WEIR Celebrating!

Because I have been a Weir for a Year!

Woohoo!

Today is our first anniversary!

I, sadly, am at work and Rich is at school :-(
Tonight we will make a yummy dinner and relax at home.

Last night we went out to a beautiful restaurant! And celebrated :-)

We also celebrated all weekend!

Friday night we stayed in, watched TV, ate roasted artichokes and drank wine!

Saturday, we went to Santa Monica and walked through the Farmers Market and had lunch and coffee.

In the evening, we went to LACMA and enjoyed a free, live, Latin concert and I made a yummy picnic for us! The weather was perfect, and we had a blast!

 Our Picnic:

Salad

Asiago Bread

Cheese

Sun Dried Tomato Pesto

Asparagus & Gruyere Tarts 

(amazing, recipe found here and make them, you wont be disappointed! The EVOO that you spread on the asparagus I mixed with the White Truffle Oil and it was food-orgasmic! I mean, WOW!)

Nothing Bundt Cakes

Our professional spread!

If I do say so myself ;-P

Gorgeous day to be outside listening to music!

Sunday, we had brunch with some friends, went on a run and had Happy Hour drinks in Venice Beach.

Monday we rode our bikes to our favorite coffee place in Westwood.

I ran some errands, came home and relaxed in the sun and read.
In the evening we got all dolled up and went out to a fancy schpantsy dinner in Santa Monica!
We had beautiful ocean and city views from the restaurant, it was amazing!

We arrived early to have some happy hour drinks and appetizers

Then we headed to our table and enjoyed the yummiest dinner!

Part of the view from the restaurant!

Yeah we were sitting next to Mayor Villaraigosa (Mayor of Los Angeles) at dinner!

Happy Anniversary to my sweet sweet husband!

I love you more than there is water in Venice and sand in Iraq :-)

Happy Memorial Day

I hope everyone takes a moment to remember what so many men and women do for our country

Thank them every chance you get!

And if you've got one close to you, give them an extra long hug today!

I'm grateful for my Marine, every day

Thank you for your service to our country, from the bottom of my heart.

Congrats to the Love Birds!

My gorgeous best friend is going to get herself hitched!

I cannot be more excited for her!

I actually cannot even concentrate, that is how excited I am!!

She and her Fiancé met when she was in Paris for a summer during college!

Their story is so romantic!

He finally popped the question, today, in Hong Kong!

Yes, you read that right, Hong Kong!

Oh and did I mention it was at the Disneyland in Hong Kong!?

Totally perfect for the bride-to-be!

I am soo excited!!

And at the same time: soo bummed that she is on a different continent so we can't chat ALL about the proposal!

I guess I can wait...

Congrats and enjoy every moment and every emotion you are having RIGHT NOW!

Don't forget this love and companionship..

...it may come in handy from time to time ;-)

Wedding ReCap: Friday Before the Wedding

If you are just tuning in to my Wedding Week Recap, you can catch up here :-)

I went to bed early on Thursday night and on Friday morning I woke up early to go to the gym and get some more chores done around the house.

I helped my mom with her beautiful flower arrangements.

only a few of the beautiful flowers my mom made!

Melissa came out to my hometown to help me get my stuff ready and to spend some good-quality Friend time together.

We went to WC, because, believe it or not, I didn't have anything for the wedding night ;-P And I needed to get some new mascara for the big event.

We walked around and headed back to my parents house to make the name cards and the seating chart.

This is when Laura and Rudy and Muffin (Laura's mom) arrived to save the day!

We worked on the name cards and then Christine and Sam arrived so we could go out to dinner in San Francisco.

We headed to Houston's in San Francisco - a delicious restaurant you must try if you find yourself close by.

The whole clan, my mom, dad, brothers and my two aunts, cousin and uncle joined us for dinner.

We dont look related or anything...(missing my other aunt)

My ladies, minus Laura and plus the lovely Liz

My family, minus my aunts and cousin

After dinner we went to a bar in North Beach and met some of the boys and met up with the Lovely Laura, Rudy and Amy.

We had a few drinks and listened to some really loud music :-)

It was soo nice to spend some time with the future Mr. as well!

Looks like we were having a good time..right?

Friday night was a fun fun fun night!!

Wedding ReCap: Thursday Before the Wedding

I saw this over at Jessica's Blog and thought it would be so fun to do, especially since our first year wedding anniversary is on Tuesday, May 29th!

I flew in on Wednesday, May 25th after work, went home and slept.

I woke up early on the 26th and went to the gym with my mom, and then headed to Oakland to have lunch with one of my friends and from there I drove out to SFO to pick up the lovely Sam (one of my BM).

The lovely Sam

She landed and we drove to downtown San Francisco and had lunch with Melissa(the MOH) so the two of them could finally meet.

After lunch, Sam and I walked over to pick up my wedding gown! Yee!

I had them sew in my new initials into the dress near the tag, and of course then sewed it in upside down....I mean, the whole wedding dress thing was problem, so I wasn't surprised...!

waiting for the car with my gown

oh haaay glowing tan!

I had them fix it, and then we walked back to the car to head back to my hometown.

Sam and I hung out for a bit and then she headed to visit her aunt, uncle and cousins for the evening.

For the rest of the night, I am pretty sure I just hung out and relaxed for the big weekend ahead! 

I am exhausted just writing this post! ;-)

A Day in the Life: Education Services Day 6

I had a customer call because he was unable to sign up for a free trial to one of our products on our website.

(side note, to set up an electronic trial on our website, a credit card is required and our system is very specific...)

The customer was submitting his credit card number and he was getting an error message saying that the card was being rejected and to call his bank to inquire about the issue.

I asked the customer for his email address and confirmed his information was correct.

Me: Is <inset address> your billing address?

Customer: That is my home address.

Me: Ok, is that your billing address?

Customer: <Insert a very agitated tone> My billing address? What do you mean? I don't know what you are talking about!

Me: Your billing address...the address that is connected to your credit card. The address where your credit card bills are sent. Your billing address.

Customer: Oh, no, that is my home and I get my bills to the office...

Seriously?!

Who does that?!

Why would you NOT give the billing address connected to your credit card when filling out information on line?

Really?!

Only our customers....

Should I Buy Organic?

Good Morning Bloggers!

One of my friends has started her own business and I wanted to feature her on this blog to help her promote her blooming passion!

Check her out on:

Facebook

Twitter

Website

She featured one of my recipes on her website!
Check it out, and make it!
(I hope all of you Marines and Marine Wives enjoy the name ;-) )
It's sooo tasty!

What's the BIG Deal with Organic and Why Should I Spend My Hard Earned Money

on it?????

By Melissa Schollaert, HHC, RDH

Enter any grocery store or market and organic food, particularly produce, looks exactly the same as conventional, but costs more. What’s the point? Is it all a crafty sales technique? You are not alone. I used to wonder the same thing. Here’s the deal.

Keep the Chemicals Off My Plate Please:

There are no chemicals, pesticides, or herbicides used in the production of organic food. Pesticides are poisons designed to kill living organisms and can be very harmful to humans. Most pesticides were EPA approved long before extensive research was done linking them to many cancers and other diseases. As pesticides enter our bodies and build up, our immune systems weaken, which allow cancer causing agents and pathogens to harm our health. In addition, conventional produce is also coated in waxes to make it

from farm to supermarket still looking pretty. Yuck!

I’ll Take My Vitamins from My Food, Thank You Very Much:

Study after study have shown organic food is much more nutritious than conventional, containing a higher vitamin, mineral and antioxidant content. In one study done by The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, five servings of organic vegetables (lettuce, spinach, carrots, potatoes, and cabbage) provided the recommended daily intake of vitamin C for men and women, while their conventional counterparts did not. Another interesting note is that the organic produce contained over 15% less nitrates than their conventional counterparts. UC Davis did a study showing 50% more antioxidants in

organic produce. Organic food is far more nourishing and can help you save money by eliminating pricey supplements. 

For more studies see: http://www.ota.com/organic/benefits/nutrition.html 

Show Some Love for the Environment:

Organic farming is done in a way to protect the environment from pollution as well as promote water and soil conservation. More energy is now used to produce synthetic fertilizers than to till, cultivate, and harvest all the crops in the US. The EPA now also estimates that pesticides, used in conventional farming, pollute the primary source of drinking water for more than half the country’s population. Organic farming also helps prevent soil erosion.

Protect Our Children:

Children receive four times more exposure than adults to cancer causing pesticides in foods. In 2006, the BBC reported that pesticides found in fruits and vegetables, and the decreased nutrients in non-organic produce, can cause mental health issues like depression, and memory problems in children (and adults.) There are over 2700 intentional food additives which help contribute to 9% of our children now having ADHD. Organic food helps protect our future generations.

Be a Detective:

Look for the USDA organic seal to ensure quality. When buying produce always double check the PLU. If organic, it will always start with the number 9. Remember “natural” and “organic” are not interchangeable and do not mean the same thing. There are many labels out there such as, “free-range,” “hormone-free,” and “all natural.” These labels are not the same as organic and do not have the stringent guidelines organic do. Play it safe and look for the USDA seal to ensure you are getting organic.

Melissa Schollaert is a holistic health and nutrition counselor and the founder of Real

Nutritious Living. For more information visit http://www.realnutritiousliving.com 

Weekend Fun in the Sun

I am here on this beautiful Monday for a weekend update :-)

I finished What the Dog Saw and moved on to Half the Sky. This is my first Los Angeles Public Library book, which I am very excited about! 

I have only read a few pages but I am already plotting my take over of the world :-)

On Saturday, I went to the Beverly Hills Art Show with one of my great friends. 

We walked through the booths and drank wine and bellinis :-)

We enjoyed the sunshine and the company!

There was a live band as we walked through the gardens!

I love new friends! Especially this one! 

She had never walked on Rodeo drive, so we decided to take a small detour and on our walk, we stumbled upon this gem..

Yes please!

On Sunday, Rich and I took the Metro downtown to the finish line for the Tour de California.

There was so much energy and excitement among all of the views as well as the cyclists!

The sun was shining, and it was the most beautiful day to be out cheering on these athletes!

So cool! We were so close!

Having a ball :-)

In my awesome iPhotography skills, I was able to (by chance) capture the leader of the race!

There was a man wearing an "Uncle Sam" costume carrying a flag - so patriotic :-)

Sunday night we were able to see the solar eclipse! Can you believe how beautiful, awesome and amazing Nature can be? It is absolutely unreal!

Did anyone else get to see the Solar Eclipse? How did you view it?!

Overall, I had a super weekend and I hope you all did as well!

Happy Monday and cheers to an awesome week, leading in to a long weekend!

Oh, and my anniversary weekend!

Woohoo!