Happy 1 Year Blogoversary

Happy 1 year Birthday to my beloved blog, LA 'N' LA! Wow!

This blog has been incredibly useful to me and I can't imagine life without it now. It really has become my open journal to the world. Ok maybe not to the world but you get what I mean. I love that my friends and family have been able to get this intimate look into my life here in LA through this blog. Of course I love all the new blogging friends I've made through this crazy blogging world too.

I look forward to the next year of blogging! I hope you'll stay here for this rollercoaster of a ride!

New Years Resolutions

I've always had mixed feelings about making New Years Resolutions. On the one hand, they are a great way of looking back on your year and really evaluate the good and bad things that happened during the course of the year. However, it can also be pointless to make resolutions because who honestly keeps track of them throughout the year? I certainly don't, maybe just for the first few weeks of January.

In any case, every year without fail, I can't help but make of few of those pesky New Years Resolutions. So here they are mine for 2011:

1. Continue to work out and train for my upcoming Half-Marathon in Feb and the Full Marathon in March.
2. While I've traveled a ton this year and explored many cities around the US, I think I need to further delve into this crazy city that I live in.
3. Learn to master the art of parallel parking.
4. Read more.
5. Meet more new people here in LA, maybe through my college alumnae association or other online meet-up groups.
   
6. Write in my journal more often. I need to make an effort to write something in it almost every day.
7. See my LA friends more often.
8. Last but definitely not least, do not give up on my dreams of working in the music industry. If I want it badly enough, it will happen. Persistence and determination are key!

So, what are your resolutions for 2011? Got any in common with mine?

31 Day Photo Challenge-Day 17

31 Day Photo Blogging Challenge-Day 17: Post a photo of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently.

Instead of posting pictures of things that have made an impact on my life recently, I decided to create a list of big things that have happened in my life this past year. With 2010 quickly drawing to an end in a few days, I think this was a helpful exercise in preparation for my upcoming New Years Resolutions.

So, here were the highlights of 2010 for me:

1. I moved to Los Angeles, California on Jan 3rd, 2010!
2. Meeting my two new best friends and roommates, Gina and Swati.
3. I've traveled a ton this year: Phoenix, Jamaica, San Diego, Palm Springs, Washington D.C, Santa Barbara, San Francisco, Wyoming, Utah, Las Vegas, Lake Arrowhead, New Mexico, Chicago, Redlands and Florida.
4. I started this blog which has really become a big part of my life.
5. Lots and lots of job interviews!
6. Getting to spend a lot more time with my family.
7. Many nights of babysitting my nephew Lucas!
8. An Oscar themed 26th Birthday Party at my house.
9. Two super fun bachelorette parties along with two beautiful weddings in Phoenix.
10. A meaningful relationship.
11. I started the Invisalign process! Yay!
12. Several good friends visited me here in LA and I visited a few friends too.
13. Reconnecting with many high school friends.
14. I started a fun nannying job.
15. I saw Lady Gaga in concert with my sister.
16. My Disneyland Half-Marathon! Not only did I finish it but I felt after it was over.
17. Gina's Pin-Ups for Vets calendar project has definitely made a huge impact on my life.
18. The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 60 mile Walk in SF with my sister.
19. I finally entered the Smart Phone world and got a Black Berry.
20. I had some awesome weight loss!
21. Being on Oprah's Ultimate Favorite Things Episode.
22. Serious training for the upcoming Full Marathon in March 2011.

Whew! I highly encourage you to make your own list. It really made me feel better about this year and I definitely feel a much bigger sense of accomplishment now.

31 Day Photo Challenge-Day 16

31 Day Blogging Challenge-Day 16: Post a picture of someone who inspires you.


Instead of posting pictures of all the people that inspire me, I thought it would be fitting to post Time's list of the top 10 most inspiring people of 2010.

1. Mir-Hossein Mousavi
2. Han Han
3. Yu-Na Kim
4. Rain
5. Lady Gaga
6. Adam Lambert
7. Susan Boyle
8. Liu Xiaobo
9. Sachin Tendulkar
10. Zahra Rahnavard

And on the flip side, here is Time's list of LEAST influential people/things of 2010:

1. Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum
2. Google Buzz
3. Leonid Tyagachev
4. Tom Tom (GPS Device)
5. Space Shuttle (Formerly Cool Vehicle)
6. Kurmanbek Bakiyev
7. Mamadou Tandja
8. Rue McClanahan
9. Lorelle Young
10. Manuel Zelaya

Don't feel bad if you have to look up a few of these names because so did I! : )

For the entire lists, check out Time's website.