milling around.

a somewhat spontaneous little friday morning trip lead the roomie and i over to mill valley, 20 miles north of sf for a little cafe breakfast, latte ('for here'- such a guilty pleasure) and a trip up dipsea steps to the look out over mill valley.

shocked and amazed at how beautiful and quaint the redwood covered hills are just minutes away from my favorite bustling city.

 along the redwoods paths and along the creek.

so incredibly beautiful.

dipsea steps... sore calves.

yea, i'll take that house.

what a view to accompany your daily cup of jo.

hope you are able to get out and enjoy the sunny skies this weekend!

treasure hunting.

a few weeks back we had a little family girl outing (aunts, mom and me)

to the alameda flea market.

holy cow, that place if full of treasure.

talk about having a hay-day decorating a room or home,

finding a special antique something,

or gathering up a ton of beautiful linens or kitchen goodies for crafts and gifts.

it was a little out of control huge.

26-rows of stands with food trucks and small garden pop-up shops 

down the sides of the market.

i highly suggests hitting up this the first sunday of every month.

we may just run into each other...

anniversary trippin'.

a few snapshots from the absolute PERFECT weekend with my boo.

we hiked, cooked, wine tasted, relaxed, campfired, bookstore shopped, coffee dated, played cards, and just simply enjoyed each others company.

something that we rarely have the time to do with just the two of us.

like i said, it was simply perfect.

i mean, lets be honest, is this not the sweetest face ever?!

and if that isn't cute enough, he gave me a copy of '1000 places to see before you die' tabbed with our traveling to-do list for our future and the sweetest of cards for our 'no-present' celebration.

what a catch.

happy anniversary b- i'm the luckiest.

(mush fest is over now, i promise:)

yogi in the making.

"Yoga teaches us to cure what need not be endured and endure what cannot be cured."

 B.K.S. Lyengar

in hopes of persuading you to partake in one of my passions, i write to you as a yoga enthusiast.

there is quite simply nothing that i am loving more than yoga these days.

vinyasa flow, power, restorative, antigravity, yoga-pilates fusion.

i have found it to be not only physically demanding, but emotionally renewing and holistically healing.

there is no other time during the day when i am able to feel both strong and relaxed at the same time.

my true obsession is antigravity.

this aerial yoga class allows you to passively and actively stretch beyond your typical capacity while  acrobatically exercising in a renewing restorative class.

if hanging by your feet in an inversion doesn't get your blood flowing, i don't know what will.

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i am so hooked.

find a studio, try a few classes, figure out the types you like, and soak up the powerful relaxation that comes from yoga.

i dare you.

pursuit of happiness.

on a daily basis here in the city,

(san francisco to be exact)

i find such happiness.

my career seems to be coming together,

my living situation is the best,

my opportunities seem endless,

my creative desires are being met,

my social tendencies are perfectly provided for,

and this city is the mecca of all that is fun for the twenty-something.

(the only really BIG thing missing is the boy. 

none-the-less, i continue to remain blissfully in love with him from 400 miles away.)

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in my consistent pursuit of happiness and contentment, i have found three things that i absolutely love.

farmers marketing.

picnicking.

yoga.

three simple, fairly inexpensive, and refreshing ways to celebrate the everyday.

i highly suggest adding these local adventures to your weekly routine.

what makes you the happiest everyday?

passionate.

i would consider myself a passionate person.

i can be the most stubborn, tenacious, and persistent person when were dealing with something that i am passionate about and i have recently been introduced to a whole new level of

'emily wants to save the worlds children/ travel bug/ be a strong female/ make a change'

type of thing.

the other day, i attended a lecture on human trafficking,

(usf puts on the most incredible speaker series and guest lecturing)

primarily women and children,

both for labor and sex,

domestically and internationally.

get your attention?

(notforsalecampaign.org)

i would strongly urge you to take some time and check out this organization.

get involved, buy an item to support, or better yet read the book and become informed on todays trafficking state.

it's the number two most common criminal act in the world today.

crazy, right?

the organization and its staff were incredible, smart, diligent, and empowering.

it's worth you're time. for sure.

chinatown adventure.

when i was younger and i had too much energy, 

i got the famous 'go play outside until dinner is ready'.

now, when i drink too much coffee and decide to procrastinate on my schoolwork

i go outside willingly and head out on walking adventures around my place.

the other day was a chinatown day.

grant street.

loving the lanterns everywhere but not so into the smell of dried everything.

personal favorite of mine. all the murals were awesome.

little. things. everywhere. 

almost bought myself a little buddha. maybe next time. 

oh hey there, banksy.

chinatown. check!

have a fabulous thursday! the week is almost done!

tourist fail.

once upon a time i decided to go on a long walk, hike up the filbert steps to coit tower, and enjoy the views from the top then cruise back down to the apartment via the north beach area.

i set out with my canon, iPhone, sunnies, four dollars, chapstick, and my keys.

i started here at filbert and sansome.

already digging the views and surprisingly only a few blocs from my current apartment.

 climb, climb, climb (a decently big feat with my still 'kinda lame' knee).
more than 700 steps i hear.

views on the way up were incredible.

it was beautiful day across the bay and the homes on the way up were awesomely quaint and cottagey.

 oh hey there coit.

 into the city, the fog did roll and the overcast shadows on this amateur photographer were a little difficult (give me time).

 there is was, telegraph hill and all. 

a perfect sign and obviously i felt super edgy and cool taking this picture.

 more views out to the bay the further up i went.

and don't ask me why but i think these was my favorite capture of the day.

i love this city.

(took a few pictures here to do a panoramic too- cool, yea?)

oh, and then i got to the top of telegraph hill and to the base of coit tower and it was seven dollars to go up to the top (remember i only had four). so i bargained with the museum guide, tried to convince him that i was a student and that i should be let top to the top but no such luck. so i took that other fun way back through north beach, grabbed a coffee at the coolest little coffee/clothes shop, snuck into someones backyard to capture a few more pictures and headed home.

coit tower fail.

san francisco adventure success.

my sister is a stud.

super fun birthday weekend to talk about tomorrow,

but for now check out my sisters new blog

here.

she's on a research study abroad in moorea (an island close to tahiti).

mucho jealous of her incredible trip and location!

already swimming with sharks and rays.

i mean come on really?!

saturday morning farmers.

spent my saturday strolling/ hobbling around the ferry building farmers market.

this just happens to be one of my favorite san francisco places.

good coffee, great food, hippies with produce and starter plants, beautiful gifts, crisp ocean views, and incredible people watching.

classic sf.

sampled fruits, veggies, jams, cheeses, and dips.

cheese, bread, succulents, what else could you need. 

 and enjoyed this incredible stilton, arugula, and caramelized onion cowgirl creamy grilled cheese.

oh-my-heavens-you-should-be-way-jealous.

happy saturday friends!

painted ladies.

i've been trying to take different routes home from school, friends, doctors appointments, and dinners to see all the parts of the city and get acquainted with street names and favorite spots. 

today, in efforts to keep this up, i headed home a different way and ran into alamo park...

oh and then the painted ladies!

full house anyone?

on another note, went to the doctor today and i am healing well and headed to physical therapy next week. not quite off the crutches completely yet but slowly pairing down and walking around with my straight peg leg.

baby steps are good with me.

perfection.

a little late but thought you should know about my little yosemite trip with the boy.

its become quite a little tradition for b and i to take a little trip around the holidays as a part of our christmas present to each other and in celebration of his birthday (the day after christmas).

two years ago we visited yosemite together and it was perfect.

covered in snow and complete with snowboarding and snow hikes.

this year we decided to visit yosemite again and it was perfect yet again.

not a drop of snow and low key due to my lovely leg brace and crutches.

we sipped hot chocolate at the ahwahnee,

hiked to glacier point,

enjoyed delicious fancy meals at tenaya lodge,

cruised the back roads,

and picnicked on the beautiful yosemite hills.

p.s. i've decided dating a physical therapist is the best thing in the world. and dating a pediatric pt is even better. i was taken care of like a princess. thanks b:)

coronado island.

on saturday B and i took a day trip to visit friends on coronado island and celebrate our friends completion of 'hell week' in navy seal training (go dave- you are a stud!). it was a great day full of friends, adventures, and celebration. we went to this great restaurant called 'the tractor room' which i highly suggest for brunch, drove around the island, walked along the beach and hotel del coronado, and got to enjoy each others company in a setting other than studying. needless to say- it was a great getaway and coronado was beautiful!

had my camera handy on the beach walk as some stealth fighter jetish aircraft came flying in. im pretty sure i have never seen B so excited in his entire life. got a little glimpse of what christmas morning four year old B's face looked like. great day! 

weekend recap.

friday evening:

me,

the boy,

homemade bbq chicken pizza and salad,

a cold beer,

card games,

popsicles,

and some good ol' snuggling,

t-h-e b-e-s-t e-v-e-r.

saturday day:

switched teams for a day (sorry ucla undergrad),

went to the usc (grad school) side,

tailgated with great el paulo,
made new friends,

hung out at 'traditions' pub to watch the game,

got some tb (supremed it),

laughed lots.

saturday night:

missing the boy that i left 10 hours prior,

decided to go back to see him from usc,

(best decision ever),

watched movie,

ate quesadillas,

snuggled more,

so in love (mushy i know).

sunday morning:

homemade oats (so yum),

got my lower back pain evaluated by the pt himself,

he's such a smartie,

costco trip,

date lunch,
happy 'see you later alligator' and drove,

unpacked and settle back in,

hw and reading.

i just can't get enough of the boy.

olvera st.

appropriately, i began my LA adventures with a sunday trip to olvera st.

and i'm sure that it will not be my last trip there.

it was awesome (and sooo delicious)!

took the roommates and we...

toured the first recorded house in los angeles (the 'avila adobe') and union station

shopped the street faire

perused the beautiful imported clothes

and ate the most amazing authentic tacos, burritos, taquitos, horchata, and jamaica.

honestly, incredible food and the live mariachis were super fun.

plus, i got to tacos to go. be jealous.

makes me want to brush up on my spanish and go back to south america...

until then adios amigos!

september.

september 1st is the beginning of a big new start for me.

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today i...

1. move out of my townhouse that i have called home for the past two years with my roomies.

2. officially lock-in/final deadline/am under review for my first grad application. yikes.

3. begin the countdown of the (non-double digit) number of days until the move to la. which mean living in a new town for the first time (besides study abroad).

4. for the first time start a part-time(!) education this month. unlike any other september for the past 22 years.

5. move away from family and begin a closer-long-distance relationship with my bff/bf (crazy and feeling old). hooray.

and im pumped.

happy september peps!

donner party of seven.

spent the last four days up at donner lake with some of the walnut/college crew.

it was like paradise.

great friends, great adventures, great food, great games, great everything!

rafting, beaching, tubing, eating, drinking, gaming, naping, hiking,

you name it, we did it.

donner '11 you were the best

and donner '12 we can't wait for you!

los angeles.

one month from today i pack up and move to the city of dreams.

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who's excited?

me.

bandwagoner.

so this weekend was spent in the east bay/sf again with my most favoritist mewy and her family. love them!

the giants game was awesome especially with my first ever overpriced, fancy cup, professional game beer and hanging with a group of the 'walnuts' was so great!

yea, yea, yea i know im a bandwagoner...

but really all my friends and roommates are giants fans, so i was destined to bleed orange and black at some point... go giants!

and now with the possibility of heading to sf, i think its becoming appropriated. right? i think so:)