for the wineaux in you

www.learnaboutwine.com ~ Take a class from Ian (he's quite handsome and knowledgable!); may I suggest the Scents of Wine class or Wine Camp for the novices. ;)

www.vendometolucalake.com ~ Join me - this is where I am Friday nights! Joe & Brian take such good care of me. Thisclose to Joe hiring me to pour...

www.womenwine.com ~ Women & Wine site - take a wine vacation with the fabulous women in your life or meet a group of wineaux such as yourself.

www.winespectator.com ~ THE definitive word on wines. Read the most eloquent reviews by Robert Parker. Subscribe, get a membership and learn about new releases.

www.temeculawines.org ~ It ain't Napa or Sonoma, but Temecula is quickly changing the way wineaux view this Southern CA region. Check out my faves - Thornton, Baily and Leonesse (though all in the area have something great to offer).

Any suggestions for me?

it's all about me

Four jobs you have had in your life:
1. sign language interpreter/teacher
2. Financial Associate (read: Bank Teller)
3. Manager of The Body Shop
4. HR Assistant

Four movies you would watch over and over:
1. Love Actually
2. Rear Window
3. Shawshank Redemption
4. The Sound of Music

Four places you have lived:
1. Valley Village, CA (formerly known as North Hollywood)
2. Riverside, CA
3. Northridge CA
4. San Pedro CA

Four TV shows you love to watch:
1. American Idol (ooh whoa whoa)
2. LOST
3. Facts of Life (you take the good, you take the bad...)
4. This Week with George Stephanopolous

Four places you have been on vacation:
1. Hawaii
2. Philadelphia
3. Vancouver/Victoria/Seattle/Astoria
4. Orlando

Four websites I visit daily:
1. Yahoo!
2. The Awful Truth on E! Online (Thanks to Chickens is Ash)
3. Google
4. Warner Bros. website

Four of my favorite foods:
1. french fries (extra crispy thankyouverymuch)
2. Hershey's Dark Chocolate Nuggets w/Almonds
3. peanut butter & jelly sandwich
4. bacon avocado burger

Four places I would rather be right now:
1. a bed at the Century Plaza Hotel
2. Cape Cod
3. Hawaii
4. Victoria BC

Four things I always carry with me:
1. lip gloss
2. cell phone
3. debit card
4. extra weight

Four things you have always wanted to do but haven't yet:
1. win the lottery
2. have dinner with Oprah
3. have a talk show
4. own a wine bar

girls girls girls

Of the many blessings in my life, my girlfriends definitely rank in the Top Two. I really can't believe how truly blessed I am to have these women in my life!

• Allison ~ known her since 1st day of freshman year in high school. We've gone to Vegas to see Loverboy & Cheap Trick; back again to see Bush, Goo Goo Dolls and No Doubt; back yet again to see her get married. She's funny and caring and has a fantastic family.
  
• The Girls ~ G, Sheri, Polls, Suz & Mic! Mah Grrrrls! We met through the tall clubs ohsomany years ago and have remained friends outside of the tall clubs. We talk about everything! And there's nothing one of us goes through that another hasn't experienced. G & Sheri have such huge hearts. I wish I had such whole-hearted compassion. Polls is such a delight! Her quips and humor and young-at-heart nature aren't half as admirable as her devotion to her daughters. Suz & Mic. I don't even know what to say. The 3 of us have been through so much together (and apart): pageants, Miss TI, heart surgery, no talking for years, club events, life. I am a better person for having Suz & Mic in my life - both are my cheerleaders and my shoulders to cry on and my Dear Abby's. We're intimidating at first glance. Helloooo! Six women OVER six feet tall?! Uh. Yeah. I can honestly say we're the life of the party. And I can also say I am so effing blessed.
  
• BFFs! ~ This is the craziest bunch of women I've ever been honored to call "friends" and it's awesome! Four of the 5 of us live in the same apartment complex. I've done stuff w/Chickens is Ash, and Iggy and with Manders. Then one night, we hit Residuals to meet up with JKAT & Foxy and the BFFs were born! Chickens is Ash reads Ted religiously. She knows what's up in Hell-ay before it gets to US, People and In Touch mags. She's witty and smart and has a great laugh. Iggy and I bonded over vacuum cleaner bags. LOL She's ever-the-hostess, very welcoming and has a great sectional! Manders is so fun to be around - observant and friendly and very laid-back. She also has THE best boyfriend. Ever. Well, top 10 Best Boyfriend. :) And then there's Foxy! She is sooo ham & cheese (read: camera hog) - I love it! Always ready to pose (shoulder forward, chin up or shoulder forward, finger on chin). She is full of energy, quick to laugh and can text faster than I can talk! The BFFs share the love of reality TV (Bachelor!), wine, gossip and boys. I can count on these girls for anything and everything - a laugh, a speech, a celebration, a comisseration, a good time. Love US! Mean it!
  
• Lys - sheesh. WTF do I begin with THIS one?! Immediate click with her. Both of us were skeptical of the other in the beginning, as our IM/email conversations were peppered w/questions (well, what do YOU know about him? How do YOU know that?). Despite that, we became fast friends. I admire her business sense, her seemingly limitless knowledge of PR, unending list of friends & contacts and her commitment to what she does. We share a passion for fashion and PR and music and all things good in life. I've learned so much from her ~ and continue to do so. I appreciate her friendship more and more.
  
• K ~ our friendship started as co-workers. I've grown to admire her every time we lunch or talk. She's a strong woman with an even stronger sense of self. I'm not sure she recognizes it. She's smart and opinionated and unafraid to speak her mind and her truth. I so admire that! I'm always afraid what someone will think. She's great! I don't know too many Kid Rock loving, Beastie Boys singing vegetarians :)

Thanks for sharing you with me.

your the best

OK...seriously...I really do not understand why some people don't know the difference between your and you're ~ and it really bugs me. Ugh! I guess it's the teacher in me...the irresistible urge to correct grammar...

you say you want a resolution, well, y'know...

I am verrrrry hesitant to put new year's "goals" down in a blog. Ohhhh don't EVEN sit there egging me on! Cuz you KNOW you'll be the first to say "ohh, you didn't do THIS one...ohh, you didn't do THAT one!" OK, you'll be the second. I'll be the first. :) So, against my better judgement, let's just get it over with.

*SIGH*Lemme put it out there: I'm not even trying to pretend that "going to the gym/losing weight" isn't number one on my List. It's *understood* ~ right, Girls?! Ha! Well, if you don't put it out into the Universe, it doesn't come back. Damn.

back to the gym ~ lose weight 30 pounds by May 1st ~ attend Academy Awards® party ~ do more things with my girl friends (see you Thursdays @ Residuals! BFF!) ~ go to a museum or gallery or some other cultural event once a month, alone or with friends ~ throw my hat into the ring to run the Women of Warner Bros. group ~ volunteer monthly instead of quarterly ~ work with Route 7 ~ get at least 3 more clients ~ see more live music (I gotta check out Matty sometime) ~ expand my music collection (take a listen to 'Highway 5' by the Blessing and Morningwood) ~ vacation cruise on the other coast (NY/Nova Scotia/Boston-Cape Cod) ~ do it up Vegas-style for my birthday! ~ meet/exceed goals set by my boss ~ GET THAT DAMN FILING UNDER CONTROL ~ new apartment with an "ocean" view?? ~ and all the other things I've yet to discover/experience this year.

I wish you the best of all things in 2006.