New Decade, New Beginnings
I turned 31 yesterday. I had an incredible weekend celebrating with my closest friends, but I came home to the news of Kobe Bryant’s death. At 41. Exactly 10 years older than I am now. I’m not a huge basketball or Kobe fan more so than the average person, but the news left me speechless. There are a few things I’ll never forget from my 31st birthday and this is one of them. In a way, it made my birthday a little sweeter. I’ve always been one to celebrate birthdays big, but I felt especially grateful yesterday to have made it another year.
In the spirit of living to our fullest every day since we don’t know when it’s our last, I wanted to share with my faithful readers that I’m retiring my blog indefinitely.
For a few years now, I’ve had a life goal of writing a novel. I loved creative writing as a kid and filled notebook upon notebook of stories and dreams. I shared them with my family, my teachers, my classmates, my friends. It was my biggest passion and I want to take that back. So I’ve decided to use the time I was spending on my blog instead to focus my efforts on writing my novel. We aren’t guaranteed another day, so why wait?
It’s actually very apt that I published my first blog post in 2010 – which at the time was called An Apple A Day (for my maiden name Appleton). I started out simply by sharing the uncomplicated musings of a college student and then it grew into book reviews and my favorite easy/delicious/somewhat healthy recipes (that I know a couple in Washington state will miss!) and travel picturebooks and life lately and being a safe space to be vulnerable about my grief when my dad passed away.
I will miss this blog so much and the joy of writing it and reading all of your comments and how it impacted you. I never once wanted this to become a “job” or a way for me to make money, and it never did. It was simply a scrapbook of my life from 2010-2020 that I can’t wait to look back on for years to come.
This isn’t to say the blog will never return. It’s just the right thing for now. Sometimes you have to leave things behind in order to make space for something new.
Still want to know what I’m reading, where I’m traveling + where I’m drinking wine next?! Follow me on instagram @milledavis.
Cheers to a new decade and new beginnings.
xo xo,
Mille Davis
life lately
[eating this || first ever attempt at making sunny side up eggs + chrissy teigen’s cheesy spicy hash
D E L I S H ]
[thankful for this || the best birthday party with the best people]
[loving this || 60 degree days]
[enjoying this || a cozy night in with husband for valentine’s day]
[celebrating this || mom + fred’s 4th anniversary with the family]
[watching this || february friday night film vault: oscars edition. hi, stephen!]
xo xo
Picturebook: Napa + SF
N A P A
[play hard]
F R I D A Y
[arrived at our SUPER ADORABLE boutique hotel, Rancho Caymus Inn
and yes, that is a hummingbird photobombing my picture!]
[no exaggeration, hands down one of the best meals of my life at michelin-star The Charter Oak]
S A T U R D A Y
[bouchon bakery + yountville = adorable pit-stop]
[obviously had to schedule in a stop at the napa sign]
[silver oak 2014 cabernet release day party – so many people, so much rain, so much fun!]
[photoshoot at robert mondavi – and of course, more wine]
[and then somehow we got in CARPOOL KARAOKE! this is the only pic I got (though plenty of ridiculous videos), but it was tricked out with lights, microphones and an iPad to choose a song. why is this not more of a thing?!]
[burger + french dip at Rutherford Grill was exactly what we needed]
[plus a hot tub night, ha!]
[no better way to start Sunday than with a Mumm Napa tour]
[aaand more sparkling wine with our Gott’s, which was DELICIOUS]
[our favorite winery – Bremer! we even signed up for their wine club, and obviously had plenty of fun on our own private tour + tasting]
[well yes, it did rain ALL WEEKEND and we didn’t get to do our hot air balloon ride, but we had some of the most picturesque views and seriously the best 30th birthday celebration!]
S A N F R A N C I S C O
[work hard + some play]
[first can we talk about how gorgeous these views were from our hotel?!]
[wonderful dinner with some of my favorite people at Nopa]
[ate some new food + made some new friends at Burma Love]
[couldn’t have ended the week better than with the best team building at Slide Ranch – we worked, we hiked, we ate amazing farm-to-table food and we honored a lost team member. love this work family so much! <3]
xo xo
30 Before 30
As I head into the last year of my 20s, I decided to create a list of things to do before I turn 30 in January. Thanks to literally everyone for helping me come up with this list. I think it’s realistic to accomplish in a year, yet will be challenging. I’ll provide a few updates throughout the year as I check things off. Starting with #1 …
[husband’s 30th]
-
Start a new adventure.I’ve worked for Walmart for 6.5 years, as my first job out of college. I’ve officially accepted a position at Clorox, and couldn’t be more excited/anxious/thrilled to start this new adventure.- Make a complex meal 100% from scratch.
- Hike Pinnacle Mountain + eat a Hubcap burger at Cotham’s. This one stems back to my Arkansas Bucket List from a few years ago, and is one thing I really wanted to do that I never got to check off my list. This is the year!
- Successfully do a one-armed push-up.
- See a critically acclaimed show.
- Volunteer 30 hours.
- Buy all my friends a round, randomly.
- Play video games with husband for a night, complete with pizza + beer.
- Intentionally choose to stay by myself one night in a hotel. Obviously I’ve stayed by myself before, but for work or when husband was away – not intentionally.
- Learn a song on the guitar.
- Be in a play.
- Learn to play blackjack.
- Make a signature cocktail.
- Make a YouTube video that gets over 1k views.
- Start my book. This is one husband has been pushing me to do for years.
- Win at least 1 trivia night.
- Write 30 handwritten letters.
- Take a dance class.
- Go to a movie solo.
- Run 30 miles. I’m not a runner. So, no judgment please on “only 30?!”
- Dye my hair pink. Again, something I’ve always wanted to do. It could just be a few strands, and it could wash out after a day. Either way, I think 29 is the best time to do it.
- Do 5 things that truly scare me.
- Give an amount of money that is significant to me and is significant to someone in need, but do it in such a way no one would ever know it was me who gave it and expect nothing in return.
- Travel to state I’ve never been to.
- Take a personal day, for no reason at all.
- Challenge myself with a new hobby.
- See someone in concert I’ve been dying to see.
- Find an artist whose perspective of the world I appreciate and buy a piece of his or her work.
- Take a spontaneous trip.
- Plan a huge 30th birthday bash.
xo xo
To follow along on my journey, make sure and follow my blog via WordPress or email:
Weekend Picturebook: Lake Tahoe
The BEST weekend with LITERALLY everyone.
T H U R S D A Y 
[first stop: truckee! the cutest little town ever.
lunch: bar of america with the best jalapeño poppers on the planet, wine: pour house wine shop]
[first night in the hot tub – complete with snow angels…]
F R I D A Y
[my birthday!]
[could we have asked for better views to wake up to?! all the heart eyes.]
[snowmobiling with these two was so fun! it was seriously a winter wonderland]
[and here’s the rest of our crew skiing/snowboarding at squaw valley!]
[post-snowmobiling bloody mary]
[birthday dinner at bridgetender tavern + a robust discussion on my 30 before 30 (another blog post to come soon)]
S A T U R D A Y 
[shopping in truckee – yes, I came home with both of these purchases (and more!!)]
[met the crew for lunch at Squaw – ate some of the best pizza + tried on literally a million hats]
[final night – dancing + drinks on the patio!]
[sunset in the hot tub …
and not thinking about how rough it will be to come home!]
xo xo
You might also enjoy: Weekend Picturebook: NYC
Christmas + NYE Picturebook
[the start of Christmas break means Mom’s birthday – fun celebration at Midici!]
[Christmas Eve with this wonderful family + a new baking favorite: salted caramel cookies]
[Christmas morning love]
[celebrating Christmas evening with another wonderful family]
B I G C E D A R
[a few days of rest and relaxation at this amazing place]
N Y E
[the best Hotarman-masquerade house party ever]
[Cheers to 2018!]
xo xo
life lately
{enjoying this || breakfast with the best team everrrr}
{relaxing with this || big poodle by the fire}
{dying over this || meeting harry connick jr. backstage at his show – he’s soooo dreamy}
{making this || beautiful wreaths with beautiful friends}
{eating this || chrissy teigen’s delish chicken noodle soup}
{celebrating this || mom’s birthday at the hip hop nutcracker!}
{planning for this || christmas in DC!}
We have a busy couple of days ahead with several fun Christmases, then we head to DC for the week to see more family. Wishing you all a merry and blessed Christmas!
xo xo
I Went to Trader Joe’s For The First Time With a Fanatic, and Now I’m a Fanatic Too
You saw the title of this blog, and you’re thinking one of two things right now –
Person 1: OMG I love TJs too! It’s amazing!!
Person 2: I really don’t understand the hype. It’s a GROCERY STORE.
Well, this is the story of how I turned from person 2 to person 1 within hours, thanks to my dear friend Samantha. (And yes, I now lovingly call it TJs, like all the cool people.)
How this trip came to be: Samantha is obsessed with TJs and was telling me how one was opening in Tulsa and how excited she was. I’d never been, and her birthday was coming up, so I decided my birthday present to her would be to take her on a road trip to Tulsa for the day so we could go. Some people thought this was weird to drive 2 hours solely for a grocery store, but it’s me and Samantha – the same people who took a day off of work solely to have a Stars Hollow Staycation aka Gilmore Girls marathon.
The week before our trip, Samantha sent me a text with her TJs list. My jaw literally fell to the floor. It had 49 things listed. Not just things she’d purchased before, but also things from TJ “best-of” lists. I responded with my list:
This was one thing I did know about Trader Joe’s – Two-Buck Chuck ($2 wine!). I couldn’t wait to buy a case for only $24 purely to keep my wine rack full. Come to find out, due to some crazy Oklahoma laws, they don’t even sell it in this store. Needless to say, I was devastated. However, we continued on and made the journey to Tulsa.
You guys. This store is a GOLD MINE. There are so many unique finds here and for so cheap!! Case in point, Samantha had read about pickle flavored popcorn. Sounds weird/most likely disgusting, right? Well, we get in the store and it’s proudly displayed on an endcap for only $1.99. One dollar, and ninety-nine cents. So obviously, I had to try it, right?! Let me tell you – if you like pickles, and you like popcorn, you will love this stuff!!
{Yes, we took a selfie with the popcorn}
Other items purchased include: Scandinavian Swimmers, Frozen Macarons, Pear Champagne Dressing, Brownie Bites with Sea Salt, Porcini Mushroom Pasta, Dried Mango, Fancy Almonds, Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups, Burrata and Prosciutto Pizza …. the list goes on.
We spent an hour and a half in the store, spent way more money than both of us were anticipating, and filled my Mini Cooper to the brim (including two coolers in my trunk).
And we had so much fun! Seriously. I was pretty much a convert when I stepped in the door, but it certainly didn’t hurt to have a fanatical friend show me all the exciting finds and to peruse the store with in search of new finds.
{before and after}
Happy GOLDEN birthday, Samantha! I hope our trip to TJs makes the list of memorable birthday adventures.
And to anyone else who has a birthday coming up and going to TJs is your birthday wish, call me.
Picturebook: Birthday Week + NYC
B I R T H D A Y W E E K
[kinky boots + bordino’s with the family]
[birthday tradition: hostess cupcake in bed]
[the best surprise at work!]
[drove a van to downstream casino, ate, drank, gambled, danced, partied like I was 27]
N E W Y O R K C I T Y
(work trips can be fun too)
[it may be touristy, but I still love times square]
[dinner at serafina]
[meetings at hearst tower – dreary day, but still amazing central park views]
[lunch at carnegie deli – pastrami + pickles]
[our hotel was right next to colbert, so we might have hung out near the talent access door a few times to have a celeb sighting, which we did – bernie sanders!]
[dinner at greek restaurant uncle nick’s – I will dream about this fried cheese!]
[obviously couldn’t leave without a bagel (or two)]
[had to wear my favorite shirt from shop written – new york, los angeles, bentonville]
[it sure was cold, but can’t leave NYC without a walk through central park (especially for levain cookies!!)]
xo xo
Golden Birthday Party [Details]
A few things about me: I love birthdays. I love parties. I love hosting people. I love gold.
Thus, the golden birthday party was born.
As a birthday present to myself, I decided to host a birthday party at our house. It was my GOLDEN birthday after all. For those who don’t know what that is – it’s when you turn the age of your birth date, in my case 26 on the 26th.
I’ve been planning this party for months, even sending out the save the date in December. I’ll be posting a blog later with all my party planning tips, but for now enjoy all the golden details!
D E C O R
{These gold wine bottles were my favorite and I can’t wait to use them again. They were also insanely easy to make. Take the wine bottle, cover it using spray glue, then pour TONS of glitter on top. Voila!}
{More wine bottle decor and a beautiful banner from Etsy}
{Bathroom details – print from Etsy}
{No party is complete without a photo booth! Make sure to have lots of props (the more random the better), and clearly showcase the event hashtag so people remember to post their photos.}
{Gold spray painted and glittered snowflakes. Bought the wooden snowflakes from a local boutique, then DIYed them gold!}
{Birthday Wall! Probably my favorite thing of the night – hang black butcher paper and have gold sharpies for guests to leave you a birthday message!}
F O O D + D R I N K
{Of course there has to be a gold cake for a golden birthday!}
{and my favorite dessert – macaroons, dusted in gold shimmer!}
{Spray paint mason jars for straw and fork holders – so easy and chic. Napkins from Swoozy.com}
{Gold solo cups (obviously)}
Not pictured: Keg of Golden Ale + Gold Jell-O Shots
E T C .
{One of my favorite birthday gifts – a polaroid camera! to capture the night in a unique way}
{Dress from Rent the Runway}
{black and gold nails on fleek}
{and of course, my best accessory!}
xo xo
life lately.
{laughing at this || a mother’s birthday celebration never to be forgotten}
{enjoying this || a wonderful christmas party with some of my favorite people + nerf guns}
{obsessing over this || #teamadnan}
{loving this || the best christmas present – one of my dad’s old scarves with my initials monogrammed on it}
{celebrating this || 2015 with my two baes}
{doing this || anything I can to stay warm during #polarvortex}
xo xo
Birthday Week
You can ask my husband, for as long as he’s known me (10 years) I’ve never celebrated my birthday. I’ve celebrated my birthday week.
I really love birthdays. (Deduce from that what you will – possibly that I love the attention) I just don’t understand people who don’t want to celebrate their birthday because they’re getting old. Yeah, you are, but wouldn’t you rather “get old” in style and have a party?
My official birthday week began Friday. So it’s still in full swing. We’re ending the week with a road trip to Tulsa to see some dear friends and comedian/favorite-Parks-and-Rec-character Aziz Ansari. Eeek!! I’m SO excited!
I’ll do a weekend picturebook of the trip next week, but wanted to share some memories from the fabulous birthday week thus far.
{Friday – flowers from Husband}
{Saturday night – party at Maxine’s Tap Room}
{Monday – at work & play}
{Tuesday – best birthday present ever!!!}
xo xo
Weekend Picturebook: Halloween, Birthdays & Football
This weekend was a BUSY one, rolling right off of a busy week for Halloween. (Fun fact: Walmart Home Office does Halloween like you’ve never seen. #amazing) I’m pretty sure every weekend will be busy until 2014, but this one was special in that we had 5 guests in town none of which had never been to a Razorback game. My parents invited some of their friends they’ve been working with in Ohio to Northwest Arkansas for the weekend – coming in from Ohio, West Virginia and Texas. It was a great weekend with lots of laughs, good food and beautiful weather. (We won’t mention the Hogs’ loss.)
As our guests were coming in town Friday, we also had another commitment that night – my mother-in-law’s surprise 50th birthday party that turned out just perfect. Enjoy some photos below from the weekend!
* * * * *
{Started the weekend off with a bang for Halloween – at work and home}
{SURPRISE! What a beautiful birthday party for my beautiful mother-in-law!}
{Saturday am: had to take our guests to Crystal Bridges, 21c and Downtown Bentonville}
{The girls ready for the game!}
{Second surprise of the weekend – our “bus” to Fayetteville was a limo!}
{LOVE this photo of my parents! Happy to have them home for a few days}
Hope you had a great fall weekend! Our next weekend adventure features a 1-year-old birthday party and a wedding!
xo
You might also enjoy: Weekend Picturebook: Little Rock, Weekend Picturebook: St. Louis
Happy 1st Birthday, Olli!
I can’t believe our baby boy is a year old today. He’s just as crazy and just as cute as we he was when we picked him up last November.
In honor of his birthday, I’m sharing my favorite photos of him throughout the year. It’s amazing how many puppy photos I’ve taken. Lord only know what it will be like when we have kids.
{November: the first night}
{December: the first family photo}
{January: the playdate}
{February: the Saturday morning}
{March: the mommy/son}
{April: the profile pic}
{May: the wake up call}
{June: the haircut}
{July: the playful one}
{August: the birthday boy}
xo
You might also enjoy: puppy love, Olli’s first puppy shoot
life lately
{enjoying // this lovable guy}
{celebrating & celebrating // this one’s golden birthday}
{remembering // an awesome wedding through this awesome photo}
{getting addicted // to this show}
Also, baking this deliciousness and enjoying this weekend with family.
xo
the golden birthday boy.
golden birthday: the birthday when you turn the same age as your birthdate
This year is Husband’s golden birthday, turning 26 on the 26th (which will be my golden birthday too in a couple years!) So I decided to do something a little fun and asked everyone to bring something gold to his birthday dinner.
As husband said at the end of the night, “Birthdays are so much more fun with a theme.” Agreed.
{golden Batman pinata = awesome}
{gold on gold on gold}
{love}
{gold shot of tequila, of course}
{golden bros}
Happy Birthday, Husband! I love you to the moon and back.
I hope you have as much fun as below on your birthday. xo
life lately
{celebrating Samantha’s birthday – a few pics from over the years}
{Easter with family}
{eating this deliciousness made by my mom while in town}
{LOVE sign making class with my community group girls}
{wonderful Friday afternoon with my mom – pictured here: champagne + blackberry mango pop at First Friday on the Square}
{Hawaiian bridal shower for the beautiful Nicky, and getting ready for her bachelorette party tonight <3}
xo xo
life lately.
life lately: bi-weekly posts that give you a peek into my world of late.
{celebrating // with the in-laws, at work, with the girls}
{marveling // at Crystal Bridges for an innovation conference}
{playing // Sunday Funday with the pups + hubs}
{inspiring // new favorite quote}
{eating // mini chicken + waffles at work Super Bowl party}
{enjoying // personality profile via}
* * *
After finishing my Three Week Cooking Challenge, I’m determined to challenge myself in other areas as I’ve realized blogging is a great accountability partner. But what should I do, fitness? fashion? reading?
Let me know what you think!
xo xo
Weekend Picturebook: Las Vegas
FRIDAY
{view from balcony, The Cosmopolitan}
{drinks at The Chandelier, The Cosmopolitan}
* * *
BIRTHDAY, BIRTHDAY!
{morning view + coffee}
{while husband lazes}
{ lunch: arugula + parmigiano reggiano salad, sausage + peppers pizza, Otto Enoteco – Mario Batali}
{won my first $100}
{dinner at Mix, Mandalay Bay}
{best view ever, Mix}
{“O” Cirque Du Soleil, Bellagio}
* * *
SUNDAY
{walking the strip, Monte Carlo}
{rode the New York New York roller coaster}
{awesome gastropub, Public House}
{relax}
{ready for dinner + drinks}
* * *
MONDAY
{brunch, The Wicked Spoon}
{The Conservatory, Bellagio}
{chocolate shots}
{world’s largest H&M, Shops at Caesar Forum}
{until next time … }
xo xo
You might also enjoy: Weekend Picturebook: New York City, Weekend Picturebook: Tulsa & Oklahoma City
Las Vegas Throwback
I’m heading to Vegas in T-minus 4 days. Here’s a look back at some of my other trips to LV …
{2010: 21st birthday with my bestie}
{2010: Tao}
{2010: my paparazzi shot of Paris Hilton}
{2010: Society of Professional Journalists conference}
{2012: one of my favorite photos (and best shows) despite the copyright marks}
{2012: father & son}
{2012: Tao}
{2012: chillin’ at the Wynn poolside}
xo xo
You might also enjoy: NYC Throwback 2007
Happy 21st Birthday, Mom – Love, Daughter & Tina Fey
My mom’s birthday is always an occasion to celebrate. Last year, husband and I hosted a party for her and some friends (Birthday Cheers) and it turned out fabulous. But this year was extra special, she was turning 21 of course! So she and I spent a weekend in NYC, then celebrated her actual birthday with friends, family, pizza, beer, cupcakes and a beautifully adorned square. As I was thinking about my mother and what a wonderful job she’s done raising me, I was reminded of this Mother’s Prayer from Tina Fey’s book Bossypants. What a perfect, hilarious yet heartwarming prayer – one that I know my mother has said, and one that I will certainly say in a few years.
XOXO
“First, Lord: No tattoos. May neither Chinese symbol for truth nor Winnie-the-Pooh holding the FSU logo stain her tender haunches.
May she be Beautiful but not Damaged, for it’s the Damage that draws the creepy soccer coach’s eye, not the Beauty.
When the Crystal Meth is offered, may she remember the parents who cut her grapes in half and stick with Beer.
Guide her, protect her when crossing the street, stepping onto boats, swimming in the ocean, swimming in pools, walking near pools, standing on the subway platform, crossing 86th Street, stepping off of boats, using mall restrooms, getting on and off escalators, driving on country roads while arguing, leaning on large windows, walking in parking lots, riding Ferris wheels, roller-coasters, log flumes, or anything called “Hell Drop,” “Tower of Torture,” or “The Death Spiral Rock ‘N Zero G Roll featuring Aerosmith,” and standing on any kind of balcony ever, anywhere, at any age.
Lead her away from Acting but not all the way to Finance. Something where she can make her own hours but still feel intellectually fulfilled and get outside sometimes And not have to wear high heels. What would that be, Lord? Architecture? Midwifery? Golf course design? I’m asking You, because if I knew, I’d be doing it, Youdammit.
May she play the Drums to the fiery rhythm of her Own Heart with the sinewy strength of her Own Arms, so she need Not Lie With Drummers.
Grant her a Rough Patch from twelve to seventeen.Let her draw horses and be interested in Barbies for much too long, For childhood is short – a Tiger Flower blooming Magenta for one day – And adulthood is long and dry-humping in cars will wait.
O Lord, break the Internet forever, that she may be spared the misspelled invective of her peers and the online marketing campaign for Rape Hostel V: Girls Just Wanna Get Stabbed.
And when she one day turns on me and calls me a Bitch in front of Hollister, Give me the strength, Lord, to yank her directly into a cab in front of her friends, For I will not have that Shit. I will not have it.
And should she choose to be a Mother one day, be my eyes, Lord, that I may see her, lying on a blanket on the floor at 4:50 A.M., all-at-once exhausted, bored, and in love with the little creature whose poop is leaking up its back. “My mother did this for me once,” she will realize as she cleans feces off her baby’s neck. “My mother did this for me.” And the delayed gratitude will wash over her as it does each generation and she will make a Mental Note to call me. And she will forget. But I’ll know, because I peeped it with Your God eyes.
Amen.”
-Tina Fey
![The Perfect Cookies + The Famous Banana Bread [recipes]](https://eighttofiveandinbetween.files.wordpress.com/2018/10/img_6308.jpeg?w=900&resize=40%2C40){kind=small}
m.davis xoxo 
