andrea’s birthday

Posted on January 12, 2015 by tandem in love

andrea’s birthday was last week and we finally got together to celebrate her! she’s a traveling fool, i don’t know anyone else who is always on the go like she is. when i talk to her about getting together, the first thing i always say to her is, “when are you in town next?”.

well, she was finally in town. we made plans for dinner at a restaurant called mexique on chicago ave. can you believe that this restaurant has been there for the past six years and for the three years that we lived down the street from it, we never noticed or tried out the place?!

it is sooooo good. the food was amaze. i mean, seriously delectable. it’s a fusion of mexican and french palates. everything was perfectly cooked, the flavors paired together were unique and complementary, and everything was incredibly savory {my tastebuds were in heaven}. the ambience was cozy and warm and the service was great.

[ginger and beth]

i arrived at the restaurant in no time {even with the cray weather} and was seated immediately. oy, it was soooo cold outside! i feel like i’m peeling off another layer of clothes when i take my coat, hat, gloves, and scarf off {hmmm, well i guess i am!}. a few minutes after i had been seated, ginger and beth joined me, and then the birthday girl showed up a few minutes after that!

we settled in and decided on a bottle of wine {natch}. we started our gab fest immediately. i love hanging out with these ladies. ginger always, always cracks me up with her sarcastic comments! she’s so witty and funny.

[me and the birthday girl – 25 weeks preggo! plus…we apparently don’t know which direction to look at…}

[opening her birthday gift!]

[ceviche]

[mar y tierra]

after much conversing, we finally looked at the menu and ordered our apps and entrees. we started with the mussels {oh em gee good} and ceviche {mmmm}. i decided to get the mar y tierra: michoacan style braised pork belly, mexique mole, fennel apple puree, scallops, roasted corn and brussels sprouts salad with burned tomatillo salsa. i highly, highly recommend this! it was fantastic. after our entrees, we ordered the enchiladas: crepes filled with chocolate ganache, toasted walnuts, ancho chile-chocolate fondue, crème anglaise vanilla bean ice cream. i also topped that off with a decaf cappuccino that was so perfect. milky, frothy, and sweet.

[yum]

[happy birthday andrea!!]

[make a wish!]

throughout dinner, we gabbed non-stop. it was wonderful to catch up with everyone! i was really enjoying myself {the company, the restaurant, the food}. i don’t get out much without olive {although as i have stated before…i do get a bit anxious when i’m without her!} and i’m always great the first few hours but then i start to miss her {momfessions}.

after almost three hours of dining {good eats and great conversations}, it was time go! we paid our bill and towards the door we went. i said my goodbyes to everyone with lots of hugs and traipsed my way out the door and down the sidewalk {so chilly!} to my car. i made it home just in time to put my little babes to sleep. *sigh*

what a wonderful evening it was.

xoxo

my brother{s}

Posted on January 5, 2015 by tandem in love

my brother and his girl tashina came to visit us for christmas up until new year’s eve. it was pretty awesome to have them around. huy doesn’t visit very often, maybe twice a year if we are lucky. i love seeing him. we all miss him. plus, he is sooooo wonderful with the kids too!

huy moved out to cali quite some time ago. i can’t even remember…it’s been nine years now?? anyhoo, life suits him just fine out there. he’s so l.a. now…such a hipster. well, he’s always been a hipster but whatevs.

he’s been a photographer for quite some time now. he’s super talented and has done some amazing work. you can check out his website here.

on one of the days they were in town, hc invited everyone over to our place for supper. we ordered uncle bub’s for dinner and had a swell time hanging out together. i came home and only my sisters and the kids were home. soon, everyone else slowly trickled in. hc and terry were out picking up the food and arrived home last.

we got down to business! the table was set and the food was ready to be served. we noshed, imbibed, and conversed about all sorts of topics. it was fantastic just to hang out and enjoy each other’s company.

[feeding the garbage disposal]

[boy band brothers]

gosh, family is so great. i feel very fortunate to have a large family. i sometimes, still can’t believe my parents did what they did. raising a large family with the means that they had. it’s pretty awesome to have brothers and sisters…people you can go to when you need them, people you can hang out with, people you can rely on, people who help you out. siblings are like built in buddies, non? and you know what really tops the sundae off? when your siblings are with/marry some more awesome peeps. the family grows larger and better. life does have it’s not so great moments {irritations, fights, disappointment}…don’t get me wrong, sometimes it sucks but i love having the glass half full. it only makes me feel more fulfilled, loved, and happy. i’d rather count my lucky stars than think about the pile of shit i just stepped on.

a lucky star i’m thankful for?? my little babes, olive. i love watching her play with her cousins. it’s just the best and cutest times evah. *sigh*

[silly kids]

[silly faces]

[ba going in for a kiss]

well, it was a quick but lovely time with tashina and huy. we enjoyed them being in town and spending so many great days with them. it definitely went by too fast. lots of love to them both…we can’t wait to see y’all again!

xoxo

fam jam night

Posted on December 8, 2014 by tandem in love

it was a friday night and it called for a dinner night out with the fam. after doing some fun holiday activities, we all met up at a restaurant in hinsdale called vistro. a cool vibe eatery by paul virant {owner of vie & perennial virant}. it was bustling and busy. we scored a close parking spot and cruised on in. we originally had a high table but that wasn’t going to work with ms. olive. so, they were super kind and accommodating to us! they quickly relocated us to a booth. i was quite pleased at how wonderful they were with our situation.

[olive doesn’t get a high chair…she sits on the table like a lady]

[famille]

[pouty]

we sat down and ordered some delicious apps and beverages. the crispy tuscan kale and brussels sprouts were soooooo good. i could have eaten those two dishes as my main meal. seriously. so yum. but i did not regret my burger. that was delectable as well.

i loved the vibe of the restaurant. it was quite cozy, warm, and friendly. the service was fantastic and everyone was so nice. obviously having a baby {who wants to move around} can be a challenge at a restaurant but everyone thought she was a cutie. duh, of course. olive wanted so badly to walk everywhere in the place…i tried my best to not have her interfere with other patron’s meals. we cruised around the tables and walked into the hallway where the bathrooms were and turned back around to our table. and then maybe start over again.

[festive cocktails]

[this brussel sprout dish was soooo tasty!]

[kim doing her best RBF]

we were doing pretty well throughout the meal but near the end, it was time to go! she started to get a bit fussy and it was close to her bedtime.

we had a great time being silly, relaxing, and noshing on some super savory food. it was a wonderful end to a great day.

xoxo

abbey

Posted on November 10, 2014 by tandem in love

soooo, long story that i will try to make short {cross your fingers!}. i met abbey more than ten years ago. we crossed paths and instantly became close friends. we had so many crazy moments together. she was my partner in crime. we went out all. the. time. fashion show nights in the city. bars in the city. art shows. dinners. fancy dinners. super, super fancy dinners. eve of the eve parties. shopping dates. pool time. brunches. lunches. you name it, we did it. anything in the city was game.

after years of being close friends, life sometimes takes you down different paths and those paths are not parallel anymore. they veer off into different directions and you loose touch. mine and abbey’s path veered off. seven plus years went by.

last year, abbey reached out to me and i reciprocated. we started to talk via fb and then by phone. we’ve exchanged communication here or there and moved our friendship along. well, abbey contacted me a few weeks ago to let me know that she would be in chicago {she lives in missouri} and wanted to meet up! i was totally game, i was excited to see her. i was glad our schedules worked out perfectly for us to meet up.

i chose for us to brunch at little goat. i was a little nervous it would be super crowded {it usually is and a very long wait} because it was a very, very nice day! warm and sunny. as i walked towards the restaurant, i saw there were no patrons standing outside {a total sign it wasn’t crowded} and was relieved.

i walked in with o and ran right into abbs! it was pretty awesome to see her. she looked great! we hugged and were so excited to see one another. she was so happy to meet olive! she is so great with babies. her sister val just had a beautiful baby boy, lake!

we were seated right away {woo!}. of course abbey and i started gabbing away. i told her, “we better choose what we want to eat or we will never order!”. so, she decided to go with the apple pancakes and a small side of biscuits and gravy. i chose the tuna melt with a side of smoked fries.

[um, it really wasn’t this empty…this space happen to clear out]

[she’s got her other bottom toof coming in!]

[smoked fries]

we gabbed and gabbed and gabbed. there was so much to talk about. we had such a great time catching up. so much has changed! at the time abbey and i were friends, i was ‘single’. not married. still living in chicago. no children. and now all that has changed!

abbey tried her best to get on olive’s good side. olive was being shy. it was too cute to see. i would slide her over to abbey and she would crawl back to me. i would slide her back again, and she would wiggle back to me. the only way abbey was able to get her to stay be her was to feed little o. ha!

[she was being shy]

[tuna sammich]

[yum, yum…the only time olive felt comfortable, when abbey fed her!]

after we finished our meals, we stayed awhile to continue our gab fest. abbey for sure wanted to take pictures in the photo booth. of course! i’m all about photo booths! i love ’em! we wriggled our way in and our bottoms shared the tiniest little round seat. abbs put the money in and we were like…uh, when does the booth take a photo {it was definitely an old school machine}?? duh…as you can see in the first shot, we were soooo caught off guard! but then we got it!

[before we left, we had to participate in the photo booth!]

our day was so fun! it was fabulous to see abbey again after all these years. we had such a good time catching up and i was super happy she was able to meet little olive. i hope our future visits are in closer proximity and we can’t wait to see her again. it was awesome seeing girl!

xoxo

mr. matt

Posted on October 16, 2014 by tandem in love

matt and i have been dodging each other for some time. ya know, life’s busy schedule has caused us to miss each other each week. so, we finally got a day to ourselves and we were able to set up a brunch date!

we decided to meet up at the bongo room. a favorite brunch spot of mine. olive and i got there first. as usual, the wait was long…ugh. not the greatest when you have a little one. matt got there a few minutes after us {looking super dapper} and we contemplated on going to another place but in the end, i preferred to keep our wait with the bongo room.

so, we strolled our way up the street to get some coffee at…guess…starbucks! you guessed right! we walked back to the restaurant and chit chatted outside until the hostess called us for a table.

i love wicker park. *sigh* it was such a beautiful day to be out and olive and i had the best time strolling around. i really do miss the city. sometimes it makes me sad. i love the density, the chaos, the culture, the hipsters, the boutiques, the ah-maze restaurants. i do feel fortunate i am able to visit it every week and that most of my friends are still living there! thank goodness for that!

[silly rabbit // striking a pose at our favorite coffee place]

[nice look olive]

we were seated in a booth…score! i love sitting in a booth at the bongo room and it’s a rarity to get one. especially if you are a party of two. well, this time we were a party of 2.5, so we scored a booth!

olive was a happy camper {for a moment} sitting in her booster and eating cereal puffs. she eventually had her super fussy moments, but more on that later. so, matt and i got down to business. matt just spurred on and on and on about life, work, life, work, life, work. i just adore him. he is such a dear friend of mine and i am fortunate that we have kept our friendship strong throughout all these years.

we were set to order, he was a good boy and ordered a salad; whereas i was a bad girl and ordered the oreo pancakes. so decadent, sweet, and delicious. annnnndd, a side of bacon. duh! of course i did! my post pregnant hips and tummy protested but my taste buds won the fight. so, yes. i consumed the monstrous pile of sugar and fat. mmmmm, every bite was well worth it. hee.

[such a cool interior]

[decadent]

during lunch, olive was getting super, super fussy. baby girl skipped her morning nap {mistake! huge mistake} and started to have a fussy meltdown. she whimpered and cried. she was. so. tired. she threw everything on the floor, shrieked, and rubbed her eyes.

unfortunately our brunch date was short lived. i wanted to hang out longer but olive disagreed. matt and i said our goodbyes and parted ways on this gorgeous day. i quickly nursed olive in the car, put her in the car seat, and before the car even moved, she was out. she passed right out. thank goodness! she definitely needed her much delayed shut eye. and that was the ending of our brunch date with mr. matt.

xoxo

little pumpkin patch

Posted on October 8, 2014 by tandem in love

our morning started off very sweet. olive and i had our wonderful snuggle session and after that, i got a lot done around the house while olive played in the living room. cleaning and organizing, two of my favorite things to do {yeaahh, that’s right…boo ya}.

i put her down for her morning nap {as usual, she went down later than expected} and after she woke, we scurried on our way to meet dana for brunch. we were cruising but as soon as we hit the city, traffic was a mess. they closed down part of congress, so we had to detour down michigan ave. {yuck!!}. who the heck would ever drive down michigan avenue if you had a choice?! what a hot mess. we slooooowly drove down the avenue until we hit lsd. phew. finally! once we were on lsd, we cruised to our destination.

we had decided on brunch at mhenry’s. oh, how i love this place. it’s yummy and good. it’s a quaint little restaurant tucked away in andersonville. they seriously have the best pancakes {ok, it’s tied with the bongo room}, amongst other delicious breakfast/lunch items.

i parked the car and we ran towards the restaurant {eekkk! we were so late!}.

finally, we were reunited with our darling dana! we settled in and excitedly started our gab session. dana was so happy to see olive! she’s not a baby person at all but she adores little miss olive. so much so, we joke around how olive is really her baby ’cause dana loves, loves asian babies {well, at least, in this case half asian!}.

[my cutie pie]

i was totally feeling like an egg and bacon breakfast. so, a tasty omelet was in order. it also came with potatoes and fruit. annndd to wash it all down, i had ordered a mix of orange and grapefruit juice {my favoreeete, yum}.

[orange/grapefruit juice, leeks/dandelion/ scallion omelet, and a side of bacon]

[oh, she’s soooo silly]

well, here came the real test. dana has been so jelly of kt + kar‘s connection with the babes. olive, from the get go, has loved being in their arms and totes lets them hold her. hmmm, dana, not so much. every time, i mean every time dana has tried to hold miss olive, she has had a melt down. click right here and here for some proof.

after brunch, dana was ready to go. she was ready for the challenge. she was ready to hold miss olive and not have her cry! i passed little o over and ta da!! magic. miss olive was calm as could be. dana was super delighted and happy to be holding olive without her crying! so, of course, i went picture cray. yay! her bad spell had passed and olive was a happy babes in her arms!

[dana sUPer ecstatic that she is holding o and o isn’t crying!!]

[closing the place down]

[yum fresh baked cookies…i got mexican wedding cookies for myself and chocolate chip for dana!]

after brunch, we had a bit of time, so we walked over to gethsemane to peruse some of their flowers, plants, and october goodies. i wanted to get a head start with some fall decorating, so dana and i picked out a few fun pumpkins for the house.

[going to gethsemane flower shop]

after walking around the beautiful garden center, i purchased a bunch of cute little pie pumpkins {plus some white, some striped, and some gourds} and we parted ways. dana needed to get herself to a jnf meeting and i needed to get home {and olive needed her afternoon nap!}. it was a wonderful and successful afternoon spent with our darling dana. olive is her new bestie and we can’t wait to see her again soon!

xoxo

rain, rain, go away

Posted on October 2, 2014 by tandem in love

it started out as a dreary, cold, rainy morning. bummer. hc and i wanted to go to downtown hinsdale, stroll around, and shop. we drove there and got coffee at the starbucks {first things first!}. we decided to grab some grub and to wait out the icky weather. we stopped into a little mom and pop restaurant called page’s. it was cramped, old, and not the cleanest but hc really wanted to eat there. he can’t pass up a greasy joint evah!

[olive and i struggling to get a goodie photo in…um, fail?]

so, we plopped down and ordered some greasy food. we actually ordered a lot…but in the end, it just disappeared! how did that happen?? hee. i got eggs over easy, hash browns, bacon, and pancakes. yum. olive got lots and lots of cereal puffs. we ate, olive giggled and screamed, and we filled our empty bellies up.

after breakfast, we walked back outside and it was raining. boo. we were super bummed because the weather was just not cooperating. it was cold, dreary, and rainy. a bad combo for wanting to walk outside. so, we decided to head on over to oakbrook. there, they have awnings and it’s more protected and easier to shop around. of course, on our way there, the day took a turn and the weather had become super sunny and warm! natch.

we spent the rest of the afternoon there and had a great shopping day! hc got some new things and we browsed around for olive. baby girl needed a new fall wardrobe {new, cozy fall clothes on the horizon}! we had a lovely time walking around and checking out some new, fun stuff.

lately, i’ve noticed how big olive has gotten {watch out…total mom stuff coming}. i mean, she’s less a baby and more a little girl. oh, it makes me a wee bit sad. very bittersweet. i’ve enjoyed so much of her baby stage but now she is starting to show her independence. i like that she likes to entertain herself and can be on her own, but at the same time it makes me miss her totally dependent baby moments. i love her so much right now. we have such a bond and i’m amazed at how lovey she is. i love her hugs, kisses, and laughter. she is so freakin’ quirky and cute.

for example, the photos below…she was being so cute and funny. she kept swinging her legs back and forth and making funny faces. kids, they are so innocent and sweet. they totally live in the moment with such joy.

our day ended up being fun {well of course it did}, rainy day or not, we will always have a swell time together! cheers to olive’s cuteness!

xoxo

simple night

Posted on September 30, 2014 by tandem in love

we had a low key, simple night out with the fam. i love moments like these. we can get together, have dinner, hang out, and shop! us gals can really shop. i don’t know how and why. it cannot be explained. were we born with the shopping gene?? yup, i think we were. there is such a thing as a shopping gene, right? some people are born with it and others are not. when you have the shopping gene, you can shop for hours on end. you are able to go to one store, to the next, to the next, and the next without getting bored or exhausted. yes, that is what me and my sister’s have. the unique shopping gene. 😉

well. we started out the evening with a tasty dinner at cpk. we had our usual server, our usual order, and the usual routine. the boys colored and i fed olive her dinner. hc ordered a pizza and i wasn’t super hungry {what?!}, so i ordered a bowl of soup. split pea soup…delicious, add a dash of ground pepper and it totes is a meal!

[selfie and cpk]

[chunker cheeks]

[coloring]

[my love]

[these two being silly!]

[pizza! pizza!]

we actually went shopping before dinner {because there was a wait} and before dinner ended, i ran out to pick up a few things for miss olive at babygap {a fav store of mine for the little missy}. the fam finished up at the restaurant and hc came over to tell me they were headed over to nordstrom. i made my purchases at babygap and we walked our merry way over to nordstrom kid’s shoe department. i could spot them from across the store…all three cuties had their balloon in hand!

olive was having a great time playing peek a boo with her balloon and reagan. oh, reagan. he is the sweetest with her…always doting on her and being such a great, big cousin to little olive. it is so sweet to watch. as you can see, she was all smiles!

[peek a boo]

[weeeeee! weeeeee!]

after much strolling, shopping, and a whole lotta fun, it was time to go. the usual…get miss olive home and start her nightly routine for bedtime!

having family close is the best thing. easy dinner. easy company. easy shopping partners. God bless my family and yours!

xoxo

andrea & jamie’s beautiful day

Posted on September 6, 2014 by tandem in love

andrea and jamie got hitched!

even though the planning process was quick, their wedding day was a long, anticipated wait! i was so excited this day had come!

hc and i dropped olive off at my parent’s house and we headed into the city. we went in early to set up the venue for them. i was super excited to do so…i love stuff like that! andrea and i had been in close contact during this entire planning process, exchanging ideas and thoughts around the wedding decor. she had decided to go with a map theme. since jamie currently lives in san francisco and andrea lives in chicago, it was fitting for their situation.

i volunteered to be their ‘day of coordinator’! so, with that, hc and i got there to set up her place cards, table signs, sign in table, favor table, and random decor. super easy! i was in contact with the harpist, the photographer, and the manager at the venue. making sure they were on time, able to find the place, get them paid, and making sure things were running in order. it was fun!

i had made the boutonnieres for ollie and jamie. i used feathers, twine, stamens, green twigs, and accented them both with vintage compasses. they turned out soooo stinkin’ cute! unfortunately, i should have hot glued the twine a little more because it unraveled mid way through the day 🙁 i was so sad to hear & absolutely disappointed!! the good news was that they totally got all the pics they needed! phew!

i made their favor sign and provided the paper tassels for their ceremony site. the tassels looked so pretty for the ceremony and looked magical at night during the reception.

[the ceremony site with the pretty silver, grey, and pink tassels]

[the welcome table]

[guest sign in poster with their engagement photos and book]

[place cards that hc alphabetized and i helped set up]

[the ‘at last’ banner with the map background]

[katheryn and me, excited for the ceremony!]

[me and the beautiful bride]

[favors with the ‘take me home tonight’ sign]

[with love from san francisco to chicago // a + j 8.31.14]

so, it was time. we gathered the guests to the courtyard and had them form a walkway for andrea to walk down. we didn’t plan for the sun to be so strong, so i moved the guests over so jamie, andrea, and johnathan weren’t directly in the sunlight! once all at the guests were in place, i cued the harpist and andrea and ollie walked down the aisle. so perfect!

[here comes the bride!]

[their friend, johnathan, was the officiant! so awesome]

[look at ollie! so cute]

[exchanging of vows and rings]

[husband and wife!]

once they were married, the party really began! we mingled around the cocktail area a bit more {while the delicious hor d’oeuvres were being served}, before we sat down for dinner. i was so excited for the food! boka has received michelin stars in the past and if the hor d’oeuvres were any indication how the amazing the food was going to be…we were in for a treat!

[wowza! super bling!]

[the happy couple]

[literally chillin’ at the bar]

[the beautiful ginger and gorgeous nikki flanking my hubs]

[selfie!]

[her amazing swarovski christian louboutins]

[the lovely sunset during cocktail hour]

[ginger, me, and nikki]

[selfie with ginger]

as the food was being served, in between courses, hc and i were mingling with the other guests. we were having a grand ‘ol time. it was fantastic to be able to visit with everyone and meet new people.

the first course, the heirloom carrots, were amaze. no, seriously delicious. hc was in love. but he does love cooked carrots in general. a fave vege of his. it was a lovely hearty dish that was so flavorful.

my fave…the ricotta gnudi. oh. my. goodness. i could have eaten several plates of that. i loved the bits of corn in it and the sauce was so tasty.

[heirloom carrots were amaze]

[grilled spanish octopus]

[katrine, andrea, and moi]

after the wonderful dinner, the desserts were served {hello! macarons!} and the first dance ensued. so sweet…um, referencing to both! the macarons were decadently sweet and their first dance was sweet {until by swan dive}. perfect combo.

[any wedding or occasion is not complete without macarons!]

[first dance]

[the end]

after that, the dance floor opened up and everyone got groovy on the floor. it was such an awesome time. the wedding venue was beautiful, andrea and jamie are now husband and wife, the food was amazing, and the whole night was absolutely wonderful. we had the most delightful time celebrating their sweet union.

annnnddd, wasn’t boka amazing?? what a great venue for a wedding. it was ethereal, organic, modern, and cozy. such a great pick and find to celebrate their nuptials. the staff was so accommodating and friendly, the food was beyond delicious, and the aesthetics of the restaurant were so lovely.

thank you so much andrea and jamie for letting us be a part of such a beautiful moment in your lives. we feel so blessed to have shared it with you both. many wishes to a marriage filled with love, happiness, charm, and laughter.

xoxo

wedding luncheon

Posted on September 4, 2014 by tandem in love

the time had come. it was andrea and jamie’s wedding weekend!

i was so excited. andrea had a wedding luncheon the day prior to their wedding at cantina laredo. i was looking forward to meeting some of andrea’s close friends, in for the wedding, that don’t live in town.

we felt blessed we were invited to their luncheon and their rehearsal dinner! unfortunately, our weekend was beyond busy and we opted out on the dinner. boo. no, seriously boooooo. if anyone knows me, i don’t like missing out on anything. it is rare for me to decline any events {unless it is beyond my control} and we had to pick and choose our battles this weekend, on what was best for olive. we had events afternoon and evening three days in a row {yowza}, we needed to figure out care for olive and how much time away from her we really wanted to be. so, after much babbling, the rehearsal dinner was on the chopping block. we needed that break but i am still kicking myself for us not going. like i said…i greatly dislike missing any of my friends/family events. life is way too short!

anyhoozle, i packed up olive and to the city we went {hc was golfing with the groom that afternoon while i was lunching with the bride}. i was hoping she would fall asleep…it was just a tad past her nap time when we left. unfortunately, i couldn’t put her down because we had to go, so i crossed my fingers that she would nap in the car. yup, there she went, she closed her eyes and fell asleep but unfortunately (?) the car ride was so short! we cruised to the city and she barely slept. i was hoping she would stay asleep but as soon as i stopped the car & parked, her eyes fluttered open. darn.

we strolled on in and met up with our party. andrea’s sweet mom and brother jason were there. her friend nikki had her four kids with her and there was ollie, as well! so, little olive had some buddies to hang with.

her friends from college were there, claire {who coordinated the lunch}, jean, and megan. i sat by the ladies and chatted it up with them. it was great to get to know them better, i was glad to have met some of andrea’s closest girlfriends.

[i love her hair…it’s so precious]

[poor olive…the kids loved her so but were so aggressive with her // mia, ollie, olive, conner, chase, and camden]

[andrea and nikki]

[super bling!!! andrea’s huge rock]

[i love the look on chase’s face. who loooooved olive, although olive wasn’t loving being in andrea’s arms]

there were plenty of chips and salsa to devour. i was so hungry! i had such a busy morning with olive, that i didn’t eat breakfast and i always eat breakfast! i looked over the menu and zero’d in on the crab cake eggs benedict. oh yeah! the libations were free flowing on the table and i kept olive preoccupied with her snacks.

it was too cute. i brought olive over to the kids so she could hang out. um, they mauled her! they were loving her so much it scared her a bit! the kids were petting her hair, brushing her arms, pulling on her legs, smacking her cheeks, she was so overwhelmed! poor babes! i then had to pick her up for a bit to calm her down.

[crab cake benedict]

nikki’s son chase was crazy about olive. i mean crazy in love. he was soooo beyond sweet and loving towards her. he wanted to feed her the cereal snacks and he couldn’t stop gushing about how cute she was. he stayed by her side for the rest of the luncheon. he was so adorbs with her!

[chase loved feeding olive]

[megan, claire, jean, andrea, olive, me, and nikki]

after a relaxing lovely lunch, we trekked across the street to the palomar hotel and hung out by the pool for the rest of the afternoon. it was a perfect ending to a wonderful afternoon.

i was so honored to have joined andrea and her friends and family at this afternoon event. i love weddings…it brings everyone together and builds the most wonderful bonds! i am thankful to be able to experience such great moments in my life!

xoxo

tandem in love

{life is truly beautiful and it should be celebrated + shared.}

Tag Archives: good eats

andrea’s birthday

my brother{s}

fam jam night

abbey

mr. matt

little pumpkin patch

rain, rain, go away

simple night

andrea & jamie’s beautiful day

wedding luncheon