It's Coffee, It's Coffee Time!!

It's Tuesday, so that means, it's time for our weekly coffee date. I'm Joining Amy over at Lucky Number 13 for coffee as well. For some reason when I was thinking the topics I would like to chat about today, I starting singing "It's coffee, it's coffee time!" to the sound of the Flight of the Conchord's Business Time song. You can hear it here, I think it is so hilarious!

So..."It's coffee, it's coffee time!!" Or in my case, it's TEA time, but singing that sounds ultra lame. I am drinking apricot tea and enjoying toast with cranberry-apple butter. Both were gifts from my dear friend Georgia as a part of the "Autumn Blog Swap" package I received from her the week before. It was so much fun to take part in, if you want to read about what I sent to my partner, go here. From Georgia I received Apricot and Passion Fruit tea, a mini pumpkin, baking cups & sprinkles, a milky way, a pumpkin-spice candle and the delicious cranberry-apple butter. I have only tried it on wheat toast, but I am anxious to try it in other ways...mixed into oatmeal, on vanilla ice cream, spread on a cookie...any other ideas?

So how are you this week? How was your weekend? The weather has been really nice the last few days...very warm, in the 80's, but the mornings are still crisp and cool. Kind of a fall-summer hybrid. Let's sit outside. It's already 72 in the backyard, and while we wrap our fingers around our warm drinks we could watch the cute little birds flitting about in the grass and eating the figs, and Smokey, the next door neighbor cat is up on the rafters above us. She may look sweet but be careful, she is kind of an evil cat.

If we were having coffee this morning I would tell you about my weekend. My crazy busy, fun, special weekend. Friday was my birthday. A beautiful day, I woke up to this moon outside my window.

The day was filled with lunch at the pier with Emily, Andrea, and aunt Lori (not pictured)...

...I painted a cupcake-shaped dessert plate at Fired Up, the local paint-your-own ceramics studio, came home to a box of 12 assorted chocolate-covered strawberries sent by my wonderful boyfriend...

...and dinner with Brent and friends at the Cellar, a wine bar in downtown San Clemente. Fabulous food, wine, and company.

Saturday we had plans to go the USC homecoming game. Brent goes every year, but I have never been to the USC campus or the stadium.

It was such a cool experience, going to SFSU I never got the chance to go to big sports events like that. I felt like I actually belonged. I was wearing a cute USC t-shirt and red hoodie, and no one could tell I am a newbie to the team. The school spirit is incredible, even the little kids were rockin' it! USC lost unfortunately, but it was a fun day, just long, long, long! I loved that the USC colors are sort of fall-ish :) (I would)

Sunday, Halloween, we drove down to my dad's house. He barbecued ribs and chicken and baked a cake for my birthday. It was fun to spend time with him and the food of course was great! The cake on the left is one aunt Lori baked for me...a Jack O'Lantern cake, and on the right is my dad's traditional chocolate with buttercream frosting. Notice how they did the 23 differently?

I just completed a photo scavenger hunt for the month of October. I posted the photos I submitted here, and it was tough and a lot more work than I expected! But a fun challenge. Some of the photos I have posted before, but not all. One of the hardest was the self-portrait, I do NOT like photos of just me. I almost chose a different one, but last minute changed my mind. For the Fall tradition photo, I almost went with a pumpkin carving one, but switched it to my birthday. The tilt-shift photography is a way of putting only a portion of the photo in focus and blurring out the rest, to make it look like a miniature model.

If we were sitting outside, commenting on the weather, I would remember to tell you...you know the benefit I attended last weekend for PCRF (Pediatric Research Foundation)? We found out that the total amount raised for research was $198,00o. Isn't that amazing!! It was so great to be a part of, and Brent and I both plan to get more involved with the organization.

I cannot believe how fast October went, and to tell you the truth, it is a little bittersweet. October is my favorite month...the beginning of fall, my birthday, pumpkin-related festivities, Halloween and all things related...but November is great too. Today is a big day. November 2. My wonderful & amazing mom's birthday, Dia de los Muertos (I don't celebrate, just note it), and election day!

Thanks again for joining me today, happy November 2nd to you!