I'm Movin on Up!

It's official guys, my blog is officially up! After all the hard work and designing, I've finally got it to a place where I feel comfortable sharing it with all of you! Check out blog.carissasolomon.com.

Very excited! Now, off to my website and what's to come. Stay tuned. :)

Blog Cheating

It feels wrong. Doing something similar with another party. I'm not the victim, I'm the one that acted upon it. I've never been the victim in a case like this and I'm very thankful it's never happened to me. This must be what the mop in the Swiffer commercial feels like.

Yes, I've decided to pack up my bags and move to a new blog. *sigh* I'm working on it as we speak and I'm very excited for it! It's something much more custom and something I feel will scream my personality which is very important to me. When it's ready I'll start posting up there and probably take my favorite posts with me.

But like I said, I feel like a cheater. One window has my new blog open and in edit mode all the while here I am in another window typing in an entry. But I've got to keep blogging! I can't help but do it. Sorry, blog, I hope one day you'll forgive me. It's not you, it's me. :P

Thanks Blogger! You've truly been good to me. You'll move on, I'll move on. We both know it's for the best.

D&G Wedding: At Last

I know I'm late on posting this. 6 months after their wedding and I'm finally writing about the famous D&G. Why do I say famous?! They had the biggest wedding I've planned to date. Over 300 people!

All of the clients (and later friends) I make from planning weddings is nothing short of a blessing. I have been fortunate to work with amazing people, both vendors and clients. These guys are no different. Deb, George, Charlie, and I have become friends after all their wedding planning and I couldn't have been more lucky to meet them. You've got to see what kind of wedding extravaganza they had! For their take on the wedding day and all that took place, take a look at their amazing website: www.dgatlast.com

The day started off with Deb and George at separate locations: Deb being a the Mac headquarters in El Segundo and George at their hotel in Downtown LA, minutes away from their ceremony location.



The day quickly went by and here I am on the way to the Cathedral in Downtown LA to set up, drop off flowers, and get the first festivities of the day going! This Cathedral is an architectural gem, what a beautiful sight to see. It definitely takes your breath away. Their ceremony was beautiful. Seeing Deb walking down the aisle was breathtaking. I always get teary-eyed when that moment happens. I could feel the mood of the room and looking at George as he saw his soon-to-be wife walking toward him in that beautiful dress...you can just tell he didn't want to be anywhere but in front of that alter and waiting for her to reach him.



These 2 know how to throw a party! The reception was one to remember. Nothing but eye candy everywhere you look. The CBS Studios in Studio City was the perfect setting. After the photos at the Cathedral, they made their way down the 101 freeway on their super rad double-decker bus! And yes, you heard me, I said RAD. :) With a few photo ops on the bus and all over the CBS set, these guys were anxious to get the party started! Did I mention that these guys worked the camera?!




While they took a few photo ops at other sets at the studio, the guests began to arrive and what a sight for them to see! The "New York Street" set was the setting of many shows such as CSI and Seinfeld and their out of town guests as well as the local guests were completely blown away! So many details, so many personal touches, so beautiful! Deb even wrote a song for George and used it for their same day edit.





Congratulations D&G. I'm happy to call you friends. Thank you for letting me and Daydreamer Events be a part of your wedding day!

Vendors to boast about:
Photography - Ja Tecson Photography
Videography - Red 5 Studios
Cake and Dessert - Ninong's Pastries & Cafe
Reception Music - April Velasco Band
Catering - Pearl Oriental Restaurant
Ceremony - Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angeles
Reception - CBS Radford Studio
Ceremony Flowers - Joji Rose
Rentals - Modern Party Rentals

Chito Solomon: My Dad

As I've said in the past, I'm a daddy's girl. I know it all too well. Every one says I'm a spitting image of both my parents. I don't know if it's just me, but I didn't appreciate hearing this from people in the past because I wanted to be me, not a person that resembles other people. But I have to admit I'm starting to see it. The more time passes, the more I see them in me.

I get my wisdom (what wisdom I have) from my Mom. Many people go to her for advice and somehow, she just knows what to say. She's a wonderful listener and a great friend to many. She's an accomplished business woman and a hard worker.

I get my passion from my Dad. He's the type of guy that puts everything on the table. When he commits to something, it's always 110%. If something isn't done properly, he'll roll up his sleeves and do it himself. He's always been that way. He wants the best, to live life to its fullest, work hard, and reap the rewards. I've written about my Dad in numerous posts, mainly "Happy Birthday Daddy!" He's someone I look up to very much and last week, he has proven once again to me that he's a force to be reckoned with.

This week he was, once again, published in a magazine for his amazing car collection but this time was different. I remember this shoot. My whole family went to Las Vegas for the weekend of Thanksgiving 2009 and he stayed behind. He's not much of a Vegas kind of guy but he stuck around LA mostly because he told us someone was doing a photo shoot for his cars at our house. We've heard it before as his cars have been in different print magazines, online magazines, blogs and forums before. We didn't think much of it, until now. It turns out, my dad has been waiting for an opportunity like this for a long time. This is the first time a magazine has covered ALL (okay not all, there's actually more if you can believe it lol) his cars in one article. Not just his Euro cars, not just his Japanese cars, not just his go karts...all of 'em. Even the rare parts he's got in our 2-car garage at home that aren't attached to any moving vehicle.

UK based Retro Cars Magazine published a 7-page article about my Dad in their March 2010 issue. Reading about my Dad couldn't be more strange to me. Knowing that he's made a name for himself in his community is surreal and definitely a goal I have for myself. Reading the article made me so proud of him. Proud to know that his passion for cars has brought him places, proud to know that he's well-respected, proud to just be his daughter.

Congratulations Dad!! I'm lucky to know you and be your daughter. I couldn't be more proud. :)

Valentine's Day: Love me or Love me not

Love me or hate me for this post, but I'm not a big fan of Valentine's Day. Don't get me wrong, I live for romance and I'm lucky to be in love. I love Charlie more and more every day and I hope that he knows just as I know that we love each other more than anything. He's an amazing person, fiance, son, brother, and friend. Charlie, my love, thank you for everything you do. I love you.

But I'm just not big on Valentine's Day, anymore at least. I used to be like everyone else. I counted down the days until the 14th would roll by. I'd plan months in advance and put outrageously tacky thought into my gifts. And I'll admit, I loved every minute of it! But then something happened, a realization I guess you can call it. I don't need anyone to tell me what day to show someone I love them. I don't need a special day to give them a gift, surprise them with something special, or send them flowers. I should be showing everyone I love with my appreciation for them being in my life all the time, or at least, more often than 1 time a year.

So I did a little research on Valentine's Day and no one even has any concrete history of the date. The Catholic Church recognizes multiple martyrs named "Valentine" and have some idea of what had happened, but isn't sure about what really happened. One says that Valentine used to marry couples secretly when marriage was banned for young men with the intent to recruit them as soldiers instead of marrying a wife. Another legend states that a prison member fell in love with the daughter of his jailer and before was killed sent a love letter to her and signed it "from your Valentine."

Ok, that being said it gives me less and less validity of this holiday. Especially if it was to honor a saint and has now turned into a commercial holiday where people don't even know the history about.

HOWEVER, if Valentine's Day helps reignite the love you have for another (or others) I wish you a Happy Valentine's Day. Don't forget the love that you share today. May you remember the love and continue to show it through the rest of the year. :)

It's Me: Kissa w/ a Re-invention

So 2010, so far, has been what I like to call "eh." Everyone has struggles and just like everyone I've got a handful of my own. I'm taking everything with a grain of salt and trying to work every day toward the dream I like to call "my life." I'm a dreamer after all right? So here's what's in store:

After much self-contemplation and evaluation I've decided I'm in a rut. I need to re-invent myself, keep things interesting. I need that x-factor, that extra something that's missing. So on my road to re-invention, I've decided to get educated among other things. :)

1. Hopefully this Spring I will be working toward something new, something exciting. Helping me not only with my personal re-invention but also further my education in something I really do enjoy: BUSINESS.

2. I used to be so afraid of what people think. I still am in certain ways, but not as much as before and I have my re-invention to thank. During the time that I starting really looking at myself in a different perspective I told myself that I needed to take off the rose colored glasses. See what I liked about myself and what I didn't like about myself. See what I was willing to change and not willing to change. And let's face it, this is never an easy task. But I needed to get past that. I had to realize that what I see is what I get and if I wanted to change anything it's better now than later. The more I put it off, the more difficult it'll be for me to change. So I took a deep breath, and here I am.

3. Every bride...well not every, but many of us...want to lose weight before their wedding right? I'm no different. My family has a history of health problems and since I was a little kid I've been fighting to keep those problems away. It's sad for me to say but I realized that after a certain time in my life, my appearance didn't seem to matter much to me anymore. I wouldn't wear make up unless needed, in college I'd roll out of bed and wear sweats to class, and mind you, I love getting dressed up...or at least I used to. So I have decided that I will begin my quest for a healthy and attractive lifestyle.

I know people think I must be crazy for adding more onto my plate, but new things make it exciting. In my opinion re-invention is just a part of life. We live in a world where we move fast, rely on technology, and the concept of "the next big thing" is hanging in the balance. For me, keeping up with that momentum that the world is running on is so much fun and it's what makes it so interesting. The world is changing right before our eyes, let's do it too. Let's do it by doing the things we've always wanted to do, by not wishing and hoping and actually taking action, by seeing the best of ourselves and working hard to be just that. The rest will just fall into place, right?

A Dreamer's Guide to Life: Leadership

I'm just going to put it out there..I'm not an expert. I don't know everything there is to know about leadership. But I've learned from experience, through trial and error. I think the real life experience and the things I've learned from watching others are much more valuable than anything.

Doing my research on the concept and definition of leadership was pretty sparse. All the definitions that came up had the root word "lead" in it which, in my opinion, doesn't effectively help someone to understand the meaning. But from what I saw, everyone had their own unique way of describing what leadership is. Alan Keith of Genentech states that, "Leadership is ultimately about creating a way for people to contribute to making something extraordinary happen."

Being a leader isn't easy, but it's definitely worthwhile. The feeling you get when you know that you have that kind of impact on a concept, a person, a thing...it's unexplainable. It's one of the best feelings knowing that you not only impacted the lives of all involved, but they impacted yours in a different way. Every person I have ever met and had the pleasure to meet has helped me. So whether you think you're a leader or not, in your own way you probably are.

There are "leaders," and there are "followers." Some people are born leaders; they just need to find it within themselves. There are some people that are just meant to do those things. They know the right things to say. They know how to time everything just right. They know how to bring people together. They know how to make people listen. Whether you are a leader or a follower doesn't matter. If you're a leader, be a great leader. If you're a follower, be a great follower. Those that lead can't do it without your presence.

So, here it is. This is just the tip of the iceberg...

You've got to listen first and then speak second.

Be yourself, no holds barred.

Be objective rather than subjective.

Be neutral.

Inspire others as you've been inspired.

Share the wealth, nothing is a secret.

Keep learning to be better.

Consider yourself a "follower" with more responsibility.

You don't always need to be "the strong one."

Be strict and understanding.

Think about others before yourself.

Earn your respect, don't expect it.