things that made me smile this week...

1. This movie:

The Hangover

2. Being complimented on my hair twice this week. Though, for full disclosure’s sake, each time was by a coworker who started by saying, “I’ve never seen your hair down…” Granted, I’m only in the office once a week, but I think that is a sign to stop being so lazy and actually do my hair more often! What do you think?

3. Getting an overall positive review from my editor during my one-year evaluation. No raise but at least he is happy with my work. And, I still have a job, so no complaints here. (Not today, at least!)

4. Another work related item: I got to do a ride-along this week with the cops during a Click It or Ticket sting for seat belt enforcement. It was pretty fun pulling people over and then interviewing them! Ha! Although I would never want that to happen to me. Plus, my article pleasantly surprised my editor—who was a little skeptical if it would turn in to a good story— and he said it actually made him laugh! Bonus points for me. (P.S. My photographer on that story took a photo of me in the cop car, without me knowing, but I don't have it so I can't post it. Maybe I will get it from her, it's kind of funny.)

5. Opening a never-tasted-before bottle of wine and loving it. It’s always a gamble when you pick up a new brand, especially when you base your decisions on the label, like I do. But in this case, judging a bottle by its cover paid off.

Firefly Ridge Pinot Grigio

6. Pulling the sparkly sandals I bought last summer out of the back of my closet and slipping them on. I had pretty much forgotten about them until Friday morning when it hit me that they would go perfectly with my outfit! Love these Nine West beauties.

I desperately need a pedicure! My tootsies need some polish!

7. An afternoon of catching up with old friends at a bridal shower. (More on that later.)

8. My incredibly-difficult-to-shop-for friend loving her birthday gift. I got her a cute picture frame and notebook, which coincidentally matched (see below), and a fig and vanilla scented candle. All items were from Anthropologie… what’s not to love?

9. This candle cave from Ikea. The picture doesn’t do it justice, so click here.
Btw, I sooo want to go spend a day perusing the aisles at Ikea. That store is like Disneyland for me—with Swedish meatballs! But I know I would walk out with tons of home accessories that I don’t really need along with at least $100 less in my checking account. At least.

10. Friendly people at the dog park. Does it seem like people are nicer when they are around their dogs?

Plus…

11. Hearing Michael Jackson on the radio non-stop. This is, of course, a bittersweet memory from this past week. But it is just amazing how much MJ affected the whole world with his music and hearing his tunes every time I got in the car just reaffirmed for me what an incredible musician he was. I mean, every song the radio would play was one I knew the lyrics to and they made me wanna dance; all his songs were hits! A few times I was sitting in my apartment and I would hear a car drive by blasting “Billy Jean” or “Rock With You” and I would just smile. Without a doubt, his music will live on forever. R.I.P Michael Jackson.

By Brad Elterman/ Buzz Foto

By Christina House/ Los Angeles Times

By Jay L. Clendenin/ Los Angeles Times

Hangover image via filmofilia

Michael Jackson memorial pictures via the Los Angeles Times, here, here and here.

Nightcap

This is how my night went last night:

9:25 p.m. Boy starts to fall asleep on the couch.

9:30 p.m. I change the TV channel to watch The Next Food Network Star.

9:35 p.m. I just start getting into the show when POP! CRACK! the TV goes out suddenly.

9:36 p.m. I wake up the boy. He does not like what I am telling him.

9:40 p.m. Boy checks TV.

9:50 p.m. Boy determines that TV is broken. The light bulb went out. (Did you know TV's have light bulbs? I didn't.) Boy says they are very expensive to replace. Great.

9:51 p.m. Bored. What do you do when your TV won't work? (Don't answer that question.)

10 p.m. Boy gets a call from two of his friends. They want to go see a movie at 10:30.

10:05-10:30 p.m. Get dressed, pick up the guys, drive to theater, get tickets (after fighting with the self-service machine to read my gift cards), buy overpriced drinks and candy, go to our seats and settle in.

10:40 p.m. The movie's just begun and we are already LOL-ing at The Hangover. Perfect.

Oh how I love spur-of-the-moment, lets-go-DO-something decisions. Especially ones that lead to fun. And The Hangover was pretty damn funny. I'd say it lived up to my expectations, which were pretty high after hearing so much praise and hype from friends and the media. It was definitely over the top and outrageous, but all the craziness in the film has now given me a strong urge to make a break for Vegas this weekend. That won't happen, seeing as I have a wedding shower to go to tomorrow, but maybe one weekend soon I will pack a bag, cut out of town and make a beeline to Sin City. You know, all spur-of-the-moment. 

So, anyone have any cool plans for this weekend? And if you saw The Hangover, did it live up to your expectations?

P.S. I think I have a crush on Bradley Cooper now.

Hangover image via filmofilia

Sing sing sing

Happy Hump Day, everyone! Hope you are surviving your work week. I am. Barely. But I wanted to share something with you today that I discovered oh, about a week ago. 

I am sure many of you are aware of the amazing PS22 elementary school chorus in Staten Island, but if you are not, check out the videos below. They will make you smile from ear to ear and, quite possibly, even make you cry. They are just that good. These kids are simply incredible and they are proof positive of why it is so important to keep music and the arts in schools. 

When I first heard them sing, I immediately became nostalgic for my own choir days in high school and college. Thing is, none of my choir teachers were as cool as Gregg Breinberg (aka, Mr. B). And none of my choirs put our performances on YouTube, sang at red carpet events or were interviewed by national news channels. And we sure as heck didn't count Perez Hilton as our biggest fan! But like I said, these kids are incredible and deserve all the attention and accolades they have received as of late. 

So if you haven't already, click on the videos I compiled below. You won't regret it!

Landslide

Don't Stop Believin'

Just Dance- yes, the song by Lady Gaga!

Don't you feel inspired after hearing those kids sing their little hearts out? I most certainly do. Those 3 videos are my favorite songs by the PS22 Chorus but you can hear more and read more on their blog (see, I told you they were cooler than any choir I've ever been in).

things that made me smile this week...

Hope everyone had an enjoyable Father's Day with their pops! Here's a few things that made me smile this week:

1. Adorable and adoptable kittens.

2. The “draw your dad” section in my newspaper this week.

How cute are these?

And Go Lakers!

3. Rediscovering my navy eyeliner in the bottom of my makeup bag.

4. A fun night out dancing with old friends and even making some new ones.

5. Two delicious egg breakfasts this week: Homemade sun-dried tomatoes and chives scramble with a side of toast and nectarines on Saturday morning (pictured below) and a Canadian bacon Eggs Benedict with potatoes on Sunday at Cheesecake Factory (sorry, no pic! But trust me, it was fabulous).

This is the breakfast I made for myself Saturday morning. I looove sun-dried tomatoes! Totally jazzes up boring scrambled eggs.

6. Family time: Father’s Day brunch with my parents followed by an afternoon of playing cards and eating a steak dinner at the boy’s parents’ house. Is there a better way to spend a Sunday?

7. Picking out the perfect gift to give the boy’s niece for her 7^th birthday. Polly Pocket, heck yes! (Although, the Polly I remember actually came in a pocket-sized compact… the girl has grown a good three inches since I was a kid!)

8. Hazel falling asleep in my arms on the 30-minute ride home from the boy’s parents' house.

9. Catching up on some TV shows waiting to be watched in the DVR queue: The Bachelorette and True Blood.

Jillian toasts the remaining guys on last Monday's episode.

Sookie Stackhouse and vampire Bill Compton in Season 1 of HBO's True Blood.

10. An image that speaks an eternal truth:

So what little things made you smile this week?

Kittens image shot by photographer Jann Hendry (my photo editor!)

More dad drawings can be seen here

The Bachelorette image via ABC

True Blood image via HBO via true-blood.tv

Coffee & Books image via littlemiss

Hankering for a Dodger Dog

Happy Friday everyone! Thank you so much for all the sweet comments yesterday! Hazel is doing much better today. She actually started feeling better last night. She was still a bit lethargic but she didn't have any more gross "episodes," as I'll call them. So me and the boy ended up going to the Dodgers game after all, though I did convince my brother (and his friend) to come over to the apartment to "babysit" just in case. Haha, I'm such a mom. He got free pizza out of the deal so it was a win all the way around.

I couldn't resist sharing this old photo with you from when Hazel was just a baby. She was the teeniest, tiniest thing! This is from when I moved last year—Hazel wanted to help me pack!

The last time I went to a Dodgers game was forever ago, when the boy and I first started going out. He gets tickets all the time from members (he is the head pro at a golf course here) but he always invites his guy friends to go! Which is OK, I mean I'm not that into baseball, but sometimes I wish he would take ME so I kind of gave him a hard time about it and he finally invited me this time. We made it a double date with our couple-friends Josh and Lauren.

It was a fun night with lots of ballpark junk food: Dodger Dog (with mustard!), nachos (I know I've said I don't like cheese, but I like spicy nacho cheese. I'm weird), and a huge Corona that I could only drink half of. I also had a few bites of the boy's frozen lemonade. To make things even better, we won! Dodgers beat the Oakland Athletics 3-2.

Here's a few pics from the night. As you'll see, we had great seats: in the loge, behind home plate!

The boys like to do this strange "Eee" noise and motion with their fingers, like an inside joke or something. Oh, guys. So weird.

I am so looking forward to the weekend. A new farmers' market is opening tomorrow at a community college nearby and I am hoping to check it out. And then tomorrow night I am going out with friends to a bar/club I have never been to called Bogey's to celebrate a friend's birthday. Then Sunday is Father's Day and I'm not sure what I'll be doing but I know I will be seeing my dad! It is also a longtime friend's birthday on Sunday, which is also the first day of summer! So much happening this weekend!

The one un-fun thing I have to do for sure though is laundry. Heaps and heaps of laundry.

Whatever your Saturday-Sunday calendar looks like, I hope you have a fabulous weekend!

Sick baby

So it's Thursday, the day when I finally reclaim a bit of my sanity and a sliver of down time, and I was going to post something fabulous. I don't know what that was, but it doesn't matter now. My precious Hazel is sick with who-knows-what and I am playing the role of a worried mama.

The boy and I have tickets for a Dodgers game tonight, but I am not sure now about going. I would feel so bad leaving my sick baby, especially since I don't know what's wrong with her. I would try to explain, but trust me, it's a little gross and you don't want to know. I did call the vet and they said I could bring her in--and pay an emergency appointment fee since the doc is not in right now--or monitor her and wait till tomorrow. So I am monitoring. I want to take a shower, but I'm monitoring.

She doesn't want to play and she won't drink but at least I got her to eat a little. I knew she wouldn't say no to soft food.

I'll give you an update later.

Ooh, real time update: She just drank water! Hallelujah!

Cheers

Three cheers for a productive, if not entirely exhausting, Monday yesterday! (I literally worked all day until about 10 p.m. when I finally said, "I give up." Ha! City Council meetings will do that to a girl) I was keeping my fingers crossed for a similarly productive Tuesday and so far, I have been pretty productive even though I am no where close to be done. Ah, I love my job. (Can you hear the sarcasm?)

Anyhoo, I wanted to post despite my hectic, frantic schedule. Especially because this is my 100th post! Three cheers again! I wasn't sure I was going to make it. I had seen on my blogger dashboard for two weeks now that I was getting close to my 100th post but I have been so damn busy and consequently erratic with my posting so it took forever to get here. I know some people post 100 times in 3 months but you know me, even though I have noble intentions of posting every day, it just doesn't always happen. But still, I made it and I'm here. So yay!

balloons for me, seen on Cup of Jo, via this wedding

Now on with it. In honor of my hundredth posting, I am making this post "all about me." A get-to-know-your-blogger-better kind of post. I was tagged a while back by the lovely Trishiekoh at Under Lock and Key to do this and I figure there's no time like the present.

The rules state that you are supposed to replace one question you dislike and add a question of your own invention, but since I didn't dislike any of them, I just added the last one. Ok, here we go!

What is your current obsession? Etsy, for sure. Ever since my last purchase I just want to buy more! So bad.

What is your weirdest obsession? Hmm. Does Nutella count as weird? No. I guess I would have to say grammar. Checking and double checking my spelling, even on things that don't really matter, like blog comments. And editing a post after I publish it because I notice an unnecessary comma. Things like that.

Starbucks or Peet’s? Starbucks for sure! My mom is manager of one after all. Gotta stay loyal. Though, to be honest, I have never had Peet's.

What’s for dinner? Not sure. I hardly ever know, we don't really plan very well when it comes to meal time. I think that irritates the boy a bit because he would love it if I had dinner ready when he got home. I'm not a very good "house wife." ha!

What would you eat for your last meal? Definitely filet mignon and lobster. With a baked potato. And an artichoke. Ooh, and pesto pasta with sun-dried tomatoes. Hey, it's my last meal, I can pig out if I want to!

What was the last thing you bought? Technically, an iced coffee and a croissant at Starbucks. But before that, my last major purchase included necklaces and a terrarium (bought on Etsy, of course).

still so cute. from Blithe Gardens.

What are you listening to right now? Just the air conditioner. But when I am listening to music, my go-to artists of late have been Carrie Underwood, Natasha Bedingfield and Sara Bareilles.

What is your favorite ice cream flavor? Banana! soo good. If you haven't had it, you MUST try it!

What do you think of the person(s) who tagged you? A sweet gal with a lovely blog.

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go? I would go to New York because I have never been and I get filled with envy whenever I hear/read about someone going. The only thing is, you need more than an hour to experience that city. But I'd take whatever I could get!

image found here.

Which language do you want to learn? If we are being practical, Spanish. I do live in California after all. But if we are being romantic, Italian.

What is your favorite quote (for now)? I found this gem by Ben Franklin the other day on i can read and it is just perfect.

What is your favorite color? Yellow and cerulean.

What is your favorite piece of clothing in your own wardrobe? My Anthropologie dresses. I would wear them every day if I could. I love the ease of throwing on a cute dress and a sweater and looking pulled together without much effort.

What is your dream job? To be a features editor for Glamour magazine.

What is your worst habit? Biting my nails. I am doing it right now, as a matter of fact! Darn it.

If you had $100 now, what would you spend it on? A new pair of jeans or two. I still haven't found a replacement pair for the jeans that got a hole in the crotch.

Do you admire any one’s style? Just off the top of my head? Reese Witherspoon. Sarah Jessica Parker. Kate Winslet. I'm sure there's more, but these three always manage to look classy and sexy without trying too hard. And I admire these ladies for more than their clothes, too.

p.s. I have this shirt, by SPJ's line Bitten. photo found here.

Describe your personal style. I used to be able to sum up my style with a brand name: American Eagle. That is still partly true, but the best description is casual but girly.

What are you going to do after this? Getting back to work!

What are your favorite movies? Don't laugh but, The Little Mermaid. Love it! Also, Sex and the City: The Movie, Rent, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Walk the Line, Pretty Woman, Save the Last Dance... you get the picture. Chick flicks.

What is your favorite fruit? I think it's a toss up between raspberries, pineapple and bananas.

What inspires you? Hearing stories of people who overcome extreme obstacles to achieve great things. People who don't let their circumstances get them down but instead rise above it all. I also find photography to be very inspiring and wish I could take photos half as well as some other people can.

flower shop print via you are my fave via abby try again

What is your favorite book? Tuesdays with Morrie. Also: Lovely Bones, The Five People You Meet in Heaven and all Nicholas Sparks.

Do you collect something? I am a total pack rat but other than that I try to save fortune cookie fortunes (the good ones, anyway.) I used to collect rocks and shells as a child and I think my collection is still at my parents' house.

What is your favorite smell? Marc Jacobs Daisy. And my mom's kitchen on holidays.

What are you most proud of? Graduating from college and making a life for myself. I may live in an apartment, make a measly amount of money and complain about my job sometimes, but it is my life and I am living on my own terms. I think that is something to be proud of.

How many times do you press the snooze button before you get up? Oh, way too many times! At least 5 or 6. It is really getting bad. I need to invest in a real alarm clock because my cell phone isn't cutting it!

Cats or dogs? Both. I used to just be a cat person and I loved my Hotrod so. But then I got Hazel last year and now I am both. Puppy or kitty, I melt!

Hotrod

Hazel

Complete the following: Love is… unconditional. Love is taking a chance. Love is knowing you are good enough. Love is having to say your sorry. Love is joy, the kind of happiness that isn't fleeting. Love is not always easy, but it's worth it.

quote via i can read

What do you like best about yourself (can be a physical characteristic and/or a personality trait)? I love the color of my eyes, which change from blue to green depending on ... my mood? The weather? What I'm wearing? Who knows, but I like them. And I love that I am a good person and friend. I like to think I have a kind heart and I am always willing to listen when someone needs an ear or even just a shoulder to cry on.

Alright, your turn! I am tagging whoever else feels like sharing a little bit about themselves. Thanks for reading!

things that made me smile this week...

This was kind of a tough week for me, but here’s some things that made me smile despite my being in a bum mood:

1. Talking to my parents on the phone, particularly my dad. We don’t do that often but it is nice when we do. (He was officially laid off June 5 and, as you can imagine, he was a bit upset about getting the boot, even though he knew it was coming, so I wanted to check in on him.)

2. The postman delivering my adorable terrarium. It brings a bit of nature inside my apartment.

3. Bumping into old friends at the grocery store. They are getting married in July and I am going to the wedding, but I haven’t actually seen them in a while. Our communication is usually via facebook or MySpace, sad to say. So talking face-to-face was good! (Below is one of their engagement photos, shot by Mary Hawblitzel. Sweet, huh?)

4. Right after that encounter, I went to TGI Fridays and visited with my bestie (who works as a bartender there), her mom (who just happened to also be visiting when I walked in) and my old roomie (who is also a bartender! I never get a short pour, that’s for sure).

5. Sleeping in on Saturday.

6. Having a late lunch with the boy at Jerry’s Deli where I just couldn’t resist ordering the fried zucchini and, despite being stuffed from my turkey on rye, picking up a black and white cookie on the way out. All around, delicious! (That's the Encino location we went to, below.)

7. Getting a rust-colored leather wallet/clutch from Fossil. The boy bought it for me while we “window shopped” at Universal Studios City Walk. (We also picked up a bunch of candy at this store called IT’SUGAR. We’re so bad!)

8. Wearing one of my new necklaces (the tear drop necklace from oh, hello friend) and getting complimented by a perfect stranger.

9. Banana ice cream. My fave.

10. The sun coming back out on Sunday after a June-gloomy week.

So what little things made you smile this week?

Encino deli via Jerry's Famous Deli

Fossil Talita flap clutch via Polyvore

Candy shop photos via IT'SUGAR

A little splurge is good for the soul

I have fallen down on the job blog-wise the last couple days. And the fault goes to my actual job, you know, the one that pays me. Sometimes in life you gotta prioritize and writing articles for my editor outranks writing posts for my blog. I'm sure you understand though. But that's why I have been light on posting and commenting. So the plan is to catch up this weekend.

Anyhoo, I did want to tell you about my little Etsy shopping spree that I mentioned in my last post. You didn't think I would leave you hanging, did I?

Last week I was in the mood to shop. Sometimes I get that way, particularly if I am stressed or feeling down. I just get this urge to buy stuff. And it is almost always stuff I don't need. We all know the name for this disorder (and I think I can safely say all us women have fallen prey to it too): retail therapy. Well, I turned to Etsy to satisfy my craving. I looked through my favorite items and sellers and added things to my cart. And then I let my cart sit there for a few days while I decided if I really should spend that much money on stuff. See, I always feel a tinge of guilt when I treat myself to a few new things. Because there are so many other things—Bills. Student loans. Rent.—that I could put the money to.

Well, after letting my virtual shopping cart sit for a few days, changing items in and out so I wouldn't go too overboard and bankrupt myself—there were so many cute things I wanted to buy!—I finally "checked out." After I made the purchase, I had a bit of buyer's remorse. Like, did I really just spend $88 on nothing of importance? But then I realized, I deserve a little shopping spree. I work hard for my money and what is the point of working hard if I can't splurge once in a while?

I am super excited now to get my gifts-to-myself in the mail. Here's what I have coming:

My very first terrarium, complete with a lil' mushroom, from Blithe Gardens. So excited to get this cutie!

"possibly maybe," silver fawn necklace, from oh, hello friend

"wishful," silver camera photographer necklace, also from oh, hello friend

"grace finds me," lovely silver bird vine tear drop necklace, again from oh, hello friend

waterdrop. mist. swallow necklace, from tryst by kerry

I wanted to buy so much more, including this cute "do work" Gocco-printed notebook by Two Guitars, this typewriter print by Alicia Bock (which you may remember from this post) and even more necklaces, if you can believe it. I really wanted the Bock print but decided I would wait to buy it later...

My main problem is that every time I go to the Etsy front page I see so many new things that I just want to scoop up for myself! Luckily, I don't act on every urge I have to shop. Or else, I really would be broke.

So when is the last time you splurged? Did you feel guilty? And what do you think of my Etsy finds?!

Things that made me smile this week...

Today I am introducing a new series I am calling "things that made me smile this week." It is pretty self-explanatory, but each Sunday I will post a list of things, big or small, that made me happy. I know there are many people in the blogosphere who do something like this, but I was particularly inspired by reading my tea leaves's "my week in objects (mostly)," Insomniac Lolita's "Sunday Lovelist" and rockstar diaries's "here's to happiness" posts. 

I just think it's good to take a moment and remember the joyful moments in life, especially those simple things that we too often take for granted.

So without further ado, here's 10 things that made me smile this week:

1. Sore upper arms and leg muscles. That means the Shred is working, right?

2. Discovering that a Grande iced coffee with milk (sweetened, please) at Starbucks is almost half the cost of a Grande iced vanilla latte. On top of that, the iced coffee has 70 fewer calories and less than half the fat—and it’s just as yummy as the latte. Score!

3. Seeing a happy license plate that read “FULJOY.” Three minutes later I was behind one that said “PXYDU5T.” Fun.

4. Watching people ride their gorgeous horses in the Bridal Path neighborhood of Simi. Ok, this one made me jealous, too.

5. CoCo, aka Conan O’Brien, aka the new host of The Tonight Show. Love his goofy expressions and gestures. Oh, and that hair. Don't you just want to touch it?

6. Taking a catnap on the couch and having Hazel take one with me—more accurately, on top of me.

7. This brilliant quote by a beautiful lady, Audrey Hepburn. (via Under Lock & Key)

8. A giant, delicious artichoke that took an hour to cook and an hour to eat. It was worth the wait.

9. Finally seeing "Slumdog Millionaire." It evoked a roller coaster of emotions in me: sad, scared, happy, romantic. All in all though, it was amazing. And I absolutely loved the dance scene at the end. Jai Ho!

10. An Etsy shopping spree. More on this later.

So what little things made you smile this week?

Iced coffee image via Starbucks
Conan image via The Tonight Show
Slumdog image via Fox Searchlight