zine news!!

i have exciting news! i will be tabling at the 2015 san francisco zine fest! more info to come :)

Australia & New Zealand

 well, i am back from my trip! i actually came back about two months ago, but i just haven't blogged until now! i really need to get back into blogging...

anyways, it was an amazing trip. so much happened & i felt so many things on this trip. it was a much needed getaway.

although, i won't go into too much detail (because fitting two weeks of vacation into one blogpost is a scary thought!), i'd like to share little details with you through photos : )

 i got to meet (& stay with!) two of my blogger friends! first i stayed with sarah. she was so loving & i thoroughly enjoyed my time with her. i got to meet her caring family & tour her family's business. & she took me to kikki k!! i loved kikki k. i stocked up on so much stationary goodies.

then i stayed with katyha in sydney! we went on a great little adventure in sydney, walking to all of the places i wanted to see. i got to see the opera house, which was a big highlight! we also caught a glimpse of mia wasikowska while we were out for the night at bills eating pavlova. (i love pavlova now!!!)

then i hopped on a plane & met with my sister for the first time in eight months. it was such a great feeling to have my sister again.

 in auckland, raquel & i ate good food at the food truck garage as recommended by amanda of here comes the sun & visited the auckland art gallery. fun fact - my instagram photo of the veggie burger was regrammed by the food truck garage instagram : )

after spending a few days in auckland, raquel & i started our road trip around the north island of new zealand! we drove on the left side of the road on the right side of the car...& i drove for a bit as well! i didn't like it...

 after spending some time at the hot water beach, we made it to matamata aka hobbiton! seeing hobbiton was a dream come true.

after a surreal experience in matamata, we hit the road again to the tongariro alpine crossing aka mt. doom. i have an amazing story of how we hiked the tongariro crossing, but i will just say that it was 7.5 hours of almost nonstop walking in extreme weather conditions (the shuttles were even cancelled because of the bad weather), high winds, high altitude (hard to breath!), & up steep mountainsides for over 12 miles. i still can't believe that i did it. the views were incredible. it's an experience i will never forget.

 after our hike, i could barely walk & woke up in pain many times that night. the next day i downed pain killers & went caving - glowworm caving. it was incredible.

during our road trip around new zealand, we stayed at many hostels (backpackers) & airbnbs. this one was really cute.

 it was a fantastic trip & i was sad to leave my sister. she is coming to visit in september though (on her way to india!) & i am so happy about that. i miss her.

i'm off to oz! (australia) & that beautiful hobbitland of new zealand

today i am off to catch a plane to visit my sister in new zealand! i'm just about all packed & filled with anxious butterflies. i get to meet sarah & katyha in australia on my trip as well! i'm not sure how much i will be able to post on here as i am not bringing my laptop & i have been a poor blogger lately, but be sure to tune in to my instagram account where i'll be posting daily! @from_lina

lina's letters

i've been getting back into letter writing lately :) i have a hashtag on instagram - #linasletters
i believe i have about fifteen penpals at the moment & it can be overwhelming at times, but i love it anyways! i love all of the stationary, making my envelopes, deciding how i will decorate each letter from the outside-in, gathering items to send with the letter, & more. i have even bought a postage scale to weigh my letters! i am not sure i write the best letters, but it's something that i love & i'm going to keep doing it. i am always looking for new stationary. what is your favorite place or company to get stationary from?

terrarium making

this christmas, i decided to make terrariums for all of my close friends. it was such an adventure & so much fun. i got a pack of 100 tiny train model people for $12 on amazon, tiny succulents from home depot, & lots & lots of glass containers from thrift stores for $1 each, & put it all together. i thought they turned out pretty great :)

i am so into terrariums now haha. i was even tempted to take some furry moss & lichen home with me when i visited the redwoods recently at a state park. i didn't, but i really wanted to...!

i'm pretty sure the next zine i make will be on terrariums. stay tuned!

in other news...

• i've been sick for a week with this cold that i just can't shake. going to work with it isn't fun. at all.
• i made vegan chocolate chip cookies today. they were just ok.
• i have to work this weekend at my second job, which means i will be working for 12 days straight. sigh.
• i've been listening to audiobooks that i get from the library while i drive to & from work. pretty neat set up if i do say so myself.

water

i've promised myself to always try to live near water. it's just so...therapeutic. calming. soothing. i love how it makes the air feel. i grew up near the water & i plan on staying near it. i took these photos with my iphone after having coffee after work with my coworker, kelly, at my favorite local cafe, just 5 minutes from my house. it was a beautiful evening.

i love working with kids. working at an elementary school is such a fun job. i love it when i walk down the halls & the students greet me & wave, "hi ms. gonzalez!" with a smile. it melts my heart when their eyes become so wide with excitement while they discover something new in my science lab. it's so encouraging, to witness the excitement & amazement of children when they learn a new, amazing thing. they are discovering everything for the first time & it's fascinating to me. i feel honored to be there while they are making these discoveries.

while it is such a rewarding job, it also can be a draining job. i am an introvert, & to rejuvenate & build my energy back up, i have to be alone. so, when i am surrounded with up four classes a day of up to 30+ kids, answering questions, moderating arguments, comforting cries, etc., it can be exhausting. so this week, i was pretty tired when i came home from work. i didn't want to talk to anyone. i just needed to be alone. i took some time to myself, & after a few hours i felt so much better. i've been really learning more about myself lately. learning about what i want, what i need, how to take care of myself, etc. it's really been a season of self-discovery.

link love:

• i'm kind of in love with this tiny home.
• i've been in such the diy mood lately & am really tempted to make this speckled gold phone case.
• i love my plants, but this faux cactus is the cutest!

theo

i adopted an orphan kitten in october. he was about 3 months old. now he is 6 1/2 months old & so big! the two photos show how fast he has grown. i named him theo & he is so mellow & sweet. he loves to watch the birds outside & loves loves to eat. when i am home, he is my shadow, following me everywhere. when i take a shower in the morning, he waits for me right by the shower curtain. when i leave for work in the morning, i say goodbye to him & tell him to be a good boy. when i come home from work, he runs to greet me at the door. i love having a kitten : )