New Year, New Goals

Laughing my way into the new year knowing I'm armed with some great goals, great friends/family, and a whole lot of sparkles to don on the days when the first two aren't cutting it

I just got home from the most massive trip down memory lane, only to realize that I have to get in the car tomorrow to drive to Molly and George’s Farm. This Christmas break has only been 10 days long and has already been quite the whirlwind adventure. Where’s my Rest and Relaxation?

Nonetheless, in typical insomniac over-achieving Caitlin fashion, I’m up at midnight writing down goals for the 2011. I have been trying to come up with a good resolution for the past few days, but then I got to thinking that resolving to start writing down my goals was the best resolution possible. It’s funny that a lot of people (myself included) consider themselves goal-minded, yet they neglect to do the most important task of writing their goals down. Saying you have goals is one thing, putting them to paper is a far different ball game.

I think that one of the reasons that I, and so many others perhaps, have such a hard time writing down goals is simply fear of failure. It’s that voice in the back of your head that says, “If you write this down and it doesn’t work out the joke’s on you.” The funny thing is, if you believe that, the joke really is on you. Not achieving goals isn’t the failure; failure is when we neglect to pursue goals because they might not work out. Key word here: might.

So in all this going back and forth of whether to write my goals down, and cleaning up my room, I found a Lululemon worksheet on goals.

Nothing like divine intervention in the form of conspicuous consumption.

Nevertheless, the worksheet gave me just the inspiration I needed to solidify some goals for 2011. I like to think of them as working goals, because I plan on updating them throughout the year. I know they need to be more measurable perhaps, and a tad more specific; but I’m pretty happy with the start…

2011 Working Goals

*Blog at least once a week *Save money for traveling after I graduate *Explore different career possibilities beyond law school→maybe pharmaceutical sales or real estate *Become a runner→Run at least 2x a week from Jan-May, 3x June-Dec *Apply to Law School in September *Cook 20 recipes from “Joy of Cooking”(future blog topics!) *Organize photos from computer (16,000 on one hard drive is a bit much…) *Embrace what(ever) the future has in store for me

Well, that’s the start of my New Year’s resolution to set more goals. I’m going to be a person that sets concrete goals and holds herself accountable instead of just claiming to be goal-oriented.

Hope everyone reading this has found a resolution, is looking for a resolution, or has resolved to be happy resolution-less! Happy New Year!!



Here are some recent pictures of mine that are making me smile right now:

My 72 Wackadoodle Friends that laugh with me through IDB disasters, study sessions, drama llamas,
and everything in between

Old Friends that show me that fun times are still ahead no matter how many states or schools separate you

Adam, who has endured more crazy family time and girltalk then any boyfriend desreves

Julia, who is always ready to pose and wear red lipstick

My oldest friends that prove that best friends and platforms are forever

The family that always thinks I'm the bestest, brightest, nicest...even on the days I'm not

The family that also drives me a little crazy somedays...


And the silly self-portraits that are going to keep me laughing throughout 2011


xoxo, Cait

Rainy Day Thoughts

The rainstorm of the decade greeted me upon return to California, but I’m not down about it. The rain has forced me to hunker down and relax a bit, something that is much needed now that the holidays and my birthday are in full force. Tomorrow I’m turning 22 on the 22nd, making it my ever-awaited “Golden Birthday”. I think my friends and family are sick of hearing about it…

Today, after boredom got the best of us, Julia and I went for a walk in the downpour. It’s funny how we revert so fast to childhood when we’re home together. We must have looked ridiculous; two 22-year-old girls puddle hopping through Encinitas in oversized raincoats and boots. Call me crazy but it was a lot of fun! For girls that try so hard to be mature in are normal day-to-day existence, we sure get silly fast. Afterwards we went to a movie with the final member of the tripod Kelly, and then to Jade’s for wine, Apples to Apples, and more reminiscing of childhood past.

Most of my friends at home don’t have a set plan of what they’re doing next year, this should make me feel better, but instead it freaks me out more. While half of me is blissfully excited about the unexpected next, it’s hard to calmly imagine a plan-less future. For now I am simply trying to enjoy my time at home, and hoping to get back on track with my blog. Volleyball season put a damper on my creative flow, but hopefully being home will bring some much-needed inspiration. Hope everyone is having a sparkling holiday season!

Here are some pictures of rain that I’m loving right now…







I'm loving the couple in the distance...makes me wonder what they're talking about...but I'm nosy like that.









I love the out of focus background, with the rain in focus. There is something so mysterious and profound about unfocused pictures












This scene from "The Notebook" says it all...rain can definitely be fun and romantic.

Friday Quote

People grow old only by deserting their ideals

Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up interest wrinkles the soul.

You are

as young as your faith,

as old as your doubt;

as young as your self-confidence,

as old as your fear;

as young as your hope

as old as your despair.

In the central place of every heart there is a recording chamber. So long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, cheer and courage, so long are you young. When your heart is covered with the snows of pessimism and the ice of cynicism, then, and then only, are you grown old. And then, indeed as the ballad says, you just fade away --Douglas MacArthur

Now that finals are over I plan on blogging a lot more! I heard this quote in my Comm Law class today and I thought it was very inspirational. I especially like the part about wrinkles because even though I'm only 21 I worry about that kind of thing. It's weird that I only have one more semester left of college, the time has gone by way too fast! I'm not really sure what I'm going to do next year, but I'm trying to enjoy the moment and not worry too much about the future. Hope this quote finds everyone feeling young and joyful!

Study Finds

My mom has been in town the past week, dragging me to every thrift store and vintage-y shop within a driving distance radius. I used to be so embarrassed when I was younger to go thrifting with her, but lately I have really begun to appreciate it. Fashion is so funny in that it's absolutely cyclical--there are some awesome vintage finds out there! Plus it's très green!

With Senior night on Sunday, my family and boyfriend's mom in town for the weekend, and tests next week, one would assume that I've been staying busy with other things. If only that were the case...instead, I've been finding lots of fun fall styles to adore and lust after...

We the Free by Free People 'Navajo' Cardigan

I love this Native American inspired sweater by Free People but the nearly $200 price tag is a little OTL for my bank account....I just think that colors and style are so fun, it'd look great with jeans and some lace-up boots.

Here's another fun sweater...

Loooooooooove this Frye Boots!

My house is boot crazzzzyyyy right now, barely an hour goes by without one of my roommates mentioning which boots they're salivating currently salivating over. Maybe it's the cold weather that has fallen upon New Brunswick, maybe it's the thought that with season nearly over we'll have to start dressing like real people again(Goodbye eternal sweats and running shoes!!!), or maybe it's just that we know the power of cute boots!

Okay okay, my Sociological Theory book is calling my names, as are all my other errands...Tomorrow's my last practice ever, I think I'm in denial because it just doesn't feel real yet. I'm really sad about all of this coming to an end, but I'm also getting super excited for the unknown future! I was sitting on the couch today with Jeff, Emma's dad, and he said, "This is exciting. The Unknown is exciting," So for as sad as I am to close this chapter in my life, I know he's right.

Back in Business

Isn't it funny how we let life get in the way of the things that bring us joy? If I added up all the minutes that I spent worrying about what might happen, and put them to an actual productive use--the possibilities are endless. Thankfully I have a family, friends, roommates, and a boyfriend who on more than one occasion have brought me back to reality, and kindly told me to calm the efff down.

I've been doing a lot of thinking about the future this week, I think it's because I only have two more games left in a college volleyball career that almost wasn't, but has turned out to be an act of grace. Since I came to college, I have lost more games than I have won, but in return I have been given extraordinary gifts. The ride has been anything but smooth, but the bumps are where the memories are created. I still get a few chuckles from my Santa Barbara days when I think about Kathy telling recruits that I was the girl with "28 boyfriends one month and 28 the next"...yes, the ride has been rocky, but I can't say it wasn't memorable.

While sitting in the theater waiting for "Wicked" to start last night in NYC with my mom, I got to thinking just how truly blessed this journey has been. In 2007 if anyone had told me that I'd end up 3000 miles away from home, I would have passed out probably. I have gotten to see parts of the country I never even dreamed I'd have the chance to see: I've been camping in Delaware during a freak storm with Emma, eaten delish crabcakes in Baltimore with the boys, walked the Freedom Trail of Boston and seen hand-dives(you know who you are) in action, driven through Katie Groff's glorious state of Pennsylvania, Farmfested, gone DTS, gambled in AC, seen Broadway plays, eaten Turducken in Michigan, and so much more. The best part is, I have this feeling that life is just beginning.

So yes...I'm scared as hell. I'm freaked out because I'm currently plan-less for the first time in my life. But, I have to tell myself that with such a great past, there's no question that the future is going to be anything less than spectacular.

I'm trying to get back to blogging now that I'll have some free time on my hands....

"Fall"-ing into a Dream

Today was the first day of fall, and as Julia and Charlene so kindly reminded me on Facebook chat tonight, I've been a negligent blogger once again. Blogging was so easy in the summer when there were meals to catch, trips to take, and fun to be had. Now that it's volleyball season and school is under way, the most exciting thing in my life is whether we get to go to Applebee's instead of Chili's between this weekends games. Wooooooooooooooooomp...we'll probably just get subs.

However, being that it's the first day of Fall and that there is a glorious lightening show going on outside my thinly paned window, perhaps it is time for a little blog therapy...

I was at a meeting earlier this week for my potential spring internship and it really got me thinking about what direction my life is/should be/could be/maybe be/will be going in and I've got to say IT FREAKED ME OUT! For the first time in my entire life I don't have a set plan of what to do next. My teacher asked the class a simple question, and it has been keeping me up at night ever since: "What is your dream?" In reality, this question should not be the least bit difficult. Dreams are the one thing that we, as humans, are allowed to do without regarding the possibility of whether they might come true.

I found an interesting quotation while perusing Google tonight. It's from a famous Journalist name Heywood Broun:

"The most prolific period of pessimism comes at twenty-one, or thereabouts, when the first attempt is made to translate dreams into reality."

Hello...this is me! Why do I feel like dreams are such a hard thing to operationalize. Why can't I just admit what I want and go after it? Why do I continue to create obstacles in my head of why my dreams can't come true instead of just going after them?

Well OCD and a venemous Type A personality of course.

So on this first fall night, I've decided I neeed to cut that out. I need to embrace the possibilty of achieving my dream with all the rigour with which I embrace homework, or the LSAT, or playing volleyball, or anything else I do in life. I am literally going to fall into my dreams. For those who know me well, you know I love a good definition. Fall. Verb. Occur, arrive, or become apparent as if by dropping suddenly.

Sounds like a great way to find my dream....stop trying to stop it. Easy enough...

So off I go...trying to get that fervor that I had for summer blogging back, trying to win a Big East title, trying to get a 4.0, trying to stomach the number of sub sandwiches I'm gong to eat this season, trying to stay fashion-forward, trying to sleep, but definitely NOT trying to control or stop any more of my dreams. People are constantly telling me I can't control everything, seems like this is a great place to start. I'll let you all know if I find something...I mean, WHEN!

Happy Fall!

100 Things That Make Me Happy

It's been nearly one month since I wrote my last blog post...where did summer go?? I'll tell you: it went to summer school classes, and open gyms. It went to Farmfest and Washington DC. It went to Chipotle and Chick-Fil-A, it went to the Facebook, it went DTS(Down the Shore for all you non-NJers out there), and it went to saying goodbye to friends who are leaving for Law School. Yes, summer flew by a little faster than expected and has left me nearly a month later with one more double day in my collegiate volleyball career and my senior year a few short weeks away. Now that I have finally broken through my summer-induced writer's block, it's time to get back on the blog train. And, the lack of blogging has got me thinking...so much of life is spent thinking of things that we don't have or things that we want, and so little time is thought about the things we have and things that make us happy. So in the spirit of getting back on the blogging train I have compiled a list of the 100 things that make me happy, at least tonight. This list is in no way exhaustive or complete, just a short compilation of the first 100 things that came to my head.

100 Things that make me Happy

1. Lazy Sundays
2. Working out
3. Kim Donnelly’s Ice Cream Sandwiches during Preseason
4. Sparkly Things like glitter and jewels
5. New Face Wash
6. Shoes
7. When Hulu doesn’t make me buffer too much
8. The word “equivocate” especially when it's a choice during the Logic Reasoning Section of the LSAT
9. People that don’t equivocate
10. Finishing tests, classes, summer school
11. Reaching a goal
12. Finding treasures at Thrift Shops/Garage Sales/Random Stores
13. Discovering new restaurants and new types of food
14. Hot rain storms
15. Fireflies!!!!!
16. The first day of Spring in New Jersey
17. Giving and receiving quality and genuine compliments
18. Trust
19. Altruism
20. Butterflies in my stomach
21. Ruelala.com
22. Black and White Pictures
23. Memorable Quotes
24. GOLDDDDDDDDDDDDD things especially if they’re also SPARKLY!
25. Awkward Moments
26. Lurking on the internet
27. Queen of the Court Tournaments
28. Reading my mom, sister, best friend, and the everyday stranger’s blog
29. Simply getting lost in Blogworld
30. Books that I can’t put down
31. Lululemon
32. Pedicures
33. Trashy Romance Novels
34. Antoine Dodson on Youtube
35. Glee
36. Singing along to songs at unrelenting decibel levels
37. Road trips
38. Vintage jewelry
39. Nautical things: anchors, boats, navy blue…
40. Boy Bands
41. Riding beach cruisers down 101
42. Going out to breakfast
43. Friends…old ones, new ones, and the ones I have yet to meet
44. Taking pictures
45. Thanksgiving in Michigan with The Chrystals
46. The first few days after Thanksgiving when Christmas Carols haven’t gotten overplayed yet
47. Floral Prints
48. Soft Pajamas
49. My CamelBak Sippy
50. Punta Elena, Baja Sur
51. Camping
52. The smell of Chlorine
53. Cowboy Boots
54. “HACKS”
55. Encinitas jargon
56. Bean and Cheese Burritos
57. Love in the Time of Cholera
58. Giving away something even though I know I’ll never get it back, and knowing that I probably didn’t need it anyways.
59. Gabriel Garcia Marquez
60. School and Office Supplies
61. Snail Mail
62. Quick Witted Humor…especially when it (ever so seldomly) comes out of my own mouth
63. JetStream Uniball Pens-until you have tried one of these, don’t even try to tell me you know a good pen.
64. Movie Theatre Popcorn
65. Junk Food Nights
66. Gossip magazines on airplanes
67. Farmfest…if you don’t know about it, don’t ask. If you weren’t there, it hard to explain.
68. Love notes on Post-Its
69. Finding a Waffle House or Chick-Fil-A on long car rides
70. Jeopardy contests with Adam
71. Silly sounds and voices
72. Silliness in general, especially at times when I’m supposed to be a paragon of maturity
73. The moments where I realize that I am good enough, I tried my best, and life is going to be okay even if it isn’t going to plan.
74. Photo Booths
75. Old T-Shirts…but not the smelly kind!
76. Diet Pepsi
77. Art Museums…they make me feel cultured!
78. Mamamia!
79. Songs that can’t ever be overplayed
80. Volleyball
81. Scrunchies and other post-80s Headwear
82. Playing dress-up
83. Sleeping in and waking up to snow
84. The smell of fresh laundry
85. Flossing!
86. Gone with the Wind
87. DIY projects that don’t test too much of my patience
88. Discovering a trend before anyone else…be it word, fashion, music, book, etc.
89. Confidence
90. Duchenne Smiles and Dimples
91. Going to sleep with salty hair
92. Journaling
93. Bucket Lists
94. Unconditional Love
95. Burnt Goldfish Crackers
96. Sea Glass
97. Back Scratches
98. Words-be they spoken, written, heard, imagined or even made up, they have the ability to seethe and comfort, break down and build up, create and destroy.
99. Relishing in the unfinished…
100.

Beantown

Boston Public Garden

Utilize public transportation--check!

I'm pretty sure my parents didn't send me across the country to college so that I could learn how to ride a bus, but, lucky them, they now have a bus riding, taxi savvy, full-fledged rider of public transportation for a daughter. I'm pretty good on foot as well.

My two roommates, missing the fourth, took a trip to Boston this weekend for Hannah's belated birthday. We've been saying that we were going to go for about a year now, so we finally bit the bullet and followed through on something.

We arrived on Friday afternoon only to figure out that our hotel was slightly further away from the actual city than we had hoped but still ready to take it by storm. After arming ourselves with a map and a bus schedule, the three of us managed to get ourselves into the city. How we planned on getting back was just something we planned on solving later...Have cash, will travel--plus taxi's take credit!

Traveling Roomies

The weather was absolutely perfect and after walking around for a few hours and relaxing in Boston Public Garden, we met up with a friend of Hannah's and found an awesome restaurant called Figs.

Fortunately my friends are "try-ers" of all types of food so when we saw Calamari Pizza on the menu, we gave it a go. The pizza was piled with the crispiest and freshest of calamari as well as tomato sauce, arugula, hot peppers & lemon aioli. One bite in and we were already LOVING Boston.

Having a little Calamari with our Pizza

The next day, slightly more comfortable with the bus system, we met my cousin Tommy for a walking tour of the Freedom Trail. It is crazy how much history there is in Boston. Walking around with Tommy was great because after living in Boston for most of his life as well as being an architecture buff, he was able to share things about the city that we never would have found on our own.

On the Freedom Trail

The only downfall about the tour was that the girls and I had decided on fashion over functionality and had all worn flip flops for the nearly four mile jaunt...not one of our smarter ideas. However, after the tour we had a chance to hop on a Duck Boat leaving from the Museum of Science and tour Boston further without having to walk.


After the Duck Boat we hopped on the T train to Boston College only to find ourselves two miles away from our hotel. So, we did what any good iphone users would do, got ourselves some walking directions and started on foot. That lasted about 1 mile until the 95 degree weather and worn out feet conspired to hail us a cab, best ten dollars we spent all trip!

Sunday was our last day in Boston and we made our way to the New England Aquarium and the Barking Crab before making the drive back to New Brunswick. Seeing as we were a seafood haven, we decided to splurge on some lobster and crab cakes to make the food tour complete. There is not a lot more amusing in life than two college girls in a bib squealing over lobster brains...somethings are just made for immaturity.

Emma modeling our lunch

And then it was back on the road, back to belting out Celine Dion and Kelly Clarkson, back to Emma and Hannah minding my blind spot, and bye-bye Beantown. Lobster Brains aside, Boston was amazing! Not only is it a beautiful and fun town to explore, but the trip was a great learning experience for us all. There are not many girls that can suck it up and go with the flow when they've walked across a city in Old Navy flip flops, but luckily for me, my two friends can. Now fully recovered, I sit in my apartment, listening to the downstairs boy's band play, and think...where to next?

Girl Power and the Great State of NJ

So here I am back in the Garden State AKA Dirty Jersey AKA home of the Jersey Shore AKA home of the Rutgers Volleyball Team. Normally I save the mushy for talking to my dog but hey! every once in awhile you simply have to give it up for good old fashioned girl power. I got back to New Jersey on Monday to find myself coaching camps until Wednesday so I didn't actually get a chance to see all my teammates minus the ones I have class with until today. But camps were actually a really great time to reflect on all my friendships back at home, most of them the result of playing volleyball. Funny how it's just a sport, but it has been so much more in my life. Volleyball has not only kept me sane in the crazy times but also introduced me to some of the greatest girls there are out there. Volleyball is so much a part of my life, even Julia and I found time to "pepper" out on the East Cape in Cabo.



But, I digress. Girl Power. With my first full day off since I got back to Rutgers, my teammates and I found ourselves on the way to Belmar Beach to try and catch a few rays before the weekend. We all went to lift together and then hightailed it down Route 18, with a slight stop for Wawa subs. It might have been the sun, it might have been the amazing sandwiches(I literally cannot say enough good things about Wawa!), but more I think it was that we were all so glad to finally be back together.


Spending hours on end in a aircondition-less(there I go making up words again...) gym and even more on the road can drive any group of girls to fight, yet for us I think the time has made us closer. We are as different in personality as is humanly possible but we fit, we fight, and we figure it all out. So tonight I am simply basking in the glory that is girl power. As I sat on the beach and listened to the various conversations going on, from weddings to diet soda to summer love, I could not have been more happy to be somewhere. And now as I sit in my apartment, surrounded by three more of my teammates, and on the phone with several more I am thankful for how this summer has ended up. Sure, New Jersey could be slightly less humid, and I would rather do something more productive than watch a video in Biology about coral intercourse, but this has finally become a home away from home. For that I am even more thankful.

So for those of you who are reading this, I encourage you all to be thankful as well. Give thanks for second chances, we ALL deserve them. Be thankful for good eats(I had to throw food in there). Be gracious toward sunny days. There should be gramercy for the good and almost perfectly imperfect people we love, boys included(especially Adam who hangs out with my girlfriends and teammates more than I deserve). But most of all, for the girls and teammates out there, I personally am beholden, content, grateful, gratified, indebted, much obliged, pleased, and satisfied with good ole fashioned girl power. And of course RUVB.

Off to Boston now...for a fun weekend of history, new places, great eats, and east coast touring!

Baja Roads and Humid Summers

I recently took a little drive down the peninsula of Baja California to the formerly unknown fishing village that has become Cabo San Lucas. "Little" being the operative word for this 25 hour drive that is...or three days in a car if you like to stop for fish tacos, empty waves, or hidden mountain towns. Cabo may be sin city for some but for my family it has always been as oasis from the realities that an imperfectly perfect life can bring you. With Gramma finally out of the hospital, Rodeo being taken care of by family, and thick fog covering Coastal San Diego, this perfectly imperfect life took me to Baja for a little surf, a lot of tortillas, and the occasional game of beachside Scrabble.

Passports Ready!

Waiting for some fish tacos

El Mercado de Pescado

I never cease to be amazed by the nostalgic quality that Mexico inspires in me. I remember playing with my barbies in the tide pools at Punta Elena, fighting over the boogey board with Molly, and my fear of the imfamous Cascadas Shark Pool. Now as I return to Baja as a young adult(Scary word!!!) I continue to be calmed by the ethereal nature of the country, simply happy to bask in the low latitude sun and collect shells along the beach.

Nine Palms' Sunset

While Cabo has changed in many ways--no longer a small town but a buzzing city, there are still many things that remain special. There is nothing in the world like waking up to the sun rising over the Sea of Cortez(those eastern facing beaches always freak me out!) only to find random horses and donkeys grazing on the beach.

If only I could get my friends to pose this much...

One of the best parts about the trip this summer was that my friend and blogging muse Julia got to come with my family. My mom has always called her "our favorite Baja traveler," a title that continues to inspire jealousy in my boyfriend Adam. Julia has one of those "go with the flow" attitudes that I can only hope to fractionally emulate. She keeps me grounded and reminds me constantly that the stress that I claim to love isn't really as necessary as I make it. Plus with her constant mixing up of spanish words, there is always something to laugh about.

Julia-Always ready to dig in a random shell pile on the side of the road

We spent 12 days eating good food and simply relaxing. We found an amazing restaurant called The Hangman in San Jose which served dollar tacos, sauteed spicy potatoes, and cactus quesadillas. In Guerro Negro, at the Malarimo, my Dad, Julia, and I dined on medallion sized scallops(hands down the best in the world) and seafood stew. In the mountains above Cabo Pulmo we bought mangos fresh from the tree. Somehow this blog, and my life, always falls back to the food.

Potatoes and Salsas at The Hangman

Yet now, as I sit in my bed in New Brunswick,NJ thousands of miles away from those warm, sandy beaches I continue to remember my trip with fondness. Sometimes, it is the simple things in life, like golden buttons on a vintage sweater or fresh fish tacos from a stand in Ensenada that remind us that life is not as hard as we'd like to make it out to be. There are treasures to be found in the everyday, sometimes they solely require a deep breath and the realization that they are possible. I'm back on the blogging train now, refreshed from my Latin American vacation, the LSAT behind me, and ready to see what my beautiful senior year will bring me. Ciao Bellas!

Burrito Night!

For as long as I can remember, I knew that summer was finally here once "Burrito Night" began. It is a tradition at our neighbor's Heather and John's house to have their friends and a few neighbors over on Monday nights in the summer to eat burritos and other delicious treats together. Heather is an AMAZING cook, and was also my babysitter when I was younger. I remember when my parents went to Italy and Heather and John watched me while they were away...she would wake me up with heart shaped pancakes every morning! Needless to say, Mom and Dad coming home was kind of a bummer...

Anyways, Burrito Night is a great time to decompress and spend time with family and friends. Julia, my blogging muse, usually joins me as well. We love wandering around the house looking at the enormity of creativity be it food or crafts.

This week I experimented with Belgian Baking Chocolate and made Katharine Hepburn's Brownies with a little twist of my own. I substituted whole flour for the white and also swirled in Organic Peanut Butter.

They turned out pretty yummy and the whole wheat flour makes me think I'm almost being healthy!

There are so many delicious things to savor at Burrito Night that it's nearly impossible to not try them all. Heather cooks beans all day, Mexican rice in this darling heart-shaped pot, and steak. Plus there are a variety of salsas, corn casserole, and Heather's famous Cesar Salad that has a homemade lemon dressing. My other favorite dish is Sue's hot carrots, they are the perfect blend of spice and crunch!

And now, in a dramatic cliched finish, I'm going to tell you what the best part of all about Burrito Night is....cue to the drum roll.

Burrito Night is the one of the few places I know where everyone is accepted, and everyone is loved. It is a group of highly genuine, gloriously brilliant, and majorly creative people who all get together for the sole purpose of enjoying each other's company. We talk about books we've read, recipes we love, swap meets we've scored at, and anything else anyone wants to bring up. In an age of social networking, this sense of community can be hard to find beyond the walls of facebook and I am so grateful I have it a few houses away. Right around the corner is the house where I, and everyone else, is free to be celebrated as the creative and wonderful human being they are. Ideas and love are plenty, as is the food.

Father's Day

According to my dad, this was his favorite Father's Day ever. According to Rachel Ray, the meal I intended to make could be done in 30 minutes. One of them is lying...

If my sister and I had known all along that all it took to make Dad happy was to wake up at seven and surf with him, we probably could have saved ourselves some money over the years, not to mention spared my dad some pretty lame presents. I had also previously promised earlier in the week that I would undertake the making of the Father's Day meal. Normally reserved for my mom and Grandma Vi's Beef Stroganoff recipe, I thought it was time I took a little domestic initiative. I've been reading a lot of foodie blogs lately, and I thought to myself "Why not?". So after a fun, full family surf session(yay for warm water finally!), my dad and I ventured to the market to collect all the ingredients that I needed for this supposed 30 minute meal. Note to all the readers(and when I say "all", I mean all five of you), if Rachel Ray makes something in 30 minutes, a beginner should add two hours. But, alas, it is the journey. And oh what a journey it is to make Spinach and Mushroom Stuffed Chicken in a Mushroom Sauce! Especially if you decide to add Sundried tomatoes and Sauteed Artichoke Hearts into the mix as well...

Nevertheless, with a little help chopping and stirring from Mom, I managed to complete my first attempt at cooking for a large audience. Even, dare I say, with some degree of success and deliciousity(so not a word!).

But the thing is, I didn't make this meal to prove to anyone that I could be some gourmet chef, I made it because I love my dad and I love my family. And like I've said earlier, sometimes one of the best ways to show that love is to make something. Because, in the end, it is not the things we say or the cards we write or the amazing gifts we buy that show people that we care. Sometimes, it is the acts we do that prove that we are unequivocally devoted, that we are willing to sacrifice precious summer hours to labor in a kitchen for them.

And the payoff is great. It was so fulfilling to sit around a table filled with people I love(Mom, Dad, Molly, George, Puppa, and Jade) and watch them eat something that I loved making for them. From my beautiful older sister who still tries to get me to hold hands and tandem surf with her to Puppa who was just happy to sit and drink a couple Pacificos(Courtesy of Jade!), there was joy all around. Although this summer has been a somewhat tumultuous one, it has still been filled with incredible joy at times. As a family we have learned to accept the bumps as they come and savor the tiny moments when we are all together and laughing. There is no such thing as a 30 minute meal in life, everything good takes time, effort, and the occasional spill. Unless you are Rachel of course! Ciao Bellas!

Comfort Food with Dad

I am a firm believer that food can solve most of the problems of the world, in moderation of course! My dad and I cooked an awesome meal tonight while waiting for my mom to get home from a day of taking care of my grandma. First, we flash browned pork chops in olive oil and onions. Just a little browning on both sides is all that is needed. Then we cut up about four apples, fresh from the tree outside and placed them into a casserole dish with the pork loin. Covered it all with a little brown sugar and dry sherry and threw it into the oven at 425 for 30 min and then 325 for another 30 or so. We cooked up some garlic mashed potatoes and organic green beans from Puppa's yard, and VOILA! Healthy Comfort Food.

Sometimes it's retail therapy and sometimes it's a good book, but there are often times in life that a homecooked meal made with love is simple the only thing to make the stress and problems of the world disappear, at least for a half an hour. Then it's back to the grind of ringing cell phones, new emails, crashing stocks, facebook updates, and a world that seems to be constantly running on overdrive. So in the time of all this chaos, it's important to remember that comfort is simply an oven and some fresh ingredients away. Don't forget to throw a little love in before it hits the oven!

Friendship

Friendships among girls are a funny thing. They can often be plagued by cattiness and gossip, yet above all things they are resilient. Throughout the tiffs and arguments, deep down it is simply known that the friendship can always endure. I have always been blessed with the greatest of friends, regardless of the coast that I happen to be on at that moment. They are the girls that I laugh with and cry with, but mostly they are the girls I am myself with. We all come from different upbringings, we have different opinions about the gulf spill and hostels, but we are bonded by our indefinite love and loyalty for each other. I often think that if people would approach any human being they meet on the street in the same way that they approach their best friends, the world would be a much more enjoyable place to live in. Because, after all, it really doesn't matter if we don't all think the same thing as long as we have the ability to lend an ear to listen with and a heart for caring. In the worst of times, the times when we think that the world probably couldn't be an uglier place, it is the friendships that we have cultivated that remind us that love is simply a call or text away. Thanks to all my friends, from the ones that I talk to everyday to the ones that I can pick right up where we left off with, you mean more to me than I ever tell you--probably because I'm rambling to you already.

Para Empezar...

After months of talking to my friend Julia about wanting to start a blog, I have finally decided to jump on the bandwagon. I've always been a big fan of journals and diaries but always with the knowledge that no one was going to read them, this should be an interesting experience. I chose the name Golden Buttons because I have always had a thing for great antique buttons. Whenever I find them in my mom's sewing room, I think about the clothes they were on and the stories they could tell. There is just something so simple and sweet about golden buttons, a simple accessory that can make anything a little more interesting! Happy Reading!