Family in LA for Monica & Tyler's Wedding!

My entire family came out to LA in July for my cousin, Tyler and his fiancée, Monica's, Wedding in Newport and a week of celebrations!  We all grew up in Wisconsin but family came from Texas, Connecticut, Japan, and all over.  It was a really wonderful week with family and I wish we could all see each other more often!

My Dad, brother, Bobby, and his girlfriend, Melissa, got in late Wednesday night, and were here until the following Wednesday.  On Thursday they came into Irish Times while I was Bartending and had Dinner and hung out.  On Friday I had to film an Audition for a Hosting job in Lake Tahoe the following weekend (unfortunately I didn't get it, but I made it to the Top 4.  Thanks to the Casting Director who kept me in the loop and let me know I beat out over 1200 submissions to get to that level, hopefully I can get the next one) and after that we were on our way to Newport for the Rehearsal at the Church and then the Dinner after.  I got to meet my Goddaughter, Alina, for the first time at the Wedding, along with the rest of the Wedding Party.  At the Rehearsal Dinner our family was able to catch up with everyone and they all got to meet Rutherford too!

Bridesmaids...dressed and ready to go!  On time too :)

The Wedding day was sort of a whirlwind; I had gotten ready at the Hotel before heading to Monica's house in Cypress for some Wedding Photos with the Bridesmaids.  Then we all went to the Pacific Club to do some more photos with the Wedding Party before heading to the Church and doing some finishing touches.  The Wedding was beautiful and I know Mom was shining down on all of us.  We had some more photos after the Wedding with the all the families and the Wedding Party got to have some cocktails and snacks in the limo between everything.  Tim and I had planned what we were doing for our entrance into the Dinner and I definitely think we won that with our 'Dirty Dancing' lift and dip!  By the time we got to Dinner I was famished, and the meal was so elegant!  They have a Live Band that sang popular songs and were seriously awesome.  We all danced the night away, took pictures, and had fun!  It was an incredible Wedding...congratulations Tyler & Monica!

My Goddaughter, Alina and I, at her Baptism here in LA <3

On Sunday I was up really early because I had to get ready and prep for Alina's Baptism at my Church here in LA.  I was Reading in Church and they were going to say a little something for my Aunt & Uncle's Wedding Anniversary.  Father Joseph set up a really wonderful Baptism and even did a Ceremony for my Aunt and Uncle that was so special!  It was such a wonderful day and I was so glad we were able to do all of this at my Church!  Dad, Bobby, Melissa and I all had Brunch at Cafe Laurent, one of my favorite places and then went back down to Anaheim to hang out by the pool with my family and just hang out.  We had a family get-together at Monica's parents house that night, with cocktails, a Mariachi Band, and an incredible Mexican feast!  It was also a send-off party for Monica & Tyler who were heading to Mexico for their Honeymoon the following day!

Read more about the wild week in Part 2 below!

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!

Jamie's Birthday Celebration

In April, my seester, Jamie celebrated her Birthday at Gabe's for Karaoke!  I made Dinner for her a couple nights earlier and we were able to hang out while I baked her Birthday cupcakes that I was bringing to Gabe's and gave her, her gift.  We also got some tears in while watching 'Moulin Rouge,' because the night needed that too!

Alan & Jamie at Karaoke!

Pat Benatar - 'Heartbreaker'

Toto - 'Hold The Line'

Bon Jovi - 'It's My Life

Journey - 'Separate Ways'

Tracy Chapman - 'Give Me One Reason'
"Les Miserables" - 'I Dreamed A Dream'
Melissa Etheridge - 'I'm The Only One

We kicked off the Birthday night with some rock & roll.  My new song was Bon Jovi's 'It's My Life' and I had a little help from Adam thankfully.  I'm actually far better at the harmony than the regular chorus since it's so high but it was really fun.  Adam and I already knew the song for "Project Mayhem" so that made things a little easier too.  Of course, there was rocking out with Journey, dancing, a "Les Miserables" super-set, and losing our voices by the end of the night.

The gorgeous Birthday Girl & my Seester!

Jamie had a bunch of friends come by for Karaoke night and they sang too so that was super fun!  We all toasted to her with plenty of cocktails and shots, sang lots of songs, had some themes, and sang 'Happy Birthday!' Overall, it was a fabulous celebration and hopefully we'll have some new Karaoke fans and regulars out of her awesome friends!

April Karaoke!

April was a really fun month of Karaoke!  I've been Hosting at Gabe's for five years so we celebrated my Anniversary in the second week.  It was really busy with lots of friends and regulars coming in to sing and join the celebration!  We also celebrated Jamie's Birthday the following week but I'm going to post a separate blog about that!  Let's hope this month of May is just as exciting :)

Tom Petty - 'Free Fallin'

La Roux - 'Bulletproof'

Dolly Parton - 'Jolene'

Whitesnake - 'Is This Love'

N'SYNC - 'This I Promise You'

Foo Fighters - 'Everlong'

Smashing Pumpkins - 'Stand Inside Your Love'

Garbage - 'Special'

Amy Winehouse - 'You Know I'm No Good'

Bon Jovi - 'Wanted Dead Or Alive'

No Doubt - 'Spiderwebs'

Prince - 'Little Red Corvette'

Allison Krauss - 'When you Say Nothing At All'

The Eagles - 'I Can't Tell You Why' 

The first week started late since the Kings game was on and it was fairly busy so I just sang a couple times.  I opened with my new song of the night, 'Free Fallin'' by Tom Petty.  He's a fun artist to sing so I decided to keep the energy going on my second song and then slow it down towards the end of the night.  It had been a while since I sang all my songs that week.  

Since we celebrated my Anniversary the second week I had a little Black & White Formal theme and suggested everyone sing Anniversary or Love songs.  'This I Promise You' by N'SYNC was a new song for me and from my very first relationship ever.  Always good memories!  The second song I did was 'Everlong' by the Foo Fighters and I raised the key which helped me out.  My girlfriend, Kristina, always promised me I'd get my 'Everlong,' and that someone one day would write a song just for me.  This song was played for me by a really good friend when I first met him years ago and I got my own song (actually a few) a couple years later.  That's where the final song of the night came in.  I saw the Smashing Pumpkins a few years ago and realized how beautiful their lyrics were and in my relationship at the time we talked about using 'Stand Inside Your Love' as our future Wedding song.  It's beautiful and was also a new song of the night for me.  Overall, the Anniversary Party was a blast!  Thanks to Adam for the flowers and to all my friends for coming out and making the night so special <3

Jamie, Adam, Marty, and I on my Five Year Anniversary of Hosting Karaoke at Gabe's!

This last week in April was super slow so Nick, Jamie, and I sang quite a bit.  I added a bunch of songs to my history and since we wanted to honor Prince we all sang a song by him.  My Mom's favorite Prince song is 'Little Red Corvette' so I decided to sing that for my new song.  Let's just say, either my Mom didn't really know the lyrics or if she did, she didn't admit it, because they're pretty wild.  I was almost a little shy singing them!  I decided to sing Alison Krauss later in the night doing 'When You Say Nothing At All,' and got a little teary-eyed.  I sang that at my High School Cabaret one year and saw my Mom crying in the audience and got choked up singing it in the Cabaret and still feel that way every time I sing it.  Even though it was a slow night it was nice to catch up with friends and have everyone trying some new music.

It was a really great month of Karaoke with lots of new music.  I'll be back in Wisconsin for a week but this month should bring some new people and fun as well!

My Brick+Mortar Birthday Party!

I had my 31st Birthday Party at Brick+Mortar on Thursday June 19th!  I woke up on the morning of my Birthday feeling pretty good considering the previous night's festivities and went to work at Irish Times like normal.  I definitely had a little delayed hangover later that afternoon but after a Bloody Mary, I felt prepared for a fun night out in Santa Monica!

I had expected lots of people, perhaps a line, but it ended up being more chill, which was nice.  The DJ was really good, playing a mix of music, and the Hostess I had spoken to throughout the week had an area all set up for me.  She was amazing, organized, and very helpful throughout the whole process of planning.  One of my friends had gone up to the bar to grab me a drink, ordering from two different Bartenders, not knowing the one had heard her earlier, so 10 minutes later she walked back with two drinks for me.  Thanks Stephanie!  They both looked different, had different garnishes, and tasted different, yet were the same drink, just from two different Bartenders.  After that I stuck to one specific Bartender who happened to the the Bar Manager and his cocktails were delicious!  

With Stephanie, the girls and I playing around (Jamie & Ashley), McCracken and I,
Mikey & Dubb, and Tyler at Brick+Mortar for my Birthday!

My friends filtered in and out throughout the night, and it was great because Brick+Mortar had Happy Hour going on from 10 pm to close, on both food and drinks.  It was great to catch up with Mike and Jason and hear about Buki, Mike's new companion, until Riley Boy makes his way back home.  I was glad to have some girlfriends stop by, Ashley and Jamie made appearances, and of course, shots were in order!  Thanks to Jay Smith for holding the fort down till I arrived, since I was late which always seems to happen on my Birthday!  

Overall, it was nice to relax and listen to great music, and just enjoy a night with friends.  Thanks to who came by to say hello, have a drink or shot with me, hang out, and celebrate; you made my Birthday so special :)

Birthday Karaoke :D

It was my Birthday a couple weeks ago on Thursday June 19th so my friends and I celebrated on Wednesday as well while I was Hosting Karaoke since I turned 28 'again' at midnight!  It also gave me another chance to celebrate with anyone who couldn't come to my Birthday Party on Thursday night at Brick+Mortar :)

Celebrating with Port Wine!

I decided on a Multi-Theme Night of music starting with a practice song to get everyone warmed up and mine was 'Like A Boy' by Ciara since it's a fast rap, perfect to prep for a night of singing!  After everyone had warmed up (and a lot of people showed up) so we had a nice long list, our next theme was Gender Bender.  So everyone had to pick a song sang by a member of their opposite sex.  My song was 'Rebel Yell' by Billy Idol; not only a great rock song but a crowd favorite!  Everyone was really great following the themes as the guys picked out some awesome female songs, and of course, there had to be some boy band music.  Gail had decided on 'Bye Bye Bye' by N'Sync and after I had a couple shots figured back-up singers would be a fabulous idea...sorry Gail!  All in fun, right?  The next theme was Decade's, and you had to pick a song from the decade you were born in mine being the 80's.  I decided on 'Shoulda Known Better' by Richard Marx as that song was a little bit of a guilty pleasure and one I had heard on the radio that week.  I think Richard Marx really gets forgotten about because I rarely hear his songs at Karaoke and there's some really good ones!  Lucky for me, I had a lot of friends at Karaoke, who were very patient since the list was so long, but unlucky for me, I kept trying to say no to shots, and I'm a pushover.  Judy brought a beautiful cake for Foxy and I so after everyone sang for our Birthday's and we blew out the candles we continued with our Decades round and then it was time for the Party Anthem theme.  This had to a be a song that everyone could sing along to, could be heard at a party, or was on any bar's jukebox.  I'm pretty sure I did a horrible rendition of 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun' by Cyndi Lauper thanks to too many Gummy Bear shots and that the song is totally out of my range.  I really think everyone enjoyed the themes and I look forward to doing another night like that soon!

Birthday Celebration Karaoke at Gabe's...with Neil, Leanne and clearly worried about that shot,
and backing-up Gail with Tiffany for 'Bye Bye Bye!'

Thanks to everyone who came out to celebrate my Birthday with me on Wednesday night, who sang Karaoke, who bought me a shot (hmmm, maybe not that), and made the night so much fun!  And a special thanks to my Birthday driver, Neil, who made sure I safely arrived at my destinations throughout the week ;)