Saturday, February 26, 2011

Another awesome visitor!!


I am currently spending this very rainy LA weekend with my dear close friend, Emily. She is visiting me all the way from Wyoming. We've known each other for 13 long years and I definitely consider her like another sister of mine. There's nothing I cant tell her and there's nothing I wouldn't do for her. We are so similar sometimes it's scary!

I've talked about her before in this
post and also in this post.

Emily has never been to Los Angeles before so I hope to show her the sights of sounds of this crazy city. It's also Emily's birthday on Sunday so I need to make this an especially fun weekend for her. So I know this may make me sound like I'm a big dork/really awesomely organized but I actually typed up an itinerary for us for the weekend. However, this rainy weather is really spoiling this so called plan! Boo! Got any rainy weather favorite activities? I'm thinking we will probably be spending more time in museums. That could of course be fun too. I'm sure we'll have a good time together, no matter what we do!

What are you up to this weekend?

Friday, February 25, 2011

Curling Irons are Evil!!/Wonderful World of Mini Tripods

This post is about the evils of curling irons and this awesome mini tripod on the right that I got in the mail recently to review on my blog. Yep, I have turned into one of those shameless bloggers that will review products! But, in all honesty, I really have been needing one of these so it came at the perfect time. As you all know my roommate and I make these awesome YouTube videos and usually we have to prop the camera against a book, a TV, a tree, really anything that we find so this tripod will make things a lot easier for us.

Now back to the evils that are curling irons for a bit... Last Saturday as I mentioned in a previous blog this week, I attended a fabulous 80's Prom Birthday Bash.

It was a lot of fun getting into my 80's wardrobe which of course means breaking out the hairspray, mousse and the dreaded curling iron.

I don't use my curling iron
very often, especially not around my bangs! I'm not really entirely sure the proper technique to use a curling iron and therefore my curls usually end up looking rather messy and undone. Thanks to plenty of hairspray, I was actually somewhat impressed with how my hair was turning out this particular night. Perhaps I was getting too ambitious and cocky..who knows... I had been watching YouTube videos earlier in the day on how to do 80's style bangs and I thought I had it nailed down and could totally accomplish it. So, I went for it, I sprayed hair spray on my bangs, grabbed the curling iron and proceeded to 80's curl my bangs. I didn't go slowly like I should have and pay attention to the proximity of where my forehead and curling was. Thus, I burned my forehead. Not once. But twice. It was bad.

At the time, I cried out in pain but I knew I had to get ready and didn't have the time to really investigate the damage I had done. So, I finished my hair and thankfully, my huge 80's bangs covered any evidence of self-mutilation. However, the next day I soon realized what I had done to myself!!

These photos were taken two days ago so of course the two burns have slightly faded since last Saturday. It's pretty intense, right?! I still can't believe that that second I left the curling iron rest on my forehead was enough to cause all this damage! Thanks to aloe vera, they are looking and feeling much better now but a few days ago, they really hurt and looked like I had some kind of a skin issue on my forehead!


I took those pictures above with this really neat mini tripod I was sent. Yay! I received it from BudgetGadgets.com. They are an online retailer/wholesaler located in Shenzhen, China, dedicated to selling quality electronic gadgets and great service at wholesale price with free shipping to anywhere since 2003. I got an email from their PR manager several months ago and she asked me if I would be interested in reviewing a tripod and I told her yes, yes, of course!



Their online store sells accessories for iPods, iPhones and iPads, Cellphone Accessories, PC/Laptop Accessories, Video Game Accessories, Car Accessories, Sport, lasers, Toys and Hobbies, watches, etc.

So, anyway, back to this particular tripod, it's their portable flexible tripod for digital cameras. It's item #4652 and it sells on their website for $11.23. Their description on the site definitely accurately describes this tripod. Let's see, it enables extra security to ensure your camera is safely attached to it. I accidently dropped the tripod and the camera certainly stayed nice and snug in the tripod! Yay! This also proves that it stays connected to your camera for nearly instant setup. It is made of hard plastic, which is very strong and flexible. It can bend and rotate 360 degrees to form multiple shapes to best fit your tripod needs.
So, if this all doesn't sell you on this guy, nothing will! : )

The company also awesomely created a coupon for my visitors! The coupon code is leahainla5OFF. So
when you shop on their website, BudgetGadgets.com, use this code at checkout and you will be given a 5% off discount site-wide. Pretty cool, huh? I certainly never thought that I would be given a discount code for a gadget website to offer my followers when I started this blog about a year ago! Too funny!


Thursday, February 24, 2011

Bye Bye Birdie

It's been awhile so I thought that I would enter Mama Kat's Writing Workshop this week. The prompt that I chose was "describe a time when someone was proud of you".

Of course my parents were proud of me a lot but one time in particular that stands out in my mind was when I was one of the leads in a production of "Bye Bye Birdie" in 10th grade. We were living in Yangon, Myanmar at the time. For a recap of why I was overseas for school, check out this post.

Anyway, I played Rosie, Albert's Spanish singing secretary girlfriend. It was definitely a lot of work! There were daily intense rehearsals that seemed to last forever, lots of dance practices, singing lessons, many lines to memorize, dress fittings and a lot more.

The summer before my 10th grade year, back in the states my mom and I rented the movie version of "Bye Bye Birdie". We watched it together in her bedroom and she said that she could totally picture me playing Rosie and really hoped that I would get that part. When I came home from auditions and told her that I did indeed land the role of Rosie she was ecstatic, she smiled and gave me a big hug. My dad was over the moon too. From that day on, my parents bragged to anyone that would listen that their daughter was playing Rosie in "Bye Bye Birdie". They were incredibly supportive of me throughout the entire process.

On the night of the first performance, my pare
nts walked into my room while I was getting ready to head to school, with a large bouquet of flowers in their hands. They were so proud of me and I hadn't even done the show yet. I'll never forget that moment in my room for as long as I live. My mom was teary eyed even. I promised myself right then that I would do the best possible job that night and the next night up on stage playing Rosie.

Well, the show went off without a hitch. My parents were sitting in the front and center row and throughout the show, I continued to look at their radiant faces. It definitely got me to keep up my energy on stage. There are a million pictures from the show but sadly they are all in my high school scrapbook which is currently in Arizona so I don't have any of those for you to see. All I have is this one that I took a picture of. It was taken right after the show was over.
My parents were always telling me how proud they were of me. After every accomplishment, big or small, they let me know how proud they were. That's all I ever wanted, that's all I do want now, I just want to make them proud of me. I was so proud of the both of them.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Interviews....

Part of this blog is about my ultimate quest to get into the music industry here in Los Angeles, so I think it's time that I update you on that search.

To say it's been difficult and challenging would be a serious understatement.

Since moving here, I've been on roughly about 20 marketing/music/entertainment/promotional interviews! Crazy, right?!

Before coming to LA, I would get incredibly nervous before every interview. I would stress entirely way too much about my outfit, my hair, if the shoes matched my clothes and if I had all the right paperwork. These endless worries usually were accompanied by stomach cramps as well. It was all because I hadn't had a lot of experience with interviews. I didn't know what to expect from them and I didn't know what exactly an interviewer would want to hear me say. I would get so nervous that they were judging every single move I made in that room and everything I said to them. I mean, it's like you are under this huge magnifying glass. Every detail of your professional career past is being scrutinized.

However, since I've gone on so many first and second interviews since moving here, I find myself not nervous at all now. I've gone through this interview routine so many times I now know what they are going to ask and I know exactly what to say to make me sound like the best candidate for the job. That's really what it's all about-they want to find the perfect person for the position. They want to be happy and I think ultimately they would you to be happy with the job too. I can't fault them for all that, right?

Sadly, despite all these numerous interviews that have gone supposedly really well, I've yet to land the job of my dreams. Grrr!! A variety of things have happened; they either say I lack the necessary experience needed for the position, they've decided to move an intern or temp into the job, they no longer are hiring because of the bad economy or this last one, the person whose job I was applying for decided not to quit after all. Geesh!! That's totally unfair, right? I mean.. why waste my time and theirs with the interview in the first place?! So frustrating!
I did get a very sweet email from the CEO of the company who I interviewed with last week.
He said:

"Hi Leah ...
I wanted to reach out and thank you for coming out to apply as my assistant. As you know my current assistant, Erin was going to accept another position, and she had a change of heart about the working environment at her new company. So, she's decided to stay on and has recommitted to working here. I am sorry this didn't work out, but you are a bright and charming person, and I know that you will land something soon. We will hang onto your resume for the future. You are someone we'd like to have in our company one day -- I was very impressed with your enthusiasm and knowledge."

While that's nice and all, it's still a major bummer that a great interview got me nowhere... Boo hoo.

Now what? Well, I have another interview next week that I'm very hopeful about so we'll see how that goes. Wish me luck! I've been told that persistence, determination and passion are key to getting a job in the field that I really want.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Biutiful

Last Friday night I saw Biutiful. "Biutiful is a love story between a father and his children. This is the journey of Uxbal, a conflicted man who struggles to reconcile fatherhood, love, spirituality, crime, guilt and mortality amidst the dangerous underworld of modern Barcelona." I found this description online and really couldn't have explained it better myself. This dark and haunting film really shook me to the core and I still haven't been able to get the images from it out of my head.

I don't want to give too much away since I hate when others do that. All I'll say is that several scenes in the movie really hit home with me and I found myself tearing up more than usual during the film. Thank goodness I heard lots of sniffles all around me. Even after getting home from the theater, I still felt an intense sadness and I couldn't even be around people. So I said goodnight to my roomies and went to bed fairly early.

For the record I didn't know what this movie was going to be about. I had a feeling it would be in Spanish meaning that there would be subtitles but that wasn't a big deal to me. Despite how melancholy I felt after seeing the movie, I don't want to be the type of person that refuses to see movies because of how they might make me feel afterward. I don't want to be that sensitive. Plus, I think there was a part of me that needed that kind of release on Friday. I needed it and therefore I don't regret seeing it.

Have you seen "Biutiful" yet? What did you think about it? Javier Bardem truly is an amazing actor-he can do anything! Are there movies that you've seen and just can't get out of your head and quite simply, just won't see again if at all?

Monday, February 21, 2011

Hangover Hell

While I had a blast this past Saturday night at an awesome 80's Prom Birthday Party (I'll post a few pics later), one thing was made significantly clear to me-I cannot drink like that anymore! YIKES!

Note to self, you are not 21 and therefore you cannot drink like you did back then. Granted that was only about 6 years ago, but my body just can't handle that much alcohol now. Sadly, I don't even think I had too much to drink and I didn't even have a bunch of different drinks-I stuck with cranberry vodkas all night. I think I had 5 or 6... oh then there was that gross shot... Maybe the bartender was more generous than I thought. Plus, I even ate a full dinner midway through the party and
drank plenty of water throughout earlier in the day. WTF!

I literally spent all day yesterday feeling miserable in bed. Thankfully, the hangover nausea didn't set in until I got home the morning after the party and was safe and sound in my bed. But oh man, it was terrible and didn't really subside until around 11pm last night. Sadly, it wasn't even comical like the movie, "Hangover". Not. at. all.

Do other 20 somethings out there get this badly hungover too? Please tell I'm not alone in this hell! I remember the good ole college days when my friends and I could go out and drink ourselves silly and then wake up the next day and go to class and/or work feeling fine and then go out again at night. We had this kind of schedule for all those years in college! So, what happened between then and now? Is my liver shrinking? Is my age really to blame for this? Perhaps it's because I just don't drink like that anymore. Now all I can take is a glass or two of wine at night and I am good to go.

Regardless of the aftermath, it was a totally radical party-is that 80's enough for you?! Haha

Friday, February 18, 2011

Fill in the Blank Friday


1. I am grateful for so many wonderful things in my life.

2. The bravest thing I've ever done was.. Gosh, I don't know, this is hard. At the time, it didn't seem brave to me but looking back on it, I know that dealing with the loss of my parents was brave and going to Tunisia to face the school they were working at took courage I really didn't know I had.

3. I feel prettiest when I've had PLENTY of time to do my hair and it's cooperated with me, I've shaved my legs and gotten a great sweaty workout in during the day.

4. Something that keeps me awake at night is just silly silly worrying. This hasn't happened in awhile but if there is something big coming up that I'm anxious about, I can never seem to calm my brain down.

5. My favorite meal in the entire world is plain and simple mac and cheese. I don't eat it hardly ever but it's definitely got to be my all-time favorite.

6. The way to my heart isn't very hard. All I need is someone who is easy to get along with, has a positive attitude and wants to get the most out of life.

7. I would like to find a full time job that mentally challenges me and makes me want to get out of bed every morning.

Mindshare

Last night I attended a really neat event called Mindshare in downtown Los Angeles. It's a unique monthly event that joins people all over LA to learn about new and exciting topics. They call it "enlightened debauchery". There was also a few bars with pretty inexpensive cocktails and even a live jazz band entertaining us as we waited for the lecture to start.

Last night's topic was all about SEX! How appropriate since Valentines Day was just a few days ago. Yep, we heard speakers lecture on....

How Sex, the Red Queen and Parasites Control the World
"If you think your relationship is rough, just be glad that you're not a cockroach. Join us as we explore the oddest, most dramatic and sometimes comically unlikely relationships in the world and why we have parasites to thank for sex."


and

Sensual Foods: Aphrodesia and the 6th Sense
"Food is energy. And if we do not feed ourselves delicious, joyful, fantastic things, we cannot move forward positively. My work explores the role of delight in consumption experiences and offers ways to not only rethink, but enjoy this thing called life."

and lastly

A Brief History of Masturbation
"Did you know that cornflakes and graham crackers were originally created to curb people's desire to masturbate? This talk will explore our love / hate affair with mastabatory practices, taking us from the proposed cures for hysteria to the role of masturbation in pop culture."


It was certainly an educational night and I look forward to attending more of these Mindshare events in the near future.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Wordless Wednesdays

So, I've been pretty busy lately doing all kinds of different things and have taken some fun pictures so here's what I've been up to......

The roomies and some other friends and I spent a few glorious hours at the beach on Sunday afternoon. It was beautiful and sunny for awhile and then....



it got dark and kind of eerie looking so we put on our clothes and played games at the beach instead! Hey, at least we stuck around!

Valentines Day Wine & Dessert party with my roomies!


Me with the Valentines Day hostess with the mostess, Co
rinne!


My roommate Swa
ti and I at a friend's pub crawl.


My roommate Gina and friend Jennahway and I at a Pin-Up Pageant show!


This was my favorite dress of the show. I just love polka dots!


On Saturday I ran a 20 mile training run!! Woo hoo!! It went really well and I can honestly say that I think I'm ready for the Full Marathon next month! Wow, I can't believe I just said those words!

Monday, February 14, 2011

Hot Hands (Guest Blogger)

Since moving to LA, I've met all kinds of incredibly interesting people and some of them happen to be aspiring actresses, musicians and even writers. Well, one friend in particular, Daisy, already is an amazing writer and I asked her over the weekend to write something for me to include in last week's The Red Dress Club's writing meme, Red Writing Hood. The prompt was to write a piece that begins with the line, "I could never have imagined" and ends with the line, "Then the whole world shifted." I am so touched at what Daisy has written and can't wait to read more of her work.

So, without further ado, here is "Hot Hands":


I could never have imagined how warm a man could be. I don’t mean metaphorically warm, though he was, particularly when he tired of showing off, of talking faster than most people listened. Then he’d have time for a slow smile, for me.
He was warm to the touch, as if in constant fever. I was always cold, especially my hands. He noticed the first time he held them in his hot ones. I muttered an old kernel I kept for such moments with men: “Cold hands, warm heart.”
“What does that make me?” he asked. No one had ever asked that.
“Hot hands….” I started.
“I’ll win,” he said, facing his palms toward the sky. I hovered mine above his, the space between narrow as a matchbook. I’d moved not an inch before he hit, his hands stretched taut so they smacked noisily, reddening my skin.
We met just as the weather was getting colder, at a karaoke bar, where I ate chicken wings while he sang tunelessly a song best left to sopranos. He walked me to my car, smoked three cigarettes with me only, he later confessed, to stay close. I leaned on his shoulder, he switched the smoke to his left hand so he could enclose me with his right. He talked too fast even then, perhaps from nerves, about something I forgot as soon as he spoke.
Weeks later, in his bed, I’d curl from cold, knees to chin, and he would wrap around me. My hands would find his chest, or his stomach, his hottest parts, and my feet would lie flat across his thighs. In only moments I would hear his breath grow long and low, feel his arm sink heavily on my waist, watch in near-dark his lips part. If I couldn’t fall asleep and wanted him awake, for company, for whispers, I’d say, “Where’s your mouth?”, and start to kiss blindly whatever skin I met. He’d laugh himself awake. In one of these liminal moments he told me he loved me, and I never believed him , even if the words made me feel still warmer, more tightly enclosed. He was always self-contained. He didn’t need me.
We spent all our nights this way, as close as we could be, reaching some shared temperature, the slightest high, until the weather thawed. Then we were a tangle of discarded blankets, outstretched limbs. I’d turn my back to him, inching to the edge of the bed. Neither of us spoke after lying down, not a good night, not an I love you, not a where’s your mouth.
It was a summer night when he told me he was seeing someone else. We were flat on our backs in his bed, apart, staring at the ceiling.
“Who?” I asked.
He whispered a name I knew. She had small hands, dwarf hands, the temperature of which I did not know.
“Why?” I asked.
“You don’t love me,” he said.
“You don’t love me,” I said.
“I did,” he said.
I sat up and swung one leg over him so we were face to face, and I was above him. His heat hit my thighs. I put my long left hand around his throat, gently, felt him swallow, felt his stubble. I smiled.
“What does she feel like?” I asked.
He didn’t answer. I might have screamed it. I felt blood in my face and in all my limbs, a movement, a fury. I straightened my right hand and drew its fingers taut. I pulled my arm back and swung it down, my palm hitting his cheekbone, hard and loud, reddening his skin. I broke into sweat and heavy breaths and pulled back my strange hand and lifted myself off him. I was burning. The whole world shifted.

New Music Monday

I can always and forever count on music to be my Valentine. So I thought it would be appropriate to resurrect New Music Monday today. Happy Valentines Day blogging friends!

Here is a short list of a few songs that I've recently downloaded and loved!
  1. Mumford and Sons - The Cave Apparently I am late to their party but whatever, I am here now. These guys have a great sound and all play their own instruments so I am definitely a fan. If you've never heard of this group, check out this song asap!
  2. Duck Sauce - Barbara Streisand It's a hilarious song title but honestly, a great tune and will totally be on my next running playlist.
  3. Claire Maguire - Ain't Nobody She has been called "UK's next big femme" and with her chilling voice, there's no question why.
  4. Rihanna - S&M I really wish that I wasn't a fan of this new song just released on the radio from Rihanna's newest album, LOUD. I just can't help myself, it's such high energy.
  5. Escort - Cocaine Blues This is another rockin' song that will surely make my running playlist cut. Don't scared of the song title, this tune has nothing to do with drugs!
  6. Corinne Bailey Rae - Is this Love She suffered a tragic loss when her husband died back in 2008 so it's nice to see her making sweet music like this again.
  7. Lykke Li - Get Some I love this singer and will always support her albums. This song does it again and talk about some intense lyrics- "I'm your prostitute, you gon' get some."

Friday, February 11, 2011

20 Best Songs of 2010

I know this is rather late but better late than never. Right? According to the January issue of the music magazine, SPIN, here's what they think the 20 best songs of 2010 were:



  1. Cee-Lo Green - Fuck You
  2. Arcade Fire - Ready to Start
  3. Kanye West & Dwele - Power
  4. LCD Soundsystem - All I Want
  5. Neil Young - Hitchhiker
  6. Deerhunter - Helicopter
  7. Kanye West - Runaway
  8. Robyn - Cry When You Get Older
  9. Janelle Monae & Big Boi - Tightrope
  10. Gucci Mane - Lemonade
  11. Dom - Living in America
  12. The Dream & T.I - Make Up Bag
  13. Superchunk - Digging for Something
  14. Chiddy Bang - Opposite of Adults
  15. Tracey Thorn - Hormones
  16. Das Racist - hahahaha jk?
  17. The Black Keys - Tighten Up
  18. Tame Impala - Solitude is Bliss
  19. Yeasayer - Ambling Alp
  20. Les Savy Fav - Let's Get Out of Here
Have you heard of all these? For a music fanatic, I'm embarrassed to say that there are couple songs on this list that I've never heard before. But I suppose it's impossible to know about every single song ever created.

Touching Post

My sister and I share many blog followers but in case you don't follow her's yet, I wanted to share with you her post for today entitled Mysterious Ways. I shed a tear and I laughed a little this morning as I read what is a beautiful piece of writing. Please drop by her blog and check out this post. I couldn't agree more with you Tonya, Lucas and my future children will always feel like they know our parents. I promise that.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Deep Thought of the Day

For some reason I always forget that NOT everyone in my circle of friends and/or acquaintances knows what happened to my parents and the fact that I've grown up overseas my whole life until college rolled around.

Recently, I was talking to a friend about my parents and how closer my sister and I are now and how much I love spending time with my nephew. Suddenly, she exclaims, "Wait, what? Where are your parents now?" I was really surprised that she didn't already know my story. So, then, I of course went on to give her a Cliff Note's version of what happened to my parents. Needless to say she was shocked and told me that suddenly, things started making sense.

I don't know why but I often assume that everyone should just already know these things. It was a huge life changing event in my life so how can some people still not know about it? But how can some people possibly know? How can I expect that when there are certain people that I've never talked to about this. People can't read minds. On the other side of the coin, it's comforting to know that I don't have a sign on my forehead that says "ORPHAN". Let's be honest, there's so much more to me than this. This tragedy most certainly does not define me or my family. It's a battle scar that I'll carry with me forever but it doesn't have to be the first thing someone learns about me.

Right after my parents died, it was so hard for me to understand how people were planning fun trips to Vegas, chic dinners out on the town, sleepovers with boyfriends, vacations to Hawaii or even simply laughing over everyday occurrences. Of course, thankfully, I've gotten over all this. I now understand how important it is to continue life and be happy. That's exactly what they would have wanted me to do. My parents were two happy and joyful people who loved life and would expect nothing but that from me too.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Is Cupid in LA?


I've been reluctant to talk about the following topic on my blog but I think it's finally time.

About 3 months ago I joined an online dating website called OkCupid. Yep, I am now officially one of those girls... It's 2011, right? Most girls I know have tried online dating at one point or another. I even have a couple close friends that have had serious success with it. I know of two couples that met online are madly in love today. So, I went on it rather hopeful.

It was time for me to meet some new guys and see what's out there. I know I live in one of the most populated cities on the planet but it is not easy to meet people here. I've asked all my friends here if they have any single guy friends but they keep telling me that their guy friends are not good enough for me. What kinds of guys are they friends with? Geesh! Alright, so, what's a girl to do? I don't do the whole bar dating scene so online seemed like the next best option.

What makes OKCupid different than other dating websites, well it's free for starters which means that absolutely anyone can join it. Anyone. Ugh! There are quite a lot of old and hairy men on there but among those are a few good lookin' fellas. But you have to dig and hunt for them.

I have gone out with a few guys so far and they have left a lot to be desired so I trudge on. First, there was the "Clingster Guy". From the very first date, he was planning our courtship and ultimate wedding already! Talk about a stage 5 clinger! Yeah, it was ridiculous! He was a nice guy overall but not the guy for me. Another guy was SAG-"Socially Awkward Guy". We had great chemistry and I was definitely attracted to him but not only was he socially awkward around other people aka my friends but he lacked the drive and passion that I'm looking for in a partner.

Despite this stream of missed connections, I'll continue with the search for Mr. Right...heck, I'll settle for Mr. Right Now!


Have you tried online dating?

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Pen Pals in Afghanistan

So remember when I decided to write a letter to a marine over in Afghanistan? Here's my post about it. Well, I finally got a reply from him today!

Here is his letter to me:


Hello Leah!

Gina gave me a heads up about your letter and I got it last night. The mail system here in Afghanistan is very slow, it is a month behind sending mail out, so that pretty much means when you send me something it will take about a month for it to get to me and vice-versa.

I got Gina's calendars about 2 weeks ago and loved it, makes me I wish I had her past calendars. You did a great job as the production manager. Did Gina make it hard for you? Lol How long did the calendar take to finish? Were you there for all her 2011 calendar shots?

I want to say thank you for taking some of your time to write us a letter, that makes me grateful. I have also traveled a lot overseas. My mom was in the U.S Air Force and my father is still in the British Royal Marines. I was born in London, England and stayed there for about 6 years. I lived in Thailand, Japan, Germany, Puerto Rico and many states within the U.S.

I've been in the Marine Corps since 2004. I graduated high school in 2002, went to college between 2003-2004 and got my associate degree in Criminal Justice and about 5 months after that I joined the Marine Corps as a 0311 "Grunt", the guys that charge into the battle field.

I love all kinds of music, I guess my biggest favorite would be rock, country, and classic piano. I am 27 years old and was born on July 12, 1983. How old are you? Thanks for the pics, I would send you pics but the only way I could do it is through email. Well I will end this letter here. I don't want to tell you my entire life story in one letter. Lol I look forward to hearing from you again!

-Joey

I am so touched that I heard back from him. I will definitely send him a letter back right away!

Monday, February 7, 2011

Being Happy


I just found an interesting post on my fabulous friend Lori's blog just now at Life and Style Madrid. She is currently living in Madrid and blogs about all things awesome and totally Madrid-the fashion, culture and lifestyle of the capital of Spain.

In this particular post, she discusses how we can all be happy and the reasoning behind why we aren't sometimes. It's a sweet happy post so I just had to share it on here.

Surf City Half Marathon Update

Yesterday morning I ran the Surf City Half Marathon in Huntington Beach. All in all, it was a great run and I'm really happy that I ran it. I am really proud of my time and pace. I ran at about a 12 min per mile pace and I finished in 2 hours and 42 min! So, yay me! However, there were a few negatives, it was pretty chilly the entire time and incredibly boring during the middle. It was super foggy so we couldn't even really see the water. This was too bad since the entire run was along the Pacific Coast Highway. I was expecting there to be music entertainment throughout the course but for the most part, it was quiet and uneventful. I was bummed that I decided not to bring my iPod! Next time I know better!

Here are some pictures from yesterday:


After the run was over, I spent some time in my sister's backyard playing around with my nephew. Here I am showing him my awesome running medal.



Before:



After:

Month of Awards!

This must be the month of awards because I've had the wonderful pleasure of receiving two more awesome awards last week: The Versatile Blogger award from Samantha at A Place I Call My Own and the Memetastic Award from Jen at What Would Jen Do. Thanks ladies!

In order to accept both of these awards I have share a few things about myself, so here goes:

1. I really like going on long road trips by myself. Is this strange? I haven't gone on too many but the few that I've gone on, I have enjoyed them a lot.

2. Despite not caring who wins in a lot of sporting events, I somehow will always find myself caring by the end of the game and really getting into it. Take the Super Bowl for example, I didn't really care who won or lost but half way through it, I was hooked and began rooting for Green Bay.

3. Finishing a long run gives me the best high ever! Seriously! It's an incredible feeling knowing you've gone such a long distance.

4. I honestly miss the days where we called each other instead of texting.

Now, I'll go ahead and pass both these awards to Tonya at Letters for Lucas and M at An Officer and a Lady.


Friday, February 4, 2011

Fill in The Blank Friday

It's been a while since I did one of these so I figured I would do this week's Fill in the Blank Friday. Enjoy!

1. If I could only read one magazine publication for the rest of eternity, I would choose Marie Claire. I like how diverse it is.

2. If I were to run my own magazine it would have a little bit of everything to cater to lots of different types of people. It would probably be targeted at women only though. Let's see, there would be articles about health, wealth, beauty and sex advice. There would also be lots of interesting articles about what women all over the world are doing to take care of themselves. There would of course be a lot about music and up and coming bands.

3. I buy my magazines (at the grocery check stand or via subscription) I'm all about subscriptions-this is definitely the cheaper way to go in the long run. I love when a new magazine comes in the mail to me.

4. I prefer my magazines (in print or online) Must be in print - I am not a fan of online magazines. I don't think I'll ever be one of those people that strictly looks at magazines online. I enjoy being able to tear things out, circle things, cut out things and simply turning the pages can never be replaced.

5. The number of magazines I buy each month is 6. I subscribe to 6 magazines. One was a birthday gift to my last year-Thanks Tonya!

6. My favorite magazine genre is (lifestyle, gossip, home, etc...) a combination of fashion, health/fitness, music, news, beauty and relationship advice.

7. The magazines I read regularly are Rolling Stone, Spin, Glamour, Cosmo, Marie Claire and Runners World.

Another Blogging Award?!


Well, obviously, I now know that I for sure have at least one fan of my blog, my friend M, at An Officer and a Lady. She has blessed me with yet another blogging award! Woo hoo-The Honest Scrap Award. Well, I can say for sure that if my blog is anything at all, it's 100% honest all the time. I absolutely never exaggerate or embellish anything ever! Ok, perhaps a little sometimes...but don't we all? Haha!

Now for the tough part, who do I give this award to? Hmm..

1. Awkward Sex and the City- This blog never ceases to crack me up with it's more than honest account of life in a big city. She certainly never shy's away from the tough issues. If you haven't stopped by her blog then you are definitely missing out!

2. Stilettos & a Fishing Pole- This Southern Belle has a sugary sweet blog that is always so lovely and full of sweet pictures of her with her friends and soon to be husband. It's a very touching and honest blog.

3. Adventures in Yayaland- This lady gave me an award not too long ago so I felt like I should return the favor and give her an award. Her blog reminds me a lot of mine and I can always count on her to leave me sweet and honest comments on my blog.

There you have it! So go check out these three great blogs!

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Visitors from Family

My sister Tonya brought my nephew Lucas to visit me yesterday and we had such a wonderful day walking around the infamous Santa Monica Pier and then onto the 3rd St. Promenade right by it. It was an absolutely beautiful LA day with amazing sunshine and a slight cool breeze. Meanwhile the rest of the US is suffering through yet another Snowpocalypse. Did I spell that right? Haha Whatever it is, I find myself more than thankful to be living here on the West Coast now.

Another thing that I'm constantly grateful for is that I do live so close to my family. They are my world and have the incredible ability to cheer me up and brighten my day. I know so many people that live far away from their adorable nephews and nieces and I honestly cannot imagine that. Living in Arizona for just under a year after my nephew was born was hard enough on me. I hope that we will always live close to each other. Ok, Tonya? No moving to the east coast anytime soon!!

Anyway, back to our fun day- Lucas seemed to really enjoy himself and we even got him to ride the renown Ferris Wheel at the end of the pier. We had a very yummy Mexican lunch complete with margaritas and me feeding Lucas rice off my own plate! Haha! It was too funny, he wouldn't accept food from Mom's plate, just from mine. So cute! : )

Sure, the Pier is a super touristy and kind of a cheesy thing to do here in LA but it's still fun and I always enjoy my time there. Next up, I really want to try the trapeze flying that is there! Have you ever done it? My sister did it last year and she loved it. I think I would too!

Hey, remember the cute YouTube video that Gina and I made about the Pier-
Sarah Palin... Let's Go Fishing At the Santa Monica Pier!

Here are three great pictures from our day:

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Wordless Wednesdays

As I was on a walk yesterday afternoon with the little boy Jake that I nanny for every once in a while, we came across an amazing tree with these beautiful pink flowers. Sadly, I know very little about flowers so I'm not sure what these flowers were called. Got any ideas? This photo was taken with my phone so it's not the best quality so hopefully, someone can discern what kind of a flower they are.


This post is for Wordless Wednesdays. I heard about this posting idea from my sister and she learned about it through Alicia at A Beautiful Mess. Her blog is full of beautiful photos so be sure to check it out.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Guest Blogging is Fun!


I've only guest blogged on my sisters's blog a few times so when Meg over at Sunshine and Cool Breezes asked me to write a guest post for her blog about my life here in LA, I jumped at the chance! Check out the post here: Coffee Chats: Leah of LA, California. It was a lot of fun and I hope to guest blog for someone again soon. Hint, hint guys! : )

Broken But Hopeful Hearts

A close friend of mine recently broke up with her boyfriend. They were together for over two years and it's literally torn her world a part. I wish so badly that I could stop her pain and give this boy a serious beating. But it's just not possible for me to do either of those things.

I've had many friends break up with their boyfriends before and they've leaned on me for support but never has it affected me like this. Of course I'm always angry at these guys and long to mend my friends' broken hearts.

Yet, this time feels different. Perhaps, it's because we are older and these couples aren't silly and cavalier anymore. They are serious, mature relationships where future plans are often discussed. My heart aches for this friend whenever we talk on the phone. There's a sadness in me that I haven't felt quite before. Unfortunately she does not live anywhere near me so we must communicate via phone only. I'm in the process of mailing her something special though.

What have I learned from all this? Well, it has really got me thinking of what exactly I want in my soul mate. Yep, I am currently single and dating. By the way, dating in LA is tough..more on that subject in another post.
So, several months ago, I asked my friends what they wanted in their perfect man and women. These lists were kind of silly and pretty unrealistic and I didn't mention specifically what things I wanted in a guy so without further delay, here is my list:
  • Someone who won't just text me.
  • On that note, write me old fashioned love letters every once in a while!
  • I'd like him to want to communicate with me everyday but not necessarily need to. Plus, some days all I need is a quick hello.
  • Someone who won't play any games with me. I don't understand them and have no time for any of that nonsense.
  • Plan some of the dates too. Don't leave it all up to me.
  • Someone who will pay our dinner bills, at least in the beginning of our courtship. I'm all for splitting it later or even picking up the check entirely.
  • Open doors, pull out chairs-you know, its called chivalry! Learn it! I think a lot of the guys of my generation have forgotten what this is all about.
  • Dance. Ok, I understand that not all guys enjoy dancing but at least try a little for me.
  • Remember things about myself that I tell you and then ask me about them later. I am constantly asking questions so I expect a similar respect from my partner.
  • I will compliment you when I first see you, so please do the same for me.
  • When we get fairly serious, ask me to meet your family.
  • If you get the pleasure of meeting my friends, actively be interested in them and getting to know them better. My friends are my family so they better approve of you.
  • While we are on the subject of friends, consider yourself lucky when you've gotten to meet a few of them.
  • Again, after we've been together for awhile, ask me about my parents. If I care about you, I'll want to share things about them with you.
  • Be passionate about things in your life.
  • Can you simply woo me?!
I'm sure there are lots of other traits and characteristics that I look for in a guy but these are the things that have been on my mind lately.

If my friend doesn't get back together with this boyfriend, then I hope with all heart and soul that the next guy has all these qualities and much much more. She is definitely precious cargo. : )