Ahhh...Fall

It’s fall! Well…sort of. Sunday night was the first time since April that a chill rolled into my bedroom and I had to sleep under the covers. San Diego doesn’t get too much change between seasons, but hey, it’s something!

I absolutely love summer, but there’s something about fall that makes everything feel so…cozy. Red and orange color schemes have taken over Pinterest, people are losing their minds over Pumpkin Spice Latte’s and Pumpkin M&M’s, and an outfit that consists of leggings, and oversized sweater, boots, and a messy bun is acceptable again :]

Today’s post is kind of a random compilation of things I love and look forward to doing this fall!

-Playoff Baseball.

Did anyone really expect anything else to be at the top of this list? I’m pretty positive neither of my teams [Yankees & Padres] will be playing in the fall classic this year, but it makes my heart happy to know that I’ll be able to turn on the TV when I get home from work or school and baseball will be on. Unfortunately the rivals of my favorite teams did make it to October. That doesn’t mean I won’t be watching…I’ll just be rooting for the Red Sox and Dodgers to not win!

-Apple Beer.

I learned about Apple Beer/Cider [whatever it is] earlier this summer when I had it at a BBQ and liked it a lot. Since then, I’ve had it here and there…but I plan on fully embracing it this fall. I think one of the reasons I like it so much is because it reminds me of Manzanita which is apple soda…a staple in Mexican households! It’s like the grown-up boozier version of Manzanita! Both are worth checking out!   

-Salted Carmel Hot Chocolate.

Pumpkin Spice Latte’s can take a seat, my favorite seasonal drink from SBUX is the Salted Carmel Hot Chocolate! Heavenly is probably the best word I can use to describe the way it tastes. I don’t know enough coffee connoisseur approved adjectives to properly describe it…just take my word for it, it’s damn good.

-Abuelita’s Hot Chocolate.   

I you know, you knowwwwwww.

-Comfy Clothes.  

If you’re looking for a fashion blog…look elsewhere. I endorse leggings and sweats. I live in leggings. So I’m happy that it’s we’re in the season where it’s acceptable to wear them again! Oversized sweaters go well with leggings and adds to that comfort level. Put on some calf length boots and throw your hair in a messy bun and you’re good to go! Can’t forget about seats though! I have a large collection of sweats, they’re one of my favorite things to wear…around the house, to run a quick errand, head to school. Pretty much to do anything but go to work.

-Cinnamon Roll Crust Apple Pie.

I learned to make this like 2 years ago. It was pretty freaking delicious. Can’t wait to make it again :]

-Pumpkin Picking & Pumpkin Fudge.

So I’m from a small country-ish town in North San Diego county. It’s famous for its surrounding casinos…and that’s about it. The only time traffic gets crazy is in October when pretty much all of San Diego flocks here to pick pumpkins in the crazy awesome pumpkin patch Bates Nut Farm has…better known to the locals as Nate’s Butt Farm :] Haha. I actually haven’t picked pumpkins here for like 6 years, but I’m making it happen this year! Bates has like 20 different flavors of homemade fudge in their shop which is ridiculously rich and soooo good, but the best flavor is Pumpkin fudge which they only roll out every fall!

-Dia De Los Muertos.

It’s a Mexican holiday that honors and celebrates deceased relative and loved ones. I’m kind of infatuated with sugar skull art, and if I ever get courageous enough to get a tattoo, the first will definitely be a sugar skull and some roses. Old Town in San Diego has done this cool event thing for the last few Dia De Los Muertos and I really want to make it out this year!

Last But Certainly Not Least…

-SYTYCD Tour

One of my favorite things of the summer is So You Think you Can Dance. One of my favorite things of the fall is seeing the top 10 contestants on tour doing my favorite dances of the season. Amy, Jasmine, Nico, and Tucker were some of my favorites, but my #1 of the season was Aaron. He's such an incredible dancer anddd I might have fallen in love with him. I was so sure he was going to go from not making the cut [again] during the green mile to winning the whole competition. When they said Fik-Shun’s name as the winner, I immediately yelled “SHUT. UP.” I couldn’t believe Aaron lost. It broke my heart and I am still not over it. If I make to the tour this year, you can bet everything in your pocket that I will camp out for hours after the show for a shot to meet him!

<3

That’s it folks. Or at least everything that came to mind when I made this list. What do you think of it? What’s on your list? Anything missing that should be on mine?

P.S. I'm not one who uses the word "cozy" regularly...so don't judge me based on my use of it in today's blog. Ha. 

P.S.S. I'm gonna mention that I don't own any of these images, all were stolen from google and pinterest...please don't sue me.

Weekend Update: ACS Relay For Life & The Fair

I don’t really have a fun/witty intro to this weekend update so let’s just get started…

Friday: Stayed home, cleaned, and chilled. Caught up on my DVR-ed shows…

SYTYCD- My favorite is Mackenzie. Saw her rock it in the background during auditions but I was nervous she wasn’t gonna make it because they didn’t feature her at all through the Vegas audition show interviews! Glad everyone loved her! [And now I love this girl even more…just went to find a picture of her to post on here and her SYTYCD bio says she’s from Temecula, CA which is like 20 minutes North of where I’m from!] I’m not a fan of Cyrus’ ex-girlfriend Jasmine. Cyrus was a fan favorite from last year and she is totally trying to ruin his cred by saying things changed once he got on the show and that he left her. She's a good dancer, but not liking her personality. It seems like she’s riding on his coat tails. Love love LOVE the tappers, animators, and ballroom dancers!  

Ellen- She’s been on a re-run kick which I will assume is because she’s vacationing/filming new episodes. I was 3 episodes behind so It served as background noise while I cleaned.

Pretty Little Liars- AHHH! I don’t even know what to think of this show! Is Ali alive or dead? Who is A? Who is red coat? Who was the lady in black at Wilden's funeral? Why are Ashley’s shoes muddy?! Was Spencer’s letter from UPenn legit? Yay for Ryan from Step Up Revolution getting on the show!

 

Saturday: Worked with my mom during the day. Ran home and showered then took off to Nate’s Butt Farm for the Relay For Life. Hung out, ate food, danced, napped, tried to read, luminaria, walked my 12-1 am shift, slept for 3 hrs, ate breakfast, closing ceremonies. The growth of our even is incredible. I walked the 1^st year they had it up here back in 2011 and we had like 5 teams and “only” raised a few thousand dollars. 2013 we had 20 teams and like 200 registered participants. Valley Center is a small town but we managed to raise $72,000+ for this event…so incredible! Something else that was incredible were 2 men that walked together for all 24 hours with minimal food and restroom breaks. They each walked like 53 miles! Hopefully I’ll be able to attempt something similar next year!

Luminaria

It was cold and dark during my shift! 

Sunday: Relay ended at about 9 am, got home around 10 and took a quick nap before heading to the beach and then a night at our local county fair. So much fried food. We had the bacon wrapped pickle (yum!), krispy kreme chicken sandwich (yum!), fried oreos (yum!), fried cookie dough (too sweet), waffle dog (meh), fried avocado (bland. needed a dipping sauce.), and cinnamon rolls (always yum!). My body was heart attack central so I tried to minimize my impeding death by washing down the fatty goodness with water instead of soda. I think it worked…only gained 1 lb and no heart burn! I won myself a couple prizes…a cute little giraffe and a gorilla that looked stoned. Hahaha. Did the guess the speed of your throw thing kind of just to see how fast I threw…52 mph, which isn’t bad since I haven’t played ball or thrown since mid December! [Sorry for the lack of fair pics!]

I came home, played on my phone a little and then went to bed!        

Weekend Update: All Sorts Of Blah

Mondayyyy. You have arrived. Meh. This weekend had so much potential, but ended up being a little lackluster.

Thursday: Yep, we’re starting with Thursday. I worked all day and then headed to a Relay For Life meeting. This will be my 3^rd year doing it, and it’s crazy how big the event has grown in our little town. 1^st year was 2011 and we had like 5 teams, 2^nd year totally blew up and we had like 18 teams or something AND raised like $40,000 for the American Cancer Society. The event is still 2 weeks away and according to the website, we have 20 teams and have about $39,000+ raised. Super cool! My team captain is my best friend’s mom so I got to the meeting a little early and raided her fridge like the good old days. We talked about what is gonna happen at the relay and what our team has planned…should be an awesome event.

 

This walk is for the AmericanCancer Society , an organization that raises money to fight ALL cancer. The Relay For Life is a 24 hr walk where teams participate and each team must have at least 1 person walking at all times. Ideally, there should be 20 people walking the course at any given time. Even at 3:00 am! I've kind of sucked at raising money, so I’m pitching it to my readers :] If you've got an extra $5, $10, $20, or even $100…throw it my way! It will be greatly appreciated!

Friday: Remember how I was super excited for Tim? He kind of did not impress. We left town a little late, encountered traffic, missed our exit, more traffic, tailgate, strongggg honey jack & coke, found an InCahoots group that brings speakers and line dances in the tailgate lot before the show, completely missed Love & Theft, caught Brantley Gilbert’s last 2 songs, searched through the masses for friends, didn't find them, and mostly chilled through Tim's set. My problem with Tim was he played a lot of new music I didn't know. I guess that’s my own fault for not being a true fan. Loved the last 20 minutes of his set which was where he played everything I knew! Chilled in the parking lot and waited for traffic to die down, saw a chick dance on the roof of a car and secretly wished she fell…no luck. Mexican food. Sleep.

Chelsea with the photobomb.

3 amigos <3

Let's take a second to appreciate the growth of my hair! Left is 2 summers ago (I think?),
baby piggy tails, right was at Tim Friday night.

Saturday: Worked in the morning, 3.5 hour nap, unpacked my bedroom stuff, hung art I've collected in the last year, caught up on SYTYCD, sleeeeeeep.

Yankees Stadium

Jack's Mannequin and Something Corporate autographed lyric posters. 

1 more off the 100 things to do before you die list! #33.

Sunday: Did laundry & ran errands with my mom. Purchased bedroom curtains. Bought cinder blocks to put on the corners of my bed frame to raise it. Got the idea from pinterest! I bought the wrong size, had to make another trip to HD and buy the right size which raised my bed about 10 inches. Now I’m kind of scared I’ll fall off! Pictures soon once my room is completely done!

Wasn't a boring weekend, but nothing too exciting.

100 Things To Do Before You Die.

Like 2 weeks ago I pinned this link titled "100 things to do before you die." It has been on my mind since then, so I figured I would type it out here and cross out what I've done in these 24 years of life of mine...and decided I want to cross off 6 more and have 35 done by my 25th birthday, in September. 

1. Set foot on all continents. 

North America and South America, check! Need Europe, Asia, Australia, Antarctica, Africa.  

2. Live in at least 2 different countries with completely cultures.

3. Solve a Rubik's cube.

4. Learn at least one foreign language. 

I live in the U.S. so Spanish is foreign, right?

5. Swim with whale sharks.
Rob @ the Fantasy Factory serves as inspiration for this one. Shark Attack!

6. Get drunk a least once in your life. 

Many times in my life.

7. Bungee jump.

8. Do the Mongol Rally.
The what? I might have to pass on this.

9. Swim with dolphins.

10. Go on a safari.
And check off Africa at the same time!

11. Learn how to surf.
I've been trying to get out to the beach to make this happen but it never works out.

12. Scuba dive. 

13. Fly an airplane.

14. Give a public speech. 

Speech class/class presentations/thank you toasts.

15. Get your body in the ultimate shape at least once in your life. 

Working on it!

16. Run a marathon.
26.2 miles. Ahh!

17. Run a triathlon.
Swimming, biking, AND running?! Bigger AHH!

18. Hot air ballooning.

19. Ride a motorcycle.

20. Sing to an audience. (Karaoke counts)

21. Volunteer 6 months abroad.

22. Have your own business.

23. Fish and eat your own catch.

24. Own a pet.

25. Renew your vows.

26. Watch the top 10 movies of all time. 

27.White water rapids.

28. Try rock climbing.

30. Learn how to make sushi.

31. Go to Disney World.

32. Learn how to sail.

33. Paint and frame your painting.

1/2 way there!

34. Help a stranger in distress.

35. Ride a roller coaster.

Disneyland. 6 Flags. Knotts Berry Farm. Del Mar Fair.

36. Drive the autobahn.

37. Spend Christmas on the beach.

Does the day after Christmas count? It's my tradition to go to the beach on the 26th and chill.

38. Get your B.A. or equivalent.

Wooooooo!

39. Find of job you love or create the job you love.

40. Read the top 5 novels of all time. 

41. Sleep under the stars.

<3

42. Make a fool of yourself.

All. The. Time.

43. Drive across an entire country.
Baseball Road trip!

44. See a solar eclipse.

45. Spend the night in a haunted place.

46. Learn how to play a musical instrument. 

Clarinet in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade.

47. Drink beer at the Oktoberfest.
Barf. I hate beer.

48. Sleep in an igloo.

49. Brew your own beer.
Remember how I hate beer?

50. Go to the Superbowl.

51. Go to the Olympics. (Summer or Winter)

52. Write a book. (At least try)

53. Plant a tree.

54. Learn how to dance.

I can bust a move!

55. Ride a camel in the desert.

I rode a camel once at the fair. That was near the beach and far from the desert. But I'm gonna count it.

56. Ride an elephant.

57. Grow a beard at least once in your life.

That might be a little weird.

58. Shave your hair off.

59. Go skinny dipping.

60. Go to your favorite band's concert.

I've seen Drake, Jack's Mannequin, Alicia Keys, Lady Antebellum, and Dierks Bentley, Need John Mayer and JT.  

61. Climb a mountain.

62. Learn how to swim.

Never been good at it though.

63. Party until sunrise.

Good times.

64. Go wild at La Tomatina.
I heard you had to be a dude to do this.

65. Go to the opera.

66. Cross a country using public transportation.

67. Get to know your neighbors. 

No witty remark for this one.

68. Travel around the world.

69. Backpack through another country.

70. Go camping.

It's been years since I've done it! Want to go again, ASAP!

71. Feed a homeless person.

72. Take a class you've always wanted.

73. Own a sports car.

74. Go skiing.
Not very good at that...or snowboarding.

75. Shoot a gun.
BB Gun.

76. Trek Machu Picchu.

77. Visit Angkor Wat.
Which would mean I'd be in Asia, another continent down.

78. See the Iguazu Falls.
Before of after I check out the Carnival in Rio

79. Go kayaking.

Once, with Sara. Funniest moment of my life.

80. Dance at the Carnival in Rio.
I've always wanted to do this!

81. See a glacier.

82. Take a bath in a hot spring.

83. Try to beat a world record.

84. Go to a drive-in movie theater.

85. Ride a gondola in Venice.
What's up Europe?!!

86. See the Eiffel Tower.
Can I get the Lauren Conrad experience like when she went there on The Hills?

87. Fly a kite.

Who hasn't?

88. Solve a jigsaw puzzle.

Again, who hasn't?

89. Be an extra in a movie.

Audience of DWTS/SYTYCD/Jay Leno counts. But I might be auditioning for Anchor Man 2 next week!

90. Dance the macarena.

That was my jam when I was a kid.

91. Eat fried oreos/twinkies/cheesecake.

Thank you Del Mar Fair.

92. Float in the Dead Sea.
I just learned about the crazy tension out in that area with Jordan, Israel, and Palestine. Scary stuff! 

93. Travel at least once by train.

To Anaheim and Santa Barbara.

94. Go on a cruise.
I'm terrified of the deep sea. I might pass on this.

95. See the Northern Lights. (Aurora Borealis)

96. Travel by yourself.

97. Ride a horse.
As a kidlet in Meheeeco.

98. Fall in love.

99. Learn how to juggle. 

Couldn't tell you when or where I learned, but I def can do it.

100. Feel like the happiest person on Earth. 

I was the happiest person on Earth that one time I met Zac Efron.

Is there anything on this list you've done that I haven't? Share your experience/tips! I'd love to hear about it :] What about stuff on this list that you'd like to do? 

30 DAY CHALLENGE: DAY 20

Day 20 – A talent of yours.

Does organization count as a talent? Because seriously, I have no talents. I'm not good at singing. I can't play an instrument. I can't draw or paint. I can't dance. I'm not talented. hahaha. 

I can appreciate the shit out of people with talents though! I think because I can't do anything, I understand how hard it must be to master something. 

One of my favorite thing to watch is dancing. I actually always wanted to take dance classes but never did and preferred to take P.E. over dance in high school. I used to be obsessed with Dancing With The Stars but that died down a few years ago, but have been in love with So You Think You Can Dance since the first season! 

Watch some of my favorite group dances :]

30 DAY CHALLENGE: DAY 05

Day 05 – Your favorite television program.

My favorite television program...that is still airing is:

Growing up, played soccer and softball... and dabbled in karate and volleyball. As much as I wanted to and begged my parents, I never was involved in dance. The things these dancers can do and the emotion they have for their craft is amazing. I've been fortunate enough to attend a few of the live tapings up in Hollywood as well as the tours the top 10 of each season immediately after the season ends.

My favorite television show of ALL TIME is hands down The Hills <3 my love for Laguna Beach carried over to The Hills, and I'm so glad it did! As much as they pegged it as a reality show, I know it's far from that...but I still love it. I can definitely credit this show with my infatuation with Los Angeles.



...how beautiful is this cast?!! Minus Spencer. and Heidi post plastic sugery. and I'm totally "Team LC" notttt "Team Kristen" Lauren is one of my faovirte people ever, I met her at a book signing like 3 years ago. That picture is gross, so I'm not going to post it.

Lately, I don't watch much tv and when I do it's usually sports...

I am a little obsessed with teen dramas like Gossip Girl, 90212, and Pretty Little Liars

            

Some of my old school favorite:

Sex & The City

30 DAY CHALLENGE: DAY 02

Happy Friday! and Whoooo Hooo 3rd day of blogging! Hopefully my spamming the facebook feed will add followers so Kayyy and Jessica aren't my only friends! Even though I love you both <3 Anyways...

Day 02 – Your favorite song.

I'm one of those people who has like 50 different favorite songs and I credit that to loving all kinds of music. My heart belongs to country music, and after watching the CMA Awards last night...that was definitely reassured! Other than that, I love R&B, Hip Hop, Classic Rock, Pop, Folk, Latin, scores from Musicals, Disney Artists... It's probably quicker to give you a list of music I dont like: Metal, Gangster Rap, Techno.

So...back to my favorite song:

Waiting On The World To Change by John Mayer.

I didn't think much of him towards the beginning of his career, but fell in love with him once his music started being featured on SYTYCD. The peace dance choreographed by Wade Robson on Season 3 of the show and my favorite dancer Sabra Johnson killing the choreo inspired my love for John Mayer and this song <3 Check it out and tell me you don't love it!

Rounding out the top 5 are Holiday From Real by Jack's Mannequin, Show Me A Good Time by Drake, We Owned The Night by Lady Antebellum, and Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen.

As much as I love the top 5, We Owned The Night by Lady A has carried on from the summer as my current obsession!

30 DAY CHALLENGE: DAY 01

Day 01 – A recent photo of you.

I never go out of my way to dress up for halloween and usually throw something together last minute, but after seeing a few friends on facebook do the sugar skull make up last year, I decided I wanted to do it this year! My best friend had a halloween birthday party and they had a ball pit there and this is one of my favorites! 

But obviously covered in make-up, that's not a very good recent photo! So here's one from like 3 weeks ago at Disney On Ice. I love this one because after having long hair forever and then cutting it the shortest it has ever been last summer, it's finally growing back and looking long! I miss my long hair!

My most favorite recent photo is from when I went to the SYTYCD Season 9 tour, waited 3 hours to meet the cast and took an amazing photo with my favorite dancer, Cyrus!