Favorite Five Friday (155th Edition)

Hello! Guys, October is my favorite month, and I’ve been having a blast. Here’s a few of my favs… (with an announcement at the end!)

FAVORITE FIVE FRIDAY

1. I’ve been dying to go to a Halloween event in LA for the last three years. It’s called DELUSION, and it’s a haunted play. Instead of the usual haunted house where people jump out and scare you, there is a story and you become a part of it. We finally got tickets and braved the spooky villa set up in Downtown LA. It was truly an incredible experience! The actors were so committed, and being involved was so exciting/terrifying. My favorite part was a section set up escape room style, but really… it was all done very well. We left totally exhilarated and impressed. I’m so glad I’ve got friends who are willing to get scared with me.

2. My family came to visit! It’s always nice have loved ones in town. It was a quick trip, but we squeezed in a lot of fun – Delicious food, Universal, manicures with my niece, Griffith Observatory, and Hocus Pocus at the El Capitan! Such a blast with some of my favorite people. I miss you already!

3. All the Halloween movies! We usually reserve this time of year to watch all our favorite scary movies. Honestly, we haven’t had as much time to watch them this year, but we definitely watched our favorites – we love all the Scream movies, Cabin in the Woods, and (of course) Hocus Pocus. If you haven’t seen them, do yourself a favor and check them out. It’s the perfect time of year after all!

4. My birthday was this week! If you know me, you know I love my birthday. And birthdays in general. 🙂 There is just something special about reflecting on the last year of your life and dreaming about the next. I am doing a lot of dreaming these days, and I can’t wait to see what year 28 will hold!

We did some super fun celebrating for my big day! We started the morning with a walk to my favorite bagel shop and kitty snuggles. I treated myself to a face mask and a bath while I read a good book. Then Dan took me to get a massage – totally wonderful. Birthday donuts were also acquired, duh. 😉 Once we were good and relaxed, we met up with friends at one of my favorite restaurants – birthday candle and all. We finished the night by making our own s’more desserts that looked like the spell book (boooooOOOoooook!) from Hocus Pocus (gosh, you’d think I like that movie) and watching a scary movie. It was relaxing and special. Add in all the sweet messages, posts, and phone calls in between and it was totally perfect. I am so thankful for the wonderful people in my life. I can’t wait for another year with all of you.

5. I need to share that this is going to be my last Favorite Five Friday post. #155! It sounds like a good time to retire it. FFF was exactly what I needed when I moved to Los Angeles, and man, it has been a joy to share in this way. My life has changed so much in this time. Thanks for traveling it with me! I am ready to move forward, expand, and grow. I’m hoping my blog can do the same. The Art of Acting Up isn’t going anywhere. I will continue to write, but I haven’t decided what as of yet! For now, I will continue with Speaks To Me Sunday, and then we will just see what happens next. I hope you stick around to find out. 🙂

As always, Happy Friday!!! 

Favorite Five Friday (128th Edition)

Another week gone by and it’s finally feeling like Fall in L.A. The cool weather is the breath of fresh air I needed. It’s been a refreshing week…

FAVORITE FIVE FRIDAY 

1.  Halloween! It’s my favorite. Dan and I took off work so we could go see The Nightmare Before Christmas – Danny Elfman live at The Hollywood Bowl. Dan loves the movie so I got tickets for his birthday, and we’ve been so excited to go. We decided to make a day of it. Neither of us could figure the last time we had a Saturday off. We went out for breakfast, wandered a farmers market, and went to a used book sale at the Burbank library. Is this what normal people do on the weekend?! Then we watched a scary movie and got ready for the concert! It was amazing. We had never been to the bowl, but we will definitely be back. Since it was Halloween they had trick or treat stations all over passing out candy, and tons of people were dressed up. Danny Elfman was phenomenal, and I just about died when Catherine O’Hara came out to sing Sally’s song. My favorite part was when the two of them came out with Paul Ruebens to reprise “Kidnap The Sandy Claws” – the original Lock, Shock, & Barrel. It was perfect. I’m so glad we went! It was an excellent Halloween.

 2.  The cool weather has been so welcome. I have been relishing opening our windows, sipping hot apple cider, lighting my favorite fall scented candles, and snuggling up under blankets. It makes everything feel new! I’m ready for sweater weather, y’all.

3.  Fall has always been my favorite season. I love Southern California and our endless summers, but I do miss the fall colors of Utah and Tennessee. There is something so special about those color changing leaves, the cool breeze that whips them through the air, the crunch of them under your feet. I am missing that desperately right now. I asked my friends on FB to post pictures of their Fall colors so I could see, and boy, did they come through! Friends, thank you for sharing your Fall with me.

 

Near my parents’ house in Salt Lake City

4.  NBCUniversal’s 30th Annual Actors Showcase is only a week away! I am so thrilled to be a part of this. I can’t wait to share the stage with some of Universal’s most talented so we can show this industry what we’ve got! We are ready. 🙂

5.  I have a new obsession. Ever since we got back from Europe I have been devouring Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series. This is serious. These books are all around 1,000 pages and I’m on the 5th one. I think I might have a problem. Haha! But that’s okay. I am so fascinated by the history, characters, romance, and fantasy of it all. I mean, time travel and 18th century Scotland (among other places)… It’s kind of awesome. So, I’m declaring my obsession. I’ve got   Four more books to read and a TV season to watch. I am not ashamed. Also… Take me back to Europe!

 
That’s all I’ve got. Happy Friday! 

Favorite Five Friday (90th Edition)

October has come to an end, and even though October is my favorite month… I am thankful that November has arrived. I am also thankful that Friday is here! Here is a recap for the week…

FAVORITE FIVE FRIDAY

1.  Halloween! We pretty much celebrated by going to work, but we did have a little Halloween party as well. Technically it was last week, but I didn’t add it into my post. So, I am sharing now! The Tour Guide Halloween Party is always a good time. People go crazy with their costumes, and it’s so fun to get together outside of work. My co-workers are pretty awesome.

 

2.  Halloween Horror Nights 2014 has officially come to an end. It was an exciting month full of fun, scares, and practically no sleep! Now, it’s time for the next big thing.

3.  I’ve become a little jewelry obsessed lately. Truthfully, I have never been a big accessory wearer. It was just never my thing, and I tended to keep things simple. Then, I decided I would just wear earrings. Then, I decided jewelry is the thing that really pulls together and completes an ensemble. And now, I love it. I’m just trying to get better at figuring out how to wear it. I just had to share my new favorite necklaces (birthday gifts from some of my favorite ladies). One for each state that I’ve called home.

4.  I have been catching up on life this week! I am so thankful for the chance to sleep, relax, and get some much-needed things done. I am starting to feel a little more normal. I am relieved and grateful.

5.  Another Disney day! We went with a group to celebrate a friend’s birthday. It was a gorgeous day of walking straight on to rides, eating yummy food, and taking silly photos. Or in other words, just another amazing day at Disneyland.

Have a happy Friday and an even happier weekend!

Favorite Five Friday (89th Edition)

Oh, what a week! Birthday celebrations and fun all week long. Y’all, I have felt so loved. Check it out…

FAVORITE FIVE FRIDAY

1.  Dan and I have lots of anniversaries… So many important and special dates that we remember as we add more years to our relationship. This week was our engagement anniversary! 5 years from the day he got down on one knee in front of a mixed crowd of strangers and friends. 5 years from the day he pulled out a ring and asked me to be his wife. My heart is so full when I think of those memories. If he asked me again today, my answer would be the same. Yes!

2.  So, it was my birthday this week! (Yay Birthday!!!) We did lots of fun things to celebrate. First, we continued a really great tradition. For the second year in a row, we welcomed in my day of birth by getting street tacos in the middle of the night. This might sound crazy, but it’s actually convenient. We were getting off of work in the middle of the night anyway, and our favorite little street taco cart pops up on our corner late at night on the weekends.  Too perfect not to be tempted. 🙂 The tacos were delicious, and my birthday had arrived!

3.  Whenever there are presents, I am like a kid on Christmas morning. I was thinking about that this week… I have never thought of gifts as one of my love languages, but man, do I love opening thoughtful gifts from loved ones.  I so appreciate the presents, the phone calls, the texts, the social media posts. Day made.

Opening gifts in PJs. It’s what you do.

I couldn’t figure out how to open it…

Dan always makes me laugh with his gift wrapping.

4.  I wanted to do something a little different for my birthday this year… So, Dan put together a fabulous birthday brunch with a few of our closest friends. We went to The Castaway in Burbank, and oh my gosh, this place is gorgeous. Delicious food with a ridiculously beautiful view of the city. It was so lovely. I guess I’m a grown-up now. (Or maybe not!)

5.  This was my Golden Birthday! (Just in case you are wondering what that means: your Golden Birthday is when you turn the age of your birth date) That’s right 26 on the 26th. I had been excited to celebrate this one for a while. I even made a goal on my 101 in 1001 to write myself a letter on that day to be opened in 10 years. So, that’s what I did! I took some time for myself to think about what I have accomplished so far and all that I still want to do. I wrote a letter about who I hoped I would be in 10 years – my goals, my dreams. There may have been a few reminders and some advice, too. And bullet points, because, ya know… I’m me. I probably still will be 10 years from now. 😉 I have tucked it away into a safe place, and I can’t wait to open it on my 36th birthday.

I had a fantastic birthday and really wonderful week. Thank you all for making this girl feel so special.

HAPPY FRIDAY!

And HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Favorite Five Friday (88th Edition)

Friday already? I don’t know where my week went. Let’s find out…

FAVORITE FIVE FRIDAY

1.  Disneyland! Our trip was pretty great this month. The Halloween decorations are the best and we practically walked onto every ride. We also got to do a couple of things I had been wanting to do for a while – Dan got me my awesome Darth Vader on Dumbo shirt and we got our silhouettes done on Main Street. Mostly we just loved hanging out together. There is something about that magic in the air at Disneyland. 🙂

I am Groot.

The shiny guy worries a lot.

 

2.  Halloween Horror Nights continues!! After this weekend, there is only one weekend left. Come on over and get scared.

Twinsies.

Creepy Twinsies

3.  More scary movies this week! An American Werewolf in London, Cabin in the Woods, and Toy Story of Terror just for good measure. We decided we had to watch An American Werewolf in London because that’s one of our mazes at HHN this year. It’s my favorite one, and, in my opinion, the scariest! I have literally screamed both times I’ve gone through it. The movie is 33 years old, and it still stands up. Sure, it’s not as scary now as it probably was then, but it looks awesome. (Tour Guide Fact: Rick Baker won the Academy award for best make-up in 1981 for An American Werewolf in London. It was the first time that award was ever given out. Plus, it’s a Universal film!) Cabin in the Woods is one of my favorite scary movies. It’s brilliantly put together. They play with and twist the horror genre into something totally different. It’s equal parts hilarious satire and totally scary movie. It’s definitely a must see. Oh, and Toy Story of Terror is just adorable. See these movies, y’all.

4.  One of the sweetest people I know is on her way out the door to NYC. So, we got together Tour Guide style for some Karaoke at Saddle Ranch to wish her well. I miss you already, Steph! You are going to do amazing things!

5.  An early birthday lunch at Aroma Cafe (my favorite) with Leah (my favorite)! We are both so busy that it’s hard to get our schedules to line up. I know whenever we get a chance to hang out, it will always be a good time. Thank you, Leah!

Have a great Halloween week, everyone! 🙂 Happy Friday!

Favorite Five Friday (85th Edition)

It’s Friday, and I am feeling good…

FAVORITE FIVE FRIDAY

1.  My favorite month has arrived!!! October is here, and I couldn’t be happier. I know I already shared my feelings about Fall, but October is the absolute best. But maybe I’m just biased since it’s my birth month. 😉 Dear October, put your feet up and stay a while.

2.  We went to see The Skeleton Twins this week, and both loved it. Seeing Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig do something so outside of what I usually expect to see them doing (…SNL) was wonderfully refreshing. They were both warm, charming, and captivating. It will also rip your heart out just a little bit. Expect to laugh, but don’t be surprised when you end up in tears.

3.  The new Tour Guides have joined the ranks so we welcomed them with a party! This week we had mixer so the old guides could meet the new, and we all had a good time. I have the best co-workers!

4.  Holiday movies are the best (Halloween and Christmas movies anyway). Dan and I were already getting into the season by watching the Scream Movies. But now that it’s October, it was time for my favorite… Hocus Pocus. I’m sure it was the first of many times that I will watch that movie this season. It is over twenty years old, and it’s still awesome. Don’t fight me on that… We might not be friends when it’s over. Haha. Just kidding… Kind of. But seriously, Hocus Pocus is the best, and if you haven’t seen it, now is the time!

5.  TimeHop is a really fun app that shows you social media posts from previous years. Since I’ve had the app I’ve seen photos I had forgotten about and updates I had shared about special moments. It’s really pretty neat. This week it showed me a blog post from a couple of years ago about some changes I had made in my life. Reading it was such a great reminder of how far I have come! It was also a helpful encourager to reach for the goals I still want to accomplish. I can’t believe it’s been three years. Here is to the next three and a healthier me. (Here is my original post for anyone who might be curious or interested: Habit Overcome By Habit)

Happy Friday and Happy October!!!

 

Favorite Five Friday (83rd Edition)

Hey all! I’m not going to lie… I might as well call this the “Dan Edition.” All of my favorite parts of this week were spent celebrating my handsome husband’s birthday! Turn back now if you don’t want to see anything sappy. 😉 (Don’t worry, it’s not that sticky.) Romantics and the brave at heart, keep on reading…

FAVORITE FIVE FRIDAY

1.  I am so thankful that Dan was born! This guy is the most hard-working, courageous, and generous man I know. He always takes care of me, challenges me, makes me laugh, believes in me, and makes me feel like there is nothing better than being Joanna. I know… I am the luckiest. 🙂 I feel like there should be more than one day a year to celebrate the fact that my best friend came into this world… so, I like to celebrate big. (If you don’t know me… I am a little obsessed with holidays. Birthdays included.) And that’s exactly what we did this week! Surprises, hunts for clues, treats, and adventures – it was quite a fun week!

2.  We got to kick off our celebration by going to the Employee Preview Night for Halloween Horror Nights at Universal. Beforehand, we had a few friends over for a little ice cream cake (it’s become a tradition for me to make ice cream cake every year for Dan’s birthday – this year was Nutella Crunch!) and to sing happy birthday, of course. Then we were on our way to evening full of screams and thrills! I love Halloween Horror Nights. Remember how I said I love holidays? Halloween is pretty much the top of my list, and I get to spend a full month in Halloween fun! We’ve got some pretty awesome mazes this year. I don’t want to spoil anything for anyone who might be planning to attend the event this year, but I think American Werewolf in London was my favorite maze. It got some serious screams out of me. So, if you are going… don’t miss that one! We got to go through all of the mazes and scare zones… it’s safe to say we had a screamin’ good time. (Yeah, I went there.) Come check out Halloween Horror Nights 2014!

 

3.  For Dan’s actual birthday I planned two adventures. The first was going to Warner Brothers for their VIP Tour – something we’ve been talking about doing for months. As VIP Guides, it felt strange to be on the tourist side, but it was a lot of fun! We got to see some really neat sets, hear about some cool history, and learn some new things. Plus, there was a William H. Macy sighting which was super cool. Part of the reason I felt like we should to the WB tour for Dan’s birthday was because they are celebrating 75 years of Batman. They had all kind of cool displays set up to check out Batman over the years. They also film a bunch of other shows and movies we really like. We enjoyed getting to see another studio and getting to be VIP guests for the day.

Clues…

4.  The second adventure was a trip to Disneyland for the Happiest Haunts Tour. Disney offers all kinds of VIP tours, but around Halloween they give a tour that revolves around some Halloween history. We had a VIP Tour Guide and a Ghost Host to share lots of fun facts and get us VIP access to a few of the rides. Our favorite ride this time of year is The Haunted Mansion because Jack Skellington and The Nightmare Before Christmas crew come to deck the halls. We also got several sweet treats along the way, and a very cool Happiest Haunts pin. One of our favorite aspects of the tour was the audio devices they use. Each guest got an ear piece and a receiver to wear. Then the VIP Tour Guide could speak normally into his microphone and we could hear him as we walked along through the park. They also played special spooky theme music to underscore the evening. I’m pretty sure the other people in our group thought Dan and I were a little crazy as we broke out into silly dances along the way. It was a really magical adventure.

“I knew it!”

5.  I also just want to say thank you to the friends and family that reached out to Dan on his birthday… sending sweet messages, spoiling him with gifts, wishing him a good day. It makes my heart happy. 🙂 I loved getting to see him be so loved! Thank you for celebrating with us!

I hope your week was just as fun! Happy Friday and Happy Birthday, Dan!

Bonus Picture!

Favorite Five Friday (44th Edition)

Hello! Welcome to another edition of…

FAVORITE FIVE FRIDAY

1.  This week I had a really fun time shooting a commercial that will hopefully be picked up by America’s Best. It feels great to get to work and become more comfortable in front of the camera.

2.  Dan and I seem to end up with at least one date day every week – lucky us!! 🙂 This week we went to see Gravity. It was pretty incredible. I would absolutely recommend seeing it – especially in IMAX 3D. It was terribly beautiful, and I was impressed by Sandra Bullock’s performance. Go check it out!

3.  The Studio Tour Halloween Party was this week, and it put a big smile on my face. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – I love Halloween. I had a blast putting my costume together – I went as Holly Golightly (Audrey Hepburn) from Breakfast at Tiffany’s. There were some pretty clever costumes that night. Nothing like hanging out with those crazies. 🙂

 

 

4.  “Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.  It turns what we have into enough and more.  It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion to clarity.  It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.”  — Melody Beattie

I’ve been thinking about gratitude a lot lately – how important it is to leading a fulfilling life.  I want to be a grateful person.  On a recommendation from a friend, I downloaded the “My Gratitude Journal” App.  Each day you type in things you are thankful for (I typically list five things each day), and the App keeps track for you.  You can go back through and see all of the positive things happening in your life.  It really changes the way you view things.  I’ve been using it for a couple of months now, and I love getting to look back on all the big and small things that I continue to be thankful for.

5.  At this time four years ago, Dan got down on one knee and asked me to marry him.  I am ridiculously happy that I said yes.  I am also ridiculously happy that someone caught that moment on film…

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151766489544952&saved

There it is!  Keep an eye out for next week’s post… it’s my birthday! 🙂

XOXO

 

Favorite Five Fabulousness

Okay, I know it is not Friday, but the weekend has not ended quite yet!  It has been such a busy week, and I have lots to share.  Most of it centers around my handsome husbands birthday and Fall!  Here is what I’ve been up to…

FAVORITE FIVE FRIDAY FABULOUSNESS

1.  Dan and I recently moved to a new area in Los Angeles, and it was about time to really check out the neighborhood.  There is a TON going on in the NoHo Arts District!  For Dan’s birthday, we decided to gather a group of friends and go check it out.  I don’t think I have ever “bar-hopped” before, but we ended up hanging out in three very different and cool places all on the same block.  It was such a fun night out in the exciting city we live in.  I loved celebrating Dan with our wonderful friends.

Birthday dinner prior to our evening out!

2.  This is the Hackman Year of Disney, and, as such, we celebrate pretty much all holidays there… Naturally, we had to make a trip for Dan’s big day!!  It was also the opening week of Halloween Time at Disney and Nightmare Before Christmas at the Haunted Mansion — Our favorite. 🙂

Birthday Boy

3.  It feels like Fall is finally here!  It’s my most favorite season.  The weather has gotten cooler and my week has been filled with scary movies, pumpkin scented candles, chocolate-chip pumpkin bread, and crockpot applesauce.  Bring it on, Fall!

4.  To add to my Fall Fever, Halloween Horror Nights at Universal has begun!!  We got to go to the employee preview night on Wednesday and experience all the attractions as guests.  It was quite the ride! Dan and I caught up on some of the films the mazes and scarezones were based on (The Purge, Insidious, Evil Dead) so we could really see how they measured up.  I can tell you John Murdy and the HHN team have truly outdone themselves.   I am so excited to be a guide for Horror Nights, and get to immerse myself in Halloween for 6 weeks!  If you are in the L.A. area, come on over to Universal Studios Hollywood and check out Halloween Horror Nights!

5.  With the beginning of HHN also came my first shifts as a VIP Guide.  It’s a completely different world, and I feel like I still have so much to learn.  (Which makes me excited).  It’s neat to have a job that changes all the time – it certainly keeps things interesting.  I am enjoying the guest interaction and guest reaction to the event.  It’s been a whole lot of fun so far.  Can’t wait to see what the next 6 weeks brings.

I hope you have all had a FABULOUS weekend, and that your week will be even better!

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Favorite Five Friday (Disney Edition)

Hello! This week FFF is all about DISNEY! Going to Disneyland while the park is all dressed up for Halloween has been something I’ve been dying to do for a few years now. This year for my birthday my husband surprised me with a mini trip to Anaheim and tickets to Disney on Halloween! It was Spook-tacular!  Here are my favorite things from our visit to the Happiest Place on Earth…

FAVORITE FIVE FRIDAY

 

1.  I love going on vacations of any kind… we only live about an hour away from Anaheim, but Dan and I decided to make a trip of it.  We drove to Anaheim on Tuesday and checked into the Red Lion Hotel. It was pretty fancy, and most importantly… within walking distance of the park!  We spent Tuesday evening exploring Downtown Disney and wishing we could go into the park. On Halloween, we woke up bright and early for our Disney experience! We spent the day hopping between Disneyland and California Adventure. It was a total blast! Then we trudged our way back to the hotel for a good night’s rest before heading home Thursday morning. Going to Disney for the day would have been enough, but having the chance to get away and do something different for a few days was so refreshing!

Ready to go!

2.  I was told that Disneyland on Halloween was going to be a mad house. Fortunately for us, that was not the case!  There was hardly anyone at the park! We walked through the line and got straight onto practically every ride. I felt so spoiled!  Not having to wait meant that we got to do every ride we wanted… and some more than once! It was fantastic!

Can’t Contain Our Excitement!

3.  The Haunted Mansion has always been my favorite ride at Disneyland… I think being an October kid sparked my interest in all things scary.  We decided that had to be the first ride we went on.  Halloween, ya know?  But… the ride wasn’t working for the first few hours we were at the park!  The workers said that always happened on Halloween. Spooky, right? 🙂  Well, they finally got the ride working and we were some of the first in line!  For Halloween (and through the Holidays) they completely change the Haunted Mansion. It gets taken over by Jack Skellington and the Nightmare Before Christmas crew!  The designers or whoever creates these rides and the updates truly outdid themselves!  It was the Haunted Mansion like you wouldn’t believe (unless, of course, you have seen it)!  The colors, the additional characters, the story line… it was like a whole new ride.  We had so much fun that we almost turned around to do it all over again as soon as we got off.  What a neat thing to do for the Holiday season!

Nightmare Before Christmas

4.  Seeing the park dressed up in the Halloween motif and then all the kids (and grown-ups) in their costumes was such a treat!  It was just another side of Disney that I had never seen before.  We didn’t dress up for the day, but living in that Halloween land that had been created was so much fun.  I might have to make going to Disneyland on Halloween an annual tradition. And maybe next year I’ll dress up. 🙂

Halloween Time!

5.  We ended our day watching the World of Color at California Adventure.  It was a water and lights show, and probably one of the coolest things I have ever seen.  I don’t even know how to describe it!  Saying they lit up blasts of water with color while they played music just doesn’t do it justice. At all.  They created such beautiful images.  I have to admit that I got a little teary.  But, it is Disney… everything they do is magical.  I think everyone should go see it for themselves, but here’s a video of it… check it out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbzJ0R9Q-h8

Disneyland will always be one of my favorite places on Earth.  Everything about our trip was perfectly magical.  I cannot wait to go back!  Who wants to buy us Season Tickets?! 😉

Pure Magic

Happy Friday! Have a magical weekend!!