Like sands through the hourglass… so are the days of our lives.

No – I’m not a Days of Our Lives fan.  🙂 Sadly I have no time for soap operas in my schedule unless you count Game of Thrones and Once Upon A Time (these are my guilty pleasures and I love them).. ??  The days have been slipping by – I swear I don’t know where the heck they go and we have been very silent on the blog front. Sorry about that. It’s not due to a lack of desire to post- that’s for sure…so much has transpired. I personally have had some major family stuff to deal with. Normally I would not address that in a blog but it’s pretty serious.  In a 45 day window my brother Doug and my grandfather Gene both died.  45 days apart in fact. Wasn’t prepared for either one. Needless to say it’s been difficult .

      

 

I’ve hesitated and struggled with whether or not to write about any of this… But this is real life, horrible tragic things do happen sometimes and I have never felt more strongly about encouraging every person who will give me the time of day to follow their heart and dreams. Girls Gone Global is that for me. After coming to terms with the losses to the best of my ability ( I mean can you ever really come to terms?)  so much has changed perception wise for me.  Now- having a very personal connection to all of the cliché sentiments I never took very seriously such as  “Everyday is a gift”, “You never know which day may be your last so live each one to the fullest” …you know those ones – I really understand the messages conveyed. Now let’s be realistic…if I was living each day like it was my last you would likely find me on a nude beach located somewhere in the Seychelles drinking a cocktail with an umbrella in it eating an entire loaf of bread full of gluten. So the statement still has parameters to really be applicable in day-to-day life – but here is my very expanded interpretation of it from all angles bullet pointed out for you!

•  If you’re gonna do something – really do it.  Dive in…and I do not believe in regret. If that head first dive didn’t or doesn’t work out for you, learn from it and make a different choice next time. For those of you who don’t know my background is in therapy and I worked as a very successful therapist for quite some time years ago – One of the most prolific things I learned was that guilt is an entirely useless emotion and serves no purpose other than to make you feel like crap. Let go of the guilt people. Learn, make different choices and move on.

•  If you have unsettled emotional business with a loved one or friend…work it out. It’s not worth hanging on to – TRUST ME ON THIS ONE. Fortunately I had the privilege of  holding my grandfathers hand when he passed away and had told him just  that day how much I loved him and what he meant to me. I also was fortunate enough to of talked to and seen my brother shortly before his death. We had just had a giant heart to heart about life and  – yes you guessed it I told him how much I loved him. Phew- THANK GOD! Rest assured – All the people in my life that I love have now sincerely been told 1897 times over the last two months.

• Getting back on track to living life to the fullest and my interpretation – If you don’t like your life – make steps to change it..even baby steps are great steps. When we are little we don’t just stand up and run. We start with one little teeny tiny step at a time and we fall an awful lot. All those little steps add up and before you know it you are taking great big strides! Daydreaming, imagining and fantasizing all count as baby steps too! Believe in yourself and be kind to yourself. You  have the choice of either being your biggest supporter or your own worst enemy. While on the topic of enemies..If you have anyone in your life you have assigned that astute title to – I suggest you eliminate the word from your vocabulary except in the context I just used it  in and make up or forgive those people and move on.  Life is to short to hold a grudge..it’s all about the love friends.

• Live your life for you…not your parents, your children or your partner. I’m not saying that your children or partner should not be a factor when making ‘some’ decisions…but you have to follow your heart and your dreams and your inspiration. Work with your partner towards a career change if you hate your job. Take time for yourself. Instead of spending all your moolah on trinkets and crud for the kids..set some of that dough aside just for you. I do not care if your parents told you that you had to be a lawyer and in order to make them happy you went to law school and now you’re a fancy pants lawyer and now you fuc*ing hate it. It’s never to late.

•  I am officially giving you permission to do what makes you happy. Personally, professionally, socially – you get it. And I don’t want to hear any ‘buts’. There are no ‘buts’ about it. You could die tomorrow.

Now for me… the things that makes me happy are travel, my family, spending time with my girlfriends, making out, telling the people I love how much I love them, listening to  really loud music while driving in my car, singing along to that really loud music, pursuing my dreams, making tv and movies, writing, encouraging people to follow their inspiration – heart and dreams, reminding people that they are ‘worth it!’ and inspiring them to believe in themselves, sweet little babies when they are not crying, you get the idea and that’s just  naming a few. Do you have a happy list? How many of those things are you doing or have done recently? Lets make a game plan. How about you make that list and agree to do at least three things on it over the next week.  You must put at least 10 things on the list. They can be small things or huge things. Whatever you are comfortable with. Just make the list, choose your three and do them. Oh gosh. How did I forget – my cat Princess Diana – she makes me really really happy.

We have lots of good stuff coming up over the next month too! Every friday in March I will post a new blog. I’ve asked each one of the girls to write a blog about why they love to travel, why it’s important to them, what’s their favorite part of a trip and why do they think you should be traveling too.  My secret mission is to inspire you to go somewhere. You’ll have to let me know if it works.  😉 Speaking of going somewhere…there has been a  fair share of traveling happening for me and the ladies over the last two months as well.  Melanie was in Hawaii twice and is headed to Florida and  Grand Turk next week.  Just yesterday she finalized plans for a trip to Costa Rica this April.  Her husbands ( Kaleo Wassman ) band Pepper is currently on tour and were going to head out and meet up with them tomorrow. Yay- always a good time with Kaleo and Melanie! Angie spent a glorious 10 days in Anguilla and St. Barth over Christmas and then flew to LA to spend New Years with me. She dragged me to Hugh Hefner’s  New Years party at the Playboy mansion. I wasn’t kicking and screaming but I definitely utilized the fake it til’ you make it attitude that night.

I spent a week in Seattle during January and then took another short road trip up the coast with my hubby. We took the 101 North and kicked things off  house hunting in Montecito (planning on moving by August) then headed to Solvang,  Pismo Beach, Avila Beach and San Luis Obispo.  It was a great little mini trip that was incredibly inexpensive. Gotta love those. We paid $68 per night for a suite with an ocean view in San Luis Bay…deal of the century!

       

We also spent a long weekend in Palm Springs with friends. We rented an absolutely stunning house that I was able to negotiate a last-minute rate on…never hurts to ask – sometimes you get a YES!  Weather was 75- sunny and the pool was outstanding. Check it out here… http://www.vrbo.com/70857 .

So it’s safe to say we’ve been logging the miles. Angie promised to write a post about St. Barth and Anguilla so that should be coming soon- the pictures I’ve seen are outstanding!  I’ve also got an extensive travel itinerary over the next 6 months… Seattle, Canada, France, Amsterdam, Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain and maybe a Mediterranean cruise with Mom (I’m taking my own advice and doing what makes me happy while living my life to the fullest!).  So I promise..we have lots of good blogging on its way!   On that note I leave you with Angie and I counting down the New Year straight from the playboy mansion itself.

This blogs for you Dougie and Grandpa…so much love and missing you both every single day,

Eden

Baby I Was Born This Way!

So it’s official. We are booking the 7 day Greek Isle Cruise out of Venice. Yes I love to cruise – I am one of those people – Angie refuses to set foot on a boat – Melanie hates it..well strongly dislikes it would be more accurate..it’s the food – but me – I LOVE IT!  (That’s another blog in itself.) I haven’t been excited about much lately and I gotta say – it feels good to be excited about this. Things could not of come together more perfectly!

The original plan was to fly abroad on July 5th spend the next 10 days touring Belgium, Luxembourg, Amsterdam and Germany – do a couple of days in Paris and then head down to the South of France for a 7 day private tour of the region.  After the South of France we will take a train into Espana and spend a few days in my beloved Barcelona before heading to NYC – and three days in Lilydale. Wow. I just felt tired thinking about all that.  Must reframe the brain around that. I’m also putting it out there that I am absolutely – completely refusing to experience jet lag at anytime during this trip. So here is why I was speculating as to whether or not the cruise thing would work out.. The dates I was available to cruise were very limited. I had to be back on land by the 5th of July – not a day later and while I am willing to come back to port a few days early..I couldn’t get off the ship on say the 27th or 28th of June. Toiling around in Europe for an extra week can cost the big bucks…even with all my budget savvy trip saving tactics in place. And lastly I’ve been a lot of places that are common cruise destinations and I was having a very hard time finding a cruise that visited – new to me- locations. My number one choice and where I wanted to go was the Greek Isles and imagine my delight when I stumbled upon an American cruise line, going to all my dreamy top choice ports and leaving from one of my favorite places and all the dates were perfect and the price is incredible!! Wow that was a run on sentence. Now all I am asking the Universe for is a plane ticket to Europe round trip for under $1000. Yep – there it is Universe. I’d like one of those please.

So all in all I will be gone for approximately 38 days…and I deserve every single one of those glorious vacation days as do you my fellow readers and friends. Now Angie on the other hand. She’d be freaking out. She is only participating in the last couple legs of the trip. She’s a very routine oriented person and doesn’t like to be away from home longer than 10 days. I have no idea why because as soon as she gets home and gets settled in she starts complaining about wanting to go somewhere and being bored every single day.  Being a teacher she has the whole summer off and she goes very stir crazy.  I suppose it’s just how she is – she was born that way and I clearly was not.  However both ways are perfect …unless she’s making me come home early from a trip. Just kidding. I really think I have Gypsy blood if there is such a thing. I want to see the entire planet. All the time. While I do love my squishy soft pillow top California King bed and the comforts of home – I’d gladly swap them for an adventure abroad- heck an adventure anywhere – wait I have to be straight with you-  I’m not the best ‘rough it’ camper. I’ll do it – for a few days. Then I’m out. And ‘rough it’ camper means hot water and a toilet to me. Now my sister on the other hand…she requires a rock star tour bus in order to agree to camp..so at least I am not that bad.  🙂 Love you sissy.

Alrighty then…lets wrap this blog up. Next friday we are starting the “Why we love to travel, why we think you should too and why you deserve it” series of posts. Really I am just so full of run on sentences tonight. I’ve never said this was a good grammar blog. Hahahaha . Melanie is currently on a cruise ship – I told her to claim she had a gluten allergy which ensures every single meal is made fresh for her – so hopefully she took my advice and has become a converted cruise lover  ❤ .  I really am allergic to gluten as is Angie, so my eating experience on a cruise is very different from most people’s.  I order what I want specifically the night before dinner and everything is made fresh and is allergen free – just for me!!  I just get so excited about cruising.  I think it’s the hot balmy sexy nights at sea and the sun drenched days in exotic places. Ok – focus Eden. On that note I will leave you with an amazing little girl belting out Lady Gaga’s latest jam…in  honor of Angie being ‘born that way’.  🙂

So Much LOVE,

Eden

Bad Boys, Bad Boys – Whatcha’ Gonna Do? – Angela and I are coming for you!

Now I know you have been waiting for it so without any further delays – The 3am Undercover Sting Operation. This is going to read like an episode of cops and that is exactly what it was like. It’s also long- no  real long – so be prepared. You might as well go grab a snack and a drink. It would also be appropriate to play the song “Bad Boys” on your computer while reading this. Just click play on the youtube video and then scroll down…  🙂

To quickly recap for readers who haven’t followed all of our blog antics over the last few months – (you can always visit our archives if you want to take a look-see) Angela and I went on a live blogging road trip in July. We started in California- drove through Nevada, Arizona, Utah and Colorado before turning back and making a 5 day pit stop in Vegas.  Vegas provided its usual heat and entertaining environment. Gorgeous people by the Hard Rock pool, great food, music etc; Overall it was a very good time – minus one serious hang over. Ugh. On our third night in Vegas someone stole my brand spanking new iphone 4.  Below is the tale of how we got it back and send one convict back to the slammer. Really – not kidding. Don’t mess with us…that’s all I’m sayin’.

So at about 1:30am Angela and I left Vanity Nightclub located inside the Hard Rock and headed toward the valet with the intention of heading to another hotel. 1:30 in Vegas is still quite early and we weren’t quite ready to call it a night. We had also spent most of the day doing a whole lot of nothing besides lying around – so we had some energy to burn through. I was wearing skin-tight white jeans. You know the kind that are so tight you can barely fit anything in your pocket? We handed the valet our ticket and sat down on a planter box ledge to wait for the car. Well those damn pants were so tight I couldn’t sit with my phone in my pocket and neither of us were carrying a purse to put it in so I set it down right besides me. I mean right besides, like nearly touching my leg. I am in love with my iPhone….it’s always near by.  We started chitty chatting with one of the valets and next thing you know- car is there. We hop in, buckle up and pull out. I did feel like something was missing but when I looked over at where I had been sitting, the phone wasn’t there and I assumed I had dropped it into my purse when I grabbed it out of my trunk right before we’d gotten into the car. I dismissed the gut feeling. Big no no in hindsight.

See that teeny tiny pocket. It’s all the pants fault.

We pull into the Venetian and as we are sitting in the car waiting for the valet to come over I ask Angie to call my phone. I can’t find it in my purse and I’ve now assumed it has fallen out of the pocket of those way to tight jeans and nestled itself into a crack between the seat or something. I need to stop assuming things clearly. She dials and we hear no ringing in the car. Next thing you know a man answers the phone. (from this point on we will refer to said man as “The Robber”. )Angie says hello and tells him that he has our phone. The Robber says and I quote “I ain’t got no idea what you talkin’ bout’ I just bought me this phone in front of the Hard Rock for two hundred dolla’s, now if you want it I willing to sell it to you for $300. ” Angie tells the guy. This has got to be a joke. Where the hell are you – she demands to know and then says that it’s to bad that he ‘paid’ for it and that it  is our phone and that we are coming to get it and he is going to give it back. It is at this point that I intervene and grab her cell out of her hand. I’m thinking that her tactics and line of questioning isn’t going to get to far with a robber speaking ebonics. I pretend to cry and babble some crap about needing it for work and being devastated and then I tell him I will pay him whatever amount he wants. Pick a meeting spot, I will go to the ATM and then meet him with the dough. He says ” I already in sum trouble wit da’ law..don’t you go playin’ wit me. You best not be messin’ wit me. I’ll sell you your phone back lady, but don’t screw wit me- I just want my money back that I paid for it”  I assure him – I am not screwing with him. I’ll pay him and get the phone and we will both go our own merry ways. Now for a second it did cross my mind to just pay him. Then I thought- oh hell no. He is not getting away with this crap and I am not giving him a penny. I knew he hadn’t paid for the phone and that clearly he had stolen it. We had just left the Hard Rock 5 minutes ago. There is no way someone else could have stolen it and found a buyer in 5 minutes.

 Oh s*!t. What the hell are we going to do? My plan was to just drive to where he was- I would insist on a well-lit public meeting area – use my persuasive powers, long lashes and tears to get it back and then head home. That was not a good plan and this is why it is always advisable to have another member on your team to run your plan by. Angie yelled at me – Are you freaking crazy? He could have a gun – he could try to grab us.  Meanwhile the valet had now gotten in on the planning and is standing over us repeating “you need to call the cops…you need to call the cops”  The Robber has given me a short window of time to meet him. We are panicking and feeling the pressure of the tiny time window. We need a better plan than my earlier one.  

We pull out of the Venetian panicked with our adrenaline running. We have decided to call the cops, Angie insisted 600 times and if necessary try to buy more time with the robber with some crappy excuse about the ATM or needing to get our card out of our hotel room. Whatever is necessary. I didn’t take all those acting classes for all those years for nothing. First thing we do is call the Las Vegas Police Department. The lady who answers the phone sounds like a broken record from New Jersey- uh huh- yah- uh huh- yah- so what your telling me is that someone stole your phone…uh huh- yah -uh huh- yah.. I finally say – look lady. We are going to meet this criminal and perhaps his gang of merry bandits -we are tiny little caucasian females that are pretty cute, going some scary dark place at 2:30 in the morning in Sin City to meet a robber and if an officer isn’t sent quickly to meet us … well then if anything happens to us-  its on your conscience and you should take this more seriously. Also we are in a hurry because the Robber who seems to be running the show is paranoid and has only given us a tiny window of time before he bails out- with my brand new phone. Well alrighty then- her tone did most certainly change instantly – she asked for our exact location and told us  pull over and wait for just  few minutes. I again stressed that we did not have much time.. meanwhile the Robber kept calling me on the other line of Angies phone “where you at? where you at? you best not be playin’ me – don’t you be callin’ the cops, if i see a cop im runnin and u never gonna get this phone back- no cops-im putting the phone in a brown bag – i give you the bag – you give me the money” and my friends have also all started calling Angies phone. He is going through my phone book calling people. It just keeps getting better and better.

So we follow instruction and  are waiting in the parking lot of a hotel right down the street from the Hard Rock – the Las Vegas PD didn’t waste anytime and were there in seconds it seemed. We de-briefed em’ then we came up with a plan. They are going to follow us into the parking lot of CVS- keeping some distance and lurking behind, then as the guy walks up to meet me they are going to speed up- jump out- and get em’. Oh my gosh- we cannot believe this is happening. This is a true story people. It was straight out of a movie. Now I must add- by this point in our blogging history most of you know Angela’s personality well and know that she is high anxiety and worries quite a bit. It’s fair to say that this was a high stress situation and she was in fine worry form. But she was also in it to win it – and went right along with the plan. Undercover sting operations involving you and your BFF don’t happen everyday.

By the way – THANK GOD WE WERE 100% SOBER…. this is another reason to never drink and drive. You could need the police to help you with something…you never know when you are going to get robbed and have to track down the villian and have your own undercover sting operation. I’m just sayin’…..

This whole cop rendezvous only takes 2 minutes- they understand that the Robber is impatient and will jump ship if he suspects anything – and taking way to long would be a red flag. Speaking of the Robber – he calls again. “Where you at? What’s taking so long?” I begin reassuring him again – gee this is a needy paranoid criminal. I also tried to get some info out of him regarding what he looked like or what he was wearing so I could give it to the cops now following us. All he would say is – “I’m black- you don’t need nothin’ more – don’t worry bou’t what I’m wearing. I’ll see your car and come to you.” I guess he was also a teeny tiny bit smart. Or should I say he’d probably done this before.

Now please keep in mind we were partly doing this for you our loyal reader. Not for the story factor but the phone was full of pics from our road trip and we needed them for the blog. What’s a blog without pics? Speaking of which – we only have two pics of the Robber and you will find them below….

We see the CVS parking lot. Our blood is pumping. I think Angie may of actually started to do a little hyperventilating. Cop car is trailing 3 cars back. Nerves nerves nerves. We got this – we can do it. We are getting that brand new – way to expensive- you have to wait forever to get one iPhone 4 back.   I make the right into the parking lot and Angie and I start scanning for a criminal. I have him on the phone and am making sure he sees us pull in. Oh yes…. Angie was  also very concerned he would try to carjack my brand new BMW. The Robber says ” I see you..I see you..ok head toward CVS- Ok keep going straight – OH SHIT- Dam you- you have the cops with you – I see them right behind you.  Lady I told you no cops- no cops! Dammit! ” Did I mention that everytime I talked to him I could also hear him chewing gum like he had been up on speed for 3 days. Now I hear- wind- running- breathing- and gum chewing. Crap Crap Crap! Our plan was unraveling right before my eyes. Next thing you know the coppers go speeding past me- whip around a corner, the police car fishtales and then comes to a screeching halt.  Then they  jump out of their car and start running. Next thing you know- they’ve got the suspect on the ground- hands pinned behind his back – and as he lifts up his head I can see that he is chewing his gum like a madman. BINGO Bitches! Oh we got him. The plan worked..the plan worked! Praise sweet  little baby Jesus for the plan and the cops.

Now the bad news. He didn’t have my phone on him. But those cops are sneaky. They told him some story about having him on tape stealing the phone from the Hard Rock so he might as well confess. Meanwhile – as one cop detained him- one started looking for the phone. We figured it couldn’t be far. Fortunately the ringer is very very loud. I started calling it over and over and 15 minutes later the cop walks out of CVS waving it in the air. The Robber had run into CVS and thrown it into a bin of candy. Also CVS had him on film. Booyah!! There wasn’t a scratch on it. The officers did get a full confession out of him and then found out he was out of prison on parole no less. Yah- too bad for the Robber. It was not his lucky day. He was headed right back for the slammer. Do the crime..do the time. He should have known better. His parole officer said he had just gotten out of prison for stealing as well.

So how did he get the phone in the first place you might be wondering??? Apparently as I was sitting on the planter ledge waiting for my car and  talking to the valet, the Robber had slyly walked past-and picked it up right under my nose. He must have been very good at his thieving because we did not even remember catching a glimpse of him. You would think we would have remembered a 6’3 250 pound black man, with a jerry curl, wearing a bright green track suit top and big gold chains standing next to us. But nope we hadn’t even noticed him. The valet guy that we were talking to was very very cute however.  The funniest thing about it all – and the reason why ultimately I believe we got the phone back- was that we got stuck in the valet area for at least a few extra minutes after the car came looking for and trying to get change for a $100 bill to tip the valet – not the cute one- but the one who had hustled in the 95′ heat to get our car. We really wanted to tip him and the extra time we spent trying to get change gave the Robber a nice long head start on his get away. Had I noticed the phone right away I would of screamed or something and Hard Rock security that was out front would have been on it instantly. So while we were trying diligently to reward someone for a job well done- we were being robbed and our perpetrator was getting away. Funny how karma works.

By the time all the paperwork was done it was 4:00am. We had promised to keep the Venetian valet informed as to what happened…he was very concerned about our well-being. So after a quick stop at an AM/PM for a giant water bottle and some tortilla chips- we drove back to the Venetian- showed him our recovered phone- it was like a trophy and then headed back to the hotel exhausted with our faith in the Nevada Police Department riding high and talking about how we were a real live ‘Cops’ episode.  We would like to again sincerely thank the Las Vegas Police Department for all of their help and the expedited, speedy manner in which they responded to our plea for help.

As a result of this experience  I have now joined Apples MobileMe service – which allows me to remotely lock, disable and wipe all the data from my iPhone and trace my phone through it’s GPS system from any laptop or wireless device  anywhere in the world. I can also send text messages after I’ve locked the phone telling any other Robbers that Angie and I are coming to get em’.  🙂

Hope the story was worth the wait- I have a feeling it’s one Angie and I will both be  telling our grandkids!

X!

Eden and Angela

Waterfall showers, sexy face and Melanie sandwiched in between New Yorks finest!

DO YOU WANT TO SEE ONE OF YOUR OWN STORIES POSTED HERE ON THE GIRLS GONE GLOBAL BLOG?? We want to read em’ and post em’! Scroll down for details on what we are looking for!

The Girls Gone Global Blog has so many good things coming your way this month.  We are so excited to share! Awesome Autumn is upon us – did that sound really cheesy? Fabulous Fall – is that better? Oh whatever!! You all know I am a little cheesy and I am A – OK with it… and I am in one of those moods.. be prepared for more cheesy-ness below. Consider that your warning. 🙂  Call it what you will- Summer is over. 😦  But have no fear – the good times will still roll over here! Starting this week- every Friday I am posting a new blog from each one of the girls and in addition I’ll pop in from time to time with little updates, stories and photos. The girls are each writing about what life is like in the city they live in.  Angela is sharing a picture perfect Portland day and Melanie is bringing up the rear with sunny San Diego. So stop by the blog often and take a look at all the new content coming your way! Also we are going to post a sneak peak of the show soon and you will only find it here!

If you live somewhere fantastic and you want to share a great afternoon, day or week in your home town – write about it, attach pics and send an email to edenmariejames@me.com.  We will be in touch and then…WE WILL POST IT HERE FOR ALL THE WORLD TO SEE!!  We love our readers and know that you too have great stories, pics and recommendations to share.

Alrighty then- So we are all home and settled after our last big summer hoorah. No wait that’s a lie. I’m not settled and I hate that summer is over. I think I have a serious case of  ‘home from vacation depression” and my body is also  experiencing weather shock. A hot and sunny 85′ in Kauai, then 114′ heat wave in LA and then freezing cold and rainy in Seattle and then rainy again in LA. All within a week.  And today it’s 80’ again. What is going on with the weather?

        

Pure gorgeous Kauai!         Waterfall showers at Secrets!

  

Hanalei Sunset                   Kauai Lovebirds!            Hideaways – Princeville

    

Look at those giant waves and that  girl sitting on the grass! LOL

We got home from Kauai on Tuesday and then headed to Seattle on Friday – flew back to LA the following Tuesday and then Melanie headed to NYC  to visit  Kaleo on tour.  I wanted to go sort of – I also wanted to sleep in my own bed for more than 3 nights. We have all been traveling basically non-stop since July.. so a little break was in order- little did I know the home from vacation depression was coming…and Melanie keeps texting me pictures from all my favorite places in NYC – you little brat you!  🙂

         

Sexy face lady and me at our favorite speakeasy in Seattle: Bathtub Gin & Co.

       

Mel with the NYC Police Band, in Times Square & then at Kashkaval with Remy(her brother), his love Whitney & Mr. Kaleo Wassman below!

So needless to say – we have been and still are busy little bees. The travel calendar is starting to fill up for the next few months as well. In closing….don’t think I forgot about posting The 3am Undercover Sting Operation. FINALLY!!! It has been written and is finished!! I had originally included it at the end of this blog but it was way way way to long. So I am going to post it Tuesday Oct. 12…well technically it will be Wednesday Oct. 13th (my lucky number y’all) at 12:00 amPST -midnight!!! So come on back now ya’ hear!! I think you’re gonna like it!! Shooooot – I know your going to like it – It’s a very good story.. 🙂

X!

Eden

Wrapping up the Road Trip…Almost – Day 5.

This morning marks the 4th morning in a row that we must get up – cram all of our glorious crap back into our bags – shower quickly and be checked out by 11.  Hotel hopping every night has its huge disadvantages. At least we gave up on the whole hurry and get up so we can eat  ‘free sucky breakfast’ days ago. The added pressure of being up by a certain time to eat was just too much. Very soon my friends – we will actually be able to really ‘sleep in’ – lay around – do nothing- no agenda. To some that seems like the antithesis of a good time…for Angela and I at this point..it just sounds heavenly. Not to say we have not immensely enjoyed every second of every day and every single adventure – wether big or little.. we just need a break!

So on that note..we got up to scowling maids waiting for us to leave the Comfort Inn – Yes we were running late and I suppose they were not happy due to a little run in we’d had earlier.  Around 8 am the two of them were having a very loud social chitty chat right outside our door about who knows what..blah blah blah..and they did not like it when I threw the door open, in my underwear with extremely disheveled hair – and very loudly said “Can you please keep it down!!”  We were in mormon country and I think the whole underwear door opening thing did not go over well. Their faces reeked of -oh my goodness – how improper you are lady and oops..we were gossiping way to loudly. Whatever. I mean who the heck are they in a hurry to get those rooms cleaned for?  We’re in the middle of nowhere checking out on a Thursday.. Moving on .. we made breakfast in the room, I whipped out a blog (this takes at least an hour and a half) and then it was all about getting to Vegas. BTW – in case you were wondering and you’ve come to realize what bed snobs we are – the mattresses were very comfortable!

We reminded ourselves that we really weren’t in a hurry and we weren’t going to let our desire to get to Vegas stop us from enjoying the drive and stopping when we felt inspired to. It was a gorgeous day – Only 104 outside and the miles between Richfield and Vegas were our oyster. 🙂 I think it’s really funny that I just typed ‘only 104’ in a sentence.  On a side note our stash of organic fruits, veggies and snacks was completely wiped out at this point. We were even out of sunflower seeds and we had listened to every CD I owned 67 times. At least I was no longer hung over.

We gassed up….only $41.72 to fill the entire diesel tank in the 335 and popped into the mini-mart to do a little souvenir shopping. Oh come on..you know those gas stations in the middle of nowhere have the best chotsky souvenir crap anywhere and it’s usually like $3.00. I settled on a rose quartz crystal heart for only – yep you guessed it $3.00! Angie didn’t find any junk she had to have unfortunately. I almost talked her into a $4.00 Native American dream catcher – made in China. Oh yah.  How she could pass that up I will never know. 🙂 hahaha

Thankfully the sky was clear and there was no sight of yesterdays torrential down pour/lightning storm.  After driving for about an hour we came across the exit for  Cove Fort…and drove right past it. Angie said she was too lazy to stop. A mile up the highway I used the police hiding spot in the middle of the road to make a U-turn  (should I be typing about my illegal doings?) and we went back. I’d stopped here once before and thought she would actually enjoy seeing the fort and it’s free to visit!

The Fort was founded in 1867 by Ira Hinckley at the request of Brigham Young. It was used by travelers for rest and protection when traveling the ‘Mormon Corridor’. Ira lived here with a lot of wives and children. He had 4 wives to be exact and 21 children. Holy Cow. The Fort has been completely restored to its original condition and is like a living antique. The Mormon Missionaries that tend to it are very friendly/welcoming and the grounds surrounding it are really quite beautiful. They encourage you to picnic and enjoy the atmosphere…and then try to convert you . JUST KIDDING 🙂

If your interested in learning more here’s a link to a Wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cove_Fort

Back to the road. The rest of the drive was pretty mellow. A couple more souvenir stops, a convertible BMW with a bed and bed frame strapped to it-WTF, and a crazy man who wanted to race for a good 20 mile stretch after I sprayed his car with my windshield fluid only after he completely drenched the 335 with his first- those were the highlights. Poor crazy guy…he couldn’t even hold a candle to the new Beemer. I know it’s not very nice but Angie and I just laughed and laughed – were not perfect you know…  Note to all readers.. do not clean your windshield when you are traveling at high speeds and there are cars closely behind you. It blinds the other drivers, can be very startling when it hits the windshield and is very inconsiderate – especially if you have just washed your vehicle. I gave my crazy man driver warning. A nod and smile and wave as we passed..and then a little baby spray before the big daddy. I think he secretly liked us and the attention.

Bed and frame strapped to convertible BMW.

We pulled into the Hard Rock Las Vegas’s valet line at 5:52. It’s an interesting feeling driving into the gigantic energy of Vegas when you been traveling through small towns and gorgeous natural scenery. It’s like a whole new world and we were ready for it. After checking into our stellar room – with AMAZING beds- we headed straight to Pink’s for Happy Hour, 2 for 1 Cadillac Margaritas, and chicken nachos. You know we deserved it! Yes we wanted to also immediately go in the pool but it was closing. 😦 We consoled ourselves by reminding each other we would be here until Monday and it was only Thursday.

The view from our french doors!!

I have to say that I think the cocktails napkins at Pink’s Taco’s sum of Vegas quite nicely… too funny!

So it’s with happy and sad hearts that we wrap up the actual road trip. What a grand ol’ adventure! That sounds kind of corny A? Whatever- sometimes we are cheesy! 🙂  So many very good times. Thanks for tagging along with us. It has been really fun sharing with all of you and reading your comments and emails!  I’m not going to blog the entire Vegas trip but I will write one blog summorizing and highlighting all the extra good parts in the near future. I still have to tell you about the undercover sting at 3Am. Oh my oh my.

Lots of Love,

Eden and Angela

Gluten Free Goodness and Lightning Strikes – Day 4 Part Two

We only spent an hour and a half at the Yampah Caves… A girl can only be submerged in 110′ water and steam for so long. We left fresh-faced, bushy-tailed and famished. Literally starving.

Yes I know it’s blurry.. Sorry 😦

Our food options can be limited.. as we have now found out in the great wide open..and being organic freaks and anti-chemical/preservative..we find we are regularly hungry. Hence Angie consuming so many sunflower seeds despite hating them.  I was so hungry at this point I was willing to forgo all of our food requirements (within reason, we could never do McDonald’s – have you seen the 4-year-old cheeseburger from there? google it) – with the exception of the gluten thing- so while Angie was jabbering away on the phone I pulled into the first mom and pop looking place I saw in Glenwood and gave her no chance to object.

We walked into Chomp’s Delicatessen with growling tummies and nerves. I know we are weirdo freaks…at least we know this. We were greeted by the smiley smart assed owner…a perfect match for us. We asked him 427 questions about his meats, veggies, preservatives etc; I know I said we were going to try to forgo our food requirments..but this is harder said than done. After successfully satisfying all of our rigid standards..we sprung the big one on him.. he had to make our sandwiches on the loaf of bread I had in my car. Yes we carry bread. At this point he simply remarked – how did the two of you get anyone to marry you? Angie burst into laughter…and then he made our sandwiches on our bread…actually he and Nelly made them..with love.  I ordered a veggie sandwich with added Salami…yes I know – an oxymoron. I’m Italian – I wish I did not like Salami..but I do – I love it. Angie had a straight veggie. The sandwiches were delicious in every sense of the word. He toasted the bread and melted provolone and sun-dried tomatoes into the bread..then layered them with fresh basil, ripe red tomato, avocado, seasoning and for me salami. We ate them so fast we could not take a picture. We then fantasized about them regularly over the next few days. If you’re in the area you must go there and tell Robert the owner that  the crazy road trip girls with their own bread sent you.. www.chompsdeli.com

Nelly and Robert – he had to cover his face because he said there were a lot of people after him..

Back on the road. Our main objective at this point was to cover as many possible miles as we could. The more we drive today – the less tomorrow and the sooner we would be in Vegas laying by the pool. The pool at the Hard Rock is a very powerful motivator for covering ground on the open highway. That and the cloud like dreamy beds, amazing view from our soon to be room, the $4 happy hour nachos and two for one Cadillac margaritas at Pink Taco. We were focused and motivated.

The next few hours were uneventful. We reminisced and told each other ‘remember when’ stories, surfed through Sirius radio, enjoyed the Colorado Rivers beauty, headed into Utah…drum roll and into an incredibly  beautiful lightning storm. We were a little concerned that at some point we would be ‘in’ the lightning storm but we told our selves that the possibility of no rain existed and that we would not be struck. We were right on one  front  and of course poor Angie was driving. I offered to switch 60 times but I think the prospect of me driving in the rain was scarier for her than the actual rain itself and her having to drive through it. She wouldn’t say that but I know that’s the truth! After 8 failed attempts to capture the lightning on video I hit the jackpot.  Video is about a minute long and if your impatient -giant lightning is in the last 10 seconds. 🙂

And then the heavens parted and the rain started. Now it should be said that Angie lives in Oregon – rain central – and I lived in Hawaii for 7 years… lots of rain there too. Neither one of us had seen nor experienced rain like this. The drops were falling sideways, were the size of golf balls and it was so loud when it hit the car that  we had to yell to hear each other speak. Everyone was driving 10mph with their hazards on. At one point we decided we had to stop driving – it was just to dangerous- so we pulled over into a rest area to wait it out. All of this was cramping our get to Vegas in a hurry style. Dang it. After a brief stop it did let up and we crawled back onto the highway.  Sunflower seeds, cherries, grapes, blueberries and cookies were on the dinner menu- we should have gotten an extra sandwich from Chomp’s to go…so we were hungry – again.  Fruit and seeds are not filling long-term and we’d fight you over that. LOL

I’d bought a Caramello candy bar at a gas station – yes we were still getting unbelievable gas mileage in the diesel 🙂 – but Angie made me feel like I would die from consuming the chemicals on the spot so I threw it out after one bite.We drove until 11:30 that night and stopped at a Comfort Inn located right of the 70 in Richfield, Utah. Of course we called 14 places and asked how soft the beds were. Would you expect anything less from us? By this point we had figured out how to get all of our luggage out of the car and into the room in one attempt…it looked kind of like a long luggage train with the cooler in the middle and a bunch of stuff piled on top while we each wheeled one bag and carried another. We were really proud of this – big improvement from Day One…but a hysterical sight to see.  We crawled into our soft  beds absolutely utterly beat but with the thought of the Hard Rock pool embedded in the forefront of our minds.

 We had logged 501 miles and were definitely feeling it. Only one more day of driving and then 4 days of R&R! Road trips require a recovery vacation afterward. Seriously 🙂

xoxoxoxo,

Eden and Angela

Yo te amo Barcelona…

I transferred to a new school in 6th grade. A not so fun experience for an 11-year-old. Especially considering I had also transferred to a new school in 5th grade. No I was not a problem child. First we moved – hence the new school in 5th grade and then after completing that year I was invited to attend a smarty pants school. You know the type..lots of smart children compile into one place and have more homework. Two major changes in two years. So anyhow… on the first day of 6th grade I wandered aimlessly around the quad. Either make friends or die – at least that’s what an 11-year-old thinks. I’m still here..so I obviously survived. Wandering around the quad that day was also another new girl, one who was having an equally traumatic experience. Her family was from Spain and after living in South Africa for many years had relocated to the grand ol’ U.S. of A to pursue the American dream. Not only a new school for my soon to be best friend but a new land and a new language too. Where am I going with all this and what does it have to do with me loving Barcelona? I’m getting there I swear I really am. Caroline (Carolina in Espana) was her name and we forged a bond that day that has with stood the test of time. We were and still are the best of friends.

This is me in the 6th Grade - I'm wearing my favorite dress!

I spent countless days with Caroline and her family. I was fascinated by their accents, their mannerisms, decor, traditions, food and especially with how fast her mother could fire out words while scolding Caroline – or both of us- in Catalan. Catalan…is a dialect spoken in the region of Spain known as Catalonia. Catalonia is one of the 17 Autonomous Communities of the Kingdom of Spain. Its capital is Barcelona. In case you were wondering – political power in Spain is channeled by a central government and 17 autonomous communities or regional governments. Did you know that ? Did I just teach you something? It must have been that smarty pants school back in 6th grade. 🙂 Bringing it back around..got off on a tangent there..I suppose it would seem I was already smitten with Espana and I hadn’t even sent foot off American soil yet. Flash forward. Caroline’s parents sent her to private school back in Spain right smack in the middle of our freshman year in High School. I was devastated. I vowed to come and visit. It only took me 13 years to get there..but hey who’s counting? (Besides Caroline)  

  

Caroline and Mom

Reunited!

 I can now proudly say I have been to Barcelona many times and rather than tell you about a specific trip.. I will tell you about my favorite adventures. I can’t possibly fit all of them into this one blog – so I will start back at the beginning. First trip to Barcelona, first night out, first adventure. 🙂 Look for others in the future – so many great memories and I will share most – The food, the people, the sights, Tibidabo, the beaches, Las Ramblas, Festa Major De Gracia, Gaudi -the list goes on and on! 🙂  

  

Adventure Numero Uno – Barcelona Club Hopping Night after 20 hours of flying:  

I was so excited that I had finally made it to Barcelona that I refused to embrace jet lag or exhaustion. Exit plane, squeeeel with delight when seeing Caroline for first time in years, drive to her apartment , talk incessantly, shower, food, wine bar, nightclub and dancing – in that order.  

The view from Caroline's Apt.

Interior Apartment Shot

Let’s just get right into it. We arrive at our first club. I have never experienced Latin men like this. Whoa. They love the Americans with blonde hair and light eyes. I should mention that I have a girlfriend traveling with me that fits this mold too. We don’t have to wait, don’t have to pay and are shown right it. I’m feeling right at home and loving Barcelona even more…and it only gets better. We have an authentic Spaniard with us.. Caroline has developed an impressive repertoire of foreign languages and is capable of firing off in Spanish, French, Italian and Catalan. We are covered on all fronts and Caroline is a beauty. Life is good. We wander around the club, grab a drink and start to settle in. We had our choice of rooms to hang out in and we headed upstairs into the designated hip hop area. I’ve never been a techno girl. Now for some reason I have to admit – I was expecting the music to suck. I’m not really sure what I thought the DJ would be playing but it definitely wasn’t Snoop Dogg and Notorious BIG – so when we walked in.. I was pleasantly surprised… I can work with Snoop- definitely wasn’t what I was expecting- but it’s all good …heads are bobbin’, drinks are flowin’ and I am a happy girl.  

Sara and I

Up in da' club!

Caroline and I

Suddenly I realize my girlfriend isn’t next to me. We’d been fending off suitors for the last hour laughing and she’d been bugging me to dance.. I figured she’d finally succumb to one of the latin love’s in hot pursuit and made her way to cut a rug. I wandered to the edge of the dance floor and noticed a small circle of about 8-10 men had formed. My girlfriend is in the middle. She isn’t putting on a show. Each guy is patiently waiting their turn to dance with her. She would dance for a few seconds with one and then move to the next round and round the circle. They were all very handsome and could really dance. She looked like a 5-year-old who had found Santa under the tree holding a new puppy with a giant red bow. I can honestly say I laughed so hard my sides hurt…I asked her after- What were you doing? She said they all wanted to dance and wouldn’t take no for an answer and she didn’t want to hurt anyones feelings. Oh boo whooo..sure Sara.  

Sara making her way around the circle.. wearing a hat belonging to one of her 8 dance partners.

The night only got better and better for Sara. Did I mention she was single and I wasn’t? The Barcelona EuroLeague Basketball team had just walked in. That’s kind of like the Lakers in Spain…need I say more? What? I can look alright… I assure you – basketball players are not my thing..but Sara does need a strong wingwoman and someone to look out for her best interests. I repeatedly have to lift her jaw up off the floor and drag her away from them.  

This was only 2 of them..there were like 14 more.

Caroline meanwhile had bumped into some colleagues from the fashion industry – (she works for Dolce and Gabbana and I think they were with Gucci) and was pondering over an invitation to Menorca on their yacht. Boy oh boy..what is not to like about Spain?  

Menorca

We did have our fair share of stalky types of men that we had to hide in the bathroom from..they are persistent those Latins..but this club had a DJ in the womens bathroom so it was no trouble…just a little change of pace.  

Yes - that really is a DJ in the bathroom AKA Lovely Room

And there was actual dancing happening in the Lovely Room..best bathroom ever.

5 hours after we entered the club we eventually made our way out . It was only after the coach of the Barcelona basketball team dragged his players out that Sara would agree to leave. We exited just in time to see the sunrise. 5:30 am Barcelona time.. 9:30pm for Sara and I.  

Barcelona sunrise..

 We were still going strong and on US Pacific Standard Time- but it was starting to sink in that we had been up for like 2 days and were running off pure adrenaline and excitement. It took almost an hour for us to hail a taxi to take us back to the Plaza where we had left Caroline’s car. Have no fear..there were lots of ‘clubbers’ stranded waiting for taxi’s so the socializing and good times continued out front.  

Deliriously tired and giddy in the front seat..

And down for the count in the back seat - It'd been a hard days night!

  We got back to Caroline’s at around 7:30am. Thank God for those metal shades that roll down over your apartment windows and completely eliminate all perception of what time of day it is.  

Love those metal shades.

We didn’t get up until 4 pm that afternoon…and the next day/night started off at a little pizza place over looking the ocean right by Caroline’s apartment. The Chef made our pizza into the shape of a giant heart. He must of known that I love Barcelona…  

xoxo,

Eden