love actually.

the other day i was thinking about this thing that happened to me in seventh grade and it's a pretty great thing, so i thought i'd share.
for my brithday in seventh grade (i was turning 13, just wanted to bring you all to a mental place with me) my friend gave me a case of flavored water. i know, it sounds random, actually it was really nice b/c flavored water had just become all the rage so... i was the coolest thirteen-year-old of all time. anyways i was given this case of like, 24 water bottles that i then had to cart around all day (not that i'm complaining...) needless to say it got old after like, three classes. there was this kid in science who i sat by (we'll call him "Kid A", for privacy reasons) and we used to talk in class all the time, we were like, science class friends or whathaveyou. the point is, we weren't like besties or anything, but he offered to carry around my water case for me from class to class.... which he then did b/c apparently i let him. let's just say for my sake that i argued with him about it a bit before i let him do it, i don't want to seem like some seventh grade kino jr. high diva or anything. the point is, Kid A walked along side me for the second half of my day and carried my case of flavored water for me so that i didn't have to. what kind of a kid does that? in seventh grade, no less. me being my seventh grade, self loathing self really thought nothing of it, but thinking about it the other day made me think that he probably was crushing on me a little bit, you know, in a seventh grade way. the point of this rant is, i thought everyone hated me in junior high. granted, i had some pretty significant things happen with people that would make me think that, but still. i kind of spent my time with these people who were always more popular than i was, always richer, always skinnier (although never funnier or better dressed, i'm just sayin'...) and i think i kind of fell by the wayside a bit. i kind of flew under the radar. i was always "so-and-so's friend". guys didn't like me b/c why would they when they could like my friends? (don't get me wrong, i am quite happy that i don't have the track record that most girls have from high school). remembering this story though, it made me think of other things and it kind of made me realize that love actually was all around me when i was growing up, it just wasn't in the form that i was looking for, or the form that i knew how to identify. it wasn't the kind of love my friends were receiving so i just didn't notice it. it all makes me wonder what kind of love is being thrown my way now that i am missing...

how cute is Kid A, btw? that was pretty stellar of him, regardless of why he did it.

everybody's happy in california...

me and some steel man.

i prefer my sea cucumbers sans warts, athankyou.

jellies!!!

this guy was disgusting. i feel bad for him though bc his tank was like three sizes too small. kinda cruel if you ask me...

me and a frickin sea turtle.

the bay.

i decided that penguins are the proudest creatures. just look at them. they are practically pledging alliegance to themselves.

me and my brudda!

eels just creep me out. they've yet to redeem themselves after the whole "working for the sea witch" fiasco.

my mommy and i have the same smile.

my new hair/adorable headband.

new hair/adorable headband part two.

this eel is mocking me. look at that sickening smile.

i like to tell myself that this is the sting ray that killed the crocodile hunter. now i can say i met a famous animal.

addicted.

so sad to admit i am addicted to the new miley cyrus song, "the climb".

....actually, i take that back. i'm not that sad to admit it.

download it. it's worth the 99 cents, i promise. if not, i'll reimburse you. scratch that, obama will reimburse you.

the best quote by anyone, possibly, ever.

i felt it necessary to dedicate a blog to quite possibly the best quote ever said by anyone ever that was said last week on the view. but which one of those lovely ladies gave us the gem? it was babs. oh, babs! where have you been all my life?! the pannel was in a heated discussion about facebook/myspace and good old baba wawa got a bit confused (who could blame her? it's a confusing world!!) and actually said: "WHY DO PEOPLE WANT TO BE ON MYFACE?"
well....?

my answer to that is, why wouldn't they?

spring break.

hello, spring break. you couldn't have come at a better time. i'm going to coronado this year with my spactacular family. seriously, why do i love my family so much? no wonder i don't make other friends or move out. the point of this rant is, saturday morning couldn't come soon enough b/c i can't wait to get out of here.

summer vacation.

wow. what a lame picture. haha. i was trying to make this BIG announcement, but apparently it's just a small announcement b/c i can't find a bigger picture than that one (or really, i'm not willing to look).

so, happy summer vacation to me because this year i am going to see my favorite people of the moment, the JONAS BROTHERS, at stadium of fire in provo. it's been three years since i've gone to stadium of fire so i am REALLY EXCITED to go back and the fact that i get to see the jonai while i'm there pretty much just makes my life. i was really worried about getting tickets since there was somewhat of a frenzy in ut when they announced who would be performing. i had to work out a strategy for my online ordering that involved five laptops- three in az, two in mn- and three desktops- two in az, one in mn. it was pretty crazy there for a while (the website was crashing bc all of the people logging on at once) and i really didn't think i was gonna be able to get tickets. i got through and we ended up with seats ON THE FIELD which is really really lucky since it's probably the only time i will get to see the jobros that close up. and my family from mn is gonna drive down and go with me so i don't have to adorn the field alone. i'm really so excited. i am having a hard time expressing emotion lately, it's very weird for me. i'm finding myself struggle to find words to describe how i am feeling, and for those of you that know me, you know that i've never been one to not know how to express myself. so it's very bizzare and quite unnerving. then i get these huge rushes of emotion where i just feel so much that i want to scream and it usually results in me crying. like last night when my brother hit me in the face with a ball- twice. i just flew off the handle. and yesterday when i was making lunch i was watching the disney movie sky high... i hope you people know what i am talking about when i mention that movie. ok, it's not even a sad movie but it is about this high school for super heroes and at the end all of the "side kicks" get to step up and be heroes... hahaha... and i dont remember exactly what was said, but the gist of it is that everyone can be superheroes, even sidekicks or something totally cheesy like that. well, i started to cry. no really, i did. and then i was like laughing b/c i am like "really, gabby? are you seriously crying right now about this?" but i did, and i was. and it's true, right? i can be a superhero.

gotta go before i start with the water works again. le sigh.

gabrielle.

**side note: i have spent the past two weeks or so defending the fact that i, quite often, enjoy pop music (namely the jonas brothers). it has been driving me crazy defending these guys and their "legitimate" talent... i don't know why it bothers me to have people make fun of them, but it does (i'm just going to blame that on the weird hormones too). i have seriously been having flashbacks to circa 1999 when i had to defend *NSYNC and britney spears bc i SO loved them and everyone else in my family SO did not. i was pretty much made fun of for like five years straight until the general public decided that justin timberlake was legit, along with britney spears. so... whatever, that's all water under the pop bridge or what have you. my point is, if you don't have anything nice to say about these boys, then just don't talk to me about them. at least, not until my hormones organize themselves, b/c it bugs the fire out of me. i'm not saying you have to like them, but you definately have to just let me like them and leave me alone about it. kthanksbye.

strawberry, strawberry.

there are so many more creative and cutesy titles i could have used for this post, but i couldn't gether up the energy to choose one. basically, i changed my hair color for spring. i am now a strawberry blonde. we'll see how long this lasts. right now i am pretty frustrated bc it is really damaged. oy. i can't win in this life. this picture really doesn't depict the color well, but i can't seem to take one that does.

happiness.

happiness is me right now. and it may seem weird bc i have chosen to share my happiness with virtually nobody. "virtually" in this case means technology-wise... lately i have abandoned most of my electronic devices and decided to be on my own in a way. meaning... i don't send random texts out to people who don't appreciate getting them anymore, i don't blog about my life, i don't update my facebook status... the list really could go on, but i won't bore you. i am working on getting myself healthy and happy and clearing my mind and it's going really well. i do, on occasion, miss my computer friends... my bloggers, texters, facebookers... so i decided to update this just for them. i think there is one of them (HI SAM!) ok so... here is what is making my life so great. in random order...

1. my mom... she is funny, she is smart, she is quick, she is a hard worker, she is beautiful, she is my best friend. things are just better when she is around. and she doesn't have a blog OR a facebook. maybe that's why i can abandon mine so quickly.
2. music... music is always my staple. i love it. it saves me. right now i am loving maria taylor's new single (available on itunes...) "time lapse lifeline", and i am revisiting jimmy eat world's "clarity" album, the get up kids' "something to write home about" and the juliana theory's "emotion is dead".
3. yoga. i am OBSESSED. i never in a million years thought i would be a yogini, but i love it so much and right now, aside from keeping me sane, it is also helping me get toned, so... yeah. love me some yoga.
4. ACE gang bonfires.... so about a month ago, we as an ACE gang decided to do bonfires once a month to "burn the man". we basically just light all the crappy stuff from our lives on fire. it's very therapeutic, and also very stinky. but the stink is worth it bc we get great pictures and listen to amazing playlists (courtesy of M-O-I) and play "truth, dare, or fire" which is my new favorite game.
5. gossip girl... and i'm not even ashamed. i don't care. i wish teenage girls would never watch this, bc it's pure sickness, but i'm an adult and i have morals so i am allowed to watch it as one of my guilty pleasures. the clothes and people are beautiful, and something about chuck bass just gets me. even though he is... whatever the male version of "slut" is, and he may have a hare lip (according to d.w.)? but i don't care. sign me up, i'm hooked.
6. the jonas brothers on snl/the jonas brothers 3-d movie... yeah, that part about me being an adult and having morals, blah blah... it goes out the window when these dreamboats are involved. i don't even care WHAT they are doing, i am watching it, and i am probably LOL-ing. strike that, not PROBABLY, i am. and when it comes to the jo bros, my "LOL-ing" comes in the form of a school girl giggle.
7. movies with garrett... garrett is such a patient friend. he watches HSM with me. ALL THREE OF THEM! and he isn't even critical. i love him and i am glad that we get to do movie nights together. he always makes me happy.
8. my NY boys.... i almost NEVER talk to them, and i see them even less, but i love them. kenny and brad, just knowing they are holding up the east side makes me smile. kenny is a super fantastical journalist and is doing some magical duties for the NY times ( i know, right?) and brad is some super hairstylist cutting hair with Carsten. love them both, and couldn't be prouder. unless of course bradley STOPPED listening to lil wayne. right now.
9. david and malia.... my second family. i want them to adopt me and take me with them to harvard. can i be your elle woods? please?
10. jigsaw puzzles... this is me being in FULL ON granny mode. how can i act like a tween AND granny at the same time? no one knows, but if there was an award for doing it, i would-HANDS DOWN- win it all the way.
11. chanel... well, she was my balentime this year and she watches buffy and listens to the get up kids with me. and she accompanies me to bookman's while i search for hidden books, and without her, there would be no one to tell me how OUT OF CONTROL i am. she's a gem.
12. concerts... ohhhh boy! there was a dry spell in az for a while, but concerts are back in full force. here's my sched... 02/25 MODEST MOUSE!!... 03/07 JIMMY EAT WORLD CLARITY SHOW... 03/25 MARIA TAYLOR... 04/14 CONOR OBERST... 04/24 THE FAINT... 05/19 FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS.
13. long lost lovers.... basically sam and sandee. i miss them and there's just nothing that can be done about it. it is what it is, and that is life. booooooooooooo.


alright, readers. those are a few of the many reasons i am H-A-P-P-Y. notice how none of them had to do with having a boyfriend... IT CAN BE DONE!

exes and ohhhhs,
gabrielle.

YAY, KATE!!

kate winslet FINALLY won last night. not one, but TWO golden globes for SUPPORTING ACTRESS (in THE READER) and LEAD ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE DRAMA (for REVOLUTIONARY ROAD). yay. i am happy for her. it's not an OSCAR, but still, can't complain.





the only reason i watch these award shows is to see the fashion and to pick out which dresses i love. so here is my list of FASHION WINNERS.



AMY ADAMS in OSCAR DE LA RENTA:

EVA MENDES in DIOR:
DEMI MOORE in DIOR:
ANNE HATHAWAY in ARMANI PRIVE:

EVAN RACHEL WOOD in ELLIE SAAB:

KATE BECKINSALE in J. MENDEL:

SANDRA BULLOCK in DIOR:

and here are a few that i'm on the fence about... not quite sure if i dig them or not.

DREW BARRYMORE in GALLIANO:

(i can tell you that i did NOT dig her hair or the way she acted while presenting... she's ridiculous)

DEBRA MESSING in VERA WANG:

is this cute? idk... the bottom concerns me. but i like that it gives something to the dress, adds a little flair. not bad, but not her best. and also, the hair??? hello.

and finally, my WHAT THE WORLD WERE THEY THINKING/WHO OK'D THAT LOOK ON THE WAY OUT THE DOOR moments of the night...

RENEE ZELLWEGER in CAROLINA HERRERA:
ok, the bottom is nice and sleek, pretty... but the TOP. help that. i mean, i don't even know what to say. and don't even start on the hair. yikes.

CAMERON DIAZ in (i am ashamed to say) CHANEL HAUTE COUTURE:

more like chanel haute mess. cameron has issues with always looking like she just rolled out of bed and wrapped some material around her (albeit nice and fit) body. her hair and makeup almost never looks done. it looks messy. and this is the first picture i've seen her in that i've thought that she's looking older. and she's quite thin, is she not?

so there it is. my golden globes wrap up. it was actually a good show as far as winners go... lots of surprises.

right where i'm supposed to be...

ninety nine percent of the time i don't feel like i should be anywhere else other than where i am- physically, emotionally, career-wise, and even personal life-wise (i.e. marriage and all that other nonsense). but sometimes i feel like escaping and moving away to far off countries like england or italy or in most cases... L.A. so i play this game called "anywhere but here" (original, i know) i am having one of those moments right now, and it's weird b/c it was just chrimbo and new year's eve and stuff so i should be totally rested but instead i am more tired than ever. i think it has something to do with the fact that i was sick all through my time off.
the point is, this is my "anywhere but here" moment and right now i want to be at the chateau marmont in L.A. it sounds pretentious, but oh well. i guess sometimes i am pretentious.