Category Archives: Friendship

Friendship: How to make time for each other when life gets busy.

img_2092Ask anyone nowadays how they’ve been and it seems the answer is always “busy.”  There are so many events, work, kids, family, the list goes on and on.  Hopefully you are filling your time with things you enjoy doing but it doesn’t make you any less busy!  Chelsea, Lindsay, and I have by no means perfected the art of preserving a staple friend date but we’ve been doing pretty good lately with a few simple hacks so we thought we’d share.  We all live in different parts of the bay area now, separated by trains, buses, and boats.  Literally.  This past week, we had a standing dinner date and were talking about how consistent we’ve been lately and how a few things have helped us preserve our cherished time together.  In case you need some ideas to get your gal gang back together for some face time, here are some things that have helped us.

  • Get it on the calendar.  As soon as everyone can agree on a date, we add it to our calendars so we don’t accidentally double book and have to cancel.  Give it some space, too.  Every week might be too much of a commitment for everyone and being so frequent, might give people a way out since they can just join next week.  Not that we are suggesting tricking friends into hanging out :).
  • Make it convenient.  We’ve been meeting for coffee or dinner at the hub of transportation so before or after our meet ups, each of us can get on or off that train, bus, or boat.  Adjust for the groups needs, for example if someone is trying to stick to a diet, go for a walk.
  • Make it quality time.  If everyone only has an hour to give, make sure everyone has a chance to talk about what’s going on in their lives good or bad.
  • Try new places or specials on the menu!  We’ve been going to the same place for a few meet ups lately and have tried a few different menu items each time which has been really fun.  This brings an added touch of excitement to an already fun meet up.

img_2037Here we are trying the lemon shake and an assortment of fries.  What can I say, they were delicious!

I also have frequent FaceTime/phone dates with one of my gal gang who has moved out of state.  We have a standing calendar save for a phone date but even if we can’t connect that week, we still text and communicate so at least we aren’t letting too much time go by before checking in with each other.

What are some of the ways you’ve been able to make time for friend dates?

New Beginnings.

IFLYesterday Brittany resigned from the office we work in together to start a new adventure! We have a few weeks left together at work and while I am sad that I won’t be able to see her whenever I want anymore, we will still be besties and share all of our good times together on this blog. With that said, I wanted to share one of my very favorite Brittany memories with you all. This is the one that I always reflect on and laugh because if I could describe Brittany in one word, I couldn’t. But I can share this story with you.

First, you should know that my favorite band is the Smashing Pumpkins and hers is the Wombats (who we are seeing tonight so this is very fitting).  It goes like this:

Chelsea: You know, I think I might like Two Door Cinema Club better than the Wombats

Brittany: How could you say that? You know I love the Wombats!

C: I know, I love them too but I think I might just like Two Door a little better

B: No, that is like me saying, “I like the Silversun Pickups better than the Smashing Pumpkins”

C: But you do like the Silversun Pickups better than the Smashing Pumpkins

B: I know, but I would NEVER say that to you!

And there you have it, Brittany is just a great friend. She can always make me laugh, even when she doesn’t mean to at all. It’s really simple, she just doesn’t have a bad bone in her body and that is why I will miss seeing her face Monday through Friday 8 AM to 5 PM. But we will always have lunch.

IFL(Now who’s going to fix me when I’m a mess?!)

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all our Ho Ho Ho’s!

IMG_6311

Well 2012 is coming to an end and we wanted to make a short “thank you, we love you, please don’t ever leave us” video for the holidays.  We will be taking a break next week as we hope you do as well 😀

Anyway, we really do appreciate you guys so enjoy some time with your family and friends over the holidays.  See you all soon!

Capital CitiesOh yeah, we also convinced the amazing band Capital Cities to be a part of a holiday photo with us after they did a performance yesterday!  They are really amazing and you should check them out when they come to a city near you 🙂

My Personal Icons.

I am a firm believer that our personalities are made up of different parts and that is what makes us all unique, and in my case, adorable.

ICON

I often get asked, “Danger, how are you so amazing and at the same time well balanced and down to Earth?” The answer is never simple but it is always the same, “just am”. But that isn’t the truth. I have always had some spectacular role models and while they are still evolving, I think the diagram above shows you a bit more about me and where I get my influences and how I strive to be.

STYLE– Gwen Stefani: We gotta start at the top, Gwen has been my favorite Orange County Girl since I was 12. That is 17 years of looking up to someone I truly want to be like. She is married to a hot guy (I am currently dating one, check). She has 2 adorable kids (well, I have the potential for that, half check). And she always looks polished (double check!) I often ask myself WWGD? before I walk out the door.

CLASS– Rachel McAdams: I am not going to lie, she is just really pretty and I have a girl-crush on her. I love the way she always looks classic, I am constantly working on that.

SASS- Shirley Manson: Her stage presence is larger than life and I always get the vibe that she doesn’t take sh*t from anyone and I love her for it. “Do you have an opinion, a mind of your own? I’ve run out of patience, I couldn’t care less.” She’s amazing.

WIT- Mindy Kaling: She is hilarious, smart, and isn’t afraid to look silly on TV. I really like her sense of humor and her book was a great read. She’s just simply likeable.

DOPPLE-NESS– Alexis Bledel: I don’t know, I’ve been told countless times that I resemble this girl so I might as well embrace it. Afterall, she is 31 and looks about 17 and I am 29 and look about 16. I think we might be kindred spirits here.

LIFE- Amy Poehler: She just rocks at life. I love her show, she makes me laugh every week. She is so smart, so so smart and I love that way she isn’t afraid to make a fool of herself for a good joke. She had this great quote “No one looks stupid if they are having fun.” It’s kinda true, right?

Fake It ‘Til You Make It

It’s that time of year when people invite themselves over and intrude upon your private space because it is the holidays and they want to spend time with you. Sigh. Alright, we’ll play nice and try to accommodate the best we can. We gathered some tips on how to spruce up your apartment in a pinch and give the false impression that you live in a civilized manner all year round.

1. First Impressions.

Gerard Butler

(Make your boyfriend, friend, or roommate greet your guest at the door dressed as your personal butler. This is important in fooling your guest into thinking you are living a highly refined life. Actually one better, get Gerard Butler to dress as a butler and answer the door for you, whatever you do after that pretty much won’t matter.)

2. Tidy Up.

(Don’t have time for a deep clean? Don’t worry, there is an easy solution. Shove your scattered clothes, shoes, and spare tutu into your closet as quickly as you can. Then take your shoe rack and move it in front of your closet door in case your guest decides to get snoopy)

3. Mood Lighting.

(Class up the joint by placing a candle in a tiny little mason jar. But don’t stop there, tie some twine around the top so that you disguise the fact that you just stuck a candle in a jar)

4. Refreshments

(Someone told me that they once went to a super fancy dance club and there was champagne in the bathroom! Well, I drank all of mine the other night so I placed some extra beer and wine I had around the toilet instead which should do the trick! Whatever you do, make sure you keep a wine and bottle opener within reach so that your guest can pop their bottles easily)

Well, there you have it, 4 easy and totally doable steps that transform your apartment into a chic lounge that could trick any of your imposing friends into thinking you are classy.

Our Alter Egos Raise Hell.

I think by now you have figured out that we are just a couple of normal girls who like to laugh and have fun. But when we rummaged through the post Halloween sale bins and scored some crazy lookin’ wigs things really changed for us. We enlisted the help of Shannon to bring to life our alter egos! We took on different personas for the day and I must say, we haven’t laughed this hard in a while! So take a look and let us know what you think of our transformation!

(From day to night- we slipped into character mode rather easily!)

(Shannon’s alter ego seduces the camera as she sunbathes with her bottle of wine)

(Don’t drink and clean, it’s a miracle I didn’t end up in the pool with those heels)

(Brittany looked amazing as an indie-rocker-poet-Daria-look-a-like)

(This is what friends are for, right?)

(You wouldn’t know it but after this photo was taken but we all ended up in tears after Brittany sang us an amazing song she had just penned. It was called “Imagine.” Wait a damn minute…)

While we loved playing dress up for the day and acting the fool, I think we decided that our normal girl looks suit us best. But you never know when our alter egos might come out next!

Frovers- How to Know You’re Getting Serious.

“Frovers” is a term that was coined by Brittany the other day, it is a combination of the words Friends and Lovers. It’s not literally friends and lovers, it is more friends who could be mistaken for lovers. Frovers, we all have one. We’ve found that lately people have been giving us reason to believe that we might be a little too close to one another. See these examples and let us know if you might have a Frover of your own.

(You have a key to her apartment. And you stay there when your Frover is at her boyfriend’s house. And her roommates mistake you for her)

(Your mom says to you, “you girls just look so happy together.” I mean, it’s totally true, we really are)

Frovers(You get called your Frover’s name at Starbucks. But you have different colored hair, look nothing alike, and your Frover is still at the office)

(You are spending the night at your Frover’s place and forgot undies- you have to borrow some. We’ve never done this though, no, no)

Frovers, if you rearrange the letters, you get “Forevrs”- which is really close to “Forevers” but not exactly. Coincidence?! I think not. So, yeah, maybe having a Frover is a little strange but it can’t be wrong when it feels so right.

Welcome to the Emerald City

Brittany and I are creative people who are influenced by a lot of things: candy, fashion, pigeons, but especially color. We tend to see things more clearly when they are expressive. We love the color green because it signifies nature, hope, wealth, and mint flavored M&M’s!

Green M&M's(These bad boys were 3 for $2! It hurt, but we ate ’em all!)

(We love the look of deep green nail polish)

(Brittany is wearing green nail polish, jade stone necklace, and green eyeshadow)

accesories(Jade necklace upclose and green belts make for a nice accessory)

green makeup(green makeup was applied in the crease of my eyelids and accented by a bold red lip)
Green cape(When the weather gets cooler, I love taking out my thick green cape)

(The weather was 80+ degrees a week ago so I was able to wear this green dress to work without tights, I forgot what that felt like!)

Green is a color that is subtle enough to be an accessory and also bold enough to be a focal piece. It’s various shades provide something for everyone so if you don’t have a strong green piece, we suggest you find one that you love because you can wear it in every season!

Perils of a Penny Pincher. Part 2

Hiking is pretty much the best cheap activity there is because it is free, good for you, and once you get to the top you feel really impressed with yourself. This trail is called Valencia Peak and it is in Montana de Oro near San Luis Obispo.

(I had to take a photo of this beautiful bird because all of the blues in my focal point were overwhelming. And I know what you are thinking, 2 miles? It was uphill! And I am not a very good hiker so it was more like 22 miles if we are being technical!)

(This is how hiking with Nick goes. He is always a few dozen feet in front of me while I am taking pictures and catching my breath but I like it; we decided he is more like a boyfriend slash personal-trainer-I-never-signed-up-for. This is also a picture from just halfway up. SPOILER ALERT: I made it to the top)

(The side of the mountain was made of this rocky sandstone type material that I was obsessed with. I wish I had taken buckets of it home and made some weird project with it, it was light weight and beautiful)

(Here is Nick at the very top! Aside from him always leading the way and bringing me to new places, he also carries all of my trinkets. And he never complains. He is kind of extremely awesome. You all should find a tour guide like mine!)

(This is the view I was promised. I said I wanted to take pictures of the ocean and he gave me the entire mountain too. You can’t buy experiences like these, some of the best things in life are definitely free)

You Can Shuck It!

Recently a group of us went to Tomales Bay and spent the afternoon soaking up the sun and shucking oysters. If you haven’t done this before, I highly recommend it because with the right company and weather, it can be a perfect day!

(Mo and Kerry lift up the first bag of 50 oysters we started shucking)

(It is important to keep the oysters cold and on ice before you shuck them)

(It is easy to do, just drive the shucking knife into the opening of the shell and pop it open)

(It’s probably a good idea to wear gloves but they don’t call me “danger” for nothing!)

(My favorite way to eat them is raw with a squeeze of lemon juice)

(We shucked the oysters and set them on ice for people to grab as they socialized)

(Sipping mimosas throughout the morning was a delicious compliment to the oysters!)

(The oysters were so delicious that I had to use my trick fork to steal from my fellow shuckers. Mo clearly questions my motives)

(At the end of the day, a baby oyster was all that remained)

If you are interested in spending a day out with your friends, click here and try out the Tomales Bay Oyster Company!