Taryn got her groove back

Posted on November 14, 2018November 14, 2018 Posted in Life, TravelTagged California, Eugene, Growth, Humor, Personal Blog, Rolling Stone, Seattle, Travel, Wanderlust, Wedding1 Comment

Hello!

It’s been over 4 weeks since my last entry. A lot has happened… like me witnessing an old lady taking a sh*t in the forest.

I’m not kidding!! I saw EVERYTHING!!! EVERYTHING!!!!!! I am now in desperate need of therapy or that Men in Black tool that makes you forget, lol.

I fulfilled my final bridesmaid obligation at my friend’s wedding! AND, it didn’t end up with me blackout drunk accosting a groomsman… (one day I will find the words to tell that story… one day)

I finished up my time in Big Bear. Made my way to Glen Ellen (near Napa), and now am chilling in a hipster coffee shop in Eugene.

Ready to set the world on fire

Somewhere in between watching an old lady poop in public and when a police officer illegally towed my car and stole my legally purchased car tags (more on that later…), a lot of my old characteristics began to resurface, with memories and ideas I had long ago.

Long story short, it’s been nice to resurrect parts of me. I suppose I spent so much time in survival mode, I shut down to just get through it. Now that I’m out of crisis mode, I’m back in full effect! That and I realized that my vacation from my appearance needs to DIE. I’ve been putting the HOME in homely for some time now. I’m 29, not 92, though you wouldn’t know it based on my oversized knit sweaters and old lady garb.

I’ll be perusing Eugene today and a little bit tomorrow, then it’s on to Seattle for a month! I’ll be updating photos and all that jazz regularly, promise! Anywho, here are some farewell photos of Big Bear Lake. On to the next adventure!

Taryn and the Bear

Posted on October 10, 2018October 10, 2018 Posted in Humor, Life, TravelTagged Animal, Bear, Big Bear, Birthday, California, Family, Humor, Jurassic Park, Photography, Travel1 Comment

So I’ve been slacking. This is in part due to work, preparing to head out for the last wedding, and having to cope without Abbey (Only for a few days due to the wedding). So I’m going to do a little housekeeping:

I’m 29!

I turned 29 last Wednesday. Celebrating my birthday isn’t something I put much effort and energy into. This year was a little bittersweet because I normally spend the day with my rents, but they’re on different continents living their best life at the moment. They’re the ones who spearhead the shenanigans, otherwise, I probably wouldn’t bother, ha! I’m not a huge birthday person and haven’t been since I was 11. But since I didn’t want to be a complete abstainer, I did get a small cake and a mimosa for good measure. See mom, I did something! I did have fun though. Abbey and I went on a trail, hung out by the water, and just relaxed (and worked a bunch).

Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!

My nightly routine usually involves chilling in the jacuzzi and listening to some tunes. The townhouse that I’m renting has the perfect blend of “cabin-feels” without the cabin maintenance– I love it!

Anyway, I was outside and I had happened to take out my contacts because they were irritating me. As I was adjusting the temperature of the jacuzzi, I looked up and like eight feet in front of the gate, I saw a dark blob on the grass next to the fruit tree that generally isn’t there. I thought to myself, “huh, that blob isn’t usually there,”. I squinted to get a better look and the blob moved! It grabbed a piece of fruit, and that’s when I realized, it was a FREAKING BEAR!!!!

Image result for wtf gif — My reaction, obvi.

You’d think that would run back inside and wait for it to pass on by but noooo… like the village idiot that dies in dinosaur/crazy animal films, I went inside to grab my camera and take photos of it. Fortunately, when I came back outside, it was further away, so my idiot self felt even more confident. As I was snapping away (with my flash on, like a genius), I guess the flash annoyed it as it made a fake charge motion towards me. Needless to say, I was pretty scared, but I was literally a step away from my door, so I squealed and ran back inside.

Image result for jurassic park getting eaten gif — What I thought was going to happen

There’s nothing like a little bear lunge to get the adrenaline running. As I said, it wasn’t super close, but close enough for me to rethink my bravery level. So, my takeaway is, if I can snap photos of a hungry bear, I can handle anything. That, and I’m likely the first person to die during an “animal on the loose” type of situation. 😉

I told my brother and my parents and they all said “So that’s why Big Bear is named that”, ha! Leave it to my family to be more excited to see the bear than disturbed by the fact that I was dumb enough to stick around for a photo shoot. Perhaps that’s why they’re my family, haha! Enjoy some shoddy quality bear photos!

Back from the…

Posted on April 8, 2016April 8, 2016 Posted in Living the DreamTagged adulthood, Adulting, anxiety, California, California Dreaming, Career, Career Planning, Coping, Freelance, friends, Fun, growing up, Life, Mental Health, Move, Transition, writingLeave a comment

ok, I get it- I suck at blogging regularly.

Hello friends! I have been busy… with life! While I can’t pour my heart and soul into this post, I’ll give you a few quick bullet points on the life of Taryn as of late. Continue reading “Back from the…” →

Adventures in Downtown LA

Posted on June 25, 2015June 25, 2015 Posted in LifeTagged 20 something, aspiration, California, Dog, Downtown LA, dreams, goals, living in the city, lofts, new cityLeave a comment

Last Saturday, I decided to make a quick trip to Downtown LA just to see if I still had the same vibe as I did the week prior. As luck would have it, I loved it even more! Continue reading “Adventures in Downtown LA” →

I Choose to be Happy

Posted on June 25, 2015June 25, 2015 Posted in LifeTagged 20 something, adulthood, aspiration, California, Career, choice, Depression, Family, friends, happiness, Life, loved ones, Promise Land, TravelLeave a comment

Since my return to Las Vegas, I’ve been bummed out to say the least. Continue reading “I Choose to be Happy” →

Taryn & Margarita Take LA!

Posted on June 20, 2015 Posted in LifeTagged 20something, California, city life, road trip, writingLeave a comment

Last week I decided to go on a quick excursion to California. It was only a day trip, but I had so much fun! During my brief visit, I went to Downtown LA, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, and West Hollywood. My friend, Margarita had never been to Southern California, so I felt as though it was my Californian duty take her. Plus I needed to scope out my favorite locations to determine my residence for next year. I totally thought I was going to choose Santa Monica, but Downtown LA won my heart in a landslide. Sadly, I don’t have any pictures as I was too excited to absorb my surroundings to do anything else. Fortunately, I am about an hour away, so I’ll be getting some photos this trip.

Downtown LA

We made our way to DT in the early afternoon. I was able to find parking in the Financial District and the meter still had time left! The cool thing about being in the Financial District on an early Saturday afternoon is that it’s super low key. In fact, I was able to people a wide-eyed tourist and just meander and take in all of the scenery. DT LA is like an urban jungle; forresty-green with concrete around it. We made our way to the Historic Core in which I saw some of the most beautiful architecture. I was enamored by the whole experience. It’s so weird because though I had never been in that part of LA before, I felt at home. All I wanted to do was get out my notebook and just write down my observations about the people around me. To sum it up, I felt inspired. We stayed for a couple of hours, perusing the different districts and had a blast.

Santa Monica

My first year of college was spent in the Valley, so I was about 30 minutes from Santa Monica for the school year. Whenever I was feeling down or overwhelmed, I’d zip over to the pier just to get away and chill. That was 8 years ago (geez, 8 years?!) and til this day, I still pop over to Santa Monica as it’s my little getaway place. Going back last week, I still had the nostalgic memory of breathing in the ocean air and feeling at peace with the world. Plus I got a kick out of how much Margarita was enjoying Santa Monica. I make it my mission to show my Vegas friends why So Cal is better, drought and all. 😉

West Hollywood/Beverly Hills

I’ve always been a huge fan of being creepy and checking out the beautiful homes in Beverly Hills. For starters, all of the homes are structurally unique. From Tudors, to Colonials, and Mediterranean architecture, each offers something uniquely gorgeous. I’m honestly surprised that I didn’t crash my car as I was paying more attention to looking at the homes than driving (whoops). Since it was dusk, we briefly drove through West Hollywood, this time around it wasn’t as awesome as it was for me last year, but it was still a fun place to drive through.

All in all, I really enjoyed my visit (so much so that I’ll be in DT LA in the next hour). I know it’s probably a mind trick, but I really feel happier when I come back to Cali. I can’t really explain it, but it’s like I’m seeing in color. I am more expressive, funnier (in my humble opinion, lol), and just more myself. So 2016 will be the year that I call DT LA my home!

Radio Silence is Golden

Posted on June 16, 2015June 16, 2015 Posted in LifeTagged Caffeine, California, detox, Drugs, freedom, friends, headache, Humor, Life, radio silence, road trip, writingLeave a comment

Hi all!

My apologies on my lack of posting. I’ve been out and about enjoying the outside world! It all started with an impromptu trip to LA/Santa Monica. Continue reading “Radio Silence is Golden” →

My Writing Inspiration Happens Best When I’m…

Posted on April 7, 2015April 7, 2015 Posted in Life, WritingTagged California, healthy, inspiration, Life, lifestyle, Mental Health, moss landing beach, Muir Woods, national parks pass, Nature, Nevada, Outdoors, parks and recreation, Red Rock Canyon, Refreshed, writer's block, writing4 Comments

OUTSIDE!!!!!

As someone who writes quite a bit, it’s easy to endure writer’s block. Being plugged into technology 24/7 makes for a very frazzled Taryn. There are times where my brain is clogged with words like a backed-up drain in need of some snaking. Well, my mental Drain-O is the good ol’ outdoors. Continue reading “My Writing Inspiration Happens Best When I’m…” →

Sharing is Caring

Posted on September 14, 2014September 14, 2014 Posted in LifeTagged 20 something, acceptance, Alone, anxiety, Aspirations, California, confiding, connecting with others, Downtown LA, dreams, fear, friends, goals, judgement, Life, living, Magazine, Mars, normal, self, sharing is caring, sweden, writing2 Comments

Who do you confide in? No, seriously. Do you share your hopes, dreams, fears and aspirations with just anyone? Or do you keep the deepest, darkest and most personal part to yourself? If you’re the latter, well welcome to the club of pretty much everyone. I find it odd that in such a technologically progressive world, I’ve heard “I feel so alone in a crowd of people” from more people than I care to admit.

We all seem to think that we’re weird individual creatures from Mars whom others couldn’t dream of comprehending, but honestly that’s just not the case. Sharing is caring. What I mean by that, is the more you share with others, you’ll be surprised and elated to find out that you’re really not that different from those you know. I mean really, it’s a mind blowing process.

Once upon a time, I used to think I was this strange person who had all of these weird ideas and concepts that were just completely against the typical norm. Then I shared parts of myself with others and came to realize I’m not as “weird” or “special” as I thought. Sure, my genotypes are pretty unique, but there are a bunch of 20 Somethings out there running around trying to figure out where and how they fit into this world.

The more I shared with others, the more connected I began to feel and it’s quite awesome! I will admit though, that once I found out that I was vanilla boring, my ego deflated a bit. Drat, I thought I was unique and special. In all honesty, it is nice to know that I’m not the only one on Mars. Turns out we’re all on it. 😉

So in an effort to share more, I’m going to toss out into the blogosphere my hopes and aspirations that I usually keep close to the vest. I either felt that people would think they were stupid or lofty so I kept them to myself. I like to think of myself as “practical” (scared) and I try to do the conventional thing. But convention is boring and lame; and the wild child in me is dying to come out. Here are a few things that I want to achieve sooner than later. Don’t judge me too hard, haha!

Things I’d Like to Accomplish

1. Be a features writer for several magazine publications, writing on culture, music, etc. etc. etc. I love people, especially my generation. We’re idealistic, scared, fun, interesting people in which I love to observe. So if I had my way, I’d be doing more of that and less of dreaming about it (Hm, I smell a call to action soon).

2. Get to Sweden. I’d love to go visit the country. When I was in college, I had studied a lot of their public policies and they have some cool things going on over there (Paternity leave, how cool is that?!).

3. Get a loft in downtown LA. It’s funny when I was in school in LA, I hated it (Granted it was a difficult time in my life). But now after being away for a few years, I am dying to go back. I’ll make it happen one day!

In short, let’s keep it real and talk to people. It’s incredibly fun and very eye opening on how we all want the same thing; which is to be happy and enjoy life as it comes our way. What are some things you keep to yourself? I’d love to hear about it!

Where the heck have I been?!!!

Posted on September 10, 2014September 10, 2014 Posted in LifeTagged anxiety, California, excuses, Expectations, friends, Funny, Good Vibes, Humor, Life, living life, making friends, Monterey, Parents, positive thinking, Tourist, vacation, VisitingLeave a comment

So I started this blog with the expectation that I would be writing pretty consistently, and I straight up have failed. Not intentionally of course but still, all I can offer up are some meager excuses. So like a game show host: “Let’s bring them on down!”

“Starting with contestant #1, we have self deprecation and avoidance! This lovely little charmer has left our dear blogger, Taryn in a pensive and anxiety ridden state, rendering her almost useless hiding under the covers with her pup, Abbey, in a bottom of the Netflix bottle. You’ve heard it here first folks she’s been avoiding life!”

(8 seasons of House, anyone?!)

Ok ok, writing like that was getting annoying so back to first person! So yes, I’ve been struggling with moving forward in more ways than one, but I am proud to say that I have been made strides to becoming a professional “Life Ass Kicker”! 2nd on my list of absenteeism is that fact that I’ve been making friends at a record rate! That and some college friends were in town. I got a chance to see Seether downtown for free while sippin’ on some $10 vodka from the back of my trunk (God bless open container laws in Vegas). It tasted absolutely vile, but it was a throwback to the college days where I had to depend on others to get alcohol for me. As fun as the night was, nostalgia doesn’t taste so good the next morning. Since then, I’ve vowed to never drink cheap vodka again. I like to believe my liver is rejoicing from that decision.

(Drinking + Being far away= crappy photos)

Anywho, I’ve also been MIA due to a lovely trip to Monterey to see my parents. I’m fortunate to have really caring and supportive parents who noticed that I’ve been a little blue. So randomly they sent me a ticket and whisked me away to Monterey for a whole week and boy was it glorious! I cannot say enough awesome things about that place. I never thought that Central California had anything to offer other than produce and farm animals. I am glad to say that my ignorance was disproven, ten fold.

My dad as my tour guide, I went from Carmel, to Capitola in one day and I was just amazed at how beautiful, calm, and serene it all was. Carmel is super posh and quaint, I’m going to have to marry an old rich man to get a residence there eventually, haha! We saw the car show while passing through. Everywhere you turn it’s all just super scenic.

(The sand was so cool at Pebble Beach!)

I have to say, Capitola was one of my favorite new discoveries to date. It reminds me of Santa Monica (My favorite place ever!) but way more chill. The traffic isn’t nearly as gnarly and it had such a good all around chill vibe. It has me thinking maybe SoCal isn’t my premier destination after all. Oh well, I’ll figure it out sooner than later.

(Kickin’ back in Capitola, and they had a cool telephone booth too!)

My absolute favorite part of the trip was just spending time with my parents. I am seriously willing to wager that I have the best parents ever! Honestly, they’re two people I never get tired of hanging out with. Not because they’re my parents, but they happen to be pretty hilarious and know how to have a good time. I suppose that’s why I like to nag them as often as possible. My mom took me to this place called Moss Landing, and it’s this really cool overcast beach where you can go whale, dolphin, seal, sea otter watching. I fell in love with the place! Next time I go, I’ll bring some writing things with me as it seems to be the PERFECT place to just get stuff done. My dad took me back out there to go kayaking! It was my first time and I had an absolute blast! It is a hell of a workout though, so I ended up falling asleep on the couch right next to my dad. Going to Monterey was such a fun and wonderful experience. Despite being there for a whole week it felt like a day or two. Rest assured I’ll be back sooner than later.

(Moss Landing, Kayaking with my dad, and my mom took photo evidence of our napping, haha!)

So there you have it folks! The reasons why I’ve been a quiet little church mouse. Don’t worry though, I seem to be getting back into the groove of my writing so I have more nifty stories to share with you! Until then, stay caffeinated my friends! 🙂

Taryn Was Here

Tag: California