Royal Wedding, OMG.

I will confess it, and only be slightly embarrassed: I'm having Royal Wedding withdrawal. I'm very sad about the fact that the next major British event for which I will have to get up crazy-early and watch TV is probably going to be Prince Philip or the Queen's funeral...perish the thought! 

To start this behemoth of a post off, a few snippets from yours truly's less-than-regal social media in the 24 hours leading up to the event: 

We pregamed the night before with a re-viewing of both Charles and Di and William and Kate's weddings on BBC America, as well as "Harry and Meghan: A Royal Romance" and "Harry and Meghan: Royal Rebels" courtesy of Lifetime, "Meghan Markle: An American Princess" courtesy of somewhere, and maybe like...several episodes of "Say Yes to the Dress" on TLC. (I use "we" loosely - or in the royal we context - all of this was solo, as my poor roommates are NOT royals fans.)

2am rolled around and found me a bit punchy I queued up BBC on the TV, the Today show on my laptop, and settled in for a long night - morning? I don't even know. Being a royals fan on the West Coast requires a truly punishing level of commitment and dedication to one's craft, darlings. 

Fortunately I wasn't alone in my already-punch-drunk craziness...Mama Bear had gotten up at 4am Central to keep me company, and we texted through the entire shebang...in addition to the 21 phone calls we clocked. Oops. I missed her so much during my solo viewing! 

After two cups of coffee, I switched to bubbly right in time for the main event. (I did NOT play the drinking game as previously planned because there was too much utter adoration happening on Harry's end, and I didn't want to black out before the end of the ceremony!) Although let's talk fascinators...and the people sporting them...my faves? 

Lady Kitty Spencer hands-down won the day for me - I loved her dress's bright color, gorgeous floral detail and her orange accessories. Second place to Amal Clooney (and her husband, that actor) - she is just so effortlessly amazingly gorgeous and that bright marigold yellow was so pretty! 

Additional credit to the cast of "Suits," who all brought it big-time. Also, Gabriel Macht (who plays Harvey) blew my mind in his cute thick-rimmed glasses. I have a raging crush now. What can I say? Guys in good glasses are one of my weaknesses. 

Favorite wedding photos/moments: 

Not gonna lie, I was way "meh" on her dress after lots and lots of waffling back and forth on it...I loved the idea of the bateau neck and 3/4 sleeves (two of my absolute favorite things!!!), but the fit was rumply and seemed too large. That veil, though? With the 53 hand-embroidered Commonwealth flowers, and that perfect silk tulle volume, and the stunning Queen Mary Filigree Bandeau Tiara holding it all in place?!? YES PLEASE. 

I would like it on record, fyi, that I ID'd the tiara before either "Today" OR the BBC, and therefore I win and should be awarded a tiara of my own. Or something. Anyway, I am HERE for the veil, and love the length and volume and drama - I just wish the dress either had a flawless fit or maybe just a leeetle something extra to it. 

That said, it brought the drama in this stunning shot, which legitimately made me gasp when I saw it later on Saturday: 

I also died laughing at the fact that Prince Henry (Harry) married Meghan at St. George's, where Henry VIII is buried, on the 482nd anniversary of Henry VIII's beheading of his wife, Anne Boleyn. AND Henry VIII and Harry are both gingers. Laughed uproariously, campers. 

Favorite moment of the wedding right here - immediately after Harry flipped Meghan's veil over and they were both looking at each other with just an absolutely insane amount of love and happiness in their eyes. UGH my heart - I'm such a hopeless romantic! (My mother and I, among hundreds of thousands of others, were inordinately annoyed with that piece of hair falling out though. Girl! Bobby pins!)

The overhead shot of the carriage ride, too - this looks like it should be on the cover of a romance novel or something. Also loved the detail that Harry hand-picked a few of the flowers in Meghan's bouquet - it's the utterly sweetest gesture and really makes me think these two are going to make it. 

Also, let us not ignore that kiss. I'm just a walking heart-eyes emoji over here. 

Other brief thoughts: 

- Kate took a lot of flak in the media for a: wearing a white-adjacent coat and b: side-eyeing and laughing (along with the other royals) during Bishop Michael Curry's speech. I loved about the first 2/3 of Curry's homily, and was way over the final 6-ish minutes (after he made the joke about wrapping it up, which is when Kate laughed - appropriately). That said, I get his message, and think it was powerful and important. Just maybe not necessary for it to be THAT long. (For the record, Kate's dress was apparently pale yellow, and HELLO cut her some slack, she just had a baby three weeks ago and that is no picnic, even if she is a duchess.)

- I think Doria Ragland (Meghan's mother) is the epitome of class, taste and grace. Watching her all alone in what had to be an immensely overwhelming setting was touching. It's great that Meghan had her there to support her so perfectly. 

- I felt bad for Chelsy Davy, Harry's long-term ex - the coverage kept cutting to her and she looked so uncomfortable. Also felt sorry for Zara Tindall, Harry's cousin, who is like five million weeks pregnant and was squirming every time the TVs cut to her - those Quire seats at St. George's looked horribly uncomfortable. 

- This shot of the Queen arriving at Windsor before the wedding with Meghan's dog Guy made my LIFE. Of course the Queen has become besties with Meghan's dog. 

- I adored Meghan's reception dress. The glamour of her, Harry, and that Jaguar is beyond decadent. 

- The official portraits are also to die for, and I'm so glad they were released so fast! I cannot get over Prince George's cheeseball grin or how tightly Kate is holding onto Charlotte in the family shot - those two! And the couple shot - I don't think Harry has EVER looked so happy. I'm so obsessed with that little ginger hottie. 

- Speaking of Princess Charlotte...hi, I die, she's my favorite, end scene. 

And I don't care if this makes me a grinchy negative Nellie, but sorry crew - in the Cambridge v Sussex debate, I'm 100% #TeamCambridge. Kate for LIFE. 

Congrats, you crazy kids!! Have babies soon so I have something else about which to get way too excited!! 

remember these things

A few random moments of pure happiness in the last few days: 

- a hallway conversation with our VP of finance, with a heartfelt thank you for illustrating a concept in a way she found revolutionary enough to share with several non-profits she works with...that feeling of total satisfaction in knowing that something I did is still resonating. 

- the half-hour heart-to-heart with Mom en route to work this morning - princess documentaries, Anthropologie, love, fear, and being bold enough to take risks and seek happiness. Continually thankful to have been raised by this woman. 

- leaving Alpha Acid last night with Dave and the bartender, Alex, asking us "see you tomorrow?!" The ultimate moment of feeling like the insiders we're striving to be at our favorite brewery - so frivolously satisfying. 

- nerding out with a new friend about the Met Gala, couture wedding dresses, celebrity idols, and the impending royal wedding. So nice to be developing genuine relationships here. 

- realizing that a year ago yesterday was they day I got my initial Stanford job offer, and taking a moment to truly appreciate the multitude of blessings (there's no other word) I've been granted in the last year of my life. 

How nice is it to be happy, and to be consciously, gratefully, intentionally aware that you're happy? 

Inventory: April 2018

Making: time to write! Hooray! 

Cooking: nothing - I've been eating out shamefully too much and there's no end in sight at least until the weekend. 

Drinking: last night, the most hilarious "flight" of champagne that just consisted of three splits brought to my table in a giant ice bucket. We couldn't stop laughing.

Reading: Celeste Ng's "Little Fires Everywhere," just like everyone else in the world (at least those who aren't reading Meg Wolitzer's "The Female Persuasion.")

Wanting: just about everything in the Anthropologie new releases. 

Looking: for flights to Portland for Theresa's dissertation in May!

Playing: a lot of Cards Against Humanity with the roomskis lately - Laura bought an expansion pack and the freshness is hilarious. 

Listening: to Youngblood Brass Band, after Dave turned them on en route home from Monterey on Sunday. 

Wishing: for a perfect tiny French bulldog puppy to love, cherish, and spoil rotten. 

Enjoying: Bay Area "spring," which is basically the same thing as Bay Area "summer," "fall," and "winter."

Waiting: for Royal Baby #3's name! 

Liking: duh, every single Tweet and Instagram post in the entire internet about the #RoyalBaby. It's me. Who's surprised? 

Wondering: what to wear to the ballet tomorrow. (I just typed "baller" instead of "ballet," which I think disqualifies me from being anything remotely resembling functional this morning.)

Hoping: that Dave gets his schedule for next year soon so we can figure out a summer and fall full of concerts and entertainment. 

Marveling: at upcoming travel I'm planning!

Needing: to pick out a car - my Civic's lease is up in July and I've done shamefully minimal research on what I even want to do next. (Someone talk me off the Tesla cliff!!!!!!)

Smelling: Anatomy of a Frangrance's Wildflower Bergamot - I bought the soap, lotion, hand sanitizer, hand cream, and perfume at Anthropologie because I am so in love with the scent. 

Wearing: a dress! It's 75 degrees in NorCal! Spring! Whee! 

Following: Gary Janetti's account and the #frenchiepuppy hashtag on Instagram, and if you're not, you're missing OUT. 

Noticing: abs and triceps fighting their way through just a little bit more after every gym session. 

Knowing: that I should wrap this up and actually get to work to head off a rampaging boss...

Thinking: a lot about my love life. 

Bookmarking: new black flats - the sole of mine legit just ripped away from the shoe and I'm more than mildly annoyed (and without a backup pair for the day, BLEH).  

Giggling: at the most absurd conversation I'm eavesdropping on down the hall - people are utterly ridiculous, campers. 

Feeling: Pretty good, all things considered. 

That kind of weekend.

I had one of those weekends that was just about as close to perfect as possible, for myriad reasons. The rundown: 

Started Saturday off with a patio brunch at Angelica's in Redwood City - a new-to-me destination with excellent chilaquiles (my current of-the-moment obsession). Dave and I met Bita and Leia...

...and enjoyed bottomless mimosas and puppy paparazzi-ing for several hours. 

From there, we ran a few errands before heading for the East Bay to meet up with Ray for SPORTSBALL! This week's game of choice? The Red Sox-A's game, which was very exciting for Dave and Ray as Chris Sale was pitching. 

Little did we know at this point that we were about to witness Sean Manaea's no-hitter...

...although as the game progressed Dave (and the bastion of other Sox fans we were surrounded by) got more and more despondent. Aside: There were SO MANY Boston fans at the Coliseum, which is a total dump...Dave christened it "Fenway West" which made me laugh. A's fans were seriously outnumbered 4-1 in our section (right off the first baseline). It made the defeat feel that much more ignominious!

Post-game, we took Ray back into the city, picked up Dave's cousin Francesca, and ended up having a little mini-beer tasting party at our place - I had picked up a bunch of Russian River sours when Kelsie was in town, and we worked our way through three of them, along with our favorite Alpha Acid IPA. 

We hit the road bright and early Sunday morning to head down to Monterey - visiting the Monterey Bay Aquarium had long been an item on Francesca's bucket list, and with stunning weather and whale migration season, it seemed like the logical time to go. It's funny just how gorgeous California is as soon as you get out of the Bay Area - not that I don't like it here, but getting to see the rolling hills, fields upon fields of produce, and then the Pacific Coast still blows my mind. 

Also blowing my mind? The aquarium! Situated in an old sardine factory in Cannery Row, it's home to thousands of different animals, and is stunningly designed and positioned right on the coast. Personal faves: 

THE PUFFINS. I freaked out inordinately when we got there, and we had the most enchanting time watching several of them go completely batty up by the glass for a solid ten-ish minutes. I've been obsessed with them since before we went to Iceland, and this did nothing to lessen that fixation. 

Also high on the list of "adorable ocean animals doing adorable things" were the sea otters. We saw them first of all the animals, and I was utterly enchanted by the cutie pies playing with their plastic toys, turning loops, and waving their little paws in the air. Later on, we spotted wild sea otters in the "Open Ocean" area, a protected part of Monterey Bay that is home to many of the species in the aquarium, and I about lost it completely. The little guy had wrapped himself in a kelp leaf like a blanket and was snoozing in the sun, floating around. My heart!! 

Eels - total Flotsam and Jetsam moment...and creepy octopuses. I really don't enjoy the way that octopuses move - they really kind of gross me out - but seeing them up close was really neat. 

And the jellyfish! We spent way too much time in the jellyfish exhibit and it still didn't feel like long enough. I loved watching the way they floated and marveling at the different kinds in the exhibits - beautifully designed and lit, and utterly mesmerizing. 

Also, penguins. Dave and I flipped for them - and I cracked up looking at the lengths he went to in order to get as close as possible to this little preener...

The other pinch-me moment of the day was seeing seal pups and their mothers sunning themselves on the beach under the aquarium, and peeking through an observation spyglass to see wild dolphins frolicking just off the coast. If you would have told me this time last year that I would be seeing actual wild dolphins in the effing Pacific Ocean, I would have marveled...and still do today. 

Post-Aquarium, Dave and Francesca made me snap a photo with my boy John Steinbeck - I may or may not have gone on a major nerd tangent as we drove through Salinas and headed to Cannery Row about how studying Steinbeck completely changed my mind on modern American literature, and got me super into migrant stories...

Once I had finished my nerd-freakout, we headed back into adorable downtown Monterey for the most necessary and delicious lunch at Alvarado Street Brewing - which Dave tentatively dubbed his second-favorite California brewery - and then hoofed it back to the Bay. I had a dinner planned with Mick, a dear old friend who I hadn't seen for close to five years, and we had a ball catching up over oysters and cocktails on the roof of the British Banker's Club before heading downstairs for bubbles. 

And of course, the cherry on top of a perfect weekend? Royal Baby 3, Prince Angelface McSquishyCheeks, made his debut this morning! Waking up to royal baby texts from my mom and Erin was the perfect way to combat Monday blues - as was spending the first two hours of my workday with the Lindo Wing livefeed up on my second monitor! 

Have the happiest week, campers! 

Napa birthday to me!

Trying to play catch-up here after a tumultuous March...and realizing that the kind of week where I'm working 12-hour days all said and done isn't really the week to try to do this, but oh well! 

I've had an utterly delightful first winter in California. And yes, I'm aware that telling all of you that, especially as Minnesota braces for like six more inches of snow this weekend or whatever, is probably really mean of me. But...SORRY! Come visit me sometime for a hit of sunshine and warmth, why don't'cha? 

Anyway, one of the highlights of the winter was for sure my parents' trip out here for my 29th birthday! (Yes, I am that cool girl who voluntarily spends birthdays with her family. My parents are awesome. Be jealous.) They arrived to weather in the mid-seventies, and we spent their first day here dining al fresco, drinking wine on our deck, and watching the Olympics opening ceremony. But on Saturday morning bright and early...

...we headed up to wine country! Sonoma, specifically, because we prefer it to Napa. Not that I don't love Napa, but Sonoma has such a more laid-back, charming, rustic thing going on that I can't help but give it a special place in my heart.  

We started the day at a family fave, La Crema's Estate at Saralee's Vineyard. (Ready for a blast from the past? Take a peek at my family's first trip there, before I even decided to move to California!)

I'm a member at La Crema, so we got to do a private tasting upstairs in the members' lounge (which I would like to move into at their earliest convenience, please). 

Of course, we left with a little bubbly in tow...

...plus a case of wine for good measure. Schwegmans don't screw around! 

Our second stop was new to all of us, but came highly recommended by Ashley at La Crema. DeLoach Vineyards specializes in pinots and is part of the highly-regarded Jean-Charles Boisset wine family. 

We fell in love with their fantastic "open-air photo booth" at first sight...

...and proceeded to fall in love with their fantastic wines, so much so that Mom and Dad joined the club in my name! They get all the wine sent to them, but every time I go to Sonoma, my friends and I can visit and taste for free at any JCB winery. I've already made a second stop there and can't wait to visit their other properties! 

...and ending on a lighter note...Dad learned to take selfies, and the world will never be the same. 

More birthday fun to come soon!