Sights & Scenes of San Diego

I’m back to share the fun things that we did on our San Diego trip!

THE COLORS | I tend to find color everywhere that I go, but San Diego made it so easy! There were florals in pinks, oranges, yellows, and more everywhere we went. My sister’s boyfriend asked if I was going to take pictures of every single plant we saw. Uh, yes. Yes I will, and yes I did. The donut shop was pastel to the max, the red stop signs all popped among the plethora of green cacti, the old VW buses at the beach took me back to 70s color palettes — I LOVE IT ALL! I’ll spare you though… here’s three.

THE OCEAN | This was Mr. Heid’s first time stepping foot into the Pacific Ocean and he couldn’t contain his excitement (not that he should). Our first ocean trip was to Sunset Cliffs in Point Loma, and the naturally carved cliffs and panoramic views of the Pacific were breathtaking. You can walk right up the edge of the cliffs, which damaged my calm. Full disclosure — I was telling everyone not to get too close to the edges for fear that they might slip and fall. I was definitely unnerved. BUT there are parts where you can make your way closer to the water, which I did with Mr. Heid, and feel the ocean’s mist on your skin.

Our second stop was Mission Beach, where Mr. Heid could actually splash around a bit in the water. The area is a lot more touristy, so there were little shops and food stands everywhere; it had a really cool vibe.

THE HISTORY | Before dinner, we shopped and explored Old Town San Diego. The whole area was established in the late 1700s and has been called “The Birthplace of California” — or so the signs told me. We were there a little late, so we didn’t see many of the live demonstrations, but between the plaques and structures, we were able to learn what life was like there between the late 1700s and early 1900s. It was fascinating and quite pretty.

THE ATTRACTIONS | On our first day, we moseyed through Balboa Park just to see what it was all about and to think about where we wanted to visit when we returned. They have a few museums, some enclosed gardens, and some open garden and water features. We saw a few street artists, heard some live music floating through the air, and saw so. many. succulents. #heaven

When we returned to Balboa, we visited the San Diego Museum of Man. The first exhibit was a history of beer throughout different cultures, which was definitely all new to me. Apparently, in the days of building the pyramids, the Egyptians gave their workers beer because it was filled with nutrients. Today’s beer is definitely not. The next exhibit was about the Mayans, so it felt like a regular museum for a bit there. And then we moved on to exhibits about monsters, race relations, cannibalism, PostSecret, and our relationships with animals.

All the while, I kept forgetting we were in a museum and thinking, “Where am I and why is there a display about this?” Not that there shouldn’t be a display about any of these topics, but I’m so used to museums being about the past. It was odd that I could feel myself being pushed out of my box and into one where a museum could mean examining and exhibiting mankind as a whole here in the present. Every single exhibit was fascinating, and the museum does a great job displayed the information. For example, the exhibit about race and education was set up with desks from a classroom, the display regarding the wage gap included stacks of money labelled by race, delivering a huge and undeniable impact, and the cannibal exhibit included a game of The Oregon Trail where you end with the option to die of starvation or eat a member of your crew.

We headed to the Botanical Building next, which dates back to 1915! It’s filled with gorgeous plants from ceiling to floor, wall to wall. As it turned out, we spent so long in the Botanical Building, that we only had five minutes to tour the space before closing time. So Mr. Heid did a brisk jog through the gardens, stopping along the way to snap a few pics.

We also did a full day at the zoo with our parents! We grew up with Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia, so by comparison visiting the Greenville Zoo has been a bit of a letdown. But the San Diego Zoo is massive and did not disappoint! We stopped for like a solid 20 minutes to watch a very young Orangutan attempt to play with a teeny tiny Siamang baby. The Orangutan picked up the baby Siamang and went to walk away like, “This is my baby now…” and the parents were like, “Not so fast!” You had to be there. Anywho…

There’s one point where it’s faster to get to the other side of the zoo via a sky lift than walking, and Mr. Heid was terrified. The photos I took will supply me with giggles for years to come.

NEXT TIME | Barrio Logan as a whole was full of color and street art! I would love to spend more time there and see what it has to offer, including Chicano Park! Baby Bro showed us a glimpse of the Japanese Friendship Garden that you could see along our walking path; they were closed, but I’d like to take a explore it and their tea pavilion. And maybe this should have been in my last post, but I definitely want to go to Balboa Park’s Food Truck Fridays.

xoxo,

K

Food & Beverages of San Diego

Mr. Heid took a trip with me and my family to San Diego to watch my baby bro graduate! We had a blast and I’m finally sharing the food and beverage side of our trip with you here!

THE PURPOSE | The foremost purpose of heading to San Diego was to watch my Baby Bro graduate and it was my absolute favorite moment of the trip! He looked so excited and proud, as he should be and as we all are! Congrats, Baby Bro — the best is yet to come! The second reason was to explore the City that he’s called home for the past two years.

THE DRINKS | On our first day, Baby Bro took us to a few breweries and a winery. The sours at Sourworx were sooo delicious — they had a few dark sours, which are my favorite. I really wanted one of everything there, but alas… pacing. Bolt Brewery had a super chill atmosphere and apparently Pizza Fridays! We weren’t there on Friday, though...

We hit La Mesa Wine Works next, which is actually a pour room for two wineries. They were doing a BOGO on flights, so our table looked ridiculous and we got a liiiittle goofy. One of our last stops in San Diego was Border X Brewing in Barrio Logan. They boast Mexican craft beer, and their beverages are as unique as their atmosphere! Their walls are covered in doodles by a once-local artist (I think I’m remembering that correctly), and their Blood Saison was on point with its hibiscus and agave flavors.

THE FOOD | Three words. The. Taco. Stand. Baby Bro took us here for our first meal and it was insta-love. You guys know my passion for tacos. I could eat them morning, noon, and night — every meal. Throughout the trip, everyone kept saying, “The taco stand was so good,” “We should go back to the taco stand,” “Remember the churros at the taco stand?” We decided that this restaurant earned a second visit despite our being in a new place with many untried options. So as we were walking down the street, I said, “What is the name of this place anyway?” And everyone simultaneously says, “The Taco Stand!” The whole time we’d been talking about it on the trip, I thought they were just referring to it as a taco stand, not realizing that they were calling it by its actual name.

Their North Park location is so tiny, but everything about it is awesome — corrugated metal menu, the fading painted words on the wall over a line of hot sauce bottles, the little window where you can watch tortillas being made and pork turn on a spit… The food comes out so hot and fresh. And the churros?! They’re melt-in-your-mouth good. UGH! I need a location close to me STAT!

For our first dinner we stopped at Cross Street Chicken & Beer because the reviews were great and the photos were mouth-watering, but we were all a little disappointed. It’s probably my bad for ordering on the assumption that the spice would be spicy-hot versus spicy-literal (meaning the chicken was just covered in some spices of sorts). The good news is that we also stopped into Bing Haus for something to stay warm while we waited to be seated. I got a beautiful Chai tea, while Baby Bro got a Mexican hot chocolate.

The next morning, Mr. Heid and I got up super early to try Rose Donuts and were quite pleased. The donuts were airy, but full of sugary flavor… they reminded me of a little place in my hometown called Daylight Donuts that we frequented when I was a kid. Once everyone else greeted the day, we met up with our parents at Breakfast Republic. I honestly can’t remember what all we ate because everyone took a nibble of what everyone else was having, but I can say that it was all on point! I do remember that my parents ordered a pancake flight and I sipped on a margarita with blanco tequila, ancho verde, lime juice, and some grapefruit Stiegl Radler. It was incredibly refreshing and I should definitely attempt to make my own on our next taco night.

Before Baby Bro’s graduation, the fam went to Cafe 222 where I enjoyed their huevos rancheros. Their restaurant is tiny, so we were lucky to get a seat and not have to wait. After graduation, we celebrated in Little Italy at Buon Appetito Restaurant. The owner seemed to be living his best life, and their food was decadent; thinking about it now has me craving some really good Italian. That same evening, we had a dinner at Cafe Coyote in Old Town San Diego to celebrate my birthday — the food was really flavorful, the carnitas were crispy, the taco was covered in melted cheese, the tamale was legit, the prickly pear margarita was perfect, and the venue was huge, like a colorful maze of classic Mexican decor.

And last, but not least, we hit 85C Bakery Cafe. Serving up Asian and European pastries, their options were different than what I’m used to, but they’re each between $1 and $3, making our visit there an affordable exploration of new things.

NEXT TIME | I’d love to check out Little Italy Food Hall next time I’m in San Diego. Food halls are always fun because you can try a nibble here and there or get a full meal. I’m also willing to eat all of the tacos anyone will give me, and I wouldn’t mind checking out a few more seafood places.

Stay tuned for my next post where I detail our sights and scenes from San Diego!

xoxo,
K

Rollercoaster of Life

People often say that life is a rollercoaster full of ups and downs. This summer, Mr. Heid and I took a ride.

We took our engagement photos, visited San Diego to see my brother graduate, and learned that our friends were pregnant — up! We were saddened to hear that doctors mandated a premature delivery of another other friends’ baby (Baby E) and that Mr. Heid’s grandmother had a stroke — down. We met up with friends who were touring neighborhoods because they’re moving closer to us, our friend got engaged, and Mr. Heid’s grandmother was back home — up! We celebrated the early, yet successful birth of Baby E and Mr. Heid was named her godfather — up! We honored the life of Mr. Heid’s grandmother, as she moved on from this world — down. We celebrated my own grandmother’s birthday — up!

In a matter of days, we went from needing cheerleaders to being cheerleaders, from lending our ears to needing shoulders to cry on, and from celebrating to mourning and then right back to celebrating.

Between the ups and downs, there were odd moments of clarity. Like the moment when I realized that Baby E and Mr. Heid’s grandmother had something in common — spunk. They both fought for their time here on Earth — one, a winner of many battles throughout a long and well-lived life; the other, a winner of the battle to begin her life. Both equally inspiring reminders to appreciate what isn’t promised and to take nothing for granted.

It’s funny how you can grow to love someone in such a short amount of time. When we visited Baby E, we watched her via video chat from just outside of the NICU. You could see the fight in her then — ready to get stronger, grow, and break free.

The day I met Mr. Heid’s grandmother, we had lunch with his whole family. That afternoon, he walked her back to her house. A few moments later, I followed to catch up and overheard her say, “I like her, you should keep her around.” Mr. Heid had turned to look over his shoulder as she spoke. He caught my eye, smiled, and said, “You can tell her yourself.”

When she was on the mend from her stroke, we were visiting in the hospital. She was sassing Mr. Heid, cracking jokes, and talking about how she was planning to ace her therapy and get back home (which she did). That day, she looked at me, smiling and said, “Keira Heider.” She paused and said, “I’m so sorry that I can’t make it to the wedding.”

Mr. Heid and I know she’ll be there. And just like she did, I smile at the thought of becoming Mrs. Heid. There’s no one I’d rather be on this rollercoaster of life with.

Some seasons of life are smoother, and others are even bumpier than this. No matter what you’re going through, just know that ups do follow the downs.

xoxo,

K

This is Thirty

The other day, my sister told me that she’d been chatting with our Gramma and trying to figure out how old one of our cousins was. So naturally, they did the counting game — you know the one… “How old is Remy? Well let’s see, I’m 34 and Lucy is 10 years older than me… and Winston is four years younger than her… and Nora was born a year later… she and Remy are ten years apart, so he has to be pushing 50 now…”

We’ve all been there. Well, my Gramma is an easy-to-remember forty years older than me, so they started with her age and realized I’d be 31 this year. And then she said I was old. Seriously?! The to-be-71-year-old woman called me old? She cracks me up — Gramma’s got jokes.

Anyway, all that to say that it’s my birth month and 31 does sound old. But as I reflect on the year, I discovered that a lot of good came out of year thirty and you’re never too old to learn new things:

• I GOT ENGAGED

• I lost twenty pounds

• I played a song on the ukulele

• My family and I took a day trip to Charleston

• I took a much needed girls trip with my besties

• I painted for the first time since college

• I went ice skating for the first time since fourth grade

• I started a big renovation project at work that I’ve been working toward for three years

• I went to five concerts — the lineup included: Frank Turner & the Sleeping Souls, The Menzingers, The Homeless Gospel Choir, Bad Cop, Bad Cop, Sam Coffey & the Iron Lungs, Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band, Masked Intruder, The Interrupters, and John Mellencamp. Mostly punk, guys. Sorry, not sorry.

It was also a year of many firsts:

• I saw a scorpion IRL for the first time ever - we named him Tubby since we found him in a bathtub

• My sister, friend, and I won second place at trivia (hey. small things count. don’t judge.)

• Mr. Heid and I got into a sport — it was hockey, and no, I still wouldn’t say we’re sports fans…

• I finally got a passport — hello, travel!

• I ate my FIRST ice cream cone EVER (thank you, Jeni’s for making that experience delicious AF)

And of course, countless good times with my family and friends. Thirty was a good year for me. Here’s praying and being intentional toward many more good years.

xoxo,

K

P.S. Does anyone else use their friends’ and family’s pets’ names as their examples in an anecdote, or is that just me? At least I use the human names and not, “Mr. Tinkles!”

Makers Guide | Expectant Moms

I’m at that point in life where many within my circle of friends are getting married (me!) or having babies.

Years back, I was invited to a coworker’s baby shower and she didn’t have a registry. I had no clue what to purchase and asked my mom for advice. She said, “Well, they can never have enough diapers, and no one ever seems to get books for babies.”

I grew up a bookworm — had one wherever I went, read multiple at a time, and had bookmarks in the middle of several on my shelf. Somewhere along the line, I lost time to read for fun (probably thanks to the school system where we were forced to read only books with tragic plot lines). But I believe every kid should learn how to read and have access to as many books as possible, so why shouldn’t we give babies books?!

So I put together a gift basket with some books, some essentials, and something adorable (but like, what baby item isn’t adorable).

Since there are so many new babies entering the friend circle, and I LOVE curating gift packages, this seems like the perfect time to share the things I’m eyeing for my new mommy friends out there. In addition to all the books, I’m also loving these handmade, small-shop items:

ONE | This I Believe in Naps Onesie by Chalkfulloflove is too cute. I should take the message to heart and start taking a few power naps myself!

TWO | The Austin Moonstone Teething Necklace from Chewable Charm is practical and fashionable.

THREE | cuddle+kind’s hand-knit dolls, like Avery the Lamb, are adorable and give back meals to those in need. You can also purchase these dolls in bundles (eep! fraaands!!)

FOUR | These cloud bookends by Z Create Design go with practically any theme and hold up all those books that I’ll be gifting.

FIVE | Loving this minimalist Poppyseed Play grey and natural wood baby gym! Now, where do I get that rug?

SIX | Sun and Lace has the most precious little leather shoes. These and these are my faves!

SEVEN | I am almost always down for anything colorblocking, including this blanket by Blabla.

EIGHT | Eeep! I can’t even handle this giraffe rattle from Blabla. They also have an elephant!

NINE | Timber Sprout Toys’ wooden rainbow blocks are so pretty. It can serve as a display while baby’s too little, can be played as a stacking toy while baby’s learning motor skills, and can be separated for more play options as baby gets older.

TEN | This baby book box from Stash + Story gives parents the option to use page packs and/or to add their own pages and documents.

I think I could look at and share baby things aaallll day, but I’ll stop here. Know someone who’s bringing a new tiny human into the world? I’d love to hear what you’re gifting!

xoxo

K

Earth Day

It’s so easy to get caught up in our day-to-day activities and what’s coming up next that we often forget to stop and take a moment to just appreciate everything around us. This Earth is beautiful and the nature it produces is absolutely stunning.

When I see something beautiful in nature, I do my best to take a moment to stop, soak it in, and snap a picture. Below are a few of those snapshots from my camera roll. For each one, I can remember where I was and what I was heading off to do — heading into work, grabbing pizza with new friends, running into PetSmart to buy Keiko some food, riding home after a storm, relaxing on a boat, etc.

Looking back on these snapshots in this way, reminds me to continue to take the time to dwell in nature, to not rush so much, and to always keep in mind that we share this Earth with fellow humans, wild creatures, beautiful plants, and organisms so tiny that we can’t even see them.

If you haven’t taken a moment to appreciate your planet today or do something nice for Mother Earth today, I hope you’ve been inspired to do so! But if my words and pictures aren’t enough, maybe some of these links will be:

• @discoverearth (this one is stunning) and @usinterior on Insta

• How to Care for Potted Plants from Real Simple

• Today’s Google Doodle

• These quizzes and techniques quizzes for making small changes and a big impact

• Everything you need to know about recycling by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

• “Earth” a music video by Lil Dicky

I know it’s the end of the day in this time zone, but let’s be real… Earth Day is every day. Let’s remember to respect this planet, take care of it, and admire it.

xoxo

K

Friday Five.

ONE | I just saw this article about Chick-fil-A having cheese sauce, mac and cheese, and brownies — what?! I want to try all of these.

TWO | Mr. Heid and I have gotten a few things done in our house lately! We scored a super nice mid-century bedroom set at an estate sale, which allowed us to move some furniture (albeit mismatched) into the guest room. We also bought an inexpensive bed frame for the guest bed to finally get it off of the floor.

We found a cheap fridge via Facebook Marketplace — it was a little horrific, but it cleaned up beautifully. It’s now in our bar area and serves as our beer/wine fridge! We plan to give it a few coats of chalk paint and new hardware and make one side of it a kegerator.

For the living room, we purchased couch covers so that they’d finally match (because a new couch is too expensive right now). We also hung three things on our walls - a bulletin board and dry-erase board in the office and a vintage metal butcher sign in the kitchen.

And finally, we thrifted some frames from several places. Are they filled and hanging on the walls, you ask? Let’s not talk about that…

Our whole house needs work, but progress is progress!

THREE | Cookie Monster hosted an AMA and it’s precious! quick glimpse | full thread

FOUR | Let’s talk television for a minute. Mr. Heid and I finally got back around to Man in the High Castle — holy cow what a ride! We definitely had to re-watch two episodes just to make sense of where we’d left off. *SPOILERS* I so so so wanted Joe to be good… maybe simply because he’s so handsome? I know they’re talking about different realms so perhaps he is good in another one, but I was sincerely hoping he’d pull through for this reality. Ugh. And it may be a long shot, but I’m hoping John Smith makes a big turn for the good. *END SPOILERS* I also just read that this next season will be the last. I hate to see it end, but I respect shows ending before they become bad *cough* Walking Dead *cough*

Then we discovered Netflix’s adaptation of The Umbrella Academy and were immediately sucked in. We watched the first few episodes on Sunday after I got home from our first event of the season and then we finished it Monday. So. freakin. good. I cannot say enough good things, so I won’t even try. If you’ve seen it, you should check out this article. If you haven’t seen it, go watch it and then come speculate with me as to what happens next!

A few weekends ago, we also binge watched Agatha Christie’s The ABC Murders (January presented a solid down-time for us haha). Rupert Grint plays the new inspector and Mr. Heid could not see that he was the same actor who played Ron Weasley — I die. But speaking of Harry Potter actors, I have high hopes for TBS’s Miracle Workers.

FIVE | Hoooow do I get tickets to Beetlejuice: The Musical?!

Cheers to the weekend! I could use some relaxation, sunshine, tacos and a good cup of chai. I hope your soul gets whatever it is that you need!

xoxo,

K