Sunday FunDay March Madness

Hello lovelies!!  I'm back!  Sort of....   Downtown Kansas City has been crazy the last few weeks with all the basketball nonsense and other events happening around the city. I've been working extra hours because of it.  March has truly shaped up to be Madness for me and my schedule.

Aside from working, I've been trying to manage time for some fun.  I've been making most of my Sundays, Fun Days and most have been quite epic.  Lots of yummy brunch, adult beverages and random occurrences.  Two Sunday's ago I even got a really fun traffic ticket.  I got pulled over for "NOT going fast enough at the green light."  True Story!  Apparently I was too busy chatting it up with "he who must not be named" and the person behind me had to honk to get my attention.  So, my epic day turned into a very costly one as well :/  It's a good thing I work for attorney's who can handle these kinds of things for me.  

I did however, get to meet Corey Miller from LA Ink that same night.  His band was playing at a TUACA promotional event and I got invited.  It was awesome to meet him but it's too bad he wasn't here to do tat work!  I've had the itch for some new ink for a while!!  If I had a clear idea of what I wanted I am pretty sure I would already have a half sleeve by now.  I'm waiting til I'm certain.

Corey Miller is Cool!  This picture quality is not.   

 Last Sunday was also a nice treat.  My cousin came to visit and we spent the day girl talking over wine!  We originally had planned to lay low and be lazy but one bottle of wine later and we opted to keep the ball rollin'.  We ended up bar hoping a bit, sharing another bottle of wine and a lot more personal information with my dear friend Johnny than I'm sure he wanted to know.  Our night ended with us chatting at my dinner table long enough into the night for us to finish off a box of crackers and an entire can of cheese whiz.  Nothing says classy girls more than wine and cheese whiz.

This past Sunday I hit up brunch again.  I had to work on St. Patty's day so Sunday brunch was a must and was probably one of the best brunches I have had in a long time.  The buffet had everything from B's and G's to oysters, sushi and lobster mac and cheese.  Add a full bottle of champagne, some OJ to make mimosas, a Bloody Mary bar, Fabulous Company and I was one happy camper.

I probably sound like a lush but I can promise I'm not.  Sunday Fun day and adult beveys just go hand in hand....  It's an unwritten rule.  Or...it is written and I'm just not aware of where.  Writing Rule Here Now:  You MUST drink on Sunday Funday!  Done!  It is now written.

Basically, I can sum up my last few weeks in few words: Business, Basketball, Beer, Brunch, Busy and Bad Ass!

Happy Hump Day! XOXOX-
Brandi

Things

Last night I couldn't sleep.  It was one of those nights where your mind won't quit and the more you try to get it to slow down, the faster the thoughts come pouring in.  I turned the noise machine app on my phone to something "beachy" and tried listening to the ocean water so I could relax but shortly after, I started hearing imaginary howler monkeys and if you've ever heard howler monkeys in the middle of the jungle you know that it can be difficult to sleep through.  If there are enough of them howling in a group it will start to feel like you are at Jurassic Park and sleeping though a T-Rex attack is not all that easy (I can only assume this as I have never actually been attacked by a T-Rex).

The good news is (I'm calling it good news) that all that over-thinking and over-analyzing last night has made me so tired of thinking that today I am practically incapable of  putting together a complete thought.  I am currently brain dead and in today's case, ignorance is bliss.

On a different note:

My weekend and time off from work was great by the way.  Family time can be so refreshing and family game night with our clan is pretty much one of the most hilarious events anyone can ever experience.  It is also a time when I realize where I inherited my dirty mind.  Somehow a game of "Things" turned into a game of who can say the most perverted things.  It was fabulous!  If you've never played "Things" before, you should.  Especially if the people you decide to play it with have the tendency to say things that are just slightly inappropriate.  In this game you are given cards with categories on them.  For example:

Things you shouldn't say to your boss......
Things you don't want to find in your bed....
Things that make you tired......
Things you shouldn't say to your husband......

Everyone writes down their answer and the object of the game is to guess who said what.  And, as I said, somehow my family always ends up turning the game into something dirty. 

Before you know it, not wanting to find a "Horse Head" in your bed got turned into a "Whore's Head" and a hooker that charged only $25 for her services.  My Mom decided that "the hooker doesn't charge very much." and so we try to get her to explain to us what her idea of the appropriate service fee is.  My Mom is apparently a "Lot Lizard", my brother's girlfriend is a "Fluzzy " and thinks my brother is "So Cute!", the "Reverse Cowgirl" is mentioned, my brother wants to sleep with "Danny Devito, especially if he is wearing dirty underwear" and my Dad wishes "titties grew on trees" but not like a "Weeping Willow TittyTree" cause that would mean they are saggy. 

Ok....maybe you HAD to be there.......

This went on for about four or five hours and I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard.  I'm looking forward to our next family game night and the next time I laugh until I cry!




          

It's 5 Day Weekend!!!

I'm pretty pumped up that today is my Friday.  Tomorrow will officially be my 2 year mark at my current job and I have three vacation days that I have to use up. Thank Goodness! because they couldn't come at a better time!!  Originally I was hoping to go to visit my friend Eli in Puerto Rico but have decided to stick around here instead and focus on putting some of the things I have been pondering about for weeks at rest.  

I plan to get in some quality family time, finish some school work, down size and organize my closet, paint something awesome, maybe compile a "photo dump" (just for you Eric!), make some big future plans!, take a hot bath in my Moms jacuzzi tub, finish reading one of the many books I have started and not finished,  hopefully spend some time with "he who shall not be named," and overall just refocus, refresh and rejuvenate. Yeah!

On another note.....I recently got my hair colored ombre style...See:

Yes...it is supposed to go from dark to light.  That was intentional....move on...


Even celebrities do it!  And ....last week I was told Rachel Bison was my doppleganger anyway.  I don't see it...other than the fact that now we both rock the ombre style but I'm happy she is pretty :)

I have mixed feelings about it to be honest because I am used to having very dark hair (which my mother and sister often tell me is TOO DARK).  I think I like it dark because it makes me feel more like a Latina :)...even though I'm not blessed with the long flowing dark locks the majority of them have. (Bitches!-said completely out of jealousy and not because I believe they are actual bitches) 

Anyway, I was wanting a change so I put some highlights in it and lightened it up quite a bit....and have since gotten comments from people that have gone something like this, "Is that natural blond (sarcasm added)", "Brandi, you're gorgeous but...you could have done better", "I don't HATE it.."........(on and on).

Two things come to mind when I hear these things.....

1) If you don't have something nice to say people, don't say it at all ...and
2) You can't please everyone so do whatever the hell you want and be happy about it!

So...to anyone who has a problem with my new hair color or anything else I do, "Whateva, Whateva, I do what I want (said in my South Park Cartman voice)!!!"  
Have a good weekend!!!
XOXOXOXO,

Brandi

Hacia Delante!

Si hayas leído este blog con regularidad, tal vez hayas notado que últimamente me siento un poco "asfixiada", o sea, pegada en un lugar sin moverme hacia delante.

La verdad es que veces me encuentro entre dos mundos.  Dos mundos que no se unen nunca y empiezo tener la mentalidad que necesito elegir solo uno de ellos porque si trato de flotar entre los dos, me quedo sin nada.

Una vez, uno de mis profesores de la Universidad me dijo que cuando una persona habla dos idiomas, suele tener dos personalidades diferentes y si hable más de dos, puede tener aun más personalidades.  Es un concepto muy interesante y me hace pensar mucho en lo que necesito hacer para unir estos dos mundos míos. (Pero....esto no quiere decir que soy una loca ni que sufro de trastorno bipolar :) )

Mi autor favorito, Paulo Coelho, dice, "Cuando la insatisfacción no desaparece, entonces fue puesta ahí por Dios con una sola  razón: es necesario cambiar todo, caminar hacia delante".

 En este momento un gran cambio me esta llamando...........pero quien sabe lo que es.... 

    

Being Kind

 Late last night, while on the verge of tears (I really don't cry that much guys, I promise!),  I sent a, "Someone hurt my feelings and now I'm gonna vent to you and you don't have a choice in the matter" text message to a friend of mine.  After texting back and forth for a while I sent him a message that read, "I am nice 97% of my lifetime but.....some days I feel like trashing that and just being a huge bitch!"  His insightful and professional advice was "Ahhh, don't do that!"  So, I decided that instead of crying or being a bitch, I'd just go to sleep.  (Worked like a charm by the way)

My reasoning for thinking I should just be a big bitch instead of a nice person was that sometimes it seems like being nice doesn't make a difference to others or that people don't even recognize or appreciate "Kindness".   

Today, while perusing the interwebz, I ran across this video that a different friend of mine had posted:

After watching this, I thought of my Dad, the greatest man of all time.  He is the epitome of the word "Kind".  He spends more time helping and doing for others than he does for himself (maybe a little too often). 

I remember going to the gas station with him once and I watched him buy $5 in lottery tickets.  After scratching them, he had won $15 and another ticket.  He looked at the young lady behind the counter and asked her to please cash his tickets and give him another winner.  When she handed him his winnings, he immediately took his ticket and handed her back the $15. 

She and I both looked at him with very confused and perplexed expressions.

He said to her, "Here Hun, you keep that for yourself," and he walked away.  He didn't expect anything from her for his act of kindness and he didn't need her to rave about how great of a person he is because that act of kindness was just him, being him and expecting nothing in return. 

My Father is kind.  I see how selfless he is, how much people appreciate him, love him, praise him.  People DO recognize kindness (small acts and the big ones) but even when they don't, my father continues to be kind because that is just who he is.  He would never decide to "trash that" one day and be a huge jerk just because someone disappointed him and he is kind everyday without having or expecting anything from anyone. 

Disappointments happen, it is inevitable and most of the time, those disappointments are due to our own expectations.  The expectations we have of ourselves and of others. 

So...I've decided to NOT be a huge bitch and continue to be kind cause

......that's just how I want to roll....... 

XOXOXOXOXO,

Brandi

Ownership

Since I was unable to spend Valentine's Day with the person I have decided to call my Valentine this year, I chose to spend the evening drinking wine, relaxing, and doing something that I enjoy.  Painting. 

I never took art classes (that might be is evident) and in fact, the first time I picked up a paint brush was about a year ago so I could fulfill my fathers request to paint him something for his living room wall.  Even though I used zero technique and had no clue what I was doing, I found it very freeing and enjoyable to just push the paint around on the canvas while sitting on the floor of my loft listening to music.  

"Family Tree" Acrylic Painting on Canvas

I have always been very interested in art and the creative abilities of others.  It is amazing what people can do, create or dream up.  I still have NO idea what I am doing when it comes to art but, that doesn't mean that I create less passionately than others or that somewhere deep inside me an artist doesn't exist.  The fact that I was up until 3 a.m. solidified for me the saying that "Time flies when you are having fun" and made me realize that it doesn't really matter if I am considered a "real artist" or not because I was enjoying myself.

To other people, my art might just look like random blobs of paint thrown onto a canvas but I've decided that it really doesn't matter because I know the amount of thought and love I put into last night's painting.  That is what makes any kind of art or creative outlet so special; the ownership and personality that the creator gives to the piece of work.  And the really great thing is that there truly are no limits and no rules when it comes to being creative.  Art is a place where imagination can roam and rules can be forgotten. 

According to Wikipedia,  Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items (often with symbolic significance) in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect. 

Upon finishing my painting, I immediately sent a picture to my sister and a few others for "approval" and for an outsider's opinion of the work I had just spent six hours on.  (Yes...I really did spend six hours on this. Believe it or not.  It's true)  I received some very honest responses that included, "It looks cold," "It needs more color," "It's kind of boring," "It's too blue," and so on.  At first, my reaction was to change it, to add colors, textures and give my critics what they were looking for but, after I spent another two to three hours debating about how and what I could change, I came to the realization that this is MY artwork  I created it with a specific person in mind for a specific purpose.  Changing my painting to fit anyone else's vision would ultimately take away from the intimacy between myself and the overall idea I was trying to accomplish.  After all, I am the one who felt inspired to paint the way I did and that inspiration is unique to me.  Does anyone else really have to agree with it or understand it?   



"Breath of Fresh Air" 24x48 Acrylic on Canvas



There are hidden meanings and symbols in the painting that no one else would probably notice but, I know they are there.  They can be my secret and the thought and reasoning behind each color, each brush stroke and each idea expressed can be reserved for my own personal reflection and anyone who is interested in attempting to decode the intimate details I have written on the canvas via paint brush.

There's no crying in baseball and there are no rules in painting.  I think that one thing I can take out of the last 24 hours and my attempt to let my creative juices flow is that whatever you do, you should always stay true to you and trust yourself, especially if the choices you make come from your heart or another place of genuine love and happiness.   (I'm super cheesy, I know, deal with it) 

XOXOXOXO, 

Brandi 





Snow Much Fun!

For what I think is the first time all winter, I had to clean the snow off my car before work.  We got several inches overnight and it's still coming down!  Even though I am a self proclaimed beach bum and hater of the cold and snow, I must say that this morning I didn't mind it so much.  It would have been much better if it had done this yesterday and we would have had the fresh powder (Do I sound like a Snow Bunny yet?)  when I was tearing up the slopes though.  Ok...it wasn't the "real" slopes but about an hour outside of Kansas City there is an artificial snow facility called Snow Creek. 


The Snow Machines at work.....

 Snowboarding is something that I have wanted to try for years so when a friend of mine asked me to go, I was all over the opportunity!  I'm sure that anyone who has ever experienced snowboarding or sking in the real mountains would tell me that going to a place like Snow Creek doesn't compare but, I still had a blast!  It didn't really take me that long to get the hang of it either.  However, my first few times down the hill were a little painful.  I managed to hurt both my thumbs, get a fist size bruise on my ass and hurt my left shoulder to the point that it was painful to lift my arm and get dressed this morning.  But...honestly, it was totally worth it!!!  A few Advil, a hot bath, and taking it easy for a few days and I will be back to normal by the end of the week. I don't think that snowboarding is for the weak...and I'm ok with my injuries because I went into this experience fully expecting to get a little banged up! Yes....I would do it all over again, pain and all!  Seriously people, it was awesome!! (No Pain, No Gain!)

Another thing that was so great about doing this is knowing that just an hour from home there is a  little "getaway" that sure, may not be the beautiful mountains of Breckenridge or Keystone but is still a good place to escape and do something new, fun and different.  I can totally see myself getting addicted to Snowboarding and the thought that you can do something fun and active in the snow, even as a grown-up, makes me appreciate it just a little bit more.





It's fun to "play" in the snow and feel like a kid again....to take something that I normally hate and find something positive about it that I really enjoy.  It really gave me a whole new perspective on winter and how to appreciate it and for that, I am thankful.  It also helped cure me a bit of that Nostalgic feeling I was having a week ago.  I knew I would feel better after switching gears a bit and finding something new to enjoy.  For me, it's all about the adventure and those little adventures are what keep me happy and at peace. 

Have a GREAT week!

XOXOXOXO,

Brandi