Eight Crazy Nights

Those Luscious Verde-heads among you (you know, the ones that follow us from town to town, live in V.W. campers, and loudly request "JACOB BENJAMIN!" while we're on stage) might have noticed that this here blog has been mighty quiet as of late. Simply put, that's because we're in the thick of the holiday season, when the only jingle bells we here are the nonstop phone calls (not that we're complaining) and the seasonal fruitcake has been replaced with the gargantuan amounts of cookies, cake, cupcakes, and assorted snack treats that people bring to work to share. We plan on being back to semi-entertain you again in a few weeks. Until then, here's this:

On the Job: Straight Outta Solon

It’s no surprise that Rachel, one of our production superstars, was almost a cheerleader in junior high school. If you substitute school spirit with a general kick-ass company spirit, she would certainly be our finest ambassador, albeit an ambassador obsessed with zombies and Bruce Campbell.

Born in Nashville, her family moved to Twinsburg, Ohio, when she was five. In school, she says she was mainly interested in “drama club and artsy crap.” Fond memories during high school include wearing gold turtlenecks and appearing in a production of “Romeo and Juliet,” among other plays.

“I just wanted to be in high school forever,” she says. Only 20 years old (she turns 21 in a few weeks), she plans on attending college “once I know what I want to do. By the time I graduated, I was just mentally not capable of going to school anymore,” she says.

In her free time, she enjoys hanging with her boyfriend Kenny (sorry, fellas), crafting, baking and shopping for suspiciously girly things – all from one of the finest practitioners of karate this company has seen.

Recently, Rachel went on a road trip to North Carolina with fellow coworker Mandy. One of the highlights of the trip, according to Rachel, was “yelling at hippies” from their car about their fanny packs and dirty shoes. That’s really all you need to know about the magic of Rachel.

FAVORITE THING AT THE DOLLAR STORE: “Toys that break in three seconds or off-brand drinks.”

FAVORITE SNACK FOOD: Cheez-Its

LUKE OR HAN? “Are you kidding? Han.”

FAVORITE “EVIL DEAD:” The first one.

-- Rob @ L.V.

Hot Card of the Day: Sailor Edition

Today's hot card is back, rested from a two-week vacation/spa getaway in Sedona, Arizona. The card itself comes to us from Scribbles Too in Short Hills, New Jersey.

Hello Walls: The End

2. and 1. This one counts for two. We're cheating, but that's just the way things go sometimes.

Spooky Status Report

As the holiday season approaches, the Luscious Verde staff is oozing with creativity and a bit of anxiety – hence the need for last weekend’s Halloween gathering to release our creepy-crafty tendencies. The only requirements were that each guest must be in costume, bring a bag of candy and, um, an adult beverage of their choice. The food selection ranged from baby flesh appetizers (not made out of real baby flesh), pumpkin curry soup, carrot cupcakes, mac ‘n cheese and whiskey/gummy-worm shots. The party was interactive, with head designer Jason mixing up some tunes, a Twister game commencing in the blue room, and a make-your-own-voodoo-doll table, hot glue gun and all. Thanks to all who attended the spooky soiree. Hopefully, no one was too frightened.

Welcome back Beth! We missed our Bethlington, who recently came back from her honeymoon in the Mexican Riviera with a face full of freckles and a new haircut. The moment she walked in the door, we proceeded to pounce on her for the details. She merely told us that she and her husband (!) “chased the lizard” a lot. Nothing dirty of course (there was actually a lizard in their room). Take a look at her amazing cake which coordinated with her amazing wedding invitation. (Despite the look on her face and her brandished knife, the reception was hella fun.)

-- Megan @ L.V.