wedding weekend recap

Posted on May 13, 2014 by dallaswoodburn

Happy Tuesday, friends! It is glorious, warm, sunny weather here in the Bay and I am soaking it up! I love reading outside in the sunshine under the trees. Currently I’m in the middle of the epic historical drama Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel. What books are you reading and loving right now?

As promised, here are some pictures from my whirlwind weekend at home for my cousin Julie’s wedding!

On Saturday morning, Allyn and I met up with Erica and her boyfriend Kyle for brunch, where we feasted on amazing food {my raspberry + white chocolate pancakes were to die for} and enjoyed over two hours of laugh-filled conversation. It always fills my heart to see this girl!

Then on Saturday afternoon we headed to the Mandalay Beach Resort for Julie and Chris’s wedding ceremony on the beach! It was a beautiful day, and thankfully the wind died down during the ceremony… the atmosphere was peaceful and calm. Julie looked absolutely breathtaking as she walked down the aisle, and my eyes filled with tears when I saw the way Chris looked at her. It was a lovely ceremony!

As soon as the ceremony ended, the wind kicked up, as you can see below! I love this family photo though because we are all laughing.

I made sure to hold my dress down in all the pictures, feeling a bit like Marilyn Monroe!

After the ceremony, there was an outdoor cocktail hour and I took the opportunity to snap some photos in between noshing on bacon-wrapped scallops, ahi tuna wontons, cheese and crackers, and sipping on a Shirley Temple! {It’s been years since I’ve had a Shirley Temple, and it was calling to me!}

I love this photo of my parents:

This is classic my dad — putting bunny ears on Gramps! Haha.

So happy to get to spend time with my handsome brother:

When cocktail hour wound down, we all headed into the hotel ballroom for the reception. The food was delicious: Mom, Allyn and I opted for the filet mignon, garlic mashed potatoes and asparagus, and Dad and Greg had salmon with a blackberry glaze and wild rice and green beans. YUM! After heartfelt toasts to the bride and groom, we had a blast dancing the night away. My family is so much fun on the dance floor, making up goofy moves. My mom especially is a dancing fool at weddings … it’s a side of her I don’t otherwise see except at wedding receptions, and I absolutely love it! She is the cutest.

Before the night was over, we made sure to snap some more pictures. I love this one of me and Gramps:

And this one with my sweetheart, who was so wonderful meeting my big crazy family:

Woodburn family photo, take 2:

And of course the night wouldn’t be complete without a silly photo bomb from Pops! Haha, I love this one:

The weekend went by much too quickly, but it was jam-packed with fun! What a blessing to have so many of the people I love together in the same place.

Congrats Julie + Chris! We love you and are so happy and excited for your new life together as husband and wife! ❤

Questions of the day:

What was the last wedding you went to?
What is your favorite thing about going to a wedding?

a year of Wooden: week 19

Posted on May 12, 2014 by dallaswoodburn

Hi, everyone, and happy Monday! I hope you had a wonderful Mother’s Day weekend. Tomorrow I’ll share some photos from my lovely weekend at home, but today it’s time for this week’s year of Wooden challenge.

January: Drink deeply from good books.
February: Make friendship a fine art.
March: Help others.
April: Build a shelter against a rainy day (financially).
May: Be true to yourself.

For the month of May, we’ll be focusing on the very first item of Coach Wooden’s 7-Point Creed: “Be true to yourself.” Each week, I’ll be posting a question for you to reflect on, perhaps through journaling or meditation. The goal is that by the end of May, you’ll have a clear idea of what it means to be your happiest, most authentic self so that you can work on being true to that self.

Last week, the question to reflect upon was: If you won a zillion dollars and no longer had to work for money, how would you spend your time?

I would spend my time visiting and laughing with the people who matter most to me; traveling across the U.S. and around the world; writing pieces I’m passionate about without worrying about anyone reading {or not reading} them; volunteering for social justice causes; teaching; reading; going to plays; planting a huge organic garden; cooking and baking. I feel incredibly lucky that, even though I haven’t won a zillion-dollar lottery and do need to work for money, my life includes pretty much all these things that I love and my job is something I would do for free because it fulfills and nourishes me.

This week, here is your question to consider: What in your life makes you feel drained, overwhelmed or fearful?

happy mother’s day!!! + goals for the week of 5/11

Posted on May 11, 2014 by dallaswoodburn

Happy Mother’s Day, everyone! I feel so lucky that I get to spend part of today at home with my amazing mama. She is one of the sweetest, most kindhearted people I’ve ever had the privilege of knowing, and getting to grow up {and, let’s be honest, I’m still learning and growing!} with her as my mom and role model feels like winning the lottery. I love you, Mom!

I hope that you are getting to do something extra-special to celebrate the mothers in your life today! We are making brunch for my mom: nothing fancy, just toast, bacon, fruit salad, and her favorite scrambled eggs with veggies + potatoes. {But if you’re looking for fancy, scroll down to the end of this post for some drool-worthy brunch recipes!} Here is a post I wrote a couple years ago about trying to do little things to celebrate Mother’s Day every day.

It has truly been a fantastic weekend at home with my family and friends, celebrating my cousin Julie’s wedding! Recap post coming soon, stay tuned. 🙂

In the meantime… it’s time for goals!

Here’s how I did on my goals from this past week:
– ~~write eight pages~~
– ~~send out three query letters/submissions~~
– finish midterm evals of students
– ~~finish reading The Kitchen God’s Wife~~
– ~~go to one yoga class~~
– ~~have an amazing time celebrating Julie + Chris’s wedding!~~

And here are my goals for this upcoming week:
– write ten pages
– send out three query letters/submissions
– finish midterm evals of students
– read up to page 400 in Wolf Hall
– go to two yoga classes
– connect with two friends

And here are some fantastic brunch recipes:
– cornmeal waffles with blackberry compote via Two Peas & Their Pod
– raspberry almond scones via Two Peas & Their Pod
– blueberry multigrain french toast bake via The Pajama Chef
– healthy vegan banana bread via the real-life rd
– sweet potato muffins via Peanut Butter Fingers
– snickerdoodle bread via Chew Out Loud
– my own french toast bake based on The Pioneer Woman’s recipe {I need to make this again sometime! it was ridiculously good!}

Questions of the day:

How are you celebrating Mother’s Day?
What are your goals for this upcoming week?
What recipes are you drooling over lately?

This post is featured on Menu Plan Monday!

fabulous friday #21

Posted on May 9, 2014 by dallaswoodburn

Hi, friends! Happy TGIF! Hope you’re up to something fun this weekend!

Here are 5 things I’m loving right now:

1. Being home with this cutie. Mr. Mur-dog, how I missed you!

2. And, of course, I’m loving being home with the rest of my family! My parents and brother are three of my very favorite people in the universe, and anytime we all get to be together feels like SUCH a gift. I am treasuring every moment!

3. Allyn is in town visiting too! He’s coming as my date to my cousin Julie’s wedding tomorrow. I’m excited to show him around my hometown, and we’re meeting up with Erica and her bf Kyle for brunch tomorrow. Can’t wait!

4. Going out to eat at my favorite Ventura restaurants. Nom nom!

5. Julie’s wedding! Her bachelorette party last night was a blast and I felt honored to be included. I love my cousins dearly; we grew up together and went all through school together, and they are practically like sisters to me. Now that we are grown and scattered across the country, it’s a rare treat for us all to be together. Julie had a wonderful, relaxing bachelorette slumber party hosted by her sister Amanda — lots of talking, laughing, and catching up over CPK pizza and homemade cupcakes! Julie is a beautiful person inside and out and I know she is going to be an absolutely stunning bride tomorrow.

On the dance floor at Amanda’s wedding this past summer…

Questions of the morning:

What are you loving right now?
What are your plans for this weekend?
What was the last wedding you attended?

mid-week meditation

Posted on May 7, 2014 by dallaswoodburn

Hello, beautiful friends! Hope you’re having a lovely day! I’m off in a few hours to teach and then head to the airport to catch a flight home for my cousin Julie’s bachelorette party and wedding this weekend… I can’t wait!

Last night I went to an insightful meeting at church, and as always our minister began with a brief reading and a couple minutes for quiet reflection. Later on, as I drove home from the meeting, I thought about how comforting and nurturing even those brief periods of meditation are in my life. That gave me the idea to start a new series here on the blog: mid-week meditations! Each week, I’ll try to post a quote or question to think about as you go about your busy day. I hope it brings you solace and gratitude as it does for me!

Today, I’m thinking about joy and abundance, and these lovely words I came across from Sarah Ban Breathnach:

If you’re looking for more meditation, I love Heather Waxman’s blog posts and her amazing meditation album Soul Sessions. I’m a newbie to meditation, and Heather has been a gentle guide as I nurture my own budding practice.

Question of the day:

Where in your life are you feeling a sense of abundance and joy?

a year of Wooden: week 18

Posted on May 5, 2014 by dallaswoodburn

Hi, everyone, and welcome to all the new subscribers! Thanks to all of you for spreading the word about my blog … it means so much to me that you let me be a part of your life. Thanks for reading!

Monday means it’s time for this week’s year of Wooden challenge. Today we’re introducing a new challenge for the month of May: Be true to yourself.

January: Drink deeply from good books.
February: Make friendship a fine art.
March: Help others.
April: Build a shelter against a rainy day (financially).
May: Be true to yourself.

This week, here is your question to consider: If you won a zillion dollars and no longer had to work for money, how would you spend your time?

goals for the week of 5/4

Posted on May 4, 2014 by dallaswoodburn

Hi everyone! How is your weekend going? I hope you’ve been up to fun things! Last night after I finished working, Allyn and I went to dinner and a film festival in San Francisco, which was a blast! This morning I’m off to church and book club for a fascinating and important read, Behind the Kitchen Door, about inequalities in the restaurant industry. If you’re someone who eats out in restaurants even semi-frequently, I’d highly recommend taking a look at this book. It’s a quick read and will change the way you think about eating out.

And now… it’s time for goals!

Here’s how I did on my goals from this past week:
– ~~write 12 pages~~
– ~~finalize travel plans for the summer~~
– ~~send out three query letters~~
– ~~read up to page 350 of The Kitchen God’s Wife~~
– ~~go to two yoga classes~~
– ~~connect with three friends~~

And here are my goals for this upcoming week:
– write eight pages
– send out three query letters/submissions
– finish midterm evals of students
– finish reading The Kitchen God’s Wife
– go to one yoga class
– have an amazing time celebrating Julie + Chris’s wedding!

Questions of the day:

What was a highlight of your weekend?
What are your goals for this upcoming week?
What recipes are you drooling over lately?

This post is featured on Menu Plan Monday!

fabulous friday #20

Posted on May 2, 2014 by dallaswoodburn

Happy TGIF! Can you believe it’s already May? I am in awe of how quickly this year is flying by. A reminder to make the most of each and every day we are blessed with!

Here are 5 things I’m loving right now:

1. The gorgeous, summer-like weather we’ve been having around here … warm and sunny, the days are long, and I can sit out on the porch with a book and a glass of iced tea reading even after dinnertime. On Wednesday Allyn and I went to a Giants game and I didn’t even need a jacket! I didn’t know San Francisco EVER got that warm, especially down by the water. It was glorious! And I love the energy and happiness in the air at this time of year, like everyone is more carefree and open to the world.

2. The latest collection of short stories, The Color Master, by one of my favorite writers {and people!} Aimee Bender, author of the previous best-selling novel The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake. Aimee was my professor at USC and she is one of the best teachers I’ve ever had. She definitely was, and continues to be, a huge influence and inspiration for my own writing. I am savoring her new book–the stories are by turns delightful, dark, funny, serious, and always surprising. I would highly recommend putting this on your summer reading list!

3. I wrote a short story that has been published in the online literary journal Superstition Review! I’m so excited and honored to have my work featured as part of this publication I have long admired. You can read it here. {Note: the story is fictional, and a little dark/sad… just be warned!}

4. These berry + cream cheese muffins I made a few days ago and have been enjoying as breakfast, snacks, and dessert … zero refined sugar, zero white flour, and absolutely delicious! I will be sharing the recipe on here next week, stay tuned!

5. This picture, shared by my dad on Facebook:

BONUS: Vote for my friends Mike & Bob Bryan, who are amazingly kind and generous Philanthropists of Giving and are in the running to win $100,000 for their charity! You can vote up to 3 times a day and it takes less than a minute! https://givkwik.com/campaigns/2014-asu

Day-By-Day Masterpiece

Monthly Archives: May 2014

wedding weekend recap

Questions of the day:

a year of Wooden: week 19

happy mother’s day!!! + goals for the week of 5/11

Questions of the day:

fabulous friday #21

Here are 5 things I’m loving right now:

Questions of the morning:

mid-week meditation

Question of the day:

a year of Wooden: week 18

goals for the week of 5/4

Questions of the day:

fabulous friday #20

Here are 5 things I’m loving right now: