Christmas with the Blairs

For the past couple of years, the Blairs have been celebrating Christmas at Markel’s Big Bro’s home in West Covina.  It’s a big brunch and morning where we open presents, hang out and spend time together. =)  Markel has a huge family and I absolutely love how loud and full of energy the home gets!  Four generations all under 1 roof. ❤

Our breakfast table =)

Opening Presents!  I was so busy opening mine I forgot to take more pictures.  LOL

Lucy got presents too!!  Grandma Blair and I made her doggie bowls. ❤  They are as big as her, but she absolutely loves them!

The gorgeous tree!

Such a wonderful day to celebrate with the Blairs. =)

Afterwards Markel and I saw ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ with the Kims (our neighbors).  That movie was a lot better than ‘Her’ in my opinion…  I totally recommend seeing it!  Leonard DiCaprio gives an awesome performance.

Giving Thanks with Family and Friends

This last weekend was THANKSGIVING WEEKEND!! =)  Markel and I went to his parents home in Beaumont for the weekend,  It was SO MUCH FUN, totally relaxing, and went by WAY TOO FAST.  *sigh *

Here are some photos of the weekend~~

The Wednesday before Thanksgiving, my coworkers and I had a little lunch to celebrate our dear friend’s birthday!  We have a new restaurant on campus so we went to try out the new delicious Wolf Gang Puck Express Eatery.

After a half day, Markel and I were OFF to meet his friends for dinner!

We also had a chance to meet up with Mike’s friends, some of who were visiting for the weekend. =)

We went to Eureka Burger and it was deliiicious~~~

Thanksgiving Dinner was BOMB~ as usual!  Lots of time with family around the table. =)

Put up the Christmas Tree at the Blair home!  Lucy could NOT get enough of it~ she loves playing under it.  I’m not in love with nutcrackers!  The Blairs have a nice collection of them and I’m interested in starting my own too ❤

Leftovers for DAYYYS.  We kept coming up with new ideas of how to eat it and I swear…there was NOT ONE disappointing dish!

We feasted all weekend!

A Friendsgiving Meal at Church =)  It was BEYOND amazing~~~

A photodump of my baby love Lucy ❤

We got Lucy some Christmas wear ❤

The one above and below are my favorite pictures of her from the weekend ❤  She’s totally melted my heart and I can’t get enough of her furry face!  xoxo

Mike’s niece gave Lucy this doll to play with and Lucy WENT TO TOWN.  We weren’t sure we should be happy she found a toy to play with, or scared that she would chew on our future child.  >.<  We might be bad puppy parents already.

AND NOW, it’s already Friday!!  Eek~~~I’m glad this week passed by so quickly.  The weather is getting colder and well…I’m excited to pull out all my winter wear.  Since moving from Norcal to Socal I have a huge box of clothes I no longer pull out since the coldest it ever gets here is in the 50s.  Goodbye Jcrew Jcakets with extra insulation, goodbye Northface Rain/Snow coats, goodbye rain boots!

Anyway…Can’t wait to relax over the weekend with my Markel and Lucy.  OH!  I almost forgot to mention that we started BREAKING BAD this past weekend!  It’s soooooooooo good.  That is the only thing on my list to do tonight~ eat sushi at home and watch breaking bad ❤

Happy Friday!!

Weekend Recap and Photodump

I know…I’m super late again on my updates.  Here’s the update from two weekends ago (11/21-11/26ish).

I’m OBSESSED with tamales.  Markel’s work had a guy come through and sell a pack of 3 homemade ones and he brought some home for dinner.  ❤  YUMMM

Two weeks ago our small group had a big thai food  + game night.  My bff and I merged our small groups together and this was our first official meeting as a new group.

Thai Boom in Culver City/Palms is BEYOND amazing.  You have to try it if you haven’t!

We played a game called “mike-boo” or as some other people know it as “salad bowl“.  It’s SUPER fun but I get a little TOO competitive… >.<  I always have to keep my temper in check when we’re fighting for points.  lol.

GORGEOUS view of westwood!  I’ve been going to training courses for UCLA and this was the view on Friday.  It was a bit chilly and gloomy~~ but still so beautiful.

Friday night, Markel and I got free tickets to see the Lakers vs Warriors.  SO MUCH FUN.  We did a little pre-drinking and started the night excited to be out and doing something special.

LOVE stadium fooood~~ *droool *

We got free tacos!!  Every time the Lakers score above 100 points, the audience get free tacos!  hehe

My outfit of the night ❤

Saturday I spent the day with my lovely Aemy ❤  We’ve been trying to plan a get together for a while and Saturday ended was an entire day of funnn ❤  We started with a bottemless mimosa brunch at Overland Cafe in Culver City.  After two bottles of champagne…we knew the day would be amazing ❤  hehe

In the afternoon we snacked, drank some wine and painted out nails! =)  Another girlfriend of ours came over it was quite the afternoon party of reality shows and girl time.

Later in the evening the girls + our sig O’s went to the Disneyland Hotel to witness and celebrate the most amazing proposal ever.  There were a lot of tears, laughs, and toasts!

Markel LOVES Earl of Sandwich.  He was dyyyying to grab dinner here =P

Christmas is everywhere!  LOVE the holidays~~

The newly engaged lady!

We ate dinner at Earl of Sandwich in downtown Disney and Markel bought me this amazing Minnie Mouse Hat! =)  xoxo

I LOVE MY HAT!

Sunday was LIFE CHANGING for the Blair Family =)  Here’s a longer post about Lucy: Click here

My friend from College is a Vet!  He was kind enough to go with us to adopt Little Lucy Blair. =)

Her temporary home until we got her crate (it was a collapsible toy chest).  We bought this little Dinosaur for her and it’s become her new best friend.  When Lucy first started playing with it, the dinosaur used to win a lot.  >.<  But now that Lucy’s older, she dominates their play sessions.  ❤

It was SO AMAZING to bring little Lucy into our family.  I pray that she’ll be with us for 10, 12, 15+ years!

oh man, such a long post!!  I have an even LONGER one coming for the Thanksgiving Weekend!! xoxo

Weekend Recap and Photodump

ahhh this is so late.  the last few weeks have been pretty cray b/c of our littly lucy bear~ this recap is from 11/14-11/17ish

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This is a longggg recap because it covered more than just the weekend =)

First, my awesome co-worker of 4 years got a huge promotion.  Friday was her last day in our unit, so we had 2 going away parties for her: 1 baby shower, 1 goodbye party.  I wasn’t sad last week b/c she’s only a few buildings away on campus and I know we’ll see lots and lots of her~~ the 4 of us (counselors) do dinner/drinks 1x per quarter so it’ll be extra nice to catch up with her and now see her little one (once she’s born)!!

Friday Night, my friend flew into town from NYC.  We had a quick Ice Cream Date at Scoops in Palms (off Overland).  This place reminds me of a lot of ice crem joints in San Francisco~ where it’s all homemade and the spoons are real metal (to save on waste).  LOVE IT.

The next Morning we all ate brunch at Ktchn105.  Everything on the menu had pork belly in it and it was…a fattie’s paradise!!

We are trying to take more pictures together.  We always forget!

Then we spent the night with Markel’s old roommie and college friend.  We celebrated his big 2-7!!

Shots for the birthday boy!

drinks at fancy bar on Abbot Kinney~ The Tasting Room

A snack before dinner + drinks

Dinner at Gjelina in Venice

Sunday Markel and I hosted a huge Thanksgiving potluck in honor of our friend coming to town!

AND got to celebrate our special friend’s birthday ❤

I got some new owls for our TV =P  Love these little babies~

Our new Bar Cart was ready to entertain!

This is a sunrise photo on Monday Morning!  I started to train for a half-marathon this week and I wake up at 6am 2x per week to run.  It’s been such a cool experience so far and I’m feeling so awesome physically/mentally too!

This has been such a big and fun week~ lots to update later.  That’s why this week the weekend recap came on a weekend!!  Hope you guys all have a wonderful weekend!

Lucy Blair <3

Do you believe in engagement anniversary presents???  CAUSE THE BLAIRS DO!!!

Meet our new baby…Lucy Blair!

I’ve been DYYYYING for a new puppy and for about 7-8 months~ Markel and I researched puppies/doggies online at all nearby shelters.  We looked at a number of shelters in our city, but couldn’t find one that would suit our apartment + the fact that we work all day.  God was seriously smiling down on us because it was a total miracle that we knew someone giving away teacup maltipoo puppies!!!  It was the biggest treat and we did our research, went to visit the puppies with a vet friend, and chose the one that called out the most to us. =)

Lucy is the sweetest little pup~~  She has a funny personality and LOVES to sleeeeep.  If you leave her alone for 30 seconds, she’s already snoring away and dreaming about catching something.  LOL  She barks a little in her sleep and her paws twitch like she’s running~ it’s SUPER ADORABLE.

We are SO IN LOVE with our new fur baby.  I can’t believe it took us so long to get one!!  Here is an obnoxiously LONG puppy collage of the most ADORABLE photos of our new baby.  We’re in the process of potty training her~ so that might take a few weeks.

Here is the ridiculously obnoxiously long collage of photos =)

Lucy’s made lots and lots of new fwends =)

isn’t this the cutest photo ever??

she LOVED the christmas tree!

Grandma Blair gave her a christmas bear, Markel’s neice lent Lucy a baby doll, and Markel gave her a mini football.  SO MANY NEW FWENDS TO PLAY WITH!

Weekend Recap and Photodump

This weekend was a nice and long one.  It started off a little sad (I was sick) but by the start of Saturday I was feeling normal again.

Thursday night I had a few friends over for some girl time.  xoxo  It was nice to hang out and catch up~~ Markel went over to our neighbor’s home (and good friends) were the boys watched the Laker game and the girls chatted over pizza, cupcakes, wine and nails.

Friday I was home sick eating soups/Ramen and watching Sons of Anarchy all day.  I’m going through Season 4 right now and totally loving it.  I heard seasons 5 & 6 aren’t awesome…so I really hope I’m not disappointed after investing so much!  But the more I watch…the more I love Charlie Hunnam.

Saturday and Sunday were awesome.  Markel and I spent the day running errands, and just spending time together.  We RARELY get weekends to ourselves to hang out and try new things.

Saturday we went to downtown LA looking for a suit, but we didn’t feel comfortable buying anything from the stores we went into.  The material was obviously cheaper, the deal was $100 for a suit, shirt & tie…but there was a WEIRD feeling that went with it~ so Markel and I ended up leaving.  We also shopped in Ktown for groceries b/c we were hosting Markel’s bro, sis-in-law, friend for dinner.  We seriously cooked up a huge feast of Korean food and I was so proud of the new things I’m learning to make!

I made pumpkin milkshakes on Saturday.  SOO YUMMYYYY

The FEAST =)

Sunday Markel and I ran all over town getting him a new suit from Zara, shoes from Nordstroms and packing for his big trip this weekend.  This is Markel’s first business trip and I couldn’t be more proud of him.  He works SOOO HARD at his job~ like 60-70 hour weeks~ and it’s all paying off!  He’s been getting more responsibilites/projects at work and these business trips are the start to his budding career. =)  I love him so much and it’s so much fun to grow together in our careers and as a couple.  We met in our early 20s and it’s been a fun ride as we mature, get settled in our careers, and make big decisions for our future. ❤

A toast to ourselves and our lives =P

Shopping in Century City at Zara~ I found so many cute things I wanted!!

Markel Getting a Haircut =)  Such a small and random errand to run together, but I love doing them with him. ❤

Sunday Night we met up with Markel’s college friends that are doing BIG things!!  Two are starting companies and it’s so exciting to hear about their adventures.  Sort of motivates Markel and I to be passionate about our lives and our careers.  We ate at Aroma Cafe (an Israeli restaurant) in Hollywood area.  It was tastey!  The appetizers were my favorite~~

(no pics to share =(  I forgot to take some)

AND THENNNN…the best part??  Markel and I met up with our new neighbors (and good friends) to watch THOR at the grove.  I always forget how much I love the Grove and how gorgeous it is.  The Christmas decorations were all up~ really put you in the holiday spirit! ❤

Andddd Monday I had the day off for Veteran’s Day. =)  It’s a day of purging, catching up on SOA (like Friday) and getting my baby ready for his big trip!  Oh…and about ten cups of coffee (my fav treat).

HOW BEAUTIFUL is this fall weather??

This picture below is to celebrate Veteran’s day today.  My big bro (and true life hero) has been in the Army since 2002.  He has fought for his country in Iraq and served for 11 years and counting…  I’m so proud of him and his dedication to the protection of this country. ❤  I’m definitely taking a moment today to remember that. xo

Weekend Recap and Photodump

This last weekend was incredibly tame and I basically watched Sons of Anarchy all weekend.  This is not a show I thought I would like…but I’m pretty freaking hooked.

Sunday was an awesome day of just hanging out with Markel.  We went to church, went grocery shopping, hung out in ktown, and then played at night with our new neighbors =)

Lunch with friends~

Korean BBQ dinner at home =)

I loved last weekend.  I relaxed and just hung out at home~~  Can’t wait for this weekend (3-day weekend) to do a little hiking, organize our guest room (we’re still figuring out what to do with it) and play with Markel ❤

 

Our New Bar Cart!!

Markel brought home the most wonderful surprise yesterday!  He bought a bar cart from Target and brought it home. =)  I guess he found it online + used a coupon and then picked it up in the store.

We have been searching for a cart for about 3 months now and we finally have it!!  I’m so excited to start decorating it this weekend =)

Threshold™ Wood and Brass Finish Bar Cart $129.99

 

Weekend Recall and Photodump

This was the absolute perfect weekend.  After weeks of running around like crazy people, Markel and I finally had 1 weekend of almost nothing. =)

Friday, I met up with a friend who was proposing the next day! (eek!!)  We went over some last minute details at Susina Bakery in Beverly Hills.  BEST latte I’ve ever had and the most amazing white chocolate cake!

After our little pow wow, I picked up Mulberry Pizza for dinner with Markel.  A romantic dinner for two ❤  We’ve been craving New York Style Pizza all week and it we FINALLY filled that craving.  Mulberry has 5 locations in southern California and…boy…it is FANTASTIC.

We spent the night hanging out, talking, drinking, watching a movie and spending much needed 1:1 time together.  For the first time in a long time, it felt like we were 23 again having a super fun night together.  Usually we’re so exhausted that we go straight to bed or watch a few shows in silence~ destressing from our week.

I guess Mulberry Pizza + wine + netflix is exactly what the doctor ordered =)

Saturday morning we helped stage the sweetest and most romantic proposal in Venice.

After the proposal, we walked along the canals and went to Canali cafe on Washington Blvd.  We all celebrated together in one big group and just got to really love the newly engaged couple. ❤  Canali was aiite, but only because I hated our 1 waiter.  The chai latte was amazing and I loved Markel’s meatball sandwich and my tofu sandwich.

My adorable hubby. xoxo as we waited for our food. ❤

We spent the rest of the afternoon shopping for our Halloween party. ❤  We had lots of fun eating, drinking and carving pumpkins!

We made the most delicious Hallo-Tini’s =)  They tasted like orange creamsicles and you couldn’t even taste the alcohol!  SOOOOOOOO deliiiiic xoxo

Our dear friend also made homemade whoopie pies that were TO DIE FOR.

ANDDDD for the grand dessert finale, another friend brought Big Man Bakes Cupcakes!!

(I was so hungry I forgot to take pictures of the real food…oops!  lol)

 Party decorations! =)  This is the first time I’ve ever used the spider web decorations and it was  the perfect touch!  I’m definitely buying them again next year.  ❤

Pumpkin Carving! =)

My pumpkin has a perm.  LOL

What I would look like at my mom’s age!  hahaha  Biggest Korean Perm for the girl that LOVES volume in her hair.  LOL

Sunday has been the best day to unwind from the weekend and just relax.  We woke up this morning and named it Markel’s day.  We did only relaxing things. =)  He’s been working so hard the past few weeks…MONTHS really… that today was all about him!

My au natural makeup look for today~

Today was the day that our good friends moved into our building!!  We are SO EXCIIIIITED!! xoxo  Can’t wait for the fun to commence! ❤

Markel and I grabbed brunch at Doughland a block away (we’re trying to walk more and explore our ‘hood).  This restaurant was a great surprise.  The food was SUPER good, the service was impeccable and the hefe beer was aaamaaazingggg.  Markel and I have totally decided that this was our new “spot” for weekend brunches, dinners, and weekday happy hours! =)

Coming home from brunch =)  our last pic of the day.  xo

We spent the rest of the day/night watching football (Markel) and Sons of Anarchy (me).   There are so many TV series’ that I’ve been dying to watch lately!!

Weekend Recap and Photodump

This past weekend was really chill.  Markel was gone in San Diego for 3 days, so I had some nice quiet time since Thursday.  I had Friday off, so I spent the day sleeping/relaxing (I was under the weather) and then Saturday was the first time I left the apartment. =)

Here are my thursday/Friday/Saturday Morning pics…

Pumpkin Crossaints from Trader Joe’s!

Made a ton of Korean comfort food since i was sick.

Decorated the apartment with these little pumpkins ❤

Dyed my hair–didn’t turn out great

 

Saturday I went to two events: Housewarming + Birthday Dinner.  Both were so much funnnnnn

Here is handsome Ethan below <3  He‘s the first baby to be born in my group of friends and well…we spent 3 hours obsessing over every blink, smile, bite of food, and diaper change.  He was SUCH a great baby~~ so happy and calm.  I hope my first is as good as he is!

The ladies of the night ❤  Didn’t take pictures of the boys, they were too busy watching football.

Saturday Evening Part II!  Birthday Party in South Pasadena at an amazing Thai restaurant called Saladong Song.  DELIIIC.  The outside seating area is super low key and romantic.  I love this place!

Green Curry

Seafood Pad thai

The ladies ❤  The boys were too shy to be on camera.

Sunday was a huge day.  Sunday was Markel’s grandmother’s memorial service.  Grandma Cordaro LOVED chocolate.  So in her honor, there was a big chocolate bar!  YUMMMMM

The lunch spread for 50+ guests

The Blair, Cordaro, Reynolds, Hussey and Rafter family =)

Isn’t this doggie SO ADORABLE??

The day of the memorial service was our 6 month anniversary.  Since we didn’t get to celebrate, or just take a moment to remember it~ we did so on Monday. =)

This week was so busy that I didn’t get a chance to update until now.  And now…it’s already the weekend!  I seriously hope to sleep in and just do a lot of resting with Markel. ❤

Bar Carts

Markel and I are looking for a bar cart right now and we haven’t been able to find anything we love in our price range.  Who knew it would be so hard??

I love gold, so I’d like it to be that color or something else in that color family.

After the wedding, Markel and I went to crate and barrel and bought all the big essentials for it, but after 6 months…haven’t been able to buy the cart itself.  FRUSTRATINGGG.

as my search continues, here are some that i really like. ❤

 

Weekend Recap and Photodump

This weekend was…AWESOME.  I went out on Friday night for my friend’s birthday and then I spent the rest of the weekend resting and catching up with my bff who moved to Sacramento this summer.  I was feeling super under the weather last week and exhausted from LIFE.  So over the weekend I kept to myself and relaxed at home.

Friday: Blue Cow Kitchen & Bar + The Virigl

It was my beautiful friend’s birthday party on Friday and it was SO MUCH FUN.

love these lights!

My favorite earrings from Banana Republic

The rest of the weekend I literally did nothing but relax… I really needed the down time.  We sold some wedding items which was lovely, and then received some cool canvas prints we ordered. =)

For this upcoming weekend, Markel and I planned on doing NOTHING~~ but that quickly ended.  We have plans Thurs-Sunday.  LOL  I guess we jinxed ourselves huh?

 

Weekend Recap & Photodump

This past weekend was SUPER chill and low key.

Thursday: Caught up with my old roommie/bridesmaid.  It was fun to spend a night catching up with no boys and only each other.  We’ve decided to call our new wine nights, Thirsty Thursdays! =)

Friday Night: I went to a beautiful birthday party at Cliff‘s in Silverlake.  It was beautiful outside and the food was delicious!  (the portions were a little small though…but whatevs >.<)  The birthday girl gave each of us super cute party favors too!  SO SWEET!!!  I havent’ gotten a party favor since I was a kid.  It was such a classy touch. ❤

Another insanely good idea I learned that night was…BIRTHDAY WISH LISTS!!  She made a list and everyone got something off of it.  PERRRRFECT. xoxo  I’m definitely doing that next year!  (*wink wink * friends!!)

Saturday was…a celebration of ME.  I literally did 7 loads of laundry, clean the kitchen & both bathrooms, cleaned/swept the patio and watched a ridiculous number of lifetime movies and cheesy chick flicks.  Markel was away for the weekend so I was free to do whatever I wanted.  I also got to cook a few tastey meals and each random leftover throughout the day.

Sunday, I went to church and then drove down to Huntington Beach to meet up with another old Roomie.  ❤

Note below: OC has TONS of free parking spaces and each space is HUGE.  OC=1, LA=0  >.<

All in all, it was a fun weekend with Old Roomies and just hanging out alone.  I forgot what it was like to live without markel!  Apparently…it’s crazy productive =P  hehehe just kiddddding…

Anyway, this weekend is Labor Day weekend and Markel and I are going to see his parents out in Beaumont (near Palm Springs).  I can’t wait!  I love going out there, spending time with the in-laws and just relaxing away from LA~~  This weekend I hope to catch lots of sun and eat lots of good food.  ❤

Weekend Recap and Photodump

Work this week has been a bit cray.  So this update is late as well… but what else is new huh?

Last weekend was a really good mix of rest and friends.  I had 2 birthdays to celebrate and each one did it in total style ❤

Friday–Markel and I started Orange is the New Black.

Saturday–I went to a fabulous Birthday Brunch in Westwood at a place called Tavern.  I’ve always wondered about the food here and it really surpassed my imagination.  TOTALLY recommend it for girlfriends who brunch, big groups, and romantic dinners.

Then for Dinner, We celebrated our beloved Jdawgs Dirty Thirty at Lala’s Argentine Grill on Melrose.  LOVED the food and Sangria here.

After Dinner, off to Drinks at Edendales in Silverlake! ❤

Sunday, Markel and I had a friend staying with us so we spent the morning relaxing and eating together.  The boys went golfing in the morning while I tried to cook us a new recipe that ended up being a total fail.  *sigh *  But the boys were nice enough to clean their plates in front of me. =)

For a late lunch/early dinner, I went to Ugo with my bestie.  I forgot how amazing the food is there!

For the first time in a long time~ the weekend fun did NOT stop there.  I met up with girlfriends on Monday for a delicious Korean dinner in ktown.  Tried out a new place called School Food.  I haven’t had Korean food in so long I inhaled everything!

Tuesday Night, the Bs and I celebrated/enjoyed our last meal together as single ladies.  One of the Bs is about to have a little one any day!  It was the last wine night without babies ❤  Can’t wait for what this year will bring for the rest of us!

ANNNDDD, now it’s almost the weekend again! =)  Markel and I are going to Big Bear with a big group of friends so I can’t wait to get dark, play in the water, and enjoy getting out of LA for a bit.

Happy Friday Eve!

Weekend Recap and Photodump

This past weekend was FUNNNNNNNN and Low Key.  My BFF came out to visit for the week and we had a fun Sacramento Reunion.<3  PLUS I was dogsitting the sweetest, cutest dog for 10 days.  SO MUCH FUN.

Father’s Office in Culver City

Brunch at Tender Greens + Movies at home

Cards Against Humanity

The Virgil in North Hollywood

Tobi–best doggie in the world

(although…it showed Markel and me that we aren’t ready for a furry pet JUST yet…We go out so often with friends and take weekend trips~ not sure how we could keep doing that with a doggie)

And now…it’s THURSDAY! =)  Tomorrow we have a staff development day so we’ll be in Malibu eating, hiking and visiting the Adamson House. ❤

Happy Thursday All!

 

Weekend Recap and Photodump

This is a bit late…but this past week was filled with friends and fun ❤

Last Thursday, Markel’s parents came out to visit us and helped us move the last bits of our storage unit out.  We grabbed dinner and Ice Cream~ and then enjoyed some free 7/11 slurpees!

CPK

Friday, we celebrated my beautiful Nansie’s THIRTIETH!! xoxo

Happy Birthday Nansies!!

Drinks and Dancing at Edison Afterwards ❤

Saturday I spent the morning with 4 amazing kids and 4 amazing adults ❤  We played in the pool, got kicked out, and rested in an air conditioned apartment.

Stopped by Pitfire Pizza to grab food for our next big evening event!

Next Up…Hollywood Bowl!  There was a Grease Sing-a-long playing and literally 95% of the audience was dressed up.  I was too embarrassed to take pictures of other groups, but everyone was SO CUTE.  There were tons of Rizzos, Beauty School Drop Outs, Pink Ladies, Cheer Leaders, and Danny‘s & Sandy’s.  LOVE IT.  Hollywood bowl was a continuation of Nansie’s birthday week and it was FUNNNNNNN.  I always forget about how much I love it there.

The Drummer from Nirvana came out for a visit.

Little Party Favors/props to use during the show ❤

 

Ghetto Sangria made in a cup!

My picnic basket, courtesy of Mama Blair.

Some shots of the movie ❤

The Group ❤

Sunday was my last day helping out with Nursery. =*(  It was sad…but it was for the best.  I was stretching myself thin by volunteering for Nursery and leading a small group.  In any case, I’m going to miss all the adorable little munchkins ❤

Then on Monday/Tuesday~ I had some amazing friends come out to visit ❤

Then Tuesday we threw a big surprise birthday breakfast to my co-worker who turned 29 ❤

And now (THANK GOD) it’s already the weekend again!  This weekend I’m flying to San Francisco to go glamping with some of my college friends.  Can’t wait to hike, drink wine, and catch up in our “tent” (aka cabin).

Happy Friday!!

Weekend Recap and Photodump

This past week & weekend was a little weird.  We had Thursday as a holiday and then the weekend ahead.  So it FELT like a 4-5 day weekend.  That made coming to work on Monday THAT much harder…  Luckily I have a sweet gig and love my job!

Friday, I had dinner with the girls at our friend’s new home.  California Chicken Cafe + Wine + Trader Joe’s Ice Cream Sandwiches. ❤  Perfect way to really relax and gab for hours ❤  Love these special nights!

After dinner, I met Markel and his friends for First Friday in Venice.  Two of his friends were in town from the East Coast so we hung out on Abbot Kinney~ I forgot how much I love that place!

Saturday, Mike and I went to Beaumont (near Palm Springs) to hang out with Mike’s parents for the weekend.  Saturday was spent cleaning/organizing our storage unit, watching the Dodgers vs Giants, and eating DELICIOUS food.

Sunday was a FUNday~~ Mike’s entire family came out to celebrate 3 birthdays (mine included =])   We grilled, went swimming, hung out, and watched the Giants game.  It was really nice to spend the day with the Blairs. ❤

(*The not so glamorous part was moving out of our storage unit the morning before all the festivities.  Thankfully it only took an hour at the most*)

On Sunday, Mike taught his niece how to swim and it was ADORABLE.  He had all these techniques that he had thought out and I definitely melted.  Can’t wait to see him as a Papa Blair down the line with our Littles. ❤

Leaving and Returning to LA

Isn’t this the cutest picture ever??  Mike’s in the cutest yellow suit with a blue bow tie.  I die.  I can’t wait to make our baby boy wear one too someday~~ xo

 

Weekend Recap and Photodump

This past weekend was…SUPER fun.  I did a LOT of driving in the SoCal area~ and it felt like I went on 2 mini vacations!

Friday Night, I stayed home b/c I had to wake up at the butt crack of dawn to leave for Temecula.  BUT the one awesome treat was that our wedding photos came!!

I’m so excited to share these!  I’ll be posting up like 10 different entries to show them all to you.  Out of like 3,000 photos, there are at LEAST 800 I want to share.  HAHA (literally)

Saturday

At 645am…bright and early~ I woke up to drive to Temecula.  I had a leader’s retreat with my church and since my car didn’t go friday night (with the rest of the group) we had to be in Temecula before 9am.  sooo earlyyyy *yawn *

The mansion we stayed in was GORGEOUS!!  It housed at least 22 of us and well…there was DEFINITELY more room.  We had a game room, pool, ourdoor fireplace, spa, and MUCH more!  (there was an american flag themed bathroom too!)

During the afternoon, we had “free time” so some of us went wine tasting ❤

Night Time fire, cigars, spa…it was AWESOME.

So…my air mattress got a hole in it =(  I”ve had it for less than a month and already we had a TIIIIINY hole =(

What do 4 girls do??  We used eyelash glue, 1 stamp, 2 hello kitty bandaids and a panty liner to plug the hole.  GENIUS right???  hahaha we laughed pretty hard but it totally worked!! xoxo

Sunday

The next morning, I woke up to people making awesome Egg McMuffins!!  I made a yogurt partfait and well…had the best breakfast in a LONG TIME.

Immediately after leaving Temecula at 9am and arriving in West LA by 11am~ Markel and I drove to San Diego for the day.  We went to visit his grandparents in Encinitas for lunch.

Stone Flat Pizza…it was aiite.  Definitely hit the spot, food came out fast, and the service was friendly.  Not 5-stars or anything though.

On our drive back to LA ❤  (ROAD TRIP!!  from our summer bucket list)

On the way back home, we stopped by Brodard Chateau in West Minster…BEST vietnamese food I’ve ever had.  Hands DOWN.

Weekend Recap and Photodump: Father’s Day and UCLA Commencement!

This past weekend was really fun, busy and tiring.  But of course…mostly fun ❤

Friday, I came home from work and had some wine while watching Korean Dramas.

Then…we did something SUPER fun…we walked to dinner and then watched Man of Steel!  We so rarely get to hang out alone together that it felt super special…first date special ❤  When we first started dating, we walked to this same theater all the time and grabbed dinner at the random restaurants around it.  Having this kind of an experience again was…amazing.

Saturday: UCLA Commencement

Free Commencement Food ❤

Arm Swag ❤

To Beaumont (Near Palm Springs)

Friday Night we went to Morongo Casino as a foursome, ate dinner and gambled our free $10 cards at the penny slots.  Safe to say…no one won big that night =(

Sunday: Father’s Day!  We went bowling and had a delicious BBQ

Coming Home from Beaumont:

Markel and I have a storage unit in Beaumont with our childhood items.  Both our parents moved and so we combined our boxes into a storage unit and we were settled.  Now that we are…it’s pretty dreadful to move things into the apartment when you’re already moved in.  *sigh *  In any case, it’s going to take about 3 trips to empty it all out.  Here is our first trip (Barry is back!!):

Random Photodump of the week:

delicious dinner at the Paks before watching the season premiere of Pretty Little Liars

Strong “shots” of coffee.  I accidentally bought 250 of these from amazon…please don’t ask.  The only “pro” of this is that they are travel size.  I do NOT recommend getting these yourself…they taste AWFUL.

Fun end of the year party for work!  (i made the salads + fruit salad)

I had such a fun weekend that it’s hard to come back… *sigh *

Well, have a great weekend everyone!

Happy Happy Birthday Markel!

Today…my baby turns 27.  CRAZY.  I’ve known him for nearly 5 years now and it’s been an incredibly journey. ❤

Can’t wait for the next 50 years that’s to come! xoxo