I Typed for Miles

Thank You!

2012-02-22T09:00:00.000-08:00

First of all, a big thanks to those lovelies that guest posted for me while I was off getting married + honeymooning! I so appreciate it! Second, thanks to those of you that have congratulated me either here on the blog, Tumblr, or Twitter.

I've had a great week and I will be posting about it soon. I just realized I never finished posting about my bachelorette weekend in Palm Springs. I am quite obsessed with the Ace and hope to be able to go again soon with my husband. (It feels weird to say that! Love it!)

It was a great time with some of my favorite ladies - what more could I want?

Guest Post: Courtney

2012-02-17T09:00:00.000-08:00

hi everyone! this is courtney from vintch. i am so, so honored to be posting in cara-mia's lovely space while she gallivants around san fran with her new husband. have a beautiful time, dear. i still remember the feel of the breeze on my cheeks and the pigeons by the wharf. that city is a dream.

i was asked to write about weddings/marriage. and my mind immediately filled with images of my big day. about our big band. the hydrangeas. the look on robert's face when he gathered my hands in his own.

but then my thoughts fell on that slash. that little line between weddings. and marriage.

if ever there was something beautiful and pure in this world, it is a wedding. it is flowers, and getting dolled up. it's anticipation and pachelbel's canon. it's a first dance and a honeymoon. and from tiny churches to big islands, any place in the world becomes romantic when two people gather hands, in front of their families and distant cousins and girls and boys they've known since second grade, and tell each other i just can't imagine sleeping anywhere but beside you.

but there is a slash there. a separation. a chasm between wedding and marriage that must be accounted for.

my romance is one of the absolute greatest blessings of my life. i met robert in high school and followed him to college. we fought like crazy for a while (because who knew there were hot girls who liked to lay out under the volleyball courts even when it was shady out?) i was insecure. he was unsure. but we found our way back to each other. we married exactly five years from our first date.

there was a crystal chandelier and i wore my mama's blue birthstone ring. i wore my hair down and he spun me around to somewhere over the rainbow.

and i wish i could say that every single day since then has been as lovely, perfect and sweet as our wedding.

but it's been a marriage. a lifelong, day-in, day-out, i'm-tired-and-it's-wednesday-night-and-let's-just-go-to bed-and-forget-this-day-ever-happened ebb and flow. of late nights snuggling in front of the televisions and early mornings too tired to even speak. of afternoons on the guest bed playing with our pup as the sun slowly sets behind the blinds. of birthdays and holidays and mondays.

he's my best friend, this man. but we're human. and we fight. and hurt each other sometimes.

because my wedding was a day. and aside from the births of my future babies, it was quite possibly the best day of my life. but he puts the life in my days. that's the difference. that right there is the sweet separation. the delicate dash.

{Finishing off the week with Courtney's post. Her words are always so beautiful and I can get lost in her writing. This one reminds me of the slogan of our engaged encounter weekend: A wedding is a day, a marriage is a lifetime. Thank you Courtney, and to all the ladies that guest posted on here while I've been honeymooning. I really appreciate it.}

Guest Post: Amber

2012-02-16T09:00:00.000-08:00

HI! Amber here from I love you to the moon.

So happy to be guest posting on this pretty ladies blog while she away honeymooning!! So exciting.Thrilled for you two!! :D

I have been married for three and half years now and what an experience it’s been. I’d like to say that it’s all been easy, and always always fun but truth is, marriage is hard work. Relationships are hard sometimes. Two imperfect people joining together and living in one house, is a set up for conflict. Marriage is beautiful, rewarding, and worth the work ten times over though. I have found several things that have really helped though along the way, I’ll share the four biggest ones to me.

Make time for each other.

My absolute favorite thing in the word is spending time with Adam. It doesn’t even matter what we are doing. Some of our date nights we spend in sweats on the couch with wine and movie. Others we get fancy and go have sushi, or go to movies. The activity doesn’t matter; the one on one time is what really counts. I always make sure my phone is off and put away. It is so easy to want to document everything – “hold on! I need a picture of that sushi before you eat any of it.” ;] which I think is fine, but then I tend to want to upload it immediately, look at comments ect. So, I only pull my phone out for quick pictures and then put it away and devote my time to conversation and making my husband feel loved and important. The time we do have, we try to make count and make each other priority. Cell phones and social media have made it so hard to truly disconnect, but I think it’s so necessary sometimes.

Take joy in little things.

This is one of my favorite things to do in life. Notice how the sun is shining, the wind is blowing, and making everything look vibrant and so alive, listening to rain drops on the tin patio roof, enjoying the sunrise and sunsets that seem like they are painted only for me. It makes the day so beautiful and special. I think the same thing goes for relationships. Notice the little things you love about your spouse and tell them! The way they look at you in the mornings, they way they laugh when something is really funny, the kindness that’s so evident in their eyes. There are so many little things to appreciate that are sometimes so easily overlooked.

Compromise.

This obviously doesn’t go for just marriage. Compromise is important in friendships and relationships of any sort. However, once mastered will make your marriage so happy. Take delight in doing things that your spouse loves, even if you don’t. Watch a game he/she is really interested in, go fishing, play sports together, watch chick flicks/action movies, shopping dates! It makes life so much easier and enjoyable. Celebrate differences you have. Differences make the world go around and can make your relationship super exciting if you choose to let them!

Respect.

Respect each other. Never lose that aspect of your relationship. I think sometimes couples let things get to lax and this is one of them. I don’t ever want Adam to think I don’t respect and care for him deeply. I want to give him the common courtesy I give strangers and acquaintances (and so much more.) You tend to be kind and courteous to people you don't know well. I make an effort to greet Adam at the door with a hug and kiss when he gets home, say please and thank you always, be kind and courteous, and do little things that let him know I truly care for him. I respect him as a man, my man, and want him to know that always.

Obviously I’m not a pro, but these are the things I’ve found to be so important in our marriage. <3

Have a lovely day!

Thank you for having me again, sweet girl!

{Thanks, Amber! Anyone that follows your blog/Instagram can see how close you and Adam are, and it's so admirable. I'm happy to have your advice here. <3 }

Guest Post: Ashley

2012-02-15T09:00:00.000-08:00

Hi lovelies! I'm Ashley from Hudson's Happenings. I am so excited that my sweet and beautiful friend Cara-Mia invited me over to hang out on her blog while she's off GETTING MARRIED!

Isn't that soo exciting?

Thinking about her upcoming nuptials makes me reminisce on all kinds of memories from my big day.

Even though I married my husband almost 7 years ago, I can easily remember all the happiness and anticipation I felt in the days leading up to our wedding. I can remember all the stress I felt, too.

Yikes.

And that brings me to why I'm here.

Girls, I have some tips from you:

5 Tips to Beat Stress & Truly Enjoy Your Wedding Day

1) Just Say No to Bridezilla Tendencies

Yes, your wedding is one of the biggest days of your life. Yes, you want everything to be perfect. And, yes, you have dreamed about your ceremony since you were a little girl. But, try to relax! Enjoy the planning process. Accept help from family and friends graciously. Take lots of deep breaths. Nobody likes a scary bride-to-be...so smile and cherish every moment.

2) Be True to You

So what if your idea of the perfect wedding isn't the same as your mom's. Or your best friend's. That's why this day is so great...it is all about you and your groom! Choose things for your wedding that make you truly happy. Some of my favorite memories from my ceremony were the special moments that made our day a little different. Include music that you both enjoy. Have a passage read from a favorite novel. Hold the ceremony in a place you love.

3) Don't Sweat the Small Stuff

I promise that you won't remember if your bridesmaid scuffed her shoe right before she walked down the aisle. Flower girls don't always cooperate, nobody will mind...they will be too busy waiting to see the bride! Little things that don't go exactly as planned are no big deal, especially in the long run.

4) Take Lots of Pictures

Brides glow. It's just a fact. And grooms are remarkably handsome. Save the special moments for posterity and pose for tons of photos. Take some silly ones, too...you'll laugh about those later.

5) Treasure the Unexpected Moments

Things are going to happen that are not according to plan on your wedding day. I think that's just a fact of life. We were married on a very hot July day in Alabama, I still laugh when I think about how, at one point, all of the wedding attendants were pointing tiny fans at me to help cool me off. Later, at a very crucial moment, the minister dropped my husband's wedding band....it was only about 2 inches away from falling into the water (and being lost forever). But we caught it, and that is one of our most favorite stories to tell about our ceremony; it always makes us smile.

What tip would you add to this list?

{This is a great pre-wedding list, Ashley! I hope it can help some of you future brides-to-be. The "take lots of photos" part is what I am looking forward to the most. I have to say that Ashley (a total Elizabeth Taylor look-alike, so lucky!) and her husband look so amazing in their wedding photos! Thanks again for sharing this!}

Guest Post: Janette the Jongleur

2012-02-14T09:00:00.000-08:00

Hello I Typed for Miles readers! Before I get into who I am and what I'm doing here... I would love love love to congratulate my sweet bloggy friend, Cara-Mia on her wedding! Eeee! Aren't you just THEE happiest for her? I am! (Wishing you some much deserved bliss C!) Ok! Glad to get that out of my system! Hiiii!!! My name is Janette (of Janette the Jongleur) and I’m here to share my expertise and knowledge on all things marriage. Actually... I’m not. I really don’t know much about marriage. I’ve been married to Lovey (my husband) (not his real name) for almost 4 years. That’s hardly enough time to relay the secrets of a spectacular marriage. Right??

So why am I here exactly?? Well. Cara-Mia asked me to guest post on anything marriage related, I got super excited, my brain short circuited a little, and I said yes. (Sounds a lot like my engagement story.) Anyway! Today I’m here to give you some marriage advice. What advice could I possibly give?! Well friends... Never fear. Today I’m not only going to share what I've learned along the way, but what other women (wiser and married 20+years) shared with me before I married back in 08. Tried and true tips, I tell ya!

RESPECT & ♥

Respect and love the heck out of your husband to his face and behind his back. When he’s around build him up. Thank him for his share of the workload. Point out his positive qualities. When he’s not around don’t bad-mouth him, make fun of him (in a negative way), or belittle and tear him down. Laud him for his strengths…And keep his weaknesses under wraps. Value your husband, express his worth to him, and he will move mountains for you.

PLEASE & THANK YOU

Remember your manners! So often we forget to be polite to people in our very own family and especially our husbands. We tend to treat strangers with more civility and manners than our own spouses! So say excuse me, please, and thank you. Practice kindness and selflessness. And don't chuck remote controls at his face. Or kick him in the shins if you need to pass by him.

Be BFFs!

The other day I realized something. Lovey is my favorite person to be with... for everything! He’s my favorite shopping buddy, confidante, and movie date. I would rather be with him than any other person. And he is the only one I share my deep thoughts and secrets with (Besides the Lord of course). He is it. My ultimate everything (on earth). He comes first and always will. So be your husband's bestie. And yes, of course he will need his alone/guys only nights. That's fine. But always keep him at the forefront of your heart and mind.

LEARN TO FIGHT

Fight fair. Learn what underhanded tactics you use when arguing and AVOID them. Find out what gets you and your husband fuming. Me? I tend to take stuff out on Lovey when I'm grumpy at someone else. This has been the cause of many of our arguments. I've recognized this character flaw and am working on it. Also, do not rehash old arguments. And most importantly make sure you are having a legitimate reason for an argument. Out of all the fights I've had with my husband I can only remember about 3 of them. Three! 3 in 3.5 years of marriage (And I know we've had plenty!) Chances are you're arguing about something really petty... So remember that you will not remember!!! In a few weeks you will forget why you were arguing. And if you do remember you will recall that the caramel apple he didn't buy for you that one and only time you asked for a special treat is not even worth remembering ;-) Oh yeah! And don't fight in front of others and never ever ever hit each other.

STAY MARRIED

Obviously there are legitimate reasons for divorce (abuse, adultery, abandonment, etc.) but divorce should not be an option (again the aforementioned are exceptions). You promised that this commitment was until the end of your days, so keep that promise. Do everything in your power to get help. Seek counseling. Seek the help of friends or family. Every problem has a solution. And sometimes it takes work. Hard work. But it's sooo worth it.

Now, hopefully you can glean something from all of this, even if you aren't married. Regardless, if you have some pearls of wisdom PLEASE share in the comments! I would love to hear from you!

PS. Thanks for reading and thanks for inviting me to take over your space Cara-Mia! For more of my wily wedded wisdom (NOT) click here. I explain 5 Things I Wish Someone Would’ve Told Me Before I Got Hitched. Or for my regular shenanigans, please check out my blog and happy place, Janette the Jongleur.

{Many thanks to Janette for kick-starting the marriage guest posts on my blog this week. (On Valentine's Day no less!) I love your tips and will definitely be keeping these in mind! Aren't Janette's posts always so visually appealing? Always! xo, Cara-Mia}

Cabazon Dinosaurs

2012-02-07T09:00:00.000-08:00

This weekend was my bachelorette party. It wasn't anything too crazy (although there are some crazy photos I hope won't be seeing the light of day...), but it was perfect. I had such a great time. The first day was just my sister and our friend Jessie, and we stayed at the Ace Hotel in Palm springs, which is pretty much my favorite place. I don't have all the photos yet, so I'm just going to post about something we did as soon as Jessie got there.

Pee Wee Herman fans will recognize these Cabazon dinosaurs.

Jessie had never seen them, and she is always down for a photo shoot, so we took her. It's only about fifteen minutes from Palm Springs. My parents took us there a few times when we were little.

Of course the other great thing about Cabazon is that there is an amazing group of outlet stores there. Unfortunately, there was no time (or money) for that this time. Ever been there?

2012-01-29T12:35:00.000-08:00

Today I thought I'd share two vintage pieces that are already in our apartment. I went up yesterday to drop some things off, and I was finally able to take a photo of the buffet I bought a few weeks ago in Chino Hills.

I had been looking for a buffet since the summer, and was thrilled to find this piece by lane. Most buffets I saw were too big for an apartment, so I love that this one is little. Definitely cannot wait to fill it up with vintage dishes and create cute displays on top.

Brian actually bought this record player last week. I think it's perfect for our apartment, and I love that he picked this out on his own.

I am getting so anxious to start setting up in the apartment! Photos to come, I'm sure.

{This week I'm linking up to Her Library Adventures for her Flea Market Finds Sunday as well as Miss Mustard Seed's Furniture Feature Friday.}

Blogscars

2012-01-27T09:00:00.000-08:00

The lovely Miss Janette has created something really great: the 2012 Blogscars! (Blogging + Oscars. Very cute.) She's nominated some really amazing blogs, as well as others that I can't wait to check out. Plus, she was nice enough to nominate me for the Best Blogtress in a Leading Role category. I'm honored.

If you care to vote for that category, here you go. Be sure to check out all the categories, too.

Best Blogtress in a Leading Role » make web polls
Tags : blog

Snapshots

2012-01-23T09:28:00.000-08:00

My wedding is in less than three weeks, so I have been in major stress-out mode. Some things that have happened of late that don't warrant their own blog post:

A couple of weekends ago, I went to Tustin to pick up my wedding dress! I am so happy to have it in my possession, as that is one less thing I need to worry about.
While in Tustin, I found something amazing. Something I've been hoping to find at a second-hand store for a while now. A sideboard! It's so perfect. I already took it to San Diego, but will be blogging about it as soon as I am in its presence once more.
I have become incredibly obsessed with Downton Abbey and watched it all in the span of four days. Still trying to figure out what to do with my life now that it's over. Kidding. I'll just watch it all over again soon, I'm sure.
Brian and I signed the lease on our first apartment together! I am so excited about this! This one in fact would warrant its own post if I actually had pictures to go with it. My sister took one photo of us in the new apartment, but I still need to get it from her.
I have packed up approximately 10 boxes, yet my room looks exactly the same as before that: like a war zone.

One place I have been keeping up and posting at is Instagram. I'm quite obsessed. (My username is typed_for_miles.) I haven't really done any outfit posts on my blog in forever, but I enjoy doing them on there, or at least posting outfit details.

2012-01-10T11:39:00.000-08:00

I picked up these Fire King custard cups at a Goodwill in La Mesa, where I will soon be living. I think they're so cute and can't wait to put them to use. I think they cost around $1.50, I can't really remember.

My mom picked up this Pyrex Scroll Cinderella bowl at a swap meet in Lake Havasu for $5! So happy!

This cute little typewriter is actually a pencil sharpener. My mother also purchased this for me at the swap meet mentioned above.

{I'm linking up to Her Library Adventures and Apron Thrift Girl.}

Christmas & NYE 2011

2012-01-09T11:51:00.000-08:00

Just a quick post to keep me up to date. Things have been rather busy around here. We are almost one month away from the wedding! Some photos from Christmas Eve:

I'm pretty much in love with my J Crew sweater. I've worn it so many times. The skirt is something I haven't worn before, and it's H&M.

The photo on the left cracks me up. You have no idea how many times I look at photos of my sister and have no idea what we are doing!

Of course Betsey always gets to be in our photos. Love that little dog.

Christmas morning was completely spent at my parents' house.

My mother's birthday is on New Year's Eve so we had a poodle-themed birthday party for her. My sister made the cutest cookies.

I was happy to use my pink Pyrex dishes.

Christmas Gifts

2011-12-31T10:16:00.000-08:00

I am so very behind on posting about Christmas. I was not the one that actually took photos that day, so I still have to scrounge up various SD cards from family members. So for now, a focus on the gifts.

One of my favorite things about Christmas are these burlap bags. Rather than have a stocking, my mother made these bags for us years ago.

I like for all the gifts I wrap to match. This year, I bought these cute Kate Spade gift tags so I wrapped my gifts in gold and purple wrapping paper from Michaels. I tied them up with purple glitter ribbon. So happy with how these turned out.

Let's flashback to how I wrapped them last year:

Probably my favorite wrapping so far: "cabled" wrapping paper with mini mittens I knitted myself. (And look to the left: that polka dotted paper is still around!)

A few years ago I wrapped with book paper:

Anyway, I received many lovely gifts. Brian bought me an iPad and I am quite obsessed with it!

I received a lot of books. Pictured: Bob Dylan: The Illustrated Biography, Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, Pyrex: The Unauthorized Collectors' Guide, Mad Men: The Illustrated World, and The Repurposed Library. Not pictured: The Williams-Sonoma Bride and Groom Entertaining book. I'm always happy to receive books as gifts!

This year ended up being a very J Crew Christmas - which is more than fine for me! I am quite the J Crew fan, so I was happy to get a locket, a henley, two Painter T's, and a wool No. 2 pencil skirt.

My family really spoiled me this year and I also got a few gift cards, some Juicy Couture charms, and home items. My grandmother bought us a big service for six set of dishes. I know Christmas is not all about gifts, but I am blown away by how generous my family was. I do appreciate it.

Themed Christmas Trees

2011-12-23T14:03:00.000-08:00

It's Christmas Eve-Eve and I still haven't posted a photo of my Starbucks tree. We're a fan of themed Christmas trees here (in addition to our regular one, that is), and this year I decided I wanted to one of my very own. Each year I buy a Starbucks Christmas ornament, and this year they actually had a four pack. I decided that was enough to make a tree with.

I purchased the white pre-lit tree at Michaels, where it seems I go every day...

The tree is three feet tall, so it needed some filler. I covered dollar store and thrift store ornaments in Martha Stewart's gold tinsel glitter. (Obsessed with this glitter!)

I cut the Nutcracker out of one of the cups. I think he looks cute hanging out in there.

I thought I'd also briefly show you my mother's Barbie tree. This tree gets bigger every year!

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas!

2011-12-18T15:05:00.000-08:00

Here are some books I've recently purchased at various thrift stores, mostly those in Yuma, Arizona. The clear acrylic "C" was found at a Salvation Army there, and I really love it!

Bergdorf Blondes: I've been tempted to read this, and when it is so inexpensive, why not?
The Friday Night Knitting Club: I read a sample of this on my Nook, but never got around to purchasing it. The orange tag had 50% off that day, so I had to get it.
Master Your Metabolism: I have recently become obsessed with Jillian Michaels, but I never see her books at thrift shops. My mother was the one that actually found it and I pounced on it. I've started reading it and it is so interesting.
100 Flowers to Knit & Crochet: I had no idea this book was fairly recent until I saw it at Michaels a week after getting it at a thrift store! I love it and used it when making my wreath.
How to Decorate: Martha Stewart. Had to get it.

I'm playing along with Her Library Adventures.

C + B

2011-12-15T10:00:00.000-08:00

After the first bridal shower, our very talented friend Jessie took photos of Brian and I. We didn't get official engagement photos taken, so I like to consider these as our engagement photos. I just really love how they came out, so please excuse the photo spam. :)

One Year!

2011-12-11T15:45:00.000-08:00

Shortly after writing my last post, I realized two things: 1. My wedding is in exactly two months. 2. My blog is one year old today!

So here are a few things that happened this year:

I had a wonderful Christmas.
We got a new puppy!
Saw snow for the first time.
We went to a Conan O'Brien taping in L.A.
Turned twenty-six.
Had a great spring break that included Salvation Mountain and The Ace Hotel in Palm Springs (part 1 and part 2.)
Met Giuliana and Bill Rancic. (Oh how I love them!)
Brian asked me to marry him!
Started collecting vintage Pyrex and thrift shopping in general.
I went on a road trip with my dad that involved going to John Steinbeck's House, going to the Steinbeck Center (for the third time), seeing the Hamilton Family plot, and spending time in Moss Landing and Carmel.
I was thrown two amazing bridal showers that I loved!

If you're a new reader, or relatively new, this will definitely make be up to date with things around here.

Here's to another year of blogging! Thanks for reading. :)

Wreaths

2011-12-11T14:39:00.000-08:00

Christmas is around the corner and I'm still working on projects! Thankfully, we leave our Christmas decorations up until Three Kings Day (January 6th). I've seen various yarn wreaths on Pinterest and on Emily's blog in particular, and I knew I wanted to do my own! It was such an easy DIY project! I bought everything at Michaels craft store (our only craft store, so I am there a lot). I've mostly seen felt flowers on the wreaths, which is nice since I love felt, but I recently bought a book on crochet and knit flowers, and I wanted to try one of those out. So I crocheted the same flower with three different hook sizes and am quite happy with the end result! I could see myself making a wreath for each season! (My mother is an elementary school teacher and has her students make a class wreath for each month.)

We have various wreaths scattered around the house. Here are some more:

2011-12-07T09:00:00.000-08:00

Things have been so busy. I cannot believe we are already one week into December. Christmas will be here before I know it!

I was out of town from Thursday-Sunday taking care of some wedding things we need to do for church. On Thursday, we started our first Natural Family Planning class, which is extremely interesting. Then from Friday-Sunday we had our Engaged Encounter, which was such a rewarding experience! We are more excited than ever to get married now! Plus, we truly had a renewal of faith and realize we need to be doing a lot more for others. It'll be fun to find ways in taking care of that last part together.

I realize I haven't posted photos from the second bridal shower I had that Brian's mom threw for me, but I really don't have too many good shots. Brian's mom has them and I still haven't had a chance to copy them. Here are a couple my mother took.

I loved this cake! I thought it was perfect for a Breakfast at Tiffany's themed shower. (A week after that, I learned that Blair from Gossip Girl had the same theme. Haha.)

There were so many beautiful gifts! I could see how much Brian's family loves and appreciates him. It was nice getting to finally meet some of them. Everyone was so nice.

Brian's mom is an amazing seamstress, and she made this dress for me. I didn't want to take it off!

2011-11-30T14:19:00.000-08:00

Hello! I am currently procrastinating, so of course I am blogging. I should be packing for this upcoming weekend... Tomorrow I am going to San Diego to take a Natural Family Planning class with Brian, and then from Friday-Sunday we will be doing our Engaged Encounter Retreat. But packing can wait.

This photo contains a few things I'm currently in love with:

1. My new glasses courtesy of Proopticals.
2. The amazing Tippi sweater. I wish I could afford to buy one in every color, it is perfection.
3. New kate spade new york bow earrings I picked up at the outlet store the other day for about $25. Quite a steal.
4. Drinking Vietnamese coffee out of mason jars. This is becoming an everyday occurrence.

Advent

2011-11-28T15:08:00.000-08:00

Yesterday marked the beginning of Advent, my favorite time of year. I went to a Catholic grade school (and junior high, and high school...) where Christmas time was really emphasized. I remember making garlands, Christmas count-down chains, Secret Santas, etc. There was also a Christmas pageant every year, so in the weeks leading up to it there was a lot of practicing. It was just such a fun time of year, and those fond memories resurface around this time. My mother always bought us an Advent calendar that contained a Bible verse and chocolate inside. I've seen such great Advent calendar DIY projects floating around Pinterest. When we have children, that's definitely something I'd like to do.

My siblings and I have stuck to the tradition of setting up our Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving.

I love my sister's Johnny Cupcakes shirt! It's so cute. Like most people, we watch A Christmas Story each Christmas when they air it for twenty-four hours.

My mother doesn't care for trees that look like they're straight out of a department store. Ornaments need to mean something to her, they can't just be pretty colored spheres. So our Christmas tree ends up being like a big family album. It has baby's first Christmas ornaments for each of us, a grade school photo for each year, graduation photos, family photos, and much more. Our history as a family is there on the tree. I love it.

Thanksgiving

2011-11-26T18:59:00.000-08:00

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I didn't do any shopping on Black Friday, but I did have to work. Boo. At least it wasn't too crazy.

I did have a great Thanksgiving, though. Every year, my dad does all the cooking. Most people are surprised to hear that my dad is the one that cooks, but my mother absolutely doesn't know how. Besides, she's Mexican and never even celebrated Thanksgiving until she married my father. Anyway, for the first time this year, I helped my dad with the cooking. The finished product always looked so intimidating to me, but it was actually a lot easier than I had imagined. I had a great time helping him.

Surveying the finished product.

I was happy I got to use some of my vintage Pyrex.

What we wore. Yes, it's not cold here.

Thankful for this guy.

Store-bought pie, but homemade whipped cream.

The day before Thanksgiving, we had a family portrait done. I cannot wait to see the results from that shoot!

Bridal Shower: Family and Friends

2011-11-22T08:02:00.000-08:00

I wanted to post this a while ago, but I've been so busy! (One of those things keeping me busy was a second bridal shower. Photos to come.) So here's the last batch.

When Brian showed up towards the end, my grandmother had us open two gifts together. I thought it was strange because she had already given us a gift. (An awesome one at that: the Kitchenaid mixer I've been dying over in "ice.") We opened them and found that she had sewn aprons for us! It meant so much to me because my grandmother hasn't really sewn in a while. She used to sew a lot, but that was when I was a kid. I'm so happy that we have these now! And how cute is the scalloped hem on mine?! Love it. I feel I'm going to end up with a polka dot apron collection because my friend Jessie gave me a cute black and white polka dot apron also. Totally okay with such a collection.

All my future bridesmaids minus one...

... here's the missing one. :)

These wonderful ladies have been like family to me for over five years now.

One of our second cousins. (Or is it cousin once removed?)

Then Brian decided for some reason to take a backwards photo. Don't ask. (But some relatives joked that this one came out better than that forward-facing one.)

It was such a wonderful day, and I will forever have these great memories and photos attached to it.

Bridal Shower: Through Jessie's Lens

2011-11-17T14:23:00.000-08:00

My friend Jessie was kind enough to upload (and edit) all the photos she took from the shower. I absolutely love them! Here are a few:

Jessie & I. Obviously, she didn't take this one, but it did come from her camera haha.

Angela & Rochelle. These two ladies worked so hard on all the cookies and cupcakes, and I am so thankful!

Bridal Shower: Decorations

2011-11-15T12:10:00.000-08:00

The bridal shower my sister and mother threw for me was this past Saturday at a local Italian restaurant, and it was amazing! I had such a great time and thought it was really lovely. I also felt so lucky that my closest friends and family members showed up for it. My sister and my friend Jessie took lots of photos, which I am so thankful for since the day is pretty much one [happy] blur. I thought I'd share the ones Angela took of the decorations first.

Mimosas were served, and my chalkboard frame made an appearance.

Angela and our friend Rochelle worked so hard baking and decorating the cookies and cupcakes. (Let me say the cookies were amazing delicious, too!) I love all the little edible pearls. My mom made silhouettes of Brian and I and had my grandmother make the cupcake toppers with them. My mother's friend made those flowers out of colorful translucent paper. I cut the word "dessert" out of book paper.

My mother cut out these cute brides and grooms and gave them little book paper details as well. The word "gifts" was also cut out of book paper.

I couldn't be happier with all the cute decorations! So perfect! I'll share more photos soon.

Pyrex Party!

2011-11-08T09:32:00.000-08:00

The lovely Sophie Isobel of Her Library Adventures is having a Pyrex Party! How could I not participate? I haven't been collecting Pyrex all that long, so I really can't dig too far back for this (so sorry to those of you that have seen these things before), but I wanted to participate none the less. I thought I would pick my two favorite types of vintage Pyrex: all things Butterprint and pink Pyrex. (I would've taken new photos of them out on display, but a lot of these pieces are already packed away and waiting for my move to San Diego in February.)

Butterprint Pyrex was the first vintage Pyrex purchase I made, and that was in June. It truly sparked an obsession! Anyway, here are my Butterprint items:

Pink Pyrex is my other favorite, and I think it will look cute with the turquoise colors of the Butterprint. Here's what I have:

(This actually is a new photo. I mentioned these mixing bowls once but didn't include a photo of them.)

In February I'll be setting up my own kitchen and can't wait to have all my Pyrex on display and handy. Up until now, I haven't been able to use them all that much, but I have gotten some use out of them:

I can't wait to read everyone else's posts! If you want to play along (and I hope you will!) then head on over to Her Library Adventures!

2011-11-07T17:52:00.000-08:00

I have become obsessed with painting things. This was a black frame that I bought at Marshall's, and I painted it in this pretty Valspar "Lyndhurst Estate Cream" color. (I'm actually pretty obsessed with buying Valspar sample sizes at Lowe's. I particularly like the historical color line they have, which this one belongs to.) I also used Martha Stewart's chalkboard paint. I'm pretty sure we'll be using this at my shower on Saturday.

The weather has finally cooled off, and I am so happy about that! This weekend, I stopped by the kate spade outlet as well as the regular store. The outlet was giving out cute mitten tags for gifts! I got one since I bought the little cosmetics pouch. Then I picked up this flip book at the regular store. I always love seeing the little booklets they come up with, and this is my favorite! Definitely looking forward to Christmas, especially kate spade style!

2011-11-02T19:23:00.000-07:00

This cute little antique shop/second-hand shop that is run out of a cute old house a few blocks away reopened for the fall and I've been going often. Someday soon I'll take photos of the place (it was built in the early 1900s) and blog about it, but for now I'll just show you two things I bought there.

A vintage ostrich leather wallet. So cute.

I'm not sure if this clutch is vintage or not, but I love it.

This piece was actually purchased in San Diego, but I'm throwing it in here anyway. It's the 501 Butterprint fridgie. I can't wait to have the whole Butterprint refrigerator set. So far I have a 501 with a lid, this 501 sans lid, and a 503 without a lid.

{I will be linking up with Her Library Adventures and Apron Thrift Girl.}

P.S. The men's shirt I wore for Halloween was also a Goodwill purchase. Cheap way to get a costume. :)

Happy November

2011-11-01T21:41:00.000-07:00

I can't believe November is already here! I love this time of year, even if it is still 90 degrees during the day. (Our evenings are just beautiful, though.) This month should be exciting, as there are two bridal showers planned for this month. (The wedding is a little over three months away! So crazy to think!)

Thought I'd share a few Instagrams from the past week. I unfortunately do not have an iPhone (yet), but I edit my camera phone pictures on my iPod Touch because I just love the Instagram filters.

Pumpkin cream cheese muffins: These are the first pumpkin-related things I've baked so far, and they were delicious! I found the recipe thanks to Pinterest, right here. (Anyone else obsessed with Pinterest?)
How did I just find out about Vietnamese coffee?! It is ridiculously delicious. I've been making my own at home now. (Always looking for an excuse to drink out of mason jars and cute straws.)
I found this four pack of little flapper notebooks at Marshall's. They are the perfect size for throwing in your purse for when you need to make a list. I love making lists.
Stampington & Company has a new magazine! Mingle! I've been a big fan of Stampington & Company for year, and this new magazine is great!
The holiday cups are here! As are the drinks! You bet I had a gingerbread latte today.

Halloween Party

2011-10-30T14:12:00.000-07:00

Halloween is on a Monday this year, but there's no fun in that. Thankfully, one of my friends threw a great Halloween party last night instead. I was so happy that Brian was in town this weekend so he could go as well. We worked on our costumes at the last minute (I thankfully already owned the sleeping mask, though), but I am really happy with how they turned out.

I realize that mine was a bit obscure, so I got a few questions as to what I was dressed up as. Some friends teased that I was Risky Business Tom Cruise and another thought I was a Walk of Shame. Haha.

I left my camera in a purse upstairs that I only took out towards the end, so I didn't get too many photos. I'm glad I got this one though. My brother made the Dead Mau5 head and our friend went as Sherlock Holmes. (His wife, who was dressed up as Watson, unfortunately couldn't go to the party since she was sick. We totally missed her, though.)

And just for fun, a peek at past Halloween costumes.

Mary-Kate Olsen

Bonnie & Clyde

Rachel Zoe & Brad

2011-10-27T11:38:00.000-07:00

Today I'm posting two things I found while thrifting in Palm Desert.

These glasses aren't in the best condition, but I thought they were really cute and retro. (I still need to wash them, oops.) At $1.99 for all three, I had to take them despite their condition. I'm still debating whether or not to repaint the gold dots with some metallic gold Martha Stewart paint I have... what do you think?

So I'm not entirely sure what these are supposed to be, and they were in the same section with all the glasses. I'm going to probably use these as bud vases. All four of them also cost $1.99.

{As always, I'm linking up with Her Library Adventures and Apron Thrift Girl.}

Coronado

2011-10-23T16:50:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy week and the next couple will be almost as busy. Today, however, I get a bit of a break. I thought I would share some photos from last Wednesday, when my sister and I went to San Diego to spend time with the lovely Jessie. (I actually ended up going to San Diego three times! Wednesday to see Jessie, Friday to take my grandfather to an appointment, and yesterday so Brian and I could do our Pre-Cana!) It was a beautiful overcast day, VERY different from the weather we are currently having. We went around Coronado taking photos.

Brits

2011-10-20T17:27:00.000-07:00

So I have yet to spot Prince Harry, but I did see a lot of British soldiers on Tuesday. They made an appearance at the elementary school where my mother works (and where my brother and I substitute frequently). It's a school in a poor area, but it's honestly my favorite school in the whole valley. The students are so well behaved and the staff is great; many teachers, like my mother, have been working there for over twenty years.

Half of them arrived via helicopter. They landed it right on the school playground! It blew up a ridiculous amount of dirt, but it was worth it.

My sister works at a restaurant near the hotel where the soldiers are staying, and they frequent the restaurant. So she knows a few of them pretty well. This one is her friend, John. (Gah, I just realized I am wearing this outfit yet again. I will have to retire it after this!)

Every single student had the chance to go inside the helicopter and talk to the soldiers. They were so excited and happy, I was so glad they had the chance to experience this. The soldiers then changed and played soccer (or football, as both the British soldiers and Mexican students call it) with the fourth-sixth graders. They were so nice to the students.

While they were playing, the adults had their turn inside the helicopter and took photos.

Pumpkin Carving

2011-10-17T10:41:00.000-07:00

I carved my first pumpkin the other night with the help of my sister and her boyfriend.

His took longer since he chose an advanced design.

We played around with the tripod.

From left to right: Mine, Angela's, and Kenny's. Afterwards, we watched my favorite movie to watch this time of year: Hocus Pocus.

On a completely unrelated note, have I mentioned that Prince Harry has been training in my town? E! News even talked about it. Well, lately I've had it with people saying they've spotted him. I live in a tiny town and it irks me that I constantly run into people I don't want to see, yet haven't run into Prince Harry.

Weekend Thrift Scores

2011-10-11T11:19:00.000-07:00

I had such a fun weekend with my mother that was full of shopping and thrifting. We stayed at my aunt's house in Chino Hills, but didn't spend much time there really. The main reason we went out of town was to finally go to the Pasadena Rose Bowl Flea Market - something we have wanted to do for over a year.

On Saturday, we had to go to Tustin to do some wedding-dress-related business, but once we were there we also had to hit the thrift stores there.

I first saw these octagon plates on Tammy Loves Dishes' blog and I loved them. I searched for some on Etsy, but didn't feel like paying $15 for a plate or two, so I didn't buy them. I'm glad I waited, since I ended up finding these at a Lutheran thrift shop in Tustin. The little plates were fifty cents each and the two large plates were a dollar. Love them! I hope to someday come across more pieces from this set.

At the same thrift store, I picked up these large shot glasses. Pier 1 had a lot of cute little glasses for eating little desserts out of, but all their sets cost over twenty dollars. I knew I could find good-sized glasses for far less on my own, and I did. Each one of these cost a quarter. Now I just need to buy little spoons. I know World Market has them.

This was picked up at the Salvation Army. That Salvation Army prices items at a really high price compared to the other Salvation Army stores I have been to. I wonder if it has to do with the area? Anyway, this bowl is from the primary mixing bowl set and cost five dollars.

On Sunday we went to the Pasadena Rose Bowl Flea Market. It was even bigger than I had imagined - and hotter than I thought it would be. I wasn't feeling very well and the heat did not help, but we managed to spend three hours there. (Which turns out isn't even enough time to cover the whole thing.) Since I wasn't feeling well, I completely forgot to take any photos, and I was just kicking myself over it later. We would really love to go again in the winter time. An issue I had with this swap meet is that it is really expensive compared to the swap meet we frequently go to in San Diego. This swap meet is far larger, though, and I liked that a lot of the vendors made their booths really cute. (Although I soon realized the ones with the really cute booths were also the most expensive.) I picked up a couple of items from the newer section of the flea market (photos to come), but I'm only sharing the vintage pieces I picked up.

I was so happy to spot this set! I do not have any cinderella bowls, and Butterprint is my favorite pattern. These were in excellent condition. I haggled this set down to twenty-five dollars, but I still felt like it was a bit much. Well, that feeling went away as soon as I kept walking around the swap meet. I saw so many Pyrex bowl sets priced at one hundred dollars! Ridiculous.

When I had looked up information on the flea market, people made it seem like lots of vendors sold letterpress blocks. Unfortunately, I only found one stand and they didn't have a whole lot. I picked out these since I have a thing for punctuation marks. Wish they had a question mark and ampersand.

You can never have too many cameos, right? Hmm. Anyway, purchased this from a lady that has an awesome vintage jewelry collection. She occasionally sells at the San Diego swap meet, too.

I feel this has been a monster post. Sorry.

Guest Posting

2011-10-07T11:05:00.000-07:00

I'm going out of town for the weekend, so it'll be quiet around here. You can, however, find me on Courtney's beautiful blog over here. I am such a fan of her blog, and was beyond honored when she asked me to create a guest post.

Have a lovely weekend!

Homestead

2011-10-05T21:58:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I haven't shared this on here yet. One of my mother's friends gave Brian and I an early wedding present. When she heard I was collecting Pyrex, she told me she had something for me. I saw some lovely Homestead Pyrex on her counter.

This set was given to her over thirty years ago as a wedding gift. (Sadly, her husband passed away over a year ago.) They were given another set of casserole dishes as well, and that was the set they ended up using. This Homestead set just sat in the back of her bottom cupboards for decades, completely unused. I could not believe she was giving this set to us, though, but I am so grateful. Every time we use these I will be thinking of them.

Whenever I get items that are second-hand, I always wonder what the story behind them is. I like the fact that I know what the story is behind this one.

Fall Polish

2011-10-03T11:52:00.000-07:00

I kind of have this nail polish obsession, and I've been trying some new brands. I'm just loving Zoya and Butter London! Here are some new colors I've picked up for fall:

"Sooki", "Raquel", "No More Waity, Kaitie", and "La Moss."

I love all the dark blues and greens I've seen on pale girls, and I wish I could pull that off. Since I can't, I am sticking to red (a year-round color for me, really), purples, and wine colors. Which colors will you be wearing this fall? I'd love to hear about it.

Summer 2011 Mini

2011-09-28T14:31:00.000-07:00

I finished up my summer 2011 mini book recently. I loved doing a square format, but I wish I would've included other things into it. Also wishing I had more texture going on in it. Oh well, I can always try that for my fall 2011 mini. Might include some actual journaling as well.

See more pages here.

While it still feels like summer outside, I know it is technically over. I'm looking forward to the new season and what it will bring.

Pop of Color

2011-09-26T10:15:00.000-07:00

Dear friends: This is real life. I ~~sometimes~~ often wear the same outfit more than once in less than two weeks. However, thanks to San Diego having decent weather, I was able to pair it with what is my first (and so far, only) blazer.

If you're wondering what we bought, it's two sets of the Ticker Tape Tidbit Plates. They are beyond cute and were on sale for $35! I cannot wait until we have our place and are able to serve our friends dessert on these plates.

2011-09-20T12:31:00.000-07:00

I haven't shared any thrifting scores lately since I haven't had the best of luck. However I have managed to acquire a few things, so I'm sharing them today.

Vintage dishes first, of course. I first found the Pyrex creamer at the Humane Society Thrift Store in Yuma for twenty-five cents. (All their mugs are a quarter! I love that!) The little mugs were also found at the Humane Society Thrift Store, but they are not Pyrex, they are Corelle. (Why they are the exact same pattern I have no idea.) That same day, I found the little Corelle saucers at a Goodwill in Yuma, so I had to get those as well.

(Photo did not turn out well... oops.) I picked up this gold clutch at an antique mall for ten dollars. I love it! Cannot wait to get some use out of it.

Now for something not thrifted, but still vintage-related. One of our friends gave us an early wedding gift: some Baroque by Wallace pieces! Unfortunately, I did not get any photos of it, but my mother did snap some of us polishing it up over the weekend.

The photo above shows the serving tray, which is my absolute favorite piece! I love it, it's such a great gift!

Survey

2011-09-19T12:14:00.000-07:00

I'm hopping on the bandwagon and doing this little survey I've seen on pretty much everyone's blog lately. I think it's fun and you get to know a little bit more about them through this, so I figured I'd do it as well.

A. Age: 26
B. Bed size: Ugh I downgraded to a twin and hate it. Once Brian and I move in together, though, we're planning on getting a queen.
C. Chore that you hate: I can't say I like any chores, but the one I really hate is putting sheets on a bed. Every time I do it, I feel like I'm in some old silent comedy. Once I get one corner on, another will pop off. This goes on for about fifteen minutes. Annoying.
D. Dogs: Three poodles currently live in our household, but none is officially "mine."
E. Essential start to your day: COFFEE.
F. Favorite color: Purple.
G. Gold or silver: Gold. I love it!
H. Height: 5'2"
I. Instruments you play: None at all.
J. Job title: Substitute teacher and part-time sales associate at a clothing store.
K. Kids: None.
L. Live: Imperial Valley, California
M. Mother's name: Norma
N. Nicknames: One of my friends calls me Caramel and her husband calls me Caribbean. Brian calls me various nicknames, my current favorite (and seasonally appropriate) one is when he calls me his little pumpkin spice latte. Hilarious.
O. Overnight hospital stays: None.
P. Pet peeves: Bad drivers, when people don't hold writing utensils properly, and wearing sweatpants in public*.
Q. Quote from a movie: "Well, everyone knows Custer died at Little Bighorn. What this book presupposes is... maybe he didn't?" - The Royal Tenenbaums
R. Right of left handed: Left. (So is my grandmother, mother, and sister... I love it!)
S. Siblings: An older half sister, a younger brother, and a younger sister.
T. Time you wake up: This varies... Usually if I don't have to do anything in the morning, I wake up around 9. If I know I'm going to sub, I wake up at 6. I just started forcing myself to wake up at 7 instead, consistently, so we'll see how that goes.
U. Underwear: Yes, I wear it.
V. Vegetable you hate: Cauliflower.
W. What makes you run late: I hate running late, and I try to always be early. If I am late, though, it's usually due to distracting myself with something on the internet.
X. X-rays you've had: Dental.
Y. Yummy food that you make: Since I have finally become interested in cooking, there are a few yummy things I like making, like sesame chicken, Asian noodle salads, and then there's of course delicious baked goods...
Z. Zoo animal: Monkeys.

* My hatred towards wearing sweat pants in public goes back to my high school days. I went to a Catholic school where we had to wear uniforms. Plaid skirts, blouses, saddle shoes, etc. During the winter, however, we couldn't wear pants. Our only option was to wear our school sweatshirt along with navy blue sweat pants that had the school name along the leg. I could not bear wearing a sweat suit, and so I chose to freeze instead. Extreme, I know, but I just can't do it.

Desert Shopping

2011-09-18T19:13:00.000-07:00

As I previously mentioned, my sister and I went to Palm Desert and Palm Springs on Thursday. I wore a new dress from Forever 21 that I love. I'm a sucker for stripes, especially when it costs less than $15!

We went to El Paseo mall first because I had an appointment at kate spade new york. If you made an appointment with them last week, you would receive 20% off your purchase. I wanted to see their new merchandise, so I figured why not? They were handing out pretty flowers and told us to take one for Betsey, too.

I ended up buying the Broome St. Jean, swiss dot tights, and "Pop Art Pink" supercalifragilipstick. I was also excited to see they have new paper bags.

Since we were so close to Palm Springs, we drove to the Ace Hotel to take photo booth pictures. We had so much fun last time, but we didn't get to take a picture in front of the sign. So we remedied that.

Such a fun little getaway. Glad we learned to start traveling with a tripod.

weekend

2011-09-16T08:51:00.000-07:00

So happy the weekend is here! I don't have to work this weekend plus I get to see Brian for the first time in a few weeks. Definitely planning on enjoying this. Hope you all have a great weekend!

My sister and I drove to Palm Springs yesterday, and I will give that a proper post, but I will leave you with photo booth pictures we took at the Ace Hotel.

Yes, I used the new kate spade Supercalifragilipstick I had purchased as a prop.

Interior Inspiration Mini Book

2011-09-11T14:19:00.000-07:00

(I am glad to be back to posting! After the big power outage that hit southern California and parts of Arizona and Mexico, our internet stopped working. I don't know if that happened to anyone else, but it's finally back.)

As I have mentioned before, this upcoming wedding and impending move have thrown me into nesting mode. I have bought lots of things for our future apartment, and I have added a million home goods to our wedding registries. Thanks to Pinterest, I have also saved a million photos brimming with interior inspirations. Although I have them saved, I really prefer to have that inspiration in tangible form. So yesterday I started working on a mini book that I can put photos I've printed off the internet and/or torn out of magazines.

The main tabs include my favorite things: kitchens (for some reason I am obsessed with kitchens), closets, tablescapes, living rooms, and a miscellaneous tab.

What the first divider looks like.

A peek at one of the photos in the book (inspiration from Elsie Larson, of course) and the miscellaneous tab.

So far I love having a little book for this. It will be nice to look back on in a few years to see what was inspiring me pre-wedding.

I'd love to hear how you organize the things that inspire you!

Labor Day Weekend

2011-09-05T09:32:00.000-07:00

I hope you are having a great Labor Day weekend. I actually had to work twice during this three-day weekend, but that's okay. I did manage to squeeze in Our Idiot Brother, watch Jane Eyre with my best friend, and yesterday my mother and I went to the Cabazon Outlets and then did some more shopping in Palm Desert. There were so many good Labor Day sales going on, and I was able to pick up some things for myself as well as start my Christmas shopping. (Yes, I start shopping for Christmas this far in advance. I hate for things to pile up on me such as Christmas shopping.) Amongst the items I picked up were cute blue charger plates from World Market (on clearance for $1.49 each!), three tops from the J Crew outlet, and kate spade new york's Supercalifragilipstick in "Adventurous Red."

So this post isn't text-only, I leave you with silly photos.

I love that my sister is always willing to take silly photos with me, even when we are just going to the movies.

This one makes me laugh so hard. She cropped herself out of the photo because this shot was an accident. Our friend accidentally took it after one we had posed. I had this look of love on my face by pure accident.

And one not-so-silly photo:

The cocktails we drank while catching up and watching Jane Eyre.

lately

2011-08-31T10:41:00.000-07:00

More camera phone photos of what I've been up to.

1. I've been obsessed with Revlon's "Fire and Ice" lipstick. I've worn it almost every day.
2. Pyrex and coffee from when Brian was visiting.
3. Love this issue of Flea Market Style!
4. Sorrelli cocktail ring. Love that it is adjustable so even my size 4 fingers can wear it!
5. Betsey and I on a Starbucks run.
6. Cloth chevron napkins. I'm in love.

If you follow my DIY Pinterest Board, you'll see I posted a ton of book paper DIYs. I practiced making some of the flowers, I want to include them in the wedding somehow.

I am happy that I am able to say I have been eating in a lot. Brian's mom taught me how to make ceviche when he was here, and I made it on my own on Sunday. I am quite obsessed and will probably be making it again this weekend. It's so easy and is like a delicious chemistry experiment to me!

My first time wearing Butter London nail polish. I love it! This one is called "Macbeth" - how appropriate for an English major.

Meetup

2011-08-29T09:00:00.000-07:00

On Friday I had my first meetup with a blogger/Twitter friend of mine. My brother and I went to San Diego on a whim with no real plans. (This rarely happens. San Diego is two hours away, so when I go, there is always a specific reason.) I mentioned to my brother that one of my online friends, Ardee, lives in San Diego and has suggested hanging out. One of my brother's best qualities is that he is always up for anything, so he said we should hang out with her. I felt it was a long-shot that she would be available since it was so short notice, but fortunately she was able to hang out in the afternoon!

Ardee suggested meeting up at Starbucks and then going to the Mission Hills Farmer's Market. (Confession: I had never been to a Farmer's Market... so I was pretty excited about the idea. I know, I am so deprived.) I was a bit nervous about how it would go, but really had no reason to be. She was so nice and fun! She even brought her ridiculously cute baby Audrey!

All photos taken from Ardee's Flickr, by the way. First, some Instagrams:

One of my first purchases was caramel. I know, not the healthiest thing I could pick, but it's oh-so-delicious. Then Ardee introduced me to the deliciousness that is zuhk, which was so good I had to buy it.

While she may be the serious silent type of baby, I still have a feeling Audrey liked me.

Thanks again, Ardee, for the fun time! I hope to see you again soon!

I also really appreciate having documentation of my first visit to a Farmer's Market. ;)

Brian's Vacation

2011-08-27T19:04:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned a few times, Brian took a vacation and spent it here rather than in San Diego. It was so nice to have him here from Friday through Wednesday - something that never gets to happen! Those days were so great. It definitely makes me excited for February, when we'll be married and spending all our time together.

We took care of a few wedding things, including a major one: Booking a reception site. We also had our parents finally meet at dinner. (I know, how have we been dating for two years and yet our parents had never met?!)

Making lists and plans.

I baked cupcakes one of the days he was here and was excited about using my cute pink Pyrex dishes. While Brian is not big on pink, he liked the dishes and liked that the mugs had such a wide mouth.

My sister's boyfriend is a Border Patrol agent and took us to a shooting range. We took lots of silly photos while waiting. Aren't the goggles and ear plugs so chic? Haha.

Somehow, I had no idea that the newest version of Jane Eyre had come out on DVD! Brian was nice enough to not only buy it for me, but watch it with me as well. Such a good movie. I think I'll watch the extra features on it tonight.

2011-08-24T18:46:00.000-07:00

I took a small blogging/internet break (with the exception of Twitter) while Brian was here on vacation. I'm excited to show you last week's thrifting finds, however, since I feel they are so great!

Last Sunday I went to Kobey's Swap Meet in San Diego with my mother and she spotted these for me. They are Turner Classic Movies for Pottery Barn coasters. What makes me ridiculously happy is that they include two Gene Kelly movies. He's my favorite, and Singin' in the Rain is my all-time favorite musical.

My next purchase is among my favorites ever since I started thrift shopping. I found a stand that was selling lots of dishes, and could see the pink from far away. I held my breath, hoping it would be pink Pyrex even though I doubted it. Lo and behold, it was indeed pink Pyrex! I took everything he had and it was only $20! Here's what it included:

They are in varying degrees of wear, but that's okay. I still love them.

As usual, I am linking up with Her Library Adventures.

2011-08-16T23:02:00.000-07:00

Blazer: Express; Tank: J Crew; Shorts: Express; Purse: Marc By Marc Jacobs; Sandals: Forever 21

I would like to say that I cannot believe I am wearing a blazer in this photo. I have always avoided blazers because I have really narrow shoulders so they rarely fit me. (Plus, I felt like they made me look like a boy.) Then this navy blue blazer came into Express and made me change my mind. (If you are wondering what's in the Juicy bag, then take a look at this cute charm. Very appropriate, no?)

Since I recently obtained a new [to me] phone that has a camera I don't hate (I'm looking at you, G1), I've been taking more camera phone pictures. Here are a few I took this week, some of which I shared on my Twitter.

Pyrex bowls I purchased on Etsy. They are so cute and little. Loving them.
A hand-me-down Hobo wallet in a beautiful color. Thanks to my mother.
I've been inspired by all the bun tutorials/photos found on Flickr and on Ashley's blog. I thought it could only be done with long hair or with a sock bun. Having lots of hair came in handy, however, and I did not need to stuff it to make it be a size I liked. (In fact, I'm a bit worried it would be TOO big if I add a sock...)
Another angle. It's still disgustingly hot where I live, so this hair style will come in handy.

Other than that, I am really looking forward to the weekend. Brian is coming down and since he's taking a mini vacation he will be here for a while. So excited!

2011-08-14T22:07:00.000-07:00

This week's thrifting round up includes two purchases made in Yuma:

This Pyrex plate is from the Salvation Army, where I had previously purchased two mugs that match it. I was hoping to find another, but didn't.

A fridgie - with a lid! - picked up at the Goodwill.

The Pyrex new dots bowl was found at a random thrift store in downtown San Diego. I love it!

(I didn't get around to photographing three items, but they were technically thrifted for me by my mother. She got me a set of pink Pyrex mixing bowls at the Salvation, a Pyrex snowflake mug, and a cute high-waisted H&M polka dotted skirt. Oops.)

Linking up with Her Library Adventures.)

Pinterest: Tablescapes

2011-08-13T11:39:00.000-07:00

I created a new board on Pinterest today to store my current tablescape inspiration. I've been obsessed with looking at cute place settings. Once Brian and I live together, I look forward to special dinners for the two of us. We also hope to have our family and friends over often, and I would love to have cute ways to set the table.

Looking at all these photos has made me really want a few things: gold service plates, pink cloth napkins, chevron print cloth napkins, and gold flatware. Going to keep an eye out for these when I go thrift shopping now.

Anyone else on Pinterest? Let me know!

Guest Posting

2011-08-10T11:29:00.000-07:00

Hello, lovelies. Just thought I'd let you know I am guest posting at my friend Janette's blog today. Click here to read about my fall to do list.

Collections: Criterion Collection

2011-08-08T11:27:00.000-07:00

I haven't done a collections post in a while. Today I will share my collection of Criterion Collection movies. A few months ago I decided I could not let my whole movie collection take up an entire bookcase. In the battle of books versus movies, my book collection won. So I put all the actual DVDs into two CD binders and through away all the packaging (much to the dismay of my sister). Now it all fits neatly in the binders. There were some movies, however, that I could not do that to, and those were my Criterion movies. Those have such nice covers and inserts that I didn't have the heart. While it's not a big collection by any means, it is still one I love and am adding to. You'll notice I really love Wes Anderson and Jean-Luc Godard as that is mostly what this consists of, with Armageddon randomly included. (Hey, I like that movie.) On top is The Darjeeling Limited, which I finally purchased last weekend at Barnes and Noble during their 50% off sale.

On my Criterion wishlist:

2011-08-07T12:52:00.000-07:00

I have made quite a few thrift shops purchases in various cities lately, so I thought I would arrange them by which city they were purchased.

[I am linking up with Her Library Adventures.]

Cheesecake Brownies

2011-08-06T00:08:00.000-07:00

I don't think I've turned the oven on since May. It's been so ridiculously hot that it feels unappealing to heat things up even more by turning on the oven. Besides, I've been trying to learn how to cook relatively healthy meals, and baking does not exactly fall under that category.

Today, however, I was craving one of my favorite things to bake: Cheesecake Brownies. This recipe has been a favorite of mine for a few years. (The only change I make to the recipe is to use semi-sweet chocolate rather than dark chocolate. I am not a fan of dark chocolate at all.) If you like cheesecake and brownies (and don't mind using the oven this time of year), then this one is kind of a no-brainer.

I was also really happy to be baking with my pink vintage Pyrex for the first time!

My finished result might not be the neatest looking dessert, but believe me when I say it's delicious.

Padres vs. Dodgers

2011-08-03T14:29:00.000-07:00

On Monday I went to my first baseball game this year. I had not been to one since September! I also finally went to a rooftop bar in downtown San Diego called Altitude that I have been wanting to go to for a while. The view is so great, you can see the stadium and the Coronado Bridge. I went with my sister, her boyfriend, and our friend Jessie. Unfortunately, Brian was not able to meet up with us until afterwards.

Once at the game, we realized that it's not very wise of us to buy anything but bleacher seats. We rarely pay attention to the game and focus more on buying food and drinks.

Jessie and I ate ice cream that came with these novelty Padre hats.

Not surprisingly, the Dodgers won. We tried taking lots of photos after the game, but the cranky usher made us leave. Boo. At least we got a few in there.

Weekend & Wedding Dress

2011-08-01T09:57:00.000-07:00

On Thursday my mother and I headed up to Chula Vista to stay with one of her cousins that was house-sitting for her sister for a few days. We wanted to go to Orange on Saturday to look for bridal dresses, and Chula Vista is pretty much the half-way point for us to get there. It was nice to spend time with her cousin, her cousin's son (who is fifteen but cooked us an amazing meal on his own and could converse with adults), and her other cousin's daughter. We ate a lot, shopped, and thrifted. Brian even joined us the first night and went with us to get tacos.

I have never had such good tacos al pastor before. Delicious!

The bridal shop we went to on Saturday was Ferndale's. My mother really wanted me to go here because this is where she bought her wedding dress thirty years ago.

I must admit I didn't go in with the highest of expectations. I am really small and was afraid that all the wedding dresses would overwhelm me. I could not have been more wrong, though. The consultant guided me towards the style of dress I wanted and picked out a few herself she thought would suit me. The first one I put on was one she had recommended, and I fell so in love with it. That surprised me, though, because it was definitely not a style I thought I wanted. I tried on about six dresses after that, but none compared to the first one. I put it back on and still loved it. I just knew this would be the one I would get. Another girl that had been trying on dresses around the same time had just finished up, but she walked over to me and said, "You should get this one." Her father said the same thing. It was that amazing. My mother loved it, and she loved that it was the first one since when she bought her dress there thirty years ago, she ended up buying the first one she tried on as well.

I wish I could share photos of it here because we took so many, but I'm afraid of the fiance finding it somehow. Thankfully there are just slightly more than six months to go and then everyone can see. Now that I actually have my dress I feel so much more excited about wedding planning!

2011-07-31T14:41:00.000-07:00

I've had good thrifting luck lately, and will share what I bought in Yuma's thrift shops last week.

First the non-Pyrex purchases: A turquoise juicer that cost fifty cents, and a pitcher that cost two dollars. These were purchased at the Humane Society Thrift Store.

A Butterfly Gold fridgie. It was marked for four dollars at the Goodwill, but there was a fifty-percent-off discount.

Woodland Pyrex mugs that cost fifty cents each at the Salvation Army.

The Humane Society Thrift Store had three plain Pyrex mugs for twenty-five cents each (I actually purchased all three, the other was in use while I took this photo). I haven't seen such plain Pyrex before, but they're a cute shape and were a quarter - I obviously had to take them.

[I'm linking up with Her Library Adventures and Apron Thrift Girl.]

Moss Landing & Carmel

2011-07-26T21:22:00.000-07:00

Just a few more photos to share. The first few are from the town where we actually stayed which is called Moss Landing. I'm not really sure how my dad and I heard about it/chose to stay there two summers ago when we were traveling, but we were so taken by it that we stayed longer. This time, our only plan was to stay there. It's such a cute little town full of delicious seafood.

Since we were near Carmel, we decided to do the 17-Mile Drive again. It was nice, but obviously hasn't really changed since the first time. However, now I know that some of my favorite movies, such as Suspicion, My Favorite Brunette, and Rebecca were filmed in the area, so it meant even more. Next time I go, I want to sign up and do the movie tour!

2011-07-24T12:34:00.000-07:00

This week I'm sharing two items I purchased while in Monterey. They are, of course, Pyrex pieces. Seriously getting addicted, but I think my future retro-looking cute kitchen will thank me later.

A tulip promotional casserole and a Butterprint fridgie (my first).

[I'm linking up with Her Library Adventures.]

Hamilton Plot

2011-07-22T16:49:00.000-07:00

The last of my Steinbeck posts. To finish out the day, we went to the Garden of Memories cemetery in Salinas to visit Steinbeck's grave. This was another place I had not heard of, so I was thrilled to go. (Yes, thrilled to go to a cemetery. I realize it sounds a bit morbid.)

Garden of Memories is pretty big and full of really old headstones (some were from the 1800s). I was worried we would have to do a lot of walking around to find the Hamilton family plot where he is buried, but thankfully there was a sign.

I really regretted not having brought something to place there. However, I'm quite obsessed with that part of California, so I know I will be back some day. I'd love to take Brian to central California.

National Steinbeck Center

2011-07-20T20:55:00.000-07:00

After the Steinbeck House, we went to the National Steinbeck Center. Although this was our third visit there, we still loved it. We were also surprised to see that there were some new things.

The museum is full of great quotes written everywhere - including walls and pillows. It also includes hand-written artifacts from Steinbeck's life. They have TV screens all over showing clips from movies based on his books, interviews his widow Elaine Steinbeck did, and readings from his books.

For the most part, the museum is arranged by book.

I really love that last photo because that is Steinbeck's actual camper that he traveled in with Charley.

The Steinbeck House

2011-07-20T09:00:00.000-07:00

My father and I left for our trip on Thursday morning and did not arrive in Moss Landing until that evening. Hauling a trailer with a not-so-powerful truck is a drag. However, I love these father-daughter trips my dad take in the summer time, so I cannot complain. Friday ended up being a John Steinbeck-filled day, which was perfect for me as he is one of my absolute favorite writers.

We started the day by having coffee and dessert at the Steinbeck House. I had been to Salinas twice before, but had never known about the Steinbeck House. I had to go. Since it doesn't open until 11 o'clock, we went to the book store there called The Best Cellar.

The outside was just so great. The house was built in 1897.

Sitting in the room where he was born in 1902.

I'm Back!

2011-07-19T10:12:00.000-07:00

I just came back from my trip last night. We were supposed to come back on Sunday, but all that Carmageddon stuff scared us and we didn't want to get caught in any crazy traffic while hauling a trailer. Staying an extra day in Moss Landing was fine with me.

I'm editing photos and working on some posts to share with you soon. Until then, here's a photo from what was quite possibly the highlight of my ~~life~~ trip: Having coffee and dessert at the John Steinbeck House.

Spring 2011 Mini Book

2011-07-12T10:59:00.000-07:00

A schedule post. At this point, I should be on my way to Los Angeles. I thought I'd finally share some photos of my spring mini book. I'm not that happy with it, to be quite honest, but I have been working on my summer one that I love so far. So there's that to look forward to.

So I decided to end with May. The next book starts with June, even though summer doesn't technically begin then...

By the way, I'm on Google+ and I'm liking it so far. Add me if you're on there!

Thrifting

2011-07-10T12:36:00.000-07:00

This past week my mother and I went to some thrift shops and antique shops in Yuma, Arizona, which is about an hour away from where we live.

These were picked up at the Salvation Army. Excuse the busy background, what I purchased was the divided Pyrex casserole dish, the Pyrex mugs (not in the best of condition, but at fifty cents each I'm happy), and the turquoise vase.

Antique store purchases aren't as cheap, but I really wanted these two pieces to complete this set. Now I just need lids for them.

I always forget to mention that I'm linking up at Her Library Adventures for the Flea Market Finds weekly linkup. I'm hoping to hit up the thrift stores and antique shops in central California when I go later on this week. I picked up some more Pyrex yesterday in San Diego when I went antiquing with Brian, but I haven't had a chance to photograph it yet, so there's that to look forward to next week at least.

07.06.11

2011-07-06T09:00:00.000-07:00

dress: Forever 21; shoes: Aerosoles; watch: Michael Kors; sunglasses: Forever 21; purse: Marc By Marc Jacobs

This outfit photo was taken on Saturday after Brian and I completed our Macy's Home registry. I cannot get enough of dresses and wedges when it is warm.

Summer has been wonderful so far (despite the terrible heat), and there is still more to come. I am making a trip to Los Angeles on the 12th for a doctor's appointment I have on the 13th. I come back on the 13th to celebrate my sister's birthday, and on the 14th my father and I are taking a trip to Central California. I also need to schedule a beach day and Padres game into my month with some of my favorite ladies. Oh July, I think you're going to be great!

Thrifting

2011-07-03T14:43:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, my mother and I were able to do a bit of thrift shopping in San Diego. Our first stop was Kobey's Swap Meet. There weren't quite as many vendors as usual because it was a holiday weekend, but we were still able to find some things. I was happiest about finding a piece of turquoise Pyrex for $4. From there we went to the Salvation Army and Goodwill, but didn't find anything. After doing some wedding gown shopping in La Mesa, we went to a big antique store, where I picked up some more Pyrex.

Urban Turban

2011-06-30T18:34:00.000-07:00

A most recent knitting project: The Urban Turban. So necessary to keep your hair back and up when it's burning hot outside. It's been over 110 degrees lately, and it's quite disgusting. Saturday is supposed to be 118, but I will thankfully be in San Diego. Weekend plans include going to the swap meet, trying on wedding dresses (ah!!), and finishing up our wedding registry.

Orange Fizz

2011-06-28T15:49:00.000-07:00

It's funny how one simple thing can bring about many memories. I went through my nail polish bin and selected Chanel's "Orange Fizz." I haven't worn this in a few years. In the summer of 2009, I wore it almost non-stop. It reminds me of my first summer with Brian, when our relationship was brand new. I remember his hot apartment, frozen yogurt treats, eating lots of pho, watching TV shows on DVDs, and just getting to know him. It was wonderful.

I remember how much time we were able to spend together that first summer, and I cannot wait until February, when we will no longer be in a "long distance relationship."

Save the Date

2011-06-26T15:49:00.000-07:00

It all feels so official now that we have a set wedding date! We are so excited!

Thrift Score

2011-06-24T15:12:00.000-07:00

Where I live, we don't really have any great thrift stores, so I often find myself feeling a bit jealous of anyone that does. While we were in Lake Havasu, though, we went to a few nice ones. One in particular had these cute vintage pyrex bowls in this beautiful blue color. I want my future kitchen to have lots of light blue and aqua, so these are perfect. I had to get them. I believe these will be a new collection of mine.

caramel macchiato

2011-06-23T16:10:00.000-07:00

Two camera phone photos taken by my brother on his birthday. I took him to get a birthday Starbucks. Iced caramel macchiatos are my absolute favorite.

On a different note, I just found out I can use Pugly Pixel's cute clip art with Picnik, so for the next few weeks, I may go clip art crazy. Just warning you.

Lake Havasu

2011-06-22T17:40:00.000-07:00

My family (minus my brother) and I went to visit my grandmother in Lake Havasu City, AZ. I had not gone in years, so I was excited to go and see how things were different. A few of my cousins and an aunt that I haven't seen in a year or so were there visiting my grandmother as well, so it was a lot of fun. I love the view from her house since you can see the lake.

One of the ways Havasu has changed since I have been there is they now have a sushi restaurant. (And by now I mean within the past three years.)

Here I am at Sho-Gun, excited to try it out.

My mother and sister are not as adventurous when it comes to sushi, so they ordered the California rolls and tried some of the ones I ordered. (Yes, I can put away quite a bit of sushi.) The one covered in spicy mayo is called the Havasu Roll, which I figured I had to order, and I am so glad I did. Delicious.

We spent a lot of time talking, going to thrift stores, eating, and hanging out by the lake. I did not take as many photos as I would have liked to (I didn't even use my Diana Mini once), but my sister and I did do an outfit photo of sorts.

On me:

sunglasses: Forever 21; tank: Express; skirt: Forever 21; sandals: Forever 21; watch: Michael Kors

On Angela:

hat: K-Mart; shirt: Old Navy; shorts: Express; shoes: Toms; sunglasses: purchased at the Del Mar Fair

24

2011-06-18T09:03:00.000-07:00

First of all, today is my little brother's twenty-fourth birthday! (Hence this photo taken last month, on a day when I was more proud of him than usual.) I tend to feel older on his birthday than I do on my own. The thought process usually goes something like this: Wow, I can't believe Michael is ___. Oh no! That means I'm ___+2! So today, I'm definitely feeling very much like a twenty-six-year-old. But that's okay.

The next few days will be quite busy and I won't really be around. Tomorrow is Father's Day, and in the afternoon my parents, sister, and I will be going to visit my grandmother in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. I haven't been there in years, so I'm really looking forward to it. I'll be back on Wednesday. See you then. :)

kate spade new york dinnerware

2011-06-16T19:31:00.000-07:00

It is no secret that I am a big fan of kate spade new york. I love her shoes, jewelry, stationery, purses, etc. Well, while Brian and I were registering at Macy's, I learned I also love her dinnerware. I love the idea of having dinner parties with nice china to serve our friends and family. If money were no object, I'd swipe up the kate spade new york fine china instantly! (Such as all the polka-dotted ones.) However, I need to be a bit more realistic, at least for now, so we only added the Fair Harbor Bayberry casual china to our registry... for now.

What is your take on china? Is it worth it? Do you use it often?

contacts

2011-06-14T11:16:00.000-07:00

I'm trying out contacts for the first time in my life. It feels so strange. Glasses feel like a big part of my identity since I've worn them every single day since I was in sixth grade. No exaggeration, every day. I am really blind. However, I don't really want to wear glasses when I get married. Plus, I think years of wearing them has caught up to me because I have been getting bad headaches from the pressure on the sides of my head. Not fun.

I feel like I can't see as well, however, and I don't know if it's just because I need to get used to them. The doctor did say I have slight astigmatism, so it's possible that I'll need special contacts. I guess I'll find out in a week!

Sunday Fun

2011-06-12T22:56:00.000-07:00

My parents, brother, and myself all went to San Diego today. Brian met up with us at the swap meet, where we didn't buy anything besides Mexican candy. (My mother, however, bought so many things!) It was a beautiful day, though, so it was fun just walking around, even if my shoulders did get sunburned.

The most fun part of the day, in my opinion, was getting our wedding registry started. True, it's a bit early since we don't even have a wedding date, but it's at least something we can get out of the way now since we can't do much else yet.

We registered at the Macy's Home store. There is so much there, it's a bit overwhelming, so we just tackled the kitchen area. It was fun to walk around scanning everything, though.

My heart swells up every time I see how excited Brian gets for our future place together. Love love love him.

lately

2011-06-09T14:28:00.000-07:00

I love these cream and sugar ceramic containers I bought at Michaels Craft Store. Can you believe they were only fifty cents each??

This doesn't look like much, but it's going to be a blanket. Eventually. With a zig-zag shape. I've never made a blanket before because I actually never felt like knitting one, but for some reason I have no problem crocheting one.

"All good books are alike in that they are truer than if they had really happened and after you are finished reading one you will feel that all that happened to you and afterwards it all belongs to you; the good and the bad, the ecstasy, the remorse, and sorrow, the people and the places and how the weather was."

- Ernest Hemingway

And I am currently loving that quote. So great. I'm rereading Jane Eyre. I haven't read it since the fifth grade or so, and I just felt an overwhelming desire to reread it! I loaded it up for free on my Nook and have already started.

8 Weeks to a Better Me: Week 6

2011-06-06T20:34:00.001-07:00

A bit late on this again, but this week's topic is "Home Sweet Home." I currently do not have my own place, but I do have a few goals for my bedroom as well as the future apartment I will be getting with Brian in 2012.

Organize my drawers. I have two dressers that are quite messy. I really need to go through them, get rid of what I no longer love, and organize what stays behind.
Pick gift registry items. This may not actually happen this week. It depends on when I can drive up to San Diego to pick things out with Brian. I suppose what can be done this week, however, is pick three stores where we will do our registries. (Any suggestions? I was thinking Macy's Home and maybe creating a universal Amazon wishlist...)
Frame some photos. My walls are pretty bare, so I'd like to frame and hang some photos of family and friends.

Spring Break 2011 Mini Album

2011-06-04T16:11:00.001-07:00

I finally got around to finishing the mini album I was working on. I love mini books, I just haven't really done too many. Last summer, I made one, but I can't say I really loved it. It didn't have lots of pretty papers, which is something I'm a fan of. So this one did. The only thing I'm unhappy about is that I didn't keep the same orientation throughout. (However, I have a general one I've been working on for spring, and that one is all the same orientation, so it makes me feel better.)

Taking photographs is something I seem to love more and more as I get older, and now this kind of adds a different dimension to it. Memory-keeping is important to me, and this lets me tell the story better. I'm working on a few other mini books, so you'll be seeing those soon.

I've posted all of these photos on here before, so I thought I'd just show you the cover and a few pages.

(My favorite paper!)

To see the rest, check out the whole set here.

The Ring

2011-06-01T20:54:00.001-07:00

Is it wrong to be in love with a ring? Well, I can't help it. I love everything about it. I love that it's yellow gold, I love how it sparkles, I love that Brian designed it, and I love what it means. When I look down at my left hand, I still kind of can't believe it's there. (I feel a bit like Smeagol.)

Thanks to all of you that have left me nice comments on here and via Twitter. I really appreciate it and am definitely excited. I even bought some wedding magazines and books at Barnes and Noble today - I figure this is pretty much the only time in my life to buy these things for myself! There is so much to think about and plan... hope we don't get overwhelmed.

8 Weeks to a Better Me: Week 5

2011-05-31T16:01:00.000-07:00

I'm a bit late with this week's post, but things have just been crazy (in a great way) lately. This week's topic is on loving life and having fun - something that is currently very easy!

1. Enjoy this engagement stage. Brian and I don't believe in long engagements, so we're hoping to get married in early 2012. I've already been getting lots of advice to just enjoy this stage of life right now since it will never come back, and I fully intend to. I'm thinking of doing a Project Life binder, but rather than doing a whole year, just doing this part of my life.

2. Speaking of documentation, my goal is to finish up a spring break mini book I've been working on. I will share this soon.

3. I have various friends that want to set up some "girl time" soon, so my goal is to finalize some plans with girl friends.

Engagement

2011-05-30T21:23:00.000-07:00

I love this photo, and I always will. Taken yesterday, right after getting engaged! Brian and I had a picnic at Balboa Park, one of my favorite places in San Diego, when he popped the question. I'm extremely excited and cannot wait to go into planning mode. I know I need to take a proper ring photo, it's just been a whirlwind weekend, though.

2011-05-27T08:52:00.000-07:00

So I already know how to knit, but lately I've been wanting to learn how to crochet. On Sunday, my mother's friend showed me how to chain. I wanted to practice during the week, but since I subbed a lot and was working on cleaning my room (seriously, it's weird that I can actually see the floor now), I didn't have much time. I didn't have to sub yesterday, however, so after spending several hours on YouTube and practicing while watching Modern Family (why did I wait so long to start watching this?!), I was finally able to read a pattern and did this flower coaster. I know, it's not perfect, but I'm pretty happy with it considering it's my first crocheted project.

And now I must go get ready to sub for two hours in a first grade class and then work at the store. I'm planning on having a nice Memorial Day weekend since Brian is coming down. Hope you all do the same. :)

Today...

2011-05-25T18:24:00.000-07:00

Necessary today.

It hasn't been easy adjusting to younger kids again. After having spent a whole semester working with junior high and high school, it's been a bit difficult. Monday was great because I really knew those kids and half the day was spent watching a movie. Yesterday, however, I subbed in the first grade, and it was difficult. I was subbing for a very good teacher, so they were at least pretty well-behaved, but they're just so young. I swear to you that I had to tell at least three kids, "What are you saying?! You need to use words!" because they just want to point at things and make noises. Um, they're six. They can speak.

Today was just ridiculously stressful, but thankfully it was just for a half day. The teacher started off telling me how terrible they were, so that's already a bad sign. By May they should totally be tamed. They behaved terribly at an assembly (so terribly I had to be moving them around during the performances, another teacher had to sit in front of them, and the principal had to tell them to be quiet, too.) I was so embarrassed, I didn't want them to think I couldn't handle them or anything. After the assembly, another teacher came up to me, shook my hand, and said, "You're doing a great job. I know they're a handful." So it's a relief to know that at least they know it's not my fault. And apparently my brother and I were living parallel lives today because he too subbed in a fourth grade class and they were terrible. (He just started subbing. This was his second time! So proud of him.) I tell people over and over again that subbing is harder than teaching, but I get skeptical looks.

I hate ranting on here because I don't think this is a place to be negative, but sometimes it just needs to happen. I know I should be thankful that I'm evening getting subbing jobs right now because there are a ton of substitutes out there. So I just need to hold onto that thought for a while, since I'll be working with first graders again on Thursday... A bright spot about my day was running into one of my mother's students from last year when he still went to that school. He's such a sweet little boy, and I know him because I subbed in her class a few times. He's in third grade now, and he ran up to me when he saw me and gave me big hugs. I was so happy to see him. :)

Festival Green

2011-05-23T17:01:00.000-07:00

(Cardigan: Target; Dress: Forever 21; Purse: Marc Jacobs; Shoes: J Crew)

A quick post to show what I wore yesterday. When I finished student teaching, my family had a dinner for me and were nice enough to give me some gifts and money. With the money, I ordered these ballet flats. (I know, I have them in nude. But right after I ordered them they made them available in green and I fell in love with them as well.) I plan on wearing these all spring and summer. So pretty.

In other news, I subbed at the elementary level for the first time in about half a year. I forgot it could be fun. After lunch we watched The Little Mermaid, which was my absolute favorite movie when I was a child. Even my mother knows every line to it because I would watch it so much. I would seriously watch it, rewind it, and watch it again. I hadn't seen it in years, so I was really happy to get to see it today. I still know all the words apparently.

Giuliana's First Birthday

2011-05-22T19:07:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I met Giuliana Rancic, but this weekend I was spending time with a different Giuliana. My friend Gina's baby Giuliana was baptized yesterday and also had her first birthday party. I love Gina's kids and always try to take a ton of photos of them. Here are two of my favorites from yesterday.

So cute. Love her! I feel like it was just a few months ago that I was waiting with my friends at the hospital for Giuliana to be born - definitely doesn't feel like a whole year ago, though.

Besides the birthday party I've been having a low-key weekend. I'm trying hard to seriously clean/organize my room, but that will take some time. Also started to learn how to crochet. We'll see how that turns out.

8 Weeks to a Better Me: Week 4

2011-05-22T12:43:00.000-07:00

The halfway point of the challenge! So how did I do on last week's challenge? I tried a new healthy recipe that I loved from Real Simple for Gingery Shrimp and Couscous. I highly recommend it. Also was pretty good about cooking dinner and planning leftovers to take to work the next day. Here are two not-so-great photos of said planned leftover lunch.

(left: Gingery Shrimp and Couscous, right: Lighter Sesame Chicken, an old favorite)

I stuck to my water goal and was pretty happy about that. Buying a new water bottle definitely helped me out so much with this goal. It's not easy to drink the right amount, but I know it's the right thing to do.

So this week's topic is for loving yourself. Most of the time, this is not a huge problem, but things weren't always like that. In junior high and high school, I was teased for being so skinny. I've come to more-or-less accept it, but I still have days where I won't wear something because I feel like it makes me look skinnier. There are also [many many many] days where I don't like wearing my hair up because of my thyroid (I have hyperthyroidism which has caused an enlarged thyroid). These days, I don't have anyone teasing me, but I am my own worst critic. It should not be like that. So here are my goals, as silly as they may seem.

1. Stop feeling so self-conscious about wearing my hair up.

2. Stop tearing myself apart.

3. Purge closet and only keep what I love. If I wear things I don't love, I really won't feel confident.

I feel like the first two will be an on-going battle, but I'm willing to try this.

Remember, if you want to participate, head over to Danielle's blog.

Michael's Graduation

2011-05-21T21:48:00.000-07:00

This past Thursday, my little (er, twenty-three-year-old) brother graduated from San Diego State University. I was so incredibly proud of him! I could have walked in the ceremony as well since I got my credential, but I wanted to let Michael have his day. (Besides, I wasn't even comfortable walking the first time. I don't like that attention.) I've seen him work so hard and I'm happy he has finished.

I love this photo. Our friends graduated as well. C.C. received her English B.A. and John-Paul received his M.A. Michael and I consider ourselves to be a part of their family. C.C. has been doing so well at SDSU and I am excited for her since she's going to start working on her teaching credential.

Travels with Charley in Search of America

2011-05-18T15:37:00.000-07:00

I'm a big fan of John Steinbeck. East of Eden is among my very top favorite books. (Second only to The Great Gatsby, really.) I've been to the Steinbeck Center twice now, and really hope to go back again! (That really is a gorgeous part of California.) Both times I've gone, I saw the truck and trailer they had on display to talk about Travels with Charley in Search of America. This is the book he wrote when he went on a road trip with his poodle, Charley. I thought it sounded interesting and always meant to pick it up. I finally downloaded it for my Nook and devoured it. There is just something about the way Steinbeck writes. I love it and highly recommend it. This was such a good read, and I couldn't help but remember the times my family and I would travel across the country in a motorhome. Those were some of the best times of my childhood, I feel blessed to have experience things like that. I also like whenever Steinbeck would talk about a place I have been because I'm geeky like that. (I was surprised and excited when I saw he mentioned the Imperial Valley in East of Eden.)

Some of my favorite lines from the book:

"We find after years of struggle that we do not take a trip; a trip takes us."

"The great get-together symbol is the cup of coffee."

"The redwoods, once seen, leave a mark or create a vision that stays with you always. No one has ever successfully painted or photographed a redwood tree. The feeling they produce is not transferable. From them comes silence and awe."

"I find it difficult to write about my native place, northern California. It should be the easiest, because I knew that strip angled against the Pacific better than any place in the world. But I find it not one thing but many - one printed over another until the whole thing blurs. What it is is warped with memory of what it was and that with what happened there to me, the whole bundle wracked until objectiveness is nigh impossible."

8 Weeks to a Better Me: Week 3

2011-05-16T19:38:00.000-07:00

First, a bit about last week's goals. In brief, I could've done a lot better. I procrastinated and did things at the last minute. I bought myself that Nalgene water bottle on Tuesday, didn't get it until Thursday, and didn't start drinking out of it until yesterday. I bought that striped sports bra at Forever 21 on Saturday. I didn't get the Jillian Michaels DVD until Saturday, and I am going to finally try it today. Such a procrastinator. But those are some goals I'm determined to stick to, even though the week is over.

This week's topic is healthy eating. I feel like I already started off on the wrong foot since I had a cheese danish for breakfast, a pizza for lunch, a chicken teryaki bowl from Jack-in-the-Box after work, and a guacamole burger (mmmmm) after my class. I wish I could say this was just an off day, but more often than not, this is the way I eat. For a while there I was on track eating things I cooked at home, but this semester made me crazy and too busy for that. I want to refocus on eating better in the hopes that I will feel more energized, which in turn will help me be motivated enough to exercise.

Try out a new healthy recipe.
REALLY try to drink the right amount of water this week. (Should be easier with the Nalgene bottle this time around...)
Cook more than half of my meals this week.

Giuliana & Bill

2011-05-15T08:47:00.000-07:00

You may not know this, but I am a huge fan of Giuliana and Bill Rancic. I became a fan from watching their show on the Style Network. They're just such a cute, fun, loving couple, and I love seeing what they are up to.

When I found out they were going to be in San Diego doing a free financial seminar at the Balboa Theater, I knew I had to go. My mother is a big fan as well and agreed to go with me. We didn't know what to expect, but we knew we wanted to see them.

They weren't going to open the doors until 1pm, so we killed time at Horton Plaza. This is absolutely NOT my favorite mall, but they did have a crepe place.

At about 12:40 we decided to get in line. There were only a few people in line already, but after we got there, people started lining up. Since we got there early, we had excellent seats. We chose to sit in the third row.

Their talk was interesting and funny. They talked about their finances in the early stages of their marriage when they had separate accounts. Then after a serious discussion they merged and created a budget. As usual, Bill was the one giving financial advice and Giuliana explained what it was like to learn all that from him. They were so cute. Then there was a speaker on behalf of the California Credit Union who spoke for twenty minutes or so, then Giuliana and Bill came back out for a Q&A session. Then they announced there would be a meet and greet upstairs. If I had known there was going to be one (or that we would get such great seats!) I would've taken my Rebel instead of my not-so-great point-and-shoot. Oh well, live and learn.

We had to wait in line a good while to meet them, but it was worth it. One of the people in charge of the crowd told us not to ask any questions, just go up and take a picture since they were running late. So we decided not to have them autograph anything, just take a photo. However, they were so nice, we kind of had a conversation with them. When we told them we drove 120 miles to see them, and that we didn't currently have the Style Network so we had to buy their show on iTunes, Giuliana seemed to feel bad. "Can I sign something for you? Do you have that paper?" she asked. I wasn't going to say no to that, so I took the photograph of them that was in our goody bag and had them sign it.

It's nice to know that they really are as nice as they seem in their show. Also, can I just say how incredibly tall they are?? I even told them how short I felt next to them, and Giuliana said it was just the heels. Uh, I think not. I mean, I know I'm only 5'2", but they dwarfed everyone there!

After that, we met up with Brian at Fashion Valley to do a bit of shopping. I had an American Express giftcard from my aunt for finishing my student teaching, and I ordered a pair of green ballet flats from J Crew with them. While I was doing that, Brian went to Kate Spade to purchase the cutest necklace for me. He surprised me with it while I was still at J Crew. He's a sweet one.

10 Things I Love

2011-05-12T13:03:00.000-07:00

So Janette tagged me a while ago to do a ten things I love post. Here it goes:

Nail polish
Coffee
Knitting
Sushi
Paper crafts
Pretty dresses
Musicals
Vintage cameras
Ampersands
Books (of the nondigital AND digital variety now)

Last Day

2011-05-10T20:42:00.000-07:00

Today was my last day of student teaching. It was a very bittersweet day, that's for sure. It's funny because I was not at all looking forward to working with junior high kids, and now I am so sad about having to leave them! I've become so attached. I really enjoy working with high schoolers, but there's just something about junior high kids that makes them special. As if I wasn't sad enough, my cooperating teacher had had the students write me thank you notes some time last week. He gave them to me today, and as I read them over I laughed and teared up. They were very sweet. I get to sub for that teacher on Friday, so I'm glad I'll get to see them all at least one more time.

I had my final evaluation today and felt extremely proud when my supervisor said she had never given anyone such a high score. I know the main reason for that, however, is that I had excellent guidance at both schools.

In January, I was dreading student teaching. I didn't want to do it. Now, I'm glad I did because it has been such a great experience. I have learned so much, and was blessed to have two great cooperating teachers and a phenomenal university supervisor. I know how lucky I am because not too many people can say that.

8 Weeks to a Better Me: Week 2

2011-05-08T19:02:00.001-07:00

I was pleased with how last week's three goals went, and I was able to complete them. This week, Danielle has chosen fitness as the topic. (By the way, I was super excited to see the guest post was from the super lovely Amber! Love that girl. Her blog is so amazing and puts me in a positive mindset each time I read it.)

Back in January I had made some goals for myself regarding exercise, which I stuck to for a few weeks. Once I had to do my student teaching, however, that all ended. I would really like to get back on track, and this is the perfect time since I officially finish student teaching on Tuesday.

I like what Amber said about having cute clothes as motivation. I could definitely see that working for me. Working out in pajama gear is not motivating at all.
Drink more water. I think I drink a decent amount because I don't drink soda or anything, but it's still not enough.
Get a Jillian Michaels workout DVD via Netflix this week and try it out. (Any recommendations??)

Collections: Puffin Classics

2011-05-05T17:02:00.000-07:00

Just in case you think I've completed given up on real books since getting my Nook, I will show you a tiny tiny tiny part of my book collection.

Here is my collection of Puffin Classics books. I used to have more, but over the years, things tend to get lost (especially if you move). I've had these books for years. My town does not have a Barnes and Noble, and the closest one was (and still is!) about fifty miles away in Yuma, AZ. Whenever my mother would go to Yuma, I would tag along just to go to Barnes and Noble. I would make a bee-line for the children's classics section and have the hardest time picking which one (or two, or three) books I wanted my mother buy for me. I used to spend so many hours reading. Books have always been a comfort to me.

As you can see by looking at this photo, Louisa May Alcott was a favorite of mine. You can also see Wuthering Heights has been read many times (most recently last summer).

Bossypants

2011-05-04T16:25:00.000-07:00

I already know this won't be much of a book review since so many people seem to have already read this. For those of you that hesitated, like I did at first, let me tell you: stop. Just go buy it already. It is a hilarious read. I actually finished this last week while doing my student teaching. I would read it whenever my cooperating teacher was having the kids do something quiet, and it was so hard for me to be quiet while reading it as I wanted to literally laugh out loud at many parts.

Also, this is officially the first book I have read on my Nook. For being a "purchased-on-a-whim" item, I sure do love it. When the Barnes and Noble cashier rang me up and said, "You'll like reading this screen better than reading paper," I gave her a skeptical look. Now, I understand exactly what she means.

8 Weeks to a Better Me: Week 1

2011-05-01T21:17:00.000-07:00

Have you seen Danielle's new project? It's called 8 Weeks to a Better Me. Sounds like a fun challenge, and I'm up for trying it. This week's topic is on blogging. If you're participating, I'd love to see your goals!

1. Reply to every comment I receive this week. (If possible, I will reply via e-mail to ensure it is read.)

2. Do a book review post.

3. Do another collections post.