Retrospective Monday

Posted on November 17, 2014 by 4evamaria

Hello everyone.

Today, I wanted to talk to you about some things that I’ve been thinking about recently. I’ve always been a big worrier- always excessively conscientious. Even when positive things come my way, I worry without reason. I’d like to say that I don’t care what other people think, but that’s not nearly true. On the other hand, I’ve never been one to sit around and let other people tell me what to do.

Sometimes it’s so excessively difficult to be confident with the decisions you make. A lot of my personal anxiety comes from the “what if…what if…what ifs?” of daily life. There are some days where I have to talk myself down, and struggle to go about my routines. It’s living moment to moment: just get up, and make some coffee. Now, go wash your face, pick out something to wear, go outside. And on and on… It always gets better, but I wonder if it ever gets easier. Life has a tendency to lob random things at your head, hell, one day my leg might fall off and I might not ever be able to dance again. You never know. I tell myself these things to keep a solid perspective. A close friend of mine is always so positive when it comes to these things, and I asked her where she gets all her good energy from. She, like any of us, has plenty of things to worry or be upset about. She shared some insight with me, but one of the things that stood out to me was this gem (funnily enough, found on said friend’s Pinterest board):

Women in black dress crying

When you, like me, get lost in the “what ifs,” know that life is meant to work out exactly the way it is. Unfortunately, you can’t always pin your happiness on the people in your life, that dream job, or perfect home. I’m sorry, it just doesn’t work like that. You set yourself up for a lot of undue pain that way. Life is going to be messy, occasionally. That being said, I don’t have all the answers- far from it. All I know, the kind of knowledge you have deep in your bones, is that everything is going to be ok.

Just some thoughts.

EVA♥

Five Things

Posted on November 13, 2014 by 4evamaria

Hello everyone!

Congratulations are in order- we’ve made it halfway through the week! Although, some of you have been lucky enough to have a long weekend in honor of Veteran’s Day, so your week may just be starting. I, for one, am jealous, but also can’t complain because I’ve already enjoyed the random weekday off.

This weeks Five Things features quite a lot of coffee- I didn’t intend it that way, but there you have it…

I enjoyed one of the best mocha’s I’ve ever had at the popular Jane Cafe on Fillmore st. on Sunday. I’ve never had marshmallows in my coffee before, but it’s a brilliant idea!

It was my fabulous friend Sarah’s birthday recently, so we’ve made plans to have a girls’ weekend in the near future to celebrate. Stayed tuned, as you’ll undoubtedly see this on the blog soon! Also, please forgive my thumb in the frame. Selfies are harder than they seem.

Here’s a little throwback to last year’s Thanksgiving festivities. Our resident baby, Ewan was busy being adorable, so it’s only a natural response to want to eat him, which you can clearly see. I’m so looking forward to spending some time in San Luis Obispo this year for the holidays.

Oh look! More coffee! Did you know that our local artisan coffee roasters Blue Bottle have a book out? I certainly didn’t.

I give you: the Corpse Reviver from Sens San Francisco. I ended the last week with a much needed cocktail with friends. How they get their logo on the egg white foam of this drink, I’ll never know.

Hope you’re doing well, dear readers. See you again for next week’s Five Things!

EVA♥

“Taking Stock”

Posted on October 28, 2014 by 4evamaria

Hello all!

Today, I was inspired by the lovely Pip, whose blog, Meet Me at Mike’s, I stumbled upon while browsing around A Pretty Penny. Yes, much of my downtime is spent perusing other people’s blogs. It’s a relaxing little activity that helps me decompress. I loved this little checklist that I stumbled upon, and decided to recreate my own in the spirit of Blogtober.

Belated…or early…TBT to a local farmers’ market with some of my favorite people. This picture makes me happy.

My very first “Taking Stock” post! Let’s get to it:

Making : mental plans for my mid-week day off tomorrow.
Cooking : whatever I can find in my freezer. I’ve been getting really creative using up the contents of my pantry, too. I’ve turned out some delicious surprises.
Drinking : San Pellegrino Sparkling Pomegranate & Orange. A new flavor for me! Slightly interesting…
Reading: The contents of my Smitten Kitchen Cookbook. I desperately need a new autumn dish to bake.
Wanting: Friday. Is it Halloween yet?!
Playing: new music on Spotify, courtesy of P.
Wishing: that I had enough energy to stay up an extra hour. There are always things that need doing!
Enjoying: reruns of Modern Family on my tiny television.
Waiting: for “Congratulations on your new job” earrings from Baublebar to arrive in the mail! Love their stuff!
Liking: the fact that I have two whole weekdays off this week! I’m spoiled.
Wondering: whether or not to go to ballet class tomorrow morning….
Loving: Starbuck’s Pumpkin Spice latte season. Yes, I’m one of those girls.
Marveling: at how many things I’ve done today.
Needing: a stylish new duvet cover to perk things up.
Smelling: the lingering scent of my Twilight shower gel from Lush.
Wearing: my soft new pajama set. I first saw them on Vanilla Extract and had to have them!
Thinking: about the missing pieces of my Halloween costume I have yet to purchase.
Knowing: that today was a good day.
Opening: 800 tabs at a time in my browser. It’s my new bad habit.
Giggling: at Jimmy Kimmel’s “Elsaween” video- watch it here. So true!
Feeling: accomplished.

EVA♥

Happy.

Posted on October 26, 2014 by 4evamaria

Hello all!

I can’t believe that Blogtober…erm, I mean October is almost over! I hope that you’ve enjoyed it as much as I have. I’m rather late to the party on this Blogtober prompt, but I’ve been thinking about it for quite a while. What makes you happy?

October has consistently been a month of change over the last few years. Four years ago, I moved into my beloved little Barbie house of an apartment. It’s been the month of starts and stops- all positive. This year’s October has lived up to its reputation, to say the least. I’ve hit some milestones on Watch Me Juggle, and have written more than ever. Being so busy this month has only added fuel to the fire, and I’ve been making an extra effort to fit in all the important things in my life. I finally started teaching as a substitute in the local schools. It’s been an adjustment, but I have a good feeling about it. It’s just a new work/life schedule. So, what does this have to do with being happy?

I recently came across this little post on Instagram. Yes, it’s a little quote from yours truly. I vaguely remember having a poetic moment while teaching one evening, but I was so incredibly touched that my words resonated with one of my students. I’m perhaps doubly surprised at how my own words resonate with me, months later. The thing is, while there are always things in life that you could want, I’m glad to say that there’s nothing in life that I find I still need. There’s always room for improvement, but the surest way to making yourself unhappy is to look for all the things you don’t have. Sure, nothing is a guarantee in my life, and I, like most people, wish to never have to see another bill as long as I live. However, if you look at everything in context, those things aren’t really the important ones. I’m pretty amazed that I get to wake up in my own little home every morning, get to make a living doing something I love, and am surrounded by wonderful people. I just feel lucky, and happy.

I must say it’s hard to be particularly thoughtful on a Sunday night. I sure did try!

Good luck out there 😉

EVA♥

Notable Quotes. Quotable Notes.

Posted on October 15, 2014 by 4evamaria

Hello all!

This week feels like a week of endless Mondays.

Ever have one of those?

….

Today’s Blogtober prompt was to share your favorite quote. Now, if you know me, that’s like asking me to choose my favorite flavor of ice cream, or doughnut. It’s just not possible. So, I thought I would share some of my latest discoveries, all of which are currently residing on my “Notable Quotes. Quotable Notes” board on my Pinterest. I wouldn’t call myself an avid pinner, by any means, but I do like to peruse the site, from time to time. I’ve discovered some beautiful and inspiring things there.

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These are some of my favorites, for the moment.

Words are like food for me- some people find a dish they enjoy, and never feel the need to try anything else. I, on the other hand, find something delicious and suddenly want to try more. I want more thought-provoking words, more poems, more things to connect to. I’ve been rather restless this whole week, and sometimes those words of encouragement are all you need. I think that sometimes our lives get too cluttered with junk: junk food, “guilty pleasure” tv, cheap clothes, excessive social media. I love reading about the latest beauty trends as much as the next gal, but do I really need to know what Kim Kardashian’s new haircut looks like according to Facebook? No. No I do not. It’s much easier to fill up on the frivolous stuff than to sit down and to think about things that really matter. To me that’s art, music, the people that are close to me- the things that I’m passionate about. When things get a little dicey, those are the things that I want, along with the little, constant reminder:

I am, I am, I am.

EVA♥

Fall List

Posted on October 14, 2014 by 4evamaria

Hello everyone!

Remember my Summer List? Well, here’s the fall edition!

I had quite the busy summer, and while I didn’t manage to buy myself a new swimsuit, visit the Hippie Tree, or go paddle boarding, I did have a summer filled with visits to the farmer’s market, the Alameda Art & Wine Festival, and plenty of sundresses. You might be able to recall that I also wrote about my day in St. Helena, and my beautiful birthday dinner at Foreign Cinema. I would consider my summer a success. Yet, seeing as fall is one of those proverbial in-between seasons, I didn’t expect it to be quite as extensive as my summer list. Here’s what I have so far:

…Drink as many Starbuck’s pumpkin spice lattes as possible…
…Wear my favorite warm sweaters…
…Carve pumpkins…
…Go apple picking…
…Do something, anything for Halloween, in a fantastic costume…
…Have a girl’s afternoon tea at the Neiman Marcus Rotunda…
…Attend Off the Grid, Twilight at the Presidio…
…Buy an absurdly large bag of Halloween candy, all for me…
…Wear lots of dark, berry-hued lipsticks…
…Dance as much as possible (as usual)…

While I’m sure that many ladies have those pumpkin spice lattes on the top of their lists, it’s relatively respectable, right? I’m working on those Halloween plans, and the afternoon tea reservation is already made. So far, so good!

Happy fall!

EVA♥

Halloween circa 2008

Posted on October 10, 2014 by 4evamaria

Hello everyone!

Here’s a little belated #TBT for you!

Halloween is coming up, and is frequently the topic of discussion between myself and my students. (“I’m gonna be a dead race car driver!” Creative.) I sometimes make a point of telling them that Halloween is not quite the same when you’re an adult. The emphasis is less on your fantastic costume, and more on how to get the more belligerent trick-or-treaters to stop doorbell-ditching your house.Yes, I’m slowly turning into the “Get off my lawn!” woman. Sure, some of my more festive friends host little parties, usually involving pumpkin carving or a horror film screening, but that’s about it. While I lament this “aging-out” of Halloween fun, I’m totally satisfied knowing that there once was I time where I celebrated Halloween in the most ridiculous manner conceivable.

As some of you might already know, I went to college in Santa Barbara, which also happens to be land of the week-long Halloween. This is not an exaggeration. Every year, thousands of college students would make the pilgrimage to Isla Vista, and fill the flood light-lined streets. It was a whole weekend of mayhem- streets were closed and mounted police invaded our beachside town to corral the mob of costumed students. Speaking of costumes, you were some sort of loser if you didn’t have at least three different costumes lined up. Case in point, the below photos are all from a single Halloween my senior year.

I was an 80’s rockstar, who, by the end of the night looked like Alice Cooper, as we all got caught in a surprise downpour and my mascara ran down my face, leaving black tracks.

A pirate, a rag doll, and myself, alongside the Powerpuff Girls. Oh, and a grown man dressed as a crayon in the background.

Walking down Del Playa Dr. One of the main streets in Isla Vista.

I was also Lara Croft from Tomb Raider, which was possibly the most comfortable costume ever! My version of Lara Croft wears Uggs, okay.

My roommate Maren and I made quite the team; she went as Indian Jones. I brandished my two-dimensional guns, and she discovered the lamp in our living room…so many adventures.

Photos c/o Maren Masterson & Jessica Rodriguez. Hi ladies!

We always managed to host a new group of friends in our living room every year. It’s not everyday you come back from class and have to step over five people to get to your room! Costumes not pictured that I wore the same year are: Mango, the Chris Kattan inspired exotic dancer from SNL, “Super Gaucho” our school mascot, and a fairy, specifically for ballet class the day of Halloween proper. A total of five, altogether.

After that, it’s hard to find anything that lives up to the Halloween memories of my college years. No matter how spectacular your costume is, it’s just one costume. And you might be surrounded by friends, but not all of them want to sleep on the floor of your living room, or want to take twenty deliberately embarrassing photos to post to Facebook. Those were the good, uncomplicated days. There’s a lot of things that I miss about them. Gaucho ’til I die.

EVA♥

It’s Blogtober!

Posted on October 6, 2014 by 4evamaria

Hello everyone!

Happy Monday! Today, I’ve decided to do something new on the blog this month:

It’s Blogtober!

Ok…I’m a little late to the #Blogtober14 party, but cut me some slack. It’s only been the first year of Watch Me Juggle, after all. This little link up was inspired by the lovely Taylor Wolfe, who’s blog, The Daily Tay, I recently stumbled across on Bloglovin’. While I’m not promising I’ll be able to keep up with blogging every day, I will certainly try to ace as many of these prompts as I can this month. You might even see some writing from me on the weekends! Gasp! I’ve unfortunately missed the first five prompts, and they were pretty good ones, too. So good, in fact, that I might revisit them later. I’ll admit it, I might just customize this thing to my liking. Rules, schmules. Let’s begin:

10 Things I’d Tell Myself When I Started Blogging:

Things change a lot in a year, and looking back to the place I was a year ago, I can say that I’m so proud of my work. Both on and off Watch Me Juggle. So, like the prompt suggests, these are some of the things I’d tell myself:

1. Everything is going to be fine. I’m still constantly telling myself this, but a year ago, I could have really used the advice. On a quiet, uneventful evening, I wrote my first post. My job/financial situation wasn’t the most stable, and I felt uneasy 99% of the time.

2. People are going to read your blog! Don’t post something ridiculous or try to be someone you’re not. Take pride in the work you do, and trust that you can represent yourself better than anyone else can.

3. Plug, plug, plug. Shamelessly. While I don’t needlessly start conversations with people with the fact that I have a blog, I sometimes feel odd about blasting every blog post all over social media. What I often forget is that there are people out there who are experts at this, even basing entire careers off of it. Hello, social media marketing! Yes, I’m still new at this stuff, but I’m going to tweet the living daylights out of my blog in the hopes of reaching some new internet friends out there.

4. Why are you not on Instagram? No, seriously, why? It’s amazing. It’s like a more visual Facebook, but back when Facebook was simple and still cool.

5. More pictures, please. I’m still working on this one. It’s all too common that I end up enjoying myself too much while out and about, and neglect to document it in photos. I’ve gotten a bit better, but would still like more photographic proof of the fact that I do more than dance, all the time. Like, sometimes, I like to go out and dance…in new places. It’s totally different.

6. Find your niche and enjoy. I frequent fashion and beauty blogs non-stop. I love seeing the outfits everyone else puts together and exploring the plethora of makeup tutorials plastered all over Youtube. While I enjoy all that, and like to feature fashion/beauty-oriented things on the blog, I think a huge part of who I am as a writer is based on my life experiences- my stories, if you will. Luckily, there’s a convenient category of “lifestyle” blogging, which allows me to write about, well, life.

7. Don’t force it. This one is a hard one. There are some days that the ideas just aren’t there, and the drafts you started weeks ago are collecting dust, looking totally uninspiring. Be kind to yourself, go for a walk, and let your mind rest for a bit. The writing will continue as always.

8. Find inspiration where you can. They say that there are no more “original ideas” when it comes to art. All those amazing blogs you read? A wealth of inspiration. Write about things you want to read!

9. A little everyday goes a long way. Take advantage of the times you feel inspired to write. Sure, you might have already published your post for the day, but that doesn’t mean you can’t start one for the next day. Or the next.

10. Enjoy the positive feedback. The people who genuinely enjoy your blog will tell you. Accept these compliments, and let them give you confidence. Don’t forget to pass the positivity on to other people.

You can do anything. ‘duh.

EVA ♥

Thank You

Posted on October 3, 2014 by 4evamaria

Hello everyone, and Happy Friday!

A little note from my dear friend Brooke surprised me in the mail this week!

I hope everyone is having a good day thus far. Meanwhile, my day isn’t even half gone, and I’ve already experienced what I would deem as 800 kinds of ridiculous. I woke to the sound of the local high school band practicing what sounded like taiko drums in the street outside of my house. About an hour later, add in the sound of a weed-whacker and you have an idyllic morning. I later figured I would do a few things around the house, and, to my horror, discovered the largest spider I have ever seen in suburbia nesting in my lovely purple shower. Like any girl with good sense, I attempted to hairspray it to death. When this did not work, I panicked and resorted to running about my house like a crazy person. Life is really glamorous sometimes. I digress.

Today, I just wanted to take a moment to say Thank you.

It’s been almost a year since I first posted on Watch Me Juggle, and it’s been such a wonderful experience. I have about 70 followers, some of whom I know, some of whom I consider my “internet friends.” So, if you’re reading this: thank you. My blog started out as something fun and indulgent, and I frankly didn’t expect many people to take interest in it (aside from my mother- Hi mom!). I can’t believe all the positive feedback I’ve gotten. So many of you have been so supportive and kind, I really couldn’t ask for better. Thank you for encouraging me to write, and for supporting all of my crazy dreams. My little corner of the internet wouldn’t be the same without you.

Love,

EVA♥

Five Things

Posted on September 24, 2014 by 4evamaria

Hello everyone!

Despite what I initially stated on Monday’s post, yesterday was, in fact, the first day of Autumn. Whoops! Either way, things have been continuing the same as always, and it’s still absurdly warm here in the Bay Area. So, while cooking alive in my little apartment despite having all my fans going, I give you: Five Things.

This past Saturday was our school’s annual trip to San Francisco for the newest pointe students. This is a huge rite of passage, and often something a dancer remembers for the rest of her life. I was so glad to be a part of it this year. I was feeling creative and snagged a fun picture of everyone on the escalator.

My dance outfit of the day, also a workplace selfie. I’m sporting my newest Sonoya style Yumiko leotard. It’s wonderfully comfortable, and a fabulous replacement for one I lost earlier this month. Please ignore my frightening dancer feet.

A beautiful little piece of graffiti art found on last week’s hike. The view while sitting in this decorated bench was just as lovely, if not more so.

Photo c/o Gimme Some Oven

I recently made these coconut oil chocolate chip cookies from food blogger Ali Ebright at Gimme Some Oven. Despite the lack of butter, they were utterly amazing! You can find the recipe here. The coconut oil added some fantastic flavor, and I don’t feel badly about eating more than one…or two…or five, whatever!

And, lastly, on a more serious note…

UN Goodwill Ambassador for UN Women Emma Watson is so genuine and eloquent in her speech advocating for gender equality. You absolutely need to watch this. It’s my honest belief that many people don’t, in fact, understand the true meaning of the term ‘feminist.’ It’s uncomplicated, and fundamentally a human rights issue, above all else.

Food for thought.

EVA♥