I hate when I have so much on my mind but I can't seem to get the words out. There's also a fine line that I'm not sure how to cross with how much of my life do I actually want on this blog. How personal should I be getting? Who really cares? Ugh....

Well, on a much cheerier note, I spent today with my sister and my nephew. They drove in from San Diego which was the perfect idea for today! We had fun playing at my house, having lunch and then walking around the shopping center, The Grove. Lucas gets more and more fun to hang out with every time I see him. Seriously, he enjoys holding hands, giving kisses, naming faces in pictures, dancing along to music and occasionally sitting and reading a book. I really wish that I could kidnap him from my sister and have him live with me! : )

Friday Flip-Off #2

Here we are once again on a Friday and I am free to flip-off whatever the hell is bugging me this week. Thank you to my sister over at Letters for Lucas for introducing me to this helpful posting idea and she learned about it through Kludgy Mom.

Here we go!

#1 I am sick and tired of all my endless trips to the grocery store. I am starting to feel like I live in an 8 person household or something... Why am I always going? I guess I haven't been eating out lately but still I'm only buying food for myself... Geez! I have been making one of my fruity smoothies everyday and they take lots of different fruit and juice. But, I still don't understand why I'm always feeling like I'm out of something, whether it be cereal, cotton balls or dish soap. The cashiers at the grocery right by my place are starting to nod and smile when they see me.. pretty soon, they are going to start asking me about my personal life...

#2 A big flip-off to my bangs! They are annoying and I am kind of over them altogether! I am at the odd phase where they are definitely too short to put behind my ear (and that's exactly all I really want to do with them) and they are too long to just lay on my forehead. I did get my hair colored and trimmed a little on Monday but I opted not to cut the bangs. I just think it's time to say goodbye to them....for now....

#3 Fundraising is hard! While I of course know that fundraising is an essential part of finding cures to diseases, it still is no fun at all. I am seriously stressing right now about how on earth I'm going to raise $2,300 for my 60 mile Breast Cancer Walk in October. I've tapped out all my friends and family for my AIDS Half Marathon. Thank you so much guys!!! I guess it's time to hit up some restaurants. Got any other ideas or suggestions?

#4 Flip-off to people moving away from me. Why are my friends always moving? Can't we all just live in the same state at least?! Ugh! A few months ago, my good friend Courtney moved to Ohio and next week another good friend is moving all the way to Boston! Seriously?! I hate it! I am always missing people! It's sad and I know it's a part of life, but it still hurts. : (

#5 Flip-off to being alone in my house! I'm so over it! I want my roomies back STAT!

#6 Flip-off to a blood blister on my right foot that I got last weekend on my 12 miler and will probably rear its super ugly head on this weekend's run and then again just in time for the big half marathon next weekend... Lovely.

I think 6 Flip-Offs will do it for me this week! Whew! I certainly do feel better now.

My First You-Tube Video

This week my roommate and I decided to make a video of us in our kitchen baking my mom's famous banana bread, chocolate and pecan banana bread that is. I know, we are fancy over here! : ) Then, to make it even more exciting, we got all dressed up like Pin-Up girls for it! As I've mentioned plenty of times on my blog, my roommate, Gina, is the mastermind behind an amazing project, Pin-Ups for Vets. Needless to say, we know a lot about the pin-up attire. We hope to make many more videos in the future, of course they won't all take place in the kitchen. Got any ideas for things we could do dressed up like Pin-Ups? Nothing too scandalous, of course!

Check out our video for yourself: Two Pin-Ups Baking Banana Bread

Wordless Wednesdays

Thanks to Rachel over at her blog, You Just Can't Google Everything!, I've learned of several fun new blog posting ideas and today is one of them-"Wordless Wednesdays".

Taking pictures of puppies and children can definitely be a struggle so when you finally get them looking at the camera with a cute face, it's a huge accomplishment. I was really happy with this particular shot of adorable Penny, a 14 week old Shitzu. : )

Going Blond!

Hopefully, you can tell from this picture that I made a big change yesterday to my hair! Yep, I took the plunge and got blond highlights all over. It looks very different in person! Trust me!

I really needed a change and have been talking about going blond for some time now. I knew that going totally blond would be a huge undertaking and potentially harmful to my hair so I settled for scattered highlights throughout my hair. It turned out really well if I do say so myself.

It's amazing what a new hair color will do to your psyche. I feel a lot lighter and more hopeful about the upcoming months ahead. So, if you have been considering a hair change, I highly encourage you to go and get it done. Stop talking about it and just do it!

Now I really feel like a true California Girl with my blond highlights. But please no dumb blond jokes ever! : )

My Parents 41st Wedding Anniversary

41 years ago today, my parents were married. I miss them everyday but days like today are especially difficult. I can't help but wonder how different my life would be today if they were still alive. I am grateful to everything that I learned from them about life and most importantly, love. I certainly could not have asked for two better role models.

Getting to Know You Sunday

Welcome to another one of my simpler and easier postings, "Getting to know you Sundays" which is hosted by MannLand5. Enjoy getting to learn all about ME!

1. If you could host a Reality TV show, which one would it be?

Wow, I have no idea.. I don't think I could ever just host, I would want to be in on the action as well. I think I would enjoy helping people with their problems, whether it's about serious career issues, love lives, family and friend quarrels and everything else under the sun. I've been watching Real World so my mind is on that show. Hmmm, how I could I be a part of that show but not actually be one the people living in that house??

2. Do you put your seat belt on before or after you start the car?

Immediately after. It's been kinda hot here lately, so I want to get the car cooled.

3. Shave or hair removal cream?

Definitely shave. Call me crazy but I find it somewhat relaxing especially if I'm doing it in the bath! : )

4. What's your favorite feature in a house?

I love breakfast nooks and high ceilings with tall windows. I also love islands in kitchens.

5. What is your favorite "Fall" scent?

Probably anything cooking in the kitchen on Thanksgiving-turkey, stuffing, pecan pie...

6. What TV show are you looking forward to seeing the most this Fall??

Well, now that I don't have TV, I haven't even thought about upcoming TV shows. So, I have no idea...maybe Grey's Anatomy.

7. Personal Shopper or Personal Chef?

Oh, of course, a personal chef! I would have them create healthy amazing food for me everyday. Plus, I enjoy shopping from time to time.

8. What is the first word that comes to mind when you think of "Fall"?

Sweaters.

I RAN 12 MILES!

Today I ran a whopping 12 mile training run to get ready for my upcoming Half Marathon. It's September 5th which is very very soon! But after completing today's 12 mile run, I'm not worried at all about it. Whew! Thank goodness for this amazing training program provided by the APLA (AIDS Project Los Angeles). I never would have gotten to this stage on my own.

Here I am after running 12 miles, feeling pretty good but definitely ready to sit down and stop running!



This is me with two other Half Marathon participants. We were happy to sit down and relax after the run. It was a little tough getting up though. Isn't it neat that they gave us medals today?!


This is my pace group after the run. We were missing several people today but we still had to get a picture altogether at mile 12! What an amazing accomplishment! The half marathon will be a piece of cake now for us!

My First Friday Flip-Offs

I've seen how therapeutic "Friday Flip-Offs" are for my sister on her blog so I am going to join the band wagon and start doing them too. Thanks to Kludgy Mom for creating this helpful meme. Here we go!

#1 I am having trouble dealing with how hot it has been lately here in LA during the day... We don't have air conditioning so that makes it almost unbearable in my house. Thankfully, I am told there aren't too many hot days like this so that's good to know. I know I really shouldn't be complaining-I'm not in hot AZ anymore but AC's make all the difference! Right?!

#2 My neighbors downstairs don't read my blog so I feel comfortable flipping them off on here! They are extremely loud and may have adorable dogs but they are also loud and obnoxious pretty much all day long! They even still sometimes bark when I come and go. Another neighbor to the right of my house also has a super annoying little dog that manages to bark even more than my downstairs' neighbor's dogs... I can hear them all right now even!!! WTF!

#3 Flip-Off email hackers!! My Hotmail account has been infiltrated three times in the past week and a half so I finally decided to say "Sayonara" to that account. From now on, email me at my Gmail account. So, take that hackers! Why are they even doing this?

#4 I hate that when I don't run for a few days, when I do finally get back to it, it hurts so much and it's hard to get back into it. So I guess I'd like to flip off my body for just not getting back into it naturally. When will it get easier? I can't always run everyday so my body needs to figure this out asap!

#5 I would like to flip-off any and all drama currently in my life. I hope it all goes away soon.

Picture Time!

So please don't be mad at me, I know I haven't posted anything new to my blog in over a week but I haven't felt inspired. However, this doesn't mean I haven't done anything interesting and worth writing about here in LA. I just haven't been in the mood to write about what I'm doing. Now, instead of stressing myself out and attempting to write a full post about everything that I've done over the past week, I'm going to post a few pictures and explain what's going on in them. Enjoy these highlights!



This week I went to Lake Arrowhead, California to help my roommate and friend Gina shoot her 2011 Pin Ups for Vets Calendar. It is a beautiful place and I fell in love with the lake's serene beauty. It was such an awesome experience helping her shoot the calendar and I look forward to seeing this final results. Little did I know but I actually have kind of a knack for this kind of work. Gina and her mom kept telling me that I would make an amazing production assistant. I have to admit, I really enjoyed taking on that role and am certainly seeing what there is out there for me in this field. Stay tuned for her calendar, I know it's going to be incredible!



On Saturday I did what I set out to do and raised $200 which meant that I had to dress up like a Pin Up and run an easy 6 mile recovery run. I know this picture is of me with a sign that says 11 miles but I actually ran that two weeks ago but I just had to get a picture standing next to it. Running 6 miles in a dress, full makeup, big earrings, and a pearl necklace wasn't all that difficult actually. I'll be running 12 miles this Saturday. The half marathon is just two short weeks away! Aaaaahhh!!



Last week I helped take care of this little guy named Max. He may look a little pissed in this picture, he was actually a very happy boy. We got along very well and I loved spending time with him. His mom had some surgery done and needed to rest and recover and have someone be at their house and help her with Max. That's where I came in! I changed his diapers, fed him, moved him in and out of his crib, took him on walks to the park, gave him nightly baths, read to him and of course played with him. I had a lot of fun and look forward to babysitting him in the future.




My sister and I saw the fabulous Lady Gaga in concert last Thursday night and it was amazing! Seriously, that lady is so talented! It was probably one of the best concerts I've ever been to. I was thoroughly entertained the entire time and was definitely on my feet dancing to every single song. Her outfits were of course crazy and beautiful. I am proud to call myself one of her 'little monsters'. You'll know what I'm talking about if you are a fellow Lady Gaga fan. : )

Tasty Tuesday 1

I really had no idea what to blog about today so I am thankful to my sister for introducing me to Alicia's (A Beautiful Mess) and her "Tasty Tuesdays" post today.

I''ve never really been a big fan of recipes. Generally, I would much rather throw a bunch of stuff together in a bowl and see what happens. I love tossing in this spice or that vegetable and tasting it until I am happy with it. Of course if I'm making food for other people then I'll always follow a recipe from one of my many cook books. I want them to be happy with the meal and then if they aren't, I can always blame the recipe! Haha!

I do love that I can now successfully make my mom's delicious chocolate chip and pecan banana bread muffins without referring to the recipe. They are amazing and my roommates have gotten to eat them many times since I moved here.


This week I've really gotten back into making smoothies and I am now vowing to have one a day. Again, I'm not using recipes, I just throw a bunch of fruit and some orange juice in the blender and voila, I have a refreshing and healthy smoothie! I usually put in one banana, a handful of strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, one orange and one pear. Tomorrow I'm going to try putting in slices of apples. Smoothies are certainly a great way to get your daily rush of vitamin C and all the other fruitful nutrients. Yum! I kind of want another one but I had one this morning already.

Hot Air Balloons!

Today I'm entering Mama Kat's Photo Of The Week Link Up for the first time. I know this picture doesn't have children or animals in it or for that matter, people, I hope it still counts.

From my earlier post, you'll see that I spent a few hours at the Del Mar racetrack. Suddenly, I looked up and saw all these neat hot air balloons in the sky. It was such a cool sight that I had to capture it. The pictures really don't do it justice but I think you'll get what I mean. It almost didn't even look real and kind of cartoonish like. Riding in a hot air balloon is definitely on my bucket list! Have you done it and if not, do you want to?

Where the turf meets the surf

So not only did I run 11 miles yesterday, I also proceeded to drive to San Diego and back. I can't begin to tell you how amazing my bed felt at the end of the day.

But it was all worth it! First of all my 11 mile training run was amazing! I knew that I needed to get on the road to San Diego so I really pushed it on the run and in fact, I ran about 2-3 minutes faster than my normal pace. Whew! I actually didn't even run with my pace group at all. Sorry guys!

Then I rushed home for a quick shower and jumped in the car with my friend to make the drive to SD. I figured that it would take us about an hour and half to get there but oh no....

The traffic was just awful!! Seriously, it has never been that bad on a Saturday afternoon before. I had no idea what was going on but it was B-A-D! Anyway, once we finally got there, we headed straight for the Del Mar racetrack which is about 20 miles north of the city. We met up with my sister and her husband there. It was a beautiful sunny day-perfect for a day with the horses.

Who would have thought that watching horses race for a few hours could be so much fun?! I really got into it and even won some money! Ok, so I only made $40 but hey, I only spent $8 to make that $40 so that's something, right? Del Mar has been around since 1937. It really is a lot of fun and I encourage anyone looking for something fun and different to do in Southern California to spend a day there. Even if you aren't into gambling, it's still fun to watch others get excited and of course to root for your favorite horse. Plus, there's food and booze to keep you occupied too. I don't know anything about horse racing, but I picked horses that seem to have pretty good odds and with interesting names.. I know that's not the right way to pick 'em but it seemed to work for me yesterday!

The very first race on opening day starts at 2pm when the track announcer begins each racing season with his trademark call: "And there's the roar from the Del Mar crowd as the (year) Del Mar meet is underway."

Running Post #7/Fundraising Letter

I just sent out the following email to all my friends and family in hopes of getting more money for my half-marathon for AIDS. This email is a little different though, I have created a fun incentive to get people excited about it... Check it out! : ) Oh and as a side note, on my training run tomorrow morning, I'll be running a whopping 11 MILES!! Aaaaahhh!!! Wish me luck because I am super nervous!!

Hey Everyone,

Ok guys, so in order to entice you to donate to my AIDS Half-Marathon, I've decided to copy a fellow Half-Marathon participant. He has raised a ton of money by creating deadlines for his friends and family.

This is what he did: He told them that he if he raised $X by DATE, he would wear a Brownie Costume on his 8 mile run and then he did it again and promised to wear an Athena costume on another long run!! And he really did!! He filmed it and took pictures and posted them all over the place.

So, here I go!!! If I raise $200 from you all by August 14th, I will dress up as a Pin Up girl for my 6-mile run! What do you think?! I'll take a million pictures and post them on Facebook, my blog, etc...

Just think, I could be dressed like this while running 6 miles!

Now back to the serious stuff, I've challenged myself to participate in a half marathon training program that is simultaneously motivating me to run hundreds of miles and helping to bring an end to the devastating effects that HIV/AIDS still has on our society.

Every dollar that someone gives helps improve the quality of life for someone less fortunate. APLA offers dental care, mental health care, bus passes, food banks, health referrals, job training, prevention courses and advocacy on a local, state and federal level. All donations are tax deductible.

It's not too late to donate! I know some of you were waiting for paydays; waiting for a more convenient moment; waiting for a reminder from me... so here it is! Please visit my AIDS Marathon home page and donate today! And remember that I might be dressing up like a Pin Up girl on next Saturday's run!

Thanks for being amazing!! And for all of your generous, generous support!!!

Love,

Leah

Click here to visit my personal page.

If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web address:

http://apla.convio.net/site/TR/Events/NationalAIDSMarathonTrainingProgram-MARATHONONLY?px=1490081&pg=personal&fr_id=1070&et=VVrx9Zu3iPhbRzlSbTaIKw..&s_tafId=7201

Celebrating Love

Today my sister and her husband have been married 3 years! Woo hoo! They have been through so much in three short years but have overcome it all and are doing pretty darn awesome today. I know I do this all the time but whatever, her blog is just too sweet not to share with you..check out her blog for today's darling post about her husband and their relationship thus far, Letters for Lucas. Well, happy third anniversary you two! I love you both very much and I look forward to sharing many more wonderful memories together.

It got me thinking about love and how you know you are with the person that you are going to be with forever? Forever is a really really long time. I have trouble keeping the furniture in my room in the same position for too long... Yikes! I know they all say that when you meet the right person, you'll just know, but what if you don't? What if you never get that feeling? Or what if you just never that person? Then what? I suppose the entire dating process to get to that point is fun and by fun I mean frustrating, complicated, and certainly at times absolutely wonderful. Go ahead and call me a hopeless romantic.

So last month, I wrote the following letter to my nephew to put on my sister's blog so I thought that this would be a perfect time to share it on my blog seeing as this is what I'm talking about today. Enjoy!

Dear Lucas,

So, what exactly does it mean to be the "perfect guy"? It’s kind of funny for me to think about you and dating right now but you are not going to be a little guy forever and will eventually be interested in the ladies. Having said that, there’s no rush at all. You have your whole life to stress about girls and learn what makes women tick. Take your time and enjoy the process of meeting your Ms. Right.

Okay, so there’s no beating around the bush, dating can be tough. In fact, maintaining a solid relationship is tough too. It’s all tough. While dating can be complicated and frustrating and at times exhausting, it can be incredible too. When you find someone whom you want to spend your time with and whom you have more than just ‘friend’ feelings towards, it can be one of the best feelings in the world. When you are really involved, everything just feels better. Food tastes yummier, colors are brighter and even music sounds more amazing. I can’t explain it but this all really does happen. I can’t wait until you experience all this for the first time. There is nothing like your first love. So, please call your aunt and fill her in!

Of course you have to consider yourself lucky when that person you care for, cares for you right back. Trust me, so far in my dating life, I’ve had numerous crushes but maybe only a couple guys have actually reciprocated those feelings back at me. It can be very sad and certainly a self-esteem killer, but like the saying goes, there are a lot of fish in the sea.

Now I’m sure your mom and dad have already told you all this or you have picked it up somewhere else no doubt, but a month or so ago I created the ultimate “Perfect Guy” list, so I thought that I would share a few things I learned from my research. While compiling this list may have been fun, it’s really not that practical. There are really no set characteristics girls need to have in their perfect guy. It's all feelings and connections. Having a list will ruin all that. We just need to make sure that we are open to love, every kind of love. It's really not supposed to make sense or fit a mold or a list. Another thing to keep in mind is that most girls just want a guy who can have hot dogs and beers at a baseball game during the day...then wine and dine them at the Met later at night. Personally, I love a guy who can make me laugh. An awesome sense of humor is very important to me. You are already cracking me up at just a year old so I’m sure you’ll be good on that.

Lady Gaga is a Genius!

I'm getting ridiculously excited for the Lady Gaga concert I'm going to with my sister next Thursday. She is such an amazing entertainer and I really cannot get enough of her music. She seriously has it all going on! I mean, this girl can sing, dance, play the piano, write incredibly catchy and melodic music and entertain. There is nothing she can't do! My sister wrote a perfect post about her in her blog, Letters for Lucas. I completely agree with her, I believe Lady Gaga is a genius.

I really love the latest article about her in the July issue of Rolling Stone. "As she puts it over and over in the show, she is a 'free bitch,' and the audience should be too; free not just of society's pressures to conform but also of letting the men in their lives control or define them. She sees her audience as a collection of mini versions of her socially and romantically rejected self, telling them at one point, "Let's raise a glass to mend all the broken hearts of my fucked up friends." Her success is the ultimate misfit's revenge". I just love this. It's such a powerful and inspiring message.

Later on in the article, Lady Gaga says, "I guess what I'm trying to say is, this is show biz for me. It might not be show biz for the rest of you, but for me, this is show biz. If I were to ever, God forbid, get hurt onstage and my fans were screaming outside of the hospital, waiting for me to come out, I'd come out as Gaga. I wouldn't come out in sweatpants because I busted my leg or whatever." She also goes on to admit that she doesn't even drink water on stage because she doesn't want to appear 'human' to her audiences. Wow, she definitely takes performing to the next level. I am sure the concert is going to be so awesome. Stay tuned for all the details!

So, can I please get a job working for her?!

Getting to Know You Sunday 3

Here are this Sunday's questions:

1. If you were to win an award today, what would it be for?

Wow, I don't know.. Maybe the award for best long-distance friend. Seriously, I am great at keeping in touch with my friends that don't live near me. I am always calling, texting, emailing, and of course all of our favorite, sending real handwritten letters and cards. Don't you wanna be my friend now? Haha!

2. What is your shoe style?

I like a combination of comfort and style. I really love the way high heels look but I really can't walk in them. I suppose I just need more practice but I usually can't handle being in them too long. My feet are very sensitive and I feel like they are always recovering from a blister of some kind. And now thanks to all the running I've been doing, I have to endure all the feet issues that come with that. Honestly, I love being barefoot and wish we could all just be barefoot all the time but that's not practical or sanitary. Lately, I have been digging the strappy sandles which are perfect for the summer.

3 Does your car reflect your personality?

This is an interesting question. I'm not too sure. I own a simple silver Nissan Altima. I would like to think that I'm a little more exciting and interesting then this car. However, my Altima is very reliable, safe and strong. That's me, right?

4. If you could take over someones body for a day..whose would you choose?

Is it weird that I think I would pick Lady Gaga?! I think she is awesome and totally crazy. Her fashion sense is fabulously odd and she makes amazing catchy music. Not to mention, she is incredibly talented and has millions of fans all over the world! Sign me up! But just for a day!

5. Love or be loved?

I had a conversation today about this with a friend and I think that I would have to choose to be loved. Right? We all just want to be loved.

6. If you were on death row, what last meal would you choose?

Easy- Mac and cheese(extra cheese), a baked potato, some cottage cheese, and a big slice of pecan pie and maybe some chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream too.

7. Have you been on vacation this Summer, if so where?

Yeah, I've been on a few fun trips so far this summer-I went to Vegas, Wyoming/Utah, Phoenix and several quick trips to San Diego.

8. What is your favorite food related guilty pleasure?

I love those yogurt frosted pretzels from Trader Joes. I would love to eat an entire bag when I first open them. I'm sure there are other things but all I can think of now are those delicious salty-sweet goodness.

Beach and Burns

Now I really feel like it's summertime, I had such a lovely day today laying out at the beach with my two awesome roommates! It was the perfect weather to be there and it wasn't super crowded so that was an added bonus. We enjoyed the beach for about two hours and then we drove further into Santa Monica for a very nice lunch. It was made even better by the bottomless mimosas that we had! Yay! My roommates and I hardly ever go out and do things altogether so this made the day even sweeter. We definitely need to hang out more often! Ok, ladies?!

So no matter what I do, I'm bound to always get two awful things in life, cavities and bad sun burns. Seriously, no matter what I do! Ugh! I am so annoyed with my skin today! I swear, I kept re-applying sunscreen during those two hours at the beach but somehow I still managed to get a pretty bad sun burn all over the back of my legs and upper thighs. I can't even sit down without hurting! Aloe Vera will my best friend this week.

Here are three of my favorite pics from today, pre-burn : )