insert happy face here.

so the broadway tour of RENT is here in dallas. and of course, i had to go. so i got the best ticket available for myself - thank you, third row center. ahhhhh, yes. it was amazing.

i'm just so excited that i can scratch one off my bucket list: see RENT with original cast members!!!


and then... after the show... i waited outside the stage door, you know, just in case...



and who came out and signed autographs? oh, just a few cast members. can you say, "ANTHONY RAPP"?!?!

so hey, another 'list' item can be knocked off the list - MEET a member of the original broadway cast. ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh yes!!





of course, i ended up going back the next night to see it again with my friend aibi. another great show, and something i'll always ALWAYS remember.


I also got to meet nicolette hart (who played maureen) both nights and lexi lawson (who played mimi) after the second show.


don't you LOVE her yellow bag?!?! don't worry, i asked and it's NINE WEST. super cute.

100

1. Started your own blog - clearly.
2. Slept under the stars - under a tent... but i think it counts.
3. Played in a band - high school marching band... lame, right, engh well i had fun.
4. Visited Hawaii - nope
5. Watched a meteor shower - yes. sitting on my patio at my denton apartment with mikee.
6. Given more than you can afford to charity - what is "more than you can afford"? but i donate when/where i can
7. Been to Disneyland! - heck yes
8. Climbed a mountain - actually... several.
9. Held a Praying Mantis - i don't do bugs
10. Sang a solo -only behind the wheel. in my car. alone.
11. Bungee jumped - nope
12. Visited Paris - yes, but i think i was too young to fully appreciate
13. Watched an amazing lightning storm - i live in texas. they can't be avoided.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch - i'm crafty! so yep!
15. Adopted a child - no, but i did adopt a kitten years ago. he's 18 lbs now. guess it worked out for him.
16. Had food poisoning - nope
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty - not yet
18. Grown your own vegetables - frank, jake and i tried...
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France - yes. it's smaller than you'd think
20. Slept on an overnight train - never
21. Had a pillow fight - yes
22. Hitch hiked - no i'm a wuss
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill - not lately. i miss playing hookie.
24. Built a snow fort - fort, no. snow man, yes.
25. Held a lamb - held? or pet?
26. Gone skinny dipping - negative
27. Ran a Marathon - no
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice - not yet
29. Seen a total eclipse - not that i can remember
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset - i see the sunrise every morning on my drive home from work
31. Hit a home run - nope
32. Been on a cruise - nope
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person - nope
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors - nope
35. Seen an Amish community - nope
36. Taught yourself a new language - pig latin
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied - ha. never.
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person - not yet
39. Gone rock climbing - i didn't climb, but i was there when other people climbed. lol.
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David - yes
41. Sung karaoke - yeeeeah not my best moment.
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt - nope
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant - no
44. Visited Africa - not yet but i want to
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight - beach, no. been on a boat, yet.
46. Been transported in an ambulance - nope, thank goodness
47. Had your portrait painted - no
48. Gone deep sea fishing - nope
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person - not yet
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris - actually yes
51. Gone scuba diving - no
52. Kissed in the rain - no
53. Played in the mud - yes
54. Gone to a drive-in theater - not in yeeeears
55. Been in a movie - home movie... yes
56. Visited the Great Wall of China - nope
57. Started a business - i was a photographer in college
58. Taken a martial arts class - no
59. Visited Russia - nope
60. Served at a soup kitchen - sort of, it wasn't an official soup kitchen, it was a thanksgiving meal for the homeless at a church
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies - BOUGHT them is more my style
62. Gone whale watching -no
63. Got flowers for no reason - they were actually for my roommate...
64. Donated blood - of course
65. Gone sky diving - no
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp - no
67. Bounced a check - engh, personal much
68. Flown in a helicopter - no
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy - yes i still have my ted e. bear
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial - yes
71. Eaten Caviar - yes
72. Pieced a quilt - helped others do it
73. Stood in Times Square - NOT YET! february 2010!
74. Toured the Everglades - no
75. Been fired from a job - no
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London - not yet
77. Broken a bone - no. but i have sprained several ankles and torn an mcl in my knee
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle - no
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person - nope
80. Published a book - nope
81. Visited the Vatican - not yet
82. Bought a brand new car - i'm a used car kind of girl
83. Walked in Jerusalem - not yet
84. Had your picture in the newspaper - yes
85. Read the entire Bible - yes
86. Visited the White House - not inside, but yes
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating - eew
88. Had chickenpox - no
89. Saved someone’s life - maybe
90. Sat on a jury - nope
91. Met someone famous - broadway famous, yes!
92. Joined a book club - no
93. Lost a loved one - yep
94. Had a baby - nope
95. Seen the Alamo in person - couple of times
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake - i've seen it, but no swimming thanks
97. Been involved in a law suit - nope
98. Owned a cell phone - it's the 21st century! hello?!
99. Been stung by a bee - no, but i had a wasp in my car that got me
100. Visited Italy - not yet

redefine rocks my socks off

Edge Fest '09

My good friend Mike D. is in a band called REDEFINE. They're in the final 10 to be the local band to play at Edge Fest on May 9. PLEASE VOTE for the guys @ http://www.kdge.com/pages/promo/EDGEFEST09/localband.html

(Mike D. is on the far left - he works at the club with Frank and is awesome!)

5 best

a friend of mine was trying to come up with her five best moments of her life and her five worst. she admitted that coming up with the five worst was a lot easier than the best. being that i'm a realist (and cynic, really) i decided to see if i could come up with my own best moments without just thinking about the worst ones.

five best moments/days (because sometimes it lasts longer than a moment)

1. graduating from the university of north texas, august 2-something, 2006. almost every member of my family was there along with my best friend. i had gold glitter all over the top of my cap and my family was in matching tee-shirts (it's a family tradition, don't ask). the after graudation party was great too--more friends, awesome food and a cake that said "it's about damn time." how could i NOT put it on my list?

2. my aunt lisa's wedding. i was only like ten years old, but i remember that i got to wear a puffy dress and then i danced all night long to the hits of the 80's. (thank you, billy idol and b52's!) that was when i discovered the party girl within... i hate that i tried to suppress that for so long.

3. the first time i was in dc, taking the tour via stretch limo with a bunch of my family members, february 2007. being the nerd i am, seeing the nation's capital was amazing enough. but i was able to frolick on the lawn in front of the capital building with my aunt lisa. that was a good time.

4. elton john concert with mom in vegas, october 2008. i don't really need to say much more. it was elton john. i was with my mom. and we were in vegas. yeah, it's on the list.

5. moving to west village, may 2008. moving in with frank and jake to our place in the west village was like a dream come true. i still love this area more than any other place in texas. and the day when the old apartment was empty and finished and i was an official dallas resident was like coming home. that was a great day.

other great days of note: climbing the eiffle tower, white water rafting in oregon, my 20th birthday, hiking in colorado, seeing RENT for the first time, taking the metro to DC on my own for the first time, my 26th birthday, moving to denton for college, hiking in bosnia, hosting a talent show in college solo, making my first thanksgiving meal without help, going to my first nsync concert with my girl friends, my last day working at THE BANK, the day i got my first car....... there are more. but i felt the need to stop....

have a good night. :)

well alright.

just for the record: having a stomach virus is a bitch. nothing about it is enjoyable. (except maybe for losing a couple pounds, but even that isn't quite worth it.)

i got back to dallas from midland and all it's dusty-oil-george w.'s hometown-glory on friday night. after a quick night out to catch up with friends and my weekly requirement of tequila, i slept at least 12 hours to recover from the 16 hour days i had when i was on the business trip. when i rolled out of bed, that's when it hit. fever. aches. headache. the whole deal. i didn't eat that day. or sunday, when i tried to go to work... of course, i only lasted a few hours before i gave up and went home.

on my way home from work, i called dad. we'd been playing phone tag for a few days and i figured the 13 minute drive home was the perfect opportunity. so we chatted for a bit. then the conversation went a little something like this:

me: "so, where are you? home? on a trip?"
dad: "well, actually, i'm at my new place."
(PAUSE)
me: "in L.A.?"
dad: "yep, drove the car out, found a place, all moved in."
me: "you moved to california already?"
dad: "yep."

now, he told me he was going to be flying out of LAX starting in the next few months (it's going to be April or May before he officially flys out of L.A.), but i had NO idea he was going to be moving to the west coast during the five days i was in midland. so how does that feel? shitty. he left without a goodbye. he didn't send an email to let me know when he was becoming a california resident. nothing. i wonder that if i hadn't asked... would he have told me? oh, he went on to refuse to give me his new address. said i should use his mom's in grand prairie since that's his "permanent mailing address". WOW.

ON A BRIGHTER NOTE!!!!!!!!!! my birthday celebrations are split into two nights!!

Saturday, Feb. 14th @ 10pm. Station 4 in Dallas. I'll be at Frank's bar--come find me!!
Tuesday, Feb. 17th @ 7pm. Speed Zone in Dallas. We'll be driving, playing, putt-putting, drinkin'--come join the fun!!

I'll update with pics sometime next week - since I'll be on vacation Feb. 13-28! YAY.