Sandy T.'s Profile

Random Warehouse - check
Fit guy trainers - check
Circuit that tests the chest hair of your manliness - check
(note I am a woman who said that)

Thanks to Groupon now, we spotted a $7 group training deal at 15 West.  It was our first time doing the boot camp or crossfit type of workout so I was a bit apprehensive when we walked into a warehouse that had a forklift in the middle of the space.  

Seconds later, Adam greeted us with a smile and warm personality, immediately the apprehension melted away even as the group grew and uncertainty set in as Adam and Josh ran through the way the circuit timing worked.  Shaun, the lead trainer that session, also introduced himself and suggested some sort of warm-up for us.  

We did a quick stretch session and then they ran through the circuit.  As the space is not a permanent workout area, it can be a little confusing for a first timer but it ends up working out during the rotation as the trainers walk around and help the first timers when they see you doing something incorrectly or with the dumbfounded look on your face.  

The circuit was tough.  Each of the trainers was very personable and helpful.  Never once did I feel like I was setup to make a fool of myself, well, okay maybe blubbering about on a big ball trying to plank, hehe, but Shaun and Josh were right there to root us on and assist with modifications when we were in the weeds.  

End result: excellent workout and I left with an endorphin high.  Either it was the circuit that got to my head or it was Shaun's offbeat jokes.  Who knows of a trainer that can throw in a gynecologist joke in the middle of a circuit?

These guys are close to being 5 stars.  Even if Josh made me do the jumping squats, meanie.  

Suggestions:  
1. Have water for purchase or provide water to refill our water bottles. For us first timers, we don;t expect to drink our way through an entire bottle in 55 minutes!
2. A little more stretching or guidance on suggested stretching before the session.  Even a little post up that is near the entrance on "hey do a 5 minute warmup and stretching before we get started, circuit starts right after 7."

For the Groupon Now deal of $12 for 2 tickets, Secret City Comics seemed like a steal for Improv.  The show is located in Fullterton, so we expected to make a night of attending.

As we walked down Wilshire looking for the address, I was a bit taken aback that it was within a dance studio.  Still, we were interested and went to the check-in desk.  As my husband was looking through his phone for the Groupon Now code, he made a comment about finding it in his phone to the gentleman behind the table, to which that man made a snarky attempt at humor about having a "thingy" too - referring to the phone.  It seemed awkward of a comment but whatever, it is a comedy gig, I wasn't going to let it ruffle my feathers.  

When we went to find seats, there are three rows of fold out chairs.  That particular night and show time (maybe it isn't this bad other times) there were kids running around crazily.  Finally, the show starts, and it seemed fun at first.  

It is hard to rate the comedians so lowly but the overall atmosphere was drastically altered by the kids in the crowd.  They were yelling out random kids things like "Elmo" and "Barney" for every suggestion.  Finally, the "Ref" would say "how about an adult's suggestion."  I do have to credit the comedians for rolling with it and trying to keep things on task even as kids jumped up and interrupted often as the comedians acted.  Most of the comedians were pretty funny.

The Groupon Now did lead to their website that did say it was a "Clean" act and family friendly, but I guess I didn't interpret that accurately as lots of kids.  I like kids but it was hard to enjoy.

My suggestion is that they put more information on the Groupon Now and make it more obvious that the 6:30PM show is likely to have lots of kids.  We weren't the only couple surprised by the environment as the people in front of us and next to us also commented about it.

I spotted a $10 Groupon Now for a Mat Class at the Pilates Place this past Saturday.  Since it is relatively close to my home, I bought it right away and went a little early to the class in case I needed to fill out any paperwork.  

The Pilates Place is a small, intimate studio and as soon as I walked through the door, Nikki, welcomed me.  Since I was a little early for the Mat class, I watched some of the Reformer class that was prior to our class.  Nikki has a personable and warm teaching style.  

My mat class was small (they only allow up to 6 people, I believe) and Nikki was very observant as to how each participant was doing.  She showed modified versions before anyone even had to ask.  I found Nikki to be motivating.  I signed up right away for their 10 Mat class package.

Spin class review only:
We came on a $5 Groupon now deal for the Monday night spin class.  It was easy to sign in and we headed for the class downstairs.  Rachel, our instructor, was welcoming and helpful since I was a newbie for spin.  She explained the class and said 'we will do fanciful stuff to break up the spin class but all you have to do is keep going seated or on your feet.' That turned out to be great to know 25 minutes into the session when my bum felt full of burning fire and my heart was beating through my neck.  

Rachel was motivating and the other ladies in the class were welcoming and nice as well.  There are extra old shoes for people who don't want to use the baskets.  

The gym offers a spin only punch card if you don't want a full membership.

The Macarons are okay, but the pricing is what really bit the dust.  There was about a dozen or so differing flavors and the service was impeccable.  

Sure, they are hard to make but seriously... is it necessary to charge so much for each one?

After seeing one CVS annihilate their photo counter and the prices at a Walgreens, I decided to support a local business.  It paid off.  

We had about 10 disposable cameras from our wedding that we wanted to develop on our 1 year anniversary.  We weren't even sure they had turned out or were worth developing, so plunking down $12 per camera didn't seem ideal.  The owner at Royal Photo offered competitive pricing right off the bat and when I went to pick up the cameras, he had knocked off even more.  

Sterling service!

Spoiler Alert:  We have two plants named Gus & Bert.

How did we end up with named plants, you might ask?  It started with a groupon for a $40 purchase at The Plant Stand.  As we pulled into the miniature parking lot, I thought to myself, I am going to love this nursery.  It had the look and feel of a store that cared about the plants being sold and even more so of the customers buying said plants.  

We perused every nook and cranny.  Somewhere in the back of the furthest corner, there were the boys.  Gus and Bert stood tall.  They are 12' Alocacia (Elephant Ears) plants.  So giant and unique that they beg to be named and coddled as if they are pets.  After all, I have to check on them every day during the summer to make sure they are filled with water.  When they started to wilt a bit from too much sunlight, we moved them to a shade filled corner.  

We roamed around with our trolley, when an employee offered to wrap the boys up in netting to ensure their giant leaves weren't torn during transport.  We carefully stuffed them into the VW and were on our way.

So, why the grand love for The Plant Stand?  First off, they have plants upon plants that are unique and healthy.  They also have the staples.  Every Saturday is a free class on plant care and sometimes even freebies during those classes.  Last week, they had a free 4" herb plant!

The first time we tried this wine bar was right after our wedding, on Halloween night.  It was empty and felt a little like a newlywed escape.  I became a fan that night after an inexpensive wine flight that took me out of my comfort zone and the truffle popcorn.  

We got back at least once a month now, and every time I try new wines and eat new treats.  They have a couple of desserts that are standard like the Butta Cake and the wannabe Pizookie (Bjs dessert).  Both are delectable and after a few tastes of wine, leave you feeling warm and happy.  

The staff are always friendly regardless of how busy or empty Main Street is that night.  It can get very loud in there when the band is playing and it is packed, so earplugs might come in handy on a busy night if you have sensitive hearing.  

The decor, wine selection, food options and staff, have made this a staple in my weekend rotations.

I wanted to love this cafe, I really did.  

I bought a living social deal, knowing I could take my team here for lunch since it was near our office.  We all went on a Friday afternoon.  The cafe wasn't busy and it is definitely built with a dog's comfort in mind.

What I liked: They had healthy versions of nearly everything including Vegan friendly foods.  I loved that they offer veggie plates to munch on in place of chips & salsa if you like. They have Root Beer on tap too!  Lots of sides to choose from like sweet potato fries, and you can customize nearly any of the burgers to be Vegan or Poultry friendly.  Also, the prices are reasonable.  The server was also very attentive.

What I didn't like:  The food wasn't visually appealing and lacked flavor.    You really can't go beyond that.  My turkey burger didn't taste like much at all.  

Overall, considering I had the living social deal, the bill wasn't bad for 5 of us and we had quite a bit of food, but when we all got back to the office and people asked how it was; we all said the same thing "It was okay."

As two techies, dancing outside of a club after a drink or two, really isn't our thing. After combing the internet and reading a lot of "what to expect" type blogs, I stumbled upon Orange County Wedding Dance's website. They had some videos that showed their skills as teachers being played out by students at various weddings. They all looked elegant and put together. Now, the questions arose, what does something like this cost, can they teach us as more technical thinkers, did I really want to tackles this? So I filled out the contact form on their website and within 1 hour, received a call back from Joe. He gave me an overview and said we were welcome for 1 full hour consultation at no cost for them to assess what it would take to help us look like dancing queens on our wedding day. Okay, so I added that dancing queen part.

I made our appointment for a Saturday at 12. At our appointment, we were immediately greeted by Joe and he asked some pertinent questions about the groom's shoes and my dress (he had the forethought to ask my fiance to walk away while I discussed my dress!). After that, he listened to our song and gave some suggestions along with the pros/cons of each routine. Joe then helped us look at the dance not just creatively but also in a logical fashion. He helped us get past stepping on each others feet here and there.

I had fully expected the "free" consultation to either be chocked full of random useless information as a means to eat up the "free" time or for it to be followed with a lengthy, expensive lesson plan. Turns out, not the case at all. Instead Joe gave us the full time slot and taught us more than just a few basics. We had enough to start practicing at home. When the pricing came, at first I winced when he gave us the 5 or 10 lesson plans but soon found out they are willing to work within whatever budget you have and have many different packages.

Joe and his wife Sarah are great instructors and they are good people. They are sincere and are able to parlay that into a beautiful dance for your special day. I really appreciate the time and energy they put into ours.