my favorite hoody

Where to find me

2015-09-26T22:31:00.002-07:00

I almost hate to leave this blog on a sad note, but I guess that's how it's happening.

You can now find me at tintedgreenblog.com I'll be posting there from now on!

One more gif, for the road.

♥ Alex

Lady

2015-06-10T00:15:00.000-07:00

I've spent over a week convincing myself not to write about Lady, one of my childhood dogs who I had to put down a week and a half ago. I felt like it was a silly thing to share with the internet and honestly, I’ve been paralyzed by the thought of people I know (who probably don’t even read this blog) judging me for being sad about my domesticated animal of choice dying. I mean, I get it. Maybe I don’t deserve much sympathy. Maybe she was just a dog and it shouldn’t affect me so much since humans die every day from conflict and disease and famine. But damn it just does. The reality nags at me as I drive past the clinic where she died on my way to and from work. The finality hits me every time I go over my parents’ house and am not greeted by high pitched barks of excitement and an instant drop-and-roll that’s code for pleeeeeease rub my belly. The memory of her curly fur rushes back to me as I pet any other dog.

I’m getting dramatic. I should have made a disclaimer about this earlier. It’ll probably happen again. #notevensorryaboutnotbeingsorry

I’ll backtrack a bit. Lady had a weird episode while we were camping over Memorial Day weekend. She was asleep on my youngest sister’s lap when all of a sudden she went limp and lost control of her bladder. None of us had any idea what had happened. She had walked a decent distance in warm weather, so we figured she was experiencing dehydration or heat exhaustion or the effects of a spider bite. She lay down for a long while, but by the end of the night she made her way back into our laps and had even found some of her appetite. She spent a lot of the next two days sleeping, but that wasn’t out-of-the-ordinary behavior for her, especially while camping. She always burrowed under a chair and slept the whole day, maybe once venturing down to the lake to lap up some water or to beg for some human food.

So we were all shocked when she got worse two days after returning from the trip. At that point we knew we’d been wrong; she wasn’t tired or hot or thirsty, something else was going on. The vet at the clinic told us she had developed diabetes a while ago and that it had gotten to a point where her body couldn’t keep up anymore. She either needed immediate, intensive treatment and hospitalization or she probably wouldn’t make it through the end of the week.

I’m gonna pause right here to tell you that our dogs didn’t see the vet when they slept longer than usual or when they decided to randomly hide under a bed for a few hours. These were the first pets we’d had since puppyhood, so we naively dismissed some behaviors as personality quirks. They weren’t anything to worry about, and the vet (in our teenage heads) was there to address things we were worried about.

The pup's first night with us. Photo taken on my EnV. Remember those?

My parents brought Lady back home Wednesday evening and I took Thursday morning off to say goodbye. I originally didn’t plan on being at the clinic for the euthanization, but I couldn’t imagine leaving that burden to my younger siblings. That and I couldn’t help but feel like I had a responsibility to my dog to be there. I was there when we picked her from the litter and it felt only right that I be there when she left us. We always joked she loved me best, and I really did have a special connection to her. She was unofficially mine.

None -- and I really mean none of us siblings have had to face a death this close to our hearts before. We dealt with it in different ways: my sister Andrea by cracking jokes to Lady and me by crying, a very true depiction of how we deal with basically any issue in our lives. We carried Lady in on a pillow like the queen she always wanted to be and thankfully had to wait for a room to open up.

A room opened up sooner than any of us wanted it to, but we handed her off to the vet to prep her for the procedure. They brought her swaddled in a fluffy pink blanket and gave us another last chance to hang out with her. The veterinarian explained what would happen before he put my sweet girl at peace.

Obviously, we cried…a lot. All four of our hearts broke simultaneously that Thursday. I know we did the right thing and honestly, one of the worst parts of the whole thing was seeing her get so frail so quickly. She went from yapping to immobile within a week, it was shocking. The silver lining is I have so many more memories of her as herself than as Sick Lady.

I wish I knew when I’ll be able to think about Lady without having to pretend like it doesn’t bother me that she’s gone. Or when I’ll be able to hear Skinny Love without tearing up as I flash to how thin she was that last week of her life. Until then, I’ll keep these photos on my phone and go through them whenever I miss Lady my baby.

Camping, Not Glamping

2015-05-26T20:33:00.000-07:00

I spent my Memorial Day weekend camping at Folsom Lake with my family. We've been camping there for over a decade now, but I hadn't been able to make it to a trip for a few years. I was exceptionally happy to enjoy the holiday weekend with my family.

I took Friday off so my sister Andrea and I could get more time basking in nature. We arrived before anyone else did and expressed our excitement by instantly performing a bit about being alone in the woods. It was silly since there wasn't an audience, but totally fun.

Andrea and I felt that Friday's weather wasn't swim-worthy, so we hung out on the shore after camp was set up.

Soon enough it was dinner time and then SUNSET.

My favorite time of day, if you couldn't tell.

I wanted a simple picture of my silhouette in the sunset, so I handed Andrea my phone...and then this photo happened.

It was/is so cool, I'm still not over it.

Our underbit pup.

After sunset we gathered around the fire for some s'mores! Andrea was a marshmallow roasting queen this weekend. I'm not a big fan of marshmallows, but I'm sort of regretting not having at least one.

It's hard to tell in the photo, but this is a marshmallow smushed between two Oreos...

Or as Andrea called it, her S'moreo.

We spent all of Saturday napping in the sun and swimming. Like for real alllll day.

Even the pups were into it!

Sun napping is matched only by hammock relaxation.

Then once again, it was time for sunset!

Sunday was our last day at the lake and we enjoyed it in the same way we enjoyed the previous day.

Isn't that what vacationing is about? Doing something seemingly boring (like tanning or napping or swimming), but getting to do it in a beautiful place that isn't your couch or complex pool?

Before we left I knew I needed to try to capture a photo I'd had in my head since we arrived. I didn't intentionally wait for sunset, but in the end it worked out, because this is how the photos turned out:

I couldn't be happier.

Andrea said they sort of reminded her of the scene where Belle is singing her reprise in Beauty and the Beast (except she didn't actually use the word reprise).

I'll take it! Maybe it reminded my subconscious of Beauty and the Beast, too, and maybe that's why I went to take the photos in the first place. And maybe this movie is the true source of all of my favorite things: travel, having little pieces of hair that frame my face, sunset, running through wide open fields, France, public group singing, reading while walking, you get the picture.

We had to head out too soon for our liking. If it was up to us, we would have stayed another night, but the post-grad life comes with responsibilities, so we drove home and only slowed down once for me to take this farewell photo of our favorite lake.

See you (maybe) for the Fourth of July, Folsom!

♥ Alex

Hiking in the Park with Two Names

2015-05-18T22:29:00.001-07:00

About a month ago Brandon and I decided we wanted to take a low key hike in the late afternoon. We decided on heading to Peña Adobe (less commonly referred to as Lagoon Valley) Park in Vacaville. Both of us grew up near the park, but I hadn't spent very much time there, so luckily it's kept its novelty.

We originally planned to climb to the highest hill and watch the sunset, but we totally overestimated how long it would take us to get up there, so we chose to take our time, enjoy our little hike and not put too much pressure on our fun.

We stopped to take a water break and soak in some of the views.

I enjoyed my view...

...while Brandon enjoyed his!

I saw this enormous oak tree and had a need to see it up close, so we ventured off the main path for a bit.

The tree and I quickly became best friends.

Brandon got in on the fun, too!

My very fancy hiking equipment.

A cool almost optical illusion photo for kicks

And a couple selfie with personality.

We walked until we didn't feel like it anymore. Then we turned around to head back home. But being me, I tried to make another friend on the way down.

I tried crouching down to get a better angle of her but she freaked out and ran away. Either she thought I was a mountain lion or she sensed my friendship with the tree. Regardless, my friendship with the cow worked out just as well as Cady Heron's first crush...which is to say it didn't (10 points if you got my obscure Mean Girls reference).

Spending the afternoon outside with my favorite person in the world was wonderful. It gave me wiiiiiings!

♥ A

Currently

2015-05-11T21:35:00.000-07:00

I've never done one of these before, but Rachel does them every once in a while and I always enjoy them. Ready? Here we go!

DOING: acting out the choreography to I Have Confidence from The Sound of Music. I used to watch that movie with my mom all.the.time as a kid. That and Mary Poppins are the beginning and end of my love for Julie Andrews, but boy is that appreciation deep.

READING: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. I picked the book up again earlier last month to read while on my lunch break at work. I've read the series all the way through once, so I'm really enjoying picking up on little details that might mean something -- or that I might just be assigning meaning to -- now that I know the whole story.

PLANNING: a DIY to fix my TOMS. I wore them holes-and-all to the produce store (not grocery...I picked my words correctly) and realized how unused the shoes actually are. The insides still feel new! I love how comfy TOMS are but I also think it'd be wasteful to buy a brand new pair because my current ones need patching. So I'm gonna get crafty, which is not something I do often. Here's how I plan to do it.

THINKING ABOUT: how much time I spend sitting during the day. From my commute to my desk job to eating dinner to watching Veep or Friends once I get home. It's one of the reasons I semi-regularly practice yoga. I guess I'm also thinking about how I'm not practicing yoga regularly which is nuts because I legit feel better when I do. Ugh, first world adult problems, right?

LOOKING FORWARD TO: camping over Memorial Day weekend! I haven't gone camping in two or three years and I miss it! Even though Memorial Day is notoriously too cold for swimming, I'm hoping the skies will clear out and let me get an even tan. I'll be camping without my partner in crime but I'm absolutely looking forward to sharing a tent and hanging out with my sister just like the old days. I'm also excited about the new tent my parents keep talking up. Apparently it's tall enough to stand in! (it doesn't take much to get Pinedas excited)

LOVING: besides the obvious (I'm looking at you, raspberries), I'm loving my brush pens! Sacramento must be immune to calligraphy workshops because it's impossible to find one out here despite the hipsters. Either way, I'm too chicken to teach myself dip-your-oblique-thing-into-ink calligraphy, so I thought brush pens would be a fun place to start. I'm nowhere near Etsy level, but I'm learning to embrace my own writing.

-- A

Miserable Magical Monday || Music Edition

2015-05-04T13:29:00.000-07:00

I have this tendency to listen to the same songs over and over again. They're not necessarily new songs or pop songs. In fact, they're usually songs I've found by listening to a random Spotify playlist containing the word acoustic in the title. Anyway, if you haven't heard these songs yet, you should. They're great. Especially if you dig acoustic/band based pop music as much as I do.

LUCIUS, TWO OF US ON THE RUN

This video is a live performance (because I prefer acoustic live versions, just ask Brandon), but the studio version of this song is just as lovely. Lucius' vocal layering just gets me. It makes me wish I could harmonize like them...and write music...and rock a retro look. Also I say their name the way Voldemort says Lucius Malfoy's in part one of the Deathly Hallows movie. I realize that's an incredibly obscure reference, and apparently most of my references are that subtle, but if you understood what I meant, you get 75 house points.

Just to emphasize how infatuated I am with this song, you should know I'm literally listening to it as I type this and put the final touches on this post. The obsession is really real.

THE BARR BROTHERS, BEGGAR IN THE MORNING

This song makes me feel like I'm driving along the coast on a gorgeous spring day, perfectly content. I first heard it on one of the many Spotify generated playlists. Even though I don't know the words very well, I still love it. To clarify, yes, I've been listening to this song -- sometimes on repeat -- for months and still haven't learned the lyrics.

THE SECRET SISTERS, TOMORROW WILL BE KINDER

I think this song is what set me on my folksy kick that only Lana del Rey and Lorde have been able to draw me out of (okay fine,Taylor's 1989 also lured me away from it). This song is from the compilation album of songs inspired by the first Hunger Games movie, and it's my go-to song when I'm having a wallowing-in-my-overwhelming-feelings moment.

BRIGHT, ECHOSMITH

In an effort to diversify the music I'm sharing, I'll also go ahead and give a shout out to the relatively new Echosmith. Remember that Cool Kids song? This is the band behind it. I'm pretty sure Bright is their latest single, but it's a perfectly good pop song. Before I type this next snobby sentence, I have to tell you that I mean this as earnestly as possible: my favorite part of the song is the personification of the planets in the lyrics. Are you gagging from how annoyingly specific that was? I almost did. But I mean it, I like picturing Jupiter as having the ability to conspire. To be fair, I also enjoyed when Lorde referred to the moon as someone she loves like a brother in Team. Who knew I was so into space imagery?

I hope you listen and find something you like! Are there any songs I should be listening to but have missed?

- Alex

My Week in Coffee

2015-04-27T03:30:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, I love good coffee. I'm all about the locally roasted, organic snobbery because I really think it tastes better than anything else. I've gotten to the point where I can note the subtle taste profiles in the espressos from different roasters/shops. Some are nuttier (hey oh!) while others are more acidic.

How far I've come since considering this mocha slushy with a chocolate cookie straw coffee...and this shot as a decent photo. Seriously Alex?

Anyway, I'm dubbing this past week my week in coffee. I scored some delicious craft coffee six times in eight days. I only displayed one of them on instagram, which is honestly a huge deal, because I have a visceral urge to share pretty coffee with the internet every single time I enjoy it. Hence this post.

Saturday

UC Davis had it's annual Picnic Day celebration on the 18th. Brandon and I didn't know exactly what Picnic Day entailed and I definitely thought it was an afternoon event, so we ventured downtown to our favorite coffee and tea spot: Mishka's Cafe.

Mishka's is a total study spot, but since Picnic Day is basically a holiday, there was plenty of seating. I did some blogging while Brandon caught up on some work for the literary magazine he's working on for one of his classes.

Sunday

Brandon and I were able to sleep in on Sunday and I chose to celebrate with a new coffee spot called Journey Coffee Co. on our way to church.

The coffee is great, but unfortunately the barista was less than friendly. Also I felt like a total hipster walking in to church with my independent coffee shop coffee instead of the ever popular Starbucks, but that's not really a bad thing to me.

Monday

I had the longest day at work, which is kind of ironic since I got to work an hour late thanks to some absolutely terrible traffic. It was the first time I've ever crumbled (and by that I mean cried) due to the stress of everything. But I did some confined space yoga in a closet and calmed myself down. My cousin Rachel pointed out how yogi of a thing that was for me to do, and I totally agree.

I treated myself to some solo decompression time at Mishka's that night. I wrote in my journal, I got on Pinterest, I read some blogs and listened to music. It was the perfect way to drown out the day's negativity.

Tuesday

I got coffee with Barbara at a recent Davis find, Common Grounds Coffee. I found this coffee shop on Yelp and have really enjoyed the couple of times I've been there. The coffee is incredibly well priced and well roasted. Plus this time I got an elephant!

Fun story about this night: I'd pumped gas the night before and put my debit card into my pocket, then forgotten to grab my card before leaving for work the next morning. So I show up at the counter and order my drink only to realize I still don't have my card (even though I'd swung by my apartment to change my shoes and grab a few things) and no cash. I stumble through letting the guy behind the counter know I can't pay them and before I can say "let me ask my friend if she can pay," the barista -- who looks nothing like what you'd expect from a local coffee shop -- tells me not to worry about it, that they'll still make the drink for me.

Thursday

I was particularly sleepy this morning and I figured the best cure would be some pre-work, pre-commute caffeine. I chose to give Journey coffee another try, thinking that maybe I caught them on an off day and they'd be cheerier this time around. I was wrong, this time was worse. I think the barista said hi to me. She definitely didn't smile once. From there the only times she opened her mouth were to tell me how much my coffee and scone cost and then to call out my order when it was on the bar.

Keep in mind, I was pre-caffeinated here. How in the world was I more friendly sans coffee than the girl working surrounded by caffeine?! I even went as far as to thank her for my coffee when I picked it up and she didn't respond. Not a smile, not even a nod. She just turned around.

I'm giving that place one last chance before I decide to write a review on Yelp...and I never write reviews on Yelp!

Saturday

I closed out the week in coffee with Mishka's, of course. It's sort of become my Saturday tradition with Brandon. We wake up slowly, stay in our pajamas extra long, then get dressed specifically so we can get coffee and tea at Mishka's then walk around the Arboretum. It makes for perfect Saturdays.

On a similar note, I was lucky enough to get an espresso machine that was being replaced by a Nespresso at work! Now I can actually brew espresso and steam milk in my own home. I'm simultaneously excited and intimidated by the legitness (not a word, I know) of this thing!

Stay caffeinated, amigos.
♥ A

Miserable, Magical Monday || 4/20/15

2015-04-20T22:10:00.001-07:00

I have some old news:

My once beautiful, flourishing IKEA succulent is gone. I killed it.

I killed a succulent. A SUCCULENT. My seasonal poinsettia lasted longer than my succulent.

Isn't this thing supposed to be low maintenance?

Maybe that's what I get for buying a plant at IKEA.

I couldn't tell you if I neglected or smothered it to death.

All I know is he's gone.

Melodrama aside, I need a botanist to explain some things to me...like how is it I can keep dying flowers alive longer than a living plant? My cut flowers last for weeks and my plants...well, they hold on as long as they can.

In the Villa and I'm Muggin Myself for Being Irresponsible

I've been feeling guilty lately over my repeated use of disposable coffee cups at work. When I was in college and even throughout my first year in the workforce, I was diligent about bringing my tumbler (which I actually just spelled as tumblr -- SAVE ME) to work. But in hindsight, I was more motivated by my need for drinkable coffee than by sustainability. The fact is, the coffee at my current office is delicious (because it's also sold to the public) and I've become a spoiled blob of free coffee and free lunch...and it's having an adverse effect on my noticing how much I throw away.

All of that to say I'm on the lookout for a reusable mug. But I have some conditions. If I'm gonna drop $15 or whatever these things cost nowadays, I want it to be fun-looking, spill proof and durable. Believe it or not, that's been hard to come by.

Podcasts

I have a few new podcasts I've been listening to. Have you heard of the Smart Women Smart Power podcast? It's a podcast where women talk about pressing international and political issues. It's done in an interview format but not always one on one. The host isn't the most dynamic out there, but the conversation is generally stimulating, interesting, and awesome for political science nerds. I listened to the episode with Anne Marie Slaughter a while ago and I was giddy to hear her thoughts vs. reading them.

My friend Barbara tuned me into the Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast a few weeks ago and I'm loving it. It's pretty light material since the topic is always pop culture related, but the conversation is some of the most insightful, intelligent discussion I've heard in a while. Usually, pop culture podcasts stay pretty shallow, but the panelists are all so damn smart on this podcast that the discussion quickly deepens and in turn becomes interesting to listen to without being pretentious. I mean, unless you think that talking about and comparing the color palette of a show is pretentious, this might not be for you.

Have you seen there's a podcast related to Aanan Sayed case? It's totes inspired by Serial's story, but supposedly it covers the story from a more journalistic approach than a narrative one. I haven't listened to it yet but I'm intrigued. I mean, I would regularly think about how weird it must have been to be someone who lived through that whole experience as a teenager, only for it to become the trendy story of the year 15 or 20 years later while the Serial saga was airing. So now I almost feel like I should listen to this new podcast since I made this real horror into a source of entertainment for myself. Like, I might have some minute obligation to keep up with the case since I helped make it such a huge deal by downloading the episodes every week. But I digress (a lot).

I've been digging This American Life lately, but they pretty much always do a good job, so that's no surprise.

Are there any new/new to you podcasts I should start listening to? I like ones that are about an hour long since that's how long my commute is to and from work. Let me know!

Until next week,
♥ A

Birthdays Are Perfect

2015-04-13T17:46:00.000-07:00

Except this one.

I've spent next to no time exploring the Napa Valley. I have a business relationship with it. I commute 50 miles to get there, spend eight hours or more making sure employees get whatever they need, and head the 50 miles back home at the end of the day.

I wanted to do something special for Brandon's 25th birthday. I requested a night at the resort and luckily enough got approved! This was Napa's opportunity to show off. I wanted a speed date with it, and I fully expected it to leave a life changing impression on me.

The weather had other plans...

We began the day by grabbing lunch at Boudin, as requested by Brandon. The inside was packed so we sat outside...in the rain...and cold...Brandon had no jacket on.

Little did I know Brandon was coming down with a cold/flu thing.

I'd done a bit of research of possible cool places to visit. One of them was the Bale Grist Mill State Historic Park. I looked at the photos and thought it would be such a nice place to explore. Plus, it happened to be en route to the castle we planned on exploring! But when we got there -- and by there I mean the gate -- we realized the mill was not open at all. We were trying to play tourist in the middle of slow season, so I wasn't entirely shocked, though I was disappointed.

Then we set off to visit the Castello di Amorosa. It's a castle built using traditional methods of medieval architecture, even though the structure itself is relatively new. The owner has an extensive history of the project listed on his website. Pretty cool thing to nerd out over.

Anyway, I chose it because I knew Brandon would enjoy it. We pulled into the parking lot and the sprinkle of rain that had been trailing us turned into true rainfall. We sat in the car for a minute trying to decide if we should even get out. I was determined to (read: stubborn) have something to show for our drive out there, so we braved the rain. We walked up the steps and were quickly topped by a woman who ushered us into what I guess is the lobby to purchase our wine tasting passes. Uninterested in a tasting, we walked back into the rain to try and explore the grounds. We were unsuccessful, so we walked back down to the mini stables. The rain refused to let up and Brandon was feeling progressively worse, so we gave up on the outdoor activities for the day.

We still had a bit of time to kill before check in and were both pretty cold, so we headed to Bouchon Bakery in Yountville to get some pick-me-ups. We patiently waited in line outside under the awning until we could fit into the small bakery. We picked up some warm drinks (coffee for me, tea for B) and each got a large macaron to enjoy for dessert later that night. There's no indoor seating and it was still raining outside, so we huddled back to the car. At this point, Brandon was out of it. He was not feeling well and it was clear he needed to sleep. So I took the wheel...and the scenic route to the hotel.

Check in was a surreal experience for me. As someone who regularly interacts with all departments on property, I've come to know nearly everyone by name and face. So it was a little strange to have employees wait on me the way I usually wait on them. I have to give it up to my colleagues and superiors: they really treated me as a guest and not as their co-worker who was using her free night at a luxury resort. The reception agent that checked us in gave us a cottage in a "desirable neighborhood" (yeah, there are neighborhoods) with the most requested layout. I was thrilled even though I had no idea what it meant.

I'd made our dinner reservations for closer to 7:00 than 4:00pm, so we threw on the fireplace and the warmest robes and Brandon crashed while I relaxed.

Can you blame him? He was such a trooper.

♥ A

Reminiscing About La Tour Eiffel

2015-03-31T22:02:00.000-07:00

If you googled something today (I guess it's not really today anymore for you east coasters...oops), you saw Google's header was something honoring the Eiffel Tower 126th Opening Anniversary. Since I'm practically obsessed with the Eiffel Tower and I'll take any excuse to humbly gloat about seeing it in person, I'm forcing my terrible four year old photos on you now.

Will it make it better if I tell you I waited in the wrong line for about an hour and never made it to the very top of the tower because I had to catch the RER (I think) back to my host-home?

It's one of my life's biggest disappointments.

That and this photo of me looking like a total goober.

On to the decent stuff!

That blue sky is something else over there.

View from the first level.

I spared you a photo of my feet on the first step. Because I care that you don't care to see my sandal-walking tourist toes.

My favorite memory from this day is the dirty bonheur puns one of my classmates/groupmates kept making (I'll let you read bonheur in English and guess what kind of joke bandwagon we all jumped on).

Also the view of Montmartre was insane. That's the Sacre Coeur.

I can't end this without including the group photo that was not taken on my camera and that I totally downloaded from Facebook four years ago.

Hashtag take me back immediately please.

♥ Alex

San Jose

2015-03-15T18:42:00.001-07:00

It was our last day in Costa Rica and I'd saved the capital, San Jose, for last. That morning, we woke up, grabbed some McDonald's for breakfast and wifi, and caught the bus into downtown.

The whole experience was trippy for me. I don't know if my sister really caught on to how many memories I was reliving just while riding the bus. I was definitely in my own little world.

The bus stopped at its usual spot by la caja which is just a big, boxy, concrete government building that has lots of bus stops around it. From there I oriented myself and we headed for the national theater.

I'd been to the cafe inside the theater only once in my time in Costa Rica. Funny enough, my first visit there was also towards the end of my time living in San Jose, when it felt necessary to go do something with the one roommate you got along with because you both knew this would be the functional end of your friendship.

I ordered some latté and Andrea got a white hot chocolate or something. The coffee was good but our server was so not about indulging us. I ended up getting out of my seat to ask what the pastry options were. If I remember, we got some sort of delicious cake (which should not be a surprise since we're Pinedas).

Do you ever feel like you don't look like yourself in a photo? That's what this is for me.

We took a tour of the theater shortly after our mid morning treat. Fun fact: the theater is a to-scale smaller replica of the national opera in Paris. At least the inside is. I'm going to majorly plonk* right now and tell you that I love that I saw the original theater one summer and sat in a concert in the replica not three months later.

But I digress.

Auditions for something were happening as we were taking our tour so we got to sit in the dark and watch dancers be amazing. We reminisced about high school theater auditions and rehearsals and how we miss it all (OK not all of it).

I know this photo is pretentious. I don't care.

I was antsy to show Andrea my neighborhood and host home, so we jumped on the bus my expired instinct told me to take. Sadly, my instincts had us take the express bus which meant we got off pretty far away from where we should have. Andrea was a total trooper. It was hot, there was a World Cup game about to start, and here I was forcing her to walk all over an area even I hardly remembered when we could have just taken the correct bus or a taxi!

We eventually reached my host university, Universidad Veritas. A bit had changed around the campus, but I took Andrea all the way up the stairs to where I took my Spanish class and explained to her the details of what the food court area used to look like (did I mention she was a trooper?) and then took her to see where I learned how to Latin dance.

All the furniture would be pushed aside and we'd get to dancing. I miss those days and what it did for my waist.

My host home is literally around the corner from the university, so I took Andrea to go see it. I hadn't contacted my host mom, who I'll now refer to as my mama tica, so she had no idea I was coming over. I had no idea if she was home or on vacation. I knocked on the door and...she was there!

Outside my bedroom window!

I had to jog her memory a little bit about who I was. It's completely understandable: she hosts one to four students each semester, so she has lots of names to remember and forget.

Anyway, I showed Andrea my room, which looked almost the same. She saw the kitchen where my roommate Devin and I once ate cold leftover lasagna after a night out at the bar. I'll never forget that she called my pairing of lasagna and orange juice "gnarly."

I knew I had totally interrupted her day, so I took a quick photo with her and said goodbye. It was time to go back to the home bar of study abroad: Los Pros.

The bar's technically named Los Profesionales but us milens (translation: millennials) dialed it back to Los Pros. Now, the place has changed significantly over the last three years, but luckily, Edgar, the owner has not. He comes across tons of people, loads of students every semester, that I was sure he wouldn't remember me. Maybe he didn't. As I remember it, I don't think he knew my name, but he remembered my face thanks to -- wait for it -- Facebook. So did the main bartender, Monica, who is now all sleeved out and fab as ever.

I ordered my study abroad usual: rum with pineapple juice and Andrea finally got to try the Costa Rican beer. I'm talking about Imperial. I'm not a beer girl so I won't pretend to know how to describe the taste, but Andrea said it was like a Corona, but better.

I'm getting off topic! The point was to tell you that my drink was basically rum with a splash of juice.

Edgar had hooked it up as usual.

We needed to go souvenir shopping before sundown, so we sadly said our goodbyes to Edgar and jumped on the bus back into the city. We got to the mercado artesanal and had a ball picking out all the things. I bought huaraches as a consolation for not being able to replace my beloved purse. Andrea bought herself a backpack and we spent all our colones except for enough to buy airport food the next day.

The dark came too quickly and we headed back by bus to our friend Monika's for dinner. She took us to see her parents, who knew Andrea and I before we had memories. We picked up Monika's daughter Dani from school and grabbed a final dinner at a local spot with awesome fried food and a cool environment. (Legit almost just typed in Spanish...what is my brain?!)

Before I knew it, the trip had come and gone and it was time to give back all the joys vacation lends you. We turned the car in, ate a ridiculously overpriced lunch, and sat in the terminal to watch Costa Rica play the Netherlands in the World Cup. The game went to a shoot out that CR just wasn't able to win. That part was sad. It helped distract me from the sadness of leaving.

I'm trying so hard not to get all philosophical and lofty so I'll just say this: I felt like I got to go home for a little bit, and I'm thankful I was able to share it with Andrea. Study abroad can feel unreal. It can feel like you fell asleep for a semester and only dreamed you saw and ate and did what you did. Going back and sharing it with someone who only interacted with my experience via Facebook photos solidified that I did do this. It was real.

And that is cool.

♥ A

*Plonk: the travel equivalent of name dropping. Origin: Barbara Gausewitz

Miserable Magical Monday || 3-9-15

2015-03-09T20:34:00.000-07:00

It's Monday. Are you miserable? Maybe some of this will make it magical.

1. I'm watching the Sharks play the Penguins as I type this. So if at some point there's a random typo or if I sound randomly flustered it's because something exciting is happening. Something intense enough to make me say "Come on, boys." That's my personal cheer. I never shout it, but whisper it like they'll be able to hear me through the TV or something. Like there's something magical about a whisper. Or a point, for that matter.

2. We celebrated my dad-in-law's birthday on Saturday with lots of good barbecue, apple pie, and the Live Aid DVD. I guess the Queen performance there was frickin legendary, but I'd never had the pleasure of watching it until then. Brandon and I later marveled at how commanding Freddie Mercury was. The clip below is still relatively early in the 20 minute performance, but the fact that Freddie doesn't at any point ask the audience to chant with him is amazing enough. They just listen! It was amazing and I'm pissed I never got to see Queen live.

3. I read this article on NPR. It's short and just a nice story, but sometimes a nice story is all you need on the mediocre days!

4. I listen to the Coffee Break French podcast and this week's episode was soooo good. There was even a Friends (FRIENDS? What's the consensus on the formatting?) reference made by one of the hosts. I blurted out a "HAAA" when I heard it. Besides that, the vocab was stellar and the grammar was intense. Which is great because my French has taken a huge hit thanks to all the Spanish I speak and write at work.

Did that sound as annoying as I'm reading it? I swear I'm not trying to be impressive or cool.

Alright, that's all I've got for today. I hope your Monday (or Tuesday) is a good one.

♥ A

12 Things: Results

2015-03-01T16:46:00.001-08:00

It's been a few months since my 12 Things deadlines came and went. Here's a quick overview of how I did.

Done

1. Perfect the tiramisu cupcake

7. Bake a cake/cupcakes from scratch - I made an apple crumb cake for Thanksgiving (along with my cappuccino cookies). I completely spaced and didn't take a photo, but according to my sister it was pretty delicious. I (of course) didn't have a bite because I was too nervous it would be disgusting.

9. Complete 5 of my pins on my Learn/Make/Do board on Pinterest. 1 2 3 4 5

Half Done

2. Read 6 books - Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me, Mindy Kaling and Divergent, Victoria Roth are as far as I got before my birthday. BUT! Since then, I started and finished A Year of Biblical Womanhood by Rachel Held Evans and I've moved on to Gone Girl. Also, The Shining is still sitting on my side table, half read, but I feel like it's so dark it might be better to store it in the freezer (newbie Friends reference, anyone?) for a while.

3. Explore a part of San Francisco I've spent little time in. - This did not happen to the extent I wanted it to, but I did get to spend a surprise afternoon in the city to get my passport. I was totally unprepared for it clothing-wise. I realized this once I was at the BART station. All I had to keep my lizard self warm was a light blazer. But I made the best of my procrastination by finding a hidden Blue Bottle Coffee near the processing office. I sat there and enjoyed my pretty latte, wrote in my journal, then moseyed on outside to sit in the sun. Not a bad way to kill time!

6. Make coffee art - Honestly, I've just uploaded lots of photos of coffee art. Maybe we can make that count. At the very least I should get credit for rediscovering my french press. Kona coffee made in a french press...now that's a work of art!

Attempted

4. Finish organizing/uploading my Project 365 - It turns out working on a project you know you never finished is too much of a hassle for not enough pay off.

5. Practice French everyday for a month. - I know I said April, but it turns out April had other ideas.

8. Watch 10 classic movies I've never seen before. - I added nothing to the list of movies I've seen after the two from last update. I've realized that movies are not my thing. I like to think they're my thing, but when push comes to shove, I'm gonna sit at home and watch HIMYM or New Girl or Gilmore or Friends before I pop in a movie.

10. Hand letter something. Turn that something into art. - I'd like to actually know what I'm doing before I commit to the creation of art. But this is definitely on my radar.

Completely Missed

11. Volunteer at Coastal Cleanup Day - It's hard to be in two places at once, and I ended up volunteering my time at a debate tournament that weekend.
12. Decorate the apartment - Curtains. I need to buy some darn curtains.

Ok, so I didn't do as well as I'd planned. But I'm not stressing about it. I mean, I definitely was stressed about completing my things on time. Then one day, I realized that I created the list because I needed a push. I didn't want to lose the motivation that kept me growing and learning. And you know something? The list did exactly that. I might not have been able to cross everything off the list, but I did do some other cool things like:

learned to make a soup other than chicken noodle (no shade)

styled a bookshelf

started learning to play ukulele

traveled abroad

practiced yoga

experimented with makeup and hairstyles

went back to San Diego

enjoyed living in Davis

hung out with Brandon

turned 25

I think that's a fine list.

♥ A

Still Living

2015-02-17T12:05:00.000-08:00

Even though I don't post everyday, I always take pictures of what I'm doing. This is my first photo dump of random things I've documented during January and some of February, which I'm dubbing Still Living. Get it? Like still life photography?

Enjoy, friends.

Our church changed it's service times, which means Brandon and I have to be in Fairfield at 8am every Sunday for him to practice with the band. I've made a nice routine out of it. I drop him off and then hang out at the Starbucks nearby for about an hour before I have to head in to help with the babies. It's given me a chance to slow down, reflect, read, or write. It's nice to have a forced alone time.

One random Friday we decided to branch out and try a new restaurant. We landed at Bistro 33, the classy restaurant attached to City Hall tavern in downtown Davis. The prices were less expensive than expected and the food was fabulous. I ordered the kobe beef sliders and loved them. I think Barbara ordered a spicy marinara pasta and Brandon ordered the French dip sandwich. We were all satisfied with our food and really dug the housemade potato chips.

Brandon and I went to our first San Jose Sharks game in years. We got to hang out with Nick and Seth and snack on pretzels and hot dogs. We were seated next to some Maple Leaf fans who kept trying to start chants. My favorite part (besides the fact the Sharks picked up) was how Nick would instantly start his own Sharks chant and we'd all join in and drown out the Maple Leaf guys -- whose face paint, by the way, looked more teal than blue. Sometimes it's all about those moments of blind loyalty.

What an artsy photo of...bananas? Yes. I'm including it because I love Rainforest Alliance and the cool work they do. And I saw their Follow the Frog sticker on some bananas last month so I picked those over another brand. Plus these bananas were less expensive than the other ones! Being a conscious consumer doesn't need to be difficult.

I had a good makeup and hair day and I showed it off to my friends with a cliche car selfie complete with a gratuitous limp hand.

I worked late one night to help host the employee 5 and 10 year anniversary reception. It was a great example of the perks of working for a resort. I rode in the golf cart enjoying the views of the property, got to sip on champagne and eat haute cuisine tater tots I could never afford on my own. I had a great time and I think the honored employees did too.

I was really proud of my dinner resourcefulness. We made eggs with turkey and I threw in some zucchini for color and veggies. It was delicious and easy. Does this count as clean eating or paleo or something? I don't know. All I know is I'd like some more.

I'd bet that the majority of girls not only have group texts with their girl friends, but use it as a way to share their outfits every day. I know I have two group texts where it's normal for us to selfie each other or send our OOTD's. I was particularly happy with this outfit, plus I pulled out my old black oxfords from college. They're totally plastic and not super comfortable, but they look good.

One of my coworkers suggested I put strawberries and blueberries in my water instead of lemon. It was a total game changer. I've been trying to up my water intake because I'm pretty sure I'm perpetually dehydrated. I even use an app to track how much water I've had each day. This was the first day I reached my goal.

Brandon had a Friday night gig with his band which left me on my own for the night. Luckily, I headed straight to Barbara's apartment where we whipped up some stir fry. We added extra broccoli since she and I really like it and paired it with some brown rice. Seriously, I don't know how it ended up so healthy. We usually struggle to make healthy food.

After spending an afternoon downtown, Brandon and I decided we wanted to have some Japanese food for dinner. The trouble was the place we originally picked was busy. So busy that there were three couples all waiting just to put their name down. We waited about five minutes before I suggested a less fancy option closer to our apartment. The food there is good, the prices are reasonable, and how pretty is the food?! I ate all of it.

These cupcakes were from my cousin Lily's bridal shower! I had an awesome time playing games and eating good food, even if one of the games entailed passing a wooden spoon using only knees. It was hilarious. The I Love Lucy theme was so perfect for Lily. My highlight was getting to chat with my cousins, especially since we don't get to see each other too often anymore. Oh, and these cupcakes. Strawberry and whipped cream goodness.

I have no explanation for this photo. I was done with my solo Starbucks date, saw a stump, got on top of it, and took a photo. Tadaaa!

Brandon got sick pretty much on his birthday, so I made some comforting chicken noodle soup for us one night. It fed us for almost a week! Soup seems like the only thing I can eat leftovers of over and over again. Maybe because once you warm it up, it still feels like you've just made it?

I asked for flowers for Valentine's Day. Brandon delivered. They're beautiful and they smell lovely. He even went as far as buying me socks with hearts on them and chocolate covered espresso beans! Once I kick this cough I'll be all over those.

We spent the gorgeous Sunday afternoon at Davis' Central Park. There was a craft fair happening (not sure if it's a weekly thing) and a live jazz band playing. We took a seat in the wicker chairs of the Comfort Cafe where I read my book while Brandon soaked in the music. It was a relaxing way to enjoy the gorgeous weather together!

This is from this morning. I woke up with a gnarly cough yesterday and a worse sore throat this morning. I've been miraculously enjoying the taste of my echinacea tea with a lemon slice, a bit of honey, and maple syrup to hide the honey taste. I don't know if you're supposed to put maple syrup in your tea, but it's the only way I like it.

See you guys soon! Hopefully not this sick.

♥ A

Sarchi

2015-02-03T21:45:00.000-08:00

One of my professors from study abroad, we just called him Milton, once mentioned this awesome place called Sarchi. He told me of a place where traditionally painted ox carts packed the roads and where you could really experience traditional Costa Rican coffee culture.

His description of this place sounded like something Disneyland would want to replicate and something I needed to see.

But I didn't. I totally missed it when I was living in San Jose.

So with day trips becoming plan A for the last part of our trip, I convinced Andrea that this would be a good idea.

I'm gonna burst everyone's excited bubble quickly: Sarchi was not that exciting. Did I see a few cool ox carts? Yes. But is Sarchi really a destination worthy of a full day? I'd say no.

I foolishly expected something straight out of Disneyland and was unimpressed when I didn't get it.

But I'm getting ahead of myself, as usual. Our previous attempt to visit Volcan Poas being unsuccessful, we decided to try again before driving out to Sarchi. This time, we started our trip up the mountain much earlier since I'd read that the morning tends to yield the best chance of a view.

There were a few clouds in the sky, but nothing too daunting. Of course, until we reached the gate. The sun and fluffy white puffs gave way to cold, overcast, misty skies. The same gentleman from the day before warned us that the volcano wasn't visible, so he didn't recommend we use our money to see nothing. By this point, we were already determined to make the hike out to the crater viewing point, so we paid our foreigner entrance fees (even though he totally thought we were nationals) and entered the park.

The hike looked like something out of Into the Woods or Sleeping Beauty. I felt like I was going to encounter an evil dragon around one of the bends, but we only passed up a woman prancing through the mist in high heeled sneakers.

The concerned park ranger was right. The volcano's iconic crater was nowhere to been seen. The fog was thick and revealed nothing. Regardless, we snapped a tourist photo before heading off on our way to Sarchi.

After driving through many more residential streets than I'd mentally prepared myself for, we finally found ourselves near the town square. True to my professor Milton's lore, in the center of the plaza, right in front of the church, was the world's largest ox cart. We walked around it and mildly judged a dozen or so tourist teenagers who were posing for an instagram photo.

The cart is fenced in so you can't really go up to it and see the insane hand painted details, which is a bit of a bummer. So we wandered around the plaza and stared at the church's pretty intricacies. Andrea picked up some pansito (just a cutesy way of saying bread in Spanish) from a bakery across the street for us to enjoy after lunch.

We made a joke that when lost (in Costa Rica), always orient yourself by where the church is.

We'd passed by a big souvenir market on our way into the center of town. It seemed like the best place to ask where we could get a piece of the Sarchi experience. I ended up just asking where I could find some decent food since it was nearing lunch time and we were getting hungry. It turned out that there was a restaurant right behind the souvenir shop called Restaurante La Finca. I drove down a steep hill and parked in a patch of grass near a butterfly garden that we had no intention of visiting, even if we did have time to kill (see previous butterfly-induced fright here). We walked up, and even though we were the only patrons in the middle of the day, we sat down because there was free wifi. Luckily, the food was delectable, the portions were large, and the strawberry lemonade was yummy.

We scarfed our food until we couldn't scarf anymore.

Growing up, my parents routinely, almost obsessively, had coffee after every meal. In fact, the eating time isn't over until everyone who drinks coffee has a mug of it in their hand. They do this to this day. Whenever Brandon and I have lunch or dinner at my parents' house, I'm guaranteed to be offered coffee within five minutes of finishing the food on my plate.

La Finca was no different. Our server came by and offered me some coffee, which I happily accepted. He disappeared for a moment and returned with an old school pour over system. You know, the kind that use cloth as a filter instead of paper? It was so cool...I'm totally kicking myself six months later for not taking a picture of it. But geez if that coffee wasn't delicious. I sat there, sipped my coffee, and soaked in the moment with my sister.

On our way back to the main highway, I made an impulse decision to stop at a furniture store with an ornate front. It ended up paying off because we got to see some real life antique ox cart wheels!

We also got to witness an artisan hand paint a tray.

I asked for his name before we left and I told myself to remember it, but I wouldn't be able to tell you what letter his name started with. I don't actually think we were supposed to be walking around watching them, but no one said anything to us, so we watched intently as this interesting mute man gestured to me as if he was teaching me how to paint traditional designs.

In a nutshell, if you want to experience coffee culture, take a tour of a plantation. But if you do find yourself in Sarchi, visit Restaurante La Finca, you won't be disappointed.

2014 Highlights, In Photos

2015-01-02T10:54:00.000-08:00

Everyone and their mother is doing end-of-year roundups and I'm no exception. Here's a look at the high moments of my otherwise tumultuous 2014.

We never did blog about our autumnal trip to Apple Hill, but we went and I love this photo of Barbara. November, Apple Hill, CA

Sold Brandon's Magic cards so he could buy a bass, January

Starbucks with Brandon, February, Fairfield,CA

Watching Say Nothing in the Valentine's Day fort, February

Tahoe, March

I feel like this is what Yellowcard was talking about in Empty Apartment, May

Costa Rica with my sister, June/July

Stunning back road sunset, July

My friend got married! August, Salinas, CA

Trivia night at Woodstock's, August?, Davis, CA

Pre-25th-birthday trip with Barbara, October, Cafe Bassam, San Diego, CA

OMG the colors. The glorious colors! September, Muir Beach Overlook, CA

Exploring our new town's pool scene, May/June, G Street Wunderbar, Davis, CA

The dessert at my friend Kari's wedding was extraordinary..and beautiful to look at, August, Salinas, CA

Brandon will hate me for this photo but it's one of my favorites. This was our last night in our first apartment. We sat on the floor, laughed and talked just like any other Saturday night. Derek sent Barbara this photo and Brandon tried to be funny. I just laughed. I like to remember that apartment in this context. May, Fairfield, CA

Brandon and I went ice skating -- as, of course, is tradition -- on the anniversary of
our engagement.We got lucky and had the entire rink to ourselves. I got to pretend I was a real
figure skater and Brandon taught me how to skate backwards. And we got to stand in the
exact spot where he asked me to marry him two years ago. And I wore the same scarf I wore
that night because nostalgia is my love language.

Brandon had his first show with a country cover band out of Chico. I never thought
I'd see the day this man would purposefully listen to country music, but it's nice
to know he can still surprise me after eight years!

Happy 2015, everybody!

♥ A

Miserable, Magical Monday || Christmas Edition!

2014-12-29T22:51:00.000-08:00

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^Shameless plug^

I've been dying to get back into my regular posting groove and what better way to do it than with the return of Miserable, Magical Monday?

1. The Voice!I know it's over and there's been a winner but I've magically been able to avoid the results up to this point. It all started a few weeks ago when Brandon decided he wanted to watch it. We spent a whole afternoon watching it the day I stayed home from work because of the big storm we had out here a few weeks ago.

Side bar: I woke up, got ready, and drove about 20 minutes before I decided my car had been jerked one too many times by the wind. I turned around because honestly, I was not about to risk getting stuck in a flooded Napa or driving at night, in traffic, in rain and wind when the morning had been so yucky.

So I stayed home with Brandon and binge-watched old episodes of The Voice. I've made it to the top 12, and I was pretty surprised at a few of the coach's choices (how, HOW did Adam get rid of Taylor?) but overall I'm excited to see the rest of the show. I really dig the indie guys, which should not surprise anyone.

2. I had a huge debacle with my Christmas cards last year when I received 50 copies of some generic-looking family's card instead of my own. I was so unhappy about it that I was determined to send out a classy card this year. But as luck would have it, the cards I ordered online (in a same-day print capacity to avoid shipping headaches) were printed on flimsy photo paper. I seriously have zero luck with Christmas cards...and I hate it because I think they're lovely (and an excuse to get gussied up and snap pretty photos). I thought about using some random cardstock I had to make them a tad sturdier, but honestly, who in the world has time for that crap? Not commutes-at-least-two-hours-a-day-me. So instead, I caved on Brandon's genius idea to do a South Park inspired card this year. I found this website my literally typing "how to turn yourself into a South Park character" on Google and clicking through a link in some Yahoo forum. And then I spent about 20 minutes creating our avatars and manipulating everything else in Photoshop. It turned out so much better than any kind photo card I could have thrown together.

Awesome, right?!

3. Still on Christmas: I got a ukulele from ~~Brandon~~ Santa for Christmas! It was wrapped in its case, so I was completely thrown off when I saw it under the tree. But I legit shed tears of joy when I saw what it was. I'd had an urge to splurge (gross) on a uke when Brandon and I were out in Hawaii for our honeymoon over a year ago, but he intelligently told me to cool it since I didn't actually know how to play. So I cooled it. But then, I just kept wanting this thing. I wanted something to practice, something to learn, and I kept having all these ideas of how to cover songs I loved. Anyway, Brandon took notice of my sincere desire to learn to play the ukulele and hooked it up. Seriously, this thing is so pretty.

4. I literally just finished watching Saving Mr. Banks and it was just as beautiful and magical, though a lot sadder, as I imagined it'd be. Mary Poppins is one of my favorite Disney movies ever (no, seriously, last time I was in Disneyland I cried when Mary and Bert came out in the parade) and I completely enjoyed catching the overlapping of dialogue. I had to hold back my sobs in multiple parts of the movie because this was not the kind of movie that rips you apart...unless you're me? But seeing how special Mary Poppins was to P.L. Travers -- and Walt Disney, for that matter -- made it exponentially more special to me.

Such a great shot.
//

And can we talk about how spectacularly perfectly Julie Andrews captured Mary Poppins? Later? Cool.

5. Semi-related: I think I've been picking all the wrong books to read. Watching Saving Mr. Banks made me want to read the story of how Disneyland was built and about Walt's life. Maybe then I could pick up a book and finish it!

6. Did you know you can cook fish from frozen without it getting super mushy? I found that out today and it was delicious.

Until next time!
♥ A

Not Puerto Viejo: Our Day at La Paz Waterfall Gardens

2014-11-29T18:01:00.000-08:00

This post is long, but there are more photos than words. That is blatantly false.

If you must skim, at least read the section on Frogs. It was the best.

Last time, I left off telling you that we were running out of money and couldn't stay in Manuel Antonio even though we really wanted to.

The original plan was to drive across the country and spend three days frolicking in the Caribbean sea and visiting rescue centers. But I guess the universe had something else in mind. We decided not to fight it to avoid getting lost and stranded in the middle of Costa Rica and settled on exploring the area around San Jose. My navigational track record made that decision lots easier.

Now here's where we got lucky. Andrea and I have a family friend (really she's my mom's friend) who lives in Costa Rica, not too far from the airport. She's a very generous and welcoming person in general, but it still meant a lot that she let us crash at her place for the last three days.

Our first day adventure was to La Paz Waterfall Gardens. I found this place by using the "Nearby" feature on the TripAdvisor app. We were on an animal-viewing high and weren't ready to come down from it, so we decided to endure the $38 admission fee for the hope of seeing a sloth. LPWG is a private ecological tourist attraction. It's filled with hiking trails, five fab waterfalls and a large amount of animal exhibits. I hesitate to call it a private zoo because that has a weird connotation to me, but in essence, that's what it is.

birds

The birds were the first stop on our hike, which I can hardly justify calling a hike since it's basically a walk along a paved path. But it is a long walk, so maybe that makes it a hike. Anyway, we walked through a hanging plastic chain barrier to be welcomed by some handlers hanging out with toucans! I'd never seen a toucan up close and personal before, and although I'm a fan of birds of prey, I'd always had a general aversion to getting close to other birds.

But this. This was different. This was awesome.

The handlers placed a toucan on Andrea's arm and I snapped photos like a crazy person. Andrea had no poker face about this whatsoever. She was beyond excited and it showed.

Next thing I knew, it was my turn. They placed the toucan on my arm and I was instantly overcome with respect for the gorgeous bird I was looking at.

See that blue band around my wrist? That's not a bracelet, that's the toucan's foot. It was the feature that stuck out to me the most. Yes, the bird's beak is insanely cool, but blue feet? That was not at all what I was expecting.

We moseyed past the parrots and the rest of the aviaries before arriving at the scariest place on property: the butterfly garden.

butterflies

Believe it or not, my sister and I are terrified of butterflies and moths. I can't speak for my sister, but my fear dates back 15 years. I was 10, walking with my mom to pick up the mail from our apartment's mailbox one night. There was a bright yellow light bulb shining, so of course there were moths around it. They were flying around us when one of them decided to try and perch on my mouth. It got right up on my lips and flapped about for what felt like 10 minutes but I'm certain was 2 seconds. And I just remember tightening my lips fearing that this thing would try to crawl into my mouth.

It was really horrifying.

There were a couple of times where we made a break for it out of sheer panic, staring strangers be damned!

Ok, no joke, as I was writing that last sentence I thought, I would rather free dive with sharks than have a butterfly land on me, out loud to myself.

monkeys

The reward for not screaming our heads off in the butterfly sanctuary was monkeys. I have to admit that having seen monkeys in the wild a few days earlier made seeing these rescues a little less exciting, but I snapped photos regardless.

hummingbirds

Hint: there are no hummingbirds in this photo.

Here's where I start making no sense. I am scared to death of butterflies, but I have no qualms with hummingbirds. I love those zippy little birds that have wings that beat anywhere from 50 to 200 times a SECOND. Seriously, how could you not like hummingbirds?

I'm sure someone out there is wondering the same thing about butterflies.

I caught some pretty cool shots of the hummingbirds. I paid special attention to the ones that looked like Flick from Pocahontas.

jungle cats

Next up were the cats. This was the highlight of our visit to LPWG for both of us. We've loved big cats since childhood so we were both really excited to see them. True to form, most of the cats were lounging around.

We oohed and aahed at the pumas, the margay and the ocelots but were stopped dead in our tracks at the sight of the majestic jaguar. We were instantly mesmerized by the way this animal walked. Seriously, I can't even pretend to make this moment less nerdy than it was. We stared at the jaguar long enough for a group to catch up to us, snap photos, jaguar watch for a bit, and move on.

I couldn't get over how freaking beautiful its coat was. It was perfect. And seeing the way its muscles moved when it walked was beyond amazing. I was overcome with this feeling of utter respect for this animal. Andrea and I knew that if some Harry Potter magic caused the glass to disappear, we'd be perfectly safe. Call it hippie nonsense or tree-hugging mumbo jumbo, but we knew.

casita

We eventually pried ourselves away from the jaguar (some rain helped) to explore the casita tipica or traditional home that LPWG has on property. We got to pet some oxen that were hooked up to an old traditional ox cart and walked around a replica farmhouse built by hand with tools from the early 20th century. The website advertises traditional food tastings and some other interactive experiences, but I'm not sure what the scheduling for those is. We didn't catch all the casita has to offer, but it was still really neat to walk through.

frogs

Next up was the frog exhibit. This might be tied for best experience of the day. We walked in to this large, humid room filled with all kinds of plants...and frogs! That's right, the frogs were roaming free through the room. Most of the frogs in the exhibit were nocturnal, so they weren't really moving around too much. There we were, minding our own business, trying to catch a frog sighting, when the frog guide came up to us and started pointing out where we could find certain frogs.

The guy-de (see what I did there?) took a liking to us and started telling us how to tell the difference between the male and female frogs. I'll let you in on it: the female tree frogs are larger than the males.

FYI: this is a female.

We walked us around the room pointing out frog species (in their Latin names, of course) and giving us fin facts about each. For example, these tiny frogs' skin would burn if we touched them because their skin is so thin and incredibly susceptible to changes in temperature. One touch from us and the poor frog's body would overheat.

I had a weird existential moment where the delicateness of life was plainly apparent.

These frogs are nicknamed "Blue Jeans" because of their blue legs.

Next thing I know, the guide is asking us if we're interested in seeing some of the frogs up close and personal. Andrea and I looked at each other and decided that yeah, even though we aren't frog people, we'd like to take a closer look at some.

The guy then leads us through a locked door into what is essentially a frog rehab office. He explains to us that this is where they keep the frogs that have been injured in some way as well as the where they monitor the tadpoles as they go through their transformation into frogs.

Let me be clear that Andrea is beaming the whole time. I, on the other hand, am split between identifying where the sharp objects are to use as makeshift weapons, if necessary (obvi) and allowing myself to enjoy this unbelievably cool moment in my life.

The guy lures out a red eyed tree frog from a glass enclosure and shows us her injury, a scratch on her eye. He lets us take as many photos of her as we want, always careful to show her good side to the camera. He then places her on Andrea's face and lets the frog kind of crawl around for a bit.

Then it was my turn. I never thought of myself as afraid of frogs. I mean, I never picked any up as a kid or sought out frogs in streams, but I also didn't think I was afraid of them. But in this frog rehab about to have a tree frog walk on my face, I have to tell you I was nervous. I thought she'd be sticky or that she'd leave slime on my face, or that my makeup would seep into her skin and make her sick. But I pushed down the fear and let the guide hold the frog up to my face.

I felt her soft, cold feet on my cheek and all my fears disappeared. And for that small moment I let my guard down and just soaked in the fact that I was lucky enough to be picked by this guy, who could have picked anyone, to come behind the scenes to have a red eyed tree frog walk on my face.

We got to see a golden tree frog who had a scratch on its nose, plus the tiniest frog I've ever seen ever. There was a whole exchange over the name of this frog, which if I remember correctly is gria in Spanish. Grio is the word for cricket in Spanish, and there was a minute of major confusion in where I thought he was trying to be funny by telling me he wasn't holding a cricket (male) because the truth was he was about to open up his hand to reveal a cricket (female)...which in hindsight doesn't make sense because how would he know the difference between the two?

In the end, he turned out to be a nice guy who really loves frogs and his job, not a murderer...and he left us with some amazing memories.

waterfalls

Last to come was the waterfall hike. We stopped to enjoy the marvelous views at each of the five waterfalls and even went off the paved path for a little bit!

Equally as awesome as the views was the sound of all that water careening past us.

The hike wasn't too strenuous. We were interested in climbing down to each viewing platform which meant we definitely had to endure some uphill walking. The good news is LPWG has done a good job of paving their path and providing railings to hold on to throughout the hike.

The hike ends on the opposite side of the grounds, but LPWG has its stuff together and sends shuttles to pick up visitors to take them back to the main entrance.

We ended our wonderful visit to La Paz Waterfall Gardens by sitting in the lobby mooching the wifi like the millennial tourists we are. I seriously recommend this place just on the waterfall hike alone.

♥ A

Manuel Antonio

2014-10-19T18:47:00.001-07:00

I realize it's been four months since I was in Costa Rica and I haven't finished telling you the stories of where I went. My only reason is I've been really busy with ~~choir~~ my other blog. Anyway, I've had this post saved as a draft for too long, so here's my overdue account of my day and a half in Manuel Antonio.

I had planned to tell you all the story of Andrea and I getting lost for over two and half hours while we tried to get from Monteverde to Manuel Antonio, but every rendition I wrote seemed like I was stretching a two minute story into ten. So instead, I'll give you the short version. We missed the turn we needed because the signage in Costa Rica is minimal at best, then tried to find our way with only a crappy map. I should mention that we were travelling on Costa Rica's game day against Greece, which would decide the team's fate in the World Cup. We ended up driving through a town and pulling over to ask for directions right as Costa Rica scored the final shootout goal for the victory. I kid you not I got three words out before the entire street exploded with shouts, laughter, and sobs. Grown adults were jumping in place and hugging whoever they could reach. People ran into the street. The flag was everywhere. It was incredible.

This video is over 2 minutes long and there is a lot of wooing, so don't feel obligated to watch the whole thing, just enough to give you an idea of how cool this was.

The video was shot four -- count em, four -- hours after the game ended. And just to drive the point home a little more, I'll tell you that this was one of two road blocks we encountered on our drive. The second one was right in the heart of Quepos, the city closest to Manuel Antonio. Anyway, I took a chance with my directional skillz and they totally paid off! We got back on course and made it to MA. Getting to the hostel in MA was easy since I knew it was on the way to the park and it was a little ways past the hostel I'd stayed in three years ago.

We stayed at the National Park Backpacker's hostel because I read really great reviews on hostelworld. I really wanted us to stay in the same hostel from my study abroad trip, but I couldn't find a booking website anywhere and came upon some depressing reviews of it. Either way, NPB was a decent. We chose to stay in the all-female dorm and were happy to find out we were the only guests that had picked that option. Everyone else had a private room or chose the co-ed dorm. Now, I have to be honest and tell you that I've never slept on a worse bed in my life and that the pool is the only thing I truly loved. The staff was nice and the place was pretty quiet. If there's ever a next time, I'll definitely just take my chances on availability and stay in the Pura Vida hostel, bad reviews be damned! It's where Andrea and I ate breakfast both days we were in town. $4 for gallo pinto, a pancake, fruit, eggs and toast AND free coffee. Yeah, it was yummy and so filling.

The next day was our day in the park. We bought our $10 tourist tickets and headed inside. By this point, we were both pretty desperate to see some animals. We'd seen a lot of undisturbed flora and just wanted to see the fauna. Not five minutes in, we came across a deer walking along the gravel path.

I didn't feel the urgent need to get a close up of this deer because I'm pretty sure I met her three years ago. But I did get her as she trekked away.

My sister and I were overjoyed at the sight of a wild animal and we hurried along the path hoping to see some more animals. We didn't splurge on the park guide, but we did decide to stay close-ish to a smaller group. Sure enough, we were lucky enough to catch a sighting of a family of squirrel monkeys.

Apparently, squirrel monkeys are spotted every couple of months. And here we were, watching a mom, dad and baby jump and hop around the branches. The guide graciously informed us that the mom was more than likely jumping from branch to branch to teach her young one how to do it. I wish I'd caught some video of this, but after getting a decent couple of shots, I put the cameras down and just watched and soaked it all in.

Baby squirrel monkey.

As if the rare monkey sighting wasn't enough, we also saw a lone howler monkey chillin upside in a tree! It was seriously the closest I've been to a howler, and I've seen them directly overhead of me before. It was an incredible treat.

We finally made it to the beach, where we picked a spot under a tree. We hung up our packs and extended our towels. A raccoon did attempt to get into my backpack, but we caught him before he made any progress.

After a quick dip in the ocean, we decided to relax a little on the beach itself. As I was shutting my eyes to bask in the sun, I heard Andrea shout with excitement. There was a lizard walking nearby! Neither one of us could ID the reptile, but we followed it around for a little bit, which led to a really cool conversation with some Italian Swiss who had never seen a raccoon in their life before.

Thrilled with our wildlife sightings, we took to the waves. The water in MA is amazing. The park's main beach is almost shaped like a bay, so it feels more like swimming in a pool than in the ocean.

One thing we didn't realize was we were swimming during a tidal shift. I'm already not a great swimmer. I can tread and get to point B but I lack confidence in the water. Anyway, at some point I tried to swim through the wave or over it or something and it didn't work.

I was thoroughly tumbled. That's seriously the only word I can think of to describe it. I was tumbled like a rag in a dryer. I washed up on shore smothered in sand. I was so disoriented that I tried to stand up right as another wave came crashing down. You guessed it, I was thrown about again, this time a little too close to the rocks. This happened yet a third time before I finally pulled myself together enough to run out of the water's reach, laughing the whole way.

The best part of the story (for me) is this: Andrea was worried-laughing on her way out of the ocean (you know, to check on me like a good sister and traveling companion). She turned her back on the waves and one of them smacked her right in the back. Seriously, it was comedic the way her body looked when it felt the impact of the water on her back. So she too arose out of the ocean like a sandy mess.

It would take us about two weeks to get the sand out of our scalps.

By this point all of the excitement has made me a little hungry. There are no snack stands in the park, so all I had to eat was my chocolate (read: melted) KIND bar. As I crunched on that almond goodness, Andrea pointed to the coolest animal we saw that day.

A FREAKING CAIMAN CROCODILE! It slowly walked by the tree 15 feet away from our spot. We assumed it was headed out to the ocean, but got freaked by the swarm of tourists that rushed around it. I realize I was also a tourist, but I didn't shout around the animal like the others...I have respect for nature.

Anyway, the poor animal was too scared to venture out further than the tree line, and it eventually retreated back into the trees. That didn't stop the jerky tourists from following it, but I won't rant about that now.

Once closing time got closer, we decided we were hungry enough to pack up and head out. We enjoyed a delicious dinner at a local restaurant that overlooked the main strip of the city's beach and ended the night hanging out on a bar rooftop with the bar owner's children.

I didn't want to leave the next day, but we were running out of money and neither of us could stand the idea of another night on the plank of wood called a bed in our hostel. So we woke, up, had breakfast, found a guy who sold me a daiquiri three years ago to say hello, tracked down a vendor who trusted me enough to buy now pay tomorrow, and said goodbye to Manuel Antonio.

I still miss it.

♥ A

Miserable, Magical Monday

2014-09-01T10:56:00.000-07:00

Hi guys! It's a holiday Monday! You know what that means.

1. Great news: I love my new job. I'm about two weeks in and the change of pace is incredible. I think my favorite things about it are my boss -- one of the most fashionable people I've ever met -- and the amount of people close to my age. The fact that my colleagues are in their mid to late twenties is so refreshing. I know age shouldn't be a big deal, and honestly, I didn't always care about age in the workplace, but after working with people who saw me as "kid" or "honey," I developed a new bullet on my work wishlist.

2. MORE BIG NEWS! If you follow me on intsagram or know me on facebook you probably saw that I bought a car. Yep, Brandon and I purchased a vehicle of our very own. It's a Toyota Yaris and I've named her Hedwig because she's white and I'm forever 21 (the age I started reading the books, not the store). I have to admit that I wasn't entirely prepared for how effing long it takes to buy a car. Good grief! I mean, people had made me aware. It's not like I went in there blind like I did when we bought the Subaru (biggest mistake ever), but I thought everyone was exaggerating. They were not. It took hours and I walked on the lot basically knowing what car I wanted. I literally got there, asked the salesguy to find the car, looked at it, test drove it, and said, "Yeah, I want this." The scariest part of car buying is the warranty push at the end. They get you when you're weak. I mean, you've been sitting there for hours trying to buy this one car. Then they take you to the back and park the car right outside the window. At this point, you're tired, thirsty, and could totally stress eat a hamburger. Our guy was nice but still pushy, but overall it was a painless experience as far as car buying goes. And now I've got a car that gets awesome MPGs and won't completely freak out on me (God willing).

3. Last month I put a pineapple on the shopping list under the impression that I would cut up some of it to make Hawaiian Pinterest Chicken one day. If I'm honest, I'm really good at the recipe finding and grocery buying parts, but really horrible at the the execution of the recipe. It's like this: I dig the idea of being a really great cook but hate actually having to cook complicated dishes. Anyway, I made the marinade and we had Hawaiian Pinterest Chicken for family dinner a few Fridays ago. The texture of the chicken was just OK, but the flavor was good. I think I'd bake or crockpot the chicken next time.

4. This is a gratuitous piece of information, but my hair is getting long and I love it. I've been waiting years to get anywhere near this length so it feels like some sort of accomplishment. Really, I just haven't gone in to get my hair cut in a year. But my hair has grown more than normal in that time. So that's cool. Let's move on.

5. Other news! My best friend and I started a blog together. It's called Darling Dragons and I think you should check it out. We're writing about books, news, travel, local eateries, and work. We should be incorporating recipes, home decor, and fashion sometime soon. It's basically a bunch of everything. Alright, shameless plug over.

6. I have to tell you the story of the almost-lost blazer. At one point I owned three black blazers, all with different cuts and details. I gave one away because it was too boxy on me and the other accidentally took a ride in the dryer and no longer fit. So when it came time to dress up for my job interview, I knew I had only one choice. I didn't remember this blazer as my favorite, but once I put it on and stylishly rolled up my sleeves, I was in love.

But the blazer mysteriously disappeared after that interview! It wasn't in my car or Brandon's truck. I cleaned out the closets, organized my dresser, looked all over the house and still couldn't find it. It was very upsetting. Then, one day, I went to plug something in behind the couch, and I saw it. This pile of black fabric huddled on itself. I grabbed it out and sure enough! it was my blazer! Needless to say I've worn it like four times in the last two work weeks.

7. I spent Saturday cleaning my apartment and lounging by the pool reading Mockingjay. Yes, I've definitely read it before, but my sister gave me the brilliant idea to read it again before the first movie comes out. I tend to let my emotional journey hog my memories of the book instead of the character names and plot (this is also true for TV and movies), so hopefully this time I end up remembering important plot points instead of just sobbing half way through the book. Also, I finished Divergent and hated it. Review of it coming semi-soon.

Unfriendly Local Yogis & Zipping Through Trees

2014-08-06T16:07:00.000-07:00

The roads to Monteverde are rough. They're rocky and mostly unpaved, but that doesn't stop the people who live up there from driving like Indiana Jones. I could have sworn I banged up the car in some shape or form on the way up the mountains, but thankfully the little white sedan that could made it without a problem.

Looking like a toothpaste ad.

Once we checked into the fabulous Colina Lodge, we realized that we probably weren't going to leave for the rest of the night. To clarify, we got there around 4:30pm: before sunset but well before dinner. Honestly, I think both of us had had our fill of dirt roads and didn't feel like driving 15 minutes into town to search for food when we weren't that hungry (by the way, this sort of became the trend of the trip). Instead, we wandered around the grounds and discovered the largest book exchange I've seen. I mean, I haven't seen many, but this was still pretty large. I almost took the vintage map of Costa Rica but didn't because I didn't want to blow the integrity of the take one, leave one system. Also I try to suppress the HBS whenever possible.

It got dark fairly soon and then it got quiet. So quiet. Not wanting to stay in our room all evening, Andrea and I walked over to the common room/dining area. We were met by what we now refer to as Unfriendly Local Yogis. The Colina Lodge has a full on yoga studio and I guess a group of Tico yogis had come for a weekend yoga retreat.

Quick side bar: the inspiration for my nickname for the yogis comes from none other than Mean Girls.

They basically looked at us like this when we walked in.

Anyway, Andrea and I thought that if we creepily hung out around the yogis, they might talk to us. Short answer: they didn't.

We watched like begging dogs as the ULY sipped warm, probably organic hot chocolate. Don't ask me why we didn't pipe up and ask for some. We were being ultra polite and shy. Plus I didn't want to offend anyone by pulling back the kitchen curtain and asking. Again, ultra politeness for the loss.

Soon enough the ULY headed off for their night yoga session or a night hike, I'll never know. But their departure meant Andrea and I had the large room to ourselves. We played a few embarrassing games of puppy dog rules dominoes before switching over to Heads Up. We played until my phone died out on us and decided that might be a good time to head back to our room. There, I wrote in my journal while she read until we fell asleep.

But let's get to the actually interesting part of all this: the zip line adventure.

The next morning, we were treated to the best coffee I've ever had in my life and some of that probably organic hot chocolate. We enjoyed it while waiting for our shuttle to take us to Selvatura's (the tour company we booked with) headquarters.

I'm so thankful I didn't pass up the offer of a shuttle because I almost certainly would have gotten lost and been frustrated going up the windy roads. We shuffled in to the check in area for the tour and decided to splurge on a helmet cam. Honestly, it was the coolest decision we made and we got lots of fun video to look back on. I would show you some clips, but I've had the hardest time getting the videos off my dad's computer. It'll just have to wait.

I half expected the weather to be as bad as the last time I zip lined (where I could see nothing but gray clouds all around me...which was still kind of an amazing experience) but my good luck charm Andrea brought some sunshine and no rain.

Isn't auto-awesome great?

After 16 lines, it was time to do the Tarzan swing. For anyone who's wondering why it's called the Tarzan swing, it's because you literally get harnessed onto a rope that the tour operators wrap around you and then you drop off a platform and literally swing like Tarzan. I vividly remembered the Tarzan swing from three years ago. The free fall was longer than I was used to and I embarrassed myself in front of basic strangers by running out of scream half way through the initial fall. There's also a strong possibility I sounded like Regina George at some point but I can't guarantee that since I've basically blocked it out of my memory. I only remember the laughter directed at me.

The last three seconds are what matter.

I'd spent the entire tour freaking out over this swing. I repeatedly told Andrea how nervous I was about it. I even made her do it before me! Not a good tour guide moment. Eventually, it was my turn. As much as I wanted to turn around and say "HELL NO I'M NOT GOING THROUGH WITH THIS AGAIN!" I stuck it through. And you know what? It wasn't as bad as I remembered. The fact that I could see below me was probably a big help. I also turned my scream into a shout to avoid any humiliating guttural noises. Andrea caught video of it but I don't have it on my computer yet.

The unexpected adventure came at the end of the zip line tour. For the last line, which was about a mile long, we would get to pair up with a buddy. Obviously Andrea and I were excited because we'd get video of the two of us gliding through the canopy. As they set us up, the guides kept telling us to recline further and further back. I was totally skeptical of them because they'd been flirting with us about thirty seconds beforehand. I completely missed the cue that took us from flirtation to serious instruction. This ultimately would bite us in the butt.

We set off on the line and were both instantly overcome with excitement, awe and wonder. That obviously meant we sat straight up so we could get pictures. Even though we were blatantly deviating from what we were instructed to do, I thought we were keeping up great speed. My eyes were watering from all the wind! Maybe a little bit from the awe and wonder. Before I knew it, I could see the landing platform. There was just one problem: we were beginning to slow down.

Miserable, Magical Monday

2014-08-04T11:30:00.000-07:00

I've been MIA for about a week and I feel kind of awful about it. Not because the content on this blog is anything life changing, but because I'd been on such a good writing rhythm (guess how many times I had to re-spell that word) and now I've lost it. But my resolve to bring you semi-consistent updates about the goings-on in my life won't quit, so I'm back this week to remind you I'm alive and well. Just tired.

P.S. I get slightly judge-y when I read bloggers post about needing a break from blogging to enjoy the real world. Obviously, I'm in no position to pass such judgement, but does that ever stop any of us from doing it? Oh yeah, my point. This isn't one of those posts. I've just legitimately had the busiest week of July. I've started looking back at my Costa Rica trip as chill, even though we had a pretty packed schedule despite it being a "vacation."

1. One of my friends got married this weekend! Brandon and I carpooled out to Salinas with some friends and enjoyed a good old country wedding complete with a stunning barn. Seriously, this venue was awesome. I wanted to be sure I got photos of this wedding since I missed out on documenting the other wedding I went to a few weeks ago. Boy, did I deliver. I posted almost all of these on instagram but here they are once more (with feeling).

I kept my place card. Because nostalgia, that's why.

Bouquet toss.

Garter getting.

Blurry dance floor duck face selfies.

#blurry

The most boring photo we've ever taken. Seriously, I almost don't like it because of how
normal we look.

I had such a good time at this lovefest of a wedding. Seriously, the love was palpable and it made everything that much more beautiful. Also, I just love love so I was bound to enjoy this wedding.

2. So this summer I've finally come to terms with the fact that I'm approaching my mid-twenties. Everywhere I look my friends are going through major moments in life; making a big move, getting engaged, getting married, buying houses, planning for a family, kicking off their careers. Seriously, just this weekend I had a cousin make the move from home to the OC, I witnessed a friend move into married life and another open her own business. It's kind of weird to finally find myself at this age. I spent a lot of time thinking about what I'd accomplish by 25 as a kid...I wasn't completely wrong about myself. I for sure thought I'd be married (check) and have my BA (check) but I also planned on being done having children by this age. And that's totally not in the cards right now. I guess the funny thing about being in my twenties is as much as I'm still a kid, I'm also starting to get the hang of this "real" life. I kind of like it.

3. Having finished New Girl, Brandon and I had been searching for something to watch during our veg sessions. I've written about us trying to watch The Office and Parks and Rec, but neither one of them really hooked us the way New Girl did. I wish Modern Family was on Netflix because I think that would help me transition into the mockumentary style of the other shows. Anyway, we finally decided to restart How I Met Your mother (HIMYM from now on). I've only ever seen it once through, so I'm rediscovering the hilarity and brilliant writing this show has. Also, knowing the end makes it more fun for me to put clues together that I missed during the first run-through. I firmly believe we as the audience judged the show by it's ~~cover~~ name and that's why we never saw the end coming. But that's an argument for another time (aka never).

4. Almost all of you who read this blog already know this, but I have to share out of sheer excitement: I've secured a new job! It all happened very quickly. I sent in my resume and cover letter after some epic (and requested) ~~scrutiny~~ editing from my best friend, got an interview, wore the hottest office-appropriate LBD of my life (also courtesy of my best friend), rocked said interview, and then a job offer a few days later. I'll be working out in Napa starting next week. Although my commute is growing again, I'm still really excited about the opportunity. The position seems to be a really great jumping off point. I met at least five people who all started off in the position I'll be in before moving into management positions in other departments, which is super reassuring. Also the grounds are gorgeous and everyone seems a thousand times friendlier. I can't wait to start. But really quick, back to the LBD from heaven. I looked like freaking Clair Underwood in that dress. Plus I got so many compliments on it. As a person who almost always looks pulled together, if someone says you look nice, then you probably look really nice. Was that conceited? Oh gosh, probably.

5. I'm reading Divergent right now in my effort to actually finish I book I pick up to read. I've literally started four other books and haven't finished them. I don't know why. I always say I don't have time, but if I have time to watch hours and hours of HIMYM then maybe I can spare one a night reading. Anyway, I'm enjoying the book so far. It reads in first person the way Hunger Games does, but this hits me as less choppy than Suzanne Collins' writing. I'm in chapter 11 or something and I still have no idea what Divergent means in the series. I think I found out more in the trailer for the movie. Still, I'm keeping in mind that it's a three part (?) series so I'm guessing I'll find out what the big deal is about the Divergent label in the book's unvierse closer to the end. I'll keep you posted.

6. The start of a new job will mean a new dress code. From what I saw it's a pretty casual office (jeans are allowed on all days of the week) but based on my one day of training, I can tell my idea of casual is sub par. I'm going to have to step it up on the cute clothes thing, which is the perfect justification for spending some money on clothing. I've been stuck in a style rut, anyway.

Almost every day, I wake up and look at my clothes and hate them all. I hate that the only color I own tops in is blush. My one pair of gray pants are so old they're low rise jeans. I haven't purchased low rise jeans since 2009. If I'm honest my style rut feels more like a style crisis. But I haven't just been wallowing in my "ugly" clothes, I've been working on defining the look I'm going for. I've made lists, I've made secret Pinterest boards, I've online window shopped. I've even made excuses to go to the mall over my lunch break (side bar: going to the mall alone is the worst idea ever). My biggest obstacle is not being able to find the pieces I'm looking for. No joke, I've been searching for a freaking white t-shirt with small black stripes for ages and can't find one anywhere. I'm tempted to take BART into San Francisco just to shop at the two H&Ms by Union Square. Yes, there are two. It's almost heaven.

7. My best friend Barbara lives in Northern California now which means I get to see her all the time. We got together to celebrate her birthday with pizza at Woodstock's then moved across the street to Wunderbar for some drinks and two very terrible games of pool. Then Friday, we reinstated our Friday Night Family Dinner tradition. She and I made orange chicken with rice and stir fry veggies. It was a simple meal but by far the most elaborate one I've co-prepped in a while. Usually I bake chicken or make pasta. I've gotta step my dinner game up. Anyway, we ate, watched HIMYM as well as the trailer for the new Assassin's Creed game. Not only is the theme music the song Lorde wrote/performed for the Catching Fire soundtrack, but the game's story line is based on the French Revolution. We all agreed that it would make a killer movie. Once Derek showed up we popped in Shaun of the Dead. It was the first time I'd seen it, I'm told it totally counts as a classic, so maybe I'll finally get to knock another thing off the 12 Things list.

I promise I'll keep telling you about Costa Rica one day soon.
Later, friends.
♥ A

Rio Aguas Calientes + Le Bistro: Arenal Part II

2014-07-22T04:00:00.000-07:00

In case you missed it: Volcano Land aka Parque Nacional Volcan Arenal

After chugging water in the humid car, we decided to ask the park ranger for directions to this supposed warm river I'd read about on TripAdvisor. There are plenty of resorts with private thermal pools, but since a part of me was really interested in staying away from resorts, I was definitely hoping this mysterious river was real. His directions were: go back the way you came, the road will dip, then climb and then dip again. At the bottom of the dip you'll see cars parked along the road. The river will be on your left.

I had no clue if it would work. Not because of the directions, but because I doubted whether I could decipher them. A dip to me could be a bump to him, you know? But I worried for nothing. Sure enough, we found the parking spots at the bottom of the second dip. We paid a guy 1 mil (about $2) to assign us a parking spot and watch the car then headed down.

We walked maybe 50 feet before getting to the river. I let Andrea step in first because I wanted to watch her reaction to the warm water. She told me after that she expected it to be lukewarm and was surprised at the actual warmth of the river. Success! We walked under the overpass and across the river to the opposite bank.

We settled on a small, shallow pool with it's own tiny waterfall as our spot. The atmosphere was lively but relaxed (I guess that kind of describes the vibe of Costa Rica in general, too). I set our backpack down on the bank and in we went. The experience was amazing.

Have you ever enjoyed something so much that you physically lose your ability to articulate it? That's how I felt about this place. All I could say was "OH MY GOSH. I'M HAVING SO MUCH FUN." Over and over and over again. I couldn't believe that something so awesome existed in nature. Maybe more than that, the fact that it's a public space that belongs to everyone. I feel lucky that I was able to experience the thermal waters in an authentic way. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the resort pools with the magnificent view of the volcano during my last visit to Arenal. They were gorgeous and impressive. But this river gave me a glimpse into what pre-resort life in Costa Rica must have been like.

I've written a little about how my dad has these amazing stories of growing up in El Salvador. They'd go camping at the beach every summer and pick fruit off of wild trees and swim in the ocean all day. I've secretly always wished for an experience like that and I feel like a got a little bit of one at the Rio Aguas Calientes (literally meaning Hot Water River or River of Hot Waters if we're going Game of Thrones style).

I heard later on that this place is completely different at night. People (mostly couples) come down, light candles all over the place and hang out in the pools. I wish we could have stayed to see what it looked like, but we had to get on the road to get to Monteverde before dark. I'd had an interesting experience on my ride there on my program's bus thanks to nasty rain mixing with dirt roads. Seriously, the possibility of us tumbling off a cliff was real that day. I wanted to do what I could to avoid driving on a dirt road in the dark, so we reluctantly skidaddled.

Getting ready to probably break a law.

Hoping a fence to a warm river? Priceless.

We climbed back through the hole in the fence and made our way back to the car. Although Monteverde is actually less than 30 miles (or something like that) from Arenal, the drive time is closer to three hours because you have to drive around Lake Arenal to get to the cloud rainforest. Our local friend from the night before had mentioned that a 45 minute shortcut exists, but that you have to drive through two rivers. Our little rented sedan would have never stood a chance, but if I ever make it back to Arenal I want to see this road for myself.

We passed a sign advertising this restaurant called Le Bistro at the start of our drive. I kind of immediately decided that's where we would eat, mostly because of the panoramic views it supposedly had. Even though over 100 signs for the "famous" Toad Hall tried to sway our opinion (we didn't get a photo of these signs but they were absurd), we held out for Le Bistro, which oddly enough was right next door to Toad Hall. Anyway, Andrea and I decided to eat outside so we could fully appreciate the view.

I figured I should order something relatively filling since we'd skipped lunch and were eating our dinner at like four in the afternoon. Andrea and I both ordered the same pasta dish and pretty much fell in love with it when we tasted it. The alfredo sauce was homemade and holy crap did it hit the spot. There was spinach and chicken...I want to recreate it at home because it might be the best pasta I've ever had.

We heard some howler monkeys in the distance while we ate and enjoyed the true panoramic view of the lake. It was so serene and it reminded me of the kind of place my mom would really enjoy staying. Heck, would have liked to stay there, too! The rain sprinkle came soon enough, but we didn't get hit with the strong rain since we were driving away from the storm. The rest of our drive went fine. I not saying smoothly because the road was anything but smooth. We're talking winding, rocky dirt roads here. But we made it without damaging ourselves or the car. More on Monteverde in the next post!

I leave you with a photo of me and Andrea under our personal waterfall and this thought: if you ever get a chance to get away from your resort and see a place through a local person's eyes, take it. I promise you the experience will be way cooler than the beauty of the resort.

♥ A

Miserable, Magical Monday

2014-07-21T12:00:00.000-07:00

1. I was going through the photos on my phone after my nap on Sunday (first nap in a looong while) and could not remember when or where I got this photo. After a bit of recall, I remembered I took this one morning pre-coffee. The sunrise was particularly vibrant that morning as I walked to my car to grab my shoes. Yeah, my shoes. Sometimes my feet get really claustrophobic while driving home. And then I also get too lazy to just pick up my shoes and bring them inside. It makes no sense, but hey! At least my neurotic tendencies got me this shot!

2. I can't remember the last time I took a nap but man are they wonderful things. I slept so well I even did that thing where you wake up all disoriented and forget what day it is. I thought I'd woken up late for Monday morning work! Silly me. On a sort of sweet note, having Brandon back has done wonders for my sleep. I really missed having his obscenely warm body in bed with me. I bet you it's his heat that lulls me to sleep half the time.

3. So I had five whole days to myself last week. And I did maybe 30% of what I said I was going to do to fill my time. I bought avocados but saved my nacho night dinner idea for Friday once Brandon was home. I did not paint my nails or have my spa night like I planned because I did laundry instead. But I did do some writing and uploaded my photos from Costa Rica onto my cloud and computer, so I guess I was sort of productive. I didn't even bake Thursday night because I got caught up in picking up after myself. Confession: I am a messy person. I never think to put my clothes away after I take them off in general, and the fact that my dresser is in the spare bedroom doesn't help. I leave my shoes everywhere. I have a shoe basket at the front of our apartment so I have no excuse to leave my shoes anywhere else, but of course I still do. I'm looking down at a pair I wore to work just chilling in the dining room right now. All of that to say that baking took a backseat to my annoyance with myself Thursday night. Apologies to anyone who has ever lived with me ever for being the roommate that leaves her crap everywhere.

4. Saturday was a blast. I should warn you I did nothing spectacular or mildly interesting but vegging out with Brandon after several busy weekends was exactly what we needed. I woke up around 10:30am and just chilled with my coffee until Brandon got up. He then played his video games while I finished writing my second post on Arenal. After that we watched New Girl all.day.long. We munched on chips and salsa/homemade guac and had a CPK frozen pizza for lunch (at 3:00pm). After finishing season 2, we decided we wanted macaroni and cheese for dinner and walked over to Safeway. We picked up some Golden Grahams and Fruit Loops and juice while we were there. Seriously, we looked like we were buying food for a kid. By the time we got back and sat down to eat dinner it was somewhere around 9:30pm. That didn't stop us from watching Magic Mike.

For the record, it was Brandon who brought it up. Also, yes, there was so much male body rolling in this movie and I kind of loved it.

5. As if sitting through the sausage fest and male thong-ridden movie wasn't enough, Brandon even sat through the pilot of Sex and the City with me since the whole show is on HBO Go. What a trooper, right? I don't plan on making him watch that with me, mostly because I don't want to force him to sit through the "girl talk" dynamic. I, as a woman, love that dynamic and understand it fully. I think he'd get over it quick. Besides, I'd rather use my ~~political~~ spousal capital on getting him to watch West Wing with me.

Thank you, Leo.
//

6. To make up for the non-existence of baked goods welcoming Brandon home from a week at camp, I decided to bake some blondies while he was still snoozing. I've never made them before so I was a little nervous to taste them. The recipe I used called for tons of M&Ms, of which I had none. What I did have were white chocolate chips, so I tossed about a cup into the batter and called it day. Honestly, they don't compare to my chocolate chip cookies, but Brandon seems to like them enough even if they are rich.

7. Sprout update! A while ago, I told you guys that I planted some of the wedding favor seeds. I was ecstatic when I saw them sprout up. Good news: I've actually been consistent with watering the plant! Go me. Anyway, the sprout (is that still what it's called? I'm such an amateur at growing things) has grown a little bit and I took a semi-artsy photo of it...so I obviously have to share.

The weather here in Davis is so weird. It looks super stormy and the wind has kicked up. I guess we've even had a teensy bit of rainfall. The temperature has come down to a comfortable high 70/low 80 which I'm loving, but the clouds make me want to pull out all of my autumn sweaters and never get out of bed.

Arenal part II will for sure be up tomorrow.

Happy Monday, friends.

♥ A

Volcano Land: Arenal Part I

2014-07-16T06:30:00.000-07:00

I have to tell you guys, I went back and read my post (from when I studied abroad) on my old blog...and it sucked. I took hardly any photos on my own and barely left the resort my program was lodging us in. I guess there was no reason to go explore (except, you know, the fact that I was in Costa Rica for a once in a lifetime experience) since the resort had it's own really nice thermal pools and a trail to a volcano viewing deck. Also I was hungover basically that entire weekend -- something I wouldn't admit three years ago but now seems too pathetic to not share. It's strange how much I've growing up I've done from 21 to 24.

Here are two photos I have from my last trip.

Pretty sweet view.

I printed this one out and have it up in my office because I love the colors in it so much.

HashtagHungoverPhotography.

Anyway, this time was different. First, ain't nobody got money to pay for resort room rates right after graduation/marriage. No one. So I booked a room through the amazing Airbnb. Next, I took photos and even made it to the national park instead of Andrea and I luckily made it out to the town of La Fortuna without a hitch. We dropped off our bags and car and walked around town for a bit. I was slightly hungry so I suggested we split a lunch meal (at like three in the afternoon). We got some of the most yummy chicken nachos I've ever consumed in my life. We followed up the nachos with Pops, a Costa Rican ice cream chain, and ate our melty treats in the town square.

Oh hi there, volcano.

Neither of us were really hungry come dinner time, so we figured we'd at least check out one of the cool looking bars in town. I sipped on a rum and pineapple slush -- and I mean that in the best way possible -- while my sister and I chatted with some friendly locals. They were probably wasted (or on their way) by the time we sat down, but they were all typical Tico-nice regardless. I don't remember any of their names, but one of the guys made a lasting impression on Andrea while talking about footbal and futbol. She and I commented how football is kind of boring to watch because it's a constant start and stop and so slow whereas futbol is fast paced and dramatic. And you know what this guy did? He defended football. He said it's slow because it's strategic.

I'm gonna borrow my sister's reaction real quick and say that I've never heard a football fan defend futbol before. And here was this man who loved futbol (is my lack of calling it soccer pretentious yet?) defending this American sport to us. Take notes, people!

We were back in our room by 9:30pm and I was asleep by 10. The next morning I felt like I was flashing back to every bad drinking decision I made three years ago. But before you judge, know this: I wasn't actually hungover, I was just beyond dehydrated. I think I literally sweat out all the moisture from my body the day before. That's what happens with the humidity is high and you forget to drink water, I guess.

After our beautifully plated breakfast (more than I expected from a hostel), Andrea and I drove out to Parque Nacional Volcan Arenal. We decided to hike up to the observatory point where we could have watched lava flowing had it been 1992 before then looping down to see a 400 year old tree.

After taking in the panoramas that no camera can ever really capture (I suggest clicking through to see the original size of this pano shot), we began the trek to the tree.

Pretty sister.

Baby face central.

Half way through the hike we heard rumbles. At first, Andrea thought they could be airplanes but before we knew it, we heard the sheet of rain start to fall. The weather and rain were warm enough that we could handle walking through it without jackets. We also had the umbrella of treetops to catch most of the falling water. Eventually, though, the rain became strong enough to break through the leaves and we were forced to throw on our jackets. We ended up getting caught in the middle of a decently strong rain but luckily neither of us was upset by it. It was really awesome to be there with my sister. I never once had to worry that the hike was boring her or that she wasn't enjoying herself because of the rain or lack of wildlife sightings. She was perfectly content walking through the jungle, sometimes in silence.

Looking redder than normal.

We came around to the huge, old tree. There's actually not a whole lot to it if you're not easily amazed at old things, but for us a 400 year old tree was worth seeing. 400 years! That's older than the US. This tree was a seedling the year Pocahontas got married (that's just about the most interesting fact I could find about 1614) and survived countless years of volcanic activity and human exploration. For me, that's beyond cool.

This is just half of our day in Arenal! I still have to tell you about the warm river, driving around the lake and eating some pasta I'm still sort of dreaming about.

Until Friday!
♥ A