Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree…

Posted on December 23, 2015 by 4evamaria

Hello all!

Happy holidays! As many of you who know me in “real life” have heard, I finally managed to get myself to a Christmas party this last week. It was no easy feat, and involved some rush shipping on a party dress, an interesting hair appointment, and a quick change backstage while working in the theater. But, I made it! A big special thanks to the ladies of Smuin Ballet who helped me get ready. Sometimes a lady needs a second (third, or fourth) opinion when picking accessories.

Unbeknownst to me, I was attending what is known around here as the “Marina Prom:” The Annual Guardsmen Tree Lot Party. Yes, it was a party on a Christmas tree lot, and no, it was thankfully not outside. It was, however, located in a very large warehouse that was spectacularly decorated for the evening with ice sculptures, snow, and, of course, lots of Christmas trees!

The look of excitement the accompanies not only an open bar, but a fully-stocked snack table!

Dress: ASOS Petite, Shoes: BCBG

Not pictured above was: the electric violinist in a light-up suit accompanying the DJ, the Guardsmen bartenders serving drinks in their jumpsuits and bow-ties, men in snowflake pattern suits, and me walking off with a prop styrofoam present that was placed under one of the Christmas trees. Ridiculous things always seem like a good idea when you’re having a good time with friends.

The holidays tend to be a particular hectic time, and I try to schedule fun outings and meet-ups with friends, when I can. Walking down the red carpet and taking endless amounts of pictures was certainly worth the holiday kerfuffle. A lot of this takes a little extra effort, but is always worth it in the end. I’m hoping to make the Tree Lot Party an annual treat for my friends and I.

Cheers!

EVA♥

300 Reasons Why Vegas is The Best

Posted on September 8, 2015 by 4evamaria

Hello all!

Here’s my promised, requisite post all about Las Vegas!

I am still alive, and yes, the 300 reasons title is total click-bait. It’s more like seven reasons, to be more realistic. Don’t doubt that I couldn’t give you a really long list of reasons why I love Vegas, but I have a feeling on one would want to read through that! As I’ve said before, the “what happens in Vegas” rules do not apply to me, as I obviously can’t stop talking my friends’ ears off about the many adventures I’ve had there. Quite honestly, I can’t say enough good things about Vegas. Sure, it’s gone down in the history books as “Sin City,” which makes it sound like absolutely no good can come of time spent there. But that’s where popular belief is wrong. Today, I wanted to sit down and share with you some of the reasons why I love Las Vegas so much. It really is the adult Disneyland.

1. You can Choose Your Own Adventure

To give the above photo a little context, my friend Kelsey and her girlfriends ended up getting upgraded to the most beautiful suite I’ve ever seen at the Bellagio. That’s the beauty of Vegas: it’s an adventure. If you feel like staying in a seedy hotel and play poker with a yard size margarita strapped to your neck, you certainly can. Or you can turn your whole life into a party- Vegas is home of the exclusive dayclub/nightclub extravaganza. You can jump up and down while famous djs spin and get showered in champagne/confetti until you’re blue in the face. Not into the nightlife? You can have a ridiculously elegant meal at a Michelin-rated restaurant and shop at the finest stores. Have kids? Believe it or not, all those Vegas lights and water slides can be awfully fun for the kiddos. I speak from experience!

2. Little to no room for judgement

Hey, if anyone in Vegas decides to give you stink-eye (Yes, grandma, over there. I know you think my skirt is too short), just remind them, and maybe yourself, that you are in fact in Las Vegas. Most likely you’re in a casino. They can get off of their high horse and come join the rest of the people gathered around the same craps table they are.

Oh hey! It’s Afrojack everybody!

3. “Because we can!”

This is, in my humble opinion, the Vegas slogan. It’s the only way one could justify the recreation of the canals in Venice, a functioning volcano, dancing waters, and an indoor, life-size waterfall. Who thought this was a good or even remotely rational idea?! You know what else Vegas has, just because it can? Parades. Order a bottle at a 500% markup? You get a whole drum-line coming to your table to deliver it! Alternately, it might be a group of girls in grass skirts, on the shoulders of bouncers, blowing-whistles. Why? Because we can. It completely defies all logic. Oh, look! Money is literally raining from the ceiling! You can’t make this stuff up.

4. All the freebies

Vegas is the one place where women can take advantage of the system. Sure, we may still make 75 cents to an hour for the exact same job as a man, but we can go anywhere and just about do anything for zero dollars and zero cents in Vegas. And we can get there faster. I’m very much a feminist, but I also have no qualms about taking advantage in Vegas. Which brings me to my next point…

5. Vegas can make you feel fabulous

I made myself at home with my $14 cocktail inside of a human-size chandelier/bar. In Vegas, you can get dressed up, skip the lines, be served frozen grapes poolside, and have your picture taken. Be sure to wear your boldest/sparkliest attire.

6. Nothing is too absurd

Oh look! Somehow there are 15 Australians in our hotel suite!

This very much falls under the “Because we can!” reasoning. You can do just about anything you feel like in Vegas! Feel like sleeping all day, staying up all night? Okay! Feel like holing up in your hotel room and ordering room service? Why not? Want to spend your paycheck on ridiculous things, like a daybed at a pool party…uh, okay! Of course, I’m not saying that all of these things are necessarily a good idea, but you have your regular life to make mature choices. Heck, make up an alias for yourself, if you want! My friend Courtney spent her time in Vegas as Morgan. Whatever floats your boat! Have fun.

FullSizeRender (3)

7. Singles, singles, and more singles

Single? Never fear, Vegas is the one place in life where you win! Sure, you might not get that nifty tax break, but going bananas in Vegas is one of the top perks of being unattached, in my humble opinion. You’ll still get accosted by your great aunt repeatedly asking why you’re all alone at your cousin’s wedding, but you just had a freaking amazing vacation.

EVA ♥

How to Bachelorette

Posted on July 23, 2015 by 4evamaria

Hello all!

If you’ve read my last post, I’m sure you’ve picked up on the craziness that is my life lately. With the many weddings, come many wedding preparations. There’s the planning, the flowers, the cake tastings, but my personal favorite is an age-old tradition: the Bachelorette party.

I’ve had a few bachelorette experiences in my lifetime. The first, while I was still in college, involved kidnapping the bride, shopping at Victoria’s Secret, and an old-fashioned slumber party complete with hair braiding and Truth or Dare. The latest, was perhaps up several notches up on the “adult” scale, but no less fun. It still involved semi-kidnapping the bride ( The “Pack your bags! Get in the car- we’re going on vacation!” kind of kidnapping), but the itinerary was an entire girl’s weekend in Napa. We hit as many wineries as we could in one day, and, of course, made the bride wear these amazing glasses:

You know, so everyone would know that she was the bride! We got such great, welcoming treatment, we decided that for our next weekend in Napa, someone else would have to be getting “married,” aka: taking turn wearing the fabulous bride glasses. Free drinks for everybody!

Our plans for day one involved starting with a quick wine tasting at Napa’s Folie a Deux winery, and then lunch at Thomas Keller’s ad hoc & addendum in Yountville.

addendum is only open for a few hours each day, and offers a simple menu, picnic style. We opted for a bucket of their signature fried chicken, along with their sides and some cornbread.

We like Chandon with our bucket o’chicken. We’re classy friggin ladies.

I’m going to be honest, I thought about this Rosemary-topped fried chicken for days after I ate it. It was amazingly delicious.

We then proceeded to walk through Yountville, taking in the sights. If you ever find yourself in the are, make sure you stop by their visitor’s center. We left with great recommendations, and were thoroughly entertained by Marion, an English grandma with no filter. She had us in stitches the moment we walked in. She gave us all the local specials and recommendations, and, for those tasting rooms that were coupon-less, she simply suggested we walk in and “look pathetic.” She’s a great lady, that one.

We continued our trek down the road, past the world-famous French Laundry and neighboring gardens, to Jessop Cellars. We were helped by Kate, a fellow 20-something who entertained our lack of wine knowledge. “What kind of wines do you like?” she asked the bride.

“Uh, the kind that’s in a cup!”

Well said, Jessie. I second that.

The second thematic question of the trip involved pointing at the menu and asking “What color is this one?!”

The looking pathetic must have worked, either that or the bride’s giant crown won us points, as they insisted that our tastings were all free of charge. Jessop was such a great spot, I definitely see myself returning the next time I’m in the area!

At the end of our trip, there was one question I kept getting asked: “So did you guys get crazy?” And, while you won’t find any exotic dancer business cards in my purse, we did go to a dive bar for some karaoke (the Bride’s favorite activity of choice). I like to joke that there’s a reason I’m a dancer- you really don’t want to hear me sing. Even so, after some creative shooters, I somehow found myself onstage singing “Bitch Better Have My Money” by Rhianna. I guess singing would be a little too generous of a description. I was mostly just yelling into the mike. Which I’m sure was pretty entertaining. There is no lack of adventure here in Watch Me Juggle-land.

Until next time,

EVA♥