Box up your life!

Going back to Nashville.....

Today I put my entire life, which consists of 17 boxes and a couple extra items, on a moving van with Lance and Wall to be shipped to California! I consider myself pretty tight with the movers! They rocked and apparently 29 items TOTAL is somewhat of a small move..who knew?!?! And lets just say I better fall in love with California, but it's too dang expensive to move back....

I also had the privilege of spending the day as Hanna's sidekick. It was quite fantastic. Since I don’t exactly have any type of routine these days, I just hang out with lucky people and adapt to their schedule! We managed to wash the day away with Dawson's Creek (Jack came out today) and what I would consider to be pretty professional photo shoot on Music Row. Photo shoots are now my new favorite pastime. Basically, if I photographed you there is a good chance you could show up on the cover of an album one day! As of now, Ryan has major potential. He has rockstar written all over him!

Soon I will say goodbye to Nashville. Another place that was home for a while. I thought it to be a little more permanent, but life’s about changing and nothing ever stays the same.

Reunite!!!

The next time I arrive in California it will no longer simply be to tour wine country, surf the Pacific or pray for a celebrity encounter...I will actually be gaining residency, driving with a California license and adjusting to a new world. But for now I am back in my familiar town with my familiar streets and FAVORITE people.

As cheeseball as it sounds, there is something special about walking into a place where everybody knows your name. No wonder Cheers was a hit...it's an ideal situation. Basically, I'll use any excuse possible to stop through Auburn. This past Thursday, Encounter was my pit stop on the way to Hotlanta for Rachies birthday (double dues that is!). Just like the TV Show, I was greeted with big hugs and smiling faces. It was FANTASTIC!!

But the best was yet to come! Praise the Lord, Rachel turned 22 this weekend. Therefore, without question, a road trip to Atlanta was necessary....Time for a reunion!!! You would think the 5 of us haven’t seen each other in months, yet it's really only been 2 weeks. But we savor any opportunity to reunite knowing the next encounters may be few and far between.

Bottom line...my favorite people are the ones when it doesn’t matter what you do because the simple fact of being together is enough. Cheeseball again I know, but hey it’s true! No elaborate birthday celebration just good friends, good food, and good fun!! With a couple bonuses of a Laguna Beach marathon, food court chicken samples, Debbie's famous Kahlua, Oreo, fudge cake! YUM, and a picture perfect view of the Atlanta skyline from Rachel's front porch!!

Future Bloomingdale models!!

My first wine tasting

My first day of wine tasting was all I hoped for and more! As my mom and I drove along highway 101 through the rolling hills with vineyards on either side of us, we were in awe of the beauty. I guess they call this place "Wine Country" for a reason.

This mini-vacation with my mom has actually been filled with action-packed days of apartment hunting, furniture shopping and perfecting the u-turn (we get turned around all the time!). So we decided to take a break from that tough task and tour the wineries!!!

Our first stop was the Korbel Campagne Cellars. As of now, my mom and I might as well have tourist stamped on our forehead. Not only am I uneducated as a wine connoisseur, but I am the only person who gets IDed at the wine tasting bar. And then I normally have the "You have a great accent, where are you from?" conversation. But all in all, it was a beautiful vinyard and I can now recommend Korbel Cream Sherry. It is the best dessert wine I have ever tasted. It's almost like drinking pecan pie in a wine glass. I did leave with a bottle of that!

Next, we drove all through the countryside on little winding roads through quaint towns that led to the Chateau Souverain Winery. It was, as they describe it, a historic French chateau; I felt like I had walked into a castle. And imagine this... as we pull in the front gates we witness a wedding ceremony on the front balcony of the chateau!!! Can you imagine?

Oh yes...they had great wine too! But an important thing to know...white wine is basically unexceptable out here. RED is the only way to go. But I have nothing exciting to recommend. Sorry....unfortunately to me after a couple they all taste the same. I'm hoping that one day I will be able to decipher the difference simply by swirling the glass and whofting the smelling towards my nose. As for now, I'm just inexperienced, overeager tourist!!!

It's happening

Check it out! Pretty soon this will be my view every morning as I wake up and drink my coffee on my balcony. And If you look really close you can even see a cross on the hillside. Just one way to be reminded of the Lord's presence!

Today I signed a lease in California!! AHHH!!! I have to say this quite often (out loud) to remind myself that this isn't a dream...its my life! Crazy!

The past few days in Cali with my mom have been one great adventure! When we arrived at the San Fran airport, our first task was to get a renta car and find our way. Needless to say, we were all excited about driving over the Golden Gate Bridge. But it was so dang foggy, we drove over the enomrous thing and had no idea we ever even on it! And imagine your mother from Alabama who hates driving at night in the first place being the tour guide in San Francisco at 1:00 am! We laughed...A LOT!


Our second day began with a bang! I meet my boss (who is AMAZING) and she took me to a storage unit! It is filled from top to bottom with boxes of GUM!!!...I knew I might get some free samples here and there, but holy crap this is awesome!

One other hightlight I must mention. I have found a replacement for the "Rage"..It's called the "Bohemian" for the North Bay Coast. How perfect is that! There's no way Nashville's entertainment can compete with that! The thursday hightlight will remain the same!

Anyways my goal is to eventually feel like a true local. But I have a long ways to go. I have learned that ordering white wine is obsurb. And I need to devote my eating habits to those of either a vegan, vegetarian or an organic addict. But honestly, I think I am really going to like it here. Everyone I have meet is extremely nice and friendly. The weather is beautiful and I have great hair because there is no humdity. What's not to like?

Soak it up!

So good-byes have never really been my thing, but a small part of me actually has to move on.....hints the frowny faces in the pic of my roomies. A wonderful place known as the "crayola house" is no longer my home and neither is the loveliest village on the plains. This may sound like a depressing way to start of a small documentary of my life, but I have high expectations for the adventure ahead....don't worry. I mean who can really complain about living in the same state as Seth Cohen and having Arnold as your governor.

Anyways since all of my favorite people are no longer living in the same house or even in the same state for that matter, I figured what better way to provide easy access to the details of my life than through a blog

-side note: a "blog" used to be a school assignment that I dreaded daily and now I am choosing to spend precious moments of my day blogging for sheer joy...what's up with that?!??!

Well this is the first step towards change ...so let's frown and wave good-bye to the "crayola house" and "wacka wacka" (praise God) one last time. The next time I post I will have seen the a little glimpse into my life in Cali and cross your fingers that I find a place to live!!!