After taking a road trip to Cincinnati this past weekend to see my lovely sister Becky and attend a pretty wedding (congrats Rachel + Tom!), Stephen and I have another exciting trip on the horizon: we leave for California on Friday!

We have been planning this trip mentally for essentially the duration of our relationship (almost 5 years!?) and logistically for about the last 5 months.

I'm SO eager to see what the West Coast has to offer. Coincidentally, Stephen's sister, also Becky (what are the chances?), went there with her husband in August. She posted the prettiest snaps on her instagram from the trip, and agreed to let me share them here - because pictures of me wasting away at my desk at work? Not as fun to look at.

(Tangent: I did post this black and white artistic depiction of fast food on my insta' though. What can I say? I'm a natural photographer. And a lover of all things fried.)

Without further ado, our upcoming itinerary:

First stop: San Fran

We will be staying in an airbnb apartment in the heart San Fran (Lower Haight neighborhood) for our first couple nights in the Golden State.

We don't have a ton of activities mapped out other than general exploration of the City by the Bay, but I'm confident we'll find plenty to do! I've been there once in 2011 for a work learning trip (those were the days) and found the energy of the city magnetizing.

Second stop: Carmel-by-the-Sea

On Sunday, we'll take a leisurely drive down the Pacific Coast Highway and make our way to Carmel-by-the-Sea. Even the name is incredibly charming, don't you think? I've never been anywhere with a whimsical hyphenated preposition added on the end. Madison should definitely change its name to Madison-by-the-Lakes. Up tourism rates immediately.

We plan to set up base at Carmel-by-the-Sea for the rest of our lives three nights. During that time, we hope to do the 17 mile drive, explore Big Sur, and take in the views.

And eat! Stephen already made dinner reservations there! Now there's a man with his priorities straight.

Here's a shot from near Pebble Beach - the famous golf course!
I am much more likely to take a picture there than to swing a club.

(Note: anytime I reference "we" driving, I'm using the plural pronoun loosely. Unsurprisingly, I won't be the actual driver. I struggle with driving in an incredibly flat state (whattup, Wisco). I will be exploring the coastal cliffs safely from the passenger seat.)

Third stop: Yosemite

Pfieffer state park (but I imagine Yosemite will have trees as well ;) )

I mentioned here my family of 6 road tripped to Yellowstone. Even though I was in eighth grade at the time, I still remember it being breathtakingly beautiful. I'm really looking forward to seeing the majesty of Yosemite. And we'll have no internet or cell service! Should be nice to "disconnect" for a couple of days.

Visiting national parks always stresses me out a little bit because they are just so HUGE! I just googled it – Yosemite is 1,190 square miles! Where exactly is one supposed to go once one has "arrived" to Yosemite? Any tips appreciated!

Fourth stop: back to San Fran

We will then head back to the San Fran, stay in a Marriott for the last couple nights, eat, drink, and strategize about permanent relocation opportunities ;)

Then we fly back to good old Madtown. It will be late September by then, and therefore, likely below freezing. If not blizzarding.

I'll leave you with a collection of Cali-inspired songs to help transport your minds out to the west coast - since my mind has been in California for at least the last two months:

1. California Girls | The Beach Boys (1965)
2. California Dreamin' | The Mamas + the Papas (1965)
3. California Love | 2pac ft. Dr. Dre (1995)
4. Californication | Red Hot Chili Peppers (1999)
5. Save me, San Francisco | Train (2009)

Happy Monday, friends!

Road Tripping: Audio Book Recs?

I am gearing up for a road trip to Cincy to see my sister and attend a college teammates' wedding. (They grow up so fast!)

So, yesterday I got my headlight replaced that had been out for about a month (oops!) and today I'm getting my oil changed.

Does anyone else walk into a car services place and immediately feel like a fatuous moron? Just me? I always feel as if I have "I know nothing about cars" tattooed across my forehead.

The headlight ended up costing only 11 bucks - but if they would have charged me $100, I would have just handed it over to the mechanic without question. Are you sure you don't also want my diamond earrings? They're yours! How about my right arm? I don't really need it. Thanks for fixing the vehicle I wholeheartedly rely on for my daily existence and know next to nothing about maintaining.

I inadvertently did something different yesterday that made me feel minutely better about the male-dominated car service space –  I wore a Detroit Lions tee, resulting in 2 conversations with mechanics about Monday night football. Being able to intelligently converse with the people working on my car made me feel slightly less idiotic.

Note: I am a Steelers fan, but my boyfriend roots for Detroit because he likes torturing himself [more proof: he also dates me :)]

So, now that my car is (fingers crossed) ready for the 7-hour journey to the nasty 'Natti, I'm thinking about road trip entertainment. Not that the corn fields of Illinois and Indiana don't offer invigorating scenery.

Stephen and I already have selected these 3 CD's for our listening pleasure:

(Yes I still listen exclusively to CD's in my car...because don't we all secretly wish it was still 1999?)

But I wanted to know: do any of you have awesome audio book recommendations?

I love audio books, because when I was growing up, my family of six drove everywhere in our Mini Van. I mean everywhere. Audio books are the only reason all six of us lived, unharmed, to talk about those road trips.

We once drove from Pittsburgh to Yellowstone National Park. Stopping in Omaha for my twin sister to high jump at the Junior Olympic national championships. Naturally.

My parents, apparently, also loved torturing themselves ;)

I have distinct memories of the AC in our Mini Van breaking while driving through Nebraska cornfields. (So many states covered in corn! You Northeasterners/West Coasters just don't understand.)

My family listened to quite a few different audio books (to this day, I've never read The Hobbit, I've only heard it.) But by far the best ones were Jim Dale's audio narratives of all 7 Harry Potters. Obviously. If you haven't listened to them already - I highly recommend them for road trips. He is incredible! You won't want your painstakingly long road trip to end. (Ok, that might be a slight over-exaggeration.)

We actually had the first few HP books on tape. I remember sitting in the back of the car, and my youngest sister asking my mom to "Play the Harry Potter tape!!!" ....before we even backed out of our driveway. Patience isn't a strong suit in my family.

So, I'm curious, what's your favorite audio book? Any Audio books you recommend for road trips? I'd love to hear your recommendations in the comments below!

Monday Inspiration: IRONMAN Wisconsin

I recently noticed a trend while talking to a few peers. Chatting about life to a 20-something involves every other sentence starting or ending in varying phrases of uncertainty. Examples:

"I like my job but I'm just not sure about..."
"I don't know if I could live (insert city here) forever, you know?"
"I just really don't know if my boyfriend/job/location/hobby is something I'm interested in long term."
Et Cetera. 

But - that's not the trend I wanted to talk about! That's just inevitable cold, hard truth of talking to a twenty-something about life. The recent trend I noticed is (I think) more"fixable." A couple of my friends said "I like my job/life/etc, but I just don't feel challenged."

Therefore - for anyone who is searching for a challenge - I present to you the physical challenge of all challenges:

2.4 mile swim. 112 miles bike. 26.2 mile run. Feeling challenged yet? Or just nauseated? 

Over 2,000 athletes took over Madison this Sunday, September 7 to embark upon this challenge. The fact that so many people (adults!) would take on such a physical feat amazes me.

I personally have never run farther than 5 miles consecutively (not ashamed), so I find the Ironman very inspiring. I ran a sprint triathlon in June, and enjoyed the experience. But - it was hard! It really put into perspective just how far these athletes were going.

Stephen and I woke up at the crack of dawn (6:45am!) on Sunday and scurried over to Lake Monona to watch the start of the swim at 7am.  It was incredible!

sun rising and volunteers out there ready for the swimmers

and they're off!

So many people swimming in the water and so many ironfans cheering them on:

I got tired just watching them!

volunteers supervising

After the swimmers swam to the other side of the lake, we  walked up a bunch of the steps to get onto the Monona Terrace. {5 flights of stairs before 8am on Sunday? That's my own personal version of an Ironman.}

We headed over to the transition area where we waited for people to emerge from the lake....and gazed at a collection of road bikes fit for kings. The maseratis of the bicycle world.

I definitely want to get a road bike before doing my next tri (any suggestions?), so I'll likely buy one before next summer. Fun fact: I actually bought hybrid bike used from a friend – and that friend completed the Ironman yesterday! (Go Mel!!)

When the competitors started exiting the water and transitioning to the bikes it was so exciting! I cheered Melanie on as she moved from the swim to the bike - and as she headed out on her 112 mile biking journey, we headed home. And, at around 9:30am, I took a much needed nap. The life of an ironfan is no joke, you guys.

I did wake up and was inspired to go for a run. I put on my triathlon tee (why not?) and meandered around the streets of Madison while listening to "Kanye West" radio on Pandora. Then, I stumbled upon this sign (as part of the bike course):

And took it as a sign from the higher-ups that it was time to turn around and head home. I certainly didn't want to over do it ;)

Two meals later, we watched runners (after swimming and biking) start their marathons! Crazy! This was around 2pm...it had been 7 hours since they began the race.

I have no grand delusions of ever running an Ironman, but do have the goal to run a real 10k. It may seem tiny in comparison, but I think it's a good fitness goal for ex-basketball player me! Watching the triathletes made me want to set more fitness goals for myself. Do you have ideas for any new fitness-oriented goals I should add to my list?

I offer you two different perspectives for reading this post:

Perspective 1: How inspirational! I think I'm going to set a new physical fitness goal for myself...maybe I'll do the Ironman next year!

Perspective 2: Holy sh*t. I'd rather be at work on a Monday than swim, bike, or run half that much.

Either way, happy Monday, friends!

ducks who were rather overwhelmed by all the swimmers in their lake Sunday morning.

p.s. The original Monday Inspiration Post.
p.p.s. Mondays can be happy too.

What to Read: 3 Memoirs to Add to Your Bookshelf

I cannot overstate how much I enjoy reading memoirs. It's probably the closest I can get to reading a book containing a collection of blog posts (and I love blogs - how predictable am I?)

I also love ice cream, yoga pants, the Beatles, and my friends' puppies that I don't have to take care of. I love, apparently, everything that everyone loves. 

Excuse me while I take a minute to revel in my ordinariness.

If you love reading but have never read a memoir, you're not necessarily doing it wrong, but you could be doing it better. Here are three memoirs I recently read which I highly recommend: 

 1. OPEN by Andre Agassi

image from amazon

For athletes and non-athletes alike. The story of little Andre growing up in a poor Las Vegas family (with an arguably crazy dad) and turning into a high-profile professional tennis player (and fashion icon?) is a real-life rags to riches narrative.

My favorite part? He constantly talks about how much he hates tennis. Can't we all relate to sometimes hating aspects of our jobs? ;)

My only gripe? I skimmed over some of the passages that detailed the matches themselves. Now that all the tennis fans out there have collectively rolled their eyes, I'll confess:  I still have no idea how tennis score keeping works. Was the scoring system designed with the sole goal of being convoluted? 

Even with my pathetically limited tennis knowledge (didn't know who Sampras was before this book - the shame!) I still thoroughly enjoyed Andre's story, and recommend it to anyone who has a general appreciation for sports.

For you non-sporty folk: Brooke Shields and Barbara Streisand both make appearances, and he now runs an awesome charity in Las Vegas - so I'm betting you'd enjoy it as well! 

2. WHAT I WAS DOING WHILE YOU WERE BREEDING by Kristin Newman

image from amazon

As if I didn't need another excuse to pack up my suitcase and travel the world for months on end - Kristin Newman gives me a whole book of reasons in the form of trans-continental adventures. Successful TV writer and travel aficionado Newman takes us on international journeys to places I've always wanted to go (Brazil, Amsterdam, Paris, New Zealand) and surprising spots I've never before considered (Russia, Israel, Iceland, Argentina), that I found myself adding to my must-see list.

This book is more than a list of glistening destinations. She includes fascinating tidbits about working as a TV writer in LA (she wrote for That 70's Show and How I Met Your Mother) as well as a poignant depiction of her parents' relationship, and thought-provoking accounts of her more serious relationships. She also hilariously masters the "vacation-ship."

I consider this is a must-read for any girl at any age –but especially for those who are single throughout their 20's and 30's.  As an aspiring writer, I only wish she gave more glimpses into the LA-TV writer world, since I found it so incredibly fascinating (since I'm a Midwest never-stepped-foot-in-LA girl). Here's hoping that's the basis for her next memoir! ;)

I judge a book by how emphatically I recommend it to friends, and this one is taking the cake this year! I read it in 2 days (on flights, appropriately), and will definitely be gifting it come this Christmas. 

3. EVERYTHING THAT REMAINS by the Minimalists

image from amazon

Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus are two friends living ostensibly successful lives - lavish vacations, high-paying jobs, and every object you could ever wish to own. Why have one living room in your one-person condo when you could have two?

When one day it clicks: even with all this stuff, they still aren't happy. So, after years of letting consumerism drive their habits, they start downsizing. Through examining (and purging most of) their possessions, they start examining their relationships. And evaluating how they spend their time. They vouch for minimalism - claiming it has allowed them to live more meaningful lives.

I found this the most intriguing memoir, because we have grown up in an age where, from the time we start counting our Christmas presents under the tree, we are trained to associate more with BETTER. They boldly challenge this assumption. I actually started following their blog at www.theminimalists.com because the topic continues to fascinate me. Could I be happier if I was pursuing less instead of more? Although I doubt I'll stop buying Essie nailpolish anytime soon, I'm thinking of trying some minimalism experiments - stay tuned!

--

Next on my reading queue is Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walters  which I picked up in the airport, mainly because the cover boasts a breath-taking painting of the coast of Italy. I would read a book about a no-carb diet and poisonous spiders if it had a picture of the Amalfi Coast on the front. (And I love carbs almost as much as I hate spiders.)

Next on my memoir queue? I'm searching! Any memoirs I should definitely pick up? Would love to hear your recommendations in the comments.

I'll leave you with a thought-provoking quote from Agassi:

Happy reading!

Why Ice buckets are fine by me- but maybe facebook isn't

Facebook has been inundated with ice-bucket drenching in support of ALS. I think it's refreshing to see my newsfeed have a more macro-focus than micro-focus.

In recent years (arguably since the dramatic "timeline" transformation), I've seen an incredible shift on facebook from communication with one another (remember looking at Wall-to-Wall's?) to unbridled self-promotion. Quite often, my newsfeed reads like this: Look at me! I got a job! I got a 4.0! I got engaged! Look at my new shoes! I got married! I had a kid! I got a dog! My kid got a 4.0! I lost weight! Look at me!

Thanks a lot, "like" button. I'm looking at you, Zuckerberg.

I'm not just pointing fingers at others; I make posts like this, too.

I also sincerely enjoy staying up-to-date with friends' accomplishments, and wishing them congratulations for every milestone along the way. I have some awesome friends! Many who live too far away - who I wouldn't keep in touch with if not for social media. Thanks, Zuckerberg!

It's just, at what point are we taking our individual, personal, messy lives and marketing each moment? Transforming each instant into a picture-perfect, cleverly captioned (and hashtagged!) blip -- desperately seeking the most possible "likes."

Sometimes I feel like scrolling through my newsfeed is like watching individual self-made highlight reels. 

Ask any athlete, any player and any team can look good in a highlight reel. My junior year, my Bucknell basketball team was 7-21 (still love you guys!), but if you only watched our highlight reel, you would have thought we were NCAA-tournament bound. We weren't.

But we looked good doing it, amirite?

We decidedly did NOT shoot 100% from the floor that year - but you couldn't tell from watching the highlights. Did every single one of my facebook friends just have the most amazing weekend ever? Really?! Anyone else have a weekend full of laundry and catching up on sleep? Just me? Is everyone else I know feeling blessed and happy and ecstatic and surrounded by loved ones? Nobody is even slightly anxious? A little discontent with their current situation? Feeling a little let down by the people around them?

At what point is "filtering" our lives down to likeable flashes inauthentic? Ten years from now, are you going to look back at a really hard month in your life and think to yourself, "Wow, during that entire period, I posted nothing but duck-face selfies and pictures of my manicures."

I obviously think you should have some type of filter for what you post--for example, you shouldn't post things that could hurt other people, and some private aspects of your life are better left out of a public forum.

But you also don't have to have a picture-perfect timeline. You can have a fun, fulfilling weekend without documenting it online. You can post about things bigger than your own achievements and find balance. You can be happy, with or without "likes."

I worry for the kids spending their formative years growing up in this social media age of constant comparison - as Teddy put it:

{source: pinterest}

So, hate all you want about the ALS Ice Bucket challenge - but, for me, it's pleasant to see people post about causes - things bigger than their own little lives - in a public forum. Not to mention ALS is a horrible, debilitating, disease (watch this video if you haven't already - I find it promising over 14 million people already have.)

I was nominated for the ice bucket challenge opted to donate. First off, I rather bathe in a pool of spiders than post a video of myself online. I can't even listen to my own voice mail without cringing. Is that really how I sound? Eek.

More importantly, it's a wonderful cause. If there's any bandwagon I want my newsfeed to jump on, it's the "let's help cure a terrible disease" bandwagon instead of the "#selfiesaturday" bandwagon. Let's just hope we can stay off the "incoherent political rant" bandwagon for a little while longer.

Mondays Can Be Happy Too

The jury's still out on this one, but I'm thinking of starting a blog series called "Mondays Can Be Happy Too."

There are many reasons not to do this:

a. I've never had a blog series before (sounds like quite the commitment)
b. That name kind of sucks (there's really no ring to it - totally non-hashtaggable)
c. I'm usually better at pessimism vs. optimism (ex. complaining about moving, complaining about traveling, complaining about traveling again)
d. Can Mondays really be happy?? Is the name not only un-catchy, but also a bold-faced lie?

Regardless, here is my first attempt. This may just be a one-time post, in which case, the world will continue turning (or so I'm told).

I wrote in this Monday inspiration post about how Monday gets a lot of bad press. I'm determined that it can be a, you know, tolerable weekday. I'm not saying Mondays are going to feel like lounging on the beach in Maui (unless you happen to be doing that on Monday - if so - we are all ferociously jealous) - I'm just saying we can give the day a chance. We don't have to roll out of bed and feel a sense of imminent doom. Or at least I don't think we have to.

Without further ado, I present to you: two solid reasons why your Monday can be incrementally happier.

Reason 1: No unwanted naked people

Look around you. Maybe this is around your office, around your home, around an overstuffed airport (#businesstravelersproblems). Are people clothed? Are you forced to look at the stark naked bodies of strangers?

Because yesterday, on a SUNDAY, as I was walking downtown in the lovely city of Madison, Wisconsin, I saw not one, not two, but FOUR stark naked individuals. Just strolling around. I guess they weren't 100% naked - they were all wearing shoes. AND NOTHING ELSE.

I saw them not once but TWICE when innocently wandering the streets (eating froyo, duh). It was not a pleasant experience. Actually, it was the opposite of pleasant - it was downright uncomfortable and well, squeamish.

Thus far, this has NEVER happened to me on a Monday. Rejoyce!

Rather than share a picture of the cringe-worthy nakedness - here is the Madison capitol building aglow:

Reason 2: This puppy exists

Meet Hops. Hops is my friend's Burnese Mountain Puppy. Isn't she adorable? Hops enjoys socializing, biting furniture, puppy modeling, and, in general, being constantly adorable.

Hops' interests do not vary based on the day of the week. She is perpetually cute (and happy!), even on Mondays. Let's all take a lesson from Hops. Except for the biting furniture part. That would be a weird thing to get into, regardless of the day of the week. 

Me + Becky + Hops

So, if nothing else, hopefully you can enjoy two reasons for a happier Monday. Here's hoping. If all else fails, you're closer to Friday than you were an hour ago - go you!

Just in: Moving sucks and always will

I want to take the bold stance that I'm always going to loathe moving. Is there any worse pre-planned activity?*

Moving starts with packing which (newsflash) starts with organizing. JUST KILL ME NOW. At home, I thrive while living in a disorganized state. My boyfriend once (endearingly**) called me "a little ball of entropy" because I would enter his immaculate apartment, and, within minutes, everything would be in a state of utter disarray. Who needs to know where their checkbook is? Not this girl!

Moving is the universe's cruel way of reminding me that living a disorganized existence is not sustainable, and should be immediately rectified.

You also have to deal with this strange contradicting desire: on the one hand, you want to obliterate all your worldly possessions; on the other hand, you find yourself oddly justifying why you should keep your most obscure belongings.

Torn between the mindset of Henry David Thoreau and the mindset of a first-class hoarder, you live in a restless state of discontent, each possession simultaneously disgusting you and tempting you to keep it forever. How could you possibly part with your planner from senior year of college?! The memories! While packing, these were real thoughts that passed through my mind as it teetered on the verge of insanity:

"Hmmm...what's the easiest way to pack this stupid blanket? Maybe I'll light it on fire with a blow torch!"

"I don't know what this key does, but I guess I'm moving it" (as I toss into a junk drawer full of probably dried-out sharpies - can't get rid of those! I might become crafty yet.)

"I hate to donate these huge gold dangly earrings...if I want to be Esmerelda one year for Halloween, I'll surly wish I still had them."

"I probably should have thrown away the Walmart liquid eye liner 18 months ago." (toss in trashcan)

"I obviously can't get rid of my mini Bop it! key chain."

"I need to admit myself I'm just never going to be the girl who uses nourishing cuticle oil." (toss in trashcan that is now entirely holding unused bathroom products)

don't worry, I only threw out one Essie nailpolish. The first step is admitting you have a problem....

Don't get me wrong, I did discover some hidden gems while sorting through my piles of useless crap. My nightstand drawer is (apparently) where technology goes to die. Hello Blackberry charger! Also, remember when webcams were separate from computers!?

I didn't.

I also used this drawer (apparently) for important documents. Title of my car! Tax information! Newspaper clippings of my favorite Dear Abby columns! Not my passport, though. That was in my "junk corner" under a broken picture frame. I wish I were joking.

Anyway, we're done! (we = me and Stephen!) And by done, I mean, our apartment looked like this last night:

definitely ready to entertain

No more UHauls, no more dollies, no more broken elevators (don't get me started), no more lifting furniture up 3 flights of stairs.

Let the unpacking begin!

*I'm fully aware there are many things worse than moving - going to the E.R. to get stitches, being diagnosed with a terrible illness, getting in a car accident, etc. But you don't plan on those things. This is something you plan on, months in advance, but is still 100% horrible. It deserves some type of award for being that planned for and that bad.

**Maybe it doesn't sound endearing to you, but I'm going with it.