watch out

this morning on my way to work i walk along the minuteman bike trail. it's pretty heavily consumed with people walking their dogs and commuters like me. i'm practically at the davis t-stop when i notice a few people standing around looking at something in the grass....it was a giant hawk ripping apart a poor rabbit. they were standing there taking pictures with their phones and watching the bird only feet away. did i stop and take a picture? you bet your ass i didn't, i kept on walking even faster to get out of his space. that bird was obviously very hungry and those people in the dog playgroup just 20 feet behind were lucky that their terriers and other small dogs weren't eaten up and mistaken for rabbits. this is not the first time i've seen a hawk recently. abe and i were in animal kingdom walking around in the scorching heat when all of a sudden a big bird swooped in right in front of us and picked up a little garden snake that was hiding in the brush. technically, i am much to big for this bird to eat, but i'm not about to upset it in any way when it's hungry or hunting.

Figs!

i have been eating seriously First Class lately. natasha and i went to Figs on Charles street for dinner on tuesday night. it's a todd english restaurant, so you know it's going to be good, but i had no idea it would be so good with such a simple menu. most of what is there is american comfort foods like lobster mac and cheese, various pastas and rissottos, and the world's best listing of pizza i've ever seen. i got the braised beef on papperdelle and tash got mushroom risotto with figs. next time i go, i have no doubt that i'll be ordering a pizza. they just looked amazing, i could barely stop myself from jumping onto someone else's table. the smell alone is intoxicating. oh it's small there, so get there early or be prepared to wait. it's definately worth a wait though. A-

kitchen addition

check it out.  i put this together tonight in 3.5 hours.  i now have blisters from the screwdriver, and about a billion extra screws...

isn't it heavenly though?  

it's a toga bitch

i had a seriously busy weekend.  friday night i made it to baptiste for a hot yoga class that kicked my ass.  i haven't done real yoga in a long time...2 days later and i still hurt.  i took a vinyasa yoga class at my gym recently but it was definitely the very relaxing flowing yoga style that i never feel burns enough calories.  baptiste is the exact opposite of that, it is such a good workout.  

saturday was spent wedding gown shopping bouncing around stores and then once i bought one me and my mom went to crate and barrel so i could pick up the kitchen island abe and i have had our eyes on for awhile.  my dad came into town so i could bring it back to my place.  i have no idea how we're going to assemble this baby.  it says 'ready to assemble', but it came in Three Boxes!!  i was like seriously what the Fing F.  hopefully abe is up to the challenge since i'm not.  getting it home was enough work for me.  once i finally got the boxes in my place, i took my parents to olivio's in arlington for dinner.  this is a great little gem.  it's never so busy that you need to wait and the food is authentic italian and light at the same time.  after dinner i had to jet off to pete's big 30th bday toga party.  my toga was awesome!  this is actually the first time i've never worn a toga, and it could possibly be the last.

sunday, becca and ventured to the south end to try out Union for brunch and check out the sowa open market.  union was great, it was nicely priced and the food was nicely proportioned.  their bloody mary was exceptionally spicey, but i had to try it out.  i would definitely go back to this place, there were so many other things i wanted to try on the menu.  man i love the south end.  

after the little exploration, i went to chelmsford to visit my parents to see their new kitchen and have some dinner on the grill.  that was really nice, i never can get enough grilled and marinated foods on the grill in the summer time.

i'm freaking exhausted now.  that was a jam packed weekend!

wedding white

i bought my dress!! (note: this picture isn't my dress, it's carrie bradshaw)  i looked at vera wang - and almost bought one, i looked at cristina's in andover - and almost bought one.  and then i looked at priscilla's of boston and i actually bought The one.  i brought becca along with my mom to the last two yesterday and having her opinion really helped.  my mom and i have very different taste, but becca knows my taste and knows what i like and wasn't trying to pretend that something i wasn't into was an option.  it's such a big decision and i was pretty stressed over it since i felt like i kept finding something that wasn't quite what i wanted, but that was just me being impatient.  and now i need to move forward never ever looking at another dress.  i need to remind myself that i bought this one based on loving it and knowing that i'll love it a year from now.  i'm not going to torture myself by looking at more, i believe that's how brides end up with buyer's remorse and have 2 dresses in the end.  now i can't wait to buy shoes....

365 days

we are getting married in 365 days from today, in 365 days i will be Mrs. Laura Cho. this is a huge deal to me. it means that i have 364 days to get my shit together. generally, i do things way way in advance. i am a planner for even the most minor of things. we have a million things on our list and we haven't done anything. it's such a strange feeling. my biggest fear is that something i like/buy/choose now is something i won't like a year from today. i'm scared shitless over that!!

atleast my tummy isn't sour

oh man.  i am not in a good mood today, it's just another one of those days.  i woke up not feeling well at all and it only got so much worse from there, but tomorrow i have happy hour so that's something to look forward to.

things irritate me all the time.  patience is really not one of my specialties, however i thought for awhile that it had been getting slowly better and i was slowly becoming more positive.  in the past 2 months, i think i've actually been sinking back and seeing the dark side again.

things that drive me insane:

1.  when people ask me the time and never ever wear a watch.  i find it rude.  get a watch.

- exceptions: tourists, people running down the street, and old people who can't read.

2.  when people ask me to hold their things in my bag because they don't ever bring a bag.

-exceptions:  none. 

3.  overuse of the phrase: "so what's the plan?"

4.  loud nasty gum chewing.   if you just ate a garlic sandwich, brush your teeth don't chomp on gum like a cow.

oh i'm so glad i got all that out.  if you do more than one of these things on the list and i still call you my friend then i must really like you.  if you do a lot more than one thing, then i'm surprised you still have any friends but it's not too late: buy a watch, carry a bag, brush your teeth and don't over use phrases.  

Going Green

the celtics beat the lakers, and then i got to see grown men sob loud sobs and cry so hard they couldn't even speak.  i honestly watched about 10 minutes of the game, i just kept it on in the background, but it almost was just too painful to watch.  we were winning from the getgo and then we just kept winning by more.  you started too see the lakers run away with their tail between their legs in defeat, it was really sad.  

i can't even imagine what it was like at the game.  the crowd was insanely loud, i don't know how the players could even hear each other.  i'm happy for them, it wasn't easy and it wasn't easy on me either.  i'm tired from staying up so late watching them over this series so i'm glad it's finally over and it ended favorably.  

the commissioner of the NBA was booed like everytime he spoke.  he'd get the mike to say something and the entire arena would boo him.  why is this?  because he's a jerk?  because his teeth are really offensive?  

ray allen has a really cute baby boy.  who would have thought that someone who isn't exactly stunning was able to make a cute baby.  good job.  you won a championship and brought a good looking person into the world, maybe we need more people like you playing for us.

burning tummy

i had a not very good day.  it was one of those days that might have been better if i wasn't pmsing.  however, i was able to go to the gym when i'd normally flake out and go home if i had a bad day.  i even stayed for a whole 40 minutes.  yeah i know that's not very long, but when you think of the alternative:  me plastered to the couch eating pad thai, the 40 minutes sounds like an eternity.  

40 minutes at the gym

2 episodes of girls next door

roasted veggies and a plate of nachos for dinner

diet coke

half a single bag of peanut m&ms

and now i have the most sour stomach i've had in a long time. i really need to find another release for when i'm under the weather.  i swear it's my swirling hormones mixed with annoyance that made me eat the nachos and the m&ms.  i think i should get back to yoga these crazy food combinations are going to kill me someday.

Somerville CSA!!

Abe and I are finally integrated into the Davis Square area. We joined a CSA!! Farmer Dave's CSA to be exact (CSA= Community supported agriculture). if you don't know what a CSA is, you can read this little blurb by Farmer Dave. in a nutshell, we get a batch of fresh picked vegetables once a week for 2 people and it saves us money and helps the community at the same time and the environment. i guess the only catch is that you never know what you'll be getting, if you're lucky like me, you like almost all veggies but if you're picky then this might not be for you. i'm not worried, i'm sure it will all be fresh enough to be good. this is a great opportunity to learn different ways in preparing these foods as well, a chance i rarely get when i'm not planning ahead.


if you are an extra dirty hippie or a squeaky clean hippie, or something in between then maybe you would like to join Farmer Dave and his CSA. Honestly, we tried to get into another one, but this one is way more convenient to pickup in Davis and actually cheaper. I can't wait for our first pickup on July 2!

Color Schemes

i'm not really someone who is comfortable settling on a color scheme. i love the way the one above looks: the blue, ivory, yellow, tan. it's light and oceanside pretty, i think that this will be our color scheme... i would even like to see a little bit of a minty green too.

one more thing settled. if i hadn't come across this photo today i was thinking about just going to home depot and grabbing a few paint samples to mix and match to something i found really alluring and calm. but luckily, i saved myself a trip!

i never saw mickey...

this could potentially be our last year visiting disney world in june for the microsoft conference.  next year it's going to be in LA and then who knows after that.  we went to universal and rode the new simpsons ride which was probably the real highlight of our trip.  it was soooooo much fun and really worth every minute.  we also went on the mummy ride and that was a nice addition to the park as well.  good fun.  friday i lounged by the pool in the morning while abe worked and then we went to a dinner off the resort at a nice little place with great steak and seafood.  saturday was our big day at the parks.  we made it to animal kingdom and epcot.  animal kingdom is kind of not as cool for adults as it is for kids.  there's lots of animals like giraffes and hippos and rhinos, but it's not exactly exciting.  we went on this safari ride where they take you through what they claim to be an african ecosystem, but all the animals in the system are herbivores of course.  we saw lots of antelope, rhinos, giraffes, warthogs, birds, and funny things with big horns.  the driver of our safari vehicle was like: do you see the lion sleeping at the top of the rocks?  and everyone is ooohing and ahhhing, but i'm not sure that it was real because how could it be?  how could they let an animal like that roam free when there's little tour buses and people and other helpless animals all about?  and then someone mentioned it to us later and we were like yeah that was weird, he was also convinced that lion was not real.  we also tried out a bugs life and that was really interactive and funny, everyone loved it.  it reminded me of the muppets 3d ride that may or may not still exist somewhere in disney.  we also saw a new ride everest, but not only was the line insane, but i could hear people screaming for like blocks away and i honestly was too scared to go on it.  even with the fast pass we really had no chance to make it on that one, but it's really cool to see, it's a giant replica of a mountain and the roller coaster goes in and out and around the mountain really loudly.  we moved on to epcot for the afternoon, i remember back in the day i thought epcot was like too boring for me, but now i think it's really cute.  how times have changed.  anyways, mind you this day was a stifling 90 degrees with florida humidity, so we kind of raced through epcot.  we visited all the countries and ate lunch in italy and went on this new ride that simulates how they test cars and they bring your car up to extreme speeds, but scary....no not really.  we learned about norway on a little water ride, and i wanted to eat in morocco but we were still full from lunch.  epcot has really changed, it's definitely one of the older parks, but they do keep updating it and it remains a classic.  

the best part about our little vacation was dinner on saturday night.  we went to our hotel restaurant called Primo and it's a place that cooks with all organic, local and sustainable ingredients.  they even have a garden at the hotel to ensure freshness.  i had the best pork that i've ever tasted in my life.  abe got the best duck we've ever tasted.  in fact, we were like why doesn't the other duck/pork we eat taste like this?  we ordered extra veggies to take advantage of the freshness and the response was the same: why don't the other vegetables we eat taste like this?  you could really taste the vegetable instead of having the spices distract you from the real flavor.  i even got to try new vegetables: pickled dragon pea pods and fiddle heads.  fiddle heads are these little green plants that grow in a spiral, and apparently they used to grow in abe's backyard wild and his mom would cook them.  they're really good, kind of sweet, nice texture, i'd totally eat them again.  the woman who owns Primo also has one in Rockland, Maine, so i'm sure we'll venture up there to have this food again it was just too amazing.  and i might even say it was the best meal i've ever had... that's a bold statement, so just in case it's not accurate, i can definitely say it was one of the top 3 meals i've ever had.  it was the kind of meal that makes you melt and hate that your next meal is going to suck in comparison.

this was only a little long weekend of a vacation, so i actually don't feel too rested.  all in all, it was an Ok vacation.  we had lots of fun, but walking around disney is exhausting and the heat and humidity can be excruciating.  that place is expensive too.  my next vacation is going to involve less movement hopefully and less crowds.  i do hope that we get to go back someday though in the next few years, it's something that will always be fun to me.

Dino prizes

Look what we won in animal kingdom playing a carnival game. They're very cute but the bigger one is going to have to stay in orlando. We don't have room for this kind of stuff in our apartment. Sorry yellow dinosaur.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Poolside in orlando

I finally got what I wanted: lots of sun by the pool. I wish there were less rugrats but of course its orlando and none of them are screaming or crying yet so that's really all I can ask for.

Last night we went to universal for the Microsoft event thing where they rent out the park. They have this new simpsons ride is it is totally awesome. It was really fun and the line moves pretty fast which is always good in humid weather. We also went on the mummy ride which I thought was going to be a horrifying rollercoaster but it was fun and I didn't regret it at all.

Next up: more relaxing by the pool.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Finally

After 5 hours and way to many arguments with American airlines and delta airlines, close to a total breakdown, near starvation, extra security checks with air blowing on me, I'm finally sitting on the stupid plane with my entire day dampered in a way only airlines know how to do. I may never fly again although I do plan on coming home from orlando so I guess I have to. I can't believe how rude some of these people have been but my ass is on the plane so that's all that matters I suppose.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

I just got screwed by American airlines. My 11:15 flight in first class was cancelled and I wasnt notified. Then they tell me that I was rebooked on delta so I had to get on a bus to take me to a different terminal. I get here and delta had no idea what I was talking about but finally found my info. The new flight is at 3pm direct but in coach and there were only 4 seats from me to choose from. So now I'm sitting outside of security unwilling to check in and there is some douchebag of a kid seemingly without parents playing imaginary guns in my face. American has got to be kidding me. They wasted my time and must have sent this child making explosion noises to put the cherry on the shit cake they made for me. I have been pretty nice this week and really don't think this can be karma. It must be an exboyfriend working for American out to ruin my vacation. That bastard.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Stella

The south end.

I am in love I think. Or no I am flirting with love. Natasha and I have been on a tour of the south end recently: rocca, gaslight, and now Stella. I really like this area its clean and modern and so stylish.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Oh vera

i had an appointment today at vera wang to try on wedding dresses.  i was disappointed with the amount of selection they had in the store compared to the amount that they show on the website.  however, what was there was gorgeous of course.  i even made them strip the mannequin in the window to try on that dress.  

so i got there, pulled dresses that i initially liked from the racks and then after gauging my taste the girl who was assisting me brought out recommendations.  i think i tried on close to 15 dresses, and i loved all of them for the most part.  this is going to be hard.  in the end there was one specifically that i loved most, but was still teetering on the edge of "is this the one?"  it was sheath style, fitted in the right places, the perfect color ivory, and very me.... but i still am second guessing myself.  all of the dresses have their own adjectives.  it's really crazy, but they do.  i put one on and the girl would be like: elegant, picturesque.  then the next one: very sweet, lots of great movement.  next:  memorable, will photograph well.  next:  structured, lengthening. etc, etc.

i'm soooooo glad i did the biggest loser challenge before bridal dress shopping.  everyone says: yeah it doesn't matter you'll have fittings later.  but how much better is it if the dress fits almost perfect to begin with?  i really needed the visual.  i really couldn't see how it would end up looking on the other girl who was trying on dresses beside me unable to even think about zipping her dress.  girls, that's a good tip - you know, if you're totally crazy like me.  also be prepared to strip way down in front of a total stranger to slip a dress over your head all afternoon.

since it was my first bridal appointment i am going to wait for comparison, i have christina's in andover and priscilla's of boston at the end of the month.  how exciting!

95 and spicy hot

on saturday we went to brenda and justin's new house in norfolk, ma.  where is norfolk??  it's like an hour away in the freakin boonies, there were bugs there that i'd never seen before.  but of course, the best part of this little road trip to nowhere?

they have an in-ground pool!!  need i say more.  i have been waiting for this very moment for a long time.  it felt so good to not have to fight the crowds at a beach.  instead, we got to lounge around the pool, bbq, and mix some drinks.  it was probably what i would call my first weekend of summer.  the mosquitos mean business there.  i came home at the end of the night with atleast 15 bites.  abe came home with various bites, cuts, and aches and pains.  but we were both able to achieve a nice little tan and absolute refreshment from the heat wave.

Unexpected sox fan

Richard and teeda brought tasanee to the baseball game. She was just the cutest little thing. Very adorable!  richard had her in a little pouch on his tummy but like only on one shoulder diagonally and at first i just thought he was wearing a funny backpack on his front instead of his back.  she's so tiny!!  i was thrilled to finally meet her and of course it's always a special day when they come to town from california.  

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Home run!

I'm at the sox game with Becca in awesome bleacher seats. It finally stopped misting out too.

Cheers!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

blog neglect

this week has just flown by for me. i've been really busy, but things are chugging along. i'm still in search for a hobby though, and in search for someone to take cleo's cage off my hands. but that's another issue all together.

has anyone actually been to the Colonnade Rooftop Pool??
http://www.colonnadehotel.com/roof_top_pool/

i bet it's a really happening place for really hip and cool people where people sit in the sun and ready their vogues and esquires and call their nannies for updates on the kids. or it's a really overpriced place where only old farts go. we tried to go last year but on a weekend and it's only open to the public on weekdays. i think i might need to take a day off sometime and try it out on a really hot day.

i'm going to the red sox game tonight with becca and richard and teeda are in town for the game as well. hopefully i get to meet Tasanee before they head back to california.