Monday, January 26, 2009

fairy godmother

On Saturday night, I went over to Shaun and Felicia's for dinner - Cherie and Mike were visiting and I wanted to see them. When I walked in the door, I was handed a glass of champagne and presented with a cake that read:


I think I had to read the frosting a few times before it sunk in and I started crying (yes, I cry a lot ... you got a problem with that???!!!). I was so overwhelmed, I forgot to answer. It felt like a wedding proposal for a minute there.

Of course I said yes - how could I say no to such a special honor for a baby who I love with all of my heart. I remember when Felicia was preganant, I honestly thought to myself, "There is no way I am going to love this kid as much as I love Jack!" And then out she came, and from the moment I visited her in the hospital, I loved her.

I know that technically a godmother is supposed to provide spiritual guidance to her godchild, but honestly, I am looking forward to being her friend - someone who will love her unconditionally and whom she feels she can come to with anything. It is fun to look at her and know that for the rest of her life, she and I will have this special bond and I absolutely cannot wait to watch her grow and become the amazing woman I know she will be!


Thursday, January 22, 2009

music to my ears

Last night, Jack and I busted out his new bathtub finger paints. He started laughing hysterically when I told him he had to start cleaing it up - his laugh makes me laugh. It's like he can't breathe it's so funny. Enjoy ...

Sunday, January 18, 2009

off to the movies!

Each year at this time, I try to see as many Golden Globe/Academy Award nominated films as possible. This year I am especially excited about my "challenge" because so many of the movies really appeal to me. So far I have seen:
Happy Go Lucky
Milk
The Wrestler
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Slumdog Millionaire
Rachel Getting Married
The Reader
In Bruges

Left on my list are:
Last Chance Harvey (seeing tomorrow)
Doubt
Revolutionary Road
Frost/Nixon
I've Loved You So Long
Gran Torino

Sorry, but I refuse to see The Changeling ... I literally cannot watch Angelina Jolie. Sorry Clint!

southern california bucket list #2 - la kings game

Thanks to the generiousity of Nina's brother and my friend Hope who works at KROQ-FM, Nina, Stephanie, and I sat watched the LA Kings take on the New Jersey Devils, while sitting in a luxury box drinking beer and wine.

The Kings lost 5-1, but since I'm not a die-hard fan, it was still fun to watch and take in the atmosphere.


Saturday, January 17, 2009

southern california bucket list #1 - queen mary

My roommate Stephanie is from Grand Rapids, Michigan and this March, is moving back to the midwest. Sometime before Christmas, we got to talking and realized, there is a lot of southern California she has yet to explore. So being the good roommates that we are, we sat down and created a list of the things she should experience before she leaves. While I have down most of the activities, there are some I haven't, and I think it's always a good idea to explore the area around you so you don't take it for granted.

I've decided to document our activities on my blog, as a way for us to remember everything we've done, and maybe it will give my readers some ideas of what to check out when in LA. I'm calling it the "Southern California Bucket List."


So last Saturday we decided to start the list with a visit to the Queen Mary in Long Beach. The Queen Mary is a retired ocean liner that sailed from 1936 to 1967 before it was permanently docked in the Long Beach Harbor. It's now a hotel and museum. Admission is free to California residents and includes a self-guided tour of the muesum and other areas accessible to hotel guests. The museum was very interesting, and was a bit creepy when you headed down to the engine room and propeller. I don't know why, but I hate old machinery, and old boat houses at Tahoe, but that's another post.



It was a beautiful day and we had a lot of fun exploring the ship's deck and soaking in the sunlight.


The last part of a tour was the Ghosts and Legends Tour, which is billed as a walk through the ships most haunted areas. Nina and I were freaked, Stephanie and Lexi were pretty brave. The entire tour lasted 30 minutes and I was pretty bummed at the conclusion. While it was creppy seeing the first-class pool (drained) and the bowels of the ship, the tour relied primarily on special effects so you didn't feel like you really learned anything.

All in all, it was fun and we learned a little more than we knew the day before, all while working on out tans :)

Friday, January 16, 2009

confessions of a thirty year old

Much to my surprise, turning 30 this past summer wasn't as terrifying as I thought it would be. For the most part, it was just another birthday and life moved on. Over the past 6 months however, I have noticed that actually turning 30 itself wasn't that big of a deal, but it did make me more aware of things - physical, emotional, and mental changes that had been taking place for some time. I go to bed earlier, sleep in less, and have different interests than I did five years ago.

This Christmas, I went home for 9 days, most of which was spent with my sister in Sacramento. The week was a whirlwind ... with three Christmases ... and by the end of it, I was definitely tired of people, alcohol, and rich food. But as I was sitting in the Sacramento airport waiting for my flight, I had this weird feeling in the pit of my stomach ... and then I realized, I didn't want to go back to southern California. I wasn't sure how to feel about that.

Other than one summer at home, I have lived in Los Angeles since I was 18 years old. I grew up in a small town, a town which I love dearly, but I was tired of the small town atmosphere and wanted to escape and create a life for myself and USC provided me with that opportunity. When I graduated, there wasn't ever a question of me returning to northern California, and other than wishing I could afford a house in San Francisco (totally not realistic!), I've never seriously considered it during the nearly nine years I have been out of college. But as I sat in the airport I started thinking about Sacramento and what it has to offer me.

I work very hard at my job and like to think that at my age, I have accomplished a lot. However, in spite of my healthy salary, I live in a rented four-bedroom townhouse, with three other roommates. I am tired of having to find new roommates and having to share my belongings - all of the furniture, dishes, appliances, etc are mine - that aren't always taken care of as nicely as I would like them to be. I also hate wanting to do household improvements, and then having to decide if I want to put the money into it knowing that I will lose that investment when I move out. This fall I sat down and started seriously looking at buying a condo down here, and with only my income, what I could afford would be in bad shape and WAAAAY out from anywhere I would actually want to live. After looking at houses in Sacramento, I realized I could afford a brand-new townhouse in an area of town I like ... without stretching myself. The thought of owning something I can call my own, something that I can invest in ... is SO appealing to me right now.

I don't think it's any secret that I am at the point in my life where marriage and children are often on my mind, and while LA is only a one hour plane ride away, I like the thought of being closer to my mom and sisters so we can all experience each others marriages and children together. This weekend, my sister Molly is moving and everyone is helping her and then going out to dinner. I wish I could be there. I wish I could just call up my sisters and go out to dinner, or just last-minute decide to go visit my mom for a night. I also have other family in Sacramento and I would love to be able to spend more time with them.

I don't regret living in LA, nor am I miserable living here right now ... I mean come on, it is January and it's 80 degrees outside!!! However, I am getting tired of the 45 minute commute (one-way) to work, tired of it taking 30 minutes to drive to a friend's house, tired of the total superficiality of Los Angeles, and tired of everything being so expensive. I think southern California was what I needed in my 20s ... unlimited professional opportunities, new activities everywhere, a fast pace of life, away from my family, etc. But now I look Sacramento and it appeals to me ... smaller, but still big city enough to have restaurants, concerts, etc; slower paced; shorter commutes; and the list goes on. It's also only an hour away from Napa, San Francisco, and Tahoe - three of my favorite places on earth.

A lot of Californians give Sacramento a bad time, and that's okay, but I think if you checked it out, you would like it. And even if you don't, I'm okay with that. I like it and I can honestly say, I have decided to move back ... there, I said it. That doesn't mean I'm moving tomorrow (thanks California budget cuts!), but I have a goal and I'm working toward it. There will be things about LA I will miss like crazy ... good friends since college, my "BFF" Allison, SC football, the beach, my dad, Jack and Kate!, crickets (smile), and many others. But all of these things are a short plane ride away and I'll have a guest room in my new townhouse so come visit anytime!

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

books, books, and more books!

I've been reading a lot the past few months. Let me rephrase that ... I read a lot and in the past few months I've been reading a lot even for me. I still have a stack of books waiting to be read so while I don't have time to review each book, I wanted to share my favorites with you:

Such a Pretty Fat - Jen Lancaster
The Snake Charmer - Jamie James
Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen
Holiday on Ice - David Sedaris

So go check 'em out already!!!

Monday, January 12, 2009

martha-stewart-in-training

I live in a two-story townhouse. The second-floor has a wrap-around hallway that doesn't get much light, especially when none of my roommates open their curtains. We have a few tables and artwork placed throughout the hallway, but after taking down my Christmas decorations, I decided one of the tables needed some pizzazz. Not wanting to shell out a lot of money for something at Pottery Barn (which is hard for me to do!) after going nearly bankrupt buying the world Christmas presents, I decided to head to Michaels, figuring I would attempt to throw something together ... and here it is:



I'm not claiming to be an amazing designer, but for $5, I thought this was pretty awesome. I bought the gold glitter "grass" for $1.50 a bunch (for two bunches) and then cut the individual stems off and placed them in an old glass vase I had laying around. I purchased the brown/gold ribbon for $2.00 and hot-glued it to the base of the vase ... and voila .. a funky table decoration that looks better than the picture shows.