May is Magical

• Fiddler on the Roof: This spring the Pacific Conservatory of Performing Arts's Santa Maria theatre is under renovations and they are performing at other venues. The first weekend of the month my mom and I saw their production of Fiddler on the Roof.  The show was awesome, amazing, inspiring, and so much more. It was funny, emotion packed, and the musical numbers were flawless. I've seen their production of the play before years ago, and I can't even compare them. I felt like I had been catapulted into another place and time, I was part of the show. It is always a sign of a good show when they can evoke all of your emotions in a 3 hour window.... and get you to stand on your feet and applaud until it sounds like the roof is going to cave in.
• Birthday Celebrations: This is the year my best high school friends and I turn 32, and the celebrations have started out pretty fantastically. Even though we didn't go out and party like we may have done 5 years ago, we had an amazing time talking, eating pizza, drinking wine (or other cocktails) and playing board games (apples to apples, trivial pursuit, things, etc.), not to mention getting into heated debates over what it means to be an adult and standing by the choices you make.  My aunt also had a birthday this month and the family celebrated at the Olive Garden and had dessert at my grandparents house.  The food is what you could typically expect at this particular eatery, but I have to say my strawberry margarita was flawless. 
• Wedding Shoot: This month one of my best friends hired me as her second shooter (assistant photographer) for a wedding.  This is the first time I've ever handled my camera in a professional manner, and I have to say that even though it was hard work I loved it. I still have a long way to go before I'd do anything on my own (if ever), but it was such an enjoyable experience that I can't wait to do it again.

• The Departed: One of my favorite bands came to San Luis Obispo this year, they haven't been in California in two years, so this was exciting for me.  One of my friends that I haven't seen much since high school came with me and we had a blast. We started the evening with dinner and pre-show cocktails at the Creekside Brewery then made our way to SLO Brew just in time to see the main act The Departed come on stage.  They played all my favorite songs and more, this is truly an act if you get a chance to see live you should. Their albums are great, but they're even better live. Cody Canada, Seth James, and Jeremy Plato (and the other members of the band) play from the soul and it's evident in their concerts. 

• Memorial Weekend: This year Memorial Weekend held a lot of activities. First of all I am doggie sitting Miss Jersey Girl again, it was a sort of unexpected gig, but we get along great and it's nice to have a pup to watch movies with at night (and to get caught up on True Blood Season 5 just in time for Season 6 to start next month). My friend The Elitist came to visit with her boyfriend and daughter, and shenanigans ensued. We started the visit with a trip to the Klondike Pizza joint in Santa Maria were the little one was excited to throw peanuts on the ground, we forgot to inform her that she should shell them first, oh well, lessons learned. The next day we went to the Annual Strawberry Festival in the Village of Arroyo Grande with my mom where we got to eat Strawberry Kabobs (strawberries and brownies that were skewered and drizzled with white and milk chocolate) and then back to my parents' house for a Memorial Weekend family BBQ. After the BBQ we headed off to the hotel that my friends are staying in (if you're on the Central Coast of California, you should really consider staying at the Hilton Garden Inn in Pismo Beach, it's centrally located, near the beach, and everything that you would expect from a Hilton) for a little relaxation in the hot tub. Finally on Monday we all headed off for Solvang to finish out the weekend.

March Without the Maddness

• Chaperoning an FBLA Trip: This month my aunt needed an additional driver for the Section Conference for a local high school's Future Business Leaders of America Chapter.  This year we took 20+ students to Santa Clarita to compete in several business related events...and after the competitions were completed the students (and chaperone's) headed over to Magic Mountain for a few hours of roller coaster fun, followed by an awards ceremony. This year while the kids were taking tests, making speeches, and watching events I made my way over to the Westfield Mall in Valencia and got my shop on. I bought some super cute jeans, a gorgeous teal flutter sleeved shirt, and some new make up... all the stuff to make a girl feel pretty again. I loved the shirt so much that I wore it out of the store, and it was such a hit that strangers would stop me and tell me how awesome it was. By the time my bank account was gasping for air and begging me to stop, it was time to pick up the kids and make our way over to the Mountain. I was a little nervous about getting back on my favorite rides (because of the vertigo I've been experiencing) but thankfully none of the rides we went on triggered any dizziness or motion sickness.

Miss Jersey Girl

• House-sitting for Mom and Friends:
• Jersey Girl: This month I babysat a new (to me) doggie. Her name is Jersey and she's an adorable rat terrier. I've known her for years, but I've never watched her before, I swear this was one of the easiest doggysitting gigs ever. She puts herself to bed when she's tired (pictured to the right), she likes to cuddle, she's super entertaining, and just generally good company. We'll be hanging out again next month, and I expect it to be a lot of fun.
• Jesse Dog: I also took care of Mr. Dog this month for a week, while my parents took a joint birthday trip to MAUI. I mean I love my dog and having a whole house and laundry available at any time... but still I'm a little jealous that I didn't get to go to the islands.
• Long Lost Friends and Lunch Dates: On the 9th I had lunch with a good friend of mine from HS, we typically meet up every six months or so and catch up on each other's lives over good food. This time we had sushi and lots of relationship stories to chat about. She said something that really stuck with me, and I'll paraphrase the quote for you (I hope I got it right, because it's what I took away from the chat) "Someone must be looking out for you, you keep finding yourself in all these relationships that are just not quite right and you get ripped out of them just before you get trapped. Yes, you get hurt because you cared and they all mattered to you, but you always get out before they can leave permanent damage. Something awesome must be out there waiting for you." It's not saying anything bad about any of the exes, just that they weren't Mr. Right. There was always something in each of the relationships that if things had gotten any more serious it would have left us both miserable and hating each other.... with some of them it was cheating, some was drugs or alcohol abuse, some had anger management issues, and none were quite ready to stop being boys and act like men. 
• Oz the Great and Powerful: My mom, brother's girlfriend, and I had a mini girls' day and went to see the new Oz movie and then did a little shopping after. I wasn't really sure what to expect from the movie, I had heard mixed reviews on it. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised, it was long, but it was entertaining and the make up and special effects were amazing. James Franco was a bit of a creep, but I think that was intended? I hope it was anyway. Shopping was less impressive, but I think it's just because my budget didn't allow me to purchase anything, and the shoes that I was thinking about splurging on didn't quite fit.
• Photo Dates with the Bestie: If you follow that link you can see some of my  favorite pics from the day my BFF and I went out to take my new Nikon out for a spin. The weather was beautiful, my only complaint was that there wasn't a cloud to be seen to add some texture to the skies and that it wasn't later in the growing season for the vineyard pictures. That being said, it was a fantastic day out and about on the Central Coast, and I feel like I really got some great shots.

• The Tempest: After the photo date I had plans with some of of my other friends to see Shakespeare's The Tempest at PCPA that evening. I wasn't very familiar with the play, but after a quick glance at online Spark's Notes I had a general idea of what to expect. Let me tell you, my expectations were FAR EXCEEDED. The play was amazing, it was in the smaller Severson Theatre and had such an intimate feel. The audience really did end up playing a larger role than normal in the production....and I wouldn't have wanted it to be any different. It was funny, it was serious, and it was breath taking. If the show wasn't winding down for it's last couple of performances I'd go again and again and again. 
• Beauty and the Beast at the PAC: On March 20th my aunt and I went to see Disney's Beauty and the Beast, the Broadway version at the Performing Arts Center at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. We arrived a little early and were able to attend a pre-show lecture that was about the origins of the fairytale and fun facts about the production itself. I had no idea that the story was rooted in Roman mythology, and that ancient Roman bitches be crazy (well, I knew that part I guess). Once the lecture was over we were able to be seated for the performance, and from start to finish it was AMAZING. I don't know how the characters like Gaston and LeFou could perform and not bust up laughing mid-line. The sets were gorgeous and costumes were breathtaking, and the songs sounded exactly like what you would expect from a Disney production. There was not a single moment when I was bored or wanted to sneak a peak at the time. I even caught myself mouthing along with the words to the songs, I saved us both the embarrassment of me belting out all the songs like I do when I watch the flick at home.

• Birthday Shenanigans: This year a friend of mine turned 30-something and we celebrated with a family dinner at Rooster Creek Tavern which quickly turned in to roast of everyone at the table, I'm pretty sure no one walked away from the table safe. After dinner the "kids" all met up a few doors down at the Gather Wine Bar in the Village of Arroyo Grande for a post-dinner wine-down and live music. My personal pick for the evening was the Graves 2007 Mourvedre, which was simply divine. Seriously, I was in love.... others at the table tried the flights of white wines, flights of pinot noir and glasses of their other wine options. I don't think anyone was disappointed with their selections. The group splintered again after Gather and just the Zombie Nights girls headed over to Applebee's for a little late night karaoke and dessert. Let me tell you... I owned the freaking bar with my rendition of Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer" and I closed the night out with a duet of Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" because I'm badass (and yes I was 100% sober)... also because I was 100% sober and aware of what was going on around me there are no pictures/videos of this event because....no. We finished our evening in the 5 cities with a midnight (1am) walk on the Pismo Pier and marveled at the beauty of the night...and yes I was still sober.

• Little Sister Turns 21 and Easter with the Family:  This year my baby sister reached that milestone year of 21... and since she hasn't yet developed at taste for alcohol we all enjoyed margaritas, champagne, and other beverages on her behalf... she was a good sport and tried a sip of everything, but wasn't too keen on anything... which I guess in the long run is a good thing. Let's keep her this way, that way I'll always have a DD when I want to go out, right? We also got the news that my (biological) dad and his AMAZING girlfriend are engaged there isn't a date set yet, as the engagement is relatively new. Holidays are always a little bittersweet around the family, it was our first without my great aunt who died late last year, and another reminder that my brother is no longer with us. His 25th birthday would have been April 1st, and his memory was close to the surface for all of us. I'd like to think he was with us in spirit though, I mean who can turn down a margarita (or in my case four)?

• 100+ posts and lots and lots of views: This month I hit a couple milestones on the blog and they're super exciting for me, I made my 100th post and reached 4,300+ views. It means so much to me that you continue to read my posts and come back for more. I've already posted more this year, than in the past two years I have been blogging combined, and I don't see myself slowing down any time soon. I love sharing my experiences, photos, recipes, and life lessons, so as long as you keep reading, I'll keep writing.

November in a Nutshell

It's been another busy month, lots of shopping hanging out with friends and the boy, family time and the beginning of the holiday season. So without further ado here is November in a nutshell.

• The Elections: This was a supercharged election year and there were lots of people who were passionate on both sides of the playing field, and even now still some that are upset/glorifying in the outcome of the race.  The incumbent was re-elected and we shall see how the next four years go in this great country of ours. Whether your side won or lost if you exercised your right to vote you made your voice heard. You may not always get your way, but as long as you do your part to make your opinions heard, our country will continue to be great. 

• Veteran's Day Weekend: Veteran's Day is a day that we say thank you for all the sacrifices that the men and woman in our United States Armed Forces have made for us to keep us free and safe. It's also a three day weekend (for a lot of people, not so much me) in which I house sat for my aunt; took a day trip to Camarillo for to go shopping with my sister, my father's girlfriend, and he came along as well; and my boyfriend came to visit. I found an awesome pair of sunglasses to replace all the scratched ones I have in my collection and the cutest jacket. I had some great laughs with my sister trying on silly hats and getting to spend time with family that I don't normally spend much time with.  Getting to see the boyfriend was a special treat, he wasn't planning on coming to town that weekend, but he was able to get things finished up at school earlier than planned and was able to share his long weekend with me.
• Baby Date: This month I got to visit my friends who had twins about a year and a half ago, I haven't seen them in awhile it was great fun to see how much the boys had grown since I saw them last (I think it was sometime in May or June). It is so neat to get to watch them grow into their personalities and become little boys instead of just babies.





Wine Tasting at Rancho Sisquoc



I made these Turkey Treats for the Big Day

• Thanksgiving: This year we celebrated Thanksgiving with good friends of our family and their family. We did the same last year, and I'm hoping this becomes our new tradition. We have such a great time together and there is very little drama that often surrounds big family events. My boy also came home for this long weekend. He celebrated the day itself with his family, but the Saturday after the holiday we went to a big breakfast at one of my favorite local restaurants (Kay's Country Kitchen in Old Orcutt, if you get a chance you should check it out), visited with his grandma a bit, then went wine tasting at Rancho Sisquoc and Kenneth Volk Vineyards. It was such a nice and relaxing day, something to be really thankful for.

• The Wizard of Oz: While this technically happened on Thanksgiving weekend too, I felt that it needed it's own bullet point. Every year since I was about 5 and was old enought to attend plays at PCPA my mom and I have gone to see their Christmas show. This year was no exception and we saw one of my favorites: The Wizard of Oz. The production was a lot different than in years past in that they used puppets for the munchins, flying monkeys, winkies, the great and powerful Oz, and Toto. It was really interesting to see what they could do with the dolls and how they could bring them to life. The actors who played Dorothy and Crew were phenomenal as usual. PCPA never fails to entertain. I'm so glad that I live in a place where I have amazing theatre in my own backyard.

 



 

Thanks for reading, and until we meet again, I hope you have a safe and wonder filled holiday season.