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."

LA Dodgers!

I went to my first Los Angeles Dodgers game last Friday night and I had a really good time. I would much rather see a live basketball game any day but I figured that I needed to check out the Dodgers. Ok, so I didn't actually see too much of the actual game. There was just too much else going on around me! The people sitting around us were completely obnoxious and having the strangest (drunken?) conversations. Plus, "the wave" was in full effect and I love a good audience participated wave. Then, of course my roommate Swati and I had to go to the bathroom, get a Dodger Dog and beers and that process took about three innings!! The lines for everything were ridiculously long but that's to be expected at a sporting event.

After the game, my friends and I walked over to the gift store and of course I had to buy my nephew, Lucas, something. After a few texts back and forth with his mom and dad, I decided on a cute little Dodger baseball cap. I've been here in San Diego with them for a few days this week so I was able to give him the hat. Isn't he such a cutie? Go Dodgers!

I'm Back.. Sort Of...

I know that I haven't blogged in a few days but I've been traveling and just haven't had the time to sit and think. I don't really have the time right now either but I wanted you all to know that I'm still here and always thinking of things to write about. I have several ideas right now but I'm headed to a concert soon so I can't blog now. Here are just a few of my favorite pictures from this past week and weekend to keep you entertained.

Amazing Bachelorette Weekend in San Diego

Words will never do this weekend justice, so these few pictures will have to do the explaining for me. If my Bachelorette celebration is even half as fun as this weekend was, then I'll be happy! All I can say is the Gaslamp District in San Diego still doesn't know what hit this weekend. The six of us girls certainly became celebrities!

My Day in SD

Well, I'm back in San Diego now with the family on my way to Phoenix for a friend's wedding. Today was pretty busy and we did a little bit of everything.

Tonya and I got to spend some time just the two of us in the morning and early afternoon. We ran a couple errands, saw the new "Alice in Wonderland" movie, had a yummy lunch, picked up some new running shoes for me and dropped something off at my brother in-law's. Then we picked up Lucas for a visit to the Easter Bunny at a nearby mall. That was really fun and he was totally comfortable sitting on the bunny's lap! He was in such a good mood after that, that we decided to do a little shopping in the mall. Then we totally had an impromptu photo shoot in the couch section of JC Penny's! It was awesome and the pictures turned out great! I mean, just look at that photo above! Could my nephew be any cuter? I think not!

Stay tuned for updates on my weekend back in Phoenix!

It's Bittersweet

Yesterday in Palm Springs was really nice and it was just wonderful getting to see Leslie and her family. Despite my horrendous experience at the DMV (I won't bore you with that awful experience, just believe me, it was terrible) and leaving LA much later then I had anticipated, I had such a pleasant little visit with the Brennan family in Palm Springs. I was only there with them from 4 pm Thursday to 8 am Friday, so not long at all. Yet, they were all so kind and hospitable to me. We hung out at their hotel for awhile, Leslie's mom made a batch of yummy margaritas and Leslie and I caught up on each other lives. Then at night, we went out for Mexican food. We all crashed for the night pretty early which was totally fine by me. It had been a stressful day for with the DMV adventure and all so I was ready to get to bed early. I really do enjoy spending time with my friends and their families. There's nothing quite like it, usually you get to see them at their most comfortable. With most of my friends, they become super laid back and extra relaxed around their parents. It's nice to see them this way but it makes me miss that feeling that I got around my parents too. I still feel this way around my sister though. : ) It's bittersweet.

There was a part of me that couldn't help but be incredibly sad and jealous that Leslie gets to spend time with her boyfriend and family altogether. I'll never get that chance. My parents will never be able to bond with my boyfriend. Her bf, Charlie, gets along really well with her parents and I overheard them talk about future trips to take together. It hurt a little to see him watch a March Madness basketball game with Leslie's dad. My dad loved watching sports and he would have loved to watch a game with my boyfriend. I am so sad that my parents will never get the chance to joke with my husband and tease me together. I guess I'm just sad that this guy will never know my parents. He will just have to take my word that my parents were two very awesome people and they they would have been amazing in-laws. I wonder if my friends even think about things like this... Do they know how lucky they are to have these precious moments still to come with their significant others and their parents? I don't even think I thought about it much before my parents died. Despite these sad emotions that come along with being with my friends and their parents, there's also much joy too. Because I don't have my parents anymore, I really look forward to being with their parents. I enjoy talking to them about things that my parents would have wanted to discuss. It's bittersweet.

It's still hard sometimes to hear a friend on the phone catching up with their mom or dad or hearing parents chat with their children about something funny they did as a baby or hearing parents tell their wedding day story for the millionth time. I don't get to have those moments anymore and it breaks my heart. I would give anything right now to call my dad and tell him how frustrated I am with the job search and get his words of wisdom or to go shopping at a fancy LA mall with my mom. Heck, we would probably break for a movie even.. : ) It's probably strange for people on the outside to understand, but I honestly do sometimes get so busy with stuff going on in my life that I forget that my parents are gone. Then when I remember, it's like a hard slap in the face. And I'll think, damn, how did I not think about them today or what brought on this tears all of a sudden? I will be sad that I've gone however long without thinking of it but I'm also thankful for those hours of relief. It's bittersweet.

I'm in San Diego now with my sister and Lucas. My brother in-law is out of town and Tonya asked me to come stay for the weekend. I was more than happy to oblige. I love coming here and I love seeing Lucas even more. The drive is not bad at all from LA (I came straight from Palm Springs this time) and it would be worth it even if it was a long drive. Lucas started crawling last night so it''s very exciting! These are the moments that life is all about. I wish my parents were here to see all this. They are missing out on so much and it's just not fair. I want them to be here for Lucas, and for Tonya and for my children and for me. But I suppose that I have to just be content in the thought that they are here in some way. My thoughts on the after life and religion will have to go in another post. Perhaps one of these days Lucas will do something so sweet and amazing that I'll just have to believe that my parents are around... that too will be bittersweet.

Mini Break in San Diego

So I've been in San Diego with my sister and nephew all week and it's been absolutely amazing just to relax and be with them. You are probably thinking, what does she need to relax for? She just went to Jamaica for about a week?! Yes, while that is true and all, I still don't feel like I ever get enough time with my family and that is one of the main reasons why I moved to LA in the first place. I love hanging out in their living room watching TV, playing with Lucas and chatting with my sister. We love playing scrabble against each other on our computers. There really are no words to describe the unconditional love that I feel whenever I am with them. I mean, who could resist spending time with those two over there in the picture?! : )

I suppose there is also a part of me that is putting off starting my life in LA too. I'm not sure why I'm so nervous about it but I am... the crazy driving, all the new people, not knowing exactly what grocery store to go to, what the best Target is, where to park for every place, where to get my hair cut, what are the best restaurants and bars to go to, where are all the people my age hanging out.....the list goes on and on.. I don't even want to start discussing parallel parking!!! Aaaahhh! Ugh, all of this is kind of frustrating and exciting all in the same way.

Well, this mini break has to end and I am headed back up to LA tomorrow. It will be very hard to say goodbye to my sister and nephew but I know that I'll be seeing them soon. I actually feel like this is becoming my home here. Shoot, I might be back next week..haha.. Sound good Tonya? : )

For someone who doesn't know a lot of people I already have a few weekend plans. Tomorrow night I am meeting other University of Arizona alumnae at a bar to watch the UofA vs. ASU basketball game. GO CATS! We better beat those Sun Devils! Then on Sunday, I am going to a goodbye party for a friend who I went to college with that is sadly leaving LA. Not bad for a newbie, huh? I am excited to meet lots of new fun people this weekend!

Anyway, stay tuned for lots more of my LA adventures now that I'll finally actually be living there full time!

"I've got a cell phone, answer machine, TV set, computer, hand grenade - everything you need to run a business in Los Angeles." -Ice T