Ahhhhh, this weekend was one of those action packed weekends that you look forward to, have so much fun during and are exhausted after.
It started with Jay’s birthday on Friday…he took the day off and we {including my brother-in-law and his girlfriend who are visiting from NYC} had a quick lunch at The Habit before picking the kids up at school.
{Jay shares his birthday with Pearl Harbor Day}
Anuja and I stopped for our first Gingerbread Latte of the season before taking Elliott to dance class…
{polishing the routine for next weekend’s recital}
After dance, we clinked margarita glasses and toasted the birthday boy at our favorite Mexican restaurant here in town {for all my SD people, this place reminds me of Tio Leo’s}…
{nothing like a margarita on a Friday night}
On Saturday morning, Anuja and I treated ourselves to a spa pedicure, hit the mall for a bit and then grabbed Chick Fil-A and took it home to the hungry troops…
{had to go with this RED for my holiday toes}
The younger, single ones headed to Hollywood for the night while Jay and I went to his holiday party at The Ronald Reagan Library in Simi. Always a good time…
{fun, cheesy pics in front of the green screen ~ first stop, Paris}
I love that the attire is business casual…for me, it makes for a much more comfortable evening. I found this jumpsuit at Macy’s on Black Friday for around $17. It needed to be hemmed and instead of taking it to the tailor, I attempted to hem the pants myself with fusible bonding web…note to self: next time make the trip to the nearest tailor. My jimmy-rigged hem held up through dinner and dancing so all was well…
{we returned to the nation’s capitol and posed in front of The White House with Jay’s co-worker and his wife who we enjoy the party with each year}
{as the night progresses, the props come out in Times Square}
All that traveling worked up an appetite…we had appetizers, buffets and desserts from around the world, too.
My fave were the French desserts.
Of course.
{croquembouche & macarons ~ lemon, pistachio & coconut}
{Gangnam Style under Air Force One ~ oh goodness! So sorry, Honorable Mr. Reagan}
Then God’s grace took us from getting “Low” with FloRida late Saturday evening to our beautiful parish early Sunday morning…
{amazing homily from one of our deacons}
After church, we headed to Hollywood to spend some more time with Rodney & Anuja before they returned back to the East Coast today.
{from the SCV to the W}
We like to joke and say that my BIL has achieved Baller status…he travels a lot for his job and as a result accumulates a lot of points. When I have the opportunity to hang at the W for a bit, you better believe I do. And the house Bliss toiletries may or may not have jumped into my bag…
{no shame in this girl’s game}
The kids love to visit hotels….not that Hollywood loves when kids visit their hotels, but they were pretty well behaved. I may’ve had to give a couple of stern looks and warnings spoken through clenched teeth in the lobby, though…
Yes, this is over the lounge area in their suite…I said a few prayers that the sheer curtain was still intact after we left. White leather couches scream at the littles to jump and climb all over them…
Sitting still….
We then wanted Anuja to experience The Grove so we headed there for lunch and a stroll…
We had lunch at The Farmer’s Market then did some browsing.
{Dylan’s Candy Bar}
I spent some alone time in Anthro and wrote a letter to Santa, adding something to my list around every turn…
{just the tip of the wish list iceberg}
Reminding myself the whole time that it’s better to GIVE than receive….
*****
See, told you it was one good thing after another this weekend! Good thing we have five days to recover before next weekend hits. Elliott has a dress rehearsal on Friday night, her recital on Saturday afternoon and we’re seeing The Nutcracker with Gramma on Saturday evening.
Until then I have 150 cards to address and some baking to do….
Did I mention that I LOVE the holidays?
Happy Monday!
XO