good causes make me happy

i haven't been much of a rambler this week.  in fact, i've been virtually non existent.  sorry about that. . .to all five of my faithful readers.  ha ha!  anyway, it's been a busy week and i've been focused on work. this is a busy time of year for me!

i was supposed to go to nyc on monday and spend the week working on behalf of a new client.  unfortunately, i learned mid-week that this client had canceled the trip, which left me in a precarious situation.  you can't just cancel a press event that has been in the works for a month less than a week before!  there are plane tickets, hotel rooms and a venue booked.  contracts have been signed.  i've put in hours. . .days really of time and effort.  appointments with editors have been confirmed.  and all of this has been achieved based on my relationships.  so canceling at the last minute has left me scrambling to say the least and puts my relationships and reputation on the line.

but it's ok.  no one is going to die.  life will go on.  and frankly, i'm kind of glad i don't have to go spend a week in cold, snowy new york away from my family.  i'm a little spoiled and go to nyc alot, so it's really not that exciting.  the best part is just seeing old friends: my friend amanda whom i knew back in portland who just had a baby named henry. . . my friend robin who was my college roommate and whom i always have epic catch up dinners with at least one night while i'm in nyc (we always pick right back up where we left off).  and all the friends i've made through work. . .nyc is the hub of the fashion media world after all.  but i'll go back again, so not to fret!

but back to the important things in life.  in addition to all the nonsensical fashion and action sports pr i do, occasionally i get to contribute to a worthwhile cause.  back in my portland days, i worked for an agency that specialized in doing "communications that make a difference" and i got to work with alot of inspiring nonprofit organizations doing great things to help children, families, at-risk youth, the environment, etc.  one of the most memorable clients i worked with was the children's cancer association which made me cry on nearly a daily basis.

now, as a business owner, i've committed to doing pro bono work for a breast cancer foundation called boarding for breast cancer (b4bc).  it's targeted to spreading breast cancer awareness among younger people and encouraging teens to live an active, healthy lifestyle to help deter the deadly disease.

this week i started working on a cool project that benefits b4bc.  a former professional surfer named jodie nelson is trying to make history by paddling on a stand up surfboard almost 40 miles across the pacific ocean.  if she completes the mission, she'll be the first woman ever to do so.  (a handful of men have done it over the years.)  the cool thing is, i just sent out the first press release yesterday and already a flood of interest from media and celebrities is coming in.  woo hoo!

here's carson daly talking about it on his radio show yesterday

gone to the dogs

finally got the photos back from the photoshoot we did before christmas.  adam surprised me with a session with a professional dog photographer.  she took some really cool shots and we decided to hang a little photo collage in the hallway.  another of my weekend projects. . .measuring, leveling, drilling, anchoring. . .blah, blah, blah.  it's been a big bare blank canvas of a wall since we moved in, painted a lovely "porcelain" by my mother (thanks mom).  it's nice to finally have a little something adorning it.

all by myself

adam has left me.  he's moved into the garage. . .kind of.  35 days after we began converting our garage into his studio (the one he's been dreaming of for 20 years), it is finally complete.  well. . .almost.  i have a few pieces of trim to put around the floor and adam still has a few accessories he "needs".  but for all practical purposes, we are finished.  hooray!!!  it has been a long month!

when i last checked in, i was staining the floors.  this is what it looked like once the walls were up and painted, as i was preparing the floors.  i have it all taped and ready to go, just vacuuming a few little bits before i began etching and cleaning the concrete.

i was a little disappointed after i finished.  it was a pretty color, but the glossy finish wasn't quite as glossy as i would have hoped, the color seemed to chip easily and the dumb blue painters tape took off the lovely new paint leaving the bottom edge of the walls a mess.  therefore, i don't have any photos of the floor before adam moved in because i was pouting.

we spent all weekend finishing it up.  friday night we hung acoustical treatments (yes, this was my friday night!)  saturday we finished the acoustics (in particular the ceiling grid that looks simple enough once complete, but was a chore to measure out and square up), hung the guitars and moved in all of the gear.  today was a trek to a far away ikea for a few last accessories and the pesky trim that was out of stock at our nearby ikea.  and i have to say, now that it's all put together, it's pretty impressive.  needless-to-say, adam is like a kid in a candy store excited.

so without further ado, here it is. hard to believe this used to be my garage!

r.i.p.

my sophomore year in college, my roommate berit and i decided we needed a bird.  we really wanted a cat, but our apartment didn't allow cats and you had to have signed approval from your landlord to adopt a kitten from the humane society.

so we got a bird instead (because you always make such smart decisions at that age) and named her sharona from the knack's hit song "my sharona".  sharona was an evil little parakeet.  all we wanted to do was love her but she hated us so.

you couldn't touch her because she'd peck away at your hand mercilessly if you tried.  you couldn't even look at her. . .she'd squack a shrill and hateful sound in response.  if she escaped her cage, she was impossible to catch.

one day, berit called me at work to say sharona had changed dramatically and was being the sweetest little thing.  she was holding her and sharona was gently nuzzling her fingers and humming a happy little tune.  i got home to witness this transformation, but only hours later, sharona passed away.

never would i have guessed that years later, my husband would become great friends with the man who wrote the very song i named my bird after.  small world.  and it is with sadness that i report that the knack frontman doug fieger has passed away after losing a long-fought battle with brain cancer.  he was only 57.  i didn't know him like adam, but he claims he was sweet, humble and extremely talented.  and adam's a great judge of character.

really is a reminder of how fleeting life can be and to cherish and appreciate our loved ones every minute. . .every second.  god bless doug fieger. . .may he rest in peace.

that could have been bad

last night i took my rings off and put them on the night stand, as i usually do, so i could slather on some lotion.  this morning, i hadn't yet put them back on when adam came from the bedroom exclaiming "do you know where your rings are?" (in his stern fatherly voice)  he was holding my engagement/wedding ring (i only have one to cover both) as he said: "i just took this out of daisy's mouth!"  yikes!!  seems little miss naughty pants must've snatched it off my nightstand to try a taste of the silken platinum and diamonds!  thank god she did not (gulp) swallow it!!!  i guess i will no longer be leaving my rings on the night stand anymore.  while it's not the biggest, most glamorous ring you've ever seen, in addition being the symbol of my marriage, it was also my grandma's diamond, and it means the world to me.  it is unequivocally irreplaceable.

and for your viewing pleasure. . .a very funny self portrait of a slightly disheveled me, adam and copper, right after adam proposed to me on dec. 24, 2005 on the porch swing in the backyard of my mom's house.

malibu lobster tail

wasting time waiting for the next coat of stain to dry, so thought i'd share this lovely photo of a lobster i ate a few weeks ago.  this thing was caught BY HAND (literally) by our friend kai in malibu!  

i did some free pr work for him for his upstart business awhile back and he had been promising to come over and cook us dinner to repay the favor.  boy were we surprised when he and his wife showed up with four of these huge things.  

and they were soooooooooooooo good.  so worth the press release i wrote for him.

garage part deux

warning: this post is mostly for my mom.  the rest of you will glaze over with boredom.

yesterday's garage floor staining project has spilled over into today, as i imagined it would.  all went pretty well yesterday, although things didn't go exactly as expected.  the floor is soaking up more stain than anticipated and looking much more mottled than i thought it would.  it's not bad, just not what i thought it would be.  i've also decided to spray and then spread with a roller to give it a little bit more uniformity.  otherwise, it's pretty speckled looking.

the color is looking pretty nice.  on the color card (behr semi-transparent concrete stain), it looks like a nice brown, but the color name was "loden" which threw me off a bit.  when i think of "loden" i think green.  we definitely didn't want any hint of green.  going on, it looks a little ashy, but it warms up when it dries.  we needed some warmth since the walls are a cold gun metal grey (westchester grey on my favorite sw suburban modern color palette).  overall, it's going to be a pretty dark room.  but that was the aesthetic adam wanted.  so i'm going with it.

anyway, here are pics during construction on the walls.  it's much more than your standard 2x4 and sheet rock construction.  it has about three layers alternating insulation, sheet rock and "resilient channel" to really lock in (and out) the sound.  it's essentially, a room within a room.

and this is what the front half (my part, which is actually much less than half) of the garage looks like now.  the garage door still opens completely and there's just enough room for storage.  it's more like a glorified closet with a big door.  i got some shelving and a wall hanging rack system to store, hang and organize.  it's shaping up nicely.  i'll post pics once i take them.

gotta go check to see if my first layer of stain of the day is dry yet.  more later!!

meet the garage

today i'm undertaking a DIY home improvement project.  i'm a little nervous.  i wish my mom were here to help me.  but i keep giving myself pep talks.  (i think i can, i think i can.)  and i really think i can do it!

today i am staining the concrete floor of our garage.  however, our garage is no longer just a garage.  now it houses the key to my husband's heart. 

most of our garage has been converted into a secret hidden soundproofed music studio.  and my husband couldn't be happier.  like really. . .8-year-old-on-Christmas- day happy.  last night i found him standing in the doorway of it, just staring, daydreaming, falling more in love with it every second. 

here are pictures of what the garage looked like before we started the conversion.  it was a mess.  it was a dumping ground for everything and filled to the gills with crap in a severely disorganized and disheveled way.  it did not make me happy.  it looks way different on the inside now.  the outside still looks the same.

editors note - a lot of Californians don't park their cars in their garage.  space is a hot commodity out here and most houses don't have all the storage you need.  so the garage becomes the saving grace.  and with no snow or harsh weather (for the most part), you really don't need to protect your car from the elements.  garage conversions are all the rage as well. . .people convert them into extra bedrooms, family rooms, offices, studios, workshops, etc.

an orange a day

for me, it's an orange a day that keeps the doctor away.  or so i like to think anyway.  i've always been a much bigger fan of oranges than apples.  except for one thing.  i hate peeling those suckers!  so imagine my joy when my loving sister, who always has the best advice and tips in the kitchen, sent me an orange peeler for Christmas!  i loved that peeler for the whole week i had it.  it resolved the issue of getting all that icky white fleshy stuff caught up under my finger nails.  yuck! 

but alas, as quickly as it came into my life, it was gone.  and my husband has no clue where it could have gone?  since he's the only other person in our house. . .and he's known to return kitchen items to really random, obscure places. . .i have a feeling he put it SOMEWHERE.  i just haven't found it yet.  so maybe one day it will return.  but in the meantime, i'll just continue to sacrifice for this fruit i love and peel it by hand. 

oh and the real reason i share this with you is this.  i have an orange tree in my back yard!  it's not exactly our tree, but it's our favorite neighbors' tree.  they graciously push a few branches over onto our side of the fence so we can share in the wealth.  when we moved in last march, the fruit was ripe and delicious and stayed that way most of the summer.  come fall, new oranges appeared (well they were green then).  i've been watching them grow and ripen all winter.  they are finally bright orange, so i've been curious if they are fully ripe.  i tested one yesterday, and while it was pretty good, it still had a little too much pucker for my liking.  i think they need another month before they are juuuuustttt righhhht.

diamond in the rough

even though we bought a house. . .almost a year ago!. . .i still watch the local real estate market. i've acquired a minor fascination with architecture.  while on our house hunt, i discovered there's a name (a whole movement really) for the design aesthetic i most like: mid century moden (aka mcm).

when we were house hunting, i liked the idea of finding a mcm diamond in the rough and fixing it up. my husband didn't share that same enthusiasm and certainly couldn't look beyond the rough part to see any sort of gem lying beneath. he had a hard time looking beyond a paint color he didn't like or an un-mowed lawn.

anyway, for the sanctity of our marriage among other things, we were fortunate enough to find a house finished exactly how we wanted. but i still watch for those diamonds in the rough, and i think this would be a fun one to fix up:

http://la.curbed.com/archives/2010/02/vacant_but_with_a_pool_in_sherman_oaks.php

how i met my rocker

my last post inspired me to write a little more about my rocker husband.

one might wonder how exactly i met this rocker boy.  and it's kind of an interesting tale with pictures!  it all began in the spring of 2004.  i was in a rut living in portland, oregon.  i was about to turn 30 and feeling unfulfilled with both my career and relationship status at this pivotal age.  and living where the sun never shines wasn't helping matters.

so i had already been making plans for a big change.  i was planning to move to a warmer, sunnier climate with the opportunity for a career change and a new adventure.  la was at the top of my list of destinations and i had been looking for and applying for jobs that melded my experience in pr with my love of fashion, action sports and the youth culture.

however, still biding my time in portland, i had also professed a renewed interest in seeing more live music, something that had always brought me great joy. 

march 12, 2004 was a typical friday.  after a long week of work, i had plans to go out and decompress with my good friend anne.  (friday nights in my 20s meant something much different than they do now.)  we weren't sure what kind of trouble we were looking for, we just knew it involved a familiar downtown portland venue and a couple of cocktails. 

but then i received the fateful call.  my music industry friend matt who lived in la called and suggested i go see a band he knew was playing in portland.  he said the bass player was a friend of his, a good guy and that it should be fun.  so he gave me adam's number and told me to call him to make the arrangements.  i did, not really looking for anything other than free entrance to a cool rock show.  (but, of course i needed to be prepared, so i googled him to see what he looked like, just in case.)  i think i saw a picture that looked something like this. (he's second from the left.)  i wasn't sold, but i was curious.

anyway, anne and i attended the show that night at berbati's pan.  boy were we in for a shock.  everyone at the gig looked straight out of a motley crue video.  there was black eyeliner, leather pants, big hair and studded belts for days.  we looked rather conservative for this crowd. . .and i've never been known as conservative.  i'm all about motley crue, 80s bands, rock and roll and all that. . .but i just hadn't seen people looking like this since 1988.

but adam looked a lot better in person than the google search had suggested.  something a little more like this:

after the show, i introduced myself and we struck up a conversation.  he was surprisingly down to earth and we quickly learned we had a lot in common.  girls were surrounding him vying for his attention, but he only wanted to talk to me. so after an hour or so discussing our love of music, where we were from, our families, etc. he was off to the next gig in washington and i was off to home, but not without exchanging numbers.  and for some strange reason, i couldn't get this rocker boy out of the brain. 

fortunately, he called just a few days later.  and even more fortunately, within a week, i had received a call for my "dream job" in los angeles.  from there things moved quickly.  i flew to la for the interview, which was also where adam lived, and even saw him while i was in town.  just a few days later, i was offered the job and told i needed to start in two weeks.  i had to give my former employer two weeks notice, so i spent the next two weeks working full-time while also planning for a major move. . .no easy task.  but the rest is history.  with that risk, i have been blessed with the most amazing career and husband, living in this magical lala-land that i love.  and i wouldn't change a thing.  god works in magical and mysterious ways.  we just followed the signs and landed exactly where we were meant to be.

even though adam's no longer in the band, i love how the date and location of our first meeting still lives in tour archives on the la guns website.  and even more magical.  i love how the exact moment we met lives in eternity in this photo by a random fan who had no idea what they had captured.

impressive!

for as long as i've known him, my rocker hubby has been wanting a complete written list of music projects he's worked on.  there are so many times having this document would come in handy for him, similar to what a resume does for the rest of us. 

i always used to wonder what the big deal was and why he didn't just sit down and write it up.  that's what i would do!  but then, i am a writer. i have a degree in journalism.  i work in public relations.  it's what i do. . . every day.  and it comes pretty easily to me now that i've spent the past 35 years honing my craft. 

so naturally, sometimes it's hard for me to realize that it's not that easy for  everyone else.  and it suddenly clicked, that just sitting down and writing it all up was about as easy for him as it would be for me to sit down and write a song!  our brains work differently.  he's creative.  i'm analytic. (we work on remembering that our brains don't work the same way on a daily basis.)

so last night, after he had mentioned how this bio would be helpful for an endorsement deal he was going after, i just sat down and started writing.  it really didn't even entail much actual writing, but rather the ability to compile all of the information, organize it and get it down on paper.  and trust me, there was quite a lot of information.  he's an impressive guy after all (that's why i married him). 

and so now, it's official.  he has what he's always wanted and he couldn't be happier.  of course, this morning he said: "i've already remembered a million more things to add."  but that's no problem.  we can update it any time.  and he went on to say: "thank you.  that's one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me."  you're welcome darling :) 

and here it is. . .in all its four-page glory. i bet you've even heard his music in a movie, tv show or commercial and didn't even know it!

all in due time

today was filled with pricks and prods.  i had a doctor's appointment.  it's been eight months since we began our baby-making endeavor.  and it has been an adventure. 

your whole life you are told how to NOT make a baby.  but it's not until you're ready that you learn just how difficult it is to make one!  and it seems trying to conceive becomes a full-time effort: tracking cycles, testing levels, measuring temperatures and peeing on stick after stick.

so being the planner that i am, i had it all mapped out.  we bought the house in march.  we started trying in june.  and according to my mental timeline, we'd conceive before the end of the year and have a baby by next fall.  that would, after all, work perfectly with my schedule. 

but life doesn't work that way.  december has come and gone and we're well into 2010.  with that, i knew it was time to take the next step.  so into the fertility specialist we went (husband in tow). 

i wasn't really sure what to expect.  my new doctor is a man, and i usually try to steer clear of the opposite sex when dealing with "delicate" matters.  but he's the husband of my ob/gyn and had the same warm, comforting demeanor and quirky sense of humor i appreciate about her.  (he reminded adam of hector elizondo, but he reminded me more of wallace shawn.)  so he sat us down, asked a lot of questions and discovered quickly that i am very organized.  we already knew that! 

he was impressed with my tracking mechanisms.  he even asked where i got the tracking form i use so he could recommend it to others.  (it's the fertility chart from thebump.com, thank you very much.)  so with a flip through my bookkeeping, he confirmed we've been doing everything right.  well that was a nice affirmation! 

next was the physical examination.  all went well there (as well as can be expected when enduring that sort of thing) and nothing seemed out of the ordinary.  he informed us that the next step is to do some additional testing on my hormone levels.  adam also gets his very own extra special test, which he is thrilled about.  and once we get the results of those tests, we can assess what's next.

so i feel good.  sitting around waiting for things to happen is not really my cup of tea.  i'd prefer to be a very active participant.  just knowing we are being proactive and doing a little more to help our cause along is a relief.  and we are keeping the faith that it will all happen exactly when and how it is supposed to.  amen.

chocolate sisters

 

mondays: a fresh start

monday mornings are always a buzz of noise and activity at the little palm ranch.  bright and early our faithful pool keepers are busy at work sprucing up the pool.  every monday morning they arrive at 7:30 a.m. without fail.  and every monday morning the dogs freak out, bark, holler and look at us like "do something! there are invaders in the back yard!!"  we've lived in the palm ranch for almost a year now.  we've experienced this routine more than 40 times.  i have a feeling they'll never see the pattern and realize these invaders are approved. 

right about the time the dogs settle back down, the lawn team arrive.  and again, the dogs scream "look!  intruders!!"  but again, we assure them there is no harm or foul at play. 

with the chaos behind us, we can enjoy the calm and beauty of a newly trimmed lawn, blown free of debris, and a pristine pool with nary a leaf, twig or other randomly floating debris to be seen.

and this is when i feel most energized and ready to conquer the week ahead of me.  you see, sundays are for cleaning, organizing, refreshing and preparing for the week.  i do the laundry, change the bedding, tidy the house, organize my desk, pay the bills and so on.  i also get a lot of rest and relaxation.  so come monday, right around this time, with everything fresh and in it's place, the clutter cleared and my brain cleansed and in tip top form, i feel so invigorated and motivated and ready.  i love a fresh start.

and in these early hours of monday morning, i kill it.  i have a list and i check off task after task, fueling my productivity.  (and did i mention i'm also fueled by my husband's legendary fruit bowls.  today we're having blueberries and raw almonds.  yum!)

yay for mondays and gettin' it all done!

Testing testing 1 - 2 - 3

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

It's another rainy day and I'm hibernating. My bed seems the perfect spot for this ambitious Saturday activity. You may question my use of the word ambitious, but I can assure you that I am indeed quite motivated while cozily ensconced under blankets, perfectly perched at a 110 degree angle against a carefully orchestrated pile of pillows. I have a computer. I have a phone. I have a camera. I have a TV remote. And I have a warm frothy caffeinated beverage. I have everything I need.

I also have this view of the thoroughly soggy backyard. Daisy is away at Doggie Day Camp. And although I'm quite comfy and content,  I'm not totally slacking!  I am working on very important, very meaningful, and highly necessary "projects".

Not the least of which is this test to see if I can send an email from my blackberry to update my blog. Because that is certainly something very important to know!

And life is very, very good. Maybe I like rainy days after all!

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

rainy days naughty ways

there's something you must know about the palm ranch.  we are ruled by the dogs.  two big brown dogs.  they tell us when to get up.  they tell us when to go out.  they tell us when to eat.  they tell us when to sleep.  and sometimes they squeeze us right out of the bed.

right now they are resting peacefully.  but it's been a long day.

you see. . .it's raining in los angeles.  it doesn't happen often, but has been way too much in the last few weeks.  i moved here for sunshine after all!  so when it rains, we get stuck inside.  (because i have no interest in getting wet or dealing with a muddy dog.)

and suddenly, without a good romp in the park, daisy goes from sweet to sour faster than you can say "sour patch kids".

on a good day, when the sun is out, she looks like this.  she runs and plays at her favorite park.

she chases balls, chews on sticks, rumbles with other four-legged friends and puts her cold, wet, and always dirty nose on everyone she sees.

most people don't mind. . .it's a dog park.  they should expect a little dirt!

but on day's like today, this smile is gone.  she steals cough drops and nail files off of the bed stand, socks from the dirty laundry and tissues from the trash.  she shreds anything in her reach.  she sighs heavily and frequently.  she barks at the slightest noise. and she stares longingly at you for hours. . .begging. . .pleading. . .that there must be something more.  and often, we succumb and take her somewhere, anywhere.

and then there's blu.  and regardless if it is sunny or rainy, she pretty much looks like this   all day everyday.

she's an old gal.  she's earned her right to lay around all day.  she's lived a long life and she deserves to be in retirement.  and she's quite content to be in this state, except for two times a day.  in blu's world, twice a day, the clouds part, the sun emerges and the angels sing.  twice a day, she eats and life is complete.  god bless blu.

city mouse country mouse

My sister and I often compare ourselves to Aesop's The City Mouse and The Country Mouse. We're completely opposite. She lives in the country and I live in the city. We both grew up in the country. But ironically, in our youth, I was the one that was all about the country. And she was quite the "city" girl. I rode horses. She had a fast car. I rode the bus and went to a rural school. She went to the big city public school (the biggest one around anyway). I hung out at the ranch, worked outside with the family, played with the animals. . .enjoyed the country life. And she was always on the go, shopping, working, socializing. I thought she was so cool. She had the latest music, fashions, make up and hairstyles. And I wanted to be just like her.

Little did we know at that time, that we'd soon change roles. Although I loved my country life, I always had a need for adventure and trying new things. I knew there was more out there beyond the walls of our fair city. I suppose it was our father who introduced us to travel and gave me a taste for that. So after college, and a short stop in Kansas City, I set out on an adventure to the west coast and landed in Portland, Oregon. Kansas City had been bigger than any city I had lived before, but I quickly outgrew it and was looking for more.

Portland seemed to curb my appetite for quite awhile (like 7 years!) It was like no place I had ever lived before. It was metropolitan, but with a small town feel. It had culture, art, music and food like I had never experienced. It had public transportation and bike lanes! It was lush and green and beautiful. This small town girl was suddenly riding a bus and the Metro line like no other. But most importantly, it gave this little country mouse a chance to spread her wings, gain independence, find a career, learn, grow and become the person I am today.

But the city mouse in me was always looking for the next adventure, seeking bigger and better things (and needing more sun and less rain). Somehow, I knew that I had outgrown this place and had learned all of the lessons I needed to take my show to the big time. And if you're on the west coast, there seems to be nothing bigger or better than. . .dah. . .dah. . .dah. . .Los Angeles, the City of Angels, LaLa Land. This was a place I had always coveted and dreamed of living. It had everything I thought I could ever want and I was ready for the challenges it would present.

So with that dream firmly planted in my brain, I began taking action to make it happen. Never one to make hasty decisions, I made sure the course was perfectly plotted. . .job (check), house (check), funding (check). In the spring of 2004, I made my move. Nothing less than the heart of Hollywood could fulfill this little thrill seeking mouse. So I planted myself in an apartment near the legendary crossroads of Hollywood and Vine, started working at a fashion PR firm and began dating a "rockstar". Go mouse go!

This was all fine and good, for awhile. But somewhere in the back of my mind I always felt the undeniable pull of my country roots. So fast forward five years. . .I'm now married to the rockstar (who's really just a sweet and simple southern boy from Louisiana), I've quit my big-time fashion job (and started my own small company) and I was ready to get out of the heart of Hollywood to somewhere where the pace was just slightly slower.

And this brings us to the unthinkable. We moved to "The Valley". No one on the right side of the hill would ever consider living in the Valley. My husband and I said from Day 1, "we'll never move to the Valley." But now, almost a year since moving here, I couldn't imagine anything better. We may not have all the glitz and glamour of Hollywood all around us, but we're just a stone's throw away when we want it. We have all of the little luxuries I never knew were luxuries until arriving in the big city: unlimited parking, a yard with grass for the dogs, trees, larger-than-life parks and green space, frolicking squirrels in our back yard, friendly neighbors who smile and say hello and even a swimming pool! I no longer hear my neighbors and their barking dogs, smell what they are having for dinner or fight with them over parking spaces. And did I mention the lack of traffic and noise, helicopters patrolling the neighborhood every night and how friendly the people are? Oh the simple joys that make life so much easier and more pleasant.

So in my own little way, I guess I've come full circle. You can take the mouse out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the mouse. And in many ways, I think my sister and I are much more alike than we think. I love you country mouse!

Better beans and bacon in peace than cakes and ale in fear.

there's always a first

in everything we do, there's always a first. a first day of school. . .a first date. . .a first kiss. . .the first home purchase. and it seems the first is always the hardest. so as i sit here, looped up on cold medicine, staring at this blank page, it seems the only thing to do to get this first out of the way, is to just start typing. and voila. that is what i am doing.

so one might question why exactly i've created this blog? and i myself am not exactly sure. but i know that i enjoy reading many other blogs. this interest began a couple of years ago when we first started house hunting. there are a ton of blogs out there that are excellent resources for the first-time homebuyer and i searched them out. . .weeded through and found the ones that worked for me. now that we've purchased our first home, the blogs i follow have evolved to include ones about decorating, renovation and DIY projects.

to add fuel to the blog fodder. . .both my mother and sister turned me on to blogs about cooking, traveling and parenting. not that i'm a parent, but sometimes the blogs are just fun to read due to the blogger's personality.

most recently, my lovely sister started writing a blog. and i find that it's so much fun to get up every morning and read a little tidbit about her life. so, i suppose, that was the biggest inspiration for me. we don't really have the luxury of talking every day (kids, work, schedules, time differences), so having access to her everyday through the blog is really nice and makes me feel a little more connected. so, i'm returning the favor to her. and i imagine my mom will enjoy it as well. and in the meantime, if anyone else out there finds this blog interesting, entertaining, helpful or maybe even dull, annoying or pointless. . .so be it.

and with that. my first post is complete. stay tuned for more "ramblings" from my little "palm ranch" very soon.