Bootylicious

Apparently, I can't pull off booties. Booties, as in SHOES. I've tried multiple times, buying different styles and returning them because they just didn't look right. It's really frustrating! When I do buy them, I think of an outfit I'd wear them with. However, when I go home and put the outfit and the shoes on, my immediate reaction is, "This SO does not look like how it did in my head." I think the problem is that I have short legs and booties just make them look shorter. Curses to the short Asian side of my family! Ha ha.

It's too bad, really. I had some cute ones picked out:

(From L-R: Prada, PiperLime, Payless)

I may keep the third one I bought from Payless and try wearing them with tights this winter. Hose and tights are suppose to make your legs look longer, especially if you're wearing the same shoe of the hose/tights color-type.

I'll let you know how it goes.

My StyleScope

On the HomeGoods website, they have a "StyleScope," where you can determine what your interior design style is, based on a series of questions. Since it's a slow day at work, and I finished everything I needed to do for the week (rare!), I decided to see what my style is. Drum roll please...

Apparently, it thinks I'm EARTHY CASUAL. It says, "You're interested in creating a welcoming home where people feel comfortable and happiness flourishes. You appreciate the warmth and individuality of natural materials and handcrafted things and are inspired by colors and forms from nature. You love mixing up different textures and are sensitive to the tactile qualities of objects. Your style is grounded and solid, not flighty or frilly. And you are never taken in by the trend of the moment.

You value serenity. While there are probably a lot of interesting things in your home, they are joined by your taste or a certain palette that keeps them in harmony. You appreciate the beauty in simple forms. Whether fancy or plain, you appreciate things that are well made and function as well as they look. You also have a strong respect for the environment and craftsmanship. You care about how things are made, and how they are used."

My verdict? It's nice, but this description makes me sound like a hippie, which I'm SO not. I do like neutral tones in a home, with simple furnishings, but nothing that looks like it came from a rainforest. Here's the type of interior design I'm typically drawn to:

I took the quiz again, this time carefully considering my answers, and got this result:

ELEGANT CLASSIC. It says, "You have a refined sensibility with an appreciation for history and tradition in your furniture and your rooms. You value beauty, things that are well crafted, and family heirlooms. You are visually sensitive and understand how symmetry and a formal layout give order to a room, and hence your home is refined and calming. You are not taken in by the trends of the moment. You go for things with a timeless appeal, and appreciate old-fashioned virtues like manners and handwritten notes and making a home that is welcoming for others.

You value order. You feel happiest if your home is well organized. You understand that when your house is in order, your mind feels clearer. Rather than a lot of meaningless objects or overly-designed items, you are happier with a few well-placed things. Your home is your respite from a busy life. Try to avoid letting things into your home that you don't really love."

Now that sounds more like me! Especially the order and organization part. Obviously, by the pictures above.

Take the quiz, if you have a few minutes. A fun way to waste time on a Friday. Ha ha!

Hey Cupcake!

I love how cupcake shops are so popular right now. Makes me wish I could open my own cupcakery. I saw a business space for lease in Whittier that would make a good location for one. I just happen to kind of suck at baking, so I don't think it would be a very good career move for me. I can cook anything else -I've even mastered risotto, which isn't easy- but when it comes to baking, it's questionable.

With that said, I'll have to stick to going to my favorite cupcake shop "Frosted," in the Belmont Shores area of Long Beach. Unlike other cupcake shops I've gone to, Frosted's cupcakes are very moist and their frosting is not overwhelmingly sweet. They have so many varieties too! Even special ones during the holidays. They put such cute decor on their cupcakes too. Here's a picture of my recent stop there:

I had a chocolate toffee one (not pictured) and bought a mint chocolate one (the green ones at the bottom) to eat the next day. A cold glass of milk was required, of course.

Don't you just love cupcakes?

Feel Good Friday

This was a slow work week for me. I needed something to pick me up and lift my mood to kick off the weekend. This adorable little video of a wedding party ceremony entrance did the trick! So cute. Enjoy!



I have to say though, they totally stole my idea.

Catalogue Shopping

I get a whole mess of different clothing catalogues in the mail. I have no idea how I got them, whether from a trade list I was on for a magazine subscription I once had, or someone decided to be cruel and put me on some type of mailing list so they'd get referral points, I don't know. I usually just throw them straight in the recycling bin on my way into the house from the mailbox. They're mostly Coldwater Creek or L.L. Bean-type catalogues. Can you blame me for tossing them?

This morning though, I took all the mail in with me as I was waiting for the gas company to come to my house (they needed to turn it back on after my house was fumigated). As I was waiting, I sorted through my mail and decided to actually browse through one of the clothing catalogues I received. It was called Alloy, a company I've never heard of before. I was pleasantly surprised that I actually found a few things in there that I liked! I may actually order something from them. If I do, you think it would start a chain reaction of another bulk of clothing catalogues sent my way?? I sure hope not. That would kinda suck.

Here are a few things that caught my eye:

These jeans look so comfy. And I love the extended tab at the hips.
















This outfit would be cute for me to wear at work. I love the ruffles on the sleeves, the ribbon on the front, and the grey pinstripe trousers.
















I wish they had a front view of these shoes online, like they do in the catalogue. I love 'em! They're simple, yet a bit edgy. Would look so cute with a simple black mini-dress and sheer black hose.














Well, I know at least one clothing catalogue I get in the mail that I'll be looking at for now on!

Happy Friday!

I picked up this pretty bouquet of sweet peas this morning at the farmer's market in Whittier. I usually go a couple times a month. It's always a must for me to buy flowers. I'll also buy fresh garlic sourdough bread, strawberries, husked corn, and spinach.

I have a fun weekend in store! Tomorrow I'm taking my dog to Huntington Beach Central Park, so she can have some fun at the dog park and swim around in the lake. Then Sunday I'm going to the Rose Bowl Flea Market with a few of my colleauges from work.

More than anything though, I'll just be glad to be home. I've been out of my house for the past three days, as it's being fumigated for a termite problem I had. I was staying with Geoff, but he's not exactly the tidiest person, so his messy house was kind of getting to me. I was definitely longing for the cleanliness and organization of my own home. I also had to board my dog during these days (Geoff's place doesn't allow dogs), so I'll be happy to have her with me again.

A fun weekend in my clean, bug-free home. Ahhh...

A Smooth Criminal

Along with the rest of the world that is mouring Michael Jackson's death, I thought I'd say a little something on my blog about it. And no, I'm not referring to "Smooth Criminal" as a joke to his accusatory past.

When I was younger I was a huge Michael Jackson fan during his Jackson 5/Thriller/Moonwalker days. I still am, actually. I have so many fond memories of performing dance recitals to his music, knowing nearly all the words to his songs, and trying to imitate his famous moonwalk (which I was pretty good at!). Like most people, I was pretty sad when he died. Feels a little surreal. Say what you want about him, he was definitely troubled, but damn if he wasn't just the most amazing and talented entertainer there was/is. Geoff is a big fan of the same Michael Jackson music I love and says that there'll never be another performer like him, ever.

With that, I give you my favorite music video of his, and coincidentally Geoff's favorite Michael Jackson song. Most people will say Thriller is their favorite music video. For me, it's Smooth Criminal. His dancing is his absolute best in this one, I think. It's a bit lengthy, as all of his videos were like mini-movies. Enjoy!



Watch for the infamous "lean" in the video (7:38).

Day of Independence

Hope everyone has a safe and fun 4th of July weekend! Geoff and I are going to his parents' house for a family BBQ, followed by lighting off some small fireworks (they're legal in Downey!). Afterwards, we might go out to Disneyland to watch their fireworks show. Since we have the Premium, no block-out days pass, I like to abuse it on holidays whenever I can. I think we're also going on a hike, followed by a picnic, at Switzer Falls this weekend as well. Hopefully, I can also squeeze in some time to go antique/thrift shopping. Fun weekend ahead!

Trading Offices

In my nine months of working for the college so far, I've moved offices a total of four times. That's right, you heard me: FOUR TIMES. Twice on the second floor, twice on the first floor. This is due to my boss's indecisiveness of where everyone should be, according to their jobs and departments. The good news is that out of all the offices I've had so far, my favorite is the one I'm currently in. Let's just cross our fingers that I'll be in it for a least a year!

When it felt like I was going to be in this office for a while, I decided to go ahead and do some light redecorating. I've only made some minor changes so far and will do the bigger ones later this summer.

Before, the furniture in the office was all cramped together and had a hideous fake tree, with an equally hideous pink chair, that took up a lot of space. It looked small. Take a look:

However, after I got rid of the tree, moved the console table to the side in the space of the tree, pushed my desk a few inches back, and added some illusion items (as in, the illusion of more space) like a mirror and a framed picture to go along with my other knick-knacks and decor, this is what it currently looks like:

(I forgot to remove the stacks of paperwork I have before I took the picture)

The majority of the things on this console were pretty cheap...
Mirror: Big Lots
Framed elephant picture: Salvation Army
Small box: Cost Plus World Market
Vase (incl. one on my desk): Ross
Thai buddha statue: Ross
Capiz frame: Ross
Books: from office library
Small drum: gift from Indonesia
Matyroshka (aka, nesting dolls): from my trip to Alaska
Small shell plate: gift from France
Purple tulip: gift from Amsterdam

Future decorating plans include hanging three vertical canvas painting on my back wall (the wall facing the back of my chair). To the left of my desk (not pictured) are two visitor chairs. I'd like to add a very small table between them and maybe hang a piece of artwork or another mirror above the chairs.

One of the IT guys passed my office the other day, stopped, and said, "I wish my office looked this lush." Just wait until I'm done, pal! Knowing my luck though, I'd get all settled in, finish making my office look pretty, and then have to move again!

French Connection

I have a ton of work to do, and probably shouldn't really be typing-up a post on my blog, but I can't seem to get motivated to do work today. Probably because I just spent two fun days with my grandparents (more on that in a separate post) and the aftermath of the fun is distracting me.

Another thing that is distracting is my new-found fascination with inexpensive DIY (do-it-yourself) home projects. I've been building up an interest in interior design and thought a good first project whould be dining chairs to put in my modern french-themed dining area. When my sister moved out, she took the dining chairs with her, since she bought them. I've been succumbed to using the little wooden chairs from my garden and, let me tell you, they are NOT comfortable to sit on when trying to have a nice dinner.

Taken from an idea that I found on one of my favorite blogs, bryn alexandra via a guest blogging post she did on another fav jeune marie, I surfed my local Craigslist to find some used dining chairs that might have some fantastic potential. Here are the contenders:

The chairs in this pic are cute. They have simple lines, which would make them simple to paint. The cushions look easy to remove too, which would make them easy to reupholster. The seller labeled them as "antique," so I'm questioning the sturdiness.

I LOVE the design of this chair. It would really compliment the victorian Paris painting in my dining area. The person is selling two of them. The seat wouldn't be as simple to reupholster and I would need to be tedious about painting them, since the arms and top of the back have an intricate design. Still though, they may be worth getting.

Since both sellers are selling two each, I may buy from both of them. You can't really tell, but the legs on the two different chairs actually match. They have a common look between them, which makes me think it might be neat to buy both sets. I was originally looking for just two chairs, but having a set of four would probably be better.

If I buy them, I plan on painting them a soft white, like Bryn did. I think it would look good with my black wood dining table. Here's what I'm thinking to reupholster the seats:

It's a simple, very very soft blue-ish green color that would look pretty on a white chair and would compliment a black table. Plus, with the chairs having a busy design on the backings, I thought to keep the seat color simple.

All I need to do now is buy the chairs and find a weekend where I'm actually not doing anything, so that I can devote the time to do this project!

Update: I bought two of the chairs in the second picture. The lady lowered the price from $175 to $100! I couldn't say no. Keep checking back for restoration updates on this bargain!

Emotional Roller Coaster

The last seven days has had me on quite an emotional roller coaster. Allow me to take you for a ride on the highs and lows...

Sun., June 14

High: Went to the flea market with my sister, where we found some great stuff (more on that on another post) and had some quality bonding time -something we don't get to do that often, despite living only 2 miles apart.

Higher: Went to my friend's bridal shower, where I reunited with old friends I hadn't seen in a while.

Highest: Geoff won the golf tournament he was in!

Low...very low: Geoff's best friend Brad called to tell us that his mom had passed away earlier that day. Geoff has known Brad since they were 8 years old, I've known him since I was 13. We all went to high school together and both Geoff and I knew and loved Brad's mom. To Geoff, she was like a second mom and the news hit him quite hard.

Mon., June 15

Low: Geoff was rather distraught from the passing of Brad's mom, so I stayed with him on Monday night.

Lower: My cough has been very difficult to shake and was so bad that night that it caused me to gag and throw-up (sorry for the graphic info).

Tues., June 16

High: Had a solid meeting at work.

Higher: My office has a softball team and we won the game against the Student Life department! At the beginning of the game, my boss told the other team, "We're just here to win. I'm not sure what you guys are here for." Ha ha!

Wed., June 17

Low: Drove back up to Irvine so that Geoff and I could drive together to Brad's mom's funeral the next morning.

High-ish: Spent nearly 6 hours cooking food for Brad and his dad to eat over the next few days. Made homemade chili for the first time (it was so good!), honey cornbread, mashed potatoes, chili-cranberry meatballs, and chocolate chip cookies.

Thurs., June 18

Low: Went to Brad's mom's funeral at Rose Hills. Service was short and sweet, what she would've wanted.

High: Brad and his dad were really happy that I made food for them. No one else did, which surprised me. They thought they would be stuck eating the leftover sandwiches from the reception after the funeral service.

Higher: After everyone left the reception at Brad's dad's house, Geoff, Brad and I sat around, just the three of us, and spent the rest of the afternoon/early evening just talking. At one point, Brad sat back and said he felt relaxed.

Fri., June 19

High: There was hardly anyone in the office, so I did a little work and took an early day.

Higher: Met with my friends, Janis and Trista, to have lunch at Felix's Continental Cafe in Orange. They have the best Cuban food!

Highest: Came home and took it easy for the rest of the evening. Took a short nap, read my book, watched a movie, and kept things relaxed and quiet.

Sat., June 20

High: It rained the whole morning and stayed nice and cloudy throughout the day.

High: Went with Geoff to look at a car he wants to buy. Test drove a Mazda 6 and we think it's a winner! The people at the dealership were really nice. They even had a guy making free carne asada soft shell tacos outside. My favorite!

High, or Low??: Went with Geoff to a drum & bugle corps show in Walnut. Geoff used to play in a corps called Pacific Crest. The show was mostly boring until the last three groups, which were fun to watch.

Low: I left my dog alone in the house for over 12 hours. I felt really bad.

Sun., June 21

High...Really High: Remember this post about my paternal grandmother who kept flaking on meeting me and my sister? Well, today, on Father's Day, I finally met her. She and her husband flew out here and we all had dinner together. After dreading this moment all month and spending the day trying to calm my sister down, our first time ever meeting our grandmother actually turned out to be pretty good. More than good, really. It was great and I'm happy that she's here visiting. She's an upbeat woman and her husband is warm and friendly. I instantly liked them both. I plan on taking half days at work for the next two days while they're here visiting. I'll be sure to do a post about their visit. This was a very memorable Father's Day.

Up, down, down, up, down, up, up...you see what I mean about emotional roller coaster. However, I'm glad that it has come to a full and complete stop on a high note.

I Heart Zack Morris

He still looks exactly the same.



I love the references he makes and saying Kelly "moved to a different zip code." If you don't get that joke, you must be living in a hole.

The Year of Travel

St. Thomas

"Aruba, Jamaica...Oooh I wanna take ya,

To Bermuda, Bahama...Come on pretty mama..."

Geoff has been singing that song since last Friday. Why? Because we're going to the Caribbean this fall! I'm SO excited! We've been talking about it for a couple months now and last Friday we just decided to go ahead a book a trip there.

Specifically, we're going to the Eastern Caribbean and, even more specifically, we're going on a cruise. We'll be island-hopping to Puerto Rico, Bahamas, St. Thomas, and Turks & Caicos. Woo-hoo! Geoff and I didn't hesitate when it came to deciding whether or not to do this trip through a cruise. We love cruises! You get so spoiled when you're on a cruise. The staff does everything for you, all you do is tell them what you want, sit back, and relax while they get it for you. We had such a fun and memorable trip when we went on our Alaskan cruise nearly two years ago. It's definitely the best way to travel.

Carnival Cruise ship in Nassau, Bahamas

We leave on November 28th, which is the Saturday after Thanksgiving (the airport crowd is going to be hell), and will be gone for 10 days. I hope the next 6 months fly by!

Separately, my family just booked another trip for everyone next spring. My mom is visiting for a little bit and we had a family dinner last night to vote on our next trip. The choices were Italy (Venice), Greece (Athens or Santorini), and Thailand (Bangkok or Koh Samui).

The winner is...

Bangkok, Thailand!

I was really rooting for Italy, but it's more expensive there and everything in Thailand is pretty cheap and we'd get more for our dollar. Plus, the hotel in Bangkok is immaculate and amazing. Sits right on the Shangri-La River. As for Greece, Geoff said when he goes for the first time, he was hoping it'd be for our honeymoon. Hint? Who knows. But I like the sweetness of it, and so did my mom, so we ruled-out Greece for now and Italy will most likely be in 2012 (we do a big family trip every other year).

Tillamook National Forest, Oregon

Also, sometime this summer, my sister and I will be taking a trip up to Oregon. Just a fun trip to go on together. Don't know when that's happening yet, but we have free plane tickets that need to be used before October, so sometime before then. I'm kind of trying to get her to change her mind and go to New York or Seattle instead, but we'll see. She has her heart set on Oregon.

In addition to all this, Geoff is taking me somewhere for my 30th birthday next February. I have a very strong feeling he's taking me to San Francisco for a few days. I know for a fact we're going on a trip, but don't know where yet. He has it all set-up already. He's more excited about me turning 30 than I am!

How are we traveling this much with a struggling economy, you may ask? Well, we're just lucky enough that the cruise was rather inexpensive, Thailand is being paid for by my parents, I'll be using my plane ticket I was supposed to use for Missouri to go to Oregon instead, and Geoff paid for my birthday trip well in advance.

I love traveling, and do it often, but this is a lot to take in. I'm basically going somewhere every two months. I feel a little tired just thinking about it. By the time Thailand is over, I'll have no more vacation time saved-up at work and will have to start saving all over again. Oh well. It'll be worth it and gives me time to plan my next set of adventures.

Staying Neutral

When my sister moved out of my house, she unfortunately left a mess for me to clean up in her old room. In addition to the mess, I also have to contend with another problem she left behind, which is the color she painted it -an obnoxious, streaky red color. It's really quite hideous. You walk into the room and it's almost offensive. I hate it. What I hate even more is that, before she painted it red, she painted it pink. It was like she was living in a bottle of Pepto Bismo. When she painted it red, she didn't bother painting the ceiling or a built-in shelf area, so that stayed pink. Red walls with a pink ceiling. It's painful. To make it worse, she didn't even put on a second coat of paint to the walls, so it's all streaked and looks messy. I don't know what the hell she was thinking.

My goal in the next few weeks is to completely redecorate this room and transform it into a simple, relaxing, refreshing guest room. The first step in my progress is picking out a color to paint the room with. Since I'm going for a calming theme, I picked a couple neutral colors I like. These are the two I'm trying to decide between (both samples are by Behr Paint):

This one is called Chocolate Froth. It's a nice light beige-ish color. Very neutral and bright.

This one is called Wheat Bread. It's a lovely taupe color. Neutral and warm.

These online paint samples don't look like the ones I have. The ones I got have more of a grey undertone to them. I'm kind of leaning towards Wheat Bread. Only because the room gets a ton of light and this color would look amazing in a room full of sunlight.

For furniture, all that will go in this room is a bed, a nightstand with this lamp I love that I found on clearance at Target, and maybe a small armchair that I can find at my next flea market trip.

I can't wait to show you a before and after picture. The difference is going to be startling, I assure you. Hopefully, I'll be able to get this done within the next 4-6 weeks!

A Special Post for Special Friends...

I have known Aranne since we were in 3rd grade. She was always one of my very good friends. After we graduated high school, I didn't see her for a long time, up until last November at her family's Christmas party. I then got to meet her husband Dan, who is a very nice and sweet guy.

For nearly a couple years now, Aranne and Dan have been hoping to bring a sweet little baby into their lives through LDS Family Services adoption. Unfortunately, the process has been very long and trying on them. Despite that though, they've both remained positive, cheerful, hopeful and focused on receiving the baby that's meant to be theirs.

To help promote their adoption efforts and give it more visibility in the hopes of connecting with more people that may help them with their process, I'm writing this post for them. If you can help them, or know someone who can, please read and/or forward this link to their blog:

http://danandaranne.blogspot.com/

Please take the time to look at their blog and pass it along to anyone you think might be able to help. Aranne and Dan are such good people and are hoping and praying everyday that they might have a little family of their own. My love and good wishes go out to them and I know they will be blessed with a perfect little baby of their own soon.

Long Time, No See Blog

A month? That's how long it's been since I've posted something? As much as I hate to blame work, that's what I'm blaming it on. However, since I'm working from home today, I can devote a little time to my poor neglected blog and post some new things. I'll start my first blog update with Mother's Day, which was yesterday...

Since my mom moved to Houston last year, I wasn't able to be with her this Mother's Day (but, I'm flying out there this August for her birthday...shh, it's a surprise). So, I took Geoff's mom for a fun outing to the Rose Bowl flea market in Pasadena. Geoff's cousin came along too. I'll pause here for a moment to vent about something...

I have to say, I was rather disappointed with Geoff and his sister for not doing something special for their mom. Without going into detail, they just weren't being thoughtful and were rather selfish. The reason I'm disappointed and complain is because their mom does a whole lot for them and never expects a thank you. Mother's Day is celebrating and appreciating your mother. Don't think I didn't verbally express my disappointment to both of them. I gave them a mouthful, for sure. His brother at least gave their mom a card and planted flowers for her in the garden.

Ok, venting over. Anyhow, when I found out what their lack of plans were, I asked Geoff's mom if she wanted to go with me to the flea market and peruse all the vintage items they might have there. She was quite excited and said yes. Since Geoff's cousin is into that type of thing, I asked if she wanted to go too. None of us had ever been before. When we got there, it was much bigger than I anticipated. There was a mix of different things, both modern and vintage. We were there for three hours and barely saw 1/4 of everything! We all had a lot of fun looking at all the neat things they had. Of course, I made a few purchases:


I couldn't resist buying this cute little glass perfume bottle in the shape of a Cinderella-style pumpkin coach. It was only $5. The perfume in it smells old and nasty, so I'm dumping it and plan on putting my favorite scent in it. The delicate embroidered handkerchief next to it was for free. The lady at the booth told Geoff's mom that, since it was Mother's Day, she could pick any handkerchief she wanted. I think she saw me admiring them too, because she told me I could pick out one, even though I'm not a mom yet. While I was choosing one, I thought how lady-like handkerchiefs are and made a mental note to start using mine. Geoff's mom selected a pretty white cotton one, with small pink flowers embroidered on one corner.


I bought these teacups for my mom. She loves collecting small teacups. They were $2.50 each. They were both made in Germany, which is perfect because my mom lived in Germany for several years and loved her memories there. The teacup on the left has a scene of a fox hunt painted on it, with gold flowers painted around the cup and saucer. The teacup on the right has pink chrysanthemums on it. The saucer was missing, unfortunately. The blue and gold flower brooch between them is for me. I like collecting vintage jewelry, especially brooches. Only $5!

As a Mother's Day gift, I bought Geoff's mom a vintage glass sugar bowl and creamer set that had a pretty design of flowers and leaves etched all over it. She was really happy and put it in her china cabinet right when she got home.

All in all, it was a pretty good day. I got a little sunburnt, but didn't mind since I could use some color. The flea market is the second Sunday of every month. I'm pretty sure I'll be going back next month!

Coastal Getaway

Geoff and I took a little trip up the coast a couple weeks ago to Monterey. We were overdue for a little trip and were anxious to get some relaxation and escape from work. We left on a Thursday afternoon and came back Saturday evening. Here are some highlights of our trip:

We stayed in a little lodge in Pacific Grove, a small sleepy town on the edge of Monterey. I love Pacific Grove. It's easy to get around and has all the best rocky beaches, tidepools, and crashing waves...

(What looks like smog in the picture was actually a thick marine layer coming in.)

Pacific Grove also hosts the 17 mile drive, which is very scenic and very pretty. There are a bunch of stops along the drive for significant views and beaches. My favorite is Lone Cypress...

While on the drive, we saw the most incredible homes and stopped by Pebble Beach so that Geoff could fantasize about the day he will finally play the infamous golf course.

We couldn't be in Monterey and not go to the Monterey Bay Aquarium! I love going to aquariums (and working in them I guess, since I worked at the one in Long Beach for a while). My favorite exhibit is the kelp forest and the Outer Bay tank...

(Kelp forest)


(Outer Bay)

You can see how huge the Outer Bay tank is. Geoff is the shadow in the middle. The tank is so huge, I couldn't even begin to fit it in the picture.

We also ate a lot while in Monterey. Since the last time we were there just over two years ago, they opened up a little patisserie called Austino's from across the aquarium, on Cannery Row. We ate there and can tell you that they have the best sandwiches and pastries! Their strawberry tarts looked delicious and I had to have one...

Later that day, we went to Fisherman's Wharf and had clam chowder at Old Fisherman's Grotto. They have the best clam chowder EVER. There are a bunch of other restaurants along the wharf that also serve clam chowder, and they all compete with each other, but hands-down this place is the best. I've been raving about it to Geoff forever and last time we were there, he didn't get a chance to eat it. This time, I made sure he tasted it. His verdict? He loved it! He thought it was really good. Not only did he eat his, but he also ate half of mine...

The Saturday we were headed home, we decided to take Highway 1 all the way down and make a few stops along the way. Our first stop was in Big Sur, which is only 45 minutes from Monterey. We stopped at Pfeiffer State Park and took a small hike to see Big Sur's famous waterfall and view of the ocean...

(The waterfall is to the left, in the shadows. Kind of hard to see in picture.)

This view is absolutely breathtaking. The beach is untouched, since it's bordered by cliffs and impossible to get down to. While we were there, we spotted a couple of grey whales off the coast. I could stay all day at this place!

(P.S., I hate that Geoff grew out his goatee again!)

After Big Sur, we made another stop at a beach near Morro Bay to see the elephant seals...

(You can see a little smile on his face.)

After the seals, our camera died, so we couldn't take pictures of our stop in Santa Barbara. We didn't really do anything there, so I guess it didn't matter.

Our whole trip was wonderful and really refreshed us. I hope not too much time goes by where we can go on another getaway. I'm hoping next time we'll head up to San Francisco!

Fashion Forever

I am not a fan of malls. I miss the days of shopping downtown in San Francisco, where every store is in its own unique building, centralized around Union Square, and you need to walk from one block to the other to get from one store to the other.

I don't go to malls unless they have my favorite store, and Lakewood Mall is now one of those malls. Just last Friday, Forever 21 opened up a HUGE store in Lakewood Mall (it's where Mervyns used to be). I just happened to pass by, picking up my new TV from Best Buy, when I saw a grand opening banner spread across the outside of the store. I was instantly happy! The best part is that there's an entrance from outside of the mall, so you can park your car and walk right into the store without having to walk through the mall first! Naturally, I had to go in. Geoff was with me and didn't particularly feel like going in and put up a small fight, but he gave in when he saw how excited I was.

I used to not like Forever 21. I thought the clothes they had in their store were cheap, trashy, and ghetto. However, over the past year or two, they've really stepped up their variety of clothes, adding more soft, feminine looks. The only problem I now have with Forever 21, is that their stuff is packed into their stores, making it difficult to really find anything. Their new store at Lakewood fixed that problem a bit. Everything is more spaced out and easier to see. The best thing in the store is their jewelry selection. It's quite big and they have everything, including things from their online selection that are labeled "online only."

Long story short, I bought a few things, of course. I got a dark pink and gold flower ring, some brass colored bangles, and this dress (which looks longer on me):

I'm actually wearing this right now with a little black sweater. I paid a total of $26 for everything.

Here are a few things I plan on going back and getting soon (budget permitting, of course):





The total for everything above would be under $30. Fashion on a budget. That's why I love Forever 21.

Ruffles, Maxis and Jumpsuits...Oh My!

Year after year, I always look forward to what will be the new trend in fashion. For the most part, I usually end up not liking what the trend predictions are (hello, can we say leggings? Yuck!). Typically, they never seem to stick around anyway. However, on a rare occasion, I'll find myself drawn to a few trends and even surprise myself by making a few trend predictions of my own. Proof? I started wearing plum and berry tones (fancy way of saying purple) months before the colors started exploding in clothing stores last year. Just ask my friends! And feather headbands? Girl, please. I wore those when I was strutting around San Francisco five years ago.

In any case, these are some fashion trends and predictions I have for this spring/summer that I've been diggin' so far:

Jumpsuits



Oh yeah, the 70s are back in a big way. Just thank God it's not with bell-bottoms, polyester or the dreaded platform shoes. Originally, I was not liking this trend. However, I think it was because I wasn't seeing the right type of jumpsuit. The ones above have classics lines, are sexy and have an elegance about them that I love. With some gold dangly earrings, a few gold bangles and simple heels, you're good to go. Throw a cardigan over it and you can dress it down. The casual, short one pictured above is adorable and would look cute paired with flat sandals.

Bohemian and Tie-Dye Maxi Dresses




(I LOVE the cream one in the second row, second from the left)

Let me make something clear: I am not a fan of 1970s fashion. I'm not into the whole hippie look at all, period. Never have been. Once, when I was in high school, we had hippie day at school, where everyone could come dressed as a hippie, and I HAD to do it because I was on pep squad and it was mandatory for all the cheerleaders do it, and it was the most miserable day of my high school career. I was never into it. BUT, I do like Bohemian fashion, which is quite different. Bohemian is earthy and natural, while hippie is just silly and almost clownish to me.


When I saw the Sex & the City movie, there was a scene where Carrie was wearing a really pretty, long tie dye dress (pictured above). The dress looks flowy and so comfortable. I'm already seeing long dresses become popular in stores, you might see them called "maxi dress." I'm prediciting that the ones with Bohemian or tie dye prints will be the ones to sell. The reason I love it? It's versatile. It's perfect for those days when you just lounge around the house and perfect for going out, as well. Wear it plain at home, or wear some gold hoops with it when you go out. That's all you'd need.

Ruffles


This is, perhaps, my favorite trend I've been seeing so far. I love ruffles. They make clothing look so sweet and feminine. I sported ruffles last year and I'm seeing much more of them this year. I think it's going to be popular this spring/summer. Ruffles on breezy blouses and linen dress. I'm so happy! I love ruffles!

Neutrals




I think we'll see a lot of neutral colors in the spring. Lots of white, creams, beige, soft grays, etc. Depending on how you wear it, a neutral-color outfit can be quite pretty. Makes clothes look light and airy. Plus, it's like a blank canvas that you can accessorize with a little bit of color, like a light turquoise-color necklace or jade green bangles.

I like to think I have an eye for fashion. When I put effort into my clothing decisions, I find that I'm complimented more on whatever it is that I'm wearing. It just makes me feel good too. I try not to be too trendy. It just looks ridiculous. However, I do try to put a teeny bit of the trend in my looks, while still keeping with my own style.

These days, not only is it important to try to look and feel good, but you have to do it economically as well. Aside from my go-to stores, H&M and Forever 21, to find bargain prices on cute clothes and accessories, I also look online at Ebay and go to recycled clothing stores, like Buffalo Exchange. My most prized puchase came from Buffalo Exchange in Berkeley. I found a dark coral pink, sleeveless Prada blouse that originally sold in stores for $620. I paid only $16. NO JOKE. 16 dollars...for PRADA. Ka-ching!

So there you have it. We'll see how close I am with my fashion predictions this year.