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. 

beach camping

 miguel & i went on a camping trip for a night. on sunday, we borrowed my mom's 9 person tent, packed up my car, & headed out. we decided to try camping at the beach. it was a first time experience for both of us, & boy was it an adventure!

we stopped for lunch at the tide's snack bar in bodega bay, a nice little place that was made famous by being used as the backdrop for alfred hitchcock's the birds in the early 60s. in comparison to the other places in that area, the food was pretty cheap. i got a veggie burger & fries for about $7 & miguel decided on calamari for about $9. i loved the big windows & the pretty white tables & wood overhead. every seat had a view of the bay.

 when it was time to check into our campsite, we arrived & got our first choice in campsites which was great. we got a site with a view of the ocean. we had a little difficulty pitching into the sand & had to move our tent closer to the trees as a shelter from the wind.

 even miles away from home, miguel had to keep up with the world cup. we were lucky to have service where we were.

 for dinner we had veggie dogs in buns & with crescent roll blankets. i brought my 79cent ikea dish towel as a mini table cloth & we drank water from mason jars. i thought it was pretty cute haha.

 after dinner we visited the beach & were in awe that we were luck enough to be experiencing it all.

that night was another adventure all in it's own...

it was a bit colder than either of us were expecting (even after checking & double checking weather reports), so we were bundled up under the covers, trying to get warm enough to fall asleep. i fell asleep with little problem, miguel on the other hand was not as fortunate & was battling a hard ground too. at about 12:40 i was awoken by miguel hitting the side of the tent. i said "what are you doing?!" "i think there's something out there! i think they are getting into the food! i'm trying to scare them away. i haven't gone to sleep yet!" so i look outside & sure enough i see our cooler's lid open. i go outside to find all of the eggs we packed for breakfast broken across the picnic table. i took my keys  & put the ice chest in the car - something we should have done from the beginning.

it was a long night. i woke up a few more times & miguel probably only got a couple of hours of sleep in total. so we were both hungry in the morning. with the eggs gone & discovering that the onions & hot dogs were opened also, all we had left for breakfast was potatoes & cheese. we attempted a aluminum foil meal & while the idea was great, it was left a little too long with the coals & was mostly burnt. so we packed up camp & headed out for more food.

even though we had these crazy adventures, we both had a great time.

while we were getting ready to leave, miguel was googling two person tents (well, two person plus a dog) ;)

birthday boy goes to the aquarium

back in may, (this post is long overdo!), miguel & i celebrated his 24th birthday by visiting his family for a few days & going to the aquarium together. we were lucky that we were able to use his family's friend's member passes & didn't have to pay! we stopped at a little french cafe for brunch & then explored the underwater. my favorite exhibit was the jellyfish. they are so beautiful! it was such a fun day : )

happy birthday to my darling!

mansions & one pot wonders

so i finished converting my thesis into a journal article. it took me two full days & by the end of it i was so done with my thesis. miguel was great though - keeping me sane & cooking me food. i took two hours off of writing & took him on a surprise day trip to the leland stanford mansion. it has great architecture & thought it would be a great way to celebrate the end of miguel's first semester of architecture. it was just the two of us on the tour so it was nice (like a private tour!), but i was too shy to take photos inside the mansion & the sun was too bright to get a good photo of the whole house. so you get what you get i guess! it was quite beautiful & we enjoyed all of the greenery outside as well.

 we made one of the one pot wonder dishes i told you about in the last post! we made the spinach & artichoke one. it's crazy how easy it is & it turned out pretty good. needed a little salt in my opinion & we added some parmesan cheese & red pepper flakes (well, miguel did).

sorry about the unedited iphone photos! i'm just a bit lazy today, writing from a hotel room on a road trip with my family : )

mixed emotions

photos:
1. it's been a crazy, mixed-emotion couple of weeks. the day i left thailand, my mom messaged me that my cousin had passed away. it was shocking news as he was only 36 years old. so after i went home, my sister came home a week later for the funeral. it was bittersweet since i'm glad she's back, but sad about the reason why. i'm glad she came back just in time for mother's day though - a nice mother's day gift : )
2. speaking of mother's day, miguel made this planter for his mom. i was impressed! he even presented it with flowers planted & everything. he also made my mom a planter mold for her birthday at the beginning of the month. he's so crafty! (photo credit to miguel)
3. i just drove back last night from visiting miguel since wednesday morning. it was so relaxing being with him & a much needed break after everything that has been going on. he calms me. & at the same time causes me to feel all kinds of emotion. i guess love is weird that way.

in other news, my sister & i've been waking up at 6am the past week to go lap swimming at our local pool just two blocks away. it's free between 5:30 & 7am so that's great! also, i used to be on the swim team as a freshman/sophomore in high school, so it feels good to be back in the water swimming laps. my back & arms are quite sore now though!

p.s. i was happy to discover my swim team suit still fit! haha

link love:

• miguel & i love going to ikea & dreaming. recently i bought one of these towels after i saw this post on smart kitchenware at ikea. i think it will be my new picnic towel/food blanket.
• i thought this photography set of sleeping soon-to-be-parents was sweet. 
• this no-bake pie looks so good & seems so simple & easy to make! it's on my to make list.
• i would love to own such a whimsical kite.
• this (for some) eye-opening presentation was very well done. 
• i love sending mail to others & this stationary diy tutorial was great.

mini adventures

right now i'm sitting on the couch, listening to & watching the rain outside while eating two slices of toast from trader joe's & wearing my sweatshirt from my alma mater. it's such a cozy day & i hope to have a sewing afternoon today after church : )

i've been thinking about all of the mini adventures i've been having lately. even though i've been kind of feeling down (a lot sometimes) about not finding a job, i'm actually loving my life right now. i love having the free time to just do things i want to do. i often get to visit miguel, meet lizzie for coffee, or just spend a few hours crafting. anyway, i just wanted to share a few photos from the mini adventures i've been having.

1. (see above photos) the donut shop around the corner from my house is moving in a few months. i'm so sad. i have fond childhood memories of my dad bringing home a pink box of donuts once in a while on friday nights. so, one friday night my parents & i visited it one last time & picked up a dozen. i just love the pretty pink packaging they come in. (i think i'll start a #prettypinkpackaging collection.) my favorite donut is a tie between glazed old fashion & maple old fashion. delicious!

2. as you know, i've been looking for a full-time job. i went to a job fair for the first time. it was a good experience! employers were asking for resumes & business cards, i got a call back, etc. anyways, on the way back home (it was an hour & a half away...) i stopped in the town where miguel works & met him for his lunch break at the european deli we both like. it was so simple, but pretty perfect.

while i was waiting for miguel to go on his lunch, i passed an indie theater that was showing the grand budapest hotel! i was so so excited. it was really hard to find places that were playing that film near where i lived. so i had to see it. after we had lunch i said goodbye to miguel & bought a ticket for the next showing. i had never been to the theater by myself before, but i kind of liked it! it somehow made the film so much more personal? i don't know how to explain it, but it was such a good experience & definitely an adventure! (the movie is fantastic by the way!)

 3. alisa & went biking together. i biked 5 miles. the bike-a-thon is in a week & i would like to bike in it again, so it's a good idea to start practicing! alisa took me to a place i've never been to before & we biked around a small lake & then watched the sun set. it was really a great afternoon. we packed up our bikes & then got italian food.

 4. miguel & i have decided that panera bread (with it's unlimited coffee supply, good food, & free wifi) is our new home. we spent four hours there one night drafting & job searching. it was really quite perfect.

 5. this photo was actually taken by miguel. it was while we were on our photoshoot! miguel & i were asked to model for a local photographer's new ad campaign. we were flattered & agreed. if you are friends with either of us on facebook, you would have seen the sneak peek of five photos. we will be getting a cd with all of the photos in three weeks, so when i get them, i'll be sure to share them!

 6. miguel & i love to find new places to eat in his city. i had heard of this pub many times before, but never went there as i thought it would be too expensive. however, after looking at the breakfast menu, it turned out it wasn't too bad. so we decided to go there for brunch. the pace was decorated so lovely, the english food was amazing, & the bathrooms had tube signs & everything just made me miss england & nicola! i asked miguel, "can we go here whenever i miss england?" & he said, "yeah." & i said, "good." so it looks like we will be back! haha.

 7. before i was comfortable driving to visit miguel, i used to take the train to visit him. now, it has been a while since i last took the train, but this last time i visited him, it turned out that i took the train back home. i usually love taking the train - i get to sit back, relax, & enjoy the scenery. but this time the train was stopped on the tracks before my stop for almost an hour. i had this view (below) the entire time & i'm not complaining : ) love the green grass!

 8. my mom & i have been on a plant kick lately & have been traveling to all of the local nurseries & farms, looking through their plant collections. she brought me back three succulents from her recent trip & bought me this pink tipped succulent from the local farm. it's so unique looking! while i was there, the farm cat was so loving & such a good model ;)

link love:

• enter to win a quilt!
• i'm loving this home.
• i want to sew this!