Promising Myself to this City

Last Monday, Courtney came from Sacramento, picked me up in the city and then we went hiking just over the Golden Gate Bridge. 

I have never seen sights so beautiful! Being in the city is so much fun, but there is no similar feeling to being on one of the hills outside the city and seeing it all. 

Amazing, right!?

This was the path we took to get to Black Sand Beach

hiking up the hills of California

This picture made me feel like I was in Hawaii or some where equally as exotic...

So as Courtney and I stood on the top of the hills and looked all around us, we realized that this was one of the most beautiful places to live. Yes, it can be cold and that fog is always lurking, but where else can you have the city, the water and the mountains all around you!?

On the top of that hill, we made a promise to each other that if one of us wanted to leave California, that we'd remind one another the promise we made to stay and enjoy this amazing city. 

(We all know there would be only one thing that could take me away from here and he's looking at school in this area so hopefully we can stay!)

And to everyone who hasn't had the opportunity to see this area for yourself, COME VISIT NOW!

What A Weekend!

This past weekend was AMAZING! 

Not only am I in an awesome city with thousands of things to do and see, but I'm also getting great work experience and making new friends.

On Saturday, I took a tour on a double decker bus. Classic tourist move, I know. But it was actually kinda great. We saw almost all of the city and I learned a lot of interesting facts about locations and buildings (I'm into the kinda stuff). Add tour guide leader to the list of my potential jobs.

Golden Gate Bridge with my summer roommate

View of the city and the sea lions from Fisherman's Warf

So to make this weekend even better, Jake called me Thursday night and told me he was gonna try to fly in on Saturday morning! I was so excited, but like most stand-by flights, he wasn't able to make it :(

While on our tour of the city, I got a twitter notification and this is what it said:

Yes, I realize that I DO have the best boyfriend ever. This was such a great surprise!!

Jake and I spent the whole day Sunday exploring the city. First we went to the Haight Ashbury Street Festival, which was interesting, as are all things on Haight street. 

Next we went to the beach. It's not very warm here so we just looked, but I made Jake put his feet in the water because it was his first time to see the Pacific Ocean. 

What a cutie ;)

We ended the day by going on a romantic date in Little Italy. I've decided that this may be one of my favorite spot in San Francisco. Italian food and gelato? What more could a girl ask for??

After dinner, we decided to take a hike up one of the ridiculously steep hills, and I'm so glad we did!

The views from the top of the hill were amazing! I think we found our dream location (we'll be able to afford it in about 20 years!). The view of the hills and the bay were absolutely amazing.

It was sad to see Jake go at the end of the weekend, but like last week, this one has been very busy.

Hope you all had a great weekend as well and tomorrow another one is here!

More to Come

So being new to the city is exciting an fun! But being on a tight budget is a little bit of a challenge. Luckily I work with awesome people who told me about this website:

Fun things to do in San Francisco

SF is full of free festivals and events just about everyday and I'm excited to check some of them out!

I think tonight I might go to this one:

On Saturday I'm gonna be all touristy and see the San Francisco sites. I'll most likely be posting those pics later this weekend. 

Between work events, program events and my own explorations, my calendar for the month of June is really starting to fill up!

And here are a few beautiful sites I see everyday on my way to work and the grocery store

Bay Bridge





Church off of Church Street



One Way Ticket

Hello from the west coast!

I've been in San Francisco for three days now and it has been crazy/fun/tiring/amazing! 

I didn't start my internship till today so I spent yesterday exploring. There is so much to see and do here in the bay area that I'm sure it will take me years to do it all!

Here is what I've experienced so far:

Union Square

View from my bedroom window on the lucky number 13th floor.

Last night a couple of my new friends and I had drinks and watched the sunset at the top of a downtown hotel. The 360 degree view was absolutely amazing!

Today, after the metro and I had a misunderstanding, I arrived to work 20 minutes late. Fortunately, the people I work for at Hands On Gourmet are awesome and pretty laid back. After learning the ropes of the office/kitchen, I got to witness my first event. 

This is part of the kitchen area of the office. Once the participants learn to make a gourmet meal, they sit down and share the food "family style".

The AMAZING view right outside the window of the HOG kitchen. I don't think I'll ever get tired of seeing this everyday.

I don't get internet in my apartment unit, so I have to go to the 2nd floor lobby to access wifi. 

I'm going to try to stay consistent with my posts, but if they seem to be few and far between sometimes, that would be why. 

So much has happened in just the last few days and it's only Tuesday!

Can't wait to share more with you all!

Travel Time!

I leave tomorrow for San Francisco!

Of course I still have plenty of last minute packing to do which really stresses me out because I HATE packing. If I had the money, I would hire someone to do it for me! I'm taking two large suitcases to fit in all of my clothes for the next few months, but I know I'll forget something... 

I don't know about you, but I always try to look my best when traveling. I don't think that long plane rides and hanging out in airports means you can forget about fashion for the day. You never know who you're going to run into or sit next to on the plane. Traveling is an opportunity, not just a way to get from one place to the next. Here are some of my favorite travel outfits:

Comfy/cute jeans, flats, 

a jacket because we know it gets cold in airports, 

a scarf to add a touch of flare 

and maybe some shades to keep that mysterious stranger look. 

I just bought a skirt from Forever21 that is very similar to this one.
I love how it's dressy AND comfy!
I think a big bag while traveling is a must.

I sorta love this super casual look.
I have a fedora hat, but I'm just not sure I can pull it off like others fashionista!

A GREAT website that I found for the fashionable traveler is travelista.com.

I also just recently discovered that summer in San Fran is much more colder than I thought it was!

I knew the weather would be mild, but I didn't think I would need to pack my winter clothes. Back to scarves and boots for me.

I'm so nervous! 

But I can't wait to blog about all the adventures I have in the city!

Moving On

As you can see, I decided I just wasn't satisfied with my former blog design, so I changed it up a bit to fit my style. 

It's been a crazy busy week! I have been to the airport three times, Easton mall twice and the frozen yogurt shop FOUR times! My family was in town for the long weekend and it was so much fun having a very full house. And my favorite part of this week = Jake coming back to Ohio!

Happy Memorial Day!

It was also a great week because I got to see Courtney! We all went out to sushi for her b-day. This past Sunday was our friend's wedding. It was a nice little reunion to see all of my old high school friends.

Birthday Girl

I got so many compliments on my maxi dress. Believe it or not, it's from Forever 21 (one of my favorite stores). 

The past week has flown by and in just 3 days, I'm leaving for California!

Have I packed at all yet? Nope....

So wish me luck to be productive and figure out what I am going to be wearing for the next few months!

 

Wedding Weekend Festivities

It's happening... My friends and I are growing up! 

Next weekend one of my friends from high school is the first of our group to get married. I am so excited for her! So this past weekend we had her bachelorette party AND bridal shower. It was a crazy weekend, but such a fun time with my best friends.

Over the next few years, I know I'll be attending and/or planning lots of wedding activities. These are some of my favorite finds and ideas for an amazing bridal shower:

row 1: dessert table
row 2: macaroon gift bags
row 3: cupcakes, quiz

click on the links below my inspiration board for more great ideas and diy projects!

Trendy Thursday

I can't believe it's already the middle of May and my internship starts in just a few weeks!

I got an email from my boss letting me know a few details for the summer and she informed me that the dress code was pretty casual. 

We can wear jeans! 

Now, my last internship was in a more formal office, so I'm used to dressing up a little more for work. I decided to do a little research on how to pair jeans with a dressy top and or shoes to make the look a little more polished. 

Here are some of my findings that will inspire my summer wardrobe:  

photo courtesy of glamour.com 

photo courtesy of lookbook.nu 

I also just got this classy dress that you could fancy up with some heels and jewelry or down with some flats and a casual blazer:

photo courtesy of charlotterusse.com 

My favorite find of the week though has to be these cute oxford style flats from Aldo. They will look great in the office with some dark jeans: 

Finally, I must say something about the fact that tonight is the Grey's Anatomy season finale!!

I've been a fan of Grey's for about 6 years now and no matter how many times I say I'm done with these dramatic tv shows, I've never been able to stop watching this one! Therefore, I feel as though I know these characters and was shocked at how last week's episode ended. 

It will be a dramatic season finale for sure. Any guesses on who will be the one killed off? I'm almost positive I know, but I'll keep that to myself for now :)

Hope you all have a happy Thursday, 

only one more day till the weekend!

Getting Back On The Wagon

So I seem to have fallen off the fitness wagon at some point this past semester. I decided that I'd dedicate the next few weeks to getting back on and remembering what it takes to live a happy and healthy lifestyle. So here are some tools I use when getting fit and ready for summer:

The workouts:

Now I don't claim to be an expert on working out, but through my own experiences, I have learned that one of the best ways to lose weight and stay fit it to start lifting! Don't worry, just because you start lifting does NOT mean that you will become big and bulky. Gross. Paired with the right amount of cardio, lifting weights will help burn fat and boost your metabolism. 

Lindsay Kay Miller will break it all down for you in this video:

Lindsay Kaye Miller Fitness 360

I also like the workout plan that I found on this page below that nutrition plan. As you can see from the picture, Lindsay has a great body and doesn't look too bulky at all!

Last week Jake and I went hiking at Old Man's Cave. The scenery was beautiful! I wish we lived closer so I could go hiking more often.

His first time to Ohio! He loved it and can't wait to come back :)

I'd love to hear from other bloggers out there on what keeps you motivated? 

Happy Mother's Day!

Because it's Mother's Day, I have to start out by saying that I am so thankful for the wonderful mother I have. Against all of my efforts, I become more like her every day. Fortunately, she is an amazing leader, wife, Godly woman and mom to three, so I know I'm lucky if I turn out as great as she did.

Moving on to...

Things I love and love to talk (and now blog) about:

1. I LOVE to plan events and come up with event ideas. 

Any thing from weddings to banquets, private parties to company events. With a major in PR and minor in marketing, I am all set to not only plan an event, but also make sure people actually attend and that it is a success!

2. I love to cook and bake! 

With a mom as a dietician, and very active parents, I have grown up and learned to appreciate the healthy living lifestyle. My family and friends seem to think I should go into the profession of nutrition, but I see it as more of a hobby than career. 

3. I enjoy exercising and staying active. 

I love to workout, but after about every 6 months I am in need of a new workout plan. I am excited to get to California where there are plenty of outdoor activities to keep me fit and happy.

These things, along with everyday happenings, are what you can expect to see in my blog.

Hope you all have a great Mother's Day!

Let Me Introduce To You...

I thought I'd take this second post to tell you a little more about me and introduce you to some of the most important people in my life because no matter where I travel to or end up, these are the people that will always be with me on the journey. 

Family:

I am the youngest of three children and let me tell you, being the baby of the family is NOT as easy as it looks. Thanks to my older sister, Christina, and brother, John, I learned to stand up for myself at a young age, and that biting is not the solution (it leaves behind too much proof).

A few years ago we got a great addition to the family when my sister married Jarred. This summer we will grow again when John marries Emily! 

Love:

Having dating little in high school and college, my family (and myself) figured I'd be the fifth wheel for a while. THEN, last semester of senior year I meet Jacob. Trust me, it was the last thing either of us expected, but God has a funny way of proving that His timing is best no matter how crazy it may seem. We had a great 4 months together, but for the months to come, we'll be learning the ins and outs of a long distance relationship.

Friends:

I was so blessed to be able to go to a small high school, where I met some of my best friends! Courtney is one of those that I have stayed in touch with for four years now. We've had a long distance friendship, but when I move to San Francisco, we'll be much closer! She just recently moved to Sacramento in January and will be my Cali mentor when I move there.

oldie but goodie

Okay, enough introducing... I promise my next post will be on something more inspiring so check back for that tomorrow!