Twin Travels: Aulani Hawaii

I was lucky enough to go on a work trip to the Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa on Oahu. It was pure paradise! Disney definitely knows how to do things right. Every detail celebrated the Hawaiian culture and added to the overall experience. I traveled with my gorgeous co-workers Kari and Jenna. To say we had fun is an understatement. I love these ladies and we really had the best time together! We filmed with crews from Disney that were amazing and professional, I already miss everyone there. I think I ate my weight in Mickey rice krispie treats every day. Take me back!

I seriously cannot recommend the Aulani enough, I feel like the luckiest girl in the world to have had such a fun opportunity. I loved every minute there and did not want to leave. I have not been back to Oahu since I lived there in college and it brought back so many sweet memories.

Aloha oe, until we meet again!

– Brooke

Covering the GRAMMYS

This has been the best year yet at the Grammys! We have had such a great time and talked to so many fun people. Here are a few fun facts from the show:

– The red carpet starts at noon. This means performers and presenters have about a 12 hour day starting on the red carpet and ending at the after party.

– Not all stars smell good or have fresh breath… however Keith Urban wins for the best of both of those this year! And his Aussie accent doesn’t hurt either. When we asked Keith if wakes up every morning feeling like the coolest guy in the world, he laughed and said, “No! Only Jay-Z wakes up feeling like that.”

– Ozzy Osbourne came backstage and told us how much he loves Taylor Swift. But, he is hands down the hardest person on the planet to understand!

– Most celebrities are very petite. Hunter Hayes, Sara Hyland, and Keith Urban are all very small. One new to the “tiny” category is Miranda Lambert. After dropping a ton of weight this year, she is sooo skinny, we don’t think she needs to lose one more pound.

– Country newcomer and big winner Kasey Musgraves came backstage and chatted with us for a minute. First off, she is flawless and so genuine. She said her favorite moment of the night was seeing the whole event through her mom’s eyes who had never been to Los Angeles before.

– Sara Bareilles was just as nice as you would think she is. On the red carpet she actually got choked up telling us about her mega hit “Brave” and why she wrote it for a friend.

– Teen pop star Austin Mahone is adorable and sang me part of his new hit song with Pitbull. We are rooting for him to take Justin Bieber’s spot in tween girl’s hearts everywhere!

– Willie Nelson looks like he is on the verge of death and his posse is all older than him!

– Madonna was truly terrifying. We did not dare make eye contact. She had on a gold grill, was walking with a cane and looks like she is about 85.

– Katy Perry skips us every year and goes straight to the Japanese reporters and tries to speak with them??? Very confusing.

– DJ Kaskade is very handsome and fun to chat with. He had just returned from performing at Sundance. He makes up to $100,000 per performance!!

– We have seen Paris Hilton at the Grammys the last 3 years and we still can’t figure out why she is there.

– Daft Punk seriously covers their heads at all times because they don’t want to be recognized. That is why Pharrell ended up doing their acceptance speeches for them.

{Keith Urban – Brittany is just a little excited in this pic}

{Ray from ET showing us the ropes}

{Cutie pie Austin Mahone}

{The handsome DJ Kaskade}

{Louise Roe interviewing Paris Hilton}

{The E stage where Guiliana and Kelly O. were stationed. Guiliana needs to eat a burger it seems like she gets skinnier each year}

GRAMMYS GIFT LOUNGE

Every year we look forward to checking out the GRAMMYS Gift Lounge by Distinctive Assets. In a nutshell, it is an impeccably designed lounge where musicians gather to pick up their swag bags. This year we were pleasantly surprised with the variety of products. There was everything from mini robots that can dance to your music to under eye wrinkle removers made out of 24 karat gold. Stars also received extravagant freebies like all-inclusive trips to Vegas worth more than $10,000 and custom Gibson guitars. Here is a peak into everything we were able to try out today!

A mom from the Midwest was chosen as the interior decorator for the event. She recycles materials to make amazing things. Check out her piano waterfall masterpiece below!

Popular products from Asia always make their way into the gifting suite. This year it happened to be facial strips infused with REAL gold. GIFTLOUNGE14

The Gibson guitar booth is a favorite of ours, this year we especially loved the teal guitar. Now if only we could learn how to play one…?Britt picked out some adorable sunglasses that Anne Hathaway had grabbed a few hours prior to our visit.

One of the quirkier booths was all about bow ties. The creators were very down to earth and were thrilled to tell us that Steven Tyler had picked up a few of their products earlier in the day. And last but not least Britt got a massage with lotion from Japan that promises to give skin a smoother appearance and get rid of cellulite in less than a month. We’ll let you know if it worked 🙂

All in all it has been a fabulous day ending with a sunset at the Santa Monica beach pier. We are so excited to hit the red carpet tomorrow. Stay tuned for updates throughout the big show!

Grammy Glam Squad

We have already had quite the whirlwind of a day. It began at 6:00am at H2Blow Dry Bar in Foothill Village. The sweet girls were the best glam squad we could have asked for! They did protein treatments on our hair, washed it, and then made it bouncy and beautiful! Seriously, their combination of products does something magical to hair. And there is hands down nothing better in this entire world than having someone else blow dry your hair so you don’t have to…

Then, fabulous makeup artist Elyse made it look like we were actually awake! She gave me a fun smokey eye with a pink lip. For Brooke, she did a winged liner with the prettiest burgundy lip. It is so much fun to be pampered and we love the girls at H2Blow Dry Bar!

One thing they taught me last time they did my hair is the importance of root lifter… what is root lifter you ask? It is one of their magical hair products that gives you major volume. I now use it every day, without fail because my hair has never been the same. HERE is the brand that they introduced me to.

If you want more information about H2Blow Dry Bar, go HERE

They are located in Foothill Village in Salt Lake City.

Twin Tested: The Fainting Mystery

After getting hundreds of messages from viewers wondering what caused my fainting spell on live TV I decided to go and get checked out. The whole situation made me a little nervous, but I took Britt along with me because she has experienced the same symptoms (and she provides great moral support)! We met with Dr. Jeffrey Anderson from the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute who had us both get an EKG. If you haven’t had one before, like me, I was surprised to find out the process is really quick, simple, and pain-free! Thankfully, the results came back positive and we just have a high sensitivity to cold weather. Overall, our hearts are healthy and we do not have to worry about any special treatment. Dr. Anderson said we need to be careful when we spend time outside in arctic temperatures, I guess that means that we will have to plan more trips to Hawaii? 🙂

Brittany-Amy-1

As a little anecdote here are a few diagnoses I have gotten from viewers that made me laugh:

– I am pregnant: What a great story that would be! I am NOT pregnant, sorry to disappoint.

– I planned the entire fainting spell: If only I was this good at knowingly creating a viral video, watch out for part 2 😉

– I just need to eat more sugar: I love everything from cookies to cinnamon rolls – so maybe I should work on doing the opposite?

– I have an eating disorder: I have a major love for food and I honestly pride myself in taking good care of my body with a (mostly) healthy diet and exercise.

– I have SVT, SADS, or that I might die tomorrow: I am so relieved that I am not going to die!! But honestly, I appreciate all of the well wishes and kind words. Fainting can obviously be a serious concern. If you have any questions about your own health, go and see your doctor.

*All photos courtesy of Intermountain Medical Center*

The Fainting Spell

Being the good sister she is, Britt took a screenshot of the BIG FALL on her TV while watching the playback!

Reporter Brooke Graham Faints on Live Television During Report

Guys, I passed out during a live shot on the Saturday morning show. As in, went down HARD on live TV! Such a crazy experience. A lot of people have expressed concern and well wishes and I really appreciate it.

I would like to explain what happened…

and why you shouldn’t be too worried that I am pregnant, anorexic, diabetic, etc… at this point I have heard it all.

This is not the first time I have passed out cold.

I am known to faint any time I am in high altitudes and get too cold (so does my twin sister Britt) It started when we were in middle school and doing the Utah ski program. It is not a pleasant experience. You get sick to your stomach, body aches, and everything starts to spin, and then things go quiet.

On this particular morning…

I woke up feeling quite nauseous after staying out late the night before and waking up at 4:30 am to be ready for the show and to get up the canyon in time for my report. After about 10 minutes outside in the canyon I felt the familiar effects of altitude and cold begin… things started to spin, I felt unsteady, and everything was getting softer and softer. I tried to warn the producer back at the station that I was not well and would need to sit down and take a minute to recoup… however, she did not get my message and the cameramen pointed the camera in my direction with the red light ON. I knew I had to give it my best try even though I could feel my consciousness slipping away. You can see on the video what happens after that!

I plan to go get checked out by a doctor and get to the bottom of it. (Update: I did and here is the analysis)

I have been wanting to get a professional medical opinion on what is causing this to happen. It seems when I combine freezing temperatures and high altitude my body reacts in this way and reverts to fainting.

In the meantime, we can all laugh at the craziness of the situation!

I have laughed many times watching this video and I do not want anyone to feel bad if they find themselves chuckling as I go down like a tree in the forest! I feel like someone should dub Keisha “Timber” over it and play the fall in slow motion. (update: dozens of videos were made from this, including a special meme on your iPhone of me fainting if you ever need it! Didn’t think I would ever be one of those.)

I was surprised that…

Media outlets around the world began applauding my efforts for continuing the interview from the ground and shared very kind words with me. It is not every day that you see the anchors of the Today Show watching your report and giving you props for doing your best. I have since received thousands of emails and messages from people around the world.

Special thanks to…

My two sisters who immediately called my cell phone after watching the report live at their homes. My older sister, Heather, who sweetly told me it wasn’t too noticeable and things would blow over…Hahaha! And then Britt, who told me it was going to reach YouTube in a couple of hours and helped me laugh along with her as we prepared for dozens of international interviews over the next few days including the Today Show in NYC, the Today Show in Australia, BBC in England, and CNN morning show along with countless other phone interviews.

I also want to give a big shout out to

Richard, President of the Nordic Alliance, who was with me all morning. He handled the situation so gracefully and was so sweet and made sure I was okay. I could feel myself getting light headed and tried to warn the producer that I was sick but due to the bad service in the canyon they were not notified. After I went down I sat up and had no idea how long I had been out but saw the camera pointed at my face and decided to keep on talking! It has been a wild ride but I am so grateful for my health, kind people, and the ability to laugh at ourselves!

And last but not least, my husband!

At the time of the fainting incident, we had just begun our dating journey. When he heard what had happened he rushed over to my house with this balloon and I knew he was a good catch! He has been the most supportive and loving partner throughout my TV journey.

A Day at Tiffany & Co.

Dreams really do come true.

That’s what we thought when Tiffany & Co. at City Creek asked if we would like to come in and take a look at their collections.

We said yes (duh). Feeling all Breakfast at Tiffany’s, but a little more Reese Witherspoon in Sweet Home Alabama, we headed into the most beautiful shop at City Creek.

We got to try on whatever we wanted (!!!), so of course we decided to do a little Steal or Splurge get up.

Tanzanite ring $8,500; Bracelets $21,400 each; platinum diamond sprinkle chain $7,500; Tiffany engagement ring $21,300;

Zigfield band $175; Pearl ring $475; Atlas bangle $875; 80 inch pearls $1,000; Black Spinel bracelet $225; pearl bracelets $275; Atlas pendant $325; Tiffany blue Clutch $950

Are you dying over the Enchant Scroll Earrings? They felt so fancy! SPLURGE: Britt’s total ensemble: $150,000.00

STEAL: Brooke’s total ensemble: $3,000

Britt was decked out in some major bling including a gorgeous Tanzanite ring and the Diamond Daisy Key Necklace. Brooke was able to pick out some show stopping items from their new line inspired by “The Great Gatsby”. We loved how well everything sparkles and how they truly make timeless jewelry pieces. Even if you don’t have handfuls of cash to spend on jewelry you can still find a wide range of gorgeous options under $200 and the people at Tiffany are SO nice!

Last but not least the afternoon would not have been possible without the extremely talented Ashlee Brooke. She is so much fun and has talent exploding out of her. If you need a photo session book her ASAP! http://ashleebrookephotography.com/

Halloween Costume Ideas!

Halloween is pretty much our version of the Super Bowl.

The costume prep and anticipation cannot be beat!

We are known to have about 3 or 4 costumes ready each year just because we love it so much. If you need one, just call 🙂

So drumroll please… here are Halloween costume ideas for 2013.

Flapper:

This is a great go-to and it involves nothing that you don’t want to wear again.Here are the supplies you will need:

– Forever 21 dress (or any plain black dress)

– Fringe from a craft store

– black headband

– feather boa + pearls optional

Wolf or Fox

(or whatever animal you feel like)

By this point in time we have all seen “What did the fox say?” so you might as well let your pop culture prowess show in a timely (and warm) costume!

Supplies you will need:

– fur coat (this one is from H&M and can be worn AFTER Halloween too!)

– black leggings, shirt and gloves

– black fox ears (made with two triangle black pieces of paper taped to a black headband)

– MAKEUP: I used black powder. You must do the awesome makeup to complete the look. Just make sure you have a good brush.

Minnie Mouse

This costume is cute and great for any age.

Supplies you will need:

– polka dot top or dress

– sparkly mouse ears

– red and white polka dot skirt

– white gloves***Big thanks to Rachel for her help putting together this costume 🙂

Hunter or Duck Dynasty

Duck Dynasty is bound to be the most popular costume of the year and it just happens to be hunting season so either way you will be on trend! I know I look like a much too believable man in this picture…

Supplies you will need:

– Camo everything (including our most favorite Target camo pants)

– fake beard (I used my awesome Beard Hat)

– ridiculous hat

– extra points if you have a duck calling thingy
– and of course your hands in gun position all night 🙂

Spider

We always like to throw in one creepy Halloween creature of some sort and this one is so easy!

Supplies you will need:

– cobwebs from the craft store

– black tinsel from the craft store
– plastic spiders

– all black clothing

– black eyeliner (super easy to draw a spider web on the side of your face, I suggest using a large black eyeliner crayon)

Boxer

How about a comfy costume where you can stay in workout clothes?

Supplies Needed:

– black tanktop

– swishy shorts

– robe

– boxing gloves

– an awesome fake bruise on one eye

Happy Halloweening! What is your favorite costume of all time?

Twin Tested: Halloween Party

{Brooke’s 1st grade Halloween costume}

There is pretty much nothing we love more than a good Halloween party! We look forward to the costumes and treats all year long. We were lucky enough to grow up with a creative mom who showed us some fun ways to celebrate and we wanted to share a few of our favorite party ideas with you.

Homemade Black Sparkly Playdoh

This first recipe comes courtesy of our mama J. She is a preschool teacher at Holladay Preschool in Salt Lake City and has perfected her very own playdoh recipe. This stuff is WAY better than the store bought version and can be stored for up to a month.

Homemade Playdoh Recipe:
5 cups water
2.5 cups salt
5 tbs alum or cream of tartar
5 tbs crisco oil
4 cups of flour
4 tbs of watercolor paint

Bring water to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in salt, alum, and oil. Stir in flour 1 cup at a time. Mix well. Add paint. You can also add Kool Aid, cinnamon, glitter or anything else you think would add to the color or smell of the dough!

Peanut Butter Taffy

This stuff is addicting… and just happens to be easily molded into any creepy or crawly thing you want. We chose to make witches fingers by adding candy corn to the end as a fingernail. As kids (and adults) we can’t get enough of this stuff – and there are only 3 ingredients in it!

Taffy Recipe:
1 cup of peanut butter
3/4 cup of honey
1 cup of powdered milk

Stir all ingredients together. Add more powdered milk if it is too sticky. Should be playdoh consistency. Store in the refrigerator. Shape into whatever you would like!

Glowing green witches brew

As you’ll notice we keep things really simple. We like to be festive but realize that there is only 24 hours in a day. So this one is super easy. We just bought some green glow sticks at the party store put them underneath some dry ice and voila! You have a big bowl of glowing green witches brew.

The pumpkin drink holder

So simple yet so festive! It is also a fun way to display those pumpkins that you work so hard to carve. We found some orange sodas to go along with the theme.

Twin Tested: Men’s Fashion Disasters

Today we are tackling a tough topic – men’s fashion.

Here are our top 3 fashion mistakes that men make:

Our brother Chris wore this outfit.

First problem: shorts are the length of capris.

Second problem: he is wearing church socks with shorts!?!

P.S. He knows he was used an example today :)

Ahhh! A popular item for most dads, these light colored, worn jeans could use an update.

An easy way to make any shirt better is to make sure you buy the right neck size!

……………………………………………………………………………………………………..

We went to Men’s Wearhouse Outlet at Traverse Mountain Outlets and found THREE Fashion Fixes.

(The entire store is 40-50% off right now)

Thanks to our three handsome models: Sam, Jackson & Spencer.

We put Jackson in the perfect 4th of July outfit.

The white shorts freshen up the look and dress it up a bit.

Spencer is wearing a business casual look with dark jeans.

EVERY guy needs a pair of jeans exactly like this.

They look classy, fit well and can be dressed up or down.

And… Sam (my husband) is wearing a Michael Kors suit from Men’s Wearhouse.

The shirt and suit are all Slim Fit.

This means that it fits slim… but not tight.

P.S. You can get the entire suit from Men’s Wearhouse for $200 right now!

We are giving away a $250 gift card to Men’s WearHouse!
All you have to do is leave a comment telling us what you would use it for.
**Winner must be able to pick up the gift card from KUTV**
***You will recieve extra entries for following the blog, or following us on Instagram***
Good luck!

AND THE WINNER IS….