Countdown to the Virgin Islands!

In about two weeks Dan and I are hopping on a plane to meet up with some friends in the Virgin Islands! Whattt!!!? Yeah I know...I can hardly believe it myself. We have been counting down the days! A few months ago our friend Evan asked us if we wanted to sail around the islands (US and British). "Who us!? Ummmm heck YES!" Although we aren't much of what you would call sailors...no problema, Evan is a merchant marine and sails/drives huge boats for a living. So we are in good hands. His family happened to have boat credit in the islands and they didn't want to use it, so Evan and his lovely wife Miss Monica invited us on the trip of a lifetime! We get to sail our own private 5 stateroom catamaran! We are beyond excited and so stoked that they invited us! We'll be spending 7 days or so on the sea with some of our best buds -- floating in my doughnut and sippin on island drinks. Oh this is going to be a very Merry start to our Christmas season!

Below are a few pictures I've been collecting to get me amped for our adventure :)

Pictures: Virgin Island, Bar and Drink, Dock, Photographer and Island, Baths and Fire, Starfish, Swimsuits and Boat, Hammock and Lobster, Pineapples, Cozy Boat and Friends

Birthday Fun

This past month or so we have had birthdays galore...including a surprise birthday party that Danny and my friends gave me. Here are some pics from my April birthday and the backyard BBQ we had for our friends Dany and Alex. And my wonderful husbands B-day is on June 1th! Yay! So many birthdays! P.S. I feel like I am confusing you with all the Dan's in my life. Danny/Daniel (I call him both)=Husband, Dany (with one n)= our way cool friend. Here are some pictures from our recent festivities.

 

 {Make a wish and blow out your candles! Dany and Alexander}

{Happy birthday to me!}

 

{Our backyard bbq birthday party}

 

 

 

{My surprise birthday party!}

 

{Cheers!}

 

{Jelly bean champagne...why not?}

 

  

 



Awesome DIY Oxford Shoes

Check out these cute DIY oxford shoes! I can't wait to make some! I found this picture on duitang -- a wonderful Chinese website. Thanks for letting me share the idea.

A Day At The Farmers Market

We found a great farmers market at Soco! They are open every Saturday from 9:00-2:00. They have  lots of fresh local produce, a bunch of fun food trucks and homemade ice cream carts. You can also mosey on over to the mix shops inside. I tried a cara cara orange for the first time. They have "a flavor that evokes notes of cherry, rose petal, orange, and blackberry."- so says wikipedia. It was quite yummy.

  

3315 Hyland Ave

Costa Mesa, CA 92626

 

{homemade pops! Dan and I tried a pumpkin spice and my nanny babe had a strawberries and cream}

 

{Lavender lemonade at the Portola Coffee Lab}

 

{Seventh Tea Bar}

 

{Coloring and taste testing at Fixtures Living}

 

 

 

 

New J.Crew Swimsuit + Countdown to Israel

I bought this cute new swimsuit for my trip to Israel in a few weeks. The family that I nanny for has invited me to come along on a work trip. I'll watch the kiddos while they lead a group of 120 people on a tour of the Holy Land. Pretty cool huh? I'm so excited to see Israel! I needed a suit that was somewhat conservative so I thought this was a perfect middle ground... not too old lady but still keeping it classy. I can't wait to go swimming in the Dead Sea and Jordan River with my nanny babies and Shan {<-- My best friend is coming along too!}.

 

{Some pictures of Israel}

 

 

{Fun Facts}

 

The Dead Sea’s salt content is four times that of most world's oceans! You can float in it without even trying, which makes swimming here a magical experience. This is the only place in the world where you can recline on the water while reading a book.

The water and mud from the Dead Sea contains more than 35 different types of minerals that are essential for the healthy skin including: Magnesium, Calcium, Potassium, Bromine, Sulfur, and Iodine. They are also known for relieving pain caused by arthritis, rheumatism, psoriasis, eczema, headache and foot-ache, while nourishing and softening the skin.

-Atlas

Oh I’m going to slather that mud all over me!

 
Pictures: jcrew, sunset, floating

A Grown-up Girls Only Party

So Shannon and I were talking the other day... it's funny how you reach that point in life when sleepovers at your friends house become a thing of the past. We grow-up, get married and have babies -- quick lunch dates over foo foo salads take the place of that quality girl time we had when we were younger. So we decided to have a girls night with all the works: face masks, nail polish, chocolate and an endless array of junk food all centered around a big air mattress, pillows and blankets. Everyone brought a treat or drink to share. We lounged around in our jammies, laughed at our high school pictures and caught each other up on life. It was a blast -- A well needed reminder of the good old days.

 

 

Here is the picture we used for our invite. Haha. Love it.

 

 

Pictures: Last picture from Tumblr

A Quadruple Date Night

Last Saturday we had a quadruple date night! A bunch of us got together at our house and everyone brought something to share -- Dan and I did all the veggies and Brazilian Lemonade, Evan and Monica brought some awesome fish from Evans last voyage, Dany and Ev brought an amazing apple pie and Shanny and Justin brought a tasty salad. It's so much fun having last minute get-togethers, especially when everyone chips in. After dinner we played some glow-in-the-dark bocci ball and then drove up to the Long Beach Laugh Factory. The ticket seller noticed that Justin was a Navy Pilot, so they bumped our group up to the front row...where the comedians proceeded to rag on us all night. Awww the perks of having a military I.D. Baaahaha. It was a hilarious, amazing evening.