mormon in manhattan : (NO) sex and the city

{ bachelor ben-episode 5 } skinny dipping in the dark- oh! ohOOH!

2012-01-31T00:33:00.000-05:00

ok... it's ali's fault but the recording started late..... so ... sorry.

first of all, my dad has been RIPPING on me for my bachelor habits for years...

and now look who was first to the party!

we hooked him but he'll never admit to it.

today's bachelor party is provided by (nearly) my entire family.

enjoy.

doctor needs to LET COURTNEY GO.
this resort is OLD.
come on, bachelor! take them to my mexican heaven.
Dad pointed out that either there's a beer droplet, sweat stain, or lunch on harrison's plaid shirt.
thanks for lining this up, ben! what a sweetheart!
poor ban has to speed date all of them?! awkie.
good. court got some lipgloss.
let's hope nikki doesn't get wasted.
aaahahahahaha! sweet spanish accent!
and THAT's the reason they kept the dr-- SOMEBODY has to be smart and translate.
is there ever a time when courtney's mouth isn't blurred? - adam.
i wanna go to vieques.
ew. no lounge chairs? just a lawn camp out? ghetto.
those yellow nails are not happening for me.
did she just spend all that time on her hair and it looks like that? - mom.
ben got a trim. not enought, ben. you need a new freaking style.
ew. they'r sweating in that heli.
2nd helicopter.
he looks like he fits in.
"it's like God smiling down on us?" vim.
that dress is beyond fugly .. and unflattering..
kiss in the rain!
there you go. that was friendish...
she just gave him the friendship pat.
sorry for your shoes, nikki.
as IF she's going to throw a fit?
Ben: "we could buy clothes for each other!"
obviously ben didn't like her dress either- nicole.
he's more worried about HIS threads.
oooh did we almost see cooter, nikki?
did ben memorize his tourist lines last night.
PLEASE let it rain again in that white baptism costume.
yes, girl! that is an expensive wedding dress.
he's totally hinting that he wants to have a bach funded wedding.
why isn't she looking at him.
that dress is heinous.
ouch! we can't breathe!!!--nikki's boobs in the blue strapless dress.
is there enough room on that couch?! she's so hippy....- dad.
anybody who says, "i want my second chance at a fairytale," doesn't know how to make a marriage work.
she seriously just quit her marriage...
what's that rash on the back of her arm?
ringworm!- adam
uh... never talk about your last marriage/relationship on your first date.
blakely has barbie makeup.
jersey shore needs more of a lip color with that GTL orange skin.
i love that they're poised on their preference sides.
blakely's forearm tatt is so distracting. just hook her up with Kasey already.
who is jamie?
jersey shore has great legs.
sometimes ben looks like a 5 yr old.
she has "fillings?" doesn't she brush her teeth?
i think she meant "feeeeeeeelings."
he's talking to her like he's her dad- nicole.
bet you $1,000.00 that harrison is standing behind her holding buzz word cue cards.- adam
gross kiss.
diamonds? baseball? i'm so disappointed. - all the girls.
oh horsie, you're such an outdoorswoman!
blakely is about to take off with one of the other players.
yeeah! nothing says fun and romance like speed drills!
chris has moobs!!
with BEN? as if he wouldn't come to the "romantic beach party?" was that a necessary line?
he's got some saggy nipples. -adam.
ok.. so we paused the full body shot and decided that kasey B has the best legs.
congratulations, kasey, b!
haven't these girls learned anything from "a chorus line?"
the redhead has some serious TP!!! - adam [ troll potential ]
ooh yeah, she's a knitter with cats!- nicole.
he's looking sick. where is his makeup artist in these confessionals.
awkward for ben to have to pick?
i hate lindzi's voice with such a serious passion. it's worse than adrain maloof's.
oooh costume change!!
good thing the dr and model are on opposite teams.
that casey s is sloooow. but beautiful.
"serious biz".... really ben?
kasey b sounds like michelle dugger- nicole.
please tell me they're not going 9 innings!- adam.
i can't believe blakely just caught a ball!- nina
she's used to that- she does it without a glove!- adam.
"oooooh who knew that strippers could play baseball!! "- ouch!
i love that the dr is their pep team/coach
oooh kasey B! tourettes!
i can't believe they're actually playing!
they're all pretty good!
it's surprising that they hit it, but they're probably not showing all the other takes- byu baseball star, jaycob.
blakely has a tramp stamp too?! saweet.
did b say the f word?
"bye girls!" - what a trite lame thing to say.
yes, blakely ! yell at them!
did she just wax her upper lip? it's a little red!- nina
it's called herpes!- adam
helicopter #3 oy.
blakely's right lash is coming off.
"they had a shot at the title." amazing.
ahahaha a schoolbus!
ben is pretending to be too poetic ... obnoxious.
nice trip, casey b.
courtney is so fake!
are they really this bummed out?
these girls are so dumb.
is blakely smelling her b.o.?
this is how it is after one of our games!- jaycob.
gingie has man hands.
but a cute nail polish.
horse girl is SWINGING that mojito. how is there anything left in that cup?!
i like Kasey's curly hair.
his hair is more and more tragic.
he looks like a poor homeless kid from the barrio.
they all say they want to be married... then a year in, they're singing a different tune..... oh. wait.. too personal? sorry.
jersey shore is giving such consternation face.
get in the shower, you dirty girls. you'll feel better about life after that.
i approve kasey getting the rose.
nice hanger ribbon, kasey b.
drastic times with courtney.
sweet see-thru dress, hookah.
they blurred out a nip slip!
why is her nipple in her armpit?
ben is desperate to sex her.
i think courtney is always on painkillers.. she has a hard time articulating with her mouth.
sweet mic pack, court. she just cant' keep her clothes on!
courtney is seething with jealousy.
she looks so much better without makeup.
she took that entire outfit from snooki's closet.
tacky luggage!
another ghetto sunbathing situation? are they forbidden from the pool?
a beyonce yacht? i'm into that.
yes, courtney.. she'll work for YOU, you insane maniac.
they probably asked her to wear neon so they could see her from the space shots.
why is she asking him friend questions?
dad pointed out that she said she gave up her job and now she's saying she loves her job?
he's wishing she'd just stop talking.
and why is she putting so much pressure on him.
"let's screw everyone else" ????
he's like, "i'm down for that."- nicole
blakely's in!- adam
killer body. fugly bikini.
he's swimming away from her.
nice nautical music. soft but forceful drum- enya style.
he looks like a monkey in that tux.
rolled up pants?
LADIES, THE ONE SHOULDER MOMENT HAS PASSED. YOU ARE DATING YOURSELF IN THOSE ONE SHOULDER NUMBERS.
his hair is amazing.
why are they so freakish. just get to know people without pressure!
desperation station!
he does that with his lips when he's not buying it- dad.
his light switch has flipped OFF.
he's gonna send her home.
look how happy she is!
why is he holding the rose if he's going to let her go?
that tux is a disaster on him.
oh she's crumbling.
there goes the brow...
it's trying to pull but the botox is too strong.
that is mean to pick up the rose and get her hopes up.
i hope she finished dinner...
that dress is so 80's.
NEVER ASK WHAT YOU DID WRONG!!!!! LET IT GO AND KEEP IT MOVING.
shut up! shut up! shut up! he doesn't like you. save your dignity and move on!
glamorous jump into the dinghy.
his flood tux. killing me, gilligan.
i love her nail color. they're all sharing the same polish.
not the david grey again!!!!!!
is this this years, "love lifts us up where we belong?"
it would be so much better if they brought out a piano on the beach.
ooooh yes! the ponder shot with the rose thrown into the ocean!!
those pants are made for a 12 yr old.
blakely is dressed up and ready to go meet those baseball players at the cantina.
are nikki's eyes crooked?
ooooooh the jersey shore comment! they're all trying hard not to laugh.
why does she have such dead lip color at all times.
courtney just has verbal diarrhea.
he looks like a tween at jr prom.
ew! she just bit her thumb?!
he talks to them like he's their pediatrician-nicole.
courtney is such a hoebag.
"i'm hoping i'm a vision....i know i'm a sight for sore eyes.".... she's so horrible!!!
she has the strangest restalyn mouth tics.
she just flashed him.
he's more awkward than a 12 yr old having his first kiss.
i mean, i really want this!- ben's penis.
we're alone.. on a beach... with a camera crew.
he really wants this.
he had to ask the producer if he could do this first...
cute lingerie.
oh my! ooooh my!
id kill for them to hit a riptide and get the tumble.
i hope he feels guilty.
is he going to stay "open" to ALL of them?
wheee! chlamydia party!
gingie's eyeliner is aggressive.
blakely looks pretty this time.
go kasey b! sensible non panicky advice.
he looks JUST like FRANCINE- Arthur's friend.
ooop ! there he goes with that lip tic while blakely's talking.
he's not into it!!!- dad.
what did she open up about, exactly?
fun nails, blakely!
no, you're right, heinous model, he ISN'T having that "connection" with the rest of them.. wink.. wink...
she brought up the skinny dipping.
whore.
her mouth issues are so offensive!
gingie is drunk... skaaaannny dipping is sooo freeeeeeahing!
we should do a drinking game with the word "progressing."
or "finding love" or "journey."
don't bring it up again, doc!!!! he's SCHTOOPING HER!!!!
he's doing the lip thing.
she's gorgeous and super rachel mcadams'ish.
emily, get it TOGETHER!!! why didn't you learn your lesson?!
the doctor has to feel sooo vindicated now that this has aired.
courtney's dress is fugly.
horse girl looks better than she's looked for a long time.
casey is "karen smith" from mean girls to courtney's "regina george."
woooah! lotta color in this vacation wear!
i wan't kasey b!!!- dad.
acoustic dramatical geeeeetar!
he loves lindzi, courtney, and casey b.
WHO IS JAMIE?!
cheryl teigs?! again?
coutney's fish lips are KILLING ME.
that hair of his!
wooooooah! he's sending gingie home?!
i thought he was in love with her kisses!
i didn't see that coming! did you?
i think he dumped her cause the dress is a flipping moo moo.
good for her. keep it classy and lose it in the jeep.
woah. that light is NOT flattering.
she was blindsided.
this isn't love. this is competition.
i love their hopeful meaningful gazes while he delivers his monologues.
who says it's the most glamorous city?
i love casey's dress.
ooooh another copter in the future?
is cheryl teigs the dark horse?
oooh no! what happens? did someone die?
good season teasers!
nothing about this chocolate bath is sexy.
please tell me they're not going to dip fruit and eat it out fo their b.o. chocolate.

what do you kids think?

leaving for good...

2012-01-30T17:32:00.002-05:00

2 wks ago, i properly said goodbye to las vegas.
i had intended to shoot down there solo but since my car was TOTALED by that little fender bender (fml) i needed some help from my parentals.
never to miss a party, sussy, bil, evie, kara and jeff all came to play one last time.
before my final goodbye, we hit carnegie (my fav nyc deli) at the mirage,
checked out this disaster of a store...

i know, i know... but i sorta hoped, they'd have their kohl's line- i wouldn't mind that fierce black jumper. instead, they had bizarre playing cards with the girls faces on them, catch phrase t-shirts like "hey, doll!" and other bizarre kardashi-tchotchkes. booo. bible.

we ate at my favorite (and only james beard award winning) thai restaurant.

mom made a special trip to Marie Callender's so she could see if her old favorites were still as good as she remembers when she worked there in the 70's.
they tasted the same, but she now says her pies are better (surprise, surprise).

we practiced walking with evie-lou

and she helped pick out cheesecake at the cheesecake factory (i die for the godiva!).

doesn't nicole look like kate middleton?!

i said goodbye to my little house (my one bright haven in las vegas),
packed my things in garbage bags, and headed to utah where i'll be based until my apartment is again available in march....

hi-diddle-dee-dee, a GYPSY's life for me.
ugh.

i'm singing this saturday!

2012-01-29T16:11:00.000-05:00

hey UTAH!
i'm singing in this benefit concert for the SYD RIGGS foundation
on SATURDAY night at OREM HIGH SCHOOL.

i'd love it if you came.

i'll be singing a Wildhorn WONDERLAND tune
& reprising my role as "eponine" with most of the original Utah Les Miserables in concert cast.

should be swell.
there's some seriously talented peoples up in here.

i'd love to see you there!

and now we're grown ups.

2012-01-27T16:13:00.000-05:00

my utah girlfriends have been doing the baby thing for years.
my bestie, ABK is working on her 5th (holy moly-coolest mom ever-lucky 5)
but it's a different thing when your party-time! excellent! nyc pals pop out the littles.
i had a small dose of it when rosie had sweet dorothy, but
worthie, CK, & KT all did it within 2 wks of each other!
and all GIRLS!
as all babies should be.

here is worthie's beautiful colette hollingsworth who came out with a FULL head of highlighted hair as i wouldn't expect anything less from fabulous worthie.

she's absolutely perfect and worthie is just such a naturally wonderful mother.

doesn't she look amazing!
hopefully this will satisfy my auntie missings for my girl, evie, while i'm in nyc.
sadly, i didn't get any pics of athelia claire cause my phone dies daily during visiting hours. ugh.

so here we are... from national tours to wedding to baby!
is it time for this?
i guess so...
welcome to the world, little ones.
auntie mim is here with bows for now and dating advice when you grow.
you were born to extraordinary women, you lucky things.

nothing good gets away.

2012-01-25T00:26:00.001-05:00

i have broken again that which was already cracked and pasted together...
which means i'm a bit shattered...

subsy, being the dutiful and awesome
best friend that she is,
sent this
brilliant letter that john steinbeck sent to his son re:love.

i loove the last line:

And don't worry about losing. If it is right, it happens -- The main thing is not to hurry. Nothing good gets away.

pic source unknown

i am crazy about this.

2012-01-24T01:22:00.004-05:00

crazy.
love so much.
want to live in this sound.
listen.

{ bachelor ben- episode 4 } - the earnest blonde utahan scene stealer

2012-01-24T01:20:00.000-05:00

tonight's bachelor adventure took me to queens to my hilarious sister-duo friends nadia and audra's pad. i laughed my head off. we also had sister #3 (they come from a fam of 5 gals as well), noelle's, input as well as friend melissa.
it was a drizzly night in nyc and i needed some wahaab love, nadia's corn chowder & audra's amazing bachelor-themed cupcakes.

my all time favorite moment of the night was when this creeper

repeatedly got in the spotlight/frame....

here she is again. i almost wet my pants over it. just sooo grinny and in it.
who knows her, utah! fess up! her fb must have blown up over this!

i'll accept this rose (or 2) any time!
aren't these adorable?! check out audra's baking blog! she's amazing.

yay utah!!
gross. ben is a disaster on a horse.
you guys!!! this is my place!
******breaking news **** i hear from a nyc source that that crazy model biatch was telling people that she won... which makes me know she didn't cause those winners are locked tight into a confidentiality clause... hey ABC, watch her.
is this the first helicopter of the season? i believe it is. copter count: 1
engage your core on that horse , you floppy wit.
his hair. vim.
my place is so pretty.
jersey shore needs to go.
i love kacie b- she'll be the next bachelorette after emily for sure.
holy lipliner, blakely.
chris! sporting a jaunty banana republic look.
i think the red head is a serial killer.
we all agree that kacie is way too pretty for fugly ben.
cheryl teigs on the one on one? send that tranny home!
oh no . oh no, kacie. get it together.
nice padded bra, cheryl.
don't like kacie's flat ironed look... looks damaged. take note, girls.
kacie!!! shut the eff up!!!!
at least she's doing it in the confessionals. keep it together around the other gals.
bridal veil falls??? jordanelle dam?! my places!
i'm totally not into cheryl teigs.
nadia thinks she's too old for ban. i agree.
kayak. first thought: please tip over.
she's giving him porn voices and i'm not having it.
look at those nasty bugs... nothing says romance like swarming insects around you kissing.
crazy utahan seems relatively normal right now-she must be so pissed that they're in utah.
i think cheryl teigs seems hung over 24 / 7.
ahahahah! awkward silence-- now she calls out his "wink" and he's just squinting.
"crows feet" that's what we're talking about--because he's seeing it on her face.
ooop! talking about the weather = kiss of death.
beaver dams.... reeeeally downhill.
she's going home.
where are they, utahns? that lake by timp?
this walking thru the woods reminds me of high school.
3 layered confessional, ban? all olive? weird.
he doesn't like her.
he's not "confused." he just doesn't like her.
i love a good yurt.
the food is untouched and he's saying "gotcha".... it's over.
"i'm used to having him all to myself"?!? in your dreams, crazy town? kacie get with it.
these girls need to have a 5 min reality check with one of their outside girfriends to make them normal again-melissa.
ew fishing. no thanks.
the model blossoms? like puberty?
audra thinks the model is the michelle $ of this season.
nadia thinks emily the doctor is way too smart for ben.
why do they talk about relationships in the general and abstract? just get to know each other.
"this fire is hot"...... derrrr. yep. hotter than your chemistry.
how on earth is she falling for him?! excuse me?
are we now matching nails to shirts to jewelry to eyeshadow? fyi, light grey isn't flattering on many complexions....
he's thinking about sports while she drivels this monotone monologue.
"ooooh i'm 50" says cheryl teigs- nadia.
is this really happening? he's giving her a rose?
does he have NO STANDARDS?! - nadia
yeah the date totally sucks, i'm confused and she doesn't open up so i'll give her a rose.
nothing is more unsexual than a phallic object going into your guys mouth....
why is blakely miss usa ready at all times.
he's like a floppy fish on that horse.
ben on a horse doesn't have the same effect as brad on a horse-nadia.
ooooh look at his face! woooah nellie! i wish he'd fall off!
aaahahaha! go cart race! that's a funny joke!
horse girl is freaking thrilled.
she can't pretend she's riding well.
striped shirt girl looks like laguna beach girl.
ok, they got that wax seal necklace? is that so he can remember their names? just use name tags.
ew. please stop the horse/prince references.
how is ben acting like he knows what he's doing.
this must be provo canyon.
kacie seriously is sandra bullock.
why does blakely have a wilted flower behind her ear.
i love the models courting tutorials.
can we make a montage of all of her soundbites and make "courtney's guide to dating?"- audra
BEN!!! she doesn't "get " anything. she's a slutty fugly model.
of course they're drinking.. it's like 11 am.
lindzi has courtney's moves down! go in, girl!
and courtney one ups you again with a fish!
ew! why are we kissing fish.
baby voices?! gross.
yowzah! she's wretched!
why is the model always posing?
that upper lip filler is super distracting.
woooah! boobs! who is that?
i love that they never give them food- just apps & bevys.
samantha looks like ashley tisdale- audra.
finally! kacie S!
i dig her.
i like the pop of neon and the blue nails.
she has great style.
why haven't we seen her before? i like her.
woah! nikki's red face?! she's druuunk.
yes, it IS terrifying, nikki..... you DON'T know him.
"i think you thrive in a group setting"-- as in "i don't really want to be around you."
way to throw the sob story right out, girl.
her boss? that's traumatic, sure...but reaching.
and actually, now i don't have a job...so ..... i really need the rose.
what did he mumble that she plowed over.
INCOMING! ashley tisdale byu cheerleader!
GO COUGARS!
what is that creepy voice she's doing?
she's aggressive! the girl before said she's grateful and this girl demands to know WHY!
sweet tiffany necklace.
total nose job..
lash extensions & possible veneers? is that why she's lisping?
she's been emotional? why haven't we seen the emotional?
she's shocked.
flip the hair.
biiiig veneers. can't close her mouth.
he's PRAYING someone saves him from her.
good for him for being honest.
her house of cards is crumbling.
bunny teeth.
i wish we'd seen more of her train wreck coming.
she's super high maintenance.
i like that he showed SOME spunk.
waaait. blakely isn't a VIP cocktail waitress in NC.... no. she's vegas.
i think crazy utah is semi normal but she got shitfaced and acted a fool.
she's not upset about ben. she's embarrassed.
ooooh she's the one with the huge boobs.
model's skin looks insanely discolored.
ben's trying to pull a bieber with that sweatshirt.
oooh the girls are nervous they'll get cut after a 16 bar audition.
jennifer is serial killer'ish.
love kacie's sweater. ..but pull it over the boob.
so he's at the waldorf and the girls are at the canyons? bummer. i'd have requested the st. regis.
her accent gets real thick when she's sweet talkin.
kacie just did a double wink.
why the fake engagement ring?!
NOT so subtle hint- nadia.
how did they sneak away to this private one on one
his mouth looks like scar from lion king. awkward kisser!
oooh adam and eve! they both look nakie.
he has nice hands.
is that a missoni bikini?
yeah. from target- nadia.
she's eating her bottom lip.
who enjoys reassuring these debbie downers?!
she's so manipulative.
he's obsessed with the model.
only so he can say, "i dated a model."
she's the fakest thing ever.
noooooo don't give that cow the rose!!!!!
nadia is sure that the model was one of charlie sheen's goddesses. #winning!
oooh good ! the hair flip and the lip chew! she's a flirt expert.
"i do"... subliminal!!! she's like a literal witch... casting her spell.
kacie is a curly like me! she needs good product and that look would be a win!
the mirror close up is super axe murder.
the forehead vein!!!
they're not making that nacklace happen.
those jeans are from 1990.
they're from aeropostale- nadia.
utah is sooo pretty.
buuurn those jeans, jen-serial killer.
those roots are ALWAYS offensive.
no trespassing signs for the drama... um obviously this is pre-rigged.
nadia- as a red head- is furious.
you guys, the hot pots are not sexy. they smell like sulfuric farts and are gross and dirty.
they're in midway, utah.
you did NOT cliche the "plunge!!!" vim.
Utahan seems like a woman compared to the rest of the girls- nadia.
and blakely is a woman of the NIGHT- audra.
back to the hot pots.... straddle each other.!
excuse me, what is scary about this? they have people rigging them down.
it doesn't look that far down.
here we go with the "trust talk."
she does have a cute body- not many birds could pull of the harness around the heiney look.
are they on a lift at deer valley?
there are some deer so.. .probably- nadia.
she has "fillings" for ben.
are they sharing the same plate?
is he cutting her meat?
how many layers? hoodie, pull over & jacket.
why would she have to deal with his inflexible life and why is he asking?
she looks like a fish.
she looks better as a rained out brunette!- noelle
oooh bummer. that girl is balding.
and that bump-it is tragic. who is that?
how are we still seeing new girls?
essie ballet slippers on the model.
oh good! at least SOMEONE is getting their roots done!
naturally, blakely does highlights.
prom hair on utah....
"vegan/raw doe eyed model?" i can't stand her.
guess they love blakely now?
juuust keep drinkin, doc.
when you don't have a lid, STAY AWAY FROM THE FROSTY SHADOW...
or just DO THAT IN GENERAL!
he likes her cause she's not a threat.
why wasn't i invited to this "private concert?"
who is this country preson?
why is he swing dancing ?
aaah they're at the canyons.
nothing is more awkward than holding a rose for the rest of the night.
who is that dumb utah girl trying to get in their shot? i'm dying laughing. this is her MOMENT!!! i'm crying laughing.
his hair is the ultimate worst.
he's pitchy, dog.
oooh that blondie is in the shot again!! i'm living for her!
rose ceremony
good job on those highlights, blakely!
i hope courtney falls in the fire while she's posing.
woooah! bump it looks like a figure skater.
i didn't think the doc would be the whistler blower!
ben is retarded. he's not believing her.
he's not going to listen.
oooh ouch. he's slapping her down.
she's giving me rachel mcadams feelings.
i think she just ruined it for herself.
he'll cut people out if anyone questions him.
kacie S is just a little fab doll.
first rule of dating: never ever talk about another woman when you're with a man.
Casey S. is friends with courtney?! oooh no....
the only reason courtney is nice to casey is because she hasn't had a one on one.
ok, doc. you've lost your mind. time for you to go home.
ooooh "get a drink" is code for "tattle on you."
ooop! i was right.
that neckline is too high for those big boobs.
i love a mouthed "wow"
"i'm a nice person. don't f*&% with me." "i almost want to rip her head off and verbally assault her." "or just shave her eyebrows off in the middle of the night."--i kind of get that- those eyebrows are bad. "she should watch herself."
LOVING that. LOVING.
you guys!!! these are things nice people say!!!
we've decided that casey must be stupid which is why we haven't seen her.
nikki- flat iron flat hair, smooshed boobes & purple eyeshadow isn't cute.
oooh nikki! you just ruined your hair.
and ben has a round brush blow out!
don't bring up girls!!! dummy.
aren't those girls close enough to hear?
casey couldn't be more obvious.
woah! utah has her boobs out!
"i know myself reeeally well." -model. she's nuts.
i wish the model would put lipstick on.
emily shouldn't deny that.
"that's all i'm gonna say. " wait... here are some more obscenities.
STOP SAYING WINNING!!!
she just played a rose pantomime- nadia.
the utah lesbian is the voice of reason.
she's the 40 yr old den mother for the girls-nadia.
she's mrs garrett from the facts of life.
"it's not a good look."- what does that mean?- nadia.
model just chugs wine in the shadows.
blakely and those boobs. shocking.
a monumental night?
what is behind him? is that a human heart splattered on a plate?- nadia.
you were a dummy, doc. a total dummy.
it was nice of them to bring the quakies in for this rose ceremony .
rustic.
it was nice of them to gloss the lips before they bite them desperately.
can we send jersey shore home?
those yellow nails are offensive. nix.
does he have a teleprompter for their names.
jersey shore got a rose?! what?!
i think casey s needs to go. she's mean.
"you won't regret this"- jersey shore
"but what if i do?"- ben.
way to exasperate, blakely.
chris is looking more and more eagle-like every day.
doc's lipgloss is all over the place.
nooooo! they axed lezzie utah in her state to save the travel fee.
i was liking her in the end.
ouch to get sent home in your own state.
ben has dorothy hamill hair in that snowy/angsty shot.
she seemed low drama after the first ep. i liked her.
oh the synthetic angel music is heartbreaking.... not really.
mean for them to have to drive her thru down town park city... not anywhere near the way home.
"i was there 2 months ago."... cue awkward pause.... and she's TOTALLY penelope!
well.. i discovered puerto rico, so... i was the anita who anita was based on... soo... i gave them the idea for west side story... so..... i am miss puerto rico so....
oooh the evil witch cackle!!! and skinny dipping! big news!!!
blakely seems semi-normal now...

i got the following comments from my mom via text which i'm loving.

your dad and i are watching the bachelor
did you see the horse wrangler in front of ben as he crossed the river? woops!
he's two fisted & white knuckled at the horn [ on the saddle ].
he needs to take it in the legs, dude [ again, about his loosy goosy saddle technique ]
and butt! that's why cowboys have those tight A's.
that blonde stalker! so yearning!
the girl who went home has horrible unpolished nails. she should be so embarrassed.

another way to blow it out...

2012-01-22T19:51:00.001-05:00

usually, i straighten my hair by sectioning it off,
starting at the bottom layers and round brush blow drying it section by section.
my hair is sooo curly that it needs extra pull and tug and if i don't attack it when the hair is wet, it is prone to go frizzy-town.

mom has started doing it a different way so i attempted it... above are my before and after pix.
simply paddle brush blow your hair out... you know, willy nilly with your head upside down while brushing and blowing from root to tip- just to get it straightish.
then
use a 1 1/2 or 2 inch curling iron and take each section- again, starting from the bottom layers and going to the top layers and curl around the barrel of the curling iron without clamping down holding the ends near the iron to smooth the hair. i went away from the face then toward the face alternating pieces.

well....
i think this'd be a great way to save time if you have medium to lightly curly hair and perfect for someone with straight hair.
for someone with a fro like mine, it just took SOOOOO long-probably twice the time.... and i felt that if you looked closely enough at the roots, i'd look like a girl who doesn't know how to blow her hair out-- you know that look-frizzy and broken.
BUT my hair was bangin and looked really really full and thick (which it is not).

sooo... maybe i'll do it again & maybe perfect my curling iron skills?

i dunno.. try it. see what you think.

the girl really worth having

2012-01-22T19:31:00.001-05:00

-why don't you tell me that

'if the girl had been worth having, she'd have waited for you'?

-no, sir, the girl really worth having won't wait for anybody.

{ f. scott fitzgerald }

here's to choosing instead of waiting to be chosen

and

being the girl who doesn't wait.

thanks meg for being there when i need you with the right quote and cup of tea

2012-01-17T20:09:00.003-05:00

one ought, each day at least,
to hear a good song,
read a good poem,
see a fine picture,
and, if possible,
speak a few reasonable words.

{ johann wolfgang von goethe }

tonight i'm off to the big apple to speak a few reasonable words to a few of my favorite people, meet two of the newest gal pals to add to our group (go CK & worthie!!) and sing a few tunes for some auditions.

it's been too long.

i can't wait!

bachelor ben { episode 3 - the return of shawntel }

2012-01-17T02:12:00.000-05:00

how many homes do you have, ben? one in napa.. one in san francisco? you're a regular world traveling lothario.
ben's sister is a lot cuter than he is.
waaaait, wait, wait, wait... why are we downloading with sister this early? did i miss an episode?
why are those idiot girls holding hands? very asian.
i'm not a fan of people calling the town "san fran." like when people say they're going to "nyc."
his hair is worse by the minute.
sissy has cute style.
my ex, ed, always puts his sunglasses on the back of his shirt.
that horse riding girl really needs to re think that hair color and fugly nude lip.
i really need a name brush up every week on these birds. i can't remember.
love "lifts us up"... hmmmm... coit tower? hot air balloon?
emily has some crazy eyebrow situation..
yeah, i wonder before every date whether or not i'm going to pee my pants as well... totally normal.
things you'll never see me doing if i were ever to be on THE BACHELOR: running.
you know they find the most freaked out heights girl in their interviews and schedule them for these stupid dates.
"trust and driving into the unknown"... how many more height cliches can we have....
how is this not illegal.
i'd jump off the bay bridge before i'd do that.
it's making my butt tingle just watching this.
sussy's hands are sweating.
this is the scariest fear factor challenge IN BACHELOR HISTORY.
now my palms are sweating.
i want to cry for her. no way. because then you have to climb down.
nikki looks NUTS.
please don't tell me he's going to kiss her.
and he does. oh you egomaniac, like that will fix it?!
great grape color in that confessional shirt.
oh, how many bridge metaphors do we have to suffer thru?!
it's a dress. pretty. she looks great.
she must be freezing. he's in a double layer.
is he wearing lip gloss? oh.. wait, he kissed her.
their chemistry seems a little more normal.
older bro on match.com. classic.
oooh, flirty lipgloss.
i like her. she seems pretty normal.
casey s- she's the mermaid we haven't seen at all.
do they all have to shrug and open their mouths when their names are called?
"that handwriting [ on the date card ] looks like it's from a 14 yr old girl... so it's either chris harrison or ben who wrote it."- adam
"he looks so bored when the girls are talking.. like he's just waiting for them to finish their lines."- mom
heights girl is put together.
she could tone down the flirty mouth bites. (did she watch kristen wiig's flirting video?)
"oooh she's a terrible kisser." -adam
eeew the whiney girls!!
emily is tall!
love the awkward runs in high high heels.
cheryl teigs sounds like a man.
what the hell is a "leap list?"
nice car commercial...
oooh! where's danny tanner & uncle jessie
new honda cr-v... did you get that?
i love that they're all in beach wear.
that's such a fun stunt!!
how were they able to do this?! i'm into this date. i'd kill at this challenge.
where are you skiing in ny, rachel?
i love that they're in bikinis. there's gonna be some indecent exposure when they eat it.
i used to bikini ski in high school. spring skiing at sundance.
Kasey B is my favorite.
"i hope she got a brazillian!"- nicole
stop trying to make "leap list" happen, ben.
lindzi looks a wreck with that lip color.
"she looks like a coked out julie bowen."- adam
who is brittney?
what is that ghetto necklace that you know she won't be able to keep.
oooh she's sweet to tell her she'll have a good time.
"brittney is the bentley of this season."- nicole
this is staged.
nobody would be that crazy...
and that girl shouldn't be turning down ANY dates...
nicole and adam love the tonga room.
tiki bars are cool again. i'm trilled.
rachel.. that's cheryl teigs.
she might be a man.
you know she tastes like ashtray.
oooh come on, kasey b! sandy bullock would keep it together.
i wish he'd just say, "please just stop being a crazy biatch."
instead, he smooches her.
i like her.
i hate to be catty, but that greasy haired, bad skinned, mascara mask is turning down a date, what is the world coming to?
please tell me she barges into the tiki bar!
blakely must have 100 different slut corsets to choose from.
"does she know she has dead crows hanging from her ears?" -adam
brittney's accent is a mess.
"expeshily"
if THIS is the hardest decision of her life, um....
wait! she's the grandma girl?! she was so much cuter then!
sooo let's wrap this date up so i can pow wow with the producers and find out who my "second choice" is/ no worries, guys.... this was all staged anyway.
why is imbalanced utahan sobbing hysterically.
how many times do these idiots say "san fran."
lindzi, you were second choice.... factor that in.
big arm swinger
i can't watch that lip color.
"she talks with her hair."- nicole
oh, ben! you're just like macgrubber! a key and everything.
i'm jelly.
i love matt nathanson. saw him in ogden of all places a hundred years ago...
if a guy said i had "potential", i'd run.
you know ben had never been to this speak easy before.
i appreciate the muffled horn tunes. very 20's.
i can not handle her speaking voice... she speaks in the back of her throat... on top of nodules.
bless her heart, her hair is a disaster.
and his hair, not surprisingly, is wretched too...
i don't even know what to say... this interchange is killing me. i can't stop laughing.
"it looks like she's been deranged.. like she's been drug around the whole city by her hair."-mom
she's a complete woman, ben? as opposed to..... a hermaphrodite?
ok, liberache.
oooooh, come on!!! more david gray?! you know he learned that ONE song and nothing else... like when dudes would learn "stairway to heaven" in high school.
at least we don't have to suffer thru ben singing it.
ooop another "ben and i."
nicole's so annoyed by everyone's "guards."
oooh right, the ex is just driving in casually to surprise him with no inclination that he's entertaining other women.
oooh she's talking to harrison. got it.
crazy cooter chantelle.
"who's chris?"-mom
sandy bullock has great style.
this gingie is aggressive.
mom is (again) really upset by her roots.
"i have a good feeling about you." proverbial pat on the back.
she's giving me mandy moore feelings.
what if he ends this kiss & he's like ... ugh... i remembered it better.
isn't she the mortician?
ooooh yes, it's all coming back to me now.
horrible jeans. LADIES, flourished pockets only make your butts look HUGE and saggy. take note.
did she create a game gimmick?
"juvin-l"
"she's the kind of girl your boyfriend cheats on you with"... classic.
model is a crazy pot stirrer.
i love that the phD said she has a personality disorder.
love the fuchsia cap sleeve... still haven't figured out who that girl is...
ew. he really likes the model.
you know he just wants to say he dated a (self-proclaimed) "model."
she's not into him. she keeps pulling away. she's here for self promotion.
babies?! what's her problem.
shawntelle is a deludenoid.
her shoes are too big.
tooooo many one shoulder dress.
eeeeeew!!!!!!! she has yzma boobs! wear a bra!
what? she just walks in casually?
jaclyn is so gross.
good! he looks genuinely surprised!
that girl on the couch is giving LOOK.
lots of classy language.
awkie that they're all just standing round.....
elyse is killing me with her fugly faces.
"the model is stunning"-nicole
"she shouldn't open her mouth."- mom
there is nothing more awkward than this moment...
this is probably the only real moment that we've seen of ben.
he's a lot more like-able. just stop "acting," ben.
looove the hot pink girl.
Kasey b is going to throw up.
who is erika?! she looks like she's in a grecian princess costume.
love the chicago-accent screamer.
i like that they claim that they know him more than she does.
ooooooh erika is an insecure crazy cat!
these girls are aggressively nuts.
why are they this upset? this is what they signed up for.
"drains people's blood."
"brad's dumpster trash."... i'm loving this.
model has lip filler.
"shawntel rides in on her high herse." amazing.
some of these gals have reeeeally ugly cry face.
i want more of the girl in fuchsia
"this is the stink -eye music."-nicole
he looks like a monkey in a suit.
i love how they fit her into the class photo rose ceremony stance.
lindzi always speaks with her chin down.
i tune him out when he's reading his lines.
shawntel's druuuunk.
why didn't court fix her makeup?
"what'sherbutt" ??? gross.
i stand by kasey/b sandy bullock for the win.
ew. i don't like elyse.
what is that horrific red dress from 1988.
"on a scale from 1 to 10, i think i'm going to throw up." aaaaaahahahahahahah!
"because she's a 1!!!"- what adam would have said but he went to sleep....
i love the convos btwn rosed.
greece is going down... good ploy!!!
why is she clutching that girls legs?
i love a medic moment.
the producers are THRILLED!
kasey's dress is fab.
he needs to send greece home for that stunt.
i love how their anger is pointedly directed at shawntelle.... and not the producers...
compliments pre rejection? bachelor first!!
shawnie looks like she's going to murder him.
aaaaah! i saw that coming. no final rose... another bachelor first?
love the water gestures.
ew. that model is vile.
he's totally dating her after this is over.
things would have turned out her shawnie's favor if she'd worn a bra.
goood! gals, if a man rejects you, definitely question his manhood.
oooh! they're coming to my people!
"they need a better bachelor."-mom
eeeew... miss greece is a music geek? what a freak.
grosssssss..... mouth tattoo.
i want to memorize that crazy monologue! she's nuts!

oh boy.... i kinda thought they'd keep shawntel for at least another ep... didn't you?

i certainly know how eve felt.

2012-01-16T03:29:00.000-05:00

leaving paradise is torture.

i had the most glorious time in mexico.
stayed in a private bungalow on a lagoon at the rosewood mayakoba in the riviera maya.
(you take a fancy jungle-cruise type boat to get to your suite)
i did nothing but relax,
read 3 books in 5 days
(loved patti lupone's memoir, jacqueline kennedy: historic conversations on life with john f. kennedy
and the girl who played with fire.)

played rummy with rook cards,

played lots of ping pong (i'm dreadful),

played bananagrams (i won),

timed the swimming champ on laps,

ate my weight in guacamole, chips, and coco light,

received a lovely nyc pressie,

found loads of sense in a special tiny purse chair,

enjoyed the fancy mannequins in playa del carmen,

relaxed by the beach/pool while butlers cleaned my glasses and brought popsicles, treats and water,

loved their festive tree,

woke up to butler breakfast service (juevos & soursop juice!)-they even bring the toaster to the suite for fresh toast,

played in the in-suite plunge pool,

enjoyed the view at the spa pool,

and watched the sunset at the lobby pool.

i'm ready to go back now!

home videos

2012-01-12T21:50:00.002-05:00

these are my sisters.
home sick with chicken-pox in the 90's.
enjoy their crimped hair, forced vibrato, and
"thing-a-ma-box."

i'm obsessed with this video.
wait till you see the gems of me as "annie."

new year 2012

2012-01-11T10:59:00.001-05:00

after an exhausting november/ december, i had very much decided that i'd forego the striptastic new years experience in favor of a lovely dinner and an evening at home with my private party of one.

i started the evening at simon with nikka- as always, it was awesome and a fantastic celeb-watching experience.

i met the maloof's (any real housewives of beverly hills fans out there? adrian is tiny and adorable and the bros are interesting..).

talked to adrian's husband paul about acquiring jimmer to play for the kings.

he admitted it was a slam dunk (pun intended).

then i met a power player at the palms who just happened to have comped 5th row center floor seats to see john legend later that night....

score.

so i changed nikka's plans and off we went to see brother legend with all of the palms people.

he opened with adele's "rolling in the deep" a capella. hot damn, it was amazing.
the man is a SICK talent. sick.
if you ever get the opportunity, you must go.
we danced our little hearts out and when i come back in my next life,

i'd like to be one of his FIERCE back up singers. killer choreography and insane voices. i live for them!

so there was this one time when JL walked down those stairs pictured above and came right down and sang to me. i don't usually get star struck, but i was into this big time.... but i didn't touch him- for the record- because that's what creeper super fans do ... and i DIDN'T want to be mistaken for that! so i just squealed and we danced together.

then we were whisked upstairs to do the countdown from Moon (which is the perfect nightclub to see all the fireworks from the strip) where people were paying $250 just to ENTER!
people are stupid.
little johnny legend counted down with his leggy fiance, i got a smooch of the cheek from my sweet friend, Q, and was back in my car and on the way out of the madness by 12:30.

a glamorous ending to a wild year and a glamorous beginning to a better one!

hope you had a wonderful time too.

the bachelor ben { episode 2 - bye bye blogger }

2012-01-10T01:34:00.000-05:00

long story... and more on mexico later...

but i got re routed to utah and my bags went to vegas... so instead of moving to utah from vegas today, i'm just hanging out and watching the national football championship with my family/friends and their husbands/boyfriends.....

so we felt we'd even the score and make them watch the bachelor.

there was no forcing there.... the guys loved it and cracked me UP.

here's our commentary.

that foul hair.
"stop shaving your legs"-nicole to ban
did he rent that dog?
i'm so over him using the dad for sympathy.
you KNOW that isn't his real house.
oh, ok.
one shoulder.... too low.
"is this real life?'
windblown ponytail.
how many layers is ban wearing in that confessional.
yeah! score one for sandy bullock! we love kacie.
the whole room loves her.
"except her sideburns go down too far"- nicole
kacie's hairline is slightly wiggish.
live for that car.
how are ya?!
hoping she's the appropriate woman? weird.
cuuuute outfit, kacie.
it's so awkie when ban has to call her kacie b. like... drop the last name letter or change your name, kace?
nothing says, "this is sonoma" quite like random chopsticks on a deserted piano.
baton twirler..
bret says "red flag!"
i think it's cute and dorky.
that was planted for. sure.
oh yeah, ban. you're so damn cool and masculine for twirling a baton in the middle of a deserted street.
"i like how he pretends he hasn't been in a marching band his whole life" - seth
it's like mayberry?
not exactly.
i hope she just causally places the baton on the table next to the rose
oooh kacie b. is wearing the jillian necklace.
yeah... apparent sideburns.
vomiting over the hair.
he's so boring... if he's not gonna be funny, he should at least be hot like womak.
news flash, kacie: every girl/person is a hopeless romantic.
he's BORING.
do they tell them to do some oddball action when their names are read for the dates?
this is not the first rose, you dummy.
yadda yadda journey this journey that... please say, my last journey hit a dead end so i had to flip a bitch and now i'm backtracking and trying to find another dummy who doesn't care that i'm personality-free.
ooh ban! YOU planned all this? how sweet!
ok.. the wedding video is so creepy.
mom thinks it's creative.
love the baton footage.
ban is a nudist.
oooh boy more dad talk.
don't get me wrong. that's horrible and terrible but is this going to come up every episode?
nice bowl cut, ban.
{ban's family picture} "which one's ban?" -seth
those intimate and tragic moments are too soon for a first date.
there's always an emotionally manipulative or crazy stunt fear factor date to "bond" them.
ben is real. gross.
"it's just too bad you can't see the cue cards" -dad
ban got a flat ironed job for the group date.
what is that whore onesie on blakely! is that your tao beach club uniform?
did ban go clubbing last night? what's that bracelet?
um.. what is a "dental consultant?"
i love their community involvement dates. so awkie.
i'm desperate for one of these girls to revela that she hates children.
this is so uncomfortable.
"the combined IQ of all the women is 130"- dad
the mom of the kid who asked for the sexy dance is dying right now.
good theory, sassy black girl!
the kid who asked her to JOG already has a porn problem.
that little girl who was not a fan of her is amazing.
oooh catty !
not gonna beat a dead horse.... pun intended.
fondling? in a kid show?
porn boy put that in.
good move, producers. cover those jugs with the gingie man.
oooh slutty pig!
do they all have the jillian necklaces? that crazy girl from utah has it too. i'm not into it.
is everyone a dental hygienest?
pino is sorta penis-y.
why the accent?
that girl with the bangs looks like cheryl teigs.
"bens closest friends are the elderly and children?" - adam
you are off book!!!
"what happens when a prince kisses an ass?!"
there are children and the elderly!! keep your clothes on!
did the porn boy suggest that stripper music?
blonde is NOT that princess girl's color.
what is with ban's penis sword dance?!
is crazy blogger on this date? where's her facetime.
"standing ovation?!" -dad "they're glad it's over!"- seth.
oh boy. the liquor. they're a sloppy bunch.
blakely's miss america 1999 hair is cray .
she looks like my friend merrill west with her hair back, right rosie? #broadwaylookalikes
"how can you swim in those earrings"- ang
"how can she swim in a smokey eye"- me
"how can she swim in those veneers?!"- nicole
what areas are you blessed in, exactly?
model is cray cray.
the last thing she needs to do is drain a few (more) bottles.
what is sandy bullock doing in that "while you were sleeping" 90's sweater neckline.
lots of flotation devices in that pool.
glad to know the earrings made it into the pool.
"isn't swimming and alcohol a bad idea"- seth.
"can the bachelor ever say no [ to one on one time } " - bret.
he's giving her such short answers then he goes in for a smacky gingie kiss.
soooo much oral herpes this season.
oooh she's a scorpio. that explains it.
"[ scorpio! ] just me and the hooker!" - mom
"look at the resistance in his neck when she pulls him in"- nicole.
why are these idiots thinking they're the only girls he's kissing?!
"her journey to gonorrhea has just begun" - adam.
eeew. lots of piercings this season!
"i hate ban! he has bad taste!" - bret.
gingie is crumbling!
i love a black mascara streak tear.
ahahaha! 'we hate you'
ooooh those girls iced her!
sometimes model is gorgeous and sometimes she looks like a tranny.
"and i and scotch"....
here's my seasonal grammar check. "ban, scotch, and me"
he's mounting scotch.
the puppy talk is so weird.
"i've just been doing me for a while." .... dirrrrty.
why is she baby talking?
i love how everyone says they want to get married and travel then have children.
mom is distracted by model's hole in her hair.
courtney's smart, ban? really?
greeeasy hair, ban. vim.
"i wonder how many mosquito bites they got sitting there." - ali
4 layers on that confessional outfit with an "eggplant v-neck kicker" (adam)
who wants to sit on a hay bale?!
"pokey!"- jacob
"you've got a winning personality!"
"winning is her favorite word"- adam
"she learned that from her time with charlie sheen."- nicole.
we've noticed that whenever ban starts talking we all start talking.
"i don't care about his friends or family!" - seth.
"just get back to the craaaaazy bitches!"- adam.
you've dated an actor? congrats! would you like a medal?
"well.. you know she has said a lot of words for a model."- nicole.
awkward pecktown with a proceeding tongue.
"she dove in lip-injection first on that one!"- adam.
he really does love to give a 4-5 minute monologue before presenting these roses.
he thought he'd be MORE reserved?! he's so monotone and boring!
i just hope they fall off that swing.
looootta bad spray tans.
"what's with lipstick colors and women right now?" - seth.
lotta lace tops.
i wish one girls who already got the rose would just keep it in her teeth the entire cocktail hour.
do you think ban's bangs were round brushed then flattened off?
lindzi has rough name spelling but a really cute body and needs a darker lip color.
why do girls think all guys want you to play in the dirt?
samantha looks like a byu cheerleader.
that girl is trying to provoke slutty blakely.
the gal in emerald gave total lizard face.
mom's wondering how long this filming goes cause cause she already thinks a couple of girls already need their roots done and it's only week two
byu cheerleader has some looooong boobies.
cheryl teigs needs to take out her piercings.
ali thinks sandy bullock looks like lila garrity.
she is NOT going in for another one on one talk.
that bloggers melded highlights are turning chlorine green. eeks.
oooh he raaaan from her!
when you're a vip cocktail waitress, you always reach for bottles with your booty out.
the phD candidate looks like kendra wilkenson
blogger is trying to burn the joint down.
"it's like a war zone... with candles" - ang.
ladies, i say it every single season: frosty shadow is NEVER a good idea.
things to never say to a man: "i'm like a guy."
blogger's drunk confessional faces are KILLING me.
you're not a typical girl? do you have male parts as well?
"i'm sotally tober!" - adam.
she always melts down at the rose ceremony.
kacie is adorable. i like the nod to the 80's. she's working for me.
every time jaclyn is on screen the entire room peals in laughter ... too much to write here.
i love the lace dress on the model.
blakely DOES have feelings, you guys!
"how much cocaine is that in that ring, right there?" adam.
you really should invest in good luggage if it's gonna be on camera. save the cheeseball prints.
it's hilarious how the bachelor always tries to mediate the hen house drama.
woaaaah! i can almost see that girl's cooter! crossed legs on the couch with ben!
"[ as blakely ] i don't love all this... i just really love luggage."- bret
get yourself off the baggage carousel and get back to the cocktails, nutbag!
poor guy is making the rounds to scrape these crazies off the floor.
i can see the blogger's cutlets.
"the model's forehead looks like ron howard" - adam.
i'm kinda missing the tension btwn crazy slc and the blogger.
elise is like a lip-less betheny frankel.
who are half of these girls?!
oooh burrrr! i'm just so freezing cause i don't eat!
"who ISN'T a dental hygenist?!"- mom
who is kacie S?! gorgeous mermaid caissie levy look-alike!
ooh good. we need to keep slc in the game.
"this is when chris pauses his xbox game and comes out of the van to announce the final rose."- adam.
boo! sending cute tracy turnblad home?!
i'm sooo curious to go to crazy blogger's website but i honestly don't want to up her numbers.
this is a good farewell monologue and i sorta love the white nail.
do you think the california tourism council is buying hosting space for their great state?
perfect cue, sirens. classic.
"they busted blakely for hooking on the corner."- adam.
he looks like a monkey.

what do you think? xo our motley crew.

ooooh mexico!

2012-01-03T01:20:00.000-05:00

i've never really been but i'd sure like to goooo!

so i am.
tomorrow am.

and i'm hoping i don't have a "charlotte" experience...
don't worry, i won't drink the water.

see you next week, loves!
hope the first week of your new year is awesome.

oh! some of you asked for my instagram name- search: natalieKhill

xo mim

the bachelor ben { episode 1--first rose ceremony }

2012-01-03T00:45:00.001-05:00

i think i start this post the same way every year...

no, i'm not really interested in this season (heard that before),

the CaveGroban (Ben looks like a caveman mixed with an ugly josh groban) just doesn't do it for me.

my girl laura hall calls him "BAN"-- cause that's how whatshername from last season said his name... so we'll go with that instead of CaveGroban cause, well, it's just 3 letters and i'm lazy in my old age....

bachelor, my first request is that you pick a location where we don't have to watch the bachelors (or their families) profusely sweat during the proposal. nothing says true love like obvious perspiration.
NICOLE! is that your old apartment that BAN just walked out of????
SOMEBODY's been tanning & hitting the gym......
i want his car.
coulda called these vineyard shots a year ago.
ok, kids. his hair is not the right texture for that cut. he looks homeless. make it short and let's be on our way....not curly, not straight.... totally fugly.
ooooh nothing says broody like a guy fake playing the piano to SOMEBODY ELSES track. thanks, david gray. super moodytown.
he really does look like a cave man. and i'm just gonna say it, groban is WAY better looking.
if you were ashley, would you watch this? i totally would.
yes, lindsey! stick that arse out while you ride, girl!
cute girl... baaaad baaad spray tan color. best to err on the side of pasty, kids.
amber scares me... not just because she's fully loaded, but she has a crazy look in her eye.
eeek! tongue move!
ooh i like this southern belle. Kacie is a doll.
and a cheeseball with bad fake tan white armpits but i like her.
ooh courtney looks a bit like jackie seiden (anybody? anybody?).
ew. she's gross.
another nurse. with a really sad story! she's sweet. i'd love to fix her hair.
she seems much older than 25 but
lyndsie is a goof. i like her. nothing is funnier than when someone from the UK speaks in their version of an american accent.
jenna, you need a better bra. or a bra in general.
and better melding... looks really damaged.
seriously, did they send a memo asking for all the girls to get bad tans and then over bronze?
playboy finance girl single mom! go girl! laaaaadies.... notice the intense blond on top & the dark hair under (i'll call it the "tracey turnblad") it's out. been out since, well.... tracey. it was never in....
texas girl is a doll.
pretty bride.
great legs.
yes, ben. that many women coming to see you IS incredible. lap it up, dude.
at least they put him in a decent suit.
nice blow out, big guy (vim).
i like rachel rose. great dress. great bangs.
poor erika is so nervous.
ew. cheesy line, pageant dress.
amber bacon! she'e been practicing that script for a while.
elyse didn't reveal that she' a trainer so that "make you sweat" thing was scary.
jenna. awkward silence......great dress. horrible intro.....
bad color on hair and skin.
most awkward interchange of all time?
again, jenna.... wear a strapless bra and lighten up on the highlighter.
ew model... too soon on the touches. he's floored. he's never dated a model.
bummer hair, emily... bold move with the first kiss. cute.
what?! the sash?! bad hair bad move.
casey is cute. hate the dress. hate the hair. he's flustered by her.
amber picked up that dress from miss puerto rico world.
these gimmicks are killing me.
derby girl, we can't see your face.
sextastic dress, southern belle!
i like jamie. that dress is a little wild...
shira needs to take an improv class... ew. she bought her dress in vegas.
blakely is gorg.
you know i hate the feathers. #birdflu.
loved the dress. reminded me of my peaches and cream barbie.
eff. another gimmick? must we suffer the indignity of watching a nearly octogenarian waste our girl bashing time?!
ok... pretty granddaughter could use a little tailoring on the front of that dress.
that gramma hater reminds me of jillian.
"sash, hat, and... a grandma"- quote of the night.
nicki is beautiful.
dress courtesy of miss venezuela 2000
oooh dianna, i for see a nip slip.
awkward.
great color on all accounts, jennifer.
good dress, j.
cute numbers game.
lyndsie is a total kook. what is that dress?
i totally like her.
anna!!! porn star!
nice move... for a porn star.
oh no!!! the crazy girl is from SLC.
she looks JUST like a blonde sierra boggess.
cute talk single mom, but what was the friend slug?!
ooooh good he commented on it too...
kacie looks fab. very sandy bullock.
cute linzie. yes, just leave the horse... he can find his way...
is that the war horse?
ooooh starting the bitchiness!
these girls are DRUNK.
kentucky derby needs to lose the hat.
oh rachel sounds a bit drag queeny.
on closer inspection, rachel has a whole lotta piercings...
not as classic a look as i initially thought.
i love these bold statements about ben and his character from a 30 second interaction.
they're ALL SO DRUNK.
linzi must have watched the kristen wiig flirting video to get those sweet hair moves.
and that blondie with the grandma looks like a busted you, brandi burkhardt.
it's broadway look-a-like bachelor today!
you've got to "cock it".....
so they def make these loonies bring a weirdo gimmick.
peaches and cream has a matching tat with kasey! match made in reunion heaven!!
i like the line danching, kacie.
drunk.
i am laughing hysterically..."it's kind of hard to have a conversation when ben is blindfolded and being fed from a garbage sack."
infectious disease girl needs to keep the rap to 16 bars.
it's still going....
she's talking about herself non stop. she hasn't asked him one thing.
hair fetish.
blogger is losing it.
why is she attacking crazy sierra look-alike.
"i'm like switzerland." love kacie.
a lezzie first? how forward, bachelor!
peaches is getting a little weirded out.
druuuunk.
why are the weirdies always from slc?! ugh.
this blogger girl is crumbling in the first minute!
it seems to me that the nyc freak show is the beginning and end of the drama?
oooh jenna is cray cray.
oh gosh! she roped poor sandy bullock into the whole affair.
please, ben. don't think sandy is in the cray cray club.
i love the creepy carnival/tim burton underscoring whenever a crazy is on screen.
she's crying in the first few hours?! give her the boot.
i'm LIVING for jenna. wanna be carrie bradshaw basket case.
oooookay. not a bad choice, ben. she's sweet.
good dress.
i like the dramatic peer around the corner. certifiable.
she looks NUTS.
i'm loving these cuts to jenna.... just house of cards.
oh, good hell! he kept jenna and dropped sandy bullock?!
jillian had to go home.. we've already seen her, amber bacon. good parting shot!!! "i'm gonna find a guy who doesn't like needy, whiny, cry-y girls."
no, you quirky brit. you're fab!
i love her!
amber, please stop crying! your bridget bardot hair is bangin!
hasn't anybody learned decency from the last seasons?! don't get trashed and you won't look like a fool!
oooh good! sandy bullock made the cut! that worried me when she was all hugging it out....
re the promo: his awkward naked dance into the water was amazing.
yes!!!! a medic rose ceremony!!!!!!
this looks like carnage!
ok. i'm in to watch.
can you tell who the girls are?
it looks like nikki and sandy bullock?
oooh good! the proposal is in Zermatt. at least no sweating.
oooooh! drama!!!!!
ok, looks to be some interesting twists.
fine. i'll watch.
you did it again, bachelor!!!! (shakes fist at sky!!!)
i like the kickball game. hilarious.

what did you think?

1.2.2012 is my new year.

2012-01-02T04:29:00.000-05:00

tonight was my last night in Mary's heels (and let me tell you, they hurt in many ways)

it was bitter sweet.

i'm ready and excited to leave jersey boys but crazy about so many people that i worked with and i'll hate not to see them every day- especially my hair guy, daryl, & dressers alisa, sherri & lori.

and my angels, nikka and meg.

so now i don't have anything or anybody holding me down.

clean slate...

which always brings me a sweet cocktail of anxiety and excitement.

my vegas bestie, madison, left this beautiful poem to motivate me.

put your trust in God.

by president gordon b hinckley

it isn't as bad as you sometimes think it is.

it all works out. don't worry.

i say that to myself every morning.

it will all work out.

put your trust in God,

and move forward with faith and

confidence in the future.

the Lord will not forsake us.

He will not forsake us.

if we put our trust in Him,

if we pray to Him,

if we live worthy of His blessings,

He will hear our prayers.

from the funeral program for

marjory pay hinckley,

april 10, 2004

hey, 2012,

bring it!

the year of 3's.

2011-12-31T20:11:00.000-05:00

this week's been super awesome.
1. ulcers
2. car accident - doesn't look bad, but the alignment made it undrivable.
3. some seedy neighbor signed for a very expensive package - stolen.

it's pretty obvious that las vegas is ready for my departure.......
which, added to other annoyances (including packing) has made me very happy to see 2011 in the distance.

here i am sandwiched between two very fragrant tow truck drivers.

i told them i'd sit middle console because lap sitting just wasn't in the cards.

i'm smiling but crying and holding my breath on the inside.

as i was feeling sorry/annoyed for myself , i received the most glorious card from bestie, dhyana.

i just need to write it here because she certainly has better perspective than i do on this year.

natalie,

they say that good things happen in 3's.

this year you've

turned the big 3-0,

made your 3'rd run on broadway,

and been a member of a fine trio of ladies

[ the 3 jersey girls ]

maybe there was some heartbreak amongst all those triumphs but

with 2012, it's a new year with new and infinite possibilities.

as you stand on stage this week saying goodbye to

jersey boys

and

las vegas

and

2011

think about all the wonderful things that await you.

have a great final show.

xo D

yeah... what she said.

may you have a safe and blessed new year and

great friends who remind you of the goodness in 2011.

a very MARY (delgado) Christmas to you!

2011-12-31T04:53:00.001-05:00

Christmas was festive with lots of parties in vegas...

i even hung out with an idol and a former playboy mansion inhabitant

(who is lovely and fun-btw)

here's a random sampling from my instagram page:

travis-one of my "frankies"- hosted a party at his house where the boys all randomly wore plaid snap-downs....

and i took a pic with my two husbands, graham and travis. it's a frankie sandwich!
(voices of angels)

i visited a christmas tree with my new buddy pals whom i met at the park and became fast friends (bible).
naturally, the a las vegas christmas tree is completely without anything tree-like and full of glittery lights.

i posed as teresa giudice (prostitution! WHORE!!).

on christmas eve, we had 2 shows (bah humbug!) so i hit in-n-out on my way to work...
my corsets were not happy with my #2.

my secret santa really took great care of me.... loads of presents and bras and g-strings and tights neath the tree.

have yourself a very MARY Christmas!

the next am, at the crack of dawn, stella and i hopped a flight to utah for the day.
in true hill family fashion, the second i stepped off the plane, i was raced home to throw on a dress, handed a piece of bizarrely harmonized music and told to sight sing in church.....
i'm pretty sure it sounded dreadful but what do you people expect! 3 part harmony unrehearsed?!
par for the course with this group.

stella lives for my dad. here she's modeling her new michael j fox puffy vest that m & d gave her over her jammies and dad appears to be clutching the torah.
close, it's a genealogy chart that kara (the official grandma-she LOVES puzzles and family history) gave him.

my ocd BIL re-spooled all the ribbons & they looked grand.

somebody actually went to the trouble to knit (or hired some poor starving person in a developing country) this lovely sprite koozie. because nothing says Christmas quite like warm sprite?!
whyyyyy?!

and ali found this neat-o fizz keeper so we put that warm sprite to work and had shirley temples on tap.

i will say, i DID feel the spirit of Christmas when i sang in church-
(by the way, NEVER EVER ask me to sing in church, your funeral/wedding/any special occasion where i could be touched or moved.... because when i feel things, i just cry. it's my go-to.
sorry. not sorry. )

so that's my random christmas and my bizarre commentary.

were you naughty or did santa bring you something nice? - direct quote from my acupuncturist..... gross. for the record, no man should say that to any girl of any age. creeper.

2011-12-30T17:44:00.002-05:00

{ blerg } i've been trying to post christmas pictures, car accident pictures, etc... for days but blogger won't recognized the newest imports to my iphoto.....

still working on it....

hold tight...

what are you doing new years eve?

2011-12-29T16:09:00.003-05:00

one of my favorite songs of all time...
and now one of my favorite versions...

so really, what are you doing? and who is holding you tight?

a weekend entitled "subtle lips"

2011-12-29T04:21:00.001-05:00

the brightest bit about living in sin city is the constant influx of visitors.
subsy and her mom & sis visited me a few wks ago where celebrated subsy's birth by eating dinner + fried oreos @ lavo.

miss emily showing her texas baton skills with a lavo breadsticks

brunch at simon, naturally....

with an extra large cotton candy
which always makes my kidneys hurt...

"mean reds"

subs bought those ridiculous stick on lip thingys- which were bizarre and hard to put on

but provided us with tear-inducing laughs
(which doesn't really say much considering we could have fun with a cardboard box.
i honestly think our sleepover approximate age is roughly 13 yrs old)

and made me look like a disco queen/blow up doll.

i love my friend.
thanks for visiting, subs!

merry little christmases now and all that...

2011-12-20T03:19:00.000-05:00

4 yr old pic of stellie and me by sussy

have you ever heard the original lyrics to "have yourself a merry little christmas?"

Have yourself a merry little Christmas, it may be your last,
Next year we may all be living in the past
Have yourself a merry little Christmas, pop that champagne cork,
Next year we will all be living in New York.

No good times like the olden days, happy golden days of yore,
Faithful friends who were dear to us, will be near to us no more.

But at least we all will be together, if the Fates allow,
From now on we'll have to muddle through somehow.
So have yourself a merry little Christmas now.

depressing, no?

but i DO like the lyric, "next year we all will be living in new york."

when i was around 8 or 9, i duped my mom into telling me that santa wasn't real.

i'll never forget it.

we had gone to crossroads plaza in SLC to attend the nordstrom (half-yearly/ anniversary??) sale. the children's department felt immense to me at that age.

just dozens of giant rounders stuffed with clothes- an ideal place to play and hide if only it was appropriate.

i truly believed santa was real but i had heard whisperings at school. Not wanting to be the last to know, i decided i'd fish it out of my mom.

i scooted around the party dresses and said, "everyone at school knows that santa isn't real."

mom: "oh! you found out?"

cue crushed spirit and massive heartbreak.

that christmas felt like a giant hoax. i wanted to tell my sisters -not for the justice of knowing, but cause if my christmas was going to be hell, i wanted to ruin EVERYONE ELSES! (i was 8... with a vindictive streak, obviously)

not since that wretched christmas have i found the season so empty.

sure, i've spent many holidays away from my family, but was always surrounded by great friends and a lovely environment. and even though i DO get to skip to utah for 24 hrs on christmas day (yaaay!), it just doesn't feel like christmas....

i know the spirit of christmas begins with me- yadda, yadda, yadda....

i've done the work! i'm not a slacker!

i've read about the Christ child, i've sung carols, i've done it all.... still nothing. ugh.

christmas is home & snow & cold & nyc lights & hot cocoa @ rockefeller center & deer valley & family & puzzles & gingersnaps & homespun nativity spectaculars & christmas markets & love.

so much love.

but i'm feeling very alone in this palm tree place.

i'm sure some of you are in the same boat... and instead of being all cheery and sappy, i'm telling you, i feel your pain. i get it.

but enough of that. let's look forward to future christmases?

ok... i'm gonna cheer up with the revised lyrics to "have yourself a merry little christmas"... especially this verse:

through the years

we all will be together

if the {Lord} allows

Hang a shining star

upon the highest bar and

have yourself a merry little Christmas now.

here's to next year... here's to christmas's that won't always feel like this and here's to choosing to have a merrier christmas NOW.

oooh, and have you seen the 2011 Hill Family Christmas card?

for the record, i was not entirely behind it but i was out voted:

check it out on sussy's blog

*also, sorry about the font eye offense---blogger is messsssed up right now...

happy hanukkah, chickens!

2011-12-20T03:08:00.000-05:00

photo of my dreidels by sussy

girlfriends, loyalty and the ex-factor

2011-12-19T20:34:00.001-05:00

girls are (generally) pretty loyal to their species...
i've definitely deflected a man's attention when one of my gals have previously expressed interest in that gentleman....

but why?

just because my gal feels a twitter about a certain male--even when he doesn't return her affection, should i keep myself from a possible love connection just because that man is spoken for?

on the flip side,

i once entertained a gentleman. he was beyond lovely, but i didn't feel a spark. we hung out a lot, but kissed only one time and i set the record straight.
i DID, however, have stomach fireworks with his roommate.... and he returned the affection but wouldn't step on the toes of man #1 and didn't....for YEARS. i felt it was horribly unfair to brand me especially when his friends were so terribly eligible and date-worthy.

but there does need to be some loyalty, no?

after my annulment, i found solace in a girlfriend who didn't know my former husband. she was a great shoulder to cry on and helped me in many a time in need.
six months later, when i was doing a west side story in chicago, she went radio silent. a few months later, she called me and told me she'd been dating my former husband- in fact, she had sought him out- and asked me advice on how to get him back after he had learned we were friends and didn't feel good about dating a close friend of mine (good guy!). initially, i tried to be the bigger person- i mean, who am i to stand in the way of a great love? but really? of all of the men in the world, you'd seek out my former husband who lives across the country?! i was crushed but thankful that he took the high road.

so let's define this, shall we?

if all really is fair in love and war, are there boundaries? should we be loyal? i'd certainly rather have a great partner in love than a mediocre friend.....

and as we all know, some besties are life long and some are circumstantial...

but here's how i see it:

if you are my good friend/ sister, don't you DARE think about going after my big ex's... don't touch mister, v, my ex husb, or really any major ex i've had in the last 10 years......

if you are my good friend and are interested in dating a fringe boy (who never made it to the big boyfriend show), just throw me a heads up and i'll be a-ok.

how do feel about it?
have you been down this road before?

SW at Wynn

2011-12-18T20:27:00.000-05:00

i was invited by some very interesting men to join them on an outing to SW at the wynn.

i've eaten a lot of outrageous meals in vegas but this was my very favorite.

the best steak, celery soup, fois gras, chedder/bacon biscuits, brussels sprout, creamed corn and FUNNEL CAKES on a tree.

i'm still craving it.

it was over 3 wks ago...

i love a good meal.

stella's two moms

2011-12-18T20:20:00.001-05:00

my vegas bestie, madison (we'll call her that due to her shocking resemblance to daryl hannah in "splash"), is the most insanely giving, thoughtful, and generous person i've ever met.
before she fled the country for christmas with her family (rockstar), she dropped off a whole host of presents for miss stella and me.

i'm pretty sure stella loves madison more than me. i don't blame her - she cooks organic salmon & chicken for her and allows her to run around lavish golf courses to get exercise- she's crazy about madison. crazy. and goes into a funk whenever i take her back into my custody.

stella (and i) had a particularly rough night --naturally, i slept on the cold bathroom floor & held her hair while she barfed ;) and madison suggested we let stella open her pressies to cheer her up.

poor santa lost an arm in the process.
i'll tell you, nothing cheers a girl up quite like 4 bags of organic treats,

a chewy vuitton purse,

christian loubarktan heels

flannel christmas jammies-that were SO cute/funny-but because i never put her in clothes, she acted like she was paralyzed from the waist down.
she guards and protects those toys with her life.

and a gorgeous swarovski crystal'd , black leather collar & leash set with
stella's new my-two-mom's hyphenated name & BOTH of our phone numbers on the back....

isn't it fitting that a nyc dog would have two moms?

hilarious.

i'm pretty sure stella would rather go with her "cool mom" for the holidays....

girl hunter

2011-12-15T04:26:00.001-05:00

remember my fabulous friend, georgia?

she wrote a new book, girl hunter,
which was released today and already made amazon's recommended book list!

g is so fancy AND smart- two books?!
sheesh.... i'm behind on this blog!

watch this sexy video trailer.....
somebody needs her own tv show......

congrats, G! buy her book!

i'm leaving las vegas!

2011-12-14T20:24:00.001-05:00

hooray!!!
i'm so excited to announce that my final jersey boys performance will be
january 1, 2012 (when the show closes at Palazzo and moves to the Paris)!

then i'm back to the big apple and onto the next big adventure....
good things to come, i'm sure.

vegas has been good to me.
i've had a blast and made a new bestie (i'm a bestie collector, as it turns out...)
but vegas isn't home--
it was like a nice transition boyfriend...
mr right now, not mr right.

i can't wait to see the people & city that i love on a daily basis.
west coast, come see me before i go away!

photo of me by the lovely ed foster

mary kay's pink sand

2011-12-13T03:12:00.001-05:00

mary kay
(no, i'm not a distributer
but my girl, erika is....)
has the most perfect pinkie/nudie nail polish,
pink sand.

it looks fantastic on all skin colors-
great wedding color, gals.

ugh... it's limited edition so hurry and get one-or three-
(i'm on bottle #2)
for your stocking.

save BONNIE & CLYDE!!

2011-12-12T19:02:00.000-05:00

my darling friends,

i have to tell you something:
often, people are mean.
often, people will lie and slander you when you are good and true
and have the best of intentions.

it has nothing to do with you.
it has more to do with them....
they are small and ungracious and have motivations
that you will never understand because you love when good things and people succeed.

sadly, the broadway community can be that way in every facet.
i've seen horrible things written and said about brilliant performances and brilliant pieces..... with no founding.

that's happened to our dear bonnie & clyde.
critics often have personal vendettas about people in the cast/creative team or
interest in other shows going into a specific theatre...
sadly, critics think it's "highbrow" to slam a wildhorn score.
it's personal, it's nasty, and it's unfair...
(as a singer, i live to sing a great melodic line... frank writes that)
bonnie & clyde is his best work yet.
the music will move you and never leave you.
and it should be heard.

laura osnes (and i'm not swayed because she's my bestie) gives the performance of a lifetime. she sings her face off and slays it nightly. jeremy jordan is a dazzling star with the most thrilling voice and genius acting chops. claybourne elder (another dear sweet utahan) will break your heart as "buck" & melissa van der schyff is one of the most incredible actresses/voices of our time. you MUST see her as "blanche."

but it's in trouble. at this point, it is not closing but is not selling tickets past 12/30....
unless YOU help.
if they can pack the houses for the next two weeks and show that people want to see this show, the investors will keep it open.

WE can prove that critics don't always get it right.
WE can choose what we want to see.
and WE can save hundreds of jobs for actors/stagehands/ushers/musicians.

if you're in NYC, buy a ticket.
if you're not in NYC, you can STILL buy a ticket and
and give it to a friend in town OR----

simply purchase a ticket, tweet @tadwilson & tell him it's waiting for him at the box office-
he'll give the tickets to people who otherwise couldn't purchase a ticket.

CHARITY!

see B&C this week and get our personal FRIENDS & FAMILY DISCOUNT!!!
You can purchase these at the box office or via Tele-charge using the code BCWANTED.
The prices are below:

Orchestra/Front Mezz - $82.50/$79.50
Mid Mezz - $69.50
Rear Mezz - $59.50

be a part of a christmas miracle, won't you?

listen to one of my favorite songs:

i love @broadwaygirlnyc!

2011-12-09T02:54:00.001-05:00

(this thing hid in drafts! sneaky sneaky- so it's kind of old news but still mega cool)

@broadwaygirlnyc listed her
100 theatre tweeters you must follow
and i made the list for the second year!
honestly, i like this girl.
she's always positive
(never snarky- a rare find in the theatre world)
plus she said super nice things about me
so obvi, i think she's the bees knees...
i want to meet the elusive pimpernel!

thanks, broadwaygirlnyc!

you can follow her { here }
and follow me { here }-- i can't promise anything spectacular...
mostly just drivel and things i find funny or charming.

i kind of love the twitter.

luxury magazine

2011-12-09T02:22:00.001-05:00

i was featured in this month's luxury magazine by celebrity journalist, marsala rypka.
the piece was on leigh zimmerman, joyce chittick, and me--
(holy moly! they're both VASTLY more famous/fierce/experienced than i
- remember leigh as the "chicago" girl in the bway jockey ad?!
i remember being so blown away by those LEGZ)
"broadway beauties" now living in vegas.

you never know what people will take from an interview, but in this case,
marsala and i became fast friends and spoke for nearly 2 hours.

she's such a wonderfully kind and supportive woman.
i'm so grateful she's now in my life.
lucky me.

new friends.
now THAT'S luxury.

check it out by clicking { here } then scroll on their online magazine to page 34

garth

2011-12-08T02:28:00.001-05:00

on friday, i was lucky enough to see garth brooks in concert at the wynn.

woah, that was an experience.
garth singing james taylor, simon & garfunkle, george jones, meryl haggard......
ugh! it was outrageous.
he's a brilliant story teller and has absolutely perfect pitch.
i'm so crazy about him
(so long as i could keep myself from having chris gaines feelings).

trisha yearwood sang 2 songs with him and i nearly died. it was totally incredible.
you must see it.
you must.

lizzing

2011-12-08T02:26:00.001-05:00

there are days when i swear i look/think just like liz lemon......

a new hand jive winner!!!

2011-12-05T02:51:00.001-05:00

remember that one time when i stole the hand jive trophy from GREASE?
i told you about it { here }
(a. pardon that heinous in-action nostril flared shot-
remember i danced that thing in a corset- sister couldn't breathe.
b. i deserved it! i worked my tail off for it!)

right after the heist with greaser, kevin quillon.

so when i was doing bye bye birdie i presented it to my
dance-off competitor, anna aimee white,
when she got her next broadway show, WHITE CHRISTMAS.
(partially to make a fun tradition and partially to get that eye-sore out of my apartment!)

and she returned it to me on my opening night of WONDERLAND

(both of us were in the SAME

Marquis theatre dressing room.)

ironically, the same stage management team (whom i love)

and general manager did both GREASE and WONDERLAND

so when this package arrived at the stage door,

i was SURE i'd be in trouble for stealing (oops)

.... happily, our general manager loved the tradition and gave it her blessing.

and i felt it only fitting to present (with special thanks to kate loprest for delivering)
miss laura osnes with the trophy
(i figure, if "sandy" would have gone to the dance,
she probably would have beat "cha cha" in the HAND JIVE)
on her opening night as "bonnie" in BONNIE AND CLYDE
(which you MUST see because it's brilliant and she's brilliant in it...)

anna pointed out that this trophy has opened two wildhorn musicals
and been in two marquis dressing rooms... cool.

grease is the word!!

sit on santa's lap.

2011-12-01T20:17:00.001-05:00

have you seen this improv everywhere video?
they do musicals in random places- in this case, a mall...
can you imagine how funny/ awkward to have this spring on you?

my college boyfriend is the first idiot singing.
i laughed my head off.
look for his pretty wife, carrie,
who is crouching as a spectator with their adorable son, T

10 things i've learned about Las Vegas men:

2011-11-29T16:45:00.001-05:00

pretty friends out for a vegas brunch

even without a wedding ring, there is a 90% chance the guy flirting with you is married or engaged with an unsuspecting lady at home.
you should hold onto your drink-even water- at all times.
if they throw money around & talk about it, chances are, they don't have a lot.
if they don't talk about money and are evasive about what they do for a living, chances are, they are loaded...or in the mafia.
men in their 40's & 50's wear a uniform: embellished jeans (vim), flowery shirts with contrasting cuffs (think "cam's" wardrobe from modern family) and pointy or square toe'd boots. you can spot a bad divorce from a mile away...
the men you wish would talk to you can generally never get to you because inevitably, the strangest guy in the joint will try to monopolize your attention the second you walk in the room.
it's a good idea to keep mints/gum on hand... most LV male breath smells like a garlic brothel.
a man who makes (in his estimation) a lot of money, automatically believes that you will be interested in him...... even if he's 20 + yrs older and borderline disgusting.
the only men you'd want to meet are just in for the weekend- conventions, bachelor parties, etc....
they never let you pay for anything- BUENO!!

SIMON

2011-11-28T19:57:00.001-05:00

i've told you before, but we're crazy about
simon restaurant at the palms. - there's also a Simon in LA!

the food is outrageous, and every time we've gone, i've met wildly entertaining men.

Chef Kerry Simon sent us this insane bucket of cotton candy-
if any of you are familiar with the real housewives of beverly hills, you'll remember that this is the site of Taylor's sexual cotton candy eating.......

evidently, i have different ideas about playing with my food....

we adore chef Kerry. he's become a fun friend.

and the view from the Palm's ghost bar isn't bad either....

viva las vegas.

Vegas is for girls weekends | part one

2011-11-28T19:45:00.001-05:00

mom & her 2 sisters had a little girls weekend a few weeks ago.

no husbands/ kids (except for me- do i count?)

and a lot of hilarity.

on day one, we didn't have time to go home

so they made the palazzo garage their dressing room....

we keep it low maintenance...

sister love/ encouraging peg that these shades look amazing on her...

took them to simon for brunch.... best. brunch. in. vegas.

& went to PURE FOOT SPA for awesome foot massages (twice...)

it's amazing what happens when competent women are without responsibility...
every single one of them lost their cell phones at least once or twice...
thankfully we found them.

had such a great time with these amazing women.
so proud to have their blood.

Hero Tree

2011-11-25T18:41:00.001-05:00

this is such an incredible organization
(founded by my amazing, giving, hilarious, generous high school bestie,
LaRee & her amazing superstar basketball husband, Travis Hansen)
where i'll be giving this year.

i know we'd all love it if you did too...

more information about the little heroes foundation { here }

2011-11-25T18:37:00.001-05:00

did you see this???

never before and never again will these classes be 40% off (including new classes!)
you may see me in one or two... (i promise i'll do my homework, alma...)

visit nicole's classes for more info.

shabby apple sale!

2011-11-25T04:50:00.001-05:00

wheeee!!!

who needs to fight the black friday lines!?
and today it's actually 25% off!!! yessssss

i'm doing my shopping at the shabby apple SALE!

what's on you list?

thanks and ever thanks

2011-11-24T05:19:00.001-05:00

. Q. me . nikka .

quite a feast!

{ happy thanksgiving }

we had a show tonight
(nothing like wearing a bra top & tight hip huggers in the opening number
after thanksgiving dinner...)
so i wasn't able to go home.
but, i had a really great day.
started in bed watching the parade
(and crying because i was so happy for my friends
who performed & because seeing my city made me extremely homesick)

then had thanksgiving dinner with nikka @ simon's
(which was great fun, delicious, and hilarious)

this year,
i'm thankful for

dad's health & optimism
mom's strength and pragmatism
my sisters and their antics
my brothers-in-law and their humor and love
my evie for pretending like she's excited to see me every time i walk into the room
stella for star and her new-found love of snuggling
my nyc friends who pretend they haven't forgotten me yet
my las vegas bestie who has taught me so much about charity
my awesome job & new jersey boys friends
you-thanks for being my friend
&
the knowledge that i'm right where i'm supposed to be.

i have been so blessed this year.

i hope your belly and your hearts are full from an abundant thanksgiving .

what are you thankful for?

a jersey girl meets the thunderbirds

2011-11-15T02:50:00.001-05:00

the jersey boys (and girls) were asked by major general bill hyatt to
sing the national anthem at nellis air force base for their amazing air show.
m.g. hyatt is a big fan of the show and we're a big fan of his. he's a great man and his sweet wife, becky, is a star.

i've sung the anthem for MLB, NBA, Nascar, college football games, Olympic torch lighting ceremony, etc....
but singing the anthem for people who are currently serving is a real thrill...
one that makes you get the lump and chokes your voice.
i'm a USAF grand daughter and have major pride for our flying men.

i was also THRILLED to meet major general (that's a 2 star general) jerry fitzgerald who piloted the second to last freedom flight out of saigon. he's like a real life CHRIS !! he had his wife were so sweet with me and taught me so much about the air force that i was so happy to have them as our guests at our show that night. they loved it.

aviators & popcorn = air show necessities.
i was also super relieved that i was in the distinguished guests suite because i forgot my wallet.... dummy.....free food is the best!

m. g. hyatt invited a few of us watch the famous thunderbirds from their control center RIGHT on the tarmac. it was so cool- i got to listen to all six pilots chat with each other and sing their commands-- i have NO idea how they even speak with those intense forces & upside downs...

with thunderbirds #5 & #6.... notice how 5's number is upside down? that's because he spends the majority of his tricks in the upside down position.... SO COOL.

and don't you love a man in uniform?! sadly, all the thunderbirds are married... don't thing mg hyatt & his wife weren't all over finding an AF man for me.....

with #7 & travis (frankie) ... he and his wife loved our show.

straight up top gun. sexy.

some gals have boyfriends or beiber on their dressing mirrors.... i have my favorite thunderbird's trading cards.

i hope your veteren's day was reflective.
i'm so grateful for the dedication and legacy of all of our armed forces.

thank you and thank you to your families for all of your sacrifices.

have you ever seen the thunderbirds?! outrageous, right?

move over, neti pot.

2011-11-14T03:36:00.001-05:00

because i'm obsessed with my neilmed sinus rinse kit.
you can get it online or find it in any drug store.
it's easier to use/clean/travel... i can't tell you how many netipots i've broken in transit.
this is saving my poor dry vegas nose.

now that the weather has changed, are you crazy dry?

the apple sisters

2011-11-12T03:51:00.001-05:00

our insanely talented swing/captain of the dance, Sarah Lowe is not only
RUBY KEELER's grand daughter (can you imagine?!),
but is one third of the apple sisters-
a hilarious musical comedy trio set on a 1943 radio sound stage.

i saw their thanksgiving show tonight in vegas and literally
cry/laughed thru the entire thing.
the harmonies, the comedic timing, the improv...

it was comedy heaven.

definitely check out their videos

and LA! see them on monday night!
schedule { here }

go. pretty sure you'll see a celebrity or two...
they have really famous fans.

enjoy their smash hit "pink wine"

this one time... i flew in a private plane.

2011-11-10T03:25:00.001-05:00

if i ever act like that's a totally normal thing to say, smack me across the head...

stellie and i took our first private flight a few weeks ago.
i can't tell you how outrageously amazing it was to show up at the airport a hot second before we took off with unlimited liquid items on hand!

nuggetron wanted to lay on the leather seats. look for that little tongue.

maybe we had a celebrity pilot.....
just another vegas performer... no big deal...

the views were outrageous...

and now we're spoiled.....

i'm gonna have to work a lot harder to earn my own plane.

just so you don't think i only post pretty pics of myself...

2011-11-09T04:48:00.001-05:00

move over, babs.....

i'm looking more and more like

sondra huxtable

when i go makeup-free

and brush out my curls.....

poor sondra.... she was always away at college....

you people are drivin' me NUTS!

2011-11-09T04:42:00.000-05:00

for halloween, i was Mackenzie from Toddlers & Tiaras.
i'm borderline obsessed with her video- have you seen it?

thankfully, i have an amazing team of talented people who work for me- thanks to daryl for styling & providing my enormous and hilarious wig & karen for blinging out my Ni-Ni.

initially, i wanted to find a perfect glitz pageant dress but i
1. hate halloween
&
2. would rather spend that moolah on clothes i'll actually wear...

so i wore diva day-wear- a glitzy sweatshirt & uggs like her mom, juana....

finally, i get to use my drag queen lashes & velma von tussle hairspray lip gloss

modeling the ni-ni in my finale glitz dress while lori holds my enormous bra in the background.

can you even believe this amazing drag glinda?!

jersey girls as a butterfly, katy perry, & mackenzie

everybody wants my ni-ni.

hope you had a happy halloween! i'm still in a sugar coma!

still in breakup hibernation

2011-11-03T04:00:00.001-04:00

so i fled to utah to see my little evie nugget- always a good cure for heartache-
.... oh, and the rest of those people who live there.

i was lucky enough to see a few former boyfriends (FBs), a few new twitter friends (we met on the internet...) and a few of my friends and their sweet trick-or-treating babies.

i'll post soon about my sweet halloween costume...

what did you wear?

mim's closet

2011-11-03T03:54:00.002-04:00

hi dolls!

just added some gorgeous pieces to my ebay shop!

i have access to a pretty deep closet.

there will be LOADS of designer deals to come!

bid { here }

how pretty are my jersey girls?!

2011-10-26T05:30:00.003-04:00

pretty pretty and fabulously amazing new friends.

do you see london, france, and my underpants?
(that's the look)

my mom thinks this ensemble is me in 1999.
do you agree OHS tigers?
she's pretty right on.
this wig is definitely giving you a natalie hill senior pic flashback.

i make 17 costume changes.
14 in the first act alone so i have very very few pics in costume
(cause 99% are quick changes)
but i'll try to sneak a few more cause these jersey girls are BRINGING IT!

sheer scrub

2011-10-25T01:49:00.001-04:00

i had a bummer week (for obvious reasons)
and fled to the korean spa for some r & r.

i decided to really go for it so i booked a
foot reflexology session,
body scrub,
deep tissue massage,
hair wash/condition &
cucumber mask.

and while both massages were pretty lackluster (bummer),
i really dug the scrub.

those koreans know how to exfoliate!!
she shed every inch of snake skin.

i'm so insanely soft. it's a tragedy no one is touching my skin.

BUT, i found it just a little odd that my (rather large) female scrubber
(who traditionally wears a white nurses outfit or other official-looking uniform)
wore a SHEER BLACK LACE panty & bra set.

what happens in vegas?

fellas,

2011-10-22T19:45:00.001-04:00

if a girl gives you her number
and you text her for the first time,
don't ruin it by signing it

"xoxo TALL HOT NICK"

no, no. unless we gave you that nickname,
you don't get to use it.

not hot.

deal breaker

2011-10-22T19:39:00.001-04:00

this has been posted on my facebook wall by 3 different friends in under one week.

it's obvious that my buddies know me. they really know me.

i feel bad for the guy i schooled when he used "YUR" interchangeably in both tenses multiple times..
guess i shouldn't be surprised that i never heard from him again...

i just can't do acronyms or bad grammar.. even in text.

SRY. YUR still GR8. LOL. TY! BRB. LMAO!

mim's been pressed.

2011-10-21T02:51:00.000-04:00

extra! extra! read all about it!

this month in the news,

i was

quoted in the UK observer/ US guardian
where my age and unmentionables are discussed.
oh my!
read it { here }

and my twitter feed was featured
in the deseret news re: my tweet about general conference.
read it { here }

*the jersey girls sold pink newspapers for an event to support breast cancer research.

breaking up is hard to do

2011-10-19T19:47:00.000-04:00

marriage is when a man and a woman become as one;

the trouble starts when they try to decide which one.

{ mae west }

and so it goes......

i am again, single.

and sometimes i feel like i'm bleeding internally and sometimes i feel ok...

but either way, i'm hurting.

and like bonnie parker says in "bonnie and clyde"

i don't feel anything but sad.

i did what i usually do when breakups happen

(sad that it's so frequent that i have developed a habit)..

i flew to utah for solid mom & dad hugs.

and then i bought shoes.

i usually buy sassy going out shoes to fake my groove till i make my groove.

but this time, i bought the coziest uggs i've ever seen.

i just want to be swaddled.

to live in this world, you must be able to do three things:

to love what is mortal:

to hold it against your bones knowing your own life depends on it;

and, when the time comes to let it go,

to let it go.

{ mary oliver }

that's the hardest part of it all, isn't it?

to let go of what you love.

it should last forever. it's not fair.

i loved my best.

he loved his best.

but really, what's love got to do with it?

thanks meg for the oliver quote.

good morrow!

2011-10-19T04:45:00.001-04:00

i attended my very first renaissance fair a few weeks ago....
it was a TRIP.
people were FULL OUT. there was everything from body painted warriors, to capt jack sparrows, to belly dancers, to authentically dyed accurate costumes & corsets.
to say i saw a load of jiggly boosies spilling out of too-tight corsets would be a vast understatement.

nikka and i had not been there for more than 2 seconds when were assaulted by a pair of fresh knaves- they kept trying to touch me and give full frontal hugs. ew. sweaty strangers? you KNOW they're getting mad action but i was not amused.

eager to fit in with these merry revilers, i had a lovely hair wench braid my hair. i wish you could see her impressive bosoms. they were fantastic as they rested on my shoulders while she did a 5 plait braid. she had mad skills, yo. (how should i say that in a more renaissancey way?)

their gel left a waxy flakey residue and i was pulled so tight i had an instant face-lift-
note how high my eyebrow is in the pic below.

with nina.... please note the tooth picker. classic.

this was the BEST wig prep ever! my wigs (which are usually TIGHT-considering i have the largest head on bway (true.bible.) ) were super baggy. and were LOCKED to my head.

look at this braid! maga talent!

i think my favorite soundbite of the day was a fine lady calling her little ones by saying,
"minions! come!"

the whole event was so totally fascinating.
everyone takes it sooo seriously! bowing to the queen... refraining from wearing royal colors (purple)... speaking in iambic pentameter?! crazy.

i have more pix... you'll see them as soon as nikka and nina send them to me (hint, hint).
they're hilarious.

have you ever been?

all the benefits of being married....ish.

2011-10-17T04:11:00.000-04:00

you guys, married people dress alike.
even when they're only married onstage.

mr. and mrs. francis castellucio (valli)
{ 4 show "frankie" graham fenton & moi }

babs

2011-10-15T03:59:00.002-04:00

sussy told me i look like barbara streisand
in this pic (and in life...).
(my inner gay shrieked with delight.)

me: ooooh like babs in "the way we were?"
you know, all "i'm a katie girl?
cause i totally am...."

sussy: no. like barbara streisand in "meet the fockers."

ouch.

the natalie hill fine ladies salon

2011-10-15T03:54:00.001-04:00

i popped into the city again (two 24 hr nyc trips in 2 wks?!) on my day off for an audition
(nothing like belting a G after singing a 9 show week and coming in on the red eye).

i got to see the beautifully pregnant worthie, big broadway star "bonnie" laura, & gorgeous dhyana at schnippers.

since i've had 2 lovely bestie gatherings 2 wks in a row, dhyana has started calling it the "natalie hill fine ladies salon."

wouldn't that be magic?

to host a weekly fine ladies salon?
with all my best girls?

beautiful brains all coming together in pursuit of fabulousness.
i'm into it. lets bring back the calling card while we're at it...

pool hopping.

2011-10-08T04:05:00.000-04:00

here the thing about the las vegas pools.....
they're not pools, actually.
they're clubs (with stripper poles in the water) where it's acceptable to wear little strings with pasties and call them a swimsuit (oh and don't forget to scrunch your back bottoms so you can see your crack) accompanied by your highest platform hooker heels......

which was news to me. i mean, i'm all for lengthening the leg, but why not wear a sandal-heel as opposed to a glittery PUMP. oy.

no havianas here.

courtney- the prolific dallas socialite (sunglasses hut manager) from "most eligible dallas" said it best:

"ok. you get a choice: you can either high heels or a bikini.
you can't wear both.
if you're going to wear a bikini,
you need to wear flip flops, or go bare foot, or better yet,
why don't you be in the
freaking pool because you're in a bikini!"

she continues to say that because she wore a beautiful cover up, it bought her a wedge. not a high wedge, but a small decent wedge.

cracked me up.

my favorite pool thus far is definitely the red rock pool.
sedated. normal.
not sceney.

it doesn't hurt that we met some adorables from UK's Royal Air Force (did you know they have a base in las vegas?!) who went to school with will and harry? carry ON!

i taught them a few american words and they taught me that my tortilla chips are called "crisps" across
the pond.

now that's a foreign exchange!

viva las vegas!

green acres

2011-10-06T02:47:00.001-04:00

stella and i are city girls.
we live in ONE room.
we drop our trash down a shoot from our high floor and our maintenance guys make it disappear.
we don't have an alarm system.
we only have about 5 lightbulbs to change.
we have one fire alarm which is changed by standing on a chair.
we (used to) tend to one lemon tree.

and now we live in a house

with
a yard (where stellie loves to hike and get dirty) & a yard that might die under my watch.
100 lightbulbs that go out all the time.
an alarm system that i've forgotten about nearly 6 times and had to soothe my puppy when it goes off and scares the living daylights out of her.
a garbage day that i have forgotten 2 wks in a row- cue smelly garage.
a fire alarm on a vaulted ceiling that needs a man with NBA height in tranny heels on a ladder to change.
and lots of rooms..... in fact,

i locked myself OUT and my dog INTO the bedroom.
and with no lock picking tools (bobby pins/credit cards) in the living room, i felt stumped.... and stellie cried and barked and cried and barked.....

finally, i did what any sensible girl would do with a fireplace that adjoins her bedroom & living room:
i crawled thru it.

it was a tight squeeze and i was THANKFUL that i've been doing my planks.

we're still getting the hang of suburban life....

it gets easier, right?

deep city lights.

2011-10-05T04:40:00.000-04:00

this girl got lost in them last night.

i spent 24 hrs in nyc to see V.
missed him. missed my city. missed the people.
ny'ers are just so real, you know?
the more i live in a city of plywood, plaster, and paste,
the more i miss they history, drive, and grime of my city.

V requested that he plan the day- i love a great surprise...
and lets just say, he won
"boyfriend of the year 2011" for this one.

we
lunched at abc kitchen (one of our favorites- and huge celeb hangout)
shopped
had massages and a full korean spa day experience
then...

he surprised me with dinner at 5 points with so many of my best girlfriends.
we had such a wonderful time and he treated us all to an amazing meal.

i was so touched that he planned a day surrounded by all of my favorite activities and people.

i really needed it.
i needed my people and i needed my city.

V was so thoughtful. i honestly felt like it was my birthday.

then i whisked myself back and into a 2 show evening....

but i came back strangely refreshed, loved, and real again.

thank you, V.

now his birthday is soon approaching...... how can i compete with this? in vegas!
ideas?

2011-10-01T02:48:00.002-04:00

i'm really excited to live close enough to the motherland that
i can watch general conference on TV on my big comfy couch.

AND

that i live close enough to a cafe rio that i can slam a pork salad between sessions.
it's a utah theme day.

but i'm most excited to hear the beautiful music and inspired talks.

you can watch it { here }

las vegas essentials #3

2011-09-30T02:54:00.001-04:00

my new vegas socialite bestie shared one of her best kept secrets:

pedialyte powder packs

she says they're perfect for those of you sipping libations
(see, your body gets real dehydrated as you go)
and for those of us drinking diet coke like it's going out of style
& crying in our jersey boys fight scenes.

just powder it up mid-night out (so you can keep going..)
or when you get home and the next day will feel a whole lot better.

bye bye dehydration headaches!

PERFECT for a girl who cries too much in the desert.....
and the flavors are DELISH (liquid jolly rancher-ish).

thanks, miss las vegas (our new monicker for our new friend).

FAVOR

2011-09-27T02:00:00.000-04:00

why don't you be a peach
and click on this link and
push "like" for subsy's band to WIN!

thanks, loves.

kissable color

2011-09-23T04:07:00.001-04:00

i needed to find a long lasting
(at least one full act with 15 costume changes & 2 big smooches before i can touch up)
lip color in a delicious red...
naturally, i put it to the ultimate test:

in-n-out #2 (no onion w/ a large diet coke)

little faded but still on!
mac prolongwear lipcreme in prolong is the winner!

my opening night cast

2011-09-23T03:58:00.000-04:00

just a bunch of gorgeous, talented people.

but WHY-O WHY-O WHY-O did they crop my face so tight and white?

yikes.

2011-09-20T01:52:00.001-04:00

remember how much the wondertarts loved our aussie licorice?
well, i introduced the jersey girls dressing room (all australian licorice virgins) to its splendor.

delicious.
rave reviews / addictions all around.

you dig?

2011-09-18T05:18:00.003-04:00

dear friends,
i don't know this man, but apparently he's in my ward and he's missing.
this is so disturbing. my prayers are with him and his family.
anybody know anything?

fake books. to read or not to read?

2011-09-17T02:56:00.003-04:00

what do you lovies think of the fake book?

i've always been anti.

i love the smell, touch, weight of a real book.

a hard backed book.

it just feels smarter to me, i think.

i have a hard time reading documents/ scripts unless they're in hard copy.

and here i am with fake eyelashes & now a fake book?! what's next?! please, somebody keep the botox away!

but....... books are more expensive, super heavy to tote around in my purse (which gets heavy when you're toting a 600 lb first edition & i NEVER leave home without a book in purse/car/theatre), i had to give away SO MANY books when i tried to streamline my apartment (who has room in a studio?) and i'm sort of an immediate gratification girl (if i want a book righthissecond, i want it rightthissecond).

what are your experiences?

my jersey friend, merissa recommended the kindle. i'd love the new ipad, but it's out of my budget.

what do you think?

Las Vegas Essentials #2

2011-09-15T05:16:00.002-04:00

L sent a nothing bundt cake and balloons for my opening.

these cakes will be the death of me.

i'm crazy for the red velvet with chocolate chunks and cream cheese frosting & the white chocolate/raspberry, and marble ....

ok... i guess i love them all.

they're so m (rhymes with boist) and amazing.

it was still delish a week later (i DID share, but i may have eaten the vast majority of it myself...).

you may have one in your neck of the woods.... i apologize to your booty in advance.

further justifying my sweet tooth...

2011-09-13T19:51:00.000-04:00

Las Vegas Essentials #1

2011-09-13T04:57:00.003-04:00

this is the best barre workout in vegas

(trust me, i've had horrible experiences at the "other" option).

everyone visits the vegas

2011-09-11T20:28:00.004-04:00

Dhyana's and my friend yvette is on tour with josh groban as his wardrobe supervisor.

when they came thru vegas, we had a really fun hang in the tour bus and backstage...

sadly, i didn't see much of the grob because he had to have dinner with celine dion (no big deal)

but i hung with his awesome band and crew and they are swell.

missed the beach boys & the stamos because V and my entire fam were in town- i'll always choose my people over another mike love groping (as much as i enjoyed that...) but i'm loving that all my pals are coming thru the vegas!

come visit!

favorite week (well, three days) of the year.

2011-09-11T20:10:00.003-04:00

before i started rehearsals in vegas, i joined the fam for 3 blissful days in lake powell.

every year, on our drive down, we stop in beaver, utah.

and every year we regret it....

because generally, the scene @ wendy's is like the bar scene from star wars... only worse. they ALWAYS mess up our order and the other patrons fashion generally ends at pajamas with teeth optional.

however,

beaver always redeems itself in the gift shop where i get my yearly mustache....

always good for a photo op.

then we hit the grocery store for provisions...... can you believe the idiot in the cart is actually a MOTHER?!

we had the best time acting a fool and surfing, skiing, etc.....this is the baseball player flirting with career ending injuries while my family watches.
nothing beats a lake powell sunset...
evie loved her first trip to lake powell!

can't wait for next year! i miss my family too much.

my 9/11 story.

2011-09-11T03:44:00.005-04:00

i'm often asked about my 9/11 story.

i've never before written about it.

i don't know, it feels somehow too upsetting to recall.

too soon... or something.

but it's actually been 10 years and if i don't write about it now, i may forget..

no. i won't forget. but it's better to keep a record, no?

here we go...

i've never been afraid of the city.

even when my dad would take me to nyc as a kid, he'd throw me a subway token (vintage, i know) and i'd shoot down to prince street while he was in meetings as long as i promised i wouldn't tell my mom.

the city was always safe and the people were nice.

in mid-august 2001, i returned to my mid-town apartment after doing "joseph..."

in Boston, ready to begin my junior year at NYU.

something wasn't right.

suddenly, i was terrified of the city. it felt scary and dark and i had an inexplicable feeling to leave.

so i did...

on a "feeling," i left nyc, and enrolled at BYU for the fall 2001 semester.

on September 11th, 2001, i was sitting in a 7:00 am Sociology class (7 am?! i was a lunatic). my phone was on silent and buried deeply in my bag (cause why would i monitor it at 7 am- ain't nobody calling me at that hour...).

after class, i picked up my phone to find over 20 voice messages. i knew something bad had happened.

the first message i listened to was from my closest friend/mentor, Syd Riggs. she told me that something terrible had happened in nyc and i needed to get home as soon as possible.

the next 5 messages were from my parents telling a terrorist attack had happened in nyc and to come home because at that time, no one knew if an attack would be country-wide.

i all but ran thru the Wilkenson center (byu's student center) and dodged fellow students parked in front of the many televisions broadcasting the news.

i saw smoke.

i saw chaos.

i saw my city in distress.

i raced home and collapsed into my parents arms. we all sat on the couch and watched all the news footage while i wept.

not only was i worried about my friends and the families of all of the people missing and killed, but i felt guilty for not being there. for not sharing in that experience.

i also saw my dreams come to a crashing end. i had spent my entire life creating a skill set that could be useful on broadway...but would there be a broadway? would our world/my business ever be the same?

no one knew. i felt completely helpless.

my dear friend, david osmond, came over (he'd just lived in nyc with me the previous semester) and we watched more footage as i frantically tried to get a hold of all of my friends in nyc.

no dice..... phone lines were tied up.

i just had to wait. and wait. and wait.

that evening my UT friends all gathered together and we forced David to sing patriotic songs....

more tears.

but we felt united. we felt proud to be american. i felt proud to be a new yorker- and in a way, i felt sure that none of my utah friends could understand what i was going thru. this changed my entire life.

as the days went by, i located all of my friends.

i didn't lose anyone i knew directly in the attacks. i avoided the most direct pain. and again, for that, i felt guilty.

why did i get to avoid it all?

probably because i wasn't strong enough to have been able to take it.

probably because i would have been in a 7 am ballet class downtown and i (without a solid base or family in nyc) would have melted down without someone immediate to turn to.

i don't know why that happened. i only know that i was not supposed to be in nyc on september 11th.

i returned to nyc after that fall semester and my city was forever changed.

but in many ways, it was changed for the softer.

i've always said new yorkers are the kindest, most helpful people on earth, but this went to another level.

new yorkers were more patient (which didn't last too long ;).

new yorkers were more quietly proud.

you know, it takes a special breed of person to survive in nyc.

it's not an easy place to live and you have to have fight, chutzpah, bravado, and moxy to thrive.

and after 9/11, in the worlds melting pot, new yorkers found one thing in common:

their fight.

new york was united in the simple fact they were new yorkers.

and that is something no terrorist can take away.

and so, on this 10th anniversary, i pause to remember what that day meant to me as an american, but mostly as a new yorker.

i'm proud of my city.

i'm proud of my country.

i'm proud of the men and women who fight and give their lives so that i can live in a restored city that had a broadway to go back to.

i am thankful to them for the opportunity do do what i love and fulfill my dreams.

i { heart } new york.

i will never forget.

blerg.

2011-09-06T00:16:00.003-04:00

my ancient computer has finally decided that it will no longer upload any of my photos....

and i have so many great photos to share.

*good news*

i'm getting a new computer very soon

*bad news*

it's not here yet

sorry friends. i know it's annoying that i'm pretty sporadic with my posting, but think of it this way: because i'm not a "career" blogger, you KNOW that when i blog, i actually want to do it... because i'm keepin' it real, yo.

soooo..... soon. soon...

thanks for your well wishes about Jersey Boys.

i had a rocky first 3 shows- it's like being thrown into a finely tuned machine

(and not getting to rehearse with either of my "frankies" before i

walked on stage made things really tricky)-

but i'm smoothing it out and i

had a blast with V & my incredible family.

they are the most supportive, fun, loving people on earth and i'm so glad they're mine.

but now they're all gone and my house is full of lonely and laundry.

so come visit!

hope you had a wonderfully safe weekend!

tomorrow is the big day!

2011-08-31T19:43:00.002-04:00

this is one of my favorite dresses--the silhouette club look--

taken from my put-in last week.

usually, a "put-in" (i dress up in costumes and wigs and everyone else wears their sweats and we run thru the show--without lights or the actual 4 seasons) happens right before your first show, but mine was a week before which is unusual....

i'm ready! put me in, coach!!

but, it's been nice.

i've just been hanging around watching the show and getting to know the cast without much stress.

no pix of "mary" yet, but i'll post more soon.

my first performance is tomorrow! p

you can get tickets { here }

goodbye, summer....

2011-08-30T18:01:00.006-04:00

so before i left the city, we made the imperial snoball wall.

high honor, of course.

seeing this pic made me realize how fast this summer has flown by!

disneyland, utah, fire island, cape cod, lake powell and now a life changer in vegas?!

phew!

i'm celebrating the end of summer with my entire family & man this weekend.

they'll be in town for my opening (this THURSDAY september 1-- eek!).

i can't wait!

what are you doing for labor day? what will you miss most about summer?

ok, hunger games...

2011-08-30T18:01:00.001-04:00

you win.

read book 1 in 2 days & i'm plowing thru book 2.

i'm obsessed.

are you?

i sorta think "bachelor pad" is like hunger games with STDs and without dignity...

you watching? aaah!

ooh as far as the bachelor guys @ my party--- no, ashley wasn't there..... not that it really means anything... she could have gone back to school?

Serafino Says! { giveaway winners }

2011-08-29T15:47:00.001-04:00

sorry it took so long to announce the winners! (tooootally my neglect- been crazed, y'all!)

i love that kristan had her gal friday (and stella's best friend), RINGLET pick the winners...

and lucky you, she picked TWO!

thanks ringie!

and for those of you who didn't win,

don't fret!

you can purchase this fabulous flat iron at

walmart! { click here }

congrats! winners!

email mormoninmanhattan@gmail.com to send me your shipping info

i'd also like to thank

2011-08-25T02:24:00.002-04:00

and coconut water....

for making me feel less like a lizard in this heat.

p.s. dehydration headaches really suck.

my "temporary relocation" party

2011-08-25T02:17:00.003-04:00

was a blast.

i'd like to thank all of my besties (who i miss more than anything)

and JP & solar panels from "the bachelor" for attending.

hilarity.

jp-for the record-is really good looking....

as is solar panels...

but i didn't remotely deal with them... after watching that crazy play out on tv, i didn't want any real connection.

but it was insanely fun, nonetheless.

i have the greatest friends....

who'd better visit me.

i'm alive...

2011-08-20T01:26:00.003-04:00

the other happiest place on earth

barely....

in one week,

i've

packed my life,

shipped 10 boxes to las vegas, (containing mostly shoes & handbags),

hosted V @ my parents house in Utah

(where we had a shave ice party, hit the pool, cafe rio & j dawgs, watched a movie in the backyard under a full moon, enjoyed bridal veil falls, ziplined & slid @ the olympic park, played games with the fam, cruised park city & dined at sundance. (phew!))

spent a few days in lake powell with the fam- heaven.

moved to las vegas

(into the most insanely perfect house)

& essentially learned my jersey boys show in less than 8 hours

so, i'm tired, have a dehydration migraine (can't possibly drink enough water/electrolytes to ward it off!) & am a little bit homesick.

but i'm humbled and inspired by the people who have generously helped me get here physically & emotionally.... i will pay it forward.

how was your week?

i will be here!

2011-08-10T00:41:00.002-04:00

and i may even have a surprise guest......

will you be there?

(that is, assuming, i get my act together.

so far, i've sent a box of heels and a box of purses...

but no clothes.... but who needs clothes?! i'm going to vegas! ;)

cape cod is awesome

2011-08-05T02:23:00.003-04:00

spiders are not.

on day one of cape cod fun, i was bitten by a spider.... on my forehead.

which is really great when you're trying to

a. look cute for the bf and his family you've never met

b. disguise your already 7-head.

throughout the day, it got bigger and bigger and bigger...

to nearly golf ball sized proportions (sexy!)

until i finally took a benedryl,

sought his sister's motherly advice & treated it with advil & ice.

of course this would happen to me... classic.

pay no attention to the dashingly good-looking/goofball man

(who would die if he knew i posted this pic--shhhhh! nobody tell him!)

and notice my budding forehead tumor.

spiders love me.

{ giveaway } Kiss Silicone Protexion Iron from Kristan Serafino

2011-08-03T18:29:00.004-04:00

this is so incredibly exciting!

one of my besties

(and one half of the ropers- seriously, i don't know what i'd do without her & her man as my neighbors), kristan serafino

has TWO major announcements:

the birth of serafino says - a fashion and beauty blog filled with amazing hair tips from the queen of celebrity styling.

kristan has styled a few minor celebrities....

i dunno.. have you heard of:

matthew mcconaughey

kristin rytter

elizabeth berkely

olivia palermo

to name drop a small few... needless to say, she's over-qualified.

and she's now endorsing an amazing new flat iron!

kiss silicone protexion iron

here's why it's awesome: "conventional" iron plates clamp directly on the hair crushing the cuticle and absorbing the hairs natural moisture. the kiss silicone protexion flat iron has patented double silicone bars that glide over the hair and prevents slipping or crushing the cuticle-so it holds moisture in the hair. it also heats in 18 seconds, auto shut-off and a two year warranty!

i'm nuts about it.

Kristan is offering a flat iron to one lucky reader

- it even comes with her instructional videos & styling tips.

all you need to do is "like" serafinosays.com

and tell me which of her posts you like best!

thanks for keeping us gorgeous, kris!

maybe if there's enough interest, she'll write a special post with tips for mim readers?!

what do you want to know?

{ giveaway winner } ella belle boutique

2011-08-03T18:17:00.003-04:00

congrats, melfaller!

please email your contact information to mimsponsorship@gmail.com

thank you, ella belle for the awesome giveaway!

and to all of you for your keep cool suggestions!

cape cod is delicious

2011-08-03T01:33:00.004-04:00

soft serve at captain frosty's was divine.

as was the homemade whoopie pie (my first EVER) from the grocery store.

this darling raw bar & grille at the dock was so good
that i tried my first ever oyster
(well..not first... first i LIKED.
i generally think they're super snotty- it's a texture thing...)

i'd like to go back now.