A little Fanfiction

Months ago I mentioned in one of my posts that I'd recently discovered something called Fanfiction, a website where you can read (or write) continuations and variations of all your favorite books. For example, if you fell in love with a series of books and were consumed with sadness when it ended, you could go onto the fanfiction website and continue reading the series there. Or if you hated the ending of a book, fanfiction is a place you could find alternate endings to the book. Now everything on fanfiction is completely amateur so if you're super picky about things like spelling or grammar, it probably isn't for you. I started out just reading various stories and after a few months, began writing my own. You can do a fanfiction work on just about anything but mine is about Hunger Games. It's not a continuation of the original works but rather a twist on a rewrite of the original where parts of the real books are blended in with parts of my imagination. My first book is complete and the sequel to that is nearly finished. It's become one of my favorite things to do in my spare time and eventually, when all is finished, I may venture on to writing my own original book. Maybe. Anyway, I promised long ago that if I did end up writing anything on fanfiction that I would link it here on this blog, so here you go!

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8384639/1/The-Safety-of-Love

And before you go read it, there are a few minor rules:
-If you read it, please do NOT tell me about it. I don't like knowing who's reading my writing and I don't like knowing what my friends and family think of it. Seriously.

-You'll have to forgive my spelling and grammar. Neither are a strong suit of mine. I am fully aware my work is riddled with errors. Eventually, I'll probably go back through and fix everything, but not right now.

Spend the night in a state I've never visited...

On a last minute whim, I accompanied my friend Jen, her husband Matt and her Uncle Rob on a weekend getaway to Grand Canyon National Park. I have forever wanted to see the Grand Canyon and somehow never had gotten around to it so I was super excited when it worked out for me to go with them. I mean, everyone should experience the Grand Canyon at least once, right?  

Well, let me just say right off the top, it is certainly a sight worth seeing! Breathtaking, gorgeous, surreal, fill in whatever adjective you want and the word still won't quite capture the grandure of this place. And pictures don't do it justice either. Not even close. We started in the North Rim and up there it's not nearly as touristy as the South Rim. When we arrived it was snowing which made my heart soar as I've been oh so homesick for cold weather. The snow was flocking all the trees and meadows and it looked like something right out of a Christmas card. Because it was snowy, the clouds were hanging heavy over the north rim, at times, completely obscuring any view of the canyons. At sunset though, rays of sun would occasionally cut through the cloud cover and illuminate the canyon walls.

 The next morning, Jen and I dropped Matt and Rob off at the trailhead on the North Rim before sunrise and they set out to hike the daunting 27 miles to the South Rim while we went back to our cabin, packed everything up in the truck and then started our own journey, a 5 hour drive, to the South Rim. Along the way, the views were amazing and we saw things I'd never expected. First was a Cliff Dwelling where a woman's car broke down in like 1929 or something and she liked the area so much that she bought some land and lived out the rest of her life in the cliffs. Meaning everything she used, her home, her furniture, her bathroom, etc. we're all part of the rocks and landscapes of the cliffs. No one lives there now and it's open to the public to wander through it so that's just what we did. And it was incredible. The next thing we saw that was unexpected was a place for dinosaur tracks. Now, we tend to think it wasn't as authentic as the lady doing our tour said but, either way, it was neat and totally out of the ordinary. Apparently, the land where all these tracks and bones of the dinosaurs are, is on Indian reservation land and therefore paleontologists can't come and excavate the remains. 

Once we arrived at our lodge in the South Rim, we opened a bottle or two of wine and sat out on the back porch of our room and enjoyed the warmer weather. As we sat and chatted over our wine, we began to see deer. Not way of in the woods like one would expect but rather right by our room! And not just one or two or even three deer, but eleven! We got up and followed them as they grazed their way across the property, not being the least bit skid dish of all the humans passing by them. In fact, half the people walking passed them, didn't even see them! That's how we'll they blended into the landscape and trees. 

Later, as we waited at the trailhead to meet Matt and Rob, it got dark and then a lot colder so I went back to the room (alone) to grab jackets and a headlamp. As I made my way back to our room, it was pitch black dark as there aren't any street lights. I wasn't scared though, the room was close and it was only a short walk. And then I heard a rustling sound in the bushes next to me. I paused and right then, a car drove nearby, shining only for a second it's headlights on the bushes by me. And that would be when I saw it. The ginormous elk eating in the bushes not 12 inches from where I was standing. Think of it as what looks similar to a buck but is the size of a Clydesdale horse. About that time, two peopl with headlamps walked up and illuminated the whole area to show not just the one elk but multiple elk. All massive and huge. I hate so much that I was alone and sadly, without a camera because I've never seen anything like this and probably won't ever again. Later, back at the trailhead where it was also pitch black dark, the night sky was clear and so star covered you could have easily mistaken it for a planetarium. The milky way was more visible than I've ever seen it before and just in general it was stunning how many stars covered the sky. I wish I could have gotten a picture of this too! 

As Jen and I waited for the guys I decided that next year she and I should make the hike with them. It may have been the wine talking but even now, I think it would be a cool thing to say you've done. To hike the Grand Canyon rim to rim in one day? Yep, we're gonna train and do that with them next October. It'll be hard but so worth it. And I really think we can do it if we train for it. (I won't mention how winded we both were just hiking from the parking lot to the visitors center. We blame that on altitude.) Anyway, I had on my list that I wanted to spend the night in a state I'd never visited before and this trip allows me to cross that off my list. I, for the first time ever, spent two wonderful nights in the state of Arizona!

North Rim at Sunset, amidst heavy clouds.

Cliff Dwelling

Dino Tracks or maybe not...

Watchtower at the South Rim

South Rim, Colorado River

You'd never know it, but that's the Grand Canyon behind us. 

At the Cliff Dwelling. I was gonna climb in but was a few inches too short to hoist myself up.

Grape Stomp

Ever see that famous episode of I Love Lucy where she stomps grapes? As a kid I always thought that would be so much fun to do but being from the South I never thought they really did that anywhere. Maybe like Italy or something and maybe a long time ago, sure, but never once did I think they did that sort of thing where anyone could just go and do it. Then we moved to Temecula, CA (known for it's wineries) last year and I found out they did it all the time. Well, during the harvest season anyway. So earlier this year when I was making my list of things I wanted to do, I had to put grape stomping on it. I mean, who knows when I'll ever live somewhere with wineries again? September is harvest season around here and all the wineries are having their annual grape stomp festivals. This afternoon, Henry and I went to Mount Palomar Winery and gave grape stomping a go! I was a stomper, Henry was the mucker.

So what did I think about it? Well, it was fun. And sticky. And messy. And I'm not very good at it. But it definitely was fun and totally unlike anything I've ever done before. I don't think I ever realized how much juice a bunch of grapes can make. Can't say I was a fan of how head to toe sticky I was afterwards. Being sticky is one of my least favorite things. Always has been. Even now as I type, although I've already showered, I still feel sticky. I may have to shower again. When I was little my siblings used to taunt me when I complained about being sticky. They used to say "Sticky follows Beth, sticky follows Beth" and laugh at me. And I think they may be right.

Television Audience

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love TV. It's a little on the ridiculous side how much time I actually spend watching it. My personal favorite? Big Brother. I've been watching it every year, for 13 years now. I wait for it all year because it only airs in summer. Truthfully, I'd love to audition to be on it but my husband and mother have advised against it-both afraid I'd embarrass them. (Who me? Embarrass them? Nonsense!) But, if I can't be on the show as a contestant, the next best thing would be to get in as part of the studio audience. So when we moved here a year ago, Henry put me on the waiting list for tickets. Yes, that's right, there's a waiting list because so many people want to be in the audience. Well, I got an email on Wednesday letting me know that I had tickets for that Thursday if I would claim them right away. So duh, of course I did! Only one little problem, I work on Thursdays. And because I haven't worked at my job for a full year yet, I don't have any vacation days built up yet. And I hate, hate, hate asking off work for stuff. I hate it. Not because I'm afraid they'll say no but just because it makes me feel like I'm being a slacker. And I hate it even more when it's super short notice like this was. But, Henry insisted I ask anyway. So I did, fully not expecting it to happen. But guess what? I work in an office where they feel like you should live life and have fun whenever possible and they insisted I go! Especially when they found out that I'd been waiting 11 months for tickets! So, I took a half day off work and Henry and I made the trek into LA. Thank goodness for Henry because I loathe driving, especially in LA traffic. We had the pleasure of standing in line, outside, in the blaring sun, from about 3 until 530 when they finally lead us into the studio. I didn't care though. This was Big Brother after all! Well, okay, I cared a little. I didn't want to be a hot, sweaty, melting mess on tv! But, once we were in the studio and seated I cooled off pretty quickly in the air conditioning. We lucked out and got seats right down front, behind the host, Julie Chen! Being in the audience was surreal, so much fun, the most "California" thing I've done yet! My family back home was seeing it live as we were there so it was pretty cool knowing they were watching. Here on the West coast, it doesn't air live so I was able to watch it (course I had the tivo set too) when I got home. Such a fun experience and definitely worth having waited so long for it!

(Sadly, they don't allow for cameras anywhere on the CBS Studios property so I have no pictures what-so-ever!)

River Regatta

The second weekend of August Henry and I made the drive to Laughlin, NV for the 2012 River Regatta. Being new out here, I'd never heard of such a thing until my friend Jen at work told me about it. Every year, they have an 8 mile stretch of the Colorado River where you launch a float and spend the day floating down the river. It's closed off that day to boating, etc. so that it's safe for all the floaters. This year's float had over 40,000 participants! Now that's a lot of people! Having never floated the river I wasn't sure what to expect but it was awesome and I hope to get to do it again next year! Going into it I'd pictured the river being murky and dark, kind of like how the Mississippi River is back home in Memphis. Boy was I wrong! The water was super clear and I had no problem being able to see my feet in the water. That's a big thing for me-I hate swimming in water where I can't see my feet. I'm a great swimmer and all but there's just something about not being able to see my feet that freaks me out a little. We had a minor issue with one of our floats (we had two giant ones) and it deflated, sinking after a little while. No worries though, we had a blast and just piled on to the other giant float for the rest of the time. It was more funny than anything really. None of us even really cared because we were having so much fun! Later that night, when I was laying in bed, I swear I could still feel like I was floating down the river. So, River Regatta-crossing it off my list and hoping to do it again next year!

Group shot as we prepared to relaunch after stopping to try and re-inflate our failing floatie. Note the hat, shirt and cup I have in this picture. None of which made it home with me. 

Lake Tahoe

My husband Henry and I just got back from an amazing weekend in Lake Tahoe where we were celebrating our 12th Wedding Anniversary. (Yes, we were married as infants.) We flew out of San Diego bright and early Friday morning and were eating lunch in Tahoe just a few hours later. Before going here, we'd been told that Lake Tahoe was one of the most beautiful places in the United States. So, did we agree? Well, not 100%. It was stunning and magnificent but having seen the paradise that is north shore Oahu a few years ago, we can't say it's the most beautiful. I mean, let's face it, not a whole lot can compete with Hawaii. BUT, we did think it was way up there on the beautiful list. The water is as clear as the water that fills a swimming pool. I walked clear out to my knees and could still clearly see my feet and everything around them. The water was icy cold but it was hot enough outside that it felt more refreshing than freezing. We did a private tour, went to an art gallery, had a fancy dinner, did some hiking and watched an amazing sunset on the beach. And relaxing.We would have loved to have been able to spend a few more days exploring but work and real life are always calling so we had to head back home. We plan to make another trip up there and do some of the things we didn't get a chance to do though I'm not sure when we'll get around to it. I'd love to take a boat out on the lake or maybe do some parasailing. I'd love it even more if I could take my nieces out here!

On our way back to the airport on Sunday afternoon we took a slight detour to an old west town called Virginia City. It was the cutest little town and gave us just a glance into the days of the gold rush. We even got to take a ride in a real Stage Coach, going at a full speed run! I must say, that would not have been fun to travel across the country in. Loud and bumpy and more cramped than you'd expect it to be. There were so many things in Virginia City that we wished we'd been able to see and do so we also plan to take another trip here too.

Here are a few pictures from our weekend! (And Happy Anniversary Henry-I love you so much!)

My favorite photo of the whole trip!

If only I hadn't been photo bombed by the dumb guy on the left.

Standing in a waterfall.

I found a snake on our hike!

Look how clear that water is!

Henry and I at the top of Heavenly

Wishing I had on a swimsuit instead of having to roll up my pants to enjoy the water.

Paddleboarding!

I finally got to cross another thing off my list-Paddleboarding! And it was sooooo much fun! My friend Jen and I, along with her husband, sister, aunt and uncle all went down to Mission Bay in San Diego bright and early last Saturday. After a quick lesson from our instructor we grabbed our boards and gave it a go. I somehow lucked out and ended up with a board that matched my swimsuit and cover up. If you know me at all then you understand how important that is! So how was paddleboarding? It's surprisingly (and thankfully) easier than I expected it to be. Once you get up and get your balance it's fairly easy to stay that way. I am pleased to repost that I didn't fall one single time! (And neither did Jen for the record!) There was one moment right after I stood for the first time that I did wobble but just quickly dropped to my knees for a moment. We discovered towards the end of our two hour session that it's even better with two people on one board. We were really moving fast with two people paddling! It was such a neat feeling to glide over the water. It was exhilarating and relaxing at the same time if that's even possible. I decided I want my own paddleboard so I can go whenever I feel like it and I'd prefer to have a pink one. But given the cost of them (about $700 to start) I won't be owning one anytime soon. It will be my new go-to activity whenever friends and family come to visit us in the future. Anyone wanna come visit???

Me and Jen, crossing this off our lists!

See me squinting? That's because I was afraid of wearing my Coach sunglasses in the ocean and I didn't think ahead of time about buying a cheap pair.

Twice the fun!

The girl doing the handstand on her board is our instructor! Jen and I didn't attempt doing the handstand ourselves, mostly on account of the fact we can't do them on dry land. 

Not what I'd intended...

I sit here tonight having intended to blog about my progress on my list but my thoughts go elsewhere instead. Last year I stumbled across a blog written by Kate Krull called 2 kids, a mortgage and a minivan. At the time I started reading this blog, Kate's daughter Lucy had just been diagnosed with an aggressive brain cancer. I have spent the past year regularly following her blog, keeping updated on how Lucy is doing. This poor child is only 5 and has endured more in the past year than most ever encounter in a lifetime. Her mother Kate has maintained what I can only describe as unwavering faith and strength throughout this whole nightmarish ordeal. How she manages to do this I may never know. Tonight, I decided to check in on Miss Lucy. As I read Kate's post from tonight my heart nearly stopped, my breath caught in my chest and the tears flowed instantly. Her cancer, which had been gone, is back. And there is nothing that can be done. Doctors have said Lucy's time here is nearly over, she will be gone soon. Kate simply asks for prayers that Lucy passes peacefully. And now I sit here, crying my eyes out and heart aching for this child I've never actually met, for this family going through the unthinkable. There are so many things in life which I cannot understand, cannot fathom even. Saying goodbye to your child being at the top of that list right now. If you pray at all, I ask that you please pray for Lucy and the rest of the Krull family. At the moment, they need our prayers more than anyone I know.

One month in...

I bet some of you thought I'd fallen off the face of the earth, huh? Nope, not exactly. It's true, I've completely abandoned my blog in the past few weeks which is utterly ridiculous given that this whole blogging deal had only just begun. I'd love to say its because I'm so busy checking things off my list of 33 but sadly there is no such truth. I have been captured and held hostage by a website called fanfiction.com. Ever heard of it? If not, do NOT go there. It will just suck you right in. It's basically a website where people take their favorite books (Hunger Games for example) and either rewrite it in their own version or continue on where the original author left off. It's like having a favorite book that never ends. Ever. It's a dadgum soap opera is what it is. And I freaking love it! I'm seriously contemplating making my own contribution and writing a story myself. My grammar and spelling are shamefully awful (especially as the daughter of a one time English teacher) and so I haven't decided to take the plunge yet. I'll let you all know if I do though!

As for my list of 33, I haven't crossed anything else off my list. I have started plotting out when some things are going to occur though. And I did score a great deal on paddleboarding thanks to the good people of Groupon (and Jen who forwarded me the deal). Thinking about doing that in July. And I found a yoga class taught at the lake in my neighborhood that I'm also planning to take in July. Hmm, what else, what else...oh, yeah, I bought a new curling wand (clamp free) and have practiced doing my hair once or twice. That takes sooooo much patience. Especially when a quick ponytail is so much faster. Ugh! But it's on the list which means I have to do it!

On a side note, I can cross something off my life-list! I have forever (and i mean forever)wanted jury duty and never been called but low and behold the good county of Riverside has summoned me for jury duty next month! I am sooooo stinking excited and I will be soooo stinking sad if they don't pick me. I know most people despise jury duty and probably think I'm nuts. But, I've always been a people watcher and this would be an ultimate people watching experience. I'll keep you all posted on that as well.

And I hope to start crossing things off my list of 33 and blogging it very, very soon!

Sprinkles Cupcakes

Birthdays really are a wonderful thing, aren't they? Know what else is wonderful? My amazingly thoughtful husband who drove a good distance out of his way to get me birthday cupcakes from Sprinkles! He surprised me when I got home from work with not just one, but rather a dozen of my desired cupcakes! He even got a whole assortment- red velvet, s'mores, peanut butter fudge, strawberry, milk chocolate, vanilla! So I've spent the past couple days stuffing myself silly with cupcakes of all kinds. I give my vote to the Red Velvet cupcake with the cream cheese frosting. Mmmmm, so delicious! Maybe it's just the southern girl in me being slightly biased, I don't know. At any rate, if you live near a Sprinkles Bakery, I say get the red velvet. Like now. And now I can officially cross "Eat a Sprinkles cupcake" off my list! Yay me! (And yay Henry for that matter-Love you, love you!)

1 down, 32 to go!!!

Happy Birthday to Me, I'm turning 33...

Tomorrow I'm turning 33 and if I had to share my thoughts on that I'd say I welcome 33 with open arms. So far, my 30's have far outshined my 20's and I intend to keep it that way. And to help keep the fabulousness going, I've compiled a list of 33 things I will be doing in my 33rd year. Some are more elaborate than others, some are free, some not so much each thing on the list is there because some part of me, whether it be a big part or just a sliver of me, has wanted to do those things. And of course what fun would it be if I didn't document each and every adventure here on this blog? So, feel free to follow along as I make every effort to step out of my comfort zone and live a little (or a lot!) over this next year! And, with no further ado, I present my 33 for 33.

1. Go to a comedy club on Sunset Blvd.
2. Spend an entire day at the beach, just soaking up the sunshine
3. Take a hot air balloon ride
4. Stomp grapes at a winery
5. Get a new tattoo (a specific stars one I saw on Pinterest)
6. See Lake Tahoe
7. Get a passport (pure laziness is the solitary reason I have yet to get one)
8. Learn how to do something, anything with my hair
9. Write more old school style letters (you know, the ones that need stamps)
10. Eat a Sprinkles Bakery cupcake
11. Take a yoga class
12. Plan and take an amazing vacation with Henry (maybe Hawaii again? Or if I get that passport...)
13. Get waxed (needless to say, there will NOT be photos posted of this one)
14. Travel the Pacific Coast Highway
15. Watch a live surf competition
16. Stay in a Bed and Breakfast
17. Take a surfing lesson
18. Float the river for the 2012 River Regatta in Laughlin
19. Take a train ride
20. See the flower fields in Carlsbad
21. Work an entire jigsaw puzzle by myself
22. Do a mud run or a color run
23. Bake a fancy cake complete with fondant icing
24. Camp in a platform tent at El Capitan Canyon
25. Have a backyard movie night under the stars
26. Shark Cage Dive (technically I've done this already but it's complete and utter awesomeness warrants the fact that it made my list)
27. Visit a state I've yet to see
28. Anonymously pay for a stranger's meal at a restaurant
29. Unplug for a weekend (no phones, tv or computers)
30. Learn to paddle board
31. Learn to play blackjack well enough to play in Vegas
32. Be part of a television studio audience
33. Ride the teacups at Disneyland (done this at disneyworld but not yet Disneyland)