The Weekend Send-Off

December 1st, 2011 - filed under: Furthermore » Feedback

Oi Oi! Hello! It’s the last day of my vacation and thus I present to you: Vacation Instagram Assault!

Standing on the 405 freeway in the middle of LA:

“It’s cool guys, no worries. I got it from here!”

Happy Weekend!!!

~~~

And now to slip on that attitude of gratitude, that ever-essential weekend send-off, Le Love List!

This week has been so full of so many things to love that I can’t possible rank them or name them all, but here’s a solid attempt:

GREEEEEEEEEN JUUUUUUUUUUICE // my big beautiful family of both blood and bond, I am so lucky to have you and I’m thankful every day! // being emotionally open; showing vulnerability; being supported there // cruising Whole Foods with my amazing incredible spectacular boy child, sharing green juice chatting our way through the aisles. he is growing up so damn fast // today I had a raw lemon mini tart by Hail Merry and it was easily the best store-bought raw dessert I’ve ever eaten // two amazing women named Kate, who each inspire me in different ways // watching almost an entire season of Ru Paul’s Drag Race in one sitting, with vegan pizza delivery and spicy seasonal beer – now THAT’s a mother-effin’ vacation! (so much love to my girl Kate!) // walking around dowtown SB, narrating my youth to Waits “see that? Mommy used to work at that coffeehouse! and see this? this is where Mommy climbed up to do that crazy photo shoot in high school! and over there, in that ally there? that’s where Mommy used to smoke . . . er . . . well never mind about that! Mommy used to have a lot of fun there *ahem* moving on” // the beach the beach the beach, and how every time we go outside now Waits says “beesh! beesh!” // very dear friends-of-the-family who tell me stories about my mother // oatmeal with roasted almond butter and jam // daiya-corn tortilla quesadillas // missing Damian // feeling totally, utterly sun-soaked and ready to face the Portland winter // dreaming up Waits’s Christmas list and feeling excited about Christmas for the first time since I was a kid // getting ready for Hanukkah and getting ready for “veganized matzoh-ball soup”, attempt number 2! // AMAZING emails from Bonzai readers that light me up and touch my heart and gosh, I hope you guys know how much you mean to me // driving the backroads of my home town, with Waits napping in the back, with the radio on, with the sun shining bright, with my mind at peace, and thinking “Yeah, I think I could be happy living here again” (no actual plans of moving, I promise you’d know!) // conceptualizing a redesign, a Bonzai 2.0 // making this for non-vegans (let alone RAW vegans) and getting rave reviews // gaining a few pounds is always a sign of a good vacation, right? HA . . .

~~~

Alright guys, now it’s your turn – tell me what you’re loving this week!

My darlings, this happy little post will stay at the top of the page all weekend, so stop by any time to leave your Love List, ask a question, or offer some feedback! Or if you’re new, please introduce yourself and say ‘Oi!’! This is your community, so get involved!

Much much love my dears, and a wonderful weekend to you!

http://alternativehousewife.com Janine @ Alternative Housewife

Loving your outfit and the photos. That one of you with the straw is screaming ‘profile pic’!
Sonja

Great pics! Waits looks so adorable! And your striped shirt is great! my love list:

- vegan banana pancakes for a very late breakfast
- listen to good music while being hugged by my favorite person
- getting things off my to do list
- working on my website
- selfmade christmas decoration
- lists
Annie

Love:

1. This anti- youth drink driving video from NZ.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=dIYvD9DI1ZA
It’s so funny, but so right.
“You know I can’t greb your ghost chups” Hahahaha
Note: ‘chups’ (or chips) are what you in the top half call fries and a highly cherished food.
Australians love NZ and see them as our cute cousins that say chips funny.

2. Frozen raspberries and coconut yoghurt. Ahmahgahd, I’m eating this way too much.

3. Holiday prep with my family and boyfriend’s family. Both mum’s are going mental and over the top with food planning, but it’s fun. My mum and stepdad are coming to my boyfriend’s christmas, which is kinda “woah, we’re a grown-up couple now!” deal, but I love the family coming togetherness, even if I’m not particularly religious.
http://brokencookiesdontcount.wordpress.com/ Fran@BCDC

Love the photos! I guess Waits really is in charge when he has a chance to escape from his cage…tee hee! Were you standing in a traffic jam? That place is crazy!!
Rachel Fesperman

Lazy morning breakfasts with my girlfriend.

Nutritional yeast flakes on my morning toast.

My snuggie.

Oat milk in my coffee.
Meghan

1. No pregnancy anemia! Woot! I didn’t even try VERY hard to avoid it either, I’ve just been my regular somewhat nutritious self, and have taken my prenatals. I almost wish that I had been getting flak for being vegan and pregnant so I could say HA! SUCK IT! to those people, but oh well. :-) (fundal height, weight gain, blood pressure, etc., are all great too!)

2. Uhm, the pumpkin muffins that my husband baked last night after I went to bed at 8:30! I’ve been too busy with the end of the semester and being fat and pregnant to do breakfast baking lately.

3. The big pile of cloth diapers over there —->. Makes me feel almost ready for the fact that it is now December which means I could have a baaaaaaaabbbbyyyyyy next month!

4. Christmas music. I <3 Christmas music. I am particularly enamored with the really inappropriate piccardy third in the verse about Herod in Coventry Carol. Renaissance music, <3!

I better get to work, maybe next week my love list can include how excited I am at how far I've gotten in my end o' the semester projects. Doubtful, but I'll see what I can do. :-)
guest

Yay for vegans who love ru paul’s drag race <3
Meghan

Oh man. Frozen raspberries sound like an excellent idea.
http://almostveganchef.com Amber Shea @Almost Vegan

You are so damn lovely, you green juice minx, you! :P Love the photo of you looking to the side, walking on the freeway. Glad your vacation was fab! (If gaining a few lbs is a sign of good vacay, then I am the QUEEN of awesome traveling… :P )
Oh and those raw Meyer lemon Hail Merry tarts…T. D. F.
TO DIE FOR.
::swoon::
http://almostveganchef.com Amber Shea @Almost Vegan

You are so damn lovely, you green juice minx, you! :P Love the photo of you looking to the side, walking on the freeway. Glad your vacation was fab! (If gaining a few lbs is a sign of good vacay, then I am the QUEEN of awesome traveling… :P )
Oh and those raw Meyer lemon Hail Merry tarts…T. D. F.
TO DIE FOR.
::swoon::
Kate in SB

Love love love! So awesome to spend time with you. Waits is an absolute doll. Looking forward to planning my next trip to Portland sometime…. in the next year..

Oh, and that chocolate tart is the effing shiz.

Things I love this week: having good friends visit, blowing off work entirely to hang out and watching RuPaul’s drag race (YESS), impromptu trip to the beach, my cat being well behaved, oh yeah and planning a trip to France.
Sam

Love the vacation pics! I downloaded Instagram finally and I’ve been constantly taking pictures of random things with all the different filters/effects :)

Love List:

1. Mindfulness. I had kind of a crappy morning today. Nothing actually bad happened, I just let a bunch of little things bother me more than they should have, and the words “It’s just going to be one of those days, isn’t it?” kept running through my head. But then I stopped and thought, “Why? Why does it HAVE to be one of those days?” and completely turned my thinking around. I got off my butt, unearthed my blender from a forgotten corner, went out and bought fresh greens, and whipped up my very first batch of green juice! Celery, cilantro, carrots and a squeeze of orange juice. It’s delicious and I already feel all kinds of better. I’m also planning roasted Brussels sprouts and fingerling potatoes for dinner.

2. My first quarter of grad school almost being over!

3. Houseplants

4. Getting ready to put up my first Christmas tree, like not-living-at-my-parents, MY Christmas tree :)
http://eerosa.com erosan

http://t.co/MZXGPPIy

THIS

Also, I finally dragged my sorry ass and started blogging again.
http://www.eerosa.com/en
(edited the link so it goes directly to the english version)
http://eerosa.com erosan

Oh wow! you are due soon! congratulations!

And yay for late night cooking!
http://www.tiedyefiles.com Kaitlyn@TheTieDyeFiles

Waits is so smiley, and you are just gorgeous! Glad to hear you’ve enjoyed your vacation. My love list right now: afternoon walks/breaks from school, FRIDAY, exploring spirituality, seeing the boyfriend tomorrow.
http://bittsblog.blogspot.com bitt

I didn’t realize you went all the way to LA! What a trip. I hope the light helps you get through those dark days. I remember them all too well (I just moved from Seattle to a sunnier place). I am happy for the sun! But I miss Seattle. I also love those Hail Merry tarts. Had one last weekend, mmm. Have a good weekend!
Jessica Worst

I rarely allow myself a pat on the back but I feel like it could be appreciated here…. I LOVE that I am done Christmas shopping for my boys and it was all done by garage sales!
Meghan

Thanks!! How old is yours now?
Meghan

(also, my due date actually isn’t until January 31st, so the “next month” thing may be pushing it!)
Meghan

Baby!!
Meghan

Also, I love your eyes in that second picture!
Anonymous

Girl, you are looking bee-you-tee-full!

1. Smoked sea salt: sometimes just a little change is all it takes to add some pizazz to the daily eats.

2. Cutting my own bangs (and not messing up): Although I wish I could get fancy things like haircuts + manicures more often, getting those things done myself makes my thrifty self super satisfied.

3. Getting psyched for a concert by listening to the artist over and over: We are going to see The National play tomorrow night in San Francisco and I am so excited!
http://simplybeme.com Jenny @ Simply Be…me

I completely agree with you about getting excited for Christmas this year! Lincoln is 2 1/2 and has really gotten into the spirit of it all – I can’t wait until Christmas eve and morning!

My love list:
1. Christmas tree hunting with the family and good friends this weekend!

2. Realizing in the store yesterday that I can trust Lincoln to walk on his own and know he won’t tear apart the shelves.

3. The “repeat every word” stage that Lincoln is currently going through :) Gotta really watch what I say now.

4. This is the first time in 10 years that my husband has not worked at a ski hill, which means this is the first winter in 10 years that he is home on weekends. Plus, he has a whole week off for Christmas! I still can’t believe it but I am loving it!

Have a great weekend!
http://windycityvegan.wordpress.com Monika {windycityvegan}

LOVE!
http://windycityvegan.wordpress.com Monika {windycityvegan}

Love the super long love list!

My loves this week:

1. Vegan Brunch at the Pinhook, a bar here in Durham. It’s only once a month, but Nina has already made some friends there and it just feels so right being surrounded by hipsters/hippies/artists/musicians/random people off the street, all there for good vegan grub. It’s a fun scene. Oh! And they always have gf options, too!

2. Crafting like a mad woman every night between now and Christmas! I’m having such a blast.

3. Watching Nina devour roasted Brussels sprouts and broccoli like it’s candy.

4. Gilmore Girls. I never even heard of this show until a couple of years ago (I know, I know, I avoid tv like the plague) and now I am watching three or four episodes every. single. night.

I love my husband and everything, but it kinda makes me think that being a single parent would be fun. If I had super rich parents to fall back on, I suppose.

It also makes me realize that when Nina is 16 I will be FIFTY. Yikes.

5. I had a private lesson at my yoga studio a couple of days ago and the instructor waived the fee. For an hour long session. Out of the blue. Gratitude times infinity because I was having a pretty stressful day. And because now I won’t feel so guilty spending too much on yarn this weekend. :)
Rachel

That picture of Waits in the sand just made my night!!! He is soo cute <3
veronika

oh man, vacation! i hear you loud and clear!

my likes this week are two:

1) reading the vegan preg survival guide. [and by "reading" i mean that i read it in 2 evenings and am now re-reading. in perpetuity]. good effing job, and huge thank you! !

2) having just come back from a few weeks in brasil, checking out the bikini lines before they disappear, and dreaming of the next vacation. beijo!
http://eerosa.com erosan

he will be 1 year on dec 20th. time sure moves fast when you are having fun…
Moira

After looking at your pictures, I have a HUGE California itch. Two weeks can’t fly by fast enough before I make the trip home. *sigh*

What did you think of Native Foods??

Le Lovin…

working my butt off during the day and then coming home to a cozy home and my wonderful bed. i’ve been sleeping like no other woman has after a hard day’s work.

getting my bajeezus scared out of me for not working hard enough. just what i needed. thanks, profe!

salads for dinner. it has been awhile. i’ve missed them. and now they’re back and making me feel oh so good.

christmas tree decorating and holiday parties this weekend. oh! and i did nearly all my christmas shopping on etsy.. except for the boys. any ideas??
http://www.vegansunshine.wordpress.com Whitney

It looks like you had a fun week! :) I love the sand picture, how cute!

Whitney
Annie Guimond

It’s been my first official vegan month and I feel great !!! I survived the food they serve at my work (a kindergarden) and find out that the cook is pretty open to my new life style, when it’s possible, of course! Then I was wondering what to do with the Holidays? I am the only vegan I know (in real life I mean). So, do I have to tell people that I don’t eat specific foood or I just bring my own… what works best? Thank’s! That was my toughts of the week!
Meghan

My husband and I always go to a non-vegan house for thanksgiving… We usually bring a tofurky with stuffing, gravy, and a dessert. It is a big gathering, so most people bring some kind of dish along with them, so it isn’t weird at all that we are bringing something. The one Christmas that I spent at my sister’s in-laws I did the same thing. At the Thanksgiving house they are always happy to leave some of the potatoes aside before adding butter and milk to mash ‘em, which is nice.

When I’m at my parent’s or my sister’s house we just all kind of pitch in with the cooking so it isn’t really an issue.

I think it sort of depends on the people. Like, I have some friends that are definitely not vegan, but enjoy culinary challenges, so they are always happy to make something for me when they are having a bbq or party or something. For other general purposes if I get invited to a dinner party sort of thing I tell the host that I am vegan and offer to bring something… then generally they’ll either accept my offer or ask lots of questions to figure out what they can make for me. For the holidays though I understand that it can be kinda stressful for people, so I tend to just bring stuff. :-) Plus, then I know what I bring’ll be good, so that when other people try “that weird vegan stuff” they’ll be impressed. :-)
http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

Yup! Standing in stop-dead traffic jam in the middle of LA. It was actually pretty fun. =)
http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

Yay for your healthy third trimester! And also, you lucky lady, Aaron sounds like such an awesome guy.
http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

Also, you should have your baby on January 22, because that’s the best birthday of them all. ;-)
http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

<3
http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

I think “green juice minx” is my new favorite phrase!
http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

You better come visit me sooooon! I had so much fun lady, and I can’t wait to get started on season 3, oh yes oh yes. You are the best and someday we are going to live in the same city again, and it will be all gin-and-tonic-on-the-patio-evenings and hair-dying-vagina-weekends again!
http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

I LOVE your mindfulness story Sam, that is so inspiring. Good for you!

Also what’s your name on Instagram, I’ll follow you!
http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

EROSAN WHY YOU GOTTA MAKE ME CRY??

That was so so sweet! He is growing so fast, oh my god, I can’t believe how long I’ve known you. =D
http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

Thanks lady! The sun definitely helps. I used to read your blog and then look, here you are! Hope all is well and enjoy your sunnier winter! We in the PNW will be jealous. =)
http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

Jessica that is definitely something pat-worthy! I am hoping for an all-secondhand holidays for Waits as well. Hope I can do it. Congrats to you!
http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

Aw, thanks lady. =)
http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

I read your blog post last week, and it makes me soooo happy that there are vegan options popping up in smaller cities all over. What progress!

Also, when do you find out about law schools? cough *lewisandclark* cough
http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

I love the look on his face, such glee!
http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

Yay, SO glad you like it, thank you thank you!
http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

Ooh, have fun in California. Native Foods was A-MAZING. So so well done, great balance of healthy and comfort, family friendly, super nice people and vibe. I am a FAN! =D

How old are the boys?
http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

Congrats Annie, that is so great! What an accomplishment, especially this time of year.

I think Meghan’s advice is fantastic, I hardly have anything to add. I think bringing something to share whenever it’s appropriate is great. I always try to alert my host because I feel like as a host, I’d want to know. I always do it nonchalantly and sweetly. Offer to bring your own fod and let them know you don’t expect them to o out of their way.

Always pack a powerbar in your purse!
Moira

Err – by boys I really mean men… and by men I mean my father and older brother. AND we have a $20-ish limit on gifts this year.
Meghan

Hmmmmm… I WONDER whose birthday THAT is….

I’m hoping for January 28th, birthday of Ernie from Sesame Street. My first true love. (true confessions time: My Ernie was the ring bearer (Aaron says pillow, whatever) in my wedding, and I still sleep with him sometimes!)

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