My second trimester was pretty glorious. If only I truly appreciated it more at the time! (Third trimester, so far, has come with some different troubles & feelings!).

Pregnancy favorites

Reads: I started reading Brain Rules for Baby, which covers some cool stuff about how the baby brain develops and how to help optimize it for a happy, smart child. We also started skimming through the best baby book ever, the Baby Owner's Manual, which treats "operating your baby" like operating a new technology.

Style: Dressing while pregnant is way more fun when your belly is starting to pop out a bit! It wasn't so fun when I just felt like I'd eaten a big sandwich for lunch. I tried not to buy too many maternity items, but I got a few staples from Gap (like these pants and this shirt), that have lasted me awhile. I also received the NICEST GIFT IN THE WORLD from an old high school friend, a comfy and cute black Storq t-shirt dress. I've been wearing it obsessively. Another great purch was this pair of Allbird sneakers! Made from wool, you don't need socks, super flexible and cute...they've even taken me into the 3rd trimester and all of it's puffy-foot glory. 

Beauty: I've been keeping up with a very basic, all natural beauty/skin routine. I will admit that pregnancy-skin ain't so bad! To keep things going in the right direction I've been using a lot of nice oils, including this rose hip oil which I use on my face and neck at night. 

Other:
I grabbed some wonderful, locally made lavender all-purpose spray while in Seattle and have been loving it, especially since my sense of smell was TOO good in the 2nd trimester. It was nice to give everything a little scent-cover of relaxing lavender :). (comparable spray here).

Tums. 'nuff said.

Earth Mama Angel Baby teas! I had not one but two beautiful girlfriends gift me with variations of these pregnancy/mama teas and I've been loving them! 

Using Babylist for our registry was the best decision ever. You can shop from all over the interwebs and bring everything into one convenient place. I also loved their example registries to check out, and had a couple of good experiences with their customer service as well. Highly recommended!

Symptoms

Heartburn: My heartburn/acid reflux kicked in even worse than it had been in 1st trimester. I've tried everything I tell you! What seems to help best is having cereal or ice cream before bed...so I rolled with it ;).

Emotions: I experienced a whirlwind of emotions in the second trimester. Primarily, strong emotions of gratitude and awe! I just felt so embraced by my community and friends, and in awe of my body and baby, and so grateful for everything. And then a few anxious moments would hit out of nowhere and have me in tears. But even the tears kinda felt good. So yes, hormones were at work a bit.

Insomnia: I started being a bit less comfortable in bed, and staying up late with a million thoughts in my mind, or waking up early and unable to fall back asleep. They say it's your body trying to prep you for the sleepless nights ahead. Oh thanks, body! I appreciate that so much....

Cramps: Round ligament and sciatic pains, and occasional cramps...ouch. Symptoms of a growing tummy!

Cravings & Aversions

Cravings = Food in general. I didn't have too many cravings in the 2nd trimester, but I had a few phases where I was just famished all the time!  I also really was craving sweet things all the time...fruit, candy, fruit juice, you name it. Oh and especially cereal (still, and forever).

Aversions = Still not into vegetables, especially salad, and cooked greens like spinach, broccoli, etc. (usually my favorites!). I ate a lot of raw peppers and carrots to try to get some veggies in! The weirdest part is that I'd think it sounds yummy and it would make it all the way to my plate...and then I would just leave it there. Good enough to come close, but not all the way into my mouth. I also developed an aversion to most egg things. And avocados!! WTF? So strange that some of my favorite things have made it into this category...

Memorable Moments

It's a GIRL! As long as I live, I'll never forget the moment that the pink confetti sprayed out from that balloon. (check out the gender reveal story here!).

Feeling her move. She started getting really roly poly in there at one point, and it has been my absolute favorite part of pregnancy. Whenever she moves I can't help but look down and put my hand on my tummy and embrace the moment. She's a real person in there, guys!!

The kindness of strangers. I had so many wonderful moments of strangers chatting with me kindly about motherhood, offering advice (only some of it annoying), or offering me help in some way.

That about covers it! I'm currently at 35 weeks, sooo, way into my third trimester! 5 weeks til the due date, WHAT?! We're in shock over here a bit. But also incredibly excited :).

Best of 2015

Yeee! What a wonderful year it was. This yearly recap is always so fun to create - I love looking back and feeling so much gratitude for the year behind me. It's funny how my greed for travel and adventure sometimes has me believing that I don't go to enough places, or that I'm in some sort of rut (this happens a lot!). But all I have to do is take a peek back in time to see how golden life truly is.

This year Jimmy and I both turned 30, an age I'm loving and embracing in every way. I made some big strides at work and have met my goals of growing in my professional confidence and authentic leadership. We bought our first HOUSE! Tiny, yes, but a home just the same. With that change, we moved to a gorgeous new location, with a community that supports us in every way. It was our third full year in California, and we sunk into it in a whole new way this year,

It was hard to narrow our experiences down into groups of five but I gave it a go; here are my "top five" pics from 2015.

2015's Top Five:

Eats:
Oscars Mexican Seafood, San Diego
Cheeky's, Palm Springs
Hanazen, Orinda
Plow, San Francisco
Pelikan, Stockholm

Getaways:
Sweden (Part I and Part II)
Palm Springs
San Diego
Boothbay Harbor, Maine
Yosemite National Park

Songs:
Gold by Kiiara
Yours to Bear by HoneyHoney
Hummed Low by Odessa
Cloudline by Joseph
Demon by Shamir

Movies/Shows:
The Revenant
Jane the Virgin
Black Mirror
Chef's Table
Narcos

Buys:
Tiny House
Blue Apron
Pons shoes
Madewell jeans
Manpans

Reads:
The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up
Maine
Still Alice
Station Eleven
Super Sad True Love Story


I'm feeling so much gratitude, and so much excitement for 2016. Let's do it!

(p.s. Here are my "best of" posts for 2013 and 2014)

Mini Discoveries

I've made a few delightful discoveries this week...

I've discovered the Hidden Brain, a brand new podcast from npr. The first episode had me riveted! It's all about "life's unseen patterns" and the way our minds drive human behavior. It's deep psychology brought down to a very relatable level...so much that I went home after listening to it in the car and immediately blabbered to Jimmy about everything I learned and how it applies to our relationship (hehe, sorry Jimmy...). I also used my new found knowledge about "switchtracking" in about 3-4 separate conversations this week. (Speaking of usable psychology, check out these psychological tricks everyone should know.)

Jimbo and I discovered Black Mirror on Netflix. Ho - lee - sh*t. If you're at all intrigued by the future and the potential dangers and benefits of technology, or if you're interested in checking out something completely new in different in TV... you must give this show a try.  Each episode contains a whole new premise and set of characters, and each portrays a future use of technology or social media that is completely freaky, and also completely plausible.  I like this quote from the show creator: "If technology is a drug – and it does feel like a drug – then what, precisely, are the side-effects? This area – between delight and discomfort – is where Black Mirror is set". Oh and apparently 12 new episodes will begin shooting later this year - yay.

I discovered the beautiful, natural Coyuchi up in Point Reyes Station. Beautiful, sustainable, natural and lovely. Everything is so soft, so pretty! Hoping to fill my future home with this stuff.

And finally, I discovered my new favorite comfy-fall-outfit at Madewell :).  Excited to snuggle up in this shirt day after day.

Recently Enjoyed Things (+ Links)

spring skiing at Kirkwood

après-ski with friends

bluebird day

a pup and her new puppy friend

the absolute best sushi I've come across in California so far

gazing into the distance with a lovely friend

Dexter the pup!

a funny view of something left behind...

chaperoning a 6th grade field trip to Pinnacles

a little bit of yoga with friends

celebrating 30 years with bubbly

a friends' shadow on blue, blue water

And a few things from around the interwebs....

Everything about this cozy date night is lovely. 

I'm officially obsessed with Everlane (and if you join on my referral link there, I'm obsessed with you too!). 

Feeling goal oriented this week? Check out these positive affirmations for goal getters. 

Are you guilty of any of these online habits that cause overspending? I sure am...

I admit that when I'm overwhelmed, my one-on-one meetings are the first to go. This article has convinced me that's not the answer! 

Need to learn a quick new talent for your next cocktail party? Look no further. 

This post is just pouring over with SPRING. 

Gorgeous roundup of essentials for the chicest at-home bar. 

Currently

{found a perfect shell in Pescadero last weekend}

It's been awhile since I did one of these posts, but my brain feels very full and jumbled right now so I know this is going to feel good. "Currently" posts are kind of therapeutic. Are you a journaler? Give it a try sometime! It's kind of like a brain dump. 

Currently I'm........

Listening to... This adorable cover by Lennon and Maisy - how cute are they?? Also, The Lone Bellow has an awesome new album.  And I have a new favorite podcast!! If you're a podcast listener, you must check out NPR's newest podcast Invisibilia. It "explores the intangible forces that shape human behavior - things like ideas, beliefs, assumptions and emotions". And the two hosts are pretty adorbs. Check it out. 

Thinking about...cooking soup this week. I made a good veggie soup a couple of weeks ago and froze half of it - it lasted forever and was so great to turn to for a quick meal over the last 2 weeks! I want to start doing that more regularly. I'm thinking of trying this ginger + lime carrot soup next. I'm also thinking a lot about how to make Jimbo's upcoming 30th birthday a special one. I have some ideas! 

Loving...being back in my normal workout routine. Feels f*ing GREAT. I re-joined my gym and am loving the new classes being offered there - lots of high energy music and muscle work. I needed it bad. I'm also loving the rain we're having right now in the Bay Area. 

Watching...Fury was pretty good! And Girls. Gotta love it. Also, I've been watching Friends on Netflix as a late night snack before bed - it's a lovely indulgence. 

Reading...Nothing at the moment but my momma was awesome enough to mail me a book in the mail a couple of weeks ago (surprise packages are so delightful!!) that I want to try. I also got a free copy of The Innovators at a recent conference I was at, where the author, Walter Isaacson gave an amazing talk (which sold me on the book). I'll let you know how it is.

Excited about... Spring travel weekends! San Diego, Palm Springs, Tahoe skiing, San Luis Obisbo and last but not least SWEDEN are all on my horizon between now and Memorial Day weekend. And maybe a work trip to Seattle. Yay for new places and adventures! I'm particularly excited for this upcoming weekend with friends in Tahoe - it finally snowed up there, and I have Monday off, and it's going to be great. 

Considering...trying out acupuncture. Have any of you? I'm curious...


Thanks for peeking in, friends - Happy Monday! 

Best of 2014

Wow, doesn't it already seem so passé to see "2014" in a blog title? I think I've been mentally preparing for 2015 for awhile now. It seems like it's going to be a good one, and it already feels so natural to me (to say, to write). Plus, the first week has been great, so that's a good sign. Bring it on!

I allowed myself a complete and utter PAUSE over the holidays. It felt really good. I literally forgot about work and responsibilities, and even about blogging. I'll post about some of my goals for the year soon, but one of my goals is to relax about blogging. As you all know I don't blog very often or consistently, and I'm okay with that. I want to keep being okay with that and not letting guilt creep in whenever I miss a week (or 3!). For me this space isn't about gaining followers or trying to impart wisdom on the world or trying to make a buck. For me it's a creative outlet, a small community of followers and friends, and an inspiration to keep learning and growing. None of that should require stress or pressure on myself. So I have no idea what this blog will look like in 2015 - but I know it will be very me. Thanks for continuing to follow along :). 

-------------

For 2013 I did a little recap of the year via lists, and I decided 2014 was great enough that I should do it again. 

2014 Top 5:

Getaways:

1. Lost Coast
2. Kauai (part one, two, and three)
3. Bodega Bay
4. Truckee
5. Cape Cod

Songs:

1. From Eden by Hozier
2. Two Pears Dancing by The Moxie Strings
3. Reflections by MisterWives
4. Chandelier by Sia
5. Turn It Around by Lucius

Shows:

1. The Lone Bellow / Don Quixote's, Felton
2. First Aid Kit / Fox Theatre, Oakland
3. Anders Osborne / Terrapin Crossroads, San Rafael
4. Southern Soul Assembly
5. Tiny ukulele performance in Kauai 

Buys:

1. Macbook Pro!
2. Ski Pass (to my Tahoe mountains!)
3. Birchbox subscription
4. Brown Sutro booties (no longer available)
5. Urban Smith "avventura" necklace (a gift)
+Everlane cashmere sweater (also a gift!)

Eats:

1. Margs, Truckee
2. Boonfly Cafe, Sonoma
3. Hanalei Taro and Juice Co., Hanalei
4. Pine State Biscuits, Portland
5. Broder Cafe, Portland
+Pok Pok, Portland
+Piccino, San Francisco

Books:

1. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
2. We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler
3. Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham
4. The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer
5. #Girlboss by Sophia Amoruso 

Movies/Shows:

1. Wild
2. Dexter
3. The Walking Dead
4. Interstellar
5. The Grand Budapest Hotel

Phew! It was hard to pick. And now it's time for a new year of favorites - bring it on '15!

Love It List :: June

It's the last day of June, folks...yeeks! What are your plans for the holiday weekend?

I haven't done a favorites post in a long while. Let's do it.

Clarisonic Mia. Yep, I finally bit the bullet on this one. Skincare is my weak spot! So far I'm loving it, mostly for how it energizes my face in the morning and makes my skin feel ultimately clean and ready to soak in my other skincare splurges (magic potions and stuff). It also makes my face feel like babies' bums.

Nixon watch. Yeeeyyy this one makes me so happy! This is actually the watch that Jimbo gave me for my b-day more than two years ago, but I've been living without it for months and months now simply due to laziness (it needed a new battery). I got it back this month and it's happily back on my wrist each day. Nixon, I promise it won't happen again!

Clean perfume. I snagged a few samples from this perfume line at Sephora the other day, and I'm absolutely loving it. I adore clean scents for the hot summer, don't you? Many of the Clean scents are fresh and cool smelling. I especially like Rain and Summer Sailing.

The Goldfinch. I'm finally making headway in this book after getting it for my birthday in April. It's a slower read for me than usual, but I enjoy every line. Her writing is so descriptive and unique... I love a book where I: a) learn about a particular subject (in this case, art and antiques) b) re-read lines because they're so poetic and c) am surprised. This book has all three. It's been reviewed to death so I won't go any further but my vote is yes - a good beach read!

Deep Sleep Pillow Spray. It's been making me sleep like a baby.

First Aid Kit, particularly their new album Stay Gold. It's great, I've been listening obsessively! I tend to enjoy sister duos because I can daydream the whole time about my sis and I creating a duo and making it big, plus they're all about great harmonies which are my favorite part to sing along to ;). I saw someone say they're like the lovechild of Johnny Cash and Fleetwood Mac - how can that be a bad thing??

Kauai. Jimmy and I are heading to Kauai for almost two weeks in July so I've been poring over travel websites and blogs, preparing, planning and drooling :). Have you been there?? We would love tips on places to go and things to do!

Wish List :: V-Day

1. printed blouse | 2. Sinatra lyric print* | 3. v-day cocktail | 4. pink flats | 5. pepper log candle |
 6. je t'aime letterpress card | 7. heart ring | 8. peach peonies | 9. zig zag throw blanket

*I don't have a source for the print - any help?

I think Valentine's Day is adorable, and I'm not afraid to say it!

I dislike roses, I'm not normally into pink, and I would pretty much hate to receive a box of chocolates. But I love what Valentine's Day is all about (...which of course, is LOVE). Some people may say it's a silly creation and that it's all about consumerism, to which I say...you're a tad closed minded and probably lazy. Because if you're in love and have a speck of romance or creativity in your heart, then there's nothing preventing you from taking advantage of this silly day in one of the coldest months of the year to warm up with your darling and be loved in whatever way that means for the two of you.

For Jimbo and I that might mean enjoying a leisurely breakfast together before work (a rarity!), having some wine while we dream about our future hand-built cottage (one of our favorite things to do) or spending time with friends while sneaking a few more lovey-dove glances at each other than usual.

And if somehow all of these wishlist items were involved then hey, I wouldn't complain ;).

*****

What will Valentine's Day mean for you and yours??

Best of 2013

Oh 2013. It really does seem true that each year is better than the last. I could go on for ever and ever about this year, but I'll try to keep it simple.  Jim and I grew in so many ways, both in our relationship and separately. We started 2013 out on a road trip across the country for our move to California. We spent most weekends embracing the new space and beautiful weather, traveling everywhere we could within a 4 hour radius of our new home. We ran our first half marathon, spent a lot of time outdoors, made new friends. We've enjoyed the new challenges and experiences that go along with having new jobs. It's been a selfish year really, one just for us, and I know that's something we'll never take for granted.

It seems impossible to summarize the year, but the best way I can think of is through this list of lists...

Here are the year's Top 5:

Weekend Getaways:

1. Austin
2. Big Sur
3. Bodega Bay
4. The Lost Coast
5. Mendocino

Songs:

1. Roll Um Easy by Sarah and Christian Dugas
2. Teach Me To Know by The Lone Bellow
3. Up Above My Head by The Wood Brothers
4. Attaboy by Yo-Yo Ma, Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer and Chris Thile
5. Marmalade by Anders Osbourne
+ House of Stone by Mandolin Orange
+ Black as Night by Nahko and Medicine for The People
+ We Will All Be Changed by Seryn

Concerts:

1. Trevor Hall and Nahko / The Independent, San Francisco
2. The Lone Bellow / The Independent, San Francisco
3. Zac Brown / SAP Center, San Jose
4. Delta Rae and ZZ Ward / Great American Music Hall, San Francisco
5. The Wood Brothers / Great American Music Hall, San Francisco

Purchases:

1. Pour over coffee set, Part 1 and part 2.
2. SodaStream
3. The softest flannel sheets (actually this one was a gift!)
4. Favorite new workout capris
5. Our scooter!

Eats:

1. Lotus Cafe / Jackson, WY
2. Sushi Go 55 / Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, CA
3. Ciccio / Yountville, CA
4. Penny Ice Creamery / Santa Cruz, CA
5. Nick's Crispy Tacos / San Francisco, CA

Reads:

1. And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
2. Sunset Magazine (my new fave)
3. Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
4. The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivy
5. Animal Tracks and Scat of California



It's time for a new year of favorites - bring it on '14!

Happy New Year, all.

Love It List :: August

August is almost over! Does that mean I need to be done with my summer to-do list? Hmmm... I vote no. The weather is still warm and sunny and beautiful and I'd be willing to guess that "summer" lasts til November out here in the East Bay. Part of me thinks that's wonderful, as I have some more camping and summer adventuring in store. But part of me already misses the crackly, orange, fresh, cool, snuggly New England autumn that I'll miss out on this year. New England friends - please think of me when you put that first steaming hot cider doughnut or pumpkin latte to your lips!!

But before I move on...a recap of the things I enjoyed most this August.

Trader Joe's Cold Brew Coffee. What a delicious and convenient time-saver! I've been craving coffee that's iced and strong, and this stuff does the trick for those days that I forget to brew and chill a pot (aka every day). At first I shook my head disapprovingly when I saw the bottle on the shelf, because foodie trends get on my nerves sometimes. But I figured I'd give it a shot (these trends are usually there for a reason...case in point: my beloved coconut oil). And of course, I'm glad I did.

Cold brew coffee is generally smoother, milder, and less acidic than hot brewed. It's also stronger by volume, which means the bottle lasts longer than you'd think, because it's supposed to be mixed with water or milk (or whatever you prefer) to lighten it up. The suggested preparation is 1 part coffee concentrate with 2 parts water or milk...but I go more for a 50-50 mix. It pumps me up. And instead of water, lately I've been going for chocolate almond milk...because it's yummy!

OPI's new San Francisco line. I'm not really a nail fanatic - I tend to go au naturel when it comes to my nails, or I keep it simple with some nail colors I've had on repeat for years. But when I found out about this OPI "San Francisco" line with adorable names like Muir Muir on the Wall, Dining al Frisco, First Date at the Golden Gate, and Embarca-Dare ya! -- I knew I needed at least one of the colors in my stash! (I went for Lost on Lombard).

MAC Paint Pot in Soft Ochre. Love this! My friend Rachel's lovely sister helped us do our makeup before our other friend's wedding a few weeks ago, and she introduced me to this gem. It's great to use as a base for eye shadow, or even as eye shadow itself for a casual day look. It goes on smooth and creamy and feels light, plus it lasts all day.

Talenti Caribbean Coconut Gelato. Oh my. Oh my. Have you tried this? It's one of the fancy (read: expensive) ice creams in the frozen aisle that I try to avoid for the sake of my health and wallet. But when your boyfriend runs out on the scooter for a midnight snack and comes back with coconut gelato...it's time to indulge. I love that it only has a handful of ingredients, and that there are little flakes of coconut sprinkled throughout. It's creamy, and decadent, and rich and smooth...the flavor melts on your tongue in the most perfect way and...............I'm drooling.

My new Sodastream! I never thought I'd get one of these. I like keeping it simple in the kitchen; the fewer appliances and doohickeys the better. This just seemed like one of those extra things people throw on their registries that ends up taking valuable space on the counter or storage. But suddenly one day, I realized Jim and I were fighting for the 78th time that month over who gets the last soda water in the fridge. We always want it! We buy a couple of bottles every time we go grocery shopping. And that's not very green. So we decided one of these would be worth the investment, and yes, it's been awesome. Take some cold filtered water, fizz it up, add some fruit or sprigs of mint and BOOM. Tasty treat.

Sound Opinions podcast. I love my podcasts lately! This one is awesome; a great way to learn about upcoming bands, and music in general actually. I've been loving Emilie Sande, and the other day she was on talking about how she got into the biz, and singing beautiful unplugged versions of her songs. I love her even more now! It was also cool to hear Lindsey Buckingham in one episode, chatting about the drama behind the Fleetwood Mac Rumours album, one of my favorite albums ever. Check it out!

Well those are my faves for now, what have you been loving lately??