You Are a Very Beautiful: Vanity Fair

Ok, it was about time for a vanity blog post. And luckily, I just did something considered somewhat vain. But if you are someone who has my hair type - or worse - than you might not think so. 

I got a Keratin smoothing treatment four days ago (don't worry, didn't pay even close to top dollar here, thanks to livingsocial) and basically, I washed it last night and I am pretty much in love with the results. When your hair has hated you for this long, you get a little emotional. 

(1 day after the treatment)

Plus, it was an organic keratin treatment, so I felt even less bad. I wonder if that means that the Keratin animal - found in the jungles of Doesn'texistland - never ate anything but un-sprayed vegetation or if its legs never touched the ground, like Kobe beef? Who knows.

Whats so great about it?

I basically have hair that loathes me. It revolts at the very mention of rain, water, humidity, the amazon, or even dryness. Last year, I went to Lake Powell for my first time and watched as all the other ladies let their perfectly manageable hair dry into what must be super model criteria hair. It was like, 'who needs a blow dryer...ever." My hair on the other hand looked like Medusa herself had given me a blowout. That's right, there were snakes in my hair....sorta. Just a lot of frizz and poof really. 

Now, instead of losing all of my natural wave/curl, or having flat hair, it has taken about 80% of the poofiness out and just about all of the frizz. In sum, although my hair will still not look completely model-worthy, I will at least be OK to enter the land of the living. And smooth and shiny? Faaageddaboudit.

OK, girl talk done. Now my few male readers can continue reading... Football, sports cars, James Bond, soccer, Fight Club, hot chicks, Jason Staitham, Fast and the Furious, Will Ferrell, pit bulls, hot wings, Doctor Pepper 10, the color blue.

That appealed to everyone, right? J/K-ing about Will Ferrell though. Not trying to gender profile.  

You Are a Very Beautiful: Tales from the Script

Sometimes there is nothing terribly exciting to blog about. In fact, most of the time. So I will blog about this today...

Tales from the Script. 

Although it is shot on what must be the worst camera of all time, and is amateur in the sincerest sense (seriously, it appears to have been shot by my 10 year old self, on our home movie camera and edited by pressing record, then pause, then record, then pause), it is still educational, entertaining and very interesting to get the views of many respected and not-so-respected screenwriters (the dude that wrote Last Action Hero is in there). Seems like sage advice to me. 

It's probably apropos that the film is staggeringly low-quality, since it seems that the general theme of the movie is, 'screenwriters get no respect' spoken in the heaviest Rodney Dangerfield impression you can conjure. However, the theme might be a little deeper than that, perhaps "Writers get no respect, but with a job like this, who needs respect?" is a little closer to the mark. 

If you're interested in learning more about screenwriting, or the fate I have doomed myself to, catch Tales from the Script on Netflix streaming... while you still can. 

You Are a Very Beautiful: American Heritage

Nothing makes me prouder than knowing my President has been on The View...twice! These women so perfectly represent my views, and the world at large, so having him there is like having a presidential interview with 4 or 5 Edward R. Murrows. I mean, Joy Behar is a world-renowned comedienne who has interviewed the likes of Bette Midler. Whoopie Goldberg was in Sister Act 1 and 2, and for heavens sake, her name is Whoopie. Elizabeth Hasselbeck? She was a contestant on Survivor. And Barbara Walters - arguably the most legit of them all - famously asked POTUS himself what super power he would have if he had his pick. These women make my amber waves of grain.  They're basically Hillary Clinton, Rosa Parks, Condoleezza Rice, and Margaret Thatcher.   

If only Lincoln could have lived to be on Howard Stern, or MadTV, maybe even SNL (if he was funny enough), that would have really rallied us as a nation. I'm sure that he would have found a way to make the emancipation proclamation freggin' hysterical. I need that. Don't we all? 

Most importantly, I'm glad that my President 'slow jammed' the news on Jimmy Fallon. It's the only civics class I'll ever need. I'm not sure how our economy is going to rise out of this record-high debt, or what his foreign policy is, or the state of health care, or why his view on same-sex marriage continues to evolve from one timid position to the next as a way to divert attention from other gigantic issues, but I was so glad to see him cheered on by an audience of Jersey Shore fans and called 'the preezy". 

God bless America, and God bless the office of the President of the United States. Keepin' it classy since Preezy G.Washington. 

You Are a Very Beautiful: Star Trekking

I love National Parks. I love National Parks with my family. I love National Parks with Tom. I love blogging from the road. I also love watching Star Trek during our down time.

Pictures will have to suffice.

You Are a Very Beautiful: Wedding Season and Nostalgia

I know, I've been remiss. It's time to roll up my sleeves and do a little updating. 

We've moved to a new place. We're CONTINUING to move into this new place. We like it a lot, but for some reason we are having a heck of a time being motivated to do anything but work at our respective jobs, workout at the gym in our building (how cool is that!?) and watch a lot of Aaron Sorkin material. A lot.  

Even still, a week and a half ago we had a 1 year anniversary and then actually celebrated it this past weekend. We had some grand plans to do some out-of-state adventuring, maybe to some national parks (because Tom really needs to catch up to his wife, who is basically Theodore Roosevelt when it comes to National Parks, c/o her father).  But instead we went to Park City, and had a relaxing, cushy hotel stay and indulged, indulged, indulged. Then it was back to work. 

(He's Handsome)

I didn't get a chance to say that Tom gave me a gorgeous and much-appreciated surprise: My wedding flowers. 

(a year ago and last week)

I chose lilacs for the wedding because they were my grandmother's favorite (and conveniently worked with my wedding colors), and with her not being able to be at my wedding (she died two years prior) I thought they would bring a little bit of her to the event. It was probably the most nostalgic thing I did that day besides sing a Smokey Robinson song at the reception that my parents used to sing to each other on long car rides (to National Parks! Full circle!) 

The day after we got married and were preparing to leave for our honeymoon, the flowers started to wilt and I got super sad. It was strange, it was like it was a symbol of the end of such a wonderful time. Then the marriage really started and the things have continued to get better. 

Tom was a sweetheart to bring those to me a year later. Every time I walked by them I stuck my face in them.  

And now, a little over a year later, we are ecstatic to be getting to be a part of my brother Mitchell's wedding to the the wonderful, and gorgeous, Jordan Cook. It's another wedding weekend and we are stoked. Can't wait for the party! 

(How dope is this picture of the two of them? By dope I mean romantic and cute)

You Are a Very Beautiful: Phone Tag/Photo Tag

When I don't blog I feel like I'm playing a game of phone tag, except for it's just me, and no phone, and the only person I'm trying to catch up with is myself. Tom and I have been a bit 'bats in the belfry' lately, so you'll have to excuse the lack of updates. Moreover, you'll have to excuse the fact that I'm about to attack you with photos. Literally, you may need to gird up your loins, because there is a barrage of photo missiles coming your way.

Did I make that sufficiently dramatic? Do you feel like you're in Platoon? Good.

You see, it all started with a botched bang trim...

I've been going to the same place since October to get my 6 week fringe trim, and I don't know if I was sitting lopsided or what, but I had asymmetrical bangs for sure. I should have known it would start the month the way it did...a little edgy.

First, we were saddened to find that we had to move from our beloved loft. So, we made some last-ditch efforts to have some fun on the roof and throw some parties. The most important? My dear friend Coryn came home from France, and since I'd been planning a big soiree for months, we made it happen. We started with sanding and staining our table, and then put up some beautiful bistro lights, courtesy of another dear friend, Raschell.

Reunited and it feels so good...
Coryn's party turned out quite nice (in spite of the cold) and we had a ball with her family! Plus, bonus, it was the day after her birthday, so we did a little belated celebrating as well. Happy Birthday and welcome back, Coryn!

After that decided that we definitely didn't want to waste what little time we had left with our new and improved roof, so we invited a bunch of our couples friends over for another rooftop party and it rocked, too! Or, so says the hostess.
And then, Tom's parents were sweet enough - and TOUGH enough - to come and help us move out in time for our deadline .... and we threw even one more rooftop shindig.
And then it was time for me to ditch out on the actual unpacking of our place and head to LA for some Dead Grandma festivals!
The red carpet was fun and it was great to reunite with everyone! My dear, dear Mari B was even there for a day to say hello and goodbye, as she headed to her new life in Washington. Really Mari B, what's in the Pacific Northwest besides vampires and hipsters? Hipster Vampires, I guess.

But then....it was time for food and fun and f 'shenanigans with my dear, dear, Tiffani! We truly indulged ourselves. Starting with gigantic homemade pop tarts at Fred 62's.

(The top right photo is a picture of Roscoe's House of Chicken 'n Waffles at 4pm on a Saturday, the line went around the block)

We then went on a rousing and adventurous hike to one of Tiffani's most treasured Malibu haunts. Doesn't the picture with the hands remind you of the movie Hook when Pan finally finds himself again?
And after all of that fun (thanks a billion, Tiff) I came back to my hubs - who worked hard for those days I was gone - and to some sweet housewarming gifts (thanks for the gladiolus', Aunt Stephanie!). Then Tom went to Chicago for three days and brought me back the best Chicago-style deep dish (corn meal crust!) from Gino's. In a nutshell, it's been crazy and delicious you might say.
And what post would be complete without a random, fuzzy picture of a storm trooper from the night we went to the John Williams symphony performance at Abravanel Hall.
Do you have PTSD now?

You Are a Very Beautiful: Spring Cleaning

Finally went through every wedding card this weekend.Thanks everyone! We feel the love...again.

We are moving from our favorite place soon, and have a lot of busy business upon us and ahead of us.

But, getting to look through all of our wedding stuff again was humbling and a great reminder of the best day/time of our lives.