the august break.

these days, blogging has been on the back burner of my life.  it's not that i have a lack of things to say or lack time to say them, it's just that i'm spending my time in a different way these days.

so when i stumbled across the idea of the august break  hosted by susannah conway, i was intrigued.  over the past couple months i've been wanting to get back into blogging regularly but haven't taken the time to do so.

that's what makes the august break concept so brilliant.  based on the provided prompts (see below), everyday we share a photo.  that's it.  no pressure to find words or themes or something positively brilliant to share with the blog-o-sphere.

i think this is a great challenge to find motivation and rekindle inspiration.  so for the next month, i'll be sharing photos and very little words with you.  hopefully we both enjoy this process together and if you have a blog, please join the challenge as well.  happy august dear friends.

around here.

around here, we're getting back into the grove after a much-needed vacation to syracuse.
around here, we're enjoying sunsets and picnic dinners at the beach.
around here, we're continuing to celebrate our eight year anniversary.
around here, a. is studying for his commercial pilot licence & i am in my first week of a new job.
around here, we're striving for balance.
around here, we're making menus and cooking dinner every night (some meals are much better than others).
around here, i'm making lists and monthly goals- determined to get through at least some of them.
around here, i'm reading a short history of nearly everything by bill bryson & the seven spiritual laws of success by deepak chopra; both of which i'm enjoying.
around here, i'm excited about writing and getting back into blogging once again.
around here, we're finally settling in & finding our spots in this mighty city.

bits & pieces.

well hey there!  i know, it's been a while.  i've been working a lot lately; not that i'm complaining or looking for pity- i actually really like working.  it keeps my mind occupied, challenges me, and provides me with the structure i need.  it also makes it so the very last thing i want to do when i get home is hop back on the computer to write posts and edit photos.

i'm not going to try to go back and share all the happenings of the last month in one post, but if you're following me on instagram, you'll know i'm definitely busy.  lots of local adventures, new and old restaurants, outside enjoyment, and finding the good in the everyday.

one of my biggest accomplishments over the past month was our container garden.  it's nothing like the massive garden we had in new york, but it's something and i love it and things are growing.

and despite all the busyness, i couldn't help but slow down to enjoy spring.  if there's one thing about a san diego spring, it's the flowers...so many flowers!  i forgot how beautiful san diego is in the spring.  it's been a nice reminder to stop & breath & remember that while we're still adjusting to our new lives, change can definitely be good.

whole orange cake.

one of the things i love most about living in san diego is the constant access to lemons, limes and oranges.  i'm not kidding when i say, they're everywhere.  once we have a place that's ours, i can't wait to plant a few citrus trees of our own, but for now we're happily accepting fruit from family & friends.

a few weeks ago i found myself with a ridiculous amount of oranges and too lazy to try my hand at orange marmalade, decided to try this whole orange cake recipe in the most recent sunset magazine.  i have an awesome recipe for a to-die-for lemon cake (eventually, i'll be sure to share that one as well) that sounded similar to this (minus the whole fruit), so i figured this cake was worth a shot.

honestly, if i'm going to bake any kind of cake, let it be a bundt cake.  in general, i love the way they look & how moist they tend to be.  i don't think i've ever had a dry bundt cake, have you?  this cake was no exception.  the cake was simple enough to mix together and since the oranges were added whole, there was no fussing with juicing, peeling, or zesting.  score.

we served this cake on the night of my birthday & everyone loved it.  the bitterness of the peels gave the cake a marmalade-like flavor and unlike most cakes, this one wasn't too sweet.  if i had to make any changes, i'd probably omit the frosting.  the cake can totally stand alone and would be a perfect addition to any party, potluck, or night in.  enjoy!

adventure 3 of 30: mt. woodson

 where we went: mt. woodson

the details: lately i've been hitting the local trails on a few solo adventures.  this time however, my little sister joined me for a spectacular birthday hike up the mountain.  i've been up to the top a couple times, but this was a first for little sis.  & i figured it would be an awesome way to ring in the big 3-0.

we started the hike at lake poway, a nice little park in the heart of poway, ca.  the beginning  of the hike is pretty as it wraps around the lake and easy for beginners.  as you get off the lake poway loop however, mt. woodson becomes much less forgiving.  for the most part of the hike, it's a steady uphill trek. 

we left late morning, so while it was hot it definitely wasn't ridiculous.  if for some crazy reason, you plan to make this trek in the dead of summer, make sure you have plenty of water.  there are  a few stops to rest along the way, my favorite being under the shade of a huge oak tree.

we reached the top in about 2.5 hours, making sure we stopped for water and shade a long the way.  also, i made friends with a birthday buddy (same birthday, same age, same crazy idea of fun), so we took photos of one another on potato chip rock, a popular photo op at the top of the mountain.

after taking some time for more pictures and to take in the view, we hiked back down the mountain, exhilarated, proud and so happy we took on another adventure. 

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in an effort to spend more time doing what i love, i'm attempting to go on 30 different adventures over the course of 2013.

if you'd like to join me or interested to know more, you can follow my progress here.

this is adventure 3 of 30