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A Brief History of 2016 to 2018

January 6, 2019 by Mariah Leave a Comment

It truly does not seem like the last time I posted here was in 2016. 😳 I totally know I could just jump right into the new stuff but I feel weird not giving a little of a life update first. So here goes a very brief history of M + P from 2016 to the end of 2018.

We said goodbye to Sam and Eddie

Our biggest change is that both Sam and Eddie have passed away. I miss them both so much every day, it’s so hard not to have them with us. They were such a big part of our lives.

Sam died at the end of June in 2017. He had cancer, and we had to have him put to sleep. However, we lived 3 months longer than expected and we got to spoil him and he actually acted normal and health (just got tired easy) until the end. He just loved life so much and was so happy.

Eddie died in January of 2018. Losing Eddie as so heart-breaking. I miss Sam of course, but Eddie was my constant companion since I was 21. He slept with me each night, he would sit on my desk or beside me as I worked, he laid on top of me when I was sick or had been away for any amount of time. He died unexpectedly (though we knew he was getting older) of kidney complications (we aren’t really sure what happened and the vet was horrible).

We really do miss them every single day, they have left such a big hole in our lives. We do want another pet (I’m thinking small dog) but we are going to wait until after our new adventure.

Where we lived

So we were still living in University Heights (north park) in San Diego when I abandoned the blog. In 2017 we moved to La Mesa, which is about 7 miles from North Park. It’s a smaller town in San Diego county, not part of the city. It has a little business district called The Village, which we live within walking distance of.

La Mesa Village has a few restaurants, bars, and coffeeshops so we still enjoy an area with walkable amenities but we miss the variety and convenience of North Park.

But THE HOUSE. P found this house for rent and we just fell in love (plus we had friends who lived in La Mesa). The house was built in 1910, it’s been restored, has so much light, a huge kitchen, big fenced backyard, 3 bathrooms, and a walk-in closet with a washer and dryer in it!! It was just too hard to pass up.

Here are a few (not great pictures of the house). I will try to update it with some better ones before we move. Backyard, my office w/ balcony, and the backdoor view into the house.

We love the house and happy we had the space in this past season of life (the animals loved it) and we stayed here for two full years, which for us is a record for us (LOL).

M + P

Things with us are pretty much the same, we still love to try new food, and new breweries. We love to travel but haven’t as much as we would like with the animals being sick and life being busy. Though we have managed quite a few trips, Palm Springs, LA, Cabo, Portland, Denver, Rapid City, NC, Ojai, San Francisco/Big Sur, and probably a few more that I can’t remember right now (see this is why I blog).

I’ve been working hard on building my business and after lots of tears, stress, tons of self-doubt, fear, and all the feelings and mindset stuff I finally feel like I’ve found my footing. I love having my own business, and working with amazing women doing amazing things.

We have met such a great group of people in San Diego and I’m so grateful to the friends we have made here. They are all so supportive, caring, and smart. We had so many fun times. BTW most of them are childfree and I met them because of this very blog.

We celebrated 5 years of marriage in 2018, and it does not seem nearly that long at all. They say time flies when you are having fun. 😊

So that’s what has been happening here šŸ˜‚ What’s new with you?

All The Single Ladies: 5 Tips on Dating

May 6, 2015 by Mariah 39 Comments

5 tips on dating from someone who has been there, done that
Firstly, yes I am married, and I’m so glad to be out of the dating pool, I don’t miss it. However, before I was happily married, I did go on my fair share of dates and thought I should pass along some of my sage advice šŸ˜›

  1. Check the tip your date leaves on dinner. Ā I think this is a good indication of their character. Tipping appropriately shows that you are conscious of other’s hard work (waitstaff make jack outside of tips and should be compensated for their work), or tipping too low could show they are cheap (frankly I don’t want to spend my life pinching pennies and you shouldn’t go out if you can’t tip correctly). I would try to take a peek at the check to see the tip, if it was too low I would simply add a few dollars, but not say anything. Sure, this maybe isn’t a deal breaker, but for me it is a big indicator. Do they hold doors for others, say “thank you”, and other social niceties…tipping falls into this same category I’ve found. #tippingnotoptional #noscrubs
  2. Never meet a blind date for dinner, drinks only; give yourself the easy out. You don’t want to be stuck through a full meal with someone you know is not going to make the cut. Drinks make it short and simple, or if it is going well, drinks can lead to dinner. #exitstrategy
  3. Don’t be too narrow in your dating pool. I think a lot of people (both men and women) have too narrow of a criteria or they have this idea of a person, and they may be missing out. Now, I’m not saying just go after whoever and have no ā€œcriteriaā€ just make sure you are not limiting yourself because of some ā€œideaā€ you have in your head. If you like them, you like them, who cares if they aren’t x tall, have x color of hair, or dress in x way. I think going out and doing what you like to do, things you enjoy (not just going out to find a date) is the best way to find someone. Give people a chance, you don’t know if you are marrying them before the first date, don’t be too quick to dismiss people outside your ā€œtypeā€. #poorfashionistotallyfixable
  4. Life is not a Disney movie or an 80’s teen romance, most of the time guys are not going to do that big grand gesture. Look at the small things they do to show you they care. On the flip side of that, don’t get too vested in someone who doesn’t deserve it. If you are newly dating and they can’t make time for you or show you the same care and respect you show them, it’s time to look elsewhere. Dating longer is not going to fix someone being an ass. #donotkissdonkeys
  5. My biggest tip is just have fun and don’t take it too seriously! It’s hard when are in the trenches and you are a bridesmaid for the 12th time, but it is suppose to be fun. #yournextfirstdatemaybeyourlast

This post was inspired by a conversation I had with Shannon from Brass Honey, it has been sitting in my draft box forever šŸ™‚

I’m joining in with Lauren from Genuinely Lauren for #Hashtaghumpday, hence the use of the #. Really I’m joining, because I love their button!! Schmidt!

#Hashtaghumpday @ Genuinely Lauren

And since it is Wednesday, we wear pink, we join Miriam for her link-up. Miriam would never make us all wear pink šŸ™‚

Good luck out there ladies!! What tips would you add to the list?

October Monthly Goals

October 1, 2014 by Mariah 15 Comments

Monthly Goals

I’m taking the plunge, I’m going to start sharing monthly goals on the blog. I’ve mentioned before how I feel like putting things on here makes me feel more accountable and it makes ideas more concrete. Since I’m in a bit of a transition, and don’t have a lot of structure to my days, I feel this will be really good for me. Time continues to be a tricky lady – my days seem to fly by even more now. When working 8-5 sometimes I could swear it was 3pm and it would only be 11, but now it’s 8am and I’m saying goodbye to P, and in a blink it’s already 3 and I’m wondering what I managed to get done. It will be good to look back at what I get done with all my ā€œfreeā€ time.

My big picture goals during my time off are:

Get into a fitness routine

I really want to make exercise a more focused part of my daily life. I’m not sure I will ever be one of those super into fitness people. I think I like drinking and eating too much for all that jazz, but I can do better. P and I are healthy, and we are lucky for that. We need to make sure we are doing everything we can to keep it that way. From what I hear exercise is an important part of that. Are we sure it’s not a ploy by the yoga pant industry? No, oh, ok, just checking šŸ˜‰

Develop new skills

I’m working on what direction I want to go in job-wise. I’m still trying to figure it all out, but I think exploring new skills is a good start.

Grow this blog

I really want to put myself back into this space. I have a whole list of things I want to do with the blog and now is the time to make that happen.

This month IĀ want to:
  • Do yoga or run/bike at least 3 times a week
  • Complete 5 design/code Skillshare classes
  • Take at least one photography class
  • Finish website redesign

I’m linking-up with Melyssa at the Nectar Collective to share my monthly goals

The Nectar Collective

I’m also joining in the Choose Your Own Adventure link-up. The October theme is food…I can’t pass up a food theme šŸ™‚

Not Entirely Perfect
My food related goals are:
  • Try making chia seed pudding, this is something I’ve been wanting to try for ages
  • Make fresh pasta
  • Make something with pumpkin (to at least acknowledge the season)

I’m keeping my food list short, mainly because my real goal is to try as many new restaurants as I can šŸ™‚ Check out myĀ Discovering San Diego posts where I let you in on all my new adventures!

The School Of Life~Week 8

June 29, 2014 by Mariah 12 Comments

 

Can't-see-the-Forest-via-Food,-Booze,-&-Baggage

  • It’s important to look at the big picture. I think it is so easy to focus on the small details of a thing and get discouraged or weighted down. I have tons of ideas/plans/goals, but I give up sometimes because the details and the steps to get there seem too big or hard or tedious. In that pile of details I totally lose the big picture, the end game. What is the saying, Ā ā€œyou can’t see the forest for the treesā€ is more true than I realize at times. Making a list helps me, if I can look at all the steps in black and white and not just a messy pile that buries the goal. Capturing them and forcing them into an order allows me to see the end/progress.
  • It feels so good to get things done. I’ve been putting off looking into have a dental procedure done, because I thought it would be expensive and I was just nervous about going and seeing what the options were. I don’t really know why I’ve been putting it off. Sometimes I build things up in my mind and make them a bigger deal than they actually are. It feels so good to take action and get the problem/action/whatever out of you head and taken care of. I’m trying to be a person that just does instead of worrying about things and delaying action.

Get-Shit-Done-via-Food,-Booze,-&-Baggage

  • It’s ok to give yourself a lazy, do nothing day. P and I admittedly, live a very comfortable life, with little responsibility outside of work. Our days are our own, to spend them how we like. Ā We still have to clean, cook, take care of the animals, etc, etc, those little activities that keep things around the house/life running. Sometimes I just want a day where it is ok to do nothing…to not get up early to take advantage of the day, to not be ready for lunch or dinner by x time, to not feel like the house needs to be cleaned before lunch or other activities, not compelled to get up early to go to the farmers market or make a shopping list, to not start dinner by a certain time. This past week seemed to just drag, hours seemed like days and it has just left me feeling worn and frayed, so I declared Saturday a do nothing day. I can stay in bed as long as I like, shower/not shower, have take-out, take a nap, read, work on the blog/design/classes or not. Sometimes you just need to be able to declare a day where there are no expectations. Do you ever declare a day to do nothing?

Kitty-Approved-via-Food,-Booze,-&-Baggage

I realize that my last two lessons seem contradicting, but hey that’s life… it’s weird, it’s this and that, it’s yin and yang, it’s black and white or a million shades of grey, and it can be action and inaction all in the same space. So, what did you learn this week?

 

The School of Life

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