Adventures.

I have no words at the moment for how gorgeous Huntington Beach is or the Hollywood Sign Hike.

For now, I will pile these pictures here... later I will add more stories and words perhaps. 

For now, it's just a random pile. 

Pretend you found these in a dusty old attic.

I'm sure your stories would be just as grand.

Sometimes it's nice just to look and wonder.

xoxo

P.

Flea Market LOVE

Today - I went flea market shopping and fell in love. My mom always had antiques around the house growing up, and walking into old antique stores gave me an instant feeling of being home, and the old smell made me feel like I was home. 

I got coffee at THE cutest coffee shop called The Aussie Bean. They have one size only, and they only have white and dark chocolate powder that they add to the coffee {dairy free//Vegan} I made sure. I got the white chocolate with cinnamon and it was HEAVENLY. I want another one. PRONTO.

I'm also low key obsessed with all the cool Presidential buttons. I kind of want to start a funny presidential collection with all things patriotic and politics. How cool would that be? Some of these buttons are so old. I love them!

Also in love with these car prints... I want my whole house to be filled with knick knacks and antiques one day. I get this collect-all-the-old-things gene from my mother. You can thank her.

I also wanted this cool Zenith Clock Radio BUT $60? EEeesh. California knows how to make things more expensive. So I took a picture instead. So adorable.

This cool bracelet was from the flea market. This really cool guy makes them out of old coins. It was only $10 and way more in my price range! haha... Help me I'm poor.

Saving the best finds for last. I've been collecting old Disney paraphernalia as of lately and I'm in love. I found a matchbook, an old button from the 80s, and an old watch today. I'm on the hunt for old Mickey watches. I keep finding them every place I go! I think it's a sign! 

That's all for now! Hope you had a great Saturday. More treasure hunting to come...

XOXO P.

Love and Dole Whips

I have an utter obsession with Dole Whips. I honest-to-gosh don't know what it is about this Pineapple swirled divine goodness. I. Literally. Can't. Get. Enough. 

There's something magical about the perfect temperature of this cold treat - mixed with the perfect amount of pineapple that makes your mouth water a little bit. Every single time I take a bite - I'm transported to a summery day on Main Street in Disneyland. 

Oh wait. It's not a dream. heehee.

The other night I went to the park around 6pm to wait for some of my friends so that we could watch the Paint the Night Parade. Side note: If you haven't seen that parade yet -- run, don't walk to Disneyland and go watch it. You'll be so glad you did. 

Meanwhile, I decided to dig into this delicious Dole Whip as I waited. Feeding my obsession.

 Sitting outside at the Jolly Holiday - taking in all the fun sounds. The giggles from little kids having their first bite of a Mickey Cookie - or a Dad grinning ear to ear as he watches his kids and wife hug Pluto. Pure joy. Sometimes when you just sit and listen, you can kind of imagine what it must have been like when Walt first sat down in the park by himself - In awe and amazement of what he had created. sigh.

Another obsession of mine? This phone case. Look how adorable that little chipmunk with the Mickey ears is. Stinkin cute. I love how retro and scrapbook-y it looks. Jaaaahhh feeeeel? 

Needless to say -- I can't tell you how happy I am I decided to stick to my guns and move to Disneyland. Best decision I've ever made. Doing something I've always wanted to do. 

You never know where it might lead you..

Maybe even to a surprise Elton John concert that you happened upon?.. 

Hmm.. that sounds like a story for another time. 

Look for me on the Wonderful World of Disney in February -- sporting these glowing beauts. 

Have a Magical Day!

xoxo P.

Getting Fit for 2016

In 2015, I became really serious about running. I ran a handful of races and really increased my fitness ability and I also started to realize that I'm much stronger and more capable than I ever thought possible.

People think that you gain a false-sense of confidence when you begin working out  - but I'm here to tell you it's not false. The more you workout, the better you feel. The better you feel, the more confident you will become in all facets of your life. Trust me. 

Change your habits, Change your mind.

I'm not saying that to be cheesy either. In 2014, I was very unhappy. I was reeling from a breakup that left me feeling very broken, and I began chasing friends and people - trying to have people accept me for me. Being walked on constantly, I finally realized I didn't want that life anymore. I stopped going to bars with people that weren't really my friends and instead, I became a fitness obsessed hermit. 

Sometimes you can go from one extreme to another, but eventually, you'll balance it all out. Don't give up on your journey.

Just being by yourself and figuring things out can be really clarifying. 

Okay, enough wisdom, Young Grasshopper. Keep reading for some tips to get to kickstarted for 2016.

1. Create a playlist or find some good ones on Spotify.

I like listening to Discover Weekly on Spotify, Running Playlists, or EDM Playlists. All of these get me pumped to workout or run. I love listening to good music while I workout it’s a major stress reliever.

I think I listened to all of KYGO's songs on repeat this year.

It's amazing the amount of new music you'll get to listen to while you reach your stride. 

Check these out if you're at a loss for music inspiration:

Spotify

8 Tracks

Frat Music

2.    Gear Up

Get a good pair of headphones that won't fall out of your ears while you’re getting your pump on. There is nothing more annoying than having your earbuds ripped out mid-squat or mid-sprint. NOTHING.

      Here's a list of my fave headphones/earbuds:

Yur Buds - These have some serious staying power! Also, you can still hear ambient noise like cars so you won't get run over in traffic.

LED Flashing Earbuds - Pairs great with some EDM 

Gym Headphones - These are wireless which is great for the gym. I wouldn't suggest wearing these running because they are noise cancelling -- You won't be able to hear traffic or cars that are about to run you over.

I swear by having quality workout bottoms. No, I’m not talking about yo glutes. I’m talking about the pants/shorts that you wear while working out. If you cheap-out, I believe you will be pulling your pants up 50% of the time which distracts from working out. Or maybe that’s just me and my Beyonce bum. If my pants are falling down, I can't concentrate on my reps or strides.

      

       MY FAVES

Nike Stay Warm Running Tights - Best for cooler fall days, but I can wear these in any weather with no problem.

Nike Long Running Tights - Light weight and great for running and lifting

Nike Dri-Fit Pro Core Compression Short - These are pretty short, but I love wearing them with tall socks for my squat days. Impossible to run in though. Don't get these to run in. Unless you like your cheeks hanging out ;)

      Flip Belt: Again, I swear by this. You can stick your keys, money, and phone in your belt while you run or lift. It doesn’t ride-up like some other running belts I’ve tried -- and it keeps your phone from flying out of your sports bra or waistband. It also doesn’t pool sweat into your phone (ew gross I know) which is a major bonus when you sweat as much as I do.

      Get yours here!

      

      Headbands: I LOVE wearing headbands while working out. Again, maybe it’s a sweat thing, but it totally keeps the sweat from dripping into your eyes and I swear by them.

This girl's etsy shop is to DIE - I get all of my headbands from her.

     Polar Watch – This is not a necessity, but I do think it’s fun once you’ve been working out for awhile to try this out. You can see how many calories you’re burning as you’re working out AND you can use it while doing HIIT workouts to keep your heart rate in check.

I have THIS ONE

SWOON this is the new one

FitBit – I really love my fitbit. I think they can be a bit over-rated but I love checking in on my steps and seeing patterns in my daily steps. Having a desk job really makes me antsy to get up and walk more.

I have THIS one

Accessorize it HERE

      Hydroflask – Seriously obsessed with this water bottle. It keeps your water cold and it keeps me drinking water. I also really love the Brita Water bottles because they filter your water as you drink and it has a straw. What more could you want?!

HydroFlask
Britta Water-bottle

4. Write down your goals – Take a piece of paper and write down three short term fitness goals and three long term fitness goals. This helps me when I’m feeling lazy and not wanting to workout – I look at my goals and remember why I’m doing this fitness thing.

For example here are my short-term health goals:

-Workout 3 x a Week

-Eat fruit for breakfast 3 x a week

-Eat a cup of veggies for dinner 4x a week

Long-term goals:

-Run a half marathon by the end of 2016

-Lose 10 LBS by end of 2016

-Don’t injure yourself this year! Stretch daily!

I have THIS journal and use it when I need to keep track of all my fitness goals and progress.

Although stretching could be included in my short term goals, I hurt myself a LOT this year in 2015 from over-training and not stretching enough. It’s a long term goal of mine to make this a major goal.

Try to put dates by things – for most of these, these are year-long goals. If you want to shorten the timeline – you can certainly do that.

5.    Schedule your workouts:

Schedule them into your planner or set reminders in your phone. Make appointments with yourself, and keep them! You wouldn’t cancel an appointment 2 minutes beforehand – so don’t do that to yourself. Even if you can only do 15 minutes, then do it J

 

Photo Cred: HERE

6.    YOUTUBE is your friend: 

A lot of times I feel extremely unmotivated and don’t feel like making up my own workouts. This is when YouTube comes in handy. Here are my favorite workout channels:

My favorite fitspo --> @hunnybunsfit on Instagram

1 Tone it up

2 Heidi Somers

3 Hunny Buns

4 Nikki Blackketter

5 Cambria Joy

Hopefully this helps you get started! Comment down below with your favorite tips for 2016 and working out.

Stay tuned with my moving adventures from Oregon to California.

xo P.

Disney Adventure Time

Long time, no blog.



I don't even know where to start.

A few months ago, I applied to a job with Disney to work for the Creative Costuming Department - Buying and Sourcing Fabric as an Assistant Costume Buyer. A handful of interviews later, lots of sleepless nights, and lots of anticipation later. I got the job!

If anyone knows me, they know that Disney has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember.

There's a picture of me from when I was little - wearing a red Mickey polo, grinning from ear to ear like a wild bandit, and wearing a "Disney imagineering" badge...

I mean, I guess I've come a long way since that first picture was taken. Including my Mother's sense of style (hint: please look at the buttons glued to that light-switch cover). I suppose you could say that I get my creative side from my genetics ;) It's in my blood, man. Button infested light-switch covers and all. Thanks Ma.  Gosh those bangs are glorious works of art in themselves. *facepalm*

To say I'm excited is an understatement. 

You see, I've been working my tail off the past year-and-a-half at my job as a Men's Assistant Activewear buyer and I've come such a long way -- it was totally bittersweet to give my two weeks on Monday.  I am overflowing with excitement for my new job, but at the same time, it makes me terrified to leave a job behind with the fact that I was going to be promoted in less than 45 days. But guess what? You'll never know if you don't take the plunge. 

Needless to say, I can't wait to move to Anaheim, CA and start my journey by the end of this month.  I found a roommate on Facebook and I can't wait to live in her gorgeous condo with her.

Sometimes you just have to quit your job, sell everything and start from scratch. It's the most freeing feeling in the entire world to know that I get to start over and do what I wanted to do years ago.

You see... when I was a Senior in college, I applied to be in the Disney College Program and I got in. That's right.  I was supposed to move to Florida with the white sandy beaches and the everlasting sun. 

>> This was the final Spring Term of college, and I had planned on never returning. But.. 

Life got in the way, and I made some .. choices to stay because of a boy, and guess what?  I really don't recommend doing that. Dreams beat boys any day. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. 

Next Friday, I'll be jumping for joy as I prepare for the next chapter in my life.
My Disney Adventure.

xoxo
P.

Corn Starch & Food Coloring

You might be asking yourself what I've been up to the last month or two.. 

A small portion of my time involved Corn Starch & Food Coloring in the form of the Color Vibe in Portland. It was such a blast and I want to do another color run sometime in my near future.

Bonus++ you get some pretty awesome pictures you can laugh about later.

Especially the gross combination of the colored powder and sweat.. mmm yummy..

The tutu made it all worth it.. Like, why can't it be acceptable for an adult to wear a tutu everyday? *sigh*

The energy and music was contagious, and the laughter as the people dumped colored powder onto innocent runners was well worth the price of admission.

If you've never run a race before - I highly suggest doing a race similar to the color run.

It's not timed, there's lots of people that walk after the first mile {or even from the starting line} and the music will keep you going.

The essentials you'll need are:

--White Tutu (got mine on Amazon)

--Waterproof case for your phone -- you'll be happy to be able to take pictures w/out worrying about ruining your phone

--Tall socks.. just because it's fun.

--Shoes you don't mind ruining (scored mine at Goodwill)

--I also bought the "fun pack" that the Color Vibe offered online -- this included color packets to throw color at people, a sweet handkerchief that I used as a headband, as well as a tee shirt!

-----------

Next up.. Timber's Game:

On Wednesday, I got to go to the Timber's Game in the Adidas Suite. 

Even though I don't really follow the sport of Soccer, it's fun to go to the games and laugh and talk with co-workers.

The match was a tie, but the energy from the Timber's Army was so intoxicating to experience. They sing hilarious songs, chant loud, and wave their Timber's scarves like nobodies business.

---

And that my friends is the end of a very long and draining week.

Currently, I'm commandeering Starbuck's wi-fi while I "study" for the GRE.. Yuck.

If you've never cracked open a GRE book - consider yourself lucky.

This test is all about tricking people.. similar to the SAT, studying can be draining.

I find myself putting off studying until the weekend, simply because I enjoy working out and relaxing after work too much to tax my brain on GRE gibberish. 

With that... I leave you with this: My favorite tall socks, and my adoring Asics. <3333

MUCH LOVE.

xoxo

P.