What do a photoshoot, a Chinese buffet, and a new wreath have in common?

They're part of my weekend recap! Duh. ;) (I really like saying "duh" and I notice I say it in almost every post. Sorry if that's annoying. I don't say it out loud that much... or...maybe I do... Anyway, whatever). ;)

This weekend was pretty awesomesauce! Oh yeah, that's right friends; I brought out the awesomesauce. Been awhile since I've said that, right? I think it's the fabulous weather makin' me all feel-good and stuff!

Okay, sooooooo Friday, I was SO tired, I was fairly worthless at life. Eric and I opted to forego Mexican restaurant fun and instead got take out and coronas. Put on comfy clothes and enjoyed food, each other's company, and the fabulous weather from the comfort of his patio. Even my favorite furry kid came with me! Gracie dog beached herself on the cold concrete til we humored her and went inside to the a/c... :) 

We rented a movie on appletv, but not just ANY movie... We saw Caddyshack! I'd never seen it! If you find that shocking, I haven't seen Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Pretty in Pink, Weird Science, etc.. So bizarre b/c I dunno why I never saw some of those somewhat "classic" movies. *shrugs* We didn't have cable when I was growing up...and I didn't have any big bros/sisters to intro me to them, so maybe that's some of it? Who knows!  Even my mother laughs at me over some I haven't seen...  I totally need to ask my fav movie guru, Jennifer, for a good list of must-sees! 

Saturday, my mailman dropped off a package for lil ol me! It took every ounce of willpower to take a photo before ripping it open...haha! 

Inside was this beautiful wreath made by one of my fav bloggers from right here in Oklahoma, Cassie! (Can you believe she MADE this?!) I won the wreath as part of her pay it forward giveaway! Great idea for a giveaway and I'm excited to pay it forward with a giveaway of my own (coming soon)! Thank you so much, Cassie! My roomie and I both think you're incredibly talented and we both appreciate our new fabulous decor! :)

Saturday night, I participated in a photo workshop for Okstrobist, a local organization dedicated to teaching photography techniques-from lighting to editing, and so much more. :) It's a really great organization that's helped develop some absolutely excellent photographers in our area. Anyhoo, one of my good friends, Maria, works with the org to develop themes, settings, models, makeup, etc... (This is all a very general description, but you don't want a novel anymore than I want to write one...haha). She asked for some volunteers in the "talent" department (I like being called "talent" haha). Some friends and I were ecstatic and jumped at the chance! I mean...costumes, hair, makeup, fun photos... What's not to like?!!

The theme= masquerade! How freaking cool is that, friends?! (I'm kinda obsessed with masquerade parties and really want to throw one someday, but that's for another blog).

So, at 3:30 yesterday, off I went to have my makeup and hair done by some great, highly talented girls from Clary Sage Beauty College here in town.

Then, we all headed to the historic and beautiful Harweldon Mansion for the shoot! Oh, and I got to wear wings! How.freaking.cool. I mean.. I'm kinda angelic, but this proves it... (I kid, I kid). 

One of our friends posin' for the camera :)

 Ashley, Carrie, and me towards the end of the night... Still having a blast!

What do you do after a masquerade shoot is over? You go to a wine bar of course! Duh. We got some hilariously awesome stares, but we didn't care. My personal favorite was driving with my wings on. I felt kinda Jenna Elfman in Can't Hardly Wait.

 My hair looked kinda amazing, BUT combing it out made it look absolutely hilarious. I've never seen my hair do anything remotely close to being called "frizz." I have very, VERY fine straight hair. Anyhoo, I took it down, brushed it out, and met the awesomeness that was my head...haha! Couldn't resist a photo of my untamed mane...

One of the fabulous photographers, Sherman, posted a couple of his shots to my facebook today already! :) Had to share! 

Today, I cleaned, groceried (I made it a verb. Whatever), and visited a pretty good Chinese buffet with Eric. (Don't tell MyFitnessPal from my previous post... shh... ). ;) May or may not have jammed out to Britney's new CD whilst cleaning...and the vacuum attachment may or may not have been used as a microphone fifteen or twenty a couple times. :)

Hope you had a great weekend, friends! Love from T-town!

Finally Friday!

B/c the week isn't complete without some random ramblings...

* This week tried to beat me (10 meetings in two days, Lady Gaga concert, a work dinner, family dinner,....) but it did NOT! *said triumphantly and thrusting fist into the air very Braveheart style* However, the week definitely won in terms me checking personal email, watching anything on tv, and cleaning my bedroom. We won't talk about any of those things I didn't get done, though. The weekend is for catching up, right? :)

* My skirt is too short for work today. *glancing down at legs* But, it's Friday and I don't care. :) I mean, I'm wearing an extra long, somewhat bulky cardigan. That has to help...er...right?

* Speaking of clothes, I got some of the really skinny pants from Gap last week. And.I.love.them. I wanted some skinny pants I could wear to work if I wanted to. A friend at work had some from Gap so I took a quick trip to the mall...and hooray for Gap having them on MAJOR sale! It was like pants-destiny. Duh.  I may have asked myself if I could wear them twice this week without anyone noticing... Need more. Stat.


  * That same friend who intro-ed me to the jadorable pants, Andrea, also introduced me to a website designed by someone skinny and evil a fitness/nutrition website. My Fitness Pal helps you track calories for every meal, the calories burned during exercise, etc. I only signed up yesterday, but already, I ate a healthier breakfast this morning (which wasn't hard b/c yesterday was doughnut day at work, soooo today was bound to be healthier...haha). :) Anyway, admittedly, I really dig the accountability. Now let's see if I stick with it. Not really trying to lose weight necessarily, but to get some accountability for eating better...

* Super excited for tomorrow's activities! One of my good friends (who will be rolling out her own blog soon!) works closely with an org that does workshops for up and coming photographers. Anyway, they need subjects for fun, themed shoots occassionally! And well...models aren't nearly as fun or awesome as friends are (duh). So, a group of us are getting all costumed out for a masquerade themed shoot-complete with awesome painted on masks, etc! Pics to follow! :)

Hope you've all had a fabtastic week, friends! I'm really hoping for some r&r with Eric this evening and possibly a good dose of Mexican food (the fitness pal website is gonna be mad at me). :) Happy Friday!

Gaga Oh La La!!

My current state= sleepy. :) My thoughts on last night's Gaga= AWESOME! 

Had a GREAT time! Gaga was impressive, audacious, and so extremely talented. I expected some awesome theatrics, flawless vocals, talented dancers, and I was DEFINITELY not disappointed in any of those fronts! 

Sure, some of it was a little campy, but that's Gaga! The night involved her biting the head off a Barbie doll (shunning the image of the "perfect" body, etc), someone eating her heart, some incredible outfit changes, etc... :) And even though we were on the crowded floor, everyone was SO well-behaved and respectful. I'd never really seen anything like that at a pop/rock concert. I mean, people are usually nice, but never so polite, asking "Can you see?" and "Did I just bump you? I'm so sorry!" Bananas! :)

So here's an excessive a little recap....and a lotta photos/videos. :) Sorry if the vids kinda jump around a little bit. I was trying really hard to keep a clear shot around people. And it didn't help when Gaga screamed "jump everybody!" haha! 

Pre-concert sushi with friends 

We didn't really get "costumed out" b/c (1) it was a Monday night and (2) we were too lazy. Blazers and tights is about as rocker-chic as we got... haha.. :)

But, some others went all out.... No, I don't feel badly posting some of these sneaky snaps b/c there are no faces AND if you're willing to wear it to a concert, you should be willing to have your photo in it... Besides, if they wanna rock it, more power to them! :) 

T and I standing with the stage just behind us gearing up for Gaga!

Okay, soooo Gaga kept all of us little monsters waiting til around 10pm to come out and play. We were getting sorta impatient and texting between friends seated throughout the arena "Seriously.. is she coming?"

And then, the lights dropped, the crowd roared, images of her stared flashing on a screen, and her slight delay was forgotten! This photo cracks me up with all the cameras in the air preparing for the curtain to lift!

Dear Eric- I heart your zoom lens. Thanks for letting me use your camera. :) (We were really close, but not THIS close. Loving the pics I was able to get!)

For those of you that don't know, her concert is supposed to be a sort of tale of her rise to success... It's a a narrative of her trying to get to the "Monsters Ball" and what happens along the way... :)

Video=Telephone

Video= Born this Way, awesome acoustic version

Pretty sure they're attacking her/eating her heart (per the song lyrics)

....which probably explains the fake blood... ? (Admittedly, this part was a little bizarre, but you gotta give it to her on theatricality!)

Video: Poker Face... shows the awesome energy and dancing! :)


The fame monster...

On our way out at the end... Always so crazy to look back and see the crowd you were just standing in the middle of!

Came home to my "little monster" and called it a night... well past 12 midnight! Bananas for a Monday! ha! :)

I LOVED how she kept saying positive things about Tulsa and thanking her fans for supporting her! I thought that was really great... 

I highly recommend going if you get the chance and like her music. :) T and I couldn't stop from dancing, despite our little heeled booties destroying any comfort level our feet had...I mean, we were at freaking GAGA! Feet will recover... haha... :)

Okay, this little monster is about 5 minutes from crashing.out. Sweet dreams, everyone! :)

Weekend Recap!

It's definitely spring b/c the wind is blowing our screen door and gate loudly warning of a storm tonight... I think the wind might also be interfering with the interweb (I really like the word "interweb") connectivity b/c you don't even WANT to know how long these photos took to upload. What the hey?! 

Anyhoo... This weekend was great! I've come to the realization (awhile ago) that when I have nothing to do, I manage to still make myself incredi-busy. But, whatever; at least I was productive.. *shrugs*

Okay, soooo.. Thursday, Eric and I attended a fundraiser for Cystic Fibrosis. :)

Don't we clean up nice? haha.. I tease.

Ran into this lovely lady and her husband. :) We actually did dinner with them on Saturday night, too!

Eric is obsessed likes Patagonia stuff.. He's checking out some items in the silent auction on a mannequin... Comedy.. :) (No idea why that mannequin is so TALL... Just noticed that. Random.)

Event= good cause, good time. :) 

Friday=Mexican food. Duh. ;) We went home and rented Monsters on Netflix. Independent flick on $15K budget... Has gotten some awesome reviews so we went for it. Not bad at all! Sound effects were great. Scenery was good. Actors were good. If you don't like sci-fi, you won't dig it. Anyway, I do like sci-fi...and liked this movie a lot more than I thought I would. (Picture me groaning as Eric selected it on Netflix and possibly uttering "I'm just gonna fall asleep on the couch. Blah." hahaha).

Saturday, mom and I had lunch with my aunt and uncle that are in town from Virginia, then Eric and I headed to a great dinner with that cute blonde from the above photo and her husband. :) Tried a local place, Lucky's, we hadn't tried before. All of us were really impressed. Great food and great service. :) 

I also spent the bulk of my day enjoying the great weather by clearing our yard of leaves, weeds, and planting flowers! Lemme tell ya about my flower experience at Lowe's. A glimpse into my brain on Saturday: "Wait, that one says SOL which means sun... I'm down with the flower lingo... Wait..is my flower bed really sunny? I mean, it kinda is.. I think it's prolly shadier than sunnier...hm...I wonder how much sun these people determined this plant needs?! Who are these people anyway-plant whisperers?! What if mine isn't enough sun?! Ohmygawd I'm gonna kill this plant, aren't I?" I did this with um.. almost every plant. #noideawhatI'mdoing I wouldnt ask for help either. That would have been too easy. I'm learning here, people. Anyway, after an extended time in the garden section of Lowes, I picked out and then planted some pretty hostas, little purple plants (no idea) and some begonias. :) Pretty proud of mah-self, friends. Pretty proud indeed...haha.. :) 

Sunday, took G dog to run errands with me, cleaned the casa, and then had dinner with Eric, my mom, and my aunt and uncle in town. :) 

Great to see my fam and also great that Eric got to meet my aunt and uncle for the first time. :) When I was a kid, we took lots of family vacations together. :) My aunt and uncle have one daughter, Karissa, around my age. It worked out to have two little girls around the same age for trips, etc. :) My cousin now has two little ones and another on the way! :) I often wish we all lived closer b/c my cousin and I were like sisters as kiddos even though we lived hundreds of miles apart.

Reason 204 why I want my bangs to grow out more: so they STOP doing whatever the hell they're doing in the above picture. Sheesh....

Anyway, amazing how weekends seem to go so fast....*sigh* 

Tomorrow, I'm going to see.... LADY GAGA! Upon evaluation of my wardrobe tonight, I've realized I own nothing suitable for Gaga... But then again, who does? Should be good times, friends! Pics to come... :)

Tuesday Random...

Tuesday Thoughts... In random order... 

1. I really want to do the Alcatraz swim. See those people?

...Yeah, I totally want to do that! Mind you, I'm terrified of darker bodies of water. (Like sheer panic attack. I think I've mentioned before. It's embarassing actually). And I'm also terrified of sharks. But, I'm a good swimmer... I used to swim in high school competitively. I LOVE swimming...and I LOVE challenges. Soooo there ya go. If I had a bucket list, this would be on it. It's actually the same weekish Eric and I MIGHT be thinking of being in the San Fran area... not like I looked it up or anything. Think I could get in shape, get over a completely paralyzing fear, and find a shark proof suit in time? haha!

2. Lately, I've been REALLY annoyed by non self sufficient actions from people. Not lots of details...but, I'll give you a hint. If you need to call a male friend to leave his house, come over, and set a mouse trap (like put cheese on it and set the wire) b/c "it's too hard" even with the instructions, you might fall in this category...haha...It's wire. And wood. With a spot for cheese. I'm just saying...

3. I had a really messed up dream last night about bamboo growing out of my skin. It was weird. I don't know what it means. And I don't want to.

4. I love my calendar on outlook that I get on my phone. Love it. I live by that calendar. It's rather creepy really. I've started to get excited when I get to put things on the calendar just b/c I KNOW I won't forget them that way. This is what happens when you get old, people. Today, I even set an appointment reminding me to grab my check book on the way to hip hop class. Yeah, I did.

5. I want a spray tan. Stat. Eric and I have a black tie thing this week. I think that's JUST the justification I've been needing to get mystic-ed. Maybe. What if I come out with cheetos hands again? Lordy, that was awkward. *picture it* "Yes, lovely to meet you, too" as I sheepishly extend my coffee-stained paw to shake their hand. *cringe* :)

Recapping... :)

I never did a weekend recap last weekend.. Soo..here's what I've been up to: the random version...:)

...went and watched open practice before the NCAA Tourney here in town... Was so cool to have that here btw! Hoping out of towners liked our city! :)

 ....went out for St. Pat's for an after work beverage and a brat. (Note: Eric ate the brat. I just had the beverage...haha)

 ....went to an adorable little guy's two year birthday party! The birthday boy is Landen, below holding the green ball. Jenny's little guy, Maddox is walking in front. My friends make cute kids. Fact.

 The party was themed "we're having a ball" with the obvious theme of well...balls. :) I said above my friends make cute kids....They also throw adorable parties. :) (Note that they also make ALL boys! :) )

 Brooke holding Ashley's son, Cooper, while her adorable little guy, Parker, plays in the ball pit. :)

 Ashley and Cooper... :) To get him to smile, Ashley taught me to say "Boo" before the photo...haha... Kids are amused by the most random, adorable things!

Fast forward to this past weekend.... 

Went to a wedding shower for one of my favorite people, Mary. :) I loved all the little purple touches-from the food to the decor, to the wine spritzers with little purple flowers in them... So springy, classic, and pretty. :)

 Mary and me! :) We met at the law firm years ago... Along with another friend, we refer to each other as "the family" and/or the "circle of trust." There are funny stories, but I'll spare ya...

I had to dig a little to find the below pic of Mary in my office at the law firm a few years ago... Hilarious! Never fails to make me smile! She came in and sat down on a box of files in my chair...haha...Absolutely awesome. Can't wait for this chick's wedding in less than a month! 

What else... hmm.. Okay, my cell phone broke. (awesome). So that made Saturday extra fun. Details will just bore you. It's working again. Whatever. 

My roommate and I thought we had a mouse. She is terrified of mice apparently. A lot of hilarious drama ensued. She may or may not have purchased a high frequency rodent repelling sound system (????) for her room. I just set some old school traps. Haven't seen the critter, so who knows...

But, we ALSO had issues with our dryer yesterday. We assumed it had something to do with the alleged mouse (I don't know why). Turns out a bird made a nest in the vent. We got rid of that (there were no eggs or anything) and then came home today to find one of these....

 ....in our house...

Good gravy. National Geographic at our house lately. Poor thing was terrified so we got it out. Sad b/c it was prolly looking for its nest. :( Also sad b/c now we can't use the dryer til we're sure it didn't jack it up again. Hells bells! Spring is awesome, but animals need to stay OUTSIDE! (except for Gracie dog. Duh).

Oh and also saw this....

 ...and this....

 ....over the past two weekends. Want my opinion? Both movies were really pretty good. And I didn't think I'd like The Adjustment Bureau at all for some reason. But, I love movies that are about fate, choices, etc. I don't think the preview did it justice b/c the preview didn't really make me want to see it. Other people's opinions and online reviews did. It was well done and thought provoking. Have you seen Sliding Doors (2002)? Another good one about the same type of thing..

Lincoln Lawyer was good stuff too... But can you really go wrong with Matthew as a lawyer? I mean, have you seen A Time to Kill? Anyway, good movie. Good cast. Good stuff.

And, last but not least, Eric and I had dinner at his fav local restaurant, Stonehorse, in Utica Square. :) Why did we go there? Oh... we were kinda celebrating.... b/c he totally got something in the mail. That "something" may have been a certificate making him a licensed one of these...

Woohoo!!! So happy for Eric! The test has been done for a few months, but this made it official!

Throw in a sinus infection, a couple happy hours, some Mexican food (Duh. Have we met?! :), a stolen credit card number (arg),... and that, my friends, is the randomness that I've been up to over the past weekish...

Sending love from the comfort of my sofa whilst wearing my very stylish, grey sweatpants....haha.. :)

Thankful Thursday

Hiya friends! Jumpin in for a quick Thankful Thursday. :) Stole the button from the fabulous Tracy, who posts her own Thankful Thursdays pretty regularly. :)



Today, I'm thankful for...

1. All of your WONDERFUL comments on my previous post! I've tried to respond to a ton of them b/c they are all SO great! I even received a couple great emails with travel tips from ya'll too!! You guys seriously ROCK MY SOCKS! Thank you! I traveled yesterday with work and have had some things in the evenings, so I haven't been able to respond to everything yet since I was pretty out of pocket, but I am LOVING them and appreciate them oh so much! I can't wait to curl up later at home and do some internet research on some of the places you mentioned and respond more to your fabulous tips!

2. Vera Bradley sales! I bought my very first Vera bag Monday night online, which is random b/c I never used to even be a Vera fan, but have been wanting one lately... *shrugs* It was on major sale and I've been wanting the small duffel so much b/c it seems so versatile-gym clothes, plane carry on, weekend trip, overnight bag, etc. I feel like I'm always looking for a bag this size to put stuff in and never have one. Plus, sometimes I carry tons of randomness in to work... I have to park kinda far so I wear flats and carry in heels to put on in the building, gym clothes, etc......(read: I'm justifying the purchase) ;)

Got this one! (java blue)

3. Prescription Nasal Spray. What? TMI? Yeah, sorry about that. I'm breathing through my mouth pseudo-Darth Vader this week... I dont puffy-heart allergies. Since I've had my Rx, I'm sounding more like myself and less like a 13 year old boy going through puberty.

4. My hip hop dance class! Here's a video from the studio and shows our instructor, the owner of the studio. Ironically, I went to middle and high school with him! Didnt even realize it til the day we had the class. So freaking cool! Please note: The video is NOT what we're doing... They're breaking. If I tried to break b-boy style, I'd likely end up just BREAKING a bone. That said, class will be challenging for sure and a great, new workout. I miss dancing a lot, so I'm loving it, although I do kinda feel like Julia Styles in Save the Last Dance the first time she goes to the club and tries to be all hip hop.. lol! I can get choreography, but making it look more like hip hop and less like a 5'7 uncoordinated preppy girl is a whole other story... :)

5. My work trip yesterday! It was just down the highway to OKC, but it was so great to connect with some coworkers face to face. I think so much is lost these days in emails and stuff and we don't even realize it.. Ironic in a way b/c communicating is "easier" than ever. But to me, nothing replaces face to face interaction. :) Definitely a good day...

Okay, friends, hope you're all having a fabulous week and are as excited as I am about edging closer to Friday with every minute! Weekend, here we come!

Trip Advice! :)

Happy Sunday, peeps!

So, I might need some trip advice...and I thought "what better audience to ask than my blog friends?!" Ya'll live all so many awesome places and have traveled all over. Together, we're like a way better Tr!p Advisor. Just sayin.

Okay, so Eric and I were talking yesterday about a wedding we're heading to in the LA area in August. :) We got to talking about things we wanted to do there and how we might even consider extending our trip to explore. He said something like "You know... we could drive a little north and just take more time off.." Having never thought about that before, I started thinking out loud and before long, we were like "Well, why don't we just go for it and see how far we can go?!"

We started throwing out places we both wanted to see and figure we'll work out possible logistics if we decide to make it happen... :) I've always wanted to see that area of the country, so no complaints here!

So, this is TOTALLY to be determined and may or may not happen, but thought I'd present some ideas about cities we'd like to see-either flying from LA or renting a car and driving-and see what ya'll have to say! If you've been there...and only have a few days in each place, what would you totally advise seeing or doing?! :) We'll be traveling end of August/first of September if that helps... :)

Might end up seeing one other city besides LA...or two...or who knows. :)

1. LA- I've been there, but there are PLENTY of areas I haven't seen and want to. :) Tips are still welcome though. I'd like to hit up Melrose for sure since I've never been there... :)

2. San Francisco- I've always wanted to see San Fran! I want to see the Golden Gate and ride a trolley (I'm so easily entertained, right? haha)... And maybe see Alcatraz! Advice appreciated! :)

3. Portland- Admittedly, I don't know much about Portland, but have always heard good things! So, yeah, leaving this open... Recommendations on must-sees at the end of August or early Sept if we were able to go?

4. Seattle- I have ALWAYS wanted to go to Seattle! Just seems like such a cool city... I mean, it's even cooler b/c I know quite a few of you live there! Just off the top of my head... - Kelsey, Carol and Jenny! 

So there you have it! And even typing it made me realize how limited my knowledge really is about some of these places... Sheesh...haha.. Anyway, we haven't thought about details, logistics (flying or driving from LA, length of stay, etc), so it's obviously VERY up in the air. And who knows... you might find us locking in some awesome deal and be beach-bound again...haha.. :) But, I've got this exploring cities bug lately so who knows! Hopefully we can at least extend our stay a little and see at least one other city while we're out that way.... :) 

Hope ya'll had a fabulous weekend! I have recapping coming soon, but right now, I think my roomie and I are going to grab a patio and soak in the 80 degree afternoon somewhere! Thanks in advance for any and all advice you have, peeps! I dunno about you, but even THINKING of planning a trip gets me excited...haha.. 

Signing off from a window-side booth at our local Panera bread in midtown Tulsa. :)