at wrapping gifts, but I like doing it. It's kind of relaxing for me.

Todd and I went to the dollar store last night and there was so much cheesy, cheapo Christmas stuff. I wanted to buy EVERYTHING! I was there for wrapping paper and such, but I was also there to get ideas for my office cubicle decorating contest. I have this really, really great idea, but it requires a lot of time and supplies, as well as intense amounts of painting and maybe even buying props that light up. Hmmm, might have to stick with plan two, which is less time consuming. Once it's all done, I'll post some pictures for everyone to see! In the meantime, let me know if you have any good ideas. I have until the 19th to get everything set up. Apparently there is a prize involved, so I must win! :)

Off to decorate the office tree. For real this time.

Puppies to the rescue :)

2008-12-08T13:54:00.001-08:00

Awww, here's a great story that just made my day happier. Hopefully it will make yours better, too!

From the Daily News: Puppies save three-year-old boy lost in freezing Virginia woods

A toddler lost in the Virginia woods was back home safe Sunday thanks to two puppies who kept him warm through a harrowing night of freezing temperatures.

Jaylynn Thorpe, 3, wandered away from his baby-sitter at 4 p.m. Friday and was missing for 21 hours as hundreds of friends, family and law enforcement officials searched for him in the thick woods of Halifax County, fearing the worst.

"The only thing we wanted to do was just keep searching until we found him," Halifax County Sheriff Stanley Noblin told reporters.

Jaylynn's frantic family knew time was not on its side.

"We didn't forget the issue that 17 degrees was almost unbearable," said his father, James Thorpe.

"People all over the State of Virginia was down there looking for that child. For a while there, one time, I didn't know whether they would find him or not," said the child's grandmother and guardian, Katherine Elliot.

Officials said the lost little boy and the two family puppies wandered up to a mile in the dark, even across a highway, but it wasn't until Saturday afternoon that members of the search team found him sitting by a tree, the two puppies nestled against him.

The little boy didn't say anything, according to rescue team member Jerry Gentry, but instead "just opened his arms up like, 'I'm ready to go.'"

"When I first saw him, he was like, 'Momma, I got cold. I slept in the woods last night. The puppies kept me warm.' He told me that ... the dogs slept up against him. And I'm sure the body heat kept him warm," said his mother, Sarah Ingram.

Billie Jo Roach, another member of the search party that found the boy, said the puppies refused to leave his side.

As the child was placed in an ambulance to be taken to a local hospital for examination, "The puppies were watching where he went.

"Where he went, they went," Roach said.

As word went out that the child was alive and well, family members cheered and cried for joy.

"Praise the Lord! Welcome home, Jaylynn!" yelled his aunt, Amy Zimmerman.

Close to 300 people from North Carolina and Virginia joined in the search to find Jaylynn.

"I love you! God bless you," Ingram told the rescue teams.

"I think I just said, 'Thank you Lord' ... for us to have another chance!" said the child's father.

The boy spent Saturday night under observation at Halifax Regional Hospital and chowed down on a double cheeseburger, a hot dog, strawberry ice cream and French fries.

Meanwhile, the furry heroes, their tails wagging, were rewarded with food.

"I definitely call this a miracle," said Noblin.

Dec. 2

2008-12-02T17:02:00.000-08:00

My eyes are burning from the intenseness of my computer screen. Ahh! Anyway, hi! I was talking to Ma this weekend and she was asking me about my blog, so here I am. I didn't take a lunch break today, so I figure the last part of my day can be dedicated to an update. I'm currently listening to Christmas music, which is making me feel less stressed out. This day... this past month has been HECTIC at work. There have definetely been fun parts, and I feel like I've learned a lot, but I'm not gonna lie, it's been crazy stressful! That said, I'm really looking forward to these next couple of weeks and all the Christmasy fun, and heading home again, of course. Like always, every single moment of the next few weeks is planned out (gotta love the holidays). This week I'll be going to the Horton Plaza Christmas Tree lighting, joining Elysia at her company holiday party, going to December Nights and heading to Greg's birthday party. Other than that, life has been usual. Thanksgiving was fun, especially the having 4 days off part. Todd, Elysia and I have basically been spending all of our time watching the best show ever - How I Met Your Mother. It's so funny! If you haven't watching it yet, you need to. It's all about a dad telling his kids how he met their mother... which means he has to tell a million stories that seem meaningless, but that somehow will lead him to meeting his wife. Great concept and even better writing. Sitcoms are pretty bad these days, so I'm happy to have found a show that actually makes me laugh.

OK, time to hit the road. Happy December, everyone!

BOO!

2008-10-22T14:21:00.000-07:00

It's almost October 31, so I figured I would share this article with everyone who's looking to get in the Halloween mood.

Muhaha :)

Things I'm excited about.

2008-10-09T14:30:00.000-07:00

Back by popular demand :) Here's my update! It's officially Fall... everywhere else but San Diego. It's been about 95 degrees here lately, which is really making me grumpy. It's been cloudy all day today though... a pleasant surprise! I'm hoping it will stay this way through the weekend because we're going APPLE PICKING! Woohoo! I haven't been apple picking in forever. I think the last time was when I still lived back home. I'm really excited! Plus, we'll be in Julian, so we'll get to eat some delicious apple pie and take a million pictures with pumpkins, scarecrows and other fall things. Uh oh... I just checked the weather and it's supposed to be a high of 65 with rain. WHAT THE HECK! Don't get me wrong, I love the rain, but why does it keep happening when I have outside-type things to do? Last weekend, Todd, Michelle, Leah and I went camping up in Carpinteria for the amazing, annual Avocado Festival. It was a lot of fun (I ate at least a pound of avocados), but it rained - drizzled. Whatever, it made the camping a little more wet than we would have liked. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens this weekend. The weather changes here about every two seconds lately. Some other things I'm excited for include:

1. Halloween costume shopping. Yep, it's that time of the year again! I was originally going to be colonial (haha), but our group of friends has all decided to dress the same... as NEWSIES! I'm pretty excited for this am and still trying to figure out how I'm going to get the soundtrack to play all night - maybe speakers attached to my costume? We shall see.

2. Steph's in town this weekend! I miss my old roomie, so I'm sure we will have some good times. Maybe we can have one of our old football parties - where the girls make all the food/football shaped cakes and then fall asleep. How cliché.

3. Vegas! That's right, next weekend, Elysia, Hannah, the boys and I are headed to Sin City! It's sure to be a crazy/tiring two and a half days. All I have to say is Vivaaaa Las Vegas!

4. Actual Halloween. I'm going trick-or-treating with the family again. Boy, am I going to be sad when those kids grow up - they give me a great excuse to do such fun, "kiddie" things!

5. The cruise to Mexico. Todd and I will be sailing away to good 'ol Mexico on Nov. 7. Hopefully this trip will make up for our last Mexico excursion. That's Why God Made Mexico is already stuck in my head. Bring on the late-night buffet!

Alright, I think that's it for now. I have so much more work to get to before the end of the day, so I better get on that. I can't wait to get home to watch Project Runway and Grey's! I sure do love Thursday nights!

Jersey, here we come!

2008-08-27T09:39:00.000-07:00

Todd is a nerd. Right now, he's leaning over me with his GPS trying to figure out how fast the train is going :) So, here we are - our vacation is half way over and we're headed to good ol' New Jersey. We've been having the greatest time. The Camp was tons of fun! It was great to see everyone and just relax by the lake. Being in CT was great also. I got to see more of Todd's home town and spend time with his family and friends. Last night, we even celebrated Todd's mom's birthday with a delicious spaghetti dinner, wine and cake! I'm sad that part of the trip is over, but oh, so excited to see Ma and Pat, my dad and the rest of the fam (so many mixed emotions!). Tonight, we're booking it to the City to see The Little Mermaid on Broadway! The show was a birthday surprise and I can't wait see the it and get a backstage tour of the theater. We might even try and make it to The View - a rotating restaurant at the top of the Marriott in Times Square! I'm sure these last five days of the trip will just fly by, so I'm trying to truly enjoy each moment. See you all in Jersey!

(ps: thanks, Pat, for the delicious lunch. We already ate it all!!)

We're here!

2008-08-23T08:12:00.000-07:00

We're in Boston! Quincy to be exact. After a long, dramatic trip, we're here... and I'm SO excited! Quick travel re-cap. Lesson number one = never fly US Airways. I'm pretty sure I said that last summer too, after our flight was delayed in Hartford and Todd and I got stuck in Atlanta for a night, but anyway I'm pretty sure it's the worst airline ever. First of all, Todd had to pull all kinds of strings to get us to sit together. Apparently if you don't book your seats way in advance (which we're pretty sure we did anyway) you have to pay $15 extra dollars to get "premium" seats. That basically means you get to sit in a cramped middle seat that might be next to someone you know. Ugh! Our flight to Phoenix was okay, besides the fact that I lost my license and boarding pass before even making it to the gate! Then, Todd got chosen for a "special" pre-boarding security check. All I have to say is damn terrorists ruining travel for us all! So, the first flight was quick - 45 minutes - but once we got to the airport we saw that our flight was delayed 2 hours for mechanical issues. Obviously my plane anxiety did not deal with this well, so Todd and I headed to the over-priced airport bar for some drinks. I kept overhearing the plane lady talking about the plane getting worked on and I was pretty sure it was going to get cancelled, but by some miracle it pulled up to the gate just before midnight. The flight was super bumpy and Todd and I sat in the emergency row, which meant no reclining chairs, but we somehow slept a bunch. Lin picked us up from the airport and and took us to Dunkin (which I just found out started in Quincy), and now we're at her apartment waiting to go on our historical tour of colonial Boston (okay, maybe that's just me). Quincy is really historical. John Adams and John Hancock lived here. In fact, John Adams' famous house, Peacefield, is here! Check it out:

Yay. I've also been reading 1776, so I'm ready for all the history :)

OK, time to go, but tonight is our dinner cruise on the Spirit of Boston. More updates to come soon!

Back from the Weekend.

2008-07-21T17:08:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday (blah). Haha! Well, it's the end of the day at least and I'm blogging - yippie! I can't believe the weekend is already over. This was a fast one for sure, but still fun! Friday was SeaWorld night, so Todd and I met up with my family after work to see a bunch of shows and go on kiddie rides. We even watched the fireworks, which I hear slash see on a regular basis, but have never actually watched from inside the park. Saturday was a lazy day, but nice. It was nice to relax! Jennie came down later in the night and us girls plus Todd and Eli headed to PB to meet up with Steph and friends. It was really great to see my old roomie! I miss her a lot, but her job and life in NYC sound amazing. It's so crazy how different of a city New York is from little, laid-back San Diego. And on to Sunday, one of the best days ever! I picked my mom up in the afternoon and we got our makeup down at Bobbi Brown, then headed to RA Sushi for dinner. Neither of us got real sushi (I got a veggie roll), but it was delicious. Especially because we got the pineapple wontons - yum! After dinner, we walked down to the Civic Centre to see THE PHANTOM! And, boy was it wonderful. I was really impressed by everything. They did a great job of making the set look exactly like the Majestic Theater. And, I think this cast one of the best I have ever seen. The Phantom in this version was a lot more dark and scary... less romantic and more, psychotic. Plus, this cast used a lot more comedy, too. I really loved it (if you can't tell). It was also really nice to have a girls day/night with my mom. We'll have to do that more often! I'll be seeing the show again in 10 days (my birthday!) and I'm already looking forward to it. Elysia (who also went last night) might want to go again, so maybe I'll go with her, too. Wow, I'm obsessed a bit :)

Alright, time to pack things up here. But, if you're looking for some new music, check out The Cab. My best friend, Alyx, introduced them to me and I'm hooked!

Hi!

2008-07-17T12:11:00.000-07:00

It's a gloomy, un-summer-like day in SD. It's making me feel sleepy. Oh - I take that back, the sun is just starting to peek through the overcastness. I'm still sleepy though.

Anyway, last night was a lot of fun! I went to my mom's for the season premier of Project Runway! I have really become addicted to that show. It makes me wish I could be a designer. My little sister is crazy making beaded bracelets and necklaces lately and we were taking about taking knitting lessons at the store where she buys all of her beads. My creativity (minus all the writing I do) has been brushed aside and I really miss doing art and plays and other things like that. I've been really wanting to take a ceramics class for a while and while I really don't want to take tests, I've been looking into a class at one of the community colleges in the area. I was also trying to find a theatre group that Elysia and I could join, but no luck yet. Let me know if you know of anything good! I guess I just need to find a hobby. I miss the days of extra-curricular activities - dancing, etc. That's another thing I've been looking into! I found some studios around my house that offer classes for pretty cheap. Basically, I need to get motivated and start signing up for things!

Last weekend was a lot of fun and it's so worth writing about even if we're only a day away from another one... everyone went wine tasting in Temecula! It was the perfect day full of tasty wine, sunshine and friends. We even went line dancing at night, which is always a lot of fun. They actually just opened a new line dancing bar in downtown that I think we might check out on Saturday. I'll let you know how it is! Steph (my old roomie who moved to the NYC area) is coming home for the weekend, so we have a lot of catching up to do. It will be nice to have her back for a couple of days.

Okay, back to work. Or off to lunch. Not sure which one yet :)

Join, or Die

2008-07-14T20:27:00.000-07:00

Todd and I have been watching HBO's John Adams like crazy. I love it (obviously) and it's making me count down the days even more until my trip to Boston. I can't wait! Todd already pressed play on the next episode, but check out the theme song. It's great! :)

Quick Update

2008-06-30T16:21:00.001-07:00

I'm back! At least for a day :) My non-posting reasons have been the same - I'm super busy AND I don't have internet at my house. Long story, but apparently AT&T doesn't service my area even though we've had internet with them for the past year and they've been sending me pamphlets to re-activate my service. Anyway, Elysia and I are Facebook deprived. Thank goodness for my iPhone (or brain, as Eli and Derrick like to call it). So, yeah, it's somehow the last day of June and it still hasn't really felt like summer in San Diego. We had one heat spell, but other than that the June Gloom is still lingering here and there. I am completely prepared for when summer decides to show it's face though because Todd installed an air conditioner for me. Woohoo! I've been thoroughly enjoying sleeping in a cold room. Actually, everyone's been enjoying my room. Elysia took a nap in it the other day when I was gone and everyone piled in during that heat spell to hang out. It was pretty funny, considering I don't have that big of a room.

Here are my other updates:

1. I've been at my job for one year! I have no idea how a year went by, but it did. I had my review last week and despite a little bit of nervousness, everything went really well. I'm excited to see how this year will unfold. I've already learned so much here and know that I am 10 times a better writer and strategic thinker than I was when I first started.

2. It's wedding season. Yes! I finally got to say that! Anyway, this is the first year where a bunch a people I know are getting married. It's totally weird, but also exciting. I love weddings, so no complaints here. This past weekend, Todd and I headed up to the Santa Barbara area for the first one. Todd was actually invited to two more that we couldn't make it to, so we could have been going to five weddings this summer - ah!

3. The countdown to my birthday has begun! That's right, it's almost July and that means 31 days till my birthday. I'm turning 23, which is just crazy, but I'm trying to think of fun things to do. Lemme know if you have any ideas!

And that's it I think. I'm really looking forward to the 4th of July and I'm praying that I get to see fireworks this year. I'll keep ya posted on anything exciting that happens in the meantime.

Um?

2008-05-21T16:06:00.000-07:00

Oh my sad, sad blog. :(

It's been so hard to update, as you can tell. I'm not even going to say I'll try harder, because I've said that a million times and yet the weeks still seem to fly by withough a single post. Anyway, here I am. It's May - almost June, and things are crazy busy at work (hence the no blogging). San Diego is really warming up and it's feeling more and more like summer. This past weekend it was nearly 90 degrees! I spent my time at Elysia's pool and at Disneyland with Todd, and it was an amazingly relaxing two days. I'm really looking forward to this three day weekend too, even though I don't have any trips planned or anything. I tried really hard to schedule something, but by the time I got the idea to get on a plane and go somewhere, the prices were already sky high! At least it's only a couple of months until my trips to San Fran and to Boston/back home. I'm really looking forward to them! Thaaank you cousins for getting married. I also have a bunch of other fun things on my calendar that I'm really excited about, including a Padres/Mets game, seeing the Phantom (twice) and my birthday (hey! i can start counting down... it's almost summer.) Other than that, I'm playing it low key - just spending time with my family and friends.

That's it for now. But to end this post, a bit of news: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080521/ap_on_en_mu/people_lou_pearlman

Oh man... what a Backstreet creeper!

My hands hurt from this one!

2008-03-19T16:54:00.000-07:00

Ahhh! This has been a long day. I think my brain has just about stopped working. Anyway, Elysia is officially moved in and we've already seen more of the rest of the high school girls than usual. Hannah came down on Monday night and Jennie came over last night. It's been great to get together and still be the same exact friends we were in high school (5 years ago?!) The one bad thing has been the lack of sleep the visits have caused! Elysia and I are seriously sleep deprived. I even overslept the alarm this morning for the first time in forever. Needless to say, I jumped out of bed at about 8:05. I still made it to work by 8:30, but it was a stressful morning. I've made a promise to myself to go to bed by 10 tonight, but we'll see. It's actually way worse for Elysia though. She works from 7 am to 7 pm! We've calculated it, and she would need to go to bed at 9 every night to get 8 hours of sleep. Oh boy!

So, here's some stuff that's been going on with me...

1. I'm loving that you can finally tell it getting closer to summer. It's been so great to leave work and have the sun still shining. Plus, I've been exploring the city more on my lunch breaks. Not too long ago, I took a walk from the office to the Seaport. It was beautiful and relaxing to sit on the rocks by myself for a while. I also headed to Balboa Park yesterday. The museums are actually free on Tuesdays, but the one I wanted to go to was closed. So, I took the extra time to lie in the grass for 40 minutes and listen to music. I think I'll be doing that more often.

2. I got a bike. Most of you probably know about Todd's bike riding past. As for me, I think the last time I owned a bike was when I was like 12 or something. Anyway, Todd's been sad that his bike just sits in his garage collecting dust, so I figured I might as well get one and ride with him. So far, so good. We've gone on three rides so far and it's pretty fun. Plus, I bought this super cool helmet. I've decided I'm getting all the gear. I'm sure I'll be biking across the country in no time :)

3. I'm really excited about this new series on HBO. If you know me, you know I love colonial America so much that I wish I lived back then. The new series is called John Adams and is based off of David McCullough's book about Adams' life during the Revolution. I know I'm a nerd, but it looks like an amazing depiction of the times back then. Oh yeah, and a couple of days ago I walked over to Borders and started reading McCullough's other book, 1776. I definitely need to go back and buy it!

Oh, and since I'm posting, I might as well finally answer Todd's tag. Here goes:

10 Years Ago - Um, I was 12 (weird) and in 7th grade, probably obsessing over the Backstreet Boys (ha!) and spending most of my time with my family and the 4 A's.

5 Things on My To-Do-List - Clean out my car, buy plane tickets to Jason's wedding, plan a million trips, finish decorating my room and go food shopping.

Things I Would Do if I Were Suddenly a Billionaire - Visit every single European country... actually, visit every country in the world. Buy that cute, little pink house that I love so much in Boston. Give a bunch to my family. Save a lot. Buy an amazing new wardrobe. Open a bakery. Ahh, too many things.

3 of My Bad Habits - I worry too much, I get really grumpy when I'm tired or haven't eaten and I'm a bit of a procrastinator.

5 Places I've Lived - I think I've only lived in 4... New Jersey, Poway, San Diego and Los Angeles.

Jobs I've Had - Hmm, I worked at a gym in the Kids Club, front desk at my college dorm and for the SDSU conference center. I was a news assistant at a newspaper, worked at SeaWorld, an advertising agency and two PR firms.

Things Most People Don't Know About Me - I have a bit of OCD when it comes to things being left open. I cannot stand when people leave drawers, cabinets, etc. open. I always have to close them. Even if it's not my own house.

Okay, I'm done. And I'm going home. Yay, Wednesday!

How long has it been?

2008-03-13T15:20:00.000-07:00

My blog has officially died... and come back to life! :) I haven't even checked yet to see when my last post was, but I'm sure it was eons ago. This have been moving along in my world it seems. I've been doing my usual thing, but some things are different in my life. Let's see, my roommate, Steph, moved out. She got an amazing job offer in New York City - one that just couldn't be passed up. She decided to take it, and after three very fast weeks, she was gone. My apartment is very strange and quiet these days. Granted, she's only been gone for like four days, but I'm already sad. We had a ton of fun, our little group, and a piece of it will be gone now. What I can say is I am excited to hear all of her amazing city stories and to have one more person to visit when I'm back home!

As for me and my little apartment, it will soon be the home of my high school friend Elysia! I'm very happy to be able to share my home with someone I already know and who I already hang out with just about every day anyway. It seriously cut down on a lot of unneeded stress in my life. I think that's about the biggest news in my life. Besides that, Todd and I recently took a trip to Mexico that turned into a disaster and led us to Las Vegas! We also bought plane tickets to go to his cousin's wedding up in San Fran in the summer and will probably be looking into buying tickets home for my cousin Jason's summer wedding sometime soon also.

Well, that felt good. A much needed post (even it if wasn't all that great). Don't give up on me guys! I'm going to try my very best to get to posting again.

XOXO

2008-02-14T21:07:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to say a quick HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY to everyone!! I hope you spent the day with the people you love :)

2 Second Break

2008-02-13T08:59:00.000-08:00

This is gonna be really short cause I'm super busy at work, but I forgot to tell you all that I felt my first earthquake! I'm only excited because it was a little one (a 5.1 in Mexico) and no one got hurt... and I've been wanting to feel one since I moved here 9 years ago. Anyway, it lasted for about 3 to 5 seconds and made the building feel like it was swaying. So weird!

Okay, back to work for me, but, check out this article. Maybe fairytales are real, after all :)

I need a snow day.

2008-02-08T12:21:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Southern California - the land of perfectly tanned beauties, buff surfers annnnnnd conceited weather reports?! I always knew that California was pretty full of itself, but this? Come on!

Send some snow my way!

Yes We Can.

2008-02-05T21:09:00.000-08:00

Today was Super Tuesday... a day to vote. A day for change. A day to show what America is about. As I stood in line and signed my name and cast my vote, I felt proud. I felt happy. We are a lucky people. We are free. And, in a world like ours, that means a lot. I couldn't help but look around as I filled in my ballot bubbles and think about how lucky I am - how lucky we are. We can go to the polls and vote and not worry about a million things that people in other nations have to worry about. For this reason, and so many others, I love our country. I love America. So, now as I sit at home with my "I voted" sticker on my shirt and my t.v. tuned to the results, I'm anxiously waiting to find out the potential, future leaders of our country. We need something to happen, and we need it to happen soon. We need better education. We need better health care. We need change. The thing is, if I really think about it, voting is really important to me. Maybe more important than I've thought it to be in the past. As someone who is a woman and half black, I represent a collection of people who didn't get to vote for free. I represent a people who had to struggle for their rights, who had to fight for the ability to demonstrate their beliefs. This is why I feel so proud. Even if my one little vote didn't change anything. Even if it didn't sway the election, I know it's important that I made the effort to do what so many other people can't do. And, despite the fact that I'm a registered Republican, this video depicts what should be everyone's takeaway from the primaries and the upcoming presidential election - yes we can. We can make a change. We can make a difference.

Did you vote this Tuesday? I know I did.

I'm a New Soul.

2008-02-04T21:35:00.000-08:00

I got a ham in a box! :)

2008-01-31T17:18:00.000-08:00

So, Daniel's birthday was a hit! It was so much fun to watch him open all of his presents and play a bunch of puppy themed games with him. Eli and his cousin Vin even stopped in for the festivities! Is sure is funny what you can get a bunch of twenty somethings to do when a baby is involved :) We even celebrated Todd and Eli's birthdays, and everyone left with a gift! I must say that my mom is an excellent party planner! Besides all the baby fun, my favorite part of the night was when I received a gift from Ma (thats my grandma, for those of you who don't know). Back home in New Jersey, we have this amazing breakfast food called taylor ham. It's got to be awful for you, but it's basically a NJ staple and something that you can't get in any other state (as far as I know). Anyway, Ma sent me some because she knows how much I love it. The following is the sequence of me getting my gift. (this one's for you Ma).

He's 2!

2008-01-30T17:05:00.000-08:00

Today is my little brother Daniel's birthday! He's two!! That's right, two. For all of you who have forgotten, I'm 22! When I really think about it, our age difference is CRAZY. But, despite the some 20 year difference, I feel like Daniel (better known as Baby) and I are very close. He's just about the cutest thing ever, and I feel like I'm always amazied at the new things he can do when I see him. So, since he's two today, my mom is throwing a birthday party that has Daniel written all over it - a puppy party! For some reason, Daniel is obesessed with puppies. I think my mom was thinking of getting him one for a present, but I'm pretty sure she doesn't need one more "kid" to take care of. Anyway, since we couldn't get him a real puppy, Todd and I decided to purchase a musical, singing stuffed animal. It's so cute, and even teaches things like the A,B,C's and colors. The funniest thing about the party though, is the guest list. I'm pretty sure almost everyone is over the age of 21! Guess that's what happens when you have a 22-year-old sister :) So, happy birthday, Baby (for when you're old enough to read this).

Blah

2008-01-24T16:33:00.000-08:00

Ugh, I wanna update with something interesting so bad, but I've got nothing :( Nothing new or exciting since yesterday, except for the fact that my weird dizziness is still going strong and I had a random fever last night. I'm going to the doctor tomorrow to hopefully figure it out. Other than that, it's pretty gloomy in SD. There are all these huge rain clouds rolling in, and it's really windy. My mom has to take Kaleigh on her Brownies camping trip this weekend in Julian, and she's pretty worried that it's going to snow and she's either going to get stuck there or have a really hard time driving on the windy roads. Everyone say a quick prayer that the trip is cancelled. Oh, and who else out there has been watching American Idol? Yes, it's another guilty pleasure of mine, but I can't help it - the bad people are SO bad. Tuesday night were auditions in SD, and I must say I was pretty disappointed that most of the people weren't even from here! Anyway, I did see one person I went to high school with, and it was cool to know that the auditions were held in my old town. I'm really looking forward to this season. Last season was pretty bad, so I'm hoping this one is like earlier Idol years. Well, now that I really sound like I have nothing going on in my life, I'm going to go stuff my face at my office party!

Surgery Recap.

2008-01-23T16:49:00.000-08:00

More than a week later, I'm back from the sugery table and my mom's recliner, and back to work and emails and articles. I guess I was more scared than I needed to be (what everyone kept telling me), but I'm pretty sure I would be just as freaked out if I had to have surgery again. The morning of the 15th was stressful, to say the least. I think I almost cancelled about a million times, but somehow, I made it through the procedure and back home to rest for a week. My surgery went well, although it did last 4 hours when it was only supposed to be an hour and a half! You can imagine how much my mom was freaking out when the doctors told her "it would be a little longer than expected." All I really remember was talking to a bunch of really nice nurses, being injected with what everyone kept calling a "tequila shot" and waking up some 5 hours later really groggy and confused. The recovery time was rough at points, especially since my doctor ended up working on my septum and didn't prescribe me strong enough meds to cover the pain... but, once that was fixed, I was basically passed out for a week. As annoying as all the nasal rinses were, it was nice to be home and get taken care of. Plus, I had fun spending time with everyone, including Todd, who stayed with us the whole week (after work of course). On Monday, I got the splints that had been living in my nose taken out, which by the way were incredibly large! I couldn't even believe that they could fit in my nose! Once they were out, I felt 10, 000 times better, and I was able to stop taking all the pain meds pretty soon after. Since then, I've been able to breathe out of my nose! It's great slash so strange. I've been feeling better, minus this weird bout of dizziness I've been feeling for the past two days. It's the weirdest feeling - like I'm underwater and off balance. I've been told its "part of the healing process," but I had to leave work early yesterday, and considered staying home today (didn't do that). It's kind of hard to concentrate when my head feels like it's full of who knows what. I'm hoping it goes away soon so I can avoid any more run ins with the dreaded endoscope, ha!

Throughout my week, I felt very blessed and loved - I'm lucky to have so many people around me who are willing to take care of me and who genuinely care about how I'm doing. Thanks to all of you!

And, that's my news for now. Haven't really been doing anything more than that :) Hopefully, things will get exciting soon.

Oh gosh, it's tomorrow.

2008-01-14T16:36:00.000-08:00

Well, tomorrow is my surgery. For all of you who are wondering "what the heck happened to Amanda?!"... I'm actually having sinus surgery to hopefully help fix my many breathing/sinus issues. Anyway, I'm more than just a little nervous - I'm full on freaked out! Everyone keeps telling me I'll be fine, but it doesn't help with the fact that I'm terrified of the process. Plus, I've been doing way too much research. You won't even believe all the scary things you can find online about this stuff! My doctor gave me this whole talk about how positive thinking can really change the way you feel. And, while that seemed all fine and dandy while he was going over everything with me, now that's it's tomorrow morning, I'm actually wondering how the heck I'm going to get myself there without having some sort of anxiety attack. Ah! Anyway, thanks to everyone who has been encouraging me and saying they'll be praying for me. I'll be thinking of you all, along with my happy thoughs as they inject me with whatever the heck they're using to make me fall asleep.

So, yeah. That's my post for the day. I'll let you all know how it goes once it's all over.

My Top 50

2008-01-11T09:35:00.000-08:00

Take a look at what this twentysomething is blogging about the most...

created at TagCrowd.com

2008 - Here I Come!!

2008-01-10T13:30:00.000-08:00

As I've done for the past two years, I'm continuing my tradition of doing a yearly recap. Looking back on 2007, I think it was the fastest year of my life. The time just flew by! And, while I'm sad to see it go, so many amazing things happened that I can't help but wonder what the heck 2008 has in store for me. Starting from the beginning, here's what happened:

1. I rang in the New Year at a club in New York City with my old roommates. While being in New York was exciting, the night wasn't. I didn't even get to see the ball drop! I was convinced (once again) that NYE was the worst holiday in existance.
2. After recovering from the fateful first night of 2007, Michelle, Brooke and I headed up to Boston to learn some lessons in colonial history (okay, that may have been just me). We walked the Freedom Trail, ice skated in Boston Common, learned how to crack open a lobster, found out that Boston ROCKS and got to love our home away from home in Revere.
3. Once back in California, I began the post-college graduate job search. After plently of career fairs, interviews and a month of pure stress and confusion, I landed my first "real" job.
4. After about a week at the aforementioned job, I realized that maybe it wasn't as great as I had imagined. I spent my days missing college and wondering if PR wasn't really what I wanted to do. In between the endless pitching I made sure to constantly look for new opportunities. And take some vacations.
5. Thanks to Todd's amazing job, I found myself being whisked away to Miami to spend one glorious week relaxing on the beach and dancing the night away on South Beach. The weather, food and trip in general was a great way to escape for a while. I never did get a coconut though.
6. Todd and I brought a little bit of the Latin heat home with us and started taking Salsa lessons. We were pros in no time, and found ourselves spending many Thursday and Friday nights dancing among the best of them at places like Cafe Sevilla and Club Miami.
7. On a whim I decided to apply to USC, and much to my surprise, I got in! While Todd partied it up in Vegas with his bosses (haha), I wondered what to do. Grad school meant moving to LA and leaving everything I loved behind. After much avail and many tears, I decided that I couldn't pass up the opportunity to study public relations in the city of angels.
8. April was a month of birthdays and celebrations. Todd spent Easter at my house, where we were plesently surprised by way too much chocolate. I also got to meet Todd's parents for the first time on their trip to sunny San Diego!
9. As always, I took a three-day weekend to go meet my dad and the rest of the fam in Las Vegas. I was once again forced to stay at Circus Circus, but got to see the Tournament of Kings and visit one too many buffets. At least I didn't lose any money!
10. Once May rolled around, I was nervously counting down the days to grad school and getting ready to officially graduate. My dad and grandparents came to town to help celebrate my accomplishements at SDSU. And, on May 19, I finally had my official college diploma in hand. My friends and I celebrated the end of an era at an amazing beach-side party in Mission Beach.
11. In between the boredom at work, the fear of grad school and the excitement of graduation, I stumbled upon an amazing PR job posting online. I decided to take a chance and see what happened.
12. After two interviews and a writing test, I got a phone call that would change everything. I found out that I had landed the job - a once in a lifetime opportunity to work at one of San Diego's top PR firms. More thinking led me to decide that getting some experience here in San Diego was what I needed to do. Thus, I began my career in public relations.
13. June was a month of weekend getaways and new beginnings. I found out that I really did like PR and that you can still have a fun summer when you're working 40+ hours a week.
14. With tons of baseball games under our belts thanks to our Padre's 12-pack (including a Red Sox and Mets game), Todd and I hopped on a plane yet again to go back east. This time, we landed in Boston, rented a car and drove 6 hours to Ithaca. After meeting the college friends, discovering some gorges and dancing the night away in the Commons, I realized that maybe the hippie lifestlye was for me, afterall.
15. Once our time in Ithaca was up, Todd and I drove back to Boston where we met up with Lin and Todd's parents for dinner in Little Italy. Then, it was off to Hampton and the Camp, and my first look at where Todd grew up! I had tons of fun kyaking on the lake, meeting Todd's family and relaxing in the East coast sun. It was hard to leave and get back into the working mode.
16. The end of July marked my birthday and a great day of celebrating with family and friends. Not only did my dream come true of making a real pizza at a pizza palor (thanks, mom), but I also got to hang out with some of my best friends at Dave and Busters - one of the few places you can truly be a kid and an adult at the same time.
17. After moving out of Fermi, my old roommates and I went our seperate ways. It was weird to be moving out, but also oh, so wonderful to be moving into a new place with my own space. I even got a new roommate and friend, Steph!
18. August was full of work, work, work. I tried to make the most of my last couple weeks of summer hours and headed to the beach directly after work on some Fridays. Todd and I also took a quick trip to Texas, where we spent some ridiculously hot days hanging out with the other side of my family.
19. Before I knew it, it was fall. By the time Halloween rolled around, I was wondering how the past year had gone by so fast!
20. Todd and I celebrated Halloween as a bee and a beekeeper with the kiddies. We went trick-or-treating, ate tons of candy and celebrated the day we met. Two days later, we were on our way to San Francisco for a weekend full of sightseeing.
21. San Fran was amazing, and after touring Alcatraz, eating bread bowls at Pier 39 and riding bikes across the Golden Gate Bridge, we were ready to come back to America's Finest City and just do nothing for a bit.
22. The relaxation ended soon as we were thrust into the holiday season. Thanksgiving was here before we could say gobble, gobble, and my mom and I cooked up a storm to celebrate. Lin came out to join the festivites, as did Todd's roommates Eli and Derrick. It was a Thanksgiving to remember - and to be very thankful for.
23. The weeks continued to fly by and the Christmas parties, cookies and gift-giving needs started to stack up. I really got into the holidays and tried to buy everyone the perfect gifts. Then, all of a sudden, it was Dec. 20, and time for my trip home.
24. After flying all night and landing in snowy Boston at 6 am, Todd and I lugged our suitcases through the freezing cold air to Lin's apartment in East Boston. A few hours of sleep later, I had Todd hurrying through the city on a tour of all of the colonial sites we could fit into one day. I finally made it Bunker Hill and ended the night in Cambridge with a bunch of our favorite east coast people.
25. The next few days were amazing, and oh, so Christmasy. We spend an early Christmas Eve at Todd's aunt's house where I tried some Swedish pickled herring, met some more of the family and ate some of Todd's mom's delicious apple pie. When the celebration was over, we headed to Hampton. The next day, I was off to Jersey.
26. As always, being home was great. I saw all of my family and friends and tried to cram as many New Jersey things as possible into 10 days. It made me happy to be able to see everyone, and even happier to have Todd come and experience some more of where I grew up. Plus, we saw Phantom and ate about every type of east coast food possible. I'm surprised I can still fit into any of my clothes!
27. And, this year, for the first of my "adult" years, New Year's Eve was actually FUN! Todd and I met up with a bunch of friends and truly CELEBRATED! We started off at Puglias eating scrumptious Italian food and wondering when the waiters were going to stop bringing more wine. Once Jorge was finished singing "New York, New York," and our bill was paid, we cabbed it over to PRESSURE, for a night of dancing and picture taking. At about 3 am, the party ended, and we headed home, knowing we had ended the year the best way possible.

So, here we are... in 2008. What will the next 12 months bring? I guess we'll just have to wait and see :)

Some time would be nice

2008-01-08T14:59:00.000-08:00

Ahhh!! No time to update again. I hate when my blog dies :( I promise to have a real post soon. I really have been working on my year update... it just takes FOREVER! As for me, I'm off to get a CAT scan in 15 minutes. Yikes! Wish me luck. I have a really hard time lying still for long periods of time - especially when it's inside a big, creepy tube thing.

Back in Action

2008-01-02T15:57:00.000-08:00

That's right, I'm back. After an amazingly, wonderful Christmas vacation, I'm back in SoCal and back in the office. I'm exhausted today - running on about 7 hours of sleep in the past two days thanks to New Years and my flight back (which got me home at about 2:30 a.m.) But, I'm not complaining... no way! I had the time of my life. I'm pretty sure this was one of my best trips back. I got to do so many things and see so many people. It was great to hang out in Boston and FINALLY visit Bunker Hill :) Plus, Todd and I stayed with Lin and had a ton of fun avoiding stabbings (haha) at the resturant across the street from her cool apt. while eating empanadas, partying it up in Cambridge and just BEING in Boston. I also was lucky enough to be able to attend Todd's family's Christmas Eve celebration, which was great! I got to meet some more of Todd's family and to spend some time with his parents both there and at their house in Connecticut. Hampton was great - a true wintery wonderland. I had a lot of fun hanging out with the locals (aka Eli and Chan) and even saw a deer and some wild turkey crossing the street, haha! My train ride home was interesting to say the least. After having the train stopped for Todd who was stuck inside, tripping a random man and sitting next to a computer nerd who wanted to upload all of my music on to his computer, I was happy to arrive in NEW JERSEY! I had a great time with my Dad, Rose, the kids, Ma and Pat, and of course my very best friends who I miss oh, so much when I'm out here. By the time Christmas was over and Todd had arrived, we had so much planned that the days just flew by. Let's just say we had the best time ever hanging out in the City, seeing my family and getting together with old friends. Now that I'm back, I'm wondering how it all went by so fast. I'm already having east coast withdrawls and wondering when I can get back there again. Thanks to everyone who made my trip so memorable. It really was perfect!

PS: Stay tuned for my annual year re-cap. It's sure to be a good one!

My favorite city.

2007-12-21T15:25:00.000-08:00

i think i'll go to boston...
i think i'll start a new life,
i think i'll start it over, where no one knows my name.
i'll get out of california, i'm tired of the weather,
i think i'll get a lover and fly em out to spain...
i think i'll go to boston.
i think that i'm just tired
i think i need a new town, to leave this all behind...
i think i need a sunrise, i'm tired of the sunset,
i hear it's nice in the summer, some snow would be nice...
boston...

Really... REALLY?!

2007-12-17T17:20:00.000-08:00

Ahhhhh!! Where have the days gone?! It is seriously possible that I have 3 more days of work until Xmas break?? Is Christmas really next week? Is New Years actually two weeks from today ? Oh my gosh - I need warm clothes! I need boots! I need to breathe... How did this year fly by? PLEASE, let me know if you figure it out!

A long one.

2007-12-13T16:05:00.000-08:00

Today has been an emotional day for me. I've been thinking about things a lot. It all started with an e-mail I got from my my this morning. Here it is:

Last night Kaleigh's brownie troop met at Mission San Diego in downtown SD to deliver toys to children and mom's who are homeless or who were in abusive relationships and left. Her troop collected 20 toys and wrapped them to give and a local supermarket donated cookies, candy canes and juice to make it a real party. We were supposed to collect 35 toys so each child would get 2 gifts....but, we only collected 20. Sooooo....Kaleigh went around our neighborhood and on her own she collected an additional 50 TOYS, 5 BAGS OF USED CLOTHING AND 3 BOXES OF DIAPERS!!!!! It really made an impact because each child was able to get 5 gifts and each of the moms were able to get some really nice clothing for themselves and their children!! All the donations that Kaleigh collected except one was from a military family!!! Wow! There is another little girl named Kaleigh (same spelling!!) in the troop who, also, emptied her piggy bank ($60) and went and bought toys to help too!! Also, when we first walked into the shelter there were some families sitting in a closed in parking lot. We found out that those people were homeless, living on the streets and were not in the program at the mission. They are allowed to stay in this gated area overnight, but have to leave during the day. UGH....there was one little boy that cried when he saw all the toys and us going into the building...we were all heartbroken....soo...we saved some of the toys, books, clothing and cookies and gave them to the people outside....ugh.... What an experience. Kaleigh and I found the little boy that was crying and made sure he had a candy cane, a cookie and gave him a motorcycle.....and he took a picture with her. His name is Malik. Please pray for all these people. It was an experience our girls will remember for a long time....they just couldn't believe that these little kids had no homes...we all were counting our blessings as we said goodbye and went back to our warm homes filled with all the luxuries of life and our families...really made us appreciate all that we have!

Things like this are not fair, and as I've gotten older, I've continued to have a hard time understanding why people - children even - don't have safe homes to live and grow up in. I feel like I've always been especially affected by stories like these. I can remember being a kid and going to New York City with my family and just not being able to accept that people slept in cardboard boxes and had to beg on the street. One instance sticks out in my mind... in fact, I don't think I'll ever forget it. There was a blind man and his dog in the middle of a crowded New York Street (I think 5th Ave) and people were just passing him by, not even acknowledging him as they window shopped and took pictures with their families. I know we've all fallen victim to that - to just brushing people aside. It gets annoying and tiring to have people begging for money, and many of us wonder why "people like that" just don't get jobs. While there are plenty of people that might be able to actually go out and work, there are probably thousands who can't, or just don't have the help to get off the street. This is not only sad, but it's unacceptable. Take San Diego alone - according to the United Way, 10,000 people in San Diego County are homeless, with about 15 percent recognized as chronically homeless. I never really noticed it until I worked in downtown, but there are a lot of people who are homeless here. Everyday on my lunch break, I probably pass about 10 to 20 people suffering from this epidemic. Across the street from where I work, there is a homeless shelter, where you can find mass amounts of people lined up every day hoping to have a warm place to stay for the night. Plus, every month at work, we head over to a senior center in downtown to help serve lunch to low-income seniors. And, even though they may have places to go home to, no one should have to save a piece of bread from lunch because they have none at home (something that one of the seniors said to me last week). The icing on the cake today happened during my lunch break. I headed over to the supermarket to pick up some stuff for dinner, and there was a man bundled up, (yes, it's actually cold in San Diego these days) sitting in a wheel chair with no legs. He wasn't actually asking for money, but he had a cup in his hand and was kind of staring down at the ground. During my shopping, I picked up a hot sandwich for him. He seemed really surprised and appreciative that I had brought him something, and I couldn't help but think how nice it would be to be able to help not just one person, but every person. As everyone celebrates the holidays, and stresses over spending money on loved ones, try to think of those with nothing. I know that today has made me count my blessings, and to remember how truly lucky I am to have the life that I do.

Back from the Weekend

2007-12-11T15:58:00.000-08:00

Well, another weekend has come and gone, and I'm back at work and continuing my Christmas countdown. Last weekend was pretty rainy, but also still a lot of fun. We somehow squeezed in all of the holiday activities - even though we did end up leaving Poway pretty drenched! Last night, we decorated the tree at my mom's, which was cute because the kids really loved it. Oh, and Todd found this crazy toy that he ended up buying for the kids. It's called Elf on the Shelf, and it's this cute, little elf doll that you hide around your house for the kids to find. The elf is supposed to report whether or not the kids are being good to Santa, and from what my mom tells me, Brendan has been acting especially good today. It's a cute gift for anyone with kids who still believe in Santa, and I'm thinking it's going to become a new family tradition.

In work news, this day has pretty much flown by - which is good. I have a new client, so I've been doing a lot of reading and research today. This account should be interesting, especially since we're focusing all of our efforts in good 'ol New Jersey. Anyway, I've gotta run... I'm off to the dentist, which is always fun (NOT!). Ugh, I really hate going to the dentist, but at least my teeth will be sparkly, white tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed for no cavities!!

The Christmas Countdown Continues...

2007-12-07T15:58:00.000-08:00

It's been a pretty gloomy day today. I woke up to some pretty heavy rain, but things died down after a while. Now, it's just cloudy. As much as I love rain, this is really good news because tonight is December Nights (which should still be called Christmas on the Prado, but I won't get into that). December Nights is a tradition for my family and I. It's basically a huge Christmas celebration, with tons of food and music. Plus, all of the museums are FREE!! I have a lot of great memories at December Nights, and I'm really looking forward to going again. The highlight of my night will definitely be eating some real palacsintas, and maybe even getting some glogg (hopefully I won't spill it all over myself this time, haha)! Alright, I'm off to help decorate our work tree! Have a nice weekend, everyone :)

A post.

2007-12-06T16:41:00.000-08:00

Hmmm, nothing much to say today. It's been a long, slow day - I think because the holidays are right around the corner and things are winding down here. Anyway, Enchanted was great! I give it two, cheesy thumbs up! The kids really enjoyed it, and I thought the whole storyline and idea was great. If you have an excuse to go, or actually just want to see a cute Disney movie, I would highly recommend it! In holiday news, last night I got some Christmas shopping done, which has made me feel less stressed out. I also went to the mall on my lunch break and grabbed a few more things. Despite this, there are still a bunch of people on my list who are yet to have a gift purchased for them. I guess that's pretty good considering I have nine people down, but seriously, I can see why people get so crazed about about all the gift giving. I'm hoping to get everything done this weekend so I can start wrapping things. I have some good gift wrap ideas this year!

So, that's it. I told you I had nothing to say :) Tonight = Grey's and tomorrow = another rainy Friday. Hallelujah.

Movie Night

2007-12-05T15:24:00.000-08:00

Tonight, I'm going to the movies. I've actually been watching a lot of movies lately, mainly because Todd is doing this trial movie program where he gets a bunch of movies for free (kind of like NetFlix, I think). Anyway, last night I was semi-forced to watched Death Proof, which was pretty good, but also kind of boring. Let's just say it wasn't really my kind of movie (sorry, Todd). I also recently watched Y Tu Mamá También, which was well, interesting - to say the least. I asked Todd to put Love Actually and RENT on the list, so I'm patiently awaiting their arrival, as they are currently sitting in the movie queue. But, back to tonight. Tonight, I'm seeing Enchanted! I know, I know, it's a PG movie and I'm a twentysomething... but, I have an excuse! Besides the fact that I want to see the movie, I'm taking Kaleigh and Brendan to check it out. Once again, the added bonuses of having little siblings. I think it's going to be good because 1. it's a Disney movie, 2. it's bound to be a love story, and 3. McDreamy is in it - clearly a huge plus. So, I'll let you all know how it is. I know you're all dying to know!

Trees!

2007-12-04T14:37:00.000-08:00

Okay, two exciting things -
1. My Christmas tree has been officially set up at my apartment. In our theraflued-up states last night, Steph and I managed the difficult task of setting up our tree. Okay, it wasn't hard at all, but it is a pink, glowing masterpiece.
2. My job also has a Christmas tree. It was brought into the office today and it's sitting in the front, just waiting to be decorated. Besides the fact that it's awesome that we have a live tree in the office, we're also supporting one of our clients that just happens to work very closely with x-mas trees :)

Anyway, as I was scanning the news this morning, I came across an interesting article. Don't be surprised if you want to cry at the end... looks like Santa might need to use some magic powers to get around this Christmas.

Oh, and here's a pic from Deck the Palms!

Achoooo

2007-12-03T14:11:00.000-08:00

It's Monday and I have a cold. I've been sitting here sneezing all day and wishing that I was at home in my bed instead of looking at my computer screen with semi-blurred vision. I guess being sick this time of the year is okay since it's "winter." Also, I haven't been sick in a year (last Christmas, I think), so I can't really complain. Anyway, on an exciting Christmas note, being that this past weekend was the first of December, it was the first of the holiday celebrations that my family and I attend. Sunday was the Deck the Palms event at Seaport Village, and boy was it festive. I would like to point out that this event, and most Christmas outtings, are probably amazing if you are under the age of 10. At the seaport, there were tons of areas set up for kids to create all kinds of things - holiday candles, chalk drawings and sand dollar ornaments. There was even a fruitcake toss and a holiday puppet show. And, as expected, Santa made an appearance... on a surf board! It really was a lot of fun! Holidays are always a little strange here in San Diego because it's usually sunny and warm. Deck the Palms was a nice way to begin the Christmas season the SoCal way. Coming up next are the PB Holiday Parade, Christmas in Old Poway Park and a visit to Candy Cane Lane. I can't wait!

Now, back to work and my box of tissues.

Rain, rain - STAY!

2007-11-30T16:02:00.000-08:00

It's raaaaaaining men... okay, it's not. But I love that song. It is raining though. It's raining a lot. When I opened the front door this morning, I was surprised by not just drizzle, but a complete downpour - puddles and all. For most places, this is okay, normal even. For San Diego, it's like all hell breaks loose. I haven't been listening to the traffic reports, but I can almost promise that there have been hundreds of accidents and millions of people stuck in gridlock. Welcome to SoCal. I've been safe inside my office today, but I kind of wish I could have been outside, or at least in my bed. I think the rain is supposed to continue through tomorrow, which is great. If you're wondering, I'll be watching movies and eating soup all weekend. Let the rain fall down! (haha, why not end it with a song, too?)

A recipe

2007-11-29T17:05:00.001-08:00

Todd and I made chili last night, and as I was eating leftovers for lunch, a bunch of my co-workers started asking me about the recipe. It's kind of funny that they were impressed, because it's basically the easiest recipe ever. Here's what we did for everyone who encouraged me to post this:

Ingredients-
1 chili seasoning packet
1 can of corn
1 can of black beans
1 can of kidney beans
A package of ground turkey (or chicken or beef)
1 can of sliced or crushed tomatoes

Hmmm, I think that's it. Then, you basically just cook it all together. Brown the meat and then add everything else in (minus the corn water). And, don't forget the cornbread. I'm sure it would be better to make it from scratch, but the Marie Callendar's brand is scrumptious, too.

Mmm, it's delicious. I want some now.

And you thought I wouldn't be back...

2007-11-28T17:04:00.001-08:00

That's right - I'm back to post some more! It's currently pitch black outside, which makes it very strange to be at work, especially since all of the city lights make me feel like it's much later then 5 p.m. I'm still not sure how I feel about the time change. I think I want it to go away. Anyway, this post should be interesting because I really have nothing to update or say (interesting in the "hmmm, where is this gonna go?" kind of way). I think my most exciting moment of the day has been eating a Lindt truffle. They are delicious and really do melt in your mouth. Plus, I feel like Lindts are part of Christmas, so I'm feeling more and more in the holiday spirit as each day passes.

Actually here are some things that are making me feel more Christmasy:

1. My office is decorated. You should have seen my surprise and delight this morning when I saw the lights and Merry Christmas sign at the front desk.
2. I went X-mas shopping on my lunch break. It was kind of stressful, but mainly because there were so many good deals! I will be returning to Horton tomorrow.
3. I have a pink Christmas tree. Don't laugh, it's cute. And even if Todd, Eli and Rylan say it's ugly, Steph and I will proudly display our tree - silver snowflake ornaments and all.
And, last but not least.
4. It's about 10 below zero in my office, which has forced most of us girls to resort to wearing pea coats all day. I don't care if the sun is shining outside... it might start snowing in here at any moment. Did I mention that people have brought in space heaters?

I think I might need to invest in some gloves or something. The next thing you know, I'll be wearing a full on snow suit to work. Oh well, 26 days 'till Christmas. And only two more days 'till the weekend!!

Post Number Two

2007-11-27T16:17:00.000-08:00

I'm back for post number two of the day! My blog has seen better days, and yet again, somehow weeks have passed. I think I've been feeling uncreative lately, or maybe its just the fact that I'm so darn busy. Anyway, I'm excited to post. I sure hope there's still someone out there reading this thing :)

So, I'm back at work after a fabulously relaxing and fun four-day weekend. Thanksgiving was great this year, especially since we successfully brought so many people together. Not only was it my mom and co (which is a grand total of 6!), but the O'Kanes were there, as were Todd, his sister Lin and roomies Eli and Derrick. The age ranges were rediculous, but it was a lot of fun for everyone to meet and spend some time together eating mass amounts of food and desserts. The boys even played some football, which Brendan loved. We also played Apples to Apples! Can't remember who won, but that game is always a lot of fun. The rest of the weekend was chock full of good times. Since I used to work in SeaWorld's PR department, I have some pretty sweet connections with a bunch of awesome people who just happen to be in charge of giving out tickets! I obviously love SeaWorld, but I knew that Lin really liked marine life and that Eli had never been, so I got 4 tickets for Friday. We didn't tell Lin, which was fun because she looked really confused as we were pulling into the SeaWorld parking lot!

The day was really great - we watched a bunch of shows, fed some dolphins and had a close encounter with some scary looking sharks. Somehow, I avoided the funnel cakes, and I've been regretting it ever since. I love those tasty treats! And, you might have guessed, we ended the night with Beachcombers (it wouldn't be a Friday without it).

(can you tell that we're singing the Umbrella song?)

It's become somewhat of a tradition to get together at Beachies when everyone is home for Turkey Day, so all of us, and my much-missed high school friends, met up for a classic home for the holidays reunion. The rest of the weekend was pretty low key, and although I sang the "I'm bored" song a million times, it was great to catch up on sleep and have no real plans.

And now, the BIG news:
While most of us were sitting around doing nothing last weekend, Brookey (my 4-year college roommate) was off getting engaged! She's the first of my close friends - heck friends at all - to be on the road to marriage, so it's been crazy to think that on June 28 she'll be a wife! Congrats again, Brooke!

I think that's all of the exciting news I have. I'm looking forward to the weekend already (is it too soon for that?) and even more excited for more holidays to come my way. Back to work for me... but only an hour left 'till Taco Tuesday. Ay, ay, ay!

Real fast

2007-11-27T09:40:00.000-08:00

I know I've been MIA again, and believe me, I have tons to update, but I wanted to share this will everyone. I think it's pretty cool! Test your vocabulary and do something good for the world.

More to come soon... I promise.

Networking = Friends

2007-11-14T14:48:00.000-08:00

So, tonight is the PRSA New Pros Social and I'm very excited. Basically, the New Pros are a subset of the Public Relations Society of America formed to help connect new PR professionals with others working in the San Diego PR industry. As nerdy as that sounds, the socials are a ton of fun, especially because they are made up of a bunch of PR people hanging out in awesome venues that just happen to be full of free appetizers! Plus, a bunch of my friends from work go, as does my pr-lovin roommate, Stephanie. (I think even Todd is coming tonight, haha!) Tonights social is being held at the House of Blues, which is a couple of blocks away from where I work. I've never actually been there (I think), so I'm looking forward to checking out a new place and getting to hang out with a lot of really fun people. Besides the fun factor, these socials really are great for networking. In PR, half of the challenge is knowing the right people to get you in the right doors. Events like the one tonight make that process a whole lot easier, especially for those who are new to the industry. And, anyway, who wouldn't want free food and the chance to make new friends? See you there!

Random

2007-11-13T17:18:00.000-08:00

Haha, this is so me every morning! (click to make it bigger)

MIA

2007-11-11T20:04:00.000-08:00

Geeze, it sure had been a while! I'm sure you're all sick of seeing my Happy Halloween post. I know I am! I've been trying to get online for quite a while now so I could update, but something always gets in the way. Tonight's dilemma? My internet has been acting up. But, here I am, and I have a lot to say. First of all, I never wrote about San Fran. I absolutely can't believe that a week ago today I was up North, still with about 2 hours to spend in the city before coming home. Time sure does fly! My trip to San Francisco was amazing though, and Todd and I crammed as much touristy stuff into two days as we could. Quick recap - With our sightseeing book in hand, we started off our tour of the city with a bike ride over the Golden Gate Bridge. The ride was really fun, even though they make it seem way easier than it is. Apparently the many hills are not a selling point at the bike shops! Despite the uphill climb, we made it across and even got to take a lot of really great pictures. It was so exhilarating to be standing in the middle of such a famous bridge, while cars whizzed by and the ocean surrounded us. I was really happy we got to do that! Our first day also encompassed a lot of city discovery. Let's just say we put our bus passes to good use. We went all over the city - North Beach, Haight, Union Square, China Town, Nob Hill, and of course, Fisherman's Wharf. We were also lucky enough to have beautiful weather, which helped since I'm pretty sure we walked for about 8 hours that first day. Day two was just as fun. We started off with a tour of Alcatraz and spent the rest of the day hanging out around the Wharf. Todd's cousin Amy and her fiance Josh even met up with us! It was great to meet some more of Todd's family, and I really enjoyed hanging out with some seasoned Nor Calers. Last week was kind of like a whirlwind. It was stressful and hard, but I got through it somehow. I actually feel like this weekend has been really long. Especially today. I definitely jam packed a lot into it though. Friday started off a true roommate weekend with a free Maroon 5 concert! Steph randomly won tickets off of our new favorite radio station - Sophie - so we headed over to our old stomping ground at SDSU's Cox Arena and had an amazing time singing and dancing for a couple of hours. I had forgotten how much I like Maroon 5's music and I was really excited that they played a bunch of my favorite songs, like Secret. Saturday was a pretty lazy day. My work retreat is this coming weekend, so I had to spend a majority of the day working on my presentation for the two days we're spending at the Loews Coronado :) By the time the night rolled around, Steph and I had some serious cabin fever, but nothing to do. All of our friends were busy or working and couldn't hang out with us. Even Eli and Derrick rejected us! Somehow we invited ourselves to hang out with Rylan, who was going to a black and white themed party. I hadn't been to a party in a while, so this one was a lot of fun. I knew basically no one, but the guests were pretty nice AND I got to dress up. We got home pretty late, but as usual, I woke up way to early this morning. I was really set on going on a bike ride for some reason, but since I don't have a bike, I was presented with a bit of a problem. I found a bike shop online and gave them a call, which resulted in me being able to use a bike for 2 hours with full gear in exchange for a 6-pack of beer (clearly college guys were running the shop). I was really excited, but by the time I got ready and recruited Steph to come along, it had begun to rain. By the way, since when does it rain in San Diego?! After this, we decided our only other option was to go to the movies. So, we saw Gone Baby Gone, which I thought was a great movie. It was a well-developed story that kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. Plus, it was set in Boston, so it got bonus points right away. Since then, I've been at home, wanting the day to both speed up and slow down - tomorrow is Monday, you know! So, that's it, I think. A week and a half in a nutshell!

Trick-Or-Treat

2007-10-31T16:28:00.000-07:00

Well, Halloween is finally here, and I sure am excited! Although this holiday obviously means you can dress up as whatever you want, there are some serious freaks outside today. I even came across a few people who I thought were dressed in costumes, but could have possibly been wearing their normal clothes. One lady was dressed from head to toe in leopard print. Costume? Or just someone who loves cats? Anyway, I am really happy with my costume, and I'm really looking forward to wearing it tonight. Check it out:

Todd and I got some pretty good reactions to our matching costumes this weekend, and I'm hoping that they will help us get some candy tonight. Yep, I'm going Trick-Or-Treating. Being able to do this when you're 22 is just one of the many perks of having young siblings. I usually get kind of awkward because my mom always forces me to go to the door with my empty pumpkin bag asking for treats. This usually doesn't go over well because I'm clearly too old for such things. This year is different though. With costumes like these, I'm pretty sure the moms handing out candy will mistake me for an overly large middle schooler... or just take pity on a grown-up who wants to be a kid for one night.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

I'll have the salad, please.

2007-10-30T17:20:00.000-07:00

Long time, no write - again. Since it's been a while, I guess I should write about the newest addition to my life. No, it's not a puppy (I wish!) It's a healthy diet! You can stop laughing at my how excited I just sounded, cause it's true. I've been thinking about this, and it's not even that I eat that poorly. You'll rarely find me at a fast food joint and I do actually like fruits and vegetables. It's just that I really like to eat. That, coupled with the fact that I: 1. have no real time to cook, 2. love desserts and am addicted to bread and 2. sit on my butt for a total of anywhere between 8 and 10 hours a day has started making me feel blah. If you haven't noticed, eating out all the time costs a lot of money. Plus, half of the food you get from restaurants and the like are loaded with calories (even the things that seem healthy). It's actually quite depressing to me that I just wrote that, but I'm getting older and that must mean that I need to pay more attention to things like health. So, I've decided to change the way I eat, mainly by leaning on things that are better for me. I'm taking the healthy route - at least for a while - and I'm going to see how I feel after it's all said and done. Good thing I like salads. I have a feeling I'll be eating a lot of them.

ps: Just in case you were wondering - Halloween doesn't count. Neither does San Fran. Ha, we'll see how this goes.

Costume Dilemma

2007-10-25T17:05:00.000-07:00

My eyes are officially burning. I think I've been staring at my computer screen for too long - not sure why I'm blogging, since it obviously requires more computer interactions, but whatever, I need to do something else for a bit. This has been the longest week ever. I think a lot of it has to do with the fires and all the stress that it has caused. I'm tired. I need a break...

It's Thursday, so I've decided that I can talk about the weekend. I am really looking forward to this one! It marks the beginning of the Halloween festivites, and I LOVE Halloween (have I mentioned that yet, haha). I still need to get a costume, but here are the options:

1. Storm, from X-Men. This works well with my half-blackness and my ability to create hurricanes by glancing at the sky (okay, this doesn't happen, but it would be cool if it did)
2. A bee. I think this would be fun. Maybe I'll carry around a pot of honey all night. And sting people.
3. A salsa dancer. This was my mom's idea, along with a bunch of grapes, an electrical outlet and a pair of dice (with Todd). She must be thinking of that one time I was the solar system :)

Anyway, I'm sure there are more, but those are the three I am leaning toward. Any ideas? Let me know before this weekend. I have an important pumpkin party to attend!!

Flames and tears

2007-10-23T16:59:00.000-07:00

San Diego is on fire. I'm sure that most of you know this, but considering how crazy things are here, I decided to blog about it anyway. Wildfires are scary, especially when you live in Southern California and the Santa Ana's decide to come your way. Just a couple of days ago Todd was mentioning to me that the hot, gusty winds would be back, but I took it as more of a bit of casual information than a prelude to a catastrophe. But, here we are. My home (not my house) is burning, and I'm at work staring out of my 19th story window overlooking a city covered in smoke. This isn't a new experience for me. In fact, it happened once before during my time here in San Diego. Last time, I was a freshman in college - still new to school and adjusting to being on my own. The morning of the fires, my college roommate Brooke, my best friend Hannah and I all woke up to a red sky and a dorm room full of ash. This time, the clouds rolled in more slowly. This time, we didn't wake up to Hell on Earth... we watched it unfold. My family and I are extremely lucky to be out of harms way. Last time, they were forced to evacuate, with the fire quickly approaching from about a mile away. And, even though I no longer live in Poway and some other family had to flee my old house, the place I grew up is covered in flames. It's sad and scary and surreal all at once. Yesterday, so much was happening and so many people were being evacuated that work was closed. When you work in PR, "closed" means you still need to get your stuff done, so after about 4 hours in the office, I headed home. Todd was also off from work because he works in Rancho Bernardo - a part of North County that was the most intensely affected. After watching the news and hearing a call for volunteers, we headed over to Qualcomm Stadium, which was being used as an evacuation center for some 10,000 "homeless" San Diegans. It was so heartbreaking to see so many people there, waiting to find out if there homes would be okay. But more than that, it was incredibly touching to see all of the people who had given up their time to help. Todd and I found ourselves among these people, first moving food supplies and then setting up tents around the stadium for the long night ahead. The most moving part of the night though, was when we found our way to the medical section of the Q. Todd and I spent most of our night there, helping the elderly folks who had been evacuated from their nursing homes. Nursing homes have always given me such mixed emotions, as visiting the people who live there is overwhelmingly rewarding and depressing at the same time. Despite that, we spent our time there, getting to know the people and their stories and just making them feel a little bit at home. And, while I may have only helped a few, I feel proud to have done my part. The people here are as much fighters as they are givers, and because of this I know San Diego will be okay. It's almost 5:30, and that means I'm off work. My plans for the night? I'm going to go do a rain dance. We sure do need it.

Something to think about

2007-10-17T10:24:00.001-07:00

My mom gave something to think about this morning. It came in the form of lyrics that she took from the new Kenny Chesney song. I'm sharing it with you because it's so true.

Here goes:

don't blink -
just like that you're six years old
and you take a nap
and you wake up
and you're twenty-five...

Check out the rest of the song if you feel like being inspired to live your life, now.

Happy hump day :)

Monday night

2007-10-15T19:10:00.000-07:00

Well, it's seven something and I'm posting from my work computer. No, I'm not still at work, but close enough, I'm doing some work from home. Actually, I'm currently watching the Red Sox game, but I intend to do some work very soon. The fact that I'm even considering working after 7 p.m. is kind of strange. It reminds me of homework in a way. I guess I'm being forced to fully embrace my adulthood, and it sure does show in moments like these. I even passed up going to a comedy show with a bunch of friends in downtown tonight, which, before this so called "adulthood," I would have never said no to. But, it's okay, I guess. I did have a very relaxing weekend. I even got my house BOOed! For those of you who don't know what that is, it's a pretty awesome Halloween thing (by the way, I get extremely excited about Halloween... actually, I get excited about all things holiday). Basically, you get a secret gift on your doorstep, full of Halloween candy and decorations and a sign that says "BOO!" You hang the BOO sign on your front door and then leave the same surprise for two other houses. By the time Halloween rolls around, the whole neighborhood has been BOOed! It's quite fun. Another fun thing I did this weekend was go to the Miramar Air Show. I didn't think it would be as cool as it was, but it was pretty amazing to see airplanes doing 360s through the sky. Oh, and I made my chicken pot pie. Okay, I made three. And two batches of banana bread. And pea soup. I figure if I have to work all of the time, I might as well be well fed! Welp, here's to another week.

The countdown to freedom begins

2007-10-12T16:01:00.000-07:00

Well, here we go again... we're so close to another weekend, and I'm just itching to get mine started. Once again I have had no time to update, but I guess that's okay since my life has mostly consisited of work, work, work this week. It's been crazy for me in my second home (aka my cubicle), and I'm ready to not think about anything for a while. This is why I am excited to have no plans for the next two days. Actually, I do have plans.
Here they are:
1 - I plan on sleeping. A lot. And sleeping in. Until at least 11 or 12 both days.
2- Catching up on Grey's Anatomy. I'm simultaneously on season 2 and season 4. It makes things complicated.
3- Eating. I have plans to make a Chicken Pot Pie this weekend. I've actually been thinking about this all week. I'll let you know how it turns out.
4- Reading. I've been reading The Lovely Bones for at least 5 weeks. It's time I find out what happens.
AND...
5- Nothing. For every other moment of Saturday and Sunday, I plan on doing nothing at all.
This to do list makes me happy. And trust me, it's nothing like to other to do list that I've been I've been staring at all day. So, woohoo, in just over an hour, the fun begins! Happy Friday everyone!!

Pumpkin pie for a year!

2007-10-09T10:01:00.000-07:00

Check out this pumpkin...

It's the winner of an annual pumpkin contest (that I wish I had gone to), and weights in at a mere 1,524 pounds. Think of the carving possibilities! And of all the pumpkin pies :)

Autumn... kind of.

2007-10-08T17:29:00.000-07:00

One of the things I did this weekend is definitely worth blogging about. I took a trip to Julian. Julian is one of those places that is different enough from San Diego that it makes you feel like you're on vacation or something. Even though it's only an hour away, it feels like you're in a different world when you drive on to the shop-lined main street. This is probably because in Julian, it's Fall. It's chilly enough to wear a jacket, there are other trees besides palms that actually drop their leaves, and there is apple pie. Lot's of apple pie. In Julian, people are serious about their pies. Cmags, Todd and I realized this when we decided to get a slice of the famous apple treat, and had to wait in a 45 minute line just to get close to the glorious dessert display. But, boy was it worth it. I pride myself in making an exceptional apple pie. Baking is one of my true loves, but these pies were amazing. I was so happy sitting in the middle of an almost just like home Autumn day, eating my pie and drinking apple cider. I'm pretty sure I drove everyone crazy with my need to take pictures with everything Fall-like - pumpkins, piles of leaves, scarecrows, corn stalks, old men singing Edelweiss while dressed in German clothes (Oktoberfest, of course!), but hey, when you live in San Diego, you have to take what you can get... even if it means an hour-long drive for a little piece of HOME.

A Movie Script Ending.

2007-10-07T18:09:00.000-07:00

I love this.

A brief update.

2007-10-05T19:29:00.000-07:00

This week has been insane. Absolutely, wonderfully, horribly insane. I feel like I haven't had a second to think... make that breathe. So, now it's Friday. And I couldn't be happier. I don't know what it is about certain weeks, but sometimes they're just so, so stressful. Work has been incredibly busy, and by the time I get home, I just want to get as far away from a computer as possible - hence the no after work blogging. As crazy as this week has been though, I have something good to talk about. My friend Amanda (yeah, we have the same name. And the same birthday. And were born in the same hospital, but that's a whole other story) is here. She flew out from New Jersey yesterday and we're jam packing a bunch of fun, San Diego things in before she leaves on Sunday. Last night, we went on a haunted tour of San Diego. I was pretty freaked out and didn't want to see any ghosts, but I was really interested, so we went. The tour was pretty cool. More full of history than scary apparitions, but still very interesting. Today, Amanda had a day full of tourism, while I somehow made it through work (it was one of those days). Now, we're ready to celebrate. I think you know what that means. Beachcomebers, here we come!!

No time!

2007-10-04T18:56:00.000-07:00

I don't have time to update my blog. This makes me very sad.

So much for tonight

2007-10-01T20:47:00.000-07:00

I just wrote a really long message. It started out okay, but after a while, I could feel the words jumbling together and the sentences growing weak. After re-reading it, I decided I was too tired to be writing. So here I am - starting over, but at the same time giving up. Sometimes, no matter how many thoughts are running through your head, when you write them down, they just don't sound right. These are the times you need to just put your pen (or computer down) and catch up on your sleep. More tomorrow - when I can think.

Yes, Friday

2007-09-28T12:49:00.000-07:00

Okay, remember when you were in school and you just loved Fridays? Fridays meant no more learning for a full two days. No more taking notes or stressing over tests, or having to think (I guess minus the homework you enivitably took home). It almost felt like you lived for them, or something. Well, that doesn't change at all once you start working. Even if you love your job - which I do - Friday means freedom, and there's nothing wrong with wanting that. Maybe this will sound silly, but the place I hear the most mentions of "is it Friday yet?" or "thank GOODNESS it's Friday," is on the elevator. Since I work at the tippy, top of my building, I have a good 18 floors to overhear conversations, and sometimes even get sucked into them. I can't tell you how many people have walked into the elevator on a Friday afternoon, nearly collapsed and sighed, "this was the longest day of my life!" It has become quite fun to hear these people and know they're resounding the feelings of basically the whole of the working world. I've even started to look forward to this one woman who I sometimes catch a ride with. She usually gets on at about the 10th floor, and we always have the same conversation that surrounds how happy we are that it's the start of the weekend. Not until I started actually working at a full-time job did I really begin to understand what makes this day of the week - this last day before you can do whatever you want - so exciting, but also oh, so exhausting. What makes Fridays so much more important when your working 40 plus hours a week is that the next two days are absolutely, 100 percent, all yours. Forget having to study for a test or writing an essay on a Saturday or Sunday. Unlike when you're a kid, you really get a full 48 hours to say to the world, don't bother me, I'm off. With 15 minutes left of this work day, I can already feel it taking over. This is it guys. It's the weekend!

Just a City Girl

2007-09-27T16:43:00.000-07:00

I work in a city. Sure, plenty of people work in cities, but I have always felt a deep connection to them... felt at home in them. You know the way someone who loves nature could do nothing more than sit outside - and the heat and bugs and everything else that comes along with the great outdoors wouldn't bother them at all? Well, that's how I feel about cities. I could be in the middle of millions of people, honking horns and more tourists than you'd find on a crowded summer day at Disney World, and feel completely happy - relaxed even. See, cities have always been a part of my life. I spent 13 years staring at the New York City skyline, knowing that only 15 miles away from me and my home was one of the greatest places of all time. Even today, when I make brief visits home for Christmas, I like to look out of my old bedroom window before I go to bed, hoping to catch a glance of the red and green illuminated Empire State Building.
As I was walking through downtown today in my heels and business attire (okay, I changed into flip flops), I was thinking about this strange fascination I have with the glowing lights of skyscrapers, built to tower over the places we call cities. When I first moved to San Diego, I brushed its downtown area aside as nothing more than a wanna-be - an imposter. Where were all the taxis trying to run you over? The crowds of people walking around in a state of wonder, while busy business people dressed in black rushed to get by them? Where were the street vendors selling questionable souvenirs, and hot dog stands on every corner? I was convinced that San Diego wasn't a city. It was something like one, but lacked what I had come to love about New York City - the city, my city. But walking around today, I saw something different. I saw huge buildings, one of which I happen to work on the top floor of. I saw hints of people - busy people - with places to be. I even had to jump back on the curb while crossing the street to avoid a speeding car that was trying to fly through a changing light. This was it! This is what I had been missing! The more I explore my new home - my downtown San Diego - the more I realize how much I can, and do belong here. I may miss the hustle and bustle of New York, but for now, San Diego is the perfect place for me. The perfect city to call home, and embrace as I begin my real, adult life.

A guilty pleasure

2007-09-25T16:27:00.000-07:00

Last night was the premiere of the Bachelor. That's right, the Bachelor - that show I love to hate and hate to love (oh, just let me say that), but still can't seem to stop watching. I somehow fell asleep before the final rose was handed out, but I'm still left wondering what leads seemingly successful, intelligent and obviously (well, mostly) beautiful women to end up on a dating show as utterly degrading as the Bachelor. I know I'm a hyprocrite because I watch, but come on! Who the heck would want to make a fool out of themselves on national tv, let alone fight for the love and affection of some random "hott" guy? Not me. It got me thinking - what makes women get to this point? Is it loneliness? Do they really think they'll find true love on a tv show? Do they just want to be on tv? Maybe they've given up all other hope. Yep, this has got to be it! In all seriousness, it must have something to do with the fact that our society sends such mixed messages (ooo, a deep one). On one hand, women are supposed to be career-oriented and driven. That's right girls, burn those bras and be a CEO! On the other hand, we are supposed to fit in time for children and husbands and keeping up house. I don't know about you but having a family and having a full-time job - at least when your kids are young - doesn't seem like the easiest of tasks. And what about me? I personally want both. So, maybe these Bachelor-loving women are just as confused as the rest of us. Maybe they're trying to figure out how to meet society's standards... how to do it all. I applaud the women who are able to achieve this goal, the ones who somehow balance the craziness. For the rest of us - the ones still figuring it out - at least there are still shows like the Bachelor to let us know we haven't hit rock bottom. Ladies and gentleman, this is the final rose today, um, I mean post.

Pass me a tissue

2007-09-23T21:45:00.000-07:00

Allergies suck. I know this because I haven't been able to breathe because of them for most of my life. Don't bring a cat or cute, fluffy puppy around me. No way. And guess what... it doesn't end there. When I was in high school I had an allergy test done. Not only am I allergic to animals, but throw in oak trees, pollen, cigarette smoke, probably mold and dust, and get this - I'm allergic to cactus. Yep, you heard that right, cactus. I've been dealing with the fact that I can't breathe for as long as I can remember. Because of this, I had somewhat come to terms with never having a pet and living with a constant state of congestion and stuffy nose. But, then it got bad. Really bad. I don't know what is going on in San Diego, but there's something looming in the air - something allertastic, as I like to say. Anyway, I finally visited a doctor a couple weeks ago and she gave me some stuff that she said would help. Turns out that claratin I had been taking "is like water," as the doctor said. She also said I might have to get my adenoids out. Usually, this would scare the heck out of me, but I'm at the point where I'll try just about anything. The whole taking medicine thing hasn't been going so great though. I was finding myself having a hard time keeping my eyes open, especially in the morning. I figured it was just because I'm me, and well, I'm always tired... but, it wasn't. Turns out my allergy medicine causes drowsiness. It was kind of humorous. It seemed my increase in coffee drinking was beginning to make sense. My other medicine - a nose spray (sorry for the "too much info," info) - wasn't all that great either. It actually makes me feel worse sometimes. And, while watching tv tonight, a commercial came on for it. Apparently they have no idea how or why it works. Well, guess it's time for me to go take something. And blow my nose.

A Fortunate Mistake.

2007-09-22T19:30:00.000-07:00

San Diego is amazing because there is always something to do. I don't always feel like this though. There are plenty of days when I get sick of living here and wish I was in New York or especially Boston because I feel like I could never run out of things to do there. I guess it's because of the fact that once you get used to something you seem to forget how truly wonderful it is. Well, this was one of the days when I remembered how much I love America's Finest City. Maybe it had something to do with waking up to the rain. That's right folks, it rained today. I miss rain. A lot. So the few times it happens here my spirits are instantly lifted (strange, I know). Once the rain cleared up, I found myself in Pacific Beach wondering how such a gloomy day had turned into an absolutely perfect day. The kind of day where the sky is that sparkling shade of crystal blue and the clouds look good enough to take a nap on - or take a bite out of (I swear they looked like cotton candy). So, in this perfectly, wonderful day, Todd and I found ourselves following our stomachs (surprise, surprise) to a restaurant near the bay. But when we found out the restaurant we were looking for didn't really exist, I suggested Old Town for lunch. This was a great idea. It didn't seem like a good idea when we got there and saw that all the streets were closed... but it turned into the best decision of the day when we found a spot right next to the main road and saw that there was an art festival going on. We walked the streets looking at all of the interesting artwork - things that I would never buy, and things I wished I had an extra 500 bucks lying around for so I could take it home right away. There's something about roaming around and looking at things - just admiring beautiful things people put so much time into making. It makes me happy, and it made me feel thankful for the mixup that got us there. Sometimes you have to be thankful for the little things in life. Like the unexpected finding of an interesting art fair on a Saturday afternoon.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

2007-09-21T10:45:00.001-07:00

I like baseball, which is weird because I'm not much of a sports fan. I don't like football, basically because I don't get it. My mom has been on me about this forever. Apparently football is really easy to understand and I need to like it because it's something I'll have to watch with my boyfriend, guy friends, etc. Well, thank goodness I'm dating Todd. He doesn't force me to watch football, I think because he gets as bored as I do after a couple of games. I don't know about you, but Sunday football is only fun for me if there is food involved (a theme you will see a lot in these posts). Anyway, I think I don't really care about sports because I never played them. My parents tried to get me to play, but found me quitting after a year, or even a few practices. Maybe it has something to do with a basketball memory that sticks in my mind even now, something like 10 years after it happened - I get the ball, I dribble down the court, my fans (aka mom) are cheering me on, I approach the basket, I shoot... I overshoot. The ball goes over the backboard. Sigh. This is why I don't like sports. So, baseball. I'm writing about baseball because tonight I'm going to a Padres game. Make that my third Padres game of the week. That's right, I've become some sort of baseball pro. Monday was a game with my family, Tuesday was a game with work and tonight is a game, just because. Padres games are fun because they're so easy to do. You park downtown, pay five bucks for a ticket, walk in and watch the game. Or, you can do what Todd and I did. We bought a nine-pack of tickets. We basically got to choose nine games to go to for pretty cheap. We sit in the same seats every game, so it's kind of like we're season ticket holders or something. Very baseball savvy. This is our last game of the pack, and I must admit, I'm a little sad. Going to the games has been fun, even if I'm feeling a bit baseballed out. Buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks. No seriously, I'm really looking forward to that. And the hat shuffle. Go Padres!

TKO

2007-09-20T16:51:00.000-07:00

I have a gym membership. This is a bold statement (no pun intended) that should mean more than what it actually does - a few hour long visits a couple times a week and a 300 dollar bill. Okay, I actually don't have the bill anymore, since I paid everything at once, but still, I should be making the most of my money. But, let's be serious... when it comes to 5:30 and I'm heading home from a long day of work, do I really want to put on my sneakers and my boxing gloves (more of that later) to be forced into near death from asthma attack for an hour? Not really. What I'm getting at is that it's so incredibly hard to get motivated to work out when all I want to do is sit around and do nothing. And the weekend is no different. Believe me, I have a whole bunch of excuses to get me out of picking myself up and going to the gym on a Saturday or Sunday. Most of them go a little something like, "it's my only day to sleep in," but really, it's just me being lazy. Oh, did I mention my so-called gym membership expires in four days? As much as I sound like someone who hates to work out, I don't. Yeah, it takes me a little longer to actually get up and do something, but once I do, I feel great. Especially after a workout at my gym. I go to the Boxing Club, and for those of you who haven't heard of it, it's basically a place to go get you butt kicked and sweat probably somewhere near a gallon of water.

The great thing about it though, is that you really feel like you accomplished something. No walking around the gym for a half hour wondering what the heck you're doing there or taking a walk slash run on the tredmill that turns into mostly walking. There's none of that at there. This place is intense. So intense that I'm pretty sure I have a mean right hook now and could probably knock a few people out. I've also become a pro at jump squats (which you do about 300 of per class) and have even come to love the old "drop and gimme 40" routine. So, with only four days left, I'm going to try hard to go every day... staring today. Maybe I'll even get up early and go to the 6:30 class tomorrow! Hmmm, I take that back. I'm sleeping in.

Spontaneity.

2007-09-17T21:19:00.000-07:00

I just bought airline tickets. To where, you might ask? San Francisco! It's a city I've only been to twice, but still absolutely love. I think it's because I've always been there during the same time, - Octoberish - and it always feels like fall. Living in San Diego, you rarely get that fall feeling. There is something about waking up in the morning to crisp air and having to wear a jacket because, well, it's actually cold outside. So, I'm going. And, boy am I excited. Buying airline tickets is scary though. It's one of those oh my gosh I can't go back and change things kinds of purchase. I'm pretty sure I read over all my info at least ten times, but I'm still worried that I got something wrong. Why the distress? The money, of course. Being a grown-up means you have to handle your own money (in case you hadn't noticed yet), and that can be one very scary thing. I've made my share of mistakes, particularly when it comes to not checking my account to make sure I've transfered enough funds. This usually makes me mad because it's not that I don't have any money in my bank account, it's just that I'm too lazy to sign onto my account and actually make sure I've given myself enough funds to keep swiping away. For the most part, I'm okay though, and this is why... I've come up with a system that works well for me. And, while I by no means want to tell you all how to manage your dollars, maybe this will work for you, too. Per paycheck, I give myself $300. This is my spending limit for two weeks for basically everything food, fuel and fun related. The rest, I save. It's been a nice way for me to have fun and still have extra money, just in case. The best part about it is that I can go places like San Fran on a whim and not have to worry about spending too much. There's a ton or great articles about saving money, many of which I'm sure I should refer to more often. I'm pretty sure it's time for me to start a countdown though. 46 days, woohoo! Bring on the paychecks and bring on the days - I'll be in San Fran before I know it!

Mmm, Sunday

2007-09-16T15:31:00.001-07:00

Sundays are great. Mainly because there's something about Sunday that screams you can and should do nothing. And, that is exactly what I'm doing. After church and my little sister's back to school picnic this morning, I'm back basking in the glory of a beautiful Sunday in one of my favorite places - my bed. Maybe I should be outside doing something active and enjoying yet another cloudless day in sunny San Diego. Maybe I should be cleaning my room (which seems to have exploded again), or finally washing my car. But, you know what? I don't have to, so I guess I won't. I've been thinking a lot lately about being able to do whatever I want, and I'm realizing more and more just how lucky I am. For a lot of people, it's all about growing up. Little girls want to be teenagers so they can finally wear makeup and fit into their mom's clothes and shoes. Little boys want to grow up so they can play football in the park with their friends way past dark. Even I (who would have liked to stay a kid forever) have daydreamed about being older, having kids and what my life will be like when I'm, say, 40. Sometimes I want those things. Other times I want to just lie in my bed for hours doing absloutely nothing. And those are the times that I realize how much I need to enjoy right now. Someday I'll have responsibiliteies more than work and taking care of myself and my little apartment. I'm excited for those days, but today, I just want to be happy knowing I have an entire, glorious 24 hours to just do nothing.

No more pencils, no more books, no more... WHAT?!

2007-09-14T15:30:00.000-07:00

Graduating from college is a huge accomplishment. It means you've somehow survived something along the lines of 17 years of school (give or take a year for you super seniors). It also means you will soon be thrust into the world of adulthood. Even those who can manage putting off entering the big, scary grown-up realm by traveling or simply enjoying one last summer, will someday reach that moment where it's time to figure things out. And, while growing up is fine and dandy, realizing that it's all over - really, really over - is a big step. Since I graduated a semester early, I thought the equally hated and anticipated "back to school" time wouldn't affect me. Well, I was wrong. There is something strange about not having to buy books or pens or a million other things that used to encompass the shopping sprees leading up to school. It really hit me that school and all that goes along with it was over for me when I was shopping a few weeks ago. I didn't really have anything in particular to buy, but as I was browsing the aisles, I ended up face to face with the school supplies. It was like a standoff occured, an inner turmoil between my childhood self and the adult me, suddenly no longer needing these things. Would I ever need to buy crayons again? Probably not for myself, anyway. What about those cool binders that I used to decorate with pictures and stuff needless sheets of papers into until they were bursting at the seams? I guess not. Hmm, this was stranger than I thought. Since my shopping experience, I've realized that it's just plain weird to not be in school, but at the same time oh, so exciting. For those of you still experiencing the post-graduate freak out, check out this site. As for me, I think I'll start visiting the office supply room more often.

Why, hello there!

2007-09-11T17:30:00.000-07:00

Somehow, it seems, you have stumbled onto my blog. Welcome! Since this is my first post, I think it's appropriate to introduce myself and explain why I'm doing this. My name is Amanda (as you may have seen in my introduction) and I'm in my twenty's. Okay, I'm 22, but I tend to avoid saying this as it makes me feel so young. It's much better than saying "hi, I'm 21" though, which I quickly got sick of a couple months post-birthday. Anyway, since I am 22 and have been going through a lot of personal and professional changes, I decided it might be beneficial to myself and others my age to blog about my experiences and tips I've found about surviving this trying time (okay, being 22 isn't that harsh, but I had to say that for the sake of pure drama). I'm hoping I'll be able to share what I've been learning (and believe me, I learn something new everyday) and maybe be able to make sense of it all. So here goes... This begins the thoughts of me, a twentysomething.