When we arrived, we told the guy there that we had reservations, but we were late because of traffic. He asked me for my name and he checked the reservations book that another girl was looking at. They weren’t talking loud, but I heard the girl say it was too late. They gave our table to someone else, but the guy was persistent and told her, “They hit traffic and it’s hard to find parking around here.” She just shrugged her shoulders as the guy led us to an available table. I think if it wasn’t for this particular guy, I would give a negative review, but he made us feel welcomed, I only have good things to say about our evening there.

The At Last Cafe was shown on the Food Network a couple of weeks ago. Ryan and I wanted to try out the restaurant last week, but they only took reservations. So I made reservations for Ryan’s birthday. Ryan ordered the Brick Chicken and I got the stuffed Pork dish. The food was delicious and flavorful, but our favorite is the Macaroni and Cheese side order that we decided to get after watching another person eating it. :)

We had a really simple birthday dinner celebration for Ryan, but it was memorable nonetheless. Especially when Ryan made me laugh saying: “At Last Cafe” is such a perfect name for this restaurant after what we went through to get here.  :)

Happy Birthday my Ryan! :)

Last Saturday, Ryan and I had the opportunity to do a photo session with Krystle and she brought some of her arrangements with her as props! Ryan pretty much described Krystle’s floral arrangements perfectly. He told me after a wedding we had worked and which Krystle was in charge of florals that her designs are simple yet so elegant. I couldn’t agree more. I’m always blown away by her designs. It doesn’t overpower the event, instead, her floral arrangements just compliments and accents the theme of the event.

I also had the opportunity to ask her a few questions about her business, so take a moment to read them below. If you’re looking for a florist, Bloomeria Floral Designs is high up on my list!

1) What made you decide to start your business?
After taking a 6 week course at nearby community college, I was asked to help with a friends wedding. After that I took a few weddings here and there and when I finally graduated from College, I decided not to go to work right away but focus on something I LOVE to do and it was my passion to do floral arrangements. I graduated at good time and decided to start up the business when many of my friends and peers were reaching this milestone of their lives! I was blessed with the opportunity to work many events, mostly weddings of friends or friends of friends, which led to Bloomeria~Floral Design’s business venture.

2) Who inspires you to do what you do?
I am truly inspired by my clients especially those who are preparing to celebrate their special day together when they become ONE. It inspires me to hopefully one day be in their shoes, but also to know that they have considered BFD to make their floral designs come to reality.

3) What three things have you learned in your business?
I’ve learned so much through this business. One of which is to love what you do and when you do, it shows in your work! I’ve learned to not only double check but triple check my work, cross my t’s and dot my i’s. It has also strengthened my patience, responsibility, organizational skills and love for people.

4) What advice do you want to give us in regards to choosing a florist?
When choosing a florist, make sure they are allowing you to share what you’ve imagined your special day or event to look like. Make sure they are honest with you (doing research or asking a client they had before you, is always a good way to get reference), make sure you check up their work and that they will portray your ideas as you have asked them to….

OR you can always go the safe route and choose Bloomeria~Floral Design.

Bloomeria~ Floral Design “Making Every Petal Worth It…”

Without any further delay, I would like to introduce you to Krystle Eveza of Bloomeria Floral Designs! Don’t forget to be a fan of Bloomeria Floral Designs on their facebook page.

I can’t forget to post up this group picture. Yvonne, Earl, and Liz were so great! They are really great friends of Krystle and it’s because of the support of friends like them that Krystle’s business is, well… Blooming! :D

It’s been years since we’ve had Pink’s but it’s still delicious! So my Friday Favorite feature is this hot dog stand that has captured our hearts… and our stomachs :)

1) This past weekend we had our Buklod meetings at church. For those wondering what a Buklod Meeting is.. it’s a monthly membership meeting of those in our church who are married.  During our Sunday morning meeting, we had our meet/greet/eat afterwards and I made strawberry lemonade… but I think I need to make it a little more “lemonady” and more sweeter and add a bit more strawberries next time… oh well.. it’s always a learning process. I knew I should’ve looked online for a recipe and maybe I could’ve tried this one from Emeril Lagasse!

2) I had crabs last Saturday!!! Wait.. that sounds wrong :P  I meant Ryan and I went to Redondo Beach Pier and ate at the Pacific Fish Center & Restaurant and ordered some crabs for lunch and enjoyed our little afternoon together at the beach. It was a great couple of hours of just spending some much needed “relaxation” time. It was so therapeutic for me sitting at the restaurant, focusing on one thing. Eating crabmeat. I was hoping to see the sunset, but Ryan was still recovering from his sickness and it was starting to get cold… I think that’s why now I’m sick too.. :P

3) I got Google Earth Pro!!! My boss has been having these ideas at work for our team… which required him to purchase the Google Earth Pro and I LOVE IT A LOT! It makes my work so much more easier to do and I’m learning a lot about what Google Earth Pro can do! It’s always great to learn something new!!

4) JANICE GOT THE JOB with VQ Orthocare!! After months and months and months of searching for a job and hundreds of interviews, my sister finally got a job with VQ Orthocare! That’s the same company that my husband Ryan works in and he’s been with the company for about 5 years now!! I love VQ Orthocare! It’s such a great company to work for and I hope that the company becomes even more successful in the years to come.  Seriously. I don’t work for the company, but just the fact that my husband loves it there and now they hired my sister.. I seriously am thankful to God for the company :)

Well, that’s my updates for the last couple of days! I’ll be posting up my new finds/experiences and will post that up tomorrow on my Friday Favorites! Until then, here’s to more beautiful sunny days in California… :)

We don’t really have anything planned. No big celebration. I just wanted to remember that today we were blessed that our business has reached another year. It would not have been possible without the support, faith, and trust of many people: our family, our relatives, our friends, and everyone who has given us a chance to be a part of their lives…Thank you all so much for your support! From the bottom of our hearts, we just wanted to let you know we really appreciate each and everyone of you! Thank you! Thank you!! THANK YOU!! :D Maraming Salamat Po!!

And because we wanted to at least do something special for ourselves, we decided to get a new camera bag for Ryan! After 4 years we each have a new camera bag and they are really awesome because we can put our whole camera in it!! It’s a CAMERA BAG.. not just a lens bag… but a CAMERA BAG! :)

I got myself a Kelly Moore Bag (KMB) which arrived yesterday. I offered to order Ryan a Kelly Moore Boy Bag, but he wanted something more manly (hahahahah) so Ryan and I went down to Samy’s Camera and bought a Tamrac Bag! YAY! Happy Anniversary!

P.S. Thank you to my cousin, Natasha, for telling me about the KMB! To view more photos on the bag, check out her site! She took some awesome photos of her Purple KMB and she shows how our cameras easily fit inside!

I really like to support our local businesses so here I am, again, referring my family and friends to something that I know they will enjoy!

If you’re around the area and need to order a cupcake or two or three or more, visit Miss Priss Cupcakes!! :)

We ordered the: Tuxedo, White Chocolate and Chocolate Coconut, and of course Red Velvet :)

I had come to know about Allison when I did some research about the Brazilian Blowout hair treatment. After reading about the treatment and what it does for our hair, I wanted to get it done for my hair too! I did a search on the website for local stylist that did the treatment and I came across Allison’s name. She is certified in doing Brazilian Blowouts and have done it for dozens of clients!

I like reading testimonials and reviews about local businesses too, so I did a google search for Allison and found 2 five star reviews on her. So I gave her a call and she was very accommodating with my schedule. I told her my only free time would be Sunday afternoon, so she said she would open the salon up just for my appointment!  Now, that’s great customer service there! If you are thinking about doing this and would like a certified professional with great customer service to do this for you, I would really recommend Allison! She did a great job with my hair and I LOVE IT A LOT!! I think I’ve found the stylist I’ve been looking for!

Here is her contact information:

Allison Johnston
5271 EL Roble Street
Long Beach, CA. 90815 
562-889-0480

Thank you Allison! I’ll see you in 3 months – or less, because I want my sister Janice to get the treatment done too! :)