Friday Morning

Despite it being a busy couple weeks between the holidays, celebrating birthdays (my parents really needed to think about having a family, four out of five members of our family have birthdays literally in the middle of Thanksgiving, through the winter holidays all until the last week of January), working and moving, let's just say I've been sleeping like a baby for the last couple weeks. So what are my New Years plans? I'm moving into a new place and I haven't been this excited in awhile. This move signifies so much more than just physically moving my stuff from one place to another, it's also a new start to a new year. And I couldn't be more ready for change than I am right now. So wherever you are in the world, Happy New Year and I'll see you back here next week for our first weekly roundup of the 31 Day Challenge. 

Nights of Neon

The Breakfast Board

On Traveling Alone

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New Year Intentions

Every year we make long lists of all the things we wish (and hope) to accomplish in the coming year. Some of us will actually see each goal through while most of us will typically give up in a month or even just a few weeks. I've made many resolutions over the years, I've stuck to some and gave up on others. Instead of coming up with a list a mile long, I'm focusing on one thing this year, an intention. An intention of strength - physically, mentally and spiritually. I'm not as active as I once was, I use to swim four miles every night but  then college happened. I used to be fit and healthy, that hasn't been the case so much over the last six years. So instead of focusing on the word (or idea of) exercising, I'm focusing on gaining back physical strength. 

I've never gone in full detail but this has been one of the toughest years as far as my career goes. And without turning this post in a negative one, I want to focus on gaining mental and spiritual strength. I have struggled to maintain a healthy lifestyle, even after grad school. I have forced myself to work ten to twelve hour days and I pretty much will do anything that is asked of me (or willingly take on more responsibility and duties) just to add it to my resume. I no longer work because I love what I'm doing, I work to please others (and I don't mean the customers) and to make sure I'm providing the best service for our patrons. I grew up wanting to find something that I truly loved doing, to work just for a paycheck and hate my job that is not the philosophy I grew up on. My parents never pressured me to go into certain industries, they believed in me and I was lucky I found something I loved and was really good at. But over the last year and a half, I just feel lost, even defeated. Exhaustion has taken over, I've lost all confidence and belief in myself. I want it back! I'm not saying 2017 is going to be the year but I am hoping I can gain some of the strength I've lost over the few years. 

What are you looking forward too in the coming year? 

What is your goal or resolution you want to work on?

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Gift Guide: Your Dad

He's had the same polo sweatshirt forever, it's time for a new one. 

He's a sucker for anything made by Ken Burns.

Get him season tickets for his favorite college football team. 

What dad doesn't ask for movie ticket gift cards? 

Because he's a kid at heart and will always say yes to Disneyland. 

He supported every moment of your college experience, so he'll want a new shirt every year!

His love for travel and curiosity. 

Treat him to his favorite beer.

For the life long learner, get him a subscription to Curious.

Friday Morning...

With it being Christmas Eve, Eve I wish everyone a wonderful holiday. Safe travels if you haven't made it to your destination, keep warm, relax and enjoy the company of your family or if you're alone whether at home or traveling, have a fabulous trip. And if you have kiddos to entertain, I've compiled a list of the best Christmas stories to be read at bedtime for the next few days. I'll be taking a little break next week but will be back for one or two posts and we'll be bringing back a full month of things to do with the annual January 30 Day Challenge. 

A Home in Paris

Winter Hobbies

I'm Much Better Here

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Gift Guide: Last Minute Buys

A cute and small phone charger to keep in her purse.

For the e-reader who doesn't care about apple products.  

For the home, this classy coaster set.

For your bookish friends, they'll love this subscription, literary matchbox set, these candles and glasses. 

This perfume, it's hit with every woman. 

Who wouldn't want a mason jar cocktail shaker?

These trendy bracelets are excellent gifts for girlfriends.

The cutest (and brightest) luggage tags.

Disneyland, Barnes and Noble and iTunes Gift Cards are always appreciated.  

Cozy and vintage pajamas. 

For the makeup geek, this lipstick is the perfect shade of pink. 

For the coffee or tea addict, these mugs are everything.

Gift Guide: The Guy in Your Life

He needs a modern but stylish briefcase to take to work. 

He's had the same wallet forever, it's time for an upgrade.

To step up his after shower routine. 

He's a voracious reader, get him a subscription for Book of the Month.

He's a foodie and likes to surprise you with his cooking skills.

He's kept the same luggage tags since high school, get him a couple new ones. 

Hide those holey sweat pants he won't give up and get him a new pair. 

For the beer connoisseur he is, he'll love this bottle-cap map.  

Weekend Wrap Up...

 Anthropologie seriously makes the best

xmas/winter decorations...

 what I'm currently wearing.

 egg and avocado toast with extra clementines.

 weekly library checkouts.



cool weather calls for cozy robes and cute slippers.

An Especially Hygge December

I'm in the middle of a move right now so between packing boxes, wrapping presents, worrying about my very frail and sick family dog, running around trying to finish to-do lists and the craziness that the holiday season brings, I need some serious quiet time. An evening of no talking, my roommates chocolate covered peanut butter bars and catching up with holiday flicks on Netflix. I'm currently watching A Miracle on 34 Street (The Mara Wilson version), I'll Be Home for Christmas (who wasn't in love with JTT as a 90's Girl?) and my favorite Lovely, Actually. I'm all about the Netflix and Chill movement, so what are the staples on your night in?! For me a cozy low key night includes:

Pretty bralettes and comfy lounge wear.

An odd but favorite snack combination, popcorn with m&m's.

A glass or two (or three) of this rose.
(Seriously, it's a top five rose and it's from Trader Joe's)

My favorite Anthropologie house slippers.

This robe my mom got me that I basically live in. 

(image, also make sure to check out other great sleepwear, lounge wear and intimates at adore me.)

Friday Morning...

Are you getting close to the bottom of your long to-do list?! I'm not, I feel like I'm crossing a few off and then adding more to the never ending list of things I need to do before Christmas and the New Year. On top of shopping and getting ready for the holidays, I'm moving. I'm moving literally the week between Christmas and New Years, so these last few weeks of December are busy and hectic. And now that I'm working weekends, packing is limited to my evenings and I'm usually exhausted, all the snowbirds are in town and apparently the library is a hopping place during this time of year. Oh and now I've been waking up at four which makes my day extra long. I need sleep, we all need sleep. Have a good weekend and see you Monday :)

Christmas Drinking Game

La La Land

Baby, It's Cold Outside

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Guide Guide: Brother

He needs a new sports jacket. 

He's constantly traveling, so a new set of luggage tags will be a perfect gift.

For your brother who is a reading machine, gift him a book of the month club subscription.

He'll love these wool running shoes. 

He never gets sick of iTunes gift cards.

Because he and his wife are globetrotters, this is a must. (It will also make an excellent coffee table book)

To go with his record player, gift him with the Vinyl Me, Please subscription. 

And even though he's in his thirties, he will never outgrow The Simpsons.

Gift Guide: Mom

For a classy and put together outfit, your mom will love this turtleneck sweater. 

Because she lives for Sprinkles cupcakes. 

She's always asking for a new candle.

 For glowing skin and moisturizing lips. 

Warm and cozy for those cool winter nights. 

She's a sucker for See's Candy.

So she can practice French with you.

It takes one strong woman to raise two brave and very independent daughters.   

(Have a mother/daughter movie night and watch this documentary)

Weekend Wrap Up...

 ready for the holidays...

 keys to the penthouse.

 bookshelf details...

 a packed weekend followed by an at home spa day.

never ever get sick of pad thai...

(images via instagram)

Home Alone: A Picture Book

Kim Smith turned my favorite holiday movie into a picture book and it pretty much made my weekend. If you were a 90s kid who watched this movie all year 'round like me and my siblings, then you need to get this book and read it to your kiddos so they can learn to love it like you did as a child.

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Friday Morning

There's only three weeks left of the year and there is still a thousand things to do it feels like. What have you been up too? Have you finished all your shopping, wrapping and running around town trying to check off everything on your December To-Do List? Between all the festivities, work and a few exciting things happening over the next month, I need some serious down time. I can't remember the last time I slept in until nine or ten, do you? If you can sleep in, read a magazine, listen to some music or squeeze in a nap time, do it. Enjoy your weekend and see you next week :)

Friends in the Work Place

Suitcase

Think you have a long to-do list?

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Tree in a Basket

A few weeks ago at Thanksgiving, all the women gathered around after dinner and started talking Christmas decorations, a conversation that can last a whole day in my family. My cousin was telling us how she was going to try and attempt this whole tree in a basket idea. She had saved a picture for inspiration and showed us all, I have to say it looked very homey and not silly at all. So I've decided to follow the trend this year and try it out. For a small apartment like mine, I love this small version so it's not overwhelming. What do you think? 

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Life Lately

I basically live in this turtleneck sweater. Whether for weekend errands, work, hanging around the house or date night, this is one of my favorite pieces this winter season. 

I'm always searching for decor pieces to put around the house and right now I'm really into copper taper candle holders. Its been a month long search and I finally came across these, I ordered them in bulk and plan on scattering them between bookshelves and the kitchen table. 

If there's one thing I like to talk about on social media, it's makeup and skincare. My skin has been extremely dry lately and between all my expensive products running out at the same time, I went for this heavy night cream by Aveeno and I absolutely love it. I've had no issues with dry skin for almost a month now!

My mom told me about this place awhile ago; so two weeks ago I finally decided to check out The Real Italian Deli. It's now become one of my favorite weekend errands. Their dry salami is perfection, the staff is very helpful and overly friendly and since it's run by a close knit family makes it all the better. If you are ever in the Coachella Valley, you should stop by one of their two locations!

Given all the paragraphs I've written about my job and career, I started listening to the podcast, The Librarian Is In. And needless to say, Gwen and Frank have helped me get through my work rut. I LOVE what I do. I read what they recommend, I laugh at their banter and like Frank I have become a library evangelist. Go to your local library and check out the programs they offer and peruse through the collection.

About four months ago, I started subscribing to makeup artists my sister recommended and that led to lifestyle you-tubers and then a YouTube rabbit hole from there. I somehow ended up on the Blogilates page, which by the way you should check it out. I've been doing my evening routines for about two and half months and I have regained nearly all my flexibility back. 

I could write a book on how much I love Lauren Graham, so for now I will just highly recommend that you read her biography, Talking As Fast As I Can. You'll be able to read it as fast as Lorelai Gilmore speaks, I swear.  I read it in about two and half hours and so enjoyed every minute of it, including her thoughts on the future of the show!

I am so particular about the lipstick I wear. Although I should be more careful about trying all brands, (my skin seriously reacts to everything) I have to say my absolute favorite lipstick of all time is Wild Card by Benefit Cosmetics. 

I first came across the Think Thin brand over two years ago from a friend. They are the best for mid morning/mid afternoon snacks. Occasionally I'll eat one for a meal, with twenty grams of protein, you'll be full for a good three hours.

Weekend Wrap Up...

 my new favorite weekend errand, 

the local Italian deli. 

 wrapping gifts and watching holiday movies.

 literally the perfect weekend. 

 lemon mint water, pink pillows and Irish authors.

Palm Springs is Better!

(images via instagram)

Friday Showing

What I'm Watching: One sentence, or rather a title. Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life - It was so many things to me that this will have to be an abridged version of how I really feel about the revival, the show in general and what this series meant to me growing up. I have to say, my sister and I intended to stay up until midnight to watch the show but she didn't exactly jump out of bed. So I turned on my tablet and watched it in darkness under the covers of my bed at my parents house. I started tearing up hearing the the voice overs from the series during the opening credits and I kind of wanted to jump up and down on my bed in the first fifteen seconds of the show. I loved every minute of it, even the musical (although they could have condensed it to a five or seven minute bit) but my feelings about Rory have certainly changed. I loved Emily and Lorelai's story and I'm glad Lorelai found the empathy she needed to mend the relationship with her mother. After watching the revival two (maybe three times), I'm not really a huge fan of Rory's story line!!! And here's why...

Now I grew up idolizing Rory Gilmore. Her knowledge on literature, pop culture and music was outstanding and I wanted to obtain that knowledge and to be apart of the gabfest podcast she and Lane should have made. And the relationship between her and her mother, although freakish I hope that I too can have that kind relationship with my daughter when and if I ever decide to have a family. I looked up to Rory but as I get older (Rory is only three years older than me), I find myself disliking her more and more. She reminds me of some of kids I went to school with. She was a stereotypical kid from a wealthy family (whether she wants to believe it or not). Financial worry was a not a thing, yet she persisted to speak out about the trust fund kids she hung out with in high school and college and I'm glad Logan puts her in her place. Chilton was completely paid for, her grandparents buy her a car and she doesn't have to worry about how to pay for college because her grandparents pay for that too. She lacks empathy and isn't really a good friend or girlfriend. The creator did a fantastic job at creating wonderful characters but Rory is more of a beautiful monster in a way. And over time, this 32 year old entitled journalist hasn't learned anything by being in the real world and the Revival nails her on it. Now it would be boring if the writer created a perfect character. It's my fault for aspiring to be like her, I realize now as a nearly thirty year old that that pedestal should have never been there in the first place.

I'm also not as upset as the rest of the world about those last four words. Do I think - what was the point of the show if Amy Sherman Palladino wanted to end it with Rory being pregnant, yes! But I also see an opportunity to open a new chapter in the relationship between Rory and Lorelai. If you remember right before those shocking last words, Lorelai is talking about doing married women things with Rory and how they need to find her a husband. Did I want Rory to take on the world - yes! But I thought the show captured the realistic nature of what journalism is like today.  So to have her writing a book (Side Nite: How selfish is she to write the book when Loreali asks her not too), keeping the Stars Hollow Gazette running and managing a child isn't so horrible an ending. Right?! That ending though, it was a cliffhanger and without giving too much away, Lauren Graham's new book Talking As Fast As I Can, made me smile ear to ear about the potential future of Gilmore Girls :)

Saturday Happy

I've been so busy with this week that I completely forgot about a special day. I didn't celebrate the fact that this blog has been running for six years!!! Despite it being an interesting and trying year I unfortunately had to take a semi-break from the blog. It's still something very important and dear to me, never did I think it would last this long. But for those who have stuck around and continue to read, I'm hoping to expand on the blog in the coming year. I've kept it secret for a while, but it's my resolution for the new year to sort of intertwine the blog into my career. So let's keep our fingers crossed for a brighter future :) 

Happy Happy Birthday Sit and Stay Awhile!!!!

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Friday Morning...

Hey readers. I'm particularly proud of myself this holiday season, it's barely December and I already have most of my shopping done. I just have to pick up two things for gift wrapping and I'm set. And since my family has birthdays around the holidays as well as their significant others, I'm out picking up and ordering online gifts for them. With everyone getting older, gift giving is usually a struggle. It's easy to just buy things for yourself when you start making decent money. Not this year, I had everyone practically done by early November. How are your holiday plans going?! Have you done all your holiday shopping?! After our family's thanksgiving feast, I seriously cannot even begin to think about another big feast, I'm still full from a week ago. This time of year, everyone is stressed out, exhausted and mulling over everything good and not so good that happened over the year. I hope you are well and wish you an easy holiday season. 

Nancy Meyer's Guide to L.A.

Books, Books, Books

I Need One of These

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