The Second Decade

Today is my 20th birthday. I am a person who genuinely loves their birthday. I mean, why wouldn't any person not love their birthday? I am excited for this birthday, but yet also more thoughtful about its meaning than past birthdays.

20 is a strange thing. It is a thrilling, yet terrifying thought. Becoming a teenager brought on a lot of changes and milestones, like entering high school, getting my driver's license, getting my first job, and graduating from high school. Those are all great things that I took in stride and was fairly successful with. They are typical things that happen in your teens. 20 though... That is a horse of a whole different color.

It is not that I am afraid of failure in this next chapter of my life, it is more that the unknowns and greater changes that are likely to occur are things that I have thought about my entire life, things that were to happen "some day" or "when I grow up". Well, here we are. In the decade where a lot of those things just may happen. I will finish college, move out, start a career and maybe even my own business, possibly get married, and maybe, just maybe, start a family. It is daunting and crazy that by the time my 30th birthday rolls around, my life will most definitely be very different.

Though these thoughts can put you into full panic mode if you think about them too much, it is also a nice thought. There is so much possibility and potential, and these next years will determine how the rest of my years will be written.

All of this has been on my mind as this birthday has been approaching, and I am sure many of you have thought of these as well.

Well, I guess all I can say is: 20, BRING IT.

Looking forward to a bright, happy day of adventuring and iced coffee!

Christmas + Birthday Wishlist

I am a list maker. I have said it many times before, and I will continue to do so. One of my most favorite times of the year to make lists is this one we are in! I make lists of gift ideas for others, projects, things I want to do, and sometimes even a wishlist for myself :)

These are floating around everywhere in blogland at the moment, but of course, each one is as unique as the person putting it together! My friend showed me an awesome site called Wishlistr that allows you to make an online wishlist that you can share with others. I love that you have the ability to add a link and photo for each item. It especially makes a visual person like me happy! So, I thought I would share with you all some things that are on my Christmas and birthday (It is January 4th!) list, and also show you the one I made on Wishlistr.

1. Grey Ruffled Sweater - I'm not so familiar with the site Sheinside, but I fell in love with this sweater!

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2. Someday, Someday, Maybe by Lauren Graham - Lauren Graham is one of my favorite actresses, so
of course I want to give her novel a shot. I am also a sucker for anything Sarah Dessen esque, so this seems to be right up my alley.
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3. Terrarium Notepad - It's a terrarium notepad. Need I say more?
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4. Colorblock Pouch - I think that this pouch is super cute to throw my little items in and then toss into my backpack or purse when I'm on the go. Plus I love the color.
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5. Ugg Cozy II Slippers - With wood floors all throughout my house, things can get pretty chilly. I have the Target version of these that are pretty similar, but sometimes you get what you pay for, you know? They haven't held up so well, and I think that now I am older, I am responsible enough (haha) to take care of the real thing.
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6. Canon 5D Mark III - It is a whishlist after all, so what would it be without something ridiculous? One day!
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7. TOMs Metallic Gold Burlap Classics - I love the comfort of Toms, but the ones that I currently have are the crocheted version, which are more for the warmer months. These would provide the warmth my other ones don't, while also offering a neutral tone with a metallic-y twist.
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8. Whitney English Day Designer - This planner has caused quite the buzz in blogland, and after reading reviews and other bloggers posts about it, I can see why. It has all the functional elements that meet my needs, and provides great structure to carry out a motivated outlook all year. This one is definitely high on my list!
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9. Madewell Transport Tote - I have been eyeing this bag for a year now, but have been hesitant to purchase it because of the price tag. I see it around quite often and I just swoon. It is so lovely and goes with literally everything. Also, seems to be good quality and is definitely a timeless piece, so the price just may be worth it.
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10. Chanel No. 5 - I don't wear perfume often, but that is mostly because I still just simply have the Vera Wang 'Princess' fragrance I got for Christmas in 7th grade. I first tried this timeless scent out last year and have been longing for it ever since. It may sound like a cliche scent, but there is a reason it has been around for nearly 100 years!
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11. Portable External Hard Drive - Boring, but this is something I desperately need. My poor little MacBook (which I love dearly) has too many photos on it clogging up space. I definitely need a separate space to keep my photos, especially if I plan on taking many more next year.

I hope you enjoyed this list and that it gave you ideas for your own list or for gifts to get others! What's on your list this year?

Adventure: Lake Tahoe

It was my birthday on Friday (the big 1-9), so Dai and I set off at 5am to make the the 3 1/2 hour drive to Lake Tahoe for a weekend of snowboarding and birthday celebrating. 

Let me just say this about snowboarding: It is a pain in the bum.

As I laid on my back in the cold snow after being knocked to the ground, I wondered why I thought this was a brilliant way to spend my birthday.

Now, don't get me wrong, the actual thrill of snowboarding is great. I love that part and am actually pretty good at it once I get going (in other words, I don't fall much), but it is all the other things that go along with it, like having to keep taking my boot out of the binding to get on the lift, falling when I get off the lift, having to strap my boot back into the binding at the top of the hill, getting up from the snow while strapped to the board, the fact that I always seem to get boots that are too small, and WET SOCKS. That is what I dislike about snowboarding.

BUT, all in all, we had fun.

Friday night, Dai took me out to dinner at a cute Italian place, where we were given a private, romantic alcove with velvet curtain's surrounding it. The place had such great food and they brought me a little birthday dessert.

The plan was to snowboard Friday and come back to the ski resort for another day on Saturday, but once Saturday morning rolled around, neither Dai or I could hardly move our necks or even think about heading to the mountain that day.

So what did we do instead? 

We got breakfast at a little café and took off for a drive into Nevada to go to a hot springs resort. 

We stopped along the way to take pictures of the serene and breathtaking scenery and of each other.

There's just something so nice about driving through the mountains. Everything seems peaceful and special. It's just grand.

We arrived at the hot springs, which in fact was basically a pool area with about 7 different jacuzzis. I will admit, I was a little disappointed because I thought it would be more "natural" looking, but it was still nice for our sore bodies to soak in the warm water. After visiting the hot springs resort, I also decided that a steam room or steam shower is a must  my future dream home. Add it to your list, too.

We later returned to South Lake Tahoe for dinner and a little gambling  at the Harrah's casino. We decided to go to the buffet on the top floor for the views of the lake and because why not?

Dai decided to play some slot machines after dinner, and inevitably lost $30 in all of about 5 minutes.

As we were leaving, we found an arcade, and after 30 minutes, $2, and 2 games of air hockey, we were thoroughly entertained. Guess we know what we'll be playing next time, huh?

We eventually did make it back to the ski resort on Sunday for another run and it was the best one yet :)

New Year's Resolution: Make it to Lake Tahoe many times this year, and bring Marly!

I like cake.

It was my birthday on Friday! We had a little get together at my house on Thursday night since I was leaving for Lake Tahoe dark and early Friday morning.

Let me tell you one thing though; I love chocolate. Anything chocolate, and this cake was no exception. I had seen it at Costco many moons ago and have been waiting for an occasion to get it for. What better occasion than my very own birthday?

It was a yummy one.

I love my birthday :)

It was my dad's birthday.

He looks like a pretty happy birthday boy, don't you think? He even has two cakes! What a lucky duck.

We had the soon-to-be family over to celebrate and fun times were definitely had.

I can't believe that next year my dad will be 60. 60! He doesn't look it at all.

This year of 59 will bring about a lot of changes for him and our family, but hopefully they will be embraced and celebrated by all, especially me.

I spent most of this weekend sick, but I didn't get to rest until yesterday. And even yesterday I was forced to go into work. Friday night was spent doing spontaneous things, like driving an hour away at 9pm for dinner at Sol Food (my favorite little Puerto Rican restaurant), and then stopping in Berkeley on the way home to wait in line for 30 minutes for a fresh baked cookie ice cream sandwich (I got snickerdoodle with salted caramel ice cream!) at a place called C.R.E.A.M.. Now, I didn't realize this before, but Berkeley is a sketchy place guys. This cookie place is in the university area, and you'd think that it would be nice since Cal is such a famous and highly regarded school. But it's not. As we waited in line on Telegraph Ave., a group of homeless stoners picked a fight with an older homeless black man right in front of us. I guess they were fighting over rights to play music in front of our line that wrapped around the building? I don't know, but one thing led to another and the black man ended up kicking the group's dog. He kicked the dog. You do not ever kick an innocent, sweet dog. Ever. 

Anyway, now you are probably wondering what kinds of weird places I go to in my free time, so I will get on to what you really want to see: the cookie sandwich.

On Saturday my sister and brother-in-law came to visit for the afternoon/evening on their way to visit my other sister. It was good to see them and my three nephews and niece. Remember them? From the birthday party we had on the bay in San Diego? They loved just hanging out in the garage with my dad and getting into all of his tools. Marly had a blast chasing after them on their scooters and we went for a  swim in the evening. This week is Matias' 3rd birthday, so we celebrated a little early with a cake.

I only snapped a few photos this weekend, but I really love this one. It is so sweet. 

What did you do this weekend? :)