who doesn't like surprises?!

Lately, life has been full of tiny surprises.

I know some of these are silly, but I have to share my appreciation for some of the little things in life that have made me give big smiles!

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First off, who doesn't like getting legit snail mail that isn't a bill? I know I do! (It's truly a lost art... in my humble opinion.)

Anyway, one of my best friends got married last month. I got her letter in the mail the other day and it was a bigger envelope that was on the thicker side. I had to put groceries away and momentarily forgot that I received it. Mid-way through putting the contents away, I stopped because it dawned on me that she included PICTURES with the letter! It was like a lotto ticket! In this digital age, having an actual letter is like getting struck by lightning in a good way, and getting pictures too?! Double lucky!!! It was a beautiful wedding and I'm thrilled to be apart of it.

Beautiful bride and bridesmaids

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Another great surprise was a visit from one of my friends who lives in San Diego. She's a crazy one, and let me tell you why... even though she was welcome to stay for the night (weekend, too!), she decided to come up for the day. (Folks, that be 420 miles RT, and since there is ALWAYS traffic in LA, a 9 hour drive!!! In ONE day!) 

Who feels special? THIS gal!

And to top it off, where did we go for dinner?! American Ale! If you want to know what I think about this place, I've yelped about it and on a Happy Hour invitation too, at the amusement of my coworkers... The American Burger is a delicious mix of chuck beef and pork. Double patties, with grilled onions, cheese and if you ask nicely, mushrooms! (they also offer it with bacon and/ or a fried egg)... gee... here I go again! I seriously can't help it. It opened in May. By mid-July, I had already been there 6 times. After not being there for 6 weeks, I was starting to get withdrawals... Withdrawals!!! But, I got to go this weekend and it was just as I remember! De-freakin-licious!

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I've been playing on my company softball team for the past year. If you know me, it's obvious I never played in high school or college. I have terrible form and honestly, I used to be afraid of the ball. I'd be the one thinking (and if I'm in right field saying aloud), "please don't hit it over here, please don't hit it over here!"

I don't know what has changed, actually, I guess I do. I'm not longer afraid of the ball. Maybe it's because I usually play catcher and my senses have become more aware so that I'm not in danger of having "balls fly at my nose" (or bats fly at me in general, if you play catcher in co-ed slow pitch softball, you know what I'm talking 'bout!) 

In any case, this season has been a great one for me! My batting average has improved (it is still pretty darn awful though!), and whenever I hit the ball, I sprint my little heart out. I've even been called "fast!" (Again, if you know me... that has NEVER happened.) Sometimes I even get on 1st! (Thank you kiddie cleats!)  I've caught some fowl balls at home plate. Heck, I've even hurled the ball at third base, to help get an out that ended the game with my team winning our third straight game. (That was unexpected from all and people were talking about it at work for over 3 days!)  Don't get me wrong. I'm not good by any means, but I'm definitely improving. :) And I even got on the Top 10 Fielders Stats list to prove it! Woot!

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Isn't this just the cutest?! I had to take a picture because every time I look at it, I smile.

I saw it in the window display of a local bookstore, Granada Books. This is a lovely one, too. (Yes, the still DO EXIST!) Ok, so I admit it, I loved Despicable Me and the minions. My favorite short right now is "Banana". Gotta love that "hehehehehehe" laugh! I mean seriously?! It's so freaking cute! And every time I hear it, I have to smirk. Personally, I think they made the movie, but this isn't supposed to be a review, so... moving right along!

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 I took a walk to the beach today. It was an overcast day (YES, CA does have some mediocre weather, sometimes...) but I like to use that time to clear my head. Sometimes I reflect on the day, sometimes I'm developing story ideas. Sometimes it's about people and dog watching.

On this walk, I went down this industrial street that sometimes has a few odd characters on it. Today seemed to have a few more than usual. Right before I reached the boardwalk, I was walking towards a guy with a bike (who could have been homeless) and his two companions, a couple.

They were holding hands and bickering a little, but in a somewhat playful way. They looked a little dingy, him in a dirty blue sweatshirt, and her in a dirty leopard print coat that one might find on an old Hollywood set, hiding a red dress.

When I saw them, my gut told me that I should put up my guard a bit. They seemed a bit sketchy. As I walked by the boyfriend looked right at me and said, "Can I ask you a personal question?"

A bit surprised, I said, "Um, sure..." with a hint of uncertainty. I mean, that's a weird question to ask a random stranger, no?

"What nationality are you?" he asked.

"Oh, I'm Vietnamese." I replied with relief. Is that what he wanted to know? That's not so bad! :)

This is where I was caught off guard. He then said, "You're BEAUTIFUL!" With his girlfriend nodding in agreement saying, "Yeah!"

"THANKS!" I blushed. (The fact that I had to document this should tell you how often this happens in my life; um, like NEVER!)

As I continued my walk. I heard him say, "I love that $hi+!" which made me chuckle.

Diversity in Santa Barbara is a little on the low side, with "my" people making up 0.2% of the population (as of 2010, anyway), with Asians as a whole making up a whopping 3.5%! Regardless of the statistics, it's nice to see that snap judgments are not always needed and that people can surprise you in some really sweet ways. That right there, pretty much made my week!