What. A. Weekend.

As you might have known, this Saturday was the Los Angeles Revlon Walk for Women's Cancers at the USC Coliseum, and my family and I were there to support the cause.

The walk didn't begin til 9 am, but the venue was overflowing by 7 am. It was quite the inspiration one needed on an early Saturday morning (especially since there was NOT a cup of coffee in sight anywhere) before a long walk in the bright morning sun. Despite the lack of caffeine, I was ready to go - I had the sun block on, the comfy running shoes, the new sports bra on :), and lots of 'let's do this ish' kind of energy. My family was also all aglow and excited to do this walk together, mostly in support of my mom, but mainly because they're all good people who care about others going through what we did just a few months ago. Even my sometimes-antisocial mom had a blast, and my dad (who was the only man with our group) felt really proud and brazen to be there supporting his wife. They really can be cute sometimes.

We walked and jogged and walked (though not always together) and finally made it to the finish line at the coliseum where more celebrations continued. ;)  We finished our 5K walk before noon but the day seemed later because we were all a little tired from the long walk, early call time, the sun, and the excitement of the day. I mean the creativity in team costumes alone were fun, and don't forget the loud music that played to keep the adrenaline up!

We capped off the day going out to eat shrimp and crab (and beers) before we all broke off to go our separate ways home.

My fave part of the day you ask? My family all together in support of a positive purpose, my parents getting out of their comfort zones, enlightening my niece to participating in something that goes beyond herself, and the opportunity to really contribute to others. However I think my true favorite thing began even before that day and started with all the support we received leading up to this day, including the participation of all of you to make this day possible - whether it was through your donations ($895 total!) or positive messages, it all helped, and for that I thank you. :)

But enough about me. How was your Mother's Day weekend?

About a week ago I saw "Marley" the documentary about the late reggae musician Bob Marley (not the movie about the dog). It was really inspiring and sad, even for someone like me who wasn't particularly a huge fan - at least not until then.

The movie was over two hours long but the time passed quickly with a nice swaying balance between funny interviews and heartwarming accounts from late friends. And don't forget about the music! What better soundtrack for the movie than to have pure Bob Marley as the music bed.

But more than the movie being enjoyable, it was touching because this man truly was the epitome of love. Though he was shared by many and had many children who longed for more time with him, it seems that he was overflowing with a true zeal for life and people. It's like his life's work was to bring people together through his music. How many artists do you know who are genuinely like this?

In the end if course Bob's last days are chronicled, and the room that was once buzzing with laughter became solemn and quiet. With all the life and energy that had played before us for the past two hours, it was hard to face the harsh reality that it had an end. And even though we all knew this was how the movie would end, it was somehow still hard to say goodbye again.

I never claimed to be a die hard Bob Marley fan, but I appreciated the way this film helped me get to know him better. And yes, I think you should go watch it if you have the opportunity.

This weekend Christi and I had a big ole party at her house to raise money for Breast Cancer and Alzheimer's research.  As both of our moms have both been affected by these horrible diseases, we thought we'd have a party to raise moola for the cure. 

Needless to say between both of our awesomest friends and colleagues, we raised over $1,000 that we're splitting down the middle for the two foundations. We were some happy campers - and so were our guests. We had tons of food, a funny Bingo announcer, and tonsssssssssssssssss of drank! (Can you say "leftovers for days!")

Anyway, I capped off the weekend with a visit to Dodger's stadium where I am multi-tasked getting a tan and lots of relaxation. :) I like to believe that the Doyer's actually won that game simply because of my rare appearance. Methinks they're trying to sucker me into being a die-hard fan. #winning

Next weekend the party continues with some mother-daughter love at my cousin's pre-Mutha's Day pool party where I will continue to work on the tan. :)

If you're sad you missed out on the fun, please feel free to join our breast cancer walk May 12 at the LA Coliseum, or donate to us. Either way, we can be found here. 

Thanks for your support! xo

I believe it was this very New Year's Eve that I declared that Dick Clark was the man, and that even though Ryan Seacrest is the most popular man of this century, he was no Mr. American Bandstand. 

By chance, I logged onto the internet today to learn that Dick (Richard Wagstaff) Clark died today. :(  I clearly remember the New Years' Eve ball drops being spent with him when I used to watch with my parents. He had an inviting, engaging swag that made me feel that if I ever met this guy, he'd be so nice he might even let me ride on the parade float beside him. 

I obviously didn't know him personally, but, I feel like I could have. And if I had, I probably would've hug-rushed him and told him about all my lame childish thoughts, and how I was so honored to be in his presence. 

Some things must not be meant for this lifetime, and this experience will be one of them. I'll see you in another time, Mr. Clark. And when I do, we'll listen to American Top 40 and think about how you did it so much better. 

Did I tell you that I moved? Yeah, it's been close to a month now, but I finally left the east Los Angeles area and moved to the WEST SIDE (throwing up my W sign)! It's come with a territory. I'm suddenly so close to an oasis most people travel far to visit. It's been just a few short weeks and somehow I'm quickly becoming assimilated to how people do it over here:

• walking traffic everywhere
  
• sunglasses a must
  
• lots of outdoor exercising
  
• fantasmic weather
  
• and enviable relaxation everywhere!

I'm slow starting to understand why these beach people resent having to leave their bubble. I myself never claimed to want to live by the beach, but now that I do, I have only positive things to say about it. You never know what life is going to throw at you, but so far, I'd say I've been dealt some pretty awesome cards.