When in Coronado...

If you ever come to Coronado you should eat at Village Pizzeria, get pizza obviously and make sure to go to the location that looks into the bay of the city (there are 2 restaurants on the island). It is gorgeous, even if it is the more touristy location. Second, after dinner if it is chilly, which it most likely will be, go right across the way to Coronado Coffee and get the most delicious hot chocolate of your life and enjoy a stroll right on the bay. That is exactly what we did this past weekend and it was magical.

But before you do this you most definitely should call us first so we can go with you! That is a no brainer.

In the past four months we have:

-left the great state of Utah (glory be, I thought that day may never come!)

-lived with my family for the summer

-spent many a summer day riding the trolley's of Laguna Beach and catching some rays in the sand

-house boat trip to lake Mead

-ate at Baja Fish Tacos at least twice a week

-moved to Coronado

-husband started law school at University of San Diego

-I started an internship with Amorology Wedding

Currently we are:

-trying to spend any free time together we can, as Travis spends 6 days a week in school and/or studying

-riding our bikes everywhere in town, as is Coronado custom

-slowly decorating our apartment

-enjoying our lives in an entirely new environment and finding all our new favorite places to eat, shop, see, etc

-looking for a part time job for me

-training for another 10k, followed by another half marathon followed by full marathon, although not sure about the last one for me. yikes!

Here are some slim pickins photos I took with my iPhone (minus the coronado bridge shot) of this summer. I haven't been great at documenting lately:

Life is good. We love Coronado, seriously... we think it's the best place on earth. And although our apartment lacks modern amenities such as a dishwasher, washer and dryer and air conditioning, it makes up for it with it's old school charm and serious location, location, location! Did I tell you we live a block away from the beach?! So worth washing the dishes by hand.

My birthday is tomorrow and I really want a dog, not just any dog, this darling, dearest most adorable dog:

Okay not this exact dog, but you know what I mean. We only have a small problem of not being allowed to have animals in our apartment, not having any type of yard for the dog and also money to buy the dog...so maybe these are big problems. So maybe I won't get my dog tomorrow? A girl can dream...

Kate Spade Sample Sale

Kate Spade satisfies every ubber girlie clothing fantasy in me.  I am a sucker for their classic and feminine details. Bows, pearls, diamonds, oh my! I love to pretend shop on their website daily. You know, fill up the cart online and then pretend you bought it all, but instead hit close on your web browser before you get yourself into serious debtors prison? Womp Womp. Needless to say, I was pumped when I saw they are having a sample sale, hurray! Still pricey, but relatively less pricey, makes for one happy me! (Okay, I still could only purchase one small item) but that is better than no small items! Sample Sale ends tomorrow (May 19th). Get to it ladies.

Half Marathon and such

All pumped up right before the race! blurry phone pictures rock!

This past weekend we ran our first half marathon. I have never been a big runner and if you asked me this time last year if I could run 1 mile I would say maybe on a good day. So the fact that we ran 13.1 (yes the .1 counts) miles was a pretty big accomplishment for us. The Mr. used to think running for fun was the stupidest thing he had ever heard, but since we have pushed through the painful "I am so out of shape I can't breath" stage running has become something enjoyable that we like to do together. Emphasis on Like not Love people, we ain't crazies.

We went up to Salt Lake and stayed over night up there before the race to make a fun trip of it all. We carbo loaded on delicious pasta at Biaggi's and did a little shopping. Saturday was race day and we got up bright and early with perfectly mild weather which made me oh so happy! I am proud to say we ran all 13.1 miles and did not stop and walk ever. From mile one to ten I was having a blast people watching and enjoying the mountain air but at about mile eleven I was really feeling the pounding pavement in my hips and ankles and I was ready to be done. The Mr. wanted to really pick up the pace the last 2 miles but I just could not keep up. I finally told him to leave me, as I said a few choice curse words under my breath at him for being way more energized and happy at mile eleven then I was. Running into downtown Salt Lake and coming through the Gateway really got me excited again and I forgot about the pain and ran as fast as I could to the finish line. Hurray we made it! We really had a blast running the half marathon and plan to do more in the future. I used to think if I could run a half marathon I could totally run a full marathon, but now I am not so sure my body can handle it. 13 miles was pretty rough on this old bag of bones and I am not sure I want to know what another 13 miles could do to me! So kudos to all you marathoners out there, I salute you.

Hurray we finished and got cool medals!

 Ever been to Bruges Waffle and Frites in Salt Lake? Best authentic Belgium Waffles ever. 13 mile run + waffles and chocolate sauce = serious food coma.

Wicked

My in-laws got us tickets to see Wicked this past weekend in California. They flew us down after work on Friday night and we got to spend a short weekend away with our families. Families are the bomb.dot.com. Travis had not seen Wicked before and he LOVED it as much as I do, which is kind of a lot. The performance was one of the best I've seen of Wicked so far. We rocked out to "Defying Gravity" the whole weekend long. I can never get enough musical theater in my life. I am in awe when I attend shows because the performers on stage are so beyond talented it is borderline absurd and most definitely unfair. I love it.

Kate Spade Support Japan Tote

Kate Spade just created a limited edition tote that supports the Japanese Red Cross. The tote is $18 and 100% of the proceeds will go to the relief efforts in Japan. The tote is very cute and is now on pre order through their website.  Big thanks to Kate Spade New York for creating a wonderful opportunity for people to give and get.

Mountain West Burrito

Up the street from our apartment on State Street in Provo there is this really classy Smoke Shop, have you seen it? Well it is SO classy in fact that I never even looked over at its existence as I drove up and down State Street on a bi-daily basis. This all changed when a friend of mine introduced me to Mountain West Burrito, an organic and healthy newly opened Mexican joint connected to the ever classy Smoke Shop. Everything there is made from scratch and all of their ingredients are purchased from local organic farms in Utah. We went and tried it out last week and have been back twice already. It is fresh, delicious, super cheap and the owner is so friendly and helpful. What more can you really ask for? I LOVE Mexican food, but I hate that heavy feeling I usually get in my stomach from eating such rich food and with Mountain West's fresh ingredients you feel like you are eating a healthier and lighter alternative without substituting taste. Don't forget chips and salsa to top off the perfection and if you are a quality guacamole lover like me, take my advice and add it on to everything. It's such a thrill to find quality places to eat in Provo, and I am so happy to add this one to our list of go-to spots.

Travis likes all of the steak options.

Chowing down on a chicken taco. Really flattering picture of me I know.

The Laziest

This week has been crazy busy at work as I am planning a big conference for next month, so naturally when I get home from work I am the laziest! Once I come home from work, I go to the gym and by the time I am home around 7:30 pm, there is not one homemaking task I want to attend to. The house is in shambles, I make pouched eggs and toast for dinner because it takes exactly 5 minutes to make (or we go out to eat) and Travis is so busy and stressed with school he hardly gets any sleep these days. Yesterday morning I decide I’ve got to get my act together in the home department. I had it all planned out, I was going to: have a great day at work, go to the gym, come home and make a delicious dinner, clean the house, do laundry, put the hurricane of unworn clothes away and off the bedroom floor and regain our peaceful space. Sounds like a perfect plan. Instead it went more like this: most awful day at work to date, go to the gym, make eggs and toast for dinner of course, look at all of the mess in the house and decide instead of cleaning I am going to pretend the mess doesn’t exist, read my book, drink my diet coke and cuddle with my hubbie. Awful work day forgotten, however dirty house gets even dirtier. I am so getting homemaker of the year award.

Bathing suits and Bangs

I tried rockin the middle part and caramel highlights for a little while against my better judgement (how do some hair stylists talk you into something you know won't look good on you but you do anyway?!) Then a few weeks ago I said enough is enough, called up a new stylist from a very trustworthy source, and could hardly wait for a change that my five-head and I would both love. Patrick at Shep Studio, my widows peak and I thank you dearly. And your mustache is pretty rad too.

Spring has shown itself here in Utah and with its entrance I feel like I can officially start the search for the perfect summer bathing suit. I have been eyeing this beauty at Anthropologie for awhile now

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I wish Anthro had suits in stores so I could see the fit before I ordered it...and if I am going to start wishing, I also wish it was 50% off. Where is my magic genie?

It's been too long...

Remember the last time I blogged 6 months ago? Ya neither do I. I'm back! (I know the 2 people who read this blog are so excited!) 

We had our one year anniversary last month and we could not believe it had already been a year! Marriage to Travis has been so easy and full of happiness and love, we are so blessed to have one another. To celebrate our 1 year we went and stayed up in Salt City at this hotel (which by the way is darling if you are looking for somewhere to stay up there) and had a fun time eating and exploring Salt Lake City. Can we say Sunday brunch at the Grand America? They almost had to roll me out of there.

How fun are these rooms?! You even get animal print robes!

Tonight I have to run 8 miles for the half-marathon Travis and I are training for later next month. This will be the furthest I have ever run in my life. Wowzers. Pray for me.