Go RED

Join me today as I wear red in support of National Wear Red Day 2012!

Heart disease is the #1 cause of death in the U.S. and it is truly insane how many lives it claims every year. The Go Red for Women movement was initiated to raise awareness about heart disease in women. Go Red for Women is something I am very passionate about. I had Wolff Parkinson White syndrome and my seemingly very healthy grandma passed away from a heart attack a few years ago. Both situations were completely unexpected.

So, wear red today to stand up against heart disease and stroke. People need to be more informed and be empowered to live a more heart healthy lifestyle. By wearing red today, you can help spread the word and encourage countless other women (and men!) to change their lifestyle for the better.

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Hip Hip Hooray!

Oh goodness, what a long week. A semi-draining week at that. I'm relieved to be reunited with Friday and am really looking forward to girls night with my college roommates tomorrow night. These ladies are some of my favorite people and spending time with them is one of my favorite things to do. Happy Friday to you! Have a fantastic weekend!

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Happy girl

2012 is starting out with a bang. I am one happy girl... one incredibly blessed girl. This is a complete ramble, but I am just so excited for all the fun and new experiences I'm going to have this year. It's going to be lovely.

I'm starting out the first half of the year with some fun travel. I'll be going to California for my friend Mackenzie's wedding, to visit friends and to attend The Ellen Show! (Still geeking out about The Ellen Show... I just got the call today and can barely contain my excitement! Another item to check off my 101 in 1,001!) Shortly after California, I'll be heading south to Costa Rica with family for a week of fun in the sun -- beach time, zip lining, and horseback riding (gotta conquer that fear of mine!) among other things. A few weeks later, I'm taking the trek down to Iowa for a bridal shower for my friend Allison. And a month after that, I'll be ringing in the big 2-5 with my friend Alicia in New York City. I'm hoping to make it to Chicago too. Am I missing anywhere? :)

On Monday, I accepted a new job at the company I currently work for. I had two AMAZING opportunities and had the most difficult time deciding which path to take (picture me sitting on the kitchen floor staring into space out of pure stress). Ultimately, I felt like I was being led down one path more than the other and made the decision official on Monday. I could have been happy in both and both would have offered me incredible development opportunities. I am so thankful and I cannot wait to venture down this new path, learn new things and continue to make an impact.

My two best friends, Mackenzie and Allison, are getting married this year and I'm a bridesmaid in both weddings. I'm currently in bridal shower and bachelorette party planning mode and it is getting me so stoked to watch two of my favorite people get married. I've been waiting for these moments for both of them for so long and I am so glad they're finally here. I'm going to be a mess at both weddings -- I'm confident this joy is just going to boil over and turn into a flood of happy tears on their big days (thankfully I'll be in good company).

Oh, and I got confirmation on Wednesday that I now have 20:20 vision in both eyes. Amazing! Yeah, LASIK!

2011 included some of the most fulfilling, memorable, exciting, spontaneous, scary, and new experiences. I ended the year feeling so blessed and couldn't imagine how 2012 could even compare. I learned a lot about myself when I lived in California and I'm working really hard to keep the positive, faithful mindset I was able to regularly adopt during that time. I had many years where I felt God had given up on me, where I felt completely hopeless and over the past year and a half, He has been reminding me over and over that life is on His time, not mine, and as I trust Him and His direction with complete faith, He will never lead me astray.

My joy is just bubbling over today and I'm feeling really really thankful for the life I've been given and for the wonderful people I have as my support system.

The Ellen Show! Photo taken last time I was on The WB lot.

One Tree Hill: Bonus Features!

Disclaimer: I have been hired by Warner Bros. WBWord division to promote One Tree Hill Season Eight on DVD. 

A good friend of mine once told me (as a compliment, thankfully) that when I find a topic that interests me, I research it until I know everything about it. It's just who I am. I'm curious, I love learning and when I find something I'm passionate about, I just want to know as much as I can about it. It's because of this that I love watching the extra's on DVDs, watch shows over and over until I can recite things word for word, and have friends who call me and say "Ok, you'll know this. There's this one movie where this guy and girl fall in love and I can't think of who the guy is and what else I know him from. Help!" and I know exactly what/who they're talking about.

Last summer, my mom came to visit me in California and we spent a day in LA -- we went to Urth Cafe in West Hollywood for lunch, ventured to The Grove so she could get up close & personal with Mario Lopez during a filming of Extra! and spent the afternoon on a studio tour at The WB lot in Burbank. The studio tour at The WB was so fascinating and has me watching tv shows & movies more closely than I had in the past. Even if you aren't as obsessed with TV and film as I am, I'm guessing you still find it interesting to know how some of your favorite TV shows & movies were made, watch blooper reels and get the inside scoop on the characters & the show.

Unfortunately, One Tree Hill films in Wilmington, North Carolina, so I couldn't get the inside scoop about OTH during my studio tour (but there is oh so much other goodness to learn on the tour). Thankfully, the OTH Season 8 DVD has over two hours of bonus features, including featurettes, full-lenth commentaries, deleted scenes & of course, a gag reel, so I was still able to learn all that I could about the making of OTH Season 8 without actually being on set or in the writers room. I think that watching the bonus features on DVDs really adds to my overall viewing experience -- I get to know the actors and see the connections they have to their characters, see how scenes were pulled together and learn the thought process involved, and see how much effort goes into making the shows we love so much.

Has there ever been a time in your life where you've said "Now that I know what goes into it, I can appreciate it so much more!" Or a time when you said "I'm not sure that show/movie looks very interesting, but I just LOVE _____, so I'm going to watch it anyway!" Enter DVD bonus features. These extras are helping to build the overall experience you have with the show -- the commentaries may help you build a connection to the actors which in turn may help you connect with the characters of the show... the deleted scenes may make you say "Ohh, I was wondering how they would have played that out if it was part of the script... now I know. Love it!"... the gag reels will easily make you laugh your butt off (and we all know how good laughter is for our health).

One of my favorite bonus features on the One Tree Hill Season 8 DVD is on Disc 3. The hurricane episode is a pivotal one in the season (it aired as the midseason finale). Disc 3 has commentary and a special feature "making of" that shows how the episode was made -- I won't spoil anything for you (because I assume you're going to go buy the DVD and watch it for yourself!), but I can guarantee you'll find it interesting. And, of course, the gag reel because it just makes me wish I could be on set with these people every day having all the fun they're having while also working their butts off to make the show a success. I really enjoyed the feature involving season 8 memories as well because it gives you a view of the season (and prior seasons) from the cast and crew... it shows their emotions about the storyline, their characters and the future of the series. 

So, next time you get a DVD and see bonus features included... actually watch them! You'll probably learn a lot and get some good laughs while you're at it.

For fans of One Tree Hill, the Eighth Season is definitely one to own! It includes all 22 episodes on 5 discs plus all-new featurettes, commentaries, deleted scenes and gag reel. Own OTH Season 8 on DVD now! And don't forget, it's also available on UltraViolet!


One Tree Hill - S8 'Stop!' by thewbdotcom

I Dont Want To Be

Disclaimer: I have been hired by Warner Bros. WBWord division to promote One Tree Hill Season Eight on DVD.  

I love music. And when I'm watching my favorite shows and films, good music only makes them better. Music helps to form the experience we get when we watch shows and theme songs help us to identify the shows we love so much. When I hear 'Where Everybody Knows Your Name' by Gary Portnoy, I automatically think of Cheers. When I hear 'Everywhere I look', visions of Full House consume my mind. Don't forget 'I'll Be There For You' (Friends), 'I Don't Want to Wait' (Dawson's Creek), 'Where You Lead' (Gilmore Girls), 'As Long As We Got Each Other' (Growing Pains), 'California' (The O.C.), 'I'm Always Here' (Baywatch) and 'I Don't Want To Be' (One Tree Hill). We start to associate these songs with the shows we love so dearly and are so loyal to. The opening theme songs stick with us just as much as the shows do. These songs remind us of the moments the show gave us and often times help covey a message about the show to the viewers.

After season 4, Creator/Writer/Executive Producer Mark Schwahn made the creative decision to axe One Tree Hill's opening theme song and use only a white-on-black title page, a format previously used only for episodes of a sensitive nature. After three seasons, Schwahn decided to restore the opening theme song. During season 8, viewers once again heard Gavin DeGraw's "I Don't Want to Be" (from his first album 'Chariot') in every episode. Schawhn, however, decided to mix it up and have various other artists cover the famous opening theme song, choosing to air the original version (DeGraw's) only 3 times throughout the season (the season premiere, a mid-season episode and the season finale). A risky, but intriguing decision. Cover artists included (but not limited to): Laura Izibor, Grace Potter, Susie Suh, Wakey!Wakey!, Aimee Mann, Augustana, Joshua Radin and series guest star Kate Voegele.

I am a big fan of the original by Gavin DeGraw (my love for Mr. DeGraw can't quite be captured without some unnecessary girly squeels and really off-tune singing, so I'll refrain) and it's easily my favorite (hey, I'm a creature of habit), but there were a few covers that I really enjoyed, specifically Laura Izibor, Tegan and Sara, and Augustana. But the cover I liked the most? So & So. It was upbeat and edgy, and I loved the change up of a female voice. Do you have a favorite cover?

If I could have hand-picked an artist (or two or three or four... I'm indecisive, ok!?) to cover the theme song, I would have to say Andy Grammer, Tyrone Wells, Ben Rector, and Missy Higgins (separately, not together... although, that'd be interesting). But, I'm partial to Gavin DeGraw's original version -- it's the song that pops into my head when I think of One Tree Hill and I like the connection that has. Who would you like to hear cover the theme song?

Missed season 8's opening theme song mash-ups? Order Season 8 of One Tree Hill now! Check out One Tree Hill Season 8 on UltraViolet, too!

Oh, and don't forget that One Tree Hill Season 9 premieres on Wednesday, January 11th, 2012 at 8/7c on The CW!


One Tree Hill - Season 8 on DVD & UltraViolet