So Many Captains

Today, Steve pins on his new rank of Captain. Congrats!! In fact, in the past few days Steve as well as 3 of our friends have been promoted to Captain in the U.S. Air Force. Congratulations to Amy, Gaby, Chris and, of course, Steve.

So, I was trying to come up with a silly nickname for Steve now that he is a Captain. This made me stop and think.....how many other Captains are there...Hmmmm. I can think of a few, in no particular order....

Captain Crunch

Captain Awesome
Captain Morgan

Captain Kangaroo
Captain Kirk

Captain Hook
Captain America

Captain and Tenille
Captain D's

Captain Underpants
Captain Jack Sparrow

Captain Caveman
Captain Planet and the Planeteers

Can you think of any others? And while you're at it, can you help me with a nickname for Steve?!?

It's the Little Things....

...that make me feel special. Lately, I have been feeling a little down, not depressed, just down. I realized that it's the small things that make me smile and keep me going.

1. Like sending a package or a letter half way around the world just to make someone's day.

2. Buying Christmas gifts for people I love.

3. Getting a text message in the middle of the night letting me know that I have a new email waiting for me.

4. Having my students tell me I look good in "my" designer jeans.

5. Wearing winter sweaters on a cold day in Los Angeles. No, really, it's freakin' cold here these days.

6. Getting Christmas gifts from my students because no matter how tough I am on them, they still like me, they really like me.

7. And lastly, knowing that no matter how alone I feel at times, there is someone on the other side of the world that cares about me who I look forward to talking to every chance I get.

Sometimes It's Ok to Cry

Here are a few songs that every time I hear them, I cry. No, really, everytime.

"I Miss You" by Incubus

"I Loved Her First" by Heartland

"Love Without End, Amen" by George Strait

"I Miss My Friend" by Darrel Worley (For Steve)

"My Old Kentucky Home" by Stephen Foster (For obvious reasons)

"My Little Girl" by Tim McGraw

I am sure there are others but these are the ones I've heard on the radio (with the exception of My Old Kentucky Home) within the last few days. If you know these songs, and you know me, then you know why I cry every time I hear them.

So Many Firsts

Since I've been in LA I have experienced many firsts. In no particular order:

1. I had my first plate of sushi - spicy tuna was my favorite
2. I bought my first brand new car
3. I ate my first pomegranate - yummy
4. I got my first teaching job
5. I went to Vegas for the first time
6. I attended my first music festival - Coachella
7. I went to my first high school prom
8. I got my first tattoo - quit freaking out, mom
9. I saw my first television show taping
10. I went to Mexico for the first time
11. I bought my first king size bed - so comfy

These are a few of my firsts....what new experiences have you had lately?

Bittersweet

In case you haven't heard, Steve leaves for his deployment soon. He won't be back until sometime next summer. I am excited for him because he is excited to be going on what he calls "an adventure." I know that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for him and he will ultimately be able to serve his country while deployed.

However, I am also sad that one of my best friends, my roommate, and my boyfriend will be leaving all at once. It is almost like I have to say goodbye to three people, not just one. I know that he will be safe while he is overseas, and I know that he will be coming home in a few (hopefully short) months. But it still makes me sad to see him go.

I will be able to send him things, and we will talk on the phone often, but it's not like having him here with me every day.

So....goodbye sweetheart, stay safe and come home soon.

Oh Captain! My Captain!!

In the coming months some of my friends will be getting promoted (Congratulations to Morgan, John, Steve, Chris, Taya, Amy and Kelly). That is a great thing for them in that they get more money and a new title. However, for me it means that some of them will now be reassigned to new positions in other states.

The good news is that there are new people coming in to take their place. This past summer I met some new friends who will be here for at least 4 years until it is their time to get promoted and move on.

Good luck to Morgan, John, Amy and Chris in their new adventures beyond Los Angeles.

Goodbye to my old friends, hello to my new ones.

The Good Life

As I sit here on my front porch overlooking the Marina and watching kids play in the pool, I realize that I live a pretty good life here in LA. Here are a few of the reasons why:

I live in a place where the weather is great more often than it is bad.

I have a great job where I actually enjoy going to work every day.

I have a few close friends that are there for me no matter what.

I have a great sound system in my car.

I have learned to appreciate good coffee (thanks, Steve).

I have a boyfriend (yes, I said boyfriend so get over it).

I have a great apartment (and an awesome roommate) and nice neighbors.

I live near the ocean.

As far as I know, I am in pretty good health.

And I don't have fleas.

How Can You Experience LA in Only 3 Days?

This was my dilema as my Italian cousins came back to LA with me after the reunion in Kentucky. What to do? Where to go? What to see? What is the best way to experience LA?

We arrived Tuesday afternoon and after a short break to put our suitcases in the house, we walked to Venice Beach. Venice is a unique experience and after it was over, we went to sleep (hey-it was a long flight and we were tired).

We got up early on Wednesday and drove to Hollywood to see the Avenue of the Stars, Groman's Chinese Theater and to eat breakfast. We walked along the shops and took pictures of the famous Hollywood sign. We then trotted off to Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. This didn't take long because everyone knows you don't go to Rodeo to go shopping. After a few minutes of looking at all the things we could never afford to buy, we flew over to the La Brea Tar Pits and took a look at Los Angeles 25,000 years ago. We then came back to the house to pick up Steve and raced over to Sakura Japanese Restaurant for sushi. After lots and lots of sushi, we hobbled down to the Santa Monica Pier where we played Whack-A-Mole and contemplated getting dessert. We decided against dessert and dragged ourselves home.

Thursday morning was spent touring the high school and then strolling to the California Science Center on USC's campus. We didn't spend the money to tour the BodyWorlds exhibit but we still had a great time exploring the technology of science. We started to get hungry so we opted not to go to the natural history museum and instead we found ourselves at the Farmer's Market where we indulged in Greek cuisine for lunch.

Since we were stuffed with some great food, we decided to amble back to the house and relax until Steve got home. We ate dinner at the Enterprise Fish Company (I have taken a few of you there when you have visited) and everyone ate waaaaayyyyy too much. After dinner, we cruised back to the Santa Monica Pier to listen to a free concert by Italian singer Carmen Consoli. She sang in Italian about killing cats and being left at the alter by her fiancee. The cousins weren't impressed so we sauntered back home and called it a night.

Friday I introduced Andrea to the wonders of the Xbox 360 while Patrizia did laundry and Pierluigi went to the pool. Andrea LOVED Guitar Hero so much he played even after all the laundry was done and everyone was at the pool. For lunch, we headed to the Cheesecake Factory and brought home 4 pieces of cheesecake. We spent the afternoon at the pool then grabbing the rental car before Steve and our friends showed up for an evening cookout. I think the cousins had a great time because by the end of the evening, both Andrea and Pierluigi were playing darts while we watched the olympics.

Saturday morning came way too early as we prepared to journey to Santa Barbara for a bit of wine tasing before Andrea and Patrizia left for San Francisco by car. It was a long drive and we made it to Santa Barbara for lunch before we ran to the Firestone winery to taste some of their finest wines. As we walked outside and onto the grounds of the estate, Andrea told us about the grapes and the types of wines produced at this winery. After tasing a few of the grapes off the vine (totally legal, I promise), we said goodbye to Andrea and Patrizia and made a beeline straight to Vandenburg Air Force Base. Steve was able to get us on base and we did a bit of shopping at the Base Exchange (well, Pierluigi did most of the shopping). We were stopped by the Air Force Police for taking pictures and they actually looked through Pierluigi's camera for photos taken on the base. Finding nothing of interest to them, they simply told us not to be taking any pictures of the facilities but the photos we had were okay. It was a VERY long drive home and we were exhausted by the time we made it home.

We slept in on Sunday and went to breakfast at our usual dive restaurant, Centinela Cafe. It is a great hole-in-the-wall place that serves excellent food for a reasonable price. After breakfast, we went shopping at the Westside Pavilion and in the evening, took the Marina Water Bus across the marina to the California Pizza Kitchen for dinner. On the way to CPK, we saw 5 sea lions playing in the water and on one of the docks.

And finally on Monday, I took Pierluigi to Chinatown to purchase two suitcases (believe me, he's going to need them). I was able to get him a great deal - two suitcases for $20!! He was so happy with his purchase that he spent the rest of the day by the pool working on his tan.

I think all-in-all my cousins have had a great time trying to experience LA in only 3 days (the 4th day was spent in Santa Barbara) and I look forward to a time when they can return to experience the rest of what LA has to offer.

I Need a Vacation.....

from my vacation!! I have been in Kentucky the past week or so helping my parents get ready for a family reunion that I have coordinated to take place at their house.

Now, this all started when I couldn't decide what to get my dad for his 60th birthday. Normally in our family, we don't do birthdays except for the "going out to dinner for your birthday" thing. But, I had this great idea of throwing my dad a surprise birthday party and inviting the entire family to help him celebrate. I even sent an email to our cousins in Italy and asked them if they would like to be a part of the surprise. They agreed and are on their way to America on Thursday of this week!! But back to my original thought....we haven't had a good family reunion in a very long time and I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate dad's birthday than to have his family around.

So that is what I did. I organized and coordinated the family reunion happening this weekend at my parent's house in Kentucky. Everyone will be here. There will be almost 100 family members attending the party (I never told you I had a very large family, did I?) including the cousins from Italy. However, it is no longer a surprise. We had to eventually tell dad about the party since it IS going to be at his house.

But back to my original thought....I came back home to Kentucky two weeks before the party to help out my mom and dad get ready for the party but I had no idea how much work they wanted to do to the house for the party. My mom made a list of things to do (her "Honey Do" list) around the house that was two pages long!! No joke!!

I have been painting, dusting, weeding, mowing, washing, gardening, vacuuming, mopping, sweeping, shoveling dirt, laying straw and scraping. I have even cleaned the windows and doors and found time to paste together a family tree dad printed out on 49 pages. And this is just the beginning. I will be a chauffeur, hostess, dishwasher, food server and garbageman all before the party is over. Boy, am I tired. I really wish I was back in Cali, sitting on my deck watching the boats go in and out of the marina while Steve is making me some fancy drink from our bar...but back to my original thought....

It will all be worth it though. My dad is excited to be having the party for his family and I am excited that he is excited. I even get to take the cousins from Italy back with me to LA. To me, family and friends are the most valuable things in life and all I wanted was to give dad was a gift that he wouldn't have thought of giving himself -- his family.

Party at our place!!

This past weekend, Steve and I threw another fabulous party.

Our first party was a few weeks ago in which we celebrated a trifecta, of sorts. We celebrated the end of another school year for me, my birthday and our house warming all in one. We had about 30 people show up for a day of grilling out, swimming, darts, games, and just hanging out. Security was called around 8:30pm but that didn't stop our fun. We just moved everyone indoors and kept the party going until about 11pm. Everyone was very impressed with our new place.

So, what did we do?!? Glad you asked. We threw another party. Our 4th of July party was just a great as the first party. We didn't expect many people to show up because it was a long 4-day weekend for Steve and everyone at his job. But, despite the long weekend, we had about 25 people show up for this party. Because they close down the streets in this area and traffic is horrible on the 4th, we told everyone to come by early and enjoy the usual swimming and grilling mixed with darts and other fun.

You can tell you throw a great party when the friends of your friends want to invite their other friends to your party!!

The night was going well when I realized it was time for the fireworks!! We took the gang to the end of the marina at 9pm and watched the most spectacular fireworks show I have seen in a long time. It was a great way to end the party. As we were walking back to the house, a few of our friends said that they had never been that close to the fireworks before.

We let everyone wait a while for traffic to clear and then people started to leave. Around 11pm, we got a phone call from those that had already left to tell us that traffic out of the marina was still a nightmare so the remaining guests stayed until about 12:30 before leaving.

All in all, it was another great party. I know that we will have many more over the rest of the summer. Come on over and have some fun with us!!!

Arrivederci Nonna

Me and Nonna in Chinatown

It has been a very rough week for me. One week ago today, my grandmother had a massive heart attack and passed away. She was 86 years old and lived a very full and adventurous life.

In 2003 I was asked to interview a family member as an assignment for a multicultural class I was taking at the University of Kentucky. I chose to interview my Nonna. You can read all about my interview with her and her life at that time if you click here. She was 81 years old when the interview took place.

I loved her very much and hope that you enjoy reading about her.

Arrivederci Nonna. Io ti voglio tanto bene molto.

What to do, What to do?

Now that I am officially out of school for the summer, I am left to ponder what to do with my days?

So far, I have done nothing but take long walks, exercise and lay around the house playing video games or working a puzzle.

I did go see the Stone Temple Pilots at the Hollywood Bowl this week. They were great!! I also played a bit of poker over the weekend. I played well, but in the end, I gave back all the money I had won.

I think that in the next few weeks I will take longer walks (possibly on the beach) and go and explore some of LA that I have not seen before. I might keep you updated on all the things I am doing, but then again, I may just continue to lay around the house doing nothing.

Today is a Great Day!!

Happy Birthday to ME!!!!

Many years ago, I gave my mother a surprising wake up call and came into this world at 3:20 in the wee hours of the morning on this very day. Over the years there may have been a few times that I have tried her patience and defied a direct order or two. For example, I was the one who loved to see just how far I could go before I went too far.

One instance that stands out in my mind happened to me when I was about 5 or 6 years old. My mother gave me a direct order not to go into the street. While I know now that she was just trying to keep me from getting hurt by a passing car, I decided then to see just how far I could go before she blew her top. I ran straight for the street and came to a screeching halt at the border of the grass and the road. I proceeded to carefully place one foot into the street while ever so cautiously looking over my shoulder to see if she was watching. I had obviously gone too far. Looking back, it seems like a mischievous thing to do.

Another example happened to me sometime after my sister was born. I am a little fuzzy on the exact time period in my life but my sister was an infant and I was in preschool or kindergarten at the time. I had decided that my sister's room needed a touch of art. Since I had just created a beautiful masterpiece that would surely put Picasso to shame that was proudly displayed on the refrigerator, I proceeded to use my sister's diaper ointment as fingerpaint and redecorated her wall. Much to my surprise, my mother was not as excited about the wall art as she was about the one I painted for her proudly displayed on the refrigerator. She told me sometime later that I went back to school and told my teacher that "there was no judge in the world that would put my mom away for killing me after what I had done." Looking back, I probably should have stuck to water-based and not oil based paints.

There are many more stories like these but the point of all this is to say thanks to my mom for putting up with me all these years. I do not know how you survived having a mischievous, defiant, ornery, and very creative thinking toddler. I just hope that when I have children, I can be half the mom that you have been to me.

Thank you

Song Lyrics

Here are some great lines from various songs on my iPod....

"Every new beginning come from some other beginning's end" - Closing Time by Semisonic

"If your body matches what your eyes can do, you'll probably move right through me on my way to you." - Paralyzer by Finger 11

"I ain't gonna be just a face in the crowd, you're gonna hear my voice when I shout it out loud." - It's My Life by Bon Jovi

"Memories are just where you laid them." - Hemmorage by Fuel

To New Friends

Imagine you have been waiting to meet someone you have heard a lot about over the past three years. Isn't it great when you finally meet them, they turn out to be even better than you imagined?!? I wish I had been given the opportunity to meet them sooner.

To Past Friends

I recently opened my eyes to see that one of my closest friends had turned out to be someone I could no longer trust or call a friend.

"Over You" by Chris Daughtry

Now that it's all said and done,
I can't believe you were the one
To build me up and tear me down,
Like an old abandoned house.
What you said when you left
Just left me cold and out of breath.
I fell too far, was in way too deep.
Guess I let you get the best of me.

Well, I never saw it coming.
I should've started running
A long, long time ago.
And I never thought I'd doubt you,
I'm better off without you
More than you, more than you know.
I'm slowly getting closure.
I guess it's really over.
I'm finally getting better.
And now I'm picking up the pieces.
I'm spending all of these years
Putting my (life) back together.
'Cause the day I thought I'd never get through,
I got over you.

You took a hammer to these walls,
Dragged the memories down the hall,
Packed your bags and walked away.
There was nothing I could say.
And when you slammed the front door shut,
A lot of others opened up,
So did my eyes so I could see
That you never were the best for me.

Well, I never saw it coming.
I should've started running
A long, long time ago.
And I never thought I'd doubt you,
I'm better off without you
More than you, more than you know.
I'm slowly getting closure.
I guess it's really over.
I'm finally getting better.
And now I'm picking up the pieces.
I'm spending all of these years
Putting my (life) back together.
'Cause the day I thought I'd never get through,
I got over you.

Well, I never saw it coming.
I should've started running
A long, long time ago.
And I never thought I'd doubt you,
I'm better off without you
More than you, more than you know.

Well, I never saw it coming.
I should've started running
A long, long time ago.
And I never thought I'd doubt you,
I'm better off without you
More than you, more than you know.
I'm slowly getting closure.
I guess it's really over.
I'm finally getting better.
And now I'm picking up the pieces.
I'm spending all of these years
Putting my (life) back together.

Derby Day

So I decided to try and introduce my friends here in SoCal to some of the long held traditions of Kentucky by having my very own Kentucky Derby Party. However, I have since learned that the people of SoCal do not care about the Derby as much as I do because most of my friends have made other plans. Only a select few have chosen to experience a small taste of Kentucky with me this weekend.

That is fine.

They do not understand the rich tradition and prestige behind the Kentucky Derby. They have not experienced the beauty of the horse farms or spent countless hours at Keeneland taking in the atmosphere and betting on the favorite to win. They have never felt the goosebumps race over their arms as the horses come around the turn, down the stretch toward the finish line. They have not tasted a true Kentucky Derby Pie or a freshly made mint julep. They have no idea what burgoo is, or what it tastes like.

Well, they are going to miss out on the singing of "My Old Kentucky Home" and the sound of the bugle as they call the horses to the post. They will miss out on the excitement of picking a horse and praying it wins, places or shows. They will miss out on the derby pie I made and the mint juleps I will be consuming. They will be missing the excitement of the announcer calling the race as fast as he can.

They will be missing the best two minutes in sports.

It is too bad that not everyone could grow up in a place surrounded by beautiful horse farms and rich traditions. Only then can you truly appreciate the beauty and importance of the Kentucky Derby.

Coachella

This past weekend, a friend and I participated in a 3-day music festival called Coachella. It was held in the Coachella Valley, which is in the desert about 10 miles east of Palm Springs, where the temperature was above 97 degrees all three days. It was held in a large polo field with 4 different stages set up with bands all day and into the night. You can check out the line up we heard here under the event info tab.

We left after work on Friday and when we arrived in the desert we decided it was too late to try to make it to the last performance of the night so we just relaxed and planned out our next day. We got up around 10 am on Saturday and went to breakfast at IHOP. It had been forever since I had been to an IHOP. I was not impressed with the biscuits and gravy, they were not as good as mom's.

Since we had some time to kill before we headed to the heat of the desert so we decided to do a little bit of gambling at the casino nearby. I played poker for about 45 minutes before I lost $60 on the river to a guy playing with a weak Ace to my Kings. I then taught my friend the art of gambling on the penny slots. We then headed to the 101 degree heat of the day out to the festival.

The headliner for Saturday night was Prince!! I have waited for a long time to see him in concert and it was well worth the wait through the heat of the day to get to his concert. He went on at 11pm and was supposed to end at midnight (when the festival ends each night) but he kept coming back and told the audience that he didn't want to stop - so he performed until just after 1am. He played some of his classic hits as well as a great rendition of the Beatles' "Come Together" and ended the night with "Purple Rain". It was a great concert!!!

Throughout the festival we did hear a lot of really good bands and some not so good bands. Death Cab for Cutie, Cold War Kids, Dwight Yoakam, Electric Touch, and the Shout Out Louds were some of the bands I liked the best. There were also a lot of art pieces scattered throughout the field such as Tesla coils (pictured below), interactive music art, the big rig jig (pictured below) and something called the Do-Lab where they played rave music and sprayed people with lots of water.

Overall, we were able to stay cool by heading into the shade or one of the air-conditioned tents throughout the field and we made sure to stay hydrated with plenty of water as well as stay protected from the sun with lots of sunscreen. It was a great weekend and I am sure I will be going again next year!!

Oblivious

I stopped in at Starbucks here in the Marina on my way to work yesterday morning. I ordered a medium sized coffee with room for milk and sugar. I guess I was supposed to order something with a lot of extra words like low fat, double pump, half caf, or foamy because she asked if I wanted plain coffee. My response was "yes, plain coffee."

Then, as I was proceeding to the counter to add my cream and sugar, this guy was just standing there against the middle of the counter taking his sweet time adding the cream and sugar to his coffee. Only when he was finished, he continued to stand there stirring his coffee as if he was the only person in the entire place and no one was waiting to use the counter. -Can you say Oblivious?

On my way to work there is a section of road where the speed limit is 35mph in the residential zone and then changes to 55mph by the airport. Just as I was about to accelerate to just above the posted limit, a car decides to switch into my lane (without using a signal, mind you) and creep along at the previously posted 35mph. Keep in mind that he was not passing anyone, he just liked my lane better than his lane. - Can you say Oblivious?

I feel like sometimes the people of LA LA Land think that the world revolves around them and they have no common courtesy for anyone else. These were just examples from yesterday. This type of oblivion happens all the time in this little corner of the world.

Someone needs to tell these people that the world actually revolves around me and they need to GET OUT OF MY WAY!!!! - just kidding, but wouldn't that be great for me if it were true?!?

My Favorite Poem

To see a world in a grain of sand and Heaven in a wildflower, hold infinity in the palm of your hand and eternity in an hour. - William Blake