The Prologue: Day 5

I haven't been good with taking pictures.  I haven't taken any at all!  Except the ones at the car dealership!  But i've just been too busy to even think about pictures!

This morning started off with half of a hike, but then I got to the altitude where the smoke was hovering, so I had to turn around.  So instead I went for a jog around the neighbourhood.  Got home an hour later and Leigh was about to go to the gym so I went along to check out LA Fitness! Unfortunately they didn't have Schwinn spin bikes which pretty much breaks the deal of me joining.  But, I'm gonna to to a class there on Friday to see what the bikes they have are like.  We did abs, arms, and treadmill and then came back home.

I then called good old Felippe (there should be a spanish accent on that last e) to see if he'd venture from the Valley to Hollywood to meet me at the car rental place with my new ride.  "For you Jennifer, I'd drive to China" (I told him my name was jennifer b/c i didnt wanna have to deal with the "i'm christine but i go by my middle name so to buy this car it'll have to be under jennifer blah blah blah").  So promptly at noon I returned my pickup and stepped into my new Explorer!  It's sooooo badass.  I've decided I totally need black rims.  Maybe by my birthday i'll be dating Zac Efron and he can buy me them.  

I took my new ride to Robertson, where I bought Momsie her silver Tory Burch shoes, and got a cake-scented candle at Kitson to give my truck a signature scent.  Next stop was Whole Foods for Cranberry juice, curcumin vitamins, two of my nature's path cereals, lemon & a banana bread Larabar.  They're pretty much the only things getting me through this no sugar deal.

In the early evening Leigh and I sat around watching Mad Men, ate dinner, and then decided to go to Target to get some important items - for me: audio auxilary ipod plug for my car, wooden hangers, a 10 pound weight (one b/c Tracey's workout calls for alternating arms), Skinny Bitch and the photo album that kinda matches my duvet, for leigh: pink wrapping paper for Terrie's present, plaid birthday decorations.  I was THISCLOSE to buying sugar free red vines licorice - becuase it was sugar free!!!  But Leigh wouldn't allow it.  I LOVE having her as my conscience.  We're driving pedal to the metal on the road to being in the best shape of our lives!

Must go to bed now so I can get up for Palazzo pilates with Vino!

The Prologue: Day 4

There she is ladies and gentlemen... my new ride!  X-tine's drivin' an Xplorer!  Today was grueling to say the least.  I spent 5 hours at the car dealership, negotiating my face off (I got $3000 knocked off), waiting for various papers, insurance forms, and then in the end I find out that the finance manager says that it's not possible for me to put it all on Visa and that I need to get a cashier's cheque from a bank.  I was smoke-coming-out-of-my-ears mad!  So they found me a bank that was open on Sundays - thank God it was only a few blocks away, but the finance manager warned me that they might not be able to give me a cheque for such a large amount of money.  But I had to try.  While waiting in the longest bank line i've EVER seen, I asked my guardian angel and spirit guide to PLEASE let it be possible to get my money!  And of course it worked.  I got my money.  I got my car.  I was a happy camper!

When I got home, Leigh and I decided to go to Beverly Hills to scope out some Lulu crops for her and the jog skirt for me.  They didn't have my skirt, Leigh didn't get her crops.  But while she was trying them on, a strange wave of intense heat washed over me, and I felt like I was going to faint.  I started sweating like CRAZY (it was disgusting) and my body felt like jello.  We couldnt figure out what it was from - perhaps the intense heat (90something degrees outside), the smoke-filled air (fires in the hills), not eating enough (apple for lunch), or just a straight up fever.  We never figured out what it was, but after I got home and ate applesauce & blueberries, drank lots of water and had a shower, I felt fine.  Thank goodness that didn't happen during this morning's events!

Leigh, Dave & I went to Kabuki for dinner and then to Borders cause I needed some new reading material.  I finished The Help by Katherine Stockett last night - it was absolutely AMAZING, until I got to the last page.  It was a shockingly abrupt ending - so unsatisfying!  But the rest of the book was amazing.  Get it.  The new book I got is The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder by Rebecca Wells (of YaYa Sisterhood fame).  It looks SO good - I don't understand why it's not getting more press... 

I was tempted WAY too many times today with sugary goodness.  Red Vines licorice at the car dealership (my FAVE licorice), Dave suggesting we get Coldstone apres dinner, Dave buying Ferrero Rochers & Sour Patch Kids after dinner... But I was strong!  18 days down, 4 more to go.  I can do this.

California Love: The Prologue

Welcome to Fantasyland!  If my LA life were a novel, this would be the prologue.  I'm here for 9 days to take care of some administrative garbage before I move here for good!

Day 1

I arrived at LAX with 3 huge overweight suitcases and was welcomed by the great and wonderful Leigh!  We went straight to the rental place to pickup my trusty old pickup truck (the same one I drove in May). Unpacking was intense.  3 suitcases plus 2 fedex boxes that I had shipped.  Everything in the fedex boxes was horribly wrinkly and had to be ironed.  For dinner we met Julia & Jess at Leaf - Leigh and Robyn - apparently Live/Eat/Green/Raw/Whatever is actually called LEAF!!!  There's a sign and everything... I'm convinced it must be a new name change, Leigh says it's not...  We got delicious smoothies and then went to Gelsons so I could stock up on breakfast foods.  I went to bed at 10 because I was exhausted.

Day 2

6:30 am wakeup call.  Awesome for me since I was still on Toronto time, early for Leigh, but it had to be done so we could go for a 7am hike so she could make her 12:00 audition.  'Twas quite the eventful hike.  The whole way we kept feeling weird intense waves of heat, then started smelling smoke.  As we rounded the second last turn, we were met with blazing flames breaking through the trees!  FIRE!  We freaked out and started running down, warned everyone we crossed paths with, and may or may not have called 911...  As we get to the bottom, we turn to look at the fire... and notice the blazing SUNRISE coming up over the trees.  We were MORTIFIED!  As if we thought the sunrise was fire!  But what about the heat?  What about the smoke!  ... we later realized that part of Griffith was in fact on fire, but not within our sight.  

After showering and getting ready for the day, I embarked on a shopping mission at The Grove.  Crate & Barrel for wicker storage baskets, Abercrombie for a plaid shirt for Leigh's plaid themed birthday, Anthropologie for a C mug to match the rest of them at the house (I didn't want to bring mine from home in fear that it would make my mom sad), J Crew for Daddykins' birthday present (blue distressed Jack Purcell Converse) and to an unidentifiable store for Leigh's birthday present.

At 2:00 I went for my appointment at the DMV to take my written test for my California license.  The DMV really is as bad as everyone says.  Thank GOD I made an appointment.  Obviously I failed the test the first time since I didnt study and American things like feet and miles per hour threw me off.  Thankfully I passed the second time.  

Our evening was filled with grilled vegetables, Leonardo DiCaprio & Claire Danes, and gossiping with Christina.

Day 3

7:30 am wakeup call.  8:00 hike to the peak.  Came home, made a list of all the car dealerships with black 2007 Ford Explorers.  The first dealership I went to didn't even have any 2007's, just Eddie Bauer 2008s (which i dont like because they have grey/brown trim over the wheel wells), but I went anyways since Black Explorer pickings are slim.  Everything TOTALLY happens for a reason because they had just got in a 2007 that they had yet to list on autotrader and it was exactly what i was looking for (minus bluetooth and black leather unfortunately - but black leather apparently doesnt even exist becuase its always tan in explorers)!  After driving around for 4 hours to various parts of southern california, the first one was the best deal (and not to mention the prettiest).  I shall go back and buy it tomorrow or Monday.

Leigh and I grocery shopped once again (dinner was salmon and delicious grilled broccoli, zucchini & sweet potato).  We have HUGE plans of eating SO healthy and getting in the best shape of our lives come fall time.  Now i'm fueling my Zac Efron obsession and watching Hairspray.  He will be my boyfriend.  Someday.  Soon.

ps I have YET to get Sprinkles.  Even though there are free code words posted on Twitter every day.  My 21 days of no sugar continues!

Operation: Get My Stuff to LA

I just booked a flight to LA for a week at the end of August.  Purpose: start the process of getting my stuff to LA (going to be quite difficult), buy a car (Jeep Liberty or Ford Explorer? New or used?), random errands like finding a trainer (Vino?), gym, insurance etc. and celebrating Leigh's birthday!