Entertainment Review

I recently finished reading The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown, which I was looking forward to because I very much enjoyed his other books. Unfortunately it didn't live up to my expectations. The featured antagonist is uncomfortably malicious and the entire plot lacked the appeal of his earlier novels. It wasn't terrible, but overall I'd say check it out from the library...don't buy it!

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I saw Invictus yesterday with Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon. It was great! Unlike most movies out these days it had no violence, minimal language, and an engaging plot which was centered on Nelson Mandela and how he used South Africa's rugby team to unify the country after the apartheid. See it if you haven't already!

January Fun!

The big 24! On January 10, I celebrated my 24th birthday! Thanks so much to Mom for hosting such a wonderful celebration :-).








Mom and I treated ourselves to a night on the town on Friday, January 15 when we saw Mary Poppins on stage. It's one of my favorite movies, so of course we jumped at the chance to see the Broadway adaptation. It's not exactly like the movie, but overall it was fantastic! I think it had the most beautiful sets I've ever seen, and the singing and dancing was captivating. We got turned around in Los Angeles a couple of times (yes, more than once), but it was an enchanting evening out!

New Years Weekend: Avatar and a Baby Shower!

Mom, Dad and I saw Avatar in IMAX 3D on New Years Day. Even though the alien plot line isn't necessarily my cup of tea, the story came full circle and the special effects were amazing!

On January, 2, I had the pleasure of attending my friend Margaret's baby shower in Santa Barbara. What a treat! Her husband Dominic (also my college friend) was able to stop by at the end for a visit :-).

The beaming parents-to-be

Margaret and I

What a profile!

Merry Christmas to All!

Our family had a wonderful time celebrating Christmas together! It began Christmas Eve when we all walked around Balboa Island looking at Christmas lights (taken very seriously by some of the residents). On Christmas day we met for Mass in the morning, then return to my condo for brunch, presents, and games. I'm so lucky to have such a loving family :-)!

Keep on swimming, keep on swimming!

Yesterday, Dad and I visited the Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific because he had a Boeing employee coupon to get in free with a friend. I'm so glad he picked me to be his guest! We saw so many amazing creatures including jellyfish, otters, seals, urchins, lobsters, etc. Thanks for a great day, Dad :-)!

Lessons Learned Today...

...don't lose your car in the Target parking lot during a rain storm. Enough said.

...when testing quiche recipes, make sure someone else is there to help you taste them. I'm so sick of eggs!

Deck the Halls!

Well yesterday's outing certainly put me in the mood for the holidays! Thanks to help from Mom and Dad, I was able to put up my Christmas tree and lights yesterday, and today I pretty much finished up by adding the embellishments. The warm fuzzies have definitely kicked in, and so far the first Christmas in my condo is off to a fantastic start!