Paint the town red

After a seven consecutive days of getting no more than four hours of sleep per night, I think it's safe to say the GOP knows how to throw an event. Going into the forum, I think the other volunteers and I knew it was going to be bittersweet because it was our last night, but you could not wipe the excitement off of our faces as we walked into that forum one last time. 

My roommate and I were so lucky to have floor passes, so we got to watch the entire final night from the floor with delegates, congressman and the media. It was quite a feeling walking onto the floor and looking around at all of the cheering faces exuding excitement for Romney's speech. I think they were pretty thrilled about seeing Clint Eastwood too!

We found the perfect spot to watch the night unravel, and it was person to person... there was almost zero room to move. You couldn't complain though, because we had an amazing view, and best of all, we were in a prime location for the balloon drop at the end of Romney's speech. 

Ann Romney and her sons watch from their private box.

Piers Morgan preparing for a live shot.

Two shots from the video that ran before Clint Eastwood's speech. It was a great video, I linked to it below.

"When someone doesn't do their job, we've got to let them go." -Eastwood on Obama

Romney making his way through the crowd.

And then came the balloon drop, which did not disappoint, and definitely made the entire experience (and made up for the agony our feet were going through from standing for four hours!) Just when we thought it was done, more balloons and confetti were released...

...so many that we were practically trapped...

.... And then we somehow wound up on Fox News behind Martha McCallum, the perfect ending to being on the floor. Afterwards, we made our way to the after parties and watched coverage of the night into the early morning hours. It was a perfect night.

Here is the video that really showed the true Mitt Romney, as a father, a husband and --above everything else-- an ordinary, average, and hard-working individual. 

Republican National Convention, Part 3

Today is the last day of the Convention, but I'm recapping yesterday's events. I swear, every hour that goes by is exciting, and as a whole I underestimated how incredible this experience would be. I wanted to write a quick post to sum up the past 24 hours, before tonight's events.

Today I met my greatest role model in television, Megyn Kelly, who I have been watching almost every day since I was a fifteen year-old high schooler. She was everything and more than I expected, and it was amazing watching her tape America Live while a chorus of singers was rehearsing in the background... I don't know how she didn't lose focus!

When we were waiting for her to come out, someone asked me if I was her sister! Could I ask for a better compliment? I don't think so. :)

It's crazy to think that I've met so many important people, and it's all been by chance for the most part. They'll be just walking around inside of the "perimeter," which is the area the city has blocked off for security purposes for the Convention. We met Newt Gingrich yesterday, and former Chairman of the RNC Michael Steele.

Newt Gingrich

Michael Steele

After Paul Ryan and Condoleeza Rice spoke last night, a few other volunteers and I were lucky enough to have tickets for the Kid Rock concert, which was hosted under the biggest tent in North America, or so we heard. As we were going in, my roommate and I saw that Luke Russert, the son of the late Tim Russert, was ahead of us, so we snagged a picture with him.

Luke Russert

Kid Rock toward the end of his concert

I am BEYOND excited for the events that are about to happen tonight, and I cannot wait to share it tomorrow!

xxo

GOP Convention, Pt. 2

Saying this week has been one of the most exciting of my life is a complete understatement. I've crossed paths with more influential people than I could have ever imagined, met some of the most powerful individuals in Republican politics and the media, and witnessed one of the most important events of a political campaign.

The best person I've met thus far (besides my favorite Fox News-ers) has to be Karl Rove, Bush '43s senior advisor. It was refreshing, because minutes before I had just met Chris Matthews, who lived up to every negative comment I've heard about him. The man was clearly not enthused to be there, and he had no problem showing it when I walked up to meet him. Luckily, Karl Rove was coming down the stairs with a huge smile on his face, excited to be there and to greet anyone and everyone eager to meet him.

Diane Sawyer was walking around the floor... at first I mistook her for a young 30-something reporter. She's just looks that great. 

Starting ceremonies, Reince Priebus rallying everyone.

Volunteers

Craig Romney

The official first night. We have the best view in the house!

Ann Romney, Mitt Romney and Condoleezza Rice are all here... can you spot them?

Post Convention Hardball taping. Matthews was ripping apart Gov. Chris Christie's speech. I had to restrain myself from booing.

Menswear Wednesday: "The Romney Boys look"

I wanted to revolve the majority of my posts this week around the GOP Convention because I'm here, so when it came to Wednesday's post, I wanted to do something relating to men's fashion at the Convention. From what I've seen, everyone dresses very nicely here-- Lilly Pulitzer dresses and seersucker suits are everywhere. However, the Romney sons seemed to have perfected the jeans, button-down and blazer look.

My roommate and I have seen the five boys every day (and their beautiful wives/children) throughout the past few days, and they're always in a relaxed, jeans + blazer look. I'm sure that'll change once they're in the Forum for the Convention events, but as of now, they've perfected the style.

Four of the five Romney sons with Gov. Chris Christie. 

Making a comeback: Hobnail milk glass

I remember seeing opaque, white glass dishes and lamps in my grandmother's house when I was younger, placed among her collection of blue, pink and green glassware. To me it always seemed very old-fashioned, and I always believed it was old enough to date back to the 19th century (clearly it wasn't. :))

Known as "milk glass," for it's milky white color, and "hobnail" for it's dotted design, it was first made in the 16th century in Venice, was popular in the early 1900s, and made a resurgence in the 60s. It may have seemed tacky in the recent past, but it looks like hobnail is once again making a comeback in the form of lamps, mugs, vases etc.

In the post I published last week on my Little Italy adventures, I mentioned going to a vintage store, where I found tons of hobnail milk glass dishware... I might just go back to snag a few items.

If you like this look, here are a few cute pieces I've found online. There wasn't much, which leads me to think that the best hobnail milk glass finds will come from thrifting.

{Mirror} {Salt & pepper shakers} {Vase}

The calm before the storm: GOP Convention

I didn't do any posting the past few days, but I know on Friday I mentioned I was flying down to Florida, and now I can officially say it's for the Republican National Convention! I am a professional volunteer for the duration of the convention in Tampa, and I cannot even put into words how incredibly exciting it is. I think I've had a smile that goes ear to ear for the past 72 hours, and the convention still has yet to begin.

If any of you have seen the news or are following the news coverage of GOP Convention, you probably know that it's been postponed for a day because of Hurricane Issac, which is set to hit Tampa today! Crazy huh? I've never even seen a tornado, let alone a hurricane, so this will be very interesting. :)

Here are a few pictures from the past few days, a few volunteers and I met RNC Chairman Reince Priebus last night, along with Gov. Haley Barbour. Both such intelligent and sweet men... funny too!

I can't wait to share more once the convention begins.

xxo

Chairman Reince Priebus

Gov. Haley Barbour. He was so funny, right before we took this picture he said, "let's put the rose between the two thorns, try and make me look better." 

Still in the process of being set up.

Happy Friday!

Happy Friday! This week was so crazy/hectic/busy, I'm glad I scheduled all of my blogposts for the week during the start of the week. Today begins my weeklong adventure, that I cannot wait to share all of the details of. 

Hint, hint... I'm flying down to Florida. :)

Details to come, in the meantime, checkout what I've been listening to all week-- it's finally on the radio (kind of a depressing video though). 

Blueberry Lemon Breakfast Cake

I saw this recipe for a blueberry lemon breakfast cake online a long time ago, but never have had all of the ingredients to make it. Eventually I dragged myself out to the grocery store to grab the other items I needed. 

Before you read this recipe, it is important to know this is definitely not a healthy breakfast meal! I was very surprised to see how much sugar went into this recipe, but I guess that's why they call it a breakfast cake. :)

Blueberry Lemon Breakfast Cake (serves 6-8)

½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tsp. lemon zest or more — zest from 1 large lemon
7/8 cup* + 1 tablespoon sugar**
1 egg, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
2 cups fresh blueberries
½ cup buttermilk

* 7/8 cup = 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons
** This 1 tablespoon is for sprinkling on top

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Cream butter with lemon zest and 7/8 cup of the sugar until light and fluffy.

2. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Meanwhile, toss the blueberries with ¼ cup of flour, then whisk together the remaining flour, baking powder and salt.

3. Add the flour mixture to the batter a little at a time, alternating with the buttermilk. Fold in the blueberries. Add a little extra buttermilk to make the cake more moist.

4. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan (or something similar) with butter or coat with non-stick spray. Spread batter into pan. Sprinkle batter with remaining tablespoon of sugar. Bake for 35 minutes. Check with a toothpick for doneness. If necessary, return pan to oven for a couple of more minutes. (Note: Baking for as long as 10 minutes more might be necessary.) Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

Menswear Wednesday: Paul Ryan's endorsement of gingham

The New York Times' Cathy Horyn is telling Rep. Paul Ryan to savor all of the attention he's garnered lately as Mitt Romney's Vice Presidential pick. TMZ released a photo of Ryan and his trainer, dubbing him the "hottest vice presidential candidate ever," and political website Politico wrote an entire "Ryan hot sheet." But after telling Ryan to "savor" it, Ms. Horyn goes on to note that most V.P.'s are forgotten before the next election.

Please. She couldn't be more wrong. Regardless of your politics, I think it is evident that Rep. Ryan will come back and run for president in the next election if Romney doesn't make it into office this year. I can't tell you how many people have said they'd rather have Ryan as the presidential pick over Romney in the first place.

Still, that's besides the point of this post, which is to point out just how much Rep. Paul Ryan likes his gingham/check button-downs.

The look originated in the 18th century in Manchester, England and the southern US when their factories were going through a financial slump. They began production of the shirts, and eventually it caught on with London bankers and Southern literary types, according to an article by GQ.

The gingham look is predominantly for the spring and summer, so how does Paul Ryan plan on changing it up once September starts?

Did they consult one another about matching outfits for this event?

Organize this: Jewelry/Hair/Makeup Accesories

Since I saw a blogpost on Emily Schuman's Cupcakes and Cashmere blog on organizing your jewelry, I've wanted to do a short post myself on the same subject. I'm an organizational neat freak as it is, but when it comes to organizing the top drawer of my vanity dresser, everything has its place. The bowls for my jewelry are from Anthropologie, and I thought it was another way to display/mix and match the pretty dishware.

This little jar holds bobby pins and allows easy access and storage.

Since I probably won't be using all of my shot glasses post-grad, I've turned them into holders for my eyeshadow brushes and Q-tips. Again, easy access and storage.