The Ladies

Happiest of Birthdays

I have the best friends in the whole world. Hands down. I know I'm hard to live with but it seems that the Lord keeps blessing me with people that are willing to put up with me. I'm a lucky girl.
So, for the big 2-4 the girls got together and threw a birthday party for me...Hollywood style! They reserved the theater in our complex and decorated it with stars, a faux HOLLYWOOD sign (it was a beaut!) and my very own red carpet. Cute Kim walked me up to the room and when I walked in it was completely dark and flashes were going off everywhere. I was so confused. Then I heard, "Miss Peralta, smile for us!" "Over here, Miss Peralta." "Paula, can we get an interview?" And then I realized what was going on...PAPARAZZI! I started crackin' up and, of course, took a minute to strut my stuff on the red carpet.
After cupcakes and sparklin' cider, we hit Downtown Disney for some dinner at The Rainforest Cafe. So fun! It was fantastic! Definitely one of the best birthdays EVER! Props to Jeni & Co. for makin' my day super special!

Temple Call Center

Rachael and I spent the past month working most Thursday nights (and a few Saturday afternoons) at a little corner of Moneyline Lending Services for Mike McBride who was put in charge of arranging VIP tours for the Open House of the Newport Beach Temple. It was, indeed, a most riveting time. I'm fairly certain that I've never been so bored in all my life. There literally was nothing to do. We had to bring books to read, cards to play and websites to surf. And while I'm grateful to the opportunity to serve, I will honestly say that I am glad its over. Good times.

New Job (Again)

It seems like every week that goes by confirms in some way that this is where I need to be.
It's been a rough few weeks since Fluor announced they were moving their Headquarters to Dallas, TX. So many people are scramblin' around to find new jobs before the layoffs start happening. Or they're tryin' to cement their position within the company so that they can move with all the Executives. To them I say, "Don't hold your breath." Anyhoo. I, the lowly Executive Assistant who has only been here for a couple of months, quickly realized it was imperative for me to find another position somewhere in South Orange County very soon.
POOF! In walks Advent. Or in I walk into Advent, rather. Or Kim, who already walked into Advent, walks into me.
Okay, let me back up. A few weeks ago, I was complaining about my unusually stressful day at work when my friend Kim said, "Hey, I think my company is looking for an Office Manager-ish kind of gal...you interested?" I jumped at the chance to submit my resume. Luckily, Kim gave me a great recommendation and I got the job! Even better, the position ended up being for a Contract Manager...not an Office Manager. Good enough. So, I don't have a ton of Construction experience...okay, I don't have ANY is more like it...but I think I can tackle this. I'm excited to go to work for this company. They are growing very quickly and I think this is a great time to jump into the fray. We'll see how it goes but I feel really blessed to be given this opportunity.
I feel kind of bad because I had another position lined up within Fluor that I was supposed to begin after the 4th of July holiday but I'm starting at Advent the 1st of July. But I do think it was time for me to leave Fluor. It was a great few years and I am so grateful for the experience I had but it's time for me to move into a career track. Yay! Advent, here I come!
Thanks, Kim! And we love you Advent...wherever you are!

Memorial Day Weekend

Scott, Clark and Ryan came to visit for Memorial Day weekend. Magic Mountain. Disneyland. Bonfire @ Corona del Mar. Need I say more?
It was so much fun to have the guys here. Scott loves Disneyland more than anyone I've ever met...probably more than Mickey himself! True story. And the man is a master with the Fast
Passes. We definitely lived it up at Disneyland.
No regrets.
Clark has a thing for Magic Mountain so we hit that, too. It was SO much fun! I got sick, though...no bueno. "The X' was pretty much the scariest ride I've EVER been on! But it was worth every second of the 2-hour wait. Oh, man! It was a great time. There was one point where you're falling, spread eagle, towards the ground and you just KNOW you're goin' to hit it. Then...WHOOSH! You're back up spinnin' and screamin'! It's a great time.


Sunday night, we had a hot dog party at Corona del Mar. We couldn't get a firepit 'cause the place was PACKED! Holly and Dan saved the day with they're party grill. We grilled up some dogs and had a grand ol' time. Hey, it just goes to show that it really is about the people and not necesarily the activity. Good times.
I was sad to see the boys go. Everyone here loved 'em and I was so proud to call 'em my boys. Hee-hee! I'm so grateful to have so many wonderful friends.

Green Knight! Green Knight!

For Shantel's birthday, a big group of us went to a dinner show called Medieval Times. It was so much fun! They bring everyone into an arena that is organized by color. They seat you in your group and the color that your seated area is corresponds to the knight that you are supposed to cheer for during the jousting and other competitions. It got SO crazy! Dinner was served in mugs and stone plates...no utensils. Roasted chicken, potatoes, soup and ale (aka Diet Pepsi) was served by tavern wenches. Hee-hee! It was a lot of fun. The knight competitions were the best! People were screaming and cheering like you wouldn't believe. It was hilarious. There was a group of graduating seniors in one section and they were SO loud! They kept chanting, "Green Knight! Green Knight!" Our knight was the Blue Knight. He got his trash kicked in the competitions but we loved him just the same. He even gave me a flower! Kim got the "Queen of Beauty and Love" sash...I'll be honest, I was a little jealous about that. But it was SO fun! Definitely on the Top 10 List of Fun Things to Do in the OC.

San Onofre

Sarah (a friend of Holly's -- and now a friend of mine) had her birthday at San Onofre beach. It was so much fun. We tried to body board but couldn't quite get the hang of it. The bottom was SO rocky and we were totally cuttin' up our feet just to get out to where the waves were breaking. Fun times. I'm gonna get good -- just you wait!

Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon

All I have to say is I'm so grateful to have met so many loving and welcoming people since I moved down here. Let me see if I can explain. Jeni has a really good friend from the U -- Holly. Holly and I used to get on the phone and joke around with me when I was talkin' to Jeni when she was in CA and I was still in WA. SO, when I got down here and finally met Holly it was like we already knew each other. Anyway, Jeni met some people through Holly and when I hung out with all of them at Holly's birthday (at Bucca di Beppo -- the best restaurant EVER) it was like they became my friends, too. It's just nice to meet so many nice people. I feel really blessed and I am more and more certain that I made the right decision in moving down here.

Body Boarding

I went body boarding for the first time today. Talk about makin' memories! It was really scary but at the same time! I got caught in a wave -- that was scary. But I rode a couple of waves, too -- that was FUN! Rachael, Jeni and I went to Newport Beach. Melissa (one of my roommates) has a brother that is a pro-surfer and he was in a competition there so we all went out to watch him. In between heats, we went to catch some waves of our own! Hee-hee. It was really fun. I love the ocean so much and I'm so grateful to be living somewhere that allows me to go anytime I want.

The Happiest Place on Earth

I love Disneyland. It's pretty much the happiest place on earth. Need I say more?
I went to Disneyland for the first time today. It was SO MUCH FUN! I bought an Annual Pass so I can go whenever I want without having to wait in line or pay. It's pretty much the best invention ever! I love it so much! I'm going to go everyday -- well, as soon as I figure out which highways get me there, that is!
Jeni loves Disneyland so I'm sure we'll be going quite a bit. It's cool 'cause lots of people around here have the Annual Passes so we can just hop over after work or anytime we want. Emails have flown about recently with invitations to Disneyland. It's fun to go with a group 'cause then you have people to stand in line with. It's the 50th Anniversary of Disneyland so this year there all kinds of fun things going on. There is an extra special fireworks show every night. And Cinderella's Castle has been repainted and redecorated. It's all just SO awesome! I didn't think I'd like it as much as I do. I think EVERYONE should go to Disneyland at least once in their adult life. It's too good to miss!
California Adventure is awesome, too. My favorite ride there is Soarin' Over California. It's a flight simulated ride. So, it's like you're flying over all the best parts of California: the orange fields, the ocean, the forests, the Grand Canyon...it's too awesome for words!

Old Friends

It's funny how one person can be the spark that brings it all together. Funny thing, coincidences. An acquaintance from Tri-Cities, Susan May, is totally BFFs with a girl in my ward, Rachael. Susan was down visiting and we ran into each other at church. So, now Rachael and I are going to be good friends. Yay! Friends! Susan and her husband and Rachael and Kim (another girl from the ward) came over to hang out and eat fondue. Fun times! It was so great to have a fun group together. I think that I'm going to be good friends with Kim and Rachael. They are so much fun! I'm so grateful that Susan was the link. It's funny how those things work out.

The Bairds

Jeni's family came into town this weekend. It was fun to hang out with them -- they are so great! It made me miss my family and got me really excited for them to come visit me. I hope it's soon. Jeni went to Disneyland and California Adventure with them -- she had such a great time! I went to Laguna Beach with them to have a picnic. It was so fun! I'm so grateful that the Bairds let me hang out with them. They are so great and it was nice to see someone I know!

Fluor Update

Mervyn is SO great! He is one of the most intelligent people I have ever had the privilege of knowing. I am so honored to work for him. He is so aware of the world around him and it seems like he knows EVERYTHING -- from the political unrest in Iraq to who Tom Cruise is dating...he knows it all! It's actually really great 'cause it encourages me to be on top of current events. I love that I can go in and ask him questions about anything and have a great conversation. It's wonderful! Mervyn is from the UK. He's got a great sense of humor and we have an easy repore with one another. I'm very grateful. I was worried about working on the "Executive floor" which has a reputation for being VERY haughty and stuffy. It's not that way at all! It's very professional and business-like but Mervyn is very kind and cracks his share of jokes!

Chatelle aka "Mama T"

Jeni introduced me to a girl she works with -- Chatelle. She's the blonde bombshell from Down Under! She is SO much fun! We went for a walk on Laguna Beach and just got to know each other. Then, we went to Islands and had the best bowl of endless tortilla soup known to mankind! It was SO good! Chatelle is so funny. She gave me a nickname -- Donny D. She calls Jeni -- Gladys! Gladys Knight and Donny Osmond are the only Mormons (excluding Jeni and I) that she knows so those are the nicknames she made up for us. Oh, and Napolean Dynamite -- that's where the "D" in Donny D. comes from. Good times. I call her Mama T. 'cause she's Catholic and so was Mother Theresa. So, maybe it's a LITTLE irreverent but it's all in good fun. I'm grateful to have met Chatelle. I am meeting so many great people in the few weeks I've been here. It just keeps gettin' better and better!

Fluor Corporation

I got a job with Fluor Corporation! I have worked for them for the past 3 years in WA and a lady I worked with a bit in WA, Deanne Uberin, helped me into a position with Mervyn Sambles, Fluor's VP of Strategic Marketing. It's an answer to a prayer! This job is so perfect! It's a great environment and a fantastic opportunity. I feel so blessed and I can't help but feel like this is affirmation that I made the the right decision in moving here.

The Big Move

It all came together so fast. It was one of those things that you always consider doing but never really think will happen. Well...it did! I packed up and moved to California. One of my best friends, Miss Jeni Baird, moved down here to Aliso Viejo to work for Fluor in November 2004 and absolutely loved it. We always joked that I'd be down in 6 months...sure enough! On April 10, 2005, I hit the road to California! I think I was in shock the whole drive down. I couldn't quite believe I had packed up and left everything that was familiar behind. And to be perfectly honest, there were several times where I almost turned tail back to Washington. But (finally) I made it to Orange County.

The first few days have been pretty hard. I'm in a completely foreign place (I had never been to CA before I moved down here) and Jeni is the only person I know. It has been tough but Jeni is great about lettin' me leech onto her until I get my bearings. I don't think it'll take long for me to feel at home but I hope it comes quickly. I just keep clingin' to the fact that I felt so good about this move and I really believe it's the right thing for me to do.

Jeni took me to the Irvine Spectrum tonight. It was really fun and boosted my spirits (shopping always does!). We went to Red Robin (an old reliable in WA)! It was the pick-me-up I've needed. I've really been having a hard time. Granted, I've only been here a few days but I didn't anticipate how HARD this would be. I remember when Jeni moved down here...she would call me cryin' about how hard it was and how much she missed everyone back home. I feel like I am TOTALLY walkin' in her shoes right now! And it's NOT my favorite thing! I just keep prayin' that it'll all work out. Like I said, I know I am supposed to be here so I'm really leanin' on that to get me through the rough patches.

California or BUST!

So, I've always wanted my own website...unfortunately, I lacked the know-how to make it happen. And, to be honest, I always secretly snickered at people with they're own websites. What kind of dorks are they anyway?! A website? Bah! But NOW, thanks to a friend of a friend, I've got this handy-dandy blog in a box. We'll see how it goes. Bring on the dorkiness!

I have been looking for a way to keep people updated on what I'm up to here in Cali. BAM! Here's the answer! I want to make this a place for my friends and family (near AND far) to come and see all the fun stuff that's been goin' on with me since I moved to the great state of California. We'll see how it goes. To those I have left, I love you and I miss you. Thank you for your prayers and support. Come visit!