Weekend Report

Things were pretty chill around these parts this weekend...and Joel and I spent most of it together at home. After work on Friday we decided to have a dinner of appetizers, which is truly one of my favorite kinds of dinners.

We noshed on cheese and crackers with sprigs of Rosemary (which is my new obsession), bacon-wrapped dates, and spinach and artichoke dip. 

 

           

 And side note, have you ever had the spinach and artichoke dip from Trader Joe's? I'm not a big fan of frozen foods, but this one is legit. I would easily put it in my top 5 favorite TJ's items.

I have to report back on the Amazon FireStick that we bought a few weeks back. We've  gotten a lot of use out of it and we're catching up on movies (and tv shows) that have been on our list for years. We watched Bottle Shock and.....if you are a wine-o and/or a Chris Pine fan.....so that should mean everyone here reading falls in to one or both categories...you've got to watch it. Such a great movie! 

Saturday after the gym I met my cousin Erin for brunch at Tavern and then came home to finish up a few chores we decided to let linger until the weekend. 

We went out Saturday night to Umami burger in Santa Monica and holy hell was it good. There are few things I love more than burgers, fries, and a cold beer. 

 

Only downside is that both Joel and I were uncomfortably full for like 24 hours after dinner. They pack a strong punch.

Sunday we took the dog for a walk and then made our way to Church.

The weather was perfect on Sunday so we spent almost half of it on the patio listening to music and grilling out. 

I did have to snap this picture because it's equal parts funny and sad, but our new neighbors keep their cat out on the balcony (we don't think all day, but...)...and well...cat is clearly not a big fan of her new digs. 

 

Today is kind of like my Friday again, even though I am working a conference while I'm Chicago, it's hard for it to feel like work when you're in your favorite place.

 

Four on Friday

 

:::1:::

I couldn't say no. And I bought a 4 pack. 

:::2::: 

 

I leave early next week for Chicago and I just can't think about anything except getting home. I'm really excited to try and few new restaurants in the city with my girlfriends, and spend time with parents at home.


:::3:::

I found flats that I'm in love with. They're super comfortable and just the right shade of nude. And they're on sale at Neiman's if you're in need.  My shoe game sucks, so these are a nice addition to my closet. I need a pair or two of sandals for this summer but I'm still on the hunt for those.


:::4::: 

 This weekend is pretty tame for us. Tonight we're doing my favorite dinner of appetizers and drinks and then Saturday I have brunch with friends and date night out for burgers and beer. The weather is slated to be beautiful hopefully we'll get a chance to take advantage and get outside. 

A Day in the Life

My days are different. 

I work, but not in an office. I do stay home, but I don't have kids. It's a little funny....sometimes lonely and boring, sometimes fulfilling and lovely. 

This post is just an average Wednesday...not much going on...but I think in 3 years time, when I look back, I'll be glad I had this written down.

---

6:30am -  I'm up and didn't sleep well at all. My new thing, since about the 1st of the year, is to drink my entire 33oz Camelback of water before I get out of bed. It makes a huge difference in my waking up and not feeling sleepy in the morning. I chill in bed for 15 minutes checking my phone before emerging into the real world.

 

6:50am: I get out of bed and meet Joel in the living room. We are Today Show people so I park myself (still in my pjs and robe) on the couch and Joel brings me coffee. He does this every morning. It's one of my most favorite things about him. 

 

7:30am: Joel leaves and I watch the news, read blogs, finish my cup of coffee and call my mom. 

8am: Breakfast today was Greek yogurt, honey, gronola, a banana and blackberries. It's amazing. I either have this, or oatmeal with similar toppings.

 

8:15: I go through my morning emails and get an idea of what is planned for my day at work. And I got majorly sucked into the ShopBop sale, but I'm sorry, 15% off for spending $250 is not  "the best sale ever" so my cart remains full.

9:15: I get dressed in my workout clothes and head to Equionx for a 9:30 spin class

9:30am: This 45 minute spin class is my favorite that Equinox offers. It's no SoulCycle, but It's fast, efficient, fun and I'm home at 10:20 on the dot.

10:30: I have to race to get ready because I have an 11am conference call that is slated for two hours. If I don't get ready before the call, I'll never get ready so I move quickly and had literally 1 minute to spare. 

 

12:45pm - The call wrapped and I'm beyond starving. I'm actually surprised I waited this long to eat but I somehow made it. Lunch is half a falfel wrap (I had the other half yesterday) and not pictured is half an avocado that I ate with red pepper and a fork.

1:00-3:30: I spend this time making calls, responding to emails, and going through a lot of admin stuff for work. Days that I don't have outside meetings, I try to spend at my desk in the guest room to power through without distractions. Roscoe likes to hang with me, so he is basically my favorite coworker.

3:30: I take Roscoe for a walk so that we can both get some fresh air. I always try and time our afternoon walk with school dismissal. I love seeing all of the hustle and bustle and the kids energy is infectious. Plus, Roscoe appreciates the extra attention.

 

4pm: I tided up the house a little because I just didn't want to sit down (and I only had 5,000 fitbit steps). I changed out the kitchen towels for St. Patrick's day quickly approaching and cleaned our vacuum's sponge-filter thing which was long over due and disgusting.

4:30pm: I wrap up my work day, send off a few meeting confirmation emails for tomorrow and organize all of my emails their folders. 

4:45pm: My girlfriend Shelby stops over on her way home from work for a glass of wine and some cheese. It's the first time we have sat outside for a happy hour in a few months, and even though it was still a little cool, it was really nice to be out there again.  I need a new outdoor rug, again....Right when Shelby walked in I pulled out all of my dinner ingredients and started roasting tomatoes in the oven.

 

5:30pm: Shelby left and Joel came home early. He had a meeting down our street so he came home before he normally does which was a nice surprise. I made a new tomato and basil soup recipe for dinner tonight, so I cooked while he worked in the living room. 

 

6:30pm: Dinner turned out great except as I was blending it (*I need an imersion blender) the lid of the blender flew off and soup went literally everywhere...including the ceiling. All hands on deck for that clean-up process.

6:45pm: Thank God the soup was good after that debacle. And actually, the soup was really, really good. I used this recipe if you're in need of a new one.

7:10pm: Normally Joel cleans up dinner but since he helped me clean up the epic soup spill, I help him do the dishes and I get his lunch packed for tomorrow with leftovers from dinner. 

7:36pm: I'm finishing this blog and Joel is still working. I'm exhausted so I'm going to try and hang with Joel out in the living room until 8 and then I'll take a bath, read until 9, and hit the hay to do it all tomorrow.

---

 

 

A whole lot of ramblings

::: March is a tough month for my family. Somehow three years have passed without my Aunt Peggy. It was her birthday on Monday, and next Tuesday will be the anniversary of her death. Both her life and death have changed us all profoundly and more than anything, this week provides us a time to remember what she taught us and celebrate the beautiful woman that she was.

--- and because, there is and never will be an acceptable transition besides kleenx and a large glass of wine, we will just put one foot in front of the other and keep moving...

::: I feel like I have so much to talk about, so much on my mind and coming up on my schedule, and yet when I put finger to keyboard....I got nothing.

::: I think tomorrow I'm going to try and record a "day in the life" post. I haven't done one in a long, long time, and this season of my life is a somewhat unusual one that I want to document.

::: I'm over the friggen moon excited to go to Chicago next week. I'm lucky that a work trip is taking me there, and then I get to add a day on each end to visit with my family and just be home. I still miss Chicago everyday, but it's been very convenient to not be there from November-February.

::: When I get home from Chicago, Joel's parents will be visiting California for 10 days. They'll spend a good chunk of time in San Diego and a good amount here. I always love having visitors and they're always up for a few tourist-y activities which is a good excuse to get my butt in a museum.

::: Can you believe we change the clocks this week? How did that happen so fast?

::: And speaking of so fast, since my March is booked solid....it's basically April 1st in my mind! Hot damn.

::: Our summer is looking pretty damn busy too, per usual, but I think we've got a few trips to Chicago, a bachelorette party in Nashville, plenty of wedding and baby showers, and maybe even a getaway to Jackson Hole or somewhere West if we can swing it.

::: I'm not sure if I've shared this quote, but this has been a mantra for me lately. Every time a fearful thought or I lose myself in anxiety, I try to take 20 seconds to count my blessings and focus on my gratefulness towards them. By the time I get finished counting through my list, and focusing on the good, my anxious storm is usually on its way out. I hope it helps you if you find yourself struggling with anxiety.

What I Wore & Closet Re-Org

Work It Girl

  

Monday

Zara top, paige jeans, franco sarto boots

 

Tuesday

Veronica M. dress, gap leggings, tahari boots

 

Wednesday

Jcrew jacket, missoni scarf, tahari boots, jockey pants and target tank

 

Thursday

calvin klien poncho, joe's jeans, tahari boots

 

Saturday

 

H&M dress, gap leggings, ivanka trump boots, missoni scarf

I know that LA's "winter" is coming to a rapidly approaching hault, so besides trying to get as much use out of my boots as I can, I'm also ready to do an overhaul on my closet. I'm excited to pitch a lot of the stuff that just isn't getting worn and really come up with an organized and neat solution that I can keep for more than two weeks. 

 

5 on Friday

 :::1:::

This is what parks look like in Santa Monica. Like, are you kidding me?

:::2:::
Joel and I have been watching our Netflix show on my ipad for the last few months and last weekend we decided to upgrade that situation and get the Amazon Firestick. This might be the best and/or worst decision we've ever made. It basically turns your TV into an iPad. Strangely, I've most loved having the Pandora app so handy.

 

:::3:::

Speaking of purchases, while we were in Los Olivos I decided to treat myself to a new Missoni scarf. I've been in a I-NEED-to-upgrade-my-whole-closet mode, so I'm slowly adding some quality pieces that I've had my eye on, starting with this pretty little thing. It's half wool, but it's light enough that I think I'll be able to wear it all year long.

 

:::4:::

We've been in a boring routine lately and not taking advantage of all of the fun things in our neighborhood. We have a little downtown area only 7 or 8 blocks from our house and we just get lazy and forget to take advantage of it - but my goal is to change that. Wednesday I walked down and Joel drove after work so we could meet up for a cheap and easy date. It was just what the doctor ordered for my mid-week slump.  

:::5:::

Tonight we're making homemade pizzas and ordering some movies from that fancy new fire stick. Saturday we're going to try and workout, run some errands, and then we're going with friends to see Wicked at the Pantages theater here in LA.  This will be my fourth or fifth time seeing the show, but I've never been to Pantages, so I'm looking forward to checking it out. Hope you have a great weekend!