I’ve been meaning to sit down and write this happiness report out for a few weeks now. It’s a good one 🙂 I’ll start out by saying it includes meeting and touching Adam Levine, being in a Jimmy Kimmel selfie, hugging and chatting with Scott Foley and Josh Malina and more! I’m calling it the Happiness Report – Celebrity Edition! (This is the longest post, ever…but I’m writing it all out for posterity so that when I’m old and gray I can remember this great three days!)
Last month my friend Amanda sent me a text asking if I wanted to go to Los Angeles with her. Her friend (and my new friend), Harrison, the founder of CliqueMe, had tickets to go backstage to The Voice and tickets for Jimmy Kimmel Live. Amanda, knowing how mildly obsessed I am with Adam Levine and The Voice asked me to go. I am so glad she did because it was honestly one of the most fun few days I’ve ever had. It was like we had some kind of magic wish granting dust sprinkled on us… everything we wanted to happen (even if we didn’t know we wanted it) happened!
But first, some real talk…
I have to share something though…over the past year and a half I have gained a lot of weight. I went from being the thinnest I’ve been in a long time, to an injury then complete lack of motivation and gaining 30+ pounds. I absolutely can’t stand how I look and feel like 40 has been really hard on me and not so fabulous. So, there were some doubts in me about going and I almost said no. Luckily I got on the phone with my best friend and she talked me out of any nonsense I was thinking. “If only I could do this when I’m skinner” “I hate all my clothes and look so fat in everything…there is no way I will fit in in LA” “You know there will be pictures, which will show off the fact that I’ve gotten fat…Ugh.”
Obviously, I am so glad I went… imagine all of these AMAZING things I would have missed out on had I said no because I was feeling insecure about the way I looked? You need to just LIVE LIFE no matter what your size. Be happy, confident and don’t wait for your perfect body to make things happen. Embrace the now, love yourself how you are now, and you will find happiness within that. I truly don’t believe it will happen until you are at the place where you love yourself anyway, weight and all. I’m still not there, but trying…
OK…let’s get to the fun stuff…
Meeting (and Touching) Adam Levine
So, did I tell you about the time I met Adam Levine? I can’t believe that is something I can actually say to people now 🙂 As you all know, I’ve made it no secret that I’m a fan of American’s Sexiest Man Alive. Live tweeting during The Voice is one of my favorite things to do during the TV season and I could listen to Maroon 5 all day long, every day.
When we got to the set of The Voice they were filming the blind auditions. Harrison took us behind the studio to an RV where his friend worked as a sound engineer. It was so cool because the RV was tricked out with TV monitors and sound boards all over. There were three different sound feeds coming in…the producers, judges and contestants. As a huge fan of the show, it was really cool to listen to all the things that go on behind the scenes and to see the ins and outs of the way the show actually works versus the edited version we see on TV. Also, hearing the judges talk when they weren’t being filmed was pretty cool too. I was fascinated and just so happy to be there! This is going to be a GREAT season and I can’t wait to share with you all who my favorite contestant is so far!
Next, Tim took us inside the studio to see where all the action takes place. We got to see all 4 judges being interviewed – and we were close – and I was so excited. I assumed that was as close to the judges we would get, and I was totally happy with that. The stage of The Voice seems so much smaller than it does on TV. We ate dinner from the Craft Services table and enjoyed coffee from the Starbucks booth on set you see on TV. Everything seemed so tiny and plain in person… verses how showy it seems on TV!
We went back to the RV for a bit and watched them tape the show. I think we saw maybe 7 auditions before they decided to stop for the night, around 10pm. They had been filming since 10am that morning, so they have really long working days on taping days! After they finished taping, Tim took us back inside the studio. Everyone had cleared out and Amanda and I had the chance to sit in the famous red judges chairs (no… we didn’t push the button but I wish we would have now). We decided to head out and go home… I was on cloud 9!
As we were leaving the studio, we came out a door into a dark alley and there was a black escalade there. “That Escalade has to belong to one of the judges,” said Amanda. I said it could belong to anyone… we were in Hollywood, afterall! She said “No… look at that bodyguard. Not just anyone needs a bodyguard like that. Let’s wait!” I wasn’t going to argue.
I had my back to the escalade and two minutes later Amanda said “You are not going to believe who just came out the door. Adam Levine is standing right behind you!” I turned around and sure enough… just a few feet away stood Adam Levine looking sexy as ever in jeans and a white t-shirt. My first instinct (and this was with all the celebrities we met) was to turn and run the other way! Amanda grabbed my arm and said “Let’s go meet him!”. We headed towards Adam and his bodyguard put his body in between us with his hands up. That’s when we heard from Adam “No, it’s ok! Let them through.” At that point Adam stepped forward, held his hand out and said “Hey, I’m Adam!”…and shook our hands. That is pretty much when I just about died. I said some stupid fangirl stuff to him and he was extremely nice and gracious! He also has the softest hands, ever. We chatted for about 5 minutes about them coming to Kansas City on tour and other random stuff then we left. As we turned to walk away, he blew us a kiss. Again, dying.
I know not everyone is an Adam fan, but for those of you who are… he’s incredibly nice and kind and looks just as good up close in person as he does in magazines and on stage! We were bummed we couldn’t get a picture, but I will never forget this night!
Becoming #FacebookLegit with Jimmy Kimmel
Harrison is pretty much the coolest guy ever (not to mention the nicest) so when he worked with another good friend to get us front row seats to Jimmy Kimmel Live the next day, we were wowed. Just like the set of The Voice, Jimmy Kimmel’s stage seems so small compared to what we see on TV. When Jimmy was doing his act, he was just a few feet in front of us. It was so much fun! Naturally we were completely and totally blown away when Jimmy decided to do his very first show selfie that night and came right over to our row to do it! You can watch the video of it here… as if I wasn’t insecure enough, let’s just take a selfie on TV and put it on national television!
You know who didn’t care that maybe I’ve gained a few pounds and had a super shiny face (what was up with that?)? My kids! They thought it was pretty darn cool, and so did I! That night ended with a Brad Paisley concert and my first experience with Korean BBQ which I can’t wait to have again! So much fun!
Tweeting, Hugging and Picture Taking with Scott Foley and Josh Malina
Before heading to LA, I had read that Scott Foley (Jake from Scandal…whom I have been a fan of since he was Henry on Grey’s Anatomy) was one of the stars in a play in Westwood called The Country House. Both being fans, Amanda and I decided to get tickets. I love live theatre and the fact that it was a star studded cast made it even more exciting!
Amanda, Harrison and I had spent the day outside in the sun, lounging around a rooftop bar (I know, rough life, right?). We pretty much had the unmade up beach look down. We had planned on heading back to the hotel before the play, but discovered that with traffic it was going to be a 2 hour, roundtrip trek. We totally didn’t have time for that and realized we were going to have to head to the play in what we were wearing, with no makeup and in the sun all day hair. (We did stop by Target and splashed on some body spray from a sample spritzer, so hopefully we at least didn’t stink!).
Before we headed to Westwood, I had tweeted Scott Foley and Eric Lange, both stars of the play, to see if they had any recommendations on places to eat dinner around the theatre. You can bet I was just a tad bit excited when Scott tweeted back just a few minutes later…although his tweet had me a little concerned. Looks like auto correct got the best of him 🙂
We arrived at the play and it was such a good show. It was a small ensemble cast, but each part was played so well. I laughed and then during the very emotional closing scene, bawled my eyes out. So you can probably imagine that by the end of the play I was looking pretty darn rough… puffy eyed, makeup free face. It was not a great look.
After the play was over, Amanda and I started to head out when we saw Eric Lange in the lobby. I had to stop and tell him how much we enjoyed the show and how touched I was by his emotional performance. He was really nice and such talent. The lobby was clearing out when we noticed another one of the actresses coming down some stairs. Amanda and I decided to hang around for just a few more minutes to see if the rest of the cast was going to come down.
Sure enough, a few minutes later Scott Foley came down the stairs (followed by Gwyneth Paltrow who was watching her mom, Blythe Danner, who also came down). Scott was walking towards us when we went to introduce ourselves. Before I could even say anything he said “Oh I totally know who you are… do NOT tell my wife I recommended a restaurant where they filet their children!” and laughed! I said stupid fangirl stuff like before. We talked about Scandal and the play and about being from Kansas City (which is where he’s from). If Adam was incredibly nice, I can’t even describe how nice Scott Foley was. Genuinely a super nice guy. Both Amanda and I got a hug and pictures with him (although Amanda’s was blurry because I was shaking so much I was so excited! Sorry, Amanda!)
As Amanda and I were walking outside, Scott was walking back in and said “Thanks again ladies for coming!” I turned to say something to him and sure enough…Josh Malina was right there! I probably fangirled the most with Josh because I totally was not expecting to see him – seriously… how much better could our trip get? He was hilarious, as you’d expect, and also really nice! Most of the stars of Scandal have come to The Geffen Playhouse since then and have supported Scott, which I think is pretty cool!
Before we could head home, Amanda and I had to sit down and settle ourselves. I was shaking so hard I couldn’t even text my friend Jenny to tell her what happened (so ended up calling her at 1am her time!). Amanda thought she was going to have a heart attack, her heart was beating so fast. We both, seriously, could not believe our luck over the three days we were together. It was pretty darn incredible! That Hollywood Magic Dust was totally in the air everywhere we went!
I hope I haven’t bored you all to tears, but I wanted to at least write this down for me so I could remember it forever (seriously, how could I forget?). I have to thank Amanda, first of all, for inviting me along on this once in a lifetime kind of trip. My husband for being cool with me going to fangirl over my 2 biggest Hollywood crushes. My sister for watching my girls for me while I lived the glamorous life in LA. And finally, Harrison (Karen, Ivy & Tim too), for making it all happen…your generosity and kindness during the trip was like no other. Thank you so much for everything! I’m ready to come back 🙂
(Thank you all for reading… my full length picture with Scott Foley is now going to be my before/after weight lost picture when I get these pounds off. Not many people can say that… maybe I can go see him again when I’m back down to a healthy weight and he can be part of the after photo too!)
Love this post to pieces!!! I had the best, best time with you in LA!! 🙂 Will never forget our magical 3 days!! 🙂 xoxoxo
I can’t thank you enough for inviting me to tag along, Amanda. It really was one of those “the universe IS a wish granting factory” kind of trip! I had so much fun with you and Harrison! Such great memories (and I didn’t even share them all here!)
I love this whole post – what a FUN experience! And I have to say, I’ve always thought you look great and have never noticed anything but your radiant smile 🙂
You are the sweetest… I’ll keep you around more often. Thank you, Heather!
I seriously am in LOVE with this post!! You girls are magic. I am so glad you didn’t pass on that trip! Aren’t we girls crazy for what we put ourselves through with weight?! And first and foremost I think you look gorgeous!!
Also, Children-fil-a .. totally awesome.
We really are nuts… as if anyone else cares what we look like! I can’t imagine all the regrets I would have had if I would have turned it down. Such an amazing experience!
I followed it all on the social media and it sure looked like one heck of a time you had! So happy for you!
Thank you so much! I felt like such an instaho… but sometimes you’ve just got to capture the moment!
Absolutely! I joined Instagram in April and love it! Absolutely addicted! 🙂
This is one of the BEST Happiness Reports EVER!!!! me and my girls were talking about your adventures while we were on vacation —slightly jealous that we were in San Diego instead of LA with you! lol
and, hey, I’m in the same boat with the weight – 40’s are horrible on that front. I lost a lot before I started blogging and put it all back on and then some – I’m trying to accept it and learning like you said, to have fun – it’s who I am.
Can wait to see you in a few weeks!! Heather and I are counting down the days!! at least we get to experience one celeb experience with you! Heather keeps says “we will be close enough to TOUCH JT!!!” lol
We had so much fun but your vacation looked pretty darn amazing too!
I am so excited for you all to be here for JT! It’s coming up! Maybe that magic wish granting dust will come to Kansas City and we’ll get a close encounter with him too!
I cannot say how much I love this post! Sounds like the trip of a lifetime!
What you said in your intro here about your concerns with your weight and how you look in pictures…totally hit home with me. I’ve always been overweight, but lately the number is getting higher than ever. One of my 2 best friends got married last year (I was a bridesmaid) and I was not happy with how I look in the pictures AT ALL. My other best friend is getting married in September, (again, I’m a bridesmaid) and I was determined to lose weight to look better for her wedding. It’s just not happening. (so far…still trying though!) I needed to hear these words: “You need to just LIVE LIFE no matter what your size. Be happy, confident and don’t wait for your perfect body to make things happen. Embrace the now, love yourself how you are now, and you will find happiness within that.”
I’m going to be a bridesmaid, have as much fun as I can, and just LOVE celebrating the beautiful day with my beautiful friends.
I also try and remind myself that yeah, I’d love to be thinner, but there are lots of people who would love just to be my size. I love who I am on the inside, I’m really trying to love who I am on the outside too. If I get my ‘stuff” together and find some willpower somewhere and actually lose weight that would be awesome. But I’m not going to be self conscious and upset about how I look if I don’t.
Thanks for sharing your fun trip with us! I loved the pic of your girls too…adorable!
Shelby –
Thank you so much for taking the time to write out your comment (and to read the post!)
It is so hard to not be happy with yourself and to know you’ll have pictures taken, but you need to take it from me and ignore that. You WILL have the most amazing time. I’m sure you look absolutely beautiful and you’ll rock it standing up with your friend in September!
Let me know how it goes – I want to see pictures of you smiling big on her wedding day having the BEST time!
I read this entire post with a smile on my face – these happiness reports are exactly that! Thanks for sharing dear!
My next happiness report will surely include meeting YOU! I can’t wait 🙂
Oh my gosh, I can’t tell you how much I LOVE this! You two has an amazing time!!! I loved living vicariously though your instagram feed and then this post,! So much fun! I’m so glad you said yes to it.
Also children-fil-a is AWESOME. I think you need to come up with a recipe for that one…
I didn’t need an update to know how happy you were…I was one of many who followed your adventure and was excited for you; OK maybe a bit (lot) jealous too! I’m glad your upclose experiences didn’t burst the fangirl bubble and that everyone was so nice. And someone else said it…your smile lights up the room, what weight? I love you just the way you are.
Loved every word of this post!! Your happiness is EXUDING in every single letter you type!! I’m so thrilled for you – you deserved this incredible, once in a lifetime experience more than anymore.
I commend you for being so open and honest about your weight gain and body image struggles. It is surely an issue everyone deals with in one form or another. It has been much harder losing the baby weight this second time around and I can’t say it’s been all butterflies and roses.
One thing I’m working on is being patient with my body and appreciating what can do today, not what it might look like tomorrow. It’s a constant battle but I’m working on it. And for what it’s worth, I thought you looked beautiful on TV and was too busy looking at your beaming smile to even remotely notice any weight gain. Isn’t it funny how we think people notice this stuff? Thank you for the reminder. 🙂
What an amazing trip! It looked like you were having such a great time – and seeing Adam must have been thrilling. I know I’d have gotten completely tongue-tied! You’re so right about living your life and not waiting until everything is perfect, it’s something I’m trying to remember.
Aww. I had the biggest smile while reading this! I’m so, so happy for you! And so happy that Amanda was there to encourage you to go up and meet people. I know I would have needed her around to do the same for me. 🙂
You know who else didn’t care about your extra weight? Everyone. I think you look great! I’ve also gained quite a bit of weight over the past year and it’s hard to let it go and not dwell on it so I know that that probably means nothing. You’re going on the cruise, right? I’m going to aim for losing 5 pounds by then. 15 would be awesome but there’s no way that’s going to happen. You’re welcome to be my pre-cruise-weight-loss buddy, if you want. 😉
I love that you got to do this trip! I have been waiting for this post so I could relive it with you:)
Kristen can I say you look fabulous! You are such a fun, caring beautiful person inside and out! I agree if I were to hold off on life until I was happy with my body I would never do anything. 40 was my hardest year ever, I also hav struggled with many injuries that have kept me from being as active as I once was that coupled with age….well let’s just say this girl is no spring chicken! I try to stay positive and be thankful for the health I have and all the many blessings God has given me, and let go of the fact that the perfect body is not my end all goal. I could go on and on. I will stop here.
Thanks for sharing! I’m so glad you went!
Much love, Sheila
What an unbelievable trip! I loved all of your instagram photos and seeing you and Amanda having such a great time. You are too hard on yourself about your looks- you are fabulous inside and out! Being over 40, kids and the food blog hasn’t done my weight any favors but I’m happier with my life than when I was too stressed out to eat and was thin! Love this post so glad you shared it!
What an amazing trip! Thank you for sharing such a fun experience with us. And thank you for your honesty too. So refreshing to read from start to finish.
I used to live in LA and it’s amazing how many celebrities you bump into just out doing your grocery shopping or grabbing a latte at a local coffee shop. I was always amazed at how most of them also looked as good in real life as on screen (except a couple I won’t go into 🙂
Glad you had a great time. LA is a fun town.
What an amazing trip! I loved seeing your tweets/instagrams at the time but it’s even better to see it all in one go and realise quite how many celebs you managed to spot/talk to/grab a picture with in such a small space of time. Also, I loved your real talk asides too (although, I should point out that I see nothing but a gorgeous woman when I look at pictures of you). Been there, done that.
I love this!! What a fabulous way to spend 3 days – and it wasn’t even on your summer bucket list 🙂 Also, you look fabulous – kids are the best for recognizing true beauty!
This post definitely put the “happiness” in “The Happiness Report.” Sounds like an amazing opportunity. I’ve also recently gained a lot of weight (…also started thanks to a stupid injury) and I struggle with the same things but I’m glad you were able to get past that and enjoy the trip! And for what it’s worth, I don’t know what you looked like before, but I just saw a beautiful, super happy woman in those pictures.
I’m SO glad you went! Ugh we are in the same boat. I cannot believe that I ran a freaking half marathon then was hospitalized for a month with major surgery after. 🙁 Fitbit is helping me not be so sad about where I am now. Baby steps. 10,000 baby steps a day 😉
Anyway WHAT an INSANE trip! You girls are amazing. I squealed out loud when I saw you on the Jimmy Kimmel show!!!
I’m glad you took the plunge and went on this trip even though you had reservations. I love that you shared all of it. You so deserve so much happiness and I was so thrilled for you when I saw the IGs and facebook posts!!! Ahhhhh!!
Love this post, Kristen! Don’t feel bad about it being long, because I enjoyed reading every word! Totally understand that magical feel of meeting celebrities and being star-struck. 🙂 You deserved every happy moment!!
You know, I’m not an Adam Levine person and I don’t watch Scandal, but it sounds like you got so much straight up pure joy out of these experiences that it doesn’t really matter. I’m thrilled for you and it sounds just marvellous.
Hi, I came over from Amanda’s site to read your account. You look beautiful and happy.
Thank you so much, Elizabeth 🙂
I came from Amanda’s site too. Reading both of your accounts of the trip has me in extreme jealousy mode! But seriously, HOW AWESOME?!! I think I’d totally loose it over Scott Foley. Totally.
I know exactly what you mean about being self conscious about the weight. I’ve maintained being about 25lbs over weight for the last 10 years or so. Never really going up or down (minus when I was pregnant). And from time to time I let my weight rule what I do and don’t do and I hate it. I am actually extremely healthy and I am active (not as much as I should be though) and I’m at a point where, while I will not stop trying to loose weight and be heatlhy, I am happy with myself and realizing that I don’t have to be thin to be happy.
Kristin – thank you so much for sharing! It is such a struggle for me but I know that my weight does not define me! I just need to get past that (and get to a healthy point again!)