We are spending our Halloween here

watching my favorite football player (#10 Josh Scobee)

play for my favorite football team!

GO JAGUARS!!!

What exciting thing did you do for Halloween?!

the TEXAS RANGERS are in the World Series!!

This is the first time the Rangers have made it this far and it’s all anyone is talking about these days. Stores are selling out of t-shirts because literally everyone is walking around in Rangers gear. It’s like Christmas in October for Texas sports fans, and this makes me happy!

So put up your antlers and claw and get ready for game 2 in San Francisco!!

Has anyone tried the TRESemmé Fresh Start Dry Shampoo?

I am curious because I loathe blow drying and styling my hair every day. I have semi-fine, naturally curly hair that I straighten daily. Well, almost daily. When I’m running late or am feeling particularly lazy, I run some moose through my hair, blow dry for 2 minutes with a diffuser, and out the door I go. When I do straighten my hair, I don’t wash it the next day, and if I’m careful I can go a third day without washing it either. By the third day it’s usually a little oily underneath so I just do that baby powder trick that Cosmopolitan told me about in high school. That works and all, but I think a dry shampoo would work better with controlling the oiliness along with providing a fresh scent. Not to mention it seems like the more “adult” thing to do.

So tell me, have you tried this or do you prefer a different brand?  I want to know what your secret is between washes!

Thank goodness the weekend is finally here again! Hooray! This week has been not so great, so I am glad to have some time to relax. I can’t believe next weekend is Halloween. This year is going by so fast, it will be Thanksgiving before we know it! I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

The images inside the magazine are much more suggestive and seductive. I have no desire to post them on my blog, but you can view the slideshow on GQ’s website here if you wish.

Now back to my point of this post…

Whether or not you or I agree with this style of photo shoot, is it wrong for adult cast members playing high school characters to do a risqué photo shoot for an adult magazine?

My husband and I discussed this for about 10 minutes after seeing the story. Entertainment Tonight emphasized the seductiveness of the shoot, mainly focusing on what they were wearing. Then they commented on whether or not it was appropriate for your children to see their favorite tv characters in this manner. Now I am not saying they should or should not have done the photo shoot, but I will say that if children are reading GQ, that is a problem. Hollywood is known for pushing the envelope, and racy photos will not cease to exist in our lifetime. This is something we cannot control, but parents, teachers, church leaders, etc. have more influence and control on what their children read, as well as what they teach them to be appropriate. In fact, I feel that Entertainment Tonight may have given children and teens more exposure to the Glee Gone Wild photo shoot just by airing it on television.

So who determines what is appropriate for adult actors playing younger characters these days? Can you blame them for doing an adult photo shoot? Is there a rule book somewhere that says if you are playing a character below a certain age, you must portray yourself as if you were that age? Where do you draw the line?

I also believe that a lot of children and teenagers look towards their favorite actors/actresses as role models. I did when I was younger, and I still do, but do you remember the Britney – Justin scandal circa 2001 (not certain on the year exactly, but you know what I mean)? I remember that quite well because I was all, “Ohmigosh I love Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake” because I’m like every other teenage girl around! Then the story came out that they weren’t virgins. No biggie. My teenage years weren’t scarred because they were doing the dirty behind closed doors and lying about it. It didn’t make me believe that those kind of actions were appropriate for someone my age because my parents, teachers, and church leaders educated me on the subject. Yes, I realize that not all children are raised in a home that teaches children and teens about these types of things, but is that actor/singer/celebrity’s fault? I don’t think so. Nor do I think it is the children’s fault.

Moving on…

One of the following stories on Entertainment Tonight was about Katy Perry and her wedding plans. Now she is someone I would be more worried about.

She wears outfits like this on a more regular basis as compared to the Glee cast members, and have you read any of her lyrics? Have you? Practically every time you see/hear her on tv or in magazines she is portraying herself in a seductive manner. After all, her new album is titled “Teenage Dream.”

I’m just sayin..

According to my husband, “Katy Perry is someone that shouldn’t be allowed around children.”

Andddd I’ll leave it at that and end on this note:

I know this is a controversial issue, and that is why I chose to write about it. I know that everyone has been raised differently and has differing opinions. I am not saying the Glee cast members did or didn’t do anything wrong with this photo shoot because I can honestly see both sides. All I ask is that if you leave a comment, please be nice and respectful because everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Feel free to leave yours.

Rue La La hosts 2-day-only designer boutiques at fabulous sale prices. It’s free, invitation-only, and all invites until October 25th will  receive a $20 credit!

Upcoming Boutiques on Rue La La:

Oct. 19th:  Miss Sixty, BedHead Pajamas, Toscano, and Dansk

Oct. 20th:  Ray-Ban, Jocelyn, RAS, DKNY – Men’s, Gumuchian, and Anichini

Oct. 21st:  Jack Rogers, Relaxed & Refined: Most Wanted for Men, Reidel, and La Sirena Winery

Oct. 22nd:  BRIC’S, PUMA, PUMA – Men’s, Nourison Home, and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation

Just leave me a comment (or email if you wish) with your email address and I will send you an invite so you can get $20 and start enjoying the fabulousness that is Rue La La!

Billy and I got to sit next to each other which was great! We painted the tops of our hats with our names in Japanese so we could easily be spotted by our friends and family. Do you see us sitting down in the middle of the picture?

When it was time to walk across the stage I was SO nervous I was going to trip and fall or something embarrassing like that. Luckily everything went smoothly.

This is our friend, Garret, who took many Japanese classes with us, drank many beers with us, and is always someone you can rely on. He also has a new SLR and took all of the ceremony photos.

Also, one of my best friends, Kruti, was there! I was so glad she was able to make it. She left right after the ceremony was over to head to Mississippi for medical school. I can’t wait until I get to go support her when she graduates!

After graduation was over, we headed over to my brothers house for pictures and BBQ! I have lots of pictures of family and friends, but no pictures of the BBQ. It was delicious… you will just have to trust me.

SO HAPPY to finally be done! I took five classes and Billy took three over the summer so we could finish!

Our hats Everyone was so glad we did this!

My other best friend, Sarah, was there to support us! (She was also my maid of honor) It was great to get to spend some time together. Even though we live 10ish minutes away from each other, we are always too busy to meet up. Now that school is over, hopefully we will have more time to hang out!

My Momma!

My grandma, me, brother, mom, and Billy.

With my brother and sister-in-law. They also got a nice new SLR and my sister-in-law gets all the credit for the family photos after graduation. Thanks Tami!

My aunt and uncle.

Billy’s Dad

Me, sister-in-law, Billy’s grandma, Billy, and father-in-law.

Stripping down after all the photos were taken. I LOVED my dress for graduation! It’s a Gianni Bini dress from Dillard’s that I picked up on sale for $18, regularly $98! It was comfortable, fun, and light weight for a hot, summer graduation. Hooray!

The colors are really bright in person and you can’t really tell by the photo, but it’s white, yellow-green, and blue. It’s also layered at the bottom. Sorry for the bad lighting, I took the picture with my phone.

Once I sort through all the cruise pictures (we took 500+ photos), I’ll post about our graduation cruise!

This bear is very special to me for a number of reasons. I have never posted about this bear before, he hasn’t even been introduced to my family, but I feel that this is the right time to share my story about Richard the Texas Rangers bear.

After my dad passed away in 2008, Billy took me to Build-A-Bear Workshop at the Grapevine Mills Mall so I could build a bear just for me. We were in the store for at least 45 minutes while I looked at everything there was to offer my special bear. It was a very emotional experience for me, and it still brings tears to my eyes as I write and remember this special trip.

This was my very first visit to Build-A-Bear and I had tears in my eyes the moment we walked into the store. I was excited to have the opportunity to create my very own bear, and this was going to be a very very special bear. I was creating a bear in memory of my father so I would have something to hug on when I felt sad or needed to cry. The attendant was very helpful in explaining the entire process to me and then we started to pick out my bear. I picked a light colored bear because it just stood out as the right one for me. We filled him with stuffing to my liking – not too hard and not too soft. I wanted him to keep a good shape, but still be soft and snuggly. The third step was the hardest step of all. The attendant showed me three different hearts to choose from, and explained all about how I had to pick the perfect heart for my bear and give it lots of love before we placed it in my bear. All I could do was cry. My dad died from a heart condition and it was just a very emotional subject for me. I quickly picked out a red heart and placed it inside my bear ready to move on to the next step.

The rest of my trip was more exciting and a little less emotional. I browsed through all the outfit possibilities trying to find the one that best represented my dad. My dad was a die hard sports fan so I knew that was the route to go. They were out of Texas Longhorn t-shirts so I had to look for the next best option. I turned around and saw the perfect outfit for my bear. A Texas Rangers t-shirt, blue jeans, socks and shoes with red and blue stripes, and a red reversible fleece jacket. My dad wore jeans and a sports shirt from one of his favorite teams almost every day, so this was perfect! I loved it!

I named him Richard in honor of my dad, and we left the store very happy with the bear I had created. I spent the next several days hugging and crying over my bear as I mourned the loss of my father. Every time I look at my bear I’m reminded of my dad and it makes me happy.

Now, Richard has been brought out of hiding into the living room to serve as a good luck charm for the Texas Rangers as they play the New York Yankees in the ALCS game series. This is the first time the Rangers have made it this far and I know my dad is still cheering for them! He would be so excited!

GO RANGERS!!

Halloween is only two weeks away! Are you ready?!