Happy Birthday!

Little Miss LJ, 

Uncle Mister and I wish you a very happy birthday!  We wish that we could be with you, Mom and Dad, the gramas and grampas, and your friends at your party!  It brings us joy to see what a special little lady you are becoming, so inquisitive, happy, and full of life.  As you grow up, our wishes for you are that you always remember to dream big, remain happy and confident, and that your wishes will come true!  We love you and hope we can visit with you soon! 

XOXO

Happy Daddy's Day

Dear Daddy,
We've had our rough patches, but I am thankful that over the years we have become closer and now have such a strong relationship.  Thank you for being there for me and all of the little, and not so little things that you do.

A special thank you for:

reading me bedtime stories, especially the long ones so I could stay up a little longer 

having tea parties and dinner picnics with me 

tucking me into bed (even though you burrito'd me in so tight I couldn't move)

decorating my bedroom on birthdays with presents, posters, and balloons  

teaching me how to play softball and making me proud to throw like girl 

being a soccer coach to me and my friends

taking a Seattle to San Diego road trip with me to look at colleges

being the laundry master and helping me to remove any and all stains 

washing my car, changing the oil, and on occasion, filling up the gas

cooking Sunday night dinners with me, and teaching me the clambake & meatloaf recipe

walking me down the aisle to marry my Mister

thank you for loving me

I love you too!

Menu & Kitchen Inspiration

This weekend we plan to have a lot of family time.  In our families, family time also means a lot of time  in the kitchen and around the table.  The menu is not quite set but I have a feeling it will include some seafood, some sort of comfort food, and of course, something sweet.  To choose our special Dad's Day menu I think I will turn to Ms. Paula Deen and Neiman Marcus for inspiration.  While I'm flipping through these books looking for my cooking inspiration I thought I'd share a little bit of my future kitchen inspiration.

if anyone can help with the photo credit, please let me know...

Love Gives Life

This weekend we were treated to sunny skies and the wedding of a good friend and her Mister.  The bride and I have known each other since Kindergarten, played soccer together, and even went to colleges just minutes apart; she is an amazing person and we are so happy that she has found someone who loves her and makes her happy.  The wedding was simple yet very beautiful and chic in its own way: it was on the beach, just steps from the ocean, there was handmade signage throughout the wedding, a finger print "family tree" in lieu of a sign in book, all white blooms on handmade table runners, and a shaved ice truck to provide cool refreshments for all the guests.  

it's (almost) TEA time!

The Mister and I haven't begun our wedding invitations just yet (I know, I know! We will be mailing our deposit and begin work this month) but I had some invitation fun working on my Tea Party invites!  I really enjoyed perusing through weddingpaperdivas.com as well as picking the actual invitation design and wording.  

Although the invitations have pink-ish hue, I used a reliable double sided tape to adhere a lavender card stock backing, which I felt complimented the colors nicely; the card stock was also a great way to add weight and substance to the invitation.

All invitations are in the mail.  Time to patiently wait for the responses!  

and . . . decide what to wear! 

Tea Time!

My family is very important to me, and that's why I felt it was so important that I incorporate them in my Thirty Before 30, and what better way to do it than a tea party honoring some of the wonderful women in my family.  My vision for this event includes high tea service at either the Moana Surfrider Hotel or the Kahala Resort, chic invitations, favors, flowers, and of course lots of smiles and laughter.

individual images via Pintrest 

As I begin the official planning I find myself pulling inspiration from the opulence and colors of Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette: pastels, punches of sharp pink, and dashes of bling.  The actual tea party is still a couple months off which leaves me plenty of time take care of the details to dream about those sassy Louboutins! 

A Thankful Thanksgiving

On this Thanksgiving I am reminded of how truly blessed I am and how much I have to be thankful for:  
Preparing for Thanksgiving is altogether rather daunting especially when you are preparing for 4 parties but luckily, last night I was baking til almost midnight, and despite the fact that he had to be up at 4AM the Mister was in the kitchen with me measuring dry ingredients, washing dishes, and just keeping me company.  -I am incredibly thankful to be engaged to a wonderful, thoughtful, and loving guy who always makes me feel loved and appreciated.
Four Thanksgivings on one day is a bit excessive to some people, but I am thankful I had a chance to spend quality time with my parents as well as my (large) extended family and catch up with everyone.  
And although my stomach is stuffed after eating my way through four Thanksgivings, I am so very thankful that today, and all other days of the year I always have (more than enough) food to fill me.  I am also so incredibly thankful for a great bunch of friends who I can depend on and who support me in all that I do, my health which lets me get through each day worry and pain free, and a great education that has given me so many great opportunities.
And, as I am typing this blog, I am sitting on a nice comfy couch and I am reminded that I am very thankful that I have a warm and secure place to call home (and that my computer has spell check).

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Veterans Day!

Veterans Day is an annual US holiday celebrated on November 11, and honors all those service men and women who have served our country.  To celebrate Veterans Day I went up to The National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, better known as "Punchbowl," a national cemetery that honors the men and women of the United States Armed Forces.  

The bottom of this memorial reads"The solemn pride that must be your, to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the alter of Freedom"-quotation from the letter from President Lincoln to Mrs. Bixby.  Also near this memorial is a small chapel, tribute to battles in the Pacific, and walls etched with the names of individuals who were never recovered from battle.  

Punchbowl is a very special place for me; both of my grandfathers, a grandmother, a few uncles, and an aunt are buried there.  As I was growing up my parents always stressed the importance of "family," respect for my elders, and those family members who have passed.  To reinforce these values my mother would take me to Punchbowl on holidays such as Memorial Day, Veterans Day, Christmas, as well as other days in between to take flowers, pay our respect, and sometimes just to reminisce about good times.
PS. A Happy Veterans Day to my Dad.  :)