Zion Weekend

September 24-27, 2015

Went to Zion National Park in Utah with Brandon and his parents for a long weekend. We stayed in a brand new vacation rental condo in Springdale, a small town within walking distance of the park entrance. We did two pretty strenuous hikes two days in a row - Angels Landing and Observation Point. The scenery was amazing and neither my words nor my photos could do it justice. I just want to try to get back into blogging about my travels.

I have really come to enjoy hiking and want to do it more often in Vegas too. It's really good for the body and the mind. :) 

On this trip, I discovered my new favorite Amber beer - Wasatch Evolution Amber Ale. We had good dinners & drinks out each night and then played board games back at the condo until bedtime. 

Zion is a great place to escape the hustle & bustle of daily life, slow down, and enjoy nature and quality time with who you are with. 

the little things

I recently was reading my friend, Janine's blog post about appreciating 'the little things,' despite having a rough week at work, stresses/emotions in life, etc. and it found it very pertinent, as I too had a very challenging work week.

She notes a special experience, moment, or thing that brought her a sense of joy and positivity each day. I think it's a great idea to do this to keep things in perspective and encourage positive thinking. Here is what my 'little things' were last week:

Monday: cooking dinner for me & my dad. It was a pretty simple meal - panko-crusted chicken, salad, and corn, but I really enjoy cooking and it was some nice quality time at home.

Tuesday: running my longest distance at the gym after work, then grocery shopping for the week and making a dinner of burgers & fries for my boyfriend and his brother.  

Wednesday: running an even longer distance at an impressive time - 5 miles in 49:34. :) I have come a LONG way from the girl who barely used to be able to run 1 mile in 12 minutes, and had no desire to run farther or even try to improve. It is so great to be able to see quantified improvement, and I am really proud of myself. Planning to take on the challenge of a half marathon on November!

Thursday: visiting my friend Crystal and meeting her new baby boy, Michael Anthony. very happy for this new mom & dad, and there is something about seeing an infant that just makes me in awe of the miracle of life, and the human experience. 

Friday: it was Friday, the end of the stressful work week and beginning of a low key weekend. 

Saturday: catching up with an old high school friend and having dinner with Brandon & his parents. 

Sunday: drinking an iced mocha from my favorite local coffee shop, Sunrise Coffee, outside with Brandon in the 'cooler' / cloudy weather 


Here's to a positive week!

Big Girl Trip to New York

At the end of January, I got to go to New York City for a week for my job. I repeat: I got to travel to NYC for my JOB. Now that is pretty notable. :) I was chatting with some friends / family and realized that a year ago I was freaking out about what I was going to do with my life / how I would find a job after graduation, etc. Who knew that a year later I would have this great job with the best boss I could ask for, and to top it off, get to travel across the country on business? Pretty surreal, and I am very grateful and proud.

I had been to NYC twice before, once with my mom after graduating 8th grade, and again with the whole fam during high school. I liked it for vacation, but couldn't see myself ever living there (due to everything being sooo close together, busy, quite stressful, etc.). I was so excited for this trip because I knew it would be significantly different. For one, I was going by myself with business as the main focus. (btw, I work as an Account Manager for HeBS Digital, an Internet Marketing agency for hotels that is based in New York). Secondly, I hadn't been to the city since turning 21, so at a ripe 23, I knew that this would make for a different experience. ;) Also, I was interested to see how my perspective on the city would change since I had lived in Madrid, which, imho, has many similarities to New York. I was specifically stoked to use public transportation and walk everywhere, as I did during my semester abroad.

I am fortunate to know many people who have recently moved to New York. My friend Kelli, who has been one of my closest friends since we met in Girl Scouts in 4th grade, is attending law school there and was gracious enough to let me stay with her on the weekends that book-ended the workweek. I flew in at night on Friday, January 27th. My cab driver from JFK to Stuyvesant Town, where Kelli lives, was pretty quiet and chatting on his blue tooth most of the ride. Toward the end we struck up some conversation and I was telling him what I mentioned above, about about having studied in Madrid and seeing how my perspective on the city would change. He then said, "entonces, hablas espanol?" Then we proceeded to speak in Spanish and I was already LOVING my trip. :) He said he spoke like 4 languages- a dialect from Haiti, where he is from originally, French, English, and Spanish, because his wife is Dominican. I have to say, it's pretty amazing to see how you can connect with people more by speaking another language. Even if I'm presently not using Spanish too much in my career, I can't tell you how many more people I have connected with because of being able to communicate with them in Spanish, including friends I have made in my company. The cab driver dropped me off and was very nice, told me to take care, and I think we even shook hands. Then I went out with Kelli and her b/f some of her friends to a bar called One and One. After that we got a famous pastrami sandwich at Katz's Deli (for the price of $15!?!?). Solid first night.

The next morning Kelli and I researched prospective brunch places. We decided on Westville East, which ended up being one of the best decisions I made on this trip. I got an egg scramble with cheddar cheese, bacon, and tomatoes. Their brunches come with a choice of salad (yes, salad at breakfast... something I continued to see a lot in New York) or potato hash, and a baguette. We didn't really know what potato hash was (assumed it was some type of breakfast potato), but decided to be bold. It turned out to be a unique form of mashed potatoes that were just incredible. We wanted to buy some in bulk to make with future meals! Unfortunately I did not take a photograph of this meal (it was by far the most notable of my trip!). Kelli and I spent the rest of the day walking around the city, doing some shopping in SoHo, and taking the SUBWAY to Central Park. It was really nice to kind of live like a local and not be doing all touristy things. For dinner we met up with Kelli's boyfriend David and some of her law school friends at Jack's Bistro. The food was honestly just okay, but they did have a cool special where you pay one price for an individual appetizer, an entree, and glass of house wine. The standout was the mac&cheese as an appetizer. Later I got to see the law school dorms, which was pretty cool.    

On Sunday I got to see my friend Michelle, from Long Island, who was one of my roommates in Madrid. I hadn't seen her since December 2009!  She got into the city to meet us for brunch a little later than originally planned, and Kelli were starving. soooo we walked around the corner of East 7th and Avenue A to Butter Lane Cupcakes (another very good choice). They only make around 4 different flavors of cupcakes each day, but you can get an "icing shot" with any kind of icing they have. I settled on the chocolatey choice of the day (that had sea salt on the frosting? mmm) and a vanilla icing shot (free with my Foursquare check-in!). When Michelle met up with us, we decided on this Spanish/Latin fusion place called Yuca Bar & Restaurant. The short wait time (something I learned is that in NYC most restaurants will not seat you or even let you put your name on the waiting list until all of your party is present), along with the option of sangria with brunch, is what attracted us to the place. It honestly wasn't that great (my least favorite weekend brunch of the trip), but the company was. It was so great to see Michelle and catch up. 

You may notice that I'm putting a lot of emphasis on the food I experienced in New York. The endless restaurant options in NYC is something that everyone notes about the city. It's something I really love also, and it's lacking in my current residence of Las Vegas.

Late in the afternoon I left Kelli's for my hotel in Rockefeller Center called The Jewel. It was very nice and modern! My cousin Kristina, who recently started med school at NYU, met up with me for mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral. The last time we had seen each other was 4 years ago, so it was so nice that our paths crossed like this. Then we walked to her neighborhood, Murray Hill, and had red wine & cheese for dinner at Terroir Wine Bar. I felt very mature and classy. ;) We went to her boyfriend Tyler's apartment after for some more wine, cheese, and conversation. His apartment was very homey and had an amazing view of the Empire State Building! 

The next morning started the work week! I was excited but very anxious/nervous because I wanted to make a good first impression on the 40+ people who work in the Times Square office (on Broadway and 48th, on the 11th floor of the M&M World building). The whole week ended up being a very good learning experience, and it was so nice to finally be in person with the people I had been working "long-distance" with for 7+ months. On Tuesday I got happy hour after work at Social Bar & Grill with my best buddies in that office- Lindsay, Eric, and Gabe, which was really cool. On Wednesday, everyone in the company was invited to an informal happy hour at Hurley's, which was so fun. I got to know a lot of co-workers a little  better. Some of us extended the evening on to a bar called Vintage, and then to the Eatery for some 'dinner.' Thursday was the monthly HeBS party, where they celebrate everybody who has a birthday in that particular month with wine and beer in the office. Another great socializing opportunity with colleagues. Friday was my last day :( and I didn't want to leave yet. I was honestly just starting to feel comfortable there and not so much like the new kid at school. But who knows... maybe I'll end up there eventually... :)

I also want to note some more places I dined at and people I saw:

On Monday night, I met up with Megan and Kelly from USD. They had recently moved to NYC for an internship at Nylon magazine, and a job at a French perfume company, respectively, so I got to add them to the list of people I know in the city! I decided to brave the subway that evening by myself. Getting on the opposite direction of the line caused me to end up in Brooklyn by accident. Luckily I didn't freak out too much and had 3 very diverse people provide me with some help. I made it to them eventually after getting on a different line, getting off at Union Square, and walking a lot. Oh well, it made for a good story. We ate at Momofuku Noodle Bar on 1st Avenue and 11th Street, and all decided on the Momofuku Ramen bowl, with pork belly, pork shoulder, and poached egg. It was honestly very out of my comfort zone, but I wanted to be adventurous and live like a local. We walked around a bit, got dessert at Sugar Cafe, and they showed me their apartment. Luckily the F subway line was right on the corner, so I got back to the hotel much easier than I left it. 

On Friday night after my last day at work, I met up with Kristina and her friend Nola at Rum Bar, for a quick cocktail before heading to see the Broadway show Memphis (got tickets for a steal at the TKTS booth in the middle of the workday for $35 each!). I LOVED the show and am hoping to see it when it comes to the Smith Center in Vegas. The music is very soulful, which is definitely my cup of tea. Kristina and I ate a very late dinner at Shake Shack in the theater district, which was amazing. I hadn't really eaten a solid dinner for the majority of the workweek, so burgers, cheese fries, and "Pretzel! the Concrete" (chocolate ice cream, peanut butter sauce, chocolate covered pretzels and marshmallow sauce) hit the spot. Not to mention it was SO cheap.

Saturday basically revolved around good food- brunch at Frankies 17 in the Lower East side, coffee at Joe's, a snack of potstickers at hole-in-the-wall noodle place, and an amazing dinner at La Nonna in Little Italy. The standout was the dipping sauce they serve with the bread, consisting of olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, herbs, and parmesan cheese.

Sunday, my last day in the city, also featured food as the main attraction- a great brunch at Flea Market Cafe (an omelet, breakfast potatoes, breakfast salad, and a bellini), Belgian fries with dipping sauce at Pommes Frites, and the American Glob (vanilla ice cream, pretzels, sea salt, and chocolate dip in a cone) at Big Gay Ice Cream.







I usually like to close these kinds of long blog posts with a profound sentence or two. Basically I was very grateful for this trip, the great company I am a part of, the amazing people I got to visit or meet in person, and the delicious food I experienced. I would like to end up living there one day.

getting back into this

So I'm kind of ashamed that it has been over half a year since I've written on this. Honestly, after graduating college, nothing seemed quite as "notable" or exciting as it previously was- which was described in my last post in JUNE. I'm going to try to make more time for personal blogging, and as you will see in my next post, it took a life changing (business!) trip for me to feel motivated to write.

Goodbye Mission Beach

This past Monday I officially moved out of Mission Beach and back to Las Vegas for good.  The week after graduation was filled with Mission Beach "nothingness" (bike riding, laying out, barbequing, etc.), spending last minute quality time with friends, and packing.  I was reflecting on everything, and thought that I will miss so many things about living at the beach, some obvious, and some that you could only understand if you've been / lived there as well.  

Here is my (tentative) list of what I will miss:

1. Being steps from the beautiful Pacific Ocean, and Mission Bay.

2. Being able to walk or bike ride to many ideal destinations: friends' houses, Pacific Beach, restaurants, cafes, shops, bars, etc.  This was especially useful and unique for nightlife destinations.   

3. Being a part of a friendly community of familiar faces from USD and other Mission Beach residents.  It was almost inevitable to not run into someone I know on a daily basis on the boardwalk and other areas. 

4. The diverse cast of characters who I encountered daily on the boardwalk: families vacationing, skateboarders, surfers, Slomo- iconic doctor turned full time boardwalk roller-blader, buff joggers, "Zonies" partying, young couples watching the waves, etc. 

5. Hearing & seeing the ocean waves through my bedroom window and smelling the salt water.

6. Wondering around the beach on weekends carrying nothing, not even a cell phone; thus, no responsibilities and no concept of time. 

7. All of the small cafes/restaurants/bars right around the corner, especially Olive Cafe, Baked, and Guava Beach.  

8. The carefree attitude and pure happiness that people demonstrate all the time.   

9.  The Thursday night routine at Sandbar / Coaster.  You knew where everyone was going to be out at every Thursday, but still asked "You going out tonight?" to make conversation during the day, in anticipation.   

10.  My beach cruiser. 

top things I'm going to miss about my USD experience

1. the beach

2. Founders Chapel Choir

3. Ali Tapper

mission beach life

The last few weekends in San Diego have provided absolutely gorgeous weather.  This inevitably means lots of people are out at Mission Beach surfing, biking, walking, laying out, playing beach volleyball, barbequing, partying, etc.  I am so fortunate to say that this scene has been my "backyard" this year, and I wouldn't have changed it for anything.  In exactly one month I will move out of my place here, and back to Las Vegas to jump into the real world.  I am excited for this new chapter, but I am really really going to miss the Mission Beach life.  Today I lived in my bathing suit, with no makeup, barbequed and beach cruised with Ash & Vic, beach cruised again with Ali, ran into other friends on the boardwalk, met a group of vacationers and neighbors on our street and had a drink with them, walked around barefoot, etc. with no concept of time.  Everything is so chill, carefree, and happy here.  I can't tell you the amount of times I have thought to myself  "This is the life ."