A Whale's Vagina

I headed out to San Diego (a whale's vagina for all you Anchorman lovers out there) this past weekend. Adrienne works at the Woodfin Hotel in Cypress and gets discounted rooms on all the other Woodfin Hotel locations so we decided to make a trip down to San Diego before she quits next month. We got a two-bedroom suite, priced at $429 a night, for $99 a night. Split that price four ways and you have a cheap room for a great bargain! We had a full kitchen and living room with two complete separate rooms. It was an amazing room despite the fact we were about fifteen minutes away from all the happenings of the weekend but who can complain about a $99 room? Not me. 

That Friday we left around 1:45 pm and got to San Diego around 3 pm that afternoon. We got situated and did a quick grocery store stop because we had two boys in the room who get hungry on the hour, every hour so we needed food in our hotel room at all times. Later that night, we made reservations at an Italian restaurant, Acqua Al 2, at 7 pm and it was named Best Italian Food in San Diego for four years. I thought it was delicious. Adrienne and Justin weren't as impressed but they ordered simple meals that would not be extravagant otherwise. Mike and I, on the other hand, loved our meals. I had stuffed shells filled with ricotta cheese and spinach then baked in red sauce topped with cheese. It was the best baked pasta dish I have ever had. Delicious! The hot waiter straight out of Italy didn't disappoint either. M-E-O-W. It was overall a good first night and relaxing... Justin even reminded the waiter that it was my birthday (even though it is still a week away) and we got a free dessert.

 Good night.

The next day, Saturday, we headed down to Pacific Beach after a long night of sleeping. I slept so good the first night, I need to get curtains that block out the sun for my room so I can sleep like a rock every night. Pacific Beach was fun, it was shopping galore. The boys hated it! The little shops had some pretty good finds. Adrienne and I spotted a store where almost everything was $5 and a few fancy things for about $15. I spent a good amount of money in that store but left with a ton of stuff. While the girlies were shopping the boys went down to the pier and spent their bored hours walking around. I felt bad for them because there was no real "man shopping." One thing I noticed about San Diego is that it is normal to start drinking at 11 am in the morning. People are just drinking their Coronas at sports bars on Saturday in the morning. I was like, huh? After the long hours shopping, which is tiresome, we decided to head back to the hotel and go swimming and have a little fun. The two nights went by so fast and it was weird waking up Sunday knowing we were leaving in three hours. 

Sunday morning was relaxing because there was no set agenda. We had breakfast in the hotel restaurant, then got packed up to leave. On our way back from San Diego we stopped at the Carlsbad Outlets and shopped, again! That outlet center was an excellent find and would recommend it to anyone living in the San Diego/Orange county area. I bought a few things from the Banana Republic outlet and saved about 40% off on all the things I bought. I had to drop everyone off when we got back home and I pulled into my own garage around 5 pm. I was exhausted and needed to study for a test that I thought was going to be today but got pushed back to Wednesday. Tonight has been my recuperating night and I am going to bed a little early. 

I also had my CSUF orientation on Friday morning and that went beautifully. It was a long morning though. Check-in was 8 am and I didn't get out of there until 12:45. I got some good information about my general education and transfer units and all that. Luckily, all my UCI classes transferred perfectly and all my units are being counted towards something. I am currently a Sociology major with a Deviance/Social Problems concentration but I am seriously considering a double major option or at lease a minor in either Psychology or Criminal Justice. We will see what happens after I get in there and start taking some of those classes. It may take me a semester longer but I think it would be well worth it. 

This weekend is Halloween and I will be with Jessica and the babies, Colin and Jennie, to take them trick-or-treating. It should be fun because it will be Colin's first time out and about and he has no idea what is in store for him. He is gonna have a blast! Then Monday is my birthday and I only have one week left of my teenage-hood. Sadness... it is a big milestone. I hope all of you have an excellent Halloween! Be safe and have fun!

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Columbus Day

I wish everyday was Columbus Day. The freeways were amazing today! I got to school in no time and I got on the freeway from work at 5:15 pm and there was no stopping, even at interchanges! It was definitely a good day on the roads.

Busy, Busy, Busy

It seems like the days are slipping away from me. It is already almost half way through the month of October and I have still not bought a Halloween costume. It still feels like August, or at least the weather does in Orange County. 

This past weekend was a busy one with volunteer work at my sister's school. My sister is in color guard and their school was hosting a band competition this past Saturday. I decided to volunteer along with the parents and help with concessions. It was fun and I got to meet some of the students and they were super nice. Band kids are smart and fun to talk to and these were not geeky band kids like media makes them out to be. The whole day was fun but tiring. I was in charge of the hamburger line... haha and put in a total of seven hours. If that was a day at my job I would have made a good amount of money! It was nice to donate my time though. 

After the volunteering I did, I got home and started studying for some classes. I am half way through my last semester at Cypress College and trying to soak up all the last moments there with friends. In a couple of months I will be off to a new adventure again and have to adjust to a new school. I am used to this considering I have been to a total of seven schools in my sixteen years of education (including pre-school) and I am off to my eighth school. My orientation for Cal State Fullerton is next Friday and I'm excited to get the information I need to be a success and get my bachelor's degree as efficiently as possible. Good stuff. Until then I am focusing on finishing off my Cypress transcripts with all A's. This semester has been a relatively tough one though. Oceanography was nothing I was expecting and rocks are definitely not my thing. All my classes are going well and I am learning a lot so that is good. I technically only need C's in all my classes because I am already accepted to a university but if you know me... that is not acceptable. 

Other than school... I am going to San Diego next weekend for a getaway with Mike, Adrienne, and Justin. It should be true fun. We got a two-bedroom suite for real cheap because Adrienne works with a hotel chain that has a property in San Diego. It's an amazing deal and we all are excited to just get away from all worries. School, work, and parents. ;-)

Three weeks until my birthday. What are you getting me? I actually don't need anything but stuff is always nice. I just wish my grandma was here for my birthday and my uncle Troy. I feel like my whole family is gone. Grandma is in Illinois but will be coming out to California soon. Troy will be in New Zealand directing a show but that's okay, it will still hopefully be a great birthday. 

Halloween is just around the corner and I think I might be a bumble bee. I found a non-slutty one on Amazon and hope I can buy it soon. I need to get paid first. It's real cute and I have been wanting to be a bee for quite some time. We will see.

I guess that is all for now lovelies. Here is a picture that Mike and I took this past weekend. Don't we look smart? I think it's the glasses.

<3

Homecoming

Tonight was the lovely night for my brother and sister. It was my sister's first homecoming with a date and the whole day consisted of hair, nails, and makeup. On the other hand, Josh got ready in about thirty minutes. Kendra got her dress from Macy's and luckily my mom and I work with a lady who works part-time there and let us buy Kendra's homecoming dress with her employee discount so we got it for almost half off. It was adorable. Since we are trying to save money in all ways possible... I did Kendra's nails (which looked fabulous) and makeup and Adrienne did her hair. Salon quality at no cost. Pictures are worth more than words so I will let the pictures do some explaining. 

Lovely Adrienne with Kendra's mop of hair which included red and brown homemade extensions. Voluptuous.

The bottom curls.

Look at the nails!!! Courtesy of Tanya.

Final product. Doesn't she look beautiful? All grown up.

First big occasion sporting the braces.

And of course... a blast from the past. It has been about three years since my senior Homecoming and here are the pictures of my night. I loved that beaded dress. Got it off Melrose St. in Los Angeles for $40. What a bargain. It's still hanging in my closet. 

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It's Opera Season!

Yes... opera indeed. I was first introduced to opera a couple of years ago when I went to my first ever show with my mother. It was a fascinating experience and I have unfortunately not been able to go back until now. Bill, a partner at the law firm I work at, is a huge part of the opera scene in Orange County and he has a small part in the upcoming opera, Barber of Seville. Whenever he gets minor parts that means free seats and I was lucky enough to get them. Yippie! Some of you may be thinking what's the big deal? Opera is a great art and the best part about it is the language and voices. It's amazing how much is communicated through tone of voice and non-verbal communication. Of course there are subtitles for the audience but sometimes you get wrapped up in the beauty of the music and performance that you don't need a line by line explanation. So I can not wait to make my way down to Costa Mesa in a few weeks to root my boss on as he is apart of this great art form.

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