day 381

In celebration of my friend Tammy's birthday,  she hosted a house party tonight with a 70's theme. We danced all night long and enjoyed all sorts of culinary delights from the 70's. It was a GREAT time!

Happy, happy birthday Tammy. I love you!

day 371

 

This is our other house guest, Buba. Clearly she'd rather be playing than sitting patiently, waiting for me to snap a photo of her.

day 365

Wow. It's hard to believe that the year has come to an end. I wasn't sure that I would be able to meet this challenge but I DID IT and I learned a lot in the process. I can't say I always posted photos on time but I took at least one photo every single day this year. Some days I hated the challenge, felt like there was nothing interesting to photograph and thought the photos I had taken just plain sucked. At the end of it all, I can honestly say that it's been a terrific experience. And I'm ready to do it all over again.

I don't often go out for New Year's but this year I felt like getting out there to celebrate. I went to an event at Mosaic Wine Bar where for just $30, we were treated to champagne and delicious gourmet pizzas all night. This is me with my friend Jen who gave me a great big, single girls unite hug at the stroke of midnight. (Not pictured is our other partner in crime for the night - Carlisa.)
Thank you so much for a great night ladies! I am so glad we got to celebrate the start of the new year with you two! XOXO

day 347

I did a photo session with my great friends, the Elsmores, this afternoon for their annual holiday photo. We tried several different locations and had a lot of fun. This is one of my favorites. :) Happy Holidays Elsmores! I love you!

day 346

There's a present under my tree... :)

day 342

Today is my best friend Jody's birthday. Her annual tradition has become dinner at Old Venice. Here she is with a few of our crazy friends - this shot totally makes me smile! :)

day 340

Our weekend was about wine and slot machines but mostly... it was about friends. :)

day 339

We spent the afternoon sampling wines at a number of Temecula's wineries. 

day 338

I am in Temecula with some of my girlfriends to celebrate Jody's 40th birthday. Tonight, we are hitting the casino floor!

day 331

I am working on a little project for a certain friend of mine who has a certain special occasion coming up so I've been digging through boxes and albums looking for photos. What fun! :)

day 329

I had a $10 date with Nanci today - we saw The Blind Side and then had lunch at In-n-Out.

It was so great to catch up with you in person, Nanci! Thanks for a great afternoon. I love you and am so very grateful for your friendship!

day 328

This is my amazing friend and stylist, Monica. She's been in charge of my hair for almost 15 years. I love the time I spend sitting in her chair and catching up - it's fantastic therapy. She is one of the people in my life that I am so very grateful for.

Thank you for always having such great advice, making me laugh and making my hair look so good, Monica! I love you!

day 326

Arijana and I took the dogs out to Otay Valley again today. This is Buba, standing atop the boulders, looking back at us.

day 325

This is Hobbes, my friend Tammy's dog. He's got so much energy and is a total sweetheart.

day 321

day 319

The Browns and I joined Arijana and the Black & Whites for a walk out in Otay Valley today. It is so dry out there right now but it was a beautiful, warm afternoon. The dogs love the opportunity to get out and run off the leash and we enjoyed the time to catch up with each other. That's Johnson's silhouette in the second shot.

Thanks for inviting us friend! We love you guys! :)

day 311

Jody and I went to see Mat Kearney at the House of Blues tonight. It was a fantastic show and we had a great time!

day 301

For my birthday, Nanci gave me a certificate to go with her to a wine and cheese class at The Prado in Balboa Park. It took place in a terrific little room upstairs from the restaurant. The owner of Venissimo talked about her the cheeses and there was a sommeliere who spoke about the wines she chose to pair with them. Afterward, we went down to the Prado for a bite to eat before driving home. There was a really good two-man band performing in the bar so it make for great atmosphere.

Thank you so much Nanci, for the thoughtful and FUN gift! I hope that we do make it a tradition and will plan to sign us up for something for your big day in May. I love you lots and lots! :)

day 284

Today is Jake's 6th birthday and he wanted to go bowling. We met up with Colleen's friends, the Kamanus, at EastLake Tavern + Bowl and had a great time!

day 281

It's my birthday. :) Colleen and Jake arrived today and will be here until Tuesday. After that long flight, we didn't think it would be fair to make Jake sit at a restaurant so we decided to go bowling with my friends and have dinner there. A lot of photos were taken but I didn't take many myself. This is a photo of Arijana right after she got her first strike. She had never been bowling before!

Thanks everyone! I had so much fun with you and I'm so glad to have spent time with my favorite people on my birthday. I love you so very much!