Christmas wish list

As far as Christmas wishes go, it feels a little selfish sometimes to ask for any more than what I already have, which is a lot (both material and immaterial). And truthfully, when it comes down to it, I don't need much to be happy. I've got a lot to be thankful for.

But if we're dreaming big, here are some things at the top of my wish list:

• An awesome job. It would be wonderful to find a job that I love, that I can get with just my bachelor's degree, in a spectacular city, that pays well, with fantastic co-workers and opportunities to advance. And maybe one that is willing to also pay for me to get my master's degree! That's not too much to ask, is it? In this economy?
  
• Incredible opportunities abroad. I'm just about holding my breath for an extraordinary opportunity to work in another country--specifically Italy or maybe Spain--to make a living, expand my résumé and cultural understanding, and improve my Italian or Spanish.
• An awesome new camera. I have a trusty point-and-shoot digital camera that's been really good to me, but I've been really wishing for a DSLR for about three years now and haven't felt comfortable shelling out the bucks to buy one for myself (I obviously don't expect anyone else to buy one for me). My budget in the past year or two hasn't really allowed it, but maybe this is the year!

Dream big, everybody. Dreams come true. Make it happen for yourself. :)

Have yourself a merry little Christmas

Merry Christmas Eve!
And Merry Christmas to all the people who are already celebrating Christmas around the world.

I wish each and every one of you peace, love, happiness, joy, and prosperity this Christmas and all throughout the new year.

Today, my only two big goals are to start and finish wrapping presents and to tidy up my room (which really needs it). Then, hopefully I can bide my time with other, more fun things.

via Susanne Vedvik

Cloudy Napa

Our stay in Napa was so brief and we had so many things we wanted to do, but we really fit a lot into our short time frame, and I guess we're just going to have to plan another trip in the spring or summer to finish the rest! We had a lot of fun, though.

I love how these trees looked in the gray weather.

Upon my cousin's (and his new wife's!) recommendation, we went wine-tasting here.

The castle was completed in 2007 and took 14 years to build!

I guess the owner, Dario Sattui, got a little carried away with the design, which ended up much larger than he had originally planned, but it's beautiful and was made in the design of a traditional Tuscan castle.

And the wine was good. :) I picked up a couple of bottles for my mom.

We also drove north a little ways to see Calistoga's Old Faithful geyser (I really want to see Yellowstone's someday!). Matt wasn't initially too jazzed to check it out, but I paid for him ($10 each), and I think it was actually kind of cool.

Just a little steam; it basically just looks like a big pond with rocks

Bubbles and steam indicate that it's about to burst.

Blast off! This happens about every five minutes or so, and Matt and I watched it three times.

We already have some wineries in mind for our next trip to Napa. In the meantime, there are some wineries in southern California not too far from me that I still haven't been to, so maybe I'll have to put that into the works.

Rain

Napa was wonderful. The clouds and occasional light rain were actually beautiful. Matt and I got home a couple of hours ago and as he just said a couple of minutes ago, "It looks like the rain followed us here." It appears that it just started raining where we are.

But who knows? It might be just as lovely as it was in Napa.
I'm pooped, so that's all for now. Good night!

Weddings and wine

Matt and me yesterday at my cousin's wedding in Sacramento

Although I work in the wedding business and see weddings on a very regular basis, I can honestly say that the wedding was beautiful, unique, and probably more fun than about 90% of the weddings I've seen (although the outdoor ceremony was very cold!).

Matt and I are currently in Napa. Pictures to come. Right now, we're going to go and enjoy our stay! :)

A toast to Winter vacation!

Done with finals, 70+ degree weather in southern California, but I'm leaving this afternoon with Matt for the significantly cooler (in terms of temperature) Sac-Town (a.k.a. Sacramento) for my cousin's wedding tomorrow.

I officially started my winter vacation as of yesterday afternoon after finishing my last final, and my good friends and I had our annual Christmas party last night. Above is a picture of the toast we took in honor of one of my best friends who is currently in Taiwan and couldn't be at the party.

Now that all my school craziness is over, I hope I can start updating regularly again. Here's a toast to finally being able to enjoy the holiday season!

Holiday Sales

As someone trying to budget, the holiday sales have been making it pretty difficult for me to practice restraint. I don't think I can rightfully justify any more purchases as being rewards for my hard work or Christmas presents to myself until I finish buying all my presents for everyone else!

Please tell me I'm not the only one having this problem!

via weheartit

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Vermont Wedding

One of the most awesome weddings I've seen online in a while. All the details are so perfect and incredibly unique, and the location is absolutely stunning.

via Green Wedding Shoes

The star on the hill

My brother posted a picture online of the seven-foot star my dad built and mounted on his and my mom's deck in the backyard. We live on the top of a hill, so you can see it from all the streets below. Oh, Dad, I love you.

IMMD

A friend recently introduced me to It Made My Day. Some favorites:

• My brother is playing Wheel of Fortune on his cell pone in the bathroom. Every few minutes I hear “BIG MONEY!” shouted from the toilet. IMMD
• Last night, my housemate got really drunk, came home and thoroughly cleaned the entire kitchen before passing out. IMMD
• My dentist shouted “Booyah!” after he finished my filling. IMMD.
• I was asking my friend’s 5 year old son what he wanted to be when he grows up. He said he wanted to be a veterinarian, weatherman, fireman, or the president. I told him that if he’s the weatherman, he gets paid even if he’s wrong, and he replied, “Yeah! Just like if you’re the President!” IMMD
• I teach young children and one of my students came to me in tears, saying, “Johnny now said the U-word.” I asked him to whisper it to me. He said ‘Umotherfucker’. IMMD.

Pitter patter

Yup, rain has hit us here in southern California, and it should continue on and off for the next week or so. And it's cold, too! While I know some of you, like Krystal, are living with snow right now, this rain is pretty shocking for my fellow Californians who don't even remember the last time it rained during the day (we've had a few nighttime showers in the past couple of months, but that's been it until today). Hope you're all succeeding in staying bundled up and dry. :)

Aside from the rain, today has just felt a little off for me. But I'm so glad I bought a little pack of peanut butter whoopie pies at the store last night. They were totally hitting the spot today! Sometimes, you've really got to enjoy the little things!

via weheartit

Creative seasonal decorations

Read forward email here. Funny.

Tiffany keys

My absolute favorite! Although I'm not much of a jewelry or accessory person, key necklaces have been a huge favorite of mine for years, and Tiffany & Co. has come out with a huge collection that is blowing my mind. Rose-gold, yellow gold, sterling silver, titanium, platinum, diamond-encrusted... Ooh, baby... I want every single one!

The third one costs $2,975.

(L to R): $10,000 - $17,000 - $11,500

(L to R): $2,400 - $1,350 - $2,400 - didn't find it on the website

So beautiful!

via Trend and the City

Neck drapery

Would very happily accept any or all of these!

Abstract Reef Scarf, $38

In-The-Clouds Scarf, $168

Cashmere Squiggle Scarf, $98

Tuxedo Scarf, $38

Ring-Of-Warmth Wrap, $48

A La Mode Loop, $28

all via Anthropologie.com

Stuck!

Minor distraction thanks to my friend that's over, but so worth it. Cracked me up!

Una pagina di piu'

I want to update with fun stuff (like the mini Christmas tree and the Christmas lights I put up in my apartment or other fun holiday and shopping things!), but I'm trying my damnedest not to distract myself from finishing my five-page Italian paper that's due tomorrow! It's a difficult task when my roommates, boyfriend, and one of my best girlfriends are all in the living room playing card games, laughing very loudly, and making it all too clear to me that they're having much more fun right now than I am. Wah wah wahhh. End of the semester!

via weheartit