Tasseled

I was in the market for a new Iphone 5 case, and found this case/wallet combination.  It is so cute and practical, and I just love the tassel on the zipper.  I got it in black but thought the light pink was lovely as well.

Do you like my photography skills? :)

Since I have no physical office anywhere (just move from client to client), I carry my mobile office around in this tote everyday.  Given it's pretty heavy, I don't carry an additional purse to work.  In the past, that meant every time I went to lunch, etc., I had to carry around my phones (work and personal) and wallet in my hands. Although I'm proud of the balancing skills I've perfected (wallet on top of Starbucks cup in one hand, phones on top of takeout lunch container in other), my new wristlet has made life so much easier.  Yay!

Mars, steak & booties

Joshua Tree was so fun!  We played board games and drank wine by the firepit at night and hiked through the national park during the day.  It's definitely a landscape that is one of a kind, though I must say parts of it reminded me of the barren, desert-like landscape of West Texas.  If I ever made a movie set on Mars, I'd film it at Joshua Tree.

I would say one of the best things about being on a local study is going to dinner with the hubby during the week!  He had yesterday off for Veterans' Day, so we went out to Flemings for dinner.  It was one of my favorite nights in a while -- a good steak, yummy glass of wine, and handsome husband all to myself for a couple hours :)

My dinner outfit was sweater, gray jeans, and brown booties (wish I'd thought to take a photo!).  Booties are not part of my usual outfit repertoire, but I've been liking them more and more lately.  The only pair I own is a very old pair that's falling apart, so I'm contemplating a new purchase.  I just don't know if I should since I'm always unsure about how boots look on me.  Here are a few of the top contenders right now...

The fringe makes these fun
(click here)

From Old Navy!
(click here)

Simple and elegant
(click here)

Joshua Tree

Who else is excited that Friday's almost here?!  This weekend, hubby and I will be driving out to Joshua Tree National Park and staying in a rented house with a few other friends.  Although I'm not generally an outdoor enthusiast *massive understatement*, I'm looking forward to doing something different and new with a fun group of friends.

Prior to planning this trip, all I knew about Joshua Tree was that awesome U2 album.

This cassette tape was a staple in Mom's car growing up

Some fun facts:

• Joshua Tree national park includes 2 different desert ecosystems -- the Mojave desert (higher elevation) and the Colorado desert (lower elevation)
• Joshua Trees are found all over, both in forests but also as single specimens dotting the desert landscape
• Apparently it's got some of the most unique geological formations -- excited to hike out and take pics!
• It's only a 2 hour drive from Newport Beach, actually only a bit farther out that Palm Springs

I will let y'all know how it is and hopefully share photos when I get back!

A Joshua tree

Happy Halloween!

We are having a Halloween party at our place tomorrow, so tons of fun prep to do today!

A group of us are dressing up as Mario Kart characters.  Hubby will be Mario, but I decided to be a kart-less character, the cloud :)

I bought all my materials at Target last night, including:  white sheet, white balloons, black and white poster board, and fishing pole.  Wish me luck pulling it all together tonight!
By the way, if you can avoid it, do NOT go to Target today haha.  Last night was crazy busy with all the last minute halloween shoppers like me.






Our party will be a preparty before going out (no dinner), so I spent some time yesterday looking for inspiration for fun, spooky drinks and snacks.  Here's what I'm planning...

Caramel Corn (recipe here). Made this last year and there was none left the next day.  It's a bit messy and temperamental of a recipe, so I'm repeating the mantra "just have fun" while making it :)












Homemade guacamole and Halloween chips (recipe here) - I make this guacamole recipe all the time, but I'm looking forward to making chips from the tortillas we already have in the fridge!  Bought some Jack O'Lantern cookie cutters from Target yesterday.











Did you know there's such a thing as BLACK vodka?  Pretty much made for Halloween drinks :)  Martha Stewart has a bunch of fun black vodka drink ideas.

Recommendation: Foundation

For the last 2 years or so, I've been using Laura Mercier's mineral powder  as foundation, and I really liked it.  However, lately my skin has been getting much drier and, after doing some online research, it ends up that mineral powder is just about the worst type of foundation for dry skin.  It ends up just collecting in wrinkles and emphasizing them.  Soooo off to Bloomies I went in search of a brand new foundation!

Okay, is it just me or is choosing new makeup kind of intimidating?  I mean there are just SO many options and no definitive source to go to for recommendations.  I did a lot of online research and came up with a short list of foundations to try but I guess there's no substitute for going to store and trying them out.  Here is what I ended up buying and I LOVE both.  Though pricey, totally worth it and I think they'll be mainstays in my makeup routine going forward.

For lighter coverage, I use this everyday at work:

Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Ultralight Skin Perfecting Makeup

Provides just the perfect amount of coverage to even skin tone but maintain a natural, dewy look.  Seriously, go get a sample of this at the makeup counter.  I like to combine it with a drop of this bronzer-like liquid and then apply with my fingers to get a glowy look.

For medium coverage, I use this when I go out at night:

Yves Saint Laurent Le Teint Touche Eclat

Combined with this YSL under-eye concealer, this makes my complexion look flawless.  The other day hubby was in the bathroom when I applied this and he literally was like "wow!".  Haha if only boys knew how much makeup can do ;)  What's nice is although it covers a lot, it doesn't look at all cakey or even like I have makeup on!

Z'yummm

We spent the first weekend of August back home in Houston to attend 2(!) weddings on Saturday.  Seeing both our families, including both our parents, was just so nice and happy.  California is lovely and we've got some great friends out here, but there's nothing like home for me.  I ate my fill of queso, tex mex, and kabob (hubby's Persian).  

Speaking of tex mex, I made the greatest discovery a couple weekends ago...  Z'Tejas is in the OC!  Ever since I moved three years ago*, I've been lamenting the fact that there's no queso or Tex Mex -- in fact, it's probably the food I miss the most from home.  Well hubby and I were just walking through South Coast Plaza (the mecca of malls) and stumbled across Z'Tejas.  This was one of my favorite places in Austin, I ate at their location on 6th street all the time and the same person who started it opened one of my other faves, Jack Allen's in Oak Hill.  My favorite items are the dumplings, queso, and ancho fudge pie (it's better than it sounds, believe me).  MMMmmmm delicious!

does it get any better than free cornbread with every meal?

It got me curious, so I did a little google searching and apparently Z'Tejas was purchased by the same private equity investors who purchased and grew Flemings.  They're expanding, which is only good news for those of us outside of Texas without access to queso.


*Wow, can't believe it's really been 3 years!

Bachelors and tarts

Ok, I know I'm late to the game but I've just gotta discuss what happened last Monday on the Bachelorette finale.  Like most people (at least those I talked to), I was expecting Brooks to come back, say he made a big mistake, and propose to Des.  The fact that he didn't do so makes me SO happy!  I really liked Chris the whole way through - he seems very mature, open with his feelings (which Des said was important to her) and playful (albeit a tad on the boring side).  I think the 2 of them make a great couple, unlike Brooks and Des.

It reminded me, though, of how often I see women attracted to guys that don't return their feelings to the same degree.  It's almost like we're conditioned to think any guy who doesn't make us feel unsure and insecure is "lame" or boring.  Why??  I guess the thrill of the chase?

On another note, my dinner party last week went really well!  Here's the one photo I took -- half eaten slice of strawberry tart :-)

MBTI

Have y'all ever heard of MBTI?  It's a personality assessment instrument that's used quite frequently in the workplace (including my own).  Basically, each person has a four-letter "type" that's supposed to describe general personality inclinations along 4 dimensions:

Extroversion (E) vs Introversion (I) -- where you get your energy
Sensing (S) vs Intuition (N) -- how you gather and interpret information
Thinking (T) vs Feeling (F) -- how you make decisions
Judging (J) vs Perceiving (P) -- orientation towards outside world

In the past, I never gave much credence to MBTI but that's all changed!  Because of a recent training I attended, I reevaluated and changed my type and can now confidently say that I'm an INFJ.  I googled INFJ and reading the descriptions of INFJ personalities is like reading about myself!  I totally identify with the "type" and it's actually helped me to better understand why I react to different circumstances in the way that I do.

There are lots of free online tests (click here for one) to help you determine which combination you are... I recommend taking one of these as a starting point, but then reading through the different type descriptions to really pinpoint which type you are.  (Don't be surprised if it's different from your test results, since the questions can be interpreted very differently)

Next step... get hubby profiled :-)

Ladies menu

This post title reminds me - when I went to Tokyo this May, most restaurants had a "Ladies Menu" featuring smaller portions.  Is it just me or kind of sexist?

Anywhooo... I am very excited to be hosting a dinner party this Thursday for 6 of my girlfriends who I rarely get to see during the week.  I don't have much time for prep since I have to drive into the LA office that day (at least 3 hours round trip), so here's the menu I'm planning on.  Wish me grocery-shopping luck today!

Warm Asparagus, Gorgonzola, and Steak Salad
Recipe here
This is basically the easiest, most delicious recipe I have.  Just stick it all under the broiler and voila!  Perfect for summer.

Strawberry Tart
Recipe here
Now this takes quite a bit more time and prep than the salad, but it's worth it!  Great summer dessert.
A few notes:
- You need to make the tart dough and pastry cream ahead of time and chill for at least 4 hours.  Think I'll make the dough tonight for Thursday's dinner.
- The pastry cream is the most difficult AND most delicious part (ain't that how it always goes).  The first time I made this, took a few try's.  My advice is, although the recipe says bring to boil and keep it at boil for 1-2 minutes, do not expect it to to be a rolling boil (this may be obvious to some but certainly wasn't to me).  As long as the cream looks light and fluffy and there are a few air bubbles, that's a good stopping point.
- This pan (removable bottom is key) and these pie weights make baking the tart SO much easier

Still not sure what I want to do for wine / appetizers... any recommendations?

Verse: The Way Through the Woods

Hmmm, let's forget that 6 month lapse in posting, shall we?  (Tess, thanks for the push to get back to blogging!)

I wanted to share a poem that's inspired me today.  As the tail-end of summer approaches, I feel like I'm at somewhat of a cross-roads at work, trying to figure out what path forward makes the most sense. Without going into too much detail, there are many different opportunities within my firm and now more than ever I feel like the director of my life movie in terms of what type of work I do, which clients I serve, and what role I want to play (perhaps even outside of consulting).

Reading this poem by Rudyard Kipling evoked 2 thoughts:

1. Veering away from the traditional, well-laid-out path at work can be scary, and I'm trying to figure out how much risk I want to take for the uncertain chance that I can find something that makes me happier.  However, I should remember that just because it seems scary and unknown to me does not mean that others have not walked it before with success.

2. It's so easy to get caught up in the hamster wheel of the day-to-day and forget about your deepest desires, passions, and goals for life.  But, like the old road through the woods in this poem, my true inner self can always be rediscovered.  I love the imagery of entering the woods on a late summer evening and just listening - it reminds me to take the time for introspection; just sitting and listening to myself can reveal a great deal.

THE WAY THROUGH THE WOODS, Rudyard Kipling, 1910

THEY shut the road through the woods
Seventy years ago.
Weather and rain have undone it again,
And now you would never know
There was once a road through the woods
Before they planted the trees.
It is underneath the coppice and heath,
And the thin anemones.
Only the keeper sees
That, where the ring-dove broods,
And the badgers roll at ease,
There was once a road through the woods.

Yet, if you enter the woods
Of a summer evening late,
When the night-air cools on the trout-ringed pools
Where the otter whistles his mate,
(They fear not men in the woods,
Because they see so few.)
You will hear the beat of a horse's feet,
And the swish of a skirt in the dew,
Steadily cantering through
The misty solitudes,
As though they perfectly knew
The old lost road through the woods.
But there is no road through the woods.

Pearson-Arastradero Nature Preserve; this was behind
our house when I was at Stanford and I loved walking
here in the evenings

Another photo from one of my walks in the
nature preserve - a hidden lake

Silver screen

Saw a couple movies over the holidays, and here are my thoughts:

Les Mis -- eh.  My expectations were so high for this one!  I mean, I love historical movies, Frenchies, and musicals.  But I must say I got kind of bored during this one.  Sigh

Silver Linings Playbook -- So good!  For the first time, I finally get why people love Bradley Cooper.  And Jennifer Lawrence was so pretty/amazing.

Lawless -- This is out on dvd, we watched it on demand.  I was surprised, but I really liked it!  Caveat - I love anything set in the olden days and/or involving cowboys.  Although I guess these guys aren't technically cowboys because they don't ride horses.  But they are dirty and have accents and beat people up.  It's  got a lot of violence, but if you aren't too squeamish I'd definitely recommend this.  One of the my favorites this year!

Movies I want to see:
Argo
Gangster Squad - although I think it's totally unfair whats-her-name gets to be in two movies with Ryan Gosling (first was Crazy Stupid Love which I didn't love in the movie theater but now watch every time it's on tv)
Broken City - 2 words: Marky Mark!

And finally, I know this is a tv show and not a movie but I started watching Homeland when sis in law came to visit and now I'm HOOKED.  It is so suspenseful!  And Claire Danes is such a good actress - I totally believe her.  Although it does nothing to alleviate my childhood fears that one day I will go crazy.  I'm just now starting season 2 so no one tell me spoilers!

Update

The holidays are over and back to work for me.  I've been derelict in my blogging duties as of late, so this post is full of random updates to make up for it!

First of all, who else is excited for the Bachelor premiere tonight??  I'm watching it right now... the awkward intros are always my fave.  I'm hoping Sean will be a good bachelor, although I see the potential for him to be a little boring.  And does anyone else think it's weird that the girls are chosen for the season before the bachelor is?  I think the show would be so much better if they chose contestants based on who the bachelor/bachelorette is!

UPDATE: omg, just saw the one-armed girl
UPDATE 2: OMG, just saw the back flip girl

Also, I got my first ever gel manicure this weekend.  I know, I'm way behind the times.  Secretly, I've been afraid my nails would get damaged if I ever did gel but I know so many people who get it I decided to take the plunge.  Overall I like it!  My one complaint is the color didn't turn out the way I was hoping and, since it's gel, I couldn't change it.  What do y'all think?  Too Barbie?

Last night I made lasagna in the crockpot!  Who knew?  It actually turned out very tasty and was so easy to make.  Hubby has leftovers for the week now.  Recipe here.

Alright, that's all I've got for now.  The Bachelor (and work) are waiting!