My Little's Beautiful Wedding

May is a great month for weddings. Exactly one year ago today, I was at Bradley and Kiersten's wedding (one of my "top 5 favorite weddings of all time"), and just a few weeks ago my beautiful “little"Anne got married.

For those of you not familiar with sorority lingo, a “big” and “little” are paired together (through a magical mix of preference and fate) during the little’s freshman year and big’s sophomore year, and they remain big/little throughout college (slash life). This highly anticipated pairing is revealed at an event (aptly called “Big/Little”).  For Anne’s Big/Little, all the freshmen collected gifts/clues that led them to a pair of cute pajamas. They then went downstairs to find the girl wearing the same pajamas, thus revealing their big. After this grand reveal, we all went roller-skating and showered the littles with more gifts.  Partyyyy! ;-) 

I knew I wanted Anne to be my little the day she became a Tri Delt.  All the new pledges spent the night at the Delta and somehow it came out that she had attended Kids Across America, the inner-city sister camp of Kanakuk, which I attended/worked at for the majority of my youth. We broke out into a few KAA cheers, and I instantly knew we were meant to be. On several occasions, we googled “national best big/little contest,” because we were certain we would win.  (Unfortunately we never found one to enter).

Anne is an amazingly intelligent and talented nurse and she met Alex (her now hubby) when she was interning in Washington D.C. Alex is amazingly intelligent and talented as well and has been living all over the world the past couple years, getting his masters at Oxford and working in South Africa. As such, this was my first time to actually meet him in person. Fortunately, they invited all their guests to their festive Oklahoma-themed rehearsal dinner so we all got to meet each other, eat delicious southern fare, and dance the night away the night before the big day. 

It felt equal parts weird/wonderful to dust off my old cowboy boots for this lovely affair. :-)

The wedding itself was also a beautiful affair held at the Mayo Hotel.  Alex is Jewish so the ceremony and reception incorporated several fun Jewish traditions like him breaking a glass with his foot, the horah dance where everyone holds hands and runs around in circles, and the lifting of the bride/groom in chairs.

There was also other more universal traditions: Delta-ing the bride and singing the Tri Delt wedding song (which I still don't really know all the words to), fun dancing, and double-fisting drinks when it was last call. ;-) 

To make this joyous occasion even better, since it was my first time back in Oklahoma in quite some time, I got to spend some quality time with my sweet brother and have long over-due reunions with several of my dearest friends (including but not limited to: C Gunn, Randis, Sarah, Chelsea, Vanessa, Uran, Patrick, Beckham, Blake, and my very own "big", Cory!). It was SO amazing to be back in my beloved home state. 

Basically, it was an absolutely wonderful weekend with wonderful people. The only sad part was saying goodbye to Anne because she and Alex moved to South Africa a few days later. (Don't worry, they'll be back in August 2013... whew). I'm so glad I got to be there to celebrate with my darling little and new little-in-law. ;-) 

xoxo, 

Annie. 

Best Coast Album Release Party

Alternate title of this post: Why I Love Twitter

I had one of those crazy and very uniquely "LA moments" on Saturday.  As I was doing my usual morning perusal of Twitter, I saw that one of my favorite bands, Best Coast, posted this: 

BEST COAST ‏ @best_coast:

Who is coming to party tonight at space 15 twenty?! Record release/launch of BC for UO. 

Bobb + @Juan_Vigoda DJ! 7-10PM.

Um...okay, I'll come party with you, Best Coast! They have a highly anticipated new record coming out May 15 (which you can listen to in its entirety here).  The first single, The Only Place, is a love letter to California and officially my summer anthem of 2012. I love it.  Equally exciting is that lead singer Bethany Cosentino is releasing her first clothing line for Urban Outfitters this month.  Get. It. Girl. 

In addition to being a big fan of her music, I also have a straight up friend crush on Bethany. She just seems so fun and hilarious.  Plus she loves cats (like me). Plus she's Italian (like me). Plus she loves LA (like me).  We're basically a friend match made in heaven. So when she essentially just invited me (and all her other Twitter/Facebook fans) to a party to celebrate these two very cool occasions at a venue 5 minutes away from my apartment...how I could I NOT attend this?! 

I immediately RSVP'd for myself and a guest and went about my day.  I hadn't received any confirmation about my RSVP, so I thought the guest list was already full and made other plans.  Then, as fate would have it, I received a confirmation email around 6:30 (the event started at 7:00). I quickly canceled my dinner plans and started going through my phone to find a plus one. I landed on my sweet friend Molly and an hour later, we were ready to party with Best Coast. 

It was at Space 15 Twenty, which was very cool.  When we arrived, there were only about 30ish people there. As Bethany was mingling with people, Molly and I were trying to determine if all the other attendees at this semi-intimate gathering were her close friends or if they too had been invited via social media. Hard to tell. We got a drink to help ease the potentially awkward situation of being the only Twitter invitees there, and when we returned to the party, there were more people and some definite fans asking for photos and what not. (whew!)  We then made some new buddies as we waited for a chance to say hi and congrats to the woman of the hour.  

Then she did a raffle drawing (which I sadly did not win)...

....and then Bobb Bruno (the other half of Best Coast slash the awesome DJ for the event) played Taylor Swift's "You Belong With Me" and they danced a bit (yet another reason I legitimately want to be her friend)...

... and then we got to meet her! (I love Bobb in the background of this photo...ha).

She was just as nice and cool and funny as I thought she'd be. I love that she wanted to share this very exciting celebration with her fans. 

So, if you're reading this Bethany, thanks for the fun party! I'm excited for your new music and clothes. Annndd.... let's hang out? Maybe? 

:-)

xoxo, 

Annie. 

8:11 April Highlights

Yowza... how have 3 weeks passed since my last post?!  My last 3 weeks have been full of wonderful things... a visit from Mary, a trip to Oklahoma for a wonderful reunion-filled wedding, putting on a charity event at WB for foster youth, seeing my teenage dream, Adam Brody (aka Seth Cohen from "The O. C."), etc. ;-)  Busyness aside, please forgive my blog negligence. 

Here are my top 11 favorite things that happened last month at 8:11 PM.  (After Garrett's snarky comment about having too many 'highlights' for March, I've decided to put a cap on it...harder than one might think! I'm not the best at the process of elimination.) 

8:11-food truck Monday with @mike_beier. We have the coolest neighborhood. :-)

8:11-a fun night in downtown Houston w/ my dear mother. Dinner and a play...next up: dessert at the aquarium. Holla!

8:11- so excited to see my darling @salvie! a definite benefit of my parents living in houston. 

8:11- such a lovely Easter relaxing with my parents. Love them and love this wonderful holiday.

8:11- we just zumba'd. It was hilarious and fun.

8:11- art opening/music video premiere w/ @jinahbean, @johnnyhollywood, and @jessicacmitchell. cha chiiing.

8:11- post-church din/drinks at Spitz w/ 3 of the coolest girls I know. :-) 

8:11- commencing another epic Los Feliz pub crawl with @marygaris and @mike_beier. Hollaaa.

8:11- wonderful duncan reunion at Bar Marmont w/ @marygaris and @missalf. #cheers.

8:11- din at my fave restaurant (Masa) w/ my fave people ( @marygaris, @garrettfbaker ). #snarkytrio.

8:11- @jinahbean brought me to a backyard party/fireside comedy show. Raaaandom (slash amazing) Friday night.

Another great thing that happened in my life in April....

That's right... I became a fan of the British boy band sensation, One Direction. hahah. Pure curiosity about this group that was formed on England's X-Factor and was suddenly taking America by storm caused me to YouTube them one night. I really was like a skeptical old lady..."well, let's see what all this crazy hype is about..." And the next thing I knew, I was like "hmm... this song is really catchy."  And the next thing I knew, I was listening to them on repeat and know all the lyrics (Mary and I had some legitttt sing-alongs on the way to Palm Springs) and  I can rank the members in descending order of how much I like them (Harry and Liam are my faaaaves). ;-) Yes, I realize they are young children and this is slightly embarrassing/ridiculous. But I defy you to give them a listen (I suggest "One Thing" (shown above) and their other single "What Makes You Beautiful") and NOT be singing it all day in your head. It's impossible!

xoxo, 

Annie. 

"Home"

Home is where the heart is...

...or say they say. 

I didn't quite believe 'them' when my parents moved to a strange new city a couple years ago.  This foreign place was definitely not 'home' to me.  

Home is Duncan, Oklahoma...

Where I spent the first 22 years of my life. 

Where I met Mary when I was 2 years old.

Where I walked out of my backyard and I was at my elementary school.

Where I painted my room turquoise and plastered my walls with Hanson posters.

Where I played hundreds of games of tennis.

Where I had my first kiss.

Where I had my first job.

Where I learned how to drive.

Where I knew almost everyone in my graduating class.

Where I could get anywhere in the entire town in 10 minutes or less. 

Where I knew all my teachers before I even had them in class.

Where Mary's house was one song-length away. 

I used to hate Duncan.  It was so lame and boring and small.  I used to beg my parents to move. It was funny that when I finally did move away, I immediately started to appreciate and become nostalgic about my sweet little hometown.  I loved visiting there.  

I miss it. 

I visited my parents for Easter a couple weeks ago. It was my third time to visit

Houston...

Where I love eating breakfast on the wonderful patio.

Where I could ride on the amazing bike trails everyday.

Where there's a neighborhood tennis court around the corner.

Where I cuddled with my cats for many hours. 

Where I relaxed with my parents for many hours. 

Where I looked through hilarious old photo albums. 

Where we went to church for Easter.

Where I met up with an old friend from college. 

Where there are endless bars/restaurants to try. 

Where I got countless hugs. 

Where I'm already wanting to visit again.

There's no doubt, Duncan will always be my beloved hometown, but I think that I finally get the quote about home being where the heart is too.  :-)  

xoxo, 

Annie. 

Movie Star Friends and All That [Blue Like] Jazz

I've mentioned before how excited I get when my talented actor friends get a great part. This is an extra exciting weekend because my dear friend Matt is making his big screen debut in Blue Like Jazz which opens nationwide TODAY.

This movie has quite the "little engine that could" story.  It has been 4+ years in the making, and as I mentioned in this post,  production was put on hold indefinitely in 2010 due to lack of funding.  Fans of the best-selling book wouldn't have that, though.  Thousands of fans donated the necessary funds to make it a reality.  I'm going with a group of friends to see it tomorrow, and you should add it to your weekend plans too!  Click here to see if it's playing in your city.

(Matt's the one with a Russian accent who says "You know nothing!")

In other I'm-so-proud-of-my-talented-friends news, my wonderful friend Kiersten was on Grey's Anatomy last week! 

She played a crazy girl who got mauled by her PET LION. I think it was equal parts exciting and disturbing to see her all bloodied up on that stretcher.  (A+ work, Grey's Anatomy make up department!) You can watch the full episode here. (Warning: the storyline with the sweet old couple is sad...I love old people!).

Fantastic work, darlings! :-) 

xoxo, 

Annie. 

8:11 March Highlights

Is it just me, or is 2012 flying by at an unnaturally fast pace? How in the world is it 1/4 over already? Crazy, I tell you.

Even with its seemingly rapid pace, March was pretty legit. (You know it's a good month when half of the days end up as 8:11 highlights). ;-) Here are my favorite things that occurred at 8:11 pm last month:

8:11-bidding sweet @nikehair farewell at Lola's w/ my Academy darlings as he heads to a new exciting job! :-)

8:11-tonight we are extras in @my_coal_rose's movie, Sure Enough.(to find out how you can get get a producers credit on this inspiring indie feature, click here). 

8:11- at Lola's (for the 2nd time in a week) with my dear former coworkers. :-)

8:11- celebrating @sorenaolsen's bday and hanging out w/ dear robbie for the first time since 07! 

8:11-so much food! so much booze! So ready for the Bachelor finale! Yessss.

8:11-feeling extra American at seanzie and @istantray's softball game w/ @eaken and meliss.

8:11- seanzie is teaching us to dougie. Very educational CG tonight!

8:11- @bhasemeyer and @kierstenlyons invited me over for an impromptu delicious feast! What a pleasant surprise.

8:11- @katiehutchings ❤s the delish homemade din I made us tonight. Holla

8:11-celebrating st patrick and the bday of @derekschulte w/ green beer, naturally.

8:11- delicious pizza feast at Delancey w/ @eaken, @mckenziemorris, @xxashleybrooke, etc. holla.

8:11- words can't describe my excitement right now. May the odds be ever in your favor. #hungergames.

8:11- Bardot is transformed into a casino tonight for a very fun and worthy charity event. Luck be a lady tonight. (w/ @elisand).

“8:11- delish post church din at Five Guys. It lived up to the hype...so good.

8:11- time for a muuuch needed massage from Massage Lizard. Knots be gone! :-)

8:11- movie night w/ @jinahbean and the kitties (im cat-sitting). #yessss

 8:11- happy birthday to the fantastic @mjburstin at Rock and Reilly's. Holllaaaa.

xoxo, 

Annie. 

Happy Hunger Games Week!

It's finally almost here.  This Friday (3/23) is the theatrical release of The Hunger Games.  

I have anxiously been awaiting this date since I fell in love with the book this summer (after first hearing about it from Mary's book club), and I literally have NEVER been this excited for a movie in my entire life.  I have a tendency to speak in superlatives, but I can assure you that there is not an ounce of hyperbole in that statement. I truly have never felt this way about a movie before (says the girl who works in the movie business...).  If you haven't read the books yet, you should get on that immediately, and you will understand why I'm so excited to see this enthralling, heart-pumping tale of courage, loyalty and survival come to life on the big screen.

Here are things I'm doing to prepare for the exciting debut...

1.) Buying my ticket way ahead of time.

I don't know if this will be an issue in other parts of the country, but this movie is selling out like crazyyy all over LA. I got a big group of my friends together and we all bought our tickets a week and a half ago, and even that early, we had to pick a theater in the valley. (Gasp!) If you're planning on going opening weekend, check ticket availability and showtimes here. 

2.) Watching the trailer many times.

The Hunger Games Trailer from SpineOut on Vimeo.

It gives me chills.  Every time. 

3.) Re-reading the book. 

I read the first book on vacation last July, so I wanted a refresher.  Some people have advised against re-reading a book right before you see the movie because you will be more keenly aware of the differences, however several people I know who have already seen the film say that it is "the most honest portrayal of a book they've ever seen," so I think this will be okay.  Plus, this time around, I am picturing the cast in the roles as I'm reading it, which is a different, vivid experience than when I first read it.  (I think it's even better the second time around).








3.) Listening to this playlist on Spotify.  The sure-to-be-amazing soundtrack (featuring T Swift, The Civil Wars, Arcade Fire, Birdy, Kid Cudi, and many more) comes out today, 3/20, and I fully intend to go buy it on my lunchbreak. In the meanwhile, though, this wonderful soundtrack has kept me occupied. It starts with the haunting T Swift/Civil Wars duet, "Safe & Sound," but the rest of the songs are instrumental.  With titles like "Rue's Lullaby," "The Girl Who Was on Fire," and "Reaping Day," these instrumental beauties really capture and highlight some major plot points.

4.) Painting my nails with Hunger Games nail polish.

That's right.  China Glaze and Lionsgate teamed up to create The Capital Colors Collection with colors for each district based on the district's characteristics (coal for District 12, agriculture for District 11, etc.)  Even though I thought some of the other district's colors were prettier, you KNOW I picked District 12 (shown at left). Holla.












5.) And, finally, I'm listening to and laughing at this hilarious parody song by Holly Laurent (to the tune of Lana Del Rey's song "Video Games").  My savvy brother sent me this video a few weeks ago, and I loved it.  The lyrics are pure gold.

I hope my over-zealous, nerdy-bordering-on-obsessive excitement for this movie has been contagious and that you enjoy it as much as I'm sure I will. ;-)  

May the odds be ever in your favor...

Annie.