mad men.

i love being an american. and although we get a bad rap about a lot of things, often times they are the things i love the most about my nation. i love burgers and fries. i love buying in bulk - costco. i love the nba and delivery pizza. and i love tv. especially really clever well-written tv series (and maybe a few unscripted trashy reality shows). don't judge me. it's un-american.

 

recently i was introduced to MAD MEN. and i LOVE it. it's funny, smart and very american. although i cringe at some derogatory comments towards women. and their total acceptance of it. i find myself wishing i wore dresses like them. even if it was just to make a trip to the grocery store. and do the twist  and don draper. omg he is dreamy.

to start off our mad men adventure, my friend, neighbor and talented chef made homemade pancakes with whipped cream and raspberry compote.

we also got este's pink pizza. because it's the best. and didn't want to break with the american theme.

i wore an apron during my pancake making lesson. and to pretend i was a housewife from the 60's.  

20/15.

one year ago, dr. hoopes pointed a laser in my eyes and changed life forever.

sometimes i still get in bed and look around at the crisp images and think, "shoot, i still need to take my contacts out." and then i remember. it's the best feeling.

if you're thinking about getting lasik, stop. and go get it done tomorrow. it's one of the best decisions i ever made.

sprinkles.

if i had a favorite things list, sprinkles would easily make the top ten.

at work, we have a pretty decent employee cafeteria. it's not like the wynn's (which i toured and seriously considered taking a housekeeping job just to dine there), but for $2 you can partake of a salad bar, burger station, 3 hot entrees, drinks and desserts - including a soft serve machine.

from about day 3 of my employment, i have been petitioning our director of operations to add sprinkles to the line up. i heard excuse after excuse, and just before i was tempted to collect every single employees' signature in support of my improvement, there they were -

next order of business - have my name etched in one of the bottles.

papa bluth.

lauren is one of my lifers.

her father, whom i adore, has battled MS for many years now. i've had the pleasure of getting to know him and witness his incredible strength and perseverance through this tragic disease.

on saturday, lu, mel, aaren (papa bluth's youngest daughter) and i participated in a walk to raise money and awareness for MS. despite the snow flurries and lack of warm clothing, it was so much fun to walk with these ladies in honor of such an amazing man.

i love papa bluth. and i would do this every single saturday for him.

ps- doing walks is really the way to go. you get way more treats than marathons or even 5K's, and you don't even have to break a sweat.

pride.

i know it's not very kind to celebrate the death of an individual, but i can't help it. i'm so happy he's gone. and that we did it. proud to be an american.

on a side note - it bothered me that during obama's announcement he seemed to focus attention on his efforts to find bin laden. he used the word "i" repeatedly throughout his speech, in an effort to highlight his role in this momentous feat. i personally want to thank the military and their families and the people who really played a crucial role in bin laden's demise. obama can go smoke a cigarette while we, as a nation, celebrate this moment.

fairy tale.

leading up to the wedding, i really didn't have much interest in it at all. i caught bits and pieces on the news or in mags, but the more it became this big extravaganza, the more i didn't care about it. 

the day before the wedding i had a guest come to the hotel with her daughter for a "royal sleepover." they brought princess nightgowns and tiaras, had high tea and were planning on waking up at 2 am to watch it all go down live. although i love a good pink nighty, and afternoon tea is hands down my favorite thing to do at the hotel, i thought they were ridiculous for making such a big deal about a stupid wedding for a prince that isn't even from their own country.

about 10 hours later, there i was snuggled up on the couch, wearing pink shorts, and possibly tearing up, as i watched every single second leading up to the ceremony, the ceremony itself and maybe even a good chunk of the after the ceremony coverage.

don't judge me. it was beautiful and heartfelt. and i wish i had planned ahead and purchased a tiara to wear while i watched. (and attended st. andrews and fallen in love with will myself.)