{life} weekend recap + birthday week kick off!

I tend to get a little bummed before my birthday for some reason, have not quite put my finger on it, but I do. Maybe it's because I am getting older? Eh, who knows, but this year, I decided I am going to be excited about it. So, I am excited & decided to get myself a new car! I know it's a big splurge, but I think I kind of deserved it. {smiles}

She's so pretty... It is definitely a big change going from my 300 something horsepower to like 100 & a hybrid... But, I think I'll adjust. I hope... Now time to tint her windows & lower her so I don't feel like I am driving in a mini van. 

On Friday, I finally got to sit down & have dinner at Cucina Urbana. I only had take out before & oh..my.goodness it was delicious. I love the ambience & decor & of course their good is pretty amazing. I was not disappointed in anything I had. Their burrata + proscuitto + heirloom caprese is to DIE for. Their porkchops & short rib pappardelle sooo yummy!

I know my fat ass will definitely be going back & trying more stuff on their menu. 

Sunday funday consisted of seeing this little guy...Always, ALWAYS puts a smiles on my face & lounging in Coronado. It was a perfect day & spending it with Carolyn & Cain made it so much better. It was definitely much needed girl time.

I cannot wait for this entire week...spending it with all my favorites, amazing food, {so excited to try Bankers Hill}, pampering & Renegade Craft fair. Just what a lady needs to start off her 28th birthday!

xo. 
Christina 

{life} weekend recap.

It's so nice to finally just sit down & relax & have no agenda besides watch football & blog. {smiles} This weekend seemed to breeze by & I am sure the rest of October will too. 

This weekend I went to a friend's wedding at the Gables in San Marcos. What a hidden gem the place is! It was intimate & had a great vintage outdoor feel to it. Loved it! Here are some pictures from the wedding: 

It was  beautiful wedding! Congrats Cat + Mike. & thanks for the open bar because I had to take care of sick bear praying to the porcelain god when we got home & turning purple & having the shakes. I thought he was going to die. I stayed up to make sure he was still breathing. Haha. 

There was a Pick Your Plum deal not too long ago for some washi tape & I thought I would pick some up to see what fun stuff I could do with it. Totally forgot I ordered them until they came in the mail on Saturday. Love it when that happens because it is like you're getting surprise presents in the mail! I think this might become a new obsession for me... Like I need another one.  

Picked up this new jacket from H&M this weekend, couldn't resist since I had a 20% off coupon. 

I'm sure it will be awhile before I can wear it, but I can feel fall getting a little closer since it's finally starting to cool down a little. Hopefully, I don't jinx it & another heat waves comes through. I have been ready for the blazers & jacket & boot weather. Come faster! Please!

& a weekend recap wouldn't be complete without a food photo. Boo & I went to lunch at Island Styles. It's been so long & I was craving Korean Chicken! It was delicious!

Okay, now back to watching football & following my nail biting match up this week against Vicky!

xoxo. 

Christina.

{foodie} uni!

I finally got up the nerve to try uni. Man, I've kind of been missing out on something so yummy. It has a weird texture, but it's rich & buttery & delicious! Definitely something I'll be eating more of when I go to a sushi bar.

xoxo. 

Christina

{Sunday + Happiness Challenge} Day 27...

I was feeling quite lazy waking up on Sunday morning, especially after such an eventful Saturday, but I had to force myself out of the house because it was hot as shit. So, I decided to step out for a little bit to take in the lovely San Diego sun.

I went to brunch at True Food, I have been meaning to try this place for awhile because I have heard some pretty spectacular things about it & everything being fresh, organic, and  I started off with the kale aid. & it was yummy, makes me wanna start juicing... {sort of} probably more work than I'm willing to put in.

Their watermelon salad is pretty fricken delicious watermelon + goat cheese + heirloom tomatoes + basil, can't really go wrong, but of course maybe some serrano chilies on it would have added a great kick to it, none the less the  salad was still refreshing especially on a hot summer day.

I also had their Thai shrimp dumplings, which were yummy the sauce it was in was sour & tangy, which I like.  & I had the panang curry for my main course, it was good, but I hate the fact that they put the brown rice at the bottom of the bowl instead of on the side & then pour the curry all over it, Ugh, I hate soggy rice. But overall, pretty good & I will definitely probably be back to try some other things on their menu.

After brunch, we made our way to the ghetto to go to the asian supermarket. Ugh, I hate asian supermarkets, one of the worst places to go, I will avoid them like a fricken plague, the smell of walking into one makes me one to vomit & I totally gagged like 5 times after walking in there. But, the gags were worth it because they had live lobsters on sale for $5.99/lb. {winning!!!} We boiled these bad boys when we got home. SOOOO gooood.

 Overall happiest moment of yesterday:

Going to Encinitas & dipping my toes into the pacific ocean. & the water was pretty warm I might add.

& watching the beautiful sunset...

xoxo.

Christina.

{Amazing Saturday+Happiness Challenge} Loves, Foodie + Day 24-26.

So, I have kind of slacked on my happiness challenge a couple days. But, this Saturday made up for these past couple days.  I must say this is the most spectacular Saturday I have had in awhile. From morning till evening it was quite eventful! 

First start to my morning, the wonderful Emily came over & put on my eyelash extensions. I must say, I'm pretty stoked about not having to put on mascara every morning.

ahhh. I'm in love with my eyelashes. Watch out boys, this little lady is going to bat her flirty new eye lashes at you. ;) {totally kidding} I was also able to get some quality time in with some of my lovely cousins that came over to get their lashes done too... oh man the conversations we have. Reminiscing on our childhood & how far we have come {so nostalgic} to tree hugging pot smokers to lesbians being fisted mid arm deep?? {WTF. I can't even imagine} It was some darn good bonding! Carolcakes came over to join in on our fun & we finished some baby shower stuff, which is only a week away & I am so excited & anxious for it. I hope it turns out how I envision it in my head. 

After a great morning, I made my way to Herringbone. I have been wanting to try this place since it opened. Oh.Em.Gee I have to say it is one of my new favorite restaurants! You have to go & I promise you, you will not be disappointed.

The decor is uhmazing! The first part of the restaurant has an open ceiling so you get the feel that you're outside & being in La Jolla during the summer...it's pretty awesome + the olive trees growing inside, I was in love!

We got there at about 4... so they had not started serving dinner yet, so I got a salad to hold me over. Their heirloom tomato + burrata salad. YUM!!! Although, I'd prefer smaller heirloom tomatoes, it was still delicious. Their burrata cheese TO DIE FOR.

After a couple drinks it was finally time to order some dinner. We started out with the duck + mushroom ragout. I have been on this duck kick lately & this definitely fulfilled my craving.

+ oyster sampler. oysters were fresh & yummy.

 & the whole fish ceviche. & when they say whole fish, they mean whole fricken fish. raw head + tail. I was a little creeped out because I have never seen such a thing, but the fish tasted so fresh & with the olive oil & lime, it was yummy!

 For our main courses we had berkshire pork chop, the combination of plums + kale + fennel + walnuts was perfect! 

+ wood roasted local red rock fish. It had the crazy head & tail thing going on again, but it was at least cooked this time. My brother decided to pry our the eyeballs... it plopped right out. {ew. it was so gross} but, the fish was pretty good. 

Overall, my experience at Herringbone was not disappointing at all & everything we tried was so yummy!

After we finished, Amy decided we needed to try Oscar's Mexican Seafood in La Jolla. Since she went earlier this week & they were closed due to renovations, she thought maybe she'd try again because she was raving about their surf & turf tacos & fish tacos... but, they weren't. still closed for renovations. {bummer} Now, Oscar's is on my list of must try places in the near future. Since we were near PB we'd thought we'd make a stop at Tower 23. Great place, great atmosphere, but filled with a bunch of dbag GTL bartenders & people... Haha but I guess that is expected being in PB. 

 Pimm's Cup + GTL bartender in the background. {super douche}

We also watched the spectacular sunset... Man, reason why I love living in San Diego & would probably never leave. 

After finishing our drinks & watching the sunset we headed back to Herringbone for dessert. & just like the rest of their dishes, it did not disappoint. Their dessert is heavenly!!! Chocolate hazelnut bar. It was rich & had a perfect crunch to it in the brownie & the nuts. Delicious!

& because we're fatasses & couldn't choose we also got the vanilla bean napoleon. It was unlike any dessert I have ever had & I think it's my new favorite dessert. The carmelized phyllo was so crispy with vanilla creme & figs. It's a must try! Promise you will love it. 

& getting messages from these ladies...My day could not have ended any better!

Today made me realize how great my life is, it's filled with some pretty rad people. I am such a lucky lady! Even with everything I have been through these past couple months, today reminded me how important it is to not forget what I do have, & how thankful & blessed I am to have the people I do in it. I can feel big changes in my future, positive ones & I can't wait for them to happen. 

xoxo. 

Christina.

{happiness challenge} Day 20.

Happiest moment of today:

Brunch at Burlap + being with a few of my loves.

xoxo. 

Christina

{happiness challenge} Day 11:

Happiest moment(s) of today:

Starbucks & krispie Kreme from carol cakes + having my lay lady lay + bone marrow {yum yum yum!}

xoxo.

Christina

{happiness challenge} Day 9.

Slacker status. So, I missed my happiest moment of yesterday {again}. & it's only day 9... dang 21 more days to go.

Happiest moment of today {er, yesterday}...

realizing it's the 1st of the month {hello, august :)}+ eat at recess for lunch {oh.my.gosh i love my ap tots} + with my favorite lady... doesn't get any better.

xoxo,

Christina. 

{happiness challenge} Day 1.

So, I was flipping through my flipboard & went into my Oprah board {yes, Oprah, women has a lot of insightful things to read about, subscribe if you haven't} & cam across her post on the "30 day happiness challenge". The challenge is to write down the happiest moment of every day for 30 days. I figured why not?! So here I go, day 1:

Happiest moment(s) of today: having freshly made street tacos & a getting a manicure & pedicure. :) ... Oh & having a 5 day weekend!

xoxo. 
Christina.

{foodie + life} weekend recap + ....

This weekend flew by & I would normally be sad about it, but I'm not cus it's a two day work week. {whoo hoo!} I have pretty much checked out for the rest of the week, I'm totally ready to get away. {A much needed vacation I might add!} Hopefully, it gives me the chance to just take my mind off of everything & just be able to reset.

But, first, the foodie weekend recap! Tender Greens just opened in UTC. That makes me a happy lady. Tells me this looks delicious, because it was. & you should totally try it. 

{salt + peeper chicken, Yukon mashed potatoes, + baby arugula salad}

On Friday evening went to dinner at Burlap again. I wasn't too thrilled about their food before, but since two of my cousins work there, they've told me their food has gotten much better. & it did! I'm sure they just learned what MSG is & started putting it in their food. {kidding} I was quite impressed + a $66 discount, why not! :)

{peter rabbit cocktail}
Definitely one of my faves even though it smells like cold pho, I know it sounds gross, but it's not, promise!

{shishito peppers}

{crispy rice with tuna or something rather + crabcakes}

{caramelized banana with peanut butter chocolate pudding + condensed milk cake with green tea ice cream}

I'm surprised I'm not a fatty with all the food I eat. I'm sure my metabolism will slow down soon. But, I'll worry about that when it happens.

Saturday, I got to spend some quality time with one of my favorite ladies. I love Carolyn to death, she's like a sister to me & I honestly don't know what I'd do without her, she listens to my shit constantly {I'm sure the record is beyond broken by now, but she still listens}, she lets me vent when I need to & just listens until I'm done, she's supportive {but she doesn't tell me what I want to hear, but tells me what she thinks I need to hear}, she talks shit with me {about ourselves & others} & we don't judge each other, which is what I love. But, anyway, we did some reflecting & talking just about life & things & some shit talking like we normally do & it really made me think about myself & where I am in life & who I am as a person & the people that have come & gone out of our lives. By no means do I consider myself perfect {I'm totally a work in progess, like all of us are}, but I am happy I am living my life how I want regardless of other people's opinions & try to stay true to myself & be the best person to myself & the people around me. I'm growing every day as a person, constantly learning something new about myself, what I capable of & what I can handle. I'm learning to let go of all the anger & resentment I have had built up for certain people, forgive them {because they sure need it more than I do} & not let it affect me negatively. Overall, regardless of what I have been going through, I can say I am quite happy & I really am blessed. There are certain hurdles I need to overcome & some healing I need to do, but that all comes in time...

Okay, enough of that shit, be jealous cus now I have look forward to is this!

San Francisco - here I come!!! Labor day weekend needs to come faster.

xoxo.

Christina.

{foodie + life} bruxie, 85c, chronic tacos + weekend recap!

Oh, Monday how I really have this love/hate relationship with you. {sigh} But, at least it was a pretty good weekend! We went to a wedding this past weekend up in Newport Beach... a little awkward & weird ... Especially when the mother is saying a thank you speech to everyone & then throws in at the end "I hope it lasts..." I am sure she was not too thrilled about her son getting married. But, I had some really awesome food that I was quite stoked about, not at the wedding though, because I'm not really a fan with those 8 course Chinese style food, which is typical of asian weddings. But, we made some pit stops along the way so we could get our Bruxie fix. I am really surprised I am not 20 gazillion pounds overweight & obese. Although my muffin top is starting to reveal itself a little more. {sigh}

First stop we made after the ceremony, bruxie! Oh man, it is so delicious, I cannot even explain to you how good it is. I wish they had one in San Diego. 

Bruxie Burger...

Creme Brulee Waffle. If you ever go to Bruxie you HAVE to get this waffle. Seriously, it is like heaven. I promise you will love it.

Sunday morning before heading home we stopped at 85c bakery. This place is always packed. There was a line out the door at like 10am. Crazy if you ask me! I think it is neat how you grab a tray & some tongs & you just pick what you like & take it to the register to pay.  I always hear people rave about their sea salt coffee & teas. So, I had to try it of course. Oh man, I can see how it can be addictive. It's so good, it is like a Vietnamese coffee but not as bitter & tastes just right.

all the different pastries & baked goods...

& then we made our way to Chronic Tacos for lunch because we had this drunken conversation about Mexican food & this guy was talking about chronic tacos. So, I guess we had to try it... thoroughly disappointed. hah. this is definitely not Mexican food by any means... more like a taco bell... so yeah, don't go there. 

& can't forget Father's Day, we took daddy to the buffet since he loves buffets, we went to Valley View since we had not been there in awhile & they have lobster, family is sucker for seafood. We get there after a 30 minute drive & they are sold out. How in the hell do you sell out at a fricken buffet. Pretty ridiculous if you ask me. So, we made our way to Harrah's for their buffet. Not really a buffet fan, but as long as daddy was happy. :)

I'm sure I gained at least 5 lbs this weekend, but food is always worth it. {smiles}

xoxo.

Christina.

{loves + foodie} happy birthday, stephanie! + searsucker

Yay! June is here, which means summer's here. {even though since being adult requires working & not at the beach}. But, this weekend was filled with spending time with my favorite people + good food. Two things I really love. 

Had the chance of going to Searsucker for the first time. I was sort of hesitant on the food because I have never been & I have only been to Brian Malarkey's restaurant, Burlap, & I was thoroughly disappointed at the dinner I have had there {the brunch is pretty good though}. So, I went in with little expectations & hoping not be disappointed. But, I was not!

  bone marrow + shisito peppers {so yummy!} + diver scallops on a bed of corn beef

Also, tried their short ribs too & it was so moist & perfect. 

I would have to say I was not disappointed one bit! Well, I take that back there strawberry tart was a little bit of a letdown, but it was probably because of the basil marscapone. But, everything else, pretty much a winner!

xoxo. 

Christina.