The Tiny Tree

Posted on December 19, 2014 by 4evamaria

Hello everyone, and happy Friday!

Since I started living on my own about three-ish years ago, I’ve developed a few traditions that I like to carry out over the years. I like to buy myself a present every Valentine’s Day, and I leave it wrapped until the day of. I get my nails done every year, without fail, on my birthday. And, of course you already know about my yearly Thanksgiving traditions. It’s sort of silly, but these simple things have become an oddly significant part of my life. For example, one of my all time favorite things to do around Christmastime is….to get a tree!

Yes, it’s not the most innovative, but, after years of living like a nomad and not having a tree, I finally went out and got one during the first winter I spent in my apartment. While they initially started out quite small, this year’s tree was the odd giant among the tiny trees on the lot, and I had to bring him home with me.

Brace yourself for selfies:

This funny little picture gives you some perspective of the actual size of my tree. I always feel a little absurd lugging my Christmas tree home with one hand. It’s certainly doable!

Before: Naked tree!

Sure, a Christmas Tiffany box isn’t necessarily an ornament, but it was the first thing I popped on the tree this year!

After: With a little extra sparkle. I’ve collected a number of ornaments organically over the years. My favorites thus far are Barbie as Titania, Queen of the Fairies, a pair of ceramic angel wings, and a little sparkling pair of pointe shoes. I’m a dancer, after all. My tree wouldn’t be complete without a nod to my profession. I’m looking forward to adding some more ornaments to my collection this year.

I must admit, I had to squeeze in some tree decorating between multiple jobs, and rather late nights, but it’s been well worth it. It’s just my size, and, albeit a little lopsided, but perfect to me.

EVA♥

Five Things

Posted on December 17, 2014 by 4evamaria

Hi everyone!

This week marks my last week of teaching in 2014. What?!

It’s strange to look at it that way, but it’s true. I have no idea where this year has gone. I hope all your planning for the holidays has been going well thus far. I’ve managed to put a dent in my holiday shopping but still have quite a few things left to do. Namely, I have yet to get a Christmas tree, but it’s the first thing on the list for tomorrow!

As always, let’s get to this week’s Five Things!

Photo c/o Buzzfeed, Creative Commons

Ah, Buzzfeed- providing endless hours of internet entertainment. I recently found 51 Of the Most Beautiful Sentences in Literature, and I’m pleased to say that I’m familiar with most of them. Although having read Lolita, I don’t quite recall the line above, but love it nonetheless.

I may have a slight obsession with snarky refrigerator magnets. I’m slowly growing my collection, little by little, hoping that one day I’ll have enough to horrify future house guests. This one is particularly witty, if you ask me.

Whilst in Tempe, I spent a lazy afternoon with a friend at a place cleverly known as the World of Beer. Boasting over 100 beers on the menu, I made a beeline for the Austrian section for one of my favorites: Stiegl Radler. It’s an Austrian shandy of sorts, but made with grapefruit soda in lieu of lemonade. Amazing!

Apparently, this is the face I make when eating habañero peppers. Of course, it seemed like a good idea at the time. Never again. But, at least I can check that off of my to-do list!

Meanwhile, back at World of Beer, I give you the largest pretzel I’ve ever seen. They do get points for creative display.

Cheers!

EVA♥

Buy It Yourself

Posted on December 17, 2014 by 4evamaria

Hello all!

Is it just me or does there seems to be an awful lot of pressure associated with the holidays?

Sure, it makes sense – frustrations tend to surmount at the end of the year. You have all those presents to think about, all the people you care about to please, and enough rain to make everyone drive like there must be a fifth of scotch in their car cup holders. (Side note: Californians really don’t do well with rain, do they?) Let’s not forget trying to navigate the frightening crowds of people who takeover the mall this time of year.

After seeing everyone (including myself, at times) go wacky around Christmastime, I decided that sometimes you need to be a little extra kind to yourself. Let’s face it, even when things are going great, the holidays aren’t necessarily easy to navigate. No matter how or what you celebrate, you want to do it well.

Sometimes, you just need to buy it for yourself.

And I did!

I’m not necessarily a fan of waiting around for things to happen, so I marched myself into Tiffany’s one day and nabbed a piece I had been eyeing for quite a while. I love the contrast between the silver and the single rose gold heart. It was a bit indulgent, I must say, but I wear it everyday and I love it. I’m a firm believer in treating yourself a bit around the holidays, along with all those you care about. Let’s face it, life can be stressful sometimes, just be sure to surround yourself with beautiful people as well as a few beautiful things.

EVA♥

One Tree, Many Santas

Posted on December 15, 2014 by 4evamaria

Hello everyone!

For those of you who are not familiar with San Francisco traditions, this last weekend was the famed Santa Con, a day in which everyone dresses up in Santa regalia and bands together for a city-wide pub crawl. Now, while I did not participate, but I did have friends visiting from out of town who absolutely had to see the crowds of mischievous Santas for themselves.

Of course, we had to visit the big, bedazzled tree in Union Square.

Photo c/o Rachel Suzanne

Although we anticipated only catching the very end of Santa Con, we wandered into a bar and lo and behold: all the Santas. And, there weren’t just Santas- there was also a Grinch and a few very festive snowmen. Even better, they were all mid-song when we found them, crowded into the small bar, bellowing out Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.”

Of course, I took a “stealthy” over-the-shoulder selfie to document the moment:

In a nutshell, my Saturday night was a little something like this:

And then we went to the Cheesecake Factory.

No, seriously…we did.

EVA♥

Adventures at The Farm

Posted on December 11, 2014 by 4evamaria

Hello all!

So…the last thing I expected to find in the middle of Tempe, Arizona would be a full-blown farm. But, there it was. Surrounded by cacti and mountains, you’ll find the surprising lush Farm, complete with three restaurants and a weekend market.

Cue the photos!

This is my friend Emily. This is also her sassy face.

A giant, fresh-squeezed mimosa to start the day right! Also pictured is the very first Bloody Mary I’ve ever tasted. Pretty darn good.

A fabulous, yet messy breakfast sandwich. I will never be that woman that can eat and not spill. I somehow ended up with egg yolk on my skirt!

….

Yes, you could say I’ve officially jumped on the farm-to-table bandwagon. After walking though the farm grounds, we settled on having a much needed brunch at the Morning Glory Cafe. They had a fantastic variety of options, many of them with a Latin twist. Emily ordered their huevos rancheros- so flavorful! Obviously, everything served was extremely fresh, as we were sitting yards away from fields of vegetables and herbs.

It was a really wonderful way to start the day, very quiet and idyllic. On our way out, I decided to pose by the entrance, which is when the ridiculousness ensued. Emily (my photographer for the day) prompted me to make a funny face, at which point I proceeded to hold my arms out at my sides like an awkward snowman and look confused. Repeatedly.

Click through the slideshow below for your own amusement.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

I’m a really goofy gal, and proud.

Can’t wait for the next adventure!

EVA♥

Oops, I’m in Arizona

Posted on December 9, 2014 by 4evamaria

Hello all!

I hope I’m finding you well this lovely Tuesday.

Despite the title of today’s blog, I’ve actually just gotten back at home to the state of California. But I sure was in Arizona five minutes ago…

I was visiting this lady, Emily; one of my college roommates and good friend who always lets me crash on her couch/air bed/army cot…?

It was a trip of many firsts: the first awkward bathroom-selfie, the first time I tasted a Bloody Mary, the first time I ate a habañero pepper, and the first time I played cornhole. Luckily, I have photographic evidence to verify that I did, indeed, do all these things!

See! Cornhole! Considering my hand-eye coordination is horrible, I didn’t play too badly. Don’t worry, you’ll get to see my reaction to the habañero pepper I ate later…

I flew in to the Phoenix area for a whirlwind trip over the weekend. It’s been many years since I’ve been back, and it was lovely to see it through new eyes.

We hit the ground running with plans to have dinner and drinks at the new Yard Tempe. The brainchild of Culinary Dropout, it already had a stellar reputation, despite the fact that it had yet to officially open. Of course, our group didn’t know this as we clambered out of our Uber SUV, walked into the restaurant, and casually asked to be seated. We were informed that it was, in fact, the soft opening, and that they were only accepting reservations. Not at all dismayed, we started to make our way to the bar, only to be intercepted by the hostess, who indeed turned out to have a table for six.

Then…things got interesting.

We were handed the menus and informed that we could choose a number of cocktails and antipasti, an entrée apiece, and multiple desserts to share- all on the house. The blurry photo you see above is the result of our damage done over a few hours of dining: $0.00. We had an amazing time, and a very sweet waitress (whom we tipped heftily). We couldn’t figure out what was more astonishing: the fact that our bill was entirely comped, or the fact that we inadvertently crashed an invite-only opening night party. Pretty sweet, if you ask me.

Has anything like this happened to you, dear readers? It was certainly a first for me!

As always, more adventures later.

EVA♥

SLO Town: Old Favorites

Posted on December 5, 2014 by 4evamaria

Hi everyone!

Delicious and unique doughnuts from SLO Doughnut Company, SLO-DO-CO for short. A few of my personal favorites happen to be their boysenberry cream cheese doughnut, nutella-filled doughnut, and…the bear claws. Yes, bear claws are sort of generic, but these are crumb-covered and apple-filled. Yum!

A few lovely kitties found at Woods Human Society, one of the most beautiful shelters I’ve ever seen. Oh, and you can assess your cat’s personality there, if you so wish.

The tri-tip sandwich from the famous Firestone Grill. Trust me, the picture does not do it justice.

…

Today, I wanted to tell you about some of my favorite places I’ve discovered in San Luis Obispo. Since this involves me, it clearly also involves doughnuts.

Luckily, my friends Xela and Maren live within walking distance to a SLO establishment: the SLO Doughnut Company. Open 24/7, they have a huge variety of unique and classic doughnuts. I’ve never had a bad doughnut here, and they do make a pretty decent cup of coffee. It’s primarily known as a college student haunt, but I’ve seen people of all ages flock to it. They get bonus points in my book for having extra tubes of frosting and sprinkles on the condiment bar, just in case you’re one of those people who can’t get enough sugar, or Red 40, in their diet. When doughnuts and coffee can’t quite soothe your soul, take a trip down to Woods Humane Society. This is no depressing, prison-like shelter. The animals here seem really content in their beautiful, state-of-the-art facilities. For fear of sounding like a cat-lady in the making, I love spending time in their cat enclosure. They’re all free to roam around together, to climb cat trees and lay in the sun if they so choose. I fell in love with the prettiest round white cat named Lili. She immediately sat in my lap and started to purr, as if she had been waiting around for me to come home. I’m always sad I can’t take all the animals home with me.

And lastly, absolutely every time I visit, I have to stop by Firestone Grill downtown for a tri-tip sandwich. I was not impressed by the sound of it at first. Who wants to eat a sandwich composed of nothing but meat, barbecue sauce, and bread? Trust me, it’s amazing. You’ll just have to try one for yourself. Bonus points to them for selling fries by the “basket.” It’s easily enough for three people. Can’t recommend it enough!

I’m off on another adventure this weekend, so you’ll be hearing more about my latest travels soon!

EVA♥

SLO Town: New Things

Posted on December 4, 2014 by 4evamaria

Hello all!

I’ve visited San Luis Obispo many, many times over the years. I’ve become familiar enough with the town that I can find my way around sans Google Maps. I have a list of “must-sees” and “must-dos,” but there’s still countless new places to explore.

This last trip, my girlfriends took me to the family-run winery, Kelsey See Canyon Vineyards. I’ve been to a few vineyards, but none quite like this one. It’s a bit out-of-the-way, found down a winding tree-lined road, and so refreshingly laid back. There’s zero pretension here. The Kelsey family (and their dog, Tessa) can often be found lounging around the backyard tasting area, which also happens to be surrounded by peacocks. In the tasting room proper, you’ll find local artist Colleen Gnos’s mermaid-filled artwork. Jeb accompanied us, and was thrilled to have so many people pay attention to him. He’s great at making new friends, I must say. In a fit of enthusiasm (probably helped by all that wine I drank), I left the winery with three bottles of wine. They had a Black Friday special going on, after all.

Later that same evening, a group of us went out to dinner at the famous Taco Temple in Morro Bay, which is about a 10 mile drive from SLO. What appears to be a salad pictured above, is in fact a single fish taco. They also featured absolutely HUGE $8 burritos. Don’t try picking it up- a fork and knife is definitely needed.

Unfortunately for me, I manage to encounter a new favorite place with every trip to SLO. The only way I can make my way through my whole “to-do” list now is that I stay longer and longer each time I visit.

Sounds like a plan, right? Stayed tuned for tomorrow’s SLO Town: Old Favorites.

EVA♥

Five Things

Posted on December 3, 2014 by 4evamaria

Hello everyone!

I’m enjoying a cozy evening at home, with some long-anticipated rain tapping away on the windowpanes. I’ve been listening to the rather ominous Dark Places by Gillian Flynn on audiobook, and just had to turn it off for a minute to take it in the racket all the rain has been making outside. It’s been such a long time, I’ve forgotten what heavy rain sounds like- quite nice, really. This week’s Five Things is, without a doubt, San Luis Obispo-themed. It was where I spent my extended Thanksgiving vacation, after all.

Let’s hop to it:

I’ve rarely encountered a functioning record player, and was totally thrilled to mill through my friends stack of old records. Naturally, I picked Arethea to serenade us while we cooked our Thanksgiving dinner. I’m definitely entertaining the idea of buying one myself now.

One of my favorite stores in downtown San Luis has to be Hands Gallery. It’s filled with the most beautiful, locally made jewelry and art. I love going in and ogling everything, especially this framed poster extolling the virtues of coffee. It kind of is just like buying instant happiness, if you ask me.

This beautiful little card made its way into my hands over this last week. I keep it on top of my dresser so I can see it every morning as I’m putting on my jewelry for the day. I’m lucky enough to have many of these things.

This is Smurf, the most aggressive lap cat I’ve ever met. Now, mind you, she’s not aggressive and lap-oriented, she’s just really serious about getting in your lap and staying there. Don’t try to get up when she’s not ready, she’ll just hold on for dear life. Ouch.

Image via: Brown Butter Cookie Company

During last year’s Thanksgiving in SLO (San Luis Obispo) , I visited the beachside town of Cayucos. I quickly learned that it happens to be home to one of the most delicious cookie companies ever: Brown Butter Cookie Company. You know it’s good when the word “butter” is part of the company’s name. I didn’t get the chance to drive up to Cayucos this year, but I did sample these buttery little cookies in a local shop in SLO.

Nothing’s better than delicious food and good company, if you ask me.

EVA♥

Where did November Go?!

Posted on December 2, 2014 by 4evamaria

Hello everyone!

I’m sure many of you, like me, are wondering just where the heck the last month went. Well, it may have come and gone in a blink, but I sure did enjoy the last few days of November.

This is what I was in charge of this Thanksgiving. Yes, I did an excellent job.

It wouldn’t be the holidays without Jeb, the tri-pod dog with the amazing spirit.

Awesome people photos c/o Kira Smith & Perry, the man in black.

My dear friend Maren and I. She has my back. We have plans to grow old together and annoy each other endlessly after our husbands are gone. There are twin rocking chairs on the porch waiting for us in our old age together.

….

In case you missed last year’s Thanksgiving post, my girlfriends and I have a longstanding tradition of celebrating our very own Thanksgiving together. It’s been going on five years now, and keeps getting better. We make a mean turkey, using Oprah’s favorite recipe, and all the fixins.’ Friends Reggie & Jas also joined us this year, and brought along a fantastic holiday cocktail consisting of egg nog, Kahlua, and Jim Beam. This of course means that I did get to try egg nog for the first time ever in my life. It’s like liquid Christmas pudding, really.

We have an annual tradition of taking fabulous photos in front of our dining table, only to later put on pajamas/sweatpants and finally eating our meal. We also like to take some time and go around the table sharing the things we’re thankful for this year. I’m fairly sure that every year I say that I’m so thankful to be able to spend time with the family I’ve chosen for myself. They’re very important people to me, after all. I’m also thankful that my friend Xela (pictured above in the royal blue dress) came through a very serious, recent surgery just fine. She’s a very inspiring human being. In fact, all my girlfriends inspire me. Maren, my college roommate for years, is studying to be a nurse, and is definitely the kind person I would want by my side in any emergency. I’m friggin’ thankful that so many strong women are my friends, and that I get to spend holidays with them.

I hope you all also had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Happy Holidays!

EVA♥

Watch Me Juggle

Tag Archives: lifestyle

The Tiny Tree

Five Things

Buy It Yourself

One Tree, Many Santas

Adventures at The Farm

Oops, I’m in Arizona

SLO Town: Old Favorites

SLO Town: New Things

Five Things

Where did November Go?!

My dear friend Maren and I. She has my back. We have plans to grow old together and annoy each other endlessly after our husbands are gone. There are twin rocking chairs on the porch waiting for us in our old age together.