Change...The Evidence...

As I wrote about my summer of change, it is only fair that I share the evidence with you. Just Looking At These Pictures Stress Me Out. Never Again Mom. Never Again.

Before... July 2010 

Storage/Island/Massive White Space

Stove Circa Early 1990's? 

The Temporary Kitchen 

Cardboard City/Living Room

Now Do You See THIS Is Why I Hate Change? 

Oh You Know...  Just Our Stove Hangin Out In The FRONT Yard. 

 I Present To You, Dad's New Toy. 

Whaaaddd Up Martha Stewart? 

Cabinets. 

Finished. Well Almost... August 2010. 

Aside from a few little details being fixed,the resident chef has resumed making her masterpieces.  Reservations are now being accepted. 

-Sara- 

Dancing With The "L" List Stars...

Audrina Patridge. Brandy. Florence Henderson. Margaret Cho. Jennifer Grey. Bristol Pailin. David Hasselhoff. Michael Bolton. Rick Fox. Kurt Warner. Kyle Massey. And my personal favorite and soon to be season eleven Dancing With The Stars winner, The Situation. ABC has hit an all time low. When the contestants were announced last season, I thought between Buzz Aldrin and the adorable Evan Lysachek, I thought that they had lived up to Dancing With The STARS. I'd call a gold medal olympian and the first man to walk on the moon a star. But ABC, you call Bristol Pailin a star? And exactly what do you believe she is famous for?

     For the people who watched The Hills, we know Audrina as the girl who befriended Lauren Conrad and sat behind a desk at Epic Records, and did the occasional press tour for promoting The Hills. Do I see the word star in that description anywhere? Brandy Norwood. Does the 1998 summer hit "The Boy Is Mine" ring a bell?  Brandy and Moesha? I will have to give her the sympathy vote for being in a fatal accident at the end of 2006. Brandy, don't count on becoming a star at the end of this process. "Greg, Bobby, Peter, Jan, Marsha, Cindy... time for breakfast." Florence Henderson. Just go back to dancing at the mall with your famed chillens in your Sunday best. Not in the ballroom. Margaret Cho. Next. Jennifer Grey. You're probably thinking she has an advantage with knowing the famed Dirty Dancing Finale dance.  I don't know about you, but  I know one of my all time favorite movie quote is "nobody puts baby in corner". And as she said on the reveal show, its been over twenty years since she made the famed dance. I'd say somewhat of a star in my mind. Bristol Pailin. I'm not gonna say much, but she's ridiculous for signing on with Dancing. If I was her, I'd bomb the first two weeks and go hide and see what I could do to make up for being an embarrassment to the start of my mothers 2012 presidential campaign. 

     David Hasslehoff. Congratulations ABC. You have chosen the "Baywatch"running down the shore in his best lifeguard swimming trunks to viral YouTube hit. I won't go into details. Michael Bolton. Anyone remember the 1997 Disney Hit Hercules? Oh I hope you do. Because our fellow dancer wrote the theme song to the movie, "Go The Distance". If you don't remember the song, google it. Rick Fox. Basketball star who was formerly married to Vannessa Williams. Made cameo appearances on random and I mean random T.V. shows. Kurt Warner. Apparently a class act. He came back from a what should have been a career ending injury. I see some major heart melting votes in football fans future. Kyle Massey. I have one word of advice. Starts with q and ends with uit. You just turned nineteen years old. Go live your life on the Disney Channel where you belong. I've been saving the best for last. The Situation melted my heart on a cold night back in December 2009. I wasn't sure of you first, but then as the episodes got funnier and wilder, I knew you belonged on Dancing. I do hope though because you are sequestered at the shore, you are able to kick it into gear on September eighth when you are released.        

     Congratulations ABC on eleven seasons and another eleven L list stars. 

-Sara- 

     

Doughnuts And Directions...

The thoughts of going to bed early started to cross my mind along the hour of ten o'clock Monday night, but I was determined to end summer 2010 with a bang by watching only the classiest of them all TV shows; "The Real Housewives Of New Jersey" season finale. Yep. That's right. The last image of Summer 2010 I have is Danielle saying goodbye to her so called "bodyguards." I was hoping that I would wake up the next day waking up from a horrible nightmare and still have it be summer. Hey, I like to dream big. 

     Unfortunately,that nightmare became a reality and promptly seven fifteen the next morning, my alarm went off and faced the day that would bring syllabuses and the dreaded starts with Home and ends with work word. Donned in my dark J-Crew appropriate length kaki shorts, the ever so classic grey shirt, and in case it might be cold in the classrooms, but I ended up wearing it the whole day because it was just so cute North Face sweatshirt, I was off to start the 2010-2011 school year. 

     My class started at 9:30, but due to the fact that I had seen the nightmare parking statuses on Facebook the day before, I decided that I would leave the house at eight o'clock. On a good day it takes me at least thirty minutes to get to school and that's with morning rush hour. That way, once I got to school I could find parking, go get my handy dandy planner, grab a coke from the "Doughnuts and Directions" booth, and still have plenty of time to get to class. The traffic and parking gods must have been looking out for me that day. I got to school in a little less than thirty minutes, found a rather good parking spot close to my building, and as an added bonus, I was able to get my planner on the first day of class when I normally have to wait until after Labor day because they have run out.

     I began the trek to my building where I would meet my Topanga look a-like  from "Boy Meets World" Western World Masterpieces Professor. I kid you not. I thought she was another one of my classmates, but once she sat in front of the room, I thought one thing. She looks like Topanga. Being the over prepared student I am, she had emailed us the syllabus the weekend before asking us to print it out before the first meeting of class. As she was talking to us about being late (which I am not) and holding a McDonald's coffee cup in her hand Topanga stated the following, "I'm not gonna lie. I have to drive a hour to get here. I have a seven year old son. We may hit rush hour traffic... so if you're a few minutes late, I won't take points off for tardiness."  Let me take a moment to get on my soap box. I'm still on time and it takes me a good thirty minutes to get there. I still have to fight rush hour traffic just like you do. I still have to find a place to park among the 3,000 other students who don't have prime parking spots like you do. I still have to walk from my car to the classroom. So if I'm paying you good money to teach me, you should be on time. Yeesh. 

    My first class dismissed almost thirty minutes early after the still come to class so "I can teach you but we're only going over the syllabus today class." I have a feeling this class is going to be like watching grass grow. With well over forty five minutes to spare, I made the thirty second trip to my next class which focuses on the ins and outs of journalism. A class just up my alley. Cha ching! Just what I've always wanted. My classroom is a computer lab which has some serious pros and cons. A pro? Checking the ever so important Facebook before class. A con? Being tempted to check Facebook DURING class. As the eleven o'clock hour arrived, so did my professor. I was quickly introduced to maybe the most laid back belongs in a news-room with his sleeves rolled up, his voice is so soothing he could put me to sleep (in a good way) I shall introduce you to my journalism professor James St. Clair. After two classes with him, I have found my life calling. Look for me on WAVE 3 T.V. in five to tenish years. I have always had a passion for Broadcast Journalism after taking a high school class, but this man and his class has confirmed my new life calling.
     The first week of classes has come to a close. I've received the first assignments, the go out and buy your textbooks if you don't have them yet lecture and the already needing to fill up on gas reminder. As the stress has started to pile on, I tell myself 103 Days Till Christmas Break.

-Sara- 

Cheater, Cheater, Couldn't Finish Rehab Either...

August 2nd quickly approached, and Lindsay Lohan entered UCLA Medical Center for her second part of her sentencing, I asked myself one thing; "I wonder if she'll get out of rehab early? There's no way. This is what she needs and maybe the third seventh time a charm thing might just work?" I thought this was going to be the place that she would truly focus the next ninety days on herself, and would have security planned out to enforce her plan. Less than ten days later, our little starlet got bored. No TV, no exercise. Well what else is there to do? Operation cut Lindsay's stay in UCLA Medical Center in half.
    As the ten day mark was approaching word got out that Lindsay would in fact be leaving the facility sooner rather than the full ninety days. In the mean time, Judge Revel got too big for her britches and dismissed herself from the case. I now call to the bench Judge Eldon Fox. "Okay maybe this Judge can save Lindsay's life. Her career? Not so much."
     BREAKING NEWS: PEOPLE Magazine has increased their printing AND price for this weeks issue of the magazine. Your's truly has a subscription and receives her copy before it goes on news stands. Rest assure I WILL keep you updated. Story Developing....
      Update: After posting this post, I spent half the night trying to solve this mystery. I had decided it had to be a wedding, a baby, a divorce, or the EXCLUSIVE Lilo interview. It was just a waiting game to receive this coveted issue and solve this mystery. Around 12:30 on a mild Wednesday in August, my mystery was solved. SPOILER ALERT: An exclusive "First And Last nineteen hour interview with Elin Nordegren" What?? I had stayed up well past my bedtime to solve this right up my alley mystery?? And all I have to look forward to is Elin?
   As my disappointment had settled down, it was time for Lilo's first full day of freedom. But first she had to make a stop at the Beverly Hills Courthouse to see her new friend Judge Fox. Once again, the one day that I need to see this come to an end, I'm scheduled to work. Do I see a trend here? Every time something big in Hollywood happens I'm at work? Oh the joys of being an adult. Judge Fox sent down the following guidelines for her continued release: Lindsay must reside at home until November 1st. No going to New York For you Lilo. Random drug and alcohol testing twice a week. I guess that means stay home and drink smoothies all day. Attend and participate in psychotherapy sessions four days a week. Attend behavior therapy sessions twice a week. Attend a twelve step program. Which translates to, find another facility that will cover up and lie for her so she can spend her days catching up on all the good TV she missed while she was gone. If she does not abide by these conditions, she will be forced to wear the oh so fashionable orange jump suit again for thirty days.
    Lindsay, if you plan on breaking any of these rules, please let me know ahead of time so I can make my work schedule to be home for your next court appearance.

-Sara-

The Dog Days Of Summer...

Are over. I'm sure you're thinking "between school, work, and a social life, when will Sara have time to blog?" Do not panic. I repeat do not panic. I will still be blogging, just not every other day. After much soul searching, I've decided to blog once a week either on Sundays or Thursdays. I will make the exception though that if something is so important that I have to break to my dedicated readers, I will change (gasp) up my weekly routine and blog in the middle of the week. Talk about love people. Would you care to hear about my summer twenty oh ten in review? 

    May brought me: finals week and Mother Daughter Florida, first time I had to make a connecting flight in Atlanta of all places ALONE to meet Mom and Taylor. May also brought and tortured me with Monday and Wednesday Three Hour Speech Classes Summer School. Finally declare Communications major. And who could forget the life altering trip to Home Depot to redo the kitchen? 

      June: More Summer school. Demolition of the kitchen. Celebrated my third year of working up at the PFM. Freed from Summer School prison. 

    July: What a busy busy bee I was. July 4th Gray Family shenanigans. After summer school, work owned me. Weekend trip to Chicago to celebrate Lauren's birthday. Next to the wedding; one of the best weekends of my life. More work. Ann's Wedding :) Annual two week trip to Michigan. Family beach photo shoot. Two year accident free!! 

   August: START BLOG. More kitchen chaos. Mom and Dad's thirtieth wedding anniversary. The lovebirds first anniversary. Kitchen pretty close to being complete. Missing Bear Finds His Way Home. Sara returns to school. 

      Summer 2010 treated me pretty well, but due to the fact that I'm not a fan of hot weather, I'm ready for Honey Crisp apples, Apple Cider, FOOTBALL, sweatshirts, the birthday, and the arrival of some cooler temperatures. Summer 2011? Bring it. 

-Sara-

Step One In Becoming A Queen...

We've seen it on OPRAH, the horrific commercials, the insurance ads, and true life, too close to home stories about driving and texting. I normally write very witty posts, but today I'm asking you to hold that "Facebook worthy wall post" until you get to your final destination. Just like everyday before I do anything, I checked my Hollywood gossip to find that plastic surgeon to the stars Dr. Frank Ryan was killed instantly on August 16, 2010 because of this deadly and trending killer. Dr. Ryan had always dreamed of climbing some giant sand dunes west of the beaches of Malibu. After achieving this dream, he got in his car, switched his ignition to ON, and started driving. In today's society we always think we have to multi-task with life, and that's what he choose to do. He choose to TWEET about completing his dream:"After 25 years of driving by, I finally hiked to the top of the giant sand dune on the pch west of Malibu. Much harder than it looks! Whew!" And those were the last words we will ever see from the now legendary surgeon. As much as he may have been excited about crossing off climbing sand dunes off his bucket list, he could have continued to complete his list had he not decided to make this life ending decision. Usually when I read that someone in Hollywood has passed away, I say a little prayer for the person who has died, and the people left behind. But when I read that he had died because of deciding to TWEET his accomplishment while driving, I became stunned, and took a minute to say an extra prayer for his family and having to live with the consequences of his decision. As tempting as it is to hear your phone ring or alert you that you have a new message while your driving, please think about the people you love and those that love you, and join Sandra Bullock, the cast of gLee, music idol Sir Elton John, Snowboarder Shaun White, and Queen Raina Of Jordan (hence the title) and me in becoming cell phone free. 


-Sara- 

Speidi: The Next Brett Favre...

When "The Hills" saga started, I told myself I wasn't going to partake in the so called Teenage soap operas. It was filled with drama, and I didn't do drama. After hearing some big hoopla over this show called "The Hills" I would at least watch the first episode. After that I swore to myself I would never watch it again. Until I saw the story line of Speidi form. For those who are unaware of the plastic surgery addict (Heidi Montag) and Tom Hanks Castaway lookalike (Spencer Pratt) couple, let me give you a quick rundown of how these two media hogging couple came about. January 2007: Girl meets boy. Girl and boy start dating. February 2007- January 2008. Speidi continues to date while hogging the camera's and charging $20,000 for a thirty minute club appearance.  February 4, 2008. Speidi comes out a with a no words to describe how horrible, shot on a beach, probably in one take with a video camera, music video for her single "Higher". March 2008- November 2008. Continue camera hogging. November 20, 2008 and ten too many tequila shots later, Heidi and Spencer become Mr. And Mrs. Pratt during a trip to Mexico. Surprise, surprise, they want more camera hogging. After returning to Los Angeles, it was discovered that this so called "marriage" was not recognized in the states. Back to more dating and more overcharging club appearances. But not for long. After the fiasco of the Margarita Monday wedding, it would be decided that on April 20,2009, they would call two hundred of their closest, so called but really needing to fill the church pews to make it look like they had friends, friends to officially make them Mr. and Mrs. Spencer Pratt.
     This is where I would give you a timeline of their divorce drama, but as of today I was looking to see if any divorce paper updates had been revealed, and according to an inside source, this "divorce" seems to be another act of "well shoot. The Hills" cameras have now left us; what do we do now?" FAKE divorce.  It seems as if one day they are disputing over dog custody(and no, I'm not kidding) and the next day they are in marriage counseling.
     For the first year of marriage you are supposed to give your spouse something paper. And thats exactly what Heidi did. What kind of papers you ask? Divorce papers. So much for saving the top layer of their wedding cake figuring they wouldn't be reenacting that joyous moment a year later.
     Like I said in the beginning, I promised myself I would only watch the pilot episode to see what "The Hills" was all about. And after watching all 102 episodes of "The Hills" I finally figured it out. The show was never about Lauren Conrad and her Hollywood Glamour Life. It was, in large part, about I'm too famous for eHarmony and match.com, so let's find, date, breakup, drunk marry, marry again my soon to be ex-husband on a reality t.v show aimed towards 16-20 year old girls.

-Sara-

Sometimes, Change Is...Everything.

For those who know me, and I mean really know me, I despise change. There is no word in the english dictionary to replace the word despise to describe how much I hate change. The word change is non existent in my vocabulary. Just the thought of change makes me want to cringe. I can take small amounts of good change, but that's about it. But "lets redo the kitchen that Sara has grown up with her entire life?" You can stop right there. Which brings me to todays topic. "The People At Home Depot Said It Would Only Take Two Weeks Starting in June, But Really It's Going To Take Until The End Of August" remodeling of The Gray Family Kitchen: Summer 2010.

    If there is one thing to know about my wonderful mother, :) it's that when she has an idea stewing in her head, she carries around a cute little note pad, has my dad doing way too much research and has that "oh I'm up to something but not ready to freak Sara out yet" look. It was another hot summer Kentucky day and I had come home from a long day at work and was greeted with the infamous face. Excellent. (Insert eye roll.) I knew something was up. "Dad and I are going to Home Depot to go design the new kitchen. You wanna go?" The average American laughs at a good joke. I'm an average American, so I laughed. Ohhh...This was no laughing matter.  The thought of this overwhelming significant change took awhile to sink in, but I was starting to grasp the idea. It would be decided that cabinets would be delivered sometime the first week of July. Before all the kitchen shenanigans took place, Mom needed a quick trip to Florida. Her parting words to me? "Don't be surprised if I call you and say, start unloading the cabinets. The new ones are being delivered tomorrow. Call me if you need anything." REAL FUNNY. Luckily, they were delivered after mother returned home.
     One of the down falls that comes with a kitchen renovation, involves becoming clever for meals. If you ever have out of town guests and looking for places to take them, forget The Yellow Pages. Call me. Seriously. And not having access to a microwave for the midnight to two A.M "you better put your name in sharpie if you want to find your leftovers tomorrow morning. If not, it's free for all,"fourth meal was quite inconvenient.
      Being the genius mother she is, she would plan to have us endure most of the waiting of the countertops while frolicking along the shore of Lake Michigan. Calls after calls, things were progressing. After arriving home from two weeks in Michigan, I thought my nerves would begin to calm down. I had told myself that this was the week that things would fall into place. Epic fail. With plumbing and construction flaws and miscommunication, I bring you to present day. Summer vacation is a time for sleeping in, letting textbooks collect dust, the occasional summer romance, and soaking up some Vitamin D.  I guess construction workers with loud tools don't take in the rule of the earliest you should start your tools is 11:00. (And thats being early.)  So much for the recommended eight hours of sleep.
     You would think that any certified contract worker would know how much voltage can be used before popping a circuit. And that would be true if you weren't dealing with a house having its ORIGINAL wiring from 1956. Just to add more stress to this already change filled project, my change meter rose to an all time high. Kitchen shenanigans would come to a halt for two days while the entire circuit panel for my childhood home received a complete twenty first update. By then, I'd about had enough. Maybe by taking a much needed two week vacation I could forget the inconvenience of the dust, noise, and the "what are they doing to the kitchen today?" Thank goodness for beaches, low humidity, and mile stone birthday parties.
    With just a punch list of minor things left to be fixed, and my first home cooked meal in almost seven weeks, my mind is finally at ease, and am once again learning the layout for the much needed midnight to two AM munchies.

-Sara-

R.I.P. American Idol:2001-2011...

Kelly Clarkson. Ruben Studdard. Fantasia Barrino. Carrie Underwood. Taylor Hicks. Jordin Sparks. David Cook. Kris Allen. Lee Dewyze. I just named all nine American Idol Winners. In order. Rainman does it again. I will admit I was saddened by the news of our beloved Paula Abdul leaving the coveted American Idol judges panel. Did we really think that there was water in the now famous red plastic coke cups?? Didn't think so. And bringing Kara Dioguardi to the table was pointless. It's a good thing her contract was a year by year thing, because she really needed to go. Once Paula left, I wasn't sure how the show would be without her, but figured FOX had gimmicks up their sleeve to keep audiences interested. After some serious judge searching Fox hires the queen of comedy; Ellen Degeneres was also on a year to year basis. Way to go FOX.You kept me interested. She was kinda of a smart move. She would be the person going out and buying the music, and along with me, was a dedicated viewer from the beginning. Simon needed some way to have the attention on him. Ellen had gotten her fifteen minutes of "Welcome To Idol Ellen!" Fame. It was only fair that Simon announces his departure the DAY Ellen is hired. I have one word for you Simon; Rude. Reading the news made me think one thing: Idol is donezo. Hello?! He was the face of Idol. He's the reason I watched AI.  I'm gonna miss those tight black t-shirts. As much as he was rude, he was honest.

     Let the search for the most coveted judges seat in Reality TV commence. Only after one of the lowest watched American Idol Season Finale's aired. Less than twenty four hours after American Idol Shock Number two happened (Crystal should have won. Maybe if I had voted 301 times she would have won) names were being dropped left and right. Bret Michaels. Elton John. Harry Connick Jr. You say a name, I'm sure it was mentioned. That was May. Preliminary Idol auditions have started and the thought of replacement judges has now sparked a media storm. Who's to judge? 

    I awoke one crisp Summer morning and checked my daily resources only to find that the judges search was over. Timeout. Newsflash Hollywood. Don't you first start rumors, let them circulate a few days, and THEN come out with the final lineup?  It had been announced that Fox had fired Kara, Ellen had stepped down, and you now had Randy Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, and Steven Tyler as what I believe the final set of American Idol Judges. I wasn't too hip on J-Lo and Steven Tyler, but I could learn to deal. 

       Then came the news that Idol producers wanted to wipe the Judges table clean and start from scratch. I was never a big fan of Randy, but letting him go? Thats crossing the line.  And then rumors swirling about bringing Paula back? If she does come back being sued? And then Steven Tyler not confirming his new position? And J-Lo backing out?? Seriously. J-Lo. Your glory days were over in the "Jenny From The Block" era Circa 2002. I never really listened to the glory days of Aerosmith, but rest assure, those days are loooonnnggg over. 

      After gazillizons of votes casted (in which I helped), 352 episodes, 352 "I'm Ryan Seacrest, And This Is American Idol",108 contestants, nine winners, nine long years of mid January to mid May Tuesday and Wednesday nights, four judges, and one metrosexual host, it's time say American Idol; you have been eliminated from the competition. 

-Sara-

Pirates And Grape Bubbles...

Thank goodness we didn't need the ever so popular icebreakers dotted about the tabletops. Last time I checked weren't we all related? Through out my twenty-one years of life, I have slowly been informed of family relatives. It has taken me awhile, but sometime this last year, I about had everyone and every way we are related down. Yes. Even the ones hanging in the National Portrait Gallery across the pond. A mere two weeks ago, the memorization came to a screeching halt. I was informed of four more relatives. Let me introduce you. Lucy and Thomas, who hail from Paris, France and London, England respectively, and Iva, and my personal favorite, her husband Shocky Sr. (Of course, there's Shocky Jr.) Visiting from Baltimore, it was only appropriate that Iva and Shocky wanted to have a dinner party. I trudged into work and requested the afternoon off for this event. I was given the day off instead. Great. The day off gave me more time to make myself look cute, yet sophisticated. Oh wait, who was I trying to impress? The room filled of sixty seventy and eighty year olds? Donned in my cute little Forever 21 black and white floral dress with my Steve Madden Pink Suede Shoes, (which Iva thought were dynamite), Pink clutch, and a little black shrug because my dress was too short for this type of event and the age group, I was off to try and make this party somewhat interesting for the young at heart.
      Cocktail hour promptly began at 6:30. Queue a least one vodka cranberry. After the polite 45 minutes of drinks, I promptly found my seat marked with grape scented bubbles. First I thought, What am I? Five? Then I realized the tables were so much fun with goofy glasses, party blowers and my personal favorite the red foam clown nose. 
      You can't have a dinner party and not have assigned seating. At my table, there was myself, the ever so legendary Aunt Holly and Uncle Thumper, along with my second cousins. After being seated I was presented with a KY Bibb lettuce and peeled tomato salad. And so began the awkward conversations including college majors, Being asked by the same person twice, "Sara what’s your class schedule this year?" UK Football, the ever so hated awkward silence, two people conversations in which I was not included and the way too graphic yet so inappropriate Karen Sypher trial. I was sitting at my table while listening to the two other tables who were laughing and recalling old times as I was left twiddling my thumbs. Dinner had arrived including the "Oh I hope this is good. This is the first time I've had to order a piece of steak by myself and being asked how I wanted it cooked and dad not telling the waiter how I wanted it cooked, but I think I want medium rare, so a medium rare steak please." On my plate came a really good piece of steak, rice, and the untouched vegetables. (okay maybe I am five.) "Sara do you not like broccoli?" No as a matter of fact, I don't. I look at it every day and it's the last thing I wanna eat.  Dinner continued on and so did the "Now how old is Sara?" "She's 21." "Oh she looks so young." conversation at the other tables. Dessert finally came and it was time for the oh so famous Peppermint Pie. It's kind of sorta deliciously good. It's an Oreo crust, with Peppermint Ice Cream and then a chocolate fudge topping, and then frozen. A perfect dessert for this kind of weather. 
      The night was coming to a close and it was time for the in the always so interesting car evaluation after party discussion. I got the Karen Sypher conversation, Mom got the funny Army X-Lax Bars stories and Dad got rock climbing. Extended Gray Family Dinner Party for the win. Maybe this was a good way to spend a Tuesday night after all! 

-Sara-

From The Parent Trap To Lynwood...

As I mentioned in the first post, I promised I would blog about my thoughts on the Lindsay Lohan saga. One of my favorite things to follow in Hollywood is the celebrity justice. Whether it's celebrity mug shots (good or bad) or to full drawn out trials, I keep a very close eye on them. Thanks Court TV! To those who don't know the complete story, I'll give you refresher. In 2007, Lindsay was charged with a DUI, reckless driving, driving on a suspended license and possession of narcotic charges. Hours after her arrest, and posting bail, she was checked into an undisclosed rehab facility. She eventually pled guilty to the seven misdemeanor charges and agreed to a plea deal that included three years probation, a day in jail, along with an eighteen month alcohol education program. Fast forward two years and two horrible movies later. Now we get to the good stuff. After showing up almost a hour late to her probation hearing, she is given a whole year added on to her already three year probation. Why's that you ask? She was too busy partying instead of attending her alcohol education classes. After the sudden death of MJ last summer, I thought nothing could top that. I was so wrong.
     This past May the world was introduced to Shawn Chapman Holley and Judge Marsha Revel. Judge Revel had scheduled a probation hearing for Lindsay to attend and appear. Slight problem: "But Judge, my passport was stolen. I did everything I could to get home." Or translate to: "I was having such a good time in Cannes promoting another box office bomb, I didn't want to come home." Uh newsflash. That didn't fly with Judge Revel. Now we get to the good stuff. After "attempting" to get home, Lindsay had a date with Shawn Chapman Holley and Judge Revel. As a welcome home present, Judge Revel gave Lindsay a SCRAM bracelet. After being slapped with a scram bracelet, her peers thought this would do the trick. With SCRAM bracelet in tact, Lindsay attends a MTV movie awards after party. I smell trouble. Rumors :)  sparked the next morning that the bracelet alarm went off and detected alcohol in her system. An emergency probation meeting was scheduled with the outcome that Lindsay would meet with the Judge and her attorney July 6, 2010.
     I can remember the day clearly. It was a Tuesday morning and couldn't wait to see what would unfold at the Beverly Hills Courthouse. Now keep in mind there is a three hour time difference between KY and California. The hearing would take place sometime during the hour of eight o'clock California time. I had work at noon, but figured the meeting wouldn't take but fifteen to twenty minutes. It killed me to have to leave to go work. But with the amazing technology of cell phone these days I was able to follow the case through text messages. After a day filled with tears, lies, and backstabbing, Lindsay would surrender to authorities and report to Lynwood jail to serve a ninety day jail sentence by July 20th. Immediately following her jail stint, she would report to rehab for ninety days. And of course, when she surrenders, I'm on vacation visiting a statue garden.  I was able to see clips of her surrendering and my favorite part of this entire saga may have to be having glitter being thrown on her like it was New Year's Eve. Because of overcrowding and good behavior, it was decided that she would only spend fourteen days at Lynwood jail. Lucky duck. My vacation came to an end, and the jail bird would be released. Planning on watching live feed from the jail, I had set myself up for success; a couple diet cokes, a nap at some point in the day, and an ipod filled with music to pass the time. Forgetting the time difference, I waited up until three o'clock Louisville time. At 3:01 I clicked on my ever so handy tmz.com in hopes with live feed. Nothing there. Three thirty; No Lindsay in sight. I was gonna be miffed if I had missed it. Finally at three thirty our time, I gave in  and got some shut eye. I awoke a few hours later only to see she had been released at 1:35 California time. Dumb time difference. She was immediately transported to UCLA medical center for a ninety day stint in rehab. Now we wait. We wait to see who will get the first post jail and rehab interview. In the mean time, I have the Anna Nichole Smith Trial.
    Finally, here is my opinion on this saga. As much as I hate to say it, I enjoyed following this train wreck. From her court fashion to her mascara ruined tears of lies. Sometimes I think that this is some really bad movie being played out, but then I quickly remember that she is a human being on this earth. I think there's a strong possibility that her younger sister Ali will follow down this path and not learn from her mistakes. It's sad to see the choices that Lindsay has made, but in all honesty, I hope that this fifth stint in rehab can clean her life up.  I'll be interested to see who snags the first interview? Never the less, I'll be like a kid on Christmas Morning waiting at my mailbox.

-Sara-

Greetings Loved Ones...

I welcome you to the first official posting of a little thing I like to call Sara Spills. Throughout this blog I'll give you an inside look at the latest from Hollywood along with the latest from Louisville. Earlier  in the summer, I was approached by family with the thought I should write my own blog. I wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea, but as the summer has flown by, I thought this would be the perfect time to give it a test run and see how things go. Most of you all know me as a Hollywood enthusiast. As people have told me before, "why do I need to waste my money when I have Sara to catch me up on the latest Hollywood gossip?" When any of the crazy Hollywood Rumors start circulating the rumor mill, I have three sources, that I must check in order for me to confirm them and put them to rest. What are they you ask? When a rumor has begun, I squeal, and then I get down to business. I first check the PEOPLE magazine website www.people.com to see if the rumor has popped up on the website. I move on to my next handy source; www.perezhilton.com. Once I find the rumor, I see what he has to say, and my excitement and squealing level goes up at least ten points. (FYI: When I hear something juicy in Hollywood, I squeal like a fifth grade girl at a Justin Bieber Concert) After getting one step closer to confirming the rumor, I check my final and most trustworthy website. www.tmz.com. After gathering my sources, it is then time to celebrate my findings.  I'm sure you're asking yourself, "she hasn't said anything about Lindsay Lohan." I'll save that for a future post. I promise I'll be more fun next time. Are you ready to join me on this rollercoaster? Buckle up and join the ride.

-Sara-