My husband is the bestest

Why? Well, lots of reasons, but there is one in particular that has shot him to the top of my cool peeps list this morning.

It takes an act of God and/or luck to actually get a reservation at a certain restaurant in Napa, even in this economy. I had my heart set on going there for my big 3-0, but I was only able to get on the wait list and Jim never got through via the phone, period. The concierge at the hotel where we're staying hasn't had any luck, either.

Instead, Jim randomly went on Open Table and after several failed attempts, they finally showed a 9pm reservation for the night of my birthday. So, where will we be dining in 2 months?

Here:

I'm so damn excited I could just squeal.


Oh wait, kind of already doing that!!!!

Baby Shower!

This post is super late, but the pictures are too bright and pretty not to post.

Towards the end of April, I hosted a baby shower for Jim's cousin. Other family members had offered to help, but I was hell bent on getting it done by myself. One of his other cousins laughed when I told her this - she said she is the exact same way and not to let everyone's offers to help derail me. Man, I love his family!

Actually getting everything done took a full 2.5 days of working non-stop. The majority of the prep was spent on food stuff. Not the best pictures, but this is what the kitchen looks like during the middle of a food storm.

By the time the morning of the shower rolled around, things were finally looking pretty and clean. We cleared out and rearranged our livingroom so we could bring in tables and chairs for a full sit-down lunch. I think it turned out really well. Looking back though, I think we could easily accomodate even more people next time and since our house is so white and neutral, I could definitely go with colored linens to really liven up.

After all the work in the kitchen, the food turned out great! One of his aunts thought I had bought everything already made and she was speechless when she found out that everything (dressings included) was made from scratch, with the exception of the bread. The only thing I didn't get a chance to photograph was dessert - it was just too hectic changing from lunch to dessert set-up. The options included mini cheesecakes, carrot cake cupcakes with ginger-orange cream cheese frosting and white cupcakes with strawberry buttercream frosting.

The food didn't stop at dessert. Those cookies cooling on the racks above? They are mini two-bite cookies that I put into takeout boxes for the favors. I think they might be my favorite thing of the whole set-up. :)

Overall, the shower went really well. Everything turned out as I envisioned it and his cousin and the rest of the guests seemed to have a really good time. While it was a ton of work, I was so happy with the finished product. :)

The best laid plans

can so quickly go awry. I had all sorts of plans for this weekend. Things are finally getting back to normal at the office, but it's taken me a couple of weeks to get things back on track at home. But, my dvr is finally cleaned out, I'm slowly catching up on blogs and I'm making plans to see friends that I've neglected over the past month or so. So this weekend, I was going to finish catching up with home stuff. Yeah, not so much. :/

I should backtrack for a minute. I'm turing the big 3-0 this summer. With the moving and my dad passing away, I really let the whole healthy eating/working out fall by the wayside, but have decided to really make an effort for the next couple of months so I can look and feel great on the big birthday. I've finally gotten back into a good rhythm at the gym and am LOVING the group classes I've been taking. Both the instructors and the other members are awesome - so much so that it's become part of my daily socializing. :)

Yesterday, I was in step class and managed to accidently step onto the step behind me and rolled my ankle. One minute I was standing, the next I was sitting on the floor. Oops. I tried to pull a mind over matter that it wasn't that big of a deal and finished that class as well as another weights class right afterwards. Felt fine til after I showered. I ran a couple of necessary errands and by the time I got home, I could barely put weight on it and was almost in tears. Yeah, I think it's sprained. :/

I'm so so so pissed! I've been icing it and sucking down Advil like it's candy since yesterday afternoon and it's still swollen and really painful to walk on. I'm toying with the idea of scheduling an appointment with my doctor for some time this week. It's just really crappy timing and I'm already mouring not being able to hit the gym this week. Blah!

As for those plans to do a bunch of stuff around the house? Um, I'm laying on the couch with my leg elevated, playing on the computer. Not the worst way to spend a Sunday, but also not what I was hoping for.

Knee deep in pig ish

I'm buried at work. Just buried. We're all a little punch drunk and starting to find humor in the oddest things. I may get Sunday off. Maybe? Who knows. At this point, everything since last Tuesday is all blurred together. Thank god for vanilla lattes from Starbucks and catchy, crappy pop songs on the way in to work - they're the only way I'm making to the office somewhat sane these days. There is a ton of fun stuff that I want to post, but the [pig]shit hit the fan (or should it be snot?), so it must wait. On that note, I need to go grab a few hours sleep before the alarm goes off well before even the birdies are awake. I leave you with this:

For a guaranteed celebrity sighting in Los Angeles

head to a Lakers game. Sit in the 100s or 200s section and bring your binoculars. It's really that simple.

Since we've been splitting season tickets, we have seen a multitude of celebrities from various areas of entertainment. Will Ferrell, David Beckham, Nick Lachey, Andy Garcia, Gwen Stefani, Kayne West, The Game, Toby Maguire, and the list goes on and on. And Jack Nickelson is a fixture at games as much as Kobe Bryant, Phil Jackson or the crazy guy from Westside Rentals who annoys everyone with his ridiculous timeout dancing.

Living in LA for over 10 years and seeing celebrities both at games and out and about is fun and kind of exciting, but not something that necessarily casuses me to swoon. Tuesday night, on the other hand, was a completely different story.

Case in Point #1:

Jim and I typically get to the games early and eat dinner at the bar tables situated next to the VIP entrance. It's like dinner and a show! We participate in heavy people-watching and play a game known as "Daughter or Date" - basically, is that hot young chick with that old dude his daughter or his date. Sadly, in LA, it's often times a date. :/

Anywho, we're enjoying dinner when Jim says "Oh, I got a good one coming up." All I can see is an older, bald guy with glasses and the back of a girl's head.

Me: Hmmmm, I really hope she is with a business associate, but her attire sure isn't work appropriate.
Jim: Yeah, I'm saying date.
[They walk forward and she finally turns around]
Me: Wow, she is beautiful.
[They continue towards us, grabbing the programs from the guys right below us]
Jim: Yeah, she is really pretty.
[The girl smiles from ear to ear]
[pause]
Jim: Wait a minute, I think that's...
Me: MICHELLE KWAN!!!

I don't think I've stated here before, but I have a HUGE girl crush on Michelle Kwan. HUGE. I almost fell off my chair from excitement and then started kicking myself that I was sans camera. Because literally, we were maybe 15 feet away from her. We also realized that television does not do her justice. While I've always thought she was pretty, she is really stunning in person. And her outfit? FIERCE. Black silk romper, gold 4" heels, high sleek ponytail and dark smoky makeup. Oh, and to set the record straight, it was obviously a business associate that was accompanying her to the event. Phew!

I really wanted to go down and ask to be her bff for the night, but Jim thought they might kick me out for being a stalker. What a party pooper!

Case in Point #2:

Late in the 4th quarter, during a timeout break, they do "Kiss Me" for entertainment. This consists of putting two people on the Jumbotron and expecting them to kiss. It elicits a lot of aaaahs and laughs from the crowd and eats up a large TV timeout. Everything was pretty normal until they got to the last two couples. First up, Dustin Hoffman. Aaaah, so cute when he attacked his wife with his lips. ;) And then they panned to the last couple. My first thought is "Wait a minute, that looks like Jessica Biel."

You know where this is going, right?

Oh yeah, JUSTIN EFFING TIMBERLAKE was sitting courtside directly below our section. OMG! He was a total ham and the crowd lapped it up. Do you think I could watch the rest of the game in peace. Um, no. I kept cutting my eyes to him every few seconds and watching his interactions with Jessica (which were quite sweet, really).

For me, these are easily two of the best celebrity sightings I've had at the game. Okay, Kayne is a close third, but still.

So, the moral of the story? If you have out of town guests or if you're ever visiting LA for the first time and want to ensure a celebrity sighting, get thyself to a Lakers game stat!

Baby Baby Baby

Nope, not for me. Just for everyone else. Ya'll can stop hypervenilating now. ;)

For the past couple of weeks I have been knee-deep in all things baby; shopping for baby gifts, making cards and invites, planning a shower.... It's all fun stuff, but it's kept me busy! By now, all of the soon to be moms that actually read the blog should have seen this stuff in person, hence the delay in the post.

Kelcat* and I were bridesmaids in each others wedding 3 1/2 years ago and now she is expecting a little girl this spring! Cannot believe how time flies!! Her high school friends threw her a very cute, pink and brown themed baby shower last month. Kelcat looks great, happy and health - pregnancy really agrees with her. She got a ton of good stuff so the little peanut is going to be well taken care of. I stuck with the shower colors and made a card to go with the gift.

While I was at it, I also made a card for Leslie. I love that I've been able to follow her pregnancy - the highs, the lows and everything inbetween - through her blog. Very cool.

Sunday found me at another baby shower for Lilcee. Another soon-to-be mommy who looks adorable! Being a lame-o, I didn't take a single pic, but Wan has some cute ones here.

Lastly, I'm prepping for the first formal shower I'm hosting at our house. Eeeee! Really, it's pathetic how excited I am about it, but oh well. Jim's cousin's wife is pregnant with a little girl due in May. I really like her and her husband and put in my request to host the family shower back in December, and shockingly, the aunts all agreed to it! With a large family like my husband's, it's typically the aunts that share in hosting duties, so it's nice to be given a chance to host a formal family event. One of the biggest things I was looking forward to after buying the house was to be able to entertain more, especially family stuff and this fits in perfectly.

The shower is in 3 weeks so the color scheme, invites and menu are all set.

I have lists for my lists on what I still need to do and when, but I'm feeling good about it. Okay, so maybe I had one awful dream where everyone showed up to a dirty house with no food or beverage options, but other than that, I'm totally calm about everything. :P I still have some rentals to take care of and several Joanns/Michaels/Ikea/Costco runs to make, but all in all, I think it's good.

The last baby event for the spring should be Tre's shower. She is due in July with their first baby - they want to be surprised, so they're waiting to find out the gender. I couldn't help picking up a ridiculously cute outfit for them during this basketball season.

Adorable, right? They are part of our group that shares Lakers season tickets, so I thought it quite appropriate. I figure, if it winds up being a girl, I'll send over a big, obnoxious, purple and gold bow headband and call it a day. ;)


* This is a new nickname that I'm trying out for her. Not sure if it's gonna stick though. Kelcat, any other ideas of what you'd like to be called here?

Frolicking in Vegas

**This is going to be a marathon post because I don't feel like breaking it up. There are pictures though!**

As I've mentioned before, something happens to Jim shortly after the holidays. He starts to crave a Vegas trip like a fat kid craves cake and for the past couple of years we've wound up taking a mini-vacation to Sin City shortly after the end of the holiday season. Not that I'm complaining, but it's still funny how predictable he is.

Our plan was to drive out to Vegas on President's day and stay through the rest of the week. But, just to make things interesting, Mother Nature decided it was a fabulous time to rock Los Angeles with one of the biggest storms of the season the morning we were to leave. Fun. :|

MONDAY
When we pulled out around 9am, it was pouring and even though the freeway was fairly open, it was still a bit harrowing driving through the downpour. Oh, but we would soon realize the downpour would be the least of our worries. When we got to the I-15 split, the freeway was closed indefinitely. F! To regroup, we pulled off the freeway, found a restroom at the local Denny's and then got back on the I-215, in hopes we'd figure out what we were going to do. As I'm on my iphone searching for possible flights out to Vegas that afternoon, Jim is studying the GPS map and sees a road that parallels the 15 for a ways up the mountain. Next thing I know we're off the freeway, on some backwater road, slowly leaving the train of cars waiting for the 15 to open far behind.

As soon as we pull off the freeway, the fog becomes fairly intense. Jim keeps going though. We pass 2 different entrances to the 15, both of which are blocked by a cop car. Still, we keep going. As does the fog and drizzle of rain. We finally hit the end of our little detour and it dead-ends.... but the freeway entrance right next to it is open. Jim sees a car pull on and like lemmings, we follow suit.

DUMBEST. IDEA. EVER.

No sooner had we gotten on the 15 than we're hit with what is basically a white out. Like, you can't see more than 5 feet in front of you. You could have heard a pin drop in our car, save for Jim asking every few minutes "So, do you think this is safe?" Um, if you have to ask, I'm gonna go with probably not. Needless to say, the next 30 minutes were beyond frightening. Especially when we realized the road was covered in ice and saw a camaro on the side of the road trying to get out of a ditch, but the wheels couldn't find purchase to pull the car up and over. Double F! We finally hit the summit, which was completely snowed in and as soon as we started down the mountain, it was clear as a bell. Blue skies, a slight drizzle and not a bit of fog. And hardly any cars because most people weren't as idiotic as we were. Ugh. After that little adventure, I was quite glad Vegas was our final destination because I really needed a drink. Or twelve.

I was far too freaked out to take pictures during the drive over the mountain, but this is what it looked like on the other side of the summit. Totally nuts!

The rest of the trip was easy peasy. So easy in fact, we had ample time to stop at the outlets at Primm - I got soup bowls and cleaning supplies at William-Sonoma while Jim found a whole new work wardrobe at Banana Republic, hmph! - and still make it to Vegas by the late afternoon.

We were staying at The Venetian this trip because, well, here's another funny story. Jim and I really aren't big gamblers. Jim plays a bit of video poker, while I like the penny slots because $20 lasts a long time. For some reason though, on our last trip, I seemed to find the machines that paid out little wins consistently throughout the time I was on the machine. We're talking $2 here, $5 there. Nothing major, but I played the whole time we were there, used the player's card, Club Grazie, associated with The Venetian/Palazzo and only lost maybe $40. Skip to January 2009. I get a card in the mail from Club Grazie that invites me back to their hotel during the Friends and Family Value Days. After calling and finding out what this was, the short version is that we had our 4 night stay at The Venetian comped! Like, a free room people - and a nice one at that!! Jim and I were shocked as were Vino and Spurs when we told them at dinner during the trip. I was then dubbed "The Shark" for the rest of the trip. Yeah, I still shocked. Like Jim said, Vegas has to be hurting if they're comping rooms for folks that play the penny slots. :/

The first night for dinner we wanted to go casual, so we hit up Le Burger Brassiere at Paris. Neither of us had eaten there before, but we were really happy with it. The place would be great for a group of guys on a bachelor party as it's burger joint and sports bar all rolled into one. We started with chicken wings and potato skins as appetizers and cocktails. The chicken wings were absolutely delicious! But, as you can see, we liked them both quite a bit.

For our main course, we decided to split their "777" burger, minus the Dom Perignon. ;) Kobe beef burger, topped with Maine lobster tail, 100 year aged balsamic vinegar, melted brie and crispy prosciutto. OMG. Jim just thought it was okay, but I LOVED it! Ridiculously decadent, but so damn yummy. Oh, and we also had a side of fries, which were tasty, but the burger was the real star.

After dinner, we headed back Palazzo and had tequila flights at Dos Caminos. Too dark to take pictures, but just know the tequila made a real fun night for me. Wheeee!

TUESDAY
We woke up at a fairly decent hour and rolled downstairs to grab pastries and coffee from Bouchon Bakery, which was literally feet away from our elevator. Score!

From there we took a cab to the Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay. We'd been a few years ago and it's surprisingly fun for being such a small aquarium. The animals they have are quite cool and not things you see at a lot of other animal exhibits.

Albino Crocodile

Komodo Dragon

Spotted Rays

Lion Fish

Sting Rays

Jellyfish

Octopus! This guy was moving all over the place! The picture isn't great, but seeing it in person was the highlight of the aquarium.

There were also a bunch of sharks which were huge and scary and very cool. I was too busy looking at them though to remember to take any pics. Oops.

We spent the rest of the afternoon walking back along the strip to our hotel, stopping here and there to shop, snack or just frolick.

That night we met up with Vino and Spurs for dinner at Le Cirque at The Bellagio. I was so happy they were able to meet us out on a weeknight for a fun dinner. They are both foodies, like Jim and I have become and are always game for a fancy dinner with decadent food, copious amounts of alcohol and great conversation. The night definitely did not disappoint. We all opted to have the 3 course menu after the boys debated doing the tasting menu. Jim started with the hamachi, Spurs and I had the fruits de la mer, and Vino had the scallops and langoustine with a cute monkey on the plate. ;) The seafood platter was fab-u-lous. Ugh. I could have that every night and never tire of it.

For the entree, Jim, Vino and I all opted for the potato-crusted halibut that the restaurant is known for. Spurs branched out and had a trio of rabbit. Two thumbs up all around.

Dessert encountered a bit of a bobble. Spurs had a chocolate ball thinga-majiggy, I had their take on a "raspberry milkshake" and Jim and Vino both opted for creme brulee. Except that Jim's never appeared. Um.... Instead of sending for it again, he just dug into the petite four tray. hehehe.

Aside from the dessert snafu, the meal was excellent. The service was immpecable, from our waiter who was on top of the food allergies at our table, to the sommelier who recommended a wonderful wine that fit the bill, both money and taste-wise. Vino and I even left with a small box filled with truffles - so cute! I'd go back in a heartbeat and would highly recommend it if you're looking for fancy dinner while in Vegas.

After dinner, Vino and Spurs were great sports and accompanied us to a lounge, where us girls had more champagne and the boys ended the evening with vokda and cigars. Sadly, we had to say goodbye to them after drinks as Vino had to be up at 6am the next day for work. How she rallied like she did is majorly impressive. We had such a fun night and are so happy they were able to come out and party with us while we were in town. Love you guys!

Jim and I headed back to our hotel and instead of heading to bed, we opted for more drinks at Tao. While the drinks were yummy, I was really underwhelmed with Tao as a club. Meh.

WEDNESDAY
Woke up again without a hangover. Always a surprise and a relief when you're in Vegas. ;) Had a yummy late breakfast at Grand Luxe Cafe and then we were off to Ceasar's Palace for spa appointments at Qua Spa. Jim and I love this place. It was particularly less crowded this trip so it was even more relaxing than usual. I was even able to snap a couple of pictures in the roman bath area as I was the only one in there for a long time.

I tried a deep tissue massage for the first time and it was much better for me than the swedish massage. I have so many knots in my shoulders and back that the relaxation massage doesn't do much for me. All in all, another great afternoon at Qua.

For dinner, we tried yet another new restaurant, B&B Ristorante by Batali and Bastianich. We opted for the tasting menu because it looked interesting and that was absolutely the right decision. Here is what I've learned about tasting menus. The few we've had have been outstanding. But, tasting menus with the wine pairings? Well, see that is just drunken fun that is hard to beat! You stand up from a delicious meal at the end and you can barely see straight. Wheee! This particular tasting menu was really delicious. Not a clunker in the entire set of 7 courses. Although the real standout was the meat ravioli "en crudo" or "swimming in beef broth so flavorful it makes you want to weep." I asked Jim if he thought they'd offer to put the broth in a sippy cup and let us take it with us it was that good. Even if you don't do the tasting menu, ask if you can get this dish. It's just ridiculous, in a very good way. I wish I had pictures of this meal, but the restaurant was super dark and I didn't feel like using the flash. :( And really, by the 4th dish it likely would have all been a blurry messy anyways, so you're probably not missing much. Heh.

Once we finished the drunken dinner we grabbed a few drinks at Lavo, the club at Palazzo and then I was able to finangle us free entry into the club part upstairs. Score! We danced, we drank some more and generally had a very merry evening. The DJ at Lavo kicked Tao's DJ's ass. And the drinks were better. Strange, seeing as how they're from the same group, but true. Great way to end the evening!

THURSDAY
So, this is the part of the trip that I blame the alcohol for toying with my brain and not taking pictures. Not a single picture from this day. I'm lame.

We did brunch at Grand Luxe CAfe because it was close and we were lazy. Heh. The buffalo chicken sandwich though was surprisingly really tasty. Like, I'd go back just for that, tasty. Who knew?

For the afternoon, we opted to spend time enjoying the spa facilities at Canyon Ranch Spa at the Venetian. It is a huge facility with tons of amenities. No pictures as it was quite crowded. I particularly enjoyed the round bed-like loungers in the relaxation room, the herbal laconium (kind of like an herbal dry sauna) and the heated loungers. Overall though, I'd say I'm a bigger fan of Qua, but I wouldn't turn down a day at either. ;)

That evening we had tickets to Cirque de Soleil O, which was incredible! Most of the acts are things that we've seen before - think contortionists, divers, the russian swing - but, they're executed in a way that feels fresh and different. Really, it's an amazing show.

Carnevino was our last stop for dinner. We were both so excited for this meal as we've loved this restaurant the last two times we've been there. I'm so sad to say that they missed the mark this time. :( Our appetizer - pesto farfalle with shrimp - was quite good, but the steak and sides were just average. I was so disappointed. We recommend this place to everyone we talk to, so I'm hoping they were just having an off day. It was not the way we wanted to end our Vegas trip, to say the least.

We spent the rest of the night nursing more cocktails at Lavo again and dancing til we were ready to collapse into bed. Cocktails really do make everything better.

FRIDAY
Time to head back to reality. Boooo!

All in all, it was another kick ass Vegas trip. And yes, we're already toying with the idea of possibly returning in the fall. Heh. What can we say, we love it so.