I’m kidnapping a Swiss girl.
And not just because she makes me breakfast.
Lucie and I have been entertaining Vegas for the past few days.  I can’t remember ever having a more #strangebutgood Christmas.  We opened presents a day early so that we could abscond to Palm Springs and Joshua Tree for Christmas.
I couldn’t let them go without anything Christmas morning though. Â I had the honor of giving Lucie her first Christmas stocking!
https://www.instagram.com/p/_ub-2tGjdr/
We took off to Joshua Tree National Park to check out the Dr. Seuss-looking trees and do a little hiking.  We stopped for shockingly good Christmas brunch at Joshua Tree Saloon (like a real Western saloon), so we didn’t get to Ryan Mountain until 3:30pm.
It was 37 degrees.  Who knew the desert got that cold in the afternoon?  Didn’t stop us from hauling ass up and down before the rain rolled in!  Lucie said it was appropriate I was wearing a beer and pizza hoodie.  Typical.
Picture of the week.
We headed back in time to make it for a fancy dinner at Sinatra’s old hang out, Melvyn’s. Â It was a crazy throw back dinner – tuxedo’d waiters, weird sauce on expensive meats (TWSS), pumpkin pie dessert… and a piano bar.
It was like we walked back in time.  We were the youngest people in there by 30 years.  Did I mention the greenery on the ceiling?
Confession: We went back again… and we shall again return. Â This place was just too amazing.
There are more shenanigans… Lucie’s first female impersonator show (not drag – we were corrected), running across busy streets for Mustang pictures, drunkenly recording New Years resolutions, In-N-Out burgers, giant dinosaurs in the desert… but I’ll just leave you with this picture because it sums up the week and won’t ruin my already ruined political career.
P.S. If you’re ever in Palm Springs go to the female impersonator show at Oscar’s. Â Truly amazing.
Read on for my day of eats, and join in Jenn’s WIAW baby riiiiiight here today!
Breakfast:
Back in the real world, I had my usual morning cocktail and sludge.
Lucie made us breakfast. Â I refuse to let her leave.
https://www.instagram.com/p/_2AfwdNnOo/
Lunch:
The vegan version of PB & Jeggs. Â You just replace the egg with scrambled tofu. Â I’m fighting a cold and nothing sounded good… except tofu and peanut butter, oddly enough.
Snack:
We were running around town so I took a Quest Mint Chocolate Protein Bar for the road.  Who cares about stopping for something when you’re doing things like showing Lucie the glories of Target?
This has become one of my Top 5 flavors.
I’m quite impressed this is all we left with. Â Again, I’m blaming the cold thing. Â And it was crowded! Â Post-Christmas shopping is the worst.
Dinner:
It looks basic, but this meal cracked me up. Â If I’d been smart enough to take a picture of everyone’s plate you’d see why. Â We all had a salad and roasted veggies, but managed to cook 3 different proteins. Â Mine was salmon, Lucie had tilapia, and Vegas had chicken.
It really didn’t take any longer to do all three since they could be cooked at once. Â Why choose when you can have allllll the things?
[Tweet “Palm Springs fun, American firsts, and the #WIAW link up! #fitfluential”]
***
It’s almost NYEÂ and all we have planned is a tattoo. Â I’ll let you guess who’s getting it…
Do you enjoy a piano bar? Â It might be my new favorite thing.
Do you end up making different proteins for everyone at your table?
That picture of Lucie in the car mirror is epic! Sounds like a great Christmas!
pb and tofu is an interesting combo, but I think that would taste good because I love anything with PB!
Vegas refused to eat butternut and PB tonight. Sigh…
Great Christmas! And at my table we all get the same thing – with 3 kids the alternative would be my personal hell 😉
LOVE the quote…collect moments not things! That is the motto I live by. =)
It’s so true, isn’t it? Becoming more apparent the older I get, too.
Oh man, I refuse to go shopping until at least 2 or 3 days after Christmas, unless it’s at weird hours. And never on a weekend. I worked in retail in high school and college and I learned all of those lessons. (that and, if you ask for the manager, they’ll probably take your return regardless. Unless you’re a jerk about it.) That salad looks delicious! The multiple proteins reminds me of my house when we were kids – my mom was always willing to make basically whatever XYZ wanted!
Ohhhh… good to know on the returns! I almost gave up on one – I had the receipt but the line was ridiculous!
Alllll the things is how I like to roll too! Salmon? Great. Tilapia? Fabulous, add her on. Chicken? Put that on my plate too and let’s have a party.
Now that you mention it, I’m shocked we didn’t do just that!
TATTOOO!?! Jealous! I have two more planned that I really want to get and the boy said he wished he had an extra $3k to get in tattoos. It’s probably a good thing we are both broke and it can’t happen. It’s the only self control we have.. 😉
Ha! I wish I had been me. Vegas and I want another but this time we went for Lucie. I’m thinking ours will come in the next couple months though. They really are addicting!
Piano bars are the greatest! I play piano so I get super excited about those kids of things. The husband and I went to a really fun dueling piano bar in D.C. and had a blast.
All your Christmas shenanigans look like a blast. Minus the Target trip. I went the day after Christmas and people were all over that place like scavengers and for some reason it made me sad so see all the pretty Christmas stuff thrown around like that.
Lucie in the car mirror is too much. And weird sauce on expensive meats…. hmmmmm dangerous.
Wow, 37 in Palm Springs? New England was pushing 70 on Christmas Eve! Happy holidays!
It chocked me the first time I was int he desert during winter, but it was actually get REALLY cold!
What fun in Palm Springs- those pictures are great! And love the pic of the Target shopping cafrt….LOL
Shopping after Christmas is always crazy. When I was a teenager I used to hit the mall the day after Christmas for the clearance sales, but now that I’m older there is no way I’d go shopping right after Christmas.
Happy New Year!
I did that one time on Black Friday… never again!
Happy New Year to you too!
I’ve always wanted to go to Joshua tree to hike. I’ve only ever driven through it. I’ve also yet to visit Palm Springs. Glad to see you guys are having so much fun!
I liked Joshua Tree best – Palm Springs is cool, but nothing near as unique.
I love the adventures with Lucie and so happy you guys are hanging out!! Love these posts they make me want to go on a road trip! xo C
You’ll be close enough to road trip there soon!!!
i live right across from Target and just looking at the parking lot, i refuse to go there for at least another week..looking at you two having fun, i need a break!!!
Mint Chocolate is definitely my favorite flavor for almost anything. 🙂 It looks like you’ve been having a really good time! 🙂
Hi laura! Fun times! I love that you had a non-traditional Christmas exploring! Next time I’m in SD for longer, I’d definitely like to meet up! As far as jeggs … now that is new to me. Cool idea! Happy eating, lady! 🙂
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I’d love that! We’re hoping to get up North sometime this spring too!
Melvin’s sounds and looks beautiful! I would love to go to that area one day. Love hiking and piano bars too 🙂
It was really cool in a throwback way. I can’t wait to get back to Joshua Tree though. Definitely worth a trip!
You girls are so fun!! I love Palm Springs – I am actually going in a couple months!
You’ll have so much fun!!! Be sure to get up to Joshua Tree!
Ah, Palm Springs, so fun!
And 3 proteins salmon, tilapia, and chicken….those are like one of the best trios you could have 😉
Palm Springs looks wonderfully warm…and delicious! Few things beat well-prepared salmon 🙂
It was surprisingly cold! I’ll forever be shocked by how chilly the desert gets in winter. Apparently it snows there too!
i’m mad i ever left SD> ugh, i want to have lucie make me breakfast. I’ll be her one night stand any day!
Hahahaha! She’s mine first! 😛
I still have the drunk New Year’s resolution video….shall I post it?
Lol.
I want this time to never end! Take me to Thailand.
If you ever post that… there will be violence. :*
My outdoor loving, hike craving heart is beyond jealous of your ventures. Even if the weather was on the chillier side. It would be the Bahamas compared to what I’m having. And don’t get me started on the fact you went to Melvyn’s – Sinatra is my ultimate man crush. It looks absolutely gorgeous. PB + tofu? No question about it.
I hope you ladies enjoy the rest of your wonderful visit!
You have excellent taste in men. 😉
Kidnap Lucie. Don’t let her return to Switzerland.
I tried! She was going on in Swiss-English about some Bondi Beach and clean eating shit. Sigh.
I will join you on the #strangebutgood christmas… Having Christmas Day on the beach in the sweltering heat – is a new one for me! Will I ever get used to an Aussie christmas?! Haha!
Your day looked and sounded amazing! And I want to try some of that chocolate you gifted to Lucie!
Lucie is in AUS now… you should mug her for her chocolate.
I have a 9 hour layover in LA next Sunday and I’m going straight to In-N-Out (not my choice). Please tell me it’s worth it!?
Welllll… it’s not the best burger I’ve ever had by any means. But the meat is at least real (read: it’s not McDonald’s). Sorry. I’m a burger snob though. 😉
I haven’t had a fast food burger in at least five years so I’m not sure if I’m going to like it! Only one way to find out…
You have to tell me what you think! I wish you were coming down here – I have the BEST burger place. You must try one day.