Little Bits of Happiness

What a crazy week this has been! Between the last week of the quarter at work, helping babygirl ace her English class, and loving SF life, it has been non-stop of (amazing!) busy-ness.  One of my very closest girlfriends from UCLA, miss Jo, had a chance to visit while on her spring break and it was so great to catch up.  I'm jumping in on a new link-up this weekend, courtesy of the fabulous Mrs. Stephanie T, to share even more of what made me happy this week.

Passing by St. Brigid church every day always reminds me of my sweet Brigid.  Cannot wait to see baby sis in 10 days!

Mimosas. Need I say more?

I tried a strawberry tamale this week, and it is safe to say it blew my mind.  So delicious!

AND... I received confirmation that the lovely Britt is coming to visit in April.  Don't know what I would have done without this chicky in college, and I miss her every day!

What has made you happy this week?

Anything Can Happen

This last year of independent living has made me feel pretty self-confident and given me some awesome lessons in self-motivation.  I am a passionate believer in the power of positive thinking and try to live with a healthy dose of optimism, but for moments when I need a little extra kick, I know the person I can count on the most is my mama.

Last night, we were texting about my weekend plans, and it somehow led to her sending me an essay of a text that included suggestions on volunteering in San Francisco and how I should not rule out running for mayor of SF down the line.  See what I mean?  I tend to get so focused on work and bills and soaking in every single moment of my life (being present in the present), but a healthy dose of perspective and forward-looking thought can never hurt a gal. 

Via.

Via.

Via.

PS: I have no political ambitions.  Big dreams, yes, but not of the political variety.  Just her way of reminding me to think big.

PPS: Who is your go-to life cheerleader?  Isn't it fun to cheer your friends and family on too?

Hang It Up

Amazing show.  Awesome venue.  Lovely friends.  Any kind of show where you can dance to insane beats and incredible live music is a win in my book.  Ting Tings, thank you for gracing SF with your presence this weekend.

What these folks actually looked like.  Katie White is AWESOME live.

However, the Ting Tings looked like this most of the show from my perspective.  Thanks to my dancing feet, crazy lights, and a few drinks.

Chandelier obsession at the Filmore. First concert at the venue, and stoked for more!

Awesome night.

Run, Run

I have a love/hate relationship with running.  My favorite way to work out is definitely in an air-conditioned gym, on an elliptical, with the amazingness that is Bravo on a TV in front of me.  But with scenery like this, I think my outdoor running adventures are going to begin again. 

Slice of the city.

Seeing the Golden Gate Bridge will never get old.

Running in style.  Ha.

Happy Monday!

Spotted

Walking through Noe Valley over the weekend, I saw this amazing jungle house.  I am all for embracing your passions and sharing what you love with the world, but this took it to another level.  How bold and wonderful are these folks for turning their house into a jungle mural?  I couldn't find too much info on the house, but this post indicates it's been painted for over 20 years.

The detail was stunning. Welcome to the jungle.

Meow!

"Freedom lies in being bold." - Robert Frost

If you are ever in the Noe Valley area of San Francisco, this house is located on Church Street between 23rd and 24th.

Good, Good Life

Rounding out the week with one of my favorite link-ups! Head over to Amber and Neely's blog for more fun posts.

It's ok... to get sucked into episodes of Law and Order: SVU.  Once you start watching an episode, it is impossible to turn them off!

It's ok... to wish Go Fug Yourself would post more.  Obsessed!

It's ok... to be jumping for joy that spring is here!

It's ok... to wait until the last possible second to do laundry.

It's ok... to be excited beyond belief for Titanic 3D.  I'm already tearing up watching the commercials.

It's ok... to miss your friends hardcore on their birthday.  One of my besties had her birthday this week, and I am a little bummed we can't be together.  Couldn't college last forever?

It's ok... to want to go to the Jelly Belly factory after nomming on my treats from the Sweet Swap.

It's ok... that my workout playlist is filled with music I loved in high school.  Anything to keep me jammin!

It's ok... to get excited when a random dude calls me 'Red.' My hair is hardly red anymore (maybe in the sunlight?), but considering I dream of being a redhead, it made my day.

It's ok... to feel proud of myself when I only snooze my alarm once.

It's ok... to dress in ridiculous layers when I leave for the morning.  Folks that actually live in cold place, no judgement please :)

GPOY: Gloves, sweatshirt, jacket and scarf.

On the Line

Have you ever seen the movie On the Line? NSYNC hottie Lance Bass plays a guy who meets the love of his life during his commute home from work on the train... but doesn't get her phone number.  He and his buddies launch a massive effort to find the girl and reunite the two.  So bad, it's (almost) good.

I had my first solo public transportation experience this weekend, utilizing both the bus and the MUNI to get to brunch in another part of San Francisco.  And I may have met the love of my life on the 47 bus.  The only problem? The little cutie was already taken!

Cute dog alert!

I couldn't believe it when he laid down and took a nap.  Bus rides are bumpy!

PS: For your viewing pleasure:

Spring Sweets Swap

I joined my first ever blog swap, hosted by the lovely bloggers behind Stress Casey and Heartfelt Happenings.  Casey and Shellsea, thank you so much for organizing! I had an absolute blast, and am excited to keep meeting fun, lovely ladies in the blog world.  In absolutely no particular order, here's a list of reasons this swap was so awesome:

1) Jen, the adorable blogger I was paired.  Go check out her blog HERE.  I loved getting to learn a little bit more about her Texas life, her passion for !!!'s, and just how sweet she is (pun intended).

2) Shopping for the swap! I had no idea that shopping for someone I had never met would be just as fun as shopping for my bff's.  Also, $10 budget, I challenged and owned you.

3) Getting a package at my new apartment.  Is getting a package in the mail one of the most exciting things ever, or what? Jen, this is the first mail Ive actually gotten here, and I was so stoked to see a package when I came home from work one night last week.

Not embarrassed that I didn't stop to look for scissors to properly open this.

The color is like a burst of springtime!

4) The packaging was pure crafty goodness.  I love how cute and colorful the basket looks in my room.

Yum!

Love the note.

5) Jelly Belly jelly beans.  Need I say more?  Actually, I will because they are my favorite! I grew up visiting the Jelly Belly factory (it's near my grandparents house), and this girl sent me a huge jar of them.  I wish I could say that they'll last, but once I eat a few, I just. cannot. stop.

Thanks so much Jen! It was great to "meet" you!

Erin Go Bragh

Hope your St. Patrick's Day was filled with as many shenanigans as possible, that your glass of beer was never empty, and that you used the holiday to hang out with your friends... and make new ones.

Above are a few shots from the Pub Crawl festivities I took part in on Saturday.  And that green car? It could totally be featured on an Irish version of Pimp My Ride.

Feels Like Home

Last year, when I was applying for jobs like a crazy person and waiting to hear back on some serious offers, I remember baking banana muffins one night.  I saw the recipe online and there were always overripe bananas in my sorority house.  Whether it is to celebrate, apologize, relieve stress or simply just because, there is a language to baking that I absolutely love.  I will be the first to admit that my cookies aren't the prettiest, my cupcakes are rarely frosted to fondant perfection and I like to follow recipes to a T (creativity schmeativity), but boy there is a ton of love with everything I do.

Tonight, I made my first batch of chocolate chip cookies in my new apartment.  It made the place feel (and smell) like home.  Kind of like my home in Fresno, my sorority house at UCLA and my "home" in Sonoma.  Thank goodness for the simple joys of mini chocolate chips and cookie dough.

Happy Friday lovelies!

It's OK Thursday

Isn't it great to remind yourself that everything is a-ok?  Sometimes the stress of work and life can get in the way, so I love taking a step back and looking at things from a different angle.

It's ok... to get a little nostalgic over March Madness.  My freshman year of college, UCLA went to the Final Four so this time of year reminds me of lazy nights watching the games, amazing friends and extreme excitement all over campus.

It's ok... to introduce myself to the sweet couple that own a market across the street from my apartment.  We are going to become good friends over the next year!

It's ok... to address any packages I send to my family with 'Family' and nothing else. Easy peasy.

It's ok... to put up pictures and fun nesting touches instead of actually unpacking.

It's ok... to be positive and excited for life in spite of any negativity around me.  I like to smile, what can I say :)

It's ok... to enjoy wearing rain boots, but crave sunshine and summertime.

It's ok... to check Cute Overload way too often.  No shame.

It's ok...  to add a trip to J. Crew to my to-do list.

It's ok... to be a little smart phone illiterate.  I have two apps on my Droid, but hardly touch it since I am on the computer all day anyways.  Are there any Droid apps out that I should try?

It's ok... to get excited over a Hamlet reference at work.  They don't come up too often.

It's ok... to be stoked for St. Patrick's Day.  It's my people's holiday after all.

I have faith that our Bruins will have an epic comeback! Circa 2008.

Love ya Joe Bruin. Also from 2008.

Since my Bruins aren't doing so hot this year, I've been rooting for my sissy's team, the St. Mary's Gaels.  Hoping for some Cinderella moments!  Pic from summer 2009.

Linking up with Amber and Neely! 

I Won't Give Up

I saw this on The Daily What today, and was so impressed by the little guy's desire to succeed.   My mama used to preach this all the time growing up, and I will admit - I thought her inspiring quotes were a little cheesy.

 

Since I've been on my own though, I am all about cheesy quotes. The sappier the better, if you ask me! Really ladies, if at first your don't succeed, try, try again. And maybe you will end up in a sweet spot just like this pup.

Hustle and Bustle

I have depended on my car for years and years, living in suburban Fresno and sprawling Los Angeles until about a year ago.  I was lucky enough to take a car to college my third year, and it opened up huge doors for work opportunities and made it convenient to explore even more of L.A.  Living in the South Bay the last year, it made it easy to get to my job and drive my fam around when they visited.  I really did love the freedom that came with having my own trusty vehicle. 

But I am so excited to stop depending on my car while I live in San Francisco.  I won't need it to get to work and I won't use it to do errands in the city; public transportation just makes more sense here.  I want to learn how to use the bus and take BART to visit my sissy.  It feels a little bit like I am giving up a security blanket of sorts, but I think I will end up gaining a fuller experience of the city. And the car will be here for the occasional trip or necessary errand.

Quick snap while walking to my apartment.

Via.

 Via.

A little adventure goes a long way!

Thank Goodness for Dads

Seriously, I don't think this weekend would have gone as smoothly as it did without my amazing dad.  He arrived in Mountain View with the moving truck early Saturday (after driving 2.5 hours from my hometown), we packed up all my stuff, moved it into my new apartment in San Francisco... and then he literally had to turn around and drive the moving truck back to Fresno.  The parking sitch in SF is abysmal, and it would have been impossible for us to park the big truck.  I think I was speechless for a few moments when I realized the enormity of the task we had just completed, and how selfless my dad is for helping me do this.  All to jump back in the truck without so much as a hug and a kiss goodbye.

Obligatory beer the night before the move as I finished up packing.

Driving behind my dad on the way to SF!

Sissy also came to help.  Love her!

My friend Ashley stopped by too.  She happened to be visiting SF with another friend this weekend, and brought me the most thoughtful housewarming gift.  Now she is officially off to her own adventure in grad school!

I cannot wait to show you guys more of SF... but I wont be able to post pics of the apartment until it is all done :) Lots more unpacking and organizing to do!

One Day!

Oh my goodness, I cannot believe the big move day is tomorrow.  And I don't mean big in terms of miles (its only about 32), but imagining my dad and I driving a moving truck through the hills of San Francisco has me on the edge of my seat.  I have finally made a dent in packing, and it actually makes me a little nostalgic packing up the pieces of my first "home."  Considering I lived with 50+ gals in college in a sorority house for three years, this apartment, this job and my new fun life in the Bay made me feel really independent.  This was the first time I completely managed every aspect of my life: bills, killing spiders, taking out the trash and other similar, glamorous tasks.  I loved hosting my family here and having my Fresno friends and college friends visit.  It's safe to say this has been a very magical year. My teeny apartment will always represent my first step into the adult world.

Even though moving isn't necessarily one of my favorite things to do, the Hello Kitty duct tape my friend Brittany makes taping my boxes up a little fun.

Current state of affairs.

See you on the other side folks!

What A Piece of Work is Man

My friend shared this with me over the weekend, and my inner English nerd almost died. There are a variety of Ryan Gosling-related blogs out there, but this one my friends, is pure perfection.  Confession: other than the beauuuutiful pics of Ryan, my favorite part of this is trying to guess what Shakespeare work the quotes came from.

A little Much Ado About Nothing.

This one is from Henry V.

A little bit of delicious-ness with a Twelfth Night quote.

In other Shakespeare news of the week, did you ladies see this on Huffington Post?  I hope it isn't a sign of our times that folks don't even know how to spell this famous author's name!

Via.

Almost the weekend friends!

All Gosling pics courtesy of Shakespeare Ryan Gosling.

Apartment Wishes

I didn't do much in terms of decorating in my apartment this past year, but this move is leaving me itching for an extreme makeover of my bedroom.  In a moment of excitement this weekend, I almost spontaneously bought a new mattress, but decided I want to settle into my new apartment, dream up a fabulous bedroom, and find the pieces in the nooks and crannies of San Francisco.  Here are a few things I am wishing for in my new apartment!

1. A Vintage Bar Cart

They look so classy, and would ensure I am prepared for any kind of get together.

Via.

2. A New Bed

I have been loving the idea of simply creating a headboard (rather than buy a new bed set). And considering my affinity for inspiring quotes, integrating a chalkboard would be awesome.

Via.

3.  Old School Decorations

I would totally pretend I was a writer in the 1930's if I had this. 

4. Mason Jars

I think these babies are such a sweet, easy way to decorate.  And perfect for pouring drinks into ;)  Such versatile objects.

Via.

5. A Guest Book

Wouldn't it be fun to have something like this for an apartment to record hilarious moments, memorable evenings and spontaneous guests?

Via.

Head over to Brooke's blog for more fun wishes!