Every Monday Matters (EMM). Make a difference in 52 Mondays.

You might wonder what I am talking about when I say "Every Monday Matters". This is a chance for you to make a difference. I don't know who 'you' is, but whoever it is, be prepared, I might get a little 'deep' so if it makes you uncomfortable...suck it up.

I was recently blessed with a week long visit from my best friend and sister, Alicia Ann. Growing up, Alicia and I weren't always on the best terms. She wouldn't take me to Amigos when I asked, I couldn't hang out with her and her friends, we hit each other, we screamed at each other, we threw Super Nintendos at one another and we were big on slapping. Not to mention she was jealous every time I wore my 'Pow' shirt and I was jealous of her hiked up and scrunched down tube socks.

However, my last year in high school and nearing college, once Alicia stopped picking out my clothes and I stopped stealing hers, something really changed for us. I was no longer a nag and thief and she no longer ignored me in public. We began a friendship that I believe will always be the best friendship I ever have and will ever have. After finally being able to go 'out on the town' together, shopping together, spending Sister/Sister days together, living together and going on trips together it was time for me to go after what I've always wanted....sunny California.  I did everything I could to try and persuade my Alicia to come out here because the ocean was something I just couldn't give up. I had to be closer to whales.

Alicia has her life in Nebraska which is not easy to leave and I now have mine here that I don't think I could leave. Not to mention a handsome young man I gained from the move. But Alicia's visit made me think about life in general: what it's about, the paths we take, the choices we make and how every person has a different story.

During Alicia's visit on one of our 'Sister, Sister' days we went on a shopping excursion to Venice Beach. I found a book called, Every Monday Matters: 52 Ways to Make a Difference by Matthew Emerzian and Kelly Bozza. I thought this was a sign, it was my opportunity to start doing something new and different and find there is more to life than work, shopping, working out, and the material things. Here is my chance to give back and maybe my headstone will say more than -Avid Shopper and Dry Humorist- . I invited my boyfriend to help me with these small actions that can make a huge impact. I want to invite you to join in EVERY MONDAY!

I will post an action for every Monday for 52 Mondays- except the first one which is today! Feel free to read the attached story as well. ;)

Who Will It Be...?

2011 MTV MOVIE AWARDS

The MTV Movie Awards are back on June 5th. Jason Sudeikis is set to host the movie awards replacing the Hot Rod himself, Andy Samberg. I could only be so lucky to watch Andy Samberg host again for 2 hours straight. I guess I'll just get his SNL dvd's and that should be the equivalent. Either way, the nominees are out, the votes are rolling in so I thought....why not!? I voted, or at least the site made me think I voted.

BEST MOVIE
"Black Swan"
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -- Part 1"
"Inception"
"The Social Network"
"The Twilight Saga: Eclipse"

Hmmmm...two of my ALL TIME favorite series are included in this category (The Pots and The Cullens), but I think I walked away from Inception thinking whoever created that film is a GENIUS! Or very creative.

       VOTE INCEPTION!

BEST MALE PERFORMANCE

Daniel Radcliffe, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -- Part 1"
Jesse Eisenberg, "The Social Network"
Robert Pattinson, "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse"
Taylor Lautner, "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse"
Zac Efron, "Charlie St. Cloud"

I have actually seen all the movies in this category EXCEPT Charile St. Cloud. Zac Efron was the male performer and cried on que. Enough said.

     VOTE CHARLIE (Zac)!

BEST FEMALE PERFORMANCE
Emma Stone, "Easy A"
Emma Watson, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -- Part 1"
Jennifer Aniston, "Just Go With It"
Kristen Stewart, "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse"
Natalie Portman, "Black Swan"

Emma Stone is absolutely hilarious. When Stone appeared in SuperBad, I wondered, "why would they choose her for this role...what was so special?" After seeing Easy A and a few other films she's been in, I realized, she has a dry, sarcastic sense of humor. Sounds like someone I know ;)

           VOTE EMMA!



BEST COMEDIC PERFORMANCE
Adam Sandler, "Just Go With It"
Ashton Kutcher, "No Strings Attached"
Emma Stone, "Easy A"Russell Brand, "Get Him to the Greek"
Zach Galifianakis, "Due Date"

This category was diffcult, mainly because I've seen 3 of the 5 movies. However, from my critiques and ones I've heard of the other two movies, Get Him to the Greek made me laugh the hardest I have since The Hangover, so I credit Russell Brand to a large portion of my laughter.

               VOTE BRAND!



BEST BREAKOUT STAR
Andrew Garfield, "The Social Network"
Chloë Grace Moretz, "Kick-Ass"
Hailee Steinfeld, "True Grit"
Jay Chou, "The Green Hornet"
Olivia Wilde, "Tron: Legacy"

I HAVE NOT SEEN 3 OF THE 5 MOVIES. I did not vote for this category in case my votes really did matter. So let's just say we...

          VOTE JUSTIN!



BEST LINE FROM A MOVIE
Alexys Nycole Sanchez, "Grown Ups"
"I want to get chocolate wasted."
Amanda Bynes and Emma Stone, "Easy A"
"There's a higher power that will judge you for your indecency." "Tom Cruise?"
Jesse Eisenberg, "The Social Network"
"If you guys were the inventors of Facebook, you'd have invented Facebook."
Justin Timberlake and Andrew Garfield, "The Social Network"
"A million dollars isn't cool. You know what's cool?" "A billion dollars. And that shut everybody up."
Tom Hardy, "Inception"
"You mustn't be afraid to dream a little bigger darling."

I laughed out loud at this quote more than any of the others; therefore,

VOTE CHOCOLATE SANCHEZ!

BEST SCARED-AS-... MOMENT
Ashley Bell, "The Last Exorcism"
Ellen Page, "Inception"
Jessica Szohr, "Piranha 3D"
Minka Kelly, "The Roommate"
Ryan Reynolds, "Buried"

Stupid category.

          VOTE JUSTIN!



BEST JAW-DROPPING MOMENT
James Franco, "127 Hours"
Justin Bieber, "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never"
Leonardo DiCaprio and Ellen Page, "Inception"
Natalie Portman, "Black Swan"
Steve-O, "Jackass 3D"

I'm sure everyone will be voting for James Franco's moment, but I literally dropped my jaw when Natalie started to rip the feather out of her nail. I then almost threw up in my mouth a little and then had to shut my jaw, before closing my eyes for the rest of the movie in case that same scene happened again. So....

        VOTE NATALIE!

BEST VILLAIN
Christoph Waltz, "The Green Hornet"
Leighton Meester, "The Roommate"
Mickey Rourke, "Iron Man 2"
Ned Beatty, "Toy Story 3"
Tom Felton, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -- Part 1"

Mickey Rourke scares me when he's not acting, so he pretty much has my vote for this category every time he is nominated.

        VOTE MICKEY!

(Looks like some of my friends from NE)

BEST FIGHT
Amy Adams vs. the sisters, "The Fighter"
Chloë Grace Moretz vs. Mark Strong, "Kick-Ass"
Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint vs. Death Eaters, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -- Part 1"
Joseph Gordon-Levitt vs. Hallway Attacker, "Inception"
Robert Pattinson vs. Bryce Dallas Howard and Xavier Samuel, "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse"

This category was difficult one for my personalities to come to an agreement on.  I have the side that is fierce so I love the Amy Adams vs. the sisters fight because Amy has red hair and the whole dynamic between the two is hilarious. Twilight because the floor shook in real life when a wolf would tumble and it sparked my adventurous side, and Harry Potter because I almost peed my pants at that part, SCARY! But the part of me that loves how creative and intense the fight was in Inception won.

VOTE GORDON-LEVITT!

BIGGEST BADASS STAR
Alex Pettyfer, "I Am Number Four"
Chloë Grace Moretz, "Kick-Ass"
Jaden Smith, "The Karate Kid"
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, "Inception"
Robert Downey Jr., "Iron Man 2"

I have only seen 2 of the 5. Not substantial for an educated vote...

                 VOTE JUSTIN!

BEST KISS
Ellen Page and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, "Inception"
Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -- Part 1"
Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse"
Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner, "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse"
Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis, "Black Swan"

I'm not a 'lez' BUT....

VOTE NATALIE AND MILA!

Please Vote as I have here or else...WATCH OUT!



Coachella Chic: Boho-Chic

Coachella Cuties

I can't say any of the bands made me crazy excited for this year's Coachella series (minus The Scissor Sisters, Lauren Hill and Kings of Leon) but music aside the style coming out this past weekend was very appropriate for the festival. My summer wardrobe will likely be modeled after these three ladies who are sporting relaxed, boho-chich, beachy-chic, and preppy meets hippy styles, even if I'm not in the desert flashing peace signs and eating "white chocolate" from my purse.

Speaking of...the only thing I will take from Vanessa's two Coachella outfits, although, fun and 'breezy', is her tamborine, the other pieces, I probably won't be sporting this summer. The acid-washed jean shorts and no pants are definitely looks only a select few can pull off. Good Job Vanessa, it's a tough look to rock but you definitely played into your "Coachella Character".

STAGECOACH STALLIONS

I was lucky enough to go to Indio and catch a few "HOT LOOKS" at last year's Stagecoach ...can't wait for the Stagecoach looks next weekend!

STAGECOACH 2010

What is your Style? My style is free-spirited, artistic, and whimsical

http://www.shoedazzle.com/

Right on Shoe Dazzle!! I simply chose my favorite styles, purses, style icons, and brands and this beautiful array of "ME" was created. Ok, it's Penelope Cruz and some other outstanding models, but the words and pieces really do fit me to a 'T'.  

1. Free-Spirited: As much as I want to accent my square-shaped, curveless body with tight, body hugging clothes, I feel the off-the-shoulder, frayed, and baggy style suits me a little better. The only way I can take advantage of my flat chest is to wear tops the big busted girls can't. Point flat chests!! The other reason I look at Free-Spirited as being "spot on" for my style characteristic, is my lack of knowledge when it comes to SHOES! A category my sister knows far too much about. I'd rather wear hemp strings on my feet than having to choose a pair of heels, which usually I purchase to go with one outfit then never wear them again because of their bright accents or stupid zippers that looked trashy in the first place. At least my honesty to myself and lack of certain 'things' and certain categories will create for a more comfortable, free-spirited style that suits me.

2. Artistic- I enjoy turquoise and shirts that look like they are splattered in paint. But beyond the obvious. Artistry comes from a personal opinion and unique style that not everyone needs to understand. For instance, my friend wears a different color shawl every day. I don't have to understand it, but they've actually started to grow on me because of her love and confidence in SHAWLS. Anything that references the '60s, '70s or '80s is art to me. Definitely shows my age, but Vintage Beatles, Ramones, and Smurfs.

3. Whimsical- whim·si·cal/ˈ(h)wimzikəl/- Playfully quaint or fanciful, esp. in an appealing and amusing way.

My style has a comfortable, simple feel but I always try to have a piece that screams, "I'm amusing!" :)  What can I say?? When I have accessories like this sombrero, appeal just comes natural.

Final Note: The best way to grow into your style and look good in what you wear is 1. confidence and 2. dress for your body type as my sister first told me in 7th grade. With these two rules, I know exactly where my free-spirited, artistic and whimsical style comes from.

Thanks again http://www.shoedazzle.com/, for letting me evaluate my style :)

Only In LA: American Idol in Real Life

I've dreamed of living in California since I saw my first whale in 5th grade, MiMi on her Voyage, but it is not until now that I realized how lucky I truly am. I took Mimi's advice and voyaged out to California and was lucky enough to join some of my best friends who had already settled in the sunny state. However, I think I'm even more lucky that all of my friends here happen to be determined, gorgeous, motivated and successful ladies who will take me to exciting events like American Idol! (thanks to fancy pants, Sierra Nielsen)

If you know me, you know I have talked about trying out to be America's Idol since Kelly Clarkson's performance of "A Moment Like This" in 2002. On April 6th at 5:00 sharp, my dream didn't come true, but the next best thing did. I got to see the taping of American Idol with the real JLO (Amazing with an outstanding Glow!), Steven Tyler (legendary but odd), Randy Jackson (needs a new stylist), and of course, Ken doll (i.e. Ryan Seacrest). The show was fairly strict. You couldn't wear white, labels, phones and cameras were confiscated (even though I saw Christian Slater with his, WTF?), and there were no sunglasses to be worn, which Madeline learned the hard way. I, however, did not get the memo that chewing gum was illegal in the American Idol corridors, you think Sierra would tell me something as important as the 'no gum chewing law', but no! I was forced to publicly spit my gum into a security guard's cup 20 seconds before the show began. No big deal, just our entire section saw me targeted by a security guard with a cup, who happened to see me smacking my gum from what had to be 30 rows down. I looked like a little girl who just got caught chewing gum by her 4th grade teacher, not to mention I was wearing a flower sundress. Only Me.

After this display of public humilation, I went on with my amazing American Idol experience of standing up and sitting down every five minutes, clapping on que, staring at JLO's hair and make-up people every commercial break and singing as loud as I wanted (which the gum would've gotten in the way of anyways).

It was such a great night with great friends, great performers, great/observant security guards, and a night I could experience Only in LA.

Only in LA/Only Me: The Gas Incident

One year and three months after my move from the rolling hills and wide plains of Nebraska to the energetic and non-stop L.A., I have finally just started to feel like a resident. Sure, I don't have the "papers", license, license plate, fancy car, or fake boobs to show for it; but I AM starting to navigate around town without my 'TomTom'. That says a lot for me. Now that I'm starting to know my way around (Hollywood); I'm also starting to become a bit more perceptive of things you can find 'Only in LA'. (I.e. hiking to the top of Runyan and seeing the view only found on the beginning of 'The Hills', Laker's games, being the closest I can be to Blake Griffin, and finally, PINKBERRY). Ok, Pinkberry isn't Only in LA but it tastes the best here.

For my first 'Only' post, I'd like to recall the amazing gas incident. It was a lovely, sunny L.A. morning, I had only gotten 5 hours of sleep. I was running late for work so naturally the Tracker was on empty. I filled her up enough to get from my home to work and back, got my OJ and granola bar, filled up my gas tank, and drove off. One key item was missing from my morning 'fill-up'. I forgot to take the gas pump out of the Tracker and proceeded to drive off, the whole thing disattached. Only me. Now I can no longer visit this gas station across the street from my home and I am $150 poorer.

ONLY ME!

-OurBoutique-

My 'style inspirations'. These people can do no wrong in my eyes (in regards to fashion of course).



                     SIENNA MILLER





                  
          RACHEL BILSON 

 

   NICOLE RICHIE & MARY KATE  

                                                                 just kidding!

             A FEW HIGHLIGHTS