How To Start Off The Christmas Season Right:

Go to Disneyland and enjoy the Christmas fireworks show!  I get so excited for it every year!  It always brings a tear to my eye and brings me so much joy.  And in the end, it "snows" on Main St.!  It's so much fun seeing everyone's faces as these snow-like bubbles fall from above!  Love it!

Don't mind the waving orange stick.  The Dland employee was working to the beat of the songs. :)

My Favorites This Season:

This one gets me teary eyed for sure.  Just incredible!:


This has been one of my faves since my brother showed it to me.  These guys are so talented!:


If you've seen the original news story for this, you'll laugh your patootie off!  Wait till the Carol of the Bells part!:

Gobble, Gobble.

Man, I am really behind!  Well  just a quick catch up here from Thanksgiving.

I spent the evening before Thanksgiving at my parents' ouse prepping the 22 pound turkey I was cooking.  It put up quite a fight in the beginning while I was removing the giblets, but then I realizes the legs had been tied, creating a very narrow opening to the cavity...  Hey, man, I'd been up before the sun and worked all day to come home to prep a 22 pound turkey.  Go figure!  After I prepped the turkey, I had to set it in a cooler because there was no room for him in the fridge.

Another successful turkey!  Joy!

How adorable is my mom for making gluten free stuffing for me??  Love that woman!

The next morning I drove back down to Huntington to finish prepping the now marinated turkey.  I always love the recipe I used when I made my very first turkey in New York with my sister in law, Trudie.  It's the Coke and maple syrup recipe that never fails!  It makes such a delicious, moist turkey, why change the recipe?

I even curled my hair for the occasion!

After throwing together some artichoke dip and other various appetizers with my mom, the feasting began. The turkey was perfect and was even labeled as the best one yet!  What a huge compliment coming from my wonderful family who would never lie to me to make me feel good, haha!  They tell it like it is and I am so grateful for them in life!

Trials.

Sometimes, all we can do is pray, hope and try our best to be optimistic.

About 2 weeks ago, a friend of mine that I've known since Junior High suddenly collapsed going into cardiac arrest.  They still don't understand why this happened.  She has been healthy all her life and shows no signs of heart disease/problems.  She is my age and is a married mother with 4 children, her youngest only a couple months old.  She is still in the hospital in a drug induced coma, although she got a tracheotomy this afternoon and is resolving her seizures on her own (with the help of an anti-seizure medication).  She's a fighter.  She always has been so tough.

Last night I found out a family friend lost her battle to cancer.  She passed away at home with her husband by her side.  She was always an inspiration to me.  I knew her from church and can remember having to give a talk, or listening to other talks in church on Mother's Day in front of the whole congregation.  She never had any children and I always thought about her on Mother's Day.  She was such an amazing woman and I always looked up to her.

I send my love, prayers and positive vibes to each of these women's families.

Sing it Sara...

I am loving Sara Bareilles' version of Beyonce's "Single Ladies!" Isn't it amazing how songs like this are heard at the right times in our lives? It's beautiful. Sometimes, you just need to hear the thoughts of other women. Thanks for the link Kat!

Apple Butter Festival Or Bust.

Yesterday I finally made it to the Annual Apple Butter Festival in Yucaipa.  A few of my closest friends have gone for the past few years and I was so excited to go this year!  We met up at my house in the morning and, of course, got our road trip breakfast at McDonald's, and were on our way for the hour drive.  (Yes, anything an hour or more deserves road trip food.)

When we first got there, all bundled up in our beanies, gloves and big coats, we went into the store for some shopping.  After $20 I came out with some Apple Butter (naturally), Apple Salsa, a stuffed mushroom mix, and a giant pickle for a snack.  They had some very delicious items!  I actually just ate some toast with apple butter on it for breakfast.

(Danielle, Stephanie and Jaime going down the trail.)

After shopping we went to the petting zoo and played with goats, a sheep, a sneaky food stealing llama, a donkey (pet at your own risk, but he loved me), and a horse.  My friend's 4 year old son had a blast with the animals but was so nervous walking around because he didn't want to step in animal droppings...

(I have always loved canopied trails!)

When we finished taking some fun pictures in the petting zoo area, we decided to walk one of the trails and go on a nature hike.  It is so gorgeous in there and just so peaceful.  I haven't done a walk like that in quite a while it seems!  We didn't see too much wildlife but we had fun...  Until we got lost.  We ended up on a road but luckily we all have a pretty good sense of direction so we ended up hiking uphill on a main road.  We finally made it up the giant hill and I spotted the petting zoo!  We had somehow come out the complete opposite side of where the trail began!  Of course, we documented by taking a hitchhiking photo, haha!

(A few Redwood trees on the trail.)

We continued on to the next area and ate some lunch, shopped some more, fed some deer (including an albino deer), and finally ended the day with hot apple cider and mini cinnamon doughnuts.  What a blast it was!  We piled back into the car to see it was 34 degrees and blasted the heat on our way home.  It was such a great day with great friends and I am so happy I didn't miss out this year!  Sometimes, you just need a girls day out to lift your spirits!

Something Good.

I would like to thank whoever the boy was that broke Ingrid Michaelson's heart because it lead to songs like this:

More Doctors.

Health Update:

I have been on a gluten free diet since the beginning of June this year.  It has helped tremendously and really isn't that difficult.  I've lost some weight, which is nice, but that wasn't my goal.  Since I've been on the gf diet, I've felt about 75-80% better.  I have more energy, my moods are much more positive than negative, and I can focus more.

That is until about a month or so ago.

My newest symptom includes extreme exhaustion within 10 minutes after I eat anything.  It used to be I'd feel this way after eating glutenous foods, but now it's whenever I eat.  Period.

And so the next step is going to my family doctor and finally getting referred to a GI Specialist.  Yippee...  This means, more procedures, including ultrasounds and lower endoscopy (which I am really NOT excited about).  Hopefully it means less medications though.  So far I'm on Prilosec twice a day, Carafate four times daily, and Vicodin as needed for pain.  These meds are just for my GI issues.  They do not include the 2 other prescriptions I take for allergies, or other meds I take for my back.

And so my hope and goal is to find out what exactly is wrong with me; why I am having so many GI issues, and at last, to not be on so many medications!  Oh, and most importantly: I REFUSE to settle for IBS, which is nothing but a non-diagnosis!

Happiness.

Every year for our birthdays, my Gramma and Grampa used to call on and sing the Happy Birthday Song. Since my Gramma got dementia and passed away last year, we now call each other up and sing the song.  It's very fun because we all sing the song in different ways, as I've mentioned before.  This year, for HollieFest 2010, I got quite the variety...

I had Traci and Chris singing very slowly "so it will last longer."  I got my parents singing in a peppy version, kind of how my Gramma and Grampa used to sing it.  I got Ashley singing in a mumbling manner (while on the toilet, btw).  My brother called and sang the his own version of the song to the tune of Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance,"  His wife, Trudie, called me later with the kids (Jackie and Owen) with their cute little voices, which I ALWAYS look forward to.  My Aunt Sally and cousin Mimi also called and sang ending with "You better know who this is!"

But my favorite this year goes to my little sister TIffany, her husband Seanie and daughter, Jady.  They actually sent me a video song!  What a great idea!  So without further ado, here is my birthday video (Sorry the video is sideways, I don't know how to fix it):

OctoberFest.

October has always been my favorite month of the whole year.  October means the beginning of fall, my favorite season.  It also means Halloween, scarf weather, the beginning of all of the best holidays, Black Friday and, of course, HollieFest (which, in case you forgot, is November 13th).

This October was extremely busy!  I barely had any nights to myself, but it was all worth it.  Now, if only I can recover!

I went with my mom to get her Disneyland pass we bought her for her birthday.  (Got to love all of the Halloween decor at The Happiest Place On Earth!)

I celebrated my oldest sister, Traci's birthday.

I survived a whole day wearing my new 5" heels.

I gained a new hatred towards napkins, along with my cousin D'Arcy and our friend Michelle.

I reunited with my cousins (Nate, Michelle, Me, D'Arcy, April and Devin) in Utah.

I saw one of my bestie cousin's (April) get married.

I went to Texas for the first time and had a Texan BBQ as a rehearsal dinner for my bestie, Amanda.

(Joe, Steph, Jaime, Amanda, Jason, Me, Danielle, Lorretta.)

I helped coordinate our bestie, Amanda's wedding with my bestie Danielle.

I saw my bestie, Amanda get married to Jason.

I went to a reception with a 12 course Chinese meal.

(Here Danielle and I are trying Sea Cucumber.  It wiggled like Jello when the waiter put it down.)

I discovered Sea Cucumber is not my favorite.  (Think of eating fat from meat but without the gristle.)

I met up with a friend I haven't seen in forever at  The Chocolate Bar.

(Thanks again for driving down, Kellie!  AND for lunch!)

I went to Knott's Scary Farm -- Twice!  (Danielle with her monster bf.)

I met up with a new friend, Holly, at another TAPS event.  (This time in Beverly Hills at The Saban Theatre.)

I learned that 3 of the guys from the SyFy show, 'Fact or Faked' are Mormon and actually go to my friend's ward in HB.  (Btw, one guy served me rice at a luau I went to with my rents.)

I took another pix with my girl crush, Amy Bruni from Syfy's  Ghost Hunters (and apparently was possessed in the process).

I schooled my sister Tiffany on Buzz at Disneyland.  (Yes, my score is above her head for some reason.)

I was part of my niece Jaiden's entourage during her first time Trick or Treating!  (She was Minnie Mouse.)

So much stuff happened in October but unfortunately, I don't have pix of everything!  I know, right?!  ME?!?  Without pix to prove the other fun things?  I figured the 47 I just posted will suffice.  I hope everyone had a fantastic Halloween!  I know I did!  And now, on to November!

A Taste of My Halloween.

Part of my Halloween fun includes watching scary TV shows or Horror movies!  Here's an example (and yes, these are 2 of my girl crushes, lol):

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Bookmark.

I have quite a few bookmarks that I've collected throughout my years of reading.  I even have one with a unicorn on it that I got in elementary school that has a pink tassel on it.  I like to switch between them when I open a new book.  The one I recently brought out to use is very fitting as to how I am feeling these past few weeks...

"Count your night by stars,
Not shadows.
Count your years with smiles,
Not tears.
Count your blessings,
Not your troubles.
Count your age by friends,
Not years."

I don't remember who gave this bookmark to me, but thank you.

Happiness.

One of my favorite things to do is be with my nieces and nephew at Disneyland with my family.  This week has proven no different.  I had the opportunity to meet up with my sister Tiffany and her husband Seanie and their little girl Jaiden at Disneyland twice (so far) this week.  And yes, we plan on going again and again!

Jady is getting so big!  She's talking now and the other day she pointed to my purse, which has a Mickey Mouse on it (after all, it's my DLand purse) and said, "Mimmy!"  That is her version of Mickey.  She also calls Minnie "Mimmy" as well.  I was able to get a video of her doing it today while the Pixar Parade started at California Adventure.

Translation:
Mimmy = Mickey or Minnie Mouse
Duck Duck = Donald Duck
Woof Woof/Puppy = Pluto
Goofy = Goofy

Jady also loves to watch the parades and shows and tries to join them every time!  She is an excellent dancer and even claps to the beat (most of the time)!

Catalina Boat Dives.

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to dive Catalina, boat style!  I have always wanted to dive off of Catalina.  As you recall, I did the kelp forest at Casino Park with my friend Marisa.  Well this was another great adventure!

We took a boat out and dove 3 separate dives with the company Scuba Luv.  I don't remember if you remember the previous posting about this company but I had a little "run in" with the mayor of Avalon.  Well, he was our captain on this boat and I kept praying he wouldn't remember me!  Haha!  Lucky for me, he didn't.

We had such a blast!  The water was in the lower to mid-60's but the sights we encountered made the cold worthwhile.  On the first dive, we saw a giant Sea Bass, but unfortunately, not one, but both of my calves cramped up so tight I had to dig into the sand and try to stretch them out.  Thankfully I was able to continue on.  It's such an amazing feeling coasting through those kelp forests.  It's unlike anything else I've experienced.  It sort of remind me of driving through a thick fog until it finally comes to a clearing because the kelp can get so thick!

The second dive was my favorite of the three.  It was a pinnacle so all we had to do was swim in an upward spiral.  We saw lots of fun critters including Lobsters, Eels and an Octopus!  We were cruising along and I was looking around.  I looked down and noticed slow motion movement that I thought was an eel at first, until I saw the tentacles!  We played with him for a bit until he squeezed himself through the tiniest crack!  what amazing little creatures!

The third dive was pretty easy breezy.  As we were cruising along, we looked down and saw something that looked like a giant Nudibranch.  We went deeper, appeasing our curiosities and laid down on the sand.  The thing was huge!  As we sat there watching, he slowly moved along, inching across the ocean floor.  Come to find out, it was a Sea Hair.  I've never even heard of these before but it was pretty cool to find!

All in all, the dives were definitely worth my money.  I don't know how often I can do kelp forests because when you've done one you've pretty much done them all.  It still a  lot of fun though!

Ew!

Ummmmmm..... WHAT?!?  

Today.

My Orange County Bubble...

Ok, so apparently I live in a bubble.  Well, sort of.

A couple weekends ago, I went on a date to the L.A. Fair.  Now, growing up in southern California, you'd think I'd have been to this fair.  After all, it's not even an hour away.  Nope!  I've never been.  I've stayed in my Orange County bubble most of my life and haven't ventured out to the 909/951 often enough!  (Oh yeah.  Did I mention the L.A. Fair is located in the Inland Empire, which, by the way, isn't even part of Los Angeles??  I know, right?)

 Anyway, we met at my house then drove to the fairgrounds.  We parked and walked to the front gate (after taking a picture or two) and the fun began!  It was a blast!  I had no idea how big this place actually was!  It puts the Orange County Fair to shame!  It's probably at least 4 times the size!

(If you look closely, you can see a couple stuffed animals hitching a ride!)

We started off with the animals (of course) and we felt so bad for them.  It was so hot and there were so many people there it was kind of ridiculous.  Some of the animals were even swaying, almost panting in the heat.  It made us sad, even though it was really neat to see them.  We saw cows, horses of all sizes, sheep, goats, piggies and more!

After the animals we ventured over to the little arena where they had some cowboy and cowgirl rangers. They had a Ranger competition where they rode their horses and shot balloons that sat on poles.  It was pretty cool!  That's when I realized how much I wanted a horse, although I have no idea how to care for a horse...  There were even little girls who used their hands as guns and pretended to shoot the balloons.  Too cute!

(This gal had on my favorite outfit!)

After the Ranger fun, we went to The Body Exhibit.  I actually went to this same exhibit in Hawaii, but Kevin hadn't.  He was super excited, being a science teacher and all.  The whole entire exhibit is made up of real cadavers and is just incredible.  As soon as you enter, you can feel the astonishment from everyone in attendance.  The human body truly is amazing!  They broke everything down into sections, from bones, to muscles, to cardiovascular, to reproduction, etc.  My favorite part of the whole exhibit was the Arterial exhibit where they had only the arteries of the entire body displayed.  Simply amazing!  I highly recommend this exhibit to anyone who hasn't seen it!

Next Kevin bought me dinner.  You know, it's kind of hard to be gluten free at a fair, but somehow we managed to find a place for me to eat!  TriTip.  Done!  Well, I ate Kevin's fries too, but what can you do?  We had some good conversations about the exhibit we'd just seen and how none of the pieces had skin.  This was pretty deep because if you think about it, we are al the same on the inside.  We all have the same pieces as any other race and we thought that was pretty neat the way they omitted the largest organ on the body.

After dinner, we hit up some "shows,"  I say "shows" because they weren't the best.  We went to Monkey Mania which included one monkey who ate french fries.  IT was more of a short lecture, but the monkey was super cute anyway!  After that, we walked around to see some animals including more monkeys, birds (yikes), porcupines, and even saw a baby kangaroo which a handler was showing off.  Super cute!  We also checked out the reptiles and saw a little Anaconda, Tortoises, Geckos, Frogs and more.  We were going to go to another show with stunt dogs but we figured it would just be dogs doing Agility races.  We also went to see some Pirates in the Sky show which was like an amateur acrobatics show.  We decided to skip the next acrobatics show for fear it would be similar to this one...  I guess after seeing KA in Vegas, as well as Cirque Del Mar at Sea World, we're a tough crowd!

 So we went on rides and played games!  Kevin had never been on The Zipper so we went on that.  It's one of my favorite rides at fairs but no one will ever go on with me because they're too scared.  I was more than thrilled when Kevin said he would go on it!  We screamed and laughed the whole entire time! I love it!  We played a few games and Kevin tried his best to win me a prize, but we both came home empty handed.

(Trying his luck at Skee Ball)

By the end of the night, we were both exhausted.  It had been a very long day but it was so much fun!  I plan on going again next year!  Especially since I just found out a friend that I work with will be competing in some of the rodeo activities!  How fun would that be to actually see someone I know riding out there!  Yay for someone to cheer on, lol!  So if you have a chance to go to the LA Fair, I would definitely do it!  I'd take the LA Fair over the OC Fair any day!