live colourfully.

I woke up last Saturday and I was SO excited for summer. It was a beautiful day, and it just didn't feel right to be wearing black, as I do about 90% of the time. Instead I opted for the absolute brightest articles of clothing in my closet, and I don't think it was a coincidence that I was so happy, all day.
Maybe I should buy more yellow? I might be on to something.

Some of the pictures are a bit dark, I've been playing around trying to figure out all of my camera settings, but they kind of reminded me of those days when you spend hours laying out on the beach in the blazing sun, and then you finally open your eyes and it's so bright that all of the people and objects look really dark, and that made me even MORE excited for summer, so I put them up anyway.

Billabong Tie-Dye shorts/ Element Shirt/  Roxy Sandles/ F21 Bustier/ AE Sunglasses

If this is the ugliest blanket you've ever seen, that's OK. It was my first official "decor" purchase ever, I was 16 and I had just discovered Ikea. It was the same summer I painted my bedroom electric purple and my bookshelf fluorescent orange. My room was awesome.

I also brought snacks and entertainment. It was a really relaxing afternoon, and one that will hopefully be repeated with slight variations every possible opportunity until the end of the summer.

throwback thursday

In honour of TBT, here are some pictures of me (and my sisters) when I was little. Please be sure to stop and admire the impressive volume my mother was able to produce in some of my side ponytails, that woman is a magician with a rat tail comb.

Things really haven't changed

hot stuff.

I thought I was pretty hot in my belly shirt

Don't be fooled by her bunny nose, she will cut you

favourites

Here are a few of the things that are making me happy right now:

New runners. Brooks Pure Cadence, I love them so far.

Cadbury Creme Eggs. So. Friggin. Good.

Cherry blossoms in our neighbourhood. So happy that it's spring time.

And, Goodreads.com. I was introduced to this website by a co-worker a few weeks ago, and it's pretty awesome. It's like Netflix for books.. except for you can't read them online, so it's really nothing like Netflix, but you can rate books you've read and receive recommendations based on all of your likes for books that you might enjoy.

Also, you can make lists of books that you want to read which is extremely helpful for anybody like me who constantly has tons of books that I want to read, but then immediately forgets the name of every book ever written the second I'm at a library or bookstore.

perfect

Have you seen this yet? Go ahead and check it out, I'll wait....

Tra la laaaa..............................................................................................................................................

OK, isn't that kind of crazy? I mean, everyone knows that photos of celebrities are Photoshopped, but there is something about seeing it happen right in front of your eyes that really makes you think.

It's easy to forget all of the work that goes into making people look that good, especially when they are just out laying around on the beach in a t-shirt, "oh this old thing, just something I threw on this morning". And it's not just Photoshop, but lighting, hair, makeup, wardrobe, all of these things work together to make this perfect image.

It's easy to forget that though, especially when you're watching movies or a TV show. It's not like you think these people are actually real, but if you don't think about it really, it is nice to imagine that Seth and Summer are out there somewhere making out still.

The thing that gets me, and I've even worked as an intern on TV show and commercial shoots before, is that I forget that what I'm watching isn't really happening. Like if you're watching Sex and the City, and Carrie is strutting down 5th avenue looking fabulous in her 5 inch heels and you're like man I wish I could look like that and wear that.. she is actually not walking anywhere, but the three steps she has taken away from her hair and makeup team since the director said "Action".

Or when you watch Marissa Cooper (I'm re-watching the first season of the OC right now) wake up in a hot, nasty motel room in Tijuana and she looks like an angel, and you're like why don't I look like that when I wake up?

It's because she didn't just wake up, she just laid down in the bed, and had her hair, clothing and makeup fixed by professionals 3 seconds before she opened her eyes and "woke up".

That seems extremely obvious, and maybe it is to a lot of people, but I tend to get very wrapped up in the story line and forget, which is probably a good thing, and basically the point of entertainment, but I think that it can be at least depressing, if not dangerous to compare ourselves constantly to something that is actually not real.

It's one thing for older people who at least have some idea that it's just a collection of a few second clips edited together to look like a continuous, and realistic event, but I think more effort needs to be made to educate younger people, especially younger girls, so they don't constantly feel the need to compare themselves to something that is not attainable in real life.

This is a pretty cool video I came across a few years ago, for the Dove Real Beauty Campaign:

truffle

I bake a lot, especially lately. But I have to be honest, these are the best thing I've made in a long, long time. Delicious chocolatey truffles with an Oreo cookie crust and fresh raspberries, these got rave reviews from everyone that tried one. I will definitely be making these again.

they didn't have Oreo crumbs so I had to get creative and crush up Oreo pie crusts

I can neither confirm nor deny rumours of second degree burns from melted chocolate

Oreo cookie crusts with raspberries...

Then add melted chocolate...

And demolish. Seriously, these were amazing.

bay bridge lights

My parents and brother came in last night for a quick stop over on their way to Hawaii. It was so nice to see them. We had a really nice dinner at the Waterfront Restaurant in the city, and then checked out the new light exhibit on the Bay Bridge.

  

I came home from supper to find this package from my sister:

A cute new shirt and shorts, VS bikini bottoms, cookie corner cookies, kettle corn, Benefit bronzer, Diorshow mascara, new perfume, a hand drawn picture of me that time I was in a movie, and lots of other goodies. One of the best and most thoughtful gifts I've ever gotten.

black and white polka dots

It is officially spring, according to the calendar, and according to a ground hog a few weeks ago, it should be getting warmer? I had a heated discussion with my sister about the ground hog thing, is there one specific ground hog that must see it's shadow?

What do they do with him for the rest of the year? What if he gets eaten by a fox, and it can't be determined if he saw his shadow or not, are we doomed to winter weather forever? And also, where is he? And how does anyone really know if he saw his shadow since he obviously can't tell anyone?

These are the things I wonder about. Anyway, the point is, I want it to be spring. Actually, I want it to be so hot out that all anybody can do is lay around in their underwear wishing it was winter, but I'll take what I can get.

It's still pretty cold and dark here in the mornings, and it's been raining. I am really tired all the time lately, and I can. not. get. out. of. bed, and I think it's because of the weather. Luckily, I got myself a cute new umbrella to keep me dry, if not warm. Hopefully it will fare better than my last one which got crushed in a bus door on Haight St. when the Giants won the World Series.

Shirt, H&M(Similar)/ Jeans, Charlotte Russe/ Shoes, Madden Girl/ Bracelet and Watch, Michael Kors/ Umbrella, H&M

unphotographable

In the world we live in, there are pictures everywhere, of everything, taken by everyone. It is estimated that there have been about 3.8 trillion pictures taken, ever.

In the world we live in today, if you don't have a picture, it didn't happen. But sometimes, for whatever reason, you can't take a picture. Maybe your phone is dead, maybe you don't have a camera, maybe it's an inappropriate time to take pictures, or maybe, for whatever reason, taking a picture of a moment might put you in danger in some way.

So I was delighted to come across this site a few weeks ago, unphotographable. The creator of the website, Michael David Murphy, posts short descriptions of scenes that were for one reason or another, unphotographable, but were still important enough that somebody would like to remember them.

Some of the posts are so detailed and descriptive that you can actually watch the scene unfold in your head. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then maybe a thousand words is just as good as a picture.

Here are some examples:

"This is a picture I did not take of a woman with a baby in her arms and a burping towel on her shoulder, walking up to the side of a vacant, foreclosed home in the middle of a neighborhood hit hard by mortgage fraud, looking up and down the street before turning-on the outdoor spigot at the corner of the house to take a drink with a cupped hand, and then, after wetting the towel, she began to carefully wash her newborn's feet."

"This is a picture I did not take of a man in Atlanta wearing a yellow Martin Luther King "I Have a Dream" t-shirt while selling drugs beneath the freeway, half a mile down the street from the house where Dr. King was born."

birthday roundup

Friday was my birthday, as you probably know by now. I had such a wonderful day. I woke up to presents and kisses from Derek, had supermarket birthday cake for breakfast, and then went to work where I had cards, peanuts m&m's, chocolate croissant, and macaroons waiting for me.

I went out to lunch with a group of my wonderful coworkers and had the best margarita of my life, followed by cupcakes in the afternoon.

Derek picked me up after work and we went to little Italy, to an Italian restaurant called Firenze, where I had seriously amazing ravioli. After supper we got cappuccino's and wandered around North Beach, and stopped at an adorable little candy shop.

On the way home, we stopped on Treasure Island to see the new light exhibit that is up on the Bay Bridge. It was pretty neat, but I think you can see it better from the city side, so I'll have to check it out on Thursday when my parents come to town.

I had such a wonderful day, thanks to everyone who celebrated with me.

all things birthday

sometimes you have to wear a sombrero

favourites

Here are a few things that are making me happy right now, birthday edition.

Oh, The Places You Will Go.. always applicable, no matter your age.

Reminds me of Sunday nights in Waianae.

I've eaten a lot of cake in my day. Some good, some white cake (not my fave) and some cheesecake. OK a lot of cheesecake... but still to this day, one of my favourite cakes is just the plain old slab chocolate from the grocery store.

You know the one, with the icing 2 inches thick and so sweet that it might make you sick if if weren't simultaneously fulfilling every dream and desire of your heart... I'm sorry, what were we talking about?

Oh yeah. Anyways, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a cake big enough that you can sneak into the kitchen for a few bites every couple of minutes for days afterwards... yeah its definitely a favourite. For life.

I usually like white icing better but this was the last piece and I had to fight a little girl for it. Beggars can't be choosers.

This video. David Mitchell's Soapbox is hilarious, and this video brightens my day and brings joy into my heart. I hope you like it, but if not, I couldn't care less.

twenty six

Happy Birthday to me.

It's strange to me that I am 26, I still feel like I am 12 most of the time, and honestly I haven't changed that much since I was. But time keeps passing even when you don't notice it, and it's pretty crazy to me to look back now at my life, especially since I graduated high school.

I've met so many incredible people, and had so many wonderful experiences, I am truly grateful for all of it. If you had told me at 12 that I would have had the opportunity to do so many of the things I've done, I wouldn't have believed you, but I would have hoped you were right.

Highlights from this last year, for me were:

- Finally being able to get a job in the U.S., and finding one that I like with wonderful co-workers was definitely a bonus.
- My mom and Ry coming out to visit us and see our new house in June
- Getting married in July, and getting to see all of my favourite people in one place, at the same time
- Running my first solo-half marathon in October
- Our road trip down the coast to Carmel for Derek's birthday
- Taking Derek back to Canada with me to see my home town in November
- Mexico with my family for Christmas
- Hawaii with my mom and sister in January
- A road trip to L.A. with Derek in February

This year I am looking forward to:

- My parents coming out to visit in a couple of weeks, this will be the first time my Dad has been able to come
- Hawaii in May for Derek's graduation
- My best friend moving to Oregon, so I can stalk her on long weekends
- Fourth of July weekend in Montana with my older sister and her beautiful babies
- A September long weekend wedding
- The Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in September with my momma and sisters, go Team Ta-Tas!

And lots more.

If you were thinking of getting me something for my birthday, but you weren't able to get in touch with Charlie Hunnam, you could sponsor me for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, here.

yes.

 

 

six word memoirs

"If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter"- Blaise Pascal.

It is actually much harder to write something in a few words, than it is if you are given all the words in the world. If you only have a few words, each one is that much more important, because there is a lot more room for misunderstanding or misconstrual.

A few months ago, I read Not Quite What I Was Planning, a collection of 6 words memoirs inspired by Ernest Hemingway's "For sale: Baby shoes, never worn." I think back to it every so often, trying to decide what my 6 word memoir would say, but it's very hard to commit to something like that, it feels so final.

Although, really, your 6 word memoir would just be a snapshot of that time in your life, and would change in the future certainly, and could change almost as soon as it was written, because even if your experiences haven't changed, your perspective might have.

So as of right now, this minute, my six word memoir is: Learn, travel, try; always missing something.

See more 6 word memoirs at Smith Magazine.com- Six word memoirs.

Check out true stories told in one sentence here.

freshly baked

I get very attached to the characters in books. Like to an alarming degree. Sometimes I feel that I know them better than I know people in real life, and they can be very influential on me and my choices.

I've never made bread before in my life, but I'm reading The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult, in which the main character, Sage, is a baker, and it's really getting to me. I spend an inordinate amount of time online researching bread recipes, and happily daydreaming about making Challah bread, which I'm fairly certain I've never even seen in real life. That's how you know when writing is good, when it is so descriptive and consuming that you actually start to believe you possess the qualities of the character you are inhabiting.

I truly, at this moment, believe that the only thing coming between me and my unassailable destiny of being the greatest bread maker that ever lived, is that fact that I've never tried to make bread.

So, I decided to try it.

I decided to use this recipe, it is called Best Bread Ever, and I mean, I'm obviously not going to settle for anything less than that.

ingredients

my kitchen smelled amazing as soon as I started mixing the ingredients

I loved how soft it was after it finished rising

my 10 pm supper

This bread was soooo good, I will definitely be making it again. Unfortunately, (or fortunately, if you're me) the rising and baking took longer than I thought, so by the time supper was ready, Derek was already in bed and I had no choice but to eat my freshly baked bread and delicious cheese by myself.

starry night

This weekend I took a painting class in Oakland. Basically, each class has a famous painting that the teacher shows you how to recreate. I've always wished I was more visually artistic but I've never been able to draw, I have it on pretty good authority that my dogs always look like cows.

The class was actually really fun, it was nice to do something different, and I promised myself I would try to take more classes this year. What I didn't expect what that it was actually really peaceful and relaxing, I thought it would be stressful trying to do a good job, but since the likelihood of me actually recreating a Van Gogh painting perfectly was very small, it was just a fun activity.

I would love to do more painting in the future.

My colours

blank canvas

half way finished

done!

the instructor's recreation. ours are basically the same, right?