It's a wonderful town!

Okay, I know I just blogged about this, but still - this will totally be me in ONE WEEK from today!!!




Now, if only I could get Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly for sight-seeing companions. That would be AMAZING!!! (Too bad they're no longer with us. And about 80 years too old for me. And too short.)

I guess my dear friends the Rainses will suffice. :)

Time Travel: Hot or Not?

Tonight the amazing Laura and I hopped over to the local cinema to see The Time Traveler's Wife. I didn't read the book, so this was my first exposure to the story. I really enjoyed it - although, seriously, it's a MEGA-chick flick. If you drag a guy along, you'll really owe him a viewing of GI Joe or something else ridiculously testosterone-laden to bring back the balance.

Anyways.

The movie got me thinking about time travel. I mean, I know it's not a possibility... but what if it were? Don't you just wish sometimes that you could travel ahead and see how things turn out? Especially at a crossroads. I hate feeling like my total life is up in the air. I mean, on the one hand, it's exhilirating to contemplate the possibilities - but on the other hand, it's so nerve-wracking, not knowing what comes next. It's fascinating, watching the two main characters' lives overlap through the years.

And another plus to time travel is, don't you sometimes wish you could go backward in time and comfort your younger self during a difficult time, reassuring him or her that everything will work out just fine? A few months ago I stumbled across my journal from the most difficult time in my life, and it was hard to read. Like, I curled up and cried like a baby, aching for my younger self, remembering how painful that part of my life was.

But at the same time, it was a defining time, and I am the strong person I am today because I was able to make it through. So would you want to change things to spare yourself some heartache? Or at least provide comfort? Or, in the end, would that ultimately be a disservice to the person you become?

Whoa. My head is spinning. I'd better stop before the theoreticals make my brain hurt. :)

Hot place in my hometown tonight: the Station Fire

In case you guys haven't heard - there's a huge wildfire in La Canada Flintridge, in Angeles Crest National Forest, that broke out Wednesday. It's so crazy! I grew up in the neighboring town, La Crescenta, but the two towns flow together in a very Provo-Orem or Aliso Viejo-Laguna Niguel sort of way. My childhood was filled with drives through Angeles Crest and through the darling, windy neighborhoods of La Canada. My alma mater, Crescenta Valley High, is one of the evacuation centers!



So, if you don't mind - please keep the firefighters and the residents of the Crescenta Valley in your prayers. (And Rancho Palos Verde while we're at it - they're fighting a fire as well). I still have a lot of close friends and family up there, and those foothills will forever be home to me. I hope everyone and everything is safe!

A New York State of Mind

This afternoon it hit me - I'm going to New York City a week from tomorrow!

OH.

MY.

GOODNESS!!!

Hence my new theme song for the week:



Friends, words fail to express just how danged thrilled I am about this trip. The reason for the trip is to see my best friend in upstate New York, but neither of us have ever been to the city, so we're kicking our Labor Day weekend off by meeting in the Big Apple a week from Saturday. ONE WEEK. When that clicked in my pretty little head this afternoon, I just about started doing a happy dance in my cubicle! Grinning ear to ear, my trip became all I could think about (well, in the background - I did somehow manage to focus enough to finish that briefing doc for a client and rewrite something else, but that's another story).

Anyways, I digress.

Going to New York City has been a LIFELONG dream of mine. Honestly, cheesy as it is, I think it stems from reading about Stacey's adventures in the city in the Baby-Sitters Club books as a kid. She was the coolest! As long as I can remember, I've DREAMED about finally going to New York City.

And now it's really happening!

Only one more week to prep, and I haven't even locked in an itinerary yet! So much planning to do. (I love planning stuff!) I've got a couple of ideas... but I'm not going to spoil it and tell you. You'll just have to find out when I get back in a couple of weeks. Or by catching my Facebook updates, because goodness knows I'll be doing updates aplenty that day! :) I will say, though, that I'm planning to stick to midtown Manhattan as much as possible - it seems like that's where most of the fun stuff is concentrated.

Meanwhile, I'm planning to try to squeeze in one NYC movie a night for the next week: 13 Going on 30, On the Town, You've Got Mail. Any other NYC flicks you recommend?

And if you had ONE DAY - and not a ton of money - to see the sights of New York City, what would you see?

Hilarity ensued

While doing my daily blog-reading yesterday, I came across one of my favorite phrases: "Hilarity ensued."

Doesn't that conjure up all kinds of images of levity and slapstick funniness?

I wish that hilarity would ensue a little more after all of the daily foibles of life. Think of the possibilities:

• "I knocked over my purse and watched its contents spill across my cubicle floor. Hilarity ensued."
• "My car started making funny noises and suddenly stopped. Hilarity ensued." (Okay, one time this happened, and hilarity did ensue. I had an hour-long chat with the parking lot security guy by Henry's in Laguna Niguel. We had a BLAST waiting for that tow truck to appear!) (Oh, and then there was the time my car died en route to Utah, and again, hilarity ensued! Long story - but definitely a good one. Chock-full o' hilarity, my friends.)
• "I slipped while running to catch my train and fell down a flight of stairs, skinning my knees like a five-year-old - but my cute new dress remained unscathed. Hilarity ensued."
• "After underestimating the turning radius on my rented Dodge Neon, I somehow found my piece-of-crap rental car in a ditch in Seattle - and, of course, this is when I'm already running late to my best friend's wedding. Hilarity ensued." (Oh yeah - TOTALLY a true story, folks! I've avoided Neons ever since. And, yes, hilarity did ensue, didn't it, Stace?)

Seriously, I think life is ALWAYS a little better when hilarity ensues. I've definitely learned that even the worst mishaps can somehow turn into the best stories with a little time and humor.

What are some of your best "hilarity ensued" moments?

P.S. - If you want to read some pretty laugh-out-loud funny "hilarity ensued" anecdotes, check out http://mylifeisaverage.com/. Pretty much one of my fav new go-to procrastination destinations (as if I needed another one...).

Birthday Blues

I've finally realized that I have a complete and total phobia when it comes to my birthday.

Every year I'm petrified that no one will remember my birthday. Yet when people do remember and fuss over it, I feel terribly awkward for being the center of attention. So, basically, I don't want to be forgotten, but I don't want to be remembered, either. Totally makes sense, right?

Not to be all Freudian, but I blame it all on my mother. Ever since the Fiasco Birthday of 1995 (during which she literally punched my chocolate-mint ice cream cake to smithereens in the kitchen sink while I watched in horror - loooooong story...), I've been understandably a little skittish about birthdays. The next year mi madre cancelled my 14th birthday party as retribution for some infraction on my part, but since we'd sprung for a murder mystery dinner game for the fiesta, we ended up doing the dinner in October instead for Halloween. My friends brought gifts to the "Halloween" party - my mom flipped that I somehow still managed to get my party in, albeit delayed.

Needless to say, I have never been in the same state as my mom for my birthday ever since. Birthdays 15-17 "coincidentally" fell during summer vacations to Idaho (which I scheduled - this whole "family vacation" thing was lost on me as a child. I've been a free agent in vacationing since I was 10!). Convenient, right?

Then college came, and I fell into that oddity of birthdays in adulthood. Do I throw my own party? If I don't make the plans, will anyone else care enough to do it for me? Should I tell them who to invite? Will all of my disparate friends get along?

My 18th birthday was a blast - a grand affair at Pioneer Park in Provo with my friends from high school and from the dorms - but I remember being so stressed, shuttling between the groups of friends, trying to make sure everyone was having fun. That being said, I think it was actually my favorite of all birthdays I've had. And it wasn't even on the real day! I can't remember what we did for the real day of.

19 I avoided a party altogether, I think. We got our All-Sports Passes that morning, and I remember going home and crying because no one remembered it was my birthday (although, to my friends' credit, it was early in the morning. They came by later to celebrate). 20 was fun - party at my parents' house the night before I drove back to college. I think my crush of that summer would have kissed me that night if the guy who liked me (unrequitedly) wouldn't have hung around so danged long. Bless his heart. He went in for the kiss, and I totally denied him. Awkward! Yay for my birthday, right?

For 21 I drove back to Provo after my Seattle summer and threw a party that night - the first time that I saw the guy I'd been kinda sorta long-distance dating all summer long after a few years of liking him off and on, and I got a flat-out "NO!!!" sort of feeling about the whole thing. Again, happy birthday to Christa! That was also the time at which all three of my high school besties were seriously dating or engaged to their now-hubbies. Great timing to get a no answer regarding your would-be college sweetheart, right? Again, so awkward!

22 was fun - my bestie and her now-hubby pulled together a party at the last minute with the closest of my high school and college friends. It was a great way to end my college birthdays.

Then I was back in California for 23 through the soon-to-come 27. Some years friends took the lead and made the plans - which was great in that it took the planning burden off my shoulders, but on the downside, it also meant parties celebrated doing stuff I detest, like bowling. But I appreciated the friend time! 24 was in Idaho (as were 8 and 16 - it's my own little rule to be there on anything divisible by 8. Yes, I'm weird, as if you're only now figuring this out...). 25 was at Disneyland; 26 was in Arizona. I'm a big fan of traveling for my birthday, apparently.

Anyways - the reason I'm rambling with this brain dump - I'm hitting 27 on Sunday, and I'm realizing that I really do have birthday anxiety! I get really depressed leading up to my birthday instead of excited about it - it's just really pronounced this year. I'm dreading it. Every year I'm curious to see if my family will remember if I don't remind them. Last year, when I was in Arizona, no one called, and I just wanted to bawl! Their train of thought, I later learned, was that I was on vacation, so they didn't want to bug me - but at the time I felt totally forgotten! However, when we got back to the hotel at the end of that night, I found upwards of 30 Facebook birthday wishes waiting for me, and then I did bawl - this time in gratitude that so many people would bother to say something.

And yet, a year later, I'm going through the worries of it all over again. Like, proper etiquette - should I say something to my parents about a birthday dinner? I don't want them to feel obligated, on the one hand. On the other hand, I'm always so busy, they might figure I made plans with my friends, but I haven't. My real birthday is on a Sunday this time around, so my birthday plans with friends are actually Saturday morning (breakfast buffet at Las Brisas in Laguna Beach - pretty much one of my Orange County favorite things to do! 8:30 a.m. - if you want to join us, you're invited!). So do I go for the family thing? Or just say nothing and spend the post-church day at home, all by my lonely? One of my sweet friends asked me what I want for my birthday, and I realized that for the first time, I don't even have a list! I just assume no one will be getting me anything, so I don't bother to think of it anymore. Plus, cheesy as it sounds, I'm quite blessed that I have most everything I want or need already.

It's such an odd, lonely sort of thing. Is it just me? Or do other people have these sort of birthday panics? I absolutely LOVE making a fuss out of others' birthdays, celebrating them, but when it comes to my own, I'm leaning toward just hiding under a rock. I never could understand why people dreaded their birthdays, but now I'm starting to TOTALLY understand!

August Adventures

Hey, guys!

Sorry for the lack o'posts lately - I've got some new projects up my sleeves that are gobbling up my personal blogging time... but, I promise I'll make up for that tonight with the unveiling of one of the projects that I mentioned earlier this month (which got postponed for unforeseen circumstances).

August has been quite the busy month! My cousin Brendan got married this weekend, which was too cute:

Before that I dog-sat Sheppy and Maisie for a week, which is *always* an adventure:

And during that fun, canine-filled week, my cousins Annalise and Kate came down from L.A. for the YSA Conference, which we kicked off with Mormon Night at Angel Stadium with a group of my friends from the ward:


The YSA Conference was pretty amazing. There was such a unifying spirit, to know that 11,000 fellow LDS young single adults throughout California were gathered at nine locations centered on our state's seven temples (San Diego, Newport Beach, Redlands, Los Angeles, Fresno, Oakland and Sacramento - second only to Utah!) to enjoy one another's company and drink from deep waters of the gospel. We had some outstanding talks from Church leaders, encouraging us all to rise above the mediocrity to which our human nature draws us and to instead be shining examples to others, to really live and to be true witnesses of the power that comes through living the gospel of Jesus Christ. It was such a sweet experience!

And sharing that experience with my cousins made it all the sweeter. At our location in Irvine we had cousins from each of Nana and Papa's four children:

One of my friends commented to me yesterday that I seem to have cousins EVERYWHERE. It's true - and I wouldn't have it any other way! My stepmom and all of her siblings are in Southern California, which makes for a wonderfully tight-knit family. I'm always so grateful that my dad married into such an amazing group. We have way too much fun together!

So, that's my quick update - more adventures to come!

Birthday Boy

Today was the birthday of one of my favorite guys on the planet - and I got to celebrate with him! Nothing fancy - we took a little walk, shared some dinner (rice and beans from Baja Fish Tacos with some chicken - yum!), cuddled a little while watching Alias. Good times.

In the Birthday Boy's honor, here are some reasons why I absolutely adore this fella:

• He's so smart!
• Whenever I walk into the room, he leaps up to greet me, showering me with kisses and affection. It always makes me feel like a million bucks.
• He's got just the greatest smile. It always lights up my day!
• I think he likes chocolate even more than I do - as if such a thing were possible!
• He's so fiercely loyal and devoted.
• His fashion sense is impeccable - but he was born with it. If only we could all look so good so effortlessly!
• He is such a cuddler! I love snuggling with him - he especially loves backrubs and head massages.
• I love his companionship! From the time we met six years ago, I knew we'd be buds for the long haul. He's a little neurotic and uptight sometimes, but it makes me love him all the more.

What can I say? He is this woman's best friend.



Happy sixth birthday, Sheppy! I'll love you forever and ever. Here's to many more years of fun together!

Happy August!

Did you know that August is my favorite month? It's true. Always has been. I think much of that has to do with my day of birth being on the 30th, but there's lots of other major milestones that happen in my little world this month, including:

• My awesome father's birthday on the 12th;
• His and my stepmom's anniversary, also on the 12th;
• My mom and dad once upon a time got married on the 18th (a day that lives in infamy - but had it not happened, I wouldn't be here, so I guess it's good for that reason);
• My cousin Brendan is getting hitched on the 15th, speaking of marriage;
• My darling dog Shep has his birthday some time this month;
• and a boatload of my favorite people have birthdays this month, including my darling cousin-in-law Suzie today - and their little baby will come later this month!; my other darling cousin-in-law Angie tomorrow; Rebecca, one of my oldest and dearest friends, on the 22nd; and two awesome Mikes on the 27th (Bingham and Winchester, in case you were wondering).

So, pretty much, August = awesome. Here's to some summer adventures ahead!

PS: Is it totally nerdy that I'm amused by this? I realized that my friend Mike is turning 30 on the 27th, and I'm turning 27 on the 30th. For some reason, I think that's so fun.

Of course, I was always amused by how my dad's birthday's on the 12th and my parents' anniversary was the 18th - if you add 12 + 18, you get 30, which is my birthday. Whoa.

Why do I notice these things?

Ugh, Monday...

I am having such the Monday kind of a Monday today! I think the missteps all started with blowing off my morning workout in favor of continuing a fascinating dream (that, of course, I can't remember - but, my goodness, my dreams are so interesting these days! I blame it on cramming an entire season of Alias into one week. Oh, the espionage and intrigue...)

So then, when I finally did get my behind out of bed, I was running a little late. And forgot that my clothes needed drying, so I had to do some quick laundry. For some reason, I decided that I should quickly cook eggs (I *never* use anything more than a microwave, blender or toaster in the mornings for a reason!). Well, quickly didn't so much happen. And while pouring a glass of chocolate soymilk, I managed to spill some inside the burner. Not a big deal, but then when I put the soymilk back in the fridge, it tipped over and spilled some more!

Of course I hit the most random red lights on the morning commute, and then when I hopped on a 10 a.m. interview for a client, I managed to catch the wrapping-up conversation between the journalist and my client. Apparently they started early (I triple-checked - I wasn't late). After the interviewer hung up, my client addressed me, but I thought the phone was on mute, so I tried to unmute it. Which, in all reality, actually muted it, and then by the time I caught that, he'd already hung up, and he's not answering his office line.

Ugh. It's only 10:20 a.m., and my day's been a disaster. Can someone shoot me already?

*sigh*

Thanks. I needed to vent. Mondays are of the devil, people!

On the bright side: I get to unveil my new project tomorrow. Aren't you excited? I know I am! :)