Felicities

In an effort to focus on the positive...more things that make me happy!

- plentiful produce
I'm sure that this has made the list before, but the bounty of fresh. local produce that is always available is one of the many reasons that I can't imagine living anywhere but California. Late summer is a real high point...

{heirloom tomatoes}

{figs}

 

-lazy brunches at which we spot celebrities
On Monday, Tom and I slept in. Like super, ridiculous, lazy slept in. By the time we were finally showered and reasonably presentable, it was almost one and we were ravenous. We made our way to Le Pain Quotidienne (the name sounds unbearably pretentious in West Hollywood, but the original was in Belgium, so they get a pass). It was delicious, and we saw my sister's celeb doppelgänger, Amanda Peet.

-homemade lunches
There are lots of things about being unemployed that suck - the lack of a paycheck and sense of purpose being two that come to mind, but there are also some things about being unemployed that do not suck. One of those non-suck things is having more than thirty minutes to prepare and eat lunch. The ability to go to the bathroom whenever I wish is also a plus. But I digress. Today I took some of the aforementioned plentiful produce and made myself a kick ass salad for lunch and I ate it when I wanted, not at some predetermined time when the man thinks I should have lunch... This is sounding less and less cool as I write it, but it's the little things, right? Right? Whatever, my salad was awesome. Work is for suckers.

-finishing stuff
This week my sense of accomplishment came from completing a crafty project that involved wire cutters, spray paint, and a staple gun. I felt like a teenaged hoodlum; it was awesome. Pictures are on the way, but here's a preview.

Felicities-Weekend Update Edition

In the spirit of getting back on the blog wagon, a few things that have been making me happy of late...

-the good health of my favorite people
This is always top of my list, but especially lately. There's been good health news from coast to coast!

-unexpectedly excellent customer service 
At the beginning of last week, my Kindle looked like this:

{Sherlock himself would struggle to decipher this one...}

Two days after a brief, surprisingly pleasant chat with an Amazon representative, this arrived:

- the promise of future craftiness
Stay tuned...

-long weekends that involve music, beach time, and family dinner
Friday night kicked off with Fitz and the Tantrums at the racetrack. It was a phenomenal show. If you haven't heard them, you should change that now.  They are incredibly talented, and I don't think I've ever seen such a high-energy show.

The pictures don't do it justice - have a listen.

On Saturday, Tom and I spent most of the day at Dog Beach with my dad and Lucy. Thanks to a storm in New Zealand, there was some pretty impressive surf.

 In fact, the red flag was up, meaning the water was off limits except for surfers.

Speaking of surfers, I used my telephoto lens to spy on a couple of them. There was this guy...

Then there was his buddy who stuck to smaller waves but demonstrated some impressive acrobatics.

And, of course, Lucy was unfazed by the waves and gamely retrieved her toys...80% of the time.

Today brought a quick stop by Mission Beach to see my sister's new apartment, which is absolutely lovely. If my college housing had been steps from the beach, I may have never left.  After leaving Mission Beach, we made the requisite stop by the Parkhouse for chilaquiles before heading back to Los Angeles.

I never remember to take a picture of the mythical chilaquiles, but some Yelp user did, so for your viewing pleasure, the meal that Tom requires at least once a month...

Today's final felicity?

- couch time on lazy Sunday afternoons

Felicities

Things to be happy about:

*family fun time
My brother and his fiancee Erin arrived in San Diego on Tuesday night. Having the whole family together is cause enough for celebration, but having the family together while also enjoying Mexican food and a Padres game that the Padres actually win? Perfection. Michael and Erin have remained rather elusive, but I will be sure to capture them on film before the weekend is over.

{chips and queso at Miguel's}

{What the hell? Mo and Buckley - super weird, as per usual.}

* flowering trees
You have to pay attention in order to appreciate the seasons in Southern California, but it's really worth it when you do. All of San Diego's streets are lined in purple right now thanks to the Jacaranda trees.

*live music, specifically Melly Frances and the Distilled Spirits
I always enjoy watching Tom do what he loves...plus, they're damn good.

*sincere apologies
The other day one of my students was being particularly challenging (that's the nice way of saying that he was acting like an ass), and among other things, he intentionally broke one of my colored pencils. In the moment, he expressed no remorse. I asked him why he thought it was okay to destroy my belongings, and he answered, "Whatever, it's only a pencil!" I was furious, but the next day he sheepishly handed me the following note.

{Clearly, we need to do some more work on verb tense.}

Felicities

Things to be happy about:

*free flowers  
Flowers are good; free flowers are better.

{Thanks, Storm Florist!}

 *Michael's     Oh, the possibilities in a trip to Micheal's... Like a loser, I went to Michael's on Friday night looking for inspiration for some crafty fun. The problem is that trips to Michael's give me an inflated sense of my crafting abilities and thereby a distorted conception of my craft supply needs. 

Of course I should have a rainbow collection of grosgrain ribbon for all my gift wrapping needs. 

 The glitter gets me every time. Glitter plus Martha Stewart's seal of approval? Yes, please.

 Embroidery floss? Maybe it's time that friendship bracelets make a comeback.

The stamp aisle is particularly dangerous because I have absolutely no need for stamps, but they're so pretty...

*organizing
This fact is probably something to be sad about, but these storage containers make me ridiculously happy. After my super cool Friday night trip to Michael's, I came home and organized my pantry. I am a loser.

 *homemade cookies
In typical Katie fashion, I came home from Michael's with the necessary craft supplies for a new project and then promptly got distracted and decided to bake cookies. Sometimes my ADD is delicious...  This recipe for whole wheat oatmeal chocolate chip cookies is my new favorite.