South Mountain

It wasn't all food and booze while I was in Arizona.  We went on a beautiful hike early one morning at South Mountain Park and Preserve.  Next time, I plan to spend more time there exploring!

Ladies only

It goes beyond words how happy I was to be able to spend four days with one of my dearest and 

long-time friends ever!  A few weeks ago, I went to visit Kat (pictured below, middle) in Arizona.  We had a blast, as she whisked me to breakfast, shopping, and several happy hours!  We also got our fit on in between it all, with one morning of NTC (Nike Training Club) and

 another on a hike at South Mountain Park and Preserve.  

The quality of the images is not so great, as these were all taken with my phone.

This picture was snapped on my last night at 

Caffe Boa, in Tempe, AZ., before we headed to El Hefe's.  

The food and service here were excellent!

wearing: Azaya Blue Baylee necklace (here), Limited tee (old), Merona chambray shorts

Leo sniffing through my bag while I was unpacking.

 First stop, Postino!  Such yummy bruschetta!

The happy hour deals were amazing!

And oh so delicious!

The next afternoon, after shopping and lounging, found us at Olive & Ivy!

After which we walked over the the other side of the Arizona Canal to continue the fun at 

Tapas Papas Fritas!  I didn't take any pictures other than this shot between the trees of the 

outdoor seating area, where we wined and dined.  The food was delicious and the service terrific!

A sunset view on the Arizona Canal.

Leo had warmed up to me by then, and let me snap this shot of him relaxing.

On Saturday after our hike, we headed to Morning Glory Cafe on the Farm at South Mountain.  It was just what we needed after our early morning hike in the sun!

On my last night, we kicked it up a notch as far as the atmosphere, and headed over to South Mill in the midst of the ASU area, and hung out with the college kids.  We were reliving our younger youth, by having a shot then giant margaritas at El Hefe!

The tacos were tasty too!

Selfie fun!

I'm really good at goofing around, having fun, making light of things, and laughing out loud!  So last week, I had a little selfie fun with my SLR, wearing the Firenze necklace from Azaya Blue.

Big love

The hippos were being sweet on each other when we visited them at the zoo a few weeks.  Feel the love!

Halloweenie time was here...

This post is a week later, but better late than never, right!?

We have some serious Halloween lovers just a few blocks down from us.  I think the pictures speak for themselves.  The boys loved it of course!

 

Getaway reads

Well, I have some extra time while I'm visiting Kat...so why not indulge in some extracurricular reading?

It's that time again

Since day one, my dear husband has known that I like to get away. It doesn't have to be far, just meaningful.  So this coming weekend, I get to go visit one of my dearest friends ever!  It's been over 5 years since we've seen each other (I was pregnant with Big Brother). She moved to Arizona while I lived in Chicago, and this will be my first time visiting her there. It'll also be my first time back to Arizona in almost 15 years.  So all in all, it's going to be a wonderful little trip! 

And I hope I get a chance to wear almost every item of clothing and accessory that are going along with me. Especially all my amazing Azaya Blue pieces!  Do you think I'm over doing it?  Wait, there is no such thing for a trip like this...a lady's gotta have options!

Trying

One day in the future, I'll once again be able to start reading my magazines on day 1 of each month. For now, all I can do is try. But at least I still manage to start by mid-month.

Reece has always been a favorite of mine, so I look forward to the feature story.  And just thinking about what's in store in The Food Issue...my mouth is watering!

Happy Saturday!

It helps

Wine, that is! Wine pretty much helps anything, other than driving and operating other heavy machinery.

Right now, it's helping me get through writing out 30 note cards to family and friends.  

As I'm starting a new career, in a new industry, I'm trying to take the best steps that will led me to success. It's in my hands...as is a glass of Pinot Noir!

All ready

I'm so excited to be hosting my first clothing swap since moving to SoCal just over 2 years ago!  It'll be the first one at all since living here.  I've slowly but surely been making friends with the women in my Meet Up group, and I decided to post a swap on the calendar.  Mama only time like this allows us to focus on our friendships with out having an ear and an eye out always for the kiddos.  There are only a handful of us, but I'm looking forward tomorrow nonetheless.  

It doesn't look like much, but I've got a few hidden gems in the swap bag for sure.  Hopefully, I'll score a few treasures myself!