Dining in L.A. - Day 2

On Day 2, post-mani/pedis on Montana, we drove up to Brentwood to meet Shae's mama for lunch. Having flown down from NorCal for the day, she treated us to B.J.'s before heading back to the airport. Have I ever mentioned that I love Chicago-style pizza. Mmm, thick crust, deep dish pizza - the deeper, the chewier, the cheesier - I love.

I picked a half salad and individual Buffalo chicken pizza. As usual, B.J.'s did not disappoint. I only wish I had saved room for the pizookie (a deep dish cookie).



Is your mouth watering yet? Are you already starting to see how I've gained 6 pounds this month? I think 1 pound came from this pizza alone.

Therefore, we decided to go healthy for dinner. Sort of.

A nice boy on the plane gave me one recommendation. Katsuya in Brentwood for sushi.

I was happy we'd come immediately upon walking through the door. The restaurant was designed by Philippe Starck!



I loved the ambience! The waiter informed us that there were four bars: a drink bar, a hot bar, a grill bar, and . . a sushi bar? I can't remember, but a cool concept.

I made one of my common mistakes by placing a daring drink order. The Burning Mandarin. I am quite particular when it comes to alcoholic beverages, so why a drink with crushed Serrano chili seemed like a good idea is beyond me. Especially when I could take or leave alcohol any day of the week (pretty much). The mandarin vodka, freshly squeezed lemon and orange juices, and a splash of cranberry couldn't mask the "burn". I only drank half, $7 worth - yikes! But we put a big dent in that plate of edamame.



Appetizer? Of course. The crab and mozzarella cheese tempura were amazing dipped in soy sauce.



And I opted for the crispy rice with spicy tuna for my main dish. I can see why it's so popular. I want some right now! Sushi really is best in the West!



{Kinda cool that my first sushi experience was with Shae back in Nebraska. I've slowly come around since then, and now I love it . . whereas she won't eat it raw anymore.}

"Sure, let's see your dessert menu. Ok, yes, I'll have that."



I'm such a sucker for banana and chocolate combinations. This crepe was filled with banana ice cream and topped with chocolate syrup and caramelized bananas. And two cute raspberries. Raspberries are my fruit of the year. I'm so sad they're out of season right now and tasted like dirt the last time I bought some.

All that to say, I went home with a very happy tummy on Friday night. This meal now qualifies for Top 5 Most Expensive Meals I've Ever Spent My Own Money On. Worth it.

Dining in L.A. - Day 1

My recent trip to L.A. involved primarily two things: shopping and eating. And lots of both. LOTS.

It was another food weekend I'll not soon forget, and of course I took pictures of it all. If you don't enjoy food, you probably won't enjoy this post.

I have to say, my friend Shae is quite the trooper. I know she could care less about new food experiences, but with our combined restaurant ideas, we hit some amazing places, and if she didn't enjoy it, she did a good job pretending.

The night I arrived, she took me to drop my bags at the sweet apartment she shares with two roommates . .





. . and then straight to fill my tummy with Mexican food at El Cholo Cafe in Santa Monica.



First things first, "I'll have a strawberry margarita, please".



And after much deliberating, I settled on the blue corn enchiladas. After all, they were the founder's favorite, and the restaurant has been around since 1923!

Marinated Chicken wrapped with Blue Corn Tortillas, Tomatillo Sauce, Sour Cream, and Avocado Garnish. Served with Black Beans and Rice. Si, lo quiero! {There is probably something very romantic about that statement when translated, but I do feel very passionately about food.}



And there were most definitely chips and salsa present.



Great welcome to L.A., no?

V-Day

I got a rose for Valentine's Day!

My roommate and I had a yummy dinner at a newly discovered Greek restaurant (I will be back!) and the Greek waiter was handing out roses to all the ladies.

We also saw "Valentine's Day", which was a cute, entertaining flick, although I don't care to see it again. I recommend "Dear John" over this one, especially if you're in the mood to shed a few tears.

Today was probably the wrong day to start my diet, but seriously, I've got pounds to drop. I made a down payment for the Outer Banks trip this May, and after stepping on the scale at the gym this morning and wiggling into my skinny jeans, I realized there is much work to be done!

I hope you all had a wonderful Day of Love today! (And I hope you have President's Day off tomorrow just like me. Woohoo!)

Another Snowstorm Video

When I logged in to Vimeo this morning, I immediately spotted a fantastic video of our snowstorm. Also set to music by Vampire Weekend, just like my amateur video.

Enjoy!

Washington, DC Snow Storm from Es Video! on Vimeo.

Many More Snow Days

Upon my return to D.C., I was greeted with a massive amount of snow . .



And more snow soon followed . .





We had a full house of friends with air mattresses everywhere and plenty of delicious meals.

My roommate even grilled out as the second blizzard began . .



And I guess not everyone slept inside the house. Katie's boyfriend spent hours on an igloo and yes, he slept all night in it.



It's been over a week now since I've been to work, and I can't believe tomorrow is Friday! I'm glad the snow came on a weekday this time. Sledding is much more fun than working.

Sledding Fun from LP on Vimeo.

L.A.

It stopped raining in L.A.! {It rained from Friday morning to Saturday morning.} I didn't exactly hate the rain, but it's much more fun to play in the sun!

I've eaten . . so much. I had to unbutton the top button of my skinnies. Ugh.

I've also shopped . . too much. Yet not enough, I don't think. Might need to do some more of that tomorrow. :)

Tonight will involve a bottle of wine and hopefully a delicious dessert.

The gym will be hit HARD when I return to D.C. {but I'm secretly wishing the snow would be so bad there that I won't make it out on Monday}.

Ugh, Packing!

I am not a packer. My suitcase now sits empty with various outfits laid out on my bed, as I attempt to determine what I will feel like wearing in the next few days. Who am I to predict the future? I need to be prepared for various scenarios, activities, and temperatures. I'm working with a range of 45-65 degrees, so I need to layer. And I'm going to L.A., so I should look effortlessly chic, right? Well, this certainly doesn't feel effortless. I'm going to begin tossing things in soon, and if I don't have the right outfit once I arrive, I suppose I'll just have to go shopping. ;)

Are you like me? Do you throw random things on while packing? To make sure they fit? Because you haven't worn them in awhile? Just for fun?

This is a typical packing outfit for me . . sweats, sports bra, a favorite scarf, and a top that I'm not exactly sure how to wear. Maybe I should just go in this.

It's getting late, and I need to wrap it up. I've hit a wall, and soon I'll fall asleep sitting here.

Do You Believe in Fate?

I'm flying to L.A. tomorrow, and what did I happen to stumble upon today?



Perfect timing! It must be fate. I was meant to shop this sale.

;)

2009 Movie

One month into 2010, and boy am I easily distracted! It’s true, I didn’t make resolutions this year, but I have wanted to get a move-on toward a few personal goals and on one of them – well, I've gotten a bit sidetracked. So I’m just going to pretend February is the start of the New Year and press on.

I had wanted to do a little recap of my 2009, so I ended up playing with iMovie for the first time in many years . . and voila:

2009 from LP on Vimeo.

2009 was quite the eventful year. Job-wise it was fantastic in some ways and mind-numbingly boring in others. Friend-wise, it was rich. Travel-wise, it was pretty jam-packed.

As you can see in my “movie”, I traveled to many places in a short twelve months:

JANUARY: Portland, Seattle, Colorado Springs/Keystone, Scottsdale/Sedona/Phoenix

FEBRUARY: Portland, Seattle

APRIL: Nashville

MAY: New York City, Outer Banks

JULY: Nebraska

AUGUST: Virginia Beach

SEPTEMBER: Atlanta, Charleston, Blacksburg

OCTOBER: Indiana, Nebraska {And I drove through Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Illinois, and Iowa, too!}

NOVEMBER: Miami, Key West, Cozumel, Williamsburg

DECEMBER Chapel Hill, Detroit, Nebraska

I hope you enjoy the video and "meeting" some of my wonderful friends. It was fun to make, although it was so difficult to pick pictures and when I watch it now, I keep thinking of photos I should've included. But I think 8 minutes is long enough!

(I just have to give a shout-out to K, because she was a wonderful host in Seattle last January and once I published my video, that was the first thing I noticed!-no pictures of us together. I also left out so many great cruise pictures. With thousands of pictures, I guess I was bound to have trouble selecting just a couple hundred.)

My Week

I think I haven’t been posting because I figure you’d only want pictures. I admit that I prefer pictures to plain old writing on blogs. :)

But I don’t have any pictures for you today. I’m actually posting from work (gasp). If I could post from work (and not feel guilty about it) on a regular basis, I would definitely attend to the blog more.

Despite a lack of pictures, I want to write about my week – just to say things like . .

I’m so happy Skype has come into my life, because seeing my niece and nephew, not just hearing them on the phone, was a highlight of my week. My nephew even practiced his reading for me! The word “tax” never sounded so good.

Last night, Grandma watched a bit of the State speech with me over Skype, and it was good to hear her commentary. She lets you know what’s on her mind! I was able to show her my new duvet and lay out my vision for the rest of my room. She offered to use her interior designer skills to help this sham-less girl save money. Why do the shams cost nearly as much as the duvet? – each? I don’t know, but hopefully Grandma can find a great fabric and have some made. I know it won’t cost me as much.

Although I did spend some time at the gym this week, I also made up for it by gorging myself with $2 happy hour greasiness, and subsequently heading home to bake cinnamon-sugar pecan crescent rolls. And I didn’t eat just one. . or two. . or three. Blame it on high-stress levels during the speech, I guess. Just kidding. :)

One week from today, I’ll be on a plane to Los Angeles, managing to break somewhat of a New Year’s resolution within the first month of 2010! I’m trying not to travel as much, but instead stay home and enjoy all the things I can do in this city, while saving some money in the process. My L.A. list is too lengthy for a 3-day trip, but at least I know Shae and I won’t run out of things to do!

Around Here

Lately, I've been . .

Celebrating birthdays

Learning how to make coconut shrimp


And my roomie pairs it with an amazing lime chipotle dip. I couldn't stop eating them!


Hitting balls at the driving range, thanks to their heated stalls.


Watching football and eating Bugsy's yummy deep-dish pizza (oh why didn't I take a pic? You would've drooled.)


Driving through adorable Old Town Alexandria


And enjoying my lovely new duvet and rug (although the rug will be going into temporary storage, as I didn't intend it for this room).


I love green, and couldn't pass up the sale on this casual rug.


I think I'll be back very soon!

MIA

Where have I been?

Here. Just doing life.

Celebrating friends' birthdays. {Four celebrations in the past week!}

Feeling sad about the situation in Haiti.

Thinking about next steps.

Not taking as many pictures.

Baking a few things. I did snap a picture of the peanut butter cupcakes I made. They were topped with peanut butter cream cheese frosting. Yes, only for true peanut butter lovers like myself. {It's one of my food groups, seriously.}



Trying to lose a few pounds I gained over Christmas. Yikes! I guess the cupcakes don't help with that.

I've been doing lots of things that feel more important than blogging right now. I do miss it, and I'm sure I'll be back very soon. I just want to focus on prioritizing this month.

Thrilled About Curtain Rods

Hello there!

There is so much I'd like to share and yet there are so many other things taking priority right now. With fresh excitement for reading God's Word, a resume in need of some serious tweaking, a few hundred calories that need to burned and more, I will have to put off a 2009 recap for a few more days.

But there is one thing I have to share now, because I'm sure you all love a good sale as much as I do.

My bedroom is getting closer to being decorated {in my head, at least}, and tonight I just purchased a fabulous set of rods, finials, and brackets for whatever tunneled curtains I end up purchasing.

I saved over $450 at Williams-Sonoma Home. One might immediately think that in order to save that much, you have to spend a lot, but that is why I'm so excited. It's a MAJOR sale.

So if you're in the market for curtain rods {very exciting, I know}, hurry up and buy some for these amazing prices.

If this doesn't motivate me to finally choose some curtains, nothing will.

Hello There

I am alive.

I am back in Virginia, as of yesterday - after another delay, a missed connection, and a sleepover in Atlanta {in an amazingly comfortable hotel bed, I might add}.

And I am so glad it's already Thursday, because I'm wiped! Hence the short post and lack of pictures.

Please forgive me. I'll be back soon!

My Saturday

I'm still in Nebraska, and I've extended my stay until Monday.

Thank you Delta for doing that for free.

I am beginning to miss Virginia now, especially since the temps here have not risen above 10 degrees this past week.

I just ate the last chocolate scotcheroo, and the family has been playing games all day.

I'm also still in my pajamas, and it's after 4pm.

Christmas 2009

See that outfit? A black blazer with a green blouse underneath (+skinny jeans and black boots)? It was my Christmas Eve outfit. I got to wear it three days in a row!

My fears about not making it home for Christmas . . came true.

I spent Christmas Eve and Christmas in Detroit this year, stuck halfway between D.C. and Omaha . . without my luggage.

But God took care of me.

The Girl was there visiting her family, and they took me in.

I had a lovely time with them, and I flew home to Nebraska the day after Christmas.

My family waited to unwrap gifts, and our celebrations with cousins had even been postponed due to the blizzard.

Today I'm watching movies with my niece (Sophia-4) and nephew (Micah-6). Maybe I can convince them to bake a treat after this?
Hope you had merry Christmases!!

Skins Game

2009 was a bad year to decide to cheer for the Redskins. I've always been a college football-only girl, but living in a city with a professional team, I thought it was high time I got into the NFL. I would cheer for the Washington Redskins, of course.

But it never really happened. It may have been easier if the team was having a good year, but nearly every game has been painful to watch. I'm all about loyalty when it comes to teams, but who begins cheering for someone awful? You have to fall in love with a team first, and losing doesn't win my love.

Nevertheless, I was thrilled to win tickets to one of their biggest games of the season, as they played the Giants on Monday night. Our seats were great, too.



I took my roommate Katie, who also had never seen them play.



It was freezing. They were terrible. But it was still fun.

Especially when I held a pull-up for 36 seconds during half-time and won a Marines lanyard.

Haha.

Storm, Storm, Go Away!

With the impending winter storm in Nebraska, I'm already preparing myself for the possibility of not making it home for Christmas. Just the thought makes me very disappointed and sad, as I think of all the traditions and special moments I'd miss. There is nothing I love more than holidays with my family. Nothing. But I also hate worrying, pouting, and feeling sorry for myself.

I've been praying about it, and I know the Lord can bring good and joy out of any situation.

Plan B is all lined up, and while it doesn't sound even remotely exciting compared to being home with the whole family, I am ready to embrace it if I must.

But I am certainly praying that the storm won't be as bad as predicted, and we can all gather safely at my grandmothers' homes on Christmas Day.

North Carolina Wedding

I didn't hesitate to RSVP 'I will attend' upon receiving Em's wedding invitation in the mail this Fall. My former bedroommate, we had grown close during one year of morning and bedtime routines, sharing the details of our days, laughing, singing, and taking Saturday morning walks to our favorite bagel shop one mile up the hill.

The harder invitation decision was choosing between filet mignon and salmon for my dinner entree.

Although the bride would be my only friend at the wedding, I didn't have to attend alone. She e-introduced me to her fiance's friends, and the 3 of us rode down together, getting to know each other through iPod shuffles and deep conversations.

Despite the icy scare and a couple hours of terrible visibility, we made it to Durham, North Carolina in one piece - more specifically, the Duke University campus where my friend and her new husband met at law school.

The snow hadn't accumulated much, so it was more pretty than it was a nuisance.







We checked into the lovely Washington Duke Inn, whose halls were beautifully decked for Christmas. I wandered through the hotel for awhile, admiring the fabulous trees and decor.

In addition to setting me up with carpool buddies, Em also suggested I share a hotel room with her former college roommate. The situation worked out well, and we laughed as we both remembered Em as a morning person who would cheerily greet us each day with a "GOOD MORNING!" and sleepily bid us goodnight with a sweet "Sleep Well".

We awoke on Saturday to attend an amazing brunch at the hotel, filling our plates with beef tenderloin, ham, eggs benedict and pancakes, as servers offered us mimosas and bloody marys for drinks.

I assumed I would be seated near some of Em's other D.C. friends at the wedding, but she asked that I move my place card to Table 1 and take my seat next to her at the reception. I felt so blessed!

The salad, filet mignon, potatoes, and green beans were delicious, in addition to the ice cream and raspberries that followed soon after and prior to the red velvet cake.

There was dancing to be done on the dance floor, in between acquainting myself with some of the groom's college buddies, and soon the bride and groom were out the door and off to a honeymoon in the Caymans.

I'm thankful I was able to witness the union of my dear friend to the godly man she'd been waiting to meet so patiently.

{Oh and um, gorgeous dress! Maybe my favorite ever!}

Snow Days

{Photo courtesy of a friend.}

Remember how I said my neighbor kids deserved a decent snow?

Well, they certainly got one this weekend. It was the biggest snowfall in the D.C. area since 1909 apparently!



I experienced a scare on the drive down to Durham with friends on Friday in a few moments of sliding down the icy highway with absolutely zero control. Praise the Lord we didn't hit anything!

The North Carolina snow melted almost immediately and only accumulated an inch or so anyway.

But back in Northern Virginia, it was snowing all weekend, with over 16 inches piled up when I returned. My ride couldn't even drive down my street to drop me off! We got terribly stuck even attempting it.



The man in blue up ahead in this picture was carrying my suitcase right to my front door, so I could focus on not slipping in my traction-less cowboy boots!

My snowed-in roommates were waiting inside with pancakes and cheesy eggs. We put on our boots and snowpants and headed outside to shovel and play.







Yet, even after 3 hours of shoveling, the roommates were not convinced they could make it down the street. And one day later, we're still awaiting the snow plow. The poor mailman is stuck on our hill as I write.

Thank goodness for my four-wheel drive! And for government closings!