A little snipet about Casa de Amma

So a couple of weeks ago we had a journalist from the OC Register come to Casa de Amma and do a feature article on our facility and the residents.  Now this may be only a local paper but hopefully this article will get the word out there about what we are doing.  Here is the link it is also posted on my Facebook but knowing me I like to post where ever possible. 
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/amma-278577-casa-residents.html?pic=1



There is only one typo and that is Bradley Lewis has only been at CDA for one year not from when it first opened, but considering that is the only minor typo and they could have described our residents much differently I think it is over all a great article.  There are extra pics as well so make sure to check those out too so that you can get a quick glance at building.  Also you can go to
www.casadeamma.org to see me some more virtual tours of the building.  This is a short post but I am so excited about the article and wanted to share it with everyone.

A Tale From the Land of Melisstonia

So you have all heard the tale of how, Melisstonia, a country of Wendy's World came to fruition with the coffee stain.  Well I have contemplated purposly spilling something to create the next country in Wendy's World, but haven't quite decided how I feel about forcing the next country.  But back in the land of Melisstonia I still have my throne, a primative one but beloved one none the less.  This throne sits in the office of my most trusted advisor Duchess Kasidee.  I spent many of hours in her office, Kas's Korner, venting and getting advice on how to go about my daily affairs with the Wicked Villians of Wendy's World and how they would try to repress the people and break their spirits to point where the people no longer felt joy for their jobs.  These hours of advisement usually included some popcorn and LOTS of Diet Coke.  Even though I moved away from Melisstonia many of close friends included my trusted advisor Duchess Kasidee still fight off these Wicked Villians.  Duchess Kasidee has preserved my throne and even made a sign for it declaring it reserved. 

Recently I was sadden to hear that one of my loyal followers had torn down my sign and was using my throne as a place to throw her belongings.  My heart broke, I even cried a small tear.  Now this follower, Caitlin our Court Jester, admitted her crime and begged for forgiveness (through text message due to the long distance).  I was gracious in handing out the consequence for such a crime.  I told her she had to get on her knees and beg forgiveness from the throne in front of Duchess Kasidee.  Caitlin the Court Jester was also kind enough to bring a Diet Coke offering in her apology.  I think she was grieved as well from her offense. 

All has been made right in the land of Melisstonia.  The throne has been given the respect is deserves and the sign is a little worn but back in place. I suggested it might need to be lamenated so that it can better with stand the wear and tear of time.  The loyal residents of Melisstonia are still battling the WickednVillians. Many have escaped their clutches and other are still looking for the right timing.  All are loved by their Queen who wishes she could be there fight along side of them, but has been called to discover new lands.  

"Peter Pan" 360 and "Insatiable" (it a book stop being dirty)

So I say this a lot but really I have to admit I pretty much have the best job around. I think I previously mentioned in an earlier post... not that I have all that many post, but that is beside the point... that I was trying to get the residents to go see Peter Pan 360 as an activity. Well this past Saturday 9 residents went with me and it was AMAZING!!!! It is here in OC I think until after Jan and I really want to go see it again. They built this tent and inside there is a circular stage with a tail and all the seats go around the stage so there really aren't any bad seats, plus it is a small area so it is pretty intimate. Go to www.peterpantheshow.com to see what exactly I am talking about. But on the tent there are all these screens that go around the stage so that when they are "flying" it projects these pictures that really make them look like they are flying. When they would go under water the screen really helped make it look like they were sinking.  The screen where such a great tool to really make the use of their minimal props.  The actors have to hook in and out of theirr harnesses but they do it with such ease that most of the time you don't even notice unless you are really trying to see it. They have so few props that get reused for different scenes and it is just awesome I would give it 5 HUGE stars and say that it is a MUST SEE!!!! Can you tell I really liked it. Plus all the residents really liked it as well. The lady who played Tinker Bell was hilarious, she looked like she has had a bit of a rough life, but that edge brought a whole new level to the character. Plus Tink was not dressed in some super cute fairy costume she wore a beaten up pink tutu, a dirty wife beater, and combat boots. The tutu and her messy hair had all these twinkle lights in them. Oh and Peter and many of the lost boys wore those Vibram shoes are like toe sock but shoes.


We had a little bit of a rough start mainly because I forgot the tickets back at CDA and had to turn around to go get them. Thankfully I did not get very far, but it is a good think by uncle told me that I needed to leave earlier then I was planning on, we really didn't need the extra 30 except for the fact I forgot the tickets. One of the other staff members at CDA stood outside and held out the folder they were in so I didn't even have to stop the van. The resident thoroughly hassled me about it all night. Plus we had a surprise guest....JAVI!!!! We had an extra ticket and so Javi joined us at the venue and the residents were so excited they then told me that they want a surprise guest at all their outings. Not sure that one is going to happen. They also were asking me about what the next big show was going to be and it is going to be Wicked. Now I took the residents to see Wicked at the Pantageous theater on Hollywood Blvd and many have heard me tell the story, it is long and I won't take the time to tell it right now, but lets just say it was definitely work and I don't think I will be taking them this time. I will leave that to another staff member. Plus I have seen Wicked 3 times so I don't feel the need to see it again.

Here is a pic of all the residents all dressed up and ready to see Peter, Wendy, Michael, Jon, & the Lost Boys battle mean ole Captain Hook.

Ok now for the book review. I just finished an excellent book by Meg Cabot, Insatiable.


                                           
Now it may look like a seedy romance novel and it has a couple of moments where it kind of is but over all it is pretty great. Meg Cabot is one of my favorite, as I like to call, Fluff authors. I don't mean that in a rude way but her novels don't really make me think and they are easy and light hearted and just plain fun and this one is no different. This on actually makes fun of all the Vampire craze that is sweeping the nation right now. Now from this point on I will be giving slight spoilers so you have been warned. If you are a reader who wants to know nothing besides what the book jacket says do not read the next paragraph you have been dutifully warned!




*Spoiler Alert* (see I'm still warning you so don't get angry with me if you can not resist temptation)
So in Insatiable the main character Meena is a dialog writer for a Soap Opera called Insatiable and just found out that they are going with a storyline involving Vampires and Meena HATE vampires and think the whole world has gone nuts with Vampires. Meena also has this special gift of she knows how people are going to die and if this death is going to be in the near future, she also feels compelled, as most people would, to try and help people to keep them from dying. Meena also has these neighbors who are obsessed with Insatiable and are constantly giving her ideas of what to write next. These neighbors throw a party because their rich royalty cousin, Lucien, is coming to town and they want to celebrate. Meena goes to the party and falls instantly in love with this Romanian Prince, whom she later finds out is... oh my goodness a Vampire and he is the Prince of Darkness!!!! Meg does a great job of intertwining some history about how Dracula by Bram Stoker is based off Vlad the Impaler, whose name is Vlad Dracula. (I know it is true cause I read the author's note in the back of the book, I'm nerdy sometimes) I bet you didn't see that one coming :). Now come in forcefully the Vampire Slayer and no it is not Buffy. It is a buff man named Alaric who is part of the secret society of Vampire Slayer the Palentine (once again a real organization that is now considered defunct, again author's note). Well of course Alaric is trying to kill Lucien and Meena is finally convinced Lucien is a Vampire but he can't possibly be bad. Lucien has an evil brother Dimitri what wants to be new Prince of Darkness. Anyway there is a whole war between sides, Alaric falls for Meena, Meena loves Lucien, same ole same ole. What I won't spoils is what happens in the battle cause it is a pretty great twist. I will say that I really enjoyed Meena as the heroine and to an extent respect her as much as you can a fictional character. She is way better then mopey dopey Bella from Twilight. I got one word for Bella and Edward and all their teenage angst... overrated!  Stepping away from the soapbox cause that is a whole nother entry.  Back to Insatiable, it did not end the way I wanted it to but that is because there was no closure and that is because, after researching on Meg's website, she is making this a series.   Yay! I just hope that the next book is as good as this one.

Ok spoiling done, although there is so much more that I could have spoiled. I would overall give the book 5 stars.  It may seem as though I am an easy judge since I gave Peter Pan 5 stars and Insatiable 5 stars, but usually I am very critical so this is rare.  Just wait til I really don't like something that will be a long post... when does the next Twilight saga movie come out? 

Doneski.

Three's Company Part 1

Well once again it has been forever since my last post... forgive me please. 

Many have asked about the housewarming and for pics of it as well as the apt.  I am sad to say I did not end up taking a single picture of the party, but it was a blast.  As for the apartment I would like to dedicate this entry to giving you a tour of my new home!

First this is our front door, welcome wreath and all,  it has a private entrance that is a nice bonus makes you feel less crowded cause lets be real in Cali all the building are REALLY close together. 

Chloe says "Come on in lets get started!"

To the left is our dinning room and kitchen.  Excuse the alligator toy in the middle of the floor. Chloe likes to make sure she has a toy in every room for easy access.

We have a double sided fireplace and on the kitchen side the mantel has Aliah's Miniture collection. Unfortunately you can't see the antique Kansas car liscense plate that says GDOLDAZ for "good ole days".  At first when Aliah asked if I knew what it said my brain kept trying to make it way Godzilla but I couldn't figure out what the extra D was for.

Let's take a closer look at our beautiful kitchen that has a gas stove/oven that I LOVE i'm not sure if I will ever be able to go back to electric. Also there is TONs of counter space that is wonderful for all my baking projects and tons of cabinets to store all sorts of stuff.

Next up lets turn the corner to the living room we have what Javi calls the totem pole book shelf that each one of us has a little cubby to put stuff in and then a little place that houses the mail and dog stuff.

Top is Aliah with Papaya's cause that how she teaches you to say her name, "Aliah like Papaya".  Next my favorite pic of my dad when he was little boy and on a horse along with an owl candle. Then there is Javi's cubby with an autographed picture of Madonna and a Cher mug where we keep quarters.

Here is the living room. Awww look we have interupted Chloe and Sequia having fun playing together they are such sweet friends and have a hard time deciding who is the dominant one.

This side of the fireplace the mantel is dedicated to all my Kenya stuff, I love that painting! And yes that is one of those easy to light firelogs cause the only way I know how to start a fire is toilet paper doused with diesel and I don't think the apt complex would appriciate that too much.

Next up is the hallway and I had to have some place to out my adorable apron

 This is my bed room.  I am still trying to find a new bedspread since I have had this one since sophmore year of college, andI finally found one that I love, but now I have no money to spend.  I will update when I finally get something new! Yup that is the awesome kitchen table that was in my duplex and it is now my desk.

This is the hallway that leads to the bathroom, hall closet, laundry room, Javi's room and Aliah's room.  We won't be stopping in those rooms because I have not asked permission to take pics of them, but take my word for it they are pretty great as well.

Unlike my last couple of places this place has tons of storage and with three people living in it we still have some empty places.  Although one of those above cabinets now belongs to our friend Shannon who comes and stays with us on the weekends so she doesn't always have to transport her stuff back and forth.

Oh and I also wanted to highlight a piece of Javi's artwork that I absolutely love. Javi did this in a High School art classes and it is torn pieces of magazines that he put together.  It is beautiful in person and this pic does not do it justice.

That is my new home and it is so much fun! It is filled with lots of love and laughter and I could not be more thankful to both of my amazing roomies, who in Three's Company Part 2 I will be interviewing and introducing you to. 

5K + Rainforest Cafe + Project Bandaloop = Great Day!

What a great saturday! They day started out with going on a 5K walk with a couple of work friends, Aliah who is also my roomie and Shannon.  It was a walk for Mental Health which is a great cause and well I am always up for a walking for a good cause.  Plus Aliah and I brought our dogs as well Chloe & Sequoia.  One of the buisnesses Aliah works for was a group in this walk so we just joined in with them.  The day was nice and cool but a little cloudy and eventually the sky opened up and poured down some rain on us which was actually kinda fun.  Chloe who hates the rain was not happy at all to be soaked and decided she did not want to walk anymore but just lay down and pout so she won and got carried.  Shannon was hilarious during the whole walk cheering people on and thinking of ways to better organize the walk for next year.  People in CA are so funny about rain they hide from it like they will melt or don't know understand what it is. I guess that is what happens when you live in a stated where it never rains.  Before the race there was a loud clap of thunder and some people screams like a bomb went off.  Its thunder for crying out loud!  I'd hate to see what would happen if they saw a hurricane!

Here is a picture of the three of us: Me, Aliah, and Shannon.  The dogs didn't make the pic, they were having a bad hair day due to the rain.


Next up was work.  Saturdays are my fun days and tonight my job was to take the residents to Rainforest Cafe and then to see Project Bandaloop.  Rainforest Cafe is more of an experience restraunt and I had never been.  The food was fair at best and the ambiance was a little run down but the residents loved it. We sat near the gorillas and they would start moving every 15 minutes and thunder storms every 30.  They all got burgers and fries something they don't typically get at CDA so they were happy as can be.  I on the other hand got a salad, it will be a LONG time before a burger sounds good to me... 3 years of Sky Burgers every Wednesday and Saturday... yeah I'm done with burgers. 

Here is a pic of the residents at Rainforest Cafe:

Next up was Project Bandaloop.  I had been excited about this outing since I found out about it.  I really want to get the residents more into the Arts and getting to experience more things then going to dinner and a movie and this was a great start.  This was a free event done by the OC Performing Art Center and Project Bandaloop combines dance, ropes, and rock climbing skills. They harnessed in, lowered themselved down and danced on the side of the building.  So basically they were perpendicular to the building.  Here are a couple of links to help you visualize:

http://projectbandaloop.org/videos.html or http://projectbandaloop.org/architectural-work.html

It was awesome! Look up to see if they are coming to an area near you and go see them.  This show was a little more artsy and they projected images on the wall as well and told "stories" during the show but it was phenomenal.  During the whole thing all I heard from the residents was "wow" and a lot of clapping.  They were all skeptical at first of even going and tried very hard to convince me to go somewhere else but I knew they would love it.  The audience sat camp or beach chairs in front of the building and there was a live band to for all the music.  By the end of each dance segment they would eventually repell down the whole building which my best guess is about 4ish stories.  Then they would get to the top again for the next dance.  I was in awe of the physical strength it took them and the skills to work with the ropes.  My nerdy campy side want to go and inspect all their equipement and see how it all works for them, but alas they don't really let you do that.  We unfortunately had to leave during intermission due to issues but it was a great experience for them.  It also gave me a good intro to get them hyped about seeing Peter Pan 360 which is my next adventure for them.  OC Performing Arts has built this special tent and the stage is circular and in the middle and the audience sits all around and they are performing Peter Pan.  So I showed the residents where the tent is and then talked up how cool the inside would be.  Fingers crossed they will sign up! Although that show is a bit more expensive so there will be some budgeting and such. 

On the down side of the day my check engine light came on and I am a bit concerned about it.  I have been told that it could be something minor.  I am praying that is the case for me cause I REALLY can NOT afford somthing major.  Monday is doom's day when I will take it somewhere and see what it is.  Pray for poor Emma (my car) that she not be teriminal. 

Next weekend is going to be our housewarming party with a Three's Company theme.  There will be fun and there will be pictures!

Hilarious Conversation I MUST share

Ok so there are times when the conversations at my job are just so precious that I have to write them down so I never forget plus they are just bring joy to my heart.

So a little background: most of these residents come from well to do families so they are accustomed to nice things... I wish I were more accustomed to nice things too.  Well about a week ago I was taking a group to the grocery store and everyone in the car started bragging about what kind of cars their mom's drive or all the designer items they own.  JV's parents are highly intelligent people and build hospitals or something really smart I have not gotten the whole story and JV is actually very smart as well. Below is a little snippet of the conversation that still makes me laugh just thinking about it.

KB: Well my mom drives an audi
RG: My mom drives a mercedes
CN: My mom drives a lexus
LB: my mom drives a mercedes too
JV: Well my mom is meeting the Dali Lama next week so beat that!
CN: Who is Dali Lama
JV: Oh my god you have got to be kidding me he is only one of the foremost spiritual world leaders.
KB: Yeah I think I know Dali.
JV: I'm not talking to you anymore.

I seriously could not help but laugh, by far my favorite conversation yet.

I'm changing positions pretty soon at my job, I will be the Community and Vocational Coordinator. I am very excited for the new position, but I am really going to miss my residential meetings with them and getting to spend that extra one-on-one time with them.  I will just have to figure out how to make it happen cause these guy and gals are the best!

Disney Land & Parents Weekend

Yikes I have procrastinated yet again with this blog I don't mean to but yet I did.   So much has happened in the past few weeks.  I got an amazing apartment and two fabulous roomies. We just planned our housewarming party for Oct 8th and it will have a Three's Company theme and I promise lots of pics... well the people coming are all thier friends since the majority of mine are still in TX.  I wish I were rich and could fly you all out here.  Once everything gets unpacked and decorated I will post pics of the place as well. 

Last weekend I took a group of residents to Disney Land to celebrate RG's birthday and it was awesome!  His parents paid for us to be escorted around Disney to whatever rides he chose and we would go to the front of the line.  *Random Side Note:  Disney really does a phenomenal job at Customer Service and getting people through the line quickly and such... Sky Ranch you need to watch the videos a couple more times. Although parking really did remind me of Sky in the summer.* So we stared the day at California Adventure on the big roller coaster that I can not think of the name.  Many of the residents did not want to go on this one because it goes upside down so they stood by the railing so that they could watch and this one has a count down to it so that you can prepare.  Well many residents were screaming at me and I was trying to figure out what they were saying and completely missed the countdown so as I am cranning my head and looking to the side to try to deciper what the heck they are yelling I suddenly get jerked forward and slam the side of my face against the chest bar all to then realize they were yelling "sit back".  Next up was the Tower of Terror, which I LOVE cause it terrifies me everytime, its basically an elevator that goes up and down so quickly that you float above your seat. Well many of the residents started screaming thier heads off the moment the lights went out and I just died laughing.  The picture they take on the ride was histrical if we had not been rushed to move on I would have purchased it.  The residents all look horrified while me and the other staff member are laughing.  While riding Pirates we all sang together "yo ho yo ho a pirates life for me" and chose where everyone would live.  They chose the whore house for me without really realizing what it was until RG starts giggling and says, "hehehehe Wendy's gonna be a hooker".  So Kati & Trev I guess in the end I will end up a Pirate Hooker :). 

They forced me to go on Splash Mountain which I did not want to because it was hot and I didn't want to be wet.  I tried to hide but they found me and dragged me on.  I am not sure why Disney has not revamped that ride cause I am pretty sure all the animatronic animals are high and there are shrooms everywhere. It is not a good influence for kids at all! It was just down right creepy and for the final drop I ducked so far down that I didn't even make it into the picture and all the residents got mad at me.  For Space Mountain CN wanted me to ride with her, but she left out an important piece of information that she is scared of the dark.  So basically the ride starts and so do her screams and I'm thinking what in the world is she dying! Then she clutches my arm across the seat and I'm all awkwardly leaning across the seat to try and help her feel better. The ride comes to an end and she suddenly startes laughing and states she wants to go again...whew luckily we were off to the next ride.  The haunted mansion was all decked out for the Nightmare Before Christmas because of Halloween, which I actually prefer it the other way but that is because I don't really like the Nightmare before Christmas.  I rode that one all by myself because the carts don't stop moving and there is moving walkway as well and I was so clumsily uncoordinated I could not get myself together enough to make it into the correct cart. It was a mess I almost fell straight on my butt! We went on a few more rides that I can not remember, but the night ended with The World of Color, which is a water show kinda like the one at the Bellagio but they make a mist screen out of the water as well and then show different clips from Disney movies.  It was beautiful!

This past week we had our Parents weekend, which started with our golf tournament fund raiser.  I was stationed at hole 18 which was "The Perfect Drive".  They could donate $40 and advance 350 yards and drop their ball much closer to the hole. I sat there with another staff memeber as well as 2 residents CN and SC.  A couple of times one of them would say something like, "oh man that was way off would you like to buy that advance now?"  Or they would forget to be quiet while the guys were swinging.  CN loved to drive the golf cart around and was constantly asking if we needed to go to restroom.  On one of the trips she was trying to move to the side so someone could pass and completely drove me into a bush and then also loved to go over curbs, it was a mess.  I had flashbacks of getting shotput from a golf cart and doing a butt slide. 

Last night was the family BBQ and I had the job of serving drinks.  We only served beer and wine but it was very interesting to see who came back for multiple refills.  The winner was 11 glasses of white wine.  The beer of choice was Fat Tire.  And a couple of residents took about 2 sips and then declared they were drunk, but only when people were looking or playing into it.  One wanted a beer and then when no one was looking would pour it into nearby plants.  I just sat back and watched it all, especially the parents dancing to the cupid shuffle.  I went down to join in and then just ended up standing off to the side laughing histerically, I mean seriously imagine 50 something year olds doing the cupid shuffle it makes for a funny thought. I had one parent ask me if I knew some random person they met in Houston... I really just wanted to respond, "it's the 3rd largest city in the nation... no I don't know your random friend."  But instead I politely said, "no I'm sorry that name is not familiar to me." Overall the parents were really nice and it was great to see them having so much fun with the residents. 

Sigh well it took me the entire day to finally get this done and technically its the next day... next time I should not wait so long. 

Best Job EVER!!! Well unless you are Anthony Bourdain

So I have discovered as much as I want to blog and think it is a great way for me to keep up with people I am a procrastinator at heart, so excuse my tardiness in posting something new... not that I have a large following :). 

For this post a top 7 list (why 7 because its my list and I like the number 7) of why I have the best job ever!  Well I truely believe Anthony Bourdain has the best job ever but I think working with the people I do I have a very close second.

7. Its basically stress free - no minute details or campfires or even stupid OE to deal with.  La diabla is out of my life forever!!! Hurrah!!!

6. I have set days and set hours and if I work over that then I get paid... what a concept to pay people for the extra time they work for you.  So those 80+ work weeks are gone.  Although I am going to start looking for a second job to fill some more hours of my day and to bring in some more money so I can enjoy some of the perks of living in gorgeous Orange County.

5. The staff I work with all work together as a team to serve our residents.  No more fighting or bullying or underhanded tactics to make your department look good.  Again La Diabla is out of my life... can you tell how excited I am?!  I'm actually dancing a little jig just thinking how happy I am to never have to deal with her again... :)  Although there an numerous staff at Sky that I miss dearly and if it were up to me I would force them all to come work here cause they would be amazing additions to the team.

4. I get to go on fun outtings and help our special needs residents become confident independent people.  Like last night we went to a wonderful Mexican food restraunt and well it cost more then expected so we had to come up with a plan B when most could not afford a full price movie.  There were a couple of melt downs, cause lets be real no one enjoys when the budget runs out quicker then expected, I've had a few melt downs myself. But it was nothing that a little Golden Spoon frozen yogurt couldn't fix. Cinnamon frozen yogurt go get some... SOOOO GOOD! And as LR always says, "It is not easy being an adult." So true I should have stayed in college forever.

3. God humbles me nearly everyday, cause really nothing humbles you quicker then helping scrub the dirty grout in someone else's bathroom.  But yet I would rather do that with these residents then have to deal with another snotty retreat group leader who need ice every stinking hour.

2. I laugh all the time, so many quotable moments in a day.  Like SN asking me to help her look at her calendar to help her find a boyfriend.  Man if she can find herself a day I might ask her when my date it is too.  Or when JV asks me to stop asking so many silly trivial questions, when all I asked was what his favorite TV show was, but I learned that your favorite TV show changes too easily dependent upon your mood for the day.  Now isn't that the truth, I don't know if I could name an all time favorite TV show.  Oh and last weekend I laughed so hard when I was driving them all home and they were talking about missing an old staff memeber Adam and they wanted to drive out to see him.  I expained that he lives in Tennessee now and that would be at least a 3 day drive and what where we going to do when we got there, to which they said, "Go to Chucky Cheese, because everyone likes pizza and it would be fun for Adam's son."  When planning the details MT was going to bring dessert & sunscreen, CN was going to pay for 2 tanks of gas because the minivans were fuel efficient, and DR was going to bring the beer & cigars and could we make a side trip to Vegas to win more money. SN said she would bring Justin Timberlake cause he lives in her closet and we would need some entertainment.  To which DR said we would need bodyguards so he would call up Hulk Hogan cause he probably needs a job now that his wife took all his money.  Eventually the trip had so many people that we were going to have to call John Travolta to fly us in his plane.  Seriously I was laughing so hard I was crying, now they were just being silly, but it was so histerical because a lot of their logic was spot on.  It sounds like a fun trip that I would love to go on.

1. My whole job is about loving people where they are at and helping them process through life independently.  These are young adults that are very high funtioning, but just need someone to assit them and I am so blessed everyday I get to work with them.  They teach me so much about myself and wake up everyday joyful and ready for a new day of work, if they would let me work 6 or 7 days a week I would, but I also tend to be a workaholic.

So those are my top 7 reasons why my job is the best around.  Oh and for those who also read my facebook statuses CA BBQ is so subpar to TX BBQ it is not even funny.  Here they seem to think that if you grill it and put a little sauce on it then you barbequed it... not so much.  Sigh I guess when I go back I will just have to gorge myself on some real BBQ. 

Hopefully I will keep this blog up to day more often.  Next weekend is either the Cheesecake Factory or a Rodeo... lets see if I get type cast again. :)

Welcome to Melisstonia!

So Wendy's World very originally started while I was an intern at Sky Ranch and really took off in a conversation with Bobby Swole when he just needed to know its my "world" and it goes my way.  But the world came into fruition with its first country, a coffee stain on my desk calendar that my co-worker and friend Melissa discovered and outlined.  That first country is "Melisstonia"  which of course originally was ruled by Melissa, but was eventually taken over by none other then me, Wendy, cause it is my world.  Different friends from Sky Ranch have taken a part of Melisstonia, as you can see in the picture.  Most have some alliteration involved, basically just because I think it makes it sound better.  This map was up on the wall of desk for the past year and I hope to add more countries to my beautiful world.

I finally have my blog up

So I have been in beautiful Cali for a little over 2 weeks and I have finally gotten my blog up and running.  It is still a work in progress but it is up!  I don't really know what I am doing so bare with me.  

The drive out to CA was long and a little rough but thanks to my amazing aunt Val I got here in one piece.  While in the process of the move I decided that it would be a good idea to climb around on my furniture to rearrange so that it wouldn't shift during the drive. Well to get to the furniture I decided it would be a good idea to stand on a particle board shelf and well I fell through it and dislocated my pinkie toe... OUCH!  I had a few more hassles with the Penske people (they are cheap but have REALLY bad customer service).  We only drove 4 hours the first day, but made up time on the second by driving 16 hours (we crossed a couple of time zones and gained 2 hours plus woke up at 4am), and the third day drove 5 more hours.  Arrived at 1pm on Friday and then got to wait for movers only to fire the ones I set up and hire some guys who were on site and available.  After a very long day of standing we finally got to drive over to my aunt Barbara's house (where I am staying) and had a wonderful dinner.

I am now working at a fabulous organization called Casa de Amma, which is a residential facility for special need young adults, and I LOVE it!  I am starting my third week and can not wait to get back to work.  I'm still looking for an apartment, something that is within my budget, which gets a little bit tricky in this area, but I have faith.  Plus since I have switched to a non-stressful job I am thinking of finding another very part-time job so that I can have some mad money.  I miss my TX family & friends dearly, but am so excited to see what is around the next corner.