Breakfast of Champions

So, I visited my brother, sister-in-law, niece, and two nephews last weekend. My niece and I went grocery shopping and decided that pancakes sounded like an awesome breakfast for the following morning. I woke up to this. While I didn't finish all five sausage links, the pancakes were fabulous. I'm mostly grateful for a 15 year old niece that makes me breakfast!

Graduation Party #1

My grandmother kindly held a party in my honor this past Sunday. Ok, I admit, I told her we were having it, but she seemed a good sport about it. In the end, both of us like an excuse to have people over. Anyhoo, we had about 20 guests and I had fun visiting with some people I hadn't seen in a while. As you can see, I also had blast dressing up. :)

Now, when's party numero dos?!

Huntington Library

My grandmother, oldest sister (Julie), and I took a trip to the Huntington Library in Pasadena today. Spring isn't in full gear yet and, while there were plenty of other visitors, we certainly weren't fighting crowds.

Our first stop was the succulent garden, where color abounds this time of year. Most of us think of desert plants as colorless and boring -- this garden really does challenge that stereotype. Next we were onto the Japanese gardens. These are, by far, the most relaxing and beautiful to me. If I had all the time in the world, I could do a serious amount of meditating here. After a quick walk through the rose garden and a picnic lunch we had packed, we headed for the main attraction -- the recently opened many-million-dollar Chinese garden. I'm sad to report we were disappointed, but I certainly would not discourage anyone from going. We also stopped at the main house, as well as the library. I'm a sucker for museum gift shops, which was the last stop on our tour.

All in all, it was a great day of visiting with family and being outdoors. :)

Laguna Art Festival and the Pageant of the Masters

Today was our annual visit to the Laguna Art Festival and the Pageant of the Masters. If you haven't been, it is a definite must-see!

In any case, I spent the day walking around Laguna Beach. My first stop was the bookstore, which won't surprise many of you. It reminds me of my own sorely missed bookshop from days gone past. (By which, I picked up this book. I am enjoying it.)

Next it was off to to a few boutiques and the La Rue Du Chocolat shop (for the obvious). I finally found my grandmother and her friends for a little more shopping, dinner at BJs, and, finally, the Pageant. While the pageant was mildly disappointing (they can't be spectacular EVERY year), it was a lovely evening.

:)

To note:
The first photo is that of a statue in Laguna Beach.
The second photo is of me ready for my day of shopping, eating, and art. I'm obviously excited.

Lamest Blog of Summer 2008

Before. After.

Liz has a LOT of time on her hands, so it seems. You'd think she'd be off reading a book, writing a paper, saving the world.

But no.

She's scrubbing tile.

And she likes it.

-Liz, letting out a sweet sigh of relief

Pretty, pretty bride

I was so happy to go to my friend's wedding! I hadn't seen her in ages and was delighted to meet some of her family.

My thanks to the bride and groom for such a lovely evening!

-Liz

Japanese Garden at CSULB

Today, a friend and I visited the Japanese Garden on the campus of Cal State Long Beach. It was a gorgeous, sunny Southern California day and the koi were ready for some food! (Those guys can really pack away a lot of grub, by the way. Sheesh.) We had a lovely, short visit before heading off to other activities, which included an impromptu picnic. Definitely a relaxing day. :)