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!

My Very First 29th Birthday... Part Deux

You know me... I'll use any excuse to spend some more time with my lovely friends. And few excuses are better than birthdays! Hence, a delightful dinner at the Zinc Cafe in Laguna Beach (perfectly refreshing gazpacho + potato arugula pizza + swanky white ... just in case you were wondering) followed by fun times at Ocean Ave, a "brewery," in quotes because I've never actually consumed a pint of their brew, nor do I ever remember anyone ordering one during our numerous visits over the years. Weird, right?

Speaking of weird, I once believed that I had a rather unfortunate super power to magnetically attract every weird-o within a 10 mile radius. This night was no exception. The evening began with some fantastic jazz by a trio who must have been playing together for the at LEAST 60 years... seemingly weird but actually delightful and relaxing in the best way. The weird part began a passer-by found the trio equally delightful and relaxing but did not want to come in for a glass of wine or a delicious bite to eat. So she just enjoyed the music from the other side of the hedge about 1.5 feet away from the keyboardist, swaying to the melody to the very last drop, when the trio announced their last song. It was funny for the first five minutes, amusing for the two songs that followed, and definitely creepy for the remaining 20 songs.

It doesn't end there. We finally get to Ocean Ave and the only other people there are 40-50-somethings. It seems that one of these little princesses were out past her bedtime. P.S. If in 25 years, you find me even slightly resembling this pretty gem, PLEASE INTERVENE!

I don't mean to be a jerk. I promise. But some things just beg to be shared. I'm happy to say that I had a wonderful night in the company of fantastic friends. Birthday mission accomplished!

The Dirty Thirty... feat. Chad Dains

It's happening more and more... our friends are beginning the long descent over and down "the hill" towards experience and maturity, if you can call it that! Of course, exiting your 20s entitles you to a big bash, which our friend Chad executed in style, thanks to his loving and extremely organized wife. We made it out for one day and one night of this precisely planned weekend, but keeping partying in Vegas short and sweet is just that, short and sweet. We first enjoyed a warm day by the pool at the Red Rock Resort and Casino. Cherry Pool - extreme drunken debauchery fenced in to protect the kids and families outside at the main pool. A quick shower and we were back out for a delicious, home-cooked dinner at the Boyers. Roasted beef tenderloin accompanied by a plethora of fixings - yum. Followed by a plethora of desserts - fresh carrot cake, cheesecake, strawberries and cream - triple yum.

Then, the second night of partying began, complete with party bus chauffeuring us to Las Vegas' finest: Frankie's Tiki Room (think Royal Hawaiian, pre-renovation and in all its ghetto-fabulous glory), Caramel, and The Bank. The amazing thing was that all of this went smoothly - Blake left nothing to chance. So we returned, safely, back at our hotel in Summerlin at the not-so-wee hour of 4:30AM and planning to wake up again at 5:20AM to pack and ready ourselves for a 6AM airport shuttle for our morning flight back home. Yeah right. Bobby drank enough to think he could actually do this with a smile on his face. Yeah right. I knew better, so after watching Bobby gracefully lay his handsome head to rest, I hightailed it back down to the casino floor for some good, old-fashioned single deck blackjack. It was fun. Waking Bobby up an hour later was not, but that's neither here nor there, so I'll end with this:

Happy Birthday Chad! It was too much fun!

Camping Trails

Another fantastic weekend with friends! We ended up at Campsite 106 at Trails (aka San Onofre State Beach Park), right next to Trail 4. The weekend raised a few realizations:

• Our friends are awesome. Even in a cramped campsite, half of which was ON TOP of a parking space and placed about 60 feet from the freeway, we had way too much fun.
• S'mores around a campfire = heaven. They're pretty good all the time, but around a campfire?? Utterly delicious.
• Living in southern California is fantastic. FANTASTIC. I officially subscribe to the belief that people come here to vacation from all around the world with good reason.
• We do not appreciate living here enough! More time at the beach and in the ocean please!!!!

p.s. that's my handsome hubby on the far right in the water and Kolby in the center. by the way, "where's Kolby?"

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!!!)

Pat's "Birthday"

Pat and Molly are making it official! CONGRATS!!! CONGRATS!!! CONGRATS!!! Sounds like a perfect proposal on top of Mount Tam, one of the most beautiful places in the Bay Area! This guy tricked us all into flying up to SF for his big, gigantic 29th "birthday party"- fishy for a guy who never even mentioned his birthday when he was living down the street from us. But really, who cares??? There is nothing better than celebrating engagements except, maybe, for the way these two did it!!! Surrounded by fantastic friends (you're welcome) and a never-ending stream of wine, beer, and cocktails. Carting between wineries in Napa, pre-party champagne, and a fantastic party at a private corner of the Starlight Room overlooking Union Square. The type of celebration I can get on board with! The best part is that these two are CLEARLY fantastic for each other. We are so happy for them and definitely eager for the upcoming wedding! Oh yeah, "happy birthday Pat."

starting 'em young

Introducing Attie - our friend Joy's beautiful baby girl! Bobby also happens to think she is the smartest baby we have ever met and really, REALLY likes her. It's easy to see why!!

Sylvia + Phil

How sweet are these two? We were thrilled and honored to celebrate with Sylvia and Phil as they officially tied the knot during a beautiful ceremony and fun reception at the Garden Court Hotel in Palo-Alto. The wedding was full of joy and smiling faces - it was so touching to see two people grow their relationship with all the blessings of their family and friends. I loved seeing Sylvia beaming as she walked down the aisle and it was good to hear all the wonderful things said about the couple - they clearly complement each other in the best way and I can not wait to see what the future holds for these two. p.s. the food was fantastic.

a new beginning...

We're officially done with school and have big, bad MBA degrees to boot as we embark on a new chapter of our everchanging lives as the SMITHs. It's a new opportunity to get back to the things we really love in life, like our family and friends, traveling and other hobbies, like actually reading books because we want to, not because we have to take a test on it in an hour! At same time, it's a little daunting to have a blank slate in front of us in every way - from something so simple as a week without a single set evening plan, to how we will shape our professional careers in light of our new degrees. I guess only time will tell! Right now, we're just cherishing this time with our friends and family who were so supportive throughout our continued education and have come by to celebrate! Thanks everyone! You guys are the best!