Log, Log, Log

This post is dedicated to my family, who will get a kick out of this more than anyone else!

The other day I was in my favorite furniture/home décor store. I turned the corner and I saw this beauty…

Notice how it says "Fully assembled." Really? Because some logs aren't fully assembled?

Yes—this is exactly what it looks like—a very expensive piece of wood. I thought, wait a minute. I’ve seen this before. And then I thought, it's Log! Finally! Someone has taken an idea from Ren and Stimpy and turned it into a reality. At last! We can all have our very own Log. For those of you who have not had the pleasure of seeing the hilarious and irreverent cartoon show, Ren and Stimpy, I present to you, Log. It’s big, it’s heavy, it’s wood.

Wonder Women

A friend at work shared this interesting TED talk with me. Facebook COO, Sheryl Sandberg, talks about women in the workplace and offers some insightful advice. Very thought-provoking and inspirational. If you are a woman, work with women, or are raising a young woman, and have ten minutes--it’s definitely worth the watch. Sit at the table women!

An Offer He Can't Refuse

Some people may find this surprising, but The Godfather is one of my favorite movies. It’s definitely on my list of top five movies of all time. The acting, the music, the story—it’s all brilliant. I found out this week that the Corleone house used in the Godfather movies is up for sale. It’s located on Staten Island and could be mine for a cool 2.9 million.

Okay, how cool would it be to live in the Godfather house?!? If I lived there, I would have huge Italian feasts everyday and make everyone talk in a thick New York-Italian accent. I’d also serve cannolis to everyone who came to visit, and I’d say “Leave the gun. Take the cannoli,” at least once a day. I’d love to make that listing agent “An offer he can’t refuse.”

Dream Job

Why is it so hard to go back to work after a vacation? Shouldn’t a few days off make going to work a little more bearable? You would think so, but for some reason the past few weeks I’ve been experiencing a major case of “returning-to-work-after-the-holiday-blues.” It’s probably a combination of stressful projects at work and experiencing holiday music withdrawals.

To medicate my work blues, I like to think about possible dream jobs that I’d rather be doing. I think of my favorite things in like and figure out a way to make it my new career. Here are my top three dream jobs right now…

• Travel Writer – I would give anything to travel the world and write about my adventures. I’d go to Bora Bora, cruise the Mediterranean and Caribbean, become an expert in all things Hawaii, and even share my tips for the perfect Disneyland vacation. My bucket list of places to visit is getting very long, so this job would just be perfect! Rick Steves or Lonely Planet if you need a new writer, you know where to find me!
• Reality T.V. Blogger – Oh be still my heart! This job truly would be a dream come true! I can’t even imagine the joy of getting paid to watch the top reality shows and write my thoughts and share episode recaps. I have SO much to say about Survivor, The Bachelor, America’s Next Top Model, etc. Entertainment Weekly, if you are reading this post—I am talking to you! PLEASE let me be your new entertainment blogger!
• Book Reviewer – If books were drugs, I’d have to go to rehab. I just can’t get enough of reading. I love to read and I love thinking about and discussing what I have read. Talk about a dream come true! I’d read all day long and tell people about all the books they should read…and the ones they should skip.

Ah, a girl can dream…

Bachelor Bites

That’s it! I’m so done with this whole vampire craze. I’ve tried to keep quiet about my hatred for a certain poorly written vampire series that has taken over the world, but this week I saw something that just pushed me over the top.

A new season of the Bachelor started on Monday, and as my official guilty pleasure show, of course I was tuning in. One of the contestants has a “thing” for vampires…and she has fangs. Yes—I said fangs. She wears veneer fangs on her canine teeth, and she had them on to meet the Bachelor. I think that’s taking the whole vampire craze just a little bit too far, don’t you think? 

But that’s not the worst part. The worst part is that the Bachelor actually gave her a rose! What?!? He had to kick off ten girls this week. Hot Topic girl flashed her fang-smile and got to stay, while normal girls got sent packing. Yikes. I’d hate to be one of the girls that lost to a vampire. Seriously, if you don’t have a better personality than a vampire girl with fangs, then I feel really bad for you. I just hope the Bachelor brings some garlic or a stake to the next rose ceremony. I can already tell…it’s going to be a great season!

Happy Holidays

No holiday season would be complete without an ugly Christmas sweater or two. Luckily for us, we have the Butler’s Annual Christmas Party to look forward to each year. This year did not disappoint! I did not win the ugly sweater contest, but I did retain my title of “Queen of Christmas Trivia.” I won the trivia game last year, but this year I just killed it. Apparently listening to Christmas music for six weeks straight each year is truly paying off. 

Here are some pictures of everyone in their “beautiful” sweaters. (Click to enlarge.)

However, my favorite photo of the night goes to Sean and Curtis, who just happened to show up in the exact same ugly turtleneck. Fate? I think so! The Bobbsey Twins made a beautiful couple that night. It’s like they were reading each other’s ugly sweater minds. A perfect holiday treat!

Disneyland + Christmas = Magic

It’s the most wonderful time of year, and the best place to spend that time is in the happiest place on earth. We decided to hit the road again and visit Disneyland with our dear friends, the Jacobs. We went to Disneyland with the Jacobs two years ago and each trip just gets better and better! We had an absolute blast. The parks were crowded, but since we are Fast Pass and planning experts, we were able to pack in all our favorites and more.

The holiday decorations were delightful!

Vanessa and I drank mint juleps by the gallon. More refills please!!!!

The fireworks and “snow” on Main St. were magical.

New Orleans Square is my favorite place to be. Can I live there?

Thank you Disneyland and Jacobs for an unforgettable time. 

All I Want For Christmas Is You

This week I heard some very disturbing news. Apparently Bulgaria has voted two of my favorite Christmas songs as the two most annoying Christmas songs of all time. Rude! Wham’s Last Christmas and Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You topped the list of Bulgaria’s hated tunes. My jaw dropped in horror as I read these disgusting results. 

First of all, nothing says happy holidays quite like a synthesizer and George Michael. Second, I can’t be friends with anyone who doesn’t absolutely love Mariah’s cheerful song. All I Want for Christmas is You is my most favorite Christmas song EVER. It makes me happy. It makes me pretend to sing like Mariah, and it makes me want to dance. I blast it in the car, on my iPod, I may have even downloaded it as a ringtone on my phone. Bulgaria, the moral of the story is that you and me, we are through. I’m taking you off of my travel list and we are over.  

In the meantime…I’m going to get back to my Christmas list…

I don't want a lot for Christmas.

There is just one thing I need.

I don't care about the presents underneath the Christmas tree.

I just want you for my own…more than you could ever know.

Make my wish come true…all I want for Christmas is you.