Day 6: Friendship

So you thought the tournament all week in San Diego would be enough baseball, no way! We headed down to Palos Verdes Estates today for a game as part of the Redondo Baseball Tournament.

Didn't you know baseball never ends! Then tonight we joined terrific friends Ruthie & Chip Bailey for dinner and the theater in downtown Los Angeles.

The Bailey's treated us to the show God of Carnage playing at the Ahmanson Theater. Fabulous production and we all thoroughly enjoyed!

But more then the production, we enjoyed spending time with good friends who are at the same place in life that Brian and I are in... juggling kids in college, never ending schedules full of children's activities, marriages approaching the 25 year mark... we just all "get it" and it was wonderful to laugh and be together.

Spending time with precious friends is a true gift!

Day 307: More 50 Celebrations

This is the year that most of my dearest friends are celebrating their 50th Birthday's! It's so fun that we are all reaching this milestone together, and it's especially cool to have so many reasons to get together & celebrate.

Today we honored gal pal Ruthie Bailey. Talk about the original party, fun girl, she's a rock star in this department! And she's a blondie too, which in my book makes her even more special!

Remember when I wrote about the holiday cookie exchange party I attended back in December (post #244) well this was Ruthie's party! I met Ruthie through her wonderful husband Chip Bailey, who hired me at the Century City Chamber of Commerce a few years ago. I adore Chip and then when I met the wifey, I knew these were very special people. Of the three people I asked to write a letter of recommendation on my behalf when I applied to law school, Chip was one of those folks... that's how much respect I have for him.

Like us Simon's, the Bailey's have three children, have been married more than 20 years, love to party, laugh, work hard, and are devoted to their family like Brian and I. You never have a boring time when in the company of these friends. So it was an absolute pleasure to lunch with Ruthie today and celebrate her!

Happy 50th my friend!

Day 244: My Baking Experience

For those of you who know me, you know I am capable of many terrific things -- however, baking is not one of them! I can cook and get dinner on the table, and it's pretty tasty too, but please don't ever ask me to bake. You have to follow the recipe and have exact ingredients, way too much focus for me.

Well if you read my Blog Post #239 you know I was invited to a charming Cookie Exchange Party by gal pal Ruthie Bailey. Now I adore this women and her family, but yesterday morning as I was baking the cookies in advance of attending the party, I was cursing her name! I don't know what the hell happened. Gal pal Jill Offer and I made the delicious dough for my molasses cookies together, and she's a pro. I was left to bake them and I failed miserably! Not sure if I over cooked, undercooked, or what, but when they were finished in the oven they resembled nothing of a cookie!

Sure enough all the lovely ladies at Ruthie's 11th Annual Cookie Exchange party, baked delicious and beautifully decorated holiday treats. I felt like a looser. Oh well not the first time I've lost something!

But it didn't matter once I arrived, as Ruthie's house was full of holiday cheer and spirits. She served a beautiful & delicious lunch and all the gals shared their cookie cooking stories ... it was a beautiful way to spend a holiday afternoon. And what a lovely idea to gather all your gal pals together for some holiday sweets!!

This all being said though, being the competitive person I am, if I make the guest list for next year, you can bet I'll be coming with the best damn cookies! Happy Holidays!

Day 239: Baking Molassas Cookies

I was invited to a Holiday Cookie Exchange Party. Lovely idea and I adore the host, fabulous friend Ruthie Bailey, but there's one problem ... I don't bake! Never been one for exact measurements and as you bakers know, you've to follow the recipe.

So what does a gal do? She calls gal pal, baker extraordinaire for help! Jill Offer is one of the best bakers around! So today I hit the store to buy my ingredients and then to her house to learn how to bake yummy Molasses cookies. I need to bring 6 dozen home baked cookies and was told that Ruthie can tell if they are store bought.... so no way was I going to try to pull that off!

So there I was pouring sugar, flour, molasses, and ginger into a huge Kitchen Aide mixer and making homemade dough! Tasted delicious and I can't wait to bake them and present them at the party!

Happy Holidays!