I had a fantastic first day of 2026.
Terri reached out to me and asked if I wanted to join the wonderful women that were gathering at her house to make Vision Boards.
I've never made a Vision Board and I was a bit intimidated because these women are all ridiculously talented, but I went with excitement and an open mind. Plus I get to see these ladies that I love, so I was thrilled.
I was there almost all day. Terri had of course the perfect spread. So many magazines! We all brought stickers, crafts, food, wine, etc. I baked a Lemon Bunt Cake because it's good luck to bake a ring cake on New Years Day. And guess what - I loved my Vision Board! I really surprised myself and loved how it all came together so beautifully. I'm not sure it's my "Vision for 2026" persay - but I pulled together words and images that spoke to me, and what I came up with was perfect! I now have it sitting on my bathroom counter so I see it everytime I brush my teeth!
 |
| The best group of women right here! |
 |
| I'm a lucky girl |
 |
| Starting to piece together our boards after a few hours of magazine flipping/cutting/tearing |
 |
| This is Oscar the Ewok |
 |
| Terri of course had a ridiculous set up! |
 |
| Terri had actually already made hers, so she just whipped up this beautiful display |
 |
| Julie's Board |
 |
| Shannon wasn't done yet when I left but here's the start of hers |
 |
| This was Terri's that she did the week prior |
 |
| Jill's Board |
 |
| Anita's Board |
 |
| My board!!! I love it!!! |
Before Vision Boarding on New Year's Day - it was lovely to seem my Amaryllis that Cynthia gifted me blooming! And of course Pat and I had to celebrate with Mimosas!
 |
| There's been 4 more blooms since I posted this picture! |
 |
| During the 1st week of the year we were still having random rain. This was actually the morning - but the moon was still out and so bright! |
The fur babies:
 |
| I seriously can't love her more |
 |
| Someone is needy |
The Food:
 |
| Pat can even make simple BLT's look amazing... |
 |
| This isn't food, but I had a solo sushi lunch one day and I just love these! |
One night Julie, Noel, T and I tried out
Fat of the Land. The place is tiny, but it was a lovely night. I was a bit underwhelmed by the food, but still would give it another go.
 |
| Jidori Chicken (Pat actually makes this better) |
 |
| Butternut Squash on a yogurt mix. Pretty good flavors, but the squash was under done. |
 |
| Smoked Octopus - this was by far my favorite! |
Bowling/Pool Shenanigans:
 |
| We only have Cesar one more month! |
 |
| Owen is still a huge flirt |
 |
| David shaking his groove thang |
Libby didn't really want to do anything big for her birthday, but Robin, Lib and I got out to breakfast and had a lovely time!
 |
| Happy 50th Libby! |
And right after Libby turned 50 - it was Cori's turn! She had said she wanted a nice dinner somewhere, so her wonderful sister in law Angela planned a night at Javier's in Newport Coast. So not a fan of this place, but Cori had a wonderful time and that's what mattered! She didn't know Pat and I were joining so that was a fun surprise for her.
 |
| Angela made party favors |
 |
| My dinner was awful, but Pat says his was pretty good! And it was pretty! |
 |
| Cora and Logan |
 |
| Tom and The Birthday Girl |
 |
| Angela also brought this yummy cake! (That they charged $12 a slice to cut! WTF?!) |
 |
| The crew! |
 |
| The line for the bathroom was damn long...LOL |
 |
| The ladies |
I also got to catch up with one of my lovely friends Ms. Angela one afternoon!
Had our Temecula Wine Pick Up and Julie joined us!
 |
| Wine cat |
Mom and I went out to visit Keri in Temecula, so of course I had to swing by one of my wineries!
Did an Adventure Lab at the
Niguel Botanical Preserve one Saturday with my Adventure Group! Noel, Renee and my mom all joined! It was really a lovely day and brought us all to a spot we'd never been! Love days like this!
 |
| This was the bonus geocache at the end of the Lab |
 |
| This was a Girl Scouts project - they have stones for all the countries |
 |
| So one of the questions on the Adventure Lab was what's the country directly to the right of Costa Rica? - IT'S MISSING! |
 |
| So we did process of elimination - mom calling out the countries and us trying to figure which one wasn't there. LOL |
 |
| It was rough - but we figured it out - Tazmania was missing |
Got some hiking in this month since we were having weirdly nice January weather:
 |
| Rascal and I on our way to do some geocache maintenance |
 |
| All our Winter Break rains make for some very pretty hiking! |
Pat is thinking of getting Rascal into bikejoring, so we took a nice stroll through Irvine Park's trails to get him used to the harness and Pat can research areas to attempt this with him.
 |
| Rascal isn't too sure about this |
 |
| Just stunning out lately |
Met up with Cori/Tom for a very chilly stroll through Irvine Park
We had our Supper Club Dinner Party. I absolutely love this group. Tianna/Scott hosted and it was elevated comfort food themed.
 |
| Love this place |
 |
| Bravo |
 |
| Charlie |
 |
| Charlie had a crush on Pat |
 |
| Wine & Cats - who could ask for anything more?! |
 |
| Charlie selfie |
 |
| Such a fun group! I actually was able to solve some puzzles! I totally surprised myself! |
 |
| The Ruby's |
 |
| The Avery's |
 |
| Ryan and Maria |
 |
| Sora, Heidi and Milo |
 |
| Jen was obsessed with Milo |
 |
| Happy Birthday Maria! |
Later that evening we had the Rhodes, Hernadez's and Cesar over for a Vietnamese themed dinner! Lovely evening indeed!
 |
| Tim made a beef stew, Mandy made Bahn Mi sammies and a ramen salad! |
 |
| I got little Lunar New Year boxes and filled them with goodies! |
 |
| Pat made a Vietnamese meatball |
January seemed to go faster this year. It's certainly been a rough start to 2026 with our country in absolute shambles, but I'm so grateful for my circle of friends and family that help me make wonderful memories and find joy.
