A Few of My Favorite Things: San Diego

I thought it would be fun to collect a few pictures of some of my favorite things in San Diego. When I start missing the West Coast, I'll drop in over here to feel like I'm back at the beach. Here's one of my favorite things about San Diego:You can always find a wetsuit hanging ten ;)

Love,

A New Beginning, A New Home: Change of Address

I have BIG news! I've decided to take a job back in Maryland! This means that I have about a month to get my butt back to the East Coast, which means I have two weeks to get packed up and ready to go. Yikes! I'm very excited for this opportunity. I really feel like it's what I need right now. And of course I'm sad to be leaving all of my friends and the great weather in San Diego. But, for now, it's off to Maryland. I've decided a few things. Making decisions has never been my forte, so I"m quite proud of myself for being able to get it together for this big move. Here are the decisions (in no particular order):

1. I will be driving across country with my friends Kath and Michelle. There's really only room in the car for two (if that!) so we'll all be overlapping in Dallas for one night of fun!


2. I will be renting out my condo as a vacation home.


3. Haha that's it! I can only handle two decisions in one month ;)

So, that means I have to plan the cross-country trip, get my condo vacation rental ready, and see my friends as often as possible before I leave! Here's what I've done to the place so far. I'm going for less clutter and more beachy than when it was just for me. Let me know what you think! Entryway: A plant that takes little to no care (so I'm learning...this is my second orchid), books to read on vacation, and a few reusable grocery bags.

Bar: Not too much has changed here, but I weeded out the glasses I didn't want broken and added a water bucket and bar tools from Goodwill. The empty space on the left is going to be filled with a shaker when I find one. Please excuse the mess on the right; that's the "take to Maryland" pile :)

Dining Room: I drew this horse with a charcoal pencil the other night. I saw something like it in a magazine (which I didn't re-find until after I'd drawn it). I loved the magazine picture, but this is a bit too juvenile for me I think. So...I believe I will be replacing it with this:

Isn't she a beaut?! I found this painting at Goodwill for $35 (along with a trashcan for $3, lamp for $3, ice bucket for $6, bar tools for $3, and cutting board for $3). I left the store without the painting, and then re-parked my car and went back into get it. I just couldn't say no!

Would you want to vacation here?!

Love,

PS. If you haven't figured it out yet, my posts may or may not be a bit more sporadic due to all of the items on my to-do list. I have tons of posts coming, though!

Foodie Alert! Homemade Pizza

I. Love. Pizza. I love it plain, I love it fancy, I love it hot, I love it cold. (I think this could turn into a Dr. Seuss book pretty easily!) Point is: I love pizza and it loves me. The other night, I decided to make my very own personal-sized homemade pie. Yes, pie. I said it. It is a pizza pie; get over it! ;) So in my quest to make my own pie, I found a recipe in my new cookbook from Ina called "Barefoot in Paris." I may have mentioned a few times already that I am obsessed with all things France right now so add that to my love for pizza (did I mention I love pizza?) and you've got one glorious evening.

Unfortunately, Ina (we're on a first-name basis) wanted me to make the crust from scratch and saute the toppings for like 45 minutes. This is 2011, Ina, I don't have the patience for either of those things!

Luckily, Trader Giotto's has three varieties of dough for pizza crusts. I snagged a bag of the white, and when I got home I sectioned off about a third of the package for dinner and froze the rest. A little rolling out the dough (with a glass like my mom taught me since apparently our family doesn't believe in rolling pins) and we were set to boogie.

On the other issue, I decided to saute the garlic and onions until they were see-through. I figured that was enough time to slice the tomatoes and one tiny potato and grate my cheese. After assembling all of the ingredients and cooking for around 15 minutes, I was left with the most amazing homemade pizza EV-ah! Isn't it a beaut?! Crunchy and satisfying. Add a glass of Irony chardonnay (I'm not a fan of whites, but this guy is delicious), and I was one happy camper.

Sorry, Nissa for not having any leftovers by the time The Bachelor started! You understand, right? ;)

PS. I'm so excited for Ashley to be the next Bachelorette. This is only my second season watching these shows, and I'm HOOKED!

Bon appetite!

Love,

Pop Goes the Weasel and the Weasel Goes POP!

I've been continuing on my cooking kick these days. I've never been big in the kitchen, but now that I'm living alone I've decided to pick up some tricks so I can feed myself. Some days I just don't care and put together something tasteless, but other days I get into the mood and make something special!

The other night, I decided to try making popcorn on the stove top. It was such an adventure! I highly recommend making popcorn this way if you have kids. Seriously, it's a riot. But make sure the top to your pan fits properly or you'll be chasing jumpers around the kitchen.

Note to self: Pop less corn. Filling the bottom of the pan made enough popcorn for four people.

Pop and lock it!

Ta da! Homemade popcorn in seconds!

The aftermath: Kernels EVERYWHERE.

I decided to make popcorn this way because a friend told me that they put tons of crappy stuff in the instant bags, and how easy is it to just flavor it the way you want?! I have to go get some toppings for my popcorn for the next time. Maybe I'll have a popcorn bar at the next movie night? Hmmm....genius? I think so! ;)

Love,

PS. Watch this. You'll thank me later.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Happy Friday! Happy St. Patrick's Day! Happy happy ;)

Love,

Photo (and recipe if you click through the link) courtesy of pinterest.

Glass Painting DIY: On the Small Scale

It's amazing what I'm capable of accomplishing when I get started on a productive pattern at the beginning of the day. It's kind of like when I'm rushing around to go on a trip, I feel the need to add other chores to the list to complete even though they have nothing to do with the trip. Yes, it adds more stress to an already jam-packed day, but I get so much done! Anyway, yesterday I started on a productive rant in the morning and kept it going throughout the day. After work, I started on some freelance stuff and then slid right into this project that has been staring at me for weeks. I got these shadow boxes for free from Suzie (and the shelves too, for that matter). I wasn't sure what to do with them until I saw this photo on pinterest.com. I just loved the olive wreath painted on the cafe's glass and thought I could make it work on the glass of the shadowboxes.
After trying several materials to draw the olive branch: charcoal pencil and black eyeliner, just to name a few. Not until I found glass paint at Michael's for around $3 did I get it to work!

Honestly, I should stop trying to make things asymmetrical. It just never turns out right. I really do much better with the balance of symmetry. I drew on the branches and just added leaf brush strokes and dots until I got the desired finished product (it took a while to try to balance out the unbalanced branches).

The second frame took me a little longer to decide what I wanted to paint. I didn't want to use the flor-de-lys; Suzie sort of owns that from her time in New Orleans (makes gifts for her SUPER easy) :) I wanted to continue the French theme (shocker!). I looked at what bundles, hirondelles (birds that gave the namesake for my painting teacher's house in France), the Eiffel Tower. Then I came across the new Bed Bath and Beyond booklet and thought that I could do a pseudo-hirondelle scene with a classier twist by using a part of this family tree.

All in all, I'm very happy with the final outcome. I like how one is very intricate and the other is very simple. I love how the paint has a shadow on the back of the paper (that I bought and cut to fit from the scrapbooking section of Michael's...I just suggest something light so the paint shines). What do you think? It's a heck of a lot better than the plain frames, eh? ;)

PS. Isn't my little bar cute? Couldn't have been any easier.

Love,

Olive wreath photo courtesy of pinterest.

Side Project

I took a little time today to clean up this side table. I bought it a few weeks ago for $15 at the Goodwill, but didn't really have the time (read: I didn't WANT) to clean it. I really do hate cleaning with a passion! So I brought out my cleaning tools last week (Magic Eraser, Clorox wipes, and Clorox spray) and they've been sitting on my counter until today when I attacked the dirt. This little guy has great lines, but he'd clearly been sitting in someone's garage for a while. The drawer had a nice film covering it and there were little green marker or crayon spots on the top. Maybe this lived in a child's craft room? Either way, it's clean and now sitting as a side table in my living room.

It might need a fresh coat of paint, but for now I'm embracing the "antique" look and plan on enjoying the fresh beachy look.

Those flowers are from a conference last week. Aren't they great? Love the stone urn.

Love,

Entertainment and Support

For your entertainment:

I'm loving The Fun Theory by VW. The videos really make me think about what a little fun can do for the greater good of the world.

For your support:

Also, my thoughts go out to those who have been effected by the Japanese earthquake and tsunami. It's been a rough year for so many people.

Love,

Vintage Decor Inspiration

I just read an article that a lot of weddings these days are vintage-inspired. I definitely believe it. Although I'm not planning a wedding, my decorating these days shows signs of lace, pewter, and all things Olde. Here are just a few pictures that have been inspiring me lately.

Metal tray message boards.

Patterned chair backs.


Painted bottles.

Doily runner.

Botanical Easter eggs.

Are you inspired by vintage this season?

Love,

Photos courtesy of Martha Stewart's botanical eggs, pinterest's doily runner, pinterest's blue bottles, Martha Stewart's decorative chairbacks, and metal boards.

Mis-Adventures of an Outdoor Addict: Twentynine Palms

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I went to Twentynine Palms this past weekend with my friends Tara and Berkley. It was a climbing weekend with a bunch of folks from REI, and Tara invited me to try out rock climbing in the desert. I must say, this area of California is so amazing. It's like living on a different planet. The land is sparse of greenery but covered in sand-colored granite boulders with little desert mice and squirrels poking out every once in a while.

I've been dying to go camping since I moved to San Diego four years ago, so that over anything else was a great motivator. Plus, Tara said she'd supply everything--food, tent, sleeping bag, clothes--all I had to do was show up :)

We climbed, we hiked, we ate chili and cheese, we sat around a campfire and drank cold-ish beer. It was amazing. It was just so soothing to sit in the desert sand and soak it all in. There was one reason, though, that almost inhibited me from coming and I just want to put this message out into the universe in case there are others who may miss out on amazing adventures because of slight social anxiety.

I'm 28 years old, have lived in San Diego for four years, I have a master's degree and many great friends. And yet, I still have social anxiety that can ocassionaly be paralyzing. So many people may think that if you have it "goin' on" then you worry about making friends or meeting new people. Well, it doesn't exactly work that way. Social anxiety (I can only talk for myself here) is not rational. Yes, I know that people generally want to be friendly and helpful. Yes, I know that the worse that could happen is I sit by myself in a room (or in this case, campfire) full of people. Yes, I understand that I'm not the only one who doesn't know everyone.

Yet, the thought of being alone with 60 people I've never met before is terrifying.

Arriving to the campsite in the dark did not help (I can't even tell who I'm looking at!). Having my carmates head off to set up their tents while I was putting my boots on did not help (Where did my security blankets go?!). Waiting for my friend Tara to arrive in a separate car did not help (I thought she would be my anchor!). But you know what? I did it. I freaked out, I wanted to cry, I felt lost and isolated and scared to go talk to strangers (man I wish that lesson didn't work so well on me!). But I did it anyway. I made myself go over to the campfire and look for anyone I might know. And then I went back to the car. I made myself walk around the campsite to look for Berkley and my other carmates setting up tent. And then I went back to the car. I felt like an idiot for being so terrified for using the car as a haven, but I overcame it. I came out of my bubble a bit and made some new friends.

So for anyone considering saying no to somethingbecause they're afraid of how they'll look or how people will react or whatever it is that's giving you social anxiet, I say just do it. Who cares. Don't miss out on an amazing experience just because you're afraid. It's just not worth missing out on all the adventures that life can hold. Yes, sometimes you will look silly or lonely or whatever. But the important part is just getting out there and pushing your limits because maybe the next time you can push them even more.

Love,

Photo from pinterest.

It's Raining, It's Pouring

It's been raining again here in San Diego. Makes me appreciate even more the camping/climbing/hiking weekend I just had in Twentynine Palms, Calif., with my friends Tara and Berkley. (Side Note: I thought we were going to Joshua Tree, but we really went right through JTree into Twentynine Palms.) It was a gorgeous, warm weekend sitting by the campfire at night and under the sun during the day. I want to give a recap, but am waiting on some photos since my camera is still broken and phone was dead. In the meantime, here's a little snapshot of what it looks like when it rains here in San Diego. Mainly, everything just turns gray, which I happen to like :)

Love,

Photo from pinterest.

Weekend Wonders: Camping in Joshua Tree

I'm going camping this weekend in Joshua Tree! I'm so excited. I've been wanting to go camping since the day I moved to California almost four years ago! (I need to start doing instead of coveting...lesson my mom tried to teach me.) I love picnics, hiking, walking, just generally being outdoors, so I'm super excited to go somewhere new. The only scary part is that this is a huge annual climbing/camping trip that my friend Tara takes every year with like 80 other people. Holy crap, that's a lot of strangers! Anxiety, attack! Luckily, my friend Tara is amazing, and she promised to hold my hand the entire weekend ;) I'm sure it'll be fine, but if you have anxiety you know how I feel. Anywho, I came across these photos on pinterest today in anticipation of my camping trip. Don't they just make you want to run into the woods?!

Have an amazing weekend!!

Love,

PS. My sister and her husband are attending a wake for her college freshman roommate (and good friend throughout the past few years). I just want to send my thoughts out to the universe to be with them all this weekend. I'm thinking of you two. Love you.

Photos courtesy of Pinterest 1,2,3.

Two Random Thoughts

1. I had a dream last night that I lost the peacock in this post. So random, especially considering I don't even own that bird.

2. After my hiking, reading, TV watching, and chatting with my mom, I'm back to normal from my funk yesterday. Sorry you had to read that. (Not really, you didn't have to read it if you didn't want to ;) )

I'll leave you with this fun inspirational quote today to make up for it!

"Be yourself everyone else is already taken."

Love,

Quote from pinterest.

Mis-Adventures of an Outdoor Addict

Suzie and I tried to go hiking at the Los Penasquitos Canyon yesterday afternoon. Unfortunately, the only entrance to the canyon was closed, so the closest we got was from the top of a lookout. We were SO close! Doesn't it look fabulous?

So instead of just giving up all hope of having a nice walk, we headed to Carmel Valley near Torrey Pines State Beach to walk along the marshland. It ended up being a nice hour-long walk on a road that's been closed to cars. I loved not having to compete with the traffic. That's one thing that I loathe about going on walks in Mission Valley.

After our workout (yes, I believe even walking is a workout), I took her to the Gliderport near UCSD. It's basically a cliff where you can go gliding or watch the sunset. It was a great date for Suzie and me ;) The views were just amazing. If I ever leave San Diego, this is what I'll miss most:

View of La Jolla from the Gliderport.

Sun setting over the Pacific.

Can you see the little bunny foo foo?

Another shot of the wabbit amongst the ice plant.

Love,