Flying Can Be Fun

Do you like to fly? I really do. The destination normally doesn't matter, all I care about is getting there safe and sound. And maybe the consumption of free alcohol or ginger ale. It just makes sitting for multiple hours so much more bearable. 

On a recent weekend getawat to San Francisco with my sister, we had the perfect trifecta of flights. Quick (less than an hour from Orange County), awesome flight attendant, and free booze. Welcome to San Fran! For my sister who is scared to fly, this made the start of the trip all that more fun. 

Who doesn't like a free bottle of Finland's finest vodka, Finlandia?

Hello SFO!

Ticket

“I can’t buy happiness, but I can buy a plane ticket…and that’s pretty close.”

So I did. 

Details to come. 

Avocado Caprese Salad

I LOVE a good caprese salad. If you remember my basic recipe from the past, you must also note I am always trying to find a new spin on this Italian favorite. I found this recipe the other day on Pinterest, and knew I instantly had to try it. With the addition of the avocado, and chopped fresh ingredients, I knew it would be a winner. It definitely was!

I have to note though, fresh ingredients are key to making this recipe so delish! Without it, this “salad” would be nothing special. I also noticed a difference when I use organic ingredients. They just taste 100 times better, maybe due to lack of pesticides lurking throughout. Try this salad during your Memorial Weekend BBQ:

 Avocado Caprese Salad w/ Balsamic, Basil, And Cracked Pepper

Ingredients:

2 Avocados (peeled, pitted, & cubed

2 Tomatoes (cubed)

1 Ball of Fresh Mozzarella Cheese (cubed)

Approx. 2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

2 Tsp. Basil (I used a mixture of dried and fresh, so either works)

Salt & Pepper to taste

 

Directions:

Put the cubes of avocados, tomatoes,

and mozzarella in a bowl.

Add basil, salt and pepper to taste

Mix together lightly

Plate it, and drizzle balsamic.

Enjoy!

May Showers and Spring Flowers

Yesterday I had the pleasure of going to an outdoor Bridal Shower for my dear friend Shannon. It also just so happened to be a DIYer's paradise, filled with littler crafts that would make any backyard BBQ extra special. Spring flowers were in full bloom, mason jars full of lemonade were plentiful, and Crate & Barrel ruled the afternoon. 

I love days like this. I got a little sunburned, a little tipsy, and a lot happy. Happy Spring (and wedding season. This is one of three for me this year!)

Mother of the Bride with the Bride-to-Be

Passion to Purpose

Sydney, Australia

“If you can’t figure out your purpose, figure out your passion. For your passion will lead you right into your purpose” 
- T.D. Jakes

In my early twenties, after my first “love” broke my heart, I moved to Australia in hopes of a fresh start and a new adventure. I am thankful for those 6 months away because it was the jumpstart to my worship of travel. Nothing comes close to this time in my life, when school played second fiddle to meeting new people (ahem.. boys) from all over the world, late night bar crawls, introductions to good wine and interesting foods. I am 100% sure it shaped who I am today.

 

Enter “almost 30” and I am still searching for my purpose in this world.  My passion, traveling and experiencing other cultures, is often rerouted due to real life responsibilities. So how can I make my passion my purpose? I am still figuring that out, but this quote really made me think.

 

Someone told me this week that it sounds like my purpose IS travel; is the empathy and passion I share for people in this vast and wonderful world. So maybe living a more purposeful life is what I finally need to start doing. I know what my passion is, so why am I not doing it?

Is this making sense to you? Me either. Try living in this head.  

What is your passion? Do you think it is helping you discover your purpose?

Hair Color

This is what happens when you do another Color Run. Did I not learn my lesson before? 

It looks pretty and sorta hip pre-shower...

Post-shower, I don't think they are going to let me into work on Monday.

Yikes.

Thankful Thursday: Walks During the Workday

Breaks of any kind during the workday have not been happening for me lately. With my boss STILL out on maternity leave (it feels like a year, but it has been 5 months) I have been working 10-12 hour days pretty much nonstop.  I don't mind the work, but I do not feel like this is advancing my career in the least bit. But that is another story. 

When I do have the chance to step away, lately I have been trying to go on a walk in the industrial area around my building. the one mile loop takes me about 15 minutes, and is usually the perfect time to calm the anger that is normally bubbling inside of me due to lazy people in my office. 

These walks have been known as my "Saving Grace" lately. Who would have thought walking through a concrete jungle of big buildings would make me so happy, but I am so thankful to have this time to myself. I usually come back a much calmer person. And it doesn't hurt to walk a mile a few days a week when I can't get a run in after work :)

my walkin' shoes

Indulgence and Satisfaction

Yesterday after my half marathon, I laid around my house all day long. I caught a marathon of House Hunters International, watched 2 movies, ate Chipotle (one of my favorites), made a new board on Pinterest, wrote emails I had been meaning to write to old friends, drank wine and lounged in a hot tub. This list goes on and on. But none of it was what I would consider productive. If you know me at all, you know how difficult it is for me to sit at home. I hate sitting around the house, and I often fill my days with tasks that include groceries, library, craft stores, gym, lunching, coffee dates, etc.

I never have nothing to do.

Sitting around yesterday made me realize I need to do it a lot more often. I went to bed extremely content, which is a far cry from how I feel other days - exhausted. It makes me see I am wasting so much energy to gain zero lasting satisfaction. What does being busy do for me? All it does is make me feel guilt for not doing enough. Can you imagine what I am going to be like as a mother if I don’t rein this in?

So I am going to make an effort to indulge in myself a little more, and be happy with the outcome. Some days don’t need to spent out of the house. Some are meant to do nothing.

I accidentally took this picture while laying in bed. My only documentation I actually laid in it when the sun was out.

Another Bad Running Decision

I do not consider myself a runner, but yet I keep making this decision to sign up for races. Last year I ran this same Orange County half marathon in hopes of getting me ready for summer, and this year I had the exact same hopes. Today was the race, and I did not prepare in the way I should have. Shocking! 

As I sit on my couch unable to move without looking like a 90-year-old woman (hunched back, creaking limbs) I think, "Why did I not train harder for this?" Because I haven't had the time or energy to do so, given my current work schedule. Or maybe, just maybe, I don't like running. Maybe that plays a factor :)

But great news folks, this was a good race for me! Here's why:

1) I ran it in my best time ever, 2 hours and 6 minutes.

2) It was a perfectly cloudy day. Rare for So Cal, but perfect for a long run.

3) It's over! And now I can truly enjoy a good cerveza. Cheers!