January House Update

2017 brings the year that we'll move - we're just months away now from the transition.  Since the last update they finished the outer woodwork and wrapped the house, the roof and windows have been installed and they are working on the electrical and such.  

The morning of our first, and only really, snow we grabbed breakfast and stopped by to check on things as the flakes were coming down.

Getting in our photos while it looks like this now for the memories before the drywall happens.

The steps going in as things continue to move along... 

Stella is no stranger to her new home and tags along frequently too.

Looks & Life Lately

It's been a while since a little life lately starting with a winter date night... 

similar poncho (and on sale)

Finishing off enjoying/sharing the Christmas cookies.

(recipes coming soon...)

Girlfriend didn't want us to leave for vacation; thought laying on the clothes pile would help...

(similar top)

A New Year's Eve afternoon date.

Our first snow day (and only so far!)

(snow boots / similar hat)

So happy that this stupid show that I love is back.

Stella and Nash both made the puppy wall at the Pet Resort! 

Beverly Hills

I'm wrapping up the final part of our recent quick visit to California - I'm glad I broke them up into smaller posts to ensure that I finally got them done.  Our last morning was rainy so we switched our plans, slept in, relaxed in the lobby by the fire and grabbed some breakfast (and hot chocolate/coffee) in the Fountain Coffee Room.

The rain let up just in time for us to get a little workout walk in - we love looking at all the nice houses as we stroll along.

Once we got freshened up and packed up we made our way over Villa Blanca for lunch.  We've tried all of Lisa Vanderpump's restaurants (a few times - I think we've gotten our fill) but Villa Blanca is definitely my favorite based on both the setting and the food.

After lunch it was time for a little shopping.  Since we knew before Christmas we were heading out to the most famous shopping strip in the country we decided to do one belated Christmas gift for each of us.

Isn't this wallpaper amazing???

Our final dinner was in West Hollywood at the new, Catch LA.  As a non-sushi lover I wasn't too sure about it going in but it ended up being one of my favorite meals - delicious - I'm already wanting to stop by the New York location now.  We had an early reservation because of our flight home so we had the place pretty much to ourselves at first but it didn't take long to fill up.

Thanks for stopping by; Have a good day! xx 

Santa Monica

If you missed the first part of our most recent California trip we started it off at the Rose Bowl and then enjoyed Malibu.  My parents and brother left a little bit before us so we spent the last morning together walking by the beach in Santa Monica over to Ivy at the Shore which is just as pretty of a setting as The Ivy.  Fresh flowers every where, the cutest serve wear and delicious food.  We enjoyed our extended amount of time on the patio.

Strolling along the beach... 

If you've been reading here for a while you know that we make a trip out west once or twice a year and I've always wanted to go while the Christmas decorations were up so it was nice they were still up while we were there.

Derek and I switched over to Beverly Hills for the rest of our day and spent the afternoon doing a little private tour up in the hills to see some homes and such - Lisa Vanderpump's old neighborhood is below... 

To finish off the afternoon we enjoyed happy hour by the pool - it was by no means swimming weather but nice to sit out by the pool with no coat needed.

Dinner that night was at a favorite of ours - Craig's - we went the night we got back from our honeymoon and make sure to go every time were in the area now.  It's a favorite to the celebrities too - we saw Jessica Lowndes and just missed Kourtney Kardashian.

The final little bit of our trip tomorrow... 

Malibu

We headed out to California very early on New Year's Day and it was quite the travel day.  Since we booked so late we had to connect in Dallas and our second flight got cancelled and they re-routed Derek and I though San Francisco and my family through San Antonio - we both dealt with delays, waiting on the tarmac and each of us almost missed our unexpected third flight of the day but we all made it! 

Wine tasting in the San Francisco Airport 

Seeing as it was a holiday it was hard to find hotel rooms so we settled on staying in Santa Monica right on the beach and a short drive to all the other surrounding areas.

We had a little time to settled in and we went over to Malibu to Mastro's for a New Year's Dinner - a delicious meal overlooking the beach was a pretty good way to kick off the new year - even though we were exhausted.

Our first day there was definitely the favorite - it was the Rose Bowl game.  The next morning my brother, Derek and I did a little swimming and time by the pool before heading out for the day.  The weather was chilly for California standards (upper 50's, low 60's) while we were there but we loved not needing coats - and the pool was very heated. 

For the morning time we made the drive up to one of the Hollywood sign look out points (after it was changed back from "Hollyweed") and took in the great views of the city.

After that we made our way back down to Beverly Hills for lunch out on the patio at the Polo Lounge. 

We spent our afternoon at one of mine and Derek's favorite spots in the area - Saddlerock Ranch & Malibu Wines.  Everyone else liked it just as much as we did - such a nice peaceful setting up in Malibu.  Driving along the coast is always an event in itself - such a pretty drive.

For dinner that night we went back down to Beverly Hills and ate at Il Pastaio - outside, with heaters. Everything was delicious, amazing Italian food.

To finish off the night back in Santa Monica we took advantage of the fire pits at the hotel before an early to bed for everyone - the long day before at the game was exhausting!