Julianne's Wedding!!!

On April 17th, my little sis married the love of her life. I could not have imagined a more perfect wedding. It was beautiful and so much fun.

Their wedding was at Walnut Grove, a really unique outdoor spot that suited them perfectly.

Below are some photos taken by the wonderful Kimberlee Miller.


My gorgeous sis.






The ceremony ... about to begin.


Married!


Bug, Anthony, and their devilish dog, Pazzi, who came by for pictures.








Anthony cracks me up.


Dad + daughter. So sweet.


Bug and Anthony met in medical school at USC. Anthony also attended undergrad at USC, where he was in the marching band. Also, both of my parents are Trojans, so the crowd was dominated by Trojans (sorry, Bruin friends) and Huskies.

As a surprise, Bug and Anthony's brother arranged to have the USC marching band show up and play a few songs at the reception.


Someone brought a trombone for Anthony, and he jumped right in.




Then we danced the tarantella and threw Bug and Anthony up on some chairs.


Their exit. Love this photo.


It was truly a magical day. I adore my new brother-in-law; he is a great addition to our crazy family. And, I am so happy to see my baby sister so happy. I can't wait for the many adventures the four of us we will have in the years to come.

Bug's Bridal Shower and Bachelorette Weekend

My sis got married in April, so March was full of wedding celebrations. I am so tardy blogging these parties, but better late than never.

First, the bridal shower. Bug really wanted to do a tea, and I hunted around for the perfect spot. I decided on the Langham Huntington Hotel (formerly the Ritz Carlton) in Pasadena.


Here is a shot of the table. We had about 25 guests.


One of the three centerpieces.


The food was absolutely delicious. Here is one of the scones with cream and jam.


Strawberries and cream


Sandwiches:
Prosciutto di Parma Ham on Squaw Bread with Buratta Mousse and Cantaloupe Caviar, Micro Basil;
Smoked Salmon Profiterole with Caramelized Shallot Caper Cream, Dill Sprig, and Lemon Zest;
Egg Wheel on Potato Peppercorn Bread with Garlic Herb Mouse, Chive and American Caviar; and
Watercress Pesto Marinated Caribbean Shrimp on Herb Garlic Bread with Tomato Cilantro Relish.


Desserts:
Passion Fruit Gateau;
Milk Chocolate Citrus Torte;
Lemon Raspberry Tart;
Almond Financier; and
Creme Brulee Tart.


We also had champagne, and, of course, tea!

After a few (hopefully painless) games, it was time for presents.

Bug opening the quilt I made her.


Then, we took a group shot outside in the garden.


Bug and her med school girls.


Family shot.


I went back to pick up the remaining favors (macarons from Paulette's -- I was not about to leave those delicious morsels behind), and I caught my family red-handed packing up the extra scones. (You may recall this it their M.O.)


Then, the next weekend, it was time for the bachelorette party! Bug wanted to go wine tasting in Santa Barbara, so it was more of a bachelorette weekend.

We stayed at the Canary Hotel, which was a gorgeous little boutique right off State Street.

A pic of our room.


Sadly, I didn't take photos of the best part of the hotel -- the rooftop pool. There are some pics on the website, if you're interested.

After checking in Friday night, it was time for happy hour.




Friday night, we went to the rooftop pool, ate pizza, and drank wine before heading out for a wild night on the town. There are lots of pictures, but none that are blog appropriate!

Saturday morning, we woke up early to meet the stretch Escalade limo to take us to the wineries!

Inside the limo.




First stop: Firestone Vineyards.


Second stop: Fess Parker.


My sis found a hat commemorating a new Fess Parker wine that she had to have.


Third stop: Foley Estates.


Yes, we were wearing matching Bachelorette shirts for wine tasting. Here is a sort of blurry shot of the back.


After wine tasting and a nap, we had a nice dinner at Coast Restaurant Saturday night.




Each girl brought Bug a pair of underwear, and she had to guess who gave her what. It was pretty entertaining.


Dental floss?


Granny panties!


From me




After dinner, it was more fun on the town. Again, nothing blog appropriate, but it was a lot of fun. Maybe too much fun. Let's just say we had a minor run in with the law and a jerky bartender, but it all worked out.

Sunday morning, we had breakfast and headed home to L.A., a little worse for the wear but with some great stories.

Phew. March was a busy month getting Bug ready for her big day. Now that this post is done, maybe I can finally post some wedding pictures!

my long absence, some news, and grilled cheese sandwiches.

There's a lot to catch up on since my last post a hundred years ago. A lot happened. I kept meaning to post. And, I didn't. I guess I have writer's block. Lately, I have been feeling like I don't have anything interesting to post and am unsure the purpose this blog really serves. But, I guess for now, I've resolved to not caring if it's purposeless.

So, with that, on with today.

To kick off the three-day weekend, Josh and I decided to have date night on Thursday night. I have been craving grilled cheese forever, so we thought we'd check out Grilled Cheese Night at Campanille. I snapped a couple pics with my iPhone.

I ordered the Croquet Madame, a grilled ham and Gruyere cheese sandwich with a fried egg on top. It was delicious! The crunchy bread with the velvety egg yolk -- so good! That plus a stellar glass of red wine, I was a happy camper.


Josh ordered the regular grilled cheese with the onions and mustard. He was a little hesitant about adding the onions and mustard to a perfectly good grilled cheese sandwich, but after the first bite, he was converted.


Our sandwiches came with fries. Perfect texture and salty. Very good.


For dessert, we ordered a fruit cobbler. The ice cream was so creamy. It reminded me of the ice cream my Aunt in England used to buy that was all cream -- so rich and good.


Overall, we gave our experience at Campanille a big thumbs up.

In other news, I am on some sort of weird sewing kick all of a sudden. I have been learning to sew and have completed a few small projects. I may not seem like the domestic type (although, you may know that I love to knit), so I was as surprised as anyone with this new hobby. But, it's so fun! It's nice to be creative and make something that's actually useful! So, now you are prepared for some possible sewing posts in the near future.

Saving the best for last, the most exciting news as of lately is that my little sister, Bug, is engaged! Ajax popped the question last week, and my sis is already planning her spring wedding. I'm so thrilled for her and cannot wait for the big day!

With that, I'm out for now. I'll try not to disappear again for so long. ;)