And I'm BACK in the game...!

Hellloooooo! I haven't blogged for almost 2 years (yowza) but have recently decided to give it a go again for the following reasons...

1.) I like writing and there's only so much you can say in 140 characters or less. 
2.) *sentimental/emo alert* My last post from January 2014 includes a photo of my last Christmas ever with my grandmother (whom I affectionately called Mawdy), and as we come up on the 1 year anniversary of her passing away, I realized how important it is to have important life moments / memories like that captured somewhere (like this nifty online diary of sorts!).

So, that leads me to here. Blogging again. But as you may notice, the blog is a bit different than it was for the first awesome 4ish years of its life. Most notably - my partner-in-crime/best friend Mary is no longer the second author of annieandmary.com (hence, the name change). She's busy being a total #girlboss badass running her own gallery (and keeping up with its blog), being mentioned in the New York Times, pictured in Harpers Bazaar... you know, the usual. :)

Other big change - I live in Dallas now. So the blog that started as "A Tale of Two Cities: Best Friends from OK Living in NY and LA" might not be as full of exciting/glam stories/events as it used to be... but I'll do my best. ;) 

For a quick catch-up of the last 2ish years of my life - 

• I still work in digital marketing at FleishmanHillard (and recently got promoted...heyoooo.)
• I got to back to LA to work at the Oscars again the past 2 years.

• I met a cute boy named Chris. 
• I moved into a duplex and live alone for the first time (and it is GLORIOUS). 
• I went to Cozumel with Kayla. 
• I went to my 10 year high school reunion.
• My Mawdy passed away (as mentioned above).
• I lived in San Francisco for 6 weeks for a work project.
• I went to the Bahamas for Mary's 30th birthday (aka the most amazing 30th birthday celebration there ever was.)

• I finally went to Medieval Times (a dream of mine since legitimately 4th grade).
• I was a bridesmaid in my brother's wedding and got a wonderful new sister-in-law!

• I turned 30. (oyyy... a whole other post on that later). 
• I got engaged to that cute boy named Chris!

• I still have Moxie and she's still the greatest cat in the entire universe. 
• I still take a picture every day at 8:11 pm (January 1 will be 6 years - haven't missed a day yet. Hollaaaaa.)

Work/wedding planning/life in general is pretty busyyy so we'll see how often I actually get to update this bad boy... but I'm excited just to have a place to do so again when I get the chance. :)

(Sidenote: Whoever can name the movie that the title of this post is taken from is super cool and we're kindred spirits). 

xoxo, 

Annie

8:11 December Highlights

Hello and Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day! I'm celebrating my favorite non-major holiday with a nice mix of relaxation/productivity... including blogging about my 11 favorite things I did at 8:11 pm last month. :-) 

8:11- things to do when you're iced in: play board games.

8:11- Shane&Shane and Phil Wickham #hearchristmas concert. So good!

8:11- Shrek the Musical w/ @kbingram85. Very impressive so far!

8:11- din and drinks with 3 of my favorites people at HG Sply Co.

8:11- inaugural book club meeting. (Next time ill read the book).

8:11- the #christmas partying with the parents continues

8:11- excited to see the hilarious comedy of @mattingebretson (my former WB coworker of 2 weeks).

8:11- grandchildren and grandma. :-)

8:11- Christmas continues with my mom's side of the fam. I love my people.

8:11- SO wonderful to see one of my best friends from LA @elisadaniels.

 8:11- #newyearseve-ing.

 Cheers to ending 2013 on a happy note. And hellooooo 2014! 

xoxo, 

Annie. 

8:11 November Highlights

Despite my best efforts and drinking Emergen-C on the reg, the dreaded sickness going around my office has gotten to me. Blurgh. I figured I could use this excuse for a suuuuper lazy Sunday to catch up on a little 8:11 highlighting. Here are my 11 favorite things I did at 8:11 pm in November. :-)

8:11- SO good to see some of my Warner Bros. darlings in Dallas.

8:11- new friends and delish chai teas.

8:11- starting off @gretgru's bday weekend w/ the Head and the Heart. #holla. #grextravaganza

8:11- Eva always has my favorite things at her bday party. Last year- photobooth. This year- s'mores!

8:11- #grextravaganza continues w/ an incredible homemade feast (by the bday girl)!

8:11- thankful for these sweet new friends.

8:11- #CatchingFire was everything I hoped it would be and more. Can't wait to see it again!

8:11- I am #thankful for beer.

8:11- so good to be with my wonderful relatives. #lovelovelove.

8:11- #thanksgiving number 2.

8:11- Christmas decorating and snuggie lounging.

xoxo,

Annie.

BOOMER SOONER

(Musical accompaniment for this post: University Of Oklahoma – Boomer Sooner)

When the entire nation (myself included, I must admit) predicted OU to lose to Alabama, 

beating them 45-31 feels like this...

So proud to be a Sooner! Whooooo. :-) 

xoxo, 

Annie.

So This Is The New Year...

Happy New Year! 2013 was a very EVENTFUL year to say the least.
I met Ryan Gosling. 
I got promoted at Warner Bros.
I got a cat.
I went to Europe and met my Italian relatives there.
I upgraded to a queen-sized bed.
I moved to Dallas.

And around the world, these notable events happened:

(#client)

I always feel pretty optimistic about the new year. New beginnings just feel so refreshing and promising. I'm finally starting to feel a bit settled in Dallas and my new job, so I'm excited to see how this new year in my new city will pan out.

But for now, I'll leave you with arguably the greatest New Year's kiss of all time. #RyanAndMarissaForever. :-)

xoxo, 

Annie. 

8:11 October Highlights

Operation: blog catch up is going strong! ;-) October was my first full month in Dallas... and it was a bit of an emotional roller coaster to say the least. Luckily, several visits with old friends and family helped ease the craziness of adjusting to this new foreign place. :-) Here are my 11 favorite things I did at 8:11 pm last month...

8:11-drinks w/ @gretgru I've been waiting for this moment for approx a decade. (I was her summer camp counselor).

8:11- SO happy to see my LA darling, Cathy. A much needed little piece of home.

8:11- #OU/Texas eve din w/ these lovely darlings. #boomersooner.

8:11- drowning our Sooner sorrows with a bit fancier food now (at Lark on the Park).

8:11- poolside grilling with the mother (again). Legit new hobby.

8:11- long overdue reunion w/ @kaylashakira, @abirk, and Vaness!

8:11- I love #chicago. I love these girls. I love this bar.

8:11- #chicago style hot dogs at portillo's. SO GOOD.

8:11- being able to visit my sweet grandparents on the weekends= one of the reasons I wanted to move…

8:11- so, so, so good to see my LA darling @smitheycasting. ❤❤❤

8:11- #halloween partying.

xoxo,

Annie.