I’ll Never Be A California Girl

 

Since meeting my husband I can honestly say I have never been bored. We are always doing something or going somewhere. Moving across the country, pretty much as far as I could go (in the US) away from the place I grew up, has been an amazing journey. Doing this was what proved to Matt and I that we really do make a good team. We started from nothing (I literally had $300) and now have everything necessary to live a safe and comfortable lifestyle. California has been great. We’ve lived in a quaint little town, in the middle of a redwood forest, and a bustling suburb of San Francisco. We’ve seen so much beauty here. But alas, it is not the place we will grow old. We are now drawn to the mountains of Appalachia. Much like before, we are packing up our car and hitting the road with no exact address to move to. This time we hope we picked a place that we can stay for a very, very long time. This weekend we are up in Humboldt County saying our goodbyes to the place where we grew most. I will forever travel back to Northern California. There is still so much to see! But starting May 11 it will no longer be our home. So wish us luck on another thrilling adventure!

Blah Blah Blah

I’ve been having serious blogger’s block. I started writing four different posts in the last couple days and every time I reread them I am so disappointed. I was writing about my opinion on handbags. Leather vs Polyurethane. I was getting a little too passionate and decided I might scare some people. So now you are just getting to read a totally pointless post. I apologize. On a positive note I got to see my super great friend in Berkeley today. Sarah always makes me smile. And I love being a customer in a coffee shop. I know that sounds weird, but after working in one for so long, it feels so good to just be a customer and not have to worry about mopping and washing dishes. I give Philz Coffee two thumbs up. My drink was delicious and regulars get to keep their mugs on the wall. Such a great idea! This has been a very random expression. I’ll finish with this very random photo I took about a month ago.

Yes. This man is naked. And BRAVE. It was chilly.

 

Hopefully inspiration will strike soon.

Never Stop Expressing Yourself

Yesterday Matt caught me tearing up during an episode of Property Brothers on HGTV. He laughed and of course mocked me. But this couple was so happy and thankful for their new space. Their joy really was beautiful. And today I came across a quote that immediately reminded me of this situation. By golden girl Zooey Deschanel no less.

 

Being tender and open is beautiful. As a woman, I feel continually shhh’ed. Too sensitive. Too mushy. Too wishy washy. Blah blah. Don’t let someone steal your tenderness. Don’t allow the coldness and fear of others to tarnish your perfectly vulnerable beating heart. Nothing is more powerful than allowing yourself to truly be affected by things. Whether it’s a song, a stranger, a mountain, a rain drop, a tea kettle, an article, a sentence, a footstep, feel it all – look around you. All of this is for you. Take it and have gratitude. Give it and feel love.

— Zooey Deschanel (via sugar-and-heartbreak)

 

So, Matthew, my beautiful husband, you can look forward to a lifetime of me crying over tiny, understated moments that no one else may see. That’s just me. xoxo

 

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Crazy About Citrus

This month I have been loving everything Citrus! It started when we took a trip to the farmer’s market and finally mandarins were among us. Ever since I’ve eaten those I have been immersed in this fragrant fruit. I’m loving:

 

 

Martha Stewart’s Clementine Vanilla Bean Quick Bread

So tasty! Make it. You will be proud. Great for breakfast or dessert.

The Body Shop’s Satsuma Body Butter

A couple sniffs of this creamy concoction in the morning and you are guaranteed to have a spring in your step. The scent lasts ALL day. No kidding, I still smell it when I leave work. And it always makes me smile.

Tazo’s Wild Sweet Orange Tea

This is my tea year round and I LOVE it!

Grow your own!

Four Wind Growers are a California company that grows and sells dwarf citrus. So great as gifts or for yourself!

Saturday Scarf

This is week was a little rough on the job front. Not because of the actual work but because I was off my game. I’m not sure what was up, but I could not wait till the weekend. And today proved to be a day worth waiting for. One of my favorite things from today was finally talking to my sister! Between the time change and the exhausting task that is life, we find it hard to pick up the phone on a regular basis. But once we do, I have a great time hearing about her life and venting about mine. I am so proud of her.

In the midst of organizing the patio and storage space, washing dishes, doing laundry and watching Downton Abbey, I made a scarf. If you have an addiction to Pintrest you have probably seen many tutorials on making a scarf out of an old tee-shirt. I used this post as guidelines but I wanted more volume so I used two shirts. My husband had some shirts with some pretty bad pit stains that were ready for the garbage, they were perfect for this project. I used iDye to make them a beautiful violet color before I started working with them. Here are some photos of the process and the finished product.

Supplies

Cut

Stretch

Wrap. Knot. Tuck.

Done

Sorry for the horrible phone photos.

2012 Resolution

You know that resolution that everyone makes? The one about losing weight and looking great? Yeah, I’ve made it before, about 5 or 6 times. I had always put it on my resolution list because who wouldn’t want to lose weight and look great? All those years before I never really put much effort in because I wasn’t dissatisfied with how I looked. I was wearing the clothes I always had so my body wasn’t changing much. But this year, things have changed and now I need to. I am feeling so ugly. I’m sorry to put it that bluntly but for real, I need to change. The thing is I’ve looked at all these lists of food that doctors and nutritionists suggest you eat, and guess what? I eat these things. I eat pretty healthy. So, I guess exercise is really the issue.

I don’t want to join a gym. I enjoy going to group fitness classes but I hate the actual gym. I’m determined to get fit on my own by working out at home and actually doing some outdoor activities.

If you know me personally, you know I’m not a water drinker. I know, I know. I have been drinking herbal tea all week long, all day long and I am seeing a difference. I pee more and my skin is less dry. This is a habit I hope to keep.

Now that our wedding and the excitement of 2011 is over I can focus on me and stick to this resolution: Be proud of what you see in the mirror! Good luck to everyone out there trying to change for the better this year!

A little inspiration.

 

Day Trip to Santa Cruz

This past Monday was a fantastic day. My hubby and I both had the day off so we headed down to Santa Cruz. I love exploring the areas around were we live. The drive was only an hour and fifteen minutes, with a detour to a San Jose art supply store.

 

We actually went to a beach near Watsonville first. Sunset State Beach. The sand and the birds reminded me of Florida’s Gulf. Very pretty and surprisingly quiet. Wish we had the dogs there.

Hunger was calling and Burger was the answer. I love places that I can order any burger on the menu and get it as a veggie burger and they had sweet potato fries, the love of my life. Very cute place with equally as cute customers and staff. Everyone there was so hip. lol I forgot to mention my burger had Mac and Cheese on it! Crazy good. It’s a good thing I was walking the whole day.

After burgers, the Patagonia outlet, shopping for turtles (Matt just finished all the seasons of My Name is Earl and was inspired by Mr. Turtle) and pottery we headed to the Boardwalk. Santa Cruz is SO California! Beach cruisers, volleyball and tons of color everywhere. Eating caramel apples and rock candy we walked the pier and people watched at the boardwalk. I finally saw a lifeguard stand like the ones on all the tv shows I used to watch growing up. I’m a nerd, I know.

To end the day appropriately we watched The Lost Boys (filmed in Santa Cruz). Kiefer Sutherland and Corey Feldman are in this 1987 Vampire flick. Vampires didn’t always look like Edward Cullen and Bill Compton.

The End.

Break Fast

I found where you can get grits in the bay area. Sadly you are limited to one egg. He he.