In the Background

So, on Tuesday I finally started my full-time "big girl job" working as an aide for a 7-year-old with Autism Spectrum Disorder in her first grade classroom. So far I'm really enjoying it, and I love that I am working in a classroom again. It's like going back to elementary school all over again. I can't wait for field trips!!!
The only downside is that I have been SO. BUSY. I leave my house at 7:15am and I'm usually not home until after 6:00, since I often tutor my kiddo in her home after school. Working these long days make me too tired to hit the gym after work, which does not make my body happy. And since Blake wakes up at 4:30am for work every morning, he's usually in bed by 9:00- which means we see each other for about 3 hours a day. I'm hoping that, after the mortgage and bills are paid, I'll be able to afford to take us to Santa Cruz for a weekend once I get my first "big girl paycheck".

The worst part about being so busy is the lack of "me" time we all need to badly. Recent events have encouraged a lot of self-reflection lately. I've been thinking about my mom a lot, too.
I've been through a lot in the past year-and-a-half. Losing someone close to you, especially in the way we lost her- so abruptly- with so many unanswered questions- is an experience that batters your mind, body and soul. I was looking in the mirror the other day and couldn't believe how much I've aged in the past year. The dark circles under my eyes that were never there before. But also the laugh lines, and the crows feet that are slowly making their prints next to my squinting eyes from nights staying up too late and trying to laugh it all away.

A few weeks ago, the radio show that we used to listen to together on morning drives to school finally retired after 25 years of being on the air. It was a morning routine I carried on throughout college and beyond- they were always there for me during my morning commute. I sat in my car, waiting to clock on for work, listening to the hosts say their tearful goodbyes, listing every person and every moment they were grateful for. I tried so hard to hold back my tears as I experienced the end of something that has been with me since childhood. It was all too familiar.
I can't even explain how badly I wished I could have just called her on the phone to talk to her about it; to get a good cry out; to confront our fleeting lives and reflect on how fast time goes by. It's something we kind of bury in the background until things like this happen- something we know is there but are afraid to acknowledge. And I hate being reminded of it. I hate thinking about my own mortality.

When she passed, I had to accept the fact that she wouldn't be there for major moments in my life- she wasn't there at my graduation; she won't be at my wedding or see my first child be born. What I didn't realize is that she wouldn't be there for the small things- the last Mark and Brian radio show, when my best friend got engaged, when I decided to move in with my boyfriend. And no, I don't ever "feel her presence", to be honest. Maybe I don't believe in it, maybe it's because she chose to go. Perhaps I will someday. One can never tell.

Death forces you to see the world differently- any kind of tragedy does, really. Once you know what it's like to have your heart completely ripped out of your chest you start losing fear of everything else. What else could hurt you more than losing someone that close to you? It makes you humble; it makes you more compassionate. It makes you wake up ten minutes earlier just to enjoy the quiet morning hours. It makes you live slowly.

So, this wasn't my normal "happy" post- I guess I had a lot I needed to get out. Have a nice, slow weekend my friends.

Turn "this" into "THIS!!!"

First thing's first, here is last night's dinner:

 We decided to use quinoa instead of brown rice, but it still turned out delish. The marinade for the fish (the link to the recipe is on my previous post) was super tasty too. (I added a few drops of honey and a splash of orange juice to tone down the bitterness of the vinegar.) To the quinoa I added some pepper, garlic powder, and a squeeze of lemon to spice it up a bit. Healthy and yummy!

I would also like to share with you the amazing lunch I had today. I'm fully aware that it is still well over 90 degrees outside, but today my boyfriend came home after work and said, "This is really weird, but I'm craving soup." Chicken and dumplings soup, to be exact. I think, okay, I only have two hours before I have to leave for work... sounds like a challenge... and I accept! (Just so you all know, I am the self-proclaimed master of doctoring up convenience foods and making them healthy and flavorful.) In our pantry we find two cans of Progresso chicken and wild rice soup, and a packet of this:

Marie Calender's cheese biscuit mix. Using these two ingredients, plus some fresh veggies and spices, we made the most delicious chicken and dumplings soup I have ever had.

 My mouth is still watering. And yes, I will share the secret recipe with you to the best of my ability (the flaw to my cooking is that I never, ever measure anything).
In addition to these two ingredients you will need:

• About a cup of chopped onion (white or yellow)
• Two garlic cloves, minced
• About 1/4 cup of olive oil (or vegetable oil)
• About 2 cups of cubed potatoes (we used baby red potatoes since we had them in the fridge)
• About a cup of chopped carrots (we had a bag of "matchstick" style carrots)
• One zucchini, chopped
• Juice of 1/2 a large lemon
• Any spices you prefer- we like spicy to we added chili powder and cayenne pepper along with black pepper, garlic powder, and a little cumin (we're trying really hard to cut down on salt, but I'm sure this would be like 10X more delicious if you added salt).
• A few cups of water
• Milk and oil/butter to add to the biscuit mix.

And here's what you do:

1. Heat oil in a large soup pot. Add onion, garlic, potatoes, and carrots. Cook until potatoes and carrots are tender.
2. Add zucchini, cook until opaque.
3. Add spices, lemon juice, and enough water to cover all ingredients. Cover and let simmer. Once all vegetables are cooked through, add two cans of soup, cover and return to simmer.
4. Prepare biscuit mix according to directions on package.
5. Allow soup to come to a boil, then drop 1" balls of biscuit batter into soup. Cover and return to boil for about 12 minutes. You can check if "dumplings" are done by removing one from the soup and cutting it in half. 

This soup was soo good, soo easy, and soo filling. And, minus the dumpling part, soo healthy! I can't wait until Fall so I can create even more yummy soup creations! 

FOOD.

I am one of the pickiest eaters on the entire planet. I drive friends and family members (and mostly my boyfriend) absolutely crazy sometimes because of what I will not eat.
I eat mostly vegetarian, but to be honest it's not because I'm an animal rights activist or anything- I just don't like meat. I'll eat chicken and turkey, as long as it's white meat and I am absolutely sure I can't detect any fat/veins/weird squishy stuff in it. I'll eat fish if it's fresh and not slimy or caught in freshwater (this I actually cannot explain) and if I find a single bone in it I won't eat another bite. No beef, pork, or anything else in between. Milk makes me want to gag and I'm not a huge fan of cheese.
Basically, if it has a strange texture or if I don't know every single ingredient going into it, I'm not touching it.
That being said, I'm still a naturally healthy eater. I thank my mother for this, who was not only an amazing cook but who always made sure my sister and I always ate healthy, nutritious foods. Since returning from my vacation in Hawaii (which was full of macadamia nut pancakes and sushi and ice cream and all kinds of things that are bad for me), I have been determined to get back on track with healthy eating and exercise. Since I just went grocery shopping, I'm going to share my shopping list with you:

• Veggies- broccoli, bell peppers, brussel sprouts, yams, spinach
• Fruits- bananas, strawberries, blueberries, avocado, mixed frozen berries, limes, lemons
• Frozen chicken breast
• Frozen tilapia filets
• Raw almonds
• Ground flax seed
• Eggs
• Soy milk and low-fat milk (for my boyfriend)
• Plain, nonfat Greek yogurt
• Honey
• Natural peanut butter

And now I will share with you my dinner menu of the week:

• Monday: Grilled white fish (using a marinade I adapted from this site) with brown rice, steamed broccoli and salad
• Tuesday: Spicy Thai chicken, brown rice, brussel sprouts
• Wednesday: Grilled turkey burgers, baked yams, salad
• Thursday: Tofu and veggie stir fry, brown rice
• Friday: Quinoa and ground turkey-stuffed bell peppers with a salad 

I will try to update with pictures and recipes from this week. If you are wondering what I am currently snacking on while I type this, here is a picture:

 Plain Greek yogurt with blueberries, strawberries, raw almonds and a little bit of honey drizzled on top. The PERFECT snack.

Now if I can only convince my butt cheeks to stop being so sore from all the one-legged squats my boyfriend made me do at the gym last night, maybe I'll be able to squeeze in a workout before I go to my work meeting.
Maybe.

Happy Monday!

Is it Fall Yet?

I have a lot of catching up to do.
So, let's catch up really quick.

First of all, the COLOR RUN!!! What is the Color Run, you ask? It's a 5K run in which volunteers toss pigmented corn starch on you as you pass by. I ran with my sister and some friends, and we had a blast.

The aftermath of the Color Run

This was the second 5K I have run (I did the Run to Feed the Hungry 5K in November) and I always have to much fun- the sense of community with the people around you, the excitement, the encouragement from your friends, the fact that you're getting a great workout while having a great time- I can't wait to do more!

The morning after the Color Run, my boyfriend and I woke up super early and drove to the Oakland airport to board a plane to Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii! The trip was a gift from my parents when I graduated college back in December- let's just say I had been waiting for this vacation for a lonnng time.
We stayed near Waikiki Beach, which is a major tourist attraction. TOURISTS. EVERYWHERE. And since Hawaii is so close to Japan, it's a very popular vacation destination- seriously, 95% of the people we saw there were Japanese. Also, Honolulu is a big, busy city- bigger than Sacramento, where I currently live. Wait, weren't we trying to leave the city?
Nonetheless, Honolulu is amazing. The high temperature is about 85 degrees, and the low is about 75 degrees. There would be random spurts of rain for a few minutes, then the sun would come back out. And the clouds over the island are the most amazing I've ever seen. The ocean is warm and clear, the plants and lush and green.
The food was mediocre and EXPENSIVE. Do NOT go to Hawaii for the food. Go for the atmosphere.
The
 One of the highlights of the trip included hiking to the peak of Diamondhead Crater, a volcanic crater on the South shore of Oahu. The view from the top was amazing:

My FAVORITE thing we did was take a bus out to Hanauma Bay to go snorkeling. I have never seen to many awesome, big, colorful tropical fish in my life. Not to mention the scenery:

It was a truly incredible experience. I felt like I was in another world- or just a really big fish tank. My boyfriend even spotted a small octopus hiding in the reef, hunting for fish. I fell in love with snorkeling and can't wait to do it again.

After the fun, relaxing week passed us by, it was time to return home to reality- and the HEAT. Luckily, we missed the worst part of the 105-plus-degree weather while we were on vacation, but I'm still eagerly waiting cooler temperatures, red and orange leaves, and cloudy skies.
I LOVE FALL. I think about it, dream about it, look up recipes for pumpkin bread and hearty soups all day, gaze longingly at my jackets and coats and boots, sigh at my fireplace when I walk by it. I can hardly wait for it. I check the weather report EVERY SINGLE DAY in anticipation of cooler temperatures. Soon. I need to be patient... but soon.

Also, I'm starting a new position in September- I'll be working as a full-time aide in a 1st grade classroom to a girl with Autism. She's extremely smart, she just needs some help with schoolwork and some prompting when it comes to conversation and social interaction. It will be a big change from working with my current clients, and I'll be sad to leave them, but a pay-raise plus more classroom experience is exactly what I need right now.

ALSO, my boyfriend is working on getting his PT certification and has been training a few clients- including my sister and myself. And let me tell you, he's darn good at it. Like, I've-never-felt-this-sore-in-my-life-even-after-years-of-training-on-the-high-school-swim-team good at it. I'm actually waiting for my sister to arrive so we can get a workout in. I love to challenge myself physically and I actually look forward to our work-outs, even though they totally kick my ass.

Ok, I will try to update more often. Have a fantastic week my friends!!!

Thrift Love

My thrifty collection!

I would like to take a moment to rant about how much I love thrifting in Sacramento. (Do I spy a 100% SILK Banana Republic dress that I only paid $4 for? Yes, I do!)
I was cleaning out our spare bedroom today (which is actually just the room where I keep all of my crap) and couldn't help but notice all of the amazing thrift store treasures I have accumulated since moving to Sacramento.

 

Whoa, is that a Ralph Lauren 100% Lambswool sweater laying in front of a vintage Samsonite hardshell suitcase? Yes indeed. I've been living on a tight budget since moving out when I was just an 18 year old baby, and I have become a self-proclaimed thrifting master. 

These are some of my favorite places to thrift:

• Thrift Town on Stockton Blvd. This place is HUGE, and well-organized. They pretty much have everything you could ever ask for, and they get in new shipments all the time. Plus, they have frequent sales (a thift store having a sale?!?!!?) which means you're saving even more $$$.
• Goodwill  on Fulton & Hurley (Arden area). If you're looking for shoes, this place is a gold mine. I tend to find higher-quality clothing here, as well (the Banana Republic dress). 
• Eco Thrift on Fruitridge Rd. This store is also well-organized, and they sometimes have good-quality designer brands for a really good price. 
• SPCA Thrift Store- clean, organized, and you can't help but love the fact that proceeds go to the SPCA. You can usually find some pretty neat vintage stuff here too, which I love.

What I love about Sacramento thrift stores is that they are actually cheap. I once went to San Francisco with the intention of thrifting and almost everything was out of my budget! 
Where are your favorite places to thrift? What is your all-time favorite thrift store find? I'd like to know!

What's so funny?

I abandoned an old blog of mine about the kids I used to work with, but the other day I stumbled across it and, since it made me laugh out loud a few times, I thought that I would share: http://lolateverything.wordpress.com/ I even updated it with a few stories.

Life has been a busy blur. One of the kids I work with is advancing in his therapy, which means my hours are being cut a bit- it's amazing and wonderful that he is doing so well with his program, but less hours means less money in the bank for me. I have a trip to Hawaii coming up next month and it's a little stressful trying to budget everything out. That, plus two weddings/ bachelorette parties in the mix are making me pinch every penny.

Wooh Lake Tahoe!

Never fear, there are still cheap ways to have fun. When I graduated from college in December, my grandma bought me a sailing trip in Lake Tahoe, which I was able to redeem this weekend. It was awesome- this was the second time I have ever been sailing (the first was sailing to the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco) and I brought my boyfriend along with me. The view was amazing, the weather couldn't have been better, and it was fun pretending that we weren't broke post-grads for a day.

One of my personal "keys to happiness" is to just do something out of the ordinary every once in a while. Break your daily routine. Sometimes I even take a different route to work just to do something different

Small changes like this can really add up.

What do you do to put that little extra spark in your daily routine?

THE SUPER SMOOTHIE

I got this recipe from my stepmother for a super-green health smoothie. I tweaked it a little bit, and it is my most favorite way to start the day. A few people have asked me for the recipe, so here it is!

You will need:
 *1 cup of berries, fresh or frozen. (If you use all fresh berries, I suggest adding a few ice cubes to keep it cold- I usually do half and half. Blueberries and strawberries are my favorite because they have smaller seeds.)
*1 cup (at least) of greens, such as baby spinach and arugula. You won't even be able to taste it! (I wouldn't recommend using kale, unless you want to chew your smoothie.)
*1 Tbsp. of flavored Omega-3 fish oil (I use this this stuff from Max Muscle in peach-mango smoothie flavor, it's actually pretty delicious.)
*1 Tbsp. ground flax seed (Seriously, buy this stuff in the bulk-bins at Winco, you'll save a ton of money.)
*1/2 cup oats (you can skip this if you're going low-carb, but I like it because it tends to keep me fuller longer.)
*Cold green tea- I brew 5-6 tea bags with about four cups of water, then pour it into a pitcher and leave it in the fridge overnight (adding more water to it if it's too strong). Add enough tea to allow everything to mix together.
*1 scoop vanilla protein powder. I've been using this stuff, but you can use whatever protein powder you like.
*Blend it all together and enjoy your healthy morning! This smoothie is packed with energy, antioxidants and essential fatty acids.

Shannon B.

Shannon's happiness list:
Family
Friends, really close friends
Trust
Laughter
Excitement
Morals
Ambition
Memories (with pictures as well)
Animals
Booze
Being in nature after smoking on a sunny day
The ocean




The thing that makes me the most happy:
Seeing the most important people in my life truly happy.

Sarah L.

First of all, I would like to thank my friend Sarah for being my first contributor! I would like to share her happiness list:
"sunshine, water, music, honesty and love :)) ♥ as for other material tangible things, the list is all silly and not as inspiring. haha ♥"

Sarah does some amazing artwork, you can check out her stuff here.
You can also check out her Flickr page here.
(I love having artsy-fartsy friends!)


I can appreciate a small, simple list like this one. It's easy to forget about the simple things, especially when we are constantly surrounded by technology. Water and sunshine, who could argue with that?

I try to get back to the wilderness whenever I can. One of the best memories of my life is the summer of 2007, when my best friend and I packed up all our belongings and got jobs in Yosemite National Park, living out of a tent cabin without a TV, computer, internet, or any phone reception. My days off were spent hiking, climbing, exploring, and swimming in the Merced river. It really is such an amazing place, and if you haven't been there, please add it to your bucket list. You'll never know how small you really are until you stand next to the granite giants that envelop the valley. I love Yosemite!

What comes after?

I graduated with my Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature in December, 2011. It was truly the proudest moment of my life.
Months later, I have realized that nothing really changes after graduation. I mean, you're done with classes and homework, but after the spark of excitement dies you kind of just go back to real life, confused about what you're supposed to do next. At least, that's how I feel.
It look me over 5 years to finish college and I still have no clue what I really want to do with my life.
Someone once asked me what I would do for the rest of my life if money wasn't a necessity. And I thought, I'd write. I'd write about what I know- my family, my history- I guess this is where I begin.

I feel that as I grow older and take on more responsibilities, I sometimes forget about the simple things that make me happy. I've started this blog mostly as a happiness inspiration- I want to share what makes me happy, and I want to hear about what makes YOU happy, too.