Baby on Board (not mine!!)

Some of my dearest friends Kerri and Scott are having a baby...a baby boy. He is scheduled to arrive in early Feb. I have known them since college, in fact we were all roommates’ so it's almost like I am having a baby with them. Almost. When I heard the news I was so thrilled for them. Needless to say I have watched them throw themselves into every baby/parent/hospital/prenatal yoga/water aerobics, and scrabbooking class in order to prepare and document this life changing event. I also decided to host a couple’s baby shower. That took place this past weekend as well.

(Is anyone noticing the last weekend was INSANE?) Back to the shower.

It was a beautiful and fun afternoon at our place with Scott and Kerri's Dallas friends. I have to say a BIG thank you to Heather and Chris Shahan both for the games/art project contributions as well as comedic timing. I would have been lost without them.

We had "mini" foods, and played dirty diaper and name games, and even managed some modern art! It was fun to see all us non-parents guess baby foods, or try to figure out some of these baby items. Who knew that you should clip a baby's nails while they are sleeping??

In all I think Baby Butler has some great gifts to start his journey, and wonderful parents. I can't wait to meet your new addition Kerri and Scott!

Ms Worley

Again another friend I met at the first and very short lived job here in Dallas. Jen was/is in HR and we bond over our tragic career choice of listening to whiners all day. We celebrated her birthday this past weekend as well.


Last year we went big for Jen's 30 and headed to San Francisco for a weekend we still love talking about. This year she wanted something more low key. Jen is loved by all, so can we say reservations for 20 please??



Jen actually celebrated all weekend, but Sunday morning brunch with us. The time change helped most people we know actually arrive on time! Matitos was voted the best brunch in Dallas and we now know why. From the bottomless mimosas to the chocolate fountain it was delicious.




Jen...my TRUE, Boot camp, champagne intolerant, Boo loving friend. I can't imagine the last 3 years without you. In true golden girl’s cheesiness..."thank you for being a friend"...sing a long now!

Oh Emily

Emily...one of my first friends here in Dallas. We started new jobs together, and were laid off together (along with 100+ others). Both of us had relocated to Texas for these jobs, and when they came to an abrupt end we decided to stay in this crazy state. That was over 3 years ago. Last week Emily turned 30, but we celebrated this past weekend. She chose dinner at Trader Vic's, and I had never been to the one in Dallas. It is the home of the originally created Mai Tai. I have to say the 3 page drink menu and fun glasses they come in should make you want to try it!!
*Warning the fruity deliciousness covers up the massive amounts of alcohol and they sneak up in you. Stick with 2, and you will thank me later.



After dinner the single girls went out on the town and rumor has it didn't return home until 4am. I think it's safe to say Emily had a good birthday. Happy 30th Em. We love you.

Thank you

I have something to say to you to Chris. Seriously. I have to say…actually to steal a quote from Grey’s Anatomy: "I love you, in a really, really big pretend to like your taste in music, let you eat the last piece of cheese cake, hold a radio over my head outside your window kind of way."


This past weekend I just wanted to hug him to death several times.
A few examples:
-I volunteered us to dog sit on our date night without telling him.

-He came with me to a friend’s birthday dinner…and was the only guy to show up.

-He was vacuuming our house at 7:45 in the morning for a party I was hosting.
That same morning he was up at 6:30 washing our dog’s ass because lets just say he was having “issues” and let me sleep in.

-I inadvertently planned a baby shower at the exact same time as the Pats/Colts game…at our house. At one point he was playing a dirty diaper game while Tom Brady was charging downfield in the 4th quarter…and never said a word about it.

-He ate dinner at 11pm at night because a group we were dining with was VERY late for a reservation…and he never eats after 8.

- At one point I looked over and his hands were covered in washable paint for an “art” project for our friend’s baby room.

-I used almost every dish in the house and instead of watching the above mentioned game on Tivo, he was hand washing all the dishes…yes washing them by hand.

At times Chris does things completely outside his comfort zone because it makes someone else happy, and because he loves me. At the end of the day can anyone really ask for more than that?

All treats no trick?

Chris and I picked the neighborhood we wanted to live in for several things...location, schools, size. We chose an area of young families, a great elementary school and a bus stop literally in our driveway. I figured with all those factors the Trick or Treating crowd would be huge! I prepared for it, I decorated the entire front porch with ghosts, giant spider webs, glow in the dark spiders, and pumpkins...you name it! I bought bags of candy, and invited my friends over to hang out and see the cute kids. So imagine my disappointment when for the entire evening I had 14 children knock on the door....14!!!
Hello, what is that about??? I get that the world is a dangerous place, and people want to protect kids. I am all about that. I just miss the days when groups of families would walk the neighborhood together and everyone would decorate and people would talk and meet each other. I miss neighborhoods. We don't have kids but I would love to know the ones that live near me. Trust me I would help make sure they were safe...if I knew who they were or what house they lived in.
I have decided that next year I'm going to have a driveway party, and move the candy and my friends outside. Have some wine, music etc and make sure to tell the neighborhood to come on by and say hello. Chris will hate it, but I think sometimes we make our own community. Even if it takes full size candy bars and some nice pinot for the parents next year has to be better.

Heidi- My New Niece

Well she’s a dog, but that is as close to a niece and I’m going to get for a while.



Heidi, sweet thing. A German Boxer (hence the name) and the cutest thing I have ever seen. Heidi is a bossy, feisty, assertive little girl and I have a feeling will be the dominant one shortly. Poor Sophie, displaced by the new baby. They have another boxer; Sophie; who is 2 and felt it was time to get her some company, enter Heidi. All I can say is dog’s are a lot like people. Sophie was none too thrilled to have this little thing around. In fact she was downright upset, and on the rare occasion that she feels like playing with her, is spending the rest of the time trying to get away from her. I think in time she will adjust. I mean who couldn’t come to love that face?

Friday Night Lights

I am obsessed with this show. When I thought they were going to cancel it last year I was ready to stage my own protest. Luckily for me…it returned and it’s even better than the first season! My mom feels the same way, but unfortunately for her she has been away with her Red Cross save the world from natural disaster response teams. Whatever. So she calls me one night this week to ask me for a verbal rundown of the last 2 Fridays. It went something like this

Mom: “I haven’t been able to watch it at all…I’m just going to have to fly out to Texas to watch it on your Tivo”.
Me: “Well this wouldn’t be the case if you and Dad entered the 20th century and not only got CABLE, but some sort of DVR device. You know it’s almost time to throw out those Beta tapes.”
Mom: “Shut up.”

So I launched into the description of the episodes about why everyone is falling apart without my sweet Coach Taylor and I hear my dad laughing in the background.

My dad: “You act like you guys know these people.”

HELLO We do!!! Men are cluless.

Think Pink

Operation Save Second Base


This past weekend I am proud to say I was the Captain of the BEST team in Dallas for the Susan G Komen Walk. Our team was called “Operation Save Second Base” and we got a ton of compliments on our t-shirts (THANKS WENDY!!) They were pink camouflage with an army green dog tag on the back that said Operation Save Second Base. Adorable.



All of Dallas turned out for this event and it was literally a sea of Pink. According to race results 25,500 people participated in the 5K event, and raised nearly 1 million dollars. I am happy to say our team hit our goal of $3,000! It was an experience for everyone. We were walking in Memory of our friend Julie’s mom who lost her battle 2 years ago. It was hard to see the faces of young kids walking in memory of their mom, and women not much older than me wearing “Survivor” shirts. Of course there were humorous moments as well. I nearly took a dive because I was talking (of course) and walked right into a cone. No surprise there!

This event also confirmed my thought that Target is the best store ever. They are the main sponsor of the race here in Dallas and had employees turn out by the hundreds to line the course of the race…all volunteering their time.



I am proud of all my friends who walked or donated to this wonderful cause, and thank you for making it a special day.

The Boyd's

Our good friends Chris and Meg were married this month. I know strange that they have the SAME NAMES!!?? Even more strange is that we knew them separately before they knew each other. Chris Boyd went to grad school with my Chris, and Meg was friends with another student Sara. The wedding was a huge Dallas event, for those of you that are not familiar with Dallas society weddings, or Texas weddings in general all I have to say is you need to see it to believe it.



I felt like I walked into a weddings issue from In Style. There were at least 350-400 people, it was formal, and no detail was missed. Starting with the full choir, trumpets, organ and bells at the actual church, to the 12 piece band at the reception. Meg's mom even recreated her favorite old school soda fountain in one of the reception halls; Highland Park Pharmacy...complete with floats, shakes, grilled cheese and all. I can honestly say I have never seen anything like it.


They were absolutely glowing. Because they had to say “hi” to everyone we had about 3 seconds with them…so Chris took a picture with the life size cut out pictures of them at the reception (see below).

Big Tex and Corny Dogs

Who doesn't love a good State Fair?? Come on all the carney's and rides that might smell like someone else's lunch. It's so American. We go for the food. At the Texas State Fair you can literally get anything in the world fried. Fried latte, fried guacamole...fried mac and cheese balls. We've got it all. I usually go and eat until I am literally sick, but this year had a bit of restraint (my brother Rob got sick instead). We started with the Fletcher's Corney Dog, then onto a smoked turkey leg, and the piece de resistance...dippin dots. To clarify, Chris and I shared the turkey leg so in all we weren't half bad.



Just the people watching alone at the fair is worth a trip and I promise you won't be dissappointed. If anyone happened to catch Ross the intern on Jay Leno, they sent him to the fair for the big TX-OU game. It was classic, and will tell you all you need to know about the Texas State Fair. I highly reccommend finding it in U-Tube.

Fall and Football

Hello Texas it's fall. Growing up in the mountains of Northern California means crisp cold fall air, hot chocolate at Friday night football games, and a Northface fleece. Here in the Lone Star State it is 85 degrees today! I guess at some point it will decide to go from hot to freezing in 24 hours, but who knows when that will be. I am ready for a change in season.

Not living with a guy has HUGE advantages sometimes ladies, and actually being able to watch must see TV is one of them. Football or baseball (playoffs) is on 5 nights a week at our place. I am forced to Tivo everything and try and sneak in my guilty fix of The Office and Gossip Girl (don't ask). I am a huge college football fan, a growing Cowboys fan...but I will never ever be a baseball fan. Hate it. I'm sorry, if that is America's pastime than I vote for a recall. So think of me if you are one of the lucky ones that have control of the remote at your house.

Donkey Balls

Before you assume…please read on. While on many of the Hawaiian road trips that occurred when my dad swore he knew where we were going (only to be lost) we discovered Donkey Balls. We saw the sign at this little shop in the middle of nowhere and had to pull over to check it out. Unsure of what we were going to find...we were pleased to discover that they are in fact chocolate covered macadamia nuts! At that point we started to look around the balls store and that kindergarten laughter ensued when kids joke about farting…we could not stop laughing. It only got worse when we began to look more closely at the “types” of balls one could purchase.

Salty Balls: rolled in Hawaiian salt
Flaky Balls: Rolled in Coconut
Blue Balls: Dipped in white and dark chocolate



I mean seriously…you probably needed to be there but the jokes were too easy. My poor dad, I think he wanted to be anywhere else but trapped in a car with his 26 year old son, daughter in law, 30 year old daughter and her live in sin boyfriend. Especially when the mentioned daughter in law had to rip open the bag of blue balls for a taste. Thank goodness he is such a good sport. People seriously thought we had turrets because at various points of conversation the rest of the entire vacation one of us would have to blurt out “donkey balls”. If you know my family you can only imagine…but it was a highlight. It truly is the little moments that make life a fun trip.

Hurricane Vacation Anyone?

When planning a vacation to Hawaii I will now have to begin consulting Al Gore or Leonardo DeCaprio because I swear the gods of global trickery were messing with my only summer vacation. What originally started as a small family vacation to the Big Island of Hawaii turned into a much larger extended family trip. Low and behold there were 16 of us in the end.

I will of course blog separately about many of our adventures but this one is regarding the weather.

In the 8 days on the island I love so much we had 2 earthquakes, a hurricane (that ended up missing us at the last min), a Tsunami warning and a wild fire...HELLO? I think someone was telling us something. Some might have been frightened, but no we set up the lawn chairs on the lanai for a show, I mean really how "mandatory" is a "mandatory evacuation" after all right? I mean why not go golfing with 60 mile an hour winds...who doesn't? (see the trees in added pics for an idea on the wind)



I just love the "Hawaiian time" for updating you on the conditions. We turn on the TV after an earthquake at 7pm, and can't find out the size until the next morning! It was a vacation that none of us are likely to forget anytime soon.



Mai Tai anyone???

Sprinkles

The cupcake craze of Hollywood hit Dallas about 6 months ago in the form of a place called Sprinkles. Every kind of cupcake you can imagine, even one for your dog! If you only need a quick sugar fix you can order a shot of icing, and don’t forget the milk. I have been more times than I like to admit, but knew it would be a huge hit with my 2 favorite visitors from California. These ladies are spoiled and hard to please...but they are also 2 of the favorite things in my entire life. They have made me smile since birth, and the older they get the older I feel.



These little beauties are 9 and 12 years old and came for a special visit to Dallas in July. In total they were here 4 days and we went for cupcakes 2x. I thought this sweet (crack) factory would keep them visiting me for years to come...until they gleefully reported to me the other day a new Sprinkles was going to be coming to their home town of Palo Alto. Now all I have to offer is humidity and a million mosquitoes, and of course me.

Making memories of us

Sentimental title I know, but it's actually a song my other boyfriend Keith Urban wrote for his wife Nicole. He's lucky I'm not the jealous type! I personally like to say there is a Keith Urban song for anything.

Bad Break up: Tonight I wanna cry
Happy Mood in the car: Somebody like you
Cheesy wedding song: I wanna be your everything
Get it on tune: Raining on Sunday
The bad guy anthem: Stupid Boy



See I can go on and on...I am a true fan. So in 2006 when tickets went on sale for his tour I of course registered for his fan club to get the best possible seats. He was coming the weekend of Valentine's Day 2007 and Dallas was going to be his 1st stop! Being that was also my 30th birthday weekend...I thought it couldn't be more perfect. Ha...I failed to anticipate his apparent fall off the wagon and subsequent trip to rehab. So the concert that was to be in Feb didn't occur until July!

Well it was worth the wait. He played for over 2 hours strait, 4 different instruments and was even more gracious than he is talented. The seats I had were amazing as the photos here demonstrate. (Gretchen I will miss you being at the AAC) No Nicole Kidman sighting, but she probably heard I was going to be there. I think even Chris developed a bit of a man crush he was that good.

Airline Manners

I have been traveling a lot for work lately and on my last flight I had the trifecta of in flight entertainment.

*Fact: I am a very easy traveler…my luggage has been lost, flights cancelled and delayed, been with screaming children, had middle seats, and I don’t mind security checks.

The non-flyer: The teenage girl next to me…sweet child, dressed totally inappropriately so she of course was freezing and upset that there were no blankets. Well Miss Daisy Duke’s and spaghetti tank with flip flops…if you aren’t the last person (literally) to board, and sitting all the way in the back against the window perhaps you would be one of the few to acquire one of those covered with germs blankets. Add to that she actually talked on her cell phone DURING THE FLIGHT! Yes she kept her phone on, and used it during flight. Of course because she was by the engine we could all hear her conversation. I prefer not to mess with air traffic control, but she was new to flying.

The super sizer: The woman in front of me….god love the ACLU or whoever it is that fights for the rights of those who will give them press…I mean we all need someone to help us out once in a while. I am not a small girl, nor is my family tiny…but we do fit in the seats. Does anyone really like the comfort of airline seating? No, but I’m sorry I am a frequent flyer and if you can’t buckle a seat belt and are taking up half my seat…I have an ISSUE. I didn’t pay $1100 for my flight to be squished and completely uncomfortable. No platinum or gold status can save you from someone who refuses to acknowledge that seating might be an issue. I really truly believe that 2 seats need to be purchased, or drive.

The over sharer: The guy across the isle that for some reason thinks I love to talk, about where I’m from, where I am going, what for…you know the usually get to know a total stranger chat. I must have that face where I look interested because it happens to me all the time. While I am friendly and don’t mind chatter…at 7am on a 4 hour flight we have a lot of time to get to know one another. I prefer you wait until after my nap. Is he friendly, or bored, or is he one of those people on a plane dying to tell me; a total stranger; all about their personal life.

I love to travel, and I love people but sometimes traveling makes me wonder if I am a nice person at all. I feel evil that I find myself getting irritated by people’s personal phone conversations, or dealing with their screaming or ill behaved children, or that I just don’t feel like talking about myself. I just want to get from point A to B.

Summer Tivo

I love TV...I'm sorry but I do. My old roomate Jen got me addicted and now I just can't stop. Thank goodness for Tivo. I just don't have time to be home to see all the things I want to. Even in the summer when shows typically suck I have several that I can't miss. Here are my top 5.

1. Rescue Me- This is hands down other than Greys my favorite show on tv. It is completely messed up, hilarious, and touching. How they have mastered all of that I will never know but it is genius. It makes me feel like my own family is somewhat normal.

2. The Closer- a great show, I have to say Kiera is perfect for this role, and the cast is great.

3. Entourage- Ari....need I say more?

4. Flight of the Concords- New and makes me laugh my ass off. Love the accents, and they they break into song at random.

5. Big Love- Strange and awkward but enduring. I can't help but like this family, even though I don't agree with the plural marriage thing.

A Ring or flooring?

Yes folks the dilemma for me was a ring or hardwoods. What did I choose? The correct answer would be floors! Better for resale should this not work out, and I don't negotiate on a ring. Talk to me when you have an actual stone in play, capish? But do you know how much new hardwood flooring is? Good Lord is all I'm going to say, but I simply could not live with what was in the house we bought. So before we moved in, we had new flooring installed. In addition my girlfriends and I painted nearly all the rooms in the house as well. I have to say, the place looks completely different. I love it.

One can't really label my decorating style, it's unique. I know many of you are laughing thinking that of course means bad, but I'm sorry to tell you that’s not the case. Unlike most Texans I don't believe in wallpaper, gold fixtures, or floral prints of any kind. I also don't collect knick knacks, or any rustic collection of items that have flag motif. I like muted solid colors, and what I call simple elegance.

I thought I had escaped all Texan decor until I found 2 items that I had to have. I surprised myself actually but when I have an idea, I just do it. I was at this insane antique fair that was 5 miles long and found these huge longhorns that I couldn't forget. I also found a cowhide that even had a brand on it. Sounds terrible I know but truly I fell in love. When I got these items home they went over about as well as a turd in a punch bowl, but I stood my ground. They are now both a part of the master bedroom and believe it or not he loves the look. I also drove 200 miles for a sofa. Yep, it was pouring rain and he thought I was nuts. We almost had a Christmas Tree situation on our hands. After compromising (or what I like to call winning) we rented the U-Haul trailer and went to get this sofa I found online. I am a bargin hunter and even with the rental and gas expenses...it was about $2,000 less than if we had gotten it in the store.



Almost every item in the house was a negotiation, and I am happy to say we made it thru without breaking up! The house is almost finished and we still like each other. I think that is huge. Most of you are blessed with a guy that has no opinions on this type of thing. The conversation probably goes "honey, do you prefer mauve, or lavender for our bedroom?" The typical response would be "I don't care, whatever you think looks best". Our conversations were more like this.
M "would you prefer mauve or lavender for the bedroom"
C "You won't catch me dead in a pink/purple bedroom, what about plaid?"
M "Plaid? Are you high, absolutely not on the plaid that went out when little house on the prairie did"
C "Well you're going to have to pick another color because it’s not going to be girly"
M "fine"

Welcome to the month of June.

He is Finally 30

May was also Chris's 30th birthday. Now I can finally stop hearing about how I'm the older woman. I like to plan parties, love it actually. So of course I wanted to throw a big bash for his big day. He was having none of that and slashed the guest list like it was his job! You practically had to have security clearance to get the evite. So to all of you who made the cut...feel special. I felt like a lobbyist for people on the B team. After that I think I have a future in Washington. So we had a bowling party at a very fun place in Dallas (called 300). A great group of close friends attended, and we both were happy. I got a party and he got a small gathering.

Shackin Up

Yep, its official...we decided to live in sin. After much discussion we decided to buy a place and move in together. To all you judging Judy’s...let me start by telling you I don't really care what you think.

Moving on. This is a huge step for us, and took careful consideration. If you don't know us and are reading this let me break it down for you. We are commitment phobic, in a huge way. He because he is predisposed to think things never work out (the pessimist in him). Well that and he had a bad experience in the past where someone ran over his golf clubs when it ended badly. I have my own suitcase of stuff...if you call having married a gay man and being abandoned and issue. (I swear I didn't know!) All that is another story for another day.

We decided, and broke it to the families. His was thrilled, mine being of the more biblical persuasion was disappointed that we weren't "engaged" but agreed that we needed to make sure this one is really strait.
*Random side note...does being engaged and living together reduce the chance of breakup? I'm inclined to think no, but hey I am wrong all the time.

My family loves him, and his loves me so I think we all are at a point where this is a good thing. Even though we are nervous about 24 hours a day in the same space, I think we’re in a good place for this next step. We will either kill one another, or end up deciding to take the plunge.

Now onto the house hunt...this is supposed to be fun right? Well it was, let's say "challenging", but not nearly as deciding on the furniture and style. Hello you're a guy do you truly care if the color is toasted marshmallow or taupe? Apparently this one does, but we did find a home we both loved, made an offer and here it is.




Casa de...Gainrich? Or should it be Heingain? Either way we have a fully furnished guestroon and friends are always welcome.

Snow in April

Hello, Texas Weather!!



So in Texas it’s hot as hell, thunderstorms and flooding, or snow on Easter. Here there is no point in listening to the weather because it can and will change in 15 min. The boyfriend and I traveled to his parent’s house for the holiday weekend and the projected forecast of sunny 75 degrees turned into 6 inches of snow. It made for an interesting Egg Hunt for many people I'm sure, but being that I am from Northern California, I loved it. I miss that part of winter.

March Madness

March was filled with stuff that kept me more than busy. First and probably best was the Justin Timberlake concert. I got the tickets last year for my friend Jen’s 30th birthday. I have to say…we were not disappointed. The show was amazing, and so well done. He more than brought sexy back. My friend Emily had shirts made for all of us that read “JT’s future wife, he just doesn’t know it yet.” They were a big hit. Other than Bon Jovi it was the best concert I have ever seen.



My favorite guy friend Noah was married in March to his girlfriend of 9 years…yes I said 9 years. I adore her and have no idea how she put up with him for that long. We went to San Francisco for the wedding, and it was beautiful. Open bar for 5 hours…hello I won the lottery. I needed the beverages because it could have been a high school reunion. My boyfriend loved sharing a table with my high school ex, his wife and all our old friends. I think nostalgia has an expiration date for sure, and he got an earful about what I was like back then. He was a very good sport.



Christine turned 27, and we had a girl’s night out. I think my favorite part was at one point Christine (highly intoxicated) explaining to a 23 year old that she was “way too old for him”. It was hilarious. The rest of us were encouraging the youngster by saying “There are all kinds of things she could teach you”. If looks could kill we would all be dead. She seems so sweet and kind…watch out because after some drinks mean Christine makes an appearance. Attached photo demonstrates her distain for us at that moment.



Kerri and Scott had a housewarming party. My old college roommates moved about 5 min from me here in Dallas. I love having them back. She cooked amazing food and we had a blast meeting new and old friends. The party ended up going till 2am and included my boyfriend imitating the New Kids On the Block dance routine to hanging tough. Listen up everybody if you wanna have a chance….oh oh oh oh oh. That is what happens after to much jager.

Febrary was all about me.

This year February was all about me. Why? Because I TURNED 30! I don’t feel 30, and it’s true that 30 is the new 20…but 30? Seriously. I remember being in high school thinking 30 was ancient, and wondering what people did when they were that old. Ha. This year I decided that it was time for a party. Not just any party, but the biggest party I have ever had. I feel so blessed right now in my life and wanted a party not just for me, but for all my friends who have been along for my crazy ride of a life. I started planning in September of last year. Hotel ZaZa was the chosen location of course. It is a swanky boutique hotel here that the famous people stay at when they come to town.
I booked one of the Magnificent 7 suites called “the crouching tiger” it was over 2000 sqft and decked in Asian décor. It was a girl’s only slumber party. Having a mix of single and married friends always causes a dilemma about the boy factor. I felt it easier for entertaining if it were all girls. The invites went out, all the food was ordered, and the cake was chosen. The weekend came and my best friends flew in. Val from San Diego, and Colleen from North Carolina. We have been friends since Jr. High, and I can’t imagine a major moment in my life without them.

My roommate from college Kerri and some Dallas pals as well. In all there were 15 of us. We started with dinner in the suite, a TON of alcohol, and some gift opening. I made gift boxes for everyone with fun stuff and a CD of my favorite songs from the past 30 years. Kerri made a beautiful slide show and even had a ton of pics from my mom! Then we moved to the club downstairs “dragonfly” where they had created a VIP area for us. We had cake and danced with the Dallas nightlife there for a while, before heading back to the room for the after party.


Down the hall from us were: Johnny Knoxville, and Tommy Lee (separate rooms) and some of the guys from Prison Break which is filmed here locally. It was the best birthday I have ever had, and a night I won’t forget with people I love. Well there was one I could do without, but that is another story for another time.
To the rest….thank you for all the years of friendship and I look forward to 30 more with all of you!

January

I can’t believe its 2007….I remember 1997…how can this be happening?

One of my favorite events of the year is in January. SUNDANCE Film Festival. Years ago it started as a girl’s weekend. My friend Kerri had moved to Salt Lake City for her husbands’ job, and was bored to tears out there. I decided to go visit, and we thought going to catch a few movies at Sundance would be fun. Now this was back in the day when you could actually “catch a movie” at Sundance. 5 years later….that no longer is the case. We’re still going though…5 years later. The group of girls is always different with the exception of Kerri and me. WE LOVE IT. But oh how the times have changed. When we first rented a house in Park City and had 9 (yes 9) girls for 5 days at Sundance it was a party. We were up all night, out at parties or crashing them, inviting boys to the hot tub (not a euphemism), and celebrity stalking like it was our job. Kerri and a friend Erin were in the bathroom at a movie premier a few years back with Paris and Nikki Hilton, and now they like to say they “pottied with the Hiltons” It was a wild time. Now years later almost everyone is married, some have kids, and we actually go for the movies and girl time.


This trip was very last min and actually work related for Kerri. She had to bring models from her agency to represent one of the corporate sponsors. Yeah…rough job. This year our only goal was to get a picture with Celeb blogger Perez Hilton. And I must say we were 100% successful (see above photo). Opening weekend is always insane but each year the madness grows. I hate to say it, but this festival is no longer about the movies. In fact you can’t even get tickets to them anymore without being willing to give up a kidney, or sleep with someone “in the industry”. However if you just want to run into celebs on the sidewalk it’s still the place to be, and we saw plenty. The highlight I think was that we went to the MTV/Myspace party one night and ended up in VIP (it happens when you’re traveling with models). We’re standing there dancing, and all of a sudden…P Ditty, Nick Cannon, and Damon Dash decide they want the table right behind us. People were going nuts, paparazzi everywhere and security. Nick went to DJ, and the entourage was something else. As the night went on Diddy et all decided they wanted to invite our crew (models) to a private after party. I laughed when we all decided that we would rather go home and make smores. And that’s exactly what we did. Not that Diddy noticed the absence, but it was fun being asked. I mean how often are you given a strange card, told to go to a parking lot and stand under some light and get on a bus with no idea where you are going? Not often I tell you. We had no regrets about not going…until we discovered that Justin Timberlake went. Damn, but those smores were good.

Thank you for smoking

Ok I’m sorry and some of you might hate me for it…but unless you are smoking all by yourself in your own home or car (with the windows up) I am going to think you are an asshole. Why you ask? Because I have yet to see a smoker use the freaking ashtray in their car….thank you to the asshole this morning in an orange mustang cobra who flicked your cigarette butt out the window on the freeway in traffic and landed on the hood of my new car. By the way…1990 called and wants the orange mustang back. Unless you are 18 and just got back from military duty you picked a LAME ASS CAR.

To all the smokers that might read this…if you’re not an asshole, don’t act like one. Roll up your windows and USE THE ASHTRAY!

December

The major events of Dec were as follows:
1. I hosted a Christmas Cocktail Party. I would post pictures, but like the A+ hostess that I am…I didn’t take any. I did make a crazy strong drink called “White Christmas” which consisted of Vanilla Vodka, White Chocolate Godiva Liqueur, and Kailua. Delicious and potent. I realized that as much as I love a good party, I don’t like cooking for one. The boyfriend claims he had never seen me cook as much in the 2 years we had been dating than he had for this party. I call BS. I cook, just not for him.

2. The almost break up. The holidays are stressful for everyone, and when navigating a newer relationship can cause tension. Everyone comes with their own expectations and holiday traditions. I am no exception, but add to that a Christmas fanatic and control freak. Can you follow where I am going with this? Being the age that I am, having my own place, career, job etc…sometimes its hard for me to compromise. I said it…its hard. I love Christmas, and as my brother so eloquently stated “it’s Megan’s way or get out of the way” I always have a tree, it is always decorated and freshly cut. No fake tree for me. Fake?? Whisky Tango…that is what I think of fake trees. But I digress. So the boyfriend and I go in search of the perfect tree one weekend. Here is where the trouble starts. I want a noble fir, he wants a Douglas, I want at least 6 feet, and he wants 5. Really 5 feet, I am taller than 5 feet, he is a foot taller than 5 feet, and I have vaulted ceilings….5 feet!! No. So we hold up trees and debate each merit while happy families and children march right in and manage to pick one so easily. Finally we agree, or I win…depends on who you ask. Then we get the thing home, and get it ready to decorate. Here is where the fun really starts. Already licking his wounds from the tree battle at home depot he starts to put on lights. I like to lay them all out, plug them in, test them, and string them together. It’s a process for me. He just wanted to put them on and started from the BOTTOM. What? No, no sorry have you ever decorated a tree? And 5 min later I’m crying, he has left slamming the door, and the tree is half lit with no decorations. I have to call and grovel about how horrible I am at sharing, and learning to incorporate someone else’s suggestions, and apologize. Eventually he returns and we make nice while hanging the ornaments, and I say nothing as he puts the heavy ones on flimsy branches because I have already learned my lesson for the day.

3. When I moved 3 years ago I told my parents it would have to be Christmas or Thanksgiving at home, but not both. Thus started the alternating holiday schedule. December of 2006 was supposed to be in Dallas, hello it had been the plan since the Christmas before. Only over the course of the year my grandmother died, my mom’s mom…and my brother and sister in law moved to Dallas…and my parents would be without any kids for the first Christmas ever, and without my Grandma. At the same time I was in a quandary because I had committed to spending Christmas with my boyfriends family. His family is divorced so the holiday really takes multiple meals and at least 2 days. I could see no good solution.
I know you are all yelling “MOM…hello go save your mom!” In my defense my boyfriend and I had just paid a million dollars to spend a week over Thanksgiving with them in Hawaii! I had just seen her 3 weeks before, and he and his family had sacrificed a holiday for them. So what do I do? After a sleepless night and a few phone calls, we invited my family to his for Christmas. Insane I know, and the reality of it didn’t hit me until we were sitting around the table at his grandparent’s house and I realized this was the first time they had ever met. ALL OF US. His family was thrilled, and loved the entire thing. My family was terrified, because we are all a little relationship phobic. But it happened, and no one died, or drank too much, or caused an injury. A success. Christmas was different for all of us, and it was still hard without my grandma, but at least we were all together.

I'm Back!

It’s been a while…a long while. I know. I am sorry.

Have you ever had those few months in your life when it feels like every day you are running around with your hair on fire? If not, feel blessed. I like slow, lazy, unplanned days. The last 6 months have been the opposite, but in mostly good ways. I last posted in November, the pre holiday posting season. So I will do one post for each month to get you all up to date. That is if I can remember what happened.

Me

How I got to Texas

I get asked all the time so I thought I would share the story.

I moved to Texas almost 3 years ago from California. A friend literally called me up one day and said “hey there is this job here in Dallas I think you would be perfect for…would you ever move?” Well I think most 27 year olds living in beautiful sunny San Diego CA, in a great job and 15 min from your best friend of 15 years and the beach would say “NO WAY!” But I am an oddity. I had been in SD for years, but it never really felt like home. Home is a hard feeling to explain, but you know it when you feel it. I knew it was never home, I just had no reason to leave. Until the call. So I snuck out of town one weekend to go visit a friend aka: interview in secret. I had never been to Texas and I stepped off the plan in hot, humid, summer 100 degree heat and thought to myself this is home. It’s a feeling I’ve never been able to really articulate, but it was home to me and I knew I was going to move even if I didn’t get this job.

I got the job, and then had to go back to paradise and tell everyone that I was moving halfway across the country, and they had 3 weeks to get used to it. Did I mention I lived near all my good friends, and my parents were just a 45 min southwest flight away? This move didn’t sit well, everyone thought I was crazy, that I would hate it, and was sure I would be back. But they helped me pack, and 3 weeks later I was here. Now the series of events in the 8 weeks after I arrived would have thrown others for a loop. If you call moving for a job at a dot com, that did bomb, and that I got my first and last pay check in the same month when they laid off 115 employees with a note on our desks one day, and no severance. Oh and the one friend that I knew in Dallas…yeah she was moving after the lay off back to California.

WTF? But did I pack up, knowing no one in this huge state and move back to my friends and family, already paid for lease, the beach, and let's not forget NORMAL weather? Of course not. I stayed, and I’m still here. I might have also spent an entire month after with my fellow laid off friends from the same company intoxicated but whatever…Here is home. Almost 3 years later, some of the people I met at that job I had for a few weeks are my closest friends. It's a story we all share, and we're all still here.