Cheers!

Bryan and I have started a beer blog. Bottoms up!
http://asixpackofstories.blogspot.com/

January & February

I can't believe it is almost March. A lot of life has happened in a short span of less than sixty days. I was given a promotion at work (which was a nice surprise), Bryan lost his grandmother and my parents at age 61 and 57 bought their first home (ever). Needless to say it has been an emotional roller coaster.

I couldn't be happier for my parents; they found a house that suits their needs perfectly. It will however, be very strange never to go home to dear old Grapevine again. They are only moving to Richardson, a short drive from Grapevine. Even so, it's odd to think the little town we called home for 22 years, is no longer "home." The house they're moving into is conveniently located in the same neighborhood as my little brother (totally jealous of the future free babysitting to come!). I can't wait to take a trip back to Texas this summer and see their new digs. 

I have been feeling extremely restless lately. I don't know if my biological time clock is ticking or if I am just not stimulating my brain enough outside of work. I started this blog so I could keep track of all the cool things we experience while living in California (and give me something to do). My plan was/is to print it out and keep it as a scrapbook when/if we ever move away. But, we don't always do enough cool stuff to be blog worthy; so it doesn't really keep me that busy. That being said I have been trying my hand at a  couple of different hobbies. I tried crocheting--tried being the key word. My "scarf" turned out to look like a series of mangled shoe laces bound together. I bought a decoupage kit; two hours of cutting, pasting and  a few modged podged coasters later, I was over it. So I started thinking about what I really like to do in my spare time...travel! 

Bryan and I have been lucky enough to travel to a lot of places in the four years we have been together. Every time we go on a trip I designate a photo box for that location and we fill it with memorabilia from that trip (ticket stubs, coasters, brochures leftover Euros etc.). The only problem is that it kind of just ends up to be a box of disorderly mish mash. It is fun to dig through, but doesn't really tell a story about where we have been. I stumbled upon a travel blog site called Trazzler last year. It is a user based site where individuals give short descriptions about destinations all over the world. The focus is more about experiences in places and less about reviews. Anyone can contribute/write about a trip and upload a photo they have taken. The editors of the site read every single trip submitted and if they like your description, then you become one of the featured trips. Otherwise, your trip still stays on the site, it's just not as searchable as those that have been hand picked. 

Either way, I figured this would be a good way to remember (and relive) all the great places we have been...and most importantly something to do! So far it's pretty fun. My plan is to write about all my favorite places we have visited, print them out and add them to the memorabilia boxes (kind of like little recipe cards). Seeing as I don't have patience for the cutting and pasting REAL scrapbooking requires, this will have to do. 

These are the trips I have "trazzled" about so far. 

http://www.trazzler.com/trips/wallace-monument-in-hillsfoot-rd-causeway-head-gb

http://www.trazzler.com/trips/brouwerij-t-ij-bv-in-amsterdam-nl

http://www.trazzler.com/trips/urquhart-castle-in-inverness-gb

We shall see how long this little hobby lasts! 

We caved...

As some of you know I have two lovable Chihuahuas (Macho and Mojito--later renamed Pinky by my mother) that have taken refuge at my parents house for most of their lives. I can fully admit that I wasn't the best pet owner when I was younger. I didn't mistreat them in anyway; I just didn't have my priorities all in order yet. Between working a full time job and figuring out where I would get my next cherry vodka sour, I didn't give them as much attention as they deserved. That being said, my parents were nice enough to take them in; they've been living the doggy high-life ever since. Even though I know they are very well taken care of and my parents adore them, I have always felt guilty (and still do). Like a teen mother who abandoned her young (okay, maybe not quite that extreme, but close). When we went home for Christmas I was convinced I was going to bring them back to live with us in LA.  Yeah, right. Not only would that break my parents hearts; it wouldn't be fair to the dogs to rock their world like that. So with heavy hearts we came back to Los Angeles K-9 free.
Bryan and I had been talking about getting a dog for the past year and he suggested that we start to look around--just to see what was available.  Finally coming to the realization that "my dogs" were now my PARENTS dogs--I agreed. After some looking around online, we decided to make a stop by the humane society last weekend. Row after row of huge Pit Bulls lined the shelter. Although some Pits may be nice, we weren't prepared to even entertain adopting one as an option. It is really sad and quite astonishing the number of Pit Bulls that are abandoned in Los Angeles. I would be curious to know if that is the case across the U.S., or just out here. Anyway, as we were about to call it quits and head to another shelter we saw a sweet little puppy in a grey t-shirt poking his head under the cage door. The puppy and Bryan locked eyes and that was all she wrote. 


A vaccination and a snip of the balls later--we officially had ourselves a new member of the family. Our first furry child together.  


His name? What else, but Texas! 

Texas is a Dachshund/Terrier mix.

Why do all Christmas sweaters have shoulder pads?

Last night Bryan and I went to an "Ugly Christmas Sweater/White Elephant" party thrown by our friend Megan. I picked up my beauty of a sweater at a vintage shop in San Francisco last weekend. We searched high and low for a mens Christmas sweater for Bryan with no luck. I guess those don't exist and if they do, its probably safe to say that they shouldn't. Every Christmas sweater I came across had gargantuan shoulder pads. Vintage or new, they were all well equipped with what I guess would be considered shoulder enhancers? What the heck are shoulder pads for anyway? Other than high-waisted stone-washed jeans, I can't think of anything less flattering. Anyway, I made it my mission to find Bryan the most disgusting ill-fitting sweater I could find. I finally stumbled across the rockin' fleece beauty below at K-Mart for a whopping $5. Boo yeah! 


Let's pose by the tree! We were going to make some silly holiday cards out of these, but Christmas is next week..

Backdrop at the party. Bryan looks like a creepy ski instructor in this photo. 

Me and our friend, Megan.

My End of the Year Blogaroo

It's been about three months since I last wrote,  so I guess I am right on track with my quarterly blog update. The past few months have been an absolute whirlwind of fun, sadness, excitement, new beginnings, travel...life! AND, the last three months of my dear sweet twenties. 3,650 awesome days. Granted, there are a couple of days, okay, maybe years in there I would like to forget. But, there are more that I am trying hard not to forget. Is anyone else's memory starting to get foggy? The other day someone told me that when you hit thirty your memory has reached max capacity and has to start getting rid of the old to make way for the new. I hope that is not true. I have met such extraordinary friends and mentors; seen so many beautiful places; and learned so many lessons (some the hard way) that I would hate to think they are going to just disappear into memory oblivion.
Last weekend we bid my twenties farewell with a birthday trip to San Francisco. Bryan and I have lived in Los Angeles for almost three years and we had never made it up to Northern California before last Friday.  I am in love. San Francisco is by far one of the most beautiful and captivating cities that I have been to in the U.S. It is SO different from Southern California. Frankly, I really think Northern and Southern California should be two different states. Although I have learned to like LA; if the opportunity ever presented itself I would move to San Francisco in a heartbeat.
Our dear friend Shera, her beau, and our travel buddy Preston met us in San Fran to celebrate. Over the weekend we took a walking tour of the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood; ate more food then I care to admit to; took a boat tour of Alcatraz (very interesting...); hit up the local pubs and had tea in the Japanese Gardens. We were only there 48-hours, so we didn't see nearly everything the city has to offer. That only means we will have to go back again!


Rewind back to...


November
This was the countdown month for me. Each morning I would let Bryan know how many days he had left to be married to a woman in her twenties. Ha ha. It was the countdown to move out of El Dumpo (the name we gave our last apartment). We moved into El Dumpo so we could build our savings and live close to the beach. However, in spite of the cheap rent (by LA standards) and close proximity to the waterfront we did not always enjoy ourselves. It wasn't THAT bad, but it wasn't THAT great. We didn't know it at the time when we moved in, but the City of Santa Monica dump truck parking garage was right across the street from our building. Anyway, each morning around 4AM (Saturday's included) the dump trucks would roar out of the garages and onto the street directly in front of our bedroom. The noise from the trucks was so loud it would vibrate our bed, floor, windows...everything. Sometimes it would seem like they were just sitting there idle for hours...roaring and vibrating! I don't think I had a full night sleep from December 2009 to November 2010. It was not pleasant. El Dumpo was rundown, old and tired and that is how she made me feel when I lived there. Isn't it funny how an environment can make you feel? Now, we are in a great updated two-bedroom, two-bathroom townhouse. I have been in hog-heaven with my own bathroom. It's the small things in life. I am now enjoying a full night's sleep on a regular basis. ;0)


October
The month kicked off with my sweet little brother and his beautiful bride Pam tying the knot. It was the most artistic, creative, fun wedding I have ever been to. They are both very talented artists and it showed!  Everything from the altar, to the party favors to centerpieces, to bouquets to the room decor was hand made by them.  Instead of putting out a guest book, they built a guest photo booth (picture below). The backdrop was painted with chalkboard paint so each guest could personalize a message to the bride and groom. There was a treasure box full of fun props, silly hats and signs for people to dress up with. Such a great idea. Where were they when I was being hurled off a stage? Ha ha...inside joke for those who had to witness that snafu. Anyway, super-cool idea b/c now they have all these cool one-of-a-kind photos of all their friends and family on their big day.
We also took our one-year anniversary trip to Vancouver, Canada in October. Again, a fantastic city! I feel like I say that about every place we go, but I guess it's fair to say they're all fantastic in their own way. We took some great walking tours and learned about the history of Vancouver and Canada in general, which was really fascinating. I don't recall ever learning that much about Canada in school, but it has a lot of interesting history. I highly suggest walking or bicycle tours when you visit a new city; you learn so much and meet some interesting people. The city is still full of Olympic pride, which was really cool to see firsthand. The city as a whole has a really progressive way of thinking that I really like. Another city I would love to live in given the opportunity. 


September
My mom came to LA! We had so much fun! It was so great to have her out here. She was amazed by the big city and the beauty that LA has to offer. I really hope she gets to come out again next year because there is so much more to share.

Dylan & Pam

My big brother Jeremiah, Dad, me and husband.

The Guestbook

 My mom and I at the Griffith Observatory.

Husband at Canada Place in Vancouver

Shera and I. The last known photo of me in my twenties. 

Japanese Gardens

 Shera, her beau John and Preston.

Foggy San Francisco!

Summer in a Nutshell...

Okay, so maybe I will just blog quarterly... I cannot believe the summer is basically over. It has gone by at warp speed--actually this entire year has. I have been wondering if time slows down once you have kids. In my mind it seems like it might because you are more focused on each and every moment. Or does it speed up, because you are more focused on each and every moment? I would be curious to hear what my mommy friends think. I hope it slows down...I feel like I am starting to age in dog-years.


In spite of how fast it has gone, this summer has been a lot of fun! Here are some highlights from the Dowdy-Christo summer series (ha-ha). AND, because I have still not figured out how to post pictures on this thing, they are just going to have to be all over the place...oh, well.


June: One of our friends here in LA has a beach house in San Clemente. San Clemente is about halfway between LA and San Diego and it is adorable! It is really a fantastic little beach town. A great getaway from the hustle and bustle of LA. So, our friend was nice enough to host a group of us for the weekend. Good, relaxing times with some great people! 

San Clemente Beach

July: Bryan turned 33! I keep teasing him that he is officially in his mid-thirties. Although, when I am thirty-three, it will still be considered "early thirties." We had a nice little get together with some friends at our favorite German bar in an area of LA called Silver Lake. It is the "hipster" area and I always feel really uncool and out of style when we go out there! Ha ha. We ended the night at a bar called the Cha-Cha lounge, which is probably the coolest bar I have been to in LA so far. The inside is decorated like a tiki lounge, complete with full size huts. The last week of July I was in Vegas for our annual affiliate conference. The department I work in plans, executes and presents a conference for all 200 plus of our television affiliates from all over the country. So for a week we host them, put on presentations and have fun!

Bryan's Birthday at Red Lion in Silver Lake

Giving my presentation in Vegas: "Wah-Wah-Wah-Wah-Wah"

August: A few weeks ago Bryan and I went to the Santa Ynez wine country and stayed in Solvang. Solvang is seriously one of the cutest cities in the U.S. that I have ever seen. The entire town looks like a miniature Denmark. We went to a couple of wineries in Los Olivos (which is the next city over) one of them being the Firestone Winery (as in Andrew Firestone from the bachelor). I tell you this because as we took a tour of the winery, there was this really obnoxious girl who kept asking question after question about the bachelor, Andrew Firestone. Really?! It was quite annoying. Anyway, the trip itself was awesome, some of the most beautiful landscapes I have ever seen. The wine and eats weren't bad either!

Solvang, CA

Can I interest you in a grape?

Firestone Winery

We were also lucky enough to go the the Creative Arts Emmys again this year. Or as some like to call it "The Shwemmys." I guess they are like the "B-Team" Emmys to some out here, but they are still totally awesome to us! The show is at Nokia Theater and honors things like best guest actor/actress, technical directing, editing, graphics; a lot of behind the scenes stuff. However, there are still tons of stars there. We saw Forrest Whittaker, Neil Patrick Harris, Lilly Tomlin and Robin Williams to name a few. We were actually on the 12th row, so we got to see a lot of these people up close and personal. The Creative Arts Emmys air on E!, but we totally forgot to watch to see if we got any face time! Ha ha. After the show, there is a huge Govenor's Ball at the LA Convention Center right across the street. It is by far the BEST party I have been to, to date. Great dinner, amazing decorations, plus an open bar, which is always nice. Randomly enough, we spent a good portion of the night talking to Fred Willard! He was nominated for best guest actor in Modern Family. He was SO sweet and SO much fun to talk to. Bryan (who knows every obscure movie known to man) happens to be a big fan of a film that Fred Willard was in back in the 70's (so that was our big "in"). It was so obscure I still can't remember what the name of it is; even though he has told me like 100 times now.  I would  have posted pictures...but we got the tickets last minute, so I had to wear the same dress I did last year, so I didn't even take my camera with me! Stupid, I know, I should have just taken it. Oh well. 

The week after next my mom comes to visit! I am so excited to have her come to La-La land. Neither of my parents (or Bryan's) have been able to make it out to LA since we moved here, so we are really looking forward to her visit. Plus she can cook and clean for us for a week! Yes! Just kidding Mom! But...if you just WANT to cook some chicken and dumplings or something like that, we won't argue. Hee hee.


Bryan and I also just booked our one-year anniversary celebration trip to Vancouver, Canada! We were not going to take a vacation this year, but we got a SUPER cheap deal on Expedia so we had to take advantage. Our goal was to get a stamp on our passports for five years in a row, so now we will be that much closer to making that a reality. 
Okay, well maybe I will post something new again in January! Ha ha.

This thing is starting to collect cobwebs. I am officially the world's worst blogger. Maybe I will just plan to do a monthly blog update. Not that I have anything too exciting to share...but my devoted audience of one (special shout out to my Mom) keeps asking me to post something new.  Ha ha. So here we go....


Memorial Day weekend our friend from London and one of our good friends from Dallas came to town for a visit. We had so much fun! It was nonstop activities for five days straight. We went to Universal Studios, all over LA and down to San Diego and Coronado for a couple of days. This was my first real trip to San Diego and I fell in love. It is so gorgeous down there--completely different from LA. Coronado is so adorable; a true beach town with some of the most beautiful homes I have ever seen. The average home price in Coronado is something like $1.5 million, so I guess I won't be transferring down there anytime soon. While in Coronado we took a bike tour and made a stop at the famous hotel Hotel Coronado where "Some Like it Hot" was filmed. I definitely want to try to stay there the next time I head that way.


Speaking of trips, for the past three years Bryan and I have been lucky enough to travel to different places in Europe every October. One week out of the year to escape reality and pretend we live in a foreign land. But this year rather than take a big trip, we are being responsible (BORING) and getting on the path to saving for a down payment for a house/condo/shoebox...(most likely a shoebox out here in LA). So instead of one big expensive trip we are trying to plan little mini-cations every few months. There are so many beautiful places to discover in California that we decided we should really start taking advantage. So... I think the next stop on our list is Santa Barbara Wine Country. If anyone has ever been and has some recommendations, let me know!

Mission Beach in San Diego...nice trash can shot.

The Hotel Coronado 

We stayed in Little Italy in downtown San Diego. So cute and great restaurants! 

At the hotel rooftop bar enjoying some cocktails while watching the sunset...and some drunk dude doing the roger rabbit...seriously.