Friday's Fancies

Madewell Swim Bottoms /Tory Burch Sandals/ State charm necklace /Kate Spade iPhone Case / MICHAEL Michael Kors Sunglasses / Mason Jar Mug / Beach Canvas Carry All / L*Space Dolly Knotted Fringe Bandeau
  

It's no secret my happy place is the near the water and today I am linking up with Long Distance Loving for Friday Fancies! I am headed to the lake on Tuesday and I wish this wardrobe was coming with me. The only thing that made it in my bag is the plastic mason jar...no complaints there!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

And...I've been blogging for 30 days and have 30 followers 

THANK YOU 

you guys rock!

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Optimism

You know, I always try and be an optimist, silver lining, grass is always greener girl

because the alternate to optimistic is just plain

ugly

If you're already having a bad day why bring it further down with crappy thoughts?

Needless to say it's only Wednesday and my week has been rough. David left for a business trip to Las Vegas on Monday - which naturally would be perfect timing for shit to hit the fan...which is exactly why my car decided to die on the upper floor of a parking garage.

While I do have jumper cables, the kind lady next to me was unable to start my car. David - who can fix just about anything - was gone, so render me helpless.

Cue Optimism

After about 10 more minutes a kind man offered to try and jump me again but with his own cables. Well, well Val (my trusty old car) decided she was ready to be fired up and we were literally off and running.

Thank you kind strangers and thank you to all my friends who offered advice or a way to help. A special thank you to dad who told me to join AAA - ya know cause I used it just last weekend when I locked my keys in the car?! Yeah, that would have been really helpful - had I listened.

Then I came home to this face

So I took my boy for a walk around the neighborhood and we settled in at home watching a shit ton of horrible reality tv educational television...

But you see...the pups has not been acting normal as of late and in the middle of the night he has been freaking out

trembling.

panting.

drooling.

sitting on my throat/body/stomach.

total magnet/clingy/shadow.

He even crawled behind the shower curtain to be near me while I showered this morning - and he hates the water. And while I love him needing me - it's so abnormal it's freaking me out. This has been happening for a week now, every.single.night.

 3am, 4am, 5am

So we went to the vet and drew some blood work yesterday and are awaiting results.

In the meantime Finn got prescribed Xanax which is slightly amusing and totally sad all in one.

At the same time I saw someone coming out of an exam room who had just sent their pet to Rainbow Bridge - two grown men, two grown men crying, two men leaving with nothing but a leash and collar in hand...
And I cried right along with them

So basically after this long post I am asking to borrow a little of everyone else's optimism. Although I am remaining optimistic this is just a rare/weird incident it never hurts for more wishes in the wish gallery.

11

Scenes from the Weekend

This weekend was more laid back than usual. It was nice to veg out...

ha! I wish I could take credit for all this brightly colored goodness. But David is the one with the green thumb.

 

If you follow me on Instagram (#laurapark3r) you would know I found a recipe for pickling pepperoncini's without canning. We can open them up and test them out on the 31st. So if the recipe is a success I will share it!

Saturday morning a local antique shop was having a sidewalk sale. They had tons of goodies to pick from. I swooped up on a vintage American flag bunting and an old door.

David and I have lived in our home for two years now and although it's just a rental we treat it like it's ours. For TWO years now David has asked me to cover the heater (for when it's not in use) and TWO years late(r) I delivered!

It actually could not be more perfect and really goes well with the rest of our décor. Plus it was only 28.00 so that was awesome as well!

 

On Saturday we celebrated my dad's birthday...his last in his 60s! I found this photo of him from my parents wedding day and thought it was perfect.

Sunday was...a total bust!

 

My friend and I drove to San Francisco to see Ed Sheeran and Sara Bareilles perform at 97.3 annual free concert in Golden Gate Park. Not only was the weather crappy, overcast and slightly raining.We waited in line for over an hour (after we were in the car for over an hour) only to be told the concert had reached maximum capacity!

fabulous.

We stopped in at a coffee house in Nopa and drank some hot beverages to warm up. This was awesome mostly due to the conversation that was taking place next to us. A young girl rattling off about being a feminist and then literally two sentences later was naming all the Spanish versions of derogatory terms towards women...

 

We finished off the day by heading out to see The Bling Ring. I thought it was entertaining. Did anyone else see it? I had known about the story for quite sometime and I thought it was interesting the error the movie made. They introduce her sister in the movie as Emily, but later Nikki - who is playing Alexis Neiers (Emma Watson) refers to her as Gabby in an interview. And Gabby is the real name of the little sister of Alexis.

Did anyone else catch that?
I also watched Alexis on Dateline on Friday. That was interesting...

 

Okay long ramblings!! Hope you all had a great weekend!

Linking up with Sami!

 

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Five on Friday

1. New Blog Design



I am feeling dressed in glitter and PRETTY! And all that credit goes to the awesome Laura of Laura Wyatt Designs who gave my little corner of the world wide web a makeover. Thank you!!

2. Giants Game

Last night I went to the Giants vs. Marlins game with one of my vendors from work. In my (totally biased) opinion we have one of the most beautiful ball parks in the nation and I am so happy to call it home! Bummer we lost :(

3. FINN Friday
I've also decided that Friday's will get a new snapshot of Finn every week. Because why not? He's adorable and he once was a model...don't believe me? Here is one of his headshots...yup I'm that furmama. It's cool he's only slightly famous...

4. Birthday Time

We're also celebrating my dad's birthday on Saturday - his last in his 60s!

He is a huge fan of cherry pie so I am entertaining the idea of making this for him. Damn you Pinterest there are so many things I want to try!

5. Pickling

Our garden cucumbers are growing faster than I know what to do with them! I am on the hunt for a good pickling recipe. So if you have one to share please do! This was my result when I pickled two years ago. The whole pickles tasted much better than the sliced pickles - I have no clue what recipe I used.

As always hope you have a lovely weekend!

and

HAPPY FIRST DAY OF SUMMER!

10

Spill About Your L-O-V-E

April is doing a fun spill your love link up so I thought I would join in on the spillage...

 

{1} Describe your dating life prior to finding your husband

 

David and I have been dating since we were 21 but I did have some boyfriends before him. One in particular was my boyfriend in college. He was a really nice guy and knew how to have a good time. However he didn't treat me as well as he should have and we only lasted two years (two years too many!) and although I cried my eyes out multiple times over him...(my goodness can I have those tears back?!) I am happy that he found happiness as I did.

 

{2} Describe your husband in one word. How would he describe you in one word?

 

There are so many words I could use to describe David but I would have to say the word that most comes to mind is

 Driven

 David continually impresses me with how hard he works to give us a beautiful life. He is constantly learning how to do things. Whether it's taking care of an injured bird, working on his car or closing a huge deal at work - he is a man of many talents. I admire him so much. Total cliché but he really does make me want to be a better person.

If David had one word to describe me I think he would choose

compassionate

I have a pretty big heart, especially when it comes to helpless furry animals! At least that is the word he choose for my bridal shower game last year! I wonder if 8 months of marriage would change it to crazy something different?

{3} You had a really silly fight. Embarrassing silly. What was it about?

On our honeymoon - you know when you're all lovey-dovey, madly in love still on wedding high? Yup there. We were in Kauai and David wanted to buy me fins to swim in the ocean. Leave it to me to feel insulted that he thought I was a weak swimmer! (I am a Pisces this is truly insulting!) Talk about making a mountain out of a molehill! My tears ensued and about 30 minutes later we were like are we really arguing? I can certainly laugh about it now but then - I was being so ridiculous!

p.s. I still hate wearing fins! They hurt my feet!

{4} In three sentences (and only three!), describe where you both hope to be in 5 years.

Parents.

Home Owners.

Growing together as a couple.

Eva Baker Photography

 



{5} Tell us something about your husband we wouldn't know from reading your blog.

 

David loves to garden! Every summer since we have moved in together he plants various tomatoes, cucumbers, plants, pumpkins, etc. He loves to learn about different varietals and how to grow the best tasting fruits and veggies. My kitchen reaps the benefit all summer long!

 

{6} What's one thing you never thought you'd do in front of your husband but you did?

A girl can't reveal all her secrets...



Jennifer Skog Photographers

 

 Linking up with A. Liz Adventures!

 

8

Macaroni Salad

I found this recipe on Pinterest and decided to make it to accompany our Father's Day BBQ. I doubled the recipe because I was serving a lot of people but this is the recipe for serving 8.

 

Ingredients:

1/2 pound elbow macaroni (I used this)

2 large eggs

3/4 cups of mayonnaise

2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

kosher salt and black pepper

2 scallions, thinly sliced

4 stalks celery, chopped

1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley

Directions:

 

Cook macaroni according to package directions. Once cooked run under cold water to cool.

Meanwhile, place the eggs in a small saucepan and add enough cold water to cover them by one inch. Bring to a boil (it's important to place the eggs in cold water and let them come to a boil). Once the water boils remove from heat, cover and let stand for 15 minutes. Drain and run the eggs under cold water to cool. Peel the eggs and coarsely chop.

 

In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper.

Even though I doubled the recipe I kept the 3/4 cup of mayonnaise the same - so if I were making a this recipe non-doubled I would probably reduce this amount as well.

 

Add macaroni, chopped eggs, scallions, celery, and parsley and toss gently to combine.

Usually macaroni salad is loaded with mayonnaise but since I cut the mayo in half it turned out nice and light. When I make it in the future I will add in sliced black olives to add a little more saltiness. The celery added a nice texture to the salad as well.

 

Bon Appetit!

9

Scenes from the Weekend

Friday night we had a ladies night at Carpe Diem and had a blast. Afterwards we headed to Empire which is a new bar in Napa - pretty swanky and a different vibe for Napa. The night went into the early morning with lots of laughter, ridiculousness and non-appropriate blog talk!

 

 The next day I was off to celebrate my nephew's 3rd birthday. Seriously I could take pictures of this face all.day.long.

His Pinterest inspired birthday card!

Later that evening I got to hang out with good ole AAA as I locked my keys in the car! Argh, I have not done this in forever! Luckily I was with my dad who had AAA and they arrived about 30 minutes later. Thanks Dad!



We celebrated my pops the next day with a delicious BBQ for Father's Day. Again we were blessed with beautiful weather and spent much of the day eating, drinking and playing in the baby pool. I am so excited one day to celebrate David when he becomes a dad. I love the relationship he has with my nephews and I can only begin to imagine what a great dad he will be!

My brother-in-law put together an amazing spread from the Farmers Market. So delicious!

Hanging out with my sister while missing my other sister who lives in Orange County.

It was another great weekend and my dad received loved from everyone. And next weekend we do it all over again for his birthday!!

 

Now I am wrapping up the evening watching Miss USA and goodness these girls are stunning! Miss Illinois had the best evening gown! Now I am really regretting that piece of cake!

 

Linking up to Sami's Shenanigans!

6

Happy Father's Day Dad!

 

Wishing my dad the happiest Father's Day!

Love you!

 

1

Five on Friday

Linky Linky time!

1. New Blog Design

I'm excited to be getting a new look by the talented Laura Wyatt Designs! Can't wait to see what she comes up with...I'm thinking ómbre!

2. Birthdays & Father's Day

This weekend my nephew turns 3 and we will be celebrating at a local pizza joint. The following day we will be celebrating my pops. Still trying to think of what to get him!

The pops with all his ladies at my Rehearsal Dinner

 3. Wooden Numbers & Signs

In place of a guest book at our wedding we ordered a wooden ampersand from Uncle John's Cabin on Etsy. I love the way it turned out - it perfectly fit our decor of the wedding and of our home.

Jennifer Skog Photography

So when I saw this I thought how cute would that look on the other side of where we have the & hanging? Our wedding date is on the 6th and I thought it would be cute if we wrote little love notes to one another on every anniversary? Nothing too cheesy as it hangs on a main wall but I thought it would be a cute way to document through the years. Plus it's $20 - winning!

Decorative Wooden Number

4. iPhone 6

It's just a myth right now as to weather or not the next iPhone will be a 5S or a 6 but either way I am waiting for it. My two-year contract is due for a renewal and I am holding out for the latest and greatest iPhone. Hope it's not too far away!

source

5. Carpe Diem

Two of my very good friends from college own a wine bar called Carpe Diem in downtown Napa. Since Napa is only a 45 minute drive away we are able to see them often and enjoy their delicious food and wine. We are headed there this evening on a ladies night  to stir up some trouble!

Hope all you lovelies have a wonderful weekend!!

5

Father's Day Gift Ideas

 

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9 // 10

1. David is a huge fan of Agave and I think this sweater would be great for work or play.
2. Lotto tickets, I mean you could be the next millionaire!
3. A leash from the dog for the dog - just so dad can look stylish walking him
4. The key to David's heart is headlamps, the more lumens the better
5. I love this Jack Spade Wood iPhone case, stylish but manly
6. Shun Filet Boning Knife great for fish!
7. Weber Smoker perfect for summertime or anytime you want to leave something alone for 8 hours and let it do its magic. Pretty sure the smoker and the crock pot are bf/gf.
8. Rainbow sandals are the.best. hands down
9. Of course I had to sneak in some ómbre swim shorts :)
10. Garmin heart rate monitor. David has one of these I got him for Christmas (although his is a little less fancy) He loves to use it when he works out.
 

Although David is not a dad yet (well he is of the furbaby variety!) I would imagine he would be pretty pleased if I brought home any of these!

As for my own pops - way hard to shop for so that is still TBD!

 

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