Current Obsession

I heard this music on my new friend Whitney's blog. I finally found the music I LOVE so much from those Korbel champagne commercials! Lately at work I've been listening to my 'dirty laundry' radio station on pandora.com. It is brilliant. I'm loving it. Try it.

Best Books of 2008

Amazon came out with their list of 2008's best books. I thought some of you might like to link to this. Click here. When I told Taryn about this, she asked, "How are you getting this list?" I admittedly and embarrassingly said I know I don't really read, but if I were to become interested this would be a good reference.

If anyone has recommendations from this list - comment and let me know.

DC Trip

Our 2 year anniversary was on the 10th of this month, and sadly Ben worked a long day while I was home throwing up. Ick. By the evening I finally felt up to showering - which turned out to be the high point of my day. Sort of pathetic, I know.

Ben and I planned a little getaway for the upcoming weekend, so we put our celebration off until then. Thursday we flew into Reagan airport and minutes after arriving, we were already enjoying the company of Taryn and sweet baby Reese! This was Ben's first trip to DC and so we had a lot of ground to cover.

Friday we headed across the Potomac into Georgetown and decided to "do a lap before we commit to a location." My friends for the day, Ben, Taryn and Reese, were nice enough to park right near Ann Sacks, Baker Furniture, and Waterworks. How fun to walk through these showrooms. It's great to see actual products after seeing their ads and spreads in design magazines. After that we strolled down M street and visited Georgetown Cupcake. We HAD to! The line was out the door but that isn't saying much, as only four people can fit inside at a time. We were later told by people all over town, who saw us carrying the pink box, that it was a 'short' line and how lucky we were to have gone when there was only a ten minute wait. We split a half-dozen and they were all equally delicious!

We stopped into Five Guys for lunch and the place was packed. (Also another 'must', as I've heard east coast people talk about Five Guys the way west coast people talk about In n' Out). It was delicious - and a little more meaty and down-home greasy than In n' Out. Yum.

The weather was so nice and we walked around for a few more hours, window-shopping among all the beautiful storefronts. I took a picture of the Ralph Lauren storefront because I thought it was so classic-looking. The holiday decorations were beginning to go up and it felt so festive all around. We stopped into spend our 'souvenir money' on goodies at my new favorite store, lululemon.




Afterward we drove to the Smithsonian to see the exhibits. The place was huge and we only had a little time, so we went straight to the important stuff: The National Gem Collection, including but not limited to the Hope Diamond. My eyes were as big as saucers the entire time and I may or may not have shoved people out of my way to be closer to the glass. Here are a few items I'm adding to my Christmas list:


We met up with Michael for a yummy dinner at La Sandia at Tyson's Corner. I was hooked the moment the waiter came out and started making fresh guacamole at our table. It was altogether very very tasty - great recommendation by Taryn.

Saturday we went to a preliminary tour of the new Capitol Visitors Center. It is underneath the Capitol and it's pretty incredible. Reminds me a lot of the Conference Center with all the angular columns and white stone inside. Taryn parked us at one end of the mall and on our way to the Capitol we passed all the monuments and museums. There were thousands of people walking the mall, from joggers to tourists, from Prop 8 protesters to Segway tour groups and everything in between. Talk about leaving the bubble!

The downpour started and Taryn and Mike made the trek back to the car while Ben and I took Reese to see the Supreme Court building and the Library of Congress. What incredible buildings. The Library of Congress has mosaic tile murals and ceiling treatments that you have to see to believe. The rest of it reminded Ben of the movie National Treasure. :) Here is a picture of the stained glass panels in the ceiling that must have been done by Louis Tiffany - they were so beautiful I could hardly take my eyes off them.


That night we went back to Arlington for dinner and met up with Chris and Maeve at Ted's Montana Grill. It was so nice of Chris to share his order of onion rings as we awaited our Bison burgers. Yummy and juicy! Sounds weird but it was quite the treat. It was great to see the Baughman's and catch up with them now that they're big city folk. (Maeve good luck with the Christmas tree! I know it will turn out fabulously!)

We flew out Sunday evening but before we left we went by Arlington National Cemetery. We really could have spent all day there, the place is huge. We power-walked up to see the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns and then walked into the Memorial Amphitheater. It was really cold outside by now but the afternoon sun was shining through and the amphitheater was so majestic. My heaven has an amphitheater like this one.




Ben and I had a fantastic time. Three days was hardly enough time but it was a good start... Taryn and Reese make a wonderful tour guiding team! Maybe we can come back for the cherry blossom festival, what do you say Tar? On the flight home I asked Ben what his favorite part was - thinking it would take him a while to run through all the things we'd so enjoyed - he quickly replied, "The fajitas Taryn made on Thursday night... yep, that was my favorite part."

High Point 2008

As if Market in Las Vegas wasn't thrilling enough, I was included this year in the trip to High Point, North Carolina. I marked my calendar and pretty soon it was time to pack. This time, I packed even more mix-n-match clothes and even my uggs just in case of severe foot emergency.

The weather out there was so beautiful... and as opposed to Vegas market where you're inside a building all day, High Point is an entire downtown city full of various free-standing buildings, many renovated and re-purposed from old factories, even hoisery manufacturers! We hopped the bus and rode the 'go anywhere' shuttle all around town each day beginning at 8 a.m. and sometimes not returning home until 9 p.m.

We visited most of our current vendors, the usual suspects, and also had a chance to pick up a few really great new upholstery and accessory lines. I was like a mouse in a cheese factory everywhere I went! Let me paint the picture: we went into a contemporary showroom and I was all of a sudden totally loving (=wanting to order) all of it... then we went to a place more 'shabby chic' and suddendly I'm obsessed with cottage style. Oh help. Luckily I only point at & pet the things I like and am not in charge of ordering or paying for the product finally ordered. Of course I did pick up a few things, I had to!

I definitely wouldn't consider myself a trend-spotter, but I will dish on the things I saw most of, I guess it's safe to say they are trends? Larger than life chess pieces (tons in all sizes in at least a dozen showrooms- strange if you ask me), painted candlesticks/candlestick lamps, aqua/tan and blue/camel schemes everywhere, fabrics pressed into basketweave patterns (cool!), and lots of distressed vintage furniture and ecclectic pairings.

We took loads of pictures, but here are a few of my favorite things:

concrete dogs flanking an entryway - Derek ordered these for his client's gothic revival house in Huntsville

rooster aubusson needlepoint pillow at Gerry Nichol - I know it seems kinda old fashioned but these are absolutely beautiful - and retail for over $400


a vignette at Old Hickory Tannery - how fun is this set-up? Matching upholstered beds, my fave, and fabulous bedding, etc. I want to package this room up and have it as a guest room!

We saw this giclee (canvas reproduction) at Picture Galleries. The picture doesn't do it justice but something about this photo caught me - isn't it incredible?

And here's me in this HUGE chair we saw at IHFC. I had to climb/jump into it. (notice the uggs, sweater and strange hair-do, can you guess it was our fifth and final day?) And at the top of this post is the Baker Furniture building. The topiaries, the artichoke finials, the iron gates, the awnings, the ivy! I fell in love with the building's cream, gray, black and green look and its iconic historical styling.

Mocktail Party - Disco Fever

For me, the appeal of Halloween was lost after about 8th grade... I think that was the last possible year that my friends and I could wear tennis skirts and side ponytails and actually enjoy trick-or-treating.

Okay, so there were those awesome halloween pajamas that Niki's mom made and sent freshman year, and also that really super fun UVSC halloween dance one year, but overall I would say halloween doesn't do that much for me.

Last year we were invited to a costume party, (click here), and this year, we were invited to yet another. Fun! But this party was no last-minute deal, oh no. For the last several years, my ultra-creative co-worker Derek has hosted a mocktail party right around halloween. The themes are different every year... from 'retro' to 'arabian nights' to 'tiki lounge' and even 'James Bond'. This year's theme was Disco. Awesome! He sent invitations and even created a blog to aquaint invitees with dance moves and various wardrobe suggestions. Click here to see it. Needless to say, Ben and I were thrilled to make the list.

I tried the Farah Faucett look with feathered bangs and flippy hair... and I had the perfect shirt. Thanks Granny! Sequins, a chevron pattern, and even sleeves! Can you believe I even dusted off my showchoir earrings from high school? The pictures don't give the full effect of my make-up, but I had the false lashes, super blush, and of course, glitter eye shadow. Ben was my low-key boyfriend, ala Jason London in Dazed and Confused.

We had an absolute ball at the party! There was a themed drink menu and I had the Copa Cabana Colada - yum! Derek provided a tutorial on 'doing the Hustle' and followed that with a Soul Train. (like the end of Grease where they dance down the line two by two). Ben and I managed to have a routine - here's the play by play -

Derek, we had the best time! Thanks for the drinks, the dancing, & the mirror ball! You sure know how to throw a fantastic costume party. And thanks for making me excited for the halloween season again.

Star Sighting

Most of my readers (all four of them) know that after finishing school and working in PR for a few years, I decided to make a career change to interior design. For the last year+ I have been working almost full-time and taking classes at the LDS Business College to complete a design degree.

Having most of the generals out of the way from BYU, I consider myself a part-time, almost night-student... commuting and not spending much time on campus. So imagine my surprise when I walked into the bookstore for a pre-class snack of Cheezits and water, and the kid behind the counter points right at me and says, "Hey, aren't you that girl from the video??"

Oh boy, here we go. He told me where he saw it and I had to run to class to check out said video. Had I made a huge fool of myself? How many people have seen this? How long has it been running? Click HERE, then click on LDSBC and tell me for yourself.

Yes, it actually is pretty embarrasing. But it could have been worse. I've had worse on-camera moments...ala my ten-year-old fundraising fiasco"train for the training, trainer, to train, the training center"... for those of you who don't get it I hope you never will. Ben gave me some positive feedback though, he brought to my attention that I am on the same video with President Hinckley. I'll take that any day.

Someday

Every month I receive my magazine subscriptions... Trad. Home, Living, Southern Accents, etc. Thank heaven that's it for now. I travel around all month with my stack, sometimes two months worth, trying to find a few moments to get through them. My system is this - tearing out any pages that contain a)good pictures b)good advice c)something I can send to a friend/mom/sister... that way at the end of it all, I only have 'tearsheets' instead of boxes full of old issues (which = packrat).

The other night I was thumbing through a mag when I spotted this full page ad, and I had to doubletake! "Wait, was that Taryn?" It not only looks like her, but now that she lives on the opposite coast and we only talk on the phone, this is exactly what I envision when I am on the line with her. Rarely a week passes that she's not preparing dinner for a little group of friends, desserts for a shower, or tons of food for the weekend football party. Give a girl a break! She impresses me in many ways as it is - but most especially where I lack - in the kitchen! Maybe someday I can be more like Taryn: creating unbelievable gourmet food seemingly-effortlessly while being the perfect (and very funny) hostess & looking like a million bucks (without trying!).

Who gets it?

I was sent this video by someone close to me and I think it offers very interesting facts not understood by most people. I try to keep up on the candidates, the economy, the housing market, etc., but who has enough time in the day to keep up with it all!? This video was worth the watch. I hope anyone reading is registered to vote and make a change.

Wedding of the Year

The Stimpson sisters have had a wedding each year since 2005 - this year it was our sweet Lindsey! What a beautiful bride she was. I would venture to guess that the day went perfectly for her... a relaxing morning, a wonderful sealing ceremony, and a lovely reception filled with good food, beautiful surroundings, perfect weather and all of her closest friends and family to join the celebration.

I arrived in San Diego on Wednesday for the long weekend. With a few errands each day until the wedding, we had time to take care of the most important 'errands'...aka manis/pedis, late- night jacuzzis, a fun seventh ward shower and of course, a sisters bachelorette party. It was great to be with everyone - especially since we're so spread out now.

Friday we checked into La Costa - the boys went straight to their tee time and the girls went to the pool. For them it was all about golf, for us it was all about Reese! (you too Linds, of course) She is the sweetest little thing. Abby flew in to be a sport and hang with the girls. She was a huge help and such a fun extra sister! That night Mike's parents threw a wonderful dinner at Santa Luz club and then Saturday was the big day.


Lindsey and Mike were a picture perfect couple and everything about the day was so dreamy. The outdoor/indoor reception turned out so perfectly and we couldn't have asked for better weather. As promised, I've included some pictures of the decor... trust me, I'll add more once we get photos from our dynamite photog., Julianne Smoot. I'd refer her all day long, what a gem!


Lindsey and Mike we love you! Hurry back from Maui! Thanks for getting hitched so we could all get together - and in Southern California no less. Love you mom and dad and thanks for making all the good times possible!

Off to the Wedding!

Has there been any greater anticipation of a fall outing than this one? Our family has already started gathering in Southern California for Lindsey's wedding this weekend. It will be warm, it will be green, it will be coastal, it will be lovely, it will be a wedding(!), and most importantly, it will be family time.

Since Lindsey and Mike got engaged in July we have all been counting down to the big day. We are excited for another brother-in-law and to now call his family ours - they are the kindest of people.

Lindsey has been nice enough to let me help in the planning process - even though I'm in SLC I've been able to work a few old connections from my time in the wedding planning scene in La Jolla. Stay tuned for pictures of the big day - in the meantime I'll give you a teaser - rich chocolate-y taffeta, sparkling candlelight, a vibrant, bursting cornucopia color palette, and beautiful views from/of La Costa. see above

My excitement for the wedding has even inspired the new coastal blog theme, what do you think?

Johnny

Last month we went to the John Mayer/Colbie Callait concert at Usana. It was the highlight of our Utah adventures this summer. There are few things that top seeing JM in concert as it is, but wait, add Colbie Callait, an outdoor venue, and my parents and Dean, are you kidding?! It was a fantastic treat. We are a John Mayer-loving family.
Lacey and Ashton were only a few rows away - and Ben's good friend Devon took Dean up to the tenth row for the final hour of the concert. Dean had the time of his life up there. When we were walking out he was walking in a daze and said, "mark that off the list of things to do before I die..." :) It was a really fun. There were some crazy girls next to me that kept wanting us to "get up! get up and dance!"... peer pressure. By the end of the show I was rockin' out so much I decided to get a picture with my new friends... it was really funny to my mom, dad, and Ben, who weren't standing up and never were... maybe you just had to be there. It even looks like I'm holding a drink. I hope my new friends don't mind their debut on my blog.

Las Vegas Market

Last week my two fantastic bosses invited me to Las Vegas for 'market'. What a ball! There are three huge buildings right off the strip (by the outlets) - at least 12 floors in each. Driving, we left at 5 am on Wednesday and returned Friday morning at 3 am. With less than 48 hours in Vegas, we hit the ground running.

too bad we missed Rod Stewart's concert on Monday... I just love "have I told you lately." I smooched him for good luck...

We visited all of our current vendors and then hit a bunch of new showrooms to look into picking up new lines. At every turn I was saying, " I love it, let's get this! Can we open with them?!" I was like a kid in a candy store... shiny accessories everywhere, beautiful chandeliers and best of all, taffeta drapes! That is my idea of heaven on earth.
Most of all, it was eye-opening to see more of the furniture and accessories we carry and all that is out there. It gives me more confidence to work with my clients. And I felt so cool hanging out with Kathy, Ruth and Derek... just like makin' it to the big leagues.

Me and Derek at the end of the trip... by this time I'd ditched the stilettos. The rolling bag was a life-saver... full of all kinds of freebies and catalogs from 36 floors of showrooms.

Vegas in July is a crazy idea, but market was a blast! Now, for my blisters to recover...