The Party

I am so happy and proud to say that I have asked my bridal party and I couldn't be happier! I can't wait to spend the next 16months planning my special day with my favorite people!

I stewed about how to ask my Bridesmaids and my Maid of Honor for a LONG time (well to me, it was a long time!) and I finally came up with a fun, creative way that really showed who I am and who I am with my favorite people! I made a collage of two pictures and a poem that reminded me of each of my lovely friends. I also wrote a long letter/note reminding them (and myself) of our fun times together and how much each beautiful woman means to me and how much each of them have shaped the woman I am today.

Maid of Honor: Friend!

I am so lucky to have you as my Best Friend! Thank you for being my other half! I lovoodle yoodle!


Bridesmaid: Christine!

You have always been my rock and the sunshine in my life! You are the best and I love you!


Bridesmaid: Shmu!

Where do I even begin?! You are the most smiley and genuine people I know and I am so lucky to have you by my side! I heart YOU mucho grande!

Bridesmaid: Laura!

You have always been the life and fun in my life! You are always such an inspiration to live life to the fullest and I can't wait to share my special day with you!! You're the best and I love you!


Flower Girls: Chiarra and Bianca!
The two most beautiful girls I know! You both know that I think of you as my sisters!


Ring Bearers: Sam and Daniel!
The two best little brothers ANY girl could ask for! I am so excited to have you dressed to impress and to share my special day with me! I love you more than you will ever know!

My Special Friend: Melissa!

This past year has been the best year of my life and I attribute most of it to you! You have truely been the most amazing woman and I want nothing more than to share my special day with you! I love you!

The Proposal

It was about 10pm on Saturday, December 12th, 2009 when he says to me, "Let's go to Crissy Field." I begin to give him directions to the beach where we shared our first kiss on July 28th, 2008. While driving over the Bay Bridge, he was saying only beautiful things to me to make me smile and become a little nervous about what was to come :-)

We pulled into the parking lot at Crissy Field-to sit in the car for about 20 minutes before the rain subsided. We got out of the car and walked onto the beach and into the sand, hand in hand. He held me in his arms while we admired the beauty of the Golden Gate Bridge, lit up, in the darkest part of the night, without fog to obstruct our view. It was chilly but that didn't matter because I was in the arms of a man who makes me the happiest I have ever been.

It started to drizzle after about 10 minutes of reminiscing about our first date, laughing and smiling. We decided to walk back to the car, holding hands, because of the rain, when he stopped and said, "Before we go..." I turned around and he was down, in the sand, on one knee. Still holding my hand, he said, "Will you marry me?" He pulled out a box with a beautiful ring inside. I gasped and got down on my knees to hug him and whisper in his ear, "Of Course!" It began to pour while we were hugging in the sand at Crissy Field; so he picked me up and ran with me in his arms back to his car!

He came prepared with Champagne and we drove back to my house and toasted to a long life ahead of us...together.

It was the most romantic experience I have ever had! I can't wait for all that is to come! I love love love him!

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I'm ENGAGED!!

My Sweeter proposed to me last night in the beautiful City that has stolen both of our hearts and holds most of my fondest memories with him! I couldn't be happier! yay yay yay yay!

I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with this amazing man!!!!

Cirque Du Soliel

If any one has the opportunity to see the Cirque du Soliel, you all ABSOLUTELY should! It really doesn't matter which show you see, they are all fabulous and magical!

My entire family was supposed to go; however, my brothers both came down with something, my mom wasn't feeling too well and my step-dad was tired from traveling to London for work earlier in the week. So, my step-dad stayed home with my brothers and my mom came out into the city because she was NOT about to miss out on the show!

One of my very close friends took one of our extra tickets. We took BART downtown and stopped at the Boulevard Restaurant. We ordered some new and fun drinks to try off of their cocktail menu and ordered a couple of appetizers. We got the Crab Salad and the Goat Cheese and Beet Ravioli. The ravioli was outstanding! I would not order the crab salad again...it was tasty, but I am sure there was something on the menu that we could have had :-) It was a little over priced but it was pretty tasty, nonetheless. I really liked the ambiance in the restaurant :-) We ended up sitting at the bar and the bartender was very nice and attentive to us.



I think that it is a restaurant to go to for a fun date night, knowing that you will be spending a little bit of money.

We then headed over to the fun yellow and blue striped tents that houses the Cirque and went in for the show! The show that is touring in San Francisco this season is Ovo, the life of bugs. The costumes were incredible and so detailed. I absolutely loved the show and I recommend it to anyone and everyone! All ages and all people! It is amazing and you will NOT be disappointed!

On off peak times, Monday- Thursday Night (I think), they offer student discounts. If you have a student ID, take advantage of it! The tickets are still a little pricey, but I can't say it enough, that it is TOTALLY worth it!

You're HOW old?!

My mom just had a birthday on Monday and to celebrate we went Wine Tasting in Napa with a couple of her friends! It was so much fun! We rented a Limo from home and toured the wine country all morning and into the early afternoon!

The morning started out with my mom running and yelling through the house that it snowed on her birthday! It was so cold at our house that it snowed at least an inch! We both got ready in her bathroom while giggling and catching up a little from our busy weekends :-)

Her two friends showed up at the house and then the limo arrived and we hopped in, opened a bottle of champagne...what a way to travel :-)

Our first stop was at Domaine Carneros-Tattinger. The place was gorgeous! It was a beautiful day in Napa which made the entire day amazing! We got inside and sat down around a fireplace-unfortunately it wasn't lit, but it was such a cozy little spot! We tasted their sparkling wines and had a cheese platter. It sure was tasty!

When we were there, my mom was mentioning that it was her birthday and this older woman sitting at a table near us asked her how old she was...it was at that point that I decided to play a game :-) I asked the woman how old she thought my mom was (without saying "mom") and she guessed UNDER 30! We all were shocked and of course my mom was flattered! I asked the woman if she was serious and she changed her mind and said early 30's! I finally told her that she was my mom and the woman was in SHOCK! It was hilarious! I think my mom liked the game! We played it at the other wineries we stopped at.

After Tattinger, we went to Treffethen Family Vineyards. We tasted almost all of their wines--I really like this place! Its beautiful inside and I like their wines, a lot :-)

outside :-) The fountain had ornaments in it :-)
inside is just gorgeous! that tree is up year round :-)

After Treffethen, we went out to lunch. The woman who worked at Treffethen recommended Redd's. It was soo good! We all ordered something from the menu and shared each dish! My favorite, and the dish I ordered, was the butternut squash and pumpkin ravioli. Oh my gosh! They were heaven in my mouth! SOO TASTY! We also ordered the Tuna and hamachi tartar, the lettuce cups, and the pork buns. Each dish was different, beautifully plated and so tasty!

After lunch we made one more stop at Domaine Chandon. The grounds at this winery were absolutely stunning! We just bought a bottle of Champagne for the limo drive home. Inside the winery was beautiful and big and ful of windows! It was beautiful!

I hope that my mom enjoyed her birthday! She is an amazing woman who deserves to have everything beautiful and happy in the world! I love her and I am so happy that I was able to spend her special day with her!

TASTY!

My Sweeter and I went to this AMAZING restaurant when I was down in San Diego this weekend.

Pamplemouse was, probably, one of the TASTIEST restaurants I have ever eaten at and I can't wait to go back!

Yes, it is a little pricey, but it was totally worth it for our fun date night!

They start out the meal by giving an assortment of bread and their fancy butter while you take a minute to look at all of the amazing dishes they have.

It is truffle season, so almost everything had some truffle in it to make everything all the better! I ordered the lamb chops with the au jus sauce and asparagus served with their tasty truffle fries!

My Sweeter ordered a 16 oz New York Steak that made it sooo full! Yeah the restaurant is a little pricey, but they do NOT skimp out on the portions!

The ambiance of the restaurant was fabulous and our waiter was so awesome! We wanted to order dessert, but My Sweeter was too full, so our waiter brought out a plate of sugar cookies that were amazing!

The whole experience was awesome! I definitely recommend trying it out for a fun and tasty date!

How Lucky Am I!?

I went to the Marine Corps Ball this weekend and had the BEST weekend!


He looked so handsome and I just COULD NOT take my eyes off of him!


Every weekend that I spend with my sweeter, I just have a blast and it's better than the weekend before!


I just can't help but smile every time I see him!

Butternut Squash and Vanilla Risotto

Last night was FRIEND Thursday! 

We had a much needed night of hanging out and catching up over yummy food!

Yesterday I asked FRIEND what we should eat for dinner, she responded suggesting that we make something Fall-ish, something with Butternut Squash or Pumpkin.

I went straight to the Food Network Website and found this delicious recipe!

Butternut Squash and Vanilla Risotto

Ingredients

4 cups vegetable broth

1 large vanilla bean

3 cups peeled cubed (1-inch wide) butternut squash, about 12 ounces

2 tablespoons butter, plus 1 tablespoon

3/4 cups finely chopped onion (from 1 onion)

1 1/2 cups Arborio rice or medium-grain white rice

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan 

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives

Directions

In a medium saucepan, warm the broth over medium-high heat. Cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise. Scrape out the seeds and add them, and the bean, to the broth. When the broth comes to a simmer reduce the heat to low. Add the butternut squash to the simmering broth and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon remove the butternut squash to a side dish. Turn the heat on the broth down to very low and cover to keep warm.

Meanwhile, in a large, heavy saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until tender but not brown, about 3 minutes. Add the rice and stir to coat with the butter. Add the wine and simmer until the wine has almost completely evaporated, about 3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of the simmering broth and stir until almost completely absorbed, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking the rice, adding the broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and allowing each addition to of the broth to absorb before adding the next, until the rice is tender but still firm to the bite and the mixture is creamy, about 20 minutes total. Discard the vanilla bean. Turn off the heat. Gently stir in the butternut squash, Parmesan, the remaining tablespoon of butter, and salt. Transfer the risotto to a serving bowl and sprinkle with chives. Serve immediately.

You must get the chives! They really made the flavor tasty!

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