Going to the Zoo!!

I decided that I wanted to do something fun this weekend (since I had 4 days off) so Rocky and I went to the San Diego Zoo Wild Animal Park. It was so much fun!!! Lots...and I mean LOTS of walking, but we really had a good time. We saw lots of exotic, wild animals that you wouldn't normally see in a zoo like an Okapi, which is a horse looking thing with a zebra butt!! We also saw a one month old baby elephant, some baby giraffes, a huge lion really close up and a 3 day old baby Cape Buffalo that could barely walk. It was so cool!!!

We also decided to take the Photo Caravan Tour, which was an additional cost from the park admission (a whopping $90 per person) but I have to say it was worth every penny!!! We look the 1-3/4 hour tour which takes you right into 2 major African exhibits right next to the animals. You are 10 feet away from Rinos, Giraffes and other beasts...it's crazy. The highlight of the tour is that you get to feed the giraffes yourself. The guild has a bucket of leaves and you go up one at a time and feed the Giraffes right outside of the truck, which is very freaky and scary all at the same time. It was a wonderful experience.

I am so glad that we decided to go!! My life has been a huge roller coaster right now and I needed something to brighten my spirits and remind me of the little things in life. It was a wonderful day and here are some of the highlights!

Survey

Because Caitlin said that she would harbor bad feelings about me if I didn't do this survey...Here I go.

5 Things I was doing 10 years ago:
~Going trough my Senior Year of High School
~Going to college while I was in High School (doing my first and favorite musical "Lucky Stiff")
~Took my first drink of alcohol...damn college students.
~Getting ready to go to college
~Musicals, musicals, musicals

5 Things on my to do list:
~Get better!!!
~Get through my 1st thanksgiving without making anyone sick.
~Make a Dr. appt to see what is wrong with me
~Get Pregnant (after I am off all these meds)
~Pay my tax bill

5 Things I would do if I were a millionaire:
~Buy a big house
~Buy a house for my mom
~Pay off all my debt
~Get my boobs done...j/k
~Stay home with the kids

5 Things I would never wear again:
~A roulette wheel costume
~My wedding dress
~Shirts with the side hip tie
~Skinny Jeans
~Mini skirt

5 Favorite Toys:
~Rocky's IPhone
~Guitar Hero
~Baby Big Head
~MySpace
~Rock Band

Stupid Puppy Disease

Well it seems like I have contracted "Parvo." YES...the disease your pets get vaccinated for, but I have the human version!!! The dr's seem to think that I got it from on of the kids at work who had "Hand, Foot and Mouth" and no I will not die from this, but I feel like I am going to sometimes. It causes incredible joint pain and right now I feel like I am 80 years old. Even opening a bottle of applesauce is a daunting task. Not only do I have Parvo, but now I have the flu with a hacking cough, sinus congestion and a manly voice. Could my life get any worse right now?? Yes it could...I have to do my 1st Thanksgiving this weekend for 15 family members. I have to have make the Turkey, Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes, Yams, Corn ect. and I feel like poo-poo! I will post soon on how that went. So as I feel the drugs kicks in, I say farewell and hope the dreaded puppy disease goes away soon!

I Finally Saw Wicked!

I know I know...I am the last person on earth to see Wicked, but I have to admit it was worth the wait. You'd think that I would have seen it months ago, but no...last night was the first time and what a night it was!!!

My husband got the best seat, 10 rows back and I was in heaven. I could see every little detail and even some of the actors on stage left waiting to come on, which is always a treat in my book. Last night was Eden's last saturday performance so the house was packed and she was amazing!!!! I knew it was going to be great, but it was even greater live then I had imagined.

The show is now in my top 5 shows to see and I can't wait to go back. Any one want to see it again???

Director Today, Actor Tomorrow

Well, Cinderella just ended last weekend and even though I am glad that I have some free time now, I sure miss the excitement of the stage. It was a long 10 week process, but I have to say for my first adult show I think I did a pretty good job. I directed a youth production of "You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown" a few years back, but working with an age appropriate cast it a little harder . I have to say that I learned a lot and I am ready to take on my next directing adventure soon, but not just yet.

I have decided to audition for a musical in November and get myself back in the spotlight. I haven't performed is a year and a half and I am itching to get back on the stage. I am auditioning for Martha in "The Secret Garden" (one of the leads) and I will keep you up to date on how it goes. I also want to audition for "Suessical, The Musical" at Performance Riverside next spring and hope to get my foot in the door, because they are one of the top theaters around.

So now I have a few months to train and get myself ready for my audition. Back to voice 101 and constant vocal exercises...I am excited!!!

Bringing Color to Our World

If you've been to our new house since we moved in you know it is lacking a little something called color...everything is white!!! Our condo had so much color (remember the Home Depot orange) that we've decided to tone it down a little. We are staying in the same color family, but a little more muted. Thanks to my brilliant husbands many talents we can preview what it will look like before we actually paint. I love technology and him! What do you think?

Click on them to make them bigger:

Leave it up to the experts

Well it is final...our 4 month project called the side yard is done. Flowers are in, pavers are down, grass is growing and new furniture was bought. I have to sit back and think...should we have had someone come in and do the project? My husband would say no, but I think I would say...HELL YAY!!! It was such a pain in the butt, but I have to admit that it looks amazing!!! Great job hunny!!!

Here are some pictures:



We finally finished the concrete frames:







Time to lay the pavers:





Look how pretty:





Thanks to everyone who helped us out...we couldn't have done it without you!!! Thanks to Brandon, Brent, Kyle, Chad, Sommer, Cameron, Norm, Debbie, Mom, Eli, Uncle Jack, "Ask This Old House" for the hours of paving information, the internet, Target, LOTS of sunscreen and Norms truck that has more miles on it now!!! Now it's time for a BBQ!!! :)

AHHHHH!!!

I am feeling a little stressed out lately and I don't know how to make it better. I feel like life is piling on top of me and I can't dig my way out. Between work, selling the condo, money, married life, and the show I am directing...I feel like my head is going to explode. I bought some bath salts to take a bath and try to relax a little, but guess what...no baths yet. Even my birthday party stresses me out, cause I need to get the house ready. HELP!!! I miss Hawaii. :(

Job Change=Happier Ana

I recently left my position at LendingTree and went back to teaching preschool. The mortgage industry has taken a little bit of a dive and lay offs are happening all over right now. I wasn't laid off during the big LendingTree lay offs about a month ago, but it affected me all the same. I lost my team, the manager I loved so much and the closeness I felt being a part of the "Loan Pack" and had to start all over. I felt like I had been laid off and was starting a new job, which was really, really hard. I had been looking for a job closer to the "IE" and decided that I couldn't take the long hours, 3 + hours of driving, and the pressure of the industry and found a job teaching out in Corona. I will probably only stay for a little while until I find something that pays a little more, but for right now it is better then being stressed out all the time . I forgot how hard it is to take care of children, but I do love kids and I really love my 15 minute drive to work. I have been there for a little over a week and I am getting used to it again, slowly but surely. Maybe this will suppress my urge to have a baby...well...maybe not!!! :)

Hawaiian Honeymoon

Rocky and I went to Maui for our belated honeymoon and it was amazing. This is the first time that I have not wanted to come home 2 days into our trip. I can't believe how much simpler life is there, well maybe it is because we were on vacation, but everything was so laid back and relaxing. I look 3 hour naps, which is something I would never do at home, but maybe that was the "heavenly bed" (thanks Westin). I just wish that my life was a little less stressful so I didn't feel like I needed so many vacations. Even staying home and not doing anything is a vacation to me. Well, needless to say I want to go back, maybe to a different island, but I want to go back. Here are some pictures of my hawaiian paradise.





Rocky and I went to Maui for our belated honeymoon and it was amazing. This is the first time that I have not wanted to come home 2 days into our trip. I can't believe how much simpler life is there, well maybe it is because we were on vacation, but everything was so laid back and relaxing. I look 3 hour naps, which is something I would never do at home, but maybe that was the "heavenly bed" (thanks Westin). I just wish that my life was a little less stressful so I didn't feel like I needed so many vacations. Even staying home and not doing anything is a vacation to me. Well, needless to say I want to go back, maybe to a different island, but I want to go back. Here are some pictures of my hawaiian paradise.

My new adventure

This is my first entry and I have to say I am so excited about sharing my life will all my friends and family. Especially when we start our family. Caitlin got me hooked on this and I love reading about updates and seeing pictures of the kids. So if we don't see them for a while, because of out busy lives, I still feel like I know what's going on.

A little bit about us, me, my world and the the future is what I am going to share. Rocky and I were married just under 6 months ago and have been together for 4 1/2 years. We live in far away Riverside, CA in our beautiful house that was just built last summer. Riverside is far and sometimes I feel like we live in the middle of no where, but once I get home I forget that I have driven over an hour to get there.

Well, I am tried since I have worked 11 hours today and it is almost time for bed (8:30). Yes, I know...going to sleep at 8:30 is crazy, but I swear it keeps me healthy. More to come later...goodnight