April 1, 2009 by samantha.

Today we had another exciting day exploring Southern California and we visited the Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens. I had never been before and thoroughly enjoyed my visit. The grounds are so big that they are divided into separate gardens.

The Japanese and Chinese gardens were amazing.

I even enjoyed the Desert Garden.

The trails led to a new discovery around every turn. The Huntington also has an art museum. The museum is housed in the former home of the Huntington’s. They amassed a huge art collection. The highlight is the famous Blue Boy. It is spectacular to see in person. Overall, the Huntington is a beautiful place to walk around and soak in the beauty of it.

The fun really started this evening. I borrowed a carpet cleaner from a friend of mine. I was so excited to try it. I went to Lowe’s to buy some cleaning solution and came home ready to clean. After the floor was well vacuumed and the carpet cleaner was prepped, I attacked the carpet. Right now the carpet is drying and I think I did it right. The carpet does look better. Still, I am not too sure that I cleaned the carpet correctly. Thank goodness my carpet cleaner’s owner is coming to check it out tomorrow morning. If the cleaner works well, I think I will have to invest in a Bissell ProHeat 2X.

I cannot wait to see my carpet in the morning!!

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March 28, 2009 by samantha.

I should have no right to complain that I am ever bored. Something is always going on.

My parents were supposed to fly out Thursday. They were all ready to go when Mother Nature decided to change their plans. The Gulf Coast was hit with some heavy rain, strong winds, thunder, lightening, and even some tornadoes. Today they finally were able to see some blue sky and are scheduled to arrive Sunday night. All of their fun weather made me miss Florida. California rarely gets fun weather. For us, a Santa Ana makes people panic.

Friday I skipped school to go to Legoland. A good friend of my mine was taking her son and asked me to go along. It was my first time and I was surprised by how much fun I had. Legoland is definitely for the younger kids. I really enjoyed “Miniland”. The Lego architects had built replicas of San Franciso, New York, LA, New Orleans, and Washington DC. The recreation of the Presidential Inauguration was amazing.

They even got Aretha Franklin’s hat! What made the day the most fun was that I got to play with two 4-year olds. Everything is always more fun with a 4-year old!

Since today was my last day of freedom, I took it easy. I fixed my computers, cleaned the house, and enjoyed the calm before the storm. The highlight of the day was participating in Earth Hour. I sat outside, on the porch, with a friend and chatted for an hour. It was surprising how fast the hour went. Did any of you participate in Earth Hour?

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March 22, 2009 by samantha.

One week until Spring Break and I have come down with Spring Fever. I think it is in part to me running around and not having the stress of worrying about being pinked. Yup, March 13 rolled around and I did not receive a pink slip. I thought for sure I would get one and that it would be rescinded. I still think I am in a bit of shock. I have gotten so used to worrying about it, that I do not know how to not worry. I feel horrible for my co-workers that did get pinked. I wish I could do something for them, but what can I do? I did not have long to celebrate because the following Sunday I was off to a union workshop in Newport Beach. The workshop was okay. The highlight was driving a friend’s Prius. I have decided that the 2010 Prius will be mine. I am so excited! On Thursday I chopped off my hair. At the time I thought it was a dramatic change. Now that I am used to it, it does not feel much different.

Friday was exciting. Some friends and I went into LA to see my favorite author, Jodi Picoult. I brought about 8 books for her to sign and sign them all she did!! Of course, I picked up the Jodi Picoult’s new book. I think it save it to read over my break. After seeing the author, we went to El Coyote for dinner. I heard so much about the place and I was excited to go. It was horrible. The service was poor, the food was awful, and the drinks were so bad they had to be sent back. Thank goodness I was in good company. Of course, driving a friend’s Mercedes did not hurt either.

Yesterday was a lazy day. I did some schoolwork and read. Last night, I did head out to the movies to see Duplicity. It was horrible. I was so bored. I was playing on the Internet and sending text messages during the movie. I should have stayed home and finished my book.

Today was the highlight of my weekend. Some girlfriends and I attempted to go for a hike. It rained this morning and we thought it was over. Val was thrilled. We began our hike, up the hill, enjoying the cool air. We did not even make it a mile when the rain began to come down. We decided to turn around. Of course it was too late. We got soaked. Still the little hike we took was fun. I took a couple of pictures. Enjoy!

A wild sunflower that we saw on our hike

I love trees. This one I thought was beautiful. Too bad someone decided to tag it. And do you see Val in the corner?

This is the hill we attempted to hike up.

Posted in School, Friends, California, Val, Movies, Weekends, Rants | 1 Comment »

March 7, 2009 by samantha.

Look what I came home to on Friday! Not only are they beautiful, but also they make the whole house smell wonderful!

Saturday was a day of exploration. I have heard so much about the Poppy Fields and I decided that this as the year I was going to see them. I was very excited. I expected it to be like the poppy scene from the Wizard of Oz.

I was ready to run through the poppies. This is what we saw. Can you find the one poppy in the first picture?

I spoke to one of the volunteers and she said that poppies are finicky. They come and go as they please. We came during the right season. Next weekend there might be more. It we have a warm spell, the poppies will be gone in a flash. I was very disappointed. To make matters worse we drove two hours to see the poppy-less hills. I did learn that I have no desire to live in the desert. It is horribly brown and bare. I cannot understand why anyone would want to live there.

On the way home, we picked up a friend to go to dinner and invaded Target. And then the scariest thing of all happened. We were walking through the clothes, looking for anything pink, and we saw this:

Yes my friends, Acid Wash is back. This is a sign that times are worse than we thought. The Apocalypse is near.

Posted in Friends, California, Weekends, Travels, Rants | 1 Comment »

January 28, 2009 by samantha.

I have my first cold of the year and of the school year. How I made it this long without getting a cold, I do not know. My sinuses are killing me. The pain is ridiculous, but I have had worse. My throat is sore and yet I keep talking. My nose is a little bit runny. Overall it is a mild cold at best. Since I have not had a cold in about a year, I forgot how annoying they are. It just happens to be worse at night. That makes sense. I am laying down then. I guess I am just complaining and I want some sympathy. Do I expect some? Nope! I know my friends better than that!

Who suffers most when I am not in top shape? Vallie!! She did not have her walk this morning and she was not happy. She gives me the glare and makes me feel like the worst person in the world. I try to explain to her. Still, I am in big trouble. Not that I blame her. She is stuck in the backyard all day and a walk is her daily outing to see the neighborhood. And she is such a good puppy that she deserves her daily walk. I just hope that tomorrow morning I will feel good enough to take her for a walk. If I do not, I think she may just eat me alive!

If you have not figured it out, I do not have a lot to share. I still have hot water. The new couches are still wonderful. Things at school are tense. I am hoping that I get to keep my job. I will know my job status no later than March 13. That date is looming over me. I am not too worried about my job. I think I am okay. On an ironic note, March 13 happens to be a Friday. In Europe Friday the 13 is a lucky day. People go and buy lottery tickets! I am hoping my European side brings me luck! I have been good to it!!

In closing, I have two questions that I need to ask. Why is it that if someone goes on Oprah to apologize, then all is forgiven? How do I get on Oprah so that I can be forgiven for all my sins?

Posted in Friends, School, Val, Rants | No Comments »

January 20, 2009 by samantha.

My first experience as a potential juror was boring and uneventful. I got to the courthouse early and ended up waiting for two hours before anything happened. I was finally ushered into a courtroom. I got to sit in the jury box! I saw the defendants- two gentlemen that were being charged with robbery. Of course they claimed innocence and pleaded not guilty. The judge started to explain the duties and rights of the jury. The judge estimated that the case would take about six weeks. I immediately began to panic. I could not be away from my class for that long and I have travel plans in February! The judge asked if anyone had any reason for not being able to be part of the jury. I raised my hand, told him of my travel plans, he told me to send a postcard, and that I could leave. It was too easy!

The downside is that I may be recalled since I was excused. I will have to make sure to have more travel plans. The upside is that I still was able to watch the inauguration. I had some interesting conversations. I cried as the new President was sworn in.

Now, the day will be complete if I get hot water today. The part from Whirlpool has not arrived, but the plumber is not scheduled to come until 6pm. I am getting tired of taking cold showers. Which reminds me, I want to thank everyone who offered his or her hot water to me. I may be taking you up on it!!!

Posted in Friends, School, House, Travels, Rants | 1 Comment »

January 18, 2009 by samantha.

Well, I still have no hot water. I am getting used to taking cold showers. Hopefully the water heater will be fixed Tuesday night. The part is on order from Whirlpool and I have a six o’clock appointment with a plumber. I cannot complain about the lack of hot water, but I really miss it. I am looking forward to having a nice, hot shower someday soon!

Today, some friends and I went to Train Days at the San Bernardino County Museum. It was more fun then I could have imagined. I had never been to the museum and I was much nicer than I expected. The museum was filled with model trains. People were dressed as conductors. Kids were wide-eyed with excitement. It was great.

I am sure most people missed one of the funniest things that I saw at the museum. A lot of the model train displays had oil wells. Many of the oil wells were working, pumping up and down. But one in particular had two Arab Sheiks observing the well. I found this so wrong that it was funny.

Am I the only one that find this funny?

Posted in Friends, House, California, Weekends, Rants | No Comments »

January 12, 2009 by samantha.

I am pleased to announce that Gabriel Stone was born last night at 9:30ish. He is 7.5 lbs and about 19 inches long. He is very handsome and perfect in every way. Mom is doing great and is thrilled to no longer be pregnant. Dad is already proud of his little boy! Isabella, the older sister, is not interested in her baby brother and has more important things to worry about. I will post a picture once I get permission. Welcome to the world Gabriel!

Posted in Friends, Babies! | 1 Comment »

January 1, 2009 by samantha.

I hope all your wishes come true in 2009. Good luck on your resolutions.

I am not a cat person, but I love this video! Happy New Year!!!

November 2, 2008 by samantha.

Halloween has been my favorite holiday since I can remember. This year lived up to my expectations. I hung out with friends and “family”. We had a bonfire and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows as we passed out candy. I saw some great costumes. I am hoping to put some pictures of some of the cuties I saw, but I have to get permission first! It is always so sad when Halloween comes to an end. Now I have to wait another whole year before it comes around again. I should start planning now!

Today, I went to see W with a good friend of mine. We were both disappointed by the movie. In fact, we both found the movie a bit boring. I expected more from Oliver Stone. I wanted to be shocked and learn something new. Instead, the movie showed us everything that we already knew. Josh Brolin did a fantastic job as W. His accent and mannerisms were perfect. I can see him getting an Oscar nomination for his performance.

Now I am gearing up for Tuesday night. I am going to a friend’s house to watch the results. I know I will need to be monitored. I am so nervous. I hope the right guy wins. And in California, there are so many controversial props on the ballot. I have already decided that I will dress all in black on Wednesday if I am not happy with the results. I may have to take Wednesday off to morn. This election is so exciteing! No matter who wins, history will be made! It is an exciting time! I wonder how many of us will be disappointed come Wednesday.

Posted in Holidays, Friends, California, Weekends, Movies, Rants | No Comments »