The Woodsider

Its that time of year!

2011-12-12T20:25:00.000-08:00

So this year we added a few more decorations for Christmas. And by we...I mean me :)

Pinterest was a big help in the new additions. We also decided to get a larger tree this year! So no baby tree (which I still love).

With Christmas music on and the tree in place, it was final time to finish decorating this weekend. So here it is!

I can't believe that I had enough lights for it (especially since I already put up some under the bar like last year).

Since I now have my bookshelf, I decorated it too. We have been collecting cool looking bottles for vases, but Michael had the idea to put the ornaments on top of the bottles (ok I didn't do everything myself....he helped a little).

I found this idea for the Elf quote in a frame on Pinterest. If you go to my holiday board, it is on there that links to the free printable. It just makes me smile each time I see it!

I repurposed the tree skirt that Melini gave us a while ago as a runner like piece on the bookshelf. I just messed with it until I liked the folds. I didn't sew it or anything.

Of course the Mickey votives made their appearance this year on our coffee table.

For the piano, I found free "vintage" printable sheet music on Pinterest and made paper trees out of them. Of course more ornaments are on the other side! Those I bought from Ikea one year and I just love the combo.

When we got our tree, they gave us a free Poinsettia!

Now that everything is up, its time to have some people over!

Until next time.

Peace.

25th Birthday/ Thanksgiving

2011-12-07T11:56:00.000-08:00

This year my birthday was on Thanksgiving. It happens every 6 years, and this time Michael and I decided to celebrate by skipping Turkey Day and go to Universal Studios Hollywood.

That morning we got up and headed over to Porto's (our favorite Cuban Bakery!) to get breakfast and pick up my birthday cake. Well, apparently it is a Burbank tradition to go to Porto's on Thanksgiving morning and the line was out the door. But 30 mins later we had our treats and headed back home to watch a little bit of the parade before heading out.

When we got home, I opened up the cake to check it out. Apparently they decorated the cakes for Thanksgiving too...so I got an amazing looking cake.

The little piece of chocolate in the cornucopia says "Happy Thanksgiving"

Then it was time to head over to Universal. We had an absolute blast. I took some generic dramamine that morning so I could go on the Simpson's ride....do not buy generic. It didn't help.

Then we wandered around a bit and of course headed over to the Studio Tour. We got to go through New York street, which has been busy lately. And Michael brought the 8mm camera and filmed some of the tour and around Universal.

For lunch, we headed to Doc Brown's fried chicken place and got a somewhat close to Thanksgiving dinner. We tried to find Turkey legs and failed. So this was our backup.

Michael attacking the Chicken...

After all of that fun, we headed to CityWalk and met up with some friends to watch The Muppets! It was AMAZING. If you haven't seen it yet, I suggest you go immediately. We want to see if again in the theaters (and that hasn't happened since Inception last year).

At the end of the night, a few friends joined us at our apartment for cake, birthday martini's and Mario Kart 64 (which Michael bought me for my birthday and it was a complete surprise!)

John filming with the 8mm

The whole day was amazing and thanks to everyone who came out to celebrate :)

Until next time.

Peace.

Family Visit

2011-10-14T22:57:00.001-07:00

So my family came out to visit in August. My sister has been here several times, but my Mom hasn't been since 10+ years ago and my Grandma has never visited LA. Well...of course that meant that we were going to get as much in that visit as possible.

We started off with going to our church on Hollywood. called Eclessia, and then walked around to find the Jamie Lee Curtis Star. (My sister is Jaime Joelle Curtis...so she likes to pose like this is her star)

Then off to the Chinese Theater to have a creepy encounter with Spider-Man (who stares at me and then gets really close to my face and says "Hi, how are you" in a low voice....YIKES). We found Humphrey Bogart's hand and feet prints and I love what he wrote on top. My kind of humor.

Then we drove as close as possible to the Hollywood sign.

When we got back to the apartment, someone gave my Grandma a dozen white roses. I don't think that she will be able to top this trip :)

After having a relaxing day by the pool, we headed out to Hollywood Blvd at night to go see the Jimmy Kimmel show. There, my Grandma got hit on by the warmup guy!

We were going to go to Hard Rock for dinner, but the line was way too long...so In & Out it was! I had been reading up on the secret menu, so we tried it out that night. The receipt was the weirdest one I have had. Also, I am only ever getting the Neapolitan shake when I go. It was amazing!

My mom came later in the week, and when she did we hit up Santa Monica Pier. We also headed over to Real Food Daily so she could try a vegan restaurant. Now, if you know me...you'd be thinking right now; "Brittany, eating at a Vegan restaurant. No way." Well, I found something to eat! My mom tried the pizza and she liked it. Grandma and I split some potatoes, brown rice and black beans. It was delicious!

My mom with her "Pizza"

After eating, we headed to the pier. Where I beat my mom at Skee Ball and we rode the Faris Wheel.

After checking out the west side, it was time to take them on a tour of Burbank. At least some of my favorite spots. Which was Magnolia Blvd and Portos! (Of course)

After tons of shopping we were exhausted. But that didn't stop us the next day. We headed out to the Malibu Hills to go to Paradise Cove and Paramount Ranch.

Yup, we are dorks.

This is the trail we hiked at Paramount Ranch

To finish out the trip we headed over to Downtown's fashion district for a sample sale and a trip down Santee Alley. No pictures from that adventure...our arms were a little tied up with other things.

For the last night that we ate at the apartment, we decided that a trip to Galco's was in order. Galco's is this magical place where there are tons of unique sodas, waters, wines and beers. Well....we might have gone over board....

My mom made these beet burgers, which were nicknamed "Murder Burgers". I tried a little bit....not a fan. But we made regular burgers too.

So we packed a ton of things into this trip. Next time they visit....less driving...

We all had a great time (at least I did!)

So, until next time.

Peace.

Here's some parting pictures for you of Jaime and Jack playing.

Lasagna Cupcakes

2011-08-08T17:03:00.000-07:00

Those are 2 words that you wouldn't think would ever go together...but I found a way that they can!

While wondering around on the interwebs, I found a post about these amazing treats. So I decided that for one of the movie nights at our friend's house that I would make them. The day of I went out to get my ingredients. The only thing that I couldn't find in a normal grocery store was wonton wrappers. Since I didn't feel like going on a hunt, I made them myself.

The wrappers replace the noodles that usually go in a lasagna. Here's the recipe for the wrappers:

2 cups of flour

1/2 cup of boiling water

some salt

These are all approx. I ended up adding some more water and then more flour until I got it to make a ball of dough.

Once you get it to the consistency to form it into a ball, cover it with a damp cloth for 1 hr. Then kneed it for 5 mins. After that I formed it into a log and cut it into 4 smaller logs (easier to work with). Then I started slicing the logs and rolling them into thin roundish pieces (I couldn't get mine to be circular...so some are squares, or triangles, or whatever I could shape them into) Depending on how many cupcakes you are going to make, be sure that you have twice as many wrappers. You will use 2 wrappers per cupcake.

Since there were going to be a lot of different people (and preferences) at the movie night, I decided to make different versions. Meat, Spinach & Cheese.

For the fillings, prep what ever you are going to put in them. For the typical cheese layers, I made a mixture of ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese & parsly flakes (which is what I usually put in my regular lasagna).

The amounts will vary depending on how many you make, but since I was making 24 I used:

15oz (1 package) of Ricotta Cheese

1/4 cup of Parmesan Cheese (give or take some)

A good size pinch of Parsly Flakes

Next its time to assemble the cupcakes. Make sure that the oven is set to 375 degrees. Next, spray the cupcake pans with olive oil cooking spray (or wipe them down with olive oil). Put down one of the wrappers in each cupcake spot. Put a spoonful of sauce (I used Prego Traditional Heart Healthy Sauce), then the cheese mixture, then whatever else you are putting in the cupcake (meat, spinach, etc) and repeat with another layer starting with the wrapper. Top off with some Mozzarella Cheese.

Then place in the oven for 20mins and PRESTO! Lasagna Cupcakes!

They were well received at the party :) You were able to eat it with out utensils and they tasted delicious reheated the next day.

Enjoy!!

Until next time.

Peace.

Ahoy there!

2011-05-26T11:32:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I got a call at the salon from Jerry Bruckheimer's office asking for my email address because they wanted to send me an invitation. I gave it to them and completely forgot to ask what it was for. When I was working at the salon, they would call now and then asking for Sally's contact info to send her invites and I would never ask (because that's RUDE!), so I was just in autopilot when I was talking to them.

Then about a week later (after the Toms Sample Sale) I got an email from Disney inviting me and a guest to the Pirates 4 cast and crew screening! I was so excited.

Naturally, I needed to go shopping for a new outfit for this awesome occasion (because who knows when this will happen again). So I headed over to Its a Wrap and Swift to shop. I found Michael a gray Gucci shirt for....drumroll please.....$18! Then I headed over to Swift (a vintage clothing store with a modern twist) and asked the sales girl to help me out. After trying a few things on, I realized that really I needed to go get my other pieces of my outfit and try them on with what I was thinking about buying from the store. So I went back home and grabbed the pieces and headed back over. I ended up getting an amazing 1970s mod shirt with cherry blossoms and this creepy looking tree on it that went perfectly with my Thomas Wylde skull scarf! They loved the look so much that they took a pic to put up on their blog.

The amazing store Swift

Making a weird face, but at least you can see my shirt!

Also, on a side note, the actress that plays Alex in Modern Family was there. Oh Hollywood.

After getting my hair all did (Thanks Holland and Leland!!) and finding an awesome outfit, it was time to head over to Holllywood and Highland. When Michael arrived, we headed over to the El Capitan and got our tickets.

Me & Michael :)

There weren't any of the big wigs and stars there...it was all of the crew and extras cast. It was awesome to hear some of them try and explain what they looked like so their guest could find them on the screen ("I'm the one with the beard that looks like a triangle...I have a scar on this side of my face...").

The movie was great. I am a sucker for the Pirates films, and this one was definitely entertaining.

Thanks to Jerry's office for sending me the invite! I felt very honored to see it with the people that created it.

Until next time.

Peace.

Toms Sample Sale Adventure

2011-04-30T16:49:00.001-07:00

Its quite common to have a stranger come up to you and say, "Hey! I love your Toms!" and for an instant bond with them over your shared love for Toms Shoes.

For those of you who don't know what they are, here's the skinny:

Blake (the founder of Toms) saw that there were so many children that needed shoes. So he started Toms, where when you buy a pair of his shoes, he will give a pair to a child in need. Every year they do a shoe drop and thousands of children get their first pair of shoes.

So, Michael and I decided that we would get some. They are now our favorite shoes to wear (I use them more then my flip flops!).

Well, about every year (give or take some months), Toms has a Sample Sale at their warehouse. They sell shoes that they have an overflow on and ones that never made it to the website (samples), and they are sold a a fraction of the cost (they still give a pair for every pair you buy).

This year they held their sale up in Valencia, and my friend Elysha and I got up early and headed over there. We thought that we were getting over there pretty early (7am and the sale started at 8am). Boy were we wrong. By the time we got there, there were already 400 people in line!

Waiting in line and wearing my first pair of Toms I ever got

All of the people behind us (literally over 600 people and it wraps

around the far corner of the last building)

Me & Elysha :)

So it took about 3 hours for us to get inside the warehouse. What was nice about this sale is they let only so many people in to shop at a time and they let you have as long as you want to check out the shoes. There was a 20pair limit, and there was tons of people coming out with that many!

By the time that we got in to look around, there wasn't a huge selection of styles in all of the sizes, but hunt to find them in your sizes is part of the fun!

All of the shoes that we grabbed to try on!

All of my loot!

All of Elysha's loot!

After all of it, we headed over to In 'n' Out for some of the most amazing burgers and fries (mainly because we were so hungry!).

It was a great adventure and I can't wait until the next one!

Until next time.

Peace.

Snowcaps & Decorations

2010-12-18T21:48:00.000-08:00

Tis the time to experiment with cookies!!

With the Christmas season here, I decided that I would mix two of my favorite treats. Snowcaps and cookies :)

To start off with, I found a chocolate chip cookie recipe that I liked and used that as my cookie, minus the chocolate chips.

While mixing everything, I saw that I had some white chocolate chips left. Not enough to make a batch of cookies just with them, but I thought that they would complement the snowcaps. In they went.

I baked the cookies just under the amount of time that the recipe called for, and then took them out and pressed in the snowcaps. If you add them into the mixture, then they would melt and would just be chocolate chip cookies.

They turned out great! I will be making these again.

Next up: Our decorations!!

We got a tiny tree again, because of space and its just too cute!

Our stockings have been hung....and in honor of Melini, I will switch the "E" and "L" on Christmas.

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

And Jack says hi and wishes you all a Happy New Year.

Until next time.

Peace.

Vegas!

2010-08-20T08:40:00.001-07:00

Earlier this month my dad was in Vegas for work. Michael and I have never been, so we decided that it was a good time to go.

We left in the afternoon, so Michael could work some and so we can see the sunset.

The craziest thing about the trip over was that it was completely dark and still 95 degrees outside! We stopped at a gas station in the middle of no where, and I felt like I was back in Florida.

Along the way we saw the only truck that Michael would ever think of robbing.

For miles and miles, we saw nothing. Until we reached the Nevada state line.

There was a tiny bright city, and then back to nothing. It is a very strange state.

We finally arrived around 10pm to Vegas and I was looking around to see what there was. I was killing Michael by pointing out EVERYTHING. "Look, there is the little NY. Over there is the MGM, look a roller coaster!"

We exited where we needed, and Michael asked where the Rio was. And then I just looked out his window and saw the monstrous hotel behind him.

We only had the weekend to spend, so we wondered around the strip and saw some of the big hotels (Ballagio, Caesar's Palace, Paris) and just checked out what was inside.

Paris

Ballagio Lobby

Caesar's Lobby

Caesar's Palace

Of course, one of the first things that we did was see the Ballagio's fountain. When the show started, it scared the crap out of Michael and that made my dad crack up. The second night that we were there, we made our way to the other side of the Ballagio pond and saw the show from the veranda in front of the hotel.

During the day, we spent our time in the 112 degree heat by the pool. At night we watched an amazing dueling piano show in the Paris hotel. It was something that we just stumbled upon, and it ended up being my favorite thing that we saw.

It was a great weekend. We are going to go back for my birthday in November!

Until next time.

Peace.

Anniversary

2010-07-27T19:38:00.001-07:00

Not too long ago, Michael and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary!

I was able to get 1/2 of the day off, so Michael and I decided to go eat lunch at our favorite place. Porto's! While we were chowing down on our amazing desserts, I saw this guy on the corner with a sign for a game store. Who ever pays attention to those dudes? Not I, until that day. So I asked Michael if we could go check it out. I have been dying to find a N64 (thats what I always played as a kid) and I wanted to get one. So we found it (after going the wrong way and passing it) and it was amazing. It is just one room, that is lined with games from the original NES to the Wii (and everything in between and other systems). So we pick out a few NES games to buy, and then we see the Black Wii on the shelf. It was decided, when we buy one, we are going to get that.

As we are checking out, the guy tells us about how they buy back old systems and games. Of course we would never sell our NES, but our old Xbox....out the door! So we brought in a bunch of old games and the system and got some store credit that we were going to put towards our Wii. So we have it now, and it is amazing! The game that we are obsessed with right now is the Super Mario Brothers (the new Wii version). If you have a Wii, but don't have this game, I suggest that you stop what you are doing right now (after you finish reading this blog post, of course) and go buy the game.

After we were done there, we decided to take a walk down the street and check out the other shops. As we walk, we stumbled upon the most amazing, glorious, mac daddy thrift store. This isn't your usual, old clothes from the attic and 1980's thrift store. No, no. This is a thrift store that sells clothes used in the wardrobe departments of films and tv shows! Brand new and like new stuff for dirt cheap! Of course we had to go inside. We ended up buying several things, including a bathing suit top that was used in "Couples Retreat". It was Lucky Brand, like new and only $16! What!? Only at Target (and I guess Wal Mart) can you get a bathing suit at that price, but no where near the quality. I can spend hours just looking through everything. Now we have to set limits of when we go...it can get a little dangerous if we go too often. Money just seems to disappear in that place.

We finished the night at CPK and watched a movie. It was a perfect day. I can't wait to see what the next 5 years (and beyond) have in store for us.

Until next time.

Peace.

EXTRA! EXTRA!

2010-07-27T19:22:00.000-07:00

So Michael officially got another contract with Rhythm! Thank you to everyone out there keeping us in your prayers.

As for me, I have dropped down to 3 days at the salon so I can have another day to book makeup work. I had a test shoot over the weekend that went really well and some other projects coming up (If you want to know more about them, check out my blog on my website @ www.brittany-lauren.com).

Jack is doing well too. He has lost some weight, we have been taking him on more hikes at a place near our house. And in general, he is just a happy puppy. We have been trying to train him not to bark so much (he is too protective I guess) and we are using a water spray bottle to do that. I think that I am just soaking him more then training him.

Not much else is going on here (and hasn't been, hence the hiatus in blogging). We do have some company and going away parties this week, and we are meeting up with my dad in Vegas over the weekend. So pictures and videos to come (and more blogging).

Thanks again for praying and reading!

Until next time.

Peace.

Insainty

2010-05-17T09:38:00.000-07:00

There is this craze out there now about P90X. Everyone getting into shape for the summer, so Michael and I decided that we would too.

My running has pretty much stopped due to my crazy sinus issues over the past few months. Then I lost my sensor that plugs into my iPod, so I can't record my runs anyway. (That will change with the new phone, since it already has the sensor built in). So now that I was getting better, we decided to chose a workout program that we can do at home. The P90X is good, but you have to have a lot of equipment to do it, and we didn't have room or want to spend the money on it. So we decided to go with another program by the same people. It is called "Insanity". For 6 days a week, for over 2 months, you do intense cardio exercising with some strength and power workouts thrown in.

We were doing great for the 1st 2 weeks, and then Michael broke his toe. With these workouts, there is no way you can still do it with a broken toe. Then, wouldn't you know, I get another sinus infection and I can't even hold my head up.

So, it is going to be back to the beginning again.

Maybe by Christmas we will be in bathing suit shape.

Until next time.

Peace.

Annies 2010

2010-02-07T10:46:00.000-08:00

Its that time of year for awards galore.

We were at the Annies last night for Michael to receive his Certificate of Merit from the ASIFA Hollywood organization and to support the animation community.

William Shatner was the host and we were in the second row.

View from our seats

Michael getting his certificate

At the reception before hand

After the awards there was a dinner for the VIPs and I got a chance to talk to Chris Sanders, who is the director of one of my favorite movies...Lilo and Stitch! He is also the director for How to Train Your Dragon from Dreamworks.

Me and Chris Sanders

UP won for Beat Picture and Eric Goldberg took the award for best animation for the gator in Princess and the Frog.

You can check out a few more pictures on my facebook.

Until next time.

Peace.

Team COCO

2010-02-01T10:24:00.001-08:00

So I know that everyone has probably had enough of the whole Conan/Leno debacle, but we wanted to share our experience of that last week that Conan was on the air.

When the news broke that Leno was going to possibly be taking the Tonight Show time slot and moving Conan back, it seemed ridiculous. But, Leno agreed to it and then this absurd ball of crazy late night drama began rolling down hill that led to an amazing last week of the Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien.

Almost instantly, facebook groups began popping up everywhere and 2 really took off. Team Coco and I'm with Coco exploded with fans and soon rallies were planned to show the fans support for Conan.

The rally was planned for the Monday of his last week...who knew that the last week was going to be the rainiest in 10 years in Los Angeles.

But our friend Chris and I decided that we would still be apart of this piece of Tonight Show history and brave the rain. It's LA, how hard could it rain....right?

Well, Tina Fey put it best, "Its not rain, its God crying for NBC"

Apparently, God was hysterical because it poured for 4hours while we stood outside the studio chanting for COCO.

The Tonight Show staff brought us coffee and doughnuts to show their support of us coming out. And later on Conan bought us pizza!

Chris with his LeNO sign

Eventually Conan came out to greet everyone, and we began running down the street as a mob!

Then Michael decided that he wanted to go to the last Tonight Show ever with Conan O'Brien.

Well, in order to get into that taping, Michael had to sit outside the studio from 8:30pm the night before and get a stand-by ticket and hope that he can get it. Our friend Chris, who was with me at the rally, went with Michael. They made sure that they had their supplies: rain suit, trailmix, hot cocoa and some chairs. After I dropped them off at the gate, it began pour again. Luckily they made friends with the people in line and hung out under their tent.

As the night went on, it got stranger. There were hundreds of people and a civilization with a government was begin formed.

We will leave you with a video that Michael made that is a tribute to the Tonight Show and has some video of his night waiting to get in.

Until next time.

Peace.

2010

2010-01-10T17:01:00.000-08:00

So we are starting a second new year here in LA.

Last year I was committed to start running.....but after about 5 days that died. So this year I was determined to change.

For Christmas I got some electric blue Nike+ shoes and immediately inserted my sensor into the bottom of my shoe and set out a plan to run. To break in my new shoes, we went hiking in Runyon Canyon on New Years Day. It was a great way to get started and the city looked beautiful that day. We could see all the way to the ocean!

Then I started getting addicted to loading my runs into the Nike+ website. I am an information nut, so this was the perfect way for me to get into the habit of running. I have completed just over my first week of running, which I have been doing almost every day (besides the days I have dance) and I have been noticing a difference already.

My goal is to keep a schedule and run even if I don't feel like it. I want to get up to running constantly for 30mins and eventually being able to go 5 miles. Right now I am at 2miles in 25mins (no laughing!) but at least I have started.

Another thing that we are trying to change is our eating habits. No I haven't started eating salads yet, but we are trying to cut out the chips and snacky stuff. It is hard some days....but I know that it will get easier as we keep it out of the pantry.

Electric Blue Shoes!!

Until next time.

Peace.

Julie & Julia

2009-12-13T09:28:00.001-08:00

So last night Michael and I watched Julie & Julia, finally. We got it from Netflix almost a week ago, and I have been putting it off until the weekend to watch it since I heard the reviews on it wasn't that great. I am notorious for falling asleep while watching a movie at night, so I wanted to watch it in the afternoon (just in case the reviews were true).

Well, it is a girl movie for sure, but I really enjoyed it. Julia reminded me of my grandma from her mannerisms and the things that she said. Also the fact that my grandma loves to cook! During the movie, Michael turned to me a just laughed at how much Julia was like my grandma, it brought back memories of her teaching me and my cousins to cook in her kitchen. Then, there is Julie, and she reminds me so much of myself. Some times I feel like that I haven't completely finished projects I have set out for myself, and I always use cooking as a way to escape. It was a movie that really spoke to me, even though it wasn't a really deep movie.

So grandma, I can't wait until we come back in March so we can do some more of our cooking! Love you.

Until next time.

Peace.

New Apartment

2009-11-22T18:23:00.001-08:00

Ok, so I know that people are waiting to see the pictures of the new place. Well, time got away from me again today and I didn't get the pictures yet. There is a perfect time of day, where the apartment has amazing light, and that is what I am trying to capture.

So, I promise, they are coming!!

This apartment has been amazing so far. I haven't used all of the features yet (the pool and spa) but everything else has been great. The layout makes the apartment feel so big and homey. I love the fact that I want to hang out at home after work and even on the weekends. When I leave every morning for work, I get to see the entire WB lot and out across the valley.

My sister is going to have it so easy when she gets here. It is going to be like staying at a resort for her. I know that my dad was sad that he missed out on it.

The one downside is the fact that we don't have any reception for our TV. So we watch everything on Hulu, Netflix or I try and find it streaming online. It has worked out great so far. I am seeing a lot of movies that I would have never had the time to see because I would be watching one of my other shows when it aired on TV.

Oh! Another great thing is the fact that we haven't had the air or heat on at all. It has been great to have the windows open and breathe in fresh mountain air.

So, hopefully this will hold of any disappointment about not seeing pictures just yet... :) But you know me, lil miss procrastination.

Until next time.

Peace.

The moment you have been waiting for

2009-09-21T12:06:00.000-07:00

I have finally finished putting together the entire video of our trip over. This video starts at the beginning when we leave the drive way to the end of us arriving in California.

It has been broken up into 4 videos, and below is the youtube playlist link. Enjoy!

Adventure to Los Angeles

Until next time.

Peace.

Drumroll please....

2009-09-05T08:49:00.000-07:00

Its our 1 year anniversary of arriving in California.

This was the hardest day of driving, we had gone almost across the entire country and were just ready to be home. Unfortunately, we wouldn't be in our own apartment for about another 5 days. But we were just happy to have arrived. It was a strange feeling to drive into California and think that we were home.

I have never driven out here before. I was always a passenger, and of course the first time that I drive on the 5 is with a packed car that I couldn't see out of and I was trying to follow Michael, since I had no idea where we were. It is amazing to see how my driving has changed since I have been here. At first, I would have a panic attack when I would drive on mountain roads with cars flying by me. Now I am one of those cars that just flies by. I am also a lot more of a defensive driver. It will be interesting when we go back to Florida and drive there.

We are more familiar with the area and the lingo here too. It was strange watching the news when we first came and hearing about the different areas and not really understanding the relation to where we actually were. Also, the weather isn't like Florida where they tell you the highs and lows for all of the central Florida area, we have 4 different weather reports due to the vastly different climates; beaches, city, valleys and desert. It can range from 70-110 degrees depending on where you are.

Now after a year, we still are employed and are so thankful for that. We have also found a church and will be moving to a new apartment at the end of the year.

We have experienced every season here, the 2 that we have. And we have celebrated all of the holidays out here. It was an interesting experience to celebrate Christmas through a webcam. It made it easier for our first Christmas to be able to see everyone.

I am thankful to everyone who supported and prayed for us and continue to do so.

We look forward to seeing everyone in the spring :)

Until next time.

Peace.

Mark your calendar

2009-08-24T20:34:00.000-07:00

We are coming back on March 15, 2010 through the 25th!

Be prepared Florida.

I just wanna DANCE!

2009-08-20T18:30:00.000-07:00

It has been 4 years since I have actively danced. The last year in Orlando, I attended about 3 classes at a studio down the street, but I never really had the time or money to go consistently.

That has changed!

Michael surprised me the other day with a dance card to the Millennium Dance Complex here in North Hollywood.

This dance studio is home to choreographer Shane Sparks, who works with pop icons and on the show, So You Think You Can Dance. There are also teachers there that are alumni of the same show.

The greatest draw for this studio is their Hip Hop classes. I took my first one the other night and it was packed. I arrived early to watch a little bit of the class before me, so I knew what I was about to get myself into. There were about 50 people in the class of all different levels. As I watched, I expected more people to show up for the 9pm class that was to follow. As I waited, the people did not come. It looked like it was going to be just 10 people and I got worried...but once the class ended, about 70% of the people stayed for the next one.

So I maneuvered my way to the middle of the room, mostly so I could get lost in the crowd, and began to feel more excited then nervous. Then the class began. No warm-up, no stretching. Just right into a routine. I surprised myself with how much I could pick up. I was in no way in the top percent of the class, I actually was in the lower percent, but I was able to follow.

It has been a long time since I have sweated like that too! I felt so invigorated and ready to take another class. I am going to stick with hip hop for a little bit and then I am going to move on to ballet or jazz.

Below is listed the website to the dance studio and some links to some youtube videos of some of the classes. Enjoy!

Millennium Dance Complex

Hip Hop class

Shane Sparks Class

Until next time.

Peace.

First Makeup Job

2009-07-26T18:21:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I went to my first makeup Job with Robyn Cosio.

I am apprenticing under her and we went to a wedding in Santa Barbara. It was on a beautiful estate up in the hills.

The place was done up so beautifully and it looked like it came straight out of a magazine.

We did the make up in the dinning room with the french doors opened.

It was so relaxing, and you could her the fountain outside and birds singing.

I learned a lot from Robyn that day. I am going to be applying what I learned to practice for Michelle's wedding in March.

This situation was a little different then normal wedding jobs since Robyn is friends with the family. I was invited to stay with them for the ceremony and reception, which was very gracious. After the ceremony, we went back to the house for cocktails and appetizers and enjoyed the cool Santa Barbara air.

We finished off the night with a wonderful dinner that was served family style with a wonderful selection of steak, citrus chicken, potatoes and a ton of other great dishes.

After the wedding, I got inspired for a few looks for Michelle's wedding, and I cannot wait until we go back and see everyone!

Until next time.

Peace.

2009-07-04T09:10:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July!

I hope that everyone is celebrating and remembering our troops. There are many people in our families who either have fought for our country, or are currently doing so. I just wanted to take a moment and thank them.

Enjoy the BBQs and the fireworks!

Until next time.

Peace.

Land of the Lost

2009-05-31T14:10:00.000-07:00

Land of the Lost premiers on June 5th, this Friday, and I decided that I would post up some videos to get everyone amped up some more (if that is possible).

Hulu has posted up season one of Land of the Lost and they have the Trailers for the Movie as well.

Check it out below!

Until next time.

Peace.

Dinosaurs and Mixing

2009-05-09T15:10:00.000-07:00

So, as you know, Michael worked on Land of the Lost for his first project. The other day when I was going to work I saw this:

And then another day I saw that on that same building there were more ads:

Also, Michael's photography will be on the cover of Mix Magazine coming out soon. He did a photo shoot for LA Sound Gallery and the magazine is going to be doing a piece on them and they are the cover! Very exciting. So I will post up when it comes out.

***UPDATE***

There is another billboard! This one is on the corner of Hollywood and Highland where the Chinese Theater is.

Remember, Land of the Lost comes out on June 5th! It is going to be amazing.

Until next time.

Peace.

Scranton and The Big Yellow Joint

2009-04-06T20:02:00.000-07:00

There are two shows that Michael and I love that are filmed out here in LA.

1) The Office
2)Arrested Development

The Office is filmed in a location away from Hollywood. It was our mission to one day find this location and officially freak out. That mission was completed late Saturday night thanks to iPhones and a good detective work. When we finally found it, I totally freaked. Right there in front of us was the "Scranton Business park"! There was a Dunder Mifflin and Vance Refrigeration sign outside just like you see in the show.

They weren't filming when we were there, but we did find an awesome surprise. As we rounded the corner to turn around, I saw the nose of Dwight's car! So, naturally we stopped to take more pictures.

Dwight's Car - Red Trans Am

Meredeth's Van

Then we looked around and saw sets from the show. Every time we turned around we found something new from the show. It was amazing. Our next goal is to meet some of the people from the show! Hopefully we will be able to get down there one day while they are filming and see some of it in action.

After all of that excitement, we decided that we would go find where the Banana Stand used to be from Arrested Development. It isn't there anymore, but the restaurant where several scenes is real and we ate there! It was amazing. It is a little Italian place on a harbor. The lasagna that I had was the best that I have ever had out (Grandma's homecooked lasagna is still the best ever!). Hopefully they do make the move and the banana stand will return!

The Banana Stand used to be in front of the light house...
The restaurant is the yellow one on the right.

Eating inside the restaurant

So now you have been debriefed on our mission.

Until next time.

Peace.

The Journey, part 2

2009-03-09T14:56:00.000-07:00

It is a lovely Monday here in Glendale, CA. The windows are open and letting the cool spring breeze rush through the apartment as Jack sleeps under the coffee table. I had some time on my hands, so I thought that I would continue with the trip videos.

The one that I am posting today is from Georgia to North Carolina...not much happened...but it was part of our journey.

I am going to be continuing with the trip videos, and I have some other videos from our adventures here in CA...but if there is something that you want to see from around here in California, let me know.

So, here for your viewing pleasure...Georgia to North Carolina.

*Update*

I had a lot of time on my hands....so here is a video of us leaving Chris's house and having lunch.

Until next time.

Peace.

The Journey, part 1

2009-02-09T16:49:00.001-08:00

It was a very rainy day here in Sunny California. So I decided that it was finally time for me to work on putting the videos together from the trip across the country. They are going to be broken up into pieces by state mostly so they don't run too long and boring. First up is Florida. We left on September 1st, 2008 from my Grandma's house in Canaveral Groves and made the journey up the state to Jacksonville for our first stop. There we visited with my Uncle Steven and family and had lunch at Five Guys. After that short visit, we continued on to Georgia.

For your viewing pleasure...Florida.

I will be posting up more soon, when I get the next one edited.

Until next time.

Peace.

Random Rambling

2009-01-24T05:56:00.001-08:00

It is 5:30AM on a Saturday, and I am up not feeling so great. I'm not able to sleep, so I am watching Pirates and I decided to write for your pleasure.

This may me one of the most random post that I have done, and excuse the rambling, but I figured I would post anyway.

Yesterday I went to the Glendale Galleria and found my dress for the Annie Awards that is on Friday. It is a short satin black dress that is very simple and elegent. I am very excited about going to this event and I know Michael too, since he will be able to meet with so many of his industry's leaders.

We are so lucky and blessed with everything that has happened. Michael has been drawing every day on his animation desk and he has been getting better each day. Yesterday he said that he made a huge step and is starting to understand more and feel more like an animator. He has posted everything he has been doing on his blog (michaelwoodside.blogspot.com).

I guess that is enough rambling fir now.

Until next time.

Peace.

LA Zoo

2009-01-20T19:33:00.000-08:00

Ever since we arrived in Glendale, our friend Danny kept on talking about getting passes to the zoo. We finally did this weekend. It was awesome. The zoo is about 1 1/2 miles away from our apartments and it is huge! At one point we were walking through a part of the zoo that didn't seem to have any animals. We felt like we had been in this situation before...except it was on an island...and we were in cars that drove themselves...

Any way, after the de ja vu, we continued on. We scouted out the place and Michael and Danny went off to find something to draw. I decided that I would work on my photography skills. Here is what happened...

A flamingo danced for me.

An otter cleaned his toes.

A monkey cleaned another...

While this one sat lonely.

A lion relaxed in the shade.

A goat wondered what I was looking at.

And three zebras were ready for their close ups.

Since we have year long passes, more photos will be taken. Anyway, let me know what you think.

Until next time.

Peace.

New Hair!

2009-01-17T16:52:00.000-08:00

So I have had red hair for about a month now and I love it. Clients tell me all the time that I look like Amy Adams (if you don't know who she is, you should google her). My hair is a lot shorter now too. I love the cut and Leland (my stylist) is going to make it more dramatic next week. So I could wait until then to post the pictures, but I wanted to post up round one for me and also Michael's new hair cut. Kristen Hetland did the cut for him and it is amazing. Also, thank you to Lisa Oliver who did my amazing color. I love my job!!

"This is the picture you can use many years from now to try and convince your grand kids you were cool. And to help, I'll lie and say you were cool too."
-Joe Lara

High School Football

2008-12-21T16:44:00.000-08:00

I was never really into High School Football when I was going to Cocoa High. They had a good football team, and they won districts when I was a freshman, but I just didn't care to go to the game.

I left school and went on to becoming a huge college football fan. But the funny thing was, I ended up getting really excited about the Cocoa High football team after I had left. The reason for this madness was that my sister a cheerleader for the team and my cousin was the kicker. The Friday Night Lights became a major event in my family. My sister's senior year, the team made it to the semi-finals and lost the game at home. It was very disappointing, but a great accomplishment for the team that has never been that far in the State Championships. My family followed the team across the state for the games and cheered them on so loud that everyone knew who they were.

Well, the disappointment from last years defeat turned into a passion and drive that propelled this team to the State Championship at the Citrus bowl. On Friday, December 19th, the Cocoa High football team won their first State Championship. I am so proud of my cousin!

My crazy family made it into the papers again!

Until next time.

Peace.

Awesomeness

2008-12-03T18:20:00.000-08:00

That word just describes the past couple of days for me.

I was laid off from the LA Sound Gallery a month ago and it got me down at first. Then Michael got his job with R&H and I stayed at home chillin with Jack. It was fun, but I get antsy and so I have been applying for different jobs around town. I really wanted something that was still in the creative field and fun.

Before Thanksgiving, I get a call from the Sally Hershberger Salon for me to come in on Saturday for an interview for their front desk position. So I went and the interview went really well. They had me come in for a trial run on Tuesday and everything just clicked.

So now I officially work there. Everyone is so sweet and the environment is so energetic.

Thank you everyone for your prayers. This job is such a blessing and it will make things easier out here having 2 incomes. It came right in time for Christmas too. We are so thankful for everything that God is doing in our lives and that we were able to get these jobs out here.

On a side note...gas is down to $1.89 here!! What in the world! In the summer is was $5.00/gallon.

That is about all for now. You can check out about Sally Hershberger at www.sallyhershberger.com

Until next time.

Peace.

Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T14:58:00.000-08:00

Today is a day of firsts.
The first...
Thanksgiving away from home,
Time talking to the whole family through a web-cam at one time,
Time making the entire Thanksgiving Dinner by myself,
Thanksgiving in California with friends.

It has been an amazing experience. There will be plenty of videos posted up through out the weekend. Video of talking to my little brother and sister and a video blog of making my first Thanksgiving dinner.

During this adventure, there has been a few hiccups. The turkey wasn't complete thawed in time this morning, so I have to give it a bath in water to speed up the process. When I made the corn casserole, I kind of forgot to put the eggs in it. But I remembered only 5 minutes into cooking it, so the eggs made it in.

Finally, around 5pm, everything was done. The turkey took a little longer then expected, but the end result was totally worth it. It turned out so moist and perfectly seasoned. We hardly had any leftovers at all.

After we stuffed our faces, we watched Home Alone for some Christmas spirit. We ended the night with pumpkin pie and watching Brian Regan.

Check out our scrapbook here

A Birthday Surprise!

2008-11-24T17:15:00.000-08:00

I celebrated my first birthday away from family this year and got an awesome surprise from my little sister. She is 6 years old and is learning how to play the piano. Here is the video of the surprise.

Thanks to everyone for an awesome birthday!! Pictures and more movies are to come.

Until next time.

Peace.

Magic and Robots

2008-11-18T09:54:00.000-08:00

Last night we went to another animation event. It was a screening and talk about Pixar's Presto (the short that was played before Wall-E). The director of the short was there and we watched it at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood. It was amazing! I have seen it several times and I still love it. Alec the bunny is fantastic.

After the screening, the director gave a talk about his process from being an animator to being a storyteller and what the differences are and what he learned from the whole process. It was very interesting. I love learning about how the whole process works. I don't have the skills or knowledge to do what he does, but I love being around the entertainment and creative process.

He kept on saying that there was a huge surprise in store for us after the talk. Well, it ended up being a special, first-time and only-time screening of the Pixar Short Burn-E. This short is on the Wall-E DVD, and probably will not be shown up on the big screen ever. It is like the short on the Cars DVD. It is about the robot, Burn-E that gets locked out of the Axiom when Wall-E and Eve return from their dancing in space. It is amazing! I loved it.

So check it out on the DVD which came out today!

Also, when we left the theater, Michael and I recognized a guy talking on his cell phone outside and we couldn't figure out who he was. And then it struck me. We saw Marcus from Last Comic Standing. He was one of the finalist last season. It was pretty cool. We would have said hi...but he was talking on his cell.

That is all for now. There will be more posts to come! A lot is going on now and so that means more stuff for you to read. Exciting, isn't. I know :)

Until next time.

Peace.

Good News...You're Hired

2008-11-07T14:53:00.000-08:00

MICHAEL IS NOW AN EMPLOYEE OF RHYTHM & HUES!!!!!!

Thank you so much everyone for praying for us. This is a huge deal and we are so excited!!

Time to celebrate!

Update

2008-11-07T14:40:00.001-08:00

Michael had his interview today and it went really well.

He was interviewed by several people and they said that he should know something in the next week or so.

Please continue to pray for this opportunity.

Now we just wait to hear from them.

The Big Day

2008-11-06T20:46:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is the Big Day for Michael. He has been talking with Rhythm & Hues ever since we arrived here in California and he has been waiting a long time for this.

Tomorrow at 1pm he has his interview with HR at the studio.

If you could please pray for him tomorrow, we would greatly appreciate it.

More info to come...

Election Day

2008-11-04T11:41:00.000-08:00

It was a wonderful 63 degrees on a clear fall day as we walked down to the polling place.

There is excitement in the air as we decide how our vote is going to count.

We arrived and marked our votes. It was satisfying handing the ballot over to the poll worker knowing that we did our part. We received our "I voted" stickers and headed back outside to the wonderful California air.

Now it is time to wait and go get our rewards tonight.

By rewards, I mean the free Starbucks coffee and free Ben n Jerry's ice cream cone! It's great to be an American.

Until next time.

Peace.

Politics

2008-10-29T13:39:00.000-07:00

With the last week before election week in full swing, it seems like the candidates are every where.

Apparently, Jack is very bored with Obama.

Go vote everyone!

GRE Update

2008-10-22T20:28:00.001-07:00

Ok.

So I didn't get the score that I needed.

I admit that I was pretty upset afterwards, but I'm ok now.

I am going to take a few months now to study and apply myself more and think about what I really want to do.

I am happy with my job and I am just going to try and discover myself more and my place here in LA.

So thank-you for all of your prayers. Please now just pray the God will help me see clearly the direction I need to take.

Until next time.

Peace.

GRE

2008-10-19T21:49:00.000-07:00

So I am putting up a quick post about what is going on this week.

On Wednesday I will be taking my GRE. this is the exam that I have to take in order to apply for Graduate School. I have already taken it once before, but I didn't score high enough to apply to USC. So I am taking it again. I do believe that my head is going to explode from all of the information that I am trying to stuff into my cranium.

Thanks to flash cards, I have learned 94 vocabulary words in about 3 days. Now I have moved on to preparing for the math portion. I am very stressed out about this exam. If I do not score at least 1000 points, then I have to take the exam again before Dec 1st (that is the latest that I can apply to USC). Thankfully I do not have to wait forever to receive my results. Since it is a computer test, I will receive my score instantly.

The hardest thing is that if I do not score high enough in time, then I have to wait until next year to apply again. So please pray for me on Wednesday. The exam will be 12:30PM PST (3:30PM for you on the east coast).

Thanks.

Until next time.

Peace.

I was there!

2008-10-14T21:15:00.001-07:00

So Fringe is on tonight on Fox. It is really cool because the music was done at the studio I work at.

This is one of those shows that once you start watching you just can't stop.

It is so crazy thinking that I was there when they recorded that! I met those people!

I absolutely love my job!

So not much else has been happening. We are going to be going to the open house concert for CalArts dance. I am very excited about that because that is something I'm looking in to doing. I have also been to the art library down here and I am working on some pieces from the Sleeping Beauty ballet. Once I have a piece down I will record it and post it up.

Pictures are coming soon. We are also going to be posting up some videos from the trip over and from our trips to Disneyland.

Until next time.

Peace.

From the Desk of Brittany Woodside

2008-10-07T09:36:00.000-07:00

As you can guess from the title, I am writing from the desk at my new job.

I have been here a week now and so much has happened.

Mainly, one huge thing happened I guess. Ashley (the girl who hired me and I work along side with) had a family emergency last week and had to go out of town. The major thing was that there was a session that she was going to miss. So I told her that I would take care of it for her.

What happens when there are sessions are that we have to make sure that everything is set for the musicians (the boys here take care of that) and that there is food and drinks set out for the producers and the musicians. I learned a lot that day. Being a server I understood somethings, but I learned a lot about presentation of food on the tables. It was a little stressful, and I had to do a few things over again, but it was good in the end. I now know how to do it next time. Thankfully, I have a helpful boss who showed me what to do.

I am starting to feel a little more in place now. The phones are easy enough, it's just making sure the front runs smoothly (which I'm not really sure how all of that is supposed to happen, but I'm learning as I go). All in all, it is a very exciting place to work. I like having the down time, and I think that once I am more comfortable and trained with the client service part, I will really enjoy that more as well.

On to other news.

Michael got the job with John K. It took a while because they are moving the studio from it's current location and were really busy. But now he is employed with them. Right now he does all of the little stuff that the other guys don't want to do (scanning, clean-up...). But they want to see some of Michael's animation work. So he is working on some new stuff in Flash (2D animation). Also, right now he doesn't go to work every day. It is only on the days that they need him. But at least they want to see his other stuff. So keep praying that they have work for him to do and that they also like him demo reel.

Everything else is going great. Jack is behaving better now, still has some barking issues, but he is getting better. For the past few days we have been watching a dog documentary on the PBS nature station and Jack love it. He will just sit on the couch with us and actively watch the show. He watches T.V. other times with us, but pretty much it is just sitting with us. I think that it is so funny that he is actually watching the dog show. I was sad though because you never saw one corgi on the documentary. Come on, they are the best dogs ever! :) We are still looking for a firetruck costume for Jack for Halloween. We did find a picture where a corgi was dressed up as a school bus. I died laughing, but I still want a firetruck costume for him.

I guess I should get back to "working". :) I love my job!

Until next time.

Peace.

Media Concepts/ The LA Sound Gallery

2008-09-29T15:48:00.000-07:00

So it has been an amazing day. Thanks to all for the prayers!

I left this morning at 11:05AM to go to my interview at The LA Sound Gallery. I arrived a few minutes early, where I prayed for the last time before going in. I was dressed in a nice white collared shirt and black pants. Very business like (better to be over dressed then look like a bum). The building was just a solid white building that didn't look like much (if you search "4403 W. Magnolia Blvd, Burbank, CA" in Google Maps you can see my building. Just click on street view).

I rang the call button.

"Hello"

"Hi, This is Brittany Woodside, I'm here for the interview."

"Come right in (with a smile)"

So I go in and I am greeted by Ashley (the one doing the interview). She is a stylish young girl, and we go and sit down to talk.

I looked around, and the place is amazing. It looks like an art studio and has a state-of-the-art kitchen in the main lobby.

She asked me to tell her about myself, and I went on about how I'm a people person and very professional but ready for a job that I will be able to have fun with and really enjoy. (She loved that).

We went on a tour of the studio and we go into the mixing/recording room (they were recording for RockBand, the video game).

Then we went back to the reception area and she showed me what I would be doing. After that she offered me the job! It was the easiest interview that I have ever had.

I am very excited. I get to wear "business casual" clothes. Which really means, don't look like a bum and be stylish. So we went shopping for some "work" clothes today. I will try and take some pictures if I can of my desk so you can see. But I don't know when I will be able to do that. I do back tomorrow at noon to meet with the boss Jason.

If you want to check out the company you can go to mediaconcepts.net

Until next time. Peace.

Happy Birthday

2008-09-28T16:40:00.000-07:00

It has been a busy and yet uneventful week. I have had a lot of interviews and applied to a lot of jobs that ended up being fruitless. So I haven't posted much since nothing has been going on. But now I think that I have enough of nothing to post that it would be worth it (just what you want to read, right?).

So the week started out with finally breaking down and going to the mall to put in my applications. I went to American Eagle first and filled out a tiny application. The manager liked what she saw and asked if I would fill out a "real" one. So I did and continued on my way to drop off more applications. Victoria's Secret was next and then off to Banana Republic. I went back to drop off the "real" application at American Eagle and she said that she just has to call my references and then she would like to hire me. AWESOME!

I haven't heard from them since.

Later that day Victoria's Secret called me for a group interview. I went in and nailed it. It is kind of weird hearing everyone's answers but I was able to gauge the interview better because of it. They said that it would be about a week before they get back to us about the job. Humm....ok.

So the next day I went around to the restaurants to apply for a serving job. Lucky me, no one is hiring. Great. I spent my afternoon walking around town to have my application "filed away" and then go back home to do nothing.

But I decided that I would give Craig'slist another try. I applied to 5 more jobs and later that afternoon I received an e-mail asking me to come in for an interview! Alright. It was for LA Sound Gallery, who is a recording studio in Burbank by the Disney Animation Studios. So it is set up for Monday at 11:30AM.

A few hours later...

I get a phone call from Victoria's Secret saying that they want me for their Beauty Dept. Awesome, except I still have that interview with LA Sound. So I told the manager that and asked if I could let him know Monday evening if I would accept the job. I don't think that he was too excited about that, but he said ok. So hopefully that will work to my advantage with the recording studio.

So that's my job story. Now on to Michael's.

He volunteers for a place here in Burbank for a archiving place for animation. He goes there every Saturday, after hiking in the Hollywood Hills. The guy that runs the place is named Steve. He has been a mentor to Michael and his friends with their animation. The other night our friend Danny gets a call from Steve asking if anyone still needs a job. He said that Michael does and Steven said that he has a job for him. Awesome. The job is a production assistant with an animator named John K. He directed Ren and Stimpy. This guy is a big deal out here and it is an amazing opportunity for Michael.

He calls the guy tomorrow about the job and should start on Tuesday. He hasn't heard the "You're Hired" yet, but I think that it is a pretty solid deal.

So it looks like we are now "successful?" Californians now. Very exciting!!

I will post up some pictures soon of the apartment and from around town.

Also, Happy 3rd Birthday James!! Love you buddy. Your present is in the mail.

Until next time. Peace.

Job Hunting

2008-09-15T20:37:00.000-07:00

So we are pretty much settled in here at our apartment. So that means that pictures are going to be on their way. :)

So the next step was to go on the job hunt and apply to places in person. I found a bunch on places that were hiring online, so I sent out my resume and was waiting to hear back. Nothing really came, so I decided that it was probably time to give my applications that I filled out over the weekend back to the stores over at the mall. Those places were kind-of a last resort job, but I decided that we just need money to come in. But I went over to a place called Crossroads Trading CO. first to apply for their full-time sales/buyer first. I arrived and they had me fill out the first application and the assistant manager talked to me for a minute and then asked me to fill out another application (one that is more detailed and that they give to people that they are seriously thinking about hiring). So I filled it out and I have an interview with the assistant manager and the manager of the store on Wednesday at 10AM. So I am so excited because it is a really cool clothing store and seems like a fun place to work.

Well, when I got home we were cleaning and then later on I checked my e-mail...and to my surprise there was an e-mail from Atkinson-Baker asking me to fill out a second round application for their general office clerk position. AH!!! So exciting! So I filled it out and we will see what happens. Hopefully by the end of the week I will have a job somewhere!!

Also, Wednesday is a big day for Michael. He as a lunch with a Disney Story guy. He has some leads on jobs that are going to be coming up soon, but not sure exactly when. So please be praying for that as well.

We also get our new stove on Wednesday!! So much is going on.

That is about all for now.

Until next time. Peace.

Living in Cali

2008-09-11T15:23:00.000-07:00

So we are so close to being official Californians. We sign our papers for the lease tonight!! I cannot wait to sleep in our own place. Danny and them have been awesome to us, but I'm ready to stop living out of our cars and boxes. So today I have been looking on Craigslist.org and I have already found a 27" TV, a TV stand, a refrigerator, a futon and a sofa that reclines and matches the futon all for $340!!! It is all in great condition.

So, we have been going around and checking out all of the late-night shows for the past week here in LA. There are only 2 big ones, and that is The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and Jimmy Kimmel Live. They are both taped like they are live, but done very differently. For Leno you have to be 16 in order in get in, and they do a little warm-up for the audience. Jay Leno comes out and lets everyone know what to do and then his announcer does a little Talent Show while Leno gets ready. The band sings during the breaks and once it starts, that's it. We sat in the far upper left part of the stage by the band. It was a fun show, and ran very smoothly.

The Jimmy Kimmel show was a little different. First off there is a dress code and they choose where the audience sits according to how they look. It is a smaller studio as well. When we got down there they told us to go to the SECOND ROW! Apparently we are pretty good lookin' :) The "audience warm-up guy" was kind-of creepy and really dirty. But it was really fun. Martin Short was on the show and we were able to see 2 concerts. During the second concert I caught a pick from the Guitarist from BuckCherry. We watched it later that night to see how many times we were shown. We knew that it was at least once, and it turned out that you see us like 5 times!! How exciting. We will probably be on the Tuesday show too during the BuckCherry concert. They recorded that one after they were done recording the show that aired last night. They also cut some of Martin Short's interview out. There was a comment out Disney that wasn't in there and there were a few other things. I though that was interesting as well.

So anyway. Soon we will be boring again once we have jobs. Hopefully that will be soon. We are applying like crazy to tons of places and we are just waiting for an answer from somewhere. So please keep praying for us.

Until next time. Peace.

Home Sweet Home

2008-09-07T08:40:00.001-07:00

So we are now in Glendale, CA. We have been here for a day and a half now. Our friends Danny, Han and Chris have opened their apartment to us until we can sign a lease for our own. We are going to be viewing an apartment today in the same complex as them. It is a one bedroom in a small complex with about 20 other apartments. It is such a cute place. We are walking distance from 2 malls (which includes a 3 story Target in one of them!!), and pretty much walking distance from everything else.

If we get the apartment today, then as soon as we get to move in we are heading over to Ikea. It is all very exciting!!

Yesterday we went hiking from the Griffith Park Observatory to a look out point near the Hollywood sign. Jack went along for the hike, and he decided that he wanted to quit part of the way through. So the spoiled little dog was carried parts of the way. It was pretty hot, and we all sweated buckets, but it was worth it. Especially after being in the cars for 5 days.

After that we came back to the apartment and hung out for a while. We watched some football and then figured out something amazing. The internet provider out here carries ESPN360. This website is amazing. It carries a lot of the football games that you wouldn't be able to see unless you have cable and even those that you probably wouldn't see at all. So, Danny hooked up his computer to the TV and surround sound system, and we were able to watch the UCF vs. USF game! It was so amazing. Even though they didn't win, at least USF didn't get to have a score like they did last year. Also, the refs were calling a ridiculous amount of penalties on UCF. It was still amazing to watch, and to see that camera bounce around brought back some fond memories from last season. They are going to have to watch out for East Carolina though. So far they have beat 2 ranked teams this season. UCF is going to have to get it together if they are going to win the conference again.

Anyway.

We are also starting our job hunts tomorrow. Please be praying for that. I am applying for a part-time teller position at WAMU that is about 5 miles away from the complex. I will also be going around to the local restaurants and trying to get a serving position there. Michael has some lunches lined up and it going to be calling the local studios here and seeing what he can get. So please just pray that everything works out with our jobs.

Until next time. Peace.

A Beautiful Painting

2008-09-04T21:16:00.000-07:00

Sorry that there wasn't a posting last night. We arrived at Albuquerque, NM really later and nothing really happened during the drive. Pretty much there was rain all through Arkansas and most of Oklahoma. Oklahoma City was just like Downtown Orlando, and then we went through a long stretch of nothing driving in Texas. It is amazing, however, how cold it gets at night here in the desert. But it was another 15 hour day and it made today totally worth it.

First off, New Mexico was pretty cool to look. It is completely different then what I have seen my whole life in Florida. But once we arrived in Arizona, everything died. It was an awful drive through that state. There was nothing, it was a straight shot, and it was so hot. But it was worth it to go see the Grand Canyon. We are in the middle of nowhere, called Williams, AZ. It is about an hour south of the Grand Canyon. We arrived there around 5:30 PM our time and the sun will still up pretty high. The canyon was a brilliant orange and the air was crisp. Jack and I walked around a bit while Chris and Michael took pictures at a viewing area. It was amazing to watch the sky change from clear blue to pink to purple to orange to dark blue. As fast as the sky changed colors, the air changed temperature. The low tonight is 38 degrees!! jack had the time of his life smelling all of the new trees and rocks, and Michael was able to get some amazing photos, and I was able to just sit and watch God's amazing painting change before my eyes.

Tomorrow is the last day of driving. We will be leaving around 11AM to drive to Glendale, CA. We should arrive in the early evening at Danny, Han's, and Chris's apartment. Right now our apartment is being prepared for us. So we should be in there this weekend. It would be amazing if everything with the apartment is done this weekend so we can start off the week right and continue on with everything else that needs to be done in order for us to become Californians. i am so excited!!

So more will be coming tomorrow when we arrive in Glendale. But for now here are some pictures that I took on my phone at the Grand Canyon. We will post up more of the ones that Michael did later.

Peace.

Little Richard Air Force Base

2008-09-03T07:53:00.000-07:00

Good morning. Right now we are in Little Rock. Apparently in Arkansas, they don't care about their roads at all. It was the bumpiest drive yet.

So, when we started out the day in North Carolina, we had planned on stopping in Memphis for the night. Our dreams were crushed when the only hotel that was available to take dogs required a $100 security deposit. No thank-you. So we continued on. In our search we found that we were just going to have to suck it up and drive to Little Rock.

One thing that has really made this trip better (besides having Chris as an extra driver), it that we are listening to audiobooks. So far I have finished 2 books.

"The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho, and "I am America (and So Can You)" by Steven Colbert.

If you are into inspirational stories, I would recommend "The Alchemist". It was really good and has a lot of Christian themes in it.

If you are into satire, then "I am America (and So Can You)" is the book for you. Steven Colbert gives his take on what's threatening America today and gives "helpful" advice on what we should do to reclaim our country.

Anyway, today we are heading out to New Mexico. It is going to be another long drive, but it will make Thursday a day that we can relax and enjoy the Grand Canyon more.

Also, if you are wondering about the title of this blog, here is the story behind it.

We arrived in Little Rock around 2AM, our brains are not working well. We saw a sign for L.R.A.F.B. I thought that it was "Little Rock Arkansas...something". Michael thought that it was "Little Richard Air Force Base."

Also, for those wondering about how Jack is doing...he is great. He just sleeps all day and chews on treats. He has the life.

Until later tonight. Peace.

Country Music, Talk radio and " How to Roast Pig"

2008-09-01T21:34:00.000-07:00

10:30AM

We begin the Great Adventure out to California. And the first stop to make is in Jacksonville to say good-bye to my Uncle Steven.

1:00ish PM

We arrive in J-ville and hang out with the family for a short bit, get some lunch at Five Guys and prepare to set out.

Now I have this addiction to Real Radio 104.1FM. It was developed while I was in Orlando going to UCF and I have been listening to it for years now. So I was able to listen to it all the way to J-ville and then lost it when I entered into Georgia.

So I decided that I would search for some other talk radio to fill the void. And for a little while I found ESPN radio. It worked for a few miles and then I fell into a twilight zone for the radio.

I have listened to country music for a while, and it is good, but apparently almost all the stations are country in Georgia and South Carolina. And that is to be expected in that area, but the weird thing was the talk radio that I stumbled on. It was the local newspaper show and they were talking about all the important issues. My favorite was about how to roast your pig correctly and the process of saving it in case something happens. WHAT!? That's seriously a topic that needed to be discussed on the radio. Now I know that Real Radio talks about some weird stuff. But that is just to talk about it and make fun of it. These people were talking about it like everyone in their cars and at home have been waiting all week for this issue to come up. Well, it is the south. What else should I expect? It just cracks me up.

So the long drive continued, and finally we have made it to North Carolina. I get to sit and enjoy Conan O'Brian on the big screen and try and figure out what is going on with my phone.

For some reason my phone has decided that it just wanted to shut off the screen. Not shut off the phone, but the screen. So now I have to figure out what is going on. That is going to be fun.

Tomorrow we are off to Tennessee to continue on. It is going to feel really good to start heading west now.

More adventures to come.

Peace.

See You Later

2008-08-24T15:16:00.000-07:00

So today was the day that I said "See you later" to all of my family at Hollywood and Vine. As Bradley said, "It's not Good-bye, it's see you later, because you never know when you will be back."

I think that the hardest thing is that I have been working with this group for the past 2 1/2 years and they have been my family. Listening to me when I have problems, encouraging me through the tough times, and telling me the things that I really didn't want to hear but needed too.

Thank you to those who were there when I needed a shoulder to cry on.

Thank you to those who were there when I needed to laugh.

Thank you to those who were there when I needed an ear to listen.

Thank you to those who encouraged me when I needed it most.

Thank you to those who gave up their shifts so I could make this move possible.

And just Thank You for everything.

I will treasure everything that you have done for me.

See you later. Peace.

Up, Up and Away!

2008-08-09T10:50:00.000-07:00

It is 5:30AM Saturday morning and my alarm goes off. It is the big day!

Michael left this morning to fly out to Los Angeles for the very important Siggraph convention.

This is a "nerdery" convention (as Michael says) for all of the animation geeks out there to get together and learn about the new techniques that are out, preview new movies and listen to lectures by their heroes in the industry. Michael is very excited about that, but there is another part of the convention that he is nervous about.

It is the job fair.

Every animation company out there is at this convention whether or not they are hiring. Michael will be going around to all of them and showing them his demo reel (which can be seen at http://www.woodsideanimation.com/) and hoping that it is good enough for them to say "Welcome Aboard".

This is a very nerve racking time right now while he is out there. Not just for him, but for me as well. I will be stuck here in Florida all by myself in my Grandma's house, while they attend to business up in Ohio. I ask everyone out there, those who know us and those who don't, to pray every day that Michael does well out at the job fair. Ask God to guide him in his words and his attitude. Please pray that the right company sees how amazing he is and what potential he has. And please pray for me to quit worrying so much :)

Thanks!

Until next time...peace.

First Step

2008-08-04T06:44:00.000-07:00

So we haven't left yet, but there are a lot of changes that have to happen before we make the journey. I bought a new car back in February (a Honda Civic), because my Toyota Camry was a death trap. We had decided that it would be a better idea to get a new one while we were still here in Florida and not chance it on the way over to LA. So far things have been going great with the car (it looks like a little red sports car!)

So for a while we were going to keep the Audi, but then Michael's parents offered an amazing gift of a new car for Michael. So the search for a new car began. There were a lot of frustrating days with going to the different lots and applying to get a car and just when it seemed like we couldn't find anything, then Michael found a car that he fell in love with. It was a blue Scion xA. He found it over in Titusville at a little car dealership over there. We test drove it and it was just like a brand new car! But, there were some road blocks. We figured that it was God saying that it wasn't the car for us. Then more road blocks came up and we decided that it would be better to put the search on hold and just be greatful that at least we had a car that was running and paid off.

Then the very next day God did an amazing thing. He lifted all of the road blocks and we were able to get Michael his "dream" car. We just had to trust God that he would take care of us and realize that we need to do things on his timeline. It is a difficult lesson to learn, but I am glad that it happened. It is a lesson that will carry on to LA. There are going to be times out there that are going to be tough. But God has always been there before, and I know that he will be there with us still.

Until next time...peace.