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

Rachel's Birthday!

It was Rachel's Birthday a couple weeks ago and a few of us after our show, 'Thenardier's Inn' were able to celebrate with her at Midnight to toast to her 26th Birthday!  Max, Kenni, and I all met Rachel and her friend at Finn McCool's in Santa Monica.  Even though it was a quiet night there, they had live music going and it was nice for all of us to catch up, hang out with Rachel, and have some celebratory drinks!

Midnight Celebrations at Finn McCool's!

The following weekend she had a Sailor & Pirate Themed Party so everyone got dressed up to join in on the celebration!  There were Drink Floaty's, Costumes, we were grilling out, and plenty of Cupcakes & Birthday Cake from Susie Cakes!  Holy cow...I have another new Cupcake place to try because those desserts were AMAZING.  We spent the day by the pool, embracing the sun, dancing to some tunes, and hanging with good friends.  It was a wonderful way to enjoy Rachel's Birthday Party!

Giana, Rachel, and I...Love these girls so much :)

From toasting Rachel with Chocolate Cake Shots at Finn McCool's, to squirting herself in the eye with Rum she was trying to squirt gun in my mouth, this girl makes me happy and can always make me laugh!  I hope you had a wonderful Birthday and you are sure to have a spectacular year to come <3

Afterbuzz TV's Neon Party!

Afterbuzz TV has it's annual Neon Summer Party held at our Founder's, Maria Menounos & Keven Undergaro's house in July.  Now that I've been working at Afterbuzz since September and I'd been hearing about how epic last year's party was, I was really looking forward to it!

It was the perfect day, the sun was out, and as soon as I parked I could hear the music from down the street.  One of our Hosts, DJ Jesse Janedy was playing the tunes all day long.  He played perfect Summer Pool Party music that everyone was singing and dancing to; I was super impressed by his choice in music!  There were songs I hadn't heard since college but everyone remembered!  Love it.  The pool was filled by party-goers, there were Hot Dogs and Hamburgers coming off the grill, plenty of snacks, and two separate bars for cocktails and refreshments.

With Cortez & Ashida!

I was so happy to see Cortez and get to hang out with him and meet some of his fellow co-hosts and also English, since we had all worked on the 'Shahs Of Sunset' After Show together.  It was great to get to spend some time with Ashley and Stephanie from our 'Real Housewives of New York' After Show outside of Afterbuzz.  It's also nice to cut loose since we try to be as professional as possible when we're at the studio, and even though we have fun, we can all be ourselves and just enjoy a great party!

After saying hello to a few of my friends I made my way to get a drink and some food and saw Costas, Maria's Dad, whom I recognized from her book, 'The Every Girl's Guide to Diet and Fitness,' as well as her show, 'Chasing Maria.'  We had the cutest conversation about family and how important it is to be a good role model, and make sure that your children are happy.  He obviously wants grand kids and I could completely relate in knowing that my parents say the same thing to me all the time!

On top of over 200 of our Afterbuzz TV Hosts that were invited, all the guests that have been into our Studios were invited as well.  I talked to Leslie from 'Masterchef' as it's one of my favorite Cooking Shows currently on TV, and he's been known as the villain.  There was no villain present on that Saturday afternoon, as we were dressed in matching shades of orange and talked a little about cooking and also about his competitors.  I'm rooting for you, Leslie! 

Speaking of orange, Maria and I also matched, and she called me her Tangerine Twin.  It never ceases to amaze me at how generous and kind, she, Keven, her whole family, as well as our Afterbuzz Team are.  I love that I feel like I have support behind me, and while I know that my friends and family show that, hearing how Keven wants me to succeed, just makes me work even hard for it!  Thank you to Keven and Maria for creating an outlet for all of us to get a chance to do what we love, and know that not only do we believe we can achieve our dreams, but that you both do as well :)

With Afterbuzz TV Founder, Keven and Matt D'Andria from Motorator & CarCast :)

It was an awesome day and I'm lucky to know such incredible people and be able to work at a job I absolutely love!

Mimosa Party B)

I remember when the Saint's & Sinner's crew would go out for Brunch on Sunday's and we'd get Mimosa's at Overland Cafe and we always had a blast.  Those bottles of Champles (champagne) wouldn't stop coming until 4 pm when Brunch was over and we would all leave giggly and sleepy after an awesome afternoon with friends.

Cuppy-Cakes

For my Birthday a couple years ago I started my Mimosa Sunday Party where I had friends come over, we'd eat snacks, appetizers, and cupcakes, and drink all kinds of Mimosa's.  Last year I did a BBQ and this year I made a couple different things since I just invited a few people to hang out.  I found a couple recipes on Pinterest, one for Cherry Beergarita's which involved, Tequila, Lime, Cherry Soda, and Beer which turned out very sweet but delicious.  I also made a Funfetti Dessert Dip for Animal Crackers that was super low on fat, since I used Fat Free Plain Yogurt and Cool Whip.  It's my new favorite dip!  I mixed together a couple types of salsa's, one spicy with beans, another with corn, and then a third with papaya and mango.  I also made cupcakes with bright blue frosting and little 'fishy's' swimming on top.  I was pretty proud of my spread :)

Jess & Lynds

So my friends and I sat by the pool, enjoyed some tasty food and snacks, sipped on some yummy mimosa's (I had Mango Juice, OJ, and Cran-Peach-Strawberry Juice), and finally the sun came out to play!  It was very chill and a perfect way to spend my Sunday after an insane work-week, and knowing I had work the next 7 days in a row, in addition to all the Birthday Party fun the previous week.

As much fun as my 30th Birthday Week was, I was happy to go back to normal and take a little break from drinking after Sunday.  I knew I was heading to Punta Cana in a couple weeks so I wanted to get back to eating healthy.  But I had such a great Birthday and was so happy to spend it with so many different friends and celebrate.  Thanks to all my friends for joining me during my Birthday festivities, to those who called, Facebooked, or texted me, and also to my family for making my 30th Birthday so very special!  I can't wait to see what happens during this year ahead!

Acquah and I give it Two Thumbs Up for an Awesome 30th Birthday Week

Bestie's Birthday & Lector Training

The sun was out all weekend and it was a perfect 90 degree day in Porter Ranch on Saturday for Mike's Birthday!  I drove up that afternoon after picking up some goodies from Trader Joe's for the Party and was so happy that it was 15 degrees warmer in Porter Ranch than it was in Palms!

Mike's been doing a Birthday Pool Party for the last 3 years and I love being able to catch up and celebrate with him.  Plus, it's time spent with all the animals, and it only makes me want to get a dog because everyone brought their little ones with them.  Amy introduced me to her newest additions, Violet and Zooey, and I love seeing my favorite, Riley Boy Weiss!  It was also my first time meeting Scarlett, Nic's Cavalier King Charles, who is by far the prettiest King Charles I have ever seen; she's literally perfect.  We got to enjoy the day by the pool, sipping on some yummy cocktails, snacking, and catching up while enjoying the sunshine.  Awesome day!

Happy Birthday Bestie :)

On Sunday, I had Lector Training for Church.  A couple months ago when my parents were visiting and we were at Church they asked if anyone would be interested in doing the Readings.  I used to do them when I was younger and since I've finally found a Church I like, I figured it would be something fun to do, not to mention, keep me focused in Church ;)  It was a LONG Training session, between another girl and myself, and I'm lucky because my Acting experiences really helped me out.  We had to practice in the Church and as I was reading, I did what I do when I'm at an Audition, (if I'm not already memorized) let the words float off the page and just take my time and enjoy.  Except in Church, you get to look around and make eye contact with everyone, but I think it'll be fun too because I'll try to make the readings exciting and interesting, because I know how boring it is to sit and listen to someone who's monotone while they read.  I won't get to do the Readings for a few more weeks, but then I'll be put on the schedule regularly, and more involved in Church.  YAY!

It was a busy weekend but I'm so lucky to have great jobs that I love, awesome friends, and activities that challenge myself and keep me motivated :)