What Happens in Vegas...

...Stays in Vegas...except herpes.

Happy graduation present to myself...Viva Las Vegas!

The girls and I (and a token boy or two) headed to other side of the Rockies to celebrate the Labor Day weekend. How was it you ask? It was Vegas, so you can only believe that it was a total spectacle and when we all woke up in the morning we weren't feeling like P. Diddy.

It was nice to get out of Denver and head to hot desert. We spent most of our days floating in the pool consuming buckets of beer surrounded by beautiful people--beautiful people that were mostly plastic and tatted up from head to toe. I have never see so much art work on people before. Between the plastics and tattoos I don't even want to know what kind of money was hanging out near the water.

Lets talk about this pool though for a second. Had beer not been involved (for several hours) I probably would never have gotten in. It was absolutely disgusting. When we would get there in the mornings the water would be crystal clear and cool--by the end of the day the water was murky to the point of almost not being able to see the bottom and the water felt like a bathtub. I don't even want to know what was going on in that water.


Since it was so toasty warm out if we weren't hanging out in the pool we were at the tables. Normally I'm not a big gambler, but this Vegas trip I found my game--Craps! Thanks to uncle Frank (a guy we had met at one of the Blackjack tables) for teaching us the game, cause I got hooked, and I'm pretty sure a few of us ended up playing till the wee hours of dawn one night. It was also one of the few gambling games I played that didn't take all my money.
You can't go to Vegas and not go to a club. So we all got glammed up one night and headed out for a night on the town with our final destination being Tao at the Venetian. We had met a group of Canadians earlier in the trip and they had just so happened to have ordered bottle service that night and had invited us to meet up with them, so of course we did and we were lucky enough to have a table on the rooftop patio.

In the end we all survived...well minus an iPhone--may it rest in peace...at least it wasn't my phone, and none of us lost our life savings gambling. Oh and we only lost two people...but they showed up eventually all in one piece.

Playing Catch Up

So I apologize for not keeping up with this deal...the last month has been pretty intense! Since the last time I posted I have become 'The Master,' attended the opening gala of Denver's newest childrens hospital, moved to a loft downtown with my friend Alex, and I have been to Vegas...so needless I've been a little busy and will probably break this blog into several different entries.

So lets start with becoming 'The Master'...
I graduated with honors on August 13th with master's degree in public relations and marketing. Jill and I chose not to walk in there ceremony but attended anyway...or at least attended until the speaker put us to sleep and we were out of champagne...we popped the first bottle at 7 a.m....we thought it was appropriate figuring that the ceremony started at 8 a.m. ... really who starts a ceremony that early so we figured we should get the party started.

To celebrate we all went out to dinner to Rioja (YUMMY!) and then out on the town for the night. It turned out to be a pretty fun celebration.

(The commencement book)

(At graduation at 7:30am)

(Cocktails before at Corridor 44)

(THE MASTERS!)

And then we have the opening of the Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children...

Our friend Jill had been working on the PR for the new hospital so we all went to the opening gala to support her. It turned out to be a great event and was very well done. Great food, great drinks and we got to tour the new hospital. The hospital is absolutely beautiful and doesn't feel like a hospital at all.

I'm a little monster...

As stated by Lady Gaga! BEST CONCERT EVER!

Last Wednesday I had the opportunity to let loose and attend the Lady Gaga concert here in Denver. It was amazingly fabulous and she is a true performer...I still can't get over it--best concert I have ever seen by far...and I got to see it from the floor directly in front of the stage! If anyone ever gets the chance to see her live in concert DO IT! I feel like when I tell my kids and grandchildren in the WAAAYYYYY future that I saw Lady Gaga in concert from the front row they will actually think I'm cool. Again, she was the best performer I have seen hands down!

The costumes, stage changes, choreography, and of course the music were all top notch. And you should have seen the crowd...freakshow! Some of the outfits people were wearing should have been illegal...but it was Lady Gaga so it was completely acceptable! I'm talking lots of wigs, people wearing little to no clothing, fishnet stalkings, faces painted, dyed hair, crazy make-up people wearing only leotards...guys and girls, and homemade "Gaga" type costumes--it was quite the spectacle!

The opening band fit the atmosphere of concert and crowd perfectly...very glam rock! They ended up hosting the after party at the Beauty Bar afterward and were entertaining to say the least!

Here are some pictures I got during the concert:

(All of us girls ready for the after party)

(Lead singer from the opening band Semi-Precious Weapons...love the glittery walls--it was a very fitting place for them!)

As said by John Wooden...

Lately I have been feeling completely overwhelmed and I am so ready for life to slow down just a bit so I can catch my breath. I am soon going to have to make so big decisions and I feel slightly torn on what I should do and I've been trying to not let other peoples opinions influence my future, which can be difficult cause it any of you are like me you don't want to hurt or disappoint anyone.

While I was completing my research for my thesis last week I was looking for a strong quote by a true icon. During my research I ran across a page on ESPN's website with John Wooden quotes. The life lessons taught by John Wooden have become legend and lately I have been completely taken by some of his quotes. Here are a few of my favorite John Wooden life lessons:

"Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best that you are capable of becoming"

"Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are."

"You can't let praise or criticism get to you. It's a weakness to get caught up in either one."

"If you're not making mistakes, then you're not doing anything. I'm positive that a doer makes mistakes."

"Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do."

"Talent is God-given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful."

"Success comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming."

"Success is never final; failure is never fatal. It's courage that counts."

- John Wooden, Head Basketball Coach, UCLA

...Now what...

Friday was a day I had both been waiting for and dreading...my thesis was due for its first review. I now have a one week break till I get the stinkin thing back for edits/revisions and I'm not sure what to do with myself in my free time now that I don't have to be attached to my laptop and Blackberry. Oh and just a heads up, after August 13th you can just call me The Master!

This week I do have a couple of things that I am going to be doing to fill my time. I have an interview one morning with a downtown communications firm that handles clients such as Stetson and the magazine Cowboys and Indians (pretty much the Vanity Fair of cowboy magazines).

Also Wednesday night my friends and I are all going to Lady Gaga. My friend Cortney and I were lucky enough to score floor tickets to the concert and I can't wait...I'm still in the process of trying to put together an over-the-top outfit to wear to the over-the-top concert! After the concert she is going to be spinning at a club downtown so of course we are going for the after party!

Now that I do have some free time I am looking forward to being able to read for pleasure again so if anyone has any recommendations let me know!

The Biggest Loser

Summer is finally in full swing! When I'm not spending my time attached to my laptop
(which I'm starting to think is another body appendage) writing my thesis (which has been taking up 90% of life) I can be found on the driving range, soaking up the sun poolside, or on a patio somewhere taking in happy hour or Sunday Funday (bottomless mimosas anyone?!?).

In celebration of JHT and I finishing our thesis and master program in August we decided we needed a way to celebrate...we (the 4 of us) are headed to Vegas for Labor Day weekend! Since we are planning this fabulous 4 day vacation in Sin City we are doing what every other girl does before a big trip/event and decided that its time to shed a bit a weight so we will all be in fine form.

All of us are frequent watchers of the show The Biggest Loser so we decided that we would get a little competitive when it comes to our weight loss. The prize is yet to be determined but we are leaning towards to loser having to buy the other three tickets to show while we are in Vegas...we are thinking maybe Peepshow. We are creating a chart to record everyone's progress and we will do weekly Monday night weigh-ins.

So its on. Time to start rocking the gym and get this expanding behind of mine back in shape--I'm going to win this deal! If anyone has any tips or advice please share!

Flip Cup for a Cause

Yes the title says it all.

This weekend the girls and I competed in a flip cup tournament (yes the beer drinking game) at Washington Park here in Denver. Not only was it a beautiful day at the park, but we got to spend the afternoon drinking beer and playing a beer drinking game with friends while raising money for leukemia and lymphoma.


Each team for the flip cup tournament consisted of five people and you had to have a team name and theme or costume. Originally we had planned on naming ourselves the "Drunken Sailors" but the name ended up changing over time as we got closer to the tournament. In the end, our team name (which came about on the wee hours of a Saturday morning) became "Slorealicious Sailors." Of course by sticking with our team name we dressed as sailors.

Your probably wondering what "Slorealicious" means. For a full definition of "slore" refer to www.urbandictionary.com -- they have 15 pages defining the word. The word "slore" became a common vocabulary word for all of us while we were all in Cabo and we still use it in every day conversation so we thought it would be a unique team name to set us apart from the rest. Sorry mom and dad your probably not going to be too impressed by this one once you find out the true definition.

In the end, we didn't win...but at least we looked good losing :)

(Team Slorealicious Sailors L-R: Alex, Myself, Halley, Jill, and Cortney)

My Little Crack Squirrel

Reagan, my almost two year-old Yorkie Terrier, is pretty much the best thing ever. Whether I've been gone for 2 seconds, 2 minutes, 2 hours, or 2 days she is always happy to see me...and me to see her.

(The day I brought her home)

(After having her for 2 weeks)

She has put up with a lot from me. I have dressed her up in ridicules outfits (football jerseys, lady bug costumes, angel wings, light up Christmas sweaters, hoodies--just to name a few), she has adapted to always wearing a bow in her hair, and she has become my trusty travel companion whether flying (yes she flies with me) or roadtripping.

(Cheering on the K-State Wildcats!)

(In her bows---red this time)

(In her angel wings)

(As a Lady Bug at Halloween)

Reagan is also quite the cuddler. Its not uncommon for her to be napping on my lap or chest, or for me to have to wake her up out of my bed at 10 a.m. to go out. However, she hasn't earned the nickname "crack squirrel" for nothing!

(Yep she's still in bed with a pink bow in her hair)

The nickname came along right after I got her (she was a whole 2 pounds), and she would get excited and run laps at the speed of light and run under furniture no one thought she could get under (ie: the coffee table and bookcases). These "crack squirrel" episodes usually happen out of nowhere. She could be dead asleep and wake up and then immediately start running these crazy laps around my place...but they always happen after she has a bath. The poor thing looks like Splinter from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles after a bath...I think thats her way of drying herself off...running laps at the speed of light and then throwing herself on the floor.

(Watch out she moves at the speed of light!)

Needless to say I don't know what I would do without this little fireball of mine. She's always there, knows my moods, makes me feel better when I'm upset, is always happy to see me, and she tolerates to torture I put her through :)

Red Carpets and Premiers

So I haven't been very good lately about keeping this thing updated so I apologize if it gets a little long winded.

First and foremost: I got the email yesterday saying that my thesis proposal was approved--party time! Okay, not really...more like its the email reminding me that my social life is over this summer and I will be back on my coffee diet and no sleep lifestyle.

Okay now back to how the rest of the month has gone:

A few weekends ago the girls and I attended the Mutts and Models: Wizard of Paws fashion show. It was also the second time in the month of May that we also got a walk a red carpet. This event was a fundraiser for the local animal shelters that was put on by the Colorado Veterinary Medical Foundation. The models in the fashion show were local celebrities such as radio personalities and local news broadcaster, and also store owners. The event was in full Wizard of Oz (one of my favorite movies!) theme and you could also bring you own dog to watch the show.

(Our red carpet picture)

(Yellow Brick Road Runway)

(A model and his companion)

After the fashion show I turned into a hermit because the deadline for my thesis proposal was fast approaching so there wasn't a lot of play time for me. All the hard work ended up paying off though since as I said earlier...APPROVED! And then it brings us to last night.

Yesterday nothing could have gotten me down. I was pretty much flying high all day after I got my email so I was ready to celebrate--and no better way to do it than to go see Sex and the City 2 with seven other girls and then have a night out on the town. We went all out for this...we had bought tickets weeks in advance and we all got dolled up to go to the movie. The movie was fabulous...I want all of their wardrobes and I want to take a vacation to Morroco!

(All the girls after the movie)

After the movie there was only one thing to do ... have Cosmos and head to Suite 200 at Larimer Square! When we get there it turns out that The Nik (www.thedirty.com) was there doing a promotion. He ended up inviting a few of my friends and I to come hang out with him in his VIP area...we happily acceppted his invite...I mean how can you turn down Grey Goose, Patron, and Champagne :) ... However, with the headache I've had today it might have been a good idea to turn it down!

(With The Nik)

Now that my proposal has been approved, its back to being a hermit for me. I have until
August 13th to complete it ... which seems like a long time, but its not. The one thing I have to look forward to is the girls and I are planning a trip to Vegas, leaving the day its due. The girls and I will also be competing in the Denver Flip Cup tournament benefiting leukimia and lymphoma in June. Our team name is the Druken Sailors and we will be dressing accordingly!


I believe that is all there is for now. I will try and be a little better about keeping this deal updated!

Be Prepared: Soon to be asking a favor of you all!

I can't believe that was are almost half-way through the month of May. Its crazy to think that summer is almost here. I am so ready for sunshine, to play a little golf (I can't wait to show you all my new golf shoes!), lay out by the pool, sit on rooftop patios, plan a trip to Vegas with friends, hopefully take a trip home to California, and spend afternoons with my dog in the park. This can all happen once Denver decides winter is over...which I'm really starting to question will ever happen--I mean really...snow in May? Thats for the birds!

Thanks to working on my thesis all summer, I will have to limit my time when it comes to doing my favorite summer activities. So this brings me to discussing my thesis with you all. Come the start of June I will be asking a favor of all of you. As part of my primary research I will be conducting a survey regarding my topic of integrating social media in to the traditional marketing mix. It would be so helpful to me if you could all participate! Also, by responding to the survey you will all be put into a drawing to win a fabulous prize (more details to come)! So please be looking for me to post the link to the survey sometime the first part of June!

Leave Sooner, Drive Slower, Fewer Tickets

I made it!

So I have a less than stellar driving record. Getting pulled over for me used to be a regular occurrence when I drove anywhere. Whether I was going a long or short distance I seemed to be a target for law enforcement, but thanks to my charm and ultimate power of persuasion (yeah right) I somehow was able to finagle my way out of tickets and get off with written warnings. While I was at K-State I even had a bulletin board devote to a collage or written warnings I received while in school...I had to of had a good half dozen or more.

Well unfortunately my luck of written warnings wore out and for the past 18 months I have been in danger of having a 30 day suspension of license. Thanks to California driving law you can only get 3 traffic violations in an 18 month period of time...and I had 2. I had to make it May 2nd without getting a ticket, and guess what I made it! I think I only even got pulled over once in that period of time (and got off of course) which is some sort of record for me. But I do have to say, thank goodness the tickets you get when going through an intersection (the camera ones for speeding/running lights) don't count cause if so it would have been public transportation for me.

But I can now say I have learned my lesson to slow down and pay attention to road signs! I don't need to start another collage anytime soon.

Big Hats, Champagne, and Horse Races

I can't believe that May is finally here...time is just flying by! With the start of May it brought a highly anticipated event for my friends and I--the Kentucky Derby.

Although we did not get to attend the real derby, we got to attend the second largest derby party that is held outside the Kentucky Derby which just so happens to be here in Denver.

The event is put on Colorado State University and all proceeds to go to a scholarship fund to benefit under privileged college students, so not only not just for fun and games but it all goes towards a good cause! It was held at the beautiful Denver Botanic Gardens and had amazing sponsors such as Ceren Vodka, Tommy Bahama Rum, Perrier Jouet champagne, Mumm Napa Valley, Coors/Blue Moon, and various Denver area restaurants who provided food. They also had TVs set up all around the gardens and in the tents so that everyone could watch the race when it was going on.

(Walking the red carpet with ladies: Cortney, Stephanie and Jill)

We started the day by attending a Pre-Party at a mansion in downtown that was completely empty inside so it was full of party goers.

(On the steps inside the mansion)

Once arriving at the event we got to walk a red carpet and were immediately handed a mint julep (the traditional drink of the Derby--which is gross by the way in my opinion) to kick things off right. Everyone who attended were decked out in head-to-toe derby attire, with fun dresses and over the top hats while the men were all well dressed in suits. It was definitely a target rich environment for good looking well dressed men. A few of the party goers chose to forgo the suits and dress as jockeys instead--it was totally fitting!

(Cortney's neighbor Brian and I...he rocked the striped suit and pink tie well)

(Loved this guys suit with the horse embroidered on sleeve. He also had a tie covered in race horses)

As you walked around the gardens there were different themed tents. The girls and I spent most of our time in the Mumm tent which was decorated in all shades of pink and served Brute Rose champagne and oysters. It was amazing! Also to keep the party going while we all waited for the race there were several stages set up with DJ's playing a variety of dance music. This was one event I can't wait to attend next year!

(outside the Mumm tent)

(Oyster bar care of Max's Gill and Grill...YUMMY!)

(hanging in the Mumm tent enjoying champagne and oysters)

(With the girls at the end of the night out on the town)

Dear Thesis: Please don't be the death of me!

First due date of thesis proposal for edits: Week of May 9-15.

Official proposal due date: May 21st.

How is this going you ask? Well aside from the anxiety, night sweats, random panic attacks, and the same recurring nightmare of me failing graduate school, its rolling right along.

My finalized topic (in a nutshell) is: The uniqueness of social networks and how it has changed the approach businesses are taking towards marketing. Finally, what do businesses need to do in order to adapt to this growing trend.

Due to the rise of social networking, organizations are now being forced to develop individual, real-time communications with their customers, whether they want to or not. The deal with social networking is if your not talking about your company, someone else is....so it might as well be you talking! There are some companies that are totally on the social networking bandwagon but other are still dragging their feet, which in my opinion (which probably doesn't mean much) is not the smartest move because you gotta keep up with the times :)

So if anyone has any sort of advice, reading recommendations, websites to check out, suggestions, know people to talk to etc please let me know...I need all the help I can get!

Meanwhile Back at the Ranch...

Walking into my parents house after not visiting for months always makes me smile. Nothing like walking into a house and having the feeling of comfort, familiarity, and seeing pictures on the walls that bring back amazing memories. Also mom always has a stocked pantry!

(the ranch)

When I finally got back to the ranch it was game time. I headed to Visalia to see Amanda, my preggo PIC, and help with getting things done for her pirate themed baby shower that was taking place over the weekend. Let me just say my PIC has the coolest scrapbooking tool and I want one!

Its called a Cricut (pronounced like cricket) and you get different memory sticks for it and each memory stick has different images on it. You just pick an image, pick a size, and then press th

e button and it cuts out what ever shape you chose. Its amazing!

(See all the anchors and skull and crossbones...all done on the cricut!)

One thing about living in a small town is that no matter where you go, you will run into someone you know whether you like it or not. While shopping at Target for baby shower goods it seems like I ran into everyone...including Granny, who lives about 50 yards from my mom and dads. That is one think I miss about living in a small town is running into people you know when you are out and about. Its nice to see familiar faces and catch up with people you haven't seen in years in some cases.

The baby shower was a smashing success and absolutely adorable! Every even stuck with the pirate theme! Now normally I am not a big fan of baby/bridal shower games, but there was one game that was right up my alley.

I have a guilty pleasure of watching trash TV and reading trashy magazines, and for once my guilty pleasure got me somewhere. For one of the games we were given a list of celebrities and we had to name their babies. There were 19 celebrities on the list and I ended up name 31 names...the next closest person had 23. I ended up with a beautiful basket filled with wine, wine glasses, cheese, crackers, etc. Great job on the prizes ladies!

(Love these girls! Been friends since we were toddlers!)

(With the baby shower hostesses and mom to be)

It has been a while since I had gone hiking in the hills so I somehow convinced my brother to take me turkey hunting one morning. After having moms amazing Sunday morning breakfast paired with dads amazing bloody marys (I finally got one!) my brother and I set out to find a bird.

Now since I am not an owner of any sort of hunting camo I had to borrow some from my brother. Needless to say it was a sight to see. If you have ever met my brother you would know I am considerably bigger than he is and I somehow crammed my expanding behind into a pair of his camo overalls, and by crammed I mean they were skintight and I wasn't quite sure if I would be able to get out of them...I was afraid a pair of scissors may need to be involved in order for me to undress.

(My brother calling birds)

Unfortunately, I didn't bring home a bird but we did get one called in pretty close, but he must have seen something he didn't like because he hightailed it away from us before I got the chance to shoot. Even though we didn't get anything it was great to spend a morning with my brother and catch up! It was also beautiful, lush, and green in the hills and some of the flowers were still in bloom.

It was great to be home for the long weekend and spend time with family and friends and get caught up with everyone and I'm already itching to go back! Its hard to believe that the next time I go back my PIC will by a momma to her baby boy Blake...I can't wait to meet this little man!

I lucked out and my flight back was much less eventful than my flight to LA. The only thing that was marginally exciting about the flight was the Barbie Benton was on my flight. For those of you who don't know who that is, she is a former girlfriend to Hugh Hefner and has been on several episodes of the The Girls Next Door...remember I have a thing for trash TV :)

Leaving on a jet plane

After my fun, girls night at the Taylor Swift concert I had about 2 hours from the time I got back from the concert till I had to get up to head to the airport to fly home for a long weekend filled with family, the highly anticipated baby shower, turkey hunting, and catching up with friends. Silly me thought that by booking an early flight it would minimize the chance for any travel problems and it would give me almost an extra full day at home. Ha! That was not the case...

I got to DIA with plenty of time to spare (around 4 a.m.ish) and had no problems getting checked in and going through security. Reagan, (My almost 2-year-old, crack squirrel, Yorkie, for those of you who haven't had the pleasure of meeting her) was my traveling companion and she was being a perfect angel, calmly drugged up on her "happy pills" and not thrashing, barking, or trying to dig her way out of her flying bag--it seemed like it was going to be a pretty uneventful day of travel.

I had a feeling my day was going downhill while I was sitting at the gate and a baby about 6 months old wouldn't stop crying or screaming. I give it to the parents they were trying everything they could to get it to stop...I of course was praying that the little thing wasn't going to be on my flight...of course it was. And then we ended up having a minor delay, no biggie. It was a direct flight I figured the pilots would make up time in the air and I would land at the perfect time of 7:30 a.m. or a little after. Perfect! It would still leave me with almost a full day at home.

We boarded the plane, which was less than half-full so I got an aisle to myself which I planned on fulling utilizing for a much needed nap since I really hadn't slept yet and I figured that no better time than a direct flight leaving before the sun is up to catch a few zzz's.

After boarding the plane we sat there for about 45 minutes, mind you the baby is still screaming bloody murder and by this time I had fondly nicknamed this poor child exorcist baby and was just waiting for his head to start turning around and for it to start puking green stuff...it never did. That may be a little insensitive of me to give this poor,screaming, unhappy child such a harsh nickname but remember I had yet to have been to sleep and I was feeling a little impatient. Also, I was paying $75 to fly with my little drugged up crack squirrel that no one knew was there and exorcist baby was disturbing the whole flight and was flying for free. Parents, supposedly a little bit of Benedryl can go a long way, I'm just saying.

So after sitting there for 45 minutes they announce over the intercom that we were having mechanical problems in the cockpit and we were just waiting for maintenance to come and fix it. This resulted in us sitting for about another 20 minutes while being serenaded by exorcist baby before they said that it wasn't going to be able to be fixed and we had get off the plane and sprint to another gate (which of course was on the complete opposite side of the airport) to a plane that they were holding for us that would now be taking us to Las Vegas. Once we boarded the flight crew announced to all of us that were supposed to be on the flight to LAX that they had no information for us and in a round-about-way they were pretty much telling us good luck. I figured if I got stuck in Vegas I would high tail it to the nearest bar and order a double Bloody Mary ASAP to drink away the screaming I had been dealing with for the past hour and then maybe gamble a bit in the airport. There are worse places to get stuck.

Fortunately, when we landed in Vegas (exorcist baby had done a great job continuing to serenade us the whole flight there) they were holding a plane to LA for us--we just had to sprint (again) across to the opposite side of the terminal to catch the flight that was already delayed waiting for us. By this time I am fully prepared to have no luggage and I was already plotting and planning a shopping trip... after my much needed nap took place. I figured with as many plane changes (with all them pretty much being last minute) there was no way I would have luggage...yes I have no faith in airlines. I had the joy of sitting in the seat in front of exorcist baby on this flight, and the good lord must have been watching over me because miraculously he only cried for half of the 40 minute flight. After listening to the little thing for about 3 hours I didn't know how much longer I could be cordial. Mind you all of this is taking place before the sun is up...we were leaving Vegas just at day break.

And then we land in the beautiful sunny, LA. The weather was a perfect 78 degrees, my luggage made it, and there was a Starbucks outside my gate. It may not have been a Bloody Mary but I settled for it. The airport even had a little doggie play area where I let Reagan out to do her business and stretch her legs. You would think that after that debacle things would start looking up. They didn't.

Since LA is about 2 1/2 hours from my parents and traffic usually blows they make me take the bus to Bakersfield, which I detest. This time I had to wait over 2 hours for the bus which means I could have been about home before the damn thing even got there. This trip on the bus was no different than normal (horrible!), and it just added to the day I had already experienced. Reagan's "happy" pills wore off about a half hour before the bus got there and her true crack squirrel behavior came out and it led to me having to give her more "happy" pills, which I don't really like to give her in the first place. The air system on the bus was broken, the driver couldn't turn on the a/c and the heater wouldn't turn off...so it was sweltering. I had just left 4 inches of snow and 40 degrees so I thought this 80 degree temperature, plus the heater running, plus over half-full bus was going to end me. Also there were some sketchy characters on this bus...I'm talking claiming colors, tatted up, pierced, non-english speaking characters. Also the driver told me the dog had to stay in the carrier...I of course did not follow that rule because not only was I miserable but my travel companion wasn't taking things well either.

All I have to say is I am glad I trained my parents well. Once I finally got to Bakersfield (in quite a peachy mood I must add) dad met me with the saving grace, and it also saved him from having to deal with me having a major princess moment, which I have a tendency to be famous for. It wasn't a Bloody Mary but at that time it was even better...a #2 animal style, with extra crispy fries, diet coke, and cup of water for Reagan from In-N-Out. By having that on hand dad saved lives...mainly his own.

So all before the sun came up I had a flight that was delayed, cancelled and rerouted, I had dealt with an exorcist baby, and there was no bar open serving cocktails...it made for a rough morning.

This is going to be a 2 part blog so the fun stories and pictures are soon to come!

Team Taylor

Wednesday night I had the opprotunity to attend the Taylor Swift concert with a good friend from Denver. Now don't judge me, but yes we were the oldest people sitting in our section that didn't have children but it was so much fun. We enjoyed that we weren't there with wee ones so we enjoyed a couple of Grey Goose cocktails while enjoying the concert :)

(Cortney Logan and I )

Taylor was adorable and put on a great show as did those that opened for her. her opening acts with Gloriana (if you don't know them you should check them out) and Kellie Pickler.

After seeing Kelli Pickler (who was very entertaining by the way) it really made me want to take the plunge and chop my hair off again...we'll see if I actually do it at me upcoming hair appointment in a little over a week.

(Gloriana...notice the "T" Shaped stage for T. Swift)

(Kellie Pickler...she was wearing the most fabulous sparkly shoes)

(Kellie Picklers haircut...to cut or not cut..any feedback is appreciated I still have a week to decide!)

Taylor sang all of her hit songs and had amazing stage changes. I really don't think you could ever be too old to listen and enjoy her music, she has a way with being able to relate with everyone!
Not long after the concert ended I had to high tail it to the airport to fly back to California the weekend so concert pictures will have to come later. Also, I will post the story of my disasterous flight back...let me tell you no will be envious once you hear this story...