We're Going!

To SF Outside Lands on Sunday! We originally bought the tickets for Sunday because we couldn't pass up a Beastie Boys concert. Two days later Adam Yauch announced that he was diagnosed with cancer and they were cancelling their tour so he could begin treatment right away. WAH! We were heartbroken of course, and are still waiting to see who will replace them as the headliner. {Oh the anticipation!}

Of course, we're still excited to see MIA, Modest Mouse, Band of Horses, Lenka, the Morning Benders, and Matt & Kim {among others}! In case you are not familiar with any of these, have a listen to some of my favorites by each:

Calling all Rock Climbers {who can't afford rent}

I saw this today and just had to share the awesomeness! It's an art installation in Rio de Janeiro where a couple of brothers are going to live and work for 12 hours a day suspended 33 feet above the ground. Isn't it great?! Looks like they have a hammock, bed with curtains, couch, dresser, and even a phonograph! I love unique places to live, but I've never seen anything like this {other than rock climbing friends who set up camp on the side of a cliff for the night}!

{discovered here, pictures found here}

YES!!!

Today is my last class for the summer! As most of you know I am in grad school for Counseling Psychology, leading to my Marriage and Family Therapy license. My program goes year-round and this past summer has been intense with a crazy schedule, lots of reading, and long 6-8 hour classes. But tonight,... tonight is my last summer class. Then I'll have 3 whole weeks vacation! I haven't thought about what I'm going to do yet, but I'm sure that will be the first thing I think about leaving class tonight. Yippee!!

Cabin at the Russian River!

This weekend, Jes, a dear friend of ours came to visit from Oregon and we all went up to her dad's cabin in Rio Nido by the Russian River. It was my first time to the Russian River so I was pretty excited, not to mention getting to have a day of fun with Jes and her family!

We spent the first part of the day watching Jes's dad's softball game.

Then Jes, Dannon and I went down to the River. Unfortunately, I didn't take my camera so I don't have any pictures of what the river looks like. But it was lovely and sunny and filled with canoers and innertubers. After playing in the water, we headed back to the cabin for some fun and barbeque-ing!
The cabin was an adorable little wooden home in the woods, complete with hot tub, hammock, and clay fire stove!
One of the best parts about the day was having Sadie, Jes's dog! Oh, how I wish I could have a dog!

We ended our evening with Wayne's World and hot tubbing. It was a great weekend getaway and we had so much fun with Jes and her family!

Happy Weekend!

Dannon and I will be heading up to the Russian River tomorrow to experience some much needed Summer with some friends! Hope everyone has their own summer fun this weekend!

{photo found here}

The Uniform Project!

I discovered The Uniform Project through Rockstar Diaries a couple weeks ago and now I'm hooked. The idea is to promote sustainable fashion through the use of a daily uniform. She has 7 of the same dress which she will wear every day for an entire year, and she makes her outfits look completely unique with different accessories. I'm amazed at how creative she is with each day's outfit!

I'm so inspired to do more with less! {Time to clean out the ole overstuffed closet...}

This project is also a fundraiser to buy school uniforms and other supplies for kids living in the slums of India. It's a great cause so go check it out!

Katie Herzig

I can't remember how I discovered Katie Herzig, but I've been a fan for a little while now. Her music is a nice mixture of sweet and silly. I put some of my favorites on the mixtape below. Have a little listen and I hope you enjoy!

Dear Boyfriend:

Thanks for not tormenting me when I brag and brag about being knowledgeable in something and then it turns out I'm completely wrong {otherwise known as the Ra Ra Riot Incident}. You are really the best!

xoxo

Pescadero!

This weekend I was growing weary from my intensive summer classes, so Dannon decided to take me on a last minute road trip on Sunday down to Pescadero - a teeny country town on the coast of California.

We stopped at a little farm with lots of barnyard animals, pottery, and berry fields where we collected some yummy Olallieberries.Then we headed over to the Harley Goat Farm. There were so many goats {and one lonely llama}! We pet baby goats, watched a goat get milked, and sampled a dozen different delicious goat cheeses {mixed with organic herbs from their own garden}!
Then we headed over to the beach for some fun in the . . . well, fog actually. But it was still a blast to play on the beach!
The water was cold, I'm not going to lie. But after we were running around for a while it felt good and refreshing!
We ended our evening with the famous Artichoke Soup at Duarte's Tavern. YUM! It was such a wonderful trip. Exactly what I needed to take a break from studying and the big city!

Jenn Ski's Super Fun Designs!

I discovered Jenn Ski the other day on Apartment Therapy and immediately fell in love. Her designs are so cheery! She has a variety of paintings and prints of abstract art and adorable letter animals. She even has a scrapbooking line at Michael's. Go check out her etsy shop here and her website here.

The Renegade Craft Fair!

This weekend, after a very intense couple's therapy class, Dannon, my friend Celina & I went over to the Renegade Craft Fair to see all the pretty things. It was fairly overwhelming since there were SO MANY great artists and shops. But we made our way through and found some pretty fun stuff.

Such as the portable lawn. In San Francisco, no one has a front/back yard, so a little grass where one can sit is pretty novel.
Then there was a woman pushing around an ice cream cart, stuffed full of cloth ice cream cones and popsicles!
Another shop specialized in cloth beards!One of my favorites was Owly Shaddow Puppets. These were laser cut shadow monsters, dinosaurs, and funny hearts. Perfect for a teacher, therapist and kids big & small! I really REALLY wanted the Monster Puppet shown here.
My friend Celina bought some Amazing laser-cut felt earrings from Feisty Elle, which were so beautiful and unique! And I couldn't resist a mini monster drawing from Hand Made Store On A Bike. She also had some hilarious Unemployed Robot cards. It was also pretty cool to meet Danni from Oh, Hello Friend. She's incredibly sweet and has a great shop full of bright, happy jewelry.

It was a great little shopping trip! Until next year Renegade Craft Fair!

Have a Crazy Weekend!

{Fun quote from here}

Hope everyone has a lovely weekend! I have a crazy summer grad school schedule which has me attending classes most Friday nights and Saturdays in July. And let me tell you, it has completely screwed up my sense of the days of the week.

I often think Tuesday is really Friday {Me: That's weird, why aren't there tons of people hanging out at my local bars and cafes?} and Wednesday somehow turns into Sunday {Me: Hey dannon want to go to the farmer's market this morning and pick up fresh strawberries? Dannon: Um... I have to go to work. It's Wednesday.}

Alas, July is half over and soon I can take back a normal week with proper weekends. As for this weekend, I plan on heading down to the Renegade Craft Fair on Sunday. I can't wait!

Oh Regina!

I have been listening to Regina Spektor's new album non-stop since it came out. It's SO good! A perfect summer soundtrack. Click to listen to a few of her new songs below.

Have you Filled Your Well Today?

The premise of my blog, Fill Your Well, is to chronicle the things which reduce stress and bring energy in my life. I also hope that it inspires my family, friends and strangers who read it to Fill Your Well too. If any of us want to survive life {especially the unforeseen stuff} and provide any kind of love for our fellow man, we must first take care of ourselves.

The idea of the Filled Well is to do the things which make your well so full it overflows. It is from the overflow that we can sufficiently give to our loved ones - our partners, children, friends, coworkers, and acquaintances. Sadly, most people run themselves so ragged that they just have some muddy puddles at the bottom of their wells. These people have little capacity to experience happiness in their own lives, let alone have energy for their relationships.

So make sure you are Filling Your Well daily! For some people this is one thing that they can't live without - yoga, bike riding, writing, knitting, etc. For other people, it's providing more of a variety of fun and lovely things on a daily basis. For me it's mostly having little {and big} adventures, and a variety of art expereinces.It doesn't matter what Fills Your Well, as long as you are regularly Filling it! So go make some time for yourself and have fun!

It's the Little Things

I LOVE that Dannon brings me flowers to fill my home, just because.

Death Cab & Andrew Bird Concert!

Periodically Dannon and I really want to hear a band play, but don't have the money for tickets, or tickets sell out immediately. Luckily, we have a back up plan - the Greek Theatre in Berkeley! It's an outdoor theatre with a nice little hill just outside the fence where people can sit {and picnic} while listening to the bands. Unfortunately, you can't see the band on the stage because there are too many trees, but you can hear the music perfectly! I've done this several times and have always had a great {free} experience.

So Saturday night Dannon, Larry and I went over to the hill and enjoyed a long concert with Ra Ra Riot, Andrew Bird, and Death Cab for Cutie! And like always, it was a magical experience.

First we grabbed food in Berkeley, then found a nice little spot on the hill where we giddily listened to Ra Ra Riot.

Shortly after Andrew Bird took the stage, a summer shower came upon us. Luckily we were sitting under a thick tree so we didn't get wet, and it only lasted for 15 minutes. The sun was still shining and everything looked so happy and peaceful in the rain {did I mention this was happening with a live Andrew Bird soundtrack?}.

As soon as the rain stopped, a rainbow appeared! And a few minutes later, a second rainbow appeared! That's right, a double rainbow. {click the picture for a better view - rainbows are hard to capture} Oh, and have I mentioned, Andrew Bird was playing live during all this?

After the rain the trees, and sky, and people, and everything were rich with color. It was amazing!

Once Death Cab came on the sky was growing dark so I didn't take any more pictures. But their concert was a magical experience too! During their encore they played a powerful song. Towards the end of it the bells from the Berkeley Campus Tower began to ring - and they were in the same key as the song! It was such a serendipitous moment as the bells rang out in perfect harmony with the music, making the song and the lovely evening all the more magical!