Happy Birthday to Mandi

I was lucky enough this past weekend to enjoy an extended weekend in LA. As opposed to my usual, quick, in and out trips down south, I spent Thursday through Monday in LA. All the more time to celebrate Mandi’s birthday!! The celebrations began literally straight off the flight, as I drove right to happy hour at Salt Creek Grille. I spent the evening meeting more of Mandi’s work friends, catching up with those I hadn’t seen in awhile (Annalise–finally!), hanging out with Mandi and my dad, and enjoying delicious food.

On Friday, Mandi and I went wine tasting in Temecula with our mom. It was my first time out there, and wine tasting is pretty new to me in general. I’ve done a few Napa trips, but wine isn’t usually my thing. However, I discovered that sweet wine is totally my thing!! We had a blast exploring Temecula, tasting wines and champagnes, hunting for the winery dogs, shopping, sunbathing, chatting, laughing, and eating! Here are some pictures from that day…

On Saturday, we helped celebrate Mandi’s birthday with a BBQ at Danny and Christine’s house. Geared more toward family and old friends, this day was a lot of fun as well. I got to spend a good amount of time with Justine, which is always fun. It was nice to catch up with her and Martha, Danny, Christine, etc. Here are some pictures from that day.

I think that last picture might be the only one ever taken with the entire family, so I really like it!

I started Sunday off right with a girls’ breakfast at my favorite spot at the beach, Le Pain, with two of my very favorite friends, Gaby and Melissa. We were finally able to catch up on each other’s lives–it always feels like such a long time in between seeing these two. In the evening, I headed out to my dad’s house, and we all took Mandi out to George’s Greek Cafe. My dad must have been hungry, because he ordered us three appetizers, including a giant combo appetizer. We could hardly move, literally, after dinner, so we loosened up with a nice stroll around Belmont Shore, followed closely by more food (cake) and some hanging out at home.

My mom and I spent Monday shopping and running errands. After three years of intense craving, I fiiiiiiiiinally got a Making Memories Slice. This is quickly going to become my favorite scrapbooking tool. I’m giddy about it. Now just to find time to get to the scrapbook store to bulk up on supplies…