June 29, 2008 by samantha.

Today I did something new. I decorated cupcakes. One of my girlfriends invited me to a cupcake decorating class at JoAnn’s. I will admit that I was not to excited about the class, but I ended up having a lot of fun. First, let me say that I have never baked or decorated cupcakes before. This was all very new for me. I discovered Fondant. It is like edible Play-Doh. It was pretty easy to use and came already colored. As much fun as I had, I do not think I will be quitting my job to become a professional cupcake decorator. I have not tried one of my newly decorated creations, but I know they will be delicious.

Aren’t they cute?

Posted in Friends, Weekends, Rants | 3 Comments »

June 25, 2008 by samantha.

Today, some friends and I braved the heat and went to the Living Desert Zoo. It was a lot of fun and not as hot as I expected it to be. It is sad when 98 degrees is considered cool! The zoo was much nicer than I expected, but still does not compare to the Wild Animal Park. For a small zoo, the Living Desert does a good job. We decided to go the zoo to see the baby giraffe. He is only about a month old and as cute as a button! I have a weak spots for giraffes. And I know you will all be disappointed to learn that I did not take that many pictures. I took a zillion of the giraffes and that was about it.

I have to be honest. I asked some of my good friends if I could borrow their son to take to the zoo. Ethan is three years old and just an awesome kid. I think he had a really good time and I know that the trip to the zoo was more fun because of him. I cannot wait until I can borrow Ethan again!!

Back to giraffes, one of my favorite books is Tall Blondes. by Lynn Sherr. It is all about giraffes and an very interesting read. It made me love giraffes even more!

Posted in Friends, California | No Comments »

June 24, 2008 by samantha.

Yesterday, I had a personal tour of the Mission Inn in Riverside. It was so much fun. One of my girlfriends used to work as a valet at the Inn and is quite knowledgeable on its history. I had been to the Mission Inn a time or two before, but I had never had never really taken the time to appreciate it or knew of its history. As usual, I took a zillion pictures.

On a side note, I am convinced that I was a Japanese tourist in a previous life. I cannot go anywhere without my camera and I take pictures of everything!

Posted in Friends, California | 2 Comments »

June 23, 2008 by samantha.

We have had three little quakes this morning!! The biggest one has been a 4.0. The USGS calls them micro-quakes. I have to admit that these micro-quakes are a bit fun. You never know when they are going to hit. So far, no damage has been reported and with quakes this small I do not expect to have any. My biggest concern is that a bigger one will hit when I am in the dentist chair this morning! It would be just my luck!

Posted in School, California | 2 Comments »

June 22, 2008 by samantha.

Let me begin by saying it was a hot weekend! Yesterday I saw the thermometer go up to 111 degrees!! Today was “cooler” at 103. I did my best to stay cool. I stayed in today and made use of my movie channels. I saw The Last Supper, a long time favorite movie of mine. That was the only good movie I saw today.

Here is my dilemma. I am not a fan of Rachael Ray. For some reason I do not like her. She gets on my nerves. But I really like the set of pots and pans she has. They are orange and I like orange. So do I put aside my feelings for Ms. Rachael and get the colorful cookware or do I stand strong? I have seen other pots and pans in a variety of colors, but none other in orange!

My other dilemma of the day is Oprah. I have a love and hate relationship with Ms. Oprah. Right now I do not like Oprah. Do not ask me why. But I had to buy her magazine. It has 27 must read books for the summer! We all know that I am a weakling for a book and the lure of 27 books to read was to tempting for me to ignore!! I am a book whore! What can I say?

Posted in Weekends, Movies, Books, Rants | 3 Comments »

June 18, 2008 by samantha.

I love to complain that I am too busy. When I am not running around, I get depressed. This last month has been so crazy that I have neglected my blogging duties. I am sure all of you are crying and worrying about my whereabouts. You can all relax! I am here and I have a lot to say!

Over Memorial weekend, I went to Solvang and Santa Barbara.

Solvang is a little Danish town hidden in California. There is not a lot to do there, but it was a lot of fun to visit. We drove around to some of the local little hamlet. If I were a wine taster, there would have been more to do. Santa Barbara was gorgeous. It reminded me a lot of Santa Monica, but it had a more relaxed atmosphere. It was a great road trip and made me eager for more.

The last two weeks of school flew by. We had assemblies, finals, field trips, promotion ceremonies, and minimum days. As a matter of fact, the whole year flew by. I never felt like I really got to bond with my kids. We moved a mile a minute and there was not a lot of time to get to know them. I am sure they are very happy to be out of my class and away from the witch!

This past weekend, I went down to San Diego to visit my grandmother and crazy aunt. After what happened this weekend, no one can deny that my aunt is crazy. Sometimes you have to call a spade a spade! The highlight of the weekend was hiking up Battle Mountain to the cross with Val.

I did the hike once before and I do not remember it being that bad. I was wrong. At times I felt I was climbing at a ninety-degree angle.

Going up was bad, but going down was terrifying. I thought I would be tumbling down like a rock! I am happy to say that I made it down safely and I am ready to make the hike again! Of course, Val had no trouble. She was running up and down the mountain with ease.

Today, I spent the day at the spa. We didn’t do anything special. We hung out in the pools and played in the mud. It was so relaxing and just what the doctor ordered. We are thinking of making it a yearly event. It as funny how many teachers were at the spa! I guess I am not the only one that needs to reboot after a long year.

Along with everything else I have done, I have done some good hikes, read a multitude of books and seen a ton of movies. Thankfully, most of the books were good. I wish I could say the same about the movies. I am craving a good movie. Any ideas?

Posted in School, Holidays, Friends, California, Ophelia, Books, Family, Travels, Rants | No Comments »