Miserable, Magical Monday

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I've been MIA for about a week and I feel kind of awful about it. Not because the content on this blog is anything life changing, but because I'd been on such a good writing rhythm (guess how many times I had to re-spell that word) and now I've lost it. But my resolve to bring you semi-consistent updates about the goings-on in my life won't quit, so I'm back this week to remind you I'm alive and well. Just tired.

P.S. I get slightly judge-y when I read bloggers post about needing a break from blogging to enjoy the real world. Obviously, I'm in no position to pass such judgement, but does that ever stop any of us from doing it? Oh yeah, my point. This isn't one of those posts. I've just legitimately had the busiest week of July. I've started looking back at my Costa Rica trip as chill, even though we had a pretty packed schedule despite it being a "vacation."

1. One of my friends got married this weekend! Brandon and I carpooled out to Salinas with some friends and enjoyed a good old country wedding complete with a stunning barn. Seriously, this venue was awesome. I wanted to be sure I got photos of this wedding since I missed out on documenting the other wedding I went to a few weeks ago. Boy, did I deliver. I posted almost all of these on instagram but here they are once more (with feeling).

I kept my place card. Because nostalgia, that's why.

Bouquet toss.

Garter getting.

Blurry dance floor duck face selfies.

#blurry

The most boring photo we've ever taken. Seriously, I almost don't like it because of how
normal we look.

I had such a good time at this lovefest of a wedding. Seriously, the love was palpable and it made everything that much more beautiful. Also, I just love love so I was bound to enjoy this wedding.

2. So this summer I've finally come to terms with the fact that I'm approaching my mid-twenties. Everywhere I look my friends are going through major moments in life; making a big move, getting engaged, getting married, buying houses, planning for a family, kicking off their careers. Seriously, just this weekend I had a cousin make the move from home to the OC, I witnessed a friend move into married life and another open her own business. It's kind of weird to finally find myself at this age. I spent a lot of time thinking about what I'd accomplish by 25 as a kid...I wasn't completely wrong about myself. I for sure thought I'd be married (check) and have my BA (check) but I also planned on being done having children by this age. And that's totally not in the cards right now. I guess the funny thing about being in my twenties is as much as I'm still a kid, I'm also starting to get the hang of this "real" life. I kind of like it.

3. Having finished New Girl, Brandon and I had been searching for something to watch during our veg sessions. I've written about us trying to watch The Office and Parks and Rec, but neither one of them really hooked us the way New Girl did. I wish Modern Family was on Netflix because I think that would help me transition into the mockumentary style of the other shows. Anyway, we finally decided to restart How I Met Your mother (HIMYM from now on). I've only ever seen it once through, so I'm rediscovering the hilarity and brilliant writing this show has. Also, knowing the end makes it more fun for me to put clues together that I missed during the first run-through. I firmly believe we as the audience judged the show by it's cover name and that's why we never saw the end coming. But that's an argument for another time (aka never).

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4. Almost all of you who read this blog already know this, but I have to share out of sheer excitement: I've secured a new job! It all happened very quickly. I sent in my resume and cover letter after some epic (and requested) scrutiny editing from my best friend, got an interview, wore the hottest office-appropriate LBD of my life (also courtesy of my best friend), rocked said interview, and then a job offer a few days later. I'll be working out in Napa starting next week. Although my commute is growing again, I'm still really excited about the opportunity. The position seems to be a really great jumping off point. I met at least five people who all started off in the position I'll be in before moving into management positions in other departments, which is super reassuring. Also the grounds are gorgeous and everyone seems a thousand times friendlier. I can't wait to start. But really quick, back to the LBD from heaven. I looked like freaking Clair Underwood in that dress. Plus I got so many compliments on it. As a person who almost always looks pulled together, if someone says you look nice, then you probably look really nice. Was that conceited? Oh gosh, probably.

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5. I'm reading Divergent right now in my effort to actually finish I book I pick up to read. I've literally started four other books and haven't finished them. I don't know why. I always say I don't have time, but if I have time to watch hours and hours of HIMYM then maybe I can spare one a night reading. Anyway, I'm enjoying the book so far. It reads in first person the way Hunger Games does, but this hits me as less choppy than Suzanne Collins' writing. I'm in chapter 11 or something and I still have no idea what Divergent means in the series. I think I found out more in the trailer for the movie. Still, I'm keeping in mind that it's a three part (?) series so I'm guessing I'll find out what the big deal is about the Divergent label in the book's unvierse closer to the end. I'll keep you posted.

6. The start of a new job will mean a new dress code. From what I saw it's a pretty casual office (jeans are allowed on all days of the week) but based on my one day of training, I can tell my idea of casual is sub par. I'm going to have to step it up on the cute clothes thing, which is the perfect justification for spending some money on clothing. I've been stuck in a style rut, anyway.

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Almost every day, I wake up and look at my clothes and hate them all. I hate that the only color I own tops in is blush. My one pair of gray pants are so old they're low rise jeans. I haven't purchased low rise jeans since 2009. If I'm honest my style rut feels more like a style crisis. But I haven't just been wallowing in my "ugly" clothes, I've been working on defining the look I'm going for. I've made lists, I've made secret Pinterest boards, I've online window shopped. I've even made excuses to go to the mall over my lunch break (side bar: going to the mall alone is the worst idea ever). My biggest obstacle is not being able to find the pieces I'm looking for. No joke, I've been searching for a freaking white t-shirt with small black stripes for ages and can't find one anywhere. I'm tempted to take BART into San Francisco just to shop at the two H&Ms by Union Square. Yes, there are two. It's almost heaven. 

7. My best friend Barbara lives in Northern California now which means I get to see her all the time. We got together to celebrate her birthday with pizza at Woodstock's then moved across the street to Wunderbar for some drinks and two very terrible games of pool. Then Friday, we reinstated our Friday Night Family Dinner tradition. She and I made orange chicken with rice and stir fry veggies. It was a simple meal but by far the most elaborate one I've co-prepped in a while. Usually I bake chicken or make pasta. I've gotta step my dinner game up. Anyway, we ate, watched HIMYM as well as the trailer for the new Assassin's Creed game. Not only is the theme music the song Lorde wrote/performed for the Catching Fire soundtrack, but the game's story line is based on the French Revolution. We all agreed that it would make a killer movie. Once Derek showed up we popped in Shaun of the Dead. It was the first time I'd seen it, I'm told it totally counts as a classic, so maybe I'll finally get to knock another thing off the 12 Things list.


I promise I'll keep telling you about Costa Rica one day soon.
Later, friends.
♥ A

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 fête 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

Miserable, Magical Monday

Deciding to do a weekly post on one of my busiest days of the week was definitely an idiotic decision, but damn if I don't love the title too much to change the day to something less packed. Also, I apologize in advance for the lack of Costa Rica stories in this post, but I'll be writing about the adventures (of which there were many) at length in the coming weeks.

1. Vacation Bible school (VBS) was a hit and a blast. I really, really enjoyed getting the chance to act alongside my sister again. She is one of those people who's "on" like 95% of the time and her stage presence is unmatched. She completely brings out my secretly big personality. Also, VBS is basically my dream excuse to draw freckles on my face and literally jump around during music. People totally eat it up when you're pretending to be a kid, but if anyone saw me rocking out like that in a different context (like, say, my car), I'm sure I'd get a Regina George eyebrow look.

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YOU KNOW I'M RIGHT.

2. My body is going through actual Costa Rican withdrawals. I held my office at a toasty 80 degrees all day (while in pants!) and still had to go out to my car to fetch a cardigan because I was freezing. My hot tropical blood misses the homeland.

3. Have you ever looked back at your last four weeks only to realize that you've been too busy to notice you've been so busy? That's sort of what June and July is for me. They're always a blur. A stressful, surreal blur. Ok enough with the Mean Girls references (for now). Two weeks ago, I was busy doing VBS from Sunday to Thursday. Thursday to Saturday night/Sunday morning I was traveling around Costa Rica. I've got this work week at home before heading down to San Diego for a wedding on Friday. Then Sunday when we get back form our tiny road trip, Brandon heads off to Kid's Camp for five days. Okay, that last part doesn't really involve me, but it feels like so much! To be real, I'm sad I have to miss camp this year. I've been a counselor for five years or so and planning my wedding didn't stop me from going last year, but my full time job (and international vacation) did. Remember that time I said I hate full time work in the summer? Yeah, now I hate it even more.

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4. In order to distract myself from the fact that Brandon and I will end up spending almost half of July apart, or the fact that I won't even have a dog to come home to and snuggle during the five days he's gone, I'm already thinking of ways to spend my time while alone. Right now the list includes blogging, catching up on one or two of my 12 Things, watching lots of chick flicks and West Wing (and Veep!) while painting my nails, yoga, tanning by the pool and baking. You'd think I was planning for another week off, huh?

5. My serious excitement over celebrating a whole wonderful year of marriage with Brandon has me planning our festive outing already. It's kind of working out since we both have procrastinator tendencies. The general idea is to do something special but modest somewhere within two hours from home. It's hard to believe that time has gone by so quickly! Since we'd been dating for seven years, one more year of being together (just married) didn't really strike me as the sort of thing that I'd want to make a big deal. But I guess marriage and the public commitment we made to each other is a big deal. Either way, I'm looking forward to spending a weekend away from home and responsibilities with just Brandon.

6. Great news! I finally got Brandon to watch New Girl with me! I'd gently asked him to watch it with me for months but he was never really interested. But since we caught up with House of Cards and Sherlock and Game of Thrones ended for the year, it was time to pick another show. I basically begged the guy to watch it with me and he eventually gave in. Now he loves it, just like I thought he would.

A relatively decent representation of my victory dance.
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Keep checking back because I've got so much to share about my trip! My sister and I already started working on post titles...and they're good.

♥ A

Pre-Vacation Guarantees

A few things are bound to happen right before you go on vacation.

First, you'll have the busiest week ever at work. The universe will decide to restore balance and will make up for all the weeks where you had nothing to do (and nowhere to go) by cramming all of the time-consuming work into the four day work week you originally hoped would be super chill.

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You'll inevitably have an extremely busy week outside of work, too. Leaving you with the choice between packing and going to bed at a decent hour. Or showering and going to bed. Coffee will be the only thing getting you through the day. And the candy from vacation Bible school. That's breakfast.

People at work and drivers on the road will sense that you're days away from hopping on a plane to a tropical paradise. Their jealousy will overflow and you'll be forced to handle passive aggression and idiot driving decisions. It'll totes throw off your day, so you'll definitely escape to the Starbucks where everyone knows your face (and is learning your name) for a #sadnessfrapp. You'll proceed to stroll around the expensive downtown antique stores that carry furniture that literally looks like they 3D printed it off Pinterest.

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But no amount of blerg will distract you from the fact that in less than 48 hours you'll be out of the country for the first time in three years. And the fact that you're gonna get so damn tan.

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Be back July 7th!
♥ A

Wanderworm

Have you ever heard of an ear worm? You know, those songs that are so catchy they involuntarily play over and over again in your head?

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I'm experiencing the wanderlust version of that.

My sister and I leave for Costa Rica in less than a week and the thing dominating my thoughts is the trip. The reservations are made and our itinerary is set, now I just want to be there breathing that wonderful thick air!

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The week leading up to this trip will be bananas. Because our flight is at like one in the morning on the 27th, we'll head out to the airport basically as soon as Vacation Bible School (VBS) ends on Thursday night.

Oh yeah, did I forget to mention that we're launching this adventure on the tail end of an exhausting -- but super fun and incredibly rewarding -- week of jumping around pretending we're children exploring God's weird but awesome creation in the jungle? I don't know how I'll manage this year's VBS. It's the first time ever that I'll be working full time and heading straight from the office to the church to change into costume. I may go all week without a decent dinner!

Anyway, since I inexcusably missed last week's Miserable, Magical Monday, I figured I would give you a quick peek of what the plans are! It just might be the thing to get me to go from paralyzed excitement to packing and preparing.

FYI: the Google doc I created for this trip is titled Pinedas Take Costa Rica, because I thought it was so cool.

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ARENAL

We'll head out to the Volcan Arenal (that actually looks like what you picture a volcano looking like as a child) as soon as we land in Costa Rica. While we're there, Drea and I will take a dip in some hot springs, enjoy dinner at a soda and of course take a hike around the volcano. There's also a waterfall I'm eager to go back to about 20 minutes out of town. I might actually be adventurous this time and swim in the water!

MONTEVERDE

Sadly, we're practically passing through Monteverde. We'll stay at this awesome-looking hostel I found on airbnb. Seriously, that website is so cool. Although  I kind of wish I knew of more to do in the rainforest, we are doing a zip line course and a canopy bridge tour. I for one am praying that we get non-foggy weather on the day of our tours. My only other experience zip lining (in Monteverde) included lots and lots of fog. At one point I seriously felt like I was moving through empty space since all I could see anywhere around me was gray clouds. It was cool, but I'm itching to see the tree tops and wildlife. Also, this time I'll be prepared with my dad's waterproof camera so I won't be shy about snapping photos of my view. After lunch the plan is to explore a forest trail before heading out toward the beach!

MANUEL ANTONIO

The major attraction of Manuel Antonio is the national park, so that's where we'll start. We'll be up nice and early (hopefully) to increase our chances of seeing some wildlife and literally spend the rest of the day lounging on the beach. Before dark we'll head out for dinner and then watch the sunset on the public stretch of beach. The next day is basically wide open. We want to get in on this spice tour I read about on TripAdvisor and tracked down with my interweb skillz, but I haven't had any luck getting a reply from the people who run the farm. Andrea and I might just show up and use our curly-haired, mistaken-for-twins charm to do the tour without a reservation. Honestly, who could say no to this?

PUERTO VIEJO

Puerto Viejo is the only place I spent more than one weekend in (I spent two separate weekends there) when I studied abroad. I loved the relaxed vibes and riding a janky rented beach cruiser uphill in the pouring rain (I'll have to tell that story sometime). Despite spending more time there than other places, I completely missed out on the various rescue centers. I'm not making that mistake again, so Andrea and I are definitely visiting the Jaguar Rescue Center and might even make the drive to the Sloth Rescue Center. We're both animal lovers at heart so I'm seizing this chance to get my naturalist fix. I liked the souvenir shopping in PV and since this is the last stop of our trip before heading to the capital, I see no harm in beginning the stockpile of souvenirs.

SAN JOSE

I couldn't be my sister's tour guide without taking her to the capital city. neither one of us are interested in eating our way around the country, but we'll probably pick up a lunch at either the Mercado Central or Pollo Campero, a childhood favorite from the small amount of time we spent in El Salvador. We'll squeeze in some souvenir shopping at the Mercado Artisenal and grab coffee at the Teatro Nacional, which, fun fact, is a replica of the Opera House in Paris. I also have to take her to get either some Pops ice cream or a Trit (another ice cream treat) because they were central to my Costa Rican dessert experience. The plans for dinner are up in the air; I'd like to swing by Zapote and see my host mom and old stomping grounds, but I don't know if I'll be competent enough to drive the tricky and scary streets of San Jose. Either way, we're planning on staying with a family friend who lives a bit outside of the city.

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SARCHI or CARTAGO

The last destination on the list is a simple day trip to either the rural cultural area of Sarchi, where they famously paint the oxcarts all kinds of gorgeous colors and patterns, or the Cartago ruins, another thing that was maybe half an hour's bus ride away from me the entire time I lived in CR but never went to see. After a few hours we'll head out to the airport to check in for our flight home. 

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Since it's Drea's first time in the country and since I only got to spend a tiny amount of time in these places, we're sticking to the beaten path this go around. Maybe in the future we'll snob up and spend the whole trip getting to know one place. But for this time around, I think a taste of everything Costa Rica has to offer suits us better than one giant meal.

♥ A