Turbo's 2nd Birthday!

You might say we were silly to throw a birthday party for our dog, but it really wasn't extravagant, we just had over some friends and their dogs. I also happened to have cupcakes for the humans... and their dogs!

His birthday bone, he was only slightly excited!

Don't be fooled, he loves kisses!

He literally froze in that position on his own!

He is so cute!

Yum!

Turbo and his party friends: Bella and Tank! A little blurry but it was the best one we captured.

We had a great time with our friends and their dogs. Turbo felt so special and loved by everyone!

Legacy

I have been thinking a lot about what kind of legacy that I will leave behind. You may say that I am too young to be thinking about how I'll be remembered when I am gone, but I beg to differ! My legacy starts here and now and will live on when I am gone (whenever that is). I am a nurse and I have recently taken care of several cancer patients, even the word cancer has such an ominous meaning and it got me thinking. It's hard to think about the end of life on this planet. Luckily for me, I know I am saved by grace and I am not afraid of death, but that doesn't mean I am eager to go anytime soon, lol. I know my time on this planet isn't near it's end. I know that God has a greater plan for me and I am doing my best to be open and receptive of whatever that is. I am the happiest I have ever been, at this point in my life, I feel DJ and I did the right things by moving out to California. Yet, I know I have not yet reach my maximum potential, I know there is more for me. This is not some selfish desire to have more, but it is a longing that I believe God has put in my heart to BE more. I know that I have yet to reach all that is meant for me and I am working on opening my heart and allowing God to show me what that is. I have this intense feeling that is it much more than I have ever dreamed of or thought possible for myself. Do you know how hard it is for me to think of the possibility of drastic change? It really wasn't easy for me to move across country, until we were on our way, I wasn't sure that it was the right decision. I am not as open to change as I wish I were, especially the possibility that my life might be completely different in the end. But I know that I don't want to hold back, I might have more potential than I knew. I feel that if I am true to myself and God's plan for my life, I will leave behind the kind of legacy I would want associated with my name. I hope that I continue to strive to reach my full potential and open my heart to something I didn't think was possible for myself. So I encourage you to think about what kind of legacy you will leave behind and remind you that you have the power to choose to leave behind one worth remembering.

I hope you enjoy reading

because this is a huge post! Sorry I have been away for so long, I have just been finding it harder and harder to find the time to post and my little point and shoot camera was ruined by a huge wave I could not avoid at the beach. RIP little canon. So I will be attempting to learn how to use DJ's Canon 7D.  Obviously a much better camera, that I will be shooting in auto until I learn more about manual settings. I am really excited for this opportunity, even if it is much bigger than my point and shoot and will probably give me neck and back pain (haha!), the quality of my pictures will be much better.

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While gone, a lot, a lot, a lot of things happened that I need to update you on. First, I have been working  three night shifts a week. A couple of weeks ago, I worked Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday night, then DJ left for Comic Con (for a job) that very Thursday morning that I came home, for four days.  I was sad to see him go, because when I work it allows very little time for much else. I wake up, eat, get ready for work, work for 12 hours and do it all over again. So I didn't get to spend much time with him before he left BUT he was also taking literally everything with him. He drove, which meant I was without a car, he also took his Canon (I was hoping to use my time alone to learn the camera better), and his computer. Normally that wouldn't be a big deal that he took his computer but we had the laptop worked on just a few days before and since getting it back the internet worked one day and then not the next. So I was left internet- less as well, until I could get the laptop situation figured out. It took me two days to get my internet back and hours and hours on the phone with AT&T and Apple, each saying it was the other companies problem! After all that time spent on the phone, it finally came back and I'm not even sure what the original problem was. I felt completely cut off for a couple of days. I didn't have a car to go anywhere and I didn't have internet! Katie was there to save the day! We were able to get our favorite lattes from Urth Cafe and then we went shopping at the Beverly Center. It was loads of fun and I'm pretty sure she kept me from going insane!

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So to continue my update, just last week I received a scary call from my husband right as I walk onto my floor at work (to start my shift). He tells me that he was taking Turbo outside and somehow his leash broke off his collar and Turbo was running towards the street. He was running after him calling his name, but Turbo didn't understand he thought it was a game and kept running from him. DJ had little time to react, so he literally tackled our dog and they skid across the side walk. He had scared Turbo (because Turbo didn't understand) so bad, that Turbo had peed right on the spot and they were both scared, hurt, cut and bleeding. 

DJ's arm

His other arm. His chest and hip bones are also scraped up!

(Forgive his private parts) The inside of Turbo's leg.

I am so grateful that DJ had the instinct to jump after Turbo and keep him from running into the street, he saved our dog!! I don't know that I would have done what he did. I am glad that despite the pain and blood that everyone is safe! I worried about them all night, I just kept wishing I was home to care for them.

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On a happier note, last week Nick came in to town to visit. We kept busy by first taking him to Santa Monica pier and promenade. 

Santa Monica Pier, taken by Nick Cavalier.

Also taken by Nick at the pier.

We then went to the promenade and enjoyed drinks and dinner at Cabo Cantina! Afterwards we walked back to the beach, smoked cigars and watched the sunset before heading home.

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 The next day we did a two hour hike at Topanga Canyon.

Taken by Nick Cavalier

DJ at the edge of a cliff. Taken by Nick Cavalier.

Then Matt, Katie and Bella met us at Leo Carrillo for a cook out at the beach!

Taken by Nick. 

 The corn was amazing! Taken by Nick.

We stayed until sunset... also by Nick.

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Then Friday before he left Nick made us his grandmother's "gravy" along with much much more. I got the chance to watch and learn how to make this authentic italian meal! 

The "gravy." He added pork loin and meatballs and let it simmer on the stove for two hours, to allow the meat to cook throughly. 

Nick's loves to cook!

I am excited as you can see!

hmm tasty!

Nick giving it a try.

We also baked sausage in the gravy with green peppers and mozzarella!

For an appetizer he made zucchini carpaccio!

It is now one of my favorites!

good times with friends.

Girls Night!

Who can say that they don't need a night with just the girls every once in a while, ehh? It was Katie's wonderful idea to pick up some champagne, do a little crafting and to watch a chick flick. Yes, a night free from ridicule and judgement from our other halves. It was just that and I for one thoroughly enjoyed our time together! 

We had a little champagne…

Then we put in Eclipse and started to make our pom pom necklaces that Katie found off a blog here.

We went to our local JoAnn Fabrics to pick up the pom poms, chain, rings and shoe string like cord.

This is Katie, working on her yellow necklace, while Turbo tries to attack the pom poms haha!!

My finished product!

Alesha being silly, blurry but fun picture none the less.

Some things that I have learned from this experience:

1.) I thoroughly enjoy champagne and feel the need to drink it more often. (who says life isn't always a celebration?)

2.) Next time if we do crafts, we should pick a movie everyone has seen. Katie basically had no clue what was going on. 

3.) Trader Joe's double cream brie is TEN times better than their light brie! Seriously trust me, don't sacrifice the extra fat and calories lol! Also, brie is very good with strawberries.

4.) Girls night= good for the soul. To further emphasize this conclusion, DJ and Matt spend the night at Joe's place drinking and swimming. They both came home all giddy and happy. Looks like they enjoyed their Guy Night as much as we enjoyed our Girl Night!

That's all for now, I hope everyone is well and that everyone enjoys their 4th of July!

DYI Necklace

I recently viewed a blog that was having a giving away from one of their sponsors, which can be viewed  here.  I thought that necklace was adorable and got to thinking that I could try to make my own. So here it goes.

I started with a needle and some thread.

Then I threaded it through the beads and the ribbon, alternating the ribbon up and down as I went.

Then I added a different color ribbon to the end.

I used clear nail polish on the ends of the ribbon to make sure it wouldn't fray.

I think it turned out nicely, but as you can see it was hard to keep the ribbon consistent throughout, around some of the beads it is longer than on others. However, I did get better the more I did it.

Then I did another one with black and gold beads and a black ribbon.

The finished products! What do you think?

You can do it yourself too!

Surfs Up!

Can you believe it? DJ found a surf board and he can not wait to get out on those waves! 

DJ is really good with finding things on Craigslist. So we drove to this guys house and Matt was nice enough to come along, to make sure it was a worth while purchase. The guy answered the door, all sweaty and apologized because he had just finished working out. He looked like a "gladiator" as Matt put it, lol, he was obviously really into working out. He took us all around back, where he had like 20 boards and he showed DJ a few boards he thought would be good for what DJ wanted. He told DJ that Tony Staples worked under a famous board shaper (I forget his name, opps) who is well known in California. So DJ was pretty much sold, and he was excited to have bragging rights. As you can see from the pictures above it is a really long board, it doesn't even stand straight up in our apartment. If is 9 ft long, which is good for beginners and it is made for California waves and will be easy to ride. So he finally got his board, now we just need a car mount and possibly a protective cover. I am excited to try surfing, which I will be able to do thanks to Katie, who recently obtained a wetsuit of her own!

On other news DJ was involved in a car accident today. He accidently rear ended a truck at an intersection. He wasn't going very fast at all but there is a lot of damage to our Jeep because he hit a truck and that truck had a hitch. So when the truck had pulled away it took our front bumper with it. No one was hurt and DJ was mainly just frustrated with the situation. Everything should work out fine, we have good insurance and we already have our rental car. Praise the Lord, or PTL as my Mom would say! I am so thankful that it wasn't any worse than damage to our car and that everyone is ok. Once the Jeep is fixed, you know he will be on his way to beach to try out his new board!