Fruit Punched

Hello, Again!

Oh, boy. This week has been a crazy one. 

I was 'fruit punched' on the subway last Tuesday, and am currently quarantined in my apartment (perfect excuse to blog!) battling a nasty chest and head cold. I'm telling myself these two events are not related. The alternative thought will drive me to drink....

So, 'fruit punched,' you ask?

Why, yes.

Let's start at the very beginning. A very good place to start.

I was required to attend a dance rehearsal last Tuesday for a movie I'd been hired to work on.  I donned my typical dance attire (nothing fancy, mind you), packed up my heeled character shoes and all forms of valid ID and headed to Brooklyn aboard my reliable and dear friend, the C-Train. 

The ride started out like any typical mid-morning train ride would: sweating your face off underground waiting for a train that's late; boarding; picking out a seat you believe least likely to expose you to an uncomfortable situation; scoping out your fellow riders; focusing your attention on your iPod/Kindle/NY Times/'50 Shades of Gray' to help you disappear into the folds of said fellow riders, etc., etc. Non-remarkable. Just the way we New Yorkers like it.

That is, until the regularily-scheduled stop at 50th Street whereupon a disheveled woman boards the far end of my train car. Now, as you all know, this is nothing out of the ordinary. Disheveled people are a dime-a-dozen on New York City public transit. You know going into it that on any given day you WILL encounter a disheveled, likely insane, individual. It's as unavoidable as getting a black jelly bean in your Easter Basket. We pretty much sign up for this.

So, said woman begins the typical panhandling, hacking, cackling, ranting. Again, nothing out of the ordinary.....  melanoma, rats, Jesus, 9/11... all of the usual talking points.

She slowly makes her way towards my end of the train, stopping for an uncomfortably long amount of time to scream at a baby about how much she loved him... much to the horror of the child's parent.

This is when I start to get a bad feeling in my stomach about this one. Call it my "crazy person intuition," if you will. Usually you don't make eye contact, let the crazy walk on by and they go harmlessly on to harass the next train car. 

But this situation just FELT different to me, especially after she haucked a massive phlegm wad onto an empty seat once she was satisfied the baby felt the depths of her love. Every one of us on that train drew in a collective tense breath, just wondering what she would do next.

I decided I needed to move to a different car. I could tell by the darting glances that other riders felt the same way. So, as the train started breaking to stop at 42nd St., I quietly got my stuff together, and prepared to exit the car.

Cue the train coming to a dead stop, me just seconds from standing up and the woman, now surprisingly agile and cat-like, charging straight at me. We made eye contact for a split second before I had the chance to brace myself. I didn't know what to expect, but I sure as HELL didn't expect to open my eyes and find myself DRENCHED in a cold, RED liquid. It was the Fruit Punch she was carrying. The 20 oz. Arizona Fruit Punch, to be exact. Not some dinky Tahitian Treat. Not like, "Ooopps, haha, spilled a little on ya. Sorry." No. She intentionally dumped the entire thing on me in the matter of two seconds. 

And the lady? Long gone.

I sat there stunned, along with the rest of the people on the train who couldn't pick their jaws off the floor fast enough. After the initial shock wore off, the lady sitting right next to me (and who is probably to this day thanking her lucky stars it wasn't her) asked me if I was alright. Being my cool, (almost) un-ruffleable Midwestern self, I gave her the politest smile and "Yeah" I could muster before quickly excusing myself from the train.

Only then could I fully assess the damage. She got me good. Well-played, crazy lady. Fruit punch was all over my sweatshirt, pants, shoes, bag, phone and iPod. I went to the magazine stand to see if the sales guy could help my sorry self out with a napkin or paper towel (anything!) but he only slid a Kleenex travel pack across the counter and told me it was a dollar. 

Ugh.

Sometime between then and now, two Russian girls had come up behind me. They had seen the whole fruit punching go down and felt so bad they got off the train, too, and offered me their entire Kleenex travel pack.... free of charge. God Bless those two. I really would've hugged them had I not been completely f-ing drenched.  

So, now, still stunned, pissed, a bit shaky and trying NOT to think about what else could've been in that can, I realize I'll be late to my MARTIN SCORSESE directed movie rehearsal if I don't get on the next train to Brooklyn. I mop up what I can with my sweatshirt and count the minutes until I get to our location so I can wash my hands. And, upon getting to rehearsal, apologize to my dance partner for smelling like a college luau gone wrong.

For the next few hours I couldn't stop laughing about it. I'm sure people thought I was crazy... like, "What in the hell is that girl across the table who smells like fruit punch laughing about??" 

It could have been worse. A LOT worse. Booze, urine.....just.... worse.

I also received some pretty great 'sympathy' messages from people, ranging from detailing their own run-ins with the more insane members of society, to more motherly ones reminding me that OxyClean is great at removing stains, to the not-so-sympathetic (but still hysterical) ones straight up asking "what in the piss is going on over on that coast???????" and ones demanding photos of the incident and the victimized clothing.

AND, come to find out, this lady is a repeat offender. Glad I'm not the only one.

That was a day I'll remember forever. As a friend coined it, I  got my "Red Badge of Courage" that day. Literally.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In addition to the glamor and fun of last Tuesday, recently I:

Stood in for a human hand-eating cannibal woman in the movie "Noah" which stars Russell Crowe (who is a super cool dude in person);

 Spent 20 hours on set with Scorsese and Leo DiCaprio (among others), NOT smelling like punch for a big wedding scene in "The Wolf of Wall Street;"

  And wrapped up "Royal Pains" Season 4 with a little Christmas in the Hamptons; 

Crazy times in the Big Apple, for sure.

Happy Fall! Until next time.....

xo ~ B.

You win some, you lose some.

Happy, happy Friday everyone!

I've just returned to NYC after my traditional late-August pilgrimage home. I visited both the Northwoods of Wisconsin and the Minnesota State Fair while I there. Both, at times, feel like different countries entirely, so I had a very busy trip.

And how, you may ask, did the Big Apple welcome me back?

With a leaky toilet (which I'm 80% sure I successfully fixed myself), a grocery store that wasn't accepting any form of credit/debit cards, and a what-WebMD-tells-me-is-broken pinky finger. The latter happened when I smashed it in my front door trying to lug my laundry to the cleaners.... No worries, though! I've MacGyver-ed a splint out of a Fudgsicle stick and a Band-Aid. I'm sure that won't save my nail from falling off, but at least I feel I did something proactive.  

But, on the brighter side? My Iranian cab driver told me I looked just like his sister (I've decided to overlook this boldface lie and just take it as a compliment....) and the powers that be introduced me to my new next-door-neighbor Eric, as he was moving his furniture in. And, wouldn't you believe it? He's a young and handsome fella who will henceforth be referred to as "The Boy Next Door."

More stories to come, I'm sure.

xo,

Brooke

Hot Times in the City

Hello, Friends.

I hope this post finds you well, enjoying the dog days of summer and staying as cool as humanly possible during this hottest month on record..... ugh.

 I promised you rundown of what's been up in the Big Old City (besides the mercury in the thermometer).

Here, in no particular order, is a laundry list of the craziness that has been my life for the last month:

• I took the train to Boston to meet up with my friend Jackie for the 4th of July. 

I had never been to Boston and was excited to see the sights.

Of course we made friends ....who had staked out this exact spot on the river for the last 25 years.

So, we had a lovely view for the fireworks.... which proceeded without a hitch, even if the heavens did open and downpour from the moment the first one exploded in the sky. Fun and soggy. No complaints.

Oh! And, did I mention we just happened to be there during Fleet Week? And just happened to be invited to tour and have a beverage upon the Norwegian Navy ship? From where I fired the UNLOADED machine gun on the upper deck (probably not legal)? And from where Jackie came back sporting an official Norwegian Navy seaman's hat (which, come to find out, was DEFINITELY not legal -- who knew)? Yeah. Craziness. 

I can now add "United States Maritime Ambassador" to my resume.....

• I've been cooling it on the background acting as it sometimes can take one out of the running for speaking roles, but did have some shining moments playing a Vampiress at a sacrificial ceremony who throws the kid from "The Good Wife" upon the altar so Stephanie March can decide his fate..... (NOTE: friends & family who don't like horror films, don't worry about not wanting to see this. This one's going STRAIGHT to DVD. Julianne Moore dropped out for a reason.)

I played a party guest at the "Summer Spree of '23" at the Atlantic City American Legion on "Boardwalk Empire" (a party which lasted 17 hours - my longest shoot to date)........ and, among a few other random shoots, half of my face played the prosopagnosia-twisted face of Ashley Williams'.

I was legitimately creeped out when I watched this. They are my eyes and nose, but Ashley's everything else.

• I had my first audition for a SPEAKING ROLE for "Blue Bloods." This gives me hope, people. Hopefully when my demo reel is up and rolling, I'll get many more of these.

... I was also asked to audition for a diaper commercial that filmed in Colombia. Yeah, THAT Colombia.  Had to pass on that one.....

• We welcomed a new little lady into "The Girls" Club. My cousin Ashlan and her husband Matt announced the arrival of little baby Autumn on July 11th. I can NOT wait to meet my new niece. :)

• My mom and cousin visited for about a week, and I took a much needed staycation. We did the typical touristy things: saw a show, ate a ton, saw the sights and got blowouts (which are my new favorite thing!).

• Lately, I've been doing a lot of stand-in work... which is beyond great. I'm working regularly on "Royal Pains," "Blue Bloods" and ABC's new show "666 Park Ave."

My days range from being in the city to on a sound stage in Brooklyn to on-location in some fancy beachside town in Long Island. For example, just last week the character I stood in for lived in this Hamptons mansion:

Broke her foot......

And, ended up in the hospital w/ some other disease.

It's a tough job, but somebody's gotta do it.

Oh, and the "666 Park Ave" shoot? Well, it was a 'bedroom' scene. If you've seen "Love Actually" and remember the 'stand-in' scene, you get the picture......... Awkwardly hysterical.

I'm back on "Royal Pains" tomorrow, and can't wait to find out where/what my character's scene will entail.

Also, after being confused as all hell about when "The Newsroom"/Jane Fonda scene was going to air, I've gotten confirmation that it will be airing this Sunday evening.

I've even been spotted in a preview that is currently running.

So, if you're fancy enough to have HBO, which I definitely am not, let me know what you see... it could be a lot, or as I've learned, it could be very little :)

Until next time! 

-B

MIA

Things have been crazy-busy over here.

I've been a horrible blogger and I promise to get better. 

My mom and cousin arrive today for a week, and I'm taking a much needed "staycation."

But, next week I'll be back with a post about everything that's been going on, including and not limited to vampires, the Summer Spree of '23 at the Atlantic City American Legion and manhandling the son from "The Good Wife."

It'll be good. I promise.

:)

Grocery Envy

 I just returned from a wonderful trip back home.

I visited with friends and family, went sales tax-free (!) clothing shopping, attended a BEAUTIFUL wedding (bride: younger sister of one of my besties; groom: the 'Harold Hill' to my Senior year 'Marian the Librarian'), and was able to unwind in the wide-open spaces of Minnesota.

Don't we clean up nicely?

You'd never even know Rachel and I were climbing over the dessert table on our hands and knees placing flowers only an hour before.

Ahh, the things we do for (other peoples') love :)

More than anything, being back in Minnesota was a bit of a mental vacation. One I needed more than I realized.  

One night I drove up to Bloomington to spend the night at my best friend Maggie's new house. We decided to have a "Patio Party" since they had just gotten deck furniture for their backyard sitting space. 

Maggie and her boyfriend made a wonderful dinner, and halfway through I found myself getting strangely envious(?) of the bowl of bing cherries sitting on the table.

Out of nowhere I started talking about how really the only cherries I get these days are the Maraschinos that come in my Daiquiris.  I'm cheap when it comes to buying groceries here because everything is so bloody expensive, but still. I had never in my life looked at a fruit that necessitates you spit out its pit so longingly.

Maggie diagnosed it. I have severe "Grocery Envy."

It's so true. 

My groceries consist of the same 8-10 items each time I go shopping. Why don't I branch out, you ask?

Well, A) I'm obsessively compulsive about staying within my grocery budget and B) I have to carry these groceries up 3 flights of stairs, so, I've got a pretty good handle on what I can and can't haul up without dropping something or breaking a finger. It's frustrating, not to mention morally difficult deciding between which I need more each week: MILK or WINE?

So, this week, in an attempt to self-medicate, I bought a pack of Fudgesicles. Yep, mindblowingly exciting........

This whole "Grocery Envy" led me to realize I also had "Patio Envy," "Car in the Garage Envy" and "No-Jackhammers-Right-Outside-Your-Window-At-8am Envy."

But, seeing as I was home for a solid 9 days, I made sure to get my fix of all things envy-inducing. 

Yes, it was a mental vacation.... But also a mental kick in the ass.

During the last few months I've found myself becoming more and more homesick. 

Ick. I even hate typing the word "homesick" out. 

I'm on my way to doing what I love here in NYC, but I began asking myself how much could I even love what I'm doing if I'm missing the people back home so much it literally hurts? How many times could I mentally handle getting home from work at 3AM, only to find that I can't unzip my own dress, get really frustrated/stupidly emotional and resigning myself to sleeping it? (True story)

How long can I keep going with 98% of my support system 1,200 miles away?

Well, I still don't have an answer to those questions, but I did have a handful of great conversations with people who understand my big dream, understand where I come from, understand what I'm feeling and understand the mess these things make when combined.

I was telling two of my very favorite people, over a fruit tart w/ NO CHERRIES, that I feel I've reached a glass ceiling in this level of the "Act On TV" game. I can clearly see what's beyond the glass and feel I'm close to breaking through, but I'm pushing and pushing and not getting anywhere. And, like trying in vain to unhinge my shoulders so I could unzip that stupid white dress, that makes me frustrated and overly-emotional and sometimes, really just ready to call it a day.

I received the following no-nonsense directive:

"Stop pushing and start throwing rocks."

I laughed, and then thought for a second. Duh. To Hell with decorum. I'm going to start throwing some  rocks. And then move onto large, early 1990s-model television consoles if I have to.

I was reminded that all things have an "end time," and that it's ok whenever you reach that. Life's about compromise and figuring out what you really want, even if what you really want is something you ran away from at one point in time. 

So, yeah. Minnesota was a good time. Many thanks to all those who I had great chats with, provided meals that didn't take the form of peanut butter and for helping me find the motivation and inspiration for these up-coming months.

XO.

Oh, and in other news, I'm still doing a lot of background work, preventing my "Boardwalk Empire" children (and myself) from being kicked in the face by camels... 

(that's my "They Don't Pay Me Enough For This" face....)

 and waiting for my demo reel to be finished.

Oh, and waiting for this to air! I think my stint as Jane Fonda's assistant appears in the 3rd episode..... Stay  tuned. 

~~~~~~

My May Top Ten

Here's a run-down of my "top" 10 moments of May... so far.

1) Summer is (nearly) here. And things are getting GREEN. Yay!

Apparently it'll seem like I'm living in a tree house by the time my trees fully bloom. Totally OK with that. And fitting, since my upstairs neighbor is half-ape.

2)Finding (the original) Chocolate Koala Yummies at my neighborhood Greek Market. 

KOALA YUMMIES, y'all! You know, the wafer-type, koala-shaped cookie, jet-pumped full of chocolately-who-knows-what-insides that were popular circa 1996? Yeah. Found 'em. 

Well, the Asian version of them. Fun fact? They're called Koala's March in Asia. Impress your friends with that one.

3) Being chosen to play the assistant to Jane Fonda's 

character in Aaron Sorkin's new HBO show "The Newsroom." Still no lines.... But I did get a special wardrobe, had my hair and make-up done in the chair directly between Jane and Sam Waterston (of Law & Order fame) while they rehearsed lines and spoke of Hollywood past, had a very-featured scene in which I'm Jane's right-hand lady and get into the limo with her at the end of the scene, and had my own stand-in! (aka: the person who stood in my place when it was raining, when the cameras had to be re-configured, etc.) Despite the fact it was more humid than I imagine Hell to be that day, and the hair dressers earned their salary trying to keep my naturally curly hair from pulling a Diana Ross, I had THE BEST TIME. I met Aaron Sorkin and he personally thanked me after we wrapped, Jane is just lovely in person and Sam Waterston is perhaps the nicest male principle I've ever worked with.
What. A. Treat.
Oh! And we even had our own paparazzi that day... so, I "Googled" and found a random passerby's pic. This hardly justifies the scene, as I'm now being "sent away for a moment," but still .... (I'm on the far left w/ the appointment book... Jane's trying to get into the limo...) This episode won't air until late summer. I can't wait to see how it turns out! I have some other great stories from that day, but they're better in-person ;)

4) Calling my Mom crying for the first time since I moved here. 

Yes. Truth. It's funny how life progresses in NYC.... especially in the industry I'm in. The higher the highs.... the lower the lows. Well, last week I was in quit a snit.

Yes, this is a highlight. 

You learn a lot from the seemingly rock-bottom moments in life.... especially when you hit rock bottom, your umbrella breaks in a rainstorm and all you want is a Dairy Queen Confetti Cake Blizzard only to realize there are no DQs in NYC.

 This was one of those real "son of a b*tch" moments in life.

However, it made me realize that if nothing more was meant to happen for me during this crazy adventure I started a year ago, then that's OK. 

I've been blessed with what's happened thus far, and can be content with that.

5) Losing all hope in the human race after watching a kid, in full view of everyone, whip out his you-know-what and pee on a tree..... right off one of the busiest walking paths in CENTRAL PARK..... in mid-afternoon...... while his mom patiently waited for him to finish.

I foresee some potential jail-time in this kid's future. 

Said hope in the human race was restored by this little girl:

Adorable.

6) Learning that an (accidental) Vitamin B-complex overdose makes for an interesting and ugly situation.

I've always been a bad bruiser. My friend Rachel says under my mid-20 exterior lies an 80-year-old woman.

But, add in too much Vitamin-B and clumsily bang into your bathroom sink?

You get a very impressive five-color bruise as big as a frying pan, that sticks around for 2+ weeks.

Wearing shorts out in public has been interesting. 

(I'm sparing y'all the picture.) 

7) Having one of those quintessential "NYC acting" moments in my Primetime TV class.

You know those actresses you see in a comedy sit-com? The ones that take themselves FAR too seriously? The ones that dress the part to a "T," even if that means dressing the part of their 'character' from 'The Playboy Club' (it was canceled for a reason, people.)? The ones that are offered an acting adjustment from the casting director and close their eyes, take a deep breath and use their hands to physically illustrate taking said deep breath and "truly and deeply feeling the adjustment within their character's soul"??

Ok, yeah. I witnessed one of those first-hand in class last week.

Far more entertaining than annoying.


8) Breaking into the exclusive TV STAND-IN Club.
______________________________________

stand-in (stndn)

n.

1. One who substitutes for an actor while the lights and camera are adjusted or during hazardous action. ________________________________________________

Additionally, a stand-in has to be of similar height, hair color and complexion of the actor in which they are standing in for. So, over the past few months I've seen many requests for 5'7", light brown haired females for stand-ins. The only problem? YOU MUST HAVE STAND-IN EXPERIENCE.
How was a little Midwesterner like me, who had NO stand-in experience, ever supposed to land one of these jobs? Well, two ways:

1) Lie and say you have experience,
and then pray your "experience" doesn't get questioned when you fail to understand what to do when hired for a job.....

or,

2) Submit for background work, but get a call from the casting agency telling you you're a perfect fit for a stand-in position they're looking to fill and that even though you have ZERO actual experience they're going to let you have a shot at it. This nearly never happens.

But, the Gods were on my side, or perhaps felt sorry about the whole Dairy Queen debacle, and decided to go with #2. Win.

Soo.... I stood-in on "Royal Pains" for multiple days for not one, but TWO different actresses. One being Ashley Williams, who I wasn't familiar with, but I had grown up watching her sister Kimberly in "Father of the Bride" Parts 1 & 2 (and her brother-in-law is Brad Paisley). Pretty sweet.
Ashley's character in the show has prosopagnosia (face blindness) and falls through a coffee table. I, sadly, did not get to go through the table for her --- stupid Union rules, but I did get to be her photo-double, so that when she looks into the mirror, she sees my face instead of her own.
I can't wait to see how the special effects work out for that!

So, I've officially been welcomed into the Stand-In Club, and look forward to more of that work.


9) "Call Me Maybe."
Not even kidding. I really heart this song and am not even ashamed to admit it.
It's like a big shot of Espresso minus the $3.50 price tag.

10) Seeing these kidlets on Friday:

I'm jetting off to Boca Raton to see my niece, nephew, brother and sis-in-law. Can't wait.



I hope you all had an equally wonderful, if not vitamin deficient, May!


Until next time,
~B

Happy Mom's Day!

Wishing everyone a happy Mother's Day!!

I'd like to thank my own Momma today....

She's been super-duper supportive, patient and encouraging this past year. And Lord knows she never needed to be, considering her only child up and decided to move to NYC to pursue an acting career... YIKES.

Thanks for everything, Mom. I love you!

I'd also like to say "Happy Mother's Day" to my aunts, sister-in-law, "adopted aunts" (you know who you are) and all of the other inspirational and, sometimes, "mother-like" women in my life who were instrumental in making me who I am today.

BUT... 
Perhaps, above everyone else... I want to wish Happy Mother's Day to an extremely important someone we lost unexpectedly on this holiday exactly 5 years ago.....

....one of my very best friends, My Grandma Irene.

Dear Gramma,

Happy Grandma's Day!!

Where have the years gone? It seems just yesterday you were reading "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish" to me on your big, flower-print couch. 

I can't tell you how much I miss watching "Father of the Bride: Part II", drinking wine and sitting on the vine-covered front porch with you. 

I wish you were here to see all of the exciting things we're all are up to these days... And, I wish you were here this Mother's Day so we could take you to Bachmann's for some flowers and then to Weiderholt's for dinner and an Old Fashioned.

But then again, I know that the way things worked out were, perhaps, all for the best. Because I'm positive that now you're more here with me in NYC than you ever could've been while still living in your green stucco house on South 2nd Street in Cannon Falls. And I guess I'm OK with that.

We're all doing just fine, but we miss you.  

Love you always and much,

Brooke

Happy Mother's Day to you and yours.

XOXO

~B

"The Girls" .... and the Big White Dress: Part 2

Where in the hell has the time gone? 

It seems freakishly impossible that we are nearly into May. MAY, people! 

Wow. Ok, so what's been going on with me? Well, really just the same-old-same-old over here in Apartment 4A. Some highlights from the past month:

- Adding "The Good Wife" and "Royal Pains" to the list of shows I've worked 'background' on, as well as doing my first movie! On "The Good Wife" I played a lawyer, and told my Dad he better relish the moment, as it's the closest either of his children will ever get to following in his professional footsteps. I think he was proud..... 

- Nearly (literally) running into Angela Lansbury in Eataly (Mrs. Potts!!)

- flying home to Minnesota for what seemed a hot second for my cousin Kristin's Bachelorette Weekend. Oh what fun! A party bus + one stereotypical Wisconsin townie bar + a few "classier" bars + 25 ladies celebrating one of their bestie's last fling before the ring = EPIC-NESS.

Although, word to the wise.... Be sure you're properly stretched before you decide to take a spin on a stripper pole...... Just trust us on this one. 

So, life's been good......

........ and it only gets better as I fly home again this week for the wedding of one of my most favorite people.

(If you're new to the blog, and need a little background on "The Girls" (aka, myself and my two cousins), check out 

the post I dedicated to my cousin Ashlan right before her big day.)

Kristin's getting married!

Yes, my second sister-cousin, the girl who can crack a neck (she's a future chiropractor!) like no one's business, and the girl who can bust a mad freestyle-dance move at any given bar or wedding reception, is tying the knot on Saturday, and I couldn't be more excited for her.

I could sit here and rehash the entire 26 years we've been related; regaling you with tales from our tutu and sequin-rich baby ballerina days (we played it all - Dandelions, Yankee Doodle Dandies, you name it), our what-in-hell-were-we-thinking-getting-a-perm days, our infamous family vacations to the West Coast and Disney World days, our competitive (well, competitive until I decided to stop pretending I was at all athletic) and wonderfully fun middle school and high school days, and of course, tales from the more recent days when we three Girls went our own directions to claim our separate paths in this big world.......

-OR-

I can SHOW you just how much I heart this girl.

Let's take a trip down memory lane, shall we?

Kristin and I have done it all together. 

We've seen the world. 

From the grandeur of Buckingham Palace....

and the "Bali Hai" beaches of Kauai.....

to some of the 'finest' backwoods bars of Wisconsin.

(PS- Only if you're really lucky does your backwoods bar come complete with a suspected outlaw named Garbage.)

We rode in style.

From our  matching Mazda 626s in high school...

                                            

to our families' matching PT Cruisers in Hawaii  (luxury at its finest.......)

to, shopping carts...... well....... because sometimes there just isn't a better mode of transportation when celebrating one's 25th birthday. 

We've tried to keep it classy over the years...

Weddings.

Golf Tournaments.

Fancy birthday dinners.

mostly succeeding...

but, once in awhile.......

 failing horribly....

These outfits..... I can't.

Bachelorette Shenanigans

?

Really. Can't take us anywhere. Especially not on a boat with unlimited Bud Light.

We survived HURRICANE IRENE together here in NYC

                                 

Mainly in thanks to trail mix, chips & salsa and an assortment of adult beverages.

And, after ol' Irene blew through, we decided doing cartwheels in the middle of 8th Avenue was the absolute best way to celebrate.

   

We've had some times we'll never forget....

 (and maybe a few times we *should* forget....)

And, we've made it through some terribly hard goodbyes.

But, now with Kristin marrying her absolutely amazing fiance Grant next Saturday, and as we transition into the next chapter(s) of "The Girls"...

I raise my glass, and wish the best for these two,

knowing that "perfection" doesn't even begin to describe their future.

Love you, Sissy.

xo,

Brookie

~*~*~