i've missed you, francis

soooo excited for the new season of HOC! 

dahl style

it's so much fun when life connects you to a new, fabulous friend!
i first met sara dahlquist at my kids' school, and we hit it off right away.  she's tall, fun, smart, artistic and has amazing style- what's not to love?!
i'm excited for her upcoming home tour on apartment therapy,  and i love that i got to make an appearance on her blog, too!

MR. CHOW

 the view from the bar...with the giant kinetic sculpture doing its thang

i have been curious about MR. CHOW (yes, all caps) for a long time.  it's a restaurant that gets a lot of press and tons of hype (you can't read a celebrity magazine without hearing that some famous person was eating/drinking/being seen at MR. CHOW), and i'll admit- i was curious! 
i've never been to either of the LA locations, but when my guy and i were in vegas this weekend, we decided we should go see this place for ourselves.  the vegas version of MR. CHOW is in caesar's palace, and is accessed by a fun little room where you catch a ride in a private elevator up to the restaurant.
the dining room is uber modern, and almost entirely white, from the linens, to the flowers, to the server's uniforms.  i was so glad that i hadn't read much about it before going, because once we were settled with delicious cocktails in hand (the spicy "jalisco" for me),  purple and blue lights went on, and the giant white circle that was the dining room ceiling suddenly began to lower and move.  it was quite a show, and totally vegas worthy. i was impressed!
though the food at MR. CHOW wasn't anything to write home about, the venue, design and theatrics of the place were amazing. 
viva las vegas!

cabo 40!

so...I turned 40. 

and thank god when it happened, I was in the warm Baja California sunshine, surrounded by fabulous ladies, with a fruity cocktail in hand. for those reasons and more, this big birthday felt pretty good!

❤️❤️❤️

i really love valentine's day, especially celebrating and crafting with my kids. and since this morning I went to a preschool valentine tea, I had to wear my ❤️ sweater. 

(you won't ever catch me wearing red though...except maybe at a Blazers game)

i'm so fancy

after months (years?!) of planning, my birthday ladies trip to mexico is finally here!

i got the fanciest mani of my life to kick off the party- I just can't get blue skies and golden sun off my mind!

cabo 40 here we come! 

footsie (like, a selfie of your feet?!)

my feet are one of my least favorite features, so it's pretty funny that caitlin wilson design picked them to promote their latest giveaway!
body issues aside, this contest is pretty sweet- the winner gets a month of unlimited barre3 classes, and this gorgeous kismet rug!
if you haven'd heard of caitlin wilson, you should check her stuff out- she is pretty much the gorgeous portland lady version of jonathan adler.
fun, colorful, luxe design, and barre3 are two of my very favorite things!  go find this rug at a portland barre3 studio, step on it and snap a pic!