yay-I JUST BOUGHT MY FIRST HOME!

i know! the day has finally come and i have finally closed on my first home - a condo in a beautiful gated complex right next to the river and the trolley tracks and between two fantastic malls!  i couldn't be happier!

stats:

2br/2ba

1 car garage

balcony

fireplace

...i could go on and on! so excited! click to enlarge any of the photos if you so desire :)

 so happy....for San Diego, this condo was a steal!  it's also newer and i bought it before April, so I get the 8k tax credit!
p.s. because I am military and deployed during a certain period, it is extended till April 2011 in case anyone was wondering :)
p.p.s. this is the staged furniture, it is not mine...and i am going to repaint the red in the master bedroom because i don't do red haha

xx,

alanna

2011 has the BEST music!

so bummed that i haven't been posting in the past few months...it's been a whirlwind, with Vegas for Thanksgiving,

- elevator photos on the way to a fully comped dinner @ Beso - DEFINITELY eat there if you get the chance, and get their macaroni and cheese and bread pudding!-

- the whole group, on the way to the bank @ bellagio - comped table for the girls! -

- trip and I on the way to see LOVE, the Cirque du Soleil show! -

the free VH1 Diva's Present Salute the Troops Concert with Katy Perry, Keri Hilson, Niki Minaj, etc.

- She definitely sings live!  It was interesting to see what songs the Divas sang twice because it was being recorded for TV -

Skiing in Utah for Christmas with the family + Trip + friends...one whole week, all those people and no injuries!

- isn't it STUNNING?  this is Powder Mountain, Utah -

and spending New Year's in Northern VA with my friends from high school and my fab boyfriend

- amazing group of friends still in the area from high school! -

- midnight shots with friends and the boyfriend...look at what a wimp he is! -

- the happy couple! -

now I'm in Rhode Island for school until March, and it's FREEZING!

fortunately, I have the amazing Britney Spears' Hold it Against Me:

Avril Lavigne's What the Hell:

and Rihanna's S&M to keep me warm during the snow day tomorrow!

xx,
alanna

25% off Stella + Dot? It IS a Happy Thanksgiving!

happy thanksgiving, my little turkeys!

so glad to be able to offer you guys this opportunity - just visit www.stelladot.com/alannastrei 

order whatever strikes your fancy,

and the most expensive item will be 25% off!

xx,

seasonally appropriate indian princess alanna

p.s. what i'm thankful for?
my fellow service-members, underway, overseas and standing duty!

halloween and cashmere

Halloween was, of course, fun.  Friday night we went bowling downtown for a friend of a friend's surprise party.  We went to a large party at the VFW (it was just as classy as it sounds) on Saturday night and then I Lilly'ed on Sunday, so Trip and I went to see that Katherine Heigl/Josh Duhamel movie - 'life as we know it', I believe.  It was pretty good!  Definitely a romantic comedy, so pretty predictable, but very heartwarming :)  It's our 6 month anniversary on Sunday but I have duty, so we have a busy/romantic Saturday planned!  Yay!

Halloween: Me, Becky and Christina as german beer girls

Today, I decided to replace my windshield wiper blades as I haven't had any in months (fortunately, in San Diego, you can do that...not bragging, just saying.  okay, I am bragging.  it's 88 and sunny today, Nov. 3...of course, McDonalds is more expensive than anywhere in the country and it costs 11.25 to see a movie, so I think I'm paying for all this sunshine somehow...).  Anyways, unfortunately, while I could remove the old blades, I cannot figure out how to put the new ones on.  Score: Wiperblades: 1, Alanna: 0.  Hopefully it doesn't decide to start raining :/

As a shocking aside, I have not lost any weight and am still hovering around that stupid effing 150 mark I've been hovering around for months.  I don't want to be content with it but Trip is a foodie too and we are always going new places and ordering amazing things...Bloody Mary brunch at Crabcatcher's and then dinner at the Melting Pot is sure not to help my case on Saturday - but at least we are going kayaking in La Jolla Cove beforehand!

I'm totally crushing on this Lilly Pulitzer Katherine cashmere cableknit sweater for this winter (we got samples in the store before resort came out and it's delightfully long with a fairly deep v-neck so I really liked it).  The sample was in lavender and I loved it, so I know I'll be getting that one.  Unfortunately, they also have three shades of blue and I don't know which I want - turquoise, skye blue, or shorely blue!  Halp!!



Lavender - already definitely getting it...it's almost like periwinkle, so pretty!



From left to right: Turquoise, Shorely Blue, Skye Blue

How am I supposed to choose?!  

I'm also considering getting a Babs...our manager, Sami, has one in black, and she wears it tossed over her shoulder and it looks so elegant!  You know me though...I'd go for this one:

and the most important thing I've done recently? 

I cut up one of my credit cards! 

Wooo, on the road to debt free living!

xx,

alanna