Photobooths are SO in Right Now!

You guys! Photobooths are seriously everywhere and I am absolutely loving this trend! The first shots were from a family friends wedding with my sister and brother, props included, I mean come on! Then this past weekend, my roommates and I, naturally, ducked into one at the bar we were patroning. Moral of the story, I love these things and think they are too fun so smile and say cheese! On the count of three of course...

Office Attire

I know, the number of camera-in-mirror pictures I have taken lately is out of control but I am still waiting on my tripod to arrive with all of my other possesions in this world so you will have to bear with me.

This is what I wore to the office today. It has been weirdly cold at my desk this week so I thought it best to put together an outfit involving a coat to keep me warm and I am just loving this one so much. It is light weight but structured and totally different from anything else I have. Plus it is neutral enough to wear with lots of things in my closet but gives a little punch to an otherwise ho-hum outfit.

Oh, and just for fun, I thought I would show you the tea/coffee maker thing that is very fancy and way more sophisticated than I was ready for but it does make a killer hot chocolate so obviously I have mastered the thing. Office livin', this is what it's all about.  

Doing LA Things

Could I BE any more artsy? (Please tell me you read that in a Chandler Bing voice because that is how it is meant to be read.) Above are a few of the many, many pieces of art a few friends and I were exposed to this weekend at the LA Art Show. It was my first time being in Downtown LA and we really had a blast. We had a livingsocial deal so it was only $10 bucks to get in and on top of that, my one roommate had a connection (her boyfriend's mom) who was at a wholesale show in the same building and was able to get us in there too. Double awesome.

If you are like me, you are unaware of what a wholesale show is so to break it down for you, it was basically a place where people sell their goods at wholesale aka really cheap prices because you buy in bulk. Except you didn't have to buy in bulk so this girl walked away with about 3 new bracelets and this adorable miniature frames. It was like Chinatown in NYC only minus the haggling and language barrier. Still brainstorming on what to do with the frames but I just had to have them. Anyways, hope you enjoy this little culture break! I sure did.

Manicure Monday

I am feeling spiky today, and I don't just mean my kickin' new bracelet. It has been a heck of a Monday, full of stress and rudeness from others and despite the "Shrimply Divine" pink color on my nails from Sally Hansen, I am not so lovie-dovie. But Monday is almost over and Tuesday has to be better right? Right. So onward and upward!

Friday I'm in Love

Friday, glorious Friday!
Here are some things I have been loving this week:
Scoring some amazing finds on a thrifting spree.
Watching a gem of a movie on Netflix called Love and Other Disasters.
Going for a run along the beach.

Not so much love for:
Having it rain, thinking you have an umbrella in the car and then walking into work soaked because you did not have said umbrella.
Stepping on the end of the curtain and ripping the whole rod clean off the wall. Whoops.
Eating WAY too many Oreos. As in all but 4 from the container. Double whoops.

Me and the roommates are going to do dinner and a movie tonight and I could not be more excited for a low key evening. We have plans to go to LA on Sunday to check out this art convention which I am really looking forward to doing. We are also going to the Fashion District, a place where most everything is sold at wholesale prices so obviously I am sold. Soaking up some culture, some deals and some sun, what could be better?

Under the Wire

Ah! I am all over the place this week. Here is a quick snapshot of me in our giant awesome mirror. I think we are going to be moving into a new unit in our complex soon and so today, I posted my first ever craigslist ad. That was weird. Let the fun begin!

Brussel Sprouts, Mint Oreo Cremes, and Building a Bike

Pants: Gap, Shirt: TJ Maxx, Shoes: Macy's

Yesterday, for the first time in all my (almost) 24 years, I tried brussel sprouts. I actually bought and made them, on a whim, and let me just tell you, they were delish! Kind of like little baby cabbages. On my grocery trip, I also bought mint Oreo Cremes, which I already knew I loved, but I figured I should balance out my adventurous food choice with something very safe and very tasty.

On the topic of adventures, my roommate and I decided to try and tackle what one would think would be a simple bike assembly project. Wrong. I'd say we are about half way there but at least it's out of the box and on its way to completion. Once my bike gets here, we will be cruising down the coast. That, and once hers becomes a complete bike. It was taking some serious muscle to get it together and I was all over it. It must have been the brussel sprouts.

Around the New Digs

 I feel like I will never be done exploring all these areas around me but here is a peek at some of what I have already discovered.

Some stairs in the artsy Laguna Beach area

Pretty ivy growing up the side of a little shop.

The pier at Huntington Beach, surf capital of the world.

More of Huntington.

One of the coolest doors ever along the main drag in Huntington.  

One of my usual roads, the iconic PCH.

Palm trees and the Pacific.

Me and one of my roomies enjoying a walk along the beach at sunset.

Manicure Monday

This weekend was simply awesome. I had such a rush about living here as I driving down the highway with the windows down and music blaring, going out in Hollywood on Friday night, and even meeting someone famous from a band. It does make Mondays pretty difficult since the weekend felt like I was on vacation but alas, the work week has begun again.

For this week, I painted my nails a solid color, Essie's "Merino Cool" and then a half-moon at the base of the nail in Avon's "Jade". I will say, patience is needed for the drying process on this one but the results make it worth it!

Friday I'm in Love

Isn't this just a lovely saying? Sometimes those fortune cookies are just spot on, like this one, that is just so aligned with my current place in life. Also, I did not even have Chinese this week but somehow managed to have a fortune cookie. Extra lucky fortune right?

Here are some things I have been loving this week in my new state of residence:

Walking in Laguna, looking at jewelry at some vendors and not only getting complimented on my necklace, but when I told the woman I made it myself, she wanted me to make some for her shop. Love.

Discovering one of my new roommates has the whole series of Will and Grace. So yea, that's how I have been spending my evenings.

There is a World Market, like, 10 minutes away. Enough said.

Seeing the most detailed Christmas lights display at a media network along the highway...in January. Because, you know, that's normal.

Eating lunch outside. In January. This too, is normal.

Carpooling to work. I just feel better about doing my part to save the planet.

Not so much love for:

The shower being clogged on the very first day.

Forgetting my banana that I brought for breakfast in the car and my stomach growling extra loud in a meeting.

Getting up at 5am to take my friend to the airport and the dumb Keurig not working when I was in desperate need of caffeine.

The time difference between here and back home screwing up my lines of communication.

No cable at the apartment which means I am even more behind on my shows. (Potentially a good thing? It remains to be seen)

It has been a pretty great first week and I am looking forward to what is looking to be a b-e-a-u-tiful weekend here with a trip to Hollywood on the agenda tonight and then tomorrow scoping out the local library and then spending the day outside at the beach with the books we find. Sounds about perfect to me! Happy weekend all!

Berry Crumble Bars

I haven't been in the kitchen in what feels like forever with all the moving and packing and cleaning and uprooting of my life but this is a little treat I made that imitates the taste of a berry pie that you can eat with your hands. Great right? And since I found the recipe on the back of a low calorie sugar substitute, it's not even that bad for you.

What you will need:

Crust/Topping:

2 cups old fashioned oats

2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup Truvia baking blend sugar substitute

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

For the filling:

4 cups fresh or frozen berries (I used 2 cups raspberries and 2 cups blackberries)

1/2 cup Truvia baking blend sugar substitute

2 tsp lemon juice

1/3 cup corn starch

To Make:

Preheat oven to 325. Combine ingredients for the crust and topping, mixing on low speed until it is all combined and a little bit crumbly. Take half of this mixture and press into a greased 13x9" pan and putting the other half aside for later. Next, put all the ingredients together for the filling together and mix on low. Be careful, the mixture will stain very easily! Add corn starch until the mix starts to thicken. Pour filling into pan and then spread evenly over crust. Top with the remaining crust mixture, crumbling the mix over the whole pan.  Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden brown. I would have liked the bars to have been a little crisper so I would recommend baking the crust solo for about 15-20 minutes before adding the fruit mix but my sister and family loved them just the way they are so the choice is yours! Either way, this is a slightly less guilty way to enjoy a "slice" of pie.

The Real O.C.

Jeans and shirt: Gap, Jacket: PacSun

If you don't like seeing pictures of the ocean or sunsets or rocky outcroppings, you might as well just stop reading right now becuase as far as I can tell, this is about to be what all my posts consist of in the future because for crying out loud---LOOK at this place! I mean really!? It was like taking a walk inside a postcard. And I live here. It is simply unreal and I am still wrapping my head around the awesomeness. But this is a casual activity now, taking walks on the beach so don't mind me while I go pinch myself to make sure this is for real.

The Train has Left the Station

          

                

                                  
              
It snowed in California! Just kidding, though I've been told "it's unseasonably cold" and it "hasn't been this cold in 20 years!" Let's be honest, 41 degrees is not cold. But I digress.

These photos are from my stay at home over the holidays and I wanted to show of the scarf that I DIYed. And show what it looks like when the weather is actually considered cold. And showcase the sweet trains my sister and I trudged out to see. Isn't country living grand?

Manicure Monday

Greetings from the left coast! I still can't believe that I am here in Southern California and that I am here to stay. Guys, I live here. I mean, how did this happen? Since I will be living out of a suitcase(suticases, actually) for about a month, my embarrassingly extensive nail polish collection is not here...yet. I had to focus on bringing shoes and clothes and selected only a couple bottles of polish but one I chose was this electric blue that really makes a nice statement. Oh, and see that bracelet with the flowers right there? That's my first purchase as a resident. Picked it up at this cute bead shop in Laguna beach. I think it's safe to say I'm going to like it here.

Friday I'm in Love

This has been a week of goodbyes. Instead of focusing on the sad, I want to focus on the positive. Here are some of the things I have been loving this week:

Having my roommates from college visit me in the middle of the week for a sleepover. And singing Disney songs from our childhood before falling alseep. 

Getting taken out to lunch everyday in honor of my last week in Cincinnati. 

Hugs from all my favorite people in the office.

Being surprised with two super sweet cards for my last day today.

My nostalgia for the state of Ohio. See picture above, a homemade gift from one of my Wednesday visitors.

Things I was not loving this week:

Having to say good bye to EVERYONE. Literally.

Packing up my desk into a box and carrying it across the empty parking lot to my car.

Trying to clean out my fridge and freezer so I can unplug it this weekend aka eating random meals for dinner like frozen broccoli and fudge pops.

Cleaning anything and everything in my apartment. And emptying the vaccumm and trash on multiple occasions.

I knew this day was coming. My last day at work and my last day with all my friends from the office, my last weekend in Ohio, my last night in my apartment...the list goes on for all my "final" things in Cincinnati. I already had to say good bye to my family last weekend which was hard enough but then today, saying good bye to my work family was another tough event. Tomorrow promises to be a day full of packing and squishing as many articles of clothing into my suitcase as is humanly possible. Hopefully this will be a good enough distraction from the sadness surronding this weekend. I won't count on it but really, I am beyond thrilled to be starting off on this new adventure and will look towards that excitement as I get ready to move out west.

 

Old Faithful

Sweater: NY&Co, Necklace: Macy's

Soon, these snow piles and winter coats will be a thing of the past. As in 4 days from now. I decided to embrace them while I am still around them. I love my orange coat. It gives me a chance to be bright and cheery amidst the hum-drum black peacoats that seem to abound this time of year. Yes, it is many years old but I have kept the ol' girl in tip top shape so I will continue to wear it while I can get away with it.