If You Like Green Piña Colada...Tea

I bought a Groupon for the Chado Tea House in Downtown a few months ago. Now, if you are like me, you buy these things and forget about them. Good thing I have this week off from work to take advantage of the oddly sunny and warm weather to enjoy some afternoon tea with my bff. Another tea lover like myself.

We shared 4 different sandwiches, scones, cakes and tea. It was enough for both of us to feel really stuffed at the end of our meal. We also got to take home some loose leaf teas. Including my new favorite Green Piña Colada Tea. We conversed through lunch while peeking between the sandwiches and scones. Literally, between them, since the table was so small.

After our lunch we took a little stroll around Little Tokyo and came across a wishing tree...

 so i made a wish...

There were many different types of wishes, for world peace, for love, for prosperity, well wishes for others, for babies, for friendships, and to meet Justin Bieber...seriously, to meet him? Oh well. Wonder what this person wished for...

We kept walking around trying to forget we had already stuffed ourselves so we could eat some sushi or Japanese curry...the smell was so numbingly decadent...but we remembered...

We rounded out our afternoon with a quick visit to a bookstore where Claudia got her Anime fix and I discovered a Korean series called "Boys Over Flowers." It looks riveting. By the way, only in Downtown LA will you drive through China and Mexico to get to Japan. All thanks to adventures in Groupon-ing. Tune in next time for the Jamba Juice Swirly Hunt, true story.

♥always,
Marisol

Over The Weekend: Mexico, Murder and Magic

This past weekend I was sick and tired. Of what? Nothing, I was literally sick and tired. The days before this weekend I had to travel back to back for work and on top of that I caught some weird flu-like thing. So my weekend started of  Friday night at home dying on the couch and watching Charmed on Netflix. Saturday morning though it was time to hit the road to Tijuana. I am sick and tired of doing that. Not literally, figuratively. But good new... The braces are coming off sometime in the next few months! My biggest fear was that I would be 30 and still wearing the braces my 25 year old self was told would take two years. 

While standing in line to cross the border back from Mexico, we had the most obnoxious, loud-mouthed and foul language-d person ever behind us. An we were privy to his lovely conversation about how he doesn't give a "f" about not having any money to his name he is going to get "f-up" tonight and how he got "laid" the night before and well all kinds of other information that I will not repeat. Do you know how awkward it is to just listen to someone rant on about stuff like that and a person that uses explicit language to describe everything and anyone and themselves. So sad...and annoying!

But the worst part about my little Mexican border crossing experience is that I got stuck and was not able to cross the border because I forgot my passport, I was panicked and and didn't know what was going to happen to me... well I could have gotten stuck and I could have panicked and not known what was going to happen to me because I did forget my passport but the border person just looked at my ID and said have a nice day and I was on my way home. Sorry for the dramatics but it sounded boring otherwise.

The plan was to be home by 3pm but thanks to traffic I actually got home like at 4:30 right on time to be late to a Murder Mystery Dinner in Downtown. Marissa and I had purchased a Groupon for this moths ago and it would not be a genuine outing with Marisol if we weren't running late. I threw some clothes on and we were on the freeway headed for Downtown. The closer we got to the address and once off the freeway we realized that we were not exactly in the social area of Downtown. It was in the fashion district area and the streets were abandoned. We didn't even know where to park. When we finally found the place it was just an Italian restaurant on a second floor of a building that was a real puzzle to figure out how to get up there. We finally go seated and were a little thrown at how odd it just all felt. The "actors" were in 20's style clothing and so were some of the people in attendance. Having just read the confirmation email a few hours earlier that day we missed the part where they encourage you to dress up. I love dressing up but I did not feel left out at all in this scenario.

This was our view.

The actors seemed scattered and not well rehearsed. The food was bland which was a disappointment because I thought well at least we will have a good meal if the show is lame. One of the actors had a really bad headset type of microphone and it hurt my ears to hear him speak. It was just not what we expected but we tried to make the most of it. When it came time to solve the murder, our table had it down. However, we thought, no way too easy there has to be a twist so we created a twist and were sure that we were right or at least somewhat right. Until of course the simple version that we had come up with at first was the actual solution. But at least I got to hang out with my super cool friends Marissa and Henry. Who's Henry, why he's the pimple on my forehead that Marissa named Henry. It was over in about two hours and we headed back home. I was able to take this cool photo of Marissa on the abandoned streets of LA right before my phone died.

On Sunday I went to see Harry Potter with Veronica. Why? Because we are geeks like that, not even her kids wanted to see it. We liked it, it made us laugh, cry and feel suspense. But what did we talk about during and afterwards? Not the cinematography or the special effect, nope, we talked about how we were both ready to go ape crazy on the ladies sitting behind us with the loudest popcorn bag ever! I had images of me in a King Kong state of mind ripping the bag into pieces while at the at the same time scaring the heck out of these people. Veronica had more graphic images of telling them to eat it of the floor, I like the way she thinks. I really wished I could whip up a "popcornus dissapearus" spell à la Hermione but whatever... I'm not magical. *Side note, for those that are real hardcore HP fans, I looked it up. The correct spell would have been "Evanesco" but come on you know you like like "popcornus dissapearus" much better.

♥always,
Marisol

I Love The Coffee Bean

Did you guys get your free drink yesterday? You know I did!! I went with the Mocha Mint Chip.

It was delicious!! You know those Andes mint chocolates you get at the end of a meal in restaurants? Well throw in some coffee to that flavor and you got this drink! 

 My co-worker suggested we sit and enjoy the sun while we enjoyed our drinks...I have the slight sunburn to prove we really did. I also really seem to be enjoying this mustard yellow cardigan it's like the 4th time I wear it in two weeks.

Meet Hayley, my coworker.

Totally worth the $1 that went into the tip jar!

♥always,
Marisol

The Most Important Meal

If you were to ask me what my favorite type of food is. I would say breakfast food. Eggs, bacon, pancakes, omelettes, waffles, french toast, fruit, oatmeal, the possibilities are just endless. I have to have breakfast. It doesn't matter that its Noon, the first thing down to my tummy must fit in the breakfast category. Even if all I have is a yogurt and some juice. That's a breakfast. Not a very hearty one but still breakfast. I think I will dedicate a special post later in the future just to breakfast foods.

This weekend it was time for some BFF time. I suggested Breakfast Saturday morning. I was not expecting the "Be ready by 8:30" notice they gave me but that's what I get for not having babies. Wait...that was mean to myself. I enjoy my sleep in time and appreciate it. I totally admire the mommies that no longer get to do that. I will sleep in for you. Go ahead live vicariously through me!

Moving on...So around 9AM this past Saturday C, D and I all rolled on in to Jack n' Jill's in Santa Monica. I used to work across the street from this place and breakfast never tasted so good. Until I had that magic breakfast sandwich, you member? This one!(oh FYI ladies, the link is worth the click...I'm just saying. Keep rolling down you'll see what I mean)

But back to Jack n' Jill's. While their breakfast sandwiches never got the magic title, their everything else did. They have a great selection of dishes to choose from. Check out the breakfast menu! (please excuse my drool..from here on out...)

I have two personal faves, the Oatmeal and the Custom Omlete. I went with the Omlete. C had the Frittata and D had a breakfast sandwich. (drool)

Jack n' Jill's is a really tiny place a few tables on the ground floor and a few more on a second level right above the kitchen. But it's not some like a hole in the wall place. The portions are big. You walk in order and then take a seat. Your order comes out pretty quick and all the food tastes fresh and yummy (drool). They also have great lunches too! Definitely recommend. We also spotted Marcia Cross. You know, the red head from Desperate Housewives. She dashed in ordered and dashed out. Didn't even say thank you to the cashier when she said "I love your show". Mean Marcia Cross. 

It was a great meal and it's always a fun time with the best-est. When you can, take the time to sit and have breakfast with your family or with your friends or heck with yourself. It's a nice way to start your day. Plus it's the most important meal of the day. I know it's hard sometimes and we are just rushing in the morning to get out the door and start our day...for which we are already late...or is that just always me? But seriously have some breakfast people!