Thursday, December 31, 2009

A Few Things I've Learned in 2009

1. I could go awhile without another trip to Vegas.
2. Painting the house gives me a buff right arm.
3. I think I'm finally getting the hang of this whole photography thing.
4. If I don't buy the cheese pre-sliced, I will likely sit and eat a whole block of it.
5. Running isn't so bad.
6. Cat barf is easier to clean when it's dried up.
7. I like Tabouleh.
8. Sunscreen really is important.
9. When you meet up with old friends, it's not that hard to pick up where you left off.
10. Chicago is one of the coolest cities ever.

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Dork!

I'm so mad at myself! (But kind of excited at the same time) Check the photo blog for this story:

photography by jaana

Monday, December 28, 2009

Christmas 2009

We went to Utah for Christmas to visit my side of the family. It was a lot of fun. We ate so much dang food. But thank goodness it's not just me. From the looks of other blogs and facebook updates I'm reading, it sounds like most of us kept with the American tradition and over-ate. Phew.

Here are a few things we did:
White Elephant gift exchange at my step-sister's house.
Tried on funny santa hats.
Laughed at the "ugliest" ornament.
Exchanged Secret Santa gifts on Christmas morning.
Played with the nephew.
Envied my brother's Snuggie.
Learned how to pick a lock.
Ate that chocolate & peanut butter chex mix my sister makes.
Played in the backyard with the nephew and the animals.
Took a little trip up to Zion National Park.
Froze our buns off.
Laughed really hard at my husband when he used oven-mitts as mittens.
Got really close to a live wild deer!
Cuddled under a large blanket to warm back up.
Went to Sherlock Holmes and shared a LARGE popcorn.
Ate a huge Christmas dinner.
Played Cranium.
Hung out with my Southern Utah besties.
Got a long lecture on coffee from the owner of "Baristas".
Had good chats with Mom.
Ate Finnish Pancakes (a.k.a. crepes)
Kissed my nephew's face off.
Drove home in lots of traffic + an hour detour because our Garmin gave us faulty directions. (BOOO!)

And that pretty much covers it! Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday!

Friday, December 25, 2009

Sherlock Holmes

Gaaaah, Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law and Rachel McAdams. You are all lovelies. Even though RDJ is a total weirdo in real life, I loooorve him. And Jude Law - oh brother. Your 'stache and limp made me swoon. Yummers.

OK let me speak English now. I dug this movie. I liked the plot, I liked the acting, I liked the action, I liked the look of it. It was witty and fast-paced and a little creepy. Cool, cool cinematography. Good, good chemistry between all the characters. Fun, fun movie. I wish it had been about 15 minutes shorter, but other than that I have no complaints. Go see it!

Robert Downey, Jr. Jude Law. Rachel McAdams. Oh, and how could I forget? They all have English accents!!!!


Monday, December 21, 2009

I've Never Had a Ride in the Ambulance Before!

So this is for my Grandpa. He is just dying to know the details of my hospital visit.

Last week, I had gone out for my normal jog (about 1.5 miles). Nothing too strenuous, just to get the blood moving. When I returned home, I walked into the gate of our complex and I felt a little pain in my chest. Almost like an air bubble trapped in my throat. So I coughed and kind of hit my chest to see if I could just get rid of it. By the time I got up to the 3rd Floor where our condo is, the pain had increased so severely that I could hardly breathe. It felt as though I had swallowed a large stone and it was just caught in my esophagus. This made it so I couldn't swallow and even breathing brought a sharp pain to my chest. I stumbled into the house and went straight to the bathroom for some reason. Sat on the floor and tried to figure out what was going on.

I have had a reaction like this once before, when I found out I was allergic to feta cheese. I would eat the cheese and shortly after, it felt like my chest was completely closing in on me. As if my throat was swollen shut. But this time the pain was much sharper and I sat there clutching my chest. I tried to make myself throw up to relieve some of the pressure but couldn't. So my next reaction was to call my husband.

He was at work talking to his bosses and got the terrifying phone call of "I'M HAVING REALLY BAD CHEST PAINS! I CAN'T BREATHE OR SWALLOW!" It totally freaked him out and he instructed me to call 911 and immediately left work (which is about 30 miles away from home). So I called 911 and the dispatcher told me to stay seated and put my head back to open up my airways. That did seem to help as I waited for the paramedics. Within 5 minutes, I had 4 (very handsome) paramedics and 3 (very good-looking) firemen in my house. They asked me to move to the living room and began a process of checking my blood pressure, heart, pulse, lungs, etc. Everything looked completely normal, but I still had the pain. On a scale of 1 to 10, it was probably an 8 or 9. So the paramedics thought since it wasn't a heart attack that I was probably having anxiety. But I don't have anxiety. So there was no real answer and they recommended that I go to the hospital.

Coming from a family of cheap-skates, all I could think about was how expensive the ambulance ride would be. But since my husband was still about 20 minutes away, I decided it would be best to just take it and get to the hospital as quickly as possible. While in the ambulance, they gave me chewable aspirin for the pain and nitro glycerin to slow down my heart rate. By the time we reached the hospital, my pain was down to about a 4 or 5. In the hospital room, they took blood/did an EKG/checked my heart rate/ blood pressure/lungs again. We had to wait about 30 minutes for the results but everything was totally fine and normal. The doctor said "You know, we get about 5 heart attacks a day, but they are not 30-year olds. They are older, obese people with high blood pressure and health problems." I couldn't help but think "Brittney Murphy was only 32!!" but I also knew I wasn't in the same category as her.

By this time, my husband and Mother-In-Law had arrived and I was feeling much better. My pain was at about a 2 or 3 and I was starting to feel more embarrassed than anything! It was all such a fuss for nothing! When the doctor came in to release me, he assured me that it wasn't my heart and I said "I know that! The pain is not where my heart is. It's where my esophagus is." So his educated guess was that I had severe acid reflux of some sort. I asked "REALLY?!! Acid reflux can cause that sort of pain?" He said that occasionally it could and also gave me some literature on Gastritis and Ulcers, along with a prescription for a Prilosec-type of medicine. And home I went.

I'm still not convinced that it was any of the things he mentioned. I have no other symptoms to indicate Acid Reflux, Gastritis or Ulcers. So my self-diagnosis is that it was a severe allergic reaction of some sort. I had eaten an omelet earlier that day with cheese and milk, so I am betting one of those dairy products got the best of me. Hopefully there is no next time, but if there is I'm going to try using my Epi-pen to see if that relieves the symptoms.

All in all, I'm totally fine. I start jogging again today (I have to, after all the holiday treats I ate!) and the one good thing that came from all of this is now I have an interesting story to tell my Grandpa! Love you Gramps!

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Christmahannukah Party

OK so after all my un-merry talk, I had my first twinge of holiday excitement when I attended the fabulous Christmahannukah Party put on my one of my besties. Festive cocktail attire was required and we had a Secret Santa gift exchange. Her apartment was decorated so cute and we all had so much fun, you couldn't help but get in the Christmas spirit. I loved every second of. Even as I was getting ready, I was like "OK, I feel a little Christmas warmth in my belly and it makes me happy." Then later, that warmth came from laughter (not to mention all the cheese and goodies I ate) at the festivities. But all the feelings in my belly were good that day. Too much fun.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Bah-humbug...

Want to hear the saddest news ever?

There are no Christmas decorations in our house this year.

Dun-dun-DUN!!! I know. I am usually a big Christmas nerd, but it has just been so busy and we still have home improvements that we're in the middle of, so we decided it would be too much to pull out all the Christmas stuff too. Even if we did decorate, it would only be up for like a week, and then back into boxes it would go. We won't be here for Christmas either. So really, the cards were stacked against us. (OK, they were stacked against ME. I don't think the husband cares all that much!)
The extent of my decorating this year...
I feel so un-merry this year. I am SO not that person... But I think the main reason is that time is just getting away. I talk about that a lot, I know. It pretty much scares the crap outta me!! I'm starting to understand what our parents were talking about. I remember when I was younger, my Dad would always wish Christmas didn't come, because then in the blink of an eye it would be over. As a kid, I thought he was crazy. Of course we wanted Christmas to come! We spent 11 months anticipating it. But now I kind of get what he meant. It's just another representation of how quickly time moves.

For us, 2009 was supposed to be the Year of the Baby, but obviously that didn't happen. So we'll keep our fingers crossed for 2010 and keep practicing! Honestly? It just gets tiring thinking about it constantly. I haven't started my Christmas shopping yet. The few trips I've taken to Target or the mall just made me more grouchy with the lack of parking and rude, pushy crowds. I swore I would see Disneyland decorated for the holidays this year, and while it's still a possibility, it doesn't seem likely. And heck - last year at this time I was in fabulous New York City. There is nothing quite like it to get you in the holiday spirit. I wanted to go again this year, but...yeah. Maybe I'm just expecting too much so I'm feeling let down that things haven't happened. There is just so much I want to do and see!! Then the days and (gulp) years are here and gone before we know what hit us.

I'm glad I'm the kind of person that always wants to be moving and growing and seeing new things. But it goes with the territory to face a little disappointment once in awhile. The thing that keeps me going is knowing we still have a lot of good years ahead of us and plenty more adventures to pursue.

A very fitting song for today, check the lyrics:
(Sorry for the über-cheesy video, its all I could find on YouTube)


Sunday, December 13, 2009

Dave & Tim

Aaaaah.... what can I say? Drove all the way to Vegas for one night to see the Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds acoustic show. And it was sooo worth it. Freakin' amazing. My very first Dave Matthews concert was an acoustic show all the way back in March of '99. And my life has never been the same since. I've been following him & the band religiously for 10 years now. But you already knew that!

We sat by a couple of weirdos (again) and it made me wish I had written down all the strange fans we've come in contact with over the years. I could have a blog solely dedicated to that! From the drunk girl behind us screaming "Gravedigger!!!!" over and over again through the whole show, to the dancing fools, to the very loud off-key singers, to the people who insist on being friends just because you happen to be sitting next to each other. It's a wonder I can stand to go to shows at all. DMB fans tend to be pretty obnoxious. But the two unstoppable high-fivers at this Dave & Tim show in Vegas were a couple of my favorites. They didn't know each other, but would reach across us to high-five before and after every song. It was bromance at first sight.

But hey, if the kooky fans can't keep me away, then nothing will. I hear DMB is doing a European tour next year. Any takers? ;)

Monday, December 7, 2009

Falling Behind

Well things have been busy, to say the least. Luckily my 30/30 photography promotion has been a success, but it has also taken up so much time that other things are falling to the wayside. For instance: I was supposed to have our other two rooms painted by Thanksgiving. Haven't started the office yet and the bedroom is currently half old color and half new color. I'll get there. But here's a few things I have done:

11/24 - Went to the KISS concert at Staples Center. Had really awesome all access passes that let us be anywhere on the floor, so we got some sweeeeet pictures and had a great time.

11/25 - Thanksgiving was good. Nice and quiet - a far cry from the "usual" Thanksgiving. We stayed close to home and enjoyed yummy food with Paul's parents, his sister and my bro. Topped off the night with a solid game of Scrabble and took turns trying on Dad's glasses. What can I say, we are easily entertained...



12/2 - Left for Utah to visit family and take photos. Lots of photos. I asked my mom and sister if they thought anyone would want the 30/30 deal out there and when it was all said and done, I ended up taking pictures for 14 families! In two days! It was exhausting and fun and surprising and an overall good experience. My brother helped me out so much as my awesome assistant and it was fun spending the days with him and being able to catch up. Of course, I also got to spend a little time with the rest of the family and my cuddly nephew. Ugh. He is just the best! When I first got there he goes "Naana take picture" and posed at the kitchen table for me. Haha. He always knows I'll have the camera handy. SO cute.

The rest of my days have been spent either taking pictures or editing them. And this week will be no exception. Better get crackin'!

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Muppets Rock!

Pretty much the best video ever made. It's totally cracking me up for some reason. Beeker!

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Public Nudity

Yeah I did it. I was naked in public. Sort of. I can't say its the first time, but it was the first time where it wasn't pitch dark and in a lake. (Skinny-dipping as a teenager.)

On Saturday, I went to the very fabulous and wonderful Burke Williams Spa in Pasadena with a couple of girlfriends. Holy cow. Talk about a fantastic day. I felt so pampered and refreshed. I loved every second.

We started early in the morning to take advantage of all the awesomeness. First took a dip in the hot tub, then moved to the steam room, the sauna, the misting room, then back to the hot tub again. Just kind of rotated around the whole place until it was time for our individual appointments. The other gals got pedicures while I went and got the Pure Relaxation massage. The name doesn't lie. By the end of the 25-minute session, I could barely open my eyes because I was so relaxed and comfortable. (Although I've been sore for 2 days after she worked out all the kinks. I know, I've got it tough.)

Since my treatment was shorter than the other girls', I had a bit of time to kill before getting ready. So the Finn in me decided, since I was in a spa and I was already naked from my massage and apparently the women around me had no problem being naked, then why not? So I shed my robe and QUICKLY got in the hot tub. I sat there for awhile, getting used to the idea and then I was like OK, next step - steam room. I QUICKLY got out of the hot tub, wrapped myself in a tiny towel and walked to the steam room. As I sat down and unwrapped my towel, I just kept thinking "I'm naked!" There was only a couple other women in the room and its so steamy you can barely even see your hand in front of your face, let alone the other side of the room. But its funny - I didn't feel as self-conscious as I thought I would. I'm not a girl who's EVER been entirely comfortable with her body. I mean I've even read in my journal as early as the age of 12 that I was going on a diet. 12 YEARS OLD. So its pretty much always been an issue for me.

But as I sat there in all my naked glory, I let it all hang out and weirdly enough, I would go as far to say that I even felt a little SEXY. It was nice to not worry about it and just be. I know this isn't exactly daring, seeing that I was in a SPA. But I do know its hard for women to accept our bodies and be comfortable enough to let complete strangers see what we got going on. But its freeing. I highly recommend it, ladies.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

The Tonight Show

Yes! The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien. What a fun taping to attend!! I've seen Leno many times and Kimmel a couple, but Conan was the best. Obviously I've been a fan of his forever, so I felt really lucky to finally get to see a live taping - it was worth the wait! At first, I kept thinking "Man, I really wish we had seen him in New York. This is bittersweet because its the Tonight Show and not Late Night." But by the end it didn't even matter.

The guests were Eva Mendes and Bon Jovi - I was indifferent towards either of them. (Although the Bon Jovi fans were out and they were pumped.) But the real show is with Conan and Andy and the Tonight Show Band. Honestly, besides the red-headed host himself, that band was probably my favorite part. They come out early to get the crowd pumped up and they are amazing. Within the first few bars of music, I was like WHOA. These guys are GOOD. Their sound was clean and tight and they were total showmen. It is so different hearing them live than watching them on TV.

And a couple surprises - Andy Richter is really tall! I had no idea. Also, after the cameras stop rolling, Conan sings the "End of the Show Song". Classic. I'm definitely gonna do that again.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

The Men Who Stare At Goats

George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Jeff Bridges, Kevin Spacey - what else do you need? Well, a better storyline would be nice. I wish I could report that this was the best movie of the year. But alas, I didn't totally love it. It had a few funny bits, but based on the title alone I thought it was going to be much more hilarious. The story never really came together for me though. I felt like I kept waiting for the peak or the punchline and it just never happened. Interesting concept (especially for a Star Wars fan) but maybe I need to watch it again to totally understand it. Or maybe there was nothing to understand and I'm just analyzing it too much.

It wasn't a total waste of two hours. Did I mention - George Clooney and Ewan McGregor?


Thursday, November 12, 2009

Cankle Arm

This morning when I woke up, my right arm was really swollen. In fact, my wrist sort of looked like a cankle! It freaked me out a little bit because I've noticed over the week that the wound from my biopsy doesn't seem to be getting better. The doc said to keep it bandaged for 7 days, but it's been 9 and still looks almost the same as it did the day they cut it open. So the swelling reminded me to call the doctor and find out what is going on. Here's what they said:

A. The swelling was probably because you wrapped it too tight. Take off the bandage for awhile and see if it goes back to normal. (Not yet, but I'm sure I just need wait an hour or so.)
B. Give the wound another week to heal and if it doesn't look any better, give us a call.
C. Biopsy results came out fine. The mole was benign and nothing to worry about.

Happy to report that all is well! I'll keep an eye on the cankle arm.

Monday, November 9, 2009

Where The Wild Things Are

When I first saw the trailer for this movie, I was very, very excited. I loved the book growing up and the trailer looked so awesome! Then, the more I heard about it from other people, the less excited I got. A lot of mixed reviews so I was definitely concerned. But, oh man! When it was all said and done, I really liked it. It was a little emo, but I think the tone of the movie matched the tone of the book. Plus it was just so well made! The characters, the cinematography, the costumes! It was so visually stunning to me and a true representation of the book brought to life. It's movies like this that fuel those creative juices and makes you want to perfect your art.

I also loved how they really dove in and developed the characters personalities and everything came full circle to represent all the pieces of Max's life. The fact that they could make all that from a short children's book was freakin' brilliant.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Ew.

I was not going to post anything about this because I didn't want to make a big deal over it or have anyone worry. But I'm going to anyway. Because its gross.

So, I went to the dermatologist on Tuesday. I was referred there by my normal doctor because of an abnormal mole that I had been watching change and grow for the last year or so. It had the irregular edges, it was red in the middle and I just wanted to make SURE I don't have skin cancer. I have no family history of it, but I was not the smartest teenager and loved being tan, so now I'm a bit paranoid. The dermatologist took a look at it through a scope and said it didn't look like melanoma from the outside. But the irregular edges made her a little nervous too, so she thought we should just "shave" it off and send it in for a biopsy, right then and there. Obviously I was numb, so I couldn't feel them taking it off and I'll admit, my imagination was running wild because I also refused to look.

But nothing prepared me for when I actually had to take the bandages off today to clean the wound. I didn't know there would be a perfectly cut circle. I didn't know that it would be quite a bit below my skin line. I didn't know I would see white, green, and red things. I could only stomach looking at it as long is it took me to snap this photo, and then I cleaned and bandaged it as quickly as I could. Here's a small thumbnail so you don't have to see it if you don't want to... But I know your curiosity will get the best of you!

When these things happen I am reminded that I could NEVER have been a doctor. This itty bitty hole in my arm was enough to make me light-headed and I had to drink some water and sit down for awhile! HAHA. What a wuss. But really.

Ew.

I will get test results in about a week, so I'll keep everyone posted. But the doctors really didn't seem worried, so I won't either!

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Holiday Photos

I'm doing a limited time promotion for people to get holiday photos done. Go here for more info!

P.S. Our holiday photo is coming soon too. These are from the last two years (and our 2009 card is going to be sweeeeet!)
2007
2008

Saturday, October 31, 2009

Couple Quick Trips...

This last week was so busy! We got our new stacking washer/dryer set up, some new cabinets installed, and finished up the painting in the hallway. It looks so great and I just love my washer and dryer! Although I keep thinking how sad it is - I'm so old that a washer/dryer has been my most exciting purchase of the year. Haha. But seriously, its awesome.

A couple weekends ago we went to the Pasadena Old Town Haunt and that was flippin' scary! Not only was it the normal creepy location with scary characters, but we even had to crawl through a tunnel!!! I thought I was going to pee myself. I kept grabbing my husband's feet in front of me, just to make sure he was still there. Yikes!!
We ain't scurrred...
Then this last weekend, we had a big group of people make the trek to Santa Barbara for our good friend's 10th anniversary of her 21st birthday. Yes, she turned 31, but we all felt young again going out and partying like college kids. And can I say, I still love being the sober one and watching everyone's antics. Pure comedy.

On Monday, I took a little trip by myself to visit my family in very chilly Hurricane, UT. It was my nephew's 2nd birthday and I just can't believe how quickly time has gone!! He is still adorable as ever and loves having little conversations about Toy Story, Disneyland and drums. Honestly, he is awesome and I'm so proud of my sister and what a great mom she has been. Kids like that don't develop accidentally. He is loved and is taught new things every day. I had sissy leave him home from the baby-sitters for a couple days so that I could spend as much time with him as possible - and I loved every second of squeezing and snuggling and laughing and all that. He is the yummiest. Can't wait until Christmas to spend some more time with him. (Sis, really. Consider moving to CA.)

I also got a chance to hang with one of my bestest gal pals and we ate some 5 Guys, watched a silly-scary movie and stayed up late talking into the night. As always, it was good to reconnect and spend some girly time together.

Today is Halloween and I have been a total party pooper this year. So I'm not even dressing up. Not going to any parties. Didn't even bother decorating. Sad, huh? At least I went to Disneyland for their Halloween Time. Hopefully I'm not like this at Christmas! But Hubs and I decided we'll just go out tonight and check out some local haunted houses. Should be spooktacular. (?) Hope everyone has a safe night.

*UPDATE 1:08am* OK Halloween was pretty fun after all. The haunted houses were great and we topped it off with some Bob's Big Boy. Totally better & fattier than I expected.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

New Blog!

Well, after a lot of time, web tutorials, indecisiveness and backaches from sitting at the computer for hours on end - I did it. I am finally launching my new photography blog today! Yay! I wanted the makeover to be clean and simple, and I was surprised how much work that was! But I'm glad it's done and now it looks the way I want. Please bookmark the new page and check in often for updates. Let me know what you think and thanks for the support everyone!

http://www.photographybyjaana.com/blog

XOXO.

Monday, October 12, 2009

Fresh Coat

The last couple weeks I have been keeping busy with projects around the house - mostly painting. When we first moved into the condo in '05 and painted the living room, we chose a color that we THOUGHT would look great. We didn't buy any test samples, just 4 gallons of Lavender Moon.

Yeah, that didn't quite work out.

When all was said and done, we pretty much ended up with pink walls. For years we've been talking about hiring someone to re-paint. Just because we remembered how much work it was the first time and we didn't want to go through that again. But a couple weeks ago, upon finding out that hiring a painter would cost a minimum of $3,000, I decided to go ahead and give it a shot on my own. I have done things differently this time. I bought about 8 sample cans and tested all of them before settling on a color. I climbed a tall ladder all on my own to reach the high ceilings. I didn't tape off a lot of the edges and have carefully painted by hand. All in all, it's working out pretty well. I'm actually enjoying it. I put on my paint clothes, blast some music and just take my time. Hubby helped with some of the hard to reach areas, but I'm proud of myself for getting most of it done on my own. The living room, hallway and dining room are almost complete! The new paint has made a big difference. Things feel much more warm and cozy. The office and bedroom are a little intimating because of all the big furniture I have to move, but I know I can do it.

The only downside with new paint is that it brings to the forefront all the other things we still want to change. New fireplace stone, crown molding, new shelves in the laundry area, new kitchen, new carpet... oy vey. The wish-list goes on and on. So we set a budget for ourselves and are doing what we can in baby steps. But it sure will be nice when its done. And then after all that work, hopefully we'll sell it! Haha...

Pictures coming soon!

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Back to My Roots.

OK, deep breath.

So I know to most people, this entry is going to sound retarded. But today was a very, very big deal for me. I have been a blonde most of my life. As I got older, the natural blonde wore off, so for the last 8-10 years, this blonde has been artificial. It started with bottle blonde, just cheap over-the-counter concoctions. Then I started going to a salon because a friend was getting me a super deal. After I moved back to CA, I found a new stylist that I just love, and she made me the best blonde I've ever been. It wasn't cheap, but it was so great that the trend continued. Being blonde has been part of my identity for as long as I can remember. It's just who I am.

And today all that changed. (At least for a little while.) In order to scale back on spending, I decided that I will have to live without the salon for a bit. So I went back to my natural color. *GASP* Honestly, it sounds so stupid. I know it's just hair!! But I was really emotional today. I cried before I left home, knowing what I was about to do. I cried at the salon (and almost made my fellow blonde stylist cry). And I cried on the way home in the car. It's not so much that my hair is brown. Most of my favorite people in the whole world are brunettes. And they are all beautiful, wonderful people. So my stylist said "This will be good therapy for you. You will see that you can pretty as a blonde OR a brunette." And that's the hardest part for me. I guess with blonde hair it added a sense of confidence. It may have been fake confidence, but it was confidence nonetheless. I stood out and I liked that. Now I have to learn to look at myself in a different way.

I still get a little jolt when I look in the mirror but I know the shock will wear off in a couple days. My stylist did a great job matching up the color. And there is something to be said for having darker hair. It's a little more rocker and a little bit sultry too. So I can deal with that. And the beauty of hair color is that nothing is permanent. But those extra $$ dolla dolla billz $$ in my pocket every 6 weeks will sure come in handy.

The Invention of Lying

I L.O.V.E. Ricky Gervais. Loved him in The Office. Loved him in Extras. Loved his stand-up. He is one of the most clever writers out there. There were a lot of good cameos in this movie, but he is definitely the right choice for the leading man. (Especially since he wrote, directed, produced, etc, etc, etc.) Jennifer Garner was great too. I mean how adorable is she?

Throughout this movie, I kept imagining what life would be like if really, truly nobody could lie. Pretty bizarre. And the film could have be an accurate depiction, it's hard to say. Everyone is blunt, everyone is categorized, everyone is gullible - they have no reason not to be. Why they divulge every little thought they had was beyond me, but you have to get the laughs from somewhere, eh? Overall I thought it was a great little comedy with heart. Gervais is good at these touching story-lines too. Unexpectedly good. So it was an all around enjoyable movie.

Be forewarned, if you are religious, he pokes fun at the idea of God and revelation. He is an atheist, so you should just know that going in. I personally am not religious, but still believe in all those things that make up the foundations of religion. I can just see where he's coming from. I feel sad for him, but he's still hilarious.

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Workout Crew

Working out is a commitment. Working out is hard. Most people know my feelings on working out (hate it!) I don't mind being active - walking, playing sports, etc, I just hate working out or being stuck in a gym. However, one of our friends had a great idea! Working out with each other will make us stick to the commitment and may actually be fun. She was right. For the last three Saturdays, we've dragged our butts out of bed at a reasonable hour to meet up with our friends and get some exercise. The first weekend, we all met at the bike path in Burbank. Some people walked, some ran and some rode bikes. On week two, we were in Mammoth and went on a 4 mile hike. Week three we met at the high school and played tennis for an hour. All three activities got us sweating, laughing and sore! But the variety has been fun and of course makes us feel good about doing something healthy. Yay!

Now, I know I won't get in amazing shape playing various sports once a week, but I figure its better than nothing. And I'm having fun. We just need to stick with it. When the alarm goes off on Saturday morning, its not easy. But when you know everyone is there waiting for you - well it is motivating. Wish us luck.

Monday, September 28, 2009

A Mammoth Weekend

I've never been to Mammoth before. One of our friends is allowed to use her company's condo there for free, so she invited everyone along. I'm so glad we went. The drive up was a lot easier than we expected and the condo was right in this little Village shopping area. So cute. Obviously there was no snow yet, but I could totally picture it as a winter wonderland. It would be beautiful (so hopefully we can go again when there's snow!)

This picture cracks me up. Awkward!
Even with warmer weather, Mammoth was great. We spent a lot of time in the condo just hanging out, but we also went out to eat a couple times and got out to hike. We took a trail to Rainbow Falls and that was just awesome. The falls were beautiful, especially when we got up close. Along the trail, we also saw a lot of dead wilderness from the fire of '92. It looked cool though! Very desolate. And if you were quiet, I swear you'd hear a pin drop out there. We also stopped to see the Earthquake Fault, which is one of those things that looks really neat in person, but is difficult to translate into good pictures. Always feels good to get back to nature though.

I totally enjoyed the fresh air, but I was also surprised how much the elevation got to me. I guess we were at about 8,000 feet and I felt like my heart was beating so hard the whole weekend. I didn't really have any asthma problems or anything, so that was good. But I got a little light-headed at times. It seemed so silly! I've been in mountains before, so I don't know what happened. Even so, it was nice to be up there and get out of the city for a couple days. Loved it. Oh, and on the way home we drove down the "Musical Road" in Lancaster. That was hilarious and we did it a couple times. It's the simple things in life, ya know?

Friday, September 25, 2009

The Gift

So I did something kind of crazy. For our anniversary, I surprised my hubby with a tattoo! I told him I was going to get my hair done, but my secret plan worked out and I came home with some ink. He was totally surprised and loved it (thank goodness!) I love it too. It's not in a place that will be shown off all the time, but when I make the effort to turn around in the mirror and catch a glimpse, it makes me smile. I even designed it myself to make it extra special. Isn't it cute?

I must say, all those people who tell you getting tattooed doesn't hurt - all those people are liars! It hurts. It kind of hurts a lot. But after about 20 minutes you go numb and then you're just excited to have it, so I think you forget how much it hurt in the moment. My hands were dripping with sweat and I just tried to carry on a conversation with the artist to avoid thinking about the needle being dragged through my skin. It wasn't my first tattoo, and its probably not my last, but I'll definitely remember the pain when I'm picking a location for the next one.

The only gift I wanted in return was to have my wedding rings cleaned. Huz got them polished and re-plated and they look amazing! Like brand new! I couldn't believe how great they looked. I swear, even the diamond looked bigger because it was sparkling like crazy. So he did good there. He also took me out to a nice dinner and a comedy show. Semi-celebrity, Tom Green, showed up to do a set, so that was a fun surprise. It was a small crowd though, so at times it seemed a little awkward. Especially since some of the comics weren't THAT funny. But overall, we had a great night. As always, a celebration to remember...