Rushin' the Russian River

I love living in San Francisco, but sometimes I need to take a break from city life and explore that the Bay Area has to offer. Never having been to the Russian River, Z managed to find a good deal for a weekend retreat at a Bed & Breakfast. The trip included free wine tasting at the local wineries and a complementary dinner at the Bed & Breakfast's restaurant.  I loved getting away...even if it was just for a little bit. Below are some photos of our trip:

I want to come back and visit again in the summer! There's just something about the plethora of trees and wide open space that is so beautiful.

Floral and Fauna

Hello Blog! Sorry I've neglected you for so long. I just haven't been sure if I wanted to just aggregate everything onto my tumblr or here at blogspot. I'm still debating since I don't really have a means of snapping photos daily with digital (besides my phone) since all the cameras in my possession are film ones!  I've been doing well these past couple of months with the new internship, new job possibilities, and Mom's last chemo session!  It has also been quite lovely in San Francisco the past couple of days. Last weekend, Z and I went to a coffee shop down the street from our apartment and enjoyed the people watching. Afterwards, we had dinner at El Metate where I got some horchatta that I had been craving. Along the way, I found a floral crown that someone did not want and decided to keep it. Hey! It's new to me at least.  Above is a shot of what I wore and surprisingly it was warm enough that day because I am not wearing tights!

Outfit details: muted green dress (thrifted), woven sling-backs (etsy), Ginger cardigan (F21), Hunter Green Stripped Market Bag (etsy)

Fun in the Photo Booth

While my sister and I were out shopping for Christmas presents, we stumbled upon this photo booth that actually tapes you while you pose for the different snap shots. We did not know this was happening until after so it made for a good laugh later on:

For our last pose, we were trying to recreate Mother Mary and the baby Jesus but it ended up a little too XXX for X-mas.

DIY Christmas

My sister and I decided to make some of our Christmas gifts this year. We decided to take the citrus fruit from our backyard that Filipinos commonly use in their cooking (Kalamansi) and infuse it into some vodka to give to our cousins.  We picked the fruit and boiled some mason jars in preparation. In order to decorate the jars, we stopped by the craft store and had a little too much fun:

We tasted the vodka after infusing the kalamansi in the liquor for a week and it was good enough to drink straight.  We included a little recipe for the cocktail using bitters and ginger infused simple syrup.  Below is a what the finished product looked like after we glued on our PIG DOG label:

We have an extra bottle for ourselves to use on New Years Eve so I'm ready for a Kalamansi hang over this weekend.  We got the instructions from this website along with the cocktail recipe.

The Nutcracker Suite

Sorry for the lack of updates! I'm still back in Ventura visiting my family throughout the New Year since I am never really able to come home and visit often. It's been nice to hang out with my mom and sister and spend some quality time together cooking and gossiping.  Before I headed down here, Z surprised me and got us tickets to see the Nutcracker ballet at the San Francisco Opera Theater.  As a little girl, I had always watched the ballet on television and wished I could one day see the real thing on stage. The theater itself was beautiful. Z and I mostly enjoyed people watching because really the type of people that attend the ballet are quite interesting to say the least.

Outfit Details:

Blue Velvet Stripe Tent Dress (ASOS)

Navy Sheer Tights (Walgreens)

Vintage Black Mary Jane Shoes (Thrifted)

After the show, we got a late dinner at a near-by Thai restaurant. I got the crispy pork belly with bell peppers, green beans, and basil. Z got a nice noodle dish with yummy veggies and tofu. It was a lovely last night in the city before I had to wake up at dawn to drop Z off at work and drive down the 101 to Ventura. I am so happy I finally got to see the Nutcracker ballet and it definitely got me into the Christmas spirit!