Summertime!

For Liz's birthday we hijacked a catamaran dubbed the Double Dolphin for a gorgeous sunset cruise. The evening weather was perfect and the Modelo was flowing from the make-shift bar on the lower level, tended by a 17 year old. I totally recommend this activity for anyone visiting Santa Barbara - it was 2 hours of stunning views, with a bar, and the freedom to move around the boat freely. Plus there were tons of dolphin and seal sightings - and depending on the company you take, you just might get to hear imitation seal sounds!

 

Billy and I took advantage of a great LivingSocial deal for 2 nights in Cambria on California's central coast for our 4th anniversary. Luckily our friends, John and Maren, were able to join us on the small town adventure. The drive from Santa Barbara took about 2 1/2 hours and we stopped in San Luis Obispo because it was of extreme importance that the guys to catch the 2012 Euro semifinal match between Germany & Italy (too bad Germany lost!). Cambria is like 20 minutes south from Hearst Castle (which we toured and is insanely exquisite) and it's a super small town full of art galleries, wine tasting rooms, a sweet ale house, and Mozzi's Saloon. Let me just tell you about Mozzi's Saloon... this is definitely where the locals go - not the locals who have quaint summer beach cabins, but the locals who live in the apartment above the bar... which is very small and must house at least 10 barely literate adults in their 50's. It was like being in the twilight zone, one of them couldn't read or write, one was a self-proclaimed beer-whisperer (yes, beer speaks to her), and one told us about the burning phantom who shows itself every morning by the creek. I sat talking with a lady for close to 2 hours, but naturally got up a few times to go to the bar or restroom, and apparently she never stopped talking (as I was later informed) and told Billy that I should be a psychiatrist because I basically solved all of her life problems. I guess that's flattering, right?

In staying with the rules of Bachelorette Weekend Etiquette, I fear I am unable to elaborate on the infamous weekend in San Diego, CA. My sincerest apologies.

A massive congratulations to one of my BEST FRIENDS who married the man of her dreams this July. The wedding was amazing and completely full of love. The 2 families are traditional Catholic Italians, so it makes sense that the party didn't end when the reception was over and that the guest favors were homemade limoncello shots. There was a large fountain on site (practically a pool), and, yes, Scottee and I did jump into the fountain still dressed in our bridesmaid frocks after our limoncello taste. Hey! A girls gotta do what a girls gotta do! Just keeping it real!

Love A.L.C.

For me, A.L.C. totally stands for Absolutely Love this Collection! I'm completely obsessed with the Nolah houndstooth blazer, especially over the red and white striped Rosewood tee by Whetherly, tucked into the Danny pant. And the icing on the cake: the Rag & Bone Newbury boots in chili. Utter Perfection. There is something so relaxed about this look, yet it is still pulled together, which is my favorite kind of outfit - one that looks great, but doesn't take much effort!

Man's Best Friend

Here they are: My Wook and Wee Woon! (aka Healy and Rooney). They always make smile and feel loved - except when they chew/destroy beloved shoes, couches, cabinets, etc! It' was a long road through the puppy years, but we finally made it to the end. Now we have the perfect pooches, thank goodness!

February, March & April

February 1st: Billy's Birthday

Yes, I decided to don my Betty Crocker apron and try my hand at cake-baking. Making the cake - not too difficult. Finding the right size pans - freaking nightmare! I had to go to 4 bloody stores just to find the 9" diameter, non-stick pans the recipe called for. Ugh!... Oh well, the cake tasted BOMB (yes, I said bomb) so it was worth it. The only problem now, Billy wants a cake every week! Poor guy!

February 13-14: Valentine's Day

Billy completely surprised me with dinner reservations at the famous Cold Spring Tavern and a night in the picturesque Danish village of Solvang. Ah-may-zing! Built in the 1860s, Cold Spring Tavern was originally used as a way station for stagecoach passengers traveling over the "Turnpike" and through the dangerous mountain roads. It's been a working restaurant since 1941 and much effort has gone into protecting the traditions of the Tavern, keeping as everything as original as possible. The food is wonderful, filling, and wild. Billy was adventurous and tried the venison, I had a steak (I know, boring! Whatever!). After dinner we continued up the road to Solvang and checked into the Wine Valley Inn. Instead of wine tasting (which is traditional), we opted for beer tasting at Solvang Brewing Company. A couple of friends, Kendyl and Adam, joined us at the brewery and we had a blast, spending somewhere between $150-$200 on beer in like 3 hours... Oops!

March 7th-ish: Days Off

Me and Heidi, again, doing our thing! This time in in Los Olivos at the Artiste and Presqu'ile wine tasting rooms. Best part of Artiste is the art they have on display and the corner where you can create your own masterpiece. They recently had a contest for local artists to win the grand prize of having their work be the label for Artiste's newest blend. Heidi and I created a painting called "Of Two Minds" (pictured below)... I still haven't figured out why we didn't win. 

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March 23-27: London, England!

Yup! Been Travelin'! Billy took his Boys U-12 soccer team to the UK to practice and play different teams their age. Obviously, I wasn't going to let him leave me behind and I even recruited my Muck to make the trip! She has a special man-friend who happens to reside in Londontown so it didn't take much convincing/planning! Yay! As soon as we landed at Heathrow, we rushed to our awaiting charter bus to make the 2:30pm Arsenal - Aston Villa kickoff at Emirates Stadium in Highbury. Great game, and even better seats! John (top picture) managed to get us BOX SEATS!!! Tickets for box seats over there are even more expensive than the one's for professional teams here! Basically you need to know someone with some kind of connection, luckily we did! Felt like a baller! Hehe! The next 2 days I met up with Scottee and we got to do our girly thing - walking, shopping, running-to-cross-streets-cuz-we-never-quite-got-a-grip-on-where-the-cars-would-be-coming-from, having High Tea at Harrods, sneaking away from Billy and Darko (her man-friend) and into random bars for quick drinks, eating at tables on top of tables, and laughing, lots of laughing! We're hilarious, by the way.

March 27-29: Manchester, England
Old Trafford = Billy's little slice of Heaven. He's a die-hard Manchester United supporter and we had the opportunity to take a tour of their legendary stadium. Old Trafford, nicknamed the Theatre of Dreams, is the largest and oldest working stadium in the English Premier League and has been the home of United since 1910. The buzz and rush you get of even the empty stadium is unreal. You can really feel the passion that is everything Man U: the Stretford End (where United supporters sit/sing during games), Sir Matt Busby Way, the Munch Disaster memorial, Sir Alex Ferguson Stand, and the statues of George Best (the Belfast Boy), Dennis Law, and Bobby Charlton. They all add up to an unparalleled history of success, heartache, and legends.

March 30-April 7: Belfast

Why can't all of my family live in California??? I suppose I like having an excuse to travel, but I'd love it if all I had to do was hop in the car and go for a visit. Big thanks goes out to Frankie, Michelle, Alicia and Natasha for letting us stay over. Highlights: 1. Going out with the girls Saturday night! I have never met an entire group of long-time girlfriends who are so open and friendly, not only to me, but my friends too! Scottee and I found a little fuzzy chicken toy in the back of Michelle's car the night before all the girls got together so we naturally decided to turn it into a drinking game. If the fuzzy chicken ended up on the brim of your glass, you had to chug! Hence, "Chug the Chicken!" We ended up being asked to leave one of the bars, and neither Scottee or I could figure out why. We were all just standing at the bar, laughing and having a good time. Well, we came to find out that "chug the chicken" has other connotations... If you can't figure it out, ask your mom. Obviously, we cracked up and ended up at the local dancing the night away...and eating McDonald's TWICE! Argh! Ugh!! Can't believe I admitting it! But let me just tell you that the double cheeseburger was outstanding! 2. Taking the bus to the City Center just Billy and me. It's very well kept and modern with an overwhelming amount of history, conflict, beauty that really takes you by surprise. We walked all around going into different shops (yes, he even let me shop!) and had lunch at a quintessential Irish pub called Kelly's Cellar, ordering Irish stew and Guinness. And 3. Just hanging with the Fam! Our time in Belfast was really laid back and refreshing - playing with my nieces, taking them to gymnastics and horse riding, going for walks, checking out the Titanic museum, rolling Cadbury Easter eggs down Moat Mountain, eating, visiting, and exploring the life Billy had as a kid. If only we could do it more often.

Running In The AM

On the mornings when I can actually roll myself out of bed and into my Nike's, this is what I get! Not too shabby, eh?! My pooches, Healy and Rooney, live for mornings like these - the sun shining and the sand between their little paws (or big paws when referring to Healy) - too bad they also bring the beach into my lovely apartment... Did I mention how much I enjoy cleaning? Yeah, because I hate it! But say the word "walk" and my doggies are at full attention and raring to go. How can one deny Healy's big brown eyes and Rooney's cocked head? Well, I guess that's what keeps me getting up and going! One of the things anyway. I actually enjoy running, that is, once I'm out there. So much so that I ran a half marathon this weekend.... without real training... not so smart, but I did it, and I did much better than I expected. My cousin, Whitney, made me sign up for the Nike + Women's Half Marathon in November and at the time, it sounded like a great idea. Basically, December snuck up on me and running went out the window; Billy's family came to visit, then Christmas and New Years... How do my no-time-for-running excuses sound??? I was all set to conveniently forget the date of the race, when my darling Whitney called the Thursday before to make sure I was still running it. Obviously I said I was, so I did, never mind that my longest run since signing up was that day. A whopping 8.5 miles three days before the looming 13.1. It's a good thing I have a secret weapon and her name is Scottee. Couldn't have done it without her. We had an "enjoyable" run and finished with an unexpected ease. Yay! Now I'm thinking the Santa Ynez Half in May... It's ends with wine tasting... Sounds good to me! Nothing like some vino to motivate! Anyone with me??

My Rag & Bone Obsession

I want to wear these....

Look 1

Floppy Brim Fedora

Bromley Blazer

Hamilton Boxy Top

Jodhpur Legging - Cognac 

Durham Boot

Look 2

Noa Jacket

Danby Sweater

The Quilted Driving Glove

Scuba Legging - Midnight

Classic Newbury

And Just Because...

Belfast Coat

Why is Rag & Bone completely amazing??? The 2 designers are hitting the nail on the head with every piece they create! The fit is spot on (comfy too!) and each design has some sort of twist that makes it different from ever other sweater or legging. Whether it's a zipper, asymmetrical hem, or piece of leather or lace, it's always a little unexpected and genius. I can safely say that 7 out of the last 10 garments that I've acquired have been R&B and in some perfect parallel universe, the R&B label would be sewn into every piece of my casual attire. What can I say, the dude's know their duds!!! The only problem I have now is that Spring 2012 ready-to-wear will soon hit stores, and I'm not ready to end my lusting over their Fall collection! Life is so hard sometimes! 

Food With Friends

Pierre Lafond Wine Bistro Downtown Santa Barbara

First up, lunch with Heidi.... FINALLY!!!! She is one of my best friends and we hadn't seen each other since her b-day in November (nevermind that we live 1 mile apart in the same neighborhood)! She spends her time getting buff for Bikini Competitions.... pretty cool, if you ask me! We spent our lunch date at Pierre Lafond Wine Bistro on State Street (most things in Santa Barbara happen on State Street) eating various forms of chicken and drinking wine, well, I drank wine. Isn't there some rule that if you go out to lunch on a beautiful, sunny day in January you have to indulge in a glass? I'm pretty sure there is, and just to make sure I wasn't straying from the law, I had 3. What?! It's not like I knew that the Build-Your-Own-Flight comes with 3 nearly full glasses ;) Not that I'm complaining, because every drop of the Rose, Pinot Gris, and Sauvignon Blanc was thrown down the hatch with delight, I'm simply justifying the 3 glasses. I would never order 3 three glasses of wine at lunchtime....... Haha! I couldn't even type that with a straight face! Any who, the afternoon with Heid was much needed and our joint New Years Resolution is not to let crazy amounts of time pass between visits. Yes!

Brophy Bros. at Santa Barbara Harbor

Onto the next.... Dinner at Brophy Bros. with the Lambes! But first, let's talk about these artsy pics taken with my Hipstamatic app... I kind of die! Makes me feel like I have a good eye and that I'm really creative. Hey, anything to stroke my own ego, right?! Moving on, the night was perfect. Great friends, food, and atmosphere. Friends- I like to think of John and Maren as Billy and I of the future. We're so lucky to have people like them in our lives. Food- Seafood anyone?? Yes, everyone but me, please! I'll take the chicken sandwich with no bun. Atmosphere- Gorgeous night outside on Brophy's patio. There was a nice chill in the air, and our corner table had its own heater so the temp was Wunderbar! Conversation is always so easy on nights like this and there's rarely a dull moment (except when club soccer talk sneaks out of someone's mouth). Haha, just kidding! I love everyone and everything that has to do with Santa Barbara Soccer Club. All that was missing from this evening was the strumming of a guitar around the fire pit and our vocals of anything from Rod Stewart to Oasis or The Beatles. Throw in a little John Denver and we're set! Talk about expanding my musical repertoire, I've learned more songs from the 60s, 70s, and 80s in the last 3 years hanging with these peeps! Stay tuned for more detailed posts in the future about sing-song nights... They are the best!!! Maybe I should title them, "My Nights as a Rockstar!" We shall see.... :)