HOLLYWOOD...where the streets are paved in gold...

Spring Break has sprung. And oh how adventures were had.

The break started with a brief but charming visit from our dear friend Rachie. Rachel was our old roommate, she got married and left us to live with her hubby. But this weekend, she came down all by herself. So we behaved as single ladies should! It was just like old times. We read magazines, ate ice cream, watched movies and a whole season of f.r.i.e.n.d.s. Good times. Sunday came and she had to return to married life...but it's okay, they make a precious couple.

After Rachie left, we did our usual Sunday stuff. Church, lunch, nap, fireside. The norm. Monday we did some homework, got my new car stereo installed and went to get some Mary Kay facials. Our Mary Kay lady, Linda is such a hoot. It ended up being a three hour outing, but man, we looked hot. Unfortunately, I don't have any physical evidence.

Then Tuesday came...we decided to get up and leave early, The goal was to be out of the house by 8am. I went down and woke Gabby out of a dead sleep at 7:30. So after some delay, we ended up getting out on the open road some time around 9am. California or Bust!!

We took lots of pictures on our way! Ones of us driving, great scenery, the "Welcome to..." signs of Arizona, Nevada and California, even pictures of the seriously sketch gas station bathroom we refused to pee in!

We rolled into the LA area right around 3pm...just in time for check-in! We checked into our hotel, took more pictures and decided it was time for some food and shopping. So with some advice from the very helpful Chinese gentleman at the front desk, we ended up at the Santa Anita Mall. Cheesecake Factory was for dinner. Our waiter Germaine was a delight. We even snuck a picture or two of him. Did some light shopping and headed back to the hotel...That's when we discovered that Gabby's camera had disappeared. Somewhere between the double decker carousel and the hotel room, it simply vanished. So, all of our pictures from the first day of our adventure are gone. Bummed. B.U.M.M.ER.

But it's okay, becuase we knew that tomorrow (Wednesday)...we were going to Ellen!!

So On Wednesday morning we woke to the ellen theme song, had some free continental breakfast and got ready for the day.

Thanks to Mapquest, and our mad driving skills, we got to WB studios no problem! We checked in at the waiting area in the Parking Garage and were told we could leave and come back at 2:30. We found Hollywood Blvd. and had some lunch then went back to WB.

We were just so psyched to be there!

We patiently waited in this line...

And got these official Numbers...they were from 1-400...so, not too bad!

We waited around for a while for everyone to get checked in. A man named Carlos gave us some pointers on how things were going to go down.Then we got to watch that days episode of ellen on TV's while we waited and drank our ellen water...







Carlos and Tommy walked us into the studio where we had to go through security and have our bags checked. But then...we were in the Ellen studio!!

This is a screenshot from the webcam...can you find us?

We are on the right side by the dunk tank! Can you see us now?

Because they work around the Stars' schedules, we actually filmed parts of two different shows. First Ellen came out and did her monologue...it was about baths! Who doesn't like a good bath? Then WE DANCED WITH HER!!!

When it came to guests on the show, we filmed two different ones. The first one was KATY PERRY! She was great and sang "Thinking of You" and gave the whole audience CD's!

Then Tommy, the man who was kind of in charge of the audience, got us standing up and dancing and having dance competitions while Ellen and Tony changed outfits and the crew changed the stage around a little bit...

This guy won the dance competition and the title of "Ellen's New favorites Audience Dancer!"

Then Ellen and Tony came back on in their new outfits and introduced the next guest, Reese Witherspoon! She was hilarious and just adorable! She even dunked an audience member in green slime!

After the dunking, Ellen said goodbye to the cameras and they turned off. Then she talked to the audience for a minute and thanked us for coming...

Then we were led off of the stage and into the Riff Raff room where the Ellen Shop is. I snapped this somewhat Copyright Infringement picture as we left...
After the show, we decided to try to find a beach...We asked several security guards and their answers were all along the lines of "In Rush Hour traffic, you'll never get there..." But we decided to forget them and brave the HORRID Los Angeles traffic and find us a beach! We found it without much trouble. We got to Santa Monica Beach just after dark but decided to play on the beach for a while anyways! So even though the pictures are dark, I assure you, the Pacific Ocean is crashing behind us!
This says "SB 2009"...as in Spring Break 2009.

A&G

On the way back from the hotel, we got lost. Really lost. The fact that we were both tired,, hungry and lost made for some angry times. We both just wanted the other one to shut up. But when we found an IN-N-OUT burger AND our hotel, our moods changed drastically!

The next morning, we slept in and checked out of the hotel not too long before the noon check out time...

Then we decided to make a trip to Hollywood for some Souvenirs and to try to find the infamous HOLLYWOOD sign...

We found a sketchy somewhat grungy, but filled with many priceless wonders, Hollywood Blvd. souvenir shop to purchase some keepakes....

Then we drove up into the Hollywood hills in effort to get a good view of the Hollywood sign...we got lost...a lot...And the hollywood hills are very tiny, narrow, steep roads that are not the most fun to get lost on...but with the help of a very nice woman in the Hollywoodland market, we found it!

We got back in the car for what seemed to be the LONGEST drive in the history of Road Trips...and we have been on our fair share of Road Trips! But we made it back safely.

We came back with my car 987.9 miles richer, one camera less and some serious wicked times to be remembered.

I should have seen the sign...

"I should have seen the signs!"

Most of the time, this phrase is said between the sobs of a cheated on wife or a mother who has just discovered her baby boy is dealing the dope...Most of the time, it is said in a figurative way.

I am not saying it in a figurative way.

I literally wish I had seen the sign!! To be specific, I wish I had seen THIS SIGN:
This sign sits at the edge of our Apartment Complex Parking lot. It says something to the effect of "If you don't live here, you don't have the special little sticker on your car, and you can't park here." I am paraphrasing of course.

On Tuesday Night, I should have seen this sign.

So here is the story:

Just as a little background information, my church calling is the Relief Society Librarian. My duties include attending the material center for one hour every Sunday, and aiding the Relief Society in any of their material needs during the week. This includes copies. I know. My calling is pivotal to the functioning of the church!

On Tuesday night, I had several things to copy. So I pulled out my special "DO NOT COPY" key to the church and headed over to do some Xeroxin'.

Gabby decided to come along, seeing as she was the one that needed copies.

So we headed to the church! Because our building is being renovated to accommodate more members, we are currently using the so very conveniently located church building that is right next door. See picture for an idea of just how close this new place of Worship is.

I walk to and from the church probably at least three times a week on average.

As we reached the end of the parking lot and were just stepping on the curb to round the corner, Gabby was in the lead and I was walking with my head down....

Then she heard a big bang...

She turned around to find me clutching my forehead in pain...and confusion.

Somehow, I had run my forehead straight into the bottom edge of the sign! I still don't really know how it all happened!

So I was left with this little present and a concussion. Wicked.




The picture doesn't really do it justice. The goose egg, the dizziness, nausea and impaired vision can't quite be captured with my trusty Kodak Point and Shoot...

But you get the idea...

I am a Klutz.






on the bright side, Spring Break starts at 2:51 pm tomorrow!

KaaaaKAAAA!!...

A long long time ago...in this galaxy...Gabby and I were watching The Ellen Degeneres Show and discussing how much fun it would be to be in the audience for one of her shows...

It just looks like it is so much fun and so hilarious!

Just Look!






Oh man.

We decided on day to look and see if there were any tickets available for the week of Spring Break...By the time we looked, they were already out of tickets. Lame.

So we moved on with our lives and wondered how we would Spring Break. With Jess and Abish going to Mexico to build orphanages (...at least that's what they're telling people...I'm still convinced they will be spending most of their time on the "Girls Gone Wild" bus...) and Lauren going to good ol' P-Town, we needed an adventure...But ideas were slim.

That is until one day. I was watching ellen, thinking how perfect an adventure that would have been. So i decided to look and see when the next tickets were available.....

MARCH 18, 2009!!!!

Why, that is the Wednesday of Spring Break!

So as fast as my short somewhat stubby fingers could type, I filled out that request form!

Last week, this came in the mail:

That is right. I have two GUARANTEED tickets to be in the studio audience of the ellen show on March 18th!

So, we are practicing our dance moves, because WE will be dancing with ellen. Who knows, maybe we'll even get some cool giveaways!

Now, all we can hope for are amazing guests on the show that day!

Guests I might shed a tear for if they were on the show:
1. Bon Jovi
2. David Beckham
3. Betty White (she is so funny!!)
4. President Obama
5. Anyone from the Grey's Anatomy cast
6. George Cloony (The conclusion to George Watch 2009!)
7. Will Farrell
8. Jack Black
9. Will Smith
10. Johnny Depp
11. James McAvoy

Ha. That list made me look like a boy crazy teenage girl. But I assure you, the fact that the Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus are NOWHERE on that list makes this untrue!

Welcome Back, Cornelius...

Meet Cornelius...


Cornelius and I have been together for just over two years. He came to me after Dell so conveniently lost my first laptop companion. He didn't have a name.

Cornelius has been good to me. He has held all of my music...he even kept my little secret about having both the Hansen CD and the Anastasia Soundtrack...all of my pictures, all of my studies and the fruits of my labor in said studies. Cornelius was the hold all for most aspects of my life.

Then, in early January, just after the holiday season, Cornelius got sick. A virus. Now in humans, a virus means that plenty of fluids and extra rest should have them good as new in no time. Unfortunately, this is not so for Laptops such as Cornelius.

I let Cornelius have plenty of rest, hoping that he was just tired. But every time I pressed his power button, this popped up on the desktop:

No joke. This image with the words "WARNING: YOUR COMPUTER HAS CONTRACTED A VIRUS" became my desktop background. Awesome.

I care deeply about Cornelius, but more so, I care deeply about the things he holds inside his plastic and metal body. So I began starting to remove my prized treasures. Music, papers written in the past both recent and long ago, and pictures galore. All was removed...except for 3.98 Gigabytes of pictures.

If you know me, you know that I am both a "shutterbug" and an avid scrapbooker. Needless to say, the thought of losing this many pictures made me sick. But alas, it was either the pictures, or Cornelius. So i bid farewell to the pictures hoping desperately that facebook and roommates had copies to be had.

I decided to call Dell and have them walk me through the restore process...just in case. I just didn't want to risk further damage to Cornelius.

Allen, (I love how the Indian call center techs all have such conveniently American names...) was the lucky technician to get my call. Having worked as a technical/customer support representative, I am generally a pretty nice person, even when I get frustrated. Allen checked my records and promptly informed me that my warranty had expired and that in order to help me with this, it would be a one time fee of $49. Okay. I'll call my cousin who is a computer genius or take it to a computer club geek and fix it that way. But thanks....

BUT then Allen said that it might be a wiser choice to have Dell walk me through the process so that I don't "lose my IP address, thus making it impossible to connect to the world wide web from this computer again." First off, World Wide Web? I prefer internet or getting "online". World Wide Web sounds so very 1994.....ooooooohhhh! The World Wide Web!...But, not wanting to risk never being able to use the miracle of the World Wide Web again, I gave Allen my Credit Card number and tried not to think about how I was going to pay for gas for our Spring Break adventure.

Allen then walked me through the following steps (those of you with Dell's, take notes!):

1. Turn on your computer

2. When the Dell logo appears, tap the CTRL key and the F11 key at the same time.

That's it. Two steps?! You charged me $49 to tell me to push two buttons!!?!??

Allen, I thought we were going to be pals. BFF even. But this. This made that dream impossible...Thanks Allen.

So, after three months, $49, and 4GB of my soul lost, Cornelius has risen.

Welcome back, good pal.

All in a Tuesday Afternoon...

I am looking out my front window at this:

Okay, not EXACTLY this, but you get the picture.

So now for the story...

(because I don't really know too much about the law and witness protection and confidentiality procedures, some names in this little tale have been changed.)

This morning I arose and did the same things I have done every other Tuesday since January of this year. I got up. Got dressed (Jeans, Blue sweater with yellow cami, brown loafer shoes). Did my hair (curly today). And headed to Institute. Oh how I love Institute.

After Institute, I had to head back to my apartment for a quick IM conversation with my Mother Dearest due to nonworking phone. Verizon Customer Service didn't make a super first impression, but because I love my phone, I have forgiven and forgotten...now that my phone works again.

After sorting things out with Mother Dearest and Verizon, I headed back to the Institute to pick up Gabby for some lunch and chatting. As I sat in the Institute lounge and Gabby waked towards me, we heard several police sirens and witnessed three speeding police cars heading West on Center Street...yes, in the direction of our home!

But alas, we were hungry and didn't think much of it. So we headed for some Grub.

In the line at Quiznos (who makes the tiniest "Sammies"...seriously, infant sized.), I received a call from our friend and Neighbor, Bradley*. Upon my answering, Bradley asked, "Do you know what's going on?"

"Going on with what?" I said.
"Have you looked out your window? There are about 8 cop cars in the parking lot!" Bradley exclaimed.
"Oh heavens! The Cops were headed to our complex!" I said turning to Gabby. "Bradley, if you find out what is going down, let us know!"

Obviously, because we are the nosy people we are, we asked to make our "for her" order a "to go" order. We had some gossip to gather!!

When we pulled into the apartment complex, there were six police cars that I could see. Something. Was. Going. Down.

Playing it cool, like we were just coming home for some lunch, Gabby and I walked into the house and left the door open. We texted Bradley to come fill us in when he could.

He did. To make a long story short, apparently one of the guys who works for the managers of my Apartments doing handy work etc. is in a bit of trouble. We will call him Frank*. The story goes that and undercover police officer walked up to Frank and said "Frank, you know who I am, we need to talk."

Frank didn't want to talk apparently. Instead, he punched the officer and ran. The officer whipped out his gun and started chasing him. So, naturally Frank lets himself into an apartment 2 doors down from me (NOT HIS APARTMENT) and locks himself in, jumps out the window in the back and starts running toward the freeway.

Now, I am not Frank. Nor do I know what was going on in Frank's mind. But I am smart enough to know that punching, then running from a cop, can really only get Frank into bigger trouble.

So now Frank is missing. And of course because he works for the apartment complex, he has keys to all of the apartments. Awesome.

Thus the dogs. Now the precious (and ferocious?) pooches are searching dumpsters, under cars and in apartments surrounding me. Wicked.

As I put my blue sweater on this morning, I only THOUGHT today was going to be just another Tuesday.

Oh how wrong I was...