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.