I'm On VINE!

Hey guys!

Guess who's on VINE now...THIS GIRL :)   Check out my channel @Hey_ItsAnaP

There's a good amount on my channel so please take a look and let me know what you think! Leave me a comment :)

If you don't know or recognize the awesome woman in the picture below, that's Arielle Vandenberg, she's an actress, model, and vine star. She is honestly the person who inspired me to breakout of my "what will people think of me" shell and jump into the "I don't fug wit choo" vibe, to say the least...and I don't want to use profanity on my blog, ha.

She and her best friend, Matt Cutshall, create some of the best/funniest vines I have come across, along with their friends KC James, Duck Leary, Brandon Calvillo, and of course, good ole' Robby Ayala and more. 

I am trying this new thing of "living my own life" and making the most of it with my truest passion...which is to make people laugh and smile. All my life, I loved art, whether it be drawing, painting, designing, etc but I never really thought about making videos of me being silly. I struggled with worrying what others thought and just not being someone someone liked because of my weirdness, so to speak. But then, watching a beautiful woman like Arielle just be herself and having fun with life, made me want to do the same thing.

To top it off, I ran into her at the Mondrian Hotel this past Monday and nearly flipped. I tried to keep my composure but it's definitely hard to do when your idol is standing right in front of you and is being TOTALLY awesome. Mind you, I went home, made a vine, tagged her in it, and she "liked" the video AND she tweeted me! I mean, how much more of a sign of "good work AP, keep going!" do I need with vine? I don't know if that makes sense, but it makes sense to me. 

I've been told that I speak in circles but eventually make sense haha, yep. So, basically what I am trying to say, is that I am really happy starting this channel and I want to invite all of you to check it out and let me know your thoughts. I always want to improve, that's everyone right? 

XO

-AP

Leaving Those Pesky Emotions in Mooseland, B.C.!

So my friend and I are going to Vancouver, Canada. Spur of the moment really. Well, actually a huge reason I'm going is to get away...getting over a heartbreak...such an emotional girl excuse. I know it's not the maturest of reasons But I just want to get away. I've never fallen for someone like I did with him and now that it's not "a thing" anymore, it stings a bit and I'm hoping getting some distance and perspective will help me out...at least distractions. I may have said a few things I definitely didn't mean, I kinda feel like a sucky person, so I figure it's time for a mini vacation to recollect myself.

Now, I'm the kind of person who believes everything happens for a reason and timing has a lot to do with why things happen whenever they do. Sometimes it's because the two aren't ready for each other, they are only together for a season, or just a lesson to better oneself, etc, could be anything. That's speaking for relationships. Now for traveling, I feel like trips happen when that individual really needs it. When my ex and I broke up, it just so happened to be a week before I was going to travel to Orlando with my family. 

Maybe trips happen when a cool epiphany is supposed to take place in life. Or maybe it's just for you to truly get the break you deserve or have been wanting.

                                              

Honestly, I'm glad that trip happened because I was SUCH a mess. 

Emotionally, I will admit that I am still broken from the split but I believe in myself so much that I know I'll get over it someday. I love myself too much to stay in a sad mode forever.

In the meantime, I've been keeping busy by hanging out with friends, traveling (Canada in a few days), working on blog posts, new job, meeting and making new friends, and focusing on what makes me, AP, truly happy.

Sorry guys for that long excerpt on me still working on these feelings. Typing them out really helps so feel free to skip over. :)

Ok back to Canada!

                                      

One of my best friends is joining me on this getaway. We are traveling to Vancouver for Memorial Day weekend without any real plan. We are going on a whim and with the flow. Sure we are researching the main spots to hit up while we are there but with no set schedule. Trying to make this as adventurous as possible, but still safe, and let the "colors of the wind" guide us...yea, I just referenced a Disney movie. Totally proud of it and no shame, she and I are BIG BIG DISNEY FANATICS.

Now, I don't know if I'll get the best footage of the trip but I'll do what I can to get a nice edited video to share. Something I am working on with myself is being brave on camera and actually putting together sentences that make sense and appeal to my audience.

I've noticed in my past videos that I make no sense and just get really boring or just look away from video or freakin touch my face a lot haha. It's the AP nerves...extremely apparent.

(That's my little Sheldon...getting in the way of my typing...wanting mama love)

ANYWAY! Basically what I am getting at is I am planning to definitely take a lot of pictures of the places we visit, not to mention AMAZING food while I'm there. Be sure to follow my foodie Instagram @Miss_FoodRoute and my regular account @Hey_ItsAnaP

The next time I come back to writing here, I'll be back from my trip. I'll be sure to post pictures and a link to my Channel for you to see the footage I gathered (pray that I get good stuff).

XO

-AP

Going On A Whim

It started with me meeting up with a client in Dana Point...

Beautiful right? Paddleboarders, swimmers, fishers, awesome weather, unknown territory. It had been my first time going, and I thought it was just too cute to leave.

After some time spent at Dana Point, I wasn't ready to go home just yet. And seeing that San Diego and my brother were only an hour away, I texted him asking if it was cool to hang, once he said yes, I hopped in my car and drove over.

It ended up being such a good time. I got a chance to be a student in disguise and saw him working at his new little coffee gig. He's so energetic and it seems like the students really like him there. I don't want to be biased but if I were a student there, I wouldn't mind having a happy barista working. I feel like that just makes the environment more welcoming. :)

It's a cute little lounge those kids have. A lot of coffee inspired quotes, especially "No matter what historians say, BC stands for BEFORE COFFEE". Love it

It was really cute, he was so happy I had decided to visit him. We ended up going to a really nice restaurant in SD. It was a little cosy house feel to it...maybe because it WAS a house. The patio, the inside, the outside was all decorated very nicely. These are my favorite kind of spots, different but cute with a homey feel.

The food was delicious, we had duck, lamb, and an amazing cheese and meat platter, all so freakin good. The sauces the meat and cheese dish came with each had it's own specific kick, which sauces should right? The flavors were all there, nothing too strong, just right.

Best part? Besides the Sangria? ... Little brother treated :)

I was a happy camper

The plan was to have me drive home that night but sometimes you just get into great conversations that time flies and then it's midnight and a bit too late to be driving 2 hours home. Luckily, he rocks and cares about me that I was able to crash at his place.

WHICH! was great because the next day, he and his friends invited me to go on a coffee crawl <3 I posted some pics of the locations we went to on my Instagram. Follow me @Hey_ItsAnaP and/or @Miss_FoodRoute

I am still learning about coffee roasters and the difference between coffee houses and shops; who knew there was so much to learn. Luckily, it looks like his friends like me and I showed them I'm truly eager to learn more about it all.

And ok, not only do I love coffee...but I just adore getting those artsy fartsy shots. The picture on the right, however, was taken by my brother's friend, so that's a repost; just thought it was too cool to pass up on posting here.

XO

-AP

Believing Again

Have you noticed that most posts about love or falling in love tend to be on the negative side? Maybe I'm wrong, I'm sure there's a good amount of positive posts on sites I haven't seen. Well, instead of writing about how falling in love and then being disappointed when/if it doesn't end up working out, I've decided to write a little bit about how falling in love with a great guy I met has honestly changed my life for the better.

Now, I'm not saying that I'm going to be all mushy gushy about him, that's just annoying. All I will definitely say is that he is a good one, with a great heart, and the memories I have of us will always have a place with me... ALRIGHT that's enough of THAT.

I just woke up this morning feeling really happy that I was given the opportunity to even date him for the time we had.

I've come to realize that when I go on dates, I almost always have excuses on why I shouldn't date them. Kind of like Chandler from F.R.I.E.N.D.S (I am ashamed if you are not a fan), he always had an excuse for every girl he met/went on a date with: ears are too big, has "goo" in corner of eye, big feet, what have you; that was me for the longest time. I have such high standards for when it comes to dedicating time to certain people, mainly guys, that when I do finally give them that chance, it's a pretty big deal in my book. (So, if you couldn't tell, I have never really dated anyone until recently that lasted longer than a month...yea, that's embarrassing but whatevs, it's all good, I passed the 1 month mark! Cheers to me! LOL).

You know what I realized? Dating someone, like really date someone, is really cool. You get the awesome opportunity to share stories, emotions, ask for advice or give advice, adventures, and just having that person everyday is truly amazing. I had never fallen in love with anyone before, just because I tend to push away to avoid getting hurt, I guess it's more of fear rather than anything else.

At first, when you see him, meet him, hang out with him, oh man the feelings are SO GREAT. You want to look cute, smell awesome, and just cannot wait to hang with him.

I think honestly, when you truly give time and dedication to that person, you open up so much that they become that person you run to instantly. You trust them. They become your best friend and that's what happened with me. People tell me to move on and forget about the past but I think what they don't put into perspective is that, telling me, AP, to forget about a best friend is probably one of the hardest things you can ask me to do. I'm a Libra...Libras are all about caring and sharing love; do you see my issue? I have enough trouble coming to the end of a delicious slice of pizza...

So, I guess this post was more of me wanting to type out as much as I can for the moment about how this guy I dated has truly made me believe that love DOES in fact exist and guys...you have no idea how awesome that is to know that. 

Before I met him, I had gotten to a point in my life where I was ready to give up on believing there's someone out there for me and that makes me so sad that I even thought so negatively about something so beautiful.

I'm that girl who loves romantic comedies, love stories, and Disney definitely influenced on me...those dang standards about love are quite high in Disney's fantasy world BUT you can't blame a girl for wanting that special spark...

K not that kind but a little more like...

<3

So to conclude my silly girl post about love, which I do believe in ;) , I am happy to say, that thanks to that awesome guy, I now know what it takes and feels like to love and be truly happy. For that, I am forever grateful.

XO

-AP

P.S.

I PROMISE the next post will be about food or travel or just something not gushy haha. :)

Wanderlust..."A Strong Desire To Travel"

It was just time to discover a little more of our California...

It was finally that time, a good road trip with good family. My dad came up with the idea, he's usually the one who plans out these adventures. He had mentioned wanting to visit Death Valley and I had heard good things about the place but I had never really given it much thought. I mean, the name "Death Valley" wasn't very appealing to me; all I could think of was the heat...dry heat...just hot. But LUCKILY, me having such a smart father, we went during the time of year when it was neither too hot or cold, so yay for you pops!

So here we are, yea I'd say this is our most touristy pic of the bunch. We had to. Saw the sign...it was a must.

We went to this place they called "The Devil's Golf Course". They say only the devil can play golf here because the area is so jaggedy and rough...I still took the time to walk along and strike a pose. No big :)

I learned that my family likes to take pictures of me checking out the scenery. Pretty nice shots if you don't mind me saying, hee hee. But really though, the views of these places were pretty dang cool, and not to mention, the trees we found were awesome. I couldn't stay away, I had to take the climb.

Now, that was during the day. Being in the desert, waking up early to see the sunrise is kind of a thing to have on your list. Believe me, it was quite a struggle and I had a big talk with myself while I gathered the strength to get up. I knew if I didn't wake up, I would regret it.

I must say, I AM a morning person BUT sometimes I just don't have the strength to get up at 5AM the day after hiking to go and see a sunrise BUT when your parents tell you it's a moment you DO NOT want to miss...plus they'd buy you the biggest coffee afterwards, I just couldn't say no.

So here I am in the car passed out...just catching some last ZZZs before the sunrise started.

We waited for a while before anything really started to get interesting but then...

It was pretty breathtaking.

So breathtaking, that I even got out of the car to take in the moment altogether.

Yea...it was worth it.

(Little cousin was teaching me his mad gamer skills)

<3

Travel as often as you can. Any chance you have, go out and visit new places. 

It doesn't have to be far. It can be a new little city you've heard about and have been wanting to check out. 

Go with a bunch of fun friends, family, or even yourself, take a day trip. But seriously just go. I know I know, I'm getting all cheesy and throwing out those cliche phrases but in all honesty, you won't regret it, you'll just regret it if you don't people!

I mean, good times equals awesome pictures because you're just there to have a good time :)

Until next time lovies,

XO

-AP

My Blood Type Is Coffee

So I had been wanting to get back on writing about different locations I would visit while I live here in Southern California. I have been keeping up with my Miss_FoodRoute Instagram but there was something missing. I realized I had completely forgotten about my blog, you know...the place where it all began. I know...I am ashamed too, BUT I'M BACK YA'LL!

Alright enough of that, so let me start off with letting you all know...I am quite a coffee enthusiast. I wasn't into coffee as much as I am now, this took time. I used to think the taste was extremely bitter and just ... "bleh", I couldn't even stand the smell. Honestly, it was like this every time I would give coffee a try...

But it's ok, I passed that horrible phase in my life, although, not gonna lie, I did have a time when I was just head over heels "in love" with coffee like...

Yup...

But then I realized, "oh wait, I'm supposed to enjoy the taste and comfort feeling and not down it like there's no tomorrow". So then I made it to where I'm at now and truly appreciate coffee and all its glory...

Now that you are up to date with my coffee journey of love, I can get to why I am writing a post about coffee in the first place.

This past weekend, my awesome roommate and I ventured out to Downtown Los Angeles in search of Verve Coffee Roasters. 

Now, before we went, we did do a little research about the place and, as I said in the very early stages of my blog's life, I am originally from the Bay Area, so you can imagine my surprise when I learned that Verve Coffee Roasters is from NorCal. That's right! There are 3 shops in good ole Santa Cruz :) so that made me really happy because that meant that my friends and family back home, and anyone from there of course, could visit a Verve Coffee Roaster and enjoy the magic that's made there everyday. <3 

I give you, VERVE COFFEE ROASTERS

Like a true Instagram fanatic, I instantly...get it? "instantly...Instant...Instagram?" Yea ok, dumb...ANYWAY! I took my phone out and prepared the mini photoshoot set of the fun goodies we ordered.

Look at that. I mean honestly, how pretty is that juice flight deck? My roommate and I were really excited, a little too much but we are proud of the pics we took :)

In my opinion and experience when visiting a new restaurant with more than one person, it's smartest to have everyone order something different and share it all. Sharing is caring people, remember that...plus it's a good strategy.

We look a leap of faith on the juice flight deck, we went more for it because of how great it would look in photos but it turned out to be really great. We were instructed to drink the shots in zig zag formation. It went from most veggie/bitter to fruity/sweetest.

Yes, the first few were a little "meh" on our tastebuds but towards the end of the deck, we were sad to see an end.

Along with the juice, we ordered ciabatta pizza, monkeybread, and tea drink called "Bowl of Soul" which consisted of milk, honey, and their own tea concoction. ALL SOOOO GOOD! There is a really nice selection to choose from, we were very happy with our choices, we are definitely planning to go back and try other pastries and drinks.

One of the main things I look for when visiting a restaurant, cafe, bar/lounge is the ambiance and look of it all. I am in search of a place where I can see myself spending some time chatting with a friend comfortably, read a book/script, work on my laptop, etc. Plus I want it to look cute, and of course feel safe if there's an outdoor patio, etc. Oh yea...and cleanliness is a def MUST!

As soon as we arrived to Verve Coffee Roasters, I was at awe. The look of it all was what I was hoping for. It has such a cute unique decor, it puts you at ease and has a way of making you forget you are in Downtown LA. That was pretty impressive, that's how comfortable this cafe is.

So, an important side note you should know about me, if you haven't noticed by now, is I really like to use reaction gifs to get a real emotion out there. I think it really shows my true feeling(s) for the post. 

I am also known to be easily entertained, pleased, and not to mention distracted by unique decor or just anything in general that catches my attention...so when i looked up, I thought I looked like...

When in reality, I am pretty sure I looked like...

Yea...easily amazed.

The interior is different though, also a comfortable feeling but in different sense. Outdoors, it made me feel like I was in a garden but inside, I felt like I was in a hip art studio. With its high ceilings, spacious dinning area, and friendly staff, I could see myself working and drinking my coffee/tea all day. A comfort one seeks when coffee/tea is involved :)

Overall, I really enjoyed going to Verve Coffee Roasters. The food was delicious, the drinks were awesome. The consistency was on point. The staff was very helpful with questions I had and they were more than happy to guide their customers on best way to drink their coffee, tea, and/juice flight deck. 

I highly recommend you visit, I am posting their link here:

http://www.vervecoffeeroasters.com/

One of the the things they said about their coffee that won me over is this, "Everything we do—sourcing, roasting, brewing, educating—is about bringing you that place in a cup. Because coffee should be true."

How can you say these guys don't mean business? They know how good coffee should be treated. "True"

Check out their blog, coffee menu, what they do, and their locations. Honestly, you won't be disappointed. Send me locations on where to visit! I need more on my list!

XO

-AP