Beverly Hills

Hey! Remember that time
I went to Los Angeles for a concert??

Me toooo!!

And I've finally recouped and edited the photos to share with you all!

I absolutely love to travel! There's something fresh and adventurous and unknowing about it. Sometimes I embark on adventures and they're silly. Like late night excursions in unsafe neighborhoods. So, over the years, I've learned to run things by a couple of people who ask me questions that will help me map out some safe boundaries for my wild excursions, you know, so I don't get into some crazy unwarranted bad endings. So I planned a bunch of things out, and set out on my trip to Los Angeles to see the last show on the Something Corporate 2010 Reunion tour!!!

The ride down took about a day-and-a-half and I slept through most of it. One of the most interesting things to do on the bus is to listen and watch. I got to watch a bus of strangers bond over the ride down. I also got to hear a story about a woman who had just gotten out of prison after 9 and a half years. She shared about life inside bars and how hard it was her to adjust to the current world after spending so much time separated from it. It always brings perspective to my life to listen to stories that others are willing share. After time spent thinking, writing, and sleeping, I finally made it safe and sound to LA.

When I first got there, I hopped on the subway and headed to Hollywood Boulevard, so I could get close to the meet-up location and to get some much needed coffee.



I spent the morning walking down the Walk of Fame and checking out some of the local shops that were open.



Adam and Amanda S., friends of mine who attended Metroplex MC, came to see me at Starbucks and we got to just sit and talk and reflect on our lives and how happy we are to be where we are. We shared memories of MC life and stories about things going on in our lives currently. It was so refreshing to be able to hang out with them!


And as an added bonus, they treated me to lunch at In-N-Out!! It was SOOO delicious!! While we were at In-N-Out, Lisa K. met up with us and we talked about California and Seattle for a bit and then just talked about all sorts of random things.


After Adam and Amanda left, Lisa and I walked back up to Hollywood Boulevard and had a long, honest talk about some important things we were both dealing with. It didn't go quite the way I would have liked it to, but sometimes even in talking with friends, you just have to speak your peace and hope for the best. A little while later, we were joined by Jana and Barry B. and little baby Rowan!


We spent the afternoon walking around the Grove talking about a bunch of random things and then had dinner at Johnny Rockets (Thanks to Lisa for buying me dinner!!) where I realized that my recent cravings for chicken nuggets/strips is kind of getting out of control. Ha! They're definitely a comfort food. After dinner, Jana and Barry graciously offered me a ride to the venue so we could spend more time together—which I am incredibly thankful for!

The funny thing is, when we pulled up to the Club Nokia area at LA Live, we noticed red carpets and such and I had NO idea what they were there for. Well you know, turns out it was for The Emmys, which were happening the next day! Duh! And I didn't even take any pictures—what was I thinking???? :/

Once I was in the venue, I got to make friends with a woman who sat in the VIP section, as well as the security guard in that section. Because of that, I was able to sit in the VIP section for FREEEEEE!!! And THAT was awesome!! I was about 3 rows away from where Andrew McMahon's (the lead singer of Something Corporate) parents were sitting and I got to watch them sing along and dance to the music!


The security guard kindly let me move around the VIP area to get different angles for pictures. For the first song (which you can see in the video below) there was a light blinding me in that area that I hadn't noticed until I started recording. But then just after I finished recording and was headed back to my original area, he said I couldn't film. He said he wouldn't take my camera away, but I should probably just stick with taking photos. After moving back to my seat, I had SUCH a great view and I LOVED singing and dancing with all the fans around me! The set was SO good and they even played an extra long set because it was their last show. Andrew was full of energy and made the experience so fun with his wild piano stomping and sweet stories behind the songs.





Toward the end of the set, we were all treated to a beautiful rendition of the longest Something Corporate song, KONSTANTINE. It was beautiful and Andrew's voice was amazing. I even teared up a few times because of the beautiful sounds coming from the piano.


One of my favorite things about going to live music shows is that it encourages and inspires me to continue writing—to express myself creatively through words. After the show, I went to the nearby Starbucks and sat down to write. There were so many thoughts and emotions that needed processing after my trip down and I was glad I got to just get them all out of my head and onto paper.


All in all, it was a GREAT trip for me and I'm entirely grateful that I did it! It fed my adventurous side and indulged my love for travel, all while giving me some MUCH NEEDED time to catch up with old friends!

To Lisa, Barry, Jana, Adam and Amanda:
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR FRIENDSHIP!

Empire State Of Mind (Vacation Recap)

Sarah and I on the Brooklyn Bridge

You would think that by now I would own an I heart New York shirt, but I don't. However, that doesn't stop me from loving NYC! And if my love for the city wasn't big enough, I got to make another visit to the city with my best friend on dare I say (of course I dare!) the most perfect day! Just look at this beautiful sky:

I know that it's entirely stereotypical, but my all time favorite thing to see in the city is Times Square. It's fast-paced flashy personality draws me in every time! We had the amazing opportunity to be joined by Sarah's friend Liz on this embarkation, and Liz—being a native New Yorker from Manhattan—showed us all the local spots that aren't usually covered on a Ride The Ducks tour. Having done the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, Broadway show thing before, it was a new adventure I could not pass up! We parked close to Times Square, which made the walk to the subway via the square a great welcome to the city for me!

Our first stop was for breakfast at The Doughnut Plant on Grand Street on the Lower East Side. They had so many unique doughnuts that I'd never even thought of before. They had a square one filled with peanut butter and jelly, a Tres Leches doughnut that was seriously the most delicious thing ever on the planet, and Creme Brulee doughnut so tasty it makes you feel like you're at a swanky uptown restaurant. We each bought 2 doughnuts and split them four ways—a piece for each of us: Me, Liz, Sarah, and Sarah's husband Randy. Even though we only had a little bit of each, it felt like a full meal deal. It's a good thing we spent the day walking through the city.

Another one of my favorite things to do in the city is ride the subway. I can't even begin to explain why I love it. Maybe it's the convenience; maybe it's the constant bustle of strange new personalities onboard; maybe it's the fact that we randomly had a mariachi band play for our subway car and no one onboard looked fazed at all! Sarah and I could not help but smile at each other the entire time and others either continued to read their books, the newspaper, and Liz even slept through most of it.

About mid-day the troops were fading and despite my desire to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, I settled for ascending the stairs to the bridge walkway with Sarah and taking pictures of the BEAUTIFUL view!

While we were in Brooklyn, we stopped in Dewey's Candy Shop, which Sarah Barkley had suggested to me. It was a wonderland! I wish they allowed pictures to be taken in the shop, but they didn't. I was quite literally a kid in a candy shop! I was so excited to see that they carried my favorite chocolate bar—the Aero bar—so delicious! I walked away with a jar of my favorite sugar-free candies and licorice bites, which now sit on a shelf at work for random snacking.

For lunch, we got some New York Style pizza at a local joint near Ground Zero. My heart was overwhelmed with love, awe, and gratitude as I watched the Ground Zero workers enjoy their hard-earned lunches and it was fun watching the old men in the plaza play chess and checkers on such a gorgeous day.

We also got to take the S shuttle which took us to the Q line that took us over the bridge where we could see Lady Liberty in the distance. But the true beauty was the stained glass art at the S shuttle station. It was just stunning!

After a long adventurous day of sightseeing, I walked away with an even greater love for the city. The fact that I got to enjoy it with my best friend ever on the planet was just the cherry on top! I just wish we could visit NYC together more often! I already confirmed with the Warners that this trip to the East Coast over the 4th of July weekend is going to be an annual thing for me, and I'm thinking the day trip to NYC should be as well! Next year . . . CONEY ISLAND!

Friends They Are Jewels

Reflections from the "4th on the 5 Adventures"

I am really really glad that I have friends who are willing to travel up to see me and see this beautiful city that I live in. I learned so much from our "4th on the 5 Adventures."

I learned:

- that differences can be bridges to stronger friendships

- it's okay if things don't go according to plan

- more about how to "roll with the punches"

- even the seemingly strong, independent people have deep insecurities

- not everyone shares my view of the world, and that's okay

- I have beautiful friends

- I pick the lamest karaoke songs

- despite picking lame songs, I LOVE karaoke

- years change people, and change is a good thing

- Twilight should have been filmed at least partially in Forks, WA or at least closer to it. I guarantee that Olympic National Forest had some amazing meadows

- I'm a careful driver and obeying the law is a big deal for me, and I'm pretty glad about that

- Don't park your car on the street in front of my house

- Don't leave your iPod adapter in a nice new rental car

- My friends have good taste in music too

- I need to get over myself

- The years I spent in Master's Commission building friendships is something I will NEVER regret.

- Stay on the 5

To P.Lo and Joy: I adore you both :D I miss you already and though I wish I could have gotten over myself at various moments in the trip, you should know that you make my life better. :D

Northwest Highway

Day 4 Report from the "4th on the 5 Adventures"

This is the blog post that explains why I chose the title, "4th on the 5." My friends came up for the 4th of July weekend, and we spent the majority of our time on I-5. Whether it was driving to and from the airport, or getting lost in western Washington, we spent some truly quality time on the 5. ;)

We woke up Sunday morning in Forks, Washington ready for a fun time at La Push Beach! We weren't expecting it to be quite as chilly as it was. It was really cold. :( But we went anyway. But first we decided to do a little bit of driving around Forks. We went to the visitor center and took some photos near Bella's truck and then came upon some friendly looking guys. We were hungry and didn't know where to go, so we thought we'd ask:

Hahahahahahhaaha!

Then we went down to the beach and me and Patsy drove to First Beach, while Joy walked the length of the beaches from Third to First on a path. Patsy was cold so she waited in the car and I decided to get out and enjoy the beauty of the overcast beach. Yes folks, it doesn't matter if it's sunny or not—i LOVE the beach. Being near the water is so freeing to me. I don't know why, it just is. Give me water over mountains any day! I got to climb on the rocks and sit along the water and I just got to take in the beauty of the scenery. I also got to relax and sing some songs that I made up while I was sitting there and just allow the words in my heart to come out of my mouth. I had such an amazing time! When Joy finally got to First Beach, we decided to re-walk the path she had taken and then go fly kites down near Third Beach. What she failed to mention was the hiking that took place to get there. The path led to a trail, and for those who REALLY know me, you know that i DESPISE hiking, climbing, etc. I'm not so fascinated with spikey leaves and bugs and rough terrain. Just. Not. A. Fan. At. All. But I did it and we got there and I got to fly my kite. :D I also got to take a swim in the frigid water! I kept debating whether or not to do it, but then I was like, "How often do I get to come to the beach?" So I did. And thought it took my breath away (literally) at first, it got better and I really enjoyed it.

As a recap of our adventures, here is a video blog:

PS: Stay on the 5 !

Come Fly With Me

Day 1 Report from the "4th on the 5 Adventures"

Joy and Patsy flew into SeaTac airport on Thursday night. Joy got there around 9:30 and Patsy got there around 11:45. The deal was that when Joy got there, she and I were to go to the rental car place, get the car and then go back to the airport to get Pasty. As we're pulling into the Enterprise Rental Car place, I ask Joy, "You didn't get an SUV, did you?" And she gets this bewildered look in her eyes. "What are you talking about?" she says. I'm like, "The rental car. You didn't rent an SUV, did you (I don't like SUVs)?" and she goes, "I thought YOU were going to rent the car."

epic. fail. on. my. communication skills.

Apparently, we each thought that the other person was going to take care of the rental car. So, after renting the car, we finally drive back to the airport and there's this SUV in the parking garage that keeps getting stuck.



After picking up the girls, we decide to head to Capitol Hill for some dinner. We stop in at this tiny hole in the wall bistro called BLEU, which is odd cause all the mood lighting in the place is red. But we had a great dinner—they have awesome nachos! And then afterwards we walked up and down Broadway and along the way stopped to participate in some sidewalk dancing. :D



Then we headed home and called it a night. :D

No One's Gonna Love You

This weekend was so much fun hanging out with my friends Joy (from Atlanta, GA) and Patsy (from Houston, TX)! We spent the weekend exploring Seattle and much of western Washington, mainly Forks, the 'home of Twilight." I am dubbing this trip, "The 4th on the 5." You'll find out why later :D Here is a sneak preview of some of our adventures:<













More photos and videos to come!