Thanksgiving 2014

Thanksgiving was a success! I did not prepare anything though so who am I to say that?! LOL I woke up with sore throat and a headache and was useless pretty much the whole day. Thank God for my sister and her fiance for helping Ron out. Ron went to a quick grocery store hopping trip during the morning to look for good stuff we can serve for lunch and dinner.

We also took some time to take family pictures during dinner. It was a little tough to keep the crowd focused when you have a dog who's in a humping mood. Hahaha! I hope everyone else had a great Thanksgiving! :)

Tree is Up!

Sundays are made for family lunches and lazy days. After a great nap on Sunday afternoon and Ron's walk with the dogs, we finally got the courage to put up the tree. We did it in more or less an hour and that includes rearranging some furniture. (#recordtime) We tried not to make the tree look like it's vomiting ornaments and kept it minimal this year. It's still as pretty and it will for sure get anyone who comes to our home in the mood for the holidays.

The dogs were not as happy because we're not cuddling with them instead. Chippy was looking extra unhappy for being our little elf this year while Fox gave me a little pose...probably to show how thankful he is for not being this year's elf. Hahaha!

Weekend Starts in 3, 2, 1...

It's mother freakin Friday! Kick up your feet and have a drink or two! You survived another week and you are officially six weeks away from 2015. Isn't that insane to think about? I am feeling a little nervous and excited for the coming year. Not sure why just yet but I am hopeful that we are going to have another great year.

Here's your drink...

Pasadena Playhouse District

Here's an area we definitely want to explore more...particularly the restaurants around it. #foodieforlife! Hahaha! After lunch at Urth Caffe, we walked around the block (quite literally) and walked by some places that I would love to try.

We will most likely be back. :)

Beach Day: La Jolla, CA

When my sister was in town, we spent her only weekend here in SoCal in San Diego. And as one of our cousins suggested, we hung out at La Jolla after we all got a massage. I already miss that weekend and how much time we spent relaxing. Quality time with family is always time well-spent.

The sky in these pictures are so deceptive, you'd think it was a cold day at the beach but I promise you, it was not. It was so hot and bright!

So we tested the water, it wasn't cold but there were so many slippery rocks that it did not feel safe to dive in and go far from the shore.

And then this thing I know would happen happened.

But don't worry, nobody got hurt...within the next 15 minutes. Haha!

Don't worry, she's fine. :p

Now here's my sister and her cool sunnies. 

 And then the sisters again thinking they're cool with their kuya Ron handing them the GoPro.

 "I need a GoPro."

My love. :)

<3

You will never guess why she was running towards me and Ron.

A Day Out in Los Angeles: LA Gun Club + Urth Caffe + The Last Bookstore

A few weeks ago, our cousin invited us to go to a firing range and because Ron and I are up for anything new, and I am personally up for anything that would allow me to spend more time with my cousins, I was so down. So we planned to spend our Sunday at the Los Angeles Gun Club. At first I was excited but as soon as we entered the area where the shooting lanes were, I started getting nervous and I wanted to run out.  Like I said in one of my Instagram posts, I did well but I did not like it. On a more positive note, I am happy that at least I can say that I have tried it at least once in my life.

I got so stressed that I wanted to eat afterwards. Hahaha! I saw on Yelp that Urth Caffe was only a quarter mile away so we went there. I loved everything that I/we tried, including the Green Tea Boba (thanks ate!) except for the salad - it was too earthy for me, I wish I had asked for a sweeter, fruitier dressing.

Ysa's Fruit Tart to start her meal (right) ;)

The "New Yorker" Sandwich

Grilled Cilantro Chicken with Pesto

Margarita Pizza

Our last stop was the Last Bookstore. This place is wonderful. It is indeed a candy store for book lovers and vinyl collectors. Also, it gave me and my cousin a hipster-y feeling. We loved this place and I plan to make a separate post because of all the amount of pictures that I took. Also, coming back is in our to-do list in the coming months. :)

In the Still of the Night

Because when everyone's asleep, I become a creep and take pictures. This was last night, after a few drinks and lots of stories.

I hope you enjoy something equally satisfying as this. ;)

Twenty-seven

Last year, one of my friends went camping with friends to celebrate her birthday. Ron and I enjoyed so much that we decided to go camping for my birthday. Although a few people backed out, I'd still say it's quite a success, and with that, here are some pictures. :)

Friday.
We got to the campsite at around 5pm. Ron and our two friends were too busy unpacking, setting up, and other things I would rather have them do so I took advantage of my 5-minute alone time and took a few pictures. Of course that would not have been possible if my mom was not taking care of the little doggy. :) My sister, her fiance and a couple of our other friends arrived later that night. :)

Saturday.
I was woken up by a little dog staring at me and trying to give me doggy kisses--it's safe to say that it worked. Three of our friends got to the site that morning, finally making the group complete! We all hiked to the beach and did our own stuff there; surf, stare, sit, talk, and take pictures.

Quiet growling.

Barking.

Beach first-timer.

I love this picture. Too bad Ryan and I are not in it...he was surfing and I was [well] taking the picture.

To all my friends, who came through, THANK YOU SO MUCH! I really appreciate you guys making it. :)