Catch up time!

I can't believe 2013 is over half-way gone and we're nearing Fall!  I'm proud because I've got some great jobs that keep me very busy and I'm able to save up money to do all the fun things when I've got some free days.  I've been keeping my Resolutions for the New Year; I'm going out of town and traveling to new places, having spontaneous vacations, seeing tons of live music and bands, and trying new restaurants and recipes.  I'm also working towards getting Representation and had fantastic headshots taken by Hillary and am just choosing my favorites so we can get them sent out to Agents and Managers soon!

At Universal Studios for the Matchbox Twenty
and Goo Goo Dolls Concert!

Just last month in July I went to Punta Cana for a week-long vacation with Family.  I had never been to the Dominican Republic and while we all had a blast, it'll be a while before I go back to the Caribbean anytime soon.  I also saw Matchbox Twenty and The Goo Goo Dolls perform; two fun bands from the 90's!

I had my 30th Birthday in June and got to spend it with friends and family throughout the month (including our week in Punta Cana).  I've been working on new recipes and posting them on here more often and had the last photo shoot of my 20's with my friend, Kristina, the day before my Birthday.  June also started my Lector Duty at Church and I've been doing that for the past 3 months and just got our schedule for the next 3, so that's a fun and exciting way to enjoy Church!

In May, I had my first ever BIG SAG Audition since I had joined the Union which was exciting.  Even though I didn't book the Audition I did film a couple Match.com Parodies and got to put my Princess Leia costume to good use, once again.  I also got to see one of my favorite artists, Sara Bareilles, perform at The El Rey Theater and to make the month even more exciting, Emily and I made a spontaneous trip to Las Vegas for 2 nights and had an absolute blast.

I made my first move towards creating my Web Series this past weekend, pulling out Neil's brand new Canon Camera and just playing around with the video and photo functions.  We took a couple headshots and also filmed me doing an opening sequence for my show in a few different ways so that was a lot of fun and super creative!  I've got some ideas for the show already written down and now it's a matter of filming a couple episodes so I can put together a Trailer and get the show up on YouTube.

Testing the new camera...

I can't wait to get started on a show that's all my own :)  Set those goals and you can reach them!

The Goo Goo Dolls & Matchbox Twenty

A couple weeks ago I was excited to be going to The Goo Goo Dolls and Matchbox Twenty Concert at The Gibson at University City Walk with Neil.  I'd gotten back from Punta Cana and was ready for some LA fun and great music!

We grabbed a bite to eat at Camacho's, along with a Margarita beforehand and headed over to The Gibson just in time to catch Kate Earl sing a few songs.  Neil and I both loved her song 'Honey' and thought she was a great opener for the 2 main acts.  Our seats were on the far left of the theater but we were 6 rows back and felt super close to the stage.  Neil had told me before the concert that in an interview with Johnny Rzeznik about their tour, he said that they play to the crowd; yes, they're out promoting their new album, but it's about the fans and the songs they love.  I think that's pretty awesome of them!

Johnny Rzeznik of  The Goo Goo Dolls!

I couldn't believe how excited I was when The Goo Goo Dolls took the stage first and Johnny Rzeznik walked out; I was screaming like a little girl at a Justin Bieber concert!  I had been listening to a Goo Goo Dolls CD for the past couple of weeks to re-familiarize myself to their music (along with a Matchbox Twenty CD) so I could sing along at the show.  I remembered most of their big hits in addition to some favorites on their CD's throughout the year, as well as new music that's made it's way to the radio.  I loved singing along with 'Slide' and their new song 'Rebel Beat' but my favorite moment of the Goo Goo Dolls performance was when they did 'Black Balloon.'  They released black balloons from the stage and I had completely forgotten how incredible that song was.  Another song I really enjoyed was 'Let Love In' and 'Come To Me' because they played the lyrics on a screen so the crowd could sing along to one of their new songs off the album.  I actually called my Mom when they did 'Name' because it's her favorite Goo Goo Dolls song and of course, their set wouldn't have been complete without 'Iris' from the movie, "City Of Angels" which takes place in Los Angeles.  Johnny played a bunch of different guitars and I've always known that each one is tuned differently for each song and his voice sounded just like he did on his albums, so that was fantastic!

Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty singing 'Long Day'

Neil & I at The Gibson!

Matchbox Twenty played after The Goo Goo Dolls and Rob Thomas was a ball of energy, dancing, jumping around, and really getting into the music, even playing the piano at one point which I thought was awesome!  I knew even more Matchbox Twenty songs than Goo Goo Dolls and that was probably because they were slightly more popular with my friends' musical tastes when I was in High School and listening to them.  They opened with a bunch of my favorites, 'Parade' which is one of their newer songs, as well as 'Bent' and my all-time favorite Matchbox Twenty song, 'Disease,' which was spectacular!  I was singing along with it at the top of my lungs, and I could sing along with a bunch of their songs knowing all the lyrics and loving that Rob Thomas was so fun to watch!  We heard '3 AM,' 'Real World,' as well as 'If You're Gone,' and some more new songs I really liked.  The new ones I liked were more acoustic and focused on Rob which were 'I Will' and then 'English Town' which was edgy and I couldn't wait to get home and listen to them again!  They had a great encore, after closing out with 'Bright Lights' by coming back on and doing 3 more songs including 'Push' but I really wished The Goo Goo Dolls would have joined them on stage for an encore too.

I'm assuming both bands switch off in each city with who opens and closes the show and that's totally fair.  It worked out for the better in this case because Matchbox Twenty had just a little more pizzazz than The Goo Goo Dolls but I would totally go see both play again!  I was super surprised to remember as many songs as I did with both bands.  I loved that both the Goo Goo Dolls and Matchbox Twenty musicians and singers worked the stage and really got the crowd involved in the music.  They were energetic and fun and it totally got me excited for each song and what they were going to be singing next!  I knew I would enjoy the concert and it would be fun but I didn't expect to love the concert as much as I did, get really into the music and lyrics, and be even more excited to listen to their songs at home as I was.  It was an incredible concert experience!  Thanks Neil :)

My Caprese Salad :)

I don't know how it took me over 20 years to try a Caprese Salad for the first time ever but it did and it has changed my life.  Technically speaking, I'm not sure it's really a salad, more of an Appetizer but either way, it's one of my favorite dishes to start off a meal with.  Aimee had brought me some fresh tomatoes from her Mom's garden so I went out and got some Mozzarella and Basil and decided to make my own Caprese Salad.

Caprese Salad

2 Tomatoes 

Fresh Mozzarella

Basil Leaves

Balsamic Vinegar

Rinse your basil and wash your tomatoes, then thinly slice the tomatoes, and cut some mozzarella.  Next up you're going to assemble the Caprese Salad.  You can do it anyway you want but I like to start with a tomato slice, then piece of mozzarella, topped with a basil leaf and you keep building until all your tomato has been used.  

The most difficult part of the Salad is making a Balsamic Reduction and even that's pretty easy.  The Balsamic is going to reduce by almost half so use as much as you'll need for your dish.  You can use this Reduction for desserts, fruit, or a sauce for skewers and it's got no fat, so that's pretty awesome.  I put about a half cup into a sauce pan that was heating on medium, once it started to boil, I turned the heat down to simmer the Balsamic.  You're going to stir occasionally and just give it time to reduce, but don't raise the heat or you'll end up with a hardened mess.  Once it's reduced and has a syrupy consistency you can let it cool or pour it right over the Caprese Salad.

Just a little bit of Heaven ;)

This Salad is by far one of the prettiest things I've ever made.  Aimee brought me some beautiful tomatoes and this Salad is so light and refreshing with the Basil and Mozzarella.  I LOVED the Balsamic Reduction and it was my first time making one so that was exciting.  I actually did another Caprese Salad a couple days ago because I was so happy with the result.  This is definitely a great starter before a hearty Italian meal or a nice healthy snack :)

Back to Karaoke!

It had been a couple weeks after I got back from Punta Cana to get back into Karaoke because I had missed a week when I was on vacation, and the following week I was at the Matchbox 20 and Goo Goo Dolls concert, which was incredible!  I'll be writing a blog about the show soon.  Since we had the new system at Karaoke we're still getting things up and running smoothly, everyone is working on building up their history again from scratch and I'm starting to write down everything so I can't lose my own history again!

A couple weeks ago we had a pretty quiet night but I got a few people up to sing that had never sang Karaoke before, so that was fun, and I opened the night with 'Don't Stop' by Fleetwood Mac and then did 'Any Man of Mine'.  It ended up being a 90's theme night with a couple friends showing up and singing all those guilty pleasures like 'Glycerine,' 'Black Balloon,' 'Mother,' and even 'I Believe I Can Fly.'  I tried The Police, 'Every Breath You Take' again and still need to find the right key for it, since I can actually raise that one up but I was more excited and nervous for my new song of the night which was Whitney Houston's 'I Will Always Love You.'  I actually kept it in the original key and hit all her high notes, so I'm glad it went well and I'll be excited to sing it again when I'm more confident with it!  I closed out the night with 'Possum Kingdom' by The Toadies which is such a great song to sing and a reminder of fun times at Saint's & Sinner's.  It seems the Theme Nights are fun and challenging for everyone and something people look forward to!

Last week I got a late start due to the Yankee's vs. Dodger's game but it was busy from there on out.  I got started with a different Fleetwood Mac song that night, by doing 'Say You Love Me' while my next song was my new song for the night, 'Invincible' by Pat Benatar.  I can't believe I haven't sang that song before now but it was super fun and a great song for my voice, plus I love that it's powerful and upbeat.  It was a Power Ballad kind of night so my next song was 'Alone' by Heart and then 'Separate Ways' by Journey, but unfortunately, there was no changing the key of songs that night, so I gave it my all, when I normally lower both of those songs, so that was good practice for myself!  My last song of the night was 'I Touch Myself' and then I let the guys close out the night with some more fun sing-a-long songs :)

I was definitely glad to get back to Karaoke after a couple weeks off and I want to get a new planned Theme Night together in the next couple of weeks where people can get dressed up and sing songs from that theme.  Perhaps it'll be a Gender Bender kind of night, or 90's Alternative...either way, it'll be an interesting night!

Punta Cana! Part 3.

I couldn't believe the trip was almost over and we only had a couple more days in Punta Cana.  After getting sick on Wednesday night after Dinner at the French Restaurant, though I don't believe it was from the food but rather the ice in my Orange Soda, I was more determined to spend time by the pool and get in as many activities as possible.  Unfortunately, my drinking had pretty much commenced, and I stuck with lots of water and perhaps a glass of wine at Dinner or Chunky Monkey by the Pool.

Turtle Head

We stayed by the beach longer than normal on our last full day there, swimming in the water, I took my last dance class (each day was different, so I learned Salsa, Merengue, and Bachata), and read my book underneath an umbrella.  We made our way to the swimming pool that afternoon and all of us had water races, took pictures underwater, and basked in the sun while we floated in the pool.  That night we all went off and did some shopping.  Mom was looking for some jewelry so we bartered with the guy to give us a good deal and she found a bracelet she liked.  I found these super cute little Turtle guys, but there wasn't much else I really liked, so I picked up my painted Turtle and a Punta Cana shot glass for Emily and I's apartment and then met up with everyone and we all played 'Catchphrase' on our last night before we had Dinner.

Last day of Dance Lessons, Bachata Bachata!

That night we ate at the Italian Restaurant and I was able to order a dish similar to Fettucine Alfredo (at this point, I was missing normal food) although I tried all the fun sushi appetizers and gazpacho's they had including watermelon, cucumber, and even beet that was delicious.  But my favorite part of that meal was the giant wheel of fresh Parmesan cheese you had to scrape to get out!  I put cheese on everything I could, from my salad, to my crackers, to my pasta, to my sushi, to my gazpacho soups, and anything else.  After getting sick on Wednesday I stuck with a lot of fruits and veggies too, not eating anything too heavy because I didn't want to worry about not getting to enjoy the rest of the vacation.  Since I've been back in LA I've really been missing the fresh pineapple, mango, and watermelon!!

Mom & I before Dinner :)

We stayed down by the Lobby as long as we could, drinking and playing games and then finally made our way up to the room where a few of us had ordered room service and played Trivial Pursuit one more time before we would head back to the States that following afternoon.

The next morning we all went to Breakfast together, toasting with our Mimosa's to a wonderful vacation.  After packing up my suitcase (rolling clothes was the most genius trick ever) I tried to order a drink at the Lobby Bar since it had Sambuca in it but it was too strong so I stuck with one of my standbys, a Tanqueray & Sprite, which was refreshing, while we waited for our shuttle to take us to the airport.  We got to say our goodbye's to everyone, and get some snacks until our plane arrived and then as we made our way to the tarmac and boarded our plane, it was a bittersweet goodbye to the Dominican Republic.

Our Trip to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic!

All in all, the best part of the vacation was having fun in the sun, getting to order these tropical drinks and spend time with my family while trying new foods.  All that aside, we've traveled to different cities in Mexico on 3 different occasions, and I can't speak for anyone else, but I'd take a trip back to Mexico before I'd head back to the Dominican Republic.  And I'd much rather spend family time with cocktails and games right in good ol' Plymouth Wisconsin because when it comes down to it, it's not where you are, it's who you're with, and I'm pretty lucky to have such an awesome family :)  Thank you to the Wegner's & Wittkopp's for an excellent trip!

Punta Cana! Part 2.

The week my family and I spent in Punta Cana this July consisted of fun tropical cocktails, an assortment of themed restaurants (we got to eat at every single one), with days spent by the beach and pool, and nights laughing and playing games like Catchphrase, Trivial Pursuit, and Loaded Questions!

Tuna Tartare

My Dad and brother, Bobby, arrived on the second day and that night we had reservations for the Japanese Restaurant, Maiko, which I was really looking forward to.  The meal started off with a few different kinds of sushi and some tempura, and then the Habachi was started and we got fish, steak, shrimp, chicken, veggies, and rice.  After our meal we were moved to a different table and served dessert, and also celebrated my 'Belated 30th Birthday.'  It was one of my favorite Restaurants of the trip and I was happy to see my Dad trying sushi and eating shrimp for the first time ever!!  Way to go, Dad!

Wegner Family in Punta Cana :)

For Dinner on our third night we went to the Garden Grill where they had different types of steaks and a huge buffet.  I think I had 3 platefuls of food before my steak even arrived!  The steak was good but not even close to the Rack of Lamb I had the next night at the French Restaurant!  I've never had Lamb before so I was a little nervous but it was absolutely delicious and cooked perfectly.  I also had Lobster Bisque soup that night in addition to an excellent Tuna Tartare.  Because there were 11 people in our group they brought us extra appetizers and entree's so we were able to try everything, which was really cool.  Everyone else tried the Lobster but I stuck with my Lamb and amazing veggies that night.

No Jacoby Vacation would be complete without Family Photos at every possible opportunity so on the night we went to the French Restaurant, while we were all dressed up, we went down to the Beach to get some group photos even though that evening was a little overcast.  Say cheese!

During the day, we'd be by the Beach and grab drinks at the Bar, like Banana Mudslides or Blue Hawaiian's, and they served Hot Dogs so you felt like you were at the Ballpark!  We found a quieter pool a couple days into our vacation where we ended up spending most of the time when we were out in the sun.  They had Sambuca so one afternoon I sipped on that while I floated on a raft :)  The Hotel Staff also brought wild animals around to take pictures with, there were Parrots, Snakes, and even a Spider Monkey!  Of course, I love monkey's so as scared as I was, I got my photo taken with the Monkey! 

Cocktails by the Pool!

Clearly, time flies when you're having fun!

Punta Cana!

After my Birthday in June I had a lot to look forward to including a week-long vacation to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic with my family!  There were going to be 11 of us hanging out (my Mom & Dad, brother, Bobby, my Aunt and Uncle, my 3 cousin's, and their 2 girlfriend's, everyone coming from all over the US) all week long while we sipped Coco Loco's, had incredible meals, and enjoyed the beaches and activities at The Gran Bahia Principe in Punta Cana.

I met my cousin, Tyler, and his girlfriend, Monica, at LAX on Saturday night where we took a red-eye to Atlanta, Georgia, then had a 4 hour layover until we took our next plane ride into the Dominican Republic.  The moment we stepped off the plane it was warm and the airport was packed with people going through custom's and before we knew it, someone was grabbing our luggage and leading us outside.  I literally asked the guy if he was going to kill us, but since he spoke little English he had no idea what I was saying, and Monica was able to make sure we were going to arrive safely at the resort since she's fluent in Spanish.  It was about a half hour ride through the city and country, and very interesting, seeing how expensive gas was, all the resorts along the way, the apartments the residents lived in, and little shops and tourist spots.

As soon as we got to the Resort, everyone met us in the Lobby, we checked in and then headed to the room so we could go down to the beach and pool for a while to get some swim time in.  The water was a beautiful clear blue along a gorgeous sand beach, filled with umbrella's, chairs, and bars.  After swimming we got ready for Dinner and Mom and I made our way to the Lobby to meet everyone, but it was pouring rain outside.  To be honest, that was one of my favorite parts of the trip, it was a warm rain and it was really fun to be walking outside in it (lucky that the rooms had umbrella's in them since it rains nearly every day at some point).  We grabbed a drink at the Lobby then took a shuttle to El Pescador, the seafood restaurant, and once we got seated at our table, they came around with wine, told us to grab our starters at the buffet and then placed our order for Dinner.  This restaurant was my least favorite out of the ones we ate at because I was looking forward to really fresh fish and I was just disappointed with the choices and flavor of my meal and the meals I tried.  The buffet and some of the appetizers were really good but overall, I liked this meal the least.

Becky, Monica, Nicole, and I were ready for some Karaoke!

After Dinner we went to the Sports Bar where Karaoke was going on and since all of us had a few cocktails in us, the girls and I all went up to sing some Karaoke.  I sang 'Baby Love' and had Monica and Nicole as my back-up singers/dancers, and then we got a bunch of girls to sing with all of us, including Becky, Matt's girlfriend, for 'Wannabe' by the Spice Girls.  Since it was so busy in the bar we all went outside and played King's Cup, a fun drinking game, that has different rules for each card, including some strategy and word games.  We had a good time and after a late night snack we all were ready for bed!

Each morning we all went to have Breakfast at the Buffet before we got settled in at the beach for an hour or two.  Monica and I took dance classes in the mornings and I even went for a run down the whole beach one day when it was cloudy, in addition to taking some exercise classes on the beach.  I went swimming every morning, we all played pool games, and I tried to walk everywhere versus using the shuttle, so I was happy to be getting in some form of a work-out every day!

Catching some rays B)

And that was just night one...there's more Punta Cana to come!