I ended up checking into a different hotel today. My hotel in Newport Beach was a little more out of the way than I had originally expected, and I didn’t want to drive an extra 30 minutes each way. I really liked the last hotel, too, but it just didn’t make sense to stay there.

So now I’m in Irvine.

I met with the hair stylist today and we spent a good part of the afternoon discussing the hair products and the ins and outs of our plan in moving forward. At the moment, I’m not really sure how I feel about everything. My business is doing very well and there’s tons of opportunity for growth, so I’m somewhat hesitant to complicate things right now. I guess we’ll see. We’re also planning to get together tomorrow night (which is my last night in California) to have dinner with my cousin Trevor, who may or may not have a role in this new company as well. He and I are going golfing tomorrow afternoon so that should be fun, too.

I was very busy this evening and didn’t end up finishing my work until about 11:15PM. After finishing my work, I decided to go for a run in the hotel fitness center, but I discovered it closed at 11:00PM – so I went for a 3 mile run outside instead. It’s always a little weird running in the dark, especially through unfamiliar neighborhoods, and since I always listen to music when I run, I’m always a little paranoid that someone might try to sneak up from behind me and kick me or something. So I usually run a little faster at night. I guess the thought of death motivates me to move a little more quickly!

This afternoon, James and I went to this upscale mall in the Newport area to check out some hair products, and in the process I decided to stop in the Louis Vuitton store. I had never been in a store like that before. There were multiple security guys wearing suits and ear pieces, and I kid you not, the prices in that store were OUTRAGEOUS. There was a Louis Vuitton stocking cap – you know, the kind you can get at Target for under $10 – for $400! A pair of men’s jeans were $800. I can only imagine how much the bags cost (they didn’t have price tags on them). I also stopped at a Porsche merchandise store, and their prices were crazy, too. A little Porsche key chain was $150.

Anyways, I don’t care if I had 10 billion dollars – I don’t think I could ever justify spending $400 for a stocking cap. Today was the end of Phase 2, and the last 10 days have been somewhat of a P90X setback, but I’m still moving forward, and look forward to getting back into my routine when I get back to Minnesota.

Even though it’s only been a few days, it seems like forever since I’ve updated this blog. It’s literally been one adventure after another, so let me recap the past few days so I can get YOU and the rest of the world caught up on my exciting life! Haha

So last Friday I left Fresno and drove 3+ hours to visit my friend Laina in Santa Cruz, CA. About half way into my trip, I stopped at this place called Casa de Fruta and man oh man… that place is amazing. They had TONS of gourmet sweets, nuts, fruits, wines, everything. I ended up buying some P90X-disapproved chocolate covered cherries and chocolate covered raisins, and Good God Almighty they were amazing. It’s definitely a place I would prefer visiting with company, but I had none, so screw it – I stopped anyways and can’t wait til my next visit.

Anyways, after a few more hours, I finally made it to Santa Cruz and all-in-all I had a good time. It had been 8+ years since I had seen Laina. I also met her new boyfriend, Doug. The three of us had dinner at some Mexican restaurant on the pier in Santa Cruz, and the only thing seperating me from the ocean was a piece of glass (and a 20 foot drop), so that was fun. We spent a good part of the night at some bar playing pool, darts, etc. For old times sake, I decided to rock the jukebox and I swear, if I was an unemployed, I’d be a DJ, and a phenomenal one at that! haha Although to be fair, I did hear some big guy in the bar say, “If I knew who played this music, I’d take him out back and beat his ass.” Needless to say, I didn’t tell him it was me. And no – I didn’t play ABC or MMM Bop.

That night, I ended up sleeping at some crap motel in Santa Cruz, which wasn’t part of my original plan, but it ended up being the best option for me. Laina and her boyfriend wanted to stay out much later than me, and I needed to wake up early the next morning for reasons I’ll get to later, so I unexpectedly got a motel room – all after midnight. Everything worked out, but it was unexpected and a little frustrating. Before I left Santa Cruz the next morning, Laina and I had breakfast at good ‘ol Denny’s, and I’m pretty sure I had the healthiest food Denny’s offered: 2 egg whites, 2 whole wheat pancakes, granola/milk, and turkey bacon.

I then drove 3 hours to Santa Maria, CA and checked into this really cool, historic hotel. I guess a lot of old-time celebrities stayed there back in the day, including Marilyn Monroe, Walter Mathau, etc and you knew which rooms they stayed in because it said so on the door. Some woman named Jane Novak stayed in my room – I had never heard of her, but apparently she was some big time actress back in the 50′s. So yea, we slept in the same bed. haha

Anyways, I ended up checking into the hotel at 3:30PM, and I literally spent the next 9 hours isolated in my hotel room working on my taxes, which were due in 2 days (tomorrow). I didn’t even once turn on the tv, which I’m pretty sure is a first for me in a hotel room. I did take a 2 hour break to have dinner and in the process checked out this wine tasting room/cellar in the hotel. I had a few glasses of wine and mingled with a few older couples. That was fun, but again, something that would have been more fun with someone I knew. I made the best of my situation though and met some cool people. I finished my taxes around 12:30AM Saturday night – then crashed. I ended up owing significantly less on my taxes than I was preparing, so in a sick, sick way it feels like I’m getting a big refund.

Because I didn’t really get to explore the hotel on Saturday, I strongly considered staying another night, but ultimately decided to checkout this afternoon. I did go for a good 3 mile run through Santa Maria before leaving, though. I guess I realized that I had a big day tomorrow, so I wanted to get to Newport Beach this afternoon instead of driving 4 hours in the morning. So here I am – in Newport Beach… again, and it’s still beautiful, albeit a little chillier than it was a month ago. I’m staying in this hotel until I leave on Wednesday, and it’s really nice and accommodating. I had dinner at the hotel bar this evening and I met some interesting people. This place even has its own little par 3 golf course, so I’ll probably check that out tomorrow evening. Lots of options, but I’m here for a reason – to make progress on the hair products, so that is my priority.

Tomorrow, I plan on getting a good, sweaty workout in at the hotel fitness center. It’s definitely one of the nicer fitness centers I’ve ever seen in a hotel, so I’m excited to make it my own tomorrow. I also have tons of orders to process for my company, so lots to do tomorrow, but it’s good to be in southern California again.

I’m driving to Santa Cruz tomorrow afternoon – it’s a beautiful, vibrant town on the ocean just a few hours away. I’m going to visit my friend Laina; she and I met at a summer camp years ago, so I thought it’d be fun to visit her since I am relatively close to her. Relatively close, but not real close. It’s a 3 hour drive to Santa Cruz. Normally 3 hours would be nothing, but then the next morning, I’m driving south to Newport Beach, and that’s a 6+ hour drive. And gas is $4.25+/gallon out here. So yea! Haha it’s not really that big of a deal. It’s nice being able to do these things. And actually, instead of driving all 6 hours on Saturday, I might decide to spend Saturday night somewhere on the ocean. You know, like my own little mini-vacation. We’ll see.

I took Papa to his radiation treatment again this afternoon. It took longer this time, but it was nice spending the time with him. I hope to spend a bit more time with him tomorrow before I leave Fresno. I don’t really know what else to say about it … I just hope time is on our side.

I’m excited for the next several days. Not so much for the driving, but even the time spent driving gives me time to reflect on everything – my business, relationships, goals. I’m anxious to get this new line of hair care products moving forward. Hopefully my partner and I make some great progress. I’m excited to see more of my family in southern CA. I’m anxious to finish my taxes (they’re due on Monday), although I can’t say I’m anxious to pay my taxes. Uncle Sam will be happy to see my tax return this year. Anyways … lots going on in the next week, and I’m excited to see it all unfold.

All that being said, I’m excited to return home so I can get back into my routine. With all that’s been going on, it’s been very hard fitting my P90X workouts into my schedule. It’s much easier to maintain progress when I’m home. On top of that, I miss my apartment, my family, friends, all of it. Soon enough … but first thing’s first.

Santa Cruz, here I come.

Today was a very busy day. My uncle Steve and I went golfing at a local par-3 golf course. It was a lot of fun and I was hitting the ball really well, so I’m excited to get out and play golf again once I get home. I used my aunt’s clubs, too, so I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but it went better than I expected.

Earlier this afternoon, I drove my grandpa to his radiation treatment at the Fresno Cancer Center, something he now does every day. Sitting there with him while we waited for his appointment was a humbling experience. I don’t think I’ll ever forget him telling me that his biggest concern at this point of his life wasn’t the thought of death, but rather it’s making sure his wife (my grandma) is taken care of once he dies. The reality of death certainly puts the purpose of life in perspective. Anyways, I look forward to spending more time with him again tomorrow, even if it’s in a hospital.

I treated myself to a massage this afternoon. Massages are never as relaxing as they used to be; I always end up talking to the massage therapist, and that sort of prevents me from relaxing, but I like hearing their life story! Actually I used to regularly fall asleep during massages – in fact, I once woke myself in the middle of a massage from the sound of me snoring. That was a little embarrassing, but hey what are you going to do? I was comfortable! haha

I went to my cousin Maddie’s middle school musical tonight, too. I went with my aunt and cousin Jackie, so that was fun. I enjoy spending time with my extended family, so I try to make it to every sporting event, musical, etc. when I’m out visiting.

I have to admit – I didn’t have much as much time for P90X today as I had originally hoped I might. I know I know, there’s probably always going to be an excuse not to do something, but spending an hour or two of P90X will never be as important as spending that time with my family. That being said, once everyone went to bed, I went for a run at 11PM, the same run I did yesterday (about 2-3 miles). It was a little different running outside in the dark through unfamiliar neighborhoods, but I had some good company (you know, a little Eminem and 2-Pac)! Tomorrow I will try to get into a gym.

I made it to California without any problems, so I’m thankful for that. The weather has been beautiful here – sunny and 75. I’m staying at my uncle’s house in Clovis, and it definitely reminds me of my time here last summer, which is a bittersweet memory, but a good one nonetheless.

I went to my cousin’s baseball game this afternoon, and they beat the crap out of some poor team. It was 18-1 in the 2nd inning, and I decided enough was enough so I left. The game was in a real rough part of town, too, and it was sad to see all the poverty, especially the neighberhood kids. Made me realize how good I have it, even when life occasionally gets me down.

I think the world is punishing me for not locking up a fulfillment company before I got to California – today was the best day in the history of my company, and it definitely kept me busy for a good portion of the morning/afternoon. Once things settled down, I was able to visit my grandpa for an hour or so. He’s only been given a few months to live, but he’s maintaining a positive attitude, and appears to be his old-self, just a bit more frail. My grandparents have decided to sell their home as quickly as possible, which is undoubtedly a hard decision for them. It’s hard for me to imagine that home no longer being in my family. I have so many memories of that place – memories for as long as I can remember, really. But that’s life – things happen, people move, people die, and life goes on. That doesn’t make it any less hard, though. Anyways, I look forward to spending as much time as I can with them this week.

I got a really good run in this evening. I ran about 2-3 miles at a very fast pace. Due to my travels, I wasn’t able to run yesterday, and whenever I take a day or two off from running, the next time out I feel like I have a ton of energy. It’s a really cool feeling, I feel like I’m floating or something and I can run like the wind. haha

I also completed Ab Ripper X. Tomorrow I’ll find a gym in the area, and then I’ll do some P90X.