what are ya doin new years eve?

new years eve.

one of my absolute favorite holidays!

when i was a little girl we would always spend new years eve at my grandparent's house.
all the aunts, uncles, cousins would come and we would spend the entire night playing store in my grandparent's garage.
the concept of store is a story for another day, but us kiddos could make a game last up to a week if we chose and trust me...we went there.
my grandma would produce this grand dinner buffet that could seriously leave anything vegas has to offer laying in lame-o shame-o.
and at the stroke of midnight we would run out my grandparent's sliding glass door to the back yard banging our pots and pans with grandma's grapefruit spoons.
[who uses those things anyway?]
grandpa would play auld lang syne on the trumpet.
all the couples would kiss.
[ewwwwwww]
and we would run up and down my grandparent's massive backyard screaming over and over again...happy new year.

well, new years eve has gotten
significantly smaller through the years.
but it remains one of my favorite holidays due to the glitz, glam and hope it always offers.
[3 of my favorite things]
and even though this new years i am extremely unprepared in the party material department.
[remember how jet blue screwed me out of my winder wonderland nye 2010 with 2 best friends?!? i have no sparkly dress, no fake eyelashes, no 2 besties...boo]

there are a few things i am WITH this time around,
that i cannot take for granted:
family.
thee original best friends.
[10 years and counting lovelies]
lots of yummy food.
california sun.

i have spent many new years in many places...
from new york city itself to the snowy slopes of utah.
but this year i get to spend it
at my favorite place in the world...
home.

santa even dropped off a pair of super sparkly 5-inch stunner heels to get me through my night.

just call me miss america...

[dear jet blue: santa doesn't like LIARS!]

...or miss american airlines.

as much as my last post boasted of the fun and fabulous ca adventures of moi,
i had a flight this evening and needed to be on it.
i had work and cccaarrazy new years eve plans to get back to.
unfortunately, the wrath of satan, also known as jet blue airlines, saw my future a little differently and unleashed the power of airport hell on me and all those plans.

thoughts on my night?
original flight is delayed 45 minutes, blegh.
arrive at airport with LOTS of extra time to check in at new time and get through security.
minor set back...the line to check in is switch backed through the ENTIRE terminal, down another hallway, and out the side door of the airport.
get in line. stand. walk a little. stand a lot. walk a little.
while in line jet blue cancels 2 outgoing flights, luckily not mine.
i switch to the curbside check in line, equally as long, but thankfully moving.
1 hour later, i am checked in and at security.
brand new tiffany bracelet breaks in security. i cry. but move along.
get to my gate to find out that they switched me.
man at jet blue counter yells at me for not reading his mind and knowing this.
have to be personally escorted to my new gate because the only way there is to walk outside on the tarmac, and obviously i cannot do that on my own.
after being scolded i say i am sorry and sit at my gate.
but oh wait, shouldn't my plane have departed by now?
why yes. yes it should have.
delayed. continue to wait.
announcement: jet blue flight 238 to SLC is canceled.
no further explanation, i get in line to get a new flight and immediately start calling to see if a co-worker can help me out tomorrow.
thee bestie calls to tell me her high up jet blue connection recommends trying to get a new reservation by calling in.
start calling while i am standing in line. dad is now in line in the main terminal just in case that moves faster. mom is at baggage claim trying to re-claim my checked bag.
after calling and re-calling into jet blue due to high call volume at this time, i am told i will be on hold for atleast 45 minutes.
1 hour into waiting in line, still on hold, i am told i can no longer be in my line and i have to go out front.
proceed to yell at stupid jet blue worker for letting us sit in that line after she full well knew it needed to shut down at a certain time. not my finest hour.
meet parents in the front terminal line and wait, for another hour.
get to the front of the line and am told the earliest they can get me out is thursday night.
no flights at any other airports. period.
because of the storms back east there are no jet blue planes to fly anyone anywhere. they will resume tomorrow but are back logged with people for a few days.
lady helping me has the audacity to tell me i am lucky, some people are not getting out for a week.
not the right thing to say to me right now lady. keep it shut!
since i have friday off of work anyway, i figure i might as well come home sunday morning and there is no way in hell she is charging me any extra fees.
book flight. get in car. pay uber parking fees. come home.
thee mom looks for flights from other airports on other airlines out tomorrow but no luck.

i am stressed.
i hate when things are out of my control.
i am furious with jet blue.

i am now and forever more an american airlines customer.
where apparently there is something special in the air.
i guess over the course of my traveling life i will find out how special that special is.

all i want for christmas

currently having the best christmas break of my life participating in the following fabulous things:
shopping. shopping. shopping.
driving around looking at the fantastically wacky homes who put up more christmas lights than they have space for.
the type of mexican food that can only be produced in ca.
spending christmas eve with my family and friends at my beloved nordstrom.
standing in the 45 minute line at tiffany.
[well worth it, i might add]
watching movie after movie after movie.
waiting song after song for mariah to come on the radio.
more shopping.
visiting reese witherpoon and gwyneth paltrow's stars on thee hollywood walk of fame.
shopping at the largest used music store in the world.
getting addicted to thee sims with big bro.
watching all the fun tricks thee mom has taught our bunny.
taking a pic in front of the place where ms. kp started it all.
eating dessert with life long best friends.
laughing. loving. celebrating.

and people always wonder why i have such a hard time living away from CA...

ps- while walking down hollywood blvd. thee big bro was asked by a passer by if he needed anymore weed?!? because apparently he looked swank enough to merit the question.
we laughed for blocks.
gosh i love this town.

these are the gurls i love the most.

no surprise here!
my dear kp tops my chart for video of the year with her summer anthem california gurls.
fine, fresh, fierce and tooootttally wacky...
from her outrageous wigs to the famous california monuments created from sweets and treats,
it did not get any better than this is 2010.
katy sets out on a journey to free the queens of candyfornia and defeat snoop dog and his evil, flip you off if you make em mad gummi bear army.
[don't watch while hungry kids]

weird? yes.
video of the year? double yes.

mele kalikimaka!

well baby, it's cold outside.

all i see out my window is snow, snow and more snow.
which leads me to believe this is the perfect time of year to visit a tropical island.
preferably...[MY island].

after mucho holiday season movie watching and magazine reading, thee bestie and i decided it was time to
rearrange the crew.
ya know, move some people from the bench to the beach, move others from the beach to the bench.

soooo here is...thee starting 2011 island line up:

chris pine

jake gyllenhaal

paul rudd

michael cera

jon hamm

men on the alternate bench:
josh duhamel, garrett hedlund, leonardo dicaprio, cory monteith, bon jovi, jonathan toews, ryan seacrest, robert downey jr, sam worthington, zac efron, nick carter, patrick sharp, dylan mcdermott, alex o'loughlin.

i am sure the staff on the island will be forever in rotation,
but for now...
these are my boys.

"...you're in love with me too"

seriously cannot get over how much i adored this movie.
and everyone in it.
especially mr. paul rudd.
[btw...welcome to my island paul.]

go go see it this holiday season!
totally quirky, a little slow, totally lovable, a little perfect.
just about every scene had thee bestie and moi laughing uncontrollably and then swooning.

promise you won't regret it.

do you see what i see?

flirting...
as i was reminded today, i am just not good at it!
boo hoo.

one of my current projects at the office is helping my co-worker whip his life into organizational shape.
it's been a process that is nowhere near complete, but we are making great strides.
well, today we made a great field trip over to the bank to streamline accounts.
we walked in, sat down with a banker and off we went.
i would by lying to say i didn't notice the fact that our new friend, thee banker, was not only wearing a pink tie, but a pink shirt as well.
[kinda like he walked straight out of a katy perry video]
muy bien to myself for picking up on that.
because what i did not pick up on was the fact that while i was trying to get accounts in order, my co-worker was trying to get me a date.

looking back now it is oh so obvious!
like when thee co-worker asked if he was dating anyone?
[no]
interested in anyone at the moment?
[not really]
active in church?
[yes, elder's quorum president]
and kept hinting at how fabulous i am at everything i do.
[which i thought was weird]
and in the moment i was just thee normal, romantically challenged moi.

on the car ride back to the office i was reamed for being so dense. my pitiful answer?
people don't go to work to flirt, they go to work to work.
atleast i do.
i got laughed at. profusely.

i am single.
i am hopeless.
i am screwed.

thee most wonderful time of the year.

well lovelies, it truly is thee most wonderful time of the year...

as award season officially began yesterday with the announcement of the 2011 golden globe nominees.

props to the association for FINALLY going commercial

[usually it seems to be a requirement that the movie has to have made $10,000 or under to be considered]

especially excited for:

thee ever classy ms. kidman-urban returning to her rightful home on the best actress list.

alice in wonderland not being forgotten.

inception. inception. inception.

jesse eisenberg as best actor for the social network.

zombies taking over best series.

mad men. always a pleasure.

a little bummed out about:

leonardo dicaprio...does he even exist? or was his ever thrilling turn as a dream invader my own dream within a dream.

however, let's get honest here people:

the best part of awards season is the fashion.
which is why, regardless of performance, i am especially excited for the nominations of natalie portman, anne hathaway, nicole kidman, angelina jolie and jake gyllenhaal...never once have they failed me and my red carpet eyes.

this also means, thee annual oscar party is fast approaching, so start dusting off that evening wear.
i promise this year will be the best yet.

are we there yet?

after a week of:

family.
fun.
flying from here to there to here again.
funerals.
farewells.
and frantic panic.
[at times]

i am done with anything that begins with the letter f.
obviously. obviously. obviously.
except for the flowers sweet mellie and thee bestie brought to me tonight.

[photo courtesy of ffffound.com]

sing it for the world

remember when lil bro wrote about [this] band?
well, it was no understatement that each person in my familia is a huge my chemical romance fan.
[not your typical fans, but fans]
in fact, thee mom and i got in a minor tiff last week about who got to babysit the new cd while lil bro is away on his mission for two years.
mom won out. boo.

needless to say sing lands at #2 on thee 2010 music video countdown.
[and yes, this song sure is the new promo song for american idol]
as with the cd, the videos have a continuing storyline.
the first single off the album [na na na] follows the fabulous lives of the killjoys as they meander their way through the year 2019 in california, fighting off the masked employees of better living industries.
at the end of the video lil kill joy, grace, is captured and taken back to BL/ind.
and here is where we left off...

forget you. and forget him too.

in case you haven't noticed this far into the countdown,
i think a music video should tell a story.
if i want to watch someone simply sing, i will turn go to the concert.
i want storyline, characters, costumes, makeup and, when the time is right, dance moves!
incorporating all of the above elements, as well as sassy lyrics anyone can relate to and being a little less controversial than its original predecessor,
[i won't even link it...but if you are curious...google...you're sure to find it]
forget you is cee lo green's screw you anthem of the year,
and comes in on my list as the #3 music video of 2010.

a careless man's careful daughter

continuing on our best of 2010 music video countdown,
let's add t. swift in at #4 with mine.
because no one does a music video like tay tay.
period.

daddy's girl.

oh me, oh moi, oh my!

this has been such an incredibly up and down week.
but despite all the happenings around me, i couldn't let today go by without wishing my fabulous father the happiest of happy birthdays.

i wish you all could know him.
he is truly the glue that keeps our family so tightly together.

he sometimes comes across as kind of serious,
but has this incredibly witty sense of humor that is infectious.
and most days it creeps up out of nowhere, and you turn around and want to say:
where did that one come from?

he has given me so many gifts through the years, but i am especially grateful for:
his wisdom, courage and love.
the crooked smile he passed on to me.
all the years he paid for me to take piano lessons.
all the early morning drives to school so i could be in dance.
never yelling at me...even though i have done some pretty lousy things.
letting me know i am always loved.
encouraging me to live my dreams.
painting my room pink when i was a little girl.
paying outrageous bucks for me to fly home last minute this past thanksgiving.
being an example to my brothers.
standing firm as my greatest defender.
loving my mother.
being the kind of father people write novels about.

happy birthday daddy!
i love you.

forever love you.

from bosses to coworkers to church leaders to family to friends of family, i have been exceedingly blessed to have brave and amazing women i look up to in my life.

one of these women, my dear and sweet grandmother, passed away on monday evening and there are not enough words to express the mixy mashy feelings i have inside of me right now.

but as i was sitting in thee boss's office this morning for a good old heart to heart,
[remember how i work for thee most amazing woman on the planet?]
she urged me to look for the silver lining and use my future days to honor the days of my grandmother's past.

now in her healthy days, grandma was a sassy, sweet, stubborn and energetic lady, who taught me many things...
but here are a few i feel she would want me to pass along to you.

travel. travel. travel.

see the world. enjoy the cultures. respect the diversity.

from every state in the USA to europe to india to asia, my grandmother went everywhere.
[she even met barbara bush...totally jeally]

my grandmother was also one of the main reasons i moved to europe.
she encouraged me to live my dream.
and when i got accepted to the program, she was my first phone call.
[although i don't think i ever told her that]

people magazine.

i started reading people magazine in the 3rd grade. grandma would always have it sitting on her coffee table and every sunday night when we went to her house for dinner, i would run and give her a hug, grandpa a hug, and then settle down nicely with my mag.
and you wonder where i got my knack for celebrity culture?

she also loved angelina jolie.
she always said, "i don't care if brad pitt did leave jennifer aniston for her. jennifer aniston is annoying and not talented. he traded up. good for him. good for her."
now...how many of your grandmas could have that conversation with you?

always look your best.

her hair was always done. her nails were always thee most gorgeous pink/mauve color. and when i turned 16 and was FINALLY allowed to wear makeup, she let me raid her fancy makeup drawer and take what i wanted.

holidays.

she could host a holiday like no one on this earth. her house was ALWAYS decorated, and she never forgot birthdays.
in fact, her presents were always the best. her and grandpa always gave the gift you wanted so badly. but was too much to ask for from anyone else.

best gift she ever gave me: lovely by sarah jessica parker. i haven't stopped wearing it since, and it will always remind me of her.

love to learn.

it was always important to her and my grandfather that i had an education. in fact, they took each grandchild to washington dc when we turned 10 years old.
my trip was especially fun as i went with my closest cousin and we side tripped it to williamsburg, va.
there we went on the american girl tour which ended with a ball at the govenors mansion.
every little lady's dream come true.

disneyland.

my grandma loved disneyland. we celebrated her 60th birthday there with a 4 day family extraveganza
[we even ate at thee super private and swank club 33]
and her and my grandfather took everyone on a disney cruise for their 50th wedding anniversary. don't you love how they took US on a cruise for THEIR anniversary...

home.

my grandparents live in one of thee most beautiful, classy, fun houses i have ever been in. filled with treasures from their travels, color themed bedrooms,
[yes, kinda like the white house]
gorgeous furniture, a HUGE backyard, and the memories of family housed inside.

faith.
she had a knowledge of the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints, and was sitting in the audience for every talk, piano solo, award i ever participated in or received from church.

family.

family was everything to her. she loved her husband. she loved her daughters. she loved us grandchildren. and she loved her great-grandchildren.
and each of us, in our own ways, loved her back more than she ever knew. and will continue to love her forever.

tonight i can't help but feel thankful.
thankful to her for the decisions she made in her life.
and for always being her own person.
because when she was 19 she married my grandfather and despite the odds they had a love that lasted a lifetime.
she raised three strong, independent and kind daughters.
one of them my dear, sweet, loving mom.
and when my mother brought home a scruffy, long haired boy one day she accepted him with wide open arms.
to which i say thank the heavens for that, because that boy is now my father.
she taught her 10 grandchildren to love life and everything in it.
and for all of this, i can't help but feeling like the luckiest girl in the world.

[photo courtesy of ffffound.com]

cuz baby you're a firework.

one of my FAVORITE parts about the end of the year is always thee best and worst list of...
well, of just about anything.
movies, music, fashion, trends, etc.

so i decided why not do one of my very own?
as a little sample i will start with one of my favorite videos of the year.

could it be a surprise to anyone that it is from katy perry?
ummm...no.
firework lands at #5 on the list.
[watch here]
but the real reason this particular video is my favorite,
is because of this story i came across the other day.
yes, i am a sucker for when seemingly good people are recognized for their strength in life.
watch. and prepare to be chilled...

Look Alive, Sunshine

So considering this will probably be my last guest post for a while I just thought I would make it the best one. If you don't know the image above is, don't panic, thats what I am here for. On Novemeber 22, 2010 My Chemical Romance released Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys. This is the followup CD to The Black Parade, and the fourth album of the band. Lets do a little education on the band first. Rather than me writng and writing about how they have changed, pictures might do the job better.

They started like this during their first release I Brought You My Bullets You Brought Me Your Love.

They then looked like this for their second album Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge

They changed the look up again for the fourth album The Black Parade

And for the newest album they pulled out all the stops

Since first appearing on the emo scene my chemical romance has changed music. Hard to believe I know right? Hearing "changed music" in a sentence without mentioning Lady Gaga or Justin Beiber. It took My Chem four years to complete this album, and they lost their drummer in the process. The album almost didn't happen, but thankfully it did.

It starts with an intro track much like the one on The Black Parade. You are introduced to your host, Dr. Death Defying and its non stop awesome rock from then on. Its hard to describe Danger Days, so do yourself a favor and go pick up a copy. Some of the best songs are Bulletproof Heart, Planetary (GO!), and The Kids From Yesterday. I love the Black Parade, and it was my favorite album ever, until Danger Days pulled a total Dark Knight and blew it out of the water. So do yourself a favor, and while you try and avoid working in the office, go on youtube and have Dr. D lead you through the rest of the way.

Will it win any grammys? Probably not. The nominations are to full of people who wear meat at outfits, but just like the NME review says "This is the best rock record of the year by such a margin that you actually feel rather embarrassed for everybody else. This isn’t over-excitement. In 2010’s final act, consider rock’n’roll saved." So don't feel left out. The bandwagon is big enough. Join the party. And die with your mask on if you have to. Killjoys, make some noise.

i would be there first to tell you...

...i have great shoes.
[over 100 pairs. eek!]
however, over the next few days i will do you a favor and let you walk in your shoes, while i walk in mine.i may or may not have cried on 6 different occasions today.
so much going on in life.
so much happy. so much sad.
so much stress. so much love.

i wish i could be there with my family for every second of the upcoming weeks.
but grateful for phone calls and text messages by the hundreds.

trying to stay upbeat and positive on thee outside.
even if my insides are jumbled and hurting.
and continuing to be grateful for a blessed life, knowledge of eternal families, and prayer.

i don't care what you think...

...i like this.

no no, i LOVE this.
which means i took myself on a date to barnes and noble to read all about this...bottom line: no one thinks it will last.
but i can still like it anyway. right?
why yes, yes i can.

i miss you already.

well lovelies, we are down to one and a half weeks until thee big send off.
you may or may not know lil bro has been called to serve a mission for the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints in guadalajara, mexico for 2 years!!!

he will go into the missionary training center on december 15th.
and i am going to miss him more than he will ever know.

lil bro and i got off to a rough start in life.
i think it began when i was in kindergarten and he was born and all i wanted to do was hold him and play with him all day and he woulnd't let me near him.
[rude much?!?]
i think i took the obvious bitterness into our youth, as getting along was never our strong point.
until we came to a crossroads in life and went to the same school for a year.
[i was a senior in high school, he was a sweet little 7th grader]
suddenly, i felt this immediate need to protect him and love him and help him through everything in life.
and the rest is history...

i will miss texting him every single day about random things.
i will miss being able to email him funny stories.
i will miss the only person i know who knows what a hat trick is.
i will miss his laugh. and his jokes.
[he is legitimately HI-LARIOUS]
i will miss my fellow hot topic shopper.
i will miss his kind heart and always calming words.
[we all know calm is nowhere in MY genes]
i will miss his sincere passion for life.
i will miss the person i tell everything to.
i will miss my best friend.

thank goodness for good old fashioned mail.
i look forward to spoiling him with fan mail and packages.

dear lil bro:
i am so proud of you. i love you.
thanks for being my guardian angel in life.
xoxo, 3 roll girl.

one fine day

i have had a day.

part fabulous. part frustrating.
whole parts done.

tonight i am especially grateful for:
a loving, kind, hilarious and patient mother.
taylor swift.
my work family.
and most of all...
thee boss. who is quite possibly one of the greatest blessings of my life.

thank you.

i'll show you how valuable elle woods can be

if only thanksgiving happened this week instead of last.

or this big occasion happened last week instead of this.
you better believe i would have been in LA to witness:


if ever i had a favorite, she would be it.
i would be lying if i said i haven't, on more than a few occasions, thought to myself:
what would reese witherspoon do?

i curl my hair everyday,
because elle woods will never go out of style.
i can sing along to jackson.
because she was the oscar winning june.
i send thank you cards to everyone and anyone, because i read an article years ago where someone described her as the lady who always sends thank you cards.
and i asked for a crock pot last year for christmas, because she said she swears by hers.

it would be safe to say a little bit of who i think reese to be,
is in me.
and i am not the least bit sad about it.

funny story:
when laura jean reese witherspoon moved to LA she got sick and went to the doctor. when the doctor came in, he read her chart, looked at her and said, reese witherspoon...now that's a name you'll never see in lights.

well, perhaps her name has never been specifically in lights.
but as of today it is on the walk of fame.

this is going to be just like senior year, except for funner.