What I Am Thankful For

Since the last Thanksgiving, I have a lot to be thankful for. The transition from 2009 to 2010 has been an interesting emotional roller coaster, to say the least, but as always, every emotion and situation, whether good or bad, is ultimately part of the process, journey, and experience, and can only shape you into a better person day by day.

I have been fortunate enough to be blessed with some of the best friends and family members on this Earth. Their support through all things good and bad this past year has truly been remarkable and it is single-handedly the work that they put into our friendship that has inspired me to keep going. So many times, I've wanted to throw in the towel - but through their love, honesty, ability to be silly and have fun, and loyalty, I have been able to recover and rise above every situation.

Losing a soulmate best friend to the East Coast life, breaking up with a boyfriend and moving out, and not dancing in the NBA anymore have been some pretty hard tolls that life has faced this year, but I am full with confidence in saying that I couldn't have tackled these mountains without my family, friends, and a few of the following events:

-Las Vegas in April - Hands down best Vegas trip ever. Always different, always the same. Shakey face, anyone?
-LA trip after LA trip from June to...pretty much now. Hey, thanks for meeting up in May, Lex.. ;)
-Tokyo in May - Who knew Casey and I would become such BFF's?
-Tahoe - 4th of July - wait, we went to Tahoe? Flat Alexis - "Mom, I just got iced, I gotta go." - soft serve, etc.
-Las Vegas Round 2 in August - reunited with Lex AND Sandy - 8 comped rooms at ARIA, 2 pairs of Loubs, and a partridge in a Pear Tree (I mean, may as well, right?)
-NYC/Philly with Lex - cementing our reasons as to why we need a reality show.
-LA in September with Lex - how have I seen this girl who lives in Delaware more times in 3 months than I have of people who live 45 miles away from me?
-Moving in with Nicole - a gem and my reason for laughing non-stop on a daily basis. Besides, she's a damn good cook and an even better house mom.
-San Francisco in general in October - THE MOST EXCITING TIME IN SF EVER! The Giants won the World Series, the spirits were up, and I was able to take my Dad to Game 2 of the WS. Epic.
-Forming new "families," and creating our current trifecta.
-Glee, Gossip Girl, and movie nights.
-Brunches, dinners, and drinks.

There are so many - but these stand out in my mind... which is a good thing considering I have the worst memory of all time. Leaving you with a few pictures of the events, people, places, and things I am thankful for...


Vegas Round 6

Vegas with Missy - one of our only pics together!

GO GIANTS!

I love San Francisco

But LA is cool, too... :)

Old friends at Kylie's wedding

The one and only Chuy from Chelsea Lately

Mom & I after a Dubs Game

Dad and I at the World Series Game 2

The Warrior Girls in Japan - re-creating The Beatles, poms and all

My new girl Wolfpack

A Birthday Shoutout from friends

An epic Tahoe trip for the 4th of July

My girls - Alexis, Ally, Brianna, Casey, Karlee, Leah, Missy, Nicole, Sandy, and my parents Brad & Carol - I love you and thank you for everything. You're amazing friends (no...FAMILY!) and am so thankful to have you! Can't wait for more memories and Happy Thanksgiving!

HALE a la the Red Carpet

Bad ass dancer, author, blogger, actress, superstar Keltie Colleen rocks the Keltie Hand Piece on the Red Carpet last week at the HMM Awards! Love this girl!

While you're at it - buy her new book: Rockettes, Rockstars, and Rock Bottom!

Now We're Talking!

How come these haven't come out sooner? Well, either way, KUDOS to you Rachel Roy and others who have created the necessary "Texting Gloves."

The "age old" dilemma during the winter - do you wear gloves that are too big to text so you can stay warm or do you freeze your hands off and text? You end up not even being able to type anyway because your fingers are so borderline frostbitten - but finally, our little selfish, Smartphone glued-to-hand prayers have been answered.

Texting Gloves. God's way of saying "Hey, you fast paced people - I'm not going to slow you down when it gets cold.. you keep on truckin'." With a fingerless glove on the thumb and pointer finger, your fingers are given free reign to wander about your techy BFF - just as if it were Summer!

I know, being from California, in a state where the weather has not ever (that I have experienced) dropped below 30 (in San Francisco, at least), it's silly to get excited over something of the sort. Yes, we do not know what a true "East Coast Winter" feels like - but we don't want to either. All we want is a morning Starbucks, some warm hands and feet, and the ability to stay connected with the world through e-mail, texts, BBM, Kik, Facebook, Twitter, FourSquare, and the browser, in any weather.

So glove designers, on behalf of California, we simply thank you - however, I bet New York has a much bigger parade to give you since, well, they truly understand how your fingers are taken hostage in the Winter weather.

Gossip Girl

What girl in their right mind is not obsessed with Gossip Girl? If you're not a fan of the juicy (read: trashy) storylines of the Upper East Side Elite then surely you watch the show for it's fashion. It literally is runway brought to life and here's a photo I found to prove just that. I died over these dresses on the show this past Monday and I have to admit, Blake Lively looks much better in the Zuhair Murad gown than the model does. That girl can seriously do no wrong in fashion - she's one of my favorite style icons, not just on the show but in real life. She has a very keen fashion sense and is completely aware of her own personal style - something so few people truly know.

Chanel

The most perfect dress and my most favorite dress...ever.

Look What I Just Found

Last year's Warrior Girl Weekly. I miss this team.

Closet Consultation, Part 2

Here is Part 2 as promised from Missy's closet consultation. 3 more outfits for work and Casual Friday.



1. Outfit #1 (Left): This is created with an awesome, zipper-strap tank that would usually be found in a casual setting with jean shorts or some sort of cotton skirt and boots, however, when you throw a neutral cardigan over it and a high-waisted pencil skirt, it immediately becomes a chic and stylish look that is perfectly fit for the office. If the office dress code isn't too strict, removing the cardigan while inside the office is also an option, and if not, then save that for your post-work date or dinner.

2. Outfit #2 (Middle): This outfit is not only my favorite but was Missy's, too. She ended up wearing this for the rest of her Saturday because it was weather and environmentally appropriate. This get-up is so transferable from work to play time and it screams San Francisco with the cool, cropped leather jacket, layered green cardigan vest, knee high boots, and accent scarf. Throw on some textured tights for Winter and go. The layers work really well for the office because even as you peel them off, you still end up with a posh cowl neck dress suitable for the professional world.

3. Outfit #3 (Right): Lastly, Missy had recently purchased this gray flowy shirt and didn't know how to wear it. A flowy, loose shirt, in my opinion, should generally be worn with tighter fitting bottoms in order to avoid a frumpy look. With a cut that is too short for leggings, I thought a clean cut pair of dark skinny jeans and heels would be best suited for this blouse. Casual Friday is what we were going for with this outfit. Again, the cropped leather jacket appears so versatile and stylish and I actually think it's my favorite piece of Missy's wardrobe. It easily dresses up ANY outfit but still had an edgy, cool demeanor to it. Add a pop of color with the HALE Savannah necklace, completed with silver chain and lime green stones.

Missy and I had a lot of fun completing this activity and I hope it has given you some insight or inspirations to take with you on a daily basis. While the office is a professional setting and your wardrobe should compliment that, it is also really important to have some individual style and not blend into the crowd. Hope you've enjoyed the journey with us!