the adventure begins

my company was nice enough to schedule an event in dc (without my input) shortly after i started. of course, i couldn't pass up the opportunity to have my employer pay for a plane ticket home. so, while i will be working for the remainder of the week (albeit on the east coast, rather than the west), i am taking all of next week off to do some playing!

my officemate and friend, alison, and i headed to the long beach airport this morning, leaving irvine at about 8:30am for our 11am flight. traffic is always hit or miss, and we both prefer erring on the side of caution.

when we arrived and checked in, we were told that our flight would be delayed, as the incoming flight was late. so we were looking at noon.

the long beach airport is a tiny little airport, and the 'waiting area' is largely outside. it was a beautiful morning, and we enjoyed it until shortly after 11 when we headed to our gate. the 'gate' was a glorified shack, but we found seating and passed the time calmly...for a short while.

the calm before the storm

about 20 minutes after we sat down. the shack began to shake. and it was a good shake. alison thought a plane had hit the building, but i knew immediately that it was a quake. this is my second since moving to ca, but this far bigger than the first.

the initial quake lasted just a few seconds, but the building was left swaying for a few minutes. so surreal to have the ground moving under your feet, and truth be told, oddly amusing. like a weird amusement park ride.

alison was pretty freaked out, which surprises me coming from a native californian, but in general, no one was panicking. there was no running, no doorway standing. just some question marked faces and mild concern.

and within 15 minutes the preboarding began.

we had just sat down in our seats and gotten settled when alison looked passed me out the window and asked 'what's that?' there was a waterfall of clear liquid coming from the wing. 'oh,' i replied flippantly, 'it's just the gas. we don't need it.'

about 60 seconds later the flight attendant came over the pa and said 'get up.'

the entire plane stared at this flight attendant thinking that we were not in the mood for a stretch, or for a joke of any kind.

and then he repeated it. 'get up. get out of this plane. leave your bags. proceed calmly. get off!' and we were all unceremoniously--yet calmly, per his instructions--shuffled off the plane and back into the gate waiting area.

that was when my one 'moment of panic' came. i started wondering if maybe this earthquake had been bigger than i realized. was there a large tremor coming our way? where had it started? and holy cow, there are people in this area that i love, and are they okay?

to make matters worse, no one could get calls out. we knew nothing, other than that the evac, as it had turned out, was related to a fuel spill, not the quake.

turns out that waterfall WAS the gas. but we did kind of need it. and while we waited for the fire department and the hazmat teams to arrive and assess the scene, there were a few moments where all of us sitting in that waiting area were in the dark.

i can only imagine how terrifying it must be and have been for those involved in serious natural disasters. katrina comes immediately to mind. not having any sense of what is happening in the world around you is isolating and frightening.

my first contact with the outside world was a text message from deb in new york asking me if i was okay, which frankly, did not help. if deb, in NEW friggin YORK, knew about this little shake, how bad was it?


fortunately the answer was not long in coming. i was able to get a hold of jenny to get more details and determine that everyone was safe and sound.

a 5.4 with over 50 aftershocks reported. epicenter, chino hills, about 30 miles from where i sat in long beach.

but, in the grand scheme of things, even with the extra drama of the unrelated evac, i was fortunate in that all was resolved quickly.

the hazmat team cleared the plane, and we reboarded (much to alison's chagrin). she was convinced that all of this was a sign that we were not supposed to go to dc on this plane. taking a less 'world's end' approach, i simply surmised that perhaps in the cosmic scheme of things, there was a need for the delay. i was confident that my fellow travelers would not trample me on their way out the door if something else were to happen. quite impressive actually, how that group responded to the uncertainty of the words 'get off the plane.' and frankly, i'd rather get back on the plane that has just been cleared by every imaginable safety inspector than one that hasn't been checked in three legs!

and only two hours later than originally planned, we safely arrived at dulles.

this is already turning out to be one interesting trip!

in roughly 15 hours

i'll be boarding a plane headed for va!

the beach problem

living in such close proximity to the california coast, and being the proud owner of a lovely little cruiser, who, it should be said, receives compliments and praise wherever she rolls, i find that on most weekends, some portion of my time is spent at the beach.

usually this time falls between morning errands and evening activities, and though it is a place of relaxation, i find that i am incapable of being completely idle. the obvious solution to what i refer to as 'the beach problem' is to tote a fabulous book along with my oversized towel, underused sunscreen, camera, and the snacks du jour.

but i've found that reading away my time results in strange tan lines (or burn lines, as the case may be), and stretching out on my stomach, propping myself up on elbows is more exercise than should be allowed on that golden stretch of sand.

so what to do?

about a week ago, i hit upon the answer--and why it took me so long, i can't say.

books on tape! though these days, it is more appropriate to refer to them as 'books on ipod'.

last year before the great california road trip, i signed up on a site that would give me discounts on downloads, and from time to time, a free one. so i waded through my 'to read' list, and selected three books; goose girl, a youth fantasy, austenland, another book by the same author, with an obvious pride & predjudice theme, and eat, pray, love.

and that is how i managed to 'read' three books in the last week. i have mixed feelings about 'reading' books this way. there aren't many things that give me as much pleasure as turning the page of a really great book, taking the highlighter out of my mouth, or from behind my ear to mark a really on-point quote, somehow taken directly from my mind and thoughts.

but, i genuinely enjoy driving with this 'background music', and of course, it was the perfect beach solution.

so i plowed through goose girl (loved it!) and austenland (liked it), and moved on to eat, pray, love. i was immediately drawn in by the author, reading her own words, telling her own story, as if i had sat down with a friend over a cup of tea and was listening to the recounting of the last year of her life.

i wasn't five chapters in, however, before it became painfully obvious that i was not going to be able to just listen. so, i did something strange and i bought the book. i kept it in my car, and when i heard a quote i loved, i would find the passage at my next stopping point, and highlight it, folding the corner of the page as i usually do to indicate that 'right here. there are words of wisdom here.'

so this is how i 'read' eat, pray, love. since i finished the three downloaded books in an amount of time that only allowed for one beach afternoon, it didn't exactly solve my beach problem.

but i have been nourished and entertained, and with a modicum of discipline, and careful selection, this could become my favorite new hobby. or almost favorite. going to the beach will reign supreme.

to see which gems of thought jumped out at me, check out my quotes page.

to my financially minded friends

(there must be at least one of you)

i am locked in a two year battle with myself. traditional ira or roth ira?

PLEASE HELP!!

dear friends,

you are amazing. i am so lucky to have you, and i most definitely don't tell you that enough. thank you for your love and your concern.

let me reassure you that i am fine. not 'happy on the outside, dying on the inside' fine, TRULY fine. my recent return to singledom comes not with heartbreak, only with some disappointment at having to start over again.

i don't want to minimize the relationship by saying 'it's not that big of a deal', but in some senses, it's not. i certainly saw potential and hoped to see it realized, but i am old enough and FINALLY smart enough not to drag out something that is simply not meant to be!

there is no anger, frustration, misunderstanding, or regret. i enjoyed my time with him, and i care about him. he is a good man, and i expect that we will remain friends. long distance friends who talk every few months or so, but friends:)

i'm excited about staying in california. halle-freaking-lujah!! no offense to my portlandians, but that was an adjustment i wasn't super confident about. life is coming together here, and i'm feeling 'whole' in a way i never have before. i've been getting things in order, and not to sound all feng shue zen masterish, but i have been finding me, and i am loving the process.

i will say that i am over the online/long distance thing for awhile. which means i'm probably over dating for awhile (i don't know why--it just seems to work that way!), and that's okay. there is much adventuring and learning and settling (and job hunting) left to be done . so, here i go!

back in the groove

last night at 6:30 or so, sitting in my room, backing up my hard drive before sending the macbook in to apple care for repair, my newly engaged roommate ariane comes in to ask me if i will take her engagement photos... ’like…now?’. as it happens, ariane is getting married on saturday. though the engagement is new, and the wedding quick, that is not the story arc i will be discussing in this post. but rather, the request for photos.

i wasn’t feeling all that well last night (female stuff), so i asked aynsley to come along and be responsible for the ‘posing’ of the couple. she volunteered to contact her ex, who has a much nicer camera, to see if he would loan it out. he agreed, which meant ayns would be taking the photos. that was fine, although i was semi-disappointed at the missed opportunity to continue building my portfolio. i went along for the ride nonetheless.

we picked up the camera and headed to the huntington beach pier to commence the photo shoot. i decided to go ahead and take a few shots around aynsley and her fancy shmancy camera. when all was said and done, and all of the photos from the three memory cards perused (ayns took about 200, i took about 30), ariane and her beau narrowed the pictures down to their three favorites. all three were mine.

– insert moment of triumph here –

the ‘winning’ picture, for use in the email invitation is:


every time something like this happens, i get frustrated and annoyed. my composition is usually pretty on target, but the picture quality between a point and shoot and a dslr is noticeable. i need a camera!!

based on last evening’s results, the couple have asked that i take the wedding photos, using a dslr belonging to ariane’s father. i’ve agreed and it will be my first actual wedding. and by actual wedding, i mean, it will be the first time i’m not hovering behind the ‘real’ photographer to get a shot. though I have been asked before, i have always declined as a result of my relationship with the couple. wedding photos can’t be redone. if you screw up, that’s that. But I know they are on a tight (virtually nonexistent) budget, and they’ve seen my photos and they like them. So it looks like I will in fact have another opportunity to build the portfolio, so that when i am really ready to do this, I’ve got some history behind me.

the wedding will be taking place on the beach, near sunset, which will hopefully allow for some amazing photos!

single again

and that is all i'm going to say about that.

the weekend started a little bit early, as i had a hankering for a flower barrette. i know, it's a strange thing to have a hankering for, but i did. and i didn't want to traipse around multiple stores not quite finding what i was looking for, which is exactly what happens when you know exactly what you're looking for. so i came up with a brilliant idea to make my own.

i mentioned said brilliant idea to alison, and asked if she wanted to come with me to michael's. she agreed, though skeptical, and we found several attractive silk flowers, small alligator clips, and a cheap glue gun.

three hours later, with a lull in the workday, we hid out in a small conference to make magic happen.


alison kept telling me how un-crafty she was, but she held her own and we were pleased with the results!


friday turned out to be kind of a big day for me. though i had anticipated waiting two-three more weeks, this arrived in the mail:

i can't remember if i blogged this earlier, but i lost my va license on the way to vegas. fortunately i had my passport with me, so getting home wasn't an issue. however, it made it necessary for me to get a new license. it's been a process 9testing, letters from the va dmv, etc.) but finally it arrived. and i have to say, it feels surreal to see my face on a non-va license. i had to sit down for a minute. um, i live in california. when did that thappen?!



after work, i headed to brandon and michelle's for the first time in about six weeks. it was also the first time i have seen brandon with hair in a long time. it's finally started growing back post-chemo, and served as a poignant reminder that life isn't perfect, but it IS full of love and beauty and triumph.

shortly after i arrived, another visitor appeared...my old friend andy, also from my high school days. andy was swinging by to pick up a cmputer progra, but we talked him into staying for an episode of 'angel' before heading out.

the three of us only made it through two more before brandon was snoring and i was on my way. i made a late night (quick) stop at a new friend's, who happens to live nearby, before making the hour-ish journey home.

after sleeping in gloriously late on Saturday, and spending a couple hours at the beach, I met up with some friends to go to the orange county fair. oh my, i do love a county fair. livestock, people watching, face painting, craft exhibits, life threatening rides, and deep fried EVERYTHING!

with different goals in mind, our group of 5 split upon arriving at the fair. allison, christian and i were headed straight for the food. we started with roasted corn, a fair favorite, loaded with parm and some other seasonings. but that was just the beginning.


over the course of the next two or so hours the three of us consumed the following:

pulled pork sandwich
corndog
ginormous turkey leg
onion rings (one of my favorite items)
orange julius
funnel cake with strawberries and soft serve vanilla (unbelievably delish)



deep fried snickers (HUGE disappointment)
caramel apple (also a disappointment)


& last but not least, root beer floats

one would think that with that amount of food consumption, that all we did was eat, but our experience was far more entertaining than that! we watched a hypnotist make people shake their booty’s and says ‘who’s your daddy?’ in various languages. i sat with a psychic who told me that a ‘gary’ would be be tied to much financial success for me (anybody no anyone named gary? i don’t), that i would take three trips (no time period given), two by the water, and one in more of a desert landscape. and that after the latter i would feel clarity that i haven’t had in some time. does dc count as the desert, because i think that trip is going to be very good for me!

i also found a hat that matches my bike. i kid you not. below is the hat, but i’ll have to post a side by side comparison later.


all in all it was quite the experience, all documented photographically of course. check the rest of the photos out here.

independence day!

before i get started on this photo tour of my holiday, the portland pics are here, and ALL the 4th of july pics are here.

i've been looking forward to the 4th of july since i moved to huntington beach. i had heard that it was something to behold, and i have high expectations for my dia de independence. after all, when you have watched fireworks over the statue of liberty and celebrated on the steps of the lincoln memorial, a high bar has been set.

two days post holiday, i can say that it absolutely ranks. though completely different than any prior 4th, it was an absolute blast!

my roommate aynsley and i got on our bikes at just after 9am and headed towards main street. one of the ysa ward members lives on main street, which just happens to be on the parade route. every year, singles from both the singles and mid-singles ward gather en masse to share muffins, oj, good company, and float watching (heckling).

aynsley and i arrived before the crowds and staked out a position. as the parade began, it was clear our choice was a good one. who knew a parade would be so interactive!

parade highlights included:

the band who broke formation to form a semi-circle around us while bangin' on the drums

tap dancing fools who split their pants (don't peak under that american flag)

gymnasts!?

self-portraits with tk and rachel! (little did i know, they grew up in huntington!!)

getting 'war painted' by boy scouts

after the parade, aynsley and i were looking for adventure, so we hopped on our bikes, grabbed a sandwich, picked up jamie, then headed to newport.

pacific coast highway was still closed from the parade, so we took the opportunity to ride our bikes down it for as long as possible. then we popped over to the boardwalk and continued our ride.


ultimately, it took us about an hour to ride down and through newport, and it was an absolute scene. most of the roads were shut down and there was a party at nearly every house. there were bicycle traffic jams and people watching galore.

after the two hour bike ride, i took a nap and a shower, then headed to mick and jenny's for fireworks with the fam.


so as you can see, my 4th was pretty stinkin' awesome!

timely

Think not of how, Tara, whether in terms of logistics, people, or inspiration, but of the end results you dream of. The end, in thought, combined with action, in its general direction, will always create the necessary circumstances, serendipities, epiphanies, ideas, and discoveries necessary to bring about the desired manifestation. The hard part is done for you. Your part is the easy part: Think and let go. Knock on every door and turn over every stone. Do not insist upon the path, but upon the overall change you wish to experience, and never take no for an answer.

You can do this. You've been doing it all your life.

You take after me -
The Universe