Exciting Life Updates

I did have another post planned for today but some exciting life events came up over the weekend and I’d thought I’d share them with you all! Over the Thanksgiving holiday, Brad (my boyfriend of three years) and I got engaged! It still feels completely surreal saying and/or writing those words but I could not be more thrilled. A lot of the details of the engagement I want to keep private, but I will say that it was the most perfect proposal and it really felt so true to us as a couple. We were out on a hike with my sister and her boyfriend and at the end of the hike, as we were taking pictures he got down on one knee and popped the question! I’m incredibly grateful that Brad got my sister and her boyfriend involved in the whole plan to document the entire proposal, I now have a video and pictures I will cherish and look back on for the rest of my life.

Because Brad and I have been together for quite awhile, getting married was something we had talked about for a little while now. As prepared as I thought I was, once Brad got down on one knee, I completely blacked out, something I’ve heard a lot of people talk about in regards to getting proposed to. I almost immediately started crying and was so excited and emotional that I didn’t say the word “yes” out loud immediately, just a quick “mhmmm”! Of course as soon as I regained my control over my emotions I said yes and Brad put the ring on my finger! I am so incredibly excited and happy and while I didn’t think being engaged would feel that different from us dating, it definitely does, and in the best ways possible. It’s been so exciting to spend the last week telling all of our friends and family the news and seeing them get just as excited as us. I am so lucky to have found my person and I cannot wait to see what this next chapter holds.

Of course the next logical question I’m sure all of you have on your minds is: “When’s the wedding?!”, a question I have fielded A LOT in the last week! Simply put: we’re not totally sure! We know that we aren’t in a rush have a wedding, however these things do take quite a bit of time to plan and organize so we will probably start the very basics of planning in the new year. Of course I will be sharing some of the planning along the way but it definitely won’t be the sole focus of my content in 2020.

My Day Off Routine

I don't have a normal 9-5 job and with that comes some downsides and some upshots in terms of my schedule. Coming from a very flexible schedule in college (I had three day weekends every single weekend for almost my entire college career), adjusting to a busy, often-changing, and weekend-working schedule was difficult to say the least. While I haven't completely nailed how to spend my days off productively, I've come up with more of a routine that leaves me feeling more productive, yet well-rested on my days away from work. I've definitely learned to love having the odd weekday off, because they allow to me to focus on errands and other side projects that I just would not have the attention span for on the weekends when I feel far more inclined to be sociable. For the purposes of this blog post, I'm going to be talking about my days off that fall on the weekdays, because if and when I do have weekends off, there is almost no routine to those sorts of days. 

Morning

I am definitely an early riser and am the type of person that if they sleep past 9am feels like half of the day has already been wasted. I also know myself and my work habits well-enough to know that my most productive times are in the wee hours of the morning. I try to wake up by 7am at the very latest, but I aim to wake up at 6:30am most days. I pretty much get up and make breakfast and a cup of tea straight away, mainly because I have a really hard time thinking or being productive without a bit of fuel to get me started. While I have my breakfast cooking I'll wash my face and do my skincare routine. While I'm eating my breakfast I will tick off some of more admin-like tasks such as email and I will also take some of this time to browse through social media, especially Pinterest, Tumblr and Instagram, to get some inspiration for the day and get my creative juices flowing. Around 8am I will make a to-do list of all the tasks I want to get accomplished for the day. I love making lists and it's one of the best things I can do for myself to keep myself on track and away from procrastinating. After the to-do list writing, I will slap on a bit of makeup. Some days I choose to go bare-faced, however I always feel like making a small effort in getting dressed and putting on a minimal amount of makeup always helps me to feel motivated and like I'm working even though I am at home. I will also try to, at the very least, begin writing a blog post before noon.

Afternoon

The afternoon is by far my least productive time. There's something about the sun being at its high point during the day that makes me feel extremely distracted and I often will find myself falling down a black hole of YouTube videos by about 1pm if I'm not too careful. Whenever I'm starting to feel my morning motivation trail off, which is usually around 12:30-2pm I will close my laptop and take a lunch break. I also take the afternoon to either get outside and go for a walk or do some yoga, which I haven't been great at doing lately but am trying to get into again. I find that doing some sort of exercise helps me to get my mind back into work mode and it also helps to not make me feel like I'm just sat at my desk all day long without a substantial break. Luckily, because our new place is close to Golden Gate park and the heart of the Inner Sunset, there are plenty of destinations to walk to during my mid-day break. Because I'm usually not at my most productive during the afternoon, I also take this time to read blogs that I love, add to my content schedule/ideas section in my notebook, and take blog photos since the lighting is usually at its best. 

Evening

Evenings are usually a time of wrapping up any loose ends that I might have left during the daytime. I usually have found my creative groove again by about 4pm and will finish up any writing or photo editing that needs to be done. If I have the next day off I will also take the time to make a to-do list for what I want to accomplish for the next day. I try to wrap up the day around 6pm since my boyfriend is usually home by 5:30 and I try to use the later evening to cook and just relax so my days off aren't totally dedicated to work. 

Little Things I’m Doing To Reduce Stress

I’m not going to beat around the bush, the past year has been stressful. Between graduating from college, struggling to figure out my career path, getting a job, and moving back home, my stress levels and anxiety have been majorly impacted. I’m definitely starting to feel more settled than I have in the past few months. Part of that I have to credit towards getting close to moving out and being excited about creating my own home with my boyfriend (a process which I’m really excited to document on this blog). However, a lot of my feeling settled also has to do with learning more and more about myself and figuring out what I need to feel well-rested and less stressed. Some of these things I already knew, because going to college wasn't exactly a cake walk, but it's still a pretty massive lifestyle change to go from student to working a full time job. 

One of the most important and toughest things to do to help me reduce my stress levels has been switching off and reducing screen time. I am guilty of endlessly scrolling through Instagram as soon as I get home from work because it's just so easy to revert to. I love consuming content and scrolling through inspiring imagery but it does anything but make me feel like I'm doing something productive with my time off. Same goes for watching TV. I watch a hell of a lot of Netflix and while it can be relaxing to watch four episodes of The Crown, it's not very restorative. Reading a book makes me feel so much more relaxed long term, and while it takes more effort, it makes me exercise a different part of my brain instead of just zoning out. 

I love to have a full pamper night but most days that's just not practical or even possible to commit to. I've been trying much more diligently to practice small acts of self-care on a more regular basis. Some of these things don't have to do with grooming, but I find that sometimes all it takes is painting my nails after a stressful day to make me feel a little bit better. Even something as small as doing 15 minutes of gentle yoga makes me feel reset and that I am taking care of myself.

One of the hardest things about my lifestyle at the moment is that I have a job where I don't often have weekends off, let alone two consecutive days off, which can make it extremely difficult to feel like I have time to fully rest before I start back at work. It's so easy to slip into the routine of spending all of my days off at home, in bed and watching Netflix, especially because most of my friends and family don't have the same days off as me. It's been a hard balance to strike between trying to get all of my errands done and getting in meaningful rest time. I've been trying more and more to spend my days off in a productive yet restful way, and it's definitely still a work in progress. I've found that getting out of the house is key to striking this balance. Even something as simple as going to a local coffee shop for an hour to write a blog post, feels so much more restorative and relaxing than just sitting at my desk at home and being distracted by an endless stream of YouTube videos. 

The Neighborhood Diaries: NoPA

When I was planning content for this year, one of the things that got me most excited was the idea of creating content more focused around San Francisco. This gets me excited for two reasons: 1. San Francisco is an incredible city that has a ton to offer both to visitors and locals and 2. Most bloggers live in either LA, NYC, or London, leaving San Francisco out of much of the blogging world. Since I’ve lived here my entire life, I think I know a thing or two about the city and all that it has to offer. I’m going to introduce a series on this space for the next year at least called “The Neighborhood Diaries”, wherein I talk about a small neighborhood and all of my favorite spots within it, from restaurants, to shops, to outdoor spaces. First up: NoPA (North of the Panhandle), otherwise known as Western Addition. 

The highlight of NoPA is, without a doubt, the southern end of Divisadero Street. Nestled in between the Lower Haight, the Castro, and Hayes Valley, NoPA isn’t the most expansive neighborhood in terms of restaurants, bars, shops, etc., but it does have a handful of absolute gems. Combined with the fact that the neighborhood is also home to some of the most quintessentially San Francisco architecture, it makes for a great place to wander around on a Sunday. 

Eat ~ There are so many good places to eat in NoPA, and of course the most obvious restaurant pick in the neighborhood is NoPA, however I thought I’d stray a bit from the obvious and talk about a few restaurants that aren’t talked about quite as much. Brenda’s Meat & Three is one of the best places to get southern food in the city and it’s located right in the thick of NoPA on Divisadero. The whole concept is centered around picking one meat option and three sides, so to say you get a lot of food is an understatement. The fried chicken is definitely my favorite thing from the menu! Although it’s not the only location, the Souvla on Divisadero is one of my favorite restaurants in the area. All of the things on the menu are super affordable, and incredibly delicious. If you love Greek food and don’t want to be stuck in line at the other Souvla locations, this one is definitely worth checking out. There are lots of bars on Divisadero, especially dive bars, but Horse Feather is without a doubt the most innovative when it comes to mixed drinks. The whole vibe of the bar is super cool and very San Francisco, and while I haven’t ever eaten at the restaurant, I’ve heard nothing but good things.

Shop  ~ While Divisadero isn’t a huge shopping street, there are a few gems that are definitely worth a visit. Rare Device is one of the most well-known boutiques along Divisadero. They have everything from homewares, to prints, to stationary, and it is my go-to spot for getting fun cards for people.  BiRite is a grocery store and creamery and while I normally wouldn’t include a grocery store in a “shopping category”, BiRite definitely deserves a mention in this category. I don’t go shopping at BiRite for my everyday groceries (because it’s pretty expensive) but they are easily the best store in the city for specialty foods or if you are planning a really nice dinner party. Also, make sure you get some flowers from BiRite because they have some of the best seasonal arrangements! The Perish Trust is a store in a similar vein to Rare Device, in that it’s a super cute boutique, that is great for gift giving. However, the Perish Trust errs much more on the rustic side in terms of aesthetics and they are my go-to place for buying unique cookbooks and ceramics.

Wander & Relax ~  There is nothing more quintessentially San Francisco than Alamo Square Park, which is probably most famous because of the opening scene of Full House. While it is a tourist destination (which I usually avoid like the plague), it is one of the prettiest parks and because it is so big you can go to another end to be out of the way of all the tourists. Of course the view doesn’t hurt either. Sightglass Coffee is one of the best local coffee roasters and they have the dreamiest cafes right on Divisadero and Haight Street. It’s on of my favorite places to go and do work on my free days.  There is nothing more I love than a Sunday Farmers Market. There are tons of farmers markets around the city during the weekends, but the one on Divisadero is one of the quaintest and most relaxing ones. There aren’t tons of vendors but the ones that are there are great and are very reasonably priced, which isn’t always easy to find in this city. 

My Month in Film | December 2017

December was quite a month. The lead up to Christmas always seems to be both incredibly exciting and incredibly busy. I have been super busy at work and I spent a lot of my days off planning out the general content calendar for 2018, which was both overwhelming and exciting! While it was a very full month, there were also some incredibly relaxing moments, which I definitely needed to keep me from feeling completely burnt out by New Year’s Eve. Luckily I also had more weekends free and was able to be out and about more in the city, which is definitely reflective in the photos I was able to take this month!