Wordless Wednesday

Well.... not really 'wordless'

My little munchkin nephew, Ry Guy.  Turning ONE April 29th!!

My mom's favorite hobby makes the neighborhood happy.  She's the best gardener around!

Happy Wednesday!

Top Two Tuesday

This is my first time ever doing Top Two Tuesday... here's how it works:  You share two random facts about yourself!

1. I have a huge addiction to chewing ice.  I think this could be worth an entire blog to itself.  I chew ice every day, multiple times a day.  I won't drink anything unless it has ice.  In college, my friends used to make fun of me.  I even rate the places that have the best ice!  By the time I am 30, I will probably have all beat up teeth.  Do you know anyone with this ridiculous addiction?

2.  My husband, with out a doubt, makes me laugh more than any person I know.  When we first met, I was occasionally shocked because he would say things no one would ever think of and everyone around us would laugh.  Sometimes he's obscene, over-the-top, crazy... but I just can't help but laugh.  :)

Swimsuit season right around the corner...

Eeek, already!  It's time to find some great suits to sport this summer.  Two years ago, TL got me a new suit that I love, and I think it's time for another one this year.  Here are a few that I found...

I love this so much!  I think it is so sexy, and something I would love.  It's from Victoria's Secret - a little pricey, but very cute.  I think this is one of my favorites!

And this is absolutely adorable!  I love the different bright colors, it is so summery!  It's quite 'showy', but I still love it!  This also is from Victoria's Secret.

And I love this one!  I love the ruffles on the bottom and the big jewels on the top.  I'm not sure how well I would be able to keep the top in place, but I love it!  Also from Victorias Secret.

And, lastly... I love this one!  I am really digging the different tops and bottoms.  I think it adds some character.  The classic halter is a great fit for me.  This is also Victoria's Secret.

Which one's are your favorites? 

Where do you shop for swim suits?

Are you still a fan of Taylor Swift?

Taylor Swift

One of America's most well-known teen singers & performers - made famous from her self-written sweet love songs - and now holding a heavy shelf of Grammys and CMA awards.

This girl is always in the spotlight.  She's gorgeous; blonde curly locks, legs for days, and popping blue eyes.

Lately, some of the attention has sparked questions... how good is she?

She had an 'okay' performance at the Grammys.  I read somewhere that her agent said she had a hard time hearing herself, so she was out of tune.

I still love this girl.  I think she is a magical performer, a great song-writer, and you can't help but love her.  She's a dress wearing, cowboy-boot wearing, sweet-hearted girl. 

One of my all time favorites from her is 'Tim McGraw' which was one of her very first songs.  I think it may even be the song that made her famous. 

But... my question is, do you think she is a great singer??

Happy weekend!

What's happening to American Idol?

I've been hit or miss with American Idol through the years.  I had a year or two where I was an avid watcher, and this year I fell under this spell again.  I love Ellen, she is great and I love her show.  But I don't know if I love her on this show.  She is funny, and brings a lot of laughter - but I feel like the judges are all over the place with what they are saying to the contestants.  The ratings for that show have taken a huge drop.  I keep hearing it's all because the contestants are bad... but in the past, there have always been contestants people don't like, and some they do. 

Didi Benami and Aaron Kelly are probably my top two favorites. Lee Dewyze and Crystal Bowersox are definitely up there too.  Michael Lynche reminds me a little of Idol-flop Ruben Studdard and Andrew Garcia can't quite get back into his groove after singing Paula's song 'Straight Up'.  Siobhan Magnus annoys me a little (although I think her glasses are cute on her) - I feel like her screaming has attracted so many people, but I don't get it.  Poor Tim Urban, he just can't quite reach anything beyond hotel casino karaoke. 

Didi Benami left a sour taste on the judges this week, but I thought she was great.  I really like her tone.  I think she kind of looks like Taylor Swift. :) (pic) 

Photo courtesy of americanidol.com

I love Aaron Kelly.  I think he is adorable and has a similar tone to the main singer in Rascal Flatts.  Every week he has been pretty consistant.

Is anyone else watching the show?  What do you think?

Happy Friday!!

Stay Here Forever

I love Jewel's new song... its called "Stay Here Forever"

Thought I would share  :)
It is such a busy time of year for everyone... I can't wait to get back into writing again! xo

Hope you are having a beautiful weekend!!

Forbes Island Restaurant

I have a fabulous restaurant pick... if you are ever in SF and looking for something a little different, give Forbes Island a try. :)

Two of my brother in laws, Joe & Dave, are celebrating Birthdays this month... and to celebrate, my fabo mother in law took us all out to dinner!  I love going out to dinner with this woman, she is so fun & she always knows how to pick something good.  We ate at Forbes Island and it was a cool experience. 

This is how it works - you go to this little tiny dock right next to Pier 39 in San Francisco.  You walk down to this enclosed boat and are greeted by this sweet older gentleman.  His name: Forbes.  The owner of the restaurant takes you personally to his place.  A very short (about 2 min) boat ride later, you arrive at this teenie tiny man-made island covered in lights, complete with a lighthouse, small out door fire place, and lovely little cocktail bar.

You walk down a few stairs to the dining room and there are little underwater windows where you can see the fish swimming.  All around the dining area is decorated with a pirate theme.  It is so cool... not to mention, I thought the food was really good! 

It's the little well lit island on the right... the view of the city is to the left.

pics found here, here, and here.

Hope you had a great week! 

I have so much catching up to do on everyone's blogs.

xoxo

The Oscars

I am never the hugest fan of the Oscars because in years past I felt like I never knew any of the movies that were being nominated for the awards.  This year I knew a couple, and it those made me want to watch it.  My favorite part of awards shows are always the beautiful dresses.  Today I am at work, so I was able to build a slideshow of many of the beauitful gowns on the red carpet - take a look: On The Red Carpet

Some of my absolute favorites tonight were:

 (of course) SJP:

pic found here

I love the yellow and beautiful silky style.  Put that girl in a brown bag and she'd still be adorable.

Demi Moore

picture found here

This dress looks just like one I tried on while I was doing my wedding dress shopping.  It didn't look great on me, but this style looks fantastic on Demi!

Kathy Ireland

pic found here

I don't necessarily love the dress - but I love, love the jewelry she chose to wear with the black.  I think it is classy and bold! :)

Did you enjoy the Oscars??

Who wore your favorite dresses?

Beautiful St. Helena

St. Helena (in the Napa Valley) is one of my most favorite places in California.  It is so gorgeous - rolling hills, vineyards, beautiful wineries & restaurants, and of course - amazing wine tasting!!

This trip, we ate at two different restaurants for dinner... Tra Vigne and The Martini House.  I didn't take any pictures, but both places are delicious!  We ate at the Silverado Brewing Company for lunch and did a little beer tasting!!  They brew all of their own beers.

We visited lots of wineries!  (I have been to wine country 3 times... I learn so much about wine every time I go!)

We visited a beautiful castle that was just down the road from our hotel.  The wine maker who owns this hotel paid for this entire castle to be shipped over piece by piece from Italy.

We stayed at the stunning Wine Country Inn.  This is one of my favorite places to stay in the world.  It feels like a home.  Family owned, the same chef cooks breakfast every morning, and they treat you like a part of their family!  This was the view from our room:

The weather was rainy, but I loved it.  It made the vineyards misty & cozy.  It was warm enough that we slept with the door open all night.

It was a wonderful Christmas & Birthday present to my MIL, Cindy from all of her kids.  We all had a great time.  

So many amazing memories from the wine tasting & just spending time together!

Happy Thursday!!

Natural Disasters

After the horrible earthquakes in Chile & Haiti - I have been thinking about natural disasters and how dangerous they are.  Are we prepared for one if it comes?  I had a teacher in college that said "the big one" is coming - especially to California!

I only remember being in one earthquake.  It was in college and I was spending time with my girlfriends.  It was a small one - I think 3.5 - and it still felt pretty big.  I can't imagine how scary these big quakes are - 8.8!

In California, we are pretty lucky.  We don't face the big time flooding every year, or tornadoes & hurricanes like so many other parts of this country.  But... we do have a big risk of being caught in an earthquake.

This is kind of a downer post, but I can't help thinking about natural disasters & how quickly they can alter our life.

On another note... I am excited to blog about DWTS, & our Napa trip.  Hopefully I can get to that in the next few days.  It's rainy & dark outside... but I kind of like it :)

I hope everyone is having a fabulous Tuesday!!

rainy shoes