Joshua Tree!

After being with Chris for five years I finally made it for a trip to Joshua Tree. Chad and Tracey met up with us so that the boys could celebrate Chris' 30th together in the desert. This is a special place for them as they have been going together since they were in high school. We had fun tagging along and I must say we both are very good climbers! The boys were off in photog land so we even had a chance to sit up on the rocks with blankets and have some girl time. It was a great trip and I love love love Joshua Tree. I can't wait to go back!

I brought the soccer ball! what what!
Tracey made some bomb bacon in the cast iron

Our set up

Chris looking sexy for Chad. It was cold!!!

Here was our set up. Our tent was twice the size haha

My delicious camping breakfast

The golf in J Tree!

Ready for our hike to Barker Dam

I was ready!

The boys have been coming to J Tree together since High School

Taking pictures

The jumping Cholla cactus. Chris said they jump off and attack you.

You do have to be careful.

Tracey by the cave drawings

Me attempting to be a photographer

xoxo c&a

Congratulations to Michelle & Paul!

I know I am catching up but we wanted to congratulate Michelle and Paul for their new baby boy Parker! He is so cute!

Parker Wesley Maddux
Born Friday, Feb. 20th at 7:50 a.m.
He weighed 8 lbs 9.5 oz and is 19.5 inches long

Valentines Lunch at Tart

For Valentine's day I invited Katie to have lunch with me at Tart, a place she has been dying to go to. It has an adorable patio and the food was good. I think Katie's Ahi salad was worth the price but my garden burger was not. It was lovely to sit out in the sun with my sister and friend Kristin though!

Diane's Baby Shower

Diane and Brian are expecting their first and she is a girl! We both cannot wait to meet her and here are pictures from her beautiful baby shower.

Di & I

Here are the baby booties I made her

It will be any day now!

Chambord Tasting at the SLS Hotel

A friend invited me to a Chambord tasting event. I had never tasted this liqueur but recognized the beautiful bottle. I was pleasantly surprised by how delicious this was with champagne, vodka, hot cocoa - pretty much anything. Plus it makes every drink this beautiful blush color. I am bringing our gift bottle with us camping in Joshua Tree so Tracey can add to this review! I am going to try and do more event/restaurant reviews because I love reading other people's. The hotel SLS was beautiful and very cool inside. It was a little Marie Antoinette, hunting lodge and modern lounge all in one. I would love to go back for cocktails in the main lounge. This is the entrance to the lobby & side restaurant where the event was held:
Here is a pic inside the event.

Afterward we had dinner at Tres restaurant. Their salads were delicious and they put Tabasco in their ketchup. I highly recommend it for french fries!

Their main restaurant was amazing but PACKED. Overall I would definitely go back for drinks! I am definitely going to continue adding Chambord to my cocktails. Here is a recipe for the drink called La Celebration

Chambord is inspired by a unique raspberry liqueur produced in the Loire Valley of France during the late 17th Century. The liqueur was said to have been introduced to King Louis XIV during one of his visits to the Chateau de Chambord. Chambord is crafted from the world's finest raspberries and blackberries, Madagascar vanilla, Moroccan citrus peel, honey and cognac to create a delicious all-natural Black Raspberry liqueur.

I promise I don't work for them. I just really like it! xoxo c&a

The New Baby

For Chris' 30th birthday all he wanted was a 4x5 camera. He diligently did his research and thanks to a lot of ebay shopping was able to find a great body and lens. From there he stripped the camera down, repainted the body red and added additional elements that really make it his own. It is a gorgeous camera and I can't wait to see his new work.

January Recap

We had a great time celebrating Chris' birthday. Mer & Meg were in town with little Evan while Win had surgery so it was even more of a party!

The awesome giant ice cream cookie cake

So cute

The weekend after Chris' bday Brian & Diane took him out to dinner at Lares the best mexican food in the city

This is just a beautiful LA night

There is an amazing non-profit group called TreePeople here that gathers volunteers to plant and care for trees on school campuses, city streets, parks and the mountains surrounding Los Angeles. So Chris and I signed up to volunteer our time in Topanga Canyon on a beautiful Saturday morning. I volunteered us for the pulling group as they said it was where they needed the most help. So for three hours we pulled an invasive species while others planted grasses and trees. Our next adventure will be in March but Chris says that he wants to plant trees. After 6 spider bites I will not argue with him. :) It was great giving back to the city we love!

The group working hard

See all of those green plants? They were gone once Chris was through with them!

We used the plants that we pulled to provide cover for the newly planted trees. You can see them to my right and left. My mom and dad sent us these great gloves that saved our hands!
It was a gorgeous LA day

After all that hard work we rewarded ourselves with Abbot Kenney pizza!
Their newest flavor was Chicken Curry pizza. AMAZING
The place never changes
After all of this we went home and slept for 3 hours! Whew! A great way to start off the year!

xoxo c&a