last thursday was filled with happiness as my shows FINALLY returned from their multiple week siestas! i have MISSED my friends from Grey's Anatomy {yes, I realize that I don't ACTUALLY know them and that they are merely television personalities - nevertheless - my love for them is strong and deep}! George and Izzie have always been my favorite characters with some definite appreciation for Cristina Yang and never ending respect for Bailey. WELL this week Bailey stole back my heart and took rank as my favorite character on the show.HERE IS HER QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
{mind you this is her response to a lunch invitation with a doctor that Derek is trying to set her up wtih...}
"I'm in the middle of a divorce. People call me the nazi and it's not because of my ice blue eyes. I spend 12 hours a day carving people up and I like it. I have a child and I have no room for casual anything. I am angry all of the time and deeply confused because a lot of people in my life have let me down recently one of them is me. It's devastating; but not completely, because turns out I like sleeping crosswise in the bed and not having to shave my legs. My three-year-old used to be potty trained and now he isn't because his father no longer lives with us and his world no longer makes sense and the only thing he thinks he can control is his bladder so he urinates in a lot of places you wish he wouldn't urinate. You want lunch? Or you want to show me the scan?"
SO EXCITED it's Thursday and my show is on AGAIN!!! PLUS it is raining outside. Is there anything better than cuddling up in bed watching Grey's Anatomy while listening to the rain? {the appropriate answer is: YES: NOT HAVING A HEADACHE}.
On Saturday afternoon/evening I went to visit my parents who were staying at Carlsbad State Beach. Carlsbad is SO nostalgic for me as it is the place where most of my childhood memories occurred. When I was only a baby {a one year old to be exact} my parents started spending one week in July at Carlsbad each summer. We did this literally throughout my entire life {I went until the summer after I graduated from high school - and my parents STILL go}. Since it is Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, and my dad has today off, my parents decided to enjoy the holiday at the beach {along with the Powells and the Holdens and the Buxtons and the Erpeldings - basically the whole crew}. I was torn about going to visit - this WICKED headache has stolen literally every desire to do something fun or interactive - but there was something particualarly appealing about the idea of standing on the beach in my CBU sweatshirt watching the sunset over the ocean while talking to the One who understands the plan and the purpose for this whole headache thing. I can't escape it - but it is overwhelmingly reassuring to know that He understands it. SO after having coffee with a friend and teaching ESL, I got in my car and went. I watched the sunset
with Jenny {my friend since birth} 
Last night we ventured out to babycakes, a gluten free {mostly} and vegan bakery that was originated in New York. They have a wide variety of baked goods that Kenz and Gan can SAFELY consume without fears of a protesting stomach. They each got SEVERAL ITEMS and I bought one, single, solitary, spelt {which is a type of gluten – also known as the ancient ancestor to modern day wheat} cupcake {red velvet to be exact}. Due to the fact that babycakes was in a moderately uncomfortable and entirely unfamiliar area of Los Angeles {in the dark}, we got our goodies TO GO and got back on the road. OF COURSE we hit traffic driving back so we stopped at CITADEL {an outlet that we will DEFINITELY be returning to} to grab dinner in their food court and check it out. They have a LOT of enticingly bright light up signs. Unfortunately we didn’t really get there in time to do much damage as far as shopping is concerned. We made it inside the Banana Republic outlet only moments before they closed. {Do not be deceived, Megan and I were still able to make purchases – I got some jewelry and Gan got a scarf. Rebecca is really the only one who has trouble shopping on a time crunch…she needs more time to think and evaluate – Gan and I IMPULSE buy!}. After dinner {and the QUICK shopping trip} we got back on the road and came home. When we got to the church parking lot {where Gan and Kenz were parked} we stopped and consumed our baked delights – each of us ate a red velvet cupcake. Although they were not {nearly} as good as the REGULAR ones – they were totally eatable and the girls were THRILLED to be eating cupcakes at all. It was a swell adventure and I’m sure we’ll go again – maybe in the daylight and with a guy! 
Oh and by the way - just so that there is no residual concern - Irealize that my fingernails are NOT painted in the picture above where I'm eating the cupcake. However, I painted them LAST NIGHT when I got home and all is well in the world again! 
You can't really see the color - but this is Mrs. O'Leary's BBQ. It's a pretty awesome color actually - it's a dark dark red that is almost black depending on the light but also has a really fun burgandy quality to it! It was DEFINITELY a good choice!!
headaches stink!
Anna had the flu this year - that was a major bummer - she is definitely a home HIGHLIGHT! We did get to have coffee later in the weekend though and Anna, Daniel, Jenny, Josh and myself all enjoyed Yogurt Mill and laughter on Sunday evening before I came back to Orange County. There is something almost indescribable about 25 years of life shared with Anna and Jenny - God was VERY gracious when He put them in my life! I really couldn't ask for better LONG TIME CHILDHOOD BEST FRIENDS! We're all writing our own life stories now - but it is amazing to see how they still weave in and out of my book as main characters and will probably forever own part of my heart! TENDER! 
