le chocolat moose

Once in a blue moon

2012-09-11T07:46:00.002-07:00

A blue moon is the term for the "extra" full moon in a particular time frame or lunar phase. In the month of August, there were two full moons instead of the usual one. The second, showing itself on the 31st, was the "blue" one.

Although though it's not actually blue-appearing just the same as any other full moon in the night sky-I had to witness it. So, Parker and I drove up to the Griffith Observatory at dusk. We watched the sun set over downtown, and then admired the moon in the black of night, atop the glow of the city lights.

When we got home, we enjoyed dinner with our brew of choice....Blue Moon.

Amor

2012-06-23T14:23:00.002-07:00

We recently traveled to San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico for our cousin's wedding. The waterfront town was absolutely beautiful, with its mountains, beaches, dessert, and cobblestone roads. It was a week filled with sunshine, swimming, paddle boarding, hiking, dancing, mariachi bands, and lots and lots of eating!

Mexican Blouse: (similar style here), Skirt: Anthropologie, Clog Sandals: American Eagle Outfitters
(similar style here, here, & here.)

We started out the week with an early morning hike to the top of Mt. Tetakawi. We crammed about 13 friends and family in the van, drove to the base of the mountain, and hiked to the summit.The bride to be even made the hike 2 days before her wedding!

The Molan-Holloran nuptials were exchanged at the Hotel Playa de Cortez. It boasted lovely views of the Sea of Cortez and Sonora mountains, plus lots of great Spanish-colonial details inside.

Steve Stanton Photography

The hand-painted grand doors in the lobby were one my favorite details.

On our last day in San Carlos, we woke early to watch the sun rise over the Sea of Cortez. At 5:30, the town was quiet and and oh, so beautiful.

Love Train

2012-05-07T22:20:00.000-07:00

One year has come and gone....I can hardly believe it! This past year has been wonderful, and I am truly blessed that we were able to take a short holiday to both reminisce about all the life happenings these past 365 days and also to look forward to all the great moments ahead of us.

After our wedding, we were on such a high, the happiest and most carefree we had ever been. This newly wed state of mind made our South African honeymoon surreal- it was lovely, exotic, and passionate. We had a hard time leaving, especially knowing that we were coming back to 40+ hour work weeks and not a minute of vacation to our name....it would be a year before we could save up enough time to take another trip like that, but we could dream and plan in the mean time.

There were some crazy events that unfolded throughout the year, and we decided that instead of taking a far-away vacation for our anniversary, we would save money for something much bigger a little further into the future (I can't wait to tell everyone about our plans!). Instead, we just took the weekend to "get away." So we opted for a local spot-somewhere close that felt like a world away. Destination: Ojai; a charming town with hidden hot springs, oak-shaded paths, lavender fields, olive tree orchards, and rolling crags.

The train would take us up the coast to Oxnard, and a trolley would take us the rest of the way to the Ojai Valley. We left from the deco Union Station in Los Angeles where Jessica Boone of OneLove Photography captured some alluring moments in the station before we departed!

The weekend was filled with rest, relaxation, and lots of romance. My favorite moment was taking a stroll in the pouring rain, hand in hand we enjoyed the beautiful fields and hills surrounding us, not caring that we were completely drenched not even a block from where we started.

Photography: OneLove Photography
Dress: Ted Baker (NordstromRack)
Shoes: Chie Mihara
Purse: Thrifted

I Do

2012-03-26T22:04:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe it's been a year since our wedding day....

It was the best day of my life; the day we were able to share and celebrate our love and commitment in front of the people we cherish most. The excitement and affirmation we received from our family and closest friends was truly captivating. What a great day it was-rain and all!

After being engaged on the 4th of July, 2010 (read about it here), we had just shy of nine months to plan our wedding. There was a lot put into those nine months-tears, laughs, frustration, LOTS of sewing and even MORE money, but also lots of love.

There were of course things that didn't turn out as planned, but had they been done "perfectly," I would have missed some really great moments that are now unforgettable. Like the fact that my dad let the baker convince him that the upside down apple pie was better than the lemon meringue. Of course the lemon meringue had the pretty white top, and looked the most like a wedding cake, but of course, dads don't think of those things. He wanted me to have the best, and if the pie that looked like it was dropped on the ground was the best-then that is what I had to have (and man, was the baker right-it was the best pie I have ever had!). Or the fact that the rainy weather moved the garden-party cocktail hour indoors. I had set the scene in my head: we would walk into the party, old jazz music playing and the romance of patio lights glowing amidst the overcast sky. At first I was disappointed that things didn't happen as planned, but after looking at the picture of the two of us under those string lights, I realized-that if no one else was able to enjoy it, it meant that Parker stayed up all night to hang those lights just for me-and I could live with that.

I would love to go back to that day and observe our wedding as a guest. There were so many stolen moments that passed us by, but I was blessed to have a good friend photograph our day and she captured every little detail. Sara of OneLove Photography has a fantastic editorial style. Her work is filled with candid shots that capture natural emotion, so I am able to get glimpses of these moments when looking through our pictures...like the moment my dad was standing by my bridal party with a big smile on his face and hands in his pockets, or when one of Parker's groomsmen covered his eyes when I arrived at the ceremony location so he wouldn't see me before he was supposed to, my mom bringing the umbrella that I had bought specifically for the ceremony to the altar as the rain drops started coming down, Parker trying to fight back the tears as I walk down the aisle, the smiles on everyone's faces throughout the ceremony, the cheers of the crowd during our first kiss and upon the pronouncement of husband and wife...I could go on and on.

It was a truly beautiful day!

Ceremony: Berkeley, Ca Mather Redwood Grove Reception: Oakland, California Montclair Women's Cultural Arts Club Photography: Onelove Photography Floral Design: Clayton, Ca Sonset Flowers Wedding Coordinator: Jewell Chung Sequin Bolero: sold out, but you may be able to still find it here, here, here, or here.Bow Tie: Groom's Brogues: Sparklers:

I love this City: Pasadena, Ca {Huntington Gardens}

2012-03-11T17:02:00.000-07:00

Although they aren't my roommates anymore, I think I'll always see them as such. Heather, Kiki, and I met in college our freshman year (we all lived on the same hall). They are each one of my closest friends. Moves (including one clear across the country) have pulled apart and brought us back together at different periods in the last few years since we graduated, but we have stayed ever close.

Recently, we were all together again and decided to spend some time at Huntington Gardens. The grounds are absolutely gorgeous, boasting 120 acres with 12 specialized gardens, an art gallery, a greenhouse, and a conservatory. We spent way too much time taking pictures of our rings on different succulents and on self portraits, but it brought a lot of laughs. I can't wait until the next time we get together...which will be in April for Heather's bridal shower and then again in June for her wedding!!

National Parks & Recreation: The Challenge + JTree

2012-02-29T23:11:00.000-08:00

Map of all U.S. National Parks and Monuments circa 1956

Our goal for the next 30 years: camp in every U.S. National Park. In the end, we'll be 55 and will have had 58 thrilling adventures. That's 58 indelible experiences in the great outdoors with breathtaking views, spectacular hikes, campstove cookin', marshmallow roasting, picnic table games, campfire laughs, and searching for the big dipper while laying on our backs and staring into the night sky. It's funny to think that the first of these trips will be spent together with our friends, but, somewhere a long the way we'll start packing up the car with car seats, training wheels, and peanut butter and jelly with the crusts cut off.

Between the two of us, we've visited many of the national parks in California and the north and south west, however the point of this venture is to do it all together. So far, we're able to check Yosemite, Zion, Bryce Canyon, and Joshua Tree off our list. That leaves us with 54 to go!

Here are a few pictures from our latest trip to J-Tree. A group of ten of us went to scramble, boulder, climb, camp, and have one of the best camp fire shin-digs of all time. Oh and for the record: Trader Joe's chai tea latte with a shot of whisky is the best medicine for a cold night.

Punch-Drunk Valentine Love

2012-02-19T19:50:00.000-08:00

Parker and I aren't big valentine's day celebraters. We never do anything fancy, or officially "celebrate" the Hallmark Holliday, but I do have to admit that it's a nice excuse to something a little out of the ordinary. This year, there wasn't much for out of the ordinary, but the little that there was, was very nice. Parker bought me flowers, and as cliche as it is for a husband to buy his wife flowers on Valentine's Day, it still makes me smile. We made dinner together as usual, but this evening there was a few hints of reds and pinks on the menu.

We made some extraordinary lemonade, or "punch" as I would like to call it for tonight (in efforts to go along with our movie of choice for the evening). I developed a frequent craving for this rosemary and watermelon infused beverage after patronizing a cute little cafe called Lemonade in Pasadena, so I decided to try to make it myself.

The recipe (found here) was quite simple: sugar, water, watermelon, rosemary, lemons. To do it right, I needed over an hour and a half prep to allow enough time for the rosemary to steep and the drink to chill. I didn't plan ahead quite enough to do it that way. I found the recipe while I was at work the day of, so there wasn't a whole lot of time to pick up the ingredients, get home, get cooking, and eat before seven o'clock. I modified the instructions to save some time: adding more rosemary and letting it steep for only 25 minutes...which worked out just fine.

To add a tad more "out of the ordinary" to the evening, I set up a small, rustic table in front of the couch, lit some candles, and set the table with a pair of red ikat bowls and mason jars with red-striped paper straws. We then sat our butts down, stuffed our faces, and snuggled while watching Punch Drunk Love.

Simple, delicious, perfect.

2011-12-03T14:15:00.000-08:00

Walking in a Winter Wonderland {of Lookbooks and Black Friday Sales}

2011-11-24T16:01:00.000-08:00

Ruche

Anthropologie

Black Friday, aka the busiest shopping day of the year (although Christmas Eve may be a competitor). People have been killed trying to push their way into stores to try to get the best deals of the year. I do enjoy waking up early and going shopping with my friends and family because it's become a tradition. However, the madness, chaos, and utter disorder of many stores isn't worth the deals many times.

This year, things have changed...black friday deals have moved online and one of my favorite stores will be participating in the black friday sales for the first time! Anthropologie is now offering an extra 50% off their sale items, in the store AND ONLINE! It's select hours only, so check online to see what hours your store will offer this amazing deal. Oh, and when shopping online, they are offering free shipping on orders over $100!

Before I go, I love to look at lookbooks to get an idea of what to shop for. This year, my favorite two are Ruche's "Cherished, a Romantic Winter," and Fossil's "Thirty by Thrity" lookbook. First, let's take a look at Ruche....

This store carries a wonderful collection of vintage inspired clothing, footwear, and accessories. They are Anthropologie-esk without the high price tags. Their lookbook this year is just as it is described...oh so romantic. My favorite part is the video they put together of the photo-shoot. Get ready, get set, SWOON....

The next lookbook is Thirty by Thirty from Fossil. I never knew they had clothes until I started following Kendi's blog: Kendi Everyday. This unique lookbook combines the Thirty by Thirty challenge that Kendi is famous for. She takes 30 items of clothing, including shoes but excluding accessories, and mixes and matches for 30 days. This is all you are allowed to wear during that time period; no cheating and wearing other items from your closet. The goal is to realize just how much you have instead of going into your closet everyday and thinking, "I have NOTHING to wear!"

She teamed up with Fossil this year and created 30 looks out of their winter collection. They are all lovely, a few of my favorites are below.

Happy Thanksgiving and happy shopping!

Promises and pie crusts are made to be broken

2011-11-23T15:12:00.000-08:00

{Pushing Daisies}

I have quite an affection for pie. It's good cold or warm, plain or a la mode, by the slice or by the pan. It's reminiscent of home...{pause}...family. As a kid, pie was a Thanksgiving and Christmas exclusive. Cookies, brownies, and ice cream were treats we indulged at the school bake sale and occasionally at home, either for an after dinner dessert or an after school snack. Birthdays called for cake, which was a fairly regular occurance between 4 siblings, 6 cousins, the rest of the family, and friends. Pies, however, are special. They are there when you are surrounded by family and have just finished stuffing your face with some of the best food you've consumed all year long. Pie is home.

This means a lot more to me now that I live a part from my hometown. So this year, I am going to make some spectacular pies for Thanksgiving: Chocolate Chip Pine Nut Pie courtesy of The Danica Complex and Charlotte Charles' Apple Gruyere Pie courtesy of Pushing Daisies.

If you've never seen any episodes of Pushing Daisies {see it}...here's a quick summary: "First touch life. Second touch, dead, again....forever." One of Ned's many talents is that of pie maker, and he, along with his childhood sweetheart (Charlotte Charles), create some mouthwatering, wonderfully uncommon concoctions they call pie. I am certain that my choices will prove to be just that.

Mix flour, salt, sugar, and Gruyere in a large bowl, and mix thoroughly with a fork (from what I've read about pie crusts, the best, most tender, and flaky crusts are made without a food processor, but you can use one if you like). Mix in the butter and combine until the largest pieces of butter are no larger than the size of a pea (the pressure of the rolling pin will flatten the balls of butter in thin sheets that alternate with the flour mixture, creating a flaky crust).

Sprinkle the flour, butter mixture with ice water, 1 tbsp at a time-tossing after each additional tbsp. Add enough water to allow the dough to clump together when squeezed in your palm (this may be more than 7 tbsp, but try not to add to much more). Separate dough into two discs, one slightly larger than the other, wrap in cellophane, and refrigerate over night.

If there simply isn't enough time for this recipe, you can incorporate the Gruyere into an alternate recipe or a store bought pie crust.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Peel, core, and thinly slice apples. Mix apples with all other ingredients, and pile the mixture into the pie dish. Place a round of dough over the apples, seal the top and bottom crust together, and make a way for the steam to escape so the fruit filling does not boil over. I am going to use a pie bird, or you can make slits in the top of the crust to allow steam to escape. If you use a pie bird, you will need to place the bird into the pie before you add the filling or the top.

Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees Fahrenheit, bake 50 minutes to an hour, cool on a wire rack at least 20 minutes before serving.

Follow the "how to" for this choco pine nut pie on The Danica Complex. There is also a great tutorial on how to build a pie....I suggest you check it out!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope you feel content and thankful this season, and able to experience the blessing and honor of giving to those in need. Enjoy great company, great food, and hopefully at least one thing that is wonderfully uncommon!

Cheers!

Safari Chic Copycat

2011-11-17T12:58:00.000-08:00

Photo from our South African safari honeymoon.

Zebra Print Silk Maxi Skirt: Piperlime

I started following Minx Boutique shortly after finding a few of their outfits on Pinterest. With their only location being Asheville, North Carolina it's a bit too far for me to travel for a cute outfit (as of yet, they don't have an online store). Their outfits are very posh-chic, and, lucky for me, I have been able to find some copycat pieces.

Since honeymooning in South Africa, I have been slightly obsessed with animal print, mostly leopard and zebra. That, together with my maxi and silk obsessions, caused me to hunt down this swank skirt, showcased on Minxashville. The best news: it was on sale for $39!

My advice: follow this boutique and bug them to start an online shop!

Oh, and that zebra shot? Snapped by yours truly while on safari during our honeymoon. Stay tuned for the honeymooners post....

A Prior Engagment

2011-11-13T17:53:00.000-08:00

As soon as the last spring semester of my college career began, so did the engagement & marriage phase of my life, the time when so many of my friends started their journey as first fiance, and then husband and wife. Since then, there have been lots of engagements and marriages, but the most recent engagement was that of my sister-in-law, and just before her, my sister also exchanged the title girlfriend for fiance. Before that was one of my dearest friends, and before her, my brother in law, and before him...me!

I really like engagements, not only because I get to celebrate the love and happiness of some of my closest friends and family, but also because I get to relive the felicity of my own.

So here we go, back to July {fourth} 2010, Clear Lake, California.....{seven} years after he asked me to be his girlfriend in the personal ads of the morning newspaper at the age of {seventeen}.......

.....he finally put a ring on it.

Sunrise & champagne hot air balloon ride over Calistoga valley

Then off to brunch....
{banana walnut french toast, fresh squeezed orange juice}
{huevos rancheros, fresh pressed apple juice}

Horseback riding through Jack London's historic estate.

Dinner at Tra Vigne in St. Helena
{parmesan crusted pork chop with spring vegetable fregola sarda}
{ribeye steak with garlic mashed potatoes}

The cabin pier shortly before we arrived....
{the Clear Lake cabin was designed and built by Parker's far-far and great far-far}

The proposal
{down on one knee, "Marry me?"..."YESSSSS!!!!}

Lots of kisses, smiles, tears, hugs, and laughs!

Sparklers and cheers from family and friends

BLING! {my vintage, yellow gold, pear shaped beauty}

Bow-Tied

2011-11-08T19:12:00.000-08:00

BowTie: Tie Bar
Shirt: Banana Republic
Dress:   Old Navy (similar style here)
Belt:   Anthropologie (similar style here)
Clutch: Thrifted (similar style here, here, and here)
Shoes:   American Eagle Outfitters (similar style here)
Bracelet: Carved bone, antique (similar style here)
Bracelet: Gold, antique (similar style here)

Our last wedding invite of the year was at the end of October; I love fall weddings! This time, we trekked to Folsom to see some close friends tie the knot. I brought a few different fall appropriate outfits to choose from, but my mother-in-law ended up giving me a lovely dress that I couldn't help but wear. There's something about getting new things and then having to wear them right away. Although the dress shouted spring with its vibrant colors and ruffles, I had a funky green patent belt with a tortoise shell buckle and wooden sandals to pair. My mind was made up.

As for the boy, he was on a mission to tie a bow tie. I bought him a couple to choose from for our wedding, and when the day arrived, he assumed that one of his groomsmen would know how to tie it (we wanted the real deal-no clip ons). He was wrong, and even with the many youtube tutorials, they failed. Parker ended up running over to Nordstrom so one of the men's department associates could tie it for him. Since then, they've just sat in the closet, waiting to be worn. We managed to accidentally tie one for a wedding we attended earlier in the month, and it looked pretty good. This time around, he did the trick, purposefully. Isn't he handsome in khakis, chambray, and that burgundy bow-tie?

Prescott Like Biscuit

2011-10-24T22:14:00.000-07:00

Cardigan: Anthropologie

Shorts: Anthropologie (similar style here.)

Camisole: Anthropologie

Shoes: Jeffery Campbell (similar style here, here and here)

Necklace: Nordstrom BP

Okay...I'm finally doing it. For years now, I've been inspired by blogs-from what to wear to where to go, what to eat, and of course wedding details. I've been wanting to start one of my own for quite a while, so here I [finally] go.

This year has been one filled with weddings, including my own. None of them were local to our hometown, Pasadena-so we've been traveling quite a bit. One of the recent nuptial celebrations took us Prescott, AZ. The pronunciation is quite different than most people would read it, instead of pre{scott} like the name, it's pre{scuit} like biscuit, Yup, that's right, pres-kuht.

I've been romancing the idea to stay in motels throughout our travels for quite some time, and this was a perfect excuse. We stayed in a motel called the Apache Lodge. It was a quaint, rustic place with modest but nice ammenities. There was even a revival going on while we were there...for beer and rock and roll that is...we pull up at 2:00 am and there are people drinking and playing music around a bonfire. They even invited us to join in on the Oktoberfest "revival"--great start to our weekend getaway.

The weekend was a success-motel reservation: check, great wedding celebration: check, eat some grub at a couple of superb mom & pop restaurants: check, and explore the town: check (I even got to peruse a few of the local boutiques and thrift stores....my favorite!).