Picture of the Week: Road Trip!

This weekend, I hopped into the convertible with my BFF and made my way down to Phoenix Arizona, for some quality friend time and to go see the Alicia Keys concert. I realize that there are some of you who are quite tired of me living the socialite life, albeit the poor man’s version, but I still choose to share it because I feel incredibly blessed to be able to do exciting things and have the opportunity to spend time with the people I love. I do promise though that my life will soon be exhibiting a bit more structure and I will be back to routines and responsibilities in no time. But in the meantime, I will enjoy my youth and the fact that I have just myself to please.

Bianca and I heading out onto the open highway.



Bianca showing off all her hard work after an afteroon at the mall in Scottsdale.



Us at the concert...of course since we took it ourselves you can't even tell that we are at a concert, nor can you see the fabulous outfits we had on. Oh well.



The amazing Ms. Keys doing her thing. It really was a great concert and we had fabulous seats so that made it even better!




I know this picture is hard to see, but Alicia sang a duet with one of her backup singers and I have developed the biggest crush on him. I don't know if he's single or if he's straight, but Jermaine, if you are out there....call me.

More Brain

This post is going to be fairly short, due to the fact that this is not in any way a political blog nor am I adept at talking politics in a manner in which I feel thoroughly confident outside of passionate discussions with my closest friends or harassing my mother. All I know is that I’m excited. So excited that I read articles every day, I look at various clips and videos that get passed along to me, I watch the news channels—even Fox when I feel like I need a bit of a jolt, and I just finished the following book…



I just wish everyone would read it. Of course if you already love the guy then it probably just reaffirms what you already feel. But if you’re undecided it gives insight outside of the craziness going on right now and all the spin etc., and if you are not an Obama supporter, then perhaps you just read it in the event that he is your president for the next four years and you don’t know as much about him as you’d like to. Because I read his first book and liked it, but I read this book and loved him. And not because I agree with everything he says; I don’t. I think that I am fairly conservative even though my political views are more liberal than my personal ones. But I just got so much out of this book and I feel that so many others would as well, regardless of party affiliation.

About a week or so ago I was reading this book flying home from Mexico and the flight attendant saw it and said in broken English, “I like”, while pointing at the cover. And I nodded my head and agreed with him and told him that I liked him as well. And then he said, “He has, how do you say,… more brain."

I couldn’t agree more.

fed up

I have been on zero worthwhile dates lately. And by zero I mean negative seven. Seriously, it is that bad. And as you may have noticed, I really don’t talk too much about my dating life on this here blog so for me to mention anything says a lot. For starters, it says that I don’t too much care what anyone may think who just might happen to stumble across it. Because of the fact that I am not an anonymous blogger and I realize that many people I know may read my blog, I try and limit the amount of personal information involving the opposite sex both for their sake and mine. It happens all too often when I just assume people aren’t reading and then one day a simple reference slips into the conversation. And with dating, or almost dating, or hopefully dating soon, you don’t ever want to show all your cards and let the other person know just exactly what you are thinking and you also don’t always need to put other people’s business on front street just because you choose to put your own out there. But right now I am at my limit because there is just no reason that one person should be made to put up with such ridiculousness. And perhaps I will stop short of naming names or divulging any significant details to fully call out the perpetrators, but I thought I would at least let you in on where my mood is at right now. Now mind you, this is a build up of emotions that have merely been heightened since I’ve been back in California. I figured that being back here would at least widen my options and put me back in the swing of things but I might as well be living in Alaska for all the good it’s done me.

I have learned, in my old age, that there really is no reason to put up with behavior that shows any hints of a lack of respect. I need people to respect my time, I need for them to not play games, I need for their actions to follow their words, and I need for them to grow up. I have learned, thankfully, that there is no need to make excuses for actions that are not in line with the characteristics I am looking for in the man of my dreams. And while I realize that every man I date will more than likely not be the man of my dreams, I know better than to spend time with those I am already positive are not. You teach people how to treat you. And I might not know much, but I understand more and more how I deserve to be treated. It is no secret that I think highly of myself and have high expectations, but I assure you I’m no crazy lady. It amazes me what people think they can get away with and what they think will be excused.

So yes, I’ve been single for quite some time. And from the looks of it, it seems like my situation will not be changing any time soon. Understand that this is not something that causes me too much uneasiness. There are plenty of times I like my single status and I don’t go out of my way to change it. If a good guy comes along…then great. But if not, I simply continue to love life and be grateful that I have such wonderful friends and exciting hobbies. I’m not lonely or desperate and it doesn’t make me anxious when people continually ask why I’m single. I’m single simply because I’m not in a relationship. I’m not in a relationship because I don’t settle. I don’t settle because I don’t have to. When people give me less than their best I simply say “thanks, but no thanks”. I just know I’m worth more than that half-hearted attempt at decency. I am far better off not wasting my time with people who don’t deserve it and right now NOBODY is showing me that they deserve it. Yes, that means YOU(just in case you might be reading this).


END RANT.

Ten Years Later...

THEN...











High school was a great time for me. I had an amazing group of friends and we made the most of the four years spent together, making memories that would last a lifetime. To say we were involved might very well be the understatement of the century. The six of us had a hand in virtually everything that went on in that school. If there was something to be president of, captain of, member of, or queen of, we were all over it. The Bomb Squad, our self-appointed moniker, was a force to be reckoned with. We made our way onto the Senior lists being voted Ms. LMHS, best athlete, best body, most original, most likely to be famous, and most resourceful. And while those inconsequential titles don’t mean much after graduation day, it’s funny to see just how closely most of us have maintained those same attributes that were evident back then.

But here is the great part. I am immensely proud of all the things the ladies I grew up with have accomplished and the beautiful women they have become, but it brings me greater joy to be able to have had the opportunity to experience it all first hand. I can go listen to my best friend speak to hundreds of captivated women, I can turn on the T.V. and see her singing and dancing her heart out, I can watch the Olympics and see her rule the world, I can see her grow a business through sheer will and determination...all of it is inspiring but it's tenfold because it is happening to my favorite people in the world. These ladies have become my family. And while it’s often true that the friendships you have in high school drift apart over the years as people change and grow in opposite directions, we have all become cornerstone’s in each other’s lives. We became best friends in high school and as we have matured as individuals, our friendship has grown as well.

Last week the five of us got together for lunch and marveled at where all the time has gone. This past weekend was our 10 year high school reunion and while we all have done many amazing things in this span of time since high school, it still blows my mind that it’s been ten years since prom, since cheering at football games, since dressing up for spirit days, since first loves and first heartbreaks, since the beginning of friendships that will most surely last a lifetime.

There are many times when I sit back in wonder at what we’ve all become and just how grown we really are. We don’t seem grown. At least not to me. Sure, among us there are a couple of husbands, a kid, prosperous businesses, gold medals, singing careers, passports with a million stamps on them, etc. But get us together in the same room and it feels like just us. The us from back in the day at La Mirada High School. The us from the hundreds of pictures I have overflowing out of my photo albums. This same group of girls who sat together in the quad and dreamed about their successful futures are the same women that I look at now living out their dreams. So while reunions are a nice way to see those who helped shape your high school years, I am lucky enough to have those who shaped mine the most in my life on a consistent basis to remind me of who I am and to help me to always strive to be better.


NOW...

Running of the Brides

About a month ago I went on the craziest, wildest, most extreme hunt for a wedding dress I’ve ever been a part of. Unfortunately, the dress search wasn’t my own; or for any of my close friends or family for that matter. I was down in Boston at Filene’s basement event where thousands of women from all over the world come to find their dream dress at bargain prices. Bulls have nothing on these ladies. And one lucky bride, Shann, had been chosen to be a part of this with help from the Rachael Ray show. That’s where I came in…a tie in to the Olympic Games and her own personal “runner” to help her find her perfect dress. It was madness as I’ve never seen before but in the end she found her dress and all was good in the world.

The episode aired today and while I knew in advance it was going to be on, I hesitated on putting out the bulletin beforehand. There was a chance it was going to be extremely cheesy and embarrassing and I didn’t know just how much of the 7 HOURS OF SHOOTING!!! would be aired. Luckily it was edited down to maybe five minutes with minimal speaking parts on my behalf and just a few gratuitous shots of me running around in a sports bra. Slightly cheesy? Yes. But not my most embarrassing public appearance to date. If you watch the clip you will notice that they call me Brianne and that they refer to me as a National Championship Runner, or something along those lines. I told them not to use “Olympic Runner” as was there preference and the other title is what they came up with instead. It really makes no sense but I’m sure only a few people on the planet will notice that.

Overall it was a fun experience and I had the opportunity to help someone find the dress of their dreams all while fighting with and stomping over other Bridezillas in the process. Not bad for a day’s work.

I found the clip on the Rachael Ray site so if anybody is interested in viewing my television debut, please CLICK HERE

Picture of the week: vacation album

I will tell this story with pictures...because lord knows I have enough of them...so many in fact, that I have been sitting here deciding just how long I could keep people's attention when all I'm doing is changing outfits and changing my bathing suit. This vacation was far from being jammed packed with adventure. We had ideas of adventure to be sure, but laying around doing nothing turned out to be much more enjoyable. I figured pictures of the amazing hotel as well as the beaches and pools without my mug in them could be found on the internet, so I always like to include a person (namely myself) to jazz it up a bit.


The hotel we stayed at Me by Melia, was an absolutely fabulous hotel. Here is a view of our room and a view of our view--which I am proud to say saved us a few hundred bucks since we chose to look at water without waves (the lagoon) versus water with waves.


Now let's take a look at my bathing suit options with there respective backdrops. (the pool and the beach)



I happen to be partial to this particular shot for reasons obvious to probably everyone. This is by the pool the first day when we realized the sheer genius of renting one of these fabulous beds with thatch roofs for the day and doing nothing except laying there and occasionally taking a dip in the pool


This little blue number is the kind of suit that is only suitable for vacations and really should be worn with a coverup over it unless you are actually going in the water. It only gets worn in places not on American soil.



Me...in a bathing suit. That's about it.



You see that dot there? That's me. The ocean is competing with me here so you really can't make out the infamous red bathing suit I'm wearing. But I this the ocean deserved this great pic and I probably just ruined it.


A few shots in the infinity pool...




I never tire of taking shots in these pools because they always look so amazing. I will spare you the other 5323 that we took though...

And our one day excursion we managed to fit in out there was jet skiing. Nikkie is a bit of scaredy cat so I was the driver but I think she enjoyed herself just hanging on for dear life back there.





At night we tried to change our outfits enough to justify the overflowing suitcases we brought. But we still came home with probably five outfits unworn. Here are just a few because I'm sure I am losing your attention by now.




One thing we did realize though...is that we are a little on the mature side for Cancun nightlife. So we didn't do any spring break style partying. We just found reasons to get dressed up and enjoyed the company of mainly each other.


So that is my vacation in a nutshell. I had a great time, I was with a great friend, and I took great pictures. :)

A message to my readers...

I am a known hothead. My buttons are not only visible; they light up, rotate, and have their own personal buzzer to alert others where to push. This is not news to anyone who knows me. I am not the silent type, and life does not seem complete if I do not have the last word on any subject that is close to my heart…or close to my orbit for that matter. I am known to possess an inordinate amount of stubbornness and as I’m sure my friends and family can attest to, it is not one of my best qualities.

All of this to say that I know that there are times that people write things simply to get a rise out of me. And against my better judgment, I give it to them. And in this growing mix of people who don’t see the point in thinking anything I do is worth writing about and yet still take the time to read and comment, and those who come out of left field and add nothing to the conversation, and those who are simply just morons, I find myself directing way too much energy where it isn’t needed. I prefer that people stop by for positive reasons and because they see a benefit in doing so. If you don’t, that is totally okay but please know that you can leave quietly, without so much as a peep to let me know you were here. I know I have no control over this but I have to think that it serves no real purpose to waste moments of your life subjecting yourself to something you find bothersome.

Furthermore, I would like for the focus of my blog to not keep drifting away from its intended purpose. I assume people stop by to read about what's going on in my life and there is no reason for anyone to think they are getting something different. I write about my life because that is what I know. I do not claim to be the most interesting, to have the hardest struggle, to be the most accomplished, to have the best writing skills, to be deserving of this or that. And I really don’t think it’s fair that I constantly have to go on the defensive for sharing my story with the few of you who continue to have problems with it.

So since I’d like to continue this blog for a little while longer because it is something I find enjoyment in, I am going to try and rid it of the things that take away from that pleasure. I don’t want to be annoyed every time I read my comments. I don’t want my friends and family to have to go off on folks for being ignorant and not respecting that at the end of the day this is my way of simply sharing my experience with those who care. I know it’s not a good look for me to be combative and I don’t think it adds anything except getting me fired up for no good reason. This is a free world but at the end of the day it is MY blog. I know I am speaking to the minority but I felt it needed to be said before it got out of hand. To everyone else, I truly do appreciate the moments you spend here and I hope that you continue to do so.

***The comments will be moderated for the foreseeable future...I don't mind thoughtful differences of opinion or respectful disagreements, but the other stuff does not have a place. Anyone is free to contact me directly by email and say whatever your heart desires if you choose to put a name to the thought.

Vamos a la Playa!

Right now I am sitting in my absolutely fabulous hotel in Cancun, Mexico after spending the entire day outside at the beach and by the pool. That’s right…I’m livin’ the life. I decided it was necessary for me to take a much unneeded vacation to catch up on my rest and relaxation. You know, since I’ve been living five minutes from the beach out in Southern California, have no job, and get to hang out with my friends as much as they are available (since I always am!). Regardless, I am having a great time thus far and I’m sure I’ll end up posting tons of pictures to truly document my trip but for now I’ll leave you with this…




...because life doesn't get much better!

Discernment

As you know, I have been taking time to figure out the direction of my life. And when I say taking time, that usually doesn’t involve much actual action. It is extremely difficult to act when you don’t know or aren’t sure what it is you are supposed to be acting on. How do you go full steam ahead when you don’t even know what direction you are supposed to be headed in? So I’ve been lazy patient and really just making sure I pray about it and am able to feel good about the direction I am headed. My biggest struggle is trying to figure out what God wants from me. Have I come to this point in my life, faced with more obstacles and struggle so that I can work that much harder and overcome it, or is it his way of getting my attention and saying this is not the path for me. Basically, I want to know if I am supposed to realize that this door is shutting for a reason or if he wants me to kick the door down. I know that there are many athletes that can relate to this feeling as well as the general population in certain areas of their lives. I know I am a fighter; I just want to make sure I am in the right battle.

I am sure if you have been reading my blog for the past couple of months you realize that I have, and continue to, struggle with this. I believe there is a plan for my life, a great one, and I just want to make sure I do everything I need to do to be on board. After Trials I really thought that that was my signal. Move on. And I thought that message was clear and obvious. But after some time it seemed a little more cloudy so I decided to be patient and let things become apparent without forcing the issue. And what I really wanted is for God to get on the megaphone and just yell down the answer to me. Or maybe just have it appear on the bathroom mirror after I stepped out of the shower. You know—something I couldn’t mistake. But so far he’s not giving me that type of sign. He’s being silent, or at least quiet enough to where I am still writing blogs telling you all I don’t know yet what I’m doing.

So I decided to make this deal with the big man, saying that if x,y, and z happened, then I would take that as a sign that that is what I am supposed to do. And so far I have x and y. I don’t know if this is the proper way to make pacts with God but it was the closest thing I could get to a message appearing on the steamy bathroom mirror. At the end of the day I just want to be obedient and I want my life to follow the plan it is supposed to. And while I figure that out, I will continue to be patient.

90210

When the old 90210 show used to be on T.V. I could have been considered one of its biggest fans. Of course I am sure I had staunch competition from just about every pre-teen out there, but my love for Dylan McKay ran deep. So deep that each issue of BOP magazine was simply a way for me to continue to wallpaper my entire room with his face and those of his cast mates. I had every piece of attire a girl could possibly have and I wore it all at once, complete with heart shaped Dylan earrings, to show my never ending devotion to the kids from Beverly Hills High. I knew very little about Beverly Hills before that show, but I was still able to grasp that their way of life was a far cry from what mine is and might ever be. And that was ok with me…as long as I had my heart shaped earrings I really didn’t need the fancy cars, limitless credit cards, and big houses. Life was just fine on my side of the tracks.

And life is still just peachy over here on my side. I could use a limitless credit card right about now but my 2006 Honda Civic is A-ok in my book. But every once in a while it sure feels nice to get a taste of how it feels on the other side of those tracks. So today my friend Nikkie and I ventured on over, courtesy of my adopted Dad (Nikkie’s dad who has blessed me and made me an honorary member of their family), for an afternoon in America’s most famous zip code. The top on our SL 600 was down the whole way, even though it severely messed up our hair. We figured it was a small price to pay to make sure we took advantage of our day to the fullest and neither one of us is the type to shy away from attention. We had a fabulous meal, shopped on Rodeo Drive (most of it of the window variety), and purchased some fabulous sunglasses that I am happy to say will replace my one other pair of designer glasses that I stole from an old boyfriend 3 years ago. I’m the kind of person who will spend all the time in the world trying on each and every pair of designer glasses in the store, looking for the pair that fits my face just perfectly, but never intending to buy a pair at full price for myself. I’ll wait ‘til they are on sale…or have found there way to a discount store, but never can quite justify spending that much money on glasses. So for a girl with a budget like mine right now, this was surely a treat.







Tomorrow I will be back in my Civic debating whether or not I should splurge for an extra topping at Pinkberry and life will be good. But when the day comes that I am able to trade in my Civic, I am seriously thinking I might go the convertible route. There is something about a nice car, with the wind blowing through your hair, and a fabulous pair of shades that adds a little sumthin’ to your mojo. That must’ve been that swagger that Dylan had.

In Need of Assistance

I was a business major in college and I am quite sure that at some point during my stay at this higher learning institution I was taught how to put together a resume. I don’t recall specifically all the ins and outs but even so I’m inclined to believe that we were taught in the traditional sense how a resume is constructed, with things such as work experience and dates of employment compiled neatly into columns and rows that was a professional representation of you as a potential employee. I suppose people right out of college wouldn’t have the same degree of experience but could still include all those extracurricular activities and such that presented them as an extremely well rounded candidate. The further away you get from your college years however; one would assume that real world experience takes the place of captain of the debate team and organizer of the 7th annual bake sale. Unless, of course, you are actually looking to apply to those right out of college jobs. I am not.

So as I sit here day after day deciding what my next step in life is, I figure that the first step is to have a resume. And even if I decide I don’t need it right away, I will definitely need it soon and a 28 year old should have one on hand. So here is what I have so far…

BRIANNA GLENN


And that’s it. Shoot, I don’t even have a permanent address to include at the moment. I need to find a way to include all the wonderful, unique things that I’ve been doing with my life for the past six years and make it sound as if I am the most qualified and experienced person out there. I know there is a way to do it, but I’m just not sure how to go about it. I want to make sure my skill sets sound like they translate to the business world in an applicable way.

So, all you business savvy people, maybe you could help me out just a little. First I need a format that does not include “work experience” etc. so that it allows for my actual experience to shine through and not point out the fact that I’ve never been on a job interview before. Next, I need some help with some creative wording and some tips as to what kinds of things would be essential to include. I am hoping that you could help get me past my name and make sure that I don’t sound like a dumb jock. Although I’m far from dumb so that would never happen.