31

I turned 31 recently.  So please enjoy a look back at my 30th year in 30 photos. ;)

Started my year off in California for some sun and family.

Off to JAMAICA for a fun couples trip.

Pool drinks in February!

Lots of time with little niece.

Denim sunnies and kentucky blue.

Haircut in gym clothes.

March Madness.

At the new house with Squirt!!  RIP :(

Work elevator selfie.

OAKS!

Derby week shenanigans.

DERBY!

Park Avenue minus Carlita.

Hmm...

Bro came to visit!!

Family.

Girl dinners!

Andi's wedding!!  <3

Alabama Shakes with a pregnant Abbey.

Work selfie in my office... see ya Hoxworth!

Nick Lachey at Lauren's 30th birthday.

I'm going to miss my BFF!

Visit from Mara and Marge in Louisville.

Britney in VEGAS!

More because I love her.

Family brunch.

Holiday happenings. 

NEW BFF ALERT!

Cats and Hillie.

Pre-birthday fun!

A look back at 2015.

Looking forward to 2016... But first, time to wrap up the year.  Just like 2012, 2013 and 2014.

What did you do in 2015 that you'd never done before?
Sold my house.
Moved in with a boy!
Went to a NCAA Tournament.
Had a dirty martini which immediately became my new favorite drink.

Did you keep your new year's resolutions and will you make any for next year?
"For 2015 I'd like to send more mail to friends and family."  And I did!  I subscribed to A Beautiful Mess Happy Mail and received cards in the mail every month.  I used these to send along to friends and family and it's been so nice to have an eclectic stash.

For 2016 - I'd like to really work on my flexibility and strength.  Yoga, perhaps?

Did anyone close to you give birth?
My sister did!  I was living with her family when she found out she was pregnant and was still there when she gave birth to Caroline Day.

This was also a year that many friends had kiddos.  Margaret (Mara) and James (Abbey) being the most notable to me.

Did anyone close to you die?
Grandma passed away earlier this year.  I miss her.

This year we had to put down Squirt, Mr. Louisville's pup of about 14 years. His last few months were incredibly sad.

What countries did you visit?
I'm changing this question to all of my trips in general.

Started off with a January trip to California.
JAMAICA in February. Such a fun trip.
Charleston and Savannah over the summer.
Colorado for Andi's wedding.
Austin, Texas.
San Diego and Vegas.
Portland and then back to San Diego.

Whew. A fun year for sure!! I did go to Knoxville to visit Andi in Tennessee and Norris Lake for the 4th of July so I'll count those too.  Lots of trips to look forward to in 2016.  Travelling is my favorite!

What would you like to have in 2016 that you lacked in 2015?
A consistent love for running.

What dates from 2014 will remain etched upon your memory and why?
The above mentioned trips and birth of my new niece.
The NCAA Tournament this past March in Louisville because it was SO FUN even though KY didn't go all the way.

What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I nailed a creme brulee recipe on Christmas Eve.  Also, I'm rather proud I finally upped and moved to a new city.

What was your biggest failure?
I failed to keep up consistently with my fitness. I truly hope to work on that this year since I have a more free time.

Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nope.

What was the best thing you bought?
Technically M bought it but we got a Casper mattress and it has seriously improved our relationship!

Where did most of your money go?
To pay off a credit card.  Woo hoo!  30 and finally getting my finances in check, yo.

What did you get really excited about?
Moving to Louisville. Family dinner with the Normans. Friends giving birth.  Travelling.  Live music.  Rose.  Pool days.

What song will always remind you of 2015?
Hey Mami.

Compared to this time last year, are you happier or sadder? Thinner or fatter? Richer or poorer?
I think I'm just as happy perhaps a bit fatter and quite a bit poorer.

What do you wish you'd done more of?
Play with Charlotte when I was her roommate.

What do you wish you'd done less of?
Spent time worrying about anything.

How did you spend Christmas?
Christmas eve with my parents, Mr. Louisville, my Uncle Mike and cousin Raquel.  We had steak and lobster and lots of good wine.  I made creme brulee for dessert and it turned out so good.
Christmas brunch at the Normans!

What was your favorite TV program?
Transparent, Mad Men, Top Chef, Master of None.

What were your favorite books of the year? 
I re-read Fall of Giants and am currently working on the second book in that trilogy.  That story hasn't left my mind since I first read it in 2012 so I figured it was time to finish it up.
I also listened to The Andy Cohen Diaries and really loved it.

What was your favorite music from this year?
Sylvan Esso and Alabama Shakes.
This was also the year I invested in Spotify which has changed the way I listen to music.

What were your favorite films of the year?
James Bond: Spectre, Inside Out, Trainwreck, Amy.

What did you do on your birthday and how old were you?
I turned 30 on January 26 and decided I needed to get out of town! I went to California to visit family and CHILL.

What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
I'm not sure that anything could've. I'd say I had a very satisfying year.

How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2015?
Nordstrom and Madewell is where it's at... still! Neutrals for life.

What kept you sane?
Long walks in the Norman neighborhood.  Listening to podcasts.

Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2015.
Budgets are necessary.

Where I ate in San Diego

I tagged along an yet another work trip to San Diego with Mr. Louisville. We stayed downtown and it was pretty low-key.  Got to work in a few visits with baby bro and Uncle Eddy in North Park but otherwise just chilled and explored the downtown area a bit.  So in lieu of another timeline I'll skip straight to the good stuff - where we ate!  Our hotel had a free hot breakfast and happy hour that we hit up a few times which is why I don't mention breakfasts below.

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We arrive fairly late and grab a snack and drink at Kansas City Barbeque.  Ew.  Cold fries, okay wings.

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Lunch with Eli at Lefty's Chicago Pizzeria.  We split a big pie with pepperoni and elephant garlic.  It was so good and the guys working there were so cute and gave excellent service.  Always a plus in my book.

Fancy dinner at Water Grill. Give me all the seafood!! 

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Lunch again in North Park at Swami's Cafe. I had a tuna fish sandwich which was quite good.

We had a reception in the evening with wine and cheese so we had a fun dinner at Barleymash afterwards.  Excellent bar food and a fun time!  Highly recommend. 

After dinner drinks at some bar in the Gaslamp district.

Heyyy...

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Lunch at La Puerta for some super delicious Mexican food.  Everyone in our group loved it.

Afterwards we went on a little walking brewery tour to Half Door Brewing (small and super chill), Mission Brewery (dog friendly and lively) and Ballast Point (too crowded for my liking and I was craving a cocktail over a beer at this point).  

Shuffleboard at Mission.

Pre-dinner drink at Entrada mainly because Ballast Point was crazy busy.  Had the displeasure of ordering two of the same cocktail which tasted completely different from each other.  Not good.

Dinner at Civico 1845 in Little Italy for a nice little Italian meal.  The meatball was the tastiest thing I ate.

Little Italy with my Italian.

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Lunch before we leave at Zanzibar Cafe. Okay kale salad and a strange chili to end our trip.

We'll be back to San Diego yet again this March for a wedding so until next time!

Portland, another timeline!

I've been to Portland once before but since M earned a Companion Pass with Southwest Airlines I'll be tagging along on every trip I can!  He was going for work and I was going for play.  My favorite kind of trip!

Friday
We arrived in Portland around 3pm and headed straight to our hotel to check in and get settled.
Our friends met us downtown at the Oregon Historical Society and we perused the WWII exhibit. Casual Friday night, you know?

Feel high winds for 2 dollars!

Followed by drinks and addictive popcorn (prepared with tōgarashi, honey and butter) at Clyde Common and dinner at Sauce Box.

Saturday
I took myself to brunch at Mother's and it was packed!  I was able to snag a spot at the bar and enjoy the most delicious brunch.  A perfectly fluffy omelet with thick, crisp bacon, caramelized onions and swiss cheese.  A classic combination but so perfect.

Later I walked to the Portland Saturday Market and resisted the urge to buy anything.
I took a walk around the city up to the University and into Canoe (needed everything!).
A trip to the Portland Art Museum capped off my day.  LOVED this museum.

Inside the Kenny Scharf: Cosmic Cavern exhibit.

David Hockney, a favorite of mine.

That night we dined at Andina  for a delicious Peruvian experience.
Capped the night off with drinks at our hotel bar.

Sunday
I began with a breakfast sandwich from Brunch Box.  I went with the Black & Bleu on wheat with bacon, sausage, grilled onions, a fried egg, blackening spice, blue cheese and mushrooms. A little lot decadent but I was planning to work it all off.  (Fun fact: M ate at Brunch Box 3 times this trip!)

My ready to explore outfit!

From there I picked up a bike at Cycle Portland and hit the town!  So fun exploring.

View from down the trail along the river.  Nice escape from the city.

Stopped off at Bushwacker Cider for some beer samples and then went to Cascade Brewing for a few more samples and some chili.
After all that bike riding in the cold I needed a doughnut so I braved the line at Voodoo and picked up some goods!

I decided to crop out the 30 people in line ahead of me.

Blueberry cake, a cream-filled delight and maple bacon.

Sushi for supper at masu and night caps, again, at our hotel bar.

Monday
Lunch with some actuaries at Imperial.  I flipped out when I saw Doug Adams in the kitchen cooking!  I'm a huge Top Chef fan. :)
After a little rest we Ubered to the Clarks for some hang time.

Entertaining the babe.

We picked up some groceries at Whole Foods and proceeded to make Cincinnati Chili with all the fixin's.  This recipe from Saveur is so legit.  Highly recommend!!


Tuesday
Slept late then scooted off to lunch at Tasty N Alder.  We split a steak sandwich, bim bop bacon and eggs and baked beans.  Possibly my favorite meal of the trip.  A very unexpected and delicious experience.

Until next time, Portland!