Lauren to the Fullest
Dino Day Exceeds My Expectations
The Los Angeles Natural History Museum has been sitting on my to do list for quite some time. Their recent addition, the new Dinosaur Hall, bumped the museum up to the top. Today, I finally crossed it off my list.
The new Dinosaur Hall was fantastic. The exhibit itself is very large and houses all the classic dinosaurs that anyone could name: the stegosaurs, triceratops, and of course the T-Rex, who the museum has nicknamed Thomas.
Thomas is the king of this exhibit, and not just because he’s on all of the promotional material. At a whopping 17 feet tall, Thomas towers over the other dinosaurs and makes you flashback to the final scene of Jurassic Park where the T-Rex fends off the raptors.
While Thomas may be the King, the show is definitely stolen by his entourage who with he shares the exhibit. The best part of the new Dinosaur Hall is the T-Rex trio: the baby, the teen, and the full-grown papa Rex Thomas. The baby T-Rex is what originally sold me on the exhibit, and for me, it’s the most unique and memorable part.
Speaking of memorable, I’ll have to tell you about my Dinosaur Encounter. Or perhaps my encounter with a Saber Tooth Tiger. Both are shows at the museum featuring life size and pretty realistic puppets. I attended both shows, and while the audience was comprised of families with children that were maybe a fourth of my age, this particular exhibit is by far the coolest part of the museum. Check it out.
http://s1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee475/laurentothefullest/?action=view¤t=MVI_5413.mp4
http://s1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee475/laurentothefullest/?action=view¤t=MVI_5450.mp4
If you make a trip to say hello to Thomas or have an encounter of your own, make sure you dedicate an hour or two to the other attractions in Exposition Park. Take a stroll through the Rose Garden and head over to the California Science Center. This hands on science museum is about as interactive as it gets and perfect for families. Did I mention it’s free?
Back and More Adventurous Than Ever
It’s been quite a while since I’ve payed my Tumblr a visit. I am happy to say that it’s because I’ve been doing exactly what I set out to do: live life to the fullest.
Over the last several months life has done a 180. I graduated college, joined the working world at a company I love, moved to a town I never thought I’d live in, and found the man of my dreams. Sounds like a busy few months, right?
Aside from all of the lessons associated with growing up, moving in with someone, and starting out life on your own, I’ve learned something else this past summer: living to the fullest takes a lot of effort and energy.
It wouldn’t be a weekend in my life if it wasn’t completely overpacked with things to do and places to go. Don’t get me wrong. I love it, but add a 40 hour work week on top of that and it gets really easy to just say I’d rather sleep in that day.
So far I haven’t let myself default to sleeping the day away and life has been pretty exciting. Luckily I’ve had someone to join me on all of my adventures this time.
Today’s adventure seemed like the perfect opportunity to bring the old blog back to life. If you know me personally, you know I’m a not so secret nerd. I’d pick Jurassic Park over a chick flick any day of the week.
You may or may not have heard of Destination Truth on Syfy, or it’s incredibly lucky host Josh Gates. He is the closest real life example of the most interesting man in the world. He’s paid to travel the world in search of legends, ghosts and monsters. Talk about lucky. (If you ever watch an episode, make sure it’s the one where they investigate the ghosts of Chernobyl. Be prepared to be terrified.)
He’s a true adventurer and a real life Indiana Jones. While my own adventures may not ever get to that level (because I’m not sure how I feel about wandering into dark caves in remote locations looking for the Yeti), it definitely inspires me to step it up a notch.
So here’s to finding more adventures and keeping this blog current. No more silence on my end. :)
Finally got a chance to see a Ducks game! It only took my until my senior year. Thanks DealGooder! :)
We had a great time at the Ducks game on Friday!
Were you happy the Ducks won?
Or are you still mourning the Kings loss?
Disneyland with Mr. Lincoln
This past weekend I had the opportunity to spend the day at Disneyland, thanks to a very generous friend. My parents were in town visiting, and they hadn’t been in years so I was excited to take them back to the park!
Luckily we avoided the rain that was supposed to dominate all of Saturday, but the threat of rain definitely scared off the crowds. Twenty minute wait for almost everything? It’s a rarity. We got through so much of the park that we took a break to try an attraction we’ve never been to: Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln.
Located near the entrance of the main park, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln is easy to walk past but is worth a stop, even if it’s only to rest. Out of place from the rest of the park, the attraction includes a video presentation of Walt Disney’s admiration for Abraham Lincoln, the history behind the attraction, and then Mr. Lincoln himself.
After the video, you go into a small theater where an animatronic Mr. Lincoln
delivers a speech to the audience.
The whole presentation is extremely patriotic to the point where you almost forget where you are. No, you’re not a museum. You’re still at theme park. I guess it’s a good example of Walt’s Disney, and the Disney of today.
Next time you pay a visit to the mouse, make sure to say hi to the former president. At the very least, you can take a breather from the crowds.
IFly: Skydiving without the Plane
Last Friday I had the chance to knock another item off my Southern California bucket list and try out IFly Hollywood at Universal City Walk. IFly is indoor skydiving in a wind tunnel, or in other words, skydiving without having to jump out of a plane and fall towards the earth. All of the fun, none of the scary stuff.
Usually IFly can be pricey, but it’s worth it. Plan on spending at least $60 if you’re a first time flyer, possibly more. Thanks to the folks at Travelzoo, I was able to go for about half the cost.
All first time flyers have to take an instructional class upon arrival. It’s short and teaches you the hand signals your instructor will be using during the flight. After that, you put on your jumpsuit and with relatively little training, you’re ready to go!
Surprisingly I wasn’t nervous when it came time to enter the wind tunnel. You enter by literally falling in face first, but you spread your arms and take flight almost instantly.
During your first flight your instructor holds on to you to help you adjust. Once you’re stable, your instructor takes you up high in the wind tunnel and helps you spin.
With a successful first flight under my belt, I felt confident going into my second flight. The second time, your instructor gives you more independence in the wind tunnel. He or she is there to just help you adjust if you’re having problems. Let’s just say my first flight was my best. Flying on your own definitely takes practice!
Return flyers can open a frequent flyer account and fly at much lower rate on standby. If you’re looking to learn the more advanced moves, having a frequent flyer account is the way to go.
If you live in the Southern California area or plan on visiting, IFly should definitely be on your to do list. It’s the perfect addition to any trip, and makes for an unforgettable date. How often do you have the chance to fly?
To learn more about IFly and to book your first flight visit iflyhollywood.com.
What I’ll Be Doing Tomorrow… Dancing!
Tomorrow I’m headed to the Second Annual Celtic Music Festival in Bakersfield! If you’re anywhere near you should check it out!
It’s a day of Celtic music featuring eight bands throughout the day including the Wicked Tinkers. If you come make sure you stay for the Wicked Tinkers and get ready to dance! There’s a reason they’re the finale!
As an added plus, Cafe Crepes is going to be there all day! I usually get their strawberry nutella crepe and it is fantastic! Word has it they will be introducing a new flavor at the festival… I think it’ll be having a couple crepes tomorrow.
General admission is $15 and students/seniors with ID are $10! It starts at 11:45am at the CSUB Amphitheater and goes until 10pm! Don’t miss it!
For more information or to purchase tickets, check out their website at http://www.kernscot.com/music-festival.html
Check out my article for DIWYY.com!
This last July I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to go after one of my dreams and climb Half Dome in Yosemite National Park! A few great friends came along on the journey with me. I recently wrote an article about the trip for DIWYY.com and it was just published today. Click the title of this post to link to the story. It’s my first published article so I can’t even tell you how excited I am!
The trip was incredible and one moment (that didn’t make the story) will always stick out in my mind. After making it up the cables and reaching the top we were absolutely exhausted. The trip down the cables was on our mind, and the realization that we were only halfway through our journey was very daunting. As we all stopped to catch our breath at the top, my friend Irvin decided to play Bob Marleys “Everythings Gonna Be Alright”. Now every time I hear that song I can’t help but smile and remember sitting on top of Half Dome with all of Yosemite beneath us.
Labor Day: A Weekend of Festivals
Labor Day Week is the perfect way to ease back into the rhythm of school. Having only completed one week of class so far, it was nice to take an extended weekend to relax and enjoy the special events that come along with the holiday. This Labor Day weekend, I attended both the International Street Fair and the Sweet & Hot Jazz Festival.
International Street Fair
If you are like me and food makes the list of your favorite things, then you need to add the International Street Fair to your agenda next Labor Day weekend. The fair features food from around the world, everywhere from Norway, to Greece, to Japan, to Germany. My personal favorite was Greek Street. My whole reason for attending the fair was to get my hands on a fresh Greek gyro. My mission was a complete success. 
Greek Street appeared to have the largest number of vendors. Aside from gyros, there were also a couple booths that featured handmade Greek pastries that looked delicious. The gyro booth was handing out fliers for free admission into the OC Greek Food Festival in May. In previous years I have attended the Bakersfield Greek Food festival and enjoyed myself immensely. You can count me in for the OC version!
I wandered through the whole fair and checked out what each booth had to offer. In addition to food, the fair also has a variety of vendors for everything from clothes to the Orange County Paranormal Society. Chapman University also had a booth, and was handing out Chapman key chains.
On my way out I stopped by The Perfect Circle Cupcakery and purchased a few of their bab
ycakes (mini versions of some of their most popular flavors) for the road.
Ever since TPC was featured on The Food Networks show Cup Cake Wars, people have flocked to the cupcakery. They have become so popular in fact, that since the episode aired I’ve had difficulty getting my cupcakes. They sell out very quickly. If you plan on paying them a visit, I highly recommend you stop by as soon as they open.
Sweet & Hot Jazz Festival
This festival has been a family tradition for as long as I can remember because it’s actually run by my family. It takes place every Labor Day Weekend at the wonderful LAX Marriott and features several different types of jazz. Whether you like Dixieland or you’re looking for a place to practice your swinging dancing skills, there is something for you at the Sweet & Hot Jazz Festival.
One of my favorite performances was by the Hughes Corporation. They have performed on Saturday night for the last few years. Famous for their disco hit “Rock the Boat”, the Hughes Corporation sings variety of music that gets you off your feet and on the dance floor.
Their performance always ends with their rendition of “Love Train”, which never fails to result in a giant train of people dancing around the room. If you’re a fan of jazz, this festival is not to be missed!
This weekend was a blast, and definitely busy. Thank goodness I have today to catch up on homework!
Getting my senior year classes should be as easy as pie, but unfortunately that hasn’t been the case. The fact that I’ve sat in on two semesters worth of classes in two days says it all. I am already in need of a major stress buster, and that reminded me of the time I took a Laughter Yoga class.
I discovered Laughter Yoga when I was given an assignment in my entertainment reporting class my sophomore year. I had to go out and film a story where I tried a new activity. So, I decided to give it a shot, not really sure what I was getting myself into.
Laughter Yoga has three great selling points. First, it meets on the beach! You will be running around in the sand and breathing in the fresh ocean air. Second, they meet every single day! The Laguna Beach Laughter Yoga Club meets Sundays through Friday at 8am, and Saturdays at 10am. Third, it’s absolutely free! They even tell you where you can park for free. You are never expected to pay for a class, though you can make a donation if you wish to.
The class, or perhaps a meeting is a better way to describe it, contains a minimal amount of yoga moves. The emphasis is really on the laughter. No, you don’t just sit around telling jokes to one another. You fake laugh while you run around pretending to be monkeys or spraying each other with imaginary laughter water. No, I am not kidding. You’ll find very quickly that your fake laughter will turn into real laughter. I had so much fun that I couldn’t wipe a smile off of my face for three days. I have only been to that one class, but if anyone wants to try it out, I’d love to hit the beach with you.
I added my video so you can see just what Laughter Yoga is all about. Keep in mind it was my sophomore year, so please ignore how my hair looks.
Check out the Laguna Laughter Yoga Club’s website at http://lyinstitute.org/the-laughter-club-experience/
