Manicure Monday

I have arrived in Portland and am staying at the Arlington Club, a place that has been around since 1867 and you still use real keys to get into your room. Needless to say it is adorable and I feel as if I have stepped back in time. I also have already decided that I love this city. More to explore and share later but for now, enjoy some quickly polished nails while at the airport this morning. 

No Breaks Allowed

{Taking a sunset walk}

{I was THRILLED at the surprise arrival of these 3 books from my friend in publishing. Can't wait to read, laugh, and be inspired by these guys}

{Yes, all those orange lines are huge freeways. That's LA for you}

{Amazing dinner of fruit, homemade granola, and yogurt at the House of Pies}

{Snapped some pics while at The Postal Service concert. Check it off the bucket list folks!}

I feel like I have run myself ragged this past week, but ragged in the fun kind of way meaning I stayed out way too late on a school work night. This week, we made some new musician friends on Tuesday at open mic night, saw The Postal Service in LA on Wednesday, heading to the Reds vs Dodgers game tonight (Go Redlegs!), the US Surf Open finals are this weekend so hitting up Huntington Beach tomorrow and Sunday for that excitement, AND going to see John Mayer tomorrow night. Whew! That's a lot. Sometimes all the best things collide at once. Taking advantage of my surroundings, here we go!

Day Dreaming

Every once in awhile, I get a real itch to travel. Today was on of those days. I was going back through some photos and stumbled upon the ones I had taken on my trip to San Francisco. I had such a lovely time in that be-ea-u-tiful city that it had me day dreaming of going back sometime soon. Spending time with friends, enjoying all the pretty homes, being in heaven with all the gorgeous bridges around (I have a thing for bridges).

Though I don't have any plans to go back to the Bay area in the near future, I am heading north for a work trip in Portland, Oregon. This will be a new city, and state for that matter, for me and I am really looking forward to it. It will be a quick trip, just Monday through Wednesday, but there is a wine tasting tour involved plus fancy smancy dinners to enjoy so bring it on Portland! Show me what else the Northwest coast has to offer me.

Manicure Monday

Ombre is still in right? Ok great because I am loving the shades of blue I chose for my nails this week. I think it is a nice shake up to the regular routine. Though I find myself in the midst of yet another Monday banging away at my keyboard per usual so maybe things are actually pretty standard after all.

Wearing Wedges on a Friday

{Frozen yogurt: Always a good call}

{Midweek drinks}

{A favorite sunset}

{Somehow earning money from the grocery store after using a free coupon}

{The smallest California bear engraved on the stools of a local restaurant}

Man did this Friday take forever to get here! I busted out my wedges to celebrate. Time for some bike riding, pool side lounging, reading and relaxing fun this weekend.

Top Knotch

I love a good play on words and my hair was begging for a top knot this morning so I obliged.

This skirt is one of my most treasured flea market finds. I scored this baby on vacation with my sister and cousin in South Carolina while we were checking out this vast warehouse of items that just called to us from the highway. The length is great, the pattern is even better, and it is a great work piece. Nothing but love for something that cost me less than five bucks. It really is the little things in life.

A Tribute To My Grandpa

My grandpa passed away last week. He was a truly incredible man who raised 9 children, welcomed 30 grandchildren into the world, and shared life lessons and words of wisdom all along the way. When he told a story, he was able to hush the entire room, a difficult feat with as many family members as we have, because everyone wanted to hear what he had to say. He was 84 years old and would have been married to the love of his life for 60 years this fall. Yes, 6-0. I heard him say more than once that he had absolutely no regrets and his happiest moment was when he was with the family he created.  He was an observer and you could often see him leaning back at the head of the famous kitchen table we gather around, listening and just being proud of the people sitting around him. 

I have often said that if I could find a love even a fraction of what he and my grandma shared that I would be so grateful. It was hard to say good bye to him but even harder to watch my grandma do so. She patted his cheek like she so often did and told him how he didn't even realize how many lives he had touched. I was lucky to have had him in my life and will always think of him as I appreciate the simple things in life, just as he did.

Being home this past weekend reminded me of how much I love and cherish my family, how lucky I am to be blessed with so many people who love me, and how I truly love my roots and where I come from. My grandpa left quite the legacy, so many memories and stories. I am blessed to have had him in my life and was so blessed to have been able to call him grandpa.

Manicure Monday

Another day on planet earth. Be thankful for what you have, enjoy where you are in life, take pleasure in the simple things, and remember where you came from. I have been reminded and it's a pretty great legacy. I hope you can feel as much love as I have these past few days because it is a powerful thing not to be missed.

Manicure Monday



I am feeling a little midevil today with this darker maroon polish and my gold bracelets. Mixing up my nail color from the usual brights of summer was a fun change and took my look in a different direction. I guess I just don't adhere to color rules and I am ok with it.

Freedom Friday

          

Ah, Independence Day. Does it get any better than this holiday? I don't think so. The roommates and I decided to throw a little Fourth of July bash and man, did we have fun! We made a pancake and bacon brunch then sat around and chatted with old and new friends, playing games and listening to Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty, our "American" playlist. We enjoyed the sunshine on our patio and traipsed down to the beach which was just about the friendliest little strip of land I have ever experienced. We hopped from house to house seeing everyone decked out in their finest patriotic gear and had a grand old time. Now we are lacking sleep and trying to carry on with our day jobs but all I would really like to be doing right now is rocking my motorcycle flag shirt and waving my mini American flag. Happy Fourth (or technically now 5th) of July! Let freedom ring!

Pretending to Own a Polaroid

Items needed: Large frame, hammer, 2 small nails, wire/string/twine/rope/whatever, polaroid frames, your favorite pictures, movie or concert tickets, love notes, letters, etc, and small clothespins. 

I decided to put my crafting pants on today after work. I had been wanting to hang these up FOREVER and I told myself this was the week and bam! They are now hanging. I found these polaroid frames in the scrapboking section at Michael's, printed off some pictures, cut them to size and taped them to the frames with regular old scotch tape. I also grabbed some mini clothespins while I was there as a means of hanging up the pics. 

I utilized the DIY yellow frame I have had since my first place, nailing two small nails slightly higher than the middle back of the frame. I then wound my metal wire around the nail on one side, then the other for a slightly loose hang. I placed the frame back above my bed and hung my pictures. Easy peasy. And now my wall has a fresh look for minimal work and minimal dollars. Plus I can swap out the pictures whenever I want, a great solution for a gal who gets bored with her layout so easily. 

Manicure Monday

My favorite holiday is almost upon us and I couldn't wait to paint my nails into a patriotic color scheme. The girls and I are figuring out what we want to do with our day off and we have a few ideas in mind, namely sleeping in, making brunch, getting decked out in all things America, and heading to beach for some beers and a BBQ. Is it Thursday yet?