Don't Work From Bed...and other rules

I started teaching online and have had a few struggles. On Monday I spent the entire morning in bed, in pajamas, with my laptop and had big plans for work, but instead found myself watching cat videos on YouTube with Guiri (this one is adooorable! and this one is in French!), then napped, and then painted my nails. To make up for all that lost time, I ended up working late into the night on Monday. Yesterday was better, but still distracted. I had my morning classes at SDSU, which forced me to get up and get dressed, but then I came home to work on my online class and instead spent a significant amount of time checking and re-checking the 2 Evil Fs (Facebook and the Fridge.) Again, up past midnight finishing work after a less-than-productive afternoon.  I need structure. Time to set some ground rules for working from home:

Don't Work From Bed
I'm a big believer in only using the bed for sleep, romance and sometimes reading - we don't have a TV in our room for that reason. So, not sure why I thought it was okay to work in bed, but no more.

Take a Shower/Get Dressed Up/Put on Makeup
I did this today and was waaay more productive. I think my brain needs a shower to wake up, and when you look the part, you get more done.

Create an "Office"
I made an office out of our kitchen table, complete with cheery flowers, a note pad, and some freshly sharpened #2 pencils. Is anything more blissfully nostalgic than classic #2 pencils? I think not.

Also, I had lunch and breaks away from this space, so I could have some distinction.

Set Work Hours/Deadlines and Stick to Them
I set a lunch hour for myself, and regular working hours. During working hours, no social media, no obsessive fridge-checking. Work only. I made a to-do list and deadlines, so I could get everything done on time.

I followed these rules today and had a productive and enjoyable day. Turns out, teaching online is kinda fun, and creative in a different way. I got all my work done by 4, which meant I got to take my baby girl to the beach. Working from home isn't so bad.

Summer Wedges

Can I let you in on a little secret? H&M has the best wedges! They're cute, cheap and comfortable. I bought a pair last summer and got tons of mileage out of them, and this summer's wedges are even cuter. I got them last weekend, and quite a few people have already complimented them. For $34.95, you can't beat these babies. That is all.

{Photo: H&M Sandalettes}

Weekending

I love putting together my "Weekending" posts. They've become my Sunday night ritual, and usually happen with a glass of wine. Writing these posts is a positive and relaxing way to head into the work week as they help me reflect on the little things that have made me happy.  But, there are so many moments and feelings that pass that I wish I could capture to share here; like the taste of chocolate-hazelnut coffee accompanied by this fascinating book in bed, snuggled next to warm Guiri on a lazy Saturday morning; some long-overdue girl talk, laughter and shopping with a dear friend on a beautiful Saturday afternoon; or the way our house smells like lemon comfort when I make Sunday Yogurt Cake. This weekend was filled with all those special moments, plus a few I did capture below. It's June! Let's make it a great first week.

{Saturday night fun with great friends. Cantina Mayahuel.}

{Sunday morning}

{Pretty flower spotted in our neighbors' yard}

{For some reason she's decided she loves being in our guest room. We find her in there quietly thinking.}

Quit My Day Job

The summer semester is on. It's a beautiful Friday morning and I'm buzzing on a latte, enjoying student papers, working to the beat of some fun 80s music in the background. I'm at Twiggs, my favorite coffee shop, and I just had a full-circle moment. About this time four years ago, I was in a government job I hated. Ugh. I had the boss from hell, and while I loved the students I was working with, I felt like a cog in a bureaucratic machine, no longer fulfilled or challenged, watching some of the senior employees rot as they wilted and waited for retirement and a pension. It was a dark time. 

I remember coming into Twiggs one morning before work, looking around to see people happily clicking away on their laptops, reading, enjoying coffee and music, peaceful and productive. I was so sad to be headed off to another miserable day at work. I literally felt sick and remember thinking, I hate this. I need a new job. A job where I choose my own hours. A work environment that lets me read, and learn, and think every day. A career that challenges me and lets me be creative. An employer that gives me autonomy and lets me do some of my work from a coffee shop. Postsecondary teaching seemed to be the answer. It was at that moment, that morning when I first seriously considered leaving my relatively well paid, permanent position with the state. It was 2009 and the recession was in full swing. A lot of people told me I was crazy to leave such stability. My dad, who always has pitch-perfect advice, told me to follow my heart, and reminded me that in this country, we're lucky that we can find what we love and go make a job out of it. With the encouragement of my family and friends, I had a timeline to leave. Though I was terrified, a heavy weight was lifted. I resigned three months later, and received a teaching job that same week. As I wrote in this post, teaching has its ups and downs, but an unfulfilling 9-to-5 under fluorescent lights is just not for me. And life's too short to spend 40+ hours a week doing something that doesn't make your heart sing.

I haven't thought of that sad morning in Twiggs in years, but here's the lesson: You can have any life you want. Unhappy at work? You can change things. If you follow your passions, and work hard to craft a life that is meaningful to you, even if that meaningful life means deviating from a stable plan or your comfort zone, you can build something fulfilling, and find your bliss.

Happy weekend. xo

Dark 'n' Stormy

The weather this week is in full sun-shiney bloom and to celebrate, nothing beats a refreshing cocktail on our porch. I love ginger-flavored beverages (make mine a moscow mule, please!) and when a friend ordered a Dark 'n' Stormy at a recent happy hour, I knew I had to learn how to make these gingery-limey libations at home. In all my years, I had never heard of a Dark 'n' Stormy. From what I gather from 5 seconds of internet research, this is the drink of those who yacht on The Cape and who own a home in Bermuda. So, it may belong to fancy East Coast folks, but requires 3 non-fancy ingredients, no special hardware, and is ready in mere minutes. I used this recipe, but made it with equal parts rum and ginger beer, and added a whole lot of extra lime juice (3 wedges squeezed in, 1wedge dropped in, plus I lined the rim of the glass with lime - the lime balances the sweetness). I will be adding these fizzy, Bermudian delights into our summer rotation.

Cheers to my best friend in Boston, the Chooch! I love you.

Summer To-Do

{last summer, Ensenada, Mex.}

I accepted a last-minute offer to teach summer school online and will be teaching a couple classes at SDSU, and while I love my job and am happy for the opportunities, it won't be the lazy summer I was envisioning. I start classes this Thursday! When I get busy with work, I forget to make plans and then find myself in an evening/weekend routine that involves little more than the couch and movies.  I love a good list, and to make sure summer doesn't fly by without proper celebration, I'm making note of some of the things I'd like to do in the next few months.

1. Attend a Summer Pops concert under the stars with wine, cheese, a blanket and my love
2. Do something fun to celebrate our 2nd wedding anniversary
3. Have friends over for a champagne and oyster-shucking party (and consequently learn how to shuck oysters)
4. CrossFit 3xs a week so I can enjoy summer-y treats and spirits without guilt
5. Take a day trip out of town. Maybe Puerto Nuevo for lobster
6. Dine al fresco whenever possible
7. Try out some new summer salad recipes, like this one and this one
8. Take after-dinner walks, at least a few times per week
9. Spend more time with my parents
10. Do an end-of the summer cleaning and donate old items and clothes

Weekending, Memorial Day

{La Jolla sunset}

This weekend was all about simple pleasures.

A mani/pedi and a cheeky trip to Anthro Saturday to celebrate my belated half birthday. Date night at Polite Provisions (first time there and we loved it!), and then drinks and more drinks and lots of dancing at a summer kick-off party at our gym. They had an alcoholic snow cone machine and things got very festive.

Sunday morning we were hungover and tired so we slept in and snuggled, watching a whole lot of Mad Men (we're obsessed). When we finally emerged from the couch and our hangover, I made my favorite cheesecake, Flavio BBQ'd and we had a couple friends over for a little hair of the dog, plus dinner, board games and lots of laughs. Happy to report Flavio and I remain reigning champions of Taboo. Woot!

Monday morning we took you-know-who to the beach, then enjoyed an afternoon nap. We had big plans to cruise up to La Jolla for a sunset picnic by the sea, but as May in San Diego does, the evening quickly turned grey and chilly. We'll have to wait till July/August for San Diego's May grey/June gloom to clear up at the beaches. (Photo of La Jolla above from late last summer.) We ended up making dinner at home, which was lovely just the same.

The summer season is upon us, friends. :)

{Overexposed cellphone photo, with a Negroni}

{Haven't killed her yet. Lily is actually sprouting!}

{cheese, marg spread}

 {mascarpone cheesecake}

{Fiesta Island, Memorial Day}