2015 Wrap Up

First things first…I need to dust off this ol' blog since it hasn't been used in ages…

Every year, one of my goals is to write more …and every year, I find myself writing less and less. I just get so busy and wrapped up in this crazy little thing we call life. So I apologize to our friends and family who actually used to read this thing -- but now is my chance to catch you all up on 2015… 

For Christmas each year, I make Charlie a scrapbook. I take pictures and save mementos all throughout the year, and when December rolls around, I'm always scrambling to put it all together by the 24th. This year was no exception to that, however, as I was cutting and gluing and sticker-ing, I really was able to look back and reflect on the year 2015. I can honestly say it has been one of, if not THEE best, year of my life. Yes, there have been hard times (just as any other year), but there have also been some of the most incredible times of my life. 

Let's start at the beginning…

I always hope that after busy holiday season that the kick off of the next year will start out slow. No such luck. As always, the year started out with a bang. One of the first memories of 2015 would have to be doing a sunrise hike at Runyon Canyon. It was our first time hiking in Los Angeles, and we got up before the sun to do so. We were fortunate enough to see the sun rise directly over Downtown LA just before it went back up into the clouds for the entire day. 

We also had the opportunity to go on a whale watching cruise in January. The grey whales migrate from Alaska to Baja to have their babies, and where we live is right on their migration path. We took a boat out of the San Pedro Harbor and got to see several dolphins, a few whales, and drink Bloody Mary's at the back of the boat. It was a gorgeous day!

DineLA's first restaurant week of the year was also in January. This time around we chose Bacari in Playa Del Rey. Let's just say that a two hour wait for a table + a two hour open bar (drinking…errr, downing... red wine) wasn't the best idea we've ever had. And finally, the beginning of the year also started out with a few visitors. One of my best friends, Whitney, stayed with us for a weekend, and we got to take her to a Lakers game! Charlie's friend Keith also came to visit, and the three of us got a little rowdy at Bock Fest, a Downtown LA beer festival. 

February started out with seeing Kellar Williams and The Motet at The Roxy in Hollywood. I also ran my annual Super Bowl 5K here in Redondo Beach. Lisa was also able to run it with me this year! 

I usually have a long weekend off around Valentine's Day, so this year we took that opportunity to go camping in Carpinteria to celebrate the day of love. It was one of my favorite trips of the year. We started the day out early collecting shells, eating breakfast burritos, and drinking Bloody Mary's on the beach. We also exchanged gifts on the beach before setting up our campsite and hitting some local breweries. Throw in a few games of bags, a sunset complete with cheese tray and bottle of wine, more wine and a gourmet campfire dinner, and some serious quality time together …and it made for an unforgettable trip. 

Once we got back from camping, I still had a few days off, so we were fortunate enough to go see a taping of Conan. It's something I have always wanted to do but rarely have weekdays off! Ashton Kutcher and Jon Cryer were the main guests. I've always had a thing for Ashton Kutcher -- so it was a pretty amazing day. Plus -- Conan is the man!!! #teamcoco

In March, I had another rare weekday off, so I was able to join Charlie at Sonos Studios for a Q&A with one of his favorite bands - Umphrey's McGee. That night, we also caught their show at The Wiltern. The following day, we headed south to San Diego to celebrate anniversary #1 of the year. (side note: we celebrate two anniversaries every year. The first being the day we had our unofficial "first date" in Laguna Beach in 2011). We went kayaking & stand-up paddle boarding, drank margaritas in Old Town, stayed at  a beautiful resort (Humphrey's Half Moon Inn & Suites), went wine tasting, I surprised Charlie with an Italian dinner in a wine room, went to a brewery, and ended our trip taking the "long way home" through Temecula to stop for a bottle at one of our favorite wineries. 

Other memorable times in March: All Star Chef Classic "Grill and Chill" on a rooftop in Downtown LA (meeting Aaron Sanchez & Ludo Lefebvre), an unforgettable weekend full of moe. in Chicago with my sister (and friends Jack & Erin), and Surf Fest in Hermosa. 

April started out with a night in San Diego for a Padres vs. Giants game, shortly followed by Easter with Charlie & my dad and Lisa in Manhattan Beach. We had a full spread of appetizers and mimosas poolside followed by a ham - complete with all of the Easter necessities (au gratin potatoes, carrots, rolls, etc).

Sometime after Easter, Charlie took me on a surprise date night all around LA. Starting with Asian food at Lukshon in Culver City, a secret bar called Lock & Key with amazing mixologists, another secret 80's bar in the back of a hotel (you enter the bar through a vending machine!), and the night ended with sharing a bowl of dumplings and some kind of soup in Koreatown.

King Harbor Brewery's one-year anniversary party, LA Beer and Food Fest at Alpine Village in Torrance, and a (half work, half play) wedding weekend in Santa Barbara wrapped up a very busy second half of April.

May started out how it usually does -- celebrating my birthday! The big 2-7. A year I was seriously dreading. For the first time ever, I was not excited about ringing in another year. My dad and Lisa knew that, so they planned an amazing night out in Long Beach at Fuego - a Mexican restaurant right on the water. A few days later, we were headed to Peoria! Normally it's not somewhere I'd like to spend my birthday, however, my grandma's 90th birthday was two days before. Our whole family was together for the first time (I think EVER. Honestly.), we rented a limo and drank champagne all over town, and had dinner in a private room at Seven in Peoria Heights. It was a night my grandma (and the rest of our family) will surely never forget!

The following night, it was time to celebrate my "big day". Again, I wasn't very excited, so I had nothing planned. Charlie, however, had a different idea. He planned a big surprise dinner for me at Alexanders Steakhouse -- followed by a night out on the town. I celebrated at Whitey's and Crusens with a great group of friends whom I loved spending my night with. 

The day after our long night out was my actual birthday …and Mother's Day! I hadn't seen my mom for Mother's Day in about seven years, so I wanted to make the day special. I treated her (and Beth) to a wine brunch at Mackinaw Winery. 

Shortly after our trip back home, Charlie's mom came to visit! Angie's trip was filled with lots of food, drinks, a night out to see Cubensis (Grateful Dead cover band), and a trip to Temecula where we, of course, drank lots of wine and had a delicious picnic overlooking the vineyards. 

The month of May just didn't stop. A few days after Angie left, we were headed north to Monterey for California Roots Music Festival. What.a.weekend. Although it was rainy and cold (which we weren't exactly prepared for), we had an incredible time as "Cali Roots virgins". We got to see several of our favorite acts, hang with our friend Justin from back home, make some gourmet campfire meals, and spend lots of time together. We took the coastal route home and were able to experience Big Sur for the first time (Which I highly recommend. You won't regret it.) and of course we also took the opportunity to stop and get a bottle at yet another one of our favorite wineries (Cali Love) in Solvang. 

By the time we got home from NorCal, June had arrived. My sister moved out here for the summer, I took my dad to a Cardinals vs. Dodgers game for his birthday, we celebrated Father's Day as a family (since Beth was here) for the first time in as long as I can remember, Charlie, Luke, Beth, & I went to a Giants vs. Dodgers game (Buster Posey grand slam - Giants won!), Beth and I did lots of hiking and working out, and Charlie & I were off traveling again. 

First stop: Colorado for Drake and Nicole's wedding. It was a long weekend filled with great friends, laughs, hiking, breweries, love, a day in Denver with Maddy & Wes, and nothing but good times. 

Second stop: San Francisco for The Dead's "final" shows. It was easily one of the best weekends of my life. We hung in Santa Cruz, explored San Francisco, got to hang with Justin (who was spending the summer in NorCal) again, had brunch at Terrapin Crossroads (Phil Lesh's restaurant), had amazing seats both nights at the shows, and spent the weekend surrounded by peace, love, and happy hippies! It was a very Grateful weekend. 

4th of July was here before we knew it. Our friend Kelly was in town from Iowa, so we spent the morning drinking, grilling, playing bags, and listening to music with him and Beth. Later in the day we met up with some more people for a little pool party…and ended the night by watching fireworks from the rooftop of Kelly's hotel in Redondo Beach. 

Much of July was spent at King Harbor Brewery on the Redondo Pier with Beth and Charlie. It kind of turned into one of those "where everybody knows your name" kind of things. Our friend Jenny came to visit during this time, so of course we had to take her to King Harbor -- and to Tony's for an infamous fire chief!

By the time August rolled around, nothing had slowed down. Most of our Sundays were filled with beer drinking, beach days, bike rides, and Hermosa Summer Concerts. During my yearly August vacation, Charlie's dad & stepmom were in town. We met them for a weekend in San Diego …which also ended up taking us to Temecula again. 

A few days after San Diego and Temecula, we were on our way to Lake Tahoe. It was another one of those "best weekends of my life." Tahoe was amazing, and I wanted to move there the second we arrived. Three days and two nights of camping, spending time at the beaches, kayaking & paddleboarding, exploring, beer drinking, and trying to avoid all of the bears. Take me back NOW, please.

The rest of August was filled with farmers market meals (much like most of the entire spring/summer), good beers, days at the pool and beach, spending time with friends, hanging with Beth, and working lots of extra hours. 

Labor Day weekend: Saturday was a beach day, and Sunday was spent at Shoreline Jam (another new music festival for us) in Long Beach with Beth and our friend Tim …who got us all backstage passes. It was a long day spent in the sun listening to music, hanging with "Don Carlos" (not really…ask Charlie for that story), and enjoying time with great people. The following day was Labor Day -- we went on a booze cruise on bikes throughout the South Bay wearing our "Fire Chief" hats that we acquired at our first stop: Tony's. 

Other September shenanigans…

-Another trip to San Francisco for the Giants vs. Padres game. I hadn't been to AT&T Park in about 12 years, Charlie had never been, and the Giants won again!! We got a hell of a deal at the Fairmont in San Francisco …one of the nicest hotels I've ever stayed at. Althoguh we didn't spend much time in our room, it had an amazing view of Alcatraz. 

-Meeting and hanging out with Donavon Frankenreiter (again!!) backstage at Saint Rocke.

-free tickets to Kaboo Music Festival (another first-time festival for us) in San Diego on a Saturday afternoon followed by a private house party hanging with the band Lettuce in the evening

-Winning free tickets to ACDC at Dodger Stadium

October started out celebrating our 2nd anniversary of the year -- this anniversary celebrates the day Charlie "officially" asked me to be his girlfriend. We spent a night up in Lompoc on a VW Bus after spending the day drinking in Santa Ynez. The VW was on a farm complete with cats, dogs, chickens (and roosters that cock-a-doodle-doo'd ALL night), a huge pig, turkeys, sheep, and goats. We had a picnic dinner outside on our "front porch" and chicken & turkey eggs cooked on a single burner for breakfast. With no running water and a compost toilet, it was definitely a new experience for the both of us. 

More October fun…

-I was very excited to see the Lakers play an Israeli team, Maccabi Haifa, during the pre-season with Luke and Charlie. We even got to see a rare pre-season Kobe appearance. 

-Celebrated Back to the Future Day with our friend Reid at one of our favorite's, Select Beer Store.  

-Winning tickets to Allen Stone at the Ace Hotel Theater followed by drinks and a night of fun with our friends Brian and Casey in Downtown LA

-SOJA (my favs!) and J. Boog at the Palladium on Halloween Eve

-Meeting Dustin Thomas after the SOJA show

November began with the celebration of Charlie's last year in his 20's. We had a big jungle themed "house party" (#junglebuck) in a big backyard in Venice. Complete with a live band, jungle juice, a keg, and lots of animal print. That same weekend, we had another birthday celebration of wine and cheese at sunset followed by an Italian dinner with my dad & Lisa at Maggianos in Manhattan Beach. I got Charlie tickets to Leon Bridges (one of his new favorites) for his birthday, so we spent the next evening at his show in Hollywood. 

A few days after the Junglebuck madness, we were headed to Peoria again. Somehow we ended up in Peoria for both of our birthdays this year! This time, our friends Alex and Audrey were getting married. So, Friday night (Charlie's actual birthday) was spent ringing in year #29 with great friends and family with dinner at Connected and drinks at Lucky's in Peoria Heights. And Saturday was spent celebrating the Baile's wedding. I've known Alex since kindergarten, so it was really special to be there for the big day! It was one of the best nights ever complete with good food, flowing drinks, lots of dancing, and spending time with some of the best friends you could ever ask for. 

Thanksgiving weekend, we had a great, traditional dinner with my dad and Lisa. Black Friday was spent wine tasting (duh!) --and picnicking with turkey leftovers. And that Sunday was spent watching the sun go down at "the cove" in Palos Verdes. 

The first weekend in December, we saw Gary Clark Jr. at the Fonda Theater. The rest of December leading up to Christmas was mostly spent working lots of extra hours -- saving up for Christmas! Followed by lots of spending for Christmas. We put up our tree, did some holiday baking, spent lots of Saturdays and Sundays shopping for the perfect gifts for our loved ones, and then had to pack our bags for our upcoming trip!

This Christmas was spent very untraditionally. We packed our bags for four very cold days in Northern California. We arrived in Santa Cruz on Christmas Eve to do some beer drinking and for Charlie to pick out his "big" gift -- a new skateboard! I surprised him once we got up there, as he has been wanting a board for quite sometime now. After our morning in Santa Cruz, we headed to downtown San Jose to check into our hotel. By this time, I was feeling pretty sick with a cold, so we rested until dinner with my dad, Lisa, aunt, uncle, cousins, and two close family friends. We went to a Chinese restaurant and feasted!! 

The next day, Christmas, we celebrated at my family's house. We had a great breakfast cooked by my aunt and uncle, opened presents, had some drinks, and relaxed in the hills of San Jose for the day. Once evening hit, we had a very untraditional Christmas dinner of homemade Mexican food. OMG - it was SO good. Homemade spanish rice and beans, homemade tortillas, homemade tamales…and an American ham & salad to boot. It was amazing!!!

We spent Christmas night in San Francisco, but since I wasn't feeling well, we didn't get around to doing too much. I actually fell asleep early during the Lakers game. Very uneventful. However, the day after Christmas (Saturday), we woke up, turned on some tunes, popped open a bottle of champagne that we didn't get around to drinking the night before, and had a pajama dance party in our hotel room. 

After getting ready for the day, we were Sonoma bound. First stop: take photos at the Golden Gate Bridge. Second stop: Wineries!!! We hit four or five the first day …it's kind of all a blur considering my taste buds were shot (thank you, illness)…but a good time, nonetheless. After a day full of drinking red wine, we checked into our hotel and went to a nice dinner. Unfortunately, I was miserable and couldn't taste anything, but Charlie loved his meal (and ate the half of mine I couldn't finish!).

Sunday we did a few tastings then went to pick up our buddy Pete! He lives in Northern California and took the bus down to see us. Because wineries close early, we only got to taste at one spot before heading to a whiskey bar for another drink and some appetizers. Again, we checked into another hotel (our 4th of the trip) and set out to get some dinner. Still being miserable, I was on a mission for some pho. We found a spot to grab dinner then I went to bed while the guys stayed out for some more drinks.

…And that brings us to this week! The final week of the year. I've been sick on the couch ever since we got home. Day 6 of not being able to taste, but I am slowly and surely starting to feel a tiny bit better.

If I could sum up the year for me, I would say I traveled a lot, spent lots of quality time with our amazing families and friends, ate (and cooked) countless amounts of tacos, pho, farmers market meals, grilled pizzas, and gourmet food, drank loads of dank beers and a plethora of California wines, went to new music festivals, saw many-a-coastal sunsets, attended some of the best concerts I've ever seen, and I fell more in love with & am happier than ever with this guy named Charlie Walker ♥.

I'm not sure what tonight has in store for us …hopefully it's a little more eventful than last New Years Eve when we did absolutely nothing. But hey-- after a year of going non-stop, sometimes all you need is a night in! 

For those of you who have stuck through with this entire blog post, Cheers to you & yours! May 2016 bring you peace, love, happiness, many good times, loads of laughs, and the some of the best times of your life.

xoxo,

Britt 

Spring Break, Baby!

SPRING BREAK!

Those are words I haven't used in almost a decade. I've been a nanny for the past seven years. Usually spring break for me means working long hours while the kids are out of school. Not this year! The family that I work for took off for Hawaii for the week, which means I have the week off. 

Unfortunately, Charlie and I were unable to book a trip of our own. However, we live in paradise. Why go anywhere when I can have my own little personal stay-cation right here in the South Bay?! 

To kick things off, Friday after work, we took a bottle of wine and some snacks (brie cheese, pita crackers, an apple, mango slices, bruschetta dip, & dark chocolate covered almonds) up to our favorite sunset spot: "the cove". Malaga Cove is up in Palos Verdes ...and when you're there, it feels like you're at the edge of the Earth. It is one of my favorite escapes from the busy city life of Los Angeles. It's been months since we've done wine and cheese at the cove, so it was the perfect way to start my spring break. 

After stuffing our faces with fruit and cheese, we went home to grill pizzas and indulge in yet another bottle of red wine. Charlie made a BBQ chicken pizza (BBQ sauce, grilled chicken, red onions, jalapeños, and mozzarella & cheddar cheeses) while I went for my all-time fav, chicken & pineapple (marinated/grilled chicken, alfredo sauce, fresh cut pineapple, & mozzarella). Not long after devouring our pizzas, we both fell asleep on the couch. My how times have changed since my last spring break ...I'm getting old.

My deee-lish 'za

Speaking of getting old, we were both up by 630am on Saturday. Chuckster went golfing with some buddies, and I was cleaning the house by 7am. Halfway through, I stopped to prep food for Easter, so it took me almost four hours to get everything done! After the apartment was spotless, I treated myself to a cherry vodka & 40 minutes by the pool. 😎

Not long after getting into my new book at the pool, Charlie was home from golfing! We got in the car and headed to Hermosa for the Spyder Surf Fest. Because of being out of town, I haven't been able to attend the surf fest in a few years. Basically, it's a bunch of surf brands that set up games for you to win cool prizes. Luckily for me, 3/4 of the booths this year had "bags" as their game. For those of you that don't know, I'm kind of a big deal when it comes to bags. I dominated, and ended up leaving with three snapback hats, a new pink clutch purse, and a new pink beach hoodie! Score.

The name of the game was hitting the skull "bullseye" with a nerf dart in the middle of the "R". Got it on my 3rd shot.

Charlie's buddy's band, "LIFE", played the fest

Jealous of everyone I know back home that owns a house, buuut this ...

New lid, surfs up brah. 

Later in the afternoon, we packed up my car and headed to King Harbor Brewery to grab a growler of my favorite local beer: the Swirly (a chocolate & vanilla brown ale). Next stop was Manhattan Beach. Since the family I work for is gone, we're dog & house-sitting for the next four days. 

It was a mellow night here in Manhattan ...we drank a few pints of "the Swirly", grilled turkey burgers, brats, & corn, took the dog for a walk down on The Strand, and watched basketball.

So far, this so-called "spring break" of mine has been mellow but absolutely perfect. I can't wait to see what the rest of the week has in store for me! On the agenda for today is celebrating Easter poolside with Charlie, my dad, & Lisa. More follow later...

I hope you're all having a fantastic Easter surrounded by loved ones!

Valentine's Day

Charlie & my Valentine's plans had to be changed last minute yesterday! His dad, Chuck, and his step-mom , Giann, were supposed to be in town, and the four of us had reservations at Musso and Frank's in Hollywood. Around 8am, I got a call from Charlie saying that Chuck and Giann's flight out of Peoria was cancelled. We immediately had to think of a Plan B. All of the restaurants in the area have been booked for quite a few weeks now, and most places have prix-fixe menus ranging between $65-$145. We knew if the two of us went out, it'd cost us around $150-$200. We usually spend that much on LA Restaurant Week or for our anniversary, but neither of us was in a position yesterday to be spending that much on a meal out. So we opted for dining in! 

Before dinner, we headed up to our favorite place in Palos Verdes, Malaga Cove, to watch the sunset. It's become one of our favorite things to do (we spent Christmas evening up there as well!). Charlie and I were both running a little behind after getting off work, so we hustled up there, and made it in perfect timing. We put down a blanket, opened a bottle of Malbec, and got our cheese and crackers set up. We spent the next hour munching, drinking, relaxing, laughing, taking pictures, and enjoying each others company.

After the sun had gone down, we had to stop by Trader Joe's to pick up our ingredients. After that, we were ready to come home and cook! Charlie grilled our New York steaks while I went to work in the kitchen. I sautéed crimini mushrooms and onions in red wine to top our steaks, whipped up some twice baked potatoes, wrapped asparagus in proscuitto & topped it with truffle oil and shaved parmesan, and put together a heart-shaped caprese salad drizzled with balsamic. It was, in my opinion, the best meal we have ever made together. For being thrown together last minute, it couldn't have turned out more perfect. Topped off with a bottle of cabernet sauvignon and lit candles.

Dessert isn't something I usually care for. However, what's a Valentine's Day without chocolate? Last year we had the most delectable chocolate truffles, so I figured we'd pick up another box while we were at Trader's last night.  That was until I saw long-stemmed strawberries in the produce section. My mind immediately went to chocolate covered strawberries. I have a fondue pot that rarely gets used, so I was excited to have an excuse to bust it out. It was such a simple recipe that we used, but the chocolate was so creamy and delicious. There were a few graham crackers in our cabinet that we dipped in it as well. Dessert was paired with a bottle of almond champagne from Wilson Creek Winery in Temecula. We bought the bottle when we were there in May last year and have been saving it for a special occasion. 

We made the best out of our last minute change of plans, but it turned out to be quite an incredible evening! Charlie also got me a really sweet card that made me cry, a beautiful bouquet of pink daisies (my favorite), and tickets to see O.A.R. at the Troubador in May. I got him coffee mugs filled with chocolates, a little monkey balloon holding a hear that says "I Love You", a fresh pair of Nikes, and a nice dress watch. I also made him heart-shaped french toast for breakfast! 

♥I hope you all had a Valentine's Day just as great as ours. Much love to all of our family and friends♥

Whoa baby.

You know those days where you're tired, a little sad, feeling sorry for yourself, and you just don't have the motivation to work out? That has been the past two days for me. Two days ago I got a tetanus shot in my left arm that hurt like hell for two days (and still isn't 100%), and yesterday I got five vials of blood taken from my right arm. Needless to say, I moped around and didn't do anything yesterday (plus, I felt like I was getting sick).

This morning I woke up determined to work out ...only to not find the motivation to do so. Incase you don't know, Charlie & I live about a block from the beach. I have really come to enjoy morning runs next to the sand and water (sometimes I even see dolphins on my runs). Although my body wasn't feeling motivated, the coffee was telling my mind to do something. I decided I'd go down to the beach, maybe run a little, maybe walk a little ...see how I was feeling once I got down there. 

Well, I ended up running two miles to the end of The Strand (the sidewalk that runs parallel with the ocean), then on the way back, I ran up every single ramp and staircase. I believe there's about 15 in all. These aren't just 8-10 stairs and small ramps. They are steep. One of the staircases has even been locally nicknamed "The Torture Stairs". Sometimes it's even difficult walking up them after a day at the beach. Coming back, I also ran between the ramps and stairs (about another 1.5mi).

I love how the best workouts come from feeling the least motivated. Afterwards, your body and mind feel so much better. Now I'm off to start my day! Adios!

P.S. ~ Here are a few pictures I snagged off of Google...

Champed it. 

Eagles at the Forum

(I wrote this over a week ago, on January 23rd. I've been waiting to post it until I posted pictures ...however, I haven't gotten around to the pictures yet. I'll add them soon!)

The Eagles. The mother fucking Eagles. The first time I saw them was five years ago in Hampton, Virginia. At a venue that held less than 10,000 people, I got to see my favorite song in the entire world, Hotel California, live for the first time. That night was great, but nothing will compare to the performance that was put on by the Eagles at the "Fabulous Forum" in Inglewood, California last night. 

The Forum just re-opened their doors last week after a $70 million renovation. For those of you that don't know, The Forum was the old home of the Lakers, and some of the greatest musicians have played there over the years (Cream, Jackson 5, KISS, Led Zeppelin, etc.). The Eagles are putting on a six night residency to kick-start the grand re-opening, and Charlie & I had the opportunity to see show number four. 

A little background on my love for the Eagles. It all started when I was about 10 years old. My sister and I were up in the Bay Area visiting my dad and Lisa (who lived there at the time). They took us to Lisa's friend's house for the evening where we watched a live Eagles DVD on a big projection screen. This was the first time I had ever really heard of the Eagles, and it was the first time I had ever heard the song Hotel California. As a child, California held such a huge piece of my heart. I knew I'd live here someday, but that's another story for another time. Anyway, after hearing Hotel California, I was hooked. Since my dad had such great taste in music (and still does), I was raised on some of the greats (the Eagles, Clapton, Heart, Zeppelin). I've had various Eagles CDs over the years and am a huge fan of quite a few of their songs. I mean, they have so many hits, how can you NOT like them?

This year, right before Christmas, I was scrolling through Showtime OnDemand when I ran across "History of the Eagles". It was a two-part, three-hour documentary about the band. A lot of it shows footage from their early days as a band in the 1970's, and throughout the film, they interview all of the band members (past and present). After watching this, I was even more excited to see the Eagles again! I am infatuated with the 60's & 70's and feel like I grew up in the wrong era, so watching this film, I felt like I really connected with the group. It was so cool to get to see the band's background. If you're an Eagles fan, I highly recommend you go watch this DVD right now. 

Wheww all of this, and I haven't even gotten to last night's show. I didn't know how to start this blog post, and now I don't know when to shut up. 

So, the show starts out with Don Henley and Glenn Frey (the only two original members) playing Saturday Night on their acoustic guitars side by side on stage. Next, Frey explains that they started the show this way, because that's how the Eagles started ...with Henley & Frey just jamming together. Next to walk out to the stage is Bernie Leadon. Bernie is no longer with the Eagles, however, he was one of the original members. How awesome that they got him to come play for their Forum residency. Henley, Frey, & Leadon performed Train Leaves Here this Morning. Timothy B. Schmit was the next Eagle to appear on stage, and finally, out comes Joe Walsh (and the crowd goes WILD). They played all of their greatest hits: Witchy Woman, Tequila Sunrise, Take it Easy, Already Gone, One of These Nights, Take it to the Limit, I Can't Tell You Why, The Long Run, Joe Walsh's Life's Been Good & Rocky Mountain Way, New Kid in Town, Love Will Keep Us Alive, and the list goes on. They played two sets, ending their second set with one of my personal favorites, Life in the Fast Lane. First up on their encore bill was Hotel California. I cried like a baby the entire song. I cried the first time I saw it live too. I can't explain it, I just love that song so much and seeing it live is just the most incredible feeling. The final song of the second encore and of the evening was Desperado. They played for over three hours!

My favorite part of the entire show was that these guys were just jamming. Just straight jamming. It was a bunch of old friends from years ago getting together on a stage and doing what they love. To me, that was just the best. Sure, the band has been through so much in the last 43 years, but at the end of the day, all they want to do is play music with their friends. 

Taking Care of Yourself.

How many of us work in professions where we take care of others? Whether it be kids, patients, clients, our families, etc. Everyday I am always putting others before myself. I basically help to run two households. I nanny usually over 40 hours per week (cooking, cleaning, baths, doing laundry, school pick-ups, chauffeuring to swim lessons, soccer practice, making sure bills are paid, getting groceries, running errands, etc etc.). Before and after work, I am doing much of the same for my apartment (cooking, cleaning, organizing, paying bills, making sure we have essentials like toilet paper, paper towel, and milk, etc etc.). 

In the meantime, I'm buying gifts and cards for birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, births, deaths, engagements, weddings, "just because". I am always taking care of others and spoiling my loved ones. Which is fine. When my sister and I were kids, our mom took care of everything too: laundry, hot meals, cleaning our rooms, chauffeuring us around town, etc. It's in my blood, it's who I am. But sometimes, at the end of the day, I just want someone to take care of me. 

Yes, my wonderful boyfriend will give me shoulder and foot rubs, help with dishes after dinner, and buy me the occasional flowers...and I adore him for those things. But sometimes, the one who can take care of me the best is myself. Sometimes I have to be a little selfish and put my needs first ...and occasionally make sure I am pampered. 

Here is the list of my favorite ways to take care of myself:

1. Get a massage

2. Get a mani/pedi (which is something I try to keep up with every two weeks)

3. Get a long work out in

4. Read a book (preferably at the beach)

5. Write (anything & everything ...again, preferably at the beach)

6. Go for a solo hike

7. Cook a solid, well thought out meal (besides the everyday meals I make)

8. Watch a chick flick

9. Have a glass of wine or a beer by myself

Sometimes I need to remind myself to do these things more. They help me stay sane!

What's your favorite way to pamper yourself?

"Fitness & Healthy Eating"

Ahh, fitness and healthy eating. The name of my favorite board on Pinterest. Where do I begin? I wanted to make a post today talking about losing weight. A lot of days I get discouraged, because my body isn't perfect. I feel a lot bigger than I actually am, but when I look back at old pictures, I have come a hell of a long way. I need to constantly remind myself of that.

I have never been a size 0. The last time I was under 110 pounds was probably when I was in middle school. I'm okay with not being a stick, as I'd rather have curves and an ass anyway. My thighs have always touched (up until last year...yay!), and I absolutely love food. My day literally revolves around what meals I'm going to eat and when. I grew up on a Frito Lay truck (my dad worked there for 16 years), and I could eat all of the Doritos, Fritos, Cheetos (basically all of the 'itos' family) and Slim Jims that I wanted growing up. Over the years, I was active in cheerleading, dance, soccer, tumbling, and basketball. That all came to a stop in high school. In high school, I was really depressed on and off (another story for another time), so I was hardly ever active (except for frisbee golfing! ha!), I drank a lot, and I didn't care about my health. 

A year and a half after high school, I moved out on my own for the first time. I loved to cook, so I would make extremely heavy dinners... with beef, noodles, butter, 'cream of' soups, sour cream, heavy cream, lots of cheese, etc. I was Virginia's own little Paula Deen! Add several games of beer pong and mulitple Taco Bell stops on the weekends, and I was putting on the lb's fast.  

I wasn't comfortable with my body, and I knew I weighed a lot, but I never realized how big I actually was. In the picture below, I felt good about myself and thought I looked really cute. Looking back, it's like whoa. After going through pictures, this one seems to be me at my highest weight....

Although you can obviously tell I have lost weight through my Facebook pictures, I have ever officially posted a "before" and "after" picture. The main reason: I'm still working on myself. Am I 100% perfect all the time? Hell no. Like I said, I love food. Have the changed the way I eat? Drastically. Do I allow myself to eat "cheat meals" on weekends and holidays? Yes. I pigged out on weekends, birthdays, and holidays the last three months of 2013. I honestly would rather be able to eat and drink what I want than have an absolutely perfect body. So what if I've had too much to drink and want some tacos on a Saturday night? Might as well add beans & rice to that too! I'd rather enjoy life, good food, and good drinks than deprive myself to have an 8-pack and be a size double 0. 

When you hear a lot of people's weight loss stories (especially on commercials), you hear "so & so changed my life..." Well, I have to tell you, Jillian Michaels did exactly that for me. Although I was always active as a child, I have never enjoyed working out...until now. I have lost over 35 pounds without a gym membership. My weight loss journey started with walking ...I'd walk at least an hour a day, pushing the stroller of the baby I nannied for at the time in San Diego. Then I stepped it up a notch and purchased "Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred". At first it was ass kicking, and I wanted to die. It was so hard to get through. But I stuck with it. The more I worked out, and the more weight I was losing, the more I actually wanted to exercise. I now own six Jillian dvds. I do them regularly mixed with yoga and running. The only time I used to run was from the cops (sorry Dad!), and now I try to run 3-4x a week. With exercise also comes healthy eating. I started by eating Lean Cuisines ...which now I won't touch with a 10-foot pole. Growing up, I hated lettuce (still do!), and I wasn't big on many vegetables. However, 85% of what I buy at the store now is produce! Some people do Weight Watchers and count their calories, some are doing gluten free, Paleo, or clean eating. I don't think there is one specific diet that is "right" or how you have to eat. I have found what works for me. My diet is always changing, and I have tweaked it many times in the past few years. Right now, my diet mostly consists of lean meats, eggs (one egg + egg whites), lots of veggies, fruit, and quinoa. Occasionally I'll buy yogurts, and I put a splash of milk into my coffee. Besides that, I limit my dairy. I used to drink two gallons of milk on my own each week. Sometimes I'll make a wrap with a low-carb, whole wheat tortilla, but I also try not to eat carbs during the week.

Soo with all that being said, here are my "In Progress" (not "after") pictures! 

Don't judge me. I am my biggest critic anyway ;)