Show and Tell: Who's Coming to Dinner

I'm linking up with Andrea today for Show and Tell Tuesdays: The 5 People I'd Invite to Dinner.  I love this topic and can't wait to see who all everyone would invite.

Let's get the obvious one out of the way: Taylor Swift!  

I've been obsessed with her since the very beginning.  I absolutely adore her and all she stands for.  She writes songs that everyone can relate to.  A song from one of her earlier CDs can come up on my iPod and I can still relate to it but in a different way.  She's such a talented songwriter and I'm in complete awe of all she does.  From what I've heard and seen, she's the sweetest person ever and I wish more people were genuinely that sweet.  When she comes over to dinner, she can totally bring Olivia, Meredith and the rest of her squad -- oh! and her family, too!

"Don't ask me just how it happened, I wish I knew." Mad props if you get that reference!  (It's "I Get Lost in His Arms" by Irving Berlin and used in Annie Get Your Gun).  That describes my relationship with A.Lincoln to a "T".  I'm told I was given a penny in preschool one day and that's all it took for him to win me over.  I cannot learn enough about this man.  For instance, did you know that he hated his name and signed everything "A.Lincoln"?  At least that's what one book told me.  I definitely want him included on my guest list for dinner.

Next on the guest list is Kelly Ripa and her family.  They seem like quite the crew.  I love whenever she talks about her family on Live because her stories are hilarious.  Plus, aren't they a gorgeous family?  They seem really down to earth and family-focused.  Mark and Kelly met on a soap and after getting married numerous times on the show, they eloped and have been together for almost 20 years.  SO.  SWEET.

These two (and their whole family -- Mark included!) can come to any event I host.  I've had the pleasure of seeing Julianne in concert as well as seeing both of them live on Lip Sync Battle and they seem like so much fun.  With the Houghs at a party, I'm sure there would be a dance floor as soon as dinner is over -- if not before!  I want so badly to be a Hough, but I don't think my hair is quite blonde enough or my eyes blue enough to be one.  This family has some great genes!

To round out my guest list, I'd love to have one more meal with my Nana or any of my other family member who have passed.  I'd give up all my other guests on this list just to see them again.  That's all I'm going to say or else waterworks will be out of control while typing this.

My chef(s) for the evening:

David Burtka is an actual chef so who better to fix the dinner?  And it would be rude not to let him bring his entire family with him!  This family is so precious and I love when they post new pictures to Instagram.

There are so many people I would love to eat dinner with, past a present.  I was tempted to just say "Heaven" as one of my guests (I know, I know, it's really a location), but I thought that might be considered cheating.

NYFW Day 2: Rebecca Vallance and INC

Welcome to the official start of New York Fashion Week.  I had shows the day before the official start, hence why I'm calling today's post Day 2.  My first stop of the day: Rebecca Vallance at The Space at Skylight Clarkson Square.

Let me start off by saying just how gorgeous Rebecca is!  I had the pleasure of meeting her a couple times in the showroom and honestly, I could just sit and listen to her talk all day; she's from Australia and has the best accent.  Rebecca is known for her structured tailoring and says of this Spring/Summer collection that it's all about the woman finding her sexuality.  The prints in the collection are inspired from 70's wallpaper.  She said the Rebecca girl loves fashion and is all about making trends her own.  I absolutely LOVE this collection; it's so beautiful and something I would actually wear!  Plus, her prices aren't too too bad...I just couldn't eat for a couple weeks.  Then again, I work in the fashion industry so that's expected right?  TOTALLY KIDDING!!  You guys have seen my blog and know I'm ALL ABOUT food!  Ok, ok, I've bragged about this collection enough, let's take a look at it!

Two of my favorite looks!

Just some of the backstage area.

The background is ready to go!

Rebecca and the girls before the show.

Not so Fun Fact: See those white boxes the models are standing on?  Some of them were dirty so while people painted over them, I was on hands and knees (in a dress!) with a magic eraser cleaning them.

So this show wasn't a runway show, but a presentation.  The girls stood for an hour while people walked around and looked at the clothing.  This is the presentation in progress.  Once the show started, my boss and I hoped in an Uber to run back to the office to prep for our next show.

My first set of Fashion Week credentials!  I was so excited to get them!

My second show of the day didn't start until 6 pm but it was a big one...INC with...wait for it...HEIDI KLUM celebrating 30 years of INC!  Before the show, I was sent to Macy's to pick up some INC dresses for the DJ to wear.  Once I arrived at the venue, I helped get the dressing rooms ready for Heidi and Gabriel Aubry then stayed in the backstage area with the models; I checked them in and out of hair, makeup and nails.  I really liked this event because the clothes are all affordable and I saw some of them earlier in the day when I was at Macy's so the clothes are already available to the public!  Also, I at one point during the evening before the event started I went into the bathroom, and guess who was in there with me...Heidi Klum herself!  YOU GUYS, I USED THE BATHROOM WITH HEIDI KLUM!!!!  #starstheyrejustliketherestofus

I'm already requesting this cake for my birthday.  I didn't get to taste it, but I could sit and stare at it all day.

Models getting ready backstage.

The nail table.

I wish you guys could smell these flowers.  See how pretty they are?  They smell even better than they look!  Within 20 minutes of delivery, the entire space smelled wonderful.  They had these small arrangements and large centerpieces.

The runway before the show.  Here's another fun fact for you, the runways at most shows are covered right up until showtime.  That saves from scuffs and making interns take a magic eraser to them just minutes before showtime.  It makes perfect sense to cover it, but it's not something you think about.

Heidi, Gabriel and the models right before hitting the runway.

The view from both ends of the runway.

Happy birthday, INC!

On the red carpet!

Also, did you know INC is pronounced "ink"?  All my life I've called it I-N-C.  #youlearnsomethingneweveryday

NYFW Day 1: Daniel Silverstain Show

Fall may be on the horizon, but in NYC it's all about Spring/Summer of next year.  While tomorrow officially kicks off Fashion Week, some shows started today (I'm considering it the start of my Fashion Week) and I hit the ground running.  I had to be at Shop Studios at 8 a.m. for Daniel Silverstain's show.

Daniel is a former musician who discovered his love of fashion design while in India.  His career started in Israel where he was the Visual Merchandising Director for the Israeli branch of Keds Kids.  Upon moving to New York City in 2009, Silverstain attended Fashion Institute of Technology.  While attending school, he was selected to collaborate with Muuse, a fashion group that partners with up and coming designers to help them make their collections a reality and sell them to the public.  This collaboration led to Silverstain being named one of VOGUE Italy Muuse Top Ten Promising Designers in 2011.  He has been recognized by the CFDA "for his outstanding achievement in Womenswear Design."

Before the show, one of my jobs was to check models in and out of hair, make up and nails.

A quick nervous smile before showtime!  During the show, some models had seconds looks so I had to make sure they changed and were lined up in the new order.  I also lined up the models for the finale.

All smiles after the show!

Once the show was complete, the models lined the runway so the audience could get an up close and personal look at the clothes.

This was by far my favorite guest in attendance.  I don't even know the dog's name and didn't see it until the end, but look how precious it is!  It was so well behaved. (Freedom, if you're reading this, take note of how well-behaved dogs get to go to fashion shows!)

That's a wrap for day one!  While I was cleaning up the model area, several of them came to the kitchen sink to wash their hair before running off to other shows, castings or fittings.  One of the girls even asked me to wash her hair!  As an intern, I figured it was my job so I did.  I've curled model's hair at school fashion shows while covering it as a reporter, but I would never have guessed I'd be washing an actual model's hair during New York Fashion Week.  I'm considering adding that as a skill to my resume! ;)

Wedding Bell Wednesday: Jesse's Wedding

This past weekend, I was lucky enough to stand by my friend Jesse's side as she got married.  Here's a look at the festivities!

How awesome is this cake from the rehearsal dinner?  The grenades and controller were made out of rice krispie treats and covered in fondant icing.

Then the girls headed to a hotel for a sleepover before the big day!

Jesse made most of the decorations herself, starting with the sign welcoming people to the ceremony.

Jesse and her mom adjusting jewelry.

The bride and matron of honor.

The hashtag for the wedding was #JesseFoundWaldo, but can #JesseFindAngela in this picture?  I really just wanted to smell my flowers and take a picture of them.

Not only did I get to stand up for Jesse, she also asked me to sing during the ceremony.  I was so flattered she asked and sang "At Last."

The cake was beautiful and looked just like the picture Jesse found on Pinterest.

Cutting the cake.

Their first dance as Mr. & Mrs. was to "Wanted" by Hunter Hayes.

And cue the waterworks when Jesse and her dad started dancing to "You'll Be in My Heart."

Jenni giving her matron of honor speech.

Brad giving the best man speech.

It was such an honor to be a part of Jesse and Waldo's special day and it was so much fun.  I wish them nothing but the best!

Show and Tell: Where I Was 9/11

I'm linking up with Andrea today for Show and Tell Tuesdays. 

September 11th, 2001.  A day that changed the world forever.  I remember the day like it was yesterday.  I was in 5th grade and it really affected me, probably more than most kids my age in my hometown.  I've been obsessed with New York City for as long as I can remember.  In 2nd grade, I declared I wanted to go to NYU.  I'd only been to the city a handful of times at the time of the attack, but I loved it.  It was where I was meant to be.

That Tuesday started out like so many other Tuesdays before: I got up, got ready and headed to school.  My class was in gym class when the planes hit.  My friend and I always raced to see who could change out of our gym clothes and into our uniforms the fastest.  I won that day and had lined up against the blue painted cinderblock wall waiting for the rest of my class when the 6th graders ran in saying the tower had fallen, the tower had fallen.  The gym teacher tried to hush them, but I had no clue what they were talking about.  Our regular teacher came to pick us up from the gym and take us to our classroom.  Once we got there, she told us what happened and we prayed.  My mind was blown, I had no idea what was going on.  All I knew was that my dad was supposed to go to NYC the following month and I didn't want him to anymore.

The rest of the day was a blur.  I can't remember what else happened at school except that my teacher didn't turn the TV on for us to watch the news.  We went about our day like nothing had happened.  Feeling like we were being kept in the dark didn't help my nerves or fears any, keep in mind I'm a huge scared-y cat and worry wort so I was convinced the next attack was going to be on Huntington, W.V.  Once I got home from school, I sat in our TV room just watching the news trying to understand what had happened and make sense of what was going on.  It's silly the little details I remember: I had chicken satay for dinner.  My mom slept in my room with me that night, not that I slept much.  I saw every hour on the clock, sleeping for maybe half an hour, but that's where I was on 9/11.  I can't wait to read other people's stories.

Last time I was in the city, I went to the 9/11 museum and the top of the Freedom Tower.  Check out my pictures from that here.  I'm that person who fills up the DVR every year with 9/11 TV shows.  This year I get to be in the city for the anniversary of September 11th which I think is really neat.