HH Holiday Party 09!

Tine and Rhino hosted this year and as always we had a LOT of laughs =). Beth and Danny ended up with the dreaded Penis statue, which is now beautifully engraved with the names of previous owners (thanks Em!). There were some great gift wars, especially between the boys, and everyone ended up with something suitable to them. I'M certainly more than happy with my new pair of Handerpants courtesy of Christina!

YES YES YES YES!! It's about to begin!!!!

I can't wait I can't wait I can't wait I can't wait!!!! I have all of my pre and co-requisites taken care of including physical and vaccinations, my books are purchased, I scoped out my classroom and parking locations (as well as lunch options!)... My journey is about to begin =). I finished reading an anatomy book I got from the library, working on the physiology book now, gotta brush up on CPR before I start, but I'm SO ready for this.

By January you will be looking at LA's newest B-EMT. I still need to decide between working for an ambulance company vs. an ER, but I'm guessing that will fall into place as I go through my classes and studies. Wish me luck, it's gonna be a shock to this girl's system. I'm used to getting my 8+ hours of sleep and cooking whatever I want whenever I want it. But for those of you who know me, I'm all about change and diversity, so this will be a welcome challenge.

Vegas is Fantastik

The Indoor Swapmeet, no better way to start off the trip!
Fremont Street Experience, woot
Bryan said, 'give me tiger'. this is what he got.
A Healthy dinner of hot dogs. My veggie version consisted of a bun, melted cheese, onions, jalapenos and peppers. Absolutely disgusting.
This Cab Driver asked "You wanna take my pikchah?" yes I do..
Dressed to impress... and go bowling
Birthday hats always warrant a smile, no matter how sheepish.
I think Bryan felt like a kid with all the decorations.
I had to find a way to get both me and the Dam in the same picture and get the right exposure on both..
portraits in action
A long way down
Bear makes an appearance
Trevor is a F***ing rockstar
Dam buttons make for a good Picture
They were dropping pennies off the side
Night FOUR. We sat at the casino bar for 3 hours.
Trevor meets Bear
I have always wanted to drink at the Circus Circus carousel bar: because of Fear & Loathing. FAIL, it was closed.
I was expecting to see a great trapeze show including flying bears.
At last, time to go.


Vegas on a budget for 5 days is quite a feat, but Thanks to everyone who went we had a FANtastik time =). It was Bryan's birthday, and his present was a few days in a timeshare in Vegas. The condo was simply awesome, with a full kitchen and laundry, sweet pool and jacuzzi, etc. We didn't step foot on the main strip even once, preferring to spend our time in Downtown and within walking distance of our condo. We still did plenty of slot play, however it consisted mostly of penny and nickel slots... and we actually won a little bit! We even took one day to hit up the Hoover Dam, which I haven't done since I was a little kid. It's so great when you don't have an agenda or a plan. We got imaginative and really made the trip fun. Thanks Mandy and Bryan, this would not have been possible without you both =)

Andrade Family 2.0

This family is ALWAYS a blast =). I'm thankful that I had the pleasure of joining in on their Thanksgiving festivities once again. This year, the theme was '20's', in honor of Lyndsey's 20th birthday. sooooo everyone dressed up in their 1920's best. Angel decided that we should go as Bonnie and Clyde, and we watched the movie about 4 times before the day to make sure we had it right. Lots of fun, lots of laughs!

LA Works

So in all my spare time lately I've rediscovered volunteer work. I registered on www.laworks.com, an organization which makes it easy for people to volunteer in places that suit their interests. They offer everything from activities with kids to environmental work to feeding the homeless. As a volunteer, you tell them where you have skills, and what you are looking for in the work you do. Personally, I'm interested in anything having to do with animals or the environment, and it was easy to narrow my search to concentrate on these areas. So far I've done work in an educational garden - The Daniel Webster Garden, established to teach children growing up in an urban area about the environment. Also, Angel joined me on a project to help out in the Ballona Wetlands right here in Playa del Rey. We cleared land (backbreaking work) for an area to regrow native plants. Really, a great workout!

Tomorrow Mariko, my mom and I will be doing a couple hours of cleanup with Heal the Bay. They do work anywhere from Redondo Beach to the Pacific Palasades.. just happens to include all of the beaches that I ride my bike through in the summer! My question is this: Why NOT do work like this?? It does nothing but good for everyone, and I feel good inside when I'm done =). What I really can't wait for is coming up in a few weeks.. I'm volunteering at a no-kill animal shelter in West LA. I CAN'T WAIT. I get to feed and walk doggies all day long, heaven for me.

Anyways... I really think this is a powerful website and organization. It gives us absolutely no excuse NOT to volunteer. Do yourself some good and help others along the way. Check it out! LA Works

Girl Talk

Move! It's an easy remedy. WebMD agrees! Exercise raises your level of beta-endorphins, which are chemicals in the brain associated with pain relief. Studies have shown that beta endorphins have a positive effect on mood and behavior. =)

Hungry for Change?

This movie is incredibly important, hopefully it will open the eyes of consumers in this country. Americans are so focused on saving money that they never stop to think about where the products they buy are coming from... or how they were produced. Please check it out if you have even an ounce of compassion. Check it - Food, Inc.

heh-hem... PHOTOBOOTH!!!!

Thanks Adam and Sandra.... from what I hear, I had a fantastic time at your wedding.

Sinister Pointe

Best__________Haunted__________Attraction____________EVER!

Beth, Danny, Angel and I headed out to Brea, CA on Halloween night hoping for a couple of screams and a lot of laughs. Beth and I walked away with sore throats and promises of nightmares. Ok, I'm being a little dramatic, but in all seriousness, this place rocked it!

As we walked up to the old converted theater, we could hear the terrified screams of girls and feel the fright in the air. To begin with, before we even got our tickets, we had to walk through a dark, foggy outdoor hallway of sorts, very creepy. There was even dark, tense music playing. There were about 5-6 monsters just waiting for victims to scare. The coolest thing was that on top of the structure they had built, a monster was scaring and spraying people with water. awesome! Others outside included the slider with the chainsaw(!!), the Sheriff who kept shooting the zombies, and the creepy girl with crutches. This group worked both lines relentlessly and kept scaring the whole time we were there.

There were 2 mazes this year: Silent Hill and Fear. We checked out Silent hill first, and were scared beyond belief. The best part about these smaller haunted attractions is that they spread out the guests, so that you're not crowded or rushed through the scare areas. Every single room got a scream out of someone in our group. Totally creepy. I never played the video game or saw the movie, but if this maze has anything to say about it, I'm guessing it's pretty scary!?

The Fear maze was really unique. We had to work as a group to get through different stages of the maze, working together or we wouldn't advance. For example, the very first test was two exposed wires that we were supposed to grab. Kinda trippy, cuz we expected to get shocked... instead we got a scare. Loud screeching noise and a blast of air, and we were on to the next room. This continued with different tests and psychological scares, including a hall of hanging pigs, a claustrophobic balloon hallway, and a room where we each had to reach into a tube in the wall and press a button at the end. Freaking awesome!! The creepy music in this maze is courtesy of Jon Autopsy, trippy, freaky, perfect =)

I will most definitely return next year to see what they come up with. Great job to the entire crew, every single monster and talent was on top of their game. Check them out: www.sinisterpointe.com

They took this just before the Silent Hill maze, shocking us with another blast of air and loud screeching. I love that Beth and I are screaming, Angel has a giddy smile, and Danny looks like he didn't even notice anything. Haha =)

The Empty Grave

Henry and I rolled out to the Gardenwalk in Anaheim, Ca on Friday night to check out one of the coolest ideas I've seen in a while. The Empty Grave is not your typical Haunted House. In fact, it's more like a creepy, dark, gutted warehouse full of monsters. They had this HUGE open space to work with, and in turn, it makes the guests feel small and exposed.

The very first thing they did was put us in 'the incinerator', which was a pitch black, fully enclosed, claustrophobic box. On top of that, there was a monster inside WITH us! Shaking the room violently, screaming and grunting the entire time! Totally freaky. Once they let us out, we walked in a seemingly random path, hoping we were going the right way. It was dark and foggy, but we could tell it was a big open space. We wandered through the warehouse, getting scared by monsters in hiding, and in plain view.

The lighting in this place was simply amazing. There were strobes pointed in our eyes at certain points, so we had no clue what we were walking into. There were a few maze type structures built, giving us direction and a sense of security, only to push us right back out into the creepy open space.

The monsters in this haunt were great too! These guys and girls went all out, every time. There were even zombies outside scaring in the line and in the mall area, bringing in customers. The Empty Grave is a unique concept, and I can't wait til next year to see what they come up with!

Rash, my favorite monster =)

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Clippers Box Suite!

The entire gang, such a fun night!!

Gabi, Marisa & Em

The Kubos

Mariko & Marcus

Stacey, Emily, Beth, Mariko & me!

Beth was the only one to get a shot of this!

Mark & Tom

Marisa & the birthday boy

Danny & Beth

Jeff & Mark (bromance)

The Mark we all know and love!



This was the perfect birthday event for our buddy Mark. Not only is he the biggest Clipper fan since Clipper Darrel, but he likes to live the good life. Mark got a SWEET suite for the Clippers vs. Hornets on Friday night. Seriously, that place was NICE =). Mark got drunk per usual and yelled down at the court, cheered for the Clipper girls, and clapped as loud as possible - all in True Mark form. We had a blast, ending the night with some more drinks across the street at the Yard House. Great times with my greatest friends ever! oh btw, the Clippers won. By exactly 3 points. Happy Birthday Markifer!