BRB, making dragons

Hey! I’m still alive.

and making bread .

In case you were worried.

Who is watching the game of thrones finale on Sunday?! Spoiler alert! One of khaleesi’s dragons turns into bread !

Just kidding’

Anyways, I have two trips planned this year , one of them is on Emirates (the airline I used to fly for). It will be fun to see how they are doing and what changes have happened since I last flew 3 years ago. Can’t wait!

Well, signing off . Hopefully it doesn’t take me another year to check back in . Hehe!

(It is 1am and I have 7 more hours left of work.. joy)

Hobbiton

I have been flying for almost 3 years, and have had at least 10 layovers in Auckland. I just can’t believe it took me this long to take the 2 hour drive and visit Hobbiton, the little town used in the Lord of the Rings film and also The Hobbit.

It was the cutest.

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They took us all in a huge tour bus with “Hobbiton” on the side, and drove us onto this man’s private farm. It is 1,200 acres with 11,000 lamb and sheep. I can’t believe Peter Jackson found the perfect 14 acres used in the movie, hidden in so much land!

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The Baggins (Frodo and Bilbo) hobbit home!  (above)

prettiest hobbit home in Hobbiton. (below)

And after a cold ale at The Green Dragon Inn, we called it a good hobbit day.

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Tv Shows

It takes a lot for me to get hooked on a tv show. I have started so many to just lose interest halfway through. A few of the shows that I have stayed faithful to are The Office, How I Met Your Mother, and Friends.

But a new one will be adding itself to the list.

Parenthood (thanks Renee!)

Because it is good. And I laugh. And I cry. And i shazam the music they play on that show. Seriously, whoever is the music guy, he picks the best songs to make you get the feels.

The newest one that is on repeat:

Oh I could drink a case of you darling
Still I’d be on my feet
oh I would still be on my feet

Halfway through season 3. So don’t tell me any spoilers!

Great Wall

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Hi Beijing.

I am so glad we finally met.

Ever since I came to Dubai I have been waiting to see you.

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I went with a couple other crew who also had never been to the Great Wall of China.

We left at the crack of dawn, and reached the wall by 8am.

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We arrived so early, we had even beaten the vendors, setting up their waters and oreo packs and fake “I survived the Great Wall” gold medals.

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I looooved all the fall colors.

And the fact that we had the entire wall to ourselves.

It was breath-taking.

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I think the secret to such an amazing day was the fact that we went in October {so we could see those trees changing colors} and that we left at such an early time.

It really makes a difference if you aren’t hassled with other tourists.

And then by the time we were leaving, people had started arriving, and we gladly left them to share the wall with each other.

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Now, as much as I loved the wall, something else almost beat it out of the favorite part of the day spot.

The toboggan ride down the hill, leaving the wall.

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So. Much. Fun.

<3 Keaton.

This feels right and I’m letting it,
and now I know just what to do.
Tire of me if you will my dear,
but I will not tire of you.

This is the world as I see it now;
turns out that nothing is fair.
You can leave me if you wish my love,
but I’m not going anywhere.

Please do not hurt me love,
I am a fragile one
and you are the light in my eyes.
Please do not break my heart,
I think it’s had enough
pain to last the rest of my life.

My endless distraction, you worry me,
and I’m trying to figure out how.
You don’t have to make any promises, love.
I’m afraid I might die for you now.

And I’d kill just to watch as you’re sleeping,
I hope that you’ll let me in time.
You don’t have to call me yours, my love,
but damnit, I’m calling you mine.

Please do not hurt me love,
I am a fragile one,
and you are the light in my eyes.
Please do not break my heart,
I think it’s had enough
pain to last the rest of my life.
My life.

And I will not tire of you.

The first official Girls Trip.

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Chels and I took our first official girls trip while we had days off.

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Our trip to New York was really quick (we spent more time travelling then actually being in NY), but it was so worth it.

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You realize what you take for granted  once its gone – like being with people who love America.

And want to celebrate it.

On the 4th of July.

 

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Our View before the fireworks started.

So many things to say about this trip. Hey Chels..

“Remember that time you cried on the plane because of page #3 of a book?”

“.. we woke up crew sleeping in the CRC?”

“..  when we tattled on the guy who tried to cut in line with us?”

“..I accidentally kept saying things I shouldnt say?”

“..we had 30 minutes to find purses and shoes?”

“..I left my ID at the hotel?”

“..you used that guys deoderant?”

“..the lady with no makeup beat us?”

“..we used the photobooth?”

“..the cops used their megaphone to tell us to stop?”

“..we spent $200 on a hotel with no breakfast included?”

“..we went and saw John Mayer?”

“..i poked you in the eye with my passport?”

“..the lady by the window seat wouldnt let us sit together?”

“..when the same lady told us to ‘move it’ and you said ‘excuse you!’ ?”

“..when we finally made it back on the Sarab bus, and we couldnt wait to do it again?”

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I had so much fun, girl!

Lets do it agian.

Best Kept Secret…Ssshhh…

Dont tell anyone what I am about to tell you. Because I dont want word to get out.

But I have been seeing movies for free.

Before they have even been released to the theaters.

And noooo I am not illegally downloading poor quality videos off the internet.

Follow these steps and you too can join in on the fun:

1. Have a Gofobo account.

This is the website that enables you to see movies for $0. You can search for screenings happening around you. And if you are lucky they will have an “Open Screening”. Click it & download your passes!

2. Add local radio stations as your friend on Facebook.

They normally dont spam your newsfeed (at least not too badly), plus most of the things they post are contests (so maybe you will end up winning one!). But more importantly they give out Gofobo RSVP Codes for movies. Act quickly and you will score some more movie passes!

3. Don’t show up late.

This one is not really a rule to be able to collect more free screening passes, but to not miss out on them. Make sure you arrive a good hour – hour and a half before the movie starts to be able to get in line. The way these screenings operate is they give out double the passes that the theater has room for. This way they are sure to have a full house.

The first screening I went to, was “Mirror Mirror” with Julia Roberts. I brought some fam and a friend (the first time I did this, I was able to get 4 passes at a time. They now limit it to two, unfortunately..). We got there with a little over an hour to spare – and the line was already huge. But it wasnt anything compared to the SWARM of people that got in line riiiight after us.

We were a part of the last group of 10 that they let in.

They turned away a good 100 people.

One of the more recent screenings was “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” at the Crest Theater in downtown Sac.

I went with the twin.

{Side note: This was the only screening that I wasn’t able to view. And not because there weren’t enough seats – the theater couldn’t make the reel work. It was very sad.}

Estate Sales..

…I love you.

   “Delineator” Magazine.

             March 1932 Issue.

                       10 cents.

 




      

And than I discovered the cookbooks.

This little old lady had lived in Yountville –  and she had a gold mine of cookbooks. LOVE!

I also grabbed her collection of handwritten recipes..

>>I love Estate Sales in Napa.