Hurricane Irene vs. My Trip

Johnny and I have had a cruise to the Bahamas planned for about 6 months. We are set to leave out of Miami next Monday for 5 days of sun, sea, sand, and sssss-bear (Sorry, I couldn't think of a drink I like that starts with an "S"). Our plan was to fly to Miami two days prior with another friend-couple to do absolutely nothing but lay on the beach. Imagine:

Followed by:

And:

And:

However, we have a slight problem: Hurricane Irene

This is the first hurricane of the season, so naturally she decides to crash through the Bahamas right before we get there. Miami should be fine, just some rain before our flight lands. The islands... I am not too sure. I knew when we planned this trip that it was during hurricane season. But the thought that all of the kids would be back in school was just too tempting. During my planning, I read the cruise line's policy regarding hurricanes. Basically, if a hurricane makes it impossible to go to your destination, you will be rerouted. After seeing this from Weather.Com I am 99% sure we will be going elsewhere. Um yes, the Bahamas threat level is 1 level below "Catastrophic":

It makes me really sad that we will not be taking the trip we imagined. What is FAR worse, however, is what is sure to be the devastation the country will feel. So, I will be thankful that my home and family are safe and that we will enjoy spending our time somewhere else... I'll keep you updated. 

Misery Loves Cabernet

Book of Choice

Misery Loves Cabernet

By: Kim Gruenenfelder

Background: This was a book that was recommended to me by Amazon when I bought Last Night at Chateau Marmont. It seemed like another cute girly book I would love. I have this new thing of not reading the synopsis of books because I hate when they give away the first 25% of a book. I had no idea what to expect: I had never heard of it and I did not know of anyone who had read it.

First Thoughts: Misery Loves Cabernet is about a young LA girl named Charlie trying to find her way in the world. This book covers her job, her family, and most prominently her love life. Every girl can relate to Charlie in at least one way.

Final Thoughts: This book was not my fave. I feel like there was not a lot of depth to it and when it was over I kept thinking, "Is that it?" My opinion: pass it up.

Father's Day Gift

For Father's Day, we gave my dad the gift of a cooking class. We went in July so this post isn't toooooo far behind. I have been to this school before and have always LOVED it: Well Done. It is located in the northern section of the Heights in the owner's converted home. Best part: it is BYOB. In previous classes, I have made sushi, steak dinner, French cuisine and brunch. The duo of chefs who own the school are trained chefs who decided to branch out on their own. They have an always changing class schedule with lots of yummy options. I will definitely be back! 

For our menu, we had gazpacho (a chilled tomato soup), mixed seafood paella, and a fruit-calzone type thing for dessert. Delish!  

The Mommy making the gazpacho. 

The family rolling out the dough for the dessert. 

Family pic. The man taking the picture did not know the "angle-down" trick.

Our final product. Beautiful!

Last Night at Chateau Marmont

Book of Choice

Last Night at Chateau Marmont

By: Lauren Weisberger

Background: I have been a huge fan of this author. Of her books, I have read The Devil Wears Prada, Everyone Worth Knowing, and Chasing Harry Winston. Her books are super girly, funny and generally light. I recommend them all!

First Thoughts: The basic premise of the book is as follows: Young New York couple Brooke and Julian are thrust into super-stardom when Julian gets his big break in music. The two are thrilled at first. As the reality of travel, tours, and committments at home hits the two, their relationship goes into a downward spiral. 

Final Thoughts: I think this was the most serious of all of her books. The relationship between Brooke and Julian was very real. This book is a quick read a "must" if you have enjoyed her other stories.

Johnny's Birthday!

Johnny's birthday weekend began with dinner at Quattro at the Four Seasons downtown. It was delish. We had a great view of downtown from our table. I highly recommend. The bar in the restaurant was fun and vibrant and a great place for a pre or post-dinner cocktail. 

Part of our view of downtown.

Taking a birthday phone call at the table.

First course, Caesar Salad.

For the main course, I had the fish, the boy had the filet. 

Shared dessert, flourless chocolate pie with ice cream.

Bar for post-dinner drinks!

Saturday, we had a friend dinner at my house (recipe post to come!) followed by bar time after. Sunday, we went to Mark's with my family. Amazing.

Missy's Wedding

Slacker alert! I have had this post ready for awile now, I have just been too lazy to upload my pics...


My high school and college friend Missy got married at Grace Presbyterian with the reception following at Lakeside Country Club. The wedding was an absolute blast and it was so fun to get to see old friends and party it up.

I also had 2 amaze new experiences that I would like to share:
1. Rent the Runway
I saw an ad for this site in one of my magazines. The basic premise is as follows: You can rent nice dresses for a weekend and send them back. Easy as that. I searched through tons of dresses in the $50 rental fee category (they have dresses that rent for $150+). My friend at work finally picked the winner for me. When the dress got to my house, I LOVED it. It was so pretty and the fit was perfect. They have reviews on the site so you can see how it fits other girls and what they liked/disliked about the dress. If you are between sizes, they will even send you another size for free! The day it is due to return, you put the dress in the padded envelope they included and hand it to the person at the post office. They do the dry cleaning! I already have another dress ordered for a wedding later this month.
2. The Do Bar
This new hair studio in the West Ave shopping center is now my #2 heaven (Williams-Sonoma is #1). You go, get your hair washed and done, all the while enjoying a class of bubbly! Perfection.

On to the wedding!

Missy has a model's body so in this form-fitting dress, she looked like a million bucks!

The girls! You can see my dress and hair as described above! My hair looks a little ragged but it was cute otherwise.

Close up with bridesmaid Kathleen!