The Fall and Halloween Adventures

 The first half of fall has been exciting! 

Gabe (Mr. Gabriel) started teaching at Tutor Time as a full time per-school teacher. He has 9 three year olds and is loving it! Every day he comes home with the best stories.

Our friend Sarah got married and we had a great time partying with our "Drunkin Bums". I even got to do a reading in the wedding.

We danced the day away! Even though it was the hottest day in September! 100+ UGH!

By October I went back to work full time with Imagination Machine and even helped out a friend with a few special events. I love days where I can play a pirate, perform at the Improv, and party with my friends.
Imagination Machine LA is growing too and I am so excited to see what the spring will bring for our growing company!
www.imaginationmachinela.com 


Halloween we did our first ever group costume! We joined the Adventure Time gang as Jake the Dog and the Lumpy Space Princess!
We had a blast at the two parties and did really well in the costume contest! (But we didn't win...)

 Jake the Dog, LSP, Young Ice King, Marceline, and FINN! 

On Halloween night I made us a fancy harvest dinner of slow cooked pork tenderloin stuffed with apples, honey and cinnamon! So Good! We watched the 1958 version of The Blog and passed out candy to the neighborhood.
Good times had by all.

 

There is so much craziness in the world right now... With politics, hurricanes, and the threat of war; it's hard to focus on much else. We are so blessed and thankful for the little things that bring us so much joy. I thank God every day for the joy I have. May this joy and love flow over into all who are in our live.

Happy Halloween!

The '66 Mustang and Me

Today my parents are selling our '66 Mustang. I am sad, but I have always known this day would come. 

My dad bought the Mustang for me when I was 17. Needless to say, I was a very lucky and grateful girl. The first morning of my junior year of high school I drove it in the company of my two girlfriends, Cassie and Sarah. I was far too excited to "let the car warm up before you drive it", as dad told me. We jumped in the car and drove off to school.... Then staled out about 30 times as we slowly made our way to campus, laughing the whole time! So much for a grand entrance.

I have so many wonderful memories with that car. I was no where near "cool", but I do feel like that beautiful teal green mustang gave me a little help. 

We would go cruising at lunch and after school. I loved being able to pull up on campus, behind the band room. We didn't rent a limo for Winter Formal, we all piled into the Mustang. I remember the night the band was out late for Homecoming, and one of the drummers unraveled (by mistake) the fabric on the inside, because he couldn't stop drumming on the seat. #adrummerthing 

The night we opened the Spring Musical was the first night I got pulled over. Nadia and I were so excited about our show and I guess we charmed the nice police man and he let me go. (That, unfortunately, never happened again.) The only bad thing about the car was the stereo system. A very bad tape player that usually hated everything. There was only one tape that always played. NOFX, Punk in Drublic. That stayed in the car, long after high school. Fats, Adam, Brian and I would rock out to nothing else. (Mostly because we couldn't.) Jennifer Harris and I had matching Mustangs. This always made the adventures of the weekend that much sweeter. We always had fun and we were "safe"... For the most part. I was a 17 year old who knew how to keep cool and toss the car into neutral so she could restart the engine before being hit by on coming traffic! (This was before dad rebuilt the engine.) 

I got my first job at Disney and in 1999 the Tinker Bell sticker was added to the center of the back window. I would like to say that I was the first person I knew to have Tink on their car. Maybe I started a trend! Or maybe I just worked for Disney at the right time. There I met my second Mustang buddy, Breanne. You know someone is awesome when they can do their own custom paint job on their '67. 

In 2003 I got a "real" car. The mustang moved back to my parents house and we only saw each other on the weekends. Dad took off Tinker Bell and it became his new fun car. I was okay with this, but in my heart, it will always be my car. 

The day Gabe and I got married, we drove my mustang off into the sunset. Now it drives off to Oregon, to join a new family and make new, wonderful memories for them. And Mr. and Mrs. New Mustang Owner, if she ever gets lonely just play The Brews, she likes that song. 

Summer Fun for Everyone!

The craziness of the spring came to an end and now we can relax and enjoy our summer! We started off our summer with a bang of a BBQ! About 60 of our closest friends came over to celebrate summer with us. It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon and we couldn't have asked for a more perfect day!

 When you have about 60 people at your home, the line for the bathroom can get a little long. Sorry guys!

As the sun set, the last of our friends enjoyed some good food and great conversation.

After 80 kabobs, 20 burgers (for the kids), side dishes, pulled pork, beer, sangria, and about 60 water balloons... there was not much left of the food table!

We closed out the night with glow stick fun! I had filled mason jars with water, then everyone got to make their own lantern for the table by pouring in an opened glow stick! This was so fun and looked so very cool!

We have been so very busy with work and shows, that time with our friends had been put on the back burner. Thank God we got to have everyone over to make up for 6 months of lost time. We are so blessed to have so many colorful friends.

Cats and Robins

We are very excited to announce that Gabe and I are now parents! We have adopted two of the most adorable kittens in the whole wide world!

Introducing:
Cuthbert
(Named from the Dark Tower books, Cuthbert is the Gunslinger's bff)
We thought Cuthbert was a boy, at first. But she is a shy and very silly (and very fuzzy) little girl. Even the vet had a hard time telling her gender.

and

Khaleesi 
The Mother of Dragons (named from Game of Thrones). She is a spunky and playful little one who seems to really like us!

My Disney friend Jenn helped us adopt these little guys. They were living in a garage and needed some love. Ever since losing Handsome Dan last year, we have been missing being pet parents. We didn't think it was the right time to get another dog, but a kitten, that was very do-able. We had no intention in adopting two of them! We had wanted a black one, but Khaleesi (the tabby) was brought out first. Then when Cuthbert was found and brought to us we couldn't decide.
Then Gabe said, "Should we take home two?!?"
Now we are the proud owners of two little balls of fluff. So far they are being very good and we are having a ball!!!

Here's to "dog people" becoming "cat people"! And someday we will get another puppy dog and then they will all be good friends! (Let's hope so...)

Valentin's Day and Other Things that Scare Us

I feel as though Valentine's Day has been given a bad reputation. So many of my friends seem to do one of two things...

1) The "Have to":
Going through the motions is something we do a lot. We get through a tough day at work by going through the motions. We eat our vegetables three times a day because we have to.  We pay our bills, sit back, and think to ourselves, "There, I can check that off my list now!" These are things that are, many times meaningless and time consuming. And yet... More of us feel like we HAVE TO face Valentine's Day and just get through it so we can move on with the rest of our lives.
So sad.

or

2) The "We Don't Celebrate Valentine's Day":
Ah yes. We hate corporate America and everything "they" stand for. God forbid they contrive a holiday dedicated to loving others just so they can sell us stuff! How dare they! Don't get me wrong... I get the back lash. We all have a knee jerk reaction when we are told we have to do something.




The thing is, I like doing things for my friends and loved ones. I guess it just rubs me the wrong way when a nice day dedicated to loving others is taken to too many stressful extremes.  I don't see what is so bad about having a day set aside to makes others feel special. Yes, I do agree with the idea of making people feel special every day, but let's be honest. We don't do it!

I tell my husband I love him every day. He knows he is loved and so do my parents and friends. But every day... is every day, and special IS SPECIAL! We all love the feeling of something unexpected. Seeing a card on the table with your name on it. Showing up to work and seeing a co-worker baked cookies for the office. Or getting a special gift in the mail from Mom. These are things that do not happen every day, and yet, they bring a little joy and excitement to the normal routine of life.

Don't let a silly day designed to boost greeting card sales stress you out. Let it bring out the best in you! Without spending any money at all, we can let someone know we love them. Personal notes or love letters, cooking a meal or sweets, going for a walk, or just making a phone call. These are things that put a smile on all our faces. Pass on the love today!

Here's to a beautiful Valentine's Day!

-amber  <3

The Scientific Creed

I've recently been engaged in a very interesting, thoughtful, and respectful conversation that is as old as recorded history. The topic; The Existence of God: Myth or Reality. It is so interesting to be the one to argue for the very things that I used to argue against. I feel like because I claim to be a Christian, though, certain stereotypes are thrust upon me. I hope I do not come off as a Bible thumping, close minded, idiot to others when I talk about my faith, but I felt that I needed to clarify a few things.

I believe in Science as the basis for understanding the Universe that we live in.
I believe that there are laws and rules that exist that can be tested, retested and confirmed to explain just about everything that exists in the universe.
I believe that what we don't understand we will figure out if given enough time and curiosity.
I believe in Albert Einstein (Science praise his name) and his theory of relativity.
I believe that E does in fact equal mc squared and that to my best understanding this means that matter can not be made from nothing and cannot simply cease to exist. It can only change form.
I believe that the beginning of the Universe is something that can be completely understood and validated using the scientific method.
I believe that the theory of evolution is a completely valid theory that has lots of data to support it. It seems to me a reasonable concept and therefore it is a part of my worldview until proven otherwise by scientific data of equal measure.
I do believe in dinosaurs.



 Its funny; I was the number one champion of the Bible being a useless, antiquated book of legends that had no relevance to reality of the world or God. Even the concept of 'God' I had a hard time reasoning into my worldview. I wanted to believe, but there are so many contradictions and a lot of manipulation within religion that it seemed impossible to know any kind of Truth about God.

I traveled down many paths in search of God and if there was a God that could fit into reality in a very real sense. I considered becoming a Buddhist, but the lack of a God within the philosophy was a big turn off. I'm not interested in attaining something over many lifetimes. I'm not interested in tuning into my self to find the best way to be detached from this earthly world. What I'm interested in is living in the world and being a part of the positive changes that are needed to propel mankind towards its destiny. What I'm interested in is being a force of Good in a world of so much anger, violence, hate, and pain. I'm not interested in getting into heaven after I die, I just want my life to mean something when I'm done with it. What I'm interested in is living my life in a way that reflects the beauty that I feel in my heart when I think of the way the universe works. Reality is a wonderful dance of mathematics, chemistry, and light. We have been given the ability to appreciate this harmony and marvel at just the beauty we can see and understand.

In my heart of hearts I know that there is something that designed all this. The ultimate Choreographer of this dance. The more I learn about the laws of science, the wisdom of history, the value of anthropology and archaeology the more I am in awe of the Creation. I long to know the Creator of such an amazing design and so my search began at a young age and still continues to this day.

All this to say that when I used to argue the practicality of paganism, the wisdom of Taoism, or the obviousness of deism at the very least, when put up against the nonsense of the Bible, I didn't have near the kind of blow back that I have found when I try to prove the validity of the Bible or even the existence of God. Its so funny to me because I've actually read the entire Bible from cover to cover. I read it as just another book on the path, and at the age of 21 it was probably one of the only so called Holy Books that I hadn't taken the time to read. Even though I had countless arguments against it and even mocked it on more than one occasion. I even read the Satanic Bible long before I decided to read the actual Bible. The story struck a cord with me and led me to believe that Jesus really is God incarnate and that his teachings are the Truth and the Way to fully know God and live as one of His. Its so ironic that I have now become the Christian arguing in favor of the faith and I'm coming up against all the questions that I used to throw out. I'm even looked down on in some respects as a person that believes in fairy tales and should be pitied. In a way its kind of fun because I know why I believe what I believe. I have an answer that satisfies me and I marvel as to why it doesn't always satisfy everyone. I don't worry about it though. I wish everyone the best and always enjoy a good conversation.

Gabriel 8>)

Out with the Old!

2012 is finally here! 

I am usually not one for new years resolutions, but this year they seem to be the theme of our home. 


Gabe will be taking the "vow of the Nazarite" for the whole year. No drinking, no shaving his beard, (plus a few other, less impact-full rules). This is big! He has been looking forward to this 2012 stuff for so long. I am very proud of him. 

Gabe's last bottle of wine

My new years resolution is to get my blood pressure down to a normal level, hopefully with out medication. We are on a new, low sodium, diet and feeling great! It is only our first week in, so far so good.


We closed out our holiday season with a bang of a party! Our Fancy Robins Holiday party was a hit! We had about 40+ of our closest friends over. Everyone looked their best and had a great time. We had wine and yummy food and even a s'more roasting station! (at least until the fire got too big and we had to put it out... Live and learn.) We are so blessed by all the awesome people in our lives.

Heather and I being festive and fancy!

I was ambitious this season and decided to MAKE my own tree bulbs. The theme for the season was "rustic" so I got creative and found some fun DIY ideas on Pintrest! (yes, I am hooked!) The house looked great!

Homemade ornaments!

On Christmas my dad gave Gabe an awesome sword! It is a replica of "Sting" from the LOTR stories. So cool! I also gave Gabe a drawing of the Hulk. It was drawn by cartoonist, Terry Moore. The Hulk is in the lotus position! Someday he will get it turned into a tattoo. Needless to say Gabe made out this year! *wink* I was given a beautiful sapphire necklace from my Gabriel (>love<), a great pair of boots from my father in law and Gabe's mom gave us a Sonic Care tooth brush! (So excited!) Hey, it's the little things in life, right?

Sting!

"Hulk not destroy!"

We are now back to the grind. Work has started back up for both of us and the wheels keep on turning. IM LA has had two more bookings just in the last week! Gabe will start rehearsal for Robin Hood this coming Monday. (He will be playing Friar Tuck! How perfect is that?!) 


www.theimaginationmachine.com  - For information on The Imagination Machine
www.mavericktheater.com - For Robin Hood tickets!


I am so excited for this year. I think that the Mayans were right; things may be coming to an end, and new things are beginning!