Hugh, Fiona, Beck... What a Weekend!

TopFest in Bryant Park

Hugh Jackman on the Black Carpet

What a weekend! Enjoyed the Beautiful Saturday at TropFest which is the world's larget short film festival from Australia brought to New York for the first time and hosted by Aussie hottie, Hugh Jackman Such a beautiful, fun day watching great short films on the grass, with Hugh popping up on the stage every so often and best part, it was a free event! Yes please! I will definitely be going to this next year.



Fiona Apple blowing my mind!

Beck rocking the house!

Sunday was spent at Governors Ball Music Festival on Randall's Island (on the East River between Queens and Manhattan). What a day!! The venue was awesome, food vendors and food trucks all over the place and fabulous music! Starting with the Phantograms - who I had never heard before, but really liked, The Cults- they were fine, Devandra Banhart - LOVE him, Built to Spill - Fabulous!, Explosions in the Sky- they make beautiful music that I love, Cage the Elephant - fun! FIONA APPLE - finally!!! I have always loved her and her performance was everything and more I wanted, seriously so amazing! Modest Mouse - so great and surprising awesome live! Brought back many memories of my cousin Andrea. And finally... BECK! My longtime love finally in front of me singing every classic song I loved and ending the set with "Where It's At" my all time fave!

Such an amazing, fun filled first weekend of summer! Success! 

Yes, I watch this show...

I have always liked Jenny McCarthy, ever since she was the host on the 90s Singled Out. It also helps that she and my fave Chelsea Handler are BFFs. She is back at hosting another dating show, but this is more of an "adventure" dating show. Throw 7 guys and 7 ladies into the "wild" of the Dominican Republic and let them loose on wild adventures in hopes of finding their soul mate. The idea is fun because, let's face it, you can really see someones true personality under extreme situations. Some of these people are skankarific but some are alright. Here is the basic gist...the ladies chose their male partner in the first episode and go on some adventure through the jungle and the winning couple gets to stay in the Oasis (beautiful house) and the losers get to stay in the "worst conditions". I thought, ok, they must mean, on the ground, in the woods, under a tree with no tarp or anything and a single blanket. Apparently that is too rough for tv. haha. So, they get to stay under a lean to with sleeping bags and mosquito nets. That sounds pretty ok to me! Maybe that is just the Alaska girl in me. The rest of the singles are either in tents or cabins. Anyway, at the end of every show either the men or women get to stay with their partner or chose a new one. This is my new guilty pleasure of the summer and I'm loving every minute of it!

Mom

My Mom and Dad at Christmas:) My two favorite people.

Moms, they are the best. We all think "mine is better than yours". Well, I am here to tell you that my Mom is the best because she is MY Mom:) And, your mom is the best because she is YOUR Mom. So yes, all moms are the best for their children. But really, my mom and I are quite great together and we are very similar. We have roadtripped together, cried together, laughed together. We can talk for hours on end about life, celebrities, decorating, you name it! She is my confidant, my rock and the one who tells me to get a grip and get over it!

My Mom has always been tough love, but I do believe that since having grandkids she has softened up a bit. She has always been that mom that will tell you to pick yourself up and brush yourself off, you are fine. I adore her and admire her strength and kindness to others. She really just makes my life and the life of my family and so many others so much more wonderful!

She can cook like a maniac and make a mean Beergarita, her signature drink! She pretty much dominates at everything Martha Stewart-ish. So creative, so inspired. She is the mother to 4 amazing kids, grandmother to 7 beautiful grandkids and the wife to one phenomenal husband:) Yep, that's my mom. So today Mom, on your birthday and every day, I miss you and wish you were here and love you more:)

Culture Popped

A little pop-culture awesomeness and annoyances...

New Direction and LMFAO need to get away from me and out of my head. This party is not rockin and yes, the girl knows she is beautiful, get over it.

The Hunger Games is dominating my life. I am finally almost finished with the third book, Mockingjay and at this point I just want to know how the damn trilogy ends! Such good books though. Next onto Fifty Shades of Grey which everyone and their mother (literally, moms read this too!) are reading. I am prepared to be scandalized!

The actress Jessica Chastain (The Help, etc.) really annoys me. She is beautiful, don't get me wrong, but she seems like a total snob and a half! Regardless of the fact that I did not like (or understand) The Tree of Life, she is just obnoxious to me.I have read some interviews with her and I am not impressed. Also, I wish she would walk the red carpet with someone every once and awhile, a sibling, a parent, anyone. Stop looking so lonely and snobby, lady!

Rent We Bought A Zoo. It is so unexpectedly precious! I really enjoyed it and the little girl, Rosie is just too adorable to participate!

Some non pop-culture awesomeness and just a reminder that Central Park is one of the greatest places on Earth as well as my town, Nyack. I am blessed to live where I do:)  Don't get me wrong, I always miss Alaska and the mountains!

Start Anew

I have started a second blog geared toward my passion for home decor, fashion and finding a great bargain. Of course there will be more in the blog than just those things, but those are my focus. I am really excited about this!! So, keep checking here as I will still post, but also start following my new blog Simply Sassy.