Girls' Night Out

Dinner with the family is fun, but sometimes it is nice to celebrate just with the girls. Rarely do I go to hip, loungey places- Gabe and I are more the neighborhood Mexican food joint kind of couple- so it it was fun to be out of my element last night at Mesa (no website- this is one of those you really have to be in the know to know this place exists kind of places).

We got there early, before anyone else really, which made it easy to get some pictures. The way this place is set up is unique because it is has an open ceiling, so you are outside, but you are inside. How clever.

Thanks, girls! I had a great time. We keep saying it, but we really DO need to make a habit out of this Girl's Night thing!

Shopping Spree

I did it. I shopped like a crazy woman. From Loehmann's to Fashion Island, I hit them all. 2 pairs of jeans, about ten tops, some other miscellaneous dresses and skirts and probably too much money later, I have a new wardrobe for the Spring and Summer. Happy Birthday to me. (OK, the Sigerson Morrison pumps may have been an unnecessary splurge, but they are soooo cute and I found them at Loehmann's for a bit of a discount!)

Just a little glimpse. Now, if I could only drop ten pounds to make these all look even better!

It's a skirt, no it's a dress

...or is it a turtleneck poncho? I received this little number for my birthday. It is fabulous beyond words. So far I have come up with 5 different ways to wear it. I believe J.Crew is selling themself short by only showing 2! Regardless, I will be quite stylish on the beaches of Costa Rica in my new dress/skirt/coverup this summer!

An orchid by any other name

Growing up a "Mimi" most certainly was not always easy. Oh how I longed to be a Karen or a Jennifer or even a Kelly. For the most part I embraced my name and learned to love it for the fact that it was unique. Other than "Mimi's Cafe", I rarely, if ever heard of anyone with the same name. These days it seems the name is a bit more common, though hardly popular. The most common reaction I get when giving my name at Starbucks or at a restaurant is, "Oh, I love that name! That's my dog's name!". Um, excuse me? Am I supposed to be in some way honored by this? Anyway, I recently decided to track the usage of my name and my blog name on the Internet and have been inundated with updates of the usage of "Mimi Palmer". Come to find out, they are not talking about me at all. Nope. Apparently there is an exotic orchid that goes by the same name. Described as "unique", "eccentric" and "temperamental", a deeper connection to a flower I could not feel. So here it is, "the" Mimi Palmer (sooo much prettier than some scruffy mutt):

image via flickr

He came, he hopped, he hid the eggs

As my husband so sweetly reminded me, the Easter Bunny visits children. Not thirty-somethings, but children. Whatever. Despite my basketless condition, I managed to have a rather enjoyable and relaxing day (even if it was 90 degrees!). Church, brunch, an egg hunt, a nap and a bikeride- Spring has definitely sprung!

Most impressive of all- that the cousins were willing to put up with everyone taking pictures for 20 minutes. Not bad for 8 kids under the age of 7, huh?

Proud Auntie Mimi and Uncle Gabe

Happy Birthday Mom!

Saturday night was full of family fun. The immediate family is currently at 12 with one more on the way (no, not mine) and, needless to say, it is always an adventure when we go out for dinner together. This time it was to celebrate Grandma's birthday. After a near altercation and enough food for three days worth of meals, it was back to the house for my "I can't find a recipe I like so I'll make it up as I go Lemon and Raspberry Layer Cake". All in all, it was a lovely evening with the family. Happy Birthday, mom. I love you.

To every season

Life just never ceases to amaze. Just when things are status quo life steps in and shakes things up as if to remind us that nothing is constant, nothing is forever, and nothing is without change. Never in my life has this been so glaringly evident to me as it has been recently. In less than a week's time I have experienced such a vast array of emotion that, quite honestly, I have just wanted to be alone with my thoughts in an effort to try to make sense of it all. You see, in this short period of time I have experienced the death of a friend, the birth of my best friend's son, a marriage and a near divorce (not mine, someone else's). To say I have been conflicted is somewhat of an understatement. My happiness has been tainted by guilt and my pain has not even truly had a chance to surface.
As I write this I realize that I may be sharing too much or that I may even be speaking to no one but myself, but for me it is the first step in resolving the clash of emotions that has recently taken over my thoughts. You see, the funny thing about life is that it doesn't slow down. There is no asking to take a time out just because you need to regroup. Nope. You must take the good with the bad and the bitter with the sweet, because at the end of it all these are the experiences that shape you. These are the experiences that remind us to live each day to its fullest and to enjoy every moment. Surprisingly, this is easier said than done. But I'm working on it.

Tagged again

So I've been tagged again- this time by Miss "With This Ring I Thee Obsess" author Tina- and I'm actually going to play along! It seems that some of my closest friends and family quite enjoy learning some of these things about me.

1. What is your occupation? Wedding and event planner
2. What color are your socks right now? I rarely wear socks. As a matter of fact I only own socks for running and a couple of pairs of striped socks to wear with my Converse. I wear flats almost every day. No socks for me.
3. What are you listening to right now? The TV is on in the background at this very moment. In the car I have been listening to a lot of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers lately. I have a secret thing for Tom Petty.
4. What was the last thing that you ate? I just had Golden Spoon (frozen yogurt)- chocolate and peanut butter, side by side, never mixed.
5. Can you drive a stick shift? Regrettably, no. I have tried a couple of times, to no avail. This is most definitely a goal. I mean, seriously, there are just certain things you should know how to do.
6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Absolutely Crayola "green". Not "yellow-green", not "lime green", just plain old green. I don't know if I am actually like a green crayon in any way, but it is by far my number one favorite color of all time.
7. Last person you spoke to on the phone? My sister. It is always my sister. I am not a big phone person, yet we still seem to talk about 5 times a day.
8. Do you like the person who sent this to you? YES!!! Though we have never met in person, Tina and I have spent many an evening chatting back an d forth about her upcoming wedding. She is like a "virtual client".
9. Favorite drink? By far it is water. I rarely drink anything else. Coffee is next. As for alcoholic drinks, I would have to say that I never turn down a gin and tonic.
10. What is your favorite sport to watch? You're kidding, right? With the exception of the Olympics, I would never voluntarily have a sporting event airing on my television.
11. Have you ever dyed your hair? Ha!!! My hair has not been its natural shade of light brownish/blond since I first dyed it at the age of 16. In high school I went through an auburn/red stage. Then it was platinum blond for a few years. In the last 7 or 8 years, however, it has been black.
12. Pets? 2 cats and I am content to keep it that way. No dogs for me, please. They are too needy and they drool. I can identify with a cat- they are very independent, they are moody, and they like things on their own terms.
13. Favorite food? I LOVE food. All kinds. I have answered this before and perhaps my answers have even changed. I could list about 20 things here, but if you stuck me on a deserted island right this minute with only one thing, I would want it to be red enchiladas (made by my dad, of course).
14. Last movie you watched? Into the Wild. Excellent. Truly excellent.
15. Favorite Day of the Year? Christmas, I suppose. This is tough because I really enjoy all of the major holidays with my family. I also LOVE my birthday. Who doesn't? (Love their own, of course, not mine!)
16. What do you do to vent anger? I scream, I cuss, and I slam doors. Hard. It really is a problem. There is nothing feminine or charming about me when I am mad. Watch out. I mean it.
17. What was your favorite toy as a child? My dolls. I had a ton of dolls and there was nothing I loved more than pretending to be a mom. I was very picky, however. I would only play with dolls that looked and felt like real babies.
18. Which is your favorite, fall or spring? I like both, but I would have to choose Spring because it means Summer is near.
19. Hugs or kisses? Hugs. Lots of them, unsolicited, preferably.
20. What kind of pie? None, please. I would much prefer a piece of chocolate cake.
21. Living arrangements? Gabe (my husband) and I live in an 80 year old apartment that the landlord claims to be 1000 square feet.
22. When was the last time you cried? About 3 hours ago. It's OK, I'm over it now.
23. What is on the floor of your closet? Shoe boxes with my "fancy shoes", dry cleaning bag, my box of wedding memories, and a couple of shoes that haven't quite made it up to the shoe rack.
24. Favorite smell? Citrus. I love pure, clean scents like grapefruit and lemon.
25. What inspires you? Other people who excel and are successful at what they do. I am really inspired by people with a clear vision and direction. I am all over the place and I still have not figured out yet what I want out of this life. I am inspired by those who seemingly have it all figured out. Even if they don't (and I am sure that they don't.)
26. What are you afraid of? Failure. I am deathly afraid of failure. It is a fear that inhibits me and absolutely prevents me from being like the people who inspire me in number 25.
27. Plain, cheese or spicy hamburgers? I don't really like hamburgers. Remember what happened the last time I actually wanted one? I'd rather have a taco.
28. Favorite Car? That I've owned?- My Audi A4. Oh, I loved that car (even if it did make me poor). That I would like to own?- A Volvo station wagon. When I was little I wanted my mom to be the mom that had a burgundy Volvo wagon (not the orange Porsche she drove me around in- what did I know?) Now that I am older and of mom age myself, I would love to own that car. Not burgundy, but definitely a wagon.
29. Favorite cat breed? Tabby cat. Orange tabby cats, specifically.
30. Number of keys on your key ring? 4- my house, my parents' house, the bridal salon, and my car. No cute key ring, though. I keep them on one of those mountain climbing clip things so they don't get lost in my purse.
31. How many years at your current job? I have been planning weddings on my own for about a year and a half now. I actually have a couple of alter-ego jobs that I have been at for longer, but those are of little importance here! (Get your mind out of the gutter, they are all legitimate and highly respectable jobs!)
32. Favorite day of the week? I love free Saturdays.
33. How many states have you lived in? 4- North Carolina (for a short stint during babyhood), New Mexico (toddler years), Arizona (college), and California (my real home).
34. How many countries have you been to? I'll list first, and then count. Mexico, Costa Rica, England, France, Czech Republic, Holland, Belgium, Germany, and Spain. 9 in total. That's not too bad, though I still have a list a mile long of places I'd like to go.

That's it! That was a long one. Consider yourself tagged. This is a good one and it really gives you pause for thought. Maybe you learned something new about me. Maybe you don't care. Either way, it kept my mind off of my runny nose and this lousy weather. Jihan, I'll be looking for your post soon.

Turbo Kick Boxing turbo kicked my ass

In a relatively futile effort to battle this ever-growing buldge around my belly (similar to blubber, though not nearly as warm) I woke up early, sucked down a cup of coffee and a granola bar and dragged myself and my neighbor to the gym. Mind you, the gym and I are not friends. We're really not even on speaking terms lately, but drastic times call for drastic measures. And drastic this buldge has become. And so it was that I entered the world of turbo kick boxing- not my idea by any means. You see, the kick boxing I could handle. I might even go so far as to say that I was rather decent at it. The "turbo" is where things began to fall apart as quickly as Miss Turbo Dancerella in front of me was throwing her "speed bags" and "upper cuts". It all just seemed to go so fast. Jodi (Master kick boxer) would show something, I would do it, and then she would add all of these dancer moves to it- like jumping two feet off the ground in a split and calling it a jumping jack. Ummm, I thought this was about kicking, not showing off your jazz hands. It was like watching a bunch of way-too-cheery cheerleaders try to out-maneuver eachother. But I jabbed and I jumped and I kicked and I lunged and through it all I was laughing hysterically. Maybe it was the fact that Jen (my neighbor) and I announced ourselves as first timers and the instructor kept calling attention to us, or maybe it was the fact that we looked utterly ridiculous amidst all of those semi-professional martial artists, but this experience was truly a comedic high in my life. If only there were video. I think I just need to stick with spinning.

Dear Diary,

I find much inspiration from many of the blogs I read regularly. Some for their incredible style, some for their witty sensibilities, and some purely for their ability to make words so effortlessly flow into melodic and thought-provoking journals of everyday observations and revelations. Such is the case with Marta, author of the aptly named M. Writes. She has this amazing ability to take the same English language of which I am so fond and turn it into something so eloquent and beautiful as opposed to my choppy and, well, rather basic style. And, not only is she a great writer, but proving once again that the right hemisphere of the brain functions at an awkwardly high level for some, she is also wonderfully creative. In an attempt to have some of her creativity flow in this direction, I ordered one of her mini diaries last week. How giddy was I upon arriving home tonight to find this little package of goodies awaiting me! Page one - complete! It wasn't too terribly difficult. I might even keep this up! I'm hoping that being provided with a "fill-in" will curb the usual intimidation I feel when faced with that daunting "blank page". And so it begins, my new life as a diary keeper. Let's see how long this lasts.