So, I'm 25 now. The transition was relatively painless. Except for the part when we froze our katookuses off under the gazebo. And the part where we couldn't light the candles on my cake 'cause it was WAY too windy. Oh, and the part where the hamburgers were stone cold by the time we transferred them from the grill to the picnic table 6 feet away. But we huddled together for warmth and managed to stick it out until the sun went down. It was good times. Yep, it sure was.
So, here's to another year of life. I don't know how it could POSSIBLY be better than 24 but one could only hope. Blah, blah, blah - life is good. Yes, it is.

So, I've got this thing about birthdays. I think that when it's your birthday, you can wear whatever the heck you want. I mean it - ANYTHING! Stripes with plaids, polka dots and...well, what doesn't go with polka dots?! Anyway, you get the picture. For example, last year, at my birthday party, I wore a black and silver feather boa and a red John Mayer trucker hat. Now THAT was a great outfit. Today, I'm wearing white linen pants. Forget that it's completely unrealistic to expect me to stay clean on any given day at the office but that goes double when I'm wearing white. And white pants? Oh, boy. Bring on the stains. And let's not forget that it's not even officially summer yet (I think the first day of summer is tomorrow) and isnt' there some sort of rule about that? Or is it for shoes? Either way, I'm wearin' white pants today and I'm lovin' every minute of it! Wanna know why? 'Cause it's my birthday and I can do what I want, dang it!
Cheers, mates. Thanks for all the cards and well-wishing. My peeps rock. That's all there is to it.
P.S. My best present so far came from my sister-in-law at 12:33am ET. A baby girl! Yep, that's right. Lillian Hope Davis was born on MY birthday! It's pretty much the best present ever! Yay for babies!

It's official, I'm well on my way to putting down roots in the Sunshine State. Well, I'll keep out of jail at least! I got my driver's license today. And not a moment too soon! My Washington license expires tomorrow so it was imperitive that I pass the test. Minus 3, baby! I think that's the equivalent of a perfect score on the Mensa test, isn't it?!

'Nuff said, right? I think so.
Okay, okay, I'll tell you all about it. But, just so you know, my purposes are completely selfish - I just want someone to gush to! And you, dear reader, are the lucky winner!
That said, my whole life, people have told me how phenomenal Les Miserables is on stage. Honestly, I don't think I've ever heard a bad thing about it. Everyone loves it. As a matter of fact, a guy I know that doesn't like anything said that he liked Les Mis. Crazy, know. Anyway, so blah-blah-blah, people think it's great. But you know how someone talks up a movie too much and then you go in half-expecting to be completely disappointed? Well, that's sort of how I was feeling. Angel and I were late (common occurance) and we missed the first act so I was kind of thrown right into the middle of it. Which, really, wasn't that big of a deal because I was familiar with the story. ANYWAY (this story is getting WAY too long), the first bit was good but I wasn't really moved, per se. All that changed in the second act. Let it suffice to say that I was bawling like a single woman watching Sleepless in Seattle. Yep, it's true. I was trying to hide it from Angel but the tears were comin' all the same. I couldn't talk for about 30 minutes after the show 'cause I'd get all choked up when I tried to talk about it. Bottom line, I saw Les Mis and now I'm a believer. It's beautiful. I just love that it's about love and forgiveness and mercy and relationships. It's just sweet and beautiful. Oh, it's beautiful. I'm seriously gettin' teary just bloggin' about it. It's nice to experience something that moves you so deeply every once in awhile. Things like that don't come along very often these days.
I think the show is going to stop touring after this year (LA is one of the last stops) but if you've never seen it then make sure you fit it somewhere into your life plan. As one who was unenlighted to the power and beauty of Les Miserables, trust me, you won't regret it.

Okay, for the peeps who are prone to bouts of jealousy due to my awesome adventures, I give you - The Getty Villa. We're headin' up to Malibu on July 22nd for a day of strolling among Greek, Roman and Etruscan masterpieces. Everyone is welcome but you have to lemme know if you're comin' so I can get you tickets.
For the Utah peeps bound for Mexico in November, this might be a fun side trip. I don't know if we'll have TONS of time but we could probably take a gander up the PCH. Somethin' to consider.
Ciao, babes.

On Friday, Angel and I went to The J. Paul Getty Museum in LA. It was AWESOME! It was really great to be back in a museum around so many beautiful works of art. The Getty has quite a broad collection. Seriously, they've got something for everyone - Rodin, Monet, Van Gogh, Renoir - gang's all there. In fact, we caught the tail end of one of the tours and we happened upon Van Gogh's "Irises" and overheard the tourguide telling the people that The Getty Institute acquired the piece in 1989 for the bargain price of 50 million dollars. That's right, 50 MILLION DOLLARS! All I have to say is, I'd like the kind of financial backing The Getty is getting. I can't even imagine having that kind of money to burn. All in the name of the arts, I guess.
The Getty has gardens, too. They're awesome. There's a really neat abstract cluster of bushes in the middle of a pond - it's pretty cool. It's like a jetty at the Getty!
The weather was so beautiful so The Getty was at it's best! It's really open and airy so good weather days make it unbelievably enjoyable. There were clear skies out across Los Angeles, too. Amazing. All in all, a perfect day.
Bottom line, if you haven't been to The Getty, you'd better getty there!

So, my old pal Richard showed up on my doorstep last night for a visit! Oh, boy! It was a total surprise! It was so good to see him and hug him and walk on the beach with him and laugh my head off with him. Sometimes I forget how great it is to have friends pop in and out every once in while. Things got off to a rocky start (see story below) but we ended up havin' a great time. We went to Laguna Beach and watched the surfers. We even saw dolphins! Richard was so cute - he loved the beach. Then we all went home and nestled in our beds for a long winter's nap. Okay, it was a short summer nap but you get the point. All in all, a great time!

After work yesterday, I had the worst headache. So, when Richard came I was taking a nap. I heard Angel answer the door but I just rolled over and went back to sleep. The next thing I knew, she was like, "Paula! Paula! I need you to come help me with something in the living room!" And I was like, "Huh?!" So then she said, "You have a visitor! Get up!" So I rolled out of bed in a haze and stumbled to the living room. So, I'm standing in the hallway looking at Richard on the couch and then I look back at Angel. Then back at Richard. Then back at Angel. Back to Richard, again. And for some reason (probably due to sleepy haze), it just wasn't processing. I didn't recognize Richard and I was thinkin' Angel needed help with something but I couldn't figure out what she needed help with. I just didn't know what was going on. Then, all of the sudden the haze cleared and I yelled, "RICHARD!" And then it was all good. It was really funny, though. Maybe you just had to be there. The end.

Isn't it funny how little things spark these deep moments of introspection? Angel and I discovered a really great new singer - Tyrone Wells. During one of his live shows, Tyrone talks about getting past the glitz and glamour of life to realize that what matters most are the relationships you have with people - relationships with family, friends and God. I was listening to a live recording of one of his shows and I was reminded about what he said. It's amazing to me that, when all is said and done, it really is the relationships that bring the spark to life and make it all worthwhile. It really is what matters most.