Blame the Red Shoes, the Red Dress, and the Red Carpet

Happy Sunday everyone.... Hope you're taking some time to rest today.

I'm getting super excited as I pack up my things to come home to Michigan for the KHF's fundraiser on Wednesday! "A Celebration of Life" is going to be a wine-tasting, 'birthday' fundraiser for the Foundation (our first), at Andiamo in Novi... tickets are on sale on the website, so if you're planning on coming (and I hope you are!) you can still get your tickets! Of course, you can purchase tickets at the door too. All of the funds raised during the evening (there's a silent auction as well) will go to providing scholarships for eating disorders treatment, so it is a good, nay, a wonderful cause! I hope to see you there!

I want to personally thank everyone who HAS already made a commitment to come, and is helping in the preparation for this event. There are so many hands helping and giving so lovingly of their time and sweat and patience so that this all comes together. I can't wait to celebrate with you, with a heart full of gratitude.

Another kind of exciting thing; I've been doing some recording out here in LA, and am looking forward to potentially launching a few singles on iTunes. One of these songs I'm going to debut at the fundraiser! So we've got a little entertainment going down as well. :)

It's going to be a busy week of traveling; after the big event Wednesday evening, I'm heading to Chicago, IL to speak and spend the day at Windy City Community Church. From there I head to Washington, D.C., where I'll be spending a day lobbying with the Eating Disorders Coalition again for the F.R.E.E.D. Bill (check it out at www.eatingdisorderscoalition.org); as health care is at the forefront of U.S. domestic policy right now, we're very optimistic about garnering even more support for this Bill as it heads (hopefully quickly) through the House and Senate on its way to becoming a LAW. Wish us luck!

From D.C., I come back to LA (with Mom on board), where I'll be doing a really neat event in Venice on the 25th. More to come on that.

So enough about the future. At present, I'm trying to enjoy the present. :) I found this really great book called Proverbs and it has been kicking my butt the last couple weeks.

Oh yeah! I attended the Creative Arts Emmys yesterday. The day was a blast, minus the bloated running time of the awards ceremony. And my embarrassing self... the group of girls I went with arrived a teensy bit late (shoe indecision on behalf of more than one of our party and a baby) and so we had to stand in the back upon arrival and wait for an appropriate time to be seated. We wait and wait and wait... and I with the bladder-the-size-of-a-walnut, decide this might be the opportune moment (to quote Captain Jack Sparrow) to use the Ladies' Room. Who knows when the show's going to end anyway (and since it's televised, no intermission)? Can you tell I'm thinking way too much here? So I make sure I have my ticket and slip out. I come back to the theatre a few minutes later (much more optimistic now about sitting for potentially 4 hours), show my ticket, and then realize that the girls are gone; must have gone to their seats in my absence. This is fine, until I look at my ticket and realize we're in the SIXTH row. F 106 to be exact, right in the middle of that 6th row, too. So I told you, no commercial breaks (it was being taped), no intermission, and a sea of Hollywood, creative types in black suits and black-rimmed glasses all comfortably watching Kathy Griffin cavort around onstage, all sitting in their seats. This is just peachy unless you have to walk all the way down the aisle during the show, toward the stage, ALL the way down to the 6th row, and make everyone stand by saying, "'Scuse me, 'scuse me, excuse me, I am SO SO sorry" shuffling awkwardly to the middle of the row and make a total scene by trying not to make a scene. Which is what I had to do. And Tina Fey is sitting like, two rows in front of me. I'm thinking, "Oh goodness, who is watching me inconvenience a whole row of people way more important than I am right now?" Oh, you know, just the creators, cast and crews, casting directors, hair and makeup people of all my favorite shows: LOST, The Tudors, 30 Rock, SNL to name a few, plus all the network execs and anybody who has any power in the world of television. NO BIGGIE. I mean, it's no big deal, of course, really, but for that second, I felt really really silly. Stupid bladder.

AT LEAST... the redeeming detail... I was wearing my red Christian Louboutin's. And when you're wearing Christian Louboutin's, you can do no wrong. The woman in the red dress with the red shoes makes the rules, in my book. And so, in retrospection I say, WHATever seat warmers residing comfortably in row F! I will not apologize for my bladder or lateness or my presence. I will only say thank you for playing a part in a mildly humorous story in my blog; where Kirsten makes fun of her insecurity and displays again that we're all human (thank God).

Highlights of the evening included seeing Elaine Stritch perform a hilarious musical tribute to Sheila Nevins (creator of over 500 HBO Documentaries, and winner of the Governor's Award), Carol Burnett, Tina Fey's win for her spoof of Sarah Palin... but truly touching was seeing the countless individuals behind the scenes rewarded for their incredible efforts. So much of the time, the actors receive the credit/admiration for that which is really created by the unimaginably difficult, time consuming, and truly magical work of the editors, sound mixers, hair and makeup artists, costume designers, etc., As an actor myself I will not say that we do not work hard. Extremely hard. But it was just really nice to see the creative artists be congratulated in such a special way. And you thought the Primetime Emmys were the only Emmys...

After a long, but entertaining show, the gals and I headed next door to the LA Convention Center with the slew of other brilliant audience members (we're all brilliant in our own way... I convince myself of this everyday... especially when I'm stressing about the really BAD driver in front of me in LA traffic) for the after party! There was even a red carpet for the after-party. Albeit, not as plushy. This one wasn't red shag, it was more like red astro-turf. But I digress. The ladies and I got way too many pictures. How blessed I felt when, in not one of those pictures did the equation red carpet+numerous photo opportunities+ 'event'+ dressy outfit and heels= me wearing a crown. YAY! We did feel kind of awkward however, when we all lined up and upon looking for someone to take a picture ended up having to ask the guy who, upon turning around, has a shiny gold trophy (cough cough EMMY) in his hand. Ooops... "Yes, excuse me sir, I know you're celebrating having just had your life's work awarded onstage in front of thousands of the best of the best in your field but... can you take a picture of 6 girls? Oh thanks. I know that's exactly what you wanted to do right now. Here, I'll even hold that gold lady holding a bunch of strange orbiting circular objects while you press the button on my digital camera. OMG, you're the BEST!" But he was nice enough, and he did. It did allow me to see one of those lovely trophies up close though... they're huge! Dude, I wonder if they're super heavy? I was also wondering later at the Ball, if anyone ever left or forgot their Emmy/Oscar/Grammy/other statuette of significance under their chair at one of those after parties. My logic is... you know how if you acquire something somewhere that you didn't come in with, it's not part of your routine in making sure you 'have it,' with you, and so your just kinda forget about it sometimes? Well you certainly didn't come down the red carpet with that trophy in hand. And especially as a lady, it's not going to fit in your inconveniently sized, no-room-for-anything-you-REALLY-need clutch, so its very likely that you could forget about it by the end of the night, and (GASP!) leave without it. Unless you're like, Meryl Streep and leave the afterparty every year with one in tow. Then you're not likely to forget your buddy Oscar. Anyway... just a thought. Lucky waiter/busboy with the summer job at the LA Convention Center. :)

So after a lovely dinner of $40 salad (I don't know what it was really called. I renamed it.), braised pot roast (it was SO tender) and carrots and fried mac and cheese... oh and a chocolate snowball-shaped thing (again, I don't know the proper name... oh wait, yes; dessert), we mingled and schmoozed (with each other mostly) and drove home. The excellent thing about this award shows and parties also is that everything is so organized and parking was so close and convenient! LA does everything the best. It was truly a great, fun, day, and I got to spend it with wonderful friends. Happy happy joy joy.

I'm sure there have been other uplifting, wonderful things that have happened this past week, but to be honest my brain is kind of fried and I don't feel like typing anymore! I am going to go enjoy my Sunday away from the computer with friends, and continue to pack and plan for this blessing of a week and adventure coming up. I can't wait to see you all on Wednesday! :)

Thank you for bearing with me as I make up words, share mind ramblings, and attempt to make sense of life's little mysteries. Now go and make sense of your own. Or be at peace with them and be better than the rest of us. I feel lucky enough that when I'm in the control room panicking or trying to remember where all the stupid buttons are, that God is there to remind me that He's got it all figured out already and he's doing the hard work for me. He turns that big on/off switch on my 'mind' OFF if I'll only let him. The cool thing is, he will for you too. Go have a great day, see you soon.

Kirsten