So teeny tiny!

Meet Jaxon Gray Horwitz

Just a few hours old. 

 Two days old and getting cuter by the minute.

Looks like a little glow worm. :)

Couldn't be more elated for our dear friends Cyndi and Brett.

I can already tell, he's going to bring so much happiness to all our lives. 

I am so excited to watch him grow.

XO,

S

P.S. Remember her baby shower, click here and her maternity shoot by the amazing Jillian Rose, click here. So much fun!

I'm a little bit COUNTRY...

Each year, my BB(Ady) and I go to at least one country show!

Last week, we went to Sugarland at the Greek with two other GFs (Megan and Hilary).

 We started the night at a great quaint lil restaurant called Lil Dom's.
I highly recommend this restaurant!
Great ambiance.
Definitely try the rice balls and burrata salad.
Pizzas are delish, white fish amazing and lasagne so so!
Over all it gets a two thumbs up YUMMO award from me!
After dinner we rushed to the theater.

What a fun night, despite the ticket snafu?!
They printed out in another language and I didn't notice, so we (and the security) could not find our seats.

But we lucked out and ended up getting to lean against a wall much closer to the stage than our original seats.
I have to say Sugarland isn't my favorite country band, but seeing them live made me love them! 
Their stage was among the best I've seen at country concerts.

XO,
S

p.s. Can I get an Amen for having a driver there and back.  Parking at concert venues can be such a B, so worth it to get a limo or car.  :)

A new kind of AA (Anguilla Awesomeness)

There are just too many things to share, so I'm going to give the abridged version of our amazing trip to Anguilla!

First of all, thanks to my Barney, we flew first class.

An experience I'll never forget.
How will I ever fly coach again?

This was our watering hole.

 I don't think there is anything better than staring at the beautiful ocean, while enjoying a nice (non-sandy pool). 

 The ladies.

Cinty, our chef and quite possibly the sweetest woman I've ever met!

 Local fresh fish.

 Shrimp appie and secret sauce.

(there was no shortage of frying and butter, eek)

 

Lobster!!  (I only had 4)

Our hosts, Dancha and Meganza (some of our favorite people in the world) 

 

 This was the first sunset of the trip and probably the most beautiful! 

We even pilated in paradise.

Thanks Ash. 

Shoal Beach, my personal fav of the trip.

Quaint beach bars, soft white sand, crystal clear/perfect temp water...

Best Bartender of the trip.  

 

  Posing with her specialty drink, blended Mojitos.  YUM! (I only had 3 of these)

My love. 

Hil and I floating around.

This is the life.

White night. 

 Off to the Viceroy, Anguilla for dinner. 

One of the most beautiful hotels I've visited and where I'd like to stay if we return. 

Our Surprise from Danny, Amazing Race Anguilla.

 Brad and I with our goat.

Me, on a boat.

 We ended up on Sandy Island. 

Playing 20 Questions and WE WON!

On our final day we chartered a boat that took us to Prickly Pear. 

 Shane and I with Prickly Pear in the distance.

 

The AA Crew on board the Scoobifree.

I can't recommend this boat, captain and one man crew (the cutest french gal that made our day) enough.

Feeling blessed that we were able to take this trip of a lifetime with new and old friends! 

The memories will be engraved in our minds forever. 

We can't thank the Peykoffs enough for inviting us on this dream vacation. 

Back to reality.

XO,

S & S

Being patient... (a post written before our vaca!)

...not my forte!

I don't usually get very personal on here, but let's face it Shane and I don't only eat and have fun.  We also have real life challenges that I don't blog about. But why?  I don't know, why not start?? 

I've been MIA from the blogging world, but thought blogging might be a cathartic way to mourn/vent.  See several weeks ago, I found out I was finally pregnant.  I/We were more than excited, that after months of trying, we were pregnant!  Unfortunately on 4th of July I had a miscarriage at a little over 8 weeks.  I know this is very common (60 % of first pregnancies end this way), but it doesn't make the experience any easier, especially when you don't already have a child to look at and say, I know this is possible.  Luckily, I'm a pretty positive person (even been called Silver Lining Sam by some) and know it wasn't meant to be and we will have our dream baby when the time is right.

Things I already knew have been reconfirmed over the last few months!  In no particular order.... Things happen when the time is right.  Patience pays off!  Nothing is guaranteed and not to get excited prematurely about certain things. Good friends are even more amazing at times like these.  Mom's can really carry some of your sorrow and comfort you even when you're feeling hopeless.  A good husband rises to the occasion and develops new skills (such as cleaning, just teasing boos) when you need them.  Yeah, my sense of humor seems to returning.  What doesn't break you only makes you closer, I feel closer to my Shaner than ever before.  The right doctor can really reassure you that things will be okay and work out. And lastly pregnancies are a funny thing, there is no right and wrong time to tell people and everyone thinks they know everything about your pregnancy.  Whether I wanted people to find out early or not, they did and some of the kind words and support we've received during this event have been so incredible. Knowing these things next time, I will try not to stress as much when people find out, my friends know me and I'm a crumby liar and that's that.    

Finally, I'm so grateful that we have this built in system of miscarriage when something is not right with the baby, so less babies are born unhealthy...  As sad as I am that I lost this baby, I have all the hope in the world that my next pregnancy will be different and that I will have a happy and healthy baby which was ultimately all I ever wanted.  I look forward to sharing that journey when it does indeed happen.  

Meanwhile, I'm looking forward to leaving on a vacation with my amazing hubby!  This trip couldn't have been any more perfectly timed.  Anguilla here we come!  Going here... So grateful that we have dear friends that invite us to travel with them.

XO,
S

P.S.  We are BAAAACK!! I have over 430 pics to upload, along with stories to share.  BUT first, I must free up some space on my computer, so it will except the massive upload! :)

 Happy to be back to blogging! 

Back from a blogging hiatus...

Life has been busy as usual, but I finally have something FUN to blog about!

Sunday, I helped host a baby shower for one of my oldest and dearest friends, Cyndi Horwitz. 
As some of you may know, I LOVE being creative and putting together events and this one was no different.

My love and excitement for Cyndi and her soon to be baby boy was perfect inspiration for a story book themed shower at Sonoma Wine Garden in Santa Monica. 

Here are a few shots by the talented Jillian of Jillian Rose Photography

 Farmer's market fresh flowers in mason jars.
Who knew spaghetti sauce jars were so cute once you soak off the labels and put them in the dishwasher?
Add a little ribbon and wa-la!

It was too much fun collecting books with items to match.
And the best part, the centerpieces made a great gift for Cyndi and baby from the hostesses.

One of my favorite party items is this guest book idea.
It's a fingerprint tree from an artist on Etsy.
I ordered the PDF and printed it myself at Staples (money saver).
And bought a frame to match Cyndi's baby furniture at Michael's (don't forget your 40% off coupon).
It's great decor for the baby's room and a memory from her special day.

 

Chocolate covered caramel pretzels for party favors. 

Delicious.

 Clothesline of baby items and baby pics of Cyndi and Brett.

Turned out even cuter than I imagined.

 A wonderful variety of food.

 Little signs for the food.
Used the corks from my wedding.

Lastly, homemade cupcakes by one of the mother's of a hostess.

Now to await the arrival of Baby H in August and finally learn his name! 

P.S. I'm starting a little side biz, Havin' a Ball Events by Yours Truly.  If you have a small event and need some creativity, you can hire me! 

XO,

S

To the Dark Side and Beyond!

A while back I blogged about my new Blackberry, well I'm afraid, I've totally cheated on my BB with a NEW 4G iPhone.  

And folks, I am completely hopelessly in L.O.V.E. with it.

Here are few apps that have me wanting more...

Shazam

No silly, it's not a super hero and that's not even it's logo, but I thought it was funny!
It's a music app that allows you to "Shazam" and find whatever song is playing. 

All I have to say is I am such a tool burger that I was Shazaming up in da club last weekend in Vegas. 

Ask me if I'm embarrassed? 

NO and I have new workout music, whoop whoop!

Another fab app:

MyFitnessPal

Danger, danger... this thing has me entering everything that enters my mouth.

Not sure if that's good or bad quite yet?

And really wish that my number of calories for the day was like the picture above 2100, seriously? Must be for a guy...

Basically with this little appy, you enter your weight and your goal weight and track your calories and exercise and it tells you where to be at...

You can play with your friends and motivate each other. 

It's pretty much brills.

HELLO SUMMER.

Currently don't have any other apps, so I'm taking suggestions for any apps or features you may love on your iPhone! 

XO, 

S

Bachelorette Ideas

This past weekend I went to Vegas for my friend Olga's Bachelorette Party!

 Here's a few cute/unique bachelorette ideas:

Don't you have a penis cookie cutter?

If not, you can get one here.

Notice the brown sprinkles and the pink tip, heehee.

Cowboy hats for by the pool! 

Courtesy of Capture, Inc.

 

Next stop the chapel... 

Looking forward to celebrating Olga and Vince's nuptials in June!

Man this year is FLYING.

XO, 

S