not fire, not ice

This song was perfect and so beautiful for the wedding entrance.  I just had to share.  I love Ben Harper, beautiful song writer, beautiful singer.  Enjoy. I did.

13,000 feet

It's been quite the summer. I've had a host of things to do, and not very much time in between. The only normalcy I find is late at night, like right now, reading...I've become my mother. Which isn't bad, especially after the whirlwind summer I've had, and we aren't even a month in. :) No complaints though.
I'll start with this adventure. And let me say, it was quite the adventure, and in fact, I found myself in tears on my drive home after having done this. My brother had his golden birthday on the 27th. The last time I was in Chico, he had mentioned he wanted to skydive this year for his birthday. I didn't hesitate and was on board immediately. Last year for my birthday me and my mister were going to jump, but it became winter very quickly, so instead we went to Yosemite for a weekend.

Anyway, I was pretty nervous the night before I made the drive out to jump. I have to admit the idea of free falling for 60 seconds kind of blows my mind. The idea that there are people that do that for a living, makes me pause, and be somewhat thankful that my job leaves me with two feet on the ground...although I know that is what those people live for. I chose not to eat the morning I jumped, I had no idea how I was going to respond to jumping 2 miles up. And, up until I sat and watched jumpers for 45 minutes waiting for my baby brother, I was nervous, but the excited nervous, the kind where I wondered how far I'd get to see, how fast we'd go. Once my brother got to the site, it was about 45 minutes, and we were on our way, with our jumpers, and that's about it. Not once did I think this might be a bad idea. Nope. And so, we got in our plane, and 10 minutes later, the door opened up, and my little brother who was turning 27...jumped first, and I got a little emotional. I just watched my brother bounce out of a plane. In hindsight, it was just all really intense. But I loved it. I'll never forget the feeling of falling. The quick feel of the wind blasting through you.

It's like nothing you'll ever know, unless you do it. I saw as far as the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and if it had been a little clearer, I could have see all the way down the bay. I saw Sacramento, I saw the Sutter Buttes. My instructor was amazing, and I'm so glad I got him to jump with me. If you ever get chance to jump, or a desire, you should. One of my BFF's did it the next day, and we plan on going again before the summer is over. Here are a few pictures. I'm glad I'm back writing for now, anyway, in two weeks it starts all over again!

many changes are abound here in my life. BIG...and small. Great things, loving things...exciting things. Things I am not ready yet, to write about on my blog for strangers to read and may not be for a couple of months. ;-) 

--those of you who know me outside of my blog will know soon enough!  

I may or may not be back for a while. 

until the next time...xo

gluten free

One thing we talked about on our drive to L.A. was my desire to try something together diet wise.  Last year, I challenged myself to be vegan, and in all honesty it wasn't that hard, but I mostly missed cheese, and so after I think it was 112 days I stopped being vegan.  I mostly stick to fish, but if someone is cooking me dinner and meat happens to be a part of it, I won't put my nose up to it.  I mostly consume vegetables, and definitely more than he does.  Anyway, lately my body aches, I usually HAVE to take something by bed time, I've gone to get massages, I've gone to the chiropractor, all things I've tried...but I'm sluggish some days, and  I'm tired, A LOT! And I've thought about it for at least a  month...about going Gluten free. I don't have the symptoms of celiac's so I know it's not that, and I'm very thankful for that, but I hate having pain almost every day!   So, I brought it up and he was okay with it!!!

Mostly I love bread for almond butter and honey sandwiches...but they have gluten free bread that is low in calories for sandwiches--so we are trying it.  I went to the farmers market on Saturday in Napa to see what they have, and was so excited.  I went all crazy and bought stuff for dinner that night.  Cucumber soup and caprese salad--YUM.  He hates tomatoes normally but, he could see how much effort I put into it, so he had two slices, I was so proud of him.  My cucumber soup came out great, but there are a few things I'll change for next time. 

I think I'm a little nervous cause I LUUUURVE beer in the summer especially but if this is the cause of my achy body, then I may just have to learn how to hold my champagne better!  Here's to new things...

Operation Vacation part III

The Getty Garden

Okay...so the one thing that stresses me out about road tripping, is the idea of maybe not knowing where we will be one day to the next.  The one thing I love about road tripping, is there is no time frame.  We decided to go to the Getty on Thursday morning.  It was alright.  When I say alright, I mean I was sort of bored, but it's free so whatever.  I'll probably never go again, and that's okay with me.  I've been twice.  But, it did have some neat history, and the view is always pretty awesome, but I was sort of ready to get out of Los Angeles. 

view from the Cacti garden

alan and his coffee

the boyscout in Alan really liked this picture.

I heart these trees

me, the city...and my new favorite scarf

the top

the bottom

I made the bad decision to maybe go see Hollywood, since he'd never been.  Maybe it would have been a better choice not in the summer when about 100 million other people are going.  Remember how I said it's amazing the things you realize about yourself in the car.  I remember last September, completely being in love with Los Angeles, I drove around Beverly Hills I found my way to things. It felt like I belonged there.  What the eff was I thinking?  I was blurry eyed, with a crush.  I wanted so badly to move there, and of course a man was at the end of that "rainbow", even on my drive down to LA I was still thinking I'd love to live IN Los Angeles, so much to do...not anymore.  At least not where I was last Summer, I definitely had the "grass is always greener" glasses on last time I wrote about L.A. ,  that this trip was almost a smack in the face to bring me back to reality.  

the E! network...Joel McHale works there.

next time I'm in LA I'm going here

Anyway, we drove up the 101 to Santa Barbara, where I'd never been, so driving in that town was, hard!  I was starving, I was tired, and I was grumpy, so when the keys got locked in my car...I was pissed.  Luckily roadside assistance was quick and Jack the tow truck driver got my door unlocked real quick.  I'm such a cranky brat if I haven't eaten...I feel bad for Alan sometimes. :( 

the look on his face reminds me to not be so cranky.  this is post roadside assistance call breakdown. :(

Red Velvet cake YUM

We had a good dinner, and our plan was to drive to SLO, but after drinking two glasses of wine, that plan changed.  

And we stayed at the MOST awesome place...another thing I like about road tripping, is finding a place that normally would charge 139 for a beachfront cottage....and takes it allllll the way down to 90 at 11 o'clock at night.  It probably helped that I was dancing to the guys music too.  We played scrabble,  watched bad MTV movies, drank more wine, and passed out around 2 in the morning. 

a map of the Downtown SB, and scrabble. 

I was determined to wake up at 8 am and go to the beach to watch the morning boats leave.  so I did, alone, and that was what I wanted.  I found a starfish, followed a seagull, watched Kayaks and drank coffee.  I love the ocean so much. 

I was trying to get the seagulls prints...FAIL

starfish

underbelly of the starfish

I love palm treeeees!

the bird and I had the same idea!

Buffalo Pub and Grill--the buffalo is wearing a Dodgers hat. Punch to the face.

bubblegum alley...stinks

muscle alert in Paso

view from a lookout

me <---------photo addiction

last stop...Paso Robles

 The last part of our trip consisted of a stop in SLO, a place we've decided to go back to together, and soon, bubblegum alley, a little short drive up Hwy 1, a stop in Paso Robles, a place I'd never been, but he had--some wine tasting at a few places, 

Midnight Cellars winery. 

and then our drive home.

happy feet, happy toes

the COOLEST sunset we saw the whole time we were gone.  

Operation Vacation part II

never been...now I have

hmmm...guess I'll have to get a picture of the beginning of the trail one of these days

 Our first day in Los Angeles, Manhattan Beach, Santa Monica, was pretty great, minus the weird vendors on the Santa Monica Pier, and the weird Keyboardist at brunch. 

MMMM-mai tai

yay!!!

so much fun!

But, other than that, traffic wasn't bad, the beach was warm...I always am on the lookout for celebrities.  It doesn't matter who I'm with, or even where I am.  But, especially in L.A....I always am looking.  But, the only time I saw one face to face was last fall, seeing Jessica Alba and her Hubs in West Hollywood, was pretty awesome.  Anyway, our time at the beach was nice, I fell asleep, lately that's something I do well.  I blink, and I'm sleeping.  :-/ I don't know if that's a sign of something else, or that I'm just THAT tired.  Have you fallen asleep on a beach?  It's really one of the best feelings, actually falling asleep while laying out anywhere is the best!!  But, being at the beach is one of my top favorite things...After about a 45 minute nap, I woke up to some crazy man walking up and down the beach singing "Summertime", and asking for some of our time....nope. But was really entertained when some kids told him yes, only to hear a schpeal on how women on the beach were threatening to call the police on him if he kept singing.  GREEEAT!!!

awake, listening to the waves

playing in the sand, I got bored

  I sat there, and watched kids run into the ocean not even caring that it was pretty cold, and I played in the sand, I listened to the nearby thrill rides, and the screams that came from them, and I just was silent while he slept. 

I tried...but failed, so he did it.

this guy was like a monkey!!! I was impressed until I noticed the tape on his hands....

My friend Miriam and I had been texting, hoping to catch up that night, and grab dinner in Hermosa Beach.  I wrote a litte about my visit with Miriam last summer, but her and I have been friends since 6th grade, she's a really wonderful girlfriend, who I was glad to finally reconnect with about a year before our reunion.   

Anyway, her and Jon, another childhood friend started dating, and now they live in SoCal, and I love it...I love them.  We planned to meet for sushi, (pardon the music on that site) my current craving, pretty much everyday! 

yum...and that extra ball of wasabi...mine!

I was so excited, to see them, to have Alan meet them, I knew him and Jon would pretty much love each other, and I was right!! "Downtown" Hermosa Beach is pretty effing awesome! I loved it, and we got a spot right next to the restaurant SCORE, when we walked in, it was like no time had passed since last summer.  I can't explain to you what that feels like for me.... to have friends like that, a lot of my friends that I've had for a long time are so much alike, that we have such a strong connection that even if a lot of time has gone by, it never feels like it...there's no time difference.  You probably have a friend or two like that, and if you do, I think it's a true gift, and treasure. 

love

i think this is one of my most favorite pics of us

I try with the chopsticks, but notice my fork...I'm not to great at chopsticks...so what!

he had a moment

two of the same

poker...

friends

I love this thing

I don't love this background....it's like a college kids bathroom or something

my necklace from Miri.

I love my friends so much, and this reminded me why.  Miriam got me an amazing necklace from Anthropologie, I can't wait to wear it. And dinner was so good! I love how easily Alan can talk to people, he has so much to say, and listens so well, he's definitely my match. After that, we went back to their beach house and they taught me to play poker...sort of, I'm really bad at card games, I get bored so easy...but nevertheless.....I had the best time with them, I was so happy. So far, so good, vacation success.

"It takes a long time, to grow an old friend"~ John Leonard