photo diary: camp eb, my 30th birthday party

*this is going to be such a braggy post and ya know what- I deserve to brag about this so here we go, haters.*

Guys.. I have news. I'm 30 years old. 

So many people have been like "damn, you're 30..." with a scary face, but I've been looking forward to this for a few years. There have been so many boring birthdays and milestones, I've been waiting to do something epic to celebrate my existence on this earth. 

[Also, this is gonna seem really morbid... but for whatever reason, from a young age, maybe 14 or 15, I have fully believed that I would not make it to 30. I've told everyone I know that, assuming it would be a helpful thing to know at my funeral. When I was walking home alone from the bar 20 minutes before turning 30, I thought "this is it. This is when it happens."]

BUT I MADE IT Y'ALL! AND WE CELEBRATED. 

My birthdays are normally full of blacked out people, via bar golf, party buses, etc... this time I rented out an entire campground that slept 200 people, and had a homemade adult summer camp all weekend. I planned it all myself, starting in October of last year, with helpful ideas from everyone attending. Anyone who wanted to come pitched in $70, and checked in to CampEB. 

Here's what we had: 

There was food. I ordered catering from Moe's and Famous Dave's for dinner, then we cooked our own basic brunches and lunches. 

There was a relay race. Four teams of 12 competed in flipper races, sack races, Drunk Waiter, and finding paper clips in a pool of pudding.

There was a "photo booth" made with balloons I ordered from China, a painted thrift store frame, and my green screen base. 

An insulated fanny pack and color changing cup for everyone at the check-in table!

A Snapchat filter that they said was "promoting excess drinking" so it only worked for a night, and a convenient camp map. 

A birthday cake that I didn't wait to eat. 

A pinata I was really good at

Essential camp activities like tug o' war and crafts like tie dye and friendship bracelets.

Some Bubble Ball battles

Of course, there was alcohol. We ended up going through five kegs, countless bottles of vodka, and over 500 Jello shots that my mom made. 

A Lip Sync Battle, which was my favorite part of the whole thing. Watching people perform without worrying about talent is so much fun and the perfect way to boost energy and confidence. FIVE STARS, HIGHLY RECOMMEND. [We also had the FANTASTIC DJ Image on Friday night!]

Dad's dance moves were in full effect. 

And finally, there was a final pic that perfectly captured the weekend. Not everyone made it late night, but we the few made the most of CampEB.

Okay, fine. I'll show you the video my brother made. We had set up a geofilter Snap story, and at the end of the weekend there were 45 minutes worth of snaps that he edited into this work of art, full of my best looking self: 

As someone who loves the outdoors, it was my perfect weekend, only missing some sort of water activity. Some of my friends were way out of their comfort zone, others took a plane to get there, one even took a plane and a $100 Uber ride. Goodness, I'm really not deserving of all of that... which is exactly why I made it a thing that anyone would want to do, birthday or not. Now they're wanting to do it again, and we just might have to.

Also, there needs to be some sort of therapy for after events like this or weddings happen. After months of planning and the event over in what feels like minutes, it's hard to cope with! Luckily there's a chance we can do this all again. Start sucking up now if you want to be invited.

love,
elizabethany

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how to play: bar golf in dc

Have you ever played bar golf? When I did it the first time years ago in Texas, they made me feel like I was so late to such a popular game. When I planned it for my birthday party last weekend, no one really understood it. They kept asking if it was mini golf, a bar with a golf course, and more shockingly: If they needed to bring their own clubs.

Fun fact about me: I'm terrible at ball sports. I'll never celebrate my birthday with balls. Well, the kinds that you have to be skilled to play with, anyway. Assuming I would do golf on my birthday is like believing I'm pregnant. 

Bar golf is a bar crawl in which you go to nine bars, and earn points based on what you drink. The simplest way to play it is saying no matter which bar it is, a birdie = beer + shot. Par = shot. Bogey = beer.... or whatever variation you'd like.

I don't believe in the easy or typical way of doing things, so I personalized it based on the bars we went to. I figured out who had happy hour and what was a good deal. I figured out what the bars were known for, what was strong, what had a lot of sugar, etc... and most importantly: which bars had beautiful rooftops. From there, I came up with other ways to earn points and made this here score card.

[you can click on that, make it bigger, and print it out for yourself! You're welcome.]

Everyone's immediate reaction: "This looks easy, I'll do all birdies AND a ton of extra drinks! 

SPOILER ALERT: No one finished. We didn't even make it to El Centro. So, if you play this version, and you wanna win, don't do the extras. Trust me.

If you wanna really up the ante, get some trophies. [Told ya they're my new thing!] You can even add a Snapchat filter to the bars you're going to for $5/hour. Worth it. 

Who's gonna get the trophy? I haven't decided yet. I remember a couple people going balls to the wall from the beginning, but we need to make sure no vomiting happened! [I'm also gonna need to get the trophies back because... well.... I left them and my entire backpack at bar #5. because of course I did.]

All in all, it's a damn fun game, and it doesn't have to be so aggressive. You could do teams of four, that might make it easier, or take away the points for extra beers. I tried to make it not worth it for half a point, but that excited people.

Some snaps from my frands since my story failed to save *insert extremely frustrated face here.*

[I changed up the font after bar 5 to look a little more drunk, teehee]

And that's a wrap on another birthday celebration! My 30th is already in the works and if it doesn't go as planned, know that I will blow the world up if Trump hasn't already.

love,
elizabethany

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here's my new rainbow "confetti hair!"

Welp, you done did it again. Voted on a hairstyle/color for me to go for.. and I did it.

You wanted the purple/pink/little bit of blue mix from the options, and I wanted a little bit of bright/blonde still incorporated because... summer. The amazing Ruby Devine worked some serious magic that even she was impressed with.

TA DA!

The before and after makes me cringe... I didn't think my hair fade looked that bad before. Oy. 

She called it "confetti hair" which totally fits not only because I got it done on my birthday, but because different colors show through depending on where my hair is falling. You can see all the colors in this one, for sure. 

And then BOOM! It's hot pink!

Keeping those blonde streaks in there is where the real magic happened. It's obviously not easy to stop the colors from bleeding onto the blank canvas. 

It was definitely a long process... but I'm glad it was because my hair is still in good shape even after bleaching it. Look at this horrid color of strawberry blonde that it was for a bit: 

I'm pretty excited about it, and everyone has been loving it so far. It's shocking, it's weird, it's scary... but it feels pretty me. Now I need to find a new wardrobe so I have things that actually go with rainbow hair.....

Also, I need to give some attention to all the surprises I got on my birthday. As I get older, I don't get any less excited for my birthday, but I certainly expect less from others. People seem to care less about birthdays in general, and it's hard to get them to commit to parties or anything. When i had all of these things happen, I was genuinely shocked and so, so happy. I don't even know if happy is a word to describe it. 

I had a neighbor decorate my apartment and bring cupcakes to the studio, coworkers who covered my office in balloons and wrote all over my car, other neighbors who got me a cake and drank with me the night before, parents who sent me "fun flowers," and Toby Knapp who got me the necessary vodka. Even Kane called me live from the morning show. Blown away. 

And of course all the love online and on my phone and everything- I'm still catching up on responding to everyone. It's such a great excuse to catch up with some people and tell them I love/miss them. Thank you to everyone who made this birthday great- even though it's not over until the party on Saturday!

love,

elizabethany

PS Ruby is a total hairstylist celeb and Periscopes during transformations and puts up all of her magical pieces of art online, so you should at least follow her if you're not going to book an appointment! ;)

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gift idea: 30 gifts for 30th birthday

When you have to buy for someone who seems to have just about everything, you gotta come up with creative gifts.

For a Corey's birthday, I decided to do 30 gifts throughout the day, since he turned 30! I mean, who doesn't wanna open 30 wrapped presents?!

Even though it took a lot of time and thought, it was fun and worth it! So if you wanna do it, allow me to help you!

You've gotta customize it for each person, but here are some ideas for ya: 

1. Card with a letter [Hey, it counts! It's still something!]
2. Case of beer
3. Bottle of liquor [or airplane bottle]
4. Bottle of wine
5. Shotglass/drinking glass that's customized for their birthday
6. Gift certificate for their favorite meal
7. Movie ticket
8. 5 Hour Energy, so they can last the whole weekend in their old age
9. Something to make them feel old [reading glasses]
10. Something to make them feel young [toy of some sort... I gave a slingshot/water balls]
11. Picture and frame
12. Chapstick
13. Balloon
14. CD- either one they've wanted or an old school mixtape
15. Lottery tickets
16. Favorite candy
17. Something related to an inside joke
18. Cake
19. Piece of clothing
20. Boxers/lingerie/whatever
21. Favorite food [bacon]
22. Stress ball/zen garden/whatever "for when they're frustrated with you"
23. Back scratcher
24. Pillow
25. Hand sanitizer/lotion
26. An accessory for something they already have [I got a drink holder for his new mic stand]
27. Slippers/flip flops/etc
28. Beach towel/something they can use that season
29. Message/video/visit from a friend
30. Coffee/tea they like

These are definitely pretty unisex, but if you're buying for a girl- I imagine it'd be a lot easier. Or if it's a manly man, you could get tools and stuff they'll use every day. 

If you're in a relationship with the person, there are even more possibilities. Date night IOU's, things to be used after hours, or whatever else your naughty mind can come up with! [Shoot, you could actually give condoms or toys to a bestie or anyone, to be honest!] You could also throw them a party and call it a gift!

The gifts definitely add up more than you might imagine at first, so when you're making your list- write out the cost of everything and try to stay within a budget for yourself. Also, going to stores like Five Below or the dollar store can give you even more ideas you don't think up right away!

If you have any more small gift ideas, leave them in the comments below! [And if you need more girly ideas, I just found this post which is good!]

love,
elizabethany

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gift idea: i froze cash in ice cubes

Sometimes I get really nervous from the pressure of giving gifts that I'd much rather call off the whole process or just give some moneys. Since it's normally unacceptable to call it all off, I try to come up with inside joke gifts or clever ways to give cash. For a birthday last week, I got clever.

They asked for something I totally couldn't afford [Ray Bans], so I helped pitch into that fund, and kept with a summertime theme. I got a cooler with their team on it, bathing suit, and ice cubes... filled with cash.

It was VERY simple. If you wanna do it too, here's how:

1. Boil a bucket of water. This makes it so the ice cubes are super clear once they're frozen.

2. Fold up the cash and place in cubes. I originally thought the tighter rolled, the better... but that was false. If you make them a little messier, they'll stay in better once the water is poured in.

3. Pour the boiled water into the ice tray. [I put it in a cup first and let it cool a little bit.] Some of the cash will float up and out of the holes, so just use your fingers to sink them again.

4. Freeze!

5. Remove from trays once completely frozen and dump into your container. Some of the cash was poking out of the cubes, but it's a neat effect. 

The fun part is seeing their face and realizing they have to let it melt AND dry before they can use it... Then they have a big ol fat, wrinkled stack of ones. [If you're broke like me and can't afford the big bucks, anyway.]

I'm sure this has been done before, but I'll be honest... I came up with this idea on my own and I'm pretty damn proud of it.

love,
elizabethany


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photo and video diary: my 25th birthday!

As you should know ;) my birthday was over the weekend... and because I think it's silly to hide my age, I'll tell you I'm an old woman and officially a quarter century year old. [No, I don't honestly think my childish self is an old woman.]

ANYWAY, I had my 15 most favorite people come down and visit me [which is really unbelievable... how did I get so lucky?!], they all crashed at me house, and we had a freaking fun weekend. Now, I shall share our debauchery with you.

My first batch of friends came on Thursday, and I took them out to Norfolk. The main group came on Friday, met me in the studio [more on THAT insane-ness later], then we headed out to the oceanfront. We were given a VIP section when we got there and my fantastic friends pitched in to get a couple bottles for me! We may or may not have partaken in some 3am ocean skinny dipping post-club.
My actual birthday on Saturday was fun at the beach, dinner, and finished off at the station event at Cabo, where Corey was DJ'ing.

Pictures tell the story better than I can with a couple words, so here are some of my favorite pictures:

And these pictures are hilarious because of things that are in the background. I spotlighted them, duh.

And here are a ton more pictures!


We took cabs everywhere we went which was actually easier than I thought it would be [and provided some entertainment as one of my friends decided she should call the dispatch from the driver's walkie talkie thing].. They definitely questioned us when we ordered "enough for 15-20 of us," though.

UPDATE: You can see some of her talking to dispatch in this here video. It also shows plenty more debauchery and flips on the beach.



It was definitely the perfect weekend for me. The perfect group of friends and family, perfect activities, and a huge sleepover! I LOVE SLEEPOVERS! Cleaning sucked, but it was beyond worth it.

Thanks again to everyone who drove down here, people who met up with us at the beach/bars, and even everyone who sent me wishes online! I'll never forget [the pictures of] this birthday!

love,
elizabethany

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watch: woman gives kid worst birthday celebration ever

If you ever thought your family was a little embarrassing, especially on your birthday, think again. This lady celebrating her poor son Edgar's birthday is beyond awful.



I can't even get over how miserable that is. Now he has pubic hair?! WTF?! And how ya gotta tell the kids to beat up the birthday boy, then say the cake is more important that being nice to him?!

I laughed and then it made me sad and mad.. SO MANY EMOTIONS! Someone save this kid from the horrible crazy bitch of a mom he has.

love,
elizabethany

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happy birthday to ellen!

So it's my BFF Ellen's 52nd Birthday today, which means we have to celebrate somehow, right?!

I figure I'll just share some videos from her show within the last week or so, since I can't physically be with her. [Though I am positive she'd invite me to any party she has, she just knows I can't afford to take the time to go out there.... She understands.]

Remember last year when Dennis Quaid was on her show and went to Starbucks?! It was freakin' GREAT! So, of course, she brought him back for more!



I'm glad it didn't become one of those "it's already been done, it can't be funny again" things... It could have been, and it probably will be if they do it again, but this one was just as great!


Next.. I'm OBSESSED with Modern Family. I'm lucky enough to have someone who will record shows so I can watch them [unless he gets sick of having "too much" on his DVR]. It's amazingly hilarious and you need to watch it. ANYWAY, back to Ellen.

She had Sofia Vergara on and of course, made her seem like an amazing, super funny person [which she probably is with or without E]. If I were a guy, I'd be in love right now.



True or false?: You want to do her right now.


And finally- Ellen's newest workout discovery- The 3 Minute Legs. Any time she finds a new workout device, it's like comedy magic.



[Side note: I don't see that thing working... But do the funny ones ever work?!]


Thank you, Ellen, for being my best [TV] friend, making me laugh, and giving me someone with a good reputation that I wouldn't mind going gay for. Happy Birthday!

love,
elizabethany