just what i needed.

so here's the down low on my fabulous long weekend in the o.c.

meg and i missed the first three hours of our trip
boarding the plane...deboarding the plane...and boarding the plane again.
i texted julie to tell her we would be late.
she texted back "fly sketchy air, fly!"

we arrived to a crock pot full of yummy goodness and fun conversation.
we sewed, laughed, ate, shopped, lather, rinse, repeat. it was just what i needed.

julie was a gracious host and has the most beautiful family. EVER!

she makes you feel like you have known her for years.
she has a way with words unlike no other... NO OTHER! i love that.

i would love to be a teenager in her and jason's youth group,
halley & lulu are a delight...."good morning mrs. douglass"
janey is a dream baby.
i could go on and on.

her house screams A HAPPY FAMILY LIVES HERE!
the color instantly makes you smile.

her parents dropped off this cutie for the weekend.

could it possibly get any better??
sleeping in the most happiest room ever in california.
snarfing down toffee crack.
palm trees.
the beach at night. (promise meg)
charliecocoachewy the dog.
antiquing.
llamas.
sewing on a machine that doesn't eat fabric.
seeing new places.
meeting new people.
shopping at the spectrum.
laughing, laughing, and more laughing.
finding my therapy pillow & lamp :)
hanging with these girls.

this trip to cali was so very different than all of my other cali trips.
but i loved every minute of it!

thanks girlies for a super fab weekend that i will never forget!
and thanks jason for sharing your awesome wife with us!

ABORT! ABORT! ABORT!

today....

i am traveling to my happy place...

with her and we are staying with her
oh happy day!

i'm totally sure my cat feels this way.

today is....

my bestie's birthday!

tonya...
you've been an amazing friend throughout the majority of my life.
we've cried.
we've laughed...HARD!!!!
we've had some amazing conversations.
we've polished off more margarita's than should be allowed by law.
we've bickered.
we've traveled.
we've tumbled.
we've danced.
we've cheered.
we've had the most amazing times...throughout highschool, our twenties, our thirties...
i feel so blessed to have a someone like you in my life!!
i am so happy that you've found your someone special!
i am so happy that your finally MY age again :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my sister from another mother!
LUV YA T!

jan's potato burritos.

i first had jan's potato burritos in high school...
susan's mom always had the freezer packed with them.
perfect for starving high school students who snubbed the lunch room chaos and nasty food.
i would've eaten these everyday if i could.
i made my mom call over and get the recipe...it is still one of my favorites.

you'll need:

1 1/2 lbs hamburger
garlic salt
1 stick margarine
1 bag shredded hashbrowns (thawed)
1 sm can diced green chilies
1/2 c water
2 c shredded cheddar cheese
flour tortillas (12pk...at least)

yes...there are two of some ingredients in my photo...i doubled the recipe this time so i would have some to keep in the freezer for a quick lunch.  but i'm giving you the un-doubled recipe.

brown and drain the hamburger.  add some generous sprinkles of garlic salt.  then add in your stick of margarine...chop it up and spread it around.

add in your bag of hashbrowns, green chilies & water.

cover and let steam until hashrowns are mushy.  (i use med-high heat the whole time)
stir occasionally so it doesn't stick to the pan.
when its all mushy add in your cheese and mush and mash it around.

throw a big spoonful onto your tortilla and wrap.
(i used soft taco size, but you can make them any size you want)
when i doubled it it made 27 all together...since i only had 24 tortillas i borrowed 3 from meg ..thanks!

you should always eat one first...maybe two and then wrap the rest up.  trust me.
i always wrap mine in bake potato foil and stick them in the fridge or freezer.

to reheat, just pop em in the microwave...preferably without the foil.
or leave them in the foil and stick on a baking sheet for 15-20 min @ 350*

YUMMY!!!!!!!

the best of cali with my bestie...part ?

blogger was being a booger.
i uploaded all of these pictures 3 times...any more and i would've given up.
it made me want to punch my computer.
but violence against computers rarely solves anything...so i've been told.
anyway, it finally complied.
maybe it knew it was fixin to get punched?
so maybe threatening to punch your computer solves problems?

so before a big fat error message shows up, i should get to the goodness.

because there are still pictures to be shown...
and it's  becoming obvious to me i took way to many.
but i am bound and determined to make you suffer through all of them.  hehe.

first up:  oceanside.

 they have been working on cleaning it up the past few years,
i'd say it's working...well sorta, we did witness a drug deal go down right in front of us.
but the new pier is super fabulous! 

it has a ruby's diner at the very end of it. 
ruby's is a favorite of mine...best gourmet burgers, topped with avocado of course.

the railings had thousands of names carved into it...

it was super nice of them to include us.

it was a typical sunny cali day and the beach was packed.

there was even a little entertainment.

AND, i found my favorite little beach car AGAIN!

we stopped at ocenside on our way down to san diego to meet up with my cuz and some friends of tonya's.

since i was still on a gelato kick and we had some time to kill, my cuz found a place on coronado island
that could help me with my addiction.
one problem.
no wait, ONE BIG PROBLEM!
it required us...and by us i mean me, to drive over the coronado bridge.
in case you don't know me in real life, i have a crazy fear of driving over high bridges and overpasses.
i have nightmares about it.
i always drive right off the edge...always!
it didn't really click when he first told me we would have to go over the bridge, then i suddenly remembered when we were there last time and he drove craig and i underneath it...i instantly got knots in my stomach.
i believe i said "i WILL NEVER, EVER be able to drive, let alone ride over THAT bridge!
in case you don't know what this crazy thing looks like...

ICK. ICK. ICK. & ICK!
i think when it did hit me i slammed on the brakes a little...then i started to panic.
my temperature skyrocketed and my palms got all sweaty.
i said there was no way i could do it...nu uh!
well....

apparently i will do just about anything for gelato.
it did however require the steering wheel death grip, slumping down in my seat so i couldn't see over the edge, some serious breathing techniques and everyone in the car telling me i could do this!
yes, i did it...twice in fact.  one way in and one way out!
the gelato was worth it...and so were the views of the island, not the bridge (my eyes stayed in constant contact with the little white line!)
i would totally want to live here if it wasn't for that monster of a bridge.

i loved this house...

check out the water feature off the front porch...fabuLOUS!

we walked around and did some window shopping before we met up with tonya's friends for dinner.

and jeff posed just for you mom...

thanks jeff & michelle for a great time!  can't wait to do it again soon!

**************************************************************************
the last remainder of our days were spent:
at the beach...

sightseeing...

more gelato...(no scary bridge required this time)

and learning spanish...

:)