Ali in La-La Land

anyone out there?

2010-08-17T00:34:00.001-07:00

still following this blog?

you can find me now at my tumblr

fifth & rose

adios to ali in lala land.. it's been real

now you can join me at my new home!

Outfit Of The Day

2010-06-29T17:43:00.000-07:00

So I'm totally in lust with all things striped right now.

Especially this incredible Givenchy blazer:

but at $1500 that will never be in the cards for me.

Anthropologie made an adorable knock-off:

I swooped it up to try on but alas, the small was a bit too tight and the medium was way too big.

So instead I ended up with this little number from H&M that doesn't scream knock-off but gives me the striped blazer that I wanted with a $30 price tag. I love it!

blazer - H&M, tshirt - pure & good, jeans - AG Stevies, shoes - target

(don't judge this horrible picture, I'm in a hurry - I promise my next outfitting post will be a bit more professional)

Weekend

2010-06-27T20:26:00.001-07:00

My weekend's are not exactly what normal peoples weekend's are like. Quite frankly, the weekend is not something I look forward to. Weekends in retail are busy, hard, and tiring.

I love my job, but this was a long weekend.

Thankfully I had this little gal to come home to..

And I'm dreaming of my 3 day holiday weekend (how did I get so lucky?!) vacation to Palm Springs.

So.. you can come home again?

2010-06-24T11:55:00.000-07:00

Anyone listening? Can I just pick this thing up and start over again pretending I didn't stop blogging for 6 months?

well it's my blog and I say I can so.. what's up, we're back!!

My juices are flowing and I want to write again. so.. I should probably start by updating yourself and myself on what's been going on since December.

1. We moved to the beach! (The stress of that move was precisely around the time I stopped blogging because that was apparently too stressful too). Anyway, we now live in a tiny apartment in Venice about 5 blocks from the beach and 2 block's to Santa Monica's Main Street. We absolutely love it here.

2. Christmas happened. We spent some time in Toledo and Chicago with family. For me, it was short but sweet. Then I went back to work.

3. Then, I worked, a lot. I worked.... worked some more... worked a little bit more... and tried to have a little fun in between.

4. I turned 25 and had a housewarming slash birthday party. It was quite fun!

5. I don't know what happened during the months of February, March, and April. It's a blur to me.

6. Oh yea, in April Lauren and Parker got married. It was perfect and lovely. Then, my mom came to visit and we went to wine country and I fell in love with Santa Barbara. Then, we learned that it's the #1 most expensive place to live in the USA. Dreams were crushed.

7. We celebrated our 2 year anniversary on May 10th and a lovely hotel in Redondo Beach. It was so nice to "get away" for a night. We decided we need to get away more often.

8. We got a puppy! A 6 month old llasa apso fur ball , whom we dubbed "Harley". Also known as.. Hara, Harlsworth, little girly, and "NO!"

I think that brings you pretty up to date on the happenings around our little apartment. We're officially obsessed dog owners and only seem to frequent the establishments that allow our little lady to join us. My how the times change..

I'm hoping for a fun, relaxing summer, but fear that work will too often get in the way of that. I think work should be like high school or college. Work hard for 2 semesters then get the summer off! Perhaps I'll write a letter to Obama.. maybe he can work on that next, you know after he cleans up the gulf, ends the war, and fixes the economy!

Here's a picture of the little peanut to tied you over:

Project Runway

2009-12-03T06:00:00.000-08:00

If you're like me and love everything Project Runway you have to check out this post from the amazing Darci @ With This Ring Weddings.

I was so thrilled when I read her blog today because Carol Hannah was my favorite contestant this year. Hands down! Her collection was amazing and wearable. I think I would wear every single thing she sent down the runway.

Her Etsy shop is just darling, and I wish I could buy almost everything she features. Her wedding collection preview dresses are amazing and affordable and I want the dress below! Santa?!

Girl's Guide to Movies

2009-12-01T06:00:00.000-08:00

I started hearing a lot of buzz about this film a few weeks ago and couldn't wait until I got a chance to see it for myself. I can't quite describe to you my feelings about this film. It is heart wrenching, depressing, funny, sad, and amazing film. I walked out of the theater with a heavy heart for Precious Jones, and I can't imagine anyone seeing this film and feeling any different. It is not at all a light hearted film. It is probably one of the most depressing films I've ever seen in my life. Yet, I can still say I enjoyed watching this film. Precious is played by first time actress Gabourey Sidibe - and WOW what a talented girl. The other cast members included Mo'Nique, Mariah Carey, and Lenny Kravitz who all did amazing jobs. While this movie is incredibly sad, it is about hope and perseverance. If you want a deep film that's really going to make you think, go see this movie. (If you want fluff, I don't recommend it for you!)

Girl's Grade: A
Boy's Grade: A

Happy Turkey!

2009-11-26T06:00:00.000-08:00

We are enjoying a relaxing day off (yay!) a delicious potluck Thanksgiving dinner with friends, and telling each other all the things were thankful for.

I am thankful for Chinese food, cute clothes, Christmas decorations, and holiday drinks at Starbucks.

I am also thankful for my wonderful family, darling friends, amazing husband, and my health.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Big Ten Pub Crawl

2009-11-25T06:00:00.001-08:00

On Saturday morning I had the day off, instead of sleeping in and enjoying a relaxing day.. I woke up at 7:00 am and traveled to Redondo Beach for the annual Big Ten Pub Crawl. My beloved Ohio State Buckeyes played the disgusting Michigan Wolverines this weekend.

We arrived at the Pier in Redondo Beach around 9:00 am and started drinking mimosas.

Enjoyed watching our Buckeyes beat (for the sixth time in a row, I might add) the disgusting team from the north.

It smells like roses! We are so excited for our Buckeyes to play in Pasadena on New Years Day!

I am..

2009-11-25T06:00:00.000-08:00

In case you need to catch up on my life I am currently...

excited about decorating our new apartment for Christmas!
worried about finding said apartment in time to move in by December 5th. (yea, that's soon)
reading websites with recipes for Thanksgiving turkey.
creating cheesy potatoes!
loving relaxing nights with Peter.
hating busy schedules.
wondering how I will survive the cold when I go home for Christmas!
craving time with my family.
listening to the 500 days of summer soundtrack on repeat.
watching anything with Kristen Wiig (I want to be her BFF, for real)!

DVR-ing Grey's Anatomy, Project Runway, Friday Night Lights, The Hills

(this list was adapted from one of my favorite bloggers Kerry @ your wishcake)

Holiday Fireworks!

2009-11-22T21:00:00.001-08:00

While relaxing on the couch with hubby tonight, watching last night's SNL we heard a super loud BANG! which sounded like a gunshot. We looked at each other with fear in our eyes. A second later, another BOOM! and then we realized.. it's fireworks from the Christmas (or should I say Holiday?) Tree Lighting Ceremony at the Grove tonight!

We just enjoyed an amazing (and completely random) fireworks show from our backyard. Holiday fireworks? Only in LA.. I love it here!

The Search Is On..

2009-11-09T10:13:00.000-08:00

So, our lease is up at the end of this month and we're on the big hunt for a new place. I think that apartment shopping is one of the most annoying things in the world. If I could make a list of the most annoying things they would be; apartment shopping, looking for flights, doing dishes, and laundry. All four of those things have to be done, and often, but nonetheless they are always annoying to me.

Anyway, we are currently living close to Hollywood in a rather large apartment complex. We are pretty unhappy with the complex, how much we're paying for rent, and the way we've been treated by the management. In turn, we're moving! We definitely decided we want to be closer to the westside. For those of you unfamiliar with LA that means.. close to the beach!

We are so excited to move that way. We love the neighborhoods in the Venice and Marina Del Ray area. We think it fits our personality and we can't wait to walk to the beach together next summer!

We spent all day Saturday apartment shopping and luckily found some really great places! We are encouraged and excited to actually be saving money and to live someplace that we feel happier.

Halloween 09

2009-11-06T06:00:00.000-08:00

I dressed up 3 times for Halloween this year. I think that is an all time record for me.

October 30th = "zombie cheerleader & band geek" inspired by some amazing band uniforms we found at a thrift store in Hollywood.

October 31st daytime = "hippie" I don't have any photos of this since it is the (poorly executed) costume I wore to work during the day.

October 31st night = "roller derby girl & her coach" inspired by the film, Whip It! My name was Cupcake Killa (thanks to Jon!) and I was pretty rad if I do say so myself.

What did you dress up as for Halloween?

Life Update #2

2009-11-04T06:00:00.000-08:00

We decided to celebrate fall by attending an apple orchard in Oak Glen about an hour away from LA. It ended up being about 95 degrees the Saturday we attended the orchard which made it feel less than fallish and a bit more like we were in an apple orchard desert. Luck wasn't with us that day because when we arrived at the orchard they were out of apples. What kind of orchard runs out of apples?! At least we got some cute pictures of the girls in some bonnets and myself in a creepy rabbit hat.

We didn't end up getting any apples. We did purchase a pumpkin picked fresh from the path, drank way too much apple cider, and enjoyed a few delicious doughnuts. Oh fall in Los Angeles... you are nothing like the fall I know in Ohio, but don't worry I love you nonetheless.

Life Update #1

2009-11-02T06:00:00.000-08:00

So, apparently I took about a sabbatical from blogging. I miss writing, sharing my life, and my blog friends so I'm officially back! First I will have a series of posts about what I've been doing for the past two months and then hopefully jump back into regular updates!

About a month ago we went camping in Little Lakes Valley a few hours north of LA. We hiked in to the park with HUGE (and I seriously mean HUGE, like I'm going to pass out HUGE) bags on our backs. We hiked several miles to our campground overlooking a beautiful lake, surrounded by mountains. It was literally the most beautiful and peaceful place I've ever been. At night, the stars.. oh my I can't even explain how amazing the stars were.

Here is a picture of the whole group at our lovely campsite in our "kitchen" where we spent most of our time enjoying pitas, peanut butter, and dehydrated meals (which were surprising delicious, or maybe we were just surprisingly hungry and willing to eat anything..).

This was probably one of the toughest and most physically draining weekend's I ever experienced. I wouldn't say I'm the most "out-doorsy" of girls but I actually did enjoy my time in the wilderness. It was nice to get out of LaLa Land for the weekend and enjoy the fresh air.

I'll be missing you..

2009-10-13T22:48:00.000-07:00

I miss blogging. I'll be back soon, I promise.

I'm sorry for my the sabbatical.

Big news in my life.. today it rained in LaLa Land. It feels like fall and I'm wearing boots.

Open Letters

2009-09-22T16:47:00.000-07:00

Dear Blog,

Contrary to popular belief, I did not forget about you. I've been a very busy girl with little time to do much of anything. I haven't been to the grocery store or done laundry in weeks, let alone have time to write some blog posts. Please know, my dear, I'll be back soon with tons of excitement. (I even traveled up north to do some hardcore camping and hiking!) Please stick with me, blog, I promise I still love you.

All my love,
Ali in LaLa Land

Dear Job,

You are taking over my life. I'm tired. Retail is hard work. I need new shoes.

Love,
Ali in Job Land

Dear Fall,

Today is apparently the first day of you, but it's almost 100 degrees outside. I know I bragged a lot when it was warm in the winter, but I'm ready for some cooler weather already. I'd like to pull out my boots and sweaters again.

Love,
Ali in Summer Land

Weekend Plans

2009-09-11T09:50:00.001-07:00

I am so excited, we have so many fun things planned, including my mom visiting LaLa Land for the weekend! We're planning a trip to the Getty Center, the beach, a hike, a college football party, and the Dave Matthews Band concert on Sunday! Whew! Mom's going to leave exhausted.

On Saturday our beloved Buckeyes..

Are playing the team from my new city..

I'm sorry Southern California, on game day I don't love you quite as much... GO BUCKEYES!

Girl's Guide to Movies

2009-09-10T11:08:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I had some requests to review Taking Woodstock and I thought I better do that before the weekend comes and you're trying to decide what movie to see and you're cursing Ali in LaLa Land for not reviewing any movies this week. (Ok, that's a stretch, you probably won't do that.)

Moving on.. I don't know if everyone will like this movie. I thought it was a little slow but overall it was good. The relationship between the family at the center of the movie is funny and endearing. I definitely enjoyed that. I also enjoyed the main character and his quest to take care of his family but still have a good life.

The Good: Awesome description of the actual Woodstock, I hope that if I was a young person living then I would have been there. It looked like a great (albeit crazy) time!

The Bad: It was slow, at some points it was just going along too long and I was thinking "wrap it up!"

The Ugly: If you have sensitive eye's you may not enjoy the nudity or the drug scenes.

If I were you, I'd probably wait until it comes out on DVD.

Girl's Grade: C
Boy's Grade: C+

Tuesday Morning Ramblings

2009-09-08T08:00:00.000-07:00

I'm fairly certain that if Peter didn't beg for meals 2-4 times a day I could (and would) sustain myself on wheat thins, cheese, diet coke, and dill pickles. I'd also probably enjoy some sushi, wine, and chocolate chip cookies from time to time. But alas, I have a hungry husband who apparently needs more than just cheese and crackers from me.

I went to Target on Sunday (note to self: never go to Target on a Sunday again, holy crowdedness) and only spent $10. I think that's a first.

On said trip to Target I spent some time in the greeting card aisle trying to pick out a few cards. I was really disappointing in the selection and left empty-handed. Can we please get a little less corny, card makers?

We saw two movies on our Friday "double dip" movie night. First, "Taking Woodstock" then "Extract" I'm conducting a very unofficial poll to see which one you'd like to see a review of first. Please comment your answer. I know how much you all look forward to my movie reviews since I'm such a great critic (again with the sarcasm here).

Fire

2009-09-03T09:00:00.000-07:00

This is the worst title for a blog I've ever seen. Also, I've come to the conclusion that I need to start doing some cooler things so I have something to blog about.

I'm sure by now you've all heard about the fire's in the La Canada area of Los Angeles. No need to worry, about the fires affecting our home, nor are they anywhere close to us, we're very safe here in the city.

While we're safe, it's very very very hot out and the air is very smokey. I've never experienced anything like this!

We have air conditioning in the living room of our apartment and since we're on the first floor, we don't have a great breeze coming through our windows. For the past few nights our living room couch has become our bedroom. It feels like a sleepover every night!

On Saturday there was a huge billowing smoke cloud in the air all day and that night we were able to see the fire's burning from our friend's roof all the way in Venice! Below is a picture of the smoke clouds I took with my cellphone.

While I write this rather lightly, I'm not forgetting about the families that are being personally affected by the fires and have lost their homes. We are and will continue to be praying for them, and I hope you will to.

Football

2009-09-02T21:49:00.000-07:00

I'm admittedly not the sportiest or most athletic girl on the planet. I also didn't know anything about sports until a certain guy with a certain sports obsession came into my life several years ago.

With that being said, another reason I'm excited for fall is the return of college football! (I'm not a huge fan of the NFL, although I end up knowing a lot about it due to the guy mentioned above and his tendencies to talk to me about fantasy football every Sunday. It's a real joy, folks.)

We'll be rooting for our beloved Ohio State Buckeyes all the way from California. No, we will NEVER be Trojans fans, never ever. This house will always bleed scarlet & gray.

What's your college football team?

Fall Wish List:

2009-08-28T08:27:00.000-07:00

Boots:

Shirt Dresses:

Beautiful skirts with tights and boots:

Comfy sweaters:

Pretty necklaces:

all images via anthropologie

What are you dreaming about for the fall? Jeans and boots? Comfy sweaters? Do tell!

The Best Cookies Ever

2009-08-27T09:50:00.000-07:00

My cousin Darci gave me the best recipe for chocolate chip cookies. They are delicious (like I eat 6 at a time delicious) and I think you should make them too! I was in the mood to do some baking and somehow I convinced Peter that it would be fun if he helped. I think he mostly enjoyed eating the cookie dough.

Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs (room temp if possible)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt (I added 2 teaspoons of sea salt for a sweet/salty creation!)
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cream butter, brown sugar and white sugar together in a mixer (I'm not cool enough to have a fancy mixer, so I just use my hand mixer.) Then add the eggs, one at a time. Beat until creamy. Add the vanilla.

In another bowl mix the dry ingredients together before slowly adding them to the creamed mixture. When combined, stop the mixer and add the semi-sweet chips. Mix up and then drop by the teaspoonful onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Mold them into a ball as best as you can with the spoon for a more shaped cookie.

Bake on 350 degrees for 8 minutes. Place on wire rack to cool. Enjoy!

(Thanks for the great recipe Darci!)

I forgot to take a picture of the finished cookies. This is reason #23 why I'm the lamest blogger ever. I guess you'll just have to make some to see (and enjoy) the final product!

Thoughts..

2009-08-24T16:26:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting at my computer trying to write about our trip to Ohio but I've deleted my work 4 times now. I simply don't know how to put it into words, not because it was so amazing and not because it was horrible it was just..

Are we happy in Ohio? Yes, it's home, we know it and the people there like the back of our hands. On the flip side, are we happy in LA? Yes! It's exciting, new, adventure, we don't know what each day will bring us. We are honestly happy in both places.

We were asked countless times, "how long are you going to be in California?" or "are you ever coming back to Ohio?" We have no answer for these questions.

If we were still in Ohio we would be buying a house, starting a family, working comfortable jobs and while all that sounds very appealing that is simply not where we are right now. We're still soaring through the opportunities, enjoying our youth, and exploring each new turn in California. Sure, we've broken down a few times and had a few "what the hell were we thinking" moments but we have also made new friends, tried new things, found ourselves outside our comfort zone, and discovered new paths. We've also learned how very important it is to be best friends. No one understands me like Peter, and that's because we've experienced this journey together.

I had a great week in Ohio, I love my friends, family, and the simpler (and much less expensive) life of Ohio. But ultimately I'm happy to be back to our new home in California and excited to see what comes next.

(If you made it to the end of this rambling post I applaud you, I know I don't usually talk about serious stuff on here, but it was what I needed today. You deserve a chocolate chip cookie.)

I'm on a boat...

2009-08-21T12:08:00.000-07:00

I got my swim trunks, and my flippy floppys..

Yes, this weekend we'll be "on a boat!" but we won't be with Andy Samberg and T-Pain, we're spending the weekend with family on Lake Erie.

I plan to read my book, drink cocktails, swim, and enjoy family time before we head back to the city of angels Sunday night.

If you have no idea what I'm talking about or who Andy Samberg and T-Pain are, see this video. It's a joke, Mom.

Beauty Bar

2009-08-19T09:00:00.000-07:00

In my humble opinion, the best salon in the whole world is right here in Ohio. It's called The Beauty Bar and is located in a beautiful old house in Toledo.

One of my best friends is a stylist at this amazing place and recently started a super cool blog called Behind the Chair at the Beauty Bar. On the blog she will be highlighting salon specials, product reviews, celebrity hair, and all kinds of exciting beauty information. Last week she featured OPI's new fall collection. I love OPI nailpolish and the new colors are beautiful!

Stop by the blog and say hello to Shannon, and if you're in the Toledo area I definitely recommend you checking out the Beauty Bar. You can visit her new blog here!

Where are we?

2009-08-17T09:00:00.000-07:00

We're not in LaLa land this week folks. In fact, we are very very far away from LA..

So where in the world is Ali?

I'm in Ohio folks! It's hot and humid here, I'm afraid I may melt.

We spent the weekend with my family having a blast at the Marriot in Cincinatti. My family loves hotel rooms, we always spend our weekends together in hotels since we're all from different locations around the country (NYC, South Carolina, Chicago, Florida, San Fran, and LA!)

Now we're back in Toledo enjoying time with friends and hubby's family.

It's good to be home.

(but don't worry LaLa Land, I still love you!)

Take Me Out To The Ballgame!

2009-08-12T09:00:00.000-07:00

We had such a great time at the Dodgers game! (I swear to you EVERY time I go to a baseball game it goes into extra innings, I think I'm a curse!) And even though the Dodgers lost, I really enjoyed getting back to my roots and cheering on the home team!

Here are some pictures from the game for your viewing pleasure!

This is where Dugout Daisy was sitting! Directly across the stadium from us!

Also, this is LA so there were of course some celebrities at the game. They did a little tribute to MJ because his brother Jermaine was there! And the best celeb of the night, the gorgeous Josh Duhamel!!

I Scream for Yogurt? (Part 2)

2009-08-10T10:25:00.000-07:00

A long long time ago I told you about how much I love Pinkberry here. Well through the months of living in LaLa my love for Pinkberry and many other frozen yogurt establishments (Twist! Yogurtland!) has grown. Then a few months ago Pinkberry released 2 new flavors for summer; Passionfruit & Coconut.

I am in love. (The picture makes it look like it's no different from Original, but trust me, it is!)

I can't even begin to describe how much I love the coconut pinkberry with chocolate chips and strawberries. It's changed my life a little bit.

In case you're wondering there's a Pinkberry within walking distance from my apartment which also happens to be the mall I work at. Needless to say, I'm a fanatic.

My Bad

2009-08-07T12:27:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry for my blogging break. I'm embarrassed and ashamed. I have an entire list of things to tell you about but I've been slacking. I don't want this to become a burden, because I really enjoy writing and sharing my life in LaLa Land with you.

For now.. I'm doing something very exciting tonight. One of my favorite summer pastimes, and this is my first time doing it in LA! I'm sure you can imagine my excitement.

I'm going here:

To see..

Play..

Next week I'll be back and full of exciting things to talk about, like Pinkberry flavors, shopping excursions, and even a trip to Ohio to see the fam. I'm sure you're all "totally stoked" but in the mean time, have a great weekend!

Girl's Guide to Movies

2009-07-30T09:00:00.000-07:00

Here's the part where I admit to the internets that I've only seen the HP movies and I've never read the books. I'll lower my head in shame here and tell you that I don't think I can adequately review the movie based on that fact. So remember as I discus further, I don't have an amazingly well written book to compare and contrast, I only have the 5 other films.

(I plan to start reading the series as soon as a friend loans me book 1. I know I'm super late in the game, but I'm excited to begin reading and I know I'll love them.)

Anyway.. moving on to the review. I loved the movie! The actors are growing into young adults and having new emotions which creates fun new romantic story lines. There's a lot of humor in this book including an hilarious scene where Harry takes a potion to make him "lucky". There is suspense, and a scene so scary that I jumped and grabbed Peter's arm. And another scene so sad that I was in tears. HP 6 has all the things; humor, romance, suspense, and emotion that make a great film. My completely unbiased to the book opinion on the movie is that it was awesome. I can't wait to read the books so I can find out more about the story!

Girl's Grade: A
Boy's Grade: A-

Snapshots of a Summer Evening

2009-07-29T09:00:00.000-07:00

A drive up the mountains on the back of the motorcycle.

A beautiful sunset.

Quality time with my husband.

Priceless.

A Taco & A Truck

2009-07-27T09:00:00.000-07:00

Have you heard about Kogi? If you don't live in LA you might not have gotten hip to the taco truck phenomenon yet, but I hear it's taking the nation by storm. Maybe there will be some traveling restaurants in ole' Ohio some time soon!

Anyway, Kogi is a Korean BBQ taco truck that travels all over Los Angeles. You can find Kogi's locations by following them on twitter. How 2009 is that?!

Last week, Peter and I ventured out for our first Kogi experience at Space 1520 on Cahuenga Blvd. The line wasn't as long as I expected and was enjoyable because the truck has a pretty sweet sound system and was blaring some music.

I ordered three tacos (chicken, spicy pork, and spicy ribs) and a diet coke for $8. What a deal. The food was absolutely delicious! I can't wait to go back and try more things at Kogi (like the burriotos, quesadillas, CUPCAKES!, and the kogi dog).

There are so many cool things in this city! As Randy Newman so elequently put it, "I love LA.. I love it!"

The Jamin Fund

2009-07-25T09:00:00.000-07:00

Please take some time this weekend to check out this video made by my good friend Parker Wilson. The Jamin Fund was started in memory of his brother Jamin Wilson. This video is powerful, emotional, and will probably have you crying. I promise you it will make you want to get off the couch and go to Kenya right this second to help, at least that's what it made me want to do!

The Jamin Fund: School Building at Pimbiniet from Parker Wilson on Vimeo.

Thank you to Parker for sharing your work with us, it is inspirational.

Biker Chic

2009-07-22T22:41:00.000-07:00

Have I mentioned that we're a one car family? When we traveled across the country to move to LaLa Land we sold Peter's VW golf. We kept our VW passat but another car wasn't really in the cards for us at this point so Peter ended up buying an oldish motorcycle on craigslist. Yes, my husband is a biker dude (that wears converse tennis shoes and drives volkswagens) but nonetheless, a biker dude.

Anyway, Peter recently passed the motorcycle test and can now carry passengers on his bike. I've been wanting to ride on the bike but we hadn't gotten around to buying a helmet yet. On Saturday while I was at work my sweet husband went out and bought me the cutest, pinkest, most perfect helmet so I can ride the bike with him! I absolutely love it.

Although riding a motorcycle can be very dangerous you have my promise that Peter is an extremely safe driver. Riding a motorcycle in LA is extremely convenient -- it's easy to find parking, bypass traffic, and get around the city much quicker than in a car. Also, my pink helmet is awfully cute.

Summer Essentials (Part 2)

2009-07-17T09:48:00.001-07:00

I thought of another thing I couldn't live without this summer. Another "summer essential" if you will.

Friday night, half price, sushi!

I love sushi. I could eat it every single day. We've found some great places that offer "happy hour" on sushi and it's half price and amazingly delicious!

What am I doing this evening? Going out for sushi of course, and then maybe a stop for my first diddy riese. I've decided that I can't live another day in LA without trying this delicious treat.

Girl's Guide to Movies

2009-07-15T09:00:00.000-07:00

Remember when I told you I read the book? I loved the book. I liked the movie. The book and the movie do not go hand in hand. While a lot of things are similar there are very big parts of the movie that are different then the book. When I say big parts I mean like the ending and the point of the ENTIRE book. The fact that the ending and a bunch of other details are different than the book obviously bothered me. It didn't bother me enough to tell you that I didn't enjoy (and when I say enjoy I mean ball my eyes out) the movie. I really did like the movie, if you're looking for a good cry, well.. see this movie. I pretty much cried through the entire movie. I thought the actors were good representations of the characters in the book. If you never read the book, and you're a woman who likes to cry, you'll love this movie!

Girls Grade: B
(The boy did not see this movie but I don't think he would have given it a very good grade.)

Bullet Points

2009-07-13T22:58:00.001-07:00

I'm super busy at work this week, so I think this is one of my only moments to blog. I'm going to try to fit a few things in. Maybe you'll get some bullet points. Let's see...

I had an incredibly lazy weekend. This was due to the fact that I had a migraine pretty much all weekend. I think said migraine came from lack of water in-take and a heat wave in So Cal. I was pretty miserable and spent a lot of the weekend sleeping.

Did I tell you guys that a got a Gucci bag at Crossroads for 35 dollars? Oh, well I did and she's beautiful.

I also don't think I've mentioned that I'm watching the Bachelorette this season (would you really expect anything less?) I obviously thought Wes was a tool. I was creeped out by the angry guy from Ohio (LOL) and I really loved Reid. I think I wanted Reid to win. Now, I don't really know what I want. I think I like Kypton. Maybe I don't. Did I mention I super bad at making decisions?

Lastly, I think searching for flights is one of the most annoying things in the world. How the heck do I actually find the best deal? Any tips would be appreciated. Thank you.

On that note, I'm heading to bed. I have to be at work super early in the morning. I'll leave you with a picture of my beautiful new home which I've grown to love oh so much..

Aww..

2009-07-10T13:36:00.000-07:00

Yesterday this guy..

Surprised me at work with these..

And took me to dinner at..

(I realize the dinner isn't the most romantic spot, but it's one of our favorites.)

It was a great surprise.

I hope you have a surprisingly wonderful weekend!

Girl's Guide to Movies

2009-07-09T09:00:00.000-07:00

I enjoy Johnny Depp & Christian Bale. What could go wrong in a movie with both of them in the lead roles? Well, a lot. I didn't really like this movie. Too much shooting, not enough story line, too many characters for me to ever figure out who's who. I did like the love story between Johnny and Billie. It's sweet, charming, and brings a little light into a movie that is mostly filled with dark, depressing scenes. Another part of the movie that is mildly entertaining is the humor that is brought in when the rob a bank. At the beginning you think the criminals are going to be funny, but they aren't. They're only funny when robbing a bank. Ironic. Throughout the movie I thought, "this must be a boy movie, I hope Peter's enjoying it" but it turns out he didn't like it very much either. Sadly, I wouldn't suggest seeing this movie.

Girl's Grade: D-
Boy's Grade: D

Movies I WOULD suggest seeing this summer: The Hangover, The Proposal, My Sister's Keeper, Away We Go, 500 Days of Summer (I'll be reviewing more of these films in the next few weeks!)

Party Time! Excelent!

2009-07-08T09:00:00.000-07:00

My fourth of July weekend was simply perfect. Time was spent at the beach, the mall, and with friends. I don't think there's much more I could ask for (except maybe an appearance by my family, I miss them.)

(I think I'm turning into one of those girls you wish they all could be... yes I'm turning into a California girl. I crave spending every day at the beach, my hair just can't get too long or blonde, and I say things like "rad" "stoked" and "the freeway.")

Moving on.. some of my dear girlfriends rent a house in Venice. To my mid-western folks that doesn't seem strange, but hanging out at a house is totally foreign to LA people. We're constantly cramped in our one bedroom apartments trying to squeeze a party in here and there. The house girls were kind enough to throw a 4th of July party equipped with TONS of space and even more food. I think there was food covering every party of the kitchen, dining room, and outdoor eating area.

We ate ourselves silly, played games (Cornhole! hello Ohio!), did some daytime drinking, and walked to the beach for the fireworks. I have to be completely honest with you, the firework situation in the Venice/Santa Monica beach area is sub-par to say the least. I propose to you city counsel people that are reading this dear ole blog that next year you invest in some fireworks because come on, who doesn't want to watch fireworks sitting on the beach.

Summer Essentials

2009-07-07T15:00:00.000-07:00

An awesome California blogger, Lyndsy, over at Yellow Brick Blog has been featuring different bloggers "summer essentials" all week. I thought I'd join in on the fun and tell you all about some of my summer essentials.

*What one item can you not live without this summer?

This summer I can't live without my black ray-ban sunglasses (ok, mine are fakies, but the real ones are so cute) or my tan rainbow sandals. Both scream "summer at the beach" which is where I plan to spend every day off this summer.

*What are you craving for summer 2009?

This summer I'm craving a week at a beach house in Newport Beach. I don't think it's actually going to happen but I think it would be an amazing summer vacation. I picture spending all day at the beach and all night grilling out, drinking cocktails, and enjoying friends.

*What is your essential summer album for 2009?

Anything by one of my new favorite bands, Vampire Weekend, they are the perfect southern California summer-lovin band.

What are you summer essentials? Let me know, I'd love to find some new things to try and new bands to love this summer!

Date Night

2009-07-06T22:50:00.000-07:00

Tonight I had a great date with Peter. It left me smiling for hours.

My favorite "date" is not the normal, get dressed up, go out to dinner and a movie type date (but don't get me wrong, that's tons of fun too). My favorite date with Peter is make an early dinner at home, (tonight we had yummy baked chicken and green bean casserole) go for a walk at the park near our apartment, go to the mall that's across the street to spend a few hours at Barnes & Noble. We've been having dates at book stores ever since we first started dating. Our favorite thing to do is choose some books or magazines, find a couch, and settle in for some reading. We also enjoyed a Starbucks iced coffee and a yummy m&m blondie. Then we came home and lounged together doing separate things, together. That sounds like somewhat of an oxymoron but I love when I can feel close to my hubby even though I'm watching the Bachelorette and he's doing work on the computer or he's playing Tiger Wood's while I blog (what we're currently doing, haha). Tonight was comfortable and relaxed.

What's your favorite date night activity? I'd love some more cheap & fun alternatives to dinner & a movie!

The 5th of July

2009-07-05T22:46:00.000-07:00

I made a 5th of July resolution today.

5th of July resolutions are kind of like new years resolutions, but they happen on the day after independence day.

I am getting back to my blog.

I've been neglecting her. She is sad. I am sad. My readers (also known as "mom") are sad.

Life is great in LaLa Land. I still love California, and I still have a lot to say.

Ali in LaLa Land is back, and better than ever, baby.

Anyone else have any 5th of July resolutions?

A Bicycle Built For Two

2009-06-29T11:33:00.000-07:00

I fell in love with Newport Beach this weekend.

Newport is in Orange County and it took us about an hour to get there from our house. It's so beautiful!! There are tons of beach houses (which we will rent someday) bikes everywhere, a path along the ocean and another path along the bay which is filled with more beautiful homes and tons of boats. I am such a beach/boat/water girl, this was my paradise. We visited Newport with our best friends and we even had cheap Mexican for dinner which is my absolute favorite type of food.

After dinner we were walking to the pier when we stumbled upon a bike shop that was offering $5 rides for the last 30ish minutes of the day. What a great deal! Heck yes we'll ride your bikes for $5! So we decided to get tandem bikes, and it was so fun. Our bike was even equipped with a horn perfect for honking at everyone we passed. We biked down the beach, the pier, and in the bay. (This is the point where I fall deeply in love with Newport Beach.) It was a very fun, impromptu ride around the city.

We ended the night at an great beach bar called the Balboa Saloon where they were playing awesome jukebox music. I officially want to move to Newport someday (or at least visit it all the time and rent beach houses every summer), who's with me?

Celeb-Alert!

2009-06-25T16:48:00.000-07:00

I've been seeing so many celebrities* lately!

The first two ladies Amy Adams and Rebecca Gayheart I saw shopping at Anonymous Store! It's still exciting to me that I see celebs while I'm at work!

Next, Tuesday night Peter and I were on our way to a birthday party in Burbank when we saw Jay Leno driving in an old-fashioned car with the top down!

Then, just today I saw Marlon Wayans at the grocery store!

*I don't know if people still care about my celeb sightings, but I have to document them somehow, right?

Honestly...

2009-06-18T00:32:00.000-07:00

I got my first ever blogger award this week from my new friend (and soon to be La La Land resident) My Wooden Heart! I'm so excited about this guys, I feel so le-git. It's called the "Honest Scrap Award"

Okay, here's how it works.

"The Honest Scrap award comes with a caveat or two. Firstly, you have to tell your readers ten things about you they may not know, but that are true. Secondly, you have to tag 10 people with the award. Thirdly, let all the people you've given the award to know that they've gotten it (comment on their blogs or something). And finally, make sure you link back to the person who awarded you."

Ok, here goes nothing..

1. I love the real calorie filled, bad for you, Coca-Cola Classic more than any other soda. I made myself switch to Diet Coke or Coke Zero before my wedding to lose weight. I don't often drink "real coke" anymore but it will always be my favorite.

2. I am an only child. My husband is an only child. At times we treat each other like brother and sister to make up for it. This is not a good thing.

3. I am deathly afraid of snakes. I can't talk about them, watch them on tv, or hear hissing. Snakes make me feel physically ill.

4. My favorite movie of all time is Father of the Bride. One time I told a "hot shot" talent agent that and he laughed at me. How rude!

5. I absolutely hate and despise living far away from my mom. I haven't seen her since January and that is just way too long.

6. I love fashion. I don't talk about it much on here because I worry I'd bore my readers but shopping is definitely my favorite past-time and I love it when people ask me for advice on what to wear or borrow my clothes.

7. I am really mad at myself for cutting my hair short after my wedding. I love long hair and am patiently waiting for mine to grow.

8. I can't wear high heels. I'm a wimp.

9. I don't think like I'm experiencing everything LA has to offer because it is so expensive. I feel like I live most of my life saying, "someday..."

10. I am terrified that we will wait a long time to start trying for babies and then I won't ever get pregnant. My ultimate goal in life is to be a mommy. If I don't get pregnant, we WILL adopt.

ok, I'm going to "tag" 5 of my favorite LA bloggy ladies..
Dugout Daisy
For Your Consideration.. Lauren Parrent
The Newlyweds Next Door
Chances are..
Hanako66
*it's okay if you don't want to do this, i promise i won't be mad :)

Matt in La La Land

2009-06-17T08:00:00.000-07:00

Today you're going to get the pleasure of hearing from Matt, who has been a great friend of mine since high school -- he is also enjoying life in La La Land! I hope you enjoy his sense of humor as much as I do!

I have been an avid fan of Ali’s blog since the beginning, and I feel honored to be a guest writer for the day. She recently told me she was hitting some writer’s blocks, so I’m going to take advantage of this and let everyone know a few things that have been on my mind lately.

I hate Susan Boyle.

I started hearing about her in the news about a month ago, and how amazing of a singer she was. With her grandmotherly appearance, she became an internet phenomenon with her underdog story of success, singing in her local church choir. Eventually, I grew curious enough to find her on youtube. All of her videos had millions of views, five stars across the board. I knew this was going to be spectacular…

And then it wasn’t. I’ve never felt so short changed in my entire life. She was so-so at best, missing notes throughout her whole song. As days passed, her popularity only grew, and everyone kept talking about how amazing she was. Well, I wasn’t buying into the hype, and I’ve grown to despise her. Every time I see that stupid smile and frizzy gray hair, I hope and pray it’s my last

Subway sandwiches go bad after 20 minutes.

The announcement of $5 footlongs has been one of the most exciting things that have happened to me within the last year (besides getting married and moving across the country, of course). I love Subway and could eat it a few times a week without getting sick of it. Just yesterday, I had my favorite sandwich: turkey with “the works” and a strip of honey mustard.

My word of warning: Eat quickly, and don’t save your leftovers. Subway sandwiches are really gross after 20 minutes. We’ve all put our other 6 inches in the fridge for a later meal, and the soggy mess always grosses us out. Yet, we keep doing it. I’ve even toasted my sandwich to dry out the wet bread, which actually helps a little, but it still doesn’t solve this gross problem.

Finally, wobbly chairs and tables are the worst.

You sit down for lunch at your favorite local café to realize in horror that not only is your chair wobbly, but so is the ENTIRE TABLE. Every elbow rests spills water, and nobody can agree on which way it should sit. If you’ve ever run into this problem with me, I don’t hesitate to take a wad of napkins and stuff it under the short leg. I highly recommend this successful technique.

I guess the point I’m trying to make is that if you ever find yourself eating a soggy Subway sandwich on a wobbly table, and you happen to notice Susan Boyle sitting right next to you, just run as far and fast as you can. Life is too short to deal with those types of difficult situations.

Flea Marketing

2009-06-15T10:54:00.000-07:00

On Sunday the gloom lifted. I now think I should have taken that sunshine to the beach but hindsight is 20/20, right? Instead, we headed to the Melrose Trading Post flea market on the corner of Fairfax & Melrose! I'm glad we went because it was a fun thrifting experience. There were hundreds of vendors set up in the school parking lot selling everything from artwork, home goods, clothing, jewlwery, old books and movies, and even bin's filled with random pictures. I ended up coming home with some handmade jewelry, a bracelet and beautiful necklace. There were about a million other things I wanted to buy and plan to go back another day when I have some more cash laying around. We discussed that a flea market is like taking all the best things you'd find at thrift stores and putting them all in one place! And in case you were wondering, random flea market finds like this are reason #122 that I love living in LA!

June Gloom

2009-06-13T09:00:00.000-07:00

Greetings from LaLa Land. I'm here to tell you that it's not always sunny in Los Angeles. This is a recent discovery for me as we entered the time affectionately (or notsomuch) called June Gloom by fellow Angelenos. This is no joke, this month of gloom and I'm officially not a fan. Wikipedia, which I know ALWAYS tells me the truth (joking) says that the gloom is prevalent in many parts of the world where marine stratus clouds* are common and in certain seasons they blow ashore and create the gloomy weather.

So anyway, I'm sick of it and I want my sunny beach days back. I think Mother Nature reads the dear ole' bloggy and I hope that she hears my complaints.

For now.. I'll be dreaming of July..

*I may or may not have taken a class in college called Weather & Climate and I may or may not have gotten a D in said class, being why I may or may not know anything about clouds.

Girl's Guide To Movies

2009-06-12T14:01:00.001-07:00

I absolutely loved this movie. If you are a fan of indie, romantic comedies (that aren't always completely romantic/happy endingish) or Sundance films then you will love this movie as much as I did. Zooey is adorable, she's a great actress. Joseph Gordan Levitt, perfect for this role, I've missed him! The poster says "It's not a love story, it's a story about love" which describes the movie to a tee. As always, I don't want to give away too much of this movie, so I suggest seeing it on your own. The release date is July 17th which brings me to reason #321 that I love living in Los Angeles, FREE advance movie screenings! And yes, Peter loved it too, it's definitely not a chick flick.

Girls Grade: A+

Weekly Mind Dump

2009-06-10T13:37:00.000-07:00

1. I've been a bad blogger recently folks. I can blame it on lots of things.. work, nothing to say, writers block, the a-a-a-a-alcohol (haha, thank you Jamie Foxx) but mostly I'm just being lazy! There's always something to write about in blog world, right?

2. On to point number two.. I've heard people talk about "June Gloom" and I was all "yea right, it's always sunny in El Lay" but hello! I was wrong. June is certainly very gloomy, it reminds me of a certain state that starts with an O and ends with hio. I need to know, So Cal girls, when does summer get here?!

3. Lately, I've had the bug to be crafty. My friend and I created a cardigan out of an over-sized cotton shirt (so cute!), used old picture frames to make earring holders, and plan to buy some canvas to paint artwork for our houses. I'm like a regular Martha Stewart over here. (I'll provide some pictures and maybe some easy shmeasy tutorials of my creations in the next few days!)

4. Peter and I are going to a free screening of the indie romantic comedy "500 Days of Summer" tonight. I'm super excited because the film looks so cute. I'll provide a full review tomorrow. For now, here's the trailer for your viewing pleasure..

Ketchup!

2009-06-03T13:16:00.001-07:00

My friend Lauren, you've met her before here, had 3 friends visiting from her hometown in Missouri this weekend. We decided we needed to show them some Hollywood swankyness so we visited Ketchup on Sunset Boulevard! If you've followed the Hills for the past few years you'll recognize Ketchup as the place where "Speidi" ran into LC and Jason Wahler. Awesome Hills trivia fact, huh? (With each blog post I realize more and more I am such a dork... is that the point of these things?)

This place is SO cool. I didn't take any pictures inside because, let's face it, I didn't want to look like the loser girl taking pictures of the restaurant. I wanted people to think I'd been there a million times!

Ketchup is considered "upscale" diner food. They have mini-cheesburgers, tacos, and even mac&cheese (I don't think I can ever enjoy Kraft again after tasting this) on the menu. You must order Ketchup's signature fries. The are three different types of fries (including sweet potato, yum!) and five different ketchups (obviously!): wasabi, chipotle, maple, mango and ranch.

The waitstaff was ultra friendly which made the place a lot more likable. If this was Yelp I'd give the place 5 stars. It's fun, different, and oh so Hollywood. Little known fact - Ketchup is half price on Sunday nights but you have to be in "the know." They don't give you half off unless you ask for it!

Oh yea, we saw a "celeb" to all you Lost fanatics, I didn't know who he was, but you might! Mr. Echo?!

Mind Dump

2009-06-01T14:06:00.000-07:00

1. I think technology is turning on me. My first generation iPhone is about to bite the dust. It doesn't ring (only vibrates) and is apparently not showing me phone calls considering I've missed a few this weekend that I've never seen. It also decided to stop updating a few months ago.

Also, the internet has suddenly decided to be super slow and not let me load pages half the time. Grr.

2. Did anyone else watch the MTV Movie Awards last night, or am I the only tweeny-bopper still watching that trash? I thought Andy Samberg was hilarious and I loved the performance of his digital shorts. Hilarious if you ask me.

On, that note.. Is Kristen Stewart the most awkward person on the planet? Yes. I think she play's a great Bella because well, Bella is awkward, but come on girl, you looked ridiculous last night. Robert/Edward bugs the crap out of me and after further review I'm officially Team Jacob. Hello Taylor Lautner!

3. I went to Griffith Park again this weekend with some girlfriends and a bird pooped directly on my nose. It was disgusting and disturbing.

4. I have to work until "close" three nights this week. That means I'll be at work past midnight. Ew.

5. I also went to Ketchup on Sunset Blvd. So swanky, so Hollywood. Further review coming soon!

wholearth

2009-05-30T11:17:00.000-07:00

My best friend is a huge product girl. She could spend hours in Sephora trying out everything they have to offer. She loves trying new products. She always teases that I've had the same makeup since high school which is mostly true. (Not the same tubes, I've gotten new ones, I just use the same stuff over and over.) Lots of girls are like my BFF, but I never really get into beauty products.

Wednesday at Anonymous store we had a morning meeting to learn about a new beauty product that we are carrying. I was less than thrilled that I had to wake up early to test beauty products. But what do you know, I was impressed.

The product is called wholearth and it's the first completely USDA approved organic beauty product on the market. And, all bottles are made with 100% PCR (post consumer recycled) materials! You all know I'm trying to to be more green so I definitely appreciated learning about this new product. The creator is an impressive and determined man focused on green-living. I learned a lot from him about products and how many bad chemicals are seeping into you blood stream (60% of what you put on!).

Anyway, I payed close attention to his presentation like a good little girl and got a trivia question right at the end and I won a free bottle of wholearth body wash! Go me! I used it today and I really liked it! It smells pretty good, but the best thing is bad stuff isn't entering my body! Here's what I won:

So if you're into green living and beauty products, you should check out wholearth! This anti-product girl thought it was pretty cool.

Real Housewives of LaLa Land

2009-05-29T09:00:00.000-07:00

I have a confession to make. I hate cleaning. Shocked? Probably not if you know me. I love to cook but hate to clean. I'm a half of a Real Housewife of LaLa Land. On that note, what exactly do the Real Housewives of (insert city name here) actually do that is housewifeish (new word, yes!)? Do they cook? Not that I see. Do they clean? Hell no, they have maids for that. Do they take care of/drive around their children? That's what nanny's are for. Do they pay bills? Um.. no. To me a housewife cooks, cleans, drives children, takes complete care of children, pay's the bills, and takes care of the entire household but that is definitely not what these "Real" Housewives do. They basically just start drama. Yes, I watch this silly show, but it's like watching a train wreck and you just can't stop. The OC is usually my favorite but these Jersey girls are amazing!

Another embarrassing confession, I'm also watching the Bachelorette. I really like Jillian. I also like Jake the pilot. I don't like Wes the musician/d-bag.

Why are my posts always about TV shows? I'm seriously lame. Somebody, find me a life, and find it quickly!

Man Flu

2009-05-28T10:46:00.000-07:00

I love my husband, I really do.

He has the "man flu". Does anyone know about the "man flu"? It's when your man get's sick and then the world ends. They don't know how to be sick, take medicine, or function while sick. I get sick all the time, I complain a bit but it doesn't end my life. My husband get's sick rarely and when he does he is super sick and a super pain in the arse, if you ask me.

Two nights ago he was tossing, turning, sniffling, whining, blowing, and generally doing everything possible to keep me awake. Last night I went to bed before him to avoid the annoying husband trying to fall asleep.

I hope this man flu goes away soon.

P.S. I love my husband, I really do.

Memoralizing Memorial Day

2009-05-25T21:03:00.000-07:00

It was a great Memorial Day in LaLa Land! I had to work all day/night Saturday which isn't exactly the way I wanted to spend my memorial day weekend, but Sunday and Monday made up for it! We enjoyed a cook-out at an AMAZING beach house where a friend was dog-sitting. If only I could live in a beautiful beach-front house.. if only.. I wish.. someday. Anyway, moving on, it was fun and made me feel like summer is definitely on the way. I'm ready for warm summer nights though, it's still so chilly here at night!

Monday, Peter and I went to the beautiful Griffith Park! Griffith is basically LA's version of Central Park except that it's on a gigantic mountain. We enjoyed a picnic lunch in the grass and then took in the sights, and my what a view! The pictures will speak for themselves.

I love all the cool and free things we can do in Los Angeles. I really enjoy my city!

He Did It!

2009-05-21T10:20:00.000-07:00

YES! My boy did it!

I'm sure you could assume that this morning you would get a post about Kris, and you're right. And I guess I can promise you it will be my last post about Kris until I buy his album.

I was so deleriously happy last night, you honestly would have thought I actually am friends with Kris in real life. I was jumping up and down on the couch, screaming, crying, laughing, yelling, and generally freaking out my husband. Kris winning was SO unexpected to me (and to him, I think!) I just could not stop talking about him. Long after the show ended and we were laying in bed I was trying to start a conversation about how happy we are for Kris but Peter was just not having it. He was all, let it go, Ali! So, here's me letting it go..

I'd like to think I had a part in him winning. I voted hundreds of times for him on Tuesday night and generally talked him up the entire season. I've been talking about him on here since February. I don't expect to get any sort of thank you card or anything from Kris, but maybe he could just stop by and say hi before he jet's off to whatever fabulous tour destination he'll start at like Detroit or something. I mean, I think I deserve some credit for being such a die-hard fan.

Anyway, I'm proud of my boy and I will be buying his first, second, third, and many album's to come because I truly think he will be a successful musician.

*I am joking about thinking he owes me anything, and I loved Kris from the begining it had nothing to do with disliking Adam. I think Adam is very talented and will go far so please no hate mail from fans.

Quakin'

2009-05-20T15:46:00.001-07:00

So this post is a little overdue, but I felt my first and second earthquake this week in LA! The first one on Sunday night really freaked me out, I'm not going to lie about that. I was sitting at the couch with my back to our back door (which leads into a large shared yard area) and I thought at first someone was coming in our apartment! A second later I realized the entire apartment was shaking and so were we. Peter and I looked at each other a little freaked out, I was all "our first earthquake!" It was a pretty big one with a magnitude of 4.7 and the epicenter was only a few miles away from us. I can't really describe how it feels other than surreal. The earth is literally shaking around you, how strange is that!

Then, yesterday, there was another smaller earthquake in El Segundo which is near the airport. And now I'm starting to get a little freaked out.. what's with all the earthquakes?! My friend Alex thinks the big one is coming. That freaks me out.

I may have googled "how to prepare for an earthquake" yesterday because I literally do not know what to do. I learned that I should stand in a door way or under a sturdy object like a table. I think I'm going to make Peter do a drill like we used to do in elementary school. I'm also going to pick up some water gallons and canned food. The big one's coming folks, I don't know about you, but this Californian is going to be prepared.

Girls Guide To Movies

2009-05-18T06:00:00.000-07:00

I didn't know if I'd like this movie, but I'd heard great reviews from guys and girls so we ventured out to be trekkies last week. I surprised myself by how much I actually liked Star Trek! The character's are developed beautifully, some great actors are playing said characters, and it has a surprisingly sweet story. There were a few parts that I got really confused by the time-line of the movie, I think this comes from never watching Star Trek before in my life so I had to have a review on the way home. Overall, I thought it was a great action movie and definitely a "guy movie" that was enjoyable for girls too. If you're man wants to go see this instead of the latest chick flick, give it a chance, you might like it too. Also, it doesn't hurt that Chris Pine who plays Captian Jim Kirk is easy on the eyes.

Girls Grade: A -
Boys Grade: B

On Nose Rings

2009-05-15T06:00:00.000-07:00

Okay so I watched the video and decided it's way to disgusting and you may have bad dreams if I post it. So I'll just post some photo's instead. Why did I get my nose pierced? Well, honestly I've wanted it for a while now and I've just been putting it off because of all the wedding's I've been in. I think it's a cute fun ring that I don't have to have forever but is fun for now.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

It's tiny, you can literally barely see it, but I like it.

Over It

2009-05-14T16:00:00.000-07:00

1. Miss California vs. Perez vs. the world

2. Manny Ramirez

3. Jon & Kate's cheating scandal

4. Adam Lambert

5. Lindsay Lohan

Mind Dump

2009-05-14T10:10:00.000-07:00

I feel like I have so much to talk about but I've been so BUSY lately I don't have time to blog. This busy life thing is new to me! I started my job yesterday and oh my let me tell you it's wonderful, I love it, and I think I'm going to be very happy working there. So now my mission is to find another part time gig.

Moving on... Remember way back in March where I told you all that I loved Kris Allen here? I can barely contain my excitement that he's in the finals. My throat may or may not hurt this morning because I screamed so loud when my guy Ry told Kris he was IN. My husband thinks I'm ridiculous. I also cried my eyes out when they showed his home-town visit. What is wrong with me?

In other news, I jumped onto another bandwagon this week. Yesterday was my second day of Jillian Micheals 30 Day Shred. If you've been following my twitter you know that on my first go around of the Shred I mentioned that I though that Jillian is a heartless bia, and to quote my favorite movie, "that was way harsh." I don't think she's heartless anymore, because she told me she wants me to have good ab's, but I still think she's a bia. When she tells me I can't take a break I want to punch her in her stupid face.

But I digress..

I'm going to Shred every day for 30 days and hopefully be toned by June.

I am disturbed by the news of Jon & Kate. I am obsessed with those children. I've always had thoughts about Kate similar my above thoughts about Jillian but I am so sad for them. Didn't they just go to Hawaii and renew their vows in order to show their children that even though a lot of Mommy's and Daddy's don't stay together forever they will? Damn you reality TV, you are so good but so bad.

I may have a video of my nose getting pierced. Is that too disgusting to show on blogland? What do you think?

Enough Wedding Talk

2009-05-11T11:05:00.000-07:00

Okay, Okay you all must be sick of the wedding talk. I'll get back to my regular scheduled programming in LaLa Land. We had a great weekend, I'll be back with more details later, but just a quick update on the state of my nose! Yes, my nose got pierced! I got a cute little diamond stud and I love it. Here's a picture I took this morning.

More info about the weekend soon, just wanted to let you see the nose ring!

Mother's Day Shout Out!

2009-05-10T12:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day!

I made this video blog to with my mom a Happy Mother's Day. I hope you all enjoy the dorkyness that is me. My hair is blowing in the wind because the fan is on above me, and because it makes me look exotic. Also, I'm sitting at our desktop computer so I just look really weird. And I'm having a bad hair day. Ok, I'm done, here's the video.

Ali's Mother's Day Vlog from TopFiveProductions on Vimeo.

I love you Mom!

One Year

2009-05-10T09:00:00.000-07:00

Come, let's be a comfortable couple and take care of each other! How glad we shall be, that we have somebody we are fond of always, to talk to and sit with. -Charles Dickens

Marriage isn't always easy. If people tell you that there's is, I have a hard time believing them. Marriage is waking up each day and choosing to love each other even though you're not perfect. I think I picked a great man to love and I am blessed to make that decision every day. And people, he loves me, I am so lucky! Even though I complain a lot, let the laundry pile up, and I am usually a pain in the arse, he loves me.

I love the silly things in life with him, laughing about things that no one else would find funny, the look he gives me when he knows I'm about to cry about something as stupid as an American Idol cast-off, the way he is passionate about superhero movies and sports teams, arguing about who's going to get out of bed to turn off the light, and how we don't always agree.. but we always make it work.

I can't wait to fall in love with my husband over and over again as we share life together, enjoy the moment, start our family, share new adventures, grow old together, and continue to change and grow.

Happy 1 Year.

AGAIN: All professional images were taken by our amazing photographer Benjamin Derkin who is based in Ohio. You can check out his website here and he blogs too! You'll be impressed, trust me. I wish I could show you the amazing blurb books he made us. You would hire him immediately, I promise.

Wedding (Part Four)

2009-05-09T06:00:00.000-07:00

I can't even tell you how many times I practiced scrawling my new name on little pieces of paper all over the house. How many nights I wished I didn't have to leave Peter's house and how many mornings I spent wishing I was waking up next to him. How many hours I spent dreaming of what we would do together as a married couple and what it would be like to be a wife, a married woman.

On May 10, 2008 I walked down the aisle to a new life. I no longer made decisions for myself, I was part of a unit now, a pair, a marriage. Our officiant, and good friend, gave a beautiful sermon (which I actually can't really remember until I watch the video, I'm sorry.. it's a blur!) we exchanged vows, and rings, there was some singing and praying most of which feels like I was floating through. We were pronounced husband and wife, we kissed, walked back down the aisle and at this point I actually start to remember things again. It's so weird how it all feels like a blur (has anyone else experienced this or am I just a weirdo?) up until one point of complete shock that -- oh my gosh, this is it!

We took lots of pictures and arrived at the reception (only to find out that things were not exactly going on without a hitch, but more on that later) and were ushered in for the party. I personally, had a great time.

In this moment, our first dance, it felt like we were the only two people in the room. Talking about how much fun we were having, singing "our song" to each other. This is one of the most memorable moments of the night.

In my humble opinion, our reception was a blast. People were up dancing the entire night and didn't want the party to end. We had an amazing time dancing with our friends and family. I love the picture below because it shows how much fun we were having!

I love my husband, and he loves me, and that makes me feel like the luckiest girl in the world.

AGAIN: All professional images were taken by our amazing photographer Benjamin Derkin who is based in Ohio. You can check out his website here and he blogs too! You'll be impressed, trust me. I wish I could show you the amazing blurb books he made us. You would hire him immediately, I promise.

Wedding (Part Three)

2009-05-08T06:00:00.000-07:00

When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible. -When Harry Met Sally

This is a cool picture board that our photographer made for his blog after the wedding. It includes some of my favorite photos from the day. It's kind of small though and I'm not sure how to make it bigger so I'll ad some more pictures myself.

This day, truly, was the best day I've had so far in my life. I assume that this ranking will change once I have children, but for now it remains in the top spot. I've never felt more loved, cared for, or beautiful in my entire life and I don't think I'll ever feel that way again. I'm sure anyone who's gotten married can agree with me. I think my wedding was special and intimate. One of the most special moments, my mom walking me down the aisle. My parents have been divorced for a long time and I haven't had a very happy relationship with my dad. It was only fitting that the woman who raised me (and who is also the most amazing, determined, smartest woman I know) walked me down the aisle to "give me away" to my husband. We also decided to have Peter's mom stand up and "give him away" too. It was a very special moment.

Another special part of our day was only choosing to have 6 friends in our bridal party. It was a hard decision since we have so many great friends, but in the end I think we picked six great people to support our marriage.

If you can't tell in the pictures our colors were dark brown, hot pink, and orange. The girls wore brown silk chiffon dresses of their choice. I loved how the look turned out. The boys wore dark brown pin-striped suits that they got to keep! We thought this was the best ideas for our boys since renting a tux is so expensive and you don't even get to keep it! Peter's idea was to wear a different colored suit, he wore a khaki suit from J.Crew with a striped vest. I love the way the look turned out. The girls and myself carried long stemmed pink and orange gerbera daisy's (my favorite flower!) and the boys had orange gerbera bout's.

Ahhhh.. I love reminiscing about this. I hope you're enjoying my posts!! I bet you're all excited for the next one when I get all sappy about my groom.

AGAIN: All professional images were taken by our amazing photographer Benjamin Derkin who is based in Ohio. You can check out his website here and he blogs too! You'll be impressed, trust me. I wish I could show you the amazing blurb books he made us. You would hire him immediately, I promise.

Wedding (Part Two)

2009-05-07T11:13:00.000-07:00

The day and night before the wedding I was stressed. I even had a mini-freak out session at the salon where we were getting our pedicures and snapped at my mom and bridesmaids (oops! bridezilla moment!) I was rushed getting ready for the rehearsal at the church and stressed because Peter was running late. I was starting to freak out all together and thinking that this was how the whole weekend was going to be. I don't know if any of you other brides can agree but the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner were my least favorite parts of the whole weekend. Everyone's asking you a million questions and you're ready to crash because you've been stressed for weeks!

Finally when the rehearsal dinner ended I was able to go back to my hotel room and chill with my family one last time as a single woman. I went to bed early and slept perfectly through the night! It was so relaxing and I was so happy I was able to get a good night's sleep. The next morning I was up and off, but completely not stressed out. I feel like I floated through the whole day happily. I don't even exactly remember what all I did but I remember sitting in my hotel room with most important women in my life and feeling like things were pretty darn good for me.

Below are three of my favorite details about our wedding. The beautiful old church we were married in, a sentimental heirloom, and of course.. the dress!

This is the church we were married at. It was not our church or one that we had ever attended, but it was beautiful, old fashioned, and just what I wanted. It made for some beautiful pictures!

This is a small detail from the wedding that only a few people know existed. Do you see that small gold and pearl charm. Well, my Gramma (yes, that's how I spell it) wore those earrings for her wedding to my Pa many years ago. After that all the women in my family wore the same earrings in their weddings. My cousin and I decided we wouldn't be wearing the earrings on our ears, they didn't quite match our styles, but we would each incorporate them into our wedding (we both got married in 2008!). So my earring was pinned to my bouquet as I walked down the aisle. It was a very special touch.

This is my beautiful dress. It was perfect for me; simple, fitted, elegant, beautiful beading, and comfortable. I love this shot and the way the dress is hung in the window with the amazing yellow vintage wallpaper.

These are only a few of my favorite details! More posts to come!

All professional images were taken by our amazing photographer Benjamin Derkin who is based in Ohio. You can check out his website here and he blogs too! You'll be impressed, trust me. I wish I could show you the amazing blurb books he made us. You would hire him immediately, I promise.

Wedding (Part One)

2009-05-06T14:42:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's really been a year since our wedding. Although on the other hand so MUCH has happened in the past year to make it feel like twenty.

The Engagement: December 25, 2008 (Christmas Day!) Peter surprised me at my mom's house in Florida on Christmas Day with a beautiful diamond ring. I was completely shocked, he was supposed to be in Ohio with his family!

Obviously, if you're reading this blog you know I said yes. We didn't waste any time with an engagement, most couples love their long engagements and having years plus to plan their weddings, but I'm just not that kind of girl. I was ready to get married! Fast forward 4 and a half months of crazy whirlwind wedding planning and we were there. May 10, 2008.

Thursday and Friday I'll post pictures and recap the wedding day! Any requests for specific pictures? I always love the dress shot. What would you like to see?

Dear American Idol,

2009-05-06T09:44:00.000-07:00

While working on my wedding posts, I have some thoughts about American Idol. These are mad thoughts, so be prepared. If you don't watch Idol you have permission to skip this post.

Adam Lambert - your pants are too tight.

American Idol - you are rigging the winner this year, it's completely obvious and I'm not happy. Here's why I think this - Rock genre this late in the game? "Two seasoned rock stars" Adam and Allison were made for this night which I think is completely unfair for Kris and Danny. In other genre's like country and disco they could take a song and sing it more how they want to in their own genre (i.e. Kris changing his songs to sound more Jason Mraz/poppy) but with this rock genre they weren't really at liberty to do this. They had to act like rock stars which clearly they are not!

Kris Allen - I still love you and you do not deserve to go home tonight, but sadly I think you might.

A Big Week

2009-05-04T12:25:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness, it's such an exciting week in the LaLa Land house! The picture above is a hint at why it's so exciting..

It's our anniversary week! One year ago today we were a few days away from our BIG day. I can't believe how fast time has flown and how much has changed since May 10, 2008. This week will be a week full of nostalgia on the ole' bloggy so be prepared for some wedding talk!

We also had a very fun weekend in the City of Angels (LA has so many nicknames, makes for lots of fun on the net!) full of Kentucky Derby fun and some apartment hunting. Once I get some derby pictures loaded on the computer I'll post those. The pictures are full of big hats, mint julups (eww, I'll stick to mimosas thank you) and boys in pastels (yum!) and daytime drinking. No money was won in the derby though because I bet all my money ($2) on chocolate candy (of course!) but he failed me.

Reading Rainbow

2009-04-30T17:57:00.000-07:00

I'm jumping on the Jodi Picoult bandwagon a few years late and I don't exactly know what took me so long but I'm hooked. After seeing the trailer for My Sister's Keeper (and consequently balling my eyes out through the entire thing) I decided I had to read it before the movie came out. I've probably picked up this book up at Target fifty times only to put it back down. Maybe it looked to sad or something, but hey I like sad things and I love a good cry.

I'm reading the book now, and falling in love with Jodi's writing style and character development and this family's story. One of my favorite things in the whole world is getting lost in a book, and that's exactly where I plan to be for the next few days... maybe with a glass of wine and a big plate of pasta. Heaven on Earth I tell you!

Girl's Guide to Movies

2009-04-30T12:33:00.000-07:00

The Soloist was an all around amazing film. I absolutely loved Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx in this film. I don't want to give too much away but the gist of the story is an LA Times writer (RDJ - who I love and have loved since his Ally McBeal days, did anyone else watch that show?) meets a homeless man (Foxx - who is so talented, in my opinion) and discovers he is an amazing cellist who attended Julliard. They become friends and both learn life lessons along the way. Sounds hokey but it is truly a beautiful story about friendship, forgiveness, music, and grace. It also heart-wrenchingly displays skid row and poverty in Los Angeles. 90,000 people in LA are homeless, and I'm complaining about the size of my apartment and the fact that money is tight right now? Reality check!

Girls Grade - A

You SHOULD see this movie.

Sicky

2009-04-29T11:05:00.000-07:00

I worked at a preschool for a year and a half and during that time I was constantly sick. Little children breed illness and would cough, sneeze, and breathe in my face all day long. It was a long year of feeling like crud and doing everything I could think of to be healthy.

Then, we moved to Los Angeles, and I stopped getting sick! Wow, what a great feeling, I am healthy, not surrounded by sick kids, and I don't have a drippy nose anymore because the air out is here so dry.. freedom!

This week I've been suffering from a scratchy throat and the feeling that sickness was approaching and this morning I woke up feeling like death warmed over. I'm sick for the first time in almost 6 months! No, it's not the swine flu, and I'm over hearing about it. So, I'm spending the day in bed hoping to feel better soon. If I had a personal assistant (I WISH!) I would send her out right now to drive half an hour and get me some Panera* but I don't have an assistant, and I don't want to drive, so it looks like no Panera for me today.

Tomorrow I will hopefully be back to my regularly scheduled programming and my movie review of The Soloist and a discussion of the latest cast-off from American Idol.

*Oh how I miss Panera, the closest Panera's are well, not close to me at all. They are driveable distance but not ever worth the drive. I need my you pick two.

Weekend Recap!

2009-04-28T12:01:00.000-07:00

I had a super busy weekend filled with fun and being spoiled by my mother-in-law with shopping, eating out, beaching, and movies.. what more could a girl in LaLa Land ask for?!

I got three beautiful shirts from my new place of employment (yayyy!!) that I am absolutely in luuuurve with.

We ate some yummy meals out and I got to have a break from cooking (double yay!!!) which made me extremely plump and happy.

We saw an incredible film, The Soloist, which I will provide my full review of either later today or tomorrow.

We visited the Santa Monica Pier (a staple for LA visitors) and took some fun pictures.

Here are some pictures that Peter and I took at the Pier.

On an incredibly side note; my throat is sore and I'm feeling rather lethargic. Are those warning signs for the dreaded swine flu? I sure hope not. I'm considering purchasing a mask.

On Why I Hate Birds

2009-04-23T10:19:00.001-07:00

We have a problem that wakes us up at 5:00 am every morning. It's a bird, I think a crow, I'm not entirely sure what type of mongerel it is. It squaks at such a high decibel for a good 3 minutes EVERY morning at 5:00 am. This awful creature wakes us up with it's ~~singing~~ howling and I've recently remembered that I despise birds. In seventh grade we were forced to watch The Birds in English class (on a sidenote, why did we watch so many movies in English class, weren't we supposed to be reading?) I think this movie is scary, people! Crow's pecking my eyes out, no thank you.

I really dislike flying rats, also known as seagulls, too. The seagulls in Florida are vicious, let me tell you! If you bring food to the beach those rats will stalk you and then they'll call over 20 friends to help and suddenly you have like 50 seagulls surrounding your pleasant picnic at the beach. And they're all, "give me your food, beach-goer's." I've learned that if you want to eat a sandwich at the beach in Florida you have to protect your food at all costs. How did I learn this, you ask? Well a wonderful afternoon in St. Petersburg enjoying lunch on the beach with my family my sandwich was slightly in the air as I was telling a story when the flying rat swooped down and stole the entire sandwich out of my hands. You can imagine my anger and the choice words that came out of my mouth. (In all honesty the choice words were, "JERK!" I'm not as cool as I think I am.) So obviously, from that moment on, I hate Florida seagulls. They're not quite as stalkerific on the California beaches, thank God.

Anyway, back to my original rant, this morning in my 5:00 am stupor I said, I think we need to shoot it. I think I may have given my darling husband an idea. So, to my neighbors, I would not be surprised if tomorrow morning my husband is sneaking outside at 5:00 am in his underwears with an air-soft BBgun to shut up this loud creature that is disrupting our slumber. Please don't be alarmed, we just really like our sleep.

Earth Day 2009

2009-04-22T12:07:00.001-07:00

Happy Earth Day!

The LaLa Land house has gone GREEN (and so has the blog!) We've replaced all of our light bulbs, turn off the lights during the day time and let in the natural lights, open the windows for fresh air, and use re-usable bags for all of our groceries. There's a lot more that we can do to protect our earth and we'll keep trucking along.

What are YOU doing to protect our Earth?

Work? What's that like?

2009-04-21T14:48:00.000-07:00

So, I got a part time job! This obviously isn't ideal, but hey, it's money and it's a job and right now I can't complain. The job is retail and the store shall remain nameless for now so I can have some sense of anonymity here. I've worked retail before and I enjoy it because I love fashion. I love the clothes at this store and I get a pretty hefty discount which I'll have to be very careful with. Peter's happy I'm going to be working, I'm happy to work, and maybe I'll even see a bunch of celebs since they really like to shop at this mall! Wouldn't that be exciting?!

My job search doesn't end here, I'll still be applying to full time jobs but this does ease some of the financial burden. Many thanks to everyone who has been praying and thinking of me.

On a side note, I'm going to one of my favorite restaurants in LA tonight for dinner, Toast. We'll sit on the patio and enjoy dinner and a delicious cupcake and I'll be happy.

And on another side note, today is free scoop day at Ben & Jerry's. I don't pass up any opportunity for free ice cream, in case you were wondering.

I'm burnin' up for you baby

2009-04-20T14:43:00.001-07:00

I quote a classic (HA) from the Jonas Brother's in my title beacuse it is very hot out today and I'm literally burning up. Apparently, this is un-seasonable for southern California in April but I can't really comment on that since I've only lived here for about five months. My car thermometer is not the most accurate "weather reader" but it just said it was 108 degree's in the parking lot of Trader Joe's. My weather widget says 98 degrees and weather.com says that it's 100 degree's in my zipcode. I'm going to find the mean and say it's 102 degrees right now in Los Angeles. (Was that too much math in one sentence? I think so.. my apologies!) By golly, folks, it's hot out and I kinda like it..

Let me explain to all you mid-westerners/southerners/Floridians 102 degrees in California is different than 102 degrees where you live. There is not humidty people! It's strange, it's definitly hot out, and when you go outside it's hot but you're not sticky and frizzy and all around uncomfortable because there's no humidty! For a curly (read: frizzy) haired girl like myself, this is a great thing!

I've been to the beach three days in a row. I could get used to this..

Magical

2009-04-18T09:49:00.000-07:00

Almost a month ago we attended the world famous, ultra exclusive Magic Catle. The Magic Castle is a private club. You must be a member or have a guest card from a member to gain admittance. How did we get so lucky, you ask? Well, Peter's boss is a member and a magician! He invited us to come for the night, and it was truly, magical!

The castle (which is more like a huge old mansion) sits above Hollywood. There is a strictly enforced dress code which means - suit & tie for the boys (my hubby looked so handsome) and cocktail dress for the ladies (what fun!) I loved dressing up for the night and felt very elegant and special to be attending the club. We saw several magicians and explored the many rooms of the magic castle. And let me tell you, these magicians are amazing. They did card tricks that I have been thinking about for weeks and just can not figure out how they did it! There's even a ghost that plays the piano and if you tip her she'll play you any song you want.. We chose "Hang On Sloopy" to represent for our Ohio State Buckeyes.

Can you believe that there's a Magic Castle in Hollywood? Neither can I! Oh the things that you can find in the this city!

Eulogy

2009-04-16T16:04:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite video of the week. How cute is this little girl? I hope my children are funny like this someday. I also hope that we tape them a lot so I can show people funny videos of my awesome kids. I hope my kids are awesome.

(Don't worry, Mom, I'm not planning on having children any time soon because I know that's what you're thinking.. I just think funny kids are cool.

This video is kind of long but I promise you, it's worth watching!

See more funny videos and TBT Videos at Today's Big Thing.

ETA: The embedded video was messing up my layout, I hope it's working okay now?

American Idol

2009-04-15T06:00:00.000-07:00

Have I mentioned that I love Idol's Kris Allen. Because I do, I love him, and tonight I love him even more. Okay well maybe I mention it every week, but he seriously blows me away. The song he sang this week is from a beautiful but rather unknown film called, Once. Not only do I love the film, the main song that Glen Hasard sings in it is called Falling Slowly and is truly one of my all-time favorite songs. It's one of those songs that I can listen to on repeat and it moves me every time. I am so happy that Kris chose to sing Falling Slowly tonight, I think he did a beautiful job and it was the perfect song choice for him. I don't usually purchase Idol songs on iTunes but I think this week I may have to (along with the entire Kris Allen library, perhaps) because I want to listen to it 25 times and swoon over how wonderful he is.

Anyway I'm going to add the YouTube for Kris's performance. It may not mean as much to you as it does to me. You may not even enjoy the film Once because it's pretty slow, but to me.. this song is brilliant. Well done, Kris.

Help Me Plan A Trip

2009-04-14T11:24:00.000-07:00

Our one year anniversary (has it really been a year!?) is coming up next month. I am very excited to celebrate and get over the one year hump. On that note, we are looking to do something very inexpensive (and I mean, VERY) for our anniversary weekend. We obviously live in California so there has to be millions of fun, inexpensive, getaways for couples but I don't know any. We're willing to travel and would love to drive up the PCH but I can't find anything that's very reasonable for us. Has anyone ever done Priceline successfully? I'm nervous to try it!

So I need advice! Have you ever done anything fun and cheap in California? Comment or email me ali.in.lalaland@gmail.com

These are our puppy dog faces saying, puh-puh-puh please help!

They All Fall Down..

2009-04-13T15:37:00.000-07:00

I have an embarrassing problem. It creeps up at the most inopportune times. It also strikes from the comfort of my MacBook. Some of my other family members also deal with this difficulty and are embarrassed by it often.

What's my problem?

My inability to hold it together when another person falls down in my vicinity.

People falling down is the number one more hilarious thing to me. When it happens, I can not control myself. There have been times when someone falls down and may actually hurt themselves and I can't help but giggle. I'm not talking a little giggle under your breath, I'm talking full out hold your belly, can't breathe, rolling on the floor laughter. I have been embarrassed by this many times in situations where it is completely inappropriate for me to have a laughing fit but I just can't help it.

A few weeks ago I attended a comedy show at the famous Comedy Store on Sunset Blvd. There were about 20 comics to perform. The most memorable moment of the night? When a random audience member bit it behind me and the entire crown turned around to see her flat on her face. I am laughing right now as I think about this moment of hilarity.

This problem that I have becomes even more a issue when I mention that I am one of the clumsiest people I have ever met. I have no balance and I trip over my own feet quite often. You'd think I would have sympathy for people falling around me but consequently, I don't. I'm the one pointing and laughing in the corner.

This video on YouTube reminds me of myself when I see someone fall:

Orange Mocha Frappuccino!

2009-04-11T07:00:00.000-07:00

Have you tried this yet? It's delicious. I've always been a Coca-Cola drinker, no not Pepsi, Coke!* Ever since I was a little girl we always had Coke in the house and my entire family loves it. In the past few years I've made the switch to Diet (because hello it's SO much better for you) and now I can say I'm pretty much a DC & Coke Zero addict. Recently I found this delicious new treat.. Diet Cherry Coke! I've always loved Cherry Coke (yum!) and now it comes in diet form! (Thank you DC God's!)

*I'm not sponsored or paid by Coca-Cola. I just love it. But if Coca-Cola would like to sponsor me or give me a job, I would take it. Thank you.

Hope you're having a great Saturday!

P.S. This post has nothing to do with the title, it's just my favorite like from the awesome movie Zoolander and when I was saying Diet Cherry Coca-Cola it made me think of the line. I tried to find it to share it with you on YouTube but apparently my YouTubing (is that a word?) skills suck because I can only find it in German.

Happy Easter!

2009-04-10T09:16:00.001-07:00

I hope everyone has a great Easter weekend and if you're spending time with family, enjoy every moment! I'm missing my family lately...

We have a very relaxing weekend planned, and Peter does not even have to work! (gasp!) Saturday we plan to relax together all day and on Sunday we'll go to Easter service at our church and then spend the day at the beach for a cook-out with friends. It should be a great weekend and beautiful weekend.

On Holidays like this I always stop and think, what a year! Where was I last Easter? Almost married, wedding planning like a crazy person, living and teaching in Ohio, and celebrating Easter with Peter's family. Oh what a year...

Disaster's and Ugg Boots

2009-04-09T08:27:00.001-07:00

Have you ever noticed that when you're out of town everything goes wrong? That's how I felt this week when I was in Ohio and my darling hubby was left home alone in LA. Peter had a bowling night with his company on Thursday, he came home got in bed and heard a strange dripping noise. He got up to check it out and found that water was pouring all over our clothes closet in our bedroom (OMG). He removed everything from the closet and hung it out to dry, called the maintenance department and went to sleep. Keep in mind that this happened around midnight LA time which would be 3 AM Eastern time so he didn't bother me with a phone call. The next day I get a phone call from a LA area code and immediately answer hoping it's some wonderful company offering me a great job with tons of money sadly it's not, it's our apartment complex maitenance man (M.M.) asking for permission to enter our unit to fix the water leak. At this point, I'm all "what water leak are you talking about" and M.M. says "I don't know, we got a request to fix a leak in your closet." So I let the dear M.M. into the apartment and immediately ring my darling Peter.. "um, hi babe, what's leaking in my closet??"

Long story short, the hot water pipe burst in our clothes closet! Did you know hot water pipes burst in southern california when it's 75 degrees everyday? No? Neither did I. I'm home everyday but of course the pipe would burst when I'm out of town for five days! Of course! None of my clothes ended up being too ruined except for my precious Uggs which I will be making a claim about to the complex and hopefully recieving some $$. I also need them to foot the bill for the dry cleaners that I will certainly be attending soon. Kudos to my hubby who took care of everything while I was away!

Vote or Die!

2009-04-08T11:55:00.001-07:00

So my dear friend Lauren who posted here needs your help and I'm recruiting all of you! She modeled (oo la la!) for a nursing magazine called Working Nurse. They are having trouble picking a cover for the magazine so go here and vote for which one you think is best. She is the most adorable little nurse, don't you agree?

Remember click here - Working World Blog to vote!

Home Sweet Hollywood

2009-04-06T09:20:00.000-07:00

I'm back to LA and so happy to be here. My guest blogger hubby never showed up! I'm sorry if you were disappointed, maybe I can talk him into a post sometime this week. I had a great time in Ohio with my girlfriends and the wedding was perfect. The weekend was a whirlwind of non-stop wedding fun! While Ohio feels homey, I really missed the beauty of California, it's seriously so beautiful here! Today I'm detoxing, resting, catching up on blogs, and cleaning up after a minor household disaster that struck while I was away (more on that later). I didn't take any pictures this weekend, but I will try to post some once they start trickling in on Facebook. Happy Monday!

Lauren in LaLa Land

2009-04-02T09:00:00.000-07:00

My first guest blogger is my wonderful friend & blogger Lauren, thanks for sharing Lo!

holla from la-la-land! this is lauren, one of ali's buddies out here on the west coast, and let me just say i'm thrilled for my debut as a guest blogger! what an honor :) since ali's delightful blog is about all the excitement of living in this great entertainment city, i figured i'd follow suit and write about a fun, uniquely LA experience. so here goes...

as i'm sure most of you have read on here before, our lovely church (see ecclesia @ www.churchinhollywood.com) is in the heart of hollywood, right on hollywood boulevard, which was definitely weird at first. now it's equally weird how accustomed to it we've become. passing people dressed as spiderman, tinkerbell, and darth maul every sunday morning is no longer unusual...weird. aaanyway! it's not even unusual to see celebrities (as i know you're also used to here on al's blog!) around town and at church. this past sunday, i handed out church bulletins to both tony hale (an ecclesia regular) and to kristen bell (heroes, forgetting sarah marshall, veronica mars). where else can you do that!?

here's kristen in all her cuteness. she was just as adorable person--no makeup, bundled in funky layered clothes, and all of about 5'1"!! she was teeny tiny, of course!!

and, here's tony (aka buster bluth):

and, i just had to include this additional pic of tony hale, a) because i think it's hilarious and b) i just watched this episode of arrested development last night, and it was legit (**i highly recommend this show**).

i knooow they're just normal people, and i'm even out here pursuing acting, so i promise i never act weird around celebs, but it's still exciting and fun to see them!! i especially like knowing that they are at church. tony always seems to be the nicest guy, and he's one of our elders. it makes me happy that actors can stay grounded in this crazy industry. hooray, there's hope for the world!! you should come out for a visit and do some celeb-spotting of your own!

anyway, it's been fun writing--hope this was a fun quick read while ali is away, and maybe we'll meet again soon!

Wedding Weekend Craziness!

2009-04-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

On Saturday one of my best girlfriends from high school is getting married! I'm going home to Ohio for 5 whirlwind days of wedding. I fly in tonight (Wednesday), Thursday is the Bachelorette party, Friday the rehearsal, Saturday the wedding, and then Sunday afternoon I fly back to LA! I am excited to see all my girlfriends from home, because I haven't seen most of them since November when we moved. I'm also happy that I get to spend 5 days with my best friend, Christie, and her family since I'm staying at her parents house! Next week I'll fill the blog with pictures from my weekend in Ohio (how am I going to deal with the cold, people? I'm used to 75 and sunny now!) and details from the wedding.

In the meantime I have a few guest bloggers lined up for your reading pleasure. One of those guest bloggers lives in the same house as me, yup, you guessed it Peter is making an appearance on the bloggy! Also, my friend Lauren is going to tell you about her life in LaLa Land as a starving artist (actress!) she's amazing and you'll love her.

Here's a picture of Toledo and the good ole' Maumee River!

Oh my, I'm having fun with the photos today! First here is a picture of the bride to be (she's actually a blondie but her hair was brown for a summer in Spain!) and myself at the hotel for my bachelorette party in Canada! The next picture are all my best girlfriends most of which will be at this bach party too. Oh the hilarity that will ensue!

Say Cheese!

2009-03-31T09:35:00.000-07:00

Have you ever noticed in pictures of yourself that every time you're supposed to make a "silly/funny/goofy/fun" face it turns out the exact same and you end up having 47 pictures of you making the same funny face. Well, if you don't do this, let it be known that I do this. Somehow each time this picture is taken I turn out look like this:

This face is not very cute, not at all flattering, and actually rather frightening. Am I the only one that does this? Do you have a silly picture face?

As of today I've decided I'm going to cut this face out of my picture taking repertoire. God knows this weekend there will be lots of pictures taken with all different types of faces (I mean c'mon you know when girls and digital cameras get together a ridiculous amount of picture taking ensues.) So today, as I pack, I'll be practicing my new (and hopefully much cuter) faces in the mirror.

Over It

2009-03-30T18:34:00.000-07:00

1. The maintenance department at our apartment complex charging $7.50 for a light bulb that you can only get through them. Ridiculous.

2. Octo-Mom. I'm still over this, but it's still on the news almost every day.

3. Having to wear a coat when I go home this week. A coat?! Socks?! What is that?!

4. Job-searching. Nothing else needs to be said.

On a side (and more positive) note, I'm excited to go home this week and see my best girlfriends. Here is a really old picture of us from college spring break at my mom's house in Florida.

Resturant Review

2009-03-27T10:33:00.000-07:00

I love eating out, especially when we can find good food for good prices. One of my favorite places to go for lunch is Hong Kong China Bistro & Sushi in Hollywood (1642 N. Cahuenga Blvd if you want to go!) They're lunch specials are huge and include a dish, salad, two wontons, a spring roll and rice all between $6.00 - $8.00! And the food is delicious. The waitress that is always there is kind of crazy and grumpy, the atmosphere is dark, with the addition of some strange aquariums filled with turtles. The reason I'm writing this post is because we get a great laugh out of the menu every time we go.

First of all, read the description below. There's no punctuation, awful grammar, and what's crrry?

Next, look at #17 (third from the bottom) on the list of dishes. What is that?!

I promise you, this place is delicious. In California each restaurant is required to put it's rating on the door and it's an A so I feel safe eating there! Crap.. now I'm craving Hong Kong. Who's with me?!

Honeymooners

2009-03-26T12:21:00.000-07:00

Today I was dreaming of hammocks, private pools, pinacoladas, all you can eat buffets, and the nicest darn people you'll ever meet. I was dreaming of our Jamaican honeymoon. Oh how I loved our week in paradise. I know that I live in a very temperate and warm weather climate now, but it just doesn't compare to a week at the beach on the Caribbean!

After talking with a AAA travel agent we decided to go to a Sandals resort. At first we wanted to go to St. Lucia but after pricing out the flight details we figured out it would be half the price to go to Jamaica instead. I was hesitant at first because I had been to Jamaica in high school thanks to my incredible best friend and her family (they are in love with Jamaica and helped me to fall in love with the country too!) We decided it wasn't such a big deal that I had been before since we were staying at a huge resort in a different town. So we decided on a private villa with a butler at Sandals Grande Ocho Rios and it was NOT a mistake. I've never felt so pampered and taken care of in my life. The butler, her name was Trudie and we loved her, was a great addition to the trip, she would make all of our dinner and activity reservations and make sure we had the best table each night. She also stocked our fridge every day with soda, juice, bottled water, cheese, and fruit!

We loved napping in the shade at one of the many hidden hammocks. We had our own personal pool in the backyard which is where I spent most of my time laying in the sun. We enjoyed delicious dinners every night and room service breakfast every morning. We took a cruise boat (read: booze cruise) to Dunn's River Falls and climbed a humongous waterfall. Most of all we enjoyed our first vacation as a married couple.

Little Miss Sunshine

2009-03-25T16:46:00.000-07:00

Have I mentioned my love for all things yellow? I used to be a pink girl all the way, but recently I've adopted yellow as my personal favorite. Anything yellow, I have to have it! Especially darkish yellow, also called mimosa. Did you know that every year there is a "color of year" and guess what this year's color is.. http://www.pantone.com/pages/pantone/pantone.aspx?pg=20634&ca=10 YES! It's mimosa!

Lately, almost everything I want to buy is yellow. Like the dress above from J.Crew.. yes, please!

Or this adorable top from Forever 21.

Ah yes, yellow, you inspire me and you make me happy. If any husbands* are reading this and thinking about a gift for their darling wife**, think mimosa.

*a.k.a. Peter
**a.k.a. Ali

It's A Brand New Day

2009-03-24T15:54:00.001-07:00

I am the type of girl that can listen to a song and it can change my whole day. This song, by Joshua Radin, has that effect on me. It just makes me happy! Listen & enjoy.

On a completely different note, is anyone else watching Dancing With The Stars? We mostly watch it because Peter has a crush on Julianne Hough and we saw her a few weeks ago at The Grove (of course!) It's okay that he has a crush on Julianne because he's very aware of my crush on Kris Allen. Has anyone ever seen the friend's episode where they discuss having a celebrity "top five"? Yea, we go by those rules.

Girl's Guide to Movies

2009-03-22T09:58:00.001-07:00

On Saturday we saw I Love You, Man (the same Saturday we saw JT!) I was a little worried that it would be raunchy like Forgetting Sarah Marshall (which I thought was funny, but a little too raunchy) but I was mistaken and impressed. I thought it was hilarious and heart-felt! I'm crazy about Paul Rudd, I think he's one of the funniest men on screen right now (and he also kind of reminds me of my hubby!) I loved the story, and especially loved the scenery - the movie was set and filmed all over LA from Venice to Santa Monica to Hollywood and there's even a scene at The Grove (my favorite place in the world!) So if you're wondering where I live, go see that movie and you'll get a good taste of LaLa Land!

There are some amazing and funny quotes from the movie that I've been quoting to Peter all weekend "slapping the base, mon" and I just loved the awkward humor that was Paul Rudd in this movie. I can see myself watching and laughing at this movie over and over. If you like funny movies, funny guys, and want to see a taste of LA - go see this movie!!

Girls Grade - A