Castle in the Clouds

A couple of months ago I won a complimentary pass for two to go to Hearst Castle in San Simeon, it's about a 90 minute drive north from where I live, and while it's really close, I haven't been up there in more than 2 decades.  I've driven past multiple times, but never actually stopped.

The tour was much shorter than I remembered, and I somehow managed to pick the one rainy day of the year to visit, but I have to say it was just as magical and awe inspiring as my childhood memories.

Here are a few photos from the trip, maybe they'll inspire you to take a visit as well.

Spectacular Spectacular: My September

So its time to wrap up last month, and what a fabulous month it was. September was full of adventures, laughter, spending time with friends and family.  It wasn't all fun and games, it was also a time to say goodbye to a loved one.

Are you ready to get this party started? I am.

• Boyfriend Adventures: Yes, I said it, BOYFRIEND adventures, we're all facebook official now so I can use the title.
• Labor Day Weekend when he came home from school for the long weekend. It began with a Friday night Cook Your Own at the local Elks Lodge for a friend of his family's birthday party... PS I can cook fish on the BBQ like nobody's business.



Boats & Hoes!

• Saturday we took a day trip with the intentions of going to Pfeiffer State Beach in Big Sur, but missed the turn and ended up at a BEAUTIFUL beach in Carmel that we basically had to ourselves, we maybe shared it with 20 other people, tops. After spending a few hours picnicking, watching new scuba divers venture out into the water, and yelling at seagulls (more him than me, can you believe it? I found someone more irritated by those winged rats than myself.) we decided to drive into Monterrey to see Fisherman's Wharf. We walked around the harbor, had fish and chips on the wharf, window shopped in all the tourist traps, walked through a Greek Festival, grabbed Starbucks for the drive home and made our way back to Santa Barbara County.
• Sunday we went wine tasting with his mom and her BF in Tepusquet Canyon, went dancing at Harry's Nightclub and Beach Bar in Pismo Beach, hung out at Mr. Rick's in Avila Beach (word of advice, if your boy wants to give you a piggy back ride, make sure you've got hops, because if you're like me and don't you'll both end up falling down and rolling around the parking lot at the beach), and finished the night with nachos at my aunt's house.
• Monday I introduced him to my parents. Big step right? I haven't introduced anyone I've dated since college to my mom. We met up for lunch at a local BBQ restaurant everything went smoothly and it was a lot less nerve racking as I had anticipated. Maybe I haven't given my parents enough credit over the years, but seriously when a shot gun gets brought out when you're sixteen to intimidate the guy who wants to ask you out, you learn to be cautious.
• Weekend in Fresno:
• That Good Old College Experience: When I was in college I was never really part of the "scene" I lived a half an hour away from the campus and wasn't close enough to the people who partied to trust them enough to play all the games that university students partake in. I never really felt left out or like I missed anything, but I have been assured that I have (LOL). So like any good boyfriend, mine has promised to show me the full experience of reliving my college years, without midterms, finals, or essays (at least on my part, so basically all the fun and none of the work). I learned how to play "King's Cup" (its so NOT my game, I lost both times we played) and learned that I excel at Beer Pong (or maybe he was just being encouraging?). Sunday morning we got up early(ish, okay not really) and went to go watch the COWBOYS! game at BC's... I guess all the festivities of the weekend were too much for me though, because I may have accidentally fallen asleep for a minute in the bar (oopsies! and I was only drinking water).

• Winchester Mystery House and Downtown San Jose: I've wanted to go to this house since I first saw the billboard posters when I was in high school, but never really had an opportunity. When BF found out that I haven't been there he decided that San Jose was the next stop on our journey and I'm so glad he did. The whole experience was fantastic. I do have to say the only disappointment was that the tours are no longer guided by actual docents, you are assigned a headset and a remote and have to listen to the tour. I think it would have been a much more personal experience had we had someone leading us through the house, especially considering the price of admittance. My favorite part of the visit to the house was the wine tasting on the patio, it was such a pretty day and was so relaxing. I was nice just to have a glass of wine (our bartender had a heavy hand, with 4 tastings I practically had two full glasses) and just visit with each other.  Don't get me wrong the house was beautiful, interesting, and not at all scary (I was kind of hoping it would be creepy and haunted). After our tour concluded we met up with my aunt who wasin the area visiting my cousin, and cousin's boyfriend who had just moved into their first apartment together. We spend a few hours with them, had dinner at the Gordan Biersch Brewery in Downtown SJ (their appetizers, mojitos, and lobster bisque soup are amazing, you need to go try them out), then finished the San Jose experience at the Cinebar, a cute little dive bar a few doors down from the brewery.
• Fresno State University: I received a tour of the campus, its beautiful, hung out in the library for a few minutes, and visited the cadaver lab... no dead bodies for me thank you, but I did go inside the lab where the bodies are housed, that counts for something right?
• Zombie Nights: My whole September calendar wasn't filled with boyfriend adventures, I also have maintained our weekly Girls' Night In, although now we call it "Zombie Night" since we've been watching The Walking Dead for the past few weeks. It is getting us in the Halloween spirit (one of my FAVORITE holidays), and the new season starts on October 14th so we've got to get caught up. Sometimes we go to out to dinner, sometimes Karla or her roommate cook, sometimes we order in, what matters is that we're together and having a great time. We all snuggle on the couch together, turn off all the lights, and prepare to be scared by all the brain eating gore. 
• Aunt's Funeral: This September we said goodbye to my great-aunt. She really was a great person, she raised me and other family members, she was always there with a hug and a story to tell. The funeral itself wasn't as traumatizing as many can be, we celebrated her life and wished her well. She is finally with all the loved ones that had already left us, and I know she'll continue to take care of us even though her body is gone.

We'll miss you Auntie

 

There you have it, that was September in a nutshell, can't wait to see what October brings. Keep smiling friends, its the moments that matter.

Girl Blog 3 of 3: A New Wishlist

Happy Anniversary Blogger, its been a year already and I think its appropriate to celebrate with a new wish list. My first post on this site was My Wish List and while a lot of these wishes are still hopes I have for the future its time for a new list.

My hopes for women haven't changed, if anything I hope that in the years to come we won't have to still be fighting the same battles our grandmothers fought for equality, reproductive freedom, and won't be judged on anything but our own personal merit.

A lot has happened since I posted my wish list last year, it was a chronical of my thirtieth year in many ways... and with the year winding down for me (my birthday is Friday, if you want to send presents I'm totally on Amazon.com) I thought maybe this could be a New Year's Resolution type post. Not just wishes for the population as a whole, but more localized.  The way I want to live 31.

• Don't sweat the small stuff.
• I know its totally cliched, but I get so caught up in making things that don't matter in the long run matter in the present that I lost sight of what really is important.
• Chill on the out of control spending
• Do I really need that sweater in 4 different colors? Will two or {gasp} one suffice? Do I really need it at all?
• Write More
• Whether it be here on the blog, or short stories, or in a journal, set the pen to the paper and get the words out.
• Appreciate EVERYTHING
• Good times, bad times they all have their lessons to teach.
• Experience the Out of the Ordinary
• Take chances that I wouldn't necessarily always take. Who knows where it could lead.
• Don't Be Afraid to Say No
• I know this almost contradicts the one that I posted before, but this is more in the sense that I tend to overload myself because I want to be able to do it all. Sometimes I need to sit back and either let something slide or let someone else handle it. I don't need to be in charge all of the time. I can share the reins.
• Cultivate Positive Relationships
• Sometimes people are in your life for a season, sometimes a few years, sometimes a lifetime. Everyone you meet has a specific purpose in your life, even if its just a small encounter, who knows where you might find inspiration to do the next big thing.

I think that these are all do-able goals and I look forward to tackling the new year.