Summer Shopping

What is it about the anticipation of summer that makes me want to go shopping? Don't get me wrong... I LOVE to shop year round... but I feel like this time of year I am at my worst (or best depending on how you look at it). I have been swiping up sundresses, bikinis, sunglasses, one very cute denim mini skirt, and a fresh new perfume that I really want to bathe in it smells so good. I have also taken advantage of the catering sale at world market and bed bath and beyond... I feel like maybe my subconscious is trying to tell me to throw a GIANT pool party. Which is what I am thinking I am going to have to do...

Now I don't mean to brag, but I do have to share some of the items that I am particularly pleased with. More like recommendations for others than anything else...

Trina Turk Vintage print bikini... Its probably the cutest swimsuit I have EVER bought... (if only I looked this good in it!)

Dior oversized retro sunglasses... Really cute... because they are large framed, even if you have a larger sized nose - it will look like a button. which is nice.

Could be the most delicious bottle of perfume I have purchased... smells like kiwi and rhubarb.

Thats all for today! Back to work... so I can afford these things!

Thanks for reading P&P!

The SISTER

It has been brought to my attention by a good friend how lucky I am to have my sister Molly (not that I didn't already know how amazingly lucky I am... its just pretty fabulous when other people recognize it too). I don't know what everyone else's sibling situation is, but there is something about having just one sister that is truly special. She is 7 years younger than me and so I feel that there is a funny dynamic between the two of us. I get CRAZY over protective of her whether she likes it or not - and she 90% of the time hates it. :) She also gets VERY defensive over me. However I think that she is probably a bit more rational about it and less "mother bear".

I also think that when it comes to advice, I am far more likely to take advice from her that she take it from me. You would think it would be the other way around. I think that age or not - getting the perspective from someone who is that close to you, but slightly removed from the situation is very valuable... and again... I get too protective of her when she comes to me. The words "now Molly! be careful!!" are probably among the things she hates hearing the most! But what can you do? That also might have something to do with the fact that since she could talk she has been saying "i do it myself" or some more adult variation.

Anyway... this little red headed spark plug was in for the weekend and is now back at Cal Poly studying Ag business and Equine sciences. She spends her time riding horses in the Southern/Central California Wine Country... ROUGH LIFE!!

The bond...

Ok... I am taking a breather from the recap and filling you all in on the present day. My sister is in town this weekend! Back from Cal-Poly to hang out with her family and close friends who just got home from their colleges (who are on the semester system). What blows my mind is the fact that somethings never change. Some bonds cant be broken... like the bond of my sister and her 8 closest friends... They have been best friends since the 6th grade. They all sat around thursday night ate chips and guacamole and told war storied from their freshman year. Looking at all of them, I might as well have been looking at a pack of 12 year olds. While the stories have changed, the way that they all interact with each other is exactly the same. They still get excited over runs to dutch brothers for hot chocolate, anticipate the day my parents open the pool, and still laugh at the same jokes. While I am still close with a handful of friends from middle school, I look at the 8 of them and marvel at how close they have stayed through everything. It is one thing to stay this close with 2 or maybe 3 of your friends from that far back... but all 8 of them have remained unbelievably close is pretty remarkable. The funniest part is that I don't think any of them realize how special it actually is, its normal to them... They love each other so much that not being friends isn't something I think they would ever even conceptualize. They just know that whatever happens... the end result will be the same... Prom their senior year... note the hair...
Their 8th grade pictures... note the braces...

Next up on the blog! Continuing the trip down the past 4 months with my trip to NYC in February! Stay tuned...

Part 3: New York City

(My mom and I at the top of the GE building "the Rock")

Last February we went to the NYIGF (New York International Gift Fair) in Manhattan. It was the first time I had EVER been to New York!! TALK ABOUT HEAVEN! 10 days at the Waldorf Astoria working among top designers and magazine editors not to mention all the sample sales!! Sight seeing, going to broadway shows, Serendipity, the Plaza, 21 Club, Dean and Deluca, a quick stop at the Today show... the list goes on!!

I HEART NYC is a mass understatement!!

(The Chandelier at Serendipity...LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!)

We have just decided that we will be going back in the August... I am beyond excited to get to experience the city in the summer time. This time around my sister Molly will be joining my mom and I along with 2 other mother daughter pairs, Cookie and Caroline Lafferty, and also Connie and Emory Wonham! Looking forward to spending some serious summertime in NYC... and probably spending some serious cash on 5th Avenue as well. When in Rome!

Here are some more photos from the trip...

At the Today Show! Which is actually the EASIEST way to get on TV... you don't have to go early or anything. We watched the first hour from our hotel room at the Waldorf, grabbed coffee, and walked right into the fenced in area at around 8:30AM

At the amazing 21 club!! We met the man who founded the Javits Center. If I can be 100% honest... he was actually quite full of himself and a bit of a jerk. I guess you can be when you are that big of a deal!

The view of the Chrysler building from the balcony off of our hotel room at the Waldorf Astoria. Actually UNREAL!! Again... I was wishing it was summer. You cant tell, but the balcony was HUGE... probably 30x40 and then this was around the corner of the building. You shared it with 3 other rooms that could all be connected. Imagine renting all 3 in the summer with your best girlfriends when they put out chaise lounges and serve you breakfast here in the morning!

Proof that we worked! Taking orders during the Gift Show! One of our most successful business trips for sure! :)

So clearly this re-capping thing is taking longer than I anticipated... Next up It will be the California road trip to see Miss Molly from March! San Francisco, Carmel, and San Louis Obisbo! Thanks for reading!!

Part 2: My 26th Birthday!

One of the most hilarious coincidences that I have encountered in the past year happened on the night of the Fronmayer benefit at the University of Oregon Art Museum. I was hanging out with an old friend that I grew up, Michael, with along with our two families and several other members of the community. At this function I met Michael's (now) fiance Shanley and she and I became instant friends. After several glasses of wine and parading around the art museum like we actually knew what we were looking, she randomly asked me when my birthday was. Low and behold... not only did we have the same birthday, but we realized that we were born about an hour apart from each other.

Now when you have this realization when you are 100% sober... its funny, and a huge coincidence, but kind of an after thought after a while. When you have this realization after 2+ glasses of wine, you think its destiny! Some cosmic force wanted us to be friends... well that was the conclusion we drew from it that evening and that conclusion has stuck.

Shanley and I did what we knew we had to do that next January... Throw a BITCHIN tandem 26th birthday party. Bottles of delish wine on all the tables, amazing catered food, and of course trendy mini cupcakes to top it all off!

The Birthday Girls!!!

B2 Wine Bar was the location of our Party... as you can see they did not disappoint...

I call this picture the "Hooray its my Birthday!!" Photo.

This was a killer party followed by a killer headache... and of course one of the most memorable birthdays I have ever had.

An Inspiring Friend

Alright... so its been about 5 months since I have posted anything. Clearly I am not too fabulous at being a "blogger". I went and had wine at my dear friend Whitney's place last night and she showed me her fabulous blog. I was jealous at how amazing and intricate it is. She is one of those amazing people who sees a dress she likes and instead of paying through the teeth for it she actually MAKES IT HERSELF. While I am pretty good about making my own pillows and throws... I can't exactly say that I am a crafty person compared to her. I mean honestly... how hard is it to sew a pillow... its four straight lines!

Before I ramble on anymore about my buddy Whit (See pic of the 2 of us above on her birthday at Sweet Cheeks Vineyard), I need to get back on track with the purpose of this post. In an attempt to fill you in on the goings on of my life... I am going to back track 5 months and put up a post a day for the next week as a sort of "cliffsnotes" of what has been going on. When I finish that... I will begin to blog more about my daily life. I mean... I am no rock star here... but I love my life and I feel I should probably share it with everyone more than I have been... Thats all for now!