Las Vegas | Bachelor/ette | Weekend

Well, the time has come. What time is it you ask? Time for 30 of us to venture off into the wild...Las Vegas, we're comin' for ya. Since most of our friends and wedding party are in relationships, 90% of our group are all couples. Oddly enough, out of the 30 people going, Brandi and I have only been to Vegas with about 5 of them. How? I have no idea! As far as I'm concerned, it's going to make the trip that much better.

Although we're all going out there together, most of what's happening will be separate. The guys are staying at the Palms while the girls will be at the Venetian.

Friday night the girls are doing their thing while us guys do our own. Saturday the fella's will be doing some hungover karting to hopefully sweat out most of what of the booze that was consumed Friday afternoon/night. After that I'm sure we'll head over to the pool, gamble and of course continue drinking. Once the sun goes down, more mayhem is in store. All 30 of us are going to Bautista's for an Italian feast before we take over LAX for some bottle service. 

Given the people who are attending, half of me is as excited as ever, the other half is absolutely terrified.

Around 3am  this morning, I found myself wide awake due to the following images running through my mind.

I'm sure you're all thinking that the Hangover movie stuff is all an exaggeration. Let's just say that the last time my brother, who is my best man, took a groom to Vegas for his bachelor party, the Hangover storyline was an exact replica of their weekend, minus to tiger and Mike Tyson. Aside from that, the groom went missing, ended up in the hospital and was not found until the following day. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that's going to happen to me but this is Vegas...anything is possible! I have every right to be slightly worried. I even double checked my dental AND health insurance to make sure I'm covered.

Regardless of what happens this weekend, I know one thing, it's going to be epic and a trip nobody will forget.

Be gentle Vegas.

Until next time...

-Brandon

Bar Hopping | Beer Pong B-Day | Vows

Coming off of a 21 day work streak without a day off, I was ready for a normal weekend filled with friends and family.

Let's to the recap!

FRIDAY:

Brandi and I have been on a hardcore saving mission lately so even when we do get free time, it's typically spent at home with each other, eating and enjoying a few drinks. It was nice getting out of the house with some friends and catching up over some bomb food and good beer. Paul and Marie, old friends who live in New York and who are in the Air Force, came into in town. We them and a few others at Henry's Hat in Studio City. The vibe was really chill and although we didn't eat there, the food looked boombastic.  The cool part about this bar is how they keep you there. There is a whole section of board games ranging from Candy Land to Apples to Apples for customers to play. You name it, they most likely have it. This is all equals way more fun than just standing around drinking and people watching. Once we finished playing, Paul announced that he and Marie are expecting parents! Talk about exciting news out of nowhere! I couldn't think of a better couple to raise a child. Big congrats to them and best of luck on the new adventure they're now on.

We decided that celebratory beers and more food were now needed. We ended up trying another place in Sherman Oaks called Boneyard Bistro. They're known for their killer bbq food and great beer selection. It was highly recommended that we taste the pork belly skewers. I have to admit, those and a good IPA hot the spot around 12 midnight! We called it a night and headed back to the crib for some much needed sleep.

SATURDAY:

Was all about production and boozin'! We opened up a gift that arrived and anyone who knows Mixie, knows she's a sucker for a box. She wasted no time making herself comfortable.

We headed to downtown so Brandi could pick out some lace for the bridesmaids bouquets. It was back to the valley we went to drop off a swatch at A Sweet Design. Since it was our friend Greg's birthday we made sure to spoil him with some of their cupcakes that are literally to die for.

We headed over to Greg's for a some bbq'ing, pool time and beer pong! I'll admit, Brandi and I got whooped at beer pong. I just wasn't my typical self that day. Tracy on the other hand was on fire all day and night!

Derek and Aly showed up later on to join in on the fun! Dstezzy was all smiles once the beer was flowin'!

SUNDAY:

While Brandi and a few other girls went wig hunting for Vegas, I took this opportunity to do something special. One my favorite places is Willow Springs Raceway. I grew up racing karts out there for many years and it's always been a very special place for me. Many memories involve this race track so any time I need to escape, get away or collect my thoughts, this is where I go. Since Brandi and I are writing our own wedding vows, I knew that I needed to write them at the track. It was an emotional time for sure but considering these will be the most important words of my life, I wouldn't expect this to be an easy task. I'm confident that Brandi will approve of my promise and I feel like anyone in attendance will get my message as well. Tears will flow, that's a promise.

 

I came back home emotionally exhausted just in time to meet Brandi, Liques and my mom for dinner and beverages at Federal in North Hollywood. Although I wasn't impressed with the chicken salad I got, the Federal buffalo chicken wings were off the chizz-ain. I also snagged a few bites of Brandi's tomato soup and grilled cheese...not too shabby! 

That concludes up this edition of 'Weekend Wrap Up' with Brandon Scarpelli. Hope you've all had a productive Monday...

Until next time...

-Brandon

Happy Birthday Greg!

Let the beer pong and bbq'ing madness begin!

Move | Eat | Learn

One of the most creative ideas I've come across in a long time. Enjoy.

3 guys, 44 days, 11 countries, 18 flights, 38 thousand miles, an exploding volcano, 2 cameras and almost a terabyte of footage... all to turn 3 ambitious linear concepts based on movement, learning and food ....into 3 beautiful and hopefully compelling short films.....

= a trip of a lifetime.

move, eat, learn

Rick Mereki : Director, producer, additional camera and editing
Tim White : DOP, producer, primary editing, sound
Andrew Lees : Actor, mover, groover

Until next time...

-Brandon

Final Countdown | Wedding Dances

Today marks the official 30 day countdown to Brandi and I getting married. To think that 9 months has already come and gone is a real eye opener that time really does fly when you're having fun! Every day that goes by makes me realize that I am that much closer to marrying my soul mate, junior high school sweetheart, best friend and biggest fan. With how quickly the past 9 months have gone by, I'm prepared for the next 30 days to to be a complete blur.

Recently, Brandi and I have been going over a list of must have songs being played at the wedding. This is obviously a very crucial part of the day since we all know the "party" portion of the wedding is what most guests remember. Good music and an open bar usually help bring out the best dance moves people have in their arsenal of body movements.

Being 1/2 Mexican and 1/2 Italian, dancing happens at any party we attend. Shit, we don't even need to be at a party in order to dance. One person that never seems to mind is Brandi. She's a dancing machine! I'm confident she'll light the floor on fire with her moves...Me on the other hand is another story. Although I am beyond the typical "white guy" snap and bob your head moves without any rhythm, I'm still no professional nor am I going to impress anyone.

Considering I'm the groom, I've been thinking of a signature move for the reception. Let's face it, you have to bust out something to get the guests hyped along with allowing for some embarrassment to be placed on yourself. With all of the weddings I've been to, it seems like an unwritten law for the groom. 

With the "shuffle" and "jerk" on the list of popular dances nowadays, they seem to be more and more appealing.

I've been doing some research for inspiration and here's what I've come up with so far. If you have any suggestions feel free to leave a comment.

Until next time...

-Brandon

Boner | Soup

Last night Brandi and I did some much needed grocery shopping and then stopped off at Baja Fresh for some take-out before heading home to do something we haven't done in a long time...sit down together and just watch TV. I know it sounds weird but we just haven't had the time to eat dinner, have a few drinks and just enjoy some laughs.

I recorded some stand up comedy a while back that we finally got to watch. The first few I put on were strike out's until we came across Nicholas Swardson: Seriously, Who Farted?...Ummm, why haven't we ever been informed of such a funny ass guy? The title alone had me intrigued! Then again, anything relating to farting makes me laugh.

Needless to say, he was hilarious! Take a few minutes to watch the clip below. He goes through video games, pot brownies, summer movies and later talks about high-fives from a spider monkey. If you like Dane Cook type comedy, this is for you!

Nicholas Swardson: Seriously, Who Farted?

Anyhow, I'm at Keyes Toyota right now waiting for my Scion to finish getting its routine oil change. I have a day full of work to do before a few us are headed back to K1 Speed for some more karting tonight! I know, we're obsessed!

I hope everyone has a productive and positive Tuesday! 

Until next time...

-Brandon

Weekend | Warrior

Ahhh, Monday...

Let's just say I am happy the work portion of my day is coming to an end. Typically, most people dread Monday's because of the catching up and/or large work load that comes with it. Lately, everyday has felt like a Monday. This is week #3 for me of working 7 days a week. The exhaustion is starting to set in and my patience has started to diminish. It's okay though...it all comes down to balance and leaving "work" at work when the days are done.

Let's do a quick weekend recap...

Friday - I worked from home since I had some Formula 1 related stuff to take care of...Sounds dreamy until you need to wake up at 4:45am...

Later that evening Brandi, Derek, Aly, Jered, Eric and myself all met back at K1 Speed in Torrance for some karting. Everyone did much better than I anticipated with a few of us getting on the Top 100 times of July and I actually made the list of fastest times of the week as well. Not too shabby! Going karting 3 times for a total 10 races within 1 month really makes me racing karts as a child. There's just something about it that I won't ever be able to get enough of...Then again, you can put me behind the wheel of any car (except a hybrid) on a race track and make me a happy camper.

Moving on...

Saturday -  I was back to doing my Formula 1 duties for a client at 4:45am before heading home to pick up Brandi. We had an early morning appointment at our wedding location to meet with our florist. Mike, our florist, is a pretty amazing guy when it comes to flowers. He knows about flowers and is so passionate about them, it sorta reminds of myself and cars. We went over all of the placements, colors, types of flowers, candles etc.  before heading home for a MUCH needed nap. I was crankier than 2 year old who just got their bottle taken away from them.

Feeling refreshed and ready to party, we headed over to my aunts house for a surprise party. My mom put on quite the football themed party for her boyfriend Joe. Cotton candy machine, check! Popcorn machine, check! Nacho machine, check! Hot dogs and hamburgers, check! Ice cream station, check! Fully stocked bar, CHECK! Joe used to play football back in the day and has now taken on the roll as producer for the hit TV show, Necessary Roughness on USA...hence the football themed party...

This was also the perfect opportunity for Brandi and I to bust out our custom Dallas Cowboys jerseys courtesy of my mom. I gotta say, the name Brandi Scarpelli sure does have a nice 'ring' to it! <--- See what I did there? If not it's fine...Brandi is my biggest fan she'll get it...

Needless to say it was the typical group of cousins taking shot after shot before finally calling it a night.

Sunday - Sunday started off at, yep you guessed it...at 4:45am to tackle the Formula 1 race. This time, I took a nap as soon as the race was over so I was ready for a long day. Brandi cleaned out our guest bedroom which was starting to look like a room packed by a hoarder. Granted, it was all wedding stuff but it was beginning to get out of hand. Not anymore!

We then headed over to my mom's house for quick bite to eat and so Joe could open all of his birthday presents. After that, we went to A Sweet Design for some cake tasting. Not being a fan of cake, it's hard to please me let alone impress me. Call me biased, by my mom makes the best cake. We fell in love with the flavors, styles available and of course the how cost effective it is for what you get. We liked it so much that we already picked out our cake, colors and flavors...bought and paid for sucka!

After that we headed off to see Crazy Stupid Love which was actually an awesome movie! Coming from someone who hates movies, that should really mean something!

All and all it was great weekend! The wedding RSVP's are starting to arrive already! The days are tickin' away!

Until tomorrow...


-Brandon