Cali!

California has the best views

Azul

Gold spill

Dark nails for fall

Not enough

“I read because one life isn’t enough, and in the page of a book I can be anybody.”

R. Peck

Central Park South

Geek Girl Power

Somebody likes sweet potatoes

Milo & Mommy

He kinda looks like me.

On the fries, always ask for animal style

In-N-Out. It's a California institution.

You can have it all

I feel rusty at this blogging thing. I'm trying to write out what is on my mind, but I feel like it comes out whiny instead of clever and a little funny. Come to think of it, a lot of things feel rusty.

It's actually kind of a running joke in my family... When I try to be funny no one thinks I'm joking and they take me seriously. Oh well, the best jokes are the ones you have to explain.

*sigh* I feel like I'm having to re-assess my entire paradigm lately. Where I was once a single person unit - quick moving, agile, mobile, like a sea-doo - I am now a three-person unit that moves at the pace of a manatee pulling a cruise ship into port.

Now, let's be clear. Milo-the-fluid-factory-that-is-the-center-of-my-universe is a chubby life-form of PURE JOY. So I don't mind the inevitable rustiness that comes from giving so much of yourself to grow and birth and care for a child. The process is so demanding that it causes permanent physical changes down to your bones. And yet, to make him safe, I would give so much more.

I don't regret one bit of my life, but sometimes I stagger at the degree of change I've experienced in the last 5 years.

July 2008, 25 years old, I had just graduated with my MBA, moved to NYC and started my job with Time Warner. My life was town-cars, high heels, nice dinners and late nights. I loved my life.

July 2013, 30 years old, 3 years married, 6 mo-old baby, managing apartments in San Diego where my husband is about to start law school. My life is my neighbor's mariachi music, canvas tennis shoes, baby-spit up and street-tacos on the beach. I still love my life.

What is my point exactly? You can have it all, you just can't have it all at once.

We'll always have Venice

Did I really visit Venice? I seems like a long time ago. My younger brother is adventuring in Europe right now. I guess he is 10 years younger. Has it been that long? The pictures in my mind are fuzzy, but I remember the feel of Venice pretty clearly.

I always said that if this responsible-adult thing didn't work out for me I'd move to Venice and write the Great-American Novel... It's still an option I consider when the height of the dish pile exceeds the edge of the sink.

ps. Have you seen The Tourist? What a dashing little dose of escapism and dreamy outfits. I don't think it reviewed very well but its a personal favorite od mine.

Wrap it up

I love cute wrapping ideas!

And I feel like a sad little failure when my life goes rushrushrushrush and I wrap a cute gift in something that I already had around the house, in the car, on my way to the baby/bridal shower.... I mean... I've never... done... that. Shoot.

Anyhow, I have adopted a new life/wrapping philosophy that goes something like this: If you always have brown packing paper and washi tape on hand you will never have to find a way to wrap kitchen utensils in a plastic target bag again! And I was happy with this life philosophy.

AND THEN little miss Melanie of You Are My Fave has me completely rethinking this whole target plastic bags thing:

Her full tutorial on this rad little fused plastic bag envelope is here.

p.s. Have you also seen this idea bouncing around pinterest lately? You wrap a cook book in a kitchen towel for a bridal shower. I can think of 6 more variations of this idea that I can't wait to try.

My list

“I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list.”

—	Susan Sontag

Chevron Peplum

I used to deplore peplum tops/dresses/skirts. And neon. But I've shifted with the fashion trend bandwagon and I LOVE this outfit.

Mason jars were always awesome, but they just got better...

A friend recently posted this list of 25 things Mormon girls love. It gave me a good chuckle, because its mostly true. But it got me thinking about how much I really do love mason jars, and then I stumble upon this little gem:

It creates a separate compartment within the mason jar. Mind blown. So many problems just got solved. Order yours here.

Martha Stewart's Modeling Career

Did you know that before Martha was Martha, she did modeling gigs to put herself through college?

Also two more articles on the best Martha take-away for female professionals, and how Martha became Martha.

Remember how we moved to San Diego

It happened rather suddenly.

There I was, with a 3 1/2 month old baby, stewing in my own anxiety over how I was going to put my husband through law school without having to be away from the squishy little fluid factory that had become the center of my universe.

Knowing that the best cure for anxiety is action, I did what any sane person would do... I started applying for jobs on Craigslist... Yes, really.

You see, I know of exactly 4 women who have had children and put their husbands through grad school without the use of childcare. They have various skill sets, which don't really match with mine. But they proved that it can be done, therefore I set about making it happen.

Craigslist may be man's most useful invention. It clearly has fire and the wheel beat by a landslide, although in my opinion it's neck and neck with Diet Dr Pepper.

I applied on Friday, I got a call on Monday, I interviewed on Wednesday and they asked if I could start immediately. I said, "Cam you give me a week?" 

So in a flurry of boxes and newspaper we moved to San Diego on one week's notice, 3 months earlier than we were planning to. 

That was just over a month ago and I still don't think I've caught my breath. I'm really done moving for awhile. Really really.

But now we live in San Diego with a pretty sweet gig and four or five times a week we eat our meals on the beach.

Dishes are even worse... Nope, laundry is worse.

Sometimes I think, "You know, I really don't have time to blog. I have real life stuff to do, like laundry." 

So I leave off blogging for awhile... And then I remember... Laundry is boring... So I start blogging again. Because blogging makes life more fun and keeps me from watching 7 episodes of The Office back to back. (Netflix is both a blessing and a curse.)

So today is that day when I return to the virtual to make my reality just a little more  worth blogging about.