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Hi all, hope your July was awesome! Mine started out pretty rough but ended with me in a pretty dang good place. If you do a favorites type blog post or vlog, definitely let me know in the comments because I love reading and/or watching them!

S. by J.J. Abrams and Doug Dorst: $22.47
Ben’s coworkers originally told him about this book when they were discussing 10 Cloverfield Lane at dinner one night. The book S. was conceived by J.J. Abrams and written by Doug Dorst and you can really feel J.J.’s influence on it. I don’t want to give too much away, Ben told me to not read anything about the book before reading it and I didn’t. So you shouldn’t either. Buy it, read the outside of the box, then dive into the book. I will admit a LITTLE bit of disappointment at the end but the journey to get there is well worth it!

Too Faced Primed & Poreless: $30.00
I’ve been battling super oily skin for about… 37 years now? My mom tells me that she was the same way and that when I go through menopause my skin and hair will dry out and I think I’m the only woman in the world that’s actually looking forward to going through that change! In one respect I’m lucky because I look younger than I am because the oil keeps my skin from wrinkling at all. In all other respects it SUCKS. I really hate how oily my face gets by the end of the day and the large pore look that’s common with oily skin so I picked up some of this Too Faced Primed & Poreless and I LOVE IT. There is a more matte version for sensitive skin that I’ve heard is supposed to be even better for oily skin so I might try and pick some of that up eventually but I have to use such a small amount I don’t think I’ll need any new primer for a good 6 months!

Best Internet Video: FREE! & Pokémon Go!: FREE!
I am a Pokémon Go fangirl. NO SHAME HERE #TeamMystic So when I came across this video the other day I watched it over and over and over. I LOVE it. When Jeanine, Julie and her boys and I were all Pokémon hunting this weekend we did this dance quite often. Nobody even looked at us like we were weird because the Pokémon family is awesome. Surrounded by other players, everybody interacting, talking, laughing, having fun and exploring. I know Niantic is taking a lot of heat but, honestly, videos like this one and the kind of awesome experience I had this weekend, TOTALLY WORTH IT. No app launches without some glitches and I’m excited to see how the game grows in the future.

I’d been trying since yesterday morning when I first saw the story about Dani Mathers to write a blog post about it but no matter how hard I tried I wasn’t able to properly convey just how I felt about it. On the way home today I figured I might as well just sit down and talk it out on video. So here you go. My take on this which TL;DR is Don’t Be Dani Mathers!

Also, I was two glasses of Moscato in at this point so. There’s that.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Celluwipes for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

Did you know the amount of bacteria on an average cell phone is 10 times higher than the amount of bacteria on a toilet seat!? I wasn’t really aware till I watched this video from Celluwipes and promptly threw my phone across the room in disgust. I mean, let’s face it, we’re all sitting on the toilet playing Two Dots these days. Even if you wash your hands after doing the deed, there are airborne particulates galore floating around in there and they will land on everything.

*shudder*

Then I started thinking about all the times I’ve sneezed with my phone in my hand. Or spent time in the hospital. Or set it down on the counter at a store. All these scenarios running through my head was enough to sell me on a wipe that’s safe for electronics and also kills bacteria, germs and viral organisms! And according to all the Amazon reviews they aren’t super wet like other cleaning wipes you’ve come to know and love. So they clean electronics (not just cell phones but your PDA, MP3s, smart phones, digital cameras, or handheld gaming device) safely and quickly! Make sure to enter the Rock Your Phone Giveaway they are having right now too! They are offering up some awesome prizes like a Moment Lens & Case!

I’ve been in a low place. I’m struggling. It sucks. But I put on my brave face every day and carry on and try as hard as possible not to let it affect the people around me. Yesterday at the post office they lost a “certified letter” I received a notice for. Certified letters are generally pretty important so I was standing at the counter trying not to fall apart emotionally but I just kept smiling and telling them to take their time and be thorough. It took them about 25 minutes to figure out it was just a package of Shakeology and had been mislabeled. As I left the manager thanked me for being so patient and nice during the wait.

Then I sat in my car in the parking lot and cried for 10 minutes.

And this post isn’t about seeking comfort. If I thought you could do that I’d tell you how but I know better. What I do want to do is just to remind everybody to remember that everybody is going through something. Everybody.

Today on the way home from work I noticed a lot of SJPD bike cops and patrol cars heading North and I remembered that there was a funeral procession today for officer Michael Katherman and they must be heading back into town after the funeral which was in Gilroy. I decided to take the back way home because traffic was building up ahead and saw what must have been 50 or more guys on Harleys with American flags. Most of them had larger American flags rolled up and stored on their bikes.

And I had to pull over and take a second to breathe through the tears.

I know they weren’t there to support me. They don’t even know that I exist. But just the thought that these people all showed up to stand on the side of the road, flags waving, saluting this fallen hero as he passed made my heart swell. That there is so much love in the world was a little overwhelming. That there was so much love in this world out there directed at a COMPLETE STRANGER was I guess exactly what my heart needed right now in the wake of my personal problems, and mass shootings, and an annoyingly volatile campaign raging on.

So this is just your reminder to be nice. I know you have stuff happening in your life too. We all do. EVERYBODY.

But your simple smile. Your simple Thank You. Your simply holding the door for the person behind you. You have no idea how powerfully these tiny simple gestures can be to a stranger.

Somebody had a miscarriage today.
Somebody lost a pet today.
Somebody got laid off today.
Somebody’s car broke down today.
Somebody got devastating cancer news today.
Somebody lost their house in a fire today.
Somebody had to bury their fallen hero today.

Just be nice. It’s so easy to do.

All photos thanks to: Emilia Horta Designs and Photography

I’ve been going through some personal behind the scenes stuff so while Ben was out of town last week I decided make some time to get out in nature and took the dogs for some hikes. I left my ear phones at home so that I wouldn’t be tempted to tune out to podcasts. Just me and the dogs and the wind and the birds and my thoughts on a hike. It was awesome.

And in true Anna fashion, blonde moments were had. On Sunday I decided to do a favorite hike that I don’t do NEARLY enough and hit up the UVAS hike. It’s a challenging hike but shaded and beautiful and has waterfalls which is rare in California. Water that isn’t salty is a novelty.

Before I even left I had to go back up the stairs about 15 times. Forgot the bug spray is upstairs. Forgot my socks upstairs. Forgot my sunglass upstairs. Found my shoes finally upstairs, etc. For a second I was like HIKE DONE! But then just laughed it off and just a really good warmup.

The normal loop I do at UVAS is a 2.6 mile loop and when I got to a point where I would normally take a turn, I looked at the map and saw a trail I had never taken before called Triple Falls and decided to check it out. It was going to add about 2.5 miles but my legs were feeling great, the dogs were still full of energy and it was such a beautiful day outside so I went for it.

The last .2 mile was TOUGH, lots of short but very steep uphill climbs to the base of the falls and I was really happy to see the marker at the end of the trail. I’m glad I did though, it was a beautiful trail, the views from the hills were AMAZING and the falls at the end were fun for the dogs to splash around in to cool off and get a good drink.

I sat on the ground and ate a banana while the dogs chases each other around, splashing through the water. It was deserted and quiet and peaceful and cool and exactly what I needed.

On the way back down that .2 mile trail I felt energized and also very happy to be going DOWN now instead of UP. The dogs were jumping around and chasing each other back and forth and just being silly dogs. It wasn’t till I got to the end of that trail section that I thought I should put them back on leash because I had seen people before on that section of the trail… and that the leashes were not with me. They were .2 miles back UP the trail where I had been sitting to enjoy some quiet time.

Red is the line I normally take. The arrows are where I let my blonde out.

DAMMIT!

So I hiked back up, which the dogs thought was AWESOME because MORE WATER PLAYTIME. More time to think. More time to listen to the world around me. More time to enjoy life. More.

So here is the point of this post. This is why I hike. And also why I need adult supervision.

This is where I left the leashes:

Yesterday Ben and I pulled into a Starbucks drive through and I saw that they have S’mores frappuccinos.

S’MORES. FRAPPUCCINOS. YOU GUYS!

Me: Can they make frapps with soy milk?
Ben: I’m sure but you can ask.
Me: I want a grande soy caramel frappuccino with no whipped cream.

So Ben pulls up to the magic talking order box.

Ben: Can you do frappuccinos with soy milk?
Magical Talking Order Box: Yes!
Ben: Okay, I’ll have a venti s’mores frappuccino with soy and no whipped cream.
Me: *HOLY SHIT BEN IS ORDERING A FRAPPUCCINO! QUICK, LOOK AT ALL THE SNOW IN HELL!*
Magical Talking Order Box: There’s whipped cream on the bottom, that’s what makes it “s’mores”, so you don’t want that either right?
Ben: There can be NO DAIRY at all in the drink.
Me: Wait, are you ordering this for me!?
Ben: *The Look*
Me: I wanted a CARAMEL frap with no whipped cream.
Ben: I’m sorry, can I make that a CARAMEL frapp? My wife has said a lot of things.
Me: Grande.
Ben: *The Look. AGAIN.*

I got a venti soy caramel frap with no whipped cream. And a lot of looks.

Then as we were pulling up to the window I pulled up my app so that he could use it to pay and set it on the center console. Then he pulled almost PAST the window which I thought was odd but he joked with the barista about it and off she went to make our drink.

Then he got his debit card out to pay.

Me: Wait, no use the app.
Ben: *more of The Look*
Me: No REALLY. Use the app, it’s 11 points!
Ben: *smile*
Me: BEN! I NEED YOU TO USE THE APP. WE NEED THE POINTS FOR FREE COFFEE.
Ben: *still smiling*
Me: WHY AREN’T YOU SAYING ANYTHING! BEN! IT’S 11 POINTS! I JUST GOT A FREE COFFEE! YOU NEED TO USE THE APP!
Ben: *laughing hysterically*
Me: THIS IS NOT FUNNY! THIS IS VERY SERIOUS. BEN, I’M SERIOUS! YOU HAVE TO USE THE APP!
Barista: It will just be a second.
Me: DON’T TAKE THE CARD! I HAVE MY PHONE!
Ben: *laughing harder*
Me: OMG IS THIS WHY YOU PULLED UP SO FAR SO I COULDN’T SEE THE BARISTA AND TELL HER TO TAKE MY PHONE!
Ben: Yep!
Me: BEN I’M SERIOUS! YOU’RE MAKING ME CRY!
Ben: You’re crying because you are laughing so hard.
Me: BUT STILL! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME!?
Ben: Because you are predictable and I knew it would be funny.
Me: But you’re paying with my phone, right?
Ben: I was never going to use my card.
Me: I HATE YOU SO MUCH!
Ben: *grin*
Me: SO MUCH!

PS – I don’t really hate him. He teases my like this daily. DAILY.

While browsing Target for something to finally start decoration my master bedroom walls:

Cassidy: Look, this one says, “This home is filled with Happiness and Love.”
Me: Is there one that says, “This home is filled with sarcasm and farts?” Because I feel like that would be more appropriate.
Lady in the next aisle: *snorting while trying to hide laughter*
Cassidy: *shrug*

Lately I’ve been trying to find more vegetarian or vegan recipes to make at home. We haven’t cut meat completely, we still eat fish a few times a week and occasionally get chicken when out to eat, but we don’t have it at home and I found that most of my recipes had either chicken or turkey as a main ingredient so I’ve been scouring the internet to find great recipes that make everybody in the family happy.

So I came across this really delicious Thai Quinoa Salad on Foodie Crush the other day and knew from the flavor profile that we’d all LOVE it. I’m linking the original which you should ABSOLUTELY try but there are a few things I had to change because Ben can’t have onions and I can’t have cabbage. So here is my version:

Salad:
1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups veggie stock (to cook quinoa)
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and shredded (I use a mandoline for this)
1 cucumber, de-seeded and peeled
1 cup edamame
½ cup chopped peanuts
½ cup chopped cilantro
¼ cup chopped basil
1 whole avocado, chopped

Sauce:
4 teaspoons fish sauce (my cousin told me you can get vegan fish sauce which will make this a completely vegan recipe)
3 limes, juiced
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1 teaspoon sesame oil
pinch of red pepper flakes

Cook quinoa in veggie stock according to package and let cool. Add all the other salad ingredients and stir. Combine sauce ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Add to salad, stir. EAT! Tastes better when it has some time to sit and cool first and even better the next day.

I double the recipe and we have it as a main dish but it would also make an excellent side dish.

I thought I’d put together a little Mother’s Day gift guide. There are so many different types of moms out there so I just thought about things that I’d love to receive. You know your mom best! Think about what she loves to do, what her hobbies are, things that make her happy and I’m sure you’ll find her the perfect gift. Here are some ideas to get you started!

Lush Mother’s Day Gift Set ($59.95): If your mom enjoys a bath like this mom does then this will be a gift that’s put to some very good use. I try and get a bath in at least twice a week and every bath I take I use either a bath bomb or, my favorite, a bubble bar. I have been a Lush believer since my very first purchase there a few years ago and rely on them exclusively for my hair care, the majority of my skin care and ALL of my bath time perfection.

Funko Pop BB8 ($8.99): I started collecting Funko Pops awhile ago. I tried REALLY REALLY hard to resist them for over a year then I saw a Borg Locutus Pop one day when I was in Barnes and Noble and I HAD to have it. Since then I’ve been collecting them from all the geeky fandoms I love and lining them up on the half wall in my little corner of our computer loft. I also have a Sherlock Pop on my printer at work. They are just cute and make me smile.

The Bouqs Company Ladybug Arrangement ($50.00): I LOVE having fresh flowers at home. When I do my weekly grocery shopping trip I always stop by the floral department and pick out some fresh flowers for the living room and/or my bedroom. I know a lot of people think that flowers are kind of an afterthought gift but if you know they are something your mom might love then I say to go for it. Even though they are temporary, they are an awesome and delicious smelling reminder that you love her. Bouqs even offers a subscription service so if you want, you can give a gift that will last for the year!

Mug from The Hold Fastery on Etsy ($14.99): I have know Britney online for, SO MANY YEARS NOW. She was one of the very first blogs I followed regularly and it’s been really neat to watch her grow, get married, start a family and make really cool stuff! As a legitimate coffee addict, I have collected many cheeky mugs and absolutely fell in love with hers when she started selling them. I’ve already purchased this one for myself because it holds so much truth in our household. She also has some cute and witty Mother’s Day Mugs available for purchase too!

Hummingbird Feeder ($27.17): I came across HUMMINGBIRDSXOXO on Instagram the other day. She lives here in California and feeds hummingbirds every day in her back yard. She even has hand held feeders and she’s been feeding them long enough to have earned their trust so they will come perch on her hands to eat that way! Since then I’ve been hunting for new feeders to hang in my back yard and I really love these hand blown glass ones on Amazon. We already have quite a few of them that fly in to feed off the flowers in the yard so I know if we had a few dedicated feeders we’d have quite a few to watch!

General Disclaimer: None of these are affiliate links and I’m not being paid in any way for this blog post. These are all just products I really love and thought I’d share in case you all need some Mother’s Day ideas.

About a month ago I put this sticker on my car. I saw it when I was buying a Feel The Bern shirt and it made me laugh so I added it onto the order as an afterthought. I didn’t buy it intending to put it on my car, I was thinking that I’d stick it on my PC or iPad cover, but Ben and I both laughed about it again when I got the package so I put it on the car just to be cheeky.

The response has been mostly comical. Right after I got it Julie and I took the kids to the beach in Santa Cruz and a couple of guys behind us at a stoplight were pointing at it and cracking up. I’ve also seen two people take photos of it at stop lights.

I thought that eventually I’d get a comment or a dirty look from somebody but living in a pretty liberal area, I was starting to think that I’d never have to deal with that… Till today.

I’d been cruising down 85 in the middle lane for over 15 miles. There were no cars in the left lane for awhile and a motorcycle slowed as it passed me on the left and I could see him do a double take at the back of my car. When he got to just in front of my window he revved his motor to get my attention then flipped me off. I just went with my standard response to finding myself at the receiving end of the middle finger. I smiled as big as I could and waved as enthusiastically as possible. He shook his head, flipped me off one more time and sped away.

And I laughed hysterically then had this exchange with Ben once I got home.

I really do think it’s so funny because all he accomplished was giving me a good chuckle and making me even more happy to be Feeling The Bern! I only wish he knew how spectacularly his finger flip backfired.