"All Day Long"

Last Wednesday was a momentous occasion for two reasons, 1) Charlie turned TWENTY-SEVEN 2) It was his LAST day of class!! We celebrated with some of our friends from law school by eating pizza and birthday cake at our apartment.  I made Charlie's favorite chocolate cake that Mrs. Beth has made famous!  The recipe I used was straight off of the Hershey's Cocoa container and was the moistest cake EVER.  Mrs. Beth told me this is the recipe her mom used when making cakes for her dad, so that made it double special.  :) 

God has blessed us with truly wonderful and hilarious friends!!  "All day long" and "Totally" are two of our favorite sayings from Richard and Two Bunk John.  So, Katelin decorated the front of Charlie's delicious package with these reminders! 

Apart from the SEC Championship Game (which was incredible!!!) our lives have been pretty routine...Eat/Study/Sleep...repeat.  Malibama looks like a classroom with all of the posters hanging up.  I have looked at them so much I am starting  to learn more about Torts than I ever dreamed possible, especially considering I didn't even know the word 'Torts' in August!  It really is fun and I have found that when Charlie and I study together we both win.  He gets to be productive and I get to feel like we're having quality time!  

Ok, back to studying...

So many posts, so little time!!

 Ugh, I have not officially updated my blog in ages!! Although, I have started about five potential posts I have yet to finish one since my birthday weekend.  This is so ironic to me since I have been preaching at Charlie to "FINISH STRONG" during these last three weeks of finals!  Today, is fairly slow at the front desk so I decided I would make myself post something! :)  It's more like a conglomeration of all of my potential posts, so I apologize in advance for the randomness. 

It seems like our lives lately have revolved around eating! Because we worked on Thanksgiving Day, we did not get to be with our family.  However, Dean Sturgeon and his family prepared a delicious feast for us and other students who couldn't make the trip home. I contributed two of Charlie's favorite dishes, Strawberry Pretzel Salad and Squash Casserole.  There was SO MUCH FOOD.  I got home at 6:00 that night and went straight to bed and didn't wake up until work the next morning! :) 

So, besides Thanksgiving Charlie and I have been in full blown exam mode! I made this calendar to help him stay focused and motivated during this intense study time.

Since he doesn't have much time for breaks, we have made meal times our break times!  When we lived in Birmingham, Charlie and I found a list of the Top 100 Dishes to Eat in Alabama Before You Die. We had SO MUCH FUN traveling all over the state just to cross a restaurant off of our list.  When we got to Malibu, I soon realized that an important part of our job was to make dinner recommendations to guests so Charlie and I decided to keep the tradition going of eating at as many new places as our budget would allow.    

Our latest find is a small Thai place called Cholada in Malibu.  It's right off PCH and looks like a simple, small blue shack, BUT the food is amazing!  I told Charlie that I wanted us to become 'locals' at this restaurant 1) Because it's Thai food and sounds exotic and 2) because this restaurant is one of the few in Malibu that is actually in our price range!!!  He begrudgingly agreed. :)

Another great breakfast stop we have recently tried is about a two minute drive from Casa Malibu and is called Country Kitchen.  As you can see, it's nothing fancy and is just a walk-up window restaurant but the breakfast burritos and breakfast sandwiches kept us full until mid afternoon!! I was a little skeptical of eating a sandwich with mayo/lettuce/tomato before 10:00 in the morning but I was SO wrong.  This was another hit!

As I reflected on why Charlie and I love sharing meals together and have made it a point to eat together every night (even if it's at the front desk) I was reminded of a chapter in Pilgrim Heart that is called 'Feasting: Memory and Mealtimes.'  Darryl Tippens talks about how a meal uses so many of our senses- the aroma of food cooking, the holding of hands as the food is blessed, the sight of the food that has been prepared, and the sound of other's voices as you engage in conversation and how these all work together to make such deep memories.  He also talks about the many references in scripture to meals both secular and sacred.  I love this verse he quotes,

"Day by day...they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people." Acts 2:46    

This verse reminds me of the importance of having others into our home to share a meal AND to not forget to praise God for the 'simple' blessings like food we enjoy too much of! :) 

HERBS

 

I am trying to keep my  herb garden alive but it is really difficult!  Thankfully, the lavender we planted back in early October is doing well so I used this to make Lavender Butter.  I found a recipe with only three ingredients.  This was a hit with our small group:

1 cup Salted Butter
1 Tablespoon Honey
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh lavender
Mix these together and serve on hot rolls!

Charlie and I are so excited to watch the Iron Bowl in just a few minutes.  Then, we plan on spending the rest of the day with him studying and me compiling his packets to send out for judicial externships for this summer.  Thankfully, I have some pork in the crock pot that I will use to make my first batch of Brunswick Stew tonight!!  I never thought I would think of 60 degrees as cold enough for soup weather, but I officially do! :)  RTR!
  

Birthday Weekend!!

Last Friday my MOM came to visit us in Malibu!  We had the BEST time celebrating my birthday!!  Since there are so many things I have never done in L.A. I thought it would be fun for us to go to the "Farmer's Market" dowtown that I have heard so much about. There is a good one here in Malibu every Sunday, but I have read so many great things about the one in L.A. that I thought we had to check it out.  Well...it wasn't exactly what we expected.  :)  I so wish we would've taken a picture...there was only ONE tiny tent of someone selling fresh fruits and the rest of this place was a full blown outdoor mall.  It also had a plethora of unique restaurant options.  I think some people really enjoy this kind of food/atmosphere but to me, it felt like we were at the county fairgrounds so I was unable to get too excited about the menus!  :) After this experience we were in serious need of something sweet!

We hopped over to Beverly Hills and stopped in at Sprinkles Cupcakes.  Now these definitely met and exceeded our expectations!  Their famous red velvet cupcake was our favorite and although we only ordered one, they threw in an extra cupcake when my mom told them she had flown in all the way from Kansas JUST to taste one of their cupcakes! :) We also tried a carmel cupcake that was good, and got a chocolate one...unfortunately Charlie devoured this one along with his red velvet cupcake so I can't comment on how delicious the chocolate tasted!

We delivered the cupcakes to Charlie while he was at school so he took a quick study break and gave us his tour of must-see spots on campus.

The next day Charlie spent studying which left ALL day for Mom and me to shop, shop, shop!  First, Joel took our picture on the beach then we were off.

We had such a successful day shopping that the sales ladies started asking us if we wanted to put our bags in a dressing room while we looked around!! Haha that has never happened before!

Of course an intense shopping day is only complete by coming home to a delicious meal!! We had mom's famous fried chicken, strawberry pretzel salad, mashed potatoes, and salad!  Plus, she brought some special edition dark chocolate and mint chips which we used to make Charlie's favorite cookies.  Not only did he love them, but the cookies also helped calm him down from the intense LSU/BAMA game.  Thankfully they pulled out a win...we won't even talk about this Saturday.  So sad.  (I had to give Charlie the 'It's just a game speech' so he could get back to memo writing.)

Sunday we heard a great lesson at University Church at Pepperdine then went to eat at Tra Di Noi in the Country Mart!  We ordered at the to-go counter and got to enjoy the gorgeous weather outside!

That afternoon we went to Zuma Beach before my birthday dinner at Geoffrey's which was AMAZING!

For my birthday breakfast Monday, Mom made my absolute favorite thing in the world...coffee ring!!  Not only does it taste like a slice of Heaven, but the smell lingers in your house for hours!
I'm sad to admit we consumed the entire thing by Tuesday morning.

A big thank you to everyone who made me feel so loved and special on November 5th! :)  I can't imagine a better family!!!

Trick or Treat - Remix

This Halloween was unlike any other!  Instead of trick-or-treating after dark, we began at 4:30 in the afternoon.  Rather than going to houses, we went to vendors in the Skid-Row area around 7th and San Pedro.  Instead of the orange pumpkin buckets I remember carrying as a child, a local elementary school donated AMAZING bags for the kids to carry, complete with a hand written note of encouragement on each one. And although no one wore a new costume, these kids couldn't have been prouder of the ones they were wearing!

Wednesday was spent with my sweet friends downtown.  We began our afternoon with these festive treats! I was thrilled to finally put Pinterest to good use and actually make some of the goodies I had pinned.  The Mandarin oranges with pumpkin faces were a big hit!  And while the hot dog mummies seemed like a good idea, most kids tore off the bread and only ate the hot dog because the mummies were a little "too scary to eat." :) Precious.

After snacks, the students who did not have a costume and those needing to add a little extra punch to the one they had, got to go 'shopping' thanks to a few students from Pepperdine who donated Halloween costumes for the kids.  They were ecstatic and loved trying on everything. The most popular item on the table: Fake Blood!

Now for the best part- These are the awesome bags!!!

 

 

School on Wheels distributed candy to the vendors in the area so we were able to trick-or-treat everywhere from the Fire Station to the Smoothie Shop!  What a special memory for these precious kids!!

 



 



Truly inspired! :)

Fun Run!

 

On Saturday Charlie and I ran in our first race together! I'll admit, I have been strongly opposed to running any type of 5K, half, or marathon because it seems like everyone is doing that these days.  However, because this race was to benefit School On Wheels and was at a location like Zuma Beach I decided to make an exception to my rule.  It was only a 5K and was very laid back but was a great experience!  They even had an awesome band playing folk-ish music. :)

 

 We saw Dean Sturgeon there, and got catch up with him before the race.  However, once the race started...there was no catching him... He ran WAY TOO fast for us.

I finished in exactly 25 minutes and Charlie was only a few seconds behind me! :)  This NEVER happens. Typically, I am the one nagging Charlie to slow down but Saturday he was in the early stages of an awful cold so he was not running at 100%.  We still had a great time and enjoyed the early morning exercise.

Charlie spent the rest of the day studying and we watched Alabama dominate Mississippi State Saturday night!  Sunday night we had to work since Jon, he guy who usually works, is out of town.  Thankfully, our small group came to our house so Charlie and I took shifts manning the front desk and getting to be with our wonderful friends!  

   

People, People, People

No matter where you go, it's always the people that determine if you like your experience there, love it, or (in the words of Elphaba and Glinda) are changed for good. For example...church camp is my favorite place in the world.  Located in Smackover, Arkansas it is nothing fancy, but the people I met there remain some of my dearest friends.  Camp Kurios is where I met Samantha, my wonderful college room mate for 3 years and the counselors there actually introduced me to Harding!  I could literally go on and on and on about the life changing people I met through Camp Kurios.
Since our time in California, we have met nothing but AMAZING people!! From Two Bunk John to the die-hard MIZZOU fan, Bob Tipton, we have quickly fallen in love with the people of California.  Sure, the view is breathtaking and of course the cuisine is exquisite BUT without wonderful people to share these adventures with, how dull would this experience be?  I want to share a few of my favorites...
Now, before you think this is too random, this idea just came to me as I was reflecting upon our shopping experience today.  Charlie and I went to J.Crew to finally get him some fall/winter clothes!  This boy is still growing and has outgrown his current attire.  The sales guy there, Steven, couldn't have been more kind.  He helped Charlie find the right jeans that weren't TOO modern but also didn't look like he bought them in the 80s.  When we finally checked out he gave us a discount and I really felt like we'd made a new friend!! He promised to drop by for a visit the next time he came surfing at Surfrider Beach.

Ok, back to the highlights (in no particular order)...

#1: KAJA

I'm dying to tell everyone about the funniest guy I have met so far.  He is the security guard next door and his name is Kaja.  He also has a heart of gold.  One cool, crisp Thursday night he came over to visit.  (He only comes over on Thursdays.)  He shared a few stories with Charlie and me and we all ate a strawberry cupcake then he took a cup of coffee to go...Before I knew he could actually go inside the building he protects, I thought he had to stand outside all night so I made him take a cup of coffee because it was chilly.  Well, about 3 minutes later he comes back in with a huge smile on his face and no coffee cup.  He asked us if he could have another cup of coffee.  "Sure...you must have drank the last cup super fast!!" I said.  "Actually, I gave it to the homeless guy who asked me for it when I walked by him."
Melt my heart right there!  I had tears in my eyes as I poured him another cup of coffee!  Lol, sad but true.

Kaja took this picture last night on our tour of the restaurant he stands watch over!

#2: TWO BUNK JOHN



Charlie getting John to autograph his chapter in the book!

In the middle of my recovery from surgery this summer I began reading 'Love Does' after my sweet sisters-in-law recommended it.  They spoke about the book with so much excitement and awe, Charlie and I went out that very night and bought the book store's last copy.  Claire and Mary Kyle couldn't wait to tell Charlie and I about it because the author, Bob Goff, actually taught law classes at Pepperdine.  It gets better...
As I was reading the last chapter about 'Two Bunk John' I read that he was starting law school this fall.  After reading about his work with a school in Uganda I wondered what law school was lucky enough to snag him.  At the end of the book it had his last name so of course I immediately did what anyone does these days when they want to find out the scoop on someone...I looked him up on facebook!
When I found him I saw that we had 1 mutual friend, Charlie Walker. I attempted to yell to Charlie who was deep in his own reading, however because I had just had jaw surgery and still had a splint in my mouth my speech was highly unintelligible.  I did my best to ask him how in the world he knew Two Bunk John.
He had no idea what I was talking about.  However, after some investigating I found out that I was right. Two Bunk John also known as John Niemeyer, would be attending Pepperdine Law School with Charlie in the fall.  I immediately sent him a facebook message telling him we couldn't wait to meet him.
I knew after receiving a message back from him that he, Charlie, and I would for sure be good friends!  I was right again...John is such a great guy and has THE BEST stories.  I don't want to tell you too much about him because I want you to read Love Does! :)

#3 : THE CAINS

Even though Chris is a big time movie producer, Sharon is an actress, and their son is SUPERMAN, the Cains are the most genuine people!!  Sharon has the biggest smile and most infectious laugh and Chris couldn't be more humble.  I love that whenever I see them it's obvious they are still very much in love by the way they look, talk, and interact with each other.  I just love LOVE! :)

Well, the list truly goes on and on but I wanted to share a few.  And to wrap things up, my favorite quote by C.S. Lewis.  It is much longer and more in depth, but these words have been etched in my mind since the very first time I read The Weight of Glory.

"There are no ordinary people.  You have never talked to a mere mortal."
-C.S. Lewis

Feels like FALL

Although the weather remained warm, it felt like fall this weekend as Charlie and I had our friends, Beverly and Glenn over to carve pumpkins and cheer on The Tide!! :)  Beverly and I both picked out very unique pumpkins; however we soon found that they were VERY lumpy and hard to carve despite their great outward appearances!! Charlie and Glenn grilled chicken and Beverly made the most delicious dark chocolate pumpkin bread! We had such a great night! Honestly,what could be better than carving pumpkins while singing along to Bart Millard, eating great food, and ALABAMA  getting another W?!? :)

 

Since this was our weekend to work, we woke up early Sunday morning and began the audit.  Because anything involving numbers happens to be out of both mine and Charlie's area of expertise, this can sometimes take us a while. Thankfully, we worked together on Sunday and got breakfast served and the audit done in less than an hour!  (The number part is actually starting to be kind of fun!) Well, after that was complete I worked the front desk while Charlie started studying.  Suddenly, I was totally surprised by these wonderful Pillsbury Orange Rolls made with love just for me!  After Charlie showed me his creation in the heart shaped pan he gave me the middle orange roll (which we both fight over since it's always the softest).  :) It's the little things that make a marriage WONDERFUL!  

 

 

Later that afternoon, Charlie and Joel decided to ATTEMPT the Buoy Challenge! They jumped into the Pacific Ocean at Casa Malibu and tried to swim all the way  out to the buoy...however they quickly discovered it may take a little training to build up to this feat.  Joel turned back at the halfway point and Charlie quickly followed!  :) I was so glad to see them both back on dry ground!! 

 

 Just another weekend in Malibama.

Whirlwind

I cannot believe it's October 20th already!  Fall is just setting in here in Malibu and things are as busy as ever!  I've been baking a lot this week...what's new?  :)  Monday I made sugar cookies for a friend who just had a new baby!!

I also made some banana nut bread to take for breakfast and decided to add a twist to the top.  I mixed 3 tablespoons of orange juice with orange zest and powdered sugar to make a delicious glaze!  Charlie says this glaze must now be a staple with all banana bread. :)

Well, I have officially fallen in love with School On Wheels in downtown L.A. I am so thankful to have the opportunity to work with kids there every Wednesday.  This is a nonprofit organization that provides afterschool tutoring for students who are homeless.  We have 20-40 students everyday after school!  These kids are PRECIOUS and are filling the space in my heart left by the wonderful kids I worked with at Simmons.  I hope to take some pictures soon to give you a firsthand look at this amazing program.  :)  You can also visit their website: School on Wheels

This week also marked the halfway point for CHARLIE!!! He is studying tirelessly and working so hard to be a great husband at the same time!  Our friend Luke, talked him into going to a spin class on campus which works out perfectly to offset his chocolate chip cookie addiction! 

All week Charlie has been giddy about meeting Ken Starr.  He was on campus at Pepperdine Friday and Charlie had the privilege of meeting him! 

 

 

 

Finally, this verse has been encouraging Charlie and me all week:

"For nothing is impossible with God." -Luke 1:37

 

PUMPKIN!!!

Aside from the Pumpkin Spice Latte that I am drinking WAY too often, I have also fallen in love with several other pumpkin dishes.  Here are a few of the store-bought AND home-made favorites Charlie and I are enjoying right now...
1. Thomas-Pumpkin Spice English Muffins

I could seriously eat three of these every morning...but I try and make myself stop at one.

After I pop one of these 150 calorie muffins in the toaster and slap some butter on both sides my mouth is watering and I devour it within seconds.  :)  That may be too many details.  Charlie is a big fan of these as well.  The special edition, Pumpkin Spice, will be in stores through December but it has taken me a month to find them since first tasting one at the beginning of September.

2 Carmel - Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Picture from the website.

Picture from my kitchen!  Obviously, making the bread pudding in ramekins
is 10 times cuter than this! But, I took the easy way out.  It was TO DIE FOR!!

This was my first attempt at bread pudding, and I can't see ever trying another recipe! This was exquisite.  I used a loaf of Archer Farms, french bread from Target and followed the recipe exactly.  Since this was just for the two of us I only made half of the recipe.  

3. Pumpkin Cake- This is STILL my 'go to' pumpkin dish!  I LOVE this recipe.  Unfortunately, I have not had the chance to make it this fall so I found a picture that used the same recipe.
 



Blend together the following ingredients with mixer and pour into greased 9 x 13 pan:
15 oz. can pumpkin
12 oz. can evaporated milk
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp. salt
Next, sprinkle over pumpkin mix:
1 package yellow cake mix
Sprinkle over cake mix:
1 cup pecans, chopped (The recipe in the picture used 1 and 1/2 cups)
Drizzle over pecans:
3/4 cup butter
Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes.

4. Easiest Pumpkin Muffins EVER- Another great breakfast idea

My mom and I made these a few years ago and got carried away eating them because we thought they were only 10 calories per muffin!  After eating them for a few days we decided to recheck our math and discovered we were off by one ZERO.  They are actually 100 calories each, which still counts as a healthy snack in my book!
You simply add one can of pumpkin to a spice cake mix!  Mix well, then spoon the batter into cupcake holders and follow the baking directions on the back of the cake box.  And there you have it, a delicious breakfast on the go! Because this recipe makes so many, I like to freeze the majority of the muffins and just take a few out at a time to enjoy; it also prevents Charlie from getting too 'pumpkined out.'

Happy Fall!!

Can Resting Be Spiritual?

It seems the same reoccurring theme has been appearing in my life over the past few months.  Sadly, I have not fully comprehended this message until recent weeks. 

It all started on a Tuesday in late September when I was working at the front desk.  A frail, blonde haired lady in her late 70's shuffled up and began talking to me.  She was wearing a huge hat with some sort of animal print scarf tied around it, high heels, a wig, and lots of lip liner.  After checking her in, I asked where she was going to eat tonight to which she replied, "Oh honey, I'm Jewish.  I'm not going to eat, I'm going to pray."  Of course...It was Yom Kippur!  She was stopping the daily routine of her life to spend time resting in God.  I was mortified as I shoved the last piece of candy bar into my mouth!

The next day I decided to catch up on some reading for the class Charlie and I attend on Sunday mornings.  We are currently in a study on Pilgrim Heart by Darryl Tippens.  It is an amazing book on spiritual disciplines.  Well...since unfortunately I was a few weeks behind on my reading I was just getting to the chapters on rest.  It's ironic that the 13 other spiritual disciplines mentioned in the book each require one chapter, but resting takes up two.  Tippens says, "The reluctance to retreat arises in part from the often unspoken suspicion that such an activity is selfish or, even worse, an irresponsible abandonment of one's duty to he world."  He discusses that participating in a time of rest whether it's an hour, an afternoon, a day, or week,  serves as a reminder that the world really can get along without me.  Tippens also quotes Thomas Merton who recommends "going into the desert not to escape other men but in order to find them in God." Whew...dwell on that! :)

Last week at Community Bible Study (CBS) we read in the second chapter of Mark about Jesus getting up early and going off to pray.  We had a fantastic group discussion about how Jesus was able to extend Himself outwardly with compassion to others because he took time to be filled inwardly with the love, power, and will of the Father.

Today at CBS we read Mark 3:14 about the calling of the disciples and how one of their primary responsibilities was just to 'be with Him.' Being with Him was how they learned and were empowered.  I am guilty of focusing WAY TOO MUCH on the doing aspect of Christianity and not the being with Jesus part.  And to be honest, I'm worried I do no fully enjoy those quiet moments alone with God because I'm constantly thinking about what I should/could be doing.

This resting seed was first planted in my mind all the way back in June when I had jaw surgery and was physically resting for a solid month.  Yet for some reason it took me until now to grasp the meaning and importance of spiritual rest.  Finally, after putting together all of these recent experiences I was overcome with a huge sense of peace.  It's refreshing to know that I don't HAVE to be on the go all of the time.  Since I am not currently working an 8:00-5:00 job, I do have more free time during the day and if I tried to fill all of that time with works, I would be exhausted.  Thankfully, I am discovering the benefits to one's spiritual journey of resting and how taking time to rest in God actually fills you with the love, compassion, and energy that is vital in serving others.

I have tried to make a conscious effort to slow down and take time to rest in God.  It's very easy to do this while visiting the breathtaking Zuma Beach:

And while driving through Pepperdine's gorgeous campus I was reminded of the creation story in which God rested on the seventh day!

As you can see, I began following the deer a little too closely and they quickly left me behind!

Can you spot the deer in the next picture?!  Hint: There are more than one!

He is Everywhere, if I will just put down my to-do list and rest in Him.  During my CBS devotional I was reminded of what Oswald Chambers said in his wonderfully encouraging book of daily devotionals, My Utmost for His Highest, "The main thing about Christianity is not the work we do, but the relationship we maintain and the atmosphere produced by that relationship."

The Unglamorous Side of Being Innkeepers

Charlie makes me laugh harder than anyone else in the world, even during frustrating times such as this morning at 3:30 A.M.!

We have a famous artist staying at Casa Malibu who will go unnamed.  He is here with his girlfriend and manager, and as luck would have it, they are staying in the suite directly above our apartment.  At 1:00 A.M. they were on the terrace and since all was quiet here except their screaming/cackling/loud talking, Charlie decided to go and ask them to please be quiet since other guests were trying to sleep.  They said OK!

An hour later it sounds like they are completely rearranging the furniture in their suite and of course both girls are still in their heels.  Now all women know how loud these can be especially late at night when your feet are tired and you don't feel like walking as lightly anymore.  Why they were still wearing them is a mystery to me, but I am determined to find out what brand these shoes are and how they were able to keep them on into the wee hours of the morning.  Anyway, Charlie decided to call their room.  He kindly asked the manager (who is doing ALL of the talking and not letting Charlie come close to the artist) what they were doing.  Although she didn't give an answer, she assured him they would calm it down.

When I hear the heels come clomping down the stairs (directly outside our bedroom windows which we keep open all the time) it is 3:00 AM.  They go back to the terrace and start causing a huge ruckus again! Charlie takes off to really 'get serious' with them as I wrap up in a blanket and stand in the doorway to watch and make sure they don't do anything mean to him! :)  That's when the funny part happened...

"What's going on out here?" Charlie says in a rather loud voice.  Again, the manager cuts him off so he can't get close to the guest of honor.

"Listen, I know you're from New York, but this ain't Time Square, it's a sleepy beach town and people here are tired.  Now, if you want to party, go to Santa Monica or back to New York, but not here." 

She quickly reminds him who the artist is but Charlie cuts her off, "Mam, I don't care what he does for a living.  Everybody works and we all need sleep so please be courteous enough to let the guests here have that."   

And with that my hero came back home and we went to sleep!!

I'll be honest, the thought did cross my mind to 'accidentally' set a wake-up call for them this morning when I got to work at 7:00 AM...but I decided against it.

So, aside from this slight road bump our weekend has been great.  For lunch on Saturday, Charlie grilled hamburgers and we ate outside on our new patio table with the staff here.  We had an especially fancy dessert...Halloween Oreos!! :)  Charlie and I also ate outside for dinner and enjoyed another amazing sunset!   

   

 Thanks to Joel for tending to our garden we also had a gorgeous center piece!

All's Well that Ends Well!

Face lifts!

Well...I did it again!  I told myself to get in a routine of blogging every Monday/Wednesday/Friday BUT as you can see I have not been good a keeping this goal!

We have had SO many events going on the past week, however this post will be devoted to a recap of last weekend which we got to spend with my Dad and Sandra.  We had such a wonderful, jam packed weekend in Malibu full of face lifts, fun, and food!

Of course we had to start the trip with Charlie giving us a tour of Pepperdine!  This is one of my favorite lookout spots.  

At the September 11th Memorial Garden.

We went to eat at three of my All Time Favorite Restaurants in this area.  Breakfast at Marmalade Cafe, dinner at Wood Ranch (our long time favorite BBQ place introduced to us by Dacia and Kaden), and our new favorite-- Geoffrey's pronounced "Joffrey's."  Charlie refuses to say the name correctly so he continues to call it Jeffrey's. We enjoyed the BEST view of a gorgeous sunset and ate their amazing scallops.  However, my favorite part of dinner was dessert-- creme brulee and some sort of apple crisp that was heavenly.

Leaving Geoffrey's, so much fun!

 While they were here, my Dad and Sandra also gave our patio a serious face lift!!  We planted an herb garden complete with oregano, cilantro, garlic chives, rosemary, thyme, basil, and lemon verbena (sounds so SoCal, eek!)  Pictures of this soon to come.  I can not wait to start cooking with these herbs. We also revamped a shelf Mrs. Beth found for us before we left Alabama and transformed it into an essential component of our garden. 
First, Sandra and I picked out what herbs we wanted to plant in each drawer, then we found these amazing succulents for the shelves.  I've never seen this type of plant before but they grow so easily in California.  Finally, we decided on a plant named 'string of pearls' to go in the remaining two drawers. 

 Meanwhile, Dad was busy repositioning the hooks on the back of the shelf to match the hooks that were already in the brick wall..  Then, because he is so innovative, he put a nail in each drawer so they could stay partially open without falling to the ground.

 Finally, Dad drilled holes in the bottom of each drawer so the water could drain.  And this is the finished product! I Love it!!

I want to show a before and after picture of our entire patio but I'm going to wait until this weekend when the best gardener in the world, Joel (pronounced Hoil) helps me get rid of a few weeds and plant the lavender.

Well, this weekend also happened to be Malibu's Annual Flea Market put on by the Lions Club.  Sandra and I found some STEALS!  For starters, we stumbled upon these vintage, Jams Hawaiian shirts!  Dad and I both got one!

We also found an old produce box that we used for the herb garden.  But perhaps the best find was the wood block made from old European, salvaged wood.  It is amazing and is the perfect serving piece!

On Monday we finished off our time together with our fourth trip to the nursery!! :) We decided to go back and make an offer on a high top table and stools for our patio.  Thankfully, they accepted it and we loaded up our treasure!! Charlie has already gotten in some good studying at this table.  This weekend we plan to grill out and enjoy a meal here together! 

 
Whew! Are you exhausted?  I feel like we worked Dad and Sandra to the bone!  It was such a wonderful weekend, we got a ton accomplished and also made many Malibu memories!  So blessed. :)    

COOPER!

I have to show off the most precious nephew in the world!! I was so thankful to spend a quick weekend with him and to get to see Kelli and Zach in the role of Mommy and Daddy.  They are such a great team!  Can't wait until Cooper is old enough to come and visit Aunt E and Uncle C and go to Disneyland!  :)   

It's hard to find something I love more than cuddle time!



Love being with my brother!

 

Melts my heart.

 

 

This is my favorite picture!  I wish there was sound!!

 

 

They are a perfect team and Cooper was so good during bath time!

 

 

I am now anxiously awaiting my next check-up appointment on my jaw just so I can see COOPER again! :)