ADD Christmas Recap: Snow, California & Secret Santa

Before I dive into my AWESOME trip back home, let me introduce tonight's post with the CRAZY news that it's been snowing in Arizona today... I'm not talking about Flagstaff or the Grand Canyon. I mean the PHOENIX VALLEY (link to a news segment on today's weather)!!!! For the first time in the near six months I've lived here, I turned on the heater this afternoon. Currently it's under 40° -- much colder than Iowa, Northern California, Washington D.C., you name it! With that, I'm enjoying my first mug of coffee and Baileys of the season :)

Now about the presents....

Going into the holiday, I was most excited for the blogger Secret Santa exchange put on by Tina! How awesome that idea was. Needless to say I was pretty stoked about what I got for Jamie. I'm such a French nerd and love reliving my time abroad, I knew she must feel the same about studying in Italy! So you know what's ironic about this gift exchange that I'm pretty sure included 50+ members? I was Jamie's Secret Santa and Jamie was Poppy's Secret Santa, and you guessed it, Poppy was MY Secret Santa! Our circle is complete :)

Anyways, I ended up driving back to California on Dec. 20. It was a long drive, was supposed to snow on the Grapevine (pretty much the only way out of LA), and I knew I couldn't make a 13+ hour drive solo. Well, I had Woodstock, so I had to stop even more frequently than normal to ensure he didn't ruin my seats! :) I made two days out of the trip there and back, stopping at friends' houses in Los Angeles/Orange County both ways. That meant my Secret Santa gift was going to arrive without me! Luckily J.D. was home to receive it and send me some pictures of all the lovely goodies Poppy sent me!

The card was adorable!

And I love everything in the gift! Chocolate, puppy treats, a notebook (she must know I LOVE to write), pomegranate fruit strips (my fav flavor), Pop Chips and a dog costume....

...Which Woody hated, but I LOOOOOOVED haha. He's so darn presh. In other news, we celebrated acknowledged his first birthday on Tuesday! Of course I didn't throw a party or get him any presents, he's a dog hahaha!!! But I do plan on baking some dog treats someday soon for the little guy.

I don't know if you noticed from the picture above, but I also went a little crazy and dyed my hair black! I think I love it. It's such a big change for me. My hair is usually light brown, I've streaked it blonde and have darkened it to a reddish brown color in the past. That's about it.

Not gonna lie, the black was inspired by my current celebrity crush:

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I downloaded Katy Perry's new album and have been playing it nonstop. I freakin' love her!!!! She had a Christmas special on last week and it's waiting to be watched on my DVR and you know I recorded her biography special on E! last night. And then watched it as soon as I drove in from California at about 9 p.m. And I've been watching her videos on YouTube. So obsessed... I think everyone knows about my infatuation, I keep getting texts from friends and family whenever she's on TV ha, thanks guys. You get me :)

Speaking of California, Woodstock and I really did make the Tour de Cali. I stayed in Santa Monica and ate at the most amazing restaurants. It's been my dream for years to live in LA, I'm going to see that it happens sooner rather than later. Then I stayed at my parents' house in the Bay Area for eight days, seeing old friends from high school and college, and enjoying amazing French food made with my mom and sister! We had a soufflé on Christmas Eve, Aimée made peppermint ice cream and candy cane-dipped waffle cones and I attempted to make pain au chocolat (chocolate croissants), but something was off because they basically turned into chocolate bagels ha. Oh well. Then I went to Sacramento, Stockton and Huntington Beach where my friend and I took his boat out around Huntington Harbour (in the rain) and ate sushi at a restaurant off the boat dock!

It really has been amazing and I can't wait to go back again! I don't know when my next trip home will be, but I am heading out to Washington D.C. next week!!!! I'm milking my unemployment for all I can get, because my job begins in February!

Finally, the presents! I made off with some amazing gifts. I love my friends and family! The past 11 days were a total blast -- I miss them already.

Work clothes from Macy*s

My dream recently has been to become a pastry chef (it's so expensive, I'm going to become self-taught haha)... I also received an array of cookbooks!

Jeopardy on Wii and Beauty and the Beast on Blu-Ray/DVD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Soon it'll be time to take down the tree J.D. and I have here... but before that, a celebration to end 2010 and kick off a new decade is in order! Happy New Year everyone :)

FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After over 30 job interviews, nearly five months of unemployment and dwindling savings accounts (not to mention the borderline depression and laziness that took over my life here in Arizona), I GOT A JOB AND ACCEPTED IT!!!!!!!

You'll remember I was offered a job in Nevada that seemed like a great job, except I had strong reservations about moving out of state again, away from my bf and puppy. Well, this job is in Arizona! I get to stay at home.... and commute... ewww. But it'll be worth it. Here are a few hints :)

I.am.beyond.frickin.excited!!! It's been my dream, ever since high school, maybe longer, to work for a Major League Baseball team!!!!!!! I can't can't can't can't wait. But I'm going to have to, because the position doesn't start until Spring Training reports to the Cactus League in February. And it is only a seasonal position. But who knows, this gets my foot in the door and might help me find something long term down the road :) Anyways, in the meantime I'm still working college basketball games, tutoring students in the area and I believe in December I'm going to start subbing French classes at a local high school! So many opportunities have come my way this month. For that I am grateful.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE! I know mine will be :)

So what if I'm a day late?!

Last year, I participated in National Blog Posting Month (NaBloPoMo), a spin off a much larger movement that challenges bloggers to post every day for the month of November. It was crazy challenging, but I nailed it.

This year, I'm on to bigger and better things. My entire life I've always said I'd grow up to be a published author, in fact, people close to me continually fuel that fire saying I really do have the talent to write a book. It's one of my 101 goals even.

So today, without a job or really anything taking up the hours in my day, I pledge to join National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), in hopes of producing an unedited first draft of a book, not necessarily a novel, at the end of this month.

There I said it. You can track my progress here, or just wish me luck. I think I'll need it! Any time I've ever sat down to "try and write a book" my ADD gets the best of me and I never finish. The closest thing I got to book writing was starting a creative writing/short story blog a few years back. I think I've neglected it for close to a year now.

This is going to be a huge task, since I'm not even sure what I want to write about yet.... But trust me, some travel writing will be involved!

We've arrived (+ a giveaway)!

I've arrived and made it to the new house in Arizona! It's been an exhausting two weeks that included job searching, getting approved for health insurance (yay), final California sight-seeing, resume editing, house hunting and exhaustive packing/unpacking/unloading/12 hours of driving.

Take a deep breath.

So I made it, everything's semi in place and I do have an interview this week! I'll talk more about all the new excitement of moving to a completely different state in my next post, however. For now, I'd like to let you all in on the big secret "something exciting" that's here TODAY!

My OpenSky Shop has arrived and today's the grand opening!!! If you're interested in checking it out, you can either click on that link, or on the OpenSky link I've provided in my sidebar to the right. With my new shop comes new products I personally enjoy! If you see anything you like in my shop, use the coupon code: FREESHIPPING for, big surprise, free shipping! This code is good until Aug. 16.

was privileged enough to obtain a free sample and test drive some products myself and this is where my giveaway comes into play. Gracie's Gear sent me their black and white A-line pocket tank top. It's currently in my shop in a variety of sizes/colors but I have a free one for you to take home at the bottom of this post.

It's a really neat idea that I totally love!!! The concept is a tank top/sports bra combo with a pouch up front for your light-weight phone, iPod, keys, whatever else you want on your body but don't want to have to carry while working out. I imagine using it for running, biking, whatever activity that would take you long distances from home. However, you're getting mine free because it doesn't entirely fit me in the chest region. My brand new tank top is black and white in size medium.

It's a slim fit short bodice so it's supposed to feel snug. Generally I can wear a small or a medium, so this would be for that same build. The sizing said fits the C/D-cup range, but I'd imagine it's closer to the B/C range.

So here's how you can enter to win your very own medium black and white pocket tank top:

1. Leave a comment below telling me about your favorite exercise accessories/apparel by MONDAY, AUGUST 16 at 5 p.m. PST. (one entry per person, please)

If you'd like to enter again, you may do so by any or all of the following:

1. Tweet it and leave a comment with your @Twitter name below! (@mmoyal85 is giving away a medium pocket tank on her blog! Come check it out and enter to win: http://bitURL.net/sgtd)


2. Post about it on your blog and leave a comment below with the link to your post


3. Add me to your blogroll and comment below, or state that I'm already on your blogroll!

That's it. Again, you have until MONDAY, AUGUST 16 at 5 p.m. PST. Good luck and don't forget to check out my OpenSky Shop!!! I'll be selecting a winner at random next Monday and posting the winner the following day.

I also know you can't wait to hear about my move and unemployment. Well stay tuned, kids :) I'm back on regular Internet with all the time in the world on my hands.... until someone hires me.

Keep those fingers crossed!

We had some major news on the house renting front yesterday!! After work, I had a loud, excited message from J.D. on my voice mail saying the house was almost ours!

Let me explain. THE HOUSE, our No. 1 pick, brand new house, is in reach! Someone else had snuck in before us with an application, after the place had been sitting unoccupied since May. Apparently they did not pass the credit check!!!!!!!! SO we're next in line! The property management woman met with our Realtor (J.D.'s cousin) this morning to get the ball rolling for us. We sent in the application, references, employment contracts, etc. She seems really optimistic we'll get the place. But we should know at some point tomorrow.

Keep those fingers crossed!!

In the meantime, here are some pictures of the place we absolutely loooove!

Fireplace.... even if it's not actually wood-burning, it's cute!

Ample storage space in the kitchen and APPLIANCES INCLUDED!

Double vanity in the master bath :)

Landscaped backyard with grass and a water fountain -- so rare in AZ! (Well, in our price range)

And really neat light fixtures!

After hearing the good start to good news last night, we buckled down and continued viciously packing. We did some major damage on the kitchen, but there is much more left to do. Eventually, we had to take a break and cook some dinner. More cleaning out the freezer/pantry, yay.

We went with some home-made takeout. Orange chicken, brown rice, grilled veggies and an Asian salad with ginger/citrus dressing.

I also have some very depressing news to share with you. I may have injured my knee in my determination to become a long-distance runner :(. As you can see on the sidebar to the right, I ran a lot in May and June. July has had a few setbacks because I thought I had bronchitis, then had a severe reaction to the antibiotics I took for it. Then it turned out I just had really bad allergies. And now my knee's bumming me out.

In order to continue on my half marathon training plan, I did an "easy" run last night. Two miles at a 9:00 minute/mile pace. I could tell it'd been a while since I ran. My lungs hurt and my knee throbbed the entire time. Even walking afterward was grueling.

This morning I went in to see on of our athletic trainers. Another perk of working for an athletic department (only two more days, however). She looked it over and said I had some visible swelling on the affected, left knee. I could tell plain as day once she pointed it out. Apparently the fatty shock absorbing sack around my knee is either deteriorating or just super inflamed. So I've been instructed to lay off running for a bit. When I get back in a few weeks, I'm supposed to take 15-20 minute walking warm-ups before my run, ice heavily afterward and also take lotsa ibuprofen.

The half I had originally planned on competing in is the Scottsdale/Tempe Women's Half Marathon on Nov. 7, for my first ever half!!! What do you think? Can I train for it if I take 2-3 weeks off and ease into it? To give you some perspective, it's exactly 15 weeks away. I don't know what to do!! I mean, there's always the Phoenix Rock 'n' Roll in January also, but I don't know if I want to take this long to do a half! It's taunting and torturing me!!

So I guess in the meantime, I'll be using packing and moving as my cardio. I won't be wearing heels much more, since they kill my knee. And once I'm in Arizona, I'm considering reserving the third bedroom for my indoor workouts, such as pilates and yoga. Maybe I'll start working on creating a killer home gym :)

Oh, I can't believe I forgot to share this too!!! Woodstock passed a major milestone in his puppyhood! He passed his puppy class, and only missed one point on his test! So proud of my little wiener :)

Pictures of pictures never work, but I really wanted to display this cuteness :) He even sat still like a good boy with the mortar board!

Alright, two days to go. Lots of cleaning and packing ahead. I also need to start working on a playlist for the 12 hour drive down! We will only get solid radio stations in three places along the drive: here, KROQ in Los Angeles and what I hope will become my new fav radio station in Phoenix, 103.9 FM.

I know for sure THIS is going to be on that playlist:

I'm not sure why the video is so creepy, but it's a good song anyways. Also, I LOVE Katy Perry. Maybe it's because I LOVE Zooey Deschanel and they're basically doppelgängers.

See?

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Who's your favorite musician/actor?! :)

Taco Tuesday

Last night was one of the more enjoyable nights I've had living in Stockton! Does that ever happen to anyone else -- you seem to go out, do more and make more friends right before leaving?!

It happened when I worked for the AVP and left. It happened literally the final two weeks I lived in France. And now it's happening in Stockton! I'm someone who struggles at meeting new people and going out and enjoying new cities/places at first. But once I'm out of my shell, it comes much easier for me. My goal in Phoenix is to start loving life and meeting people right away!!

Anyways, back to last night. A couple of friends from work were planning on meeting up at Windmill Cove, an island-ish bar and grill located right of the Delta draining into the San Francisco Bay. The easiest way to get there from where we live is by boat down the river. It would have been a five minute drive. Except, none of us has a boat.

So instead we drove 20ish minutes to get there. And immediately started having the time of our lives! There were two live bands, a DJ, beach volleyball courts and all-you-can-eat tacos for $7.50! Greatest and cheapest dinner I've had in a LONG time. I went nuts and had about five mini tacos :) You had your choice of crunchy or soft shells filled with either shredded chicken or ground beef. After getting the tacos then a line formed by the condiments area, where you could add hot sauce, pico de gallo salsa, gaucamole, sour cream, cheese, lettuce and olives. I sampled a little bit of everything and was in heaven.

Then upstairs where the band was playing I tried one of their famous house mai tais. Strongest drink I've ever had. It was composed of four different rums, more alcohol, more alcohol on top of that, a little bit of orange juice and then the bartender floated white rum on top. My first sip was pretty hard to get through. Eventually I got there and enjoyed it. One was enough for me, the lightweight :)

We saw a really interesting mix of people there too. People watching in Stockton is one of my favorite activities. For example, we saw tons of women dressed super cute and fairly young, who when they turned around to our horror were in their 50s-60s and dressed like their teens! Think of that one leathery scene from There's Something About Mary... Then we saw a chick wearing a denim onesie with a bright pink... um... body thong underneath it? I saw a girl wearing a full on rainbow outfit, a woman wearing socks under her sandals, dude with beer guts flapping in the wind, and then some. Free music and flowing alcohol really brings out the city's finest :)

This is the entrance to the place, grassy area for dining downstairs, grill inside and bar on the upstairs patio.

And oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I CHOPPED MY HAIR yesterday morning. I knew I wanted a change; something easy I could manage in the 100º + heat I'll be living in down in Arizona. I walked in with these two pictures:

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And came out with this:

The mai tai in hand helped me cope a little bit. It's nothing like what I asked, and a good two inches shorter than she said she was going to cut it. Worst of all is that I can't even put it in a ponytail!!! Nor a half pony or anything. I don't know what to do with this :( It's shorter than anything I've ever had and I don't think it looks good for my face structure. Another downside is that my hair grows at a sloth's pace. It takes forever to grow out. So I'm stuck with this mess for a little bit. Oh well.

We still enjoyed our evening though! As did the rest of our crew.

I love the summer!!! It's my favorite season of the year :)

Cheers!

Last night J.D. and I had sort of impromptu celebratory tapas dinner downtown.

Why??

Oh it's no big deal really, except WE'RE MOVING HERE IN TWO WEEKS!!!

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Yep, he got and accepted the job at the NCAA radio Internet company in Arizona. Now it's on me to find a new job as well, especially since I turned in my two weeks' notice today.

So back to the food.

We started off with a crostini sampler that included a bleu cheese-apple-bacon bite, honey-fig-goat cheese and finally, avocado-tomato-shrimp. All that was paired next to a caprese salad split by two. Our third shared plate was a heaping pile of fried calamari and marinara sauce. Obviously devoured before photographed :)

While the lighting was not conducive to photography, we devoured a chocolate raspberry brandy torte. It was slathered in marshmallow cream. Oh my goodness!!!

A glass of Blue Moon (for him) and pinot grigio (for me) topped off the evening. And there may or may not have been a trip to frozen yogurt later. I'm just saying.

The party (in my mouth) continued into the morning. I'd been craving an egg breakfast sandwich, but haven't been waking up early enough to make one before work. Today was the perfect day, since I had time to kill before Woodstock's final post-neutering check-up. He's healing juuust fine by the way!

My smiley face breakfast consisted of a whole wheat bagel thin, fried egg, Canadian bacon, almond pesto and spinach. I also enjoyed a freshly-cut pineapple, Tuscan melon and cherries.

Now there is a lot to do in the next few weeks. So just to prepare you in advance, I'm going to be stressed/all over the place/MIA. Now you're ready :) I can't believe I'm going to be a resident of a state other than California for the first time in 25 years!!!

Anyone in Arizona want to be my friend?? How about get me a job in sports??? :) Kthanksbye.