Sneak Peak: Our First Dance

This summer has been insanely busy, but in a very good way! On July 6, Mark and I tied the knot and our wedding was everything we could have wished for and more. Having all of our closest family and friends in one place was truly momentous. I now get to spend the rest of my life with the best man I know. I'm one lucky girl.

We're still going through the thousands of wedding photos but I wanted share this one from our first dance. We chose "You Are the Best Thing" by Ray LaMontagne. We talked about taking dance lessons, but we were so busy leading up to the wedding and just didn't have the time. So we did one practice round for Mark's mom in her living room and I had her advice in my head come our wedding day - "Be a noodle." Now this may seem weird but it really made perfect sense. I had to let Mark take the lead and loosen up. All in all, I think we did a pretty good job!

Soul Fest at The Stage

Last Saturday night we got a group of friends together to check out the 1st Annual Soul Fest Weekend at The Stage. LEBO was there doing live painting, Michael's Genuine was set-up serving grub (heard the fried chicken was incredible but I refrained from indulging) and Stokeswood went on around 12 and had us dancing till about 2.

It was such a fun night and a great way to spend my second to last weekend living in Miami. Yes, you heard that right. I'll be leaving the city that I grew up in a for a crazy, wonderful, exciting new adventure in Washington, DC. My roots are in South Florida and of course I'll be back often. But I've never lived outside of Florida and I'm really looking forward to a new city with all new people, places and things. Don't worry, Live Laugh Snap will continue; however, there will be a change of scenery.

So without further adieu, here are some funky pics I snapped of Stokeswood's Megg Serrano jamin' on the tamborine. Hope The Stage does this again next year. Just the type of thing Miami needs more of.

Happy Thoughts

It's been one of those weeks when you look around and feel very thankful for what you have - family, friends and good health. We often take these things for granted, but I've been reminded the past few days just how important and precious they are. Here are just a few things that have been making me happy.

Downtown and actually all over Miami we have beautiful bougainvillea trees. Inspired my mom, I snatched up a few fallen branches and put together this little bouquet.

Here's a view from the top of the Mercedes-Benz Corporate Run last week in Miami taken with my iPhone. Truly could not believe how many people come out to this event - like 30,000! Despite the sweaty pushing to get to the start line,  I had a great time bonding with my colleagues. 

I made Michelle Bernstein's chimichurri recipe earlier this week and here's a shot before I doused the ingredients in olive oil. Drizzled over skirt steak with sweet potatoes and veggie rice on the side - Bone Appetit!

Earth Day Yoga

Since the Wanderlust Festival, I've been dedicating more time to my yoga practice. There were a ton of events taking place in Miami to celebrate Earth Day but I decided to check out YogaBliss at the Miami Beach Botanical Garden.

The free class was taught by Keith Fox and held outside on the lawn with live music. It was my first time visiting the Botanical Gardens - I had no idea such a peaceful green space existed in the heart of South Beach. Keith led about 200 or so fellow yogis through an hour and a half of vinyasa flow. It was a hot day (I left with an intense sports bra sunburn) but thankfully there was a little breeze and the sponsors (Zico and Mix1) were nice enough to walk around and leave ice cold beverages on our mats. After the class, a free yoga retreat in Costa Rica was raffled off, which I sadly did not win, but all the money from the raffle went to benefit the MahaShakti Foundation - an organization that spreads yoga throughout South Florida especially to those in need. Here are some shots from the day.

Morning Sunrise

Woke up this morning, looked out the window, and Monday didn't feel so bad. Maybe it was all the rain yesterday, not exactly sure, but the sun looked brighter and bigger than most mornings. Grabbed my iPhone and managed to get this shot. Try waking up a little earlier tomorrow, like around 6:45am and see it for yourself. Will probably make your day a tidbit happier.

Pie Perfection

It's nice to have girlfriends who will share their Sex & the City DVD box set and their key lime pie recipe - all in one night. I'm so proud of our masterpiece, which is even prettier (and tastier in person). We followed this recipe from The Capitol Baker. The hardest part was juicing all the limes because my thumb started going numb from all the pressing and grinding. Everything else was pretty easy, including the homemade whipped cream.

Happy Thoughts

Thought I'd share a few things that are currently making me happy, starting off with this beautiful black semi lace dress which I have been eyeing at The Dressing Room - a cute locally-owned boutique in South Miami. Knew this beauty had to be mine after spotting it in the window when the shop was closed. 

Sadly, one of my orchids that I've had for six months took a turn for the worst this weekend. In just two days all the blooms wilted and fell off. So here is its replacement which I got from a vendor today at the Mary Brickell Village Farmer's Market. 

My girlfriend Eleni is going to teach me how to make her famous Key Lime Pie! I bought the ingredients over the weekend, including a whole bag of key limes. My mouth is salivating already.

Ta da! Here is my first attempt at making Red Velvet Cake Balls, inspired by Bakerella. While simple, this was a whole day process, but in the end totally worth it. Now I just have to get these cake balls out of my house, quickly, before I eat them all and gain 10 lbs.

Out & About

Feel like a slacker for neglecting my blog but the truth is that I have been out and about, just keep forgetting to bring my camera along. Still, I've been able to snap some decent pics with my iPhone, especially with the Pano app (my favorite photography app of them all). Here's a collection of my whereabouts.

View from my balcony during a Brickell sunset. Really can't beat this. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else in Miami.

Paid my first visit to The Filling Station, a local joint downtown that just started to stay open on the weekends. Guess they realized people actually live, not just work, in this part of town. Well, I'm glad they did because their spicy jerk chicken wings set my mouth on fire and the ice cold Milk Stout was just what I needed to keep my lips from not burning off. I'll definitely be back to this place, and perhaps on karaoke night. 

Miami Circle Park (behind the Icon) is now finally open after 12 years in the making. Taxpayers bought this ancient site for $27 million to save it from becoming a plot for another high-rise condo. This Miami Herald article does a great job detailing the park's history, dating back 2,000 years ago when Miami’s first settlers, the Tequesta tribe, were believed to have engaged in reverential ceremony. It's so nice to have this little slice of green to enjoy. Situated in the heart of the city, and just a few steps from my front door, I like to come here after work with Rusty. 

Now this is pretty. I took this picture right before we sailed off on our cruise to Cozumel, Mexico. Now, I'm not much of a cruise person (overwhelming buffets, cheesy entertainment, touristy destinations) but truly enjoyed getting away for a few days to celebrate my birthday. When we docked back at the Port of Miami, we looked at each other and decided we have to do this more often. Good book + sunny lounge chair + fruity drink + ocean view = happy place. 

St. Patty's Brickell Takeover

St. Patrick's Day completely took over Brickell last night. Waking up for working this morning was not in the least enjoyable...guess that's part of the holiday. We started at Tobacco Road which lucky for me is just steps away from my apartment. There was no way I was missing 20 food trucks in one place. The crowd slowly trickled in and by 10pm the place was slammed. We went from truck to truck ordering odds and ends from Dim Saam a Go Go's mouthwatering brussel sprouts to Jefe's flavorful fish tacos. One of my girlfriend's tried the Grilled Harvest from Ms Cheezious. When I asked her what she thought her response was "Is it an apple pie, is it a grilled cheese or is it both?" Translation: incredible.

Must say though, the truck that got the most rave reviews was CheeseMe. You'll see some pics below of my friends chowing down...that was in front of CheeseMe.  I did not try them but I heard the short rib sliders were out of this world.

After a good three hours of gorging on greasy food and filling up on green beer (which by the way Tobacco Road, $5 a pop is a little hefty, don't ya think) we rallied by Mary Brickell Village where the crowd was jamming to a fun U2 cover band.

All in all, great time! Good job Brickell. You definitely gave the Gables a run for its money.

"I Do" at Jungle Island

Our friends Alyssa & Stephen tied the knot this weekend at Jungle Island and the wedding was dazzling. The bride was stunning and the groom dashing. No detail was overlooked; from the pink and white rose and hydrangea center pieces to the 12-piece band. There were fireworks, ice sculptures, a baby kangaroo, caviar and fried mini doughnuts...this was just the start. Here are some of my favorite photos of the night.

Coconut Grove Art Festival 2011

Paid my yearly visit to the Coconut Grove Art Festival over the weekend. This event is a staple in Miami and definitely one of my favs. Partly because the weather is usually so beautiful; the kind of weather where you just want to be outside all day. And partly because the entire community comes out to eat, drink, dance and be merry. It's also an opportunity to gorge on an enormous gyro and slurp a frozen lemonade. Guilty!

This year we switched it up a bit - we took the metro from Brickell instead of dealing with traffic and parking. The way there was awesome but on the way back our train was having technical difficulties and we were waiting at the station for a good 30 minutes. No worries though, everything worked out. Here are a few shots from the day. 

The Stage

Finally! A sweet music venue nestled in Miami's Design District has arrived. On Saturday night, a group of friends and I went to check out a local band called Suénalo at The Stage. Located in a once warehouse, The Stage is 100% come as you are. No pretentious bouncers or overpriced drinks. Just a place to enjoy talented musicians break it down. Suénalo had the whole place on their feet dancing to sounds of Latin-Funk, Afro-Cuban, Reggae, Salsa and Hip-hop.

I snapped a few pics on my iPhone. The first picture is of Chad Bernstein, the trombone player, playing the conch shells! It was pretty awesome.  

Have yourself...

a Merry little Christmas....

Pinecrest Gardens Farmer's Market

I finally took Brickell Life's advice and made a trip to the Pinecrest Gardens Farmer's Market this weekend. Everything looked so good, it was hard to decide what to go home with. It's open every Sunday through May from 10am-2pm located at 11000 Red Road.

While browsing the fruits and veggies, I started talking with a very nice lady named Mary Anne who shared one of her favorite (and easiest) recipes with me - cook one box of Savory Herb Stove Top with one can of fat-free vegetable broth, mix in parsley, craisins, walnuts and serve! Sounds like a great holiday side dish I may have to try next week.

There were about 10-15 tents set-up selling fresh produce, beautiful orchids and plants, homemade soap, holiday cupcakes, gourmet pasta, fresh mozzarella cheese, and baked goods. There was also kettle corn, the Crepe Maker and freshly squeezed lemonade.

A couple different vendors had sweet tangerines. I bought a small basket of these for $2.00.

Holiday treats!

Ripe multi-colored Serrano Peppers - 4 for $1.00.

Large squash

Gourmet pasta in all different flavors. I bought a bag of garlic and basil penne which was $9.00. Hope it's worth it! 

Bell Peppers and Anaheim Peppers

Habanero Peppers and Jalapenos...hot!

Red plums

Cayenne Peppers (I think)

"Put the lime in the coconut..."

Gigantic grapefruit!