A Memorable Memorial Day Weekend

He proposed! It's official! Saturday morning the HOBBY yacht was suppose to set sail for Catalina. Our friend Greg had been planning for weeks to propose to his girlfriend Athena on the beautiful island. But, due to severe weather through the channel, plans changed. With the weather's cooperation, we were still able to do a lunch cruise through the harbor and enjoy the California coastline and Greg was still able to propose to the lovely Athena!

The happy couple!

Greg's plan was to get Athena alone on the front of the yacht so he could propose. While we were all talking, one by one we started clearing the deck until Greg and Athena were the last two left on the bow. It was so funny because we all huddled together on the top level so we could spy on them and watch the blessed event take place. (The picture is all blurry because I took it through the plastic).

Greg is so cute. He got down on one knee and asked Athena if she would spend eternity with him. She said YES! 

We all cheered as Jeff broke out the bubbly and Ninja (Jeffrey) got on the loud speaker and announced to the rest of the boats in the harbor that Greg had just proposed! Everyone that heard cheered and helped us congratulate the newly engaged couple.

Brock and Nicole celebrating the engagement.

The rest of the day was spent enjoying the sunshine and eating tons of junk food. It was the perfect day for yachting!

Me and my twin.

Brother Hobbins let me captain the boat.

Emily's turn at the wheel.

Little Alice. So precious!

Brett being Brett!

Taylor gettin his yacht on!

Aaron just hanging out.

I love the Bennetts!

Girl time!

Powder Puff Football

A picture after last week's sweet victory against the Irvine and Tustin Branch. Go Slammerz!

Just another day at the office . . .

. . . ok, so not really! Today was a wonderful break from the mundane work of cabinet designs, marble specifications, and endless phone calls from Project Managers. As most of you already know, I'm a designer for a custom home builder in Newport and part of my job is to keep up to date on the latest and greatest in home design. Lucky for me, this meant that I got to attend the Kohler Conference at the St. Regis Resort in Monarch Beach, to see what new product they will soon be introducing to the trade. The presentation consisted of the newest stylings from The Kohler Company.

After the conference and a wonderful catered lunch, the guests were invited to participate in an activity of their choosing: Golf or a Spa treatment. You'll never guess what I chose. Okay, I lied. What a wonderful treat. The St. Regis Spa is absolutely amazing. After arriving and slipping into a comfy robe and pair of slippers, I stepped into the Aroma Sauna with a book and a cold beverage and prepared myself for my massage with some relaxation and meditation. For my spa treatment I decided on the 60 minute Mediterranean massage. It was AMAZING! My masseuse was highly skilled in the art and thank goodness, because my back and neck were tied up in all sorts of knots.

After my massage they invited me to unwind by a glowing fire in their relaxation room, sip a glass of champaign (I opted for the lemon water) and just enjoy the ocean view. I couldn't help but lay there on my chaise and count my many blessings. I mean, some days I feel like I complain so much. I complain about my job. I complain about my lack of time. I complain about my eternal singledom. Ok, thats enough... and then a day like this comes along and I am reminded that life is good. Sometimes, really good!

Catch of the Day

Monday night while the rest of the ward was enjoying Family Home Evening at the Bishop's house, Brother Eric Persson, whom we'll refer to as Brother P., was out at sea reeling in his catch of the day, a 300 lb. thresher shark! That's huge!

All alone on his fishing boat, he said it took him over 2 hours of fighting to reel it in...and Brother P. is a big 6'7" man. He said that once he reeled it in, the shark was too heavy for him to lift so he had to drag it along side the boat back to shore.

Once back in the harbor, Brother P. required the help of 3 other guys just to transfer the massive shark into the bed of his truck. For more awesome pictures, click HERE.

In celebration of the catch, a few of us daring ward members gathered for a little BBQ Tuesday night to enjoy a feast of thresher shark tacos. Mmm, tasty! Thanks for sharing your catch of the day Brother P.

Bottoms up baby!

Of course the night wouldn't have been complete if we didn't end the night with a little Rock Band. Thank you Bunker for your mad skills on the guitar and mic!

The Bachelorette

DeAnna Pappas of The Bachelor, Season 11, is getting another chance to find love! After a heartbreaking finale that ended with both final remaining women being sent home, a devastated DeAnna left both confused and brokenhearted. But I have a feeling that with DeAnna as this season's new Bachelorette, the outcome is sure to be a happy ending.

Last night America was introduced to the 25 men who have a shot at winning over DeAnna's heart. I must admit, I thought the pickings were slim, but fortunately for DeAnna, she was able to send a few of the meat heads and bleach heads home! Of the 25 men, 15 were given a rose at the first ceremony. But to be honest, I think only 3 really have a shot. Here are my picks for the final three on this seaon's The Bachelorette:


Graham
Age: 29
Profession: Professional Basketball Player
Hometown: Raleigh, NC
Currently Resides: Raleigh, NC.



Jason
Age: 31
Occupation: Account Executive
Hometown: Cleveland, OH
Currently Resides: Kirkland, WA.

Jeremy
Age: 31
Occupation: Real Estate Attorney
Hometown: Huntsville, TX
Currently Resides: Dallas, TX.

Mosaic Weekend

For the Shoe-aholic . . .

I recently stumbled acorss my new favorite shoes website PIPERLIME. Its the newest member of the Gap Inc. family. Apparently its been around since 2006 but I'm just now discovering it.


What is Piperlime you may ask? It’s the new online shoe store that carries the latest styles and hot designers for women, men and children. They have amazing shoes that I have not seen anywhere else! They have free standard shipping and returns which I love! Who wouldn’t since you can purchase away and return so easily without any cost to you. So, what are you waiting for? Happy shopping!

Baby, baby, whose got the baby?

Last weekend while in Pennsylvania, my pregnant little sister and I thought it would be funny to take pictures of our bellies and see if you could guess which belly has the baby?

Belly A

Belly B

If you guessed Belly B, you guessed WRONG! That one's ME!

Many of you have already seen this hidden talent (which usually only comes out after I've eaten a ridiculous amount of food and feel like I'm gonna explode!) At an early age I discovered that I was gifted with this most unusual talent. Blame it on genetics, blame it on my horrible posture, my extra strong stomach muscles, blame it on whatever you want. Whatever is the cause of this belly obeseness, I think its pretty darn funny. I wonder what my belly will look like when I really do have a baby someday? Yikes!

Philharmonic House of Design 2008

Coastal Elegance in the Upper Reaches of Crystal Cove

Wednesday evening my Mother and I had the opportunity to the tour the 2008 Philharmonic House of Design in the upper reaches of the prestigious Crystal Cove custom home community of Newport Coast. The large 8,500 square foot home was decorated in the elegant “Spanish Mediterranean” styling. Designers from all over Orange County were invited to design a room for the showcase and allow members of the community the opportunity to view their work. My favorite design was the Dining Room seen in the photo above.

The HOBBY Yacht

A week ago the HOBBY yacht set sail for a sunset cruise around the Newport Harbor. We enjoyed a tasty mexican fiesta (which was suppose to be tasty sushi, but Brother P. came home empty handed from his fishing trip that day. Sad!) Regardless, everything was delish. Thanks Alice for letting me feel like part of the Hobbin's family for the evening. More HOBBY yacht please!

The Bachelor: London Calling

London called. Los Angeles answered. Thats right. The last rose, along with one hefty diamond ring went to the one and only Shayne Lamas, soap opera actress from The Bold and the Beautiful. For me, the highlight of the show was when British Bachelor, Matt Grant, got down on one knee and asked "Monkey, will you marry me?" Monkey? I love it! Those two are so cute. Unlike last season's devastating letdown when Mr. Brad Womack sent home both women, this season's fairytale ending renewed my faith that The Bachelor can find love. I'm already looking forward to next Monday when The Bachelorette, DeAnna, gets another chance at love as she finds a man among 25 eligible gentlemen. Should be a good one!

Three day getaway

This weekend I was fortunate enough to attend my brother-in-law, Mark Bracken's, graduation from Penn State's Dickinson School of Law in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. I took Friday off and flew along with my parents to enjoy a weekend on the east coast. Here is a little travel (b)log of my weekend:

We left Orange County at about 6:30am and landed in Minnesota for a quick layover. I actually had no idea we'd be stopping there and when I found out I was super excited because I hadn't been back to Minnesota since my mission. I can honestly say that my favorite part of my mission was the 4 and 1/2 months I spent serving the members of the Warroad Branch in Minnesota.

Next stop on our list was Baltimore, Maryland. When we arrived in Maryland we had no problem getting our luggage, finding our rental car, and getting on the road. However, as you can see by the picture above, we had a little quarrel with our directions. The map said one way and the rental car guy said another. Look where we ended up. Yes! For real! We got lost and ended up in front of a sign that said TIMBUKTU.

Luckily we got back on the road again and made it to our destination. Carlisle, Pennsylvania. We met up with Mark, Jacki, and Mark's parents at Red Robin for dinner, just one of the many places Jacki worked while putting her husband through Law School.

It was so fun being reunited with my little sister and to see her cute little baby bump growing bigger. She's due in October.

Saturday morning we woke up early to attend Mark's Graduation ceremony where he was presented with several awards and then deemed the newest lawyer in the State of Pennsylvania.

The ceremony was held outside amidst the beautiful spring backdrop at Dickinson College.

I fell in love with all the beautiful architecture there. I could have spent the entire day enjoying all the old buildings on the campus.

Jacki with her husband Mark, the proud Law School graduate.

Jacki was also excited to be graduating...graduating from Pennsylvania and moving to Arizona for Mark's new job in Phoenix. Hooray!

The Messick and Bracken Family.

After the graduation ceremony ended, we were invited to attend a bbq style luncheon where we enjoyed hamburgers, hot dogs and ice cream sandwiches.

Once our bellies were full we all went back to our hotel rooms for some R&R. After re-charging we decided to head to this great place called Rita's for Gelato and Custard. It was one tasty treat! With our bellies once again full, we took to the streets and decided to stop in at a local antique shop. I fell in love with a beautiful antique ring and even more in love with the price tag. $1. Oh yeah!

Dinner that night was amazing. We had a delicious five course meal at a restaurant downtown that is owned by the Primary President in Mark & Jacki's ward. It was the prefect ending to a fabulous day.

I had such a wonderful weekend in Pennsylvania and spending time with Jacki & Mark and I am so excited for them to start a new chapter of their life in Arizona. New house. New job. New baby. I can hardly wait!

Happy Mother's Day!

Because I knew my mother would have to spend 5 hours on an airplane this Mother's Day I decided to think long and hard to get her something sweet and thoughtful. After weeks of racking my brain, I figured out the perfect gift. The idea came to me at work as I was thumbing through a magazine. I was looking through the latest issue of Veranda when I came across an ad for Roger's Gardens. Featured in the ad was a beautiful arrangement of this season's hottest garden trend, the succulent. Done! My mother absolutely loves succulents and of course I absolutely love putting together beautiful arrangements. So, after work I headed down to Roger's Gardens in Newport Beach to see what I could find. After almost 45 minutes of shopping around, this is what I came home with . . .

. . . a bag of cactus soil, a box of moss, several succulent plants, and a rustic tin to put it all in. Time to get to work and create my Mother's Day masterpiece.

And this is what I came up with. I must admit that its much larger and more impressive in person. But nonetheless, I still think its beautiful.


When I gave her the arrangement she was so excited, but the only thing she could say was "Oh my gosh. This is so expensive. These things are not cheap." Typical mom comment! They spoil you everyday of your life and then on the one day you want to spoil them, they just won't have it. :) I love you so much Mom and hope you have the best Mother's Day ever!!!

Way to go bro!

Today I leave for Pennsylvania to see my brother-in-law, Mark Allen Bracken, graduate from Penn State's Dickinson School of Law. I'm so proud of you Marky Mark! This cupcakes for you.

MODBE PARTY TONIGHT

Who: You and all your girlfriends

What: A party to showcase Modbe's new 2008 Swim and Clothing line

Where: Club Messick
2 Poppy Hills Road
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677

When: Thursday, May 8th

@ 7:00 - 8:30 pm

Why: To meet the models, shop, and socialize!

Something new at Antrho

I am currently working on updating my wardrobe for summer. Like I really need any more clothes! Which is why I've turned to accessories. When I walked into Anthropologie this week, which I do every week, they got in this great new shipment of belts. It was love at first sight! I wanted them all, but was disciplined enough to only buy one. Can you guess which one I bought?

When I rolled out of bed Monday morning, I knew it was going to be a good day. Cinco de Mayo is probably one of my favorite holidays. Some might ask "Why? Whats so special about Cinco de Mayo?" Good question. Its the FOOD!

I am in love, yes, in love with Mexican food. I can't get enough of it. Allie Hobbins and I have said before that we could have Mexican food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And on Cinco de Mayo thats just what I did. I began the day by indulging in a hot and delicious breakfast burrito. Yes, I caved. No diet shake for me. Just warm, ooey, gooey, goodness melting in my mouth.

The morning rolled on as usual as I counted down the minutes til I could get my next flavor-filled fix. At lunch time I surrendered myself to more mexican goodness as I met the Lunch Bunch at Wahoo's and enjoyed the fiesta of flavors of my favorite new kick, the Wahoo's Chicken Salad...with mild chicken and creamy balsamic dressing. Its unbelievable. However, I am, and always will be, partial to anything I can smother in their green sauce. Its good. Its really good.

Work was long. Too long. But by 5:00 I was well on my way out of the office and ready to do some damage at Fashion Island. In honor of this blessed holiday I purchased a feisty little green dress from where else but Anthro. When I put it on I felt like a real mexican muchacha. I did a few twirls in the dressing room and I was sold. One swipe of the credit card and I was off to bigger and better things.

I picked up my friend Briana at her ridiculously cute new house in Corona del Mar that I am still coveting! Together we headed down to Balboa Island for some Fiesta fun at Holly, Charity, and Ashlee's house where...yes...you guessed it...we ate more Mexican food. This time it was homemade salsa, guacamole, tacos and virgin Margaritas. Such tasty goodness. The nostalgia of everyone enjoying my favorite holiday was enough to send me into a state of perfect euphoria for the remainder of the evening.

To top off the night the girls decided to avoid the long drive back to Laguna and instead have a sleepover on the Hobbin's yacht. Aka - The Hobby. We overloaded on junk food, gossiped about the boys, and then fell asleep to the soothing sways of the boat. I must say it was the perfect ending to the perfect day. Viva Mexico!

Birthday and Baseball

Thursday night we celebrated Kristin's 27th birthday with two of my favorite things. Hot dogs and hot baseball boys!

Bree, me, Amanda, and Nicole.

Brett and Allie enjoying the fun!

I went off my diet for the evening and shared dinner with Nicole. We scarfed some chicken tenders, chili cheese fries and a lemonade. Sometimes dieting is just not conducive to my lifestyle!

Although the Angels were massacred by Oakland, we still had a fabulous time! Oh, and we all got to take home these fabulous Angel hats. Go Halos!