It Just Ain't a Party Without a Pinata

Last weekend was pretty eventful, and I don't know if I've ever really caught up. Remember how I said it was my BFF's bachelorette par-tay and bridal shower and how there might be pictures? Well, this is it:

The bride hitting a pink crown pinata with her eyes closed on a basketball court at 10:30pm

Not pictured:
-Homemade pasta
-Nail painting
-Dance parties
-Cards Against Humanity
-Catchphrase
-The secret scrapbook tucked away in the bathroom that everyone took turns writing in
-Lots of air matresses

Also not pictured is the super-secret project I've been hiding from James for MONTHS. So super-secret that I haven't breathed a word about it on here...but I guess I can tell you guys in my next few posts. Here's a hint:

It's a hint, but you'll never guess, unless I've already told you.

Also, I will have a photograph in an upcoming exhibition at work. Hooray! More on that later...

Just Like "Saved By The Bell"

So...big month. Since we last spoke, I hit the big 3-0. To celebrate, James and I got sick, and last weekend when we were feeling a little better, we had a picnic with some friends in Fullerton. We brought a ton of food and some frisbees, and discovered just how unskilled we all are at both throwing and catching said frisbees.


Yummy mini cupcakes from Target



James and Chris picking dandelions with Charlie

 Then, for some good old-fashioned fun, some of us went on to play mini-golf. Here's a tip: bring a 6-year-old with you when you go, because he will hopefully stick his golf club up the nose of a giant statue and declare it to be the "most awesome booger touch ever."


This is Paul. If you look in the backround to the left, you can see the giant statue that provided the "most awesome booger touch ever."



Ryan



James on one of the meanest holes ever



Not the greatest pic of me and Ryan, but whatevs, at least you can't see my grey hair



Boys returning to the castle

 Ryan, James and I played in the arcade, because my main goal was to play skeeball, and lots of it.

We combined our winnings to cash in on some of most radical prizes ever. It was just like Saved By The Bell.

How badical are these babies??

And finally, what southern California 30th b-day bash would be complete without a trip to In'n'Out??

Sorry In'n'Out peeps who were just going about their business...

We rounded out the day with wine on the sofa and Little Britain on the television, but there are no photos of that.

I'm being a total social butterfly these days. This weekend I'm at a bachellorette party and bridal shower for my BFF who's getting married in mere weeks - OMG!! Expect pictures. Or maybe not.

February Reading (sooo late...)

Didn't do a whole lot of reading last month. I finished The Paris Wife and moved on to these two:

Neither book was really for me. I've looked at "The Distant Hours" over and over again, and while it has all the elements that should have made it a really enjoyable read (Set in England, taking place partially during WWII, creepy family dynamic), all I wanted to do was contact the editor and demand to know why they didn't take out at least 100 pages of the 500+ page book. They story was very complex, but the narrative kept jumping all over the place and the author was very vague about big reveals, and by the time it all got tied up in the end, I couldn't remember the beginning of it all. Plus I couldn't identify with any of the characters.

Oh well. Can't win 'em all.

The end of February was super-jam-packed, but sadly it was super-jam-packed with illness. James came home with a nasty cold, and a few days later I woke up with it. We did, however, have a chance to sit in one of our local parks and do some drawing:

Well, James did some drawing. I just ran around taking pictures.

Relying on my Glasses with Silver Strands in my Hair

It's the last night of my 20's tonight, and with it comes a sudden change of heart. I've been slightly panicked for awhile (okay, maybe more than slightly panicked some days) about the impending end of this part of my life, but now I feel like I've been looking at this all wrong. Because really, it's not an end, it's a beginning.

So here's to being 30 and to the next phase of life! Sure, I may need to rely more and more on my glasses, my hair may have some silver strands in it, but life is good. I have a wonderful family, great friends, the best guy a girl could ask for, and a job that I love. I don't need to stay up all night drinking, I haven't enjoyed clubs since I was 19 or 20, I'm thankful that my roommate is my husband, and I'd rather spend quality time and a quiet night in with good friends than go to a party where I don't know anyone.

And right now, James is in the kitchen making this for me:

What I am eating tomorrow, most likely for breakfast

Because he told me "You can't turn 30 without a birthday cake!"

I have the best husband EVER.

See you guys later. I'll probably be getting around with a walker. Just kidding.

V Hating



Won't you be my Valentine?

 This is what Valentine's Day looks like at our house. For the record, I sort of hate Valentine's Day, and I go for the cards that feature kittens pouncing on something. Or ones that I make that don't include awful sappy messages that make me want to throw up a little bit. And this is as heart-filled our house gets. Plus our "dating anniversary" is two days before the 14th, so if we're going to celebrate anything, it's going to be that. (We've been together 11 years!)

Other than being a Val-Hater, things have been pretty quiet around here.

On another note, do you watch 20/20? (I know, sooo old, right?) But, OMG, hideously fascinating. Last week they showed x-rays of weird things people has swallowed or gotten stuck inside them somehow, like BUZZ LIGHTYEAR and BARBIE. (Whaaa....??? Howww...??? Wait, I don't want to know.) Right now, it's about the cruise ship that was stuck in the Gulf of Mexico. Apparently, a man way laying in bed and the ceiling collapsed on him from the weight of human excrement. O.M.G.

If You Squint, Nano Blocks Almost Look Like The Real Thing

I really love finding kinda weird, kinda quirky gifts for James. For Christmas, I gave him some Japanese Nano Blocks (think really mini Lego) that would make the French town of Mont St Michel, where we visited on our backpacking trip after college. It was a complete toss up between that and the Gaudi cathedral in Barcelona (also visited on said trip). Or a Nano Block cat. But France won.

Nano Block Mont St Michel



I'll love you forever if you don't steal my photo. Thanks.

It really looks like the real thing, doesn't it?? 

Also, speaking of Christmas gifts, James gave me an ice cream maker that I will be testing out tomorrow. SO EXCITED!!

What weird gifts have you given / received?

January Reading

Good morning! It's the first day of February already - can you believe it? Also slightly unbelievable is that I'm up and functioning (sort of) at 7am. Gotta be honest, have NOT been a morning person lately. Bed is just waaay too comfy and warm.

So here's what I've been reading lately...



To be fair, I read most of this in the last couple days of December and finished it over my little New Year's break.



James gave this to me for Christmas. It follows the family lines of two sisters and was ultimately very sad. Just the kind of book I like! He also gave me an ice cream maker, which I'm hoping to try out this weekend. 



This is the supposed "thrilling conclusion" to The Giver. I wanted it to be so much more than it was. I loved The Giver, and was excited when this book opens in the community with Jonas and baby Gabe as characters. I thought we'd learn the fate of the community after Jonas left, but we don't. I felt like the ending was rushed. Maybe I'm too old for young adult fiction...



A few weeks ago, Eva Schloss, who is Anne Frank's step-sister, spoke at the gallery. A client loaned her library book so I could read Eva's memoir. It's absolutely incredible the things she had to endure. It's a wonder anyone survived.



Okay, technically I haven't finished The Paris Wife so it should go in February's reading, but whatevs. My blog, my rules.

 Also, I read the last two 50 Shades books...what awful writing. So why read them, you may wonder? It's sort of like why anyone watches Snakes on a Plane. Cause let's be honest, no one thinks that movie is a piece of cinematic gold with groundbreaking, heartfelt performances. People like it because it's trashy and mindnumbingly entertaining. Sorry, Sammie J.