{Date Night Fridays} The Groundlings

California, Date Night Fridays, Dating, Life, Southern California
The hubby and I love to L.O.L. and we are always on the lookout to find more places to do this. One of our favorite places to go when we need a little brightening up or when we just want to laugh until our stomach hurts is the Groundlings. If you love SNL style comedy and its comedians then you’ll love this place. We have gone several times throughout our 11 years of dating and every time we have been there we come out laughing. The venue is very intimate and you’ll feel like your part of the show. At times you are asked to yell out things for their improve section.  Don’t worry this place isn’t the kind that embarrasses you or has stand up comedians. They usually incorporate current events and on occasions some of their alumni show up and make special appearances. If you loved movies like Bridesmaids and actors like Will Ferrell you’ll love this place.

{Source} 

Prices vary throughout the year but usually go for less than $20. Follow them on Facebook or Twitter and you might be able to score some free tickets. I’ve won free tickets on a few occasions and you guys know how much I love free stuff. If you don’t believe me that this place is pretty awesome check out their Yelp reviews. 

Please keep in mind that I’m not being paid or compensated for recommending this venue. This is just my personal experience and if you have a blast like we have spread the word. 

For my romantics out there: Nothing says love like being able to laugh with your loved one. 

What’s your favorite place to go get a good chuckle?

Giving Back: Why I’ve decided to be a bone marrow donor?

Bone Marrow, Donating, Donor, giving back, Life, Love

One day as I was scrolling through my Facebook newsfeed I came upon THIS link that one of my friends  had posted. After clicking on the link and watching the heartfelt video I broke down crying and once I composed myself I began thinking about how horrible it would be if I was in the same position. I would hate to find out that someone in my family or one of my friends had only 2 months to live and they could be saved if we were able to find a donor. This seriously woke me up and I realized that although I might not be the perfect match for Janet Liang I might be a match for someone else’s child, friend, family member, or loved one. My parents have ingrained in me their motto which is, “Haz el bien sin ver a quien” roughly translated to “Do good without seeing to whom.”

Right after watching the video I headed out to a local drive that I found through Be the Match but unfortunately the drive ended before I was able to get there. I ended up ordering a kit from Be the Match which I received about two weeks later and today I will be sending it off. Both my parents and the hubby have their reservations about me become a donor but when I began to explain to them why I was doing it they felt more at ease.

The kit comes with great instructions and it is very easy to use.  All you have to do is swab the inside of your cheek four times and send it back.  It takes about two months to process everything and that’s it.  Once you have registered you will be in a system and if they ever find a match they will call you up.



I’ve decided to share this story with all of you guys since I believe that the more people hear about it the more people might actually go register. I believe we are all connected to each other and we need to stop being so selfish. If you can’t or don’t want to go register then share this with everyone you know someone might be touched enough to go do the same thing.

For more information on Donating Bone Marrow please visit BE THE MATCH

For more information on Janet Liang please visit HELPING JANET

“REMEMBER 10,000 PATIENTS NEED BONE MARROW TRANSPLANTS HALF RECEIVE ONE” -Be the Match


Update 4/2/12


I got an email a couple of weeks ago saying they finally received my kit.  It will take about a couple of months to put me in the system. 

{Date Night Fridays} I’m still dating my husband

California, Date Night Fridays, Dates, Life, Romance, Southern California

…and loving every minute of it.  Just because you get married doesn’t mean you should stop going on dates.  When the hubby and I were dating our date night was usually on Friday night and it was involved doing something different that we hadn’t done before.  Fast forward to almost 11 years later and we are still committed to going on dates.  On this segment called Date Night Fridays I’m going to give you suggestions on where to go on dates in Southern California.  I’m aware I’ll probably hate myself later if you all start showing up to my favorite spots but I’m willing to take that risk.  Southern California is full of museums, botanical gardens, comedy clubs, and other places that could be quite romantical.  Please keep in mind that many places the hubby and I go to are very affordable which is a bonus for us. We actually try to outdo ourselves with planning the “cheapest” date.

One of our favorite FREE museums to visit is the California Science Center.
When I was little my parents used to take me there and I later found out that my hubby’s parents used to do the same thing.  (I wonder if we were ever there at the same time.)  The museum is pretty big and there are a lot of things to do.  They have a small aquarium where you can touch some of the star fish at.  Sometimes they have very cool exhibits but they are usually cost extra. We love going in there and playing with all the things and sometime catching a film in their huge IMAX theater.  Parking is usually about $10 bucks but if you’re feeling a tad adventurous or if you’re trying to go green you might want to take the Metro.  This place is totally kid friendly but it can also be enjoyed with just your significant other.  We’ve taken our little goddaughter with us on several occasions and she has a blast.  
If you want to romance your special loved one pack a picnic basket and enjoy it in the adjacent Rose Garden. (Keep in mind that it’s closed from January 1st to March 15th.) 

Where is your favorite place to go on a date?

Life: Happy Valentine’s Day

Holidays, Life, Love
I hope everyone had a lovely Valentine’s day and now here are my thoughts on this holiday.  I’ve always had a love for holidays but Valentine’s has always had a special place in my heart.  When I was growing up my mom used to make a big deal about it and I loved every minute of it.  I loved going to the store and picking out cards to pass out to my classmates.  I loved seeing hearts all over the place not to mention the crazy amount of pink all around.  As the years have gone by I’ve realized that love should be celebrated all year long not just one day a year. 

I’m fortunate enough to have married someone that makes me feel loved all year long and not just on Valentine’s day.  I’m truly blessed because my hubby and my mom tell me they love me on a daily basis and I know that there are people out there who are not as fortunate as I am.  I’ve had a lot of death in my family and I believe that you should tell people how you feel every chance you get.  If you’re reading this and you haven’t told someone you love them today please do so now.  Remember that life is precious and you might not get another opportunity to tell someone you love them.  If on the other hand you are someone that hasn’t heard those words in a long time please know that this stranger sends you her love. I love you guys and without you I would not have anyone to blog my stories to.

Happy Valentine’s Day!
  

Recipes: Calabacitas con Queso (Zucchini with Cheese)

Cooking, Food, Mexican Mondays, Recipes
In my last post I mentioned that I was going to start a new series called Mexican Mondays.  If you've been following my blog then you should know that I'm Mexican American and I've realized that it would be fun to feature some recipes that I grew up with.  For my first post I'm featuring one of my favorite recipes and one of the easiest one to make, calabacitas con queso (zucchini with cheese).  My mom used to make this recipe for me when I was little and my grandma used to make it for me when I would go visit in Mexico.  When I had this dish at my grandmother's house she would make it with vegetables that were grown in their farm and with homemade cheese. 

More loveliness here »

Life: On trying to be a better me

Inspiration, Life, Quotes

…well at least I’m hoping that by having a more structured blog I will become a better blogger.  This morning as I was going through my old Twitter and blog posts I realized that I’ve had quite an interesting last year but I failed to blog about it here.  I tend to tweet more about what’s going on in my life than to actually sit down and blog about it.

Throughout the day I walk around thinking about great blog topics but I usually second guess myself about wether or not I should write about something.  I mean seriously who’s out there reading the random things I often say.  At the beginning of the year the hubby bought me my own domain name and if that doesn’t say love and encouragement I don’t know what does.  It was only a $10 purchase but the fact that the hubby believes in me enough to think that I deserve to have it says a lot about the type of man that I married.  I’ve realized that this little blog might develop into a career but what the heck do I have to lose.  This year I’ve decided that I need to take more risks and believe in what those possibilities could bring.

Its time to take a leap of faith and see where I land.  I mean I already know where my passions lie so I guess I’m a tad ahead of the game. I love photography, baking, social media, and a ton of other things that I’ve mentioned throughout this blog.

Since I know that I have to work for my dreams I shall begin by letting everyone know what this blog will undergo some serious change.  Over the next year I will be learning HTML, Java Script, Photoshop, several other programing languages and photo editing software that will be implemented into this blog.  Please expect some changes to happen to this site along with posts on things that I find interesting.  Since I love to bake I plan on doing more of it this year too so don’t be turned away by the mayhem this site is about to experience.  
The structure I was talking about earlier has to do with assigning days to specific posts that way if you’re interested in one topic over another you can come back on those days but if you’re really cool you’ll come back all week long.
Wednesdays = Wordless Wednesdays
Fridays = Date night Fridays
The rest of the week I’m reserving for random types of posts until I come up with other cool ones. 
Next week I’ll be rolling this out and until then please feel free to look around and explore my blog.  Please let me know if there is something else you might want to read about since I’m open for suggestions.  Since I’ve mentioned several times before I love quotes and here’s a great one I found on Pinterest check out more awesome quotes here.

Sweets: The Pioneer Woman’s Amazing Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon Rolls, Pioneer Woman, Sweets

I can't believe the obsession I've developed with Pinterest and one night as I was looking through the countless pins I saw this and this.  These pins reminded me of my cousin's love for cinnamon rolls.  When I lived at my aunts house every so often I would surprise my cousin's with cinnamon rolls for breakfast.  I've been wanting to make cinnamon rolls for a few months now and after seeing the pins all around Pinterest I decided that it was time. The problem was that there is countless of recipes out there and I wasn't sure which one to pick.  After a couple of hours I decided on the Pioneer Woman's cinnamon rolls.  All I have to say is yikes! These may not be like the ones I used to bring home to my cousin's (no pixie dust on them) but they were so yummy.

More loveliness here »