back to basics

my walk on the wild side as a brunette was short-lived. it's hard to control shade and hue, it changes each time you wash. plus the financial outlay was too steep for me.

so it's back to blond for me.

oh, the price for beauty.

ah, everything is as it should be.

it's still a little redder/darker than I'd like but we had to do the re-color back in stages. this is the color of stage one. my next appointment should be the second and final phase.

ah, I think I just breathe easier now. :)

(ps: my stylist's response when I emailed her about going back to blonde, "it's about time." think she likes me better as a blonde!)

a new me

 not really, just a new hair color.

before picture with my friend amy (m) and our stylist lani (r)

after

which do you like better, blonde or brunette?

candy, I call my sugar candy

did you know...

1.
it takes six minutes to make one peeps chick

2.
original peeps have a shelf life of two years

3.
more than 5 million peeps are produced each day

4.
peeps have been the most popular non-chocolate easter candy in the united states for more than a decade.

I think they are disgusting but they remind me of my grandma kitty who LOVED them so they can't be all bad.

she was afraid to come out of the locker

my friend amy is going on a cruise and she needed my help picking out a swimming suit.

such a thankless job but very, very important I realize.

she ended up with this spectacular suit. a bit on the expensive side but it looks stunning on her. seriously, this suit is one of the most adorable I've seen on in years.


it looks pretty low cut but it doesn't seem nearly so low when amy had it on. not sure how it manages it but it covers everything and is ultra flattering. I just love, love, love the pretty ruffle at the bottom. the "skirt" can be raised or lowered depending on where it fits/looks the best. how accommodating.

the good news is that I found something too! it's not near as amazing as amy's juicy couture but it fits, flatters and was on sale. my favorite combination! bring on august, I'm ready to go to the beach now!


amy, have a wonderful time on the cruise and I hope john likes the suit.

(oh, who and I kidding, he's going to LOVE it!)

I know you like to party

one example of how my family parties when we all get together.

the shameless exploitation of children.



hunter's dancing didn't quite translate to the limbo and although his dad's suggestion of "touching his chin" was a tad patronizing, it made for good video. :)

einar couldn't care less if his skills were below par. he was just in it for the fun.

hailey on the other hand, came up to her mom after this and said that she thinks the limbo is "her thing." she might be right.

beach jewelry

one of our traditions when we got to the beach is to buy a new piece of jewelry each visit. sometimes it's a ring, sometimes it's a watch, just depends on what moves us while shopping.

this was a particularly hard decision for me because I found several pieces that I just fell in love with. I will not dwell on those that did not come home with me but will delight in showing you the piece that completely captured my heart.


isn't it divine?

the funny thing is, I wore it to work yesterday and no one even commented on it. not one person. is that weird to anyone else? it's a pretty big statement, which is why I was enamored with it, which is why I expected something. could it be they didn't like it? it might not be everyone's style but it most surely is mine!

hmmmm, what do you think of it?

(more vacation pictures to come...still compiling and sorting them all.)

for the love of television

am I the only one just now catching up on my tv shows? my dvr is working overtime. I know, I know, to most of you who like to watch tv, this will be old news but I'm having so much fun and loving so many things on tv these days.

so many shows, so little time. the writer's strike allowed some catch up time but also introduced new shows, hence more catch up. good tv is one of my favorite things.

my latest television crushes:

david annable: justin walker on brothers and sisters
(seriously, this man gets me all hot and bothered.)
photo via tv.com

robert buckley: kirby atwood on lipstick jungle
(okay, okay, this show maybe isn't so good but this guy and his storyline is super hot. I can't help myself but like it...and him!)
photo via soaps.com

matthew settle: rufus on gossip girl
(I have a crush on the dad...hmmm. is this a sign I'm getting older?)
photo via viewimages.com

peter krause: nick george on dirty sexy money
(why am I just discovering him now? he is simply fantastic.)
photo via televisionista

zachary levi: chuck bartowski on chuck
(I'm always rooting for the tall, dark and handsome underdog.)
photo via idmb.com

lee pace: ned on pushing daisies
(he's just plain adorable. plus his girlfriend on the show is beautiful too and wears the most spectacular vintage (looking) clothing. plus kristin chenoweth is on the show, I love her.)
photo via tv.com

james mcavoy: tom lefroy in becoming jane
(my one movie actor shout out. just saw this movie and loved it. between this movie and atonement, I'm in movie crush love. but I'd prefer if he keep his shirt ON. the fight scene in becoming jane is not my favorite part. he's kind of scrawny for my liking and I can pretend when he has clothes on.)
photo via telegraph.co.uk

I'm a sucker for a tragic love story. these shows, these characters, and these actors all fit the bill. thank you comcast cable. thank you dvr inventor. thank you nbc, cbs, and abc. bless you.

now, spill it. tell me some of your television crushes...shows, men, whatever. am I alone in my obsession?

window shopping

a few things I'm loving at anthropologie right now...

these french plates are so sweet

this lamp would look great in my bedroom. especially with the green lampshade.

I didn't take the best photo of this but the skirt is navy and white with a fun picture of the eiffel tower on it. I can see it paired with flip flops, a yellow ruffly tank and a denim jacket. the perfect summer outfit.

this little audrey book corner made me smile. one copy of each please.

right now, I'm in love with pom poms on anything. they add a whimsical flair I think.

my mr. right story (maybe)

so my sweet cousin lisa calls last night. we chat about the pitfalls of online dating (she is doing eharmony), funny match stories, and our obsessions with and about men in general. she then proceeds to tell me that she's excited for me to call her up one day with my "I met someone" story which she says is going to happen soon. not sure how she knows this but that's what she said so I'm going with it. here is one version of the story...

(as told by lisa)

I quit my job because I just can't take it anymore (my job can be very frustrating so this could happen) and am on the bus on the way home. crying. but this nice man (35 years old and tall, her words, not mine) sees me crying and offers to buy me coffee to cheer me up (which for the record, might just turn me into a coffee drinker...you never know). he tells me he is a consultant (I stop her and ask what he consults for but lisa said she wasn't sure) and he travels a lot. because I am now jobless, he offers me a job to become his co-consultant and travel europe with him. (I stop her again and ask why he's on the bus if he is a consultant, wouldn't he just work out of his house? lisa told me that it's because he is environmentally conscience...or whatever) during our travels, we discover we are in love and we get married and live happily ever after.

I'm not sure I could have come up with a better story. thanks for the laugh lisa!

hopes dashed

my sources tell me that jennifer wasn't here yesterday.

(yes, I have sources)

and maybe (gasp) aaron eckhart wasn't even here.

could it have been his double? and the "jennifer" that was spotted, a double as well?

I don't even know what to say...

(as I check the photos below again MUCH more carefully)

I can come to no good conclusion, what do you think?

movie making

sadly, there was no jennifer aniston today but we did see LOTS of aaron eckhart. they were filming scenes with him for most of the day. the rumor on the street is that jennifer did most of her scenes in the morning and would be filming again tomorrow. we'll see.

here are some photos of our movie making witnessing:

can you pick him out?


I am really intrigued by the act of making movies...of the work that goes on behind the scenes, of the waiting around, at the orchestration of police, crowd control, actors, extras, etc. makes the planner in me sit up and take notice. wonder what it would be like?

j.a. in the house

I'm not sure why this excites me so much but jennifer aniston is in town today filming the movie "traveling."

I like her well enough but I can't say she is my favorite actress or anything. must just be the sheer fact it's a movie and she's famous. I do love my movies. or maybe it's the idea of a movie being one HUGE event and the planning side of it gets me all tingly. I might like to be part of something like that.

aaron eckhart is here too (we think).

we can watch the crew set up at the market for a shoot later today but so far, no sightings. we're going to take "a walk" at lunch to see what we can see.

stay tuned for photos and commentary.

(if we get any)

discoveries

imagine my surprise last night when I tried a cherry-flavored ice cream...and REALLY liked it! remember my post when I said I liked fresh cherries but didn't like cherry-flavored anything? guess I need to amend that. or maybe just stop living in the "I hate cherry flavor" box I live in. yummmmmm, cherry chocolate amaretto from snoqualmie gourmet is good. you should try it. you can buy it at trader joes.

*amendment to the post I mentioned above: I also dislike peach-flavored things (gag) but love fresh peaches and warm, homemade peach pie with vanilla ice cream. you don't want to know how I remembered this...it's too scary for me to re-live.

tag, you're it

marilyn tagged me:

ten years ago:
I was 21 going to school at ewu. I was roommates with my friend jason in an apartment in north spokane. accounting was still my major but I was close to switching to marketing. most of my classes were in downtown spokane. I was also working more than part time as a bank teller.

5 things on my to-do list:
(1) organize computer hard drive (2) sell things on ebay/craigslist to clear out my storage room (3) clean my bathtub (4) read this book (5) organize office/craft closet.

snacks i enjoy:
chips and salsa, chex mix, popcorn

3 bad habits:
procrastinating, staying up too late, drinking too much diet pepsi

if I suddenly became a billionaire:
I’d pay off all my debt, buy real estate, pay off my parent’s debt/mortgage, take fabulous vacations, buy second/third homes in hawaii and italy

places I've lived:
wa: pasco, seattle, spokane / az: phoenix / ca: rancho mirage

jobs I've had:
fast food, data entry, teller, marketing coordinator, receptionist, brokerage marketing specialist, banquet event sales coordinator, marketing assistant

things people don't know about me:
I don’t like tomatoes but love sauces/dips made with them (ie: ketchup, salsa, spaghetti sauce, pizza sauce), I like fresh cherries and bananas but don’t like anything else flavored like them (ie: jolly ranchers, runts candy, cough syrup/drops, milkshakes)

now it's your turn: hailey, wendy, katie