We're Engaged!!!!

Hi All.... wanted to share the big news!!!!  

Brad asked me to be his wife during an amazing weekend away. It was... a fairy tale. We are SO SO happy! Last weekend we jetted off to Chicago to see my family and this weekend we are headed to Baltimore to see my bestie Steph and her beautiful family.  Proposal story post to come as soon as we get back... !

Nautical Inspiration

Well if you have to work on a Saturday, it should at least look like this....

Working at our one of our annual fundraisers, a memorial regatta in Redondo beach to benefit cancer research (message me to learn more and/or how to donate!), only furthered my obsession with nautical inspired style.


Last trip to H&M, I seriously only had eyes for red, blue and stripes. I was drawn to some fabulous pieces with a running mind of endless possibilities and pairings. It was a sad, sad day for my budget that's for sure. Outfit posts to come (but only after I purchase this baby....

Canon t3i

I can't get enough - the look is classic and so so easy to wear..... quick, fresh summer outfits - yes, please!

Some of my favorite nautical inspired pieces

1. Dress - River Island 2. Striped Flats - Ruche 3. Clutch - Tory Burch  4. Bangle - Nordstrom 5. Tank - Forever 21. 

6. Dress - Mango 7. Sandals - Splendid 8. Wedge - Jessica Simpson 9. Shorts - Piperlime 10. Scarf - Piperlime 

I wish every weekend could be Carmageddon!

If you don't live in LA,  I'm sure you've still heard all about the closure of the 405 freeway on CNN.  With the media deeming the closure of the 'moving parking lot' as Carmageddon, Angelenos were sent into a frenzy. But with hype and drama, also came amazing deals!

Retail therapy for your traffic blues...
Double-Shaka, a boutique in Santa Monica, offered all suits regularly priced at $50 for $40.50

Photo Credit

Platino, a jewelry and handbag boutique on trendy Montana Ave in Santa Monica, offered 15% off all regularly priced items. SO BUMMED I worked all day Saturday and missed out on this sale. It's a hidden gem I tell ya!

Photo Credit

Many restaurants and bars, like Gladstones in the Pacific Palisades, offered drink specials and select menu items for $4.05. 

On the west side? Inland? Car-mageddon.com was created to help Angelenos find deals all over the city. 

In honor of the closure, Jetblue offered flights from Burbank ---> Long Beach for $4 each way!!

Some may ask why???  What is the point?! Because it is awesome that's why!! 

A co-worker of mine took this 20 minute flight and said the experience was well worth it! Once on board, each passenger received a JetBlue gift bag.  The flight attendants even offered 20,000 miles to two passengers whose birthdays were closest to April 5th (4-05..get it?!) At the Long Beach airport, all passengers were welcomed to a Carmageddon buffet including a '405' decorated cake.  The aircraft flew directly over the '405' - so passengers could look out the window and see that the dreaded freeway was actually all clear. I'm not sure if the hysteria scared residents to not leave their homes or if this was just blown way out of proportion, but this is what the '405' looked like on Carmageddon....

 All I can say is if traffic looked like this on the weekends, I would be heading to the beach a lot more often!

colored skinnies half off!

Still craving bold colors this summer? ME TOO! I want a pair of these..

or these....

and these... 

Hop on over here for a killer sale on these fabulous trousers. 

quarter of a century in nashville.

I was recently asked if turning 25 made me feel anxious in any way. Not at all actually - maybe that is because Brad turned the big 3-0 a month later.  He will always be older and that will forever make me feel young. Ha sorry baby... please don't tickle torture me.

But in all seriousness, life after college.. yeah wasn't so easy. I've heard co-workers and friends say numerous times they would never want to go back and relive those years. In theory, you're young, care-free, gravity hasn't taken over your body yet, and you have money in the bank to spend on y-o-u.  But in reality, at least for me, I was a stress ball 90% of the time. Constantly stressed about what path to take and figuring out "what I really want to do with my life" and figuring out how to pay my bills but still have that so called fun.

From career changes with countless hours of applying to jobs I never heard a dang peep back from to several rejection letters to a fair share of tearful calls back home to mom, I can finally say I feel like everything has fallen into place and 25 is going to be the best year yet.  I have been with the most amazing man for two years now and landed the perfect job.  All I can say is God bless the broken road. I am so thankful to have finally found exactly what I was looking for - both in love and work.

Alright, I won't get all sappy on ya'll, but I do want to share some pics from my 25th birthday celebration in my favorite (well one of my favorite) cities!

NASHVILLE, TN 


I'm a country girl at heart. I could listen to country music all day every day and I am proud of it! But aside from the fabulous live country music, Nashville simply as it all.  Lush beautiful landscape, outrageously good food - you know the kind that makes you feel guilty for days but its so good you can't resist - friendly faces, all in all it is just a great city.

 Best Sushi in Nashville - Virago.

. 

Best Bar - If you love country music as much as I do, check out Legends Corner. You can find Todd Sansom there on Saturday nights. Awesomeness. They play all the best hits...Johnny Cash, Zac Brown Band and everything in between as well as some original songs. 

For delicious tacos, Taco Mamacitas is a must. I had The Memphis and it was out of this world. You can view all their specialty tacos here.  Feeling pizza? Head to MAFIAoZA'S for sure. Yeah I did my research... probably gained 10 pounds in one weekend but whatever it was my birthday!

We went to Cabana for my official birthday dinner - It is "you'll need to unbutton your jeans to stand up" good.  Try the lobster brie mac-n-cheese! We went small plates style so we could try a little of everything, and all that was ordered was lick your plate worthy.  Also, their strawberry cake is sinful. 

Forgot to take a picture before I devoured it. 

 

mom and dad - the cutest, best parents in THE world.

For the tourist - Opryland, Broadway, The Parthenon and of course the Country Music Hall of Fame...

...you may even stumble across this guy :)

we should.. go to austin!

We've been wanting to take a trip to Austin for some time now and my beautiful cousin, Bridget's wedding was the perfect excuse!

Although I've been before, Brad never has and it is one of the cities on our list of where we'd like to move. Not sure exactly when this move will occur especially now with new job opportunities here in LA - probably a few years. But that's me, I love to plan ahead!

Austin is a great city. Nice weather. Beautiful lakes. Awesome food. Friendly faces.

Dinner at Hulu Hut on Lake Austin

brother Ryan and sis-n-law Megan

Biggest long island iced tea ever. I was feelin gooooood.

Walked by this cute little food truck while checking out SoCo shopping district. It is a fantastically funky section of Austin. I love all the local vendors and boutiques. It has a very free and bohemian feel to it and well it IS a little weird. I get the saying now. 

Amy's ice cream. Yes please, I'll have another scoop.

dad and uncles

All dressed up for the wedding. Brad is so handsome!

My beautiful sisters.
-megan-michelle-nicole-

Graham -  cutest little ring bear with some
serious moves on the dance floor

I was really wanting to brush up on my history after visiting the capitol building.  Fascinating. 

Chandelier in the capitol building - if you look closely it spells TEXAS. Pretty awesome. 

Having a few cocktails on Lake Travis before heading back to LA.


I didn't get one good picture of the bride and groom, but let me tell you they were stunning.  We had a great time in Austin, but the best part about it was spending time with the family.


xo

bye bye entertainment industry! hello career change!

Holy Moly!

I haven't posted since March 8th. Ahh, life has been rapidly changing - although that is no excuse for my lazy, slacker blogging behavior.

In late February, I started a new casting project as an associate on a Universal feature film that started shooting today in Boston. It is an outrageously funny script with a cast and director of truly amazing talent. I'm honored to have been able to work on this project. We closed the last actor's deal today and wrap casting tomorrow...which leads me to my big annoucement.

I will be leaving the entertainment industry and moving on from my work in casting. On Monday, I will begin as an Event Coordinator at a very respectable hospital here in Los Angeles. I've been trying to make this career change for quite some time, so needless to say getting the offer for this position was a dream come true!


Here's to new beginnings!

xo
b

Happy Not-So-Fat Fat Tuesday!

MARDI GRAS! 
Be festive and healthy with this low cal gumbo recipe. 


hi friends! Ah, I know it has been awhile. Between starting a new job and traveling to Austin (pics to come soon!), I haven't had a chance to come up for air!! I'm hoping things will start too slow down soon. Though busy is good I guess.

Anyway, Happy Fat Tuesday! I so wish I could indulge today, but after a weekend in Austin with lots of beers with my cousins, amazing BBQ, and the best breakfast buffet I've ever had (probably gained 10 pounds in that sitting...no joke. We had to be wheel-barreled out of there, but it was worth it) - I'm keepin it light today folks!

Try this recipe from Eating Well tonight.
Sausage Gumbo - 168 calories/serving. Low cal, low carb, low fat, heart healthy way to celebrate Mardi Gras.

• 12 ounces hot Italian turkey sausage links, removed from casings (You could also use shrimp.. yum. Just add raw shrimp the last 10 mins of cooking)
• 2 teaspoons canola oil
• 1 large onion, diced (I like more vegatables - add celery and peppers too if you'd like!)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning (You could use creole seasoning instead if you prefer)
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 4 cups chopped tomatoes
• 4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 2 1/2 cups frozen chopped okra (Okay, not going to lie I had no idea what this was. So I looked it up. It is a long green edible beaked pods of the okra plant. You can find it at whole foods.) 
• 3/4 cup instant brown rice
• 1 bunch scallions, trimmed and sliced (optional)

1. Cook sausage in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, breaking it up into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl lined with paper towels.
2. Return the pan to medium-high heat and add oil. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and Cajun seasoning and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add flour and cook, stirring to coat the vegetables, until the flour browns, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to release their juices, about 2 minutes. Stir in broth, cover, increase heat to high and bring to a boil.
3. Return the sausage to the pan, along with okra and rice; reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook until the okra is heated through and the rice is tender, about 10 minutes. Serve sprinkled with sliced scallions, if using. 

Special Notes: 

I love my crockpot, so you can also sauté onions, celery (or whatever veggies you decided to use), spices and garlic. Add to crockpot with the rest of the ingredients. Add more water periodically for the rice to absorb. Heat on low for 8 hours. 

xo

B

day dreaming about spring styles...

Spring shopping is definitely not in my spring budget. I thought maybe if I blog about it, it will satisfy my craving. Yeah, who am I kidding probably not.

Keys to a new wardrobe this spring:  whites, wedges (ahh way more comfortable than high heels - my feet are excited!), bright colors, stripes, t-shirt dresses (yes - more comfort!), statement rings and bracelets, peasant tops and wide-leg pants.

Some of the items on my wish list:

Jcrew - boyfriend chinos

Gap - ruffle blouse

Bloomingdales - printed maxi

Bloomingdales - ruffled blouse

Jcrew - matchstick jeans and boyfriend shirt

Piperlime

Jcrew - martime dress

Piperlime - printed shorts

Anthropologie - garden party dress

Marc by Marc Jacobs clutch

Anthropologie - Diamond Lace Dress

Aldo - okay, I may have already bought these :)

Steve Madden

Jcrew - maxi dress

Chan Luu wrap bracelet

Nordstrom - sheath dress

...And...my two obsessions that I am wanting so badly right now.....

Stella Dot - rio triple strand coin necklace
(Stella Dot is amazing for statement pieces)

Marc by Marc Jacobs watch

As I said, dreaming. I haven't forgotten about my savings plan. I do, however, thing one or two of these items on my spring wish list is allowed. :)

Happy Hump Day

xo

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