Flashback Friday: GO Team GO!

So a good thing about my vacation from blogging was I retrieved some valued pictures from my mom's house. Can I say it is so much fun to look back and see not only how awkward I was and maybe still am and how fashion has changed since the 90's.

I will start by saying my fabulous sister was the cheerleader in the family. Strong with no monkey arms. Peppy and filled with team spirit not awkward and grunge like I thought I was. I was definitely the black sheep. Refused to go along with the norm, which when you grow up in Oklahoma includes cowboys, country, football, pool halls, and numerous other things. Instead I was into alternative, speech/drama, sledding on car hood in the winter, and catching craw daddies in the creek. I have to say I did join one main stream thing. Band. What? I loved it! Traveling to all the games, competitions were the best, and marching in front of the crowd. I guess I showed a little team spirit.



So here I am posing for a dance costume. I worked several times for this cheerleading/dance catalog. Definitely out of my element, but at least I have a little dance background to look decent in the photo.




Ok. You see it broken wrists and all. Should have had my sister give me lessons.


This one kills me. I look so out of place. I have always wondered the numbers on these. How many uniforms were actually sold because of me? My guess probably not as much as the other girls. They had a lot more spunk and experience. I was only 14/15 in these photos. I like to think I got better as I got older.

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Flashback Friday

I have tortured myself over trying to figure out something new and interesting to post about for Flashback Friday, but honestly I am having to throw this post together while cooking for guests tonight and somehow watch my children. The things we mothers do. So as I was searching through my photos I decided to pick a few and explain them.

It is funny because this made me think of my sis who always would have me tell her the story I was supposed to be telling in a photo. Most of the time it was really generic, but sometimes shoots pop up that are really out there.

This wasn't really me acting out a story, but I can tell you this I was actually 4 or 5 months pregnant in this show. Believe it or not I made the newspaper during fashion week. It was a David Dixon show and I was so nervous that any day I would be showing and not fit in the clothes. Luckily that didn't happen. I have done maybe 30 fashion shows my entire career. Which spans 16 years. So as you can see I really wasn't a fashion show girl. Don't get me wrong I love doing them. It is really an adrenaline rush. You do so much preparation for only like 20 minutes of the actual show. Why didn't I do more, you ask? Well at 5'8" I really didn't have the height. Plus, I have never been rail thin like most runway girls. Crazy to think about that in real life I am underweight.

I am still a sucker for fashion shows though I love watching them and being in them. It's like shopping without having to walk all over a mall to find something you like.

This one was done as a contest for designers at the Bell Celebrity Gala in 2007. I can't really remember what they won, but I think it was prize money. The theme was Wizard of Oz. Yes, my costume rocked!! I wish I could have taken it home with me! It was the winning costume which was very cool.

This is me with the designer Jessie Matsen

Here are some of the other costumes...

This is me with Danielle Knudson She is super sweet and super beautiful. Plus she looks super cute as the Tin Man. Hopefully she doesn't mind me posting this.

I know this one is funny. I actually was trying to portray the emotion that the book was setting forth. I have done 4 book covers in all, but only managed to get a hold of 2. The first one I did was when I was pregnant with my first baby. I had to portray a bride of an Arabian Prince. We shot it in the conservatory of Casa Loma. That was a lot of fun. I was a spy in another one. Which I remember them saying I looked like Jennifer Garner which I really don't think I do at all, but my sister says the same thing.

This one was funny because the people behind me were supposed to be looking at me with jealousy and longing to be just like me. I know hilarious. The girl looks like she is giving me the stink eye. Honestly I don't even think I look that great in this photo. Definitely not one of my better days.

Hope you enjoyed this flashback as much as I did. It is fun to look back at memories and see how my life has changed and how I have changed. Life experiences make you who you are and these adventures I got to go on have definitely shaped me in a very positive way.

I want to go on more adventures!

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Flashback Friday: Tokyo

So if you have ever been to Japan you will know how the people reflect what it is like. Cute,
little,
genius,
yummy (I haven't actually tried a Japanese person, but I am assuming if I was a cannibal the would be?),
bold,
beautiful,
smart,
navigators ( I say this one because seriously have no clue how people know their way around Tokyo. The postmen probably are rocket scientists. Our address had no street names just a bunch of numbers. I thought I was a good navigator until I went there. Maybe next time I should take a course on understanding Tokyo streets before I go. We would get maps of how to get to a job with things like turn right at the McDonald's and a left at the 7Eleven. I know craziness!),
proud,
expensive,
accepting.



Okay I know I could really go on. They are such a wonderful people. The culture is amazing. I love it! Anyway I was contracted for 2 months and I had an amazing roommate, Kelly, from where? Canada! Winnipeg to be exact. We had the best apartment, I think anyway. We were in Roppongi. Which is actually their party district. It might not have been like Kabukicho, which I never went to, but there were definitely some shady things going on. I know!! I still thought it was the best. I guess if it was in a nicer area it would have been better. We had a separate room from the living room and even a separate kitchen which was rare. Most of the model apartments were one room that had a kitchen and a bed with a separate bathroom. I remember the landlady was really strict on recycling she would get so upset with us if we didn't clean and smash and separate.

Everything was so expensive. I seriously think the people must be great at frugal spending or basically have to work until they physically just can't because cost of living is so high. Kelly loved to buy these gigantic apples the size of a small melon to eat. I actually refused because I was sure they were steroid injected alien fruit that probably wasn't good for me. They were 500 yen a piece which is equal to 5$ U.S. I pretty much lived off of 7 Eleven. I know! Not really where you think you can get good food, but they had these awesome rice balls called onigiri that were covered in seaweed for 100 yen. Which was 1$ U.S. I actually now make them for my kids lunches they are super easy and yummy and can be filled with almost anything.

Nightlife was fun. I won't lie and say I never went out because I did. I was a good girl though I never drank alcohol or smoked. One time at The Lex we ran into Barenaked Ladies! I now crazy! They didn't go to the VIP area they were just dancing on the dance floor with us. Ed Robertson made up a rap about me. It was really funny. It had things about being from Oklahoma so you can imagine the funniness that came out. They ended up inviting us to their concert they were having in some nightclub the next night. Did we go? YES!! We even got backstage passes. It was so much fun. There were a lot of Canadians there. Some people were even waving flags. I didn't stay long after because I think I had a busy day the next day, but some of the other girls stayed.


Journal entry.

Everyone told me that Tokyo was the best city to start in Asia for work because it was so safe and clean. I had already been to Singapore and couldn't imagine anything safer or cleaner than that. After going I realized the people that say that are either Japanese or have never been to Singapore. The first week I was there from my apartment window I saw a cab driver get punched in the face and stiffed. The perps just ran away. Not cool. Of course like I said before I was in the red light district. So probably not the best place for me to judge. As far as clean goes. The people are very clean but the streets and subway not so much. And you could buy beer and cigarettes from vending machines. I won't go into all of the other kinds of vending machines out there, but I am sure you can guess.

Into the second week I learned if I was walking in my neighborhood at night to walk fast, keep my head down, and keep nodding no when strangers asked you things. Oh and never window shop not even in the day. In fact ignore the windows. (only in Roppongi other places were okay)


I wish you could see the writing better here, but it is a log of the different things I did. Castings. Jobs. Expenses.

Shopping. Speaking of shopping so much fun. The fashion is incredible. Most of it I would say I couldn't pull off. I think the Japanese have there own sense of style. They way they are bold with there fashion is amazing. Harajuku is incredible. I think that you can get overstimulated with colors and lights and people and certain parts of Tokyo are like that. I wish I was amazing and took more pictures, but these links will have to do. Shibuya is amazing. You don't believe it until you see it. And the train? When you get in you think it couldn't get any more crowded and the another 10 people get "shoved" in literally and then they push until the doors can close. Not fun. I hated that! I don't like people all up in my face and touching where they shouldn't be touching. I learned not to wear skirts. Ginza was the place I wish I could have gone crazy. All of the designer brands were there. I have also learned from a good friend that there are certain brands that have a special collection only sold in Japan. Which doesn't surprise me seeing as how the Japanese there are so fashionable. I definitely felt inspired there. There is a also a district where you can buy all of those fabulous Japanese electronics that are out eons before they get released to the U.S.


The only tear sheet I ever got from Tokyo. I never got to see anything else I did.



Here is a polaroid I got from a bridal job I did.

Cherry Blossom Festival Is definitely "the" time to go. I was there for the very end but the trees were still in bloom. It was so beautiful. I don't remember exactly where, but I think it was a park or a cemetery with trees lining both sides of the street. It was breathtaking. We were always in the van so we never really got to get out to take pictures. I wish I can remember where it was.

The rain was crazy there. Like giants were pouring buckets upon buckets of water on me. It was like typhoons with the wind. The rain came down sideways. You couldn't even use an umbrella because they would just break from the wind. So many occasions I got soaked from head to toe. I was definitely envious of people who had raincoats and rain boots. I never in my life ever had a need for them. I am happy to say now I do own a raincoat and rain boots. So now I can be prepared.


My actual tickets.

Donavan actually came to visit for a week while I was there. We got to go to Tokyo Disneyland! Definitely not Disney World, but at least it wasn't very crowded!



I want to go back. I said it. I know, but it is true. I had a blast and it was definitely an adventure different from any trip I had ever taken before. I actually got driven to most of my castings! Which seeing as how complicated their roads were was probably safer than having 20 girls roaming the streets of Tokyo lost!

I know this post was super long and I apologize, but there was so much to say about Japan. I recommend it to everyone. Oh and the outer cities aren't as crazy as Tokyo, but I kind of liked all the craziness. Would I if I brought my three kids there? Probably not. They would so easily be lost in the sea of almost 13 million people. (that's right 13 million stacked on top of each in TOKYO!)

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Flashback Friday: Wisma

So this week I decided it was time for another video. This time a TVC for Wisma Atria. (a shopping mall in Singapore) This one I remember very clearly being a night shoot. I am really not sure why considering it was shot in a studio, but maybe that is when scheduling worked out for everyone. The title of the project was Hynotia which was a villian in Marvel's Iron Man t.v. show. Hypnotia is described as telepathic hypnosis. So I guess that means this video comes with a disclaimer.

Viewers watching may experience light-headedness, nausea, headaches, memory loss, blackouts, and disorientation. Please be advised.

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Flashback Friday: Milano

So Milano, Italy had to be one of my favorite places to travel to. Most models hated it. I am really not sure why, but they normally started smoking there and complained all the time. I LOVED it! The food is phenomenal! I really can't even explain it. Even buying cherries by the kilo on the side of the street was delicious.

The first time I went I was 14. I know. Young.
I was staying with my booker and his girlfriend in their spare room. (booker= the one selling me at the agency. the one who fights for you to get you the job you want and the money you want. basically gold if you have a great one who believes in you) I think he could tell I was lonely so he let me have a roommate. Ruth. She was from Norway. She was fabulous. Long blonde hair and stories of swimming in the freezing cold ocean and how much she loved it. I thought she was crazy because I HATE cold water. Unless you are paying me money to get in I wouldn't go near it. We spent a lot of time at a restaurant down the street. Yummy typical Italian place. Good pizza. Basically we wanted to give our host alone time with said girlfriend. 2 years later I got a phone call from a t.v. show in Italy that a guy in Italy wanted me to fly out so he could profess his love to me. He and his younger brother were waiters at that restaurant. I didn't even really talk to him that much he was shy. The younger one was always chatting with us. Needless to say I didn't accept the offer for a trip to Italy to be on the show. My sis always got a kick out of that. I was flattered, but once again how old was I? Italians are definitely passionate people who wear their hearts on their sleeves which I think is a good thing.

I enjoyed finding my way around the city and maneuvering the metro. I discovered I had a good sense of direction once I realized the names of the streets were written on the buildings instead of street signs. The people were wonderful. So friendly. They would literally walk city blocks to make sure you found the right building. I don't even know if many people in North America would go to such lengths.

Although one time I was being followed by a gentlemen who I had turned downed earlier for coffee. I circled my block 3 times thinking I had lost him, but in the end found him knocking on the building door while I was waiting for the elevator. I know creepy! But I was spared from any wrongdoing.

The was another girl from my agency who caused a car crash! She was 5'11", blonde, legs for miles. A group of guys were whistling at her and didn't pay attention that the light had changed. CRASH! Yeah that was kind of funny.

Maybe that is what the girls didn't like the whistling guys. I guess I just didn't care. I would just laugh and keep walking. Although maybe because I was 14 and thought it was funny.

I returned the following year when I was 15. This time I stayed in the model apartment. My roommate Florencia was a dream.



Everyone thought we could be sisters. We even working together once which was a lot of fun. Sadly I never did get to see her again. She was from Argentina and knew Italian so that was always fun because people talk about you in front of you thinking you won't understand them and she would always call them on it.

This time much to my father's urging to see more of Italy we went to Rome for two nights. So much fun! We took the train and found a place to stay when we got there. I have to say next time I go I would love to take my time because me feet were killing me walking to every single site!!! There is way too much to see in 3 days!



I got a job at the end of my last trip that helped me break even on the trip. It was for Onyx Jeans so much fun. I shot it with a bunch of girls including Yamila Diaz-Rahi who is on the far right in the pic above. She was super sweet and gorgeous petite little thing. I was taller than her which is saying a lot. She is also from Argentina and I was so happy for her when I saw this...

I must say that success couldn't have happened to a sweeter person she was awesome. I saw her again a few years later in New York at a casting and she was still so sweet. I think sometimes in this industry when you meet people who are rude and selfish and ugly on the inside it pains me to see them do well, but then I have seen so many wonderful people around me that I have met, roommates, and people I have worked with who are doing really well. It makes me happy that the world isn't messed up and backwards and you don't have to be an ugly diva to succeed in the world.

Anyway all of my other pics of Milan are at my moms maybe someday I will find some more to share.

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Flashback Friday: Wedding Edition

So this week I celebrated my 10th wedding anniversary. Yay! I won't lie sometimes marriage is really tough. For me it is because I married young and am continually changing to find myself. You literally aren't the person you were when you were first got married. So you can't look back and say, "Hey you didn't do that or like that when we were dating!" because honestly you change constantly whether you like it or not! Accept it! Hopefully as you change you are growing closer together and not apart. That is my little piece of marriage wisdom I have learned.








Well I used to get bridal jobs like crazy before I got married. I tried on hundreds of dresses.



In fact I wore so many I swore my dress was going to be easy to put on light as a feather,which is hard when you get married in the fall in Canada, and be super simple. Well as usual life doesn't really happen the way you expect it.







I think it was the third or fourth bridal shop I entered when I put on "the" dress. I couldn't stop smiling. I actually am surprised I put it on because it really wasn't what I wanted. Memory is blurry about that, but maybe my future sister-in-law persuaded me to try it on. It was a corset dress. Very traditional. Big skirt with a long train. Basically the opposite of what I wanted. Although I did have two dresses. The other one was a traditional Chinese dress.




I didn't get to marry my sweetheart in the temple which is where I always dreamed I would be married, but as I tell my Young Women all the time you can't help who you fall in love with so if your dream is the temple then you have to be extra careful who you date. He was a guy I dated with the preconception it wasn't going to be forever. If you asked him he would admit the same. We were from different worlds figuratively and literally! But against all odds here we are together still. Hopefully he can be my forever as well.



I make it sound like I wasn't happy to be getting married. The truth is I was. I loved him deeply and still do. I think I am following the path I was meant to follow. Anyway I will stop rambling now!!







My point is after I was married I didn't do bridal anymore! Why is that? You would think that I would be better prepared to portray a bride after myself being actually married. Apparently it must mean that I am too experienced to pull off a wedding gown. What do you think?



These last three photos were taken by a good friend. Many years later, but you can see my dress better. Although I never did get prints of these amazing shots I should ask her for some. I only got these thumbnails of the photos.

To my love. Thank you for ten years of joy and love. Thank you for being my man. Thank you for giving me the most beautiful and amazing three children. Together we can be something fabulous!

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Flashback Friday: Jewelry Campaign

So this week I am showing a commercial I shot in Singapore. I was never there when it aired, but it was the first time I did something where when I came back people would recognize me as the one with the gun. I shot the print ads for this campaign as well which ran everywhere. In fact in the print ads I was all of the characters. This was also the first time I found myself on a bus as well. I was pretty excited. I wish I had the ad pics or even the snapshots of the bus going by, but I can't find them. I think they must be lost amongst my things or my mother has them.

As I discovered Singapore was not only a wonderful country filled with delicious food and wonderful people, but many opportunities. I got to travel around a lot and do really incredible projects with some really amazing people.

Every time I go back I get excited at the chance and opportunity to work with them again and see all of the wonderful friends I made along the way. Not to mention now I have family there! (seeing as a married a Singaporean)



I am sure I will have many more posts on Singapore because it gave me my husband, opened my eyes to more exotic flavors, lots of great shopping, and created for the first time my feeling of what it was like to go to work everyday and really have fun!

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Flashback Friday: New York

So this is me sweet sixteen and in New York. Not my first time there, but definitely my most profitable trip. This is from a test I did. It turned out to be oddly enough a photo I would use on my card for many years. I loved it because it was a rare occasion for me to have very little make-up on and you could actually see my freckles.



This is a photo from my apartment building on East Houston Street. I loved it. It had a statue of I believe Mussolini on it. Also a clock tower. You could see it from the Empire State Building which was cool. I remember loving the apartment because it was huge and so clean which we didn't normally get for model apartments. That is the doorman. They were always nice.



This is catching a cab outside my apartment with some of my roommates.



This is of course at the Empire State building. I have been up twice once here. and the next time I went was with my boyfriend who had come to visit and two other friends. My boyfriend turned out to be my husband.

I don't have words to say everything about New York that I love. Anyone who has been there knows what I am talking about. It is definitely the best. I wish I could have actually lived there for a while.
This particular trip was fun I went to Saturday Night Live, worked a lot (which normally didn't happen for me in New York to be honest), and I had great roommates.

Future trips to New York included many things. New agencies which didn't always end up my best choices in representation. Doing my first buyers show for Patty Shelenberger which was 3 days work and lots of fun. lots of shopping. lots of walking. messy disgusting roommates. parties. broadway shows. who can forget the food. and many more.

I wish I had more pictures to share, but they are all packed away. Maybe in the future they will be found.

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Flashback Friday: Going way back!

Okay this week I am really going out there and showing you my most embarrassing video. In my defense I was young 13 to be exact, inexperienced, and the clothes were just not great. I remember when I got this job I was so excited. It was going to be awesome and Fredrique was going to be there for the panel after the fashion show. I thought that was going to be awesome. Plus, this was also the first time I realized I wanted to be a model. I was in fact a tomboy and didn't know anything about girlish things or how to walk or dress or do make-up. So here it is. Watch out for the dancers, the guys, the cheesy acting, and of course me be a dork. I did edit out like half of it, but it is still long and totally worth it for the laughs. See if you can spot me.

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Flashback Friday

So for Flashback Friday this week it is in Thailand. My first time. My first commercial. My first time actually getting to bring my mother with me! She kept saying we are so close to Vietnam. I was thinking I hope one day I can go there with you.

I actually booked the job while I was in New York. I think they auditioned me like 7 times before I actually got the job. I thought it was never going to happen. As I have now learned sometimes that happens and projects get delayed. I ended up dancing the "Macarena" on video and that won me the job! I know, but it was 1997 and everyone was doing it. Shooting got delayed because one of the girls didn't make it from Hawaii so we had to wait for her. Lucky for us we got to do some sightseeing which hardly ever gets to happen when you are working.



We went to some old palace on the beach. It was neat there was a garden with huge topiary animals. I know I have a pic of me under an elephant, but I can't seem to find it.



I saw my first wild monkey, very cool.



This I think was one of set production guys he was cute and always blushed around us so we took a pic with him.



Us girls with my mom. She was so shocked with how they just build sets out of nothing only to tear them down after shooting! We were shooting in a hotel that was being renovated. It looked like someone just set off a bomb on the 20th floor. It was scary, but they built a beautiful set.



I am really not sure what we are doing here other than singing I think. But there is a camera so I am assuming we are shooting or rehearsing. Although I don't remember singing in the TVC. Lots of dancing around though. It was for Citra, which is a lotion as you can see I am holding one of the bottles. I got to do all the hand modeling for the commercial. My friends back home got a kick out of that because I am not really known for having the nicest hands.



I almost didn't put this picture. I am way to happy, but you cannot sensor your past so here it is. We are with the crew. Choreographers, production team, hair and make-up artists, and stylist all putting on our picture poses. Some a little more animated than others.

Coming from a small town these wonderful Thai people are not what you expect to find. Especially industry people. My mom was enlightened and pleased because the people were so nice to us and treated us like royalty. She was happy to know that when I go away people do take care of you. (side note: doesn't always happen that way I was lucky)



This is at the wrap-up dinner. So yummy and so much fun. I did it my first TVC!! I wish I had the reel. I would share it with you, but I don't know what has happened to it over the years. Hope you enjoyed this post. I enjoyed thinking back about how awkward and new I was at everything.

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Flashback Friday

Flashback Friday

So I decided to start Flashback Fridays, which is essentially flashbacks of my life. Which may or may not be interesting to you. I realize that I am not really a fascinating person.
Maybe I had the potential to be one, but I decided living my life with my kids was more important. I definitely had a lot of fun in my youth.

I was able to travel the world and still do on occasion, but don’t go that far for that long without my children right next to me. And in all honesty no sour grapes at all I am happy I did it. They are definitely my best accomplishment.

So anyway this won’t be just from my travels and work, but my childhood in a small town in Oklahoma, which was perfect. I only wish that my children could grow up like I did free to roam and explore without the terrifying idea that something terrible could happen to them. Sadly in the world today that is hard to find.

I didn’t really know where to start. If you can believe it I still have a trunk which my dad made for all of us girls sitting at my moms. I think I will finally somehow get her to ship it to me. It is filled with all of my memories. Travel diaries, pictures, and all sorts of great things. But once again I do not have access to those memories just yet, but I do have some that I can share.

(insert photo from childhood)


I guess I will start with a moment in my life when I knew that I was in love with Singapore. It wasn’t the food that drew me in although that definitely brings me back as often as I can, it was the fact that it is so close to so many beautiful places in the world. It started with a business trip to Bali. Yes, I know who wouldn’t want to go? I wasn’t in Singapore for a week before I got to hop on a plane and end up in a beautiful remote hotel in Ubud, Bali. Now if you have read Eat, Pray, Love, which I have recently, you would know that that is where she went. In the mountains it was breathtaking. So here are the pictures from that trip. It was for a department store in Singapore as well as a spread in a magazine.



These first pictures are huge. I wish that I could scan them properly so you could see the whole picture because it is beautiful. (I am talking about the background not me.)



Photographer Chuon Do took them and he is a genius. I seriously think he could make anyone look good.



I remember my sister seeing this picture and laughing because she said she could see up my nose.

That green murky water in the background took a long time to get to. I think we trekked like an hour and a half to get to that spot where I could get in the water. I think it was worth it I love these shots.



If you are thinking to yourself, "Why does she always have her head up?". Well it is the direction the photographer kept giving me and as anyone who is in the business knows we are not paid to think for ourselves. We are paid to do what we are told. So that is exactly what I am doing.








Is that an infinity pool? Yes, it is. And it was the first time I had ever seen one. I was barely seventeen and I thought it was the most beautiful place on earth.



This last one is from the resort where we stayed. It was in this private villa so awesome I can't even describe, but none of the pictures we took inside the room really showed its beauty. I think it was mostly about the clothes and the mood. As you can see I was comfortable.

Well I could go on and on, but I think you get the picture.

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