this is what 30 looks like

how do you surprise a control freak?  ask walker.  he did it back in june for my big three o.  he made all the other husbands in the land jealous because he threw such a good party. i was very very surprised - my party was supposed to be the next night. sneaky bastard. volleyball was played, cocktails were consumed, a 30 min pepper session with childhood bff happened, laughter was heard,  someone brought out stiltz, and there may or may not have been girls doing keg stands.  yep this is 30.  jealous?

props. jessi always has props.

walker wanted to make sure the potluck had all of the major food groups.  something i would have done.  he is learning.  so he told all of my friends specifically what to bring, telling them it was my favorite.  i had more than one person come up to me and say - "i didn't know waldorf salad was your favorite food"... "i didn't know a veggie tray was your favorite food"... neither did i.  but he nailed the buffet.

vb court.  check

husky bar.  double check.

beer koozies

so shocked i backed up into walker...

dan the man

friends with kids

wind machine.

pin the tail on the husky

keg stand.



yep.  this is 30.  couldn't have asked for a better party.... would have chosen a different outfit. but, trying not to sweat the small stuff in my old age.

i hate vegas...

are actually words that i texted to walker the second i arrived.  no offense to anyone.

a few weeks back we celebrated em's weekend of singleness in vegas.  so did her fiance david.  it was joint.  20 dudes.  5 girlz.  you do the math.

em is my best friend.  she is the prettiest, sincerest, smartest person i know.  however we are very different.  not bad different.  just different.  think angie and jen.
for example: 
night 1:  libba gets ready in 20 minutes. making sure to spend more time on her stringy locks - to get some vegas volume.  i walk into the next room to find the girls are still on curl number one.  so i wait.  they ask me what i am going to do with my hair. i tell them my hair is done.  they tell me it looks great.  i go back in put my hair in a pony tail.  they ask what i am going to wear.  i tell them what i have on.  they tell me i look great but not so subtly suggest about 5 other outfits i should think about.  i try them on.  i look in the mirror - i have an obnoxiously short dress that looks painted on - except for the chest area, where it is baggy.  they tell me it looks great.  i take it off because when i catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror, i don't see sexy, i see a girl i would secretly judge.  in a bad way.

should have done the spray tan. 

soon to be loftons

mustache straws. check.

day 2 pool.  100 plus degrees out.  i slept maybe 4 hours.  i get ready in 5 minutes.  bikini, cut offs, tank top, ray bans, sunscreen, bravo condom hat.  i walk into the room and the girls are still getting ready.  full face of make up - like eyeshadow full. curling iron on.  bedazzled bikinis with ruffles.  dresses over bedazzled bikinis.  heals. floppy hats.  chandelier earrings.  i get confused and ask if we are indeed going down to the pool.  they laugh at me and my dumb questions.  i secretly take out my goggles and pool toys that i have packed for the occasion and put on some mascara. no marco polo for this crowd.

hmmm.  someone looks out of place. and white.

i opted out of this photo opp.  weird.  they are babes.

cute the f alert.

i was self conscious for 48 hours strait.  it didn't help that all of david's friends asked me asked how i knew em.  when i told them i was her sister, they were shocked.  when they found out i was her younger sister, they were double shocked.  i had the either the alternative cousin or the childhood best friend that you have grown apart from, but are forced to invite because she knows all your secrets look going for me the entire weekend.

red pants = hamazing

sista sista

the weekend was a blast. now, if there is one thing that will settle differences and make one feel less pale and less chubby, it's vodka.  so i drank a lot of it.  we partied.  we partied hard.  janea and i walked home both nights when the sun was going up.  the sun was up people.  em looked amazing and had the most fun. ever. david had a blast and wore red pants.  his group of friends were the best, except for one, who was the worst.  reminded me of college days.  her wedding is going to be off.the.chain. 7/28/2012 or bust.

until next time vegas.

guest bathroom and deck

guest bathroom and deck.  guest bathroom and deck.  say it with me guest bathroom and deck.

and then we are D-O-N-E!  and we will set this world on fire.  and we will get brighter, than the sun.....  if you didn't just sing this like "FUN" read it again. well, d-o-n-e for a while.  because we will have no money.  for realz.  i joke about it because if i really start to think about it, i get upset.

both are taking longer than promised.  weird.  both are more expensive.  super weird.

walker is working himself to the bone.  his hands are calloused to the max and filled with cuts that he literally has rubbed dirt in to stop the bleeding.  you can take the boy out of montana, but not montana out of the boy.  did that make sense?

Few things:
1.  our weekend workers prefer mcdonalds and taco bell to my extremely large home made sandwiches.  #don'tevengetmestartedonhowthiseffectsourhealthcaresystem.
2.  wt is still trying to convince me that no railing will work.  yes, i get it, opens up the view.  but, i really don't want to get sued when one of our friends kids or our friends or my brother falls off.  sober.
3.  we are having my sisters out of town bbq for her wedding on this deck.  therefore, lynn long island is kinda involved.  poke my eyes out with a rusty nail.
4.  the above means hard deadline.  end of july.  our weekends for the next two months are shot.
5.  tile selection.  always a treat with walker. and when i say treat, i mean something nasty, like digiorno pizza. he originally choose glass tile that was like $50 a sq ft.  without knowing the price, i told him it looked cheap and home depoty.  we eventually both agreed on a concrete tile that looks pretty darn sharp against the marble.  and we can now afford a college savings for our kids.
6.  the custom bathroom window was not to wt's liking.  when it arrived he was so mad i thought he was going to punch someone.  but it was only me and him in the room which made both parties uncomfortable.
7. both are going to look amazing.

check out the progress.

before - two rooms sunken tub, amazing wallpaper, teal toilet...

one room now.  brighter

this is the "bad" window.  don't even look at it.

on another note.  walker read this blog for the first time in a few months last night.  after everything i have said about him, his one comment was, "bubs, i told you i wanted katniss to be with peeta, not gale"....

he was dead serious.

ummmmmmm.

i.t.a.l.y

yes, it has been a while since i blogged, phil. surry. no excuses.

italy (like a month ago), was in two words.  amaze balls. 

our trip went as follows: florence, greve in chianti (tuscany), rome, milan.  perfection.  the weather could have been a tad warmer and a tad less rainy on a few days (hence the decorative scarves i am wearing in.every.single.picture) but for the most part it was great.

walker lived in rome for a few months after getting his masters degree - you would have never known.  that giant kid has the worse sense of direction, EVER.  "oh, we are almost there!".... not even close, other side of the city, sometimes the wrong city all together...between you and me world wide web, his terrible sense of direction, lack of common sense with money, the fact he has been through/lost 5 iphones and one laptop in two years, and knowing he left his nikes and wallet on the bus in his backpack (as an adult) makes me frightened for our future children. to put it simply, if i die first, i already have notes for my mom.  yes, i said it. 
 
we ate, we walked, we tour guided on our own, we tour guided with head phones, we ate again, walked some more, learned about popes, saw new and old architecture, drank some chianti, wine tasted, ate, walked, ran alone (and then as a couple once wt looked at his face), rode some bikes, saw micheal kors, laughed at eddie, loved being with our good friends,  saw some really really old buildings next to some new ones and (walker) obsessed over them,  drove around tuscany in a benz, made friends with locals and some germans, took pictures, waited for walker to take more pictures, wondered why we were taking so many pictures,  went to the furniture fair, saw an old and dear friend out of the blue (EGAN), and then to top it all off!? we ate.  the most important thing?  walker gains weight in his face first..... true effing story.

duomo in florence

2 kilo florentine steak

done

sound it out.  almost.

weird.  walker forgot sunglasses.  wore my tory birch's that have a slight cat eye to them... true to walker fashion, he loved them. #ishegay?

sienna and one of my fave photos.

castle to ourselves.  santa would have no problem in that fireplace

villa bordoni in Tuscany. i die.

wine tasting

5,6,7,8 and 1.....

panzano

germans = shots

love him. we danced to the river by joni mitchel that night.

ear phones, umbrella, purse across chest = tourist.

buff

hotel photo shoot and room inspiration? cloth not wallpaper. think about it.

umm...

seriously out of the blue..  i ran into her arms when i saw her and she spun me around like in the movies..  love love love egan.

street art in milan.

do you want to punch us in the face after looking at all of these photos?  i want to punch myself.  what an incredible experience.  can't wait to go back!

i fell asleep on the plane ride over and walker started to read my book, which wouldn't be that bad, if the book wasn't called the hunger games.  and if he didn't say more than once he imagined gale to be better looking than peeta, therefor katniss should be with him... hmmm.

i talked with bob at merill lynch to see about buying a villa in tuscany.  if we moved some money around and win the lotto, we could do it.  you are all invited.  boom.

until next time friends.  xoxo.