Travel in Style

I love to travel, but there's something about flying on Virgin America that just adds to the excitement. VA is leaps and bounds ahead of the competition and continues to impress me. Aside from the in-flight wi-fi, satellite TV, live chat and on demand ordering system, they also have outlets for your electronics and serve VeeV vodka. Who says you have to leave all the comfort of home while you travel?

I discovered VeeV a couple years ago, but now that I've gone gluten-free I'm ready to "re-discover" this amazing drink. I believe we'll be reunited on my flight to DC this Saturday. VeeV is made from Acai berries, which have 57% more antioxidants than blueberries. Most importantly, it tastes like heaven!



For those unlucky few who have not yet experienced Virgin America, I leave you with their in-flight safety video:

I Love Burgers

Since I've gone gluten-free, I may never have a real cheeseburger again. A real cheeseburger being one with an actual bun. Nowadays, I'm all about the "protein style", but that can be messy. Burgers are messy enough, let alone eating one wrapped in a slippery leaf of lettuce. Scrumptious!

Although, UrbanDaddy has dubbed the CHOMPr as something we left in 2009, I'm thinking of bringing it back to solve my "protein style" problem.

Grown Ups

Let me first start by saying that I may never see another movie after 12pm again. I mean, it was only $14 for my bf and I to see Grown Ups this morning. Maybe I've just become cheap at my old age (28) or maybe movies are a supreme rip-off after 12pm. Depends on your point of view, I guess.

Now, I had been wanting to see this movie ever since I first saw the yearbook ads while waiting in line for SATC 2 (an epic disappointment). Perhaps it was all the build up leading into the movie that left me underwhelmed. Don't get me wrong, there were definitely some funny moments. I just felt like I had seen the best material in the trailer. I realize that's what got me to buy my movie ticket, but the trailer was a serious spoiler alert. From the kids wanting to get "chocolate wasted" to blue dye in the pool, I found myself anticipating the good stuff.

Since the cast included Chris Rock, Adam Sandler, Rob Schneider, Kevin James and David Spade, I thought there would be some bloopers at the end or at the very least, some still photos of funny stuff. That might have made me feel like I got to see something trailer viewers hadn't. More than anything, I felt that it was a narcissistic move on Sandler's part to make himself the most successful of the group. He was affectionately referred to as "Hollywood" by his friends after becoming an agent. He was also the boy who scored the winning shot during the championship game. In love with yourself much?

All I know is that my expectations were high for this film and I left the theater grateful that we didn't pay full price for our tickets. I'm ready to see a great movie and although it's a completely different genre, the countdown is on for The Last Airbender: http://www.thelastairbendermovie.com

In The Heights

Right before Christmas, Pantages Theatre sent out an e-mail to commemorate their 80th Anniversary. At that time, they were selling eight tickets to eight shows for eight dollars. The tickets sold out within minutes, but luckily we were able to snag some! So far, I've been seven shows at Pantages this season - that's a record for me. We only have one show left in our series and I'm starting to think that I'll need to buy season tickets for the Fall, too.

Last night was the opening night for In The Heights. As usual, I researched the play a bit during the day and read the synopsis. I already knew I was going to like it because it included salsa dancing, but I wasn't sure what to expect regarding the storyline. Would there be a storyline?

We were running late for the show and got to Pantages a few minutes into the first number. Luckily, we didn't miss much. I had a tough time following the storyline in the beginning since a lot of it was being rapped or said in Spanish. For the most part, everything in Spanish was repeated in English or easily translated based on context.

I was pleasantly surprised by how great the singing was, specifically the female lead, Nina. In addition to the singing, every single person in the cast could dance. A cast of "triple-threats" - dancers, singers, actors. They did a good job establishing each character during the first act. Each personality was so unique, it was tough to choose a favorite. During the first act, we were also given a glimpse of what each character's problem or conflict is, but before intermission, we were let in on a secret which could solve everyone's problems.

Act two went by pretty quick and even though they hit us with some drama, it all ended up working out. Overall, I really enjoyed this play and would recommend seeing it. I might even buy the soundtrack.

Another Wedding Under My Belt

As a hobby, I've been doing "day of" wedding coordinating for friends or friends of friends. It's something I would LOVE to do full-time, but breaking into the wedding industry can be a daunting task. More than anything, it requires working for half price in order to gain experience and build a portfolio of happy clients. That being said, I've made it a habit to always welcome any opportunity to work on a wedding. Lucky for me, I'm at an age where everyone and their sorority sister is getting married.

My boyfriend and I have already been invited to five weddings this year. Of those five, two are destination weddings in Nicaragua & Hawaii. It should be a fun year! I'd be lying if I said I'd rather be a guest than a planner. There's just something so fulfilling about helping make that day possible for a bride and groom.

The most recent wedding I helped with was an interesting scenario because I was originally a guest, then the bride asked if I would be her coordinator. The girl she had hired wasn't being responsive and she needed me to replace her about two months before the wedding. I was so excited, especially since I was unemployed and searching for something to keep me busy.

The bride is a friend from college who I have had a lot of fun times with. She met her groom on Match.com and they immediately hit it off. They have been inseparable ever since. Previously, I had helped with weddings where I had no relationship with the bride, so this was new territory for me. She wasn't just a client, she was a close friend.

As the wedding drew near, our phone time increased substantially. I was kept in the loop on all things regarding the wedding, from bridesmaids to center pieces. There were a lot of "firsts" for me. For example, the wedding reception included a ten-course Chinese meal. I had no idea Chinese weddings hooked you up with so much food. Awesome. There were also nine bridesmaids, three of which were added a week before the wedding. The banquet manager was fired a couple weeks before the wedding. In addition to all this, the bride had to purchase a new wedding gown 48 hours before she walked down the aisle because the dry cleaner ruined her dress!

Last, but not least, on the day of the wedding, I was greeting the vendors when the previously fired wedding coordinator showed up with her mom. Since they were also wedding guests, I wasn't too surprised to see them. They immediately proceeded to ask the hotel staff for seating charts, table numbers, candles, etc. Luckily, I had already introduced myself to everyone and they were redirected me. This sort of thing can cause a lot of confusion on the day of a wedding. I insisted that I had everything under control and told the fired coordinator and her mother that I would reach out if I needed any assistance. Within minutes, I did a quick walk-through of the banquet hall and overheard the fired coordinator telling the florist that she would be placing the flowers on the wedding cake. I actually had to pull the florist aside and tell her that she was the only one to touch the cake per the bride's instructions.

I was completely thrown off by this, but knew better than to drag the bride into it. To this day, I haven't been able to tell her what happened the day of her wedding. Thankfully, it wasn't my first rodeo, so I was well aware of what tasks I needed to complete and the time allotted for each. At the end of the night, I was satisfied with the how the day went. A lot of fires were put out and it was a beautiful wedding. Here's a snapshot of the ballroom before the final touches:

A Quick Catch Up

I have officially been unemployed for 4 months and it's been absolutely amazing!! I cannot emphasize how important it was for me to take a break from the world, especially the world of advertising. I admit that though the break was much needed, it was extremely abrupt. As I think back over the past few months, I can't even believe how long it's been since I've sat in a cubicle and filed e-mails in Outlook.

The good news is that I'm re-entering the workforce with a renewed sense of ambition and it's exactly what I need for the next phase of my career. I recently went on a first and second interview with an online company. The position seems promising and I honestly can't wait to get started. Unfortunately, I have not been offered the job yet and there is one other candidate being flown into LA on Monday.

Even though the General Manager never told me if my competition was male or female, I automatically assumed it was a woman from San Francisco. He also didn't mention where she was from. Isn't it funny how we make assumptions like that? All I know is that you don't fly a candidate from anywhere unless they are talented. Why waste the money?

Aside from being unemployed, I've also spent some time training for and completing the LA Marathon, going to spin class, wedding coordinating, meditating, traveling to Portland & Hawaii and lots of long dog walks. I've also been cooking quite a bit. Specifically, I've gotten into the habit of making soup. My boyfriend says it's my new hobby. I'm rather impressed with my soup-making skills. Vegetable bouillon is my secret ingredient, but since I've become gluten-free, I need to find an alternative.

All this being said, I have so many new topics to blog about. In the coming weeks, I foresee many changes taking place. From the new job to potential apartment hunting, the topics are endless. For now, I'd like to leave you with my new favorite quote and quite possibly my new life mantra: "Approach the present with your heart's consent. Make it a blessed event." - Gurumayi