Valentine's Day Brunch

Valentine's day brunch was a blast this weekend, but in all the madness, I didn't get a chance to take many photos. 

I made cinnamon buttermilk donuts- half with glaze, and half with chocolate. I didn't realize I was out of heart sprinkles until the last second, so my donuts were unfortunately lacking in heart decor.

Everyone got into the spirit- there were pink, red, and heart-covered outfits galore! We enjoyed Adam's fantastic bloody marys, and champagne with strawberries.

We made french toast topped with a raspberry sauce and walnuts, corned beef hash over skillet-style hash browns, and of course, pancakes. 

After brunch, we cleared the table, changed into some tougher gear, and spent the rest of the day playing Nerf capture the flag. Since my friends occupy all three floors of our house, we have a lot of room to play! This started as a spontaneous plan to kick our cabin fever last winter, and we've been hosting huge battles ever since.

Is there a better way to show your friends you love them than chasing them around and shooting darts at them?

heart party!

I've spent the last couple night preparing the decorations for our Valentine's Day brunch. Last night I was sitting at the table surrounded by scraps of paper and a hundred glittery hearts when Adam finally declared I had made too many decorations. I pointed out that they were mostly just paper hearts, and one can never have too many of those. Argument over: Angela = 1, Adam = 0. 

This streamer curtain is made from materials recycled from all my parties over the past year. I made the tissue garland and the floral fabric streamers for my birthday party, the hot pink ribbon and lace was from Serra's engagement brunch, the neon yarn was for Christmas wrapping, and the metallic tinsel is cut from a curtain I used for the New Year's party. 

My breakfast / pastry table will be on the credenza, but I still had to decorate it for the time being!

Heart balloons! I looked ridiculous driving my pickup truck while the back was completely jammed with these fantastic shiny hearts.

The food is practically part of the decorations, so I kept the table simple with a lace runner and... (of course) paper hearts.

I recently commissioned this new dining room table from Brett, a very talented friend of mine. There were only a few specific things I was looking for- I wanted the top to have smaller pieces to it, I wanted it to extend to accommodate our large dinner parties, and I wanted some industrial metal element included in the legs. He built the entire table without revealing any details to me, and dropped it off last night. Not only is it gorgeous, but it can seat a million people!

Brett used angle irons wrapped around stripped down 2x4s for the legs, and they appear to be solid metal until inspected from under the table.

I can't wait to host a dinner party on this new, huge extension table! It comfortably seats fourteen people when extended.

riding above the clouds

 We started our morning with a muddy ride through a tea tree farm, and after a few minutes, we noticed a heroin needle on the ground. The more we looked around, the more we noticed- there were piles upon piles of needles stuck into the mud. The guide explained there was a huge heroin problem in this area, and the hilly trails provided heroin users with a secluded area to shoot up. 

 For the rest of the day, we rode up a series of mountains, never taking a single downhill path. For most of the time, we found ourselves riding through clouds.

 As we rounded a bend in the road, we broke above the clouds and felt the warmth of the sun for the first time in Vietnam. We then watched as the clouds rose further and enveloped the road we had just traveled.

 Even with limited visibility, the view was breathtaking.

 We soon reached Sa Pa, a large town nestled in the mountain and our stopping place for the evening. The clouds drifting through the town created an eerie atmosphere.

 The next morning, we went for a hike to the highest point of the mountain. The sun came out, the clouds settled below the town, and for the first time, we could see the entire landscape.

 Sunburned and relaxed, we drove down the mountain from Sa Pa to Lao Cai, where we boarded an overnight train back to Hanoi. We arrived in Hanoi at 5 am to find the station soaked from the evening's rain.

neon villages, fog forests

The neon accents of Vietnamese villagers provided a stunning contrast to the dirty streets and foggy atmosphere. We would follow the road through misty jungles for miles, and turn a corner to find ourselves in a vibrant, bustling village. The combination was completely surreal.

on the road