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 =)