My Christmas Wishlist

I think one of the reasons why I love Christmas so much is because not only do I love giving gifts, I love to receive them, too! In fact, receiving gifts is my primary love language. So naturally, I’ve come up with my very own Christmas wishlist– some things that I would love to find under my Christmas tree in 9 days. If not, I just might have to buy them for myself…

1) Cutout Handle Clutch – I recently realized that I don’t own a black clutch, which kinda makes me feel like less of woman. A black clutch should be a staple in any purse collection, yet I don’t own one! I really love this one from The Limited because it’s a good size and even has a little handle in case I get tired of carrying it under my arm.

2) Fluidline Eye Pencil – In my opinion, a good eyeliner pencil is hard to find. Every time I buy one from the cheap make-up section at Target, I end up hating it and throwing it away. So I’ve decided that next time I invest in some eyeliner, I’m going to MAC where they carry good quality make-up.

3) Rose Gold Pave Spear Earrings – Stella & Dot is hands down my favorite jewelry line because their jewelry is classy, elegant, and most importantly, good quality. I love these rose gold, dangly earrings. I can see myself wearing them during a fancy night out!

4) Active Half-Zip Pullover – I refuse to spend a lot of money on clothes I’m just going to sweat in, so when it comes to workout clothes, Old Navy is my one-stop shop. I go there for running shorts, tank tops, sports bras, you name it. I love their pullovers for when I want to go for a run during these cold winter months.

5) Yes Please by Amy Poehler – I’ve heard nothing but good things about Amy Poehler’s new book and I’m dying to read it. I would also love Lena Dunham’s new book, Not That Kind of Girl. I’m all about reading books written by smart, funny, empowered women.

6) Sebec Black Pumps – My current pair of basic, black pumps are falling apart, so I think it’s about time for an upgrade. Aldo is my favorite shoe store, so I was stoked to see they have these basic black pumps on sale for only $30!

What’s on your Christmas wishlist?

*THIS POST DOES NOT CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS.

My Favorite Holiday Traditions

It’s that time again: CHRISTMAS TIME. Also known as, my favorite time. I think one of the reasons I love this time of year is because of all the traditions that come with it. Traditions that remind me of being a kid. Traditions I made with my family growing up and make me happy to relive. It’s also a time to make new traditions with my husband and even more when we have a little family of our own. Here are some of my favorite holiday traditions, old and new:

1) Put up my Christmas decorations on Black Friday – I’m not one of those people who will put up her tree and decorations before Thanksgiving; I like to give Thanksgiving its time to shine. But as soon as Thanksgiving is over? You can bet I’m hanging my stocking while listening to Christmas music!

2) Order and send Christmas cards – You probably know by now that I love photos and sending cards in the mail, so sending out Christmas cards is definitely a favorite tradition of mine. I like to get this done early since I order custom-made holiday cards online (vs. buying a pack from Target) to allow time for shipping, exchanging the cards if for some reason I don’t like them, and addressing them. I ordered my cards over the weekend and I can’t wait to share here how they turned out.

3) Drink hot chocolate while watching Christmas movies – Home Alone. Elf. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. These are all awesome movies that are perfect to watch this time of year. The only thing that could make these movies even better is watching them while drinking some good ol’ fashioned hot coco.

4) Donate a toy gift to a child in need – During this time of constant shopping and Christmas wish lists, it’s important to remember those who may not have much this holiday season. Every year, I like to pick a name off of a Giving Tree at the mall or donate a toy to a local children’s shelter. It makes me happy knowing I can brighten a needy child’s Christmas with a gift they’ll love and appreciate, no matter what it is. If you live in Sacramento, a good shelter to donate toy gifts to would be The Sacramento Children’s Home or The Children’s Receiving Home of Sacramento.

5) Bake sugar cookies – In my opinion, sugar cookies are the best kind of Christmas cookie because you can cut them into all kinds of Christmas shapes and decorate them with red or green frosting. When I was a kid, my aunt used to bake sugar cookies, package them up, and give them to me and my siblings during our family Christmas get-togethers. I loved those cookies so much when I was younger, I decided to learn how to bake them from scratch a couple years ago and now bake them every holiday season. I’ve also added these double chocolate peppermint cookies as part of my holiday baking tradition.

6) Listen to Christmas music while wrapping gifts – I love Christmas time so much, I even love wrapping gifts. And nothing gets me into the holiday spirit more than listening to Christmas music while doing some kind of Christmas-related activity. I’ve been loving the Pandora Christmas station lately in case you’re in need of some good holiday tunes.

7) See The Nutcracker Ballet – Seeing this ballet never fails to get me all nostalgic for my childhood because I was in The Nutcracker Ballet three times when I was a kid. Chris and I actually went and saw the ballet over the weekend in downtown Sacramento (picture above), and even though the ballet is literally the same every year down to the story, music, and costumes, I still love the magic of seeing such a famous Christmas story come to life on stage.

8) Drive around and look at Christmas lights – Christmas isn’t Christmas without a bunch of pretty light displays to look at. Chris and I live in an apartment complex, so there aren’t a ton of big displays to awe over here, but luckily, there are a lot of great neighborhood displays to look at in Sacramento. This one is my favorite.

9) Exchange Christmas tree ornaments with Chris – Every year since our first Christmas together, I’ve bought Chris a Christmas ornament to put in his stocking. I like to choose ornaments for him based on his interests. For example, he loved the cartoon Thundercats when he was a kid, so one year, I bought him a Lion-O ornament. Another year, I bought him a Star Wars ornament. He bought me an ornament last year, so this has officially become a tradition of ours. I can’t wait to see our Christmas tree 10 years from now and see all the ornaments we’ve collected between the two of us!

What are some of your favorite holiday traditions?

Thanksgiving Weekend 2014

I had such a lovely Thanksgiving weekend! I feel like I was in such a good, happy mood at work today just because I felt so rested and relaxed from the past few days. Here’s a little recap:

Thursday/Thanksgiving

I started Thanksgiving Day out by running in the Run to Feed the Hungry race held in East Sacramento. This was my third year participating in the race with my little sisters, so you could say it’s become a Thanksgiving tradition of ours. This year, we all decided to do the 10K instead of the 5K which turned out to be a good choice because the 10K was WAY less crowded than the 5K. There are about 20,000 participants in this race every year and most of them walk the 5K, so participating in the 10K gave us the opportunity to avoid the crowds and have more space to actually run. I ended up PR-ing and finishing the race in 01:01:23; I finished my first 10K in an hour and 7 minutes, so I was pretty satisfied with my time!

After the race, I went home, showered, and prepared an appetizer to take to my in-laws’ Thanksgiving get-together. I made this Apple, Brie, and Honey Bruchetta appetizer and it turned out great! I thought it would be a great appetizer to share because the ingredients are seasonal and it’s not a heavy appetizer that will fill you up before dinner.

I only got to hang out at my in-laws’ for a couple hours before I had to go work at my restaurant job. Yes, that’s right, I had to work on Thanksgiving! It was OK, though, because I got to make good money while spending time with my work family. After a busy and tiring 8-hour-shift, Chris and I headed to Best Buy to take advantage of their Black Friday sales. I had been wanting a digital SLR camera for a while (to use for my blog, when we travel, and have kids), and Best Buy was offering an awesome sale on Canon Rebels, sooooo I decided to finally buy one. I got the camera, an extra lens, a memory card, and a camera bag all for $450; my original budget was $500 for the camera alone, so I’d say I got myself a steal. Merry Christmas to me!

Friday

Thanksgiving was actually quite hectic for me with the race, seeing family, and working an 8-hour shift, so Friday was all about relaxing for me. I slept in, walked to the mall with Chris to check out more Black Friday sales (didn’t end up buying anything), cleaned our apartment, shopped online for Christmas cards, and put up our Christmas decorations.

Saturday

I started Saturday out with a yoga workout because I knew I’d be eating a lot later in the day at my dad’s. We planned a belated Thanksgiving dinner for Saturday since I, and some other family members, had to work on Thanksgiving. It ended up being a huge success! There were about 30 people who showed up, and we spent the evening eating, socializing, and playing drinking games. It was a blast, and the perfect way to end the holiday weekend.

How was your Thanksgiving? Did you do any Black Friday shopping or Christmas decorating over the weekend?

#Ginaturns29

When I started planning my birthday celebration a month ago, I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted to do; all I knew was that I wasn’t excited to be turning 29, so I wanted to do something really awesome in order to make turning that dreaded age a bit more bearable. Normally, I like going out of town for my birthday because I love to travel, and a birthday is a good excuse to plan a weekend trip somewhere. However, since Chris and I are saving money to go to New York in September, that idea was out. Instead, I decided to do a staycation for my birthday: I would request Memorial Day weekend off from work (Fri-Mon) and plan a bunch of fun/relaxing things to do. Essentially, a vacation without the travel/hotel expenses. Here’s a recap of how I celebrated:

Friday Night: Dinner at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse

Chris was very generous and treated me to two fancy birthday dinners, the first one being at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse. We ordered a four-course dinner complete with lobster mac n’ cheese, ribeye, and sweet potato casserole. Oh, and let’s not forget the birthday dessert: bread pudding. We feasted and were so stuffed afterward. I barely ate anything all day Friday and was STILL super stuffed by the end of dinner. It was a delicious dinner, though, and a great way to start my birthday weekend.

Saturday: Spa Day/Dinner at Ella Dining Room and Bar

One thing I knew I really wanted to do for my birthday was get pampered, so I scheduled a bunch of beauty appointments for Saturday afternoon. I genuinely needed to get my hair cut and colored, so I scheduled a hair appointment. I consider pedicures and facials to be luxuries that I’ll only treat myself to for special occasions, and since you only turn 29 once, I went ahead and booked myself a pedicure and facial, too.

By the time I was done with my afternoon of pampering, I was feeling ready for another night on the town, so I got dressed up and Chris took me out for birthday dinner number 2 at Ella Dining Room and Bar. I had always wanted to dine at Ella, so we figured my birthday would be the perfect excuse to do so. We weren’t disappointed, either. The food was fabulous!

Sunday: Afternoon Picnic with Friends/Dinner with Family

Chris and I got together with some of my close girlfriends and their men for a potluck picnic in McKinley Park. It was a super hot day in Sac, but luckily, we were able to hide under a shady tree while enjoying some sangria, hot dogs, and good conversation!

In the evening, Chris and I headed over to my dad’s house for a birthday celebration for me and my younger sister whose birthday is two days after mine. My dad cooked up a yummy dinner for us all consisting of hot dogs, corn on the cob, and grilled chicken. We ended the night with gifts and a mint chocolate chip ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins– my fave and a family tradition!

Monday: Shopping, Swimming, and Dinner at My MIL’s House

Since I received some birthday money from my dad, and there were some major Memorial Day sales happening at the mall, I decided to start out my actual birthday with some new clothes from The Limited. In the afternoon, Chris and I went swimming so we could escape the Sacramento heat for a bit. In the evening, we headed to his mom’s house where she hosted a birthday dinner for me. Not only did she cook dinner for me, but she made me a birthday dessert and decorated the house with birthday decorations. My mother-in-law is the best!

I have to admit, my birthday weekend was pretty amazing considering I didn’t travel anywhere like I usually do: I got to eat delicious food, get pampered, go shopping, and spend time with my loved ones. I felt very happy, loved, and celebrated throughout the weekend, which makes me think that 29 is not so bad after all. In fact, it’s off to a great start! I’m looking forward to making the last year of my twenties one to remember.

How was your Memorial Day Weekend?

 What’s your favorite birthday memory?

St. Patrick’s Day 5K

On Saturday morning, Chris and I ran the Shamrock’n 5K over in West Sacramento. This was my first time participating in this particular 5K and I really enjoyed it! The St. Patrick’s Day theme was fun and the race itself wasn’t too crowded. (In the last two 5K’s I ran, there were over 20,000 participants each.) As for my time, I didn’t do too great: Chris and I both finished in about 37 minutes. Typically, I finish 5K’s in about 30 minutes, but for this one, I wasn’t feeling very competitive. I just wanted to stick by my husband and have fun, and that’s exactly what I did.

Even though I didn’t PR or anything, this race has inspired me to get back into running and start working on my fitness goals of completing a 10K, and eventually, a half marathon. I’m thinking this summer for a 10K, and the Shamrock’n Half Marathon in 2015. Or who knows? Maybe if I get good enough at running, I’ll be ready for a half marathon by THIS fall!

Are you a runner? If not, what’s your exercise of choice?

14 Ways to Celebrate Valentine’s Day No Matter What Your Relationship Status Is

{via}

I’ve never been one to hate on Valentine’s Day, even when I was single. OK, maybe I hated on it a little bit when I was single and in my early twenties, but when I single and in my mid-twenties, I started learning how to appreciate the holiday and even celebrate it despite my singledom. Over the last few years, I’ve grown to really love Valentine’s Day and see it as a holiday that’s meant for everyone to celebrate, not just those who are in a relationship. So today, I want to share the fun ways I’ve celebrated Valentine’s day in the past when I was single, and how I celebrate it today:

If you’re single…

1) Plan a girls’ night in. Invite some of your girlfriends over for a night of drinks, snacks, and chick flicks. If chick flicks aren’t your thing, forget them and focus on the good company instead! One of my favorite ways to hang out with my girlfriends is to host a Wine Night: everyone brings a bottle of wine or a snack to share, and we spend the evening getting tipsy off of Pinot Noir while catching up on each others’ lives. Wine + girl talk = THE BEST

2) Treat yourself to a spa day. Get your hair did. Get a facial. Get a pedicure. It doesn’t matter what you get as long as you treat yo’ self.

3) Take yourself out to lunch. And I don’t mean to Chipotle or Panera Bread. I mean wine and dine yourself. I did this on Valentine’s day a few years ago pre-Chris: I went to one of my favorite restaurants, sat at the bar, ordered a glass of wine with my lunch, and even ordered dessert afterward. To this day, that lunch is one of the best dining experiences I’ve ever had, probably because I wasn’t afraid to be seen “eating alone,” especially on Valentine’s Day.

4) Go shopping. I will find any excuse to take myself on a mini shopping spree, Valentine’s Day included.

5) Buy yourself flowers. Because all the single ladies deserve flowers on V-Day, too!

If you’re in a relationship…

6) Collaborate on a fun date night out. You pick the restaurant, he picks the activity (movie, mini golf, bowling, etc.) or vice versa.

7) Or save money and plan a date night in. Cook for your man while he picks out some romantic comedies for the two of you to watch after dinner.

8) Make your man a meaningful gift instead of buying one. I made this book for Chris last year and he loved it!

9) Surprise your man with his favorite sweet treat. I’ve already bought Chris all of his favorite candies and plan to bake him a dozen of his favorite cookies. Hopefully he doesn’t get a stomachache from all that sugar!

10) Remind your man why you love him. Sure, it’s good to remind your S.O. that you love him, but sometimes it’s nice to remind your man of the reasons WHY you love him, too. Is it because of he has a big heart? He makes you laugh? He’s a good listener? He’s super intelligent? Let him know!

For any woman…

11) Buy yourself something sexy from Victoria’s Secret. Whether it’s lingere or underwear, buying a little somethin’-somethin’ for yourself at VS is an easy way to feel sexy.

12) Send out Valentine’s Day cards to your girlfriends. I love sending mail, and I find that Valentine’s Day is the perfect excuse to do so. Last year, I started the tradition of sending out little Valentines to my girlfriends, whether they’re single or taken. I can’t wait to carry on the tradition this year!

13) Bring a sweet treat into work for your co-workers. I’ve done this many times in the past and plan on doing it again this year since I’ll be working on Valentine’s Day. In the past, I’ve brought in chocolate; this year, I think I’ll bring in homemade cookies.

14) Tell someone you love them. Whether it’s your lover, bestie, family member, or pet– share the love!

What is one of your favorite ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day?

Merry Christmas Eve Eve!

Last night, Chris and I finally made it out to Dovewood Court in Orangevale so we could admire the Christmas light displays there. The people who live in Dovewood Court have been going above and beyond with their Christmas light displays for years (since 1990?); in fact, their court has a reputation for having one of the best Christmas light displays in Sacramento. Dovewood Court has even been featured on the local news! I first heard about Dovewood Court when I was in high school and started going every year after that with my family until I moved to South Korea in 2011. Last night was the first time I had been to Dovewood Court since I moved back, so it was nice to re-visit that tradition and start it up again with my husband.

As for other Christmas-related news, I’m ready! Yesterday morning, Chris and I ran some last-minute errands to pick up groceries and finish the last of our Christmas shopping. Today, I plan to finally bake some Christmas cookies to give out these next couple days. I’m pretty excited for our plans: on Christmas Eve, we’re going to visit with Chris’ family, and on Christmas, we’ll be spending the day with my family. I can’t wait to play with my nieces, help my dad cook our Christmas dinner, do a White Elephant Gift Exchange, and spend some quality time with my family. Oh, and I REALLY hope Santa brings me an iPad Air for Christmas. That would be lovely.

What are your plans for Christmas Eve and Christmas? What’s on your wishlist?

Ain’t No Party Like a Holiday Party

On Saturday night, Chris and I attended his work’s holiday party in Napa Valley. I really wanted to attend a holiday party this month, and I haven’t been to Napa since I moved back from South Korea, so to say I was excited about this event would be a huge understatement!

Chris and I met up with his managers and co-workers at their work around 4pm on Saturday so we could take a few shuttles down to Napa. These shuttles quickly turned into party buses once the managers revealed that they had huge buckets full of beer for us to drink during the ride there! Needless to say, we all had a good buzz going by the time we arrived.

The actual party itself was held at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone— a beautiful and prestigious culinary college in St. Helena. Once Chris and I checked our coats, we headed to the second floor where they were serving fancy cheese and crackers as an appetizer. (We both LOVE cheese!) Next we headed to the third floor where they were serving hot appetizers, such as sliders, chicken and waffles, polenta bites, roast strip loin of beef, etc. Dessert quickly followed, as did more adult beverages. We took silly photos in the photo booths and “got low” on the dance floor to “Apple Bottom Jeans.” (My knees are still hurting from that!) Around 10:30pm, Chris and I could feel ourselves turning into pumpkins, so we hopped back on the shuttle bus and called it a night.

I had such a blast at Chris’ holiday work party. We don’t often have a lot of excuses to dress up and go to fancy places, so getting to dress up for a holiday party in Napa felt like such a treat. Plus, I’ve worked a ton of holiday parties during my career as a restaurant server, so it felt nice to actually be the one attending and enjoying a formal holiday party for once, rather than working one.

How was your weekend? Have you gone to any holiday parties yet this month?

Ice Skating and Double Dating

Remember how I mentioned I wanted to go ice skating this holiday season? Well, over the weekend, we made it happen! Last night, Chris and I met up with our friends Brigette and Brad for a double date at the Downtown Sacramento Ice Rink. After paying for our admission and lacing up our rental skates, we headed out to the rink for an hour on the ice. It was Chris’ first time ice skating, and I was quite rusty, so we mostly stuck by the railing and did our best to keep each other from falling. Even though we’re not great ice skaters, we still had fun and really enjoyed the Christmas-time-in-Sacramento ambiance. After our hour-long session ended, we headed back to Brigette and Brad’s apartment for drinks, snacks, and a Christmas Vacation.

The best part about the night was the opportunity to share it with our friends! Ever since I moved back from Korea, I’ve been on the lookout for couples whom Chris and I can double date with. However, it’s not always easy. I’m sure you’ve heard the expression “a good friend is hard to find.” Well, a good couple to double date with is even harder to find! The reason for this is because instead of just making sure two people get along and have stuff in common, you now have to make sure that all four people get along and have common interests. Chris and I have gone on double dates before where he and the other guy had nothing in common, or the other girl and I had nothing in common. That has never been the case with Brigette and Brad: Brigette and I were roommates in college, and Chris and Brad bonded instantly over their mutual love for the movie Ghostbusters when they first met. Since then, we have gone on numerous fun double dates together and they are definitely one of our favorite couples to hang out with!

How was your weekend?

Have you ever gone ice skating before?

Do you and your significant other go on double dates often?

My 2013 Winter Bucket List

{via}

Okay, I know it’s not officially winter yet, but it sure as hell feels like it. The temps have fallen a few degrees in the last week making the days a little chillier than usual. And now that Thanksgiving is done and over with, the Christmas season is in full force. Just like most people, I LOVE the Christmas season and it’s my favorite time of year. Since Thanksgiving ended, I’ve already decorated my apartment, ordered our Christmas cards, and done most of my Christmas shopping. Now that all that is out of the way, I can focus on all the fun, winter-y things I want to do this holiday season. I’ve made my list, and checked it twice. Here’s how I plan to make this holiday season bright!

1) Mail out Christmas cards to our friends and family – I’ve sent out Christmas cards for as long as I can remember. (I love greeting cards and I love sending mail.) This year, I decided to try something different and get custom holiday cards made for Chris and I to send out. If you’re looking for a good website to help design your holiday cards, I’d suggest Shutterfly. They had some great deals when I ordered my cards, including 40% off and free shipping.

2) Go ice skating – I haven’t gone ice skating in I-don’t-know-how-long, so I really want to go this year. Nothing screams “winter wonderland” quite like an ice skating rink. Luckily, Chris and I have already been invited to go by friends. (Hi Brigette!)

3) Drive around and look at Christmas lights – I know of an awesome neighborhood court that goes all out with their Christmas lights every year. I had gone every year since high school, but the last couple years I missed out. This particular court is high priority this year!

4) Drink holiday beverages – I try not to go to Starbucks very often these days, but I think I’ll have to make a few exceptions for a Peppermint Mocha or some Caramel Apple Cider in a red cup.

5) Attend holiday parties – Ain’t no party like a holiday party! Chris and I already have an invite to one, which happens to be his work’s holiday party. It’s going to be hosted at a fancy restaurant in Napa. Hey-o!

6) Donate a toy gift to the Sacramento Children’s Home – Another high priority this year. In fact, I think this needs to be filed under “annual Christmas tradition.”

7) Host a holiday party – I had so much fun hosting a Friendsgiving get-together last week, I want to do it again, Christmas style. I’m thinking ugly Christmas sweaters, a white elephant gift exchange, and some spiked eggnog.

8) Watch Christmas movies and listen to Christmas music – Home Alone and Elf are two of my favorites. I can’t wait to curl up on the couch and watch these with a cup of hot chocolate in hand.

9) Bake bake bake – Last year, I baked these Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookies and they were AMAZING. I can’t wait to bake those bad boys again soon.

10) See The Nutcracker Ballet – Again, a once holiday tradition that has been forgotten over the last couple years. I have a soft spot for The Nutcracker Ballet because when I was in elementary school, performed in my dance studio’s Nutcracker rendition three years in a row. I’d love to see the ballet again and get nostalgic for my ballerina days.

What’s on your 2013 winter bucket list?