Looking back... and looking forward

As the year comes to an end, I can't help but be in disbelief that the first decade of the new century is over! Where did it go?

Between the year 2000 and this past year, I have had a living-lobar transplant, kidney transplant, four sinus surgeries, and several other smaller surgeries. I have been very, very sick and also been through several recoveries. Although my health has had its ups and downs, and continues to have these, it has mostly been the ups that I remember.

My daughter has grown from a 5 year old to a 15 year old who is now in high school and is driving. She has shown us that she is extremely academically inclined, and as her personality has continued to develop, we have come to see just how driven, compassionate, and loving she can be. Every year with her has been a bigger blessing, and I can't imagine loving anyone more!!!

Unfortunately, these years have also brought along divorce, heartache, and many lessons to be learned. How thankful I am that God has been a part of all of that, and has brought everyone through this with a greater sense of thankfulness for the things we do have, and continue to receive.

Over the past 7 years, I have come to know many other people with Cystic Fibrosis, and many others who have had transplants. I cannot stress enough how important these people are in my life, and how close our bond has become. Knowing people from one end of the world to the other with this disease, has truly brought light to what others go through, and how everyone has a different story. It has been very enlightening for sure.

I also must reflect on how amazing my long-time friends are, and how, through my struggles, they have stood by me. They mean so much to me, and it feels so great that no matter how often we talk, whether it be weekly, monthly, or every 6 months, it's like we haven't been apart a day. Most of them are in Virginia, or scattered elsewhere, but distance most definitely does not dictate closeness.

My family, including immediate and extended, continue to be a rock for me. They never fail to be there when I need them (or even donate organs to me when I need them), and are always loving and understanding. Having the majority of my family at my 40th birthday party this year, was testament to just how blessed I am, and how awesome they are!!!

Finding my Jason has been a huge part of this decade, and has given me a soul mate with whom I intend on sharing the rest of my life, no matter how long! I am so truly blessed that I have found someone who is always there for me, and is my rock when I need it most. It was rough at first, bringing baggage from both of our pasts into this marriage, but as we continue to grow closer, that baggage seems more distant each day. Loving, laughing, and living seems so much easier with him!

As my struggles continue, to stay healthy and remain physically strong, I am surrounded by family and friends who love me so dearly. How blessed I am to have them in my life. To have YOU in my life. As this decade closes, I want to reflect on the positive things to come this next year, and the years after. I know great things are in store for my friends and family, and how thrilled I am to be a part of it all.

God Bless you all and Happy New Year!!!! XO

Lungapalooza: A Walk For Breath

On September 19th, 2010, the inaugural Lungapalooza: A Walk for Breath was held at Duke University Medical Center. The Lungapalooza is an event to raise money for the Lung Transplant Foundation, a non-profit organization who's mission is "to promote and advance research in order to improve long-term outcomes among lung transplant recipients".

Below is a slide show put together by Amber, a dear friend who has had two double lung transplants, and who was a major facilitator in making the Lungapalooza happen. The photographs were mostly taken by me and by another amateur photographer who works for Duke University's Center for Living.

Enjoy!!!

Lungapalooza from Amber Wesemann on Vimeo.

Brain zaps... no fun at all!

I write this, not so that my friends can laugh at me or question me, but I write it to educate others who are coming off of SSRI's. I am brain zapping so bad the past two days that I want to sit in a corner and cry. I have been on Paxil or Celexa many, many times in the past. Starting 10 or 11 years ago before my first transplant. I have easily tapered down and come off of them when the doc and I agree I'm ready. No problems at all!

The last time I came off of them, I had what people call brain zaps. You know... the things that some docs, some nurses, some lay persons call myths. After a couple of days, these zaps went away, and I wasn't bothered with them anymore.

THe VERY first time that I heard of brain zaps was from my husband trying to come off of Zoloft. He described them as a slight electrocution to the head everytime you try to move your head from side to side, and he also described them of the feeling you get in your head when you have a fever where you can't move your head side to side without getting a tingling/zapping/irritating feeling.

WELL, LET'S TALK ABOUT ZAPPING TO THE EXTREME!!!! I am currently weening off of Paxil according to my docs directions. It has gotten so bad that I just (literally) want to crawl under the bed and hide ... maybe for the rest of my life... I'm deciding. UGHHHH! It's SO bad. I cannot turn my head, I cannot talk, I cannot do anything but look straight forth. I feel sorry for those who's sig. others, family hasn't believed them. I'm so bad now, that J and C KNOW not to come around me. LOL. I am going to try to sleep after I finish crying, but I'm praying these things are gone in the morning so that I can have some kind of social life that allows my daughter and hub into my life again. THis is crazy, this is wrong, and to ANY DOCTOR who doesn't believe this happens... we all should record it.. It's NOT a nice picture!!!!

Please help.. it's so easy! :)

Family Mountain Vaca

TV talk... again!

I did a post about TV shows way back when... http://colormehealthy.blogspot.com/2009/04/tv-and-other-things.html I thought, since some of my shows have gone off the air, and some of my favorites have changed, I'd write another one. As you can tell from my list of shows, I am not into reality tv. There really is nothing real about them, and I just don't find them entertaining.

I'd love to hear the shows you guys love! Feel free to share in the comments section. :)

House - I love this show for the same reasons I did a year ago. Hugh Laurie is still my number one FAVORITE TV actor (followed very closely by Alex O'Loughlin). It's a medical show.. what can I say? Medical is my life.

Fringe - This is still one of my favorite shows, but the recent story-line regarding Peter and the parallel universe hasn't been my favorite. I liked it better when every week was a mystery, and such an enigma that you couldn't figure out what was going on. I will definitely keep watching it though.

Doctor Who - Do I miss David Tennant as the Doctor? You betcha. Am I still watching it? Yep! I do like Matt Smith. As all the Doctors before him, he does have his charm. The episodes are darker than they were when David was the Doctor, and this is definitely more in tune with the old episodes. I'm not crazy about Amy, but like all companions, she won't last. I doubt I will ever quit watching this show.

Criminal Minds - Still a great show! It keeps me guessing every week. I like that. Anything serial killer"ish" will get my attention. LOVE all of the actors, but very sad that they are getting rid of J.J.'s and Emily's characters. Boo on that!!!!!!!!! Not sure who they are replacing them with, if anyone.

Lie to Me - Still a favorite of mine. I think there may have been one episode that didn't interest me. The rest fascinate me!!! If you haven't seen an episode of this, it's not to late to jump in the game. You can quickly catch up. It's all about a team that reads facial features, and gestures to see if the person is lying or not. Pretty useful information in real life too. haha!! I just love Tim Roth in the lead. He has always been such an underrated actor.

Memphis Beat - Ok, here's a new one!! Jason Lee stars as a very skilled detective with great instincts and a ton of musical talent. This show is funny with a bit of mystery! I'm not usually one for "cop" shows, but this is one of my favorite shows now!! :)

The Gates - Seriously? Vampire and Werewolves? Haven't we had enough of those? It's kind of soap opera"ish", which I'm usually not into, but this is a story I want to finish. I do want to see what happens. And the whole "protected community" thing is interesting. I'm eager to see where the writers take this.

HawthoRNe - Who doesn't love Jada Pinkett Smith? Of course the medical part of the show is what drew me in to begin with, but having her as the star makes this show worth watching. I like the drama, the medical stories, the love stories, and the struggle for power that the characters have. Not sure if this show is going to last or not, but I'll watch it as long as it's on.

I'm very, very sad that Three Rivers, Monk, and Eleventh Hour are off the air. I loved all three of those shows!!! I don't even think they gave Three Rivers a chance. Just so glad that Alex O'Loughlin will be starring in the new Hawaii Five 0 this fall. :)

Shows that I never watched before, but am catching up on now are Desperate Housewives (which I love so much, I have bought all of the seasons that are out so far), Dexter, Battlestar Galactica, and Nip/Tuck. Yeah, these are my guilty pleasures!!! All 4 will draw you in, so if you aren't planning on spending your dollars for the copies and your time in front of the tv catching up, don't start watching any of these.. LOL!!!

Ups and downs and all arounds

Hi blogger world! Another lengthy break between posts. I thought I would give everyone an update on the happenings in our lives.

I'll start with my health and get that out of the way. :) Most of you know they found skin cancer on my toe of all places. Yeah, that's what you get for being immunosuppressed. To make a long story short.. thought I was going to have to have it surgically removed, and a skin graft done. Saw a surgeon at Duke yesterday and he seems to think "that would be like putting a campfire out with a fire truck". Hehe. He said it would do the job, but he thought that was way overdoing it. Squamous Cell Carcinoma or SCC can become invasive and in rare cases metastasize, but he doesn't seem to think that I have reason to worry about either of those. For right now, I'm just going to be using a chemotherapy-like cream on it called Aldara. I use it on my face also for some places I have there that look suspicious. I see my dermatologist pretty regularly at Duke, so she will keep a watchful eye on it.

I have been having some swelling for the past month or so. I saw my nephrologist yesterday, and he doesn't think it's my kidney causing it. He ran a few extra tests to make sure, but if I continue to have it, I will need to have some studies done on my heart and liver to rule them out as the cause.

Let's talk about hair loss.. ughh!!! So, you all know I lost most of my hair after my lung transplant, a lot of my hair after my kidney transplant, and that the rATG treatment I had for my chronic rejection back in March was beginning to thin it too. Well, these past 2 weeks have been awful as far as hair loss goes. I'm not so sure why I'm so prone to hair loss when I'm given meds to knock out my immune system. I have friends who have been given much stronger meds, and it didn't affect their hair in any way. I'm frustrated!!!! I really am. This is the 3rd time, and I know if I ever have to get another treatment for my chronic rejection again, it will happen a 4th. I am taking Biotin and using men's rogaine (per my dermatologist's suggestion), but so far, I'm not seeing any difference.

So on to more exciting things... Casey has had a very busy summer. She has been to the beach twice, to Sint Maarten, will be going to visit her cousins in Pennsylvania for a long weekend, and will go with my family to the mountains in several weeks. She is currently in the middle of her driver's ed classes. One week down after today, and one week to go. She gets her learner's permit in November.. YIKES!!!!

She wants to start tutoring this coming school year to raise money for her Spain trip that she is taking next spring. Her father and I have told her that we want her to raise $1000 for the trip, so she has already been saving her allowance. We'll see how that goes. LOL.

Jason is working a crazy shift now.. 11 am to 8 pm. It's really not so bad, because he gets up early and gets things done, and since we eat dinner late anyway, he is home for dinner. Of course it's not the ideal work schedule, but much better than the night shift. We aren't sure how long he will stay on this shift.

We FINALLY, yes FINALLY have our house up for sale. We've had one interested buyer, but haven't heard back again from her. We haven't really advertised yet other than sticking a for sale sign in the front yard, so I'll be getting on that this coming week. We are looking to move about 20 minutes from here, which will be closer to Jason's work, and closer to the school that Casey's current school will be moving to in 2011. Plus, it will get us out of city taxes which will be nice.

My birthday party is coming up as most of you know. We still have a lot of planning to do.. most of all... meeting with our caterer about the menu. I'm super excited about seeing all of my family, old friends, new friends, friends I've only known from the net, etc. What a great time it's going to be. I have to admit I'm a little anxious though, because of my hearing loss. I don't do well in social situations that are noisy because of that. Of course I'll have my hearing aid on, but I'll still struggle with it.

The rest of my family is doing well. My nephew goes to kindergarten this year.. just super unbelievable. The pups are good, and in general.. life is good. I hope it is for all of you as well. XOXO

Random photos:

Thankfulness

As my friend Lori and I sat down at a half-cleaned table in the Duke South cafeteria at Duke University Medical Center, we reflected on the two people sitting at the table behind us. We talked about how weird, amazing, and awesome it was. We talked about the rarity of it, and how there are only a handful of people in the world who could be sitting where we were and thinking about what we were thinking.

Here's the thing.... Lori's mom Sheryl gave her part of her lung when Lori was on the verge of death. Her dad was the other donor. Lori was the 2nd living-lobar transplant done at Duke University Medical Center (I was the 4th), a transplant center known for it's cutting edge medical care. Here I come a year later... dying to see someone who has had a transplant... there were no transplant chat rooms at that time, and I had never talked with anyone who had a lung transplant. A nurse introduces me to Lori, another transplant recipient who received the same type transplant I was about to receive. I was amazed.

Not only at her strength, beauty and courage, but at her nonchalant attitude about it all. I was so happy to meet her and later her sister Shannon, who was waiting on lungs the same time I was. Yes... two sisters with Cystic Fibrosis, one who was post-transplant, one who was pre.

So back to today. Lori and I sitting at one table so we could have "young" girl talk. Our moms, our donors, our life savers, sitting at the next to have adult conversation and talk about the difficulties of having children with chronic illnesses. Lori and I talked about it. We were in awe for just a minute that "we" had part of "them" inside of us.

Life is not only about giving, but also about appreciating the gifts you have been given. Thank you Mom. Thank you Uncle Joey (my other donor). Thank you Sheryl. Thank you Dave (Lori's dad). You are Lori's and my heroes. We love you!!!!

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Random pics

Mish Mash

Hey everyone!!! Wow, it's been forever and a day since my last post. Sorry about that, especially to my Virginia friends. :)

Things have been going well since the rATG infusions. I have been in rehab with a physical therapist who is amazing!!! She has helped me build up my core, and strengthen my arms and legs. It was much-needed... trust me. I still have a ways to go, but we are well on our way to getting me back in great physical condition. Yay!

I had my first follow-up yesterday with my pulmonologist since the rATG. Of course, this included pulmonary function tests to see if the rATG helped improve my numbers. Unfortunately it didn't. :( That's the not-so-good news. The good news is that even though my numbers were down a few percentages, it was still in the "same range", so therefore, I'm not worse. What my doc thinks is that the scar tissue already in my small airways is "damage done". What my doc hopes is that the rATG has stabilized my chronic rejection, and will prevent me from scarring further. Remember, the scarring is due to my own white blood cells attacking the foreign lungs (lobes) in my body, and he hopes the rATG has stopped that. Basically, we won't know until my next appointment in 2 months. He hopes to see that I'm holding steady, or that my lung function has even improved a bit because of continued exercise. He did say that sometimes when someone starts chronic rejection, they start a downward trend and it continues pretty fast. He's not seeing that with me, so that is awesome!!!

I also saw my nephrologist yesterday (kidney doc), and he seemed pleased with most things. He ordered some extra tests to check on a few things he's concerned about, but nothing big. Basically, my kidney function is holding steady, so that's great news. :)

My nephew's 5th birthday is tomorrow. I just can't believe he is 5 now. We are going to Jason's parent's house for lunch, and then on to my sister's house for the birthday party later on. I asked my nephew what he wanted for his birthday, and he said "just a little teddy bear". Trust me, he doesn't need another teddy bear, but it was just so cute how he put it. Casey and I are going today to get him a gift, although I might have to pick up just a tiny teddy bear, just because he asked for it.

Casey has tons of plans for the summer!!! She is going to the beach with her two best friends, going to her cousin's house in Pennsylvania, going on vacation with her dad and step-mom, going on vacation with my family, and then possibly going to a camp with her friends. It's going to be a crazy-busy summer for her, but she's going to have a blast!

Very exciting news... Casey gets her braces off this coming Monday. I will have to post pictures of before and after! She can't wait. It will be just a couple of weeks shy of 12 months since she got them put on, but the orthodontist had said she wouldn't have to have them on a long time.

Jason is well, but not liking 1st shift as much as I like it! I love having him home for dinner, and getting in bed at a decent time. I'm hoping he will get used to it though. :) He's been doing some landscaping, and trying to perfect this house to get it ready to sell... yes, I know I have been talking about this for over a year now, but I think we are finally close. There is just so much competition right now, and very little buying going on, so I really want it to appeal to the buyer. Lots of things with my health have set us back, but I'm not planning on anything stopping us from getting it on the market this time.

I hope all of you are enjoying Spring, and enjoying the little things in life. I know I am! Love to all! XO

Oscar Fashion 2010

You might be wondering how someone who dresses in hoodies, jeans and Chucks on a daily basis has any right at all critiquing Hollywood's top celebs as they walk down the red carpet on Oscar night... BUT... I do anyway! :)

The Oscars were full of glamour and elegance this year (even though two of the biggest stars in Hollywood were disappointingly absent.. Brad and Angelina of course). By far, the strapless look dominated the red carpet. SO MUCH SO, that by the end of the red carpet E! show, I was begging for an off the shoulder, one shoulder, spaghetti strap dress on anyone!!! Even though this Academy Awards had its fair share of no no's, overall, I thought it was pretty tame compared to previous years. I really don't think many "best" or "worst" dresses of all times are going to come from this year's Oscars.

As you all know from my previous posts reviewing Golden Globe fashion and Oscar fashion, I steer clear of other reviews before writing mine. I also do my reviews based on how the celebs look onscreen and online in photos. I have seen that many times I will like how they appeared onscreen, but not be able to find a picture of them that does the same justice. Another thing that I try and do is take in the celebrities overall look/appearance, instead of just basing my "best dressed" and "worst dressed" on the dress itself. I believe makeup, accessories, and hairstyles can make or break an outfit!

That being said, I give you my best dressed of the night:



This was a total shock to me, I must admit! Given Sandra's sloppy purple paper maché dress at the Golden Globes this year, I wasn't expecting much out of her. She totally surprised me with her elegance and beauty! This dress, her shiny hair, her makeup (including the bright, pink lipstick), and her accessories were all perfect. She was the epitome of Oscar beauty thru and thru!

This leads me to worst dressed:



Do you remember my Golden Globe review of Diane Kruger? I think it went something like this... "she is always a nightmare on the red carpet! You would think being the girlfriend of 'Fringe' hottie, Joshua Jackson, she would dress better". Well, something like that. Although I didn't expect her to look good (she totally needs to fire her stylist), I WAS shocked to see just how awful she really looked. She always has such severe hair at these awards shows, and last night was no exception. I would like to see her in some loose curls, and a dress to flatter her amazing figure. I know all of you have said it... "If I had THEIR money and fame, I'd wear something better than that!" Well, that was exactly what I was saying when I saw her last night.

You can follow along here or here to see pictures of each celebrity from last night's big show.

Cameron Diaz - Amazing, elegant, glamorous, stunning! Could I be anymore bold about my opinion of her? She must have had the same stylist as Sandra is all I can say. The sparkly gold, metallic number she wore was so flattering to her tall frame. Her cherry red lips and side-swept hair only added to her look and made her my 2nd best dressed of the night.

Miley Cyrus - I admit. I'm a Miley fan. BUT. I also admit that she may have ruined everything I ever liked about her by showing up at the biggest awards show of the year looking like she did last night. Her corset-like gown was horrendous! I am not sure if her purpose was to look way beyond her young teenage years, but there was nothing flattering about this gown. Her updo was nice, but I couldn't get passed her slumped posture to really notice it until I later saw a still photo of her. First of all, she needs to start doing yoga to improve her "country bumpkin" posture, and then she needs to find a stylist that will dress her in age appropriate clothing. She can, however, keep her hairstylist.

Faith Hill - I really liked this dress for the most part. It was black, but not boring! The lace on the bodice and the skirt really added to this and gave it just enough personality. I don't really like the pictures I've seen of her, but onscreen, she looked much better. I loved her loose updo and her large black earrings. I do think the shiny black bra underneath the gown could have been toned down a bit, but overall, it was a good look.

Penelope Cruz - Usually a favorite of mine. I won't say I hated her dress last night, but its definitely not going to be memorable. I didn't like the neckline at all. It reminds me of a "child gone wild with the scissors" kind of look. The rest of the dress looked like a bunch of gathered material. The lines of the dress didn't flatter her at all, however, the color was a beautiful deep scarlet red. I do think the designer had her skin tone and hair color in mind choosing the color of this dress, but they went horribly wrong with the sewing machine later on.

Zoe Saldana - Ok, so she might get worst dressed on many people's lists. Because she looked beautiful from the waist up (including her make up and beautiful updo), I cannot call her worst dressed. Because she looks like a dyed purple poodle from the waist down, many just might call her that.

Jennifer Lopez - Leave it to J Lo to go bold! This iridescent pink dress was definitely that! I think it's going to be one of those you either love or hate. I loved it! The unique neckline and ruffly skirt, along with the shimmery material looked amazing on her. I also loved her simple updo and simple accessories. She has really gotten in shape, and this dress showed it!

Meryl Streep - Is being 60-something an excuse for looking matronly? I guess it is, but I wasn't that "into" this dress. I think because of her age and skin tone, she needs to stay away from white. I also think the plunging neckline would have looked much better without the long sleeves and thick waistline. Her updo was also too messy in my opinion. All I can really say about her is... eh!

Vera Farmiga - Although the color of her dress was brilliant, she looks like she was stuffed into a genetically engineered flower. I loved her hair and makeup, but no one can get passed the horribly accordion-like ruffles to notice.

Gabourey Sidibe - I'm trying to like it. I do like the fact that someone chose an off the shoulder gown. I do like the way this dress hangs on her larger frame. I do like the color. What I don't like is the flower applique across the bodice of this dress. I think it ruins the entire look. I am also not sold on the hairstyle.

Anna Kendrick - This girl needs color! I've not hated her look for the Golden Globes or last night at the Oscars, but I'm not jumping up and down loving it either. The off the shoulder, blush gown fits her nicely, shows just enough leg, and has just the right amount of embellishments, but the color makes her blend into the background. Cute chunky heels though!

Charlize Theron - What's up with this boob-grabbing dress? She is usually a vision of elegance!!! She was not on her game last night. This hideous pink satin dress looked like it grew arms and reached around to... well you get my point. Shiny gowns like this just do not photograph well and tend to have the wrinkled look after awhile. I'm even disappointed in her hair and make up last night. Boo Charlize!

Demi Moore - OK, off topic here... when did she lose so much weight? Her tiny, tiny figure stunned me last night. Anyway... I loved her gown. Although it definitely didn't stand out in the way of color, it fit her perfectly, went nicely with her skin tone, and had beautiful lines! Her hair was perfect too, and I loved her chunky bracelets. She truly looks 25 and not the "close to 50" that she really is. Where was Ashton by the way?

Sarah Jessica Parker - My 2nd choice for worst dress. What was she thinking? I mean really!!! She doesn't have the, ummm, facial features to pull off such a hairstyle, but then again, even someone with say.. Zoe Saldana's petite facial features couldn't pull off this hideous updo. And though I think she probably has one of, if not THE, hottest bods in Hollywood, she sure chose not to show it off last night. With a dress resembling an embellished pillow case, make up resembling a harlot, skin looking WAY too tanned, and an updo with WAY too much poof, she is definitely not going down in history for this Oscar night. I did like her bracelets, not that anyone noticed.

Kristen Stewart - Why does she always look so uncomfortable? Does she really hate the spotlight that much? I wasn't impressed with her at all. She looked like she had on her mother's dress. It wasn't flattering in anyway! The color was boring, her hair was boring, and I'm wondering why she couldn't have at least worn earrings! Ughh!

Kate Winslet - She's usually too matronly for me. She's only in her late 30's (?), but chooses gowns that make her look 50+. Last night I believe she did much better in wearing an age appropriate gown. I thought it was elegant and I was happy to see at least one celeb wear a necklace with their strapless number. I don't think this dress will be that memorable, but I still think she looked beautiful. I liked her lose, wavy hair too!

Amanda Seyfried - Ewwwwwwwwww! Space alien alert!!! This silver, ill-fitting dress was a horrible choice for such a young hottie! I think she was trying to go for Hollywood glamour here, but she failed miserably. Her severe hair and space alien dress make her look way beyond her young years.

Molly Ringwald - Stunning! Not only has she gotten back into terrific shape since giving birth to twins last year, but she was a picture of perfection with her dress and hairstyle last night. It was awesome to see my Hollywood favorites from the 80's last night in a tribute to John Hughes, and it was even more awesome to see how great they all looked! Molly's red hair couldn't have gone better with her purple dress, and I loved the geometric clasp at her waist and matching bracelet.

Sigourney Weaver - I've seen better! I do like her in red, and I do like the flattering lines of this one shoulder dress. What I don't like is the black ribbon chosen to cinch her waist. It seemed so out of place to me. I think a belt in the same color as the dress would have been much more flattering. Her hairstyle was just ok.

Nicole Richie - I'm not liking this metallic angel-winged number. She is much too cute and petite to be wearing such a dress. Her severe updo did nothing for her either. I'm still wondering what she was even doing there in the first place, and really surprised that she would choose this dress for her one chance at being a real celebrity!

Rachel McAdams - This strapless style has been overdone, the colors were a mixture of pastel finger paintings, I don't like her blonde, and her make up was way too peachy! Nothing else to really say!

Carey Mulligan - When I saw her onscreen on the red carpet, I thought she looked great! When I saw her walk up and present, I thought she looked horrible. I guess this boils down to a beautiful top half of her gown (with odd, but awesome embellishments), and a messy bottom half that couldn't decide whether it wanted to be a long or a short gown. I did like her awesome black shoes!

Maggie Gyllenhaal - She's looking radiant this year. I really liked this dress on her. It was a very simple sleeveless design, but was made brilliant by the colors! It was a mixture of blue, black and a hint of orange all brushed on like an oil painting. She kept her hairstyle and accessories simple, so we could truly enjoy the dress!

Elizabeth Banks - WOW! I thought this dress was amazing. The gray color is nothing special until you add the ruffles and beaded seams. It turns something that could have been just ok into something that rocked the red carpet. Elizabeth's updo and headband were also stunners! She gets an A+++ from me!

Mariah Carey - Thank you, thank you Mariah for covering up the parts that need covered and for toning it down a bit! She actually looked elegant last night, and I know for Mariah, that word is like a foreign language. Some may argue that this dress was too matronly for her, but I thought it was just sexy enough with the off the shoulder neckline, and "slightly high" slit!

Mo'Nique - I loved her entire look! She really knows how to show off that body, and do it justice! I'm digging the neckline, the color and the lines across her hips. I also love the flower accent in her hair. She just really rocked it last night!

Tina Fey- The pictures I'm seeing of her last night are not flattering at all. I'm going to base my review on the way she looked onscreen. I think its one of her best looks. I liked the animal-like-print, one shoulder gown. I thought she looked elegant and age appropriate. I also liked her hairstyle and accessories.

I would, once again, love to hear your opinions. Feel free to agree, disagree, offer your own reviews, etc.