#14- My FRIENDS

Ok, while I am very thankful for the show "Friends" and might actually post about my thankfulness of said show one day to fill in the days, today is just about how thankful I am for all of my personal friends. (I just think the logo is a nice touch since I can't add a picture of me with each and every one of my friends on here.... or could I? Well, we'll just stick with this.)

I have the best group of friends anyone could ask for! If you've been reading/following this blog daily (I know it's tough, even for me to do) :) you'll have read some postings about specific friends, and more will be coming over the next year, trust me, but in general as a group I'm pretty lucky to be able to call them all my friends.

Facebook states that I have a little over 200 "friends" though I wouldn't really consider many of them actual true friends. I can say that I have quite a wide group of true friends (more then most people I think). Many of them I've known since I was 11 years old, many have stood the test of time from middle school, some from baton, others from band, but all of these friends have been here for me for over half my life. Seriously, it's not like we lost touch for huge gaps of time, no the friends I had in middle school are still the people I hang out with today. I've been in many of their weddings, I've planned their baby showers and attended their parties. It's really cool to be able to say that out loud, how many friend do you still have from when you were 12? I'm pretty thankful for that, I hope it means I'm doing something right. Then there are the "newer" friends I've added to my list over the years, they come from all over and I've met them in many different ways but somehow they have all found a place in my heart.

And it doesn't stop there! Just having all my friends IS something to be thankful for in itself, but my friends are really the best kind of friends, the type that love me, support me, and help me every chance they get. They pull together to support me at my charity events I host (not only participating & donating but also their time to help me decorate & work at them), many have assisted me at weddings, some have helped me get my start in the wedding industry, I have muses, I have shoulders to cry on, I have people to confide in, anything and everything you can imagine a person doing for you I can name a friend in my list that will with one call.

So thanks everyone for being so awesome, you truly are the best group of friends a girl can ask for. I am truly thankful to have each of you in my life, and while we might not always be as dramatic or exciting as a sitcom I love all of us just the way we are! ("I'll be there for you...." Just so it's stuck in your head all night) You're welcome ;)

#13- the number 13

Since this is my 13th post, of my 13th day of being a blogger I wanted to be thankful for my favorite number:

Most people greatly dislike this wonderful number, some believe it to be the unluckiest number there is, but they are not me. I love the number 13, it's the date of my birthday, October 13th 1982 (yes, I just gave away my actual age), it's also my lucky number and my favorite number. I turned 13 of Friday the 13th, it was a really fun birthday party, one I think an old friend and I were just talking about yesterday (now that I think about it). My birthday obviously falls on a Friday every so often and I love it. It is just a number that has always been dear to me. At a younger age I debated getting it tattooed on myself, something I'm sure my mother and meme are pleased I didn't follow through with. It has appeared everywhere throughout my life. If you ask me to pick a number for anything, it will always be 13 (unless it's taken, then it's 7). So on this 13th day I just wanted to say that I am thankful for number 13. Thanks 13 for being a great number, you rock! :)

#12- Mike & Kimberly

I met Mike and Kimberly through Andy. He and Mike were BBQing together for T&H and became friends, after awhile Andy and I started spending time together with Mike and his wife Kimberly. The Vargas's are always a blast to hang out with, fun loving, laid back, and they love good food (a strong passion with Andy and myself). We all go out to eat together, or have each other over to our homes for a good home cooked meal, we chat about our jobs and families, we laugh and make fun of things, it's never boring. Mike loves football (the Cowboys to be precise, he's from Texas) and Kimberly is a very talented artist (she makes beautiful paintings). We had a great night out last year during comic con weekend with dinner at the Marble Room (we'll get to that as a posting one day I'm sure) and walking around downtown looking at all the comic con attendees running around all dressed up. (It is the night this picture in this posting was taken) It was a really fun time. We also went to a Padres game together last summer and spent many Wednesday nights at Stone Brewery over summer for their movies nights. Kimberly is the HR person over at a company called Modern Postcard and hosts all sorts of fun events for the employees that we get to attend (and bring friend too! Breck and Jessica & Rick have all been in on the fun). Modern Postcard seems like a great company to work for from what I've seen of their employee fun days. :) We've dined on BBQ and Pat & Oscars, watched movies on a giant blow up screen in the MP parking lot sitting on blankets or in the back of cars, they occasionally rent out an entire movie theater and we all get to eat free popcorn and drink free soda and watch a free movie together! (last time it was Tron and it was in 3D! So fun!) Tonight I went to dinner with them and Andy, something we haven't done in quite some time, and it made me realized I'd been missing them and our fun times together. So as we sat at dinner talking about this years upcoming comic con and making plans to go down and watch all the crazies again I just had to make a mental note that today I wanted to be thankful for them, some of my newer friends, but some keepers none the less. Thanks guys for all the fun! Cheers to the great times and wonderful food we'll share together now and well into the future! :)

#11- Pizookies

Ok, still playing catch up, apologies. Will get this blog-a-day thing down soon, hopefully. :) Wednesday's Thankful Thing is Pizookies from BJ's restaurant. As stated in an earlier post I love ice cream, and BJs has one of the BEST ice cream desserts around! Wednesday night I had the pleasure of going for drinks and dinner with my two friends, Rebecca and Breck, to celebrate Breck's birthday. I was greatly looking forward to this evening so that I could get one of my favorite desserts. After some wonderful conversation, good food (though slow service), and drinks it was finally time to order our dessert.

The flavor choices for this amazing dessert has really expanded since the first time I tried it. My favorite is still the original chocolate chunk but now they have an all chocolate one, oreo cookie one, peanut butter, white chocolate macadamia nut, and a few more. They have a mini sampler platter with 3 little ones that you can get 3 different flavors, or you can get a big party platter one to share with many.

It really is a decadent treat, with a warm rich cookie that melts in your mouth and creamy vanilla ice cream it is truly something to be thankful for!

#10- Yellow Deli

So, last night after a wonderful yoga class taught by my thankful thing #6 (aka Jessica) Jessica, Carolyne, and I went over to enjoy a post yoga snack at the Yellow Deli next door to our yoga studio, Yoga Vista. After a few hours of chatting, eating and laughing I headed home for the night. I walked into my house tired, full, and contempt for the eveing I slipped into my warm cozy bed and went to sleep. I awoke this morning and thought to myself "self, I don't think you blogged your thankful thing yesterday!" I didn't! So, my apologies on yet another late post. I'm new to the blogging world and especially making a post a day, so please forgive me as I still grow accustomed to this new part of my life. I promise I'll have it down by #364! ;) This one's for Tuesday.

I am SO very thankful for the amazing, wonderful, delicious, loving, magical place that is The Yellow Deli! If you have never been to this awesome restaurant in downtown Vista get in your cars and go, right now. :) The yellow deli is an interesting place for sure. It's run by a Christian/Hippie-type commune, some think of them as a sort of cult, others confuse them for Amish, but they really are just a simple, loving, religious commune. They all work together and share every aspect of their lives with each other, they describe themselves as belonging to the religion of the 12 tribes of Israel. Basically they live by the old testament while being Christian. Regardless of their religious, or life, views bottom line is they make some damn good food!  Everything they prepare is fresh, healthy and they offer many vegetarian, organic and gluten free options. They bake all their own breads in house, and most of their produce comes from their own farm out in Valley Center. They are kind people that have spent 5 year building their restaurant from the ground up all by themselves. They make their own clothes, make their own chairs and tables, the mechanics and building itself is a reason to go check this place out alone. It's like walking into a Disney themed restaurant. It's amazing.

I really enjoy their kaiser roll turkey sandwich, or most of their house-made soups (creamy potato, pumpkin, tomato to name a few), their cranberry cashew salad is a must try, as is their wheat sourdough bread steamed with butter (I'm getting hungry), for dessert try the cream cheese pie topped with fresh strawberries, and don't forget the banana milk (a wonderful concoction that blends a banana and some other stuff into ice cold milk, it's delicious). Most also enjoy their hot apple cider, I have yet to try it. But as you can see, it's a wonderful place to eat. I haven't even mentioned their hours! They are open Sunday at noon until Friday at 3pm for 24 hours a day every week. So instead of hitting up that nasty late night dinner full of fried, unhealthy food you can come cozy up in a corner and sip some hot tea while working on your computer or hanging with your friends. Jessica and I frequent there often after our yoga classes and sometimes stay and chat into the wee hours of the morning. (I think 2am is our record).

They also love us over at Yoga Vista. We share a wall with them, and put up with their construction for 5 years. We're the best of neighbors and many of the YV staff and students are regulars with them. They even named a special after our studio! The Yoga Vista Special is a garden veggie burger on vegan kaiser roll with fresh veggies with a side of veggies or mini soup, YUM! We at Yoga Vista love them so much we actually begged them to let us host our holiday party there. They were reluctant since it's not something they typically do but they did it for us. They went SO above and beyond what we had asked or expected I spent the whole evening hugging and thanking any employee I could find.

So I beg you all to take a chance on this wonderful little place, I know you will not be disappointed. You'll instantly love them as all the rest of us do!

#9- My House

As the rain poured down all night and into this morning I just HAD to feel thankful for the roof over my head. I was just laying in my warm bed, listening to the rain come down and thinking about how lucky I am to have a house, a home, that keeps me safe and dry.

Did you know there are on average of 8,500-10,000* homeless people in San Diego County? I couldn't help but think of them last night as the rain was pounding feverishly against my windows. What were they all doing? For the most part San Diego weather is mild and probably one of the better climates to be homeless in compared to most of the country, but last night's storm was a big one, and it made me think about all the poor men, women, kids and animals that didn't have a house or shelter from the rain. We take so much for granted every day, and I think the biggest one is our shelter. Who walks into their house every day and thinks "thank my lucky stars I have a place to call home" Not many I'm sure.

But in all honesty most days I do. I absolutely love my house. It's a small, quaint little town-home in Carlsbad that we rent from our very good friends, it's really my little dream home. It's 2 stories, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2 balcony patios, a large kitchen & living room and a 2 car garage (with washer and dryer!) To many in the world this place is a mansion and I like to think of it that way too. I feel more comfortable in my home than anywhere else in the world. I have an office to work out of for my wedding businesses, I have a garage that's been converted into a floral studio, and I have a little front yard  that I grow succulents in (even though it's a no-no with HOA, shhhh). We have a pool & hot tub across the street, and access to an even bigger pool & hot tub in our community center, which happens to sit on top of the hill that below holds Leo Carrillo Park (a free range peacock ranch and historic museum. A really cool site for those who have never been) We're located in Carlsbad, a city I adore. We are actually a little inland from the coast which is perfect for me, it's never too hot but we don't have to worry about those days when the fog never leaves the coast. We get the best of both worlds cool and sunny. Our community is a nice one, people are very kind. We just got a new shopping center around the corner that holds many of my favorite places. Peet's Coffee, Trader Joes, and soon to be a Hendos (a delicious pizza/pasta place that Andy and I drive to San Elijo Hills to eat at right now). I'm even super close to the Floral Trade Center, where I buy all my flowers. (a real luxury compared to many florists that drive 20+ miles to get there) It's a wonderful little community and I really love being a part of it all.

So today I say thank you house, for being a wonderful little place to live. I couldn't be happier to be able to call you my home. I am truly thankful for your solid foundation, 4 strong walls, and peaceful roof over my head.

*If you want to do more for the almost 10,000 homeless in San Diego please visit this website: http://homeagainsd.org/ You can make a donation, volunteer your time, or even just spread the word throughout our community that there are those in need and we can help them every day!

                                           

#8- ICE CREAM

So, after #7 you're all up to speed on my tardiness right? Great! Onto #8, a really yummy number 8.... ICE CREAM! (it's gotta be in all caps. You scream, I scream, We all scream for ICE CREAM!) ;)

In my last post I touched base on the fact that the wedding this weekend had an ice cream sundae bar, a trend that I can say I am so ecstatic is growing. I hate cake, for those who didn't already know. I mean I really really REALLY can't stand cake, or frosting, or anything cake-like. I never have, even when I was a little kid, my brothers don't either, it's just our thing. When we were little for our birthdays we wanted anything but cake. There were many a birthdays I blew candles out of pizza, or cookies, but my favorite was ice cream pie! It's kind of sad too b/c when my mom was preggers with me she took cake decorating classes to make adorable cakes for us as kids, and we never ate them. Though that may be the reason I was a cake decorator when I was in my late teens/early 20s, and why I love decorating cakes so much. I just really have no desire to eat them.

So it's always a bummer to see wedding cake at a wedding. Dessert is my favorite thing in the whole world (as you can probably tell by my booty). I will literally not finish my dinner to save room for dessert. If a restaurant has a bad dessert I won't go back, even if my meal was fine. Above all desserts I love ice cream. A warm brownie (or cookie) topped with vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, nuts, NO whip cream, and a cherry, and I'm in heaven. So you can see where a sundae bar at a wedding could have me giddy. This weekend's was particularly delicious. It had premium Dryer's Ice Cream (vanilla, chocolate and some delicious flavor that I have no clue what it was but I want it again, something with brownies bits). We set out cake and sugar cones, huge jars of cherries (another favorite of mine, I had quite a few throughout the night), coffee creamer containers that had been converted into topping holders with matching red print on them filled with caramel sauce, chocolate sauce, sprinkles, and nuts. It was really a wonderful thing. I enjoyed it so much that as I was thinking back on it tonight and wondering what I wanted to write about I had to get up and make myself a sundae with vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce and nuts (we're out of cherries and brownies) and then I figured it must mean it's time to give thanks to ice cream. So thank you ice cream for always being there for me, especially in times of tears and more importantly in times of joy (even if it's the ice cream itself that brings me joy). Even though you're chalked full of empty calories and have no nutritional value I love you so!