If, and when life ends.....

Things I realize everyday... I will die. Everyone does. No one is invincible. I will probably die before I want to or think I will. My family and close friends will grieve.

Where am I getting this from? From my OH TOO numerous friends who have passed away from CF or transplant complications. They were sisters, brothers, friends, spouses, mothers, fathers, and all were children of a mother and father.

I don't pity myself. I sometimes do pity my friends.. those who haven't been able to graduate from college, raise a family, achieve their goals, etc. But I don't pity myself. My daughter alone has given me enough LIFE to be happy with what I've accomplished. Do I want to see my daughter succeed in college like I know she will, and see my grandchildren? YES, absolutely! But, if I don't, I still think I'm the most blessed and highly favored of them all. My girl is my world, and she is 18, almost entering college, and she is independent and sure of herself. That's what I wanted. That's what I strived for! She loves God, and she wants to serve Him after her degrees. It couldn't make me any happier. Do I love my parents, sister, and extended family? YOU BET! My mom has given me life three times. There is no repayment for that, except thankfulness. I'm thankful!

I love my friends.. you know... Nicole, Rhonda, Anne-Lewis, Angela, Kristin and everyone else who has stood by me through thick and thin. Then there is Lori, who succumbed to this disease way before I did. She was there for me too.. always. I have been so blessed and highly favored. If life ended tonight, I couldn't compain. I could only be thankful. I love you all!!!!! Family and friends.. thank you! XO

Oscar Fashion 2014

Oh, how I love reviewing style choices on the red carpet. However, I may have skipped this year had it not been for my amazing best friend Nicole. Thanks Nicole for making me work my brain tonight to come up with some reviews.

Like I did two years ago, I am going to only tell you my top five best dressed and top five worst dressed. As always, I look at the entire look, not just the dress, and I never, ever look at any other reviews before doing mine.

I'll start with my best dressed choices. I'll count down from my fifth choice down to my first. Then, I will go to my worst dressed in the same way, with number one being the worst. It wasn't very hard this year to come up with either list.

As always, I welcome and want your responses, your comments, your choices. Please comment on here or on my Facebook page. You can even comment anonymously here if you want.

This year, we had a lot of the same, monotonous dresses, but that happens every year. So I will focus on those that were different; those that didn't go with the flow, those that didn't stay with the trend, and those that took some creativity and thought.. even if they were horrible.

Remember, that I look at these actresses both onscreen and in pictures. I give them all a chance to shine, but unfortunately so many don't!

Let's begin with my best dressed list starting with number 5:

Let's take a look at Naomi Watts. For one thing, I absolutely love Calvin Klein's sophisticated, simple designs. Kudos to Naomi's sons for helping her pick out this dress The white gown with detailed beading and capped sleeves was stunning on her. She is one of those actresses who doesn't need a train or sheer cutouts to stand out on the red carpet. I absolutely loved her statement spider-webbed necklace and her swept up 80's hair... yeah folks, it's coming back. Her simple black and white geometrical clutch paired with her black shoes added just the right amount of contrast to her entire look. Her make up, as always, was impeccable.

Ok, I'll be honest with you. When I first saw Kristen Bell on the red carpet, I could only see the top of this gown. I was like "meh". Then I saw the dress from head to toe in a better lighting, and I can certainly see why she chose this sophisticated number. The strapless, corset gown has a lot of detail, even though it is a muted grey in color. I really liked the beadwork and the layered, ruffled mermaid bottom. The train added just the right amount of awe to this dress. Her diamond necklace (I adore necklaces on the red carpet), her perfect updo, and her great make up job completed this stunning look! 

Wow, did Sandra Bullock surprise me tonight. To be honest, I'm not usually fond of her style choices. Tonight, she looked like a movie star. Her navy/royal blue gown, with a sweatheart neckline was so elegant and stunning on her. I loved the way that the fabric of her dress gathered and crisscrossed at the side of her waist in contrast to her side-swept hair on the opposite side. It just all worked! The way it fell in front of her with the train behind her made it a flowing piece of art. Her simple diamond jewelry and simple, but classy make up gave her an exquisite overall look. Go Sandy! 

Charlize.... you were one of my best dressed last year. You obviously can't do wrong. I absolutely love her hair short! If anyone can do it besides Halle Berry, it is Charlize. The black, form-fitting Dior gown that she wore tonight blew me away. The sheer straps, low neckline, formed bodice, and layered mermaid bottom all just synced perfectly to eloquently showcase a gem of a celebrity. The diamond drop necklace was so absolutely perfect for this gown, and I would have cringed had it been anything but. Thank you Charlize for always showing us what Hollywood and poise should be! 

BEST DRESSED, OSCARS 2014

Lupita, OH Lupita. Can you ever do wrong? I cannot describe the state of awe I was in when I saw Lupita on the red carpet tonight. She said that she chose the color because it reminded her of Kenya. It just reminded me of a dream. This powder blue number that had a v neck that matched the v in the back, a belted look, and a full, pleated train that had lines of blue beading on it was the most stunning dress of the night. Her simple, short hairstyle with her rhinestone headband, and her simple gold earrings and bracelets were in perfect contrast to her dress. Obviously when Prada and Lupita Nyong'o get together to make a dress, they do it well.. no, they do it perfectly. 

Honorable mentions tonight include: Portia De Rossi, Kerry Washington, Kate Hudson, and Jennifer Lawrence.

Now, we have the worst dressed of the night. I really hate this part, but they have to be mentioned. Hopefully, they will not repeat this again next year. Yes, hopefully, they will read my blog. :)

Sally, hun, what were you thinking? This nightmare of a dress made my eyes hurt. This beaded, pearled, embellished nude number was atrocious. I don't mind long sleeves on the red carpet, but this just looked like something a 2nd grader would design with the contents of their craft drawer. I'm not really fond of gold and ivory thrown together like someone vomited on it either. The hair? Well, let's just say she needs to see a hairstylist pronto. 

People always get on Angelina for doing her own thing. This year, she decided to jump on the nude, metallic bandwagon and unfortunately, she failed miserably. The bateau neckline with the long sleeves and belted center all could have worked. BUT, it didn't. I think of an old chandelier that had it's day back in the 1700s when I see this gown. Obviously, Jolie's hair and make up are perfect as always, but the dress makes me want to barf on some metallic, shear panels. No Angelina, just no! Stop trying to be so matronly when you are not even 40 yet.

Anne Hathaway was one of my worst dressed last year, and amazingly she had a similar dress in the way of the cut as she did at last year's Oscars. She just doesn't have it going on, and I really think she needs a new stylist, if she even has one to begin with. I don't mind her in black, but the triangular rhinestones on the bodice of this dress are hideous. Had it just been a straight halter dress with no embellisments, she would have just landed in the boring zone and not the worst dressed zone. Like last year, I think she picked out her gown hours before the event. I'm adoring her short hair, and obviously she has a great body, so why does she pick the gowns that she does? One will never know! 

Cate, Cate, Cate! She looks like she is going ice dancing instead of attending the most watched awards show on tv. The shear Giorgio Armani gown with metallic embellishments (that she even admitted were too heavy), looks, well, too heavy. There is nothing flattering about this gown, and it clashes horribly with her skin tone. I do like her old Hollywood hairstyle and her GORGEOUS earrings, but her gown leaves many to think that her sons grabbed any metal object from their garage toolboxes to slap on this horrible, nude gown. Get it right next time Cate! Let's go to the Oscars instead of to Disney on Ice!

WORST DRESSED, OSCARS 2014

Anna! You definitely get my worst dressed of the night. You are such a gem, but you certainly showed that you need a stylist when you debuted this "gown" tonight. The sheer cutouts at the top, sheer waist with star-like gems, and hideous pleated bottom of this gown made me wonder what you were smoking when you picked it out. I just have no idea. There was nothing pretty, sexy, flattering, beautiful, classy, or elegant about this number. You got it wrong sweetie, and for that, I'm giving you the worst dressed gong of the night! Let's try to do better next time!!!

Please let me know your opinions, and don't hesitate to disagree with my choices. I love all of your input. Thanks for reading!!!