The Whirlwind Continues...

I think I may have to resort to bullet format since there's been so much going on these days...

• More bike rides with the family on which I've logged over 200 miles so far for 2012 
• Big Bear weekend with a local young adult group where I met a great new friend, Abbea
• Vegas weekend with my sister where we celebrated both of our belated birthdays, saw La Reve and one of us rode a mechanical bull ;-)
• Lady Antebellum concert with my mom, opened by Darius Rucker and Thompson Square
• 10-mile Bridge to Nowhere hike with a friend where I faced my fear by swimming in cold water and jumping off a rock into the river
• Saw abortion survivor Gianna Jessen speak on Good Friday
• Easter
• Reading Hunger Games, saw movie with my friend Maria
• Best friend Laura moved to San Francisco (deep sadness, random crying continues)
• Planned visit to San Francisco for June :-) (see bullet above)
• Work responsibilities changed again, now working on a bigger and more complex bond fund

Whew! Clearly such a schedule doesn't leave much time for blogging, but I'll try to be better going forward :-)!!!

Daughters of the King

It didn't take much convincing for my friends and I to decide to head south for a San Diego young adult event entitled Daughters of the King. It is a fabulous and unique event at which the men cook dinner for the women, and then host a dance. It was pure magic for a girl who loves eating, dancing and Catholic men ;-). The guys held a Foxtrot lesson, and then constantly asked girls to dance during the open music. They also put together a lovely video about modesty and how appreciative they are of our femininity and beauty as daughters of God. In a world that scoffs at conservative values, it was nice to feel appreciated for those very beliefs. Needless to say, I think we'll be attending again, and many thanks goes out to the wonderful guys who made the evening a success!

The End of an Era

After 3 years of solo living, I decided to put my guest room to work for me financially by getting a roommate. I was incredibly fortunate to meet Erin, leader of the young adult group at the San Juan Capistrano Mission, who wanted to move in! Well today was move-in day and so far so good. Hopefully I'll have more stories of roomie fun coming down the pipeline :-).

January Happenings

January was full of fun! The family celebrated my 26th birthday by venturing out on a "Day in L.A." and seeing some of the tourist attractions that are close to home but often overlooked by locals. Our first stop was the Walt Disney Concert Hall where we embarked on a very interesting free tour. Next, we walked to Olvera Street and soaked up some Mexican culture. Not feeling like Mexican food, we continued on to Felipe's for their famous French dip sandwiches. Before heading home, we stopped by the Los Angeles cathedral, which is absolutely beautiful. Overall we had an excellent family outing. Later in the month Tim, Lisa and I had a great time taking our Christmas gift tennis lesson! With a lot more practice, maybe we can challenge Mom and Dad to a match :-). Game on!

Christmas Craziness

Here are some pictures of our family Christmas fun...what could be in that wrapping paper??? I've also included a picture of my friend Debbie and I at our New Years outing to San Diego. Many thanks to Dan and Nicole for hosting me last-minute on New Years Eve!!!

NYC for the Holidays!

Sometimes great things come from "we're still single" pity parties, like trips to NYC! Aiming to seize the day, my friend Emily and I spent a long weekend in NYC, soaking in the city and its holiday embellishments. Boy did we cram in the fun! Some of the highlights included Wall Street, riding the Staten Island Ferry, the 9/11 Memorial, seeing the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall, walking across the Brooklyn Bridge, Little Italy, Greenwich Village, ice skating in Rockefeller Center, drinks at a few pubs, staying in a real NYC apartment, decorated store fronts, Mass at St. Patrick's, Central Park, views from the top of the Empire State Building, the public library, Grand Central Station, a tour of the Tiffany Suite at the St. Regis, pizza in the Upper West Side, and shaking Al Roker's hand at the Today show!!! Here are a few pictures (of the almost 500 that I took), and there are even more on Facebook! Happy Holidays!!!

A Hint of Fun to Come...

It's my personal policy to not post online when I'm leaving town, however I figured I could drop a hint to my faithful followers (all 4 of you) :-). Take a look at these pics, and be sure to check the blog next week!