Meet Olive.

Look at this face. Quite possibly the stinkin cutest thing I have ever seen.



effing adorable!!!!! Good Lord!

You know, I have been up until this point, a cat person. I love animals. But I have always drawn the line at the loveable creatures I would allow to cohabitate with me. Srtictly kittens. Then cats when they grow up. Ha ha. Ok, maybe a few fish here and there, once a turtle, and my first pet was a hamster.

But I couldn't have a dog. Not without a huge yard (which means I own a house....and that will not happen till i win the lottery) cuz dogs need their space too. To be free to express themselves. Plus enrollment in puppy boot camp is mandatory. Cuz I am NOT into getting jumped on at inopportune times or drooled on. Also, little yapper dogs are annoying.

Then I met Olive. She has changed my mind. I could have a dog. As long as it was just like her. :)

Here is a photo montage to help you fall in love too.


She is soooo small. And squishable!

Finding Nemo.

SNEAK PREVIEW~
We had a run in with some good karma. We had arrived and were taking in the sights of Main Street Disneyland, attempting to take a self portrait of our first moments having fun when a family stopped us and asked us where we were from. Locals we replied. Which happened to be the right answer for they wanted to bestow upon us, bright shiny sparkly blue wristbands that would allow us to go on the newly revamped submarine ride to find Nemo. (It officially opens today.) We got to be VIP, pretend we won the wristbands through a radio contest and preview the ride before the general public. We felt special. Always a good way to start the day. I documented our voyage so that I could share it with you all. This way you are prepared for your adventure when you choose to take it.

Guess I do not need to go see the Great Barrier Reef anymore. I bet it looks just like this.

The Happiest Place on Earth

Oh how I love a day at Disneyland. :)


This is us having fun on The Tower of Terror.

Great ride. It is actually in the California Adventure part of the park. Did you know that you can buy beer over there? Whole new Disney experience. Ok, back to the ride.....

These small children on the ride with us were not having as much fun as we were!

Because we loved it so much we had to go on it again once Monkey had arrived. I loved it as you can see. Darcy can not stop giggling. Monkey doesn't understand. Betsey can't explain it to her in mid-ride so she gets caught between a scream, laugh and clap.

We went on rides.....and ATE!!!! The inspiration for the trip began with my craving for funnel cake. I feel like Disneyland may be the only place you can get that delicious pile of fried dough and powdered sugar. Well, maybe except for the county fair.....but I am not really sure where to find that here in LA. Churros and cotton candy were also consumed. Then there were the corn dogs.....about as big as my arm and fried to perfection as we watched!


Basically if it was fried or had sugar we ate it.

Search for new music.

Sometimes I will wander aimlessly through the internet from one link to the next, looking for new fun music.
Recently I found this new song I really liked. I had never heard of the singer before and figured I would share....
maybe you will like her mellow sound too.

Check out "Bubbly by Colbie Caillat".

Does anyone else have a new artist/song to share???

I was seduced to the dark side.

I tried. Really hard. I wasn't going to give in to the posh Hollywood popularity that is Pink Berry.

I mean who pays over $6 for frozen yogurt? Or fresh greek style yogurt in ice like form. Whatever it is, it should not cost that much. It probably costs $1.50 for them to make.

But it does cost this much. And I can't stop eating it. Because it is deliciously addictive. Kind of like crack. But I like to think of it as a more healthy form of addiction. So it is ok. (This is just me being delusional) You tell me....I just forked over $13 for a 13oz. green tea yogurt with strawberry, kiwi, granola and the secret ingredient. At this rate I will not have money for rent next month.

The fruit they pile on top IS fresh. And cut up small, not drenched in sugary syrup. SO they must charge this much because someone is in the back kitchen actually cutting up fruit. I mean hard labor means cash. WARNING: If you choose to put fruity pebbles on your yogurt, you are really cheating yourself out of your own money, because you know the person that pours the cereal into the container from the Costco sized box in back didn't have to work very hard, and it costs the same as the fruit.

SECRET: For those of you that love the thing called mochi.....they have tiny little balls of it that you can add too. But it is not up on the menu so it is a "people in the know" kind of thing. Like at In and Out.....you have to be a regular to really get the good stuff.

I have become one of the masses and can not live without a little Pink Berry in my life. I say try it once. If you have the will power to "stick it to the man" and not pay a ridiculous price for such things.....you are a better person than I. But enjoy that one that you do buy.....cuz you have paid gold for every decadent bite! :)

Enjoy!

Olympic Flashback

While our team was training in Sydney before World Chamionships we stayed in the Olympic Park hotel and played at the Olympic swim venue we played in for the final game seven years ago. It was surreal to be there again after so many years.
We found the Olympic Couldron which had once proudly burned the Olympic flame had been turned into a fountain. It was hot. There was water. So we cooled off and took a team picture surrounded by the cascading water.....I like to think the water had some lucky or positive energy because we played so well after that. Maybe I should have brought some home for use later.

We found these plauqes surrounding the fountain. There was one for every medal winner from the 2000 Games. All 13 of our names were there! I am so proud of our team. GO USA!

Why #2

In this cell phone driven world, why do people think it is alright to text and be glued to their phone even when they are with other people?

Is it really necessary to sit right next to someone while having coffee, and text or talk to someone else on the phone? Why go interact with real people at all then? Just stay at home and conduct all your correspondence through your phone. Because it is rude to the person you are with. Basically says to them.....you are not as important as this person I am talking to on the phone.

Worse yet is to be driving in the car and be texting so much you almost kill everyone in the car. Get lost or better yet never say one word to the living breathing person in the car with you while on the way to your destination.

Maybe we need to cut the umbilical cord with our cellies. What did we do before cell phones existed. We planned on meeting up and chatting in person. We called home phones and talked. Or left messages so talking could happen when both parties were not otherwise doing something else. Is that lost now??

Maybe not....but we all could do a better job of realizing it. Incorporate the best of both worlds....basically just be more considerate.

Why #1

Why do people feel the need to steal???

I mean, is it so hard to get a job? Even one at a place like McDonalds. Make minimum wage. But earn your own money. Once you have SAVED a little cash, you can buy your own things. Instead of taking someone else's stuff. For f*%k sake people!!! Are we really that lazy???

I mean, you tell me, but.......I think it takes a whole lot more effort for a person to, lets say, stake out someone who locks their bike in the same place behind their house (way in the back, underneath some stairs) for months. Notices the day the person buys a nice shiny new basket for the front, to carry groceries home from the store in. Goes home, gets lock cutters. Comes back to the house. Cuts the TWO locks that secure (and obviously not very well) the bike to the cement stairs. And steals the bike.

Ok, so someone did this to me yesterday. And maybe you say I am stupid for locking it outside. But I'm sorry. I sure as hell figured TWO different locks would keep it safe and deep down I want to trust that people don't do this kind of shit. But they do and I hate it. Makes a person feel violated. So, I put a sign outside where my bike used to be, that reads... "Thanks a lot for stealing my bike, asshole." Hopefully other people living around me, will read this and take their bikes inside. More likely they will think..."That girl is stupid. People are inherently stealers. Protect your worldly belongings at all times."

Great. I have no bike. Boo.

Don't get distracted.

It is so easy to start cooking, find something else to do and forget all about what you were preparing. Until it starts burning and the aroma fills the kitchen. That brings you back real quick.

New food choice: Spelt.
Ever heard of it? It is yummy. An ancient wheat grain. Nutty flavor, fiber and protein. All good things!

You can get it at Trader Joes in a little box. TRY IT!
Note: Warm chicken broth is one of the ingredients....kinda smells like cat pee to me but don't let that deter you from trying it!!!

Take Note!

It has come to my attention that there is a VERY unique time upon us. At 2:03 AM and 4 secconds this Sunday morning it will be.....

02:03:04 05/06/07

Once in a lifetime! Once in a 1000 years! Celebrate. Take note. Have a party!
Have a great weekend!

Revelation

While watching one of my favorite shows, "Lost" I realized.....maybe this show has nothing to do with a group of people getting lost in the middle of the Pacific Ocean after their plane crashes. It is all about creating a storyline so confusing and convoluted that the viewer is so lost as to what is happening, they can't help but watch every week in the hopes that the writers at some point explain themselves. Hmmmm?

Revisiting Sydney

Last month when we went to Australia for World Championships. We had planned on climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge but our plans were foiled by a thunder storm on our one day off! Instead we settled for a picture in front of the bridge before the rain started.

Proud Coach

I spent the weekend in Arizona. I'm the assistant coach for Long Beach State. We played our best game of the season on Friday upsetting the #7 seed at the conference tournament. It was a great game for the girls and I am very proud of them.

Here are my impressions of water polo in Arizona. #1. It is too damn hot here. A person should not feel like they are wearing a wet diaper once they are over the age of 3. #2 I believe that the original name of Pheonix, Arizona was hell, before they changed it to the name of a bird that bursts into flames. #3 Freak dust storms that cause delays in the games make it a terrible place to hold a water polo tournament.

A few years ago....

I figured I would start from the beginning. :) Having fun at Great America.....some time in the early 80's. I grew a little since then. I wish I could still fit in a stroller. A much better way to get around.