Access Hollywood

It was worth getting up at 545 to get to Ray's before we jumped in a car at 615 to head over to Burbank for Ray to tape Access Hollywood with Billy Bush.  Billy is a friend of Ray's and sits on the board of the Sugar Ray Leonard Foundation, so they always have a good time when they see each other.  Ray taped a segment for Access and then we waited until the end of the show and walked over to do Billy's radio show.

As we were leaving, Ray decided to show Billy some of his Foxtrot moves, and of course Billy joined in.  I laughed throughout the entire radio segment.  Billy is SO funny and Ray was on fire this morning.

Brentwood Farmers Market

I was excited to be back in LA to hit up my favorite farmers market Sunday.  I've been going to this one for years.  It's not the biggest farmers market but it does have a nice variety of stands and some of the vendors have been there since I started going to the Brentwood Farmers Market nine years ago.  I have my favorite flowers and fruit/veggie stands.   They have pony rides and a bouncy house for the kids, and a doggie rescue too.  And there are a ton of great options for breakfast and lunch.

I'm fairly predictable when it comes my purchases.  I always get white flowers, apples and some sort of berries.  Then depending on what I'm cooking I'll pick the veggies.  There is something about farmers markets, true or not, that makes me feel as though I'm getting the freshest fruit and veggies around.  

Mandeville Canyon

This is one of my favorite hikes in LA and every time I start the journey to the top I'm reminded why people live in LA.....it's absolutely beautiful.  It's not always or even usually this clear, but this is about half way up the canyon and it was so clear we could see the Pacific.

It took us about 2 hours to complete the hike walking the uphills, running the downhills. It's a great way to work out if you go with people.  I've gone alone before and I've gotten freaked out about animals or breaking bones and getting stuck up there so I always end up turning around early, or whimping out.  

DWTS

First day on the set of DWTS!  After finding out he was paired with Anna, they had a full day of photo shoots and LIVE shoots.  This was the last shoot of the day.  A very exciting next few months.

Travel Day

This shot of the sunset somewhere in the southwest was the highlight of my travel day yesterday.  And I say day, because it was truly a day of travel.

I left the house in Tampa around noon getting to the airport an hour early and checked in with no trouble.  As I got off the train, I noticed an enormous line at security.  For a non holiday regular old Monday, I was a bit surprised.  I ended up standing in line for 40 mins to go through security which got me to my gate as they were boarding the last passengers.

I grabbed my computer and ipod and threw my bag in the bin and we were ready to take off.  The flight attendant came by to take all the empty glasses and i heard the 75 year old guy sitting next to me say "shouldn't she turn that off," referring to me and my ipod.  My ipod wasn't on, that's why I heard him telling on me, and I looked at the flight attendant and told her it was off.  She smiled at me and we didn't have to say anything but both understood the guy next to me was a pain in the ass.  By the way, he proceeded to slam four water glasses full of white wine in the hour and fifteen minute flight to Charlotte.

There were thunderstorms in Charlotte but we managed to take off on time.  About an hour before we were scheduled to land in LA, the captain said that due to the storm we ran out of fuel and needed to stop in Albuquerque to refuel.  Awesome!

Turns out they were quick with the refueling in Albuquerque, so we were only two hours late landing in LA.  On a regular night it wouldn't have been a big deal, but I had planned to attend a party at STK.  But instead of enjoying some kind of fish and wine at STK, i had an apple cinnamon nutri-grain bar for dinner.

By the time I walked into LG's place at 10:30 i was so tired.  For all the take offs and landings and amount of actual hours on the plane, I felt like I should be enjoying a latte in madrid.

Lost bet...

We decided to drive back to Tampa after James's night match in Delray, so that meant leaving the hotel about 10pm.  We both just wanted to get home.  Right after we stopped for gas about an hour into the three and a half hour road trip, we decided to bet on the exact time we would get home.  James looked at the Navi and made an educated guess of 140am and I said 144am.

As we got into Tampa it looked more and more like I was going to win the bet.  We made a wrong turn which cost us a few minutes, there was a bit of road construction and an absurd amount of traffic on the freeway for that time of night.  To make up for these unforeseen events James drove like he was in the final lap at the Indie 500.  Did I mention James may be the most competitive person I have ever met.  He hates to lose anything, like no other.

As we pulled off the freeway it was looking good for him and we happened to hit green light after green light.  We pulled in the driveway at 139am which of course meant he won.  Which also meant I would be taking the car in to get the oil changed. I never learn.....do NOT bet him, I swear he rarely loses.

Lightning

My love for hockey probably has something to do with growing up in Wisconsin and going to school in Minnesota.  It's definitely one of my favorite sports to watch live.  James mentioned the Lightning were in town this weekend and I was up for going down to check them out.  

James went to college with one of the guys on the team so we had dinner with he and his wife last night and they left us tickets for the game tonight.  So nice to meet more great people here in Tampa.

Game was fun and the Lightning got the win.    

  

Jamba, where did you go?

James and I finished a pretty tough treadmill workout this morning, courtesy of Rory,  and I was craving a Jamba Juice.  So I dropped James off and went to get us Jambas.  In Tampa there are only a few, so it's a bit of a hike to get there.  As I drove up past the light to pull into the drive I couldn't see it.  I looked and looked again and finally drove up right in front of the abandoned and boarded up shop where Jamba Juice used to be.

I can't believe that Jamba Juice isn't a huge hit in HOT HOT HOT Tampa FL.  I mean of all things that wouldn't work here, I would never put Jamba on the list.

Feeling defeated, I headed to the store to pick up the ingredients for James's favorite Jamba, the Orange Dream Machine.  I tried to duplicate it as best I could but let's be honest, you really can't match Jamba.  Guess I'm going to give it a shot!

Delray Beach

James was leaving extra early for his match today so I decided to walk to the courts a couple hours after he left.  I had some work to finish before leaving the hotel and the courts are only a mile away, not to mention it was a beautiful day in Delray.  I walked up Atlantic Ave, the main street with all those great boutiques I was talking about yesterday, when I noticed this promotion.

A tiger?  Really?  Honestly it made me laugh.  Wouldn't it be a cool poster without the cheesy tiger?  Maybe the intended symbolism is lost on me.

Shopping in Delray

Well after traveling for three weeks to all chilly cities, I was over all the clothes in my suitcases and wasn't prepared for the 80 degrees in sunny south Florida.  So I walked around the shops near our hotel to find some summery clothes.  I thought since we were staying three blocks from the beach, I would easily find some cool stuff.  Well I was wrong.

This picture represents the typical boutique in Delray Beach, no it's not Chicos but there was one there.  I understand I don't exactly fit the demographic they are shooting for  (95-151 years old), but there were so few options that weren't ultra preppy, beach trashy or old lady.  In about a mile of shops there weren't any decent stores to shop in.  The two highlights of my shopping trip were the serve yourself frozen yogurt shop and the cool pair of havaianas I picked up at a surf shop.

Apparently you gotta go to Boca to shop!  

Delray Beach

I got to hang out with Arrow and watch James's first round match with him and a few of his buddies.  It was the first time I have ever had a drink during one of James's matches and it doesn't surprise me that Arrow was the one to break me in.  He's never shied away from a cocktail before.

In fact, last night a woman that he teaches tennis lessons to in Jacksonville was in Delray Beach for the tourney and they all hung out.  This 50ish year old woman was bragging that she'd been drinking longer than Arrow was alive and said she could keep up with him no problem.  Oh boy I wish I would have been there to warn her.  James stopped into the bar to say hello and he tried to help the woman out telling her to say she was going to the bathroom and slip out the back door.

Let's just say she didn't listen and things didn't work out so well for her.  She ended up in the hospital the next morning (no joke) spending the day on iv's and was finally released around 6pm.

Ok back to the match.  Arrow is great to watch tennis with since he's been around the sport his entire life and knows a lot of the players as well.  I learned a little more about tennis, and James got the win.  Pretty great start in Delray.

ESPN the Magazine NBA All-Star Party

Similar to the Super Bowl in Dallas, CMPR was running the red carpet for two events on the same night at NBA All-Star weekend in LA.  We split the company in half again and I ran the the red carpet for the ESPN party at My House while Steve ran the red carpet for the MySpace party at Conga Room.  And very much like Super Bowl the weather really made an impact on the event.

This picture was taken at about 11pm, the most hectic time on the carpet, right after a huge gust of wind ripped the tent wall down, leaving the media and celebrities exposed to the elements.  John and Chris jumped onto the red carpet holding up the step and repeat as that was the next thing threatening to collapse. It had been rainy and windy all night but we never anticipated this.

Needless to say we closed the carpet down shortly after the picture.  Can't say I was too disappointed, I couldn't wait to get out of the cold and into the party.

Client Dinner

My job is anything but 9 to 5.  Last night my boss Steve and I had dinner with Ray and his wife Bernadette.  Ray was one of my first clients when I started with the company six years ago and he is still one of my favorite clients!!  He is such a generous person and an absolute pleasure to work with.  

Ray has an incredibly busy Spring and Summer so we met at Bel-Air Bay Club to talk strategy about his schedule and all his upcoming projects.  We had a great dinner, made a solid plan for the Spring and got to catch up.  

Card Sharks

This is the final product from the photo shoot a couple weeks ago and if I'm not mistaken this is the shot right before I was kicked out of the shoot and replaced by the photographers assistant.  But someone over at ESPN the Magazine liked the picture, choosing it to accompany the story out this week in the Magazine.

The picture is deceptive in a lot of ways.  Rory and I actually look like we know what we are doing and maybe even in position to kick James's butt.  In reality, Rory or I wouldn't be able to beat James in poker on our luckiest day.  


Maybe my modeling career is back on..... 

Burn 60

If you live in LA and like to workout chances are you have heard of Burn 60.  It's a fitness studio in Brentwood that has 60 minute classes, broken down as 30 minutes on the treadmill and 30 minutes on the floor, for a total body workout.  It's my favorite place to workout in LA hands down.  The classes are tough and always different and the instructors are knowledgeable.  The Sunday morning class is my favorite because of the combination of michelle teaching and all the great regulars in the class.

Wasn't sure I'd be able to get up for the 930 class this morning but Lg, Emily and I all rallied.  I'm not saying I killed the class today but I was indeed present.  

Surprise!!

My friend Laura said she was planning a girls night but wasn't going to give up any details and asked if I were in; of course I'd be in.  There were seven girls total that went and that seven included Leslie and Laura who did all the planning.  We all got a cryptic email Friday night giving us few details for Saturday but included the following info: be ready at 650pm, don't dress according to the weather and expect a late night.

Surprise number one, when we walked down to leave the apartment, was the party bus which was actually a Mercedes van that we called the party bus.    Laura and I jumped in and picked up the rest of the girls before heading to the first location.  We were all trying to figure out where we were going the entire ride as we sipped on water bottles filled with goose sodas or greyhounds.  We ended up at Rosa Mexicana downtown for a really fun dinner.

After dinner, we were handed tickets to the Far East Movement/ B.O.B. concert at Club Nokia.  We were all really excited and for good reason - it was a great show. I'm not naming any names but someone fell asleep during B.O.B. and may or may not have been named the weakest link of the night.

After the concert Paul, the driver that absolutely hated us, picked us up and took us to the final surprise.  The Hideout.  We only stayed a short time because the crowd was a little weird, not to mention we were all ready to sleep, except Em because she had, in her words, "a little cat nap," at the show.

We all had the best time!  Thanks LG and Les for planning.  And a very special thanks to Mama G for footing the bill.  We wished you didn't have Key Lime Pie responsibilities back in Aspen so you would have been able to join us on Saturday.  Abby described the night best when she said "I feel like it's my birthday," i think we all did!

The Brentwood

I have never been a big fan of the Brentwood but last night was different.  I met my friends Sharyn and Arthur for dinner and we were stumped where to go since LA's restaurant choices are endless.  We wanted to go somewhere mellow, convenient to all three of us with good food, so the Brentwood fit the bill.

We met last minute and didn't have a reservation but they were able to get us in fairly quickly.  I hadn't seen my friends in a long time, it was so good to catch up with them live.  It's nice to be back in LA.

Peapod Foundation

We worked with the Black Eyed Peas over Super Bowl weekend and we must have done an ok job for them as they asked us to run the red carpet for an event back in LA to benefit the Peapod Foundation.  The benefit concert had an unreal line-up including Black Eyed Peas, John Legend, Ciara, Natasha Bedingfield, and Jackson Browne.  After we closed the red carpet around 11pm our staff went inside to enjoy the show.

The Peas and John Legend were easily my favorite.  In fact I was going to head out early but had my arm twisted to stay for John Legend and I'm glad I did.   He performed four songs and a duet with Natasha Bedingfield and it was worth missing out on a good night sleep for that show.

San Jose

I am VERY happy to be back in the California sunshine.  This week I'm in San Jose to watch James play in his first tournament of the year.  San Jose happens to be one of my favorite tourneys of the year for a few reasons.  It was the first tournament I went to after James and I met two years ago and where we had our first official date.  And it's a smaller tournament which generally means it's a little more laid back than some of the bigger tournaments or slams.

James won his first match back today in front of a fairly empty arena - mostly because it's a Monday afternoon and most people are working.  But James's mom Betty, his cousin Mary, two good friends from San Fransisco, Rory and I were there to cheer him on.  A pretty great start to the week.

Sunday Funday

I look forward to the Super Bowl every year.  The past several years I've worked parties leading up to the big game and normally fly home to watch the game in the comfort of a friend's SB party.  After the Packers made it into the SB i debated about staying in Dallas to watch the game live.  After a lot of back and forth, I decided to keep my ticket as is and fly to San Jose Sunday in time to watch the second half of the game from the Hotel.

Well plans often change when flying is involved.  We were delayed due to a mechanical issue, which as we boarded, we saw they literally taped the one of the overhead bins closed.  As you could imagine, there were lots of funny remarks as people took their seats an hour and a half after we were scheduled to take off.

I ended up getting to the hotel in time to see the 4th quarter and most importantly to watch the Packers win the game.  I kind of wish I had stayed to see the game in Dallas with the rest of my friends and co-workers, but it is nice to be back in CA.  Congrats Packers!!!

Red Carpet Shenanigans

Events are always crazy and unpredictable.  Even if you are highly organized and truly anticipate everything there are always small fires to put out.   We take our job very seriously but that doesn't mean we have to be serious all the time.

On the heels of a very successful but stressful Friday night party, we welcomed the Saturday night Diddy party because it was suppose to be a bit more relaxed.  We had plenty of time to set up before the celebs and athletes arrived fashionably late.  So with a little time on our hands and our favorite photographer, Tiffany, working the party, this is what happened.  Tiffany needed to check her lighting and shoot a couple test shots.  And it took a lot of arm twisting to get Shilpa, Chris and I to help out.

More snow in Dallas

I doubt this is what the NFL had in mind when Dallas was selected for this year's SuperBowl.  Freezing temps, snow and ice storms, and school, airport and business closings have been the norm this week as fans descend upon Dallas for the SuperBowl.  Clearly Dallas wasn't prepared for the weather this week.  Our hotel has been overwhelmed trying to keep the lobby and rooms above 65 degrees and salt trucks are non- existent on the snow and ice covered streets and highways.

There were ten of us riding back from the EA Sports party (yes at 3:03am Steve, i swear we were networking), when we came to a complete stop on the freeway.  We had no idea what was happening but guessed due to the snow storm that there was an accident ahead.  What we soon learned was that cars and trucks weren't able to make it up the hill because of the snow and ice and the lack of salt trucks.

We were stuck, getting no traction in the Tahoe.  Our driver didn't have a clue how to drive in the snow, so the guys jumped out and tried to push us, while one of the girls took control of the drivers seat to help free us from the snow and ice. After a solid 10 minutes of trying with no success, a police car came up behind us and gave us a few pushes that helped get us back on our way.  We made it safely back to the hotel, but last nights events didn't give me a lot of confidence in venturing out in snowy Dallas again any time soon.

Ahhhh the glamorous life

Most people think I have one of the best jobs out there.  In their minds, I go to exclusive events for a living, meet interesting people and have a lot of good connections.  Part of this is true, but what a lot of people don't realize is that most days are spent in an office or hotel room in sweats working crazy hours.  In other words people forget about all the behind the scenes work that goes into the final product.

This week team CMPR is in Dallas for the SuperBowl and this is how we spent most of the day Wednesday and Thursday.  Eight of us cooped up in a hotel suite stuffing envelops, fielding calls and emails from media and celeb/athlete managers and publicists, going over staff lists and event day duties.   This type of day is much more common than an event night.  Don't get me wrong, I love my job and know I'm really lucky, but I just wish people understood all the work that goes into making these events appear seamless and glamorous.

Here we go....

Well February is here and that means the beginning of a very long trip which also means packing for one month.  The four week excursion is a combination of work and play - mostly work - which makes packing even tougher because I'm packing for several events and other work functions.  And then add in 4 different cities, of course, all with different weather (although it's cold everywhere these days).  Oh am I complaining....I'll stop and get back to my packing which has taken me the better part of the day!

Golf

It was an absolutely perfect day in Tampa, so we decided to hit the driving range.  I am in the VERY beginning stages of learning how to golf and I desperately need an instructor to help me; today James was my teacher.  I was a little hesitant about having my boyfriend "direct" me but it turned into a really fun afternoon.  He had tremendous patience with me, gave me some good things to think about and fixed my swing.

After the driving range we went to the putting green and that's when I started to fade.  I think my attention span is less than an hour when I'm learning something new, so we headed out after a short time putting.  Every time I go to the range I love it but it always takes me too long to get back to practice.  I know you have play consistently if you want to improve so I'm setting a goal while I'm in Tampa to play twice a week.  Gotta graduate out of the range and onto the course!

Photo Shoot

As a publicist, it's always a little strange being on a shoot that I'm not working on.  Today was one of those days.  ESPN came to the house to shoot James for a story about tennis players that play poker.  This was a shoot I wasn't working on, or at least I thought I wasn't.

The idea for the shoot was James at the table playing a friendly game of poker.  Well, to play poker you need people to play with, and since all our house guests conveniently got out of town for the weekend, that left Rory and I to join James at the table and fill the shot.  I had to dress up in a hoodie and sunglasses and push chips into the pot as if I were going all in.  I had no idea that poker players sometimes dress so ridiculously at the tables, wearing hats, hoods, sunglasses and headphones.

I must have done a terrible job as a poker player, because about 5 minutes into the shoot the photographer replaced me with his assistant.  He actually felt bad about it too, like I might be disappointed I wouldn't be in the shot.  Oh man, does this mean at 35 my modeling career is over before it ever started.

Skydive

No words for this entry.....but FUN FUN FUN!

Possible hair trauma avoided

There's a lot that goes along with moving to a new city, not just moving day logistics but settling into a new city means finding new doctors, salons, etc. I've lucked out in Tampa so far; the transition has been an easy one, and that trend continues with the hair situation.

I was in Tampa about two years ago for the Super Bowl and when I'm in town working I get a lot of blowouts.  I found Lizette at Studio 510 through a friend and went to her for blowouts almost everyday.  She was great and every time I've been back in Tampa, I've gone to her for color, cuts or blowouts.

I needed a touch up before Dallas so I went in for highlights today.  She does an incredible job.  Whew, what a relief to have a stylist here in Tampa and not have to go through all the trial and error that can sometimes go into finding the right person. 

Ouch!

This is easily my least favorite of all the vain things I do.  Bring on laser hair removal (bikini or under arm), lash tints or an eye brow wax and I'm fine, but teeth bleaching flat out hurts.  The bleaching trays have been sitting on my bathroom counter for a few months and every day is going to be the day I start the dreaded week of teeth whitening.

Now that I only have a week before I leave for the Super Bowl, I HAVE to get my act together and start today.  I've procrastinated long enough, it's about time to man up.  I only do it once a year how bad can it really be.... ugggghhh maybe I'll let you know later in the week, right now I've got a date with the whitening gel.    

Pranks

I am living with a bunch of juvenile delinquents this week.  And we have a house guest arriving tonight so let the pranks begin.  James and Rory thought it would be funny to saran wrap the toilet in the guest room and rub Icy Hot on the toilet seat and towels for our unsuspecting guest.  All in the hopes that after our friend travels for a day and half from Aussie, gets to our house and pees all over the floor and experiences burning and irritation on parts of the body that wouldn't normally be exposed to Icy Hot.

My boyfriend, who is so lazy that he would starve before he would walk to the kitchen and heat up food in the microwave, got dressed and drove to CVS at 9pm to get Extra Strength Icy Hot for the prank because the Bio Freeze Rory had didn't burn enough when they tested it on my arm.

This must be one of the many differences between men and women.  I went out of my way to make John feel comfortable at the house by washing the sheets, putting clean towels in his room and a water on his nightstand.   James and Rory went out of their way to make John feel at home by booby trapping the guest room to terrorize an exhausted friend.  We have an extra room....anyone need a place to stay?

Chili Sunday

I grew up in a house with a fantastic cook.  Everyone always wanted to eat at our house and I certainly didn't realize what an accomplished chef my mom was until after I left for college.  She was always trying new healthy things, making everything taste really good.  My mom loves cooking and she's great at it.

I on the other hand don't enjoy cooking and really never do it.   But since I've been living in Tampa, I've tried my hand at cooking a few times a week. Since we were all just hanging out watching the games today I decided to make chili and it actually turned out really well.  I even got cocky and went off recipe.  I'm not saying I'm going to start cooking all the time, but I do have to admit it's not as bad as I thought.

Oh and just in case you didn't hear.....the PACKERS ARE IN THE SUPER BOWL!!!!!!!!

Kiln and Kork

Another girls night, but a totally different idea.  There is a very cool place in South Tampa called Kiln and Kork.  You pick and paint a piece of unfinished pottery such as a vase, plate, bowl or in my case cookie jar (big surprise), and then they glaze and fire it for you.  Oh yeah and they have a great wine selection or you can bring your own wine to enjoy while you create your masterpiece, or in my case what looks like a second grade art project.

We were the first people to arrive but by the time we left around 930 the place was bustling.  Kiln and Kork is a great girls night or date night spot, and you get to leave with something pretty cool, assuming you like your final product.   We'll see when I pick up my cookie jar next week, fingers crossed.

Small Car, Big Car

Sometimes we have a full house and we only have two cars.  This can present some minor inconveniences if there isn't proper planning.  Well, today was one of those days.  James took the big car to play golf and left Rory, Thomas and I with the small car not realizing we had planned to go to the mall this afternoon.  We decided to rough it and cram three people in a car made basically for two.

Rory was nice enough to ride in the back on the 20 minute drive down to the mall.  Poor guy had to squeeze his body into the tiny "backseat."  He actually looks comfortable in this picture but i assure you he was not.  There may or may not have been some sweating and cramping back there.  Lesson learned and the new plan is to discuss car logistics each morning at family breakfast.

Derek Jeter's charity event

The kick-off party to Derek Jeter's annual charity event was last night at the Hardrock Casino.  I had heard about this legendary event for years and was excited to be in town for it this year.  It did not disappoint.  Fantastic food, open bar, great people and the night was capped off with a Boyz II Men concert.

We all had a great time....maybe a little too great.

Gum

Gum is great!  Mint gum, cinnamon gum, and fruity gum, I don't discriminate.  Truth be told I have a gum addiction.  I can be a half a pack a day offender depending on the stress level.  Since I've been in Tampa I'm not chewing as much gum as I used to because frankly I don't think it's great for you and it's a pretty annoying habit.  Instead of carrying around 2 or 3 different flavors at a time, I limit it to one.

I had to run to CVS today to pick up a few things and ended up in the gum aisle for a while.  There are so many different kinds now it's unreal. Trident Layers with it's unusual flavor combinations like melon mint and Orbits who likes to throw mint in all their flavors  like strawberry mint or bubble mint.

I broke my new rule and picked up 4 packs of gum and three new flavors I've never tried.  As I write this, I've already opened and tried a piece from each pack.  Guessing these four packs won't last through the weekend. Some habits are tough to break.

Lost hat alert

My favorite hat of all time is gone, possibly forever!  It was a very windy day and I was running at the Bay.  About half way through my run the wind picked up, blowing my hat right off my head.  As I turned around to grab it, I saw the wind take it right over the cement rail and into the Bay.

I wear that hat almost everyday when I'm running or hiking or doing just about anything outside.  Let's face it, I need that hat to avoid scorching my fair skin in the hot Florida sun.  So bummed it's gone and not sure where I can get a replacement.  James, any ideas?

Poker Night

Poker night is always Wednesday.  That's why Rory and I have date night each Wednesday because James plays in a friendly card game at the club.  This week they added an extra night and we hosted the Sunday night poker game at the house.  I wasn't really sure what to expect but I was about to find out.

Basically poker night means nine guys get together and eat a lot of snacks, use bad language, stay up way too late, make inappropriate jokes, laugh a lot and play a little poker along the way.  It's a guys night under the guise of poker night.

I think everyone had a great time and are all welcome to come back for more poker nights in the future.... but maybe not every Sunday.

Go Pack

 

When you grow up in Wisconsin you are a Packer fan for life.  You can move to any state or country, for any amount of time and your loyalty is expected to remain with the Green Bay Packers.  I'm pretty sure if you pick up another team along the way, they don't allow you back in the great state of Wisconsin.

We headed out to the Tampa Ale House to watch the game and grab dinner.  Most of us were rooting for the Pack.  Rory is a physical therapist who works with Nick Barnett, and has spent a fair amount of time in Green Bay, so of course he joined me on team Packers.  And James didn't want to break up the family so he was cheering for the Packers too.

I'm thinking my green sweater and our support probably made the difference in the game.  We may have to do it again next week!

Date night at Capital Grille

This post was going to be about the lovely dinner my boyfriend and I had last night.  But as I was uploading this photo my plan changed and all my thoughts shifted to my incredibly white hands.

My entire life people made fun of me for being ghostly pale even in the heat of the summer months.  At a girls night a few years ago in San Diego, we were looking through pictures and one was a bit blurry so we couldn't tell who was in the picture. My friend Jen said 'I know it's Emily I can tell by her white hands.'  We all laughed and agreed.

Don't get me wrong, the rest of my body is equally as translucent but between makeup and spray tans, it's the ashen hands that give away my true skin color.  This picture made me laugh because those chalky mitts are front and center.  Let's be honest, they are the same color as the plate!  It's definitely time for a spray tan.

Uh Oh

My first girls night in Tampa!  We met for dinner and drinks at a great sushi place in Hyde Park.  One of the girls knew the owner and he sent shots over after dinner.  Here's to many more girls nights.

Blue cocktails...gross

Rory and I ended up at The Rack, for date night on Wednesday.  It's an interesting place that has a lot going on including sushi, pool and ping pong; and apparently it was ladies night, which meant everyone was already liquored up by the time we arrived at 9pm.

As we waited at the bar for drinks, I noticed a girl drinking a smurf blue cocktail and asked what she was drinking.  She pulled a packet of sugar-free Hawaiian Punch from her handbag and asked if Rory and I would like to try "the best drink ever."  I was getting ready to politely decline when Rory reached out and grabbed the packet, ripping it open and dumping it into his double vodka water.  He stirred the drink and took a sip and said it was the most disgusting thing he'd ever had, but continued to drink it because the girl was watching.  He's a lot nicer than I am.

BCS pool champ!!

Playing in BCS pools makes the sometimes boring games really fun. I try to play in a BCS and NCAA pool every year. Usually I take my time and look at the lines and try to make educated guesses on who I think has the best chance. This year was a little different. I had just arrived at my brother's house for the holidays and he asked me to join their pool. I had 5 minutes to make all my picks so I began the very scientific method I used to select teams this year...

I picked each team that I had some connection to in one way or another. This method slightly better than picking the team with the cutest uniforms. I'm sure that will make the 8 guys I beat feel a lot better about being beat by a girl.

Holiday Spirit

I love the holidays. I always have. I love getting and decorating the tree, making cookies, eating too much, the red Starbucks cups, all in all I love the spirit of the holidays. But even I recognize there needs to be an end to the season. It's January 9th - take the wreath down.

Plan B was better

A bunch of friends decided to meet at the Improv in Ybor City for a funny Saturday night. We thought we were smart by meeting a half hour before the show was scheduled to start so we had plenty of time to get seats etc....Well turns out we weren't that smart; the show was sold out. On to plan B.

We went upstairs to watch the game and have some drinks at a fairly mellow bar. It ended up being my favorite night in Tampa. I'm convinced we laughed more than we would have inside the comedy club and I got a chance to get to know the beautiful, smart girls a little better. It was a really fun group. Sometimes the best nights aren't planned.

Finally a gator, or maybe not

Since I've been in Tampa I've been dying to see a gator. Apparently, around the golf course where we live there are daily sightings, but I have yet to see one. So needless to say, I am always on the look out.

On my way to the market today, I saw something come out of the bushes about a half mile in front of me, and thought this is it, finally going to see a gator. But as I got closer and closer I realized it wasn't a gator at all. I was bummed, but it's not everyday you see a PIG grazing right next to the golf course. I know my gator sighting is coming.

Dinner and drinks at the movies!

My friend Rory and I decided to see True Grit tonight so we headed to the theater closest to the hotel for what we thought would be a typical movie experience...but we were in for a few surprises.

Admittedly, I am an inexperienced movie goer, so maybe I'm just behind the times, but they actually serve full on dinner there and drinks too. We sat down to the sounds of silverware on plates instead of the crinkling of twizzler wrappers. It was pretty strange to see people drinking wine and eating salads, brought out to them by servers, as they watched the movie.

I'm not sure about salads at the movies....for now I'll just stick to the popcorn.

Packing is arguably the worst part of traveling

My boyfriend and I travel a lot for work, and everyone knows with travel there is the dreaded packing. I used to be the worlds worst packer. I would over pack, under pack, and on occasion be accused of packing bricks; in short I would have received an F for my packing ability. But, in the past few years I have made some adjustments and feel a lot better about my packing skills.

That is, until today, when I jumped in the shower and noticed my side versus his. I guess there is always room for improvement....but c'mon one bar of hotel soap for 10 days? That's A+ packing and i'm still trying for a solid C.

Run at the Bay?

I've been asking around about the best places to run in

Tampa and everyone says the same thing, the Bay. So I

went with my low expectations to check it out. After all,

I'm used to running along the beach in California and

what could be better than that, right?

The locals were on point. The Bay is beautiful and there

were tons of people out running, walking and rollerblading.

Honestly, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Hope

these kind of surprises keep coming!

New Year, New City

Nothing like starting the year and really shaking things up. After 10 years in Socal, I am starting 2011 in my new city Tampa, Florida. I'm excited about the adventure and exploring Tampa.

There was one good thing about waking up way too early this morning....Florida sunrise. I think I'm going to like it here.