Easter 2014

I have a pinterest board named 'this is the dream I'm working on'.  I was inspired to create it after reading posts from here and here. I love finding pins that belong on this board. I'm probably even a bit too discerning with what I'll pin to it.

Last weekend we hosted Easter for our families.  This was the first party we've hosted together, the first as a married couple, and the first time having everyone over to our new home. Both our our mothers are amazing hostesses and amazing cooks.  Needless to say, I was a bit nervous.

By no small miracle, all of the food was ready at the same time. 

Dan and I were seated next to each other at the head of the table.  

I had the perfect view of our families around the table.

{OUR EASTER TABLE}

There was a moment at dinner where everyone was talking and eating and laughing, 

I sat back and looked around the table and had overwhelming feelings of contentment and joy.  

I was right smack in the middle of a life that I had dreamed of. 

I paused for a few moments and let myself experience it; hopefully locking away that image, feeling incredibly grateful and then jumped right back in to eating and laughing with our families.

LMD

Happy Holiday's

Our St. Helena weekend wedding

We did it!  We're married!  

It's such a cliché, but the day really flew by so fast.  

I'm trying my best to hold on to and remember every detail.

My friend, and our fabulous photographer, left our wedding and immediately sent us a photo from the day.  Seriously, how awesome is that?

What a perfect moment she was able to capture.  I am beyond grateful.

And beyond grateful to that man in the photo above, for marrying me.
I truly don't know how I got so lucky.

Why am I online 2 days after our wedding  Well, due to some commitments at work, I wasn't able to take a ton of time off.  But there was just enough time to get married and have a fabulous week-long honeymoon in Bora Bora, and for that I am grateful.

We leave tomorrow night. 

See you in a week!

LMF

wishing your life away

I've had so many things to look forward to these past few weeks: my bridal shower, friends weddings, our wedding in two days, our honeymoon...and many things unrelated to weddings too.

I find myself saying, "I can't wait 'til it's the weekend." Or "I can't wait 'til our honeymoon." 

Like, I just wish it would get here faster.

Whenever a phase like that goes through my head, I hear my mom say, 

"Don't wish your life away, Lauren." 

I don't think I really understood what that meant when she first started saying that to me.

But I do now.  

Today is my first day off work for our wedding this weekend.  My mom and I are having mani / pedi's together, picking out the flowers for the bouquets, and making candy as thank you gifts for the vendors that we're working with on Saturday. And that is all I'm going to think about.

Today, I am wishing that it is today.

LMF 

image via

Hostess gifts

My bridal shower is tomorrow.  We've already received a few wedding gifts and honestly, every time I'm handed a gift I can't believe that I'm marrying my favorite person and people are buying me gifts for it.  It just seems crazy!

A close friend of my future mother-in-law is throwing the shower, which is beyond generous.  It's a lot of work to throw a party, especially a shower, I think.  I mean most, if not all, of the guests are people she's never met before.  I am so so grateful.  

I've been trying to come up with a sweet gift to bring her as the hostess.  

Here were a few of my ideas.

{stationary 1 / 2 / 3 | cheese knives | candle | homemade treats}

After our moves this summer, I've sort of been feeling like we have so much "stuff".  So I thought maybe it would be nice to get her something that she could use rather than something that would add to our growing collection of "things".

Last weekend while in Napa, I stopped at my favorite olive oil company (aptly named Napa Valley Olive Oil Manufacturing Company) and picked up a large bottle of their amazing olive oil and their pomegranate balsamic vinegar {so delicious on salads especially with strawberries or peaches}.

A friend I used to work with, always wrapped her packages in fabric swatches.  It looked so pretty and so unique.  And with inspiration from this pin, I decided to wrap my gifts in pretty dishtowels from Anthropologie for an added gift.

I wrapped each bottle in a dish towel with raffia and then included a recipe for my favorite meyer lemon olive oil bread.

Hope she likes it!

Happy long weekend!

LMF

Brunch for the girls

When Dan and I made the decision to stop planning our large wedding and instead have an intimate 14 person celebration, I knew I wanted to make sure and do something special with my girlfriends to celebrate.

I figured that I wouldn't have a bridal shower since our guest list is so small, but instead decided to throw my own bridal brunch at my house, with the amazing help of my maid of honor (and best friend of 17 years!) and my mom and aunt.  When you want to throw a party, these are the women you call!

The guest list wasn't too large.  I invited 20 of my most favorite people in the world, literally,

from all around the world.

I knew not all would make it, but I wanted them all to know they were wanted there and would be missed (I'm talking to you, Lo!).

We had a lot to celebrate - two friends have babies on the way, five of us are getting married (or got married) this year, and two engagements this year.  There are a few other causes for celebration, but those are still under wraps ;) Plus any day that we can all find a few hours to get together is cause for celebration.

I am not the best hostess.  I get stressed and nervous and want everything to go right and everyone to have fun. I love planning everything and I love having everyone over but the hours just before a party, there's always butterflies in my stomach. 

With the help of my amazing mother and aunt and my best friend, the day was everything I had hoped for.  I've been teary-eyed every time I start thinking about it.  I honestly can't believe that I'm lucky enough to know such wonderful people.

We were so busy eating, drinking and chatting, I never picked up my camera.  I have just a few photos while we were setting up.

  

I feel so blessed to have such amazing women in my life. 

I've known both these girls for 20 years.

 (I can't believe I'm old enough to say that.)

I got the sweetest cards from everyone and even though I told them not to, some people brought gifts.

The sweetest gift:

Two years ago, my friend received these slipper/shoes as kind of a joke gift at her bridal shower.  I loved them! And may have even tried them on right there in the middle of her shower. She thought they were absolutely ridiculous.  Apparently, she boxed them right up and has been saving them for me ever since.  

These may be my wedding shoes. 

(I'm not kidding.)

My perfect weekend: 

Saturday - arranging flowers and baking all day with my mom, aunt and best friend

Sunday - sitting in the sun all afternoon, drinking a mimosa with some of the most amazing women I know.

LMF

Easter Sunday and gruyère potato gratin {recipe}

Does anyone else have an Easter village?

  

I got to my parents house on Sunday and it had been completely decked out in Easter and spring.  I wish I had more photos, but I was pretty busy playing with this guy and trying out a few new recipes.

{that's his best friend next to him}

I made a gruyère potato gratin and my first cheesecake.  I was pretty happy how both turned out.  {Okay, the cheesecake wasn't that pretty to look at but it tasted rich and thick and delicious.}

Our dessert table:

Please note there were only nine of us.

Combined recipes from here and here.

Notes:

 - More cheese is better.  This is a rule of life though, really.
 - You can prepare this ahead of time and refrigerate it.  If you do, let it warm to room temperature for about an hour before you bake it.

 - This recipe is really forgiving.  If you need to bake it at a lower temperature (say because there's a ham in the oven too), just bake it for a bit longer.

 - After it bakes the first time, if it looks a bit dry add more milk directly to the pan.

 - The longer you bake it uncovered the more the sauce will get absorbed by the potatoes.  If you want it more cheesy and saucy don't bake it as long.

My parents and my aunt.  Needless to say, Easter was pretty fun. :)

LMF

the star of the family: Love

One of the first time's that Dan was hanging out with my family, we were talking about one of my cousins basketball games.  Dan's a huge basketball fan and my cousin, Kenny is a senior on the varsity basketball team at my old high school. 

My mom said something that will forever go down in our family history.  When we were talking about Ken and what a great basketball player he is, my mom told Dan "he's the star of the family".

I think she may have meant the star of the basketball team or a star basketball player or something.  But she immediately caught herself and we all started laughing.

I think I responded with something like, "well that's definitely good to know."

It's now become a running joke between me and my cousin.  On his Christmas present this year, I put a glittery star and he jokes about getting to do what he wants since he's "the star".

It's all in good fun as he is one of the most humble people I know, as noted in an article about him in the local newspaper {here}.

One of his teammates is quoted saying that he is the most unselfish player on the team.  His scoring per game went down this year which a lot of people raised questions about.  It turns out this was a conscious decision he made, saying that he knew the team would be better overall if he passed the ball and made more assists than shots himself.

{the student body holds up hearts for his free throws}

Saturday was the last game of his high school career.  The team made it to the California State Championship, which has only happened 4 times in the history of the school.  It's the first time that the school didn't get stomped at the Championship.  Up until the last 3 minutes of the game the score was always within a few points.  It ended 58-52 with the other team winning.

(via)

I am so incredibly proud of my cousin.  He ends his high school basketball career with over 1,000 points scored and holding the school record for wins, 107.  More than that, you won't find a single person that could say an unkind thing about him.

(via)

One of my favorite sayings and something that I admire about him so much.

For you Ken Love:

#soproud #loveneverfails

Heck, maybe he is the star of the family. I'l have to let my brother know. :)

LMF

superhuman happiness

I haven't much felt like posting lately.  Stress baking, yes, but posting and reading 

and commenting blogs, no.

You see, there's some stuff my family is dealing with and as much as I'm trying not to let it, 

it's pretty much consuming my thoughts right now.

  (Apologies for the vague-ness.  I've always hated vague posts and swore I'd never write them, 

but the story isn't fully mine to share.)

Today I had to post.  

In the middle of all the craziness there is happiness - Superhuman Happiness.

My brother's band is in The Wall Street Journal.

via The Wall Street Journal

That's my brother, second from the left. The article is about one of his bands, Superhuman Happiness. Read it here.  

A few months ago, they were also featured on the homepage of Rolling Stone's website.  

My favorite part from The Wall Street Journal article: 

"When I started making demos, I played them for all the major producers. They all passed," he recalled. "They said: 'You need a front man with a charismatic voice.'" But the members of Superhuman Happiness were convinced they have something special as they are.

"It's wonderful to feel creative rewards for being patient," Mr. Bogie said. "When you mean what you play, you're sending something out to the universe."

I am so extremely proud of my brother.  There are not many people in this world who have the courage to do what they truly love.  He is so talented and so patient and so determined.  

A few weeks ago, this review was written about my brother:

"most guitarists plug into amplifiers. but after settling down at our table in the soft luminescence of club b10 at MASS MOCA, i slowly awakened to the reality that this electric guitar was plugged directly into the space-time continuum. had the concert begun already? were the gently swelling chords part of the show, or had they always been there from the beginning of time?

 

whatever their origin, these notes were not played; they were invoked. the soloist didn’t take the stage; he merely existed alongside the audience. he was a musician without ego, a sonic force without presence, a true rarity in the universe. i was experiencing the first stage of superhuman happiness; serenity." by christopher brownfield

In reference to this review, my brother said "finally someone who gets it". ;)

LMF

*check out more at http://www.ryanferreira.com/

Men's Gift Guide {1 thing only}

Last Christmas, Dan surprised my with a gorgeous bracelet I've always wanted.  It was completely unexpected.  Both his mom and sister knew about it and were excited to hear about my reaction when I opened it.

They asked him later about what I had gotten him.  He told them "different stuff, some underwear and things." He failed to mention that I got him multiple pairs of the world's most expensive underwear! That he couldn't stop telling me about! 

Apparently, for men, these are the worlds most comfortable underwear. (I guess they could be comfortable for women too, but I haven't tried.)

Lululemon - Game On Boxer Brief

I got my brother one pair last year, just as a joke, like ha ha your sister bought you underwear.  

(It was funnier in my head.)

It's the only thing he's asked for this year.

LMF

New York

We're headed to New York tonight on the red-eye. 

Visiting some really good friends and hopefully seeing my brother play one night.

I don't think I've been shy about my love for the airport, but there's something even more exciting for me when the plane's headed to NYC. 

It's one of my favorite cities in the world.  And I feel very spoiled getting to see these friends twice in one month!  

She's the kind of friend that no matter how long we go without talking we pick right back up where we left off.  There never seems enough time during our visits to say everything that needs to be said.  I hope everyone is lucky enough to have a friend like that.

Aside from the guys playing golf a few times, our long weekend is completely open - my favorite kind of vacation!

We'll definitely spend one afternoon in central park.

And I'm hoping one day will be a bit grey out so that we can head to the Guggenheim or the MOMA.  It's so hard to spend a sunny day in a museum and even after all my trips to New York, I've never been to either.

In so many of my favorite cities I have a favorite food I have to get.  

In New York it's the black and white cookie.

"The key to eating a black and white cookie, Elaine, is you want to get some black and some white in each bite. Nothing mixes better than vanilla and chocolate. And yet, still, somehow racial harmony eludes us. If people would only look to the cookie. All our problems would be solved." ~Jerry

Amen Jerry!

What are some of your favorite shops / restaurants / sites in New York?

I'm always looking for new places to try!

Have a fabulous week and weekend!

LMF

Summers Last Weekend

You know all those times where you have big, huge expectations and then the event or weekend turns out to be kind of anti-climatic, still fun but kind of not as big as you thought, 

like New Years sometimes.  

My last weekend of summer was the exact opposite of that.  I had imagined it to be a fun weekend with family and friends but it was so much better.

I said good-bye to my Boston-bound cousins (the 2 on either end).  

They've had enough of California for a while and are packing up and heading east, with a few job prospects and an apartment they've never seen before.  

I could not be more proud of them or more excited for their adventure.  

Plus it means I get to visit :)

The next day I headed to Vegas with some girlfriends.  It wasn't your typical Vegas trip.  We stayed with my friend's mom and never even made it to the strip.  

My friend, Laurel, is moving to New Zealand at the end of the month {!!!} and we've had so many awesome Vegas trips in the past decade+ together we decided that would be the perfect send off.  

We started each day by putting on our bikinis and 50 spf {desert sun!} and heading out to the pool.  We pretty much stayed there until the sun went down.  It was perfect.

The weekend included an amazing home-cooked dinner by Allison, dance parties, a synchronized swimming performance, shannon-balls, and our own personal bodyguard at the club (Laurel's brother), plus me diving for the first time.  It wasn't graceful but I did it!

 Monday I came home to my boys and we had a huge BBQ at my parents.  Huge in the amount of food not the amount of people.  I don't know why my mother always cooks like the entire extended family is coming over when it's just 4 of us.  But it's always delicious!  

Hope your last days of summer are just as perfect for you!

LMF

NYC Subway Station - dekalb {Music Giveaway}

This a photo of my brother standing next to a photo of himself in a New York subway station.  

He was walking through the subway station and glanced over and saw a photo of himself on the wall.  Shocking, right?!

Apparently a photographer took a photo of him while on the train a while back and his work is being featured in the station.  There's no way to really tell when the photo was taken since he frequently wears a black tee-shirt with black pants, as you can see.

My brother is an amazing musician in New York.  Check out his websites here and here.  He plays the guitar and the piano but he can pretty much pick up any stringed instrument and play it.  He's really quite extraordinary.  

{Actually what's really extraordinary is how he completely took all the artistic genes and I got all the analytical ones. lol}

My brother's offering free music downloads to anyone who shares the photo on facebook or takes a picture with it in the subway station and posts it.  See more details here.  Click here to for some of his work.

LMF

**Please excuse this shameless plug of my brother, but he's amazing and I love him and he doesn't know I'm posting this.  I think it would be kind of cool to surprise him with a whole bunch of facebook "sharing" from some cute blogging ladies {I'm assuming most readers are women - sorry guys, if you're out there! - I'm sure he'd love your fb shares too!}

This weekend I did not:
 - workout;
 - bake the cookies I wanted to bring to "J crew's" baby shower;
 - do any laundry;
 - vacuum or clean my house, as I had planned.

Instead, I:
- spent Saturday afternoon and evening with friends and their families (and their babies!);
- lounged in the sun eating delicious food, listening to great music, drinking champagne punch;
- took my Dad out to lunch at his favorite burger place in Healdsburg for Father's Day;
- lounged on my deck drinking iced tea reading a new book

{via}

Nothing was crossed off my to-do list and it was perfect.

LMF

For my Dad

I wrote about my Dad {here}.  

My Dad has always worked so hard to take care of our family.  He's the type of guy that ate the burnt toast at breakfast so we didn't have to.  He's always taken care of everyone else around him first before he takes care of himself.  I am so lucky that he is my father.

Thanks for being my daddy.  I love you.

LMF

May 31

I have a big family.  Not absurdly big or anything, but with my Dad being one of four and my mom one of three and everyone married with children and then with all the in-law families married with children, it can seem a bit large to outsiders.  Probably because we're all so close as well.

I love it.  I love it when we all get together.  We have some amazing cooks and bakers in the family so there's never a shortage of delicious food.  And with my Dad and Uncle's, I'm never short on laughs.

The best holiday's were the one where Cousin Brian was there. Yes, that's his name.  Cousin. Brian. That's what I called him - and still do :)

~1987

See, when he was about 8 or 9 years old he moved across the country to Pennslyvania to live with his Dad.  We're exactly 1 year and 2 days apart in age, so for the first 9 years of my life he was at just about every family gathering and my very best friend growing up.  My older brother wanted to do boy things like play outside and ride skateboards.  But Cousin Brian liked what I liked.  He wanted to dance around the room to La Bamba with me and play My Little Pony.  

I hated when he moved.  Every holiday I ask if Cousin Brian would be there.  He didn't really like to fly alone, so most holiday's he stayed out there.  But I was so excited for the one's he did come to. Those were the best ones.

September 2010 - At his wedding

Happy Birthday to my most Favorite Cousin!  I love you so so much.  You really are one of my favorite people in the whole wide world.  The best days are always with you.

LMF

May 30

Today's my Dad's birthday.  I was born 11:55 at night, 5 minutes to his birthday.  

He said I was the perfect birthday gift. 

August 2009 

At my going away party - (i.e. moving to London)  

We celebrate everything :)

September 2010

 Dancing at my cousins wedding

(Apparently we like black and red)

Happy Birthday Dad.  I couldn't ask for a better Dad.  Thank you so much for raising me and loving me and always being here for me. I love you.

LMF

Mother's Day Brunch

I had planned to take my mom out for brunch at Zazu, but then we found out my cousin was graduating from college that day.  At first I was a bit disappointed that we couldn't celebrate the way I had planned. (My mom and I love brunch, I mean, who doesn't!)  But then I thought, what a wonderful Mother's Day gift for my aunt - having her youngest graduate from college.  

Congratulations Kourtney!

So instead of going out for brunch I made us brunch for dinner.

On the menu:

Asparagus, Tomato, & Prosciutto Frittata

recipe {here}

Avocado, Strawberry Salad with Balsamic Reduction

Cinnamon Sugar Messy Bread

{recipe from spoonforkbacon.com}
Don't make this for people you don't really like.
Seriously, they will never leave you alone.  It's that good.

I hope all you moms had a wonderful Mother's Day.

LMF
**recipes coming soon