October Birchbox

October Birchbox time! Even though I love getting these little treats in the mail each week, it might be time to stop. My bathroom drawer is filling up with samples I haven't even touched. This month was pretty good, but again, I haven't had the time to try them.

This months goodies:

1. Luna bar, ate that immediately after taking this picture.
2. Ouidad hair product. Supposed to be good for curly hair, however haven't gotten around to trying it.
3. 2 perfume samples, haven't even smelled them yet.
4. Antioxidan therapy vitamins. You're supposed to open the capsule and use the contents on your face, once at night, and once in the morning. Seems a little odd, but maybe I'll give it a shot.
5. Makeup highlighter. Looks like a shimmery eye shadow and came with instructions on where to apply it. Might come in handy once I run out of the one I already use.

I've already paid for the month of November, but that will be my last one.

Palm Desert: Day 4

Monday was our last day in Palm Desert. The guys headed out to play tennis once again, and Mom and I decided to walk down to the club house after a bit to watch them finish up. It was already pretty warm out, and only going to get hotter, so the tennis courts clear out pretty quick after the morning hours.

Palm Valley Country Club

Bub and Papa playing tennis on the right

We golf carted back to the condo and got ready to head out for lunch. We drove down El Paseo (the Rodeo Drive of the desert) and looked at all the fancy shops. We also stopped at the Gardens, an outdoor shopping mall, to take a look around. It was still pretty quiet out being a Monday and before lunch time, but still fun to window shop.

one of the crazy decorated goats at the mall

Next, we headed to It's a Deli for lunch...and yes, it is a deli. It's family owned, and my grandma and grandpa had been going there for years. They even got their 15 minutes of fame starring in a local commercial! I got to meet the owner, and we enjoyed a nice little lunch. Before heading home, we treated ourselves to froyo (yes, again), and made a quick Costco run.

Back at Papa's, we packed up our stuff, but still had time for one last golf cart ride around the neighborhood.

Merica!

beautiful day

After that it was time to say our goodbyes, and hit the road to the Ontario airport. We had such an amazing time, and it was fun to have some family time. I can't wait to visit again!

Palm Desert: Day 3

Sunday morning after the guys played tennis, we all headed out to the JW Marriott. I remember visiting the hotel with my grandparents during my first trip down when I was 13. It's still a pretty fancy place, and also was the setting for the Saved By the Bell episode when Jessie's dad gets married. These are the kinds of things I remember.

As you first drive up to the lobby entrance, there's a pond with pink flamingos. So tropical. We parked and headed inside to take a look around.

pool area

Inside they have a huge lagoon that surrounds the inside and outside of the hotel with boats that will transport you around.

They also have quite a few bird cages down by the lagoon. Some were better behaved than others and actually posed for photographs.

pretty bird

a tucanette

After the Marriott, it was off to In-N-Out to beat the lunch crowd. We ended up lucking out with a great parking spot and getting in line just before the rush. In-N-Out is one of my favorites and a must have when in SoCal.

oh my yum

After a meal like that, we needed to work it off, so we set out for a hike at the Joshua Tree National Park in the desert. The park was gorgeous, and I never actually knew what a Joshua tree was. Was there one big tree called Joshua, or was it a type of tree? In my disappointment, it turned out to be the latter...never did find the Joshua Tree.

We entered the park and drove up the windy road pulling over a few times to get some pictures.

A picture for Clint so he could learn all about granite.

rock climber, scary

We parked at a campsite and did some hiking around. The weather was much cooler being up higher, which was a nice break from the upper 90 degree weather that day. We had fun climbing the rocks and checking out the beautiful scenery.

photo bomber

cool rocks all in a line

Mom and me

2 panoramic photos I stitched together in Photoshop to get a 360° view

After our hike, we treated ourselves with, what else, frozen yogurt. Then it was back to the condo, and out for another ride in the cart. You can see we started to get a routine going.

came across this sign on the way home,
my Aunt Sara the water boarder

We came back and bbq'd a delicious dinner of pork tenderloin, twice baked potatoes, asparagus, and the best part...chocolate pie for dessert. After dinner, we sat around and looked through some old photo albums. Papa gave me a few to bring home from when I was first born, fun to look at. Then it was off to bed after a busy day.

Palm Desert: Day 2

Saturday morning I was up bright and early (yes, I consider 7am early) to have breakfast before Bub and Papa headed out to play tennis. While they were gone, Mom and I baked...this time a chocolate pie, a family favorite. It was fun to learn how to make grandma's specialty. Once the men were back from doing manly things, we got ready to head to the College of the Desert street fair.

The street fair is something we go to every time we're down visiting. It's full of endless amounts of vendors selling sunglasses, jewelry (I even came across some fellow Stella & Dot-ers), tools, produce, clothing, you name it. They also have a wide variety of street fair food. We got some lunch and finished up looking at all the booths.

We left the fair and made the first of many runs to get frozen yogurt. My grandpa has a favorite self serve place down there. After treating ourselves, we drove out to Palm Springs, just a short drive from Palm Desert. A few months ago they put up a ginormous statue of Marilyn Monroe that will stay there for about a year. There were lots of people visiting her and taking pictures. It was pretty incredible to see in person.

We did some walking around in Palm Springs for a bit, and went into the Alley to do some shopping. The weather again was great, hard to believe weather can be so great in October. We then went back home so we could get in another golf cart ride before dinner.

For dinner, Papa took us to Acqua Pazza, a bistro that he had been to before. It's in the River shopping center, which is really neat. There's a man made river that flows around all the shops and restaurants. Acqua Pazza was really nice, and our meal was even better! I had one of best steak dinners I'd had in a while, with creme brûlée for dessert. After dinner, we walked around for a bit since it was still so warm out. Another great day in the desert.

Bub and I being goofy

Palm Desert: Day 1

A few weekends ago (yes, I know I'm behind!), my mom, uncle, and I all flew down to spend some time with my grandpa, and we had a blast! I can't wait for retirement when I can bask in the sun, ride around in a golf cart, and eat frozen yogurt everyday. My grandpa lives in a beautiful gated community called Palm Valley Country Club which sits on a couple golf courses, tennis courts, has a full country club, tons of pools...basically heaven. I was this close to quitting my job and moving in!

Papa's house

view from his back patio

Mom and I flew into Ontario Friday morning, and my Uncle Bubba and Papa were there to greet us and drive us back to Palm Desert. Our first stop when we got in was to have lunch with my great Aunt Gloria and Uncle Bill at their favorite bakery/deli, The Kid's Business. Lunch was really good (their bread is amazing), and it was nice to see everyone and do some catching up.

After lunch we stopped by the grocery store before heading home to pick up some things for the weekend so that Mom and I could do some baking. Once back at the house, we unpacked and hopped in the golf cart. We drove around the neighborhood (where all the streets are named after flowers) and enjoyed the nice weather. The golf course was closed for reseeding, so we got to drive along the cart paths and see the course close up.

off-roading on the course

beautiful Palm Valley

back of the golf cart

Uncle Bub and a tree

Mom and Papa

Back at the condo mom and I did some baking and made one of Grandma's recipes, cowboy cookies (oatmeal chocolate chip, yum!). They turned out delicious and got me thinking that I should do some more baking of my own at home. After baking, we all headed out again, this time for a walk around the neighborhood. Had to take advantage of the great weather and get outside!

noms

Once we got back, we had cocktail hour out on the patio, then got ready to head to dinner. Friday nights are pasta night at the club. I've heard a lot about this pasta night, but had never been, so I was really looking forward to it. We all hopped into the golf cart again, and made the short drive to dinner, and boy did it not disappoint. You first start out at the salad bar...every salad topping imaginable, plus mushroom chicken, garlic bread, AND pizza! You will all be surprised to hear that I passed on the pizza (I know right?), but I was just saving room for pasta. After your salad, you head to the pasta bar where the chef is stationed in the middle of the dining room. You choose from an assortment of yummy toppings (mushrooms, capers, sun dried tomatoes, onion, pancetta, etc) and a meat of your choice, either shrimp, chicken, or sausage (or all three!). Then they saute it up in the pan right there and add your choice of noodles (bow tie, penne, or angel hair), then top it off with either white sauce or marinara. My eyes were bigger than my stomach as I wasn't able to finish it all off, but it was amazingly delicious! Just another thing to look forward to once I'm retired.

After dinner, we headed back to the condo and called it a night.