DESERT GET AWAY

Hello from Sunny San Diego! Well, to be honest its not so sunny at the moment. But here I am again spending my weekend in the city that I will soon call home again. I haven't been dead, just incredibly busy. On top of working overtime (50+ hour work weeks!) I've been squeezing in as much time fun time as possible, but to the point where I've kind of been neglecting my domestic duties. I'm just more focused on wrapping up my life here in the Inland Empire and getting things together in San Diego.

Last weekend in Palm Springs officially kicked off my summer season! What I thought would be a nice relaxing weekend in the middle of the desert ended up being a shitshow. Yea, I honestly didn't know that Palm Springs was on the same level as Vegas during memorial day weekend. Well maybe not as crazy as Vegas, but damn near close. We stayed at the Riviera which made me feel all fancy fancy. Yes, it is known for the resort that many famous people used to flock to back in the day (including the Rat Pack). The hotel has had a major upgrade since then and is absolutely gorgeous. I still couldn't help but feel like I was hanging out with Hollywood's rich and famous. Upon arriving to the hotel the parking lot was filled with bmws and mercedes! And everyone we met at the pool party was from LA (including half my own group). But don't tell anyone we got a super cheap deal off of priceline haha. It was a good time! We laid by the pool, we tanned, we had yummy drinks, and we danced to great music. I love my girls! No drama just lots of fun and laughter. I love taking trips with my ladies, we have made so many memories on our trips together both in and out of the country. Next trip is to Las Vegas in a week. Lets be real, palm springs was just prep for Las Vegas!

HAPPY HUMP DAY

I have a small confession to make--I spend a lot of time on youtube looking up acoustic versions to my favorite songs. There is something so pure about acoustic music, and I feel like you really get hear the artist's voice which sometimes gets lost in all the electrical amplification. I'll start off by looking up one song and before you know it, I've spent over an hour on youtube listening to acoustic versions or covers of songs. Such a guilty pleasure, but so worth it.

A few weeks ago I stumbled across a cover of Dreams by Fleetwood Mac. I was surprised to see Leighton Meester featured in this video. I knew she was a singer as she had a couple of songs out a few years ago, but lets be honest I thought they were okay. I was pleasantly blown away by her cover on youtube. Her voice is very soft and simple, yet its perfect in this cover. Dana Williams also has an amazing voice, and together they make this song so good to listen to. Just hit the play button above and enjoy!

HOW TO: TREAT YOURSELF IN THE HEAT

(via wehearit)

In case you've been living under a rock the past week; we experienced a huge heat wave here in Southern California. The extreme heat, lack of humidity, and strong winds led to some some record breaking weather and unfortunately a plethora of wildfires.  We are just not used to this heat and dry conditions. Even though the heat wave seems to have subsided I wanted to provide you guys with some tips to keep yourself not only sane but safe in hot weather.

1. DRINK LOTS OF WATER

This cannot be repeated enough! Hydrate your body and your skin. Drink more water than usual (even if you don't feel thirsty) to keep yourself properly hydrated. Add lemons or fruit to your water to keep it interesting and as a way to detox your body. I also enjoy loading up on lots of smoothies to help me stay cool :)

2. WORK OUT EARLY IN THE MORNING

Limit your activity in the extreme heat by working out in the morning. This will help prevent heat exhaustion, dehydration, or any heat related illnesses. It will keep your skin from being exposed to harmful sun rays during the hottest parts of the day. Oh and did you know if you work out in the morning it will help you burn calories throughout the day? Read even more benefits of morning workouts here.

3. SPF & LIP BALM ARE YOUR BFFs

If you have to be outside in the heat, make sure to wear sunscreen. I actually wear sunscreen year round to protect my skin. There are plenty of sunscreen brands that will not leave your skin feeling oily. This brand here is one of my favorites. Sunburn, sun spots, and skin cancer are no fun (and serious matters at that). And don't forget about your lips. I'm sure you have experienced the pain of dry, cracked, and split lips. Personally, not all lip balms work for me in extreme weather so I coat my lips with vaseline. Just use whatever products work best for you to protect yourself from further damage!

{via ehow}

4. TREAT YO' SELF

 Rejuvenate your skin after extreme exposure! Give your skin what it needs with a face mask, whether it be for moisturizing, exfoliating, or detoxifying. I love that Pinterest has a bunch of homemade recipes that you can make yourself! No fancy or expensive chemical peels needed (unless you want to of course).

TIME TO START PACKING

I feel like it was just a few weeks ago when I was announcing that I had passed my state board exams. And now I am happy to announce that I have accepted a job offer in San Diego! Yes, I cannot even explain the happiness I feel in knowing that I get to move back to the city I love. My goal all along has been to come up to Riverside to get some work experience, obtain my state registration, and move to the city of my choice afterwards. And even though the past year and four months have really flown by, my time spent here has been extremely difficult. I experienced loneliness and depression on a whole new level. There were many times when I thought I wasn't going to "make it". I spent entire weekends inside of my house crying because I felt so lonely and literally had "nothing" to do. I came close to packing my bags and heading back home more than a handful of times. But here I am almost a year and a half later and I've made it while accomplishing all my goals. I'm excited that I get to head back to a city that feels like home and makes my heart feel happy. I feel so blessed.

So whats next from here? Well, its going to take a while for my pre-employment check to go through. So right now it looks like I won't be starting for at least another month or so. I will be heading to San Diego periodically to take care of different processes in my pre-employment check, which means I am going to have to request random days off work. When I'm in SD I also plan on checking out apartments to rent. I'm definitely looking for roommates this time around as living on my own has become too expensive, and I want to save more money. I'm thinking I will put in my two week notice by mid-June, but probably sooner. I really want to take a trip somewhere before I start this new job since it will  be another 6-9 months before I can request time off. I'm looking into Cabo San Lucas, or a volunteering trip in Costa Rica for 2 weeks. But I still need to do a lot of research and determine if I even have enough money saved up. Which leads me to my next plan....I am going to be working as much overtime as possible to fund my trip(s) and moving expenses. I'm already signed up to work tomorrow and next weekend before I leave for my girls trip. Lastly I will be spending time slowly packing up my things so that I'm all good to go come moving day instead of stressed out. There is no feeling like having your hard work pay off and having your dreams come true.

*Anyone have any friends living in SD that are looking for a roomie? Especially in North Park

CURRENTLY

Currently:

+ Having good hair days (hence the picture above)

+ Got a new iPhone 5s (so happy to upgrade from a 4)

+ Still applying for jobs (but no job offer yet)

+ Two girls trips within the next few weeks (Palm Springs & Vegas)

+ Thinking about rocking the balayage this summer

+ Wanting to create a public health project but needing assistance

+ The hot weather is killing me and its only May

CARLSBAD FLOWER FIELDS

Happy Monday! I apologize for the lack of updates. I've been staying busy with work, following the TIU bikini series, and then cramming in as much friend time as possible on the weekend. Yes, this weekend I ended up heading down to San Diego again. I finally got to cross something off my to-do list that I've been wanting to do forever: Go to the Carlsbad Flower Fields! Its only open a few weeks out of the year, so I am happy I remembered because this past weekend was the last time it will be open until next year. We went on Saturday which was perfect, nice weather and not too crowded. The flowers were so beautiful! I am a girl who loves flowers (who doesn't?) and it was nice taking it all in as I don't EVER get flowers. I kind of felt like I was channeling the sound of music, except we couldn't walk through the fields (just around the perimeter). I'd love to go back in a cute maxi dress next year and take some nicer photos. In addition to  the flower fields there is a tractor ride that goes around the property, food, and a nursery for you to bring some plants home. It truly was a beautiful day soaking up the sunshine and beautiful surroundings. I leave you with a few photos from my flower power adventure.

HELLO MAY

{Via weheartit}

Happy May! Here are some things I want to accomplish this month:

1. Get a job offer in San Diego

2. Continue doing the TIU bikini series

3. Visit home and family

4. Get a new iphone (finally!)

5. Practice my spanish

What do you want to accomplish in May?