Happy New Year's Eve!

Hi Everyone!

Well, it's New Year's Eve, and I know I haven't posted in a week, but I've been really busy and without internet. I finally got internet installed Monday night (guy was supposed to show up between 1 and 3pm, showed up a 6pm, left at 9pm) and it's awesome! Although it's faster internet, I forgot how slow my computer is, but you have to realize that it's now 6.5 years old and holy crap, if you're a tech geek, you would tell me to upgrade NOW. Well, I think I'll do that in a couple of months.

Anyway... Christmas was great, got lots of fun stuff, the boyfriend came with me back to Cali and will be here for a week or so. He's awesome by the way, he put away about 75% of my stuff away while I was at work on Monday - and motivated me to help me do the rest when I got home, and the result - I've unpacked everything as of Monday night. My apartment looks like a home, just needs furniture (but it's looking more and more functional). By the way, the drive on Sunday was 13 hours from SLC, the holiday traffic after Vegas was just unbelievable - 3 hours to go from Vegas to Baker which is 86 miles!!!).

We're about to get ready to go out to dinner, so I got to go get ready and try to make myself look pretty and festive for tonight :) Happy New Year! Remember to eat your lentils tomorrow - I forget if it's a French thing or a my dad's side of the family thing - but the more you eat on New Year's Day, the more money you'll get throughout the year. Plus, it's awesome fiber and protein, and tastes fantastic with shallots. Yum!

Today, grateful for: A fantastic year, and spending tonight with the man I love. Interesting thing today? We had crazy mist outside - right out of The Mist movie - AGAIN. Have fun tonight and please, don't drink and drive. Bonne Année!

Merry Christmas!

Last night in Cali

Hi everyone,

Well, the boyfriend finally made it last night... with a 5 hour delay. Meaning, we didn't get home till 1am, and we were so excited to see each other (it's been... 3 weeks?) that we talked a bit, and basically I got about 4 hours of sleep last night as I had to go to work around 7ish.

It rained all day today but started to clear up a few hours before sunset, so when I got off work I thought I'd show him the beach nearby - and it was extremely windy and a little cold, but I just loved that ocean breeze and the ocean was churning. Dinner equaled improvisation with the leftovers I had to cook before it went bad and my man liked it (yay! Got a picky eater, you know...) and we were both exhausted so we're going to bed soon. I'm just packing up because... we're driving to Vegas tomorrow! I'm getting off work at 2 and then here we come. Hopefully we can arrive early enough to go to the Paris and get a crepe for dinner or something. That'd be sweeeeeeeeet. 

Well, it's almost Christmas... and I'm grateful and excited to see a bunch of family and friends, as well as New Year's Eve - I'm seeing a few cousins I haven't seen in a few years. Something unusual today - My man volunteered to clean up after dinner while I pack. What a thoughtful, unexpected and delightful surprise. Also, be sure to check out the one day photo project - I haven't posted my pics yet but I see that Dr. Mookie Love did, and I know many more will follow. Good night!

First Sunday in new "Chez Moi"

Hi everybody,

Well, it's been a fun weekend, and the first one really in my new home. Today I slept in, cleaned the apartment a bit, did some gift wrapping, walked to the bank to get cash to break into quarters to do laundry, went back to Kohl's because this candle I thought said "Noel" on it actually said "Believe," so I went back to exchange it and got one more Christmas present. I also found out that next to the Kohls' there's a BBB and a Whole Foods. Now, if there were a Trader Joes in the same complex... I'd visit that shopping mall everyday. But hey, there's one within walking distance instead! I could deal with that :)

So I've been trying to get pictures for the one day photo project, and I warn you, I really don't have that many... Right now I'm waiting for the boyfriend's airplane to get here... yay! (that's my exciting thought of the day) But it's been delayed almost 2 hours already (rrrrr), so maybe I'll take some pics of the 405 or something driving there... HA! Nah, I don't want to bore you with that.

So I didn't go to the beach today... :( but I'm still grateful for that view from my window, the warmth from the sun's rays in the living room (yet another beautiful day with 65ish degree weather), finally finding a parking spot at Kohl's about a mile away from the store (needed the exercise), and that I get some company tonight through next weekend... Christmas & the bf are coming!! 

Nothing really unsual today, except the neighbors had been quiet this whole week and now they're blasting their radio (sigh). Oh well. As long as they they stop by the time I go to bed, they do whatever they want. It's a free country.

So, work this week: Monday, go have lunch with a sales manager at what looks like a yummy organic Mexican grill, work as hard as I can (have to cram a week's worth into 2 days), and Tuesday go to work at 7 so can leave by 2 to start driving to Vegas. Wednesday morning, drive from Vegas to Salt Lake (hoping for good weather, or at least non-icy roads). Good night and hope you all have a fantastic week!

I know you're all jealous...

So I've been to the beach today - in a t-shirt and rolled-up jeans. And I wasn't too cold. What do I want to say to most of you? Nanner nanner na-nner! Sorry, for the Frenchies: nananananè-reu! So, I'm being kinda mean, because Salt Lake, Denver, Vegas, Seattle, Paris I'm sure, and even parts of California are snowed in, and I have friends & family in all of those places. Hope you may find your warm weather soon!!

So yesterday I got off work at 3:30 are drove straight to Oceanside. The 405 was of course a total mess. It took me an hour and 15 minutes just to go 20 miles. The rest in Orange County was surprisingly ok. I met up with the parents, they have a timeshare a half block from the beach... it was fun! Went to a seafood dinner, slept in this morning, walked on the beach to the pier, visited a 2.9 million dollar amazing contemporary condo (open house), then drove back home. I spent an hour and a half at Kohl's doing Christmas shopping (I think I'm done now). It sucks. I've been so busy with the move that I was only able to do Christmas shopping this weekend. I'm really hoping to be more organized next year. I usually have about 75% of my shopping done on black Friday, but this year I drove for 11 hours that day so could not do so. And every weekend was spent apartment shopping. Rrrrrr... Anyway, hope to make it up to you all by just wishing you a merry Christmas and hope that you will find your happiness, whether it be a Wii fit, a day with Tokio Hotel, a diamond bracelet, laughing and drinking hot chocolate with your loved ones, Megan Fox for a night, a BMW, Chanel No. 5, j'veux un scooteur!, or whatever else you want or need, hope your wishes come true and you remember that the true meaning of Christmas is about giving, love, friendship, and happiness (well, that's my opinion at least).

So today I'm grateful that as I got home from Oceanside, my apartment was bright and warm from the sunlight coming in, and something unusual? The guy selling the open house used to live in Murray. I decided not to buy the house though when he said that he went to Olympus High... LoL, just joking. I graduated YEARS ago, I don't care about the rivalry :) Good night everyone! Here's some pics of Oceanside so that you can all envy me:

Just passing by...

Well, hi...

It's been a while, I thought I'd update everyone on the move. Mom & SD Came over tonight from Oceanside, we had dinner at my new place (brie en croute w/ a sort of apple strudel for dessert, yum..!) and mom left me the laptop for tonight. Thanks, mom!

So I cleaned the apartment Sunday morning, Mom & SD arrived around 2pm, we got everything inside (so much stuff!) and then we went to the furniture store where I saw my dream couch. Remember how I needed 36'' of clearing and my door's only 31''? I thought I would get that futon since it would fit, but guess what... it turns out my dream couch is only 30'' tall without the legs, so we just unscrewed the legs and got it delivered right away! And now I couldn't love my couch more, it is soooo comfy, plus, I got it under $500, and it's an official Ashley's couch. It's a nice breath of fresh air considering the mess everywhere else.  Now, I'm not really a messy person, but there's stuff EVERYWHERE and for a few moments it gets really depressing. So I thought I would show you everything:

Day 1, empty apartment before I bring stuff in:

Now, after I start moving stuff in:

This is the best TV reception I could get: snowy channels.

After the parents bring all my other crap:

My new couch!!! Sorry it's blurry...

Things are starting to get put together:

So my apartment is finally looking like a fun place to live. I'm using my computer desk as a TV stand right now, which is a little tacky but it works. My aerobed is fairly comfy, it'll do until I can find a bed. Work has been a roller coaster - I feel overwhelmed some days, but others, like today, felt really good because I'm finally starting to do things on my own. 

So tomorrow after work (I'm hoping to leave around 2pm) I will leave for Oceanside and spend the night with the parents, and Saturday too. I've never been to Oceanside and hear it's really pretty. For those who don't know, it's about an half hour to an hour north of San Diego. It'll probably be a 1.5 to 2 hour drive for me, depending on traffic. This Cali traffic is pretty bad, but bearable. Honestly, I was driving along PCH and saw the ocean as I left work, and said to myself, "wow, I live here. I live here!" So it's a happy moment. 

So today I'm grateful that I have internet for a night and can read $teve's blog, among other updated blogs, that I'm going to sleep better tonight because I think the bedroom heat vent is now working (the vent in the living room has heat coming about 3x stronger than my bedroom, leaving my room around only 60 degrees at night), that I had some company tonight, and that I went for a stroll on the beach right after sunset and it was beautiful (although cold - about 50 degrees). I've been seeing something funny on the way to work: A restaurant names Versailles, but it's Cuban food. That's just classic.

Well, hope everyone's having a great week, happy holidays if I don't blog before Christmas (I'm not getting internet installed until the 29th unfortunately), and may you all think of things you're grateful for, and the little silly things that get you through the day. Later!

I'm moving today!

So yeah, that's what I'm grateful for this Sunday. I'm just finishing up eating my breakfast, I finished packing pretty much, now I just have to haul everything away in my tree hugger car. I've got a 50 lb big suitcase I need to fit in there... I'm soooo going to the chiropractor when I go back home. Sorry I don't have anything interesting or unusual that happened this morning, except maybe that the neighbors stopped yelling at each other. So I got a good night's sleep! Oh, so get this - I faxed over the friends and family form last night for my parents in LV and the FD called me saying that they couldn't verify employment. WHAT?!?!? Stupid HR. $teve, I think you're passing your bad luck with HR over to me. So, I blame you. rrrr. Well, I talked to them this morning and I said I'd check with HR first thing tomorrow morning, and she just asked me my managers'names and said don't worry about it. I'm still going to go on Monday - I need to make sure I'm employed and get paid on Thursday! I got a $1425/month rent to pay, darn it! LoL.

Hope you all have a great Sunday, Mom & SD should be here around 1 PM. :D

Adventurous Saturday

Hey everyone! Well, the day went by really fast. It started with me calling to inquire about FIOS internet, and wow... I just spoke to one of the most unknowledgeable people when I called them... 

Me: "So I saw that it's 10mbps/2mbps, 10 is the download speed and 2 is the upload speed, right?

Lady: "Uh, yeah, that sounds right

Me: "And it is 10 megabytes or megabits per second?"

Lady: "Uh, I don't know, I'd think it's megabytes, don't really know what the difference is... but let me check for you"

Holy crap. Well, at the end she still answered my questions, but was slow as hell. For those of you who don't know, FIOS is fiber-optic internet, and I don't think it's offered in Utah yet, but basically I'm getting 10 mbps vs. Comcast's 6mbps... for the same price. Hurray! And I don't need a phone line. Double Hurray! I don't know whether or not I'm getting a home phone yet. 

So anyway, at 11 this morning is when the adventure started. I saw a couch for sale, which was huge, from Pottery Barn, and it was so-so. Then I go to a furniture store - and found the couch of my dreams and a really nice salesman named Bob. But he asked me if I knew how wide the door to my aparment was, because it needed 36'' of clearing. Then I thought, crap, my door IS fairly small, why didn't I measure it? So I went there and measured, and crap, it's 31 and 1/4. Which sucks. Because most couches are bigger than that.

So I went to Ikea next, my first time in over 15 years I think, and first time in the US. Quite frankly, in the couch department, I wasn't really impressed. There were 1 or 2 cheap ones that were about 30 or 31 inches deep, but kinda ugly or barely comfortable. Then I walked into the kitchen area... and nearly had a heart attack. I gasped with joy, like I stepped into kitchen heaven. LoL. I am such a woman. They had really nice kitchens! But that's not why I was there. I wanted to get basic stuff (glasses, dinnerware, silverware, tupperware, utensils, etc...) and basically, after 2 hours of going through that showroom I broke my back 1/3 of the way through (I thought a yellow bag would suffice, but it got too heavy). So I grabbed a delicious panini (I know, I ate bread... but I deserved it), and grabbed a shopping cart as soon as I saw one. Big relief. When I saw the kitchen accessories, as the French would say, "J'ai trouvé mon bonheur" (I found my fortune/happiness). I basically got everything I needed - and a few more here and there. I would have loved to spend more time in the decoration aisles, but I wanted to buy stuff I NEEDED for now. And for $108 bucks, I got about 75% of my kitchen essentials. Pretty good deal if you ask me. Plus, I had gift cards for my birthday back on Election Day - so I'd like to give a big shout-out to Mom & Stepdaddy, Fanou, JR & L for paying for my kitchen stuff. Thanks!!

Then, I went to the Target next door to buy cleaning products, applesauce, TP, sponges, etc. By that time it was 4 PM and my back was shot. I thought to myself there's no way I'll clean the apartment tonight. That's ok, I'll just do it tomorrow. I did drop off my stuff at the apartment after though, I could tell my car was too heavy, the trunk was full, I'm only getting 17 mpg and who knows if I would have fit the rest in the back seat. I did bring pretty much all I own with me to Cali.

So I got home, laid down, watched the last half of Charlie & the Chocolate Factory w/ Depp (such a wierd show), ate the rest of my panini, now I'm doing laundry while I'm typing this... so, for the couch situation, Bob did show me a futon (it's nice and comfy, not like usual futons), which would be able to fit through the door. I'm going back tomorrow with Mom & Stepdaddy so that they can check it out and hopefully haul it away. I'm so excited they're coming - so I'm grateful for that, and all the cool stuff I found at Ikea. Something funny today? Well, it just happened 5 minutes ago. I inserted my 8 shiny quarters in the wrong clothes dryer. I just wasted 2 bucks! Rrrr.... 

Just an FYI, As of tomorrow I may not have internet for a while. I signed up for access but it can take a week or more for the tech guy to come install it. So if you don't hear from me, no worries. If you do, then I'm messing around at work :)

Happy Saturday night everybody! Hope your weekend is just peachy.

TGIF

Well, it's here, the day we've all been waiting for... Friday!  Although I'm spending the evening on the laptop and in front of the TV, I'm ecstatic & grateful at the idea that I get to sleep in tomorrow (sleep in = 8 am for me).  Didn't get much sleep last night - around midnight, the neighbors started either yelling at each other or spoke one of those languages that sound like they're yelling at each other.. past midnight, and really loud. Yeah. Then I woke up around 4 am and felt really sick, almost like I was going to throw up... so I'm excited for the weekend. I survived work despite feeling like crap all morning, my boss worked from home so I did most things on my own or on the phone with her. 

So I was going to see 2 couches tomorrow - but both have been sold :( and tomorrow I've decided to go to Ikea and another furniture store, just to check it out and see what I find. I'm also waiting for people to email me back on their ads. It's going to be a busy day tomorrow. I'll probably go to the apartment in the late afternoon and start unloading some basics, and start cleaning. I'm also going to buy all the basic stuff I need to clean the apartment, sponges, paper towels, etc... man, I haven't cleaned an apartment since... I don't know, 5 years ago?!?! Again, welcome to real life. I'm actually quite excited. It's my own place, so it's different. There's consequences if I leave it dirty or cluttered. Why not make cleaning fun? :)

Ok, so now I'm just being wierd. Well, what made me chuckle today? The fact that the garbage can in the kitchen is just full of chinese take out boxes (5 to be exact). I feel like a bachelorette from the Carl's Jr commercials. "Without us, some guys (girls) would starve." Yeah. Can't wait till I can cook something yummy this weekend. Plus, Mom & Stepdaddy are coming, hurray! A little company sounds just awesome. Happy Friday night!!

It's official...

Well, hi everyone,

Today was a pretty fun day - got to work, a program was down so I just read my manual, met a VP at 10, went to lunch with the office (6 ladies) at P.F. Chang's, and they actually gave me all their leftovers because they know I'm a starving college student... well, not really, that was years ago. Now I'm just someone living out of a hotel and relies on refridgerated and microwaved food. It was delicious! Had some more for dinner tonight. Ah, chinese take-out...

Then, we had an hour before my big meeting with the GM and a sales manager, that I've been waiting to meet, so I just chilled in my hotel room until then since it was nearby. The meeting went well, although I must have spoken about 3 words - and let my boss do all the talking. Everything was interesting, but I hate how after lunch I yawn sometimes. I'm really not tired, I think it's just eating a lot of food (does that happen to you too?), and once or twice I had to control myself before I let a yawn out. How embarassing. The GM had his eyes on me about 80% of the time, I felt like he was testing me out considering I was going to take my boss' place on what she was presenting. Scary. But her doing the talking was expected - I told boss lady:

ME: "Uh, shouldn't I know what we're talking about before you present?"

Boss Lady: "oh no, don't worry, they know that you're new. If they ask you a question, I'll answer."

Well, ok, that worked, but again, I gave the impression that I was really shy (which I am anyway). But after the meeting, the GM left and the sales manager showed me the property, and then I showed my side of the girl who shows a lot of interest in the product and asked a lot of questions, made some comments on my experience so far, gave some suggestions for improvement, and I was just really friendly, professional and knowledgeable. I'm sure he got a much better impression of me after that. Good. Then he can tell the GM. And they can trust in my suggestions for their product & services for the next meeting. Now, I just have to figure out what those suggestions are...

So then... the big moment, I went over to sign the lease on the apartment, yay! Pretty painless process. Then I went to the apartment itself because she said that they completely changed the carpet in the living room, and it was a slightly darker color (I gasped a little... I liked the light beige, bright living room). Well, I went, and it's a tiny bit darker, but still a nice tan color, and the apartment is still bright. Not only is it still bright, but it's all finished... the new cabinets in the kitchen are nice, everything is newly painted and remodeled. I did figure out though that even though it was clean, there's still some basic cleaning to do around the stove, and the bathroom sink (I'll do the tub and toilet too while I'm at it). But the rest is good to go! And the best part of my day (this is what I'm grateful for today, and what made my heart smile), the sun was setting over the ocean... and I could see it from my living room window. I repeat, I saw a beautiful orange/red California sunset over the ocean... from my living room. Yeah. Now, again, why the frack didn't I come here sooner? LoL. Oh yeah, college. And the fear of living on my own. And not having mom to take care of me. But guess what? I grew up. Still need my mommy (as you saw from yesterday, I forgot how to hard-boil an egg). But again, I'll be just fine :) 

Nice, right? Well, after this, I went back to the hotel, and called a guy who is selling a couch to see if I could see it tomorrow, but guess what... he's out of town tomorrow morning till Monday night. "Can you come now actually?" "Sure!" So I drive over there, see it, it's a really nice young guy and his girlfriend selling one of their couches. It was nice, comfy (important) and it's beige/tan. A nice neutral color. I'm going to see another one Saturday, then make my decision.

Well, it's time to call it a night. Hope you enjoyed today's post. Good night!

Getting the hang of it

Well, howdy all,

'Tis a Wednesday night, and I feel pretty good. Aside from the fact that I ACTUALLY wanted to go work out today and all the machines were taken (for real, there's only 1 operational treadmill and 2 stationary bikes, and the bike thing was too tall and I tried, I promised I tried to bring it down for the little short person that I am, and I couldn't for the life of me). I went back to my room, and went back about a half hour later - same scenario, everything was taken.

Oh well. Not tonight I guess. Which sucks, because I had a lot of Pepperidge Farm butter cookies today. And a small chocolate truffle. Yeah. Other than that, I ate really well today. In fact, here's my funny thing of the day: I start hard-boiling eggs for dinner, and I completely forgot how long they're supposed to boil for, so I call Mommy (I know, you can stop laughing now) but she didn't answer so I left a message. I needed to know - especially because I had 3 minutes in mind, but I knew that that had to be for a soft-boiled egg. Then I finally remembered - that I had internet not 2 feet away from me. Let's google it! And there I got my answer: 10 minutes. Vive Google!

So now, work. Mixed feelings throughout the day. Basically, all morning until about 11 am, I was super happy - I was getting everything done on my own, starting to do it a little faster too. Then I find out that there's still a whole report to put together for the meeting tomorrow, and apparently I forgot to do a certain part. I WHAT??!? I swear I did it... I must be losing my mind... but we knew because the data was the same as last week's projections. Holy crap. So I do those, and we put everything together... and then around 2:30 PM, I imported the wrong file into the report... and that's a 20 page report that I copied 4 times to give to the meeting... so now the data's jacked. No worries, it's been fixed, and I'm not killing as many trees as I thought, I just have one page to change and print. After that, I checked inventory again now and then... and think we'll do just great for tonight. I'm already becoming obsessed with checking inventory every hour, every 20 minutes even sometime... so, yeah, that's a good sign I suppose. I'm optimist about it :)

Well, tomorrow's a busy day - meeting a VP at 10, holiday lunch at 1130 with the coworkers, meeting at 2, sign my apartment lease at 4, and seeing a couch about 15 miles away at 5:30. 

Wow. I just saw a Circuit City commercial saying don't pay interest or whatever for 36 months when you use the Circuit City credit card. Uh, won't they be completely out of business by then? Anyway, that's my random thought of the day.

So today, I'm grateful that one of my colleagues, who cracks me up, and lives clear in Ventura County, told me that she's got an Avocado tree (or whatever Avocados grow on) and guess what... it's avocado season!! What does that mean? She's got a bunch she'll bring,  and I get free avocados for a while... yeah, it doesn't take much to make me happy. :) Happy Wednesday night!

Busy day

Hey all,

Well, today was a very busy day at work. I started getting a bit overwhelmed toward the end, but the boss told me that it was okay, to remember that I only started a week ago. Tomorrow's going to be another busy day since we didn't finish everything. Looking forward to it! No, that's not sarcasm. I actually like it when we're busy because time goes by faster, and suddenly, it's 4 PM and I get to go home and watch another 2 hours of Family Guy. Some of my favorite quotes tonight:

Quagmire: Dear diary... Jackpot!

Quagmire: What the hell's CPR?

Peter: Holy crap, that building was on fire?

Stewie: What the deuce? (well, that's a given)

Well, and there were more funny moments, of course... but I finally turned off the TV, made myself some dinner (the last chicken sausage with a nice bed of mixed greens and cranberry trail mix). For dessert, I've got nonfat yogurt with blackberry applesauce. Yum! 

Well, I've decided to go sign my lease on Thursday at 4, then she'll give me the keys sometime Saturday night/afternoon, and I can move in first thing Sunday morning, yay! I can't wait. I actually drew in Windows Paint the layout of my apartment, so that you creative people out there can help me with the designing and decorating. Mom and stepdad are bringing me a round glass dining table that seats 4, with chairs, and I found a couch on Craig's list I really like... I emailed them to see if I can go see it sometime this week. I've got a good idea of where I want to put stuff, but I'd love to hear everyone's input. Please bear in mind that it may not be to scale, I'm not an architect and, who am I kidding, this is Windows Paintbrush. Here's the layout: 

So yeah, hope everyone's having a fabulous day... I had a slight moment of despair today at work because my boss and I work on something many times every day, and although I get the general concept, it's still not completely clicking and we were selling out today AND tomorrow, not to mention that Tuesdays of Week 2 are the busiest day, so yeah, I was a little overwhelmed. No, I didn't cry, that would be the Aurelie from a few years ago (ok, a good 8 years ago) and I'm just gonna stick it out and it'll click eventually. I stayed at work till 4:50, and was fine with it, despite the headaches. I also feel bad because I keep yawning in the afternoon - maybe because I have quite a meal at lunch (some kind of BBQ'd chicken today, with mashed potatoes, and a salad bar). I'm not bored, I promise!! :) Maybe because tomorrow's a busy day I should consider caffeine. I'll bring some black tea, which I discovered from The Mad Scientist. Thanks, T! 

So today I'm happy to have a supporting boss and another colleague that just cracks me up every day... and the fact that I got out of work just before 5 and there was still no traffic, I got to the hotel in about 10 minutes! Something unusual/funny/exciting today? Hmmm.. well, the sky was so clear that I discovered there are mountains by L.A. HUH? There's mountains by LA? I guess that's what people mean when they say that they live on the other side of the hill (This is West L.A. I'm talking about, by the way).

By the way, I've had a few people (actually, just one or two) always asking me if I got to the hotel safe after work, especially walking from my car to the hotel. That's really sweet, and I really appreciate it, but therefore I just want to remind everyone that I'm in a pretty good area, and that I do not live in the big city of LA. Plus, in my apartment, I'll be in an even better area than where I am right now, with covered parking (which I'll love, I've been dealing with that crazy rainy frost Cali gives in the morning, what do you call it, windshield morning dew?), so no worries, I'm fine. Thanks for caring though :)

Good night and happy Tuesday! Ooh, Ruby Tuesday sounds kinda good... wonder if there's some around here...

Nothing too exciting...

Hi everybody,

Well, it's a Monday night and the only real exciting thing is that I just watched 2 full hours of Family Guy. Futurama's now in the background while I'm typing this. A funny thing I saw today was on the way from work to the hotel, I saw a sign that said "Stupid lot sale!" And wondered what the heck that could be. Is the lot stupid, or the sale stupid, the seller, or is it stupid cheap or expensive? Who knows. Well, it made me chuckle, and that's all that counts. :)

Oh, speaking of Family Guy, you know what really grinds my gears? Those Kay Jewelers commercials. "Every kiss begins with Kaaayyyyy." I mean, wow, can you imagine if every guy really had to buy their girlfriend/spouse/significant other/lady GPS a diamond or some kind of jewelry to get but a mere simple kiss? LoL. 

I really feel like I didn't grocery shop enough - I forgot the lentils and stuff (well, didn't forget, my basket was getting way too full and heavy with the olive oil and OJ), so tonight I had another chicken sausage (not the best) with a can of green beans, microwaved (I remembered to take the beans out of the aluminum can before microwaving). I'm really not making an effort yet, but it's because I really don't feel at home - and my appliances are limited, so I'm not cooking mouth-watering stuff... but I'll shop more next Saturday for the new place. This morning though I had a wheat-free dairy-free waffle (don't be appalled, tastes just like a regular waffle really) with almond butter and bananas. Soooo good! At work, one of my coworkers bought some home-made toffee with chocolate, and it was to die for. I ate 3 pieces by 10, no wonder I had a headache all day. Isn't that funny? I know that when I eat chocolate I'll get a headache, but it's so good that sometimes I'd rather deal with the headache. Oh, there's the weight gain too, maybe that'll make me stop. We shall see. I don't have a scale with me, so have no idea how my new Cali lifestyle is affecting me. Well, I won't bore you anymore about weight, I know guys read this blog too, so, in other news...

Mom suggests making a list of stuff I need for the new apartment, especially for those who wonder what to get me for Christmas. I think that's a fantastic idea, although I already got my killer deal on my pots and pans, what more could I need? Well, I'll start that tonight since I have nothing better to do.  If only this laptop could handle Counter-Strike... oh wait, maybe it can! Hun? Well, with a laptop mouse it really isn't the best though...

Well, good night everyone... today I'm grateful that it'll be in the mid 70's this week, which means I just may go to the beach after work. That IS why I moved here, right? Later!

Fun work Christmas party

Hi everyone,

Well, hope your weekend was just fantastic. Today, I walked on the beach for only an hour this time, the first 30 minutes by the shore and the next 30 actually in the sand, allowing my feet to sink deep - and get a better workout. I felt like I was going 2 feet an hour. On the beach, I saw a lot of volleyball sets and players - and it really made me want to get back into volleyball. How is that possible you say? Well, I may only be 5'2'', but I used to be semi-good and really love that sport. Mom introduced me to it because in France she played for 7 years as a teen. Anyway, I thought I might look into joining some kind of club for some casual playing, and get back into shape and have some fun. I'll let you know if that works out :)

Then I went to my office's Christmas party. My boss' boss house is absolutely beautiful and in a good area. She's really nice and I had a great time. At first it was a tiny bit awkward, because as people came in, they started chatting and catching up, and I wasn't really included since I'm the new girl, and of course I'm shy, so I was on my own for about 20 minutes. But luckily, that changed as people wanted to know more about me, I found out one of my colleagues loves Family Guy like me and said to her husband "see, I told you we'd get along with her!" :) and suddenly we got in conversations of Family Guy with about 8 people and South Park, and apparently my boss can make Cartman expressions or something... anyway, we had great food, great desserts, stayed for about 4 hours, and the boss gave all of us a Merry Christmas gift, a bottle of Veuve Clicquot. So, I don't drink but decided to save it for a special occasion where other people can enjoy it :).  That was nice of her though! I hear it's really good Champagne, but what do I know. I did sip a tiny bit of red wine at the party - and got a headache. I thought I'd be okay with wine because it's got antioxidants and a sip won't kill me. Yeah. This is why I don't drink though, I'm such a lightweight, and I'm not a believer in alcohol, there's obvious evidence that it's bad for you.  But we had some good times, we had 4 Italians at the party, one of which speaks no English, so I decided to try and speak with her with the very little Italian I know and the lotsa Spanish I know. I actually couldn't speak it, but could understand it pretty well.

So, that's about it for today! I'm glad I wasn't too bored this weekend, although at some times it was tough. I guess I know how to fill my time though. Last night, I ended up doing laundry around 10pm, and a lady randomly asked me if I were from Utah, and I said yes, how did you know? (I didn't know I had a typical Utahn look) and she said that I was wearing a Mountain America Credit Union sweatshirt. Touché.

So also, last night I checked out JL Clyde's blog and she reminded me of the One Day Photo Project. I also discovered, from one of her friends a Shiba Inu Puppy Live Cam, and it made me so sad, because I miss Roxy so much! Roxy's my parent's Shiba Inu and she looks just like the puppies on the cam. I never thought I could love dogs (I'm a cat person) until we got Roxy. Miss you girl! I miss everyone else too by the way... sorry if I don't really mention anyone else but The Boyfriend & the puppy, but I really do miss everyone :)

Well, tomorrow's my second week at work, which should be even more action-packed, and I have my first meeting on Thursday. I'd like to give a shout-out to $teve because he FINALLY posted on his blog today. LoL. We missed ya! I definitely want to see Filly's apartment pictures so that I can have reading material tomorrow night. :)

By the way, today I'm grateful for: a new family. When I left the Christmas party, I got lots of hugs and even kisses on the cheek (then again, 1/3 were Italian). I engaged in real adult conversations although I'm only 24 and everyone was probably between their mid 30's to early 40's. They asked me if I had been to Disneyland (One of my colleague's buddy works for Disney) and I said I did back in '92. "So you must have been, like 5 years old" said my boss, and I said, "well, actually, yeah, you're close, I was 8". (Chuckle). I hate how young I am sometime in my job environment, because I'm scared people won't take me seriously when I've got a fairly important position, responsibility and persuasion-wise. But I've proved myself responsible so far and believe that I'll be just fine. I may be shy at first, but once I'm comfortable with the people I talk to, I talk... A LOT, and talk about what that age group may be interested in or what's relevant to them. 

Another fun thing that made my day today: Manhattan Beach has so many cool, delicious looking Zagat rated restaurants that I just want to try them all. In fact, I may have to start a fundraiser, so that I can afford to do that. I'll call it the "Lilie wants the full so-cal experience" fundraiser. Except that I'm not getting a boob job. Love the little tata's :). Also, as you may have noticed, I have finally found the "link" button, and am taking way to much advantage of it. I'll stop now before I become link-crazy. Buena Note!

2nd post... must be a boring Saturday

Hi everyone, well, I'm posting twice in one day, but mostly because I forgot to upload these pictures from this afternoon. I've got some beautiful ones of the beach, my footprints, etc. I did go back to see the Pier lighting, and it was... fine, just a pier lighting! I was walking alone in the dark and felt 100% safe. Manhattan Beach is a really cute & clean walking town, and I'll probably go every once in a while. I went into a decoration/ bath store to wait for the ceremony and I checked out some of their stuff - and found real liquid "savon de Marseille". I thought that was kind of cool! Can't find that stuff in Utah!

Here are some pictures. I think this is my best shot:

Lots of seagulls:

And then this picture, I couldn't believe it, someone stole my idea for a restaurant's name! When I was younger, I wanted to open a restaurant with crepes (first thing I really learned to make) and was gonna name it La Creperie (not the Bohemian bistro & bar though). Oh well! What on earth is a Bohemian bistro anyway? Good night! 

First Saturday brings tears...

of both joy and sadness. Details below. Well, overall, I've had a really good day today. Although I thought I would be bored out of my mind because it's my first weekend alone, I was able to fill my time ok. So here we go (please beware, it's long):

Slept in till 8, and it felt so good!! I had just dreamed that it would be cloudy today, but I got up and looked outside - not only was it sunny, but there was surprinsingly no overcast. Yay! So I unpacked my whole huge suitcase, sorted laundry I should wash, ate banana & almond butter for breakfast, and decided to go to the beach after my errands.

My errands: to go find chocolates for my boss's party tomorrow, (which I did, and they had special coupons for today, yay!), go grocery shopping, go to the beach, and do laundry.

By the chocolate stores, I saw a Macy's... and thought I would check out some home things since I got a $50 gift card for my birthday from Genevieve. Well, I concluded that most things were too expensive than what I'm used to, even more than BB&B, so I almost left. Well, before leaving, I thought I'd check out kitchen stuff because it would be fun :) (only me. And every other woman, actually). I was getting ideas of stuff I needed for my new place, and how much it would cost (remember, I have to start from scratch, pretty much, besides the few things mom's giving me... thanks again, mom!). I looked at cooking sets, including pans, frying pans, a dutch oven, etc... and they were like $200, $300, so I thought screw it, I'm going to Wal-Mart next week. Then I saw it... ta-da! A full 12 piece set, including lids and spatulas too, stainless steel, regularly $120... on sale for $44.99. Yay! They looked like everyday essentials (in fact, that's the brand name I think, or model) vs. the fancy $300 stuff. That's totally fine with me! I grab it. There's a line at checkout (aren't we in a recession?!?!?!) and while in line, I see this cute mixing bowl with measuring cups and spoons, also silver colored, for only $10 instead of $20, so I thought what the hay. It would match the cooking set. Well, it was genius, because it made everything above $50, and because I have a Macy's credit card she took off $10, and the total came to only $48 something... so I basically have a Macy's gift card with a dollar something on it (should have just grabbed that chocolate bar on the counter), and a nice cooking set with some mixing bowls and spoons for my baking pleasure, ALL for free. This has been a pretty good day so far.

So I walk around this cute village of shops, there's a CPK (man, would love some of their pizzas again), a Chili's (thought of you, honey) an Olive Garden (stuffed mushrooms, sweetheart?), and other places... there's also an inside mall part where I planned to check out the chocolate stores: Godiva, Harry and David, and See's. I went to all 3 to compare, I indulged in a raspberry white chocolate cup at Godiva for $4.50 (so good, but won't do it again), at See's tried a free sample of a pineapple truffle (again, thought of you, honey) and ended up buying truffles at Harry and David. They also had a frozen section there and I saw a brie in puff pastry with artichokes and caramelized onions, and omg, it looked SO good and I was so tempted (even though it's SO bad for me) and thought I would just indulge one night this week, but it was $16 and thought it's a little much for cheese en croute. I don't know, anyone else pay more for brie en croute?

So then, I tried to go to Target, but went the wrong way on PCH... but that's okay, I saw a Whole Foods and just decided to go there instead. The store.... was HUGE. Mom would have had a heart attack. Now, Mom and I have been eating pretty much all organic for a few years now, we really feel that it's better for our health and we feel good doing it. It's a little more expensive, true, but not by that much... and when you think of the benefits down the line, it's totally worth it. I've decided to stick with it. So anyway, here I go. My grocery budget is $300 a month, or about $60 a week. Now, again, I'm starting from scratch and knew I had to buy olive oil, etc... which can be pretty expensive, and it'll obviously last me for more than a week, so I expected to go a little over (I'm extremely budget conscious, you may have noticed with the "not wanting to tip a bellman to save money" paragraph from yesterday). Well, basically, I got everything I need for the week, and more, by buying delicious, healthy ORGANIC foods for $53. I say, I'm pretty proud of myself. I've never really grocery shopped, except when parents are gone on vacation, which happens maybe once or twice a year, and then again it's not the same because we've got grains and everything in the cupboard anyway... so I just buy minimal perishable stuff. Yay for staying within budget! (bear in mind Mom's an accountant, I've had this state of mind instilled in me very young).

So then I go back to the hotel, put the groceries away, ate lunch [I bought sushi for lunch... the only take-out I'll do this week, I promise :)] and my Godiva dessert, change into capri's and flip flops, and head for the beach. I decided to go to Manhattan beach today. Well, here's another proud accomplishment, I walked a little over 4 miles today, all in the sand by the water (feet sinking into the wet sand = awesome calf & hamstring workout). The water was cold, and the air was getting colder (65 degrees), but I didn't care. I started feeling that sand in between my toes, and couldn't help, I shed a tear or two of joy. Now, I must explain the importance of the beach to me. Beaches to me symbolize: summer, great weather, a great tan, family (it's where I'd go on summer vacations to see Grandma & everyone else), and just plain good times... but there's just something about that ocean breeze and feeling that sand in between your toes... I will never be able to explain it, but basically when I'm doing that, it's perpetual bliss. Now, also knowing that I can do this every weekend because it's in my own backyard, is double that bliss. Why the Frack didn't I come live here sooner?!?!?!?!

I had the pleasure of savoring that moment... for over 90 minutes. That's right, I actually walked about an hour and a half, and another half hour to walk on the pier, see the aquarium (the king crab was trying to plan his escape), and try to find my car. Yes, I almost got lost. Well, not really, but really wondered where I parked that Utah tree hugger car of mine for a few minutes. Speaking of that, since I've haven't been on any freeways since I filled up my tank and just driving on PCH to go to work, I'm getting horrible gas mileage. Oh well. Maybe I'll buy a bike and just bike to work - it's only 9.7 miles away. Think I can do it? :)

So, now my tear of sadness: wish the boyfriend were here with me to share all these wonderful experiences I call the Cali lifestyle. Miss you, honey... hopefully you can come soon.

Here are the little things today that made me giggle, and/or made my day:
-a small guy in a small Porshe Carrera with a huge cigar in his mouth
-couple's pictures on the beach - must have been polygamist, a woman surrounded by two men, all 3 wearing the classic jeans and a white shirt for engagement pictures and such
-a little girl on the beach just dancing and prancing around, while her mom took pictures and seemed grateful to have such a cute free-spirited innocent daughter
-guy in a google shirt checked me out [why am I attracting tech geeks? hun, got some geek competition :)]

Well, that's it for today. I think you pretty much know what I'm grateful for for today. My day's actually not over, I've decided to go back to Manhattan Beach for the lighting of the pier in about 40 minutes. Might as well, or tonight may be boring... and I've got an awesome dinner of chicken sausage with artichoke and peas planned for tonight. YUM! Have a great Saturday night everybody!

Gotta get some muscles

Hi everyone,

Well, today I got off at about 2:30 PM, visited the Sales Office, met some really nice and friendly people, then finished packing... as I switched hotels today. My mom had told me (considering I'm carrying pretty much everything I own with me) that I had to stop being cheap and just get assistance with my luggage. Well, it's not that I didn't want to tip somebody (although I do hate tipping, the awkwardness of handing a few bills at the right moment, I don't know... anyone have tips on tipping?) and I DO hate spending money when I don't have to (I'm a salesman's worst nightmare), but I decided I needed the workout anyway. So I got my huge suitcase with about 80% of the clothes I own, 3 or 4 duffel bags, a few tote bags, my mom's laptop and my purse to my car in 4 trips - while taking one set of stairs to the garage (couldn't do all 7 floors!). That felt good, got some muscles and saved a few dollars in the process.

This new hotel isn't bad, but the walls are paper thin (who knows WHAT's going on to my right right now) and it's small, but it's just me. There's a kitchen so I'm going grocery shopping tomorrow and probably buy some lettuce, veggies, and some kind of protein I don't have to fry, like beans or lentils. I know, boring... but sooooo good. I'm happy to be healthy again and not eat scrumptious greasy stuff :). Dinner tonight is banana and almond butter sandwiches, tamari seaweed brown rice crackers, yogurt with trailmix, and I'll indulge in this Trader Joe's chocolate bar with raisins and pecans. Yum! All while typing this and watching "Wedding Crashers" on TBS.

Tomorrow I'll probably do laundry too, as I'm running out of underwear and don't really want to go commando. I'll also check out the area more, buy some chocolates for the office Christmas party tomorrow, unpack, iron some clothes, maybe go to the beach if it's warm enough (supposed to be 69 degrees). I'll keep you posted.

So I'm grateful for the weekend, and my unusual thing today? The concierge lounge employee from the first hotel actually was there when I checked in at my second hotel today. He remembered my name since I introduced myself a few days ago as the new manager. I also felt embarassed because when I checked in today I was in jeans, tennis shoes and a t-shirt and looked like a teenager about to kick it and relax. Oh well, give me some credit, I'm not going to haul a bunch of heavy luggage in a suit.

Have a great Friday everyone! TGIF!!

'Been a long day...

So today's been a pretty long day... I think I'm just taking in so much information at work, and my boss even told me "you're falling asleep!" (in a nice way) Well, I wasn't quite really, but at some point it seemed that everything she said went right above my head. I spent about an hour reading this development program book made for me (It's about 6 inches thick of blabber) and it seems that in an hour I only read about 8 pages. I don't know why, but I'm really having trouble concentrating these past few days. I have a few theories: I have ADD somewhat and

1) My coworker is playing Christmas music, which is fine but a little distracting so when I read this thing I have to plug my ears (I'm too nice to tell her to turn it down)

2) I'm so psyched about everything that is happening to me right now that I keep thinking about other things - my new apartment, where I'm going to put the couch, when I'm going to call the electricity company, oh, and can't forget internet, where I'm going to buy my kitchen stuff, and planning out my strategy for next weekend... oh, by the way, if you haven't guessed, I GOT APPROVED FOR THE APARTMENT!! Not that I should have had any problems, but you never know, somebody could have framed me :) I'll move in next Sunday as planned!

3) I've been eating pretty badly. As you may or may not know, I've been on a wheat free dairy free diet since June (and have lost 15 lbs since then by the way), slipping up only once in a while. Well, this week I've been slipping pretty much everyday, and I feel.... down, bloated, tired, having trouble concentrating, which is proof that eating healthy is the way to go.

Speaking of eating, I didn't do so well on my vegetarian plan today. Now, I did eat my banana and almond butter as planned, and for lunch I finally finished my P.F. Chang's vegetable curry from last weekend (it was still good, miraculously!) but work had some kind of beef/pot roast thing with a mushroom sauce... and I had to have some. I've been eating way too much, for lunch and at the hotel lounge every night. But I figure, tonight's the last night, tomorrow after work (I get off at 2 by the way, yay!) I'm moving to another hotel with no hors d'oeuvres but I'll have a kitchen, so I'll start cooking and eating healthier. I also spent a pitiful 15 minutes at the fitness center today, after not having gone for over a week.... yeah, my job is great, my life is great, but my body feels like crap. Gotta change that!!

I hear there was a Christmas tree lighting ceremony tonight at 6 not far from here. I didn't go, it's just not the same when you're all alone, plus it's in a dense city where parking is horrible... and I promised myself I'd go to the fitness center and go meet the sales team at the hotel... yeah. Excuses, excuses. Well, hope you're all having a great day... and planning a fabulous weekend. This weekend for me? Saturday - rest and do laundry in a coin-up washer and dryer (never done that before, welcome to the real world) and rest, and Sunday is my work's Christmas party. Maybe I'll go to Ikea or something and start checking out prices for furniture :)

Oh, sorry, I almost forgot. Today I'm grateful that I got the final approval for my new kickin' apartment, and something unusual? On my way from work to the hotel, I saw a guy on a motorcycle, and the license plate said something about balls, and below it was a balloon with two round things dangling at the bottom, next to one another... and you guessed it, looked like balls. And the balloon was blue. Kinda funny. Good night everybody!!

Screaming with joy in the car

Hi everyone,

So, work again is good, still learning new things... I even met the GM of one of the places I'll be managing and she gave me a big hug. Very friendly people, those Californians! That'll be my cool, unusual thing for the day. Today, in the employee's cafeteria (yes, I get free food) we had pork chops with caramelized onions.... so good. I need to cut down on the meat though, I'm having eggs and bacon for breakfast, chicken or pork chops for lunch, and some kind of ground beef wrapped in phyllo dough at night (man, it's good though!). Tomorrow, banana and almond butter for breakfast it is. Might go vegetarian for a day or two to balance everything out :)

So, after the work day is over, I get on Craig's List again to look at apartments, even though I had made my decision to go to SB. Well, SB posts again today... saying ocean view at $1425 a month. So I call her, saying
Me: I'm interested in that upper floor w/ ocean view at $1425 like I saw posted today on Craig's List.
The landLady's really nice by the way.
LL: um... ok, normally it's still $1475 but can you print the ad? If it's there then I suppose we can honor it.
Me: Ok, can I come by with the application, and whatever else I need? Can I come in about a half hour?
LL: Sure! You need the deposit, application fee, and a copy of your DL.
Me: No problem.

So I go and give her my stuff, look at the apartment again, and basically she will let me know either tonight or tomorrow morning if it goes through. Cool beans. I get in my car and start screaming at the killer deal I just got. Not only am I saving $50/month because of my suave confident negotiating skills (which I never had... until tonight) but the move in special makes it also so that I'm only paying about $700 for two months. Plus, I'm in an apartment that I decided is the absolute perfect place for me. I'm also doing a 6 month lease, and I asked if the price would go up after 6 months and she said very unlikely because of the economy. Plus, I can stay month-to-month after the lease is up and keep the same price. Holy crap. What am I grateful for today? I think I just spelled it out for you. :)

So hopefully everything goes through, I honestly don't know why it wouldn't, because I have good credit and a good history, so... but I'll keep you posted! I've decided that I should probably move in on Sunday (14th) instead of Saturday like planned. Why? Because I can just save extra money that way considering the hotel is cheaper per night (sadly) and my parents won't be in Cali till about noon or after on Sunday. Considering I don't have many things, I can just move in that morning and be done by noon. I've even started couch shopping on craig's list and have found some good deals... so I think I'll save my ikea gift cards for something else.

Getting excited! I hope you all had a fantastic day, and wish you a pleasant tomorrow.

2nd Day as a Cali resident

Hi everyone!

So today, work was probably even better than yesterday. I think it's because yesterday I woke up really early, so was tired, and got a headache at the end of the day since I took in a lot of info. But obviously, still a good day with a great job. Today though, I already felt more comfortable with stuff. My boss is impressed with how quickly I learn, in fact she doesn't worry about me. She even tells me that if I need to leave early to visit apartments and such, no problem because we've got a month to learn everything which is plenty, and it's important that I get settled. Yay for a cool boss!

So I decided to go to Milano after work and turn in my application. I was so excited. Well, at around 1:30 pm I call them, and found out that it's been rented as of the night before :(. Well, not a tragedy... I still had one other great option, and another still very decent option. So I call SB and CM, both on the same street, to see if they still had theirs available. They both did. I stopped by both after work to get another feel for it. To be quite honest, I believe I'd be happy with both. But I really think I'd be happier in SB too. The differences?

SB: 1 bedroom, second floor, corner unit so not many common walls, nice & clean, newly remodeled, 2 story, californian, small kitchen, fridge, dishwasher, oven & stove, laundry on site, gated and covered parking, gated pool and decks, gated entry, nice views (not of parking lot or neighbors) including ocean view.

CM: Studio, large kitchen with everything too, optional privacy wall for bedroom area, but seriously it's only 4 ft tall... first floor, 3 story building, pink door, pool, laundry, covered parking, gated entry, getting remodeled too except the old pink door, lol.

So, again, prices:

SB: $1475, utilities included except electricity ($15-20 a month). Move in special of $700 dollars, so over a 6 month lease it's over $100 saving per month, so we could say $1360.... although I don't like to think of it that way. 6 month leases and $300 deposit.

CM: $1250, no utilities included, 6 month leases, $300 deposit. Nice landlady, husband is from Idaho and talks a lot.

So, that's my day... You're probably thinking, why didn't you jump on either one today after work, didn't you learn your lesson from Milano? Well, you may be right, but I still don't like to rush, although I'll most likely be making my official decision tomorrow. Feel free to let me know what you think...  

Before I leave you, what are you grateful for today? I'm grateful that there's still 2 apartments available that I like. Something unusual? In Cali they don't have decorated Christmas trees on the streets, there's decorated palm trees. It still looks cool :)

Good night everybody!!

First day at work!

Hi everyone,

Well, I survived my first day at work... not only survived it, but reinforced the thought that this is the prefect, ideal job for me. There's so many commands that I know already, although I had to learn a lot of new ones... but I'm understanding a lot of things. My boss even said "See, you don't even need me to train you" "Yes you do (chuckle)." Really, I've got a lot to learn, and I can't remember every single thing unfortunately... but I totally see myself doing this within a month like it's second nature, and even being obsessed about it. I mean, a lot of this stuff is crazy boring to most, but it's analytical and strategic and I love that. This is such a happy moment for me. What am I grateful for today? I finally found a good paying job that is perfect for me, and in a state full of sunshine and beaches. Conclusion, it's been a good day today. :) If only the boyfriend were here to share it with me... (I'm still debating on his code name for this blog).

I'm still a little congested,  and a little tired, but not too bad. I drove my mom at LAX this morning, left at 4:30 and got there at 4:43, and was back in my hotel room by 5. There was really dense fog though, like in the movie "The Mist." Since I initially wanted to wake up at 6, I thought I'd try to get a little shut-eye for an hour... but I think I was way too excited about this new job and couldn't sleep. I ate breakfast in the concierge lounge (eggs and bacon, yum! Going to have a heart attack by the end of the week, LoL) then hopped off to work... and got there about 20 minutes early because traffic was better than expected. Yay! That's my unusual thing for the day: almost rush hour traffic, but only a 10 minute drive on Sepulveda and the fog lightened up. I can deal with that!

So, thanks to my cousin Mesia, I figured out the way to add pics. Here are the pics for you of those two apartments I talked about yesterday. 

Milano: 

SB - Second floor 

Bright living room

Outside entrance

Well, tell me what you think, but I think I'm going to go with Milano. It's cheaper, nicer, the amenities can't be beat... and still about 10 minutes from the beach and a very decent area. I decided that I can do a 6 month lease and leave then if I really can't stand the busy street. As long as it's not as noisy as Blvd. Sakakini (noisiest place in Marseille where my grandma lives), then I can survive.

Have a great day everyone!

Second apartment Search day

Hi everyone,

So Mom and I visited 9 apartments yesterday, and about 6 more today. It's really between two of them. I even made a list of pros and cons for each. If you guys would like to help or have any suggestions, please feel free!

1. SB (9 miles from work)

Pros:

-3 blocks to the beach (really big plus for me, I love the beach, I live for it, and I decided that I would try to get in shape and start running on it).

-Nice area. As in, I can actually walk around, even at dusk, and feel safe. Albertson's is just a block away, as well as many other shops. 

-Gated building, and secured underground parking. Laundry room. Nice landlady, small community feel, looks out for you.

-Apartment is really cute. There's actually two of them, my fav. one is on the second floor, has a small ocean view, a nice view overall, and the bedroom shares no common wall. It's a corner unit so fairly spacious (700 sq. ft maybe). It's SO bright, something I absolutely love. It's really clean too, another big one for me. Nice kitchen, nice bedroom, bathroom, just everything is great.

-Fridge and dishwasher included (do you know how hard it is to find an apartment with its own fridge? Holy cow!)

-Nice ocean breeze, quiet street, and overall... a nice area. This would be my ideal Californian retreat :)

Cons: 

-There's no balcony. Now, with that said, there's a still a deck shared with all the other apartments, with BBQ's and all... so that's not bad.

-The apartment door is an outside entrance (motel style). It's a nice area though, and gated, so I still feel safe.

-It's about $75 more than I want... but most utilities are included, so it's still in my budget.

Price: $1425/month first floor, $1475 2nd floor (the one I prefer, of course). Utilities are included though, except electricity (about $20 a month)

2. M Apts (10 miles from work)

Pros:

-The property is very nice and luxurious. It's got a 24 hour large fitness center, huge laundry room (important for me), clubhouse, 2 pools, sundecks, 2 tennis courts, stainless steel barbeque pits... you name it, it almost looks like a tropical paradise with nice landscaping too. 

-Apartment entrances are indoors. As in, you have to go through an indoor hallway (nice on the security side)

-The kitchen has what look like stainless steel appliances. Very nice. 1 bedroom apartment, very nice and clean. Has a balcony.

-The property is also gated, which is nice because it's not as nice an area as Redondo Beach, but still very decent. 

-There's malls nearby, and it's about a 10 minute drive to the beach. Beats the 10 hour drive from Utah. 

Cons:

-It's on the noisy street side. Although when the windows are closed, it's fine, suddenly the balcony's purpose of me enjoying a nice ocean breeze and quiet outside time has gone out the window. 

-It's on the second floor of a 3 story building. Meaning, people above AND below you. Better not have noisy neighbors or little kids running around.

-The area is decent, but I can't really walk anywhere. There's not much... and I wouldn't try to walk too much either, especially when it starts getting dark.

Price: well, here's what makes it possible. Originally, this is $1570/month. BUT, 4 weeks ago when I visited, they had $200/month specials. Meaning $1370/month, so do-able, especially with all the amenities they have (no utilities included, just water and trash). Well, the specials don't exist anymore. BUT, by miracle, someone JUST cancelled their lease that was on that special, and because the leasing consultant remembered me and knew I was counting on the $200 off, she said she could honor it. 

So, I want to post pictures, but I'm a little slow. Everytime I upload them, it shows up on top. I thought I could drag and drop them to the bottom, but it's not happening for me. So if you see this post, I still haven't figured it out. I'm waiting for $teve to give me call and tell me how :)

Before I let you go, something I'm grateful for today: my mom is so sweet. She just altered two work pants of mine. I'm pretty short, so all my pants are too long for me. Thanks, mom! What the h* am I gonna do when you're gone?!?! LoL. Something funny, unique exciting, or unusual that happened today? I ate shrimp cocktail and salmon chowder for lunch, while overlooking the beach and pier. I know, these aren't very exciting... I'll try to make more stuff happen to me and think harder about those little things that get you through the day...

Tomorrow's my first day at my new job in my new state! I'm driving my mom to the airport at 4:30 am though, and will work from 7:30 - 4:30. Plus, I'm still congested from that cold. But I know I'll be fine. Wish me luck & you all have a fantastic week!

It's about time...

Hi everyone,

Well, I thought it would be about time I have a blog. For those of you who don't know, I've had the pleasure of accepting a killer job by LAX with the company I've been with for six years... I start on Monday, December 1st, and couldn't be more excited.

My mom and I drove all day Friday (10 hour drive), visited 9 apartments today (pictures will show up eventually) and plan to see a few more tomorrow. I'm glad that she's here with me because I've never really rented before, so she's there to show me what's cool and not :) We saw some laughable places, mediocre ones, decent ones, and awesome ones... even with a small ocean view. I'd be splurging on that one, but I really like it... and can probably do it. We'll see what tomorrow brings... and I've got a few days, even weeks to make a decision.

So, there's a few reasons for this blog:

a) I hope that you will go to it if you ever wonder what is happening to Good ol' Lilie.

b) I want to try and post two things each time, and encourage you to do the same with your own life and/or blog: 1. What are you grateful for today, and 2. What's something interesting and unusual and/or fun that happened to you today. 

So here goes. I'm grateful that even though I've had a cold all day, I was still able to make to 9 apartments, take 170 pictures, and my mom was there to make me feel better and make me laugh all day. Something unusual? I walked on a beautiful beach and pier in a short sleeve t-shirt, in November. As in, almost December, so almost winter. That's right, be jealous.

Anyway, this was pretty simple and painless, right? I encourage all of you to think of good things that happened to you. As Dr. Love would say, "No need to thank me, just pay it forward." :)