Giving Thanks

Well Halloween has come and gone, One Direction Day (let's just pretend it's an official holiday) was celebrated properly, and to round out the pre-Christmas holiday season a jolly-good Turkey Day was had by all! 

Now, as I do with all holidays, I take Thanksgiving pretty seriously. I mean what's not too love? You get to see the ol' fam-bam, miss school, and best of all, eat all day! And I did plenty of eating. However, in an attempt to burn calories and support a good cause, Thanksgiving was started with a brisk Turkey Trot 5k run walk. 

The Michael Bratton II Turkey Trot is is a charity run for depression and suicide awareness began by the Bratton family after the loss of their 25 year old son in 2006. This year was the 8th annual run and the cause has steadily grown each year, rounding out at around 2,000 participants this year. It's both a great cause and a good start to a day of being thankful for what you have, especially those people in our lives we love. 

The kids and I were up bright and early for the event. We ran a brief leg of the track and then proceeded to laugh/walk our way through the rest of the event. 

The other side of the hill

When asking about the best spots in Los Angeles, one often is pointed toward The Getty Center. Now I have to say, I've yet to take a stroll about this said-to-be epic museum, though it is definitely on my to-see list (which is never ending). However, a few weekends ago, myself and a group of my favorite gals popped over to the other side of the Los Angeles hills to The Getty Villa. 

True to its name, The Getty Villa is the manifestation of J. Paul Getty's vision of creating a Roman Villa to house his dream museum. Constructed during the 1970s, the Villa is a replica of the Villa of Papryri at Herculaneum, Pompeii's less popular sister-city, also destroyed by Vesuvius in 79 A.D. Unfortunately, Mr.Getty died before getting to see the completion of the site, thought it was luckily still completed, in appropriate Roman architecture and style, with the inheritance left by the visionary. 

Halloween Haunts

HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON! 

Oh my, oh my, once October rolls around I go into holiday-mode straight into the New Year. I pretty much spend each month with an agenda of holiday-related activities that must happen for the season to be complete. October is obviously Halloween month (I'd say it's my favorite holiday, but I'll say that about them all). 

While Halloween may not be the same as back in the day (oh golly do I miss trick-or-treating!), it's can still be quite the bash. For a really great October you need three things: pumpkins, a good scare, and an excessive & unreasonable amount of candy corn. Having a really awesome costume doesn't hurt the festivities either, but we'll get to that. 

The best part of this October was that it was chalk full of great people to share it with. Brooke even made the trek all the way from Nor Cal for some ever-traditional pumpkin carving. 

Just Tonight

-For full post experience please click here for the appropriate reading soundtrack-

Music is great. Amazing really. Turning on a song can completely change a moment. It can help you escape or, alternatively, allow you to immerse yourself entirely into an emotion. Music is whatever you need it to be; and in this age of unlimited choices, no one can ever tell you what is "right" when it comes to the soundtrack of your own life. Choose from any genre, or choose them all (like I do).

I have a pretty extensive musical appreciation; classical, country, rock-n-roll, pop, alternative-you name it, I'm open to it. You can in no way delegate a whole genre into the "dislike" pile. That's just silly and limiting. This in mind, I always give everything a good listen before judgement, and I thank the universe that I was slightly-obsessed enough with Gossip Girl's Taylor Momsen, that I gave her band, The Pretty Reckless, a listen. 

Closing a distance

Once upon a time, there were two princesses, named Kenna and Jewel. These girls were sisters, 5 years apart in age. Both were strong willed (stubborn) young ladies, and for many years this caused quite a conflict. There was always feuding in the kingdom amongst the young royals. They fought over everything, from territory (bathroom shelves) to the most valuable commodities in the realm (make-up vs. toys). Many feared, especially the King and Queen, that the feud would never end. 

Then something strange occurred: they princesses began to laugh together. The two girls, who once had nothing in common, now found themselves having similar interests. They could do things together and share their passions. Books could be traded, music tastes expanded, and even clothes exchanged. 

Their shared childhood finally became conceivable as a shared past; a past that had molded them into like-minded young women. Both determined, a little ridiculous, contemplative, and with a inclination toward manic giggling. And even those traits that had once made them so incompatible, now brought them closer, allowing them to learn from one another and grow.

They had always been sisters, but now Kenna and Jewel were finally friends.

With peace across the realm, the girls enjoyed the opportunity to spend time together, making memories and laughing until the point of literal tears. One such weekend of merry-making was held across Southern California, the domain which Kenna was currently ruling. They spent their time highly caffeinated and indulging in all their favorite things.  

The extravaganza began in Little Italy, with a necessity for coffee and pastries.