Art

Sorry had to add one more pic.  All I have to say is Louis killed it this Spring/Summer 2009 collection.  Everything from the shoes to the bracelets to the feather skirt must I go on.  I have no words right now.  I will just stare for a little bit until I fall asleep.

Insane

Can I have a wish list like this???? Louis did it big...no other way

Great concept

Rooftop of La Rinascente

What a great idea.  A mozzarella bar.  On tuesday Vally and I ventured into Milano Centro for an apperitivo or two and shopping.  Our first stop was the rooftop of the department store La Rinascente.  It looks directly at the Duomo...actually you feel like you can touch it.

In the picture you see the big Duomo. To the left of the Duomo there is a yellow colored building with glass on top. That is where we were sitting. Back to the great concept.  I was talking about the mozzarella bar called obika. There is one in NY if you don't ever make it to Milan. It offers different types of mozzarella with different things to go with it.  Just a fun little spot to have a little snack and glass of vino.  It gave us some energy for our day of shopping. And by the way, it was a beautiful day...quite a change from MN.

After a long day of shopping which included me finding nothing, Vally getting a new shirt, and Vally and I switching shoes at the atm, it was time for another apperitivo.  This time we choose to go to one of our favorite hotels, that we can't afford to stay at, so we go to eat and drink.

I first got introduced to this hotel now almost 3 years ago when I had a group

of guy friends that played for the basketball team Armani Jeans Milano. My friend and I met this group of guys there to enjoy some drinks before we went over to NOBU which is right down the street.  The Bvlgari(Bulgari) Hotel is incredible.  Very pricy but very quite and secluded while in the center of milan which is hard to find.  It was a great way to end our evening in Milano.

As we drove back to Novara I sang to Vally all the way home.  She loves when I bring her new music from the states and sing to her.  For some reason she thinks I have a great voice, obviously her other friends must be tone deaf if I have a good voice.  But I also enjoy singing so its not a problem. We reach Novara in less then 20 min and decided to do chinese take out at my favorite chinese spot in the centro commerciale (shopping center). The lady remembers me from last year since I was a 3 time a week regular.  I order my pollo con salsa curry ( curry chicken) and my riso bianco (white rice).  Both Vally and I are tired.  We get back to the house Vally and I go right to bed but of course I am still messed up with the time difference and wake up at 4am.  I think my body thought I was taking a nap.  I couldn't fall asleep again until 9. Good thing or Vally would have missed weights.  Her alarm didn't go off and luckily I knew what time she needed to go so I woke her up. Finally I got up at like 3 or something...I told you I was messed up. Then I joined the team at practice.  They kept trying to get me to play...I just told them I was on vacation...a 6 month one.  But it was good to be in the gym again.

Ciao for now...

Sleeping, Nobu, Gold, & Old Fashion

After a big night out Sunday, Vally and I slept most of the day.  Finally at about 7 we got a little energy.  I knew I had to get up to get ready for a webcam interview that I was doing for ooVoo and PressPass tv.  I had to be ready at 9pm Milan time, 4pm East coast time.  It was Ryan Grant (NFL Green Bay), David Clowney (NFL NY Jets), and I along with a couple other people presenting our final 4 picks for the NCAA Basketball tourney.  I was a great time, lots of S&*!t talking and laughs.  Thanks Michael from PressPass tv for the opportunity.  It was supposed to air on KTLA in LA this past Wednesday but since I am in Italy I missed it.  Hopefully I will get a copy of it. The only problem with the interview was the internet.  Everyone's at one point would mess up making the process last about an hour and half almost making us late for out reservation at NOBU in Milan. The NOBU in milan is owned byMr. Armani himself and is in the same building, which is a whole block, of only Armani stores. Vally and I had our normal favs.  Miso Cod, yellowtail sashimi with jalepeno, tempura shrimp with spicy sauce, house roll (eel & avocado), and ofcourse miso soup.  You can't have sushi without miso soup.  Everytime I go to a NOBU, in NY, LA, Hawaii or Milan I see someone famous.  This night is was Gary Dourdan from CSI: Las Vegas.

After a great dinner we decided to head to a Dolce&Gabanna's restaurant/lounge called GOLD. I had never been there before so we wanted to check it out.  All I can say is gorgeous.

We are thinking about going there for dinner on Saturday when my friend Erica will come to visit for a couple days.  After Gold we stopped by another famous club Old Fashion.  I went there last year on Mondays.  It is a nice crowd but mostly techno and Italian music.  We called it an early night and headed back to Novara to rest up for our day in Milano.  It worked out great because Vally had two full free days so we could do a lot without having to go to volleyball practice. Even though you know I love volleyball...

Ciao for now...

Love you Kim

I just want to give a quick shout out to my girl Kim Glass.  Just read her blog today and she said some very sweet things about me and gave me some good PR about my passion for fashion. Yes thats right I am obsessed and love to dress people.  Hopefully after volleyball that's what I'll be doing. But could also do it while I'm playing so holla if you need some tips. So just want to let everyone on my blog know about Kim's blog . And Miss Glass...you need to go get those Louis...I want someone to have them.  Miss you lady. Get it right for the ESPYs. Muah.

Italy Arrival

After arriving Saturday morning in Milan, Italy.  I got swept away by my best friend's father to her house.  My dear friend Vally was on my team my first year playing in Italy.  She single handedly saved my life in Italy and made it as comfortable for me as it could ever be.  We have been best friends since and the main reason I made this trip to Italy.  But like I was saying I immediately came to her house and took a nap.  I knew I had a big night ahead of me. Vally is on the team I was on last year and surprising lives in the same apartment I lived in last year...so its like being at home.  But she does have a lot more stuff in the place then I did.  She fixed me a nice blow up bed in the living room...didn't know they could be so comfy. We ate lunch together then both napped again.  She was playing in the semi-finals of the Coppa CEV tournament against the Turkish team Fenerbache.

It was nice being back in the volleyball environment.  Everyone in Novara was very happy to see me.  I left the team last year with a good relationship with the club.  I had hoped to return but knew I had to take care of my knee after the Olympics. The team looked very good and came off with a 3-0 win ready to take on the Russian team in the finals.  The Russian team was coached by Karpol the famous screaming Russian coach, and assisted by Jerry Estes who all of us volleyballers know.

After the game I worked on my Italy talking with people I hadnt seen for almost a year now. Felt famous for a little bit having photos being snapped, autographs, and even photos being taken that I didn't know where being take.  But it was fun, and I was happy with the welcoming that I got. Definately made me want to play in Italy again...but still to early to know. Here are some paparazzi pics...

After the game we went to my favorite restaurant Poretti.  I don't know what I would have done without the crew at Poretti.  They will pretty much make anything you want.   I went there at least two times a week last year when I was playing in Novara.  Great food, great people, can't go wrong with Poretti. My other girl friend Sanja, who played with me last year and now plays in Chieri met us there.  Vally had to go home to sleep since she had a big game the next day.  But Sanja had the next day off so we decided to go see some of our old friends at Ganas and Hollywood in Milano. Those were two of my spots last year so I wanted to surprise them since I was back in town.

After pretty much sleeping sunday away, I was ready for another volleyball game.  Luckily my girls at Novara won the cup again 3-0 and it was time to celebrate.  The night before I promised my friends at Ganas I would come back and see them for dinner.  So Sanja picked me up and we headed off to milan again.  Vally had a team dinner and planned on meeting us at Ganas a little later. Sanja and I had a great Mexican Italian style dinner the continued to chat it up with some old friends and met some new ones.  We finished the night at 3 other spots Luminal (hip hop spot), Toqueville (Italian Techno, a favorite of Italian soccer players), and finally Hollywood (the most famous club in Milan). 

Over all it was a great first weekend.  I got to see a little volleyball which I do miss, ate great food, and saw lots of friends. I got this message from one of my friends and would like to share it.

God doesn't give you the people you want.  he gives you the people you NEED.

-To help you, to hurt you, to leave you, to love you and to make you into the person you were meant to be.

More Italia to come...Baci (Kisses)

Great Convo & Hugs

Great conversation and hugs are two things that are so underrated. Saturday night at dinner the quality of the conversation was at an all time high.  Talking about family, friends, social issues, previous relationships, practically everything.  And towards the end of the night Jenna shared a story with Christi that I had already heard but could listen to it over and over again.  Its a story that gives you goose bumps, brings tears to your eyes and just down right makes us feel warm inside.  Jenna gave me permission to share the story but instead I am going to share the email she sent to Christi and I on Sunday.  It is a recap of the story along with some touching words from Jenna.  Here it is...

Hello!

 

Thanks for an absolutely fantastic weekend.  I haven't laughed, smiled, or shared so many good stories, while creating new memories like that in a long time.

 

As I promised, I wanted to share with you a little about Gertrude Bielenberg (my G'ma).

 

My cousin put the recipe book together, pulling together everything that was in my Grandma's recipe card box.

The title of the book is:

 

black bathing suit, red poppies, blue carnations

 

"If the family were a fruit, it would be an orange, a circle of sections, held together but separable - each segment distinct." Letty Cottin Pogrebin

 

The book then proceeds with AMAZING recipes of my childhood.  It ends wi

th a unique card, and I think it says a lot about who my Grandma was, and what was so important to her; friends and family.  It's almost as if it was her recipe for life and for love.  It is as follows:

 

The Joy and Value of Hugging

 

"'Tenderness,' says psychologist Eric Promm in 'The Art of Loving,' 'is the most beautiful but least remembered word in the language.' How desperately we need not just the word but tenderness itself:

 

Social scientist Virginia Satir, famous for her family studies, says 'hugging is good medicine.  It transfers energy and gives the person hugged an emotional boost...'

 

'You need four hugs a day for survival, eight for maintenance and 12 for growth.  A hug can say things you don't have words for...The nicest thing about it is that you usually can't give one without getting one.'

 

She adds that a hug makes us feel good because 'the skin is the largest organ we have, and it needs a great deal of care.  A hug can cover a lot of skin area and give the message that you care.'"

 

With my eyes teary, and a lump in my throat, I can truly say that YES, I have been loved, and it's through great friends like you.

Enjoy your day, it has been a fabulous weekend!

 

Jenna

I want you all to meet Jenna.  Jenna has been my friend since my freshman year in college.  We met through mutual friends and throughout the 10 years our friendship has blossomed into one that will last forever.  I love you Jenna.

Rewind: Flashback Song of the Week

I know music can have an impact on people, but was again reminded of it this past weekend. I had a big weekend planned with tow of my girlfriends Christi and Jenna.  Christi decided to make a CD for the ride to dinner which ended up being on tract 1 the rest of the night.  Little did we know that Track 1 would have such and impact on ours and others night.

I call it the flashback song because I don't really think it can be called old school just yet.  I know you all are dying to know what song it was.  And unfortunately I have been trying to figure out for days how to post a youtube video on my blog but I guess I'm not as good with computers as I thought.  And I am sorry I can;t figure it out because I don"t feel like you can completely understand how much of an impact this song has, and I guarantee you will know every word to this song and it will make you want to hold your cellphone up to your mouth like a microphone and start singing like you are Whitney Houston.  Oooopppps...I gave it away.  The flashback song of the the week is...(drum roll) I will always love you by Whitney Houston.  A picture of Whit is going to have to do until someone writes me a comment on how to post videos...hint hint.

Aaaaaannnnnnndddddd IIIIIIIIIIIIII...oh sorry just had a flashback.

Just a couple highlights of the night...

On the ride to dinner, I taught the girls how to use their cellphone as a microphone and also gave them the option of using a water bottle.  I don’t know about you but I always have multiple FIJI water bottles(Lindsey Berg’s water of choice except of course for Hawaii tap water) laying around the car. I think we played the song a good 3 and a half times before we arrived at one of my favorite Twin Cities restaurants Cafe Lurcat (1624 Harmon Place Minneapolis).  It was restaurant week in MN which means they have a prefixed menu with choices for 1st, 2nd, and dessert for a very reasonable price. We all started off with the apple, cheese and chive or is it apple, chive and cheese salad...either way it is to die for.  I need to learn how to make it.  Then surprisingly, but not really we all had the Miso Sea bass...unbelievable...i like to compare it to Nobu’s miso cod.  And of course to top it all off we had a selection of desserts but my favorite is the mini donuts.   I know what nice restaurant serves mini donuts??? This one...and they are incredible. We had a fabulous server I will have to find out his name for you...It makes me happy to see people enjoying their jobs and making the most of them.

After dinner we headed to Chambers, a fabulous, chic, modern boutique hotel in Minneapolis.  As we were driving of course we were listening to Whitney again, I mean really no other way at this point...we were officially addicted.  We soon found out that we had the music up so loud that everyone could hear it.  A taxi pulled up next to us with a group of fun individuals that ended up rolling down their windows and sang Whitney with us...some how they already knew the cellphone/mic requirement without me telling them.  They even got more into it and pretended to play the sax during the part of the song.  Definitely a group to reckon with for the most fun people of the night.  Jenna taught us that motto...wherever we go, we are the most fun people there.  We got the gold that night.  Oh one more thing, thanks to the Chambers valet for getting on his knees and singing Whitney to us...we didn’t even have to ask him to.

Ladies take a break while I’m in Italy...give Whit a little rest...my first weekend back “The Return of Whitney”...love u.

Rewind: Barrio

Restaurant pick of the Week:

Barrio

925 Nicolet Mall

Minneapolis, MN

My Favs:

Crab Empanadas

Made to Order Guacamole

Pork Carnitas Tacos

Grilled Skirt Steak Tacos

What I will try next time:

Black Bean & Chicken Tostada

Seared Tuna

Monday Nights

Try it...you will love it.

On my way to Italia...

As I sit here in the Red Carpet Room waiting for my flight to Frankfurt flashbacks of the last 4 years are going through my head.  I have not been back to Italy since last May.  Italy is one of my homes, and I am so excited to go back I can hardly sit in one place.  Sorry for not blogging all last week, I was busy getting ready for this trip and coaching a lot.  I still do want to blog about last weekend and this past week since I had some of the best times with my friends Jenna and Christi. And I can't forget about the Monday night celebration for my best bud John-Blair Bickerstaff...what a night.  So stay turned for some rewind blogs.

One last thing...I changed my look up...I think I'm ready for Italia...ciao

She does it all...

I would like to introduce you to one of my best friends...Kat Higgins. Thanks to Kat the NYSE ringing of the bell event was organized in about 24 hours, along with many other important details.  Meet Kat...the professional, fashionista, fabulous Mom.  Love you.

Just a little side note...the spread behind Kat included the best cookies we have ever had...we left with a togo box thanks to Mel the photo guy.

Inauguration Highlights

There has been a rumor going around that I went to the same high school as President Obama. So I just wanted to clear things up and tell everyone the rumor is absolutely true. Obama and I were both very fortunate to go to Punahou School in Honolulu, HI. As we all know this Presidential Election was one to remember for many reasons, so I decided to join my Mom at the Inauguration in DC.  Let me just say it was a once in a lifetime experience. I won't be surprised if I attend another one in the future, but I know there will never be one like this one. I was fortunate enough to attend a wonderful celebration hosted by Punahou School and Steve Case (Co-Founder of AOL) at his beautiful DC home. The amount of Punahou Alumni and supporters that flew to DC to see President Obama sworn in was amazing. The Hawaiian spirit was definitely in DC...Obama Ohana (Family in Hawaiian)

I was supposed to only stay one night in DC but decided to stay another night when I knew I could get tickets to "A night with Jay-Z." It was an intimate concert at the Warner Center. I would have to say it is in my top 3 concerts ever. I still think Tina Turner and Lionel Richie top my list.  They are the real deal.  Luckily I had my friend Jolie to enjoy the concert with me. Everyone was so friendly around the city.  It was an energy I can't explain.  It was amazing experiencing a historical moment like that and meeting the fabulous people that I did.  

Here are a couple pictures from the concert. Jay was incredible himself and to top things off he brought out Mary J, Young Jeezy, and Beyonce. Incredible.

   

I just want to talk about the concert a little bit. The live music, and the video screen behind the stage was amazing. The creative work that went into this concert was genius. The images shown on the big screen we touching and made the concert more of a celebration then just a normal concert.  Again the energy in the building from the performers to the audience was like nothing I have ever experienced.  Obviously the energy of the Olympics compares but at a different level.  I wish I could experience the energy of the Inauguration all over again.  Goose bumps is all I can say...

I have a great life no doubt about it. Thank you Mom and Dad, without your guidance, support, and unconditional love I would not be where I am today. I love you.

What one will do for some Louis and Gucci...

This is absolutely crazy...I can't lie I do love my labels...but this is ridiculous. Check out this article...nymag.com/fashion/09/spring/54331/

Times to Remember

Back to NY...Just a little more about Jack's fundraiser. The fundraiser was a success in many aspects. Hosting the party was Marion Barber, a college friend of mine, giving individual, and one of the best running backs out there.  The foundation raised a good amount of money to continue supporting families in Malawi.  Jack was also presented with a Congressional Certificate by Congressman Charles Rangel. To celebrate this prestigious Certificate, Congressman Rangel, Jack, other foundation supporters and I were invited to ring the NYSE bell.  I would say a pretty big deal.  Here are a couple pictures from the exciting event.

Like I said before I am so proud of Jack.  And I thank him for letting me be a part of this once in a lifetime event. I will never forget the energy in the NYSE...even though it was a bad day.  It was like being in a whole different world. They did invite us to come back sometime so I might have to take them up on that offer. Thank you Kat for organizing everything and being the great person you are. You are going to take this foundation to another level.

I have to say that my feet were killing me.  After spending the night before in a pair of heels for almost 8 hours and then trying to put another pair on for this function...my feet were mad at me.  Since I we are on the topic of heels, I just want to show you the fabulous shoes I wore for the fundraiser event.  I have never had so many men and women compliment me on a pair of shoes.  I didn't really count, but I kind of did.  I think I got about 15 compliments on my shoes that night...I would say they were a big hit. I even got to practice some Italian with a couple that wanted to know where I bought them...check them out!!!!

Not the most comfortable shoe but it was worth it...one of the hottest shoes of the season. Thank you Mr. Guiseppe Zanotti for being a fabulous designer.  Okay, where was I....After the ringing of the bell, we headed to one of my favorite spots (I have many) Dos Caminos in Soho. We had an early dinner then headed back to the hotel and didn't wake until morning.  I was a little bummed I wasted a night in NY, but I knew Kat and I needed the rest.

Saturday I put my UGGS on and decided to help the economy a little...well turned out to be a lot.  I went shopping on 5th Ave.  I was supposed to meet Kat and her friend Brianna in Soho for a warehouse sale but I never made it.  Lets just say I had a successful day.  I love shopping in NY.  You find things that you can't find anywhere else.  My best find was the store Blanc de Chine.  Absolutely unbelievable. I loved everything about the store from the architecture of the store to all of their clothes.  It is my new favorite brand check out the website www.blancdechine.com.  I also did the normal visit to Saks 5th after hearing that they are in major trouble and might end up closing.  I don't believe it. I don't think the original Saks will ever be gone...but maybe I am just trying to convince myself of this. Other stores I visited were Henri Bendel (I love how they display all of their merchandise), Louis Vuitton (where I bought one of my best friends bday gift, can't wait to give it to him), YSL (shoes to die for), and many more.  It was quite a day...with more to come.

NY has so much to offer, but one thing that needs to be mentioned are the restaurants.  I love to go to my regular favorites Le Pain Quotidien, Cafeteria, Nobu, Buddakan, Matsuri, Tao, Asia de Cuba, just to mention a few. But I also like to try new ones. I am officially obsessed with Japanese food, and the rest of the group agreed on it so we tried the restaurant Megu.  It was to die for.  Not only was the food amazing but the decor in the lounge area was breathtaking.  I will definitely be stealing some decorating ideas when I get my own home.  We started at Megu and ended up checking out a couple late night spots Tenjune, and HOM.  I had heard a lot of hype about Tenjune...unfortunately I was disappointed.  But still had a great time with the group of people I was with.

Kat and I had promised Brianna that we would venture over to Williamsburg (Brooklyn) for brunch the next morning.  Great little area. We ate at a fabulous restaurant the Roebling Tea Room a definite must try.  The trout was amazing along with the cinnamon toast...how can yo go wrong with a place that serves cinnamon toast right? We walked our brunch off as we attempted to find a taxi.  Not as easy in those neck of the woods.  Finally we found one, headed back to the hotel to pick up our bags and we headed off to the airport.

The trip was a success...thank you Jack, Kat, Brianna, and everyone else that made my NY trip one to remember.

Rewind

I want to rewind back to Wednesday...Part 2 of my photo shoot.  Part 2 was a little easier then part 1, and turned out a lot better.  The pictures from the second day were definitely my favorite and can't wait to share them.  They are pretty artistic and edgy.  Overall, I had a great time doing the whole shoot.  My photographer was amazing...so if anyone ever needs fabulous pictures look him up...Jaisen "Tieg" Van Holland. The shoot really got me in the mood to go to NY since Fashion Week was the last 2 weeks and I missed them.  One day I will be there, or in Milan to experience the madness and chaos of it all. Until then I will continue to read and dream about it.

And I am pretty sure I did dream about it because for some reason Thursday morning while I was packing I decided that I had to take almost my entire closet to NY.  My friend Jack Brewer had the quote of the day..."No. Really Lindsey. What do you have in there?" I think he repeated that about 5 times and I just couldn't answer cause Kat and I were laughing so hard in the back of the taxi.  One day I will learn to take only what I need on a 3 day trip.  Until then I will continue paying the overweight fees...which unfortunately have significantly gone up :(

Kat and I arrived in NY after a short 2 hour flight that we almost missed might I add.  Quality time with Kat is very limited these days so we were both very excited to catch up.  So excited that we spent a little too much time at French Meadow in the airport causing us to speed walk...probably faster then I can run right now...all the way to our gate which was practically the last one.  We just made it, and the lady said "Oh you had time, about 2 minutes." As we walked on the plane we were the last two people and were definitely getting the "we have been waiting for you" looks from everyone already on the plane. We about laughed for the first half of the flight about it...and then felt relieved when we found out I had multiple friends that had flights going out later that were postponed til the next day because of the snow storm. A couple hours later we were in NY. Bags came out fast and we hopped in a cab very curious about the hotel that Jack booked us in. Normally I have my favorite hotels in NY...Gansevoort, Hotel on Rivington, W to mention a few... and plan the whole trip.  But since Jack offered to take care of it, Kat and I decided to save some money and accept the offer.  I can't say the Broadway Plaza hotel was what I am used to, but it actually turned out to be just fine considering we were so busy. Kat has been helping Jack out a lot with his Foundation, so she was busy for the first couple hours that we were there getting things organized for the fundraiser and the NYSE bell ringing.  I took my time getting ready for the big fundraiser.  Please check out my friend Jack's site jbfworldwide.org to read about his foundation and hopefully donate if you have a little to spare.

All dolled up Kat and I took a cab to the Eli Kline Gallery in Soho for the fundraiser.  It was a great time.  I am so proud of Jack and how far he has come since I met him freshman year in college.  From red sweats to perfectly tailored suits he is truly making a difference in the world.  Jack and I have been discussing ways for me to be more involved in the Foundation...I can't wait to see how things develop...We will make things happen for sure...

Part 2 of NY coming soon...goodnight everyone