31 July, 2009

little things


i love when levi calls me unexpectedly from work to say hi.

we have a date to go to wendy's tonight for burgers and frosties.

i can't wait to see him.

someday...


i was inspired by my magical regina experience to make a list of other bands or artists that i hope to one day see. here they are:

1. radiohead
2. my morning jacket
3. wilco
4. band of horses
5. bjork

bands/artists that used to be on the list, but i saw them!

1. regina spektor (hooray!)
2. jude (oh my gosh. i was 5 feet away from him the entire time dead center. he kissed me on the cheek after the show!!!)
3. mason jennings
4. dave matthews band
5. rufus wainwright

(i would happily see them all again, btw)

who's on your list of?

my evening with regina spektor


as you all know, i was lucky enough to see regina spektor perform at el rey theatre in los angeles on tuesday, 28 july.

i was positively devastated when we weren't able to get tickets the day they went on sale. they literally sold out in seconds. don't get me started on the corruption that is concert-going in LA. it is absolutely ridiculous.

anyway, my friend scott knew that i was upset so he started trying to get me tickets through his goldenvoice connection the day they went on sale.

it looked like a lost cause, but on tuesday at 3:45, hours before the show, he called to let me know that he got me and levi in!

we showed up an hour before the doors opened, and it turns out we were on the guest list.


so not only did we get FREE tickets to a sold out performance to one of my top three favorite artists of all time, we didn't have to wait in the huge line, and we got to go in first. which means our location was killer.

we were literally as close as you could get, touching the stage, standing right where regina performed for the entire night. unbelievable. you don't have to tell me how incredibly lucky i am. believe me, i know. i was shocked at our good fortune.

her entire performance was absolutely magical.

{stars everywhere for samson - "the stars came fallin' on our heads"}

she is beautiful. she is adorable. she is sweet as pie.

she looked me in the eye multiple times throughout the evening.

{it's just me & regina...don't mind all those other hands and heads}

all i could do was stand in silent adoration with my hands at my heart and smile the entire time she was on stage.

i didn't even cheer. i couldn't. i just clapped and smiled.

she performed almost all of the songs from her new album, far, as well as a ton of older songs.

she was accompanied on stage by her drummer, two cello players, a violinist, and a viola player.

she sat at the piano for most of her performance.

she performed dance anthem of the 80s on the keyboard. she was nervous about messing this one up. she said she was rehearsing it earlier in the day. it was adorable. and she didn't mess it up one bit.

she also performed on her guitar and did a couple-few (one of levi's words) songs accompanied only by her musicians.



poor little rich boy was awesooooome. she beat the rhythm on a chair with a drumstick with her right hand, played piano with her left, and sang. so talented.

i can't pick my favorite from the night. apres moi is definitely up there. my eyes welled with tears multiple times, but they finally fell onto my cheeks when she performed us during her encore. i'm almost crying remembering it. it was so gorgeous. especially with the string instruments accompanying her.

ahhhhh, i wish i could go back. i wish i could close my eyes and vividly remember every detail of the experience over and over at any time i want.

it was such a special, magical, beautiful, surreal night. i feel so lucky and so blessed to have had this experience. and i'm so grateful that i had levi there to enjoy it with me.


here are two videos that i took to share with you all.

the sound isn't all that bad, and you can see how close we were.

*all the cheering, talking, and singing along you hear is NOT me. i'm not a big fan of singing along at concerts. that's what my car is for.

eet (unfortunately, it cuts off right at the end - sorry!)



on the radio (lots of singing along on this one)


i seriously wish you all could have been there too. it would have been so cool if that room could have been filled with us. and then maybe we could have all hung out with regina afterwards? yeahhhh.

30 July, 2009

have you seen this blog?



i just checked it out for the first time tonight.

how CUTE are they??

i have a crush.

p.s. this is their other blog. i want to live in their house.

(almost) upgraded

good morning! i am writing from my phone today, so this really won't be much of a post.

i have some terrific news to share - we are fiiiinally having the internet hooked up this very morning (thanks to my lovely momma). you don't know how excited i am. no more blogging from coffee shops or my CAR. and i will finally, hopefully, have a chance to start reading YOUR blogs again. ohhh, how i've missed you! i've mainly been using twitter to keep in touch lately.

some future posts i'm working on:

- hunter family fair excursion
- something a bit more serious i wrote recently
- some adventures with levi
- and, of course, REGINA!!!!! (she was brilliant & gorgeous & everything good)

so stay tuned, have a LOVELY day, and don't forget to enter the giveaway if you haven't already!

xo
jasmine

29 July, 2009

why we love our neighborhood reason #5


reason #5:

cupcakes!

you guys have heard me talk about it a million times before - frosted cupcakery (just click on the "treats" label, and you'll see what i mean).

also known as, cupcake heaven.

they're better than sprinkles in my humble, very picky opinion.

and all the girls who work there are as sweet as...cream cheese frosting...

i highly recommend the chocolate coconut, red velvet, and key lime (but hurry hurry on the key lime - it is sadly only here for july. such a shame.).

frosted, thank you so much for keeping me 5 pounds heavier than i'd like to be!


p.s. don't forget to enter the giveaway!

28 July, 2009

maybe my life is complete right NOW

OH MY LORD!!!!!! jasmine hunter plus 1 for regina spektor TONIGHT at el rey theatre in LA. i am shaking. i am screaming. i'm like a crazy fainting beatles fan. i am the luckiest girl in the world. thank you SOOOOOO much scott!!!

it tastes like soap, but it doesn't really taste like soap!


my new shampoo smells like jamba juice.

so i tasted it yesterday.

:/

don't taste your shampoo no matter how good it smells.


and for the record, my new shampoo is redken blonde glam.



(bonus points to whoever can tell me where i got the title of this post from!)


merry christmas?



i think this might have to be the hunter family christmas card.

more from the fair later!

p.s. don't forget to enter the giveaway!


27 July, 2009

the first AEiP giveaway!! (now closed)


well, i told you i had something fantastic in store for you, and i wasn't lying!

i've teamed up with chickdowntown to present you with AEiP's first giveaway!

and what a giveaway!

one of you lucky readers is going to win your choice of one of these gorgeous Tolani Scarves!

i am seriously so jealous. can i enter my own giveaway??

these are my personal favorites (there are plenty more to choose from on the site):


oh so pretty!!

chickdowntown is THE place for pretty things, like these gorgeous sandals from Loeffler Randall:

please may i have them?

anyway, on to the rules!

i decided to tie this into my what i like about you (and me) series, so for ONE entry in the giveaway, leave a comment here telling me one thing you like about yourself.

and for a SECOND entry, you can write a post about the giveaway on your blog, and let me know by leaving a second comment here.

please be sure that i am able to reach you if you win. if you don't have your email address accessible on your blog, feel free to leave it in your comment.

entries will be accepted until 5:00 pm (PST) on sunday, 2 august.

a winner will be chosen at random and announced on monday, 3 august at 7:00 am (PST)!

good luck, and be sure to check out chickdowntown on twitter and facebook!!


**the giveaway is now closed. winner will be announced tomorrow morning (3 august) at 7:00 am PST.**

26 July, 2009

happy sunday!



we went to see little shop of horrors at the carpenter center (CSULB) last night.

one of levi's clients gave us fantastic tickets. we enjoyed it thoroughly!

especially the part where audrey II eats audrey. i think we were the only two in the theatre in hysterics. ahhhh. good stuff.

on that note, go have yourselves a happy sunday!
and don't forget to check back for that little surprise i promised you (here) on monday!

love,
levi & jasmine
xo




24 July, 2009

i did it again!



i made the best dinner last night. this was seriously the best burger i have ever eaten.

i'm on fire!


(burgers with bleu cheese butter & watercress with a yummy broccoli side dish)

be sure to check in on monday bright and early. i have something very very special and exciting just for all of you!

my my i should not have let you go!



i am such a little kid sometimes.

levi snuck up behind me with a camera the other night and caught me in the act.


i was watching mamma mia! the sing along edition.

totally singing along....and maybe dancing a little.

girly movies put me in a good mood!

what's your foolproof good mood maker?

(p.s. has anyone noticed that i am always wearing this dress?? i can't stop! it's so comfortable for summer! i might be wearing it right now...)

23 July, 2009

the recipe for delicious



alright. enough of you were interested in the recipes from this post to make posting them worthwhile, so here you go!

parmigiano-crusted tilapia with quick tomato sauce

serves 4 (we used 3.5 ounce fillets though, and it only served 2...but levi can eat a lot)

2 large cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tbsp)
6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
pinch of granulated sugar
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup fresh breadcrumbs (i used the kind in a can from the store)
3/4 cup finely grated parmigiano-reggiano (i used fresh grated parmesan because my market didn't have the blend)
1/2 cup chopped mixed fresh herbs, such as thyme, parsley, chives, or oregano (i used thyme and parsley)
4 6 ounce skinless tilapia fillets
1 large egg

- In a 1-2 quart heavy saucepan, cook the garlic in 2 tbsp of the oil over medium heat until it begins to color, 1-2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and their juices, sugar, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally and breaking up the tomatoes with a wooden spoon. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (I made some angel hair pasta to go with the extra sauce. Delicious!)

- Meanwhile, on a large plate, toss the breadcrumbs, Parmigiano, herbs, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper.

- Season the fish with salt and pepper. Beat the egg in a wide, shallow dish. Dip each fillet in the egg and then the breadcrumb mixture, pressing it on to help it adhere.

- In a 12 inch heavy-duty nonstick skillet, heat the remaining 4 tbsp olive oil over medium high heat. Add two of the fillets and cook until the coating is nicely browned and the flesh is opaque and cooked through, about 2-3 minutes on each side. Use a slotted spoon to move the fish. Repeat with the remaining fillets. Serve the tilapia with a spoonful of the sauce.

The recipe recommends serving this dish with sauteed broccoli rabe, but I served it with roasted asparagus instead. Here's that recipe!

basic roasted asparagus

serves 3-4 (it served 2 for us...but like i said before, levi eats a lot)

1 lb. asparagus
1-3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
fresh lemon juice (optional)

- Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 475 F. Rinse the asparagus, pat dry, and snap off the tough bottom ends. In a medium bowl, toss the asparagus with enough of the olive oil to coat generously, 1/2 tsp salt, and a few grinds of pepper.

- Turn the asparagus out onto a heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet (lined with parchment, if you like) and arrange the pieces so that they are evenly spaced. If the pieces cover the baking sheet sparsely, arrange them toward the edges of the baking sheet for the best browning. Roast for 5 minutes, flip, and roast until tender and a bit shriveled, 5-8 minutes. (I roasted them for 9 more minutes.)

- Return asparagus to the bowl in which you tossed them with oil, or put them in a clean serving bowl. If they seem a bit dry, drizzle them with a little oil. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and lemon juice. (If you choose to use lemon juice, don't use too much - just a small squeeze is enough. Also, I made the mistake of covering the bowl with a towel to keep them warm while I finished everything else. This steamed them, so they lost some of their yummy roasty taste. These are best eaten immediately.)

Voila! These recipes are super simple and very tasty. Let me know if you make them!

cookin'


last night, i...

chopped and


reached and


sautéed and


cooked and


made levi very happy.


i tried out some new recipes last night and made parmesan-herb (thyme & parsley) crusted tilapia with a basic tomato sauce and roasted asparagus with fresh lemon juice.

it was delicious. and that's saying a lot since i'm really picky when it comes to my own cooking. it goes back to that whole perfection thing.

if anyone is interested in the recipes, please let me know, and i will post them.


22 July, 2009

why we love our neighborhood reason #4


reason #4:
candy!

more specifically, powell's sweet shoppe!

if you like candy, this place is your dream come true.

it's a wonderland of every kind of candy imaginable.

everything.

they have locations in california, colorado, idaho, and oregon so there's a chance you have one nearby.

i'm pretty much addicted to sugar, so i spend a lot of time here.

levi loves their gelato, so he's usually happy to oblige.

best part - it's a beautiful 5 minute walk away.

i am so lucky.


p.s. they play willy wonka & the chocolate factory on a loop and give you a place to sit and watch it!!

21 July, 2009

since it's summer...


why not have a sunset picnic for dinner tonight?

this is a serious one.


i get a lot of emails asking for advice on relationships which i love. i love giving you my two cents. i love that you trust me enough to let me in on some of the most personal, intimate details of your lives.

due to this, i feel obligated to officially and publicly say that levi & i absolutely do not have the perfect relationship without problems. i know you never thought we thought we were perfect, but i just needed to say it anyway.

it's not pure happiness all the time.

we don't feel "in love" every second of every day.

but our relationship works.

i think the huge thing that makes it work is all the work we put into it.

we are hugely committed to each other and this relationship, to making it work under all circumstances every single day.

i was recently asked how we knew that we were right for each other, and i really want to share my reasons here.

1. one of the huge ones is that our beliefs and ideals line up almost perfectly. it's almost weird. it kind of feels like our lives leading up to before we met were shaping us for each other. we've had a lot of similar experiences so we can relate to each other on a lot of different levels.

2. a big one, for me especially, is that we trust each other like crazy. i never ever worry about him cheating on me or even looking at another girl. some girls honestly don't mind if their boyfriends or husbands look at other women so that's not a big deal to everyone, but it's huge to me. it always has been, and i've never been with someone who i completely trust like i do with levi.

3. we have the same sense of commitment, and we both want the same thing. we both told each other before we lived together that we plan on getting married one day. and we both wouldn't continue this relationship if weren't headed toward marriage.

4. we can tell each other anything. sometimes things are difficult to discuss. i sometimes get embarrassed to bring up certain things, but he never freaks out or judges me - he makes me feel safe to tell him anything and everything.

5. i know that he will always do anything he has to do to make sure that i am (and our future family is) provided for financially, spiritually, emotionally, and physically. he always puts my needs before his own.

6. we have fun together. we like to do and talk about a lot of the same things, but we also have new things to expose the other to. we learn from each other.

7. we encourage each other's passions and interests and believe in each other.

8. we know the value of alone time and try to provide that for each other.

9. we've already made it through A LOT of hard times (mostly financial) so we both know that we can face what life gives us together.

10. we're both willing to work on our relationship and communication.

11. we lived in a studio apartment in the ghetto together and didn't kill each other.

i don't know if that means anything at all to any of you, but i wanted to put it out there just in case.

i think women waste a lot of time in bad relationships because we're afraid of being alone. we settle. and it's sad. i've settled in the past. i thank God every day that he got me out of those relationships. i had NO idea how great it could be. i had no idea what he had planned for me. i am so fortunate that he forced me to find out.

20 July, 2009

HP madness!!!


warning: this post is pretty cheesy.

our harry potter and the half blood prince extravaganza was so much fun!

first, we headed to dinner at lasher's where they were hosting a harry potter themed evening.

(if you're ever in long beach, please please please go to lasher's. you won't be sorry. this place is tasty and has excellent service. even if you don't live in the area, i would highly recommend getting on the mailing list - the owner's emails are clever, hilarious, and always entertaining. plus, they keep you updated on all the special events, deals, and happenings at lasher's.)

we encountered a dementor upon entering. let me tell you, that dementor's kiss is no joke.


thank goodness levi was there to cast a patronus and save me. (his patronus is a lily kitty, by the way.)


we kicked off the evening with some polyjuice potion, and i tried my hand at turning into one of aragog's offspring.


the menu was excellent. we each had severus snape's slytherin stew. levi tried the black lake halibut with gilly weed butter, and i had the shortribs of romanian ridgeback. yummm.


and we capped off our meal with hagrid's chocolate molten cake and wizard's candy. oh my yum!


our dinner included tickets to see the movie! how nifty is that?!?

we took our full bellies home, changed into some comfy clothes, and headed to the theatre (i always take a blanket with me to the movies).


we arrived about an hour and a half early to wait in line.


then we enjoyed the show!


didn't get home til two in the morning, but it was so worth it. such a fun time.

thank you so much to ray lasher and everyone at the restaurant for making this such a fun experience. we will absolutely be back!

p.s. i warned you we were nerds. i think you believe me now, don't you?

18 July, 2009

it's HOT!


i would really like to play in a fountain today.


**photos from january trip to disneyland. my hair was dyed dark brown.

17 July, 2009

zooey

i'm in the middle of reading zooey deschanel's list of favorite summertime activities in the august issue of self magazine.

it's making me love her even more.

don't you just wish you could be friends with her??

if you love zooey, go get the august issue of self today.

dave and melany


on tuesday night, we had dinner with our friends dave & melany.

SO MUCH FUN.

so here's the cool thing about this friendship:

- melany and i share an ex-boyfriend: this is how we became friends yearrrs ago
- dave and levi became friends when they worked together long before they knew us
- dave and i went to elementary school together
- levi cuts melany's hair

how random is all of this?? (except for the hair cutting part - that happened later.)

anyway, levi and i love hanging out with them and feel very lucky to have them as friends.


***p.s. dave has a really cool website where you can submit and vote on clothing designs. they turn the winning designs into clothes that you can buy. check out [XUV] here...i've got my eye on a cute coat and dress...

16 July, 2009

my biggest problem


i crave perfection.

i seek perfection.

i need perfection.

perfect body.

perfect hair.

perfect skin.

perfect grammar.

perfect vocabulary.

perfect home.

perfect pursuits.

perfect days.

perfect progress.

perfect success.

perfect love.

perfect happiness.

i'm always seeking to capture an essence - an essence of a taste, color, mood, memory, feeling, time, place.

i get so distracted by my quest for perfection that i forget the present.

i put off happiness saying, "i'll be happy when..." "i'll be happy if..."

what about "i'll be happy now"?

under all circumstances?

with or without perfection?

we slept.

wow. we just woke up about 10 minutes ago....at noon.

i guess all the harry potter & the half blood prince festivities really took it out of us.

we had a blast though and really enjoyed the movie. obviously, the book was better, but they did the best they could and completely entertained us.

dinner was excellent too.

details will follow today or tomorrow.

gotta go shake the sleep off! maybe a peet's iced latte is in order...

15 July, 2009

a 90s flashback


this week's through her eyes feature asked us to show our favorite magazines. please check it out here.

i absolutely could not choose. i like way too many magazines.

so instead, i went a different route with the question and chose my two favorite issues of all time.

one of my favorites was the october/november 1994 issue of modern bride.

i got this magazine for free when i was 12. they were doing some sort of expo at disneyland, so i grabbed a copy.

i must have read that thing a thousand times.

it's no surprise that i ended up becoming a wedding coordinator in my early 20s.

anyway, after flipping through the issue, i found a few things i just had to share.


1. heavily detailed dresses - oh my gosh. this thing is full of over the top dresses. here are my favorites. it makes me wonder - are we going to look back on the things we love today and cringe at all?


check out those ruffles!

2. look how far photography has come! this girl came from a very well off family, and her wedding photos aren't that great. isn't it amazing how far photography has come in such a short period of time? granted, film can do things that digital photography can't, but still...this looks like it was taken with a disposable point and shoot!


3. just some fun cheesiness!

don't you wish he was your boyfriend?



everyone's honeymoon fantasy - an in-room hot tub shaped like a champagne glass or a heart!

those shorts!

4. this was the wedding dress i wanted when i was 12. given my options, i'd say i had pretty good taste!


5. models in magazines with short hair! i don't really see this these days. i never even bother reading hair how-tos in magazines these days because they never give interesting ideas on styling pixie-short hair. boo!


**a note to those of you who were married in the 90s - i hope i haven't offended any of you. i was in junior high and high school in the 90s, and it is absolutely my favorite era. i love the style, music, and culture of the 90s, and i feel lucky to have lived through that decade.

now tell me, do any of you have any magazine issues that you can't part with? care to share? 'cause i'd love to hear about them!


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