Patio Refurbishing...

So. We had this disgusting patio. Charlie and I went out there once and he came in with fleas. It was simply unusable. So after our last bbq outting, we decided to get our butts in gear and fix it up so that we could entertain, too! We didn't know what to do at first. Flooring was the major problem. My mom suggested bricking it. Too much work and too expensive. And we couldn't just concrete it (drainage problems, although I have yet to see it actually rain here since moving here 9 months ago). So our good friend, Chris, suggested just laying down some astro turf. Brilliant! And after checking into it, we found a company only a mile away (a rare occurance in this overly-spread metropolis) that has fake grass. Yes, rich snobs here actually install entire yards of this stuff so they never have to water or mow. Anyway, yesterday we went down there and there was a reminent piece just our size (and about 1/6th the cost according to the guy and thank goodness because that stuff's expensive!!!). Anyway, on our way home we swung by Home Depot and got ourselves a grill and supplies, and now you will see the new and improved patio, ready to entertain. After a read of Thais' article on grilling, I think we will be ready to give it a try. We are a bit nervous about charcoal grilling, but I think we'll be fine. And we counted. There are 12 people here we could (and are going to) invite. Woo hoo! Check out the before and after pictures below!

Before:

After:

It's Voldemort Charlie.

And regular Charlie.

After (daytime)

Labor Day BBQ (warning: not as good as 4th of July BBQ)

It was awesome to be invited to a Labor Day BBQ, especially since we have no friends here. Our "friend" Chris, who is a friend of our friends John and Heidi Fisher in Chicago, invited us over for some friend meeting and connection making (he's an editor for TV). But alas, this was a royal bummer. It was well over 100 degrees in the Valley last Monday NIGHT (yes even after the sun went down). So people holed up in their apartment instead of down on the patio. This made for many groups of unapproachable people who already knew each other and were sitting. Mingling standing adults: much easier to walk up to. A bedroom full of loungers: NOT. So we left without one phone number. And now we are going to have to wait until Christmas (or maybe Halloween if we're lucky) for the next social invite. Bummer. But we are thinking of trying Chris' church, seeing as most of the loungers were indeed very nice and all go to his church. I'll keep you posted (pun intended).

Retro Posting: My 25th B-Day.

Because as a professional photographer I don't even own a digital point-and-shoot camera, I am forced to use disposable when I don't wanna lug a 7 lb. SLR camera around Disneyland on my birthday. Hence the Carter-titled Retro posting. Yes I need to get a camera, but I am picky and broke (a sad combination). Anyway, Tyler and I enjoy few outings in this city, but one of them is Disneyland. We LOVE it. We bought annual passes and have been 3 times so far. These photos are when my mom was visiting and we celebrated my 25th year here on June 9! Woo hoo! We also went with my brother when he visited, and last week, we went just the two of us (and spotted David Hasslehoff). Check out the ears in all the photos. And the cake is from the Cheesecake Factory (a favorite of mine).

New York Mag Model: Reed Kelly!

My best friend from high school, Reed Kelly, is living in New York and is a dancer/model/actor, etc. He is currently in Wicked (yes the hit broadway musical). But he took some time out of his busy schedule to jump from rooftop to rooftop, lounge on airplane wings, and (at his suggestion) litteraly hang off the side of a 45-story building without safety protection. Idiot? Yes. But how many of you are featured in New York Magazine? Check out the photos below. You can also view a slideshow at nymag.com (click on Fall Fashion Issue on the right and scroll down to see Reed (in hat and tie) to view it. Enjoy!

ABC Monday Night Lineup

Tyler and I are addicted to a new night of television. This is a new revelation for us, considering that for the first time in 2 years, we get reception on our tv and therefore have the opportunity to get hooked on wierd reality shows. Right now it's Monday nights. We go to the gym and tape the shows because fast forwarding through commericals is the only way to do it. Since we had no reception, we've become accustomed to watching all our programs on DVD (hence the issue with commericals). So it's Wife Swap, then Fat March, then Super Nanny. I must admit that I was quite surprised to see that Tyler was interested in these seemingly meaningless reality shows, but I am glad that, not only did he not laugh at me the first time I was watching them, he actually tuned is as well and it's become an evening we look forward to. It may sound pathetic to you, but you move to a new city (one that people complain about being a distant, cold, and lonely place no less (see Crash)) and see what happens. I'll tell you: reality tv. But not only is it entertaining, but all three shows are invoking stimulating conversations (about family life, loosing weight, and child rearing). All of which are important for us newly weds.

earthquake!!!

Calm down calm down you mothers and grandmothers who read this. Would I really be blogging about this if it was serious. Just letting you all know that we had our first official earthquake since moving to the state that will eventually fall off the rest of the continent. It happened at about 1 am and I was asleep. I only woke up momentarily. It felt like a big truck going by. So there you have it. Not too dramatic, but it happened, so I felt the need to document it. Later, -J

Harry Potter 5...again

Tyler and I went to see the Order of the Pheonix in theaters again yesterday and we left with a completely different reaction than after the first time. It's not that we didn't like it the first time. In fact, critic reactions angered us. But we really really enjoyed it yesterday. Emma Watson really doesn't do that eyebrow thing more than twice, which was a breath of fresh air, because she usually really bothers me. The character of Umbridge is a hoot. Really I could just review the movie, but I won't.

The point is, find a matinee like we did and spend another $6 to really enjoy the 5th installment of Harry Potter.

Destination Wedding.

So I shot a destination wedding last weekend in Jamaica. Read about the rest of the trip in the previous blog. The wedding itself was pretty cool. The couple, Daimian and Tiffini, rented a private villa just outside Montego Bay for the week. It was a 5 bedroom 5 bath house with a staff of 8 (cook, laundry (done daily), cleaning, and a driver) and they got a membership to the private club on the beach for the week as well. This is the best way to travel I have decided. So the wedding was up at their villa, which was situated on the side of a mountain in the jungle. Seriously, think Predator. But it also had a pool with a view overlooking the bay and ocean. It was a beautiful wedding. The couple was very detail oriented and thought out their wedding very well. But they were also able to let loose once the festivities began. It was so much fun to be fully trusted with their photography and to be a part of their special day.

Jamaica! Ya Mon.

Seriously, they DO say "ya man" like every 5 minutes! I went to Jamaica last weekend to shoot a destination wedding. It was an interesting trip. A real learning experience. For instance, having American money (in addition to the local currency) is always a good thing. I only had Jamaican, and they always asked for American. Traveling alone as a woman is exhausting because you are always (and I mean always) on your guard. Jamaican men are worse than Mexican. And I have been to Mexico City, the armpit hair of Mexico. Mexican men are greasy, so imagine what I must mean when I say Jamaicans are worse than that! They never leave you alone! I have to be rude after a while. And if you know me at all, you will know that being rude comes naturally and easily for me, so to have to purposely be that way very intetionally must mean something.

It was a whirlwind of a 36-hour trip as far as activities were concerned. I arrived after a full day of travel on Friday, July 13th at about 8 pm (Central Time, even though the island is EAST of the east coast of the US. Wierd.) I had a lovely chat with my cab driver as we drove along on the "wrong" side of the rode (see photo below). After getting settled in my hotel, I headed down the street to grab some local grub. I ran into my cab driver who took it upon himself to show me the way to a local jerk chicken dive. It was awesome! I felt like a local instantly. It was a cool experience. Something that you don't normally get as a tourist (or with others so one perk to being alone). The next morning I woke up early to head to the beach for a little snorkeling before the wedding. I had looked up a beginners beach to snorkel off of (you just swim out from the coast, you don't have to be boated somewhere first). And it turns out that the beginners beach I had looked up was directly across the street from my hotel! A Woo Hoo! This way I was guarenteed to get back to the hotel in enough time to clean up before the wedding. So I went to Doctor's Cave, layed out, waded in the STILL and very clear waters that were about 100 degrees (perferct!). Then I rented snorkel eqipment and fins and just swam right out (these underwater photos will be added later). It was so relaxing. I didn't even have to kick to stay afloat. I just floated there on the surface, right over schools of fish and coral reefs. It was the highlight of the trip and I am so glad that I had a little time to do that while I was there.

Then onto the wedding. Read and see that in the next blog.
Like I said, a whirlwind experience, but an awesome and once in a lifetime opportunity.

Fourth of July aka time to meet new people...again

We were invited to our friend, Megan's bbq. Despite knowing that we didn't know anyone else there, we went. And it was really a lot of fun. The people were quite welcoming. The apartment was strangly Chicagoan (leave it to Megan to find the only apartment in LA with hardwood floors, horizontal blinds and CHARACTER like built-in bookshelves). First, we were able to catch up with Megan, another Chicagoan/IVer/Columbian whom we hadn't see since being here (and actually since before our wedding 2 years ago, yikes!) Then we quickly found another couple to talk to and spent the rest of the afternoon with them. We exchanged info (at their request. WOO HOO!) so I am desperately hoping they call us so we don't have to call them. 2 friends down (hopefully) 48 more to go (before we're up to our Chicago standard).

What about fireworks? you say. Nah. We watched a patriotic movie. Patton. But we didn't totally reject the idea. We were on our way out the door to go to a park to see some sparkles. We closed the door. We realized that the other person didn't have their keys (sometimes the downside of being a couple). So we spent the evening (or the next 10 minutes) getting our way back in. I so cleverly rounded our apartment and popped open a window. Yeah for the wife!

Palm Springs Anniversary Trip

The week after my mom's week-long visit and the week before my brother's week-long visit, Tyler planned for a romantic week away to celebrate my birthday and our anniversary. It was amazing. I just got to show up. He did all the driving, researched restaurants, and planned what activities we did each day. That was the biggest surprise and delight for me because I am the obsessive planner, having planned our only 4 trips together before this one. So getting to sit back and relax even before the trip started was some of the best part for me. Some of the highlights of our trip included: a living desert zoo (see photo below of us in the desert) meaning that they only have desert or hot weather appropriate animals, getting massages together (THAT WAS AWESOME), going to the art museum (see photo & note: those people are FAKE) and playing my new favorite game, backgammon poolside at our b&b. There was also a scary, yet fun trip on a gondola up to the top of the adjacent mountain (where it was 50 degrees cooler: 120 on the ground, 70 8,000 feet up). About 50 people could fit in the tram, complete with a rotating floor so you get a 360 view twice on the way up and down. I am terrified of heights and this gondola ride is why. It swayed every time it went through a "gate" or the stand that held it up. Just imagine a terrifying huge HIGH ski lift. But once at the top we enjoyed the scenery (see photos below). All in all, a wonderful week before having to drive home back to the business of the rest of our June.


us at the desert

no, this is NOT photoshopped. It really was 121 degrees!

looking back down during the gondola ride. if this doesn't look steep, that's because it was only after passing 1 of 4 "gates", each part getting steeper until we were going almost vertically.

us at the top!

can you guess which couple is fake?

Dolphins

It has been brought to my attention that I never blog anymore, and so I shall.

It has been an interesting first 6 months in the city of angels. BUt more on all of that later.

Today I just want to write about my brother coming to visit for a week. It was awesome. We went to an Angel's game. That's baseball for all you artists out there. We went to Disneyland. Tyler and I have gotten annual passes and are going whenever possible now. We did some major outlet shopping, and we went to the ocean. It was my first time IN the Pacific. We went up to Malibu and rented a boogie board and a wetsuit (for wimpy me) from the surf shack and headed out to Zuma Beach. The water was clear (even shoulder deep), the sand was white, and the waves were big (thankfully not too big). But the highlight of our day was seeing the pod? pack? group? or whatever of wild dolphins. Hard to say how many there were because they keep popping up and we could've been counting the same one twice, but I think about 20 went by about 20 feet off the coast. People were are watching and gasping. And these dolphins gave us a show. They didn't leap or anything, but they arched preety far out of the water. It was awesome. A truely wonderful California experience.

Ta ta for now. -Jenny

We got our stuff!!!

Hello everybody.

Sorry it's been a while. Just busy getting into the swing of things in our life. Here are some pictures of our apartment with stuff in it, since some of you have asked! Enjoy!

I want my stuff!!

Hello everybody and indeed.

Well, today we found out that it is going to be at least another 2 weeks until we get our belongings! Tyler and I are pissed! We are really mad. There is just nothing else to say about it. And this is not the first complication we've had with the moving companies. Yes, companies is plural. We hired TransAtlantic to do our move. I guess they subcontracted Best Price Movers to do it for them and so we've had to deal with both companies. The first complication happened when them packed up the truck on January 15 (yes, 3 weeks ago!) when there were some extra costs that we were not informed of prior to that day. So that has been one stress. And now this. Aparently you write down on the contract the soonest you would like your stuff to arrive. We wrote down last Friday, Feb. 3. And it should be noted that we had our apartment by then and were just waiting for our things to be moved in last week. We were given the impression that our stuff was here in LA and they were just waiting to get the exact address from us. But nooo. Our stuff is leaving Chicago THIS UPCOMING FRIDAY! AAHHH! And there is then a stop in New Mexico and one in Arizona before the truck get's here. So it listed on the contract that you would get your things in 5 to 15 business days. We thought that was from the date the stuff was loaded into the truck. But nooo. It's from the date you write down as the earliest possible delivery date. So Friday, Feb.9. 2 stops inbetween. You do the math!

For those of you who don't know or remember, we are staying in Pasadena right now, which is very inconvenient. We only have one car, which we thought wouldn't be an issue because we'd be close enough for Tyler to take the bus when needed. I only work 2 days a week out of our home, but I work in Dana Point, which is 75 miles away. So I need the car 2 days and Tyler works 5 days. So this just throws off our work plans and now I may not get to work those 2 days this week. It's just a mess.

And we could technically live over in NOHO soon after we get a fridge and a blow up mattress. We got some lamps from Ikea already because there are very few overhead lights in the apartment. But this just complicates everything. Nothing about this move has gone smoothly. I hesitate to say that nothing has been easy on this move, because I never expected a move half way across the coountry to be easy, but I expected an element or two to go smoothly.

So all that to say, that despite all this, God is with us and he seems like the only constant in my life right now (besides Tyler of course). I just feel stripped. Like stripped wood. I am just waiting for the day when I have a new stain.

Our New Apartment!

Hello everybody and indeed.

Yesterday we got the keys to our new apartment so I felt a new blog comming on. Plus I told this story to my two best friends over the phone and it took way too long (especially twice), so it just needs to be written down.

The Search:

Since we arrived a week ago Monday, Tuesday we started the search for a place to live. Burbank would be the best area because it is closest to both of our jobs, suburban (which we like), quiet, and quaint. But, alas, after a day of driving around and calling numbers on signs outside buildings, we were only able to view 1 apartment. And it was a 2-bedroom for $1300. Ouch. So the next day we resolved to answer Craig's List postings in surrounding neighborhoods such as Hollywood and North Hollywood. Those are still close to our jobs, but the areas are built up a bit more with commercial stuff. We had 3 appointments Tuesday and 2 more apartments were just open for viewing so we had 5 choices. Tyler and I came up with a code because when you look at apartments in front of the people who own or manage the building you don't want to say bad things about it so NICE was "nice, good, we can take it" and ALRIGHT was "no way am I going to pay money to live here". Appointment #1 was a no show (later rescheduled but it was an "alright" closet for $960 in Hollywood.) Open viewing was another "alright" closet down the street also for $950 in Hollywood. After both of those, we were discouraged. Not only was our limit $900, but we weren't finding anything for that little and for more than that we were finding places that were too small for our things. And we are not space hogs or snobs. But we have a king bed. Nough said. So we went on to open viewing #2. It was huge, had hardwood floors (which I love), and pleantly of storage space. NICE. Until we pick up the application on the kitchen counter. Extra deposit and extra rent for Charlie, our cat and the need for paystubs were among the problems. We took an application anyway and were thinking of ways to get around these things on the way to appointment #2. This one was actually in Burbank (a followup from the day before). We meet the man who owns and manages the building, Paul. Very nice man. The apartment is wonderful. For $950 it looks comperable to our apartment in Chicago. It even had a refridgerator (which very few apartments in Los Angeles do. Wierd I know!). There is less storage than we would like, but we can work that out. We take an application and are set to just live there. But we have one more appointment. But in our minds, this viewing was just to confirm how great Paul's apartment was going to be. It's in North Hollywood and we think it's for $950 as well. We walk in and meet Robert, the building manager. The apartment is huge, has a dishwasher, has a closet the size of a small office, and a big enough bedroom for our bed. And he corrects us. Rent is $895. Cha Ching! So we schmooze Robert to death. And we take an application. We have to get it in the next day (Thursday) because he is going on vacation until the following Monday!

The Application Process:

So we apply for both Robert's and Paul's apartments the next day. We have Debra, my mother-in-law co-sign to speed up the process. We applied for our second choice too, because Robert explained the day before that "they" (term to be used frequently from here on out and to be loathed, so be ready) have a heavy screening process for their applicants as if it's more like a co-op than just an apartment complex. But we are not worried about that after we see Robert Thursday. We schmooze some more. Aparently Robert's passion is photography. How convenient! And at one point he just turned to us and said, "I really like you!" We did a little dance when we left. Or rather, I did, and Tyler laughed at me.

Scare #1:

Paul calls back a few hours later and gives us the good word that we got his apartment. Yea! But we have to let him know that day if we want it because apartments go VERY quickly here and he has another person to give it to if we don't want it. Bummer. So we call Robert to ask what our chances are of getting our dream apartment. It should be noted here that you never get Robert on the phone. You leave a message and he calls back. And not always right away. So a while later he calls back and says he looked over the apartment and while he doesn't make the decision, "they" do, it all looks good. So we tell Paul no. Now we have to wait 4 days and could end up with no apartment!

Scare #2:

Early Friday morning Robert calls and explains that there are reservations because Debra lives out of state. It doesn't look good and he recommends that we tell our second choice that we'll just take that apartment. We are freaking out! We no longer have a second choice! And we are angry because, duh! These "they" people are just stupid. Haven't they every heard of the post office! Living in another state shouldn't matter in the least. Do they think they need the ability to physically come and knock down Debra's door if Tyler and don't pay our rent? DUMB! dumb dumb dumb! So we call Robert back and suggest that Tyler's uncle who lives here could be the co-signer if necessary. We have Debra leave a message trying to reassure him. And then we feel really helpless. Because if we could just schmooze "them" we would be golden. Maybe one of them has a passion for photography! And we really don't want to wait until Monday for a NO at this point and lose 3 apartment hunting days in the meantime. So we call back and leave another message asking if we could have the phone number of "them" because Robert is on vacation so we could give them any answers they needed in the meantime. Robert finally called back and reassured us that we weren't necessarily waiting for a no, that he got all 3 messages and relayed them to "the powers that be" he called "them" this time! So we were put at ease for the weekend at least.

Scare #3:

Monday morning we wake up late and I realize that our cell phone has been left in the car. No surprise that there are 3 new messages! Yikes! So the first one is Robert saying we got the apartment! Yea! But that we need to call him asap and confirm that we still want it and if so, we need to pay 2 months rent for the security deposit plus the first month's rent. So we have to drop $2700! And we have run out of checks for our account in Chicago. And he stipulates that it must be cash, cashier's check, or money order. And it says the message was left at 11:15. I am listening to it at 10:15 pacific time. So I think my voicemail is now stuck on a different time zone. Whether that be moutain or central time I don't know. The next 2 messages are Robert telling me to call him asap or he will give our apartment away to the next applicant! AAHHH!

Scare #4:

So we call Robert back and leave a message and he calls us back and says there is a new problem. He can't verify Tyler's new job at the Blockbuster here that we wrote down! He hasn't started yet so of course they've never heard of him at that store. So we call back with the distric leader's name and cell phone number. The disctrict leader calls US and then Tyler has to talk himself back into a job! She was unaware that we were coming out here to get into the film industry and she wasn't not happy about it because many of her employee's leave the story to take a film job. Well, hello! You are the district leader of HOLLYWOOD, CA! So we don't know if she told Robert that he doesn't have a job. We don't know if he even has one. So now there are more complications.

Scare #5:

How are we going to get Robert $2700 by 3 pm that day? No clue. We can't get the money out of our Chicago account and into a Cali. account fast enough because we have no checks. We can't even get a wire from Debra until the next day! Plus after all the red flags that have been raised about our ability to pay rent, we don't want Debra to have to pay the initial payment. That really looks fishy. So we call Robert back and explain that we've just opened our new account here that day, but that there is a hold on the account until the next day until all the funds are cleared. So he is okay with us paying the next day if we still come by and sign the lease and fax a copy to Debra to sign. Well, obviously we are okay with that! He also mentions that he talked to Jenny, the district leader, and confirmed Tyler's job, so that fiasco was resolved as well.

Epilogue:

We signed the lease later that day and paid him the next. But Monday was hell. Keep in mind that after frantically recieving these 3 voicemails, we showered and left our house right away, so we didn't end up eating until 4 pm and with all these new developements, I thought I was going to throw up most of the day. There were so many emotional highs and lows and we felt that this was worse than a flat out "no" if we didn't get it because it was like it was just being dangled in our face!

But, yea! We got it and it is a steal of a deal. We want to live there for many many years (barring any more problems). We fully expect many of you to come and stay here now! Because I miss you all very much! Love, Jenny

PS. E-mail me if you want our address!