Too Much Food

No matter how many times I try to remind myself...

Overeating will lead to a fat ass and jiggly tummy!

Ugh- 

Back to moderation!

Dinner with a Mosquito

The perfect dinner alfresco in Brentwood;
Complete with comfy cushions surrounding a perfectly candle lit table-
A fabulous view of Malibu from the deck built into the side of a tree.
Delicious food fresh off the barbecue.
Fabulous drinks.
Festive conversation with friends...
And one annoying mosquito!
A mosquito that apparently bit me seven times as it worked its way from my ankle to my thigh!
I've been scratching for the past two days!
Next time- I'm coming with bug spray!

Six Word Essay On Memorial Day Food Fest!

I'm like Star Jones pre-surgery!

Thank You For Keeping Us Safe.

While I was out dancing at a club this weekend in LA I had the pleasure of sharing a brief conversation with two men that served our country side by side on multiple tours of duty in Iraq;
One of the men was straight.
The other gay-
I told them I was grateful for their services EQUALLY.
I'm so grateful to all of the men and women, gay and straight-
Who risk their lives for the safety of our country!
Happy Memorial Day.

Berry Good!

The end to a perfect BBQ with friends...

Relax

The sun is out-
The skies are blue,
LA is calm...
I'm at peace too!

Break Time

Sitting at a Starbucks in Santa Monica-
Near A-Plus Auto.
I'm waiting while Leo, my mechanic, installs new breaks and tunes up my car.
This is where I've been coming for the past eight years for all of my automotive needs.
In LA the most important number to have saved on the iCloud is not your agent at CAA.
It's the number to a reliable mechanic-
Your agent can't save you when you break down on the 405.
But your mechanic can!
Unless it's an emotional break down-
In that case you're screwed!

PR Please

According to Hollywood- Talent and creativity will get you far; But if you want people to like you or at least know who you are, You will have to pay!

Anti-Social Media

I met up with friends at a bar on the Sunset Strip
tonight for a fun social night out;

I spent the first ten minutes trying to "check-in,"
Yelp and Twitter my activities-

Followed by another five minutes shooting a fun
photo and tagging everyone on Facebook.

It was pointed out to me by one of my friends that with
all my social networking I had become,

"Anti-social media!"

The truth hurts!

So I put down my phone and engaged in conversation
with the friends who were actually in front of me...

It was a fun night.

Of course I went right back to my on-line friends
while walking home from the restaurant.

Six Word Essay on Technology

I hate when computers don't work!

Signed, sealed and Delivering Pop Culture...

After a year of hard work, dedication and a lot of hustling...
I'm so proud to announce that Jeff and I, along with our company A Group Production have signed a deal with PorchLight Entertainment for our new half-hour pop culture variety parody show!

Now the real journey to gold begins-

But if all goes well, we'll be coming to TV channel near you soon!

Is It Safe To Come Out?

I never intended to spend a large part of my life lying to the people I love the most-
I worked hard to keep a dark secret under wraps.
As I got older, it became harder for me to hide from myself;
I could not control my deepest thoughts and emotions.
I could no longer pretend to be someone I didn't recognize or respect.
When I released the fear and began living openly, I began to soar.
So when Instinct Magazine approached my partner Jeff and me to feature us in their April 2012 issues, I felt the most in incredible sense of pride.
It was a turning point for me- 
The article would openly acknowledge Jeff as my partner; 
both professionally with our company A Group Production and personally.
But before I could come out to the world in a magazine, it occurred to me that I was still hiding the secret from one of the closest people in my life.
Though my grandma has spent a lot of time with Jeff over the past ten years, our relationship status had never been defined or talked about. 
I know that she loves me unconditionally and Jeff too-
Yet I struggled with wether or not I should share with her one of my proudest accomplishment to date.
It would have been the first time in my life that I withheld a victory from her.
While I contemplated my dilemma, it occurred to me that this woman has shared her unconditional love and support my entire life. 
Why would this be any different?
So this week while I was at home visiting her, I decided to share our article.
As she began to read the first paragraph, a smile grew across her face-
"That's a wonderful story," were the first words out of her mouth! 
Followed quickly with a chuckle and, "...you make a pretty girl."
It was such a relief to get that validation from a woman that I love so much!
I am completely free, and not hiding anymore!

Off-Episodes With Grandma

Sitting across the table from one of the most important women in my life;
I almost don't recognize her shell.
Parkinson's disease has manipulated her graceful body-
Her proud and bullheaded determination remains unaffected,
She will not concede without resistance!
Her laugh is still as infectious as ever-
The "off-episodes" are painful.
I search to find the grandma I know.
Then the fog clears and my best friend is back.
I don't know how long I'll have her.
I struggle to cherish every minute-
Even the frustrating moments!
She's shown me a lifetime of unconditional love;
I will certainly do the same.
It's hard to think about missing someone who's still on earth.
So I'll focus on loving her while I have her!
She's assured me she will always be with me on my shoulder...
With a wink and a smile.

Right now, I'm grateful that we're still able to enjoy moments like this:

A House Is Just A Shell

So many fond memories transpired here.
Birthdays, parties, Sunday dinners, summer vacations, heated debates, morning coffee talks, laughter and tears-
It is the only place in my life that has been a constant source of unconditional love.
However as I lay here tonight and begin to accept the inevitable, I realized the smell of my grandpa has disappeared, but his memory lives on.
I finally truly understand the saying, "Home is where the heart is."
This house is just a shell, my heart is ready to accept responsibility to make a home for my memories.

Conversations With Dad

His unconditional love for me speaks louder than any conflict in faith or politics- We may not see eye to eye on a lot of topics, but we're committed to the mutual adaptation of our relationship as adults. He continues to be... A wonderful man, and my hero.

The Light Of My Life!

Call me a proud uncle...
But I just can't resist sharing the extended video of my gorgeous niece!

Rocky Mountain Mornings

I always love waking up early in Colorado.
Watching the sun sneak up over Pikes Peak from grandma's back porch is breathtaking.
Little baby birds chirping, eagerly awaiting the robin that sits up in the gorgeous elm tree.
The magical blue sky.
The fresh smell in the air instantly transports me back to the summer vacations I spent with my family growing up!
River walks with my aunt Susie,
Scrambled eggs with grandma and grandpa Shaffer,
Trips to Dairy Queen with grandma and grandpa Smith;
Mornings in Colorado are magical.

Vacation?!

Taking a vacation to visit with family can feel more like work; It's a struggle to please everyone, Watching loved ones battle the onset of old age, Trying to keep up with life in LA- so that we don't miss out on opportunities...  I'm thrilled I get to spend time with with the people I love... But the fact remains-  I start my day the exact same way I finish it...  Exhausted.

Kisses From Kellyn!

My adorable niece is filled with love.
She brings me a joy I've never felt before-

Late Night Drink With Friends

Late to bed-
Early to rise,
Makes my eyes;
Puffy, irritated and dry!
But a delicious drink and conversation with an old friend is worth it.

Life On The Road...

Traveling for work in a city that also happens to be where your family lives is strange;
You want to be hanging out with family-
But the entire reason you're near your family is for work.
So you spend your day at work thinking about your family...
Then when you get off work to spend time with your family,
You're too tired to have fun because you know you have to get up early and go back to work!

Six Word Essay On Early Morning Airport Travel.

Grande iced coffee from Starbucks ASAP!

Puppy Love

No matter how rough my day;

Regardless of the challenges, drama and exhaustion-

I love coming home to my adorable doggies,

Their greeting at the door is enough!

Daily Reminder...

The only way I can implement action is if I release doubt!
The day started off rocky, which turns into an avalanche of boulders- working their way to crush my soul.
The only way out is to find a different path.
Life is too short to worry about things that cannot be controlled.

United in RAGE!

I really miss quality customer service.
I know I sound like an old man-
But I actually remember a time when it was a pleasure doing business with people.
Now, it's a pain in the ass!!!
I spent exactly 53 minutes on hold with United Airlines;
I had to listen to their recorded message remind me that, "The estimated wait time is approximately 3 minutes."
Ninety percent of why I stayed on the line so long was to tell them how annoying their false sense of hope is.
The rage built up so bad that not even telling off a low level customer support rep at United could keep me on hold...
The worst part is I still haven't been able to redeem my airline miles toward that ticket to Hawaii~
(That I CLEARLY NEED!)

Six Word Essay On Reconnecting Old Friendships

One smile brings the bond back!

Reincarnation...

I don't believe in reincarnation-
But if I did,
I'd pray to come back as Chris Hemsworth.
Shallow?
Yes.
I suppose I should want to return as someone more influential or meaningful to society.
But honestly...
The guy is Thor.
Need I say more?

Party Like A Thirty-Four Year Old?!

I spent my Birthday weekend partying like I did when I was twenty-one.

Drinking too much,

Overeating,

Staying up past 11 PM,

Not working out,

The only problem, I don't bounce back like I did when I was twenty-one.

There are so many advantages to growing older- 

Wisdom, life experience, success and a steady income...

Partying like a rock star is not one of them!

Cinco de Matteo!

I partied like Lindsay Lohan yesterday for my birthday...

So naturally this morning I woke up in a foggy haze
and reached for the bottle of Advil;

I chased them with a margarita!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Mexican restaurants everywhere are celebrating the fact
that Americans everywhere celebrate Cinco de Mayo!

Arriba

It's A Viral Birthday!

Wow! I never imagined turning thirty-four could be so much fun.

Thanks to the social media world we live in, it's hard not to feel special on your birthday...

Starting around 3 am, my iPhone alerts were off the charts;

By the time I rolled out of bed, around 8:30 am, I'd already received birthday well wishes from friends in several different countries!

You can say what you want about todays society spending less time interacting-

But today was proof to me that Facebook can also be used for good.

Who doesn't like waking up to hundreds of birthday well wishes?

I can honestly say, I felt the love of my online friends;

Some are lifelong friends, others are people I met out socially, and others are people I've never met but support my work- 

That's the beauty of a social world... 

The ability to reach out to people who make us laugh, think and inspire.

I was sincerely inspired by the energy I've experienced today!

I'm grateful today is already a Happy Birthday!

Last Day Of Jesus' Age...

Well I didn't lead a nation, save a prostitute from being stoned to death or die for anyone else's sins...

But I did produce a TV pilot, save a friend from making a huge mistake and died laughing at least once a week~

So I think my thirty-third year was a huge success! 

I strived to work hard, play hard and live in the moment this year, and I'm proud at the things I've achieved.

I'm not sure what's next in my life, but I imagine things are right on track!

Here's to turning another year older and hopefully another year wiser!

Birthday Week Festivities...

Birthday Week long celebration;
Each night a dinner date-
Making sure that each night has a specific theme.
Chinese on Monday,
Thai on Tuesday,
Tonight... a little pre-Cinco de Mayo Mexican food!
I'm fairly positive that come this weekend we're going to need a major detox!
But will have fun working our way into a fattening food frenzy in the mean time...

Six Word Essay On Being An Executive Producer

I hate negotiating issues involving money!