High Five for Friday

It's that time again! I get to yammer on and on about the five coolest parts of my week.

Clockwise from the top right:

 

1. Three of my good friends and I went to an event called The Pageant of the Masters on Saturday in Laguna. It was pretty neat! If you've watched the Gilmore Girls or Arrested Development episodes with the same concept you probably get the gist. If not, what happens is famous pieces of art are recreated and actual people are subbed in for the painted ones. There's a voice over telling a story and they change every few minutes. The theater is outside and there are tons of local artists with their work in the area outside the stage. It was definitely worth the expense and drive. 

2. I made the famous cornflake Momofuku Milk Bar cookies and still haven't decided if I like them. The texture is interesting and they're super flat. But there's something in the flavor that keeps me coming back for more. Still not sure.

3. I got in two bike rides last week, twenty miles with my grandpa and 23 with my brother. This morning I plan on doing five or ten alone and then meeting up with my grandpa for twenty more. This bridge above is a mile or two south of Yorba Regional Park on the Santa Ana River Trail.

4. I made pasta this week from scratch and it was the best batch I've ever done. The trick is in the kneading. 

5. I've been so lucky to see so many friends this week- something like 7 of them! During the school year it's so hard to grab lunch or go shopping, so I'm taking advantage of it while I can.

High Five for Friday is featured on the Lauren Elizabeth blog. 

High Five for Friday

Time for a weekly check in, brought to you by The Lauren Elizabeth blog.

Clockwise, from the top left:

1. My ice cream consumption is out of control. After I went to A La Minute last week, my husband and I tried a local place called Christopher Michael Ice Cream (not bad at all) and a place a bit farther in Sierra Madre called Mother Moo Creamery (damn good). Not to mention a Blizzard and a frozen yogurt stop later in the week. I'd probably be more concerned if the scale reflected the excess, but luckily it hasn't been an issue- yet. Next week there will be none. Pinky promise.

2. Over the weekend my husband and I made a quick trip to the Huntington Library and Gardens with some friends. It was a bit warm out, but, as always, the grounds were beautiful. We popped into the exhibit halls and galleries for a few minutes as well.

3. Yoga has definitely been my work out of choice this week- I've gone four days in a row. My hamstrings and arms are a bit sore, but in a good way. Two of my students joined me on Wednesday and I was pretty shocked at how mature they were. 

4. The Plumerias are blooming! I wish I could say this was because if my green thumb, but I have to give credit to the guys that do our yard. 

5. Earlier in the week, when it was hotter, I swam laps (I use that term loosely, since we definitely don't have a pool conducive to lap swimming) and decided to torture poor Cordie. She really is a trooper.

High Five for Friday

Clockwise from the top right:

1. Getting back from Tampa last Saturday was ridiculous. We disembarked from the cruise much earlier than anticipated- 8:45 am. We arrived at the Tampa airport by 9:30... for our 3:15 flight. They put us on a 1:15 to Houston, and there we sat for three hours. Just as we were coming into Orange County at 8:15 Pacific time we learned that the John Wayne airport runways were closed due to a stalled plane, so we circled for a bit and had to turn around to refuel at a nearby airport. We sat there for awhile, and then flew ten minutes back to Orange County. Sixteen hours of travel time later, we were home.

2. I made my mom an ombre birthday cake that used Sprite and egg whites. It was delicious and pretty easy on the eyes.

3. We tried out A La Minute in Redlands for ice cream made with liquid nitrogen- the creamiest I've ever had!

4. Wednesday we got up at 3:30 am and drove to San Diego for the family cruise on my little brother's Navy ship. It was really interesting and it was nice to see my brother in his element. It was definitely a long day (after a long two weeks)- I went home when it was over and slept for eleven glorious hours.

5. This was Cordie and I last night- she was not a fan of the fireworks people did illegally in our neighborhood. 

High Five for Friday is hosted by Lauren Elizabeth

High Five for Friday

I just ran across "High Five for Friday," hosted by lifestyle blogger Lauren Elizabeth and thought it looked like a fun way to brag about recap your week. This week was definitely a busy, fun one:

Clockwise, from top right:

1. The Getty Museum Gardens

2. Crystal Cove in Newport- a friend and I walked for almost an hour on the beach!

3. There was cupcake eating at the delicious Sweet and Saucey before the above walk...

4. Another friend joined me for a pool day and we decided to pretend to be white-trashy with Bud Lights Lime-a-Ritas. They're not horrible, but super tiny and super low in alcohol content (and a bit too sleep and there was no salt). Nonetheless the weather was beautiful and the company wasn't half bad either.

5. Chomsky and I did a few things in the front yard (he was leash-less and didn't try to run away- progress!) while we waited for my sister to arrive at the train station. I am trying to regrow grass in a few patches of my lawn and IT'S WORKING! No one really seems to understand my excitement, but that's okay. I just feel a little bit like, you know, God, but it's all right. No big deal.