Thanksgiving Day

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you had a lovely day full of food, thankful memories, and special moments. If you read my last blog post you caught a glimpse into how my Thanksgiving Day's typically go. This year followed true to form - with the exception of celebrating my birthday!! {Woo Woo - this should be the last of it ;)}

Chrissy, Katie, and I had some fun in Grandma's backyard showing off our outfits. Take a look below.

I'm off to bed early to brave the Black Friday shoppers at a few of my favorite stores. I hope you enjoy our outfits as much as we did.

Thanksgiving part 2 begins in T minus 29 hours. 

In our usual place in front of the fire place

Adding in Grandma

Can't forget Britty

Outfit: Dress {H&M} , Sweater {Macy's here}

Let the photoshooting begin

Chrissy's Photoshoot

Katie's Photoshoot

 And a few other favorites

Thanksgiving Prep

Thanksgiving Eve and you can find the granddaughters {minus Britty} setting up for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow night. We've been doing this for years - Grandma loves to tell us where everything goes and we love to give her a hard time by putting things in the wrong place or spaced out unevenly. 

Thanksgiving is such a special time for my family. We love getting together, and do frequently, but this time of year brings a palpable feeling I love to soak up as much of as I can. 

Thanksgiving day goes a little something like this...

- Arrive at Grandma's - two kisses for grandma and hugs hello for everyone
- Hair and Makeup check
- Pictures, Pictures, Pictures
- First round of drinks are made while cooks fill the kitchen
- The girls sneak away and take silly pictures with Grandma's Fall decorations
- Late comers arrive just in time to chit chat then gather round the table
- Confusion about where to sit and who can be by whom riles everyone up like it's our first time {mind you we've been sitting in the same place since I've moved up to the adult table - and we have name tags... still confusion}
- Grandma begins the prayer while Chrissy, Katie, Brittney, Dad, and I squeeze each others hands to provoke giggles {completely un-sacreligious but traditional} ... our secret is out now...
- Plates are filled and cleared during entertaining/informative/interrogative conversation takes place
- Everyone helps out to clear the table 
- Girls disappear {minus Britty} to avoid dishes ...another secret out...
- More silly pictures in front of the fire place
- Sometimes we can convince Grandma to play games with us... usually Crack the Case is the only game we can agree on {The most outlandish guesses are thrown up in a Hail Mary type fashion and once or twice have been the actual answer!}
- The time for goodbyes

As much stress and work one day can be it's still one of my favorites.

Here are some pictures from Grandma's today:

Birthday Celebrations Continued

Happy Sunday Everyone!

Last night a special group of girlfriends got together to celebrate my birthday. We dressed up and set out for POP Champagne and Dessert Bar in Pasadena. {This is quickly turning into one of my favorite places!}

After ordering almost everything off the happy hour menu {5-7 even on the weekends} we moved on to the dessert menu. OMG! I can't even begin to describe how good everything was. 

From what I can remember these were the chosen ones:

Cherry Heirloom & Roma Tomato & Basil Bruschetta

Prosciutto-wrapped Shrimp

POPcorn Chicken

Sun Dried Tomato, Goat Cheese Fondue

Parma Prosciutto with Medjool Dates, Figs & Fresh Melon

Caprese Salad - Heirloom Tomatoes, Burata Mozzarella, Basil Pesto, balsamic glaze, olive oil

Jalapeno Tuna Tartare - served with avocado puree ; cilantro yuzu oil, wonton chips

Smore’s - House made Graham cookie, Chocolate Hazelnut Ice Cream, house made Mallow

Vanilla Creme Brulee - fresh berries, tuile cookie, Chantilly cream

Churros - rolled in cinnamon and sugar and served with cajeta sauce

Strawberry Nutella Crepe - with caramel sauce and strawberry served with vanilla ice cream

And of course lots of Champagne <3 <3 <3

I highly recommend POP to everyone! I can't wait to go back - possibly a date night adventure in the future?!? :)

Chrissy, Allison, Me, Tanya, Carolyn, Leanne

 In front of the creepy bug shop

 Black Quarter Sleeve Cardigan {Similar here} , Sequin Skirt {Similar here}, Black Platform Pumps {Similar here} 

Skirt Close Up

Jewels: Gifts from the grandmas 

Right: Vintage Cocktail Ring {grandpa gave to grandma <3} 

Left: Bling (Bracelet Ring) from a boutique at the LA County Fair {Similar here}

Headshot for hair and makeup

Lovely Ladies @ POP

My 27th birthday

Another birthday under my adult belt! So far so good on the 27th year. I was welcomed with lots and lots of texts, calls, and Facebook posts wishing me a happy birthday.

Special moments throughout the day: Walking into my cubicle at work to find it elaborately decorated by my best friend! (Pictures below!) Lunch with Allison and Tanya, surprised with cake and booze, and a lovely dinner with my mom and sister. It was such a fun, happy day!!

Saturday is the girls night out birthday celebration. Stay tuned for my outfit of the night and details about how I celebrated my birthday!

Thank you everyone who took the time to wish me a happy birthday <3