California Virgin...

All right, people.  Get your minds out of the gutter.  I'm talking about a person who has never been to California before!

I met Kevin in Hawaii when I took his SCUBA Open Water course with Island Divers.  We've been friends ever since.

(That's one of my first giant strides off the boat with Kevin's assistance -- accident prone, remember?)

He had about 2 days he could detour on his way back home from the Arctic Circle for the holidays so he decided to make a special appearance in California!  And what can you take one to see during their first (and VERY short) trip to Southern California?  Well, I am so glad you asked!

The beach is the number one thing, of course.  First, I took him out to eat at one of the local spots I have been going to for years (although, not too often as of late).  For all of you native Southern Californians (and you know who you are because you don't call California "Cali"), think late night eateries, 24 hours to be precise.  Movie posters and actor glossies covering the walls.  A tall circular neon sign off PCH.  That's right.  Harbor House.

After we ate lunch, we walked down to the beach so he could take his trademark photo: standing in the ocean water, thumbs up.  And then he tried to drag me into the 50 something degree water... Thank heavens I'm stronger than him ;)

(Who has two thumbs and loves the ocean??  This guy!)

Next I took him to the "next Waikiki," aka, downtown Huntington Beach.  Seriously.  After moving back here, I'm amazed at how touristy it has become.  A lot of the mom and pop stores I once knew have been replaced by the bigger, name brand stores.  And they've even created a "second" main street.

Now, I know you're thinking to yourself, "Wow, this guy only had 2 days to spend in Southern California?  There are so many fantastic places to show California virgins!  How on Earth did you decide?!"  Well, again, I'm glad you asked.  Disneyland of course!!!

(The "tiny" Christmas tree on Main St. Disneyland.  Kevin sporting his "1st Visit button.)

As you all know, I am a Disneyland fanatic.  It is my therapy.  I have had an annual pass pretty much my whole life.  It was mandatory he experienced the original.  Yeah, yeah, he's been to Disney World in Florida and they may have an even more amazing castle, but come on.  THIS was the original!  Sleeping Beauty's Castle is just gorgeous decorated in its icicle lights!  And yeah, we went during Christmas break and it took us about an hour just to get his admission ticket, but you know what? We still had fun!  I think we were able to go on about 5 rides the whole visit, but I mainly wanted him to see the holiday fireworks show anyway.  Not to mention the "snow" of Southern California that follows.  Plus, Disneyland is one of THEE greatest places to people watch!

(Very scared for Tower of Terror!)

(Sleeping Beauty's Castle)

Overall, it was a fantastic visit!  At least, for me it was :)

Gingerbread Galore!

(Chateau Gingerbread de Hollie)

Every year, well... just about... We get together and make gingerbread houses for Christmas!  And when I say we, I mostly am talking about my sister Gina and I.  We get our friends together at our house, or go to someone else's and everyone brings some sort of candy to chip in.  This year, we were lucky enough to have left over candy galore from my mom!  She had a bunch of the young women from church over to make houses a couple days before our event.  Only problem was, she said the graham crackers she bought broke really easily and that we should purchase some more.  Of course, we waited too long and didn't.


So we decided to make gingerbread ourselves!

(Jeni and I in the process of mixing the gingerbread dough!  Aka, proof!)

(Tupperware cookie cutters worked out well for Jeni, Gina and I)

Our friend Jeni came over and we got to baking!  Man, did it smell UH-mazing!  It made the whole house smell like Christmas!  We found some baby square tupperware and used those to cut out squares to help build the houses.  It wasn't till later that we realized the rounded corners did not help in the physics of the construction...  But, we all had a blast anyway!  I had no idea how creative our friends can get when there's a building dilemma like that!  Oh the creativity!!

(Jeni's "Christmas Wish," which was a bachelorette's party...)

(Suzette's lion... RAWR!)

(Josh's Aztec Temple of sorts)

(Rick's nativity with baby Cinnamon Jesus)

(Emily's Tropical Hut)

"Love For A Turkey"

The very first time I cooked a turkey was with my sister in law, Trudie, in New York.  She had found a recipe in a magazine that sounded delicious so we tried it.  It was quite fun, for neither of us had ever prepped a turkey before.  The recipe we used called for Coke and maple syrup.  Sounds strange, but I've been making that turkey ever since (with the exception of last year's Thanksgiving).

Well, this year, I was reunited with my family and was nominated, well, assumed seems more like it, to make the turkey.  I decided I wanted to prepare it a different way, so I posted a status in Facebook asking for some different recipes.  I got many responses, but one from my Junior High best friend was my favorite.

I prepped the turkey the night before and followed the most important instructions, but did Hollie-fy the ingredients a little.  After all, we Italians MUST have garlic in our main courses.  As my dad began to carve the turkey, we all agreed that this was a fantastic recipe.  My mom even said I'd outdone myself this year!  What a wonderful recipe for such a wonderful day!

Anyway, this is the email I received from my dear friend with the recipe attached.  She gave me permission to post it:

Dear Hollie:

I would like to share with you my recipe of love for a turkey.

You’ll need the following:

Turkey
Oranges
Lemons
Rosemary
Olive Oil
Butter
Course sea salt
Course ground pepper
Lots and lots of love

First step and this is a must, introduce yourself to the bird. Shake its drumstick. Inform the bird you're going to be preparing it for a lovely meal. Explain to the bird what you are doing. (this is a major step)

You need to loosen the skin but don’t remove it. Massage the bird with a good amount of olive oil. Under the skin, insert a few cubes of butter and springs of rosemary. (if you desire additional herbs, go for it). Sprinkle salt and pepper around the bird, the amount depends on your taste.

For the inside of the bird: cut up lemons and oranges and loosely stuff them in along with rosemary. I like to place some butter as well.

** You may want to put a couple small slivers of the citrus under the skin.

Throughout the cooking process, check on the bird and wet it with the juices. During the last hour or so, I like to check on it and brush the bird with melted butter I have set aside.

I hope you take this recipe of love into consideration for your family’s feast.

All my love to you and your family,

Jamie L. Leavitt

I gave that turkey so much love, it seeped out from everywhere!  I even danced with it, sang to it and all.  Love really is an important ingredient!  I'd also like to thank Jeni for giving the bird some of her love as well and letting it know how appreciative we truly were to have it on our table!

(The Cook and The Carver)

(Just perfect, even with a wonky oven!)

HollieFest '09

As I stated in a preceding post, birthdays are an important part of life in my family.  As I get older, I seem to celebrate HollieFest even longer than I once did.  If you read that post on birthdays, you'll understand the concept of (fill in the blank)Fest.  And why not??  As I am getting older, there is much to celebrate!  Especially since everyone still thinks I'm 24!  No joke, I get it all the time.  Thank heavens for these wonderful genes!

It all began a week before my actual birthday (which was on November 13th, if anyone is confused about this).  My good friend Jen-Jen took the long journey all the way down from Lake Tahoe.  What a trooper!  We began the weekend off by hitting up Sea World with Stephanie, Danielle, and her 3 year old, Kieran.  It was such a blast!  I hadn't been to Sea World in many years!  (Steven, I think the last time was with you in the hot summer sun, where chipwhiches were mandatory.)  We saw everything from Shamu, the sharks, belugas, polar bears, penguins, etc., etc.  We even made it to the "Pets Rule" show where Kieran got to pet a pot bellied pig.  It was such a blast, but we were all beat by the end of the day.

(We made sure we sat out of the splash zone)

The next day Jen and I headed for Disneyland.  Weird huh?  Well, Jen hadn't been to DLand for a year or so, so why not?  We made it on all the rides we wanted, but failed to use our Fast Passes for Splash Mountain.  Why, you ask?  Well because Jen is a pansy like I am.  If there's even the slightest chill, there is no way we want to get on a ride that "may get us wet."  What a blast we had anyway!  They even had the castle in the beginning stages of the Christmas decor due to Stevie Wonder playing a concert there for some holiday program.  (No we didn't stick around to watch his performance.  Instead we did pretty much every single ride we wanted since the whole rest of the visitors were busy catching glimpses of the celebrity.)  By the end of the night, we were spent and headed home for bed.

(Goofy is my least favorite, but he had a short line)

Throughout the 2 weeks, I went to several dinners with different groups of friends.  This is one of the best parts! Great food and great company, several times throughout the 'Fest.  Because if you think about it, not all of your groups of friends know each other, but you want to spend time with everyone, so celebrate more than once!  Brilliant hey?

On my actual birthday, which fell on a Friday the 13th, I arrived at work at 6am to a cubicle all birthday'd out with balloons, a banner and a card.  how adorable is that?  I've only been working there since July and I'm already being celebrated.  I almost got a tear in my eye (not really, but close).  I got many calls throughout the day from my different family members calling me and singing the birthday song.  (In that birthday traditions post, I talked about this, how it was tradition for my Gramma to do this every year.)  I even got a call from my Auntie Sally, which did in fact get me teary eyed, because I realized I would not be getting a song from Gramma this year.  Bless my Auntie's heart!

(How cute are my coworkers?  And yes, there are 2 sweaters in that pix)

Right after work, yup, you guessed it, I went to Disneyland (along with the rest of Southern California).  We had to park way off site in some new parking lot they're still in the process of constructing.  I met up with Danielle and Kieran and, to my surprise, Stephanie!  We also met up with our friend Frank and watched the new holiday fireworks show, which happened to premier on my birthday.  (Thanks again for doing that for me Disneyland!)  At the very end of the fireworks show, (it always gets me teary eyed), it "snows" on Main St.  It's just such a fun part of the evening and it brings back the nostalgia of being a kid on Christmas.  I know, I know.  How does that happen when you live in Southern California?  Well, you witness it and see for yourself!

(Frankie, Steph, (Kieran passed out), Danielle, me)

The next day, after attending my cousin's baby shower (it's all about reciprocity people), I got ready to meet up with Amanda, Jason and Danielle at Don Jose's.  Yes, more food!  I'm a fat kid, ok?  We had a delicious Mexican meal and then headed to Jason's friend's armory shop.  I'm not quite sure why we did this, but we had fun bantering with Mike.  Then we headed back to Amanda and Jason's house where more friends came out to celebrate.  Brownies, ice cream and Wii were the main events of the night.  So much fun!  I have such great friends!

Later in the next week, I went out for Japanese food with Rachel, Ryan, Diana and Cassie.  It was such a blast seeing them again!  I've been friends with Rachel since 1st grade so it's always fun having flashbacks with her.  We had a delicious meal with many, many laughs.  This is where my friend Diana said a line I thought was SO funny!  There was a little kid (boy?) at the table next to us.  He made this loud squealing noise and I guess I made an irritated face or something.  Diana looked at me and said, "I see you're not feeling very fertile today Hollie."  I almost spit my Diet Coke out all over the place!  Ha ha ha!  Good times!

(Cassie, Rachel, Ryan, me Diana at Matsu -- this pix was scanned from a Polaroid they took of us so it looks kind of weird)

My celebration finally came to a close Sunday night when we had our family dinner.  My parents had abandoned me on my birthday weekend. (Actually, it was a good excuse -- they went to see my Gramma in Utah)  And so we had most of the family over for a Moroccan dinner complete with brownies and ice cream for dessert.  It was delicious and I'm so proud of my brother in law, Chris, one of the pickiest eaters I know, for trying everything.  Good job Chris!

(She knew I would figure out how to wear 2 tiaras)

And so, another year begins! I have a feeling this is going to be MY year!  It is the year of ME and I'm so excited I got to start it up with such great friends and a loving family!

I Couldn't Resist...

I had to post this since I would LOVE to live in Australia.  I love, love, love the people that I met there and am still in contact with them today (thank you Facebook).  They really are amazing, caring, funny, genuine people...


These Questions were posted on an Australian Tourism Website and the answers are the actual responses by the website officials, who obviously have a great sense of humour (not to mention a low tolerance threshold for cretins!)

__________________________________________________

> Q: Does it ever get windy in Australia ? I have never seen it rain on TV, how do the plants grow? ( UK ).
>
> A: We import all plants fully grown and then just sit around watching them die.
__________________________________________________
>
> Q: Will I be able to see kangaroos in the street? ( USA )

> A:Depends how much you've been drinking.
__________________________________________________
>
> Q:I want to walk from Perth to Sydney - can I follow the railroad tracks? ( Sweden)
>
> A: Sure, it's only three thousand miles, take lots of water.
__________________________________________________
>
> Q: Are there any ATMs (cash machines) in Australia ? Can you send me a list of them in Brisbane, Cairns, Townsville and Hervey Bay ? ( UK)

> A: What did your last slave die of?
__________________________________________________
>
> Q:Can you give me some information about hippo racing in Australia ? ( USA )

> A: A-Fri-ca is the big triangle shaped continent south of Europe .
> Aus-tra-lia is that big island in the middle of the Pacific which does not
> ... Oh forget it. Sure, the hippo racing is every Tuesday night in Kings Cross. Come naked.
__________________________________________________
>
> Q:Which direction is North in Australia ? (USA )
>
> A: Face south and then turn 180 degrees. Contact us when you get here and we'll send the rest of the directions.
_________________________________________________
>
> Q: Can I bring cutlery into Australia ? ( UK )
> A:Why? Just use your fingers like we do...
__________________________________________________
>
> Q:Can you send me the Vienna Boys' Choir schedule? ( USA )

> A: Aus-tri-a is that quaint little country bordering Ger-man-y, which is
> Oh forget it. Sure, the Vienna Boys Choir plays every Tuesday night in Kings Cross, straight after the hippo races. Come naked.
__________________________________________________
>
> Q: Can I wear high heels in Australia ? ( UK )
> A: You are a British politician, right?
__________________________________________________
>
> Q:Are there supermarkets in Sydney and is milk available all year round? ( Germany )

> A: No, we are a peaceful civilization of vegan hunter/gatherers.
> Milk is illegal.
__________________________________________________
>
> Q:Please send a list of all doctors in Australia who can Dispense rattlesnake serum. ( USA )

> A: Rattlesnakes live in A-meri-ca which is where YOU come from.
> All Australian snakes are perfectly harmless, can be safely handled and make good pets.
__________________________________________________
>
> Q:I have a question about a famous animal in Australia , but I forget its name. It's a kind of bear and lives in trees. (USA )
>
> A: It's called a Drop Bear. They are so called because they drop out of Gum trees and eat the brains of anyone walking underneath them.
> You can scare them off by spraying yourself with human urine before you go out walking.
__________________________________________________
>
> Q:I have developed a new product that is the fountain of youth. Can you tell me where I can sell it in Australia ? (USA)

> A: Anywhere significant numbers of Americans gather.
__________________________________________________

> Q:Do you celebrate Christmas in Australia ? (France )
>
> A: Only at Christmas.
__________________________________________________
>
> Q: Will I be able to speak English most places I go? ( USA )
>
> A: Yes, but you'll have to learn it first

My Thoughts Exactly...

I received this email from a friend of mine. It's like the author read my diary.  These are the types of things that go through my head...

1.  Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

2.  Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you're going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the direction from which you came, you have to first do something like check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to yourself  to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you're crazy by  randomly switching directions on the sidewalk.

3.  I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

4.  There is a great need for a sarcasm font

5.  I think everyone has a movie that they love so much; it actually becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I'll end up wasting 90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone's laughing at the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little bit harder (and a millisecond earlier) to prove that I'm still the only one  who really, really gets it.

6.  How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

7.  I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

8.  I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

9.  The only time I look forward to a red light is when I'm trying to finish a text.

10.  Was learning cursive really necessary?

11.  LOL has gone from meaning, "laugh out loud" to "I have nothing else to say".

12.  Whenever someone say's "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart", all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart".

13.  How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?

14.  I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay
 strong, brothers and sisters!

15.  While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and instinctively swerved to avoid it...thanks Mario Kart.

16.  MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5.  Pretty sure I  know how to get out of my neighborhood.

17.  Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

18.  I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water.

19.  Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

20.  I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

21.  Bad decisions make good stories.

22.  Whenever I'm Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures?  Don't mind if I do!

23.  Why is it that during an icebreaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I'm from; this shouldn't be a problem....

24.  You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything productive for the rest of the day.

25.  Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't want to have to restart my collection. I finally just got rid of all the old Videotapes.

26.  There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

27.  I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

28.  While watching the Olympics, I find myself cheering equally for China and USA . No, I am not of Chinese descent, but I am fairly certain that when Chinese athletes don't win, they are executed.

29.  I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Darn it!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?

30.  I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

31.  I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it's on shuffle, then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.

32.  Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

33.  It should probably be called Unplanned Parenthood.

34.  I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

35.  Even if I knew your social security number, I wouldn't know what do to with it.

36.  Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet my ass  everyone can find and push the Snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time every time...

37.  My 4-year old son asked me in the car the other day "Dad what would happen if you ran over a ninja?" How the hell do I respond to that?

38.  I wonder if cops ever get pissed off at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit.

39.  I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

Benincosa-Fest... How to celebrate your birthday Cosa style.

As some of you may know, birthdays have become quite a big deal in my family.  I don't even know how far back this goes, but we've always had great traditions for each birthday.  Growing up with five siblings, it seemed we were celebrating all year long!

(Gina, VJ, me, Pop and Traci.)

A couple of things that are mandatory in the Benincosa family are as follows -- and this pertains to the birthday girl/boy:

* You get to pick what Mom is cooking for dinner!  Not to mention what kind of cake you want!  (Mine is always chocolate with chocolate, plus Extreme Moosetracks ice cream).  I remember having Top Ramen every year for a while until my mom introduced us to an amazing chicken taco salad, which I've had pretty much ever since.

*  Gramma ALWAYS called on your birthday and sang you the Birthday Song.  This has become more of a tradition as we now all call each other and sing.

*  After the Birthday Song is done, and you've blown out the candles, you get to stick your finger in the part of the cake that you want to be your piece!  This has become VERY fun since we have come to try and shove the Birthday Boy/Girl's whole hand in the cake ;)  I'm not sure how this started, but I'm pretty sure I may have had a part in it...  Now you have to try and do it as fast as you can so your whole hand doesn't get cake-ified!

*  The last piece of cake is YOURS!  No matter how long it takes you to eat it, it is yours.

These are the main traditions we have had growing up and still practice to this day.  But there have been some improvements to the Cosa Birthdays....

It all started with my brother when he was, I think, in high school.  He began calling his birthday VJ-fest and taught me that it was ridiculous to celebrate your birthday on just one, single day.  And thus, it has become a week long celebration!  After all, when you have several groups of different friends, you must celebrate with each of them!

The next tradition started in about 2001, but I am not quite sure.  (I had to call my sister Traci to verify, but that's what we've estimated.)  When it is time to sing the Birthday Song, everyone sings it in their own way, own tempo, and own volume.  That's right.  A few of you have even been fortunate, or unfortunate, to experience this song.  It is an amazing event to be had, let me tell you.  Just think of an orchestra warming up before a big show and that's us!

(Mom, Tiffer, Pop, Me, Ash, Gina, Traci - Some things never change!)

And so goes the birthday festivities in the Benincosa family.  AND, somebody's birthday is coming up soon!!!  (That would be me, if you didn't know)  :0D

"Shut Up and Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is..

That's what you get for waking up in Vegas..."

Last weekend I had the opportunity to meet up with 2 of my bff's from Hawaii.  Here's the background to the trip in a quick spiel:

During Marisa's birthday celebration (with The Chippendales, might I add) there was a raffle.  Well, my dear friend Kellie won!  The grand prize was 2 roundtrip tickets to Las Vegas, accommodations and meal tickets for five whole days!  This was so so exciting, for I have never known anyone to win something this huge!!

So, after waking up at 4:30am and working a full day, I hope in my brand new car and drive myself to Vegas to meet up with my girls!

It was such a fantastic trip!  We had such a blast!  We went dancing, got hit on, didn't sleep, got hit on, walked the strip, got hit on, ate In N Out (twice), held a baby lion named Ray-Ray (17 weeks old), gambled (well, Marisa and Kellie did), got hit on, saw Cirque du Soleil's KA (UHHHH-MAZING!), and got hit on.

It was quite the whirlwind trip, but we all made it home safely, including me after only getting 4 hours of sleep after staying awake for 24 hours...  Man, I'm getting too old for this, but it was worth it!


Wittle sweeping baby wion cub.

So happy to have held a baby lion!

                                                   The boyfriend at Cirque du Soleil KA ; )

Family Portraits, Benincosa Style...

Ok, so this post is coming pretty dang late... I'm talking.. gosh, I don't even know how long ago this was... July?  I'm going to say July.  Anyhoo, the Val Benincosa family was finally ALL together again, new babies and all!  It was so much fun to have all of my siblings together once again!  (Not to mention their adorable babies, the most beautiful nieces and adorable nephew EVER!)

So without further ado...  Here are some of the pix, courtesy of Richard Nielsen (thanks again!)  Just note that they are the misc. photos:

My beautiful Mommy.

Jaiden, daughter of Tiffer and Seanie.  Nothing but smiles!

Ash and Gi proving strength.

The cutest parents ever, even after all of these years (and kids!)

The happiest Grandparents in the world!

Owen is the cutest nephew I've ever had.  Always with his cars.

The Influence of Veronica Lake...

While I was in Salt Lake City this Labor Day weekend, my sister Ashley decided she wanted to learn more about the 1940's hairstyles.  My cousin April is a hairstylist and absolutely loves these styles as well and was more than happy to teach my baby sister.

After the styling that took a lot longer than planned, due to the subject's stubborn hair (your's truly), my cousin D'Arcy proved her skills as well by snapping some shots of the fun event.  I truly have a talented family and it was such a blast being together again laughing until our faces were sore!

fun.

As you know...err.. maybe you don't.. I wake up at 4:30am every weekday to make to it to work by 6am.  Yeah, I know.  It DOES suck!

  

So anyway, I usually don't stay out too late during the work week.  Monday night was a different story.

(The first single from Aim and Ignite.  I think it's amazing when a singer can get the whole crowd to sing their own songs back to them -- sorry, it's live, but I just love this song!)

It was a last minute invite from my little sister Ashley to go to L.A. to see a band called fun. play for free.  Now fun. is fronted by Nate Ruess, formerly from one of my all time favorite bands, The Format.  The Format went on indefinite hiatus this past February and that is when fun. (yes, it is spelled lower case with a period) was created.  I never had the chance to go to The Format and I was not about to pass up fun. did I mention it was free??

I knew I wouldn't regret it.  Absolutely brilliant.  I immediately signed on to iTunes and bought the whole album.  There is a song on there named "The Gambler" that Nate Ruess wrote about his parents.  It's something I want in life.  It's a beautiful song and I suggest you find it and listen to it.

After leaving Spaceland in L.A. (and yes, seeing the fires along the hillsides), we drove to Long Beach to see the band Limbeck at The Prospector (which I HATE -- not Limbeck, but the bar).  It was fantastic!  Such a fabulous night spent well!!  And just think, I could have stayed home and slept??  Meh, I'll sleep when I'm old.

(This one is so catchy, I just love it!)

I Heart My Friend Kat...

She dances. She sings. She acts. She's a fantastic photographer. And a beautiful person. Kathleen Hennessey (http://bybubble.blogspot.com/) is an amazing, talented girl that everyone ought to know.

I first met my favorite Kat at church in Huntington Beach, CA. That's right, she's Mormon. Who knew Mormons could have such talent and amazing personalities to go along with their outer and inner beauty??

Kat recently played Elphaba in my favorite broadway show of all time, Wicked, in Japan! I really wish I could have gone to see her perform, but I was able to be there in spirit through her blog. She is currently in Montreal where she is prepping for the upcoming Cirque du Soleil Vaudeville style! This time, I plan on visiting Chicago to see the performance and cannot wait!!

Anyway, here are a few of my favorite clips of my friend Kat in her various adventures! Enjoy!!

Here is their rendition of Lady Gaga's "Just Dance." (Kat is the second from the left.)

This next one is an En Vogue Tribute and it's just so much fun! So many flashbacks, ha ha! I love this one.

And FINALLY!! Kat in her performance of Elphaba in Wicked Japan.

The second part of the clip is my uttermost favorite song from the soundtrack Wicked...

Who knew?

So I had this dream the other night...

I was in a big open room, like my parents' living room or something. You know the one. There were tons of us just hanging out, lounging on the furniture and floor. Seriously, like a real chill party, just talking and whatnot.

Suddenly, I realize I'm running late! (I'm not sure what it was I was running late for -- perhaps a hot date?) Anyway, I jump up and say, "I'm totally running late! I need to get ready!"

That's when my bff Scarlet Johansson jumps up with me and says, "Hollie! I can totally do your hair and makeup! PLEASE let me help you! I love doing other people's makeup!"

And so I let Scarlett Johannson help me get ready for whatever it was I was running late for.

Weird.

Btw, I'm not really a fan of Scarlett Johannson so I have NO idea where this came from...

The Unplanned Adventures of Sisters... (Part Three)

(Mount Shasta. And yes, that is crap on the windshield..)

And so we were on our way back to California. Destination, San Jose.

The trip back to California went by pretty quick thanks to awesome music on the iPods and beautiful scenery. We were sure to wave to my brother as we drove past his exit. there were tons of deer on at the shoulders of the freeways just chilling in the shade or chewing on some plants. I don't think I've ever seen so many of them at the side of the highway (alive that is)...

We arrived in San Jose a little after 11pm. I drove up to the Winchester Mystery House since this was our plan for the morning. Ashley has never been so I wanted to be sure she experienced the construction plans of Sarah Winchester. (More on that in a second.) We ended up staying in a motel that proved to be shady and very creepy. When we got our key, it was an actual key with the plastic keychain with the room number on it. It made both of us think of the John Cusack movie Identity... We opened the door to be pummeled by the smell of cigarette smoke. Ugh.. After we grabbed our stuff, including our bedding for we refused to sleep in their blankets and sheets, we were met by an army of bugs. Then Ashley came out of the bathroom and told me how it looked like someone had just taken a shower in there. In short, it was disgusting and creepy. We ended up barricading the front door with one of the big armchairs. then Ashley said "I've seen tis movie. Can we please put the other chair in front of the closet door?" I was more than happy to.

Needless to say, we made it through the night.

the Winchester Mystery House was so worth the $26! We did our usual thing of being the last people on the tour so we could take heaps of pictures. Let me give you a background on this mansion...

Sarah Winchester was the wife of the man who made Winchester rifles, etc. He died along with their child. After this, Sarah Winchester was told by a psychic that she needed to keep on building and adding on to the mansion to confuse the spirits that killed her husband and child, for they were the same spirits of those killed by the Winchester guns. The construction of the mansion lasted 30ish years, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, until she died.

(The stairway to nowhere)

(The door to nowhere)

In this house, there are stairs that lead to a ceiling, a door to nowhere on the 2nd floor, doors opening to walls, etc. We were very amused. She even had a seance room where she "met" with the spirits to tell her where to build next. This is also where she spied on her servants.

It was great fun and Ashley and I thoroughly enjoyed it! Oh, by the way, yes. Ghost Hunters did investigate there but could find no proof of a haunting. :)

(The supposedly haunted ballroom)

(Our tour guide, Ash -- and some Orbs!!!)

We continued on our way back home. As we rode, I read my "Haunting In California" book that I had bought from the gift shop. It just so happened the highway we were driving on had some paranormal activity! Pretty cool to read it as we drove on it. Of course, we are skeptics and nothing happened to us. We drove through Mount Shasta and The Grapevine and got caught in traffic in LA. We were finally home!! :D