STRESSED spelled backwards is DESSERTS.

I've worked nearly 30 hours over the past 2 days. Needless to say, work is crazy busy and extremely stressful right now. Not to mention, the fact that I'm leaving for Waco, Texas on Thursday and have to get everything done by tomorrow!

Even though I'm absolutely exhausted, I have not been able to get to sleep at a decent time the past couple of nights. It's not that I haven't tried...it's just that all this stress will not allow me to relax!! I swear that I caught myself close to a run on the way to lunch today. What on earth?!

Since I seem to have some free time, I decided to research this condition.

Stress is defined as physical, mental, or emotional strain or tension that includes a state of alarm and adrenaline production, short-term resistance as a coping machine, and exhaustion. Common symptoms are irritability, muscular tension, inability to concentrate and variety of other physical reactions such as headaches and accelerated heart rate.

I must say...I've never experienced so many of these symptoms all at the same time! I'm sure you know that I am a naturally stressful person, so maybe I've gotten used to some of these things but it's times like this when I really feel the effect of true stress.

After a little bit more searching, I came across an interesting quote: "The bigger your stress, the bigger your success." I don't really agree with this since part of being successful is being able to deal with and manage stress appropriately (which I am still learning) but if this quote is trying to say that stress is an indication of a successful person then Go Me! A little bit of stress is good but I can definitely see how a lot of stress over an extended period of time can really wear on you. Luckily this is the type of thing that comes and goes with any career and once I am in Waco I will be de-stressed and happy...until then, this is me...

Kindness is like snow - it beautifies everything it covers.

I had TWO encounters with snow this past week. Oddly enough, one was in Southern California...

On Saturday, Mom, Dad, and Camille picked me up so that I could catch Camille's big State Cup soccer game against another Surf team. Why two Surf teams had to drive four hours to Lancaster to play a one hour game against each other beats me. But it was a cool experience. We got to the Lancaster National Soccer facility around 7am to find the fields covered in snow! As a result, the games were delayed almost two hours in order to let the snow thaw but that didn't stop Camille and I from having a bit of fun.

Camille played great, as always, even though her team lost. I think they've come a loooong way this season and have potential to continue getting better and better. Here are a few action shots from the game.

My second encounter with snow came in Chicago, a more expected place to come across cold weather. I was in the Windy City for a last minute business trip from Monday through Thursday. It was a mad scramble to find a coat that would be warm enough and to figure out what on earth you wear when the weather is expected to go from 30 to 40 to 10 degrees all in the same week. Luckily, I wasn't outside too often.

I got into the office around 2pm on Monday and the weather was fine. It was sunny and about 35 degrees...I wasn't even cold! Tuesday's weather was fine as well. Then Wednesday came and the walk from the hotel to the office was not as pleasant as the others that week. It was windy, the air was moist, and probably about 20 degrees. The sun was not out and weather.com warned to expect the worst. My coworkers were laughing at me all week because I'd never been in weather that could potentially get down to the single digits. I've also never been outside when it was actually snowing and was very excited to experience such a thing. I made the mistake of saying that I've been "to" the snow...which apparently is not how it works in places that it actually snows. You don't go "to" the snow because you are already in the snow. In CA our only option is to travel to where the snow is. Explaining this to those who live in snowy weather was of no use.

Our office on the 33rd floor overlooks the lake and much of downtown Chicago. Around mid-day on Wednesday, you could not see the lake because there was snow everywhere! It was a beautiful site. I tried to take a picture but it just does not do the sight justice.

I decided to leave the office around 7 that night (before everyone else) so that I could walk around in the snow. I thought it would be cool to catch some snowflakes on my tongue and see some of the sights under a white blanket of ice and snow. I stopped for some deep dish pizza, which always hits the spot, and continued walking around. I had to use my umbrella because the snow was wet and melted the second it hit you, but since it was so windy my umbrella was constantly turning inside out. There were not many people walking around at this point so I'm sure I looked like a tourist of some sort. Needless to say, a new experience that started out as pretty fun turned out to be pretty miserable very quickly.

This is what it looked like when I got back to my hotel. When I woke up on Thursday morning, all the snow was gone and the sun was out. I figured it'd be another day like Monday or Tuesday...I don't think the intense weather changes in Chicago are all that surprising to anyone. Well, I was unpleasantly surprised to find that it was 10 degrees outside on Thursday morning! This is officially the coldest I've ever been!! It was 10 degrees, felt like 3 with windchill and all that jazz. The temperature only got up to about 15 that day. I was very under prepared for this type of weather. My coat didn't seem heavy enough, my scarf wasn't thick enough, and I had nothing covering my ears or face. I have never been happier to get on a plane back to Los Angeles!! I guess this type of weather is something that everyone should experience once in a while. I'm glad that I don't travel to these cold places very often. Chicago is a great city...when it's warm. Maybe our team will start planning trips to Los Angeles until it gets warmer in other parts of the country.

Ketchup

Lots has happened since I last wrote, hence the need for some Ketchup!

Last weekend my college roommate, Krystal, was in town to watch her sister play softball against LMU. This was the first time she'd been down to LA since her Bachelorette Party. (Samantha and I threw her a themed party in which 10 or 12 of our closest college girlfriends dressed as flappers and took a limo to a club in Hollywood. It was a great time and an impressive 'last hoorah' for Krystal.)

We last saw Krystal in September when we travelled to Northern California for her wedding. Sam and I were bridesmaids and a good amount of our friends were there attending the wedding. The day was a complete success and Krystal is fully enjoying married life. She and her husband, Ben, own a house in Sacramento and recently got a cat named Maverick. Here are a few pictures from the wedding...

The view of the Kehr house from the reception tent

The Bridal Party at the Rehearsal Dinner

Samantha and I after the ceremony

The Newlyweds and their LMU Softball Girls

My point is, that it has been a while since we've seen Krystal and we are all in the midst of growing up. (It's weird to think that I will be 25 in less than a month. That's a quarter of a century!!) On Thursday when Krystal and Ben arrived, we went out to dinner at a tapas restaurant in Hermosa Beach.

On Sunday we went up to LMU to catch a few games. I hadn't been up there in a couple years so it was good to see the Kehr family and some of the softball girls. This year, all of the girls who were Freshmen during my last year are SENIORS!! They are still the same yet quite grown up. Just another reason why I'm starting to feel quite old! I miss the LMU campus and the beautiful new softball complex but it was nice to be on the spectator side of the game. It costs money to get into the games these days! I guess they've finally tried to make softball a revenue producing sport.

Ben with the LMU Softball Alumni

More Birthday Celebrations: This Time...Fishing!

As if the Monster Jam birthday celebration was not unique enough, we decided to celebrate Rob's (Tara's boyfriend) birthday by spending a day out on the open seas working hard for our own breakfast, lunch, and dinner...a.k.a. Fishing!

We left out of the Redondo Beach pier on a small fishing boat run by the locals.

None of us had had much experience with fishing so, of course, we were the laughing stock of the boat, but also the life of the party. We spent half a day out in the middle of the ocean fishing for small fish and came out pretty successful. Between the six of us we had enough food to eat for the rest of the weekend. We caught mostly perch and sea bass, and some mackerel but we had to throw them back since they aren't in season.

Our group minus the birthday boy (from left): Casie, Britt, Danny, Jordan, Tara

The 'Big' One

Rob with our catchings after they'd been filleted.

I'm proud to say that I did NOT get seasick AND caught the biggest fish (of our group), which wasn't very big at all. All joking aside, spending a beautiful morning on the ocean reminded me how lucky I am to live in wonderful Southern California.

This gets me caught up on the most exciting moments of 2009 thus far!

Until next time...Hugs and Kisses!

Monster Jam 2009

My trip home from Madrid was long and tiring but that didn't stop me from making it to the Monster Jam the next day!

My friend, Brian, loves anything loud and fast (Nascar, Monster Jam, etc.) and has celebrated his last two birthdays at the Monster Jam in Orange County. I decided to join the crew this year and see what it's all about.

So, nine of us dressed the part and headed to Angels Stadium for a very fun night.

The Girls (from left): Nicole, Jacene, Britt, Samantha

The Boys (from left): Kevin, Brian (the B-day Boy), Brandon, Brian #2, Scottie

Do not be misled...Most of the nine are from our slowpitch softball team, have graduated from college, and are now young professionals who lead regular and successful lives.

Here are some action shots from the show (definitely an experience).

My Trip to Madrid

As you all know, I was sent to Madrid, Spain for a week of work. Me and five others made the trek over to deliver two days of training to folks from all over Europe. It was an eye-opening experience and I hope to be so lucky again soon.

I left Los Angeles on the morning of Sunday, January 18th and arrived in Madrid on Monday morning. Our workshop was held on Tuesday and Wednesday and I got Thursday and Friday off to see the sights before I headed home on Friday evening. I took lots of pictures of the sights and have tried to include the best ones below.

Above: My very own two twin beds for a week! Haha. The hotel was a Five Star, but apparently European standards are a bit different than American standards.

Below: Some of the amazing Spanish architecture and lighting on our Monday night.

On Monday night our team went to Restaurante Botin (http://www.casabotin.com/INGindex.html), the earliest established restaurant in the world. It has been in existence since 1725. See picture below.

We also saw Puerta del Sol, the center of the city's road infrastructure...



...and the famous Tio Pepe sign.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, there were a few other interesting sights but other than that, we were taking care of business.

Above: This is our dinner hanging behind the bar at the restaurant we went to on Tuesday night. As weird as this is to us, it was not an uncommon sight in Madrid...and the meat was ALWAYS delicious!

This is just one of the many painted cows that I saw throughout the city.

They were all very colorful and creative. I was so curious that I did a bit of research and found out that they are part of the Cow Parade, the world's largest public art event. Oddly enough, the cow figurine that Poppy got me as a gift years back, is also part of the Cow Parade!

Cow Parade Website: http://www.cowparade.com/index.php

Cow Parade Madrid Site: http://www.cowparademadrid.com/

On Thursday morning, my boss and I set out to see some of the sights. She lived in Madrid for two years and knew all of the best places to see. First stop: the Royal Palace, still a part time home to the King and Queen of Spain.

We continued to walk the streets. I was amazed at the fact that I was in Spain and took pictures of anything that looked even mildly interesting.

Trying to get in all in just a few days, I toured the Prado Museum...

...Went to Madrid's Bullfighting Ring (Plaza de Toros)...

...and walked through the Parque del Retiros, a Spanish version of New York's Central Park.

All in all, it was a great trip and I can't wait for the next adventure!!