Anniversary trip to Cali - Part II

We woke up on our second day in San Diego and made the decision we wanted to stay another night. Our original plan was to drive back up to Anaheim and beach hop up the PCH. We had such a good time our first day in San Diego, we wanted to enjoy another day/night in the city.

My little sister decided to join us too, so she hopped on the train from Anaheim to San Diego and got to the city around 1 p.m. -- just in time for lunch.

Being so close to Mexico, we knew we needed to try some Mexican cuisine, so we dropped off her bags at the hotel and then headed down Fifth Avenue in search of a Mexican eatery with a patio. With the help of my trusty iPhone and 3G, I found a great little restaurant called La Fiesta.

It was after the lunchtime rush yet too early for the happy hour crowd, so we easily scored a table on the patio for people-watching. And there was a ton of action on the strip Saturday afternoon.

       Sisters! And check out my huge $3 margarita! Late lunch = happy hour prices on drinks!

But back to the food.

Our lunch was awe-some.

Clockwise from top left: skirt steak tacos; chicken torta; FREE flan for my first check-in on Twitter and crab empanadas with mango salsa.

After lunch, we grabbed a cab to head back to Balboa Park so my sister could see all the amazing gardens and meet the cockatoo that bit my finger the day before.

And here is Balboa Park in pictures.

This was not the bird that bit my finger. I refused to acknowledge that flesh-wounding creature.

After walking around the park for several hours, we headed back to our hotel to get ready for dinner. We ended the night at The Beer Co. and sampled their craft beers while we watched Game 7 of the Lakers vs. Nuggets series. It was another great day with beautiful weather and plenty to do in San Diego.

Anniversary trip to Cali

It's official!

I've been married for one year!!

For our anniversary, we decided to take a short trip to California to visit my family and to spend a few days in the magical city also known as San Diego.

San Diego is a city that has been on Adam's bucket list for quite some time now. His favorite brewery, Stone Brewing Co., is located in Escondido, just a few miles outside San Diego, so we decided that a day trip to the brewery was a must and made plans to stop by the Brewery for lunch and the brew tour on Friday.

We showed up just before it opened and sat in the parking lot a bit perplexed. The exterior of the brewery and bistro is very nondescript and there are no signs that indicate you are at the right place.

              See what I mean? Very nondescript ... except for the address in the upper left.

Once inside, it was a different story. Holy, wow. Stone is definitely the most impressive brewery I've ever visited. From the indoor bistro to the patio and gardens ... this place is absolutely ah-mazing. We ended up spending nearly six hours there, which sort of derailed our plans for the rest of the evening.

     The gardens behind the brewery. We've decided we will renew our vows here one day. One day ...

The tour ended with four fantastic samples, which I happily passed over to Adam to finish since I was the designated driver for the rest of the afternoon (which really just meant I was in charge of getting us to the hotel).

We arrived in downtown San Diego after 5 p.m. and checked into our hotel, which was located just a couple short blocks from the Gaslamp District. The district is just a long strip of restaurants, bars and shopping and has anything and everything for anyone.

We quickly freshened up and caught a bus to Balboa Park. By the time we hit the huge park of awesome, the sun was setting and we did a very quick tour of the gardens before heading back to our hotel. During our quick tour, I was bit by a cockatoo, but I'll save that story for the next blog post. I still have a visible flesh wound from the bird's sharp beak.

I was craving seafood and after doing some quick research online, I found a quaint seafood restaurant with great reviews. Escape Fish Bar is tiny, but the food, beer selection and service are fantastic. I have a huge crush on this restaurant and would suggest it to anyone visiting downtown San Diego.

Clockwise from top left: Sign indicating the specials and local fish; yummy oysters; chipotle coconut milk seafood chowder with Alaskan white fish on top; and the evening special, grilled swordfish

Apologies for the quality of the photos from the restaurant. I only had my iPhone and the place was pretty dimly lit.

It was a late dinner (we didn't hit the strip until past 8 p.m.), so by the time we were done eating, I was pretty pooped from the day's events. We headed back to the hotel and I was out by 10 p.m. But in my defense, I was still operating on East Coast time, so it was really 1 a.m. See? I still know how to party.

Retro rewind

I rarely purchase new songs on iTunes and usually just peruse the $.69 selections, however, the clearance song section hardly updates its selections. I guess that's what I get for trying to save a few bucks on music.

We're leaving for Cali in a few days and I wanted to be prepared with groovy tunes to entertain us during the flight and layovers. Luckily, I found some really good jams to upload to my iPod Nano and iPhone.

I came across this old tune in their "Prom Hits" section. It's only a couple years old, but I think I can still justify calling it retro.

Enjoy listening!!

Mail samples

I've written about things that brighten up my day.

Another one that I can add to the list is free mail samples!

I received a (very) small package from Target the other day. Excited that something in a box and not in an envelope arrived in my mailbox, I ripped open the packaging to find this cute bag inside.

Now, I don't want you to think Target sent this to me all on their own. Target had a promotion where they solicited Facebook likes for their fan page in return for a beauty bag. Being an avid FB user and an avid fan of anything free, I immediately clicked "like" and gave them all the info they needed.

The bag itself is pretty small and will be perfect to stash inside my work bag or larger purse for touch-up makeup items. I'm actually thinking about using it for my short trip to California next week. Adam and I both decided to each bring a carry-on bag instead of sharing a larger suitcase and checking it. Carry-on = smaller beauty products and three-ounce liquid items.

One of my favorite makeup products is makeup removing wipes. Whenever I travel, I always bring a stash of Pond's cleansing towelettes. When I get home late at night, I don't have to think (or put in the effort) to wash my face. I remove a towelette, wipe my face and then pass out. Easy, no fuss. I was pumped to find a sample of Simple Skin Care wipes inside my bag. I'm not really brand specific when it comes to skincare, so I'm excited to try out this new brand during my vacay.

The other samples inside my beauty bag: Pantene Color Preserve Shine Conditioner, Nivea Extended Moisture Daily Lotion, Neutrogena Visibly Bright Daily Facial Cleanser and L'Oreal Paris Magic Lumi Light Infusing Primer.

I've never used primer underneath my makeup before, although I think my makeup artist may have applied some on my wedding day. Lotion, face wash and conditioner? I know I'll use all that up in no time.

Do you sign up to receive free samples in the mail?

Road trip for furniture

We really need an IKEA here in Cleveland.

Although, if there was one locally, I would probably spend A LOT of money there on a weekly/monthly basis.

Two weeks ago, we decided to roadtrip it to Pittsburgh to hit up the ever-popular home store. Adam and I drove the Jeep since our friends JP and KT own much smaller vehicles. I made a list of items I wanted to pick up, which included cabinets for the new spare bathroom, bathroom accessories, bedroom accessories and a few kitchen items.

Well, we did pick up everything on our list ... along with a new bedroom set for our spare bedroom!

We did end up saving a ton of money on buying things there, which really are good quality pieces. For example, for our spare bedroom, we picked up a new headboard ($199), a three drawer dresser ($149) and a nightstand ($59). For nearly $400, we were able to easily decorate our new spare bedroom!

A shot of the new headboard and nightstand. I was still working on the three-drawer dresser when I snapped this pic.

For the bathroom, we found a high cabinet in a brown-black color that (almost) identically matches the color of our sink and mirror! We ended up buying two cabinets to fill out the bathroom wall. Each cabinet was $99. Adam looked at other cabinets online and the cheapest one he found that he liked were well over $300.

And I was itching to change up our own bedroom with a new duvet. My well-behaved pup chewed up a corner of our old duvet, so I was on the hunt for a new one. I bought the comforter and cover for just $25! You can't beat that price.

                                 Rigby and Sadie loooove the new comforter and duvet set.

When we got to IKEA, we kind of had an idea of what JP and KT wanted to buy, and we figured we could easily fit everything into the Jeep. Well, we all bought what we originally planned to buy before getting to IKEA ... and then some more.

Posted on Instagram: "How the eff are we getting all this stuff home??" #ikeashoppingproblems

Thankfully, we were able to fit everything inside ... I just ended up balancing several boxes on my right shoulder. I wasn't the only one uncomfortable -- JP and KT had box corners jabbing them in their sides and Adam had his seat pushed up as far as possible.

It was worth it for all the savings though!

Do you schedule trips to IKEA in Pittsburgh? Have you ever overpurchased items for your home?

DIY bathroom remodel

Three years ago, Adam and I purchased our very first home.

It's an oversized bungalow built in the 1950s with three bedrooms, two baths and a half bath.

My mom calls it our "gingerbread house."

When we bought the house, the previous owners made a few updates to the house including a new extension on the back of the house for a new living room and master bedroom. With the new extension, the rest of the house looked a bit outdated, especially our spare bathroom on the main floor.

The spare bathroom was made up of salmon-colored tile, an outdated wooden vanity and cabinets and we knew all of it needed. to. go. (Sorry guys, but I can't seem to find a photo of our original, pink, 1950s bathroom).

We made the decision to gut the bathroom and take on the remodel project ourselves this past Christmas. With the help of our amazing friend Jeff, Project Bathroom Redo is nearly finished.

 Top left: Gutting the bathroom, taking it down to the studs; Top right: Gutted, cleaned and new studs in place; Bottom left: New shower bin and drywall installed; Bottom right: Drywall seams done and sanded.

Top left: Painting the bathroom; Top right: Installing natural slate flooring; Bottom left: 1x1 tiles installed in the shower bin and half of the porcelain tiles installed on the wall; Bottom right: Lighting and sink installed.

As of now, we need to finish grouting the shower and sealing it one more time. We also have two small sections of wall left to tile in the shower. Once that's complete, everything else will be easy peasy including installing a new door (we cut a new doorway when we gutted and extended the bathroom), adding trim to the floor and the window and installing a new toilet.


Today I spent nearly three hours grouting the remainder of the bathroom floor and starting on the shower floor.

Grouting is not fun.

It's tedious and really messy.

                                                  Aren't those grout lines gorgeous??

Although a lot of sweat and tears have gone into this remodel, it's also been very gratifying to have a hand in everything that has gone into this project. And I mean everything.

In just a few short weeks, our bathroom will be done and we can finally put our house back together and invite friends over to use our new, fancy powder room.

Have you or are you working on a DIY project?

Bridesmaid dresses, workout and post-run grub

I am loving this weather in Cleveland!

High 70s and cloudless skies? I'll take it!

On Sunday, I headed to Strongsville to try on bridesmaid dresses with several other lovely ladies in preparation for Angela's fall wedding.

I was able to narrow it down to three styles, although I think I know which dress I'm going to order. Angela is such an accommodating bride and is allowing everyone in the bridal party to choose their own dress style.

Here are the three styles I am currently entertaining:

  Which one do I go with?? (BTW: The top two dresses are the same. I tried it on with and w/o a sash)

I love all these dresses for different reasons, however, one dress has a slight edge.

Since the weather has been so amazingly awesome, I've been trying to spend as much time outdoors as possible. I called my friend Crane to see if he was interested in helping me walk my dogs on Tuesday. Lucky for me, he was willing to help me walk my crazy pup Rigby and my perfect angel Sadie. I have a hard time walking both dogs since Rigby acts so wild on walks, so I was grateful to have somewhere there to take over the leash. We did a two-mile loop in my neighborhood under the scorching sun and wore the pups out quick.

After our walk, I met Adam and my friend Stef at the gym. I don't know if the hot temps had anything to do with it, but I was a sweaty mess on the treadmill! The gym did have the doors open and the air-conditioning on at the same time, so that may have had a part in it. After the walk and the gym, I covered nearly five miles. Not a bad Tuesday if I do say so myself.

We were in the mood for some patio sitting, so we all decided to head to Plank Road Tavern for $5 burgers and beer.

Plank Road's patio is tucked behind the bar and is pretty much just a large concrete slab with picnic tables and a few high-top tables with barstools. I'm sure they weren't expecting such beautiful weather this early in the season and may do more with the patio in the near future.

Anyway, we all ordered burgers and added our own toppings to them. You can choose your own patty (beef, chicken, chicken breast, chorizo) and build-your-own burger by choosing the bun, cheese and dozens of toppings. Cheese and toppings are $.25 each, but since the burger comes with lettuce and tomato already, that's still a pretty great deal. I opted for the chicken burger with smoked fontina and garlic mayo. The chicken burger is supposed to mimic a chicken Caesar salad, but on this visit, I didn't think it tasted anything like a Caesar salad, especially since there were chopped black olives mixed into my patty. It didn't bother me since I love olives, but I've had this burger before and really enjoyed the Caesar spices in the meat.

Adam ordered his typical chorizo and fried egg combo and was more than satisfied with it. Stef also ordered the chicken burger with caramelized onions and Lou ordered a regular burger with avocado and bleu cheese slaw.

                                                      How delicious do these look?!?!

Since Plank Road is located right next door to Dairy Queen, I had to pop in for dessert. Adam and I ended up ordering Blizzards and the second one was just $.99! I couldn't finish my entire Oreo mint blizzard, so I ended up freezing the rest of it. But don't you worry ... it'll be gobbled up tonight, for sure!