We've moved!

I've realized that I just don't post often enough to maintain two blogs, so from now on, all posts will go to my main blog, The Vanilla Bean!

Please point your browsers to:
http://alannasvanillabean.blogspot.com

test

Blogging from my crackberry!

Camping

Hey there! I got a bit behind on my posting, sorry! While I was
camping this weekend, my phone died and has been totally out of
service, and I kind of forgot I promised you photos from my camping
trip! Idyllwild is beautiful, and I really liked the area. We had so
many people on our trip that it was like herding cats trying to get
anything done, but overall, we had an enjoyable time. Here are
pictures of some of the highlights of our trip!

Blackberry vs. iPhone

My cell phone is on it's way out. I just ordered a new battery so I can make sure that isn't the issue. If that fixes it, great, but if not, I will be in the market for a new phone. The two I am looking at are the Blackberry and the iPhone. I know several of you that have one or the other, so I'm looking for some input on pros and cons of the two. Which phone do you have, and what do you like/dislike about it?

Thanks! :)

Going Camping

Since I am making a conscious effort to keep my blogs updated, I figure I'll check back in for today! At lunch, I am meeting Mike and we are going grocery shopping for our camping trip this weekend! We are planning to leave right after work tonight. I am so excited! When we first started dating, we used to camp all the time. As life has gotten busier though, we've found ourselves going less and less. We do have a beach camping trip planned for October, but we didn't want to let the summer slip by without any camping trips! So, when I discovered that we actually had one weekend with NOTHING going on, I jumped on it and booked us a spot at Fern Basin up near Idyllwild. I've never been there, but I've heard so many good things about Idyllwild. I am looking forward to a day of strenuous hiking tomorrow so I can burn some of these calories I've been ingesting, and make up for the night at the gym I've skipped on. *blushing* So, I will be back on Monday with tales and photos of my camping trip! Have a great weekend, everyone!

In the lap of luxury at Del Mar

Okay, so I wasn't in anyone's lap, but I sure felt luxurious. Last Wednesday, my good friend K asked M and I if we would like to join her at the Del Mar racetrack. She had been given tickets for a luxury suite - food and drinks were all included. I asked my awesome boss, and being the great guy he is, he let me go for the afternoon. Thanks!!!!

I wasn't sure what it was going to be like, hobnobbing amongst the rich and famous. Was everyone going to be snooty and hoity toity? The dress code was enforced...dresses (or nice pantsuits) for women, and jackets and ties for men. Boy did Mike clean up nice! He brought his friend A along to keep him company. K and I of course looked fabulous in our sundresses, and I wore my races hat. Seriously, I paid $30 something for that hat...I SO have to wear it more than once! So, we headed up the elevator to the elite area. It was so chill...hardly anyone was at the track on a Wednesday afternoon...no crowds to deal with. We found our suite, and lo and behold - we were the only ones there! We had the place to ourselves. We had an indoor lounge full of food and drinks, and our own private betting machine! Outside on our patio, we had a bird's eye view of the track, and a TV monitor to watch the races and the horses. Eventually a couple more guys showed up, but that was it. We had so much fun! We went downstairs to the track to watch a couple races, but eventually retreated back up to our luxurious loft. What an experience! I have now experienced the cheapest way to go to the races as well as the most expensive...which STILL didn't cost me anything! (Thanks, K!)

Note: I did only win one race that day...a whopping $5.60, but hey. That's not really the fun part anyway...I just like to hang out and enjoy the scene! :)

Nothing blogworthy

Sorry for the lack of posts lately...I just feel as if I have nothing blogworthy to say. The other night the hubs and I had a conversation that I thought might be bloggable, a la The Bobby Pin, but alas...I can't for the life of me recall what it was about! :P

Anyway, just figured I'd check in. Not up to much...preparing to go camping in Idyllwild this weekend, and that's about it for now. TONS of stuff going on in the next few weeks though, so I'll try my best to update my blogs! *lightbulb* In fact, maybe I'll post about my day at the races last week...just to whet your appetite for more of my thrilling life. :)

Be back soon!

I need your help!

Okay, friends. I need some advice. I really would like to buy a new Chargers shirt for the upcoming football season, and I really cannot decide which one to buy! The t-shirt looks SO comfortable and casual and cute, and would work, but I do already have a jersey, which is kind of like a t-shirt. However, the tank top is super cute, and I could really use something sleeveless for the games early in the season.

What do you think?

MEMEMEMEMEME

I have been tagged! It's been a while since I've done one of these! My friend Dawn wants me to share things about me with all of you! :)

Meme #1

Yep, gotta list the rules:
1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on the blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your post.
5. Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
6. Let your tagger know when you have posted your answers.

Six random things about me—
1. I was born on election day.
2. I saw some AWESOME concerts this weekend!
3. I want to get a new tattoo.
4. I have no idea what I want to do for my 30th birthday this year.
5. My cats are better than children any day.
6. I am slightly obsessed with my orchid, and I really hope it will rebloom.

Next at bat: Holly, Natalie, Danielle (that's enough...I'm cheating on this one.)

Meme #2

R is for rules—
1. Take a random picture of something around your house. Then post it with no explanation.
2. Write a haiku using your initals as the start of each line.
3. The haiku is not an option.
4. Is something currently baking in your kitchen? If so, what?
5. Tag 3 people to repost this MeMe, including a link back to who tagged you. Let your tagger know that you have posted.

1.

2. Another gray day
    No sunshine to be seen here
    Please bring back the sun!

3. got it

4. Doubtful. My roommate is the only one home, and he's not much of a baker.

5. (See list of taggers from first meme!)

Look alikes?

Okay, so this has been bugging me for some time, and I finally had to look it up on imdb.com. I thought maybe Juliet from the TV series "Lost" was the same actress as Dagmar in the movie "Lars and the Real Girl." Turns out I was wrong. But check this out.

This is Elizabeth Mitchell (from "Lost").


Doesn't Patricia Clarkson (from "Lars and the Real Girl") look just like a slightly older version of Elizabeth?



I'm just saying....

And...I'm off!

Dear Readers....all two of you....

I just wanted to wish you all a wonderful 4th of July holiday! I will be in beautiful Ohio (hee hee) for the next week, visiting the in-laws. M and I are driving up to Niagara Falls for a couple of days though to celebrate our 1st anniversary. I can't wait!

Stay tuned for updates! :)

Alanna

New car!

This weekend was a very exciting one for us! M and I made the decision to trade in both of our vehicles for a Honda Element. M originally was just going to trade in his truck, but we decided that since most of our vehicle usage was just local commuting, we didn't really want two vehicles that required expensive gas. So, we chose to trade in both vehicles, and instead get the Element and a Vespa. The Element will be our distance vehicle, and will be great for cargo and camping! The Vespa will be our local commuting vehicle. We'll be sharing both of them. Pretty exciting! This is our first big purchase as a married couple. We are moving on up! ;)

After spending all day in the dealership, we really wanted to go spend some time in the new vehicle, so we drove it out to the drive-in to check out the comfort and sound quality. We watched Kung Fu Panda and Iron Man. Both great movies! We watched the movie from the front window this time. Next time, we are bringing blankets, laying down the seats, and opening up the back hatch and watching the movie from the back. I can hardly wait!

We weren't able to sign up for motorcycle classes until July, so we won't be licensed to drive a Vespa until then. In the meantime, I'm mainly driving the Element, and M drives his Gremlin to work for now. We are loving the new vehicle! I can't wait to take it out on the road, and on a camping trip! Stay tuned for another update once we get our Vespa! :)

A fun little time-waster

I found this game on A Southern Grace, and couldn't resist trying it myself!
It is a fun game, but somewhat aggravating because more than half of the pictures I wanted to use wouldn't let me save them! :P


Here's what you do:

1. Go to www.flickr.com.
2. Type your answer to each question in the “search” box.
3. Using only the first page, pick an image.
4. Copy and paste the html into your blog.

Enjoy!

1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?

3. What high school did you go to?

4. What is your favorite color?

5. Who is your celebrity crush?

6. What is your favorite drink?

7. What is your dream vacation?

8. What is your favorite dessert?

9. What do you want to be when you grow up?

10. What do you love most in life?

11. One word to describe you:
Try it yourself! :)