My BFF Meredith is Friday's Fun Fearless Female

I first met my best friend Meredith when we were both 11 and in the 6th grade. She was wearing funky Doc Martins and overalls (which were considered stylish at the time). I remember thinking she was very cool. In middle school we bonded over our love of music, sitcoms, Leonardo Dicaprio, boy bands, and a mutual hatred of Hanson. In high school we formed a deeper, unbreakable bond that only comes from having a real friend you can depend on when dealing with heartbreak. Over the last 13 years we have shared countless tears, inside jokes and we've gotten into our fair share of fights and trouble. We've been all over the place together-California, New Orleans, the gulf coast of Texas, Dallas, San Antonio and New York City. Meredith has always made me giggle because she is afraid of ghosts and scary scenes in movies. But she's never been afraid to chase her dreams and take chances.
Today Meredith gets on a plane to go to her internship in New York City. She's wanted to live there as long as I've known her. She's pursuing her career and everything she's ever wanted. She has no way of knowing exactly what awaits her there and that is why she is fearless. But having known Meredith for 13 years, I know that she is going to impress everyone she comes into contact with in NYC with her talent and dedication. She has nothing to be afraid of (except maybe the ghosts that live in her dorm room). Here are some of my favorite memories with Meredith and some of the reasons why I will miss her while she is in NYC.

1) The time we found the end of 620 (and got pulled over by the cops).
One time Meredith told me she had never seen where 620 ends in the East. I was explaining that it turns into a neighborhood and we decided to drive over there so she could see what I was talking about. We immediately got pulled over by a lady cop. I started freaking out for no reason other than I'm intimidated by authority figures. Meredith stayed calm and assured me that we hadn't done anything wrong. She explained to the officer that we were going to a friend's house for a birthday get together (the truth was just too ridiculous to explain).

2) When we went to see Titanic Meredith cried so hard and so loud that it sounded like a donkey wailing. It was hilarious and gave me a case of the giggles. After the movie we left the mall theatre and went to the now-defunct Chelsea Street Pub where we poured sugar in the plants and paid in loose change. We were a waitress's worst nightmare.

3) One time we were driving to Ross and passed a clown wearing a rainbow wig who was driving a Volkswagen Bug with a decal on the back that said "Dipsy the Clown." I think we both nearly peed our pants laughing. Later, we heard from a girl that we went to school with that she'd seen us laughing in the car after passing a clown. We were puzzled by that and the only conclusion I can come to is the girl from school must have been the clown. That just makes it funnier.
I can't wait to see Meredith in October. The last time we were in New York together we were 15 and went to sing with the choir in Carnegie Hall. We ordered room service pizza and I got lost in Macy's. God only knows the ridiculous stories we will have after another fun-filled weekend in NYC.
Good Luck Meredith! Congrats on being Friday's Fun Fearless Female! I feel so lucky to have a friendship like ours and I'm so proud of you!

You have a good day!

Love,

Elle Bunny

Youtubesday:Don't you remember you told me you'd feed me bacon? Girl you know it, girl you know it.

My best friend Meredith is moving to New York at the end of this week. And I'm going to miss her tons, but I'm excited because

a) She gets to do an awesome internship with a great company,

b) I get to visit her in October and

c) She comes back in December for her graduation and Christmas.

Anyway, these videos represent 13 years of friendship and just a few of our ridiculous inside jokes.

I can't tell you how many times we have laughed about this moment. There's something so ridiculous about it. Mer will always be the Milli to my Vanilli.

I heart Karen Carpenter. So does Mer. She has the most amazing voice. And she played the drums (although she didn't in this video). She may have died of anorexia, but we've managed to turn this into a song about food. "Don't you remember you told me you'd feed me bacon? You said you be making breakfast and feeding me bacon. Bacon, bacon, bacon, bacon, oh bacon. I love you. I really do." Doesn't that make you hungry?

For the history on our love of Michael McDonald, please see this or this . "Ya Mo Be There" is an all time fave, if only for the ridiculous title.

Amelia Earhart flew a lot of airplanes except for that one time when she didn't come back...and then there's Maude.

Have a great day!

Love,
Elle Bunny

Memories, like the corner of my mind...

I've been thinking a lot lately about how Mr. Bunny and I met. And the more I think about it, the more overwhelmed I become by the idea that we could have lived our whole lives and never even run into each other. It makes me really sad to think about, because I'm so happy with my life. But without Mr. Bunny, I'm not sure what I'd be doing now. I know my life would be completely different. When you think about it, everyday we make decisions that could effect the rest of our entire lives. But as a silly 19-year-old girl, there was no way I could have predicted what fate had in store for me the night of January 2, 2004.
I heard about Mr. Bunny before I ever met him. I'm pretty sure I was 16 or 17 the first time his name came up. One of my closest friends from high school, Justin, had an obnoxious, yet oddly endearing older brother named Chris. Justin's family lived in Washington state until he was 15. Chris had several good friends from Washington who would come down to visit Austin and stay with Justin's family. I met them all at some point or another.
There's Rickey, Justin's sweet, good-natured cousin who loves Jesus candles. There's Matt, the youngest and the wittiest, with rumored Canadian roots. I met Todd at Chris's wedding--he's the gentle giant, a hippie who became a dad just after high school. His love for his son is apparent in everything he does. I met Josh right after he lost his mom to breast cancer; he is one of the funniest people I've ever met, and used his humor to mask the sadness. Then there's Bill*, a Marine, one of the smartest people I know--I had quite a crush on him at 16. Little did I know he was gay (I didn't find that out until Mr. Bunny told me three years later).

I met all of them--except for Mr. Bunny. But his name came up over and over. These boys were all about 4 or 5 years older than me and my friends, and as teenagers, we were in awe of them. We listened to their stories of high school hi-jinx with intense interest. I remember hearing about my future husband and the parties he hosted in high school. I heard about the quirkiness of my mother-in-law long before I got to see it with my own eyes. Josh once told me that Mr. Bunny got him a job at the factory where he had his summer job. Josh couldn't force himself to come back after lunch the first day. This was in part because he found out that Chris had been diagnosed with leukemia (Today Chris is healthy as a horse and still stubborn as a mule). But Josh also told me that the half day of work at that factory was the hardest job he ever had. Mr. Bunny worked there for two whole months. Now that I know Mr. Bunny, I'm not surprised-he's a very hard worker.
I always figured I would meet Mr. Bunny eventually, and we came close to meeting each other nine months before we ended up crossing paths. When Chris (Justin's brother) got married, Mr. Bunny was this close to coming down for the wedding. Something came up, and he wasn't able to make it. The wedding took place a month before I graduated from high school-when I think about how different things might have been if he had come to visit then, it scares me. I know that we wouldn't have started dating. As high school girls we were seen as off limits (at least we were then).

Looking back, I'm sure of the fact that I wasn't ready to meet him yet. I was too young, too naive, and had little experience with matters of the heart. I remember being impatient, and wondering when I was going to find somebody to love. But I don't think I could have fully appreciated the wonderfulness that is Mr. Bunny that April. I was 18 at the time and I met him right after turning 19, which may seem to make little difference, but that year had a big impact on me. I went off to college, had some silly dalliances with boys, and I learned a lot about myself. At 18, I was very immature, and I'm pretty sure I would have annoyed him.
Mushy as it sounds, I truly believe that love has a way of finding our hearts when we are ready for it (and in my case, when I least expected it).
Do you want to hear more of this story? I know the majority of you know me, therefore you know all about me and Mr. Bunny, so I don't know if you're interested. If you are, I could make it a multi-part serial, a smaller Elle Bunny version of Black Heels and Tractor Wheels. Bonus points if someone could help me figure out what to name it. "Bunny Hops and Big Dreams"? "The Bluebonnet and the Bunny: A Love Story"? Discuss.
Have a great day!

Love,

Elle Bunny

*Bill is not his real name. If you know me, you most likely know who I'm talking about.

Audrey Hepburn is Friday's Fun Fearless Female

"I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles."

-Audrey Hepburn“For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.”

-Audrey Hepburn

"Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, it's at the end of your arm, as you get older, remember you have another hand: The first is to help yourself, the second is to help others."

-Audrey Hepburn

"The best thing to hold onto in life is each other."

-Audrey Hepburn

Audrey Hepburn is the Patron Saint of Pink is My Signature Color. Not only because she was beautiful and a style icon and a talented actress. But because of quotes like these. I could go on and on about how much I love Audrey and all of the reasons why, but I think the quotes are explanation enough. That doesn't mean I won't try to pay her some kind of tribute with this blog entry.

Have you every seen "Breakfast at Tiffany's"? How about "Sabrina" or "My Fair Lady"? They are all absolute masterpieces and throughout all of them it is next to impossible to notice anyone other than Audrey.

Did you know that Truman Capote, who wrote the novella which "Breakfast at Tiffany's" is based on, wanted Marilyn Monroe for the part of Holly Golightly? But Audrey worked hard and got the part and it is difficult to imagine anybody else playing it with such whit, depth and charm.

Audrey was beautiful inside and out. As a child she lived in German-occupied Holland during World War II. Her war-time experiences inspired her to work with UNICEF and eventually become their Goodwill Ambassador. She worked for children throughout the world to protect their rights and advocate for their survival, development and protection.

Audrey is an example of all the things many of us hope to be. She was graceful--she was trained as a ballerina, but due to her malnutrition during the war and the fact that she was fairly tall (5'7") she was determined not to be a candidate for "prima ballerina". Instead she settled on being a Academy Award Winning Actress. She also aged gracefully; take a look at this picture of an older Audrey:Could she be any more beautiful? If only actresses in this day and age didn't use so much botox, we would still get to see mature beauty like this in Hollywood.
What would a tribute to Audrey Hepburn be without making mention of her status as a style icon? My style motto has always been to dress in a way that is not automatically identifiable with a decade. Audrey started doing that in the 1950s. She is most definitely my personal style icon. I mean, come on: As Stacey London would say, Shut up!

She had the kind of classic style that endures, yet she broke ground and did things that other actresses hadn't done.
Like making flats fashionable.

My feet thank you, Audrey.

But she also understood when it was time to turn it out with wedge heels, white shorts, and a hot plaid shirt.She's so awesome.
And then there's the oft-emulated monochromatic look she was so fond of.She was also a fan of turtlenecks, which is just made of win in my book. Mostly because I'm looking for any excuse to call my never-dying love of turtlenecks a fashion statement. I think it's clear that Audrey is an example of class, timeless beauty and elegance, and someone to strive to be more like.

I will leave you with one final thought on why Audrey is the Patron Saint of Pink is My Signature Color:

She knew that when all else fails, dance.

Thanks for being such an inspiration Audrey!

There are some other folks I need to acknowledge at this point, because I have now been blogging for a whole year and this is my 200th blog. For those of you who know me, you will understand that this shows quite a bit of uncharacteristic commitment on my part. I have always been one to start a journal with the intention of writing in it every day, only to find it under my bed and realize I haven't written in it in three months. I have to say I'm proud of myself for continuing to blog and I hope to be blogging a year from now.

The majority of these people will never read this, but that's okay--I just want to acknowledge their awesomeness. I know that there is no way that I would still be doing this blog if it weren't for Stephenie Meyer who wrote the fabulous Twilight Saga which has kept me so entertained over the last year, so props to her and the whole cast of Twilight for keeping me committed and interested in something for this long. I'd also like to thank a few of the many bloggers who continue to inspire me and make me giggle my way through the work day--Michael K over at D Listed, Ree at The Pioneer Woman, Brandi at Just a Simple Girl with a Dream, Mandy at Pants Design and Greer over at Stoneybrookite. You should check all of these blogs out for wonderful tales of Cheeto Casseroles, dropping panties in coffins, a parody of Steel Magnolias called Tin Petunias, Bits of awesomeness and Twilight news (and even Twilight crafts), and an in-depth discussion of whether Ed McGill (Stacey's dad from the Baby-Sitter's Club series) was secretly a millionaire.

I'd like to thank everyone who continues to read my blog. I know there is no way that every topic is interesting to everyone, but I appreciate the fact that my family and friends continue to read it. Hopefully a few other people find it interesting as well.

Thanks again for reading!

Love,

Elle Bunny

Youtubesday: My 2nd Wedding Anniversary

Corey (aka Mr. Bunny) and I got married two years ago today. Our first dance was to this song:

Don't you just love Al Green? This has always been our song, and it is the song for a million other couples, but there's a reason for that. Every word rings true. We're surrounded by couples that break up and make up; divorces abound. Even in the best of relationships, life can sometimes get in the way of realizing how lucky you are to have found one another. But, corny as it might sound, I can honestly say that Corey always makes me feel brand new. And I look forward to the next 200 years together (it's possible--somewhere along the way we plan on becoming vampires; if that doesn't work out, I'll be looking into having us cryogenically frozen in a lucid dream state a la Vanilla Sky).

I think it is important to focus on that love and make it a priority to stay together. Every year I'm with Corey, my life gets better and better. We both encourage each other to try new things and pursue our dreams. I believe in him and he believes in me.

In closing, I apologize if all of this gushing about how in love I am has made you want to hurl. What can I say, I'm a hopeless romantic. I can't believe Corey and I have been married for two years. I still feel like a newlywed who just got married two or three months ago.

Have a great day and Happy Anniversary Mr. Bunny!

Love,

Elle Bunny

Pinky is Friday's Fun Fearless Female

For those of you who don't know, Pinky is our nickname for my mom. It developed because she used to wear these ridiculous pink curlers which my dad called her "Pinkies."

Pinky's birthday is tomorrow and both me and my sister are going to be out of town, which I feel terrible about. But Pinky is the first to assure us it's okay, to go and have fun. She always puts others first and seems to truly draw happiness from seeing those around her happy.

Pinky is my hero. Whenever anything good happens, she is the first person I want to call. She is all the first person I want to talk to whenever anything bad happens. I know she will know the solution to the problem and will help me to feel better.

As I grow older, I find myself wondering how my parents seemed so confident. I never once doubted that they knew exactly what to do in every situation and that they would do anything to protect us from harm. Throughout all the rough times, the sickness, the fighting and hair-brush throwing, Pinky always seemed to know what to do with me and my sister.

Pinky has always done the right thing. I remember as a very small child, my mom took us to the mall. This was back in the day when the only malls around were Highland and one other which I can't remember the name of (it was in the building that now houses the Garden Ridge in Round Rock). Well, Pinky took me and Meredith to Highland, because she knew we loved the bubble gum ice cream with the actual gumballs in it as well as the tux-wearing pianist in the food court. Walking through the mall we ran into an older woman in a wheelchair who was confused and couldn't find her family. My mom stayed with her, pushed her wheelchair, and helped her find her family, all while dealing with her two whiny daughters whose only focus was gumball ice cream. But that moment has stayed with me and it taught me a lesson which can only be taught by example. She taught us to be kind to others.

My mom is a kind person who honestly cares about people around her and really listens when you tell her something. She doesn't just ask "How are you?" because it is customary, she asks because she really wants to know.

My mom has taught me so much it is impossible to even summarize it all.

But off the top of my head, here's a list of just a few of the things she taught me:

to love life

to love music

to love poetry

to love to read

to love to travel

to love to plan

to love my family

and a few other life lessons:

Pinky taught me by example how to be a good wife.

She taught me how to cook a few of her best recipes and she also encouraged me to just get in the kitchen and try.

She taught me that even if you don't like to clean, it has to be done, so just do it (she also taught me how to clean).

She taught me how to deal with the paperwork/insurance/taxes/customer service representatives in life.

But one of the best things about Pinky is that she is always there to catch me when I fall or when I need help remembering how long to cook Chicken and Rice or what to do in section 42e of my taxes.

On a final note, what I'm most grateful to Pinky for is her spirit and enthusiasm. I hope that she has passed a little of that down to me. From an early age, I remember getting so excited about little things, because my mom would make them so special. She taught me to take pleasure in simple things. Whether it was planning a party or trying to find a treasure that a radio station had hid, she always made it feel like an adventure. Most importantly she made me and Meredith feel involved and important.

One afternoon, after the rain had cleared, my mom took me on a drive in her Navy Buick LeSabre to try and find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
I can only hope to one day be a mom, and if my kids are lucky, maybe I will be half as good at it as Pinky is.
But even if I'm not, I know they will be okay, because they can always go to Pinky's house and see how a pro does it.
Happy Birthday Pinky and Congrats on being Friday's Fun Fearless Female!

Love,

Elle Bunny

My boys

So sweet.

So cute.

So loving.

I'm so lucky.

Happy Thursday!

Love,

Elle Bunny

Happy Bertday!

It's Rob Pattinson's 23rd Birthday. On this day 23 years ago, Mama Pattinson gave birth to our favorite Sparkly Vampire and the world is a better place for it.
Happy Birthday, Rob!
Here is one of my favorite Rob moments:

Ah, the good ole days when MTV was allowed on the set of Twilight. Larry Carroll>Dumb people from Entertainment Tonight (especially the seizure-inducing Mary Hart).

But I digress; the point of this post is to recognize Rob's birthday. Everyone should do a Heineken toast in celebration of Rob's birthday tonight. They should also eat microwaved carrots.Have a great day!

Love,

Elle Bunny

P.S. Obviously, I'm back. I don't know if I will be posting anymore this week, but I'm going to try to return to my regular schedule next week. Sorry for the long absence, but I think things are finally dying down enough at work for me to start blogging again. And I have numerous things to blog about, so look out!

Happy Birthday KStew!!!

What a year it's been!

To celebrate Baby KStew's 19th Birthday, Mr. Bunny and I went to see Adventureland last night.

We both really enjoyed it. It was not at all what I was expecting. When you hear that something is a male coming-of-age story written and directed by the same guy who brought us Superbad, I think it's only natural that you'd expect it to be a raunchy giggle fest. Instead it was sweet and kind of heartbreaking. The college-age kids look and act like college-age kids. Of course, the music is incredible because it takes place in the 80's, but the best part of this movie is the actors.

In the story, James, a recent college graduate from Pittsburgh, PA, is planning to go to Europe before enrolling in Columbia for Grad School. His plans are dashed by his parents who explain to him that his father has been demoted and they don't have the money to send him to Europe, or to help with Grad School. So he gets a job at the local theme park, Adventureland, after discovering that a liberal arts degree doesn't even qualify you for manual labor (that's the excuse I've always used). At the park, he meets a bevvy of interesting characters, including Connell, who is played to perfection by Ryan Reynolds. He also meets Em, KStew's character, and falls for her. I don't want to tell you anymore because you really should just see the movie.

Jesse Eisenberg could not be more likable if he looked like Johnny Depp (or, sakes alive, even RPattz). There is something about his demeanor that makes you root for him, and whether it's his quiet intelligence or his dorky charm, I'm not sure. But in the same way that I felt Kristen Stewart's role in Twilight was essential in allowing you entry into a believable alternate universe in which Vampires go to Forks High School, I feel that Jesse Eisenberg made it feel completely effortless to go back in time to 1987 and really feel like you could be working there with him in the Adventureland theme park.

I liked this movie so much because it didn't hit you over the head with anything-it wasn't an all out love story and they didn't go for the cheap laugh. The 80s references were never heavy-handed but always enough to make you giggle (I love Lisa P) without making you roll your eyes. Everything was done in a way that makes this movie stand out and above others in its genre, and I'm sure that I will not just buy it on DVD, but actually watch it frequently.

Kristen was magnificent and she looked beautiful. She is so talented and wise beyond her 19 years. She gave a great, understated performance. I think it's clear that I'm a big fan, so I won't go on about it anymore, but I think she was great.

Have a great day, and go see this movie!

Happy Birthday, Kristen!

Love,

Elle Bunny

YouTubesday: The James Franco Edition

Today is YouTubesday. James Franco recently trashed a room for Wholpin.

According to their website, "Wholphin is a quarterly DVD magazine from McSweeney's, lovingly encoded with unique and ponderable films designed to make you feel the way we felt when we learned that dolphins and whales sometimes, you know, do it."

Thank you Wolphin. This video is made of awesome and did leave me pondering it for awhile afterward--as did your interesting name.

And I know I've been talking about it frequently lately, but I'm in awe of James Franco. I want to have him over to my house for Thanksgiving Dinner. He can talk about the book he's writing and wear his Allen Ginsberg glasses. I'm sure he would love my cornbread dressing and pecan pie.
I just need to learn how to make pecan pie.

Have a great day!

Love,

Elle Bunny

James Franco: Biopic King?

James Franco is one of my favorite actors. He was so amazing in his portrayal of James Dean that I tend to think of him as an extension of the icon. His Independent Spirit Award-winning turn in Milk last year was also incredible and in my opinion was by far the most understatedly elegant performance in the movies during the past year. Now, James is going to star in Howl, a new movie about the life of poet Allen Ginsberg. And I must say, I like seeing him in glasses (that was my favorite part of the James Dean biopic). Now there's no doubt that James Franco has incredible comedic timing (just watch this clip from Pineapple Express if your not convinced) and he is great at creating new characters, but I must say that I think he is the King of Biopics. He's my pick for A Jeff Buckley biopic.

Also, I must say, it's hard for me to describe how much I love an actor who is getting his masters degree in writing from Columbia University and is writing a book. I salute you, James Franco, King of the Biopic!

Have a great day!
Love,

Elle Bunny

(Mostly) Wordless Wednesday: Good Friends, Fun Games

As I alluded to in my last post, this weekend was my best friend Meredith's birthday party. It was fun to hang out with friends, drink and play board games. I seriously enjoy board games and love discovering new games like Balderdash (which has been around forever, but is new to me). Here are some of the pictures I took that night.

This is Jenny with Meredith, the birthday girl. Jenny and Meredith work together. Jenny gave Meredith a very special Christmas gift.

This is Little Bastard (Lil Bastard?). Jenny found him at Goodwill and instantly thought of Meredith, which should say something about how unique my best friend is. She bought him for 99 cents. Unfortunately, Lil Bastard is made out of some very non-durable material, because by the end of the night he had lost the majority of his right leg.

Here is Mary with Meredith. She also works with Mer (you might recognize her from the infamous Take on Me!!! video) and is very funny and sweet.

Here's my favorite picture of the night. Jenny and Mary are throwing gang signs as they rap along to the ridiculous burned cd they brought. Meredith's face cracks me up.

This is Lindsey. I have been friends with her forever. She was one of my bridesmaids. She is one the kindest people I know. She's also one of the funniest people I know, and you can probably understand why when you look at this next picture.This is Lindsey's "I am Cornholio" impression. She's done it ever since we were in high school. I'm not really sure why she started doing it, but it never fails to make me giggle because it doesn't really seem like something Lindsey would do. She is too funny. This is Lindsey with her husband Troy. They've been married for 4 and a half years. Lindsey and Troy met when our other friend Rachel turned 17. We went to a Kenny Chesney concert to celebrate and Lindsey got stars in her eyes when she met a cute soldier who had come down to the concert from Fort Hood with his Army buddies. They've been an item ever since. They are so cute and one of our favorite couples to hang out with; Troy and Mr. Bunny get along so well and Lindsey and I can always pick up where we left off. Here are all of the McNeil High School alumni that attended the party--Meredith, Mary, me, Lindsey and Michael. Does it smell like teen spirit? Oh my goodness. Michael was an escort for the dance/drill team we participated in during high school. He is another one of the funniest people I know. He's also a bit of ham (see example: him posing in the background of this photo). But one of my favorite people ever. Michael and I share a mutual passion for grammar, spelling and punctuation (which you might not always guess I felt so passionately about by reading this blog; but I promise you, I try my hardest not to make too many errors). He has a quick wit, great hair, and he is an excellent Balderdash and Catch Phrase player. Michael strikes a pose with Mr. Bunny, seen here giving his rapist face. I first noticed his rapist expression when he got a driver's license photo taken where he looked just like he does above. I remarked that he looked like a scary rapist. My sister Meredith and I giggled about it, and became a joke for Mr. Bunny to give her that face all the time. He looked at Meredith that way when she walked down the aisle at my wedding. Recently, when I was a bridesmaid in a wedding, he went around to all the tables and picked up the disposable cameras, taking pictures of his rapist face. He cracks me up. Here's a lovely photo of Mary, Meredith, Lil Bastard and Mr. Bunny. Candidates for America's Next Top Model- Mary and Michael. I don't know what the hell kind of face I'm making in this photo. It makes me giggle, though. Balderdash drama faces. Smiley Jenny. Michael cracks up. Mer poses with Lil Bastard. Thanks for bringing us together for your wonderful birthday party, Mer! You know I love you more than my luggage!
Have a great day!

Love,
Elle Bunny