Home on the Range

Well now that I am back in MN my body is getting used to the cold once again.  I am enjoying the snow since I haven't seen it in a few years.  Ask me again in a few months if I am still enjoying it when I am scraping it off my car every day.   Slowly but surely the family is filtering in.  My grandma has decided that she doesn't want her christmas tree up this year and she wants us to use paper plates and I for one can't wait to hear Ryan's reaction to that change.  Ryan is our biggest advocate for keeping family traditions alive...he will not be happy.  As for myself I am finishing up all the last minute paper work for my new job and then I will be headed east after the new year.  I just found out today that an old friend of mine will be joining me on this leg of my adventures.  I am thrilled!  She loves to ski so I am hoping to get back into it since there is some great skiing out there.  Emily will be joining me on my cross country drive.  The ipod is full of good tunes and our first stop is GRACELAND!!
As for today I am off to do some catching up over lunch with another old friend! 

What's next...

My current assignment is coming to an end and I am starting to look forward to what comes next.  I took a job in Lebanon, NH.   Yes, New Hampshire.  It is the home of Dartmouth College. I will be working at Dartmouth Hitchcock Hospital.   It wasn't exactly where I pictured going next but I think I will enjoy it. I am excited at what I might learn there.  I have never really been to New England so I am pretty stoked for some good skiing and some even better seafood.  I am going to miss the sunny days of california but not the traffic.   Before this new job begins I will be on a completely different type of adventure....a road trip!  I have to travel from phoenix to new hamphire in less then a week but the good news is that I think I have talked my good friend Emily into joining me!  Graceland here we come! 

More on that adventure to come....

Black Friday....

I have seen some crazy things in my life but Black Friday is up there near the top.  If I ever go out at 3am to go shopping its going to be with my aunt Candy.  She is the smartest shopper I know and she always finds the best deals.  Dillon and I were walking through the mall after we went to the movie and people were lined up for what seemed like forever to get into Toy's R Us.  The part that boggled my mind even more then the long line was how many kids were in it.  WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU BRING YOUR KIDS?  Don't you want them to be able to belive in santa or let them have a little bit of surprise on christmas morning?  It makes me a little sad to think that kids are already growing up so much faster then we did at their age but now they are being deprived of those few moments on christmas morning when they can belive in miracles.  I could go on and on about this but I will spare you all.  I hope all of you crazy shoppers found some good deals and as for the rest of you I hope you enjoyed your sanity.  Unitl next time...

Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang

It all started a few weeks ago when Sandy said she was coming to LA and wanted to go see Chelsea.  She got tickets and I watched the show once so I would know what to expect a little bit.  What did I find out you ask?  SHE IS HILARIOUS!  I was scheduled to work the night before so I had to figure out a way to stay awake until the show.  My problems were solved when I got a text from molly to see if I wanted to go to breakfast after work.  I always knew I liked that girl because she took me to Waffle.  Yes, the waffles are good but the real reason to go there is for the BOTTOMLESS Mimosas....yes I said bottomless.  What a great way to start a day!  Molly was going to be going to Scotland later that night so I was happy to enjoy a few mimosas with her before she left for two weeks.  Lucky girl! 

After breakfast I was on my way to the Chelsea show with Sandy and Dillon.  We got in line just in time.  We were the last of the guarenteed audience!  After standing line line for about an hour they send you through the security (it's worse then the airport)  then they send you back outside to wait in line again and give you the rules before brining you into the studio.

The Rules:

I'll sum it up for you.  Don't stand up and damnit laugh and clap when we tell you to do so! 

 A little side note....if you ever go to to a live taping bring a jacket.  IT'S FREEZING!!!  They had a guy come out to warm up the audience and get them ready to laugh on cue.  If you know my friend J.D.  then you know what this guy looked like.  This guy taught us our role in the show.  He had this creepy fake laugh that made me laugh more then chelsea at times.  There was a little chelsea trivia and the person who knows the least about this woman got the answer right...ME.  They gave me and sandy one of Chuy's balls.  I would encourage you to go to a live t taping if you ever get the chance.  I think everyone needs to learn the "golf clap"   The show was followed by dinner and some wine with sandy's husband Bill and his cousin.  

We got a good laugh at Bill's eyes in this photo!

Follow the magic in your heart....it's the inspiration for your life.

Kayaking with Francy

Yesterday I went kayaking with Francy down in huntington harbor.  It was a great day for it and we had been trying to go for a few weeks but something always got in our way.   I wish I would have brought my camera but most of you that know me also know I can be a little accident prone.  I didn't want my camera to end up at the bottom of the harbor.  I am happy to report there was no mishaps....unless you count the difference between me and francy in what we thought kayaking was.  I thought it was paddling and she thought it was floating.   We compromised!  I did tell her that I was going to blog about her though.  So francy this ones for you!  As we were floating along (i told you we compromised)  we saw some HUGE houses and HUGE boats docked in front of them and I wondered how many of those places were somebody's second house.  What a life that must be?!?! 

Today in Atwater there are kids Trick or Treating at the local buisnesses.  I think I may walk down to the coffee shop do some people watching.  You never know who you might see!

The Happiest Place On Earth......

Last weekend I went with my friend Molly to disneyland for her husbands birthday along with some of their friends.  We wanted to be at the park all day so we got up early and made it there around 8:30ish. I had only ever been to Disneyworld and that was over 15 years ago so I was really excited to see what they had come up with since I was a kid.  They still had many of the familiar things, most notable was the mickey ears with your name on the back...you know the ones. 

They also had some made some welcomed changes.  There was now Captain Jack in the Pirates of the Carribean ride....who doesn't like Johnny Depp.  After hitting as many rides as we could and then hitting some again we watched what was called the World of Color.  If you have ever seen the water show at the Bellagio this makes that show look like childs play.  It was magical~   Like only disney can do!  Here are some of the pictures from the day!  Hope you enjoy!

the past few weeks....

I know I haven't posted anything for a few weeks.  I guess I got a little busy with this spread out work schedule they gave me.   I have yet to hit most of the tourist traps but I did make it to Magic Mountain with Becky and her family.  Man, I had forgotten how much I love rollercoasters.  

I FINALLY got to see Molly. We had a few drinks and then hit the hot tub at her place. That girl is a lot of fun!   I also got to see my brother yesterday.  We met up in Thousand Oaks and had dinner at none other then the Cheesecake Factory.  (one of our favorites)  I haven't seen Dill since I went to see him in Australia last year.  This visit didn't cost me as much.  I hope to see much more of him while we live so close.  

Well thats really all there is to update for the moment.   Not all of my posts will be so blah I promise.  Until next time....

when in rome....

and when in venice do as they do....venice beach that is.  It was either henna or medicinal marijiana. I think a henna tattoo was a better choice given my profession.  Muscle beach and the graffiti were also something to see.   The towers were painted by community groups...mostly kids

My Henna Tattoo on my shoulder





 



what to do with the skunk?!?

I have only been here a week and I have become very familiar with the smell of our neighborhood skunk.  I swear he knows when I lay down in my bed to go to sleep (that is a different time every night)....everytime there is that smell.   Any suggestions on how to get the skunk to go find a new home?  Please don't say "shoot him"   My uncle Craig tried that once and that is a mistake you don't have to make yourself to remember the outcome.   I think its the compost pile in my neighbors backyard that he likes and its not likely that they will get rid of that...I do live in California after all.  Well I am off to the beach for the afternoon.

Until next time.....

Trip to Target....

A trip to Target is not as easy as it used to be.   How hard could it be you ask?  Well there is a Target pretty close to my house so I took a ride over there to get some things I still needed.  Little did I know they are part of the mall so you must park in the parking garage.  Side note: This Target is a three story store with a really cool cart thing that takes your cart up the escalator for you.  Ok back to the problem at hand.  It wasn't  until I left that I realized you can not take the carts out of the store.  So I had to carry the stuff I bought all the way across the mall to where I parked my car.   Lucky for me I didn't by to much this time.  The more I think about it the more I think it might but a good thing after all.  I will make less trips to the store to buy stuff I never needed in the first place! 

Griffith Park with Ryan and Christina

Me and Christina

Christina told me I was not allowed to edit this pic and take out what makes it the LA skyline....the smog!

This is the Griffith Park Observatory with the LA skyline behind it.

Here are some pictures from our hike in Griffith Park.  We decided it was a nice day for a hike so we made our way to the park.  Apparently its a pretty big park and they are not keen on marking the trails...AT ALL!  When we checked online to see where to go the website said to go to the ranger station for a map of the park.  However, when we got there the so called ranger station was nowhere to be found.  We decided we would just drive around a little bit (apparently this is how Ryan and Christina go hiking alot :))  We eventually found a nice little trail that we were sure would take us up the mountain to the observatory....we were wrong.  It just took us in a big circle.   We did finally find a great trail near the observatory that allowed us to get a good look at the Hollywood sign and the city.   All in all....a great day with some good people! 

Just the beginning...

As many of you know I decided a few months ago that I was going to start working as a travel nurse.  I started doing all the things I had to do in order to start a new job.   I found a company, sent in all the paper work and got my finger prints done.  Simple as that!...or so I thought.  Two weeks before I was supposed to leave for LA I got a letter that said...Finger prints rejected.  Nobody likes to be rejected for any reason but this one in particular stung a little bit.  I had already given my 2 weeks notice to my job.  The question 'What do I do now?' was running though my head.  I went back to California and got my prints done again.  And then I waited.....and waited....and waited.  The 24-48 hrs that they told me it should take was long gone.  At this rate I was not going anywhere.   The day I was planning to leave I was still without a license...that is until 10am.  My prints cleared and I was on my way!

....more to come!