ZenInEncinitas

3 F's - FamilyFunFriends!

noreply@blogger.com (Zen is in) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 16:29:00 +0000

My weekend started off with dinner for the birthday boys. Dad, Alf and Frank all have birthdays within a few days so we have wised up and are having a party for them the week before Christmas nowadays. We all met up at the pizza parlor and I said "Hi Mozelle, I love you" and she stuck her tongue at me then laughed. ha ha Terrible Twos or Just comedy? God she really is funny. Totally comical!
Uncle Frank brought Grace. She is such a doll. Seems like she has always been a part of the fam even tho theyve just started dating a few months ago. She fits right in.

Mozelle didnt like poppa's Santa hat - as soon as she saw him she started balling! He had to take it off but before he did we were all cry laughing cuz it was so funny.

Me n mom. She looked so pretty. She always does, but Friday she was glowing. I think she is always angelic when we are altogether. She just gets so happy when the fam is all in one spot.

All 3 birthday boyz got sundaes. ha ha They look like Easy-Bake-Oven cakes. They were so little!

We were leaving the pizzeria and Kelis said "Im going home with Auntie"...........WHAT? Yep. Her first sleepover without her parents was at my house. My parents were so pist. ha ha We went to Jens, got Kelis's jammies on her and I brought her home. We watched Madagaskar and she was out by 1030! Slept all night. No problem! YIPPEEEEEE Big girl did great!

Keir and Kelis eating snacks and being cozy.

Saturday Keir and I got this lil homemade owl from Melissa! OMG it is the cutest thing ever. Thanks Mellie Mel Julep Head. We love it!Saturday afternoon Vic and I had made plans to meet up after a whole year of trying! We would make plans and something would always come up. Laguna is almost exactly half way for both of us so around 4 this was my view on the 101 just before pulling into the restaurant.

Its was crisp and sunny out. What a beautiful day. I felt like I was on vacation so I took the touristy vacation picture.

The view from the patio where I nabbed a killer seat along the ocean!

So glad we met up. It was 2 hours of catching up on each others lives - In person finally! Vic and I email and talk on the phone but its always nice to be able to sit across from someone and really have a conversation. We needed it! YAY - So that was the weekend. Sunday I slept in, went over to Pannikin and got some chili and a coffee and sat outside then headed to Senior Grubby's for the Charger game. We beat the bengals by 1 point. Close game! Ended the weekend perfect! Always nice when we win. he he Probably only one more post before I sign off til the new year. 3 days and a wake up til Cardiff!

Art of Life

noreply@blogger.com (Zen is in) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 16:05:00 +0000

Living in Encinitas has so many little gifts. Its a gorgeous sunny crisp morning and I got a good nights sleep! I was up at 5 and felt well rested. This is so rare I had to take advantage and get up and get my day going! I took a nice long hot shower, did make up, hair and picked up the house, made Keir toast with goat cheese, kissed her g-bye and made my way to Pannikin. ;-) Got my xtra large coffee and a breakfast sandwich. mmmmmmmmmmmm. Walking to the car I see this sign: "Life is like the waves.........You have to ride the ups and downs". How perfectly said.

I think the holidays are always a little difficult for me but this year has been a little lighter with Keir being home. Our little bungalow is always filled with music, incense, candles and we laugh constantly. She makes our home so warm and toasty that I love walking in after work to her on the couch, laptop on her lap, snuggled under a blanket, food and drinks everywhere, socks and shoes as I trip over them in the hallway, every light on in the house, teenage room a complete disaster................and I love it all. Having her home makes riding the ups and downs of life a heck of a lot smoother.

We've been doing a lot of art lately and I feel like I have finally found the style of painting I love. My friend Steve hears me talk about the art I do for friends and family and he is always wanting to see it. He is the king of amazing gifts so after racking my brain trying to figure out what to get the guy who has everything for Chirstmas - I decided to give him a piece of my lil creations. Im dropping it off to him today. Hope he likes it!

Thats all for now. Just a little quickie blog to keep up to date on the haps in my life. Pretty cool these days. Seven more days til Cardiff. Cant even begin to say how excited I am to camp for a whole week! Its gonna be cold but so fun!!!!!!! The clock is ticking...................Ciao for now!

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh this is the life!

noreply@blogger.com (Zen is in) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 19:26:00 +0000

Busy busy busy bee Ive been! Since Keir moved home several weeks ago it has been non-stop! But I love it ;-) Lots of great things have been happenin' ever since Keir moved home. She is getting straight A's. Met a nice guy (see pic above) Blake. She is so happy all the time and her lil sparkle in her eyes is back. We have been so happy and cozy at home. She has a curfew but remarkable as it is she hasnt been late - not even once! Home on time everytime!!!!! YES! We are having so much fun - the whole family is loving having her home - its so fun!

Annual tradition for Keir and I is to go get our tree. As promised we bought a lil tree again this year. Easy in the truck and no arguing! ha ha This year we even dragged poor Blake along. He didnt seem to mind - and we even got him to kinda enjoy it. ha ha a little anyways ;-)

Isnt it just the sweetest lil tree?Next up? Of course off to Islands for dinner! What would christmas tree shopping be without Islands afterwards? ha ha Cheers!
Ok, now this is funny. The kid at the tree lot didnt cut off any branches so the dang tree wouldnt go in the stand. Blake was like OMG take it out again! 3rd time was a charm and we got it in and upright. That was funny. Thats me tightening the tree stand. Thanks Blake!

Sunday - Chargers vs Chiefs. WHOO HOO! Dad and I tailgated b4 the game. We parked under the trolly bridge so it was freezing. 2 spots over was in the blazing hot sun. Oh well. Pops brought out the ol skool Chargers Jackets and I was snug as a bug in a rug. Yippe!Killer seats or what? Hello! Right on the goal line! Hell YES! On my right is Marty from my office. He is the one who always give me tix to the games. Dang, never this close tho! Thanks Marty!

Had Jen, Kelis, Fawn, Karis, Lexi and Keir over for dinner the other night. Made yummi jerk chicken tacos and Jen made fresh salsa and guac. I'll spare Jenny by not posting the salsa pictures. My blender caught the cilantro in the bottom and it jammed. Jen went to pick up the blender and the salsa spilled out the bottom. All of it. Whups. No matter. We scooped it up and ate it anyways. EWE! But it was so good. Who cares. LOL

Our beautiful girls Keir and Kelis
Jen and Kelis stayed for a sleepover and we had a girls night of painting our nails and taking pictures. SO FUN! This one Kelis took. Pretty darn good job for a 4 year old!

Look ma, no make up!

Well thats about it for now. Keir is goin' to her dads this weekend for the first time since she's moved home. Im already missing her just at the thought of it. Luckily I have my office holiday party Saturday so that will keep me busy! Stay tuned for new pics on Monday!

The Drifter

noreply@blogger.com (Zen is in) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:17:00 +0000

You know the saying "One day I hope I....."

Last night Keir, pops and moms and I went to the premiere of

"The Drifter" at La Paloma.

(side note: that mustang in the picture is my moms - ha ha)

Rob Machado has been a hero of mine for a very long time. Ive said in past blogs how much I admire him, his surf style, his way of life.........last night seeing the movie, him playing music with his band and finally getting to shake his hand sealed the deal.

Rob and his buddies have known each other for years. The funny thing was the music they played last night was written by the band members 15 years ago. Now here they were playing it at the La Paloma for all of us and in the movie "The Drifter".

Its amazing how music stays alive, waiting for the right moment to be heard....... After the movie their was a Q&A for the crowd. I loved hearing all of Rob's encounters and adventures. Its so incredible to me the amount of creative energy that exudes from Rob. Its like, yes, he is a surfer, father, friend, artist, but what the guy brings to life is his ability to create a new way of life or new way of living life and that energy is times a thousand when you get next to him.
Pops couldnt see in the dark so this was our first attempt to get a shot with Rob. Keir is to my left. Sadly, not in the pic. Total bummer. One of my fav lines is

IF AT FIRST YOU DONT SUCCEED - TRY TRY AGAIN..........

and that we did ;-)

I couldnt go home without this picture. Ive hoped for it for a long time. And although Ive seen Rob in person coming in from surfing suckouts in Cardiff many a time while Im on runs, Ive always wanted this picture - I guess I needed to be able to open a new chapter in my life knowing that the

"One day I hope I.........meet my hero Rob Machado"

has been accomplished. Its not something like a conquest or a starstruck thing. I really admire him and knew by shaking his hand and saying "Thank you" I would feel a sense of relief knowing I was able to look him in the eyes from one person to another with a thank you for how you've enriched my life. Dont ask me why I have this connection or had the need to do this. I still dont know. All I know is last night was awesome. The guy is a shredder in the water and when he caught that last stand up barrel in Indo I had to hold back the tears.

I think everyone in the audience "Drifted" with him.

Warm days, Cool nights, Amazing family

noreply@blogger.com (Zen is in) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 20:01:00 +0000

The last camping trip of the summer. Off of work early, picked up Keir, met moms and pops off the freeway and headed up to Malibu. Traffic wasnt bad but my AC is still out so driving in 95 degree heat thru LA wasnt the greatest. But we put on some KOL and made the best of it. Jack in the Box stop helped. When Keir is hungry you have to FEED THE BEAST! ha ha Arrived in Malibu at 5 and this is our view.
Straight out thru the palms and cactus is nothing but ocean.

Behind us are hills and palms.

Sunset Friday night then it was time for happy hour. Some Pearl Jam and we were all set. It cooled off just enough to put on sweaters and uggs so everyone was happy. Met a bunch of people and were up til midnight talking til we couldnt keep our eyes open. zzzzzzzzzzzzz time for bed. In the morning we headed to Paradise Cove for brunch. Its on the water and on the sand. LITERALLY! Had some killer food and drinks - If we had more time we would have rented a cabana and stayed all day for sure. Next time!
Me n Keir ;-)After brunch we went to the campsite - got on the wifi and reserved tix for the Getty Villa and headed over. No rest for the wicked! sheeshIt was really amazing to see jewelry from 2000 years ago that we would wear today. So incredible.
After the Getty moms and pops napped but we were wired so we chatted and listened to music and Keir broke out her camera and we laughed and took corny pics for an hour! What were we doing? We dont know..........were totally sleep deprived and delirious!OK, no resting! Now were off to meet my buddy Gary up at Malibu Wine for a super duper fast wine tasting (more like hurry and suck it down cuz we gotta roll tasting!) We had to rush cuz he was taking us across the street for a tour of his friends ranch. Calamigos Ranch. Um hello.

Driving thru the ranch. This is a real picture window - and those are really mountains! Beyond beautiful!!!! (dad being a nerd)

Now Keir

Biggest dork of all - ME!

Small villa within the ranch

We stopped in at Gary's benefit but we were all so tired we couldnt stay for dinner. We drove back down the mountain to the campsite and I made dinner in my lil trailer. My first dinner! YAY!!!! It was a great way to end the Summer. Next trip? Cardiff for Christmas - Cant beat that with a stick ;-)

all becuase of a grandma named 'pearl'

noreply@blogger.com (Zen is in) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:50:00 +0000

My dad and I experienced the most amazing concert of our life compliments of Eddie Vedder's grandma. Without grandma Pearl, their would be no PEARL JAM. Luckily Grandma Pearl along with the idea of the band JAMMIN the name became Pearl Jam. October 9, 2009 will forever be etched in our souls. We got to the venue early. Had some dinner at the college cafeteria and sat in the grass people watching for hours. Little did we know the intense - high energy - amazing show we were about to enter into. Ben Harper opened and only 2 songs in all of a sudden we hear - da da da da da da da ...........and again..........da da da da da da da..........Ben was about to perform 'Under Pressure' by Queen. As he started to sing dad and I were overwhelmed and had no words. Suddenly I realized Eddie had joined him on stage to sing the song together. We werent prepared. All we could do is listen, sing and fight back the tears. It was so fucking cool.
Pearl Jam came on almost immediately following Ben Harper. No hoopla or trying to be the band that comes on late. They just came right on out and killed it with CORDUROY. Every person in the arena was on their feet - screaming - dancing and thinking the same thing we were. Damn were glad we cancelled our trip - our dinner - our anything to be here.
The entire concert (32 songs) was an experience of a lifetime. We weren't sure if it was the fact that we new every song, every lyric or every tune.........but with every word that came out - up came a memory that included Pearl Jam playing in the background. Driving to Mex back in the day, a warm summer day at home with all the windows open, whatever the memory it was all coming clear that Pearl Jam has been a big part of our lives.
Scott and Rebecca were a brother and sister sitting behind us but not long after Pearl Jam came on stage did they hop over and join us in our row. They had just been to the show in LA and drove from Orange County for more. They really sealed the fun for the evening cuz they were just as huge of fans as we were. The more the merrier right? Hell YES!

Their were so many little things that happened throughout the concert that we are still remembering moments that were beyond epic:

~Eddie talking to the crowd about the day one of his roadies daughter LuLu was born and how just as they left the hospital it began to rain. His buddy had gone to sign off on the baby being released and his buddies wife was trying to put LuLu into the car. She couldnt do it with the baby in her arms so she handed her for Eddie to hold. He explained how the rain was falling as he cradled her in his arms......the feeling he had was overwhelming. "Well" he said, "16 years later - its LuLu's birthday, so LuLu come on up!" she came up on stage, they had a cake for her and 11,000 people sang her Happy Birthday as she blew out her candles.

~Eddie talked about his life, his jobs, his bosses and how one boss in particular allowed him to work part-time and shave his head into a mohawk in order to be in a band. Now 20 years later he said thanks to his former employer who was in the audience. NO FUCKING WAY!

~They thanked their first music instructors for all of their mentoring and brought up Matt Cameron's drum teacher and Eddie's guitar teacher. We all screamed and cheered but that wasn't the coolest part of it. They had them sit in and play a song for us! I mean cmon. How rad.

~All the songs they played that we all know - Severed Hand, EvenFlow, Daughter, ReviewMirror, Why Go, Black, BetterMan, Alive.........it was all over the top. They had the crowd sing a lot and they interacted and the entire time we felt like we were experiencing something that us and only 11,000 others were experiencing on this night. Never to be repeated again. Chills chills and more chills every time the next song would start.

After they had their 3rd encore the guitarist, Stone Gossard stayed on stage. The lights were up but we knew something big was about to happen. Why else would he be up there still?

Jimi Hendrix 'Star Spangled Banner' began to play........I think me and dad bout' passed out from disbelief. Here is dad at attention for Jimi, for Pearl jam and for his country:

That was it. We gathered our things. Said our goodbyes to our new friends Scotty and Becca and started headin to the car. We realized not long after that we didnt exchange info so we could send them pictures. Total bummer.............but as luck would have it - in a crowd of 11,000 people exiting we ran back into them and were all so happy we were able to say bye again and give them dads card. Perfect ending to a perfect experience. Thanks grandma Pearl.........we'll never forget this.

SOUL FOOD

noreply@blogger.com (Zen is in) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 18:48:00 +0000

Yesterday afternoon I was talkin with my friend Antonio. We were saying how awesome the weather was. Finally cooled off, little overcast..........it was almost the end of the day and all we wanted to do was get off work, get home and get cozy. Then we took it a step further and said WOW, wish it would rain and we both said dinner of wine & cheese with some great music sounded perfect! Well that was a pipe dream for me cuz I knew I had to go to the market and go for a run. Getting home and getting cozy just wasnt gonna happen. I wished it for him tho.

Well Im driving home and I realize maybe I can make my lil daydream come true............

I go to Henry's and get all the goodies for my dinner, race home, change and go on a run along Neptune. As Im running it begins to rain. WHAT? Yes! I was running but wanted to call Antonio and Be like um..........hello............this is crazy.......did we make this happen? Everyone I pass has the same look like "this is amazing" ..........Just then I look up and I see this:

I mean cmon. Am I in Leucadia or Maui? A rainbow? So friggin cool. On my way back I stop at SoneSteps to catch the sunset. After a long cranky day it was nice to start to feel the wear andtear I had been feeling slowly lift off my shoulders. Sunsets do this for me. Especially this one: After SonteSteps I think it cant get any bettter. WRONG! You probably cant see cuz this is my camera phone but this is a double rainbow:The closer I got to my house the more light I felt. The weight of the past 2 weeks were finally coming free. At the market I had bought all the fixins for Matbucha. With the weather it was a perfect night to stand over a pot of boiling goodness and I did just that!
With my matbucha simmering, Kings of Leon playing and candles burning I decided it was time to open my yummi lil find from Henry's:

Bohemian Highway Cabernet - I bought it cuz it was inexpensive and the the label of course! But low and behold it was absolutely delicious! Then I cut up all my cheeses and this was my dinner:

Is it my imagination or is Danish Blue Cheese the absolute most incredible cheese on the planet? Its melts in your mouth and I just cant get enough! Well 2 hours later my matbucha was done and I heated up a pita for a lil taste before bed. Viola! It was perfect!!!!!!!

2 weeks ago Keir and I got in a little spat. Ruined our day together after a perfect mom and daughter weekend and I just couldnt get past it. I used every tool in my mind body and soul and just couldnt move on from it. I was holdin on tight! But thankfully a great conversation with Antonio and some wishes that we thought were impossible became possible and actually came true! My heaviness from the argument with Keir was finally lifted thanks to a great run, some rain, 2 rainbows, a sunset, Kings of Leon, great wine, beautiful lighting and some good ol SOUL FOOD. Deep breath..............in with the good.........deep breath out with the bad as my niece Kelis says......and we do it together..........deep breath in with the good.............deep breath out with the bad............and another day begins - filled with Love~Light~Laughter~Amen

Idyllwild - AGAIN!

noreply@blogger.com (Zen is in) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 21:41:00 +0000

Doesnt seem that long ago that we bought the trailer and headed straight out to Idyllwild. Well here we all are (minus Keir) back on the road and headin for a weekend of hiking, chillin, drinkin, eatin and R&R. This time I led the way with Mike and Meg following in their airstream. Everyone else was meeting us up there but we couldnt wait so we headed up early. The drive seemed much faster and instead of Keir and I jammin' to some Bob Marley I played Kings of Leon over and over til I got to the campgrounds. It was amazing how all of their songs seemed to be written just for me. ha ha I LOVE THE BROTHERS! The first night we got there, set up and Meg made a delicious lasagna. WOW was it amazing. She should really open a restaurant. In the morning we got up early and headed for a hike. Had to get the shot of Lily Peak of course ;-)
Back from the hike and it was nice to come and get in the trailer. I really love my home away from home. I hope Im not getting to used to being on the road.........
We were all taking siestas after Mike's killer chile egg breakfast and screwdrivers (ah hem, yes after our hike we drank screwdrivers - not very healthy but hey were on vacation!) when my umbrella decided to take a hike!!!!!!! The wind picked it up out of its stand and right past my ear and way way way down into a gully. My dad went to go grab it (their was no wind at this point) but he proceeded to pretend like he was the hero of the day and holding on for dear life from the north wind. Not true. But we all laughed anyways.......
Then of course it was jacked. All the guys came over to look at it and I was laughing cuz all 3 husbands were all under my lil teenie $20 palapa as if it were worth millions and needed to be fixed immediately. Nerds.
Saturday we all went into town to go to Jo'Anns for lunch. Too bad Jo'Anns is closed for the month of September. Note to self on that one. But everyone got my peace flag so all 4 trailers had my flag. It was kinda cool as you are walking past. Looks like hippy central. Cool man.

Pam and her husband Tony did their trailer all 60's. So awesome! Pam and mom modeling the cool vintage screen.

Inside its just the coolest. They even had stencils made for the walls and one wall says "if youre going to San Francisco" "Be sure to wear flowers in your hair"...........awe. So sweet. One of my all time favorite songs.
Thanks for the great tacos youre about to serve me...........Pam and Tony made us all a killer taco night for our last night.........Everyone is up chatting and helping and I was just sitting there like I was some princess or something.........well dang it...........I had just showered and didnt want to get all yukki.......ha ha........Thanks again everyone! Great conversations, great food, great wine and a great group of really fun people. Cant wait to do it again!!!!!!!!

Family Time

noreply@blogger.com (Zen is in) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:09:00 +0000

Its been a busy couple of weeks! Time has been flyin' by so fast I cant keep up!!! I think its the whole "End of summer" thing. Camping, dinners, family..........I finally had a moment of peace and quiet last night around 7pm. Lit every candle in the house, all the windows and doors open, had some incense burning and took a deep breath................

Last weekend the wholllllllllllleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee family went to Guajome Lake for Labor Day! Our pop up with Keir and Kelis blowin bubblesFinally sittin down after a long weekend of cooking, heat, fun, food, and fam

Jen n mom makin breakfast Saturday morninAlf and KelisPops, Mozelle and Kelis on a nature walk

On Thursday, after 4 longggggggggggggg years, Keir got her braces off!!!!!!!!!!!!! SO crazy to see her without braces............so shiney! Gorgeous lil baby o mine ;-)

Yesterday Keir and I volunteered at Life Rolls On for THEY WILL SURF AGAIN - Awesome Day!GREEN TEAM - One of our surfer's for the day - RUTHIE!

Green Team - waiting for our next surferGreen Team in the water with US OPEN Expression Session surfer with SCI - Keith catches a killer ride - Such a great day

Ended it by stoppin' off at the new Casa de Bandini in Encinitas and meeting moms and pops for a quick drink and we had Keir serenaded with Guantanamera...........

So thats the past couple of weeks in a nutshell - I love my life ;-)

The Maiden Voyage

noreply@blogger.com (Zen is in) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 23:15:00 +0000

Carpinteria or bust. Well it was anything but a bust. It was a BLAST! The drive up alone was less scary than I imagined. The trailer pulled super smoothe for the most part and until I got to the 101 I was totally fine. Once I hit the Ventura Freeway I played the family tradition song "Ventura Highway" by America. While Im in the car singin' away I was thinkin - wow - I did it. I conquered my fear of driving long distances alone! Then I really got into it and played the song 5 more times! haa haa My folks called and said it was a little tuff to find the campground so to call when I was exiting. I was on such an I DID IT high I gave it the ol college try and found the campground no problem. So I surprised them and pulled up to their site unannounced! tee hee

We took a walk around the campground to get the lay of the land and just then it was time for Happy Hour! I just jammed and got the trailer set up and raced over to my folks site for apps and cocktails! We had some great conversation and caught a gorgeous sunset. Just what I had hoped for. ;-)

Saturday morning I was up early and took a beach walk. Its really beautiful. Carpinteria is a natural site for tar and it seeps from the cliffs as you walk along the ocean. Its incredible.
We went into town, had breakfast then headed over to Santa Barbara for Santa Barbara Wood. Afterwards we hit the Santa Barbara Winery (another tradition) then over to the Indian bazaar that I love off State Street. I got a couple awesome tapestry's for the trailer and my most favorite incense! Then pops said he had a little treat for us in Montecito. He walked us down a trail to the ocean. It was a spot called Butterfly Beach where he and his buddies first camped during a surf trip back in 66'. The street to the beach is called Butterfly Lane.

Thanks for taking us here dad. That was really beautiful and made the day nostalgic.

Got back to the campsites and by the time I put on a hat mom had our apps and vino all set up! She is the master camping hostess with the mostest!

Cheers!

Here are some shots of the trailer. Its my new home away from home.

Although we took er' out the day we got er' I felt like this was the real 'Maiden Voyage'. It gave me a new sense of what life is all about. Its about packin up, headin out and havin the life you love. I am amazed alot lately. I really am. I woke up on Monday after the weekend away and just thought to myself.........Wow girl. You are really lucky. I sure am.

Admire

noreply@blogger.com (Zen is in) — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 22:01:00 +0000

Ive been missing the ocean the past couple of weeks.....

Been dealing with several very unpleasant house repairs ~ YUK ~ Putting the finishing touches on my pop up in order to get ready for a TON of upcoming summer adventures ~Raising a teenager ~ Connecting with friends & family ~ Running into unexpected car repairs ~ And now finally realizing I have not touched my feet to sand in weeks

Today I have finally finished with all of my chores and can kick back and enjoy all of my efforts

Ive been feeling like I have a lot on my plate but something has been telling me to give back ~ do more for others

So a few weeks ago I joined forces with They Will Surf Again

http://www.liferollson.org/site/pp.asp?c=egLLKTNJE&b=242310

I wanted to do something with the ocean and luckily I found TWSA

I know Dave Rastovich, Rob Machado and Donovan Frankenreiter have been big influences on me over the years and I have great admiration for how they live their lives

Their surf style, music, and activism

Hopefully I can rally one of them to join me on September 13th in La Jolla for the next TWSA event ~ The kids would love it! Im looking forward to getting out in the water and helping others enjoy what I love so much....SURFING!

My all time favorite guys

Dave RastovichDave Rastovich Dave Rastovich Rob Machado

Rob Machado

Donovan Frankenreiter

Donovan Frankenreiter

Admiration ~ Adoration ~ Appreciation

~My heros~

Now I need to get off here and go stick my feet in the ocean and watch the sunset with my family and rejuvenate ;-)

Plumsie and Shug-gah

noreply@blogger.com (Zen is in) — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 16:14:00 +0000

How cute are Plumsie and Shug-gah? They are so fun!!!!!!!! After beachin it all day I met up with the fam for some grub. I always love when Kelis says "Auntie you comin' to my house?" She says it whenever we part ways. Love her. Kelis throwin' a hang loose sign for me to email to her momma in Maui!

Hang Loose Jen!!!!!!

We'll see you tomorrow!

Happy Anniversary!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Aloha!

Keir

noreply@blogger.com (Zen is in) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 21:13:00 +0000

Rarely do I feel the need to post 2x in one day but

I just took Keir to lunch and she looked so pretty - I snapped this shot. Just had to post it..........Cant help myself....Im a proud momma ;-)

When the going gets tuff............

noreply@blogger.com (Zen is in) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 15:44:00 +0000

...............the tuff go kayaking!

Life is too short to wait around for fun stuff to come my way - so Im making my own fun! I got a kayak yesterday, went up to paddle sports in Carlsbad and bought a life vest (of course its lavender with butterflies all over it) and was ready to give it a go.

Ive kayaked a few times while on vacations. A few times in Manzinillo, Mexico and once in Ka'anapali, Maui. Thing is, you have the resort guys that set you all up and all you do is sit in it and they push you out into the calm surf. Ha ha - not so much when you're doin' it on your own as a sport!

Jen and Alf are on vacation so moms and pops are watchin the girls. They all went to Cruise Night in downtown Encinitas last night, so on my way to kayak I stopped and we all went to Giovanni's for dinner then they met me at Cardiff reef to watch me kayak.

The kayak weighs 50lbs so its a lil awkward takin it off the top of my truck. Then I had to manhandle it a bit to be able to carry it properly to the water. Once at the shore Kelis and Mozi immediately wanted in "the boat" as they called it. So friggin cute! I taught Kelis water safety by putting the life jacket on her (even tho she didnt go out in the water).

Lil Mozi is just the sweetest lil girl. She is always holding Kelis's hand and they are constantly huggin on each other. I mean cmon'...........can they be any sweeter? Melts my heart.

So I waved g'bye to the Plumsie and Suggah and off auntie went into the surf. Waves are bigger when you get out there. Luckily Ive done it enough times and knew what to do. Basically paddle your ass off til youre out past the surf!!!!! Pretty simple. LOL

Got out, waved at the fam and then paddled over to the surfers at suckouts. Surfers and kayakers arent friends so of course they completely ignored me. I knew enough to stay on the outside in the event that one of them was trying to catch a wave. Even the standup paddle boarder guy ignored me. I guess kayakers and stand up paddle boarders arent friends either!

Once I get out on a regular basis I will force them to be friends with me. ha ha

Other than being a little scared, since I was out their alone, it was amazing. The water was crystal clear and the sun was shining on the ocean. It was really quiet out there all alone. I came in once said bye to the fam then went back out and paddled back over to suckouts.

When I came in the second time the waves had picked up so it was a little hairy. I had to lay down flat on my back in order to ride the waves in without tipping over the kayak. It was an adrenaline rush and really fun. I got cooled off by the surf and got some exercise. Mission accomplished ;-)

Oh, and when I came in my pops had stayed behind to help me with the kayak in case I needed him. He watched as I loaded it and he helped me get it all secured with the tie downs. I think I could've pulled it off alone but it was nice to know that if it was too hard, pops was there to save the day.

Got home and unloaded it, washed it down and its sleeping in the garage now. Lovin the summer life! Hope this weather holds up for a couple more months so I can get good and maybe join a club and meet some people that like to kayak all the time. It was fun doin' it alone but it would be fun to have people to talk to and I think I would go further too. I was a bit of a baby and didnt go very far from shore. ha ha! Oh and when I bought the vest the owner was telling me how all the kayakers meet up at Humphrey's at the Bay for concerts! They all secure to one anothers kayaks then watch concerts from the water. I would love that!!! Yippee more fun stuff to PLAN!

The Summer of Fun ~ Cant beat it ;-)

Trust in the UIVERSE

noreply@blogger.com (Zen is in) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 21:42:00 +0000

Yesterday I watched a small bird, flying very fast, disappear into the canopy of an oak tree. So dense were its leaves that it was impossible to see what happened next, though I can tell you it remained inside.

*
I wondered how the little bird found its opening through the leaves at such a speed, and then managed to gently align its fragile body on the branch it chose to land upon, all within a fraction of a second. Not to mention the impossible to imagine flying maneuvers required: the banking, the curling, the vertical and horizontal stabilization's, the deceleration and landing. Memory? Calculation? Not in that tiny brain. Instinct? Maybe, but how does instinct know which way the branches of a tree have grown when no two are the same?
*
That little bird just knew. It had faith, in spite of not being able to see how things would work out, that if (and only if) it stayed the course the details would be taken care of; that an opening would appear and a twig would be found. In fact, had she slowed down enough to carefully and logically inspect the tree first, the prudent thing to do, she would have lost her lift and fallen to the ground.
*
Kind of like reaching for your dreams. Neither memory, nor calculating, nor instincts are the deciding factors, but faith coupled with action.
~Tallyho, The Universe
*
Well, this message came this morning. Fitting eh?
*
I feel like the universe has given me yet another confirmation that I am going in the right direction. That direction being FORWARD! I have to trust in myself, who I am, all I know and be okay with where I am. And where I am is just where I am. The universe, God and Destiny are all in alignment. Deep breath. It will all work out. Not how I imagine.

Just how it is supposed to.
*
So I got the trailer Friday and Ive already got 3 camping trips lined up!!!!!!!!!!!! HA! We had a great time in Idyllwild. We drove up, got a lil lost, but got there by 6, set up and were bbq-in by 8 ;-)
*
(side note) Backing up on the setting up - Melissa will love this one:
*
So moms and pops are setting up the Airstream and Keir and I are dealing with the Pop Up. She is unloading the truck and Im setting up the pop up. We get it all organized and she is handing me the bedding. I fix my side all up - eazy peazy.

Then I go to put her side altogether.............um yea.........ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh (thats me screaming!) we didnt put the stabilizers under the left side of the trailer so when I went to the far side of Keirs side and..........
whhhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww ba-bonk..............down it went.
Well its pitch black and I had feared the trailer rolling down the cliff earlier, so when the trailer tipped, I just pictured bedknobs and broomsticks - if you've ever seen the movie as a kid - the bed goes flying something like this - minus the smiley faces!SOOOOOOOOOOO Im face down inside the trailer, holding on for dear life, not moving a muscle, meanwhile, Keir is hysterically laughing, dad is stunned and crying he is laughing so hard and mom is laughing and saying "Where is my camera!" and Im thinkin...........someone put a rock under the front wheel or Im going off the cliff...........once I move the whole trailer goes ba-bonk the other way, dad says "Come on out, its fine" and I come out of the trailer and first thing Keir says is "That shudda been on YOUTUBE". Well Im just happy to have amuzed everyone. LOL
*
That was it. All the excitement for the evening. Perfect. Glad to have been of service. ;-)
*
Saturday dad and I hiked while mom and Keir played board games. The hike was pretty steep but really fun

After we hiked, pops and I came back and we all went into town. Pizza was on the menu but when we got to the pizza place we knew that wasnt what we all had in mind. It was in a funky old parking lot and indoors. Um Nope. Wasnt happnin'. The town is all on one street so we drove around and found Jo'Annes. Outdoor lil place with live music playin. um hum. Perfecto! Then we walked around town, went to the market, stopped in an antique store then back to the campsite for naps. HA! We were pooped! We had some snacks, listened to some music but really did a whole lotta nothing all afternoon til it started getting dark and we grilled out again ;-) Sunday morning we were up early

Top-O-The-Mornin'

except Keir - teenagers love to get themselves some sleep!
Once 'sleeping teen' was up - we started packin it up and headed home...........it was the first weekend in our new trailer and it went off without a hitch - well except for me almost flying thru the air off the cliff ;-) Now the trailer is home and next up is getting it ready for some upcoming trips. We decided the trailer theme will be

- The Endless Summer -

So when you see a trailer being pulled down the highway that is painted like this:Throw us the "Hang loose" sign cuz Keir and I will be traveling to some summer destination wishing you were all with us!

"Shaka" ~Angie

A camping we will go!

noreply@blogger.com (Zen is in) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 20:18:00 +0000

I got it! I got it! I got it! Its older than dirt, but I got it! Its a 1987 StarCraft tent trailer. No more sleeping in a tent on the hard ground!!!!!!!! Its in killer condition, has 2 queen size beds, a stove, a sink and a huge dining table! This thing is so cool I cant stand myself!

I packed the car up last night and am at work today all ready to go. I had a vibe to call the seller just to check if he is back from his vacation.

Sure enough he answers and said come get it!

My dad blazed over to my work, jammed up to San Clemente and my dad totally wheeled and dealed with the seller and we got it for so cheap. WHAT A STEAL!

So were headin' for the mountains this weekend and I was all set to camp in my tent.

NOT!!!!

Now I'll be all cozy in my pop up! Anyone wanna buy a tent? ;-)

Have a great weekend! Peace OUT!

A lil bit of this - A lil bit of that

noreply@blogger.com (Zen is in) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 15:29:00 +0000

What a weekend! After a week of an enormous life shift, I was ready for some R&R. And that's just what I got.

Off from work early on Thursday and headed straight to the beach for a bbq and sunset with the family. It is so fun to be driving down the 101 and see my parents Airstream and the palapa umbrella. (Its their signature umbrella - can't miss it!) The sun popped out just long enough to grille up some teriyaki hamburgers with swiss cheese and pineapple. mmmmmmmmmmmmmm a little macaroni salad and the sun was just about to set. Why is this so amazing to me after 40 years? I dunno, but I sure love it. The sun setting on the ocean always brings me back to life in tuff times.
*

Friday I slept in, got a nice long bath, messed around the house a lil then it was time to SPA. With my birthday gift card - I took myself to The Four Seasons for a day of some seriously needed pampering. Lord. Was it needed. Got an 80 minute all organic facial. All of the products were from the ocean. Soothing beyond my imagination. With my hands in paraffin wax, my shoulders were massaged and my facial was my chest, neck and face all at once. A light mist of steam trickling down.........I am sure I dozed off a few times. Absolutely let go.

After my facial I headed out to the "Tranquility" pool. Hello. I dont know if I've ever seen a more elegant pool.

I ordered a chicken quesadilla and a glass of chardonnay. This was my view:

I slept on and off and sunned from 130 to 530. What an awesome day!

Saturday was the 4th. Packed my backpack, hopped on my bike, grabbed some chips and beers and headed to the beach. Oops, backup. My tires were completely flat (need a bike pump) so I had to stop at 7-11 to fill up. After riding a lil ways I also realized its time to get a bike basket. I pretty much crushed all of my dads Fritos with the beers. LOL

The fam was camped again in the Airstream at ponto so I battled the crazy out-of-town-traffic down the 101 and made it safely to the beach. SHEESH! As I pulled up to ponto the crowds were all nuts. Families were parked in every nook and cranny possible. I've never seen anything like it. A man was pist off at another man and he went over to his big giant beer bellied buddy and they both came over to the other man together. OMG they were fighting over a parking spot! I looked back once then just kept riding. Too intense for me to deal with such anger on a gorgeous sunny holiday weekend. Hope they worked it out.

Sat under the palapa all day and got some great sun. Went in the water a couple of times and then whipped up some chicken teriyaki kabobs and mom made a rad summer salad! mmmmmmmmmmm - Clouds were comin over so after we bbq'd I hopped back on my bike and rode home. It was too cloudy in Encinitas to see the fireworks but I could hear them over at Aviara. ;-) Killer day!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sunday. Was up at 7. Why? I dunno know. Woke up, it was sunny, I had energy so I rolled with it. Got up, cleaned the house, went to breakfast, then decided to drag my folks all over Oceanside in search of a bike basket. he he FOUND IT!

Now I can ride to the farmers market on Sundays, grab some flowers and fresh fruit and ride back without crashing! Dad got it all set up for me and I was ready for a ride.

Mom went to grab grandpa Buddy to get him out of the house and I finished doin' some stuff at my place. Around 230 we met up over at a little pub in Leucadia "Uncle Dukes". Grandpa needed some fun so we put some Elvis and Johnny Cash on the jukebox and got gramps a bud and some chips and we had the best time. We even did a little waltz to Folsom Prison Blues. It was so fun to have a lil dance with my 88 year old grandpa. He said he really enjoyed gettin out and asked if we could do that more often. Awe. Lil grandpa.

Welp. That was my weekend. Sun, Fun & Family.

Mission accomplished.

My Path

noreply@blogger.com (Zen is in) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 20:09:00 +0000

We've all had our ups and downs in life now haven't we? Some more than others. What has been ringing true to me lately is we're all in this together. I'm on my path, you're on yours. But in the end, the more we can help one another the easier life seems. So if that's true why is it so hard to ask for help? When things seem to veer off my path of happiness, little voices ring in my ears. "Just get it done" "Make it happen" "You can do it" "You don't need anyone's help""Don't burden anyone" and so on. I decided to ask for help and in the past few weeks I have been digging deep into my soul. With that have seemed to have stirred up some interesting stuff that needed to be addressed. Things that have plagued me my whole life. Made me angry, sad, fearful, insecure and have left me paralyzed in many situations that most people would just blow off and say "Well that was so and so's fault" or "Its not me, its him, her or them" .

Well. The truth is. It is high time I face myself in the mirror and recognize that person or those people I blame for making me feel this way or that way is ..........ME.

I have decided to accept responsibility for my own actions in my life. How I talk to people, treat people and how I proceed from here on. Yesterday was the first day where I woke up knowing their was an elephant in the room that I could no longer ignore. The elephant in the room is my past. Lemme tell ya.........Its one big fucking elephant! So I see it now and as of yesterday I am facing it head on. Not trying to go around it, above it or over it. Just face it. By saying "IT" I am saying its time to face MYSELF.

This is uncharted territory for me. Ive taken seminars, read countless, and I mean countless books on self help etc, had counseling and talked so many friends ears off I am surprised they can still wear earrings! With all of the help and work I believed I had done on myself what I didn't realize was I was working on more obvious things or rather things that were EASILY worked on from the surface. But to really feel good about myself and who I am I had to take measures to dive deeper and drum up the muck.

What's made me recognize most of this is that in a few days I'll be turning 40, my daughter is about to turn 16 and I've met someone that is worth me taking at look at who I really am. He's made me want to be a better person. When he and I re-connected a few months ago I was so sure I was in a great place in my life. I swore up and down that I am not one of those crazy chicks full of drama, baggage or whatever else all chicks seem to feed off of.

HA! Was I wrong. I've realized so much about myself these past weeks that it was hard to not see that I am far from finished with my so called WORK on myself. The WORK is just beginning. I guess life is always a work in progress. (Maybe I should make a shirt that says that!) So I'm turning 40, Keir is turning 16 and I have a great guy in my life that deserves to be treated with kindness, love and respect.

This is where I begin my new path. Today I give myself a brownie button for taking this step in the right direction.

I know the work ahead will be hard, uncomfortable at times and a little scary but I'm ready and willing to do the work so I can live in the present moment. My gift to myself is acceptance. Acceptance of where I am today. Ive begun a new journey. On a path filled with pretty trees, plants, flowers and hope. I have proved I am a survivor and I take ownership of my emotions, intentions and truth. I see the elephant and today he seems a little smaller than yesterday. Hopefully everyday he is shrinking until one day the elephant is no more.

That will be a good day.

Surrender

noreply@blogger.com (Zen is in) — Mon, 18 May 2009 17:22:00 +0000

Yesterday I sat in my backyard looking up at the sky. I was asking God and the universe for guidance, clarity, strength, hope and whatever else the two of them could come up with for me. You know what was answered back? A light breeze, birds singing and a lil sunlight peeking thru the clouds. This has always been the answer when I ask questions. The breeze, sun, singing.......they are all there to remind me to surrender to my own mind. Step out. Let life be life. Im not in control. Im just here to live, love and laugh.

Live the best life. Be the best mother, daughter, sister and lover I can be. Be gentle with myself. Be happy that I am healthy! I was remembering a few months ago when my health wasnt so good. All the tests. Monitors. Doctor visits. It was not that long ago! Going to sleep for weeks wondering......"Am I dying?" - "Will I wake up tomorrow?" ......And now just months later......Im healthy and all of those health issues are gone. So living the best life to me means BE HAPPY TO BE HEALTHY AND ABLE TO LIVE!

Love with my whole heart. Be open. Help others in need.

Laugh. Mostly to laugh. Laugh at myself. How serious I am. Why am I this way you ask? Conditioning. A lifetime of being conditioned to BE THE BEST. Being the best at everything is all consuming. Years ago I gave up that thinking but recently have forgotten to get back to that place of laughing at myself. Let go of the conditioning and remind myself to STOP-LOOK-LISTEN not just to my own inner voice but of those around me who love me and want only my true happiness.

The air around me has been cloudy of late. But today I surrender. I surrender to thinking I am the all seeing eye. This, I am not. I am just a simple girl. Living a simple life. Loving my daughter, family friends. Thanking God and the universe for giving me a job that keeps a roof over my head, gas in my car, light in my home and food on my table. For my destiny leading me to a man who has challenged me to see out side of myself and to be open to whatever our journey together brings.

So again, I surrender. Surrendering has never been easy for me. I like things in order. Ship shape. Easy. Basic. Drama free. But luckily for me and those around me. Nowadays I find peace when I surrender. When I let go. Today, I am letting go..............

On the day that you were born the angels got together..................

noreply@blogger.com (Zen is in) — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 21:10:00 +0000

There is a song by The Carpenters called 'Close to You'..............'Close To You' was released in late May of 1970 and within six weeks was Number one. Its been a song that we all sing in our family and my mom sings it to me and I have always sang it to Keir. Here are some of the lyrics:

On the day that you were born
The angels got together
And decided to create a dream come true
So they sprinkled moon dust in your hair of gold
And starlight in your eyes of blue

Why do stars fall down from the sky
Every time you walk by?
Just like me, they long to be
Close to you

Everytime the song comes on..... I want to squeeze Keir and tell her how much I love her. She is just the most amazing daughter a mom could ever begin to dream of. I believe the angels brought her to me. Over the weekend we spent time with my nieces, her cousins of course, and the whole time we were at the park I just couldnt stop snapping pictures of Keir. She is such a natural beauty and sparkles from the inside out. Her eyes are so blue sometimes I can stop staring at them. Good thing she doesnt mind too much.

Keir is so special. She is so smart, kind, considerate, fun, funny and loving. Im constantly amazed at what a wonderful child she has always been. Even when she was little, like 4 or 5, she would dress up in my clothes and pose and be funny or I would be playing a cd and she would learn the lyrics and then ask for that song to be played so she could put on a show for me and sing.

All of her inner beauty make her a beautiful person on the outside. What I love most about her is how she always has a smile and I was just remembering when I taught her to ride her bike with her training wheels on when were living in la jolla. I bought her a barbie helmet. She put it on and was peddling all around the pool of our complex and I can still see the smile on her face as I took her picture. Its just like the one you see above. I love that about her.

Sometimes the candid pictures of Keir are the best. When she doesnt know youre watching her. In this picture above she was pushing Kelis and Mozelle on the swings and all I could think is wow.....................she is just stunning. Absolutely stunning. I love her style too. Some teens dont have a style just yet. They havent really figured out what they like or dont like. Keir has this really awesome bohemian style of funky tops, cool jewelry and hippy shoes or uggs. ha ha I love it. Im always so in awe when we shop together and she finds the coolest stuff.

Not only is she just this beauty, she gives her heart and soul to her family. She loves all of us and always wants to hang with us and take lil road trips, camp, go to breakfast or just sit with us and chat. I just feel so lucky to have a teenager that is so into family and loves life and lives to the fullest and the happiest she can everyday. She gets the meaning of 'Stop and Smell the Roses'

When youre as awesome of a kid as Keir is you attract cool people to you. I talked to Keirs school counselor today and she said she loved that Keir is so special and hip but she hangs out with kids that maybe arent the coolest or the most popular. Keir chooses friends that are TRUE FRIENDS and she sticks close to them. Like George. (Pictured above) Keir has been friends with George since 7th grade. We have spent time with his family and he with ours and we really cherish that Keir has stayed so close to him.

Well I guess Ive had a long overdue brag session! Most of my friends have little ones and I get to hear about how they are walking, talking, eating, what their poop looked like last night, that they are off the boob, not having a pacifier at bedtime anymore etc.........I just needed to say to all ya all...............I have the best daughter I could have ever dreamed and Keir.........if you read this.........just know.....

On the day that you were born
The angels got together
And decided to create a dream come true
So they sprinkled moon dust in your hair of gold
And starlight in your eyes of blue

Why do stars fall down from the sky
Every time you walk by?
Just like me, they long to be
Close to you................I love you muffin. Love, Mom

Lakers game was fun but what bout' LL?

noreply@blogger.com (Zen is in) — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 17:27:00 +0000

Left Encinitas at 4 and got to the game by 630. Not to shabby. Got off on Pico and whipped right into Lot 1 and into the Staples Center like champs! Up 2 flights and into B-15 VIP box. SWEET!

Grabbed ourselves some yummi apps and an Amstel and we were good to go! OH YEA!

Jack having a little convo before the game starts. The Lakers are winning, beers are cold, Jen and I are havin a blast but really we were just biding out time waitin for the big screen to pan on this guy:Sittin next the where the players are standing in the White t-shirt and white ball cap is none other than LL Cool J. We could see his diamond chunks (as Jen called them) all the way up in the VIP box! He would move or turn and they were blinding!!!!! Finally just after the 3rd quarter they panned on LL and kept the camera on him for a while. The crowd went crazy. Jen and I sat in silence. He did his signature lip lick and that was bout that.

Back on the road, 5 was closed, detour thru Long Beach, back on the 710 and onto the 5 and home in 1.5. Thats what Im talkin' bout.

Thanks for drivin Jen! That was so fun!!!!!!!!!

Monterey or Bust!

noreply@blogger.com (Zen is in) — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 19:03:00 +0000

We did it! We went to Monterey! WHOO HOO! Mom and I headed out at dawn on Friday and the entire road trip was incredible! We had the best time and it was non-stop fun! We only had one lil mishap.................it looked a little something like this:
We were passing thru Irvine and I noticed the car next to us must have hit the car in front of him cuz their was smoke and his front end was completely pushed in. Just then mom slammed on the brakes!! Her car is so gnarly we didnt even feel the car going from 70 to a stop! Smoke everywhere, cars hitting each other behind us, screeching and she sees another car about to hit us from the rear side..............she throws it into drive and in 1 second we were outta there! No one hit us but she could see everything going on behind us and she said "should we stop?" I said "NO! GO GO GO!" and we got the flock outta there! She was still shaking and realized she had so much adrenaline she was about to pass out. She started seeing stars so I began fanning her with a magazine.............after a few minutes of laughing, crying and giving a special thanks to moms NASCAR driving skills we made it out without a scratch. Miracle one.

We figured after that incident we were golden. So we continued on our journey up north. WHEW!

We got to Santa Barbara and decided to stop for brunch and a celebration of being alive with a mimosa ;-)

We had yummi egg white omlettes at Shell Cafe' and then jumped back on the highway of death. ha ha

As we made our way we had chips and ranch dressing and that was it all the way to Monterey. Our GPS navigation system was working but we kept not believing it and called our hotel from time to time. Sure enough still 2 hours away. How is that possible? Seemed like we had been driving forever!

Off the 101 and exit Sanborn. FINALLY! Now we're on 68 and heading into the Monterey Peninsula. Lord almighty! 7 straight hours of driving!!!!!We arrive at the Lighthouse Lodge and just like the brochure said..........1/2 block to the beach! Incredible. Well. Their is a catch. See below video:

All we could do is pour a glass of wine and get over it! We have beautiful deer to our right and just beyond several folks who are no longer living is the gorgeous ocean! Hey the hotel is free so we wont complain! ;-) The show must go on!!!!

We gathered our bearings and headed into town. Parked front row and went into Scheid for a wine tasting. We really just wanted a glass but they didnt do "by the glass" so they were super nice and showed us where to go. Well none of those places were cozy looking so we walked back into Scheid. The girl was so nice she said......."How bout I just give you 4 tastings of the same wine?" Hip hip hooray! YES! The decor was warm and inviting and we sat next to the fireplace and sipped our chardonnay. The manager came up and gave us an extra tasting of the RESERVE as we chatted with him about the building and the town. We told him we were going to the Sardine Factory for dinner and he said "OH well if you buy wine here there is no corking fee there!" Well that was an easy sale. ;-) *MOM*

ME*

We laughed and took these pics like this on purpose and all night we would look at the pics back and forth and roll laughing that we look alike and say MOM now ME - MOM now ME - MOM now ME over and over. Maybe you had to be there but we thought it was hilarious!

We went to the Sardine Factory after our tasting and had Steak and Salmon and just so happened to be seated in the most gorgeous seat in the house. The Conservatory.

Our dinner and service were incredible. This is all DAY 1!

In the morning we got up, I grabbed us breakfast from the continental breakfast bar and we headed to 17 Mile to take the coastal drive to Pebble Beach for lunch. :-) First we have to grab gas and cash. We stop in town and as we make a U-turn and are driving to the bank I realize.........Did I just see what I thought I saw? "MOM TURN AROUND!" She whips a U-ie and we pull up to this church:

Of course we stopped. Said a prayer. Got choked up. Then continued on in amazement.

The drive to Pebble Beach is beautiful. The scenery is like nothing youve ever seen. Huge trees and forest with the ocean peeking thru. We got to the Pebble Beach Lodge and were seated directly overlooking the 18th hole! Miracle 2.

As we were leaving Pebble Beach a man asked if we were going to Carmel. We hadnt really thought much about it but he gave us a map and said its literally 5 minutes from here. Um ok, duh...........so off we went! Got into Carmel, bought some t-shirts, walked around a little then headed back to Pacific Grove/Monterey.

We stopped at the butterfly sanctuary which..........big surprise...........just happened to be a block from our hotel! Thousands of butterflies.................So beautiful. Afterwards we drove back into Monterey, had a little bite to eat then over to Bargetto for a wine tasting. They were so nice there and we just totally enjoyed all the great service. We each bought a bottle. YAY!

As you can imagine, by now, we are pooped! We think we are going to go to the hotel and nap then head back out for dinner. What troopers we are. NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!! We got to the hotel. Put on the fireplace. Watched a movie and ordered in. HE HE All of this was DAY 2!

Ok..............last day.............Wake up, shower, pack and off we go! Hop onto HWY 1 for a beautiful stroll home down the coast to San Diego. (Im laughing as I write this) Um............HWY 1 is anything but a stroll. Beautiful yes. But a stroll? No. Its a 2 lane HWY on a 200 foot cliff with no barriers! My worst nightmare! Well I tried to be brave and enjoy it but it was not easy. Mom did great. She was fine and wanted to go 80 in a 40 zone but I would scream and tantrum til she slowed down. yes, Im a brat. But to me it looked like this will be us soon:

Minus the boat but this is how I envisioned us if Dannika didnt slow down!

We started seeing restaurants and rest stops that said Big Sur. Oh...............we said............we must be in BIG SUR! Hi we're blonde! We kept seeing places to stop but werent feelin it. Finally we came around a tight bend and mom said "Here?" "Yes!" I said. We ended up at Deetjen's Big Sur Inn. Its been there since the early 1930's and is now a historical landmark. As we ate our brunch we asked to hear the story of the Inn. The owner brought us several books to go thru. To our surprise and bewilderment the one place we pick was built and owned by a Norwegian man named Helmuth Deetjen. We pick the one place owned by a Norwegian. Again. We're choked up. We ate and talked and realized............hey we need to get back on the road! Here is the Big Sur Inn:

All the photos of Helmuth over the years are in the background - Sunlight on my pretty mom

Our awesome window table overlooking the pine trees and flowers outside:-)

Well.............after breakfast we hopped back on the 1 and headed to Paso Robles, up the 46 to HWY 101! Sidenote: (HWY 46 is the wine country row......how we ended up on it is just a twist of fate) We stopped at Laetitia Vineyard for our picnic and that was all she wrote. Literally! We jammed back to San Diego and made it home by 615pm. Record time thanks to KT aka. Dannika Patrick! Mom, that was a great trip. So many memories. I love you, Ang

2 girls, a sunny day and some good ol' eric clapton...

noreply@blogger.com (Zen is in) — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 16:25:00 +0000

I am partial but I happen to think I have the prettiest momma ever! Saturday mom picked me up at 11 (ON THE DOT!) and we drove out Del Dios HWY to Hernandeaz Hideawy. mmmmmmmmmm we had Margaritas and brunch. HA! Who cares its almost summer!

Hernandez Hideaway is a little Mexican restaurant out in the middle of no where but it is so yummi! This is a pic of the restaurant and some cute workers sittin out havin a beer. Course I made them wave! ;-)
Lake Hodges.............not a bad way to spend a Saturday huh?
We had some time to kill before we were meetin up with pops so we mozied out yonder to Orfila Vineyard! A little browsing and a quick glass of their Award Winning Chardonnay we were back on our way!
Jammin to some Eric Clapton..............wind blowin..............what an awesome day!
After 2 failed attempts at restaurants that had closed down.......we ended up at Joes' Crabshack, window table, overlooking the harbor in Oceanside. WOW. The luck-o-the-Trulson's!!!!
Thanks for a great day mom and pop. Im a lucky girl! XOXOXO

Check Check Check.......he says................

noreply@blogger.com (Zen is in) — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 23:00:00 +0000

How fun to still love live music as much as I do. I still check venues regularly around town to see whose playing and whats happening that I may want to do. Well it just so happens on Monday around 2pm Im listening to 102.1 KPRi and they announce Donavon Frankenreiter is playing at the Belly Up. Excuse me!!!!!!!!!!!!! At the Belly UP? 5 miles from my house? OMG. I checked the website calendar and sure as shit. He's playing Monday and Thursday...............both shows

SOLD OUT! Son of a bitch. Since I work with all the biggest players in the media industry I start askin around if we have any connections with Belly Up. I got a big fat NO from everyone. Dammit. One of my buddys said call and see if they released any more tickets. I did. They had just released 2 tix. As I had KAT on hold at the box office Im thinking to myself...........well who in the hell am I gonna go with? DER! So I hang up. That evening I was talkin with my buddy Sonny and he was into going THUR to the show. He can get tix since he and Donavon are friends. RAD! So we plan on THUR and all week Im stoked thinkin about it. YEA. Ends up Donavon changed his number and Sonny cant get a hold of him. No biggy. We will just go and buy tix from scalpers when we get there. Lil adventure. ;-) Im up for it! Well THURs my buddy Marty at my office comes up to me and says "Do you belive in fate?" "Of course" I say "Well you must have some good karma cuz here ya go" as he hands me 2 tix to Donavon Frankenreiter! HOLY SHIT! One of the guys at the office had 2 extra and gave them to Marty and Marty gave them to me. WOW. ASK AND IT IS GIVEN ............... I was walkin to the bar to get my thousandth beer and these guys saw me holding my camera, took it, and their budy took this pic. ha ha Just random guys but I had to post it cuz I thought it was a funny thing to happen to a chick mindin her own business. In the picture we all look like were bff's! Hilarious. Well the show rocked and another hero of mine joined Donavon on stage towards the end of his the set. Rob Machado. It was awesome. Not a bad evening............and my all time fav part was when he first took the stage and said "Check, check check" into the mic........damn thats hot.

Nurture thy soul..............

noreply@blogger.com (Zen is in) — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 16:15:00 +0000

Today I woke up with a sense of feeling nurtured all the way to the core of my being. I didnt wake up feeling lost, insecure or wondering "whats next". I woke up knowing its all going to work out. I started off the week by meeting up with McCabe at her magical cottage by the sea. We talked, ate & drank for nearly 3 hours. It felt good to be open and honest and to hear myself say the words Ive longed to hear come out of my mouth...........I am truly happy. I am truly safe. I am truly pure of my intentions to the universe. Finally I am free of the suffocating feeling of emptiness and and the annoying feeling that I just dont know where life is going to take me. I dont feel that way any longer. I AM FREE.

*
As I walked onto the jetty at ponto this morning a guy dressed in jeans, uggs, sweatshirt and some very cool glasses was standing out towards the end staring out at the waves. He said Good morning and so did I. I took the picture of the Loved As Is rock, watched the surfers for a bit then turned to walk back to my car.

Ponto jetty is a very magical place. I have said prayers there for many years and so has my dad. Its kinda the place we go when were feeling like we need to be closer to God. I guess we think we will be heard more clearly while praying if we are in a place that makes us feel so good. And magically, Ponto jetty always does the trick.

On Monday, just as I left McCabe's, she handed me the painted rock *Loved As Is*

which is so typical of her to know exactly what nourishment a friend needs. And boy did I need it! But she has also said time and time again that she loves to leave her rocks all over the beach area for people to find. To spread joy and happiness in her own little way.

So today as I was leaving me and dads "secret spot" I realized that my Ponto jetty energy rejuvenation morning may not have been only for me. As I walked across the sand and was nearing my car the man on the jetty was also getting into his car. He is a nice looking man with blonde sun kissed scraggly hair. He looks like he just woke up, thru on his jeans and was on a surf check. This just happens to be my favorite look on a man.

;-)

I got into my car. He in his. I turned the ignition. But stopped. I took the rock and walked over to his car. Tap tap tap on his window......
*
"I guess I am supposed to give this to you" I said
*
"To me?" He said
*
"Yes, its for you" "Have a great day" I said
*
"THANKS!" He said
*
I turned and walked back to my car and we waved to each other as I drove away...........Thanks to McCabe and her sweet little slice of heaven for all to enjoy and to me for thinking to myself...........maybe this man, just like me, needs to know...........HE IS...........