I love Fall

My favorite online shopping website is modcloth.com. A few weeks ago I found this scarf:

It's so cute, but it costs a whopping $49.99! I would never spend that much money on a scarf. I took a good look at the pictures and thought, "Hmm, I could make this scarf myself." So I did.

I went to JoAnn Fabrics and picked up gray wool yarn and a mustard yellow yarn for the flower. I started it last night. I found a video tutorial on YouTube that taught me how to crochet a flower, which was super easy and fun. I might have found a new hobby. Then I got to work on braiding the gray yarn. I quickly learned that braiding 30ft of yarn posed quite the challenge. It kept getting tangled every 30 seconds! About 2 hours of struggling and a night of sleep, I figured out how to make it a little easier. I balled up the ends of each braid strand to prevent tangling along the whole string. Here's the final product:

Our First Plant!!!

In the almost four years of marriage, Dave and I have never owned a plant; an actually living, real, plant. So today after our softball game we went to Ikea, because we needed to buy a new lamp. One of the lamps in our living room died and it was too dark in one of our corners. We found a lamp and you know Ikea, it just sucks you in. So we also bought two new drinking glasses, a wine glass and the newest member to our familiy, Mr. Plant. He's called a corn plant and I really hope he doesn't die. We'll see what happens.

Hawaiian Vacation

On July 4th, 2008 I met an amazing girl named Lehua Kamakawiwoole at a picnic in Rose Bowl Park to watch the fireworks. On May 29,2010 I watched her and my friend David Faulkner get married in Hawaii!

I flew out to Oahu, Hawaii on May 27th. My friends Erin and Jenny had flown out the previous day and I met them for lunch and drinks. We went to Lehua's bachelorette party that night at a restaurant with her bridesmaids and other ladies involved in the wedding.

On Saturday we woke up early and went snorkeling at Hanauma Bay. It was a little cloudy and cold at first, but the sun eventually came out. The snorkeling was really cool and we saw tons of awesoem fish! That night we went to one of Lehua's Aunts and Uncles houses for an authentic Hawaiian luau. They had a pig burried in the ground and everything. We tried a whole bunch of Hawaiian food that was incredibly tasty. There was plenty of story telling and toasts and the night ended with singing and ukulele playing.

Sunday was the big day. The wedding was so beautiful! It was held outside and on one side we had the beautiful mountains and on the other side was the beach and ocean. Lehua looked amazing in her custom made gown. David looked so happy and in love. Of course I cried here and there. They had written their own vows that were just beautiful. Everything turned out perfectly. The reception was in the same place as the ceremony and we had an amazing omlette bar and waffle station as our meal. It was a great wedding and I'm so glad I go to be there and share that day with them!

On Monday we went to the north shore and layed out on a beautiful beach. I also did a little snorkeling at Shark's Cove. We stopped at a local taco stand along the road on our way back. It was oh so delicious. Then we had to get back to bring Jenny to the airport.

It was now just me and Erin. We had the priviledge of having breakfast with the bride and groom before they flew off tot he Big Island for their honeymoon. After that we went on the Manoa Falls hike. It was so lush and gorgious. Everything was so green and full and beautiful. The waterfall was awesome. Although it started raining right when we go there. It was a slippery and muddy hike back.

On Wednesday we first headed to the Punchbowl Cemetary. Mom my had told me that her great Grandpa's Uncle was burried there (I think that's who, not sure though). I looked up his name and was actually able to find his grave. From there we headed to the Honolulu Chinatown. It wasn't that great though. Nothing compared to Hong Kong. We found a beach by Honolulu, layed out and took pictures. Ering flew home that night.

And then there was one. I got up early on Thursday to get a good start to my day. I first stopped at Pearl Harbor to do the USS Arizona memorial. I go there at 7:30 but the free tour ticket didn't start until 9:30, so I had to hang around until then. They had a couple museums I could check out. The memorial was really interesting to see. It was crazy to see parts of the ship still sticking out of the water. After Pearl Harbor I drove along the west coast until I couldn't go any farther. I found a nice, almost secluded beach and caught some rays. I fell asleep a few times and stayed a little longer than I intended. From there I went to the Dole Plantation. It was fun to learn a few random facts about pineapples. I went back to the condo and did some souvenir shopping around the area. I watched the sunset one last time on the beach and then headed to the airport that night to fly back to the mainland.

It was such a fun trip. I felt really bad that Dave couldn't come, so I tried to have as much fun for him as I could. :)

Tara's Tale

Where to begin?

Once upon a time...

It was a dark and scary night...

Back in February I submitted myself for a background role through Central Casting. The casting was looking for 18tly (people who are over 18 but look like they can play younger, 18 To Look Younger) to play interns on a new movie with the code name "Fiona's Tale." We would need to be available on February 16 and 17 to work in LA. Then we would also need to be available to possibly work on April 29, 30, and May 1 in NEW YORK CITY! What a cool opportunity! I submitted and hoped for the best. About two weeks later, I got a call from Central Casting saying I had been picked by the director to play one of the interns. Yay!

The work days in February were fun. We actually worked 4 days, which was nice to get some SAG work. Some of the days were long and a couple were short. There were 19 interns total. We were pre-fit for costumes and could only wear clothes from production in case we weren't chosen to go to New York. That way we wouldn't be wearing something on screen that someone in New York wouldn't be able to replicate. After we worked the four days, we still were not told who was going to New York. We just had to wait it out.

Finally, two weeks before they flew out to New York, I got the call from Central Casting saying I had been one of the few people to go to NY! Apparently I was the only girl chosen. It was me and 4 other boys.

The flight out was amazing. I think there is something in the SAG contract that requires them to do this because I got to fly first class! There were two non-union boys that had to sit in coach. I felt bad for them, but not bad enough to give them my seat in first. They fed us an amazing breakfast and the seats were so awesome! I could get used to this.

We arrived around 3:30 and grabbed a taxi to the hotel. We saw Andrew Garfield in the elevator on our way to our rooms, which by the way, we all got our own rooms, even the boys. We all left thinking we'd grab a bite to eat and go do something, but the boys were so slow and indecicive that I had to split from the group. Me trying to shop with 5 boys just doesn't work. I said my goodbyes and was on my way.

I first went to Saks Fifth Avenue and looked at all the beautiful clothes and accessories that were way too expensive for me. I had planned on buying lots of fun things in NY but not blowing it all and then some on one item. I moved on. I walked around and it was getting late, so all the shops were closing. I decided to check out some of the sites.

I swung by the New York Public Library and Grand Central Station and picked up a pretzel from a street vendor along the way. Then I hopped on the subway and walked to the MoMA. It was Friday night and they have a "Target Free Friday Night" where theres free admission from 4pm-8pm. I spend the rest of my night looking at Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, Picasso, Van Gogh and other great artists. I also did a quick walk to Times Square by myself. Erin arrived that night and stayed with me.

Saturday we worked. We met in the lobby at 5am and shuttled to the shooting location. We worked at the Hearst Building which is really cool looking. It was a full day of work, I think we finished around 7pm. The Erin, the boys and myself went to the Brooklyn Diner for dinner. It was so good! I got their famous Mac & Cheese and it was incredible. So cheesy. In a good way.

Sunday we had the day off. Erin and I took the subway to the Staten Island Ferry and rode that for free. Saw the Statue of Liberty from the ferry. From there we walked to the Brooklyn Bridge, the long way. We had walked along the water, thinking that's where the bridge started. Wrong. It starts inland quite a ways, so we had to backtrack inland to get to the pedestrian path. Then we walked around everywhere and did a whole bunch of shopping. I found some really cute shoes. We had dinner at Benihanas with the boys again.

That night I was getting really sad that I had to leave so early on Monday. So I went online to see if and how much it would cost to change my flight to a later time. I knew that a couple of the guys had asked production to push their depature days so they could stay in NY a little longer. I went online and was able to change my flight for free since it was a first class/elite ticket. I now got to leave at 6pm instead of 10am. Woot!

Erin and I took advantage of the extra time to squeeze in some more shopping before I left. I found a cute red bow belt and a couple things from vintage and thrift stores. All in all, it was a successful shopping excursion. I flew home in first class one last time and had an amazing sirloin steak dinner on the flight. It was such an awesome trip.

And one huge bonus of the trip, was I got to fly to New York City for free in first class and get paid to do it. Monday was a travel day, so we got paid for that. Saturday we worked, so we got paid for that. Sunday was a free day, but they still paid us. And Sunday was a travel day, so we got paid for that. Plus we got a $75 per diem every day for meals. I have a feeling I probably won't get another opportunity like that in a long while!

If you want to see my photos you can go to this Facebook link:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.529013831364.2026465.148300522&l=65a2aca93f

Oh yeah, I can't technically say what movie it is, but "Fiona's Tale" has Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield in it, his character is a superhero and flies with webs. (wink wink)

Archery - Lord of the Rings Style

On Saturday morning Dave and I woke up bright and early and went to a free archery class in Pasadena. We wrote our name on the list and hoped to get in the class. We were the last two people let in. About 10 people were turned away.

We were separated into a group of 6 people and an instructor. We were given a bow, 4 arrows, an arm guard and finger guard. The instructor showed us the basics and let us go to it. We shot from 10 yards away from the target.

Dave had some archery experience before and was pretty good from the get go. He was getting a lot of bullseyes. There was another boy in our group who was really good too. I started out ok. Not as bad as the girl beside me who shot arrows into the grass past the target.

Towards the end I was getting a lot better. Here was my first bullseye. It's considered a bullseye if you hit any of the center black circle.

On our last round of shooting in our small group, Dave and I made a bet. Who could get the most bullseyes. I won! I got three bullseyes.

After our small groups we went back to the main archery field. They always have a contest for the first timers. They put a balloon in the middle of the target and whoever pops it, gets the dollar inside.

So all the first times lined up. I bet there were about 50 or so of us. We were counted off, 1 or 2. Dave was 1. I was 2. The twos had to step back and the ones lined up 10 ft away from the targets. There were 6 different targets with maybe 3 or 4 people shooting at a target. You only got two arrows to try and hit the balloon. Dave was super close but didn't pop one.

My turn. It was me and three other people shooting at one target. Two boys and two girls. I saw one arrow fly and miss. Another arrow was shot and missed. I brought my first arrow up, took aim, and POP! I hit it right in the center! I won the $1. I felt pretty good since I was one of very few girls to win.

I had only done archery once way back in grade school. I had heard about this place and thought we should check it out. We had such a fun time and did well for our first time. I'm hoping to go back again this next Saturday. It'll cost $5 but I'll be worth it!

Midnight Ridazz

On Friday night I went on the Midnight Ridazz Critical Mass ride with Dave and our friend Jonathan. Every last Friday of the month they hold a massive bike ride somehwere around LA. For this ride we started at Wilshire and Western in downtown.
We had to take the metro from Pasadena to downtown with our bikes. We arrived right in the middle of it. There were maybe 100 riders there and tons of cops. Cops on bikes. Cops on motorcycles. Cops in cars. I guess they feel the need to escort the riders since we take up so much of the road. Our ride started at 7:30. It was crazy! I've never seen so many bike riders in one place!

Here's a bunch of the police escorts.

When we rode we would take over the whole road. The cops would ride/drive ahead and get the traffic to move over for us and block intersections so we could go through red lights. If you were a car at one of the lights, you had to wait a long time.

We probably took up a good 6 blocks or so when we ride around. I bet there about 500 people or more that night.

We rode for I'd say a good 15 miles and then took our first stop. We had pretty much gone to Venice Beach. We continued on and started heading back to downtown, but the cops kept weaving us through random side streets and going on annoying detours than bringing us back to our starting spot. Which by the way, was the nearest Metro stop, so we had to get back there eventually to get home.

When they pulled over for a second break, the three of us decided to split for the main group and head straight back. The last 10 miles were horrible. I was riding my classic Schwinn one speed bike which made hills incredibly miserable. But we finially made it back. I went home with a sore back, sore legs and sore butt. It may be a long time until I do another one of those rides.