Thursday, May 31, 2012

home sweet home

Today’s the first day back to the normal grind and I’m just relishing in the fact that we’re back home!

Please, don’t get me wrong. San Fran was beyond awesome. I also know we’re lucky to have had the ability to take a week off and go to a great city to see some great friends but I am, unfortunately, a creature of habit… and I like being in my own home better than anywhere else.

It’s just so sooo nice to have a good night’s sleep on my own uber-comfy mattress, be able to drive my car when and where I want rather than being at the mercy of the San Francisco Muni system, and be able to eat some good old fashioned junk food! As good as it was for me (and as much as I want to keep up with it) I needed to take a detour off the healthy living train for a moment. The revelation that I hadn’t had pasta since I don’t know when occurred to me mid-afternoon yesterday (while I was starvinggg) and I then went on a mission to have a serious bowl of the good stuff for dinner. I didn’t feel too guilty about it either..being that the only other food I ate that day was a swiss roll from the Asian market and some Cheeto’s.

As strange as this may sound..I’m also kinda happy to be back at work. It’s nice to know that everything has pretty much stayed the same since I left and no big giant error I made has seemed to have shown it’s ugly face while I was gone (which is usually how things go down). I also seriously missed my morning routine of watching bad tv (namely Dog the Bounty Hunter and Don’t be Tardy for the Wedding re-runs), posting on my lil bloggy blog, checking other blogs I stalk admire, and my daily conversations with Deanna. Today’s topics include upcoming tattoo appointments, cross dressing bums, and the threat of a zombie apocalypse. C’mon, how could you not miss that?

But unfortunately, being home does have some downfalls. Rent needs to get paid, suitcases need to be unpacked, refrigerators need to be stocked, there’s new time zone’s that need to I need to become accustomed to. I guess I’m just gonna have to take the good with the bad on this one.

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

san fran instagram




















We're backkkkkk!!! San Francisco was such a great time. Of course.

I've been all out of whack due to the red eye flight we took in so for right now I'll just leave off with some instagram goodness. I'll (hopefully) do a full update soon.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

preparing to leave

Anytime we go on a trip, the last few days before we leave are always my absolute favorite. Let me tell you why…

1. The overall anticipation of the impending vacation is at its peak. The excitement almost forces you to find a way to work in vacation talk into any conversation, sometimes even with strangers.

2. Outfit planning and packing is an amazing excuse to rip apart my closet and play dress up.

3. Going out to eat is just about your only option as you’ve already gobbled up anything that could spoil and of course you didn’t grocery shop.

4. It gives you the extra motivation to get cleaning done because if your anything like me you’ll want to come home to a clean apartment when your flight lands (at 5:30 in the a.m…argh!)

5. Anything that’s stressful at work doesn’t ever seem too bad because you won’t have to deal with it for that much longer.

6. I thrive on planning so arranging all last minute travel details and an itinerary while there is just about the best thing everrrr.
















My days have been filled with all of the above lately.

Now with it being almost 11 p.m and all last minute details are taken care of it's just about that time to sit back, relax, and try to get some sleep. I'm already dreading that 5:30 a.m alarm but I know it's for a good reason :)

Monday, May 21, 2012

camera's first outing

This past weekend was the first time I took my little precious outside of the comfy confines of the apartment. We got her (yea, I decided she’s a girl. She still remains nameless, however) a little bag so she can travel safely, of course. We had to settle on something simple and cheap to get the job done because I unfortunately don’t have time to order the one I’d prefer online before I leave for vacation. I promise she’ll have some stylish new digs to call home once I myself get back home.

Anywho, this weekend’s main event included a communion where I was able to get real familiar with the anti motion blur setting. Immense amounts of children (and some adults) running around like crazy will allow you to do that. I was proud that I was able to capture at least a few great moments.

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Other than that it was just some random pet action..

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and that was it. Not anything that spectacular but I was still pretty amped to take pictures outside of the familiar environment of our home.

Yay for progress.

Sunday, May 20, 2012

san francisco to do's

Now with our trip just 3 DAY'S AWAY!!!! I think it's about time I figure out some sort of an itinerary. Umm, yea..I don't know why I'm not freaking about not having this done by now. Usually I'm ready with a daily run down of activities at least a week in advance. Obsessive? Maybe..

After hearing Kristi talk about all sorts of awesome things for the past year plus an extra quick search for "things to do in San Francisco" (just in case she left something out) I quickly learned that there's wayyy more to do than originally anticipated and wayyy more than we'll have time for in 1 week.

It was some rough decision making on our part but here's what's currently topping the almighty to do list..

Visit the most curvy street in town- Lombard Street

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Get taco's at a taqueria aka the motherland for a Mexican food junkie like me (the shadier and run down, the better)

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Alcatraz!

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  Drink bubble tea, but first find out what those bubbles are

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Go wedding dress shopping with Kristi <3

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Eat food from a truck, at least once

Walk the nature trails in Golden Gate Park

See this big giant bridge, obviously


Celebrate the 75th anniversary of Pier 39 (Fisherman's Wharf) with some fireworks (and a carousel ride, of course)

And last but definitely not least...spend LOTS of time with these two crazy love birds right here

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Friday, May 18, 2012

pintrest & pies


First, it was Myspace. I put off making an account until one day I got curious about who was already on there. I then realized that every single one of my friends had an account and that gave me the push I needed because well, god forbid I’m left out. I didn’t sign up for Facebook until early 2009. I didn’t discover Etsy until my not so internet savvy aunt had to tell me about it. I still don’t have a Twitter. I even shocked myself when I hopped on board the Instagram trend in a timely fashion.

Long story short- I’m always a little late to the party when it comes to “cool” thing to be doing online. That brings me to my current point. I just signed up for Pintrest!! I deserve a cookie, I know.

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Maybe I haven’t really delved into it as much as I should have and correct me if I’m wrong, but it’s basically just a way to organize the cute things you come across on the Internet. Which translates into a site that’s feeding into my shopping addiction at a rather rapid rate. I admit, that’s probably my own fault. I shouldn’t have made that board entitled “things I want”. Anywho, it has already come in handy once. There was an insert (found on etsy, of course) that will hold dSLR equipment that will slip into any bag. Having a stylish bag to house my new camera? Yes, please! Luckily, I pinned it so instead of trying to remember where I saw it and searching endlessly for it I just went back to my Pintrest and boom..there it was. I’m starting to see the whole point of this website.

So where does the pie fit into this, you ask? Well, the first thing that caught my eye immediately after I created my account was this chocolate covered strawberry pie. 

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My mouth literally watered when I saw this. I don’t know why but chocolate and strawberries are one of, if not, the best food combinations to ever to exist in life. I knew I needed to make it, and soon.

Well tonight was the night. Since we had a low key brunch on Mother’s Day (and chocolate pies aren’t really a brunch thing- as much as I’d like them to be) I knew that our weekly dinner at my parent’s house was the perfect occasion. Kind of like a belated Mother’s Day dessert, if you will. It’s obvious I’m trying to make excuses for this pie but whatever the case may be..it looked delicious and needed to be made ASAP.


chocolate covered strawberry pie-


1 quart fresh strawberries, sliced
1 (8oz) package of cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup confectioners sugar
1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 chocolate pie crust (like Oreo)

Remove the stems from about 30 strawberries and cut in half


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 Melt 1 cup of the chocolate chips in the microwave (30 second intervals) for about 1-2 minutes, being careful not to burn. Set aside.

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Beat the heavy cream, vanilla extract, and 1/2 cup of the confectioners sugar with an electric mixer in a bowl until it becomes thick.

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In a separate bowl, beat together the softened cream cheese, the other 1/2 cup of confectioners sugar, & the cup of melted chocolate.

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Gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture.

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Also, make sure to lick the spoon. 


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 Fill the chocolate pie crust with the cream cheese mixture and spread evenly (do NOT overfill).

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Then, press the sliced berries into the mixture. Find every single available nook & cranny, and shove a berry in it!

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Melt the remaining 1/2 cup of chocolate in a bowl. Drizzle the melted milk chocolate on. Make sure the drizzles are thin and spread out because if you pour the chocolate on top it is impossible to cut when the chocolate harden again.


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Wednesday, May 16, 2012

weekly wednesday weigh in

There was a little bit of a conflict going on in my bathroom this morning. Do I get on the scale..or don’t I? Would I be happier knowing or not knowing the result of last week’s efforts (that were, I must admit, lacking)? There was no defining moment where I made my decision one way or the other. While I was still contemplating this, I bent down and grabbed the scale and once it was in my hand there was no point in putting it back. I was gonna do it.

I had good reason for this reluctance to get on the scale. After last week’s mishap that made my calorie counter over estimate my necessary calorie intake I decided to take down my intake by 200 calories a day. I didn’t realize that 200 calories could be the difference between satisfied and starving. I have been no short of ravenous every single day by dinner time and have had maybe 300 or so calories to satisfy that hunger. Let’s be real..that’s not gonna cut it. My solution- ignore that calorie counter app and eat whatever I wanted (which, in my defense, was never that bad).

The consequences I faced could have been worse. According to the almighty scale…I stayed the same. And that was right after I ate breakfast sooo there’s a slim chance I might’ve even lost a little. I may re-weigh myself tomorrow and remember to do it before breakfast.

The better solution to this problem, rather than ignoring the app, is to reevaluate what I’m eating. I need more vegetables and low calorie meals in my life. But this solution is just going to have to wait a little while..the grocery shopping for the remainder of this week has been done and there’s none that'll be done for next week since it’ll be VACATION TIME! and we all know I’m not going to really do a good job dieting on vacay… I always say I will but I never do so yea, I’ll start fresh when I get home.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

happy (early) birthday, to me

My birthday gift from my amazeballs husband came early this year. 23 days early to be exact. Reasoning for such an early gift? So I could take the most amazing pictures ever in San Francisco with my new camera!! A pretty little Sony NEX 5N to be more precise.

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This is by far the best camera I’ve ever owned. I’ve become so accustomed to photo’s from a point and shoot’s that I’m simply amazed by what this camera can do. The quality of the photo’s in low light made me literally jump up and down. I have about 30 pictures of my dark living room because I just couldn’t get enough of it. Ryan even got into it, too.


Tonight was the first night I actually got to photograph something other than my messy living room

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Over the weekend we took our first trip to the Asian market so of course, we kind of went all out on our lil Asian dinner at home..complete with sake bombs. I’m starting to really enjoy our weeknight dinner’s at home much more than going out. Yea, there’s cooking involved but it’s most definitely cheaper, we get to decide how loud or quiet we want it to be, and I get my meal exactly how I want it. Oh, and we don’t have to feel like moron’s banging on the table when we do sake bomb’s..not that that’s a normal occurrence when we go out or anything…

So now that I have this huge upgrade in my camera game expect my little obsession with taking pictures to get a whole lot worse :)