i have moved my blog! it's now over on wordpress. enjoy.
Sometimes you need new music.
this is my favorite site, especially when new mashups are in order.
other recommendations? the main site is good too, just type a band or remix you think of, and presto, music blogs already write about it. the magic of the internet.
cooking for yourself is one of the things i need to do more often. when amy and i's schedules align, we make it a point to cook dinner together or do some outdoor activity. last week, i made some tilapia fish from trader joes, sauteed zucchini and yellow squash with olive oil & onions accompanied by a great salad made by amy. it was such a beautiful day out, and we had both neglected to enjoy the weather, we traveled north to a picnic table in birdrock. enjoy the photos.
so lots of happenings/musings for the second half of the month:
-celebrating 4/20 in great style. delicious brunch at isabel's cantina then followed by a great nap and some, well, ahem other activities. it's california...
-an impromptu trip to boca raton, florida. my lovely grandmother, alice cheffins, passed away on 4/18; my mother and her brother had been arranging the funeral and divvying up the assets, and i decided to join them. boca is one of my favorite places to go because of the great memories i've had their when my grandparents were alive. As a little tribute to nana, i went to some of my favorite places that I shared with here. Even driving her car choked me up a little. My mom plans to sell her condo because of the ever escalating taxes in florida and cost of upkeep, so this visit will probably be the last time there for awhile.
corinthian gardens-nana's home; the only place i have stayed in florida.
federal highway: a very memorable road-how we get to publix, bagels, and the beach.
red reef park: the prettiest blue ocean water.
mizner park: home to the boca art museum, movie theater, and a great ice cream shop.
driving the buick-the steering wheel is huge.
-my uncle mark is an amazing chef. i have been spoiled many a time by his cooking. he treated mom and i to a fabulous meal: lamb chops, roasted with garlic and olive oil, accompanied by an eggplant puree, steamed carrots, roasted tomatoes, green beans, and a bruschetta-like dish with garlic, artichokes, olives with goat cheese. the three of us reminisced nana's life over this delicious meal and a bottle of pinot noir.
-i am extremely aware of how great a nurse's schedule can be, in light of these kinds of situations. i am so thankful for understanding managers and accommodating bosses who allow us the flexible schedules we need with out families.
-the day i arrived back in cali, i went to a barbecue in del mar at my friend and co-worker dayle's home. her home is extremely picturesque and naturally i whipped out my camera to capture the beach nearby. thanks for inviting me!
-this past wednesday i turned 23 at 4:28pm (on 4/28, seriously). i celebrated with a great mix of people from college and amy & i's hospital's. nothing too crazy, just some drinks, karaoke, and good dancing. in bed by midnight, it was a great night. i was so engrossed in talking to everyone that i neglected to take pictures-luckily amy was the paparazzi. i will post those soon.
-and finally, yesterday amy and i went on a hike to lake poway park to attempt to summit mt. woodson. the hike we roughly calculated was at least 9 miles with a good portion uphill. we captured amazing views of the navy blue lake, hills dotted with boulders, and made our own makeshift summit. at the "top" there was no commemorative sign that says "summit" so we made our own and hung out on top of a boulder before descending. good times.
at the beginning...
view from the boulder.
-back to work tomorrow for the weekend; i am currently selecting pictures to display in an art exhibition at the hospital and to sell in a local store-stay tuned! peace.
Happy Tax Day and happy birthday mom! It's a little weird that a lot of our time revolves around these important dates, whether it's a deadline, a birthday, a trip, etc. Working at the hospital, my schedule is planned out right now until the end of may and the june schedule is being finalized now; i also have already planned out vacation time and just finished buying plane tickets. Something as big as a plane ticket purchase cements your departure in your mind: can't back out now, you're committed. To celebrate tax day, i not only filed my taxes (thanks Dad!), but also am working on stuff to write off next year. Amy is volunteering for a local organization called ElderHelp of San Diego.
They are hosting a Wine and Dine auction this weekend, and needed donations of art. So because Amy is the best roommate ever, she volunteered my name to donate some photos. Here are the two i am donating:
The one on the left is taken at Cabrillo National Monument when my friend Eleanor was visiting for an interview and the right is sunset at Torrey Pines State Reserve this past winter. I'm really excited that my work is going to be publicly displayed and bid on. I've never showcased any work before, so I'm nervous (but excited haha). In anticipation of this day, I made a kick butt dinner last night: marinated tuna steak, roasted potatoes, sauteed zuchini and squash, with a salad made by Amy. It's really fun to cook (when there is enough time) because at the end of the meal, you feel really satisfied and accomplished.
so i'm back on the west coast, settling in with work again and the beautiful weather. however, here's a recap of my trip back east:
-flight to dc, epic sunsets
-had to cruise by my high school; i'm missing the reunion, but i still got to chat with my favorite dean and hear gossip about visitation. women of faith, vision, and purpose still exist, apparently.
-next, i made a quick trip down to Charlottesville, VA that involved strolling down the lawn with one of my old roommates, kennelley, checking out new (south lawn?!) and old architecture (the good ole rotunda), eating at all of my favorite cville places (take it away, boylan heights, bellair market, and bodo's to name a few), and seeing vasst kids and swim team. going back to my alma mater (still feels weird saying that) was super fun, and i can't wait to do it again. i also ran the cville 10 miler-only 4 minutes slower than last year, which shocked me a lot, consider i have not run as much as last year prior to the race.
"this is SO uva"-kennelley
machete shotgun club, it's still thriving
So great to see lovely swim team kids.
looking somewhat happy about running
-spent easter with the donohoes, saw many cousins and my grandma, who was not expecting me to be there. don't you love it when you make a person's day like that?
still have epic sunrises on the east.
tom donohoe. the myth, man and legend.
early sunset from houston to santa ana, ca.
-flew home to orange county followed by a mellow 75 minute drive back to PB. good times.
-side note: window seats are the best. and i just realized that i have no photographic evidence of the epic dinner at taylor street. so shout out to all the girls that made the trek: c-prof, court cost, clur (happy bday!), bocca, kdo, jane, marykelly. love y'all.
thanks so much to everyone i saw, talked to, hugged, over the course of my "vacation". i'm back to the east in july, so let me know if you want to meet up.
I'm in virginia for the first time since I moved. Hanging out in DC to spend easter with my family and I made a trip to cville to see uva for the first time since graduation. When I get back to cali on monday night I'm going to post some pics from the weekend. Now though I'm enjoying the sound of music with my mom, relaxing with delicious salmon for dinner. Happy Easter.
went to mission gorge this weekend and had a lovely hike with some friends plus some beautiful dogs. i'm heading back towards the east coast on wednesday-watch out virginia!
if you want to hang out while i'm in va, let me know, yayyyyyy.
so blogger has new templates-what what! so much for spending an hour trying to find a good fit. just did this one in 10 minutes. photos from the past week to come tomorrow :)
been playing around with the template today, while enjoying a great day off at cafe 976 with amy. the sunflowers are here to stay for a while, but i was looking for a change. i'm letting the photos be the color focus, not the fonts.
ever tried to change one aspect of your life and find that initially, it's exciting and you're really pumped about the change, only then to find yourself in the future, still not 100% committed. i have been eating less meat than ever in my life since moving to california-this is happening because a) meat is expensive, b) my roommate has made me more conscious about the hormones and chemicals in meat, c) i work with a couple vegetarians who have shared great veggie products with me on lunch breaks and d) i recently watched food inc.
FOOD, INC.: Movie Trailer - Watch more top selected videos about: Movie_Trailers, Food,_Inc., Robert_Kenner
So, i have already accomplished a couple of things related to eating healthier and eating more green.
- amy and i belong to a csa (community supported agriculture); every other week we get fresh fruit & veg with a bouquet of flowers. some interesting suprises have included: kale, insanley HUGE grapefruits, bok choy, turnips, potatoes of all colors and sizes, sprouts (bean and alfalfa), just to name a few. check out ours and you should really find one near you!
- choosing to the veggie based products. yes, they are more expensive, but in actuality, they tasted very similar and i actually end up finishing them entirely, instead of letting the real stuff get moldy or go bad like i have in the past. some of my favorites include veggie slices
(pictured here), Yves Meatless Turkey, and smart foods, like bacon (yum!)
- choosing to pick the vegan/vegetarian option at not only the grocery store, but also at restaurants; if, however i am not in the mood for vegetarian (for example, yesterday), i try not to think about where the meat i chose to consume came from (probably an awful warehouse, eek). but i can vouch for the meatless stuff: it tastes good. and there are other natural meatier veggies to take the place.
- so, in conclusion i am going to attempt to consciously make an effort to know where my meat comes from or choose the veggie/soy option.
One of my best friends from high school, Polly, visited this weekend. She lives in chicago and was in desperate need of some sunshine and good times (of course amy and i were happy to host!). Having visitors is such a great opportunity to try new things, see new places, and show off this awesome city. What's even better is that san diego has a wide variety of terrain that you don't feel like you are still in the same place. From north county to near the border, we covered as much as possible in three days. I cannot wait to visit her in chicago so she can show me her city. Some highlights:
the wild animal park in escondido is super sweet.
straight chillin in the grass.
yeah, that cheetah is 15 feet away. eek.
mamma and baby rhino.
after the park, we ventured east towards the stone brewery, also in escondido. some of my favorites from the trip include the stone pale ale and the levitation ale. mmm and the beer mac n cheese-so delicious.
artsy indoor/outdoor patio.
the selection of beers.
making the beer starts with grain, add hops, and yeast, per the tour guide.
for some reason, blogger is timing out and refusing to upload the rest of my pictures from the weekend. will try again tomorrow with more exciting shots to come. it's 80 degrees today, so i got to go get my freckle on. peace.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)