Hey Everyone… *HOW YOU DOIN’*

So I’ve always been a big F.R.I.E.N.D.S fan, I could watch it all day everyday and pretty much quote every episode, lol. And I’ve always had a fascination with the friends favorite hangout “Central Perk.” It has always been a tv nerd dream of mine to sit on that big orange couch on the set of F.R.I.E.N.D.S with a big ole mug of coffee in my hand. It’s such a shame I never got to visit the set in real life, it would have been an amazing experience. Because to me, it was and still is an iconic show, one that can never be matched. There is a certain simplicity about it, it makes you laugh, makes you cry, there are first loves, and breakups, but it mirrors real life. People don’t always have the right words to say, and often times jokes are made during times of tragedy because it makes it easier to cope, that’s what friends is about, the root of it all is the uplifting comedy. And it’s a beautiful thing.

So for a while I had been toying around with the idea of having a central perk themed party, I’ve seen a few examples of it online, and I was eager to make it happen. So I did! Take a look at some of the pics, including decor, menu, guest list and even entertainment! 😉

My goal was to bring Central Perk and the spirit of F.r.i.e.n.d.s into my very own living room.

Decor & Menu:

A number of years ago, my best friend lent me the friends soundtrack to burn, so to set the mood I played the theme song while everyone arrived, it was pretty cool because there’s the long version of the song and towards the end there are snippets of conversations from the show between the characters, so it was a good ambiance setter, made it feel like they were right there with us!

I put my Rachel game face on, and rocked a waitress apron and coffee pot to play the role 😉 Rachel Green will forever be my first girl crush lol

Found this adorable Phoebe Cartoon online so I decided it’d be cute to post some flyers around announcing a special Phoebe Buffay performance!

Phoebe’s Corner… you got a mic, a guitar, and good ole smelly cat haha (props to my friend Lauren’s little niece for the cat lend out haha)

I tend to have my big gatherings in July for some reason, so I opted to do the iced versions! We also had the added addition and crowd favorite; Fruit Kabobs!

Signature big mugs and wait a second is that “Be your own Windkeeper” Gosh I mean Monica, and Phoebe raved about it so much I thought I’d buy a copy 😉

Soap Opera Digest…in honor of Joey’s “Days of Our Lives” gig as Dr. Drake Ramoray 😉

Look at that spread… we got muffins, donut sticks, scones, an apple horseshoe, munchkins, coffee cake, and croissants!

Gotta have your assortments of Jelly… apricot, red raspberry, and grape 😀

Iced Coffee, and Iced Green Tea!

Coffee Making Station!…. we even made some frozen hot chocolate which is out of this world… just a few packs of hot cocoa mix, some milk, and ice ice ice and blend blend blend til frothy! You’ll love it!

As party favors everyone got to go home with a mug! (p.s. i searched and searched for big mugs like the ones they use in the show, but i couldn’t find any! and I only had 2 in my closet so they were for show, so i found these coffee themed mugs that i thought were really cute!)

Guest Entertainment 😉

Phoebe’s Corner is a rockin’ …Rachel introduces Phoebe Buffay! 😉

View from the stage 😉

My partner in planning, thanks mom ❤

My fellow friends buff ❤

Lauren & I discussing “Be Your Own WindKeeper” over a cup of coffee 😉

I also posted a few other flyers around of “Phoebe Buffay and the Smelly Cat Ball” I found it online and it looked like a tour poster and I thought it was too cute!

And to round it out a little premiere of the “Smelly Cat” music video ;)…. followed by an after party of friends episodes with my friends buff Lauren ❤

After all the planning it was a really great experience to share my Central Perk and Friends infatuation (lol) with some amazing friends of my own! Friends is a show that should have never ended…but will live on through me and all my other friends buffs… and well through reruns lol….in the wise words of Rachel Green…

Yes Rachel, yes it is 😉

P.S. SHOUT OUT to this being my 100th POST here on michelleleighwrites!!!! yayyyy! gotta say I’m pretty proud of myself for keeping this up, I may not be able to post as frequently as I’d like, but at least I’m sticking with it!

#happymondayfolks

*and if you’re a Friends fan like me, try having a central perk party of your own for you and your friends 😀

-<3-

There are things in life that just transcend your imagination, that make you feel a certain way about life and the world around you. For some it’s love, others it’s their career, and for those who are waiting on the previously mentioned; it’s music. I admit being a 90’s kid; I grew up very pop music hungry. Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, and NSYNC, they were my bread and butter. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. So being just a big fan of NSYNC you can only imagine the love I have for Justin Timberlake. To see how successful he has become on his own is a huge pleasure as his fan.

I feel like he has a real knack for all things creative, that whatever he chooses to do in life; whatever path he takes in his career, will somehow always be the right one. Because he does it all with his heart, his head, and you can tell he gives it his all. Justin Timberlake’s comeback this year has been strategically planned out; from teasing the release of new music, to dropping a whole new album, to planning specific TV appearances. It wouldn’t surprise me, if he designed this plan all on his own, because that’s the type of business man he is. He looks to see what works and what doesn’t and in his heart he knows what is right and what is wrong for his career and for his fans.

I have said it before and I’ll say it again 2013 is the year of Justin Timberlake. It is the year he has come back into music full throttle, the year his fans were blessed with a new album (Volume two coming September 30^th) and a stadium tour co-headlining with jay-z, and just recently announced; new dates for a solo world tour.

7 Year Evolution 😀

After A LOT of Ticketmaster hunting, I scored tickets to the Yankee Stadium show this past Saturday July 20^th. And to say it was amazing would be an understatement. My best friend and I saw his futuresex/lovesound show for our 16^th birthdays, and that was about 7 years ago. So for us to be able to go see him together now was truly a memorable experience.

The concert was very collaborative. Jay-z and Justin really worked together to combine their set lists and create a show that was in favor of both fan bases, and can I just say I may not be the biggest Jay-z fan, but after seeing him live, I truly have respect for him. He can put on a great show. The show opened with both stars singing their hit song “Holy Grail” off of Jay-z’s newest album Magna Carta. When I first heard this song prior to the concert I was pretty infatuated with it, because I just thought Justin’s voice sounded so amazing and different in it. And I loved the way the song portrayed a relationship with a woman as fame. The aspect of fame and what it can do to someone had really become its own character in the song. Anyway… when they performed it together live Saturday night, an even greater level of appreciation was developed! There’s just something about live music and the energy behind it…it’s just better than anything.

There’s nothing like looking out in the audience and seeing a concert lit up

I don’t want to give too much away but the two definitely worked together to make the show great; Justin joined in on a few of Jay-z’s songs, and they also combined for a Frank Sinatra inspired presentation of “New York New York” meets “Empire State of Mind.” Then the encore consisted of the two performing their hit song “Suit & Tie” and also Jay-z’s rendition of “Forever Young.” Justin’s vocals were on point the entire night.

This show was very different from Justin’s previous concert set ups, for instance being that it was stadium tour, the stage was pretty standard; rectangular and stationary. No elaborate outfit changes, it was basically 2 hours of music, which was pretty freakin’ awesome. I do wish Justin had been able to draw the audience in through conversation and storytelling like he’s used to; he’s very good at making you feel like he’s having a personal party just for you in your living room. However it was understandable that he wasn’t able to speak too much because he had quite the set list to get through in only a 2 hour slot of time, one in which he was sharing. And even so, he played a lot of his material; granting us with old favorites like “Cry me a River,” and “Sexy Back,” but still keeping up with the changing times and performing “Tunnel Vision” and “Take back the night.” Although there were some of his new songs that I had wished he sang; like “let the groove get in,” and “strawberry bubblegum,” (also would it kill you to acknowledge your NSYNC days just sayin’ you still have fans out there ;D) even so, he definitely had a well rounded set list. Regardless of not being able to talk much with the audience and have a restricted set list, Justin Timberlake is a show stopper, and the audience’s attention was never wavered! All in all, it was a great night with a great artist and a great friend.

Can’t wait to see what your world tour has in store for us J.T. Here’s hoping I get tickets! 😀

And p.s. I cannot wait to hear the brilliance continue this fall when Volume 2 drops!

And movie buffs keep an eye out for J.T. starring in “Runner Runner”  early this fall !  

xoxo

-Justin Timberlake Fangirl 😉

#mylove

Check out some of my pics of me and my best friend at the concert ❤

All dressed up  ❤

En route to the stadium 😀

View from our seats 😀

Excitement at it’s best :O

Smiling faces during the show 😀

Posing w/ Our Man 😉

Thankfully the rain held up until after the concert, but we still had our ponchos ready!

No matter how old I get, no matter how old you get, I will forever be in love with you and the talent you embody… Justin Timberlake you are a true legend #hatsoff ❤

#happywednesdayfolks

-<3-

Found another way to rock my bow tie ;D

So I’m sure many of you have been dealing with this insanely ridiculous heat wave, thankfully I was able to stay indoors for the better part of it. However, I feel for all those who have work and school and any other out-door commitments. Traveling is brutal I’m sure. Being  that it’s summer, I opt for the iced versions of tea and coffee, to avoid feeling the heat even more. My mom made me a really great cup of tea the other day when it was just too brutal to bear drinking anything hot.

*First she boiled water (as you would for a regular cup of tea)

*Then she chose the tea and let it sit; I opted for chamomile, because it’s always soothing

(Helpful side-note: also helps soothes any stomach cramps or issues you may have)

*She let the tea sit for a while and cool down, then added ice to chill it

*Add a little sugar (not too much)

* I’d put it in the fridge to let it get even colder (maybe opt do that before adding the ice to drink)

*I added a piece of orange and I was ready to enjoy!

Hope this helps you still satisfy your tea craving and helps you beat the heat!

Cracked up my AC and relaxed in my bed, I even popped in some old teen drama favorites…

“The OC”….Seth Cohen always makes me laugh…instantly put me in a better mood! 😀

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