hi there

i'm still here. thought it was about time i'd drop you a line.
i don't know what happened really. time, i guess. too many commitments.
i am trying to focus on things i enjoy - new hobbies, like vegan cooking. above are two vegan dishes i made recently. recipes here & here.
anyways, i'm done with work for the summer. so glad about that.
i have some trips lined up - portland & nyc & camping of course.
so many good times with luis lately, it's hard to keep count :)
trying to enjoy the little moments along with the big ones.

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!

the best lina i can be

I've tried to write this post many times & haven't succeeded, but I knew I wanted to do it before the end of 2014 & I have been itching to blog again. As it is, this probably isn't all or exactly what I want to say & I am "typing" this into my notes section on my iPhone as I wait for the sun to rise, but I need to tell you what has been going on in my life. 

I took a break from blogging to focus on healing from my breakup with Miguel. Breaking up was probably the hardest decision I have had yet to make. If you need more details, I can respond to an email from you. The breakup was in August & I  am still going day by day - some days being better than others. I've grown a lot, learning about myself & strengthening my relationship with God. It hasn't been easy & I haven't been able to put what I am feeling into words - which is probably a main reason for my absence on here. This article is probably the best one I have found that puts what I am feeling into words perfectly. I miss him. Sometimes what I have done doesn't make sense to me, but I am trusting in God to help me navigate. 

So far it's been amazing to experience what God has been planning in my life lately. After about a year of wanting to, I finally organized & cleaned my room, got rid of a bunch of things, & built shelves. It felt amazing to purge. After a year of searching, I finally got a new job at an elementary school in September & am really enjoying it. I adopted an orphan kitten in October & named him Theo. In November I turned 27 & although I have mixed feelings about being only three years away from thirty, I welcome the possibilities of a new year of growth for myself. Now I am in December & am preparing myself for the new year. 

I don't have resolutions per se, but I would like to focus this year on being the best me I can be. The best lina. & as I cannot accomplish that without God, the second part of my "resolution" is to be open to his leading & ready for what he does in my life. 2014 has had some growing pains, but I am welcoming 2015 with a hug. 

bits & pieces of my non-stop life

life has been moving so fast lately. i don't even know what to say about it because i rarely have time to just sit & think & when i do, all i want to do is sleep because of how tired i've been. it's like i've been running a marathon for the past month. not that i know what it's like to run a marathon or anything.

there are a lot of photos & stories i want to share with you, but at the moment i don't have the time to do them justice. as it is, i have a rare break between shifts at work & decided to take this rare opportunity to blog.

i will however, say that i went to the renegade craft fair a couple of weekends ago (the two photos above were from that day). it was awesome as always. i got a lot of inspiration for my own craft booth. the next art walk is a little more than a week away. anyways, while i was there, i decided to join the letter writers alliance. i got my very own membership card & super cute lwa patch. i want to sew a zipper pouch now so i can put the patch on it & store mobile letter writing supplies : ) anyways, i'm pretty excited about it.

other than that, i went camping with my lady friends & totally ruined my everlane tee. so sad!

i've been working at the local county fair too - which i have done every year since i started working & it has always been fun (& filled with drama). i'm pretty pleased that i won best of show for the salted caramel butter bars i made. they will probably kill you with all the butter & sugar they have, but they are so good!

i haven't been able to really see miguel lately either & i don't like it. but i have plans to visit him this weekend & he's coming to the fair tomorrow to see the diy terrarium demonstration i will be putting on! (eek!)

now i'm off to my second shift for the day!
hopefully my next update won't be so long away. until next time!

yesterday & today & tomorrow

yesterday i spent most of the day giving my poor car a much needed bath & reading dan brown's the lost symbol. sadly i'm a very slow reader, so it takes me a while to get through books. this book though - it's a definite page turner. i started reading it when i was in thailand staying at this neat guest house that had lots of nooks & comfy places to read & a whole corner of books. the lost symbol  was basically the only book in english, & i was wanting something to relax at the beach with. so i began reading it. & i really got into it. i wanted to take it with me, but since i'd never stole something before, i didn't exactly want to start then. so when i got back home, one of the first things i did was take a trip to the thrift store with lizzie & found myself a copy. at 639 pages, i'm not even halfway through. i'm kind of glad though. i don't want the story to end too soon.

today, after swimming laps with my sister, i went shopping with my mom at target. we found these sleeveless merona tops that were $6 at 40% off. i loved the striped one & picked that one out for myself. i can't wait to wear it tomorrow.

tomorrow i am working in the morning & then visiting miguel for a few days. i'm escaping to his place for a quiet space to convert my thesis into a journal article for a job i'm applying to. it's a bit of a daunting task to do in a couple of days, but i'm going for it. i also think we will be cooking one of these wonders & getting excited for somebody's birthday next week ;)

p.s. also excited for somebody's wedding on saturday! oh love.

quiet times

hello there. march has come to this new year so fast. before i know it i will be off to thailand! i've been booking hotels/guest houses & flights to different parts of thailand (so cheap by the way - for $100 my sister & i have round trip tickets from bangkok to chiang mai round trip, for both of us, together.). i'm also in the market for an internal frame backpack & have my eye on a couple.

life has been relatively quiet lately. & i've liked it that way. it helps me fall in love with the little things that i may have otherwise missed. i've been spending some time in the yard, cleaning, mowing, & planting. on days that it is raining i love just curling up in my bed, looking out my window & listening. 

miguel came to visit one day last week & he took me out for breakfast at a cute cafe & we just sat there enjoying each other's company. he was staring at me the way he stared at me on our first date - a mixture of awe & amazement. we then went back to my place & just cuddled up, playing computer games on his new laptop & then getting chinese food at his favorite place in my city. it was such a simple day but i loved every minute of it. 

we leave on our anniversary trip tomorrow. i'm so excited : ) it's just a bummer that i just caught a cold. oh well. a little cold won't stop me!

also tomorrow, i am teaching my mom's scouting group how to make terrariums! they will be using mason jars & moss & little figurines. i have a feeling they will turn out pretty cute : )

miguel called me from target yesterday just to say that he felt weird going to target without me because we always go together. i haven't been up to visit him in a while & i think he's missing me. awww ;)

ok, those are all of the little tidbits of my life i have to share with you for now. i hope you have a lovely weekend!

link love:

• i love the simplistic design of the herringbone house
• a new kind of garland diy
• this video that miguel sent me is pretty powerful, in more ways than one

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 : )

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 : )

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!

notes

1. items from my last ikea run (all for about $20!)

2. decorations at the mexican restaurant miguel & i tried out (disappointing food)

a few little notes:

i've been busy planning my sister's 22nd birthday : ) i just got off the phone booking facials & massages for her & a few friends at the spa. i found a great place for lunch where they have three different vegetarian taco options. and i'm searching the web for a reasonably priced nikon dslr for her to take with her to thailand as a birthday gift. i hope everything turns out great! i'm excited  : )

i bought two of west elm's favorite throws today as they are having free shipping today! for both, it was only about $20! i was a happy lady.

i discovered a new photo app today called studio! it's like "over" & tons of fun. plus it's free!

i found the best homemade mushroom soup recipe. i made it & my tummy was so happy. it is such an instant comfort food!

this post seems a bit skimpy, but that's ok. i just had to share those things with you : )

weird moods & other things

1. cheese & pimento bites i picked up from the filipino bakery one morning on my way home from my morning walk.
2. grapefruit for breakfast.

life has been feeling strange lately. i can't quite place it. i've been in a weird mood & not sleeping well. I hope it passes. i think it has something to do with feeling like i am in an "in between" stage in my life. i'm transitioning into a full-fledged "adult," but i'm not there yet. i'm still in my "in between" stage & i'm not liking how it is feeling. i have no more schooling to do (which is so weird!) and only a full-time job to find. it really is such a strange transition for someone who has been going to school full-time for over twenty years.

i've been looking at several positions & have sent out requests for letters of recommendations so i can apply to the positions. i don't know how to say it, but i just feel so weird. like i know i'll eventually get a job (but now it's not just a job - it's more of a career), but when? what kind of job will it be? where am i going to work? it all just makes me really nervous & i don't like the unpredictability of it all.

in other news, i attempted kaylie's hairstyle! i loved how awesome she looked while in texas with her braided updo, & i wanted to see if i could pull it off. it's a bit messy, but i think with some practice it could look better. i just loved how nice it felt to have all my hair up without feeling too heavy on top of my head : )

i still have a thing for clutches & these are top on my list.

i've been watching parks & recreation on netflix with my sister lately & we love the show! it's so funny. i don't know why i had never watched it before! that show never fails to put me in a good mood.

this dining room before & after is pretty impressive. the table & bench were made & miguel has told me many times that he wants to make a good portion of our furniture ;) makes me all happy inside.

i leave on the train tonight to visit miguel. i'm really glad i get to spend a couple of days with him, because i really need it. being apart is tough.

a few little notes

me & miguel on the fourth 

photo credit: lizzie

+ miguel & i went camping in june & we had so much fun! we did forget to pack a pot to heat water for tea & oatmeal in the morning, thus cutting our trip a tad short, but it was all part of the experience & we are both waiting for the weather to cool down so we can go again! 

+ i want to try making this. i can't eat raw egg anything (i even have to have my fried eggs over hard - otherwise, my poor tummy!), so this recipe will be perfect - especially in summer! & it's healthier, which is a big plus!

+ i kind of went crazy at the jcrew factory sale...i mean 50% off the whole store & 60% off clearance?? yes please. got my first pair of jcrew ballet flats. retro jade suede. so excited. photos probably in the future! (p.s. the sale is until tomorrow so you still have time to see what there is!)

+ since it's been SO HOT lately, i really want to try this cute scarf updo from delightfully tacky: 

Head Scarf Updo Tutorial from Elizabeth on Vimeo.

+ back in june, the blogger family had a "favorite things" swap organized by maggie. i got an amazing package from shelby! thanks, shelby ;)

+ the county fair is going to be starting up again soon & i'll be working again (as i have for the past 10 summers?!) in the building where they display all of the arts & crafts, baked & preserved foods, etc. that people enter. this year i will be entering two cookie recipes (as part of my 25 before 26) & miguel will be entering his beef jerky! i'm super excited. i'm going to take the train to stay with him on monday (for our monthiversary hehe) & he's planning to start the jerky that day. he always impresses me - making his own jerky : )

+ i've been looking for a striped tee. not exactly just any striped tee, but more along the lines of THE striped tee. a comfy one that isn't fussy (meaning not see through or too clingy). what t-shirt brands do you like the most? i need help!

that's all for now! stay cool! (& for those in the cool now, stay warm! ;))

honey come home

 i spent a few days in atlanta, georgia for a good friend's graduation. it was a crazy & fun & long road trip & multiple plane trips. i did a little shopping on the way & found THE suit. miguel would look amazing in it ;)

 i need to get caught up on my kinfolk! also, the kate spade dressing room wallpaper was awesome.

 i love flying, but flying standby with buddy passes are tough! flights after flights were packed & we kept not being able to get on a flight. finally, after three flights with layovers, we were home!

also, i graduated! i know this photo is blurry, but i love it because it was caught in the moment & i feel like you can feel my excitement by just looking at it ;)

 i had a wonderful graduation party the day after my graduation. lizzie did my hair & makeup & i did miguel's bowtie ;). white round tables, a rose garden, fire pit, & fajita bar, with all my friends & family made the night spectacular!

my sister was able to come for my graduation! i've missed her! she left too soon :( look how cute she is - little world traveler ;)

 after graduating, i've been slowly looking for work clothes. finding good slacks that fit well is hard though! any suggestions? i'm on the curvy/tall side in size 10/12 ;) so if you know of any good places for slacks please let me know! the one's i am wearing below (excuse my silly face!) were express & not too bad, but a little short.

 i got some great graduation gifts. miguel made me this wooden fawn! he carpentered it from just a plain flat of wood. he is so talented! i love it.

miguel was visiting his family this week, so it was a long week without him. he came back last night & i'm taking him out for dinner tonight for his birthday, reservations & everything ;) hope he has fun. i also just booked us a campsite for upcoming camping! i'm so excited :D