My 12 days of Christmas...


On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me... an opportunity in San Fran.


On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me... two sold lamps (and 3 tables) and an opportunity in San Fran.


On the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me... three hours of pampering at Burke Williams, two sold lamps, and an opportunity in San Fran.


On the fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me... FOURty $$ manicure, three hours of pampering at Burke Williams, two sold lamps, and an opportunity in San Fran.


On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me... five hours of traffic, FOURty $$ manicure, three hours of pampering at Burke Williams, two sold lamps, and an opportunity in San Fran.

On the sixth day of Christmas my true love gave to me... SIX karat diamond engagement ring, five hours of traffic, FOURty $$ manicure, three hours of pampering at Burke Williams, two sold lamps, and an opportunity in San Fran.



On the seventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me... seven bottles of our favorite wine from Lincourt, six karat diamond engagement ring, five hours of traffic, FOURty $$ manicure, three hours of pampering at Burke Williams, two sold lamps, and an opportunity in San Fran.



On the eighth day of Christmas my true love gave to me... eight bridemaids cookie cards to send out, seven bottles of our favorite wine from Lincourt, six karat diamond engagement ring, five hours of traffic, FOURty $$ manicure, three hours of pampering at Burke Williams, two sold lamps, and an opportunity in San Fran.


On the nineth day of Christmas my true love gave to me... nine semi-sad goodbyes from USAWP, eight bridemaids cookie cards to send out, seven bottles of our favorite wine from Lincourt, six karat diamond engagement ring, five hours of traffic, FOURty $$ manicure, three hours of pampering at Burke Williams, two sold lamps, and an opportunity in San Fran.


On the tenth day of Christmas my true love gave to me... ten unpacked boxes in the new condo, nine semi-sad goodbyes from USAWP, eight bridemaids cookie cards to send out, seven bottles of our favorite wine from Lincourt, six karat diamond engagement ring, five hours of traffic, FOURty $$ manicure, three hours of pampering at Burke Williams, two sold lamps, and an opportunity in San Fran.

On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me... eleven and a half smiling family members around the dinner table, ten unpacked boxes in the new condo, nine semi-sad goodbyes from USAWP, eight bridemaids cookie cards to send out, seven bottles of our favorite wine from Lincourt, six karat diamond engagement ring, five hours of traffic, FOURty $$ manicure, three hours of pampering at Burke Williams, two sold lamps, and an opportunity in San Fran.


On the twelth day of Christmas my true love gave to me... twelve pounds that Ryan & I gained after feasting, eleven and a half smiling family members around the dinner table, ten unpacked boxes in the new condo, nine semi-sad goodbyes from USAWP, eight bridemaids cookie cards to send out, seven bottles of our favorite wine from Lincourt, six karat diamond engagement ring, five hours of traffic, FOURty $$ manicure, three hours of pampering at Burke Williams, two sold lamps, and an opportunity in San Fran.

Soon-to-be...

Mrs. Ryan Thompson!


Here is a sneak peek into the most romantic, fairy tale weekend of my 27 and 3/4 years life:

starting the weekend with a bare hand

the start of "the" weekend- La Food Show

Saturday morning breakfast at 17th Street Cafe- right in align with the theme "Memories"

little did I know that these shoes were to match my fancy dress at our engagement dinner ;)

Lincourt Winery pre-proposal

The ever so romantic Barrel Room and an unsuspecting fiance to be!

Engaged!

leaving Lincourt for more surprises as fiances :)

unbelievable suite at the Santa Ynez Inn with tulip petals (my fave)

heading to dinner and I am talking a mile a minute reliving the story

dinner at the 5 start Ballard Inn

champagne waiting for us in the hotel room

the most stunning, gorgeous, romantic ring ever designed and created by the love of my life!

living large with breakfast in bed

the parlor room at Santa Ynez Inn

delightful fire place 

Cheesecake Factory to celebrate with friends

Sightings of the Christmas Spirit

I have taken it upon myself to document and site those who are exemplifying the Christmas spirit around town. I have tried to only take note of the exceptional displays...anyone can decorate, but it takes a real elf to do it with spunk!

My neighbors are not messing around...

 

JP Morgan in SF sporting a larger-than-life wreath

What surely would be Mrs. T's favorite- zebra themed ornaments

Just a little night-lite in downtown SF

Jingle bells, jingle bells

Harley Davidson ain't got nothing on this guy

Bring It On Home

The Wonders of a Face Lift...

In honor of my delightful facial Wednesday evening, I decided to treat my blog to a little face lift as well. We all need a little pampering, especially during the holidays so I figured Christmas could come early to dear old Witty Whit's Words.

I have been stalking admiring other bloggers' layouts. I realized that mine was pretty poor when it comes to the display and 'wow' factor (a term we use for Recruitment). If my blog was a sorority, I would be bottom tier for sure. No top girls would be coming back for Round 2. I figured if I want to be hip in the blog world, then my circa 1990 design had to go.

So I took the plunge after many hours of contemplation, hesitation, and anxiety. Yes shocking I know that I would have any of those types of feelings. Anyhow, I have done it. I can't go back and change it. It will remain this way for oh say another 5 years until I catch up with the times again.

Enjoy!

Happy Birthday to the Greatest Dad!

56 years old and livin' larger than life...

Boating on the Ohio

Watching tennis with his wifey (my momma ;) )

Reading inappropriate cards that his children give him

Still acting like a goof-ball

Happy 56th Birthday Daddy-O! I  love you!

T-Minus One Week...

...until I am flying home for Christmas!



As I have noted frequently over the past month, Christmas is my favorite time of year. I love, love, love it. I always have; always will. I enjoy the atmosphere, the decor, and the time with family. I love the crowded malls (not the actual shopping part but the being emerged in them part), the egg nog & gingerbread lattes, and the act of wrapping gifts.

In the spirit of our usual BFF's Top 10, here are my "tops" while home (in no particular order).

1. take Bishop to see Santa Claus
2. attend Christmas mass with my mommy
3. hang out at Kendahl & Peter's new house; hang out at Amanda & Shane's house
4. bake poppy seed bread with Taylor
5. play tennis with my daddy-o
6. take Kinlee & little Shane to see the 3-D Yogi Bear movie
7. get scrapbooking ideas from Mrs. T (and Kara)
8. spend time with friends
9. sip on one of Mr. T's famous holiday martinis
10. kiss Ryan under the mistletoe ;)

Movie Review (Take 3)

Black Swan: A thriller that zeros in on the relationship between a veteran ballet dancer and a rival.





The Skinny: a sick and twisted version of Swan Lake that explores the neurotic tendencies of ballet dancers (or any other extremist) while under the pressure of elite performance. The film incorporates the usual stereotype of 'company owner uses his position to exploit sexual favors from approval seeking females', but it also thickens in plot with references to the late 90's/early 2000's drug of choice, ecstasy, as well as masturbation and lesbian tendencies.



My stomach doesn't fancy much for those three topics, but I do love psycho-like thrillers so I was pleased with the evening's entertainment. Not pleasing: Ryan's continued repetition of the movie lines from any and all characters for the remainder of the weekend.

Movie Review (Take 2)

Love & Other Drugs: Maggie (Hathaway) is an alluring free spirit who won't let anyone - or anything - tie her down. But she meets her match in Jamie (Gyllenhaal), whose relentless and nearly infallible charm serve him well with the ladies and in the cutthroat world of pharmaceutical sales. Maggie and Jamie's evolving relationship takes them both by surprise, as they find themselves under the influence of the ultimate drug: love.

The skinny: a mix between comedy, soft porn, and romance. I have been a fan of Anne Hathaway since her stellar performance in The Devil Wears Prada as the ever-evolving fashion intern to Vogue Editor Anna Wintour's look-a-like. And well Jake G's charm is pretty tough to resist. Add the fact that the movie incorporated Parkinson's, a disease and cause that rests near & dear to my heart, and there wasn't much I wasn't going to love about this flick.

I found it refreshing to know that love always prevails despite how hard we often try to do without it. We push away for fear of being hurt, but the ultimate hurt comes from not allowing ourselves to be loved. And when it comes to being sick, I still stand firm that love can cure even the most sick...

Movie Review (Take 1)

warning: this post should have come 2 weeks ago but I've been busy

As Ryan & I entered our 2nd year of holidays together, we held true to many traditions that began last year (i.e. preparing our Thanksgiving dishes the Wednesday night before, hiking Thanksgiving morning, late afternoon Black Friday shopping, etc). Another great tradition that we plan to make a lifelong tradition is to see a movie on the Friday after Thanksgiving.

I typically force, er I mean make the choice of movie when we attend the cinema. I am a huge movie person, and while Ryan enjoys movies, he is not as obsessed as me. So when he spoke several times about 127 Hours, I felt compelled to let him choose the post-Tgiving flick this year.

127 Hours: a mountain climber becomes trapped under a boulder while canyoneeing alone near Moab, Utah and resorts to desperate measures in order to survive.

Here's the skinny:
James Franco plays real life adventure seeker, Aron Ralston, in a 94 minute thriller that will inspire you to be daring, allow you to laugh at the irony of life, and force you to ask the question. "what would I do to survive?"

Aside from the goorey part where he is forced to amputate his own arm, my stomach remained unquized for the other 87 minutes. In light of our recent hiking adventures and those to come, I realized through the movie that safety is key...not that I didn't care about it before, but I didn't have it on my mind that something might actually happen.

I'll admit I was less than thrilled to see this movie at first (I convinced myself I was "taking one for the team"), but I am happy to report that I thoroughly enjoyed it. I guess I thought it might be a lot like Castaway where Franco makes a pass at a cave he is confined to out of deliriousness, insert Tom Hanks having a love affair with a volleyball. It was nothing like this FYI.

Officially, the film doesn't launch until 2011 across the country I believe. Check it out in the New Year...

"A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words."

I consider myself incredibly lucky to have 5 of the best friends possible. For nearly a decade, we have been in each other's lives and I can't remember what it was like without them. Despite being miles and miles apary, we always make time for one another. Whether it is a 5 minute phone call, a note to check in, or a mini-vacation, it means so much to me to spend the time together.

Lately, I have been fortunate enough to see and talk the girls more than usual. Due to JL's bachelorette party & wedding, we got two trips together in two months. Thanks to our lengthy drives, Kelley and I have had the opportunity to talk two to three times a week. With Kim in the greater SF area, we rendezvoused twice in a week. And a side perk of Aham's travel itch, I got to enjoy coffee, pastries, and chatter with her Friday morning.

Ahh feeling very blessed to have these girls in my life ;)

Sunday Funday

Our Sundays are typically spent attending church, bumming around some type of mall establishment, hanging out with friends, and lounging with one another. This Sunday was no different. We spent time at Santa Monica Place with Liz & Win. Activities included reading their adorable holiday card, indulging in the most delicious hot cocoa, dining on yummy eggs benedict, and browsing Niketown's new kicks.

I hope your Sunday was a fun day ;)

Walking in a Winter Wonderland...

On Saturday night, we attended the wedding of Nicole Furman & Steve Siegel. As soon as we got the invitation two months ago, I knew this was going to be a to-die-for-fanciest-wedding-of-all-time. When an invitation reads Black Tie, one automatically assumes fancy. But when that BT is accompanied with the location of the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, then you know it is going to be out of this world.

The thought of getting all dolled up for a night on the town had me excited for weeks. I had my mom mail me by Christmasy ball gown (the one I sported during our senior year sorority formal about 6 years ago). I had my haircut freshly cut and colored, and I treated myself to an early Christmas present of a mani-pedi. I even picked up an extra accent piece for my hair- a golden butterfly pin.

Ryan had his fancy suit and store bought bow tie (despite a minor tying issue ;) ) pressed and prepared. He spruced up his hair with a little gel to slick it back, and we were rocking. I have to say, we don't clean up so bad!

About fifteen past 5pm, we pulled up to the valet. Exotic cars everywhere: Ferraris, Porsches, Lamborghinis, Bugattis, etc. We entered the hotel to see a Winter Wonderland. Everything was white from the carpet to the drapery to the faux trees and flowers.

The ceremony was very beautiful and a lesson in the Jewish culture. An extensive cocktail hour followed with an incredible ice sculpture hanging behind the bar, high-end champagne & liquor being passed around, and the most scrumptuous little hors d'ouerves ever.

Their ceremony area was transformed into the reception area doting a 20-piece band as the curtians drew back. Amazing! The centerpieces were white lamps made of flowers. The cake was a winter wonderland masterpiece. Each table was accompanied by a bottle of Grey Goose and Patron. Apparently the Russians are BIG drinkers ;)

We enjoyed a fabulous evening of adult fun!

While the boy is away, the girl will play...

...with her new scrapbooking goodies!


This week with Ryan up in SF, I have been spending my evenings putting together our camping and San Francisco scrapbook pages. I discovered a hidden gem a few weeks back while driving home from work. All this time, it's been right in my own backyard, and I didn't even know it!

Scrapbooking Heaven

A crafty girls dream. Well, I'm not typically crafty, but I do adore scrapbooking. For one, it is a great way to spice up photos as opposed to continually putting them in vinyl albums and storing them on my coffee table. Second, they are nearly impossible to really screw up. But mainly, I enjoy making them because you can combine the pictures, the knick-knacks, and the memories into one place and display it for future admiration.

I started our camping scrapbook back when we hiked Mt. Whitney. I had mentioned to Ryan that I would like to get back into scrapbook making, when we wandered around the visitor center only to find a Mt. Whitney scrapbook kit. It was a sign. I managed to find an I Love Camping scrapbook online at Jo-Ann's Fabric and immediately ordered it. Much to my dismay, I was having trouble finding the proper paper background and props for the rest of our camping adventures...

Until I roamed the strip malls of Goldenwest Avenue in HB. That is when I found the store of all scrapbooking stores. I was more than pleased with the selection of camping-like materials. I collected some lovely things and then prepared to pay up. But the red painted Golden Gate Bridge 8x11 sheet caught my eye. I've been saving a Love is Everything scrapbook for sometime now, unsure of what to capture between the pages. Unsure no more...San Francisco adventures, baby!


So my week has been spent putting together our memories! Still works in progress but I thought I would share a few sneak peeks with you...

Official first page of the camping scrapbook


Heart & Soul, Love is Everything


Golden Gate page


Fisherman's Wharf page

Santa Clause is Comin' to Town...

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above."

James 1:17

While I agree with the passage from James, I also believe that making a little wish list for good ole' Saint Nick isn't a bad idea. After all, the seasonal mall Santas wouldn't have employment if it weren't for the naughty or nice list!

So in no particular order, here is my 2010 Christmas list:

• Tiffany's sunglasses
• yoga mat case
• Swarovski figurines (especially the Lovlots collection)
• fashionable booties
• Nike workout clothes
• UK Pink apparel
  
• Patagonia jackets/sweaters/fleeces
• $1,000,000

(just threw that last one in there to see if you were paying attention ;) )

What's on your Christmas wish list?