Fried Food & Fall

Fall is here. It's time to bust out the jeans (along with the deep lunges to actually make them fit!), wrap around your scarf and head out to a street fair. In the past few weeks, we have ventured to several street fairs in an attempt to pledge allegiance to the Texas State Fair that we are missing.

*Sidnote: Alyssa has never actually been to the State fair. Not normal Vest family, not normal.*

Moving on...

If you know anything about me, you know that I love a corndog with the best of them. There is just something about a normally fattening food item being dipped into a deep fryer that makes my heart melt. Unfortunately, corn dogs are a little bit more of a rarity in the Northeast which luckily limits my consumption. Oh AND, don't even get me started on the lack of regular mustard up here. Let's just say that I have been known to carry around small packets of non-spicy mustard in my purse - no shame people, no shame. Here are a few pics of us in all of our glory:

Whoa. We're excited...



Apartment 2D at our finest

My Superbowl

So a joke started between my sister and I several years ago at our church Christmas spectacular. As we filed in with the rest of the Christmas crowd we noticed our music minister sitting onstage beaming with holiday pride. As the show started and the choir sang there was the man in all of his glory. His voice bellowed, his motions were strong and the sweat on his brow all portrayed a man enjoying the finest triumph of his life. As we sat there, we joked that he was truly living "his superbowl." We cracked ourelves up so much that we have since kept the joke going.

Here are a few shining examples:

We put Mom in a Brighton store and there you have it...her superbowl. Give Tiffany a camera and Rookie, you guessed it - superbowl.

As for me, give me a runway and eight models and there you have it, my superbowl. I am here to tell you that I finally lived my dream. When one of the girls in my community group asked if any of us would be interested in attending a fashion show during fashion week, I practically lept at the chance. Not only was this one of my all-time dreams, but I never thought I'd actually get the chance. She informed us that it was a Sunday show featuring an up-and-coming Dallas desinger...say no more, I was sold. Luckily, Stephanie was coming into town and we figured this would be right up her alley, so we dolled up and headed out. It came complete with a red carpet, swag bag and old Project Runway cast-offs! Please enjoy our photo shoot:

No Air Tour

I have put off writing this blog for sometime for fear of admission that summer really is over. Well folks, it seems like the time has come...the 2008 No Air Tour has commenced. We have packed up the white jeans, laid rest to our charge cards, mourned the loss of summer Fridays and returned to regular programming. You see, the genesis of our summer 'tour' came from the idea that Alyssa, Robbie and I would be embarking on several adventures that would take us from city to city (sometimes literally) as we discovered the highs and lows of an NYC summer. Sometimes we'd have a sell-out show in Central Park with hundreds of our fellow New Yorkers, other times it would the three of us boarding the Long Island Rail Road for a day o' fun at Long Beach. Regardless of how our tour was spent, I can guarantee that we were having the best of times.

Tour Stops

The Hamptons (sans Robbie, but it feels like he was there)
Texas - Dallas, Austin, Odessa, Boerne, McKinney
Long Beach
Weehawken, New Jersey - several dates
American Idol Concert
Colbie Caillat/John Mayer Concert - Jones Beach
Counting Crows/Maroon 5 Concert (sans Me)
2008 US Open
Fashion Rocks
Sheep's Meadow

While our dates were numbered, the set lists were packed. We played our best hits and entertained the masses. New groupies entered the mix leaving us no choice but to "give the people what they want." For those of you that participated in our debut, we thank you. To those of you that missed out, we can only hope that we will rock you even harder next year.


Thank you and goodnight!


Hello Summer:



Welcome Friends!



Just a day at the beach





Wedding Crashers



The US Open baby



Our Final Stop



"Tell me how I'm supposed to breathe with no air..." ~ Jordin Sparks & Chris Brown

True Friends

They just make everything more fun:

AssylaLeigh (11:59:43 AM): hell, i'd rollerblade in a duck costume for that...

No context needed, just a little vignette from our online discussions.

Beauty in the Silence

"Preach the Gospel always -- if necessary, use words."

~ St. Francis Assisi

The Good Girl Watches: 2008 Olympics

Can we say, obsessed much? I am not going to even pretend that I have not anticipated this all summer. If you know me at all, you will have heard me say "Is no one else as excited as I am?!" or "so when are we having the Olympics party?!" Quite frankly, my suspense has bothered everyone. Maybe it's my unconcious dream of being an Olympic athlete. Or maybe, I am just so full of patriotism that I can't help but watch the tired athlete at the end of his/her race stand there and admire a flag that represents so much to them. It is hard to believe that my heart can be so full FOR them, when only they know what they have put into it.

I think that more than anything, I enjoy the background stories of the athletes. Was their family supportive? Were they naturally gifted, or did they have to overcome certain obstacles? Either way, it is always moving. Just for a second, you are able to step into their world and realize that this is something that they have worked for their entire life. A four-year competition that means more to them than any medal could signify. For most of us, we wish we were capable of loving something that much. The outpouring of love and support that these people receive is so touching, that it seems like it is one person reaching a goal for many. You have Michael Phelps, who not only achieved the unthinkable, but he did it for his family and his country. After every race, there his sweet family stood with tears in their eyes, proving that this was far more than the performance, this was a triumph.

I recently heard that the Olympics are important, in that, they are one of the last cultural representations of global communication that bind us in a positive way. As I thought about this, I realize how true it is. Every four years, we are able to come together under the blanket of competition and be together. In that moment, we are relevant, we are competitors, and we are friends. The touch at the end of the buzzer, the strength through the race, the perserverance in the face of defeat, are nothing short of inspiring. I know that I've enjoyed watching it, and can only hope that my training will pay off and I'll finally get that gold for the gymnastics all-around that I've been chasing...





...just kidding.


2008 Olympics Highlights:

Phelps Phever



Men's 400 IM Relay





Nastia Liukin's Gold Medal Performance for the Women's Gymnastics All-Around

Sin City

So the time came for my last ‘hoorah’ of the summer. That ‘little’ brother of mine finally turned the big 2-1, so it was time for the Rogers’ to take the leap and head West. We have had long-standing plans of commemorating this monumental occasion with a trip to Sin City. I really don’t think any of us knew what to expect, considering our limited knowledge of Vegas consited of celeb sitings in US Weekly. True to form, there she was in all of her dessert glory. You had your shiny bulbs, palm trees, smoky casinos, old timers, buffets, elaborate swimming pools, round-the-clock beverage service, and many other Vegas notables.

The trip began with a wild Continental flight, complete with rowdy Jersey boys, overly-excited flight attendants, and a partridge in a pear tree. I arrived in Las Vegas, met up with my sister and her husband, spotted Vanilla Ice (yes, this really happened…), hopped in a cab and then hit the town. Oh Vegas, you haven’t changed a bit. Sure there were a few shiny, new hotels, but everything else seemed standard. Since it’s such a rare occasion that we all travel together, we enjoyed every minute of our long weekend. Although you won’t understand all of the Griswold moments, complete with your very own Clark (aka Steve-O), I thought I’d share a few of the highlights:

- Jersey Frat party on Continental Flight 268
- Making eye contact with Vanilla Ice, no less than 10 minutes upon arrival
- The Pina Coladas at NY,NY
- Feeling left out for not having a tattoo
- Finding out that Vegas queso is not the same as Texas queso
- Alfred the waiter
- Playing Catchphrase in my parent’s room:

Dad’s clue: “OK! Shot in the back of the head….”
1st Guess: “Lincoln?”
[shakes head no]
2nd Guess: “JFK?”
Dad: “No, his son…”
Answer: JFK Jr.

- Turning Dad’s clue into a week-long joke
- Taylor finding Mario and Luigi on the strip
- Winning $33 dollars on a slot machine, only to lose $45 later
- Jersey Boys
- “she’s a raaaaaaag doll”
- The 2008 Olympics
- reserving pool chairs two hours in advance
- 2 hour photo shoot at the Venetian, complete with a tripod
- Dad then losing the tripod, only to buy a non-refundable tripod, only to retrieve the original tripod
- Saturday spa day with the girls
- overheating in the steam room/saying that it felt like a "gas chamber"
- then overheating in the dry room
- having Tim the masseuse
- The Bellagio water show
- Wayne Brady Improv show
- “Nice Vans Spicoli”
- Big Red the Outback waiter
- the 8-month pregnant cocktail waitress
- riding the rollercoaster at NY,NY

Needless to say, the trip was a success. We all had a great time trying to win a few bucks and hopefully the birthday boy felt special. Until next time, Vegas will wait patiently with the likes of Midwest elderly couples, overeager 20-somethings, NASCAR fans and young families just looking for a good time.

First night out:



The Griswold's:



Jersey Boys:



"The Kids":



Last night:



Jim Halpert/Birthday boy: