Kabob!

We're back from Portland!! And totally exhausted! :)

It was a great trip, and I have lots to share later.

But for now, let's talk about kabobs and the best rice ever.

Last week, Levi and I made some very delicious kabobs for dinner. We used top sirloin, zucchini, white mushrooms, pineapple, and a teriyaki marinade. For the marinade, I just used our favorite teriyaki ginger marinade and added a bit of olive oil, soy sauce, a bit of sugar, and freshly cracked pepper. We skewered all the ingredients and marinated the kabobs for about 24 hours. Levi grilled them on the bbq, and they were perfect. We actually doubled the amount we would usually make for ourselves so that we could take dinner over to my brother and sister-in-law's house. Brand new babies don't leave much time for cooking. They really loved the kabobs too, so I'd say they were a success.

Now.... onto the best rice ever. On Grace's blog, I saw the idea to make rice with coconut milk! I'm a bit of a coconut freak, so I decided to give it a try, and holy cow, it was incredible. It made the rice stickier and gave it a delicious coconut-y flavor. It was THE perfect complement to the kabobs. Try this! You won't regret it!!

YUM.

Such a great summer meal.

Weirdos

My friend, Colette, shared this with me the other day:

"We are all a little weird and life's a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love."

- Dr. Seuss

Here's to a happy life of mutual weirdness with my own weirdo!

My Tangled Birthday Party

So.... remember when I saw Tangled and was really obsessed with it?

Still am.

For my birthday party this year, I got this crazy idea to have an outdoor showing of Tangled, and somehow Levi was able to actually pull it off! One of our friends had a projector he let us borrow, and our friends with the most incredible backyard in the world had everything else we needed.... including the perfect place to watch the movie.

So on saturday night, we headed up to topanga canyon for my Tangled birthday party. I should be more embarrassed than I am to admit that I had a Tangled birthday party.

I wanted a really small gathering this year, so I didn't really invite anyone. It was just me, Levi, my mom, my sister, and a few of our friends - Will, Drew, and Ed. I love those boys.

(That's part of the backyard... Will and Drew actually call it the garden though because Drew is from england... and it's too massive and incredible to be called a backyard. You can see more photos in the garden here.)

(Our dinner complete with virgin mojitos... my latest favorite thing.)

(This was our little outdoor movie theatre.)

(That's me pretending to have long hair...)

(Hammin it up just like I've been doing since birth. I thought it was hilarious and sweet that Will and Drew got that little Rapunzel happy birthday banner for me.)

(Coolest birthday present ever. One of Will and Drew's friends was in the movie so he gave them this souvenir coin from the Hollywood premiere! And they gave it to me! I think it's really cool.)

(blurry coconut cream cake)

Watching the movie:

The night was sprinkled with anxiety because we got the call that my brother and sister-in-law were going to the hospital while we were on the way. As soon as we heard that they had finally been admitted to the hospital, we packed up and left... so the movie was cut short (even though we could have stayed because the baby didn't come til 5:30 in the morning...). It was still a really fun night though, and it was so sweet that everyone went to so much trouble so that I could watch Tangled outside for my birthday. :)

I have really great people in my life.

The Day I Turned 29

My birthday this year was... interesting. I think I was too anxious waiting for Wolfie to come to fully enjoy it... and I woke up feeling pretty sick. BUT, not every birthday has to be your best birthday, and a baby is better than a birthday anyway.

Nevertheless, there were several great and/or memorable moments throughout the day.

My day started with these gorgeous peonies:

and this super amazing card that Levi made me:

I'm going to frame it in my office nook. I lOVE it.

Then we went to Beverly Hills for a tour of the Robinson Gardens.

It was beautiful, but Levi and I never made it to the actual gardens. I was too bored after spending more than an HOUR AND A HALF standing in only two rooms listening to the docent ramble... it was supposed to be a garden tour, not a stand-in-a-room-and-listen-to-random-anecdotes-for-a-really-long-time tour.

These were our fellow inmates....

They were obviously captivated and didn't seem to mind the rambling. In fact, they perpetuated it by asking a million questions.

I just wanted to walk through the gardens!

Annnnnyway, after that, we stopped by my beloved 'lette macarons (formerly known as Paulette).

Then we popped into Anthropologie to browse and try on hats...

Levi bought me a couple extra presents. I was definitely showered with amazing gifts this year.

On the way home, we had a really delicious lunch at Lemonade in Venice.

At that point, I really wasn't feeling well, so we just came home and took it easy for the rest of the day.

And that was my birthday! Up next... my super amazing birthday party, where I did NOT feel sick. Yay!

Wolfie

After spending a verrrrrrry long, very sleepless (for me, not Levi; he slept) night in the hospital...

My nephew was born on sunday, 19 June (Father's Day!!!) at 5:30 in the morning.

This is Wolfie:

He makes my heart melt. He's perfect.

I'm so proud of his mom and dad for bringing him into the world. They're so in love with him. Watching them hold him and talk to him and take care of him is the sweetest thing.

(The first picture is my brother & the baby, and this picture is me holding him for the first time. I don't have any of of him & his momma yet.... but I'm sure I'll have a billion soon!)

I'm such a dork that I cry every time I look at these two pictures of him. I already love him so much. Holding him for the first time was amazing. I'm so excited to have him as part of my family. We are gonna have SO much fun together.

I love that little wolf.

Happpppy Birthday to Me!

(photos from my birthday breakfast last year)

I am 29 today! And it feels GREAT.

Levi has some fun things planned for me today, so I am off to see the world! Hope you all have a beautiful day and a fantastic weekend!

Getting Dressed: Circle Skirt

I wore this outfit to go out to dinner with Levi at Russo's in Naples. They have really yummy coconut shrimp, so I thought they were worthy of this black circle skirt's maiden voyage.

Top: J.Crew

Skirt: ModCloth

Espadrille flats: J.Crew

In the Neighborhood

These are some shots from around our neighborhood.

(gorgeous, full, garden roses)

(I love this yard. It's situated on a corner, so it comes to a point.)

(I love this house. It's so colorful with all the flowers and plants. It looks like a cheerful place to live.)

P.S. This post has the Sesame Street song, These Are the People in Your Neighborhood, stuck in my head...

My 2011 Birthday Wish List

So, I'm turning 29 on Friday. Yay! I cannot believe that I'm celebrating the last birthday of my twenties this year! Usually, I get a bit stressed over these types of things, but that feels ridiculous this year. My thirties are going to be AMAZING. There's nothing to fear!

I don't have much of a birthday wish list this year. I have felt so blessed this past year, and I've gotten to do quite a bit of shopping over the last few months... so I'm really not chomping at the bit for any special birthday presents. Obviously, there's always something pretty that I've got my eye on, but I just feel really content with my possessions lately (and I'm MUCH more content with my life as a whole right now too). I have plenty of pretty clothes and nice shoes. I get to go to Portland at the end of the month and to San Francisco TWICE before the year is over. So... I'm good.

With that in mind, this is my wish list for my 29th birthday:

1. excellent health

2. opportunity

3. drive

4. success

5. increased intimacy with everyone i love

For myself, my husband, my family, and my friends.

And maybe a nice pair of yoga pants.

Balboa, Bananas, and Bad Moods

Last week, we went to balboa for frozen bananas.

I was in a really crabby mood (which shows in the first picture below), but the combination of chocolate, rainbow sprinkles, sunshine, sparkling water, a walk, and a very brave pelican snapped me out of it by the time we got back in the car. Sometimes I need to just get over myself and look at the world around me. It does wonders.

(half sprinkles, half peanuts)

(This has become one of my favorite photos. It needs a frame for sure.)

(This little girl wanted to go up and touch the pelican soooo bad.)

Here, There, and Everywhere

I made these changes awhile ago, but never pointed them out, so I'll do so now!

If you look in my left sidebar, you can find links to my about page, some of my favorite posts, and some of the blogs I enjoy reading. There are also links to subscribe and to my Twitter page. Click away if it pleases you!

I eventually plan on updating my blog layout to make things more accessible and to give things a bit of a facelift, but, for now, I like it the way it is. :)

Two for One.

I haven't done a getting dressed post in awhile, so here's a two in one!

One.

Two.

Outfit one:

Button-up: J.Crew

Pencil skirt: J.Crew

Red heels: Qupid

Purse: Pilcro & the Letterpress

Sunglasses: A.J. Morgan

Outfit two:

Blouse: Odille

Coral skirt: Daughters of the Liberation

Flats: Target

Purse: Pilcro & the Letterpress

Sunglasses: A.J. Morgan

Coffee, Shopping, and My Stylish Husband

Sunday was spent:

Getting coffee.

Shopping for socks.

(2 pairs of tights, 1 pair of knee-highs, & 1 pair of socks for less than $8.50!)

Posing with my super-stylish husband in the mirror while he tried on clothes that we did not buy.

I'm so glad I married a stylish man.