bigger. simpler. life.

fall in love with less.

2013-10-04T02:19:00.001-07:00

mission statement:

2013-09-09T08:35:00.000-07:00

chocolate arrives via Post.... today was a good day.

2013-04-17T05:47:00.000-07:00

for some odd reason, i've always been one of those girls

who just LOVES to go to the Post Box and get the mail.

when I was younger it was a bit of a walk to the mail center,

but i would stroll every day after school

as soon as i dropped off my backpack.

nowadays, with the promise of bills looming,

the mail requisition is more a task than a joy.

...until things like THIS show up!!

Nicobella Organics sent along a box full of goodies,

and this makes me a

VERY HAPPY GIRL!

these chocolates are not your average delectables.

inside the box of vegan dark chocolate truffles

are flavors like 'pumpkin chai', 'blueberry almond',

and 'sunflower butter banana'.... um... YUM!

these.truffles.are.amazing.

then came these bags of 'munch'.

oh. my. goodness.

note how the bags are torn open at the top...

couldn't even wait to take a photo before ripping into them.

first of all... anything coconut, chocolate and i are BFFs already.

but this stuff is RIDICULOUSLY tasty.

and the maple nut... oh my.

the pecans and sea salt... stop it, already.

the whole munch thing makes for an

easy and DEE-LISH afternoon snack -

and for chocolate fiends, this is an important detail.

(yes, i recognize i'm a fiend for chocolate)

i have to say, these are some of the

best chocolates i've ever tasted...

and lets just say i've tasted an ample amount.

the only thing i didn't love about this chocolate was...

there wasn't enough of it.

heh.

experience life.

2013-04-16T09:49:00.003-07:00

i love this.

get out there and explore.

and i dont mean the mall...

simplicity.

2013-03-08T14:26:00.000-08:00

2013-02-05T08:28:00.002-08:00

it's one of my very favorite holidays!

WORLD NUTELLA DAY!

i see a Nutella crêpe in my very near future.

how do you plan on celebrating?

less is more.

2013-01-12T08:03:00.000-08:00

Tournament of Roses Parade

2012-01-02T07:20:00.000-08:00

my good friend Rebecca at Pasadena Magazine

was kind enough to include me in her

New Year’s Tournament of Roses Parade plans.

our seats were perfectly positioned between the start of the parade,

along Colorado Blvd.

just down from the Norton Simon Museum:

and directly facing the San Gabriels,

basking in the warm glow of the morning sun.

not a bad spot, eh?

the parade is a MASSIVE event and touted as

‘America’s New Year Celebration’

with nearly 1,000,000 in attendance

and televised on all of the national networks.

the floats that pass by are monstrous feats of artistry,

and are covered entirely with flowers and plant materials.

these floats are built throughout the year for this one day,

and on average,

cost more than a typical US home.

AMAZING!!

celebrities also come out for the festivities.

here’s kenny g treating the unicorns and sheep

to a little bass sax for breakfast:

my favorite had to be the Trader Joe’s float.

whimsical and fun – just like their store.

(that I happen to be obsessed with)

marching bands came from all across the US,

and as far off as Japan,

to join in the festivities.

a little hometown spirit:

the ‘Queens Trophy’ went to this float

from the AIDS Healthcare Foundation,

honoring Elizabeth Taylor for her tireless efforts

in the war on HIV and AIDS.

the front says ‘Our Champion’…

a lovely tribute.

to give you an idea of the enormity and scale of these things,

this float is 20 ft high by 18ft wide by 45 ft long.

there’s over 50,000 red roses alone on it.

the globe is covered in golden clover seed.

the framed images of Elizabeth contain onion seed,

poppy seed, and crushed sweet rice.

also on the float:

orchids, lilies, euphorbia, hydrangea,

bells of Ireland and viburnum.

these floats are INCREDIBLE.

here’s a peek at some of them in detail:

what a festive and fun way to spend celebrating

the commencement, and fresh, sunny welcome

to a new year:

new years at Neptune’s Net

2012-01-01T08:36:00.000-08:00

january 1st is always a great day for an outing.

and in LA, especially… the roads were EMPTY!

so we decided to head up the coast for a hike in our favorite spot.

(location not to be revealed - the less people that know about it, the better :)

after hiking it seemed appropriate to head to the famed

Neptune’s Net for lunch.

of course, everyone else had the same idea:

happy 2012!

detour through Joshua Tree

2011-12-30T15:19:00.000-08:00

got a new camera for christmas… WOOT!

so, thought I’d give it a quick test run out in some nature.

on the way to LA from Scottsdale,

we took a quick detour through Joshua Tree National Park.

even the road into the park looks nicer

through the lens of the new camera.

YAHOOOOOO!

on the drive through you pass this cool rock outcropping.

all I could think was…

that’s totally the spot from the

Entourage episode ‘Tree Trippers!’

HA.

just as the sun was setting,

we made it to the ‘Cholla Cactus Garden’.

what a wild place.

the whole scene is a bit otherworldly.

(because I know what other worlds look like???)

spied a little bunny rabbit camouflaged in the brush.

cute.

I have never seen a Cholla cactus before.

they look super fuzzy and soft… but they’re definitely NOT.

isn’t this thing cool looking???

looks like the new camera’s ok.

think I’ll keep it.

tee hee.

sunset Scottsdale stroll

2011-12-29T13:02:00.000-08:00

im constantly impressed with the Iphone camera quality.

here’s a quick snap from an evening walk in Scottsdale:

Sedona statue

2011-12-24T20:02:00.000-08:00

driving out of Sedona,

I spied this really interesting statue slash fountain.

so very cool:

christmas eve in sedona

2011-12-24T09:59:00.000-08:00

my four legged co-pilot and I decided to head for warmer climes this Christmas.

so we packed up the car and headed south to Arizona.

making it a two day journey,

we stopped for the evening at a little hotel just north of Sedona.

apparently it suited bijou’s high level of accommodation standards:

well rested, we woke early and drove into Sedona for a sunrise hike:

out along the Boynton Canyon and Vista Trail,

the warm morning sun guided us through red rocks and cactus:

up to the top of the trail where the ‘Vista’ stretched for miles in all directions,

with breathtaking views of the pine forest and sandstone formations:

though, clearly, bijou’s only thought was…

when’s breakfast?

here’s where she finds out the food is back in the car.

(isnt she fancy in her Christmas collar?)

after our hike, and since it was Christmas Eve,

we decided to go to church.

(going to the parking lot counts, right?)

luckily this one was easy to spot:

If you know anything about Sedona,

then you’ll know that it attracts a large New Age tourist industry.

this is, in part, due to several ‘spiritual vortices’ located in the area.

so… we thought we’d check out what the fuss was all about.

here’s bijou and I just before experiencing the Airport Mesa vortex,

with Sedona in the background.

so gorgeous!

while standing ‘in the vortex’ I can’t say I felt much of a difference -

save for, perhaps, an added sense of quiet and calm.

I took a self portrait with my iphone,

just to prove that nothing had changed.

looking the same as usual, no?

a SoCal wedding.

2011-11-12T18:16:00.000-08:00

Lisamarie, my PIC, got married!!!

(PIC = partner in crime, FYI)

here’s some photos from the beautiful event,

taken with my iphone.

sadly, my proper camera had a major issue…

hopefully this will do.

look at how beeeeeyooootiful and happy she is!!

the incredibly romantic wedding site was dripping with rain -

we all sat cozily snuggled in beneath a canopy,

the groom, Kyle.

he doesn’t look nervous does he?

the groom, racing up the aisle to his bride to be…

yes those are Volcom suits and custom made Vans

for the groom and his groomsmen.

this is SoCal!

the bride’s nephew and ring bearer extraordinaire,

pushes the pansy filled wagon and rings

to the mr & mrs to be.

perfection:

due to the rain, we sat inside the gorgeous old manse,

enjoying dinner with friends…

old and new.

the bride gave us a spin, or two, or five.

such a beautiful spirit…

father daughter moment:

unique bathroom washbasin:

after dinner, the bacchanalian revelry continued,

with dancing and maybe a drink or two.

yeah, the bride’s rockin’ her very own Vans.

it also came as no surprise,

if you know ‘baby bell and the big cheese’,

that the father-daughter dance consisted of a waltz,

which broke into a choreographed version of

Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock’s

‘It Take’s Two’.

absolutely perfect.

Congratulations!

to you Lisamarie and Kyle,

and thank you for sharing the joy and beauty

of your wedding day with all of us.

may your love grow strong from the roots and branch out

to all of those who surround you,

just as Kristi’s ‘wedding tree’ creation suggests:

…and they lived happily ever after.

the end.

flynn, godson extraordinaire

2011-10-24T18:05:00.000-07:00

8 years ago today, I fell in love with this little man.

especially when he decided I should be his godmother.

heres a few moments we’ve shared over those years:

ready for his first surf sesh:

handsoming it up for his ring bearing duties:

keeping his Venetian gelato as far from me as possible,

and giggling up a storm about it:

showing me the way to his local in Havant,

and heading straight into the beer garden:

(yep… we’re related)

having fun with shadows on the Isle of Wight:

cruising the coast in the Landy:

and preparing the girls for a photo shoot:

so many adventures had together, and many more sure to follow.

but as Flynn knows, some of the best times in life are spent

simply relaxing in your PJ’s at home with the fam:

~happy birthday, Flynn~

I LOVE YOU!

Wyoming wildlife

2011-10-23T11:33:00.000-07:00

we woke to a bright sunday morning.

relaxing in the village square,

we drank tea and watched the sun rise,

creating a vision of autumn colors:

I sat pondering the fact that we’d seen zero wild animals

in Yellowstone or Grand Teton National Parks.

a testament to the challenges of keeping things ‘wild’ in our National Park System?

on the road back to Jackson, however, we saw these two buffalo snoozing.

exciting.

and this moose, unknowingly being ‘shot’ by a handful of travelers.

albeit their weapons were Nikons and Canons…

and last but not least, the vicious and oh so scary black doggy species.

yikes.

don’t get too close!

along the ride back home we stopped along the crystal clear waters

of the Snake River, watching the fisherman unload their catch.

they pulled out a few nice cutthroat to show us.

and then back to Utah we went,

to the not so wild life…

Yellowstone National Park.

2011-10-22T20:55:00.000-07:00

from Grand Teton National Park we headed north through the

Targhee and Bridger Teton National Forests.

trees and trees and trees for miles and miles…

and miles…

with little time, we headed straight up to Old Faithful.

who, apparently, is not as faithful as he’s cracked up to be.

here’s a pic of Bijou yelling at him for being 15 minutes early,

so that we were forced to witness only the tips of his grandeur…

over the tree tops,

from the parking lot!

with just a couple of hours to spare,

we drove a short way north to Midway Geyser Basin,

where you stroll along a boardwalk…

admiring the crystal blue waters of

Excelsior Basin.

and then continuing along the path up through the misty expanse

toward Grand Prismatic Spring.

the ‘largest and most beautiful hot spring in the park’,

according to National Geographic.

except…

with the steam, you could only see the runoff streaming underneath.

the camera was able to capture even more than I could really see.

papooey!

on the walk back across the boardwalk loop and out of the steamy mist,

you finally spy something fully visible,

the ‘Turquoise Pool’.

and so was our tiny little teaser visit into Yellowstone National Park.

we’ll be returning again soon, no doubt.

(we’re coming back for YOU Old Faithful!)

Teton National Park

2011-10-22T12:08:00.000-07:00

along the way out of Teton Village,

we spotted this hot air balloon about to go up.

imagine the view - cruising gently and silently through the crisp morning air.

on the north side of Jackson we ran into the usual string of cars,

randomly parked along the roadside gawking at some wild animal.

so we pulled over as well, and were elated to see

two massive wolves bounding across the road and into the fields.

my mouth was agape in awe.

by the time I gathered myself enough to grab the camera,

this was the only blurry, out of range, shot I could manage:

and yes, if you look closely, the wolf is wearing a collar.

I learned that there is one black wolf and 4 grey wolves in the Pinnacle Peak pack,

which roam the area just north of Jackson and the Elk Refuge.

what an INCREDIBLE moment.

I was miffed about my less than stellar camera skills,

so i followed the black wolf down onto a private road full of beautiful homes.

I ended up in a driveway a mile out of view of anything,

just searching for that beautiful animal,

standing on the roof of my car to find it.

after 1/2 an hour - no luck with the wolf,

but once I turned around, saw this view.

that works.

driving up through Teton National Park is awesome,

in every sense of the word.

its such a striking and inspiring setting.

I couldn’t help but snap a ton of photos of these magnificent peaks.

from land,

and from sea.

just kidding… that’s Jenny Lake.

after taking all those pics, I started to grow weary,

so I stopped to ask one of the locals

‘which way to starbucks?’

she looked at me, laughed, and I swear I heard her mumble..

‘ha. out of towner.’

heading north through the park we stopped on the shores of Jackson Lake

to contemplate life in the reflection of Mount Moran.

then hiked around the grounds of Jackson Lake Lodge,

it was very ‘The Shining’-esque having been closed up for winter.

my favorite kind of tourist spot…

one without tourists!

and just when I thought I couldn’t possibly take one more photo of the vast Teton expanse,

I turned around and looked up at the mirrored Lodge windows

and shot a little self portrait,

as a reminder of the moment.

BLISS.

off to Jackson.

2011-10-21T17:36:00.000-07:00

with the autumnal aspens still clinging to the last of their leaves,

we hopped in the car and headed north to Jackson

for a weekend of exploration in the Tetons.

our first stop in Wyoming was for a not so friendly man dressed in a suit and hat,

who flashed a bunch of lights at us and made us pull over to the side of the road.

not so fun.

our second stop in Wyoming was to visit these two lovely creatures,

who basked in the warm rays of the evening sunset.

definitely more fun.

we arrived in Teton Village in the dark of nite,

where a few deer waited just at the lobby doors to greet us.

thanks to our good friends at the Teton Mountain Lodge & Spa,

we checked into our super fancy pants, incredibly luxurious, dog friendly suite,

had a glass of wine (or two… maybe) and then hit the hay.

in the morning we woke to a view of the rising sun over the eastern hills

and the trails of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort just steps away.

SPOILED!

(just how we like it.)

Wyoming.

2011-10-21T16:17:00.000-07:00

Wyoming has a lot of…

antlers.

test photo with the new iphone camera.

not bad!

the nite house.

2011-10-10T17:29:00.000-07:00

on our way home from dinner, Mercedes and I decided to cruise the sights on our bikes.

the warm evening air was intoxicating.

(or maybe that was just a residual from the wedding festivities)

we stopped by this place along the way.

looks quite peaceful and serene at nite, no?

the 2 misters weddingpallooza

2011-10-09T06:53:00.000-07:00

it was one of those perfect DC weekends - warm autumn days filled with joy, love and laughter.

friends came from across the globe to join in the festivities.

a ‘creative island’ themed wedding, with a bike ride across the nation’s capital:

and, of course, a colorful cast of characters to share in the beauty of the occasion:

when the grooms are dressed as a volcano and a palm tree,

you know its going to be a good time!

I have been to many weddings near and far – some in magical, exotic locations.

however, the love that christian and alejo share, and in turn, create for those that are part of their lives made this, BY FAR, the most beautiful wedding I have ever attended.

alejo and christian, thank you for making such a positive impact on those who surround you, and thank you for showing us all what living and loving life is REALLY about.

you couldn’t possibly be loved more.

Elephant Nature Park

2010-08-27T23:16:00.000-07:00

the Elephant Nature Park just outside of Chiang Mai, Thailand

is an elephant rescue sanctuary and rehab,

which also acts as a community preservation project

and educational opportunity

for visitors from all over the world.

this day was one of most precious of all those i spent in Thailand.

the plight of the Asian elephant is a sad one.

many elephants have been abandoned from the logging industry,

where they had 'jobs' and have now been left to fend for themselves.

some of them are rescued from the streets of Bangkok where they are used to

draw the almighty baht (currency) from tourists hands via begging.

the sight of these elephants...

whose sensitive feet can feel vibrations up to 10 miles away,

pacing and swaying due to stress from the sounds of the city...

UGH. its simply heart-wrenching.

while there are approx. 40 elephants in the herd here,

the sanctuary is also home to 50 or so stray dogs.

i'm sure that number has multiplied exponentially

by the time i even posted this.

many of them also bearing the visual scars

of a more gruesome past.

they are so fortunate to have found refuge in this haven:

the park is run entirely on donations -

much of the funding realized through visitors, like myself,

who come daily to interact with, feed and bathe the elephants.

there is NO elephant riding at this facility,

we were here to learn and to help them...

not use them for our benefit.

this girl is creating a painting that she can sell

to raise money for the park:

the reason behind needing so much money for the park?

elephants EAT, and they EAT a LOT.

they eat constantly.

they are eating machines!

heres just one side of the food room...

they'll go through this in a day or two.

EASILY

after we fed them MASSIVE baskets of cucumbers

and bananas and squash and zucchini

and and and and...

it was time to head down to the river for a bath.

the females (not necessarily their moms)

protect the babies in the river crossing:

luckily, they had us there for assistance.

ha.

and they emerged, all the mud and dust washed off...

so fresh and so clean clean.

and headed immediately for their favorite scratching posts:

ever wonder what an elephant looks like from above?

now you know!

and then guess what?

time to eat again!

and again:

and then, sadly, it was time to say goodbye:

if you ever find yourself in Northern Thailand,

and i hope for your sake that you do,

i highly suggest you make a trip to the park

to help support the cause

and learn more about these amazing animals.

you can read more about the Elephant Nature Park at:

www.saveelephant.org

breakfast in chiang mai

2010-08-26T07:07:00.000-07:00

figured these guys would know a good breakfast spot,

so I followed them.

REALLY?

dogs of chiang mai, thailand.

2010-08-25T22:59:00.000-07:00

another reason I fell in love with chiang mai, and thailand in general,

was the ubiquitous presence of dogs.

some were pets, well taken care of,

and guarding their owners shops:

and many others were just roaming the streets,

either in packs:

or, solo -

having a snooze during rush hour traffic:

these two were just the other side of the flower market.

guarding their turf.

I went the OTHER way.

so many sweet faces to capture.

look at the expression in this little girl’s eyes.

love.