...

Let me begin this awful story by saying that I loathe reptiles. Of all kinds.

SATURDAY

It all started on Saturday evening. My friend Courtney and I were standing in my driveway next to my SUV, waiting to go to dinner. The drivers door was open for just a few minutes, and all of the sudden Courtney tells me there is a lizard in my car. I grab her poor arm and squeezed for dear life! I could see it's beady little head sticking out from underneath my seat, and I was FA-REAKING out. I ran inside, yelled for Ken (the dad I work for) to come get it out of my car.

Ken is trying hard not to make fun of Courtney and I, while we were shrieking, jumping around...he takes apart a wiring console, bangs around for a while to no avail. It seems the lizard has taken up residence in my car. We decided that the lizard has left, and we are safe to go to dinner. We all climb in, toes curled, looking around our feet for the nasty little lizard. I even get in, start my car, get out, get BACK in, pray, get back out.......I'm completely serious.
The night goes on, we are hoping that if the lizard caught a ride to Newport Beach, that he made his exit with the valet, and not us.

Little did I know...

MONDAY

The weekend has gone great, my fears of the lizard attack are just a blip in my memory bank. I'm in a store parking lot with the kids I nanny for, and I pop the hatch on my SUV to open the back...and what comes slithering out of the INSIDE of the door? That stinkin' lizard!!! I instantly freeze, then unfreeze, putting E in the shopping basket and commanding James not to move. I just stood there, trying to figure out what to do. Do I try to hit it with my purse? Do I slam the glass hatch down, killing him and breaking him into two pieces? (Sorry PETA). I decided to knock it out of the car, but he jumps over the door, and INTO the back of the car! EEEEEEEK!!!

By this time, I know I've gone pale, chill bumps are covering my skin, my muscles hurt from tensing, and I may or may not have screamed. Now I know he won't hurt me, but he is nasty gross. I open the tailgate of my car and just starting throwing things into the parking lot. Big Wheel, stroller, shopping cart cover, all of it, into the street. I know I was screaming a little bit, but I must have been screaming a liiiiitle louder than I thought, because a nice gentleman comes rushing over, asking to help. I tell him what has happened, and he goes to town. I mean, this guy is on a mission to find the lizard! After picking through the contents that I've strewn across the parking lot, he comes slithering out of the Big Wheel. The guy helping me decides not to kill it (I wanted it DEAD.), and shoos it away. The little lizard has the audacity to stop, turn around and hiss at me!

After I'm sure he's gone away, that's when I stop to look around me. There are 4-5 people standing around, watching this crazy lady with two kids throw her crap into the street. Hey, I didn't care! I had chill bumps, my heart was racing, my muscles were tense..... let's say I never want that to happen again. Ever.

Sorry little lizard. We weren't meant to be best friends. Don't take it personally.

By the way, did anyone take notice that he was in my car for TWO ENTIRE DAYS???

Last year I had the privilege of meeting Ree Drummond, author of my favorite website. She is a true Pioneer Woman, chef extraordinaire, homeschooling mom of four, Ranch Wife, etc etc etc. A friend in Nashville told me about the site a few years ago, as someone had told her before that. Ree has now gained national attention with her New York Times best selling cookbook 'The Pioneer Woman Cooks'.

She has been featured on numerous talk shows, made her way around the country on a book tour, and I GOT TO MEET HER!! Now, I've never been a put-a-person-on-a-pedestal type of girl (thanks, mom!); but I'll be honest, when I sat down to chat and snap a photo with her, I froze. I didn't know what to say. I think I mumbled "hi, hello, thanks for all you do, I'm a nobody from Nashville who moved to the big city".... or something like that. I've wanted to live her life! In my dreams, I would be living on a cattle ranch in the middle of nowhere (like Ree), have a hot husband (like Ree), have too many kids (like Ree), cook some amazing food (like Ree), and take incredible photos (like Ree).

So why am I telling you all of this? I don't know. I'm just talking here. BUT-I will let you know what she is having a giveaway today on her site...for an iPad. Yes, yes. The beloved, the coveted, the super awesome and very cool iPad. No strings, nothing needed from you. Just a quick and easy chance to win an iPad! Click here to check it out.

I hope you fall in love with Ree's site as I have. I've so enjoyed her recipes, her humor, and a peek into my future, I mean HER life on the ranch.

I know it's been weeks since my last post, but I haven't been in a blogging mood. As per my last post, my youngest brother was shipped to Afghanistan. That kinda took a little bit outta me emotionally. BUT, I'm happy to report that I received a phone call from him while he was laying over in Turkey. He's tired of traveling, but doing well. I'm excited to put together his first care package! If you want to write letters to a soldier, he's a great one to write to! Let me know if you want to donate something to the care package.

My birthday party was SUCH a success! Thanks to all who came out, I had a fantastic time! We played volleyball, night disc, buried people in the sand like five year olds, braved the icy waters, strolled along the boardwalk, and last but not least, had a wonderful bonfire.



Later in the week my sweet baby sister came to visit me, and I was SO excited! We had a PACKED weekend ahead of us, but after a million delays, she was finally in California! I quickly rushed her to the nearest In N Out and she fell in love and had her way with the classic Double-double. Friday we were up and at 'em for a quick morning run down to the local coffee and bagel shop. We were both scheduled to race on Saturday morning, and I didn't want to run a full run the day before. After bageling and coffee'ing up, we made our way down to Newport Beach for some sightseeing and lunch. My friend Matt met up with us and took us to a fabulous place called the Bluewater Grill. Nestled back in the cove of Newport Beach, we sat on the terrace and had quite the fanciful lunch. I can't wait to go back!


Friday afternoon we headed out to Disneyland, and promptly picked up Steph's "1st Time Visitor" pin and set out to conquer the park. Sadly, the conquering didn't take long. After our morning jaunt, early afternoon lunch, Disneyland was whooping our butts left and right! We were trying to conquer both Disneyland and California Adventure, but I think every other person in California had the same idea. We had a great time, even if it wasn't as long as we would have liked.



Saturday was the Great OC Eco Mud Run. I've been training for the past three months for my very first race, and the day dawned bright and early. I thought that I would be nervous, but surprisingly, I wasn't. I think all the pain-filled days of running had finally prepared me. We met up with other runners we knew, and filed in to the starting area. THAT'S when the nerves hit. We moseyed our way to the front, not where I wanted to be! The race officials encouraged us to dress up, and Steph decided it would be hilarious to dress as a cop and escape convict. So, there we were, duct taping white stripes to my running outfit. I even bought handcuffs to wear! As we started running, my nerves went away, and were replaced by concentrating on not falling on my face. Slowly, we got a pace, set it, and ran our little hearts out.


I can't wait for the next mud run! Wanna get muddy with me?

My younger brother Sam deploys to Afghanistan on Monday, April 26th. I've never been a delayed reaction person, but I have totally delayed my reacting to his deployment. When I think about it my heart beats a littler faster, the tears come a little easier, and my brain moves a little quicker. I've even kept quiet on the deployment date (even though I've known for a while), just to avoid talking about it. Even now, as I type, I'm blinking through the tears falling down my face. I'm still torn with the feeling of being so incredibly proud of him for serving our country, for protecting us, for keeping us free; and by the other part that so selfishly wants him to stay home. Behind the border, away from war, terrorism, violence, and the reality of the harshness of this world.

I know that God is bigger than this. He is bigger than the war, bigger than any person wishing harm upon the United States. He's seen Sam going into that country, and He knows the outcome. I won't lie and say that I haven't thought of all the what-if's. I can't even type them out, but I'm sure you know what I'm speaking of. But God is bigger than that. This is where faith comes in. Because I know what I believe, I know what's true. It's when the time comes to TRULY believe it is the strength of your faith. And I'll be honest, I'm a little weak today.

I just wish I could hug him one more time. I wish I could tell him it's going to be ok. I wish I could wipe the fear from my heart. I wish I could stand at the airport and wave goodbye. I wish my brother Scott could see him one more time. I wish he wasn't 19. I wish he didn't have to leave his new wife alone.

So, if you will, say a prayer for him. Fly a flag today. Thank a veteran. Stand a little taller knowing you are protected by our amazing Armed Forces. Never take for granted what we have in America. There are hundreds of thousands of soldiers who have sisters whose hearts are breaking, just like mine.

Ok, I'll admit. This birthday, this YEAR, this number, kept haunting me. Now, I'm a lover of birthdays. It's that one day a year that everything is all about YOU! I love to celebrate others and make them feel like a king or queen for a day. And, you know, it's nice to feel pampered on my birthday too. However, this year I wasn't looking forward to turning another year older. I know I'm only 26, but for some reason I had some serious struggles. Serious as in, while walking down the street I pause, consider, cringe, and keep walking. THOSE kind of serious issues. :) But, as I suspected, my fears were eased as the week went on.

It all started on Monday evening, when my dear precious life group friends surprised me with not one but TWO cakes! They were delicious and I felt so loved and honored. Tuesday morning (my actual birthday) I woke up to James singing 'Happy Birfday' at the top of his lungs while dragging my gift bag behind him. Danielle had made a Happy Birthday banner for the kitchen; and I don't know who was more excited about that, James or me!

My mom sent me an AWESOME gift this year too. As I've posted before, I'm really getting into cake decorating. She sent me a clear tub with all kinds of little tubs to keep my tools organized. Being a neat freak, I absolutely loved getting everything organized and put together.

Tuesday evening a small group of friends went with me to my first ever swing dancing lesson! It was an absolute blast, and I went from nervously wringing my hands to being twirled around in circles by the end. We capped off the night with yummy tacos from Fresca's, and yogurt from Golden Spoon. I had a fantastic night! All throughout the week I was overwhelmed by the sweetness of my family and friends. I recieved so many heartwarming cards and gifts; I am truly touched.

I've mentioned her before, but my closest friend Katie also shares the same birthday. While it was the first year we didn't celebrate together, it was so fun to swap gifts through the mail. I sent her a hilarious box of random goodies, filled with an entire bag of confetti. She sent me (along with our dear friend Jenni) a wonderful bouquet of fruit from Edible Arrangements and an awesome thing called the FitDeck. I'm so excited to try out the FitDeck for my workouts at the park! What a great way to shake up your workout routine!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter! I had a fun-filled day of church, lunch with friends, a mean game of softball, and ending the night with game night at the Runyan's. I usually don't stay up very late on "school nights", but since I didn't have to work on Monday, I decided to be rebel and hang out late. I didn't go to sleep until almost 2:30am!! EEEEEK! That just doesn't happen to me, ever. I woke up day feeling like I was hit by a truck, and remembered why I don't do this! It's just too painful. BUT-great fun, great conversations and great friends were totally worth it. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

The family I work for surprised me yesterday with an Easter basket, and I was so thrilled! I received a fantastically awesome gift of how-to's and tools for learning to create gum paste flowers. For those who do not know, I've become a bit of a cake freak. I love to create and decorate cakes. I'm a little intimidated about gum paste flowers, but now that I have to tools to try, I think I can do it.


My favorite part of the basket was this adorable apron. I've been thinking about just making one for myself over the past few weeks, but now I don't have to!! It's too adorable! Check out the stripes, polka dots and flowers! I love it!



I hope you had a wonderful time with family and friends, ate boatloads of chocolate (I actually did not!), and watched the Yankee Opening Day Game. I won't say the score. It's a shame in our household.

I'm adventurous. I miss my adventurous friends (ahem, JULIE!) from Nashville, who would drop everything just to do something random and crazy. We used to have what we called "Sonic Tuesdays" when we all worked at the church. Every few weeks, we would silently give one another "the look" which meant "meet outside at Jon's jeep in 5 minutes! Tell no one!" Julie, Christy, Jon and I would totally bail on work, jump in his Jeep, and go for a random crazy adventure that always ended at Sonic. You see, Sonic has these amazingly refreshing blend of beverages that cannot be topped. AND, between 3-5pm, they are half price. Not bad for penny pinchers as ourselves! So there we were, every few Tuesdays, drinks in hand, windows down, music playing, bopping along as Jon took us on a quick off-road adventure. I miss those days. OH, how we all have changed! Jon is married, Christy is married and just had her first baby, Julie lives in Denver, and I'm in California. Who woulda thunk?

There are so many new and interesting things in California that I can't wait to do! I've begun compiling a list in my head...and I need to write them down. Since I'm not one for keeping handwritten notes too long...(I may or may not lose them. I plead the 5th).

Kayaking on Catalina Island
San Francisco
San Diego Chargers game
Hike a mountain
4Wheel in the desert
Shoot a gun in the desert
Sail on a sailboat
See a show in Hollywood
Santa Monica
Redding
Run the Camp Pendleton Mud Run
Lakers Game
Anaheim Ducks game (preferably when the Nashville Preds are here...)
Wine Country
Alcatraz
Horseback Riding
Drive to Mexico
a date on the beach :)

That's what is in my head for now...I'm sure there are more to come! Please leave your suggestion as well!!

Tonight, as I sit listening to the (somewhat) amazing talents of American Idol, I'm reminded of how life can take you a million different ways. I know I've talked a lot about how moving to California, and how transformational that was for me; but I'm going to say it again...You.Just.Never.Know.

Case in point?

I had the pleasure of having a four day weekend this week, and I took full advantage of it! This photo was taken yesterday (Monday). I was able to go run down on the boardwalk, and was it so rewarding! I got a nice little tan, ocean on my right, snow capped mountains to my left. Could it be any better?

I also had Friday off, so I went to the park and played umpteen games of volleyball with some friends. I haven't played that much, so they were so very sweet to teach me the rules, technique, etc. We played for hours and hours! Thankfully, Nicole had planned a great dinner at her place. We played old school Nintendo 64 (Mortal Kombat, to be exact), ate yummy food, and had a great time. I took off a little early, just to relish in the fact that there was no one in my home!

Saturday morning we had a great breakfast at church for the 20-somethings. A couple that used to go to Southlands (my church) shared their hearts and story of the their life. I was so inspired by what they had to say! I can't wait to see what the Lord has for them in the future.



We played an endless amount of the game murder, over and over and over again! I love these people so much, and I'm so glad they are in my life!

So, that's the basic rundown of my crazy weekend! I had a blast, lost a LOT of sleep, but I'd do it again in a heartbeat. :)

I received the sweetest card from my best friend Katie today. A real card! In the mail! It totally blessed me and I'm not gonna lie, I teared up just a bit. Because I'm an over sharer, I'm going to type out the card. It's just too sweet.

"You know me so well, you can just tell when something's up by the sound of my voice. Or how I've been acting. Sometimes I don't even have to explain or go into details.

You just get it.
You just get me.

I can't tell you how much that means.
You're a great friend."

How sweet is that?! I am SO very glad to have Katie in my life-she's the bestest friend a girl could have! Wanna know something crazy? We have the same birthday! The very same! It was crazy when we realized it, and we've had joint birthday dinners ever since. :)

I went running in a new park this week, and as I started my run-I didn't turn on my music. I don't know why, but I was enjoying the silence. Listening to the wind through the trees, my feet crunching the twigs and leaves, (not to mention hearing my out-of-breathness), and the ducks quacking in the lake. I took those moments and just thanked God for such an amazing creation; Nature. When I'm amidst the trees, the grass, the LIFE-I feel whole. I feel like I was made for moments like these.

I know, just call me tree-girl.

It's moments like these that make me miss the space of Tennessee. It makes me miss the vastness of my family's farm; where you could drive up the way and look out, and all you saw was Hilton land. Something so powerful and old-fashioned about that feeling. Your heart swells, and you just feel....home.

As I drive down the streets of Southern California, I feel trapped. I feel frustrated. My left calf muscle hurts from clutching all the time. But when I make it through the traffic, the smog, the cut-offs and road ragers and reach the beach with the mountains in the distance, I feel that so-good feeling again. I hear the waves crashing, feel the squish of sand between my toes, and I know I am where I'm supposed to be for now. Nothing can replace the smell of a green spring in Kentucky, or the cinnamon-y spice of Tennessee in the fall; but I'm loving California, all year long.

And I feel home.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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!