Jeez almost three months since I've put up a blog post!? You must be wondering where I've been huh? Unfortunately there's no crazy story about being stuck on an island somewhere tropical with no access to the internet like last year, BUT there are some fun stories about how I spent my winter break with the people I love most. Take a peak :) My younger sister moved to Colorado last fall to attend college. She and her boyfriend live in Denver and I was so excited to go visit them and explore a new state. Coming from sunny California, I was definitely not prepared for the weather The first day there we headed to Estes Park, which is a small town in northern Colorado. It was incredibly cold(!!) but definitely a lot of fun to walk around and check out all the kitschy shops. There were also so many freaking candy shops. Honestly I don't know how we didn't leave with 10 pounds of taffy in our pockets. After lunch we headed to check out the Stanley Hotel, which is famous for it's inspirational role in Stephen King's novel "The Shining." Talk about spooky. Usually I'm a big baby about stuff like that but it was the middle of the day so we were all good. Special shoutout to my sister and her boyfriend for being such great hosts, it was so fun to get out and run around with them! From Colorado, I headed to see some more family in southern Washington. The airports were horrible at the time and I got turned around a bit but eventually made it there a few days before Christmas. My aunt and uncle live right on the Columbia River and their place looks out onto one of my absolute favorite views. I can't get enough of it, even though I visit multiple times a year. Last Christmas I was in Myanmar, really sick with a stomach bug, so I was really happy to be around a lot of family in a warm house with my favorite pups. Christmas eve was spent playing card games, eating crab legs, and drinking hot toddies. Christmas morning of course was pretty splendid. We slept in the appropriate amount of time and congregated around the tree by 8:30. We did something different this year and tried a secret santa type thing. I broached the idea back around Thanksgiving thinking it would be easier with a larger number of people. We drew names and then all emailed 'wish lists' out. I cleaned up nice in the present category with some awesome Spanish olives, my favorite card game, and some excellent books. I was jonesing for some fresh air after a heavy breakfast of all the wonderful things in life (i.e. maple-sugared bacon) and my uncle had graciously offered to show me a hike near by. It was still a bit cold but sunny as could be so we headed out and my sister's boyfriend joined us. To get to the hike, we literally walked down their driveway and down the road a bit, past their neighbor's houses and up a hill 20 yards. I kid you not it was that close. Can you believe that view? I know, I almost can't either and I was there. The hike itself was pretty easy going and I had just been gifted a new pair of hiking shoes the day before so I was a happy camper. My friend Alex who I know from the middle school days lives about an hour away from my Uncle and Aunt's house. He was able to come up one of the days I was there and I took him on the exact same hike because I could not get over the views. It was pretty gloomy but still amazing. Friendship is such a gift and I feel so blessed to have such strong and admirable friends in my life like Alex. We caught up and reminisced about the good ol' days and agreed that we couldn't believe how fast life was going. You know, the normal stuff. The next day was spent with a purpose. My sister had been talking about wanting to go sledding. I personally wanted to sit on the couch under multiple blankets and read, but she convinced me to get up off my butt, and it turned out to be a pretty fun day. We drove over the border to a ski place near Hood River, Oregon in hopes of finding some decent hills. There was a copious amount of snowballs thrown by my brother as we waited for the lift up the hill. There was a lot of people in line so we decided to duck into the lodge for a hot drink while waiting for the next lift. Perfect timing too because I was already starting to freeze my fingers off. The sledding hill turned out to be a small bunny slope, but we managed to make it pretty fun anyways. The last few days after that I spent sitting adjacent to the fire place, enjoying the good company of everyone. I left feeling so incredibly thankful for the gift of family. I know not everyone gets to spend the holidays with theirs, so if you are able to, make sure to not take it for granted. I'm currently back at school, midway through my winter quarter. I have plans for some really fun blog posts coming up, so keep an eye out! Hope everyone's 2017 is going well so far!
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I must admit that with the holidays fast approaching, I'm experiencing that creeping pressure to get all of my gift shopping done that many of you are also probably feeling right about now. There's a couple of strategies that are good for getting all your holiday shopping done and many people take advantage of Black Friday. I gotta say, I've never been a huge fan of the whole "staying up late, crowded lines, fighting over deals" thing. For one, I'm usually in bed by 11 o'clock, and two, I'd rather shop at a leisurely pace. What is the point of me telling you all of this you may ask? I've happily decided to take the pledge alongside Fundera, a company that helps small businesses get the funding they need to be successful, to support my favorite local spots on Small Business Saturday this November 26th! Now I knew that supporting local, small businesses was important, but I had never seen the cold, hard facts laid out in front of me. Did you know that small businesses make up 99.7% of U.S. employer firms? Or that they make up 54% of all sales in the U.S. as well as 33% of the U.S.'s export value? Safe to say that small businesses are incredibly important to our economy. In thinking more about this upcoming national shopping holiday, I took a moment to think about my favorite local small business that I would be happy to support. Being college students, my roommates and I tend to favor small coffee shops and eateries. First up? A place I've definitely mentioned a number of times. Caje is a little coffee shop with some of the best lattes and bagels around. I routinely spend 10-15 hours a week here working on anything from homework to blogging, or just catching up with friends. The environment is so laid back and all the baristas are college students as well, so it's a very welcoming atmosphere. #2? Savoy is a family-run restaurant downtown that serves up delicious (seriously delicious) breakfast and lunch. I'm not exaggerating when I say they have everything. You can choose between homemade soups and deli favorites, or opt for their insanely fresh salad bar. If you're feeling like taking a sweeter route, they have pancakes (gluten-free and regular), oatmeals, and daily baked goods. Guy Fieri even visited once and gave the place a thumbs up! When my roommates and I were first years, we would catch the bus from campus and treat ourselves to brunch every once in a while. Since then it has become a favorite that we've taken family and friends to. And last but not least: one of my all-time favorites, the Isla Vista Co-op. Usually, since we're living on a college student budget, we tend to shop at Trader Joe's. However, when we're in need of a few quick groceries near home, or a really yummy sandwich, my roommates and I hit up the co-op. It is a wonderful little place that is really invested in stocking local products, hosting social health and balance events, and giving back to the community. Everyone who works there is so friendly and welcoming. My favorite is the monthly brunch+yoga that they put on. Good for your body and tastebuds. Curious about the background of Small Business Saturday? According to Fundera ---->
Safe to say, I will be making a point to keep to small businesses in order to support my community, especially over the next few weeks. If you're up for taking the pledge and doing the same, let other people know about the importance of November 26th! Hope to see you all hoping on the bandwagon of Small Business Saturday!
Surprise surprise! Back with a sunrise themed post! I know, no one is actually surprised. If you ever visit or move to Santa Barbara, you'll definitely understand why people congregate all the time to watch the sun set or rise over the ocean. It's simply a way of life here. A little while ago my roommate mentioned that she was planning on heading to the water tower in the hills above the city to catch the sunrise. I immediately hopped on board. Waking up at 5:30 definitely didn't sound ideal, but I shoved that notion toward the back of my brain. Kasia is probably the best trip leader and made pumpkin muffins for everyone. I definitely recommend taking those small steps out of your everyday routine to switch things up and do something different. This is my last year at UC Santa Barbara and I know that you blink and time passes by in an instant, so I'm taking every chance to create some memories with my friends. As we've all started making plans for after college, I think it's important to cherish the moments we do have together (and all that cheesy stuff). Hope everyone's holiday season is going well!
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Amani P.Last fall I took off for a year abroad. Now I'm back in the states, trying to figure out this crazy thing we call life! Archives
February 2017
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