When I think about home...

I think of San Diego. Even though I grew up and spent 17 years of my life in Orange County, California I really identify more with that beautiful city down south. I moved there to go to college (aka: best four years of your life) in 2005 and fell in love.

It is big, beautiful, casual, sunny, happy, free, new, old, exciting, relaxing..everything you could ever want. I have not found a city that I feel such a strong connection with as I do with Sdeezey. I have found myself really reminiscing about life in SD lately. I can actually feel my body longing for it. I think I'm just looking for some comfort and familiarity, maybe? I hope that one day I will be able to build my life there, we will see! Until then, I will be visiting it as much as possible when I am back in the US.

A friend of mine posted this on facebook this morning and I thought it was a great video and it made me miss this city even more! It really captures the energy and beauty of San Diego and shows you some hidden gems like one of my favorite parks - Kate Sessions. Click here to check out the world's finest city in hyper-speed! It's a beautiful video, worth the click, promise!


A quick little skip down memory lane? Okay, if you insist! ;)

Eat, Drink, Be a Tourist!

For the record, Paris is way more awesome with Mike here...which means its pretty mind blowingly cool. We are off to spend the day in Montmarte and enjoying as many pastries as we can hold. 


Today my old friend Kelsey is here to talk to you about her favorite things in life. She loves all the good stuff which is why she is so wonderful. I was lucky enough to get to know Kelsey in college, being in the same sorority...we had some good times :)


We are also both Orange County girls who fell in love with San Diego. Make sure to stop over at her blog and pick up some great tips on eating, drinking and traveling. All the world's greatest things.  Have a lovely weekend!


hi friends! kelsey here from eat drink be a tourist! i'm excited to be taking over brit's blog as she's exploring paris with her lover boy. boy am i jealous! i remember when i was lucky enough to travel to france - paris was definitely one of my favorite stops. such a beautiful city. i'm so happy for britt to be able to follow her passion of baking and pastry. so in honor of britt's inspiring passion, today i'm going to let you in on some of my passions. and who knows, maybe one day one of them will take me to paris!

traveling 

i love to travel.  whether it be to a city an hour away, a different state, or a different country.  i love exploring new places and soaking up all that i can.  i love learning about new cultures and traditions, eating new food and seeing all the historic sights that i can.  i dream about where i want to travel to next and even find myself looking at plane tickets to exotic destinations when i'm bored.

baseball

i have played softball since i was about 5 years old and have always had a passion for it.  i have grown up a dodger fan (thanks dad!) and can honestly say one of my favorite places to be is at a baseball game.  i love the atmosphere - the fans, the noise, the excitement of the game.  to me, there's no better way to spend a summer night than watching a game with a cold beer in hand.  

music

if i were to put a theme song to my life, it would be a toss up between journey's "don't stop believing" and the beatles "obla di obla da".  i love all genres of music - from oldies but goodies & classic rock to country & dubstep.  i love driving with my windows down and music up.  there's always a song for any occasion.  my love for music stems from growing up listening to my parents music, back then music was something special.  mix that with the fact that i play the piano and you've got yourself a recipe for an extreme love of music. 

cooking 

ok let's be real, food is my real passion.  but that might make me sound like a fatty if i made that the main focus, haha.  i love to cook.  i love trying new recipes and seeing the reactions of the people eating my food.  i also love to try new restaurants and new types of food.  i've learned that trying new food is one of the best way to broaden your horizons.  plus, food is yummy, and you really can't argue with that point.

so there you have it - four things i'm passionate about.  i can't wait to one day live out my dreams and hold a career in a field im absolutely passionate about, just like brit will soon be doing.  you go girl!

what are some things you are passionate about? come stop by my blog and let me know!  

you can also find me on twitter & pinterest!!

thanks for having me brit! xoxo

French Cuisine in San Diego

I have been overwhelmed by the amount of incredible food here. The Parisian lifestyle is really centered around eating well, and they do just that. Now, you might be thinking that you don't really like French food very much, but do you really know what French cuisine is? 

If you are thinking of frog legs and snails, then you've got it all wrong. Yes, they do eat these things but there is SO much more on the menu! You have probably eaten more French inspired plates than you think. 

I am surrounded by food in every direction in this city but today I find myself day dreaming of a little French restaurant in Ocean Beach, California. Bo Beau's. Ah, what I would do for some of their brussel sprouts. Yes, you read that right...brussel sprouts. To. Die. For.

{and some of that San Diego sunshine wouldn't be so bad right about now}

I was introduced to this restaurant by one of my greatest friends Amanda (I miss you!). We went with another friend, Chantel (I miss you too Chantelly!) to have dinner and some much needed girl time. It was a meal to remember. 

 wine

 brussel sprouts 

beouf boruguinon

As the French would say, "Ohh la la!" it was good.

I miss my friends and those delicious little veggies.

Now, go eat already!

Bon Appetit!

Goodbye San Diego!

Wow, moving out and packing your life into two suitcases is exhausting business! I can't believe that in less than 24 hours I will be on a flight to Paris! I knew the time would fly by but wooooah it went fast!

Mike and I moved out of our little Pacific Beach apartment a few days ago. We had a fun last couple days while packing. When everything is in boxes, what do you do? Get paper plates and plastic cups and indulge in really classy things like $5 wine, chex mix and bagel bites. I know you are probably super jealous of our awesome-ness, its understandable.

We also made a quick stop at one of PB's treasures. Shore Club. We went at sunset and watched the sun go down over the ocean and shared some drinks and dinner. It was a perfect little tribute to the past year and a half we had in this cute little town. I will miss PB a lot but I know we will be back for visits. We can't go the rest of our lives without another trip to Mad Dog's Cafe. :)

My parents threw me an awesome going away party on Saturday. I am so blessed to have such great friends and family who are willing to come up to Orange County to celebrate with me. I loved every minute of it and I hope all our guests did too! We had berets, feathers, mustaches, photo booth area and most importantly...crepes for dinner! Crepes Bonaparte from the Great Food Truck Race catered the dinner and dessert and it was a huge hit!

Now, the hype is over and reality has hit. It is my very last night in the states. I'm ready.

Paris, I'm coming for you!!

1 week to lift off

I was born and raised in South Orange County, CA. My family vacationed in places like Hawaii, San Diego, and Mexico. I moved away for college to San Diego and haven't left.

Lets think about this: OC, Hawaii, SD, Mexico...what do all these places have in common?

Blazing hot sun and beaches stretching all around them.

I have lived my whole life in a perpetual state of summertime and it is my favorite luxury. We pay for the good weather in California.

I never want to trade it for anything...oh wait...I am.

Today I am in jean shorts, my trusty old rainbow sandals and a light blue cotton tee. And I'm still hot.

I am about to put my favorite go-to outfits and sandals into hibernation and trade in some rain boots, jeans and layers and layers of sweaters. Not to mention a chef's uniform.

Boots and layers I can pull off. Chefs coat and hat...that is going to be a new one.

I leave one week from today and am feeling more nervous but more excited every hour. The boxes are starting to fill up with things from our life here in the SD apartment and Taylor is a little confused.

What confuses me....every time I look at this:

uhhh....?? what??