Promoted

WOOP! The little intern is now a big ole Search Marketing Coordinator :)

Movin' on up!



We went to the Bubble Lounge last weekend for some celebratory drinks and dancing. It's a champagne bar with over 300 champagnes and sparkling wines, and you better believe we had our fair share of some bubbly. My favorite was the "Bubblicious" champagne cocktail - Prosecco, peach liqueur and peach nectar.


And last night there were even more celebrations! An announcement was sent out to the office at the end of the day, which led to a bottle of champagne being popped and followed with more drinks at a nearby dive bar. I just love my coworkers :)

Photo Challenge - #3

#3 - Something you adore



I do adore this girl here, but there's something else (in her belly) that I love and adore. Yep, she and her hubby are expecting a baby in July :) I can't believe how much I love this little one, and I haven't even met him/her yet.

I'm going to be a first-time Aunt, and I am so excited to welcome this little bundle of joy into our family and to watch baby grow.

Congratulations to my sister and brother-in-law, I could not be happier for you two. You are going to make amazing parents (and your little one is going to be spoiled rotten by Auntie Rose) ♥

Thank you for making my dreams come true ;)

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

A saw this awesome thing on my cousin's Facebook page, and I just had to share.


Oh I just love an inspirational orange! ;)

This reminded me that I started W³ way back in July and never posted again. Perfect opportunity to share some of my fave quotes stored in my handy dandy lil quote book.

"Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy." - Anne Frank


"A stumble may prevent a fall."


"Be kind; for everyone you meet is fighting their own hard battle."


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

Happy Hump Day!

Photo Challenge - Week/Day 2

This is a fun challenge and I'm anxious! So I'm going to post in order as often as I please. Rules shmules :)



#2: Breakast



Nearly every Saturday and/or Sunday I make this breakfast because it's my favorite and I feel so good after eating it. One egg (scrambled, fried or hard boiled), one potato (sauteed in red pepper flakes, garlic and onion), one piece of toast, and some kind of fruit. Plus Sriracha (I put it on everything) and Barry's tea, straight from Ireland.

Bon appétit!

Photo a Day Week Challenge - Week 1

I thought this would be a fun challenge to blog. Realistically I won't post every day, so I decided I'd do one photo a week (and hopefully I'll at least stick to that).




Week 1: Me!


... in one of the most beautiful places I've visited; Santorini, Greece

Living in Luxury

For the first time in my life, I bought myself a fancy shmancy bed set! I've had nice comforters, pillows and whatnot, but never the whole shebang.

And now my adorable bed matches our perfect little apartment :)

The best thing is that this purchase wasn't even planned. I was reading a book at a park right by the bay and had to leave because I got too cold. I couldn't warm up on my walk back, so I saw a Ross and decided I'd wander in just until I stopped shivering. Then I found this beaut for only $50.


Talk about a steal! This 12 piece room ensemble includes a comforter, bedskirt, coverlet, two euro shams, two standard shams, three square pillows and two breakfast pillows (I'm reading the package people - my bed lingo is not that good).

Te gusta? :)

And while I'm at it I'll show you my favorite part of our apartment, the view.


♥ Home sweet home

January?

68 degrees and sunny... is it really January?! I spent the majority of my weekend outside and loved it! Saturday I went for a three hour-long walk/hike with no specific destination in mind. I ended up walking through the Marina, Ghirardelli Square, Fort Mason, Fort Mason Green, Marina Green and took a little break at Crissy Field beach.

Saturday's route: My place to beyond Crissy Field and back

And this is how I spent my Sunday:



Soaking up the sun at Ocean beach with some delicious mimosas and a new friend :) And yes, we are reading the same book... it's The Hunger Games craze!

Next on my list: Find some real hiking spots in the city. I've been hearing good things about a hike through the Redwoods that leads you to a hidden beer garden. Stay tuned for more :)

Happy New Year Halloween

Sorry folks, I'm two months late but it's my blog and my rules so I'm posting about Halloween! It'd be such a shame if I didn't since our costumes were the. best. ever. And homemade!

♪ We're the three best friends that anyone ever had ♫ AKA THE WOLFPACK!!!





My wolf hat: $5 - Shampayne's wolf hat: HOMEMADE! From fur that we bought and sewed to replicate our hats. ¡Increíble! We also made TAILS and patches of fur to go around various places of our body. Crafty, I know ;)


Other necessities to our amazing costumes:

• Flannel shirts (thrift store in the Haight - where we ran into Ozzy Osbourne, random!)
• Suspenders (thrift store on Polk Street)
• Fangs (which sucked and wouldn't stay on!)
• Jean shorts (thrift store) which spent the most time cutting and thrashing these things to look werewolf-y
• Leggings

I think making costumes is so much more fun than buying those premade ones, plus they're so unique and in my opinion, way better!

My only regret... not taking pictures :( These were the very few captured from phones.

Happy New Year!

Happy 2012! This is where I rang in the new year:


A couple friends and I were a few blocks from the bay bridge and had a spectacular view of the amazing fireworks show that started right at midnight. Before that was a brewery, before that was dinner and drinks, and before that was drinks at my house. It was a good night indeed!

And now for my second annual New Year survey...

1. What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before?
Live in San Francisco, work a 9-5 job, skydive, road trip to San Diego, camp (kind of) in Yosemite, wine taste in Napa, attend Pride in SF, surf...

2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I didn't make new years resolutions last year, but have a couple this year.

- I'm giving myself 2 years (I'm shooting for 1 1/2) to go on a big trip by myself. Right now my goal is to spend 3-4 weeks in Southeast Asia. I know there are tour groups for people under 30 years old that have package deals that bus/fly to different countries. Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos... yes please!

- Lead a healthier and more active life... and no complaints if this leads to losing some weight :)

- Read more. Instead of turning on the TV and being a zombie, pick up a good book. Not hard right now. Anyone read The Hunger Games series? Omg, good stuff!

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Negative.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No, thankfully.

5. What countries did you visit?
Zero, zilch, nada. I'm slacking, hence new year resolution #1 :)

6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?
More weekend getaways! Travel more and try new things. Exercise more, which hopefully shouldn't be hard with my zumba and kickboxing classes :)

7. What dates from 2011 will remain etched on your memory, and why?
May - graduating college. June - Moving to SF. Nov/Dec - Just because I love the holidays with my fam ♥

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
That'd have to be graduating college and finding myself a big girl job in the city.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Well it's not necessarily a failure, but I let the stresses of moving to the city and the job search really get to me. Losing my optimism is never good for me.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
No, thankfully.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
A massage ♥ Best thing for sure.

12. Where did most of your money go?
Rent. Wha-wha-wha.

13. What did you get really excited about?
My graduation. My big move. My Lisa visiting from Ireland :) My new job. The holidays.

14. What song will always remind you of 2011?
Teach me how to dougie

15. Compared to this time last year, are you:

Happier or sadder? Right now I'm happier :)
Thinner or fatter? I believe the same. But it wouldn't hurt to lose a few lbs.
Richer or poorer? Same? The city is pricey! Fingers crossed for a promotion soon that changes that.

16. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Read, travel, exercise.

17. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Stress. Be lazy.

18. How did you spend Christmas?
In Sacramento/Roseville with the fam bam.

19. What was your favorite TV program?
I have some new ones: New Girl & Hart of Dixie, 90210, and my guilty reality TV pleasures - Jersey Shore and the multiple Kardashian shows.

20. What were your favorite books of the year?
Right now The Hunger Games is dominating all.

21. What was your favorite music from this year?
Hip hop. It just makes me want to dance!

22. What were your favorite films of this year?
Bridesmaids wins hands down for best movie of 2011!

23. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 23 and went wine tasting with my favorite girls.

24. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
I don't think anything could have made it immeasurably more satisfying, but I could have stressed less and enjoyed the little things more.

26. What kept you sane?
Mi familia ♥

Here's to another great year. Good things in store for 2012 :)

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! ♥