January Wrap Up

What a January! Even when it seemed quiet it was a busy time (busy in a good way, though). And the fact that it was 70 degrees on the last day of January reminded me why I love living in California. Here's what's been going on this first month of 2015:

Habit

Self-improvement - I'm a little obsessed. I'm continually trying to form good habits and stopping bad ones (or at least, forming more good habits to outnumber the bad ones!). They might be habits that aren't visible/obvious to other people but still have an impact on my productivity and well-being.

Here's an article to stop a bad habit, and an article to start some good ones:

On stopping self-criticism: small answers (love this blog)
I love how it's called "The Itty Bitty Shitty Committee" ha! Amy Poehler also had some great stuff to say about quieting "the demon voice" in her fabulous book.

10 Better Money Habits for 2015: lifehacker
cuz i'm a groowwwwn woman:

Winter Warmth

Slightly misleading title since I live in Northern California and 'winter' here is still like 'late fall/early spring' back in my home state of New Jersey. But everyone still enjoys using a wood-burning stove, right? I enjoyed the one above over the long MLK weekend with friends. 

New in 2015

Sure it's about two weeks into the new year but it still feels very NEW. And I realized that I kicked off this year differently than I would have in the past: 

• New Years Eve was a nice quiet night in with friends. none of us wanted to go out so we may as well not go out together. New Years Day was relaxed, and then we went to the airport...
• Travel: I took a long weekend trip to San Diego. My husband travels some weekends for work, this time I was not wrapped up in work because my office shuts down for the holidays, and it was a cool destination, so I tagged along.

Reading List (continued)

Finished reading Yes Please by Amy Poehler and loved it. It's entertaining as hell and surprisingly a good how-to book for approaching life. 

Updated, 1/13:

Other books read recently and how they apply to life:

Not That Kind of Girl - also awesome, and fascinating, because I am so unlike Lena Dunham but I really admire her. She's brilliant.

Gone Girl - lots of fun to read (prior to watching the movie on iTunes), and more of a how-NOT-to live your life. Don't aspire to be an empty 'cool girl,' and don't frame your loved one for murder. 

Weekend in San Diego

I spent the first weekend of 2015 in San Diego, which was gorgeous despite being chilly (and by chilly I mean 55/65 instead of 75). We had clear skies mirrored perfectly by the clear water. 

I got to see seals at the Children's Pool at La Jolla Cove, enjoyed lunch on the balcony of La Valencia hotel, saw the sunset on the water from Encinitas, walked one of the trails at Torrey Pines (the park) and hit golf balls at the driving range at Torrey Pines (the golf course). It had been about two months since I last went to the driving range and luckily I didn't woof it. I still don't care much about golf, but I enjoy the driving range!

We also checked out a couple local breweries: Green Flash and Ballast Point. Both were awesome. A lot of breweries are in this industrial area of San Diego and these two were cool venues. There was an outdoor area and food trucks at Green Flash, and a newly opened space for Ballast Point with a bar and restaurant (with lots of nautical-themed woodwork). If I lived in San Diego, I would spend my happy hours at the breweries.

The trip was really my husband's and I did some of this exploring with a local friend while he was working. Since it was short and the weather was slightly warmer than home, I easily packed a mini duffle. The weekend went by quickly but it's nice being just a short flight away from such a cool city.