Mexico

Jason and I have traveled quite a bit since we got married but somehow we'd never made it to Mexico, the most traveled to country by Americans, until a couple of weeks ago.  When my brother and his wife started making plans to visit us in San Diego, one of the things they wanted to do was take a trip to Mexico.  They had never left the county before so of course we were on board.  Our place in San Diego is just 35 minutes from the boarder crossing into Tijuana, Mexico.  There are lots of horror stories out there about Tijuana so we did our research, discussed driving vs. taking a bus and our end destination and finally settled on driving to Ensenada, a coastal town on the Baha California Peninsula.

We crossed the border with no issues in the morning and made the 2 hour drive to Ensenada.

Most of the drive was along the water, and even though the day started out grey, it was a very pretty drive.

Luckily, just before we arrived, the clouds parted and it ended up being a perfect day to lay on the beach.

After a few hours on the beach, we went off in search of some lunch.

Which was followed by some shopping.

I really, really wanted one of these NHL ponchos but convinced myself that, in reality, I would never actually wear it.

We stopped for some ice cream and got back on the road.  For only having one day in the country, I think we made the best of it.  We did get in the wrong lane coming home which resulted in a bit of detaining and a little extra searching, but we made it back unharmed.

Stitch Fix {July 2014}

Some times I feel like all I blog about any more is Stitch Fix, but these are the quickest posts to whip up, and all I seem to have time for these days.  Also, I have no idea how the setting on both of my camera's got changed to these stretched out proportions, but they did and now I can't figure out how to change them back!

Just a warning, I loved something about everything in this fix but didn't keep a single item for one reason or another.

FRANCIS STRIPED FIT & FLARE DRESS $74 {Return}

I love this idea of this dress.  The fit is great and the style is great (I can wear it to work or just for fun) but the material was crap!  It felt cheap and it didn't feel very good on my skin, it was kind of itchy.

 There was no hem to this dress.  The material was just cut and it looked terrible up close.  I'm assuming it's a fabric that won't run or pull or fray but I just didn't care for the unfinished look.

FILBERT POLKA DOT PRINT 3/4 SLEEVE BLOUSE $58 {REturn}

This top was awesome!  Cute cut, love the polka dots, the fabric was soft and comfy.  It had one fatal flaw, it's a button up.  If you have breasts over a cup size B, you probably know what I'm going to say next.  Button ups and large(ish) chests DO.NOT.MIX!

Every time I move, the buttons stretch and pull till the threads are at their breaking point.  It SUCKS!  If this hadn't been a button up, or miraculously fit better in the chest, I would have kept it for sure. 

ACE SWISS DOT & FLORAL TIE-WAIST BLOUSE $68 {return}

I loved the underneath layer of this fabric, it was bright and had a fun pattern that wasn't too overwhelming.  I didn't love the top layer but it was cute and different.

JOSHUA COLORED ANKLE JEAN $64 {RETURN}

The pants were a GREAT color!  A burnt orange, not this coral color they look in the photos.  They were simply too tight.  Way too tight!

 I probably would have kept the top but...another button up!  Not so classy, not one bit!

ODELA TIE-DYE CHEVRON MAXI SKIRT $68 {return}

The color and pattern of this were fabulous.  It's hidden well in the photo but this was way too tight in the waist, it gave me a very uncomfortable and highly unflattering muffin top.

I'm very picky about clothes, and if I'm going to spend a good chunk of change on them, I have to LOVE them, everything about them.  Although I didn't keep a single item, I'm still pretty happy with my fix.  I know that the stylist are taking what I have to say seriously and listening to my feedback.  I understand you can't win them all and I'm confident next month will blow me away!

If you haven't jumped on this bandwagon but would like to, I'd appreciate it if you'd use this link so I receive credit for the referral!

Reds VS Padres

I'm starting to get excited about moving back to our hometown.  Among other things, I'm looking forward to being surrounded by people that love the same sports teams I do.  Sure it's fun to cheer on my home team in other cities but nothing compares to celebrating a Bengals' touchdown with a sea of orange and black or beating pots and pans in the streets like it's NYE after the Reds win the World Series (you know, like that one time in 1990 when I was 8!  It's actually one of my first memories, I have a terrible memory.  I digress)!

Last week, while my brother and sister-in-law were in town, we went to a Reds game in San Diego (actually, the whole reason they came out to visit us was because the Reds were in town and they have a goal to see a Reds game in every stadium in America.  Back to back series in San Francisco and San Diego was enough to convince them to come out west of a visit.).

We got to Petco Park super early so Brad + Jamie could watch batting practice and try to get a few autographs.

Warmups

There was a pretty good sized crowd of Reds fans waiting along the 3rd base line in hopes of scoring autographs.  I was just there for the photos.

Apparently Joey Votto doesn't often stop for autographs but he did that day and Brad + Jamie got their jersey's signed.

When Brandon Phillips came over, I decided to ask him for a selfie.  I follow him on Twitter & IG and he seems like a pretty cool dude, and he didn't disappoint.

Then he replied to my tweet and called me deb, which, at first I thought he got my name wrong, but after some thorough Google searching and reading through his twitter feed, I discovered it's some sort of slang for females, generally of the attractive variety, so I guess he can call me deb if he likes.  I am far too uncool for twitter and I'm ok with that!

Anyways, back to the baseball game...BP almost got beaned in the head by a wild pitch.  

I was working on my timing but, even though we had great seats, eventually my arms got tired of holding my camera at a goofy angle to be able to shoot around all the other fans, so I only got a few decent photos of the game.

We lost but we still had a good time.  I'm glad the next game we go to will be at Great American Ball Park (GABP), I love our home stadium!

GO REDLEGS!

A Letter to My Teenage Neice (that I wish someone had written to me 15 years ago)

Last week, this photo popped up on my timehop (if you don't know about timehop, it's an app that shows you what you posted on social media in years past, I kind of love it).

I was stunned at how young Jason looks in a photo that is only 3 years old.  He looks more like the guy I started dating 9 years ago than how he does now.  We got to talking about how much each of us has changed and we agreed he has definitely changed more physically, but I've changed a lot in other ways.  Most notably, my confidence level is infinitely higher than it was 9 years ago.  When Jason and I started dating I was full of insecurities and couldn't understand why a guy as hot as Jason would even look twice at me.  Obviously he saw things in me that I was incapable of seeing because I was blinded by my own lack of self esteem.  

It pains me to see young girls dealing with the emotions I felt as a teen/young adult.  I still have my moments of doubt (hello, number on the scale that I've never seen before...I'm talking to you!) but I know now that things weren't nearly as bad as I played them up to be in my head.  Recently my cousin's teenage daughter, whom I don't know that well, has been posting things to her Facebook that I'm certain if Facebook had been around when I was a teen, I would have posted as well.  Her words were my thoughts (and probably my words in my old diary/journal)...

My life motto should be, "He's not into you."

Like instead of ignoring me, at least tell me I'm not good enough.

Not to be a typical girl, but I think I'm forever alone. No joke..

Why am I the most awkward person ever

I don't know if it would have made a difference back then if someone had told me what I want to tell her but I want to try.  I want to scream at her that she is good enough and she won't be alone forever but I feel like I don't have the words.  I want to tell her that these feelings will pass, and one day, she will find a man that will be worthy of her love, that one day she will love herself enough to truly be loved by another.  That she is a beautiful, smart, strong young girl who is worthy of all the love and respect in the world.  That she is perfect just the way she is, that she shouldn't try to change to fit some socially acceptable idea of what a teenage girl should be or what she thinks a guy wants her to be.

I want her to know that everything will work out and everything will be O.K., better than O.K. even.

Balance

Balance eludes me.  No matter what I do, I can't seem to find the sweet spot, one area (or more) of my life always seems to be inadequate.  As we prepare to move across the country, my inability to maintain a balance is glaringly obvious.  Our list of things to do seems to be growing exponentially.  Each time I add something (find a job) it seems that 10 other things get added as well (update resume, obtain letter{s} of recommendation, notify references that I'm job hunting, etc.).  We've also had family in town/been traveling for 17 out of the last 25 days and we're meeting up with some other friends who are in town visiting family this weekend.  It's been awesome getting to see everyone and take some time off from work but it hasn't helped me get myself organized.

I'm working on setting some serious goals for myself to tackle over the next 6 weeks and that usually helps keep me on track so hopefully things will be a little more regular around here.  I also started wearing a Lokai bracelet and it's a great reminder for me to focus on balance.  Have you heard of these things?  They're all about balancing the highs (white bead) and lows (black bead) in life and the events that connect them.

How do you find (and maintain) balance in your life?

Stitch Fix {June2014}

Stitch Fix sent me another amazing fix this month.  In case there is still someone out there who hasn't heard of Stitch Fix, it's a fabulous company that shops for you. You complete an in depth fashion profile, answering lots of questions and choosing lots of photos based on your personal style, needs and budget.  Next you are assigned a "personal stylist" who studies your profile, any Pinterest boards you choose to share with them, and any notes you contribute.  They then choose 5 pieces, package them up and send them to you.  Once your box arrives, you try everything on in the comfort of your own home, with clothes that are already in your closet.  Once you decide which ones to keep, you simply place anything you want to return in the prepaid package they include and send them back.  There is a $20 fee each time they ship you a box but if you keep one or more items the $20 goes toward the price of the piece(s) you keep.  If you haven't signed up yet but would like to, I'd appreciate it if you would use this link as I receive credit for the referral.

Someone *cough cough* tossed the card that came in my fix this month so I don't have the specific details unless I found them on google/pinterest.

My favorite Just Black jeans in purple?  YES YES YES YES {KEEP}
I love this top but it was too small in the waist, I'm definitely sucking in my gut for this photo! {RETURN}

I hate 2 in 1 tops, HATE.  I would have loved both of these separately, the top half was incredibly soft, the bottom had a fabulous pattern, but half of each shirt sewn into one, no thank you.  {RETURN}

This Daisy Embroidered Skirt ($78) was described as "fit & flare" but it was more "box" on me.

 I wanted to love it, but for $78 the fit just wasn't right on me.  {RETURN}

The Colibri Heart Print Tab-Sleeved Blouse $48 was a good attempt at branching outside of the typical polka dots but I have an aversion to hearts.  For some unexplainable reason, I don't care for heart patterned clothes or heart shaped jewelry.  {RETURN}

 Although I didn't keep much out of this, it was still one of my favorite fixes.  I'm already looking forward to next month!

That was unexpected

Well, hello there strangers!  I woke up this morning and realized I hadn't blogged in 3 weeks.  I honestly haven't even thought much about this little space lately, and that's not to say I don't still love my blog and blogging, I've just had so much else going on.  With a cross county move coming up in less than 6 weeks (cue freak out!) I can't promise I won't drop off the face of the planet again, but I'll try my best not to.  I want to blog about everything that's been happening but for now we'll start with a brief recap of the highlights and I'll try to get around to filling in the details soon.

Ran into Akili Smith, former quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals, while picking up some take out at Dave & Busters.

I hosted my Jamberry launch party and was completely blown away by all of the support I received.

This amazing #stateoftheheart necklace from Lisa Leonard Designs arrived in the mail.

This amazing "kid" I use to nanny made his national TV debut on The Late Show with David Letterman.

I received another fabulous fix from Stitch Fix.

I returned to CrossFit.  My initial going with Jamberry was to earn enough money to pay for a crossfit membership.  Wouldn't you know that the same day I earned the pay check that would allow me to return to the gym the same day a friend here posted something about CrossFit Hillcrest.  Until that moment, I hadn't found a box here that really drew me in, but the second I started reading on the CFHC page, I knew it was the place for me.  I have not been disappointed. 

Jason's brother and sister-in-law came out to visit for a week and this is the only photo we have together.  Their dad came down for Father's Day weekend and we played tourist at the USS Midway.

I participated in my first Relay for Life.

We went to the San Diego County Fair.

GreenBee Parking

Last week, in order to get back to Ohio over Memorial Day, using our airline reward miles, we had to fly in and out of LAX.  It wasn't ideal but it was what we had to do.  It saved us over $1000 in plane fare but I was concerned we'd be paying just as much in parking for 3 days {I'm only slightly exaggerating}.  So, I started doing some research and asking around and a co-worker directed me to GreenBeeParking.Com.

This company essentially "rents" parking spaces from hotels near airports and then offers them for minimal fees to the public.   After filling out a simple form on their website, you can choose from available spots near the airport you're flying out of, sometimes saving as much as 75% compared to parking at the airport.

The process could not have been any easier for us.  We paid for our selected parking space on their website, at a hostel near LAX, showed up at our selected time, filled out a form at the front desk, left our keys with the valet and boarded a free shuttle to the airport.  Our reservation also included a free continental breakfast, which I guess is included with most spots through GreenBee (it will say online at the time of booking if this is an offered perk).  When we returned from our trip 3 days later we simply called the hostel and requested a pick up. All of this was included for a whopping $23.97  If you're not familiar with LAX, daily parking can exceed $45 PER DAY!  This was a major budget win in my book!

GreenBee does not operate at every airport (sadly, San Diego isn't on their list) but there are about 100 airports available.  It's worth looking into the next time you're flying, for sure.

This is not a sponsored post.  I just had to share this awesome traveling tip with all of you!