I've got the FEEVAAAHH!

Summer Fever, that is!! This weekend is Memorial Weekend otherwise known as the "Summer Kickoff"! And, can I just say that I absolutely LOVE the Summertime! I love the pool, the sun, fun times with friends and family, My Birthday!!, vacations, you name it!! I love it all!
I feel like this summer has already started! This past Sunday, I was able to go to the 'make-up' Kenny Chesney Concert with my Aunt, my Sis and her friends! (And I didn't have to stand in the pouring rain the first time...I just got lucky and have a great Aunt who lets me tag along with her!) Let me tell you that this boy knows how to put on a show!! He played for 3 hours straight and not just all his songs...he even threw some U2 in there as well as other various artists...it was AMAZING to say the least! And the weather could not have been more perfect!!!

This Memorial Day Weekend is getting Summer kicked off to a fun start!! Beginning with the Byron Nelson on Sunday afternoon with my crazy girls and a few other peeps, and hopefully ending with some Pool time if the weather cooperates. I think it will be a fun-filled weekend! As far as the rest of the summer, here is Annie's tentative schedule:

June 11-16th: Beach Camp with Prestonwood's High School Students. I'm VERY excited about this! I am going as the Nurse for the camp, so that is a little nerve-racking, but I think I can handle the beach! ; ) Jesus will handle the rest!

June 21st: Father's day! Love my Dad!! Greatest Man on Earth!

July 4th: I DON'T HAVE TO WORK!! PRAISE HIS NAME!!!! Who's watchin' fireworks with me????

July 8th: PUERTO RICO, HERE WE COME!! What happens in Puerto Rico, Stays in Puerto Rico...we have some pretty exciting adventures planned! We will have to show P.R. what us Texas Girls are all about!

July 11th: MY BIRTHDAY!! WHOOP! A quarter Century...what better way to celebrate than in STYLE, in Puerto Rico, and with great friends!!

Things seem to maybe settle down after that, but so far, it sounds like one fun and action-packed summer to me!!! I'll keep you all updated on these "funtivities" throughout the Summer...that is if I have time considering the wild schedule. Stay tuned!! Cheers!

Confessions of a Shopaholic

My Name is Anna and I am a shopaholic. (Here is where you would say "Hi Anna!")

Its true. I have become a shopaholic. I simply cannot resist buying unnecessary items when I shop. I know I only have myself to blame, but I'm going to go ahead and drag my roommate, Audrey under the bus to say that the past TWO shopping experiences have been all because of her! (sorry, Audge Podge) But its the truth! Twice she has asked me to just "stop in this store" or "go exchange this dress real quick", and TWICE I have ended up with a ridiculous amount of shopping bags on my arm!

Last week, I literally had to stop and "re-adjust" because the weight of the bags were starting to hurt my arm! Now, mind you, one of the bags was very heavy with my mom's oh so cute Mother's Day gift, but still....did I have a valid reason to have the other shopping bags??? NO!!!!

Now, before you go and get all judgemental on me, I will go ahead and say that I don't go completely overboard. I spend within my means, but I could definitely put that money elsewehere...like into my savings account!

However, to make this blog a little more entertaining, I will share with you some ACTUAL "Shopaholic Excuses" that came out of my very own mouth to "justify" my spendings:

1) The Classic "I will get SO many wears out of this!"
2) "I am going to Puerto Rico in 2 months. This would be perfect for the beach!"
3) "I am buying all of my Puerto Rico stuff now, so I don't spend later!" (Yeah right.)
4) " A girl ALWAYS needs a new bra!"
5) "A girl ALWAYS needs new underwear!"
6) "I feel like I don't have any good summer clothes" (As a bag of Express' new 'summer' line clothes hangs on my arm)
7) "I have this in White....now I NEED it in Blue!"
8) "Why not??!"

And the worst by far:

9) "My car payment got pushed back to the 15th this month, so I have a little extra money to spend before my next paycheck."

I don't know. Maybe I'm just being hard on myself because I am not saving as much as I would like. Or maybe I feel like I could be spending on bigger and better things. Who knows!

But, before you go and judge, think carefully on your response to this. Especially if you have either: a) borrowed one or more pieces of my clothing or jewelry, because if it weren't for these 'spending habits', you wouldn't have the selection of items you have today! or b) had these exact thoughts cross your own mind at some point or another in your life! Think carefully!

Be gentle.

Recap on Cali Trip!

So, my trip to L.A. was A-MAZIIIING! It was SO great to see my good friend, Laura, in all her new found happiness with her new life in Malibu with her beautiful Arabian horse, 'Lucky Lady'. It is insane to take in the beauty of where this girl lives. Overlooking beautiful mountains and then travelling down the mountains only to run into an even more beautiful Pacific Ocean! It was heaven on earth!

My trip started with Kendall picking me up from the airport in our awesome Kia Spectra of a rent-a-car. That car did us well I tell you...only $20 bucks to fill up the gas tank..and in Cali...thats pretty stinkin' cheap!! We had lunch with Laura at a cute little cafe just down the street from Laura's work and then Kendi and I decided to head to none other than Hollywood Boulevard!! We went on the Celebrity homes tour which was pretty cool seeing the enormous homes of Whitney Houston, George Clooney, BRITNEY SPEARS (yes..I love her...don't judge), Meg Ryan, The Spelling Mansion, The Playboy Mansion, Jack Nicholson, Richard Gere (his was WEIRD!), Mike Tyson, Charlie Chaplain, Marilyn Monroe...the list goes on. It was fun! We then headed down the Pacific Coast Highway to Malibu to meet Laura for dinner at Nobu-Mailbu where we had our first celebrity siting!! I was sitting in the chair that faced the front door and noticed Dr. Cox (from Scrubs) i.e. John C. McGinley walking into the restaurant with his wife. I "casually" leaned over to Kendall to tell her of what I was seeing and she quickly made me get up to go to the bathroom so she could have my seat and stare at him while him and his wife enjoyed their meal....crazyyyy! She then made us order another round of drinks and desert so we could wait to get up when they were done with dinner (reminder: they got there when we were FINISHED!), but it was worth the wait because as they got up, we did as well and Kendall (and all her crazy) smiled and told him that she was a big fan of the show. His response was "Thank you! Whats your name? This is my wife..." and shook our hands and was so nice! Paparazzi took over from there, so we weren't able to get a pic...oh well. Good work Kendi!

The next day, Kendall and I slept in a bit and made our way to In-n-Out Burger!!!! In the words of Rachel Ray...it was YUMM-O!!! And I just couldn't resist getting a chocolate shake with my meal!!! My mouth is watering just thinking about it! That night we went to Jimmy Kimmel Live and sat on the 2nd row! It was fun. John Cena and McLovin were on it that night...that was quite the size difference between the two guests! After the show, we ate at Ashton Kutcher's restaurant, Dulce. It was pretty good, but the service definitely could have been better. No celeb sitings here....oh well.

Now here's the good part!!!

The next day, Kendall and I reverted back to our good ol' high school days to play some high school girls on Courtney Cox's new show Cougar Town! We were extras thanks to Kendall's crazy. Earlier in the week (when I had no control of her), she had ventured onto the set of Scrubs as she was on her Celebrity stalking prowl. There, she ran into some of the producers of the show who played right into her charm and asked her if she wanted to be an extra on their new show! She said she had a friend coming in town and asked if I could be an extra as well....and the rest is history! We shot scenes at Birmingham High School ALL day from 11 AM until 2 AM that morning. It was tiring, but AMAZING! We were literally standing about 5 feet from Courtney Cox herself as well as some other fun actors including Busy Phillips (Audrey from Dawson's Creek). So look for us on the Pilot! We are hoping with all of our "hard work" that we will end up in at least ONE scene of the show! And to top it off, we got fed (good food!) and PAID! on VACATION! The other Extras couldn't understand how we got so lucky because apparently you have to be in some sort of Actor's Union to even be considered as an Extra. What can we say...were just too cute to pass up! The producers kept referring to us as the "Texas Girls" throughout the day...it was pretty neat!

We spent Saturday playing with Lady, then went to downtown L.A. for the Justin Nozuka, Missy Higgins concert. We ate at this quaint little Italian cafe just around the corner from the Orpheum Theater (which was GORGEOUS!) where we spotted Justin Nozuka, himself, and his band! Kendall pulled the same "get up the same time as the celebrity" trick and Justin held the door open for us as Kendall said to him "Hey! We are fixing to go to your concert!" he responded with "Awesome! See you there!" (I don't think he actually SAW us in there, but we can dream, right?) Anyway, at the concert in between Justin and Missy, I was craving a diet coke, so I went out to the atrium and I recognized a certain group of people. It was the some of the cast of "So You Think You Can Dance" from last season! (A favorite show of Me, Kendi, and Laura) I quickly ran back into the Theater to grab Kendall and Laura and we went back out to the atrium and met the cast and got our pic with them. They actually sat there and chatted with us for like 5 minutes...it was pretty cool! (One of the girls was from Carrollton, so it made easy conversation)It was a perfect ending to the perfect trip!!

All-in-all...I couldn't have asked for a better vacay with great friends! I just wish all of our other girls could have been there with us too! You know who you are! ; )

So if you ever want to spot a celeb, you need your two secret weapons:
1) Kendall Elise: she will get you to the celeb spots (thanks to her hours and hours of celeb research on People.com and E!).
2) Me!: I am the eyes that will do the "spotting"....I am freakishly aware of my surroundings...so watch out because I'm watching youuuu!!!!!! hahahahahah!

Brief update...more to come later!

Update on Anna's Life:

1) Moved into a new apartment with Audge Podge...LOVE IT! Although I do miss my Momma! = )

2) Went on an AWESOME ski trip to Breckenridge with a few peeps....had too much fun skiing and hot tubbing in the snow!

3) Been workin my little tail off so I can head to CALIFORNIAAAA to visit my friend, Laura. Kendall is already there. I leave Wednesday and have already overpacked! It is what I do...right, Steckel? Look for us on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Thursday night! WHOOP WHOOP!

4) I am ready for summer....I am pale as a GHOST!

Holla.

Happy New Year...Want some Treats?!

Yes, I know...its been a while...where the heck have I been???!! Well, lately I feel like I have pretty much LIVED up here at work with a crazy holiday schedule and some overtime this week, but the paycheck is well worth it!

Happy New Year to Everyone! I hope you all had a FABULOUS holiday filled with fun, friends, family, fellowship, and FOOD! I know I've gained my share of the "holiday pounds", but I don't care...for all that goodness, I think it is worth it! Don't you just hate how EVERY single morning show finds some way during the holiday season to "curb the holiday cravings", "Lighten up at Christmas dinner", or show their "Tips and Tricks to a Healthier Holiday"??? YEAH RIGHT! I don't know about you, but not only am I LOADING my plate full of that Turkey, ham, dressing, yams, potatoes (Texas Potatoes in my family!), fruit salad, and rolls, but I am going in for seconds and THEN I am going for PIE!! Mom's famous Chocolate Pie!! (Refer to the posting below!) And as for holiday parties...I am going to try EVERY single "treat" there is...just in case people are talking about it the next day, I don't want to miss out! So those pesky little 90-100 lb. morning show dietitians, nutrition experts, what-have-you can KISS IT! I'm going to have my cake and EAT IT TOO! Sheesh, its Christmas, people! Live a little! Okay...that was my soap box...but who is with me on this?

Speaking of "sweet treats" I think I made approximately 6 batches of fudge this holiday season! I'm going to try to top it off next year with 10...that is my goal. So if you need any fudge for parties or a small gift, I'll start taking orders now. = )

Now, I know you all may be thinking "Geeze, Anna. Can we say fat kid??" But I will have you know that I am back in the gym and watching what I eat (sort of ; ) ) to get ready for summer....Puerto Rico here I come!! Thats all for now....Toodles!

Its the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Aaaaaahhhh!!!! Finally! Christmas is here!!! And how did we get the holidays started off?? Well none other than a pie making, tree decorating party! Mom, Lindsey and I (Jason was already back in Houston for work : ( ) decided tonight was the best night to get the tree out, up, and fully decorated! We listened to Christmas Music (Delila from 103.7 of course), and we even caught the end of the Santa Clause is Coming to Town cartoon! It was marvelous! And to top it off, Lindsey made mom bake her the famous CHOCOLATE PIE! Since poor little Lindsey was on her honeymoon during Thanksgiving, she was unable to get a taste of mom's pie, so mom gave in and baked what we all think as her BEST chocolate pie YET!! Mom always tries to top off last year's pie...and I think this one will be hard to beat!! We even took pics!

It was goooooooooooood!!! And here are some pics of the tree decorating fun!!!

Don't you just love the Christmas Spirit?? I DO!!!! Happy Holidays everyone!! Love you all!

Back to Reality

The wedding is over, the happy couple is back from the honeymoon, and yet another Thanksgiving has passed. Now, it is back to reality for everyone, and I'm thinking we are all having to make a big adjustment after all wedding festivities! And I know that some of us are having the expected "wedding withdrawals"...haha! But I must say, despite the crazy planning, arguing (between all the women in our family ; ) ), and stress of planning this wedding....it was ALL worth it!! The day could not have been more perfect!!! I am so happy that everything turned out the way it did for my sister and her new husband, Jason! It is everything they wanted it to be and more!! Her vision was truly carried out complete with an awesome wedding party, her family and friends surrounding her, a perfect ceremony, an incredible reception with wonderful food, drinks, cake, and most importantly, a "Dancing Queen" song with none other than the beautiful bride herself surrounded by a singing entourage! It was definitely a night to remember! In fact, I vividly remember taking a moment during the reception to take a look at my sis and her new hubby and saw the true happiness in their eyes! I soaked in the fun moments as well as the tearful ones! It couldn't have been a more perfect night...or a more perfect weekend for that matter! The only thing that I was disappointed about, however, was not catching the bouquet! But, that was my fault b/c I got excited and jumped too early....dang it for being impatient! and for JUMPING for that matter!...if only I would have stood in my spot like a lady, the bouquet would have drifted its way right into my hands....that's okay, maybe the next wedding!

Which brings me to my next point! While I was cleaning out my closet the other day, I decided to move all my bridesmaids dresses into my sister's closet. As I HAULED the load across the hallway and struggled to hang all of the dresses up in their new closet, I immediately thought of Katherine Heigl in 27 Dresses....I mean seriously! I LITERALLY had to SHOVE the dresses into the closet, there were so many, and then had to slam the doors shut to keep the dresses in! I know there are others out there who have had to do this before....let me know your experiences! I need to know I am not alone in this situation! Cheers!