so last night

I took a stab at making chimichurri from scratch! At first it was a little frustrating because my food processor was being a little shit and wouldn't work. Luckily the blender worked just fine. I also made garlic mashed potatoes, ribeyes and asparagus! Here's what dinner looked like...

it's been over a year

since my last blog post! I figured it was about time to update this thing. Well let's see, not much has really changed since a year ago. I do have a new job at Red Bull which is pretty cool. Who would have thought I would be working for an energy drink company. Although they are much more than that. The department I work in is actually called Media House. They handle mostly production and culture events. I've only been here less than a year but I absolutely love it. Such a great company to work for. Even though it's corporate, it's super casual. Now that I think about it, a lot has changed since last year. I've reconnected with so many people. I've gotten much better at maintaining my current relationships. I've also started cooking again. Surprisingly I'm pretty decent at it. I also really enjoy it. I think it's safe to say it's my new favorite hobby. Here's a few of the dishes I've made recently. 

just ordered this bad boy

Find it here!

pretty much speaks for itself

i need more hours in the day!

There's so much i want to do each day but I'm always running out of time! Ever since I started making an effort to work out and be active I've had less time to do other things like cook and organize my apartment. I almost never come straight home from work, I'm always off somewhere doing something productive. I need to learn how to manage my time better. I also need to start working on a vision board. I also want to start looking for townhouses again. That should help motivate me to start saving again. WHY DO I LOVE SHOPPING SO MUCH?! With all the shit I've bought in the last few months I'm sure that would have been enough for a hefty down payment for a townhouse in Sherman oaks. Maybe even a house w/ the way I've been spending. Sometimes I feel like I totally have my shit together and other days I feel like I'm really losing it haha. I really need to learn how to budget and buy only necessities. I want to learn how to be frugal. I have so much on my mind, I feel like I'm going crazy...I think it's this coffee candy I'm eating...

beyond excited

for the Plate by Plate even on August 3rd. I went to the Vibiana yesterday for the vendor walk thru and the space is gorgeous. Just everything about it is so beautiful. I was looking at photos from previous Plate by Plate's and it looks like such an amazing time. You should definitely check it out if you're into amazing food, open bar and great company.

https://platebyplate2013.eventbrite.com/

http://www.platebyplate.org/la/

maybe it's becauase i'm single now

that I’ve been noticing a lot of the articles I’ve been reading online have to do with girls in their 20s casually hooking up instead of forming committed relationships. As much as I’m loving the single life, I don't see myself going back to just "hooking up". I’ve learned to be so much more selective and conservative.  Before I would go out w/ guys I wasn't even too fond of just for the sake of going out and not being home on a Friday or Saturday night. Now that I’m older, I have a better sense of who I am as an individual and what I’m looking for in a partner. Being in a 4 yr. relationship will do that to you. And honestly, I learned so much about myself from it. I know what my major flaws are and what I need to work on. And I also have a better sense of what type of guy I’m more compatible with. John was a great guy but it's obvious to us both now that we're better off as friends.

Ugh I'm the worst!

So after I wrote that entire blog about not being materialist and blah blah blah I ended up basically buying a new wardrobe at Nordstroms. I had an appointment with a personal shopper for the half yearly sale that I was too lazy to cancel but not lazy enough to not show up to. So I ended up going and buying basically the entire store. Obviously I'm exaggerating but that's honestly what it felt like. My bags were so heavy when I left that the person who helped me with my shopping had to carry them out for me. I honestly don't know if I can change my shopping habits. It's such a big part of my life that I can't just quit cold turkey. I need professional help haha. I'm half serious when I say that because I'm such a compulsive shopper.

Here's a few things I left with...

Breakfast!

Woke up early today to use my griddle to make pancakes for Kim and myself! I was so excited to eat it that I forgot to take a photo of it after it finished cooking haha

i want to be better

After going through previous blog posts, I've really come to the realization that I am wayyy too materialistic. Yeah it's great to have nice things and all, but I can't have that control who I am as an individual. as much as i love shopping and buying new shit, i really need to relax. i know i've said it million times before (probably literally) but I really need to make a better effort this time around. instead of spending all my money on pointless things that i'm going to end up replacing anyway, i want to invest my money in something more worthwhile like traveling. Now that I'm only working one job, it's so much easier for me to take time off. Especially since they're pretty lenient about it when it comes to traveling. I obviously can't abuse that but I definitely want to take advantage of that while I still can. Once John and I broke up, I really thought that I would be so limited in the things I could do because I hated doing things alone. One of the biggest challenges I thought would be being able to sleep in my bed alone. After the initial break-up I was so worried that I wouldn't be able to fall asleep at night that I would exhaust myself during the day with yoga and the gym. By the time I got home I was so tired that I would just fall asleep. I didn't even think twice that I was there alone. Once I made that a habit, it was a piece of cake. Another thing I was worried about was being able to travel. It's always nice to go to new places with your significant other but if you don't have one in your life, the next best thing are your friends. I just recently came back from a trip to Cabo with some co-workers and I had so much fun. It was such a relaxing trip. And it makes me look forward to future trips with my other friends. Another thing i really need to work on is being less judgmental and more humble. I need to stop thinking I'm better than people. I know it's healthy to have self confidence, but honestly I have too much of it. It probably has to do with my financial stability but I have to realize that could be gone in an instant. And plus who am I to think I'm better than anyone anyway. I have just as much flaws as the next person if not more. Now that I'm 26 pushing 27, I really need to get my act together so that I can continue growing to be a better person, not worse.