Keep it Tight

More than Words

2012-01-31T10:08:00.000-08:00

The best words to describe what I am feeling are peace and gratitude. And they do not say nearly enough.

2011 WAS GOOD TO US.

2012-01-26T16:47:00.000-08:00

These albums deserved every press of "repeat" that I gave to them.

I'm Hooked

2012-01-04T17:46:00.000-08:00

I just can't help it. I love this little munchkin so much.

2012

2012-01-02T00:32:00.000-08:00

All I can publicly say is that there is going to be more change coming for me this year. How's that for being mysterious?? The point is, I'm excited about 2012.

Also, I'm pretty goal-oriented, but never been one for resolutions. This year my head is exploding with them. Here are a few because I know you're incredibly interested:

1. Start an Etsy shop of some sort.
2. Practice more yoga, more deep breathing, more moving my body.
3. Keep in better touch with my far-away-friends.
4. Eat less fast food. Much less.
5. More water. Mostly to drink, but also to swim in.
6. Take a trip to somewhere I've never been.
7. Cut out the complaining.
8. Pay more attention to life and less attention to my iPhone.
9. GET AHOLD OF MYSELF! Ya know?

Change of Plans

2012-01-02T00:11:00.000-08:00

I'm so fickle. I like this blog better. Can we all agree that since shifting to a new blog didn't get me to blog more, I should just give in to the tightness of keep it tight? I'm down if you're down. Okay. Let's get it then.

oh hey.

2011-10-18T16:01:00.000-07:00

i MAY have started a new blog. I was too bogged down by the pressure of this blog loooooooming every time i just wanted to make a little random post. so if you want to follow me over there, it is at www.noinnuendo.blogspot.com. Peace out!

SUMMER BREEZE, MAKES ME FEEL FINE

2011-03-26T22:46:00.000-07:00

Or should I say, "made" me feel fine. Gosh I miss this.

I'M A MINI-ME OF MY MOTHER. IT IS FRIGHTENING.

2011-03-26T22:27:00.000-07:00

Looking through my pictures of last summer for blogging has made me SO ready for this summer to get here, and this winter weather outside is really pushing my buttons. Lucky for me, I am going on another cruise in two weeks! The Western Carribean is about to get you-know-what-slapped with this pale skin and I am NOT apologizing for it.

But back to last summer... my mom came to visit and we had a MUCH better time now that I've been here long enough to steer clear of the Bronx and Chinatown with her. But then, looking at the pictures, I noticed that we dressed similarly every day and it scared me a little. I'm trying to pretend that I am making it up in my head, but holy crap! I am a mini-me.

Some favorite memorable moments of the trip:
-Chelsea market followed by a slice of Amy's Chocolate Cake on Highline Park
-Having my mom ask the hot Italian waiter at Grimaldi's to take a picture with me... loved that.
-Watching July 4th fireworks over the Hudson river from my rooftop with an amazing view
-Going to the American Girl Place for the first time. It was a lifelong dream come true!
-Freeman's Alley restaurant (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED little restaurant that is tucked away in an alley with the best atmosphere and amazing food) and then improv comedy at the Upright Citizen's Brigade

Anyway, needless to say I wore my mom out so badly that she pretty much crawled back to the airport swearing that she'd never come back.

We'll see about that... ;) mwahahahahah!

LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT

2011-03-04T21:48:00.000-08:00

Meet my new niece, Elliana. I am totally infatuated with her.

This is my first time being an aunt and all I have to say is HOLY COW is this the best thing that is ever going to happen to me??? Because I really can't imagine anything making me happier than when I saw her photo for the first time and burst into tears.

THE BIG FIFTY

2011-02-27T23:53:00.000-08:00

{this is from way back in September, but I want to play a little catch up so that this can still serve as a kind of journal for me}

With Momma G making the half-century leap, I absolutely HAD to go back to San Diego and party with her for a few days. I mean, really, what kind of daughter would I be if I wasn't willing to spend the weekend in Encinitas, getting massages at the spa, staying up late with drinks and cheeses, and playing sequence all night? We all have to make sacrifices for those that we love.

My grandma and mom had a shared birthday brunch at the Ocean House, followed by the always classy "Boomers" family fun center for an extremely competitive round of putt-putt golf.

Grandma's a cheater.

And I threw a small dinner party for my mom with some [sub-par, unfortunately] live music and cuisine in La Jolla with some of her good friends.

I am such a good daughter to put up with so much misery only to please my mother. ;)

The hardest part was saying goodbye after a weekend of much needed girl bonding... I mean it's not everyday I get to stay up until 3am chatting on the living room floor with a mom that lives an entire continent away. I wish I could do it again today.

I think I'll go check flights......

BAM. LOOK WHO'S BACK!

2011-02-20T23:35:00.000-08:00

I got jealous of other people's online documentation of their lives. Sooo... here I am once again. I'm going to take a whack at playing catch up since last summer, and then see if I can start actually updating this baby again. Look out— I'm makin a comeback.

ONCE, A LONG, LONG TIME AGO...

2010-10-11T15:40:00.000-07:00

...I went on a cruise. I figured that now would be a good time to blog about it, since the memory is fading with age and "better late than never" is beginning to be my default life philosophy. It is probably good that I waited because I got about 800 good pictures out of these glorious 9-days, and had I posted right away, you'd likely be stuck looking at at least 500 of them. Now that about 5 months have passed, I think I can dwindle it down to about 499! Success!

THE PRINCESS

My friend Jason had a great hook up with this cruise line which made it so that the 8 of us were able to go for 9 DAYS! Although you can see many windows on the side of this bad boy, our room is not behind one of them. We had 2 little cave-of-a-room's with 2 bunk beds each so we all got REAL close.

I don't think I have the time or energy to write about each port, so I'll let the pictures speak for themselves:

FIRST STOP: BERMUDA

PUERTO RICO

U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS- ST. THOMAS

GRAND TURK

CRUISIN

We were the only people under the age of 60 on the boat, so we had a good time being the only ones on every dance floor, competing in every show, and participating in every. single. activity.

I gained about 75 pounds eating amazing food non-stop. We had to order several entrees and desserts each night due to lack of decisiveness, and I am not one to turn down lobster AND steak when they are both being offered.

Needless to say, I had a pretty decent time. And made pretty decent friends. And came back decently pregnant. (Just makin sure you're still awake.)

PRODUCTIVITY IS SUCH A DRAG.

2010-08-23T15:04:00.000-07:00

For the last few months, I've felt pretty guilty spending my computer time on my blog when I KNEW I should be working on my portfolio. So, work on my portfolio, I did. (And needless to say, blog, I didn't.)

I just threw all my final stuff onto a templated website for easier access, and ba-da-bing, ba-da-boom— I'm back in action. See what I've been working on at www.carlywilliamsportfolio.com.

Here's a little preview:

And PLEASE let me know whatcha think. Love!

HAPPY FIRST ANNIVERSARY TO ME

2010-06-08T22:32:00.000-07:00

As of today, June 8th, I have been at Ogilvy for ONE YEAR!

I talk about my life in this blog... but truth is the majority of my time is spent in a white cubicle inside of a 12-story converted chocolate factory in Hell's Kitchen, otherwise known as Ogilvy. I've never posted about work, so with this very important milestone, it only seems natural to pay tribute.

To start I need to introduce (or reintroduce) Stella, my spitfire Ogilvy sidekick. This post is going to have to use the words "we" and "ours" rather than "me" and "my", so introducing her is key. In fact, my boss told me that in the private work reviews/objectives that we all turned in earlier this month, Stella unknowingly referred to herself as "we" and never once referred to herself as an individual. haha. Fitting.

For starters, we spend way too much time at lunch people-watching the same people day after day... check out the snoozer in the background of the picture below. That can NOT be comfortable.

Also, we are really productive with the whiteboards. We were concepting for Lapband last Fall and came up with the two brilliant ideas you'll see below, and the one on the top right is Stella and my joint drawing of what our bodies look like from behind on a subway. We are amazing art directors.

A few times we have extended our friendship beyond the factory to go on adventures in her home borough, Queens. This always is followed by a ridiculous slumber party and then trekking the hour and a half into work together the next day, both wearing her clothes and not in good moods due to our lack of sleep. This particular night we made a stop at the famous globe outside the Queens museum and took approximately 150 pictures. Of which, we ended up with 3 pictures that aren't terrible.

Ogilvy has themed parties on the rooftop on a regular basis. This is my favorite thing about this building. It may be quite the trek from the subway, but the view from the roof is enough to offset that annoyance. And being able to get an hour of sun during lunch every day is a life saver.

And just for good measure, I HAVE to mention the fact that I won first place in the Ogilvy bake-off earlier this year with this fruit pizza. I spent 40 bucks and three hours on this bad boy, and then won a fifty dollar gift certificate as my prize. Note to self: not worth it. Especially since everyone was acusing me of buying it at the store.

Okay, so unfortunately I don't tend to whip the camera out during moments of actual normal work, so now you all are going to think I have the most fun job ever and that I am a terrible employee. I swear that is not the case. But I will tell you one thing, this ain't no accounting job. Plus, Stella and I know how to whistle while we work.

So... yeah. Here's to finishing the first year of my advertising career, no matter how work-less it may appear in this post!

SPEAKING OF EXCUSES FOR FUN...

2010-06-05T21:27:00.000-07:00

Jess is BAAAACK! And lucky for me, Lauren gave her an excuse to visit the east coast and... ME! Partaaaay! (side note: the other day, my middle-aged boss asked me who started the trend of writing words with repeated letters like that and was like, "even my wife will text me 'whateverrrrrrrrr' and 'thanksssss'" I thought it was pretty hilarious to hear his point of view about it; I do it without even noticing.) Anywayyyyyy, Jess came to NYC and Lauren joined her for a bit, and it was ridiculously fun to laugh and reminisce and get Jess up to speed with the world of worldliness. Unintentionally on the latter, of course.

I splurged and allowed myself to go to two of the three shows she saw during her visit, and although I had already seen In the Heights and loved it for the second time, I was particularly excited about Billy Elliot. It has been on my TO DO list forever, and it was so worth the wait. I loved to see this midget cast of dancing children, and our box seats made us feel pretty high class until we started hanging out over the edge to see the entire stage. Oops.

We stopped for a manicure... shocker... and jess made friends with the asians. Haha, she is more comfortable with Asians now than I am with my ghetto brothas and sistas. Or maybe a little more comfortable. But just a little.

Its always hard to have visiting friends leave and not know when our paths will cross again, but hopefully it won't be TOO long in this case. With my brother headed to her hometown, Eugene, Oregon, for college, our paths may cross sooner than later...

EXCUSES FOR FUN

2010-04-21T23:44:00.000-07:00

You may wonder how I attempt to make the most out of everyday living in New York City (I'm sure you're not but I was needing a lead-in)... the truth is, I don't do a whole lot of interesting things in my everyday life. Just lots of movies and restaurants. But when I travel or have visitors, I have a ball. It is an excuse to spend a little money, eat a lot of food, and then spend a little more money on a little more food.

When Ashley and her mom came into town a little bit ago, for once having a visitor didn't break my pocketbook. They treated me to one of the most fun weeks of the winter, and it came at a perfect time. I was so glad they came. We went to see two plays (Mary Poppins- not great, A Little Night Music-very worth seeing), ate at delicious restaurants, and helped them brave the streets of Chinatown. Ashley and I slipped right back into our ridiculous teenage selves at times, and got a few blank stares... including those from her mother... haha

I also get to have a good time every here and there when I leave the city, and especially love my trips to DC. I feel another one coming on soon...

Last time I went to DC I won the most money of anyone all night on the Roulette table. And by "money" I mean "fake money" and by "fake money" I mean "worthless." Just sayin.

There is so much to see and do here, and it is when I take a little trip or have a visitor that I really find myself living it up. What I am trying to say is: COME VISIT ME AND GIVE ME ANOTHER EXCUSE!

BASEBALL AND HOT DOGS

2010-04-21T22:49:00.000-07:00

I want to say that I finally feel like a real New Yorker after having attended my first Yankees game... but as you can see from his hat, Ryan is a Ranger, and I was stuck being disappointed that the Yankees KILLED the Rangers, and saying things like, "The Yankees are ridiculous," at his demands.

Oh and please excuse the winter coat in mid-April, it's hardly my fault that the weather is PMS-ing, right? It was FREEZING... those hot dogs became cold dogs by the time we got back to our seats.

I STILL LOVE ADVERTISING.

2010-04-15T15:46:00.000-07:00

If I am really late on discovering this, sue me. But I found it today and thought it was so clever.
(I still haven't decided if looking at other people's good ideas is inspiring or depressing.)

"MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING"

2010-04-06T19:31:00.000-07:00

This is a really late post. When I say late, I mean I pretty much completely missed the boat, but I figured that since she just recently posted the wedding pictures on her own blog, that gave me permission to make a blog post about it now. 4 months later.

Her and Danny are amazing together. They are both such comforting people to be around, and their wedding fit their personalities perfectly. I have never heard of or seen such a relaxed and happy bride-to-be on the day before her wedding. The whole line-up of festivities was very simple and centered around what is most important: love. I hope that I can be as calm and loving as Abbie was before, during, and after her wedding.

The night before the wedding a few close friends and family were able to go enjoy the beach, and it was as easy-going and fun as the bride herself. I really loved every second of this weekend (except for that part where they drove off). I love these two and hope that one day i'll have a husband who will want to be married bff's with them! For now I'll just sleep on their couch when I visit and pretend like they are not sharing a bed on the other side of the wall. ;)

P-TOWN REUNIONS

2010-04-05T19:29:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I went back to Provo— two times in less than a year is pretty impressive, I'd say—and paid a visit to my home away from home away from home. The weather was pretty typical for Utah: all over the place. The first day there was a snow storm, and the next day (as shown above) we were outside in shorts playing in the sun.

I met up with a bunch of friends at Red Robin one night, and we were treated like kings and queens (NOT. we had to wait almost two hours to get a table together, and then they made us split up anyway. and i had to hold myself back from laying the smack down when they denied us immediate bottomless fries.) Nonetheless, it was a really fun time getting to catch up with friends who I've been missing a lot.

Speaking of friends I've been missing a lot:

Aubrey got back from her mission in December and nothing made me happier than to finally reunite with her... as you can probably imagine, her bear hug was pretty earth-shattering. I stayed with Abbie and her husband Danny (fortunately not awkward like it sounds) and got to play with Katie too! The other two original roommates had had babies while I was gone (2 days apart) and i finally got to meet them, so the reuniting that happened this weekend was pretty much out of control. Then add FAMILY to the mix:

My mom and Luke came out for the weekend... sooooo I had both brothers, my sis-in-law, my mom, my grandparents, and all five of my college roomies in ONE CITY. I'm so lucky.

"IT'S BEEN A LONG NIGHT IN NEW YORK CITY"

2010-02-27T22:22:00.000-08:00

The John Mayer concert I went to a few nights ago was as amazing as expected (although it perhaps did not live up to the "Where the Light Is" tour, which I have watched on DVD multiple times—yep, I'm THAT cool). It was a last minute decision that left me feeling pretty darn good... or could that have been from the contact high? Nah, I think it was the music... although I can't quite remember...

Anyway, one of my favorite moments of the night was when John (first name basis) sang Who Says as his encore performance, and the crowd went CRAZY after the line, "It's been a long night in New York City." The first time he sang it the crowd was so loud that I had to get my camera out for the next chorus. It wasn't quite as loud the second time, but you can still hear the cheering. It was a really cool moment to be seeing John Mayer in such an epic venue. Glad I got a piece of it on video:

P.S. His body is a wonderland. No doubt about that, my friends.

PROUD.

2010-02-27T20:42:00.000-08:00

IN HOPES THAT ONE DAY I'LL KEEP THIS IN MIND

2010-02-20T21:36:00.000-08:00

Last night I went to Magnolia Bakery with Kaite Brown/Ray, and although I did expect some pretty hearty girl talk, I did NOT expect to be still sitting there, knee-deep in conversation, four hours later! Anyone who knows me knows that it takes me about 1.5 seconds to polish off basically any dessert, so heaven knows it wasn't the banana pudding that kept me. Our conversation made me think about a few things in a way I never had before, and I wanted to share something that she brought up. She mentioned this blog post she had read and I thought, I hope I remember that someday when I need it. Or maybe more appropriately, when my family needs me to remember it. Thinking about being a mom/wife someday terrifies me, because it is scary how easy it would be to lose perspective and let my home become chaotic and peace-less, or let myself become difficult to please. It is disastrously easy to let the day-to-day frustrations get in the way, and I just wanted to re-post this woman's blog post in hopes that it will make this story more prominent in my mind, so that one day it will pop up in my memory at just the right time. It is from the blog All Things Heart and Home. Thanks Kaite, for the long chat, the few-bites-that-became-more-than-a-few-bites of your chocolate mocha cake, and for sharing this blog post with me!

Here it is:

The Trip To The Grocery Store That Changed My Life

Thirteen years ago on a cold January afternoon, a trip to the grocery store changed my life. The pressure of juggling the schedules of four teenagers was pressing in on my last nerve. Truth be told, something was always pressing on my last nerve. That day I still needed to grocery shop and do a mountain of laundry.

I left the kids at home and headed to the grocery store. Inside the store, I pushed the cart up and down the isles trying not to mow down the huge display of spam. I gasped and the gray haired man turned around.

“Hello, neighbor” he grinned.

Standing there, in a dark blue suit, crisp white shirt and a shinny red tie my neighbor Robert, looked completely put together.

“And how are you this fine day Robin?” He sounded surprisingly chipper for a man who’d just six months before lost his wife of thirty years.

“I’m okay Robert, how are you doing?” My voice dripped with pity. “I’m so sorry for your loss.”

“Thank you” he said looking down and stuffing his hands in his pants pockets. “ It was hard at the end. She put up a fight though.”

Suddenly, he looked right into my eyes. “It’ll probably sound terrible to you, but I’m kind of excited about starting over.”

Pregnant pause. What the heck do I say to that?

“Well, that’s good.” I stumbled. “So is there anyone in particular?”

“No, no, no. Not at all. I just know what I’m looking for this time. Please don’t take this the wrong way, but it would be someone exactly opposite of Sheila.”

Dear Father in heaven, could this GET any more awkward?

“I mean, I loved her” he added quickly, “but she and I had a rocky thirty years. She was, I guess you’d say, a little difficult.”

He forced a laugh. “She’d say the same about me. Anyway, next time, I want less drama. More peace. And more laughing.”

Time stopped. My chest felt heavy. I couldn’t breathe. This was a God Thing…

We said our good byes. I felt so sad. For Sheila and Robert.

But I also felt sad for my husband, Mike and for me.

The lights in the store were too bright. I looked at my feet. The floor was too shiny.

That’s how Mike would feel if I died tomorrow…

It was true and I knew it.

Uptight. That was me. Life as a rule overwhelmed me. Some days I went from drama to drama.

Finally getting to my car, shivering, I put my head in my hands and wept. Slowly the heater started to warm the cold air around me as I heard a clear message from God’s heart to mine.

If I die before Mike, I don’t want him to look for someone opposite of me. Like Sheila, I needed, less drama. More laughter. More peace.

That very day I came home and wrote down what I wanted Mike to say about me when I was gone…this is it…

*She loved God

*She loved me and the kids

*We always knew she was praying for us

*She made our house a home. Peaceful and safe.

*She supported me and encouraged me constantly.

*She was my best friend.

*******************************

I have come to believe that each one of us, whether we acknowledge it or not, are living every day, the legacy we will one day leave. That list, I made so long ago, has become my standard for living that legacy.

How do you want people to remember you?

GIVES ME THE CHILLS

2010-02-16T13:41:00.000-08:00

MTV Shows

NY DOESN'T JOKE AROUND WITH THIS "CHRISTMAS" BUSINESS

2010-01-15T17:44:00.000-08:00

As a matter of fact, I am still recuperating. Thus the lack of blogging since Thanksgiving. My bad.

I could not have asked for a better month of December! I've always heard about how wonderful New York is during the Christmas season, minus the frostbite, but it was really incredible to me just how WONDERFUL it really was. I didn't rest for a second for fear of missing out on all that this city had to offer. If this is all sounding sickeningly perky, you can just know that now that I am half-way through the month of January, I am sick for the second time, freezing, and stuck to the couch. How's that for perky?

But back to the perkiness. I am just going to sum up the festivities in one post full of captioned pictures. The festivities began with an explosion of people and floats for Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, and the city looked different from then on...

Everything exploded with small colored lights...

And the weather as I walked to work went from bad...

...to worse.

Which made getting outside to enjoy the following activities VERY daunting...

... but worth it. Especially going to see the Rockettes at Radio City. The live Nativity Scene and the perfectly aligned toy soldiers blew my mind...

...and going to see White Christmas with Caroline on Broadway, which is the day that my Christmas Spirit was at an all-time high...

...which was perhaps killed by this very creepy run-in with the famous Macy's Santa Claus...

...but don't worry, as soon as I saw these ladies with their matching sweaters napping at church, all the bad feelings that I got while sitting on the creepy fake-Santa's lap went away completely...

...and I even got to put ONE ornament on the tree in our cozy little apartment!

What more could a girl ask for out of the Christmas season?!

(time with family, you say? Don't worry, I got that too! That deserves its own post, though...)

THE WEEKEND I MET OBAMA

2009-12-14T19:03:00.000-08:00

Well, I didn't technically meet him, but I saw his house. Same difference.

Over Thanksgiving weekend I went to DC for the first time and spent the weekend with Lauren Richey, who was not only a fabulous host, but more than anything just a familiar face that felt so much like family on my first Thanksgiving away from home. It was such a great weekend. We had plenty of sight-seeing, eating and laughs to fill several blog posts, and because I wanted to share so many of the hilarious and memorable moments, I kept putting off the blogging... but it is time. I may not be able to get into the details of our adventures, but I'll share some pictures for now and maybe a couple a stories here and there. Otherwise I think this post will be left behind forever.

{THANKSGIVING DAY}

I pretended to be involved in the cooking process, and then enjoyed a very impressive Thanksgiving feast prepared by the amaaazing Lauren Richey and friends.

Here we are in Lauren's mansion with her friend Lisa before the meal:

And here is Mr. Bird:

And here we are, completely STUFFED and plopped on the floor to rest our tummies:

And, of course, here we are learning the Hannah Montana Hoe-Down Show-Down Dance (duh. its a family tradition):

{MUSEUMS, MONUMENTS & MUST-SEES}

I spent a fair amount of time walking around FREEZING DC exploring the sights, and other than the frozen snot, I loved every minute of it. I spent one day exploring alone and ended up in awe of the First Ladies' dresses and in sobs at the Holocaust survivor stories.

Here is a picture from inside the Holocaust museum, which left me with puffy eyes:

And here are some pictures from throughout the weekend while visiting the must-sees of DC:

(embarrassingly enough I may have been just as adamant that I visit Target as I was about visiting the monuments. Definitely counts as a "must-see") I filled the cart, and forced an exhausted Richey to follow me up and down nearly every aisle.

{GIRLS WILL BE GIRLS}

We will shop, and we will eat. And that is just what Lauren and I (and her amazingly fun friend, Lisa, who joined us for some of the adventuring) did.

...Starting with Adams Morgan and Ethiopian food, which is neither delicious nor easy to eat, but it was a very fun experience nonetheless!

And then venturing on to a yogurt store where Lauren aced all three of our trivia questions because of her brilliant geography knowledge, which (along with our stamped foreheads) earned us some pretty cheap yogurt.

This place was hilarious. Lisa was thrilled about the karaoke (keep in mind this is a small yogurt store with no more than five other customers at one time) and of course I instantly made clear my lack of interest in participating in any such activity.

...skip to about 6 minutes later...

I am standing up, mic in hand, busting out the moves to Bye, Bye, Bye, and singing with no shame. Lisa calls me out about my initial denial of participation while I am in my most passionate moment, and we all nearly fall over laughing at my ridiculousness. (meanwhile the other customers are 100% ignoring us. If you didn't know already, we are pretty cool.)

I think someone spiked our yogurt, because later Lauren and I were dancing circles around one another singing out, "look look we're in an old person parade, la, la la, la, la!" in the middle of the metro platform, and then the craziness continued as we put on a dance show for every one once INSIDE the metro, and even further continued when I "mooned lisa with my pants on," which is really not as juvenile as it sounds, I promise... ummm... yeah. That right there was the low point. Lauren and I, I think, had a mutual understanding/realization at that very point in time, that we had let ourselves get out of control and were probably indeed intoxicated, and sat down quietly trying to recover some dignity. I think it was too late at that point. But dignity or no dignity, we had a good time and for just a few minutes were completely in our own hilarious moment that could not have happened had I been with anyone else but my pseudo-sister.

um, hi. this is officially my longest post ever. if you are still reading this, you get a gold star.

I guess the rest I'll just wrap up with pictures... I have too many stories to tell and it is getting very late. (Surprising to any of you that I am still up at this time? Didn't think so.)

So lastly, here are some pictures of our shopping/eating trip into Georgetown and our breakfast at Eastern Market:

This last picture is one of my favorites because it was right after we walked out of Georgetown cupcakes with a half-dozen cupcakes in tow, when Lauren looked at me with such innocence and said, "I think I may have gone overboard." Haha, well-said, Lauren. But ya know what? Do they really expect people to be able to resist walking out with an entire BOX of cupcakes? I don't think they do. And I also don't think that "overboard" is such a bad thing at all. Especially when it includes red velvet and chocolate coconut cupcakes...

Wow. I feel like I need to sing a Julie Andrews goodbye song after a post like that, to you and you and you-oo. (Not that even three people will have actually made it to this point in the post...)

But if you have made it through, your name is probably Lauren Richey or Momma G, in which case I can safely say,

I love you and good night! :)

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN

2009-12-11T07:36:00.000-08:00

AKA probably no one, because it is pretty close to Christmas and even though I haven't done ANY shopping (shhhhh), Santa Claus is probably all ready to go. But if its not too late, these are my wish list items for this year:

{which can be bought much cheaper at Burlington Coat Factory, I hear...}

or these {well, not this specific kind, I just want some good headphones}

OH JOSHUA, HOW I LOVE THEE

2009-12-08T22:17:00.000-08:00

Joshua Radin is so good. Do you know his music? If not, please listen to this song, and this song, and this song... and then keep listening to more, because all of it is just wonderful. I went to his concert a few weeks ago, and it turned out to be for the taping of his live DVD. I can't decide if it was because I was in the audience or because of the DVD that he decided to put on such an exceptional concert, but I tend to gravitate toward the former. When he played his encore, out of the entire concert hall, guess where he decided to stand? Check out the video below. Yep. I know: it is almost too much to handle, but it's true. I was deeply in love with the man by the time I walked out of the doors.

I am such a lucky girl. Have I mentioned that lately?

SCREW YOU, MAGIC 8 BALL.

2009-11-29T18:38:00.000-08:00

Before I get into how wonderful my weekend in DC was, I'd like to take you back with me to a very emotionally trying incident which occurred yesterday at the Restoration Hardware in Georgetown.

Lauren thought it would be a fun game to play with the magic 8 ball that was, for some mysterious reason, being sold at Restoration Hardware. I mean, yeah. When is a magic 8 ball NOT fun? She had every right to make such an assumption.

Lauren: "Will I ever get married?"

Blue Triangle in 8 Ball: "Most Likely."

Lauren: "Will Carly ever get married?"

Blue Triangle: "My sources say no."

Lauren: "Will Lisa ever get married?"

Blue Triangle: "Definitely yes."

{Not cool, ball. What did I ever do to you?}

Lauren, second try: "Will Carly ever get married?"

Blue Triangle: "Doubtful."

Lauren (now thoroughly entertained): "Will Carly die a virgin?"

Damn Blue Triangle: "Most certainly"

Lauren, searching for redemption as she feels my mood begin to plummet : "WILL CARLY EVER MARRY???"

The Little Devil Ball: "Definitely no."

After about 4 more frantic shakes in search of a promising answer, the best we received was, "Try again." At least that left some room for hope! But, no. We tried again, and BOOM! No again. So after an evening and following day of convincing myself that my Patriarchal blessing is more accurate than a magic 8 ball, I say screw you, magic 8 ball. I hope you are given to a really naughty boy this christmas who throws you down the stairs to see if you bounce.

FYI, 8 ball, you won't bounce.

I {RED CROSS} NY

2009-11-22T08:05:00.000-08:00

This past Wednesday was Corporate Service Day, and with an opportunity to miss some work and still get paid at my fingertips, I jumped at the idea and became a team leader. I chose to work at the American Red Cross and we ended up with the biggest group of volunteers of all the 20 projects being done that day! It was hilarious being team leader because everyone expected me to know exactly what was going on and be in charge of all these people who in any other circumstances would have been telling ME what to do. Stella and I were assigned to the job of mural painting, and everyone else went to work doing other fun little crafts and jobs. We had an amazing day painting and picture taking.

My most embarrassing moment of the day was when the head Red Cross guy came in and said, "Who is in charge here?" And I, in my pipe cleaner glasses and camera in hand, whip around and say "That's me!" Then I quickly turned around to go shake his hand and trip on a cord and send myself flailing across the room toward him. GREAT first impression. Niiiiice, Carly.

NO MORE PITY HERE

2009-11-18T20:42:00.000-08:00

I've been enjoying myself here in the big apple lately, and I've got the pictures to prove it!

SERENDIPITY- A girl's night out to the famous and delicious Serendipity. Notice the loincloth-clad fellow in the background of the group pic. He made the meal taste even better.

5K IN CENTRAL PARK- Not a long race, but still a bit of a challenge for you know who. I love Central Park though, even when on a freezing-cold-with-too-many-hills run.

SLEEPY HOLLOW- I took a little trip to upstate NY with a few good friends and saw thousands of lit pumpkins at Sleepy Hollow! This was so amazing— I would highly recommend it to anyone. And what was almost equally as great: being in a car and driving through Wendy's. Yep, it was thrilling.

THE CLIOS WITH A SIDE OF GOOD NEWS

2009-11-15T16:15:00.000-08:00

On Friday my partner and I were invited to go with a few of the most senior level people in our company to the Clio Awards Event! As I'm sure you are too, all we were thinking was, "Why the heck did he invite the two junior freelance people to come to this amazing event, when there are hundreds of employees between his rank and ours, and pretty much no one below us?!" (I put the "pretty much" in there for my own ego's sake, but there actually is nobody below us. I am very aware and feel no shame.)

The event was amazing and the food was even better. We were loving it. Oh except that we were invited the day of and were told it was casual. That was a lie. It was embarrassing.

So the event was great, yada yada, but the part that really made this a night to remember is that we were invited because our boss wanted to tell us that we are going to be offered the positions we've been working for, Junior Art Directors! (I'm art for now but they are letting me do some copy too.) So no more freelance for me! No more complaining about the price of healthcare either! We were both ecstatic and the way that our boss decided to tell us was really flattering and memorable. It was a great night and neither Stella nor I could wipe the smiles off our faces. We had to escape to the bathroom like two giddy school girls just so we could let out our excitement, which we attempted to capture in this picture:

In this economy, I just feel really grateful to have a job, and I think my search to find something outside of healthcare won't end, but I am just going to make the most out of this amazing learning experience while I have it!

I AM VANITY, FOR THE HUNDREDTH TIME.

2009-11-15T14:06:00.000-08:00

Halloween snuck up on me this year, and as such I found myself absolutely costume-less about an hour before the night's festivities began. SOOOO, the party that my group of friends planned to go to was The Seven Deadly Sins and I thought that everyone would be finding different unique ways of showing the seven sins. I decided to do vanity (to which Skylar said, "oh thats fitting!" haha thanks?) After chatting with Sky about last minute ways to pull this off, I thought that this could be a clever way of doing something in the few minutes of preparation that I had:

{left to right: pride—she had peacock feathers and other things, envy, the angel to help people overcome their sins, wrath, and vanity}

I showed up to the party where NObody was dressed to theme and I've never been asked what I am so many times. There is just something disheartening about having to explain your lame excuse of a costume a million times over to people you are just meeting.

Oh and on the way home on the subway, there were two guys dressed as Mormon missionaries making out and yelling things about Mormons. Goooood times.

A WONDERFUL SURPRISE

2009-11-15T13:27:00.000-08:00

This made my October! Three packages in one week, and another one last week! I'm so spoiled.

There were even cinnamon-scented pine cones to remind me of home! Thank heavens for moms!

I AM CONCERNED.

2009-11-11T12:39:00.000-08:00

... I think I have officially gone insane.

Not, "oh man I want to leave this place" insane, or "i need a day off" insane. No, I mean like "I am talking to myself" insane. Like, "How do people get like this, don't they have families?" kind of insane. (that last one may have scratched the surface of over-exaggeration, but you're used to that by now, right?)

I have started to make telling the story of my life to myself as it happens a nearly CONSTANT behavior. Really. I can hardly think like a normal person anymore (i guess i never really did, but stick with me here). Need an example of this disconcerting behavior to understand what I mean? Here ya go:

{actual situation} a homeless person turns around to me with a handful of money and tries to hand it to me frantically, saying "Free money!"

{what a normal thought process may have been} "Woah that was weird. What if I would have taken the money? Would he have let me actually take it? How cool would that be?How strange [soft chuckle to self]." End Scene.

{the exact words that went through my mind during said occasion} "As I was walking down one of the darkest streets in Manhattan, heading toward my oh-so-classy women's gym, a homeless, shady man whipped around to me and literally shoved a handful of money into my face, begging me to take it. He was saying, 'Free money! Free money!' At that moment there was not a question in my mind as to whether I should take it. Obviously not— I mean, how much sketchier can you get? But as I walked away my mind reeled with possibilities of what could have been the consequences of reaching out and accepting the offer."

As I am walking down the street I narrate my life as if I am writing some fascinating story that only I get to enjoy. I'm not kidding! haha I know it's funny, but that doesn't make it a joke! It's my LIFE, people! Should I seek professional help?

NY PITY WEEK

2009-10-25T00:35:00.000-07:00

I've been down on New York.

I don't know; it may just be the weather, or just the loneliness, or just the college withdrawals, or just the cost of living, or just the distance from EVERYone. But I have a good feeling that it's a nasty mixture of all of the above, and some. There just doesn't seem to be much that makes all the downsides worth it these days. I initially came here to have all the most amazing advertising agencies at my fingertips, and I am at Ogilvy, but working on pharmaceuticals is getting less and less "fine for now" by the day. And the 45-minute subway/freezing rain-trudge commute to get to this not-so-fine-for-now job isn't improving the matter one bit.

SO. I treated myself to a little jaunt over to the upside of living in New York. Here's what I did to remind myself of why I am paying a crucial organ to be living here:

1. Saw "In the Heights" on Broadway with Kaite Ray (weird to say RAY!).

2. Saw Colbie Caillat, Howie Day, and Trevor Hall in concert.

3.Went to Shake Shack 3 times, AND gave the famous Burger Joint a try.

4. Saw Wicked for FREE! with Kaite again... and we got to meet lots of the cast after the show!

{this is the girl who plays ELFABA, the wicked witch!}

As you can see, I did a pretty good job of comforting myself this past week and a half. But before you get all jealous of my fun city life and whatnot, let me just add that although there are not pictures of this part of my life, I worked till 2am on Monday night, until 8 or 9 almost every other night, and then had to work all day Saturday until the play at 8pm. So its not all fun and games. But yeah, life can pretty fun here... all I needed was a little Guh-linda and Elfaba to cheer me up!

STUFF THE DUFFLES!

2009-10-25T00:14:00.000-07:00

My closet BEFORE my trip to Utah:

My closet AFTER my trip to Utah:

(Not to mention a hefty addition to the coat closet in the front room)

Haha— pretty dramatic, huh? I'd say it was a profitable trip indeed. Now if I could just trade all these clothes in for some fashionable ones... hmmm.

FALL LEAVES AND CANDY CORN... AND HOME.

2009-10-13T19:21:00.000-07:00

This past 3-day weekend I took my first trip back to Utah. Siiiiigh. It was amazing and full of reminders of "the good ol' days." Simple living is so NOT overrated. I spent the weekend wondering what I was doing living in NY, but then as soon as I got back on Monday it all felt so natural again. I won't lie, the trip got me rethinking some plans. I'm looking for the perfect fit... city life that is a little more "me," if that exists. I'm on a hunt. Any suggestions?

I was welcomed by great friends and candy corn and fall leaves and {the next day} family and so many flooding memories. It was a good time and a much-needed escape. It was so good to see family, too. I need to be closer. New York is just too far.

I'm missing this already.

CAUGHT IN THE ACT

2009-10-13T19:01:00.000-07:00

I wanted to blog about being on the plane to Utah and having the entire row all to myself, and, naturally, I needed to take a picture of myself in order to make a complete post. This was not as inconspicuous a task as I had originally planned. God bless the Mac for having the intelligence to install a massive flash into their Macbooks, and gosh darn me for not having the intelligence to anticipate it. I may as well have stood up and announced to the entire plane, "Attention: I am taking pictures of myself while sitting alone. Please continue to sleep through the flashing lights." It was quite embarrassing. But because of this massive flash, look how CRAZY the picture turned out!

I COULD CRY.

2009-10-07T11:44:00.000-07:00

This weekend I'm going back to the land of best friends, above-ground transportation, and the lemon-berry cream slush. I'm so happy I could cry. I've missed it so.

(I am aware that this picture was taken in Oregon, not Utah, but what matters is the people not the place. And right now, all that matters is that I will see their faces in ONE DAY!) Like I said, I. could. cry.

Also, totally beside the point, can we please take a moment to be grateful for high-quality cameras which we are all so blessed with, because the picture above was taken from a disposable, and it SHOWS!

NOT A FAN, MISS THANG.

2009-09-26T19:46:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I went to see the Tyra Show with Casey, Angie, Kelsey, and Chateau, and I must say that I will never support that show again! (Except by watching the Vaseline episode on youtube over and over again, of course) First and foremost, the girl is a wench! (I was going for some dramatic effect in my choice of words—hope it worked.) She acted like she was on a no-audience set and never even glanced at us! She seems like she's a girl's girl on film, but she is only aiming that charisma at a camera, not the crowd! She didn't welcome us, she didn't smile at us, she CERTAINLY didn't come in dancing. Let me tell you what, she is no Ellen. She was very snobby during commercial cuts and didn't even show the volunteers who came up on stage to be part of a competition so much as a fierce look.

ALSO, we filmed all of our reactions before the show as they were feeding us emotions to act out. Here's what went down:

Fat Flamboyant Guy: Okay now act like she just said something you agree with.

Carly: nodding in focused approval

FFG: Nod even more now. Look at your neighbor like, "oh yeah Tyra's got that right."... Even more. Big nods!

Carly: Looks over at Casey now agreeing to some unknown thing as if her life depends on it.

FFG: okay now start cracking up hysterically....

...AND SO ON...

So, what I'm trying to say is, if you happen to watch Tyra on whatever day I end up on the show, and I am agreeing with abortion or adultery or wearing no underwear or anything like that, please do not judge me. I was merely acting as best I could in order to end up on daytime television. That is everyone's life goal, right?! After seeing how big of a diva Tyra is, I definitely lost any respect I ever had. But on a brighter note, I had a good time with the girls! Chateau was stuck sitting with the dudes on the other side of the audience because this show happened to be a boy vs. girl game show. Lame! Poor guy.

CUPCAKE BANTER

2009-09-23T23:40:00.000-07:00

Magnolia or Crumbs? Crumbs or Magnolia? It is such a pressing topic, as I'm sure you can imagine, that I find myself smack dab in the middle of cupcake banter at least once a week.

So here is my stance, once and for all:

OBVIOUSLY Crumbs, as faithful Keep It Tight readers should remember from an earlier post, is FAR better than Magnolia's. But my opinion's validity is plagued by my lack of multi-year experience, so I will borrow Rustin's validated view of the saga:

"Magnolia DOES have good banana bread pudding, though. If they just took their cupcakes and SOAKED them in the pudding, they might be edible."

-Rustin Reidhead, multi-year opinion-maker

FLAT

2009-09-23T23:37:00.000-07:00

Stella: "You're hair looks really flat today, Carly."

Carly: "Thanks."

{Awkward silence}

I think it's time for a haircut.

EVERYONE THOUGHT HE WAS 24 AND I WAS 18

2009-08-31T16:50:00.000-07:00

He is 16 and I am 22! I wish I could have at least ordered a drink and made him sip a sprite to differentiate our age, but of course, I was stuck with a Shirley Temple. What a lame-o.

{10} DAYS OF SUMMER

2009-08-31T11:00:00.000-07:00

I'm a little overwhelmed by the thought of having to blog about specific happenings in Hawaii... it was great to try to get my head to stop moving at the speed of light and calm down a bit. It was amazing to be in the sun and swim in the perfect water. It was depressing to come back. That is pretty much the story, beginning to end.

I swam really far out from the boat one day with Luke and a member of the boat's crew and after tons of swimming and James pointing us in the right direction from back on the boat, we landed smack in the middle of a huge school of spinner dolphins. They were playful and swimming all around us, and there were a few babies the size of footballs. It was unreal.

I lived in Oahu for a summer and had a few edible requests, which I am sure doesn't shock those of you who know me... and everything was just about as good as I remembered. Mmmm. Especially all those shave ices, malasadas, and Haleiwa Joes. I will post a bunch of pics when I have time!

New York, I'll be seeing you in about 24 hours! :)

NEW WEBSITE IS UP

2009-08-05T22:50:00.000-07:00

It is definitely still in the process of becoming in any way creative, but it is at least mostly functioning and at least my work is online. I finally don't have to be scared of the dreaded question, "Do you have a website?" anymore. Because now the answer is, "YES." Hooray for my small victories.

{Click on image to visit site}

THESE ARE OUR EXCITED FACES.

2009-08-05T18:04:00.001-07:00

Only 9 more days! Man, I've missed this kid. :)

STICK IT TO THE MAN

2009-08-02T19:13:00.000-07:00

Last night I dragged Casey, Todd, Angie, and Klane along with me on a major NYC checklist outing. We walked across the Brooklyn Bridge and went to Grimaldi's and the ice cream shop under the bridge, and as antsy as I was during the TWO HOUR wait at Grimaldi's, it was amAzing.

After the long wait, we stood at the door being taunted by the proximity of dinner, in take-off position.

Photos courtesy of Casey and Angie

It felt great to stick it to the man and finally take a break from working. Saturday nights are supposed to be fun right??? It seems I had forgotten that for the past few weeks. Wow it hasn't taken long for me to become a workaholic, has it? Gosh darn it I'm doomed.

SUNDAYS IN THE CITY

2009-08-01T12:31:00.000-07:00

They're my favorite days of all, because unlike Saturdays which are left to be taken away by work and errands and downright exhaustion, Sundays are full of relaxed socializing and tradition.

Every Sunday, a girl in my building (and ward) has a small group of us over for a delicious and huge and did I mention delicious(?) home-cooked meal.

A coworker, Alanna, always throws a little barbeque in her backyard in Brooklyn which is very delightful as well... here is a candid from 2 weeks ago. (It's the only picture I had)

And although I may be painfully outnumbered by the "non-lonely," these after-church central park picnics are also perfect for a summer afternoon.

I love Sundays in the city. Too bad every day can't be like this!

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE

2009-08-01T07:19:00.000-07:00

If anyone has missed this season and likes dancing, you have to watch these dances, they were some of my favorites from the season. (Mom, if you love me you will watch these... I'm determined to make you love this show). It's not too late to catch the finale week; it's this Wednesday and Thursday! My votes are Kayla and Brandon, how bout you? :)

This one Kupono is an addiction that Kayla can't get rid of:

QUICK RECAP

2009-07-25T14:15:00.000-07:00

I walked the Brooklyn Bridge the other day with my friend Colin and saw my building from a bit of a different angle...
Casey and I went to see the Philharmonic in Central Park and I have never seen so many people in one place in my life. It was so much fun to catch fireflies and people watch after work... even if we could hardly hear any music.
In the pic below are two of my work friends, Alanna and Ashley. These two and I, and another girl, Stella, are getting pretty close, and it has been really fun. This night we went to Sushi Samba and I had one of the best meals I've had so far in New York.

HARRY POTTER

2009-07-25T14:04:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I posted, but I am going to try to do a quick little catch up, starting with Harry Potter, which I saw at midnight on opening night in Times Square! (notice mad eye moody eye patch, which I wore courtesy of Brad.) It was the best one yet I thought, even as exhausted as I was. It was insane though, the picture below is of people pouring into the theatre for it... and we even got there TWO HOURS EARLY! It was out of control, but so worth it.

MY NY LIST

2009-07-25T13:20:00.000-07:00

Most false expectation: I thought this would be the hottest summer of my life, but it has by far been the coldest. I very rarely can go out without a sweater and it's almost AUGUST!
Most embarrassing moment: Walking over crates and pulling a Marilyn Monroe every time. Unfortunately I look more like a screaming train wreck rather than a model.
Biggest pet peeve: Walking in Times Square everyday... I consider knocking people out of my way daily.
Best part of the day: Walking home from work in the evening with my ipod in and not having any reason to rush.
Best music to listen to on the subway: The Weepies
New favorite show: The Bachelorette
Favorite pizza place: Monetti's on 42nd and 8th Ave... try it!
Favorite spot: On the Hudson river just south of the World Financial Center (great view of Ellis Island, Statue of Liberty, and the river... especially at sunset)
Hardest thing for me: Never being outside during the day

Coolest thing about my internship: We work directly with people who are FAR above us, not only with the other interns, so I've been learning a lot from being able to watch them and get feedback from them.

The one reason I want to vent about New Yorkers: They think that they are the center of the world, so they think that anyone who hasn't had the same experiences as them is totally ignorant... yet they haven't heard of anything west of New Jersey other than LA, Hollywood, and Las Vegas. (hehe, do I sound bitter?)

Thing I can't imagine life without anymore: the subway system... i LOVE it.

People I do a good job of keeping in touch with: no one. Finding time to call people is soooo hard here!

I can't think of anything else to list. If you have something you want to know, ask in a comment!

COOL NEWS

2009-07-13T10:04:00.001-07:00

I just got this email from my old boss at SAS Creative Management:

Congratulations Carly... Your scrapbook not only got silver by the 6 judges, it took 1st place overall in the People's Choice in Milwaukee on Saturday. Woot woot!!!

THE FOURTH OF JULY

2009-07-05T23:01:00.000-07:00

After spending the day in Long Island at Jones' Beach (see previous post), Todd, Casey, and I met up to watch the fireworks over the Hudson River. (notice Todd's shirt, which earned him two free Pinkberry yogurts when a male cashier apparently found him quite appealing. I was pretty jealous, since I had to pay 6 dollars for mine.) We lucked out because we chose a street to walk down that must have been opened up right before we got there, because we casually walked all the way to 12th Ave, the road right along the river, with about 6 rows of people ahead of us, and within like 5 minutes we saw this many people piled in behind us: It was the perfect summer day and I loved to see the sun for once AND be at the beach! It was just what the doctor ordered.

OOPS.

2009-07-05T22:51:00.000-07:00

The sun came out for one day, and...

LATELY.

2009-07-05T22:04:00.000-07:00

I realized that I really only ever post about fun weekend activities, but the rest of the week ia also very blog-worthy, so here is a quick catch-up on what has been going on in the last little bit:

1. Somehow, up until Saturday it hadn't stopped raining ONE DAY since I got here one month ago (btw July 2nd was my month anniversary of living here... it has gone by so fast!) I think every pair of shoes I brought has been nearly demolished or water-logged. This is a pic from out of the window at my office:

2. I have been fortunate enough to be experiencing some really cool advertising processes, including being on set at Riverside Park for part of a commercial, watching the voice over be recorded, editing colors in film, editing layout in film, and so much more. Each time I met great people and learned a lot about how much goes into making a commercial. It is insane how much detailing is involved. (and how much MONEY is involved) Did I mention that I am being fed like a queen and even got a massage at one of the editing houses one day? haha can you say CUSH?!!

3. I have been taste-testing tons of places around the city and definitely finding some favorites. Went to Rice to Riches the other night and this picture shows how many flavors I sampled before finally choosing. Haha they loved me there!

4. I really like the other interns I work with, so that makes going to work much more fun. This picture is of our conference room table where we meet to eat lunch together every day. This day was my birthday and people brought cupcakes, cookies and brownies. So nice of them, right? It was great.

5. You'd think I'd be getting the subway system down right? Well I know the trip to work and back with my eyes shut, but other than that, pretty much if I ever just assume I know where I'm going and don't whip out the trusty map, I end up in the wrong place, on the wrong train, and show up about an hour later than planned. It is quite unfortunate.

LIVING VICARIOUSLY

2009-07-05T21:34:00.000-07:00

Casey is lucky enough to actually get to settle in a bit here in the city (as opposed to my "floater" lifestyle) and because I LOVE to get settled yet never get to, I have been living vicariously through her and helping her decorate her cute apartment. On Friday we both had a day off of work and went to another kind of work with some fun green paint! It was a blast and I felt very productive... plus, we did a pretty dang good job if I do say so myself. I can't wait to have a place I can make mine...or even stay for longer than three months... that will be true bliss! See the finished product here.

*btw, this photo collage is stolen from Casey's blog.

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE: I'M HERE TO STAY.

2009-07-01T21:15:00.000-07:00

I really, really do. And so, my friends, I'm here to stay*!

*as long as someone somewhere has it in their heart to hire me

AND TO FURTHER MY ADDICTION...

2009-06-30T15:38:00.000-07:00

It was so nice to have so many people come celebrate my birthday with me last night... I think this was the biggest turnout I've EVER had to a birthday party (pathetic right? but I blame it on the fact that all my friends are usually traveling on the blessed day). Anyway, it was especially great when the Max Brenner hostess looked at me with surprise and said, "Guuurl. fiteen? damn! you sai fiteen? naw I don't think so. we can't do dat. uh uuuh. damn girl." haha I was like "I called this morning and they said it would be just fine." Then she just looked at me like I was crazy and went to talk to her manager. Is it so much to ask of a famous chocolate restaurant to have enough room for a modestly-sized birthday party on a MONDAY night? sheesh.

LOYAL TO THE END

2009-06-25T17:17:00.000-07:00

Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, died today. I know that along with all the good he did there were definitely some messed up chapters stuck in there, but he should be remembered as the legend that he is.

Some may claim that I was a little over the top in my obsession, what with owning every dvd and cd available... and worshipping them publicly, but he and I go way back. It all began when my parents used Michael Jackson to get us to fall back to sleep when we were infants, and went on to the many afternoons we spent dancing to his countless hits in the living room. From Heal the World to Man in the Mirror, he only wanted to spread goodness through his music, and from Billie Jean to Thriller, he brought us some world-changing dance moves. RIP Michael, may your legacy live on!

ODE TO MY BESTIE!

2009-06-22T15:55:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to dedicate a special birthday post to Casey Matheny. There are a lot of girls out there who are just cool. They are the girls who everyone wishes they were friends with. Most of those girls aren't nearly as cool as they seem once you get to know them... I'm not trying to be a hater, but from my experience these girls are a lot more interested in themselves than anything else. Casey is one of those cool girls, but she's different. She pulls off being a stylish trendsetter and "the cool girl," yet she is so sincere and an amazing friend to everyone. She is hilarious, understanding, a good listener AND a good talker, an amazing copywriter, a great wifey (to Todd and I, of course), the perfect cupcake-eating buddy, a fabulous cook, a natural-born singer, and in all seriousness a really really good friend. Irreplaceable, in fact. I am so glad to have her here in New York with me. Happy Birthday, Case. Love you, girl!

HAPPY DADDY'S DAY!

2009-06-21T13:01:00.000-07:00

This picture is the ultimate portrayal of my favorite memories with my dad. I will forever remember the times when he'd come and jump up and down on my bed in the morning screaming "Nothin to worry about!" or when he'd act like a gangster while listening to some Usher out on the boat, or the times (as seen above) when he'd entertain us all with his weird raptor impressions or hilarious dance moves. He also has always wanted to do everything he can to help me delve farther into my passions, including supporting my art, taking me to scrapbook fairs, taking me to see Broadway plays, getting me the best violin on the market, paying for all sorts of lessons (dance, wake boarding, art, golf, violin, gymnastics, cheer, etc.) and more. My dad's sense of humor and his support of my passions are two things that I will never forget and things that I hope my kids will get to equally enjoy someday when he's their grandpa! Happy Father's Day, Dad! Thanks for making me laugh all these years and supporting me in the things I love!

AWAY WE GO

2009-06-15T18:49:00.000-07:00

From cast, to soundtrack, to storyline, I am SO looking forward to this movie.

SATURDAY NIGHT SPEAKEASY

2009-06-14T18:59:00.000-07:00

So this whole "not being in Provo" thing is an interesting phenomenon. To all those in Utah, I want to let you in on a little lingo from the outside world. A bar (rhymes with car) is a place where people our age spend weekend nights; they drink, laugh, flirt, dance, spend lots of money, and drink some more. It's really quite interesting to be part of this scene, especially when the only shots you take are of diet coke.

But I won't lie, the pre-second-bar bar that we went to was a really cool place. It was made to be secretive and had the atmosphere of a speakeasy. The drinks (mine virgin, of course) were incredible and the atmosphere top notch. It wasn't until the bill came that I realized the beauty of virgin drinks... we were talking about this in church today: how do people afford New York rent AND drinking? it seems to me that you'd have to pick one or the other. I suppose all the homeless people ARE always drunk... coincidence?

JOSH RITTER IN CENTRAL PARK

2009-06-13T14:08:00.000-07:00

Last night I had the most perfect night (if you haven't noticed, I am a frequent superlative user, but I mean it EVERY time).

We went and sat in Central Park at a free Josh Ritter concert, with Glen Hansard (the guy in Once that sings Falling Slowly) and several other guest performers. Josh had an entire orchestra, The New York Pops, behind him... it was one of the best concerts I've ever seen.

The weather cleared up for the perfect patch of time, followed by some delicious Shake Shack and a catch up session with the adlab group. Could I ask for more?

I AM SO NOT HAPPY ABOUT THIS

2009-06-11T13:56:00.000-07:00

I took the title "I am SO not happy about this" from a direct quote from my mom. She said it in regards to having to leave me by myself in New York while we were on the subway one day. I will admit that it was probably not the best idea to have her come spend a paranoid and terrified week in the place that I'd be living for the summer. The look on her face as she said that line was so priceless; we had a good laugh about it periodically throughout the rest of the day. But I am using the quote in a very different context today.

I was introduced to CRUMBS bakery last night, where I learned the true meaning of the word "cupcake." I almost cried it was so good. And here's the worst part of all, the part that I am SO not happy about: today Casey was so kind as to notify me of the Crumbs located one block{!} from my beloved apartment. Ugh, why oh why!? Such cruelty and torture to have to refrain, and if I do decide to give in, I'll be saying goodbye to extra change and hello to twice the time at the gym. Not a good discovery, my friends. Not a good one at all. Pray for me.

FIRST DAYS OF "REAL LIFE" HERE

2009-06-10T20:18:00.000-07:00

You are not going to believe my life right now when I give you a run down of my city life. It is unreal how perfect it has been. Absolutely unreal. I'll try to keep it brief, but I am a woman of many words, so that is not so easy...

Monday:

{First Day of work}

Ogilvy's new office is far from a subway station, so I started the morning with quite a long commute, half subwaying it up with all the wall street professionals, and half walking with more professionals. I felt legit.

When I showed up to orientation, I was so happy to see a room full of people my age, all seeming to be people I'd love to befriend. And maybe not better, but also very good news: a delicious catered breakfast. (Which I was then told would be served every morning, along with free lunch as well.)

Orientation was good, and I met some people who I really liked and ate lunch with. Then we were split up into our areas, so I got placed with an art director and copywriter from Healthworld. They were both hilarious and helpful and made me feel very comfortable. Then I designed a logo in 2 hours that got approval to go to the client (very good way to start the first day, I thought). So things were great, and while other interns were complaining, I only had good things to say. I felt super lucky.

Then I rode the subway home with one of my new coworkers and then decided that it would be a great time for a run. I found a bike/running path that went along the East River which separates Manhattan and Brooklyn. It went right along the water and created the BEST running environment I could possibly have hoped for.

As I ran back up to my apartment, everyone was being held back by security guards across my street, and there were paparazzi and a red carpet and all these black cars next to my building. I had to get to my apartment, so (in my running clothes, of course) I was allowed into the middle of it all, and basically wined and dined with (aka stood three feet from) Molly Sims and all these other stars like it was no thang!

I went up to my apartment but then realized that I was a fool for rushing through so quickly, so I went back down. There, I coincidently ran into bff&e Casey and her posse! That added even more to the magic of this night. Then, we saw an Escalade come around the corner and boom! Out of the car pops Jimmy Fallon and instantly Casey's little sister, Sydney popped into his arms like it was meant to be and snapped the picture below, which I so rudely ruined for her, but so wonderfully enriched for myself. haha I am such a creeper! Such a good moment to capture, though.

Then we walked down to the pier after sunset and played on the dock. Got some ice cream. Todd asked a police officer to stop cussing (also a great moment). And then we danced into the night. Well not really, but we did sing some broadway in the streets for everyone to enjoy. Casey is particularly talented; you should ask her for a performance if you get the chance. So as you can tell, I couldn't have asked for a better first day.

Tuesday:
{Second day on the job}

I won't go into as much detail, but just know that my second day entailed going to the recording studio where John Mayer and a bunch of other artists recorded their recent albums, sat in a throne (aka super comfy big leather chair), was fed free food and drinks, and listened to a quartet record music for a commercial all day. Talk about livin it up. I thought interns had it rough??? I guess I should be careful what I ask for, but this day was so far above what most interns or even full-times could expect to get to do. I was so lucky, once again. Everything seems to be workin out just right, and I am very happy to say it.

SITTING AT WORK, THIS IS HOW I FEEL ABOUT LIFE:

2009-06-10T11:54:00.001-07:00

ART FROM LAURA GEORGE ON ETSY.

45 WALL STREET; HOME [FREAKIN] SWEET HOME

2009-06-09T19:19:00.000-07:00

Check out my pad! Complete with the nicest gym I've ever beheld, a rooftop overlooking a beautiful view of Wall Street, the East River, and even a bit of Brooklyn, and a lobby with a doorman fit for a celeb. (more to come on the celeb note later)

On a very rainy day, right outside my building:

My living room and roommate:

Amazing rooftop gym:

View at night from the roof access:

I know, right??? So now I'm sure you can imagine the sense of relief I felt when I first walked into the lobby. My fear of living in New York was quickly replaced by giddiness.

SUCH A TOURIST: NYC WEEK 1

2009-06-09T18:16:00.000-07:00

I didn't exactly get the best welcome weather, so I was a little nervous that it might be symbolic of the coming months...

But as soon as the week's touristy adventures began, I was assured that darkness and gloom would not be in the cards for me this summer, regardless of the weather.
Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and Battery Park. Audio tours and all.
Magnolia Bakery and the most delicious cupcake I've ever had. Apparently there are better places around, but I'm not a local yet, so we stuck to the "touristiest" places in town since I only had a week of it before real life began.
We paid a smelly guy to bike us around Central Park (which I am obsessed with) and it was the most beautiful day and the most beautiful park I've ever seen. The biker guy took us the wrong way through a car-only road and we had about 10 cars piling up behind us, honking and getting ticked. Haha, quite the mini-adventure.
The Metropolitan Museum: a must-see... I could spend months in here.
Broadway play, of course. Fun, but a little disappointing since casts in San Diego could have shown this cast up in a heartbeat. Still fun, though.
Top of the Empire State Building at 1am. After an hour and a half of waiting in line and twenty dollars admission for each of us, we felt a little ripped, but it was beautiful, and now I can say I've done it, so [once I got a little sleep] I was glad we did it.
We fit tons of other stuff in, but I'd say these were the touristy highlights. Shopping of course made the list of to-do's for the week, So-ho being my favorite of all.

EATING MY WAY OUT OF P-TOWN

2009-06-09T17:56:00.000-07:00

First Stop: J-Dawgs

Next up: Guru's
And the delicious way I ended my week: The Melting Pot!

Other stops, unpictured, included:

Costa Vida

Cafe Rio

Provo Froyo

Brick Oven

FROM ONE BEAUTIFUL EXTREME TO THE OTHER

2009-05-27T08:34:00.000-07:00

There is nothing that could make me realize what I'll be missing in New York more than one last trip up to Brad's Cabin. This Spring is absolutely perfect: enough sun that I'm happy and warm, but enough rain that everything is perfectly green. I'm going to miss this. I'm gonna miss it bad.

SCRAPBOOK CHAMP

2009-05-27T01:09:00.000-07:00

A couple of months ago at work (SAS Creative Marketing, in case you're curious) I was assigned to make a scrapbook for the NACUFS (some apparently important association of food services for universities) competition for the new BYU Cannon Center, aka The Commons, and it was a BIG project. I spent weeks working on this 72-page monster, but in the end it was super worth it, because...

{DRUMROLL PLEASE}

My scrapbook took second place (there were 141 schools that entered) and was awarded the silver medal! Pretty cool huh?

Here are some pictures of the book:

Who knew that all those years of scrapbooking fairs and being influenced by dorky/intense moms with roller scrapbooking cases would get me the big bucks some day?? (and by "big" I mean "small" by the way).

THE LITTLE CAR THAT COULD

2009-05-23T23:58:00.001-07:00

This is Brad's CR-V, "Scrat," that drove through 40 miles of river and deep mud. Twice.

That's the puddle that formed over night right where we decided to pitch our tent.

These were our faces after a night of rain, mud, sopping sleeping bags,

and needless to say, no sleep.

This was the river that we miraculously floated through.

These are the other cars in the group... cars MEANT for this sort of thing.

This is how relieved/h-core we felt when we finally made it out safe.

And this is Scrat's finest hour.

If it weren't for Scrat's endurance and agility,

we'd still be stuck on a long dirt road in Escalante.

Thanks little guy.

A MUST-SEE

2009-05-17T23:39:00.000-07:00

I just was looking at some pictures and found this beauty... I thought that it was something that just couldn't be kept unseen. I'm not sure how I thought that it would be at all be attractive to make a face like that (truth is I practice in the mirror twice a day so naturally I had high hopes), but bottom line is that this picture is a keeper.

IN MEMORY OF...

2009-05-17T23:32:00.000-07:00

The Creative Track of 2008-2009.

[Minus a couple of very important trackers who bailed on the last day of Doug's class.]

ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR VULCAN MIND!!???

2009-05-13T16:25:00.000-07:00

While I am sure that I missed many trekky inside jokes, Star Trek was hilarious and entertaining and suspenseful and EVERYTHING that you could want in a movie! It was so good! You have to see it. Don't let the fact that it is "Star Trek" stop you from going. When it was over, I was just sitting there smiling like a goon. I'm a dork, but let's face it... so are you. So just go see it. Live long and prosper.

LAST NIGHT IN HOUSTON

2009-05-13T16:15:00.000-07:00

There is a really nice outdoor mall right near where Cathryn and Alex live, so the last night we walked around there, got some Coldstone, Cathryn and I did a little sisterly bonding in Bath and Body Works, saw Star Trek (that deserves its own post), and watched a water show (like a mini version of Bellagio). I hope that every mall starts to be built in the same way that this one was... it felt more like a beautiful park than a shopping center. Loved it.

KEMAH AND THE TEXAS COAST

2009-05-13T15:53:00.001-07:00

If anyone reading this ever goes to Texas and is near Kemah, I would highly suggest taking a little trip to this area right along the water. There were rides, barbecues, snow cones, shops, and live music... pretty much amazing in every way. This roller coaster that you see in the distance here may look innocent, but no no, my friend. Utter terror took me over as we plummeted down its drops and turns. With only a tiny waste seat belt to hold me in, this was the best coaster thrill I've had in years, and I'm no wussy... even the X at Six Flags can leave me yawning.

We went on a ferris wheel and a little train ride and played in the fountains and had a jolly time in the sun. Next stop was the beach in Galveston to play in the waves and get a little color, and then back to Houston for Pappasito's where I experienced the best fajitas in the entire world. I've been craving it ever since.

REMEMBER THE ALAMO

2009-05-13T15:45:00.000-07:00

We toured the Alamo and watched an informational video with about 30 senior citizens. What we didn't do: pay $60 to follow some shady woman named Mary around the city in the middle of the night learning about the supernatural events that have occurred there. But were we seriously considering doing it? Yes we were.

SAN ANTONIO

2009-05-13T15:19:00.000-07:00

I've taken a bit to get around to blogging about it, but last weekend Brad and I flew to Texas and had the greatest little vacay. Who knew... I LOVE Texas!

Lots of trees and sunshine= Happy Carly.

We started in San Antonio where we stayed in a brand new Grand Hyatt right on the famous Riverwalk.

We took a boat tour down the beautiful Riverwalk and ate at some fun restaurants, got attacked by birds (I'm still not sure why that bird decided to fly straight at my face), listened to live music, and saw where Miss Congeniality was filmed.

Cathryn and Alex, Brad's little sister and brother-in-law, were the perfect hosts the entire weekend. I. love. them.

50 THINGS {I LOVE ABOUT MY MOM}

2009-05-10T00:03:00.000-07:00

1. Her laugh is ridiculously contagious.

2. She is the strongest person I've ever known, but she's always the first to be in tears.

3. She forgives in the blink of an eye.

4. No other 40-something looks as good with the top down cruising down the 101.

5. That girl can shop till she drops... and I'm usually the one to benefit from it.

6. She knows and loves new, quality music.

7. She used to take me out of elementary school to go to the nordstrom half-yearly sale.

8. When I was first caught ditching school, i'm pretty sure I was much more upset than she was.

9. She'll go to Panera with me 10 times in a row while i'm home even if she's bored of it.

10. La Costa Resort and Spa, and our many delightful experiences there.

11. She finds the best in people.

12. Her smile could light up a room, and does multiple times a day.

13. Not only will she dance with my friends and I, but she will be the one to instigate the dancing... and she'll go get her scarves for added measure

14. She loves to travel and make the most of life. She has taught me to not let life pass me by, because she knows how to enjoy her own despite trials.

15. She will make dirty jokes with flawless timing... and when the timing is bad it's even funnier.

16. She says "I'm vewy vewy tiwed," every night once the lights are out.

17. She will force me to dance when I don't want to, and I always have more fun because of it.

18. She'll call me screaming because she's taken the suburban to a beach and is driving it in donuts.

19. Then she'll call me an hour later to say that young muscular men are helping her get the suburban unstuck from the sand.

20. I love that I could tap on her door any time of the night growing up and she'd come listen to me cry about insignificant things for an hour straight.

21. She could never tell a lie.

22. Stuffed shells, enchiladas, and artichokes.

23. The way the house smells when I go home... cinnamon, vanilla, or pumpkin spice... depends on the season.

24. She'll never be too old to stick her bare foot out the window of the car on a sunny day.

25. She let me wear that full purple velvet outfit that I loved so much regardless of how awful it was, day after day after day, just because I loved it so much.

26. She gives one heck of a spa treatment in her very own bathroom.

27. She tells me that I'm good at everything. (I'm not, in case you were wondering.)

28. The way she kisses both cheeks instead of just one, and how I know she loves that it's our thing. So do I.

29. That she'd sacrifice everything for her kids' happiness, and how she pretty much did.

30. The way she cracks up just like me on roller coasters.

31. That she wears her heart on her sleeve, and that even when given every reason to want to close off her heart, it is still open and more loving than ever.

32. The way she'll come to visit me conveniently every time I have a cleaning check, and that she'll get down on the kitchen floor to scrub without me asking her to.

33. She's real.

34. She'll pay full price to go see a chick flick again just so that she can see it with ME this time.

35. She taught me that I would never be able to get a boyfriend if I didn't start moisturizing my elbows.

36. When she gets a second chance at something, she takes it full force.

37. She loves the ocean just as much as I do. (She might say she loves it more, but that's pushin it.)

38. She's a glass-half-full kinda girl.

39. She continues to decorate for Christmas because she knows how much it means to me.

40. With enough convincing, she'll share almost anything. (and by share I mean allow me to steal)

41. She makes fun of me for doing everything slowly, yet the last 4 page paper she wrote took her 20 hours, and the last time she cut my hair it took about 3 hours. I like to at least be able to know that my trait has a great source.

42. She has about 30 of the same color of nail polish but as she puts it, at least she's consistent!

43. She stocks my room with candy corn and other goodies when I go home to see her.

44. I've said and done a lot of things in my life that have been far from perfect, but she still treats me like I'm an angel.

45. No matter how hard you're trying not to laugh, she'll always find a way to make you lose it.

46. She's the master fire-maker.

47. She always gets lucky... in games, that is.

48. I love her freckles

49. She took me to an American Girl Doll fashion show when I was far too old for it and she didn't even call me a freak or laugh at me. She's always been good at pretending I'm cool.

50. If I ever need her, no doubt in my mind, she'll be there.

I love you, Mom. Happy Mother's Day.

WHICH TWO OF THESE ARE NOT LIKE THE OTHERS?

2009-05-05T22:25:00.000-07:00

Gotta love having two of your pregnant best friends having due dates two days apart from each other! I'm counting this as my first time being an aunt... it counts, don't mess with me.

ENCINITAS BECKONS

2009-05-04T16:02:00.000-07:00

As I am stuck here in rainy Provo,

I can't help but reminisce on my trip home a month ago

and wish I was back there now.

Good thing we leave for Houston on Thursday! Woohoo!

AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL

2009-05-04T15:14:00.000-07:00

Nat and Kaylee got ahold of my camera the other day and took some pretty adorable pictures... not gonna lie, Kaylee is a little seductress. When that girl becomes a teenager, look out.

DEAREST SUNSHINE, WELCOME BACK.

2009-04-22T00:59:00.000-07:00

I love the sunshine.
I also love jumping on the tramp with Brad's amazing family (as seen above). I love that my family is here, I love that finals are over today, I love that I don't have to leave until June 8th, I love the sunshine (did I mention that?), I love that I don't have to say as many goodbyes since I'll be joining so many in NYC, I love my roommates, and I am just loving life... the sun makes everything in life a little brighter, and I couldn't be happier that it's back.

HOPE FOR THE HOPELESS

2009-04-18T00:15:00.000-07:00

Brett Dennen's CD is a life changer and I know he's a little different but just listen to his words and be open to his sound. And then look up all his other music cuz the guy is a genius.

CHANGE OF PLANS

2009-04-17T17:25:00.001-07:00

Dear New York City,
I thought that I could avoid your bustling streets and concrete giants, but I was wrong. You win. See ya soon.

(Just for the record I am actually really excited now. I just needed time for the disappointment of losing Chicago to set in.)

VOLKSWAGEN NO MORE.

2009-04-16T19:20:00.000-07:00

Despite the fact that I had a team of some of my closest friends, my capstone project for Volkswagen was quite a beast and after pitching our campaign to Crispin Porter + Bogusky and the CMO of Volkswagen on Wednesday, I can't say I'm not glad to have it behind me. The pitch went great, and although we didn't win, we still got some really great compliments from some really important people, so I felt like a winner regardless. All I know is that with my final capstone project done, I can finally start sleeping a little. (or is that wishful thinking?) If nothing else, I'll always have this blog to keep me up all night. Gotta love being a night owl (until the alarm goes off in the morning). Here are some pictures of us while waiting for the final verdict after the VW pitch:

Love these people.

ALL GROWN UP

2009-04-16T00:06:00.000-07:00

Brad's 27th birthday was on April 10th and we had a great time celebrating with some amazing friends and amazing fries. Red Robin, scattergories, pizookies, and some really random stories all made for the perfect night to celebrate Brad.

SPRING IS NOT IN THE AIR. BUT I'LL TELL YOU WHAT IS.

2009-04-15T23:28:00.000-07:00

Curse this blasted mid-April snow storm. Other than the cute pictures that come with it.

THE CITY (THE SALTY ONE)

2009-04-11T08:30:00.000-07:00

If anyone feels stuck in a Provo bubble, I have a great idea for you. Go to a Hottub/TingTings Concert at In the Venue in Salt Lake and you will find yourself in the middle of quite a different scene. Casey and I may have been the only straight pair in the room... I think we got our share of people-watching in for the next century. But the Ting Tings and Hottub (a girl rap group with hairy armpits and cheetah spandex) were pretty much amazing and the sweaty fat guy dancing in front of me was even better. Overall, an amazing night in the city with my g who is about to move to the REAL city. Gonna miss her.

NOTHIN BUT THE BEST

2009-04-07T00:32:00.000-07:00

I just feel the need to say something after this past week: I have out-of-the-ballpark, doesn't-get-better-than-this friends. Just watch MTV's reality shows for like 10 seconds and you'll see that not all people are this lucky (except for The Hills and The City, of course. Love those girls.) But seriously, how did I find such great friends? I mean, sure, some may have arrestingly large nostrils, babies in their wombs the size of grapes, obsessions with members of the opposite sex, obsessions with members of the same sex (rockstar diaries...you know who you are), sliced-off fingertips, or an inability to stay up till ungodly hours with me, but really, they are all soaring high above par in my book. I felt a need to give a shout out, cuz I couldn't live without you. Here's to the best of the best. Love you all.

BRETT DENNEN

2009-03-31T17:09:00.000-07:00

rocked my world. I saw him at the House of Blues on Friday in San Diego. He was quirky and accidentally hilarious, but more than anything his music live rocked my world. I always knew I loved him, but now... mmmm. LOVE. He is coming to Salt Lake on April 14th. You should all go.

HOUSTON TICKETS

2009-03-31T17:00:00.000-07:00

It's official, we're going to Texas! I've never been before and I'm so excited... mostly because we get to spend the weekend with Brad's sister and brother-in-law who I love, but also because we've got some really fun plans! San Antonio, perhaps... Sea World, perhaps... the possibilities are endless.

GUESS WHAT I'M GETTING!!??? (i hope, that is)

2009-03-31T16:54:00.001-07:00

I know, right?

I SMELL PURDY.

2009-03-31T16:47:00.000-07:00

Compliments of the favorite mom and the favorite store (anthro, of course!)I got totally spoiled this weekend. After the spa, massage, manicure, pedicure, and haircut, it was only fitting that I walk off the plane smelling oh so pretty in my new Verbena perfume. mmmmmmm. love it!

NUMBER ONE FAN

2009-03-26T00:45:00.000-07:00

Luke and Daniel just started playing together at the beginning of this week and they sound so great together. I'm super excited to see more songs as they create them- see Luke Williams (my little bro) on facebook for about 5 more videos of their other songs. I would suggest "Soldier" and "Smiling" but they're all good. Check 'em out if you like this. He'd be totally honored if you said you were friending him to hear his music. Peace!

GROW OLD TOGETHER

2009-03-25T15:05:00.001-07:00