Miserable, Magical Monday || Christmas Edition!

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I've been dying to get back into my regular posting groove and what better way to do it than with the return of Miserable, Magical Monday?

1. The Voice!I know it's over and there's been a winner but I've magically been able to avoid the results up to this point. It all started a few weeks ago when Brandon decided he wanted to watch it. We spent a whole afternoon watching it the day I stayed home from work because of the big storm we had out here a few weeks ago.

Side bar: I woke up, got ready, and drove about 20 minutes before I decided my car had been jerked one too many times by the wind. I turned around because honestly, I was not about to risk getting stuck in a flooded Napa or driving at night, in traffic, in rain and wind when the morning had been so yucky.

So I stayed home with Brandon and binge-watched old episodes of The Voice. I've made it to the top 12, and I was pretty surprised at a few of the coach's choices (how, HOW did Adam get rid of Taylor?) but overall I'm excited to see the rest of the show. I really dig the indie guys, which should not surprise anyone.

2. I had a huge debacle with my Christmas cards last year when I received 50 copies of some generic-looking family's card instead of my own. I was so unhappy about it that I was determined to send out a classy card this year. But as luck would have it, the cards I ordered online (in a same-day print capacity to avoid shipping headaches) were printed on flimsy photo paper. I seriously have zero luck with Christmas cards...and I hate it because I think they're lovely (and an excuse to get gussied up and snap pretty photos). I thought about using some random cardstock I had to make them a tad sturdier, but honestly, who in the world has time for that crap? Not commutes-at-least-two-hours-a-day-me. So instead, I caved on Brandon's genius idea to do a South Park inspired card this year. I found this website my literally typing "how to turn yourself into a South Park character" on Google and clicking through a link in some Yahoo forum. And then I spent about 20 minutes creating our avatars and manipulating everything else in Photoshop. It turned out so much better than any kind photo card I could have thrown together.

Awesome, right?!

3. Still on Christmas: I got a ukulele from Brandon Santa for Christmas! It was wrapped in its case, so I was completely thrown off when I saw it under the tree. But I legit shed tears of joy when I saw what it was. I'd had an urge to splurge (gross) on a uke when Brandon and I were out in Hawaii for our honeymoon over a year ago, but he intelligently told me to cool it since I didn't actually know how to play. So I cooled it. But then, I just kept wanting this thing. I wanted something to practice, something to learn, and I kept having all these ideas of how to cover songs I loved. Anyway, Brandon took notice of my sincere desire to learn to play the ukulele and hooked it up. Seriously, this thing is so pretty.

4. I literally just finished watching Saving Mr. Banks and it was just as beautiful and magical, though a lot sadder, as I imagined it'd be. Mary Poppins is one of my favorite Disney movies ever (no, seriously, last time I was in Disneyland I cried when Mary and Bert came out in the parade) and I completely enjoyed catching the overlapping of dialogue. I had to hold back my sobs in multiple parts of the movie because this was not the kind of movie that rips you apart...unless you're me? But seeing how special Mary Poppins was to P.L. Travers -- and Walt Disney, for that matter -- made it exponentially more special to me.

Such a great shot.
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And can we talk about how spectacularly perfectly Julie Andrews captured Mary Poppins? Later? Cool.

5. Semi-related: I think I've been picking all the wrong books to read. Watching Saving Mr. Banks made me want to read the story of how Disneyland was built and about Walt's life. Maybe then I could pick up a book and finish it!

6. Did you know you can cook fish from frozen without it getting super mushy? I found that out today and it was delicious.

Until next time!
♥ A

Miserable, Magical Monday

I had every intention of posting last Monday, but got caught spending a day waiting for my passport to process. A recap is below.

1. I am a huge fan of Lauren Conrad. I watched every single episode of Laguna Beach (including the awful third season with the dull cast) and The Hills. I even watched most of The City, but that was mostly because Kelly Cutrone is a BAMF and someone I wish I could be. Naturally, I read Lauren's blog/website. She uploaded a video tutorial for her curled hair and the whole time I watched I couldn't help but think Aw, I miss watching her on TV. Lauren always was my favorite person on the shows.

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We could so be friends.

2. Before moving to Davis (and doubling my commute time), I was a tad worried about how I'd handle having to wake up earlier. At that point I was completely struggling to get out bed before 7am and I knew that if I wanted to do yoga or have a semi-relaxing morning I'd need to be waking up around 6am once we moved. Luckily, I had trouble sleeping the day before the move (plus the next two days after) and I woke up between 5:30 and 6am. Since then I've unintentionally trained myself to expect an alarm around 6am and I've had no trouble waking up. It's been nice because I've had the freedom to sit and write, read, wash my hair or do yoga in the morning. Most days it's yoga, but a week ago I got up to put my contacts in and then got right back in bed and read for a while.

3. Speaking of yoga, I recently read a Greatist article about being bad at yoga. It was a pretty good, eye-opening and definitely relatable piece. I, for one, know that I cannot do gorgeous forward fold or downward dog pose. Anything that requires my stubby, unyielding hamstrings to stay straight while the rest of me relaxes is out of the question. I've been mildly keeping up with a home practice and can maybe get almost straight legs after an hour of yoga. But I rarely have time for more than 20 minutes of yoga, so I've kind of resigned myself to enjoy the lack of cracking that yoga gives me versus achieving a decent asana.

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4. One thing I haven't quite mastered is the early bed time. I spent a solid chunk of time trying to figure out if I'm a morning person or night owl and the freaking test I took said I was neither! How am I supposed to plan my daily routines without this pertinent information about myself, Real Simple?! Anyway, it's not like I've got the discipline to actually go to bed at the same time each night. Brandon's for sure a night owl and I try to hang out with him as much as possible (because he's the coolest person I know), so I've caught myself in a cycle of late bedtimes and early risings. I won't complain as long as he keeps lulling me to sleep with bass renditions of Disney songs.

5. I spent last Wednesday night at my cousin Rachel's house. She was back in California for a short visit and I jumped at the chance to hang out with her and Lily in person. We ate a delicious dinner and sipped some yummy, almost champagne-like wine while laughing our way through stories from when we were kids. We even pulled out the sleeper couch and all slept in the living room together! It was a good night surrounded by girls/family I don't get to see too often. You better believe leaving for work Thursday morning was difficult. All I wanted to do was keep chatting and hanging out. I guess I'll just have to plan a trip to Boston or something, ha!

6. Brandon and I went to see X-Men: Days of Future Past on Saturday. We spent all morning lounging; me going over vacation bible school (VBS) lines and him playing video games. After our late breakfast I was done lounging. I declared I was bored, but of course had no alternative activity to offer (I can be such a brat). Brandon suggested we go see a movie. Sure enough, X-Men was playing in 20 minutes. I really enjoyed the movie, though Brandon did let me in on a storyline inconsistency he noticed. We walked and talked as we searched for the Cultivé frozen yogurt downtown. Both of us are still familiarizing ourselves with downtown (we literally walked in circles our first weekend here), but luckily we found the place quickly. It was nice to get outdoors and stretch my legs out. Sitting at a desk all day is honestly wreaking havoc on my body. I don't know how we all just put up with it.

7. Last but not least: the reason I missed last week's post. I went to get my passport processed in San Francisco on Monday. I thought for sure I'd go to my appointment, head to work and still have time to come up with something witty enough to post. I was wrong. My procrastinating ways got the best of me. I was told by my super helpful passport processor that express mail was still cutting it too short and that I might want to pick up my passport at the end of the day. First of all, I had no idea it only took a day to process! So there I was, alone in San Francisco, taking a day off work that I didn't want to take, with no car. I took BART in for old time's sake which left me at the mercy of my feet and the amount of cash on my BART ticket. I walked sooo much last week. I killed a bit of time in a Blue Bottle but had to eventually call Brandon because my extroverted tendencies were going nuts (I hadn't said a word out loud in hours). Honestly, it's the least amount of fun I've ever had in the city. I guess I've gotta go back to make up for it, right?

A

SBL

I look through my Bloglovin feed every morning in bed. It's not as productive as coffee with a side of the morning paper, but it's what I do. Anyway, How Sweet It Is posted a summer bucket list about two weeks ago and it got me thinking of what I'd include on my SBL.

I'm no newb to the world of list making. In fact, I make lists pretty impulsively...and I'm trying to curb the amount of lists I post on the blog. Lists are cool but they're not that cool.

Without further ado, here are the things I'd like to do this summer.

TAKE A DAY TRIP

The travel bug is strong with this one me. I'd really like to go to Yosemite or Half Moon Bay. Or Santa Cruz. I have an unexplained obsession with the Boardwalk during summer. I think it stems from those commercials I grew up watching. Plus I've never had a bad experience at the Boardwalk. And really, day trips are basically mini road trips, which are just an excuse to do this:

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GO TO A CONCERT 

It's been too long since I've enjoyed a summer concert.  Getting to hang out on the lawn with a concert blanket (and perhaps a spiked drink) sounds so appealing. The Killers will be playing in Golden Gate Park this summer for some festival. I'm pretty sure tickets are sold out by now, so maybe I'll have to figure out another way to hear them play live. Either way, it's an excuse to go into SF.

GO TO A BASEBALL GAME

A's, Giants, I don't care. Just take me out to the a ballgame. I'm dying to eat a hot dog.

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MAKE ICE CREAM

The AC is fixed in our apartment and the new apartment also has AC, but I'm still on this kick. I'll make coffee ice cream for sure. Maybe I'll convince Brandon to help by also making cookies and cream (his favorite). Sorbet seems like homemade ice cream's much easier cousin, so I might start with that.

WATCH I WISH I WAS HERE

Zach Braff wrote and directed and stars in another movie that looks equally as wonderful as Garden State. GS is one of my top five movies and I think I've already spotted an allusion to it in the new trailer. Either that or I'm totally fangirling and reading way too much into it. But if I'm right, then I'll be so proud. 

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SPEND A WHOLE DAY EATING FRUIT

I recognize this is a bit strange. But my whole life my dad, aunts and uncles would reminisce about their summers growing up in El Salvador. They'd go camping on the beach and sleep in tents made of driftwood and bed sheets. During the day they'd would row out to islands covered in wild fruit trees. And they'd pick and eat as many mangoes and papayas and whatever else they could get their hands on all day. Then for dinner they'd have fresh seafood soup and hang out around the fire. I'm not exaggerating. This is my dad's go-to story about summertime. Naturally, this epic story makes me want to eat fruit all day and seafood all night. But since I don't have an unpopulated island and this isn't the 60's, this little task will have to do. I think it would work best on a Saturday or Sunday, but my goal is to buy a ton of local fruit and then eat.it.all.day (while tanning, because I have basic tendencies) before whipping up a refreshing seafood feast for dinner. #thedream

HAVE AN AT-HOME SPA DAY

Hashtag sooo basic. But whatevs, bring on the avocado and honey and yogurt and mayo and sugar and get it on my face/body/hair. I'm super interested to see what works and what just stinks. In my dream world, I wouldn't do this alone. But so we're clear, the lack of girls who are willing to rub mayonnaise on their face or hair will not stop me from doing it on my own. I've done olive oil "treatments" in my hair before and might have to bring that back. My hair has been brittle and fried-feeling ever since I spent the day at the lake.

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Obviously, the likelihood of me actually doing these things is slim thanks to my full time job. But whatever, a girl can dream. That's what the weekend's for, right?

How I feel about working during summer.
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♥ A

Miserable, Magical Monday

Happy Memorial Day everyone! Today was more of a magical than miserable Monday thanks to having a third day off. However, I spent most of my day morning packing since Brandon and I have spent the last four days merely talking about when we'll pack instead of actually packing. It's very typical of us.

1. I spent Saturday hanging out with my family at the lake. I can't tell you how relaxing and enjoyable it was. I mean, I guess that's the point of mentioning it here, so I should probably try. I legit spent all day napping and tanning and snacking and drinking water. It was glorious. I actually feel rested and refreshed from a weekend. I can't remember the last time I relaxed that much. Gosh, that sounds so basic. Which leads me to...

2. When Barbara was visiting, she and I indulged in a couple of buzzfeed quizzes and articles. One of the quizzes was to see whether or not we were this new form of female called the "basic bitch." Now I had heard of thirsty and extra before thanks to the Bad Girls Club, but basic was so not in my slang vernacular. Barbara and I took it together so I think the answers were a bit skewed, but in the end she and I decided that while we have basic tendencies (like her loving Grey's Anatomy, me owning a pair of Uggs and both of us having a usual drink at Starbucks), we are not actual basic bitches.

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3. I felt particularly motivated this week about life and my overall well being. You know that if you read this post. But I was also under a lot of stress at work, so obviously I coped by literally stuffing my face with chocolate and pretzels. No joke, I'd take a small bite of a dark chocolate egg then proceed to chomp down on like 3 pretzel sticks. Another bite of chocolate, another 3 pretzel sticks in my mouth. I'm shocked no one saw me in this state, but also really glad. I mean, I was a little disgusted with myself. Usually that kind of behavior is isolated to when I'm pmsing and alone at home watching Drake and Josh or Bad Girls Club reruns. But there I was, at work, in the front office, stuffing myself numb with salt and sugar. Thank goodness the FedEx lady and UPS guy had already stopped by. They wouldn't have understood.

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4. Because of the surge of motivation plus the many pretzels and chocolate eggs I consumed during the week, I randomly decided to attempt a Jillian Michaels workout I found on YouTube. Rookie mistake. First of all, I haven't done true cardio in over a year. No running, no jogging, no jumping, not even dancing. Nada. I don't know what possessed me to believe I could complete a 55 minute circuit workout with one of the toughest trainers ever. Of the three circuit routines (??) in the video, I completed two. And my legs were jello by the end of it. Getting down the stairs on the way to the car Friday morning was brutal, and I bet all of my napping on the hard sand Saturday didn't help. I even took Tylenol yesterday morning to ease my pain. Pathetic.

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5. After discovering we had basic tendencies, Barbara and I (I'm sensing a three topic theme to this MMM) kept exploring Buzzfeed articles and found one of those "cheer up" community posts. In it was THE FUNNIEST vine I've ever seen. She and I cracked up so hard watching it to the point that I cried. I can't remember the last time I cried from laughing. Here it is for your enjoyment. 

6. Brandon and I finally visited the new Boudin Bakery restaurant with some friends today. I ate a yummy pesto hickey sandwich and some delicious clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl. Ugh, it was divine. I love clam chowder and I stuffed my face with so much bread. Mmm. Then we watched The Amazing Spider-Man 2, which I've gotta say is an excellent sequel. This movie focuses a lot on story/plot development and it's executed well. I don't like to talk movies up to a point where my friends are then disappointed when they watch it, but like I said, this is a solid sequel. They manage to keep the multiple villains organized which I think is super important. If you haven't seen it, I'd recommend it. X Men: Days of Future Past is next on the list of summer movies to watch.

7. Talking about fantasy universes with Brandon is always super interesting. I was aware of his knowledge of the Marvel universe and that he enjoys fantasy stories that involve magic before we got married. But living together has truly brought out our individual weirdness. We can spend hours talking about the Harry Potter universe and how it differs from the Aragon book series (he hates the film...hates it). It's super nerdy but I love the fact that we don't just watch or read these stories. Like today, he looked up Spider-Man's top 25 villains and we discussed which ones we thought would be included in the franchise and why. Then we got sidetracked with the possibility of an X Men movie that had Apocolypse as the villain. We're still on that subject, in case you were wondering.

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Sorry to write your eyes off (sorry, that's the closest I could get to talk your ear off) with superhero talk, I've picked up some interesting knowledge living with a boy and I love to share the wealth. I hope you had a pleasant magical Monday. I know I'll be using this weekend as a coping mechanism when I'm at the office tomorrow.

♥ A

Six Months Out: 12 Things Update

It's officially past the halfway point to my 25th birthday (no lie I forgot how old I was for three whole seconds). Here's how I'm doing on my 12 Things

1. Perfect the tiramisu cupcake

Done.

2. Read 6 5 books

I finished Mindy Kaling's book last week and am working my way through Nora Ephron's I Fell Bad About My Neck as well as Antoine Saint-Exupery's Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince). So we're making some progress!

3. Explore a part of SF I've spent little time in

I can't remember the last time I was in the city.

4. Finish organizing and uploading my Project 365

Seriously slacking here.

5. Practice French everyday for one month

June. I will come back to this in June.

6. Make coffee art

Oh gosh. I don't even know why I added this to the list. I was hugely unaware of the equipment necessary to make coffee art. Plus, I need to find a proper method of brewing a shot (or two) of espresso at home. My keurig isn't the same as Starbucks' at home system. I'll still attempt this, but I'm telling you it won't be pretty.

7. Bake a cake/cupcakes from scratch.

Nothing yet. Brandon and I are doing everything we can to not buy groceries until after the move. I think we can make it.

8. Watch 10 8 classic movies I've never seen before

I've watched Some Like It Hot, The Usual Suspects (an excellent movie)...and...that's it. Annie Hall is for sure on my list of movies I need to watch. I think Brandon tried to get me to watch it years ago but I fell asleep. And if anyone has Casablanca, you should let me borrow it.

9. Complete 5 1 of my pins from Learn/Make/Do

I can't believe I've made the most progress with this one! Only one more pin to complete. It's the magnets. I'm decisively saying it'll be the magnets.

At-home make up brush cleaning.

Natural oven deep cleaner.

Sugar Lip Scrub.

Woven Map Journal

10. Hand letter something. Turn that something into art.

It's just written in chalk pen right now but I hope to still print out my other design and frame it in this frame.

It's not Pinterest or Etsy-worthy, but it's home.

The words are lyrics from me and Brandon's first dance. Technically, the song is from our first kiss. Anyway, I wrote the lyric on this frame very soon after getting married and moving in, the only main difference being the frame's orientation. I was feeling semi-inspired on Sunday morning and decided to flip it and change things up a bit, including adding our anniversary date. The bottles with greenery are usually empty, but I had a bunch of bouquet fillers left over from the Mother's day arrangements I made the day before, so I thought I'd try that hipster look of branches in vases. I kind of really like it. And that flask looking bottle filled with layers of semi-combined sand is perhaps my favorite souvenir from studying abroad. It's sand from all but one beach I visited in my three months over there.

11. Volunteer at Coastal Cleanup Day

It shall be done in September.

12. Decorate our apartment

We move in three weeks!! Oh gosh, we move in three weeks! As you can imagine, I'm nowhere on schedule for a move. It'll get done. Brandon and I consistently talk about this apartment being a fresh start for us. It's not that we need a fresh start from anything, but more that we're looking forward to a new city with new opportunities. In a way, to get out of the suburb rut. I have so many ideas for the apartment, but I also know that you're supposed to slowly curate your aesthetic. I'm sort of looking forward to having to slow myself down back to reality.


There we have it. Only one Thing is fully completed but I'm on my way to another two! I have confidence I'll see this through.

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You didn't think I'd leave you without a single gif, did you?

♥ A