Memories

It is funny that sometimes one spot can be a memory of hundreds of memories. I met with Kimberly and Holly today at Manhattan Bagel. This was not only my "office" when I worked in Redding, but it was the spot where I saw transformation take place over and over. I really can't look at a bagel (everything, with reduced fat cream cheese) and a diet coke in the same way. I sat for 100's of hours with different girls, friends, and mentors. I saw tears, laughter, growth, breakthrough, and victory over the years at Manhattan.

How incredible to sit with two girls that have become women and friends over the last few years. As I sat across the table from them today telling them the BEST story ever of my movie like life, I was overwhelmed with just how much of my life I have shared with these girls and all the others that I have had the privilege to listen to and love. I was reminded today that when you stand with someone and walk next to them in life, no matter what age, you give a piece of your heart away. But the beauty of that is, yeah at times you get hurt, but you also make life long friends. It made me think of all the times that I spent there and getting to see some of the lives that have been changed sitting at those tables in Manhattan is such a privilege. This weekend I saw Niki, one of the girls that I have had the chance to walk next and with over the years. She is a GORGEOUS woman, who I have seen conqueror really huge things in her life and come through victoriously.

Memories are such a powerful thing and I love that a simple Bagel Place can hold emotions, memories, tears, laughter and HOPE...

(Me and Kimberly at Manhattan)


(Me and Hols)

Day O' Fun

Who knew that I would wake up on my 32nd birthday with a cute 6 year old's roommate, read an email from my favorite guy, had a 6 year old cuddle, went to a root canal with my best friend, spent the day with best friends, got great calls from NZ, have a spa day, and dinner in my favorite back yard ever!

Really? Who knew my life would look like this? But I am glad it does...

The spa was SO fun! I had such a good time!!! My favorite part of the spa day was that it said "please use your spa voice" Not thinking American's have a spa voice. Plus me and my friends laugh so much and so hard together that at one point I thought we were going to get kicked out...

(Auntie Dana with Madeleine and Claira, Amy's girls)


(After our relaxing time...Danielle was getting make up put on after her facial...but she was there!)


(me and my best friend best friend)



(me and Danielle)


(Me and Amy)


(In front of our spa...YAY!)


(My bday cake...notice it is in a MINI twix bar...with 4 candles...don't really like twix but it did make me laugh....)


(me and sister Amy!)

Transition Number 847...

Today was filled with hello's and goodbye's and more hello's, in short---more transition. The last few days at my parents house I saw my family and got to spend time with my Aunts and my grandparents. It was fun to talk with my Grandma and fun to see my Aunts and my Nana. Time with family always reminds you of where you came from...it is always good to remember where you came from to be able to fully embrace where you are going...

(My Aunt Delores and me)

(My Aunt Denise...who I am kind of EXACTLY like...and my car!!! YAY for having my car back!)

(My Aunt Denise, me, my Mom, and Jim...Jim took us all out to dinner the first night I got into town...He is wonderful!)

(My Grandma and me)

(My Nana and me)



Once the family good bye's took place, I headed in my car to Sacramento to meet one of my best friend's in the world. Her and her family met me on my way up to Redding and I got to give the boys their presents...a COOL AZ map for Jacob that my awesome friend Peter found for me in NZ. Jacob is way into maps and facts and this map got an incredible reaction out of Jacob! He loved it and is so excited to put it on his wall when he gets home. I got Micah some yummy Jet Planes because he is currently OBSESSED with planes...they played at a play place while Ker's amazing husband watched them so me and Ker could talk and catch up. There is nothing like and old friend. It is like putting on your most comfortable shorts or shirt. You know the ones....the ones that you feel comfortable and cute in them all at once. You just know when you put them on the world is going to be okay. It was so fun sitting across the table from her and feeling like I had just seen her. My friends have walked with me through so many dramas and crazy scenarios. We have laughed and cried together for over 15 years (yikes we are old!) But there is just nothing like the moment I see them and you feel known, loved and accepted...I am pretty lucky to have the friends I do.

(seriously how cute are they?!)


(Best friends can meet at a McDonalds and still connect like no time has passed....)


Jacob LOVED his map...thanks Peter!!!



I then got back in my car and headed for Redding...I haven't lived in Redding for 4 years. I have visited so many times I can't even count, but living there is a whole new thing. The last time I was in Redding was a pretty dramatic experience, but the good ending was ending up in LA! Which then landed me in New Zealand. Funny how life works sometimes...

As I drove into Redding I was excited and scared for this new season of life. There is something about coming home to Redding. It to is like an your favorite pair of shorts...there are memories that flood my mine as soon as I drive into town. I grew up here in a lot of ways. I moved her as a 17 year old girl and tomorrow I turn 32...where the heck did the time go? I have spent half my life moving back and forth to Redding. It is a safe landing place for me and right now it is my home for the next season. I have no idea what is next in my life, but I know that I will have so much fun figuring it out as I live with my best friend, share everyday life with my best friends and enjoy what this moment holds. Oh and how could I not love it when I get to live with my little RAYA?!!! Raya was eating her dinner on the front steps today waiting for me to get here and Elli came running out of the house and leaped in my arms....Lakey on the other hand played hard to get, but when I said, "hey I didn't get a cuddle from you" and grabbed him for a quick cuddle, telling him that I loved him, he responded with, "I know" and gave me a coy little smile.

So here is my new room...Can I just say my best friend Sea Jay is AMAZING...she repainted her 6 year olds room and rearranged everything so I had a dresser and a bed and place that was my own. Her and Banning have taken such good care of me (though Banning told me tonight I kind of only missed parts of you...he loves me, he just doesn't like to show it...that is what I keep telling myself :) I am beyond lucky to have the friends I do and I can't believe that I get to start this new season with them and their kids...

(Raya was kind of excited to see me and have me in her room...this is her side and her bunk beds...I don't have to sleep in bunk beds, I get a cutsie bed on the other side of the room)


(Here is El showing you my yellow side)


(this is our whole room...notice her side is pink and my side is yellow--Elli is testing out my new bed, that is ADORABLE and had a welcome tray on it...they used to make fun of me because I always put a tray on my bed, but they finally learned it is just the way I roll)


(Here is my bed with cute El posing for the picture)


(Man I missed these kiddos! Elli was pretty stoked to have me living with them...I think this is going to be a fun year!)


Later as I was trying to fit my life into dressers Amy and Madeleine stopped by to say hi after Aims got off work. It was SO good to see Amy. She is like a sister to me and always makes me feel safe and always makes me laugh. I love that she can just stop by now and it is no longer a quick call, but a quick stop bye.

Tomorrow is Day O' Fun...Starting off with none other than a Root Canal (for Sea not me), but the good friend that I am (and because I LOVE the dentist...I know I am weird but I genuinely do) I am going with Sea Jay to her 7:40 apt...who the heck has a dentist apt before 8 am??! Then Amy will come meet up with us and we will head to Danielle's to see her new house and so I can see her CUTE kids! Then BIRTHDAY MAGIC will commense at 2pm...a Spa, Massages, Facials, Pedicures...laughing, relaxing, some chips and salsa and lots of laughter...what more could you want on your 32nd bday? Minus flying Ali, Sally and Mich over for the bday fun of course :)

While I am MISSING NZ friends terribly and trying to live in the two universes I am caught in, there is something new and fresh about this next chapter, or shall we say scene in my movie. I would have never guessed this last year would have gone the way it did...what will this year hold...?

It's Officially Fall--for the 2nd time this year for me

So most people know its Fall when the leaves start to turn, back to school sales are all around, the nights are chillier, the days are shorter, kids are heading back to school, there are back to school nights, and Target is FULL of fall colors and Halloween stuff to buy....

But not me...I know when it is Fall when I smell the sweet scent of Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin...ahh Bath and Body Works...man I missed you. The body wash and lotion just bring me such good memories of times gone by, hope for what the future holds and what new memories will be made in this season. I was able to get my Fall Memory yesterday (thanks Mom!)and this morning as I used the yummy smelling scent in the shower--I stopped and literally said out loud...it is officially Fall!

There is nothing better than putting yummy smelling lotion on and knowing all is well in the world. I head to Redding today, where I have spent so many Falls. Fall always brought a newness...new school year (It is where I did Univ and worked for years), new hope for what I would learn and grow in, new friends, new students to spend time with, new school grades to see my friend's kids start...I think that this Fall will be no different. My guess is that this Fall will hold more new than I know what to do with...slightly having to do with the fact that I have no job, living with my sweet Raya (who is 6), have friends I miss TERRIBLY in NZ, a guy that could possibly be changing my life, and I will be living with my best friends with the other ones only hours away not a day away any more....minus Mich...who is still a day away :(

Life will be good this Fall...how can it not? I have Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin on today!

Transition Number 784

My life feels like one transtion after another these days. I was so sad to say good by to Scott and Amy and the kids today. Though when I told Audrey she had to say good bye to me before she left for school because I would not be there when she got home, she looked at me and said, "oh I am not saying good bye to you." And turned back to playing dollies. And she didn't either...me and Audz both love control and to live in denial...it's why we connect, what can I say?

Today I flew the short flight up to Modesto to my families house. What an ordeal to check my luggage...now granted I had 9 months in three suitcases that were a bit over the legal limits. My friend Chad took me to breakfast and then took me to LAX, making sure I was all sorted before he left the airport. I forget how funny LAX is sometimes. As we waited in line, a man was yelling at the United worker, while she yelled back that she was going to call the cops...AHHH gotta love LA.

I didn't realize until today that you now have to pay for your bags to be checked in...whether they are over the weight limit or not. Yikes when did that happen?! So annoying! I not only had to pay for an extra bag...one of my bags weighed not the legal 50lbs but 67...she looked at me and said you have to get rid of 17lbs...I repsonded with--not gonna happen I will have to pay. Holy Heck it is expensive if you are over the legal weight limit. I finally got them all checked, said good bye to my friend and did the LAX/United trick and headed past the grouch people in the security line in terminal 7 and smiled as I headed down to terminal 6. I was feeling pretty good about myself as I stood in the shorter line, with much happier freindly United people. (Terminal 6 is for business, premire and first class travelers...sometimes money does help) Until, I heard this guy come up to this girl in front of me and say, "where you nominated for an Emmy?" Really? Is he really saying this right now? He was...she said, "No but I was at the Emmy's." His response...."come with me and we will by pass this line."

What the heck is what I was thinking but before I could fully think that thought, this guy in front of her says, "I was actually nominated for an Emmy." The guy just looked at him and said sorry and moved on....he wasn't blonde or cute...just an averge guy eating a chocolate bar. I had to laugh at this last LA moment as I traveled to another world--Nor Cal :)

My mom and my Aunt picked me up and we headed to Outback for dinner with Jim....my dad was out of town :( He is on some Bloke week hunting trip. When I talked to him tonight he kept saying, "I am like a real cowboy Dana..." He is with his two best hunting buddies that I grew up with. It is so fun to see their friendship that has been there for years...It is my model for friendship for sure. Maybe I won't be doing Cowboy Weekends with my best friends, but Spa Weekends...YES for sure!

The transition in my life will continue for quite some time, but if nothing else it will make for some great blogs...drama and transition--that is a recipe for good blogging!

Drama Drama Drama

What else would you do on your last day in LA, but spend hours in a tire store, missing a special birthday lunch....with Mexican food I might add.

Today was one of those day when I thought, "Really? Can I not just show up without drama one time?" Or as my American friend Jen would say..."Do I have to bring the crazy out all the time?"

My good friends Laura and Becky wanted to make today so special for me...
(Becky, me and Laura at a wedding last year)


(who I fondly refer to as my Grandma Friend Laura because if you knew Laura you would be SO surprised she is a grandma...my friends in Redding thought she was my age the first year I lived in LA. I would talk about her all the time and one day I said...Laura's grandson---and my friend said, "wait hold on how old is Laura? I thought she was your age this whole time.") Laura was my first friend at Mosaic and is still such a dear friend to me.

Since I was only in LA for a week or so and since my birthday is next Thursday she decided that today she would make a special birthday lunch--with her YUMMY AZ Mexican food and homemade salsa for me and invite some of our friends over. I took Amy and Scott's car over and one block away from Laura and Jesse's house a car was flying down there road and there was a car parked on the street as he went to pass me. I moved over a little, successfully missing the car, but unfortunately not missing the curb....

I popped the passenger tire and was GUTTED! I got up to Laura's a little shaken up, and so frustrated because the planner deep inside me knew that this was not going to be a quick ordeal. Laura called Tripple A and a tow truck got there super quick. He towed my car with me and Jesse following. It was right down the road and I thought, maybe this will be a quick experience. Now mind you, I have seen only 2 or 3 of the people that were coming over to see me at this point. But I thought, maybe this will be quick and we won't even have to heat up our lunch...it might still be hot. We wait forever at the tire place and the tow truck guy undoes our car. When the tire guy finally helps us he says, "oh sorry we have NO tire in stock that will fit this car..."

Awesome!

Jesse then hurries outside to the nice tow truck man and asks him if he will tow us to sears. Which, of course because we are in LA, is 20 minutes away. Awesome. But he agrees and we finally get to Sears and the guys there were not so friendly. I had one nice worker and that made it bearable. The guy said to me that he thought the rim was bent and it won't work to put a new tire on it. I asked him as nice as I possibly could if he would check anyway...while wanting to punch him in the face.

The nice worker had someone else check for me. They then wanted to see if they had a tire in stock. There was ONE...that is it, just one in the whole store....are we not in America, the land of the over abundance and self indulgent "we have too much of everything" culture? The worker then looks at me with apologetic eyes and shows me the price..YIKES is all I can say, but what do you do? Gotta have a new tire, especially because it is not my car, too.

Me and Jesse decide since my car is next in line to just wait. I get Jesse a water and me a Diet Coke (which I am so excited to buy because it is half the price of NZ so I feel like I am getting a deal...) I then talk to my friend Sam from NZ for awhile sitting in the tire store, ranting about how dumb this day is turning out. Really? Is there a whole house of people waiting for me and eating a yummy lunch while me and Jesse sit in Sears Auto Store? Yis, it's true.

Finally now at 3:30 it is almost done...I got to Laura's house at 12;25! Right then the not so nice worker says, "Um...some is on the phone for you." Of course there is, why would I not be receiving a call at Sears Auto Store right now. I just look at him like it is the most natural thing in the world and pick up their work phone like it is my cell phone. It is Laura wondering where we were. I explain the brief version and say we are on our way home. The only problem is that I need to get the car back to Scott by 5 at the latest to get to Hollywood for a movie screening we are going to. LA translation...I have to leave Laura's house by 4pm to make this happen.

I walk in to a house full of people, inhale lunch/dinner, open the presents that I didn't know they were going to get me, blow out the candles to the ice cream cake I definitely didn't expect and jump back in the car to get home.

I make it home and we make it to the theater just in time for the Movie Screening Amy is running at this cool az theater--The Egyptian on Hollywood Blvd. We screened the original "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" It was so fun, and the kids loved it. We made it home in time to catch some of the Emmy's and for Scott and some friends to watch the TV show they watch every Sunday night--The Wire.

What a day!!! Sometimes I just have to laugh that I think that I am going to be calm and unventful...nope...just not me....

Happy Birthday Early

What a FUN day!!! The Reynolds and Cindy and Moni celebrated my birthday today. I had a lazy Saturday morning, which included chatting with Amy in bed this morning, playing Princess Matching Game with Audz in our PJ's at 11 and not leaving the house until 1:30! I love Saturdays like that!

Amy and Audz took me to Corner Bakery for lunch where we ate a great lunch, talked forever, cried a little, dreamed about our lives, and enjoyed the warm Cali sunshine.



Then we did what all people should do on a Celebrate Your Birthday Day--went to Target! This is yet another reason I LOVE Audz...she know says to me all the time, "Dana take a picture of me here, and here, and here..." So while in Target she posed in a couple cute spots, until we got in trouble by the friendly Target worker telling us we were not allowed to take pictures in Target...oops...







We then headed off to Zane's soccer game. He is simply INCREDIBLE. He looks like and international soccer star...check out how cool he is...




(Zane's goalie kick is AMAZING and he boots it half way down the field...in the car on the way home he asked me if I have ever seen a better goalie kick? I am not gonna lie--NOPE)



As good females do we take pictures during the game...



Audrey poses...of course :) Good little American that she is...


Then after the game we headed to 21 Choices--my favorite frozen yogurt place in Pasadena. We waited in a ridiculous long line but it is SO worth the wait...me Audz are posing (of course) outside 21 Choices in Old Town Pasadena. This is the street the Rose Parade goes down...pretty cool I think. These are the fun parts of living in LA, being able to be on the Rose Parade Route...pretty cool, I think.



Then Cindy and Moni picked me up in Old Town and we went and saw Ghost Town. We laughed pretty hard and I loved the humor in it. It was more of a girl movie than I thought, which always makes for a good girls night out...then we headed back to their house for dessert and some time hanging out with Cindy's new guy...who I really like!





What a fun start to my Birthday Week! I LOVE birthdays and love that I got to spend a whole day with friends doing things that made me smile and laugh!

Take Me Out To The Ball Game

Oh how I LOVE going to the ball park and seeing a good ol' American baseball game. The fun of the stadium just seeps into your soul! One of my most favorite parts...well, I am not going to lie, hearing the national anthem. We really do have a great national anthem...I missed hearing it in NZ because they never showed the medal ceremonies during the olympics when we were winning golds. Really...with Michael Phelps alone they had 8 chances to show it. :) Our national anthem makes me not only want to go out and change the world, but it makes me feel like I can!! And what is more American than a Baseball Game?

Tonight was such a treat. Summer just isn't summer without going to a ball game. And seeing I was in winter all through American summer I didn't think I would be able to see a ball game. But my wonderful friend Lori and her husband took me to the Dodger/Giants game tonight. We took the train into the city and then caught a "Dodger Bus" into the stadium. It was awesome to not have to fight parking and traffic! We spent tons of time chatting and catching up on the train/bus. And when we got to the park I was reminded how much I love going to Baseball Games! There are moments I just love LA...this was one of them. I was in Disneyland all day yesterday and then at a Dodger Game tonight. I don't often get woo'd by the city but this week I have moments of remembering just how much cool stuff there is down here. Don't get me wrong, catch me in traffic and you will hear me singing a different tune...

Speaking of singing--the best part of the night is always the 7th inning stretch! I love singing that classic song..."Take Me Out To The Ball Game" It makes you feel like a kid again, it makes you remember how great life is, it makes you smile and think back to summers and hoping you get crackerjacks and that your surprise inside is a good one. It is honestly my favorite part of the ball game experience. You NEVER leave before 7th inning stretch. When the game stinks you can leave only after the song...it is like baseball unspoken code.

Tonight was one of those...let's leave after the song games. It was definitely no Warrior Win like they had last night in New Zealand!!!! Go THE WARRIORS!!! The Dodgers are doing incredible this season, but tonight you would not have known it. Now I secretly LOVE the Giants because I grew up watching the Giants and if I went to a game we went to Candlestick Park (now I don't even know what the stadium is called it has switched so many time...) But I have lived in LA for 4 years and for almost 3 of those years I lived right by Dodger Stadium, so now I am torn a bit. Really at the end of the day, though, I just love going to the park with friends, eating Dodger peanuts, drinking a Diet Coke and talking and laughing the night away. There are so many fun things to see and do in the Stadium....one of my favorites is "Kiss Cam" They scan the fans and on the big screen it says "Kiss Cam" and when the camera is on you and you notice you kiss the person next to you. It is always fun to watch, but tonight during the "Kiss Cam" part a guy proposed to his girlfriend. She looked super surprised and stoked az...It made me smile and so happy for them. I am sucker for a good girl movie ending...

I am so thankful for my friend Lori and so glad that she thinks of me when she has GREAT tickets!!!

Go DODGERS!

Happiest Place on Earth

Aaahhh Disneyland...the land of make believe, wonder and smiles. Audrey, Zane, Amy and I set out this morning for our Day O' FUN at The Happiest Place On Earth. Audrey looks at me and says we are going to hang out because we are Girly Girls and Mom can take Zane on his rides, and so begins our day....



On the way there I had one of those "only in LA" experiences that made me laugh out loud. As we drove down the 5, I was chatting to my good friend Danielle and I look over and saw this:



There were about 8 policeman just wandering around the other side of the freeway while a HUGE amount of cars sat there patiently waiting...well I guess they really didn't have a choice. It was the most bizarre sight I had seen in awhile for sure!

I digress, back to our Day O' Fun. We headed into the park and had to take the "obligatory picture" that everyone takes to start off our Disneyland experience.



Then we were off! The first comment from Zane was, "Hey Dana, did you know that I can make my hands fart?" And then he showed me so I knew he really could. Gotta love the little bloke! What a day we had in sotThe first thing Amy did was took Zane to do Space Mountain and some rides that Auds had no intention of going on. And what did we do? What any self respecting Girly Girls would do...went to the Princess Castle! We walked around and looked at all the girly things, then chose to go on the Merry Go Round and Dumbo...here is Auds on the Merry Go Round and us on Dumbo.





After that it was time for some serious energy, so we stopped for food and filled our tummies with yummy (all be it expensive) Disney food. Then we did what all Good Americans do....took lots and lots of pictures of ourselves making us laugh forever!













Then Amy said one name and I instantly smiled with a slight tinge of embarassment at my quick smile...and she caught it on camera



It was a beautiful So. Cal. day and I was SO glad to be in LA (I know can you believe I said that?!) and to be with the Reyonlds enjoying one of my most favorite places on earth! Amy left us a little early because she had to get to an Emmy party that Scott was invited to as one of the writers on Dexter...only in LA do you do Disneyland durning the day and head out to an Emmy party that night...Gotta love LA! On the way home I was reminded how beautiful Southern Cal is...the sun was setting behind these gorgeous palm trees and I was enjoying a quiet moment of wonder at how much I have in my life. Then 5 minutes later my mood changed...as I sat in traffic. Though I have to admit that there was really NO traffic at all, I hit 20 mins at the end on the 710. What a wimp I have become...

As we approached South Pasadena we did what any good So Cal family would do--stopped at In n Out and came home, did homework, and went to bed...what a great LA Day.