Universal Studios.

Last week, I had mentioned to Joseph that we should take a little day trip somewhere. We weren't quite sure where to go but then I had the bright idea of going to Universal Studios! Joseph had never been and I hadn't been in a really long time.

My mom's family used to live in the L.A. area and we would come out often in the summers to visit when we were out of school. I always remember it being really crowded but fun. I looked up the admission and hours and realized that it would be the last weekend that they would be offering the "Buy a day, Get a year free"! So, I booked the tickets and waited for the weekend. Very last minute, our friend Caitlin got work covered and came with.

We stopped in Laguna for gas, a restroom break, and a photo-op with Joseph's new Mini :)

Yay! After roughly (3) hours of travel and L.A. traffic, we got to Universal.

First Stop?? The Tram!

The Tram is my favorite part of Universal. You get to go behind the scenes of some of the biggest movie sets. It's awesome!

This was a little part of the War of the Worlds. It was extremely eery, even though I knew it was fake, it kind of freaked me out. They had taken a real 757 and destroyed it for the movie. It was kind of crazy!

We also saw but did not take a picture of: Who-ville from How the Grinch Stole Christmas with Jim Carey, Jaws, the various cars of Back to the Future, and even took a little stroll down Wisteria Lane from Desperate Housewives!

We rode the Jurassic Park ride (the first time I rode it like ten years ago, it completely scarred me for life, but this time I knew what to expect), The Mummy ride, and the new Simpson's ride. I really liked the Simpson's ride :)

Universal Studios is so different as an adult. I am pretty sure that parent's take their kids here so that they can drink the whole time while their kids are amused by all the craziness. What a good idea, eh?

Does blue hair suit me?? Ha!

Notice how happy Joseph is that the shark is about to bite my head off... and my cotton candy and beer combination...

Overall, the day was really fun! We stayed until closing :) I hope to be back soon for a some new attractions like King Kong 4-D. If you need a tour guide...!

Lentils.

Do you remember the some of the different things that you hated eating when you were little?

I had so many like:

1.) Mushrooms

2.) Fish

3.) Lentils

4.) Olives

5.) Capers

...but then as a grow-up, you learn to love. I have acquired the taste/flavor for all of the things above from my list except Olives. I can not stand the taste, I love the way they look and what great presentation some make but the second an olive reaches my mouth, I have to spit it out.

Anyway, the other night, as I pondered what to make out of my new ad hoc cookbook, I came across an interesting lentil soup recipe. I love lentils, and Thomas Keller's take on the classic recipe sounded soooo good. By sauteing the veggies in bacon and then adding them to the mix, I thought, oh yummy! I usually use The Barefoot Contessa's French Lentil & Vegetable Soup recipe found here, and decided to do a mix of the two recipes!

However, come to find out, I didn't have any bacon.... but what I did have, I thought was even better... the Duck Stock from Easter that I had frozen. It already had great flavor and plenty of fat :)

Some of the things that I did differently this time from others, was sauteing the veggies with duck fat that I acquired by skimming the very top layer of the duck broth, which is where all the fat sits. I also added fresh parsley, curry, and a bay leaf!

An hour and a half later, this was the end result. I added fresh corn and sprinkled it with a little more parsley. The sweetness of the corn with the saltiness of the duck fat was an amazing combination. I think the recipe serves about (10) and I am pretty sure Joseph and I had something close to that ;)

Deprived.

I think I am deprived...

I looked up the meaning today (for the sake of this post) and this is what it said:

1.) Marked by deprivation, especially of economic or social necessities

2.) Lacking in advantage, opportunity, or experience.

Why do I feel deprived, you ask....

Because I have gone fifteen months without buying a new bag. I got into the habit of buying one every six months and now I feel deprived. I have not found one worthy of the price or style to carry. I was so desperate last month that I made an impulse buy at Coach.... and then promptly returned it because I didn't "love" it.

So, as I continually shop/browse online (which is what Joseph says I do everyday, all day), I have selected a few that I am kind of really in love with. Let me know what you think*.

The Milo by Louis Vuitton.

I love the color, shape, and non-obvious brand name style.

Tote by Filson.

Aside from being pretty plain, I like the functionality, craftsmanship, and leather handles (not to mention that it is totally affordable!)

Bayswater by Mulberry.

A few of years ago, I hadn't really heard about the luxury English brand that is loved by Kate Moss, Blake Lively, and even Anna Wintour! So it shouldn't be a surprise that now I have fallen deeply in love with everything about it!

Couldn't you see me with it? I am convincing myself that I can pull it off. I think the reason that I have become so obsessed with it lately is because of its similarity to the highly coveted Birkin Bag by Hermes....

Seriously, if I had an extra $15,000 laying around, I am pretty sure I'd be carrying around my very own Birkin too! So... if Marc Jacobs can pull off carrying around one of his many Birkin's, I can carry a Mulberry Bayswater.

*Denise, I am expecting a text from you within a week of your choices, and I think I know which you will choose, you LV fanatic.

Saturdays.

A year ago, I couldn't count on one hand how many Saturdays I'd have off. For some reason, recently I have been having Saturday completely off and I am loving it! Last Saturday, after the SATC party, Joseph and I went to the beach and spent the day together.

I didn't think about taking pictures while at the beach but we laid out for a couple of hours and then drove over to La Jolla to spend the afternoon at the cove. We sat at some cute little place (I've been there a couple of times and have no idea what it's called) and enjoyed the view.

There were so many kayak-ers (I'm sure that's not even a word) out! It was fun to watch and remember that last time we had taken tour of the cove, there were so many seals sun bathing too.


We walked out to the edge of the cove after our beers to sit but it was kind of cold and windy.

We walked and walked and finally came across Seal Beach (legally named The Children's Pool*). It was really calming and serene even though there were a lot of people around. We sat on a bench and just relaxed, it was really nice.

Stay tuned for this Saturday's adventure :)

*It's unofficially called Seal Beach because a long time ago Seals started to inhabit it although it had always been The Children's Pool because it's a little beach that the waves barely come up to and kid's can enjoy. Currently there is a lot of controversy surrounding it because residents want to enjoy it and get rid of the seals, while many believe it as a conservation area.

SATC: Part 2.

My parties aren't complete without lots of...

Food & Drinks

I had to think about small bites that everyone would enjoy and could serve up to (8) people. It was a challenge because I also wanted a variation of cool and warm food... and I had to keep in mind that I would only have about an hour or so after work to get this all together and get dressed!

This is what I came up with. Unfortunately I didn't get a closeup of the little Chocolate-Chunk Shortbread cookies that I ordered from work but I had to mention them because they were all gone the next day!

I thought about making a traditional Caprese salad with the large tomatoes but they are so hard to eat without a fork and knife so I set out the cherry tomatoes, mozzarella pearls, and basil leaves with toothpicks for everyone to serve themselves.


I also made the Barefoot Contessa's Provencal Scallops, again. They were a hit, I had to make another batch later that night after the movie!

Homemade hummus is always a hit, thankfully this was the only left overs for us to enjoy the next day. Everything else was completely gone!

Drinks, drinks, and more drinks. I infused some vodka with fresh rosemary and them mixed it with black tea-lemonade, it was so refreshing! We also had cosmo's (duh!), champagne and wine. I set out recipes for different martini's in case there wasn't enough... :)

After the movie, we came back and continued to eat & drink! It was a complete success, honestly I don't know if I liked the movie but I think I'll have to re-watch it.

SATC: Part 1.

What makes Sex and the City so attractive (to me) is...

The Fashion.

So it's only fair that I asked everyone in our party to dress to impress. There were a few "are you serious" looks but for the most part everyone was on board, and even those who weren't at first, stepped up to the plate the night of the party!

After careful examination of my closet and a couple new purchases, I had successfully put together an outfit:

Here's a quick overview:

Suit Jacket: Zara

Shirt: J.Crew

Scarf: Hermes

Belt: Gap

Jeans: Gap

Shoes: J.Crew McCallister Boots

Bag: Burberry

Do you remember this post? Well, I don't think that I ever mentioned that I did get it for myself for my 25th birthday :)


I had been eye-ing these babies for months and just couldn't spend the money on them, but somehow I made myself think they would be a practical purchase for SATC.


An impulse buy in Europe while back-packing a couple of years ago... I think I had gone too long feeling like a bum (wearing the same three or four outfits for a month...ick!) and needed my fix.


And of course a variation of my favorite bracelets from Hermes to Tiffany's to Louis Vuitton to D&G.

We all dressed to nines and had a really good time!

Karl Lagerfeld.

You do know who Karl Lagerfeld is, right?!

If you don't... I'm not sure that we are friends ;)

Well, I have this amazing friend at my other job who is truly a fashionista. She is always well versed on the newest fashions lines (especially Louis Vuitton... let's just say I am pretty sure she owns every bag and accessory ever made... haha). Her name is Denise and she is my favorite. She always has the newest "it" bag and knows what hand bag every fashionable celebrity is carrying!

Aside from being ever so stylish, she is smart, fun, and a little older than me... or even my mom... but who cares?! She is awesome and always gives me great life advice. I don't know what I would do without her in my life or how I even survived before moving to California! (I'm sure she thinks the same of me...)

She recently went to Paris with her family and brought me back this little gift...

Yes, it really is, Karl Lagerfeld, the man behind the ever-so-chic Fashion House: Chanel. This limited-edition bottle bears his signature and is currently only available in Paris and now belongs to me :) Thanks Denise, I'm on cloud-nine!



The campaign above was shot by Lagerfeld himself, which features model Coco Rocha sipping the drink which is served up by Baptiste Giacobini.