Summer Lovin' 2

Yesterday was a lovely summer day. First, leisurely perusal of the newspaper and two cups of coffee. Then I drove to Fashion Valley in the gorgeous, breezy sunshine to meet my friend Lisa for a girly lunch n' shop. We ate like ladies in the Nordstrom Cafe, and my salad and signature tomato soup were divine. I ate slowly, savoring every bite. Afterwards, we hit the Half-Yearly sale, where we scooped up some jeans for our hubbies, then checked out Old Navy and the Gap. Lisa is a really great shopping companion, and had lots of good tips. We then sidled into See's Candies, where they just happened to be handing out my all-time favorite Chocolate Butter as the free sample of the day. Thanks for the snack, See's. No need to buy anything now. ;)

We parted ways, Lisa towards the movies, and me to Bay Park, in pursuit of a free massage from an old friend who has recently started at the School of Oriental Medicine and needs bodies. As I lounged on her comfy table with soothing music in the background, she explained the technique of Tui Na, and how it would likely help my neck. I guess it did, since my neck feels great today, but I'm happy to say I don't remember much because I was snoozing like a kitten on the hearth through most of it. She even offered me another freebie as I was leaving! Sweet!

From there I hit Trader Joe's, and picked up some snacks and savories, all satisfyingly cheap. When I got home, I did a bit of reading, then took a shower and primped for the evening's festivities. David and I headed out to our friend Lynne's birthday party at Lei Lounge* where we whooped it up for several hours, sharing finger foods, sipping fancy, fruity drinks, and appreciating how as the sun went down and the balmy night set in around us, the mood was enhanced by fire pits and a wall of ambient video across from our cabana. Yes, cabana--it was that kind of place. A fun evening to cap off a fun and relaxing day.

Let me count the ways this perfect summer day was oh-so-different from summer days of yore:

Yesterday was a lovely summer day. First, leisurely perusal of the newspaper and two cups of coffee. (I got up at 7:00 with Jarrah, which I don't usually do, so I was nodding off again by 10:00.) Then I drove to Fashion Valley in the gorgeous, breezy sunshine to meet my friend Lisa for a girly lunch n' shop. (I felt a little guilty leaving my two babies, but David said he was going to bring Jarrah on his errands. Hmmm.) We ate like ladies in the Nordstrom Cafe, and my salad and signature tomato soup were divine. (I rarely order salad or soup, because they are time-consuming, and hard to share.) I ate slowly, savoring every bite. (Okay, that hardly ever happens anymore.) Afterwards, we hit the Half-Yearly sale (no one whining or begging for snacks), where we scooped up some jeans for our hubbies (one day 'til Father's Day!), then checked out Old Navy and the Gap. (Jarrah already needs a new bathing suit, since she's trashed the tush on her current one via undisclosed manoevers at camp.) Lisa is a really great shopping companion, and had lots of good tips. (Normally when I see her, we don't even finish a four-sentence conversation.) We then sidled into See's Candies, where they just happened to be handing out my all-time favorite Chocolate Butter as the free sample of the day. Thanks for the snack, See's. No need to buy anything now. ;) (Walking into a candy store with Jarrah would create an ugly scene. 'Nuff said.)

We parted ways, Lisa towards the movies, and me to Bay Park, in pursuit of a free massage from an old friend who has recently started at the School of Oriental Medicine and needs bodies. (I am totally tweaked these days from improper toddler-lugging methods.) As I lounged on her comfy table with soothing music in the background, she explained the technique of Tui Na, and how it would likely help my neck. I guess it did, since my neck feels great today, but I'm happy to say I don't remember much because I was snoozing like a kitten on the hearth through most of it. (See above, where I didn't get enough sleep.) She even offered me another freebie as I was leaving! Sweet! (I scheduled it for when Jarrah's at camp.)

From there I hit Trader Joe's, and picked up some snacks and savories (a certain snacker in our home goes through my stash in 2-3 days), all satisfyingly cheap. When I got home, I did a bit of reading (Jarrah was sleeping), then took a shower and primped for the evening's festivities. ("Wha' doing, Mommy? Wha' doing, Mommy?") David and I headed out to our friend Lynne's birthday party at Lei Lounge* (after briefing our newest babysitter on bathtime and dinner options) where we whooped it up (with the occasional eye to the passing time, since it was costing us by the hour), sharing finger foods, sipping fancy, fruity drinks, and appreciating how as the sun went down and the balmy night set in around us, the mood was enhanced by fire pits and a wall of ambient video across from our cabana. Yes, cabana--it was that kind of place. A fun evening to cap off a fun and relaxing day. (As we drove home, I silently hoped that Jarrah had had a good evening, and looked forward to being back under the same roof with my sleeping cherub.)



*Please see attached post for a review of Lei Lounge!