Random Snapshots

on the road.

Cousin Denise and I are at Sock Summit; having a great time!

 

No time to blog!  But, follow our photstream here: Sock Summit 2009.

mission accomplished!

This past Saturday we flew down to Hermosa Beach (LA) to surprise my cousin Jules for her 30th birthday.  The party was Saturday night so we figured going down for the weekend would be fun.  We got a killer deal on airfare through Virgin America and really couldn't pass up the opportunity. 

The surprise went off without a hitch.  She said that she had been wanting us to come, but didn't want to say anything or get her hopes up.  She was really surprised though.

Here we are waiting for them to arrive at John & Julie's for breakfast and the surprise.

We had a great time at the party on Saturday night.  Jules & Mark have a great group of friends and it was really fun catching up with all of them.

 

  

 

The sunny, 80* weather didn't hurt either!  Sunday morning Jules & Mark had a prior engagement so we took a walk along the beach and had breakfast with a friend.

 

Gorgeous, right?!  I love it there!

Sunday night we had dinner at John & Julie's house.  Julie made macaroni, of course, and it was outstanding as usual!  We also had a some famous Aunt Marilyn cake.

  

Monday morning before we had to leave for the airport Mark took us for another walk along the beach.  We also had breakfast at one of our favorite spots on the beach.

  

Does anyone recognize this house?

  

It's the 90210 house!  From the original series.

And for just $5500 a month you can rent out the top floor.  :)

  

We had a great weekend -- it was much too short, but we definitely made the most of it.  I really love surprises.  Especially the ones that involve flying somewhere to surprise someone.  It's my favorite.  

If you want to take a look at the rest of the pictures from the weekend click here -- Julianne's 30th Birthday Weekend  

Twilight stalking

The weekend before last BFF Jessica and I went on a roadtrip to Forks, WA in search of Edward Cullen or other hot, teenage vampires.  We didn't have anything to do that particular Saturday and figured Twilight stalking was as good a plan as any.  After checking out the weather and seeing that it was going to be 55* and sunny in Forks, without any rain the deal was sealed. 

We left early in the afternoon and it took us about 3.5 hours to get there.  The first half of the drive was extrememly boring, but the second half really made the entire trip.

Driving around the Olympic pennisula was breathtaking, to say the least.  The route is packed with gorgeous-green-Northwest scenery and takes you through the mountains and along various bays.  Thankfully there are several pull-offs along the way to stop, take photos, and drink it all in.

We stopped to take photos both before and after we explored Forks.

  

  

  

  

Getting to the town of Forks was a little anti-climatic as we'd expected.  There was very minimal filming there for the movie and most of the sites were staged.  We took a few photos and drove around a bit before heading home.  The town is VERY small and you can see everything on just a couple of main roads.

Bella's red pickup:

  

And the sticker Jacob put on the back:

  

Forks High School where all the magic happens:

  

The outdoor store that Bella works at:

  

And Dr. Cullen's parking spot at the hospital:

  

We also saw Charlie's police cruiser, but I guess I didn't take a photo of that.  We didn't end up going to the Swan or Cullen house - they are both staged and private residences.  We also didn't end up stopping anywhere in Port Angeles, but we did drive through it twice.  

All in all it was a fun roadtrip and worth the ride since we live so close.  It's nothing that I'd fly out for (unless they were filming -haha!), but if you're close it makes for a fun day!  I was the passenger so I ended up finishing most of my Bella's mittens on the way.  I had hoped to completely finish them and take some FO photos in Forks, but it didn't work out that way. 

Here are some links that I found about touring the area in case anyone is interested in going:

After the Bite 

Twilight Tour 

Dorks in Forks  

red.eye.

 

Almost time to go!  I'm still packing, but should be done soon.  Just waiting for a few things to come out of the dryer.  The shuttle comes to get us in 3 hours and our flight leaves at 10:45pm.  It's going to be a long night and I probably should have taken a nap today.     

I'm not looking forward to the cold and snow.  I realized this morning that I really don't have any cold-weather gear anymore.  Don't get me wrong -- it gets cold here, but not THAT cold and it doesn't last long.  Great excuse to go shopping when I get home!

I plan to blog throughout my trip as time allows.  Even if just from my iPhone. 

Better go finish packing and power down my laptop.  :)

Going back to Cali, Cali, Cali...

Anyone know that song?  ;)

The hubs and I are headed to Cali this morning and will be there until Monday afternoon.

These two are getting married.  Mark and Julianne. 

And the hubs and I are both standing up in the wedding. 

As an added bonus we will be seeing a bunch of my family from home.   It doesn't get any better than that - family time is so rare these days so we really try and cherish it while we can.  It's going to be a good couple of days. 

Whoville and such

I'm going back to the tour at Universal last month.  Our tourguide took us to Whoville!  Actually, she had never seen this set before either so it was a treat.  It is behind the Bates motel which I blogged about before.  I've always loved Dr Suess and I loved having the chance to see this old set.

Here are a few photos from the set:

Pretty fun, eh?  I loved it!

I've had a busy week with school.  I'm in my last week of this current class and there have been a lot of assignments to wrap up.  This weekend is dedicated to writing a research paper on Jack Kevorkian.  It needs to be 3000 words which is I think is too many.  :)  Thankfully Jack's recent release from jail has spurred more than enough articles in the online library in which I am getting information from.  The other day I checked out 10 books from the library about euthanasia.  The library worker gave me an interesting look during the checkout which made me laugh because she's the bitchy one at that library that I really don't like. 

I'm hoping to free up some more blogging time in the near future, but honestly, I do not have much to blog about anymore.  There's only so much I can say about my boring life which consists of work and school.  Maybe this summer will bring some blog-worthy photos and stories.  One can hope.  :)

Have a great weekend! 

He said...

"Who's sleeping in my tent tonight?" the minute he stepped onto stage.

And the crowd went crazy.

Last night we saw John Mayer perform at the Gorge.  It was amazing.  Concerts at the Gorge can't be beat.  The setting is absolutely perfect for visuals and sound.

I can't remember if this was my third or fourth time seeing him live, but this was definitely the best show yet.  He really plays his ass off and I doubt very much if anyone left that show disappointed.  We went with our friends, Allison and Rob and Elysabeth.  I know the girls said that they couldn't believe how great of a show it was and would see him again in the future. 

It's no secret that I adore obsess over him.  I love every song he's written and can sing every word.  The concert went by so fast for me.  Seeing John Mayer is one of the best ways that I can think of to spend a weekend.  I am still on my usual concert high and cannot wait until the next show.

I don't have any photos because I don't have a small point and shoot anymore.  I have the memories though, which is good enough for me!

Ben Folds opened up and this was my second time seeing him in concert.  The first time was back in the late 90s when he was still Ben Folds' Five.  I really have always loved Ben Folds since they came out.  Last night he put on an awesome show with his piano and incredible voice.  It was mainly songs from his solo career and I was a little disappointed that he didn't play the greats from when the Five was together.  I am not sure if there is some sort of deal preventing him from performing those old band songs though. 

We camped at the Gorge last night and it was hot.  We spent the whole day outside at the campsite trying to find some shade.  I am burnt to a crisp because there was no shade for a good 3 hours.  Finally the sun came down enough to give a little patch of shade against the wood fence and we all huddled in.  It was a little hot to even do anything, but I got in some reading, knitting, and a little Nintendo DS Lite match with Allison & Rob.  We headed out of there early this morning because all of us had busy Sundays ahead. 

Altogether it was a great day and night spent with great friends.  It was also my first time sleeping in a tent.  It's not bad, but I definitely prefer my bed and hot shower.  :)

Next up is the Tragically Hip in mid-July.  Another outdoor concert and our second time seeing the Hip this year.  We can't wait!

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And here are some photos from Universal Studios that I promised.

We were very excited to find the original set of the Bates Motel from Psycho.  The hotel scene is there along with the mother's huge, scary house on the hill.  Julianne had never seen this before either so it was a real treat to find for sure!  I have always loved the movie Psycho (both versions) so I'm glad to have these photos.

A wide shot of the hotel:

The house on the hill:

Julianne and I snuck up there to get a better look:

A body in the trunk:

Adam and I under the famous sign:

And just a couple of me up next to the hotel:

That is all for now.  I need to go finish proofreading a paper and head to bed. 

Hope you all have a great week!

Universal Studios Part I

Last week we spent Tuesday-Saturday in Hermosa Beach, California.  A quick visit with my cousin Julianne and her fiance Mark and a nice getaway for the two of us. 

It was a great couple of days.  Julianne definitely knows how to show people a good time.  They have a great group of friends too and it was nice to meet new people.  Their friends welcomed us in and you definitely can't beat people like that.

The highlight of the trip was our private tour of Universal Studios.  Julianne works for the show Desperate Housewives, which is on hiatus right now.  We were able to take one of the golf carts that belongs to her office and cruise around at our leisure.  It was an awesome opportunity that I'm sure we'll never have again and I took some great photos.  I know the people on the guided tram tour must have been jealous since we could get out and walk around.  :)

I took a lot of photos so I'm going to break them up over a few posts.

Desperate Housewives:

This was cool!  There is one for each Housewife and it's the closest parking to the office.  Since everyone is on hiatus we parked here.  :)

Inside the office where Julianne works there is a wall with one of these cool photos of each of the Housewives.  I took a photo of Bre for Adam - that's his favorite.

Susan's house and the golf cart.

Edie's house.

I took this photo from INSIDE Bre's house - so cool!

Me hanging out at Mike Delfino's house.  :)

Adam and Jule's at Bre's house - her flowers are fake! 

and Gaby's house!  Her house and Susan's house are functional (meaning they are set up to tape inside - the rest are all just shells), but they were locked so we couldn't get in. 

That's all for now.  Once I get some more photos edited I will post again. 

Have a great Saturday!