The spontaneous completion of this list item today was the perfect end to an already awesome day. I had an unexpected day off, so I scheduled a spa day with one of my best girlfriends which was beyond ridiculously relaxing. As I arrived at the spa in Pasadena, I realized that I was right across the street from Gold Class Cinemas. I immediately texted my roommate Bryan, who works in Pasadena. We have been trying to plan a movie night at Gold Class Cinemas for quite some time, so this worked out perfectly. When I left the spa in my ultra-relaxed state, Bryan and I met and had dinner at a nice little vegan restaurant then headed over to the theater. It was only about $10 more than a regular movie in LA and totally worth it. The cushy lounge chairs recline electronically.  Free popcorn is served and there is a delicious looking menu of  food and drinks (which I didn’t actually try because we had just eaten). The best part was the fuzzy blankets they bring to snuggle up under as the movie begins.

Okay, I will admit that the movie we saw was not stellar. I just looked it up on Rotten Tomatoes and Jack and Jill received a 3% rating.  Had I known that beforehand, I might have chosen something else. But oh well…I got a few good laughs and as a twin, I think appreciated some of the humor on a deeper level than most people probably do.

All in all, it was a good time and I am excited to have discovered such a cool place and definitely look forward to many more epic movie nights there.

#4 was added to the list to get me outdoors to explore the ridiculously beautiful area surrounding my current home in Southern California. It is super easy to get stuck in a routine of hitting the same short hiking trail up the hill from my house, just because it is 12 minutes away and extremely convenient. But I desire to venture out of my little comfortable routine and discover new hiking spots in the area…of which there are an abundance. Today I gathered a few friends (including Erich, who inspired this project and blog) and hit up Topanga Canyon State Park. The park entrance is less than half an hour from my house and I have absolutely no excuse for the fact that I had not been there in the year and a half that I have lived here. It was a lovely wide trail with awesome views in every direction. Even though we only went on a short excursion (due to time restraints and the fact that we all failed to bring water), I am happy that I have now discovered this place and am excited about exploring the many epic trails that appear to be included in the park.

#11 Prior to hitting the trail, my friend Omar and I inhaled a scrumptious breakfast at Nat’s Early Bite Coffee Shoppe. This place was the first on my list of new restaurants to try. It is literally two blocks from my house, and again, I have failed to go there in the year and a half that I have lived here, despite the fact that it is obviously THE happening brunch spot in the area. Every weekend I drive passed and see dozens of customers coming and going and hanging around outside the entrance waiting for a tables. It is the epitome of a hole-in-the wall diner with absolutely zero ambiance, yet it is totally charming and seriously delicious. Omar and I split an order of pumpkin pancakes, which were a seasonal special. We felt it was only appropriate to indulge in such a dish since tomorrow is Halloween. We also split huevos rancheros, which were unlike any huevos rancheros I have ever had before, but delicious nonetheless. As advised by yelp reviews, we checked out the “Big Kid” retro toy store next door while we were waiting to be seated. It seems to be the thing to do since they have even installed an intercom between the two establishments to let diners know when their table is ready. I thought that was pretty clever.

It was yet another fun and successful day playing in Los Angeles and exploring the diversity that this city has to offer! Good times…

I have lived in Los Angeles for going on two years now, and have told myself repeatedly that I want to go check out Laguna Beach. I have always heard amazing things about it–how it’s a stunningly beautiful, cool artist enclave. I even have family friends there that I have wanted to go visit, but for whatever reasons, it never happened. It always seemed sooo far away and I could never find a whole day or weekend to venture down to explore this magical little town…which is why I added it to my list. Two weeks after I launched the list project, I was in Laguna Beach enjoying a totally relaxing and inspiring day with my mom, wondering why on earth I hadn’t come to this place sooner.

Our day started early. We departed from my abode at 6am to catch the early bird service at Agape, which I always find to be a lovely way to start a Sunday morning. Immediately following the service, we hopped in my “baby bimmer” (named Tinkerbell) and cruised down the 405 to Laguna Beach. It was an easy drive at 8:30 on a Sunday morning and I realized that this is the time to travel in the LA area, while everyone is still asleep. We arrived at our friends’ quaint home in Laguna shortly after 9am and were greeted by a friendly army of gnomes that inhabit their garden. We spent the morning drinking tea, eating delicious bagels and chatting for several hours catching up on the many years that had passed since we last met.

Then came time to explore. We left my car parked outside the gnome house and stolled along the coast through a beautiful park overlooking the ocean, headed towards downtown. The path was strewn with an assortment of artists who were participating in a painting competition. From what I gathered, they had exactly one hour to set up with their portable easels and paint sets and create a portrait of the landscape. There was a woman briskly walking behind us blowing an air horn to notify the painters that their time was up. Then the next round began and a new group of artists set up. It was fascinating to watch such creativity in action.

As we roamed through a little artisan market, my mom and I continually whispered to each other, “we could make that,” and got inspired to do a million creative projects…none of which I have actually done yet. But it was definitely inspiring to see people actually creating such interesting and unique pieces of art.

We continued to wander through the streets of a cute little downtown area, in and out of galleries and shops. Everything was insanely over-priced. For example, a mini skirt made from a large sweater sleeve was selling for $60. But we got excited about the idea of creating such a thing from a $3 used sweater from a thrift store. Cute clothing articles from used sweaters seemed to be a theme of the day.

We stopped to have a bite for lunch at a delicious little cafe called Zinc, which was highly recommended by our local friends. It was just as excellent as they made it out to be. I had a Thai-flavored salad and my mom enjoyed a mini quiche with homemade veggie chili and a side salad. Yum!

It was wonderful to see the murals, sculptures, painted parking meters and gardens as we strolled through the town on our way back to the car. We did not have the opportunity to explore the many outdoor adventures that the area has to offer as well, so there may be a part 2 to this adventure. But for now, I definitely consider #23 on my list to be successfully completed.

I find it rather amazing that I have gone through 23 years of my life without discovering the magic of tamales. Growing up in Iowa, they were not something that I came across on a regular basis. They always seemed like this strange, mysterious, non-vegetarian friendly menu item.

As I was sitting at Urth Cafe with my BFF Marly, brainstorming about adventures to add to our “25 by 25 Lists,”  we unwrapped and devoured some delicious green chili and cheddar cheese tamales. My mind immediately jumped to the thought, “I could do this!”  I began to ponder how to concoct such a scrumptious dish and it was instantly added to my list: #13 Make Tamales.

When I was telling my wonderful mother, who happens to be an incredible cook, about this list item, she immediately said, “I want to make tamales too!” Luckily, she was coming to visit me in LA a couple of weeks later, so we had the chance to embark on this culinary adventure together.

This recipe for squash, black bean and goat cheese tamales served as our inspiration. However, being creative cooks, my mother and I find it difficult to follow recipes and we didn’t exactly use the measurements and definitely added our own flavor. We used home cooked black beans with garlic and winter squash from the farmers market, rather than the canned versions that the recipe calls for. Another essential addition to the recipe was blended up fresh sweet corn, also from the farmers market, which added a sweet flavor to the batter.

I also made a second filling which included mixed veggies cooked in lime and cumin with pepper jack cheese. My original creation actually had more rave reviews from my eight lucky friends who came as guinea pigs participate in my first tamale endeavor. All of them left alive, stuffed and happy, so I declared it a successful completion of “Mission: Make Tamales.”

Based on my success, I was even inspired to make tamales a second time for a group of fifteen people, who could not stop exclaiming about their deliciousness. Double success!

Inspired by an amazing new friend, I am launching the year with a list of 25 things that I want to do by my 25th birthday.  My goal is to have completed all of the items on my list by September 23, 2012. I will be keeping this blog to share the stories of my adventures. If anyone feels inspired to join in the fun for any of the adventures please let me know…I would love for you to participate in my journey!

The List (in no particular order):

1. Bike ride from LA to San Diego
2. Go tubing in the old sugar plantation irrigation system in Kauai
3. See a movie at Gold Class Cinemas in Pasadena  11.14.11
4. Do one new hike every month
5. Organize and execute Treasure Hunt Extravaganza: LA Edition
6. Camp in Joshua Tree
7. Participate in a lindy hop swing dance competition
8. Road trip up the PCH to San Francisco
9. Go rock climbing outdoors
10. Ride 4-wheelers in sand dunes at Pismo Beach
11. Try a new “classic LA” restaurant every month
12. Go line dancing at Oil Can Harry’s
13. Make tamales  10.11.11
14. Attend PSI7 (personal success institute workshop)
15. See a concert at the Greek Theater
16. Go to the massive flea market at the Rose Bowl
17. Organize a TM Residence Course for young (and young at heart) people in California
18. Sing karaoke: “Take it Easy” by the Eagles with Ami
19. Design and sew a dress that I love
20. Make a personal recipe book of all my favorite culinary creations
21. Fly a kite on the beach
22. Sing-a-long to Grease at the Hollywood Bowl
23. Spend a day exploring Laguna Beach  10.9.11
24. Have my dad come visit me in LA and play
25. Go parasailing with Marly!!!