That was Then...This Is Now

Wow.

How did my babies go from this:



To this:



In only five months? As much as these guys drive me crazy, I cannot tell you enough the joy they have brought into my life. I love them so much; it scares me. If I feel this way about them, I can only imagine how I'll feel about my own children. Crazy.

A Little Less Conversation...

As I am sitting here, wasting away another day of summer vacation, I'm thinking about somewhat longingly to the little trip I got to take to Vegas back in June for a conference.

I know what you're thinking. How the heck did a school teacher get sent to Vegas for a conference? A group from my school site actually went to learn about professional learning communities. It was such an invigorating experience that gave many of us the opportunity to bond. And bond we did, over drinks and food.



We arrived a day early, so I started off with a dragonberry mojito at Caesar's Palace.





That night, some colleagues and I decided to check out Bobby Flay's Mesa Grille. It did not disappoint. In fact, I devoured the best chile relleno I have ever had in my life.



The next day, knowing how much I love burgers, my friend Greg led our group to what he deemed the best burger place in Vegas: Le Burger Brasserie. And though my blue cheese burger was not the best (Hello? Slater's 50/50...), it was definitely the best burger I've had in Vegas.





The last night we were there our group dined at P.J. Clarke's in the Forum Shops. We had a back room all to ourselves and control of a jukebox. We had an absolute blast. I ventured out of my comfort zone and had Guinness braised short ribs that were so tender and flavorful I'm getting hunger pangs just thinking about them. They were accompanied by horseradish mashed potatoes which had just the kind of kick I love.

And the picture of our waiter? I die!! One of our older teachers flirted with him the whole time. He danced, sang, and even helped us surprise a colleague who showed up later that evening. They have amazing food and service there. I highly recommend it!



Our last morning in Vegas, I made everyone in my little group meet up at Serendipity when I learned that they are now serving breakfast. I ordered the Saints and Sinners meal, which in my opinion, is the absolute perfect breakfast. Centered by a french toast log, it had berries and whipped cream on one side, and scrambled eggs with bacon on the other. I was in heaven.

Oh Vegas...maybe you are growing on me.

Nautical Notions

Next Saturday, I will be leaving for the John Adams seminar I have the privilege of attending at Amherst College in Massachusetts. After that, the hubs and I will be traveling the Northeastern states for our anniversary/vacation. I think this definitely calls for some east coast footwear, but I'm having a hard time deciding what shoes to get.

Do I go with some nautical flats?



Toms' wedges....



Or the classic east coast shoe in my humble opinion: the Sperry top-sider?



Oh decisions, decisions. I'm also dying over these turquoise loafers they have at Anthropologie. Walking by them in the store this weekend, I actually think I started to drool.

Style Crush

OK, I'm kind of embarrassed. I just ordered Lauren Conrad's "Style" book.



I've had a style crush on her ever since "Laguna beach" first aired on MTV. She just epitomizes the California girl look in my opinion. From her effortless surfer waves, to her glowing skin, to her winged eyeliner, I've just always wanted to replicate her look.



Is it sad that I asked my sister to start calling me LC after I got married when my initials matched?



And have you checked out her new blog? She has great posts and tutorials about everything from design to cosmetics to dining.



Oh Lauren...I heart thee.

What We Did- The Fourth

This was definitely one of those lazy summer weekends for the hubs and I. I don't think I accomplished much of anything, but it was kinda lovely considering the pace I usually move at.

We started the weekend off by meeting up with friends and checking out a bar/venue I have wanted to go to for over a year: Villain's Tavern. This little gem is located in the industrial section of Los Angeles near the L.A. river. From the Gothic/Hendrix decor to the drinks to the food, everything about this place charmed me. The photos I have do not do it justice, and I cannot wait to come back.









My lovely Belladonna drink. Did I mention Maker's Mark is my new toxic of choice?





My insanely good bacon cheeseburger that had a sour cherry marmalade on it. I'm getting hungry just looking at the picture again.

From there we went onto the Hotel Cafe to see one of my favorite singer/songwriters, someone I've mentioned before: David Ryan Harris.



Amy and I



A little "Sweetest Berry" for your listening pleasure.

Saturday was a bust, and then on Sunday we drove out to the new Five Guys location near us. After all the hype I'd read, I was so excited to try this place. Yet, once again, it was a major burger fail. In fact, the hubs and I both got sick from our burgers.







And I didn't particularly care for the "help yourself to peanuts" mess that was all over the floor and tables. It was kinda gross.

On the Fourth, we loped around and then checked out our local street fair for the first time. I'd post the cheesy picture I took of myself by an Uncle Sam figurine, except for the fact that my computer is way messed up and iphoto says I don't have enough room to upload. Oh well, imagine me grinning cheesy, giving the thumbs up.

Hope you had an awesome Fourth!

Time Enough At Last

Well, I'm back from the blogging dead. The end of the school year always manages to devour my time, and this year it seemed even more so. I felt as though I was further behind than previous years and that I was doggie-paddling towards the last day. ::sigh:: After the last day, I decided to give myself a week off before trying to pick this up again.

So happy fourth of July! This day always makes me think of John Adams since he believed that July 2nd would actually be the day America celebrated (it's the day the Founding Fathers actually agreed to separate). I'm a bit bummed since we were actually going to have a party over this holiday weekend. I was even going to give out pencils that said, "America, Fuck Yeah!" Unfortunately, I fell behind with party invitations.

So now I am just enjoying one of my favorite parts of this holiday weekend besides celebrating our country: The Twilight Zone marathon. I've posted below the ending to probably my favorite episode: Time Enough at Last. It's about a man who just wants time to read and gets that when a bomb literally destroys everything around him. But....well, just watch. Happy Fourth!