And here comes the sappy saga of the summer quickly gone by, just to give you a heads up.
Palm Trees and the waves of the ocean. Or Pine Trees and the glassy lake.
Tomorrow will mark exactly two weeks I have left here. That's it. Two weeks.
I am excited to go home and be in a familiar area again. To drive along familiar roads and see familiar places. To see my family, my dog, my friends I've all missed so dearly. To spend a few weeks out on the lake before the summer weather dwindles into fall. To deep-fried food at the State Fair, and friends gathering for Monday Night Bowling. To moving into a new apartment with an old friend.
Yes, I am ready to be home.
Yet knowing I'll be home soon also reminds me I will have to leave this place I didn't expect to love so quickly. Yes, I knew before the summer started that California would be wonderful. C'mon. Ocean. Palm Trees. the PCH. Working 4 blocks from the oceanfront. Oh, yes, I knew this summer would be splendid.
But the thing that caught me by surprise was the close friends and relationships I have gained through church. Through college group, Emmaus, GiGi and VBS, it's been oddly unavoidable to grow so attached to a church I've been attending for not even two full months.
So as I go home, I'll be excited to finally be back in my comfort zone, with Annie's right down the road, Targets everywhere I turn, the Twins games and Vikings games that will soon transition through their seasons...
Yet a piece of my heart will be left here in Southern California. Ya know the saying, "I left my heart in San Francisco," ...well, I think the truth of the matter is, "I left my heart in SoCal."
Ok, so much for the sappy "I only have two weeks left" post.
Now it's time for some NNNNEEEWWWWZZZZ! (noos, newz, nuz, oh yeah...news.)
hmm...not much.
Work is going splendid! I have much to do as I will be working on writing 5 separate features on different reality stars from ventura county. I was struggling to find a direction for my articles, but thanks to a talk with my editor, I think I now know where to go with them.
I'm also working on an article about a cheer team from Camarillo...which is, well...AWESOME.
Dad and I just booked our "stuff" for Vegas on the way home! We'll be staying at the Monte Carlo (!) and seeing: THE LION KING! SSTTOOOOKKKKEEEDD!!
oh, and dad also flies into LAX on Aug. 7th, so we'll have a few days together here before it's time for Road Trip part deux. yay!
As far as updates and such go, that's about all I can think of.
Oh yeah...and a wave wiped away my technology, so I'm without a phone until I can get myself to Tmobile and get something figured out. Which will be soon.
If cryogenics were all free ...
...then I could live like Walt Disney and live for all eternity inside a block of ice. But instead my time is set, this is the only life I get and though it hasn't ended yet sometimes I (don't) wish it might. :-) (mom, dad...you'll probably be the only ones who get that..haha)
Happy Birthday...to me. Yay!
I have to say, 23 is going to be a hard year to beat. California. Fantastic new friends. LA. Seafood. Beach/Ocean. Inception.
Thursday (my "other" birthday) Critter and I headed out of Camarillo towards LA. After a great lunch at a restaurant nearby, we waited in line...in the extreme heat...for over an hour. And we waited some more. And then we went through security, and waited. Went to the bathroom...and waited. And finally, we got in! AIR CONDITIONING! YAY! ...Jay leno?? Who's jay leno??? I JUST WANT AIR CONDITIONING. ;-)
We had dressed up in our LBD's (LittleBlackDresses for those who still don't know the acronym). And as we were walking down the line, following everyone as they were headed up the ramp to the left. We stopped at the man behind the desk who asked us "how many?" and we said, "2." "You can go down the hall to the right." We glance at each other. And we smile, thinking "Does this mean what we think it means?" Little did we know. "Wait here," another man said. 30 seconds later, "follow me." And so we did. Right past everyone...into the front row...RIGHT in front of Leno's desk and the chairs. As in we were probably 15 feet away. AWESOME! We re-applied makeup and tried to dry ourselves off from our own sweat.(yuck). As I was reapplying my lipgloss, I realized my hands were shaking. Couple minutes later I had calmed down. Another couple came and sat by us, who we learned were just on the last days of their honeymoon. Sweet. Two girls sitting behind us were from Minneapolis. Also sweet. Jay Leno's jokes - not as sweet. We were given instructions pre-show on how to make a good laugh. So, Jay Leno...yeah, sure, the Sarah/Bristol Palin shots were funny. But of course the one joke that was...well..not as funny (to say in the least), was the one where the camera caught me "laughing." (I do a pretty good fake-laugh, though, don't I?) Sad. But Ellen Page - awesome. Pawn Stars - cool. Band I've never heard of - actually somewhat good. All in all, awesome and fun and incredible experience for my "birthday." Especially with miss Critter! Would I do it again??? Maybe. But I'd rather David Letterman over Jay Leno any day. (hint...let's go to NEW YORK!)
Next up on the docket: The Santa Monica Pier! I don't think I realized just what was ON the pier until we got there. Critter and I pulled the "quick change in the car" into more comfy clothes, and we headed towards the pier for some dinner. I am so in love with the SM pier. I wish we could have something of the sort in MN. The closest thing is the adventure park in MOA. But it's not on a pier! Granted, all we have are docks in MN. Not piers. We enjoyed our dinner, soaked in the view from the pier, and then had a grand time on the Ferris Wheel..at Sunset..over the Pacific! Oh, so, so so so so so so BEAUTIFUL!!! And to finish it off with Chocolate Dip'N'Dots!? Yup, definitely a day I kept thinking, "I can't believe this is real."
So then my actual birthday..I worked, and then I did homework...and ran to the grocery store. Completely exciting, I know. (Which was actually just fine! I felt like from the day before, I needed a relaxing day! I enjoyed a chick-flick that night, too.)
Saturday afternoon. 75 degrees. Sunny. The beach at Ventura Pier. The ocean. YES! I was there around 1:30 or so, and by 2, people started "trickling" in for my "Beach Birthday Bash." Which was less of a bash and more of a chillaxin' day. So after a while of just sun-soaking, laughing, and chatting, Luke came and had brought his Skim boards. Olivia had attempted to explain this to me earlier. And I couldn't grasp the concept. Then Luke showed me. And I was like "wait..you want me to do WHAT?" Literally, it's like a combination of surfing and skateboaring. You throw this board down just as the water's receding from the shore and, well...SKIM across it! So not as easy as it looks. I attempted, and failed...alot. And then finally I attempted and KIND OF succeeded!! Fun! *note: I'm STILL not quite used to all the saltiness! It's weird to get a wave in my mouth and feel like I"m eating a salting cracker with too much salt.* By then it was time for dinner, so we walked to downtown Ventura for a good meal at...some place I can't remember the name of. After which we decided that going to see Inception sounded like a good plan at the Ventura Theater. So we did. That movie was crazy! It's kind of like the Matrix for dream sequences...it's weird.
So Saturday was great times with great friends!
23 is going to be hard to forget.
(photos and videos to follow shortly!)
Happy Birthday...to me. Yay!
I have to say, 23 is going to be a hard year to beat. California. Fantastic new friends. LA. Seafood. Beach/Ocean. Inception.
Thursday (my "other" birthday) Critter and I headed out of Camarillo towards LA. After a great lunch at a restaurant nearby, we waited in line...in the extreme heat...for over an hour. And we waited some more. And then we went through security, and waited. Went to the bathroom...and waited. And finally, we got in! AIR CONDITIONING! YAY! ...Jay leno?? Who's jay leno??? I JUST WANT AIR CONDITIONING. ;-)
We had dressed up in our LBD's (LittleBlackDresses for those who still don't know the acronym). And as we were walking down the line, following everyone as they were headed up the ramp to the left. We stopped at the man behind the desk who asked us "how many?" and we said, "2." "You can go down the hall to the right." We glance at each other. And we smile, thinking "Does this mean what we think it means?" Little did we know. "Wait here," another man said. 30 seconds later, "follow me." And so we did. Right past everyone...into the front row...RIGHT in front of Leno's desk and the chairs. As in we were probably 15 feet away. AWESOME! We re-applied makeup and tried to dry ourselves off from our own sweat.(yuck). As I was reapplying my lipgloss, I realized my hands were shaking. Couple minutes later I had calmed down. Another couple came and sat by us, who we learned were just on the last days of their honeymoon. Sweet. Two girls sitting behind us were from Minneapolis. Also sweet. Jay Leno's jokes - not as sweet. We were given instructions pre-show on how to make a good laugh. So, Jay Leno...yeah, sure, the Sarah/Bristol Palin shots were funny. But of course the one joke that was...well..not as funny (to say in the least), was the one where the camera caught me "laughing." (I do a pretty good fake-laugh, though, don't I?) Sad. But Ellen Page - awesome. Pawn Stars - cool. Band I've never heard of - actually somewhat good. All in all, awesome and fun and incredible experience for my "birthday." Especially with miss Critter! Would I do it again??? Maybe. But I'd rather David Letterman over Jay Leno any day. (hint...let's go to NEW YORK!)
Next up on the docket: The Santa Monica Pier! I don't think I realized just what was ON the pier until we got there. Critter and I pulled the "quick change in the car" into more comfy clothes, and we headed towards the pier for some dinner. I am so in love with the SM pier. I wish we could have something of the sort in MN. The closest thing is the adventure park in MOA. But it's not on a pier! Granted, all we have are docks in MN. Not piers. We enjoyed our dinner, soaked in the view from the pier, and then had a grand time on the Ferris Wheel..at Sunset..over the Pacific! Oh, so, so so so so so so BEAUTIFUL!!! And to finish it off with Chocolate Dip'N'Dots!? Yup, definitely a day I kept thinking, "I can't believe this is real."
So then my actual birthday..I worked, and then I did homework...and ran to the grocery store. Completely exciting, I know. (Which was actually just fine! I felt like from the day before, I needed a relaxing day! I enjoyed a chick-flick that night, too.)
Saturday afternoon. 75 degrees. Sunny. The beach at Ventura Pier. The ocean. YES! I was there around 1:30 or so, and by 2, people started "trickling" in for my "Beach Birthday Bash." Which was less of a bash and more of a chillaxin' day. So after a while of just sun-soaking, laughing, and chatting, Luke came and had brought his Skim boards. Olivia had attempted to explain this to me earlier. And I couldn't grasp the concept. Then Luke showed me. And I was like "wait..you want me to do WHAT?" Literally, it's like a combination of surfing and skateboaring. You throw this board down just as the water's receding from the shore and, well...SKIM across it! So not as easy as it looks. I attempted, and failed...alot. And then finally I attempted and KIND OF succeeded!! Fun! *note: I'm STILL not quite used to all the saltiness! It's weird to get a wave in my mouth and feel like I"m eating a salting cracker with too much salt.* By then it was time for dinner, so we walked to downtown Ventura for a good meal at...some place I can't remember the name of. After which we decided that going to see Inception sounded like a good plan at the Ventura Theater. So we did. That movie was crazy! It's kind of like the Matrix for dream sequences...it's weird.
So Saturday was great times with great friends!
23 is going to be hard to forget.
(photos and videos to follow shortly!)
SO sorry. The latest.
OK, I know the last time I wrote anything was...well...a long time ago.
California life has swept me away, and sometimes I forget there are people halfway across the country wanting to know the latest. (...IF you REALLY did, you'd comment, too! *wink*)
Among my daily life of enjoying palm trees and the ocean,
there have been several amazing things that have happened.
I went to Christina & Matt's wedding. It was pretty. And fun. Congratulations to them! :-)
A week ago, I scuba dived (dove, dived??? eh, who cares? well...I probably should...) off of the beach in MALIBU. As in THE Malibu. As in, "Hey, I'm in MALIBU."
The water was actually a little murky, and visibility was only about 5-7 feet. But just like the book said, diving can still be fun in low visibility if you know what to look for. And although I didn't, my instructors did. I hand-picked a couple sand-dollars off the ocean floor. (Just SAYING that is cool!) I HELD a CRAB (YES, A CRAB!) in the palm of my hand. (No not a big one. And no, it couldn't pinch my fingers off. Although as the instructor put it into my hands, I was terrified it might...and I screamed.) I found and picked up a hermit crab, which was a little fighter of a crab..although it was so tiny, it just seemed like it just wanted to stick to my glove rather than rip it off. haha.
It was an unforgettable experience, and I can't wait to go back out! (Although I still pray I won't get eaten by a shark...)
The beginning of VBS was on Wednesday, and took me by a whirlwind. It was hilarious, adorable, and enjoyable, as I was with eight 3&4-year-olds. And as expected, they had TONS of energy and made me laugh. Alot. We shall see what comes of this upcoming Wednesday.
The internship has been going fairly well. The past few weeks have been more "grunt" work than anything, but this past week has been getting back into my own work. I am currently working on a feature article about Reality Stars in the area. And it's proving to be a great and exciting article! I interviewed the guy who owns Pure Vision Designs (a custom car building & detailing shop). The guy's name is Steve Strope - and this guy has become known as one of the "it" guys across America building Hot Rods. The coolest thing (to me anyway) is that he built and made the close-out car Vin Diesel drove in Fast & Furious: Tokyo Drift. Next up: Brig, who won Shear Genius, Captain Chuck Swift of Whale Wars, a couple of contestants on So You Think You Can Dance (if you know me AT ALL, you know I'm slightly MORE-THAN STOKED about this!), and HOPEFULLY a finalist for Top Chef - Fabio Viviani.
Another awesome thing! I am getting started on another article for A&C (arts & culture) about a local gymnastics club who are nationally ranked. Now, we all know that cheerleading isn't dance, and vise versa, but I respect cheerleading just as much as dance. AND I love to watch it. So it's more than exciting for me to get this article started, too....right up my alley!
And of course, there's the occasional bits of "grunt work" I still have to do. But I'm alright with that!
Ok, let's see....
Dispicable Me is a cute, hilarious, and good movie. Go watch it. Now. Not even kidding. Ok, you can go later, if you must...
Street Fairs are still awesome, no matter where you go. I got a sweet Henna tatoo on my foot, and enjoyed walking through the stands, the heat...and of course the palm trees that lines the streets. ;-)
College group and church are still amazing.
This week is..*DUN, DUN DUN DAAA*.. MY BIRTHDAY!! So come Thursday, I will be going down to LA with friends to see a taping of The Jay Leno Show - in which, Ellen Page is supposed to appear. Awesome.
Friday is my ACTUAL birthday, and I have dinner planned with Uncle Eric & Brenda.
Then Saturday is my "beach birthday bash" (because I love alliterations), so I'll be playing some beach volleyball and hopefully hanging out around the campfire in the evening...and just enjoying the beach for my birthday! Yup. 23 is going to be epic. Although, it will certainly be missing some awesome people, like my family, or the best friend...and of course, my sonny-baby. I miss my dog quite often. (Dear Sonny-Baby, I love you and miss your white puffball hair...Love, your mommy. And yes, I do miss him that much.)
Other than that, my days seem to whiz by me!
My little sister was at camp this week, which was hard for me to be here and her to be there, without me...but I figured being here is a good alternative. (But I still miss being at camp...alot. And everyone at camp. Alot.)
I would have more pictures, except the ones I took, I accidentally took in RAW, which means I now have to convert them....But I WILL get them up soon. Also, be watching for another video! :-)
