SLO Times

A trip to San Luis Obispo plus hanging out with this little one makes for the best weekend ever!

 First, let me give you a little background on who this amazing lady is.  I have known Lauren since she was this size:

Our parents worked with each other and were very close friends.  I started babysitting her and her younger sister when I was 10.  Now, there are five kids altogether and Lauren has transformed into this beautiful lady:

 She is now a junior in high school, is super talented and smart, and is looking at colleges to apply for.  I have always ranted and raved about my love for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, mainly because I want to go up there as much as possible and having someone I know to visit legitimizes my trips!  Anyways, I jumped on the opportunity to take her up there when she asked.  However, I must say that I wanted to cry thinking about the fact that she would be going off to college in a year and a half! 

Our trip was a blast, and I had to show her the best places around town.  So...we started off our morning right with heavenly cinnamon rolls in Pismo Beach. 

Then we went over to the campus.  I instantly was taken back to my college days (which I know weren't too long ago) but it made me miss it tremendously!  The campus was quiet over the three day weekend, but that didn't stop us from enjoying ourselves.  I love the engineering buildings because they are the newest.

 And our trip couldn't end before a picture in front of the Mustang!

 Hopefully, I did the college justice and convinced her that SLO is the place to be! 

 My senior year of college I worked at this little B&B in downtown San Luis Obispo and have always wanted to stay because of it's quaint charm.  Fortunately, the new inn keeper had a room for us!

 Each room has a different theme and is named accordingly.  Our room was based around the first Chinese merchant in the area and was filled with artifacts. 

 I found my maiden name!

 We enjoyed the rest of our day walking around beautiful downtown SLO, eating delicious food and overall having a wonderful day!  Lauren is a riot with her dry sense of humor, so there was never a dull moment.  Plus, I got to relax and focus on showing her the best of SLO not stress about work or school.

 

Our trip was short, but the sights we saw definitely made it worthwhile.  The green hills were so lush from the recent rains, and I LOVE the drive home because you get great views of the ocean from the mountains.

 I also found out how to keep a 16 year old entertained:
1. Give her your phone so that she can blow your score on Angry Birds out of the water.

 2. Act like a fool to get a good laugh.

 (That is until you realize that you are really just being yourself...)

Love in the Sky

This past weekend we were able to take a mini "stay-cation" in beautiful downtown San Diego.  It was the best of both worlds because it was Valentine's day weekend (good for me) and the Navy's fly over (good for Daniel).  We have always wanted to stay downtown, so it was so much fun to finally make it come true!  

What made this guy have the biggest smile on his face???

MEAT!  

We went to the San Diego Strip Club (it's a steak house....so no need to gasp), and it was everything we had expected and more.  Several friends and relatives had mentioned that this was a top restaurant to go to while down there.  We were not disappointed.  Daniel liked feeling manly while grilling his own meat, and I enjoyed snapping pictures of him (even when he was not a fan).

Our food was delicious and can't wait to go back again because it was very reasonable.  You get a TON of food, so we will need company with us next time.

This was the weekend of splurging so we topped dinner off with a stop at the Ghiradelli Chocolate Factory where we split a sundae.  This is my "Holy smokes, this is a big sundae" face.

Saturday morning I took Daniel over to the Little Italy farmer's market.  I love their fresh produce and huge selection and couldn't wait to take Daniel there.  We were a little bummed that we didn't have a fridge back in our hotel because the produce was definitely calling my name.  Afterward we walked down the the Embarcadero so watch the Navy's fly over which marked their 100th year.  We could not have asked for better weather.  It was beautiful outside, clear, sunny, and hot!  Both of us got a little sun (our kids will be doomed with fair skin and always getting sunburned!).

 We sat on the grass with tons of other people and watched as the Blue Angels, helicopters, airplanes, and jets entertained us in the sky.  This was a huge highlight for Daniel, but I was in love with all of the airplanes.  It was fascinating to see the original planes that were flown and hearing about their original missions.  It was a once in a life time experience.

 We couldn't help but stop by my brother's work and say hi to him.  He's just too handsome and sweet to resist.  Plus, he gives us free iced coffee which we both agreed was a must in the afternoon.

 That night we enjoyed another restaurant but were not impressed at all, so the restaurant will go name less.  If you look closely you can see my poor husband's raccoon eyes.  Spending time with each other, however, definitely made up for the lack of quality and service during dinner.

 After dinner I took Daniel to my favorite new spot, Vin de Syrah.  It is a super adorable underground wine bar filled with "Alice and Wonderland" themed decorations.  I'm a huge fan of the umbrellas hanging from the ceiling and the grass covered walls.

 We finished off our weekend with a scrumptious breakfast Sunday morning.  This is by far mine and Daniel's favorite meal together, and we love any chance to try out a new breakfast place.  This weekend was the best ever because I was with my best friend, enjoyed this beautiful city we are so fortunate to live in, and made many new memories!

Love the Bun!

Please pardon this brief interruption.  This is not a recipe of the week.  This has nothing to do with any recent LaFuze happenings.  Nope...this is just me being me and telling you what I am in LOVE with lately: BUNS!  Yes, I love buns.  They are so simple, elegant, and can make your look go from a 2 to a 10.  I love them because they are quick and cut down on my time getting ready in the mornings.  Their versatility is also an added bonus.

They can be sleek and chic like Amy Adams. {I just love the deep red dress with jewel toned necklace.  This whole ensemble is definitely an outfit I would love to pull off one day.}

They can be airy, romantic, and wispy like Natalie Portman.  Here it is pretty classy with a touch of romance.

Then there are the super romantic and stylish styles like the beautiful Scarlett Johansen wears ever so flawlessly here.

This week I went for a classy look with just a touch of mess.  Too much mess is not a good thing, but just a little shows that you're not always perfect and it also gives it a wispy look.  When I did my chignon for Daniel's holiday party I got a couple tips from my hair dresser that made it much easier and the look was very easy!
1) Curl your hair first!  It sets your hair and makes it much easier for the hair to form in the shape that you want.
2) Don't be afraid of product.  A good smoothing cream will help separate the curls and tame down fly aways.
3) Embrace the "tease".  Get out the comb and start teasing until you can tease no more.  Well, almost.  Give the crown of your head a good voluminous look by teasing it and smoothing it over with a round brush.
4) Once you have curled and teased, pull your hair into a ponytail where you want your bun/chignon.  My hair naturally goes to just the right spot if I have done all of the following steps. 
5) Play with your hair to find out which shape it will most likely take.  I have thick hair with lots of layers so I have to kind of mush mine into a curly bun because trying to go around and pin it into a perfect circular bun would not last at all. 

{Don't mind the red nose.  The sniffles has taken over my face!}