abandoned ship

Wow, it's been over a month since I wrote here. What can I say - I'm a busy bee and also just enjoying pregnancy. But here are a few updates:

1. The Mister and I went on a little weekend getaway a few weeks ago, to a small coastal town, and loved every moment. We stayed in a spacious suite complete with wood burning fireplace, deck, trail access to ocean bluffs, and delicious breakfasts. We saw whales (from afar), ate the best clam chowder, re-visited the Irish pub (a.k.a. local dive), played cards and Carcassonne, relaxed in lavendar baths, and took long walks.

2. I've been obsessed with looking at baby gear. I will register soon and hopefully get some of this out of my system, because I'm tired of looking at stuff online.

3. We enjoyed a visit with the Mister's wonderful parents. We love hanging out together and on this trip, my mother-in-law and I went shopping for maternity and baby things while the boys caught a pre-season baseball game. The weather was perfect, so we all ventured out to the beach towards the end of the day.

4. Had another tea date with girlfriends - I cannot get enough of those little sandwiches and scones! Unfortunately the combination of lots of carbs and tea equals being overly full for the rest of the day. But man, it is worth it.

5. After not having exercised for two months, my friend took me on a hike that nearly did me in. Lots of hills, no shortcut back to my car - I had to stop and sit on the ground a few times! But it was fun, after I got over the point where I thought I would pass out, and I need to get the exercise back in gear.

So that's all folks. Days are generally filled with work, some socializing, and thinking about the baby. Oh, and by the way, we're having a boy! It took a little getting used to because almost everyone thought I was having a girl, but I am thrilled. Not to mention I will save beaucoup bucks because as cute as boy stuff can be, girl stuff is irresistible.

I don't foresee keeping up with this blog very often anytime soon. Besides, I lost focus of my original intent a long time ago and I have a different purpose now.

current makeup obsession: NARS Blush in Orgasm

There are a few cult favorite beauty products out there such as Clinique's Almost Lipstick in Black Honey (I think they discontinued this line EXCEPT for Black Honey which speaks to its popularity), Maybelline's Great Lash mascara, and Shu Uemura's lash curler.

NARS' blush in Orgasm is probably the most famous blush and boasts to be universally flattering on all skin tones. I have been fascinated for a long time but refrained because I wasn't really into blush, much less a $25 one. However, in the past year I have been using a Bare Minerals blush daily, discovered how awesome blush is, and since I'm running low decided to make the jump and get the Holy Grail of cheek color.

Does it live up to it's name? In a figurative sense, absolutely. The peachy-pink tone gives a completely flattering, fresh flush. I was a bit concerned about the gold shimmer (I like glitter on my eyelids, not my face) but it is very subtle and offers a bit of highlighting. I absolutely love this blush and it will be a staple in my makeup arsenal.

current obsessions

• Dining on Turkish appetizers and desserts - dolmas, cevizli ezme, baklava amongst others
• Tangerines - the big bags of Cuties at Trader Joe's
  
• Cupcakes - but thankfully these are on their way out of my obsession radar
• Looking for my fave earrings which I haven't seen in months
• Fantasizing about a weekend getaway
  
• Babycenter.com, sleeping with extra pillows, elastic waist bands - yes, I'm pregnant...which explains why half of this list is comprised of food.
  

inauguration day

It’s official - 12pm est, Barack Obama is our new president! When Barack Obama won the election to become the 44th POTUS, I felt a sense of renewed hope and possibility for our nation. I know there are a lot of haters out there, but I hope they will give Obama a chance, recognize he is human and no one is perfect, stop interpreting his views inaccurately, and realize coming times have got to be better than the past eight years.

A large part of Obama’s “success” as president depends on the people, the citizens of the United States. It is so powerful to hear the president call on people to rise up and remind us, yes we have a huge stake in how things happen. We are not just bystanders in this life. The burden of our well-being is not placed on one man, and it is up to us all to roll up our sleeves and dig in. It’s not about his success, but our success. I believe that our country is entering into a time of reuniting, recovery, and renewal. God bless our leader, Barack Obama, with wisdom, compassion, perseverance, sound judgment, and resources.

a birthday come and gone

I didn't plan anything for my birthday this year but thought it would be worthwhile to acknowledge it. It's hard to believe a whole year has passed since my big 30th birthday bash! It has been a fabulous year full of great friends and great fun - probably one of my best ever. So it's true, life gets better and better and the 30s are indeed the new 20s.

I'm not doing anything fancy this year because I'm still sort of recovering from hard partying in December and the timing wasn't the best, but I am very much looking forward to tea with some girlfriends this weekend!

drama queen?

For the first time in seven years, I finally bought new glasses thanks to the fortuitous timing of having two consecutive jobs that included VSP insurance in 2008. I have an exceptionally wide face so when I went shopping for glasses there were literally THREE pairs that fit out of hundreds. The first two were hideous and the silver lining is the pair pictured above.

At first, I wasn't too keen on the fact that they only had this dusky pink color (I later found online that they come in the normal colors of black and brown)...but then again, pink really works on me. Besides, in the past I've had frames in red, deep plum, etc - hardly the typical black or tortoise shell. I picked up my new specs today and I love them! They are deeper and richer in color than I remembered, and I truly will be viewing the world through rose-colored glasses.

The hilarious thing - these are Juicy Couture, come in a light pink case, the model name is DRAMA QUEEN, and there is a little gold crown on one side.

one more surprise

Just when I thought I was going to coast into the New Year, home free and chillin', we decide to visit our family in Southern California last minute. Okay, so it's for my mother-in-law's birthday and they asked us to come down (less than a week from the day of, mind you). We have got to stop doing these last-minute flights because they are expensive. Plus, it takes up three of my vacation days of having no agenda. Thankfully I'll have three more when we get back before returning to work.