Tuesday, November 27, 2007

the obsession of universal proportions...alien sized-ones too.

ok so im at the tail end of watching on dvd the tv show roswell. i never saw it while it aired, but my amazing roommates cornered me and forced me to watch the very first episode. after that, i was completely hooked. as in, in over my head, cant breathe, physically feel the intensity the fake characters go through, all i can think about when im not watching it obsessed. i am hopeless. completely, ridiculously, insanely in obsession over this show.
if you havent heard of this show before this blog, heres a recap:
Roswell is about teenage alien/human hybrids living in Roswell, New Mexico who attempted to survive as humans and hide their alien sides, while trying to learn more about their alien powers, as well as figuring out how to get home. Roswell intertwined romance and science fiction that always kept you guessing.
this teenage angst-ridden, passion filled, episode-turning, mind-blowing show is filled with the most chemistry i have ever seen in my life.
its pathetic, actually, how genuinely crazy over this show i am, but what can i say? i wish an alien/human hyprid named max evans came down from planet andar and swept me off my feet by giving me visions when he kisses me.
or if michael guerin came down and showed up at my window one rain-soaked evening, needing nothing but a shoulder to cry on, that would be okay too.
or if kyle...or alex...
as long as that alien homewrecking whore tess never shows up in my false reality, im ready to step into tv land and live ever after in a world filled with alien kisses, healing touches, and lots of road trips.

Thursday, November 22, 2007

thanks...thanks...thanksgiving!!

soooo today was thanksgiving...and whew, i barely survived!! it was a woooonderful day!! i woke up just in time to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, then i made a pumpkin roll, which i need to rename (any ideas?)...that name just does not do it justice. mom, megan and i played phase 10 for awhile, and by that time aunt debbie showed up, and things really got rolling! we ate minimal appetizers, drank cranberry kiss cocktails, and finished preparations for the meal. around this time everyone else showed up, my grandparents, my hippie aunt and uncle, her mom, and my second, second cousin, or something, and her husband. we had the most aaaaamazing meal, totally gourmet everything, it was fantastic.
everyone just left, and i am reminded how lucky i am to have family, and how grateful it makes me feel to be able to come home and be completely enveloped in the coziness of the holidays...which reminds me...its time to start decorating for christmas!!!! wahoo!

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

the brightest star in the constellation (also known as las vegas)

the trip:
sooo i went to las vegas for a week. (ok 6 days.) my dad has a trade show for work there every year, and my mom goes with him, for a mini vacay, and to see the shows. this year, they asked me to come with them, and went i did.

the grand canyon
my sister came down last minute, and we spent saturday at the grand canyon, my first time ever!! it was so breathtakingly beautiful, it brought tears to my eyes. they said that it was formed from the melt of the first ice age, volcanos/earthquakes, and the colorado river (fun fact: colorado means many colors). they have this new thing called the Skywalk, which is a big horseshoe looking thing that extends out over the canyon that has a glass floor that you walk on, and look 4,000 (thousand!) feet below. it was the trippiest thing i have ever done, and soooo cool! it was a big accomplishment for my mom, who has wanted to go ever since they started building it several years ago. to get to the canyon, we had to travel for 21 miles on an unpaved road. translation: it wasn't paved...at all. quite the adventure.

the hotels
after this, we stayed (one night only) and the westin. the name probably doesnt do much for you, but let me tell you, this was THE nicest hotel i have ever stayed at! ohhh my word, 5 pillows on the bed, starbucks coffee to brew in your room (!), talk about luxury. speaking of luxury...
we stayed on the strip at the luxor (its the pyramid shaped one with a light beam coming out of the top that you can see from space)
this hotel is an engineering marvel...i kinda sound like an architectural digest writer, huh?
the inside is sort of like embassy suites, where you can see all the doors to the rooms, so its hollow. the elevators aren't elevators, but "inclinators", which take you up or down at a 39 degree angle, its really weird, but fun. its all egyptian themed, with fake artifacts everywhere (and a few real ones too).
by far though, without a doubt, my very favorite hotel there is...the Venetian ( i even used capitalization!). words can not adequately express my deep love and identity with the venetian. its themed after venice (duh), and is opulent, exquisite, dramatic, and stunningly lovely. they have gondola rides with singing operators that go in and out of the hotel, very fine dining (i totally ate at an upscale, 50$ a plate restaurant there!). they pipe scent into the air!! its this amazing, flowery without being flowery, rich smelling scent that is heavenly. they have accordian players randomly placed throughout that play italian music, statues that are really people, the MOST amazing stores (not literally the most, i think caesers palace wins that one), and absolutly stunning interior decorations. i fell in love, and i think its going to be quite the love affair, indeed.
i was able to visit most of the big ones, including...
the Bellagio (talk about rich!!)
the Mirage
Treasure Island
the Stratosphere
Mandalay Bay
Planet Hollywood
the Paris
New York New York
Caesers Palace
Luxor
the Venetian
the paris was a close second favorite of mine, my favorite architecture-wise, it was abeautiful building. the inside was made to lok like you were outside, and my mom and i would sit at on of the "sidewalk" cafes and drink coffee, it was a beautiful thing. the eiffel tower was pretty impressive too though. and i won 60 bucks there!
new york new york was really fun, the atmosphere was right up my alley, and it was cool to semi-experience a place that ive always wanted to go to. my sister and i even rode the roller coaster (freaky, you had like, half a harness, it was weird. but fun.
of course i must mention the Bellagio, im afraid i didnt see enough of it, for all its wealth and splendor, it didnt strike me as much as the venetian did...although it was way cool to see where they filmed a bunch of oceans eleven...i was a bit disappointed to not go into the gallery of fine art though. it did leave quite the impression on me, for now it is an ambition of mine to stay in one of their suites...after seeing what the casino looked like, i can only imagine a room!
so mandalay bay was cool, they had an awesome (for a hotel) aquarium...i ADORE aquariums!! and the place smelled like coconuts! they piped scent into this one too, it was fantastic! a huge bonus, in my book.
whew, i thinked ive talked enough about the hotels (though i could go on and on!)

the shows
soooo i went to three shows!!
i am such a lucky girl, thank you mommy and daddy! sunday night we saw Blue Man Group. i freaking love the blue man group!!! im in looooveee!! these guys truly put on a spectacular, astounding SHOW, they are the true definition of showmen. before the show even started, the ushers rolled toilet/crepe paper for the audience to decorate themselves in, and towards the end of the show they rolled it from the back and we rolled mounds and mounds of it over our heads towards the front, the whole entire audience was completely covered in the stuff! they did a lot of audience participation, and one of them chose my dad!! he came up (the blue man) into the audience, picked my dad, and gave him three chocolate things (fake) to throw into his mouth from a little distance, and darn if he didnt catch every one of them! he then went back to my dad, opened his hand, and spit it out! it was AWESOME!!! and then i got a few photos with them after the show!
monday night we saw Stomp Out Loud, which started with two guys, a street performer who used random objects to bang and drum on, and a comedic performer, the two forces combined, and out came stomp! the cast was about 20 people, and they banged and made INCREDIBLE rhythms out of everything from brooms to cardboard boxes to trash cans, the whole time putting on an incredible show from hanging off the walls banging on hubcaps and other wacky objects.
tuesday night we saw mystere (me-stare), a cirque show. oh, my word. it was trippy, visually stunning, breathtakingly beautiful, and wacky. i was speechless for a little while, actually. i didnt research it beforehand, which i regret, but i think the premise was someones circus dream...haha, isnt that the general premise of all of them? they swung from the rafters, swirled head-first from poles, walked on stilts, used ventriloquism, banged on drums while being lowered from the ceiling, and did a see-saw act that left my palms sweaty and heart pounding. this show is a true heart-stopping, breath-gasping, beautifully choreographed wonder show.
of course, i mustn't neglect the water show at the bellagio. my mom and i went to the top of the eiffel tower at night to watch it, and its JUST as good as it is on tv! aaamazing!
i cant wait till next year!!!! im gonna see "o", and le reve, and ka, and danny gans, and hans klok and...

the gambling
so with my parents money, i gambled a fair bit, always on slots. my mom loves the wheel of fortune one, and im a fan now too. if you land on spin, the wheel goes around and you win extra points,! anywhere from 20 to 1000 points, excuse me, credits. so like, 250 bucks.
but hey, i won a hundred bucks when all was said and done! (dont ask me how much was spent though!)
i realized im not huge on gambling (not that i ever really was), but it doesnt make sense to me to gamble on something, when i can go shopping! at least ill have something to show for my money with that, with gambling, im just going to lose it all, then im left with nothing (i know, theres always the possibility, but come on). it was fun to sit with my mom and put 20 bucks in the machine and play for hours though.

and now, im spent. after a long day of travel, lost luggage, too many hours sitting, and hours awake, im ready for a good ole nights sleep in my own puny bed with lots of roommates and thin walls! wahoo, im home!...until next week, when ill REALLY be home!...

Sunday, November 4, 2007

the body shop at home



soooo...im a consultant for the body shop! well, alia, karisse and i are sort of a three in one deal...



and i looooove it! i love everything about the body shop! the products are the best quality that i've ever found, and everything is water-based instead of oil, which is my favorite part.
the values of the company also drew me in, and secured me as a fan for life...



here are some of my favorite products:

the aloe skin care regimen...



the satsuma (yummy!) body wash...



the vanilla spice fragrance oil...it smells like christmas!!


and i cant forget the entire peppermint foot care line...


the best of all, the body shop products are

so if you want to host a party, or you're ever in need on some fabulous products, most of what we sell is three dollars cheaper than in stores, you know who to call!

Friday, November 2, 2007

california wildfires... a wild time






so as im sure you all have been reading lately, california is burning. well, los angeles and san diego anyway, and that makes up a huge part of it. im in los angeles, and while no where in the near vicinity of me did fires come near, i was definitely affected, in a few ways. one sunday afternoon a group of us went to six flags. riding roller coasters amidst a smoke filled sky (so heavy the sun was red and easy to watch) with ash raining down on us, we rode coaster after coaster, and scared ourselves silly in the haunted house (it was fright fest, after all), all the while looking into the horizon and thinking, "wow, thats intense". didn't see it coming, or what was actually happening. the next day it started to click. los angeles was burning, and it was right next door. the santa ana winds didn't help, and blew the door to the girls bathroom clear off its hinges. it was a weekend.
after many prayer and intercession meetings, and news watching and reading, we realized we needed to do something. after calling the red cross, and calling churches in san diego, we got hooked up with a southern baptist church in chula vista to go down for a week and help with relief efforts. that next sunday we took 6 students down to do what we could for those in need. the pastor of the church set us up in a few homes of people in the congregation, (talk about blessings! we were spoiled) and connected us with the southern baptist convention disaster relief. (for the sake of time and typing well shorten it to so-bap)
the so-baps convention works with the american red cross, and any time a disaster hits, they are there to help out however they can. its an international organization, and man, these people live it. they see a need, and they meet it. serving their communities in this way opens so many doors to praying for and speaking into the lives of those around who need the love of Jesus, its amazing how God multiplies the blessings. the amazing thing about working with them, was the fact that almost (if not) all of them were retired. many of them had rv's, and would wait for a disaster to strike, then pack up and take off to help out. working with older people was SUCH and aaaaamzing blessing! the wisdom, life experiences and humor these people brought to the job made it irresistable to have a good time, and a little heart0breaking to leave behind. talking with one of the red cross workers, he said that when a disaster hits, if the so-baps aren't already on the scene washing dishes by the time they get there, we will all be in trouble.
ok, so anyway, every morning at...4 AM (!!) we arose and drove to parking lot c of Petco Park in downtown sd to prepare meals for the evacuees and newly homeless. that first day we showed up, we prepared 33,000 (thousand!!) meals. the so-baps had two operating kitchens to work in, so we split up and got our elbows deep in cream of chicken soup and macaroni noodles (some casserole dish). in the mornings we would have a small devotion and a briefing for the day, and then we would head to our appointed stations and do our thing. my station, i like to call it, was the "carbs and starch" station. we made everything from rice to noodles, mashed potatoes to beef barbecue. working with the same people everyday, you become familiar and comfortable with them (interesting considering we were only there for four days). that first day alone, i managed to pick up a nickname, which im convinced has everything to do with my coordinated nature. after dropping a pound of butter not into the pot, but the ground, they started calling me butterfingers. it didnt help that i managed to do it again the next day.
so being the youngest people there was a blast. it also ensured all the grunt work fell on our shoulders. literally. one day, as we prepared sloppy joes, my job was to empty the humongous gallon pots in to the cambros (containers the red cross uses that depending on the food product, can hold up to 250 servings) and proceed to carry those onto palates for the red cross to load up and take to the emergency shelters. i worked physically harder this last week than i can ever remember doing, and what joy it was! keeping the perspective of why we were there, and working with the fabulous people we did made it an experience i will not soon forget. my feet are still mad at me. i cant wait till the next time i can do something like this (not that im wishing for a disaster or anything, definitely not, but if another one blows, floods, or burns my way, i know who to work with).
it was a quick week that came and went, and at the end of it all, what i recall the most is the people who had such servant hearts. and, oh yeah, all the nicknames and wrong turns we made along the way.