Happy Decorating!

After two late nights of decorating, my house is Christmas complete! I chose to go the whole DIY route this year and am so thrilled with the way it came out. I got a ton of ideas from Pinterest, and had ideas from years past as well. And I am happy to report I only spent 10 dollars total! It just goes to show that with a little work and a lot of heart, Christmas decorating can be fun and cheap! Here are some pics and my ideas behind them...




My living room shelf. I painted wood blocks with JOY, and added ornaments to real tree branches. ( You have to save all the space you can in a tiny SF apartment.)

My kichen shelf... Used peppermint candies in a vase with flowers, wrapped picture frames for a festive feel, and added ornaments at the base of the shelf.


Joy written in red lipstick on the living room mirror...


Ornaments hanging in the window with festive holiday ribbon, and cards from years past in frames making them look festive!


The little bun watching me work :)


More ornaments hanging from windows...


Pictures wrapped and candy cane hearts in my bedroom...


Using the extra branches that couldn't fit in the vase to make a mini tree for the bathroom.



Happy Holidays friends! What are you doing to decorate on the cheap?

"Come fly the friendly skies" -Or Not....

Well it happened. My first true blue panic attack. It all started when I was leaving SD last night after a weekend with Dan for his SDSU baseball alumni weekend. I ended my night at Ruby's with my family and was badgering my dad about the storm." I am going to fly out of it right dad? It already passed up North so if it is already in San Diego I will fly out of it?! Right dad? Right? He proceeds to tell me, "yes, I think you will" to provide some sort of sense of relief for me. We are about to take off and I am feeling good! "I'm going to miss it, yes!" I thought. All of a sudden the Captian comes on to tell us it will be a bit "bumpy." And at that moment, all hell broke loose in my mind.

I knew it was going to be bumpy, but not like this. If you know me, you know even in perfectly clear weather I am scared to fly. A rough storm along the west coast like this is sheer terror. I knew it was going to be rough when we capped off at 20,000 feet. I fly so much that I knew wind must have been horrible up higher and we were safe. I knew it was going to be really rough when the turbulance started and they told the flight attendants to stay in their seats and not serve drinks. And I knew I was as good as dead when the plane (heading over Malibu area) started free falling out of the sky and shook like an 11.0 earthquake. I decided now was a good time to start making deals with God. Now I make deals with God a lot, but these were the I will volunteer everyday for the rest of my life, and I will never drink again type deals. Just let me live! And wait! I want to get married! I want children one day! For not being a religious girl by any standards God became my best friend last night. I. Became. Hysterical.

I believe in a little self deprecation so I will share the absolute worst part. I curled myself in a little ball crying my eyes out with the brown paper throw up bag in my face trying to breathe against the window. Before I knew it my head was in my lap and I was singing Bob Marley (it was on my ipod)as loud as I could trying to get my mind off the fact I have never even told anyone who should get Funny Bunny if I die! And... During all of this, what's the man next to me doing? Playing his video game! Not one word of a "hey crazy chick, you okay over there?"

As the turbulance proceeded to get worse I prepared for the worst. I hung my head in my knees and can only describe the fear I felt as an outer body experience. I had to. I had to leave my body because the horrific thought of death was too much. This continues through the shaking and rattling and dropping for the next 20 minutes. All of a sudden the Captain comes on. " Hey folks, sorry for all the tuurrrrrbbbulance, this is a rough one. We will have you on the ground in just another 20 minutes." I prayed a little more that we wouldn't free fall out of the sky before 20 minutes was up and cried a little more.

After the worst hour of my life we made it through the storm. We smooth sailed into SF and landed. I cheered! I cried! I pinched myself to make sure we really made it! I immediately called my mom and burst into tears again! I told her "I am never flying again mom! Never again!" ( I have to fly next Monday.) And what's funny is sometimes even at 28 you still just need your mom!
I do have a new appreciation for pilots and planes though. Both those suckers are tough. If they can keep a plane in the air through all of that, then it (and I) can get through anything!

This past week I have...

Had the pleasure of having my dear friend Kev come stay with me in the city. We danced, we ate great food...
drank wine and had heart to hearts.
Had tapas and wine with 2 of my best friends Cody and Britt at Lalola in Russian Hill...
Came to San Diego to celebrate D's baseball alumni weekend at SDSU.
Spent a lot of time in bed reading and planning my holiday party in December.
Went to an alumni bbq with Dan who invited my dad along too, and we were able to meet D's old coach Tony Gwynn.
Had Dan show us around the baseball field he played at while pitching for State.
Went to Ruby's with my parents and surprise guest Dale for dinner and drank pumpkin shakes all while enjoying burgers and
each other. (Which I might add, I ate burgers everyday for 8 years while I worked there.) Never gets old.
Spent a lot of time thinking about how warm and fuzzy I feel being in SD with the ones I love.
The Autumn air makes me feel nostalgic. I am sad to leave tonight, but I will be back Wednesday night.
Looking forward to Thanksgiving with my family, pumpkin pie, scary movie night at Amira's with fast food and sweets....
And most importantly DISNEYLAND on Sunday for Dyl Pickle's 1st birthday! Oh man, life is good.
Cannot wait to share all the fun next weekend...

Lindsey's Favorite Things

My cousin Lindsey (and my biggest supporter) shared her happiness list with me and I could not be more in love. You can most definitely tell we are family from this list. Every single thing on it is lovely and so precious. Thank you so much Linds for sending this over, it makes me filled with joy to see the things that make my dearest the happiest. So without further adieu, here is what makes Lindsey terribly happy...




1- Children. It’s no secret among my friends that I have “baby fever” – I think having a partner and bringing kids into the world seems like the greatest adventure . . . but really I love children in general. Their humor, innocence, honesty, and thirst for knowledge are so great to be around.

2- Books! To Kill a Mocking Bird is my favorite; I read it once a year and fall in love with the characters all over again. I love becoming so invested with characters in great books to the point where they feel like your friends and you get genuinely excited/sad/whatever emotion for what they are going through.

3- Laughing. It truly is the best medicine and while I love sharing laughs with the people I love, sometimes the best laughs are the ones I have with myself.

4- Cards – I love sending them, receiving them . . . finding perfect and adorable ones in stores that I see and instantly ascribe to a specific person in my life.

5- Bakeries. The smell of fresh baked bread . . . a really great latte and a cozy spot to sit are the best!

6- Flowers – planting them, picking them out at the market, giving them to folks . . . who can look at a beautiful bouquet of flowers and not have a happy thought!?

7- Teaching. The wonderful feeling that you’ve passed on some small piece of knowledge that students find useful and interesting . . . and hopefully inspiring.

8- Traveling. It is indescribable what it has given me thus far and what I hope to gain from future adventures. Mark Twain & Bill Bryson say it more eloquently than I ever could:

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” MT

The greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for
granted.” BB

9 – Girls. I’ve never understood those women who say they get along with men better and don’t have many female friends. Sad, really. No matter their age I get such a wonderful feeling from being surrounded by strong, smart, funny, compassionate girls.

10 – Music. It makes everything better. I didn’t grow up in a big music family and am so grateful to those along the way who have introduced me to awesome sounds.

11- Baseball. The other day I told Dan that I don’t think you can trust people who don’t like baseball, kids, and dogs. Baseball has been important in my family ever since I can remember – little league games for Matt, celebrating Grandpa Dale’s achievements, cheering on the Braves. . . all makes my heart happy.

12 – Romantic love. The intense butterflies in the beginning that give way to the comforting feeling of being familiar to someone – the extra confidence that comes with knowing you’ve got a partner- an ever supportive friend in your corner.

13 – Honesty. As I get older I find it so refreshing to meet people that are honest about their preferences and willing to be forthright/candid (but still gentle!) when you’re seeking advice. It’s a skill I am still trying to develop – unapologetically speaking up while remaining amiable.

Live, travel, adventure, bless and don't be sorry. - Jack Kerouac

I want to embrace messy hair and quality time with the love of my life.
I want to take pretty pictures of bunnies and flowers in the sun.
I want to find colorful dreams inside my mind when the sky is gray and my soul is lethargic.
I want to stay up late, drinking champagne with my best friends, eating brownies, talking about all the things we hope for.
I want to dress up and dance to my favorite songs and read books that make me feel alive.
I want to teach children how to be great in life, and feel good about themselves everyday.
I want to remember about all the places that have made me feel loved and whole.
I want to laugh for no reason and picture crazy adventures by your side while counting stars.
I want to live each day like it has a purpose, because each day does.

Here's to Happiness: Amira's Favorite Things

Hello my friends!
For weeks I have had friends tell me how much they have been following and that they loved my "Here's to Happiness" post. I feel so excited! Thank you for reading and for all the kind words! What started as a way to keep my family in San Diego in the loop, has become a wonderful way to keep in touch and share with my amazing friends near and far.
With that said, I thought it would be fun to have some friends do their own "Here's to Happiness" post. It is a fun way to show gratitude and the things they treasure most, plus it makes me delighted to see what makes my dear friends and family most happy. I want to say thank you to my soul sister Amira, over at http://www.amiragray.blogspot.com who is one of my best friends in the world and took the time to share ten things that make her terribly happy. I look forward to posting more friends and family's happiness posts! Feel free to email/facebook me yours! I would love to share them! Here is sweet Amira's list:








One of my favs! Happy girls at Amira's beautiful wedding...

30 Days of Gratitude: Days 2-5

Day 2: Smile
Beautiful Dale on her wedding day. Love that smile. :)


Day 3: Happiness
Spending time with my oldest friends Megs(+Gia)and Vib at lunch.


Day 4: Leaves
Autumn leaves on Day Lights Savings Sunday. I am in LOVE with the colors of Fall.


Day 5: Morning Sky
The sky this morning after the storm in Coronado.

Lazy Sunday Afternoon

Yesterday Dan and I decided to have a full day to ourselves and just enjoy the rain and each other. We woke up late, relaxed in bed, went to breakfast in our pj's, watched a movie by the fire, listened to the rain, watched the Chargers, AND I was able to get caught up on all my favorite magazines. I can't even remember the last time I stayed in my pj's all day and relaxed. I feel as if I have been on the go for the last month traveling all over the place, from SD,SLO, to LA and back to SF. (Rough life, I know...) but it felt really great to just not have to be anywhere and just be lazy for the day...






Later in the day, Dan and I had my parents (and Obie!) over for dinner. We bbq'd steaks, drank wine, watched Sunday Night Football and talked for a long time over dinner. I loved having them over, it made me really excited to be close to them again and for Dan and I to have our own home together to entertain friends and family. All in all, a PERFECT Sunday.

30 Days of Gratitude

I saw this on a cute craft blog that I follow, and thought it would be perfect considering Thanksgiving is right around the corner. I am going to try every day for the next 30 days to count my blessings and take pictures to show my gratitude through photos of anything and everything. I've found that having the ability to take photos pretty much anywhere has helped me to become more present. It makes you aware of your surroundings, and gives you the chance to capture everyday moments in a spectacular way. I think it is such a simple and easy way to look at the things I am most thankul for. So here goes....



Day 1- My very favorite food is Mexican. Nothing makes me happier than a burrito, chips and salsa and an ice cold Pacifico. This happened to be a perfect 1st day picture because I am on a road trip with the teachers to LA and we stopped for mexican food on the way! Yum.