Relaxed on the beach, glass of wine in one hand and gooey, sweet s'mores in the other. Best friend nestled next to me, sharing laughs and cherishing the sound of the crashing waves just a few yards away.

When a colleague asked me how it was seeing my college roommate this weekend after spending 3 (unnecessary) years apart, I could only summarize our visit by simply saying "I fell in love with her all over again."

There are many degrees of female friendship in this world. I myself would say I am blessed to celebrate a variety of women who have touched my life and continue to bring joy and light, understanding and kinship to my days. Some friendships are my go-tos, while others might be less expected. Some have a long and detailed history, and some have a lighter vibe. I love them all in their own unique ways, of course, but the kinds that are my absolute favorites are the ones you don't ever, ever have to doubt. Those that have seen you at your most vulnerable and have embodied the core of empathy in their compassionate reception; that have acknowledged your "weird" and proudly reciprocated by showcasing their own in kind.

The friends that make me fall in love with them time and time again simply by being themselves and holding space for me to be me? These are the ones to hold on to...(and the ones I better not have to wait another 3 years to hug again...)

In Gratitude,

Trish

(for my non-Cali friends struggling with one wicked winter...)

This #tbt goes out to my college roommate and sister from anotha mister, Miss Ash. This photo was taken our very first time meeting each other, Freshman year at PSU in good ol' 413 Tener Hall. Little did we know at the moment of "cheese!" we'd still be sharing a room (yep, not even an apartment--a room!), 4 years later, having experienced the best of the best days and some of the worst of the worst together. I cherish every single memory of our friendship and still thank the Universe often for not-so-randomly assigning us to share sacred space and inevitably a strong, loving, silly and supportive bond twelve (twelve?!!?) years ago.

There is so much that makes me giggle about this picture--my unnecessarily blonde hair, the size of my hoops (you can take the girl outta Jersey...), the mini Britney Spears doll in the background (a going away gift from a friend, but still). I'm most jealous of how at this moment we were just beginning an awesome 4 years of continuing education (inside and outside the classroom, of course). I'm also pretty jealous of our awesome tans, but mostly just knowing the adventures that lie ahead for these 2 youngins makes my heart skip a beat.

It's been 3+ years since we've seen one another (boo hiss!), but we'll be reunited tomorrow evening, much to my absolute delight. I have missed her dearly and am preparing myself for the possibility of shedding a few tears upon accepting my first incomparable Ashley hug. Thankfully, I know she'll take my weepy state in stride--probably laughing at me and saying "Diggy it's been too long!" while I try to compose myself.

In summary, her friendship means so much to me and I love her wholly from the deepest parts of my spirit. In fact, now that I think about it, she is the catalyst for this entire blog. No small friendship potatoes, eh? That's how much of my heart belongs to her.

Oh my gosh. I can't even sit here typing anymore. I have to finish packing and try to contain my squealing.

I am so excited.

Gratefully,

Trish

The Chinese New Year is celebrated big time here in San Francisco, so we were happy to join our dear friends for an evening of parade viewing and firecracker burns avoiding last week. It's crazy how Chinatown already feels like another corner of the world nested in the heart of this city regardless of the holiday, and it was even crazier to see how deeply old and new Eastern traditions are carried out here in the west of the west.

To be honest, the parade was...OK. Once you see one colorfully decorated dragon being pranced around the streets by a dozen out-of-breath people, you've kinda seen them all. I did enjoy giggling along with the masses of cutie patootie kids all dressed up and dancing, but in terms of needing to make the effort to attend again next year...I think we're good (especially B, whom I could tell would have slept standing up behind me in the parade crowds if there weren't so many snap crackle pop sounds exploding all around us). He's a good sport :)

Happy New Year!

Trish

My Valentine's Day gift to B came packaged with dry ice, straight from our Alma Mater's in-house, to-live-for creamery: Bittersweet Mint and Cookie Dough Ice Cream, for the win!

B's not one to really crave sweets in general (at least no where near to the degree in which I believe frozen yogurt dates should be a nightly routine), but he also never turns down my "want a bite?" offers and I knew he'd be pretty excited to have a bit of "home" in our freezer. Much to my surprise upon revealing this after-dinner-sugary-gem before we actually ate dinner (I'm really impatient with holding in surprises), I learned that in all of his years at PSU, he'd never once treated himself to a Berkey Creamery delight!! After I picked my jaw up off the floor (Me: WHAT? Um, it's the best ice cream on the planet. And they took meal points, for gosh sake. A Bittersweet Mint milkshake was like a MWF post-class tradition of mine. Worth every ounce of my Freshman...Sophmore...Junior extra 15lbs.) I immediately cracked open a container and stuck a heaping spoonful into his mouth. I've since seen him sneak a few more straight-from-the-carton bites and we both enjoyed two heaping (OK, only mine was heaping) bowls in bed last night.

It's sort of a good thing the shipping from PA to SF was so darn expensive, otherwise I'd be tempted to make this a household staple. Guess I'll just have to keep pushing for those froyo dates, instead :)

In Gratitude,

Trish

I rocked this necklace at Valentine's Day dinner last night (along with a pink tulle skirt from non other than the Lauren Conrad collection at Kohl's...ha!) and at one point during the evening B matter-of-factly told me I looked like a goddess in it.

Now *that* is a pretty solid fashion win, amirite?

Thank you for once again helping me feel fabulous, Jenny!

Hugs and kisses, giggles and twirls, radical acceptance and uninhibited joy.

But mostly: love, light and laughter.

Today might be a silly "Hallmark Holiday", but it is also a good chance to let love flow;  to give and to receive it...whether to someone with 2 legs, or four :)

May you all be healthy, happy and free today (and always!).

In Gratitude,

Trish

Kinder Bueno bar (my absolute sweet tooth weakness) swirled about in a PSU mug of peppermint hot chocolate. 

You're welcome, Wednesday.

B and I have become quite fond of cooking together in our cramped quarters--other than the inevitable mess we make, we're getting pretty good! For this first installment of "Studio Chefs" I present to you our version of an egg and veggie frittata.

All you need to do is:

- Cook up 2 diced potatoes (we like to use our cast iron skillet for good flavor and browning) with olive oil, salt and pepper
- Cut up your favorite veggies (we typically choose spinach, kale, green peppers, onion and mushroom) and add them to potato mix
- Combine with eggs in a greased cupcake tin
- Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees.
- Top with salsa

The best part about baking this treat on a Sunday is that you can store any leftovers in the fridge via a tightly sealed Tupperware container and enjoy a quick, delicious brekkie for the next few days. Perfect for busy work weeks :)


In Gratitude,


Trish

It rained for 5 days straight in this city and boy, did we need it.

For me, it was the perfect excuse to lay low, take naps (lots of long, rain sound-tracked versions them), read, journal, drink wine in a cozy new apartment belonging to a dear friend, check a few health and wellness appointments off the list and generally focus on a whole bunch of self care. B was away over the weekend so I had our teeny apartment all to myself--I missed him, of course, but I also cherished the few days alone. I haven't been the easiest gal to live with the past few weeks (screw you, anxiety), so I think we both were craving a brief break from the crunchiness starting to fill our 4 walls. Our home already feels much more like the sacred space we know, love and strive for it to be again...and for that, I am grateful.

I think I'm giving up on trying NOT to post iPhone photos for this series...it's just too easy and there ends up being so many gems! My goal is still to use ol' Nikon more, but I think I've made peace with capturing life-as-it-happens through this super convenient and pretty high quality device.

My Christmas gift to Brandon "arrived" last night in the form of 4 tickets to the Flyers/Sharks game in San Jose. We snagged 2 of my favorite Weeblies and trekked down the peninsula to cheer on the Fly guys to victory. I picked up Philadelphia cheese steaks from Jake's Steaks and was DD, and B provided most of the orange and black gear. This photo pretty much sums up the hilarity of the evening--I am SO grateful for how awesome the night turned out (and not just because it earned me oodles of girlfriend points). Huge thanks to J & R for being such good sports (and friends!). On to the Sixers/Warriors next week....

Philly love,

Trish