officiallythirtysomething

moving

2011-09-30T20:45:00.000-07:00

... to a new site: http://planning365.wordpress.com/

diy tutorial: felt rosebuds

2011-04-06T19:52:00.001-07:00

A few posts ago, I promised to detail how to make felt rosebuds. To make them, grab felt, scissors, glue, and a pen.

Cut a 4 inch felt square to start, later, try experimenting with different size of square for a smaller or larger rose. I also suggest cutting the corners off.

Now draw a spiral onto your felt square and then cut it out. I guess if you are really crafty, you could skip the tracing part, however, I can’t cut in a straight (or curvy) line to save my life. Trust me, I have scissors with a laser pointer built in to help me cut correctly!

Now that you’ve got your spiral ... start rolling the felt spiral from the inside out. Once you have rolled all the felt up, glue the end and voila, you’ve got a rose! To jazz it up, add a pearl, stone, or straight-pin.

irish sweet "potatoes"

2011-03-17T06:35:00.000-07:00

Growing up, my mom would buy St. Patty's day "Spuds" from Sees Candy. This year, she saw an article detailing how to make a homemade version and knowing how much I like to bake, sent it to me. They were so fun and easy to make!

Step 1: Beat 4 tablespoons each softened unsalted butter and cream cheese with 1 teaspoon vanilla and ¼ teaspoon salt until pale and fluffy. Please note: I doubled the recipe.

Step 2: Mix in 1 pound powdered sugar and 2 cups chopped walnuts until smooth. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

Step 3: Roll dough (1 tablespoon each) between your hands. Shape into “potatoes.” Roll in cinnamon and brush off excess with a pastry brush.

Step 4: To create “eyes,” stick in walnut pieces (I didn't do this step). Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

city of brotherly love

2011-03-13T16:25:00.000-07:00

My boobs and I went back to Philly this weekend. It was chillier than last summer, but we had a good time. Even had a chance to visit Independence Hall. Amazing the history that rests in that town.

Makes you think.

luck o'the irish - yarn wreath

2011-03-13T11:39:00.000-07:00

If you've hung out with me in the past few months, you know I am now obsessed with yarn wreaths. I first came across them in the fall, and fell in love with one I saw on etsy. While deciding whether or not I should invest $50 in one, I figured I could probably make one myself. I scoured the internet, looking at several tutorials along the way, and then dove-in head first.

My first attempt was a Valentine-themed wreath and I'm not going to lie, I think it turned out great!

I decided to make another wreath for St. Patrick's Day - inspired by this guy ...

Finnegan is a small leprechaun I bought in Savannah a few years ago. I don't know why, but I absolutely love him. I also have a witch that I bring out at Halloween. I never know quite what to do with Finnegan, until I joined the yarn wreath world! His felt jacket and hat just screamed out to me - "Make me into a wreath - plllllease!"

To start, you will need to buy either a straw or styrofoam wreath from your local craft supply store. For my Valentine wreath, I used straw and this time I chose green styrofoam. Contrary to popular internet opinoin, I prefer the styrofoam. The straw wreath didn't hold it's shape and was lumpy. If you chose to go the straw route, keep the plastic wrapping on the wreath.

Next, wrap your wreath with yarn. You will want to keep it tight and remember, it won't be perfect and that's okay. Imperfections are what make them who they are. I like to wrap mine twice - the second time evens everything else and adds a layer of texture. This part is time-consuming, but mindless so you can watch tv while you wrap.

Tie a knot to begin and tie one at the end. I used just less than one full ball of yarn to complete mine.

Now that you've got your wreath wrapped, it's time to decorate! This time around, I decided to decorate mine with pom-pom flowers!

To make the flowers, cut a strip of felt about 2 inches wide - please note how awesomely straight my felts strips are! The longer your strip is in length, the larger your flower will be. Fold your strip in half and glue the edges together. Make sure ONLY to put your glue right at the edges, not in the center of your fold.

(Sidenote: If you would like to buy a makeshift "Professor Wormbog"desk to assist in your gluing, click here.) Cut little notches along the length of the felt, only going about halfway through to the other end. You’ll be cutting on the fold.

Start at one end of the strip and start rolling it up, like you would if you were rolling a sleeping bag. Dab a few dots of glue along the way to hold things in place. When you are done rolling your flower, make sure you secure the outside edge with a generous amount of glue so it doesn’t unroll on you.

Now it's time to start gluing your decorations to the wreath. Have fun with it - again, it doesn't have to be perfect. Your friends and family will dig it!

When I get home from Philly, I will post a tutorial on the felt roses I used in the Valentine's wreath - they are just as easy to create.

diy garland

2011-03-10T14:26:00.000-08:00

If you look closely at my cookie exchange photos, you will notice some cute garland hanging from my bar. Well, not only is the garland cute, it is handmade and cost next to nothing to make!

Step 1 - Purchase decorative paper from your local craft supply store. I bought mine in the scrapbook aisle at Joann's Etc.

Step 2 - Using a paper punch, punch holes in your paper. I happened to have two different circle punches from another craft project so I used what I have. If you do not have a punch, they are about $10 at Michaels, and you can usually find a 40% off coupon in on the web. I liked using two different shapes, but you could punch them out in the same size/shape.

Step 3 - Take two of the same size/style paper circles, and glue them to a piece of twine. Et voila ... you have a cute, inexpensive garland!

It helps if you have a feline assistant, ensures the project will run smoothly!

cookies, cookies, cookies

2011-03-10T14:15:00.000-08:00

I have always wanted to host a cookie exchange, however, during the holiday season I am often too busy and it is difficult to find a weekend that works for everyone. This year, I had the bright idea that I should host a Valentine's Cookie Exchange, and my hostess-in-crime Amanda agreed.

Our party was the Saturday before Valentine's and it was the one Saturday in February that was 85 plus degrees. I was having too much fun to snap a ton of photos, but here are some of the decor and food ...

I decided to challenge myself in honor of the party and attempted my first batch of macarons! While Bottega Louie won't be calling me anytime soon, I was proud of my Chocolate Macarons with Espresso Buttercream!

even dogs like christmas!

2011-01-22T16:24:00.000-08:00

I am a sucker for Christmas. I love to decorate, listen to Christmas music, discover new crafts ... and buy presents for pretty much every one I know, including dogs.

My mom has two dogs, Riley and Mae, who really believe I am their sister. My mom's boyfriend Lester, henceforth referred to as Mo, also has two dogs ... Poppy and Pea, who would like you to believe that she was abused in her former life. And I would be remiss if I did not mention my niece Abby, see gratuitous cute picture below.

This year, instead of getting them all toys which they would destroy, ignore, or lose in their already huge pile of current toys, I decided to bake them dog treats. The idea came to me while browsing through the aisles of Cookin' Stuff, my favorite local cooking supply store. Cookin' Stuff has bins upon bins of cookie cutters and I found a dog bone I thought I could do something cute with.

After googling "homemade dog biscuits," I was surprised to find hundreds of recipes. After doing some research, I settled on the following recipe:

First I mixed together 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour and 1 1/2 cups white flour.

I then added my dry mixture to 1/2 cup peanut butter and 1 cup milk - and then beat it all together in my KitchenAid.

I then took the mixture and rolled it into 1/4 inch thick sheets, and then using my bone cookie cutter, cut out the cookies.

After only 15 minutes in a 350 degree oven, they came out perfect! One back made nearly 60 treats, enough for everyone to have ten cookies each. I forgot to take photos of the dogs enjoying their gifts, but trust me, they did!

butternut squash soup

2011-01-20T11:18:00.001-08:00

In October, I attended a party at Wolfgang Puck Bistro in downtown LA. During the party, we were served Butternut Squash Soup shooters ... and for me, it was love at first bite. Coincidentally, I had volunteered to make a soup course for Thanksgiving ... et voila!

I have never attempted to make butternut squash soup so I was a little nervous about the process, especially when it's a Wolfgang recipe! Turns out, while time-consuming, it's very easy to make and so delicious - I've made it several times since Thanksgiving!

Wolfgang Puck Savory Butternut Squash Soup
3 3/4 pounds pumpkin or butternut squash
1 acorn squash (about 1 3/4 pounds)
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 white onion (about 4 ounces), peeled, trimmed, and finely diced
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom (I used garam masala instead)
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
1 sprig fresh rosemary

For those of you unfamiliar with what butternut and acorn squash look like ... here is a photo. I actually found my squash at Trader Joe's, but I know Whole Foods carries them as well. Acorn seems to be more difficult to find.

Unfortunately, these types of squash are difficult to cut, so my trick is to pop them in the microwave for a few minutes - it will make your life so much simpler!

After cutting the squash in half, and spooning out the seeds, brush with melted butter and season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Arrange the squash cut side down on a rack placed in a baking tray and bake until tender, for about 1 1/2 hours. Cool, scoop out the insides of the squash and reserve.

In a medium stockpot, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter. Over low heat, sweat the onion. Do not allow it to brown. Add the pureed squash and cook over very low heat until heated through, stirring occasionally. Do not allow it to bubble up. Season with the salt, pepper, ginger, and cardamom.

Pour in the stock and bring to a boil, still over low heat, stirring often. Cook about 20 minutes.
In a small saucepan, heat the cream with the rosemary sprig. Remove the rosemary and pour the cream into the soup. Transfer to a food processor and process, in batches, for 2 or 3 minutes.
After reading an article in Food Network Magazine, I decided to serve my soup with a topping bar – croutons, parmesan cheese, pepitas, scallions, and crème fraiche.

This soup is truly delicious and one I will keep eating until all the winter squash is gone!

muscial memories

2010-08-04T20:19:00.000-07:00

I love music.

I love hearing the first few notes of a song, and instantly being trasported back in time, to a memory, clear as day.

The ability of music to make us remember a time, an emotion, a place, a person is remarkable.

Today, while driving home, I put my iPod on shuffle. As I was passing through Long Beach, The Kingston Trio's "Tom Dooley" came on. As soon as I heard the banjo strumming, I knew what it was.

When my sisters and I were young, we used to pile into our dad's Mercury Sable, and later our mom's cherry red Suburban for trips to visit or grandmother in Marin County and our grandparents in Carmel. I always had a window seat (I do get car sick!) and we did our best to entertain ourselves, but this was before cars had personal DVD players and we didn't all have walkmans.

Instead, we were forced to listen to our parents' music, which inevitably consisted of a recorded tape - one side The Kingston Trio and the other, The Limelighters. If you are into folk music, you know who I am talking about. Now, my parents had really good taste in music - I owe my love of Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, Rod Stewart, Cat Stevens, etc to them (Abba too!), but for some reason this was the road trip tape.

My sisters and I grew to appreciate folk music, and to this day, it's not uncommon to hear us recite the words to Tom Dolley verbatim.

Hearing the banjo instantly brought me back to 80, driving to Novato with two sisters, and a mom and dad. A family.

I miss it everyday.

run, run, run!

2010-06-21T21:23:00.000-07:00

For the past three weeks, I have been training for a 5k as part of Cool Running's "Couch to 5k" Plan. And while my weight-loss may not be noticeable and I haven't run three straight miles quite yet ... the difference this plan has made in and on me is amazing.

My stamina is back. I feel better, happy. My blood pressure is down. And my mood-swings are less. I know the weight loss will follow, and I am okay with that for now.

For the first time in a long time, I was frustrated with something at work today (wait, that's not the first time in a long time) and I thought to myself, "Ugh, I can't wait to get home and run!"

So chipped knee, fractured toe, and toxic Helberta House be damned. I am back!

a tale of two girls ...

2010-04-19T21:34:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time, a young couple was blessed with their second child, a little girl named Carrie. About six months later, in another suburb of Sacramento, their best friends were blessed with their first child, also a girl. Naturally, the two babies played together:

And as they grew older, they became best friends. They had the first can of soda together. Ate Nerds together. Played with their Cabbage Patch Kids. Escaped snakes. Survived being babysat by Tyler and Shaun. Put up with younger siblings. Shopped for tye-dye "leggos" with their dads. Roasted marshmellows. Made up cheerleading routines. Drank champagne with their moms when they turned 16. Watched their parents divorce and remarry. Graduated from college. Visited each other when their families moved from Sacramento. Celebrated new apartments. Met new boyfriends. Got attacked by crazies in line for the bathroom. Sang along with Van Morrison.

And then one day ... one of them met an amazing guy. She came over to her friend's house and showed her the guy's picture on the internet. She agreed he was cute. Then she met him, and liked him even more.

Soon after, the girl and the boy decided to get married. Everyone was excited - how could they not be? And the girl asked her friend to stand with her as she embarked on this new chapter of her life.

... and so it began, their next memory in the making.

hurt

2010-04-18T13:39:00.000-07:00

In the past six months, I have received unkind emails from both my grandparents and an uncle - both of which declared they wanted nothing to do with me. I have had a sister stop speaking to me. And a mother who excluded me from a family celebration.

Growing up, I always thought your family loved you unconditionally. I thought they were the people you leaned on when you were done. Were happy with when you were sad. Not mine.

If someone asked me to describe my family today, I would tell them that my family has caused me more pain and saddness than anything else I've ever encountered. Unless I am who they want me to be, they want nothing to do with me.

I'm struggling. I'm struggling a lot. When the tears dry, I turn to the people who do love me. I have people who I call my "family," even though we don't share any of the same blood and while some may say we aren't related, these people love me and support me, in the good times and the bad.

It is these people who make me who I am today. I have bad moments, like I am having right now, but those people are there for me. I hope they know who they are, and I hope they know how much I love them.

My only hope is that someday I will be fortunate to have my own family and that no matter who they are, or what they do, I will love them just the same. I will hug my children and tell them that I love them. I will support my new siblings and be there for them.

I never want anyone I love to ever feel like this.

spring forward

2010-03-20T13:11:00.000-07:00

Spring has arrived in Southern California! As I type, I am wearing a sundress and sweating. Yeah, that didn't come out like I wanted it to. Point is, it is gorgeous here in Redondo Beach - the sun is shining, the birds are chriping (literally), and the Goodyear Blimp is passing by.

In honor of spring, I thought I would feature my patio. Like any good "city" apartment, my patio is small, but it gets great light and it is a perfect place for me to read in the morning. I had held off on doing much of it, but when my mom visisted she brought me a box of things I had taken from my grandma's house when we helped her move into a senior apartment community.

My grandma had a ton of statuaries (sp?) in her garden and while I am not particularly religious, I love religious artifacts. When I went to put them out, I laughed because all of her items are western-based, while my Buddhas are all eastern. I like the ending result ... very balanced, yin and yang :)

Please ignore the dirt, I just watered. And the empty Talavera pot - I just planted a New Mexio cactus garden that should bloom in three weeks. Oh! And I would be remiss if I didn't point out the custom-made trellis my mom decided I HAD to have! Enjoy ...

design on a dime

2010-03-14T12:26:00.000-07:00

When I made the decision to move out on my own, I looked at a lot of aparments, but something about this place stuck with me. It was the perfect amount of space, had the amenities I was looking for, and my manager is pretty much the best manager EVER!

My two reservations were a) the lack of storage space and b) the long length of the living room. After talking with some friends and family, I was able to solve issue "a" with minimal cost and maximum design.

In late February, my mom, her boyfriend Lester, and their truck containing enough equipment to open both a tool shop and design studio arrived! While I know they really wanted to come and hang out with me, I immediately put them to work putting together a storage space in my living room.

If you look closely at the above picture, you will see the awkward alcove stuffed full of boxes. The space was too small to fit any of my furniture, and because it didn't have a window, I wasn't a fan of making into a reading corner like I ended up doing in my bedroom.

So Lester and his saw worked together, and along with some shelving materials from Office Depot, put the alcove to good use as both a storage unit and bathroom for Annie:

Now that we solved the storage issue, we had to make it look good! This is where my mom came in. We stained a long wooden curtain rod, spanning the length of the sliding patio door and storage unit. My mom then sewed curtains for me using some off-white upholstery material she had left over from a project at her house, along with some gorgeous fabric I purchased.

The end result is more than I could have expected. The curtains soften the room and serve a practical purpose. Getting closer and closer to my housewarming cocktail party with all of this work ... oh, and my mom and Lester are available for hire. Lester really likes Sierra Nevada ...

powder room

2010-03-13T16:14:00.000-08:00

I have been slacking in a major way on the blog front. Life ... why must you be so hectic??? I am currently in Albuquerque for work and have a few minutes to spare here and there so I will try to get a couple of posts on the new place up and several people have asked to see the progress!

While not excitng, below are pictures of my bathroom, which has two distinct areas - a vanity and a separate shower/toilet room. Painting the bathroom is not in my plans right now so I needed to find a color scheme that complimented the beige paint and white baseboards.

About a year ago, my mom gave me the most gorgeous shower curtain. I had never put it up at my old place because quite frankly, it was too nice. Now that I have my own place, I was so excited to have it serve as the focal point of my new bathroom!

Armed with a Tiffany blue and chocolate color scheme, I set to work decorating the rest of the bathroom. I found a chocolate and silver bathroom set at a Restoration Hardware outlet and then painted a wood shelf I already had to match the decor. I was able to incorporate a vase and onion grass I already had ... and my beloved Buddha canvas I have had for years.

oh do you know ...

2010-02-22T20:44:00.000-08:00

I just made the most amazing muffins ever. I am not exaggerating. Not in the slightest. Don't worry, I am going to share the recipe with you because I am nice like that. At first glance, you might think they sound, well, different. And not in a good way. But trust me, or Giada ... whatever, the combination of flavor strikes the perfect balance between sweet and savory, with a bit of citrus and crunch from the toasted almonds.

And so I present to you ... Olive Oil Muffins.

when the saints go marching in ...

2010-02-07T10:20:00.000-08:00

I hope the Saints win ... regardless, I'll be eating these cupcakes.

happy 27th!

2010-02-07T09:58:00.000-08:00

My baby sister is no longer a baby ... today is her 27th birthday. It seems surreal to me. She will always be my baby sister. I have friends who are her age, some even younger, but they seem older to me. Not because my sister is immature, but because she's my baby sister.

When she learned how to drive - I couldn't believe it. Graduated high school? No way! The fact that she is now in her late twenties is beyond comprehension.

Throughout our lives, she and I have butted heads. We are both stubborn. Both controlling. Different, and yet very similar. In the past few years, we have worked hard to build a mature relationship ... a friendship, and it makes me happy.

So happy birthday baby sister ... friend.

priceless

2010-01-27T22:02:00.000-08:00

One of my biggest regrets in life is that I never studied abroad. I always so intent on graduating in four years ... okay, my parents were too since USC is not known as a bargain school .. that I never made time for it. My friend Emily on the other hand spent almost two years abroad in both Costa Rica and Spain.

I was lucky enough to visit her in Spain and we had such a great time ... we visited Madrid, Valencia, Tarragona, Barcelona, and Granada. To this day, Spain remains one of my favorite countries.

Apart from the Alhambra, one of the most-visited sites in Granada (located in the south of Spain) is the Sacromonte neighborhood, famous for its flamenco dancers. While visiting there, I came across a street vendor selling personalized paintings of flamenco dancers and matadors. I instantly fell in love with them and bought one to take home with me.

The poster cost me $1.50 - the framing was close to $300, but almost ten years later, it is still one of my favorite pieces of art I own. I don't know why ... the colors, the sound of the Spanish text at the bottom, the memories associated with it? I just know that everytime I look at it, it makes me smile.

Last weekend, I hung it up in my new bedroom and it reminded me that this purchase was the best $1.50 I've ever spent.

my name is andrea and i'm an alcoholic ... not really

2010-01-25T14:56:00.000-08:00

How sad is this? Everytime my 1 1/2 year old goddaughter Kate sees a wine glass, regardless of where she is, she points at it and says, "It's Auntie's!"

I swear I don't drink that much!

big sister

2010-01-14T20:53:00.000-08:00

One of my earliest childhood memories was the afternoon my sister Molly had a seizure. She was a baby, not even six months old (or at least that's how old she was in my memory), and had German Measles. I was home with just she and my mom and I vividly remember seeing paramedics run through our living room and my mom being very upset. It scared me. It still scares me.

In spite of any sibling rivalry, jealously, fights, and crying ... I always though of myself as my sisters' protector. I was the leader and they were my followers who would do and play as I said. And why??? Because I'm the big sister! But it wasn't necessarily the power that I craved. Being the big sister made me feel needed. It make me feel loved. My dependence on my sisters was far greater than their dependence on me.

Age changes things and eventually the boss becomes the bitch. No matter how good my intentions or hard I loved. My sisters began to forge their own path in life, making their own decisions, whether I agreed with them or not.

Recently, one of my sisters stopped talking to me and shut me out of her life. She announced that she no longer liked me and asked members of her soon-to-be new family to shut me out as well. I think at first I was in shock. I tried to make her like me, but it didn't matter, she had made up her mind. She will not talk to me, except for brief emails to tell me I am too controlling.

I wish both of my sisters could understand what it feels like to be the older sister. Everything's your fault even when it isn't. Rules are stricter, curfews earlier. The temper and the frustration and the want for everything to be perfect. Even when it isn't.

When I think back on my childhood, I remember the nice things I did for my sisters. Reading them books. Playing in the pool. Watching Ferris Bueller. But I also remember the unpleasant things I did. The horrible things I said. The meanness. The manipulating and bossing.

I wish I could take back all the times I hurt them. Tried to keep them little so I could tell them what to do, how to behave, who to be.

They are adults now. The lead their own lives. They don't need my guidance. But it still hurts. They will always be my little sisters and literally everything I did, mean or nice, good or bad, was because I loved them more than I loved anything else in this world.

Knowing that one of your sisters doesn't like you hurts more than I can explain. I hope none of you ever know what it feels like. I don't know how to make it not hurt. Don't know how to stop thinking about it.

I don't know how to stop being a big sister.

home SWEET home!

2010-01-04T21:25:00.000-08:00

Okay, so clearly I have been slacking on the blog-front, but honestly, I have a good excuse! I MOVED :)

This move has been a long time coming, but now that is has arrived, it is a welcome change, although I only moved about 5 blocks away. I now live in a gorgeous complex complete with ocean views, pool, spa, game room, etc. Oh, and did I mention I now live ALONE???!!!

I promise to be better about posting, but for now, here is my decorating work so far ... still a ways to go, but making progress every day!

Kitchen Before

Kitchen After

Dining Room Before

Dining Room After

Living Room After (for some reason, no before pictures)

happy birthday maddie!

2009-11-11T10:18:00.000-08:00

I am not sure how to feel today. On the one hand, my heart is sad because today is the second birthday of an amazing little girl who isn't here to celebrate with her family. A little girl who shouldn't have been taken from this earth, but was anyway.

On the other hand, my heart is happy because this little girl touched so many people's lives and because of that, strangers came together to mourn and celebrate. This little girl's short time on earth brough good that will continue for years to come.

Today is Madeline Alice Spohr's second birthday. I say is because I believe she's up there, eating a cream puff and looking down over all of us and smiling. I believe she is with her parents today, keeping watch over them and helping get through this incredibly difficult day.

I walked into my office today and realized that without meaning to, I am wearing a purple dress - purple was Maddie's favorite color. More proof that she is still with us in spirit.

I know we are all tightening our belts, especially with the holidays coming up, but if you can find it in your heart, or your wallet, to donate $25 to sponsor a NICU Support Pack in honor of Maddie, please do:

And if you can't do that, stop by the bakery and grab a cream puff and savor every bite because that's what Maddie would do if she was here.

secrets

2009-10-13T13:42:00.000-07:00

I absolutely adore being Kate's godmother. I know she's only 14 months, and while she does think I am cool, she also thinks the giant red ball-like blocades outside of Target are cool. So I guess for now, it's more me thinking she's cool.

This weekend, I went over to play with Kate and Jack because I hadn't seen them in two weeks, which is a long time in our little world. When I arrived, Kate and Jack were napping so Felicia and I caught up. Then we could hear Kate talking to herself so Felicia got up and I could hear here saying, "Guess who is here??? Auntie Andy!"

Within a few minutes, I could hear two little feet running down the hall and then a little munchkin voice saying "Hiiiiiiii!" before she ran to me and insisted on getting up in my lap. We spent the next four hours playing and giggling and shopping online. Don't worry - Jack got PLENTY of attention too!

At the end of the night, as she was getting ready to go to bed, Kate came around and gave each of us a goodnight kiss. And while I watched her toddle off to bed, I started to miss her. I love when she wants me to hold her ... I love when she puts her hands on my cheeks and stares at me, smiling ... I love when she wants to wear my jewelry ... I love when I am sitting on the ground talking and she walks over and just plops down between my legs and just hangs ... and I love when I give her raspberries on her stomach and she can't breathe she is laughing so hard.

There is something special to me knowing that she is my goddaughter - like it's this secret we share, and will share forever.

you're only as old as you feel

2009-10-09T19:52:00.000-07:00

When I turned 30 last year, I cannot tell you how many people told me, "Oh come on ... 30 is YOUNG!" I am here to tell you - it's not. I swear to god, in the last year, my body got old. Case in point:

One day I looked in the mirror and despite a decent-night's sleep, I had dark circles under my eye. Until that day, I had never visited the eye cream section of my local drugstore. After looking through the seemingly endless choices, I settled on one and now faithfully apply it each night before bed.

I live in a two-story townhouse. In the mornings, when walking downstairs, I look like someone's grandma. My joints take a good 20 minutes to losen up and until then, me walking is not a good idea.

Two weekends ago my sister Lindsay and I helped move my grandmother from her house into a retirement community apartment. The next day, as the words, "Oh my god, my back hurts!" flew out of my mouth, I cringed. I sound just like my dad, or my elderly friend Adam. Like what the hell??? My back hurts now!

I fall asleep with the tv on, or in the middle of a movie. I am now my mother. Enough said.

On the drive home from work, I often can't handle listening to music. It's almost too much after a day spent listening to people in the office. So I turn on talk radio ... which I hated as a kid! My dad would turn it on during our drives home from Carmel and Marin and my sisters and I would protest by playing with our pocket Simon until my dad yelled at us.

I can't recover from a hangover like I used to. If I am going to drink, I have to make sure the entire next day is free and clear so that I can lay in bed cursing god for making me drink.

I am taking a cake decorating class - and I don't care that I am by far the youngest person there, minus the 15 year old there with her mom. My 20-year old self wouldn't have been caught dead at Joann's Etc on a Wednesday night.

I listen to KIIS-FM and have to ask my younger roommates who is singing the song we're listening to. And then when they reply, I still have no idea who they are talking about.

My girlfriends and I come home for the evening, and as we are driving home yawning, everyone else is just leaving their house, ready to begin the night.

So let's just be honest with each other ... I'm old!

spinning

2009-10-06T21:06:00.001-07:00

The world revolves around me.

There - I said it.

And when I say the world revolves around me, I don't mean to imply that I am the center of the universe. In fact, it's quite the opposite. I am stuck. And I don't know what to do. How to be unstuck. I feel like the world keeps revolving - people around me keeping moving, and I am standing still, unsure of how to move forward.

I know I need a change. I even know what I need to change - I'm just not sure how to go about it. I have moments where I feel myself, and feel like I am making progress ... and then I take the proverbial two steps back. And I'm frustrated.

I guess this is my version of a mid-life crisis, minus the shiny red convertible and hot young girlfriend. I'm unhappy, unsatisfied with where I want to be - I want more. I want change.

I hope you will bear with me as I try to figure this all out. Tonight, while lying in a hot, dark bath tub, I told myself to use this blog to talk about my feelings, even if no one reads it. I have always been a writer, and writing helps me feel better, even if only temporarily.

So I will write ... and hope that one day soon, the world will start revolving ... with me in it.

a moment to remember

2009-08-09T18:41:00.000-07:00

My grandfather on my father's side died when my dad was young. He and my grandmother were already divorced and while he stayed in New York and remarried, my grandmother slowly migrated west with my dad and eventually settled in Marin County. She eventually remarried, but when that didn't work out, she and a female co-worker, Betsy, decided to move into together. And so they did.

For 31 years of my life, which sadly, is my entire life, Betsy and my grandmother lived in their house on Rowland Boulevard in Novato. She was family and we referred to her as Tante B, a nod to her German heritage. When we were little, we loved visiting their house because there were paper dolls and dollhouses to play with, and we could stay in our pajamas all day baking cakes.

Betsy wasn't as into the playing, but she made us laugh. She could be a pain at times - even she would agree with that - but she seemed to enjoy life and its simple pleasures. For example, every Christmas she wanted socks, handkerchiefs, and a cookie sheet. Nothing more, nothing less.

A few years ago, Betsy was diagnosed with emphesyma. While not completely shocking (she was a lifelong smoker), it was disturbing to watch her slowly detriorate. For the past year, she has had numerous setbacks, but would then bounce back. She rarely left her room and this Christmas managed to come out and open one gift (a cookie sheet, go figure) before retiring to her bed. It was interesting, sad, and touching to watch my grandmother take care of her when for so many years, Betsy was the one who ran the house and took care of her.

In early July, I was in Sacramento when I received a call from my dad letting me know that Betsy had died that morning. My grandmother was with her and by all accounts, Betsy left this early peacefully. While sad, after I hung up the phone with my dad, I continued getting ready to see a friend's band play.

Last week, while on a date with my dad to see Spamalot, I started crying when talking about Betsy over dinner. It hit me that not only had I not cried, but no one really had. Like most, we had been expecting this and what concerned us most was what we were going to do with my grandmother and how doing so would affect our lives. Not many of us, including myself, even stopped for a minute and just thought about Betsy.

She didn't want a service, and didn't want a fuss made over her. She never complained, perhaps because she knew the disease that was killing her was brought on by her own choices. When my sisters and I were visiting in April, as we left, Betsy's voice crackled over the intercom telling us to come back in to see her. We did so and were told by her that this would be the last time she would say goodbye - and she was right.

So I guess in some small way, this is me making a fuss and paying tribute to a family member who wasn't perfect, but who loved us all and was loved back. I hope wherever she is, she is happy and knows that I did take the time to remember and she will always be a part of my family.

diy - bathroom remodel

2009-07-05T14:24:00.000-07:00

Over the long 4th of July weekend, Lexi and I decided that we were sick of our upstairs bathroom. It had been neglected for some time and didn't reflect our personalities. With a little help from some Restoration Hardware accessories I purchased awhile ago and IKEA ... we were able to modernize it without too much effort. Mind you, if we owned the home we would have repainted and taken out the 1970s marble countertop, but we rent ... and this is as good as it gets :)

the good ole' us-of-a

2009-07-04T14:20:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July - hopefully you all have yummy cupcakes at your house too!

tahoe + me = love

2009-07-01T20:58:00.000-07:00

I have been visiting Tahoe - Chinquapin on the north shore that is - for my entire life. I think it is the hundreds of memories I have of it coupled with the lake's absolute beauty that makes it one of my favorite places on Earth. I love how it smells ... how the sun feels in the mid-afternoon ... how the pine trees sound when the wind rustles through them ... and how vibrant the sunset is over the lake.

I recently spent nine days there and instead of telling a story for every picture, I am simply going to post some of my favorite photos because it's the memories of this incredible place that I hold in my heart that make them so special!

jesus is the reason!

2009-06-19T07:55:00.000-07:00

I'm spending the next nine days in Tahoe, one of my favorite places on Earth! While I'm gone, check out this photo I took in Santa Fe ... I'm obsessed with it.

no love for barnes & noble here!

2009-06-19T07:50:00.000-07:00

David Sedaris is one of my favorite authors/writers to ever grace this Earth. I have read all of his books and listen to him on NPR. I tried to get tickets to see him at UCLA's Royce Hall, but they sold out so I was estatic when I saw that he was going to be appearing at a local Barnes & Noble this month.

I should have known it wasn't that easy. Nothing is that easy. Behold my complaint letter to the evil corporate monster that is Barnes & Noble @ the Grove:

Barnes & Noble – Farmers Market
189 Grove Drive
Suite K 30Los Angeles, CA 90036

June 18, 2009

To Whom It May Concern:

On Wednesday, June 17 I planned to attend the David Sedaris author event and signing at your store. After hearing about the event a few months prior, I checked your website for more information and the following information was all that was given:

David Sedaris When You Are Engulfed in Flames
Author Event
Wednesday June 17, 2009 7:00 PMThe Grove at Farmers Market189 Grove Drive Suite K 30, Los Angeles, CA 90036, 323-525-0270

Wanting to make sure additional information had not been posted to the event, I checked back repeatedly, but no information was added.

The day of the event I left my office in Fullerton and drove two hours in rush-hour traffic to make the event and arrived at 6:30pm. Upon my entrance into the store, I was handed a flyer and told I had to buy a copy When You are Engulfed in Flames if I wanted to receive an event wristband.

I bought a copy of the book, even though I already had a copy, and was then told Mr. Sedaris would not sign the books I had brought with me unless I had proof of purchase, which I did not. I then proceeded to the second floor where I waited in line for over 1 ½ hours without moving. While waiting line, several patrons took the escalator to the third floor, where the reading was set to take place, without anyone stopping them.

Finally at 8pm, a Barnes & Noble employee came down to inform us that the reading would be over in less than five minutes, which surprised those of us in line as we did not know the reading had already started. We were told the line we were waiting in was the line for the reading. The employee, who stated he is charge of event relations, then told us that we could have gone up to the third floor for the reading and that the line we were standing in was in fact the line for the book signing and had we gone to the third floor, we would have lost our place in line for the signing. You can only imagine our frustration when we learned that we missed out on the reading due to a total and complete lack of communication on the store’s part.

After waiting in line another 30 minutes – after being told it would be five – we were allowed make our way up to the third floor. We expected to be first in line for the signing, which helped ease our frustration a bit – only to be greeted by a long, Disneyland-style queue filled with patrons who had just finished listening to Mr. Sedaris’ reading.

Nearing the end of my patience, I waited in line for 30 minutes, only to move three spots. A nearby employee told me it would most likely take another two hours to reach the front of the line. After a long day at work, a two-hour drive, and nearly three hours at your store, I rode the escalators down to the first floor and returned my book.

As a nearly 10-year event planning and media relations veteran, the planning and communication associated with this event is deplorable. No information was included on your website regarding the early availability of wristbands, the reading start time, specific book purchasing requirements, or prior proof of purchase. I am an extremely loyal David Sedaris reader/listener and a frequent Barnes & Noble customer so to be treated like this without even the slightest of an apology is distressing.

While I will not hold this against Mr. Sedaris, I will most likely frequent other bookstores, who communicate proactively with potential customers and author event participants. I hope you can learn from this situation so that others do not have to experience the frustration I did.

Sincerely,
Andrea M. Hanstein

Cc: Steven Barclay Agency

albuquerque + santa fe

2009-06-18T21:13:00.000-07:00

This year, my NCMPR Summer Board Meeting was held in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I didn't have any expectations, good or bad, and was just curious to visit a part of the country I have never experienced. And okay, I was a little worried about the extreme heat!

The trip started off on a bumpy note as my descent into Albuquerque literally made me nauseous. Apparently, strong canyon winds in the Rio Grande Valley, coupled with the warm air, create a lot of bumps on your landing. I am used to turbulence, but this literally made me nauseous. Unlike anything I have experienced in my prior travels.

Once my feet were on solid ground, I picked up my luggage and headed to my hotel, the Hyatt, which was located in downtown Albuquerque. Downtown Albuquerque isn't much to speak of as it is primarily a business downtown and is deserted on weekends and after 5pm. I witnessed this first-hand my first night there when Melinda and I went to get water at the local 7-11 and saw two people casually smoking crack outside our hotel. A little local flavor!

There was a section of downtown within walking distance on Central Avenue, which is part of Old Route 66. There were some fun bars and shops, but it could still use a bit of work. The history of it was fun to see though.

The main purpose of my visit was meetings, but we did have one free afternoon in Old Town Albuquerque, which reminds me of San Diego's Old Town. It was filled with a lot of gift shops and southwestern jewlery stores. We ate at the Church Street Cafe, where I sampled there Chili Cheese Frito Pie - YUM! Why can't more restaurants in California serve it? If you haven't tried it, you must!

My favorite part of the visit was the chapel located near the center of town. For those of you who do not know me, I am obsessed with visiting churches, which you may find odd because I do not attend church. However, I can't get enough of them and always feel at peace when I enter them.

On Sunday afternoon, the group caravaned up to Santa Fe, via the Turquoise Trail. It was a bit rainy that day, but even the dark, thundering clouds could not take away from how absolutely beautiful Santa Fe is. It was much more "authentic" than Santa Fe, and very green with the mountains towering over it. Like Old Town, the main part of the town was centered around a town square, complete with a gazebo. Toward the end of the afternoon, a group of us had drinks at a second-floor bar overlooking the town square. The rain had just stopped and as we looked out onto the gazebo, we could hear music playing and then saw couples taking ballroom dancing lessons inside the gazebo. It was almost magical.

Before we could shop or sightsee, we had to eat, of course! Debbie, a New Mexico native, took us to the Plaza Diner, where I had the most amazing burrito smothered in red and green chile - which the locals refer to as "Christmas-style." But the best part of the meal??? The HUGE sopapillas which you smother in honey. Literally to die for!

I spent the rest of the afternoon with Heather where we visited not one, but TWO, churches! The first was the Catholic Basilica and it took my breath away. I really liked it because it was named after St. Francis of Assisi, who happens to be my favorite saint.

After our stop at the basilica, we headed to the Loretto Chapel, home of the famous winding staircase (click here for the story). The chapel was much smaller, but still very beautiful.

My only regret was that I did not get to visit the Georgia O'Keefe museum as we arrived five minutes before closing. I hope to spend a weekend in Santa Fe when I return for the NCMPR conference this spring, so hopefully I will have a chance to explore it then!

my goddaughter is cuter than your goddaughter

2009-06-11T11:59:00.000-07:00

Kate - June 2009

me? 31? no!

2009-06-07T15:04:00.000-07:00

As if staring 30 in the face wasn't bad enough, this year I had to accept the fact that I was no longer just "30," but rather "in my 30s." Yuck! However, instead of dealing with this ugly, nonsensical fact, I chose to ignore it by escaping to San Diego with six of my girlfriends where we could dance the night away to 80s music. Soungs logical, no?

After arriving at our hotel, the lovely Embassy Suites San Diego, we walked to the Gaslamp District for lunch and then swam/laid in the sun for the afternoon. As the afternoon wore on, we took turns showering and then in a continued effort to deny our advanced age, we played a mature game of "I've Never," in which the punishment was drinking rum and coke out of a coffee carafe ... classy AND fun!

Finally around 10pm came the moment we, er I, had been waiting for - Tainted Love, aka the greatest 80s cover band EVER, took the stage. Oh wait, let me back up. I happen to have a very mature and understated crush on the band's guitarist, who goes by the stage-name Chi Chi. Since it was my birthday, I decided to live it up and ordered a custom "I *heart* Chi Chi" shirt to wear to the concert. While waiting for the band to take the stage, a security guard came up to me and handed me something ... and that something happened to be an autographed Tainted Love cd that stated "Nice Shirt! Chi Chi." *Swoon*

Once the show started, I recieved not only a happy birthday greeting from the band, but Chi Chi dedicated his (one and only) song "Sunglasses at Night" to me. I swear to god, I felt like I was 13 and at a New Kids on the Block Concert. Chi Chi really is the best!

But you know what, as cheesy as it seems, this birthday was one of my best because it involved some of my most-cherished girlfiends, laughter, good music, and dancing. So what if it was a little immature? Sometimes, I think we could all use a little more immaturity in our lives :)

a rafting we will go ...

2009-05-27T18:50:00.000-07:00

After last year's successful rafting adventure, my sisters and I decided we would tackle the American again this year. We also decided that we should subject their boyfriends (Zach and Jesse) and Zach's sister Sarah to it as well. After a quick "how-to" lesson from Steve, we were off:

This year's trip was faster and more intense than last year at the water-level was higher and thus the speed of the river was faster. These pictures will serve as my witness:

Once we made it through the rapids, we floated (and swam if you were Zach) down the river to the beach, while sampling all flavors of Club Cocktails, available at your local 7-11. Note to self, DO NOT try the martini flavor!

All in all, it was another good day on the river - and Zach, Jesse, and Sarah can now officially call themselves a member of our family.

happy mutha's day!!!

2009-05-10T17:58:00.000-07:00

1978

2009

Happy Mother's Day to my mama ... Christine, Beautiful Lady, Mutha, Kris, Mom! ... and most importantly, friend.

xoxo

here comes peter cottontail ...

2009-04-21T19:19:00.000-07:00

Although I have had other things on my mind, I did want to post an entry about Easter. Typically, Easter is not a big deal to me or my family ... well, for the past few years anyway. When we were little, my mom would dress my sisters and I up in fancy (matching) Easter dresses, complete with gloves, and we would go church and put flowers in a cross. Then, we'd follow up our morning of religion with Kids Incorporated which my dad taped on the good ole' VHS. Awesome.

This year, Molly and Zach decided they wanted to host Easter in their new townhouse. My mom, Lindsay, and I thought that sounded fun so we agreed. However, what was originally a seven person gathering quickly turned into 20+ when they decided to include all of Zach's family as well. I volunteered to fly up on Thursday afternoon to help out.

When I arrived in Sacramento, it was pouring rain, but we soldiered on and went to pick up chairs from Zach's work, and then had dinner at Panera Bread ... yeah, we know how to party. The following day Zach got a hall pass, which included golfing with his buddies, so while Molly worked, I made two dozen edible bird's nests ... which we handed out as favors:

Molly had a long lunch so she and I went to Jack's and then ran some errands. After I dropped her back at VCA, I made two dozen red velvet cupcakes for Easter dessert. Needless to say, I was pretty sick of baking by the end of the day. That night, Molly and I originally planned on going to dinner and a movie, but after running some more errands, we decided to grab a Papa Murphy's pizza and stayed home painting her dining room, living room, and master bedroom. It was actually kind of fun.

The next morning, Zach stumbled home and fell asleep so Molly and I went shopping ... basically, I was her bitch in Old Navy running all over the store while she tried on different dresses in the dressing room. We came home and put second coats of paint on the walls, while Zach went to run errands. After some cleaning and arranging, Zach drove Molly and I, and his sister-in-law Jennifer to Midtown for happy hour at L Wine Lounge. The lounge was awesome, and we sat on the back patio which overlooks a large courtyard which was hosting the Second Saturday Art Walk. I don't know if it was the warm weather or the light-up hula hoops at the art walk, but was what supposed to be happy hour soon became let's drink five glasses of wine and eat dessert. Needless to say, when Zach came to pick us up, we were feeling no pain, as evidenced by the picture below, taken on our walk back to the car:

The following morning, we somehow rallied and were ready to begin hosting the day's festivities at 9:30am. We had TONS of food and lots of good company. In the morning, Zach's two nephews, Diego and Matteo, and niece Jillian decorated Easter eggs which was so funny to watch. They each donned one of Zach's plaid shirt (each with two pockets, not one!) to dye the eggs. Diego, being the oldest, was very patient and worked hard to dye the perfect egg, which Jillian would then pick up from the drying rack and dump back into another color :)

After the eggs dried, the Easter Bunny hid them and the kids had fun trying to find them all. Sadly, they thought there was an unlimited supply and wanted to continue hunting no matter how many times we told them there weren't anymore. After that, the big kids headed to the park for an adult egg hunt. Our eggs were filled with alcohol, condoms, Sierra Nevada ... and if you were lucky enough to win one of three golden eggs (which I was) ... candy and a $50 gift card to REI!!!

We then returned back to the house and eat until we were sick and played Wii. After cleaning up, my mom dropped me off at the airport, but I didn't stay for long. My flight was overbooked and delayed so I took the $290 Southwest offered and hightailed it back to Molly and Zach's where I feel asleep at 9:45pm. A perfect end to a perfect three days with my family!

goodbye maddie ...

2009-04-15T13:47:00.000-07:00

Maddie's funeral was heartbreakingly beautiful. Both of her parents spoke, and I admire them for their courage in doing so. At the end of the service, everyone was handed a purple balloon - in honor of Maddie's favorite color and the official color of the March of Dimes - and on the count of three, we all shouted "Maddie," and released our balloons. Right as we let go, a gush of wind came up and took them all away ... it was a beautiful sight in honor of beautiful little girl who touched so many people's lives.

madeline alice spohr

2009-04-13T15:07:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is Maddie's funeral. I am going with two friends, and while I am excited to see everyone, wish it was under much, much, much happier circumstances. I don't know how I am going to react.

For those of you who would like to know more about Maddie, and her amazing parents, here is a link to a story that appeared on KTLA Channel 5 last night and a story that appeared in the Sunday LA Times.

Please keep the entire Spohr family in your thoughts and prayers.

the world isn't fair

2009-04-08T08:18:00.000-07:00

During my sophomore year of college, my good friend Deanne was an RA in the same dorm, and on the same floor that we lived in during our freshman year. One of her residents was a girl named Heather, and I liked her instantly! We all did a lot together and she almost joined the same sorority as I was in, but instead, the DGs got her. One of the first things I think of when I think of Heather is that over the summer, she and I would use AIM to talk to each other, back when you had to actually log into AOL, and her screen name was "EatChowChow." Don't ask.

We eventually lost touch, but through the magic of MySpace, found each other. A few years ago Heather got married, and soon after that, pregnant. Her daughter Maddie was born three months premature, and struggled to make it out of the NICU. But she did, and was one of the cutest, happiest babies I've ever seen. I got to follow Maddie's journey through Heather's website and it made me smile.

On Monday, Maddie was admitted to the hospital with trouble breathing, which wasn't altogether alarming considering she had struggled with her breathing througout her 1 1/2 year life. When I logged onto Twitter this morning, I had a "tweet" that announced Maddie's passing last night. I immediately felt a wave of sadness pass over me and started crying.

No one in this world deserves to go through what I can only imagine Heather, and her husband Mike, are going through at this very moment. It's just not fair.

Heather was very active with the March of Dimes, and if you are at all affected by this story, perhaps making a donation in Maddie's name might make it hurt a little less.

wine + women = fun!

2009-03-30T20:01:00.000-07:00

Two days after I returned home from Kansas City, I hopped in my Beetle and drove up the coast to San Luis Obispo for a Women & Wine weekend with my mom and our friend Becky and

Kathy.

For those of you who don't know me, from Kindergarten through 4th grade, I lived in Reno, Nevada. While there, my mom and Kathy became friends ... we think when they volunteered to lead our Brownie troop. For awhile, Kathy even babysat my sisters and I when my mom returned to work. Becky and I did a lot together ... even after we moved to Chico she and I would go stay with each other for a week in the summer. We kept in touch through letters ... the handwritten kind as I didn't know what email was until I was in college. I was in Becky's wedding (9 years ago!) however, as we each became busy with day-to-day life, our communication lacked. But thanks to the miracle known as Facebook, we reconnected and decided we needed to all get together ... and wine it was!

Day 1: Pismo Beach
We all arrived at the SLO Embassy Suites around 12 noon and honestly, it felt like no time had passed. We decided to head to the Splash Cafe in Pismo for lunch and yes, I had the clam chowder. The fog had not quite lifted, but we had fun anyway (that's my mom and I).

Day 1: San Luis Obispo

After lunch we decided to head back to SLO because none of us had spent much time there. I have been to Pismo and Paso Robles quite a few times, but had never really walked around SLO. It was a very cute town, which reminded me of Chico (but Chico is better!) and I did some shopping and as an added bonus was able to check another California Mission off my list. Above is a picture of the SLO Mission and a statue of Father Serra outside.

We also stopped by the Madonna Inn, in hopes of surprising a family friend, Brett Noble, who now bartends there. For those of you not familiar with the Madonna Inn, it is located just off the 101 freeway and is a novelty hotel known for it's themed rooms. It's been there since the 1950s. While we didn't find Brett, we did find the hotel dining room which was very gaudy and creepy. We also decided that unless we could book the cave room, it wasn't worth staying there.

Day 1: Tobin James
That night, we were able to attend a James Gang (aka Wine Club) dinner at Tobin James (thank you Adam!). Oh my god ... you haven't lived until you've gone to one of these. Tobin James brands itself as a "Cowboy Winery" ... and they have more wines than you can imagine. For the party, they had four tents set up around the property, in addition to the main tasting room, cellar, and outdoor performance area. Each area had a wine bar where you could taste whatever you wanted and a variety of food stations. Some of the standouts - Ahi tuna with wontons, grilled tri tip, gumbo, chocolate fountain, Firestone Walker beer, and gourmet marshmellows. We all drank and ate to our heart's content ... my mom and I even bought a case of sparking wine. Oh, and there was dancing - four bands to be exact - throughout. I will post pictures of my sweet moves once my mom sends them to me.

The next morning, after enjoying the Suites free breakfast, we headed up to Paso Robles to meet up with our Cloud Climbers Jeep tour guide, Randy. You may remember that I have toured the Santa Barbara/Santa Ynez wine country with this tour group so when I found out they now had service in Paso Robles, I was in. For $100, Cloud Climbers takes you to four wineries, provides you with a picnic lunch, gives you a free wine class, and takes you off-roading! I highly recommend them!

Day 2: Whalebone

Whalebone is a small, family-owned winery with a very interesting story which you can look up on your own. The winery takes its name from the large whale fossil found on its property. The nice thing about Paso Robles is that it is still a "friendly" wine region and we were lucky enough to have the owner of the winery, Janalyn, pour for us and her dog Tiffany (pictured above) entertain us. In addition to their fabulous wine - I was especially taken with the Bob Wine - they also grilled up some delicious tri tip for us.

Day 2: Opolo

Our next stop was Opolo, which I had visited last spring and really enjoyed. This time around their wines were still great, but because it was the Zinfandel Festival the tasting room was overly-crowded and they weren't serving up any free, homemade sausage. Our pourer was a volunteer and while he was very nice, he was so overwhelmed and not knowledgeable about the product. Example - I asked for a Riesling and in return, got a taste of something red. Hmmm ...

Day 2: Calcareous
Our driver recommended that we taste and eat our lunch at Calcareous Vineyard. When we arrived at the tasting room, we understood why. It is perched high atop a hill overlooking all of Paso Robles and the tasting room is almost full encased in glass. Once again the people were amazing and while the owner didn't pour for us, she was right next to us. My favorite was the Twisted Sister Zin (two of the owners are sisters) and I bought a bottle for myself and for one of my sisters. We also ate our lunch here and while it was chilly, the view was gorgeous and the food was delicious.

Day 2: Jan Kris

For our last stop, our driver took us Jan Kris which is a winery that has existed for some time, but recently got new owners. He admitted that their reds were "horrible," but that they had at least sparking wines to taste. The sparking wines were good - one was peach, one raspberry, and one almond. Because I do not like the Wilson Creek almond champagne that is so popular in Temecula, I was fairly certain I wouldn't care for their almond champagne, and I was right. The peach was very good though. The reds were in fact hard to stomach, which is perhaps why they were selling a case of Zin for only $50!

Day 2: Adelaida

After our tour was over we had Randy drop us back off at Adelaida - where the mustard was blooming like crazy! I am a member of Adelaida and there were having a members-only reception which we thought we would join. As always, the people at Adelaida were very friendly (Dominic!) and we tried a wide selection of wine paired with delicious appetizers. My mom befriended the house cat Sylvia and even found her a new petting perch.

After Adelaida we cut through to the coast and walked around Morro Bay and the famous Morro Rock before returning to our hotel - which was hosting a large gala in the atrium, much to our dismay so we headed back into SLO where we had a nice dinner at Creekside Brewing Company. The food was great and the location is pretty, sitting right on the creek - we all had beer as I think we had our fair share of win!. The next morning after breakfast we decided to head our separate ways as a large storm was approaching. Wouldn't you know it that I had a beautiful, sunny drive home the entire way (with no traffic!) and even stopped at the Kate Spade Outlet in Camarillo.

A perfect end to a perfect weekend ...

fame becomes me!

2009-03-26T16:28:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I went on a Women & Wine Weekend to Paso Robles with some friends and my mom. A full post will be up soon, but for now ... check out some media coverage featuring well, me!!!

http://blog.plushpuffs.com/2009/03/25/plush-puffs-at-tobin-james-zinfest/#more-79

going to kansas city, kansas city here i come!

2009-03-24T21:51:00.000-07:00

Last week, I returned to Kansas City for six days to attend the NCMPR National Conference. Regular readers will remember me going there for our summer board meeting in June, and being pleasantly surprised by what the city had to offer. This time around, I wasn't able to get out as much ... they work us hard during the conference ... but did manage to take a few shots. Surprisingly, the weather was in the 70s until the day I left!

Kansas City is home to the national World War I Monument. I visited it last summer, in the daylight, but this time around had a view of it from my room at the Westin Crown Center. The eternal flame was so pretty at night!

My friend Melinda, the President, had a view of the Hallmark Plaza from her penthouse suite. Each night they had ice skating and a fountain show, featuring the Hallmark theme music from their commercials.

One of the traditions we have at NCMPR is taking our districts out for a group dinner one night. FYI - there are 7 geographic districts in NCMPR, mine happens to be District 6. I partnered with District 3 and we hauled 65 of our attendees to Arthur Bryant's considered by many to be the best BBQ in Kansas City. It is located in the historic 18th & Vine District and while the ambiance isn't anything to write home about, the BBQ was SOOO good!!!

I don't have pictures of myself chowing down, but here is my colleague Cris from Fresno chowing down on ribs, pork, brisket, homemade coleslaw, baked beans, and french fries. And as if that wasn't enough, we finished the night off with HUGE pieces of apple pie.

After dinner, we attempted to walk off our meal with a visit to the Power & Light District, which was located near our hotel. It's fairly new, stil not 100% complete, but has quite a few fun shops and restaurants, including the Maker's Mark Bourbon House. It is attached to the Sprint Center, which hosted a portion of the NCAA basketball tournament, and the College Basketball Experience.

All in all, it was a tiring trip (above is a picture of the NCMPR board), but I did attend some fabulous sessions and even led one of my own (go me!). I don't think I will go back to KC anytime soon, but am glad to have experienced yet another part of the country. I was definitely happy to return home to California ... with her many mountains and green trees!

sister sister

2009-02-23T21:27:00.000-08:00

When I was 13, my sisters gave me a coffee table book entitled Sisters for my birthday. The book was popular at the time and included portraits and short stories about various sets of sisters, some famous, some not. The aim of the book was to demonstrate the ties that bind sisters together no matter how different you are. I still have the book - it collects dust on a shelf in my upstairs hallway. I haven't given the book a lot of thought until recently when some setbacks helped prove the bonds between my two sisters and I.

Over the long President's Day weekend, my sisters and I decided to meet up in San Francisco for a night to see Tainted Love, an 80s cover band that has been a northern California staple for nearly a decade. We drove into the city on Saturday afternoon, saw the show that night, and then walked around a rainy San Francisco on Sunday. Around 4pm, my sisters dropped me off at the Powell Street BART station so that I could head to SFO to catch my flight home, while they took off for Sacramento in the pouring rain.

As I waited for my train, I checked my flight and it was on time. I listened to my iPod during the 30 minute ride to SFO and then made my way to the Southwest terminal. As I stood in line, I noticed that everyone at the self-service check-in was being helped by an agent, which didn't strike me as a good thing. I checked my flight status on my phone and instead of an "On-time - 7:05pm" departure, was greeted with "Delayed - n/a." For those of you that travel, you know that while delayed is not good, delayed with no estimated departure is REALLY not good.

I asked the guy next to me if he knew what was going on and he said that because of the wind, storm, and fog, SFO was shut down to all incoming and outgoing flights and wasn't expected to open until after midnight, and at that point, most likely not all flights would take off that night, including ours. At this point, I was pissed. I was starting to come down with a cold as a result of me walking around in the rain all day only 5 days after battling the flu, and the thought of sitting in an airport for 7 + hours was not cool. So what did I do??? I called my sisters and without even having to ask they offered to drive back to SFO and pick me up.

Mind you, my sisters were already in Fairfield, which on a good day is 45 minutes from SFO. But this wasn't a good day. It was literally pouring rain and the wind was so bad, you couldn't see because the rain was blowing every direction. The Bay Bridge had a mandatory 35 mph speed limit and water was everywhere. By the time my sisters made it to me, it was almost 7pm. We then turned around and started our journey back to Sacramento at a snail's-pace. I treated them to McDonalds ... which then set us back even further as apparently the city of Vacaville doesn't believe in signage and it took us a good 20 minutes to get back on 80. We didn't pull in to Sacramento until 9pm, and then Lindsay still had another 1.5 hour drive back to Chico, which ended up being 2 hours in the rain ... and then had to get up and go to work in the morning as her company doesn't believe in celebrating President's Day.

Fast forward to the next weekend when my sister Molly and her boyfriend drove down to LA for 4 nights so we could visit Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm, and just relax. On Saturday, we all drove to my dad's new house in Pasadena and then around 3pm, they headed for home as did I. After sitting in traffic all day I made it back to the South Bay to run some errands. I was looking forward to running my errands, and then spending a relaxing night at home. God had other plans.

As I was waiting in line at Best Buy, my sister texted me telling me that Zach's engine died about 30 minutes past the Grapevine. For those of you who have never had the pleasure of driving up the 5 to northern California, let me paint a picture for you ... a dark, empty, barren canvas ... that's the 5. So here they are, stuck literally in the middle of nowhere waiting for some tow truck guy to come from Kettleman City ... why it is called a city is beyond me. After much discussion, we decided to have them towed back to the Valencia Auto Mall, stay at my dad's for the night, and then buy a new car the next morning. Although I didn't relish the prospect, I dashed home, threw some clothes in a bag, and made my way north to rescue them. Of course, I sat in solid traffic from LAX through the Sepulveda pass. By the time we got back to my dad's and ate dinner, it was past midnight. I got the uncomfortable couch and then we woke up early the next morning to return back to the Nissan dealership so Zach could begin the car buying process, which as you know, isn't quick and easy.

Finally, at 2pm, Zach drove us to lunch in his new Nissan Rogue and by 3pm, we were all back on the road. I didn't get home until late, didn't accomplish any of my errands, and was literally exhausted. They made it home safely ... much to the excitement of their five cats :)

Neither of these experiences were "fun," nor were they something we expected to have to do. They made us cranky, tired, and frustrated, but through it all, we still managed to laugh ... and that's what I think a sister is. Someone who will come rescue you while stranded, no matter what time of the day or night. No matter how tired. No matter what the weather ... and still laugh with you.

So if my sisters and I were ever asked to be included in the next Sisters coffee table book, our picture would be us, eating McDonalds in a 2000 Honda CR-V, with wet, frizzy hair, while singing along with my iPod 80s playlist. It might not seem as pretty as the picture of Christy Turlington and her two sisters, but it is to me.

sick leave

2009-02-11T21:42:00.000-08:00

I haven't been blogging for awhile as I was fairly certain I was going to die from a nasty bout with the flu. I had it, it went away, and then it got mad at me for not taking good care of myself, and came back even stronger the second time. This time, I am taking very good care of myself ... mainly in preparation for my upcoming weekend ... seeing Tainted Love in San Francisco with my sisters ... three of my absolute favorite things in the world all combined into one.

So for now, this Facebook-esque questionnaire will have to suffice ...

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? I am named "after" Andrea Sterjne Goodman, mother of Carrie "The Girl" Stjerne. Andy is a pretty good namesake, she's creative, loyal, loving, pretty ... and silly!

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? This weekend when sick, I was so frustrated!

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?If you like the handwriting of a seventh-grade girl writing a love letter to the JV quarterback, then yes, yes I do.

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Roast beef or prosciutto.

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? No, but I want them SOOOOO bad. For now, I entertain myself with Jack and Kate.

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Yes, but maily because I give good presents to my friends.

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM? What's sarcasm?

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes.

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? I would actually rather skydive ... bungee jumping seems brutal on the body, very jerky.

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Granola.

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? The only tie shoes I wear are my tennies and no, I do not.

12. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Mint chocolate chip :) But it has to be green, not white ice cream.

13. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Sadly, whether or not they have a wedding ring on. And by "they" I mean guys.

14. RED OR PINK? Red all the way!

15. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? I see the world in black and white.

16. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My mom and sisters because they seem so far away ... and Sade-Doggy-Dogg. She was a good dog ;)

17. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO COMPLETE THIS LIST? Haven't really thought about it ...

18. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? I am wearing brown ballet flats with brown Banana Republic pants.

19. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Dwight Yoakam on the iPod!

20. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Pennzoil Yellow.

21. FAVORITE SMELLS? Coconut and vanilla. And babies ... when they are clean and in their jammies.

22. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Felicia.

23. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? No one sent it to me, but my sister Lindsay posted it, so no, no I do not.

24. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? TROJAN FOOTBALL BABY!

25. HAIR COLOR? I just had it highlighted tonight, so it's technically brown, but has a lot of blonde added in.

26. EYE COLOR? Hazel.

27. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? No, reading glasses.

28. FAVORITE FOODS? Thai.

29. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Hmm, neither. I like realistic endings.

30. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Seen it before, but Once.

31. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Brown and beige striped sweater.

32. SUMMER OR WINTER? Summer.

33. HUGS OR KISSES? Kisses all the way!

34. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Not applicable.

35. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND?Again, not applicable.

36. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? The Tsarina's Daughter. Historical book about Russia's Romanov family.

37. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? Niners.

38. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? Without a Trace.

39. FAVORITE SOUND(S)? Summer afternoon wind blowing through pine trees, and being asleep in a tent, and hearing a boat come across the water in the early morning.

40. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Rolling Stones.

41. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Thailand.

42. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? I can talk in a Scottish accent.

43. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Sacramento (Sutter Memorial), California

44. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK? Your mom's.

enough memories to last a lifetime

2009-02-05T20:56:00.000-08:00

Last week, I thought a bit about what I could do for Baby Kate that would be special and something I could continue add to as she gets older. I though of savings bonds, a bead-by-bead pearl necklace, and then it came to me. I shopped around and found this personalized, adorable memory box from Aimee J creations and decided to fill it with cards that I will give her every year on her birthday. The cards will be filled with advice, memories, stories of her parents as people, etc. Neither she nor her parents will be able to read the cards until she is 16 ... they will have to be collected in her box until that time.

I did write her one card already and am allowing Shaun and Felicia to read it as it details what the purpose of the box is, but after that, it will be like a sort-of girly time capsule. I am going to drop it off tonight on the doorstep as a suprise. I hope it goes over well, I hope she loves it, and I hope I remember to write her a card every July :)

fairy godmother

2009-01-26T21:38:00.000-08:00

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!

music to my ears

2009-01-22T11:27:00.000-08:00

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 ...

off to the movies!

2009-01-18T19:36:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-18T11:02:00.000-08:00

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.

southern california bucket list #1 - queen mary

2009-01-17T22:33:00.000-08:00

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 :)

confessions of a thirty year old

2009-01-16T11:01:00.000-08:00

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!

books, books, and more books!

2009-01-13T21:24:00.000-08:00

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!!!

martha-stewart-in-training

2009-01-12T22:17:00.000-08:00

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.

merry, merry to you!

2008-12-04T20:20:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-30T21:29:00.000-08:00

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!

2008-11-27T10:14:00.000-08:00

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!

2008-11-16T09:47:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-12T22:14:00.000-08:00

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

2008-10-05T21:39:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-10-04T23:01:00.000-07:00

SC v. University of Oregon
44-10

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

kalyra grape stomp

2008-10-01T09:21:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-09-29T22:06:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-28T21:43:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-24T22:39:00.001-07:00

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

2008-09-21T20:02:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-01T20:31:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-16T16:41:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-12T07:47:00.001-07:00

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

2008-07-29T22:24:00.000-07:00

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 ...

2008-07-29T13:23:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-22T10:42:00.000-07:00

Katharine Ann Hunt Simmons

Born July 18, 2008

Proud Big Brother Jack Henry

patience is a virtue

2008-07-15T21:38:00.000-07:00

I'm in the process of updating the look of my blog ... you know, to reflect my 30-year old sense of style.

Stay tuned, it's definitely a work in progress and I have never professed to be a graphic designer. Okay, well, once I did, but that was just to get my foot in the door!

you know you're 30 when - vegas edition

2008-07-14T22:40:00.000-07:00

You check out the female, go-go dancers in a club and not the guys.
You exclaim "Wow! It's almost 2am. We made it out later than I thought!"
You sip your shots.
You dispense advice to a 21 year old (and they walk away).
The best part of your night is eavesdropping on your neighbor at the cafe.
You are content people-watching at a club instead of dancing.
The 21-year olds in the elevator, shrieking while wearing matching tiaras, annoy you.

You ask your friend "Is this a mini dress or a shirt?"
You have to buy your own drinks.
You shamelessly walk barefoot throughout the casinos after a long night because your feet hurt.

You don't 'get ready' to go to the pool, you just go.
You reminisce in your hotel room for 4 hours before even going out.
Soup hits the spot at the end of the night.
You can afford a luxurious hotel room with flat screen TVs and a jacuzzi tub.
You're reading "O" magazine at the pool.
You don't care about carrying your pool items in a plastic Walgreens bag.
You have a tripod for your camera.
You pack your breastpump.
You score at the end of the night by soaking your feet in the jacuzzi tub with your girlfriends.
You crave a glass of wine, instead of a sugary cocktail.

You buy 'going-out' clothes at White House/Black Market

girls just wanna drink wine, part two

2008-07-02T13:35:00.000-07:00

Sunday morning, we woke up early and although it was difficult to tear ourselves away from the palatial complimentary breakfast buffet (sarcasm), we headed up the 101 to Santa Maria. Back in February, Diana, Allison, and I visited one of our favorite wineries, Rancho Sisquoc which is located just off Foxen Canyon Road. Although we were ready to get home after, we vowed to come back and take Foxen Canyon into Los Olivos ... so we did.

Once again, the Flood Family were amazing hosts at Rancho and we were able to dry quite a few new wines. They also recommended we pay a visit to Kenneth Volk, which wasn't on our way, but sounded intriguing.

Kenneth Volk is a small winery, just up the road from Rancho, specializing in Pinot Noir. Volk previously founded Wild Horse Winery, which is fairly well-known. The tasting room is not much bigger than my bedroom, but the grounds are beautiful, and the wines start at about $22. While there, one of the employees volunteered to take on a short tour, which was fun. I bought a bottle of the Negrette.

Our next stop was Foxen, which received a "must-visit" recommendation from Adam. If you are driving on Foxen Canyon, keep your eyes peeled because it is very easy to drive by, but their wines were great! The winery was founded in the mid-1980s and has a minimalist approach to winemaking. I loved everything I tasted, but most surprising was their Port. As a rule of thumb, I am not a fan of port, but Foxen's wasn't overly perfumy. Diana and I bought a bottle to drink with the flourless chocolate cake I am going to make for her upcoming birthday.

Next up was a stop at Fess Parker, which is one of the more-famous wineries in the area. I have been there before, and it is absolutely beautiful and the wines are tasty. However, somehow, I missed out on the fact that Fess Parker is the actor who portrayed both Daniel Boone and Davey Crockett. How I missed this in spite of the fact the their are coonskin caps and muskets all around, is beyond me. Once we made it into Los Olivos proper, we visited the Heather Cottage, which serves as the tasting room for Daniel Gehrs, a recommendation from Allison's brother-in-law. The winery was founded in the 1990s, and Gehrs was formerly with Zaca Mesa. Overall, nothing was outstanding, but they did have a good Rose and the tasting area is pleasant.

Our final stop was Sunstone ... Diana's request. Sunstone is another mid-1990s winery, but they are different in that their wines are organic and their grapes are grown without the use of pesticides. It is located directly next to Kalyra and the grounds are stunning. It was difficult to enjoy their whites as you tasted them outside and it was nearly 100+ degrees. Their reds were tasted inside, which made for a much-more pleasant experience, although again, I liked everything, but nothing stood out. I did buy another Rose ...

After some traffic in Santa Barbara, we sped home to Redondo ... with a pit-stop in Westwood for ... you guessed it ...

girls just wanna drink wine, part one

2008-07-01T21:39:00.000-07:00

This weekend, my roommates and I headed up to Santa Ynez for yet another wine tasting weekend, although this time, there actually was a purpose! Back in October, Diana and I became Kalyra Wine Thieves (wine club members). Saturday was their annual Summer Member BBQ, and being the good members that we are, we grabbed the roommates and drove up the 101.

The BBQ itself was great ... we ate good food, tasted wines from the barrel, and tasted even more in the tasting room. Although it was 200 degrees outside, we managed to keep cool, and hung out with Noodle the resident dog. For those of you who haven't tried Kalyra, it's hard to find in the store, but Diana have quite the supply ... come on over!

After the BBQ, we drove into Solvang, which is a small, Danish tourist village. Being a recent Michigan transplant, Steph had never been ... and Diana and I didn't mind because one of the Kaylra employees gave us the name of a great wine bar in town, which we followed up with a trip to a bakery for cinammon bread.

After our pit-stop we continued on the 246 to Buellton, where we were staying. Coincidentally, Buellton has a Firestone-Walker Tap Room, which is one of Diana's favorite beers so of course, we had to sample there. The beer was good, although let's be honest, a 4-beer sampler doesn't even hold a candle to the 24 they pour at Sierra Nevada. I'm just saying!

At this point, we needed to dry out so we headed back to our hotel and took a dip in the jacuzzi before heading to dinner at the Hitching Post. For those of you Sideways fans, the Hitching Post is the restaurant where Miles and Jack have dinner their first night. Having now experienced it myself ... oh my god their steaks are fabulous! So tender and almost buttery. We all went to bed with very happy bellies.

So that was day one, and trust me, day two is even better! Stay tuned ...

a picture is worth a thousand words

2008-06-26T12:36:00.000-07:00

castle living 101

2008-06-24T11:27:00.000-07:00

Well, it's official. I am moving, to Germany, to live in my castle. Hanstein Castle that is. It's located in Bornhagen (East Germany) ... and I think castle-living will suit me just fine.

going to kansas city, kansas city here i come ...

2008-06-23T20:23:00.000-07:00

I just returned home from a five-day business trip to Kansas City ... exciting, I know. Actually, while it was no Savannah, I was pleasantly surprised at how nice the city is. It is very clean, has a lot of historical architecture, is in the middle of a huge downtown revitalization, and is full of nice people. The city is home to several major corporations, including Hallmark/Crayola, Russell Stover, KC Masterpiece, Foldgers, Sprint, and Harley Davidson.

While the vast majority of my trip was spent inside a conference room, I did have a bit of time to check out some of the sights and sounds, including authentic Kansas City bbq. Because I am sure you are dying to know, yes, I did like it, but not as much as Texas-style.

While I was in town, the Giants also decided to visit. They also decided to kick the Royals' ass ... which was in part due to my attendance and seats just up from the first-base line so they could see my Giants shirt.

One morning, I went for an early-morning jog around the World War I Memorial and museum. It is extremely moving and beautiful.

However, it was so humid that morning and by 7am, I was sweating.

Across the street was Union Station, which was one of the most beautiful and ornate train stations I have seen. It even has a Harvey Girls diner, which reminded me of Judy Garland.

My hotel room had a view of the Kansas City skyline, which was striking at night. You can't tell from the picture, but the Marriott downtown had a light show every night. One night I stayd up for almost an hour watching it, which I regretted the next morning.

I didn't take pictures of the Hallmark building/tour, bbq joints, etc, but I will be going back in March and promise to be better then. Until then Kansas City ...

birthday highlights

2008-06-16T20:45:00.000-07:00

It appears that as of Friday, June 13, 2008 ... my 30th birthday is officially over. Okay, well, except for a group trip to Vegas in July to celebrate with college friends en masse. Below are a few highlights of my various celebrations. Each were special and I can never thank any of the people who helped me celebrate enough. Words cannot express how thankful I am, but pictures might!

Birthday cake at work

Sierra Nevada Brewery

Rafting the American River

Red Velvet birthday cake

Roommates as Koreatown Karaoke Rockstars

Tahoe Hyatt firepits

Sunnyside - does life get any better?

thirty looks good from here

2008-06-03T16:58:00.000-07:00

it actually happened.

i am now officially thirty something.

and i actually survived.

a look back at my twenties ...

2008-05-27T22:10:00.000-07:00

I thought this was appropriate, seeing as I have only three days left in my twenties ...

4 Things I was doing 10 years ago
1) Just finished my freshman year at USC, living back at home.
2) Working at Duerr Evaluation.
3) Hanging out with Miko and her neighbors at Pomona West.
4) Buying clothes for sorority rush.

4 Things I was doing 5 years ago
1) Thanking god I wasn't laid off in the budget crunch!
2) Missing Joe who was in Mexico playing baseball for the summer.
3) Interviewing potential roommates ... hello Amanda!
4) Celebrating my birthday at Sing-Sing.

4 Things I did yesterday
1) Cleaned up after our party.
2) Wondered who stole money from Allison and I (no joke!).
3) Had sushi with Amanda and planned our fall vacation - Greece or Agentina???
4) Laundry-city.

4 Shows I like to watch
1) Conan O'Brien
2) Top Chef
3) Dirty Jobs
4) Talk Soup

4 Things I Like to Do
1) Spinning!
2) Read books.
3) Travel
4) Hang out with Baby Jack.

the euro can bite me

2008-05-20T21:22:00.000-07:00

So my trip to Germany and Amsterdam has officially been postponed. The American dollar is so weak in comparison to the Euro, and airfare across the Atlantic is insane. But, I do have to travel so I am looking into an 11-day trip to Buenos Aires, Bariloche (mountains), Medoza (Argentinian wine country), and Santiago (Chile). The exchange rate is still in our favor, and a colleage who went a few years ago said Buenos Aires was Paris with a Latin American flare.

Hopefully I'll have this, or something else, booked within the next few weeks. This is definitely not a summer where you wait and see if you can a last-minute deal. Book early!

mum's the word

2008-05-13T21:32:00.000-07:00

It is Tuesday evening, and I am still exhausted from my weekend. My mom and sisters flew down from NorCal on Saturday morning for our annual Mother's Day weekend. I decided to start-off the weekend by embarrassing my sisters, one of my favorite pastimes. I've always wanted to have an emotional airport reunion a la Love Actually, so I decided to create one myself. I parked my car and waited for them near the escalator entrance to the baggage claim. When I saw them coming down, I ran toward them shouting and waving. Sadly, it did not have the desire effect - my mom was oblivious, but my sisters were embarrassed so score one for me.

We drove straight from LAX down to the California Science Center, located right next to USC. First we saw the IMAX flim Mummies 3D: Secrets of the Pharaohs. It was very interesting and renewed my desire to travel to Egypt. We then checked out the Body Worlds exhibit, which was very interesting although I didn't think it was as amazing as the version I saw a few years back. After a pit-stop at the USC bookstore, we headed home to rest up for our big evening out.

Now, for those of you who don't know my mom, you need to know that since we were little kids, she has wanted to go to Midieval Times. For one reason or another, when we visited Disneyland it never worked out. This year, I was able to score some free tickets to the show (it costs almost $50 a ticket!!!) ... thus enabling her to realize her lifelong dream. We were seated in the blue knight's section, he was kind of a bad-ass, or so he thought, but really I knew he was a harcore dungeons and dragons fan.

Anyway, my mom decided she would rather cheer for the red and gold knight, so she did. We all had a good time ... and as long as you realize it's just cheesy fun, it is a good time. Here we are, in our dorky crowns :)

On actual Mother's Day, we spent the morning walking around the Riviera Village, drinking coffee and shoppping. That afternoon we went over to Shaun and Felicia's to celebrate the day with Baby Jack!!! The week prior I was babysitting Jack and he was obsessed with my necklace and kept wanting to wear it. Being the good auntie that I am, I brought it back over with me that day and he literally wore it until we left late at night. It really added a nice splash of color to his otherwise neutral outfit.

Monday was sleeping in, more coffee and shopping ... and then I took them back to LAX for their flight home. It was a whirlwind weekend, and after cleaing up, doing laundry, and everything else, I still feel like I need a vacation from my vacation! But, I guess my mom did spend more than 24 painful hours in labor with me so a weekend of fun is a small gesture in comparison.

I love you Mutha!

we love wii

2008-05-05T06:21:00.000-07:00

This Christmas, I got a Wii. I haven't been a big video game fan since I was 12 and my parents finally caved in and got my sisters and I a Nintendo. Having said that, I love my Wii (and my Mii above). It just got even better with the release of Mario Kart, which my roommates and I played consistently this entire weekend. To quote Ferris Bueller, "It is so choice. If you have the means, I highly suggest picking one up."

too lazy to do anything else.

2008-04-27T13:12:00.000-07:00

What type of food do you eat at your grandparents house?
Hmm, at Cena's ... we ate anything we wanted, including bad-for-you cereal with marshmellows that our mom would never let us buy at home. At Dick and Maria's, ice cream, which we stirred loudly.

What did you do yesterday?
Went to spin class, got my nails/toes done, went to Del Amo with Diana, had dinner with the Baby Jack, went out with Carrie.

What would you do if you were stranded on an island with the person you hate?
Nag them until they drowned themself.

Do you stalk anyone on myspace?
Duuuh ... of course.

I find the thought of childbirth...
to be a little scary, but something I so desparately want to experience.

My feet are:
Pretty and purple!

Why is your number one myspace friend your number one?
She's my sister, the older of the two (it goes in birth order).

Know how to cook?
Yes :)

I am annoyed with:
The Hills. Spencer and Heidi are so lame.

Name one of the Spice Girls:
Posh.

What was the last thing to make you cry?
I watched Lars & the Real Girl again last weekend, I cry during the party scene where he is dancing to the Talking Heads.

What are the stems on wine glasses for?
So the warmth of your hands doesn't warm up the wine.

My favorite shoes are?
Wow, I have a lot. Right now I have a new pair of lime green ballet flats I am digging.

Can you use chopsticks?
Totlee.

Do you prefer beaches or forests?
Wow, I live near the beach and can't imagine not, but I also love the forest. The smells and the sounds.

Who knows a secret or two about you?
Hmmm, my sisters.

Have you ever burned yourself?
Almost every week with my curling iron. I think I burnt my hand on the iron when I was a baby.

Who is probably talking a load of crap about you right now?
Oh, I know. So do some of you.

Who is your hero?
There are a few women in my life that I admire ... for what they have achieved professionally, while also managing to be incredible mothers.

Where is your brother right now?
Wait, I have a brother???

Do you believe in things that last forever?
God/Buddha/Jah etc.

What are you listening to?
Beck.

What do you smell like right now?
Sadly, a little like sweat mixed with yesterday's perfume.

Are you married?
Nope, well, unless you count the marriage to Bono in my head.

What jewelry are you wearing?
Diamond earrings.

What is something your friends make fun of you for?
Diana always makes fun of my when I mispronounce something. Yesterday, I told Lexi to slap her because of it.

When was the last time you saw the second person on your top 8 on Myspace?
Lindsay ... in February.

What is in your pocket right now?
Don't have pcokets today.

Who do you know that is in jail?
Um, no one.

What was for breakfast this morning?
Starbucks Skinny Vanilla Latte.

Something irritating about your living situations:
The carpet is gross. And I don't own it :(

Where are you right now?
In my bedroom. It's f'ing hot outside.

What was the most interesting thing that happened today?
Well, it was yesterday. But discovering that the reason I pee so fast is because Carrie and I used to pee together and race each other.

When was the last time you got blood taken and why?
February, doctor's appt to monitor my high blood pressure.

What were you doing at midnight last night?
Drinking at Mucho.

Do you have a best friend of the opposite sex?
Yeah ... even though he is SOOO far away, Joe. And okay, Adam.

What were you doing 3 hours ago?
Laying in bed, talking to Carrie.

What's for dinner tonight?
Wasabi Salmon!

What was the highlight of your week?
The fact that it is over!!!

Taken any medicine lately and for what?
I had to take antibiotics in February after my trip to Mexico.

Would you rather have straws for legs or slinkies for arms?
Dude, go-go gadget arms ...

Of your friends, whose car do you want?
I used to want Amanda's Audi until the engine blew up.

What is the last issue you thought about?
Why IS gas SO expensive???

Are you spoiled?
No, but Lindsay is.

Do you fake bake?
NOOOOO!

What was the first thing you thought when you woke up?
Why is my cat meowing now?

Something you dream about most of the time?
Pete Carroll.

When was the last time you hysterically cried?
Hysterically. Probably last month.

Was anyone with you?
Adam/Allison on the phone.

What was the last thing you got in the mail?
Money from Leanna!

Tomorrow?
Work, tennis class.

Who/What do you sleep with every night?
Annie-Cat. 4 pillows.

Have you met anyone new in the past 24 hours?
Yes, another guy named Brian.

What are you doing after this?
Cleaning. Making a lemon pie.

The person you like is on the phone for 5 seconds, what do you say to him/her?
Yo.

What will you be doing at 8pm tomorrow?
Making dinner, probably something with avocado.

30 or bust. i choose bust.

2008-04-15T15:14:00.001-07:00

Birthday Countdowns from 123mycodes.com

I am in the final few days of my twenties, which I am not coping well with. I remember when I was little, I thought by the time I was 30, I would be married with at least one child, living in a nice home, and working at my dream job. Turns out, I've accomplished none of that.

When I tell people this, they say, "Oh ... you are focusing too much on a number!" or "Come on ... your thirties are the best years of your life!!!" Really ... I thought that was high school. Hmmm.

Anyway, at the moment, instead of focusing on how I am dreading May 31, I am instead going to pretend I am looking forward to it and all of the accompanying celebrations ... river rafting with my closest friends and sisters, dancing the night away at the Standard Downtown, laying on the beach at Tahoe, and partying in Vegas with my other "30 and Fabulous" girlfriends.

For now, 30 doesn't seem so bad.

i love la ... we love it!

2008-03-25T05:42:00.000-07:00

I spent my Easter Sunday not in church, but hiking Runyan Canyon and it was a great way to spend the day. The weather was perfect - warm, but with a slight breeze and not a cloud in the sky.

When you live in southern California you often question your sanity ... traffic 24/7, crime, pollution, $1 million "fixer-upers," the list goes on. But all of that went away when I got to the top of the Canyon and looked out and there was Los Angeles spread out before me.

... and she looked good.

happy easter to me!

2008-03-24T06:26:00.000-07:00

Yesterday afternoon, I was driving down Hermosa Avenue. I stopped at a stop sign, looked to my right, and there was Pete Caroll standing on the sidewalk ... IN HIS BATHING SUIT!

*sigh*

here comes peter cottontail

2008-03-23T09:32:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone is enjoying their Easter ... almost as much as Annie enjoyed posing for this picture!

erin go braugh!

2008-03-17T06:56:00.000-07:00

Savannah loves St. Patrick's Day ... they have the second-largest celebration in North America. We missed it by a day, but the preparations were taking place all around us. Hell, even the dead were celebrating!

how much weight can one gain in a week???

2008-03-16T10:43:00.000-07:00

This is what the buffet at Paula Deen's looks like ... and why I am sure I gained 5 pounds during my week in Savannah and Charleston. But ... it tasted soooooooooooo goooooooood!!!

so long savannah ... hello charleston!

2008-03-13T18:46:00.001-07:00

Today I said goodbye to Savannah, and it was a little sad. I have truly enjoyed this city during my two trips here, although the spring weather is a bit more to my liking. The conference went well, but I was so tired by the end of it ... we board members have been working 24/7 since Saturday morning. I did manage to squeeze in a few fun activities though ... more on that later.

Anyway, this morning my mom and I hopped in our rental car and drove to Charleston. WOW ... it's such a neat city. I have already taken tons of pictures and can't wait to share.

I am hoping my flight home on Saturday goes much smoother than my trip out here. Dallas looks to be clear, so keep your fingers crossed!

come fly the unfriendly skies

2008-03-08T12:36:00.000-08:00

My journey to Savannah will go down in history at one of my worst plane experiences EVER! I woke up at 3:45am so I could catch a taxi to LAX at 4:40am. Taxi was on time, yay, life is good, or as good as it can be at 5am. Anyway, I check in for my 6:30am flight to Dallas, only to learn that it is now departing at 8am. While I was pissed I could have slept in for another hour, I figured I was okay because that would still allow me an hour before my connecting flight to Dallas. At 6am, the American gate agent made an announcement on the loud speaker letting us kmow that the flight before us was cancelled, and that ours was heading that way too so we would all be rebooked on later flights. He then also stated that if you head a connecting flight in Dallas to come see him so he could attempt to re-route us. About half of us got up from our seats because duh ... Dallas is a HUGE American hub.

Now, at this point, any rational human being would assume you would have as many gate agents as possible available to help. Nope ... not American. They had TWO!!! When I (finally) got to the front of the line, the oh-so-bitchy employee told me to sit back down because American only flies to Savannah through Dallas so she couldn't help me and most likely they would get me to Dallas when they could and that I would have to spend the night there.

Interestingly ... I do not work for American, but I do know from reserving my flight that they also fly to Savannah through Miamai. I was put-off by her attitude and instead decided to sit back down and wait 20 minutes for someone to help me on the AA 800-number. The reservations agent was very helpful and because Dallas being closed had backed up so many flights, was able to rebook me on an 8:10am United flight to DC, and then DC to Savannah.

Relieved, I took my new confirmation number to the ticket counter so that they could print out vouchers for me to take over to United ... except the line was still a good 20 minutes long and I needed to get over to United. The reservations agent on the phone told me I could do this at any gate so I walked over to the neighboring gate, only to be told they were "too busy to help me." Nice. I then tried another empty gate where I was told to "just go downstairs and wait in the ticket counter line."

At this point, I was amazed at the total lack of customer service on the part of American. I fly them frequently and have NEVER been treated like this. But wanting to get to Savannah I walked down to the ticket counter and was told the line was 1 1/2 hours long, which was a problem because I only had 1 hour before my flight left. I spoke to the customer service agent there, telling him my story in the hopes that he might be able to help me. Let me say that this gentleman was one of the rudest people I have ever encountered ... after questioning me for 10 minutes he decided I was lying and just wanted to cut in line. He continued to berate me as he took me to his supervisor so that his supervisor could also see that I was lying. Unfortunately, his supervisor was helping someone else so he had to leave me there ... not able to see that I WAS NOT LYING!

Fifteen minutes later, the nearly-as-rude-as-his-employee supervisor printed out my vouchers, with a totally condescending chip on his shoulder. Because I only had 40 minutes before my flight, I asked him how I would get my baggage and his response??? "I don't know - figure it out when you get to Savannah." Nice attitude, asshole.

I literally ran two terminals down to United ... where I was treated like a queen. They apologized to me for having to go through all of this and escorted me through security so I wouldn't be late ... although I was chosen for secondary screening and my screener was in NO hurry to get this over with. I finally made it onto my flight with five minutes to spare.

My flight to DC was uneventful, as was my flight to Savanah, although it was delayed two hours and we hit a lot of turbulence, which we definitely felt because our plane was so small. When I got to Savannah as expected, my luggage wasn't there. I first saw an American baggage agent who offered to help me look, but when we could not find it, informed me that I would actually have to file my claim with United as they were the last airline I flew with.

Finally at 9pm, I arrived at my hotel ... and the Hyatt staff was so kind, hooking me up with toiletries, a bathrobe, and slippers. I took a shower, ordered room service, and thanked god my shitty day was over. Except it wasn't ... at 3am ... my luggage arrived! I can't think of the last time I was this happy. The thought of wearing the same outfit for 9 days was not one I relished.

So in a nutshell, American can suck it.

on the road again ...

2008-03-06T09:12:00.001-08:00

I'm heading back to Savannah, Georgia tomorrow morning for nine days of southern hospitality! While most of the trip will be work-related, there are a few things I didn't get to do this summer that I'm hoping to check out this time around. Also extending my trip a few days and driving to Charleston, South Carolina to soak in more of the southern architecture.

Bye y'all!

mae-mae the baby dog!

2008-03-03T15:13:00.000-08:00

I took this picture of my dog Mae in Upper Park while I was home a few weekends ago. I think it is a great picture, but if you know Mae at all, you know she is actually the world's biggest baby. But in this picture, she is a fierce hunter and protector. A dog can dream, can't she???

i love wine ... part 2

2008-02-28T22:39:00.000-08:00

On day two of our Paso Robles journey, Allison, Diana, and I decided to take our time driving back to LA, and stop at a few wineries we like. While it was windy, we didn't get much rain and took our time enjoying the company, wine, and scenery.

Winery #1 - Tobin James

Tobin is probably one of the most well-know/popular Paso Robles wineries, and it's for a reason. They are so laid back and very friendly. Our host, Seth, poured us whatever we wanted on the tasting-room menu, and then allowed us to taste several of their reserve wines. The crowning moment through was when (after considerable whining on my part) he opened a bottle of their sparkling wine for us to try. And did I mention that all of this was complimentary???!!! The tasting room is an old "cowboy" saloon and they have a nice gift shop. I cannot recommend this place enough ... good people, good ambiance, and good wine. The trifecta.

Winery #2 - Clautiere

My friend Adam (shout-out Adam!) recommended Clautiere and there's a reason for that. It's a small, relatively new winery, but their wines are great and the atmosphere is out of this world! The winery is owned by a husband and wife and the wife has decorated the winery in a sort of drag-queen-meets-Moulin-Rouge style. We were the only three people there at the time and our two hostesses were students at neighboring Cal Poly SLO so we had a great time chatting. I bought a bottle of Mon Rouge - and of course we took the obligatory wig picture ... if you visit there, you'll know what I'm talking about!

Winery #3 - Rancho Sisquoc

After clam chowder in Pismo Beach, our final stop before heading home was Rancho Sisquoc, located just outside of Santa Maria. Diana and I have come to know their wines through Whole Foods and we both enjoy them so this stop was a must. It's a bit off the freeway, and then another ways past their official entrance. The ranch is huge and has mulitple vineyards. Everything we tasted was amazing and again, we all walked away with multiple bottles. It was windy while we were there, but they have a gorgeous picnic are that I want to test out the next time I am there.

In the end, we had such a great time and I fell in love with so many new wines. Of course, I am a huge fan of Napa, but they are getting more and more expensive, overcrowded with tour buses ... and I swear, you never get to have the owner pour for you. Paso Robles was the total and complete opposite and if you haven't done so alreaday, I encourage you to check it out. Hell, I'll even go with you :)

i like wine ... part 1

2008-02-26T23:01:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, my roommates and I (plus assorted others) drove up to Paso Robles for a spur-of-the-moment wine tasting weekend. Other than quick stops on my way to Carmel, this is the first time I have spent a considerable amount of time tasting in the area. While the weather was yucky, we had a great time and tasted some awesome wines!

On Saturday, we all took a tour with the Grapevine Shuttle. We were supposed to only visit four wineries, but our drive threw in a fifth. Here is my report on day one:

Winery #1 - Pipestone

Pipestone is a small, family-owned, organic winery. The founder is a former environmental lawyer and his wife studies feng-shui. Their wines are all good, but my favorite was their Zin. The tasting room is small, but their farm is gorgeous and they are very friendly and the owners pour the wines.

Winery #2 - Opolo

Opolo is bigger than Pipestone, but they are still very personable. While we were there, one of the owners was grilling up fresh sausage outside and passed around platters to sample while we were tasting. The ambiance isn't much to speak of (warehouse-style), but the Tempranillo was EXCELLENT!

Winery #3 - Justin

Now, everyone makes a big deal about Justin. One of its wines won a prestigious French competition and they've been resting on their laurels ever since. Their winery is beautiful and they have an adjacent inn and small restaurant. However, when you walk in, it's like you are in Orange County ... everyone has their LV purses and are dressed like they are going to Fashion Island for the afternoon. Anyway, that's not really my style, and I also found their wines to be over-hyped. So if you are into the look of a winery, go for it, but if you are more serious about tasting, skip it.

Winery #4 - Halter Ranch

Halter Ranch is another small, family-owned winery. Random fact - their house was the house used in the movie Arachnaphobia. Anyway, their wines are decent and nicely-priced. I bought a bottle of their Red Table Wine, Ranch Red.

Winery #5 - Adelaida

This was our "bonus" stop and I am SO glad it was. Ambiance-wise, it's nothing special, but Adelaidas wines were so great. They don't charge to taste and we tasted at least 6 wines. They didn't rush us and were very friendly. Okay, and to make it even better, one of the owners is a TROJAN! In any case, I bought two bottles of wine here and joined their wine club :)

Anyway, so that is my report from day one ... stay tuned for day two!

*officially*thirtysomething