Happy *Galentine’s Day! February 13, 2012
Posted by brandy in happiness, hello universe? I love you, here is my heart, it's a long one (twss), lists, mindful happiness, other people say it better, people i like, so sappy it hurts, something I won't forget, this one is about you.16 comments
I am forever amazed at how fucking awesome the people I know are. I mean it. I’m not sure how I was able to cultivate friendships with such a talented, brilliant and gifted group of women but I am glad I did. My life is marked by the fingerprints these women leave, through their writing and word, kind acts and calls for action and I am better for it.
They are talented moms and friends, wives and daughters, runners and photographers, big idea people and get it done people. They are the women who write essays that can leave me aching for more words, design websites that leave me swooning and manifestos that re-wire my brain. They are the women who challenge me to be better, who add sparkle to the internet, to life– not through gimmicks or games but by diving headfirst into their passions and being brave enough to share their lives with us. This is my valentine to the women who sparkle.
Adele– Have you heard of her? No? Okay, talk to me when you’ve come out of the cave. (She may not realize we are friends yet– but after she hears how I sing “Set Fire To The Rain”, we are obviously going to be exchanging BFF bracelets).
Amber– Besides sharing the dream to one day own a cuddling zoo for all the adorable animals and if you forget that she’s one of the rare writers that can leave me thinking on a post for days, just know this: Amber is the person who will see you and give you a hug the second she meets you. For the first time. When a roomful of people just stare at you, she will reach over, introduce herself and give you the kind of hug you haven’t got from anyone in a long time. She’s that person. I wish there were more of her.
Andrea– Um, I adore this woman. She combines the best of wit and heart on her blog (IF YOU ARE NOT READING HER BACHELOR POSTS, TWO WORDS: FRIENDS OFF). When I’m having a tornado hate day or the sads start creeping in or I am having a “WHAT THE HELL IS EVERYTHING IN THIS WORLD SUPPOSED TO BE ABOUT?” Lifetime movie-esque breakdown, I re-read the manifesto she wrote on her blog and feel the kind of reassurance you last felt when you were 7 years old and your mom assured you that the Tooth Fairy wasn’t going to steal your shit. Andrea is basically the kind of person you want to be. See also: the prettiest hair.
Bri– Bri is a young new mom and wife who is balancing everything with a level of grace that I admire. Her love for her son, Miles (ONE OF THE CUTEST BABIES EVER), is palpable and I smile anytime she *writes about him. And when she’s nervous? She writes about it. When she’s happy? You know. Her blog is nothing less than an amazing dive into her life that she shares with two adorable dudes. Bri is just that woman you want to be friends with. The. End. (I also realized I “like” every photo that she posts of him, which sort of looks creepy when you look at my “photos you’ve liked” section and it’s all pictures of Andrea’s hair and Miles with the cheeks!)
Dowager Countess of Grantham– You better know who she is.
Erin– Last weekend I napped with my dog and sorted socks. Obviously sorting socks is exhausting, which required another nap. While I was busy trying to squeeze in a yawn between the napping and sock sorting, Erin ran 126.2 miles with a team of girls. Sorry, didn’t catch that? I SAID SHE RAN ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SIX POINT TWO MILES. I don’t even know how to muster that kind of strength from inside and Erin did it. Her positive attitude, her will to achieve great things through dedication and skill inspire me.
Hillary– Hillary is one of my favourites. She’s beyond dedicated to her adorable baby (In my dream world, I imagine than Grady and Bri’s baby are neighbours and grow up to be best friends. That’s weird right? Right. It’s just they both look so cute and happy, I just like the idea of them finding each other, you know? ANYWAY) and she’s back at work doing an amazing job. I have no idea how she handles it all, but she does. She does it every damn day and I’m in awe. I wish we lived closer because I want to hug the crap out of her.
Katelin– Few people reach the level of awesome that this woman has reached. A happily married, hard working lady who routinely kicks my ass in Words With Friends. Katelin is just one of those people I think it would be impossible to stay grumpy around. Last year in Vegas, she was one of those people I always felt I could just start a conversation with and later, she and I created epic moves on the dance floor that I can’t wait to re-enact this year. If you don’t have Katelin in your life, make some changes. I adore the hell out of her.
Laura– My love for this girl is ridiculous. Just click her name to see what kind of change one person can make in the world. Laura takes all the ideas we have after watching old Oprah episodes about Being Kind and CHANGING THE WORLD and actually acts on them. She’s inspired over 1,800 people to join her cause and create kindness. 1,800. Amazing. AMAZING.
Nicole– A tornado of energy, a life force that has immersed herself in living an authentic life. She doesn’t describe herself that way, that would a) be weird and b) maybe a bit douchey to talk in third person?- but when you spend time on her blog, you can feel it. She radiates the DO ALL THE THINGS AND EVERYTHING CAN BE AMAZING IF YOU WORK YOUR ASS OFF feeling. She organizes blogger multi-day meetups and took up running with a fierce determination last shown on the face of Lance Armstrong in old Nike commercials. She’s the person that you want to spend time with at a party because you know that’s where you are going to see something you’ve never saw before, have a conversation that will stick with you or eat some goddamn good food because the girl has an amazing new food site. Any of those are an automatic win.
Renee– Listen. I’m not going to go all “I’m so crazy smart because I read all the time and did I ever tell you I was the youngest person to teach at the college”, because that would a) be annoying and b) a tiny bit misleading since I only taught Intro To Drama which consisted of me instructing 40 year olds to pretend they were ANGER. The point is, I actually consider myself to be smart. Unless I’m around Renee. And then I quiver, shake and turn into a starry-eyed school girl who wants nothing more than to follow Renee around and ask her opinion on EVERYTHING because the girl is wicked smart. And smart with the facts to back it up. Her views on the treatment of women in media prompted me to re-think everything, including Superbowl commercials. I feel smarter after reading her tweets and blog posts. How many people can you say that about?
Shaba– This girl is the one who deals with my emails that all start with “I AM A HORRIBLE PERSON” or “I HAVE A CONFESSION”. Basically, she’s like my parole officer or the Fred to my Barney. She asks me questions no one else does and has the guts to say the things that no one else will say. And I love her for it. Besides that, her emails are also often the best part of my day. The girl can describe an outfit in ways that would put Anna Wintour to shame. Love doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel about this woman.
That’s only the beginning of what would be a very long list. I am ridiculously grateful for what each of these ladies has brought to my life and I am even more grateful that there are so many MORE who I could easy add to this post. Damn, I love the world right now.
Celebrate Galentine’s Day by letting me know- who are the women who add sparkle to your life?
(via)
* google it.
SO THEN I WENT TO HARRY POTTER WORLD August 11, 2010
Posted by brandy in 1/2 funny 1/2 serious 100% important, adventure, Doing my part to help the economy, find the dorkiest sentence in this, happiness, harry potter, hello universe? I love you, i wrote this just for the picture, it's a long one (twss), it's okay- you can skim this one, let's not talk about how long this took, let's still be friends?, overwhelmed doesn't even begin....45 comments
Let me start with this: when I heard that there was going to be a HARRY POTTER WORLD opening up in Florida, the only question in my head was when I would be going, not if it was reasonable for a 28 year old to round up her friends and trek to the tip of another country to partake in a magical world, based on books for pre-teens.
In short, I’m a fan.
But not like, a crazy one. I don’t have Harry’s name tattooed on my body.
Yet.
So. There was a lot of people. It was like… visiting the sun on the busiest day of the year. (MORE ON THE OPPRESSIVE HEAT LATER). But really? When I read reviews from people who had gone who said “for the first half of your day at Universal Studios, pretend HARRY POTTER WORLD doesn’t exist”, I scoffed. Because .. hello? That was the whole reason for my trip. But seriously. I should have listened. We waited an hour and a half to enter the HARRY POTTER WORLD section of the park the first day. And we got in, this was the scene:
See all those people? Each one of them is JUST AS EXCITED AS YOU, to be there. Which made it thrilling (finally, I didn’t have to hide my wand excitement) but it was exhausting being around so many people. And a bit scary:
That’s my scared face. And one of my friends who I have decided to protect because the only sweaty face I should be putting up on here is mine. You are welcome, friend. (To fully begin to understand the sweat, please note the boobage sweat of the man in the background. That, unfortunately, was not an uncommon sight. FOR ANYONE).
So HARRY POTTER WORLD has three rides total: a kiddish hippogriff rollercoaster that made me scream, an actually terrifying dragon roller coaster which has two roller coasters going at the same time and makes you feel like you are continually going to ram into the other one on the track and lastly, (and bestly!) the ride that I just call the castle ride. It takes place in here: 
To describe this ride properly would require a few drinks, a sketch pad, and an in-person visit so I can dramatically re-enact it all. So forgive me if this doesn’t make sense. The castle ride is like… an acrobatic, 3-D and also simulated ride that will make you pee your pants. (I think that last sentence should be the official description of the ride, I’m THAT proud of it).
Basically, you wait in this line up and the first part of the castle experience, has you actually going through the castle. You see statues: 
talking paintings (yes! These are actually animated. And the coolest part, is that they not only talk and move around, but they carry on conversations with other paintings across the room. And yes! The fat lady is there too!) ,
Dumbledore’s office, 
and even the sorting hat (who yes, of course talks): 
After the sorting hat (and roughly 4,940 other awesome things that I didn’t explain- including going through the Defense Against the Dark Arts room that has snow falling from the sky), you hop on the actual “ride”. You sit 5 across, shoulder straps come on and then you move towards a screen that makes you feel like you are flying. I’m not really big on simulated rides, but this one actually has you feel like you are flying with Harry. Then suddenly you feel yourself move away from the screen and you fight a 3-D whoomping willow, who has branches that just miss your face when they come crashing down. Then you fly again, this time all through Hogwarts, near the lake- through the arch ways, then you feel yourself move again, and there are huge, 3-D spiders everywhere- that move towards you and actually spit on you. You also experience 3-D dementors and snakes, escapees from Azkaban and see the dark mark appear through a hologram. I’m a rides girl, I grew up riding rides every summer and I have to say, this is by far the best- and scariest ride I’ve ever been in.
We went back the next day just to ride it again, and it was definitely worth it. The second time was less scary so it gave me more of a chance to look around and try to figure out how they exactly work everything to make you actually feel like you are flying. It’s going to be a bit of a wait no matter when you go, but I highly recommend it!
Ollivanders wand shop is pretty magical. You will (again) have to wait in a line, but it’s worth the show. Once you are selected to go inside, you go into this tiny, tiny room where a man appears (apparently Ollivander) who will select someone from the audience to find a new wand for. He will make a big production of asking you which hand you right with, when your birthday is, etc. He has you try out a bunch of wands- each creating a different effect, with things flying out from shelves all over the room. When I was in the room, Ollivander had selected David to get a new wand:
As you can see, David did NOT love the wand he was ‘chosen’ to have: 
Which made me giggle. This kid just had the experience of a lifetime (and judging from his face when stuff was flying all over the place, he believed the wands worked), but when it came right down to it, he didn’t like his wand.
After the David show, you get ushered into another room, where anyone is able to buy a wand. All wands are the same price $30, and you can pick any wand you like, or you can ask a shop associate which is the right wand for you. They will ask you your birthday, you will tell them and then eagerly hand over your cash to get your own wand. I have to admit, mine was not the nicest in the shop- but I didn’t want to ruin the experience and pull a David by picking the wand that was nicest, rather than the one I was suggested to have. One of my friends got a gorgeous wand, so I guess it’s just luck of the draw (or you know, luck of when your birthday is).
And that might be the dorkiest paragraph ever typed on the internet.
Next up was the 3 Broomsticks, for BUTTERBEER: 
Now. A few words on butterbeer. First of all, it tastes like… caramel. Plus rootbeer. In a really, really good way. You can get it frozen or normal. I had both and I liked normal better, but my friends enjoyed frozen better. It’s not as sweet as you think it would be from all the reviews (because yes, they are all wrong and I am right) but the foam? The foam is sweet. Like drinking pure sugar. I adored it.
They have one main butterbeer stand when you first come in, but you can also head into the 3 Broomsticks and get them at the bar. (Don’t wait in the restaurant line for the 3 Broomsticks, go around through the alley on the side of the building and enter the bar at the back. They also serve you know, non-magical, real alcoholic drinks which can be a nice change after a day of magical fun.)
Best Parts of HARRY POTTER WORLD
– Castle ride. Obviously. That might go down as the BEST PART OF MY LIFE.
– The wand show in Ollivanders. Especially if you get to go with a kid named David who hates his wand.
– The prices. I was expecting to be financially assaulted when I was there (because let’s face it, I would have paid my weight in gold to experience a butterbeer) but everything was pretty reasonably priced. A butterbeer was $3, I think they were $7 in a souvenir mug. I bought the greatest gryffindor t-shirt for $30 (to be fair, mine is covered in sequins, normal t-shirts were around the $24 mark). And my meal at 3 Broomsticks (a big salad with shepard’s pie) was under $10.
– The atmosphere. They’ve really done everything humanely possible to make you feel like you are at Hogwarts. Including shop fronts that including moving Gilderoy Lockheart pictures and quidditch sets that jumped all over:
The less that magical things at HARRY POTTER WORLD
– The size of the shops. There are not a lot of shops you can actually go into (most are very awesomely done store fronts with locked doors), so when you do stumble upon a shop you want to go into, it would be cool to go into it and have room to you know… moooove. I’m not sure what the justification of having such small stores was, other than to keep the integrity intact. I get that there is not going to be an Ollivanders Best Buy, massive store, but a wand shop that could hold a few more people would have made me ten times more happy and roughly 44595% less sweaty.
– Speaking of sweat, holy mother- the HEAT. Floridians, I have no freaking clue how you do that. Every. Single. Day. The heat felt like it was smothering me. I almost broke down and bought one of those water bottle fans. But thought I was already screaming “LOOK AT ME! I’M A TOURIST!” while wearing sneakers with my shorts, sporting a horrible tan and clutching my park map like it was my guide to heaven.
– I said it once already but I Honeydukes/joke shop really let me down. I was amped to spend a ridiculous amount of money on gag gifts/jokes for H.A.D. (who enjoys those sorts of things) but the joke shop just didn’t do it for me. Booo Fred and George, Boo.
A few tips:
– GET THE EXPRESS PASS. Seriously, sweet baby J- it was the best part of the whole experience. At the universal gate, pay the extra $70, and you get to express pass any ride on the Island of Adventure side of the park- that includes Harry Potter world. The castle ride does not let you express pass though- but to experience the other two rides (and the whole half of the park), without waiting hours and hours and hours in line is so worth it. SO WORTH IT. (I often feel that repeating things with capitals makes my point. As if you didn’t know that already).
– WEAR YOUR DAMN SNEAKERS. Don’t be cool. Don’t wear flip flops. Don’t wear cute shoes. Wear sneakers. Your feet will save you. SERIOUSLY. STOP TRYING TO LOOK PRETTY. YOU ARE GOING TO SWEAT LIKE A HOG. (this was an example of the internal monologue I had with myself daily).
(Picture taken at Disney World. Because yes, we did that park too! Because we are insane and love to sweat in line with thousands and thousands of strangers. Please note THE SNEAKERS)
– DON’T BRING A BAG. Honestly! The line up for the castle ride is ridiculously long because you have to check your bags into lockers inside the castle. If you don’t have a bag? You can skip that entire line (which will save you at LEAST 50 minutes) and head right to the line up that starts near the greenhouse, at the back of the castle. Head inside the main castle doors and let them know you don’t have a bag and try not to stare at the poor suckers who are sweating to death with bags.
– Go with people who have no shame taking photos in front of the Hogwarts Express with you while hundreds of people watch:
In short, it was a magical trip. Totally worth 4 plane rides and long lines. When you go, please pack me in your suitcase. With your SNEAKERS.
Because These Are The Best Days July 15, 2010
Posted by brandy in are you there God? It's me- ripping off Judy Blume, fingers crossed this works, friends, happiness, hello universe? I love you, here is my heart, i should be a cheerleader, I'm yoda. Everyone else is a grasshopper, it makes sense to me, just do what i say, lists, love harder, people i like, so sappy it hurts, the title says it all, when I go all Dr. Phil on you, your vote matters here.18 comments
Oh hi blog!
When summer vacation started, my summer plans list looked something like this:
1. get up at 7am everyday
2. learn a new language (preferably something useful like Mandarin)
3. blog a few times a week
4. go for a morning run
5. become a domestic goddess worthy of her own show on TLC.
6. PREPARE FOR HARRY POTTER WORLD!
Summer vacation is half over and so far this is what my list has morphed into:
1. get up before noon-ish (Like that ‘-ish’? I don’t like putting serious limits on myself. My body reacts badly to boundaries)
2. master English (so I don’t say things like ‘why come?’ and ‘interstanding’ and think those words/phrases make sense)
3. remember I have a blog
4. try not to break a sweat while eating popsicles outside
5. wear shirts without stains when meeting friends for patio drinks.
6. PREPARE FOR HARRY POTTER WORLD!
I know. Life is hard. 11 days until I enter the MAGICAL WORLD OF POTTER. I’m excited to take pictures and get a new wand have fun with my friends.
I thought I would use this post to highlight a few really awesome things going around the internet. Because unlike STD’s, love is good to spread.
1. The lovely Amy got the job of her dreams. As someone who spent MANY BLOG POSTS fretting about the lack of a job, I cheered like a fan at the World Cup when I saw that Amy landed a gig that made her so happy. Her excitement is absolutely charming and it couldn’t have happened to a better person!
2. The gorgeous Kyla Roma joined an awesome team and is now designing blogs/websites. Anyone who has spent 2.3 seconds at Kyla’s site knows she has a talent for making pretty things prettier, so this news made my day! On behalf of the internet, I thank you for the steps you are taking to make it a more beautiful place!
3. FreeandFlawed is having a hard week. On the plus side, she’s got the most gorgeous flowers OF ALL TIME, but it sounds like this week has been on to make a girl crazy. So if you have a spare second, head over there and give her a bottle of vodka some kind words. Chelsea has been through a difficult time and yet she continues to radiate gratitude and positive energy and methinks that if the rest of us were half as strong as she is right now, we would give up watching reality television and hold ‘who can lift the most trucks with just our arms’ competitions for fun. My hope for both of you lovelies is that tomorrow is better than today, and the next day is even better than the day before. You both deserve it.
4. Erin and Jess are both expecting! After following Erin’s journey trying to get pregnant, I have no shame that I cried and did multiple fist pumps when I found out. Getting to see how funny and wise these ladies are through their blogs makes me fully confident that each of them will handle motherhood with grace. Visit their sites and squeal reading all about baby prep.
5. Lastly, have you heard of someone called LivitLuvit? No? Doesn’t ring a bell? Didn’t think it would. PLEASE NOTE MY SARCASM, BECAUSE THIS CHICK IS TAKING OVER THE INTERNET. And? I couldn’t be happier. She’s in the running to become MTV’s first TJ (twitter jockey for those of you not wise to the hip) and she’s currently in the lead. Go here to learn more, or follow her on twitter (@livitluvit) to join in the fun as she battles to take over the twitterworld (Kutcher, watch your back). And if you STILL need a reason to take 2.3 seconds to vote for her? Just remember that this is the same girl who organized THIS:
And anyone who can do this? Well, in my books they can do anything. Vote for her. And? If you have the resources, donate here to keep the www.loveharder.org movement going. And let’s keep the trend of good things happening to good people going.
Have a good Thursday universe!
On BSG, Michael Bolton & a little team called the COLTS February 7, 2010
Posted by brandy in AHHHHHHHHHHH!, because I can't do report cards 24/7, competition makes me crazy, H.A.D gets his own tag- that's love, happiness, hello universe? I love you, i can't believe i have a football tag, I'm yoda. Everyone else is a grasshopper, introspection sometimes causes me to drink, it makes sense to me, lists, love harder, overwhelmed doesn't even begin..., so sappy it hurts.31 comments
One of the best reasons to have a blog (other than the free swag- I’m STILL WAITING FOR GAP TO START THROWING PARTIES FOR CANADIAN BLOGGERS- I’M JUST SAYING), is that it’s easy to see what you were doing one week ago, or one month ago or one year ago. You can simply just click in the archives and you will find your past feelings and thoughts and anecdotes perfectly preserved. You can hit a particular month and find out what was breaking your heart, how drunk you got on cheap wine at your friends party, what social causes were causing you to lose sleep. A blog is like a time capsule that you contribute to each time you hit ‘publish’. I love that.
I took this week off from blogging. I’m pretty sure the responsible thing to do is to let people know you are taking time off, rather than drop off the blogging universe and wake up to find a few dozen emails in your inbox asking “ARE YOU OKAY? WHAT’S GOING ON?”, because then you have to sheeplishly reply “I’m good, I’m just really hooked on BSG and have consumed so many non-fat, no whip white hot chocolates I’m in the sweetest coma ever”). But the blogging break is over and while sitting down to figure out what story or thought I just HAD TO SHARE, I started reading my archives. Specifically the Februarys of past. And I realized something (well two things- I was a hell of a lot funnier in the past, my funny gene is in hibernation), that many things have gotten better. And because I’m a list girl, and because after a week off I need to ease back into blogging and a list is the “just the tip” version of a great blog post, here it is:
5 Things That Have Gotten Better In The Past Year
1. I have a H.A.D. Cue the sap right at the start. I know, I’m ridiculous. Truth be told, I kind of had him at this time last year, but we were no where near where we are now. I’m pretty sure I was still in that stage where I peed my pants when I talked to him and then thought the best way to win him over would be to disagree with everything he said and say “ewwwwww!” everytime he made a gross joke. So, I basically was acting like a junior high girl with a great rack and a checking account at this time last year. Thankfully, H.A.D. is a patient man.
2. I have a job. One that I go to everyday. One where I sit at my own desk and fill the drawers with candy and extra shoes and bags of almonds (to pretend I’m healthy when I just want to eat the candy). Last February I was still subbing, and although in a hundred different ways, subbing made for better stories- I’m glad I have a job right now. (Italics meaning that I won’t have a job in the fall most likely, so I’m thankful for the one I have THIS SECOND).
3. I know what love is. For the record, I cringed typing that sentence, it sounds like it’s straight out of an 80’s power ballad featuring a Michael Bolton. Last year I wrote on what I thought love was. And although I agree with everything I said in the past, especially the idea of love meaning checking each other for lice- after everything that’s happened since last February, or let’s face it, last December, I just feel like I know a little more about what love is. And although I’d rather not have learned this lesson the way I did, I’m grateful that I’ve learned anything through this experience- and that I’m learning everything with someone I love. AWWWWWWWW. I swear. This sap is a sickness and I don’t have a cure. Feel free to club me back into sarcasm.
4. A little show called BATTLESTAR GALACTICA has been introduced to me. And for that alone, I have to say 2010 is rocking. Sure, I think Starbuck (or, as I like to call her, Starbucks- just to annoy HAD) is the most ANNOYING HUMAN ON THE PLANET AND 99% OF THE TIME THE ONLY REASON I’M SAD SHE’S NOT A CYCLON IS BECAUSE THEN THERE WOULD BE MORE VERSIONS OF HER TO WITNESS BEING LAME and that would cause me to drink heavily (even more heavily than Starbucks), the show is pretty genius. And has introduced me to the word ‘frack’. Which alone is 203,104 shades of awesome.
5. THE COLTS ARE IN THE SUPERBOWL. Please universe, let them win. I will be watching the game in my Colts jersey, wearing my colts toque, peeing my pants in less than four hours. I want this more than anything. I’d given Peyton my kidneys, if HAD already hadn’t offered his to him first. GO COLTS!
What’s better in your world this year?
Inspired by this.
Oh look internet! See me eat an ice cream cone! July 21, 2009
Posted by brandy in a possible regret, and now you might know everything, Annie Lebowitz is so jealous, earning my dork badge, family, happiness, holidays, I don't know what day it is, i wrote this just for the picture, it happened this week, it's okay- you can skim this one, italics make it appear more thoughtful/interesting, Oh Canada!, people i like, something I won't forget, the less i worry the happier i am.42 comments
So last week I went on a little ‘vacation‘. I use that word loosely because to me, vacations conjure up images of slushy drinks, tropical locales and steamy, late night samba sessions with dark haired men. I went with my mom to visit my grandfather. See? The word ‘vacation’ seems wrong. Especially when I compare it to past summer vacations. With all of that said however, it was still a ridiculously fun time and minus getting carsick on the way home (because I’m apparently 8 years old) and an unfortunate half a mile walk in the mud without shoes- it was amazing.
1. Me and the worlds largest perogy. Look closely and you can see the top of my head. My head is wearing a hat because I was not feeling well and I knew the perogy had a dress code of ‘where whatever the hell you want, we are in the middle of nowhere’.
2. Me and a girl whose mom is friends with my mom. Oh yes, it was one of those vacations. The kind where parents get together and are friends so then all the kids must be friends. Thankfully this girl was really nice. I’ve included this photo because a) who doesn’t want a ‘oh watch me lick the cone, ohhh baby‘ photo taken by their mom and b) this photo shows off my Hobbit status. Notice I am STANDING ON A FREAKING BOULDER just so I am in the same photo.
3. My brother and I. We talked for the first time since May. And then we did shots of tequila. Or five. And then we took this photo. I swear we are both cooler than this photo makes us look.
4. The worlds most perfect strawberry. I would have taken more photos of it but it needed to find a home in my belly.
1. A tower in the middle of nowhere. I liked it and told my mom it would be perfect for when I act out the Taylor Swift “Love Story” video. Then she asked me if I had been drinking. (Seriously, she asked. Which she sometimes does when I say things she doesn’t understand but really? At this point I had been in a vehicle with her for 5 hours, did she think I packed a mickey and was taking swigs when she wasn’t looking? Oh, I just had a glorious idea for next year….)
2. Clearly I make awesome shoe choices.
3. Roughly 1.3 seconds before this photo was taken I dropped the F bomb, which is why my g-pop is looking at me shocked and I have the ‘Fuck! Now I have lost my favourite grandchild status because I swear like a fucking sailor‘ look. Also please note my g-pop wears suspenders. The only way he could be cuter would be if he was a baby panda bear wearing suspenders.
4. What happens when I get bored in Wal-mart. I take pictures of my myself. And my gum. Not enough people take photos of their gum.
Tell me readers, what did you do on your summer vacation?
Four June 16, 2009
Posted by brandy in Annie Lebowitz is so jealous, friends, happiness, hello universe? I love you, i wrote this just for the picture, it seemed like a good idea at the time..., it was a dance dance revolution, italics make it appear more thoughtful/interesting, love or something like it, man I'm such a girl, so sappy it hurts, wedding season is kicking my ass.43 comments
So Saturday was the big day. I cannot even find words to describe everything that went on. There was tears and laughter and hula hoops. There was people who came out of nowhere dressed up as knights, photo booth pictures and a dance off to Britney Spears. There was long talks, fast drinking races and a dance to “Shout” that would make Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson proud. It was exactly what I hoped it would be and so, so, so much more.
Like I said there was a photo booth at the wedding and if anyone wants to have the BEST TIME OF THEIR LIFE I suggest they have one at theirs. My co-emcee and I decided that the only thing that would make a free photo booth better was props. So we loaded up on nerd glasses and tiaras and safari hats and boas. I have close to 50 photos from the photo booth, in various costumes with some of my very best friends. Here are four of my favourite. (Their mustaches aren’t real. It’s my lame attempt at ‘oh look at how I can protect my friends identities from the prying eyes of the internet’. Clearly I have a gift. I’m expecting a call from the Witness Protection Program any minute offering me a job disguising people for a living.)
And yes, I did pick out pictures that did not showcase the boobage. One particular blogger has already seen some of the lowlights highlights of the dress and I’m not sure our friendship will ever be the same. In my defense, I’m blaming a lot of it on the bra and not the fact that I have the boobs of a porn star.
The One That I’m Writing Just For You June 10, 2009
Posted by brandy in confession of the day, friends, happiness, here is my heart, i went to vegas and drank a lot, i went to vegas and saw many tigers, i went to vegas and won some MONEY!, is it weird this makes me cry?, man I'm such a girl, right on my sleeve, so sappy it hurts, something I won't forget, this one might be my favourite, wedding season is kicking my ass, when i say it anyway.55 comments
I was told once that I’m not a personal blogger. I write about what’s going on at school, I wax on about my love for Josh Lyman and tequila but when it comes to sharing stories about my friends or family? I don’t find myself writing those stories easily. Perhaps because I feel guarded- those friends and family, well I adore them in the ways you adore the things you can’t imagine living without. I keep them, I keep their stories close to me the way you sometimes hold on to good news or happy memories, because you love them too much to share.
However.
As some of you have heard (mostly because of the Dress Debacle of ’09– which is 110% awesome now- even if my relationship with my seamstress is now strained because she thinks I’m a whore for balking at having a floor length dress), I’m in a wedding this weekend. A wedding for one of the dearest and most lovely girls I know.
She’s the kind of girl who shows up. Always. She shows up when you need someone to talk to at midnight or when you are crying about your brother. She shows up when you need a ride to the airport, when you feel broken, when nothing bad is happening but you are struggling to find something good. She shows up when your house burns down and you have no place to live- she opens her door, makes sure you have everything you would possibly need and then drinks beer with you until you both fall asleep giggling.
She’s the one who loves singing loudly on the dance floor. The one who is fluent in my crazy. The one who”s in all my favourite photos. She’s the one who knows the back story on every boy- the one who gets most excited hearing about the new one. She’s the one who’s bet me $20 that I will cry at her wedding, despite everything I’ve said to tell her that I won’t. She’s the one who has consumed yard margaritas with me in Vegas, who slept in a tent with me to raise money for charity, who has held a fake Stanley Cup with me, danced until 5 am with me. She’s the one who loves beer but doesn’t drink it when she’s with me because she knows I can’t. She’s the one who hates writing but reads my blog, the comments and remembers the names of the commenters who made her laugh. She’s been witness to all my bad choices and is the first to cheer on my accomplishments.
She’s the friend I hope each of you have.
She’s the one who’s getting married this Saturday.
And I’ll be the one crying and ready to hand over my $20.
Money well spent.
I’m not talking about Grey’s Anatomy May 14, 2009
Posted by brandy in 20something, brookem is awesome!, charm, confession of the day, disappointment, ego boost, friends, happiness, here is my heart, hey it's Friday! let's say something nice, i know- we all LOVE him, i second that emotion, i wrote this just for the picture, i'm the sum of my failures and my achivements, it makes sense to me, it's okay- you can skim this one, life lesson, quote of the day, self improvement, so sappy it hurts, the world according to me.37 comments
For reasons I will never be able to articulate, I seem to swing violently between being 100% confident in my life and my choices and the direction I’m going- to the other extreme, 100% puddle on the kitchen floor, all emo with mascara stains on my cheeks feeling like I have yet to make a right choice and my life is doomed for failure before I hit thirty. There’s no in between, no grey area, no room to stretch- to accept that some choices might have been successes while others were failures. I paint everything with the same brush: it’s either amazingly great and I’m bound to lead an astounding life with Ryan Gosling as my boyfriend or I’m bound for failure and my best hope is to stake out which dumpster I’m going to live behind and hope that alley cats will not consume my entire body in greedy gulps when I die and leave no evidence of my time on Earth.
Which is why when I saw this quote I felt compelled to share it. It reminds me that my life has a ridiculous amount of good in it- I have amazing friends and family and shoes. I have a teaching degree, all my limbs intact and an encyclopedic like knowledge on all things West Wing. There are roughly eleventy gazillion things I can’t quite figure out; why I can’t remember where I put my phone, the reason I seem to discourage principals to hire me, what the hell is happening on Lost… but there’s good too.
And everyone knows a good supporting cast can save even the most helpless movie. Especially if if Ryan Gosling is involved. Happy Friday universe!
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It's like I'm... mmmagic! 
