Month: August 2015

Starting Fresh

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Here we are at another Friday. I am so glad because my body is achy and tired but I am also SUPER sad. If you live in one area for too long, guess what happens . . . you get attached. That’s right–you get attached. I have lived in Utah for 12 years now. That is 11 years longer then I originally thought that I would live here. All of these years later, I know that Utah was the right decision and staying here this long has been the right decision as well. I have wonderful friends, I live in a beautiful neighborhood with wonderful neighbors, I have favorite haunts I like to visit, I love all of the things to do outside, and most importantly–I love being close to my family especially the nieces and nephew. They really are the highlight to my life.  🙂

So now, that brings me to this week . . . I took a new job. I am excited for it and the new challenges that it will present. Mostly, I am just eager to have a schedule again. I get frustrated being busy but not knowing where all of my time is going during the day.

This new job means that I will be moving back to the Portland-Vancouver area. I am very excited about this since as most of you know, I love the Northwest A LOT!!! I get to be there also at my most favorite time of year: FALL. Awesome for me!! 🙂

So this brings us back to the music post for today. Enjoy my 5 picks for starting over and if you have any favorites; please share them!

  1. Rolling Stones: Start Me Up

  1. The Byrds: Turn! Turn! Turn!

  2. The Andrew Sister & Bing Crosby: Accentuate the Positive

  3. Bon Jovi: It’s My Life

  4. American Authors: Best Day of My Life

Driving the Southern Route

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We made it through another week . . . thank heavens! I am finishing up all of my efforts to acquire great outfits for my whole family for my sister’s upcoming wedding. I have learned some things along the way with number one being that you should really look at the return policies for things you order online. If it isn’t free returns or a store you can physically take it to; don’t order it unless you are sure. I spent $70 returning items yesterday and needless to say, I am a little ticked. However, if you need to order and are unsure then make sure you order up a storm from both Nordstrom and Macy. They are wonderful!!!

Now on to this particular Friday’s post on places I have been–I have decided to showcase San Diego and surrounding area. My littlest sister lives in San Diego and absolutely loves it. So she showed me a few of her favorite spots and I then showed her a few of my favorites.

What are some of your favorite hidden gems in San Diego?

 

  1. Everyone has to start their day with breakfast and Snooze is a great place to do it.

  2. Speaking of food my sister and I are always on the lookout for great sushi houses and Sushi Deli hit the spot.

  3. We spent a great day out in the water body surfing at Carlsbad  State Beach. And speaking of Carlsbad; if you have never been here you should go. It has a cute downtown area with shopping, restaurants and generally beach hanging out.

  4. We had the most peaceful time looking out at the ocean and the lights of San Diego when going out to the Old Point Loma Lighthouse. There are great pictures to be had out here and a great place to grab seafood to take back home as well from Point Loma Seafood.

  5. Of course my lists could go on and on since one of my most favorite hotels in the world is in San Diego but I feel I should mention to everyone that you can’t call your trip to San Diego complete without visiting Old Town.

 

Get out there and explore everyone and have a great weekend!!

 

Being My Own Esthetician

/ jennced15 / 3 Comments

Hello Everyone!

I hope your week is going well. Mine is busy as ever with my sister’s upcoming wedding.

Since I still don’t currently have a job, I had to cancel my monthly facials. Got to spare the funds!! So I have been trying to figure out ways to keep my skin looking great. I turned to a slew of homemade remedies to see if any of them will do the trick. Here is what I found out.

 

  1. Basil Water: You are to boil fresh basil in water and then add a drop or two of lavender essential oils then steam your face for ten minutes to open up your pores. This was actually great but don’t breathe too deeply in the beginning or you might have a coughing fit.

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  1. Chamomile Tea Bags: Steep in cold water for 5 minutes then apply to your eyes for 10-20 minutes to reduce dark under eye circles. This was very relaxing and I thought it reduced the discoloration but not the puffiness.

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  1. Lemon Baking Soda: Mix lemon juice with baking soda into a paste and then apply to the areas with blackheads. They were removed but be particular about getting it everywhere you want them removed.

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  1. Burning Mask: A mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg, honey, lemon juice and I added baking soda to the original recipe. It does burn for a few minutes but it actually smelled great and my skin felt much smoother afterwards. I didn’t see any noticeable difference but I will follow the instructions for continued use to see if it will really clear up the imperfections on my face.

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5. Lavender Essential Oil: I have actually been using this for a while now and it has been great. Just a drop or two is great on blemishes. They don’t spread and the pore cleans itself out pretty quickly.

 

May the force be with you and your skin!! 🙂

August So Far

/ jennced15 / 2 Comments

Good Morning Everyone!

We have started this month off with a bang of activity and it isn’t going to slow down before the end of the month. I have all of my weekends tied up until after Labor Day and hopefully I am on the cusp of a job which will impact the month as well.

The whirlwind of activity has everything changing so rapidly. Yesterday while driving to Park City, I noticed the leaves changing on some of the trees . . . what? The girls also reminded me that they start school in 2 weeks . . . what? What I am figuring out is that maybe my diatribe on fall coming too soon to local stores isn’t too far away after all. What is a girl to do? 🙂

If you can’t beat them, join them right?!

Here is my list for the favorite things that I did this week. I hope each and everyone of you are enjoying the last of your summer.

 

1. Deer Valley Music Festival: I have been volunteering at the festival for the last three weeks as a way to get out of the house, enjoy friends, and forget about the fact that I don’t have a job. It has been wonderful!! I highly recommend everyone in the Utah area taking in one of these concerts next year.

  1. Wayne Bartholomew Park: I have now brought my nieces here twice and we love it. It is great family fun for an entrance fee of $0. Can’t beat that! It does get crowded on really hot days and it will be hard to find a spot on the beach but try and get here if you can.

  2. The Dodo Restaurant: This is one of our favorite restaurants in the Salt Lake Valley. It has great food, GREAT desserts, and a great atmosphere to hang out with friends and mingle. My girlfriends and I headed over here for dessert this week to celebrate the end of an era and the start of new things to come.

  3. New Desserts: So the girls stayed the night and we partied hard. We colored up a storm, went to the library and checked out 16 books that needed to be read before they left, went to the lake, camped-out in my room for bed, roasted s’mores and of course had to make a treat. The girls couldn’t decide between something chocolate or citrus so we made both. These lemon cookies were a HUGE hit. We doubled the batch and the cookies are officially gone as of today. The chocolate poke cake was good as well BUT there is a disclaimer of eating it sparingly. It is SUPER rich and is likely to make you sick if you eat too much.

  1. Fall Weather: We ended up with a very cool and rainy day twice this week. Both days I pulled out long-sleeve shirts, wanted a cup of tea and was starting to dream about a Halloween party. Luckily for my mother the party won’t be at her house this year and hopefully I will be able to still get a party in even if I am living in a different location. Fingers crossed!!

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