February 23, 2012

LA Baby


This past weekend was the annual Wilcox women Los Angeles trip. Everyone always asks us why LA? What a random place to go on a trip. Well Big Pat is from Whittier (right outside of LA) and he has always loved going back to his home state of Cali so we've taken a couple of family trips around the area: San Diego, La Jolla, Newport, Santa Monica, and of course LA. Oddly enough we've never gone to Whittier. We had such a good time eating (emphasis on the food) and shopping in LA that we decided to make it a yearly girls trip. Sorry dad. We've talked about switching it up and possibly alternating years between NYC and LA but it hasn't happened yet. Next time we go, we are planning on going for a few more days than the usual and driving down to Santa Barbara & possibly San Luis Obispo where my dad's brother Thomas lives...Big Pat will prob come along for that one.
I look forward to the LA trip ALL year. It is such a great time to spend with my mom and sissy now that we all live in different cities and are all so busy with our lives. Daniella is living in Austin (so jelly) and is attending a post-bac program at St. Edwards; I am obvi in Dallas, married, and in law school; and my mom...well Big Martha and Big Pat are "very busy" traveling the world now that they are empty nesters. JK. But seriously it is on a new level. So needless to say its such a fun time to relax, shop, and eat.
We arrived last Friday and went straight to The Ivy. We LOVE The Ivy. It is the cutest restaraunt on Robertson that used to be an old house. The decor is shabby chic/secret gardenish including your very own vintage silver teapot with fresh flowers as a centerpiece at each table. adorable. It is so lovely to sit on the patio of the restaraunt and sip on their delicious homemade mint tea while people watching (LA is the best place to people watch...we like to play the how much plastic surgery do you think she/he has had game). So one of my favorite foods is lobster and the menu at The Ivy has lobster all over the place. yum. My mom and I shared a lobster cobb salad...its was scrum. But the absolute BEST thing about The Ivy is the red velvet cake. I have had a lot of red velvet in my day and I can honestly say that the best red velvet cake is from The Ivy with the red velvet cupcakes from Sprinkles coming in second. Another wonderful touch that makes The Ivy unique is their pottery. It is so cute and the coffee mugs are huge. Lucas and I drink a lot of coffee so I obvi needed some. The pottery is made in Peru especially for The Ivy and is only sold at Indigo Seas (a store next door). So while we waited for our table I hopped over and purchased some mugs, plates, and a sugar bowl. So excited about it!

After The Ivy we checked in at our hotel and hit Rodeo Drive. First stop: Hermes. We walked in and started browsing around and admiring the beautiful scarves when I spotted Kelly Rutherford aka Lilly from GG. I couldn't believe it. We ran into her last year in New York at Serafinas (eating again) while we were there picking up my wedding gown and doing last minute fittings. But she was with her son and picking up food to go so I felt really bad bothering her. We've actually spotted quite a few celebs but I always get so awked out asking for a picture because I don't want to be THAT person. Big Martha is shameless and always asks. omg so embarassing. (Side note: we actually saw Bethenny Frankel with her husband and baby outside Barneys in LA last year but again she was with her baby and I felt like it would be so not cool to bother them. We also saw Andie Macdowell at Barneys last year. Barneys is hopping and they let you bring your dog in. it rocks). But this time I decided I had to ask her for a picture. What are the odds of running into her almost exactly a year later on the opposite side of the country? It was fate. And this time she wasn't with her baby...she was actually with a much younger man that she was buying a bunch of shiz for. Cougar. So I got my courage up and asked...she was soooo nice. She was worried about looking bad in the picture because she wasn't wearing makeup. Are you kidding? So gorg. Unfortunately I still had plane attire on and looked like a cow had chewed me up and spit me out. ugh just my luck but I am so happy I did it.

That night we had reservations at Villa Blanca. I am a die hard Real Housewives of Beverly Hills fan so we had to go to Lisa Vanderpump's restaurant Villa Blanca. I didn't have high expectations for it because I thought to myself "it is probably just trendy because a reality tv star owns it and it is right off of Rodeo drive" but wow was I pleasantly surprised. It was to die. The atmosphere was so cozy and intimate and the decor was obviously all white, the service was great, and the food was incredible. I was really hoping to see Lisa and her dog Jiggy which didn't happen (tear) but we did see her daughter Pandora having dinner with her friends and her new husband Jason waiting tables...weird. I guess they were trying to bring him into the family business but it was just totally awk to watch his wife sitting down having dinner while he was waiting tables.  Anyways if you are ever in LA it is a total must go.

Saturday we woke up and went to brunch at this cute place on Melrose called Taste. Our waiter was an aspiring actor who waited tables on the side (typical LA story) but he was so nice and is from Dallas. Shout out to the Big D. He started off by offering us bottomless mimosas. Um yes please. Can you think of a better way to start off a day full of shopping? Then he came back to take our order and it was my turn. I asked for the breakfast pannini but made a few changes. just a few. Egg whites instead of regular eggs, wheat bread instead of white, no bacon, and swiss cheese instead of goat cheese (I swear that I am allergic to goat cheese...just like I used to be allergic to Vodka in college but I got over that allergy). I apologized for being difficult and his response was: no problem you fit right in with the LA girls. Um rude. I was kind of offended but by my third mimosa I was over it. We also got the most amazing truffle mac n' cheese. Ok so anybody who knows me knows that macaroni and cheese is my all time favorite food. I regret not serving mini mac n' cheeses as late night at our wedding. Anybody who knows me also knows that my family is addicted to anything with truffles: actual truffles, truffle oil, truffle salt, you name it we love it if it has something to do with truffles. So the mac n' cheese and truffle combo is amazing. I die. If you go to Taste on Melrose get it.
We spent the rest of the day shopping, walking around, people watching and next thing we knew it was time for dinner at STK. We plan our days around our meals if you haven't noticed...so surprised we all arent over 300 pounds. We were really excited about this meal because A. We were eating with THE Jose Rodriguez aka JR. He is the most talented upcoming person in Hollywood and will be famous! B. Because we were supposed to go to STK for dinner last year but our plans got ruined when our rental car got towed while we were inside Christian Louboutin sipping on champagne, looking at the catalog for the next season's collection, and picking out my wedding shoes. It was a huge ordeal and we ended up just ordering room service that night. It wasn't funny then but it is hilarious now. Anyways dinner at STK was incredible thanks to the amazing company and delish food. Jose has so many incredible stories like working with Mel Gibson in Veracruz and becoming friends with his son Christian, working with J. Lo and Marc Anthony on their new show Que Viva!, meeting Rihanna, and his current project as casting director for Bad Girls Club. Baha. Apparently these chics are ridic but we all know that by seeing the commercials on Oxygen. If you ever see him make sure you ask him for his autograph because he is definitely going to make it big.

Already looking forward to next year's trip and all the restaurants we get to try! xoxo

Key players:
The Rodriguez family-We've known them almost my whole life! I feel like Jose and Arturo are the brothers I never had. Arturo is actually the male version of me. Our moms call Artie and I Raggedy Anne and Andy. Jose is one of the funniest, most sincere people I know. And Tia Charo is the nicest woman, and she spoils her dogs Nina and Simba just as much (or more) as I spoil Lilly so I love her even more. Nicest family ever.

February 16, 2012

The New Workout Plan

In the words of the oh so humble Mr. Kanye West himself:
That's right put in work, move your ass, go wizzerk
Eat your salad, no dessert...

If it were only that easy. Last year was the most fit year of my life thanks to the fact that I was getting married. I don't know what it is about getting married, but almost every bride decides shortly after getting engaged that she is going to look amazing at her wedding. So after getting engaged I got on the wedding workout plan. I had a personal trainer while living in Austin who put me on the worst/best diet ever. Worst because my meal choices were so limited...best because it actually worked.

While in McAllen my personal trainer was Big Martha (aka my mom). This woman is a workout feign. Her usual routine consists of exercising 2 hours a day...who was time for that? Well when you are a full-time bride who's biggest concerns are things like how much sushi to serve at the cocktail hour trust me you have time (can I go back to full time wedding planning please?). We did an hour of zumba (love) and an hour of pilates (even more love) everyday. So when I moved to Dallas after Lucas and I got married I was on a health kick and needed my fill of excercise but didn't know where to go. Then I found Beyond Pilates. I started going to Beyond Pilates last August and have been going ever since then. Best. Workout. Ever.

So in January when Beyond Pilates opened an indoor cycling studio called Beyond Pedaling in Snider Plaza I decided that I would try it. Surely I would love it as much as their pilates studio? wrong. I have a love/hate relationship with this place. Thanks to law school my workout time had been significantly reduced and consisted of only my daily 30 minute walks with Lilly and pilates 2-3 times a week. No cardio. I decided that if I was going to try out this class I obvi had to have the right gear. So I headed over to REI and purchased some sexy spin shorts (not actually sexy...its like wearing a diaper but it will save your ass. literally.) and some special cycling socks. I felt like I was ready to tackle this class head on.

So I show up looking like a pro who regularly attends spin class, hop on a bike, and get ready for class to start. In walks Berti (the instructor) and gets class started. At first it wasn't too bad...then shiz hit the fan quickly. Next thing I know we are climbing at gear 20, Berti is yelling "let's get this shit baby," and I feel like I am having a heart attack. I thought to myself I need to get off this bike before I throw up all over the girl next to me. So I hop off and cooly jog to the door that leads to the hallway where the bathrooms are making it seem as though I was taking a quick break to pee. I couldn't actually show that I wasn't feeling well...I was wearing spin shorts and cycle socks...I looked like a regular. What a poser. Well as soon as I got out of the room and into the hallway I sprinted to the bathroom. I looked in the mirror and my face was the same color as the bottom of a pair of Christian Louboutin heels. I took a breather, composed myself, and started to walk back to the room. Once I was at the door I started to jog back to my bike. omg who am I kidding I still felt awful. That is not the worst of it.

So all the bikes in the studio are connected to a computer system which tracks each individual's RPMS, Watts, and worst of all: ranking compared to everyone in the class. A screen with all this information comes up periodically throughout the class at the front of the studio for eveyone to see. It is supposed to be motivational...more like mortifying. Thank God you are only listed by your bike number and not by name. So after I am back on my bike after thinking I was having a heart attack and still feeling like crap up comes the progress screen. Shoot. There are only 17 people in class and bike #15 is in 16th place. Omg I am on bike 15. I am in 2nd to last place. Obvi I had to scope out who was on the bike in last place. Turns out the person on the bike in last place was a middle-aged, overweight man. How could this be? I am in my early 20's and all these people are beating me and the middle-aged, overweight man is right on my tail. Needless to say it kept me motivated to get through the rest of the class so I guess it does work. I survived.

Now I regularly go to Beyond Pedaling as well as Beyond Pilates and love it. Everyone should check out Beyond Pedaling. My only pieces of advice are not go to Berti's class if it is your first time, invest in some spin shorts they are life savers, and be in some kind of cardio shape before you go unlike me.

Shout out to Hannah and Kevin who got engaged this past weekend! So excited for their wedding and for Hansy to join the Latin Wives Club. Current members: me. But hopefully there are more to come.

Key players:
Big Martha- my mom got her nickname from one of my sister's friends a few years ago and it stuck. Why Big Martha? because she is a small woman with a LOT of personality. My dad even goes by Big Pat now because of it. They want their grandchildren to call them Big Pat and Big Martha. Idk. I get told I look and act a lot like her so I hope that is a good thing. love me some Big Martha.

Hannah- Only one word to describe Hannah: bah. She has the kindest soul and not a care in the world. When I am around her I get the urge to say "that totally rocks" about everything, and her happiness is contagious. Love her and I am so happy she has found the man she wants to spend the rest of her life with.

February 12, 2012

It's all about the commercials...

So in honor of the superbowl last weekend I figured I would post my top three favorite commercials from the past three years. I love football, however, I am more of a college football fan than an NFL football fan. But now that I am married we watch a lot of ESPN aka NFL football (Lucas is convinced ESPN is Lilly's favorite channel to watch when we aren't home...I think it's E! but I guess we will never know). I will give Lucas credit for being extremely fair when it comes to our TV time...we do watch a lot of ESPN but we also watch whatever show I am into at the moment. Currently we are watching Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Top Chef, and The Voice...what a good hubby.

But anyways, I did not get to watch the superbowl this year because I had a memo determining whether a warranty disclaimer containing a limitation on consequential damages was procedurally and/or substantively unconscionable so as to make a contract unenforceable (HEADACHE!) due the next week so I only watched the half-time show and then later googled the commercials. I am not going to lie, when I heard Madonna was performing at the half-time show I was like really? And I am not saying I was impressed with her performance by any means but I totally loved that she opened with Vogue (Pi Phi skit day anyone?). I wasn't super impressed with the commercials this year but I did pick a favorite.

2012 Favorite

2012 Runner Up

2011 Favorite

2010 Favorite- Favorite of All Time

Can't believe Whitney Houston passed away...I remember dancing to "I Wanna Dance with Somebody" with Paige at Mystic every summer and just loving life. Crack is Wack.

Key players:
Paige- we met when we were 9 years old at Camp Mystic and never looked back. I can't explain our friendship because it is so unique but I feel so blessed to have a childhood friendship that has lasted. I am so glad that I now live in Dallas, and get to see more of this bubbly girl!

February 10, 2012

I caved. I started a blog.

So why a blog? Yeah that was my first thought. My second thought was OMG this is so cliche'...I am totally jumping on the "blogging is trendy" train. My third thought: I am not that interesting and really don't have anything cool to say. (Freak out moment...no one is going to read my blog!) But I decided that writing down my thoughts in a "journal" would be therapeautic whether or not anybody reads it so here I am. So far the reactions I've gotten have been mixed but mostly "upbeat" (How to Lose a Guy in 10 days anyone?). So when I first started thinking about blogging I texted Kelsey.

me: "I've gotten this great urge to start a blog."
Kelsey: "I really want to start one too!"

Good I wasn't the only one secretly wanting to blog. I always know that when I have a crazy idea I can count on Kelsey to encourage me and join in on the craziness. Now that I had finally put it out there and didnt feel completely ridiculous I told my hubby.

me: "Babe, I think I'm going to start a blog."
Lucas: "Seriously?"
me: "Yes everyone has a blog plus I think it would be therapeautic. (Lucas immediately started laughing at me for using the word therapeautic to describe blogging.) Ok so that is a little dramatic but I think it would be fun to do in my spare time (who am I kidding what spare time? Law school)."
Lucas: "Well that's cool babe."
me: "So do you want it to be like a you and me family blog or a just me blog?"
Lucas: "Whatever is fine."
me: "No help....Lilly what do you think?"
Lilly: She gave me the evil eye.

So after talking to Lucas I texted my sister....I should have known better.

me: "If I had a blog what should I name it?"
Daniella: "Hahaha plz tell me no."
me: "Yes"
Daniella: "ewww ur weird that's creepy."

Well so much for moral support from my sister but that's just Dan! So whats the deal with the title? I straight up googled it and thought it was cute so I copied it. I'm not that witty. I'm excited to share my thoughts and I hope ya'll find it somewhat entertaining!

Key players in order of appearance:
Kelsey- college roommate, study abroad sidekick, and amazing friend. There really is only one word to describe her: fabulous!

Lucas- my wonderful, amazing, supportive, and loving husband! I could go on and on about this man maybe because I am totally weak in the knees for him. I started dating him almost 10 years ago and never looked back. I am so blessed to have found my soulmate and partner in life.

Daniella- my one and only sista that I commonly refer to as Dan. I really can't explain our relationship except that it is incredible, and that we use words like child, tootles, and tantric in almost every conversation we have with eachother. She lives in Austin and I wish she was closer. Love her.

Lilly- literally our child. She was a college graduation gift from my parents after I had nagged them about wanting the same dog all four years of college. She is a tri-color Cavalier King Charles Spaniel...somewhat overweight (thanks lucas) but still as cute as always. She has the absolute best, most diva personality, and I love her for it. She is the best companion and I cant wait to get more some day (Cavaliers come in four colors...I want one of each). I log on to cavalierrescueusa.org at least twice a week to check out all the little nuggets up for adoption...it melts my heart and wow I just realized I talked about my dog more than my husband. Must stop.