Thanksgiving weekend

Thanksgiving was really nice, James & I hosted dinner this year, alot of work but worth it:) It turned out nice, my table looked fabulous, thanks to my mother and my mother in law;) My family came over and stayed the night, we talked had drinks and watched movies, it was a successful night;) Pictures to follow...Now we're off to the cabin with his family, we're really looking forward to it, should be lots of fun! Have a great weekend!

Today was a good day

Tonight was a nice evening, I was able to go visit with one of my best friends Mayeli and baby Adrian, he is so adorable, I did not want to let him go;) It's so nice to see her so happy as a little mommy. Here's his Auntie Norma all happy;) Isnt he the cutest!

After I left Maya's house, I met up to have dinner with one of my other best friends, Meghan, rarely am I able to hang with two of my best friends on a work night. It was really nice, Meg is so creative she made James & I the most wonderful wedding gift, a collage with wedding momentos including a dried gardenia from my hair, vintage postcard from Ventura, cork from the champagne, our invitation, and pictures of our special day. She's so thoughful! Can't wait to hang it up on our living room wall;) Thanks Meg! Love you

And to top the night off, Im off to watch the midnight showing of New Moon;) All happy!

Getting settled in...

James & I had alot to do this weekend to get our place in order. It was a productive weekend! We also managed to entertain, Saturday night I made paella for dinner, and we shared a few bottles of wine and laughter with friends & family. Sunday, we had company too. My old friend Grace and her husband Matt stopped by to see our place and visit for a little while, then later on my mother in law came by and we had dinner together;)

Now here's my recipe:

• 1 cup rice (I used bastami)
• 2-3 cups of chicken broth
• 1 tbsp of saffron threads
• 1/2 onion chopped (used yellow)
• 1 red bell pepper & 1 green bell pepper deseeded & chopped
• 6 garlic cloves smashed
• 3 chicken leg & thighs with skin on
• 1 lbs large uncooked shrimp with shell
• 1 package of pork chorizo
• olive oil
• paprika to taste

In a bowl add saffron to a bit a water to infuse. You'll need to use 2 large saute pans. In one, drip a bit of olive oil, brown chicken, remove and save for later use. Meanwhile, in the other, bring broth to boil, then add shrimp for a couple of minutes until they change color, remove, set aside for later use. In other saute pan, sweat onions & garlic for a few minutes, add bell peppers and cook until slightly tender, add chorizo and cook through, draining well. Add cup of rice and saffron with water to broth, cover and cook on low. Let cook for a few minutes, add chorizo, veggies, and chicken, cover and cook almost all the way through, then add shrimp, and cook until done.

Serve right out of the pan, with hot crispy bread, herbed goat cheese, and an olive medley on the side;) Enjoy!

New Moon

Ok, so I just watched the previews for New Moon again and I'm all excited about it again!!!! I think I'm going to be a big nerd alert and watch the midnight showing because I just dont think I can wait!

Ignorance is Bliss

Today I woke up wondering about the world around us, sometimes when you experience more than the average person, whether it may be joy or pain, it opens up your eyes to more of what this world has to offer...Then again we never really know whats going on in someone else's life or mind, do we? We sometimes become so self absorbed in what our issues are that we forget what others around us are experiencing. Why is it that people are happier in their own secluded worlds?

"When we lose the innocence of childhood, we become compassionate. That's the start of adulthood. We loose our ignorance and bliss with innocence, but we gain knowledge, compassion, and understanding".

Unfortunately, thats not the case for everyone, some people lack compassion... I guess I woke up dissappointed, sometimes you have higher expectations of certain people in your life, and they do not live up to them. On the other hand, some people surprise you, with their generosity and thoughtfulness, and that in turn makes me believe in people. I'm thankful to have my wonderful husband who holds me every night, a very close and tight knit family, and a handful of very close friends who are like sisters and sincerely care for my well being. Thats what I need to be surrounded with, I do not have the time nor the desire for negative energy in my life. There are too many actual things to worry about in life...

Halloween Weekend!

We had a really nice halloween weekend! Its my favorite holiday, Halloween marks a year since James proposed to me at 5am because he couldn't wait until dinner, so he presented me with a little halloween basket that had my engagement ring in it;) It was so cute! I was really excited to dress up, I decided to be a grease monkey, it was fitting since I am in the car business, everyone appreciated it, heres a picture of me working on a car, hehe!

Saturday we went over to the Santa Anita racetrack for the day with Allie & Meghan to bet on some ponies during the day, drinks, food and bettin on a beautiful day, I'm in, so much fun! Can't wait to do it again!!!

On Sunday, we went to Disneyland for the last day of Halloween season, it was packed, but we managed to get on a couple of rides, and look at all the halloween decorations, took pictures with characters, it was so much fun!!! James was such a good sport;) I was all happy with my mouse ears, Disneyland is magical to me, its like a whole other world;) Lucky for me, we have annual passes so we could go all the time so I could get my fix!