7/14/14

Miserable, (mostly) Magical Monday

What? A slight deviation in the title? Something cool must have happened.

1. Coolest thing ever: two of my great friends got married this weekend! The relationship Barbara and I totally called months before it happened now has a cool piece of paper and a public lifelong commitment to enjoy. I'm still over the moon that I was able to be a part of their day and it was beyond cool to see my favorite people all in the same place again. There was a coffee bar complete with sugar cubes and syrups and you better believe I took advantage of it all. I think the spontaneous group singing to Don't Stop Believing might have been the highlight of the reception for me, followed by the circle dancing to 22 and Best Song Ever. Seriously, I had such a blast I never asked Brandon for my phone (I decided not to lug my purse around and he was nice enough to hold it for me) so I took zero photos at the reception. I'm half-kicking myself for it because I feel a little like an awful guest (and I have no photo memories) but at the same time, I think it gives you an idea of just how much I enjoyed myself!



2. Usually I'm terrified of asking people for things. Help, accommodation, forgiveness...you get the point. But Friday was a lesson in taking a risk. See, because flying was too expensive, Brandon, myself and our friend Derek decided to drive down to San Diego for the wedding. At the same time, being in Costa Rica used up all of my time off so things were looking grim as far as arrival times went (we're talking midnight if we were lucky). After counting the driving hours and realizing just how awful that plan was, I decided I needed to ask if I could leave early on Friday. It took me like 10 minutes of figuring out how I would ask, if I would ask and what I'd propose. Finally, I went into HR's office and explained that I was making the drive down to San Diego and wanted to know if I could work out an unofficial credit hour system. I offered to come in an hour early, leave at noon and then make up my hours by coming in early on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of the following week. I honestly didn't think she'd go for it, but -- to my surprise -- she did! It was a really cool moment for me and I thanked HR like five times. I was basically the "thank you" equivalent of the chick that won't quit bowing in Sound of Music before going back to my office with a huge smile on my face.

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3. Spending the weekend in San Diego was wonderful. It was almost too wonderful. We arrived Friday night and quickly headed to me and Barbara's prime happy hour/burger spot: Harbor Town Pub. Barbara and I split some fries and I got my favorite cocktail. It's basically a fancy non-orange juice mimosa and I love it. There was loud music playing which wasn't what I was used to, but we had fun either way. Saturday started with brunch at Broken Yolk, a San Diego classic that I'd never made it to. It was no Raglan's, but the strawberry sauce that came with my french toast more than made up for the warm mimosa. Then there was the fun wedding. A small bonfire at my friends' house followed the reception on Saturday. We sipped cider, talked, laughed and roasted marshmallows. It was like old times but better. Brandon was there and it always means so much to me when he gets a chance to hang out with the people I grew to love over my three years at Loma. It's even better when they get along and joke around. Seeing a natural interaction puts me at ease. Plus the added bonus that my friends are slowly becoming more than just names in stories to Brandon and he's more than just my boyfriend husband to them. Sunday we grabbed a Denny's breakfast (a Brandon and Alex tradition) with Kayla and then headed home. No lie (and maybe TMI) I cried in the backseat while listening to Taylor Swift on the way home. But only for a little while!

4. Brandon is at camp this week which means I'm home alone. I'll be hanging out with my mom at some point this week, but mostly I'm stoked to listen to tons and tons of Taylor Swift in my apartment. I wonder what her Pandora station is like...

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Oh that's right. ADORABLE.

In all seriousness, I've already had trouble sleeping. It's stupid because it's not like Brandon and I haven't been apart. I mean, hello! We were long distance for three years, we can handle being apart. Plus I've gone away (to debate tournaments and Costa Rica) and have slept fine. I didn't expect any feelings of wahh I'm alone to pop up, but they did. I guess it's different when you're the one at home alone? In any case, I watched a dumb movie, Bachelorette (it's on Netflix), last night because Lizzy Caplan is in it and I will always love her work.

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5. I've got a bit of a rant to go on. It has to do with how horrible sitting at a desk for 8 hours a day is for our bodies. Seriously, my back cracks when I get up to walk around form my awful, too-big-for-my-5'1"-frame chair. Not just any old stiff bones crack, this one is new. It's practically a pop and it happens only when I get up from this chair. My slouchy couch at home? Nothing. Chairs in a restaurant? Nada. Getting out of my car? Zip. It's this damn chair. I hate it and my tall desk. Why do we put ourselves through the horrors of office work? It's literally the worst. It represents the worst, it feels the worst and it brings out the worst in me. Phew. Ok. Back to the good feels.

6. I got back to Davis around 8:00 last night and immediately went to Safeway to pick up my Week Alone necessities like avocados, lemons, brown sugar and coffe ice cream. Yeah, I will open a tub of deliciousness and snack while watching some fancy-pants movie this week, thank you! I also plan to make this lemonade I saw on Joy the Baker's blog (which side note is probably the blog I've followed the longest) and lots of homemade guac to stuff myself with. I also plan to surprise Brandon with some baked goods (he reads the blog so I can't mention exactly what I'll be baking) for when he comes back from camp because I'm an excellent wife.

7. Joyeux 14 juillet! Today marks the 225th anniversary of the storming of the Bastille in Paris which kicked off the French Revolution. I donned by red, white and blue as well as played music from a French Cafe playlist on Spotify as part of my personal celebration, even though la fĂȘte nationale (the national holiday) doesn't constitute the same kind of festivities as Independence Day does in the US. At the risk of turning a non-holiday into an Americanized thing, tonight I'll enjoy some baguette and cheese and probably a French-inspired sandwich for dinner. I might even watch a French movie! I'll use any excuse to pretend I'm French.

So insta I could barf. But I love it anyway.
I couldn't possibly end this post with an outfit photo, so in case you're into history, here's a short video on the French Revolution.


I'm almost done writing my post for Wednesday so get ready for pictures of a volcano and trees that all probably look the same. Ha!

♥ A

1 comment:

  1. 1. Yay wedding! And a coffee bar? Brilliant!
    2. Haha I'm glad you asked to leave early and that all was well!
    3. Aw this trip sounds so wonderful. I'm glad you got to go and do all those things. And I will always encourage and support the crying in the back seat along to the musics.
    4. Haha, you're alone. Welcome to my life. Haha jk. Sorta. But not really.
    5. It is THE WORST. THE WORST.
    6. Haha you ARE a most excellent wife.
    7. If you wanna be French, you have to drink the wine.

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