by Stacey. Viewed 528 times, 1 so far today (6 comments)
Posted: September 11th, 2007 under Beauty and Style, Video.

by Stacey. Viewed 437 times (6 comments)
Posted: September 5th, 2007 under Beauty and Style, Video.

by Stacey. Viewed 404 times (one comment)
Posted: August 22nd, 2007 under Personal Progress, Life in L.A., Food and Home, Mind and Body, Articles.

It’s just another manic Monday (oh-woe)

I wish it was Sunday (oh-woe)

Everybody! All together now! No? Okay, well, one of the greatest things about this city is finding great restaurants that have amazing Happy Hour specials.

I started off the day eating spinach with sesame seed vinaigrette and a side of raspberries. (I was on the go, it was the best I could do.) I chased it down with VitaminWater, another yummy earth treasure.

My personal favorite is the new flavor, XXX, which is packed full of blueberry, pomegranate, and acai (pronounced ah-sigh-ee). (Acai is the newest berry from the Amazon to be full of antioxidants and it tastes delicious.)

This takes me to my Happy Hour discovery: I decided to check out the Stone Fire Pizza Company, which has half-off apps, half-off pizzas, and half-off drinks. Amaz-ing! I had an order (half order, naturally) of the crab pot stickers (it is hard for me to resist seafood) and a prosciutto and goat cheese pizza. All delicious.

This just might be my newest go to pizza place, although, Stone Fire’s pizza is super thin, crunchy and rather gourmet, which is great in its own right. On the other hand, it’s nice to go to a pizza joint where the pizza is PIZZA; its messy and the cheese stretches from your hand to your mouth.

I drank my usual 120 ounces of water. And finished the day with a bowl of Thai Soup. I did have a bite of a red velvet cupcake from Toast Bakery and Cafe. Other than Grandma Weber’s red velvet cake, Toast’s is the best cupcake version on the planet. The frosting melts in your mouth and the dough is moist and is nothing less than perfect. Oh, and, only $1.95!

The gym was calling my name today. Although I turned a deaf ear to it…he he he…in the words of Miss Scarlet O’Hara: afterall, tomorrow is another day. Indeed it is.

by Stacey. Viewed 464 times (13 comments)
Posted: August 22nd, 2007 under Beauty and Style, Video.

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Stacey shows you how to sculpt and contour your face for an evening out, an audition, or a photo shoot.

by Stacey. Viewed 436 times, 1 so far today
Posted: August 21st, 2007 under Personal Progress, Life in L.A., Spirit and Sense of Self, Food and Home, Mind and Body, Articles.

Ah, ah, ah, beautiful Sunday

This is my, my, my beautiful day…

Isn’t that how the Daniel Boone song goes? I started off my day of the challenge by going to have brunch at The Farm in Beverly Hills. I love this place. It’s so lovely in every aspect. Great drinks, great service, great decor, great food…and famous brownies.

I ordered the blackened chicken flat bread wrap. Yummy! I had a quarter of it. Just enough to accomplish my goal of not feeling hungry.

I also had a side salad with balsamic vinaigrette. Just a few bites. I did have a Coke though. And it was goooood. I savored every sip of it.

I decided to spend the day at the movies watching Hairspray. WOW! It was so entertaining and delightful. Beautiful colors mixed with the perfect cast; I couldn’t help shaking my leg along with the music.

My only major complaint was the oddity of the lyrics being present during the musical numbers. I had a hard time concentrating on the scenes when the words are screaming at me to be looked upon. Also, the idea of a girl with big dreams always inspires me since here I am in the land of Big Dreams. Sigh…

While there, I had to use every ounce of restraint to not buy some buttered popcorn and Milk Duds. Mmmm…buttered popcorn. Snapping out of it…okay, moving on. I did buy an oatmeal and chocolate chip cookie from The Farm that I relished throughout the movie.

I later had some spinach with a sesame oil dip for a snack before I headed out the door for dinner at a new (to me) place called Blair’s in Silverlake. Quaint little joint with a fairly small menu, nice beer and wine selection, and delicious food.

I ate half of a salad and an entree. The salad was the perfect blend of endive, romaine, walnuts, apples and…one of the most fantastic things on the face of the planet: goat cheese.

My entree consisted of Alaskan halibut (I gotta support my home state peeps) with shitake mushrooms, new potatoes and kale. It was like a party in my mouth! Such a delicious explosion of flavor…ahhhh, yeah! Splitting it made it the perfect size.

In all honesty, the portions of food these days has gotten way out of control. I know that the restaurants want to give us our money’s worth but how about this…lower the price and give us smaller portions. Genius, I know.

I finished off my meal with a nice cup of decaffeinated mint tea. It was the perfect replacement to dessert since I love to finish a nice dinner with something sweet. This way, it was sort of a mint delight!

When I dine out, I almost always order a large bottle of sparkling water and play a game with myself to finish the bottle before I leave the table. I do have an unnatural love of soda (especially Dr. Pepper) and sparkling water is a great alternative since I still get the sensation of the carbonation.

Later that evening I took to doing some relaxing yoga poses that help to prepare my body for sleep while stretching and strengthening my muscles. Yoga is a great way for me to become more aware of my body and what its telling me. I pose and listen to it with every breath.

Yoga at night serves as a perfect means to centering myself and reflecting upon my day. All in all, a great day for the challenge. Namaste.

by Stacey. Viewed 419 times
Posted: August 19th, 2007 under Beauty and Style, Video.

by Stacey. Viewed 410 times
Posted: August 19th, 2007 under Personal Progress, Mind and Body, Articles.

Okay, well it is Saturday afterall, the National Day of Eating Out, in my opinion. So I began my day with half of a blackened chicken caesar salad from Swingers on Beverly.

I decided that I wanted to approach the challenge by eating fairly healthy but with the idea of really, really small portions. Which is basically eating to feel “not hungry” as opposed to “stuffed” or even “satisfied.” So, I am eating just enough to sustain me.

For dinner, I had my favorite meal in the entire universe: Thai Soup. In Thai it is called Quit Teal, which is so NOT how it is supposed to be spelled but that is exactly how it sounds. It is comprised of rice noodles, chicken breast, chicken broth, broccolini, green onions, cilantro, lime, and a lovely blend of spices and sauces. All of those ingredients equal maximus awesomenus.

That was pretty much it. I know, I know…I need to eat more meals and snacks. I did drink about 120 ounces of water today. So that helped me feel full.

Have any of you ever tried Acqua Panna? It this amazingly tasty water from the same folks who brought us Pellegrino. Part of the reason I think it is so pure tasting is because it is sold in a glass bottle; therefore, you taste the water and not the plastic. I’m also a huge fan of Smartwater. It has electrolytes which is a nice thing to have floating around in my body when I am working out.

Although that reminds me, I didn’t workout today. Man, I kinda suck (notice I said kinda). Eh, that’s alright, let’s see if tomorrow I can get on the workout train. Choo-choo…

by Stacey. Viewed 434 times
Posted: August 18th, 2007 under Personal Progress, Mind and Body, Articles.

Earlier today (Friday) I had an audition for Disney’s Hannah Montana. There is nothing more exciting than getting the call that I have an audition. They want to see me! Yay!

While some actors dread the auditioning process, I have to admit that I love the process. I mean, don’t get me wrong…I have an on-going daydream of the day when scripts find me in the mail; but, until that day, I know that auditioning equals opportunity.

And it’s not just an opportunity for that one role, it is for future roles. I’m basically auditioning for future jobs. Maybe the casting director didn’t feel me for this recurring role but he may remember me when casting another show for an even bigger part as the lead! This is of course the best case scenario, but it can happen and has happened a million times in this city.

What I believe.

I believe that my day is coming soon. The funny thing about the life of an actor is how much luck plays a rather significant role in it.

I try to keep in mind that luck is a matter of preparation intersecting with opportunity. Plain and simple, well…not really, but it sounds simple. And that is, in a nutshell, what my journey as an artist is about…it is preparing myself to the best of my ability and know how, so that when my opportunity arrives…I am ready and I will seize it.

What I know.

I don’t know the exact name or face of the person that is going to say “yes!” and give me my big break, but I do know that he/she exists.

by Stacey. Viewed 426 times (4 comments)
Posted: August 18th, 2007 under Mind and Body, Beauty and Style, Articles.

Alright, well, I have decided to do a bit of an experiment. For the next 60 days, I am going to track what I eat, how I have been working out and, lastly, the results.

Pretty nerve racking if you ask me. The thing is…being an actor, (excuse the cliche here) our bodies are our instruments. And it is paramount to take care of one’s instrument. For example, a cellist wouldn’t leave her cello out in the rain, hail, or snow.

She, as an artist, would nurture it and protect so that it is in tip-top shape for years to come and ready to go at any given moment. I mean, fitness is important even if you aren’t an actor; but, alas, as we all know…being in shape in Hollywood is crucial. It is part of the job.

I am documenting this journey for several reasons. One, I hope it will give some people a chance to see what I am actually doing and eating on a daily basis for ideas or inspiration. Two, it is exciting for me to be able to see what (if any) transformations will ensue after 60 days. Three, when I was at Miss USA (and really even now) I was constantly trying to find out how other people eat or workout or maintain. This way, you get to find out along with me and together, we get to discover if any of the things I am doing works or not.

Okay, I am starting today…which is Saturday, August 18th. Seeing how it is 5:53 in the morning and I am still up from the night before, I have nothing to report at this time. Oh, except my starting measurements and weight. I can’t believe I am actually going to publish this information, but I am…boo.

Height: 5′6″
Weight: 127
Bust: 33.5″
Waist: 26.5″
Hips: 36.5″
Arms: 11.5″

Let me preface most of this by saying that, to begin with, I am a fairly healthy eater and fitness follower. I try to eat organics as often as possible, I avoid processed food, I don’t drink (maybe a glass of wine here and there), I don’t smoke (anything), I don’t drink caffeine, and I do enjoy just about every sport out there.

However…with that being said, I do love me some fried chicken. Oh, and I do have a strange love of buffalo wings. And just about anything fried. Although, I have basically come to the conclusion that I could fry my shoelace, cover it in ranch, and it would probably taste amazing.

That is the beauty of fried food. Sigh. One more thing, you know that neon-yellow, faux-jalapeno flavored cheese that I can only seem to find at the ballpark…I love that too. Sadly, I have to deny my inner fat kid and eat healthy.

So, here goes…60 Day Fitness Challenge Sign-Up Sheet

1. Stacey Storey!!!

by Stacey. Viewed 410 times
Posted: August 16th, 2007 under Beauty and Style, Video.