Hello October!!!!!

Happy October!

I love October! Not only does it mean that the unbearably warm Florida weather will be gradually cooling down, but it is also the start of the holiday seasons! Even though halloween isn't really one of the "holidays" people generally associate with the holiday season, I think that it's perfectly acceptable to start busting out some of those apple cinnamon candles and wintery comfort food recipes.

I have especially been looking forward to this October because it means that I get to be back in California for a whole week!  I cannot wait! While Florida definitely has it's perks, and I am so grateful for all the great opportunities and people I have out here on the East coast, nothing compares to my home state, California.

October is also a great month because of the Food and Wine festival at EPCOT. I mean I can't think of anything more amazing. Samples of food from all over the world with alcohol? Yes please. I'm sure one of us will do a whole post on our Food and Wine experience this year, but here are a couple of pictures from last year.

With the colder weather also come one of my favorite clothing items. BOOTS! All day every day. Boots boots boots.

I know L will get mad if I don't add this to the list....

I know we are also both looking forward to carving some pumpkins since we missed out on that last year

So as you can see, October brings many awesome things to look forward to!  So here is to making this month amazing. and hopefully receiving some cooler weather (fingers crossed)
-E

Shout Out to my BFF

You'd think after living with someone for over a year, you'd get pretty sick of them, but at the end of the day, living with your best friend is pretty awesome.

Here's to all the silly moment, stupid decisions and a nonjudgemental shoulder to cry on. Someone to play in the rain with, sip some wine, meet seemingly promising strangers with.

To someone so encouraging, no matter it be, "keep running" or "keep eating" or "keep believing."

I can confidently say we've had some of the craziest, most random moments (isn't that why we started this blog in the first place?!?)

You've taught me that everything happens for a reason and to never doubt my potential to succeed in anything I try. 

Thanks for being such an awesome friend, sister, and roomie. 

-L

10 things to smile about

Sometimes I find myself in a funk, feeling sorry for myself and being a Debbie Downer.  I know it happens to everyone because we are all human and none of us are perfect.  For all those gloomy days I have created a list of what I believe to be the top 10 reasons to smile.

Family: I know you all must have seen this one coming... but family is really a wonderful reason to smile.  To have people love you unconditionally no matter what is an amazing thing.  Family doesn't necessarily have to be blood related...it can include friends, significant others, and even pets. It's great to be loved and it is great to be able to love back.  What a great reason to smile!

Food: To me food is a big reason to smile. I love food and flavors and how it can evoke feelings and even bring back memories.  Everyone knows chocolate can cure the toughest break up, and the most devastating heart break.

Heartbeats: Smile because our physiology is amazing, and it's a miracle every day that our hearts are beating and we are still breathing.

Music: Music can evoke all different kinds of emotion.  Music is universal and people use lyrics and melodies to relate with their inner feelings and emotions.  Honestly, have you ever heard anyone say "music is the worst. I hate music." Nope, it doesn't happen because music makes people happy.

Employment: I am the first to realize that working can be stressful, redundant, and sometimes a real drag. Having a job (two in my case) in these economic times is really something to smile about.  How boring would life be if we just sat around all day and didn't work?  While work isn't always going to bring us smiles, the freedom to make our own money and not rely on others is an accomplishment and something to be proud of every day...even if you have to dress like this.

Impact: Smile because your actions can impact others.  A simple smile from you can brighten another person's day. You have more power than you think you have. Compliment others, give thanks and forgiveness, and tell people how much you appreciate them. Life is too short to hold grudges and too unpredictable to take people for granted.

Change: Smile because you are in control of your happiness. If you aren't happy, you have the power to change your situation to become happier. I moved across the country to make a fresh start and to have a new adventure. Changes in life are inevitable, so you might as well have the upper hand and make the changes on your clock in your favor. Don't settle for anything less than happiness.

Sunshine: Sunshine is a wonderful, wonderful thing. It warms the soul, bathes us in Vitamin D and brings life to what would be a dark, lifeless earth.  Don't stay cooped up inside all day. Get outside and soak up some rays. You will feel like smiling, guaranteed!

Exercise: Can anyone say endorphins?? Exercising will not only make you feel accomplished, but it will also give you a happy, healthy body.  There is no better feeling than right after you finish a rigorous work out. So get up and get that blood pumping.

Friends: This one is a given.  What better thing in life than finding people that you love to spend time with.  I have moved four times, starting fresh with each move and I have met the most AMAZING people in each city.  My friends constantly make me laugh, console me when I'm sad, and come up with the craziest plans.  I am constantly grateful for the people that make me smile and laugh every day. Surrounding yourself with great people is a must.

Now go out and show off those pearly whites
-E

Taking a Break from the Daily Grind

In the past few weeks, I've had some of the most stressful days of my post college career. They've consisted of long hours at work followed by large glasses of wine and ample episodes of Breaking Bad with E (yes, sadly, we've found a new obsession, sorry Army Wives). We've all been there - that crazy period of time in our lives where you try your hardest and give an immense amount of effort but no matter what you do, it never seems to be enough. This has been my life for the past month. No matter how hard I try to leave work at work, I can't seem to shake the added stress at the end of the day. With that being said, today was a much needed day off.

E and I started our day off right, with an amazing breakfast at one of our favorites, The Market Street Cafe. One of my favorite things about Market Street is their enormous cups of coffee. As soon as the cup hits the table, I can't help but beam with pure happiness. 

I enjoyed a delicious turkey, bacon, and guacamole omelette with home fries and wheat toast, while E munch on eggs benedict, hash browns and a refreshing parfait. 

I couldn't think of a better way to start my day. 

I've worked a couple night shifts lately, which when you're used to working at 6am, sounds horrible. One thing that has made it completely worth it has been watching fireworks as I leave for the night. How can I complain when my day ends with such an amazing show? 

I hope you all can find the amazing ray of light in even some of the darkest days. -L

Confessions of a Workaholic

I'll be the first to admit, I can become quite enthralled in work, to the point where I would stay hours late just to accomplish what I set out to do. For the past few weeks, I've been mostly working at 6 am, which has it's pros and cons. The obvious con being the horrid 4:30 am wake ups (they are definitely not my favorite). That being said, I couldn't help but indulge in sleeping on my day off today. With no alarms forcing me out of my peaceful slumber, I slept until the wee hours of 11am (well past when I would normally be eating lunch at work). Was it the best sleep of my life? Pretty close to it. Will I regret waking up in a few short hours for my shift tomorrow morning? Most likely. What I will look forward to as I stumble out of bed, barely awake and completely in distress: my next day off. Until then, I will daydream about the time I will spend uninterrupted in my small, but comfortable bed.
-L

'merica!

They always say, it's better to arrive late than ugly, so here is my Independence Day OOTD.

I must admit, I did purchase those shorts on sale from Abercrombie & Fitch a few years back solely for American festivities, and I have made sure they're annually displayed. 

In addition to the red, white and blue, E and I both adorned curls for days. Pretty smiles, pints of beer and patriotism. 'merica!

-L

30 day challenge/ The Last Supper

Happy Tuesday everyone. So L and I are excited to talk about our new 30 day challenge.  We have decided that we are going to 30 days without eating at any restaurants and solely cook all of our food at home.  This is actually going to be a pretty difficult feat for me since I work in two restaurants, but I am determined to cut back on all the unhealthy food I consume on the job. Hopefully we can stick to it and hopefully extend it past the 30 days!

In honor of our 30 day challenge we decided to do a "Last Supper" which was actually a buffet breakfast at the Wave.  We stuffed our faces and we are now ready to start our challenge. Here are some pictures of all the yummy things we ate.

These are my two plates

Round 2

Here are L's plates

Round 2

Thank you Walt Disney World for providing us with such a great meal to start off our challenge. Good luck to us! I encourage you all to give it a try too. A great way to hopefully shed a few extra pounds and stay healthy! Cheers!
-E

Perspective

You know those moments when you think you are having the worst day you could ever imagine and you start complaining and unloading on anyone and anything that will listen? Then you hear about someone that is actually having a bad day and you realize the things you are complaining about are completely trivial in the grand scheme of things. Yeah, well I had one of those days today.  I called my dad to complain about the usual rude guests I deal with in the service industry blah blah blah and then the words just slipped out of my mouth "it was the worst day EVER."  Silence followed that and my dad responded with "I guess you haven't heard".  Nothing good ever follows the statement "I guess you haven't heard".  The news that followed was truly heartbreaking and due to the event being so recent I won't go in to detail.  I will say that one of my good friends is going through one of the most difficult, heart wrenching times I could ever imagine.  How foolish and selfish of me to think that I had it bad because some people were rude to me when I was serving them.  We so often take for granted the little things in life that we always expect to be there, until one day they are gone and we are left with regret from not paying more attention or enjoying the moments we were given.  I guess I should just leave you with the notion that we are all so lucky in our own ways.  Whenever I think I have it bad there is someone out there that has it ten times worse.  The truth is I am so lucky to have everything and everyone that is in my life and I should treasure that every moment I can.
-E

Here are some great substitutes for those cravings that can be so difficult to overcome...I know my weakness is pasta and bread products. I love my carbs, but I am trying to eliminate them from my diet for the most part. I'll let you know if these replacements actually do the job  -E