Itty Bitty Vacation

 Well, believe it or not my computer charger is STILL not here... talk about snail mail for heaven sakes! If that thing doesn't come within this week, I'm gonna have to choke a B... I'll just leave it at that.

On a more blissful note, we took a mini vacation this past weekend! We left Thursday night, drove to the GORGEOUS town of Mendota... somewhere between the lovely Bakersfield and the charming Los Banos... who in their right mind names a town LOS BANOS?!?!?! I mean, REALLY, you couldn't think of anything better? I feel bad for the people who live there and whats worse is with that name I would expect some divine bathrooms, with like a toilet of gold or something equally as wowing but OH NO... you do not even want me to whisper a detail about the banos in Los Banos... but I have to, because you're my blog, and oh holy hannah i have got to tell someone! Two words -- flies.heat. use your imagination.... or even better, DON'T!The next morning we woke up and finished our drive and arrived in Tahoe!

Tahoe is one of my favorite places in summer. I just keep falling more and more in love with it. My grandparents have a Cabin on the lake there where I spent so many childhood summers and winters, I always loved Tahoe but now, I really appreciate it. It's like a retro wonderland, like if the Hampton's could meet Camp Wynamucka and date for a while, make out under the canoes then get married and make a baby... that baby would be TAHOE!

The trip was tiny.. pint size.... itsy bitsy, we came for a wedding that was absolutely beautiful, I will share it with you later but it was jam packed with so much greatness!! I took some killer shots on my camera but of course we have to wait for that damn charger... so until then Tohoegrams for you lovies!!!

The Ace Hotel

Boy oh boy do I miss you guys! A series of huge life events (graduating college, wedding anniversary, getting a job!!!)mixed with some technical difficulties (computer charger dropped dead on me!) have left me high and dry in bloggersville BUT - they have also taught me a valuable lesson in blogging...

 Typically, because of my procrastinating ways I am behind a few days...weeks, in this case MONTHS on my blog posts... I know, I know!! But, in my defense this is usually because I want to make sure my posts are chronological, and I won't allow myself to post about the most recent things until my previous things are documented! But (yes, there are lots of tushies in this post :)) since I have fallen so behind and my computer charger croaked on me I am tossing that rule out the window! At least for now because I miss you guys! I miss blogging and I just can't wait to access my computer for photos so I am just going for it! Yeehaw!! Or should I say YOLO right folks... or i guess that is my pathetic use of YOLO ;) (for those of you unfamiliar with the acronym it means you only live once)  So please forgive the crummy iPhone pics and my short and sweet iPad (I know, grad gift...spoiled right!!) posst until I am back and fully functioning.

 Anyway the valuable lesson was -- just Ef it! Ef the rules, and especially Ef the rules if they're keeping me from blogging, YOLO ;) !! So from now on I am making a goal for myself to be more up to date and to not let my OCD chronologicalness be a wet blanket!! So here's a little somethin somethin for you guys... It's me and the hubs wedding anniversary vaycay to The swanky and oh so fabulously hipster and cool Ace Hotel!! We had such a ball!! We felt like we we time traveled back to the 70's!! The entire place looked like old Hollywood retro, so fabulous!! The people were so chill, the weather was hotter than Mississippi in the summertime (I just made that up because it sounded good!) the cocktails we're fabulous, and the people we're so trendy it gave us an excuse to bring out the big guns!(pink flamingo shorts for Pat and high wasted bikinis and flower crowns for yours truly! YOLO) Then on our last day we found the best coffee shop in all of California - Koffi! OMHeaven on earth this place was to die for! best damn coffee EVER!! If you're ever in Palm Springs go there! If you don't me and Pat will be forced to cut ties with you...sorry!

 And whoops, my B if I look wasted in every single one of the photos... I probably was!

1 Year Anniversary

Happy Anniversary to the sweetest soul I know, my best friend, the love of my life, my husband Patrick O'Rourke!!! You are the most selfless and caring person I know, not a day goes by that you are not sacrificing yourself to bring a smile to someones face and I feel so entirely blessed that I call you mine! You make me so proud daily and your unconditional, consistent love for me reminds me of God's love for us <3 I know it sounds like such cheese but I could not imagine my life without you and I feel so unworthy of your love yet you never cease to show me and make me feel so loved! I admire you so much as a man, husband and friend, you are so wise and caring, you have a gift for serving others and it makes my heart sing! I cannot thank you enough for humoring my weird anxieties and reminding me that worrying will not get me anywhere, as annoying as I know I probably am, you never have complained and you always are right by my side supporting me. I am so grateful we found each other that random night at Papasandbeer Rosarito whoever knew that would be the night I met the most amazing man in the world...my HUSBAND! I love you so much Pat, I cannot wait to share the rest of our lives together.

Love,
your Wife <3

P.S. If this is suppose to be our hardest year... I can't even fathom what an "easy" year is like because I can honestly say this has been THE BEST year of my life!! XOXO

Public Transit Bootay!

I know I deserve a BIG smack on the bum for being so MIA lately! I am so sorry! It's school I tell ya! Damn school! I swear UCSD saved up everything that ever had to be done to graduate and assigned it to me this month!! But, my friends... the count down begins! Only 13 more days of school left then I am a graduated, certified, smarty pants!! Wooo Go me! (that is if I graduate... don't want to jinx myself) Everyone knows the saying "Don't count your chickens before they hatch!" but... I've been counting them... and I tell ya, if they don't all hatch.... things.will.get.ugly.period. 

With that lovely inspirational note, I give you my most awkward moment in a long time. It happen yesterday, I was in the heat, sweating bullets waiting for the shuttle. Yes, me and my public transit bootay have been taking the shuttle to UCSD, apparently me and my senior status, well, we've really humbled ourselves. No, not really, what really happened was Pat had been begging me to take the shuttle forever but I was always afraid I would get on the wrong one, end up in Mexico, become the whistle blower at the club that pours jello shots down tourist throats (I actually think that I might like doing that)... oh I had a list as long as Santas naughty list of reasons why I could not take the shuttle! But then comes Mrs. Cute Floral Jeans that I could not live without... ohhhhhhh but I knew my little frugal Jew of a husband would not let me have them... UNLESS... I cut costs somewhere else to pay for these gems! So... all of the sudden me and Mrs. Cute Floral Jeans were  not quite as terrified to take the shuttle...

So I have been riding the shuttle acting like a pro for about 3 weeks now, it still terrifies me and I can't even tell you how many people have got a lap dance from me, when all the seats in the shuttle are taken and I have to stand and that shuttle rounds a corner....wooooweeeee I should be making tips!

But yesterday, my shuttle experience almost made me cry. The shuttle rolls up and when I am about 2 people back from getting on I realize Mr. Huge Black Scary Man Shuttle Driver (not to be racist, just descriptive) is checking for student ID's. I am carrying a purse the size of Texas and I know there is no way on God's green earth that I can find my wallet in time, let alone my student ID! Sooooo, I just pretended I did notice that he was checking ID's and I tried to shimmy my way past him, but ohhhhh helll nooooo  he was not going to have that! So that's when he yells "Where's yo ID!!!??" and at that point EVERYONE on the shuttle had to stare at me and see who the IDIOT was that tried to shimmy on past him. I said "Oh!" Like i was so silly for forgetting and then awkwardly tried to scavenge through my purse to find it, then I realized this would take a year and I had a line of inpatient sweaty people glaring at me so I said "I'll just get off and take the next one..." then he replied "Next tieee' have it out fo me! Jus'go on!!" So then I said a really sheepish "thanks."  I would have just prefered to take the next one rather than have the whole shuttle stare at me and think the whole ride "what a dumb biatch!" But I was stuck, so I walked mortified to the back of the bus... keeping my eyes to the ground because I did not want to see anyone I knew, that would just make the whole situation 10 times worse! So there I was standing in the back of the bus, sweaty, humiliated and more than ever ready to graduate!!! I could not wait to get off that shuttle and go back to being the annonomous UCSD girl rather than the girl that Effed up the shuttle ride!

I have a history with bad shuttle experiances, when I was in the 1st grade I was so anxious and nervous about getting off at the right bus stop, I started walking to the front of the bus before it stopped and the bus driver yelled at me and it scared me so much I peed my pants! SO at least this time was a little bit better... I didn't pee my pants and that's always a plus  :)

 

What were we wearing?

Me: Skirt and Shirt - Urban Outfitters, Belt and Sweater - Dreamgirls Clothing Boutique

The Hubs: Shorts and Shirt - H&M, Vest - Pendleton

The "To Do" List

You guys!! I swear I still exist! I have been so MIA lately and I appolagize but you can go ahead and curse midterms for that.... I have been cursing them all week! I am SO ready to be done and I am Soooo close I can taste, smell and FEEL the freedom!! But the closer graduation seems to get the LONGER the "To Do" list seems to get! Lovely....;) 

As daunting as my "to do's" seem to be I am trying to remind myself to just flip it the bird sometimes! I mean seriously how much crap can one gal do... I ain't super-woman people! We went to church this weekend and the service was about family but I found a way to connect it to my "to do" list because lately that thing has been weighing HEAVILY {like loaded diaper heavy!} on my mind! Pastor Matt was talking about this guy named Bob... who clearly I need to meet; and how Bob quits something every Thursday. Yup, just flat out up and quits it! I mean EF yeah Bob! And no he doesn't mean, like major huge things like smoking, drinking and the like but just things that have him bogged down, wasting his time, over it! Wow, the thought of that to me was just so freeing, I feel like in our culture there's so much emphasis on following through and finishing; which is definitely not a bad thing and the majority of the time things should be finished and followed through but sometimes I think all of us need to just give these things that are causing us guilt and grief and stress a big old EF YOU!! And ask ourselves "why"?? It means so much to us that we finish it. Who cares if it's finished... does God care? 

Paster Matt also introduced me to a new life motto I've given it an acronym because all good things in life are given an acronym - it's called W.A.B. What About Bob and no I am not talking about my favorite quiter Bob from above, I am talking about the movie people - What About Bob the movie!! If you have not seen this amazing movie GO, NOW put the computer down grab your keys and get it it's awesome! But W.A.B is not only an excellent movie, it's now my way of life. It's called baby steps people...say it with me...BABY STEPS!! It seems too simple, but seriously why do we need to complicate things...? I think sometimes it's really helpful when you have a huge daunting "to do" list to just take it one baby step at a time. It feels easier, and then you get to cross more off, which lets face it, that's everyones favorite part about a "to do" list!! And because this is life and there will always be a "to do" list... {I know, it sucks} if we're always burdened and stressing about our lists can we ever just relax and live! Life is for living and not for listing so sometimes that list of ours.... it needs to go to hell! 

So this week, please join me in WABing and giving our "to do's" a big EF YOU!! GO- live a little! Cut Loose!! 

PS. I Miss You

Happy Weekend Lovers!! 

Hallelujah for the weekend... even though mine consists of studying for midterms....:(

Today, I am dreaming of and missing last week/end! 

I was in the gorgeous Palm Spring with my dear family and I miss them!! 

Why can't we just all live closer?!?!?!

Anyway it was a wonderful family reunion of sorts!

It started on Tuesday at 5:00

that's when I got out of class! 

I got a wild hair and decided to drive up to Palm Springs just me and Carlita 

{Pat had work and school booo :(} 

and SURPRISE my family!!! 

And, I am so glad I went for it! 

I text my sister-in-love Julie on the way up there just so she could keep me posted on their whereabouts and keep the old farts awake...but somebody just couldn't keep a secret!

cough*JULIE*cough

not to name names ;) 

She told my brother Wes 

"I know a secret about Kayla"

and of course he said 

"SHE'S PREGNANT!" 

and she said 

"NOooooo!... she's gonna be here in like 15 minutes and she needs a way to get into the gate!" 

and so he went out to get more "chasers" and worked over the gate keeper 

{flashed her his right boob ;)!!}

 to let me in! 

Thanks Wes.... 

SO then I got there and let Wes walk in with Carlita and say "look what I found at the door?!?" 

Then everybody got real giddy and smothered me with sloppy kisses and bear hugs! I loved it! 

I had so much fun... it is hard to beat the dessert this time of year! The weather was so grand! 

Also... I got spoiled rotten with a shopping spree and fine company so that was lovely too!

Can we all just go back?!?!
Round two, ya?!?!

Here are some "Palmstagrams" from the trip!

Blondes Only Lunch on El Paseo

mojito me!

Cooking everyone a vegan dinner!

My mom's new Puppy Ina

I got to watch them read their Married Interview!

Is there anything more precious?!?

My brother Wes and his dream car the Dalorian

Me and My beautiful aunt Carol

My grandparents crappy place ;)

Me and my little BFF

At Stone Brewery!

Happy Weekend Dolls!!
XOXO