Summertime (and the living's easy)

 So some of you were like, stop with the pep talks, give us details about what you did over the summer. And while it took me an absurdly long time to load all the pictures, here you go, kids. Ask and ye shall receive.

In No Particular Order Because the Summer Flew By So I Can't Remember When Things Happened:

Benni and I attended two concerts, Pixar in Concert at the Hollywood Bowl, and Roger Waters live at the LA Coliseum. Both were incredible shows, and we've got one more concert coming up: Florence and the Machine at the Hollywood Bowl the first weekend in October.  SO freakin' excited.

Roger Waters - The Wall - at the LA Coliseum

Pixar in Concert - at the Hollywood Bowl, before the show

Pixar Concert - mid-show. A full orchestra played the scores to every Pixar movie they've made so far (including Brave!)

I got to take a few Fridays off work and instead bum around at the beach...

Zuma Beach - Malibu

Laguna Beach, Orange County

 Sunbathing.

 I celebrated getting another year older and not that much wiser ;)

yummmmmmy

I finished shooting not one but TWO web-series this summer - Hell Froze Over, as the lead actress, and a new web-series called Love-Stupid, where I was the production coordinator and had a two episode arc as an actress on Love-Stupid. Hell Froze Over Season 2 will premiere this fall, so stay tuned!!!

Me hard at work with the clapper on the set of Love-Stupid.

Me...covered in a dirt for a shot of HFO Season 2. You curious yet?!

 We went to the Garden Grove Strawberry Festival to help our friends sell strawberry shortcakes...

I never wanted to see a strawberry again after that day.

...and maybe squeeze in a few rides too.

swings!

And we had our lovely friends throw us an engagement party!

I feel short.

Sunlight and love.

Bridesmaids made of PURE AWESOME - Lira and Stacy.

I continued acting, writing and producing - with two of my favorite people, Lira and April - on a show by, about, and for women - called Our Time of the Month. We perform one show a month, and so far, audience turnout has been fantastic.

Yay!

Dorking it up with April, left, and Lira, on the right.

Benni and I went to San Diego Comic Con again this year - this time with me dressed as Starbuck from Battlestar Galactica, and him dressed as Anders. Yes, we're nerds. 

Anders and Starbuck, sittin' in a tree...

The Hulk - made completely out of LEGO's. Awesome!

Now that I got see the Firefly cast in person during a Comic Con panel, I can die happy. From left to right: Alan Tudyk, Nathan Fillion, Joss Whedon, Summer Glau. SHINY!

I booked a modeling job for DevaCurl - a hair product specifically designed for girls who have curly hair. It was a two day print job in Culver City, and I had a blast - everyone was so friendly and just really fun to work with. I'd shoot again with them any day! I think I'll be on the products themselves as before and after shots.

Before. How about that mustache, am I right??

After. With a lot more makeup and hair product. Oooof.

We mailed our invitations and got a bunch of other wedding-y stuff done, including finishing the favors, the centerpieces, buying wine for the event, making signs and table assignments...phew! We still have a little bit of stuff left to do, but we're in really good shape and way ahead of schedule. Our wedding is children's book themed, so we used a lot of used books for our centerpieces, signs, table assignments, and our guest book. It's not all finished yet but I promise you'll get pictures after the wedding!

invitations

 

Used book stores are our friends.

Paper heart cut-outs for the guest book.

I went camping - twice. Once to Joshua Tree National Park for the Perseid Meteor shower that happened in August, and again last week, when my family and I made our annual trek out to Yosemite National Park for a week. My hiking boots are happy again.

Merced River, Yosemite National Park

 

Half Dome

 

 Sunset in Yosemite

Sunset in the rear-view mirror, Joshua Tree National Park

 And that was my summer not-quite-a-vacation. I'm about to get very busy and go into full wedding mode (the wedding is one month from tomorrow) so you'll have forgive me if I fall off the planet again. But there will be pictures when I get back - OH YES - there will be! 

Hugs,

Tracy

New Year's Eve...belatedly.

I'm way behind on all your blogs so I'm gonna spend the day trying to catch up reading all about your resolutions and news for 2010 and how you guys all spent your New Year's Eve. In the meantime, here's some New Year's pics...the concert was INCREDIBLE and Flogging Molly played for a little over two hours...they started their set at 10:30 pm, took a break at 11:58 pm to ring in the new year with a punk version of Auld Lang Syne, then played for another half hour afterwards. Brilliant. Easily one of the best New Year's celebrations I've ever had.

One of the opening acts, With a Bible and a Gun, a Johnny Cash tribute band. They were amazing and got their start playing in prisons all over the country.

The Flogging Molly pirate ship! YAR!

The crowd was definitely ready for Flogging Molly that night.

Bridget on whistle, lead singer Dave King on guitar. (psst - they're married! And they're so adorable!)

Dave owns the stage.

Oh look, mosh pit! Only saw two major injuries, though, so it was a very polite mosh pit.

During the New Year's countdown break...

One of many, many New Year's Eve smooches.

So much for the afterglow...happy 2010 everyone!

I hope you all had a wonderful New Year's Eve celebration...I've got tons to blog about over the next few weeks, including my 2009 highlights, a very special 2009 Heroes and Villains post, a blog award from my favorite New Yorker that I need to pass along, and a SoCal Blogger's Brunch I attended over the weekend that this lovely girl hosted.

So please stay tuned. 2010 is already kicking ass!

PS Benni took all the photos :)

there's a change in the air...

Anyone got any amazing plans for New Year's Eve? I always go one of two ways: either I'm in a super low-key mood (i.e. be in pj's by 9 am and have a Die Hard marathon) or I'm up for some serious partying. And I never know which one I'm gonna feel like until the week of. Sometimes it's fun being a Gemini.

So this year I was all about the high-maintenance, way-too-many-people-in-my-comfort-zone kind of New Year's... so Benni and I are joining two of my closest friends for, are you ready for this much awesome?

A Flogging Molly concert. Tonight. To ring in the new year.

I KNOW, right?

We'll be partying at The Wiltern as they "Flog in the New Year" and we've got pit tickets so I'm bringing my A-game and my combat boots. And leaving my really expensive camera at home.

And did I mention the opening act for Flogging Molly is a Johnny Cash cover band? Excuse me while I die and go to music heaven.

So I hope that each and every one of you has a safe and wonderful New Year's celebration and I'll meet y'all back here when it's 2010.

Happy New Year!!

week (and weekend) in photographs

So I gave myself an assignment to take a photograph a day last week...not as easy as it sounds, as I have a fairly nice camera and lugging it around everywhere isn't the smartest thing in the world. So behold, for your viewing pleasure...a week's worth of photographs exploring my really, really boring life.

I also went to a most kick-ass Flogging Molly concert on Saturday and then went raspberry picking on Sunday with a couple of my friends, so don't get worried when you start to see alpacas and pies and my roommate and a box of fruit I picked, that's just how I roll on my weekends to make up for my lack of life during the week.

Enjoy!

You find the darndest things on your fridge after a party.

official footwear of California summers.

desktop.

Phoenix toes with a Mocha in the mirror.

sunset.

it's not a red wheelbarrow, but it'll do...

I have a hard time believing that stuffed animal is a bad dog.

if I ever leave this world alive...

there's a little bit of Irish punk in all of us.

You don't say.

Whoa, pony.

If they made a horror movie out of an alpaca invasion, this would be a great opening shot.

Behold the awkwardness.

Drool.

Roommate and much better photographer than I am.

I picked these all by myself!