...And we. are. RAVENOUS!
When I asked Greg what he wanted to do for his birthday, he said he wanted to eat at Kogi.
Oh, it is on!
The show was stunning. I think my favorite part was at the very beginning when all the characters made there appearance on stage and the set came alive and the music was really loud and energetic. The excitement in the air was really overwhelming and it gave me the thrill that a live performance should.

I have been really looking forward to our annual holiday lunch at work this year. From time to time, it'll be decided that there's an occasion to have lunch together and once we all sit around that big table it always feels like I've stepped into an Olive Garden commercial. We see each other every day, but for some reason, when all six of us sit down to eat together it becomes a loud, jolly feast full of laughter and multiple people talking at once. And we all turn Italian. (Heh)
Kayla, Marie and I got Carl and Carol coffee mugs with their caricatures on them. I couldn't wait to see their reaction when they saw them.
Karen gave me a beautiful casserole dish with lemons painted on the bottom (which is very fitting because we both like lemon juice in our tea) and Carl and Carol gave all three of us girls makeup bags from Marc Jacobs that are PERFECT for travelling as well as a gift card to Macy's. Very thoughtful and generous. I feel so spoiled.









I had never been to a December wedding before, but I just LOVED this decoration at the reception. There was a fireplace behind the cake table and they hung white stockings that said "Carlee" and "Jay" on them with a giant "B" on the mantel for their last name.
Isn't that cute?








Okay, so once I finished filming on Thursday, Greg and I hopped onto a red-eye flight to Tulsa (changing planes in Dallas at 5:30am-- fun, fun...) We were making to Oklahoma for several reasons:
We were in town for such a brief period of time-- 3 days is so short when it's family that you're visiting-- and we packed those days FULL. But we got good quality time with everyone and I spent the weekend savoring the fact that I really LOVE the family that came with my marriage to Greg. (Now how many brides do you know who can say that they like their in-laws?)
I must say that I especially admire the relationships that Greg has with his siblings, and that relationship is extended to their spouses as well. My husband is a good man, and I know how rare good men are these days. I love to watch him interact with Doug and Jeanette. And I love to hear him talk about how proud he is of his younger siblings. I also know how happy he is that his siblings found Godly spouses as well. He specifically mentioned Brad, and that as a big brother he has so much relief to know that his little sister is being taken care of and loved so well.
I don't have pictures from this weekend yet, so I'm posting one from my wedding so that you can see who I'm talking about. From left to right: Brad, Jeanette, (me), Greg, Danae and Doug.
Greg and I were watching an episode of Friday Night Lights last night and at one point Coach Taylor's wife told him that he was a "molder of men." That is how I feel about my husband. And now that I think about it, I feel the same way about my new brothers-in-law.
Now tell me we aren't an awesome bunch! 
I LOVE this shot of our three leads goofing off for the camera between takes. From left to right are Autumn Hurlbert (who is way fun to be around and has SUCH a set of pipes in her petite frame-- she was in the closing cast of Legally Blond on Broadway), Doug Jones (who is probably the most famous cast member on set, but you may not recognize him because most of his career has been spent under heavy make up... I remember him from Hocus Pocus where he played "Billy Butcherson" the zombie boyfriend, but he also played "Pan" and "Pale Man" in Pan's Labyrinth, and "Silver Surfer" in Fantastic Four: The Rise of the Silver Surfer... the list goes on and on) and finally Matt Lutz (a talented actor who actually got me involved with the Actor's Co-op in Hollywood before he married my friend Christy and moved to New York a year ago. SO NICE to see him again!)
Tomorrow is my first day of filming for Sudden Death. I'm looking forward to being on set again and I've really enjoyed meeting all the people involved with the project thus far. On Friday I went in to record my part of the song that my character sings. Keep in mind that any musicals I've participated in before have been on the stage in live theater productions, never filmed. I've never had to record in a booth before. I was pretty nervous, but it was fun and the composer and sound mixer were really patient with me. Very nice guys. It was cool to hear the playback, and I'm excited to hear the final mix. Plus I got to hear the duet that the two leads sing together and they sounded AMAZING.

This is the perfect post for this fine Thursday after Thanksgiving.
My amazingly talented husband played a concert at our friend Molly's house about two years ago. I remember it very clearly:
It was around this time of the year-- the weather was turning colder and the holiday season was in full swing. My heart was recovering, but still very bruised from a horrible break up that capped off a nearly 2 year relationship that didn't work out. I was going to the party to support my best friend, Greg (this was before dating him was even a glimmer of a thought in my mind).
My friend Rhonda came with me to the party and I think we both had a really nice time. We met new people, we drank wine and tasted all the appetizers that Molly had set out, we played with Molly's dog... It was fun. In that extremely fragile season of my life, I remember that my burdens felt a little lighter that night.
Below is a video from that party of one of the songs that Greg wrote and performed. I remember feeling so proud of him that night as he played song after song of his playlist. I can also remember listening to the lyrics of this song and thinking that whoever ended up with this kid was going to be one lucky lady...
I am loved and loved well.
Things I'm thinking of doing tonight--
