Ricardo A Breceda Sculpture Garden

We ran into our old neighbors from Camp Pen a few weeks ago here in town. It was a Friday night and they were "escaping" the confines of the base to try out a new restaurant. It's always strange to think no matter what size community you live in, there is a certain need to "escape" every once in awhile. No matter how lovely or how ugly the current life station is, we should be encouraged to make the most of it. Here is your encouragement ;)

It's no secret I have an adventurous side. On the regular, I may not necessarily need to get out of town but I want to see something new! When I'm on a break from work, I want to explore. It's the way I refresh. Recently,  I found some information about a local art display by Ricardo Breceda. This artist is a genius with metal. I first saw his work on Ramblings of a Marine Wife blog when she roadtripped out to the desert and posted these amazing pictures of his sculptures in Borrengo Springs. I was intrigued. Only recently did I discover he is a local artist with his own display nearby. I knew I couldn't convince my husband to take me on a road trip to the desert but down the road would be no problem.

On the outskirts, you will find the sculpture garden. It's not a large area but there is plenty to see. It took about 20 minutes to walk around the grounds. The kids were entertained and the adults too. A great way to break up a slow paced weekend day!

Oceanside Pier

Some places never get old! Oceanside Pier is one of those places. We've lived here nearly 13 cumulative years and Oceanside Pier is our tried and true. My mother in law is here visiting and she has done the pier walk as many years as my husband has been stationed in SoCal. And we are going to keep taking her as long as we live here ;)

Oceanside is a bit seedy, let's not fool ourselves, but there is something endearing about an old wooden pier that withstands the test of time.

WIWW 49

Happy Wednesday. Sending you positive thoughts for a warm wintery day!

This is my current favorite outfit. The LOVE shirt is from J.Crew Factory. I haven't ever shopped J.Crew before but I'm now in love with there tees. They are trendy enough to layer up with my business casual attire and wear to work. I'm comfy yet professional enough for a childcare setting. Another new style to my wardrobe is the waterfall cardigan from Ann Taylor Loft. Love that thing too :)

This top is new to the wardrobe from Daniel Rainn. I noticed it's a Stitchfix shirt but I got mine at a fraction of the cost from ThredUP.com.

Tried and true outfit you've probably seen 15 times. This Old Navy sweater is my go to. When in doubt, green Old Navy sweater.

This is just a mix and match of some oldies from the closets. I just throw it all together and hope I can pull it off. 

Creating my 101 Things in 1001 Days List

If life is so short, why do we do so many things we don’t like and like so many things we don’t do?
To start the new year off, I decided to create a 101 things in 1001 days list. I love the idea of a bucket list for seasons or life or before a certain birthday. I think it's my desire to create lists regardless of importance. List makers unite!

The 101 things seemed like a good way to keep myself on track. I don't know if you feel this same way but I always think of all the things I would like to do in my life. I have created a mental bucket list with a few important things on it.  One of the few is to take a trip to New York City. Even though I have wanted to make the trip, I continuously put it off. I always think this is the year...then we purposely plan a vacation somewhere else. I have done this same thing with another goal recently. I want to read 25 books this year. A goal to help me use my free time better and educate myself. Wouldn't you know, I still find myself clicking around the Internet in my free time. Do you fall into these bad habits of personal sabotage too? Wasting time on things you don't really like and never doing the things you actually enjoy? 

I waste so much free time in this way. I can't help be frustrated with myself. I don't even know why I do this. Do I have a subconscious desire to "punish" myself? Am I too insecure to break out of my comfort zone? Scared to feel disappointed if it doesn't turn out the way I hoped? Or am I just too lazy to spend my energy doing something worthwhile? Maybe it's a little bit of everything? If you do the same, can you pinpoint what keeps you from not doing what you love?

In order to stop this maddening cycle I took a day or two before New Year's Day to write out my 101 Things in 1001 Days list. I figured this list spanning over 2.75 years would break that nasty habit of putting off til tomorrow. Plus, it helps with my 2015 resolution to be more authentic and make more decisions true to who I am. I wouldn't want to give up on that goal just yet ;) I hope the list would keep me purposeful in my actions. Stop wasting time doing the worthless activities that never really refresh me.

I have really tried to commit to accomplishing this list. I found the key to staying on track with your 101 list is to average completing one thing every 10 days. Another motivator is  to stock away money every time you complete one thing. Both actions keep you accountable and encouraged. As of February 1st, I have completed three things and sealed three separate envelopes with my reward money. 2017 seems so far off but I'm excited to keep up with these goals and stop wasting time on the stuff I don't like so much. 

I'm interested...do you have a 101 things list? A bucket list? Heck, even a shopping list :) Research shows putting things in writing is a bigger motivator than keeping it stored in your brain. Something to think about ;)

A Day At The Beach

I know SuperBowl Sunday is not suppose to be spent at the beach. But we aren't big Seahawks and Patriot fans. I bribed Z to ride along to Camp Pendleton with me. I needed to go to the commissary for our monthly haul. Yes, we still buy our groceries on base. I have done the math every which way and if you buy a lot of stuff, the commissary is the way to go. I also like to get books at the base library. I find Camp Pendleton library has a better selection of books than our city library. I also like that it's quiet... and the people are nicer.

Once you get to the front gate of base, you can't hardly help but go down to Del Mar Beach. The best beach in California! The beach is empty when it's not summer. And there is plenty of parking. If you live near an ocean, then you know these are big wins for a beach. Z and I took an hour and walked the shoreline. I love going to the beach in winter. There is a enough of a chill in the air but the sun is still warm. All these beautiful views on a Sunday afternoon has me feeling like I hit the reset button. Recharged and ready for another work week! The beach is definitely my happy place.