San-Francisco

Have you heard? We’ve moved to San Francisco! (I've sent out my address, but if you didn't get it message me.) It’s been a hectic few weeks, but it’s been good to get the pressure put on to show you how easy you’ve really had it and to put things into perspective and appreciate everyone and everything around you.

At the end of February Tyler got the job offer, by the first week of March we were packing boxes and moving things. The second week we were saying our goodbyes to fellow co-workers and friends and then packing the Budget trailer and saying goodbye to our little house in PB. It was unnerving realizing the amount of junk we accumulated over the course of two years especially knowing that we moved here in just the Camry.

On Graci and Colbee's Rooftop for brunch

 Our loving friends threw us a lovely farewell “see you soon” brunch and we had our celebratory last meal at Rocky’s.

Desi had it easiest

On the road which was much easier for Desi, we traveled the 9 hours to San Francisco, towing the Camry which was severely scary (especially for Tyler since he drove). It was funny, but it felt normal, leaving something we knew behind to move and live in the unknown. We had gotten so used to life in San Diego I think we forgot that anxious, yet exciting feeling of the new.

We finally arrive in San Francisco at around 9:00PM and see our new roommate at “The Whiz” an old-fashioned burger joint around the corner, maybe our new Rocky's? We unload the truck in a matter of 2 hours which seemed unreal and was exhausting on the back, but we were double parked and had a sense of urgency in our veins. After unloading and unpacking we finally fell asleep at around 4AM.

Our dining room

Our Bar

Our Living Room

More of our really big living room

Day #1 in our new city

Unfortunately our internet situation was far from existent, UGH AT&T! So I had to find an alternative which wasn’t so bad because I had a chance to cruise around the neighborhood and posted up at a local coffee shop Rodger's Coffee (there are no Starbucks in the Mission). Actually commercialism is dead here, everything in this neighborhood is mom and pop and it’s comforting that way. While I worked “from home” Tyler had the annoying task of moving our rental truck and car every hour due to the street parking limitations. Our trailer was blocked in the garage so we weren’t able to return the truck first thing in the morning as planned. It was a hell of an ordeal.

Tyler had to move 2 cars every hour at least one block from each other. Finally we decided to just try to move the trailer out of the spot and with the help of our neighbors were able to barely fit it through the two cars. We hitched it to the truck and then I ran to move the car into the garage. Low and behold I was 11 minutes late and suffered the consequences of a $72 parking ticket. I guess it was the quintessential Welcome to San Francisco.  Finally we get the truck to Budget and thank the heavens we’re rid of it. #Iwillneverdriveinsfagain!

Day #2

After life’s hiccup we got the opportunity to walk around the neighborhood the next day to check out our little grid. It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining, the birds were singing and there were puppies and people everywhere. The best way to describe our neighborhood would be hipster-chic/Chinatown with a mix of Mexican. I know it’s not the best description, but we’re in a hybrid area.

Target in Union Square was HUGE

Uphill run in Noe Valley

Run to Bay Front Park

Stroll to the Port

Desi in Delores Park

At around 12 I had to go to the airport to embark on my 18 hour journey to Florida for my best friend’s bachelorette party. Although I was exhausted from my SD to SF journey I was very excited to see familiar faces and be around my girlfriends. SFO>SAN>CTL>JAX>DES

2013 This is the Year

2013 has posed to be a great year thus far and we're only 2 months in. Every year, everyone thinks this is the year good things are going to happen or big changes will be made and for the most part I think that's fair, but I really believe it happens first as a state of mind. Positive thinking proves positive results.

In our current household which held 4 and now has dwindled to 3 we've had the fortunate circumstance of having too many jobs, which goes to show you in a weak economy, determination, swallowing your pride and a little elbow grease really pays off, literally.

Austin, Tyler, Mikey and Mitch at Winter Brew Fest

Austin, for instance is a door guy at Rocky's, Bub's and Brewley's and before you think to scoff, these "door man" jobs have their benefits. Rocky's has by far the most amazing burgers in the world (yes I'll give it that accolade) and he gets them for free not to mention it is 5 blocks from our house so he can walk there and back and not feel guilty about ingesting that beefy goodness. Brewley's is the Official San Diego State Seminoles bar, so he's getting paid to hang out with his friends and watch FSU football. Bub's has TATER TOTS! Then he's also a brew master at Ballast Point which I've come to learn is one of the best craft brews in San Diego. That's 4 jobs under his belt, with room to save money and he's still trying to be a self-made entrepreneur and travel the world.

Mikey, moved here and within 3 weeks was working as a Barista at a pretty hip new spot The Lab (it just sounds cool and it's even better that he was at the foundation of the company). In addition he's a customer service rep at Expedia.com, "Hello Free Points to Fly for FREE" and he's also the door guy at Rocky's, like I said their burgers are good.

Then there's Tyler and I who have corporate jobs and still seek access to the limitless sky. Before Christmas he got a well-deserved promotion at his company and has just been the apple of his employers' eye for the past few weeks. He really pushed through and proved that he deserved the promotion that they rejected months prior and his determination paid off. Then within a few weeks he was interviewing for a company in San Francisco and landed that dream job! 

And me, well I'm so happy, thankful and proud to say that I'm a member of an amazing team at EHGRP. The concept and brand is fun and energetic and it's all surrounded by great food and drinks! AMAZING! With their supportive disposition they've allowed me the opportunity to work remotely and continue to provide my marketing services while I join Tyler in the pursuit of happiness and advertising euphoria. 

So as of February 21 we're moving to San Francisco! We're packing our bags and renting our house out and hitching a ride onto another star. I'm looking forward to the cultural experiences, the energy of a city, the adventures, the humility of starting off with nothing and the pride of building it into something big. 

Everywhere you look (everywhere)

There's a heart (there's a heart)

A hand to hold on to.

Everywhere you look (everywhere)

There's a face of somebody who needs you.

Two months into 2013 and I think it's safe to repeat this is going to be a great year, good things are going to happen and big changes will be made. I'm definitely keeping a positive outlook and an even more optimistic state of mind! Cheers!

Birthdays, Smirthdays

Ahhhh….I’m 28!!! 

I cannot believe that I’ve reached this point in my life.  I think this is officially adulthood although I’ll still regress to a child-like state from time to time, this is the age of career moves, relationships, marriage, families, 401Ks, ugh the stuff my parents used to talk about. 

The funny thing is I’m starting to talk about it, too. I’ve recently been analyzing the difference between PPO and HMO and discussing FICA and state income taxes, and it’s becoming part of my normalcy. Weird, how we get here?

I remember my 21^st, it was so anticipated and I was super excited to legally be able to purchase alcohol and not wander around bars and clubs with Magic Marker X’s on my hands. I don’t really remember 22-24 it was a cluster. I think there was Tampa, Orlando, and New York and somewhere in between I’m sure there were celebrations with my loved ones; Maricel, Ashley, Sarah, Lisa, and Heather always seem to sneak into a photo.

New York City, Bryant Park 2006 with Ashley

Then there was 25 in Miami, the ending of an era, Bobby Bowden’s era, but also the ending of my “youth”. Although my birthday celebrations were very exciting I think I finished off 2009 with a dramatic display. As my friend Lisa recalls,

“You were on the floor sobbing about how you were supposed to be a millionaire, married to a millionaire or famous by now.”

At a young age I guess those were my goals by the age of 25, but it was a quick realization that plans may not pan out as you had hoped. Birthdays after that, have always been a “big deal”, since my day of birth falls on a national holiday, but they just don’t have the same appeal as 18 or 21.

Set Night Club, Miami 2009 with Sylvia, Maricel, Ashley, Kelli, and Lisa

I rang in year 26 in Atlanta at the Chik-Fil-A Bowl and luckily enough FSU won which was perfection, 27 was spent at the House of Blues in San Diego and now year 28, my third New Year’s with Tyler and I couldn’t be happier, feel luckier, and more blessed or old LOL. 

Our 1st NYE at One Midtown Kitchen in Atlanta, GA 

2 Moons Breaking it Down at Ivy, San Diego 2012

No matter what, it’s just hard to believe I’m this age. It is going by so fast, my friends are engaged, having babies and we're living the dream 3,000 miles away. I love everything about my life and my friends’ and families’ so I wish them nothing but the best and hope this year has a big and bright future for everyone.

~Happy 2013~ 

Let's Go Year, I’m ready!

2012 Recap

It’s hard to believe all of the changes our lives still undergo. It’s crazy how time flies, as cliche as that sounds, it really does. One minute we were strapping surfboards to our little Camry and driving out West without a plan in 2010 and now our friends have joined us and are starting lives of their own.

You’ve recently been introduced to our child Austin, who’s been lucky enough to get on his feet rather quickly. He found jobs easily and has maintained them steadily, thus we are proud. And even more recently than that we’ve added another friend to the “roommate” list, Mikey or Specs or Bo or we may still be figuring out his west coast name, although he’s a temporary addition he’s adjusting to San Diego nicely.

With the holidays' quick approach it’s been nice having familiar faces surrounding us. This past Thanksgiving we were lucky enough to spend it as a huge San Diego “transplant” family. Most of our friends here in San Diego are ironically from Florida. We had a group of sixteen (including dogs) join us on Colbee and Gracjanna’s rooftop for a potluck dinner, just like the Pilgrims and the Indians! It was an amazing turnout and all of us were too pleasantly stuffed to move. 

Thanksgiving Dinner Crowd

Recently, my best friend Maricel came to visit me in SD for the first time and she was toting her new boyfriend, Damion in hand. Since she’s explored the likes of San Diego before we thought it might be best if we all try something “new”, something none of us have done before. 

For starters, we had dinner at one of my company’s restaurants, Gabardine (in case I forgot to mention I recently started a new job as an Inbound Marketing Coordinator for EHGRP or Enlightened Hospitality Group). While I finished off the work wekk, Maricel took Damion to explore all of the tourist type activities, until we all left for Big Bear, California on Friday. It’s hard to believe the mountains are only 2 hours away from the ocean and that you can see a bustling city on the drive up. Everything you need it out here. It’s amazing.

Family Photo "Happy Holidays"

Moose Cabin Lodge

The windy roads to the top of the mountain were a little sketchy, but we made it up with a bit of motion sickness. We arrived at our cozy cabin, equipped with Hot Tub, Fireplace, and VCR. It was really relaxing being away from the busy-life. It’s rare to actually sit down and do nothing and enjoy it. There was a lot of board games, booze, and napping. It was a bummer that the slopes were packed on Saturday and we were only able to fit in a little snowboarding on Sunday, but we made the most of it.

Here we are tubing down the largest snow hill in Big Bear. 

Here’s our snowboarding experience. 

We only look like pros!

This was so much fun and Tyler and I were quickly addicted. I had a rough start, falling and not being able to get up, but I got a handle of it and was shredding, somewhat. Colbee and Graci had a few spills, but quickly recovered until I knocked her completely off her feet. 

This is definitely an adventure/hobby we want to continue to do and hope to visit Beaver Creek in Colorado, Lake Tahoe, and/or the Swiss Alps (eventually).

Life Update

I’ve taken an accidental hiatus from my “so-called So-Cal” blog, but life hasn’t stopped. In fact we’ve had more going on than normal and it’s shaken up our lives a bit, in a good way of course. 

First and foremost, my moon and soul mate made her trek across the United States from Orlando, Florida to inhabit beautiful San Diego with me! I’m very excited for her to experience a new life here with her boyfriend, Colbee and to gain every ounce of optimism and positive energy this city has to offer.

Labor Day at the Beach with my Moon

Secondly, Tyler and I are excited to announce we have a new addition to our brood, Austin. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a roommate! This is a very exciting change for us. We both have best friends in our city and aside from saving money on rent, Austin offers a nice change to our mix and change is often good and needed. 

Our latest visitor for the Labor Day weekend was Tyler’s friend Brandon and for a hot minute there was a Florida State, Sigma Chi reunion at our house, which I’m sure was refreshing for Tyler. 

Austin, Brandon, and Tyler

First Seminole Game of the season

 Oh and most importantly it’s FOOTBALL SEASON! We’ve continued our tradition of watching our favorite team at Brewley’s Irish Pub in PB, although some usual members are absent now that they're back in Florida. We’ve also ventured downtown to watch a game at BUB’s, as this is Graci’s new stomping ground. 

Go Noles

Some of our most recent adventures…

Tyler and I went to Portland, Maine for Kate and Danny’s beautiful barn yard wedding in August.  The couple made a splendid bride and groom and all the hand-made touches from the wedding were amazing. I was obsessed with the simplicity, intimacy and love! It was a beautiful wedding where friends and family joined hands, danced, and drank in celebration of two kindred spirits.

With this ring they wed

Fairies, nymphs, forestry and love

Say Cheese

We also took a day to camp at a KOA cabin in Saco. I am an advocate for the KOA campgrounds; they’ve never ceased to impress me.

Cabin #16

Our quarters, full size bed, twin bunks and a heater

Lobstah Dinner

When Heather came to visit on trip #142, I took the crew to the mushroom caves for a hike which turned into an unexpected bouldering fiasco, but we made it back alive.

Heather, Graci, me, and Colbee in a cave

We also hung out in North Park for the first time. We went to The Office, which provided stiff cocktails and a vintage atmosphere. 

While there I was introduced to Graci’s friend from home, Lisa who then invited me to see Mute Math, Incubus and Linkin Park, backstage! I even met Brandon Boyd, the lead singer from Incubus backstage.

Backstage and Cricket Wireless Amphitheater

Brandon Boyd from Incubus

I’m sure there are more adventures to come and I can’t wait to share them with our new family. Stay tuned…

When I was in Moab, Utah…

I must sound like Michelle from American Pie because every time I utter this phrase someone rolls their eyes seeing as they’ve already heard about that time in Moab at least twice.  I’m still relishing in the memories so I’d figured I would blog about my hiking, biking, backpacking, and camping trip to Moab with my best friend Maricel instead of vocally repeating my memories.

First things first, a special thank you to Maricel Monto for her excellent planning, packing and companionship!! 

I used Google Flights for the first time ever and booked a really great deal to Denver, CO on Frontier airlines. We decided to fly to Denver because flights to Moab’s tiny municipal airport were heinous. Once we got to Moab, Maricel and I rented our economy vehicle which we were urged to upgrade to a 4 cylinder and after the trip was all said and done we were glad we listened. 

Ford Fusion, You Served Us Well

Denver, Colorado

It was actually a beautiful city. I think it’s too far from the ocean for my liking, but I loved the mountains and natural landscape. Through Denver and Colorado in general was about a 5 hour drive to Moab, which was a quiet little mining town with no hustle and bustle and a downtown that is only 3 blocks long. We arrived at the KOA (which I highly recommend for future visitors). The campground was reasonably priced, the nice staff even moved us to a shaded site (a mandatory spot for reprieve against the sun) instead of the one we booked. The bathrooms were clean and the grounds well maintained. Oh and there’s a pool which was much needed in the desert. I was also very impressed with Maricel’s packing skills and looking back at the trip I think my only contribution was a flashlight and granola bars, wait actually she brought the granola bars too. Anyway the two of use “adventurous” girls quickly put up our 6 person tent without a hitch, set up camp, bought water and food to grill and were ready to check out the scenery first day. 

Day One-

Mountain Biking the Intrepid Trail, this was actually really scary. We rented bikes from Moab Tourism Center, total for the rack, the bikes and helmets $90.00, they have the best prices in town and believe me Mar did her research. He made us test drive around the parking lot to get ourselves in “gear” pun intended, but that little ride did not prepare us for the terrain ahead. We drove into Dead Horse Point State Park and like true know it all type of tourists wanted to challenge ourselves and take the next to hardest mountain biking trail possible, without any training. 

Haven't hit the trail yet

The Intrepid Trail loop was a 4 mile loop around the first base of the canyon. After 10 minutes and less than a mile traveled I believe Maricel and I were feeling good. I think we even uttered “this is easy, no sweat”.  The next 10 minutes was a different story, rocks, jagged edges of the mountain, soft patches of red sand that acted like quick sand, it quickly became a different story. I fell off my bike. Mar fell off her bike. I scraped my knee. We hid under a rock . We cried. We came close to giving up and then finally made it to the half way mark realizing we had 2 more miles to go. LOL.

Realizing "YOU ARE HERE" is very far away

Back at the site with barely any water left we started preparing the grill. All the signs tell you to drink at least a gallon of water a day. We went through 4 gallons in one full day.

Day Two-

Hiking to the Delicate Arch at the Arches National Park. We quickly wised up to certain time frames, 8-11AM is the best time for a hike, 12-4PM is when you hide in the shade because the sun is directly above you beating down at 110 degrees and 5-8PM is a great time for a sunset hike or walking around. We tried to sleep in on day two because of the strenuous activities the previous day, but unfortunately the rays of the sun and the screeching of some kind of alarm clock bird had us awake and frazzled at 6AM. We returned our bikes, filled the car with gas, took a ride around the city and headed up to the Arch for a sunset hike. This park is huge, most of the parks give you a 7 day pass so you can return to see other areas, but we had an agenda and sped through the park to get to the delicate arch, but we passed so many vista points and landmarks we did decide to go back on Day Three to check them out again.

Day Three-

I think we were almost over it. The ground didn’t provide for comfortable sleeping arrangements. I had also eaten mussels before a 4 mile hike (a bad choice) and got sick and it was so damn hot! But Maricel had planned a “surprise” excursion for us, so I had to be up and ready by 7AM. We arrived at the venue and I find out we’re going White Water Rafting. I was excited and scared, but I’m always scared.

Oh and our guide was cute! BONUS

There weren’t a lot of rapids because of the water level, but I learned a great deal. Here are some regurgitated facts.

• Water levels are measured by cubic feet per second, 2 years ago water levels were at 98,000CFS we went rafting at 12,000CFS (which means the rocks were starting the jut out of the water)

• The Tamarisk tree was introduced to stabilize the Colorado River banks, but the tree grows up to 25 feet tall and drinks up to 300 gallons of water per day. Now scientists have introduced a beetle to kill the Tamarisk. The circle of life.

• The canyons were formed when salt from ocean water was left behind by evaporation, hardened and layers of earth and rock piled on top of it. Plate tectonics shifted and the salt collapsed causing the canyons to form.

• Not everyone in Utah is Mormon

Day Four-

We packed up and left Moab and returned to Denver for our flight back home. By day four we had gotten acclimated to the heat and the hard ground and really didn’t mind a longer stay, but it was nice knowing we were going to sleep in a hotel and have a bed in Denver. The drive up was scenic, but the traffic was insane. Everyone was either leaving the mountains or driving into Denver. What would’ve been a 5 hour trip took 6 and a half. 

Denver Again-

My quick take on Denver: 

•  I bet it’s awesome in the winter
• There are really crummy looking parts (especially where we stayed lol) 
•  Downtown is really cultural and edgy, there seems to be young people and an artistic aspect to the city

Overall the trip was exhausting, exhilarating, adventurous, beautifully scenic and fun. Hopefully my next journey tops the sights and sounds of Moab, but for now this will satisfy my outdoorsy appetite.I recommend reading, Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aron Ralston, which inspired the trip!

Music is my best friend…

Aside from the life outdoors, the music scene in California is not too shabby.  I’m assuming it’s the common desire to be inspired by the west coast, to experience its glory and then squeeze the creative juices into happy-go-lucky, emotionally stirring, easily relatable and dance-able music.  Many of the bands I like, write and sing about the west coast, the ocean, driving, feelings, and more times than not I connect with it.

I’m constantly inspired by music, but unfortunately I’m not musically gifted, unless you count singing in the shower. Luckily the bands that I like and who have come to San Diego sound a lot better than me and with the revolving door spewing out talent so often we seem to catch shows a lot. 

To find concerts I typically use SongKick which I login with Facebook to see what’s going on around town, but because Tyler works with the San Diego Reader, he’s in the know before me.

We saw Portugal the Man, at the House of Blues.  They are really good, often compared to the Beatles (my favorite band).  It was an all ages’ show thus there was a designated drinking zone and we had to drink our PBR tall boys on balcony upstairs. Of course we wanted to be in the crowd and I couldn’t chug my beer fast enough so I ended up abandoning it to watch from the floor.  There were  dozens of tweens surrounding us and a girl suddenly passed out next to us. After shared stories this apparently happens often in this venue, due to the lack of oxygen.

Tyler’s favorite band Minus the Bear also came to SD and played at SOMA which is basically a huge garage. They don’t serve alcohol and you can’t re-enter, but the venue is big and the acoustics are good.  They played their Highly Refined Pirates album and some selections from various albums. They had really cool stage lights, too bad it was a school night. This band has a very mellow vibe and their lyrics are so realistic.  Every now and then there’s a dance beat that will get you moving, but I find the music perfect for lying in the grass under a tree.

We also saw Tennis, a band we found in VOID Magazine in Jacksonville Beach. They were touring through San Diego and lucky for us we got to go. They were playing at the Casbah which is right next to the airport and you never think it was indoor/outdoor, but it’s actually a really cool venue. It has the grunge, not taken care of feel, but it feels so right; stickers adorn the walls and poles, there are ripped leather seats patched up with duct tape, pool tables and arcade games.  It’s a dive but when you look up the sky is above you as the roof opens up to the stars and what's better than music under the sky?

Tennis is beach, folk, indie dance music and it’s great. You can sit around and bob your head to her sweet sinewy voice. I really liked her, Alaina (the lead singer). She is so cute and sweet faced with gigantic curly hair blocking her eyes. Her and her husband, sing about sailing across the world, the ocean, different cities they’ve visited and love. And the band that opened for them, Miniature Tigers, is pretty awesome too.

We also went to BellyUp in Solana beach to see members of the Thievery Corporation, who we were supposed to see, but due to the black-out was cancelled.  Ironically once they were rescheduled a pipe flooded their staging room and they had to reschedule again it was inevitable that we would see them so we just gave up. But when we heard that members of the band were playing at BellyUp Tyler was able to get us on the list to see the show.  It was a reggae band that collaborated with Thievery Corporation on a few songs. It was interesting, too much revolution music for my taste, which actually ended in a revolt in the car between Mikey (Tyler’s buddy who came to visit us) and Tyler about political hypocrisy in reggae music. 

Our most recent show was Surfer Blood, who hail from West Palm Beach, Florida. I tweeted the band that we were going and they tweeted back J.  They were playing a small show at Porter’s Pub which is on UCSD (University of California San Diego)’s campus. It’s a really small venue, but it’s cool because it’s on campus. We felt like college kids only 6 years older and sleepy after 11:00pm.  Surfer Blood has an upbeat, beachy sound.  

Last, but not least, we tried to see Ra Ra Riot, but the show was sold out.  Oh well! Check out these bands and give them a listen you may be pleasantly surprised!