WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS, my friends!

Lakers did it!

My man is the ultimate Laker fan, and I have to say... after watching nearly every single game with him, even I feel like this is a great payoff.  After a rather frustrating series against Boston, I'm glad they took it home and didn't disappoint.  While there wasn't as much celebration happening over here yesterday, I'm sure we will partake in some festivities this weekend.

D-fish, love him... such an honest player with a great heart.

Party time!

Laker's mascot - for lack of a better word - doing what he does best,

intimidate our opponents.

Sad sad Dane Cook.  Don't be mad, just become a Laker fan *giggles*

DIY: Laker Pong Table

A lot of birthdays have been happening lately, and for Alex's boyfriend's birthday - she and I set out to create a beer pong table decked out in Laker colors.  While our visit to our local Home Depot was far less than enjoyable - we got the job done!  And now I'm wishing we weren't so excited to just give it to him that we completely forgot to snap a reaction photo of his face when he saw this completely legit, regulation style, hand painted Laker court, beer pong table.  Here's a photo recap of our journey...

Day 1: We purchased a great oak piece of wood, had it cut down to regulation size, mounted some banquet leg tables and painted it Laker yellow.

 

Day 2: We created a Laker stencil, transposed the graphic and painted it Laker purple.  We painted a purple edge along the entire table as well as stenciled LOS ANGELES on both ends.

Day 3: We created a playoffs stencil, transposed the graphic and painted it its respective colors.  While we wanted everything to be completely original, we choose to purchase an NBA sticker rather than stencil out Jerry West's silhouette.

Day 4: We scaled out the entire court so that the table would be as closely accurate to the original.  We painted all the court lines, the hardest being the key - don't ask how we managed.

4 coats of wood varnish later and voila!!  Beer pong dreams were made... I have a feeling this won't be our first table.  Happy Birthday David!

Hump Day Fave: Lakers

I am a Laker fan - now let me break down my definition of my fan status: basketball is the only sport I enjoy watching, and the only team I legitimately route for is the Lakers.  I know the players names.  I'm familiar with their history and want to watch their games.  However, I am in no way shape or form a die-hard Laker fan, or a basketball fan, like my man is.  He will watch almost every single basketball game airing if he could - Lakers or not - I on the other hand do not care unless its the Lakers.  He will do nearly anything to not have to miss a Laker game, and for me if there's something else going on that I'd rather be at - then just knowing the final score is enough for me.  Make sense?
So again I say, I am a Laker fan.  And here are my favorite Lakers (in order of preference):

1. Lamar Odom
Not only is he a QT, he is a really good player.  Some might disagree at times, because he's the quiet player that doesn't have consistent big numbers across the board - but he is effective and does pull through when his team needs him.  I like him because he doesn't have to be the star.  He plays the game, and he plays it well.  He's a team player all the way and from what I've seen, it seems as though he focuses more on highlighting their best attributes with assists and rebounds rather than worrying about his own points per game.
Side note, while at first I was very anti-Mr. & Mrs. Lamar Odom-Kardashian, after watching them together on Khloe's show, they are sweet together and I wish them the best. 

2. Pau Gasol
While I definitely feel this boy needs a hair cut pronto! and he plays a little too soft sometimes - he is hands down an insanely talented player.  He's humble and recognizes when his team - and himself - needs to improve on certain areas of the game.  You can tell he wants to be a great player and cares about his personal contribution to the team  not his stats.
And again, he needs to, needs to get a hair cut.  That shaggy mess is not workin on, or off the court.  Where's the team barber at??

3. Derek Fisher
An oldie but a goodie for sure!  Of course he's cute, and notorious for being the clutch player given his numerous last second shots that have won many many games.  I like him because although he's the oldest player on the team, he's clearly in extremely good shape and can still play with the youngest basketball breeds. 
He's like the wise pop of the team, who doesn't love that?

4. Shannon Brown
This one is a new favorite of mine.  And to be honest, I haven't quite made my mind up about him, but he still makes the list.  I like him because he came out on the team full of energy and ready to prove himself - which he has.  However, I think now that he's received some recognition for his talents, I've noticed he's beginning to play cocky at times.  Don't do that Shannon!! 
Plus, I was pretty disappointed to find that he did not represent LA very well in the dunking contest this year.  All I have to say is, what were you thinking?!  I hope he gets another chance and any nerves dissipate so he can really show off his talents.




{images via}

My Weekend at a Glance

My somewhat eventful weekend kicked off with the Lakers beating the Heat with 2 amazing clutch shots - 1 by Derek Fisher who is notorious for sinking in clutch 3 pointers throughout his career, and to even my surprise Kobe landed the winning point shot. And no, I'm not a Kobe hater - I am simply a fan who is willing to admit that there are times Kobe can make some not-so-smart plays. This game, I'm happy it worked out!

Saturday my friend Shans and I woke up extra extra early and stood in line at the Spectrum Forever21's Grand Opening Event. The first 400 people in line received free gift cards ranging from $10 - $210. I have to say, the waiting was not bad - especially since I was in good company. But the selection I was disappointed. I was hoping to see their new line Tres Paris, but it was no where to be seen. All in all, I would do it again.

In our time of waiting, we did download the new app White Christmas that I blogged about over at Johnson Gray.

I must admit, I like it a lot.

The weekend ended with a nice holiday dinner with a couple of friends. Good food. Good wine. Good Weekend.

Holiday Weekend at a Glance

This holiday weekend went by so fast! It's true when they say time flies when you're having fun. My weekend at a glance is as follows:

1. Turkey dinner with my immediate family - including my newly relocated-close-to-home sister Candice, her hubby and their twin baby girls (so cute), and my boyfriend made an appearance this year - which was what I was most thankful for that evening. That, and of course my sister's homemade pumpkin pie.

2. Julie & Julia - I finally rented this baby and forced Danny to watch it with me (haha). I have to admit that I thought there was gonna be a lot more wow factor to this, but at the same time I liked it. I love trying new things, especially recipes, and could totally see me doing something like this during my first years of marriage and home cooking.
3. Johnson Valley - As a last minute decision, Danny and I found ourselves trekking down to Johnson Valley (somewhere close to Big Bear) for some dirt bike riding, quarter playing, freezing our butts off evening. Yep! The weather was not on our side, and therefore I spent most of the night shivering in the truck. The first thing I did when I got home was take a smoking hot shower to thaw out my limbs.

4. Laker game - Although we missed the huge blowout on Saturday night (Lakers kicking some major Goldenstate ass with a 33 point win), we did however enjoy Sunday night's game against the Nets. As you can see, they are kicking ass and taking names. I hope they continue playing this good... fingers crossed.

I hope you all had an amazing holiday weekend. Back to reality...

Pau is Back!

Pau is back! And the Lakers won! After losing 2 games in a row, having him back on the floor was what this team needed to get back on their feet. Not to mention he kicked some serious Chicago Bull ass! Having played 35 minutes (10 more than anticipated) and scoring 24 points (the most of any Laker that game), 13 rebounds and 3 assists... it's like he never left. Even he was surprised: “I wasn’t really expecting to be as effective as I was tonight,” Gasol said. “I just played and had fun. I took advantage of the opportunities.”
Let's keep this up! Okay Lakers?!

Lamar Commercial

My favorite Laker player Lamar Odom has a new commercial that had me rolling. Enjoy:

Lakers are BACK!

There's nothing else I want people to read on here today other than - Welcome back Lakers! Official season starts today!! That's where I'll be! Have a great Game Day everyone.