Happy Birthday Mama

To my beautiful mama on her 60th birthday – you are the most caring, loving person I know.  The first person I want to talk to when I have a problem, because you know just what to say to put everything into perspective.   You are such genuinely good person, a great friend, and such a wonderful partner to dad.  I admire your patience, your optimism, and your ability to see the good in everyone – all qualities I WISH I could have more of!

Practically perfect in every way, you have always been the standard that Elissa and I hold ourselves to (I know… I dangled my participles… twice now).

I am so proud to call you my mom.

To a lovely birthday today, and another wonderful year.

xoxo

Tory Love

Are there any items that you’ve lusted after, and every time you see someone else with it, you get a pang of jealousy?  Well for me it’s the Tory Burch black clutch with gold medallion detail.  I’ve agonized over it in the store more times than I’d like to admit, but I am too practical to spend over $300 on a bag meant for partying.

Imagine my surprise and glee when one of our sales partners invited my team to a private shopping event at Tory Burch’s store downtown.  I think I pretty much died and went to heaven.

Doors closed early at 5:00 last night to host our private party there – flutes of champagne in hand, we browsed the store like royalty.  It was actually pretty surreal to be in there with a sales person dedicated to finding me pieces.    I tried on shoes, blouses, sunglasses, and several darling dresses, but I knew in my heart what I was leaving with…. the black clutch.  The photo above is of part of their handbag display.  Love love loveeeee!

Onto my favorite part… the decor…

Can we talk about how well styled these stores are??  I WISH my house could be this fabulous!  I was too embarrassed to actually ask the staff to take a photo of us, but I did get out my iPhone to snap a few covert pictures of the displays.  I felt like I was walking around inside a pretty jewelry box – it was just fabulous from the graphic diamond rugs, to the vibrant colors, and amazing orchid arrangements.
This display in particular was one of my favorites.  The X leg benches were perfect next to the gilt trim table with it’s super shiny lacquer top.
Anyway, here she is… my new little baby 🙂  Isn’t she amazing??

Off to Drink Wine like a Greek Goddess

This is view from Ravenswood – a winery that is located in Sonoma who makes one of my FAVORITE red wines.  Their winery is also going to be one of the stops on our wine tour tomorrow.  Oh, did I mention we were going wine tasting? If it were an Olympic event, I’d be a gold medalist… not to brag.

Anyway, I am counting the minutes until we are in our car, heading up to the wine country for some weekend relaxation.

Have a happy, sunny, wonderful weekend!

Stunning Diamond Solitaire

In advance, you are welcome for a little ring porn on this glorious Friday!

One of my girlfriends got engaged recently, and her ring is phenomenal.  The band is way too large for my left hand, but it fits like a glove on my right (yes, I totally tried it on… I’m shameless).

On a separate topic, is it normal that my right hand is a vastly different size from my left??

Happy Weekend

This weekend we are headed out into the wilderness with a big group of friends to go camping in Yosemite.  It’s supposed to be hot, so I’m looking forward to swimming in the river, seeing half dome, and sitting out until late around the campfire.

I went with my family when I was young, but years passed before I went up again.  It really is one of the most beautiful, breathtaking places.  I forget how lucky we are to live in California where the beach is a 10 minute drive, the wine country is an hour away, and Yosemite and Tahoe are both easy weekend trips.

Have a wonderful weekend!
xo

Pumpkin Spice Latte

They are back, and it’s on… like Donkey Kong. To me, the return of the Pumpkin Spice Latte signifies the transition from summer to fall, and even though I’m still mentally in summer mode, I’m getting excited for my favorite time of year – fall leaves, Thanksgiving, and the best time of year to live in Northern California…  amen to the full fat pumpkin spice latte I consumed this morning from Starbucks… WITH whipped cream.

I left my heart in Cabo

Our trip to Cabo was an amazing escape for a week, and I am so sad it’s over!

The trip started out stressful after a long week at work.  To preface this, I’ll admit – I am not the worlds greatest packer (on one occasion, I forgot to pack any tops – plenty of skirts, pants, and shorts, but not a single shirt)  Anyways, I ended up rushing out of the office, and realized once I got home that I’d left my packing list on my desk at work.  Dah!
Luckily, I had my swimsuits, and magazines, so I knew I’d be ok….

The next morning, we were up bright and early to catch our flight, and after breezing through security, we had a leisurely breakfast, and I stocked up on a few more essentials for our flight (candy for Kris, and a coffee the size of my head for me).
After 3 hours, a margarita, and two episodes of Dexter later, we arrived in hot and humid Cabo.  All the bags and surf boards arrived without a hitch, and after passing through customs, we rented a car.  Kris strapped his boards to the top, and I supervised in the late afternoon sunshine.  In just 10 minutes in the humidity, my hair curled right up – and for the first time in the history of my hair, humidity actually made it BETTER…
The trip was off to a great start!

The drive to our hotel was really beautiful.  There were tons of cactus everywhere, and the mountains looked really dramatic in the late afternoon sunlight.
The closer we got to the coast, the darker the sky became, which made for a really beautiful sunset… unfortunately there are no pics of the actual sunset…
We got to the hotel around dark, and I was amazed at the size of our villa!  It was bigger than our apartment!!  I decided immediately that we were never leaving.

From the humongous bed, to the deep soaking tub, and the kitchen with wrap around granite counter-tops, I was sold.  I loved all the lanterns with the intricate detailing, and warm glow.
We had a late dinner, and a few margaritas later, fell into bed for one of the best sleeps of my life.

The next morning we woke up to perfectly blue skies, and had breakfast on our balcony overlooking the pool and the ocean beyond.  I’m pretty sure I could do this every day and never get tired of it…
Back at home, we had rented an incredible lens for our DSLR camera – it had a 450 zoom lens, which meant that from the comfort of my lounge chair, I could take really clear photos of Kris as he surfed breaks far out from the beach.  
Another highlight for me??  Our hotel had amazing cabanas on the beach for private massages, and with the crashing waves as the soundtrack, I became convinced that I would never go back home.  I would have to find an internet connection to email my boss that I wanted the contents of my office packed up and shipped off ASAP.  Kris just kept laughing at me, but I had a solid plan in place.

The rest of the vacation was spent doing a lot of this…

Drinking a lot of these…
And eating A LOT of these…
Unfortunately, despite my very convincing arguments that we could become professional margarita tasters in Mexico, Kris and I flew back home, and in a matter of minutes, the sky went from this…

To this… 



Back to the foggy city by the bay… Mark Twain said… “The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco”.  Couldn’t have said it better myself…

Sweetest Book-end

Is this book-end just the cutest thing in the world??  I’d been looking for a pair of white bookends, after recently painting the backs of my bookshelf a dark blue-grey, and today, I stumbled across this on one of Joss & Main’s sales.  Unfortunately, this cutie is sold out (are you surprised?) but I’m not giving up the hunt just yet.
What I love best about the pup is that he’d be such an adorable accent on each side of a short stack of books.
I’d also love a cool owl, or even something more whimsical like a toucan, pineapple, or serpent.  Is it odd that I’ve spent so much time thinking about book-ends?

Wedding Weekend

Such a fun weekend – it’s Tuesday, and it’s still hard to come back to reality…

On Saturday, Kris and I got gussied up for a wedding in Napa – my friends got married at V. Sattui Winery in St. Helena, and I was extra stoked to go, because this place holds a special place in my heart.  Growing up, we’d head to Clear Lake evry summer with our family friends, and Napa was the half-way point where we’d stop for a picnic lunch on the lawns of V. Sattui.  We’d shop the amazing market for cheeses, bread, and assorted charcuterie, and then run around on the lawn while our parents drank wine and did boring adult stuff.

Back then, this place was quiet and charming, but with the popularity of Napa, it has become an absolute zoo on the weekends!  It was amazing to be there when the winery closed to the public.  During the reception, Kris and I snuck out to take a quiet walk around the grounds where my family and I had picnicked for so many summers.

Then:
Yep, I’m the sweet little (bald) baby in my mom’s arms 🙂  The crazy thing is, she isn’t much older here than I am now!  Eeps!

A Few Years Ago:

For my mama’s birthday several years ago…

Now:

Doesn’t Kris look so handsome in his suit??  He cleans up well I tell you…  Please ignore my hair that had begun to frizz at this point.  I was expecting weather in the 80 degree range, but arrived at 5pm to 95 degrees.  It was sweltering during the ceremony where we sat in the sun…  my hair did not survive!

Unfortunately I didn’t get any full length pics of us at the wedding, but snapped this one before we went out the door!  I LOOOOVEEEEE the full skirt, which involved plenty of itchy tulle to give it the perfect pouf.  Next to it, you can see my hair while it was still intact… such high hopes for frizz free waves!!

 

And the happy couple saying “I Do”

And the show stopping florals…

Anyway, the wedding was absolutely beautiful – the bride and groom were both so happy, the food was amazing, and dance floor was fairly epic.

So much fun!!

Cute Custom Notebooks from May Books

       
       
I am by nature a very organized person – so obviously I love the idea of keeping a day planner.  For work, I am constantly juggling schedules for meetings, client dinners, and after work events, so instead of using a very utilitarian desk calendar from Office Depot (NOT CUTE), I’ve discovered May Books – an awesome online retailer who sells customizable notebooks, day planners, calendars, and journals. Obviously tailored toward women, it’s super easy to use, and MUCH more affordable than the ones Kate Spade, Tory Burch, and Jonathan Adler offer.  Double Bonus!!
The site is so easy to navigate – just pick your pattern (they have really cute chevron prints, along with florals, ikat prints, greek key prints, and polka dots!)
After you’ve picked your pattern out, you can customize your notebook with a monogram (obsessed)!  Done and done! 
Not only are they adorable, but the bright colors make work just a little more fun, and it will be easy to find in your purse!!