Weekend Adventures: Santa Barbara Edition

Posted on July 9, 2015 by 4evamaria

Hello all!

This past few weekends have been rather crazy, and I seem to have the bloggers dilemma of having plenty of adventures to go on, but never enough time alone with my laptop to document it all. For those writers who have the self-discipline to get up early everyday just to write, I applaud you. Let’s be honest, I can barely get up in time for work every morning. The struggle is real.

Any-who, this last weekend I spent some time in my old college town of Santa Barbara. I hadn’t been back since graduation, which was a total fallacy on my end. It was nice to explore the place I once called home through “real person” eyes. My friends and I kept laughing whenever I referred to us as “real people,” because, you know, college students don’t count. I’m not ashamed to say that I was afraid of things having changed so drastically that nothing was familiar, and that things might no longer feel like the place that I called home for years. Things had changed, but everything still, reassuringly, felt like the Santa Barbara I knew. It’s still one of the best places to be, in my humble opinion. Now, brace yourself, here come all the beach photos!

This little outcropping over the ocean was steps from my house, at one point.

High tide at the beach in Isla Vista.

East Beach in downtown Santa Barbara.

A view from Santa Barbara pier.

We also had some very patriotic fun over the weekend- fireworks, picnics on the beach, and red-white-and-blueberry jello shots.

I was amused by the presidential seal coincidentally stamped on my shot glass. You also can’t get more Santa Barbara than a sandy surfboard and a bike in the background.

and, of course, here’s the obligatory picture of fireworks! It wouldn’t be the Fourth of July without them.

The best way I can describe Santa Barbara is purely through photos and anecdotes (though the ridiculous anecdotes might be for another blog altogether). While it’s not a small town by any means, you can walk down the crowded streets and still see familiar faces. There’s something special in that. Plus, everyone is ridiculously tan. While I felt really pasty in comparison, thanks to the nonexistent San Francisco Sun, I remember those days when I had a permanent flip flop tan stamped on the tops of my feet. The vacation vibe you feel around town is what you get- even if you’ve lived there for years, you can still throw on a swimsuit, head down to the beach and feel like you have no worries. I’ve decided I certainly can’t let another six years pass by before my next visit.

Cheers! Until next time,

EVA♥

Five Things

Posted on July 8, 2015 by 4evamaria

Hello everyone!

This week has been a week of many firsts. I recently returned from a long weekend in Santa Barbara, which marks the first time I had been back to visit since I graduating from UCSB. I went to my first yoga class in a while, and was referred to as a yogi by the teacher(!) for my exemplary shoulder stand. So…I can basically add “Yogi”on my list of skills on my resume now, right? In less fun news, I also set something on fire in my kitchen for the first time. RIP potholder, you were a good one. And with that rather odd introduction, here are some more things, all of them firsts:

I give you: the Brian Boitano, frozen yogurt blended with coconut and fresh blueberries. It was the name that sold it, really. It was my first time visiting Loving Cup in Hayes Valley, and I’m certainly going to have to go back to sample some of their amazing looking rice pudding.

I recently discovered this music video on Youtube by Money. I just think it’s a beautiful depiction of the strength and dedication of ballet.

This moment of weirdly color-coordinated accessories was a complete coincidence, I swear! Not pictured: my matching blue phone case. Gee, I must really like this color.

This last week I went to Whole Foods to pick up something healthy, as most people do, and ended up getting this raspberry-filled 5 pound doughnut-thing, also known as a Berliner. It had fruit inside, so I kept telling myself that it totally was well-balanced breakfast. One of my co-workers left our office recently, and while we’re all going to miss him, I’m sure he’s off on big adventures! I thought there was no better time than the moment to order a dozen fresh-baked sea salt and chocolate chip cookies from Doughbies as part of his send-off. Living in the San Francisco Bay Area may be tricky at times, but where else can you get a man to deliver cookies to your office in just a few clicks?

Until next time!

EVA♥

Taking Stock 3.0

Posted on June 29, 2015 by 4evamaria

Hello all!

It’s been quite a while since my last “Taking Stock” post. It’s been an eventful week in the Bay Area, which means many exciting posts to come. In a nutshell, I spent this last weekend at numerous parties, a concert, and even found myself at a comedy club at one point. Don’t worry, I was not the one onstage. (Insert rimshot here.) So I decided to bring it back-to-basics this Monday with a little list.

San Francisco: a city that’s beautiful at all angles. If I didn’t like her so much, I would probably hate her. So darn photogenic. This was taken at the top of Lafayette Park.

Making : weird faces. At myself. For absolutely no reason. You can tell exactly what I’m thinking based on my facial expressions. I am not a natural at poker, that’s for sure.
Cooking : bread pudding. I always seem to have leftover/stale bread lying around, and it seems like such a waste to throw it out. Bring on the kitchen experiments!
Drinking : La Croix. Sure, it’s just water in a can. But it’s also fancy, apricot-flavored, sparkling water! I can get behind that.
Reading : The Opposite of Loneliness by Marina Keegan and Kate Atkinson’s Case Histories.
Wanting : a pair of overalls. I’m basically an adult woman that likes to pretend she’s still a kid.
Wishing : I could shake my sometimes constant nostalgia. As they say, “Don’t look back. You’re not going that way.”
Enjoying : leftover tres leches cake from my friend Jessie’s bridal shower. De-licious!
Listening : The Pandora Jim Gaffigan station. It helps get me through my workday, especially when I need a little chuckle.
Waiting : for the Fourth of July weekend to come!
Liking : making small talk with strangers. It’s always nice to get to know the people around you a little better. Need some inspiration? Check out this guide to starting a conversation in 60 seconds.
Loving : Louboutin shopping. I’ve vowed to buy myself a pair before 28. Happy birthday to me!
Bookmarking: place’s to visit in Napa on an upcoming weekend getaway.
Watching : This amazing music video featuring dancers. I must say, I’m loving this trend.
Needing : an organizational system for my clothes that does not involve piling things on a chair.
Smelling : my Capri Blue Volcano candle. I burn it constantly when I’m at home.
Wearing : my DV by Dolce Vita blue suede sandals. They were a steal at $5.
Thinking : about my latest to-do list.
Marveling : at all the exciting goings-on over the weekend. #LoveWins
Feeling : the anticipation. I somehow have plans for every weekend until August. Road trips and vacation, here I come!

…

Today’s blog was inspired by Pip whose blog, Meet Me at Mike’s, I stumbled upon while browsing around A Pretty Penny. Go check them out! Great little corners of the internet.

EVA♥

Five Things

Posted on June 24, 2015 by 4evamaria

Hello all!

It’s time for Five Things, yet again. Quite honestly, life can get so cyclical sometimes that collecting my Five Things of the week acts as a time-stamp of sorts. Oh look- another week’s gone by! To give you all a quick, unbidden update, things have been quite interesting over the last few days. With the dance studio on summer schedule, I suddenly find myself working only one job. You know, a 9-to-5, like a normal person. What is this nonsense? I get to go home, and sit down? Highly unnatural behavior in Watch-Me-Juggle-land. It always takes a bit of getting used to, but the positive side is that I can sleep in two days in a row now, if I so choose. I can also check out that stand-up paddle boarding lesson off my to-do list this summer. I’m determined. It’s going to happen. Stay tuned for embarrassing photos of me falling off a surfboard.

In the meantime, here are this week’s Five Things as entertainment.

Once upon a time, I worked in a flower shop. I spent my days arranging flowers and even creating bridal bouquets. Though I found myself only with bunches of flowers and some ribbon (no floral tape, no pearl-topped pins) I made it work! There is something amazingly therapeutic about working with flowers, and I must do it more often.

In between answering phone calls, chugging coffee, and staring at spreadsheets today, I managed to find time to buy these spunky red flats from Topshop. They’re dead-ringers for Aquazzura’s Christy flats that retail for a whopping $675.

Did you know that my little island town is home to a winery? Because it is! Rock Wall winery has incredible views of the San Francisco skyline, and a mighty fine happy hour. While I’m not one to jump on the rosé bandwagon, their sparkling rosé is delicious.

I’ve found myself reminiscing over the goodies at Gayle’s Bakery in Capitola. A day trip is very much in store this summer.

Ever wonder how the marzipan in the Nutcracker get their multicolored shoes? Pointe shoes come in very few colors, and most companies have to special order their shoes if they need something other than the traditional pink satin. But, even then the options are limited. Two words: spray paint. It’s very high tech, I know.

Happy Wednesday everyone!

EVA♥

A Mermaid’s Tail

Posted on June 22, 2015 by 4evamaria

Hello all!

Well, it’s officially the first day of Summer! And…the juggling continues.

This past Saturday was my studio’s annual “Big Show,” and I couldn’t be prouder of the way everything turned out. Aside from our stellar team of teachers, our students worked harder than ever and it was evident in their level of dancing. I’m not afraid of tooting my own horn when I say it was an emotional and visually stunning show. Heck, I’ve been running around proclaiming it was the Best. Show. Ever!

At first, I was hesitant to post a little blurb, since I only have a few backstage shots, but this show has been such a huge part of my life over the last few months, I can’t help but share.

Our beautiful mermaids onstage at dress rehearsal.

I suddenly have the utmost respect for photographers who can capture the perfect action shot. It’s certainly no easy task!

…

First off, we were adamant that our version of this story would be true to the original Hans Christian Anderson version- no mermaid marrying the prince, and no cartoonish villain or sidekicks. If you’re not familiar with the original, non-Disney version of the story, I urge you to check it out. It’s heartbreaking and beautiful at the same time. We featured our graduating seniors as the mermaids, with one “winner,” the real girl who ultimately marries the prince in the end. I had way too much fun making an appearance as the evil Sea Witch. She’s older, wiser, and has fantastic jewelry. One of my teenage students said I should run around dressed as the sea witch everyday, which made me laugh. I guess she’s my badass alter-ego?

This was possibly one of my favorite costumes I’ve worn to date.

I clearly also had way too much fun doing my makeup to get into character. And check out that necklace! It was on loan from the boss lady, and so amazing.

The storyline was intense, a roller-coaster, really, but nothing you couldn’t lighten up with a few children in shrimp costumes.

It’s a shrimp party (also fondly known as shrimp cocktail)! One of the boss lady’s favorite things is being able to stick things on little kids heads, so these shrimp hats we made were no exception. It’s quickly become one of my favorite things too!

I was also exceptionally proud of my Level 2 students. I lobbed some tricky choreography their way, and they took it in stride. I’m sure they don’t know it, but sometimes they are the highlight of my day. I’ve never left the studio without numerous hugs from them.

I’m always a little bit sad when a show comes to an end. Months and months of work go into making just one day exceptionally special. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for our graduates (I’ve known many of them since they were just four years old). I’m so glad dance has been such a big part of their lives, and I hope they look back on these memories fondly once they’re off at college. I’m excited to hear of their many adventures to come.

EVA♥

How to Win at Cars

Posted on June 15, 2015 by 4evamaria

Hello all!

Well, it’s been interesting.

Every year, June brings around a number of fun events: music festivals, birthdays, pool parties, graduation parties…you name it. Today’s story begins when my good friend Rachel, who appears often on this blog, and I decided to attend one of our mutual friend’s graduation party here in town. It was a lovely, sunny day and the party was well-stocked with food, wine, and good company. When it came time for us to leave, we said our good-byes, and headed out the door. Our cars were, conveniently, parked right next to each other on the street; everything seemed to be just fine, until I noticed that rather than getting into her car, Rachel was standing by the door just groaning. Obviously not a good sign. Her keys were sitting in the cup-holder, locked inside her car.

What made this situation even better was that there were no spare keys in existence, and, while we could call AAA, ain’t nobody got time for that. So, we did the next best thing. Google.

Apparently, using a wire hanger to break into your own car is a legitimate thing, and I didn’t know it until wikiHow was there to tell me all about it. While I was Googling up a storm, Rachel was on Youtube looking up video demonstrations on how to unlock her Grand Cherokee. We did find this very interesting tutorial that was, while roundabout, seemingly helpful .

Who knew you could unscrew the antenna?! You learn something new everyday. Well, despite our best efforts, we were unsuccessful in getting the antennae anywhere remotely near the door unlock button. We decided to go to Plan B.

These hangers were Plan B, in case you were wondering.

So, picture this: two grown women, parked in a suburban neighborhood, running around with 15 wire hangers and crawling all over the car. Yeah, I’m sure it looked as absurd as it sounds. Luckily, my car is like a closet on wheels, which meant that I had a plethora of random things, including hangers, at my disposal. Rachel’s sunroof was slightly broken and wouldn’t close all the way, so our new plan-of-action was to lower a hanger through the gap in the roof, and fish the keys out of the cup-holder below. Rachel stood below using both hands to keep the sunroof open, while I squatted on the roof of her car like a monkey with my face pressed to the sunroof, trying to see if the hook we fashioned out of three hangers was remotely near the keys inside.

After pushing the keys around with the hook for a while, I managed to snag them. Conveniently, a neighbor who had probably been watching this whole show, decided to come out of his house to ask if we needed any help at this very moment. My response was:

“IGOTTHEM!!! No, uh, thank you…we’re just fine.”

And then I tossed the keys to Rachel and we went out for margaritas.

The end.

EVA♥

Next!

Posted on June 7, 2015 by 4evamaria

Hello all!

Yours truly has had a new catchphrase lately, and, although those of you who know me in real life might have an inkling, I bet you can’t guess what it is.

“Next!”

Aka: Thumbs down. Do not pass ‘Go.’ Do not collect $200.

I find myself saying this both in my head and out loud to other people more often than not. The great thing is, people of any age, race, or socioeconomic background can use “Next.” Unfortunately, there are plenty of moments when this phrase is more than appropriate. For example:

That guy you’ve been seeing can’t seem to pick up the phone to call you back? Unless both his arms are broken: NEXT.

(The same goes for those men who can’t be bothered to open a door when you’re struggling with bags, whose eyes glaze over when you’re speaking, or those who tell you to make them a sandwich. NEXT. There are 3.4 billion of them out there, ladies.)

Those “friends” you have at school that can’t find one positive thing to say about you, but continue to grace you with their presence? It’s time for you to say: NEXT.

Your boss pass over you for that well deserved promotion again, even though all the men in your company seem to be conveniently climbing the ranks? NEXT.

Everyone has that crazy/bigoted/drunk relative that seems to have all the opinions, none of them good. Tired of hearing their offensive ranting? NEXT.

That person in your life who insists that whatever you’re saying or doing is wrong, and can’t seem to listen to reason? Unfortunately, we’ve all been there at some point or another. Hold your head up high, keep calm and NEXT.

That stylist that gave you the horrible haircut? NEXT. The doctor that seemed a little too high-and-mighty? NEXT. It even works with that annoying voice in your head that tells you you’re not pretty/smart/successful enough. Say NEXT.

Once you start applying “Next” to your life, you’ll be amazed at how much easier the little things are to let go. You see, there’s no reason in the world why you need to voluntarily subject yourself to negative people or things. Of course, some situations are unavoidable, but now you’ll have a convenient escape plan should you find yourself in them more than once. As cliché as it is, life is much too short to spend time dwelling on the things that make you unhappy. More often than not, these are also the things that you can’t control. In this respect, there’s something wonderfully proactive about “Next;” you get to take charge, you make all the decisions. It’s really that simple (and also that complicated). So, take the time and flex your muscles at the situations that bother you. Give ’em a big thumbs down, tell them to take a hike, because you have much, much better things to do.

EVA♥

Five Things

Posted on June 3, 2015 by 4evamaria

Hello all!

It’s Wednesday! (Hooray…?) This halfway point in the week tends to bring out a little crazy in the best of us. To reference that infamous Geico commercial: it’s Hump Day! One thing I do look forward at this point in the week is being able to put all the little things that I collect on my phone in one place. I enjoy that my Five Things doesn’t have to be thematic, or even make much sense. They’re here just for the heck of it, sort of like an inspiration board, or, for those of you social media fanatics, a vastly simplified version of Pinterest.

We’ll start at Thing #1, and go from there!

I had the most wonderful latte pick-me-up this afternoon at 20th Century Cafe in San Francisco. This European-style cafe is only a few blocks from my office, and couldn’t be more charming.

After a particularly long few weeks at the office, my kind coworkers surprised me with this card and some flowers. I love that we’re an office of many talents; my coworker Ruth does the most amazing pet portraits, and, knowing about my mild obsession with French Bulldogs, created this original ink sketch for me! This sleeping puppy lives at my desk and makes me happy.

On my latest trip to St. Helena, I visited the tasting room at Merryvale Vineyards. Aside from their very likable staff and lovely wines, they had some very interesting literature on display. Yes, there’s an entire book dedicated to the cats that prowl around the local vineyards. There’s also a Wine Dogs, just in case you were wondering.

My friends and I recently had a blast-from-the-past with dinner at Woodstock’s Pizza, one of the popular college haunts in Santa Barbara. What I love the best is their Cinnabread. I would always order way too much and eat the leftovers for breakfast the next day. I have no regrets.

IMG_3672 (1)

While I’m lamenting the lack of sun here in the Bay Area, I can still reminisce about my recent beach vacation. Did you know that the beaches in Capitola (pictured above) have been a tourist destination since the early 1900s? Not much has changed, really. It’s still such a beautiful place.

Here’s to another week well done!

(Almost!)

EVA♥

Baking Fails & Just an Average Sunday

Posted on May 31, 2015 by 4evamaria

Hello all!

I’ll admit that I was overly ambitious when I woke up this morning.

I was also craving some sort of baked good. Like most Sundays, I try to cram as many activities as possible into one day, so after fueling myself with coffee, I hoped on the trusty Google and began a search for a “lazy biscuit” recipe. Lazy was probably an understatement, because, at this point I didn’t even have enough motivation to reach for the recipe book on the top shelf of my kitchen cabinets. Lucky for me, I stumbled upon Bran Appetit’s “Lazy Biscuits for Two.” It was perfect! The recipe was straightforward, and with a little finagling, I even whipped together a substitute for buttermilk with some regular milk and a little lemon juice. I mean, aside from the fact that I was just one person making a “for two” recipe, I was feeling pretty confident. Anyway, who could resist the possibility of having something like this for breakfast:

Photo c/o Bran Appetit

Looks delicious right?

Well, being fairly competent in the kitchen, I quickly realized something was horribly wrong with my version of these biscuits.

I give you, pancake-cookie-biscuits with an aluminum foil crust!

Mmmm, so delicious!!

I lamented these resulting “biscuits” so much, I even pulled out a spatula and tried to pry them off the foil in an attempt to eat whatever I could. After the 20 minutes I spent gently cutting the butter into flour to make these dough blobs, they would have been actually edible had I bothered to fully read the directions. I’ve honestly never had a baking endeavor go so wrong so quickly. Unfortunately, I know some of you can relate to my kitchen disaster- sometimes the things that come out of your oven are just destined to be a hot mess, both literally and figuratively. So, I did what any normal 20-something would do: I salvaged my day with an impromptu road trip to Napa for a glass of wine and some amazing food.

(Not made by me, obviously. I learned my lesson.)

May your week ahead be a lot prettier than today’s breakfast.

EVA♥

Santa Cruz Adventures

Posted on May 27, 2015 by 4evamaria

Hello all!

(I’ve toyed with calling the few, proud readers out there the “jugglers.” Too facetious?)

Many of us had the opportunity to enjoy our a long weekend this past Memorial Day. I initially planned on lying around my apartment in a semi-comatose state, but the opportunity for a quick getaway down the coast presented itself, and I couldn’t say no. So, my girlfriends and I packed our bags and headed to Santa Cruz for a little beach vacation.

Don’t get me wrong, I was still lying around an apartment, but this time it was beach/pool adjacent with either a glass of wine or a fantastic latte from the local Verve coffee in my hand. I had zero complaints.

Turns out the Santa Cruz Surfing Club was even hosting a surf competition that lasted the weekend. I suddenly felt like a true Californian wandering around the shoreline surrounded by people in wet suits. Even though every morning was overcast, the sun did eventually come out long enough to enjoy it poolside.

I have a special fondness for Santa Cruz since one of my college roommates and her husband relocated there for a few post-college years. Every time I found myself with a free weekend, or a little extra time on my hands, I could drive down and visit them with little or no advanced planning. I’ve come to know the town fairly well, and there are always a few places that I have to visit whenever I’m in the area. There are the beautiful beaches, of course, but also the hip coffee shops, quirky boutiques and restaurants.

There’s Verve Coffee that, besides serving up one incredible latte, has a monkey bread in their pastry case that is so caramelized it borders on candy. Coming from someone who considers a good doughnut appropriate for breakfast, that’s saying something.

My friends also introduced me to their local wine bar, Vino Prima, in their years here. Not only does this wine bar on the pier have a fantastic ocean view, but they do a mean mimosa bar on the weekends.

And of course there’s the famous Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Despite usually being littered with tourists, it still has a certain old world charm to it. You know, the kind of charm that tells adults it’s okay to purchase things like potato chips on a stick or deep-fried oreos.

Of course, there’s always time to hop in a photo booth after too much sun and food to take a few snapshots:

I’m not sure where or what I’m pointing at in that last one. Things always seem to start normal in photo booths for me and then unravel quickly.

There’s nothing quite like a beach vacation to hit the ‘reset’ button on life.

EVA♥

Watch Me Juggle

Author Archives: 4evamaria

Weekend Adventures: Santa Barbara Edition

Five Things

Taking Stock 3.0

Five Things

A Mermaid’s Tail

How to Win at Cars

Next!

Five Things

Baking Fails & Just an Average Sunday

Santa Cruz Adventures