“To You, From You”

Posted in Holidays by C.

Happy Christmas Eve! If you’re anything like me at the moment, you’re relishing the sensation of what this time of year is all about: good company, good food, and a much-needed change of pace. It’s been nice to sleep in a bit, get through back issues of magazines, catch a film in the middle of the day, and to generally leave the routine of what a normal week might look like behind. And yet, in some ways, I haven’t. Admittedly, it’s been a struggle to really decompress and stay present. It’s showing me just how much pent-up exhaustion I’ve been carrying around with me for quite some time. Perhaps it’s because it takes some time to re-train your brain on how to not think about whatever problems that typically distract the mind day-to-day. Perhaps it’s because prepping for the holidays comes with its own set of things to add to yet another “to-do” list that still has your brain on the go, effectively preventing it from really unwinding.

I often find my mind slipping toward work or some issue that I promised myself I would step away from for the next 3 weeks to relax and enjoy the holidays, and I get really frustrated with myself. I then get frustrated with myself that I’m frustrated with myself and it’s a bit of a vicious cycle, which completely defeats the purpose of why I made myself take an extended holiday vacation this year. I need the rest. I need some space to breathe and think about what I really want. I’ve already decided that I’ll have to make some pretty big changes in 2015 and I can’t get there if I’m constantly in the middle of a vicious cycle, not taking the time to stop.

I was reading December’s issue of O Magazine on the drive up to Santa Cruz yesterday to spend Christmas with boyfriend’s family, and came across a timely article from Martha Beck, aptly titled “To You, From You.” Her thought process was that for every gift you give someone, you should give something to yourself. She wasn’t talking about expensive physical gifts either. Essentially, she was making the point to not get so lost in the craze of the holidays that you forget to replenish and think about yourself. I realized immediately what I needed to give myself: a break.

I can be pretty hard on myself, be in my head too much, and rehash or analyze a situation so much that it becomes anything but productive.

So, while yes this time of year is for being with loved ones, sharing gifts, and eating to your heart’s desire, I thought I’d take a different approach this Christmas Eve and remind you, as Martha Beck did for me just in the nick of time so as to not miss it altogether, to remember to give something to yourself.

I’m decidedly giving myself a break. If I start thinking about work, about what a bad blogger I am for missing a post date, or complaining about “x, y, or z;” instead of getting frustrated or disappointed in myself, I’ll simply tell myself, “give something to you, Candice. Let it go. Give yourself a break.”

This is my gift to you (through Martha, of course), which sums up my opinion on how to really enjoy and stay present this holiday season.

And speaking of being present…I’m off to rejoin my holiday vacation, now in-progress.

Merry Christmas to you! x

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*Image sourced from Pinterest.

19Dec2014

Highlights

Posted in Life, Series by C.

{My little ‘Charlie Brown’ Christmas tree courtesy of my boyfriend. It makes me smile.}

Quite honestly, I don’t really have much more to say other than…

HAPPY 1st DAY OF VACATION TO ME!

I’ll leave it at that…and perhaps mention that I think I’ll take myself to a matinee to see Wild today, that it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, and here are a few other highlights from the week.

Have a nice weekend! x

{It’s not officially Christmas-feeling until I’ve watched Love Actually. Done!}

{Putting together a little stocking stuffer for a friend.}

{People don’t get enough handwritten notes in the mail. I decided to send Christmas cards this year.}

{Stopping in for coffee at Zeli’s in Pasadena. If I ever needed an excuse to keep that coffee addiction alive…}

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12Dec2014

Highlights

Posted in Life, Series by C.

75854707_4558d71552_b

I don’t know about you, but right around this time is the beginning of what I think of as “end of the year burn-out.” It’s around the time where you might start to mentally check-out in certain areas of your life. I’m sure it has something to do with the fact that the year is winding down, the holidays are gearing up, and people are just ready for a proper breather after 11 months of whatever life happened to throw at them. I’m grateful to be in a position where work pretty much shuts down for the holidays and since I’m not really one to take vacations or extended amounts of time off through-out the year, I tend to wait until the holiday break to tack on some additional vacation days to make it a lengthy one to really decompress.

And the great news is that I’m 4 DAYS away from 3 WEEKS of holiday vacation bliss!

Oh, the fun it will be. After a little road trip and a change of scenery to spend Christmas with my boyfriend’s awesome family (Hi Marilyn!) for a few days in Santa Cruz, it’ll turn into a much-needed LA staycation. I can already see myself sleeping in, making blueberry pancakes for breakfast on a random Tuesday morning, reading books, getting through my never-ending Netflix queue, taking naps (just because), and going to the gym or taking a dance class anytime I feel like it (which I hope will be at least one…or twice). I also foresee a lazy afternoon roaming around a museum to check out a new exhibit and spending a late morning in my favorite cafe working on my blog over french toast.

I’m also desperate to spend some uninterrupted time thinking about how I hope 2015 will shape-up. I realize the trap with New Year’s resolutions, but I can’t help but be excited by the whole “fresh start” aspect when a new year arrives. But, as usual, I’m getting ahead of myself. There’s still lots to wrap up before my 3 week break from life (as I’m calling it), but I’ll keep my eyes on the prize.

As I think back over this week, I have to say, it was a good one. A chilly Tuesday night found me at an advanced screening of Chris Rock’s new film, Top Five (a great laugh, but you can wait for Netflix if money is tight) and an even chillier Wednesday night at book club to discuss our December read, Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher (which you can skip). Is it okay to mention that the grilled cheese on sourdough that I ate over our discussion was probably the biggest highlight of the week? Man, sometimes a gal just needs a grilled cheese sandwich to get by. How did I forget this basic staple when needing a little pick me up?

A huge tropical storm is paying LA a visit as you read this, but should clear up on Saturday just in time for the remainder of the weekend. Given that mine broke up with me (for lack of use I’m sure), this would probably be a good time to buy a new umbrella. We might actually have a rainy winter ahead. It’s rained twice already this month…must be a record.

Naturally, the one Friday night I have plans, clear across town no-less, it’s raining cats and dogs, but should be fun. I’m headed to a holiday dinner party with my boyfriend tonight hoping to find similar ecstasy like that grilled cheese, but haven’t a clue what’s for dinner. Otherwise, the weekend will find me uncharacteristically anxious to get through it and then past the next 4 working days….so I can take a break from life. 🙂

Have a lovely weekend! And stay dry. x

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Image credit: “Christmas Lights at Night” by Thomas Quine used under CC BY.

10Dec2014

What I’m Lovin’ Right Now

Posted in Series by C.

As we make our way toward the climax of the holidays, I find myself drawn to find small and simple ways to incorporate the magic of the season: festive manicures, cozy scarves, and frequent sips of a warm beverage. It should be no surprise then, that I was more than thrilled to find inspiration on how to spice up all three of these areas, in particular. Below you’ll find a unique take on the classic french tip with a red and silver holiday twist; the perfect scarf to guide you through the colder months ahead; and my personal favorite, taking the epitome of the cozy weather beverage and adding a little something to take it to a whole new level. These goodies, along with a few others are making me smile big at the moment. Here’s…

Blend 3

1-Blend

1. The best holiday mani inspiration I’ve seen so far. | Red and Silver French Tip Nails
2. A rustic approach to showcasing those jewels. | Jewelry Organizer
3. Pretty in pink, year-round. | Tom Ford’s “Flamingo” Lipstick
4. A unique and oh-so-chic way to keep those books upright.| DwellStudio Gazelle Bookends
5. A quick approach to up the ante on bad hair days. | Runway Ready Low Ponytail
6. Fashionably bundled. | Holiday Plaid Scarf
7. A hearty meal inside, during a chilly night outside. | Slow-Cooker Classic Beef Stew
8. Dressing up the windows to the soul with a flourish. | Bolded Eyes with Sparkle
9. Coffee to-go and in-style. | Pike Place Tumbler
10. A classic beverage made even better. | Lavender Hot Chocolate

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26Nov2014

11 Questions for Thanksgiving

Posted in Holidays, Life by C.

I came across Dr. Karen Horneffer-Gitner’s Huffington Post article, 20 Questions for Thanksgiving, last week and was instantly inspired to play along. In it, she shares how instead of asking the very cliché “What are you thankful for?” question in an effort to create meaningful dialog with her family on Thanksgiving (which usually prompted equally cliché answers) she’d ask more specific and challenging questions about gratitude to help develop an engaging conversation.

I absolutely loved this idea. Around Thanksgiving, I usually blog about what I’m grateful for in life, and it seems to sound pretty similar year-to-year: my health, loved ones, etc. Of course, these things are still of great importance to me that would make any gratitude list again and again. As I read through some of her questions, I thought I would take a different approach this year. I selected 11 out of her 20 questions (some of which I actually did have to spend quite a bit of time thinking about!) and answered them below.

This will be my last post for the week. If you’re anything like me, you plan to be as far away from the internet as possible for the next few days….and in front of a plate of food! Happy Thanksgiving! I’ll see you in December…

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24Nov2014

5 Reasons This Week Will Rock!

Posted in Series by C.

5 Reasons November 2014 _ ATG FINAL

1. | A Honey Baked Ham is on the way…

Naturally, we have to turn our attention to the important part of this week and that’s the amount of food that will be consumed. Without question, I always, always, always get excited for our new Thanksgiving tradition of indulging in the best ham EVER from the Honey Baked Ham Store. We add a few of the necessary sides that we order from Bristol Farms: mashed potatoes, candied yams, honey glazed carrots, and their green bean almondine; bake a pie; and sit back and eat…and eat…and eat. The caveat is that we tend to burn-out on ham because we eat it for breakfast and dinner the next 3 days after Thanksgiving as leftovers. By the following Monday, I’m usually so sick of ham I can’t stand it…until the following year comes and I’m excited all over again. Hooray for ham! (image via.)

2. | A short work week…

It’ll be a relatively quick and quiet work week ahead. This is in large part because a lot of people are taking the entire week off. I’m opting to work through Wednesday and save the vacation days to take a longer Christmas vacation in late December through early January instead (for a much-needed and restful 3 week break!). I have 3 big things I want to get crossed off my to-do list on the work front and then I’m ready to leave it all behind in favor of food, a good book, and finally correcting the error upon learning that my boyfriend hasn’t seen all the Rocky movies, which happen to be streaming on Netflix (minus the last one, which we’ll borrow a copy of) and make it a Rocky movie marathon this holiday weekend.

3. | Snow in LA…

It’s no secret that it doesn’t quite feel like the holidays to me until I make a stop at the best place in LA to get in the spirit, The Grove! (Yes, you read that right). I’ve written before about why The Grove makes me happy around this time of year, so I won’t go into it again. I will say that it’s become a bit a tradition after Thanksgiving to stop at The Grove over the holiday weekend to see the 100-foot REAL Christmas tree, the lights, the music, the people, and Santa’s “mansion,” because there’s no place in LA that does it better when it comes to channeling the magic of the season. I’m willing to overlook the usually way too crowded venue, grab a hot chocolate with my guy and walk around to take it all in, just before they drop the faux snow at 7:00pm. (Hey – it’s LA and the only way we’ll ever get to channel our version of a “White Christmas.”) It makes me smile just thinking about it.

4.| Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher

That aforementioned good book that I hope to lose myself in is Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher. It’s my next book club read that the gals selected for December and I’m excited for it. I don’t know much about it to give you a thumbs up or down since I plan to start it this week, but I’ve have heard that it’s a great saga set during the Christmas season and a wonderful way to compliment to the holidays if you’re looking for something heartwarming and charming. (image via.)

5.| The Holidays are here…

I like to think that the holiday season officially kicks-off the day after Thanksgiving (though every store I’ve been in somehow got the memo that Halloween was an appropriate time to start shelling Christmas stuff at you). I love the idea that just a few short days from now, it’ll be time to pull out the Christmas music, make lots of cocoa, and go about the business of celebrating. So I won’t wish you a “Happy holidays” quite yet, but go ahead and make it a point to save my well wishes for first thing Friday morning. Happy Holidays to you (on Friday)!

I hope you find 5 reasons this week will rock for you, too. They’re there, I promise. Have a lovely week ahead! x

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31Oct2014

Talk About Scary!

Posted in Fun, Life by C.

Happy Halloween ATG FINAL 3

Happy Halloween, One and All!

The last day of the week, of the month, and of the rest of 2014, as we know it, is here. The countdown to the end of the year starts now, and that’s because from here on out, it’s just one thing after another. Go-go-go, celebrate-celebrate-celebrate season is here. I’m excited! Yet, it’s a bit overwhelming to realize that I distinctly remember what I was doing a year ago on this exact day. As cliché as this saying has become: “time flies!” And this is certainly the case from now until just after the new year if you ask me. Talk about scary!

That aforementioned cliché expression comes with some of my favorites things to do that seemingly pile up into the last two months of the year: the AFI Film Festival, my boyfriend’s birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas (which comes with a much-needed and very welcome record 20-day holiday break this year – yay!), New Year’s, then an anniversary with said boyfriend. Not to mention that FINALLY the better caliber and more Oscar-worthy films flood the market.

(Why the industry waits until the end/most expensive time of year to further suck money that you already don’t have to see the good stuff, I’ll never understand.)

Needless to say, I can’t wait for the festivities ahead, but no need to rush. Time will get us there…whether we like it or not.

So, let’s focus on the situation at hand.

I’m looking forward to another low-key Halloween this year. I don’t get Trick-or-Treaters….and this is beyond a-okay with me. (That means more candy for me!) Tonight, as of writing time, the plan is dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant, followed by a scary movie marathon at home. However, this is totally dependent upon how Google Maps looks later this evening. I’m quite concerned about how much more congested my beloved LA streets will be as the sun sets. Seeing as how it’s not only Halloween, but Friday night, I don’t anticipate that I’ll get very far in my car, which isn’t how I’d like to spend my Halloween. Therefore, this plan might quickly change to ordering pizza over a scary movie marathon. Whatever plan we go with, sounds perfect to me.

Whether tonight finds you decked out at a party, home with someone special, or in bed early because you hate Halloween, have a great time!

Take a deep breath, the seasonal craze is upon us. Talk about scary!

Have a lovely weekend…

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Image source:
Happy Halloween Theme” by Ariom P, used under CC BY / Modification: text added to original.

30Dec2013

Photo Diary: Christmas Travels

Posted in Holidays, Travel by C.

road trip

Home, sweet home. LA, I’ve missed you!

After a rather chaotic start to our holiday travels with an unexpected visit to the ER, things luckily fell right back into place just in time for Santa and our post-Christmas trip to Half Moon Bay. The weather gods were particularly, if not unusually, nice to us. We found ourselves exploring much of Northern California with clear skies and sunshine above.

Christmas was everything I’d hoped it would be. I was in good company, had lots good conversation and laughter, food and sweets were abundant, and Santa was very kind to me. I felt blessed to have such fun and loving people to share Christmas with this year.

And the merriness wasn’t over on December 26th. My boyfriend and I planned a little trip further up North to Half Moon Bay for 3 extra days of R&R to get away from it all.

I have to say, every time I travel – I find myself beyond delighted at the adventure, the change of pace, and change of scenery. Though I’m always grateful to get out of town and lose myself in new surroundings and to new experiences, I somehow discover just that much more how I love this crazy little world we call “LA.” Dorothy really was on to something: there’s no place like home.

And with plenty of time before I head back to the “real world” of work deadlines and emails – I’m excited for a little stay-cation before I have to return back to everyday life in 2014 and it’ll be right here at home.

A picture is worth a thousand words, so I thought I’d share some of my favorites. Here’s a little photo diary of the highlights during our Christmas travels with our California neighbors just above, some 300 miles away. Enjoy!

{Christmas cookies as designed by my boyfriend’s sister. I can’t tell you how many of these things I ate. Ugh. So worth it though.}

greenery

{On the Road to Half Moon Bay – the greenery of Highway 1.}

pompinio

{A pit stop at Pomponio State Beach. What a gorgeous day and my favorite shot.}

ryan serious

{Ryan’s serious looking into the distance face.}

outhouse

{The not so glamorous part of traveling – this “out-house” like bathroom was an experience. yuck!}

hotel

{Hotel.}

{Across the Golden Gate Bridge we go. On the way for a day trip to Sausalito.}

goldengate

{…But not before stopping atop the mountains for a million dollar view.}

cocoa

{Hot chocolate for 2 in Sausalito.}

beach

{Morning beach walk.}

ryan tree

{Boys and trees. I guess they never grow out of it.}

fire

{My favorite part of our hotel stay. Sitting near, gazing at, and warming by the fire.}

manuels {A rare Sunday afternoon cocktail before heading home.}

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24Dec2013

In the Spirit of Christmas

Posted in Holidays, Life by C.

Blend2 Greetings from Santa Cruz, CA!

It’s been a whirlwind start to our little holiday vacation, that thankfully seems to be settling down just in time for the festivities. Unfortunately, my boyfriend had been experiencing very serious stomach pains off and on during our travels up North yesterday that eventually landed us in the E.R. until the wee early hours on Christmas Eve, but it now seems all is well. It’s always hard to watch someone you love in so much discomfort, so I’m happy to see him doing better – that’s a Christmas gift in and of itself. I made a small joke while we were waiting for his lab results that this might turn out to be one of those cliché Hollywood movies where the entire family pours in to a hospital room, decorates the space, and opens presents over the hospital bed. You know, “we’ll bring Christmas to you!”

So, Christmas Eve has found us spending much of the day resting, in part, because we didn’t get back to our hotel until 3am and later this morning took a short jaunt out to the pharmacy and the store to buy more stomach friendly foods. After a bit of rest, I’m very much looking forward to a nice dinner out with his family and then our annual drive around town to see the Christmas lights. This should do the trick to bring things back on track.

It’s funny how life works. Among all the stress and pre-planning for the holidays, the to-do lists, shopping lists, celebrating, thinking ahead toward the New Year and what you want out of life – it’s when things like this happen that the universe is reminding us of the undeniable importance taking of ourselves and those around us. It’s interesting sometimes how that particular bullet-point doesn’t always make it on our “to-do” lists.

With that, I want to use what happened to us as we embarked on our holiday adventure to also remind you to take care of yourself and those dear to you. Be present. Be in the moment. Be in the spirit of Christmas.

Merry Christmas to you!

20Dec2013

Highlights

Posted in Life by C.

Blend

{A shot I took when I stepped outside during a rather chaotic day and was greeted by something magical.}

Whew! What a week it’s been…and a lesson, I suppose. By nature, I have a pretty worry-some personality. In other words, there are times when it feels like everything just comes all at once or goes wrong to the point where I start stressing out. Unfortunately, my first reaction is to sit and worry, particularly when whatever is giving me cause for concern is an area that’s completely out of my control. And since 95% of things that stress us out are likely out of our control, this is a bit of a character flaw in me that I’ve dealt with my whole life. The great thing is that I’m not in denial about it, and even better, I consciously understand it’s completely unhelpful. In fact, I catch myself doing it and have an internal dialogue/war in my head that it goes something like this:

(Internal Dialogue)

Will this work out? What if something goes wrong? What am I going to do?

Stop it, Candice, you’re just stressing yourself out!

I know. But, really what am I going to do?

Worrying gets you nowhere. Remember that saying that “99% of the things you worry about never happen anyway?”

I know, I know…but…..what if…

CHILL OUT!

The point is that I always divert to worse case scenario whenever something goes wrong. It’s my defense mechanism: to always prepare myself for the worst. The disappointment is much less harsh if I was expecting it anyway, right? The caveat is that it seems my worry-wart nature has been on steroids over the last few weeks and it’s likely the cause for why I’m just so exhausted and SO looking forward to this particular holiday vacation.

December has been a roller-coaster month: being sick, then on antibiotics, stressing over finances, dealing with a complex project at work, going back and forth with my neighbor who hit my parked car, and just a general lack of energy that comes year-end when stress seems to be more prevalent than any other season.

Though, I have to say I’m proud of myself. Despite all of this, it didn’t completely kill my Christmas cheer. Haha! And with all of this internal dialogue running through my head, I always try to keep things in perspective and focus on the good and be grateful, even when I’m preparing for the bad. That goes something like this:

(Internal Dialogue)

I’m grateful that I have health insurance when I’m sick and can see a doctor; I have a roof over my head and food in my house – I have everything I need.

I’m grateful that I have a job that is challenging me to do and be better; and while no, I’m not happy that my neighbor hit my car, I’m grateful she left me a note and gave me a check for the damages.

The funny thing about this week, that was chocked full of situations that were ultimately outside of my immediate control, that I then spent way too much time obsessing about away, naturally worked themselves out or somehow fell into place with a little patience. Of course, those areas where I could control, I did my best to make sure I was on top of things. There really is something to the commonly shared saying that “the only thing you can control is you and how you choose to react to any given situation.”

So if I’m aware of all of this, why did (and do) I still fall into such behavioral patterns?

Needless to say that as I begin my much-needed winter vacation today, I’m making it a point to really work on being present and enjoying the spirit of the holiday season. It really is a unique time of year that finds me with more time on my hands to do and be around the things I truly enjoy. I cannot say I won’t worry about x, y, or z; but I can say that I will make an attempt to listen more to the voice of reason during that internal dialogue/war going on in my head.

I made it! Let the holiday vacation begin.

Have a great weekend!