Tag Archives: engagement

Santa Barbara Engagement Party (or Sunburn and Rain)

Posted on July 1, 2015 | Comments Off on Santa Barbara Engagement Party (or Sunburn and Rain)

Rayshell had her engagement party over the weekend! It was at her parents’ house again (where her birthday party was) so I knew it would be a great backyard party again. Plus, Rayshell and her mom are both wonderful party planners. I wish I could be as good at doing house parties as they both are!

I took that day off of work, and I’m glad I did. The drive is usually about an hour and a half, but the traffic was so horrible that day that my drive was twice that! I was a bit late for the party, but that was ok.

My first stop when I got there (after saying hello to everyone) was to get some food. Rayshell’s parents hired Gaby’s Tacos to do a taco/burrito/nacho station. They did the catering at her birthday party too and I had been looking forward to the delicious food again.

I decided to get carnitas nachos because it just looked too tempting not to get!

Carnitas Nachos

I sat down with a couple of friends and relaxed after my drive and enjoyed the wonderful food.

It was a nice and casual party. I actually pretty much stayed at that table chatting with friends the entire time I was there. There were also some wonderful desserts (I forgot to get a photo of those), but the company was what made the party for me.

Married, Single, Engaged

The only downsides were the weather. When I got there, it was really sunny and there wasn’t a shady spot left for me to sit in. So I ended up getting a little sunburnt (nothing like my past burns, but still some redness). Then, just as I was leaving the party, it started to rain! I know it’s supposed to be good luck if it rains on your wedding day. I wonder if it’s good luck to have it rain at an engagement party too?

I know that this probably isn’t the most exciting party recap, but to be honest it was just such a calm event. Sometimes I’m so focused on doing something really awesome that I forget that some of the best times are when you are just sitting around talking to awesome friends. And that’s exactly what I got to do for several hours this past Saturday. It was perfect and I’m so glad that not only I could take the time off of work but that I was invited to be a part of the celebration.

My drive back wasn’t nearly as bad as my drive in, but even if it was it would have been totally worth it! I love getting to celebrate my friends and their special moments like this. And I know that there will be more wedding events to look forward to leading up to their wedding in April. I can’t wait!

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Default ThumbnailHappy Hour Birthday Dinner (or Just Having A Nice Catch Up Chat) Default ThumbnailA Friend Party (or A Casual Hangout And Catchup) Default ThumbnailSanta Barbara Wedding (or Dancing The Night Away) Default ThumbnailSanta Barbara Weekend (or Family and Friends Time) Default ThumbnailA Bridal Shower Celebration (or My Morning In Santa Barbara) Default ThumbnailA Little More Time In Santa Barbara (or Hanging Out With My Sister-In-Law)

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Posted in Food, Fun Stuff, Travel

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A Happy Hour Celebration (or Looking Forward To Another Wedding)

Posted on June 2, 2015 | 2 comments

A couple of weeks ago, I got a text message from my friend Rayshell that her boyfriend proposed! I was so excited to hear this news from her because she and her boyfriend (now fiancée) had been together for a while and I knew that they had been discussion marriage for a bit.

A little later I got a text with a picture of the ring.

Rayshell's Ring

It’s such a gorgeous ring and the photo doesn’t do it justice! Rayshell had shown me this ring in a photo before she got engaged and the moment I saw the picture I knew that this was the perfect ring for her. It’s really classic and unique at the same time. And I love that it’s in rose gold since most people have white gold rings nowadays. Even though I know Rayshell told Paul that this was the ring she loved, I think he did a great job following instructions and getting such a great ring (and I think he did it without any help).

So of course, Rayshell and I had to do a happy hour outing to celebrate her engagement. It took a few weeks to get together because I ordered engagement presents online and it took some time getting it to me. But we were finally able to meet up this past week.

Rayshell got to pick the happy hour place and she chose her favorite, El Torito Grill.

Happy Hour

I got there first (I gave myself a ton of time in case there was horrible traffic) but Rayshell got there shortly after me and we got to have some really quality catch-up time.

It was so nice to be able to congratulate her on the engagement in person. And I love giving presents to my friends. I got her a wedding planning notebook and a personalized garter (I get those gifts for all my bride-to-be friends). And I think Rayshell really liked both gifts.

Our happy hour hangout was really fun. Technically, we didn’t order anything off the happy hour menu, but I always have fun with getting a dinner out.

Rayshell shared with me the details for the wedding that they have figured out already. They have a really amazing venue on the beach in Santa Barbara picked out and the wedding will be next year in the spring.

I’m super excited for this wedding. I know it will be fabulous and I’m so excited to celebrate Rayshell and Paul with all their friends and family.

I know that some single people dread weddings (I guess it reminds them that they are still single), but I’m not like that at all. I have so much fun at weddings and all the weddings I’ve been to have been so unique and perfect for the couple that is getting married. So I’m just excited to see how their wedding will reflect them as a couple.

And of course I’m already thinking about what I want to wear to the wedding and hoping I might be able to lose more weight before then. But I don’t want to set a really big weight loss goal again. I feel like when I don’t reach my goal it’s really tough on me and I don’t want to have to deal with that disappointment.

But I’m really going to work hard on my exercise and diet and see where I can be by next spring. No matter what, I’m excited to have another big event to look forward to.

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Default ThumbnailA Bridal Shower Celebration (or My Morning In Santa Barbara) Default ThumbnailWedding Dress Outing (or Helping A Friend Find The Perfect Dress) Default ThumbnailHaving Something To Celebrate (or Another Bodega Happy Hour) Default ThumbnailHappy Hour Party (or Getting To See Co-Workers Again) Default ThumbnailHappy Hour and Happiness (or I’m On Another Blog Now) Default ThumbnailOne Last Work Happy Hour (or I Guess I Really Am Unemployed Now)

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Gift Shopping (or For Me, It’s That Time of the Year)

Posted on July 31, 2012 | Comments Off on Gift Shopping (or For Me, It’s That Time of the Year)

I love buying gifts for people. I love getting big gifts like birthday or engagement ones, and I love buying little things like a bottle of wine for a friend who invited me over for dinner.

Maybe I’m selfish, but I love seeing how happy I can make people with a gift I give them.

This time of the year, there are a lot of family events. In a 3 day period, there is my parents’ anniversary, my cousin’s birthday, my cousin’s girlfriend’s birthday, and my birthday. And that’s not counting my birthday twins birthday or my acting coach’s birthday which happen then too. That’s a lot of gifts.

I’ve also got a dear friend of mine getting married this fall (her bridal shower was this past weekend), and my brother proposed to his girlfriend recently too. Again, that’s a lot of gifts.

So what is someone supposed to do when they are trying to save money to pay off debit but still wants to make everyone happy with gifts? I got creative.

For my friend getting married and my brother’s fiancee, I wanted to get them something cute but something that is more personal. I found these really nice personalized blue garters. They weren’t too expensive, personalization was free, and both of the recipients of the gift loved them (it helped them with their something blue too).

I can’t say what I’m getting my parents for their anniversary because my mom reads this blog. But I can say that my brother and I are teaming up for the gift so we can get them something really nice, but it won’t cost too much for each of us.

One of the most important things I’ve learned about giving gifts is sometimes it really is the smallest gesture that counts. That’s why, for every family and friend celebration, I seek out the perfect card. For my cousin and his girlfriend’s birthdays coming up, I don’t get them gifts (we don’t really do that in my family), but I do spend a lot of time picking out the perfect card for each of them. It’s nice to get something in the mail other than a bill.

So this week before I go to work, I’m off looking for the perfect cards for everyone (and carrying stamps in my purse so I can mail them all off in time).

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