Inner Peace, Healthy Treats, & Running Feet

My sister Elle

2012-11-05T13:16:00.000-08:00

Have I told you the story about my sister, Elle?

Have I told you how my parents came to visit and on the day they were going leave they decided to pass some time in the pet store while I went grocery shopping?

Have I told you that when I finished up at Trader Joes and went to meet everyone at the Pet Store, there were hearts in my mom and Ava's eyes, as Elle tugged at their shoe laces?

Have I told you how happy my dad was that we went in the pet store that day and just couldn't leave without her?

Have I told you that my brother and sister were both crying on the day we found out Elle was going to be part of the family?

Ava, tears of happiness.

Jake, tears of fear.

Have I told you how cute, smart, sweet and fashionable she already is?

Have I told you that she plays dead in the dog park when the bigger dogs come around her?

Have I, have I, have I?

This is the story of Elle and how we found the newest addition to our family.

Good luck at puppy kindergarten today!

♥ euniece

In love with

2012-10-24T07:31:00.002-07:00

I'm in love with waking up to fresh cut flowers.

I'm in love with tiny pumpkins as book ends.

I'm in love with pecan pear pie (sorry you forgot it here mom).

I'm in love with Elle, the newest addition to the Pugeda household.

I'm in love with family, especially these two.

Love what you have, love what's in front of you, love yourself, love right now.

♥ euniece

Friday Favorites

2012-10-05T10:50:00.001-07:00

The fall weather is beautiful. But not only are the pretty colors of the leaves lovely, but the smells are wonderful, the the breeze is incredible and the food is divine. Pumpkin everything and anything is currently taking over my life. But here are some of my Friday favorites, don't worry, not everything is pumpkin... at least this time.

TJ's Almond Bars - Perfect with a hot cup of coffee for a little pick me up.

Pumpkin pancake mix, add a smashed banana and some chocolate chips and you're set!

Pretty and fun note cards, just to remind your loved ones that you care!

Pumpkin butter from the local berry patch farmers.

Hot pink, breast cancer speedy gonzales running shoes! love love love.

Oh fall, you're my favorite.

Now off to packing for Chicago this weekend! Good luck to all of the marathon runners, I'll be cheering you on!!

♥ euniece

Saturday Morning Smiles

2012-09-15T07:15:00.002-07:00

What better way to wake up on a Saturday morning than by being surrounded by your favorite things.

Some of my Saturday favorites include waking up to the smell Pumpkin Spice coffee,

receiving something my xm iPhone transmitter for my car (I know, I know... this is something I should have had by 2007 already),

melting into the scent of lavender after my shower,

seeing love in every corner of my room,

getting dressed up in a leather fringe skirt just because I can,

sending hand written positive thoughts full of love,

getting to wear my favorite boots ever because of the beautiful seventy degree fall weather,

and jamming out to Phoenix all day long <3

What makes you smile Saturday morning?

♥ euniece

La Quinceñera de mi prima Briana

2012-09-12T08:13:00.002-07:00

There's something special about culture and family traditions that allows for everyone to put aside any differences they may share and come together to simply eat drink and celebrate. We dance bachata, salsa and merengue, everyone helps decorate, some people help cook, while others help put the venue together. It's truly a coming together of family for one special girl.

In the Puerto Rican culture when a girl turns fifteen it is her time to transition into a woman, and everyone is there to celebrate this special time in her life through a grand party very similar to a wedding, minus a groom. She has her ballroom gown dress, crown, cake, venue, DJ, court, friends and family, all there to welcome her into the beginning of her 'woman years; people get sexy dresses, hair and make up done, nails done, the whole nine yards'. You may call it over the top, but we simply call it, a quinceñera.

Happy Birthday Briana!

♥ euniece

Bad to the Bone Brownies

2012-09-02T12:02:00.000-07:00

I stumbled upon this gem of a recipe quite some time ago and immediately fell in love. But held off on making them for the perfect moment. You know, that moment after you feel like you ran a million miles in a week, so you deserve to treat yourself to heaven, which have a bottom cookie layer, middle double stuffed

Oreo layer and it's all topped off with gooey brownie, it's that moment for me... and it's also my year anniversary with someone special, so for the record I'll say that I made these for him, not me. I mean, they are in a heart shaped pan so that counts for something, right?

These are SO easy to make, all you need is 40 minutes, Oreo's, brownie mix and cookie mix and you're good to go. Make them for someone you love, anyone, you're cat, your mom, your brother, your teacher, your boyfriend, heck make them for YOURSELF!!

PS. I am so sorry you can't virtually taste these, because they are incredible.

♥ euniece

2pm Afternoons

2012-08-29T11:35:00.001-07:00

I love college. Why, you ask... Because my afternoons are spent in the best way possible, and I am going to relish them for every peaceful second that they are worth; because one day, I'll look at the clock, and it'll be two in the afternoon and I'll be in an office reminiscing about my slow lovely afternoons spent in my cozy apartment with my coffee in hand.

I will remember how I was done with classes by 12:30 on Monday's and Wednesday's and how I came home, played with the pretty little Chloe, drank some coffee, watched 'The Chew' while eating hummus and everything bagel chips and maybe ate a few ~~entire box~~ dark chocolate covered almonds.

Then I will remember how I always ventured off to my lovely white room and lit my favorite candle, while I looked at my Runner's World Quote of the month and contemplated whether I should go for a run or study Management Information Systems. But instead I'd do the studious thing, open my book, read a page, close the book, knit a few rows while I think about what I just read, but instead happen to crash into my cozy sea of white fluffy blankets and 'think about it' for a few minutes.

These are the tough stressful moments that I will be dreaming about while working next year. Tough life I live. What's a girl to do.

What's you're two pm like?

♥ euniece

Wrong Turn

2012-08-26T15:24:00.000-07:00

The beauty of Pittsburgh is the fact that no matter where you are or what time of the year it is there is always construction work on the roads going on. To top it off, sometimes sign of detour are never put up, leading you in the completely wrong direction with no way out. At first I was so annoyed to be stuck in traffic just to head up a long road and turn around, but once I got to the top of the road, I got out of my car and enjoyed the view.

Because sometimes going the wrong way, isn't so bad.

Oh Pittsburgh, runner girl loves you dearly.

♥ euniece

DIY Love Headboard Part 2

2012-08-24T12:33:00.002-07:00

If you aren't tired enough of my obsession with my headboard, proceed to read the rest of the post!

Picking up from where I left off, write love in chalk the way you want.

Pick your favorite color paint

I used Sun Ray by Behr

Paint your first coat

Then your second.

Stand back and admire it in awe as the evening sunlight shines down on your headboard.

Hang it to the wall like a picture frame.

Side note: Pictures of my mom and I struggling to hang this are not included.

Not too shabby if I do say so myself.

DYI are my favorites <3

I love my love bed.

♥ euniece

DIY Love Headboard Part 1

2012-08-18T17:34:00.001-07:00

Pinterest got the best of me.

My mom sent this to me, I fell in love, and had to make it.

I thought, hey this looks easy, cheap and quick to make. Well, apparently barn wood, paint, wire, drills, and nails add up pretty quickly. But it was totally worth it.

You can find my original inspiration here!

I never thought I could fall in love with wood, but when picking out the planks from a pile of wood, the man who took apart the barn gave me the history. I now know exactly how it was made, when it was made and where it was used (as a staircase in a barn!) It's so cool to know that people walked up and down, what is now my new love headboard, so many years ago!

So how did I do it??

1. Get your handy daddio to help you

2. Place your planks facedown

3. Connect planks with 1x4 lumber

4. Glue Lumber to Barn Wood

5. Drill together

6. Attach 100 lb picture hanger and metal wire

to be continued...

♥ euniece

3 hour coffee dates

2012-08-05T15:25:00.001-07:00

I absolutely adore brunch. For two main reasons:

1. Brunch = break + lunch, therefore it's completely acceptable to eat every bite on your plate

2. Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day! Bottomless coffee, pancakes, waffles, french toast, eggs benedict, everything bagels, banana bread, pumpkin spice muffins.. I can go on and on.

One of my favorite weekend traditions lately has been going out to brunch my handsome guy and enjoying coffee and good conversation for hours accompanied by lemon poppy seed waffles, mascarpone cream and berries.

Mornings filled with running, coffee and waffles, couldn't be more perfect.

♥ euniece

Old School Fun

2012-07-30T17:41:00.002-07:00

Because I consider myself a connoisseur coaster rider from a very young age, I normally would be bored to tears at Kennywood, an old school amusement park with the highlight of one "big" coaster barely pushing 40 mph. However going with someone who get's excited by the sea dragon and nervous to go on the baby coaster, makes old school amusement parks as exciting as the first time you went!

Indeed, I had a scaredy cat on my hands.

uhhh ohhhhh..... going up....

There's no better way to reward the little boy for surviving the big coasters, than with a pound of fro-yo covered in sprinkles and Oreo cookies!

♥euniece

TJ'S Review

2012-07-28T13:23:00.000-07:00

I love Trader Joes, but with so many different delicious products it's so hard to know what's good and what's not. So I am always checking out: whatsgoodattraderjoes.com to fill me in. He posted about how incredible their chocolate croissants were, and as a chocolate lover, any excuse I can get to eat chocolate for breakfast and I'm in. So off to Trader Joe's I went.

Not to put this lightly, but these are incredible. If you like the smell of freshly baked soft buttery croissants and decadent dark melted chocolate oozing in the inside, then you will LOVE these. Trust me, I was abroad for four months and had some really great croissants in my day, and these are nothing short of scrumptious.

Four come in a pack and it's so easy, all you have to do is leave one of these out over night and let the dough rise, wake up, pop it in the oven for twenty minutes and get your taste buds ready for the easiest tastiest breakfast ever.

If you are still reading this... I highly suggest you stop, leave and go to TJ's asap.

♥euniece

Cut it Out

2012-07-14T07:50:00.009-07:00

Have you ever tried something on, loved it, but realize that your 8p.m. bed time, kind of makes it impossible to wear anywhere?

That was me, with this maxi cut out dress.

But as you can tell, the dress got the best of me, jumped in my shopping bag, and forced me to buy it.

Luckily though, there was something going on before my grandma nightly habits, that let me get crazy and wear this sexy thing (keep in mind, I normally wear the opposite of anything sexy, so showing tummy is bit wild for me).

Okay okay Euniece, cut it out and stop playing with flowers and

let's go to the Death Cab concert!

I think I've waited for this concert since middle school and it was so worth it - Below are some of my favorite clips from last night, just click on the link!!

Soul Meets Body

Soul Meets Body, Crowd Sings Too!

What Became of You

♥euniece

Sweet Summer Water

2012-07-11T18:25:00.002-07:00

Things I should do more often:

Wake up when my alarm goes off and not hit snooze for an hour

Read for pleasure

Write handwritten letters to people

Shop..oh wait...

& Take advantage of fresh summer ingredients

I can't start all good things at once, so i'll start from the bottom and work my way up.

Living in Pittsburgh, I am so lucky to have farmers markets at my fingertips day in and day out. So instead of buying processed juices and bottled waters, I decided to make my own summer water... and let me tell you, it was the best decision I have made yet.

Summer Water

1 Small Lime

1 Large Lemon

Mint Leaves

1/2 Large Cucumber

1 Thirsty Mouth

So easy, so refreshing, soooo totally drinking this every day.

♥euniece

Date Night Outfit Problems

2012-07-08T13:44:00.004-07:00

What do you do when it's too hot outside to wear jeans but always too cold in restaurants for cute strappy little dresses? You wear a cut out skirt with a casual striped tee, then you're good to go, promise, it's as easy as one, two, three because....

1. You won't look like a crazy person when

you're outside and everyone is in summer clothes

2. You won't feel like an Eskimo in the restaurant while eating fried alligator.

(And yes, I did eat fried alligator last night. I know, I'm such a lady).

3. Date night outfit problem solved! Thank you to whoever invited this genius skirt.

Tee Shirt: Forever21

Skirt: Forever21

Wedges: Forever21

♥euniece

Having a Great Day

2012-07-07T11:36:00.001-07:00

You know that feeling that you get, when you have to throw away your favorite pair of shoes due to wearing them every single day, therefore making them unacceptable to wear in public? Well, before I left Spain, I threw away my favorite pair of flats, very tragic life I live.

However, this morning I ran past a sign saying 'Have a Great Day' and indeed I did. Because when I went to the mall, not only did I stumble upon my favorite flats again, but they were on sale! Happiest girl in the world today.

I then skipped over to Forever21 which gets me, every. single. time. Seriously, I need to learn to stay away. Polka dots, chunky necklaces, high low skirts and retro sunglasses. I want it all. But unfortunately my bank account won't allow for that.

What can I say, I'm a sucker for cheap trend.

♥euniece

I'll Miss - Part 1

2012-04-24T02:44:00.000-07:00

my walks to and from school, and...

the quiet streets in the morning

stopping by the bakery before school

picking up one of these and enjoying every flakey and choclatey bite

almost getting run over by cyclers everyday

watching girls getting off of these while wearing sky high heels

looking up at the owl and knowing I'm close to home

turning on the street I live on

and admiring how lucky I am to live here

my home away from home!

♥euniece

Studying for Finals < Montserrat

2012-04-22T07:59:00.003-07:00

No matter how many finals you have

or how much work you have waiting for you at home

sometimes it is necessary to go out and get some fresh air.

No, the work won't do itself, but hey, it's okay to live every now and then and have fun. Don't worry the work will be patiently waiting for you when you get home. At least, that is the approach I am taking for my final exams this week.

I felt like I could practically touch the clouds!

One of the most incredible views I have ever seen in my life.

"Catalonia is not Spain"

M for Montserrat

1236 meters off the ground, no big deal!

Best souvenir ever!

This is me kicking my finals behind this week!

Take that art history!

♥euniece

Is there Room for Gelato?

2012-04-18T14:55:00.001-07:00

So eating in Florence kind of went a little like this...

Order an entire pizza and eat the whole thing all by yourself,

then contemplate how all of that fit in your stomach and think about your life decisions

find a bridge to sit on while in a food coma and contemplate if there is any room for gelato,

and then realize that asking if there is room for gelato is a dumb question, because

we're in Florence and calories don't count!

♥euniece

Changed Plans

2012-04-15T10:13:00.002-07:00

Sometimes accidents happen. Plans change. Trains are missed.

Sometimes you have to accept that fact that you aren't going to be able to climb a mountain like you had planned.

But it's okay, because you are in Barcelona, where there is never a dull day
(other than when your freshly washed clothes get poured on).

Today, my plans changed. I was late, I missed the train, and I didn't climb Montserrat.

I did however adventure through Parc Güell and ate lunch while overlooking the skyline of Barcelona so I guess it's okay for things to go awry and to enjoy what you have in your very own backyard.

♥euniece

Firenze Part 1

2012-04-09T01:53:00.003-07:00

When we went to Florence, it was raining, but nonetheless, I still fell in love with the place. I fell in love with the copious amounts of carbs I consumed, the fresh scent of leather that lured through the streets, the proximity of everything, the beautiful bridges, warm colorful buildings, the list goes on.

It felt like a quaint little city full of shops and so many wonderful markets, making exploring so much fun - not to mention, Italian boys are not bad to look at! ; )

Rubbing the boar's head for a second trip to Florence! Let's hope it works : )

The food is to come in the next post

; )

♥euniece

The dirty truth about Paris

2012-04-06T00:48:00.013-07:00

Before I went to Paris, I pictured some whimsically romantic place full of happy people with love in their eyes, men in berets saying oh la la, clean sparkly streets to walk on while carrying a soft freshly baked french baguette, and the sweet smell of decadent pastries filling the air around me. But I guess the movies got the best of me.

Van Gogh Self Portrait

Truth is:

Paris is dirty, very dirty.

Paris is crowded.

Paris is huge,

therefore making it impossible to walk anywhere without getting there a day later.

Parisians are friendly, at least the ones I came into contact with. Although when you walk onto the metro, it looks like they hate their life.

The Eiffel Tower is cool, but smaller than I could have ever imagined.

Paris smells more terrible than terrible.

Paris has long lines.

But Paris has incredible food, hence why there are no food pictures.
Sometimes I just can't be patient enough to take a picture of my crepe when it just wants to belong in my belly. Sometimes I just want to eat the chocolate creamy pastry the size of my head, all in one sitting. Sometimes I just want to eat 20 pieces of their addicting soft baked french bread that they give at restaurants before I get my meal, even if it does fill me up to no end. Sometimes I just want to walk into every bakery and gawk at their chocolates, éclairs, macaroons, and buttery croissants. And truth is, I did have the many pieces of bread, I did eat a pastry the size of my head for breakfast, and I did stop in every sweet smelling bakery along the way. And that in itself was worth the trip!

Au Revoir Paris, Buongiorno Firenze.

♥euniece

Cascais, Portugal

2012-03-29T06:23:00.003-07:00

As nice as it is to go to the Picasso Museum, see the beautiful Sagrada Familia, meander around Parc Guel and other Barcelona tourist attractions, there is nothing like having a real vacation. Just sitting down, sipping on wine, enjoying the view and exploring for fun, and not because you feel like you have to see something!

So that my friends, was my Portugal trip. R&R to the max, and I enjoyed every single second of it. So much that leaving was quite hard for me considering as much as I love going around, seeing things and being active, nothing beats sitting on the balcony and watching the ocean with your best friend!

You would think that with all of this traveling I would be tired, and you're right I am. But spring break is here, and Paris and Italy are calling my name!

Don't worry America, I'll see you soon : )

♥euniece

Home is Where your Heart is

2012-03-26T04:19:00.003-07:00

While being abroad for the past three months has been one of the most incredible experiences ever, I'll admit that what I have come to realize is, that there is no place like home. But being the luckiest girl I am, home came to me this weekend, all the way from Pittsburgh.

So what do you when the one you love, travels thousands of miles to see you? Eat good food, talk, eat more good food, site see and drink wine of course!

Kisses for my sleepy world travelor!

While I am may have been biten by the homesick bug lately, his visit made me realize that when you're surrounded by the ones you love, home can be anywhere.

♥euniece