February Adventures, Part 3: 23rd Birthday Dinner

My 23rd birthday was all the way back on the 13th, but I didn't get to celebrate with my friends until last last Friday (the 18th). We all met at the Cheesecake Factory in Brea, where we enjoyed great food and lots of laughter to go around.

Do you like my bright pink fascinator and birdcage veil? I thought it was the perfect accent to my simple little black dress...and it matched my nails perfectly! I know it's hard to see, but I was also wearing a garnet necklace - my Valentine's Day present from Lucas this year. :)

Here are two of my oldest friends, in terms of longevity. I met Melissa C. and Faustina all the back in sixth grade. (That was eleven and a half years ago!) I loved Melissa's fuchsia lipstick, especially because it reminded me of my fascinator and nail polish. And Faustina's hair looked gorgeous, as usual.  

These lovely ladies - Ruth, Melissa B., and Kathy - are my closest friends from college. Don't they all have such pretty smiles?

A picture of the boyfriends, Vasily and Abe - minus Lucas who was on his way over to the restaurant at the time this was taken.

Dear Kathy,

          Your drink looks delicious!

Melissa's drink was yummy too. She was nice enough to let me have a sip. Yours truly was a dork and totally forgot to bring her I.D. Oops...

Me and Lucas. Thank you, Melissa B., for taking this cute picture of us.

What a scandalous card! Haha.

Oh by the way, that emerald ring was my mom's and she let me have it for my birthday. LOVE!

Here I am posing with my present from Kathy and Abe. I'm starting to think that bright pink was THE color of the night.

A yummy tiramisu, courtesy of Melissa B. I love how the restaurant staff changed my name to "Dayle."

We asked the boyfriends to take pictures of us in front of the restaurant before parting ways. We clearly weren't ready for this picture.

Finally, a nice posed shot!

...and this one needs no explanation!

In addition to eating amazing food (and taking silly pictures), the best part of that night was enjoying the company of the best friends I could ever ask for. ♥

February Adventures, Part 2: Mt. Baldy

If you can recall this post, I've been wanting to go hiking in the snow since Christmas/Winter Break. Well, my wish had gone unfulfilled for two months...that is, until last Thursday, when Mt. Baldy finally got enough snowfall (but not so much that we needed chains on my tires).

Here I am posing in front of a fallen tree close to the start of the trail. Do I look a little bulky to you? It was 32 degrees that day (which is FREEZING to a Southern California girl like me) and I was wearing my boyfriend's spare snow jacket and two pairs of pants. Once again, fashion and figure flattery came second to comfort and warmth.

Here's Lucas, looking like a stud. :) I always joke with him and tell him that he could be a model for L.L.Bean or REI.

The Ice House. This would be such a lovely place to rest and enjoy the warmth of a campfire (even though I'm pretty sure that's illegal).

This was the giant rock that we climbed on top of and ate lunch on when we came here last spring. As you can see, it was covered in snow and ice, so there really wasn't any safe way to get on it. Still, visiting meaningful places is always fun.

This is probably my favorite picture of the day. Just look at all those amazing colors and trees. It reminds me of William Wordsworth's "Tintern Abbey":

--Once again

Do I behold these steep and lofty cliffs,

That on a wild secluded scene impress

Thoughts of more deep seclusion; and connect

The landscape with the quiet of the sky. (Lines 4-8)

Pardon my literary nerdy-ness. :)

Anyway, after the hike, we were too tired and too lazy to make a full sized snowman. Instead, we made a cute miniature one to put on top of my car. His name was Herbert. It was so cold that Herbert actually stayed intact long enough to enjoy a scenic drive with us.

I really like this picture too. Don't you just love how my dusty windshield makes it look like it's snowing outside? Notice the ice on the road. Just to be safe, we turned around to avoid driving here. And about Herbert: sadly he melted long before we made it back home. Orange County was at least 30 degrees warmer than up here in the mountains.

I wish I could say that we made this awesome snowman - er, snowbear - but we didn't. We found it by the side of the road close to one of the mountain lodges. We just had to pull over and take a picture.

A gorgeous sunset to end the day. Lucas took this picture because by this time, it was so cold that I didn't want to get out of the car anymore. Strangely though, I was craving a snow cone or a slush drink. We stopped by a 7-Eleven on the way home to get me a cherry Slurpee.

February Adventures, Part 1: LA

Yikes, I've been such a terrible blogger lately! Despite my lack of posts, I can assure you that I have been having a fabulous February - a February filled with lots of adventures. These are amazing adventures that I will now gladly share with all of you.

Last Sunday (on the day before my birthday), Lucas and I went on a day trip to Los Angeles. We started off by having delicious French dip sandwiches at Phillipe's. If you're ever in the LA area, I can assure you that the half hour-long lines are absolutely worth it. In fact, the only reason why I don't have any pictures of our sandwiches (and potato salads) is because we started devouring them almost immediately. Haha.

After lunch, we made our way over to the Natural History Museum. I visited this museum with my friends last summer and I enjoyed this second visit just as much. I'm sure Lucas had lots of fun too. :)

After exploring the museum for a couple of hours, we braved the LA traffic and drove to Santa Monica. After stopping for snacks and sodas at a local drug store, we found free parking a block away from a shopping center full of twinkling lights and live music. After walking around and taking pictures for a while, we walked over to the pier.

Yes, I know that my boyfriend's jacket is not very flattering on me. We were by the ocean though and it was freezing. My thin cardigan just wasn't cutting it.

Wordless Wednesday - "A Leap of Faith"

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Be Mine, Valentine

Today is the first Monday of February, which is significant for three reasons: 1) because it's mine and Luke's 22 month anniversary, 2) because I have exactly one week left until my 23rd birthday, and 3) Valentine's Day is 8 days away! These cute and romantic ideas have piqued my (P)interest recently:

This letterpress note card from Etsy seller Paisley Dog Press would be perfect for Valentine's Day or really any day you want to tell someone "I ♥ U."

This is such a pretty Valentine's Day floral arrangement. Carnations aren't ugly or high school corsage-ish at all when arranged in a cluster.

Don't have a date for Valentine's Day? Why not enjoy a glass (or two) of champagne with your girlfriends? The way I see it, there's no shame in buying yourself flowers either!

This envelope necklace is perfect for carrying a special message with you wherever you go. It's just as romantic as a locket and a bit more modern too.

I really hate Twinkies, but I do love how they're dressed with berries and sauce here. The boyfriend would love this.

What's Valentine's Day without a little sparkle? This banner would be an easy DIY project that could be adopted for other occasions.

This cold soup is so pretty to look at. I love the little hearts made out of beets! Check out the recipe here.