Weekend, I LOVE YOU!

I love my weekends and lately, these two days are more precious than ever. Unfortunately, the time just speeds on by and it is wayyyyyy too short for me. I really think that weekends should be three days long. How are you supposed to work hard and play even harder when play time is less than half the time as work time? Hmph!



This past weekend was my ideal kind of weekend with the exception that it was far too short and I still need another day to catch up with the things that I need to in my personal life.


Saturday was spent with my Husband. I woke up pretty early and hit the gym by myself as I left my Husband alone to sleep in (he loves that). I came home in time to have lunch with him. After lunch, we went and treated ourselves to hour long full body massages. We both really needed it. I even fell asleep on the massage chair and caught myself snoring a few times! It was amazing. It hurt, but it hurt in a good way and I can’t wait to do it all over again! Then, we went grocery shopping (I love grocery shopping). We came home and relaxed for a bit before he cooked me a yummy crab dinner. The sauce that he made was SOOOOOO good. I really think that we should put a patent on it because it was THAT tasty! Men that can cook are so sexy… and I am pretty lucky! We rented a movie but after ONE margarita after dinner, I knocked out 10 minutes into the movie. We’re going to have to see it another time. LOL!


Sunday, I woke up to my girlfriend’s text and hit the gym… AGAIN! I’m on a roll, right? Let’s see how long I can keep this up! After an hour there, I came home and got ready for my day after I made a wonton and egg noodle soup for Hubby. Then, it was fun day with the girls! Brought one of them to the eyebrow threading salon I went to the other week and watched her struggle in the chair. LOL… poor girl, but it was a sight to see and the results are gorgeous! We headed up to LA for the Thread Show that I was invited to attend with a guest, but I brought TWO guests! Oops! It’s okay… the more the merrier! It was my first time at one of these shows and it was interesting and quite the experience. Since we were in LA, we decided to do some shopping (of course) instead of hiking… oops! Hey… shopping is definitely a work out… especially when you’re carrying a few bags! Drained, we decided to stop by this ramen place in LA. Daikokuya - With over 2,500 good reviews on Yelp, we couldn’t pass it up. I admit though… I’m not a big fan of ramen so I didn’t really know how to rate it. For a small place though, it was getting a lot of traffic and the people who like ramen think it’s great so it must be, right? A great day with the girls, but the day was too short. We didn’t even get to go to Sephora or Nordstrom like we had planned because it closed early. There’s always next weekend, right? Have a few trips planned as well, so I’m excited! I love girls’ time… especially with the kind of girlfriends that you can talk to about ANYTHING! I love seeing my friends happy… it makes me happy.


Came home to see that the Mavs beat the Heat in the finals. I don’t really care for basketball, but I just know that I don’t like LeBron James and his attitude. He just seems SO rude in all of the games I’ve ever seen him play in. Ugh… glad the Mavs won the championship! I actually got teary eyed! HAHA!


I wish the weekend included Monday so that I can spend all day today cleaning and relaxing on my couch, cuddling a book. Until I can have my three day weekends, I think I am going to have to squeeze that in on my weekdays. Eeeps!


So… anyone want to share their weekends with me?

Babies! Babies! Babies!

 

“When are you going to have a baby?”



Ahhh… the question of the year! I think I am asked this question every single day for the past year! Don’t get me wrong… I don’t dislike being asked this. In fact, it makes me feel all warm and giddy inside!



Truth is that we would love to have a baby right now… everyone who knows me know that I am pretty much obsessed with babies and I would love to be a younger mom. In fact, my plan was to have my first child when I am 25, but now I am about two years behind on that plan… yikes!



What is holding us back? Well… we’re just not ready. I know, I know… you can never be ready enough for a baby. Along with the question, I get that response every day too! I understand that, but I mean it in a different way. There are just a few things that I would like to have done and ready before we bring a little baby into our family. You know… like sealing a deal on a house… that is the major thing that is holding us back. I just don’t want to deal with purchasing a home while being pregnant or with a baby. Both times are stressful and I don’t want to combine both. Once we have a house of our own, ask me again and the answer may be different!


On another note, our good friends Mikal and Paline had their baby shower for Baby Lauren this past weekend. I was honored to be part of it… especially in the decorations/games department because that is right up my alley. I am a sucker for little details and I enjoyed putting them together. It was my first time ever making a diaper cake and with the help of Sandy and Lily, I must say that it was a huge success! Thanks to my friend Michelle for making a customized piñata… this was a big hit… literally! The games were interesting, but I think the people who participated had a lot of fun. One lesson learned is that I should probably have some prizes for the kids because they will surprise you and come up as winners over the adults! LOL! Here are some pictures that Daddy to Be, Mikal took… can you guess what the theme was? ;)

Mikal had set up a photobooth and had the guests take pictures, printed them right away and design a page for Lauren's scrapbook.  I thought this was such a great idea and the outcome was awesome!  I made a special request for this also when it comes to my turn!  Wuahahhah!



Sweet Reunions

This past weekend, my friend Thuy (who I have known since 6th grade) came to visit.  My old friend Jamie (who I have known since 1st grade) recently moved down to Los Angeles... a few blocks away from a makeup showroom that I am affiliated with. We had a little reunion and it was so amazing to finally catch up on 13 years.  We would usually see each other briefly at times (once every few years), but this was the one time that we actually got to sit down and really talk.  They were sweet enough to come to my wedding, but of course, there was no way that I could have held a two minute conversation with them then. 

It was interesting to see how much we have all grown up and to see what lives we are living today.  Though its been so long since we have had a slumber party like this, it was nice to have one though it was over a decade late.  Reunions are always so sweet and this is just that... sweet.

I think that from now on, we are going to do a better job at keeping in touch and being a part of each other's lives.  Now that Jamie is a lot closer, I think that I will be seeing more of her and Thuy has two more reasons to visit often.  :)

Oh... and I HAVE to mention this.  I still bring up the story from first grade where I insisted that Jamie choose "pink" to be her favorite color (our teacher split us in groups according to our favorite colors), but instead, she chose "purple"!  I was really really upset at her for not doing what I told her to do (choose pink) and I think I said that I didn't want to be her friend anymore or something.  I don't know why this story still sticks with Jamie and I, but it does and I will always remember it.  Now that I am older and I am really thinking of it, WHY was I such a bossy brat and WHO am I to tell her what her favorite color is?  I really really hope that I am not still this bossy.  If I am, slap me! 

Pippi Longstocking is coming to your WORLD!

I was NOT in the mood for Halloween at all this year.  My friend invited me to a few parties on Friday night and I agreed to go out (because I should really put a little more effort into my social life).  Only a few hours before it was time to meet up, I still had no idea what I was going to be.  Being the cheapo that I am, I didn't want to spend any money on a costume that I would wear once when I can spend that money on something else that I can use yearlong. 

I thought about the 'bad hair' Yelp Elite event that I was supposed to attend on Tuesday where I planned to stick my hair in wire to have the Pippi Longstocking look.  I then thought, "why not go as Pippi Longstocking?"  I tried to remember what she wore and image googled her.  I found this:

HECK YES I can put something together to look like that!  So... I scrounged my closet and found my outfit.

I put my hair up:

I was cracking up so bad by myself (Sam wasn't home yet)

I then ran to Rite Aid to grab a bottle of red hair spray.  It didn't show up very well, but luckily I had an orangish colored MAC pigment in my makeup kit that came in very handy (again).  Added some freckles.  I couldn't find a pet monkey so I took the clothes off of my Starbucks teddy bear and made it my monkey!  Who are people to tell me that my pet wasn't a monkey?

AND... off we go!

We went to two parties that night and I had the best time with Lily and Paline! 

Ready to KNOCK OUT at the end of the night!

We definitely one up the boys this night.  The poor guys were all at home alone... and there wasn't even Poker night!  Insane, right?  So many people knew right away who I was, and some people have never heard of Pippi Longstocking!  I got mistaken for the Wendy's girl a lot!  LOL... I can see why:

Someone even called me "Happy Go Lucky".  Who and WTF is Happy Go Lucky?  I don't know but she sounds pretty cool. 

I wanted to go to Wendy's and get a discount.  And if they wouldn't give me a discount, I wanted to say to them, "I OWN YOU, B*TCH!"

LOL!

The next night, the boys decided to join us at a 'Vampires Ball'.  Of course, you weren't required to dress up as a vampire, but it was preferred.  Actually, I think you get charged more if you don't dress up.  We ALMOST didn't go out because everyone felt drained and a bit lazy to dress up and actually go out.  We're getting old.  Finally, everyone was convinced to go and surprisingly, everyone was dressed up!  I went as Pippi again because I loved my hair THAT much.  Unfortunately, I was in more of a rush this time around and my hair just wasn't as cool.  Sam went in as Frankenstein.  We both didn't feel like spending money on a costume.  Actually, we did go to a costume store, but all of the costumes were whack and it was too much of a hassle to try to go through and find something through the mess.

Round TWO! LOL

Sorry guys... wish I had a shot w/ your eyes open on my camera. Oops!

We had SUCH a good time out that night.  SO glad that we all got off our butts and actually made the effort.  Very many priceless moments and a few of the peeps (no names mentioned) even got sick.  Though its not a great thing, thats when you know that someone had a REALLY great time!  I was pretty gone too, but I was just happy that my friends and I were all there having a great time.  :)

We ended the night with pho.  I remember walking into the pho place by myself (the others were taking care of the sick ones) and asked for a table for 11.  I sat down by myself and realized no one else was with me.  People were looking at me like I was crazy sitting at a big ass table by myself with my Happy Go Lucky braids sticking up.  If I were them, I would have thought I was crazy too!  LOL

The night was epic!  Too bad it took about 4 or 5 washes each night to get the stuff out of my hair, but it was worth it!

The last and final night of our Halloween weekend, we attended the Lok's annual Halloween party.  Costumes weren't required, but I wanted to get in the spirits since there were going to be so many kids there.  However, I didn't want to put my hair through that torture again.  SO... what else can I do/be without spending money?  Recycle my wings from last year, of course!  I was just going to put the wings on and call it a day, but I thought it would be pretty boring.  With about 15 minutes to spare, I decided to throw some pigments on my face.  I didn't think it through and with only a bit of time to do the damn thing, I ended up looking more like a Superhero with a bad face mask job.  Oh well... I am going to call myself the Superhero Fairy!  WHO is going to tell me that she doesn't exist?  WHO?  Haha... !

Party Pooper didn't dress up.  BOOO!

Arrived at the Lok's and I guess I scared a few of the kids.  Luckily, they buttered up to me or I buttered up to them and lured them to like me with food!  I even took one of the kids out Trick or Treating.  He is only 1 year old and was dressed as a pumpkin.  The cutest pumpkin I had ever seen!  I was in my heels and carrying the little man in my arm... trying to catch up with the other kids running around the neighborhood.  We made it around the block and got quite a bit of candy for a one year old!  People complimented on how cute my "son" is and I just said thank you and decided not to explain that he's not my kid.  I just can't believe I just met the guy and he let me take him out trick or treating!  It was so much fun!  Thanks Talvin for the fun times!  Here is a picture of him and I after he already got out of his costume.

My Pumpkin! (out of costume)

Paline's niece Lillian is so adorable!  She finally let me take a picture with her.  Beautiful Snow White... I was Snow White one year!  First grade, I think!  Ahhh... the memories!

Pretty Snow White Lillian & Superhero Fairy! LOL

My Halloween LOVES!

Thanks for such a memorable and fun Halloween, my loves!  *hugs*

I Don't Wanna Grow Up!

The other day, my Husband had a golf date with some of our friends.  I wasn't feeling to well that day and cancelled my plans, but decided to go hang out with the group since the lovely Wives were going to hang out too.  They had Boiling Crab (those suckas) without us!  Its okay though because I really thought I was going to be busy and in L.A. that day and Hubbs and I already had a yummy lunch made by yours truly.  :)  Anyway, we met up at the golf course and our plan was to ride around in the golf cart and catch up while the guys play.  Sounds like a good plan, right?  But HECK NO are we going to spend $12 a person just to ride around on a golf course.  You know what we can do with $36? LOL! 

Anyway, it was so nice to catch up with the girls.  I feel like I haven't seen or talked to them in so long and there is always so much to catch up on.  What I can tell you is that between us, there is no such thing as "T.M.I.".  We sat there and talked for a couple hours with the Man working at the golf course giving us these glares that made me feel unwelcome.  Oh well, it makes me want to stay there even more and longer!

When Sam texted me saying that he was on the last hole, we tried to plot a little prank on the guys.  We had ALL of the car keys, so I thought it would be funny to move the car across the street and watch for their reaction when they come back and found their cars missing.  BUT... we were all too lazy to do all that... too much work!  So... we decided to write them sweet little notes instead.  I wish I would have gotten a picture of the note, but as usual, I left my camera at home.  I didn't leave the pen and notepad though... it was very handy!  The note read a little something like,

"If you want your keys, drop down and give me 10 push ups!  I can see you, so give me REAL push ups!"

We tried to hide around the buildings near that parking lot and watched them walk slowly to the car.  We were so nervous... a bunch of grown ass women hiding around a community building trying to play hide and seek with their husbands.  WTF?  It was definitely a sight to see, though.  We tried to watch for their reactions, but there wasn't a way to do so without getting caught.  I tried to peek as much as I could.  Eventually, we got caught with one of the guys running one direction and another one trapping us at the other end.  HILARIOUS!  I have a feeling that the boys are going to try to get us back, so I am definitely going to watch my back around them from now on.  Taking precautions like... making sure we have the keys at all times when we hang out.  ;)

Its times like these when I DON'T WANNA GROW UP!  I love my friends!

Ended the night with dinner at this place called Thiptara.  None of us have been there, so we wanted to give it a try.  The food was pretty good... I highly recommend the Phad Thai and the Pomegranate Margarita.  Definitely going back here... especially when the prices are pretty darn good.  Wish we could have hung out more, but I was pooped and had an early start the next morning.  C.J. really wanted us to come out that night for his birthday, but I just couldn't do it knowing that I had to leave the house around 5:30am the following morning for a day long photoshoot.  We owe him dinner and a drink.  Its about time we reunite though.

I had a great weekend with my lovely friends here in California.  I must say that I am adjusting here pretty well.  Things are certainly looking up for me.

*hugs*

Happy Birthday to my Sista from anotha Motha & Mista!

My Sista from anotha Motha and Mista turned 26 the other day!

We celebrated with some good eats at MESA in Costa Mesa.  The pizza there was delicious!  The mussels sounded and looked good, but I must say that it was a tad bit disappointing to see how small they were (that's what she said... hahaha!).  The black cherry lychee martina was soooooo good though!  Just thinking about it now makes me thirsty!

We hopped over to AVEC in Huntington Beach right after dinner.  It was such an adventure getting there, but it was worth it!  We stumbled all over the place and dance floor after our Jager Bomb.  This was the most alcohol I've had in a VERY long time.  Usually, I'd have a glass of wine at home, but even that was running low!  Anyway, of course I was the usual hustler and got the Birthday Girl a few free (well, free for us) drinks.  The last drink I remember having was a chocolate cake... and as usual, it didn't disappoint.  We continued to dance the night away.  I thought I forgot how to dance or something because it had been THAT long.  Luckily for me, I didn't break a bone or pull anything, which was actually a surprise!  Oh... and I guess the people who sing "We run LA" were there performing and of course, I was the groupie poser who don't know who they were but pretended like they were my favorite group.  The main dude apparently grabbed my hand while he was on stage and I just giggled and walked away, or so I was told.  I honestly don't remember that part too much, but I guess I can say that I saw another famous person and he touched my hand. HAHA... I wish someone would have gotten a picture of that as evidence and so that I'd remember.  Oh well... always next time, right?  They looked like little young bucks anyway... just see the picture below.

(I just looked it up... the person who sang this song's name is 'Ya Boy'. LOL... I guess you can see his picture below)

Of course, we ended the night with some pho.  Thanks to the table of dudes who decided to pay for our meal... but no, we are NOT going to hop in that limo with you fools!

The best part of the night was probably when we were singing on the way home.  From Huntington to Long Beach, the singing didn't stop.  I think I have some recorded on my phone (audio only).  Anyone know a good website to upload it to so that I can share it? LMAO!  Classic.

Oh what a night, it was!  I love nights like that when its just all the girls dancing the night away and laughing our butts off non-stop.  Good times, indeed!

P.S.  I inconveniently forgot my camera at home that night (boo), so I had to steal these pictures from Jackie and Diana's facebook. 

P.S.S.  My hair was still wet (had to shower before going out), so don't mind the mess. LOL!

Mussels! (Looked better than it tasted)

Pizza! Serina said it smelled like armpits, but it tasted good to me! I like armpits. LOL

LADIES!! (I hope that is not a pee stain on the ground. Gross)

Jager Bomb! Oh man... makes me feel YOUNG again!

Uh oh... here we go!

GONE! LOL!

They were runnin' LA... in Huntington Beach! LOL

Happy Birthday, Sissy! I love you so badddddddd! XOXO

EDIT: Here are the videos on the audio (does that make sense?).  Puahhahahah!  If I need a good laugh, I just replay this and relive that night.  Please don't mind us and if you are not going to appreciate our singing talents (hahaha), just skip it and don't watch altogether.  Cool?  Oh man... good times!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiCtK9fW6uw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoxKiS3Ntv8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ND-ay66SIdo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13MtVN4x_ZU

Haaaahahahahah!!!

We WERE in Miami... BEACH!

Flip Flops I made for all the girls!

Okay... so its time for me to play catch up on my blog, right?  So... here I go! 

Its always more fun with pictures, so let me go ahead and include the pictures that I need to for this one in particular.  :)

Early in July, I went down to Miami.  6 girlfriends flew down from Seattle and one was already there patiently waiting for us to arrive... haha!  It was a reunion... finally!  I've missed my friends SO much!  I know I have friends here in Long Beach, but these are the girlfriends from a place that I call HOME, you know what I mean?  Anyway, it was long awaited and the day and time finally arrived!

I probably won't get into too much details about everything that went down.  Lets just say that it was a very memorable trip... in a good way and a bad way.  I'll leave the emotional stuff for another post as it may take me awhile to put it all together.  Now, lets move on to the fun stuff!

So here I am finally on the beach in Miami.  I must admit that I expected a whole lot more out of Miami beaches.  The sand was rough... even worse than the beaches in Southern California... so that says a lot! HAHA jk!  I didn't stay on the beach as often or as long as I should because I was literally getting heat strokes and I couldn't breathe because of all that humidity.  What's really sad is that our hotel was literally across the street from the beach!  I beat myself up later regretting not working on the tan that was much needed.

Yes, I am wearing earrings on the beach.. who is asking?  Hmm?

If you should wonder what we look like without makeup, then here you have it!  LOL... a picture that I took with my phone before we got ready for a night out.  My best friends and I... at our best, of course!  Vany's cousin actually commented on this picture on FB right away about his cousin's flat hair.  What a hater!  The conversation we had about that later cracked me up to the point my stomach really hurt.  Vany says some of the most hilarious things I have ever heard in my life.  I love that girl to pieces... a great friend that is truly her own and one of a kind.  :)

Yes, I had to include a picture of our snacks.  The fruit bars were my choice and all of us love hot cheetos, but the Bride to Be makes it a point that it is her absolute favorite!  SO... we had to get it too! 

Our first night out!  Can you take a wild guess what our theme of the night was?  It was such a fun night and we really showed what its like to get VIP treatment in a totally different city!  I was getting upset that there was too much champagne that kept getting poured for us and my friend had to sneak off to the bathroom to pour the champagne down the toilet and pretend like she drank it all! HAHA... thats how crazy it was!  Good times though, of course!

I really hate how my hair always does the funky split like that.  Well, my bangs anyway!  However, I was really loving the dress, so I had to get a single shot somewhere!  ;)

We loved our hotel!  Casanova Suites is the place to be if you are ever in Miami!  Seriously, it couldn't be any more perfect... our suite was HUGE and the staff was the best!  Check them out!

My best friend and I!  She was the Bride to Be and I would have went to Mars and back for her if I had to!  Love her... truly my Sista from anotha Motha!  No one knows me like she does... f'reals!  Anyway... our second theme was "citrus", but I must admit that it was ruined.  I wouldn't say by who and how, but lets just say that themes aren't too fun if you try to include selfish and attention seeking folks in the mix.  Whatever... I didn't let it ruin my night.  No sir!

We are on our way!  I don't understand some things... but whatever.  I actually wanted a picture with our taxi cab driver, but I guess my camera kinda sorta got hijacked for a minute and we were at the club before I had my chance to take a picture with him.  Boo... next time... maybe!

LOVE THEM!!  My two favorite KOREA's!  If I ever blurt out any bad words or phrases in Korean, they are to blame.  I know more bad things than good things... that can't be good!  Oh well!

Kickin' it with J.Cole!  Heck yeah!  Okay so I admit that I had no idea who the dude was and had never heard his music in my life, but knowing that he is a celebrity, of course my groupie mode was on and I was going to fake the funk.  I swear we made eye contact ALL night... lol... especially after I tweeted him and told him not to look so sad while he was on stage!  Then, we were there partying it up with him in V.I.P... what what!  When I was talking to him, he asked me what my name was and even had me spell it out... and he told me that I had a pretty name "tee-da"!  Oh... and you'd better believe that I told him that he was my favorite artist!  (I refrained from saying "singer" or "rapper" because I had no idea which one he was.  Safe way to go was, "artist"!)  And then he performed... and his songs were just bad!  Not as in awful, but it was kinda dirty callin' girls "bitches" and stuff... and I didn't like it.  Oh well... groupie moment is over and I already got my picture... so whatever!

Stripper night! LOL... I decided to make up this little game while we were all getting ready.  Every ten minutes, I would call "SHOT" in the kitchen and everyone had to take a shot.  The last one there had to take two shots!  HAHAHA... it got us a little bit too drunk at the time... but just in time for the stripper.  I won't share any more pictures from this night, but lets just say that the stripper in Miami sucks compared to our stripper in Tacoma!  What does Miami know about Tacoma anyway? LOL!

Hungover day!  We weren't exactly feeling at our best this day, so we spent most of the day just chillin' in the suite and talking!  That was probably the best day of my trip... bonding with some of the girls that I love ! Of course though, we made it out for at least a little bit that night... and still in theme, of course!  ;)

Of course, we made it out to DASH in Miami!  We were hoping to see Khloe Kardashian and Kourtney Kardashian.  I was tweeting them for weeks asking if they were going to be at the store because I wanted to hang out (acting like they were my best friends, of course.. haha!).  It would have been nice to see Kim Kardashian  too, but she isn't really that big deal and part of the store, so whatever.  I like Kim too, its just... I think Khloe and Kourtney are much more entertaining.  :)  They weren't there... and none of the employees looked like the ones on the show.  Then I see the newer episodes now and I realize that they had already left Miami at the time.  Boo... I'm sure they would have hung out with us if they were still there though! HAHA! (sarcasm)

Our last night in Miami!  All the girls in black... minus the Bride to Be!  Please excuse the towel on the ground... I used that to wipe off some of the self tanner I had to use on my legs. LMAO!  Oops!  I can't seem to find a picture with all of us in it, but here goes some.

This was a really interesting night.  It was something that could have been pulled right out of a movie, I swear.  I'll get into it later, but it turned out to be an amazing night!

My Bride to Be had a blast... and that is all that really matters!

With the manager of my officially favorite club in Miami... TWIST!

What a memorable night... a fairytale, actually!

Miami, I miss you!