Surprise Getaway

A couple months ago Steve and I were watching the Bachelor, it was one of the episodes where Jason takes the girls on a group date to a hotel rooftop overlooking all of Los Angeles. While watching the show I fell in love with the location and the hotel decor. It looked like such a cool place, very romantic and I blurted out loud that I would love to go there sometime. Well that sometime was this weekend! Steve remembered the place, Hotel Le Petit, did a little research and booked a room for the weekend. Early Saturday morning we had our bags packed and we were out the door. We have been working our butts off and really needed a little bit of r & r. Of course I brought my camera and took a ton of pictures (which Steve loves--not really) but I promise not to bore you with them ALL, just a few.

Road Trip!
We made it!

The hotel was full of eclectic antiques and original art pieces, very bohemian/French country. I loved it!

After checking in we changed into our suits and lounged by the rooftop pool.

After spending the day by the pool, listening to French music and eating lunch, we headed back to our room and got ready for dinner.

We watched the sunset from the rooftop garden. We might have spent a little too much time at the pool. Yeah, that is called a sunburn--not good.

Steve made reservations for Lola's. The food was flippin fantastic.

After dinner we decided to walk back to our hotel and strolled along Santa Monica Blvd. There are quite a few characters in LA. On our way we stopped at La Boheme for dessert. The chandeliers in this place were great.

We made it back to the hotel, with only a few blisters. Not a good idea to walk a mile in new four inch heels.

The next morning we got up early and had breakfast at the French Market Place. The eggs benedict were delicious and the place reminded us of New Orleans.

After breakfast we went to the J. Paul Getty Museum. We both had never been and weren't quite sure what to expect. Once we got there, we rode the tram to the top and took in the spectacular sights. If you have never been, you need to go. The place is very impressive, not to mention all the artwork on display.

The gardens were beautiful!

I was tempted to walk through the water because it was so HOT!

I thought these were cool.

All in all a fabulous weekend, thanks honey!

April Birthdays

April is always a busy month. Not only does it mean spring is officially here, taxes are due and the Easter bunny hides his eggs, but it's also a month full of birthday parties, birthday cakes, birthday presents and birthday dinners. Last Friday we celebrated my bestest friend Eileen's birthday at Mama D's in Newport Beach. Several people came out to celebrate and it was great to catch up with old friends. Happy Birthday Eileen!

Today is my dad's birthday. He is spending the day in Monterey with my mom and sister. We wish we could be there with you guys. Have an extra slice of german chocolate cake for me.
Happy Birthday Dad!

Tomorrow is my other dear friend Bahar's birthday. I mean, Dr. Abiri. She is counting down the days until her wedding in June. We are very excited for her and Nate.
Happy Birthday Bahar!

Next week is my little brother David's birthday. He will be 24 next Thursday. He's been spending his days working on his fitness, preparing for another marathon. There isn't anything this guy can't do! Happy Birthday Dave!

I am very lucky to have such great friends and wonderful family. You ALL mean the world to me.

Stick Figure Family

Looks just like us, right?

Make your Stick Figure Family at FreeFlashToys.com

Easter Visit

Jenn and I went to Simi to see Jim and Joan and the Fultons this weekend. While we were there we went to Sara's track meet. The Runnin Rebels are the best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sara was kind enough to take a picture and give us an autograph after her race. Most athletes just ignore the general public, but not Sara. She took the time to make us feel special. A rare quality in star athletes these days.

Dad's sweet ride. I was a little disappointed though, Dad wouldn't let me drive it. Well, he will be gone for a year so maybe I will sneak back up to Simi and take it for a spin.

Will with the Slam Dunk!!!!!!!!!!!! Will has a 50 inch vertical by the way.

I had to teach the youngsters.....when you make it, you get it back. I am still money from the outside!!!!! Of course the rim was lowered to seven feet.
Jeff and Ryan playing some hoop.


Jim and Joan are ready to serve their mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in St. Louis. They will be gone for one year and we wish them the best. We all hope that it goes by fast because we miss them already.

Visitors

Last weekend my younger brother David and his girlfriend Laila stayed overnight at our place. They drove from San Jose and were headed to San Diego for a few days. Dave went to hang with some old USD buddies and Laila had a Santa Clara alumni rowing event at Mission Bay. On their way back up north, they stopped again for a quick visit. It was good to see them, even if it was only for a few hours. Come back soon!

Shady Canyon and Bommer Canyon Hike

I have been wanting to go on a hike for a while and I finally convinced my "Eagle Scout" to come with. I used to go hiking when I was younger on camping trips and I loved it. There is something about exploring the outdoors and taking in the fresh air, and a little workout never hurts (well ask me how I feel tomorrow). We recently got one of those free Irvine community magazines and the feature article was on hiking and biking local trails, perfect! I never knew there were so many "naturey" places in Orange County. We picked the Shady Canyon and Bommer Canyon trail, not too hard and not too easy. When we started out it was overcast and slightly chilly but as we trekked on it became sunny and warm. The trail wraps around the exclusive Shady Canyon community with views of Saddleback Valley and all of Irvine. There were also views of million dollar homes and private golf courses (which Steve eeewd and awwed over). But mostly the trail was peaceful, a great place to get away from the everyday grind. We only covered about 5 miles and next time we want to try the docent led trails that take you into the inner parts of the canyon, the habitat restoration areas.

The starting line

There were several bridges and little creeks to cross over

We saw many beautiful flowers and plants along the way. Steve said that if Joan were with us she probably could have named all of them.

Horsies
Going up hill

Taking a quick break

We made it! That is Irvine behind Steve.

Epstein Baby Shower

Earlier this month Jen Epstein had her baby shower in Toluca Lake at the Lakeside Golf Club. It was amazing! The pink decor, the tasty food, the beautiful location and the fun group of girls made for a perfect Saturday afternoon. As you can see, Jen is expecting a baby girl in May. She is going to be one lucky little girl with great clothes, fabulous new toys and extra special loving parents.

Isn't this table setting terrific?

The famous pink strawberry cake. It was DELISH!

Mommy To Be
This Baby is Set

While us girls were enjoying everything PINK, Darren and Steve were out on the golf course getting some MAN time. We are so thrilled for the Epsteins and can't wait for the little one to arrive.

Why So Serious?

Yesterday I came home to these two guys, Steve and Chris(our neighbor buddy), very seriously and methodically selecting players for their 2009 Yahoo Fantasy Baseball teams. I was asked, kindly of course, to not interrupt or engage in any conversation until the draft was complete. Wow! Yesterday I also realized that this is not "just a phase", it truly does never end. For Steve's sake I really hope our first child (someday) will love sports as much as he does.

March Madness

Is there a better month than March? I say no. Why? Because it is March Madness. How fun is it to fill out your bracket (or in my case brackets) and follow along. Every game is a battle and there are always upsets. This year I got Jenn into my yahoo fantasy league and she is into it. She printed off her bracket at work and actually watches games with me. I think I have worn her down now and she has the mentality of "If you can't beat em, join em." I might have created a monster though because now she is posting messages talking trash along the way. I have to tell her to take it easy because we haven't even gotten to the sweet sixteen games yet. Next for Jenn is fantasy baseball which is by far my favorite. I have become obsessed with it. Last year I won $100 by coming in second on the last day of the season. It's not the money that matters, it's the bragging rights and knowing that you picked the right players and made all of the right moves. Yet another reason why March is my favorite month. I am not sure if Jenn will do the baseball league with me. It is too slow for her and takes too long.....she would lose interest. Oh wow!!!!!!!Gonzaga just hit a shot at the buzzer for a 2 point win!!! Duke and Texas are tied with a minute left. I picked the Zags and so did Jenn. Well we hope everyone is doing great and good luck with your picks!!!!!

My Peaceful Place

I discovered the video feature on my camera and had to shoot our morning at the beach. The ocean was absolutely beautiful. Steve and I sat in this little garden on a green bench for about 30 minutes, watching and listening to the waves come in and out. A few minutes in we noticed something in the ocean, a very large something...it was a whale!! Unfortunately, the video feature on my camera does not zoom, but I was able to take a picture. Can you see it? Right behind the surfer paddling out. Of course I caught it when it was almost completely under, I tried.