Noted on a Friday - Quick Holiday Re-Cap

{NYE 2014}

December and the first part of January ended up being crazier than anticipated. Flavio came down with a cold/flu? over Christmas week, and then I got it over New Year's week and it felt like we were still running around and overcommitted despite our maladies. But, the actual holidays were quiet and nice. For Christmas Eve we went to my mother-in-law's for tamales and Christmas movies, and for NYE, we got Indian takeout, built a fire at home, and snuggled up for our last night of 2014. Although I was under the weather, it was somehow a very memorable and magical NYE.

January, which usually drags, is flying! I've been doing some major cleaning (the nesting instinct is real, people) and have started reading baby and parenting books, thinking seriously about baby names, and generally doing all the prep stuff I had no time to do during the semester. We've also been making it a point to get out and get together with friends before we disappear into babyland, so that's been nice. I haven't had much time for reflection on the previous year as I'm still trying to wrap my head around all the changes that are coming our way quickly, but I'm looking forward to a quieter weekend in, working on some projects around the house, cooking, and generally getting my head on straight. I hope you have a great one. xo

{As the kids say, #nofilter}

{Christmas Eve, 32 weeks}

{While I've previously done cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning, I might switch the tradition to this easier and equally delicious overnight French toast}

{Christmas morning, Guiri's gift}

{Rosca de Reyes, delivered by my mother-in-law}

Noted on a Friday

Whew! I'm exhausted. Tests are graded, students have been hugged, classes are all wrapped up, and my five months of (unpaid) maternity leave starts now. Surreal. I feel like I can finally breathe. We have a busy weekend ahead, but come next week, I'll be able to cookie bake, finish my Christmas shopping, and get ready for the big day -  hopefully while donning a variety of comfy jammies - which I plan to wear for at least three days straight. And maybe the following week, too. Can. Not. Wait! Cheers to some much-needed downtime right around the corner. I hope you have a lovely weekend. xo

{December has the prettiest sunsets}

{birthday cupcakes for Flav}

{we've been lighting our angel chimes}

{the faintest rainbow on my way to work}

{soup prep}

Thanksgiving 2014

This busy Thanksgiving weekend knocked me flat. But it was wonderful.

Thanksgiving looked a lot like last year, except with the addition of my beach ball belly, swollen feet, and 80 degree temperatures, and I was generally a little more tired this time around. I didn't take as many pictures as I would have liked - I mostly sat chatting with our guests, a cold drink in hand, and my feet elevated. But as this holiday weekend winds down, I am thinking about all the things I am grateful for right now. A husband who brings me multiple servings of mashed potatoes, rubs my feet, and sings to my belly. Parents I don't just love, but actually really like - my parents are our friends. A mother-in-law who injects stories and music into every gathering (and planned me the most amazing shower -- more on that soon). Silly Thanksgiving games, including turkey trivia and Thanskgiving Scattergories. The softest Australian Shepherd who snuggles up next to you, gives you kisses, and loves you unconditionally. A beautiful celebration of our baby and tons of wise parenting advice at my shower on Saturday. A visit from our hilarious Norwegian friend David. A bounty of leftover cheese and crackers. And pie. I don't have photos of all of these things, but they exist.

{matching!}

{after dinner chatting}

{games!}

Happy Thanksgiving!

The turkey is in the oven, our house smells divine, we're eating yogurt parfaits, snuggled up in soft jammies, watching this hilarious movie. 

I can't believe we'll have a little one this time next year.

So much to be grateful for and I'm thankful there's a holiday to celebrate it. Hope your weekend is filled with all the things and people you love.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving - 2014 Blueprint

{2013 planning}

We are one week from Thanksgiving, friends, and I am getting excited to host again. We'll have a relatively small party this year, with just 6 people, but I'm excited to use this weekend to start the shopping and prep. Re-visiting last year's Blueprint helped, so I'm doing it again this year. This may be of no interest to anyone else, and after hosting for many years I could probably pull together a decent Thanksgiving in 6 hours, but I love the holiday scheming and dreaming, so here goes.

This year's Menu / Who's bringing what

Cider-Brined-And-Glazed Turkey (the most mouthwatering, fall-off-the-bone recipe there is)
Apple, Sausage, and Parsnip Stuffing (make half unless you're feeding an army)
Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes
Clinton Beans aka Green Bean Casserole with Gruyere and Criminis
Double-Dutch Mac and Cheese with Chard
Yams - Decided not to do this year because I am the only one that eats them
Cranberry Sauce - buy pre-made at Trader Joe's
Silvia's Famous Enchiladas -Flavio's mom is bringing
A really good salad -- Flavio's mom is bringing
Dinner rolls - my mom is bringing
Pumpkin Pie with Spiced Whipped Cream (making 2 this year as one went so quickly)
Apple pie - my mom is bringing
Wine - red, white, sparkling - various guests are bringing
Beer
Coffee
Sparkling water and limes for me
Flavio will be mixing this year's signature cocktail: Poinsettias !

So far I have:
Done nothing except write this post and delegate food for guests to bring.

Tomorrow I will:
Make my grocery lists.

Sunday I will:
Do the first round of grocery shopping
Make and freeze my pie crusts
Cube and dry bread for stuffing
Make sure Flav picks out festive beer

On Monday I will:
Work all day :(
Spend the evening making our annual Thanksgiving trivia game
And maybe come up with one other table game -- I thought these mad libs looked fun

On Tuesday I will:
Make one last grocery stop
Do all the prep -- chop, measure, store
Brine the turkey Tuesday evening

On Wednesday I will:
Make the pies
Clean the house
Set the table
Buy fresh flowers, gourds, and other decor
Make the mac n cheese
Make the stuffing Wednesday night

On Thursday I will:
Wake up early, put on music, stuff and get the bird in the oven
Peel and make mashed potatoes
Make the Clinton Beans
Bake remaining stuffing
Make spiced whipped cream for pies
Reheat the mac n cheese
Take Guiri to the park and exhaust her so she is not a psycho when everyone comes over
Watch movies throughout the day, revel

Most importantly, I plan to be conscious of the meaning of the holiday. It's so easy to get caught up in the rush without stopping to slow down, feel grateful, savor, and enjoy family.

Some related links:
Photos and re-cap of last year's Thanksgiving
The ultimate guide to Modern Thanksgiving Etiquette
Last year's signature cocktail, Cranberry Margaritas
One of my favorite quotes on gratitude
An essay: It's decorative gourd season, motherfuckers

A Birthday Bump Update: 26 weeks

Today is my cake day and it has been a regular Tuesday, but my birthday always makes me feel different in the best possible way. After a busy weekend and Monday/Tuesday, I'm excited for Flav to get home so we can go out for a fun dinner and to see the very classy Dumb & Dumber To. I'm 34 which means I've officially reached my mid-thirties. Woot! I know people say your twenties are the best time of your life, but I definitely prefer my thirties, and this pregnant birthday feels incredibly special.

I haven't done a bumpdate recently because despite my rapidly expanding belly, there isn't much new to share from my last report at 22 weeks. I'm still feeling really good. The baby is still measuring big (I'm terrified this is going to be a 10-pounder!), and his/her kicks have me wondering if this little one is a soccer player already. I know I've already said it, but I've never felt better or more exhilarated in my life. Now on to dinner and a big slab of cake. :)

Noted on a Friday

Greetings from Vegas! We got here yesterday and we're looking forward to a long weekend of relaxation with my parents. It's likely our last trip here before the baby comes, so we fully intend to soak up the comfort and be the carefree "kids" for maybe the last time. We spent yesterday evening chatting with my mom about all things pregnancy, labor, and baby, and I can't believe I'm going to be a mama-bear myself very soon. Is this really happening? I feel simultaneously ready and terrified. Happy weekend. xo

Eggy, sweet pan de muerto, via Tijuana and my mother-in-law.

Somebody doesn't mind daylight savings. Or my pregnancy pillow.

Mario, Luigi, and the Princess on candy duty this Halloween.

Flores para los muertos.

Requisite Dairy Queen stop on the way to Vegas.

Noted on a (Halloween) Friday

{ghostly pumpkins}

Happy Halloween! After being gone last weekend and a hectic work week, I'm excited to spend this evening dressing up, passing out candy, eating homemade soup, and doing a little trick-or-drinking (beer for Flav, gingerale for me) at home. We'll be watching movies and enjoying all the costumed kiddos on our doorstep. I hear rain is in the weekend forecast, so I'm looking forward to making room for the nursery, celebrating my mother-in-law's birthday, and spending time with our San Diego parents, Jan and Gary. It's my favorite time of year and this Halloween feels more special than ever before. Enjoy. xo

Some scenes from Halloweens past...

{Halloween 2013}

{Pirate Guiri}

{Halloween 2006}

Noted on a Friday

It feels so good to be winding down the work week -- it's been a busy one. We're treating my mother-in-law to dinner tonight, and then I'm looking forward to recharging this weekend with some early Halloween decorating, catching up with the Parenthood season premier, and maybe a trip to the movies to see this. I hope you enjoy. xo

Butterfly fluttering by.

So excited!

Friends at the park. :)

Colorful decisions at a Wednesday pedicure.

A little love note...

Things have been...hectic. To say the least. My summer school schedule has been kicking my butt, and when things get busy, the blog is the first thing to go (along with exercise, and cleaning my house). I've missed being here, but at the same time, it's been nice to come home from work and just turn off my brain, be outside, cook, read, and hang. I finish classes on July 25, and then we're planning to get out of town to celebrate our 3rd anniversary, so I might be away from the blog a little while longer (back the first week of August?). In the meantime, happy summer! xo

{4th of July Fireworks at Summer Pops, 2014}

Around Here

Hello there! It was a relaxing, fun week in this fair city. It really feels like summer around these parts, and it's delightful. My brother and nephew came for a visit last weekend, so we hit up some good eats, and Flavio took the first part of last week off to hang with me. Staycation bliss. This past weekend treated us well - dinner with Jan and Gary, a little shopping, and lots of time outside in this gorgeous weather. I am back to work today, but figured I'd pop in with some lunchtime procrastination.

Lately I've been:

Researching a possible anniversary camping trip for July. Beach or mountains?

Waiting for a good movie to come out, and excited to see this one in September.

Reading Operating Instructions and cracking up. Thank god I'm not the only one who catastrophizes everything.

Taking less pictures. Sometimes I just want to be in the moment.

Feeling nervous about the next 7 weeks. Summer school is always good, but so.much.work.

Feeling excited that might parents might be moving closer to us. At least temporarily.

Listening to bits of Passenger's new album. A lot. Buying it tomorrow.

Hoping I can come up with some actual blog posts that might be useful or informative to others. I'm in a blogging slump. It's just so sunny out, I don't want to be on my computer. We shall see.

Waiting to go home at 4PM to play with my little lady. See her sweet new summer 'do below.

Happy week. xo

Before and after.

We've been into playing cards and board games in the evenings. Feels like summer camp.

I interviewed my mother in law about her dad, professional soccer player Rodolfo Torres. Facinating. Blurry photo, but isn't Flavio his clone?

We celebrated National Doughnut Day last week with an early early morning date.

Felices Pascuas!

Happy Easter! We're back from an amazing week in Mexico and I can't wait to share photos soon. In the meantime, we're enjoying cuddles with our favorite Easter bunny (we missed Guiri sooo much!) and chocolate treats paired with a Sunday movie marathon. The end of a trip is always sad - thankfully, these tips are helping - but at the same time, nothing's sweeter than being home.

Easter has always been one of my favorite holidays. When I was little, my parents would set up an egg hunt and my brothers and I would run around the yard searching for well-hidden eggs. Some eggs were filled with candy, while others were filled with cold, hard cash. Over the years, the egg hunts have continued and I am really missing my parents and brothers and our tradition today - hopefully we can all be together next year. These annual egg hunts are one of my fondest memories, and inspire me to make a point of celebrating Easter Sunday with something fun. Some years, Flavio sets up an egg hunt for me :), last year I made carrot cupcakes, and this year I put together simple Easter baskets. They were fun to come home to after a week away.

{His}

{Hers}

Noted on a Friday

This was a pretty uneventful week. We both worked a lot and spent the evenings collapsed on the couch in front of the TV. The weekend ahead is packed with fun plans, so it'll be a nice change of pace. I hope you have a good one. xo 

A few highlights from this week...

St. Paddy's dinner & a movie.

It's beginning to look a lot like springtime.

Found: A sleeve of thin mints in the back of the freezer. Made me beyond happy.

First Dates & Honeymoon

Happy St. Paddy's! I hope you're wearing green or plaid, or both (!) today. My corned beef and cabbage is bubbling on the stove, smelling like pure heaven, and we'll be feasting, sipping some stout, and watching The Departed as soon as Flav gets home. Slainte!

Today, 52 years ago, my parents went on their first date. They went out for pizza after a school St. Patrick's Day dance, and as the story goes, they sat down to eat and my mom said, "I just love pizza," to which my dad replied, "I just love you." On their first date! Can you believe that? Also, my mom said she wrote conversational topics on her hand, like the weather and favorite music, so that just in case there was an awkward silence, she'd have something to talk about. But the notes on her hand had all rubbed off by the time they got to dinner. Turns out, there were no awkward silences and this summer they've been married 50 years.

This past Saturday, March 15, was the anniversary of our first date. Fourteen years ago, Flavio and I cruised south of the border for drinks and dancing and it was not my finest moment; you can read the whole sleazy story here. So, Saturday, to celebrate our Dativersary, Flavio took me to Turmeric Thai (amazing!) in La Jolla. They let you bring in your own alcohol, so he brought Tiger Beer from Malaysia, and we reminisced about our honeymoon, to Malaysia, and many of the adventures we've had together as a couple. We ate, drank, and laughed. I love that you get to go through life with a partner. Marriage is a beautiful gift.

Some photos from our Malaysiamoon...

{Tiger beer, Indian food, Penang}

{flower carts in Melaka}

{fish pedicure - ticklish}

{pirates}

{Borneo}

{so nerdy}

{orangutan}

{Langkawi)

PS: I've been obsessively following the coverage on missing Malaysia Airlines flight 370. Tragic and eerie. What could have happened? I wonder if we'll ever know.. Sending love and healing energy to all affected.

Pi(e) Friday

Happy 3.14! I am so throwing paleo to the wind and eating a piece of pie tonight to celebrate pi.

There has been a lot of midterm grading, a bit of cooking, a romantic date night, a horrendous dental appointment, and a couple of moonlight walks happening around here.  I am thrilled for a restful weekend ahead, and it's supposed to be gorgeous out. Dog beach here we come!

No photos to share this Friday. So, I'm sharing mouth-watering pictures of pie. Enjoy. xo

{Cherry}

{strawberry-rhubarb}

{lemon icebox}

{dad's favorite berry}