Weekend Review...Early Edition

When did I become so lame? I came home from work on Friday and took a two hour nap. This was one of those good naps where I entered into the REM cycle and had crazy dreams. Once I finally got my lazy self out of bed around 6:30pm I made some dinner. After dinner, I cleaned. Thrilling, I know. I even cleaned the baseboards. What got into me? Joe's brother is coming to LA tomorrow and I know he will be coming by the place. I don't think anyone (family included) should be exposed to the mess I create during the week. I am on the go constantly during the week, so I don't take time to clean. After my debut as a housewife, I sat down to watch 24. I felt a bit guilty about leaving Jack Bauer in my DVR for several days, but I wanted to wait to watch him save the world until I was able to focus for an hour. I was in bed just after 10:00pm. Jealous of my Friday night?

The good thing about being uber lame on a Friday, is that you are bright-eyed and bushy-tailed early on Saturday. I had to break my favorite Saturday routine (roll out of bed, make coffee and read for hours) to head straight to the gym. I wanted to ride the spin bike (shocker I know) in order to prepare for the audition I had this afternoon for a teaching position with my gym. My motivation for going straight to the gym on a Saturday...a latte from Starbucks after my workout. I had a good ride and felt mentally prepared for my audition and one of the best lattes of my life. I made the drive down to Long Beach for my audition and arrived 15 minutes early (gasp...I know. I am NEVER early!). I waited for the group exercise coordinator and when she walked in I introduced myself. We hit it off right away and I knew it would be a good audition. She noticed my engagement ring and we spent several minutes talking about weddings (thanks babe for picking out a great eye-catching rock!), because she is getting married later this summer. The audition was painless. The coordinator loved my first song (see below for the play list) and ended up offering me a teaching position on the spot. SCORE! I just need to fill out some paperwork at my gym and wait for a class to open. The hard part is over. I am hired!

After my audition, I headed to the Whole Foods (I wish the Cali stores had the frequent lunch buyer program. I have probably earned myself several free lunches by now) I went to on my first day in LA. As I was enjoying my salad outside I couldn't help but think about how far I have come since that first lunch. It has only been three months since the move and I already feel completely settled in. I have grown so much since the move. I have become very independent (forced because of Joe's travel schedule) and more comfortable with the city. I no longer hate driving on the highways and understand traffic is just a part of life out here (thank goodness for the DJ Tiesto CD I bought last weekend. DJ Tiesto has kept me calm during many intense driving situations). I have even learned how to cut people off, so I can get to where I need to go.

After lunch I got a pedicure (OPPS! I really suck at saving money!). I was driving down the Pacific Coast Highway and knew I would drive right by my new favorite pedicure place in Redondo Beach. It would have been silly to not get a pedicure. I was in the area after all. I tend to get in-grown toenails (GROSS I know. Sorry if this is TMI, but it helps me justify my pedi.) and the only way to get rid of them is to get a pedicure. I have to be kind to my feet since they get me to work everyday. Have I justified my pedi yet? It was extremely delightful and now my toenails are a gorgeous hot red color.

I have developed this bad habit of wanting an icy treat when I head to the beach towns. I discovered this all-natural frozen yogurt place last weekend in Manhattan Beach and got myself a little treat on Saturday and Sunday. Of course, I got a major craving again today (People I know I need to fit into a wedding dress in 9 months, I will work it off...hopefully!) and happened to spot a Pinkberry. This was my first experience at Pinkberry and definitely not my last. Hello heaven! I got a pomegranate flavored frozen yogurt topped with strawberries and yogurt white chocolate chips. Delightful! It can't be nearly as bad as the peanut butter perfection I devoured earlier in the week from Cold Stone. (Come on, I gave up sweets for lent, so I am clearly making up for lost time.)

When I got home I had to finish cleaning up the place for Joe's brother. My last major task was to pack away my laundry. I must have had six loads to fold and pack away. I have this horrible habit of dumping clean laundry on my dresser and just sifting through the pile when I am looking for something to wear. Packing away clothes is brutal. What's the point? You are only going to pull the item out of the drawer and wear it again soon. When faced with the dreadful task of packing away laundry, I recommend drinking red wine and listening to techno. After a few big gulps and some power fists the dreadful chore was complete.

Now I am just counting down the hours until Joe gets home and can't wait to see his brother (my soon to be big brother!). I am anticipating a great Sunday.

Here is the play list I used during my audition. I wanted to share it since it brought me good luck.
Crazy - Seal (warmup)
Sugar - Flo Rida
Juke Box Hero - Foreigner
Use Somebody - Kings of Leon
Beggin - Madcon
Going Wrong - Armin Van Buuren
Right Now - Van Halen
Sharp Dressed Man - ZZ Top
Tomorrow Can Wait - David Guetta
Let Me Think About It - Ida Corr
Halo - Beyonce

Happy cycling!

My Favorite Questions

It is so much fun to tell people I have only been in LA since January (some people are kind of shocked and surprised). Their typical responses are to ask me if I like LA or if I am homesick. My answers to those questions are that I absolutely love LA and I am not homesick at all (sorry family).

What is not to love? I had a hard time agreeing to move to LA with Joe because of the life I had started to establish in St. Louis. I truly enjoyed my job (I actually looked forward to going into the office), I was building a strong network, I was active in the community I enjoyed spending time with my family and I had (well...I know I still have) some fabulous friends. When you are faced with a huge change in life, you can either embrace the change or resist the change. Once I made the decision to move to LA with Joe and he proposed to me I have not looked back. I have only been here a few months and I feel like I have lived here forever. I feel like I belong.

It took a couple of weeks to get adjusted, but I am back running at full speed. I have a phenomenal job that encourages me to grow personally and professionally, plus I am viewed as the marketing guru. I am having a great time integrating development responsibilities with marketing projects and hope to be making a positive impact while I am at it. I am involved with the Arthritis Foundation and they have already appointed me the Chair for the 2010 LA Walk. I am extremely honored and a bit nervous about the responsibilities associated with being a chair. I better start developing a network stat!! Speaking of networking, I am working on establishing a Los Angeles chapter for the Yellow-Tie networking association. I plan to get the chapter up and running by the end of the year. I am also marrying the love of my life and my high school sweetheart in December. We have a lot planned for the big day, but there are still a ton of minor details to arrange. I better carve out some time for wedding planning (I need to find another hairdresser. I just got word that mine is moving to Oklahoma...seriously?!). Funny, I work diligently on planning events for charity and work, but not for my own wedding (it makes a heck of a lot of difference when you are footing the bill). I am super pumped about having an audition with a gym this Saturday to hopefully (cross your fingers) get back into teaching spinning/cycling classes. My alarm goes off at 4:30 (I snooze at least once) every weekday, I hit the gym, work and usually end up at home sometime after 7:00pm. When people ask if I like LA, I think what's not to like. I have re-created my St. Louis life with the exception of my friends and family. A huge major perk about my life now...I get to go to the beach every weekend.

I don't have the time to be homesick, because I choose not to focus on missing St. Louis. I have fully embraced our new life. I think the changes have forced me to become more independent (especially since Joe has been traveling a ton for work. I have had to entertain myself a lot...probably explains why I have read so many books and bought quite a few new pieces of clothing...sorry babe. I know I need to save for the wedding, but I refuse to look like a frumpy housewife.). I also think I am more energized (for those of you that know me you might not think this is possible). Two different people have commented of my high energy and enthusiasm just today. I don't know how to explain it. Either I really love LA or I need to lay off the coffee.

It is going to be a great year and I am looking forward to blogging about my experiences. When Joe comes home and installs our internet (I am technologically challenged) I hope to be able to write more frequently. Some days when I get home, the last thing I want to do is lug my computer to the lobby. I am lucky if I was the makeup off my face before I crash into bed. But, I wouldn't want life to be any less crazy busy. You get one life to live, so live life to the fullest. Embrace change and don't wast time thinking about negative things that consume your positive energy.