Big news- I’ve purchased Franks Halloween costume. I wasn’t even thinking about his costume yet but then I saw it hanging on a rack at Petco and I knew it was the one. I was praying it would fit his funny little cinderblock body. Luckily, it fit perfectly. I’m not sure Frank enjoys it but I certainly do….and that’s all that matters, right? He’s smart enough to know that if he complies with my wishes there’s really tasty treats in his future.
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As I mentioned in a previous post I want to get back into kitchen this fall. We fell into a bad habit this summer of eating out or every single night. Seriously…every single night. We had four restaurants in our neighborhood on rotation…Thai, Mexican, Greek & Italian. I knew it had gone too far when the lovely lady who works at the Thai restaurant down the street knew my name and order without any direction- I guess it’s my fault for ordering spicy eggplant with chicken every single time.
Originally I wanted to make a savory fall recipe in the slow cooker this Sunday but the weather in Los Angeles has been SO hot (over it) and it just didn’t seem fitting. I would’ve had to draw all the curtains and blast the AC to make it feel cozy and fall like in our place. So I switched gears and settled on a lighter chicken dish instead- roasted chicken with potatoes, arugula and garlic yogurt.
I forgot how much I love cooking on a lazy Sunday. The light is always so pretty that time of day in our home. We put on music…Brian cracks a cold beer and chats with me as I chop (he’s also kind enough to document the cooking session for my blog- thanks love!)…Frank plays with his toys by my feet.
It’s one of my favorite ways to spend an afternoon.
The dish was an absolute success- such an interesting mix of flavors with the sriracha, cumin & garlic yogurt!
Roasted Chicken with Potatoes, Arugula and Garlic Yogurt.
ingredients-
1 1/2 pounds chicken things and drumsticks
1 1/4 pounds of small Yukon gold potatoes, halved and cut into 1/2 inch slices
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
2 tablespoons of sriracha
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
4 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 leeks, white and green parts only, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1/3 cup of plain yogurt (do not use greek)
1 garlic clove
2 ounces of baby arugula
chopped fresh dill
lemon juice
directions-
My momma’s birthday always feels like the kick-off for the upcoming celebratory season. Her birthday, September 24th falls the day after the first day of fall- my absolute favorite time of year. Even though it’s usually still unbearably hot in Los Angeles on her birthday I am in full fall mode.
Her lovely friends Mary & Francesca hosted a casual dinner for fourteen of us to celebrate her birthday. I am a fan of celebrating my mom because she is hands down one of my favorite people to walk the earth. She’s full of so much joy, love and laughter. She’s the kind of person you want to be stuck in a room with for hours. She’s just fun.
We feasted on a Moroccan chicken dish, roasted veggies, an arugula salad & a fruit salad while sitting outside in the garden. After dinner we moved into the living room to eat dessert (the most delectable bread pudding I have ever tasted) while watching her open gifts.
It was the kind of evening that left me heart feeling full.
Happy Birthday to my beautiful Momma.
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(image found via pinterest)
With 2015 nearing to a close…I know, I know, we still have four full months, but once September hits I can’t help but reflect on how I want the year to wrap up. September – December always seems to fly by and I find myself surprised every year on January 1st- it almost seems impossible that we are there again. The next four months also happen to be my absolute favorite time of year- I find myself most creatively alive during this time. I also love everything to do with the holidays and what they represent- family dinners, our wedding anniversary, carving pumpkins, dressing Frankie up for Halloween, cooking, warmth, bundling up, decorating trees, cuddling & new beginnings.
The last eight months have been an introspective time for me. Rather than exploring the world around me, as I usually do, I have been instead making the journey within. I knew at the start of 2015 that something was off. I had baggage that I still hadn’t worked through and I was dragging it around with me. I couldn’t hide from it anymore. It was time to do the hard work, even if that meant that other things had to be put on the back burner. Something very hard for a person who desires immediate results like me to come to terms with. Instead I had to trust the process. It reminded me of that quote by Zora Neale Hurston – “There are years that ask questions and years that answer.” Thus far this year has most definitely been asking me some questions. Ones that needed answering and ones that positively shifted something in me once I did. I feel empowered and for that I am incredibly grateful.
Life man, such a wild ride sometimes, right?
When reflecting about how I want the next few months to unfold, it was clear to me that I want them to feed my soul, creative mind, relationships, home & belly. I want to soak in every bit of goodness that 2015 has left to offer me. I have a feeling the next four months will bring an entirely different energy than the first eight did and I am ready for that new energy.
Some of the ways I would like to spend the next few months…
Deepening my meditation practice. I know I have only been scratching at the surface and I am feeling a pull towards more. In addition to developing a stronger home practice I want to explore Unplug Meditation, Against The Stream & Shambhala Center.
Reading! There are fifteen (I might be setting myself up for failure on this one) books I would love to read before the end of the year. I’ll share them in a later post.
Cooking- I plan on spending some quality time in the kitchen! Again, there is something about fall and winter that inspire me to want to cook. I love hearty recipes and the feeling of warmth that comes from the kitchen this time of year.
I would love to put a small dinner party together in our home each month to bring our family and friends together. I want to make a point to enjoy the ones that matter most in my life. I also love to entertain.
I want to finish a few work projects that have been on the back burner for many many many months. As I mentioned previously, I put some things on the back burner to focus on me and it’s time to dust them off. They involve getting two book proposals finished and ready to submit in the new year and revamping my personal website which has been in purgatory for the last six months.
Practicing yoga. I want to make my yoga practice more of a priority over the next few months. My love for it has been renewed recently and I would love to keep the love affair going. My body just feels so much more balanced when I am practicing regularly.
I would love to finally find a property for the business Brian and I have been building with a few partners this past year. I can’t wait to share about it in the new year! Granted we find a property and the ball gets moving.
My home life- one of the most important aspects of my life. It has been in an incredibly solid and fulfilling place and I want to continue to watch it grow.
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There are years that ask questions and years that answer,
Years that
fall apart
and years that come together…
There are years that cry and years that laugh,
Years that wonder
And years that strike and clap and thunder.
. . .
Your job isn’t to know — not right now, not quite yet.
Your job is simply
to breathe,
to trust,
to rest
To know that it is all a part of the path —
The mystery and the clarity
The hardship and delight
The darkness and the light alike.
. . .
Dear One,
Haven’t you heard?
“This place where you are right now
God circled on a map for you.”
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-It’s September! I know it’s not officially fall just yet but once the month of September hits I start my transition into my favorite time of year.
– Bringing out my fall wardrobe…Hello!…boots, sweaters, scarfs and leather jackets!
– A date with my girlfriend Ali, her husband David & little boy Charlie who were visiting from New York. I hadn’t met Charlie yet and he is so damn cute! I’ve said it before and I will say it again…seeing your closest friends become mothers is the sweetest.
– Being invited into two book clubs this month. Clearly, I’ve got some reading to do. The books on the line-up…”Everything I Never Told You” & “The Luckiest Girl Alive”
– Our newly painted bedroom accent wall. It’s love
– Planning a trip in November to visit my step father Irv in Kansas City and my girlfriend Chantal and her family in Atlanta. It will be so funny to travel without Brian- I haven’t done it in years!
– The green monkey smoothie…kale, coconut water, almond milk, dates, cinnamon, bananas & coconut meat. OMG
– One of Brian’s projects, Pershing Square Renew, launched on Tuesday. I decided to go to the launch of it which was held downtown at City Hall (I’ve never been there- such a beautiful building). It’s always so fun to see him in action and support his passions. Here’s a write-up about it complete with a quote from Bri!
– Red toes and nude nails
– The way Frank cuddles into my legs in the morning when Brian delivers both him and coffee to bed.
– This note from the Universe I received yesterday…
Start it; you don’t have to be fancy.
Keep moving; you don’t have to go crazy.
Visualize; you don’t have to admit it.
See the end result; it doesn’t have to be material.
Expect miracles; they don’t have to be huge.
Pretend you’ve arrived; you don’t have to dance on tables.
And above all else, Kate, have fun.
This is why you started it, right?
Life, what a trip –
The Universe
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So…what’s been making you guys happy recently??
I’ve been thinking a lot about how much time we spend as human beings wishing we were already at the next step- turning 10, driving, turning 21, graduating, turning 30, more successful, thinner, richer, a home owner, married, a parent, a parent of two, retired etc. The list goes on. We are conditioned to always be wishing we were somewhere else. I am guilty of this. I often find that I forget to take in the step in which I am currently residing. Being present exactly were I am. The step I once longed to obtain that now feels like no big deal. There was a time not too long ago that I longed to be a wife, a home owner, working steadily as a fit model & of course a frenchie owner (!) If you would have told me that I would attain all those things I would have told you that I would be content. But that’s never the case, is it? Now that all those things are mine, I find myself longing to be in the next steps…motherhood, living in a bigger house with a bigger yard, a small business owner, making money full-time as a writer and an owner of two frenchies! Well, I’m kind of kidding about the two frenchies. I don’t think Frank would approve. He’s a one man show.
While I’m sure all those things that I wish for will bring me great joy when and if they happen, I am trying to instead pull great joy from what already is. Being grateful for what my life already looks like and let go of all the things I am hoping to get to next. I want to absorb every single joy, lesson, laugh and moment that my life has to offer me today.
Because it all passes by too quickly.
Just the other day I was reminiscing about our old apartment. Missing it, actually. Granted when we lived in that apartment I couldn’t wait to get out of it. And now look, I miss it. I miss the simplicity of it. Life continues to get bigger and richer and fuller. I’m pretty sure as my life continues to grow, I will look back at this exact time in my life and miss it. When there are children running around our house, I’m sure I will miss the quiet I now take for granted. When we move to that bigger house with a bigger yard one day, I’m sure I will miss the place we live in now. I’ll probably feel overwhelmed with the new lawn. When we open our small business, I’m sure there are going to be days that will be completely overwhelming and I will wish I could go back to the simplicity and freedom of working as a fit model. I’ll long for the days when I tried on clothes for a living. When I finally do publish my first book, I’m sure I will start thinking about what the next one should be.
The cycle never seems to end. When are we ever happy with what is? Without immediately trying to get to the next step?
So today I am trying to remain completely present in what life currently looks like with no attachment to all that is still to come…or not to come…or might come.
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“True happiness is… to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future.”
Lucius Annaeus Seneca
There is an Indian proverb that says “everyone is a house with four rooms, a mental, a physical, an emotional, and a spiritual. It is said that most of us live in one room most of the time but unless we go into every room every day, even if only to keep it aired, we are not complete person.” Interesting thought, don’t you agree? The idea is based on the principle that when our mental, emotional, physical and spiritual selves are in alignment – we can more fully manifest the life we desire. This idea resonates with me. I find that when one of my rooms is out of sorts it affects everything in my life. I feel unbalanced. Off kilter. Anxious. Reactive.
So how does one balance their four rooms?
I pulled some excerpts from the beautiful site The Intentional Workplace that explain how to tend to your four rooms. Again, not my words. Enjoy!
Room one- the mental room
The power of thought is one of the most creative forces in the Universe. Some would say – the most powerful. We don’t usually give a second thought to thinking, but our thoughts are constantly creating our experiences.
The language we use – to think and speak – is the narrative of our inner and outer world . Look around the room you are sitting in now; in the purest sense, everything in it is the product of someone’s thought. Our thoughts are the domain in which we can exercise our greatest control. Not rigid or authoritarian control, but choice. In the moment to moment choices we make, we demonstrate the power of our thought.
The scope of our control over thought continues to be understood through neuroscience. According to a recent study discussed in Nature, researchers stated,“Individuals can rapidly, consciously and voluntarily control neurons deep inside their head.” While it is important not to underestimate the challenge of controlling our thinking (especially where there is history of emotional or physical trauma) the news from science is very encouraging.
We’re entering an era where we understand that our thoughts need not be victims to external influence, but are the epicenter of our own life force and behavioral direction.
Room two- the emotional room
This is the room where our feelings reside. Neuroscience has shown that our feelings do not simply emanate from one part of our brain (the limbic system), so we can imagine that this room is vast. It encompasses our entire body. You have more neural networks for feeling in your stomach and heart than anywhere else in your body.
Some of us ignore this room. It’s like the extra back room, filled with clutter, that seems like just too much work to organize. Others spend way too much time in the emotional room, reacting on auto-pilot to life’s events, rather than using the knowledge of the mental room for balance.
The tools of emotional intelligence can give us a whole new level of freedom in which to explore this room. We tend to think of this room as a messy place filled with anger, anxiety, resentment, impatience and frustration. While there should be a welcome sign on this room’s door for all of our feelings, remember that this is also the room where calmness, confidence, contentment, satisfaction, love, joy, empathy and compassion live. There is room for all.
The way we breathe is an important clue to how we relate to our emotions. Feelings of anger, fear, jealousy, resentment and frustration are all emotions that contracts us physically (and mentally). These feelings pull us in, forcing our breathing to become very shallow, even halting. Yet, when we experience feelings of contentment, calmness, elation and gratitude, we feel a sense of breathing out – of expansion. Even emotions that some might think of as sad, such as empathy and compassion – provide us with a feeling of release.
I have long contended that every emotion has the potential to be a resource in our lives. Feelings are an exquisite source of information about our experience. They do not lie. They are a blueprint of the truth of our experience. They reliably chart whether we are living our values or not. They brilliantly point to how we are meeting our needs or not.
The emotional room is a powerful place to reflect on your truth. Visit it with curiosity (one of the “neutral” emotions) and leave your judgment by the door. You are there to listen, learn and be humbled by your humanness.
Room three- the physical room
Being awake and alive requires many of us to basically shift our relationship to our bodies. Most of us are spending too much time “in our heads,” cut off from our senses and the messages from our bodies. Most of the time, we’re not listening – we’re pushing. Our miraculous bodies often take a beating from us and deserve more TLC.
More rest. Better nutrition. More movement. Better posture. More hydration. Less criticism. Less stress. More self-love. It all counts. The body serves us over and over even when we deny its basics needs. How often do we “thank you?”
The core of our being is our breath or Prana in Sanskrit, Ha in Hawaiian and Chi in Chinese. In order to regain our natural connection to our body’s life force, we need to change our relationship to how we breathe. It is the key that unlocks the door between the mind and the body.
As we race from one task to the other, we rarely given our bodies a thought. Too many of our bodies are anesthetized by busyness. The reclamation of our relationships to our bodies should be one of our highest priorities.
Enter the physical room often. Bring your appreciation. Bring your respect. Celebrate this glorious temple of your life.
Room four- the spiritual room
This room isn’t about doing – it’s about being. It’s doesn’t have to be about religion or ideology. It is the room where your spirit comes alive – where it feels free. It is the room that reflects and shares the immensity of YOU. So many wonderful gifts live in this room – too many untouched.
The gifts in this room don’t have to be marketable, branded, explained, justified or perfect. They simply need the space to go where your intuitive sense takes them.
Living in this room requires that we more closely define what inspires and brings us joy. Whatever the experience – being in nature, working with passion, being with those we love, sharing ideas, caring for those in need, painting a picture, creating a wonderful meal, traveling to places we love – bring us into alignment with the spiritual room.
Whenever we visit this room, we integrate all four rooms in harmony. In this room, we find new sources of creativity, energy and peace. Here we discover what truly feeds us – the source of the real needs behind the endless quest for self-expression.
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Liz, 30 / Hott Sauce
What would your 30 something self tell your 20 something self if you could?
It’s going to turn out even better than you could imagine.
What do you wish you took more seriously in your 20’s?
My finances! I racked up a lot of credit card debt and paid absolutely no attention to things like my 401K, health insurance and savings. And I have no idea where all the money went. I wish I’d made some more responsible long-term financial decisions.
And my writing. I’ve always enjoyed writing but feel like I’m just now beginning to trust and believe that my voice is worth being heard. I sometimes fear I missed my window of opportunity.
But hey! My childhood idol Laura Ingalls Wilder wasn’t published until she was in her sixties so there’s hope for us all!
What do you wish you took less seriously in your 20’s?
Oh lawd. Basically everything else! I have spent (and, I’ll be real, continue to spend) SO MUCH energy stressing over my career, friendships, boys, family, body image, health, the works. If it’s a thing, I’ve panicked over it at least once. I spent most of my 20’s thinking two steps ahead trying to plan for what might come next. I wish I had slowed down and enjoyed every step of the way for what it was.
Favorite memory from your 20’s?
If I had to pick just one, I’d of course pick marrying my husband – snuck that milestone in right under the 3-0 wire just three weeks before my birthday. Nailed it. Brian is the best, full stop. Every day we spend together is the coolest, funnest, grandest adventure, but declaring our vows in front of our nearest and dearest was in its own sphere of amazing.
But really, I think when I look back what I’ll always associate with my 20’s is not one particular memory, but a whole collection of experiences gained living in New York. Working for my terrifying boss and having weird roommates and mice (ew) and drunkenly running around the East Village and never having enough money and figuring out the subway system and being surrounded by so much diversity and culture and general overstimulation. It’s such a singular, wild and intense place and I feel so much of my 20’s decade has been defined against this backdrop. It’s not for everyone but I’m so happy I’ve lived here. I can’t imagine spending these formative years anywhere else.
I do have one image that stands out, I was riding the D train from my job in Manhattan to my apartment in Brooklyn, just a few weeks after moving into the city which means I was 22 or just freshly 23. This train line goes across a bridge over the East River. As we came up from the tunnel it was that perfect time of day, the golden hour, and the sun was low and shimmery on the water, slipping down behind the tall buildings of lower Manhattan and I just sort of drank it all in, the bridges and the river, Brooklyn ahead of me and the famous New York City skyline behind me and it sounds a little cheesy but in that moment I realized this was my life! I was where I wanted to be and I was so happy.
It sounds so cheesy but sometimes I’ll get a moment like that again, I’ll be zipping along in a taxi or rushing to meet a friend somewhere and catch a glimpse of some building or person or smell from a food cart and suddenly be overwhelmed with gratitude and think “This is your life! Your whole, real life. Remember this!!”
In your early 20’s where did you think you would be (work, live etc) by 30?
I thought I’d be in PR or an event planner, living in New York City in an apartment with a lot of chic exposed brick.
And where were you by 30? What did your life look like?
Living in New York City (check!) working as a publicist for a major national publishing house (this marries PR and events with my other true love, books, so check anddd check), in an apartment with several weird chandeliers but sadly no exposed brick. No washer/dryer, AC or dishwasher, either. Why do I love this city so much again?
I feel like I ought to be paying Kate big bucks for therapy (Kate, do you take Blue Cross Blue Shield?!) because it took me sitting down to answer this blog Q&A to force me to pause, look around and realize…I’m kind of right where I always wanted to be.
Life is not perfect, by any stretch of the imagination. There are many experiences I’ve had I wish I could erase or things I’m going through now I wish I could change but overall, I’m like, MAKING IT HAPPEN. And so many things, as I said above, are even better than I could have imagined. I’m married to the most amazing guy and I have great friends and I’m well-respected at my job. I run and cook and have finally figured out how to style my hair (Another thing I’d tell my 20-year-old self: put down the box dye, girl.) and I have this brand new sweet baby niece and feel like I’m closer to my family than ever.
So why am I always think I’m never quite enough?
Hence owing Kate those big bucks. Guys, I am right now having an epiphany. Live on national, um, internet. So if you had to ask me what I would tell my 30-year, 10ish-month-old self it would be stop being so hard on yourself, you’re doing great.
(Fellow worry-warts and self-critics reading this, pause right now, sit down and take stock. I bet you’re doing a lot better than you think you are! I think you’re great.)
Were you ever worried that it wouldn’t all fall into place?
Um, literally all the time. See everything else I’ve already said. Worrying is my #1 hobby.
What is the greatest gift about being a woman in your 30’s?
An overall confidence and sense of self. No longer feeling the need to listen to “cool” bands because some dude likes them or stay out late drinking because I don’t want to feel left out or pretend to have read all the smartest literature or follow fashion trends. Like, crop tops? Hell no.
I have a better sense of what I like, what I want and who I am. And I think I have a better sense of who and what matters. I don’t want to say I care less what people think about me at 30 than I did at 20 because I do still care how I am perceived, but now I’m getting a little bit better at identifying, you know “is this person’s opinion of value? Will it help me to become a better person or truer version of myself?” and if yes, I’ll try to listen and learn. And if no, well, fuck ’em.
Ok, I’m not always the best at that last one but I think the 30’s are all about learning how to let the unimportant stuff slide.
When you look out onto the horizon. What do you hope your life looks like at 40?
You know what, I’m not even going to think about where I might be at 40. As previously revealed I have a bit of, um, a habit (slash problem) of worrying how things will turn out and then freaking out when they don’t go according to my plan. In the past I always knew the broad strokes, at least, of how I wanted my life to look: first college than a year abroad then NYC. Through work or luck or who knows what it has, so far, more or less fallen into place. And I am full of gratitude for all of the good and bad and medium things that have brought me to where I am today.
But I find myself for the first time unsure of exactly what I want my future to look like. I know I hope to have children and take exciting trips and continue to challenge myself creatively, physically and intellectually and still be head over heels for my fella 10, 20, a million years into the future. But there are so many questions without easy answers and factors out of my control. When do we have children? How many? What if I can’t get pregnant or end up with quintuplets? Will I stay in publishing or look to start a new career? Will we live in the city or move to (shudder) the suburbs? How will we afford all the things we hope to see and do and experience?
And on and on.
I’m making a conscious effort to S-L-O-W D-O-W-N and stop trying to plan the future. I want to really be present in the now and take and embrace every new challenge and opportunity as they arise. I’m learning — yes, at an oh so glacial pace, but I AM learning — to live with uncertainty.
So I’ll just say that wherever I land at 40, whatever it looks like, I just hope I’m happy and healthy and at peace with all I’ve done and all that’s yet to come.
Also I would not be mad if this place of zenlike self-realization happened to come with an in-unit washer and dryer. I feel like that’s not too much to ask?
What’s a quote/ saying you try to live your life by?
“Shake it off.” – Taylor Swift
(I wish that was a joke, ha!)
connect with Liz
(image found via pinterest)
things that made me happy this weekend…
The Girl On The Train. I literally did not put it down all weekend. I even woke up at 3am on Sunday morning and found myself strapping on a camping headlamp to continue reading it quietly in the dark as Brian slept next to me. To say I was obsessed is an understatement.
Dinner at Lukshon with my in-laws to celebrate my birthday. Hands down the best meal I have had in ages. Every dish was filled with such an intoxicating mix of flavors. I’m still dreaming about the lobster roll “banh mi”
That Frank didn’t drown in a koi pond this weekend. We were visiting our old neighbor at his new pad and enjoying some time in his garden when I heard a loud splash. It sounded like a bowling ball had rolled into the water. I immediately knew it was Frankie. I ran over to the pond just in time to see Frank pop up from under the water with his eyes as big as saucers. Poor little guy looked terrified. Luckily Brian was nearby and quickly yanked him out. PHEW. I’m not sure Frank will ever explore bodies of water again.
Masters Of Sex. Such a smart & sexy show.
A Sunday night pasta dinner made with love by my husband. He was so excited to use the cherry tomatoes from his garden in a recipe.
A cheerful bouquet of orange tulips my girlfriend Taline sent me for my birthday.
Long summer days & sunsets at 8pm
The project 30 Q&A that I will be posting tomorrow. It’s such a great read
Allowing myself to take it slow
This incredibly inspiring TED talk by our friend Adi Jaffe. It’s a very interesting fifteen minutes if you have the time! FUCK SHAME!
July 4th weekend did not disappoint this year. I spent most of it at the beach and eating tasty food- both favorite pastimes of mine. I started the weekend off right by taking Frankie for a three-mile walk Friday morning. We start every day with a long walk actually- it’s our thing. I’ve become rather attached to the routine of it. It throws my whole day off if I can’t make it work for some reason! We explore different streets, houses and alleys each day. Frank is a pup who appreciates a new tree to pee on and I am more than happy to comply. After our walk I met a girlfriend for a juice date at Kreation. I opted not to get a healthy green juice and instead ordered a chailicious smoothie. It was to die for- like sipping dessert through a straw. Then I met my mom and my brother for lunch at Back On The Beach to celebrate my birthday a few days early with them. The food isn’t mind-blowing but the restaurant overlooks the ocean and your table is literally on the sand so it makes up for it. After lunch my mom and I headed down to the water for a few hours (we couldn’t convince Nik to join us though). It was a cloudy afternoon so instead of sunbathing and swimming like we had planned we spent most of the time lying on a blanket fully clothed chatting. When I got home Brian made us dinner on the grill- cilantro lime chicken, zucchini and sweet potatoes.
back on the beach
Nik looking dapper in my moms hat and my sunglasses
we worked hard to get this selfie
I know I’m biased but he’s the cutest griller I ever did see
On Saturday, after sleeping in and drinking copious amounts of coffee in bed, we packed up the car and headed to the beach to meet some friends. It was packed with happy people as far as the eye could see celebrating the holiday. Luckily, the sun was actually out this time and I proceeded to spend the next few hours working on my tan, reading magazines and swimming in the sea. I haven’t swam in the ocean since we were in Bali for our honeymoon over a year ago. I almost forgot how invigorating the salty water can be. After the beach we debated going to a party with our friends but decided a quiet night at home was more our speed. We are getting old, huh?!? So we (Brian) grilled yet again and had a picnic on our coffee table so we could watch a movie (we watched The Judge – meh) while eating dinner. Around 9pm (with ten minutes left to spare in the movie of course) the loud pops began so we grabbed Frank (who was totally freaked out by the commotion) and headed up to the roof to take in the firework show across the city.
clearly, not impressed with July 4th
July 4th at Santa Monica beach
lunch at the beach
our picnic dinner
On Sunday we spent most of the day doing things around the house. There is nothing that brings me more joy than organizing my home. I know…I really am getting old. In the evening we hosted my Dad and Pamela for dinner to celebrate Pamela’s birthday. That’s another thing that brings me great joy…hosting dinner parties. Especially to celebrate ones I love. Brian and I made salmon, corn on the cob (with cilantro lime butter- with a pinch of lemon zest) and potato salad. I also baked a vanilla cake with fresh strawberries on top for dessert.
chubby paws
very busy at work making potato salad
ever hopeful that something might drop…
Happy Birthday Pamela!! (please excuse the weird face I am making)
mi familia
love
the end.
“Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life.”
Omar Khayyam
365til30.com 