Friday, March 28, 2014

Remembering fun

Yesterday after work, I played Frisbee with a group of friends after happy hour at a favorite local restaurant, and I had fun. I sometimes forget how important it is to play and be silly and move around when Netflix and my couch is readily available. It seems with technology being so prevalent, we forget to step outside of the social media veil and genuinely interact with our friends and connections. The realization that I am moving soon and will not have these friends close at hand anymore has prompted me to try a little harder, get out there, and make good memories. I am excited for this weekend to catch up with more friends, take care of taxes (eek!), and get centered in my yoga practice. Weekends truly are the best, and I'm so glad this one is here!

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Sunday fun day

What's better on a Sunday than some DIY projects? A friend and I got together this afternoon to get creative and make some home decor. We decided to paint and "cork" some wooden letters that we picked up at the local craft store, and were very pleased with how things turned out. 

I started off with the letters "C & P," but only had enough corks saved up for the C! Till next time. 

I laid the corks out the way I wanted to glue them down using hot glue (hot glue gun pictured in the top right corner of this photo). 

Final product! (Minus the & P, soon to come after a few more bottles of wine!)
I decided to paint "love" as well, since the cork project was super quick and who doesn't need more love in their life?
I used outdoor paint to pain these letters, mixing coral with white to create the ombre effect. Check out the plate to see how I mixed the paint to get the ombre gradient.  

What you'll need for painting:

Wooden letters/words of your choice (I picked out ones that were already painted white, as then it was really easy to paint on them)
Outdoor paint, colors of your choosing (I recommend getting white if you want to get the ombre effect)
Paint brushes
Paper towel, for dabbing your paint brush
Cup of water, to rinse your paint brush
Masking tape (if you want to do cool patterns)
Any other decorating material that you think looks awesome!

What you'll need to cork:

Again, wood letters of your choosing
Many corks! 
Hot glue sticks
Hot glue gun

Get creative and make your letters your own. Just remember to cover your crafting surface - I just ripped up an old magazine to cover my table. It's also a good idea to have a plan of what you're going to make before you start, and maybe practice on a piece of paper before you dive in. Overall, get crafty and enjoy!

Saturday, March 22, 2014

Weekend note

In reviewing my posts, I realize I may be leaving the impression that I am a fairly weepy and ill-adjusted human. Rest assured, this is not the case! (It's really only puppies and motivational ballads that get the tears going, and even so it must be an exceptionally cute puppy or an especially applicable motivational ballad).

I am enjoying a relaxing weekend so far with good friends, tasty food, and much needed laughter. Tomorrow, I am hopefully testing my creativity with a new craft project. Be on the lookout for a DIY in a couple days!


Wednesday, March 19, 2014

A blog you love

As a very, very new blogger who is seemingly lacking motivation and imagination, it is really helpful for me to bop about from famous blog to famous blog and read recommendations on how to make your blog a success. I was just reading a post from A Beautiful Mess, and they had a suggestion that really resonated with me: "Write the blog you want to read." How genuine and simple - I love it.

I have been exhausted after work the past couple days, and just not feeling very inspired to post anything or to be creative. After reading this nugget of advice from ABM, the inspiration returned! So here I am, ready to write the blog that I want to read.

What am I interested in reading? I like authentic and relatable stories about life. Yep, that is really general and basic, but that's my jam. Whether the topic be fashion, food, friends, your dog, a weird encounter on the sidewalk, whatever, if it is real and honest, I'm game. If there is an element of inspiration in there, that is an added bonus.

So here is an honest and maybe mundane story for you, care of my ordinary life:

I was out on a walk in the park the other week with a friend. We turned a bend, and there, in its full tiny adorableness, was a puppy. Now, let me tell you, I have been yearning for a puppy for several months. Bad. It's like my hormones are kicking in or something, but for a baby dog rather than for a baby human. This is mostly fine by me, except for when I actually see a puppy; My heart starts racing. I get super excited and nervous all at once. I have no choice but to go over and request a to pet the darn thing. And, as if controlled by some force beyond me, I cry.

I am not one to cry in public. Ever. But when I see a puppy, I lose all control. The excitement and emotion and longing is just all too much, and the tears just start flowing. So on this day in the park with my friend, I just started crying in public because of a puppy. Was my friend super embarrassed of me? Likely. Did the owner think I was nuts? Probably. Did I get to pet the puppy? Oh, yes!

Hopefully I will get to realize my dream when I move to Denver, but who knows. Being a dog owner requires a lot of time, reliability, and responsibility, and I'm not sure how soon I will have a handle on all those things in a new city. Perhaps I shall simply be relegated to crying over puppies for a while to come.

Monday, March 17, 2014

Veggie, goat cheese, and bacon frittata

Some of the ingredients: zucchini, tomatoes, mushrooms, kale, eggs, goat cheese




Pinterest can be so awesome when you come across a pin that inspires you to try something new and different from the regular routine, and that is just what happened here! I saw this recipe and thought to myself, what a good starting point for a delicious meal! Perhaps one day I will follow the recipe to a T, but this go around I put my own spin on it. 

When I cook, I like to have a recipe as a starting point, and then I change it up to fit my taste and mood. This recipe calls for jalapenos, and I just wasn't really in the mood for a spicy dish. So voila! I decided to add more veggies, bacon, and goat cheese to make it all my own. I would highly recommend starting from the recipe linked above, and then go with what sounds good to you. It is really quick and easy to make, and tastes great. 

I love recipes with lots of veggies and protein all mixed in at once, and I usually make a batch big enough to last me for a few days. Working full time, it is really nice to have a meal to bring to lunch or to have ready when I get home (or both!). You bet I'll be eating this frittata for a few days to come, and loving it!

Side note: this is my first time trying to capture food on my new camera. I have a lot of learning to do! 

The final product! 


Veggie, Goat Cheese, and Bacon Frittata

5 slices of bacon
1 onion, diced
1 zucchini, sliced 
1 cup tomatoes
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup kale, chopped
8-10 eggs
1tbs milk
1/4 cup goat cheese
salt, pepper, and hot pepper flakes to season

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On the stove, cook bacon on medium heat in a cast iron pot (I used my Le Creuset small cast iron pot) until medium. Remove from heat, and add in the onions; cook until soft. Add zucchini, then tomatoes, mushrooms, and kale. Season with salt, pepper, and hot pepper flakes as you go. When the veggies are soft and the kale is cooked down, add the bacon back in. 

In a bowl, whisk eggs and milk with salt and pepper. Pour mixture into the pot of veggies and sir in goat cheese. Cover and transfer pot to oven and bake for 25-35 minutes. Once solid, uncover and broil for 4-7 minutes till top is toasty brown. 

Let set for 10-15 minutes; dish is very hot. 

Enjoy!

Sunday, March 16, 2014

Arizona weekend







 I am just back from a lovely weekend in Arizona visiting Preston's family. His sister just had a baby, so we couldn't help but make a trip to meet him!

Phoenix and Tucson provided a much needed escape from the wet and cold. We had gorgeous days with weather in the high 70s. I loved seeing the big blue sky and dramatic desert landscape. Preston told me this is the greenest time of year in Arizona, and I loved seeing the bright desert blooms. Colors seem so much more vibrant in that desolate landscape, and each new type of flower caught me by surprise.

Above are some photos from the trip. I just got a Cannon Rebel and took my first photos with it on this vacation. I'm still learning, but had fun playing around in the sun!

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Sunshine

Today was one of those surprise sunny March days and I couldn't be happier to see some signs of spring! Living in Tacoma, Washington, it is a very special time when I cannot find a cloud in the sky.


It's days like this that fill me with hope and excitement for what is to come next: warm weather adventures, late sunsets, chilled rosé, sunglasses, and driving with the windows down and the music up. For me, summer 2014 will take place in Denver, Colorado, and will be a time of big changes. 

With my big move quickly approaching and my anxiety easily sparked, I relish these moments when I feel only excitement about the months ahead. Change can be daunting, but it is always a refreshing reminder that with change can come so much good. 


Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Brave

I will start with a song: “Brave” by Sara Bareilles.
I was listening to this song in the car after dropping my mom off at the airport; the conclusion of a lovely long weekend in Seattle.
Sara began singing,
Say what you wanna  say / and let the words fall out / Honestly / I wanna see you be brave
I was suddenly overwhelmed with all the emotions that have been flooding my mind the last month plus the pain of saying goodbye, and burst into tears.
Let me lay the scene:
My boyfriend, Preston, learned he got into medical school in Denver, Colorado mid-January. Yay! But also, what’s next?
I made the decision to go with him, leave my job at my alma mater, and move to a place that will be entirely new to me. Queue the panic.
I’m very excited to move somewhere new and to do something new, but change terrifies me. Well, more the process of making the change happen is what terrifies me. I need to find a new place to live, a new job, new friends, find a new doctor, a new bank… the list goes on and on. And that is just one half of it. Before I go, I need to pack  up my things, sell my car, change my address, cancel my internet, cancel my gym membership, and so on.
I tend to think about all these tasks at once, get overwhelmed, and freak out.
The biggest cause of my panic, though, is the job category. I currently work in Human Resources and have a wonderful team and work environment. I will be sad to leave, but am ready to try something new. That being said, I have no idea what that “something new” will be. I know that I’ll be able to find a job, but I want to find something that is challenging and different.
I also have this secret dream inside that is so secret I can barely even tell myself. I find the first and easiest reaction is to tell myself, “no,” to let fear take over, and to shut down before I even start. I don’t want to do that with this move. I want to allow myself to at least try to make my dream a reality.
This dream is to spend my time being creative, and hopefully turn that creativity into something lucrative enough to make it my full time job. I love writing. I love photography. I love making jewelry. I love food. I love fashion. I can’t stop thinking about how awesome it would be to follow  my passions rather than to have a traditional desk job in an office.
My plan is to let my passions run wild on this blog, and see where they take me. I want to share my adventures in my new city and hopefully inspire others to unleash their own passions, and ignore their fears. I invite you to join me on my journey, so follow along and I hope you enjoy!