Can I Get An AMEN?!

Why is Memorial Day Weekend so dang awesome?! 'Cause it just is - that's why! My li'l sis and Rashawnduh came to visit this weekend and it was a B-L-A-S-T! Yep, it certainly was. We hit DL, the beach (in multiple locales) and some ridiculously delicious Ruby's! Yep, it was good times - too bad you missed it. Maybe next year, maybe next year. Anyhoo, thanks to all who made the weekend what it was. Nothin' like shakin' the funk off with a rockin' weekend!
Speaking of funk, I've decided to continue with the "chill-out, dude" mentality. So far, so good. I'll get back to you on how long it actually lasts. I've just realized that even though I'd like to be a gamillionaire and without a care in the world, it's important that I recognize all that I do have. I'm a pretty lucky girl. Yep, it's true.
Can I get an amen?

chillin' like a villan

you know, i've really been stressin' the past couple days. i just wanna know what it's all about. and, thanks, but it's not the hokey pokey. i'm goin' through the "displacement phase" or whatever. i don't even know what to call it. bottom line, i'm takin' some advice for one of my newest favorite peeps, t-pizzy, and i'm just gonna let myself be. i'm gonna go with the flow, do what i wanna do, blog in lower case and go to the beach. yep, it's the cure for the common funk, baby. believe that. life is good. i should be happy as a clam. i guess i'm just gettin' a chance to step back, take a look, make a change or two and continue on the course. i'll let you know how it goes. i'll be fine tomorrow. just you wait and see.

love, peace and chicken grease,

paula

quarter-life crisis? maybe a little one.

i don't know why but i have been so worked up about the big 2-5 lately. i'm feelin' like it's time to buckle down and do what i gotta do. know what i'm sayin'? i've been super busy lately - tap, guitar, tennis - but i can't help but think that i'm not taking care of the things that really need my attention - exercising, getting out of debt, being where i need to be spiritually - and i'm thinkin' i want to focus on that for the next year. this is so bad, but i feel like i should "live it up" now while i'm young because i'm not gonna have a chance to when i'm older. i just don't want to "put my life on hold" for a year. then again, it's not really putting anything on hold if i'm takin' care of business, right? hum. i guess it would be beneficial to "put my life on hold" now and take care of these things then to keep ignoring it and look back 5 years later and wonder about the time i wasted. i don't know why these little things are such a struggle for me. i mean, i guess they're not really little things, per se. they're just things that most people don't really struggle with. or don't want to admit they struggle with! there's the secret right there. i reckon 25 is a good age to get naked with yourself emotionally, spiritually, financially and every other way that matters. i'll think on that and let you know. on the brighter side, i can feel myself coming closer to the conclusion. i've got a month or so to figure it out so i'm hoping that i'll know what's up by june 20th. we shall see.

More Than Words

I'm pretty good at reading people. That said, I really hate being left to wonder what people are really thinking. As a matter of fact, it makes me crazy. I just wish that people would say what they really think and be done with it. Don't you? Let's just get it all out there so everyone knows where they really stand - the real place, not the one that I think you think I think you think I stand on. Clear as mud? I thought so. Granted, I am a bit of a diva. In fact, I'll be the first to admit it. But, the reality is, you'll always know where you stand with me 'cause I'll tell you. Is it too much to except everyone else in the world to do the same?! I don't think so.

Chalk Fest

I wanna be a chalk artist. And a hula dancer. Is that really too much to ask?
I went to the Chalk Walk in Mission Viejo this weekend and saw some pretty awesome talent. It was amazing. I put my name into a raffle for art lessons. I've decided that after I master tap, piano, tennis and guitar, I'll hit up the art circuit. Might as well, right? I've got a million other things going on right now. Why not add one more?!
Oh, and I've decided to take hula lessons, too. Okay, I haven't really decided, per se, but it's definitely on the list. Angel and I drove up to LA for the Aloha Expo on Saturday. It was fun. So many Polynesians, so little time. Whatever that means. I've always been so facinated with the Polynesian culture. I want my wedding reception to be a full on luau. Dare me? I'll do it. You know I would. Anyway, Kari has a friend that dances in a halau near Garden Grove - she's adorable! We chatted a bit about hula and now I just can't get it out of my head. Oh, buh! Anyhoo, like I said, I need to focus. I've already got a bit on my plate. I need to work on those before I take on anything else. Right-o, Cap'n.

Inspired.

I'm inspired. By people. By lessons. By scriptures. By my Divine potential. By the power of faith and the Spirit. By the humility of my peers. By the love of my Bishop. I'm inspired. I'm inspired to work harder, be better, read more, pray longer, reach higher, lift my brother or sister, love more freely and be who I need to be.
I'm inspired. By writers. Singers. Seamstresses. Actors. Actresses. Bloggers. Mothers. Fathers. Painters. Dancers. Poets. Anyone who creates.
I'm inspired. I'm inspired to be more diligent, , more professional, less of a liability, more respectable, more of an asset, more reliable, less flippant.
Mostly, I'm inspired by love. Cheezy, I know. True, nonetheless.

IMAX

Pretty much, IMAX makes everything better. Everyone has been saying that Poseidon was super lame, unrealistic, etcetera ad nauseum. Anyway, we went to see it in Irvine at the IMAX and it was pretty awesome. I mean, I will admit that it was a little overdone and tidge unrealistic but, let's be honest, who really goes to those movies looking for moments of deep introspection? Anyway, if you wanna see Poseidon, or even if you don't, go to the IMAX. It's worth the extra $3. Oh, and take some dramamine before you go.

Sew Beautiful

I've never really been much of a domesticate (is that a word?) but all that is a-changin'. My darling little angel, Angel, has a beautimus Singer sewing machine and I have been makin' that baby sing of late. The sewing bug has bitten and I am a woman on a mission. So far, I've made a beach bag and a dress. I'm gettin' ready to go out on a limb 'cause there is a style of dress that I want to make but can't find a pattern for so I'm gonna try to get one of my Fashion Design friends to help me create it from scratch. A little too ambitious? Maybe. Tons of fun? You betcha. I'll keep you posted.

Livin' The Dream

This morning, as I was driving to work, I was reflecting on the past year of my life and came to the conclusion that this has been one of the best years of my life. I've made some big changes, had some great opportunities, a few heartbreaks and lots of great experiences. I'm pretty much livin' the dream, baby! Seriously, though, life is good. I mean, there are a few things I would change but I have faith that they'll come with time so I'm not too worried about 'em.
Speakin' of great experiences, we went up to LA to see STOMP at the Pantages Theater on Friday. Needless to say, it was amazing! There really aren't words to describe how incredible it is. Bottom line, go see it. You won't regret it! The rhythms these people pull out of seemingly ordinary objects is astounding. It's all I could do to sit there with my mouth hanging open in amazement. I can only hope that someday I'll be a super star like the people from STOMP. Someday. Until then, I'll just keep livin' the dream.

Miss Sydney

Miss Bristow was doubled,
it's hard to believe.
But she did see Mr. Vaughnie
and didn't want to leave.
But leave him she must,
there's Prophet Five to now bust.
She'll team up with Sark
who thinks Sydney's Anna being Sydney,
Oh, what a lark!
What happens next?
We'll have to wait and see,
too find out who finally kills
Mr. Sark and all the SDs.

Mad Hot Ballroom

So, I'm gettin' ready for bed and the Biore Clear Pore Strip says I have to let it sit on my nose for 10-15 minutes while it hardens like paper mache and rips the dirt out of my clogged pores. TMI, I know. Sorry. Anyhoo, I figured I'd make good use of the 10-15 minute tidbit and tell you about the awesome experience I had at the Hilton Los Angeles tonight. Here goes. Mary, my co-worker, has been taking ballroom lessons for sometime now and invited me to attend a Pro/Am Ballroom Competition that is running Thursday through Sunday of this week. I absolutely accepted and tonight was the night. Oh. My. Goodness. Are you kidding me? A live ballroom dancing competition is without a doubt one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. I don't even have the word to tell you how awestruck I was the entire time. But let me try to find the words to tell you about one of the highlights of the evening. Now, to start, I was a little disappointed that I was only going to be able to go Thursday night because they were doing the Quickstep (one of my favorite ballroom dances categorized as American Smooth in the ballroom world) another night. Nevertheless, I agreed to make the sacrifice and take the available ticket for Thursday night. Let it suffice to say that it was pretty much the best thing that could've ever happened! I got to see the Junior Ballroom Competition! In ballroom terms, I got to see the little 12 and under-year-olds shake their groove thangs on the dance floor. And shake them they did! I've got videos (taken covertly with my trusty digital camera) for anyone that wants to see it - lemme know and I'll email it to you. Seriously, these kids were amazing. One couple (both 11 years old) competed against the teenagers and BEAT them. The way they moved on the dance floor absolutely defies description. I managed to catch up with the father of the girl champ while she and her partner were posing for pictures with all of their 80 gamillion trophies. The conversation went a little something like this:

Me: Hi! They did great tonight, eh?
Father (in thick Eastern European accent): Yes. (nodding and
smiling vigorously)
Me: Are they brother and sister?
Father: No. Not brothers. (More nodding and smiling)
Me: Oh! Just friends? Partners?
Father: Yes! Partners, partners! (Continued nodding and smiling)
M: How old are they?
F: They have 11 years of age each.
M: Eleven! Wow! They are very good. How long have they been dancing?
F (still smiling and nodding): They have been dancing since 2 and
half years.
M: Oh? For two and a half years?
F (shaking head in negatory fashion and extending hand palm down
close to floor) No. Since they had two and half year. For 9 year they
dance.
M: What?! They've been dancing for nine years?!
F (smiling and nodding again): Yes, yes. For 9 year.
M: How long have they been dancing together?
F: This partner, six months. That partner (pointing to an boy
standing nearby) her partner before boy. (He then goes on to
gesture wildly in an attempt to communicate what I think is
something about the boy partner growing too much and making it
impossible for the boy and girl to partner anymore. Meanwhile, I
smile and nod.)
M: Where are you from?
F: I from Armenia. Boy from Ukraine. Girl from Armenia.
M: Oh, Armenia? I thought maybe she was Persian.
F (smiling and nodding): Yes, Armenia.
M (smiling in general direction of posing children): Okay, well, good
luck with everything. Congratulations!
F: (Smiles and nods)

Now, I don't share this to mock or joke about the broken English of this dear man but simply to highlight the fact that these people come from all over the world to get their kids into good ballroom programs. I mean, these kids are supporting their families on what they're pullin' in from these competitions. It simply astounds me. Most parents can't even get their kid to tie their shoes or clean their rooms - how the heck can they teach them to swivel their hips or the difference between the rhumba and the samba (I can barely explain the difference). It's all very amazing and very foreign to me. Craziness.
In closing, I will say this about ballroom. It's pretty much my sport. I mean, c'mon, anything with a plethora of sequins and tons of makeup is just right up my alley. Bring on the over the top outfits and hairstyles that defy the laws of physics. I'm eatin' it up.
With love for 11-year-old ballroom dancers who kick teenagers butts! Best of luck to 'em.

My Life's Calling

As of last night, my calling in life is to be a cake decorator. My co-worker, Erica, had a birthday and so we made her a cake. She's all about world travel so we made her a cake of the Earth with tons of country flags all over it. It turned out really cute and she loved it! It was one of those projects where you take a step back and think, "Man, I am so AWESOME!" Yeah, you know the feeling. Kind of like the time I took my gi-mondo scarf off at the orphanage in Mexico and used it to jumprope with the kids. That's how you know your scarf is too long - when you can use it to jumprope with orphans.
Back to the life calling as a cake decorator. The feeling has passed since I started this blog. Such fickleness! It was fun while it lasted but I think I'll just embrace my life as a Project Coordinator and all around great gal.

Creative Wanna-B

Yep. I am a creative wanna-b. It's true. I'm trying to learn the guitar and make some good music but it's not going so well. I take a tap class every week and while I do love it - I'm not so skilled at it. I was on the verge of taking a painting class but I decided to hold off and give myself some time to breathe. I start tennis lessons next month (don't ask, I have no idea what possessed me to sign up for tennis lessons). When it comes to sports, I think I'm pretty much the embodiment of that quote from Grease, "If you can't be an athlete, be an athletic supporter." Preach on. As for music, maybe there is minor talent involved but I'm not exactly ready to be picked up by a major label or anything. The harder I try (and sometimes fail) at all these things, the more I realize that my dabblings are just repeated attempts for me to "find" myself. You know, that deep, dark chocolate Paula that no one (even myself) really knows. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. This is what I do know: I enjoy emailing and blogging and eating ice cream. Sometimes I go shopping and sometimes I sit at home and knit. Sometimes I wear flip flops and sometime I wear heels. I really want to learn how to surf. Sometimes I roll out of bed and leave the house and sometimes I spend an obscene amount of time getting ready before I walk out the door. I'm a bit of a diva who will tromp around muddy streets in Mexico to play with dirty kids for a few hours. I enjoy a good pedicure but would mess it up for a chance to hit the beach for the day. I would marry Fred Astaire if he asked me. Same goes for Gavin DeGraw or the guy from She's the Man. In fact, I'm planning on naming my first daughter Astaire. I really want to be a good guitar player (I don't have to be fantastic, I'll settle for good). I am NOT a clean freak but I often wish I was. I sometimes wonder how I ended up with such a great life. Then I realize that I don't really want to know the answer, I'm just gonna enjoy it while it lasts. And, after all is said and done, I just want to be an all around well-rounded person that is down to earth with a little diva thrown in. More than that, I don't really want to be a certain "type" of person - I just want to be Paula and have that be enough. So far, so good.

Seek Ye Out of the Best Books

You know, I have been thinkin' on this for quite some time and Miss Tania's blog about the books that have changed our lives lit a much needed fire under my behind. I was an English major in college (Literary Studies emphasis) and it was absolutely heavenly because I was constantly being bombarded by new (to me) and great (to some) works of literature. They were pretty much handed to me on a silver platter. Well, these days, I'm on my own in the world and don't have class after class and professor after professor to hold my hand on the path to the wealth of wisdom held within the world's troves of literary treasures. That said, I can't help but feel that I have been a bit of a slacker when it comes to my secular education. Now, that may be a bit harsh as I am currently enrolled in tap (dance) and guitar (music) lessons with a painting or drawing class (art) and piano lessons (music, again) on the back burner. All that aside, my literary education is lacking and it's time to step it up. To add insult to injury (sort of) I was toolin' around on the Church website and I found this tasty little lick of prophetic wisdom:

The thought might occur to some that it would be better to avoid all books and read only the scriptures. Brigham Young had some advice on that narrow approach to life. He said, “‘Shall I sit down and read the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and the Book of Covenants all the time?’ says one. Yes, if you please, and when you have done, you may be nothing but a sectarian after all. It is your duty to study to know everything upon the face of the earth, in addition to reading those books” (Journal of Discourses, 2:93–94). Brigham Young goes on to say that he encouraged his own children to study music and dance, to attend the theater, and to read novels, things that he said, “expand their frames, add fire to their spirits, and improve their minds.”

I was all gung-ho for about two seconds and I was a few clicks away from creating a whole new blog dedicated to my literary pursuits but I've drawn back and decided that this quest is as big a part of me as my trips to Disneyland, the Discovery Science Center and other far off places my travels take me wink, wink). That said, I'm keepin' it all right here at home. For those of you that do not enjoy the occasional literary masterpiece, you'll just have to skip those blogs 'cause they'll be mixed in with the joyous tails of my travails (hee-hee, I'm a poet).
And so, my darling blog-reading friends, any suggestions of works you dub to be worthy of a perusal would be greatly appreciated. I'm gonna dig around Tania's blog, some websites and the brains of close friends to see if I can come up with a list but feel free to pitch in. Your two cents in welcome here.
Oh, I lovey-love-love you all for reading my blogs and loving me almost as much as I love you!

Discovery Science Center

Simple minds, simple pleasures. I'm pretty much the embodiment of that saying. Yep, it's true. On Friday, I went with 4 of my adult friends and 3 kids to the Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana. Now, in my defense, I didn't realize that it was a first grade field trip sort of place. But the reality is that I loved every second of it. Okay, maybe not every second but we definitely had a good time. I think that's pretty much the case anytime Angel and I are together. That said, lemme give you a little rundown of the joys that are to be found at the Discovery Science Center. Their big exhibit right now is "BubbleFest!" which consists of a crazy Euro-Asian man running around with giant bubble wands trapping people in a soapy substance while wearing iridescent magician's clothes. Get the picture? Needless to say, it was good times. After the bubble show, we dressed up like astronauts and played around in space shuttles, tested our hand-eye coordination and pretended we were birds with giant styrofoam wings! Okay, I was the only one that wore the wings but it was good times all around.

Ode to California

I love the beach,
I love volleyball,
I love In-n-Out,
Yes, I love it all.
Moving to SoCal
was the best choice I've made.
Since punching Peter Herb for kissing me
back in the first grade.

The end.

Miss Bristow.

It's been a long time,
but I'm right back where I used to be
On the edge of my seat,
too excited to leave.
I'm glad too see that
they've done it again.
Sucked me right into the drama
with Sydney's family and friends.
And little Vaughnie-Vaughn,
he so isn't dead.
His living in Buhtan and his name
is now Fred.
Okay, that Fred parts not true.
Not yet, anyway.
It will all iron itself out
in the next 5 Wednesdays.
So, patiently I'll wait 'til
Wednesday at eight and
I'll savor all that the next
5 weeks will bring.
And in the end, I will cry.
For the loss of dear Alias
certainly will sting.

Casa Hogar Sion

This weekend, I went to an orphanage in Baja, Mexico with a non-profit company called Corazon de Vida (Heart of Life). It was an incredible experience. There were about 100 kids and we just played and ate and laughed our heads off! We had an Easter egg hunt and did crafts and jumped rope. You know, when you're faced with the living conditions of 100 kids, you can't help but reflect on how good you've got it! The whole drive home, I kept thinking - how did I get so lucky? I mean, why did I get to be born in America with parents and a home and security and 3 meals a day. I dunno. It's the little things, I guess. The thing about it is that the kids are so happy. Well, for the most part, anyway. Some of them did seem sad and a little displaced but most of them were happy and so excited to have someone new to play with. It was awesome and I am headin' up there again in June to go back. It's just too wonderful of an opportunity to pass up.

It IS The Happiest Place on Earth

We all went to Disneyland for Kim's birthday and it was tons o' fun. Seriously, I really can't count the times I've said that I love Disneyland. Yep, it's still true. Disneyland is absolutely-tutely-fruitely what it professes to be - The Happiest Place on Earth.
So, when the Utah Peeps come down for the cruise-a-thon we'll have to make a special trip to the DL. Good times, good times.

Mueve Tu Cadera!

I went Salsa dancing with a co-worker last night - what a BLAST! We went to a club in Anaheim called J.C. Fandango's and it was so much fun! Everyone just laughs and dances and dances and dances! The live band they had was incredible! It was so fun! So, if you're ever in Anaheim, be sure to hit up J.C. Fandango's - you won't regret it!