Halloween time

Jameson and I carved our Jack-O-Lantern tonight that we bought yesterday at the pumpkin patch. He scooped all the seeds and pulp out of the inside even though he hated his hands being all slimy. He asked me to carve a ghost on the front and then he added a "J" and an "L" for our names since we worked on it together. He carved the letters all by himself with the pumpkin carving knife and was very proud of himself. I am hoping our Jack-O-Lantern will last until Halloween since we carved it so early. But Ray and I are off to Cabo and then it's Halloween already. Man this year is flying by.

Look who's riding without training wheels.....

Pumpkin Patch

Saturday afternoon we took Jameson to the Pumpkin Patch to pick out our pumpkin and of course to play for a couple hours. Pumpkin patches are not what they used to be when I was a kid. Nowadays it's more like the Orange County fair with rides, animals and snacks than just a place to buy your future jack-o-lantern.

This year we switched it up and instead of going to the big pumpkin patch here in long beach on PCH - we went to the "Pumpkin Factory" in Westminster. I spotted this one off of the 405  the other day it looked really fun.  The Pumpkin Factory didn't disappoint - it had a few bounce houses, a bounce obstacle course, huge inflatable slides, carnival rides, ponies and tractors for the kids to ride. Jameson had a GREAT time and so did Ray and I. Somehow we managed to get him to pick out our pumpkin in between rides.

Since it was only Ray, Jameson and I -we didnt get a picture altogether - but Jameson did a really good job taking this pic of Ray and I!

Miles in the Morning

This morning I woke up early and decided to take my bike out for a nice morning ride. It was the perfect morning for a bike ride, not to hot or windy, the sun was shining and the beach was gorgeous. I ride down the coast to seal beach and then back home. I even stopped in the beach parking lot on the way to seal beach so i could work on switching gears. Ha ha. Yes Jared - bike rides are a little more fun when you switch gears!
Here is my route - total miles = 12.05 miles

Dev Monster Turns 2!

After the bike ride Ray, Jameson and I headed to Whittier for Devynn's 2nd Birthday Cupcake Party! 

Devynn looked so adorable in her tutu:

CCC, Ray, Jameson, Me, Lorena, Cesol:

Sprinkles cupcakes and I dont know who sprinkled that bottom one:

Crystal, Me, Megan, Lorena:

Jameson crushing the cupcake (milkshake?) pinata, lol:

Kristin and I:

26.2 Miles of Fun

I decided this past Saturday that I wanted to bike the Long Beach Marathon on Sunday morning. No preparation. No Worries. I mean I have already run a marathon, how hard could it be to bike one? Right? Wrong! 

I rode down to the starting line at 5:30am sunday morning in the freezing cold, with my next door neighbors (who are both experienced bikers).

Starting line - it's still dark out:

I was feeling pretty good the first few miles and gaining confidence until we hit our first HUGE uphill at mile 5. I don't really have much experience on my new road bike and I am not too sure about switching gears. So I kept my bike in the same gear up and down the hill. I know I wasn't in the correct gear going up hill cause people on beach cruisers were passing me. But I didn't want to risk losing my chain so I kept it in the same gear. Dumb, I know.  When I got down the hill I felt better again and cruised the next 5 miles. I got to watch an amazing sunrise over the Queen Mary and Shoreline Village as I was riding in to mile 10. Before this ride 10 miles was the farthest I had ridden on my bike so I was pretty excited that I still felt good and could ride farther.

I kept pedaling, down the beach path. The sun was completely up by this time and I could see everything. I saw a lady with a baby in a carrier take a nasty spill and cause a bike pile up on the path. But I kept pushing forward. We rode uphill towards Cal State Long beach and eventually thru the campus. I haven't been back since I walked in my graduation ceremony there in '04. It was a little nostalgic to see the dorms where I lived my freshman year and to see how much still looked exactly the same. Sororities and Fraternities were lining the bike route with signs and water cheering for us. The athletic department was there cheering "Go Beach". Out of CSULB we rode back around the campus to head down towards the finish line at Shoreline Village. This was my favorite part of the ride. Mostly downhill with the sun shining and peace of mind knowing that I was on the latter half of the 26.2 miles.

I finally crossed the finish line at 8:10am - after a 130 min ride. I felt great! Until I got off my bike and could hardly stand straight up let alone walk. My back was a little tight and my legs were sore. Also - sitting on that bike seat for that long wasn't really comfortable since I don't have those padded bike shorts! 

I finished!

All in all it did make me want to ride more. Anyone want to join me??

Things to know for my next ride: 

1. How/when to switch gears

2. Wear padded shorts

3. Get more than 4 hours of sleep the night before 

When you Wish Upon a Star.....

Amy's Wedding was this past Saturday at the La Mirada Golf Course. It was a beautiful outdoor ceremony under a gazebo on the golf course. I have been friends with Amy for the past 21 years and I consider her family as my own so I got kinda teary eyed watching my friend get married. It was also nice to see and re-connect with so many old faces from my childhood. The reception followed at the Ritz Garden in Whittier.

Amy and I:

Ray and I:

Laurel Elementary Students with our Principal Mr. Lewis:

Back Row: Sara Kelly, Katie (Hilliard) Procedo, Amanda (Anderson) Brookes, Amy (Kliewer) Maxwell, Mr. Lewis, Monika (Mott) Oess, Mary Jo (Amys Cousin).

Front Row: Amanda Malave, Kelly Kliewer, Jessica (Uroff) Burleson, Me, Beth Maiquez.

Mr and Mrs Maxwell:

Mom and Me:

Rehearsal Dinner

Amy's Wedding party in the back row:

Elin, Aubrey, Kelly, Amy and Erin (missing: Elena)

Old school Friends in the front row:

Monika, Katie, Sara, Me

Step by Step

Last night I had the opportunity to go to a concert that was 15 years in the making (yes that makes me feel old) and see The New Kids on The Block! OMG! I was seriously having flashbacks to being 10 years old again dancing in my room to their cassette tapes. They were AMAZING live. They sang, danced, played All of their old stuff, a few of their solo songs and a few songs from their new album. The concert was 2 1/2 hours of solid screaming, dancing and feeling giddy (on my part). Ladies were even throwing their bras on stage!

I was invited to the show by my friend and Vivian who went all out for the occasion and got a box with open bar and food. Thanks SOOO much Viv! I took my friends Kerry, Brittany and Adarra who all enjoyed the show. Kerry and I even wore vintage New Kids tees :) The only bummer was that my camera battery died so i don't have that many pics but hopefully I can gather some from everyone else's camera's to post. 

Another highlight of the show - the opening act - LADY GAGA. I absolutely LOVE her and have been playing her music all week in my office, coincidentally. So I was sooo excited when I found out she was opening. Here is a sort video I took of her song Just Dance:

and is her video from youtube: