a day of friends

yesterday we hosted the first of many bbqs this summer.  the menu. . .a selection of skewers on the grill. . .chimmichurri beef, sticky garlic chicken and veggie.  for sides i made. . .my sister's highly touted black bean salad and my favorite caprese salad simply made with roma tomatos, buffalo mozzarella, basil and a sprinkle of balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper.  and the grand finale. . .a fabulous paula dean blueberry tart courtesy of my friend tiffanie.  a day of great friends, great food in the sun.  i can't think of a better way to spend the day!

visitors

i just discovered visitors in our pool.  they've been here before.  they aren't strangers.  and although i wish we could embrace them with a bit more hospitality, we cannot.  they are ducks.  we have nothing against ducks.  in fact, quite to the contrary.  i love ducks!  this couple in particular are lovely.  i always get excited when they stop by for a dip. 

but we cannot allow them to stay long.  we fear they may try to enlarge their family in our pool.  i'm a sucker for animals.  all animals.  but i'm particularly a sucker for baby animals.  but really, what would i do with a pool full of ducks.  that just wouldn't be good for anyone. 

so i let them bath and swim around a bit.  and then i let daisy out to herd them away.  they aren't really too afraid of her.  she's scared of the water, so what's she gonna do?  nothing.  and they know it.  but she watches them, circles the pool, pokes her nose in the water at times, but mostly just stares.  and then eventually, they fly away. 

and all is calm and back to normal at the palm ranch.

wish me luck

headed down to the first of many meetings. . .name tag and all.

don't mess with texas

it's 3:40 pm in austin.  where i am right now.  i was on a 6:20 am flight this morning from la. my dear sweet husband woke up at 4 in the morning to make me coffee and a fruit bowl. . .and drop me off at the airport.  i'm glad i married him. 

i have to be at my first "meeting" in about an hour.  so i'm in my hotel room, killing a little time, catching up on emails (and facebook), and my blog. 

austin is hot, about 90 degrees and super muggy.  but there is no sun, it's totally overcast and gray.  my biz partner was supposed to be here too, but she had to stay in la due to do a severe migraine that has been totally debilitating for the past several days.  so i am alone in austin. 

tonight is just an introductory session.  tomorrow is back to back to back to back meetings all day learning about all of the new innovations and updates in asics footwear, apparel and accessories.  you may think it is the summer of 2010, but in the world of "fashion", we are already learning all about what will be coming out in spring 2011!  exciting stuff, let me tell you.

tomorrow night, my good friend patrick (aka "dawg"), whom i know from my the portland years, is taking me to dinner.  he lives right here in austin now.  i haven't seen him since my wedding almost 4 years ago. . .so i'm excited to have some yummy tex-mex and margaritas with an old buddy. 

and then bright and early saturday morning i'm hopping on a plane to cincinnati for another old friend's wedding.  then home again on sunday. . .jiggity jig. 

winding road

i was just updating my ipod and clearing room for some new music in preparation for my travel tomorrow.  it's always interesting to go through my old music.  music has such a huge impact on me. hearing a song can bring back such vivid memories. . .a time, a place, a person, etc.  and there's one song in particular that moves me to tears every time i hear it.

i remember in exact detail the moment i heard that song and connected so deeply with it.  it wasn't the first time i had heard it, but it was a moment in time for sure, marked by this song, where i was in my life and how i i felt the song convey everything i was feeling.  eery and beautiful.

i had recently moved to los angeles from portland.  a month after moving, i flew back to rainy, dreary portland to retrieve the rest of my belongings and turn the page on that chapter.  i was sitting on the airplane listening to my ipod and reflecting on where my life had been and where it was going.  this song came on and moved me to tears thinking about the challenges of going through my 20s. . .not knowing exactly what i wanted out of life or where i would end up, and the hope i had for the future and the new life i was about to begin.

here are the lyrics. . .see if you don't see the similarities.  kind of uncanny.

Well, the rain keeps on coming down

It feels like a flood in my head

And that road keeps on calling me

Screaming to everything lying ahead

And it's a winding road

I've been walking for a long time

I still don't know

Where it goes

And it's a long way home

I've been searching for a long time

I still have hope

I'm gonna find my way home

And I can see a little house

On top of the hill

And I can smell the ocean

The salt in the air

And I can see you

You're standing there

And you're washing your car

And I can see California sun in your hair

And its a winding road

I've been walking for a long time

Still don't know

Where it goes

And it's a long way home

I've been searching for a long time

Still have hope

I'm gonna find my way home

All these dreams took me so far

And I felt I just couldn't go on

And I want to hang

Out the window of your car

And see just how good this baby can run

'Cause it's a winding road

I've been walking for a long time

And I still don't know

Where it goes

And it's a long way home

I've been searching for a long time

Still have hope

We're gonna find our way home

It's a winding road

Still have hope

One day we'll find our way home

It's a long way home

I've been searching for a long time

Still have hope

We're gonna find our way home 

anyway, the song is by Bonnie Somerville and was off of The Garden State soundtrack.  you can listen to it here and cry with me: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OMr9CbkMUk&feature=related

thank God i did find my way down that winding road. . .all the way home to my little house on the hill. . . where i can smell the ocean. . .and there's LOTS of sun all the time :)

brown dogs, etc.

today i give you pictures.  random pictures around our living room and of our "children".  adam shot them yesterday after we added a new set of ultra-modern clear lucite chairs to our dining room.

recently we've noticed that daisy very much likes getting her photo taken.  she will pose as long as you need to get the shot.  and when you are taking photos of other things, she comes and stands right in front of the camera so she'll be included. and blu, she's just blu.  

behind the music remastered

we are headed into the big city today on a little adventure.  adam is being interviewed for an updated version of leif garrett's "behind the music remastered" which will air on vh1.  adam produced a bunch of songs for him in the last few years. . .hence the request to participate. 

considering leif's recent drug-related legal trouble, it should be interesting to see what angle this interview is going to take.  we are hoping they focus on the positive.  regardless, adam plans on keeping his side of things very positive. . .especially considering he's had nothing but good, professional encounters with mr. garrett.  but we shall see!

i'll keep you posted if/when the show airs so we can all watch my fabulous husband in all his glory on the big screen. . .or little screen depending on how big your tv is.

on another note, yesterday i discovered you can see quite a bit of cool old footage of my hubby back in his heyday all over youtube.  here are a couple of gems for your enjoyment:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOeXgAzaZCw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GadDwbI-3xE&feature=related

mission accomplished

well i succeeded in finding that last cushion.  it took 3 hours out of my day, but i got it.  i fought rush hour traffic to get to the west hollywood target after a meeting this afternoon. . .and they had none.  i then ventured north and west a bit to van nuys. . .and they had none.  i contemplated between going back east to north hollywood or further north to north van nuys.  i opted for the later and struck gold.  they had not one, but TWO cushions.  i really wanted to buy them both considering what i had gone through to find them.  but i only needed one.  so i left the other for someone else searching as tirelessly as i had.  i hope they find it!

after completing my mission, i felt the harsh pangs of hunger stabbing at my gut.  i had left my meeting at 3 pm and it was now 6 o'clock!  and i still had to fight traffic all the way back across the valley to my little western suburb.  i decided to avoid the freeway and take side streets.  along the way i figured i might be inspired by some new little restaurant (new to me) to try.  i wasn't.  but alas, just a few blocks from my house i remembered the little empanada place i had been wanting to try.  i was on my own for dinner tonight with adam out at band practice. . .so i could eat whatever i wanted and be a little more adventurous.  and i was not disappointed.  i have found my new favorite place! 

one of the biggest challenges since moving to our new little suburb has been eating out.  we LOVE to eat out and try new little places.  but the variety isn't as great as it was in the heart of the city.  out here we are plagued by chain restaurants. . .olive garden, outback steakhouse, california pizza kitchen, chilis. . .etc.  they are ok now and then. . .but not like the little one-of-a-kind places that are so predominant in the city.  and now i've found one close to home.  hooray!

so this is what i had: grilled chicken satay with thai peanut sauce, sticky rice, a green salad with mango and balsamic viniagrette and a spinach and cheese empanada with chimmichurri.  holy moly was it good.  i couldn't nearly eat it all. . .and there are so many other things on the menu i can't wait to try.  mom. . .hurry and get out here so we can go back!

on a mission

i've been wanting cushions for my four outdoor chaise loungers.  they look really cool without, but would be so much more comfortable with.  and in my searching i've found several i like, but they are just so darn expensive!  i really can't see spending $150-200 per chair! 

so i found a style at Target i could live with.  they are plain and simple turquoise and fit perfectly.  but that would be too easy just to find them and buy them.  i bought all two they had in stock at my local store.  i went to purchase the other two online since typically shipping is free from Target if you spend more than $50.  nope!  they were going to charge me $25 to ship.  that's no good. 

so i decided i could find these cushions myself. . .and i've put my mind to it.  a visit to the Topanga Canyon store resulted in zero cushions.  West Hills had one, so i'm up to three. . .only one more to go.  Northridge North had zero.  today i shall visit North Hollywood and West Hollywood.  if i find nothing there. . .i'm off to Northridge, Van Nuys and Van Nuys North.  i am determined.  i'll probably spend more than the stupid $25 shipping cost in gas before this is all said and done.  but it's the principle.  and i'm on a mission. 

and if i don't succeed in finding that one last cushion at the aforementioned stores. . .there are plenty more in the Los Angeles are.

tidbits from the ranch

the palm ranch has been a whirl of activity and i haven't had even a minute to write my blog!

last week i was working on the beach down in san onofre state park at a professional surf contest.  it's long days and hard work, but there's something to be said for having an office complete with wireless internet, TVs and printers all set up on the beach.  now if only they had plumbing and real bathrooms!  this is the 5th or 6th year i've done the PR for this event and i always look forward to spending the week down in San Clemente.  such a different vibe than LA. . .much more mellow and surf influenced. 

i came back from San Clemente a day early to attend a wedding with Adam.  his friend who is the bass player in the band Alice in Chains was getting married up in the hills of a rustic little town called Ojai.  it's near Ventura and a little over an hour northwest of us.  the house was beautiful and had an insane view of the entire valley and a big lake down below.  needless-to-say there were all kinds of long-haired and tattooed rocker types there including members of Guns n' Roses, Velvet Revolver and Ozzy Osbourne's band.  i had to do a little shuffling to finish my work on the surf contest.  so i attended the wedding ceremony, then snuck out and drove down the hill to the nearest Starbucks, which fortunately was less than a mile away.  there i finished writing the press release for the surf contest, distributed to my media contacts and made it back in time for dinner.  success!!  i did look (and feel) a little out of place in my off-the-shoulder black silk dress and heels at Starbucks. . .i even got picked up on!

on Thursday we have visitors from NYC coming to stay the night.  my college roommate and good friend Robin and her husband are passing through town and were able to schedule in a whole day and night for us.  the weather is great right now and should be sunny and in the 80s for their visit.  so we're planning a Malibu beach day and a backyard BBQ. . . something the "city" kids don't get to do too often.

this week has been playing catch up and getting back into the groove with all of the clients i neglected while away.  at the beginning of the month, we signed a new client, so we've been getting them all up and running.  busy, busy.  we've also had a couple of promising meetings with two other potential new clients. . .so hopefully we'll hear back on those soon.

next week i head out of town again.  this time i'm going to Austin, TX for a few days for a sales meeting followed by a quick jaunt up to Cincinatti for a wedding.  Adam opted out of the wedding since it's so difficult for us both to travel together, but I'll know a few people there.

not very exciting stuff. . .but it's my busy time of year.  so that's what you get!

bitter sweet change

6 years ago (and just a few days), i arrived in los angeles.  it was just me and my car "lego".  we had driven the more than 950 miles from portland together.  just the two of us.  it took almost 16 hours and we made very few stops.  it was a long arduous journey, but we had each other.  and we made it.

up until arriving in LA, i loved that little gray jetta.  she was nearly new, having only been purchased a few months previous to my move.  but the love faded quickly after arriving in this city of perpetual traffic congestion.

i hadn't foreseen the move to LA when i purchased lego.  and i made the error of opting out of the automatic transmission to save a few pennies.  my first cars were all manuals and i had no problem shifting gears.  in fact, i always thought it was kind of fun. . .and sporty. . .and i liked the control.

but that wore off quickly after a few times stuck in stop and go traffic, trekking across the city. . .12 miles that could take almost 2 hours.  horrible to say the least.  and for the last 6 years, despite our tight bond, i have resented lego.  her neediness had become unbearable. . . constantly needing an extra push of the clutch. . .shifting up, shifting down. . .over and over again.

and so yesterday, it all came to a bitter sweet end.  lego has been replaced. . .upgraded even.  my new ride needs no extra attention.  she does it all and then some.  in fact, so far, she's proven a bit smarter than me.  but i have a feeling we'll get along just fine.

and lest you think i haven't a heart.  don't be mistaken.  i was sad to see my lego go.  she had been good to me.  she was paid off.  she had never had any significant problems.  she was representative of youth and freedom.  we had a lot of great memories and she will be missed.

but please welcome the new audi a4.  she doesn't have a nickname. . .she's much too mature for that.