Surf's up!

I love trying new things, so when a couple friends invited me on a camping/surfing trip back in November I just couldn't pass it up.

We went camping at Half Moon Bay and surfing at a beach in Pacifica that is the perfect spot for beginners. Standing on the beach, the waves look itty bitty. Out in the ocean, however, they are massive.

Likes:

• It doesn't hurt when you fall
• Wetsuits really do work!
• Great workout
  
• Challenging and rewarding
• Pretty cheap board and wetsuit rentals. We rented from Sonlight Surf Shop - they are SO nice and really affordable. I believe it was only $25 per person for everything we needed.
  

Dislikes:

• It takes all your strength to fight the waves and get out there, only to catch a bad wave and waste all that energy
• Crowded/too many beginners (I realize I was one, but too many boards and inexperienced surfers can get dangerous)
  
• Drop offs and rocky areas on the ocean floor
• Can be frustrating and exhausting
  

I learned that wetsuits do not flatter me

Silly girls posing while I get my surf on!

Overall, I had a blast and surfing is something I'd definitely try again. Perhaps in weather that's not 45 degrees and raining?!

Happy Surfing!

Getting into the Christmas Spirit

Helloooo. Long time no blog. Sitting on the computer all day at work makes me never want to be on the computer at home. Which really is a shame because I feel like I have all kinds of exciting adventures to share.

♪ It's the most wonderful time of the year ♫ which is why I've been attending all kinds of fun holiday themed events to get me in the mood for Christmas :)

SantaCon 2011 - Anyone heard of it? It's a huge pub crawl where thousands of Christmas enthusiasts line the streets all dressed like Santa. And this year San Francisco tried to break the Guinness World Record of most naked santas. Did we do it? Not sure. But this fun fact is definitely blog worthy :)

Don't worry Mom, we were the clothed Santas ;)

Santas galore!

Holiday Christmas Parties! - So this is the first time I've had a grown up job that throws badass Christmas parties... and my oh my am I a fan! Rented out venue, four hour open bar, dancing, taco truck, amazing coworkers... needless to say this was one poppin' party!

Ya we get down.

AND we get holiday party #2 this Friday. Yes, TWO parties - my company rocks. Speaking of which...

We were voted the BEST agency for search from iMedia Agency Awards 2011. Kind of a big deal folks. To add on to that, a month or so ago we were voted as the #4 best place to work in digital marketing in the states. Hollaaaaaaaaaaaa.

Annnnnd that's all for now. Happy Holidays!

p.s. Check out my favorite Christmas song this year. At 45 seconds you'll start to dance your pants off. Looooove me some Mikey Buble ♥

ANOTHER home

I moved last week for the fourth time in two and a half months. Oh this crazy life I live! Moving in a taxi at 11 pm on a Monday night with work the next morning is not fun. And I'll leave it at that before I'm reminded more about that hectic night :/

The good news is that our new (temporary - surprise, surprise!) place is in Russian Hill, walking distance from Union Square and WORK... yay! It takes about 15-20 minutes to walk to work and I love it. It wakes me up in the morning and starts my day off right. But the uphill walk home after a long day of work is a different story...

Also good news is that I'm living with another one of my bffs, and we're really enjoying spending so much time together after living in different cities for the past four years. We're on the top floor and check out the view from the rooftop (similar view from inside the apartment as well):

Pictured are Mairead and Caroline, visitors from Ireland staying with us :)

Jealous?! :) I sure was before living here!

We'll be living here until we find a perfect permanent (FINALLY!) place where we'll spend living the next year. Moving around so much hasn't been that bad since each place has been furnished, and it's been pretty cool to live in different parts of San Francisco so now I know which areas I like - all of them :)

M.I.A.

I've gone a little M.I.A. in the blog world over the past few weeks. I guess I've been enjoying this glorious thing we call life a lot more. Here's a quick update with what's been going on with me:

1. No big deal, but... I GOT A JOB!!! Woop! You can call me a career woman now ;) I just finished my second week and so far so good!

2. We moved into another apartment (subletting, fun stuff!). It's a lot bigger than the first and only two blocks away from Dolores park!

Dolores Park (love taking a book here on a sunny day!)

2. I've been spending quality time with some of my best girls. I'm lucky enough to have a couple close ones in/near the city, so we've been taking advantage. Nights out, shopping (I had absolutely NO professional clothes, jeeze!) and just relaxing and enjoying each other's company.

3. I went back to Sacramento since having the car in the city was a pain in the arse. I had a lovely visit with my fam ♥. I got to see the house my sister and brother-in-law just bought, and hung out with the people I love most in this world.

4. Keg-a-thon... need I say more?



My spirits are high and I finally feel like everything and my life in the city is coming together. Hooray!

Blogger Award

My blog friend, Sean Marie, over at A Madgirls Lovesong included me in her blogger award post despite my disappearance in blogland lately. This little lady is a newlywed and soon to be mom! Exciting things ahead for her :) I thought I'd play along in the Blog Award game? because, well, I don't really have much else to do on this Sunday morning.

The rules after accepting this award are:

• Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to them in your post (Shoutout to Sean!)
• Share 7 things about yourself
• Pass this award on to 15 recently discovered blogs (I only did 10 because I haven't branched out with the blog readings in quite some time).
  

1. Run With Scissors - CRAFTY. This one is talented. She can make anything and everything! And she and her hubby are currently in the adoption process. So exciting!

2. Cakies - Aside from having the three most adorable girls, she is such an amazing mom and so creative. I have to add that they may have the best looking family ever.

3. These Happy Miles - I sit on my arse reading her blog while she's out running marathons and blogging about them.

4. keeping up with kelly & co. - This girl's got the life! She's always going on so many fun weekend getaways.

5. Alice's Bucket List - This inspirational teenager in the UK is fighting terminal cancer while raising awareness and accomplishing all of her dreams. Amazing.

6. West Sac Honey - Representin' Sac Town! Weird story... my sister has followed this girl for a while now and recognized her at a Rivercat's game we were at! After that crazy coincidence, I had find her blog :)

7. BG :: life and design - Another blog my hermana kinda sorta got my reading. She followed her wedding blog way back when... then discovered my real-life friend, Chelsey, was friends with her! I love her blog and now she's expecting too! There are going to be so many babies in the blog world :)

8. Meals & Steals - Went to high school with this one :) Blogs about healthy eatin' and shopping deals.

9. Another Day Stronger - I watched the video on her page and was bawling. Kellie and her husband recently lost their daughter to SIDS. This blog captures their everyday struggles and attempt to live a normal life after their devastating loss. ♥

10. Captain's Log - My new sis-in-law! Love her and love this blog :)

Now, on to me :) 7 Things...

1. Things always seem to work out for me (crap, I hope I didn't just jinx it!). And I honestly believe I can do anything I set my mind to.

2. I'm a wanderer. I've moved to a different city every year for the past six. Redding, Corning, Sacramento, Dublin, Sacramento, San Francisco... ?

3. I was quite the athlete in my younger days. I got recruited to play volleyball, basketball and softball after high school (Okay not actually legit recruited, just at junior colleges).

4. I'm picky ;) This is the longest amount of time I've gone being single, but this has also been some of my happiest times.

5. I was born at home and lived in that same house for 17 years.

6. I'm the middle child and clearly had middle child syndrome growing up :/

7. I'm an introvert living in an extrovert's body. When I tell my friends I'm an introvert, they laugh. Maybe I'm both? But seriously I'm a homebody and that's something that most people don't know nor believe.

Napa Wine Tasting

I've been so busy lately (with various things that hopefully I'll be able to share soon - fingers crossed!) that I've been slacking in the whole blog department. Well two weekends ago I had the best time that I just have to brag about it now :)

My mom and sister drove down from Sacramento to spend the weekend with Lisa and I in our new place. We spent nearly all day Saturday in Napa wine tasting and had so much fun! I honestly think wine tasting is on my list of all-time favorite things to do.

The winos :) Thanks for driving Mom!

I just thought this was the coolest picture ever. I used
to think oak trees were fugly, but now love them!

Any Bachelorette fans? Well I ♥ Ben and was secretly hoping to stumble across the hottie on our wine extravaganza even though his winery is in Sonoma. Unfortunately, no such luck :( but I would love to check out his winery one of these days. Creepy? Stalker? Wine lover? Ummm ya... that one ;)

When we got back home later that night, we went to Twin Peaks for some sightseeing. They are two hills about eight minutes from my place with an elevation of 922 feet situated at the geographic center of San Francisco. They form the second-highest point in SF and offer an incredible view of the city, as you can see here:


Thanks for the wonderful weekend, girls ♥

Yosemite

I've wanted to go to Yosemite for as long as I can remember, and now I can finally scratch that off my bucket list! Lisa and I began the four and a half hour road trip through the wilderness on Thursday evening.

We stayed at an adorable little hostel-ish place and loved it! It was about an hour from Yosemite National Park (the ONLY available accommodation we could find) and we had our own personal tent with beds inside. Yosemite Bug Mountain Resort is adorable, has a great location, and is very affordable. And they have the nicest staff EVER! We seriously loved them! I definitely recommend YBMR to everyone.

Our adorable little tent.

♥ camera timers ;)

View from Glacier Point - another hour drive, but so worth it!

Aren't the photos so beautiful that they look fake?! I ♥ Yosemite! This was a great weekend getaway and just what I needed to escape life's stresses and recuperate.

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

I love my quotes just as much as I love alliterations ;) That's why I decided to create my very own Words of Wisdom Wednesdays! And the very first W³ provides inspiration to this recent college grad venturing out into the world (fyi it's meeee!)....



"All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost."
- J.R.R. Tolkien


"Don't be pushed by your problems,
be led by your dreams."


"When you discover the world outside,
you discover the world within."

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
- Mark Twain

What quotes inspire you? :)

Happy Independence Day (yesterday), America!

I hope everyone had a wonderful time celebrating yesterday and all weekend! I know I did :)

It was the Irish roomie's first... and possibly only?! :( ... 4th of July, so we had to make sure that we went all out on the big day. We relaxed all morning before consuming the necessary delicious beverages and a picnic while enjoying a wonderful view and the sunshine.


Then we headed down to Fisherman's Warf for some good ole American celebrations; drinks aplenty, live music, good food, and the best part of the night - FIREWORKS!!! I just love fireworks and am always so impressed with them. Last night's show was no exception.


Oh ya and we had to paint our faces to show our patriotism :)


Happy 4th!

Photo Friday

I never imagined that I would be so outdoorsy/surrounded by nature when moving to the city. Literally right across the street from my house is a hike to Randall Rock, which offers an incredible view of San Francisco. I've already hiked it multiple times and have found that it's a great way to start my day.

Meet Alice

Alice is a 15 year old girl living in Ulverston, England with terminal cancer. Her blog brought tears to my eyes and hope in my heart. Her blog, Alice's Bucket List, captures her everyday life and the process of accomplishing all her dreams. And so far she is doing quite the job of completing them! Her blog shows the importance of family, friends and the simple appreciation for life. This young teenager an inspirations to thousands, including myself.

If you want to read her touching blog, visit http://alicepyne.blogspot.com/. To make a donation in her honor, visit http://www.everyclick.com/postpals. To support Alice on her Facebook page, visit http://www.facebook.com/pages/Alice-Pyne/168029203261666?sk=wall.

Alice's hope is to raise awareness and to get as many people as she possibly can to join a Bone Marrow Registry because she is forever grateful for one stranger who was willing to try to help save her life. In her blog, Alice explains that "Somewhere out there, is a young lad in his 20s who, a year ago, was told he was a match for a child in the UK. Whoever you are, thank you for been willing to save me. x"

My thoughts go out to Alice and her family. I look forward to following her exciting adventures and Bucket List accomplishments! ♥

Pride 2011

Guess who was living in the Castro during the Pride Festival!?! This weekend's festivities were so much fun! I've always been an avid supporter of equality, so I was so excited to go out to show my support and have a fun time doing it!

"We're the three four best friends that anyone could have..." :) All my besties came together for the craziness. We all got together at my place beforehand and had such a fun time drinking mimosas and putting on crazy makeup.

Impressive, right?!

Leaving my apartment and heading to the festivities!

Then we took the Muni to the Civic Center where the real fun started. My favorite part was dancing the day away at the different stages with live music.

Lis had never seen a porter potty before!

You'd be surprised by the amount of naked people that were wandering the streets!

Best costumes and makeup ever!! So many people asked to take pictures with us :)

After spending a long and exhausting day downtown, we headed back to my place for a little rest before heading out again that night. Seriously only a block away from my place was the Pink Party, a huge street block party that occurs every Saturday night of Pride weekend. This is what we arrived to:



Such a fun weekend with my girls!

Photo Friday

Look what Lisa brought me from Ireland!!




My FAVORITE beer/cider (Bulmers), candy bar (Yorkie), and tea (Barry's). You can't buy any of this stuff in the states, so I was so excited when I saw it all. Just a little taste from my second home :)

Meant to be?

So I moved to San Francisco (three days ago to be exact) in hopes to find something to do with my life post-grad. I'm interested in working for a non-profit organization and I thought SF was the place to go since there are so many here. And if I don't find exactly what I want, at least I'll be living in an incredible city, right?!

I'm currently subletting a place from the sweetest girl who is spending the next month or so on the East Coast. When we talked about my plans in San Francisco, she was confident I would find a job. Why, you ask? She swears her place brings good luck, in the job market specifically. When she moved in, she immediately found her dream job - after having no such luck for months prior. Then one of her friends was looking for a job in the city before having to crash at her place for a few days when... she landed her dream job!

If that isn't enough to convince you, we found this book in the apartment:


What Should I Do With My Life? by Po Bronson, the true story of people who answered the ultimate question. It contains inspirational true stories of people who have overcome fear and confusion to find a larger truth about their lives and, in doing so, have been transformed by the experience.

Meant to be?! I guess we will see...

Now I'm off to speed read this thing :)

American Cuisine

I'm trying to make Lisa's experience in the states as amazing as mine was last year in Ireland (partly thanks to her), so I'm trying to be really American :P

I made her pancakes for breakfast (pancakes in Ireland are like crepes). They were a big hit! And tonight for dinner I made pizza along with margaritas (another first for her, can you believe they don't have margs over there?!). I'm excited to be her chef throughout the summer... any other American cuisine suggestions?

Lis excited for her margarita! And
a sneak peek at our new apartment :)

A great day with a little bit of bad

We went to the Golden Gate Bridge and my new fedora blew off my head, off the bridge and into the ocean (I almost caught it too)! What a traumatic experience!

We went to Crissy Field Beach and we both got bad sunburns.

before

after

But despite those things, it was such a great day and it is amazing to be reunited with my friend who traveled halfway across the world to be here :) After an insanely exciting reunion at the airport last night, we got back to our apartment and talked our ears off. It's crazy because it doesn't really feel like we've been separated the past year, we picked up right where we left off.

And I find it hilarious every time she tries to get in the car on the driver's side :)

Farewell Fiestas & Fun

I couldn't have asked for a better last week in Sacramento! Yes, I was extremely overwhelmed and stressed with moving, but each night was filled with some kind of celebration - just what I needed to get me through the busy week.

Tuesday - I took some loads of boxes over to my parents house and stayed for dinner. Then my mom and I laid in their backyard and talked/laughed/watched the stars until about 11:30 that night. I love summer nights! The white lights were still up in their backyard from my graduation party, and laying there with her was so peaceful. I ♥ my mom!

Muth and I wine tasting last summer

Wednesday - My former Red Lobster co-workers threw me a going away party that was so much fun! About 25-30 of my favorites came together for a bbq with lots of good food and drinks. And a fire pit that now has me wanting my very own!

I swear I wasn't the only one having fun. Limited pictures damnit!

Thursday - My sister's quarter of a century birthday! A group of us went to happy hour downtown. We ended up staying there for a few hours before heading to a club that was definitely not poppin' because we were so early. Everyone (except the current unemployed college grad) had work the next morning, so we didn't stay there too long. But all in all a wonderful night!

Happy Birthday Suz!

Friday - I went to another happy hour downtown with a couple of my favorite girls from Sac State. We were intending on just going there and then home, but we were enjoying each others' company so much that we ended up going to a Tapas bar for some more drinks. Sangrias, yum!

Love these girls! This photo was taken on St. Patrick's
Day this year (hence the gigantic clover earrings).

Saturday - Sister's birthday/Father's day/My going away party... we each claimed it as our own :) We went out to dinner at the delicious Chicago Fire downtown before heading to the Rivercats game. It was just the parents, sister, brother-in-law and me. Love hanging with the fam!

Beautiful sunset during the game!

Sunday - Happy Father's Day, Dad!! And yes, my dad is the best because he woke up early on this day to help me move the rest of my stuff. Thanks D!

Dad and his favorite daughter :) at my sister's wedding.

And now I'm blogging from my adorable place in San Francisco! Trying to kill time before the Irish bff arrives... her flight was delayed an hour ughhh. I am SO excited about our reunion and summer together.

Lis and I in Interlaken, Switzerland last summer.

And now it's almost time to go to the airport, woo! :)