Adventures || LA with La

On a recent business trip to LA, I decided to hang out an extra day to fit in some much needed time with my La (Lauren).  We go back 11 years starting from our freshmen year at The University of Arizona; her dorm room was katty corner from mine.  She visits Arizona often since her roots are here, but I haven't been out to LA to see her in a couple years so this worked out perfectly.

So here's the thing, I love food!  And thankfully La loves food, too.  This is a happy friendship!  The great thing about Silverlake (her hood) is they have some REALLY good food.  So we ate.  Lots. And it was all so good!  We also worked out as to not feel so shameful about our eating escapades.  More on that later.

La has lived in Silverlake for a few years now so she has a pretty good handle on the go-to spots for good eats and drinks.  I also came prepared with a list of places thanks to the suggestions of another local, Bri of designlovefest.com.  By the time I made it back to the airport to return home, my non-forgiving pants hated me but my tummy loved me!

Even though I still had business to attend to on Monday, I had to check out of my hotel Sunday so I stayed with La which worked out well and allowed me more time with her.  Sunday night we hit up Diablo for some tasty tacos--they didn't disappoint.  I got the rockfish which was pretty good, but it was the sweet corn that stole the show.  So good, in fact, that I got an order to go so I could relive its glory again the next day.  Best. Corn. Ever.  I'm a fan of simple but powerful flavor and this corn knocked it out of the park.  I'm drooling thinking about it now.  At the suggestion of the staff, we treated ourselves to dessert: churros with bacon caramel sauce and chocolate ganache.  You really can't go wrong with churros or bacon so this was another win!  Now, I'm not a huge beer fan but lately I've been drawn to hard ciders.  Diablo had a cherry cider michelada that sounded intriguing so I figured I'd try it out.  With the ridiculously yummy rimming salt and chili combo (can I get that in a bowl, please?!) and a pineapple popsicle to drop in for added flavor, this really was a party for my mouth.  You must try it.

 

This ain't no regular sweet corn!

Before heading out for business Monday, we hit up Sunset Junction Coffee Shop for brunch per La's craving for the best huevos rancheros in town.  I opted for the "Healthy" plate in an attempt to save calories for later.  Was it good?  Yes.  But can we talk about the BEST iced soy vanilla latte I've ever had in my life?!  I could have kissed the waiter when he asked how I liked it.  Heaven in a glass--so perfect.  So perfect that I had to get another one before they closed for the night because there was no way I could sleep well without it.  Dramatic, I know.  Had my flight not been delayed (twice) then re-instated (only to be delayed again once I got to the airport--fun times) I would have grabbed another glass to go, making it three servings in less than 36 hours.  Fanatic about this damn crack coffee!

BEST iced soy vanilla latte EVER!

I'm the crazy who walks in 2 minutes before close for another cup of crack coffee.

After taking care of business, La and I hit the trails for a hike up to the Griffith Observatory and beyond.  With her two weenie dogs in tow, we made our way to the top for an incredible view.  It also helped to make us feel less guilty about our cupcakes and churros!  I wish the heat wasn't so intense in Arizona right now because I would love to get out and go on more hikes.  There's always November!

That's Griffith Observatory as we were half way to the top of the trail.

Hiking up a mountain can leave a girl hungry, so after a quick change we headed to Umami Burger in Los Feliz.  Do you know what beets, ricotta, and arugula do when they get together?  They have a party in your mouth and you wanna lick the plate when you're done.  (No, Dad, I didn't lick the plate!)  For burgers, I opted for the turkey burger and La went with the manly burger (seriously, it was called the manly burger) and we split and shared the love.  In case you forget where you are, they stamp their buns with their logo taking branding to the next level!  Throw a hard apple cider into the mix and I nearly had to be rolled back to the car.

As if I hadn't had enough good eats so far, we still had brunch to conquer Tuesday morning.  With doughnuts on our mind, we headed to LAMILL Coffee.  I had had their iced soy vanilla latte my last visit and honestly wasn't really impressed, so I went into this cautiously optimistic.  We can all rejoice that they have redeemed themselves this time around, not only with a delish latte but with the yummiest brioche doughnuts complete with sweet vanilla cream and jam for dipping.  It's a good thing this place wasn't a library because I'm pretty sure it sounded like I was having a When Harry Met Sally moment right there at my table for the third time this visit--remember there first was that ridiculous corn then the best latte of my life!  There were some tasty eggs benny, too, but they were definitely not the star of the show; it's tough being the second act.  Apparently this joint is celebrity approved since we were a couple tables down from Matthew Lillard, ya know, Shaggy himself!

Brioche doughnuts-yes, please!

Despite the looks of it, I had other plans besides eating my way through LA.  After seeing a picture of La doing aerial yoga, I put it on my must-try list and lucky for me we had time to squeeze in a class before my evening flight.  If you have the chance, you have to try it for yourself.  There is something very therapeutic and freeing about being suspended by a hammock of fabric and having faith that you won't fall.  It was challenging while also allowing me to move more fluidly than I may be able to in a traditional yoga practice.  I'm hooked! 

The takeaway from this trip?  Corn.  Coffee.  Doughnuts.  Oh, and aerial yoga!

In between stuffing our faces, we fit in some fun shopping also.  I'll post about all the cute shops and sites soon, including a great florist that had the perfect plant boxes for our wedding center pieces.  Win!

*Pardon the crap iPhone pictures; that gadget is a hot mess right now but needs to get me through for just a few more months. 

Adventures || In Snowboarding

So I've been slacking on posting regularly, for this I apologize.  I'll be better about this, I promise!

It's hard to believe that despite having lived in some great places for snowboarding, including Germany and the PNW, I've never been snowboarding.  That is, at least, until this past February.  Josh and I were given a giftcard to Snow Bowl for Christmas from his mom and her boyfriend, so we decided to take a couple days off work and head up north, Ricky Ricardo in tow!

Josh has never been to Flagstaff so this was a first for him.  I've been a couple times so I knew of a couple spots I wanted to take him.  But before we could do anything, including checking into our hotel, we had to see the snow!  Had we gone a couple weeks earlier or even a couple weeks later, we would have had fresh snow.  Instead, we settled for some man made powder but that was good enough for us!  Ricky even got to walk around on the foreign substance but I don't think he really cared too much for it.  After seeing (what we could of) the mountain, I was equal parts excited and nervous for my snowboarding debut the next day!

The great thing about this trip was that we only had two goals: 1) relax and 2) snowboard.  This made for a great trip since we accomplished both.  We stayed at a great hotel that not only allowed dogs, but they had a great dinner and breakfast buffet which saved us a bit.  One breakfast I couldn't give up and one I had daydreamed about since I last visited, was the waffle and fresh fruit from Macy's.  It didn't disappoint, neither did Josh's biscuits and gravy.  We figured if we were going to be on the mountain all day, we may as well fuel up well.

So then there's the snowboarding...I wish I could say I Shaun White'd it up out there but I was not so smooth!  I don't profess to be the most graceful person and my mom will vouch for that and liken my grace (or lack thereof) to one Gilda Radner.  So there's that visual! In fact, I managed to give myself a concussion from a face plant that kept me sequestered to the car after lunch since I couldn't manage to stand up right without losing my cookies.  It's a shame because I was really starting to get a hang of the whole "falling leaf" bit and wanted to actually use my lift ticket and break free from the beginners' slope.  Josh, on the other hand, has been boarding before so he ventured on his own for the couple hours until the lifts closed.  We considered going back the next day but decided to head home early instead.

We also debated going to the Grand Canyon since neither of us has been.  Since we plan on going to Snow Bowl again this winter, we figured we'd wait so we wouldn't be rushed to get back home.  All in all this was a great little trip for us and I'm looking forward to more fun getaways soon!

 

Labor Day Weekend Festivities

family road trip!

Instead of spending this Labor Day weekend lounging about the house, working on projects, and finishing "Orange Is The New Black," Josh and I (and Ricky Ricardo, too!) escaped to Lake Havasu to spend time with Josh's oldest half brother, Dave, and his family. Josh is originally from Yorba Linda, CA where his older half siblings still live, but Dave has a vacation home in Lake Havasu City where he keeps his fun outdoor toys. Although pretty well burnt (despite using SPF 50) and tired from an adventurous weekend, we enjoyed ourselves thoroughly!

taking a dip in the questionable but cool water

Saturday afternoon we took the boat out for a few hours but got off to a bit of a slow start. Actually, we got off to NO start at all since the gas tank was empty! Once that situation was resolved, we cruised through the lake and anchored for a bit to take a swim. With rain clouds overhead and a steady drizzle coming down, we figured we would call it an early day and head back to the house to make dinner and take it easy since we had big plans for the next day.
 
So these big plans...they involved propelling oneself into the air via a board with boots strapped to it and a jet ski powering it all, better known as flyboarding. It's part 'This is totally awesome!' and part Uncle Si 'What is this, Star Wars?' so naturally Josh was into it since he'd been dying to try if after seeing it on youtube months back. Josh plus his brother, three nephews, and a friend spent three hours flying around on this board, doing flips and dives and spins. It was definitely worth it to see all of their smiles when they were done! J (Dave's wife) and I worked on our tans since losing our bikini bottoms in front of crowds of onlookers wasn't much of an interest to us. Oh, and when I say I worked on my tan, it was more like I roasted like a lobster!

Josh flyboarding

can you see the pure joy in our faces?!

While flyboarding was the highlight for the boys on Sunday, I was looking forward to being towed on the raft. I cannot remember the last time I laughed so hard from having so much fun! Even when I got thrown off the back of the raft doing 40 mph, I was laughing hysterically! Hitting the water hurt, but it was so much fun that I almost couldn't stop laughing enough to swim back to the circling raft. With a thumbs up and retying of my bikini bottoms, we were at it again! I can't wait to go back.

happy lobsters!

this handsome guy

For dinner Sunday, Dave and J treated everyone to Sho Gun, a Japanese tepan style restaurant that they kept raving about. Josh has never had Japanese food so this was interesting! I have to give him credit because he tried things I didn't think he would even touch. He's one of those picky eaters due to fear, so sometimes you just have to trick him into eating something then admit that there was raw fish once he says he likes it! He's come a long way since we began dating when it comes to broadening his taste adventures and each new food he tries is a small victory.

dinner at Sho Gun: Dave and Josh (J in the background)

Not to be left behind, J brought her English Bulldog Maggie to keep Ricky Ricardo company. Maggie is double his size but he has always preferred playing with the big dogs so he was over the moon with such a willing playmate. Like true bulldogs, they could only take the excitement for so long before they were both worn out and needed a timeout to hydrate and nap! He slept the whole way home and continued to sleep the rest of the day. Too much fun for this guy!

too much party, now he needs to rest!

 Hope you all had a wonderful Labor Day weekend!