Naturally Curly Hair

A great article for dealing with natural curly hair.

http://www.wikihow.com/Image:Curlygirl_127.JPG

A sulfate free shampoo I'm trying out. If I like the results in a few weeks, I'll post a pic.

http://www.enjoyhaircare.com/

It's almost over..

So the year of firsts is almost over. Here's probably my last report of some of the new things I tried this year. Looking back, I did a lot of new stuff and I'm pretty proud that I'm making the most of it. I recommend trying a year of firsts to everyone.

1. I ran a 5K marathon! Now, if you know me at all, I HATE running. I wasn't even sure if I could finish the race, but I did it. The cool part was learning that I was really slow but there was still 7 thousand people behind me. The not so cool part was the hill included in the run that we weren't warned about. Aye!

2. I bought my first pair of bowling shoes. I looked for the ugliest and loudest ones I could fine, but they didn't have the ones I really wanted in my size. So, I'm content with these super cool bright hot pink/purple ones I got for a great price of 35 bucks with free shipping. If you're interested, try bowlingball.com.

3. I cooked squash. It's so darn easy and so tasty. Why have I never tried it before? I sliced up some italian squash and steamed them and put a tiny bit of cheese on top. With Kimi's tips, I'm gonna try eggplant next.

With two days left in the new year, I wonder if I'll be able to add any last "firsts" to my list. Wish me luck.

Gav and the Singing Basque Man

Here's one of the guys that sang for me. Who or what are Basque people? Check it out for yourself. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basque_people

More Firsts! Meeting Basque People on My Birthday!

I started off my birthday weekend with a family party at my house. In addition to the fantabulous food (beef stroganoff, squash, and salad) my mom so lovingly made, we played the game, "Left, Right, Center." And the winner of all the money?... Monisa, the other birthday girl, lucky dog. Well despite my bad luck, it was so entertaining to watch my family act like they were about to win the lottery every time the last dollar headed their way. My poor neighbors had to hear all the loud commotion spilling from my garage/dance floor/party hall. I'm sure I'll get a strongly worded letter from the association for it. So worth it though!

And...I can't forget to give a shout out to the family for making me laugh while they dressed up in the Mexican fiesta garb I had left over from Kimi's party! You guys crack me up! I'll always remember this birthday.

So onto Saturday night on my birthday weekend...

While at a party at Kimi's brother's house...

Kimi: Oh what's this?
John: It's Basque cheese. It's soooo good!
Kimi: Oh Marlene is Basque!
John: Impossible! There are no Basques, they are extinct.

And thus began the conversation about my Basque lineage and the decision to have my birthday dinner with my friends at a Basque-French restaurant in Chino, California. We had a family style dinner complete with chicken, beef, salad, lentil soup and yes, french fries. Oh my goodness, the food was so good. We chowed down faster than the Basque people could corral some sheep into the fold. The restaurant is quaint and looks a bit like you've stepped into a time warp with the wood-panel walls and all, but who cares when there's plenty of good food and great service.

The highlights of the night?... no, not hanging out in the Regal Begal looking lounge, but rather getting serenaded by two Basque men in the unique Euskara (official Basque) language. And, in honor of my request to not give me the usual bday gifts, I got a coffee mug from each of my friends accompanied by a unique story. Rita, Jason, Gav, Kimi, Rod, Chris, Shyla, and tall guy really out did themselves. It was a laughter filled night to remember!

And for the grand finale...
On Sunday morning, my mom, dad and I went to breakfast and at night I headed to the Carrie Underwood concert with Kristi. I have to say, Carrie Underwood is such a talented performer. My favorite part?... no not watching the two drunk girls with bad hair swaying and belting out every song... it was when Carrie sang her version of "Paradise City." Man! She rocked the house. I also have to mention the opening act, Little Big Town. Their powerful county/blues vocals blew us away.

All in all, this was the best birthday ever. Two big thumbs up!

Be sure to try the family style dinner at the Basque place sometime!

Centro Basco
(909) 628-9014
13432 Central Ave, Chino, CA
Get Directions

Just an old pic of White Water Rafting

I finally got some of the pics that Kimi sent. I almost forgot all the fun things I actually did this summer.

At the Ruins in Cancun and Bad Hair

Lucky for me (and you) this pic was taken from far away. Think about it people. I was in Cancun, a VERY humid place, I have naturally curly hair, AND I pretty much had run outta mouse by the fourth day I was there. For the last portion of the trip, my hair could be described as big, big, big, and outta control. I tried tying it down, and did my best, but boy I looked hideous! You should try finding a decent bottle of mouse in the tiny, dusty pharmacias of Mexico; nearly impossible! As I was feverishly hunting down some sort of hair control product, I did happen upon a can of the Loreal FX Studio Invisi spray, Extra Fuerte for 55 pesos (5 dollars and 50 cents). For those of you not fortunate to have experienced this product, let me just say that it is officially the worst hair product known to modern man. It did work for a few hours on the day of the wedding, but by the reception time, I was a mess. Ah well, when it comes to hair like mine, it's live and learn my friends, live and learn.

Tortillas y Iguanas

Here's more firsts.

Gotta love iguanas that love tortillas! After Cozumel and the Mayan Riviera, we went to Cancun for a tour of the Mayan ruins, some crazy zip lining through the jungle, and repelling into the cenotes (caves). By this portion of the trip, the four of us friends met up with Rita and Jason. This of course created a problem for our tour guide Tristan because when we are all together, we can't stop laughing. Poor Tristan, he never had a chance of getting in his ecological lecture on stalactite and stalagmite formations in the Mexican caves. No lecture for us! We were too busy pretending we were pirates looking for treasure and acting like we were in the Little Mermaid movie.

After all the zip-lining and such, we also went to a zoo and got to hold baby alligators, wrap snakes around our necks, and feed monkeys. The only part I hated about this was the crazy mosquitos. Come on people, I don't care what bug spray you buy, there are no survivors after visiting the wild animal zoo in Mexico. I'm happy I did it, but I don't recommend it. Every time I get sick now, I think I have West Nile. Muy scary!