Favorite Things February

Trying to make a monthly post of favorite things to make it easier to remember what I did this year :) I usually do an end of the year livejournal post (mostly for myself) but this should be more organized.

February  Favorite Things

Favorite Products: Green BP scarf from Nordstroms, AE dress (perfect for spring and summer), VS Pink yoga gear in mint color, button up shirt from banana republic 

Favorite candle:  Pink Sangria

Favorite TV show: Avatar and rewatching Stargate SG1

Favorite food: Chocolate (Chuao, Vosges, Eclipse in San Diego, etc)

Favorite drink: Milkshakes! (we went to a lot of burger places in the last few weeks)

Favorite thing that happened: bowling and mini golf with Maria and Alex, hanging out with Scripps people for beer and pizza, Stone Brewery

Favorite song/album: I Can’t Go for That (cover), I Love It by Icona Pop, Madness by Muse, any song from the Great Gatsby trailer

Favorite book: Beautiful Creatures (magical and southern inspired, a better version of Twilight)

Something I’m looking forward to in March: Hayley’s wedding shower, the Oz movie coming out, St Patty’s day, and Easter

Yaye! That's February :) I can't believe tomorrow is already March

Orange County Restaurant Week

One of my Facebook friends was asking about Restaurant week in Orange County, and I had
a few suggestions, so here are my descriptions of some of the restaurants available at a discount this week:

The Ranch
Really awesome steak and chops kind of place with a dive bar next door. Fun place with great wines.

Anqi
This restaurant is located at South Coast Plaza and has amazing Vietnamese food.

Canaletto's
This restaurant is the best place for Italian food and is located at Fashion Island.

Div Bar
This restaurant has some amazing BBQ and a great view of the Balboa Bay. Located on PCH in Newport.

Five Crowns
This is the place to go for traditional steak and yorkshire pudding

Katsuya
The best sushi place ever...and it's in Laguna Beach so of course it's awesome :)

Seasons 52
has awesome organic food and all their plates are under 500 calories...order a flatbread! It's their signature dish.

Slater's 50/50
You can order from 100 different types of beer, get a beer float, or a customizable burger. Bacon, bacon, and more bacon :)

Pinot Provence
This is the fanciest french restaurant.

Tamarind
Has a beautiful view of Crystal Cove and THE BEST indian food I have had (other than London).

Enjoy Restaurant week until March 2nd!
http://www.orangecountyrestaurantweek.com/

Disclaimer: This post was my idea and my original thoughts.

Fun Things to Do in San Diego

Fun Random things to do in San Diego

Short post today, but I was just thinking of cool outdoorsy or group-event type activities I have done or would like to do, other than the typical Sea World, San Diego Zoo, etc.

Ice Skating

There’s an Ice Skating rink at the UTC mall in La Jolla open year round, but during the holidays Coronado has a tiny ice skating rink at the Hotel Del right on the Beach.

Roller Skating/Blading

Apparently in the summer on the Mission Beach boardwalk, this is the thing to do.

Stand Up Paddleboarding (SUP)

There are two great places in Mission Beach to go. The Hyatt has boards available for rent behind their hotel right off the dock that’s pretty easy to access, and the Mission Bay Aquatic Center has paddleboarding yoga classes available (if you can find parking). 

Boomers Mini Golf

Did this 2 weekends ago and it was super fun! They have go karting as well :)

Laser Tag

There’s a place in Point Loma near Phil’s BBQ that is loads of fun.

Bowling

Also did this 2 weekends ago and it was super hilarious since I hadn't been bowling for at least 10 years.

Ballet

San Diego City Ballet downtown has some amazing shows.

Massage

There are plenty of Massage Envy locations ALL over San Diego! If you're looking for something more ritzy, try Coronado Hotel Del spa, the Grand Del Mar hotel spa, Hotel Palomar spa downtown, or the Estancia spa in La Jolla :)

Kayaking

La Jolla shores has some beautiful places to kayak, complete with caves, seals, and other wildlife since it's a nature preserve directly off shore.

I'm sure there are plenty of other fun activities, but that's all I can think of right now! Happy Tuesday!

My Favorite Food

I hope everyone had a great Oscar night yesterday! I know I did :) We had awesome BBQ takeout with some amazing people! 

This is a random post, but I love food! So....Please allow me to spend a moment talking about my favorite food other than steak, SMOOTHIES. Here are some great smoothie places and some tips:

Jamba Juice

I worked here for almost two years so of course this is my favorite place. I can honestly say Jamba practices safe food handling, and all the ingredients and nutritional information is available in a binder in the lobby of each store (so if you’re trying to avoid sugar, order a ‘light’ smoothie or one with fresh orange juice). My favorite drink there is the Protein Berry Workout with extra blueberries, but I also enjoy most of their food including the belgian waffles and breakfast burritos. I also like the Chunky strawberry topper but blended instead of chunky (it has peanut butter in it!) If you have any specific questions, you can ask me but I could keep talking about Jamba’s awesome menu forever.

Juice it Up

These were the most available in terms of location where I grew up so I would usually order a Strawberry Wave with a pretzel or an acai bowl. I love juice it up just because it makes me think of shopping in Brea on a Saturday with my mom, that was sort of our tradition.

Robeks

Robeks is Jamba’s greatest competitor in San Diego, but they don’t have as much food. Robeks is popular because of their custom frozen yogurt, which Jamba now also has, but I go to Robeks when I’m looking for Brazilian juice, specifically the Cupuacu (koo-pwa-soo, i think is how it’s pronounced). They also have fantastic vegan cookies and pumpkin muffins.

Blenders (FAVORITE!)

This is my favorite Santa Barbara eatery other than Freebirds. I’m a sugar-holic, so the Blue Banana-Go Soy satifies every time and I used to have it for breakfast every day. This place never gets old but the wait can be long.

Surf City

Depending on which location you go to, this could be a great or horrible experience. Usually located in a mall, most surf cities are cash only, but they have interesting additives you can request like bee pollen or weight loss supplement. They use a dairy banana base in their smoothies that has a unique flavor, and I enjoy their blueberry or strawberry banana drink with bee pollen.

That’s my list for mainstream smoothie places. There are other independent smoothie bars I love to try, but these are the most readily available in terms of location.

Outfit of the day :)

Hi! Woke up early this morning and went for a run. It was FREEZING! All the dogs and their humans were out and about. I'm trying to get better at posting this outfit of the day thing. Just got this dress from forever 21. :) enjoy the weekend!

Great Date Ideas

Hey everyone :) I know Valentine's was last week, so this post might be a little late, but here are some great date ideas for the rest of the year. Here is a list of awesome dates I have been all (all with Matt, of course! haha ^^)

Great dates to go on:

Disclaimer: I like more traditional dates, dinner and a movie, so if you’re looking for more crazy ideas, that will have to be a different post :( Hope this isn’t too boring!

Temecula Wine Tasting-July 2012

This was actually a double date with our awesome friends Alex and Maria. We went to four different wineries, Leonesse, Thorton, Longshadow, and Keyways; I admit after the third one I was having a tough time (thank goodness Matt drove!). 

Acqua al 2 Restaurant Downtown San Diego

This place was great because the wine list was on an ipad and they have an amazing filet in blueberry sauce. YUMMY.

Melting Pot La Jolla

I just love going here for any excuse including getting a job, finishing my undergraduate thesis, a birthday or just a great night with awesome martinis and dessert. 

Prom in 2007

This was a WHILE ago, but we had a great dinner at the Melting Pot in Irvine before going to the Grove in a limo to dance the night away then we got to stay over at Chris’ house and go in the awesome hot tub! :D

Disneyland in March 2011

This was a perfect day because it was so rainy the park was empty and other than getting drenched we got to go on Pirates of the Caribbean all by ourselves! And we ended up having a good dinner afterwards so it worked out well :)

Europe Trip March 2012

The craziest trip we’ve ever planned and been on. 21 Days in London, Paris, Berlin and Rome and we were so exhausted and sick afterwards, but it was well worth it! Won’t be going back for a while because it was very expensive and crazy, not to mention COLD. Love Europe but my next vacation will be sitting on a beach doing absolutely nothing (except snorkeling and paddleboarding haha). 

Some highlights from the trip include: 

having tea in London, fish and chips during the rainiest coldest day ever, going to Gordon Ramsey’s restaurant Bread Street Kitchen, free London walking tour, going to Harrod’s, going to the Tower of London, tiny elevators, Paris walking tour, Louvre, Eiffel Tower and Arc du Triomphe, the Pompidou and almost getting robbed, showers with no curtains or doors (what the heck Europe, I’m spraying water all over the bathroom floor), going to a pub, Indian food, taking the train under the channel, smoothies in 30 degree weather, Topshop, pub crawl, the British Museum, Versailles and Laduree, grumpy Germans, the Aquadom Elevator Aquarium, the best steak dinner, lemon bars, finding old haunts, Vietnamese food on the second rainiest day ever, discovering new beer (Berliner Weisse makes me a bad german), gelato, the Coliseum, cheap Italian pizza, getting lost in Rome, perfect Roman weather, and 5am strolls in pitch darkness to the train station. Basically that’s everything we did.

Sun God in May 2009

When I didn’t live in San Diego, I always looked forward to driving down for Sun God weekend because it was a break from school to relax and hang out with Matt and Allie in San Diego. UCSD campus is also unusually crazy this May weekend every year, so it’s pretty hilarious to watch even when you’re sober. 

Matt’s Birthday at Ruth’s Chris and Downtown Disney 2008

Another one of Matt’s birthdays. Yes, I like to spoil him and take him to crazy places that I save up months for. We ate at Ruth’s Chris in Anaheim and it was so amazing, and walked around Downtown Disney afterwards while we were all dressed up!

Vegas September 2012

Went for Matt’s birthday and stayed at the Vdara. Ended up going to Marquee and XS over the weekend. Ate at the Aria brunch and the Jean Phillipe chocolate place at the Bellagio. This was the trip we also ate at Sage and Gordon Ramsey, so it was pretty epic. We also ended up at the Bellagio spa which was pricey but well worth it and amazing.

Glen Ivy Spa September 2011

Got a couples massage here with my amazing giftcard! This place had an awesome mineral bath and a Club Mud, where you use red mud and usually it ends up everywhere and on your face if you’re not careful. I’m very happy my phone and camera survived this thanks to the lockers. There was also an underground Grotto where they lather everyone in aloe vera gel and you sit around and relax. Matt went with me and admittedly it was a very ‘girly’ experience but we still had a good time! We had a great lunch here too. Great idea for a Girls Day Out.

Knott’s Berry Farm 2008

This was a great day because Matt was a good sport and went on rides I thought he’d never go on. After 3 intense rides he was done for the day though. We were able to take pictures in a photo booth and wander around the rest of the park minus the intense rollercoasters.

Breaking Dawn Part 2 in November 2012

Matt went even though he didn’t want to go, to the new Twilight movie in the brand new Arc Light theatre at UTC and it was pretty awesome because you can reserve your seats and not worry about getting there on time!

Dates I would like to go on:

probably some more ice skating if I can manage not to fall :)

And that's it for right now! Good luck and have fun ^^ I will try to post again next Monday, we'll see :)

Traveling I've Done in the Last 5 Years

Hello everyone! Happy Monday-Tuesday!

I would love to talk to you about one of my favorite things in the world other than food and Chester: TRAVELING :)

Disclaimer: I’m not trying to brag since I know being able to travel is a privilege and a luxury, but I like to keep track of the places I’ve been. 

Another note about traveling being expensive: My most recent trip I saved up a lot to go and spent a lot, but I passed on doing a lot of fun things while I was saving up. Traveling is doable for anyone, you just have to decide what's the most important for you and stick to your budget.

Trips i’ve been on in the last 5 years

Europe August 2007:

1)Paris, Avignon, Lyon, Nice, Berlin, Frankfurt

Did this crazy whirlwind trip with Mom and Dad before going off to college. 

Paris we stayed on the Champs Elysees and it was so busy, that was a mistake. I had the worst bedbugs OF MY LIFE and my legs were completely bitten and I had horrible blisters for a week. We saw all the museums, but dad had way more energy than the rest of us jetlagged normal human beings.

Avignon was much more fun and we stayed behind the Pope’s Palace in this amazing beautiful hotel that had a chef’s table in the basement for dinner where we met so many different people.

In Nice, we stayed right on the water and went to this bizarre hotel that apparently is considered a work of art in itself. We had a beautiful suite, and our hotel had an indoor/outdoor pool with people in speedos. I picked up a ton of parisian music cds during the trip, so I was able to listen to them at the hotel since my makeshift room was in the living room.

In Berlin we stayed at the Marriott, and in my opinion we weren’t there long enough. I loved Berlin!

In Frankfurt, we stayed in Bad Hamburg at this nasty hotel with bugs in the cereal. The spa had naked dudes, but the restaurants and town around the hotel made up for it. We ate at this beautiful castle in Kronberg that was one of the most amazing meals I've ever had.

I know this wasn't the most positive review, but it was my first impression of Europe.

2)Europe August 2009: Berlin, Locarno, Prague, Milan

This was for my summer abroad with UC Davis, so this trip was a little different than going with my parents. In Berlin, one of the groups would stay out all night and sleep until class time at 1pm, while the rest of us would get up and explore the city after breakfast. This is how I discovered the lemon bars at Cafe Retro and the brunch stop at the Phoenix Lounge. We went to Locarno in Switzerland by Lake Como for a film festival, and it was like a 10 day film party complete with a swim in the lake and running through the rain like in the movies. Our hostel managers tried to make guacamole for us, which was sad and cute. We were able to take a day trip to Milan and the story ensued of ‘if we  were in a horror film, who would die first’ and everyone decided Milano pasta tastes just like pasta at home. I was able to spend a weekend in Prague, which was very beautiful, but the hostel was kind of awful. You would try to shower and a flame would literally be next to you heating up the water, scary! We went to some interesting underground bars and cheap eats, along with the most awesome 5 story club ever. The castle was worth a day trip and we had the best walking tour there. I really enjoyed this trip, but I wish we could have spent more on food :)

3)Michigan June 2010 Mackinac Island

This was a family trip and I was super pissed that Matt couldn’t go (since it was during my 21st birthday, but that is a post for another time). After this I swore I would never travel without him again, but I broke this promise when I went to Vegas for Frances’ girls-only birthday last year (2012). We had a great time on Mackinac Island, but the rest of the cities in Michigan were horribly run down and sad during the recession. Petosky was great, but we didn’t even stay there!  We should have spent the whole two weeks on beautiful Mackinac instead of crammed into a van fighting with each other (me and 8 other relatives) 

4)Vegas (4 times)

So I hadn’t been to Vegas since I was 7 or 8, but the last year and a half made up for it because I went 4 times last year. I have discovered some favorite places for those of us that don’t really spend a lot of time gambling, so see my previous Vegas post for those ideas (mostly spa and eating).

5)Maui June 2011

This was the first time Matt got to travel with my family and I was super excited since we were staying near the beach in a giant rented house. We were swimming in the amazing pool and golfers almost killed us with golf balls! The food and company was great, but the hike to the beach up and down the hill in 100 degree weather was maybe not the best first impression of Maui. Kaanapaali is our destination of choice :)

6)London, Paris, Berlin, Rome March 2012

Matt and I made a promise that as soon as we could afford it, we would go on a trip together since we had never traveled alone together before. For our seven year anniversary, I scheduled and booked this crazy trip and everything luckily went as planned. We really enjoyed London the best and wish we had had more time in Rome (but the hotel and the food were more questionable). I wrote about some of the places we ate at in the giant ‘best restaurants’ of the world post, but next time I go to Europe, we’re going to Vienna, Venice, Copenhagen and Prague. 

Trips I would like to go on:

Caribbean- Aruba or Bahamas?

Mexico- Cabo

Bora Bora 

Hawaii again (going in July 2013!)

Ski trip -possibly Tahoe :)

Hogwarts at universal studios in Florida

Thanks everyone for reading and happy exploring~! If you think saving up for a trip to Europe seems daunting, start putting a little bit in a special fund every month, it works! :)

Owning a Pet Rabbit Recommendations

Hello everyone! I know I have been a bad blogger as usual, but I finally made a calendar schedule, so I will try to adhere to it. One of my friends on facebook recently asked me about owning a rabbit, so they inspired me to write this ^^;

Here are some recommendations for owning an awesome pet rabbit, which I would say is like a mix of having a dog and cat: They need love but they like to have their way :)

Taking care of Chester: My rabbit is the breed called a Flemish giant, so he weighs 16 pounds! (the average rabbit weighs 4 to 6 lbs)....he eats enough for four bunnies, and we love him! :) 

He loves snuggling on the couch! and he loves to go to the park and have fun outside too! Rabbits can be easily leash trained! 

Average cost: (includes food, litter, hay, and chew toys) about 60 a month

Most important thing: Please get your rabbit fixed if they aren't already! You don't want to suddenly be taking care of a large rabbit family unexpectedly :) They will also chew less and in Chester's case, stop spraying everything he wanted to mate with, haha! The local rabbit rescues usually partner with a vet to get a rebate as well, so Chester getting neutered cost me a grand total of $20.

Rabbit rescues in your area:

SAN DIEGO: San Diego House Rabbit Society in Kearny Mesa sandiegorabbits.org

ORANGE COUNTY: Bunny Bunch in Montclair and Fountain Valley bunnybunch.org

SANTA BARBARA: BUNS at the Goleta/Santa Barbara Animal Shelter bunssb.org

Here are some supplies I buy for him:

-litter box (cement mixer from home depot for $5)

-litter: I use Carefresh brand, but pine shavings work great too :), if you have a compost pile, rabbit litter is compostable! Also their droppings work as good as any fertilizer!

-pellets: I buy the regular rabbit pellets 10 lb bag at Petsmart

-hay: Timothy is usually what Chester eats :) most rabbit supplies (mentioned above) have 10lb boxes for about 12 dollars, and Chester uses up about a box every 3 weeks (so a smaller rabbit will use less)

-Good quality shedding brush: if you don't buy a brush and groom them regularly and they get a furball it will destroy their digestive system and they will have serious expensive health issues, since they are not like cats and cannot throw up :(

-place to store food and treats (we use a set of drawers that used to belong to my old desk)

-veggies: carrot tops and carrots or dark leafy vegetables

-chew toys at busybunny.com

-treats: When Chester is good he gets dried pumpkin or papaya, but not more than a dime size once a day

-carpets from Walmart and space (for Chester there’s not really any cages big enough for him to roam around, so I bought two 5x7 carpets at Walmart for 20 bucks each, but everyone else that has a rabbit will tell you that is VERY generous in terms of space. the cage just needs to be four times the size of them lying down.) I also have an exercise pen that keeps him enclosed when he's visiting my parents or the boarder we use when we go on vacation (Club Pet at Helen Woodward! awesome! http://www.animalcenter.org/clubpet/)

-lint roller *necessary*

-grooming expenses (it’s about 15 every two months for a nail trim, usually at San Diego house rabbits)

-vet bills? (he originally had ear mites so he is on Revolution which is 90 dollars every six  months)

-food bowl and waterbottle (you can find these at a rabbit supply or petsmart)

That is the basics for taking care of your bunny! Don’t forget to spoil them with lots of attention and new treats and toys, and someday hopefully Chester will get a friend :) They are very social so they need your love, or else you might find parts of your house getting chewed up ^^ Have fun and don't forget, please don't give rabbits as gifts at Easter unless you are willing to make a 10 year commitment and make them a part of your family :) 

Things I Love- January

Hi everyone! I know I haven’t posted as regularly as I said, but I’m taking a note out of Blair Fowler’s book (juicystar07 on youtube) and writing down things from January that I enjoyed:

Favorite Products: Oz palette by Urban decay, Clinique’s laser repair wear cream, Aerie scarf, and my Chanel purse look-alike by Cesca from Nordstrom

Favorite candle: Tiki Beach

Favorite TV show: Vampire Diaries and Pretty Little Liars

Favorite food: Hawaiian mixed plate at Encinitas’ Kealani’s, Rock Bottom’s donut holes

Favorite drink: Beer!

Favorite thing that happened: Bunny Bunch visit with all the flemies, Rock Climbing with Maria, Frances and Matt, Electric Run 5k and shopping for our future office desks, and buying Just Dance 4

Favorite song/album: Lana Del Rey’s Dark Paradise

Something I’m looking forward to in February: Valentine’s Day dinner and the Twilight DVD coming out, also Chester’s visit to Helen Woodward Animal Center for Critter Camp with all the kids :)

I have a really tough time living in the moment, so I think this exercise should help me with this. I also like to think many months in advance, so this is reminding me to be excited for February, not AUGUST....yeah, I’m pretty good at looking into the future and forgetting about the past and present.