Thirty Before Thirty

So, I decided after turning 29 last October that I would make a "30 before 30" list of all of things I want to do before turning the big 3-0. I've been meaning to get this on my blog for awhile now, but better late than never! I hope by putting this out in the blogosphere, I'll be more motivated to complete it. Come on friends, hold me to these! If you want to join in on some of these, let me know! I've only got 4 and half months to get through the list!

I'm a lot less anxious about this milestone birthday than I thought I'd be when I was in my early twenties. I'm excited to enter a new decade of my life and am grateful for all I've been able to do thus far. Besides, thirties are the new twenties, right?!? My twenties had a lot of ups and downs, but it was overall a pretty awesome 10 years. I look forward to seeing what my thirties have in store, bring it on! 

Deadline of October 23, 2013

1. Run first 5K (I ran the Color Run in November 2012, so fun!)

2. Skydive

3. Open an etsy store

4. Make a quilt of my fav. sorority shirts and finally get rid of the rest

5. Organize my closet and donate old clothes I couldn't part with for so long

6. Take a hot air balloon ride (they go off near the beach in Del Mar, CA - so pretty!)

7. Cook dinner AT LEAST twice a week (pre-packaged or prepared doesn't count!)

8. Have an awesome 30th birthday bash! (Dinner at Stone Brewery was so fun!)

9. Begin a consistent yoga practice (getting there!)

10. Join a book club  - San Diego Literary Society, what, what?!? We're so fancy :)

11. Finish all the books I've started and never finished (Hmm, might need an extension on this one!)

12. Watch 5 classic movies I've never seen

13. Learn to surf

14. Go sea kayaking (Went in La Jolla, so beautiful and fun! Thanks Bill!)

15. Get a nice SLR camera and take a photography class

16. Go to an outdoor movie or drive-in

17. Hike in Yosemite (Went for the amazing wedding of good friends Erin and Doug, and stayed a couple extra days to explore!)

18. Get out of debt

19. Start saving more

20. Blog at least twice a month (I've been such a slacker!)

21. Join a community orchestra

22. Meet the man of my dreams (sick of meeting frogs, you gotta be out there somewhere!)

23. Find a church to go to regularly 

24. Take a California road trip (Went to Santa Barbara for Erin's Bachelorette weekend, and Yosemite for her wedding!)

25. Watch the sunrise on the beach (I've watched some amazing sunsets on the beach here though!)

26. Go to Disneyland (CA) 

27. Go to LA for a taping of a talk or late-night show (Went to Jay Leno!)

28. Host or go to a murder mystery dinner party

29. Reconnect with some old friends (I've seen some old friends already this year that I hadn't seen in a long time!) 

30. Turn off phone and email for a whole day and just spend it alone doing my favorite things.

Happy 4th Birthday Max!

This post is a few days belated, but Happy Birthday to my "fur-child" Max!

About 3 and half years ago, I went into a pet store on my lunch break from work. I looked through the glass at an energetic maltese puppy. He was a ball of white fur with the funniest expressions. There was a sign on his window with "Sale" written large across the price which had been reduced pretty low. I asked the shop worker why (did he have some health issues or some defect... although I would have loved him anyways!) and she said no, it was just because he'd been in the store too long. How no one snatched up the cutie is beyond me!

So, long story short, I went after work to tell my friend/roommate about him and she came back to the pet store with me to meet him. And that night I came home with Max (then unnamed), a crate and a box of food, treats and toys. I had never had a dog before in my life, and had no idea how to care for a 4 month old puppy! But he stole my heart, and I quickly learned how to keep shoes hidden and the woes of house training. 

Here's Max shortly after I brought him home exploring the yard.

Max made the cross country drive with me to San Diego almost three years ago and has quickly adjusted to the Southern Californian lifestyle :)  If it's above 80 degrees he thinks it's too hot, he loves catching some waves at Dog Beach and is an all together chill dog. 

Pit stop in the Painted Desert in Arizona during the cross-country drive to San Diego.

Max cooling off in the water.

Almost a year ago, I adopted my second dog Millie from a rescue group, and she is the perfect friend for Max! They love each other and keep me laughing. They are quite the duo. Most people think they are related. 

 

Last Thursday, on March 21st, Max turned 4! He got a "pup-cake" to celebrate :) He is the most loyal, funny, smart, energetic, sweet and loving dog I could have ever asked for and until I have kids one day, he and Millie are my fur-children :)

Merry Christmas from Max and Millie!

I took Max and Millie to their Doggie Daycare to get a picture with Santa last Saturday morning. They wore their Christmas sweaters and Millie even tolerated bows in her hair. I'm so pleased with how the picture turned out, it really captured their personalities. I'm a bit of a crazy dog owner I know, but how stinkin' cute are they?!?

And here's one of two versions of my Christmas card this year.

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season filled with lots of laughter, love, good company and blessings.

Monday Musings: Getting Crafty

I usually see cute do-it-yourself craft projects on Pinterest and think, "I should make that!" I then pin it and save it for a rainy day. Rarely do I get around to actually making any of these adorable things. But this past weekend I decided to give a fairly simple looking idea a shot. It's a great way to store and display your favorite headbands. Mine usually get thrown in a box, and I loved this idea!

Source: makeitmyown.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest

The source is Lyssa Beth blog. She has lots of fun DIY ideas!  

So,  here's my result - it was so easy. All you need is a large oatmeal canister, a candle holder, scrapbook paper and glue. My total cost was $3. And I made some delicious oatmeal chocolate chip cookies with the oatmeal :) 

Apply glue to the back side of the scrapbook paper (a sponge paint brush works well) and then wrap around the canister. I used a hot glue gun to attach the candle holder ($0.05 at a rummage sale down the street) to the bottom of the canister. I had this cute vintage french themed scrapbook paper already. This took me all of 10 minutes to do, and voila!

New Keys and a New Address

After endless searching, I found my new home! A little more than three weeks ago I got the keys to my beautiful loft. I've been MIA in the blog world because of the move and my new job! Two months ago I started a new position in fundraising at another theatre in San Diego. So needless to say, life has been hectic! 

I'm finally unpacked (mostly) and am having fun decorating and reorganizing. Moving is always a great excuse to go through all your belongings and downsize. I took a car full of things to Goodwill on Sunday and it felt great to rid myself of some clutter. But if you know me, you know that I'm a pack rat and hang on to things FAR too long. So I still have a ways to go in that department.  My new place has little storage, so I'm having to be creative in hiding my clutter - not just shove it in a closet. Thank goodness for Pinterest which has given me some great ideas.  

Here are a few photos from the listing for the condo:

I love the windows in the living room, high ceilings, beautiful new hardwood floors and spiral staircase. Max and Millie wouldn't go past the second stair for a few days, but they have finally mastered the winding stairs. When the place is a bit more organized, I'll post the "after" pictures. Here's my favorite addition to my new pad - Kate Spade bedding!

Hope everyone is enjoying their summers and staying cool... especially my East Coast friends! Not to brag (okay, maybe a little) but it's a perfect 75 degrees here in San Diego today. Every time I start to miss my beloved Carolinas and Virginia, I remember what the summer weather is like ;) But I do miss sipping sweet tea on the porch in summertime.


xoxo,
Jess

Meet Millie

Ever since my dog Max spent a month with my parents' dog Ringo at the holidays, I've been considering the idea of getting another dog. You can see the pictures of Max and Ringo meeting at Thanksgiving here. Then I came across a group in San Diego called Holly's Garden Rescue. The non-profit resues small breed dogs (mostly Maltese, Shih Tzus and Lhasa Apso) from shelters to find them good homes.

I saw one dog's picture in particular (they named her Cupcake) and I knew I had to meet her. On Sunday I brought Max with me to the foster home she was staying at. They instantly got along, rolling and wrestling in the yard together. She was so sweet and jumped right into my lap. I knew that she was a great fit for Max and I. They told me that she was a stray picked up by an animal shelter in San Bernadino, CA. It is a high-kill shelter that euthanizes dogs after only 5 (not even full) days in the shelter. She was rescued just in time. I've read up about the shelter, and they have some horror stories about how the animals are treated. It just breaks my heart. I'm so grateful that she was found and put up for adoption. 

From Holly's Garden's 

From our first visit meeting Millie

I went home and thought about for a couple of days and then on Tuesday night I adopted her. Max and her instantly started playing. I knew then that it was the right decision. I spent most of yesterday thinking about dog names, because I knew Cupcake had to go! After lots of great suggestions from friends and co-workers, I settled on Millie. I think it fits her well. She loves to cuddle and is very active and energetic. She is a maltese mix, but I think she looks a lot like Max! What do you think?

They are already best buds. I never had a dog until I got Max 3 years ago. And now I couldn't imagine my life without dogs. Whenever you're having a bad day, it's impossible not to be cheered up by these faces!



Revenge is back!

Revenge was FINALLY back last night with a new episode and will be new each week for the rest of the season! It is hands down the best new show of this season. I jumped on the Revenge train late after a friend told me I'd love the show. So, one weekend I started watching the episodes online and couldn't stop! I watched 13 episodes in one weekend. It's that good.

The opening line of the show is "This is not a story about forgiveness… this is a story about revenge!" It is set in the Hamptons, New York where the characters live a very priviledged life of yacht rides and cocktail parties. The main character Emily Thorne has well concocted plans to bring down the people that destroyed her life. The Grayson family had her father accused of a crime he didn't commit when she was just a young girl. Something about aiding terrorists in bringing down a flight.

She returns to the house in the Hamptons where she lived the summer he was arrested and begins to exact her revenge on the Grayson family and other people who were involved in his arrest. And part of that plan is cozying up to the Grayson son Daniel, and getting him to propose to her. It doesn't hurt that he's ridiculously handsome. (Side note: the actor is British, which makes him significantly more attractive in real life with his accent.) So far, each episode has centered around bringing down a different player in her revenge plan.

The cast is led by Emily VanCamp as Emily Thorne, and man has she perfected the death stare. I was so happy to see her back on TV after Brothers and Sisters was cancelled. I'm still mourning the loss of that show. The rest of the cast includes Madeline Stowe as Victoria Grayson, Gabriel Mann as Nolan Ross, Josh Bowman as Daniel Grayson, Nick Wechsler as Jack Porter and Christa B. Allen as Charlotte Grayson.

Here's a great video of Emily VanCamp talking about Revenge on the Ellen Show. Ellen is a huge fan of Revenge and has recently brought most of the actors on her show.

If you haven't seen the show yet, I encourage you to watch! But the story lines are pretty complex, so make sure to catch up online first. Set your DVRs - it's on ABC at 10pm on Wednesdays.

Are you watching Revenge? Without giving away spoilers - do you think Daniel finds out Emily's secret in the next episode? (The preview sure led us to think that!)