HAPPY BIRTHDAY MRS. PORCELLI!

Words can not express the joy that this lovely couple has injected into our lives. First of all, they are a great couple AND they like to hang out with us AND we like to hang out with them - a surprisingly difficult combination to find in friends nowadays. Second of all, Jana loves many of the same things I do: corepower yoga, food, all things French or Franco, spirituality, ambition, travel, champagne... the list goes on and on. Third of all, this couple includes Porch, who is both wildly entertaining and good-hearted, whether he means to be or not. This is why we were ecstatic to join in on Jana's celebration of HER first 29th birthday. Time will only tell how many more times the two of us will turn 29 again (and again... and again).

The birthday intended on a super-fun, super laid-back bonfire at Aliso (the beach, not the city) - except for one minor detail = bonfire nazis. Groups of tourists and anti-tourist-locals who troll the local beaches for open bonfire sites from the unreasonable hour of 6AM and stake their holdings until dusk via tag-team guarding. So, a bonfire was absolutely out of the question. Not to worry! A simple circle of chairs, sans bonfire in the center, is still fun when in good company. So we ended up with a fun beach day, pow-wows around a ledge packed with food and champagne in a can (thank you Mr. Coppola) and confetti cupcakes. yum!

Mrs. Porch - I hope you had a fantastic birthday. You are loved - not just by us either! By everyone who strolled through to wish you the best year of your life!

On Vacation From The Comfort Of Home

Have you ever pretended to be on vacation in your own hometown? No?!? Well, you SHOULD because it is fantastic! How did this magical weekend occur? Well... it began with a long overdue visit from our fantastic friends, Pat and Molly, newly engaged and glowing white hot, from both loving bliss and a severe lack of sun at their digs in SF. We had the pleasure of spending every single waking moment with this adorable couple, as happy in love as we are. So we filled our time with a fantastic show at the Laguna Beach Pageant of the Masters, beach time on the Peninsula (meaning that everyone swam and basked in the sun while I hid under my towel from over-carmelizing into an extra dark chunk of coal), multiple ping-pong tournaments to the heavenly sounds of a JT concert on DVD, sunset cocktails at Las Brisas and shopping at boutiques throughout Laguna. But I digress, what did we fill our stomachs with? Mouthwatering sandwiches from Champagne's Deli, where meats are over-roasted and breads baked from their own kitchen... Refreshing ice-cold whitefish ceviche and creamy guacamole at Las Brisas... Satisfying tuna melts from Big Belly Deli (where'd I'd ALWAYS rather be).... Eggs Benedict and Belgian Waffles at the Beach House in Laguna... various mediterranean delicacies at the Panini Cafe... and a classic diner breakfast from the Galley Cafe. At the end of the weekend, we felt like we had just returned from a relaxing weekend spent somewhere else in the company of great friends. Can't wait to do it again soon... (that means, COME BACK PAT AND MOLLY!!!)