Sunday, March 30, 2008

A busy busy week with pictures to prove it!

Thursday night, the gang had a craving for Mexican food so I obliged and we went to Matt's favorite place on Sunset Blvd. called El Chavo. Dinner was fantastic as was the company and our surroundings. Matt and I will definitely be back, hopefully with friends in tow as we are eager to share this local treasure.

Matt and Dad - what a pair!

The lovely decor.


(a picture of my half-eaten dinner for Cindy.)

Pictures of our weekend in Catalina to come, as well as our new big toy.

Thursday, March 27, 2008

A new favorite

Dad and Katie flew in last night. Katie came down with a bad cold just before the trip, so she asked that we go out to a restaurant that had Pho. Well, I wasn't sure that Dad was a big fan of Pho, so I asked my co-worker who lives in Silver Lake (a nearby neighborhood) if she knew of any good places that also had alternative choices to Pho. She reccomended Gingergrass, and since Matt had been there once and really liked it, we decided to give it a try.

Oh goodness.

First off, the crowded restaurant was a little daunting as my Dad is hard of hearing. But a crowded restaurant often means good food. We were seated right away and after Matt arrived, we ordered our drinks. I got the ginger limeade, Katie got Vietnamese Coffee, Matt got the Gingerale, and both Dad and Matt got a gi-normous beer.

For dinner, Matt, Katie, and I got the chicken Pho. Normally, Pho portions are gi-nourmous but this place served it in the perfect sized bowl. It was delicious and hit the spot. Dad got wok noodles with shrimp. For dessert, pan fried banana rolls (essentially an egg roll without the egg, bananas stuffed inside, and drizzled with chocolate).

We can't wait to go back!

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

I donated!

Well, in cash terms. I can't donate blood...I get woozy just thinking about needles.

My friend Melanie is participating in the Relay For Life in Bozeman, MT. Now I haven't participated in any sort of cancer walks yet because it's still too painful. But Mel said that she'd walk for me and in memory of my Mom. So I wanted to encourage donations to her personal page. Her goal is just $100, and she's already a quarter of the way there.

And I'm going to stop here. I'm at work and tearing up.

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Good friend, steak, wine, and an amazing view...

Dinner is served!
My skirt steak fajita...mmmm....I should make these again next week!

The lovely Cindy, everyone!

Can you believe that this view is FREE??
Well, sort of...there is that nasty rent check due every month...

"A fantastic evening, we say!
Now let's go bake some cookies for game night tomorrow..."

Friday, March 14, 2008

We're off to get our drink on!

Well, not right now. But at 5pm you'll know where to find us!

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Let the warm weather continue!

I love warm weather. Mind you, the L.A. summers are a bit much when the numbers hit the triple digits. But being able to be outside, at night, in MARCH, with no sweatshirt, is a feat I never thought would be possible!

Cindy came over the other night since our boys were out on the town with fellow DG Nathan. We cooked some fajitas and enjoyed a nice glass of wine on the rooftop deck. Pictures to come!

I really hope that the weather holds up because I'm venturing out to Pasadena to attend an outdoor spoken word event with Kari. Bonus - it's free! And since Kari is a Pasadena native, she knows good and inexpensive places for lunch.

1 week until our weekend getaway - I can't wait!

I have been working on losing weight - my exercise program is non existant at this point - BUT...guess what? When we moved here I weighed in somwhere around 180 pounds. Now I'm down to below 160!!! I honestly can't remember the last time I weighed under 160 since I got married. Maybe the first few years of marriage? I'm really thrilled that this is working and a regular exercise plan is in the works. Maybe? I hope. But progress is progress no matter how you look at it, and I'm way excited! :)

Monday, March 10, 2008

Fabulous Farmer's Market!

Ah-May-ZING!! I had such a great time and I was grateful to have (a) a limited amount of cash so I couldn't go completely crazy; and (b) Katy and Cindy at my side, reminding me that we would return next week and I didn't have to buy everything in site.

Katy's bag was full of fabulous goodies. Mostly everything crammed in there is hers, but I did manage to find some items that needed to be in this bag as they needed to remain cold and it was quite warm out (I was really glad I put on sunscreen).

I seriously was this close to taking one of these orchids home. But decided they were prettier from afar and that watching my kitties destroy them would just be too heartbreaking.
(And I'd just like to say that editing pictures and copy on blogger stinks because this looks so much nicer in the posting section. The last 2 pictures are actually in the right order.)
(P.S. I realized a few weeks ago that I have a fantastic camera that we got for Christmas and this blog is called "Adventures in Hollywood". Except I never take any pictures and the adventures mostly seem to be in my head. So this trip to the farmer's market wasn't just for good food and fun in the sun - it's also the start of sharing what we experience every day...or at least on the weekends... *wink*)

Sunday, March 09, 2008

Spring is defnitely here.

How can I tell?

Allergies. I just love sneezing all the time. :)

The birds wake me up on a Sunday morning when I just want to sleep in.

70 degree days.

One of my favorite things is the actual green Hollywood Hills that I can see from the 101 freeway. Because of all the rain during the winter, spring is actually quite pretty this year!

Saturday, March 08, 2008

What the eff?

What is up with the cost of food these days? My god, I spent $88 at the store, and came home with 4 paper bags, barely full. Granted, I got healthy-good-for-us-food, and I think it's really disturbing that good, nutritious food is so friggin darn expensive. It really bothers me. And I know that Trader Joe's is a better deal, but I can only go on the weekends, (and don't make me tell you how much I despise each and every Trader Joe's parking lot) which means long line and a very crowded store.

Let me just say that I'm even more excited to go to the Encino Farmer's Market with Cindy and Katy tomorrow. I hope to make it a weekly excursion, supporiting local growers and farmers while getting good food at a decent price. Isn't that how it should be?

And, while we're on the subject of grocery shopping experiences, I must share this tale:

I was at my local store, perusing the breads, when this man completely let a loud fart go. Right in front of me. Clearly he was embaressed and I didn't look at him, I just kept perusing the shelves. But as soon as he turned around, I headed the other direction and made a face. How gross!

I do have a smidge of good news. At Amoeba Music last night, I found 2 soundtracks I've been anxious to add to our CD collection: Sliding Doors and French Kiss. Both used and total cost was under 15 bucks!

Feeling unsatisfied

I just want to say that if I'm going to spend my time searching for parking, paying a nice sum of money for 2 movie tickets, being up late, and spending a good amount of my time with strangers, the movie should be satisfying. I'm a little disgruntled because the last 2 movies I've seen in the theater seem to have ended quite abrubtly and I've left feeling unsatisfied. Granted, the cinemetography, the acting, the sets, all the rest of it was amazing, but the storytelling at the end just wasn't there. In either of them:

There Will Be Blood

and

No Country For Old Men

Did I miss something? Please tell me if I did because I'm seriously wondering if both these movies were nominated for best picture...I must have missed a key story element. That has to be the only explanation.

Friday, March 07, 2008

...can't think of anything snazzy...

Last night though Matt and I were oh so snazzy. We went to one of our favorite restaurants last night, Hamburger Hamlet. Now, I've lost some weight due to portion control but last night I stressed-ate like nobody's business! A glass of wine, the Marilyn Burger with a turkey patty, french fries, and caramel apple cobbler. I was so incredibly and happily full last night. I wasn't even hungry this morning. People brought in donuts and bagels this morning - I'm not even going into the kitchen - I don't need to be tempted.

I love Thursday evenings after counseling. Matt and I see individual counselors (he goes 2x/month, I go every week - guess I'm more screwed up, hahaha :) and then we go to dinner afterwards. We are so open, our walls are down, and we just talk. And talk some more. Then we laugh, and giggle, and get weird looks from tables nearby. But I don't care because it's that time with your spouse where you are in your own world, it's just the 2 of you, and it feels absolutely amazing. Then we go home and get LOST for an hour...by the way, did anyone see last night's episode? What did you think? I love where the show is going now! My dear aunt Sharon is having foot surgery and is bed-ridden for the next three days, so I sent her seasons 1 & 2. I hope she likes it.

Anyway, moving on...

You must must check out Jenny's blog for the most adorable videos of her son, Patrick. I'm in love with that kid, and I haven't even met him yet.

And Cindy got a job!! Yes!!! Congratulations!!!

Matt is feeling better, thank goodness. The combination of ear drops and anti-biotics are helping his right ear hear again, which is helpful. Not so much for him, though, because now he can't use the excuse "I can't hear you...." and then I hear a little chuckle. Nice try, hon! :)

Two weeks from today, Matt and I are heading off to Nipomo to stay at our favorite bed and breakfast for a weekend of "I don't care if we can't afford it, we need some time alone outside of the city." I. Can't. Wait. And instead of spending a ton of cash on wine, we're going to explore the region a bit more, maybe get in a few hikes, and try some new restaurants.

The last weekend in March, my Dad and my sister will be in town. I even got that Friday off so we can head to Catalina for a night! We're staying here and I think a massage or a body wrap might be in the near future...

Monday, March 03, 2008

Glad to be home

This morning we had a bit of an adventure. Matt woke me up in the middle of the night saying "Camille, I need you to take me to the emergency room." I went into caretaker mode and we got to the hospital in 15 minutes. As always, our stay was delayed for whatever reason, waiting for the doctor, the diagnosis, the prescription, etc. Because Matt hadn't slept yet due to the pain from his ear infection, the doctor also prescribed him some Vicadin, which Matt promptly took and was out by the time we got home. This morning I slept in, called work, and said I wasn't coming in at all. I'm glad I made that choice, even though I felt guilty because I had asked for a day off later this month (family will be visiting). I called my Dad, and asked him as a business owner, did I make the right decision? He said absolutely. Family comes first, and this is just part of life. At the moment, I'm glad I stayed home because the anti-biotics are making Matt a bit woozy and sleepy, which means I can play caretaker for the rest of the day.

And I have to describe the woman that I saw today at the drug store when I came to pick up his prescriptions:

Black Mercedes, freshly washed.

Giant black sunglasses.

Fluffy cute white dog on her lap while she's driving through the parking lot.

Fancy jewelry.

Make-up.

Furry fuzzy trendy boots.

Really? For the drug store? I felt really underdressed at that moment in my baseball cap, jeans, and t-shirt.