Meet Steph

So I've come to the conclusion that in order to get to know me, you'll need to know a little about my friends as well.  So I've decided to periodically feature one of my awesome friends, share a few of our stories, and post a couple of our pictures together.  So without further adieu, may I introduce to you... ::drum roll please:: ...Stephanie!

Steph and I knew each other in high school and we would hang out occasionally, but it really wasn't until we both got to college that we became best friends.  ::Think Rachel and Monica:: And if you know us at all, you'll know how fitting that FRIENDS analogy is being that we're both obsessed with that show!

Our friendship has been one to withstand distance (we went to separate universities), differing life directions (she has kids, kids hate me), and the wear and tear any normal friendship experiences.  But through it all, we've been by each other's side: through kids, new jobs, heartbreaks, and big life moments - we've seen it all!!  

So here's my little pictorial tribute to our friendship!

(Please excuse the bad hair and bad clothes seen in some of these photos)

Spring Break 07

Summer 07

Hurricane Harbor

Bowling

Please check out my phone.  This was before 'smart phones'...that's how long ago this was!

Steph's 20th birthday in Denton!

Sophomore year in college.

Steph and me at her baby shower!

So, so precious.

Ok, I just had to sneak one in of these two!  More on these cutie pies in a future post :)

New Years Eve 2010

Finally both Dallas-ites again!

The Londoner.

MAVs game!

 Eli Young Band concert.

 Love you, Steph!!

Big Fan.

If you've been following my blog, you've caught snippets of information about my sister, Cynthia.  You'll know that I think she's fantastic, that she's much more musically talented than I could ever hope to be, and that she's someone truly worthy of admiration.

This is her:

Isn't she beautiful?

And so photogenic?

And super fun?

And this is her music that I've been raving about for the past three months:

Watch it on YouTube!

This is a mix of all the songs she did at a recent performance.  Most of them are covers with one original stuck in there.  I would highly suggest listening to the whole 6 minutes; it's phenomenal.

And if you're in the mood to hear an original, check this:

Watch it on YouTube!

This was a few years ago at a singing/songwriting competition.  She composed both the music and the lyrics (which are awesome).  My favorite part of the song is around 2:20.

And finally, if you still haven't had enough, you should definitely listen to her acoustic cover of Hallelujah.  It's absolutely beautiful.

Hallelujah Cover

This girl has more dedication and commitment than I have ever seen.  She taught herself how to play the piano.  She taught herself how to play the guitar.  And she has written (both music and lyrics) to over 200 songs.  I guess that's why Berklee wanted her so bad ;)  

Here she comes, Boston!

Obviously I'm a big fan.  Love you, Cyn!!

Recap of the Retreat

As aforementioned in my previous post, I experienced the wonderfulness of my company retreat this past weekend.  Here's an overview of what went down:

Bright and early at 7:00am on Friday we headed out of Dallas en route to San Marcos to, of course, float the river!  Being that we had Friday off of work, this was the perfect time.  With a group of about 20 BCGers, a plentitude of drinks and snacks, and a series of rope swings crossing our path, it proved to be quite the relaxing, yet adventurous, day!

BCG ladies at Don's Fish Camp pre-float!

After we got off the river, we headed to the Hyatt Lost Pines resort.  Upon check in were offered a mimosa and received our goodie bag full of treats including a weekend itinerary, info about the resort, and our sweet tote bag.

I like the way this hotel rolls.

Why, yes!  I'll take a free tote :)

The whole resort was absolutely stunning!  The rooms were beautiful and spacious, the grounds were organic, yet well kept, and the staff was unbelievably helpful and accommodating.  And the amenities at this place?  Outstanding!

How 'homey' is this room?!

How beautiful is this view?!

After showering and relaxing for a bit, we headed down to our Luau themed dinner.  This included delicious pina coladas and mai tais, the most scrumptious Mahi Mahi I've ever had, Hawaiian dancers, leis, and of course, great company :)  Although I peaced out early and skipped the late night party, it was such a fun night!

Sarah and me at the Luau celebration!

Ashley and Brittany at the Luau!

Saturday morning I woke up early, grabbed some delicious breakfast, went back to my room to freshen up, then headed to the pool!  This pool was...awesome!  Complete with tiki bars, a lazy river, a surprisingly fun water slide, and the most attentive wait staff ever, this might have been my favorite part of the weekend.  A good book, a fruity cocktail, and a little Texas sun make for such a great Saturday afternoon :)

Oh you know, just a typical Saturday at a luxurious pool ;)

Saturday after the pool consisted of shopping, snacking, and getting ready for that night's themed party: The Red Carpet.  I'm not gonna lie, I was a little hesitant about going "all out" being that this was my first BCG retreat.  Although I had heard good things and crazy stories, I was still a little leery as to how much people dressed up.  But I decided to suck it up and go big or go home.  The idea of the night was to either dress like you are walking the red carpet or dress as a character in a movie.  I chose Black Swan...

...and so did many others...

And this isn't even all of us...

It was fun, though!  The food was, in true BCG fashion, some of the best I've ever had!  The drinks were top notch, the live band was fantastic, and it was such a hoot seeing everyone that you typically see in suits and ties wearing tights and tutus!  The retreat committee really did put a lot of effort into making it a special night for everyone.  From the awesome prizes for best dressed to the 'flip book' party favor station, to the centerpieces on the tables, everything was well thought out!

Here are a few more pictures from the evening:

Peter Pan and Borat

Barbie and Ken from Toy Story 3

Black Swan (check the red eyes), Alfalfa, Gertie, Audrey Hepburn

Joe Dirt...minus his mullet

Lindsey Lohan (you can't see from the picture but she's wearing an ankle bracelet and heels)

BCG Recruiting :)

Friday night I actually DID make it to late night.  This took place at a rented out lake house on the property, The Litton House.  Super fabulous.  Super fun.  Around 4:00am some BCGers started getting adventurous and attempting leisure dives in the pool.  Aren't familiar with leisure dives?  Check them out here: http://www.leisuredive.com/about-the-leisure-dive/ 

My failed attempts at capturing these leisure dive greats...

I

I actually accidently fell in the hot tub (yes, fully clothed!) trying to capture this picture!

So no awesome leisure dives were documented.  Bummer.  But the rest of the night provided eventful and fun so I'm ok with that.  Sunday morning Brittany and I woke up early and headed to the spa for massages.  Their spa facilities were incredible although (surprisingly) their massages were only sub-par.  But still, not too shabby of a morning :)  After our massages and a delicious breakfast, we headed back to the big D!  

So as you can tell, I had one of the most amazing weekends with really awesome people.  Even the car ride back (which is usually a bummer of the trip) was fun being that Brittany and I jammed to solid 90s country for the entire car ride.  Restless Heart, anyone?! 

Anyway, as you can probably guess, the majority of us were dragging at work today.  We were so tired and so not ready to switch out of vacation mode!  Oh well...the super fun weekend was worth it!  Thanks, BCG!

..:: I'm Alive ::..

I'm alive!  Which I realize is a huge relief for those of you (my 12 loyal followers!) who have been religiously stalking my blog, hoping for the next exciting post on my super fabulous life, only to find that my blog posting has stalled.  No worries, friends, I now have internet in my apartment (post on my disgust with AT&T at a later date) and have returned to you!

I'm kidding, obviously.  I know none of you were waiting with bated breath for my next post...but it does feel good to be back in the blog world!

So what have I been up to over these last few weeks?  Oh gosh, loads of things!  Here's a (semi) quick view at some of the things I've found to occupy my time:

• I moved into my apartment in Uptown!  It's slowly but surely turning into a "home" so I will post pictures and updates with my progress on that huge undertaking sporadically!
• I went to the lake for 4th of July weekend.  My best friend, Andrew, invited me out there for their family celebration and it was such a great time!  Fabulous food, lots of kayaking and boating, and plenty of fireworks makes for a perfect weekend away!
• I went to a Ranger's game with my company where I discovered a new level of 'sweating profusely'...Welcome to Texas, interns! 

• I went to get drinks with some wonderful friends:

Me and my favorite couple at The Gingerman.

Gena and me at Barcadia!

• I participated in several of our weekly "Monday Movie/Bachelorette Nights" complete with two of my favorite little girls, sweet wine, loads of snacks, and some of my best friends :)

Just reading a bedtime story.  How sweet is she?!

• I went rollerblading on The Katy Trail...and discovered that it is much harder and takes much more coordination than I remember.  Oh to be young and youthful...
• I spent several weekend days at the pool soaking up some rays.  These usually included trips to Primos for their delicious strawberry margaritas as well:

Yum.  Best margaritas ever!

• We had a wine and cheese tasting at my office in which I completed the seven white/champagne/red wine tasting and discovered that my favorite white smelled very strongly of B.O....yes, that's body odor...
• I purchased both my couch and new TV for the living room as well as a bookshelf for my bedroom.  I also made some notable purchases at Garden Ridge which include an area rug for my living room and floor mats for my bathroom.  Go me!
• I got some more drinks with great friends:

Gena, me, and Taylor at The Nodding Donkey!

• I hung out with Zach, my college roommate.  (Remember him?  He was in a previous post...).  He helped me move my "until my ordered one comes in/borrowed couch" and washer and dryer.  And then he connected everything for me!  Yay clean clothes:

• I went to the Kid Cudi concert with Steph and only managed to get crappy quality pictures.  Can you even tell what that is through the smoke haze?  This was my first rap concert and quite the experience:

"This is the soundtrack to my life, to my life..."

• I went to a "meet and greet" for my boss' baby in which I felt completely out of place being that I am 23 and babies hate me.  It helped to solidify my "I'm not having kids until I'm 30, ok, 35..." thoughts, though...childbirth? Spit up? No sleep?  No thanks :)  I'll just play the 'cool aunt' role to Steph's girls for the time being :)
• I went to see Guys and Dolls with my sister.  This was actually a very good show that I would recommend to everyone!

The last of our Dallas Summer Musicals stint!

• And finally, this past weekend I went on my company retreat in Austin!  I'll dedicate an entire post to the greatness that was experienced in these past three days later.  But just to give you a sneak peek...the weekend included mimosas, massages, and a trip down the San Marcos River!

It's been a busy, yet very fun, past few weeks and it doesn't seem to be slowing down anytime soon!

2:56

What is that number you ask?  Why, that is my new commute-to-work time!  In minutes, not hours!!

Woo for a less than 3 minute commute to work.  I'm officially (and proudly) a resident of Uptown.

Considering I have not yet had my cable/internet connected, I foresee a lack of bloggings for the next week or so.  But no fear, friends, as soon as I get up and running I will be posting about my move and fabulous 4th of July weekend at the lake!

Until then...au revoir!