super saturday.

this weekend was a trifecta of adventure. m'girls and i took a not-so-quick trip up to the city of angels for the day. we started off with a jaunt through the fashion district. safe to say, a good time was had by all. the highlights were the skinny jeans in every color of the rainbow and the now you see 'em, now you don't knockoff handbags.


after a rejuvenating lunch at cpk, we headed on over to the los angeles county museum of art (lacma). between the light poles and german automobiles out front, we didn't even really need to go into the museum. but go we did. the vanity fair portrait exhibit with most fantastic along with the hearst collection of antiquities. we wrapped it all up with a stop at our good friend tito's. he welcomed us with open arms and it was the perfect ending to a very long day.

where shall we travel next?

indio or bust.

i've lived in california for four years and still haven't made it to this festival. every year, i obsess over the website and the lineup and the coolness that is coachella. this year is no exception. i've been compulsively checking the website to see the lineup. good things come to those who obsess! check out this lineup.


i'm particularly excited about ghostland observatory, girl talk, tv on the radio, the ting tings, fleet foxes, the killers, mstrkrft and blitzen trapper. to name a few. aw, heck! i'm just super jazzed about the whole circus! who's with me?!

speaking of circus, guess who scored tickets to britney spear's anaheim concert? please. i'm not ashamed. what i am is PUMPED to see miss britney do her thing (in the center of the ring just like a circus...sorry, couldn't resist).

the technical part of technical college.

yeah, so his first joke's kinda been done and is a bit of a cheap shot, but this guy's pretty funny. like laugh out loud funny. and he's straight outta my home state. good times good times. gotta love a comedian with his own theme music.

blast from the past: auto edition

last week, m'girl tory unveiled her sweet ride...a 1991 isuzu trooper. what's so special about a trooper? well, it just so happens that my family had the exact same car when i was growing up. in fact, i believe i learned to drive a manual transmission in that car. at any rate, i was stupid excited to go joy ridin' in the trooper.


after that little adventure, i started thinking about all the cars i've ever owned. granted, there have only been four, but each of those four cars made quite an impression. many memories were made in each car and i look back on each one - ghetto as they may be - with fondness.


first up, we have ted the topaz. he was my first. what's not to love about a mercury topaz? the best part about this car was that there was an electrical issue in the ignition, so ted was known to randomly shut off at any given moment. around town or on the freeway, ted was no respecter of location. many a day, i found myself spontaneously pulling over to regroup and get ted going again. sadly, ted was totaled when a lady rear-ended me and crushed ted beyond recognition. our romance was brief but i'll never forget him.


and then came the silver bullet. my parents took the insurance money and bought me a shiny, new...geo metro. that's right, baby. that car got me through my first few years of college. it was so perfect...except for in inclement weather. as long as the roads were perfectly even and dry, i didn't have any problems. did i mention i went to college in rexburg, idaho where the average snowfall is ridiculously high? yeah...it was a recipe for good times.


as happens in large families, a multitude of licenses were acquired and it came to pass the silver bullet down the line. enter sunny the sundance. sunny was a beauty. with luxurious maroon velour interior and power windows, i was in heaven. we had a good run together...two years, i think. the BEST part was that two years later i sold her for exactly what i bought her for. so...i basically MADE money on the sundance. joy.


and here we are. my sweet ride is now a 2000 (i think) nissan altima. le said altima has treated me pretty good over the years. i've used her up and worn her out with nary a complaint from the lady. she's done me good. real good. thousands of miles later, it's close to movin' on time. but until then, we'll be alright.

what was your first car? tell me about the quirks. spill it!

one in a million(aire).

a change is gon' come.

"change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. we are the ones we've been waiting for. we are the change that we seek."

ice skating: a photo essay.

foul at the moon.

we made the trek to universal citywalk for an evening out at a dueling piano bar. it was a bucket list sort of thing, y'know. well...it wasn't EXACTLY what we expected. to say the least. after a few agonizing minutes of the most disgusting vulgarity, we did an about face and got the heck out of there. some of us grabbed dinner and some of us...um, rode bulls. not exactly what we went for, but it was a good times.

happy birthday, miss angel!

one year older and wiser, too! but none the wiser when it comes to birthday surprises. miss jeni and i orchestrated a most delightful surprise dinner. and believe you me, angel is NOT easy to surprise. either way, we pulled it off without a hitch and a good time was had by all.


the festivating continued today in the form of funny gifts and office lunches. good times, good times. and THEN, the coup de grace, was a trip to...sprinkles! miss angel had never experienced the delight, so we made a stop on the way to ocmco rehearsal. after a "mini" taste test, we decided that none of the cupcake flavors can compete with the coconut. DEE-lish!

i love my job.

but i think it's time for greener pastures. movin' on time, i mean. you see, i've received a better offer.

um...i accept?

um, can't wait.

we're klassy like that.

saturday night, brought oc's finest to angel stadium for an event unlike any other. that's right, boys and girl, le monster trucks. that's french for the monster trucks. that's right. just 'cause we're klassy don't mean we cain't speak no french.


this is only a tidbit of the delights captured on film that night. the peeps brought it that night and looked...klassy. oh, and don't worry if you missed it. gravedigger's back in town next month. bust out the chaw, bobby jean. we'll see you there.

never a dull moment at the disneyland.

friday night, we rallied the peeps for an evening of magic and mayhem at the happiest place on earth. as always, a good time was had by all while we pranced and danced through the magic kingdom.

space mountain was a bit of a downer but, after a few dirty looks, we moved on to the next ride. big thunder mountain anyone? oh! and i went on TWO new rides! i know, right? just goes to show, disneyland NEVER gets old! a shoutout to m'boy peter pan for a good time on our journey through neverneverland.

i gave her my heart and she gave me a pen.

i'm pretty sure i could watch this movie a million gamillion times and STILL not be sick of it. seriously, what's not to love?! john cusack is a total hottie and delivers some of the most hilarious lines of all time. if you haven't seen it, you're missing out! you better remedy that real quick like. word.

out with the old, in with the new.

after a few faithful seasons of the hills, mtv introduces the city. on last season of the hills, whitney landed a big job in nyc with diane von furstenburg. and the city is born. the show follows whitney as she navigates the ins and outs of a new place and new people.


i invited m'girls over last night for a viewing. they had to catch up, i got to enjoy it for the second (maybe third) time 'round. i don't know how sweet whitney will fair in the big apple but, after three episodes, one thing IS for sure...i'm addicted.

oh, and did i mention she has a hot aussie boyfriend? yeowsas!

back to the grind.

man vs. machine

my family got a wii for christmas. i don't know why, but i took like fifty hundred pics of my dad doing the wii boxing for the first time. i can't tell you why i was so obsessed with documenting the event, but obsessed i was. a gamillion photos later, behold the mosaic. you're welcome.


maybe this is one of those things that is only funny if you were there. maybe not. all i know is that i've never heard my dad talk the kinda trash he was talkin' to the video game. ever. my pops plus a wii is a recipe for pure hiliarity...not just for him, but for all involved.

christmas crepes.

every year, mama makes crepes on christmas morning. while the preparations are underway, we circle like vultures. when the breakfast bell is rung (metaphorically, of course), we all jump in and stuff ourselves with berries and cream and deliciousness. it's tradition and it's the best.


after crepes, we all head to the movies in our pajamas. that's right, the davis family rolls into whichever G-rated delight they please...in their pajamas. it's the only way to do movies on christmas day. believe it, baby.

'twas the night before christmas

it's been a WIIILLLLDDDD weekend...erm, week. christmas is cool like that, eh? so, here's a quick update on what i've been up to.

pops and i rang in christmas eve with a little off roadin' on the quads. the snow proved too much for us but we had fun while it lasted. the pups did too. they love nothin' more than racin' alongside the quads as we tear through the hills...good times, good times.


later that night, we headed down to the howe's for an authentic mexican dinner. enchiladas? DEE-lish! it was quite a spread. and what's better than good food and good friends? not a dang thing, i tell you.


after we'd stuffed ourselves with enchiladas and guacamole, we bundled up and headed out for a little christmas eve caroling. that's right, caroling. the visit list varies and this year there were only two on the list: rada lund and the goodey household. rada lund is 104 years old this year. yes sirree, 104! i swear, that lady gets more fiesty every year. at this point, she can barely see or hear but she was happy to see us gather around her bed for a quick visit.


after rada, we were off to the goodeys. i started babysitting for shannon goodey turner when i was about 13 or 14. many years later, the turners are still great friends. this weekend, eric and i had a little talk. we've got a long history of love and adoration. and i may or may not have "promised" to wait for him. the way things are lookin' for me on the dating scene, he may just be stuck with me. time will tell. in the meantime, i'll start working on ideas for care packages.

all in all, christmas eve was a delight. stay tuned to get the haps on the big day. it may or may not include delicious french recipes and pajama clad movie goers. you're gonna love it!

grammy.

my mom is the cutest grandmother around. she loves her grandbabies so much. from levi, hope, kyra and harmony to little lilli, aidan and alex in georgia or mr. jayden, grammy is the best! i love watching my mom moon over her grandkids.


sometimes these little ones get crazy, but they always behave when grammy's on duty. it's funny to watch. they learned quickly that tantrums get them nowhere at grammy's.


jayden is usually very serious. but when grammy picks him up and starts playing with him, he's all smiles! it's the cutest thing to see. he just chatters and giggles like she understands every word he's saying. adorable!

and so, to you mama, i raise my glass (martinelli's, of course). may you have many more grandbabies. and may some of them be mine!

the best part of my christmas trip so far.

holiday on the hobby

have you heard? only 6 days 'til christmas! i'm so excited! mostly 'cause this year i'm taking a good chunk of time off of work to visit the fam up in the great state of washington. oh, i can'[t even wait to see my (sort of) newest nephew! i'm gonna kiss his cheeks off! but enough about that.


miss allie hobbins played hostess this week aboard the hobby family yacht. we were supposed to be a part of the 100th annual newport boat parade but it was cancelled because of the weather. the rain was comin' down but we were all warm and snuggly in the cabin. we cruised the harbor for a bit and rung in the holidays with pizza, hot cocoa and plenty of games. thanks to the hobbins family for their generous hospitality. can't wait to go out again!

holiday festivatin'

until i make the trek to the evergreen state, i'm livin' it up in california. with all the light shows and whatnot, a body's guaranteed some serious festivatin' around christmas time. true story.


the first stop on our holiday festivatin' trip was 5 tunis in laguna niguel. it's the most incredible house i've ever seen. first off, there are TONS of christmas lights! the best part is that when you get there, you tune your radio to a specific station (90.5FM for the locals that might actually pop by for a visit) and the lights flash to the music playing on the station it's incredible. for video of the magic, click here.

after the tunis delight, we headed over to the ritz carlton. this year, there is a GIANT gingerbread village made in the shape of a sand castle. it's incredible and oh so festive.


i'm pretty sure these things are going to have to become holiday traditions! and, to hear miss tristen talk, what we've seen so far is just the tip of the iceberg! there are lit houses aplenty to view and many other socal christmas festivities to attend. i'm skippin' town on saturday, so i think i've seen all i can see at this point.

there's always next year, right? i sure hope so!

proud parents (and auntie).

i might get in trouble for posting this one of shari, but it was just too tender to pass up. isn't my sister-in-law beautiful? and how cute is my bro?! oh man, here come the tears again. excuse me for a minute.


okay, i'm back. i still can't believe how amazingly gorgeous shari looks for being in the thick of giving birth. man, oh man. if i could be half the wife and mother she is, i'll thank my lucky stars! my future husband will too!

and here's one of the proud papa.


oh, man. i can't WAIT to get out to georgia and kiss those little peaches! in the meantime, i'll have to satisfy myself with webcam games with miss lilli. oh how i love being an auntie.

bring on the eggnog.

the past week has been a whirlwind of holiday activity. here's a quick recap:

summer and i headed over to the orange county performing arts center for dicken's a christmas carol. it was jolly good times and got me right into the christmas spirit. after the play, we had some fun with the statues outside the theater. yeah, i know. we're ridiculous. i never professed to be anything other than than. besides, you know you love it.


and then came the boat dance. the huntington beach young adults hosted a newport harbor cruise. it was fun-filled night of dinner and dancing. after some bbq, m'girls and i got down on the dance floor. don't worry, mama, i was every ounce the lady you taught me to be. wink, wink.


then on saturday, i fulfilled my lifelong dream of getting up at the crack of dawn to freeze my bum off on a fishing vessel. true story. deep sea fishing, m'friends. i even caught a fish! if ever you decided to try your hand at deep sea fishing, be sure to make friends with the deckhands. they make life a lot easier.


the rest of the weekend was filled with cookie parties and mixers. good times, good times! i even fired up the christmas playlist finally! i'm super excited for the holidays. life is good, my friends. yep, real good.

by the way, i hate eggnog with every fiber of my being. just thought you should know.

vilkommen, bienvenue, welcome.

it was another wild weekend and the blog post is forthcoming, but i just couldn't WAIT to get this one up!

we've got twins in the family now! that's right - TWINS! last night, shari davis (married to my bro, ben) delivered two - count 'em TWO - healthy baby boys! yay yay yay!


alexander keith was born at 7:26pm and weighed in at 5lbs 11oz.


aidan scott was right behind at 7:27pm and weighed in at 5lbs 7 oz.

congrats ben, shari and lilli! we're so excited for the new additions to the family! our thoughts and prayers are with ben and shari as shari is recovering and those little boys gather strength to head home with their big sis!

book club virgin no more.

i've always been a voracious reader. i love nothing more than snuggling into my blanket with a good book. that said, i've never been part of a book club. weird, eh? maybe not.
at any rate, tonight i had my very first book club experience. it was most cozy and quite wonderful. we discussed "the proper care and feeding of husbands" by dr. laura. i know, i know. no, i don't have a husband and it's true that i'm not generally a fan of the doc. in fact, when i heard what we'd be discussing this month i thought, "hmm, maybe i'll wait 'til next month to join." i'm glad i didn't wait! this book is fantastic. i think the principles are applicable to marrieds and singles alike. the most important thing you can do is read it with an open mind. soon, you'll be seein' things her way! this book motivates women on so many levels. you won't be sorry you read it!
thanks to all the ladies that helped make the experience so positive! i loved your insights! can't wait for next month!

sabbath day schennaningans

i'm not sure why we had cameras in our bags. prolly 'cause we're photo fanatics like that. either way, that tristen. so stylish. so klassy. that's right, klassy with a k. and don't you forget it.


aren't you so jealous of tristen's cruella deville coat?! yeah, you know you are. i know you are. we all know you are.

weekend wackiness.

you see, it all started with a gumball...


...and some crazy girls.


then came a woman whose one true love happens to be a cream cheese filled pretzel.


throw in a handsome young man,


a lover's spat,


and a pic in front of cinderella's castle...


... you've got the makings of a fab-o night at disneyland.

oooh! and right now, it snows on main street. that's right, snow. in southern california. it really IS the happiest place on earth. really.

kinda fun.

this has been going 'round for a few weeks and i've ignored it. but i'm throwin' in the towel. here's how it's goin' down:

rules:
* grab the book closest to you. now.
* go to page 56.
* find the 5th sentence.
* write that sentence in the comment section.
* don't go looking for your favorite book, or the coolest one you have -- just grab the closest one.

here's mine: "grandson," he said, "there are two wolves living in my heart and they are at war with each other."

give it a go. you know you want to.

hark the bells

tonight was the annual ocmco concert. it was fantastic! auditioning for the choir was the best thing i've ever done. singing in the organization has been a blessing and an honor. i can't believe i've only been with ocmco for a year! either way, it's been a most fantastic year!


this concert was titled "all the bells on earth shall ring" and the program lived up to it's title. we had a bell choir this year. it was gorgeous. and, of course, there were a few brett stewart originals. we even had a glockenschpiel! yeah, that's okay, i didn't know what it was either. it's like...a xylophone. 'cept cooler.


speakin' of cool, don't i look so hot with my stage makeup?! lookout boys, i'm breakin' hearts tonight! me and my eight pounds of lipstick. smooches, anyone?


oh, and a shoutout to our concert photographer, heather morris! i stole the pics from her. for more info on her hilarity and daily escapades, go here.

to dance or not to dance? not even a question.

we rustled up the girls for 80s dancing last week. it just so happens that the very same night, south county experienced torrential downpours. after workin' up a sweat on the dancefloor, the cool rain was too much to resist. we took our dancin' to the streets and were soaked in seconds! good times, good times.


mom, if you're reading this, i just want you to know there were no boys around. none at all. they weren't sitting outside watching us re-enact flashdance or taking photos of said re-enactment. they weren't oogling our hot bodies or cat calling. not at all. nope, not one bit. promise.

vince vaughn is a dreamboat.

after the food coma wore off, i spent all of saturday doing my spring...erm, winter cleaning. it was a most productive day and i was totally in the zone. around five o'clock, i pulled myself out of the fog and had a chat with miss angel. we made plans to see a movie. we bypassed internment camps (boy in the striped pajamas) and hot aussie hugh jackman (australia) in favor of doofy men and leggy blondes. that's right, we saw four christmases with vince vaughn and reese witherspoon.


it was pretty cute. now that may or may not be because i'm a fan of vince vaughn and tend to place him firmly in the hot men category. yes, i recognize he's a total doof, but there's just something about him. yum! miss reese was great in the slapstick-esque scenes. it's not exactly a classic but it's a fun holiday film. maybe you'll like it, maybe you won't. but either way, that vince vaughn is so hot right now. true story.

the what?