Changing My Lifestyle

With my big move to the East Coast, I only found it fitting and even easier to change some things in my normal diet. I've been getting a lot better about making sure to pick up a fruit to snack on or bringing hummus and pita chips or almonds instead of regular salty chips. I've even switched over to soy milk, which is a big step for someone who drinks 2% milk on the regular. I make meals that use veggies in them and try to cut down my spending on alcohol and eating out constantly. I learned the hard way the other night about how terrible fast food can be for your system when I decided to purchase a grilled chicken sandwich and fries from McDonalds after not eating McDonalds for over 3 years now... the rest of my night shift at work wasn't too much fun and a lot of running to the bathroom (I know, I know, gross...but seriously, that's how miserable I was). I've felt so much happier and healthier with the small changes I've made and can't wait to start cooking more healthy recipes once my work schedule goes back to normal.

Tonight I bring to you easy peasy simple late night chocolate craving:

Peanut butter, banana, and chocolate chips on whole wheat toast

I had a banana lying around that was about to get to the mushy part of it's life cycle, which I find absolutely disgusting to eat. I decided to chop it up and put the banana slices on top of peanut butter. I had some chocolate chips lying around and decided that a small handful of those delicious morsels would make this snack ten times better. SO DELICIOUS. It may not be the healthiest thing in the world, but in my mind, it's a whole lot better than chowin' down on cookies or just the chocolate chips!

P.S. 6 days until I'm home! I can already taste the In N Out that will be consumed

To My Bestest on Her Birthday:

Happy 23rd to my gorgeous, talented, intelligent, loving best friend, Asja!

We've literally been through thick and thin.

From crying telephone calls to drunk text messages, you have always been on of my closest friends.

Who else walks into a party wearing similar outfits?

Or can look across the room and know which boy, girl, or outfit we're staring at?

I love making fun of your english, but (secretly) love eating your Bosnian food.

We've been through:

 birthdays

 Christmases

 Christmas in the Park

flying dinosaurs

dumb boys

New Years

Vegas

SLO

creepy men

reliving high school memories

park swings

bagel shops

bosnian food stores

proms

group projects

blonde&brunette

and a whole lot of other memories that I wouldn't trade for the world.

So here's to you, bestest! I can't wait for another 11 years spent doing crazy, idiotic, and sometimes grandma-like things

xoxo Bestie

New York

New York was seriously amazing. This time around, I got to enjoy taking my sweet time looking around the city since this past June my mother and I visited NY and just about saw almost every
tourist-y attraction there is. My train left around 7PM on Friday night and took about 2 and a half hours, which wasn't bad at all. I got into New York and settled in at my friend Sierra's apartment by 10PM that night. We didn't do much that night since we were all exhausted from work/school.

Saturday morning, I woke up and took a stroll to Central Park while my friends were in class. I love Central Park and how many people were walking, running, and biking around.

After my friends finished class, I met them at a super adorable brunch spot named Penelope. The wait was extra long, but the food was definitely worth it. I wish I had taken more pictures of this place, it was so cute.

Inside Penelope

After brunch, we went home for awhile to rest. We ended up going out later that night to a bar called The Stumble Inn. I loved seeing what it was like to go out in New York. There's so many sights and sounds and every place seems to be open 24/7.

Sunday was spent walking around, taking the subway, and FINALLY getting to see the tree in Rockefeller Center. 

I apologize for the lack of pictures, I spent so much time in awe of this big city that I forgot to snap more photos. However, I know I'll be back again to visit. I had such a great weekend enjoying great company, great sights, and great food. Now begins the countdown to home in less than two weeks!

This Past Week

... Has been absolutely insane! I've been so busy at work so I apologize for the long delay. Here are some quick updates:

1) Work is going well! I'm super busy and working long day and night shifts. Last night I learned first hand the "Baltimore bump" aka when you can't find parking and have to tap the cars a little bit to squeeze in. Oops. 

2) I'm officially a Maryland resident!

3) I leave for NYC tomorrow and I am SO excited! I'll be sure to post on Monday my pictures from the weekend.

That's (sadly) about all I have for right now. I now understand how professional bloggers get paid, it's so hard to keep this thing updated!

New York Bound!

In 2.5 weeks I will be heading to New York to visit some of my close college friends. I can't wait to experience New York during winter/Christmas time! After a long weekend of working 10 hour days, I figured this trip would be a nice early Christmas/birthday present.

Being Thankful pt. 2

Happy Thanksgiving from Charm City! So far, today has been wonderful. I started off with a 4 mile Turkey Trot through the inner harbor and saw some of the most amazing views.

Don't mind the sweat, just finished off 4 miles!

Although everyday I have things to be thankful for, I think today is a great day to spend a little extra time acknowledging those people and places in your life that make you who you are today.

Today, I am most thankful for these two wonderful people. I talked to my parents earlier today and it is still so weird that I'm not at home for Thanksgiving. I can't wait to spend time with them during Christmas! My parents have always supported me in whatever path I choose to take. When I told them I was moving to Baltimore, they weren't the happiest of parents, but they both understood that this was something I wanted and needed to do. They still support my every decision and have given me so much good advice. I love you both to the moon and back and can't wait to start boozing with you when I'm home.

My Auntie Cindy is such an amazing and strong woman. She's been battling breast cancer for over a year now and still finds a way to wake up in the morning with a smile. She has always been one of my closest friends. Our trip to Hawaii back during March is a memory I'll carry with me forever. 

I don't even know where to begin with this girl. She's my bestest and for good reasons. I can't tell you how many times I've walked out to her car or she's walked into my house and we are dressed in the same outfit. We look at each other across the room and already know what the other one is thinking. We have matching jewelry and matching hair. Sometimes were disgustingly ridiculous, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Seriously though, this girl has always been there through thick and thin. Even after going back to the same guy 2 or 3 times she still manages to put up with my stories and crying. I am so so so thankful she came into my life and that she will always be my best friend. I mean someone has to be blonde girl from Bridesmaids at your wedding;)

Other things I am thankful for:

• Torrey time/phone dates
• My closest friends back in California
• UGS and all the great people it brought me too
• SLO and all the gorgeous views and people there
• Theta for everything that it has taught me and the life long friendships I've created
• Phones that allow me to keep in touch with everyone back in California
• FALL ON THE EAST COAST (seriously!)
• Wine!
• My great work environment
• Being happy

Oh and this guy:)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Being Thankful pt. 1

This Thanksgiving marks the first Thanksgiving in 21 years that I will not be stuffing my face full of turkey and mashed potatoes at home. It is also the 2nd Thanksgiving I will not be able to spend with my grandmother who passed away last July. I don't even know how to begin to explain to my blogger world how strange this Thanksgiving will be. I am fortunate enough to be spending tomorrow's big festivities with my boss and his family (I'm sure I'll have some interesting tales from that one). However, this definitely does not replace the heart wrenching emotions of not being able to spend Thanksgiving at home. I kind of realized before my move how much I love spending time with my mom and dad and how thankful I was to have them around still, but I don't think this really hit until the second day I was in Baltimore when I REALLY realized how much my parents do for me (thanks mom and dad!) I miss not being able to run errands with my mom or grab a drink with her. I miss not being able to have my dad walk into my room and show me some space picture or some weird fact about the Wienermobile (side note: my dad wanted me to be a Hotdogger...look it up...no seriously, that's what he wanted me to). I miss all these things on a daily basis, but I think it really hits home when I'm not at home for a major holiday. I am so thankful that I get to go home for a solid week and a half during Christmas/New Years.

But let me stop talking about how weird this Thanksgiving is and begin to tell you what I am grateful for. I'm thankful that I had this amazing opportunity to move to Baltimore. I am thankful that I have a roof over my head and a job that keeps me fed and happy. I am thankful for a great work culture and so many wonderful coworkers that I get to see on a daily basis. I am thankful that I have a form of transportation that allows me to explore this great (and the not so great parts) of this wonderful city. I am thankful for just about everything that I have in my new life in Baltimore, including my glass of wine that I'm currently drinking. Check back tomorrow when I post my more sappier blog post about everything I am thankful for. For now, I'm heading to bed and preparing myself for the 4 mile turkey trot I signed myself up for....yikes.

Playing Tourist in Baltimore

To all my closest friends and family who are still keeping up with this - I apologize for the long wait!

This past week has been SO SO busy and even that's an understatement. I've been working anywhere from 8-11 hours at work and even went into work today. It's peak season for printing, along with many other industries, and you can definitely feel the chaos as soon as you enter the shop. The great thing about all of this is I actually LOVE what I do, so I don't mind the crazy hours and long days.

Anyway, last weekend one of my closest friends, Christopher, came to visit me. It was great to have such a familiar face in Baltimore. We acted like tourists all weekend, which was great for me since I haven't seen most of Baltimore yet. Christopher came in late Friday night so we didn't do anything that night since we were both exhausted from work/travel. Saturday morning we woke up late and decided to see the famed National Aquarium in Inner Harbor. Spoiler: If you've been to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, this one sucks, unfortunately.

These are just a few photos from the Aquarium. About halfway through looking at the aquarium, I was about to have a melt down from lack of food (no, seriously, a full on melt down), so we went to Phillips and ate delicious seafood. It was a little pricy but SO worth it. I told Christopher he needed to get seafood at least once while in Baltimore. After food and finishing up the rest of the aquarium, I drove Chris down to Fells Point and Canton so he could see the old cobblestone streets and the cute rows of houses, restaurants, and boutiques. Later that night, we went to the bars in Federal Hill and watched the Oregon Ducks game while drinking a few beers. Christopher finally got to try National Bohemian! Natty Bo (as it is more commonly referred to) used to be brewed in Baltimore and is the pride and joy of their beers. However, this beer tastes like water, somewhere between a Natty light and a Coors light. It's disgusting, but it's cheap and easy to drink AND it USED to be brewed here, haha.

The next morning, Christopher and I woke up late again and walked down to one of the bars to grab breakfast burritos. The Ravens game was going on later that day in Baltimore and since the stadium is walking distance from Fed Hill, the bars were all packed! I told Chris it was like being in a grown up college town. After our delicious burritos we walked back to my place where we rested and hung out until we felt like getting up again. This is where our adventure begins. Christopher finds out my bedroom door is locked and I have no key to get in. COOL. After much plotting, I realized I had opened the window to my bathroom earlier that day and figured out we could get through the window. However, the window is a few feet from the ground and even 6 foot 2 Christopher can't reach without some sort of stepping stool. I remembered there was an Ace Hardware in Fed Hill so we walked the 10 blocks to rent a ladder, carried the ladder back 10 blocks, managed to somehow maneuver my way in through the window, and unlocked my door. After returning the ladder, Christopher and I decided that we would scratch our original plans and go watch the last quarter of the Ravens game at a bar with multiple drinks. Well deserved drinks. Later we went to Brewer's Art in Mount Vernon and had delicious food and drinks. He left early, early the next morning while I went off to work. Overall, I had such a great weekend!

In other news, I bought my first down jacket today and had to call my mother to explain to her why this was so exciting and strange. Who buys down jackets in California? No one. Well maybe someone does, but I don't know them. Later tonight I'm going over to my friend Rachel's house to have an early Thanksgiving. I promise to be better at updating this blog! Until then, I hope all is well wherever you may be!

Welcome to my new home!

Welcome to my bedroom! I apologize for the mess

Bookshelf to the right of the door

My own bathroom 

Close up of my living area

So. Much. Space.

More storage

View from my balcony!

Why, hello Baltimore

I could get used to this

I apologize for the absence! I've been busy moving into my new house in Federal Hill! I got my pod moved here on Monday and finally unpacked all my stuff tonight. It actually feels like I'm a resident of Baltimore. Work has been slow, but only because I've been doing basic rotations. Next week I should start being more busy as I get settled into my digital printing rotation right in the middle of our peak season. Anyway, wanted to give a quick update. Christopher is coming to visit this weekend so I'll have plenty of touristy pictures and updates:)

Most Frequently Asked Questions

So, you're from California?
Yes

So........ why Baltimore, Maryland?
Because I could. Because I figured I would experience something more than half the world never does: move far away from the hometown at least for a little bit. I mean, why not? Why not see the states and other places while I can easily pick up and move myself somewhere else!

I must ask, are you crazy? (chuckle, chuckle)
Legally, no! But thanks for asking:)

Do you surf?
No. Do you?

So, where are you from in California?
Are you familiar with California? [No] I'm an hour south of San Francisco [Oh cool, yeah I have a long lost cousin whose boyfriend's aunt lives in LA or insert some other long lost relative or San Diego]

How do like Baltimore so far?
It's great! The people are nice, fall is gorgeous here, I love my job, oh and I generally enjoy Baltimore when I stay away from the bad areas. I'd prefer to live if I have the choice!


I feel like I'm in sorority rush again (What's your major? What year are you? Where do you live? Where's your hometown? etcetera etcetera)

Other than the 20 questions and the weight of moving my stuff into a new place soon/figuring out the DMV, life is good when I stop and breathe for a little bit:)

First Day of Work

Today, I started my (3rd attempt at) first day of work. Yesterday I was supposed to start work, but ended up getting caught in Hurricane Sandy and staying inside. Welcome to the East Coast! Doesn't Baltimore understand us Californians aren't prepared for high winds and heavy rain?! Everyone told me today that this was a highly unusual storm, figures it would happen my assigned first day of work.

Hurricane Sandy looked similar to this

Today, I got dressed and drove to work. I made it to work by 8:20 and I walked in about 5 minutes later... to a fairly empty office. What the hell? I ran into our VP Operations who so kindly shook my hand and said everyone was actually scheduled to come in at 10 am. Cool. This would happen to me. So I laughed it off and got back in my car and drove to Dunkin' Donuts, the only open store in Timonium since most of the power had been knocked out due to the storm. I came back around 9:45 and joked around with the guy in charge while my boss is out of town. I told him he owes me lunch. My boss later called to apologize for the mix up and give me crap about not showing up on the first day of work (he was completely kidding) and then followed up his statement with how excited he is to have me here in Baltimore. I really do enjoy going to a work environment where people actually want me to work there and think I can be a valuable addition to their company, unlike my previous job.

Today, I FINALLY started work after 5 months of figuring out exactly what I wanted to do. Today was a pretty mundane day of filling out papers and taking my 100th tour around the plant, but it was exactly what I wanted. I felt so absolutely excited, exhausted, content, and overjoyed to be back in the environment I loved. The production floor was pretty quiet due to the hurricane shutting down all public transportation and flooding most roads. It was still amazing though to walk around and see folders and Heidis (our UGS nickname for the offset sheetfed press) and plates and ink all over the floor. It was exactly what I needed after a long week of moving and finding a new home.

Tonight, I went for drinks with a German guy who told me I fidget a lot and that I looked nervous (mainly because I felt like I was on a super awkward date with a really old man, sorry mom!) We talked about Germany and American baseball and futbol and how he'd never been to Oktoberfest (what?!?!) However,  it was a great way to end my first day of work and the start to many more!

P.s. If anyone could send me someone baked pumpkin seeds, I may love you forever (hint hint MOM)

Preparing for a Hurricane

Here's my view from the hotel this morning. I think I will remember Hurricane Sandy specifically because she kept me from my first day of work at PCA. I've never seen anything of this magnitude in California (obviously we only deal with rain maybe a month out of the year, oh and earthquakes). From what it sounds like, the East Coast hasn't seen anything of this magnitude in a few years, lucky me! I'm hopefully starting work tomorrow and moving into my new place sometime this week. Yay! Other than that, I'm safe, I still have power, and I still have wine. All is well in the world of Candice.

P.s. Go Giants! World Series Champs 2012!