The Weekend Update

Can I just say I love 3-day weekends? Well, I do. We had the most amazing 3-day weekend this weekend! On Saturday we ran some errands, did some shopping, worked out, and went to Manhattan Beach - which was pretty sweet, I have to say. We'd definitely like to explore that area more in the future. Then on Sunday we did absolutely nothing (yep, we were heathens who didn't go to church). Instead, we slept in, went to blockbuster to rent a movie (and ended up purchasing three...), stopped by the store to get some snacks and then literally lounged around the house all day watching movies and napping. It was seriously the laziest day ever, but we LOVED it! And it wasn't all a waste...around 7pm we went for a walk around our neighborhood - so at least we got some exercise, right? Right.

Well, even if we were super lazy on Sunday, we made up for it yesterday. We got up at a decent hour, went to run more errands (and by that I mean did more shopping - I've been on the hunt for a pair of shoes all weekend, and finally yesterday - success!). They're super cute, though, right??

Then later in the afternoon we drove up to Calabasas Peak and went for a good hike. It was so great to get out into nature and away from the city. Jordan also got to take some pictures - nature pictures - not product shots!! So that was great for him! And we had a really great time just the two of us...

There she is - Calabasas Peak. And I'd just like to say, yep...I climbed that! I was a little girl about it at times (only the times when it was really steep uphill), but I did it nonetheless. And lucky for me, I have a husband who is a great encourager. He's amazing. And we did it together. And now I want to do more. We even made a deal that we would try to do one hike every weekend that we didn't have something going on. We actually have a book of about 80 hikes around Los Angeles, and our goal is to do them all. Calabasas Peak, check.

Jobs, etc.

Well, it's official. I start my new job on June 2nd! I'm going to work for the Boys and Girls Club of Santa Monica. I know this may come as a shock...since I never mentioned I was looking for a new job...but I wasn't, really. You see, I had an interview back in January when they had no open positions, but the lady I met with really liked me so she said she'd keep me posted if anything came up. Well, still nothing came up, but they decided to create a new position for me! How sweet is that? I don't have a job title yet, but I'll be the volunteer coordinator, I'll work with alumni, and I'll be working to create/maintain partnerships with other agencies and non-profit organizations in the community who serve kids. That sounds pretty amazing to me!
I've been trying to break into the field of social services since we moved to LA (I never thought it would be so hard or take this long...), and now it's finally happened! I'm FINALLY going to be able to use my degree and get some REAL experience in the field I want to work it. And if there's one thing I've learned from this 8-month long search for a job I really want, it's that it's all about experience! Really.
But don't get me wrong, I've loved working at Los Angeles Center Studios - the people there are amazing and I will definitely be sad to leave. I also will miss seeing movie stars at work - probably not too many of them wandering around the Boys and Girls Club of Santa Monica...but oh well. This is such a great move for me, and I'm really excited to start!
In other job news, Jordan got a raise on the exact same day I found out about my new job! How great is that? He wasn't expecting it at all, and he certainly didn't ask for it, so it was such a great and unexpected surprise. We were really excited and I think the fact that his bosses got together and decided to give him a raise when he's only been there 8 months really validated him and helped him to know that he is appreciated at work. I'm so proud of my man!! Wow, that sounds really stupid, but I am...
So that's our exciting news for now! Lots of changes in this past year, but they've all been exciting and fun! Also, my dad just bought Tina Turner tickets for the Staples Center in October, so I pretty much can't wait for that!! Tina Turner = AMAZING! It's going to be so great!

Too Long.

Ok, so it's been WAY too long since I've posted anything. Here goes:
Life has been CRAZY these past couple weeks...We had Jordan's little brother in town three weeks ago - that was super fun. We went to the beach, to Hollywood, and to a Ziggy Marley concert. Yep - we were surrounded (literally surrounded) by teenagers smoking bowls. It was interesting, to say the least! That next week was our birthdays - Jordan's on the 21st and mine on the 23rd. We spent them alone, together...since we both had to work during the days. On Jordan's birthday we made a delicious steak dinner, with sauteed mushrooms, mashed potatoes, blanched green beans and cheesecake for dessert! Yum! For my birthday, we went to a new restaurant/pub down on Main Street called the Library Ale House. It was delicious! It was a cool atmosphere - sitting out on their back patio and enjoying a date-night together.
The weekend after our birthdays, we went to San Diego and had SOOOO much fun! My parents flew down there and met up with my brother Eric on Thursday (the day after my birthday). Then we met them on Friday night after work. We stayed in this amazing little trendy hotel called The Pearl in Point Loma - I would definitely recommend the hotel to anyone looking for a fun, less-expensive place to stay! It was seriously, so cute and so fun! And the food was amazing too! We went to the zoo, to a street fair in Encinitas, and to the amazing little Italian restaurant where my brother works - I would also DEFINITELY RECOMMEND this place! It is SOOOO good! Seriously, it's right by Balboa Park and it's called Alexander's. Look it up if you're ever in town!
On Sunday, after a few nights and one full day in San Diego, the whole family (minus my brother Ben who lives in Post Falls and couldn't make it down for the birthday trip) came back up here to Santa Monica and went to the beach and to dinner at The Lobster, which overlooks the ocean and the pier, and allowed us a beautiful sunset! On Monday (I was allowed the day off), my parents, Eric, and I went to breakfast before he headed back down to San Diego and then my parents and I went to my work for a Studio tour. They LOVED it. They watch Numb3rs, which is one of the shows they film at the studio, and so going on their stages and seeing their sets was really cool for my parents. After that we had lunch with Jordan in the Valley and went to the 3rd Street Promenade. Then it was dinner at The Counter - our favorate local burger joint, and they left the next morning.

This is the SUPER CUTE Kaola at the zoo!

Two days later (last Thursday) Patrick arrived. Talk about non-stop company. It was really fun though! We went to the beach and the Promenade and to Hollywood on Saturday night. The Woods and Big Wangs - Patrick loved it! And we got to see Tiffany Seefeldt, whom we haven't seen since college, but who lives and works here now! It was super fun...but let me tell you, I was drained on Sunday night and pretty much all day Monday. I'm finally feeling back to normal, but it's been crazy around here.
In more exciting news - Jordan and I got BEACH CRUISERS for our birthdays from my brother! They are super sweet and we plan to ride them all the time! Summer is coming, and a new bike gang just might be forming...but I need KT to form a true bike gang...
What? Anyways...life has been good. We've had so much fun these past three weeks - we've just been crazy busy! Now we will go back to normal and settle down a bit. That will seem kinda nice...for a while.