LACMA

For yet another one of our weddings on the #weddingtour2014 we found ourselves in LA and made a long weekend/ mini-vacay out of the trip. (since we all know I will use any excuse to be on the Best Coast as much as possible). We had the entire day after the wedding to hang out before heading to another epic dinner at Ink., our favorite restaurant. After a "rejuvenation breakfast" with some other friends who had been at the wedding, we decided to head to The Getty, but upon arriving, the line to park was barely moving and we didn't want to waste our day sitting in the car. A quick brainstorm and google search later...we decided to head over to LACMA. Parking was a breeze and in probably half the time it would have taken to finally get into the Getty, we were parked, had tickets and had planned our route through the multiple buildings to try to see the exhibits that interested us most. The architecture alone was amazing, and the weather was nothing short of stunning.

One of our finally areas that we were exploring lead us to a room with a HUGE installation that looked a lot like an adult erector set. It was a cityscape with a complex track for thousands of little cars to zip along. We quickly realized that it was actually motorized and we had come in just in time to have them turn the motors on so we could see all the moving parts.

The piece is Metropolis II by Chris Burden and it was entirely worth the trip to LACMA all on its own!

And to see it in action...some video footage

A Santa Fe Wedding

We have been on the wedding circuit this year. From April to the end of May I felt like we had a wedding to attend just about every other weekend! 

The BF's cousin got married in Santa Fe and it was one heck of a wedding! Unfortunately, I barely took any photos to really show off how amazing of a wedding it was, but the backdrop of Santa Fe was stunning!

The ceremony was held in the historic Loretto Chapel , which is about the most amazing church I have ever set foot in. The miraculous staircase is jaw dropping, and such an amazing centerpiece of the chapel.

Now Santa Fe and the chapel really set this wedding apart, but what really set the wedding apart....were the beautiful brides. #twobridesarebetterthanone

These ladies are the definition of a modern day "power couple", an accomplished doctor and nurse, both stunning and some of the most kind and vibrant people I have ever met. Their vows... man went right for the heart strings.

After the beautiful ceremony the guests were ushered outside to listen to a live mariachi band while the brides had a quick photo shoot inside. I was included in a group that got to decorate the pedicab that was going to take the brides to the reception location, just a short walk away. 

One of my favorite parts was  walking to the reception venue. The brides existed, found their decorated pedicab and then we were lead in a giant process by the mariachis through the streets of Santa Fe and through the plaza. We were a huge group drawing a lot of attention, stopping traffic, people cheering and the mariachis keeping the music going.

The outside of the Loretto Chapel

Onlookers across the street, we felt like a big deal

Decorated Pedicab with the brides headed to the reception

The procession, quite the scene! 

The reception was at La Posada, which could not have been any more beautiful! My photo taking motivation quickly dropped off at this point, but the venue had an outdoor tent and indoor dance area which was perfect for the evening reception. The food was some of the best wedding food I had ever had- and the cocktails and available agua fresca was fantastic. 

Another part of this wedding that I thought was so well done- were the main of honor speeches. Perfect length with some of the most touching words. The night was a wonderful celebration (complete with s'mores)! 

These Are Some of My Favorite Things

♥ An adorable shop in Old Town, Red Barn Mercantile had these amazing coasters, that may need to come into my home to proclaim my west coast loyalties. 

♥ A great read on the love we all deserve. 

♥ If I could print money, this could be a strong contender for my Sun Valley home.

♥ A personalized cup for my favorite drink! Maybe someone will want to gift me a late birthday present?

♥ I bought this shirt in a powder blue a few weeks ago, and I am so in love with the fit and texture--I went and bought two more so I made sure to have my closet stocked with them! 

♥ A few years late to see this movie, I was pleasantly surprised. Not to mention John Hamm is an outstanding jerk on screen- it is clearly his thing. 

Letters to DC: Sweaty Man at the Gym

Dear Sweaty Man at The Gym:

Could we talk for a minute how you are ruining the time I spend in the gym? I used to actually like going to the gym before you started to show up and leave your GIANT pools of sweat on the floor. This is just a personal opinion, BUT I am pretty sure that working out for 2+ hours while you are drinking beer and energy drinks isn't exactly doing your body a lot of favors. With all the sweat you are leaving on the floor around the elliptical machine, I would highly suggest drinking some water rather than your quad, triple-extra-large Starbucks coffee canned beverage (or a beer like you had a few weeks ago). 

Also, if you are leaving pools of sweat (and I mean POOLS) around the machine you were using--be polite and wipe that nastiness up! Better yet--why don't you bring some bath towels and lay them on the floor considering how much you wick off of your toxin fueled body. 

BTW...how are working out wearing that Belly Burner?!?

Another request...could you please change your clothes (that are dripping sweat down the hallway) before you go and sit on the weight machines and leave pools of sweat there as well? 

Well thank you for considering my requests. I hope to see you in the gym soon, perhaps with some water, bath towels and an extra set of clothes. Happy working out!

Best,

Andrea

If You Don't Like Kale....Try, Try, Again

Kale and I didn't start off on the right foot. 

I read about this "amazing", "life-altering", green of a million health benefits and ran right out to the store to grab a giant bag to incorporate into my smoothies. This was before kale was splattered all over every trendy restaurant's menu and before you could buy it at Trader Joe's- so I was a little....uneducated about the green. 

I dragged that big giant bag home, read that I should pull the leaves off the stems and toss a good hearty handful into my blender with my fruits and chug it down with a post-workout smoothie.

Well THAT was a mistake.

I remember I vaguely interpreted that disclaimer about the stems being super bitter and that a little kale goes a long ways in a smoothie. I ended up washing the smoothie down the sink, throwing the remainder of my kale in the trash and vowing that glare at any person who exclaimed "I LOVE kale!". 

I avoided it for a few years, steering away from it on menus, in smoothies, and it certainly never graced my grocery basket ever again. 

Cue a dinner at Mintwood Place and sharing an appetizer of burrata, kales, hazelnut, apple & tamarind with friends. The crunch baked kale was outstanding. Dare I say I got territorial over the appetizer. Fast forward and a friend brought a kale and brussel sprout salad to a super bowl party. Again...delightful. 

It finally occurred to me that my initial interaction with kale had been a rushed, brash experience that resulted in a less than warranted aversion.

Looking for some healthy, quick snacks I can make to munch on while I am on marathon calls for work, I decided to jump on this kale chip bandwagon (making sure to truly remove all those stems!) and have found a new craving that isn't a samoa girl scout cookie.

Not to be a sell out....but... I LOVE baked kale chips. 

Watch out world...I may just buy a yoga mat now. 

If you are looking for Kale inspiration, I found mine here, and here.