My Halloween weekend with the kids

I love these kids!

Here's William; he was the Blue's Clue's dog, but now he's just in his under clothes. Anyway, he recently learned two things:
1. How to JUMP with air (he used to just squat down and then stand straight up when he "jumped" before) and
2. THE ROBOT


Ashley is a VERY animated little girl with a LOT of energy. She gives me some competition in those areas. Um... I look kinda crazy in this shot.


"Rock, scissors, paper" in Korean is "Ga-wi, ba-wi, bo" - these kids just like the way it sounds.


We had a dance party!

My newest hobby: photography

Taer is out of town for a work conference, and life just isn't the same without him here. I guess it's a good thing that I'm marrying him then, huh?

Anyway, I've been addicted to taking pictures with my new camera, and I've been particularly addicted to playing with my photos on Picasa. I'm tired, so I'll just post a few of them for now and will write more later.

I got to spend some time with adorable Hailey yesterday. She's the cutest! I told her mommy that she probably won't have to take any pictures with her own camera ever again because I take a ton on my own every time I see her. But can you blame me? Look at her! It's a good thing I'm good friends with her mommy; she might otherwise be afraid of a potential kidnapping by a crazy girl named Jenn...

The lighting wasn't ideal, but we made it work.

I took this one the last time I visited. I was happy and proud to see a blown up version on the wall - but now they've created a shutter bug in me for sure!

My favorite celebrity sighting

I got to spend yet another fabulous weekend in New York. I just can't seem to get enough of the city that never sleeps! And I also can't seem to avoid some kind of celebrity-related encounter during my travels lately. My FAVORITE one yet (well, sort of... and you'll soon see what I mean by that) happened on Saturday.

I was enjoying a sweet afternoon snacky snack with the girls, when a random guy snuck up behind Kat and tapped her on the shoulder. "Excuse me," he shyly inquired. "Can I ask you a question?"

I was wondering if he was going to hit on her, but that didn't quite seem to be his intent. He continued his quest bravely, "Are you on tv?"

Camilla and I both erupted in giggles, and we absolutely couldn't stop laughing! I'm pretty sure one of us even snorted - and it wasn't pretty! Before I continue, I think I'll have to share a picture of our beloved Kat and ask: Does she remind you of anyone?

So... someone famous, perhaps? Someone with gorgeous curly locks who was a great actress in a few movies before being cast in a hugely popular TV show? In fact, I think it might be THE most popular television show right now. If you need a few more hints, just tilt your head. Tilt it a little more til it's all the way Sideways. And then shed a little more light this way. Maybe get under some sunlight. Maybe some Tuscan Sun...

Alright, if you guessed Sandra Oh, then you win a gold star and a cupcake! Here's a photo of her to refresh your memory if you need it. I know you just scrolled up to look at Kat again, and then down for Sandra Oh, and then back up again for another peek. Go ahead. This is definitely NOT one of those "Asians look alike" things. I think they may have been separated at birth. Kat seems to be sick of hearing it, and she's going to hate me for this, but oh well! Sorry, Kat, but here are a few more pictures for every one's viewing pleasure.

Kat just answered calmly, "No, I'm not on tv."

"You're not on Grey's Anatomy?"

"No, that's not me."

"Well..." With camera in hand, the 'fan' simply asked, "Can I take a picture with you anyway?"

The fact that he STILL wanted to snap a shot with her got us rolling even harder; but Kat was a great sport about it all and posed like the true celebrity she was at that moment.

I would SO milk that if I were her! I think the next time I go out to dinner with Kat, I'll put the reservation under "Sandra Oh" and ask for the best table in the house.

I hope neither of them gets angry at me for this post - mad Kat is scary, but mad Kat morphed with mad Sandra is downright scuurrry!

Red Tulip Jewelry

Calling all accessorizers! I've been waiting for a long time for this site to launch, and now I can finally share these fabulous finds. And if you're reading this, you're getting the inside scoop before the November issue of Lucky hits the stands - and Red Tulip is in it (along with Good On Paper, which is also absolutely blowing up in the design world)! I'll share the mag once it's available, but hurry up and pick up some cute earrings, necklace(s) or bracelet(s) before they sell out!

My dear friend, Claudia, took a jewelry making class a long, long time ago. And then, a more recent long time ago, she and I decided to take another jewelry making class together. She made more and more beautiful pieces until she finally decided to start this company; she is now sharing her wares with the world. And what a lucky world it is!

I, in the meantime, bought a bunch of beads and tools; and after making a few measly pieces I didn't necessarily love... Well, let's just say that my name is not attached to Red Tulip. But in one way, it actually is. Claudia and Yvonne decided to name their pieces after friends. So here's the "Jenn."

And here's another picture of me with designer Claude, wearing my "Jenn" pair. I love 'em. And you will too.

"Hair Down There"???

When gmail was initially announced, some people were weary of it feeding subject-specific ads based on the emails being sent and received. Was someone actually reading through our email? Was this an invasion of privacy? Personally, I didn't think so. I figured that Google used some word identifying tool which would automatically just spit back paid advertisements mechanically. I really like gmail's interface and the way it gathers group messages for me based on subject line, so I'm all for it. (My group of ten girlfriends are all over the country, and we keep in touch through group weekend update emails. But instead of getting nine separate emails, I just get one with all the messages gathered from all the girls for me.)

Anyway, back to the reason for my post today. Audrey is a friend here who cuts and colors hair beautifully, and Justyne emailed a bunch of us about how much she loves the "fall foliage" highlights Audrey just gave her. So the resulting gmail sponsored link was:

COLORING PUBIC HAIR - bettybeauty.com - Color your Pubic Hair. Natural Looking. For "Hair Down There"

DO PEOPLE REALLY DO THAT? Justyne did mention that she had to change the color of her brows because of her new highlights, but DOWN THERE??? And are people going for all one color, or are they getting matching highlights? What did Gwen Stefani do when she had pink hair?????

Benefit friends and family

It's a month away, but if you're a fan of Benetint or Dr. Feelgood or any other Benefit product, it'll be worth the wait. Enter the code: BENEFIT2 between November 10-25 to get 20% off http://www.benefitcosmetics.com, including free shipping! Go ahead and be a BADgal.

Flower girl does the robot

I went to Kirstin's wedding last weekend, and this was the flower girl's pre-ceremony contribution to keeping the bride entertained before the ceremony.

Southern comfort eatin' with famous friends

I forgot to share the other reason I was so gym-obsessed yesterday: I ate Low Country Fried Chicken and other deliciously less-than-healthy delights at Georgia Brown's! It was damn good food, but I remained full for days. I STILL don't think I've fully digested. I have problems. Anyway, I'd definitely recommend this restaurant to anyone visiting DC who isn't afraid of some yummy food from the South. Go for the Jazz Sunday Brunch, but know that you'll inevitably be walking away with a bag to take home.

Taer and I always get into it when we talk about whether or not DC/Maryland/Virgina is considered "the South." He's agrees that VA is southern; if you go deep into the state, people have a twang. We even had some guy drive by us in his pickup and yell out something about "Chink" after we pissed him off on the road. I swear that guy looked like he might've had a shotgun in his car, right next to some animal with horns he just hunted down.

Don't get me wrong; we have nothing against the South! I think Taer and I just enjoy debating for the sake of the banter. Anyway, he doesn't buy into the "south of the Mason-Dixon line" argument for Maryland and DC. Even my company puts our DC office in the Southern division. We're not part of the Northeast division. T feels that's because it would be too imbalanced to stick DC with NYC and Boston, etc. His main argument is: Look at how we vote! Maryland is a blue state!

Whatever. I'm just glad we're close enough to the real South to have food like this:
Oh, so I'm not just inundating you with photos of me and T and food, here's one more picture of our new celebrity friend. Fans of O.A.R. (of a revolution) might recognize their lead guitarist, Richard On. He and T have a lot of mutual friends in the area, so we all had dinner together. I met him briefly in a bar before, but this was the first time we actually all hung out and talked. I was totally expecting a too cool for school, rock star type, but Rich ended up being a complete sweetheart! I might even say he's a little on the shy side. If you haven't discovered O.A.R. yet, check out their site and listen to some of their music. "Love and Memories" is getting a lot of play right now, but that's not actually my favorite song on their current album. Let me know what you think!And I apparently can't make a normal face when I take pictures. I DO have problems.

OCD and ADD

I've always been a little crazy (ya think?), but with so much STUFF going on in my life right now, I'm feeling a little nuttier than usual, in a lot of different ways. My self-diagnosed ADD is kicking into high gear, and between jumping amongst all my thoughts, I'm also finding that I'm getting absolutely fixed on issues until I get them resolved.

First it was house hunting. Check.

Next it was getting the 'rents on board with T and me. Check.

Then it was settling the wedding venue and date. Check.

And now? I'm determined to find a gym. I've been looking for one since we lost the fitness room in our condo when we moved a month ago, but for some reason, I'm absolutely OBSESSED today. Maybe it's because I finally have a set date when I know I want to be looking my best. Maybe it's because I'm feeling the coolness of fall creeping in, and I know I won't be able to go running when winter blasts in. Maybe it's because I just watched a Style special on Jennifer Aniston, and my muffin top (along with T's cliff hanger) isn't looking so "cute" anymore.

Anyway, I really wanted to write about something a little more interesting than my debate between Washington Sports Club or Gold's Gym today, but since I'm consumed, this seemed like the most natural thing to share. If anyone has any opinions on gyms in DC, please share!

Good news and good gifts

I cannot believe I haven't blogged in over two weeks. What's wrong with me? Well, this is the busiest time of year for me at work, but thankfully it all ends when September ends. Maybe Green Day had my job at one point. That song has been my mantra.

So, I come bearing a few goodies to make up for me being so MIA. First, for my fellow fans of Grey's Anatomy: Did you know the writers keep a blog? I discovered it after last season's finale, so my withdrawal from the show wasn't TOO awful. I only had minor shakes. The writing on the blog is almost as satisfying as watching the show itself. It's kinda like when you rent a movie and then get to indulge in the DVD extras afterwards. I love doing that! Anyway, I kept telling myself that I would share, but other news in my life kept me putting this on the backburner. And now, apparently, the New York Times has apparently beat me to the punch. Well, for anyone who hasn't caught it yet, check out GreysWriters (called GreyMatter). My doctor friends refuse to immerse themselves in any more doctor stuff, but I keep trying to convince them that this is more human stuff. Maybe the site will convince them.

The next gift is ONE DOLLAR MAKEUP! I've gotten the email about the new line being launched at Bloomingdale's twice already, but for anyone who doesn't yet know: eyeslipsface.com is offering a bunch of stuff for a mere buck - including makeup brushes - that's even better than the dollar deals at Micky D's! Super Sizing your cosmetics won't affect your waist line. Do it. Oh, and if you order enough, the code "shipit" should also get you free shipping.

If you're a magazine junky, I already shared my favorite site for good deals, budgetmags.com. Titles like Vogue and Marie Claire are a mere $4-7 per year! They don't carry every title, but you might be able to find your wanted subscription at Time Warner's Friends and Family Program. Time and Entertainment Weekly are $20 and $10, respectively. Order before this expires November 15th!

And one final piece of news: We set our wedding date! It'll be April 21st at the Legion of Honor in San Francisco. I was debating whether or not to post the deets, but I finally decided that if Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn really want to crash, then why the heck not? I'm sure no one else would really care, and a lot of future posts will be about planning (and house renovating and just living in general - what did I get myself into?), so there was no point worrying about others knowing. So that's that.

I just got back from another wedding, so I'm still recovering. I'll post about that later. Til then? I sleep. A lot.