Ken-tuck


Last weekend I flew home to Kentucky to be with my youngest brother, Sam before he ships to Afghanistan. Sam and his wife Tiffany flew in late Friday, and I was so glad to spend as much time with them as possible! I flew in Thursday evening, and Dad and Steph met me at the airport and took me straight to Cracker Barrel! I had to get me some sweet tea and biscuits-and quick! Friday I was stuck at my sisters house, since I didn't have a car and she had to work. I got to sleep in (thank goodness!) and then we met my grandmother for a late lunch that afternoon.
For whatever reason, the three hour jet leg REALLY gets to me! I know it's lame, but hey-I'm lame! And I'll continue to use the "I have no car" excuse to sleep in. I'm ok with that. :)

Saturday morning began the insanity...we picked up my brother and his wife and went to visit my older brother, Scott. It was SO good to see him, he is doing so well. I'm very proud of him. I can't waitto see him the next time I'm in town! After getting back to Louisville, it was go time. We all split up to run various errands for the going away party that evening. We were able to pull it all off and it looked fantastic! I even got "camo" balloons!


Sunday we made the obligatory trip to the Shepherdsville Flea Market, know out here in Cali as the Swap Meet. We saw the usual, old men smoking, mullets, fried foods, wedding dress retailers, you know-the usual. :) Gotta love Kentucky! Sunday night we hung out at my dads and got take out. There's just something about that last night of a trip that you need to relax. Maybe it's just me, who knows. Monday morning came all too soon, and I was headed back to California. While I loved seeing my family, I was so ready to be back in the sunshine and warm weather!

Breathe.

Today I'm feeling trapped.

Not in a negative sense, but in a I-have-dreams-what-is-holding-me-back kinda of trapped. I've always joked that I was born in the wrong country and the wrong century, but we all know that we have purpose and destiny for where we were created to be. That said-I want to travel abroad!! I have a burning desire/passion to visit Europe, and I have specific countries in mind. I'm constantly looking up airfares, train fares, ferry fares...you get my point?

I know I am here for a reason, I do. But in this moment, I'm looking to my future and wondering where I am to be. Will I stay here? Will I live in England? Two summers ago, my dream was to be living in London by the 2012 Olympics. Who knows if that will happen? Will I still be single? Will I be married? Will I have a family? I don't know what is prompting these thoughts, but they sure are running through my head!

Before I moved here, my dear friend Jenni reminded me about scuba divers. Scuba divers change drastic environments while still breathing the same air; but they learn to breathe using an alternative source of the same air. So that's what I'm doing. I'm still adjusting to my new, drastic environment; but learning to breathe.

Inhale, exhale.

Repeat.

Love Day



Things I love...


the ocean
snowflakes
flip flops
cozy blankets
windows down, radio up!
dave matthews band
phone calls from dear friends
sweet tea
letters in the mail
snow covered mountains
starbucks
sunshine
Tennessee
barns
my Mac computer
iPhone :)
high heels
sundresses
baseball games
roller coasters
people with passion
the TN trio
Jack Johnson
kayaking
snuggles with James (whom I nanny for)
yogurtland
TN Titans
drive in theaters
fall weather
5 Points, Franklin, TN
bonfires on huntington beach
my cowboy boots
sleep
LOST
Kentucky spring
Tennessee fall
SoCal all year long
dear friends
precious family
My Jesus.


See, here's the thing. I hate to run. I loathe it, actually. You would think I would not mind it at all, seeing as I played soccer for years and years. Somehow, someway, I began to hate it. So much so, that when I work out, I avoid it at ALL COSTS. Interval sprints, cross training, you name it; I'll do it.

Just don't make me run.


Ever.


And then I saw these.



And then I wanted to run a 5k.

What? Who? (Looks around nervously) Me? Ok, yes. I really want to run a race. I really wanted to run in the Camp Pendleton Mud Run, but it is already full when I went to register. So, I googled around, (since when did google become a verb?!) and found two similar races in Orange County in April. I'm signing up and running my little heart out! Best part about these races? They are MUD RUNS. As in....running in mud. Translation: you don't have to run the entire race! Just kidding. A little. Maybe. Through obstacle courses, over walls, you get the point. I think it'll be a lot of fun, and I'm hoping to get some friends to run with me or at least come out and cheer me on!

Why am I telling you all of this? Well, see, to RUN the race means I actually have to get out and RUN. My absolute favorite thing, remember? (See above. Pay attention!) In addition to my regular workouts, I added running. Oh, running. I started out small, charted a 5k course, walked it, ran intervals, walked some more, and wanted to call it a day. Well, on Monday, I busted out the old faithful tennis shoes (which have since been shunned since I fell in love with the shoes above) and started my walk. What I DIDN'T anticipate was running about 85% of the course flat out!! I came home, baffled, face red, legs on fire, just standing in the driveway. I brushed it off as a mere coincidence and went about my week.

It's Wednesday. Running Day again. Instead of walking, I started running, and running. I didn't stop! Well, ok. I stopped twice because my right calf muscle was KILLING me! Just a 30 second stretch, don't worry. I wasn't slacking. Same thing, I ran home, stopped, stretched in the driveway, and shook my head. I ran..let's say...93% of the course. What the heck?! While a 5k may seem insignificant to others, it's a milestone for me. After years of knee pain from my soccer addiction, I had two surgeries and years of physical therapy. I thought I'd never run again. And here I am, running my little heart out-pain free. Now that's a miracle.

But I still hate running.

It's boring.

Heather, Manny, Myself, Melissa and Phillip
LACMA

Friday night I had a hankerin' to do something outside of the Orange County bubble. So, I called up some friends, (Phillip, Melissa, Heather and Manny) and we headed to Los Angeles for the night. Our main goal was to see the LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Arts), and have dinner at Cafe 101.

Well......

LA traffic is a force to be reckoned with.

LA traffic and I do no get along.

LA traffic...you get my point.

After fording through the traffic, we picked up Manny in Hollywood and headed over to the LACMA. Although, of course, my GPS in my iPhone took us the wrong way (shock of all shocks!), so we had to backtrack and wade through some traffic AGAIN. By the time we got there, we had about 45 minutes to peruse through the museum. Luckily, one of the floors was under construction; so we only had two floors to go through. They didn't allow photography in the museum, or I would have some awesome photos to put up. Thankfully Heather took some great photos of us all in the Lamp post exhibit outside of the LACMA.

Manny, Myself and Phillip
Our "Band" Photo teehee!

After the LACMA, we headed down the street to see the La Brea Tar Pits. I've never seen them, and for whatever reason, am not a believer. Who knows, maybe I'm wrong but...actually I'm pretty sure they are for real. But for whatever reason, they looked totally fake to me. The link to their website is above...check it out sometime!

We did make it to Cafe 101, thankfully, and we were able to recharge before heading back to the OC. It was a late, late night, but so very fun and worth it! I had a blast!

Cafe 101 Hot Chocolate Goodness :)

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