The 365 Project: Day 188 (July 8th)

Mom and I made it to Portland on Thursday, in time to have dinner with my little brother before he left Friday morning for a moving job to SF. We hunted down this little Lebanese restaurant Cory had been wanting to try. Luckily they let us squeeze in 5 minutes before closing. (Warning: Everything closes early in Portland!) It was super yummy and Mom and I had leftovers for days!
Can you tell how excited he is to have his picture taken? I think right before I took it he said something along the lines of, "this better not go on your blog". Hehehe.

The 365 Project: Day 187 (July 7th)

On the road again! I always like to stop in Garberville on my way north. Not because it's such a nice place to visit. It's not. But because it's a good place to stop for gas and a burrito at Nacho Mama--this random little shack across from the gas station.
Couldn't ask for a more beautiful day to be on the road! And don't worry, I was stopped for road construction when I took this.

The 365 Project: Day 186 (July 6th)

Today was a transition day. We drove home from San Luis, did some laundry, and I packed to head north for my furlough week.

As for the photo--that's our halibut. It was a wedding gift from my cousin, Brenda, and her manfriend, Jimmy--we stayed with them in Kenai a couple years ago. The halibut hangs in our kitchen. It makes me happy.

The 365 Project: Day 185 (July 5th)

Our timing to be enjoying the Central Coast could not have been better. Rather than heading straight home on Monday, we stopped over for a quick stay in San Luis. Still Time was playing their Welcome Home show at The Cliffs--which was, of course, not to be missed! The fact that The Cliffs was having a $100 deal that night didn't hurt either! (It normally costs over $200 a night to stay here--it's such a great place to unwind!)
And look who joined us--YAY! Jin Ho and Nena were with us too--they were just off causing some sort of ruckus elsewhere!
The view from our patio.
The view of my incredible dessert. (Two cookies not pictured here.)

Have you checked out the new(er) Splash Cafe that they opened in San Luis? I know it's not the same as eating chowder at the original in Pismo, but oh-my-goodness, the one in San Luis is mixed with a bakery and chocolate factory!! Which basically means I could care less about the original these days...

The 365 Project: Day 184 (July 4th)

Who knew the 3 of us would end up with such fabulous +1s?? My goodness we're a lucky little group of friends.
We also got the news over the weekend that Schiltz and Lindsey (on the left) are very newly pregnant!! Love it! Well, I love it; she's still in her first trimester, so she's not loving it so much...! Congrats all around!!! This is such a fun time in life.
Josh's uncle hosted Sunday brunch at his place in the hills overlooking a citrus orchard in Ojai. The view was incredible, the food was yummy, and the fresh squeezed tangerine juice was ridonk! Such a fun way to bring everyone back together before the weekend ended.
Speaking of views, this is the view off the deck of the studio we rented through VRBO over the weekend. At $100 a night, it was a pretty incredible deal--especially considering the (fancy) Motel 6 that most guests stayed at near the beach was $170/night! If you're headed to SB anytime soon, check this place out. It's above the homeowner's garage in a great little neighborhood in the hills. We had to drive everywhere, but it was super cozy and only about 10 minutes to anywhere we needed to go. Oh, and there's also a great little coffee shop at the bottom of the hill, Goleta Coffee Company, that has the best breakfast burrito I've ever had. Yum. Happy Vacationing!

The 365 Project: Day 183 (July 3rd)

We spent our 4th of July weekend celebrating the marriage of Josh and Alexandra. Josh (of "Josh & Leon") is one of my dearest friends from college, and generally one of my favorite people on the planet. It was awesome to spend a few days back with the boys (most of whom now live in Denver) and to have the opportunity to celebrate such an incredible couple.
Raf and I were in charge of setup--meeting with the ceremony vendors and making sure the little details found their place. As you can see, this was a simple enough task--it was a very intimate and low key gathering. The only trouble was the pregnant girl making it back from the bathroom a few hundred yards away before the ceremony began!!

Alexandra looked A-MAZ-ING! Seriously. Fabulous.
I finally got to meet Kristen, Leon's girl of the past year and a half or so. She's SO much fun! Love her. Oh why does everyone have to live in Colorado...?!
The reception was at Stella Mare's in Santa Barbara. They have this fabulous little private room on the side. It's all glassed in like a little greenhouse. Freaking adorable. Such a great vibe and an absolute perfect fit for about 50 people.
Oh, and the dessert--to die for!

YAYYYY!!!! I love weddings! Especially when it's people I love and appreciate so much. Congrats you two--we love you!!

PS--check out the slideshow their photographer put together here. Incredible!

The 365 Project: Day 182 (July 2nd)

As you may have heard, we are STRUGGLING to choose a girl name. Our boy name has been rock-solid in our heads since Day 1. Not so much on the girl front. The minute I got pregnant, our previous favorite flew right out the window. I like to think that's a mother's intuition: because it's a boy, of course! My mother (who always refers to the little squirrel as a "she"), likes to tell me it's not because it's a boy--it's "because she's telling you that's not her name!"

Well then what the heck is it, child??!

We finally had to resort to hitting up the library for a baby name book. I read lists and lists of them to Raf on our drive to Santa Barbara. Let me tell you how much he enjoyed that...um yeah, not at all!

We have a few possibilities, but still no consensus. I think I may have found my favorite (which was actually the first name to catch my eye in this book). I didn't think it would stick for me, but now, a couple weeks later, it's still with me and I'm starting to love it. Unfortunately, baby daddy isn't currently feeling the love. Sigh.

The 365 Project: Day 181 (July 1st)

Met up with Raf's work team for lunch today. Two of the them are still on maternity leave and brought their adorable little boys along. I asked for the meetup so I could finally pass on their (super late) belly blankies. (And so I could sneak in some baby viewing time, of course!)
These photos are of the birth announcement that Sally sent us. Aren't these the most adorable things you've ever seen?!?! Now I must have baby photos shot by a professional. Go figure.

The 365 Project: Day 180 (June 30th)

The dust is getting a little thick in our master bedroom. I'm not sure when we moved out of it (due to the master bath construction), but woah--it could sure use some TLC! And I could sure use a night on my beloved pillow-topped mattress.

The 365 Project: Day 179 (June 29th)

I forgot my camera, but this is how I spent my evening. Well, my midnight to be more accurate! What a great way to cap off a day after finding out you're being laid off! Seriously. It was FAB. I still can't believe I stayed awake that long, though. Thank goodness for Sour Patch Kids.

Best news of the day: the movie didn't totally suck this time! Yay!

Note: this photo is special for Justin--I know how much he loves that Kristen Stewart never completely closes her mouth.