Sweet Summertime…Come Back to Me!

Well…the time has come. We "can't" wear white anymore and there are not nearly enough valid excuses to leave work early to focus on your tan.

It just comes and goes way too quickly. The end of summer is never bittersweet for me. It's just sad!

I know I know…I can't really complain given that I live in sunny California and it's like summer year-round. But trips back home to the South remind me that I actually miss that suffocating humidity...sometimes.

It's been a great summer! Trips to Nashville, Charleston, Vegas and good ole Southwest Virginia always gave me something fun to look forward to when sitting in an air-conditioned office building. There were new babies and bridal showers to celebrate too! I've gotta say…I didn't realize until I left small town Abingdon, VA just how much I love that place. Hanging with the fam and enjoying the beauty of small town life won't be taken for granted anymore, that's for sure!

Back to summer…There were tons of fun country concerts to attend and interviews to be had! I chatted with Dee Jay Silver, The Cadillac Three, Leah Turner and Jamie Lynn Spears! So much fun!

Hangin with The Cadillac Three at The Troubadour

I got to be a lady who lunches (my dream) a few times this summer and had plenty of time to binge watch Scandal and DCC Making the Team. Yes, that's the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders show on CMT. Don't judge...I'm obsessed.

Me and my roomie…and Damon Wayans Jr.

Oh hey Tim Riggins!

I went to the "Let's Be Cops" movie premiere…which was AMAZING!! Two of my ABSOLUTE faves from New Girl - Damon Wayans Jr. and Jake Johnson aka Nick Miller had me literally laughing out loud during that movie. Y'all have to see it. No joke.







And I got to go the EMMY's this year!! Talk about the best experience EVER! It was so amazing. I mean I did manage to meet my end all be all crush Tim Riggins from Friday Night Lights, so basically life made. Yes…I was shaking haha! I don't think it gets any better than that people.


As my ode to sweet summertime…here's a look back in photos at some of the highlights of my summer:

Happy 4th of July!!

YAY TRISHIE!!! Angel's getting married!

Chillin with the coolest country DJ ever - Dee Jay Silver

Beach trips with my DAWG!

Interviewing Leah Turner at The Greek Theatre

That time at the Emmy's with my Pretty Little Liars ;)

So precious! Baby Layton

Oh hey there Brad Paisley!

The Emmy's - view from the top!

So cool!!! EMMY'S

Yep - the ice bucket challenge got me! I donated too!

Can't forget all that summer relaxation…
My Diddy loves him a good pedi!

Best place to go for some quality "thinking" time!
The Creeper Trail is the BEST!

Gotta have a bathroom pic at the Emmy's

VEGAS babyyyyy

Now, that's a summer to remember! Since this year is deemed #25theyeartothrive, I have to say I've been making it a point to take advantage of new experiences and opportunities…and it's been a super fun summer!

So I say let's soak up the rest of summer 2014 to the best of our ability. Life's all about making memories, so why not get out there and do just that?! I guarantee you'll be grateful you did!

Any suggestions on how to wrap up summertime in style? Send them my way y'all!


Always have faith!!

Birthday extravaganza!!

What an amazing weekend!

I can't even believe it...another year has flown by and now I'm 24!!! AHHHHH

But every birthday I like to make up a catchphrase for the upcoming year. This time it's (drum roll please):

24...THE YEAR TO SOAR!!!

And I really believe it. It's the year to accomplish goals! To dream big and pray bold (thanks to Oprah's Lifeclass).

I feel truly blessed to have made it another year in this crazy world! I have an amazing family and awesome friends who have been there to celebrate with me along the way.

This was an exciting birthday too because I finally feel like LA is a big part of me, and I've met so many amazing people who were with me this weekend!

We did a birthday dinner at Don Antonio's. Some of y'all might remember this restaurant from The Hills as it was a regular hot spot for Spencer and Heidi haha. Not even kidding...there's a menu item called Spencer's Steak Tacos (see below). Really people?!

And Saturday night was the big birthday extravaganza. My roomie and I threw a birthday party at our apartment, and it was a BLAST!! I loved every second of it and got to see lots of good friends!

Of course I made a speech - "To love, life and happiness and to 24...the year to soar!" Good times!

I don't care what people say...I still like getting sung to on my bday haha!

Sunday was an awesome day too! On my actual birthday, I went to an event (courtesy of Nina Shamloo) where I got to watch an advanced screening of Happy Endings and then there was a Q&A session with the cast! AHHHH

It was so cool! I absolutely LOVED the Thanksgiving episode of the show and I literally couldn't stop laughing when the cast was talking. Plus...I got to meet Damon Wayans Jr.! Who wouldn't think that was the best birthday present EVER?!?

So overall...it was a great start to year 24! I'll never forget it! Now let's get ready to SOAR y'all! :)


Always have faith!!

It just doesn't get any better than this...

What a weekend!

I can't even begin to describe just how amazing and spontaneous this weekend was, but I'm gonna give it a go...

After work on Friday, my friends and I headed to Santa Monica for a birthday party. We went to the Bungalow and it was a BLAST! Man...I have to start heading to the ocean a little more often I think! It's just a different vibe and so much fun!

I loved the Bungalow. Lots of really cool people. And who walked in but none other than Colin Egglesfield! Not gonna lie...he's a hottie haha and a super nice guy! And of course I awkwardly told him I watch the Client List lol. We hung out with him and his friends for most of the night, and it was great! Here's a fun pic:

The weekend fun didn't stop there!

On Saturday night we tried out a new place close to where we live called Churchill. Another cool place and one I'll definitely head back to since it's so close by and pretty relaxed. I got together with a high school friend, so it was fun because I was hanging out with friends from high school, college, and all the way up to today!

Then came Sunday...

I felt like a real person because my friends and I planned a Sunday brunch, where we cooked and sat around a table together. My LA fam! :) It was very yummy too! We had pumpkin pancakes and lots of bacon haha. It felt like home - eating good food and watching football! Good times!

Then came the fun Sunday night extravaganza! I headed to the Eric Church, Justin Moore and Kip Moore concert at Nokia Theater for Spotlight Country. It was AMAZING! Seriously...those are some talented guys. They had everybody in that huge theater on their feet. Highlights of the concert: dancing down the aisle with a dude in a cowboy hat - yes, believe it or not, LA has cowboys too, although they definitely must have come out of the woodwork because I never see them in real life haha! Also, having a VIP pass to head backstage and hang out with the bands after the show wasn't too shabby either!

However, the best part of the night was hanging out with the bands after the show! We headed up to where their tour buses were and had a grand ole time! I chatted with Justin Moore and Kip Moore and told them they had a great show, and I met quite a few of their bandmates as well!

Now that's a check off the bucket list if I do say so myself. Everybody was just hanging out and getting food from a taco truck that came just for after the show! How cool is that?! I literally was asking myself, "Is this real life?!?" And of course, it made me want to be a CMT host that much more!! I love being around some good ole country folk! :)

I must say it was one amazing weekend and not something I'll ever forget. I definitely feel very blessed to have these opportunities, and the entire weekend reminded me of just how lucky I am! LA just feels like a place where anything is possible!


Always have faith!!

Wahoowa forever!!

Last night was a blast!!

I'm currently the Events Chair for the UVA Entertainment Los Angeles alumni club, and last night we had a huge cocktail reception to honor the head of the acting program at UVA! It was so much fun!!

It was at the Library Bar at the Redbury Hotel in Hollywood. Let me tell you...what a fun crowd!

I always love getting together with fellow HOOS from LA for a big celebration. We even had some actors who graduated from UVA attend. Remember Ryan Atwood from the OC?? Yep...Ben McKenzie came and so did Sarah Drew and Jason George from Grey's Anatomy. Also, if you remember the movie Save the Last Dance...Sean Patrick Thomas, one of the stars of the movie, came to the event as well. They were all co-hosts of the event because they studied under Richard Warner at UVA.

Events like these remind you of how blessed you are to have gone to such a great university. There is such a sense of community and enthusiasm when UVA alums reunite.

Richard gave an amazing speech during the event. And what really stuck out to me was when he mentioned the 3 R's - risk-taking, rejection and resilience. Those three words are so important, especially when you're living in LA and trying to follow your dreams. When you're passionate about following a path in life, knowing that the 3 R's are inevitable will help you reach your goals.

So to say the least, Richard Warner is a very inspiring man, and the event itself was definitely a success!

Pics to come!! :)

WAHOOWA!!!


Always have faith!!

Who loved the CMT Awards this year?!?!

How amazing were the CMT Music Awards this year y'all?!?

I loved the entire show...especially the red carpet interviews (and great dresses) and all of the performances of course!

The CMT hosts for the pre-show were great! Definitely my dream job!! ONE DAY!!! ;)

And I loved the giant red solo cup that Toby Keith and Kristen Bell rode out in to start the show! Too funny!

If you missed the show, here's a recap of who took home the awards:

Video of the Year

Carrie Underwood – "Good Girl"

Male Video

Luke Bryan – "I Don't Want This Night To End"

Female Video

Miranda Lambert – "Over You"

Group Video

Lady Antebellum – "We Owned The Night"

Duo Video

Thompson Square – "I Got You"

USA Weekend Breakthrough Video

Scotty McCreery – "The Trouble With Girls"

Collaborative Video

Brad Paisley with Carrie Underwood – "Remind Me"

CMT Performance of the Year

Jason Aldean – "Tattoos On This Town" from "2011 CMT Artists of the Year"

How could you not LOVE you some country music?? 

Check out @spotcountry on Twitter...I tweeted live updates and pics from the show that were sent to me!

Always have faith!!