1.  ridiculous group messaging with blogger friends that make me smile and laugh.  so thankful for you silly girls. 

2.  getting to see best friends who are in town from nyc and la this weekend.  reunions are the best.  sister friends for life. 

3.  coming to terms with myself and seeking help.  becoming optimistic of my future and learning to love myself more and more each day.

4.  i'm a certified barista!  one more step in my new leadership program.  pretty soon i'll be running this betch.  watch out.

5.  being able to enjoy some sun after work.  i love how late it stays light.  makes getting off at 530 not so terrible when theres 3 hours of light left in the day.  ahhh summer, how i love you so.  

what 5 things are making you love june?  i'd love to know!

a letter to myself

kelsey,

sure, 2012 hasn't really started with a bang for you.  a breakdown on the first day?  nice.  but, keep in mind that it's only day 2 of the new year and you still have 363 days to look forward to.  think of all the fun things you already have planned for this year - santa barbara, blogger meetup #2, stagecoach, cabo & going back to sdsu. and who knows what else is in store for you.  

don't let one little speed bump ruin the rest of your year.  you have people who love and care about you; isn't that the most important thing in this life?  just remember all that you do have and don't dwell on what you don't.  i know you can turn those sad feelings around and use them as motivation to achieve your goals.  

so what are you waiting for?  get your ass out of bed and take on the world.  make 2012 your best year yet.  

xo,

kelsey

top 5 reasons i love southern california

I have been thinking a lot lately about how lucky I am to live where I do.  I'm not only lucky that I live in Southern California, but I'm lucky because I have lived here my whole life.  So Cal is such an incredible place to grow up and there are so many wonderful things to do and see.  I thought it was about time I shared with you 5 of my most favorite things about where I live.  

1.  The beach.  That's pretty much a given though.  I mean, isn't the beach the main reason anyone ever comes to so cal anyways?  I grew up at the beach and I still live walking distance from it.  There's nothing better than a morning run or evening stroll along the beach.  And the summers?  I would spend every day at the beach if I could.  To me, the best time to go to the beach is the beginning of September.  That's when the weather warms up and the tourists go home.  I get the beach to myself.  Pure bliss.

2.  The culture.  Here in San Clemente, we have this awesome laid back vibe that just fills the air.  This little surf town is the epitome of the So Cal culture.  The surf history in So Cal is bountiful and lives on through museums and murals and gives the ares so much personality.  And not to mention, everyone seems a little happier around these parts.  I hear that the beach will do that to a person.  

3.  The history.  The deep history of the Native Americans and Spanish is still alive and apparent.  You can see spanish style buildings, old missions, Indian ruins and more.  Father Juniper Serra made his way through hundreds of years ago but the mark he left on his way through is still holding strong. 

4.  The food.  You can't find Mexican food that is as good as this unless you are actually in Mexico.  San Diego has the best Mexican food ever.  So many great restaurants and hidden taco shops.  I can't even keep writing about it without my mouth watering.  Yum.

5.  The snow.  Yes, you read that right, the snow!  Did you know that in one day in Southern California you can surf in the morning and snowboard in the afternoon?  Pretty crazy, huh?  We have some great mountain resorts just an couple hours away from us here in coastal so cal.  I love being able to take day or weekend trips to the mountains.  And now that it's getting closer and closer to ski season, I can't wait to grab my snowboard and head up that mountain. 

What about you?  What do you love about where you live?  

If you live in So Cal and want to come meet some other awesome So Cal bloggers, please join us on November 13th in Del Mar for our blogger meet up!  Hosted by Tammy, Olivia, Stephanie and myself.  We have some great things lined up - drinks, raffle prizes and sweets!  

23 things i've never done

I saw this post over on Rachel's blog and thought it seemed like a lot of fun so I decided to try to come up with 23 things that I've never done - one for each year of my life!  

I've never ...  

1.   gone skydiving

2.   been to south america

3.   been to a haunted trail / theme park / house

4.   died my hair dark

5.   gotten a professional massage

6.   lived anywhere other than southern cali

7.   gone skinny dipping in the ocean

8.   seen titanic the whole way through

9.   owned a pair of jeans that cost more than $30

10. baked a cake from scratch

11. eaten a whole orange (i only suck out the juice)

12. done a true outfit post on the blog

13. drank and enjoyed straight whiskey on the rocks

14. had my belly button pierced

15. been baptized

16. eaten a shrimp cocktail

17. been in a wedding

18. been scuba diving

19. wiggled my ears

20. gotten my eyebrows waxed

21. spent a nye away from my mom & dad

22. been to niagara falls

23. read a whole harry potter or twilight book

a happy list.

Hey guys!  So the lovely Tammy over at Lemons, Avocados and the Bay does a "happy list" series on her fab blog and I was lucky enough to grace her blog via a guest post with my happy list for life.  Since I love the idea of creating happy lists I thought I would share the one I put together with you guys here.  What things are on your happy list?

travelling 

being a tourist

taking lots of pictures

exploring new cities and small towns

eating at a new restaurant

trying a new beer

big flavor beers

baseball

going to baseball games

best friends

the beach

my hometown; san clemente, ca

family

my faith

hiking

the outdoors

yosemite, ca

national parks

awkward moments

so cal slang

peppermint white mochas

the smell of rain

snuggles

and many, many more!

"We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have."  

- Frederick Keonig