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Thursday, April 5, 2012

girls are suckers for proposal videos...

tuesday in the office, I saw a co-worker crouched behind her computer wiping her eyes. I asked her if she was ok and she immediately smiled and started laughing. At that point, i was SUPER confused but then she asked me to come watch a video she had pulled up. 

it was the video below...an incredibly adorable, tear jerker proposal video that took place at downtown disney. have the tissues ready...


because i was in the cute proposal video mood, i showed her a proposal video that seriously gets me every time. i posted it below. 


girls, show these to your men. they have some strong competition! but at the end of the day, as long as your saying "yes" the love of your life...a simple "will you marry me" is all you need to hear for that day to turn into the best day ever. 

have a lovely day!

xo, lisa

Monday, April 2, 2012

Love is...a lazy Sunday

What is it about Sunday's? To me, Sunday just screams family day, comfort, relaxation, baking, yummy dinner, brunch, church, movies and being around the people you love. Unfortunately, because I work in the food industry, Sunday's off are hard to come by. At least all day Sunday is. Reason being...EVERYONE wants Sunday's off, including myself. However, I do my best to enjoy the few hours I do have off whether it be morning, afternoon or night.

Last Sunday, I had the night off. I took the opportunity to go home to my parents house because I missed them like crazy and I definitely needed some puppy love from my furry friends! And not to mention a home cooked mama meal. To top it off, it was so rainy that day! Perfection. Rainy day at home = ultimate comfy zone. Fire place was blazin, hot chocolate was drunk, puppies were snoozin, rain was fallin, pie was bakin, movies were watched, cuddle time was a must, dinner was delish and life was just all around good.


Sean and I decided to watch "reign over me" with Adam Sandler and it was a great movie but boy was it sad!!! It really makes you appreciate the people you have in your life. One thing I really learned from it was never leave without saying I love you. If you have seen the movie, you know what I am talking about. 3 simple words mean so much.

While watching the movie, my mama was slaving away in the kitchen making delicious corned beef and cabbage because Sean and I never had any on st. Patties day. It was amazing and the perfect comfort food.

After dinner, we enjoyed a lemon cream pie that Sean and I had made. Best part was, it was a low calories dessert!! Thank you, weight watchers.

Lemony Cream Pie. Find this delicious and low calorie recipe here

Why can't everyday be like this?

xo, lisa

Thursday, March 29, 2012

the accident

so this is a post i have been meaning to write for over a month now. 

on february 12th, while on an amazing vacation in mammoth, we (sean, kaila, taylor & i) were hit by a drunk driver at 3am-ish. 

earlier that day, we had an amazing time sledding our lil hearts out and completely enjoying ourselves, each other, and our surroundings. we kept on saying how it was such a great day and nothing could get much better. that night, we went out to some bars with our friend ian and then to his friends house in a neighborhood close to taylor's dads house. it had snowed that day so the town was beautifully blanketed by a fresh snowfall. 

on our way back to taylor's dads house, we slid out on some ice and watched as a car quickly approached us. we knew instantly that he wasnt going to stop, or go around us (even though he had PLENTY of room -- 13 ft to be exact). knowing that he was going to hit good ol' gloria (my car!), we braced for impact. sean and i were sitting in the back of the car while kaila and taylor were in the front. even though it felt like slow motion, it all happened so fast. when he hit us, the impact caused me to hit the window and shatter the glass leaving me with a very bloody face, glass stuck in my nose, and cuts on my face. kaila had a deep gash on her finger from the broken glass. thankfully, the boys were ok. we wouldn't discover until later how bad our whiplash was.

as soon as we evaluated that everyone was "ok", taylor got out of the car to approach the other driver. boy, was he obnoxious. as taylor tried to calm him down, kaila got out of the car to talk with him as well. unfortunately, the guy was too hard to talk to and was acting ridiculous. we decided to just sit in the car and wait for police to deal with him. 

the police & fire department came and evaluated the scene. after about an hr, they took the other driver into the police station to properly test him for alcohol use and low and behold, he was definitely under the influence...not only of alcohol, but also of ambien which is a sleep aid. 

as for gloria, the tow truck company towed her back to the house and gave us the okay to drive her home the next day just as long as we took her into the shop immediately. 

it has been about a month and a half since the accident and we are still no where close to being done with this case. i am not expected to have gloria back for about another 2 weeks (at least) and taylor, kaila and i are still visiting the chiropractor multiple times a week. we have put it all into a lawyers hands and now just have to ride out the rest of this case! 

all i can say is that there was definitely multiple guardian angels watching over us that night. this situation could have been SO much worse and we are so incredibly lucky and thankful for our health and for each other. as for the driver, i really hope this has taught him a serious lesson and he does not ever drink and drive again because in my opinion, he got off so easy. a DUI, a night in jail, and an increased insurance rate is nothing compared to what could have happened...and we all know what that is.

hours before the accident having a great time! :)

good ol' gloria! she is such a trooper
anyways, i just wanted to give you all a semi-brief description of what happened! 

xo, lisa

Saturday, March 24, 2012

happy saturday!

hey guys, do me a favor and if you have free time...bake for me this weekend. i have been so busy lately, i havent been able to get in the kitchen, throw flour everywhere, make a mess, and bake something delicious. i'm dyin over here! so if you find yourself with nothing to do during this gloomy weekend...get in the kitchen and bake something for someone you love! 

here is a suggestion:

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lemon-blueberry yogurt loaf. YUM. recipe

have a wonderful weekend everyone! 

xo, lisa 



Friday, March 23, 2012

what a week! and it's only thursday...

wowza! i have been non stop since 6am monday morning! like i mentioned in my previous post [look mom! i'm a big girl], i started an internship this week. it has been amazing so far! i am definitely learning a lot about the event and entertainment business. the people i work with are so great and i cannot wait to learn more and more! however, there are a few things i need to get used to.

waking up at 630am every morning [i don't really mind it, actually!]

having to get ready in the morning. like REALLY ready. i'm not talking throwing my hair up and finding a clean pair of jeans kind of ready...like i did in college. i mean like straightening my hair, putting on makeup, and finding the perfect pair of heels to match my outfit kind of ready. 

the drive. OH THE DRIVE. there and back. on average, i am on the road 4 hrs a day. 2 there, 2 back. i might as well be driving to vegas...who's in?! but seriously, the drive is rough. 

sitting at a desk and browsing my computer. i don't mind it, i'm just not used to it because all my other jobs have required me to be up and walking around...but i'm sure i will get used to it!

having to juggle the internship and my part time jobs. it's a lot, but gotta do what you gotta do! 

overall, i am very excited and anxious to continue on with the internship and learn more and more. i know once my new schedule kicks in with my part time jobs, i will be much happier because i'll actually have days off!!!!!! yay! took a break today and made a DELICIOUS brunch at the house with my honey. we made a frittata with mushrooms, green onion, turkey, tomatoes and feta, pumpkin and pecan waffles, sliced strawberries, orange juice and coffee! it was such a pretty day out so we decided to make a makeshift table and sat outside to soak up some sunshine. it really was a wonderful afternoon with a wonderful person :) 

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you know you're jealous


lesson i learned today: appreciate the time you have with loved ones because life can get so busy sometimes, it's hard to find a day, hour, minute or second to be with the ones you love but when that time presents itself...take full advantage!!!

xo, lisa

Sunday, March 18, 2012

look mom! i'm a big girl

ok so the nerves are starting to get to me. tomorrow, i am starting a new chapter in my life. i start a BIG GIRL [internship] JOB! 

i got hired by this wonderful event planning company in hollywood called "shiraz events." i am beyond excited because this company is amazing. i have had my eye on them for months now and always said to myself "it would be so fun to work for this company!" they are based in nyc, miami and now la where they specialize in entertainment events. such as what? anything from fashion shows to product launches to weddings to corporate events to celebrity birthday parties. pretty cool, huh?

i can't deny it though...i am shaking in my boots...or should i say stilettos (hey, it is hollywood after all).  i think my nerves are basically stemming from the fact that this is a new chapter in my life and i just want to do the best i can. this is exactly what i wanted for a job so i couldnt be more thankful :) 

so here goes nothing! wish me luck.

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xo, lisa

Saturday, March 17, 2012

love is...the luck of the irish!

HAPPY ST PATTIES DAY EVERYONE! today is a day of luck, 4 leaf clovers, rainbows, leprechauns, green & some more green, cornbeef & cabbage, and maybe a little beer...ok, A LOT of beer! Guinness especially :) 

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so in spite of this fun holiday, i thought i would get in touch with my irish roots (1/4 irish baby! & i have red hair so that pretty much makes me irish regardless) and mention a few things i'm feelin lucky for.

lucky to be in love
lucky to have an incredible family
lucky to have hilarious & wonderful friends
lucky that i have good health (even though salmonella is currently in my system...it could be way worse!)
lucky to have a job
78601955966495050.jpglucky to live somewhere beautiful
lucky to have my cute pups
overall, im just feelin very lucky and blessed. thanks st patties for helpin me count my blessings!

st patties is about fun. at least in my book! this time last year, i was at school during the day and then work and then went out last minute to some of the bars in the neighborhood with sean, ian, and gabby. we had a blast!!! this year, i know i will have another great st patties spent with great friends!


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have a wonderful day everyone! have fun and most importantly, BE SAFE!!!!!!!!!! 

xo, your (1/4) irish friend

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

love is...COFFEE.

ok, i hate that moment when my alarm screams at me to wake up. it's like someone sat there and thought of one of the worst moments of all time, added a sound to it, and made it an alarm clock. even if you have a nice jingle that wakes you up...or your favorite song. if it's being used to wake you up from a wonderful slumber...it's possibly the worst sound EVER. and did i mention that i am a morning person? really, i am.

however...once i get passed the screeching alarm clock, my mind starts to work and BAM i am in a good mood because being awake means i get to drink a cup [or 2] of coffee. i don't know how to describe my love affair with coffee. it basically gets me out of bed in the morning because i am so excited to drink it. 

i love the enticing smell 
i love the nutty and roasted taste
i love the process of making a pot of coffee
i love the warmth
i love the mugs i drink it out of. i collect mugs, did i tell you that?
i love having my hands wrapped around a warm cup when it's cold
i love how you can smell coffee all throughout the house
i love the creamy creamer i put in my coffee. hazelnut from coffeemate is my favie
i love how coffee can bring people together any time of day
i love COFFEE. all kinds.
a good ol' cup o coffee, lattes, cappucinos, americanos, iced coffee, espresso, i could go on for days...

i truly do have to say that one of the best parts of my day is waking up, moseying into the kitchen in my pj's, robe and slippers, opening up the coffee can [right now i am drinking fresh & easy's organic cinnamon blend...ohmygod. the smell is incredible], brewing the coffee [i pretty much stand there like a zombie watching the coffee brew], getting my cup all prepared, taking that really hot but amazingly delicious first sip, heading back to my room with a smile on my face, hopping back into my warm bed, turing on the TODAY SHOW, and having some one-on-one time with my coffee....and al roker. it's morning bliss. 

if you don't drink coffee, maybe don't start because then you are going to become highly addicted and maybe a tad bit obsessive..like me. but for those of you that DO drink coffee...i am sure there is something in this post that you agree with, if not all of it. coffee lovers, unite!




xo, lisa aka coffee obsessor
 

Thursday, February 16, 2012

love is...birthdays galore :)

oh how i love birthdays. what i love even more is that february is a month full of birthdays of some of the people I LOVE OH SO MUCH.

february 8th - happy 23rd to my wonderful [soon to be] sister-in-law!

even though we were 898 miles, 15 hours, 3 minutes and a 2 hour time difference away...i was still celebrating with you in spirit! you are an amazingly beautiful person and beyond perfect for my big brother. i have never ever in the 23 yrs that i have known my big bro, seen him as happy as he is now with you. i cannot wait to stand next to you at the altar on july 14th and be able to officially call you my sister. 23 is going to be a wonderful year for you and i cant wait to see what else is has in store :) i love you!


february 13th - happy 23rd to my sunshine, my only sunshine!

this is the 7th birthday i have had the pleasure of spending with you. since we were wee little 16 yr olds! how time flys. i love you more and more everyday and as each yr goes by, we are only growing stronger as a couple and i can't wait for a lifetime of february 13th birthdays with you! you deserve all the love and happiness and wishes on your special day because you are the cherry on top of so many peoples lives! im sorry your birthday was somewhat overshadowed with dealing with the accident but im pretty sure a night in with a homecooked dinner and oreo pie mayyyy have made up for it :) i adore you and i'm so lucky to have you in my life. even though no one likes you when you're 23...i still love you :)

all you wanted on your bday! a royals burger & donut. simple things in life <3
february 14th - happy 28th to the most beautiful [inside & out] girl in the world!

remember last yr when i called out of work and spent the day celebrating your birthday with amazing people on an incredible party bus wine tasting the day away? I WILL NEVER FORGET THAT! we had soooo much fun and what made it the best was that we were celebrating YOU; an amazing, gorgeous, thoughtful, caring, incredible woman. you have been such a positive part of my life for the past 6 years and i cannot imagine living life without you! i constantly look forward to our nights of endless conversation [a few bottles of wine...], laughter, gossip, and everything inbetween. happy birthday christy, i love you!

wine tasting for your 27th!

oh, did i mention my birthday is february 28th? such a busy but fun month!

xo, lisa

long time no see!

ahhh i can't believe i have not blogged in 16 days! so. much. has. been. going. on. i dont even know where to start because it's been so long! A little recap on the last 2 weeks:

1. it's sean, april, christy & my birthday month! usually february is a gloomy month but for us, its a month of celebration! :)
2. had a meeting with a family friend who gave me TONS of guidance as far as my career goes. thanks cassie!
3. found out FOR SURE we are going to McCall, idaho for my dads bday/easter to celebrate with michael and april! McCall is a resort town about 2 hrs from Boise...very excited!
4. we had an epic...and i mean epic...mammoth trip over the weekend with some amazing people! thanks to sean, kaila, taylor, keith, woodsy, kota bear, and anana for such a wonderful trip! 
5. so when i said epic, i wasnt kidding. we had an incredible time BUT on our last night, we got hit by a drunk driver :( we are all ok! minor injuries. we definitely had 4 amazing guardian angels that night. more to come about it!
6. got to spend valentines day with a group of valentines this year! it was so fun. 

ok so thats a RECAP... a trailer of the last 2 weeks, if you will...but the full length feature film is set to debut soon. until then, i found this cute quote the other day and i FULLY SUPPORT IT!


xo, lisa

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

wednesdays words of wisdom

you know those days where you find yourself asking questions like 

who am i?
what am i doing with my life?
where will i end up?
what makes me happy?
will i ever know what's "right"?
where am i supposed to be?
what does life have in store for me?
how will i get there?

after graduation, i found myself asking a lot of questions like those ones. i told myself just take life day by day and everything will happen the way it's supposed to. but i'm gonna be honest, i am a total worry wart. and i'm a planner. and i feel the need to control every single situation i am in. it's a flaw, i know and i want to work passed it. i tend to stress about the littlest things and what is the point in that? there is none! don't sweat the small stuff...sean always tells me. and he is right. 

for christmas, my parents got me this beautiful camera.


since then, i have been taking pictures of anything, everything and everyone. i have always loved photography but there was only so much i could do with my small digital camera so getting that beauty of a camera totally opened up my eyes to so much more that photography has to offer. it is the one thing in life that can capture a moment at its purest, most real state. and it's captured forever. pretty incredible, huh? 

you're probably wondering where the heck am i going with all this talk of life questions and photography but i swear it all comes together! i found this wonderful quote that really stuck with me and i want to share it with all of you. 



xo, lisa

Monday, January 30, 2012

what i made monday [oatmeal crisp cookies]

happy monday! i know i know, mondays kinda suck. however, i myself happen to like mondays. it's usually my day off and sean and i tend to hang out during the day and then i spend the evening with mi familia! i know that there will come a day when i will LOATHE mondays because it is the start of the work week but for now, while i am still working 2 part time jobs (1 part time + 1 part time = full time. right? i like to think so.) i will enjoy my mondays! 

on mondays, i like to try to get some baking or cooking in. tonight, i tried to make mixed berry scones for sean to take to his station tomorrow and dare i say it...THEY WERE TERRIBLE. i hate to admit it but they were! i can honestly say i have no idea what went wrong. maybe the use of defrosted frozen berries instead of fresh? or the use of almond milk instead of cream? ok ok so maybe a few things went wrong but i was trying to improvise gosh darnit! isnt that what "real" chefs and bakers are supposed to do? isnt that how they come up with their masterpieces? alright, well maybe i'm not a "real" chef and that's the problem here. atleast i tried :) sean was so sweet and said he loved them so he took them home for himself...but not to the station. exibit A they arent good! don't firemen eat e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g? apparently not. maybe one day i will attempt these said mixed berry scones with all the right ingredients but for now, i am going to introduce you to my little friend...oatmeal crisps.

last monday, i decided to make something that i could bring on our dub date with kaila and taylor to temecula so cookies was the first thing to my mind! who doesnt love cookies? the question was...who DOES love oatmeal cookies? for some reason, i feel like oatmeal cookies are something that you either love or you hate. i took a chance, and thankfully...they all loved them! phew.



oatmeal crisps

ingredients: makes 3 dozen cookies

1 1/4 cups butter (softened)
1 cup brown sugar (packed)
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3 cups oats



1. preheat oven to 375F

2. beat butter, brown sugar and white sugar until creamy. add egg and vanilla, mix well.



3. combine flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. add oats.



4. slowly add the flour and oat mixture to the butter mixture and mix until all is combined. be sure not to overmix or else cookies will be tough!

5. drop by rounded tablespoons 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet covered in foil or parchment paper. bake for 10 minutes.



6. leave on pan to cool for 2 min and then transfer to wire rack and let cool completely.



you can enjoy these as is or i have a few delicious variations!

drizzle the cooled cookies with melted chocolate.



drizzle the cooled cookies with vanilla icing. 
(1 cup powdered sugar, 1 tbsp milk, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract. mix well)



OR you can make a cream filling so you can make oatmeal cream sandwiches! like the old school little debbie oatmeal creams.


cream recipe:

1/2 cup soft butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1-2 tablespoons whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. combine all ingredients and beat on low until well combined. then beat on high until light and fluffy.

i hope these make your monday a little sweeter! 

xo, lisa

recipe adapted from: blooming on bainbridge

Sunday, January 29, 2012

friday funnies

sometimes you just need to smile and laugh no matter what is going on in your life. hope these help :)






xo, lisa

Thursday, January 26, 2012

top 3 thursday

so to be honest, this week was a pretty amazing week. i had a really tough time thinking of my "worst" top 3 but thats a good thing!

january 19, 2012 - january 26, 2012

best

1. on saturday night, sean and i went to a wine tasting drinking party at his dads friends house. there were tons of incredible appetizers and delicious wine mostly from paso robles. we mainly sipped on red wines such as syrah and zinfandel (sooo good with dark chocolate! thanks laurie!) and then laurie gave christa (sean's sister) the opportunity to choose ANY WINE SHE WANTED from the cabinet. ok, first off...if you know christa at all, she is like the girl to go to about wines so of course she chose an incredible, expensive and rare bottle of red wine called isosceles. she was like a kid in a candy store! it was such a fun night with family, friends, good food, wine and conversation. thank you again to laurie and ray for hosting such a wonderful evening. 

christa's wine of choice
2. so atleast once a month, sean and i have made a plan to go on a double date with kaila and taylor. last month, sean and i planned our date so this month was their turn. WOW they totally outdid themselves! they planned for us to go to temecula for the day for wine tasting. we hopped in taylors car and made our way through ortega hwy (almost got sick, but thats ok!) and found ourselves at south coast winery first. this is a beautiful winery with so many amazing wines. we had the best time there! 5 tastings turned more into about 10 because of the awesome guy we had. from there, we went to wilson creek winery to enjoy the picnic lunch sean and i made. we ended at thorton winery where we sat by the fireplace and enjoyed maybe a little too much wine! hehe. we got back to laguna beach and went straight for koffee klatch where we just sat, talked, and drank our coffee :) we decided to then head down to the montage and sat by the firepit while listening to the soft sound of crashing waves behind us. and last but not least, the boys grabbed 2 guitars and basically serenaded us girls in a parking structure. how does a day get any better? be jealous. thank you again for such a wonderful day. don't know how sean and i are going to top it next month!



3. wednesday was a great day in general. i got to go to dinner with 2 of my closest friends, christy and chelsea. our "dinners" always turn into about 30 min of eating and 3 1/2 hours of talking our heads off! i swear, if we didnt have a watch, we would sit there for days thinking only 2 hrs have passed. and also, wednesday was my great friend ANGELA'S 23RD BIRTHDAY!!!! happy birthday to a wonderful and beyond beautiful friend. i am so glad i got to spend it with you and i am so excited for this year to come! bridal shower, bachelorette weekend, YOUR WEDDING DAY and everything in between. love ya girly!

me, christy & chels. xoxo

 happy birthday ang :)



worst

1. ok so on monday, sunny orange county turned into rainy orange county and it made me so happy! this entire winter season has definitely felt more like summer than winter in any sense so to see some gray clouds and hear the raindrops felt great. but it ONLY lasted a day. and now it's hot hot hot. trust me, i know people all over the world would kill for this weather but i just wish the rain stuck around a little longer. my pea coats and scarves are starting to collect dust bunnies!


2. this week i drank a lot of wine so therefore, i have been extremely dehydrated! i can feel it in my skin (its all puffy!), my lips are chapped, my throat is dry and overall i just feel a tad bit unhealthy. i have been trying to consume as much water as possible but it still isn't enough so i guess i just gotta keep trying!


3. i miss my puppies :( even though i go home every week, time with them is never enough. you don't know this feeling until you have had a dog(s) that you care so much about. its so hard to be without them everyday! i miss the tail wags when i walk in the door, wet kisses, cuddling, them waking me up, and just their overall happiness about life and the joy they bring to mine. i know, i sound like a crazy dog lady but how can you resist these faces?!







until next week!

xo, lisa