thankful

thanksgiving can be a difficult holiday for me.  i lost my dog cyra on my first thanksgiving here in california, and, with only a couple of exceptions, have spent most of them (since i moved here) flying solo.  it always seems to be a reminder that my family is far away.

this would be the year to change all that, however!  my cousin and her family recently moved to las vegas from utah.  initially, i thought this would just help make my dreaded work trips there a little sweeter, but i didn't realize there would be a holiday bonus as well!

laurie and her husband shawn were hosting thanksgiving for her siblings and their families, and were kind enough to invite me to join them.  i just couldn't pass up the opportunity to spend the holiday with so many people i love.

the long weekend consisted of everything a good thanksgiving SHOULD consist of; great food, great conversation, games, movies, sleeping in, staying up too late, pool and hot tub time (i mean, it's vegas after all), and a 15 passenger van.

growing up, i only saw these cousins about once every other year, but i have always felt a deep connection and abiding love for them.  they are people who i would choose to spend time with even if we weren't related, and based on some of the families i know, that is the highest praise i can give.

facelift

if you've been catching up on the blog using a feed reader, it might be worth taking a look at the actual blog for  a minute.  it's got a new look and i think it's super great and want you to see it :D

home

it seems like i was just bidding adieu to october and already november is coming to a close.

that means i am also celebrating six months in my new home, and it was brought to my attention recently that i haven't said much about this year's move, nor have i provided photos of the 'final' result of all those pinterest pins i posted in my 'moving' album.

the truth is that though there were some groan-worthy transitions that resulted from my moving 15 miles up the road (an hour and a half commute and street parking, mostly), it has been a wonderful change.  i'm happier than i would have thought, to be out of orange county and now in los angeles county, and  i'm happy with the space itself (it FEELS homey).  but mostly i'm happy that my friend, comic-con buddy, and regular partner in crime, makes a perfect roommate for me.

in the six months i have lived in the home she now owns, there has never been an unkind word, an unmet expectation, a moment of awkwardness, or a boundary crossed.  i consider it a near miracle and a great blessing to somehow have naturally achieved that balance between having our own space and solitude and enjoying the interactions we share (although she almost spoiled a walking dead episode for me recently, and that might have done our friendship in!). ;)

so, without further delay, photos of what my neighbor literally referred to as 'the pinterest room'.  little does she know!

let me first give you a rough idea of the layout:

this is the view from the living room.  to the right, behind the coat rack, is the front door.  the open door on the right is one of the two into my bedroom.  to the left of the book case (yes, jami and i both really love to read!) is the dining area, and the open doorway is a small hallway. straight through is my bathroom (also the guest bathroom). there is a door to the left of the hallway that is the guest room/den, and to the right, the other door to my bedroom.

so, moving to my room:

i wanted a 'chill area'.  my bedroom is a good size with a lot of natural light and i tend to hide out a bit when i'm home.  instead of a dresser, i've opted to put my clothes and such in baskets.  there is a lot of mix and match going on, but i love it.  i also love my chair (from overstock.com), and the light gray button details are a perfect match for my target storage ottoman.  the lamps are another fun touch that i'm enjoying.

a couple of things i'll point out... first, you'll notice my scratch-off travel map on the wall, surrounded by vinyl paper airplanes.  it speaks to my current lifestyle, highlighting travel in a whimsical way.  at least - that's the goal.  fortunately (or unfortunately) i usually only get out of the country once a year, so it won't be too much of a pain to pull the map out of the frame!

it took me a loooong time to decide on what i wanted above my bed.  i'm still not entirely sure if i've really committed to that, though i do like these faux window frames.  only problem is deciding what to put in them. if i can find my old-old passport, i might blow up the stamped pages.  i think that might be a fun personal touch, which also happens to compliment the decor colors.

in general, i like details. things other people might not even notice, but that jump out at me and make me smile. these are some of my favorites:

light switches, 'bulletin boards', pillows, and instax photo displays (this one is a magnetic board covered in the same fabric as the throw pillows on my bed), all make for a slightly different take on the 'norm'.

so, there you have it (melissa)!  any questions?

adios october

all good things must come to an end i suppose, and october 2013 is no exception.  before saying a final farewell however, there was time to...

get my two-step on with grant and amy,

enjoy watching cordy and thor spooning for the first time,

have dinner with katherine, in town from colorado for some training,

and catch up with my road trip friend matt, giving me an excuse to try out a new dessert recipe.

oreo pudding cake

the haunted circus

i was excited to be heading back to texas.  i love texas. i'm a lot more country than i think i've previously realized.  but i was also excited because i'd finally be in the right texas town at the right time, to meet up with my friend old virginia friend, stephanie.  to clarify, she's not old, i'm not old, but our friendship is old. old like a fine wine that just gets better with time.

so, i had a lot to look forward to, and when i got a text from a relatively new co-worker asking if i'd be up for a haunted house while we were in texas, the ante got upped!

the decision was made to visit the strangling brothers haunted circus.  i'd like to tell you that i selected it because it appeared on 'top haunt' lists, or that i am particularly terrified of clowns, but really, i selected it because it was the ONLY option on a monday night.  which makes it a happy accident that it is hands down the scariest haunt i've experienced!

since i'm not especially bothered by clowns, i expected it to be 'okay', but it was beyond memorable.  being there on a monday night meant very short lines.  which should have moved faster.  but when i realized why it was slow going, i forgave the delay.  it turns out that they were staggering each group so that you were only going through with the people you came with. that alone made it stand apart.  i hate being lumped in with a larger group and depending on where you are in that larger group, you may actually see everything coming before it comes.  this was not the case at the circus.

also setting it apart was that rather than being set in some kind of building, in line with it's circus theme, it was actually roughly 30 big-rig size trailers linked together in some case and with some outdoor scenes happening between every 3 or 4 trailers.  this was also most excellent for me as i tend to get very hot in haunted houses and the outdoor vignettes gave my body a chance to regulate it's temperature.

but even beyond these seemingly subtle differences, the quality of the scares was far above average.  while not every 'scene' made me react, there was literally something for everyone. in fact, it was this experience that made me realize that my quirky 'cabin fever' --the one that would make me go driving around the neighborhood in three feet of snow, just to know that i could,  is actually a fear on some level.

there was one area in particular that tapped into the fear.  dense with white fog and populated with people wearing white masks and white clothing so that you could not see them until they were inches from your face, it was also impossible to find a way out.  we were in that trailer for probably 6 or 7 minutes, at least two of which, i spent curled up in a standing ball in a corner. our exit was finally made possible by one of the whiteys with a finger point, and i'm not sure we would have found it without the help.  we couldn't even figure out where we had come from!  it was soooo good!

i recently read a review on yelp where the reviewer, referring to some haunt or another, said he considered a haunt a good value if you got at least a minute for every dollar you spent.  we spent 25 dollars and it took a little over 45 minutes for us to go through the entire experience, never running into or being bumped into by any other participants.  they were truly excellent minutes.

and the texas fun was not over.  the following evening gave me a chance to spend a few hours with stephanie.  she had picked fred's texas cafe, a ddd joint that, it turned out, i hadn't been to. we grubbed and gabbed, and i was reminded just how much i love seeing old friends. i love that they come with a shared built in history.  i love that you share certain understandings and don't have to cover old ground, but can go on the same nostalgia trip should you so choose. and i love that you can just pick up where you left off.

needless to say it was a most excellent tuesday night in texas.