Author: keep up with k.tap

fall favorites

even though i have only ever lived in california and grew up in la, i have always been a fan of true seasons. sometimes, it seems like summer never ends here. so you can imagine how happy i was this week when the weather shifted from blistering hot days to just enough overcast to make me not blast my a/c and even snuggle up with my favorite throw blanket.

here are two of the things i’ve missed most…

is it really fall if i am not enjoying red wine and lighting an obscene number of candles throughout my place?

i just don’t enjoy red wine as much during the warmer months so when nocking point sent this amazing malbec as part of my quarterly subscription, i couldn’t wait to try it. and after the long work week i’ve had, there is something so soothing about scent of lavender and vanilla. my friend hayley told me about this insane sale bath and body works was having last month on candles and i ordered a variety of scents. this lavender vanilla one has been my favorite by far.

with the weather cooling down, i will definitely be posting more about wardrobe since this is a season i actually like to dress for.

what are some of your fall favorites?

enjoy your weekend!

xoxo,

k. tap

thought of the week: you are allowed to be both…

in counseling at an all girls high school, i am constantly working with my clients on a few major themes:

  1. letting go of the idea of perfection
  2. reminding each them that their biggest competition is who they were yesterday
  3. reiterating that they are great as they are, yet that doesn’t mean that there isn’t some room for growth

 

with that being said, when i kept seeing this quote being reposted over and over again on instagram, i had to pause.  it resonated with me on so many levels – as a person, a woman and a counselor.

 

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“you are allowed to be both a masterpiece and a work in progress, simultaneously.” -sophia bush

 

growing up, i always loved pasadena.  one of the pasadena traditions is the rose parade and sophia bush is the first rose queen i truly remember.  i just recall her seeming down to earth and loving her raspy voice.  fast forward a few years and i was going to high school in the pasadena area when one tree hill premiered – i was obsessed with the show and realized i recognized one of the main characters, sophia bush.  i watched every episode of one tree hill, even when went away to college.  something i appreciated was who sophia bush was off camera – there was something so genuine about her.  she seemed to be unapologetic about her evolution.  so, when i came across this quote not once, not twice, but at least five times in the last week, it came as no surprise that she was the woman responsible for it.

 

it is incredibly simple but incredibly important to acknowledge that it is totally possible to be both – if anything, being a masterpiece and a work in progress at the same time shows that while a person can be brilliant, that same person can be both open and excited to continue to grow/learn.  this isn’t only a mindset i am happy to adopt, it is one that each of my clients can greatly benefit from.

 

did you know you could be a masterpiece and a work in progress at the same damn time?

 

xoxo,

k. tap

basic witch potion no. 2

i don’t know if there is a better way to spend a summer sunday than with a chilled bottle of rosé.

 

with me being a member at nocking point, i already get these awesome boxes every couple of months with three bottles of wine, a bag of coffee (something the pacific northwest is known for) and an article of clothing.  when i found out that some of the cast members from one of my favorite reality tv shows (vanderpump rules on bravo) was launching a pinot grigio with nocking point, that inspired me not only to become a member but to try out that pinot grigio once it was back in stock.  i was absolutely obsessed once i got my hand on basic witch potion no. 1 – it is literally the best pinot grigio i have ever had.  it pairs well with anything under the sun but i love it with my savory southwest salmon salad.

 

now, let me introduce you to basic witch potion no. 2 – the basic witch rosé.  it is light, floral and fruity.  it has a 13.5% alcohol volume so you get the perfect little buzz to make your sunday a fun one.  it is perfect on its own but i am excited to pair it with my shrimp tacos (which i promise to put on the blog sooner rather than later).

 

 

can we talk about how cute the bottle is? basic witch potion no. 2 can be purchased here.  you have the option of purchasing two, three, six or 12 bottles at a time.  i purchased two to start and immediately regretted not getting at least six.  learn from my mistakes!  while it is going to be tough, i am saving the second bottle for my next bravo night in with my fellow bravoholic and rosé lover, carolynn. “the only way to start the day is with this basic witch rosé” couldn’t be a more accurate quote to describe my mindset, especially on the weekends.

 

you may have noticed some writing on the stemless glasses – i was trying out my wine glass writers from my fellow aquarian sister, hillary.  if you are like me, when i host, i prefer everyone having the same glasses/stemware.  these metallic markers make it easy to identify everyone’s glass.  the wine glass writers come in a pack of three, are easy to use and even easier to wash off once you are done.  for today’s post, i had to shout out #witchesofweho and #roséallday on the wine glasses.

 

 

have you tried basic witch potion no. 2? have you tried basic witch potion no. 1? do you have a favorite? as of now, i can’t seem to choose.

happy sunday!

xoxo,

k. tap

 

 

thought of the week: trusting myself is key

a huge part of my growth this year has been centered around vulnerability. while i had already acknowledged that vulnerability can make me feel raw and exposed (but somehow is still totally worth it), what i had not been able to pinpoint is where the high level of discomfort stemmed from.

it was about trust. there had been times i got burned by people i thought i knew/trusted. then, i reached this point where i didn’t only have an issue trusting others. i had an issue trusting myself – an issue trusting my judgment.

i came across this quote on the instagram page of one of my childhood friends and i could not get it out of my head.

“i trust the next chapter, because i know the author.” -toby mac

my eyes filled with tears.

shockingly, the tears weren’t due to sadness or frustration. they were tears of gratitude for how far i’ve come. i am so proud of myself for getting to a place where i truly trust and value all that i bring to the table. i know myself better than i ever have before and that enables me to not only trust the next chapter, but be excited about the next chapter.

what would it look like to trust yourself fully?

xoxo,

k. tap

the parlor

over the weekend, a dear friend of mine from childhood turned 30. leighia and i are both big on birthdays. i wouldn’t miss the opportunity to celebrate her. so, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that i absolutely adored the place we started off our saturday – the parlor.

the parlor is in la on melrose and is technically a sports bar. the cute covered patio, neon signs and to die for cocktails definitely made me forget i was in a sports bar. them taking reservations just made it seem less like a sports bar. now for those of you who care about college football, they open early on the weekends when there are games on, there are signs and flags of dozens of teams and about a trillion screens to watch the game on.

now, onto the fun stuff.

i am a sucker for a slushy drink, especially on a summer day. this one is called “peach don’t kill my vibe” and is gin based. what i liked about it was that it still felt light and refreshing. even though i love frozen drinks, sometimes they are too sweet. that wasn’t the case here.

next, we decided to do some cocktails on the rocks. the one on the left is “summer breeze” and the one on the right is “sweet melrose” – both are vodka based but summer breeze was a bit sweeter whereas sweet melrose was more tart. the birthday girl loved summer breeze!

for my entree, i had the eggs benedict florentine and added avocado. it was scrumptious and there was not a bite left on my plate. i think it will be impossible for me to try anything else on the menu at this point. i have included the menu below – it had just enough variety to choose from without being totally overwhelming.

i will definitely be back. i thought our server did a great job balancing a party of nearly 20. he even offered to do separate checks which just made the boozy brunch even easier to navigate. the location makes it easy for it to be one of the stops during a day of day drinking. i can’t wait to go back with some of my girlfriends who are visiting from the bay soon.