warmth

it has been so cold lately! like a lot colder than usual. also, it hasn't been easy dealing with the cold (i don't know how those of you who deal with this kind of cold every year do it!? i'm a born & raised california girl!) i needed to buy a new coat this year & was going a few days without one - not a good idea (maybe that is why i have this cold i can't get rid of).

i came back from visiting miguel yesterday & while i was there, he turned on the heater for the first time (trying to conserve as much as possible!) & it didn't work! so, the landlady gave us a portable heater until the heater could be fixed. & boy did that tiny little heater work well! it warmed the place up in no time & we were so grateful for the warmth. we stayed indoors most of the time, but we ended up going out for some nice hot ramen at our favorite spot. it was definitely worth getting bundled up for.

i love this time of year because getting cozy & cuddly is just second nature.

to help stay warm, i made some apple cider today. the recipe is really easy & has great flavor! i also made some low-carb cookies for my dad who is on a special diet for his diabetes. he also just had foot surgery, so i've been trying to do a few extra things for him since he's been bummed he can't get around on his own.

i'll leave you with a few notes/links:

• i would love to get this glass cabinet to store my vintage camera collection.
• i've been needing a business card holder to store my cards in & i think this one would be perfect.
• if you have to buy a christmas gift for one who loves to cook in your life, this would be the gift to give.
• i love peonies, but they are always too expensive & only in season for a few months (miguel is always calling florists for peonies for me ;)). these flowers are a cheaper alternative!
• migue is always talking about how he will make furniture for our home, so i think this would be a good place to start. 

that's all for now! i'll be drinking my apple cider & watching the day the earth stood still with my dad. stay warm!

getting better

 well, i am caught up with blogging so far. thanks for keeping up! today has been probably the coldest day of the season so far. i've been fighting some kind of head cold for the past two weeks. it's tough to get rid of because everytime i feel like i'm better & able to do things, it comes back. my head hurts, my sinuses are all full, my ears hurt, & my eyes are sore. at least i can still breath ok. i've been trying to get my rest & have been wearing my comfy clothes & watching lots of netflix.

 i haven't seen miguel in two weeks because of the holidays & family visiting. i miss the breakfast bagels & train rides with flowers in tow. but mostly i just miss him... good news is, if plans go well, i get to see him tonight! so wish me luck : )

thanksgiving

my thanksgiving was quite good. i had three thanksgiving meals total: one at home with my parents & uncle who lives with us, one at my aunt & uncles house with many of my cousins & their kids, & one with my cousin wendy's family. it was quite a busy few days!

i made my very first pumpkin pie. everyone liked it but me, haha. my uncle & aunt fixed us a fabulous feast. the turkey was huge! i was glad i was able to spend some quality time with my "nephews" : )

it was really nice to see wendy! she & her boyfriend got a cute little place & she's having fun decorating it.

i got to go to my favorite local restaurant while visiting wendy. the dishes are so delicious & go with the amazing decor. very blogger worthy, but the lighting wasn't the greatest for photos :( anyways, the tomato soup is one of the best i've had.

the next pair of photos are a little embarrassing being bathroom selfies, but i wanted to show you two things. i wore my hair in two braids one day. when i was younger, i would wear my hair in braids almost every day. also, i just bought an amazing herringbone coat from my black friday shopping, only $35.

before leaving to go home, wendy took me to her local coffee shop hangout.

i was so excited to get my first latte art! the latte was amazing. i'm definitely going back there next time i visit!

overall, i was so thankful to spend thanksgiving with basically all of my family on both sides of my family. i'm blessed to live close enough to both.

west coast craft

 i had a father-daughter day with my dad one sunday. we took a day trip into the city to go to the west coast craft fair. i wore my new tunic from anthropologie i got discounted for my birthday : )

 we had lunch at a vegetarian "to go" place.

 i loved way too many things there. but i ended up getting the first issue of a new up & coming independent periodical called weekend almanac & a $5 squirrel mini day pack from alite. what a deal! it was a successful day trip indead : )

surprise birthday day trip!

 part of miguel's birthday gift to me was a surprise day trip! i had no idea where we were going. all i was told was to wear comfortable clothes & shoes to walk in.

first we stopped at the cute italian deli that always reminds him of me & bought sandwiches & drinks & chips for a little picnic (one of my favorite things to do!).

 then he took me to a beautiful arboretum. it was perfect because i love the trees in fall. he knows me well. it was very windy & the sun was in our eyes so it was difficult to get a decent photo. haha, so this is what you get:

such a perfect surprise birthday day trip : ) thanks miguel!

a little hello & my birthday

hello! well, my life has once again been a whirlwind. i'm starting to think that it's just a whirlwind period. i hope you americans had a happy thanksgiving (& some international readers too according to instagram!)! i did (having two thanksgiving meals yesterday) & am leaving to visit my cousin wendy today for the weekend & another thanksgiving meal! 

i am still looking for a full-time job & it is a bit discouraging, but i know the right one will come along. i just have to be ready for it. 

i have a few events that i want to blog about over the next few days/weeks of things that i have been doing, so bare with me!

first up, i want to share my birthday with you! i was not in the birthday mood this year because since i was turning 26, i would lose all my medical, dental, & vision coverage from my dad. also, the grace period for my student loans would be up & i would have to start paying them... happy birthday to me! aha. but, miguel knew all of this & was on a mission to get me in a happy birthday mood, showering me with loads of gifts & lots of loving. & it worked. he came to visit me & brought the most beautiful bouquet of roses! yellow & blue are our colors & the multi-color roses were just plain epic. 

he bought me lots of books/comics that i have been wanting! like the second hunger games book, the kinfolk table cookbook, & the soppy comics! 

 these comics are completely miguel & me ;)

then he spent the day with me & my mom shopping & getting sandwiches at ike's place. oh how i love him.

earlier for my birthday morning, i had breakfast with these lovely sisters! lizzie & hannah treated me to eggs benedict & a bag full of amazing things. it was such a happy birthday morning!

oh yeah, i also took my NEW CAR to get it's first car wash (because it's free on my birthday!)! this is a late graduation present from my parents & grandma (& i'm paying for the rest of it!)! i was seriously in shock when they told me that i would be getting a new car. i love my 2013 honda fit sport : ) i named it rosie the riveter.

 my birthday ended nicely with dinner out & strawberry shortcake in.

little did i know that more birthday plans were in store for me, but more on that later.
i am so thankful for people in my life that love me. love really is the greatest thing.

26

today is my birthday : )

spontaneous day trip

 hey! hi! hiiii. wow i've been gone way too long. i don't have any excuses for not blogging. i just haven't been in the mood for it lately. the blog break is over now though (let's hope!) because it is my birthday month (& among other reasons)!

miguel's last class for the day was cancelled on halloween, so we took advantage of this blessing & took a spontaneous day trip to a cute town about an hour & a half away. i used to go to this town often when i was younger & wanted to show him a historical house that i loved looking at & exploring back in the day. this was our second trip to this town together (here was our first!), so it was fun to go back for another adventure.

i like the quiet times with him

he fell asleep while studying so i captured the moment.

spending almost a week with miguel makes me cherish the quiet times we spend together at home - cooking together, watching new girl, laughing at silly things, studying for exams (him) & writing cover letters (me). so many things that are so small & may seem insignificant, bring so much joy. it's crazy & it makes me so happy it seems silly.

september

i haven't blogged in almost a month, which may be the longest i've gone without blogging! september 1 marked the end of my 5th year blogging (even though i think i celebrated 5 years last year on accident. haha oh well.). it rained for the first time this season today. i was so happy! i can't wait for the first day of fall (tomorrow) & all the cozy weather that comes with it. as a matter of fact, right now i am curled up on the couch with my new pink west elm throw. bring on the rainy & cooler weather!

my sister left on september 6 for thailand! she will be gone for at least 7 months. she will be an english teacher to 4-7 year-olds. i'm very excited for her, but miss her already & it hasn't even been a month. i'll be planning a trip to visit her soon : )

lately i've been looking for a full-time job. i applied to one at a university research center. it's in the same town (such a cute town! photo example below of the town's movie theater complete with bikes parked outside! i mean come on.) that miguel works & we would literally be working a couple of blocks away from each other - which normally would be whatever, but when you live over an hour away from the one you love, it is a definite plus to be so close. so we are rooting for this position.

it was so windy one morning while we were having our bagel breakfast before work, but i wanted to take pictures. this was the result:

even though the weather has still been so summer-like (besides today!), i've been trying to lure the cool fall weather by getting into the spirit of fall by having so many pumpkin spice lattes from starbucks & baking pumpkin bread pudding (made my own recipe & it actually turned out really good!!).

i even attended a jam & jelly canning workshop with lizzie & my mom! it was so great & for only $5 we learned so much information, made jams, & went home with over six containers each of jams, jellies, lemon curd, & apple butter! it was a great day.

future plans of mine includes:

1. helping at my church's health fair tomorrow. i'm working the registration/welcome booth! i'm actually really excited about it. haha.

2. watching this film. i cannot wait for it to be in theaters. also, it's the perfect musical pick for the trailer in my opinion.

3. taking the train to visit miguel for a few days on monday. i feel content when i'm with him. we will most likely be looking for a wedding gift as we were invited, for the first time, to a wedding together. i don't know why, but being invited to a wedding with your boyfriend makes things feel kind of official? anyways, we are excited.

4. getting a few letters in the mail (hopefully!!).

that's it for now.

oh! has anyone seen the movie now you see me?? trippy movie at the end! did not expect that! miguel & i saw it & were both like "whaaaaat?!"

ok. i think that's it now. byee!