California Adventures

Took me awhile, but here you go - more snapshots of our epic trip to Cali. It's one of the most fun trips I've ever had, thanks to Julie and Elise for making me do things even if I'm hangry (hungry/angry).

I honestly can't even describe to you how much fun Richard Simmon's "Sweat" class was. If I lived in LA I would totally be a member of his studio. No joke - he's incredible.

Dave and Scott, the gay guys who I made quick friends with. Note the pink unicorn tattoo. Love.

Could we leave without buying matching "I sweat with Richard Simmons" tanks? No. We could not.

Yeah, we did walk around Rodeo drive looking like this. We only got a couple of dirty looks when we went into Louis Vuitton. We didn't even try to step inside Tiffany's.

 

You might notice that in the previous California post I have a similar picture in front of Baked, yet another cupcake shop. Man, I was in a major sugar coma that night!

Disneyland. The happiest place on earth.

Lunch at the Blue Bayou. Delightful, even if we did have to sprint all the way from California Adventure to get to our reservation in 9 minutes flat.

Disney gives a girl hope!

 

Minnie headband. We are so lucky they did not kick us out of the store, especially after I proceeded to try on a child-size Rapunzel dress. Which fit somehow. Magic.

Not really quiet, petite, or sweetly demure, but I can act like it!

Maybe my favorite ride - classic teacup spinning picture.

  

 It took me approximately 8 hours in the park to feel ok about spending $4 on a pretzel. But it was Mickey-shaped! Worth it!

 

Our last day before leaving we made a stop at this adorable tea shop/cafe in San Clemente. The food was delicious!

So many memories. Can't wait to go back!

I'm famous...as usual

So in case you are sitting around wondering what to do with the next ten minutes of your life...this is pretty funny. I'm in the bright pink top - sticking about as close to Richard as I can. Can you spot me?

Just a little California teaser.

Went to San Clemente/Newport/Anaheim/Los Angeles for the MLK, Jr. holiday weekend. And it was absolutely fabulous. 

I still need to get more pictures from Julie and Elise, but here is a sample of our awesome trip until a better post to come. Love these girls!

Disneyland!

Richard Simmons!

Rodeo Drive!

Cupcakes!

Sometimes I think I could really live in California. I need more sun in my life.

All my love

Happy Valentine's Day!

"We are each of us angels with only one wing, and we can only fly by embracing one another."

- Lucretius

Case of the Mondays...

I've felt a little strange and sad today...partially from stress, I think, and partially from eating too many sugar cookie bars last night. Despite the reason, when I saw this I realized that there are still so many things in life to make me smile. I love kids. Things are so much simpler when you see them with innocent eyes.

Finding North at Sundance

49 million people in the U.S. - one in four children - don't know where their next meal is coming from, despite our having the means to provide nutritious, affordable food for all Americans. Directors Kristi Jacobson and Lori Silverbush examine this issue through the lens of three people for who are struggling with food insecurity: Barbie, a single Philadelphia mother who grew up in poverty and is trying to provide a better life for her two kids; Rosie, a Colorado second-grader who often has to depend on friends and neighbors to feed her and has trouble concentrating in school; and Tremonica, a Mississippi second-grader whose asthma and health issues are exacerbated by the largely empty calories her hardworking mother can afford.

 more »

I love Sundance. It alternately makes me feel trendy and trivial. "Finding North" was a really incredible documentary that reminded me of how grateful I should be for my background. It also made me want to get more involved and start more dialogues about how the government is failing almost 50 million Americans. I rarely get political on this blog, but the effects of government subsidization of large industrial farming on the population make me really angry. One major thing that I took from the film was that poverty and obesity run hand in hand, and the government continues to cut funding for programs which would encourage better health in America. There are millions of hardworking people who aren't able to make a living wage and either don't have access or can't afford the increasing costs of whole, natural foods. Food stamps usually only provide about a dollar's worth of groceries per day, and it's cheaper to buy Cheetos than grapes.

Here's to being a better citizen - if you've never known what it is to be hungry, like me, make sure your Congressmen and women know that the health of America's children is a priority to you. We were able to almost eradicate hunger in American under Nixon, and it was because public outcry forced the government to create better programs. We can do it again. 

"We don't fund the Department of Defense with charities. We shouldn't feed our children with charities."

- Jeff Bridges

Heaven help me.

I'm doing this. The first few weeks look pretty easy, but hopefully by the end I'll have a stronger core. Who's in it with me?