Kelly's French Bakery and More

Over the weekend I went to this cute little Bakery here in Santa Cruz. My friend Sarah and I had visited a yarn store in the same little shopping corner as it and I knew I had to return again. There baked goods looked phenomenal and their coffee was delicious. I can see many more Sunday Visits in my future. 

Today starts the beginning of my 3 day work week. Thursday is Thanksgiving and Friday is my 26th Birthday. I am hoping that some of my family come to visit me. I have done all of my Thanksgiving food shopping and plan on Hosting for the first time at my Apartment. 

Here's to a Happy Monday and the beginning of a Great Week - or at least one hopes so!

xoxo - 25 going on 26

Accepting Myself, Loving Myself

I don't smile showing teeth because I am insecure, I don't feel beautiful and I am so afraid of being judged by others. I have battled with my weight issues and self-confidence for as long as I can remember. I'm so tired of trying to be perfect for others and should be enough for myself. So here's to turning a new leaf and working on not caring so much what others have to say about me. Love me or not I am who I am and I'm not willing to change that for anyone.  Learning to Love me more and more every day.  ~Xo Me~ 

Weekend Adventures with my Bestie

One of my Besties, Jessika, finally got the opportunity to come and visit me this past weekend. It has been a little over a month since we have gotten to actually hang out since we live practically 200 miles away from each other. 

Saturday we decided to spend the day thrifting and hitting up the local art stores so we could do our own Paint and Wine Night at my house. We found an amazing deal on Canvas at Ross- a pack of 6 for $6, which is a steal. We then headed to Palace Art and Supplies in Santa Cruz to pick up out acrylic paints. At home we started off our Wine and Paint night with some Yummy Pizza.

Which let me tell you our pizza place draws awesome images on your top if you ask them too!! Thanks Woodstock's!!!

Reptar on my Pizza Box

For our paint night we decided to surf YouTube to find the perfect video. We came across the Art Sherpa, she is funny and easy to follow. Such a wonderful teacher. We decided on two of her videos's. One was the Peacock Feather and the other was the Galaxy. We had a lot of fun. As you can see my attempt at a peacock feather below. :)  I also included a link to the video for those who want to check her out. 

The Art Sherpa - Peacock Feather Tutorial

Peacock Feather

Sunday was a hike day. Jessika and I wanted to head out on this beautiful day and get some fresh air while getting in some good exercise as well. We drove up a little pass UCSC and found a sweet spot to do some hiking. We started in through the Redwoods and then came across a little gem to hike. It was so quite and peaceful. The temperature's under the redwoods were perfect with a nice little breeze. We came out into this clearing that showed a full valley of redwoods and a drop in the path. We decided to be adventurous and hike down this hill.. All the while in the back of my head realizing that I was going to have to hike back up. Let me tell you, the hike back up was killer on my breathing as well as my calves and thighs but I made it back to the top and eventually back to my car. 

Santa Cruz, CA

Had such an amazing weekend and look forward to many many more adventures.

~Adventurist Chrissy XoXo

Inspiring Adventures with a Client

Capitola, CA

On Monday July 20, 2015 I had the opportunity to work again with one of the clients my job serves. Normally I am a behind the scenes magician of the scheduling variety but this time I got to venture out from the office. My client and I started off with some delicious breakfast at I Hop and then she wanted to take a drive along the coast. We stopped and sat on a bench atop a hill overlooking this beautiful view of the Capitola Wharf and just chatted. We watched as people walked their dogs, viewed the junior lifeguards plunging into the ocean, and listened to the beauty of nature. 

My client was the sweetest woman who unfortunately suffers from Alzheimer's Disease and has very little if no family contact at all. I felt blessed to share this time with her and to see the sparkle in her eyes when she described her passion for animals and this beautiful place in which she lives. It was heartbreaking at the end of my time when I had to say goodbye. The look of loss filled her as I hugged her and drove away. 

As I drove off I couldn't get the imprint of her face out of my mind. She looked as if she had tears welling up in her eyes and was heartbroken to see me leave. This fragile lonely woman looks forward to her daily visits from our care staff and I felt lucky enough to be able to spend a beautiful Monday morning with her. This time reminded me of how important it is to cherish those around you because tomorrow is never promised and you never know what could happen. 

~Feeling Blessed & Loving Life~

Christine 

Independent

I've always been told that I am a Strong Independent Woman and that I could do anything on my own. For the most part I very much enjoy living on my own, being independent and responsible for myself without the worry of being let down by others. But I also very much crave the feeling of being in a relationship with someone who will love me, go on adventures, laugh with me and be there for me through the good and the bad. I have searched for the love I wanted and came up empty, not because my standards are to high but because I shouldn't be searching to find someone to make me whole. I am enough all on my own and one day that special someone will come into my life and make me realize why I have gone through the heartbreaks and tears. A friend of mine posted this video by Tori Kelly on a social media site and I felt that I could relate to the lyrics in which she sang.

Tori Kelly - Dear No One

"I like being independent
Not so much of an investment
No one to tell me what to do
I like being by myself
Don't gotta entertain anybody else
No one to answer to...

But sometimes, I just want somebody to hold
Someone to give me their jacket when it's cold
Got that young love even when we're old
Yeah sometimes, I want someone to grab my hand
Pick me up, pull me close, be my man
I will love you till the end

So if you're out there I swear to be good to you
But I'm done lookin', for my future someone
Cause when the time is right
You'll be here, but for now
Dear no one, this is your love song"

~Loving Me Until I Can Love You~
XOXO

Decorating

New Accent Chairs <3 

First let me start by saying that these chairs are sooooo Adorable and Sophisticated in person. I often peruse through the local Craigslist Furniture posting to see if anything may catch my attention in my pursuit to finally make my apartment feel more like a home. Earlier this week I happened to be on at just the right time. I came across and ad for these Gorgeous chairs and instantly thought, "I NEED These"... These chairs normally go for $300-$400 in range an I got the pair for ONLY $60!!! TOTAL STEAL <3 

LONELY BUT NOT ALONE

Living alone in a beautiful beach town has its perks but it also has it negatives. I have no family or friends except one who live within a reasonable traveling distance (1 hour or less). There are times that I just sit at home alone and have way to much time to dwell on the fact that I am a shy introvert who is single and feeling quite lonely. Many if not all of  my friends have significant others and families of their own. I know that I am only 25 and I still have so much of my life to live but it is hard to seek the positive when the negative pulls on your heart strings. Often times tears start to well up in my eyes as I sit and think of the things I'm "missing" out on. 

Handle With Care

When I moved to my lovely beach town I had sooooooo many of my friends who were mad and upset that I was leaving. These friends tried talking me out of it and when that failed they promised me over and over again that they would visit. I have seen the true colors of those friends because they have not once come to visit me. When I go and visit my family the expect me to make that same trip about them and because of that I feel anger towards them. They don't feel it important enough to come and see me but they expect me to drop everything for them.

They say in order to have love in your life you must first learn to love yourself. I guess there are so many things about myself that I dont love and I am more critical of myself that I need to be. Learning to let go and step outside of my normal comfort zone is something that I am learning to do. I have taken myself out to dinner and feel more comfortable grocery shopping alone as well. I write myself notes that say things like "You're Beautiful", "Smile" & "Have a Great Day". We are the deciders of our own fate and must make each day worth every second we get to live it. 

~ Finding Me

Lets Cook!!!

Cooking has always been a huge passion of mine since I was a little girl. My father was a chef in many different types of restaurants and taught me part of what I know, the rest I learned along the way. Whether it be cooking a full meal or baking someones favorite desserts I am happy when I am able to provide some yum yums for those I Love! 

Monday 6/29

Homemade Garlic Tortilla Crust Pesto Pizza
 with Mushrooms, Onion, Cheese, Sausage.

Garlic Tortilla Crust, Marinara Sauce, Mushroom, 

Onion, Cheese, Sausage

So the other week I taught one of my best friends how to make tortillas. She unfortuanately wasnt able to master rolling them out thin so we had to redo a few of them. I then brilliantly thought to myself, Why not use thick tortillas as a pizza crust? And BAM!!!! My Tortilla Pizzas were made. I think the red sauce I made had much more flavor and bang than the pesto but a girl cant resist a good homemade pesto sauce. The mushrooms were fresh and the red onion added a nice sweet flavor while the sausage was flavorful and pulled it all together. 

Friday 6/26

(Steak with a Fresh Garlic, Onion, Mushroom Wine Sauce 

Garlic Herb Pasta 

and Garlic Butter Corn)

 Since its summer corn is in and nothing is better than Sweet Buttered Garlic Corn on the Cob!! I had bought some fresh mushrooms and had a nice bottle of Red Wine at home that came as a great asset for my wine sauce. Cooked my steak to medium and let it rest and then added the wine sauce. The flavors from the steak and the wine sauce mixed exquisitely and the pasta and corn were a very refreshing paring. 

Tuesday 6/16

Homemade Turkey Lumpia

Lumpia is the Filipino version of an Egg Roll. They have amazing flavor and the right type of crunch. I made mine with ground Turkey, Celery, Carrots, Green Onion, Red Onion and some Soy Sauce. I love making Lumpia in bulk because I can freeze what I dont cook and use it later on when I'm craving it again. 

Big Thanks to my Daddy for my absolute love of cooking and baking..