Day Trip to Davis

Last weekend, my husband and I took a day trip to Davis and soaked in the small, college town. Our first stop was the Davis Farmer's Market for some simple goodness. The Davis Farmer's Market is one of my favorite Farmer's Markets in the area.  I especially love the Hot Dogger Stand that sells fresh lemonade; perfect for warm days!!!  Afterwards, we met my mom for lunch at Burgers and Brew. I ordered my favorite beer... Stella and was feeling BEEFY so, I ordered a Bacon Cheeseburger!!! 

We stopped by three local bike shops in search of the perfect cruiser and sipped on a fantastic iced white mocha from... Mishkas. We strolled around the entire campus on foot while college students cruised by us on their bikes and skateboards. For our final stop, we had dinner at Sophias Thai Kitchen ... a delicious Thai Restaurant with great outdoor seating and even better Thai Ice Teas. By the end of the night, our tummies were filled to the brim with pad thai, nostalgia and.... Davis LOVE.

Market Fresh

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. I stayed pretty busy from visiting with my mom, a day trip to Davis and another challenging bike ride. On Sunday, I stopped by the Los Gatos Farmer's Market and found an array of goodies:

fresh tomatoes bursting with goodness

ripe apples

onions.. one of my favorites for adding flavor to just about everything

dried apricots

fresh lemonade

and my all time favorite raspberries

last but not least.. market fresh purple dahlias

September is by far one of the best times to hit your local farmer's market and stock up on veggies, flowers and fresh bread!! Even better, the Dahlias I purchased (featured above) were only 5$!! What is your must have at your local farmer's market?? 

cheers to the weekend

Cheers to the weekend everyone!!! I hope you have a weekend filled with tasty meals, great friends and toasty drinks. Enjoy life, laugh lots and love more!!!

happiness

I stumbled upon this passage today in class and thought I would share.....

All anxieties of mortal men, driven on by the exertions of uncountably diverse pursuits, travel along paths that are, to be sure, quite different; yet they all strive to reach only one single goal: true happiness.  And that is the good thing: Once people have secured it they cannot desire anything beyond it. It is in fact the highest of all good things and it contains all good things within itself; if anything could be added to it, it could not be the highest good, since there would remain something external to it that could still be hoped for.  It is therefore clear that happiness is a state brought about by the convergence of all good things!!! 

What makes you truly happy? For me, true happiness is enjoying the simple goodness life has to offer. Here is a list of some simple goodness I can't get enough of:

a good book

an early morning walk

spending time with a dear friend

the smell of autumn

traveling to see family and friends

learning something new

being inspired by others

a long hike

a morning run

What kind of simple goodness do you enjoy??

* passage found in Consolation of Philosophy, Boethius

*picture taken by Annie

daily cheer

So, my week has started off on a wrong note and I find myself a little overwhelmed. This usually happens to me when I start a new routine. However, when I find myself a little overwhelmed I try to soak up the things that make me happy. There are several blogs that brighten my day, inspire me and make me smile. If you are in need of some daily cheer... check these blogs out: 

Just a Girl in a City

Running Mommy

Lovely Morning

Bigbang Studio

La Petite Choue

Kristybee...the blog

Oh hello

Thank you all, for brightening my days with your wit, creativity and inspiring blogs!! 

*photo taken by a friend of a friend :)

where did you go weekend?

My weekend started off with a run in Santa Cruz. My good friend and I ran along the ocean, and it couldn't have been more relaxing. Over the weekend I kept busy with family, cooking shrimp tacos, and making chocolate chip cookies. Monday hit me like a ton of bricks and I still can't figure out where the weekend went. What are you lovelies up to this week? Here are some things I will be dabbling in:

French Class

Ballet

Back to Spin 

First Golf Match for the Season

Running, Running and Running

I hope everyone had a wonderful Monday!!!!

put a little dance in your step

I hope all of you put a little dance in your step this weekend!!! I start my first ballet class on Monday, so I should probably start dancing.  Have a lovely weekend!! 

Chez Panisse

Last week, I surprised my husband with a lunch at Chez Panisse. Instead of going for dinner, I opted for the cafe at Chez Panisse which is a great alternative to the fixed dinner. Immediately walking into the restaurant my stomach, soul and senses began to dance with excitement. I decided on the fixed lunch that included: 

garden picked green salad

fresh pesto pasta with baby cherry tomatoes

creme dessert with apricot sauce and fresh apricots

Marc chose the souffle with chanterelle mushrooms, corn and an assortment of fresh vegetables

What I loved about Chez Panisse was the comforting french feel. Everything was homemade and it was easy to taste that each meal was made with thought, time and patience. At the end of our meal, Marc was given a dark chocolate tarte with a little candle on top to celebrate his birthday. I can only guess what he wished for... another birthday lunch at CHEZ PANISSE!!

Mont Blanc

I woke up this morning craving this sweet drink!! I ordered this yummy little beverage in Chamonix, France. Chamonix is one of my favorite places to travel to because it's a small village nestled right under Mont Blanc. I like to call this drink a Mont Blanc meaning white mountain because the amount of fresh whip cream used looks like... MONT BLANC!!

Sidewalk Chalk

I remember playing with chalk when I was younger, but it never has occurred to me that I still could whip out my sidewalk chalk. I stumbled upon this picture that my friend Liz took after creating this sidewalk masterpiece with her boyfriend. I started thinking that kids are incredibly happy because they play, they have no limit to what they do or care if something is old, silly or not cool!! If you do one thing today; try to play like a kid and go out and find some sidewalk chalk!!!

*picture by Liz

Weekend Overview

I hope all of you had a great weekend!!! My weekend started out celebrating Marc's birthday at one of our favorite restaurants Reposado. Some of our dearest friends came down and celebrated with us over homemade tortillas, guacamole, and all together tasty food!!

On Saturday, Marc and I headed to Davis for some nostalgia!! We were originally going to bike ride but a thunder storm prompted us to ditch the bikes and go running. We ran around the UC Davis campus and then afterwards enjoyed some yummy crepes for breakfast!! We then went to our favorite cafe Mishka's where we sipped on the best white mocha!!

Saturday evening we went to an art auction where we purchased our very first piece of art as a couple!! If you get the chance go to an Art Auction we ended up getting a piece of art for almost a steal compared to its original price!! We kept pretty busy this weekend and I am looking forward to an even busier week!!

Sweet as Honey

I hope all of you have a weekend that is... as  SWEET as HONEY!! 

Early Mornings

There is something invigorating about waking up early and seizing the day!!! I woke up this morning, slipped on my running shoes and leaped out the front door. Today marked my fourth week of running and I can't help but feel better. After running, I usually come home and stretch, put on some Kate Nash, thoroughly enjoy some  granola, honey, raspberries and yogurt, and catch up on my favorite blogs!!! This little routine will go on a hiatus once classes start but for now I am enjoying my early mornings.

mmm smores

Smores are entirely simple goodness!! Nothing beats a melted marshmallow, smothered with creamy chocolate and sandwiched together with a tasty graham cracker. Over the weekend, I enjoyed several smores!!! Instead of Hershey's Milk Chocolate I brought Dove Dark Chocolate and this simple change made my smore go from good to all together magnificent. Can I say I am already craving s'more!!!

ahhh what a weekend!!!!

Ahhhh, what a weekend!!! As you know, I went camping this weekend with friends and family. We went camping just outside Yuba City at a place called Collins Lake. The weekend was filled with:

laughs

more laughs

good beer (Stella for me)

smores

laughs

yummy food

2$ homemade ice cream at the general store

lounging on the lake

reading lots of smut while we relaxed

telling stories and enjoying everything

swimming 

boating

friends

Here are some photos from the trip, enjoy!! 

Hooray for Camping in September

Off to celebrate the beginning of fall by camping with friends and family!! Marc and I will be toasting to 1 year of marriage Saturday. Hopefully, we can celebrate with some bubbly and s'mores!! Hooray for 1 year of being married, camping with friends and one of my favorite months September!! I hope all of you enjoy your weekend and find yourself with good food, good friends and good times!!!

The Traveling Bug: traveler of the month Pam

If you know Pam, then you know that she has a mild case of travel fever. However, if you ask Pam, she will say that mild is an understatement and that she has a severe case of The Traveling Bug. Now, the only thing to cure this bug is TRAVEL and that is exactly what she has been doing since 2002 till now. Here are some of the places Pam has been since 2002!!

France, Switzerland, Spain, Germany, Greece, Czech Republic 02

Paris, Madrid, Interlacken, Gimmelwald, Nice 05

Kyoto, Tokyo and Nagoya 08

Charlotte, Charleston on a road trip with friends 09

Nicaragua, Costa Rica, San Juan del Sur, Tamarindo, La Fortuna

In November, Pam will be going to Thailand! When Pam sent me a list of where she has been I could not believe my eyes. I had to cut most of her trips throughout the U.S. out of this post because I no longer had room to write. When I asked Pam why she travels she said this...

I travel because I have to. I have a physical reaction to being in a place for too long.  I actually feel myself getting sad and slow if I am not venturing out.  Sometimes, all I need is a weekend road trip, sometimes I need more!!  I have friends that call me a nomad. I don't think that is accurate. I have a home. It is the San Francisco Bay Area.

Pam's must bring item when traveling is an ipod and not for the reason of being distracted. She brings her ipod because it takes her back to the places she once visited. When she listens to Pete Seegar, Janis Joplin and the Beatles in the right order she is taken back to walking through the Peace Park in Hiroshima.

I travel a lot; I hate having my life disrupted by routine. - Caskie Stinnett

This quote pretty much sums up why Pam travels!! Keep on traveling, adventuring and seeing the world Pam!! Bon Voyage!!!

simple goodness

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams

Live the life you've always imagined

As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler;

solitude will not be solitude

poverty will not be poverty

nor weakness weakness

-Henry David Thoreau

Old Edna

While in San Luis Obispo, I discovered a quaint, quirky and oh so cute deli... OLD EDNA!!  To add to the deli's charm half of the room is an antique shop while the other side is a deli. The tables are old wine barrels turned upside down and have a sheet of glass holding in corks for decoration. The deli has tasty sandwiches and is a great break after wine tasting. I ordered the black forest ham sandwich on a baguette with dijon mustard, candied fresh apples, sharp muenster cheese and fresh tomatoes....mmmmm!! Right outside of old Edna are bright yellow sunflowers, a tree house, and a whimsical garden cottage that give the deli its charm!! If you are in San Luis Obispo and in the need of an adventure I would definitely suggest stopping by OLD EDNA!!

ciocolat

Nothing would be more tiresome than eating and drinking if God had not made them a pleasure as well as a necessity.

-Voltaire

Do it yourself wrapping paper

Over the weekend I was given this delightful present!! My husband created this wrapping paper with our nifty computer. He picked some of our favorite things we like to do together and made them into a phrase. By copying and pasting he created a present I will always remember and wrapping paper I will save!! It got me thinking that homemade and heartfelt is the way to go when it comes to wrapping gifts and ... life!!