san diego whale watching.

a couple sundays ago, a. and i went whale watching with my family.  my sister found tickets on groupon late last year and needed to redeem them before they expired in april.

lately, the marine layer around san diego has been really thick.  i'm not sure if this is a typical spring phenomenon and something i just don't remember, or if the weather's been a bit off.  either way, we arrived to the whale watching headquarters in mission bay crossing our fingers that we would find whales and the heavy fog would burn off.

the whale watching charter was san diego whale watch.  this was my first time whale watching out of mission bay, and i have to say, overall it was a great experience.  the staff was friendly, the boat clean and the narrator was ridiculously knowledgeable.  while we didn't see any whales (wha, wha) we did see plenty of dolphins and seals to keep my 4 year old nephew entertained.

the fog never really let up and while the sun popped out from time to time, it was a pretty chilly cruise.  luckily i brought a heavy fleece & managed to stay warm.  there's something magical about being on the ocean with a vast horizon of nothing but water around you.  personally, i love that feeling and enjoyed the ride despite our lack of whale sightings.

because we didn't spot any whales on the 3-hour tour, the crew passed out 50% off vouchers that we could redeem on our next voyage as we disembarked.  unfortunately, we went at the tail end of whale season, so we'll have to wait until next year to out these to use.  but don't get me wrong, we're so happy for an excuse to do this again.  we all had such a great time and agreed unanimously that this was a great way to spend a sunday morning.

currently.

march, what a month it's been.  between all the festivities, a new job, a trying to keep up with our day-to-day life, blogging as always, took the back seat.  part of me is okay with that and another bigger part of me, wishes i was a better multi-tasker & life-balancer.  but that's for another post.

currently, things around here have been wonderful, adventurous, surprising and so enjoyable.  for the most part, our weekends have been engulfed with activities, like we're desperately trying to make up for the frenzy of the week.  we had the pleasure of taking to the seas to go whale watching, hosted a couple fun family dinners & spent a few days dining out on the town.  most recently, we celebrated easter and i was shocked to walk into a fantastic thai-themed surprise party.

this month was anything but normal.  i'll share some of these adventures with you over the next couple days and hopefully some other forgotten posts that unfortunately, were left in the dark when i signed off from this space weeks ago.  

enjoy your tuesday & let's meet back here tomorrow! :)

around here//springtime.

around here i'm soaking in spring.  i'm loving the bright pops of color, cool mornings, warm days, and longer hours.  there's something so revitalizing about all the regrowth.  now that we're sticking around san diego, i'm doing my best to learn about the plants and flowers in our area that i'm loving.  eventually, when we have our own little backyard, i hope to incorporate some of these springtime faves into the landscaping.

around here i'm celebrating my birthday a bit early.  i ventured out to a new restaurant with a few friends (also celebrating their special days) for a unique dinner at a farm-to-plate style restaurant.  we had so much fun sampling the different cuisines and catching up over our shared meals.  over the past week i've been reminiscing about my last 29 years, reflecting on life and dreaming & goal-setting for the future.  i'm hoping to be organized enough to share many of these thoughts before tuesday, but the way things are going these days, we'll see.

around here i'm totally enjoying my new job.  i'm working at a unique venue, planning weddings and other special events.  it's exactly what i've been looking for and as silly as it might sound, finding this job and loving what i'm doing, seems as though it was my final step towards happiness.  with everything together and this final piece in place, i'm officially content in every way.  and that rocks.

around here, i'm exploring our new neighborhood and all the trails around us.  we are surrounded by nature.  just when i think i have a grasp of where i am, i find new trails leading to new & beautiful destinations.  this is definitely my favorite.

while i've been away from this space more than i'd care to admit, i'm relishing in our new life in san diego and enjoying the way i'm spending my time.  the new job transition has put a kibosh in my schedule and i'm definitely struggling to regain my balance.  but in the time i do have and the time i make for myself, these new experiences are making me so grateful to be back.

favorite things: st. patty's day edition.

1/2/3/4/5/6/7

top'a the mornin' to ya & happy st. patty's day!  here are a few spirited things i'm oogling over right now.

this year, st. patty's day will be rather mellow.  i'm spending the day helping my little sis train for her upcoming lifeguard test and tonight, i'll be joining my sister-in-law and some friends for dinner at a new restaurant.

i hope you have a great day celebrating your irish (or wanna-be-irish) heritage!

our newest home addition.

it's no secret i've been swooning over succulents.  i've always been a big fan, but now that we're back in san diego i feel like i can really start to incorporate them into our home.  i love that they are local, drought tolerant & bring so much color and character to any space.  also, if you're not afraid to look like a crazy person, you can take cuttings from common spaces (or ask friends for clipping from their plants) and regrow them without paying a dime.

now that our main room is mostly set-up, i decided it was time to bring in some plants.  most of our plants found new homes before the move, so in an effort not to spend a ton of money on a space we're only hoping to live in for a year, the grow-your-own-succulent idea really spoke to me.  so for the past couple weeks, anytime we traveled and i happened upon a succulent i liked, myself or my mom or sister would snag one.

i kept the cuttings on our back porch (some upwards of a week) until i had a decent collection.  then, repurposing some of our old office supplies (i found these white "vases" at ikea a few years ago in the kitchen wall organization section.  unfortunately, it looks like they're no longer sold online.), i filled them up with potting soil and some left over peat moss and planted the succulents.

we hung them in an empty space near the patio door & they are now one of the first things we see each morning.  i love them and am nothing short of obsessed.  they tie in perfectly with the succulent wreath that hangs on our door and as they grow, i know that they will never go to waste.