Happy List | 21

As always, life has been busy. But it has also been really, really good. 

Here's my latest happy list:

+ Trips to the winery that we are members at (especially when friends can come along!)

+ Going for walks at our favorite trail along the creek

+ Morning coffee dates at a local outdoor coffee shop

+ Dinners out with my coworkers

+ Seeing the sunrise when I drive to the gym in the morning

+ The anticipation of our trip to Hawaii (less than two weeks away!!)

+ The signs of fall present in my neighborhood now

+ Going to book club on Halloween night and meeting new people

+ Our Halloween tradition of going to Chipotle in costumes for free/discounted meals

+ One Bars (maple donut and peanut butter pie are my favs)

+ My new ridiculously comfortable mattress

+ Working from home three days in a row last week

+ Having dinner at my friend Nathalie's house and making plans for a fun project we are working on together

+ Marly in his donut cone

+ Sheet masks from Whole Foods

+ Watching Gilmore Girls with Dai (it's the best and makes my heart so happy)

What has been making you happy lately?

There are fires happening north of the Bay Area, so all of the Bay Area is currently filled with smoke. It has been kind of crazy, actually. Looks like we will all be staying inside as much as possible until further notice!

Life Lately | Fall

While I do enjoy November, October is arguably one of my most favorite months of the year and I am a little sad to see it go. But then again, I have a tendency to say that about most months from about May through December (yes, this means that in my books, January through April generally suck. Except the parts in January where we celebrate my birthday).

This year, I sadly haven't been up to many "fall-ish" activities like usual. Sure, I've had my fair share of pumpkin spice iced coffee and I did stop at a pumpkin patch for about a total of 5 minutes, but other than that...we haven't done much celebrating of this favorite (ok, probably second favorite) season of mine. Don't fret! There is still time to light the fall candles, sip tea in my favorite chair, and awe at the changing leaves.

Fall has a tendency to make me nostalgic for some reason. Anyone else? Maybe it is life generally slowing down from the busy-ness of summer fun, but each time late September or early October rolls around, I find myself being reflective about life and wanting to watch comforting shows that I have loved for years (like Gilmore Girls and How I Met Your Mother, my go-to's).

Here are some things we have done/that have happened so far this fall:
- I went out to the Sacramento area to visit my animal-loving aunt
- Someone rear-ended me in my beautiful new car (all is well now though!)
- We went to San Diego for my dad and uncle's surprise 65th birthday party
- Dai and I played on a new co-ed softball team together, our second team we've been on together
- I got into a great workout/healthy(ish) eating routine that I love
- Dai's kitchen flooded and is in the process of being repaired/remodeled/AKA everything is chaos
- I finished some cool projects at work that I am pretty proud of
- We went to a live show of the My Favorite Murder podcast (my fave!!!)
- Dai and I went on a mini weekend trip to Sonoma to celebrate a close family friend's birthday
- At work we had a week of workshops/meetings where we got our whole team together in one location (we all work across the country) and had lots of fun going to dinner every evening
- I discovered I love sheet masks
- We went on some nice dates
- I've read some good books
- We went out for a wine tasting day with my friend Nathalie and her boyfriend
- I've hardly slept in my own bed
- I forgot to go to jury duty and had a small panic attack about it (it all worked out though!)


We technically still have nearly two months of fall left, so we shall see what else happens :)

How has your fall been?

Happy List | 20

I've been spending a lot of time alone lately, but it has actually been pretty good for me. I've had some moments to reflect on how life has been going and its just all around bee nice to have a little space alone with my thoughts. During this time, I decided a new happy list was due!

Life Lately | June

June. Somehow I blinked and it was already June. It seems like I was just curling up inside, hiding from the cold, and now I am planning a summer of outdoor adventures and time spent by the pool. Time can be a funny thing.

I hate that it always seems that when I pop back up here in this space, it has been so long that I feel the need to update you on what has been going on in my life. But alas, here we are again, virtually strangers. Let's see...the last you heard from me was April, the 19th to be exact. This was shortly after I had returned from spending some time in San Diego and had bought a new car. I had also shared just a bit about my dad's health problems that we were learning about at the time.

Since then, my dad has had quadruple bypass open heart surgery and is recovering very well. We had no idea that the blockage that was found in his arteries would end up being something so extreme, but we are all glad that this was caught early enough and that he was able to quickly act and have the surgery. I spent another two weeks down in San Diego at the beginning of May to be with him and my family during the surgery and those first weeks of recovery. The time leading up to the surgery was definitely stressful and scary and took an emotional toll on me and my family, but once he was out of surgery and awake, we could all let out a breath of relief. He went home after 5 days in the hospital and has been doing really great ever since. He will be going through a lengthy rehab process, but we all feel very blessed that it went so well and that he is back to being like him old self again, which didn't take long at all :)

Literally right after I got home from San Diego, I took a short nap and then went off to see Taylor Swift! I was gifted a ticket from my close family friends for Christmas and I had been waiting since then for the day to finally arrive. I wasn't really sure what to expect from Taylor in concert, especially since I have been a fan for 10 years and her style has changed so much since then, but my MIND WAS BLOWN. It was honestly more than I could have ever even imagined. Say what you want about Taylor Swift, but that girl is TALENTED. And passionate. And pretty all around amazing if you ask me. I really wasn't into her latest album when it came out, but after seeing her perform most of it live and understanding the context of it all more...I really see that Taylor is still the same Taylor, but she has just grown and developed. It was such an amazing night and I am so happy I finally got to see her perform live!

Less than a week after I returned from San Diego and saw Taylor Swift, Dai (remember him? my cute Japanese boyfriend??) and I flew up to Seattle for a weekend away with our two friends who are also a couple. I plan on sharing more about our trip, but for now I will just say that we had a really fun time and that even though I had been to Seattle twice before, I saw it from a different perspective.

In the few weeks since our Seattle adventure, Dai and I have both been just trying to relax and get a handle on life, really. I've been doing things around my apartment and trying to feel organized again. I'm adjusting back to my work week routine of actually going into the office more regularly, rather than working from the hospital, my dad's house, Seattle, coffee shops, wherever there's wifi... We stayed local for Memorial Day and just did whatever we felt like doing, like going to Santa Cruz for brunch and to play on the beach with Marly, and having my family over for a BBQ. Last weekend we went on a hike in San Francisco and I had a day of solo adventuring. This past weekend we went to the county fair and to see Ocean's 8 (loved it!).

It's been getting warm out and I've been enjoying the taste of summer that we have been experiencing here in San Jose. I can't wait for more weekends of relaxing by my pool and mixing up summer cocktails to enjoy while I do so. We have some fun things planned for the coming months and we are determined to have an amazing summer.

Well, that's pretty much all that's been going on in life lately. On Wednesday I am flying down to San Diego (with my Marly!) for a long weekend and will work for part of the time I'm there and will hang out with my family the rest. I'm looking forward to seeing my people and spending Father's Day with my dad for the first time in a few years!

How has life been for you? Do you have anything fun planned?

P.S. I also chopped my hair off while I was in San Diego in May and I am LOVING my shorter hair. It is so fun and feels much healthier! I just needed a change and decided to go for it.

Happy List | 19

Happy Thursday, friends! Thursday is pretty great in that it's-almost-friday kind of way, right?! Like the last several weeks, this week flew by. We spent last weekend down in LA with Dai's sister and nephew (and parents who were visiting from Japan) since they were getting ready to move to Hawaii this week, so after getting home late Sunday evening, we had to jump straight into the work week.

Life has been moving quickly lately, but it has also been really good in many ways. Through the busy-ness and curveballs, I've been trying to do my best to savor the little things that make me smile.

If We Had Coffee | 5

If we had coffee... We'd probably meet at Big Mug and I'd be indecisive about what to get, debating if I should try something new, before just ordering what I really wanted: an extra hot vanilla latte.

We'd sit down on the wooden benches with a small table between us. I'd tell you with a sigh how hectic the past month and a half has been. I'd tell you all about how my car simply stopped in the middle of the road when Dai and I were arriving at his sister's house in LA at nearly 2am, and how after getting it safely parked, we were never able to get it started again. I'd tell you all about my dad and sister coming to LA to rescue me and how we towed my car 100 miles with a U-Haul moving truck and trailer (because of course we couldn't just rent a pickup truck and instead needed to get a whole, empty moving truck) to a mechanic near my dad's house, only to find out that my car was officially done. Oh, and I'd mention how we had to get my car up on the trailer in a tight one-way street, in the rain. We'd both have a laugh about the ridiculousness of the whole thing, now but a distant story to laugh at even though it was just a month ago.

With a big smile on my face, I'd gush about the silver lining that came out of that messy situation: my beautiful new car. I'd tell you how much I love it and how it is a little crazy how much someone can love a car. I'd tell you how I was planning to keep my trusty PT Cruiser for a couple more years while I saved money, and that while of course it would have been nice to have a new car, that I was really thankful to have a car at all, so it was quite a surprise and a treat to get my pretty Nissan Rogue.

February Goals

Happy February, friends! Wow, here we are, already one month down for 2018. As I've said before, I actually love January, but man did that feel like the longest month to you too?! A new month has begun and I am looking forward to what it will bring. The past few days, things have just felt a little different. Winter already seems to be slipping away here in California and we have been having nice, sunny days. I've been working from home with the windows open and have been taking nice walks outside with my pup, Marly.

A Whole New Look!

Break open that bottle of wine you've been saving! Or, maybe just get some coffee since I'm not exactly writing this at 5 o'clock... At any rate, I'm excited to show you all the new facelift that this old blog of mine got! You might have already noticed since you are here reading this post ;)

Hey, Remember Me?

Well, it has been nearly six months since my last post. I am not really sure how that happened. This year has been pretty hectic, yet also really good so far.

Some highlights...
+ I hustled hard this past semester and finished with stellar grades
School swallows up most of my time and this past semester was particularly busy. I did my best to stay focused and organized though, and ended up with my best grades yet since transferring from community college. It felt really good to finish on a high note!

+ I stopped nannying
This is sort of something that just happened and not something that I was planning on (not yet anyway). Back in March, I lost my job with a family I had been nannying for over a year. I really liked them and was planning on working with them until at least the end of the school year, but one weekend they called me and said they didn't need my help anymore since the dad had been laid off of his job. That was it. I saw them again when I dropped off their key and haven't spoken to them or heard anything from them since. I had a really difficult time with it because I couldn't believe that they could just drop me so fast and I had built a very close relationship with their little girl in particular. I was definitely blind sided by this, but I learned a lot from the experience and am happy to be moving on towards a career in my field.

+ I graduated from college!
After 5 years of college, I finally did it! Sometimes it truly felt like I would never graduate. I always did my best through school, but it just seemed to take so long and to be so stressful and grueling... It was a wonderful, perfect day that I will always cherish the memory of! I will share more about my graduation soon :)

+ Dai and I went to Japan!
A few days after my graduation, Dai and I headed to Japan for two whole weeks. If you recall, we went to Japan back in 2014 and ever since, Dai has been begging for us to visit again. It is hard to tell a Japanese boy 'no' when it comes to visiting his home country ;) We had a really great time and I have lots of photos to share soon!

+ I started a design internship
When we got back from Japan, I started an internship at the company I interned at last summer. Last summer, I interned on a marketing team though and this year I am on the creative team, which is my field. It feels good to finally get some experience in a design team! This internship will be through the end of August, so I am also looking for my next opportunity.

It is kind of a long story, but I also got a new roommate and that has been an interesting transition. She just moved here to California from Texas and I am hopeful that we will be a good roommate match! I am really happy to have resigned my lease and to not be moving yet again. I love my apartment and it really feels like home to me. Maybe I will finally get around to giving you all a little tour...

I've really been enjoying this summer and have been trying to soak up all of the things I love about this season. So far I have spent many days by the pool, have hung out with friends, and have developed a nice tan. We even made some travel plans for next month to celebrate Dai's 30th birthday (!!!) and our 6th anniversary (!!).

As far as blogging goes, I'm not really sure what my place is in the blogging world anymore, but now that I am not bogged down with school assignments, something inside me wants to write in this space. I can't say that I will be writing here regularly again, however I feel that you may see more from me. The blogging world has changed so much since I first started off in it back in 2012, and truthfully some of those changes have made me sad and not really interested in being part of it. It seems that so many people have abandoned their blogs or have only sponsored posts or "fluff" post after fluff post like "5 Tips for               ".  I feel like a lot of the authenticity is sadly gone.

When/if I do end up writing regularly again, I am definitely going to have a much more relaxed approach to it. This is a hobby for me and not something I am trying to make my full time job. I enjoy working with brands and growing my audience, but I care most about authenticity and being myself. I want to be able to share what's on my mind or what is going on in my life and not be worried that it doesn't fit my "niche" or "vibe."

So that's pretty much all that I have been up to lately and all I have to say for now... You'll be seeing more of me around here :)

xoxo

Jess

Happy List | 17

January and winter break are flying by, so I wanted to take a moment to jot down some happy things that have happened lately...

+ Heading to Vegas with my gal pals today!

+ Catching up on This is Us. I cry every episode!

+ Trips to Ikea

+ Taking Marly with me places just for fun

+ Cleaning up all the Christmas decorations and giving the living room a fresh look

+ Finally finishing the jewelry board I have been working on since I moved into my apartment

+ Rainy days when I can sleep in

+ When Dai makes me steak for dinner

+ Slow mornings at home when I take the time to brew coffee in the Chemex

+ Planning out the pieces I want to hang on the walls in my room

+ Birthday cake for breakfast

+ When you go to Marshalls and everything is speaking to you (hello funny wine-themed items!)

+ Coffee dates with friends and their babies

+ Asking Alexa to tell you jokes. Also, asking Alexa questions and realizing she doesn't know much.

+ Playing the game Exploding Kittens with Dai and his reaction when I beat him

+ Wearing a crown on your birthday (10/10 would recommend)

+ Getting a mani-pedi by yourself on your day off just because

+ Going back to visit my high school teachers and being greeted with the warmest welcome from each of them. Also, my art teacher still having my winning photograph hanging in her classroom with the first place ribbon <3

+ When I move over in bed and Marly immediately scoots with me until his back is touching me again

What has been making you happy lately?

xoxo

Jess

Reflecting on 2016 + My 2017 Goals

There's nothing quite like a new year and the feeling of a fresh start! To some, January is a bleak month, but for me it is one of the best. I mean, what's not to love about extended winter break, my birthday, and the excuse to celebrate all month?! Like most people, I also like to use the New Year as a time to reset my focus on the things I would like to accomplish and reflect on where life is taking me.

So, before we move on to 2017, let's review the goals I had set for 2016...

Personal:

+ Keep learning about hand lettering I worked on this quite a bit and bonded with one of my classmates over this hobby too!

+ Travel! Perhaps to Utah or Chicago or Las Vegas or maybe something bigger. I'd love to go somewhere for our 5th anniversary!  I went to Chicago and Las Vegas with my dad AND I ended up going to Hawaii with Dai for our 5th anniversary!

+ Stay connected with friends and be a good friend even when things get busy. I feel like I did a pretty good job at this! While some of my blog friendships have sadly fizzled, I think that I did well at investing in my real-life friends and I feel really good about that.

+ Pursue photography as a side business (hey, I have a site now!). I didn't do as much with this as I would have liked and it is something I would like to continue to pursue.

+ Work my hardest in school! I definitely worked my booty off at this goal! The spring semester was pretty stressful, but I did my best and I totally rocked the fall semester!

+ Build my savings and pay off credit cards. The extra income from my summer internship definitely helped with this goal, but I am not totally debt-free yet since my living expenses changed quite a bit after moving into my apartment.

+ Have an internship in my field to gain more experience. I had a summer internship in marketing and while that isn't quite my field, it was a great experience and I feel really great about it!

+ FINALLY make a scrapbook. Um, still working on this!!

+ Keep working on being more responsible with some things.

+ Take time for myself to recharge, work on creative projects, or simply relax (because that's always a good goal!) I did this, but could use more of it for sure ;)

I had also set goals for wellness and blogging, but to be really honest and transparent about it, I didn't really succeed at any of them. If you've been a long-time reader of mine, you'd know that 2016 wasn't my best year for blogging and there were many months that I did not publish a single post. There were simply other things that I focused on last year and sadly blogging just wasn't one of them. Truthfully, I am actually ok with it, but I would like 2017 to be different. As for my wellness goals, I did try new things like dance and going to yoga regularly and I did another round of Whole30. I definitely have more things I would like to work on this year.

My 2017 goals...

Personal:
+ Graduate from college!
+ Photograph a wedding
+ Go to Japan again
+ Read 15 books
+ Minimize belongings and buy/keep only things that bring me joy
+ Have another internship and/or start working a full time job (!!!)
+ Go camping somewhere new
+ Make a better morning routine to start my days off with
+ Visit Big Sur, Texas, and Portland
+ Continue to pursue photography for fun and as income
+ Spend more time with my family
+ Build savings and pay off all credit cards (and maybe even start to pay off student loans?)

Wellness:
+ Find a healthy lifestyle that works for me
+ Implement a good skin care routine
+ Exercise regularly and try fun new things
+ Practice self care by taking time to spend alone, having coffee dates with myself, getting my hair or nails done, reading, walking my dog, etc.

Blogging:
+ Blog consistently and keep it fun
+ Make new friendships with fellow bloggers and connect more with others

I listen to a podcast called The Lady Gang and one thing that is often mentioned is a "mirror message," which is like a mantra or something motivational that you remind yourself of by writing it on your mirror or having it somewhere you can see. I have mirrored closets in my bedroom, so I have decided that each week this year I want to write down a few things to remember and focus on as a way to keep working on my goals consistently and in a manageable way :)

What are your goals for 2017? Did you set goals in 2016?

xoxo

Jess

My 23rd Birthday!

Yesterday was my 23rd birthday! I’m just going to go ahead and say it: I am the kind of person that loves their birthday. I LOVE my birthday. It is always a special day to me, as it should be. I love having the excuse to spend the day doing whatever my heart desires and I think everyone deserves to feel special on their birthday. It is just an exciting day!

The day started out with my roommate Laura making me delicious crepes for breakfast. Dai surprised me by taking the day off of work and showing up at my house at breakfast time, although I had a hunch he was taking the day off even though he kept insisting that he was going to work just like any other normal day ;) After breakfast, Dai and I went to a good local coffee shop that I really like near my house and they were so sweet to give me my latte for free since it was my birthday! Perks of being the birthday girl and wearing a birthday crown :) We then headed to the movies to La La Land. It was at this really nice theater that has reclining leather seats and since it was a rainy Wednesday at 11:30am, there weren’t many people there, which was also nice! La La Land was really good and it is now one of my favorite movies! It is so fun and just all around lovely. I highly recommend going to see it!

After the movie, we went to lunch in downtown Palo Alto at Lemonade, which as always was really yummy. We also walked around West Elm (love everything there!) and had fun sitting on the couches. We then went to the Stanford mall and I ended up finding a beautiful dress to wear to Dai’s company holiday party later this month (yes it is in January!). After the mall, we got a milkshake and walked around Sur La Table. I knew that Dai had plans for us at 6:30pm, but I had no idea what they were. I thought maybe they were dinner reservations or something. As we were walking around Sur La Table, Dai led me towards the back of the store where he revealed that we were doing a cooking class! It was pizza making and we got to make everything from scratch! I had never done a cooking class before, but it was something I had thought would be fun to do with Dai. We had a great time and made super tasty pizza. It was a fun experience and I would love to do another class!

To end the night, we went home to my place and had birthday cake and played the game Exploding Kittens with my roommate. One of the gifts that Dai got me was an Echo Dot, so it has been fun to play with “Alexa.” We have had her tell us jokes and she even sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to me several times haha technology is so fun sometimes ;)

As you can see, I had a really wonderful day! I know that I am one lucky girl to have a guy that does anything to make sure that I feel special. He is like that all year round, actually, not just on my birthday and it is one of the many things I love about him. He is always thinking up things to surprise me with and doing things to bring a smile to my face :) I am so thankful for you, Dai!

The celebrating isn’t over yet! On Friday I am meeting up with some friends for drinks and we may go bar hopping to check out a few different places. Next week I am also heading to Vegas with two of my girl friends for a couple days of fun! I am really looking forward to that as well since it will be my first real time in Vegas with friends!

I am excited for 23 and all that this year will bring. I know it will be a good one!

Happy New Year! Hello 2017!

Well, here we are. Another new year! When I started this blog as what it is now back in January of 2013, I never thought about what it would be like to be here four years later. And saying "four years" just now really blew my mind. It is truly hard to believe that it has already been that long that I have been coming to this space to share what's on my heart and document what is happening in my life.

Overall, 2016 was a good year. It started off in January with celebrating my 22nd birthday, enjoying the rest of winter break, and looking for a new job closer to home. In February, the spring semester was in full swing and I started a new nanny position with the family I currently work for. In March, Dai took me to see Wicked and I went on a spring break trip to San Diego with my best friend. April was spent hustling towards the end of the semester and May was filled with more of the same until the school year was finally over. In May I also went on a trip to Chicago with my Dad and we spent a week on the road driving home to California and stopping along the way in places like the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas. I started my first internship in June and enjoyed the freedoms of summer. In July, I took a trip to LA to visit Dai's family, went wine tasting in Napa, and moved into my first apartment with my childhood friend. August was a big month, as Dai turned 29, we celebrated 5 years together, I started another school year, and... Dai surprised me with an anniversary trip to Hawaii! In September, Dai went to the Philippines for work for two weeks and my dad visited me for most of the month. October and November were spent doing the usual school hustle and counting down the days until the end of the semester in December. Sprinkled in there were hangouts with friends, a trip to San Diego for Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving at my apartment, a camping trip, and a visit to the pumpkin patch. December was a wonderful month with lots of time with friends and family, soaking up the holiday season, a difficult but satisfying end of the semester, and a trip to Lake Tahoe for my first white Christmas.

As for blogging, 2016 wasn't the best year. I'm not really sure what it was...lack of motivation, time, or mental space... Whatever it was that kept me from coming to this space as much as I would have liked to in 2016, I am looking forward to a better 2017. Though it sometimes seems like a silly hobby and can be discouraging with the all the 'competition' on social media, blogging is something that is very important to me, something that has given me joy and friendship and opportunities, and something that I am happy to spend my free time doing.

So, here's to a new year that will hopefully be even better than the last! Thank you to each and every one of you who take the time to read my posts... <3

New Month // November Goals

November is here! I wanted to have my goals post up on the 1st, but I was a little too sugared up from Halloween candy that I got from a party to think straight! Here I am now, though, fully detoxing from that sugar high (I will miss you, candy). I realized that I sort of accidentally skipped October goals!

Before November gets going, lets review September's goals...
+ Book a photo session with a client
I did book an event to shoot for October, which was a nice bit of extra income, so that's good! I would still like to book a portrait session or something like that though so I am going to keep at it with this goal.

+ Read two books
I finished one and started a second at the end of the month, but I didn't finish the second one in September so I didn't quite make this goal! Making reading part of my evening routine has been a really nice way of unwinding before bed though and I have since moved on to another new book!

+ Work on my hand lettering skills
Though I am not nearly where I would like to be with this, I did work on my lettering! I also made a friend in one of my classes who is into lettering too and she has been giving me some tips to practice, so that's nice! Hoping I can continue to work on this in October.

+ Make a video of our trip to Hawaii!
Done! You can watch it here :)

+ Frame photos and hang things on the walls
I didn't get to this unfortunately, mostly because I just am not sure what I want to hang up. I think I am going to scour Etsy for some inexpensive prints and maybe make a few pieces myself. Also need to decide how I want to display photos. All of this just takes time, which is not something I have a lot of!

+ Find eating balance/follow Whole30 principles
Hmmm.. Still working on this one. I have a lot of different ideas and interests when it comes to eating, but I just need to find something that works for me and get into a new groove.

Goals for November...
+ Decide what to give people for Christmas!
This year, I will not rush around right before Christmas! Or, at least I will really try not to haha. I am planning to hand make most of the gifts this year because #brokecollegelife, so I need to get started early!

+ Practice yoga 2-3 times per week
I've been going to a yoga class one a week and it has been really nice, so I would like to do my best to do yoga another one or two times at home on my own. I recently checked out Yoga With Adriene on YouTube and I really enjoy her videos!

+ Create and order Christmas cards
In the past, I have been very awful about this! Every year I want to send some out, but I only got around to it one year and didn't even finish sending them to everyone I wanted to. This year, I promised myself to keep them simple and not try to make it into a huge DIY project because let's face it: I just don't have time for that.

+ Register for classes for the spring semester
Registering for classes is one of the biggest pains! It can be difficult to make sure every class fits in your schedule when you need it to and then actually getting a spot in that class is a whole other story depending on your registration date! I am working on figuring out all the classes I need and when I can take them, and it is draining... Wish me luck!

+ Spend time with family
I don't really have family living around me, so whenever I can go down to San Diego to see them it is extra special. I am super excited to be going down there for Thanksgiving and can't wait to see my sister especially!

+ Host a Friendsgiving
Hosting a Friendsgiving is something I have wanted to do for a few years now, but I have never had my own space to do it... Until now! The invites are out and now I am just waiting to hear back from people and need to plan the menu! Everyone is going to bring something and we will just have a nice time hanging out together :)

It should be a great month! I am really looking forward to the start of the holiday season and want to do my best to enjoy every moment of it!

What are your goals for November?

Happy List // 16

Slowly easing into Monday with a little happy list...
+ The sound of the fountain outside my bedroom window.

+ Coffee dates at Blue Bottle in Palo Alto when we sit outside in the courtyard and work on things.

+ Trips to the pool.

+ Grilling all the things.

+ Sunday brunch with friends.

+ Hanging out with Dai and the 7-year-old girl I nanny for.

+ The tiredness that you feel after entertaining said 7-year-old all day.

+ Hitting my Fitbit goals.

+ Good morning kisses.

+ Taking walks to the frozen yogurt shop.

+ My new Macbook Pro!!! It was definitely an investment, but I love it and I love believing in myself.

+ The fact that we have so many light blue items in our house.

+ My newly dyed blue hair

+ Trips to Target with Dai anytime.

+ Making Halloween/pumpkin carving plans already.

+ Phone calls with my dad.

What's on your happy list?

I hope everyone has a great week ahead!

If We Had Coffee // 4

If we had coffee, it would probably be on a Friday, since I don't have school. We would likely keep it simple and meet at a Starbucks somewhere between us. I'd definitely order an iced coffee with a splash of half & half and pumpkin spice syrup. I would tell you how it is a guilty pleasure of mine, but I really do love pumpkin spice and am always excited when it makes its arrival each year. I'd ask you what you ordered and would make a mental note to try that next time.

We would find a quiet spot to sit down, maybe even outside if the weather is nice. I'd ask you about your loved ones and work or school and where you got your shirt because I'm sure you look great. I'd ask you how your summer was and if you are looking forward to the fall. 

I'd tell you about my trip to Hawaii and how it just was so amazing that I can't get over it. I'd tell you that I can't wait to go back and how we are already scheming about how we can make that happen one day soon. I'd probably show you photos from our trip on my phone, and also throw in a few recent ones of Marly too since he is just so cute.

If we had coffee, I'd tell you about my classes this semester and how they are going pretty well so far. I'd tell you how crazy it is that this is my last year and the thought of graduating in the spring both delights and terrifies me. I'd tell you that I am quickly finding out how awful I am at dancing and that I still think it is pretty funny that I am actually taking a hip-hop class. We would definitely have a good laugh about this. I'd also say though that my Latin dance class is kind of fun and it is easier than hip-hop for me.

I'd tell you much I love coming home to my apartment each day and how it just feels so right. I'd tell you that it has been fun living with Laura and that I've enjoyed hanging out with her the most that I have since we were in high school. Sometimes I can't believe that we are actually here, living in an apartment together and learning how to be adults.

I'd tell you that I watched all of this season of Bachelor in Paradise and don't even know why I love all of the shows in The Bachelor franchise, but I do. I just can't help but love trash TV! Speaking of TV, I'd tell you how Dai and I just finished watching the Stranger Things and how much we loved it. I'd also have to tell you how excited I am for the new episodes of Gilmore Girls to be released and that my sister and I have already made plans to watch them together the day they are released.

I'd tell you how I am just itching to photograph some people! Kids, maternity, families, engagements, couples, graduates, events, weddings... Just give me someone to shoot with! I would really, really love to especially shoot a wedding in the near future. I shot one three years ago and looking back at the photos, they make me slightly cringe because I think I could do a much better job now.

If we had coffee, I'd tell you how I miss my family and how hard it is to live away from the ones I am closest to. I'd tell you how I miss my dad and sister especially, and sometimes I get sad. I'd tell you how I am very excited to spend Thanksgiving in San Diego though and can't wait to hang out with my nephews.

I'd tell you how I am so happy it is Friday and that I get to see Dai later today. I'd tell you that it is difficult sometimes only getting to see each other on the weekends, but we do our best to make the most of our time together. I'd tell you how we don't really have plans for this weekend and am alright with it since it means we can do whatever we would like.

Our cups would surely be empty by now and it would be time to say farewell until next time. We would hug and I would invite you over to my house to swim or have dinner because I really want you to see my new place. You would laugh and say "of course" and we would wave goodbye as we walked to our cars.

If we had coffee, what would you tell me?

xoxo

Jess

New Month // September Goals

And just like that, here we are yet again, with a new month ahead of us... August was a pretty wonderful month over here and I am actually kind of sad to see it go. It was the first full month spent in my new home, my very first internship wrapped up, we went on a spectacular vacation, and school started back up. So many things!

September, though, will be a good one too I think! I have always loved September and the beginning of fall. It is kind of nice to get back into the routine of school and spend the weekends relaxing or doing fun things. It really is quite a lovely time of year!

Before we totally jump into September, lets review August's goals...
+ Get unpacked and settled in at my new apartment
Check! There are still some things I need to organize, but I am feeling pretty settled at this point! We have just about all the furniture we need (we would maybe like to just find a coffee table eventually) and the whole place is feeling pretty home-y. It makes me so happy! Next, I'd just like to hang some things and add finishing touches.

+ Celebrate Dai's birthday and our 5 year anniversary
We definitely did this! August was a lovely, celebration filled month. On Dai's birthday, I made him dinner and a cake and we had a quiet evening at my house, watching MasterChef and going to the jacuzzi.  We also spent the next day in Santa Cruz at the boardwalk, which was lots of fun. Our anniversary was on a Monday, so we both had to work, but Dai sent me flowers at work (so sweet!) and we went to dinner at a nice restaurant that evening. To top it all off, to celebrate our anniversary, Dai planned a surprise trip to Hawaii!! So, our anniversary clearly was amazing :)

+ Start school
Done! School started a week ago, but thankfully things haven't gotten too busy yet and I actually really like the classes I'm taking, so I am hoping it will be a great semester! The only thing that was kind of strange was having my last first day of school ever (unless I go to grad school, but currently no plans...) and to realize that next fall, for the first time in 18 years, I won't be starting a new school year. Life is weird, guys!

+ Spend time with Dai
I'm pretty sure you can already tell I spent lots of time with Dai considering we went on vacation! This was an easy goal, but since it felt like we hadn't spent much quality time together in July, I wanted to be more intentional about this. It was a great month for us!

+ Try out the gym at my new place
Ok, so I'm sorry to say that I didn't do this... I know, I know, so bad! This goal (conveniently) slipped my mind... Definitely going to keep this goal in mind for September!

+ Have a get together/party with friends
Success! This past weekend we had a house warming party, which was really fun! A couple weeks ago I also had some friends over to swim and have a little BBQ by the pool, so I would say this goal went well :)

+ Spend some time alone doing things I want to do
Yes! I had two full weekdays completely off from work before we went on vacation, so I spent those doing things I wanted, like building a jewelry hanger, going to the pool, and simply relaxing. I didn't do everything I had wanted to, but I feel alright about it.

+ Give oil pulling a try
I will admit, I did try oil pulling, but only twice! I didn't hate it, though it takes a little time to get used to the feeling of the oil in your mouth. I did it for a couple days, but then I went on vacation and kind of forgot about it! I'd definitely like to give it another shot!

Goals for September...
+ Book a photo session with a client
For quite a while I have been itching to shoot some more photo sessions, so lately I have been working hard to seek out those opportunities. I have been looking a ton on Craigslist for people who need portraits and events shot (even a couple weddings!) or photographers seeking a second shooter/assistant, and have been sending out many emails. I'm hoping I can at least get something solid on my calendar this month!

+ Read two books
Last month I was successful at finishing two books and got into a really nice routine of reading in bed before I went to sleep, so I'd like to continue that and read two more in September. I have quite a few books on my shelf that I haven't read and it would be nice to get through them all!

+ Work on my hand lettering skills
I have admired hand lettering for such a long time and from the little that I have dabbled in it, I have really loved it! I just need to spend some more time practicing and learning different techniques. I even purchased an e-course a while ago, but have yet to make my way through it! With the holidays just around the corner, I would especially like to work on these skills because I think it would be great to make hand lettered gifts for people.

+ Make a video of our trip to Hawaii!
We took our GoPro on this trip and we did so many fun things! I'd love to make a video of our time in Hawaii and then hopefully get into the habit of making ones for our future trips too. I have only made a couple videos in the past, but I have already started this project and am so excited to share it when it is done!

+ Frame photos and hang things on the walls
While mostly everything is unpacked, I would still like to hang up photos and other special pieces. I have a lot of photos that need to be printed and framed, so I'd like to get going on these things in September! I didn't hang anything on the walls of the place I last lived at, but I plan on being here longer and it already feels way more like home :)

+ Find eating balance/follow Whole30 principles
I have a lot of thoughts about food that should probably written in a post all on its own, but here are my basic recent realizations: I need to find balance when it comes to food. I have found through experimentation with Whole30 over the past year and a half that I am a sort of "all or nothing" kind of person when it comes to healthy habits. I am either super focused about it or I don't care at all and just eat or do whatever I feel like. I am realizing that's a very unhealthy pattern to be in and I am going to make conscious efforts to make changes to that! I will have to keep you posted on this as I go!

So far, in the 2.5 days of September, things have been going well! The weather got gloomy so I am actually wearing long sleeves and pumpkin spice is back at Starbucks, so I am currently having a coffee date with Dai and typing away while I sip on my pumpkin spice iced coffee :) We don't really have much planned for this long weekend, which is pretty nice!

What are your goals for September? What are you up to for the long weekend?

Life Lately // August

HELLO!!! Here we are, almost done with another month and I have blogged about a total of 3 times... All I can say is that this entire year has been a wonderful whirlwind! Though August is not yet over, it has been such an amazing month and I am here to fill you in!

First of all, I am 100% moved into my new apartment and am pretty much settled. So far I am loving living with my friend Laura :) It is so different to actually like the people you live with and aside from staying with Dai, I can't say I've felt that in the past two years! I enjoy having time alone at home, but I am also like "When is Laura coming home?" I miss hanging out with her when she isn't there haha. It has also been so great getting to build a household from scratch and getting to decide (with Laura's input of course) where everything goes or how we want things. I love it! Plus, there's a pride that comes along with having your own place, like wanting everything to be neat and clean! I am now realizing just how much my dad's particular-ness rubbed off on me after 20 years of living with him haha.

Aside from the apartment stuff, I also finished my 10 week internship, which really felt like an accomplishment! It was a really great experience and I am so thankful that I was given that opportunity. I loved meeting so many new people, working in an office environment, and learning about so many different fields I had no clue about. I am definitely looking forward to having another internship sometime soon!

The biggest thing that happened this month was definitely our trip to HAWAII!!! Oh man, I can't even begin to describe how amazing it was and it is going to get a couple posts of its own very soon. It was my first time there and believe it or not, Dai actually surprised me by taking me! He is just the sweetest. We had the best time and are already scheming up ways for us to go again soon...but I should probably graduate college first :)

Speaking of college, my last year of school started on Wednesday! I was not looking forward to school starting, especially after just getting back from vacation, but now I am trying to get psyched about it haha. My schedule isn't terrible and my classes actually seem interesting! I am taking a mass communication class (where we are going to learn how to make blogs (insert crying face emoji) and other things), a food culture class, an architecture history class, an electronic media class, a hip hop dance class, and probably a latin dance class! I know those last two probably threw you off! I have never taken a dance class in my life, but I need a couple PE credits and figured why not?! :)

Other than that, I've been working on my August goals and have been dabbling with the ukulele just for fun! It has been pretty cool actually and I hope I can keep learning more! Marly is also doing well and is as cute as ever :) He loves our apartment! I've been reading more which has been making me happy and I've been going to our pool often. I used to have a pool, but I definitely took it for granted, so it is really wonderful having such a nice pool after two years without one, especially since I live in a pretty warm area! Soaking up every last bit of summer while it is still here :)

Well, I think that pretty much covers it for this month! How has your month been?

xoxo

Jess

Happy Birthday to My Guy!

As I mentioned in my August goals, this month is filled with a few different reasons to celebrate, one of which being my love's birthday! He isn't one to care much about birthdays and doesn't need anyone to make a fuss over him, but I always ignore that and make it my mission to C E L E B R A T E him as much as possible!! 364 days a year, he does so much to be thoughtful towards others and do nice things for his friends, family, and coworkers, so on his birthday it is my job to make him feel extra special like he does for everyone else the rest of the year!

Unfortunately we both have to work today, but I have some special things planned for tonight and this weekend that I hope he will love! When I asked him what he wanted to do for his birthday he just said he wanted to spend it with me, which pretty much tells you what kind of guy he is :) We always have so much fun and it makes me happy simply doing silly stuff together like wandering around the grocery store or watching our favorite shows on the couch with Marly.

So, with that, HAPPY 29th BIRTHDAY DAI! I love you and am so happy to be able to spend another birthday with you, my best friend :) This next year is going to be another great one for you, I just know it. Have a wonderful day and I can't wait to celebrate you! And tell you 'happy birthday' a few more hundred times :)

xoxo

Jess

August Goals

How is it already August?! This summer has just flown by and has kept me very busy. Between working 50 hours per week, moving, and having jam packed weekends, it is no wonder I blinked and we are somehow already at the beginning of August.

August is a bittersweet month for me; there are exciting things to celebrate, but it also means the end of summer break and the beginning of a new school year. While I enjoy the newness of a fresh semester, I do not enjoy the responsibilities that come along with it as my classes progress!

Since it is my last few weeks of summer break before school starts up again, I definitely want to make the most of this month! Here are some goals I have...

+ Get unpacked and settled in at my new apartment
Yes, you read that right, my new APARTMENT! I will definitely share more about this very soon, but I just moved all of my stuff into my new apartment almost two weeks ago (that I am sharing with one of my oldest friends!), so I still have some settling in to do and would love to be all unpacked before school starts. I always love seeing and reading about people's homes, but have never felt like I had much to share, so I am definitely excited for all of the home related blog posts to come :)

+ Celebrate Dai's birthday and our 5 year anniversary
This is the fun part of August! Dai's birthday and our anniversary are just 3 days apart, so these special occasions are always the highlight of the month. I usually plan something for Dai's birthday, but this year I am also handling plans for the day of our anniversary and I am excited :) We are also using these occasions as an excuse to go away later in the month, so it is like we get to celebrate all throughout August, which I am definitely a fan of!

+ Start school
Well, this "goal" is a little inevitable, but I still have to get all of my supplies organized and mentally prepare to start my last year of school! This will be happening this month whether I like it or not ;)

+ Spend time with Dai
July was pretty crazy for both of us, so it didn't really feel like we got to spend much quality time together, even though we saw each other every day. This month I would like to make an intentional effort to spend nice time together, especially since I will be starting school soon and then will have homework and tests to worry about even in my down time.

+ Try out the gym at my new place
One of the great amenities of my apartment is a nice gym (along with a pool!), so I definitely want to take advantage of it and get my booty into a workout routine! Between the gym at home and a pilates class I am taking this semester, I am hoping to finally begin my fitness journey. Gyms are totally new to me and while the one at my apartment isn't huge, it is surely enough to get me going!

+ Have a get together/party with friends
Since I just moved and really love my new place, I would love to have some friends over for a get together or have a house warming party! Hoping we can do that sometime this month maybe, or at the very least get it on the calendar :)

+ Spend some time alone doing things I want to do
As you can see, going back to school is a theme here! I am thankful for my education, but it definitely puts a strain on my free time, so I would like to take advantage of the time I have left before school starts again to do things I have been wanting to do. I would love to do things like have a coffee date with myself, work on a scrapbook, blog, and play around with hand lettering, things I always feel like I have to put off because of school.

+ Give oil pulling a try
My friend and roommate, Laura, and I were talking about giving oil pulling a try and thought it would be nice to have each other as a buddy to do it with. There is a lot of information out there about oil pulling, so I would just Google it if you are curious, but it is essentially swishing around oil in your mouth for about 20 minutes. Sounds weird, I know, but it has tons of health benefits, such as teeth whitening, increasing oral health, aiding in weight loss, killing bad breath, the list literally goes on and on... So, I figured why not start this month?

So there you have it, my goals for this month! Even though it just began, I can already tell it is going to fly by! I think the most important thing for me is going to be being intentional about my time, especially when it comes to wanting to do some things by myself. I am really looking forward to seeing what this month brings!

What are your goals for August? Are you going back to school this month?

xoxo

Jess