Pumpkin Carving

On Sunday night, October 30, when we got home from the wedding, we decided to carve our pumpkins. I whipped up some of Nic's favorite Halloween treat, mummy dogs, for dinner and we got to work on our pumpkins. Normally, we watch Hocus Pocus while we decorate, but since we still had all the construction going on I had to record it and watch it a few nights later. I think our jack~o~lanterns turned out pretty good this year. What do you think?

Brunch

The next morning, we went to World Famous for breakfast. I got turkey benedict, which was delicious, Nic got a bacon benedict that looked delcious, not sure what Tyler and Juston got, but my mom and Sabrina both got carne asada benedict that also looked delicious. The hot chocolate and potatoes were also great and the best part was the gorgeous view of the ocean. We also got to see some dolphins splashing out in the water just in front of the restaurant.

After breakfast, we went to say our goodbyes to the Mercier Family, then we went shopping at Fashion Valley. From there, Nic and I began the journey home. We decided to stop at an old favorite, Taco Rosa, in Newport Beach for lunch. It ended up being a really nice day.

Robitaille Wedding

Carlie and Dan tied the knot on Saturday, October 29th, in Mission Beach, San Diego. It was a gorgeous day and a beautiful wedding. The ceremony was great, especially Jack's walk up the isle holding a "Here Comes the Bride" sign, Carlie (who has a tendency to be clumsy) walked down stairs as part of her entrance, the shots Chuck and Carlie took together half way down the stairs, and Jack's exit up the aisle with a "Just Married" sign. Carlie looked stunning and the whole ceremony was wonderful. After that, we enjoyed cocktail hour near the beach, while the sun set. I caught up with Jackie and Tracy Warner who I haven't seen in years, a bunch of our Acton friends, and Kim and Miri who I hadn't seen since last weekend. ;) The reception was held in a ballroom upstairs. The dinner was quite good and we were seated at a really fun table conveniently located right next to the bar (*wink *wink). Quite a few glasses of wine and a few shots with the photographer later we were all getting our dance on out on the dance floor. The guys all snuck away for a while to watch the 3 OTs of the Stanford vs. USC football game. After the wedding, we were all going to go on a boat ride around the harbor, but most people bailed. It ended up being Miri, Chris, Nic, myself, Brenda, Craig, Chuck, Sheri and a few other people. It would have been more fun if everyone had come, but it was still a good time. We are really glad we got to share in Carlie and Dan's special day and we wish them a lifetime of happiness.

Visiting Papa Fred

On the way down to San Diego for Carlie and Dan's wedding, we stopped at Papa Fred's house for a visit. We all crowded around him in his bedroom (he was in his usual chair) and spent a good hour and a half talking and laughing and sharing stories. It was really nice to spend some time with him. We don't get to see him all that much any more and he isn't doing all that great health wise, so it was really great to see him. Plus it was the first time in forever that the whole family was together with him, so of course we took some photos. *On a side note, Sabrina and I did not plan to wear coordinating t-shirts.

Mammoth Huskies vs. Vasquez Mustangs

On Friday, October 28th, I went to Acton to watch Justin play JV football and Tyler play Varsity football against Vasquez highschool. Sabrina had these really cool sweatshirts made with the boys' number on the back that Sabrina, my mom, and I all wore. Justin didn't get to play much, but we sure cheered loud when he was in. My mom, dad, Laura, Sabrina, and I all watched Justin's game, which they lost. :( We ordered pizza in between games that The Pizza Place delivered to us on the field. I think we helped them get a lot of extra business that night. ;) My mom also brought Velvet cupcakes and milk...yum! Football games gourmet style. Nic, Brenda, Craig, Daron, Brenda, Amy, Rachel, and Ashley all came to watch Tyler's game. He played really well, and Mammoth won! Apparently, a bunch of Acton kids sitting in the Vasquez bleachers also cheered Tyler, which was pretty cool. It was really fun!

Brunch

The nest morning (10/23), Nic, Sabrina, Amy, Angel and I went to brunch at Dink's Deli. We had never been there before and it was actually quite good. Then Nic and I went and did some furniture shopping, then attempted to clean our disaster of a house.

Michael Jackson Party

The Michael Jackson party finally took place on Saturday, October 22nd, months after I came up with the idea, but it was totally worth the wait. Everyone had such a good time! I made themed food, had a black or white dessert bar, a drink contest and a dance contest. In fact, it was so much fun, I might have to throw the party again. ;)

Michael Jackson Party Prep

Throughout the few weeks leading up to the party, I did a lot of prep work. I made tissue pom poms to hang from the ceiling, I made all the food labels, and I bought costumes. A few days before the party I started prepping all the food. On Thursday night I made the chocolate dipped pretzels and started the oreo truffles.

On Friday, I did nothing but get my drink on...So that left A Lot to get done on Saturday. Luckily, Sabrina and Nic were there to help me and Amy stopped by to help for a bit too. It got a little frantic at times, but we managed to get it all done. In some ways the prep for the party was more fun than the actual party and I am really proud of how it all turned out.

(I'll try to post some recipes and tutorials soon, just in case you want to create your own MJ Party)

Friday Night Drinks

Sabrina got into town on Friday, October 21st, so I picked her up from Burbank Airport after my dance class. We were supposed to go home and prep for the Michael Jackson party, but she somehow talked me into going to Amy and Angel's house for a few drinks first. Well, the few drinks turned into bottles of wine, champagne, and tequila shots until 4am! ;/ Oops! We were not only going to be exhausted the next day, but we had a TON to do for the party. Oh well, it was so much fun and Totally worth it. ;)

Early Birthday Celebration

On Wednesday October 19th, I went out to dinner with my parents sort of a as a birthday dinner. We went to one of our favorite restaurants: Gourmet 88. That night, Lindsay did my hair for me and my mom dropped off my birthday presents at the salon. She got me a bunch of cute Halloween Longaberger stuff. I can't wait until next year, when we are done with construction and have furniture, so I can put it all out on display. :)