Catching-Up Fast

The title of my blog post is meant to have two meanings. One, being that I know I've been a bit MIA on this blog, I guess just one of the downfalls to having so much to do for the month of September. The second, I wanted to write about a fabulous visit with a friend from news days in Southern Oregon, Natalie. Natalie moved to Italy shortly after she got married a few years ago. She now lives in Naples, but was visiting her parents in Las Vegas. That, being a short drive for me, was a no-brainer of a trip. Any chance to catch up with a good friend.
The visit was lovely. Natalie hadn't changed a bit. She was just as beautiful inside and out, only difference being she was three-months pregnant. So, it was wonderful having a three-day weekend with catching up without all the craziness that some trips in Vegas have turned into. The next day, her friend from school joined us at the suite we were staying in. It was great having a girls' weekend. Natalie's friend, Lindsay, taught me how to play craps and roulette and Natalie won big at the slots. Of course, the girl who doesn't gamble wins big. Always the case. She was sweet enough to take us all out to an awesome dinner inside the Wynn Casino that was delicious. I left on Sunday night, feeling so happy that I made the trip and feeling so blessed to have had stayed in touch with Natalie after these years with her abroad. It's great to have good friends!

The Final Wedding of Summer

These last few weeks have been super busy for me on the work front and on the social front, maybe giving me an excuse on why I haven't blogged in awhile. But, those days are long gone and I'm back with a new entry!
Last weekend kicked off with a road trip to San Diego to see my Grandpa and Grandma. It was a beautiful drive and a wonderful visit. It always takes a visit and sit-down with your older relatives to realize the importance of family and to listen to their stories and share in laughs. It also makes me grateful that they live so close to me, giving me a sense of unseen comfort.
After my visit to San Diego, I experienced the joy of going to my very good friend Kelly's wedding in Temecula, Southern California's new wine country about two hours from here. Not only was this a joyous occasion because I consider Kelly one of my closest friends since we met in our dorm days at UMass-Amherst, but because it was going to be, yet another, fun mini-reunion with my Massachusetts girls. Caitlin and Alison made the trip and we all stayed at the very fun Pechanga Casino, where the bridal party was staying the Saturday night before the wedding. After the rehearsal dinner, we all headed back to the casino to gamble, drink and cut loose. Keeping in mind, I never win, never, when it comes to slots, I decided to try my luck. I ended up winning 280 dollars on my ten dollars in the quarter slots. It was awesome, but I immediately cashed out, bought the round a drink and we were back in bed by 2 that morning. Since the wedding was a Sunday evening, we managed to squeeze in some wine tasting before getting ready for the ceremony.
Once the wedding started, it was all very clear to everybody on why were in Temecula in the first place. Not to party, not to gamble or drink wine, but to witness the joyous union of two amazing people, Kelly and Tom. I teared up a little when Kelly's voice cracked during her vows, but it was her father's toast at the reception that had everybody bawling. His speech was so pure and from the heart and his constant sobs throughout were touching. I still remain skeptical if a wedding is my future or not, but I can't help but imagine my father would have the same feeling as he watched his only daughter marry. The entire weekend was magical and lucky. It made me value my friendships even more and open the doors at what love really could do to someone. It was even worth the Monday morning four hour drive on three hours of sleep commute to work.

Back From Boston

I just got back from my second trip to Boston this summer. I had a great time. Once again, it was for a close college friend's wedding. Funny how it seems like those all happen at once. But, never the less, it was great to catch up with college friends and their families. The wedding was held at The Ritz in Boston Common and made for an amazing venue. I danced to the music of one of the best wedding bands I had ever seen. Overall, it was a very joyous occasion and I wish Dan and Jess all the happiness in the world because they deserve it. The next morning, after our night at The Ritz, we got Dunkin' Donuts and headed to Fenway Park, where Jessica's family arranged for us to have a private tour. Very fun. Of course, being surrounded by couples, some who are married and others who are getting married always makes me think if I'll ever settle down. I guess that is just a question that will time will answer. Sigh.
While in Boston, I was able to catch up with other friends from school, who were not present at the wedding. Spending an evening in Harvard Square and then Davis Square Sunday morning with my friend Kacie, whose wedding I attended in May. That was great to see her, since she was so busy during my last trip, we didn't really get one on one catch=up time.
It's also a great feeling to know that I'll be seeing all the girls from Jess's wedding in August to celebrate our friend, Kelly's wedding. Thankfully, this one is on my coast and just an hour away.

Happy Fourth of July!

The one thing about extended weekends is that there is always a work week that feels much longer right around the corner. This weekend, I tried not to think about that. I just wanted a long weekend to relax and mingle. Friday was spent visiting my nephew, Owen, and I bared witness to his taking his very first steps. A pretty cool thing to witness. After that, was a friend's party on her roof of her downtown LA loft and dinner in West Hollywood with a friend.
The next day, I drove up to Montecito to hang with my friend/tennis doubles partner, Natalia, her sister, and her sister's husband and their mother at their mother's beautiful home in the Santa Barbara countryside. There, we had great food, laughs, beach walks, delicious wine and a good tennis match. It's amazing that you can drive only an hour outside of Los Angeles and feel a world away. It was the perfect holiday weekend. And I would be complaining that this work week will feel extra-long because it will last all five days, but I'm very lucky to be taking a whirlwind trip back to Boston on Friday for another wedding, only to return home very late Sunday night, to start another Monday work week all over again. But, can't think about that. For now, it's concentrating on more fun times with friends. Besides, it just feels like it takes more energy to complain than it does to feel good about doing what you're doing. Don't you agree?

Long Time Coming

So, I know I haven't posted on here since my Mom's visit and that was what seems like a long time ago. The truth is, when I get very busy at work, as a writer, the last thing I really want to do is feel like I have to come home and blog. But, never the less, I can give a few brief updates of what I have been up to. Life for me has been keeping me steady. Summer is usually a down time for most, but for me, having two of the top-trafficked websites, that can keep you at work well past the hours it's time to go home. But, because it's me, I still try to manage and have fun wherever I can find it. Even if that means getting box seats with club house access to a Dodgers game with the Days of our Lives cast. Had a great time a few weeks ago with the crew. Sported my Dodger pride, had beer, a soy hot dog made especially for me and a nice extra-innings win for our home team. There are times the perks to the jobs are nice to take, even if sometimes feel you don't always deserve them and then it's nice to take the perks with the job when you really, really deserve them. This was one of those days.

Viva Las Vegas

Well, I am back after a whirlwind trip to Las Vegas. Of course, the pockets are empty, but I still managed to have fun. I knew my odds were pretty cut after my friend won 500 dollars off the bat at the slot machines. I knew right then, my odds were diminishing. That was the night before my arrival, so I didn't see the winning moment that would have made me green with envy.
Once I arrived in Las Vegas, I met up with my friends from Portland, Carrie, Kelly, Rachel, Shannon, and her husband, John Anthony. I set my bags down at our room at the Madalay Bay and we met up with Shannon's sister, Dawn and her boyfriend, Mark, who live in Long Beach. After I did arrive, we did what all crazy people with only two nights in Vegas do, we hit the town running. We reserved bottle service at Wasted Space, Carey Hart's new club in the Hard Rock. We had some friends already there for The Killers' show. So, with our bottle of Belvedere vodka, we danced, drank and got silly while VIPn' it in style. The only way to do Vegas.
The next day was recovery mode. There were a few dramatic moments the night before. Like what always happens when you get a gaggle of girls and ply them with alcohol; Luckily, I managed to stay out drama-free. The next day, was full of lounging and gambling and pool vegging. The night was full of seeing the sights, since two of the Portland girls, Carrie and Kelly had never been to Sin City before. We hit the Bellagio, Treasure Island, and walked the entire strip... in heels. But, it was well worth it.
The entire weekend was worth the drive both there and the eight-hour traffic-heavy trek back. I miss those girls in Portland and it's great when you can schedule a trip like this, even if it was only for a few days. Now, if I could convince work I need a few more days to be in recovery mode...

Creative Outlet

I live in a city where it seems like nobody is doing what they came out here to really do. I came out here with no real agenda, therefore, I can't complain. I did land a pretty sweet job that only got better as I climbed the ladder. But, now that I have been at my job for three years, I would love find some other creative outlet to keep me busy/occupied/moving forward.
On Friday night, I attended the opening night of "Beneath Her Feet." A lovely play written by my friend, Laura Birek. The play got me thinking how great it must have felt for Laura to have her day to day job, also find the time to tap into her creative side and sit down and not only write a play, but be involved with searching for a venue and actors. I have promised myself to start finding that kind of free time in my own day to day schedule. I know it exists, I am just not looking hard enough. Would love to sit and and just write and then read what words came out. I have faith this will come together. Don't know if it will be a script or a comedy routine or something else completely random. I guess all I can do now is just stay tuned and to see what happens next!

A Hollywood Night

Last night was going to be a total low key night in. The weather was rainy and cold. My friend from Massachusetts' fiancee happened to be in town and wanted to invite me to hang with some of his Notre Dame college friends in Hollywood. Usually, I avoid Hollywood on weekends due to crazy traffic and valet prices. But, since it was Dan and I didn't know how long he would be on our West coast, I joined in. We went to a fun hip bar, Citizen Smith. It took forever in traffic, but once I arrived, I found his friends to be nice and really into that Hollywood scene. They wanted to go to a club after that. With velvet ropes, barely-dressed girls, and Entourage-wannabe guys, that really is not my scene. But, Dan talked me into going. Now, when we got to the club, there was a giant line for both the front and back entrance. But, Dan, being a former NFL pro, that was nothing. He knew a guy who knew a guy who owned the bar and we were in the club in a matter of minutes. Not only that, we had full table service with a giant bottle of Grey Goose waiting for us. From there, I felt I had arrived, for even one night. The club was packed, we were VIP, and everything was "taken care of". I distain Hollywood for being such a cliche of what everybody sees on TV, but then there are nights I love it, because I can actually be part of that cliche.

Holidays!

I must say, it feels weird to say Christmas has passed. There is always such hustle right before the big day, to get cards out, packages sent, phone calls made, that by the time the day has passed me by, it feels like it never happened. That everything was just a big blur. I might feel that way, because I had such a busy weekend. It feels weird to have it wind down.
I spent my Christmas Eve night with my brother, his wife, and their son, Owen. We had a lovely dinner. The next morning, I headed back down to Venice to their house to watch Owen celebrate his first Christmas. Needless to say, an eight month old baby gets more excitement out of the wrapping paper, than the actual presents. It was still great joy to watch him partake in the holiday fun.
After spending the day with them, I headed down to Huntington Beach, where my Portland friends, Shannon and John Anthony were visiting her sister, Dawn, and Dawn's boyfriend, Mark at their house. Christmas night was filled with yummy pasta, bottles of wine, movies, and games. I had so much fun. I stayed the night and the next morning, we all headed to the Santa Anita Race Track for Mark's birthday. WIth bloody marys in hand by noon, we were able to place our bets. I pretty much broke even, which is a good thing. I spent what money I had left at the local H & M, because I felt it was my duty to give back to the economy. :) The rest of the weekend was topped off with cat-sitting for a friend and relaxing with bad Lifetime movies. Nothing beats that. At least I can say I survived another Christmas and only have a couple of more presents that need to be sent out fashionably late.

Long Weekend

I am writing my blog entry this week from the comfort of my living room, trying to block out the fact that in less than 12 hours, I'll be waking up to get ready for work. We had four days off for Thanksgiving and I was determined to make every minute count. But, in the end, I just did a lot of relaxing. I guess I needed it.
My actual Thanksgiving was nice. I spent it with my brother, his wife and baby son and all of her in-laws. They all flew in from the East coast were super-friendly made me feel very welcomed. After that, I headed to my friend, Morgan's relatives house, where I was included in a party of 60. I arrived just in time for delicious desserts and coffee. After that, I headed home and passed out. Falling asleep by 10 and even then, I felt I was forcing my body to stay up way too late.
The next day, I didn't do much shopping, but I had every reason to be super excited. I had acquired fourth row seats to the Los Angeles Laker game. My second-cousin's husband got them for me through work and I was able to to bring three friends. It was a blast. I have now made it a rule to not sit anywhere further than fourth row. I think that's pretty reasonable.
My weekend rounded off with a friend's birthday party on Saturday night and seeing "Four Christmases" with another friend on Sunday. Of course, I didn't really accomplish much cleaning from my to-do list or even start packing for my big trip to Buenos Aires, Argentina, which takes place on Wednesday. But, that's why I have Monday and Tuesday night for, right?

Day Trips

It's always easy to forget that there is so much to do OUTSIDE of Los Angeles. Yes, the city keeps you busy and there are always new discoveries, but every once in a while, you need to get inside your car and drive and that's just what I did today. My friend, Morgan and I drove to Santa Barbara for an awesome morning of wine tasting and site seeing. The drive was gorgeous and once we arrived, we were greeting with a light breeze and beautiful sunshine. We did a lovely walk downtown, then hit a great winery to partake in tasting wine and eating cheese and fruit. After walking around Santa Barbara, we got in the car and headed 45 minutes outside to Solvang. Solvang is a quiet little city that prides itself in looking like Copenhagen. It's the same city 'Sideways' was filmed. I had heard great things about it before, so I was looking forward to exploring. Only problem was the city was pretty much dead when we arrived at 5:30. We did manage to do one more tasting at the winery that happened to carry our favorite of all the wines we tasted, Presidio. After finding out we had to make reservations far in advance for the only Italian restaurant in town, we headed back to downtown Santa Barbara and had a lovely Italian dinner there. After dinner, we got in the car and headed back home to Los Angeles. The entire day was filled to the brim with our little adventure and it made me happy to realize that something like a little day trip didn't take much planning. It just takes a good friend to drive with and an open mind to just relax and be care-free. Something tells me I'll be doing more trips like this in the future! Have to love three-day weekends.

My RIght Foot

It's been quite a rollercoaster for the my right foot this last week. I'll give you a brief update. Last weekend I surfed as usual, but later in that afternoon, I noticed my toe had a small bite on the top of it. It wasn't until Sunday that the irritation of my foot grew. By Monday evening, I was walking with a slight limp because my foot was so sensitive to anything it touched. I had a hard time sleeping that night because even if the slightest material brushed up against my foot, it was painful. On Tuesday morning, I woke up to my foot being almost twice the normal size. By this time, the little bite on my toe was looking like a giant tumor. I managed to painfully slip on some shoes and go to work. I swear, the swelling must have increased, because I couldn't even slip my shoe on my noon. After finishing up all of my assignments I drove up to our Urgent Care on the Universal Lot. Within minutes of being there, they told me they couldn't even help me because my foot was so badly infected. Hell, they couldn't even tell me if my foot was going to be amputated or not. They bandaged me up and sent me to Urgent Care in Encino, on my way to my place. So, I stopped home, first, got some decent giant slip on shoes that would fit and headed to Encino. They told me it looked like a bug bite that got severely infected, either from the ocean or from the sand or from just about anything. I was put on some pretty strong antibodies and told to keep the foot wrapped and clean. So, I did just that. My bandages were beginning to look pretty nasty on the hour, which didn't help when I had to interview Sharon Osbourne, David Hasselhoff, Piers Morgan and Jerry Springer the next day. Jerry was the only one who noticed my bandaged foot and seemed genuinely concerned. Very sweet man.
The swelling has completely gone down and the foot is pretty much healed. I even managed to play two hours of tennis in Malibu on Sunday. The little bite has since turned into a little mark on my toe, but that's about it. Though, I had a friend convinced it was a shark bite and now my foot is on it's way to becoming a fin. Have to admit that would be cool. Just don't see it happening. Besides, I don't know how I feel about having a fin, but still craving sushi. Would that be cannibalism?

Emmys!

Ok, so I have been getting asked a lot if I went to the Primetime Emmys, like I did the Daytime Emmys. The answer is, no. And that's fine with me. The Emmys are boring and usually just a lot of sitting around waiting for people to get done with speeches. I enjoyed the Daytime Emmys because they had supplied bottles of wine at each table! Now, if I was every nominated for a Primetime Emmy, that would be another conversation...
That's not to say I didn't enjoy a huge benefit of Emmy weekend, the parties :) On Thursday, I attended the Radio Tour Party for NBC Talent at BLVD3 in Hollywood. A club I have been trying to get past the velvet rope in for almost a year. Well, it was my year. I managed to check out a few celebrities, but mostly partied with fellow NBC friends and of course, had to shake my groove thing to the awesome Neil Diamond cover band, Super Diamond. They were awesome, I even got on stage to dance with them and the keyboardist's wife invited me to all of their shows. Naturally, I was the last employee left from my crew at the club. The rest were celebrities, club goers, and Super Diamond fans. I have a reputation to keep up.
On Saturday night, I got on the list for the NBC Emmy party at the famous Spago in Beverly Hills. I managed to get all dazzled up and head over the hill just in time for my friends to get off work (publicity girls never rest) and go party. I pulled up to the party and was told I needed to be on a list to valet. I was shocked, I never heard of that before. They checked five lists and didn't find my name. They asked who put me on the list, I was afraid of getting people in trouble, so I just said it could be a mistake and drove away. I felt humiliated. Meanwhile, my friends at the party were continuously texting and wanting to know where I was. I told them I had felt too embarrassed for the night and was heading home. A few of the girls had offered to wait on the corner for me to make sure I got in. As I turned around, I realized I had been trying to get into the elusive EW Party the whole time, the NBC party was a few blocks down the road. I felt like such a fool.
I drove to Spago, had my car immediately valeted and was ready to relax with a glass of champagne and a nice bite made by Wolfgang Puck himself. I had an amazing night, hung out with great friends and even was told by Oscar from "The Office" that I made him cry because I didn't see him waving to me on Thursday night. I would take hearing that over a two-hour snooze fest called the Emmys, any day!

Party!

Friday night as the night of my birthday party. I held it at one of my favorite bars in Venice Beach, Beechwood. I invited a lot of friends, but wasn't sure who was really going to make the trek way out West for the night. Of course my birthday has to fall on a week where we are gearing up for fall premieres and then there is Emmy weekend. I guess friends didn't let a little thing like that stop them having a good time. I had about 40 people show up and it was great to see people meet new faces and get caught up with old ones.
In typical Maggie fashion, I was running around all over the place making sure people were happy and having a good time and mingling. I had two drinks in a course of four hours. It was my birthday, wasn't I supposed to be passed out on the floor by 10. Well, I guess when you are 29 you look past all of those crazy times and actually want to remember good memories. That's not to say I don't have a few more of those crazy times tucked away for a rainy day.

Family Gathering

As you know from my post before this, I had attended my Great-Aunt's funeral. It was a tough day to get through, but with the closeness of family, we were al able to pull through.
I had my mom, Aunt Laurie and Grandma staying with me for the weekend. It was so much fun to have them all here, to listen to their stories, to hear them laugh, and to just have them be present. Made me miss a little of home and made me realize California can really seem like years away.
They had managed to fill the weekend up, fast and I wanted to offer up whatever help I could do. One highlight was paying a visit to my brother's baby son, Owen. It was so much fun and it was so nice to see a huge smile on my Grandma's face, again, after losing her beloved sister earlier in the week to cancer. It's funny how babies can remind us that we are nurturers and we are all capable of love, even through the hardest times. Needless to say, Owen's face was just what we had all needed to make us smile, again.
On Monday, the family came by my work, got a tour of Days of our Lives, met some of the stars from the show and then got to see The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. It made me feel so good to see them enjoying their last day in Los Angeles. I wanted to make sure it ended on a high note. It also made me feel so good to hear them tell me how proud they were of me and my accomplishments. Every once in awhile, it's easy to forget how lucky I should feel for the breaks I have had and the support that surrounds me.
That night, I had a great time just sitting up and talking to my Grandma. I miss that time with her. When I lived in Oregon, it happened a lot and it was something I took for granted. Now, I realize what's really missing in my fast-paced life in Los Angeles. Unfortunately, it's not something I can order from a catalogue or pick up at the store. It just seems like family is there when you need them the most and that should never be taken for granted.

Portland, Oregon and Slow Gin Fizz...

If you don't know what the title is about, please listen to the amazing Loretta Lynn song, "Portland, Oregon". It always puts a smile on my face.
I had a wonderful weekend in the Pacific Northwestern city of Portland and made me realize how lucky I am to be from Oregon. There are many things I took for granted while living up North, including tax-free shopping, friendly drivers, green living and blue skies. I went up for the long weekend to see some friends and plan a little escape from La La land. Every once in a while, I think it's healthy to do that and if the price is right, even better! I spent the majority of the weekend, hanging out, shopping, bar-hopping and taking in the fresh air. The trip went by fast for me, but was still worth it.
I have always been conflicted about Portland. The city, itself, if everything I have ever asked for and a lot closer to my friends and family in Southern Oregon, but obviously, my job in Los Angeles can only be done, well, in Los Angeles. If I could do what I do here there, trust me, it would be no question. But, at the same time, I feel grateful to be making a decent living in a town where everybody seems to try and end up falling flat. I have met some amazing friends and established great relationships for the short-time of being here. I guess I can say LA is appearing more and more like home, but trust me, I realize what Loretta is saying when she sings, "Portland, Oregon and slow gin fizz, if that ain't love, tell me what it is".

No Sleep Til'...

This weekend was a bit of a rough one when it came time for rest. I am always one of those people who try to cram so much in during the two days a week that I have off, that I never seem to get any rest and wind up exhausted by the time Tuesday rolls around. It started on Friday night, when a couple of friends were hosting a "Farewell to Summer" party at this bar in North Hollywood. I went, it was fun and I was going to be very good and try to leave by 11 so I could surf at 6:30 am the next morning. I did manage to have a good time and then leave early. I got home, got ready for bed and realized my phone was left at the bar. I felt terrible. By this time, it as 1:20 am. I put on some clothes and drove all the way back to the bar. By this time, my friends had left and the place turned into what looked like a prisoners' after-party hang-out. I got shoved inside by an overzealous bouncer who was afraid the cops patrolling the neighborhood would fine him for overcrowding, then I got cat called by scary guys left and right. My group had left and all that was left was what looked like the casting for "Dangerous Minds Part II". The bartender didn't have my phone and so I left. Feeling terrible, for losing my phone and for being in such a gross place so late at night.
I checked my email when I got home and had a message from my friend, Meredith who told me she had my phone. I was completely relieved. Such a terrible feeling to not have your one and only phone.
I relied on my mental alarm clock to wake me up for surfing, but that was after only getting a couple of hours of sleep. I surfed, the waves were not great, but they were manageable. After that, I had to get ready for a friend's birthday party in West Los Angeles. After that, I had three other parties to attend, but got home and couldn't move. I literally couldn't peel myself off the couch. I was exhausted. I cancelled out and watched most of the epic "Giant". Great movie and want to finish it this week.
Today, I played a concussive game of tennis in Malibu, rushed home to get ready to drive over the hill and pick up my friend Morgan and hit the Beverly Center. I found nothing but a turtleneck. Not very exciting, but it was something. And now I count down the hours until I can take an evening nap after work. Lets hope Monday isn't a manic one!

Busy Few Days

These last few days have been very busy for me. But, in a good way that involve a filled up social calendar. Sunday night, I managed to get myself on the invite list for the NBC Press Tour after party at the Beverly Hills Hilton. My biggest fear was feeling out of place, but that simply wasn't the case. I found a lot of friends there, some famous, some night. When the night ended at 10 pm, or shall I say, when the party ended at 10 pm, we just all headed downstairs to Trader Vic's to continue the mingling. I felt like I was at a prom after party, complete with guys dressed in loose ties and girls getting giggly with rum barrels. It was fun and it had me getting in bed by 2.30 am. That part, not so fun. Especially, when I had to get up four hours later for work.
After the very slooooow day at work on Monday, I headed out to another social function at the Sky Bar. The event itself was a young professional networking thing, that came with 20 dollar valet and 14 dollar cocktails. The lighting in the bar sucked, so whatever networking you were there to do, was getting quickly lost with the fact that no light leads to no reading name tags and seeing if that person was worth talking to or not to begin with. So, my NBC crew headed to Mel's Diner up the blog for six dollar food and gossip about the fact Pauly Shore was eating outside and making desperate attempts to get noticed by just about anybody. I ended my night with a small group of good friends from work, the real group of people I wanted to be talking to the whole night, anyway. On the way out, we passed the Stone Brothers, who were a comedian act from our reality show, Last Comic Standing. We chatted with them a bit and they even went as far to say that I should try stand-up because I was very funny and had great delivery and timing. So, thanks Stone Brothers. Because of that little push, I have a notebook full of comic bits and a new fire in my belly to get up on try an open-mic gig. Stay tuned!

I Survived

I am writing you from the comfort of my lovely couch with my feet propped up on my table. I woke up today at 3.15 to get ready for my 22-mile walk. We hit the road, literally, at 5. The first few miles consisted of hills that I did not remember before. Needless to say, it is a good thing that I didn't remember them, because I might have backed out of the walk. I managed to complete all 22 miles, despite the heat and blisters. We had a great group of friends at our finish line ready to greet us with yummy food and beers. I would have thought beer after a long walk like that would have been the last thing I wanted, but I was wrong. It was delicious! Now, I am keeping my fingers crossed that my feet can carry me throughout the day tomorrow, where I have to be back at the beach covering a Days of our Lives photo shoot with the sizzling hot stars. Poor me, having to watch half naked hunks parade around the beach while they get their photos taken. Please, take a moment tomorrow to feel sorry for me ;) 

22 Miles!?

This Sunday, I have agreed to participate in a 22-mile walk from Zuma Beach to the Santa Monica Pier. Why? I have no clue. The group of guys that I surf with have started this tradition years ago and last year I joined them. It was shortly after I ran the LA Marathon, so the idea of 22 miles seemed relatively easy. It wasn't, but I survived it. This year, there was no marathon I ran. Instead, my weekends consisted of surfing and a few beach walks/jogs every now and then when the waves weren't there. Needless to say, I am completely nervous about the walk this year. Not only is it it this Sunday and I already need new shoes, but it starts at 4:30am!!! It's going to be tough. I'll let everybody know on Sunday night if I survive. Wish me luck.