Sweet Home San Diego

So I know this whole blog is about my new home, Santa Barbara, but I gotta come clean. San Diego will always be my real home. Well, at least it seems that way now. Luckily, both places are amazing places to call "home," so I can't complain! This last weekend I was able to go home and visit the fam. I hadn't been home since August, and I usually try to get back there at least once a month. So I was due a visit! I got to spend some much needed time back home in SD. Here are some pics to document the weekend:

Home Sweet Home!

My Not-So Lap Dog

Modeling the Christmas Dress

Went to my brother's soccer game

Half-time Playground Break

More modeling

Our new friend

Commence two year old's photo shoot (aka he stole my camera)

"Pleaseee give me the camera back!"

Pretty darn cute

Overall, it was a great weekend at home. It was nice to just have a weekend to relax and hang with the fam. Not to mention great to catch up with some friends over bagels and fro yo (if you're ever in SD you HAVE to try Einsteins Bagels, just do it). Good thing I'll be coming home again next week for work (getting to go on my first business trip! whoo!) so there will be no more long gaps between San Diego trips.

Beerfest!

I'm a pretty big fan of Tuesday nights. Mainly because Glee and New Girl are on, but also because it's almost Wednesday, which is almost Thursday, which is basically the weekend. Last weekend I went to my first SB Beerfest. It was so much fun. Basically tons of local breweries come and set up tents, and for the price of one pretty decently priced ticket, you get to spend 4 hours walking around and tasting all the different beers. Add a really fun group of people, and I had myself a great Saturday afternoon. 

The Beerfest 2011 Crew

Fixing the hair

The 3 of the 5 housemates that went

Boyfriend

The group that stayed together til the end... plus the random on the left

Beerfest made for a great weekend (and 15+ hours of sleep on Saturday night). Three more days til next weekend which I'll be spending back home in San Diego with the fam! Can't wait!

The Men In My Life

Remember this post? The one where I said that I was called out on not mentioning my guy friends enough? Well that happened on this night:

Designated Drivers!

Like the sorority girl poses that Carly and I are rocking? Well anyway, on this night after our softball game, Richard called me out on the fact that out of all of my posts, I only had 1 picture of my guy friends. Unacceptable. So shortly after that comment was made, this picture was taken:

Ignore the fact that I am looking pretty sexy in my softball clothes with zero make up on, and direct your attention to the real beauty of the photo, my guy friends. Introductions are definitely in order. Here it goes, from left to right, back to front:


Kenny: Definitely the most entertaining part of our softball games. Known to make obscene comments from third base, and often seen sporting a brown paper bag filled with fun sports drinks in the dug out.


Mark: If anything gets hit in the general direction of short stop, we can all rest assured knowing that Mark will find a way to get the ball and make the out. He's also one of the best washoes players I know  (while I, on the other hand, am the worst). If you don't know what the game washoes is, look it up the next time it's a gorgeous day out and you want a way to enjoy the sun.


James: Catches any pop flies that go to the outfield. He also happens to work with me, in my exact department. Had no idea that we would end up being in the same group of friends, and that I'd end up living with his girlfriend. He is also one of the most handy guys I know. Anytime something needs fixed (anything at all), James is on it. 


Boz: Actually his name is Robert, but we all call him Boz. Remember the wedding I've mentioned a few times? Well, it's his! He's getting married next month and I could not be more excited. He's also my top competition in our Fantasy Football league (guess who's the only girl AND number one? Yupp, that'd be me! Don't worry, I'm modest about it). 


Robert: Another Robert, but this one we actually call by his real name. He's a pretty cool guy. Knows how to tell a funny story better than anyone I know. And when it comes to anything electronic related, he can hook it up. He can fix any tv or computer issue, because he basically owns his own Apple store. Oh, and side note, he's also my boyfriend.


Richard: The one who originally pointed out that my blog is seriously lacking my guy friends. He's the pitcher of the Designated Drivers (when he misses a game, it's ugly). He's also hit the most home runs of anyone on our team. MVP? I think so. Him and Kelly dating also brought this whole group together, so I'll give him some props for that too. 


Alright, well there you have it. The amazing guys that have made life after college a whole lot more fun than it should be. Happy Almost Weekend! 

Epic Weekend Part 2 - Avocado Festival!

So after Keith Urban, we hit the road pretty early to make it back to SB at a decent hour. With only a quick stop at McDonalds (the healthiest of breakfast places), we were home by 9:30 with plenty of the weekend left. Originally planning on watching football with the boys, we decided to mix it up and enjoy the rest of the time we had with Kayla before she headed back to NorCal. Anyone who knows Kayla, knows that she has a spontaneous personality that is pretty contagious. Knowing we had just missed the SB Seafood Festival (such a bummer!), we decided to look up other local food festivals. Lucky for us, we found one:

We headed south to Carp for the day to enjoy the Avocado Festival. We had heard such good things, and were definitely NOT disappointed! Here are some pics of our Sunday adventure:

Started out with some free chips and delicious guac

Round 2: Amazing tacos and guac

 

Reed Avocados (aka my last name)

Our absolute favorite thing that we had was one of Ali's Sweet Avocado pies. Sounds a bit sketch, right? I'd have to agree. To be honest, I am not the hugest avocado fan to begin with. I literally just started liking guacamole a few weeks ago. But even I have to admit, this pie was AMAZING! It was an avocado/lime/cream cheese custard on top of a delicious graham cracker crust. I bought an extra to bring to the boyfriend's parent's house for dinner and it was the perfect not-gonna-make-you-feel-super-fat dessert (we had it with raspberries on top, even better!). If you're ever in Carp, look up this Ali girl and try one of her delicious pies!

PS: A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ONE OF MY VERY BEST FRIENDS, KACEY! She was one of my first best friends in kindergarden (we car pooled, it was presh), and she is one of the most fun, outgoing, generous, gorgeous and amazing people that I know. I am so lucky to call her my best friend!

Love you Kace!

Epic Weekend Part 1 - Keith Urban

This weekend was SUCH a great weekend. We've been planning on going to the Keith Urban concert since June when I went to my first country concert:

My friend Kristen knew I was a fan of country, so spur of the moment she asked if I'd be down to tag along to a Tim McGraw concert. Of course I was! I had just started working full time and was more than happy to spend $35 on a concert. It was SO much fun, with everyone just drinking beers and dancing the night away. That night Kristen told me that Keith Urban was coming to LA in October, so the plans were put in motion! After having such a great time at Tim McGraw, duhh I was down to see Keith! So I texted these two:

Kayla, Kristi and me

And the four of us starting making our plans. Kristi doesn't even like country, and Kayla was driving all the way from NorCal. That's dedication right there. We booked a hotel so that we could stay the night, and drove down Saturday morning. After a CVS trip, 45 minute Taco Bell detour (yupp, I think we are their most committed customers), and navigating through the confusing one way LA streets, we finally got to our hotel. We got ready while enjoying some Pumpkin Shock Top and other beverages such as this fun creation:

This Captain and Captain creation was Kayla's idea, and there was definitely only one of the three of us who successfully completed this (I was not that person). After getting ready, we headed out for the concert. It was only a 13 minute walk away, and you better believe we were more than stoked to save the money on a taxi. The concert was AMAZING, and take a look at how close our seats were:

Uhh just kidding. It was more something like this:

So awesome, right? Hey, just because Keith was kind of the size of an ant, and Kayla was glued to the arm railing all night in fear that she might fall down the entire stadium, doesn't mean our seats were not amazing! It's the music that counts, right? We already have plans to go to Stagecoach this year, and I can't wait! The perfect weekend only continued on Sunday, but I think this is enough epic-ness for one post. More pics of the weekend to come soon!

Wine, Cheese and A House Update

Let's face it, our house would not be properly broken in without one of our amazing wine and cheese nights. I must say, we have some pretty bomb food at these things. This particular night featured some of the best garlic bread I've had, and an addicting gouda cheese dip from Whole Foods (having a roommate who works there proves to be a huge perk when she comes home with these delicious feasts). We also had some really good cracker, cream cheese, and pepper jelly creations. Sounds a bit odd, but I couldn't pass by the Trader Joes sample station without stocking up (trust me, my roommates thanked me). Add a little bit of Glee and New Girl (SUCH a good show) to the equation, and we had the perfect wine and cheese night in our new house. Here are some pictures:

Our living room, a little more put together

Our gorgeous fireplace!

I can't believe I have my very own fireplace! After my last post, I'll say it again, I'm old and it's weird. Oh well, I'll take being old if it means getting to live in a gorgeous, big house with some of my best friends. Old age, bring it on.

Officially Independent!

So today marks a pretty big day for me; as of today I am officially financially independent from my parents! That also means that I will have some budgeting to do these next few months to start paying for my phone and car insurance, but judging by the fact that I was borderline broke for the majority of college, I think I can make by. Plus, it's pretty exciting that I have my own company discount on my phone bill. (Boy, do I sound old or what? Gross.) Anywho, I figured I could write a blog today about my fam to celebrate me being officially out of the nest (and saving Mom and Dad money on bills every month). I gotta say, I don't think I'd be where I am today without them, so I'm very thankful to have such an amazing, supportive and of course some-what crazy family.

 

There they are: my dad, mom, 6 year old sister and 17 year old brother at my cousin Josh's Bar Mitzvah. In case you can't tell by the fact that my brother, sister and I clearly come from the same genes, my cousin's the one on the far right. This day was right after my last final of college, and I had the greatest time celebrating my cousin's big day with my entire extended family knowing that I had just finished my Bachelor's degree (well, hoping until I saw my final grades!). I just want to say thanks to my family for helping me get to where I am today. I don't know how I got so lucky to have a full-time job in a beautiful place like Santa Barbara, but I do thank my Mom and Dad for providing me with the opportunities that I needed to get here. Here are some more pictures of the amazing (and at times crazy) fam that I love:

 

And to prove the crazy part:

Yeah, my dad's a stripper part time. No big deal. Happy Monday everyone! Off to a softball game with the Designated Drivers.