Front Yard Oasis

We live across the street from the ocean. A 10 minute walk will land you at the clean beach.

The view from our bathroom window.


Despite being so close to the beach, it is a haul trekking down there with the stuff needed for babies. So we've been doing this:

It's no day at the beach, but it's not too bad. Our little front yard oasis!

Dip From Heaven and My Family Came To Visit

Before we went to Arizona for my cousin's wedding, my younger brother and sister in law came for a visit. It was a very relaxed trip. We only ventured into Hollywood 1 day and spent the rest of the time at the beach.

They arrived the night before Mother's Day, so we spent the holiday morning lounging in our pjs and walking to the fishing pier. Once the girls went down for their nap, I received the best gift ever: an afternoon of adult time. JD stayed with the girls while Grant, Jenni and I went to Manhattan Beach for lunch.

Grant and Jenni are my most favorite people to go out to eat with. They love food and are both very chatty. Our conversations are always engaging, poignant, and hilarious. We laugh, we cry, we encourage each other, and we make fun of each other. I love them and wish I could go out to eat with them once a week.

Jenni and I split a garlic and bleu cheese burger. It was amazeballs, but it wasn't the star of the meal. The spinach artichoke dip with 10 different delicious cheeses was. Grant said it tasted like God reached down from Heaven and stirred it with His finger. He was right, it tasted heavenly. We devoured it while trying to savor every bite. Even after Jenni and I said we were finished, we kept eating. I'm getting a job at the restaurant so I can learn how to make that dip. It changed our lives.

 

It was hard, but we managed to carry on with our lives after that delicious meal. We spent the rest of the week at the beach. Laguna was the next stop.

Grant and Jenni are newlyweds, so there was a lot of this going on:

The next day we went to the Hollywood sign and the Grove where I talked to Andy Cohen, the brain behind the Real Housewives series. It was super fun, but soon enough we were back at the beach. Huntington Beach was the next stop.

Grant rented a surfboard while us girls lounged in the sun all day.

Their visit was short and we miss them terribly. Hurry back, guys!

I Hate Nature

So, my roses decided to be awesome. They are blooming and thriving and I can see the neighbors envying them.

Pretty, right?

Well, because they are so pretty, I have been snipping the blooms every day to bring into the house. Little bud vases are placed around my house with clusters of my enviable roses. I'm quite proud and feel really fancy having fresh flowers anytime I want them.

Everything was going great until last week. I was snipping away at my rose bushes, collecting blooms, when I noticed tiny bugs crawling on the flowers. I hate bugs. I hate all creepy crawlies. I hate all animals that aren't furry. Because of my hatred, I freak out. I quickly brought the bug-infested roses inside to wash.

As I was filling up the sink, a giant scorpion-like creature crawled out from in between the petals. I FREAKED OUT. I managed to throw the creature and rose into the sink where I violently sprayed water and ran the disposal. I placed the drain cover thing on top of the drain and didn't take it off for several hours in case the scorpion creature lived through the drowning and grinding. I hate bugs.

I have a new ritual when collecting blooms for my house now. I snip. I shake. I submerge. I inspect and repeat if necessary.

I realize this is a ridiculous process, but I really want fresh flowers in my house. And for nature to stay out of my house.

Side note: the scorpion-like bug was not a scorpion, but a pincher bug. Eek! 2 have made it inside. 2 have died via drowning/grinding.
Side note 2: as I was writing this blog, a FREAKING LIZARD crawled into my house through the side door. 
Side note 3: we are moving ASAP. 

Flower Girl

We traveled to Arizona this past weekend for my cousin's wedding in the desert. Beatrice was the flower girl. We were pretty nervous that she wouldn't actually walk down the aisle, but she was born to be a flower girl. She tossed those petals like it was her job. Beatrice rocked it.

The wedding was at sunset at an old cattle ranch in the desert. It was probably the most beautiful wedding I have ever seen. So, so gorgeous and romantic.

She was so good at flowering the aisle, my cousin had to go get her so the bride could actually walk to her groom. Hilarious, sweet moment.

After the wedding, there was nothing left to do but party. And sleep. Poor sissy was so exhausted from the intense heat. 

 

The flower girl got her first drink from the bar: a Shirley Temple.

 I had one too, with extra cherries.

The best part of the weekend was the wedding. The second best part about the weekend was getting to be with my family. They were all there.

 

 

After dinner, the dancing began. And it didn't quit. We had to carry this girl off of the dance floor.

Twins gone wild!

Congratulations, Ryan and Erin! Thanks for including us on your beautiful day.