If you’re reading this, HELLO, WELCOME and THANK YOU for visiting my blog and my very first blog post! I’ve been wanting a space to be creative and have something truly unique and separate from my normal 9-5 corporate job for quite some time. I’ve wanted to start some type of journal just like this for what feels like forever, so here we are, on a random Saturday finally doing the damn thing!
So you might be thinking “Wow another blog” or if you’re my friend you’re thinking “Syd, a blog, really?” BUT my intention is to use this like a journal in documenting all the things I love, writing about all the happy and challenging times in my life, sharing about experiences I’m going through and what I’ve learned, recapping all the trips we go on and sharing our itineraries to spark ideas – really writing about everything and anything! At the end of the day, I hope that this hobby of mine can bring you a little inspiration or positivity to your life and at the end of the day you find an aspect you can relate to since we’re all just trying to figure out this thing called life.
So let’s get into it! I thought it would be fun to kick things off with a little FAQ so you can get to know me better. Before diving in, I just wanted to say thank you again for being here.
- Where do you live?
I live in Walnut Creek, CA, which is a suburb outside of San Francisco and considered the ‘Bay Area’. My husband and I have been here since November 2018. Before this, I lived in New York City for three years and Los Angeles for 2 years where I moved right after I graduated college. Yes, I’ve lived in some of the MOST expensive cities in the US but hopefully that changes in the future. I was born in Niagara Falls, Canada (I’m a duel citizen!) but grew up in Henderson, Nevada – a suburb of Las Vegas. - How old are you?
I’m 31! My birthday is August 27th and I’m a true Virgo. - What do you do for a living?
I mention my “normal 9-5 corporate job” a bunch but in short I work for Google in a product, go-to-market role here in San Francisco. - Where did you go to school?
I graduated from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana – GEAUX TIGERS! I received my bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication with a minor in Business. My dream was to actually become a sports broadcast reporter (lol) but I couldn’t picture myself moving to a small city and making very little money in the beginning. I had a second dream of moving to Los Angeles and did just that. Side note – I’m OBSESSED with all things LSU and I become a crazed LSU fan every college football season. - How did you and your husband meet?
I met my husband Kevin while living in Los Angeles. We actually never dated and he was always one of my best guy friends in the city. Fast forward a few years, I was living in New York City and my job at the time had me flying back to LA every 5-6 weeks. On one of those trips Kevin and I grabbed dinner to catch up. Well that dinner involved multiple rounds of cocktails, good conversation that went till midnight and the rest was history! We laugh now because we both almost cancelled on each other – it was only a Tuesday. We ended up doing long distance for two years. One year between NYC and LA and the second year between NYC and Dallas, TX, where Kevin had moved for a job. In August of 2018, he got a job offer here in the Bay Area that he couldn’t refuse and we decided we were done with long distance. I asked my employer at the time if I could transition to our SF office and I ended up moving in November 2018. - When and where did you get married? We got married in Punta de Mita, MX on May 7th, 2022. It was the most magical weekend full of family, friends, tequila, an epic beach club party and really just the most memorable weekend of our lives. Highly recommend a destination wedding if you’re considering it.
- How tall are you?
A very average 5’4” - What has your health & fitness journey been like?
Growing up I was always in sports and was very active. In college, I definitely gained the freshmen 15 in part to moving to Louisiana and eating all the fried foods and drinking all the sugary drinks. That weight eventually came off but it wasn’t until I was 25 living in NYC and binging on late-night pizza and cocktails when I noticed I let myself gain probably 10lbs. I try not to harp too much on numbers but for me and my height, 10lbs is a lot. I also have the shortest torso possible so when I gain weight it’s noticeable. January 2017 is when my “fitness journey” really started. I got really into the “New Year, New Me” outlook and I ended up getting a gym membership to a fancy Equinox (which I probably couldn’t afford) and started doing Anna Victoria’s fitness guides. I really credit her workouts as my foundation to lifting weights and not relying only on cardio. At the same time, Kevin and I started dated and long distance inherently makes you want to look and feel good. He is also super into working out so this made me want to like working out just as much (lolz). It’s been a solid 3 years of trial and error and I feel like I’ve just now found a groove and have figured out what works for my body.
More importantly, health is so much more than your workouts and your diet. A few years ago I started going to therapy once a month and it completely changed my life and my mental health. At first I was seeking therapy because I was struggling with my move from NYC to SF. From adjusting to the actual city, to simply making friends (more on this another time). Nowadays therapy is still something I do once a month but has evolved to more of life and career guidance. Long story short it’s really nice to talk to an unbiased third party. - Favorite vacation spot?
Mexico! Like I mentioned we got married last year in Punta de Mita so I’m biased to Mexico but the ease and convenience of Mexico from the West Coast is what really keeps us going back. Cabo or Puerto Vallarta area is so close to us for a perfect long 3 day weekend type. Whether it’s Cabo, Punta Mita or the Cancun/Tulum area – we love it all! Otherwise our honeymoon destinations would definitely be on the top of our list. We were lucky enough to go to Paris, Dubai, Thailand, the Maldives and Singapore!!! Probably the most incredible and lavish vacation we’ll ever take. - Do you plan on staying in the Bay Area forever?
Well forever is a long time buttttt short answer I’m not sure! Kevin grew up here and his family is here so that’s a positive. The Bay Area and California in general is extremely expensive from cost of living to state and income taxes. We’ve talked a lot about the potential of living in another state so we’ll see where life takes us in the next few years! One of my favorite sayings is “God laughs when you make plans” and I whole heartedly believe this. - Coffee or tea?
Not even a question – Cold brew or iced coffee even if it’s below freezing out. I’ll order an iced red-eye (iced coffee + shot of espresso) for days where I’m feeling extra sluggish. La Colombe coffee in NYC is my favorite (I know they’re all over the country now) and Philz in California is also delicious.
Well if you’ve made it this far, CONGRATS! But no seriously, thank you for reading and I can’t wait for more stories and exciting posts to come! Be sure to subscribe below so you never miss a new post.
xo Syd
