Virtual Coffee

Good morning! I love having coffee or tea on Tuesday mornings and chatting. Today I am sipping some peach tea in my favorite purple mug siting in my favorite chair, and listening to the birds singing away in this windy, grey day.

If we were actually meeting to have coffee and chat I would ask about your weekend. Ours was jam-packed between Brent's birthday and Superbowl. Friday was Brent's actual birthday, just the two of us had sushi and saw the Black Swan. It was a really good movie we both loved it, but I did not expect to be so freaked out by it! We met there so we had separate cars, and driving home alone my mind was playing tricks on my and scaring me. I was very proud of myself for baking a cheesecake for the first time, it came out wonderfully and Brent enjoyed it.

Saturday we were able to relax, then we met a few good friends for dinner at a Caribbean restaurant. That was my first experience with Caribbean food...good but spicy. Sunday was brunch at Brent's parent's house for another birthday celebration. Huevos rancheros with homemade tortillas and the works. His sister is 4 months pregnant and we had a blast coming up with ridiculous name ideas (it is a boy). Back in the car and headed to Long Beach for a Superbowl party at our friend's house. Busy weekend but fun.

If we were really meeting for coffee, I would ask if you have ever heard of Kina Grannis? I have been following her for awhile and have even seen her live. But I love this cover she did with Boyce Avenue of "Fast Car"I am excited for Spring...can't wait for the bustling farmer's markets on sunday filled with my favorite fruits, the hillsides of wild mustard and wildflowers, fruit pies, Easter Sunday...

My mom is coming to visit today, I am very excited. We always have so much fun together, and even though she only lives an hour away I miss here when she is not here. I hope you have a great rest of the day and a wonderful week! Thanks to Amy for hosting Virtual Coffee! Visit her beautiful blog ♥

My Brother

Happy birthday to my wonderful, caring, smart, compassionate,

accomplished, talented brother.

Happy happy happy happy birthday Nick!!!

♥ ♥ ♥

Double Time

{Me, Mother & Brother}

Last night was the second year in a row we have gone to Carlsbad's Vigaluccis for a joint birthday celebration for my mom and I. Our birthdays are only 4 days apart, and I feel so fortunate to be so close to my mom, and to have the opportunity to spend our birthdays together!

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!

Five Birthdays

{5 years old}

{22 years old...last year}

It's Friday!! AND it's my birthday!! 23. I like it...for some reason I like the sound of odd-numbered birthdays better than even, I have no idea why! Sooo for this week's Friday Five I thought it appropriate to choose 5 favorite birthday celebrations. When Nick and I were kids, my parents set up a rule where we could only have a party every other year and a family-only celebration on the others. I hated it as a kid, but looking back I definitely appreciate it.

5th - Although I don't remember most of it, I do remember playing hide and seek with my costume-clad guests. I was a bumblebee, but I had taken off my costume in the above photo. This was my only Halloween-themed party and I love this photo. So serious!

7th - The years I did have a party with friends, I loved themed parties. I had a camping-themed party, a clown-themed party, and the aforementioned costume party. This year a had a California miner theme...everyone was to dress up as a miner, we panned for fools gold, and enjoyed a miner-decorated cake.

13th - I was still going through my treatment at this point. I was very swollen and puffy from all the steroids, had very short curly hair, and still very sick. My mom put together a wonderful sushi party for me, she made california rolls from scratch and decorated her condo with fresh daisies and daisy party decorations. I didn't feel great, but I loved my party.

17th - I didn't do anything special for my 16th, and my mom and stepdad wanted me to have a fun 17th. They rented a limousine and drove me and some friends down to the gaslamp district of San Diego for dinner at Dick's Last Resort. I felt like a celebrity cruising the town in the huge Excursion limo, and had a blast at the restaurant.

21st - This year was filled with all sorts of celebrations. The night of my birthday a big group of my family and friends had a wonderful dinner at Sarducci's, a restaurant next to the train depot in San Juan Capistrano. We had a private room, and I was in heaven with lemon drops and their food. A few days later I celebrated with mom and stepdad and Andrea down in San Diego's gaslamp district, with Brent as a surprise guest. AND went wine tasting a few weeks later in San Luis Obispo with my brother and close friends. Beautiful roses from Brent, daisies from Andrea, tickets to the Ellen show from Aunt Lori and many other goodies rounded out the birthday.

Thanks to everyone who has made my birthdays so special over the years!!

♥

::Happy Birthday::

Happy Birthday to my Grandma! She is 85 years old today! She is healthy, happy, and has been married to my grandpa for 63 years.

Yes that is me when I played soccer...sometime around age 5 or 6?