hiking to a waterfall!!

happy june!!

this weekend a few friends and i hiked Escondido falls in Malibu. it was incredibly beautiful and super fun to hang with friends.

evan, me, jared & trey

evan & rey

jared! he found his name carved on the tree!

the whole group. such a fun hike.

24 hours of walking.

Serve LA participated in Relay for Life this past weekend. we walked for 24 hours!!! it was amazing to be in community with so many people who are passionate about fighting cancer.

kyle won a cake at the cake walk. it was very tasty.

walking!!

lindsey, alyson, me & julie :)

luke, rey and me getting ready to give hot chocolate out to the other walkers!

this was peder's luminaria. all around the track there were lights placed for in memory or honor of loved ones who have fought cancer. we love you peder.

i definitely ended up with a few blisters after my personal 7.5 hours of walking (!!), but it was an incredible experience to be at Relay for Life this year. totally worth it.

FRIENDS

i love this show... with all of my heart.

now, i haven't watched an episode in quite a long time, and i hadn't realized how much i missed it. within in the first minute of watching (last episode on disc 2, season 8), i was laughing hard. i miss that and that's why i love it.

letters to juliet

SPOILER ALERT. i rarely do this, however in order to properly discuss my recent realization that i may be cynical toward romantic movies, i need to give away the end. so if you care about seeing this movie, don't read this right now.

last night i went to see Letters to Juliet. i'm no movie critic, but after watching it i got to thinking about romance and how it is portrayed on screen. the movie was cute. of course you've got the cutsie scenes where you think to yourself "did this really make it in the movie". but over all i thought the story was an interesting idea and something i haven't seen done before.

my problem with this movie came at the very end. girl breaks up with guy she is with because she has changed and wasn't really in love with him. good. girl goes to italy to see what will happen with new guy she met and spent time with there. again, good. when they see each other again, it seems new guy is back together with old girlfriend. a bummer, but still interesting story. we find out new guy isn't really with old girlfriend! yay. girl tells new guy she is in love with him. what?! new guy tells girl he is "madly, deeply, and truly in love with her. WHAT?! (the only saving grace is his beautiful accent as he is saying those words.)

how can you be deeply in love with someone after knowing them for 5 days? this boggles my mind. i honestly can't comprehend that people feel this way. you barely know someone after a few days. it takes me more than 5 days to decide if i want to be friends with someone. (well maybe that's not exactly true, but still) and yes, i've never been in love and i have no idea the process in getting to that place...but it seems a little ridiculous to me.

so the question is, am i now cynical toward romance, or am i just very aware of how hollywood distorts love on the big screen?

Relay for Life

I am participating in an event called Relay for Life at the the end of this month. (May 22-May 23) Relay for Life is a 24 hour walk in which the money raised goes to the American Cancer Society for cancer research.

Having lost my friend Peder just 2 months ago to cancer, has changed the way I respond to an event like this. I am excited to walk in his memory and I am hopeful that the money raised going toward research, can help people from having to experience the pain and loss that cancer brings.

If you feel passionate about this cause or know someone who has been affected by cancer, there is an opportunity to donate financially to me or to our team. (Follow this link)

a movie scene and a roast.

1:30a is quickly passing me by, but i don't want to go to sleep with out recounting the nights events. tonight i had the amazing opportunity to attend a birthday roast at the magic castle. this is pretty special because normally you can't get in unless you are invited by a member.

being in the magic castle was a unique experience. there is a strict dress code (aka a dress and heels for me), which definitely leaves you feeling up for a fancy evening. we roasted our friend danny lutman (happy 3oth buddy, we love you!), drank good wine and ate amazing food.

now, my favorite part of the evening happened at the very end as i was leaving (and yes i was a party pooper who left 'early' at 12:30a). i left the room of the party and as the music started fading, i began making my way through to exit the castle. the first area i walked through was deserted aside from the bartender cleaning up after the nights events, behind an old fashioned bar. i so badly wanted to stop there and fulfill something i've always wanted to do; sit alone at a bar. but, it was too late and the moment passed me by. as i continued out, everything else was completely empty. not a soul in sight. and it wasn't creepy or scary in any way, in fact, it was quite peaceful. it was one of those moments i will remember for a while because i felt such a calm come over me. i felt like i was walking through a movie. that probably doesn't make a lot of sense, but it was cool. it was the most unique thing i've experienced in a long time.

and that was my night.

art class.

my newest adventure has been taking up painting. or maybe more like, committing to learn how to paint. every tuesday night for the next 4 weeks, you will find me painting my heart out in a small art studio tucked away off of riverside & whittset in Sherman Oaks.

i really like this class for a few reasons. of course the learning part. working hard toward the goal of painting something that looks right (or almost right). i also like it because the class is just for me. there is no agenda behind it, simply for me to experience something new. but the most interesting part of this class is my teacher! his name is eli and he is probably one of the kindest and most patient people i have ever interacted with. he encourages us students while still showing us what we can do to improve our art. and you should hear the playlist we listen to during class...probably the most random collection of music i've ever heard. it's all great. and i have no problem forking over money for the classes because i know i am getting my money's worth. and hey, i want to support him!

check out the website!