life lately

it's been super hectic the last few weeks.

between packing, and moving, and meeting planning, and farewell partying, and after-work-cocktailing,

i haven't found much time to blog.

 that, and i'm just now starting to feel settled and on track to getting back to my old lori self.

there's been no shortage of tears and tiny breakdowns but i'm learning that i can't always been in control

of everything. that's something that isn't quite a new concept to me, but definitely something that i'm starting to embrace. so, apologies for the blog hiatus, but i've been busy mending this little heart of mine with a little bit of soul searching, spending time with friends, and lots and lots of love.

friends that are co-workers makes work feel like hanging out for eight hours

farewell drinks at duplex

bubbles for a perfect last evening spent at the sweetz spot (aka my very first apartment)

ladies that disney

i think i'm quickly approaching the age where i'm too old to wear mickey ears. but, they make these cute little head bands now (um..complete with sparkle!) how could i resist!?

gina arranged for a group of us girls to all go to disneyland this past saturday. it was really nice to catch up with these lovely ladies - all while remembering not to take ourselves too seriously. i mean...it's disneyland after all!

i worked so hard all week to make sure to fight off a cold that was knocking on my door - but low and behold the once saturday rolled around i was a sneezy, sniffling mess. thankfully my lady friends forgave me and even offered some meds to help me through the day.

thanks again gina for such an amazing day at the happiest place on earth!

lunch dates that linger

i feel like it's been such a long time since i've been able to sit down and actually enjoy a meal. it just seems like i'm either scarfing food down during a thirty minute dinner break, or speed eating a chicken sandwich while maneuvering through traffic on sunset boulevard. sometimes i feel like i barely have time to chew!

sometimes i have to remind myself that one of my favorite things to do is sit and share a meal with my friends. there's nothing i would rather do in the world (well...i do really enjoy big meals with my family). there's something about lingering at the table, sipping an adult beverage, and sharing a laugh that makes my heart just sing.

yesterday i had lunch at spago with my dear friend fredo. it was our "special date" that we'd been planning all week. even though i had to be at work immediately following our meal - it was lovely to sit in a courtyard in the middle of winter (did i mention it was 70 degree weather?!) at one of my favorite restaurants with one of my favorite people.


salmon pizza. wolfgang puck...you're a genius



it's been quiet

sans cable tv and internet at the house has left time for extra sleeping, cuddles, and occasionally opening a good book. who'd-a-thunk?

updates and things

i know, i know, it's been crickets on the old blog for the last week or so (eep! maybe even longer). but, work has been crazy busy, my extra curricular engagements outside of work have been equally as nuts, and for a week or so it felt like my whole little world was falling to pieces.

the good news is...my little world did not fall apart - even though there were moments when i was absolutely convinced otherwise. so lately i've been spending most of my time with friends, eating an insane amount of burgers, writing more emails in one day than most people should write in one week, and cuddling up on the couch on cold, rainy evenings.

i can't believe how quickly the first few weeks of 2013 has passed us by! i have high hopes for this year - and i'm not going to let that little rain cloud (that has so graciously passed) be any indication to what this new year has to offer. heck, with all those crazy filipino new year's eve traditions that i made sure to complete, i expect nothing but the best for 2013!

xxoo

savoring lovely sundays

in the attempt to save money and eat more meals at home, i whipped up some breakfast this morning before meeting up with heather to take our bikes out for a spin in santa monica.
the weather was amazing today - sunny and warm and even with the slight breeze - it was still lovely to be biking along the beach in december.

now i'm at work when i'd much rather be home, strumming my ukulele with football games on in the background. but tomorrow will be my friday - and tuesday looks mighty nice for a home cooked dinner and a drive down candy can lane to help get in the christmas spirit.

happy sunday y'all!

aussies, weddings and eating. oh my!

life seems to keep happening so quickly! so much so, i forget to keep the blog updated on all the latest shenanigans.

i've taken an 11 day stay-cation to stay home and entertain jesse who's visiting us from "down-undah". it's been a lot more staying at home and visiting local eateries as opposed to the usual "touristy" type things. i like to pretend it's my expertise since i am a concierge after all.

also, my darling friend tiffany got married this weekend! witnessing two people vow to spend the rest of their lives together is always such a touching experience - and i was so honored to have the opportunity to share her day with her. it was also nice share a table with my colorful, boisterous, loving group of friends.

life, lately

lately i've been super scatter brained.

embarrassingly scatter brained.
and blue.
just a little bit blue.

dishes have piled up,

my car is screaming to be washed,
i've forgotten to pay a few bills,
and every now and then...i stumble across something on the web that makes me tear up
just a little bit.

but, right now, that's my story.
and so, this week i'll be a little more kind,
a little more patient,
and spend a little more time - with lori.

sometimes my friday is a thursday

apologies for the week long blog hiatus!

i wish i had a better excuse for my absence - but i was off from work for the last five days so i guess there really isn't much of an excuse. well, i guess being a little lazy and enjoying some sunshine is a good excuse right? right.

thursday was my friday and today is my monday (are you following me here?!) so technically i finally had a weekend off with the rest of the world.

friday night i had dinner at boa in santa monica then sped back to hollywood to celebrate a dear friend's birthday at (my favorite nightclub at the moment) sayer's club.

saturday was spent driving around aimlessly most of the afternoon

(mainly because my car has a/c and my apartment doesn't) 

then ended with a dip in the pool and popcorn and a movie in bed, 

and sunday supper at mercato di vetro with hambone

 followed by a quiet drink on the patio at

 laurel hardware

(thank you heather for getting me out of my sunday funk).

i spent the rest of my time off sleeping and telling myself that i would (finally) get up and start knocking things off my "to-do" list. things like:

• laundry
• organizing my closet
• dropping things off at goodwill
• car wash
• mani/pedi (hey! a girl has to have cute nails)
• bang trim
• oil change
• reorganizing the kitchen

luckily, i was able to get most of it done by late yesterday morning - so i spent a couple hours at the beach  for some quality time with my ipod, a magazine and myself.

all in all, i think i have a pretty damn good excuse for my little blog break.

good. i thought you'd think so too

xxoo

life lately

i've been obsessed with the idea of organization lately - everything from organizing my home to my finances. organization and all things domestic have pretty much taken over my thought process.

things like; dreaming of painting a chalkboard wall in my kitchen, baking a blueberry cheesecake and displaying it on a colorful cake stand that i don't yet own, hosting late night cocktail parties (which end up more like late night beer gatherings) with jp, hambone, and p, and hosting dinner parties for two in my slightly spacious kitchen.

i'm enchanted by scouring farmer's markets in search of the perfect peach, plum, or the weekly challenge of finding a "new" vegetable to try. the next challenge is to finally take these fresh veggies home and actually do something with them.

on saturday i spent a couple of hours working on a personal budget - however, i think the only thing i've learned so far is that i can make a pretty nifty excel spreadsheet - the "budgeting" part will just have to come later.

and don't even get me started on how badly i want to fix up the ol' blog site! if only i knew a thing or two about html codes and all those other computer savvy in betweens, i'd have a rockin' little site to sport all my thoughts. if anyone in the blogging world can offer suggestions, or tutorial, or just all around wants to help me redesign my blog - not only would i love you forever, but i would pay you back in hugs and cupcakes.

the new roomie officially moves in tomorrow - so i'm excited to squeeze in a few hours of girl time to get to know each other better. i hope she forgives me for not scrubbing the kitchen floor prior to her arrival (i promise it's on my mile long to-do list!).

now i'm off to browse the internet for more "southern cooking" recipes in hopes of actually making dinner tomorrow night!

xo

life lately

goodness! you would think that by taking a 12 day stay-cation i would have had ample time to keep up the blog. instead, i've found myself celebrating my birthday for a week straight and spending hours upon hours with friends.

(i even neglected my 'thank you thursday' post this week! yipes!)

i couldn't have asked for a better birthday celebration. i found myself surrounded by an entire room (or courtyard) full of my favorite people. i just couldn't stop smiling, hugging, and telling people how much i love them.

i can't thank all of you enough for making my 29th birthday so special! i can't even imagine what 30 is going to be like!

i've got 3 more days left in my vacation and i can't wait to see what else this weekend has in store.

till next time,

lt

.

because the work week is my weekend

i made an appointment at the dmv for wednesday at noon, then promptly left the house just shortly after 12:15PM. i never said i was on time to anything but social events. 

the line at the dmv was so outrageous that it left me running to mommy

(literally. but just to say hello). the new driver's license will just have to wait until next week.

spent the rest of wednesday afternoon lounging at the beach in santa monica (finally! summer is in la) followed by burgers at umami, then speeding back to west hollywood for dinner at the thompson.

dinner before dinner? yes please.

lastly, fredo and i caught adam's show at the good hurt back on the westside - which in itself was entertaining, but even more so when fredo fell off my skateboard flat onto his ass.

(sorry fredo, is it too soon to laugh?)

thursday was spent poolside with gina - where i (re)learned that i do in fact sunburn, then happy hour and laughing so hard that i couldn't breathe.

spending so much time with my favorite people has this girl feeling like her heart just might explode from happiness.

 and ya know something?

 i wouldn't change that for the world.



life lately

i can use a(nother) vacay like no one's business.

or at least find a rock to hide under; complete with a blanket to throw over my head.

monday we'll head to palm springs to celebrate hambone's 30th.

looking forward to poolside drinking and any other debauchery that's thrown our way.

someone please. just get me out of la for a day.

life lately

for some reason, having slumber parties with roomie on an air mattress in the living room has become the norm.

sure, that means there's two perfectly livable bedrooms that now remain vacant...but it's our idea of camping.

life, lately

hands down my new favorite picture with these boys

last week was crazy.

crazy being the operative word for simply ah-mazing!

impromptu trips to san diego, the biggest surprise of my life so far (have i mentioned that i'm nosey and almost impossible to surprise?!), email upon email of love and congratulations, shopping, rainy days with roomie, forgiveness, vicks vapor rubs and hot tea, countless 'farewell dinners' with the boys, congratulatory flowers and gift cards, and lots and lots and lots of  l-o-v-e