Free Falling

Today, I jumped out of a plane and survived. It was the most incredible experience. Since Thursday, my heart has been pounding non-stop and even hours after the jump, I'm still on a natural high. The way I felt free falling from thousands of miles up was unreal - so liberating. My instructor led me through a few flips and once the chute opened we were just soaring above the Earth with our feet dangling. He even let me drive the parachute. I'll never forget my first time skydiving.

Happy New Year!

For 2012, I'm keeping my resolutions simple. I resolve to make healthier choices for my mind, body and soul. It's going to be the best and biggest year of my life yet...

Warriors, prepare for battle!

There were a lot of "firsts" experienced this day. The first time I swam through mud, jumped over fire, walked a tight rope, went through a legit obstacle course and took an ice cold shower with hundreds of people. The dirtiest I've ever been in my entire life - hands down. Everyone should do something like this at least once.

Pucker Up!

Look at whose lips are featured on the Sephora blog!

10 Years Ago Today

...I was starting my first year of college at my new apartment. I woke up, turned on the tv and saw the first plane fly into the World Trade Center. Shortly after, the second plane hit. It's a day I will never forget. Here's to the people that lost their lives, the people who were affected by it, those heroes that live on, the heroes that were lost and everyone I shared the day with. 9/11, I'll never forget.

Parking Lot Pimpin'

A few weeks ago, I decided to clear my place of every single unused treasure and head on over to the Berryessa Flea Market in San Jose to set up shop with a few friends. This has to be one of the biggest flea markets in Norther California and always an interesting past time if you're ever in the area.

I've always wanted to own my own shop and this is probably the closest I will get to it haha. Even if we had to wake up at the crack of dawn and schlep our once prized possessions out there, it was a ton of fun socializing, people-watching, negotiating and bringing home some extra money (and a lot less clutter). We plan on doing it at least one more time before the summer ends. Go clutter-free home and more room in my closet for fall apparel!

Hogwarts, Quidditch & Magic Spells

I held off on watching any Harry Potter movies for this one reason. I wanted to have the full experience of reading the books first and see what J.K. Rowling is all about. So far, so good! On to book #2 and somewhere in between I'll manage to watch the first movie. Cheers to all of the existing HP fans out there!

Konad Nail Art

Late in the game, but better late than never. Just discovered these weeks ago from one of my favorite (and nail obsessed) ladies, Valerie. Konad Nail Art is crazy cool. So many different things you can do. Here, I opted for polka dots. After Valerie helped me apply these via Konad nail stamps, I couldn't stop looking at them. I don't know if the nail craze is slowly fizzing out, but I LOVE it. Can't wait to try other designs and colors.

One of Life's Simple Pleasures

I've been keeping myself so incredibly busy lately that I've been missing out on one of life's (and one of my personal) simple pleasures - being home alone. There's something about having time to kick up your feet, relax and do things around the house that you've been putting off (not to mention, catch up on all of those shows piling up in your DVR). For me, alone time is essential. It allows you to fall in love with things that once brought you to a happy place all over again. On that note, I've decided to bring more of these moments back into my life no matter how busy I am.

Speaking of things that I've been putting off - I've been slacking on updating this blog due to the sched, but posts are in store...

Where did Summer go?

What happened to the warm weather? Just a few weeks ago we were enjoying the sun in Sausalito and now it appears that June gloom has carried over into July. Not sure how I feel about these extremes. It's either too hot or too cold. Why can't we get a consistent 75-80 degrees? I'd like to spend more time outdoors enjoying what I love about California.

An Intipunku Proposal

 After hiking for about 5 straight hours, we finally reached the final steps to Intipunku (the Sun Gate). This is the highest part of Machu Picchu and you have to climb this to get the first sighting of the famous ruins. After climbing up like a monkey, we got our first look and it was breathtaking and unlike anything I've ever seen before. The mystery behind it is captivating in itself. We felt so accomplished and what a reward!

After letting it sink in for a moment, I looked over at Craig who had this expression on his face and immediately I knew what was going to happen next.

 Through all of my awkward fidgeting (while also nervously laughing), I managed to miss half of all the great things he said but was still able to mutter the word, "yes." May 29, 2011 - was a special day and I even got a special stamp at the ruins! There's nothing like the feeling of getting a new stamp on your passport (especially on the day you got engaged).

Wondrous things can happen at one of the wonders of the world :)

Shake a Hair Feather

I am absolutely obsessed with my new hair feathers. I think I want one more!

Put on your dancing shoes

I was a little skeptical about going out on Broadway (not really my scene), but it was a special occasion! To my surprise, this new place we checked out called Monroe was actually a very cute bar/ club. We had tons of fun and danced the night away. I miss making moments like this with the girls.

Royal Wedding Tea Party

I wasn't part of the royal wedding craze going on months prior to the big day, but once this week hit I've been watching a few specials on TV and the excitement hit. The fact that we haven't had a royal wedding in 30 years, I've never seen one for myself and the couple happens to be around my age is what's keeping me interested. At work today, I walked into a royal wedding [viewing] tea party celebration equipped with tiaras, crumpets, bangers and more. I love weddings in general, how can I not love a royal one. I'm a sucker for fairy tales.

Thia Megia

My parents & American Idol's Thia Megia have something in common - they both live in Mountain House. It's a small town where not much happens so it's a pretty big deal to everyone that lives there. Unfortunately, Thia got eliminated a few weeks ago and has break before she starts touring with the top 11 contestants, so Mountain House had a welcome home festival for her to celebrate. Since I was visiting that weekend, we decided to stop by. It was packed with tons of people, yummy food and I managed to get my photo taken with her. She's such a cutie.

P.S. The sisig fries at Papa Urb's Grill stand were delicious!

Let the festivities begin!

 During my birthday week, I managed to do everything I love to do and spend it with the people who are near and dear to me. I dined well, drank well (yay for all-you-can-drink mimosas), saw friends that I don't see as often anymore, danced my butt off, had amazing conversations about anything and everything and I even had free day all to myself for some much-needed relaxation and pampering. Everyone should take a PTO day on their birthday and wake up naturally (without an alarm clock). It's definitely on my list of simple pleasures. Until next year!

Gary Danko

Even after hearing so many positive reviews about Gary Danko, it still lived up to my expectations. This fine dining restaurant offers up a very diverse menu where you can order items a la carte or go with a 3, 4 or 5-course tasting option. Since it was our first time, we decided to go all out with the 5-course and the wine pairing. It was ambitious of us, a little too ambitious. By the end of the second course, we were already full. I love that you can completely customize your meal. If you like a certain appetizer, you can get an entree size of that and vice versa. Next time I go back (yes, I'm already planning the next time) I'm opting for the 3-course.

Here were my picks for the evening:

• Risotto with Lobster, Rock Shrimp, Shimeji Mushrooms & Peas
• Roast Maine Lobster with Potato Puree, Pickled Radish, Spring Onions & Sauce Marechal
• Roasted Pork Belly & Tenderloin with Brussels Sprouts, Bacon, Parsnip Puree & Maple-Cider Glaze
• Lemon Pepper Duck Breast with Duck Hash, Celery Root-Garlic Puree and Roasted Grapes
• French Macaroon Ice Cream Sandwiches with Three Sauces

His picks (he's more of an adventurous eater):

• Foie Gras with Carmelized Onions
• Roast Maine Lobster with Potato Puree, Pickled Radish, Spring Onions & Sauce Marechal
• Quail Stuffed with Foie Gras, Mushrooms & Quinoa, Braised Artichokes, Peas, Prosciutto & Olive Butter
• Juniper Crusted Venison with King Trumpet Mushrooms, Glazed Cipollini Onions & Herb Spaetzle
• The famous Cheese cart (sadly, he was so full he didn't make it to this one - he loves cheese too)

My favorite was the lobster. It was the most tender lobster I have ever had in my life. How they get it so tender? I have no clue, but it was so delicious and I'm glad we each had our own because that's something I definitely didn't want to share. I had no idea they were going to bring me dessert for my birthday. Had I known, I wouldn't have ordered that for my 5th course because they even gave us a plate of bite-sized desserts on the house. At one point we had 3 dessert plates on our table haha. The photos don't do the food justice, but I am usually a bit shy about busting out my camera at nice establishments like this one. Anyway, try this place out and you won't be disappointed.

So they say it's your birthday

My how I've grown since then. Now if only my skin was just as resilient as it once was.

Studio Swag

Just realized I got a quick mention from one of my favorite fashion bloggers, Rachel, of Studio Swag. I've been out of the loop for a bit, but finally had the opportunity to catch up on posts to find out. Thank you!

PERU-READY

I didn't realize that shopping for a backpack/ travel pack would be so complicated. My knowledge of these types of bags is minimal so its a good thing REI has amazing service and trained/ knowledgeable employees. After being measured and trying on/ walking around the store with a few (packed with 30 pounds worth of bean bags), I think I found the one...