Slack slacking

Its been awhile since I blogged.....It's really too bad because it has been an eventful few months. In the beginning of November I got to visit my friend Maren in Boston. It was so much fun. We walked, walked and walked some more. I fell in love with the city. It was fall so the leaves were changing and falling. I loved riding the subways and buses around town. It took me back to the good old days in Germany:) Here are some pics!!! We walked the Freedom Trail. We also took a train to Maine just for fun. We ate good food and just enjoyed the city:)

 

So Much To Be Thankful For!

Awww Thanksgiving! It really is my favorite holiday! Some people find that strange. Some people think it must just be for the ridiculous amounts of food and the afternoon naps. I associate it with more than those things though. Thanksgivings growing up were always so fun. When I think of Thanksgiving I think of family. Thanksgiving brings everyone together. I remember playing with cousins, smelling the food cooking, setting the table all pretty, eating the olives off our fingers as a pre dinner snack, laughing, sharing and loving. We have always gone around the table to say what were thankful for. Some people made you laugh, others made you cry. This year I am grateful for so many things. As I have gotten older I realize how truly blessed I am. I no longer live in the sheltered world of my youth. I see sickness, hunger, loneliness, heartache, bitterness and sorrow in the world around me now. I see now how truly blessed I am. I am grateful for agency. I feel so blessed to be able to make good choices and take responsibility for my own happiness. I am so grateful for a loving eternal family. I feel so blessed to have my best friends be within my own family. I have been so blessed with amazing friends. These friends know me better than I know myself. I am so grateful for a great job. I know in this economy not everyone can choose what they want to do and where they want to go. I love being in a profession that allows me to serve people every day. I am grateful for the challenges and the opportunity I have to never stop learning. I am grateful to have a place to live, a car to drive, food to eat. I am grateful for the opportunities I have had to travel for work, meet new people, and experience different places. I am so grateful for my health and my ability to be active. I am grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ in my life. Without it I don't know where I would be. I am grateful for a Savior who died for me. A Savior who makes it possible for me to repent and strive to be a better person. I am grateful for commandments and counsel from modern day prophets. I am grateful for the protection obedience brings. I am grateful for trials. I am grateful for what they make me learn and the strength and character they bring into my life. I seriously could go on and on. What are you thankful for this year??

Dreams Do Come True:)

     Alright guys.... prepare to be very jealous....So first off it has warmed up here again so the beach is still awesome!! On Friday my friend Dallin and I decided to go surfing. I worked the night before and had a busy day planned but decided play was going to win over sleep. So we got to the beach. Dallin went out to surf for a bit while I caught some rays. I feel bad when we go because he just ends up coaching me and doesn't really get to surf. So anyways he comes back and says did you see the dolphins? What? No. You mean I missed that? I was kinda bummed. So then we went out together. It was not the best day as far as the waves went. They were either too small, or so big they took me out just trying to get out past them. So we floated around alot. The dolphins ended up surfacing nearby. I was so excited. He was like "do you want to swim out to them?" That was like asking "Do you want a big bowl of ice cream with a large mound of cookie dough, some brownies and caramel on top?" (An awesome combination by the way!) So we swam out towards them. They surfaced a little ways away and then it was just floating out there waiting for them to resurface. I was so excited!! And nervous!! Sure enough they surfaced about 6 feet from us... well Dallin says they were 10 feet from us... we comprimised on 8 feet. It was awesome. I am pretty sure I was like squealing like a little girl. All the manly surfers were probably laughing at me but I didn't care. I have been talking about swimming with dolphins for as long as I can remember. This way I didn't pay $100 bucks to do it. Anyways surfing was a blast. I actually did pretty good this time. I stood and rode some of the waves out. Still not as great as my first time in Hawaii but I am making progress:)
     Saturday ended up being an awesome day as well. We got a group together to play beach volleyball. It had been a long time since we played. It was sunny and warm. Then we tried out a new place for lunch.
   It was an awesome weekend all around. I went to two Halloween parties and today at church we met with a couple other wards and discussed goal setting. It was awesome! I got to set some new goals and gain some insight on achieving them. Sometimes we get discouraged when we don't meet our goals. If we look back though, oft times we have made progress, and that goes a long way. I am excited to do some self improvement. Hope you guys had an awesome weekend as well!!!

Amber's Visit Continued:)

Well I guess I was almost done..... We did some other fun things like walking around in downtown Hollywood. We admired the Chinese Theatre which Amber had to explain the significance of. We went to a museum called The Getty. It was ginormous. Seriously we spent a couple hours there and only saw the gardens and one of the five buildings there. We also went to Runyon Park. Runyon Park is up in the Hollywood Hills. It is known for celebrity sitings. Much to Amber's dismay we did not see any:( It was a really cool place to hike. There were lots of people there dragging (literally) their poor purse puppies up the trails. We saw some yoga going on in the park. Pretty cool popular place with awesome views of the city. I had sooooo much fun:) I was so spoiled last month. I got to visit Jessica in Salt Lake and have Amber visit me here. I can't wait for Thanksgiving so we can ge the whole family together!!!!

Amber comes to LA:)

So I am yet again way behind on blogging. Amber came to visit at the end of September. It was awesome. She wanted to lay on the beach all week. Honestly that week was the worst weather. It is always sunny and warm here, Most of the time she was here it was overcast and gloomy. No worries I had made an agenda and we had plenty to keep us entertained. Most mornings we were up super early (anything before 10 is early for this poor graveyard shift girl) and played all day. Here are some of the top moments on that trip!!!!! Enjoy! We did!

So Amber brought the best invention ever. I have always been so bad at taking vitamins. I do good for about a week and then quit. Whoever thought of gummi vitamins for adults is genius......

WARNING: Consuming vitamins like they are candy can lead to an upset stomach. Consuming vitamins on an empty stomach (because you saw them in the bathroom first thing in the morning and were so excited you couldn't wait to take them) can also lead to an upset stomach. Like everything yummy you are also consuming calories when you consume these.

Speaking of candy remember that one time Amber that I mispelled candy?? Yep thats right. I blame it on being up at 630 in the morning. We were discussing that stage with kids where you have to spell things so they don't know what you are talking about. I was like yeah like when Jeff was little (he couldn't have candy since hes a diabetic) and we would spell K-A-N-D-Y...... Lol. I blame it on the early hour, it did make us laugh:)

My friend Dallin was awesome enough to take us surfing!! We may not be very good at it but it was so much fun. The best moment was when Amber almost took me out with her board. Thats right..... Dallin and I were standing and talking in shallow waters when I hear Amber yell my name. I look up to see her coming straight at me on a wave. I ducked like those birds that swim around and when anything comes close they duck under the water. It was hilarious. I stayed under the water til I was sure she was passed me. We took some awesome pictures with my waterproof camera. Genius me took it out surfing and one of the times I was expertly standing up it slipped off my wrist never more to be seen. Dallin got some after pics of us.

One morning we woke up extra early to beat traffic and headed to Santa Barbara. It was a lot of fun. We took a trolley ride around town. We ate lunch downtown, saw the mission there, walked the pier and walked along the beach. As a side effect of being a night shifter I actually slept on the trolley ride. It was kind of embarrassing. Here we are being touristy and driving around town and I am doing this ridiculous head bobbing thing. Poor Amber sometimes I may not be the best company.

 

We did some typical Buchanan things. We stayed up most nights watching FRIENDS. I love that show. I had stopped watching it for awhile. It was good to rediscover the joy it brings;) We ate good as well. LA has so many good places to eat. We made sure to make a couple stops at Diddy Riese's. Thats a place by UCLA that has rows and rows of fresh soft cookies. For a buck fifty you can get a cookie sandwhich with ice cream in the middle or 3 cookies for a dollar. That explains why there is a line down the block at all times. So good. So being 5'11 I wear heels but not the super cute really tall ones. I just never felt I could with my heighth. Amber has been trying to tell me it doesn't matter and I should get some. So I got a pair. Can I just ask???? WHY DO WOMEN TORTURE THEMSELVES? Seriously they are ridiculous. I was walking with my hometeacher and felt like an idiot because I couldn't keep up. I could be standing still talking to someone and lose my balance. While walking, carrying food from break the fast, I just about broke my ankle cuz the concrete got uneven. I now understand why on tv you always see women take off their heels and start rubbing their feet. I got a cramp in my calf. I towered over people. I will admit they did make my calves (which aren't muscular or impressive in any way) look pretty nice. Amber welcomed me to womanhood. Yes at 27:) I may retire early and go back to my old lady looking heels sometime soon:)

To be continued.....I think its not letting me post anymore.....

Ok ok....I'll blog some more...

I know its been FOREVER. I know you guys are dying to know what the latest and the greatest. The more time I let pass, the less I want to blog. Too much to catch up on. I have been in LA for 2 1/2 months now. Guess how long I'm gonna be here?? The end of Febuary. Crazy right? I decided to extend my contract here. I do like my job at LA Childrens. The staff is great and I am learning alot. All the places I want to go for my next assignment have this nasty little thing called winter. Bleh, gag, brrr, yuck, no thanks. So I figured southern California was a great place to continue soaking up some sun and pretend snow, ice and cold don't exist.

     One of the things I really wanted to do since I was living in California was visit the family that lives in California. It was an awesome trip. I got to spend time with my awesome Uncle Dwight and Aunt Barbara. They have always been good examples to me and I will always be grateful for their frequent prayers that the poor single Buchanan sisters will find mates. My Aunt Barbara did inform me that I was loved regardless:) Good to know single people are lovable too;) I also got to hang out with a couple of my cousins that I don't get to see often enough. I loved hanging out with their cute, energetic and awesome kids. Hats off to all you moms and dads out there. Raising kids isn't easy. Sometimes I wonder how I will ever be able to make the transition. Being single I am spoiled with lots of sleep, free time and flexibility. Heres some pics of the good times in Nor Cal. I got to drive up the coast, another thing on my bucket list.

Around LA I have walked around some pretty impressive malls. Who has enough money to shop at them? I have no idea. I spend a lot of time at the beach. I go there a couple times a week to go for a jog, catch some rays, read a book or take a nap. I went kayaking for the first time and saw some sea lions right by our kayak. I checked out the local state fair. There are also a lot of good places to eat around here!

Last weekend I went to Salt Lake. I do love visiting my sister and friends there. Its interesting I don't realize that I am not being completely myself until I get around close friends and family. Always being in a new place where no one really knows you can be different. I loved every minute of being around some of the people that know me best. I hope that with a little more time here more of that Monica can come out. I definately let loose in Salt Lake. We played in the local Walmart and splashed, slipped, trudged through epic amounts of mud!!! Some of my friends and I participated in a Mud Run benefiting leukemia and lymphoma research. The pictures say it all.......

So after a fun filled weekend with Jessica....Amber is coming into town today and I have tons of fun things planned for us. There is so much to do in LA and I am so excited to have someone to do them with. So look forward to a fun filled post later. So sorry about the ridiculous spacing of everything on this blog. I am not very good with computers and the computer won making this post:)

California Lovin:)

   So i have been in Los Angeles for a month now. I can't believe it. I am getting all settled in my new place. I live in the Bentley Monica apartments. Cool huh? My roomate seems super nice but I hardly see her. Its kinda like living by myself again which I don't mind one bit! Good news!!! No more code blues at work:) But as a result of me previously passing out at work, everyone knows who I am! Great way to get to know people and make an impression. I would not recommend it however, too risky to your poor noggin. Don't want anyone breaking their head just to make a good impression.
   Moving on... there is just so much to do and see here. My good friend Helen and her boyfriend Wesley were in town a couple weeks ago. It was fun we went to downtown Hollywood did the star walk and went to a wax museum. I personally have never wanted to go to one but it ended up being so much fun:) Seriously you would look to the other side of the room and really think there was a celebrity there! Here some pics of the good times!

Strikin a pose and wanting a cowboy. Seriously I don't know what it is with me and cowboys lately but I want one so bad. Which reminds me I need a good excuse to wear my boots. I miss them. I love them. Need to find me some coutry dancing in this city:) Which reminds me Cowboys and Aliens was actually a pretty good movie. I had my doubts. Also... left me again wanting a cowboy:) 



  I've been touristy here:) Hiked up behind the Hollywood sign with a friend. It was cool driving up in the Hollywood hills. There are a lot of cool houses up there. The view from the top was awesome too:)

In other news..... went on a ward campout with the Santa Monica ward. We went to Malibu. Who knew there was camping in Malibu??  It was fun we BBQ'd, campfired, played beach volleyball and soaked up a whole lot of sun! Playing beach volleyball in the morning. I try to go to the beach alot, whether its laying out, walking the pier or finding a cool park that overlooks it. I know I feel pretty spoiled right now.

So one thing I have noticed in Southern California is that there is literally a donut shop on every corner. I am still trying to decide if this is a good thing or not. To be honest I have tried a few. They were ok but I have had much better. So now I have this obnoxious and unhealthy desire to find the best one. This could be a problem.

SO COULD THIS!! Fried chicken and waffles?? Who does that? Roscoe's.. thats who. And it was pretty dang good! So thats whats new in my life. Anyone visiting LA anytime soon? We can go get waffles!!