Palm Springs (Mother's Day)

We went and spent some time with the family in Palm Springs for Mother's Day.

Here is Kazu exploring his Grandma's garden.
Kazu loves little babies! Here he is inspecting Taylor, my cousin Amy's baby girl. (She looked so cute in her pink bathing suit!)

It was soooo hot so we sprayed the patio down to cool off the sweaty pooch.

The new baby pool lifeguard........

He had to hop in and inspect it. What he found......... some cool toes and little chew toys that were not his.

It's been so long since the last blog post! I have so much to add!

We thought we would catch a hockey game last minute so we drove down to the Staples Center. But it didn't work out so we took some pics and headed out to race some cars. Soooo fun!!!! It's sort of 1 thing crossed off the list to race a car. A little car but for now it counts.

My 1st Art Show

I was in my first big art show which has always been a dream to do. (One more thing checked off my list) It was a charity event raising awareness on human slavery. There are people in this world that are forced into the sex trade, child soldiers etc... I've always wanted to add to the world and be part of the change. Just like Gandhi said, " Be the change you want to see in the world."

I painted a shot of a box of baby doll parts as a symbol of the fragility of life and how people are being treated as throw away possesions. The hardest part is knowing that a majority of the slavery is children and they are the future to the world. The title of my piece was

INNOCENCE LOST-PRECIOUS LIVES TORN APART

There were quite a few artists there and a couple of bands. It was neat to see people walking up and looking at something I created and seeing them talking about it. There was also a documantary being shown called Call+Response and it is being screened in all of the major US cities. The documentary is a bunch of muscians, celebrities, poitical figures giving their respose along with actual footage of people living in this torture. It was a definate eye opener and the crowd was quite large and quite taking it all in , many i'm sure in disbelief.

Thanks to everyone who came out not only to support me but to support those who need it most in this world.

THE LIST

So I was up one night just thinking about life and I want to do so many things. I let my mind wander at all of the possibilities and decided to take all of those ideas and dreams and put them into motion. I made a LIST. I wrote down everything and anything that came to mind, without reviewing or analyzing, that I would like to do in my lifetime. (And I am still adding to it eveyday) 4 and a 1/2 pages later I was thrilled to see what my soul really desired. What really makes a full life other than the day to day trials and tribulations at work and home. Surprisingly I think we all censor our own lives to think within very small boundries.Well,I think I've started to find out that most of the boundries can and should be crossed to really feel the wind in our hair and thd the sunlight warm our face. Finding joy and love in the little things in life bring great adventures that change lives forever.
While I was sitting there notebook open and a pen in my mouth Sheldon called me and asked what I was up to. I dropped the idea of my list on him. He thought it was interesting and I shared a few things I had scribbled down. Then he said he wanted a copy of it. Without thinking I made him a copy of my very personal, uncensored list.
He has done some research on things to do to help me accomplish my list( and surprised me with some) and we might just do many of them together. We are going to cross them off and take pictures of everything on the list as we go.
I want to share it with you to let everyone know more about who I am and maybe inspire people to look at their own lives and really make it an experience.

THE LIST

• journal
• ride in a helicopter
• take a cooking class
• go to a meditation class
• visit a shooting range
• try acupuncture
• go horseback riding
• learn about wine
• ride in a hot air balloon
• learn pinhole photography
• skydive
• ride an elephant
• take a picture with the giant panda at Sierra Honda
• scuba dive
• go parasailing
• ride a motorcycle
• learn to race a car
• put $100 a month in an adventure fund
• take overnight train ride
• swim with dolphins
• bungee jump
• jump off a cliff into water
• make out under a waterfall
• go on a cruise
• have a dinner party
• volunteer abroad
• donate blood
• volunteer for a search and rescue team
• hand out flowers at a nursing home
• do a random good deed to someone who needs it
• ay off debt
• go to the gym regularly
• say yes to life
• have a wter balloon fight
• stay in touch with old friends
• get lasered
• schedule a regular girls night out
• have a game night
• have a themed party
• take my mom out for a fun day
• host a slumber party
• let Sheldon know I love him everyday
• keep a list of all birthdays, anniversaries etc and send cards
• have a penpal
• go to a local festival
• collect my families recipies, make into a book and send everone a copy
• finish painting my apartment
• learn to play the piano
• go to a gospel church
• go to an opera
• go to a jazz club
• visit the dentist :(
• get braces
• take Kazu to obediance school
• fast one day amonth to raise awareness of world hunger
• make a list of 50 things I like about myself
• go to a silent movie theatre
• see a tv taping
• celebrate something that is never celebrated
• start a chain letter with friends of what makes us laugh, smile, giggle, happy
• be in an art show
• go to more gallery openings
• go to a hockey game
• kiss a horse
• have a scavenger hunt
• go to spy school
• get a massage
• sit in a tree and watch the world go by
• lay on the hood of a car and look at the stars
• meet more people
• catch fireflies
• have a picnic
• ride in a canoe/boat
• camp out at the neach
• go to a comedy club
• take a massage class
• go to a lecture
• try a new restaurant once a month
• spend a day taking pictures
• take karate
• go to a playground and play on all of the equiptment
• write down 3 secrets and leave themin random library books
• take a painting class
• clean 1 thing in my house everyday
• organize a neighborhood poem or picture story with sidewalk chalk
• drive with my eyes closed and have someone direct me
• take a pole dancing class
• got o a horserace
• participate in a peace protest
• fly a kite
• go to the x-games
• go to dinner at the Magic Castle
• scream on an empty beach
• use a bow and arrow
• go to Catalina Island for a weekend
• take a random weekend to Paris
• visit a monastery
• try ziplining
• zorb down a hill
• swim naked in the ocean in the middle of the night
• get eyes lasered
• stay at a bed and breakfast
• get new glasses
• go see the Nutcracker with my Nana
• spend more time with family
• build a dreamhome
• buy a mini cooper and a range rover
• get married outside
• have a baby, preferably twins
• write a letter to my future self
• photograph everything on this list, keep it in a book and give my children when I'm old
• try everything once
• ride a scooter
• visit thailand
• lay in a hammock
• visit the ruins in Peru

checkin out different towns part 2!

Last weekend we drove to Marina Del Rey for breakfast then to the docks to go whale watching. We got there and they were closed! I probabl should have called ahead. Oh well. So we drove to Huntington Beach and walked around.

Oh another pic from Santa Monica.

Huntington Beach Pier.

Gangster! We walked around in and out of the shops looking for white and grey camo shorts for Shells. He wants a pair to wear to our kickball nights. No luck. But we will find them! I know your out there camo pants!

checkin out different towns

So we thought it would be a random and cute idea to take a foot pic everywhere we go. Why? I have no idea but seemed like a good idea.

We went to the Santa Monica Pier and rode the Ferris wheel. Then walked around and rode some other ride that throws you up in the air. There was no way to get a pic. We were too busy screaming.

I had this great idea to go to Chinatown for the New Year festival and when we got there it was over. Too much positive thinking. I thought it would be going on strong even after the parade. We just saw the remnants of the festival of confetti in the street and people walking around with their chinese tourist goods. But walking back to the car we came across where someone tagged on the floor. They must know I love love love pugs. This pic is for Kazu, my lovepug.

The Americana in Glendale

LOL!! Sheldon's take on Risky Business. (this verion had pants)

Smoochin' next to the water show. This is where we had to ask the camera crew to leave. LOL!

We went to The Americana in Glendale which is kinda like The Grove. It's so cute, there are tons of shops and restaurants to check out. We went to one of my most fave restaurants called Granville. The have the best ahi tune I have ever had.

I ran up and attacked a street vendor and took out the silliest glasses for us to pose in! Afterwards we were jst driving around chit chatting and I mentioned that I want to go one day and find a spot where the planes fly right over you. Then we kept talking and talking and Sheldon said he was going to drive us somewhere as a surprise. I had no idea what he was up to until we got near LAX airport and he knew a spot where the planes fly right over. I mean RIGHT OVER! So we parked and ran out. It was crazy they looked like they were going to toucht the light posts and they were sooooo loud! It was awesome! Thanks Shells!

A day in the life of Kazu...

He looks like he could do a fishstick commercial!!!

So I had a girlfriend over and we we're sitting around drinking wine, talking about life, love and the pursuit of happiness and right in the middle of a deep coversation, out walks Kaz with a pair of my underwear wrapped around his leg. We about died laughing for a good hour. Thank god it was only Stefani and not a group of people! He was so proud of his panty raid.

Shop, shop, shop! He LOVES going to Petco. There are so many smells and other puppies shopping. We always walk down the chew isle and he gets to pick out a little something. If there was a SuperMarket Sweep gameshow for dogs he would totally win.

Fridays are Kazu's abosulte FAVORITE day of the week. It's trashday and between 7:15 and 7:45 the noisy, stinky truck pulls up. He loses it and runs around the house and hops up and around the window like a madman. I'm in the bathroom getting ready for work and he runs from the window to me tailwaggin and tongue out as if to say,"It's here! OMG It's here! Do you see it?! C'mon C'mon let's go!" I just reassure him yes yes Kazy I know the trash truck is here wow yeah it's exciting. So if Fridays my eyeliner is a bit crooked, this is why.

Halloween '08-The chubby pug thought it would be a great idea to dress up as a bumblebee. It seemed to be a hot costume this season so after two Petco trips and two extra chewbones later we found one. My neighbors dressed their dogs up too and we all hung out in the front yard passing out candy and everyone that came by got huge kicks out of him "buzzing" around. He's quite the showoff.

Kickball!!

Soooo..... Sheldon and I signed up for an adult kickball league. He played a bit when he lived in Las Vegas. It sounded like fun so why not?

Last night was our first get together to meet our team and get a little practice in. There are about 20 of us and everyone is pretty fun.

They annouced our team name, Cobra Kai. I love it since it was the name of the bad guys from Karate Kid. Hilarious! So I'm going to try and con everyone into wearing bandana's karate style :)

After our practice alot of the Studio Division which is several teams, met up at a sportsbar. They gave us nifty braclets that later will be replaced with our team shirts and it gives us a discount at the bar. This is wear it veers off from a regular organized sport. Beer, beer everywhere. It was nice to knock back a few and get to know our new teammates.