Life Lately: As Told Through Photos
Hi everyone! And happy Friday!
Wow, it’s been a bit since I’ve posted…. I guess that’s what happens when life gets in the way. 🙂 I never plan on letting the blog take the back seat, but between my busy work schedule, weekend plans, prepping for the holidays and hosting some friends in town, the past couple months have really just gotten away from me.
I figured today it would be fun to give you a little photo recap of what life has looked like lately (or I guess, after we got back from Hawaii: Part 1 and Part 2).
So, here we go!
We celebrated a lovely Thanksgiving with family and friends in San Pedro.
It was such a yummy meal and even though I’ve done this for a few years in LA, the fact that we get to feast OUTSIDE as a group always blows my mind! Fall in SoCal…. ahhh….
Sam and I saw an acoustic concert with Trey Anastasio (the lead singer of Phish) at the Walt Disney Concert Hall.
The show was great and, of course, Sam really enjoyed himself being the huge Phish fan that he is. Plus, the acoustics in the venue were amazing. Such a cool place!
I did some holiday baking and sent my holiday cards.
I love slowing down and enjoying the holiday season (easier said than done). This year, I only made a couple different kinds of cookies (there’s still time for more): One of my family’s faves – Italian Anise Cookies – and one of OUR faves – Peanut Butter Blossoms.
They came out great and were gone FAST! I gifted some to our neighbors as a little holiday present.
My holiday cards were fun to make, too. (Sorry, no pics of these). I crafted them using the supplies my friend Maria got me, which I loved! And I snuck in a photo of Sam and I from Hawaii in them as a little extra somethin’.
I crafted with my friend Angie and made my first-ever homemade holiday wreath!
It’s not secret I love to create things, so when Angie asked if I wanted to make wreaths with her, I said “Um… YEAH.” I was a little unsure how mine would come out, but in the end I LOVED it and now it’s hanging pretty on our front door. It adds the perfect touch of Christmas cheer.
I just used a bunch of random things: dried leaves, fake poinsettia, wired ribbon, dried berries, pinecones and shimmery decorative branches.
My best friend, Julia, and her husband Brian and son Aaron all came out to LA for a visit.
Sam and I played hosts earlier this month when some visitors from home came to stay with us! I, of course, had a full plan for their 2 days here (I tend to go overboard), so we had plenty of activities and restaurants to choose from.
We ended up getting Mexican food at Salazar, breakfast at The Village Bakery, showing them Griffith Park Observatory, visiting Santa Monica and Malibu, and having a deep-dish pizza from Masa. Everything was so fun and it was awesome having some of our favorite people out here on the west coast.
It’s always fun showing friends our life here and the little things that make it special and unique.
We went to Sam’s holiday work part in Granada Hills and had a great time!
And unfortunately, this is the only photo I have of the night and it’s not even of us together haha. Just me in all black near our fake tree. LOL. Sam was joking that my outfit wasn’t very “holiday(ish)” but I told him “black, lace, and a pop of red is always festive!” 😉 For some reason, I just wasn’t feeling wearing a dress (for once). Weird…
Anyway, the party was a great time and I got to chat with a ton of Sam’s colleagues that I know pretty well! We got our own beer glasses inscribed, had some yummy dinner, and enjoyed the awesome views over the Valley.
One of my favorite new bands, Proxima Parada, came to LA for a show so we went to The Hotel Cafe to check them out.
And, they were just as good as I remembered back when I first saw them in Paso Robles at Tin City Cider. What a fun, chill band! Check em out.
Hmmm, what else…
I’ve been wrapping lots of presents and getting excited for my family to come visit us in LA in just a couple days!
Other than that, all is well over here – just busy, ya know? No complaints!
Hope all is well with you all and you have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
I promise to write again soon, xoxo.
-Ari
