merry, merry to you!

I love Christmas ... growing up, my mom was adament that we couldn't begin "celebrating" Christmas until the day after Thankgiving. Our tradition was to listen to the Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton Christmas album the entire 5 1/2 drive home from Carmel. I think my dad enjoyed it more than any of us!!!

So this year, the day after Thankgving, I decorated the house for Christmas. Something about a decorated home makes everything seem better ...

Even Annie is in a better mood ... she likes to lay under, on, and next to the Christmas tree at all times. So from our house to yours, Happy Holidays!

gobble, gobble

This year marked only the third time in my adult life that I did not have to travel for Thanksgiving. The other two times consisted of my family coming down here, which was nice, but still hectic. This year, I made the decision to stay in LA for a number of reasons, and while I was wary of it at first, it ended up being one of the nicest Thanksgivings yet! After the Turkey Trot, Stephanie and I headed to my dad's in South Pasadena. It was a small group (only four of us), but we had a nice time eating, drinking, and watching football. The highlight of the day was my dad's new infrared turkey fryer. Basically, it's a deep fryer, that uses light instead of oil, and runs on propane. It is similar to a deep fryer in looks and cooking time.

My dad brined the turkey overnight, and then ... in he went!

Only two short hours later, the turkey was done. The fryer was hot to the touch, but other than that, no mess!

After he sat on the counter for awhile, and I picked off some of his skin (NO ... not the big missing piece!), we carved him up and he tasted just like an authentic deep-fried turkey ... crispy skin on the outside and moist meat on the inside.

The only downside ... you can't deep-fry a Snickers with one of these. Hmm, decisions, decisions.

happy thanksgiving!

Stephanie and I began our Thanksgiving with the Torrance Turkey Trot 5k. The rain cleared out just in time, and we had great weather, and a nice start to our day. I am now sitting at home and drinking a peppermint Coffee Bean latte. Aaaaaah ... Thanksgiving!

fire!

On Saturday afternoon, I had to drive out to Fullerton for work. My boss was hosting a hospitality suite for our cross-town rivalry football game and because I planned it, I had to be there to support her. While the game wasn't exciting, we had a birds-eye view of the Brea and Yorba Linda/Anaheim/Corona fire.

california - the bigotry state

I've been neglecting my blog, I admit it, but now that I think I finally have a layout that I like, perhaps I will more likely to post.

I have pictures from Halloween, my trip to NYC, and other musings, however, right now, I am still fixated on the fact that my fellow Californians passed Proposition 8, thereby banning gay marraige. California is supposed to be one of the more liberal states in the Union, yet here we are, a bunch of biggots.

That's honestly how I feel. There isn't any acceptable form of bigotry in today's day, unless you hate homosexuals! People with "Yes on 8" signs in their yard might as well have a sign that reads, "Hi - I'm a bigot! Yes on 8!"

In general my view on life is ... if it doesn't affect you or harm anyone else, then WHY DO YOU CARE??? You may not want to marry a member of the same sex, so don't(!), but why does it matter if your neighbor Jim does? It's not harming you, and the signifigance of your marriage isn't "cheapened" in any way. You took vows - so honor them and then the sanctity of marriage will remain so in your home. People spend so much time worrying about what other people are doing and labeling them "sinners" instead of focusing on themselves.

I believe this is an issue of civil rights because I believe that homosexuals don't have a choice - it's in their genetics. And the last time I checked, we don't leave issues of civil rights up to popular vote. It is my true hope that the legal system will overturn the vote and gay people can get married, have babies, throw parties, celebrate holidays ... and the world will be a better, more tolerant, place because of it.

kiss me kate

Baby Kate hung out with us this afternoon while Felicia went into work and Shaun/Jack flew home from Sacramento. I love her ... even if she didn't sleep a wink during the five hours we had her :)

fight on!

SC v. University of Oregon
44-10

First SC home game of the season, well, that I could go to!

kalyra grape stomp

After I returned home from Sedona, I woke up on Saturday morning and we headed out for yet another girl's wine tasting weekend in Santa Ynez. The trip was focused around the Kalyra Grape Stomp, which is pretty much the entire reason Diana and I became wine thieves in the first place. The day was filled with ...

... grape stomping

... mushy grapes

... un-fermented Wine from the Barrel

... artistic shots

... pictures with Kalyra owner Martin Brown

If you haven't been to a grape stomp before, GO! It's a little un-nerving at first, but then you get into it, and I've been told grapeseed oil is good for the skin :) And really, the Santa Ynez Valley is one of California's gems.

presents ... for me!

As promised, here are pictures of what I bought myself in the Chapel of the Holy Cross gift shop.



This is a hand-crafted Native American angel whose purpose is to protect me from a broken heart. If only it was that easy :)


The second piece I purchased was a hand-painted Mexican nativity. Growing up, my mom had what I considered to be a creepy nativity that she put out underneath the Christmas tree. We weren't supposed to play with it, but we did ... and I believe the black wiseman had to have his goatee glued on more than once. But really mom, I think the dog knocked him over! Anyway, a few years ago, my grandma turned me onto Talavera, a typeof brightly-painted Mexican pottery which I now collect. I also have a weird obsession with Dia de Los Muertos figurines. Anyway, I have been looking for a nativity that would suit my style, and when I saw this, I fell in love with it, but was afraid to ask the price. I stopped by again on my way out of town, only to learn it was $45!!! I was shocked at the low price and bought it then and there. I can't wait to put it out in December.

sedona recap

Last fall, when I found out I was going to Sedona this September, I was indifferent. In my mind, Sedona was where you went if you were into psychics and crystals, or mountain biking. However, as September approached and I heard more about it, I thought, hmmm, this place will be interesting to see.

So on Tuesday morning, I flew into Phoenix and boarded the seemingly endless shuttle bus ride to the rental car center. Seriously, as we continued driving for 15+ minutes, I wondered if the rental cars were in fact located in a different county. After learning the ins and outs of my PT Cruiser, I set off for Sedona.


As I continued driving through the desert (pictured above) I began to wonder where was all of the red rock everyone exclaimed about. Then as I turned off the 17 freeway and onto the small highway leading into Sedona ... there they were!

After checking into the Hilton and taking care of a few items of business, I had the afternoon to enjoy myself. I did a bit of shopping, but to be honest, Southwest art/jewelry isn't particularly my scene. My mom called while I was out and told me about the Chapel of the Holy Cross.

The Chapel of the Holy Cross is an Catholic church built into the red rocks. It was built by a student of Frank Lloyd Wright...and it is beautiful! It was 100 degrees when I hiked up the road leading to the chapel, but I am so glad I did. The views were extraordinary and I am so glad I went. While visiting the giftshop I bought a few items - I'll post pictures later. When I returned to my suite later that evening, there were complimentary chocolate-dipped strawberries waiting for me, a perfect end to a perfect day ... so I ordered room service, watched Without a Trace and went to bed!

The next morning I woke up early and went on a brief hike. Again, everytime I looked out at the surrounding mountains, I was amazed. Not only are they beautiful, but they make you feel peaceful. While not my cup of tea, I can definitely see why people come here for "new age" healing and sprituality.

That afternoon and the majority of Wednesday was occupied with work. I am the District 6 Director for the National Council on Marketing and Public Relations, which is a national communications group. This means I had to attend all events and schmooze. While the past few months have been stressful, I have met some great people I would not normally have met ... including the ladies below.


We had a free afternoon on Thursday so one of Yavapai College's staff members took a small group of us (picture below) on a 2 1/2 hour hike. The weather had cooled off a bit and we hiked down into Oak Creek Canyon and had an up-close-and-person view of the red rocks. Even though I hiked twice during my stay, I want to return and hike even more!


After the conference was over on Friday, I stopped at Montezuma Castle, which was just off highway 17. According to the National Forest Service, Montezuma Castle is one one of the best preserved cliff dwellings in North America. I was only there for about 30 minutes, but found it fascinating.


Then I continued onto Phoenix, only to arrive at the rental car center to learn my flight home was over 2 hours delayed. I raced to the airport and managed to get on an earlier flight, but my luggage did not. Luckily, LAX is only 15 minutes from my house so at 11:30pm that night, a VERY tired Andrea returned to baggage claim to pick up her suitcase.

sedona, i love you

I am currently in Sedona, Arizona for work, and well, a little bit of play. I will try and do the place justice when I get home and have more time, energy, and pictures, but let me say that ... oh my god Sedona is absolutely gorgeous. Huge red rock moutains everywhere ... literally everywhere, just rising out of the sky, left and right.

If you haven't visited here before, I strongly urge you to check it out. It's beautiful, peaceful, and spiritual. I feel better already.

gratuitous cat shot

I have admittedly neglected my blog for some time. Potential changes in my life have made it hard to find time for posting. To tide you over, here is the greatest picture of AnnieCat. When all else fails, post picture of your cat. At least that's what I say.

labor day weekend 2008

I had a very nice Labor Day weekend visit to Chico. Didn't do much of anything exciting, but laughed a lot, ate a lot, drank wine a lot, and sweated a lot :) Here are my two favorite pictures, which I believe sum up the weekend quite nicely ...

flower porn

I do not profess to be a true "green-thumb," but I do enjoy gardening. It's difficult living in an apartment because I don't want to invest a lot of money into my outdoor living space, but I have attempted to create enjoyable places to relax or tan.

I spent part of this afternoon pruning and cleaning up our downstairs patio and roofdeck and decided to take pictures of two of my favorite plants, at the moment.

This is my butterfly garden that I planted a few months ago. Still no blooms, but considering this started from a seed packet, I am excited. I also like addition of my Schrambserg frog :)

This is the "zen corner" upstairs. It's hard to grow a lot upstairs because it gets constant sun and the temperature is akin to the of the sun's surface. These plants have survived though and they bring a bit of color to the space.

So that's it for now ... not an exciting post, but it's not an exciting kind of day! Hope everyone is enjoying their Saturday afternoons!

olympics-induced coma

I have no time to blog because I am literally obsessed with watching the Olympics. As a lifelong swimmer, I love that I can watch swimming seven days a week, although I know it ends this weekend. The races this year have been amazing .... especially the Mens 4x100 meter Free relay and Aaron Peirsol coming back from a slow start to win the 100 meter back.

Watching all of this swimming has inspired me to get back into the pool. Swimming feels so natural to me. I did have to buy a new suit though as sadly, my high school ones no longer fit :)

nucci's wine tasting extravaganza

This past Saturday, we hosted a wine and food pairing party for my roommate Diana's birthday. Long story short, I ended up being the sommelier, with the assistance of good old Adam. In the end we had nine girls and tasted 10 wines:

2007 Mezzacorona Pinot Grigio – Prosciutto
2006 Hogue Riesling – Spinach Quiche
2007 Kim Crawford Unoaked Chardonnay – Smoked Salmon w/Cream Cheese on Crackers
2006 Louis Jadot Pouilly-Fuissé Burgundy – Goat Cheese & Sun-Dried Tomato Crostini
2005 Cune Vina Real Rioja Crianza – Manchego with Membrillo
2006 Concha y Toro Casillero del Diablo Carmenere – Chorizo
2006 Fairview Pinotage – Gouda
2005 D’Arenberg Shiraz “Footbolt” – Dubliner Cheese
2006 BenMarco Malbec – Cornbread Crust Sausage Pizza
2005 Foxen Fortified Mission, Rancho Tepusquet Vineyard – Flourless Chocolate Cake

The night was a definite success, although by the end of it, I believe we were all chugging the Foxen port ... my mind is a little fuzzy on the details!

The table ... with Rachel Ray centerpieces.

Champagne to start the night off right!

Awesome (because I created it) Tasting Sheet

Whites go first ...

Manchego con Membrillo

"Blind" tasting bottles - my pouring got a bit sloppy as the night went on ...

Our TV the morning after, apparently someone was making out with Mike Rowe.

whole lotta shakin' goin' on ...

yes there was an earthquake. no i wasn't scared. yes everyone is fine. no i do not get to go home from work early.

new addition

Katharine Ann Hunt Simmons

Born July 18, 2008

Proud Big Brother Jack Henry