Birthday Karaoke!

On June 19th, 2013 I turned 30 years old.  The couple months leading up to it were a little stressful; I was anxious and worried that I wasn't where I was supposed to be, that I should have accomplished so much more, and just sad for some reason.  As soon as the clock struck Midnight late Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning, I felt a sense of relief, an excitement, and contentment that I am doing great and I'm proud of all I've done and where I am.

Wednesday night I hosted Karaoke for my 80's Themed Party!  No costumes were required, just 80's music, all night long!  I had picked up a pair of Green Peep Toe 5 inch heels I had found a couple weeks prior and finally decided to buy them and knew they would be perfect for an 80's style outfit.  A bunch of my friends showed up and sang 80's music all night long, I was so happy to have them there and celebrate.  There were plenty of shots, and I tried to stick to vodka as much as I could, and I was just happy I had a designated drive to and from Gabe's.  Thanks Aimee and Andy :)

Aimee, Andy, and I at Gabe's for 80's Birthday Karaoke

 I started the night off with Joan Jett's 'I Hate Myself for Loving You' and then got a request for some Cher, so I did 'If I Could Turn Back Time.'  I did a couple new songs when everyone showed up, and getting the whole crew involved singing 'Here I Go Again' by Whitesnake and then did Taylor Dayne's 'Tell It To My Heart.'  McCracken and I did a duet of 'Faithfully' per his request, and I'm actually happy we did it, because I'm not a huge fan of that song, but us singing it together made it fun and fresh.  I closed out the night with 'Separate Ways' by Journey since that song debuted in 1983, and I was happy to sing songs from different year's throughout the 80's.  It was a blast!

Birthday Shots with Carolyn!

Judy baked me a cake and I got so many flowers my entire kitchen table was practically covered in vases and gorgeous bouquets!  It was great to hear some new and different 80's songs and just get to catch up with friends and have a great Birthday!  It was the perfect way to celebrate my 30th Birthday...thank you friends!

The last day of my 20's...

It has been almost a week since I turned 30 and as scared as I was for the past couple of months leading up to it, when I woke up on Wednesday morning and walked into the living room, my roommate was awaiting me with a Cupcake and Mimosa's as I proclaimed 'I'm 30, woo hoo!'  It's only just begun, but as far as I can tell, the next 30 years are going to be great, but the cupcake and candle were a nice start!

I'm 30!! (Well, almost...last Photo Shoot of my 20's in Venice!)

Can't believe I fit in there!

The previous night (just hours of being 29 were left) included a wonderful Birthday Dinner at La Piazza complete wtih Pesto Farfalle & Shrimp Risotto, Wine, Chocolate Lava Cake, and later on drinks at Bar Lubitsch because Marisa was covering my Friday shift that weekend since I was scheduled at The Garage as well.  No rest for the Birthday girl, I worked my normal schedule all week long in addition to party planning!  The night ended with me hiding in my pantry because that's what 30 year-olds do...having fun and always a kid at heart ;)

Mom had made sure to call me at 10 pm in LA, because it was midnight in Wisconsin, then midnight in LA, and once again at 3:44 am because that was when I was actually born.  She's so thoughtful and I always love hearing the story of her going to the hospital and having me!  Thanks for sharing it every year with me, Mom!

Since Tuesday was the last day of my 20's, Kristina and I met up at her place in Venice and headed towards the beach for my final photo shoot of my 20's.  She had a bright purple/fuchsia wall that we planned on shooting at as well as the graffiti walls by the beach.  It was a great day for a photo shoot aside from the wind down by the ocean; my hair was blowing every which way, covering my face, in my lip gloss, and I was worried the pictures were just going to be complete chaos but I was so happy when I saw that it worked for the photos and they ended up turning out beautifully!  I couldn't have been happier with the photos; Kristina was a great photographer and we had a blast.  I can't wait to shoot with her again soon! 

Venice Beach Photo Shoot with Kristina!

All in all I ended my 20's with a bang, hanging out with friends, doing something creative, and enjoying those last moments before my fabulous 30's begin.  I'm certainly a lucky girl!

A Night out in WeHo!

Emily and I went out in West Hollywood last week since both of us had been so busy with work and finally had a free night off together.  We decided on Laurel Hardware and got into the line around 10:45 that night.  It's been a long time since I waited to get into a club, let alone a bar, and on a Thursday night at that...but luckily we only waited about 15-20 minutes and when we got inside, it was busy, and the bar area was packed, so it completely made sense for capacity issues.

Em and I at Laurel Hardware in West Hollywood

The last time I had gone to Laurel Hardware was after the Sara Bareilles show and I got their Beet Drink, which was called The Skinneas Fog.  It tasted a little like dirt but in a good way.  I actually loved the drink, I felt like it was healthy since it was dark purple in color from the beets, but had a nice lemon taste to it as well.  This time I ordered The Gangster which was Organic Cucumber Vodka with juiced Watermelon and Lime.  While it tasted delicious, I felt like there was little alcohol in it, and for $12 for a drink, I'm hoping it's at least got a little kick to it.

 

Emily and I surveyed the scene but ended up taking up a seat at the end of the bar where we could oversee the entire bar and restaurant in the back.  The music was rocking all night long and the Bartenders were super attentive and making sure our glasses were full, including my water glass (awesome), wiping down the bar, and clearing off napkins and empty glassware.  Nice job!

  

At the end of the night we had to laugh about the sign we had seen on our initial walk to the bar and the night wouldn't have been complete without taking a picture in front of it!  'Don't even think about parking here.'  You're thinking about it, admit it!

 

It was a fantastic Roommate Night and something we definitely need to do more often :) 

Pre-Birthday Week with Mom in LA!

While my Mom was out here last we were kept very busy with working at all my jobs, taking walks, shopping, making Dinner, going out for yummy food, and celebrating my Birthday a couple weeks early!

When Mom first arrived on Tuesday evening, we settled in and then got ready for my Birthday Dinner at Houston's in Manhattan Beach!  I was happy to see that she was also getting a steak that night and actually suggested getting a Mango Salmon Sushi Roll.  The sushi was awesome and Mom liked it too!  My steak was cooked perfectly, was tender, and just about one of the best steaks I've ever had.  We brought our own wine in and toasted to spending some time together and having a nice week.

Dinner at Houston's!

We didn't get dessert because I wanted to go to Locanda Del Lago to get the Chocolate Lava Cake because it is the BEST in LA but they close at 10 pm during the week so we would have just missed it since we were driving back from Manhattan Beach.  Mom and I were able to get my Lava Cake on Thursday night after work at Irish Times.  She helped me set up that morning and came in for Dinner later on, and then we went to Santa Monica for Dessert, and Locanda Del Lago comped the Dessert for my Birthday, knowing it was 2 weeks early.  They're so awesome there they said to come back in on my Birthday and they'd comp it again.  Thank you Locanda Del Lago :)

On Wednesday Mom and went for a long walk/run around the neighborhood and rewarded ourselves with Dinner at Olive Garden.  I Hosted Karaoke that night (which you can read about in my previous blog).

Friday afternoon Mom and I spent shopping for our upcoming trip next month to Punta Cana.  She found a lot of fun dresses and outfits for the trip while I picked out a couple items.  We also did some more shopping on Saturday and got a little time in the sun even though the week Mom was here was pretty much June Gloom.  Boo!  I made Dinner for Mom on Friday night and then she came into The Garage on Saturday while I was working so we could have Dinner together and hang out a little bit on our last night.  Since I got off work early we went home and had a mini Birthday Party where I blew out my 3 candles on my Flourless Chocolate Cake we picked up for Friday Night's Dinner.

Birthday Wishes :)

On Sunday we went to Church, took a nice long walk around the neighborhood and then went for an early Dinner at Panera Bread down by LAX so we'd be close to the airport.  When Mom comes to visit the time always flies by and before I know it, it's time for her to go home.  I wish it wouldn't go so quickly, and I wish I lived closer to my family but it makes the time spent together all the more worthwhile.  Plus, I get to cheat a little and eat fresh donuts every morning that Mom picks up before I'm even awake ;)

Thanks for coming to visit me Mom and help me celebrate my Birthday!  I love you.

Catching up with Karaoke!

I can't believe another month has gone by and I once again haven't been able to keep up with writing about Karaoke.  My plan was to just add it to my blogs at the end of the week but keeping up with my blog has been difficult enough and Karaoke doesn't really tie in, so since it's off topic I guess I can just group them together and write a monthly Karaoke post :)  This is part of my being creative, trying new things, and keeping my passions alive so I just need to keep it up!

It was a night of duets a few weeks ago when Carolyn and some friends were in so I ended up doing 'No More Tears' with one of our Karaoke regulars, it's a disco song, and extremely high, but a lot of fun.  I had opened the night with 'Any Man of Mine' by Shania Twain, and then I instilled the help of Carolyn for my two new songs, one being Paula Abdul's 'Opposites Attract' and then singing 'Whatta Man' by Salt N' Pepa and En Vogue.  I closed out the night for her with 'Don't Speak' by No Doubt.

The following week with another group of friends visiting me at work started with Natalie Merchant's 'Wonder' and then 'Black Velvet,' by Alannah Myles since I hadn't sang that in a while.  I wanted to keep it fun for my friends so I did 'Mr. Jones' by The Counting Crows which I love to sing and then my new song of the night was Whitney Houston's 'Saving All My Love For You' which turned out pretty good!  Then I did 'Straight Up' by Paula Abdul and closed the night with Duffy's 'Mercy.'

When Mom came to visit and spend the night hanging out at Karaoke, I started with Stevie Wonder's, 'I Just Called To Say I Love You,' which I still need to raise the key of because it's too low for me but such a happy song.  My new song of the night was 'Missing' by Everything But the Girl, a 90's song, that went really well, and was dedicated to Mom!  Mom had never heard me do 'I'm The Only One' by Melissa Etheridge so I sang that next and then she requested a Faith Hill song so the duets began and started with 'Like We Never Loved At All.'  'A Dangerous Game' from "Jekyll & Hyde" was next up and much better than the first run-through a couple months ago.  Next up it was 'Light My Candle' and then I closed out the night with 'On My Own' from "Les Mis" since it became Musical Theater night :)

Last week at Karaoke we got a late start due to the Triple Overtime during the Blackhawks game so we got started right away when it was over and I sang 'Head Over Feet' by Alanis Morissette and then did 'You Wanted More' by Tonic.  I kept it a challenge to myself singing only 90's music and 3 word titles, continuing with 'Just a Girl' by No Doubt which I haven't sang in forever, and then did 'Heart-Shaped Box' by Nirvana.  My new song, which was also from the 90's, and only longer title was Taylor Dayne's 'Love Will Lead You Back' which was fun to sing.  Then I closed out the night with 'Don't Turn Around' by Ace of Base.  It was a great night of Karaoke!

Theme nights at Karaoke are a fun challenge and since next week is 80's Themed for my Birthday, I was happy to do 90's this past week, a Musical Theater set the previous week, and other new songs to keep things exciting!

What's for Dinner? Part 14.

I've never been a huge fish fan, I don't like it to taste like fish when I'm eating it.  Who would have thought since I love sushi?  But I've been trying to get into it and more so, trying to make Dinner's revolving around fish for the main dish.  I've been perfecting my recipe and made Dinner for Mom and I while she was in town last week!

Tonight's Dinner included a Summer Peach Salad, Long Grain Wild Rice, Steamed Vegetables, and Tilapia in a Ginger Soy Marinade.

Summer Peach Salad

Arugula, Spinach, and Mixed Green Lettuce,

1 Peach 

Sweet Onion

Lemon Honey Viniagarette 

1 Lemon (Juiced)

1 Tsp Honey

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

Ginger Soy Tilapia

3 Tilapia Fillets

Ginger Soy Marinade

My new favorite salad with dressing made from scratch!

I buy my Tilapia from Whole Foods because I feel like it's fresher than the fish you may get at Ralph's or Albertson's, and it's always very affordable.  As soon as I get home I marinate my Tilapia in a Ginger Soy Marinade (one day I will make my own marinade from scratch but for now, I just use a bottle marinade) for at least 1 hour.  Then I pre-heat my oven at 375 and put the Tilapia in a baking dish and once the oven is heated, place the aluminum foil covered dish on the middle rack in my oven for about 15 minutes.  You want your Tilapia nice and juicy, and once it flakes away easily, you know it's done.

While I waited for my fish to bake I cut up one peach and a sweet onion a friend of mine gave me from his garden.  I used about 1 and a 1/2 tbsp of onion and mixed everything together with the salad.  Then I made my Vinaigrette from scratch for the first time putting 1 tbsp Olive Oil right into the salad bowl, squeezed in the juice of one lemon, and 1 tsp of honey.  I put the lid on my bowl and shook it all up once I was ready to serve Dinner.

The fish flaked beautifully and the Ginger Soy glaze was light and gave it some flavor but certainly didn't overpower the taste of the fish.  The Peach Salad was probably my favorite part of the meal and one I will be making all Summer long!  I was really happy with the vinaigrette; it was sweet but not sugary and paired well with the peaches and onion.  Mom was also happy with the meal and impressed that she liked the fish too...YAY!

Dinner is served!

Overall, it was a really healthy meal packed with lots of flavor!  We enjoyed our meal with a bottle of Gewurztraminer Wine and even sat out on balcony chatting after Dinner!  Slowly but surely I'm getting over my fish fear :)

Amy & Kenzo's Birthday Bash!

I was looking forward to Amy & Kenzo's Birthday at Mike's House in Porter Ranch for a couple of weeks.  It's always nice to get our Boom Crew together and just hang out, let alone even more fun celebrating our member's Birthdays!

Kristina and I headed up to Porter Ranch early Sunday evening and saw the giant Basketball Bounce House outside Mike's house.  I haven't jumped in a Bounce House in so long I can't remember the last time I did!  There were already quite a few people there so after our initial hello's we grabbed some friends and made our way outside to get a work-out in before the Party action.  Within 10 minutes I was completely winded and ready to relax...how could I jump in those as a kid for hours?!  Kristina introduced me to Vine that day and took some awesome videos of me huffing and puffing while jumping around and trying to dunk a basketball.  

It was the perfect day to catch up with friends I haven't seen in a while and have some great food and be around awesome family.  There was plenty of BBQ and snacks, as well as alcohol!  I brought this new Smirnoff Sorbet Vodka in Mango Passion Fruit, along with Strawberry Kiwi Sparkling Water...AMAZING!  On top of it being delicious it's apparently half the calories, even better.  Of course, partying with Mike and Amy means seeing lots of dogs running around and one of my favorite's, Riley Boy Weiss!  More Vine videos were made starring little Riley Boy ;)

Nic, Kristina, Kevin, and I at the Birthday Bash!

After singing Happy Birthday to the Birthday Kids, a Cupcake Fight and Dessert was served people started heading home but no Weiss Party would be complete without a little Karaoke action!  Everyone took turns singing and cheering on each other and dancing.  It was such a blast!

There's lots of Summer Birthdays and beautiful days ahead so I look forward to more Poolside Afternoons and celebrations with Friends :)

Just Do It.

Last week I had an Audition for a well known Sporting/Athletic Company whose tagline 'Just Do It' is recognized world-wide.  I saw the Casting the previous week for all sorts of athletes and when a Runner role came around I thought I might as well submit and maybe I'll be called in.

 

Sure enough, on Sunday I got the Casting notice for my Audition on Tuesday at the Cheviot Hills Recreational Center!  I was excited but knew it only gave me 2 days to stick to a healthy diet and get a couple good work-outs in.  That Tuesday morning I went out on my normal run, going a steady 4 miles, and doing a nice 30 minute stair session and by the time I was done, I was exhausted and glad to have an hour to myself before the Audition.

When I got to the Rec Center there were about 10 other people waiting in line to Audition, so I signed in, and got into line as about 10 more people followed suit after me.  The Audition consisted of explaining our Running/Track History, as they were looking for people with real-life experience, whether it was 5k's, marathon's, track and field, or just an avid runner.  I used to run Track in High School, did the Alzheimer's Walk (where I actually ran the entire time) and consistently run to keep in shape.  As I was telling the Camera Operator about my experience I included a story about when I'm doing my stair work-out, where people ask me what I'm training for since it's a pretty intense work-out, and I normally just joke around and say, "I'm training for life," but at this time, I could say "I was training for this moment, right here."  The Camera Operator liked my answer and then told me run across the basketball court at a good pace and then come back like I just finished a race.  I had watched the people running and was hoping I wasn't going  to look awkward or like Phoebe running on 'Friends' and felt good about my ability and my adrenaline was running so I had good energy going for me.

 

The audition was short, sweet, and to the point.  This was a big campaign so I was really hoping this one would be the one I got but then this week I saw a couple more postings about the roles they were looking for, saying the people who came in for the tennis roles, weren't able to return the serves, so people should submit appropriately.  And then I saw it.  I saw the Runner role come up again, and this time it said they were specifically looking for Marathon style runners, who were extremely skinny and all muscle including a picture of someone who liked like they were running at the Olympics.

 

That wasn't me; and at that moment, I knew I didn't book it.  Was I disappointed?  Of course.  But that's not my body, and that's not what I want to look like.  I like being healthy and toned, having some curves, and eating everything I like in moderation.  This role just wasn't for me but there's the perfect one out there, and it's just around the corner!

 

Both Photos by: Dave Kleeman