Birthday Photos!

I just wanted to share a few more photos from my Birthday Weekend!!  Thank you to everyone who stopped by during one of the parties, wished me Happy Birthday via text, phone call, or Facebook, and just your thoughts throughout the year!  They are greatly appreciated :)

Making faces with Kenni and Nick, Fern and Howie made it to Blind Barber, my lovely girls,
Courtney, Sam and I, and big smiles from Michael and me :D

Cocktails at Saddle Peak Ranch, the Funfetti Birthday Cake Ashley made from scratch,
amazing Butterfish Appetizer at Lukshon, and Huckleberry Dessert with Kristina!

Until next year...

The 5th Anniversary of my 28th Birthday! Part 2.

Birthday Cookies from Dad!

 My Birthday this year was really tough for me since it was my first one without my Mom.  Usually she would have hidden presents in my room on a previous visit, would call me at midnight in Wisconsin and midnight in LA and wish me a Happy Birthday and check in throughout the day, on top of her singing me 'Happy Birthday' and telling me all about the day I was born.  So in all honesty, I wasn't really looking forward to my Birthday this year.  My Dad sent me cookies which was so sweet and something my Mom would have done, so I was very appreciative of that but it was just a difficult weekend.  I tried to plan a whole day of fun on Sunday with friends to make the most of the day!

Surprise Birthday Party visit from Michael!

I knew I had to get to Church early on Sunday morning to prep for the day and the sun was already beating down and nearly 90 degrees by 10 am.  Since I wanted everything to be ready when the guests arrived, I made a few trips down to the pool with the cooler, the Sangria I made from scratch (thanks to Lee for bringing me a bunch of fruit from the Farmer's Market), my famous salsa, snacks, drinks, and I baked cookies too.  It was definitely a more low-key day and I was kind of glad since it had been such an eventful weekend!  Ashley even made me a beautiful cake, and Khad and Heike came by with Fonuts for everyone!  Throughout the weekend, my friends finally got to meet Rutherford, who even hung out by the pool for a while and Jamie entertained him!  When the sun went down and after the Basketball Championship, we had a Game Night.  Later on, Adam, Claire and I went over to this Carnival that had opened up in the Grocery Store parking lot just up the street.  We rode some rides (it may be the last time I ride the Tilt-A-Whirl for a while), played some games, and had a lot of fun!  It was a great way to wrap up my Birthday Weekend!

Kristina and I had made separate plans for a little Dinner night to ourselves.  I even got a Puppy-Sitter for Rutherford (thanks to Courtney for taking care of him and to Rutherford's new friend, Lola for entertaining him)!  Kristina and I went to Saddle Peak Lodge in Calabasas, and it was everything Kristina had described:  Rustic and cozy, reminded me of 'Beauty & The Beast,' and the food was top notch.  We started off with some Spicy Tequila Cocktails and Oysters.  Our server picked out a beautiful bottle of Pinot Noir for us that we knew would go great with our steaks.  Before we got to our main we had this Truffle Mushroom Agnolotti which melted in our mouths!  The meal just kept getting better and better; even the pretzel bread with salted butter to start the meal was perfection.  We had this Huckleberry Bread Pudding dessert that just knocked it out of the park and per usual, just getting to spend time with Kristina was lovely. 

Kristina and I at Saddle Peak Ranch in Calabasas :)

Overall, everyone made my 33rd Birthday very special and fun.  Thank you Friends & Family...I'm a very lucky gal <3

The 5th Anniversary of my 28th Birthday!

Having a new puppy, traveling back to Wisconsin twice in a month, celebrating my Birthday, having family in town for a Wedding, and my work schedule has gotten me so far behind in my writing.  I'm playing catch up and writing about my Birthday which happened on June 19th, over a month ago!  I'll get into a little more detail about my feelings about the weekend in part two of my Birthday Blog but I was glad to be busy that weekend!

Wine after a wonderful Dinner...thanks Court <3

Since my Birthday fell on a Sunday this year (it was also Father's Day, and I was born on Father's Day) that meant I took off on Saturday night so I could enjoy a nice weekend with friends.  On Friday, Courtney invited me to this Political Dinner at Craft in Century City in which I met our Secretary of State, some other Politicians and learned about the possibility of the Olympics coming to LA in 2024.  It was a really fun event and Craft has been on my Restaurant Bucket List for a very long time so I was super excited to try some of the food.  There was an Avocado & Tomatillo Salad to start that was out of this world, you can never get enough Avocado and each bite was packed with it...woo!!  We had Asparagus & Mushrooms with our main courses that were Salmon and Flank Steak cooked Medium Rare for the table.  Everything was family style and there was plenty of food to go around, even seconds or thirds!  Not to mention, I found a new favorite Chardonnay (Neyers) and my glass was never empty.  I've noticed I really like the Carneros region which is between San Francisco and Napa/Sonoma in a cool climate and produces really buttery Chardonnays.  No meal would be complete without a couple different desserts that were all delicious!  It was one of my favorite meals I've had, so special thanks to Courtney for kicking off the Birthday Festivities on Friday!

Saturday I started prep for the Sunday Mimosa Pool Party and Sam came over during the afternoon to spend a little time by the pool and just relax before we had Dinner.  Sam, Rachel and I went to Lukshon in Culver City for Dinner and Courtney met us there after an Afterbuzz meeting.  We started with the Hawaiian Butterfish that was fabulous, we wanted more of that in addition to the Crispy Rice Cakes that Jamie and I had had the last time we were there.  We also had the Chaing Mai Curry Noodles that had a nice little kick although, even with another appetizer we were all still hungry.  Thankfully we were going to Blind Barber for my Birthday Party which not only serves cocktails but some of the best grilled cheese I've ever had!

My Squad...Besties, Bae, and Seester ready for the night!  I'm a lucky gal :)

We all re-grouped at my place, took a shot and then headed to Blind Barber, and spent the night dancing, laughing and chatting with friends.  Of course, there were plenty of shots but this year, I was making it to bar close and remembering the night (thankfully, no one got roofied this year)!  One of the things I love about Birthdays is friends stopping by that you haven't seen in a while, and you get a chance to catch up with everyone.  It's also nice to get all your friends together in one room because it's such a rare occasion with everyone's crazy schedules.  Overall, it was a fun and even slightly tame night but it was great to be surrounded my favorite girls and get to celebrate with friends :)

Part two will be coming at ya soon!

'These Stupid Games' Music Video

Stephanie and I worked on this music video for 'These Stupid Games' together for a few weeks and it's finally finished!  She released it on my Birthday back in June and I'm finally posting about it on my blog!

Watch it here :)

Stephanie had talked to the artist, Elizaveta, about doing a music video for her song, 'These Stupid Games.'  When Stephanie asked me if I would be in and sent me the song, it was an easy yes.  The song is beautiful, very emotional, and something I felt connected to.  We shot at locations all over LA, including a couple places in Santa Monica, the Last Bookstore in Downtown, the Self-Realization Fellowship at Lake Shrine, Malibu, Union Station, and up on the Mulholland Lookout, and even a late night pool session in March!

The Book Arch at the Last Bookstore in Downtown LA

Self-Realization Fellowship at Lake Shrine near Malibu...it was so beautiful!

It's a great song and the video turned out really well for her first time using video instead of all photos, plus we had a lot of fun shooting it!  I love working on new things and getting to do a little acting and it was awesome to check out some new places I had never been to :)

Magic: The Gathering on YouTube

Thanks to our Director, Shaun, our 'Magic: The Story' Podcast got posted on YouTube under one of his friend's channels, and he added images so that it's relevant to the format.  It definitely draws you in!

 Watch it here!

Halana is in other stories so I'm hoping my character will be brought back into the Podcast and I can do some more Voiceover work.  It was such a blast working with everyone, especially for this strong and independent character!  

Enjoy :)

Summer in Wisconsin

I was actually back in Wisconsin twice in less than a month.  I went back in May for a week to spend some time with my family, see my cousin, Nicole, graduate from UW-Madison, celebrate my cousin, Tyler, and my Dad's Birthday, and also attend Tyler & Monica's Bridal Shower.  Unfortunately, my second trip back was specifically for my Grandpa's funeral.  You can read about my Grandpa, Edward, here: My Wonderful Grandpa but we were able to enjoy the few days I was home with some fun as well!

Dad walking the pups!

It was my Dad's first time meeting Rutherford B Hayes, and also Rutherford's first airplane ride.  He got his Wings (Thanks Southwest) since he was such a good traveler and the flight attendants fell in love with him!  Dad was very excited to have a new puppy in the house but I'm not sure our dog back home, Cheli, was very happy about it.  Rutherford figured it out pretty quickly that Cheli would let him kind of 'rough house' with her, meanwhile, she was just annoyed with it, and would try to get away from him, any chance she got.  She even let him play with her toys!  They did have some cute moments together, like when Dad would take both of them for a walk, but they were both pretty tired by the time the trip back to LA came around for Rutherford and I.  We lost Cheli just this month, so it's been a very difficult year of loss for my family and I hope that we can all stay positive and find the lessons that God is trying to teach all of us.

Cheli & Rutherford taking a nap together <3

Bobby and I were able to go and see my Dad do his Trap Shooting one night and after we went and had Dinner at City Club.  There burgers are pretty darn good!  Lindy and Dave came to meet us at Pour Vino, which is always a go-to when I'm back in Wisconsin (especially for half-priced Wine on Tuesday nights). Dad and I planned a Boat Day for Thursday, since Bobby needed to get back to Madison that night and I was heading back to LA on Friday evening.  Lake Winnebago is less than 45 minutes from Plymouth, and I was very excited to see Dad's new boat, although I was skeptical at first, it was very cool.  We always make a stop and get Lunch and I had to get a good old fashion, Wisconsin Bloody Mary (Lyndsey style, of course) while we were there.  Rutherford even joined us on the boat, he's quite the adventurer!  Dad let me drive on the way back which was a lot of fun and it was the perfect sunny day!

Enjoying the Sunshine and a Coors Light on the Lake!

I know that as mad as my Mom would have been that my Dad bought a new boat, once she got on, she would have really enjoyed it!  Even though I know she was with us while we were out that day, it's family moments like that, that make it really tough to not have her physically with us.  I miss her every day.  It was really nice to be home with my Dad for a few days and get to spend some quality time with him :)

June Karaoke!

It was a little slower in the month of June for Karaoke but that just meant my friends got to sing more when they came in to visit!  Plus, we celebrated my Birthday at Karaoke and had some fun with that!

Journey - 'Open Arms'

Staind - 'Right Here Waiting'

Three Doors Down - 'When I'm Gone'

Nirvana - 'Heart-Shaped Box'

Richard Marx - 'Shoulda Known Better'

Fuel - 'Falls On Me'

Patrick Swayze - 'She's Like the Wind'

Seether - 'Broken' with Ace

No Doubt - 'Sunday Morning'

Blessid Union of Souls - 'Standing at the Edge of the Earth'

Tracy Chapman - 'Give Me One Reason'

Fleetwood Mac - 'Gold Dust Woman'
Pat Benatar - 'Invinceable' 

Bruno Mars - 'When I Was Your Man' 

Journey - 'Separate Ways'

Aerosmith - 'Cryin''

Fleetwood Mac - 'Go Your Own Way'

Garbage - 'I'm Only Happy When It Rains'

Liz Phair - 'Why Can't I'

Nirvana - 'Heart-Shaped Box'

Jewel - 'Don't'

Natalie Imbruglia - 'Torn' 

Marty and I singing some Karaoke
on my Birthday!

That first week in June we had a bunch of Super-Sets of songs, including Journey, Staind, Three Doors Down, and Fuel, meaning at least three of us sang songs by that specific artist or band.  It adds a little challenge to Karaoke, making things more interesting and a lot of fun.  That also meant I opened the night with my new song by Journey, 'Open Arms' and closed out the night with 'She's Like The Wind' by Patrick Swayze since I hadn't sang it in forever!  The second week I was back in Wisconsin so when I got back for the third week I kept things low-key.  I took some suggestions from the Karaoke audience throughout the night and ended up doing 'Standing at the Edge of the Earth' by Blessid Union of Souls, one of my favorite bands from back in College, as my new song that night.  I'm going to end the blog with my Birthday Week so in closing out June it was another chill night so my new song was 'Why Can't I' by Liz Phair, which I had been trying to do for a couple weeks but the vibe wasn't right until that night.  It's one of those songs you hear and think it would be great for Karaoke, and it is!  I actually kept my songs all 90's (minus my opener) that night; once again, another way to add some excitement and difficulty to the evening!

My Birthday was on June 19th, so the following Wednesday I had some Themes set for the party.  Everyone had one warm-up song but I made sure to follow the themes after that.  The second song was from the decade you were born in, so I did Pat Benatar's 'Invinceable' as my 1980's song.  Next up was a #1 or Party song, so I did Bruno Mars' 'When I Was Your Man,' which was also my new song that night.  It's a really great song to sing, even for a girl!  Next up was Gender Bender, meaning the guys sang songs by female artists and vice versa, so I did 'Separate Ways,' my favorite Journey song.  We all closed out the night with our Guilty Pleasures, or in my case, the last song I sing on a night because my voice is completely shot after I do it.  That could only mean Aerosmith's 'Cryin'' for me!  If you've never sang it, sing it.  It's a blast!  It was actually a really great Karaoke Birthday :)

Carolyn & I...Photo Bomb compliments of Marty!

Summer is always hit or miss at Karaoke because people aren't in school anymore but it also means people are moving to the neighborhood and checking out Gabe's or are on vacation.  I'm just glad to see some new people coming by and I always welcome my favorite regulars!  Thanks for making my Birthday month so fabulous!