Lady A

 For mother's day I bought my mom and I tickets to go see Lady Antebellum at Pechanga.  We were thrilled that July had finally come and it was time for her to finally cash in on her gift!  I had never been to Pechanga before, but was very pleased with our experience and would definitely go back again.  There is a casino attached as well as lots of restaurants to choose from.  The concert was outside, and the venue was fairly small-so our cheap seats weren't so bad after all!  I loved every minute with my mom, getting ready, giving each other make-up tips, drinking skinny margaritas, singing along at the top of our lungs, buying matching shirts, and going to bed with huge smiles on our faces.  

My camera battery had to die (of course!) right at the beginning of the concert, but we had enough self portraits and pics from my mom's phone to give you the gist of it all.  

Like mother like daughter!

Look how long my hair is finally getting!!!!

The view from our seats.

View from our hotel room.

The concert was AMAZING!!!!  Lady A was so good, I'm in love with Hillary Stewart's voice, and I couldn't get enough.  They even covered some fun songs, too!  I would definitely go back to Pechanga for another concert.  Nothing was better than walking straight from the concert to our hotel room.

there are no words

There are a multitude of words I could use to describe the sensation going through my mouth as I tested this:

amazing, mmmmmm, holy scrumptious, delicious....but I think my favorite is just the silence as my eyes roll to the back of my head and I take in how indescribable this cupcake is.  This my friends is a Peanut Butter Fluff cupcake.  Ashley at the Edible Perspective recently posted this recipe but as a donut.  Well, I don't have a donut pan so I decided to make cupcakes instead.  The best part is they are gluten free!!!!  They are very simple to make as long as you have all of the ingredients.  Luckily I had them all on hand, but you'll need to make sure you have almond milk, coconut flour, rice flour, and apple sauce.  After you bake them you frost them with a peanut butter frosting.  I couldn't keep my fingers out of the bowl!  Then comes the best part, but I'll let the pictures do the talking:

Tear apart marshmallows and place them on top of the cupcakes.

Place them in the broiler for just a couple of minutes.  Make sure you watch them-the marshmallows will burn if left in too long.

Enjoy immediately!

Adding the marshmallows on top creates a gooey texture to the top as well as a little crunch where the marshmallow cooked a little too much.  One thing I love is sweets, and since going gluten free it has been hard finding the perfect recipe.  Daniel and Andrea were my official taste testers and they agreed that they were amazing!

Go right now and get this recipe: Peanut Butter Fluff Cupcakes!

picnic for two

Last night I surprised Daniel with a picnic date night.  I was inspired by A Bit of Sunshine's Dinner @ Eight challenge.  Each month she plans two surprise at-home date nights and shares her theme.  This month was a picnic, and I was completely excited because I have been dying to have a picnic all summer long.  So, I planned a nice and easy menu and made sure Daniel had something to do while I made dinner.  Our day didn't go quite as planned, so our picnic started super late.  But, we found the perfect neighborhood park to go to and had just enough sunshine to enjoy our meal, sit and talk, and look fondly into each other's eyes...

Our menu included rotisserie chicken, Mexican Quinoa with black beans and avocado, chips, salsa, watermelon, and mango banana bread for dessert.  

 It was absolutely delicious, simple, and perfect!

Afterwards, we decided we needed a little D + J photo shoot...

Then we played on the playground, raced down the slides, and acted like we were 5 again.  It was the best date ever!!!

my addiction

Hi.  My name is Jamie, and I'm addicted to blogs!  

(This is where you all say, "Hi Jamie", FYI).

But, seriously, I think I have a problem.  The problem started pretty small as I perused friends' blogs and then found some fun cooking and running blogs.  The blog addiction has now brought me to crafting blogs and even teaching blogs.  And, I can't get enough of them.  My justification for following all these blogs is the fact that they impact my life and my job now.  I have used countless lesson plans from fun kindergarten and other teacher blogs.  My husband can't complain either because the addiction has led me to create delicious creations in the kitchen.

Remember this:

Toasted coconut gluten free waffles, oh yummy!

Well yesterday I tried out a new recipe that I stumbled upon while visiting Joy the Baker's blog.  First, the smell coming from the oven was amazing.  Next, the bright color from the chunks of mango made it look like it was going to be a party in my mouth.  Then, the taste test came.  Oh. My. Goodness!  It was delicious!  Even the husband approved!

Vegan Mango Banana Bread

On Sunday I perused all of the crafts I have saved on Pinterest, and decided that it was the perfect day to finally make something!  So, I made this beauty from Little Miss Momma.  It was super easy, and looks way cute on.  Just ask my friend, Lindsay, who was over the dinner last night.  She demanded that I make her one pronto!  

So I guess I'm using my addiction for good.  But, boy oh boy, do I feel better getting that off my chest!

breath of fresh air

 Every now and then you just need to get away, breathe in some fresh air, and tough it out with your husband.  We hiked up Iron Mt. this past week and enjoyed the beautiful views from the top.  No phones.  No computer.  No distractions...

 Just him and me, and a snake!  No worries.  The husband leaped in front of me and saved the day.  Oh, I wish!  Of course I had to let out a girly shriek and create a scene.  We had a great hike, completed 6 miles, and had nice, quality time and long conversations.

The husband didn't let me know how crooked the straps were on my Camelbak (or how awkward the ladies look, too!).

summer lovin'

This summer has been amazing yet unexpected.  I had the summer off being a teacher, and didn't have to work.  Yet, I started the summer with some guilt that I wasn't working and wasn't able to find any babsitting/tutoring gigs.  Also, we didn't have any trips planned so I thought this summer was going to be my enemy since I would have a lot of downtime.  This joy that I now consume in regards to this summer caught me off guard.  You see, Daniel and I have had SO much time to spend with each other it has been amazing.  During the school year we rarely get to see each other because of our opposite days off.  Having so much quality time with him has been a huge blessing, helped me relax, and has strengthened our marriage.  I am a little sad that I only have one more month left, but have cherished the memories we have made thus far.

Summer so far has looked like this:

sleeping in until 7am! (yes, anything past 5am is sleeping in)

staying in my pajamas until 10am

trying out lots of new recipes

biking our way throughout San Diego

enjoying dinner outside on our new patio set

crisp white wine in the afternoons

scrap booking with mom

late morning runs

morning hikes

trying out new fro-yo flavors at our favorite "famous" place

watching movies in the afternoon

driving up to Ramona just to say hi to family

babysitting the cutest niece ever

planning a successful bachelorette party

seeing my best friend get married!!!

playing frisbee at the park

going to the pool just to play smashvolley ball (our new favorite game)

watching my garden grow (I have 2 peppers growing!)

spending way too much time on Pinterest

relaxing at the beach with a good book

...and, relaxing!!!!  

mr. & mrs. bohmbach

A beautiful union took place on Sunday as my best friend married her true love.  It was an overwhelming and joyful occasion, she was stunning, and the wedding festivities made it the best weekend yet.  

We kicked off the wedding festivities on Friday with her bachelorette party. (Post coming soon!)  The next day we were off and the day stayed very busy.  The first stop was to the airport to pick up one of the bridesmaids, then the wedding rehearsal, and scrumptious rehearsal luncheon in Old Town, errands for the bride, a long walk for dinner, and then finally....YES finally, some much needed rest.  

Andrea was as cool as a cucumber all weekend long!  She was one of the most relaxed brides I have seen yet.  

The morning of her wedding began with a continental breakfast...which we may have snuck into.  You see, there were two hotels we were all staying in.  One had a breakfast and one didn't, and sadly ours did not.  Then, we were off to grab some coffee.  

Andrea was cracking us all up as she shook her bootay.  The whole day was so entertaining, she is such a goof at times! 

The Lucios are like a second family to me, so it was great to hand out with not only Andrea but her sisters as well.  Andrea is blessed with two loving older sisters, and their bond is inseparable.   She was pampered all day long with foot rubs and massages.  

 Getting ready...

 I did her make-up for the wedding.  Talk about a stressful task!  Although I felt super prepared, it was so much harder for me than I thought it would be.  A rush of emotions came over me as I realized she was actually getting married in a matter of hours.  My best friend was entering a new stage of life, and a mix of sadness and happiness swam through my body.  

 Luckily I reigned the emotions in and she was amazingly beautiful! 

 The church she got married in had the most amazing bridal room.  Again, Andrea entertained us as she looked in the mirror and said to herself, "I'm SOOOO hot!"  

Patiently waiting...

Here comes the bride!

 The ceremony is intimate, beautiful, and breathtaking.  My kleenex held up nicely for all of my tears of happiness.  The pastor gave such a great mini-sermon during their ceremony on marriage.  One thing he said that was a wonderful breath of fresh air went along these lines...."Your goal should not be to stay married, but to strengthen your relationship and create a connected union".  

Andrea!!! I miss this girl like crazy!

Blushing bridesmaids.

 The weekend would not have been so successful without these amazing ladies.  Andrea had the best bridal party, we were on top of it all and everyone had a blast!  

Sadly, this wedding made me realize that I desperately need a new camera.  My mom took pics for me during the ceremony and the first thing she said after was, "You need a new camera!"  

Their reception was at the Admiral Kid Club, and oh was the weather amazing!  The sky was crystal clear, the water was bluer than blue, and when the moon came out it made us linger outside.  

Here are some random shots from her reception:

Generations pictures of each family wedding

Father-daughter dance

We are so fortunate to live here!

 Congratulations Mrs. Bohmbach!  You and Joey are the most loving and passionate people I know, and your wedding was unforgettable!