happy friday!

hope your weekend is all sorts of wonderful!

I’m pretty excited about this.

this week has flown by.

wasn’t it just Easter?

on Sunday, we celebrated Jesus’ resurrection & the life we have because of it.

[photo by David Sunrock via Oh Hello Friend]

we ate some juicy strawberries.

I’m pretty thrilled these are in season.

we loved on this little guy.

he goes into mini beast mode whenever food is involved.

he only looks docile here. you should have seen him when there was still chicken in that bowl.

and I channeled the 70s.

I’m really liking the trend of long, pleated skirts and camel-colored platforms.

just so much to be thankful for!

dinner talk.

Sometimes, we get pizza & froyo and have conversations that go like this:

R: I really like the jewelry that you’ve been buying for me these days.

D: That’s because you picked them out.

[It’s true.]

I really like this bangle. and this ring. I wear them every day.

p.s. have you tried watermelon with the honeycomb yogurt? It’s my new favorite.

[their favorites] ali + elliot

Ali & I went to school together back in the day, and it has been so sweet keeping up with each other through our blogs. I thought it might be fun to get a glimpse into the adventures & favorites of other couples. Thanks so much for sharing, Ali!

Hi everyone!  Ali from The Gem State here.  I feel so honored that Ruth asked me to write a guest post for her!  Today I get to share with you all some of mine and husband's favorites!  I hope you get a small glimpse into who we are as a couple and also glean a bit of inspiration for your own relationship!  

their favorite date: 

Elliot and I would answer this question differently, I think.  My favorite date is one that involves Thai take out and any movie by Wes Anderson.  Elliot would likely say his favorite date is when we do something active together, like mountain biking or skiing.  Also, we both really like taking scenic drives with iced coffees and our camera in tow!

their favorite double date:

Elliot and I are fortunate to live in the Idaho Building in the heart of Downtown Boise.  One of the greatest things about our location is that the farmer's market literally sets up right outside our front door every Saturday!  Lately, Elliot and I have loved having friends over for brunch and then walking around the farmers market with them.  

their favorite restaurant/coffee shop:

By far, our favorite restaurant in Boise is Fork.  They're new in town, but their dessert menu includes warm sugar doughnuts that are divine!  Our favorite coffee shop is The Library, mostly because they have a whole wall of books you can take home, read, and bring back!  Plus, you can see practically see the butter in their cinnamon rolls ;)

their favorite holiday tradition:

We've only shared two Christmases as a married couple, but I would say our favorite tradition has become making good use of our vintage board game collection.  Sadly, I'm not too much of a board games kind of gal, but there's just something about Christmas that gets me in the mood to play vintage Clue.  I've meaning to get an Advent Calendar since we got married, so I'm hoping we can start making that a tradition this coming year.

their favorite random adventure:

Our favorite adventure would definitely have to be one of the weekend trips we've taken.  Elliot and I love living in Idaho and have made it a point to really see what our state has to offer.  A few weekends ago we packed up for Sun Valley and discovered why everyone is in love with the Saw Tooth Mountains!  

their favorite memory together:

Hm, this is a tough one!  I think our honeymoon probably wins out here, though ;)

their favorite thing to look forward to/dream about:

Our summer travel plans!  We love warm weather and have really enjoyed planning how to use our vacation time.  On our agenda thus far: a trip to Utah to do a photo session with Matt Clayton, an anniversary getaway (location TBD), a possible "boys only" mountain biking trip to Colorado, and a quick excursion to California for a wedding!  

their favorite things about each other:

My favorite things about Elliot are: his love for the Lord and his sensitivity to the leading of the Holy Spirit, the way he lives out his role as the spiritual leader of our family, his patience, and the way he takes care of his body.  Elliot is very aware of the importance of nutrition and keeping his body strong.  I feel blessed to have a husband that takes the time to take care of himself, which frees me to do the same!  

When I asked Elliot this question, his response was pretty straight-forward and true to male form: "your body."  Hah!

Ali's favorites: 

Recently, I've been really into Starbuck's Via Iced Coffees, any possible excuse to have brunch, rustic-modern decor, J Crew's new spring collection, Kevin Murphy hair products, and kick boxing.  In no particular order ;)

Elliot's favorites:

I've noticed that lately Elliot's really been into Jim Bean's cherry whiskey, brunch (yay!), sleeping backwards (i.e. with his head at the foot of the bed - yeah, i don't get it, either), and trying new sunglasses.  Seriously, I think he wants a new style of sunglasses every week.  Thank goodness Urban Outfitters carries a whole heap of them on the cheap!

[on the menu] a night at the barre.

when you’ve stood on your tippy-toes for an hour at the barre, you can’t be bothered with meals that take an hour to cook. that’s when panini presses (or, you know, Foreman grills) come in handy.

 the menu:

grilled lemon herb chicken breasts. sautéed spinach with roasted garlic & butter sauce. [leftover] oven-roasted beets drizzled with honey. Breyer’s peach ice cream.

 

the menu [if I hadn’t been ravenous from working out my weight in sweat]:

popsicles. and frosted flakes.

30 years.

[photo by Raya of Raya Carlisle Photography]

happy anniversary to the sweetest parents I could ever ask for.

Your love inspires us.

I Corinthians 13:7

to the man who bought our espresso machine.

It’s a Delonghi dual coffee and espresso maker for $30. We think that’s a pretty good deal.

When you came, we thought it was completely fine that you asked if we had coffee beans and a grinder, so you could try out the machine and make yourself a cup of espresso. But then you didn’t actually know how to use the machine and took half an hour trying to learn how.

Meanwhile, you asked if we were selling anything else. Yes, we said, a French press. “What is it made of?” Glass. Husband pulls it out of the cabinet. “Oh no, you can’t put that it the microwave.” One doesn’t typically put a French press in the microwave…

You finally made the espresso and then asked for milk because you couldn’t drink the espresso by itself. Um, wasn’t this just to see if the machine worked?

And then you asked for a to-go cup. To which husband replied, “No, we don’t have to-go cups. We’re not a restaurant.”

So we gave you a mug. You asked for a bigger mug.

You filled the cup with milk, poured in the espresso, and said “I guess this tastes like coffee.” Sir, what else is it supposed to taste like? And then you added, “It tastes like a regular drip.” Well, that may be because you made the espresso “light” and then proceeded to drown it with milk.

You asked for a lower price. We said no. Then you took all the parts and wrapped them up individually in bags before you left.

So to the man who bought our espresso machine, we would really, really like it if you or anyone like you, never purchased anything from us ever again. You had husband believing the whole time that we were being punked.

Thank you, Craigslist, for yet another wonderful gem of an experience.

our little kitchen helper.

Who needs to rinse the dishes when you’ve got this little guy?

               

He does such a good job getting every dish spotless. And he always comes back to make sure they are clean. It’s the least he can do when we’re paying off his puppy credit card, he says.

p.s. the best medicine? kisses & cuddles from my favorite pup when husband is at work. so thankful.

boudin.

guess who’s sick & trying not to be bitter about it? when I feel the bug coming on, I harness all of my preventative power in the form of cold-eeze, defense drops, orange juice, chicken noodle soup. and when that doesn’t work, I wallow in the epitome of comfort, food.

so when D suggested that we use our coups (we love coups) for our own neighborhood Boudin, I hurried through my Chinese quiz, packed a box of tissues for my sniffles, and jumped in the car for some grilled cheese on sourdough and tomato soup. and girl at the counter must have felt sorry for me, because she threw in a couple of doosies, the technical term for icing sandwiched in between two chocolate chip cookies.

we’ll be back, Boudin. maybe next time for the pot roast in a bread bowl. YUM.

over & out. xoxo.

r & d.

R:UCLA alum [international development studies & economics]. California girl. loves husband, Winston, breve mistos, food adventures,taking pictures, and travel.

D: Soon-to-be Merage School grad [wealth management & entrepreneurship]. banker, fellow adventurer, possibly the most interesting man in the world.

We met in college, became the best friends, and got married on July 3, 2009 against a backdrop of Southern California sunshine and rolling hills, surrounded by our wonderful family and friends. After moving to Orange County (though R spends half of her time in Westwood) and settling into our new apartment, we fell in love with a little tibetan spaniel named Winston and made him ours.

                 

café au lait + honey is a blog [nickname by husband to describe our little family: R & D make up the misto, with Winston as the honey] about our adventures in life, food & travel.

Hope you enjoy reading, and if you care to, get in touch with me at ruth.g.gyllenh[at]gmail[dot]com.