obsessed...

So I'm not a big Rachel Zoe fan... frankly I think she needs to eat a damn cheeseburger. But when it comes to fashion, I listen to her. She knows what she's talking about. Although there are times when she dresses like a homeless person. But I suppose that's besides the point. Anyway, I digress, she "picked" this bag on Piperlime and when I laid eyes on it, I swear the Heavens opened and angels sang. I loved it that much. I think I need to own it. Who cares that it costs $295... right? It costs a lot to look fabulous.

Ahhhh! Totally in love with the colors... lime green? YES PLEASE!

Doesn't it look fab on my shoulder?! :)

i heart awards season:)

So I've decided to take a different approach with this blog for now... see, I'm not really doing anything on a daily basis that you people really need to know about. I'm not taking any sweet trips (although I will make a post on our family Vegas trip once I get my hands on some pictures!), I don't have any adorable children that you MUST see pictures of (well, Myley is pretty darn cute, but people might think I'm off my rocker if I post a zillion pictures of my DOG!) and I'm not so incredibly important that people want to hear my take on current events. Sooooo... I'm going to do what I do best... make posts about my obsessions! First up... the stars at the 2011 SAG Awards!

My absolute favorite look of the night? Tina Fey. Look at her... simply stunning. This red Oscar de la Renta gown is going to be in my dreams for quite some time. I love it! And I love Tina Fey. Not so much 30 Rock, but I appreciate a woman with a sense of humor. Plus, I loved her in Date Night.

In a VERY close second is Miss Lea Michele, also in Oscar de la Renta (coincidence, I think not!) As I'll point out later, I'm not into Glee. I'm sure it's a great show, but I've already got too many shows to follow and, well, Glee just never made my list. But I KNOW who Lea Michele is. She always looks fab, at ALL awards shows. The 2011 SAG Awards was no different. Gorgeous.

Ok, I'll admit... I'm obsessed with Sofia Vergara. She is KILLING it in this Roberto Cavalli number... she has the curves and she knows how to flaunt them. I love that... a woman who isn't ashamed of her voluptuousness (is that a word?!). Love Modern Family and LOVE Sofia Vergara.

So I did a little research because I have absolutely no idea who this gorgeous blonde is! Meet Heather Morris... a cheerleader on Glee. Sorry, I'm not a Gleek. But this dress is gorgeous. And because it's so fab, I'm going to plug the designer: Romona Keveza.

"Cutest Prego Lady" goes to Natalie Portman... she is really rockin' the bump. I love it. Can't say I love her hair, but the dress is ah-mazing.

My "Eat a Cheeseburger" Award goes to Giuliana Rancic. If you're really serious about having a kid, maybe you should get to a weight that allows you to ovulate and menstruate. Too harsh? Maybe.

Kim, I love you and all, but this dress just ain't doing it for your curves. It makes you look waaay bigger than you really are. Stick with the Herve Leger dresses, you look bangin' in them.

Apparently this is a new chick...Hailee Steinfield... and I have no idea who she is. All I know is that dress is bad. Really bad. Ick.

Sorry, January Jones... this dress is UGLY. That's all.

*Thanks to usmagazine.com for all the photos!

i heart my hawkeyes:)

So if you were in Iowa City yesterday, you probably couldn't help but overhear some grumblings about the state of the Iowa Football team. What started with the arrest of DJK soon turned into a tornado of rumors speculating drug use by practically every member of our team. I'm not even kidding... I heard SO MANY NAMES and with each one, I thought "no way!" But sadly, I saw the writing on the wall and was prepared for the worst. We were told late yesterday that Jewell Hampton was transferring and Adam Robinson, although medically cleared to play in the bowl game, would not be traveling with the team down to Arizona. I think every Hawk was dreading the press conference that was to happen today at 10am. So I do what every loyal Hawkeye did... I streamed the conference on KCRG.com to make sure I heard it straight from Ferentz's mouth. And what did I hear? One big lesson on Iowa's drug testing policy. No mention of additional players involved. No reference to a drug problem within the team. The only casualties were DJK, Hampton and Robinson.


HUH?!


Did I hear that right? After a giant sigh of relief, I began to question what was really going on. I've always thought that where there's smoke, there's fire and I can't help but think this logic applies here as well. I don't think DJK is the only kid on the team with a dirty nose. In fact, based on what I've been told by people associated with the football team, I know he isn't. But it appears that these kids have found a way around the drug testing procedures at the University. I just REALLY hope, for Kirk and Gary's sake, that this doesn't come back to bite them in the butt. They put their necks out there to save the Iowa Football team and if we later learn that players have not passed drug tests, I fear the consequences and backlash.


But because I absolutely positively love Kirk, I choose to believe him. What is it we all say... In Kirk We Trust? He's got this. I hope.

She's mommy's little Hawkeye:)

the BEST six months of my life:)

Well, since my last post was in 2009, clearly I've been too busy to update this blog! Oops! Between Facebook and Twitter, I feel like everyone can pretty much keep tabs on me and figure out what I've been up to. But there's something so fun about a blog that keeps me coming back! Since my last post, this is what I've been up to:

- I moved back to Iowa City

- I got married!

- I went on a fabulous honeymoon with the hubby!

- I bought a house!

- Tyson and I became parents to an adorable shih tzu/yorkiepoo puppy, named Myley!

We've settled into our place in North Liberty and are very busy with Myley and Hawkeye football! Life is good! And because no blog post is really that interesting without pictures, here are some from the past six months!

Tyson and I on our wedding day (May 22nd, 2010)

Such a fun picture. My shoes were my "something blue."


One of my favorite pictures from the day!

My beautiful girls. They all looked so gorgeous!

Cheers! We did it!

Baby Myley. Too cute.

Very sleepy.

Glamour pose!

And...

Because blog posts are totally boring without pictures, here are a few from the past 2 months:)

at Camp Randall! 20-10 Iowa Victory!

Happy 27th Birthday to me!

Dolley is helping me blow out the candles:)

Me and the beautiful bride Marcee!

Former roomie and great friend, Ann and I!

Me and the fiance! Our wedding is next!

All the beautiful ladies!

Some of my besties... Me, Sara and Kate!

Kate and I!

Wow... I really suck at this...

I mean, my last post was October 12th? Really, Amber? Is it possible to be absolutely swamped without being busy? It sounds ridiculous, but it's not like I've really been up to much the last few months. My wedding has practically planned itself, thanks to my mother. So aside from driving back and forth to Iowa City on the weekends, I don't really have much of an excuse for my L.A.M.E. blog. My world for the last few months:

October 17th: Tyson and I drove up to Madison, Wisconsin for the Iowa football game. 20-10 is all I gotta say! Go Hawks. They were 7-0 after this ass-kicking!

October 23rd-26th: Spent the weekend in Iowa City, babysitting Tyson's younger siblings. Nearly had a heart attack as the Hawks needed a no-time-remaining TD to secure the win over the Michigan State Spartans. I should also note that Tyson's neighbors probably weren't too happy with him, as he ran around the cul-de-sac screaming after the TD! Celebrated my birthday on the 26th (27 years old!) with dinner at Blackstone with my family and Tyson's parents. Fun time.

October 31st: Again nearly had a heart attack as the Hawks waited until the 4th quarter to start playing the game of football, going on to beat the Indiana Hoosiers in controversial fashion. Plenty of blown calls in this game, but the Hawks lucked out and pulled out the "W." Definitely took some criticism from the media after this game, but 9-0 is still 9 wins and NO losses, last time I checked. Also got to see a good friend and former roomie, Ann, who was in town for the weekend with her hubby Justin. Went out and had a ball with them on Halloween. I didn't dress up though! Oops.

November 7th: Unfortunately, I was there, in the stands, at Kinnick Stadium as the Hawks lost their first game of the 2009 season. What a heartbreaker. Never would've lost if Stanzi hadn't gone down. But, some things go your way and others don't. We have Penn State's number, and apparently Northwestern has ours. I expected Tyson to take the loss much worse than he did, but he bounced back pretty quick. The rest of the weekend was kind of a blur!

November 13th: Back to Iowa City... again... this time for Tyson's birthday. We went to dinner at the Wig to celebrate and braced ourselves for the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes. See, with Stanzi out, NO ONE gave us a chance. They'd totally written us off. No way in hell we could pull out a victory AT the 'Shoe. Well folks, we took them to overtime. Damn near beat 'em. If it weren't for a botched 22-yard field goal, we would've taken the mighty Buckeyes down. But, again, things just didn't go our way, but we put up one helluva fight. I was proud to be a Hawkeye! One of my besties from high school was also in town this weekend and we went out and had one heck of a night on Saturday night. Sunday wasn't so much fun, but Saturday night with Kate and Allie was one of the best in a long time!

November 21st: Ahhh yes... the weekend I'd been looking forward to all summer. See, this past summer we had an abnormally large number of Gopher fans around the ballpark. Mostly interns that felt the need to talk sh*t despite taking an absolute BEATING last year in the Metrodome (55-ZERO, in case you forgot...). "We're a better team this year," and "We've got a new stadium that's way nicer than Kinnick," and "Watch out, Minnesota football will be dominant in a few years," is all I heard all summer. Puh-lease. Give me a break. So I just kept my mouth shut and said we'll see how it plays out. Well, although I was hoping for another shellacking , the Hawks still beat the Goophers impressively, holding them scoreless for another 4 quarters. Very impressive, Minnesota. Can't wait to see how dominant you'll really be!

November 25th: Back to IC (see a pattern developing yet?) for Thanksgiving Break! One of my very best friends, and my maid of honor, Sara, was in town so it was fabulous hanging out with her. I think her boyfriend was slightly mad at me for the shape "I put her in" on Friday night. Oops. Let it be known that I wasn't force-feeding her the alcohol! On Thanksgiving, Tyson and I drove to Independence, Iowa to spend time with the Gartner family. After a hearty meal that included plenty of turkey, some cranberry sauce, and Aunt Jeanne's famous rolls, Tyson and I were off to Iowa City to spend some time with his family. I swear, I ate more in this day that I did in the 4 days leading up to Thanksgiving!

December 5th: One of my very good friends from college, Marcee, got married this weekend in a suburb of Chicago! Tyson and I drove over on Saturday morning and stayed in the hotel where the wedding reception was taking place. Wow, what a fabulous idea. No cab ride home, no worrying... just a drunken stumble up to our room. Perfect. Marcee looked absolutely beautiful and it was neat seeing all her ideas play out. About 6 months before her wedding, Marcee and I were exchanging emails about our respective plans for our weddings and we realized that many of the things Marcee was planning, I was planning as well! Without talking to each other at all! So it was neat to see everything come together. Sunday sucked because of all the driving, but all-in-all it was a fantastic weekend!

December 11th: My mom and I departed on an interestingly dangerous trip up to LaCrosse, Wisconsin to visit my Aunt Wanda and her family. I say interesting because, despite having a GPS, we still managed to get lost. And I say dangerous because, despite driving a massive SUV, we were still slipping and sliding all over the road. A trip that should've taken us no longer than 3.5 hours ended up taking almost 5. Oops. I wish I could just blame it all on the weather, but we're just not so good with directions! And I swear, neither of us are blonde! Once we got there, we spent some quality time with Wanda, Tom and their two daughters, Shelby and Joyahna. And we made my bridesmaids gifts for the wedding! AND we made MY necklace for the wedding. A very productive weekend.

December 18th- 20th: I was soooo looking forward to this weekend... I didn't have ANYWHERE to be. I could spend the WHOLE weekend in Des Moines if I wanted to! Tyson even made plans to come visit me on Saturday after he got off work! I was so pumped. Then I get a text message on Wednesday alerting me of a family Christmas on the 19th. Not kidding, I was in tears. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Christmas. Any one of my friends will tell you that. But I was just SOO looking forward to a weekend of NOTHING. Apparently that weekend just wasn't in the cards. Oh well. So on Friday I packed up my car for the 15th consecutive weekend and headed back to Iowa City. Tyson's family Christmas was fun and it was a joy to see everyone again. The question of the night seemed to be "are you and Tyson going to have kids right away?" Man, give us a chance to GET MARRIED first, people! All-in-all it was a great night and I scored a sweet pair of gloves in the gift exchange!

Well... that pretty much sums up my life for the last two months! On December 23rd I once again packed up and headed back to Iowa City for Christmas. That night, my great friend Kate threw a party at her new condo in Coralville and man, was it fun. Sara was in town and so was one of my very best guy friends from high school, Tonsie. Ahh, good times. Christmas Eve was celebrated at Grandma Judy's in West Liberty, followed by gift opening with my parents, brothers and Tyson later that night. Christmas Day I went to mass with the fam and then headed over to Tyson's parent's to open presents with his family. After a movie with the Gartner clan (went to see Up In the Air with George Clooney... excellent) we headed home to do our Christmas tradition: a meal in which everyone can have ANYTHING they want. You pick, and Bruce cooks! It's awesome! I chose spaghetti and meatballs, like I do every year:) Tyson picked tacos for his first-ever Christmas meal, but about halfway through, he looked at my dad's NY Strip and said "maybe I'll do a steak next year!" HAHA! Saturday and Sunday were lounging days, Monady through Wednesday were spent at work, and as we speak, I'm gearing up for another trip back to Iowa City to ring in 2010. I have a feeling it's going to be one of the best years of my life:)

Black & Gold Never Gets Old!

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past few weeks, you knew that the fabulously undefeated Iowa Hawkeyes were taking on the Michigan Wolverines this past Saturday night, under the lights at the infamous Kinnick Stadium. If you know me and my fiance, you know that we're slightly obsessed with Hawkeye Football. Tyson grew up sitting on the 50-yard line with his dad nearly every Saturday from August to December. And I, although spending my entire life in the amazing town of Iowa City, did not attend my first Hawkeye game until my freshman year of college. Tyson and I's relationship was solidified around Hawkeye football. Every weekend we'd head down to the stadium to tailgate with his friends and family. Some of the most amazing memories I have with him have been on ice-cold football saturdays! This season, because of family weddings and work obligations, I haven't been able to sit with Tyson and cheer on the Hawks like we've done for the last two years. So you can only imagine how incredibly excited I was that NOTHING was planned on Saturday, October 10th. Nothing but a nice, old-fashioned ass-kicking of the Michigan Wolverines. Ok, so maybe it wasn't the blowout I was hoping for, but like the Homecoming t-shirts so cleverly stated, we definitely made Michigan our Bichigan! HA!

The day started out around 4 pm, which is seriously LATE compared to the 11 am start times most students obeyed! We parked far enough away from the stadium to get a good walk in and headed towards the Kinnick Society parking lot, where Tyson's family sets up camp every home football weekend. There were tents. There was a camper. There were heaters. There was a grill with tons of chicken and brats. There was chili. There was Bailey's and coffee. And most importantly, there was this incredible anticipation surrounding the Stadium. Everyone was just giddy with excitement. The atmosphere was incredible. And I was still OUTSIDE the stadium!

After visiting with friends from Des Moines and catching up with a great friend in town from Memphis, Tyson and I decided to head in a bit early. Ya know, to catch all the pregame stuff that goes on during Homecoming Week. We took our seats in time to see Chuck Long grace the Kinnick Stadium grass once again. We saw the cheerleaders and dance team, and the ALUMNI cheerleaders and dance team. Everyone was smiling. Everyone was having a good time. Everyone was in Black and Gold. The coolest colors EVER. When "Back in Black" blared through the speakers, I about lost it. See, although I've been to quite a few Hawkeye games in the past eight seasons, the electricity of Kinnick Stadium never gets old. The players walking through the halls to AC/DC. The semi driving in to Iowa City and smashing the opposing mascot on it's way through. The stupid board that Herky rides out on. The I-O-W-A flags that light up the night as they fly through the air. The SWARM. None of it EVER gets old to me. I ALWAYS have goosebumps. And this year, I almost cried. Everyone was cheering. Everyone was in black. Everyone was waving their gold pompoms. You could tell that every single person in that stadium, aside from the handful of Michigan fans, was 100% in love with the University of Iowa Hawkeyes. And that was pretty damn cool.

Although the game was a little too close for comfort, the Hawkeyes scraped out a two-point victory to improve to 6-0 for the first time since 1985. Oh, and by the way, the Hawks now own the nation's second longest winning streak. Two words: Iowa Hawkeye Pride. :)