LA Life

Sunny Los Angeles holds the key to my heart. For people living in L.A., it is an opportunity to fulfill their dreams. You never know who you will meet on the street or happen to sit beside in a restaurant. It's where the most influential people in the movie business reside.

From the hip and trendy nightclubs to the amazing eateries around the city, it is a social hub for those to see, and for those who want to be seen.

One of my favourite places that I stayed at while in L.A. was the JW Marriott. The hotel is located right in the L.A. Live district, where movie premiers happen and where many celebrities hang out on a daily basis. The hotel is luxury in every way, and is close to all the great entertainment venues like Staples Center, Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE, Regal Cinemas and many eclectic restaurants.

The kids really liked the hotel because of the movie premier of The Immortals that happened just across from us during our stay. They also liked the Grammy Museum at LA Live, where interactive displays helped them learn about musicians past and present.

One of our favourite places we visited as a family was the farmers' market at Grove Shopping Centre. There were so many amazing eateries and shopping opportunities in the market. A trolley runs down the middle of the market for shoppers whose feet have packed it in. My daughter loved the fact that the market also had an American Girl store. Although my wallet took a hit, it was an opportunity for her to visit one of the largest American Girl stores in the world.

The kids really enjoyed our visit to Knotts Berry Farms. The rides were diverse, and allowed for both kids (age eight and five) to get a thrill. From the Silver Bullet (the park's first ever suspended coaster) to the rides at Camp Snoopy, the kids had a full, fun-filled day with many adventures. One of the highlights was dinner at Mrs. Knotts Chicken Dinner Restaurant. The restaurant, which is legendary, has been serving chicken dinners since 1934. Each dinner consists of warm biscuits, soup, fried chicken with mashed potatoes, gravy, vegetables and, of course, its famous boysenberry pie. Although I had to be rolled out of the restaurant after the meal, it was divine in every way. And the best part was the kids ate their entire meal as well.

We also stayed at Sheraton Universal Hotel, known as "Hotel of the Stars." The landmark inn is located on the back lot of Universal Studios. It was interesting to see the many pictures of Hollywood icons adorning its walls.

The hotel offers a free tram to the Universal Studios lot, which made it a breeze for us to get there. Universal Studios had many great rides, although some were not age-appropriate for our clan. For example, The Simpsons ride was thrilling for my son, but a bit too scary for my daughter. We all thoroughly enjoyed the back-lot studio tour, where we were able to experience the new King Kong 360 3D. For me, I was thrilled to visit Wisteria Lane. And for those who don't know where that is, you need to be a fan of the show Desperate Housewives (which I desperately am). There was a fantastic celebrity animal show in the afternoon, which my son volunteered to be part of. He was on stage with some of his favourite celebrity dogs from the movie Hotel for Dogs. It was truly a day he won't soon forget.

The L.A. Zoo and Botanical Gardens was also great to visit with the kids. The zoo has some incredible mammals like armadillos, massive giraffes, staggering hippos and, of course, the campo gorilla reserve. It was truly humbling to be so close to the gorillas in their habitat.

Last, but certainly not least, was our visit to Santa Monica. There are literally 30 city blocks of retail stores, entertainment and dining. The pier along the beach was spectacular, and boasts an amusement park at the end of it. We stayed the entire day in Santa Monica experiencing all the fun activities, including an actual outdoor skating rink at the beach.

My "40 under 40" goal to visit L.A. and see all it has to offer (beyond Disneyland) did not disappoint. It was everything I had hoped it to be, and so much more.

If you go, here are some other recommended places to eat:

WP24 by Wolfgang Puck. It's located in the Ritz-Carlton, it offers modern Chinese fare with panoramic views of L.A. Prices are higher but the food is amazing.

L.A. Market Restaurant, created by acclaimed "Rock 'n Roll" celebrity chef Kerry Simon. Creative, American cuisine with a California flair. Moderately priced. A must-have is a dessert called the Junk Food Platter, which features childhood favourites like cotton candy and Hostess cupcakes.

El Cholo dishes up Mexican food inexpensively. Try the guacamole, made fresh at your table.

The Immortals Movie Premier

One night my family took in the movie premier of The Immortals.  It was incredible to see the crowds at J.W. Live line up at the theatre across from the hotel to get the chance to be the first to see the movie.

We watched in anticipation many stars walked the red carpet, smiled for pictures and made their way towards the theatre.

Fifty Cent being interviewed

Fifty Cent was there to show his support and said a few words to an interviewer who was standing on the red carpet.  As I am a big fan of his music, it was great to hear him talk about his work and why he was there to support the movie.

As a person who has only ever seen the red carpet movie premiers through the set of a television – getting to see it up close and personal, made it even more impressive.

Me at the Hollywood Walk of Fame

The Most Beautiful Island in the World

So I'm off shortly to visit one of the world's most romantic and beautiful spots in the world - that's right, Bora Bora.  

Under a one hour flight from the island of Tahiti, is the island of Bora Bora.

Bora Bora is an island in the Leeward group of the Society Island of French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in the Pacific Ocean.


With a lagoon comprised of blues and greens, it was love at first sight for me many years ago, when I saw pictures of the island and savoured it on a screen saver in my home office.

The surrounding slopes are lush and tropical and the valleys blossom with hibiscus.  The perfect white sand is what I'm most looking forward to - and the colourful fish that surround the island (including sharks and giant manta rays). 

I will be staying in an over water bungalow with a thatched roof - a true dream come true for me. That's why it's a top 40 Under 40 goal that I'm going to relish for years to come.


My ultimate paradise awaits............

A Mountainous Goal

As a child who grew up on the Prairies, there weren't a lot of downhill activities in the area.

However, when I moved to B.C., I had high hopes that I would take full advantage of the glorious mountains around me - I just needed a perfect time to do it.


Now, flash forward 20 years, and I'm still waiting.

My time came last week when I signed myself and my family up for a snowboarding lesson at Mount Seymour. I knew that having it as one of my top "40 Under 40" adventures would not only be a great experience for me, but for my children as well.

Although I've never been on a snowboard, the concept of it seemed relatively straightforward. I was fairly confident that the two-hour snowboarding lesson would be more than enough to get me comfortable. That is, until my first foot was strapped in by my instructor, Emily Fonda. I felt awkward and a bit unsteady as I stood learning about how to manipulate my board and shift my weight as I go downhill.

My son and daughter receiving a lesson on proper use of their board

Fonda had us lift our board up and down using the foot that was strapped in. This helped us get comfortable with the board.

She then had each of us use our free foot to push ourselves forward and place it on the board to get used to the motion on a gentle slope.

Learning to glide is an important skill to learn first as it gets you comfortable with shifting your weight forward and gaining snowboard control. We also practised how to stop (which is a very important aspect for me). Fonda also encouraged us to spread our arms for balance. Once we practised our gliding, we were ready to hit the "bunny hill" -much to the children's relief who were just itching to try it out.

My daughter was the first to go, and Fonda helped guide her down. She fell only twice and managed to keep her balance for most of the run. My eight-year-old son and my husband both barreled down the hill with no fear, and only fell once on the way down.

Then it was my turn. As I gently started out, I could feel myself leaning too far back, and wound up on my butt. I tried again, and discovered that I did the same thing, and found myself butt first, in the snow. Fonda helped me shift my weight forward and told me to look toward where I wanted to go.

It worked. Once she let me go, I found myself enjoying the ride down and was able to stop somewhat gracefully at the bottom.

The new "Goldie Magic Carpet" (a new conveyor lift for the slope) made the trek up the hill a breeze for the family. The kids didn't have to worry about hanging on to a rope and were able to enjoy their ride back up to the top.

Me and my snowboarding instructor Emily Fonda

My son absolutely loved snowboarding (as did his dad) and my five-year-old daughter did as well, although she was tired after a few runs. The lesson we had from Fonda was extremely useful and I recommend taking one for anyone new to the sport.

For me, despite falling several times and using muscles I never knew I had, I enjoyed it immensely. I plan on going back soon to practise what I've learned, and to try not to fall down so often.

And for this gal from the Prairies, I've finally achieved a "mountainous" goal.....20 years in the making.

Jump in to 2012

There's nothing like ringing in the New Year submerged in ice cold water! ;)  It's refreshing, its invigorating, and more than anything - it is motivating!

What most people would deem "crazy", I deem inspirational.  It's true not many people would give up their warm beds for a dip in the ocean on New Year's Day but isn't that the point? The Polar Bear swim was not one of my 40 under 40 goals to do, however, its because I've been doing it for the past twelve years.  I started in 2000 and never stopped. It's become a statement on how I want to live my life.

If you want to shake yourself out of your routine for the year ahead, then do something that is outside of your comfort zone. It doesn't have to be jumping in to the ice cold ocean, but it could be going for that run or starting a new venture, or taking those French lessons you always wanted.

Me and my husband David feeling invigorated!

If you want to change things up in your life then you need to shake yourself out of your "sleep".  If you are in a bad pattern or routine and you want to get out of it, there is no better way than just jumping in with both feet and doing it. No more lip service to what you should be doing or why you can't do it.  It's disempowering.

So take action today and put the wheels in to motion to move towards where you want your life to be - and I guarantee you will never regret it. 

Other Brave souls taking the plunge at White Rock Beach,  BC

So what are you waiting for?  

Jump!