Hello, fabulous

I am so excited. The sequel to Sex and the City: The Movie has begun filming! Shooting for "Part Deux" started this week on the streets of Manhattan and so far the fashion doesn't disappoint. Check out SPJ, aka Carrie Bradshaw, rocking a white Halston dress, a gold Chanel clutch and ah-mazing Louboutin "Pigalle" pumps that I would kill to have in my closet. Also battling for my undying affection is that sparkly, chunky necklace.

This outfit is summery and chic at the same time and looks so comfortable—now if only I could afford it! It seems the recession has not stopped Carrie one bit from looking oh-so-fabulous.

Later, Carrie slipped into a shimmering blue dress with funky accessories: orange framed sunglasses and fun T-strap heels (that I read are also Louboutin).

In another scene, Carrie channeled the 80s wearing an off-the-shoulder, inside-out sweatshirt—a al Flashdance—white skinny jeans and Converse. This isn't my favorite look but I am glad that this second installment of SATC on the big screen is going to give fans like myself a glimpse into when Carrie first arrived in the Big Apple. I love a good backstory, even if it does come with frizzy hair!

The only sad part is... the movie won't be released until May 28 of next year! 2010 people! So many months (nine, to be exact) to wait to see all my fabulous and funny friends back together but I know it will be worth it. At least we have these pics (and these) to tide us over.

In other fashion news, I am totally coveting these tweed flower pumps by White House Black Market. 

They are 88 bucks but the catalog I recently drooled over has a $20 coupon for purchases over $80. So really, they are $68! Still, I don't know if I should shell out the money since I am not too sure they go with much of my wardrobe. And the 4 inch heels would make me an Amazon woman. But wouldn't they be cute to wear with fall dresses and tights?

Top image via omg! on Yahoo!

Image 2 + 3 via The Fashion Time Magazine via Just Jared

Tweed Flower pumps image via White House Black Market (cropped)

P.S. I know the last post was a bit of a downer, so hopefully this was more cheery!

Moments in reading

Note: I wrote this post about two weeks or so ago, but didn’t get to posting it until today. I’ll blame it on the vacation… but really, I was debating back and forth if I really wanted to be this honest. Oh, well, here goes...

Have you ever read a passage in a book that seemed to completely define where you are in your life at. this. very. moment?

That is what happened to me the other night. Bored with baseball, I decided to make good on my promise to myself to read more books. I picked up a memoir that I have been “reading” for quite some time. More accurately, I brushed the dust off a memoir that I was reading months ago but had neglected for quite some time.

(I am slightly ashamed to admit that the memoir I am referring to is Eat, Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. I am ashamed because I wrote about my needing to get back to the book in April! My seeming inability to finish the 331-page book is in no way a reflection of its merit. I really do love the book, so far. Full disclosure: I have read to page 119.)

Anyway, I flipped through the pages and opened up to where I bookmarked: Chapter 28. As I began to read, my heart swelled and at the same time, a lump developed in my throat. She is talking about me, I thought. Wait. No. She is talking about herself, but it might as well be me. Maybe its not the exact same situation but it is the exact same feelings. Which, in my book—pun kind of intended—matters more.

From pages 83-84:

“There’s a constant level of closeness that I really need from the person I love . . . But it just destroys me to not be able to count on that affection when I need it.”

". . . but who amongst us lives without sacrifice?

And the question now for me is, What are my choices to be? What do I believe that I deserve in this life? Where can I accept sacrifice, and where can I not? It has been so hard for me to imagine living a life without David in it . . . But how can I accept that bliss when it comes with this dark underside—bone-crushing isolation, corrosive insecurity, insidious resentment and, of course, the complete dismantling of self that inevitably occurs when David ceases to giveth, and commences to taketh away. I can’t do it anymore. Something about my recent joy in Naples has made me certain that I not only can find happiness without David, but must. No matter how much I love him (and I do love him, in stupid excess), I have to say good-bye to this person now. And I have to make it stick.” 

This experience of self-identification in the words of another has just reinforced what I have known all along. Read more. Books, that is.  Somehow, it makes me feel less alone. More understood. Happier even, to see my life mirrored in someone else’s, to know someone else has walked where I now stand and somehow made it through. And that today, they are better for it.

For me, reading those few pages was like talking to a best friend who knows exactly how I feel and what to say. Kind of like Liz and her Italian-language tutor, Giovanni, who upon seeing Liz break down in tears after breaking up with David says in perfect English: “I understand, Liz. I have been there.”

Quote via Design Crush

the Vacation Recap*

Last Tuesday began my very first paid vacation as a working girl. As many of you know, I wasn't sure what I was going to do with my six days off since I was, and still am, low on funds. As luck would have it, one of the members at the golf course my boyfriend works at owns a cute little cabin in Big Bear Lake and offered to let us stay there, for free.

Unfortunately, the serious and painful sunburn I received from my day at the air show slowed me down a bit at the start of my vay-cay, and for that reason we didn't head up to the mountains until Thursday morning.

Not all was lost those first two days off work. Tuesday I enjoyed being lazy, my chest slathered in aloe, and Wednesday night the boy and I went out for dinner at The Cheesecake Factory, followed by a walk around the mall (where I swooned over pretty things at Anthropologie) and some amazing gelato, followed by Julie & Julia. Which was pretty amazing as well. The boy was skeptical and gave me side glances at every mention of blogging, but I think he came around toward the end. As everyone else has said, Meryl Streep was fantastic and funny and fabulous. The movie left me with a newfound love for Julia Child and a newfound desire to go to Paris immediately, if only for the tantalizing cuisine.

Anyway, Thursday morning we were off to the mountains. Big Bear Lake is a pretty sleepy town but we took advantage of most every activity we could that didn't involve renting a boat or me putting on a bathing suit (bad sunburn = no sun exposure!). Here's a rundown of what we did:

• Played a round of putt-putt golf at a rundown miniature golf course called The Hot Shot. The fact that the greens were held together with duck tape, pine needles acted as hazards and Cher was playing through the speakers made the game that much more fun—and hilarious.
  
• Went cosmic bowling at the Bowling Barn and kicked the boy's butt in the first game with a score of 140 (I got two strikes in the 10th frame!). Unfortunately, I must admit that my skills went downhill from there and the boy beat me in the next two games. Still, I'll always have 140 to 114. Boo yah!
  
• Window-shopped the kitschy boutiques at The Village. Found it easy to resist the urge to buy woodsy souvenirs.
  
• Took a scenic drive around the lake and through the town of Fawnskin, taking in the sights.
• Introduced Hazel to the lakeshore. She loved it. So much so she became fearless and wanted to jump into the cool blue water from a pier!
  
• Climbed a mountain. Yes, you read that right. We hiked the Cougar Crest trail. We didn't quite know what we were getting ourselves into. We were told it wasn't that difficult and that it had amazing views. The second part of that statement proved true. But it was challenging because it is all uphill, and steep, rocky hills at that. It took us two and a half hours to complete the 5-mile roundtrip trek but the feeling we had when we reached the top was worth the huffing and puffing!
  
• Went for lots and lots of walks with Hazel. To the park. Along the Alpine Pedal Path, which hugs the lake's shoreline. Oh, and to the grocery store parking lot because it was the closest place to our cabin that had grass for Hazel to go potty at night!
  
• Discovered that there is a town called Sugarloaf. Yep. We took Maple Lane to get there. No joke.
  
• Caught up on my magazine reading. Well, some of it anyway.
• Ate tons of yummy food. Finger-licking good barbecue (We shared a combo plate of pulled pork, grilled chicken, creamy coleslaw and honey butter biscuits). Classic Italian fare (I devoured the Paoli pasta, which is a Alfredo-pesto hybrid named after the popular local eatery). Old-fashioned home cooking at the Teddy Bear Restaurant (I dove into a huge, made-from-scratch turkey pot pie). A late night ice cream cone (cookies & cream) and lots of candy.
  
• Climbed a mountain. Oh, did I mention that already?

No more words. See for yourself:

The cabin was quaint and homey and completely decked out in Big Bear paraphernalia.

Even though I didn't win—I was playing a golf pro after all—this was the best time I have had playing miniature golf. We laughed a lot. 

After putting her paws in the water, Hazel thought the lake was the greatest thing ever. She kept barking at "daddy" while he was fishing because she wanted to go back down to the beach.

Lining up for a strike. The boy and I are very competitive, I learned.

Midway through the hike up Cougar Crest I realized that my water bottle and T-shirt were giving off mixed messages. Oops. Please forgive the awful, baggy shirt. I bought it in the gift shop before the hike to cover my sun-burned chest.

While walking Hazel along the lake we ran into these beautiful horses. Such a lovely sight.

Hazel blazing a trail before we said goodbye to Big Bear and headed down the mountain, back home.

*Also known as, the post with many pictures! But trust me, it was hard narrowing it down to just these! 

R&R

Hi everyone! I'm back from my vay-cay. The boy and I drove up to Big Bear on Thursday and stayed in a homey cabin near the lake, which was on loan to us by a member of the golf course the boy works at. I meant to post before we left but, as is typical for us, we were running a bit behind schedule and I didn't have time. Then, when we got up to our woodland vacation home, we didn't have wireless internet connection; I didn't even have cell service! We could have gone a mile or two down the road to the local Starbucks and got online if we really wanted to, and while we did consider it a few times (him to check his fantasy standings, me to check my email and blogs), we abstained. Which is a good thing since we were on vacation after all. But now I do have an awful lot of blog posts to catch up on!

I'll post a vacation recap soon. I have some fun photos to share with you! (I took 169 photos in four days!! I think I am a bit snap happy, but I can't help it! I'll just pick a few of the best though to show you, not to worry.) By the way, I never told you guys thank you for all your fabulous "what to do when broke and on vacation" ideas. I really appreciated your suggestions! And I even took you up on a few on them, you'll see...

Anyhoo, I hope you all had a great weekend! It's been so hot here, both in Simi and in Big Bear. And if you live in California, you know about all the wildfires blazing across the Southland and the triple-digit temperatures are definitely not helping. But, on a lighter note, what did you do to beat the heat this weekend? I can't believe summer is almost over. With just a few weeks left, I am feeling like I need to have as much summertime fun as possible. Anyone else feel like that? But as someone who is still feeling the effects of a terrible terrible sunburn, I must tell you: whatever you do, don't forget the sunblock! (I sure won't.)

Wings Over Camarillo

Late Sunday morning, my dad and I drove out to the Camarillo Airport to see the 29th annual "Wings Over Camarillo" air show. Originally, I had asked my brother if he wanted to go, in an attempt to be a nice older sister. My father jumped on board when I told him about it, too. Both the men in my family love planes and history (and, for that matter, guns). In fact, my dad served in the Air Force during the Vietnam War, though he luckily never went overseas. He was the guy working on the planes.

Anyway, my brother, in his usual style, flaked on us. It was his loss really because I think he would have enjoyed it. Other than the hot, muggy weather, my dad and I had a good time at the show. We walked around the static displays of antique, experimental and military aircraft, snapping pictures at every turn. (I took 76 photos, for real. I included an edited collection below for your viewing pleasure.) While my dad was pretty familiar with all the jets, bombers, fighters, transports and trainers (Oh, my!) and could tell me all about them, I mostly just paid attention to the design. The colors. The patterns. The scantily-clad pinups on some of the planes' noses. The monikers pilots gave their winged-beauties; gals like "Suzy-Q" and "Louise" were among the bunch.

After walking the grounds, we grabbed a bite to eat from one of the vendor booths. We both got Philly steak sandwiches with onions and peppers (no cheese, for me) and ice-cold lemonades to wash it down. We then made our way over to the runway to watch the main event, the narrated flying exhibition. I think we both agreed that our favorite part of the show was watching a man, who is an experienced airman, pilot a small—by comparison to the other planes taxiing down the runway—but powerful red model airplane. It was fast and sleek and sexy and could do cool tricks that the other planes weren't doing.

Another favorite moment was an orange plane (again, I don't remember what type) that can fly so slowly it looks as if it is just floating; like it's hanging in the air. It's crazy! At one point, the pilot turned off the engine and glided in for a landing. What's more, the plane can take off and stop on a dime. And that's really not much of an exaggeration.

Also neat was watching planes fly over in formation. They did three pass-overs: one in a V-shape, one in the "missing man" formation and one in . . . I don't remember! That one is below.

Rivaling the model airplane for "best air show moment" was watching a pilot do a solo flight performance, set to the soundtrack of the movie Pearl Harbor. The "air ballet," as the announcer called it, was in honor of all veterans, young and old. It was pretty moving and pretty amazing. The pilot would come in close to where the spectators were lined up watching, eyes to the sky, and turn his smoke on—which made for some great shots.

Though the show was three hours long, we only stayed for two hours. After standing that long our backs and feet were starting to hurt (note to self: bring chairs next time) and my dad was worried about my skin, which was quickly turning bright red. (I put on sunblock upon arrival but I—get this—ran out of lotion for my chest. Yep, I look like a lobster today. Yep, it hurts.) My dad was a little bummed he didn't get to see the P-38s fly (that's the only plane I remember!) but all in all we had a fun afternoon of father-daughter bonding. 

Poster via Wings Over Camarillo

things that made me smile this week...

After a bit of a hiatus, the happy list is back! Without further ado... Things that made me smile this week:

1. Interviewing a sweet Filipino mother who spent more than 30 years working the system (and simply waiting) to legally immigrate her children to the U.S. Her 55-year-old son, the last of her children to leave the Philippines for America, finally made it to So Cal two weeks ago. Even though I put a lot of pressure on myself to do a great job with these kinds of feature articles, I really enjoyed working on it and telling the family's story.

2. My editor telling me, via text, that he thought I did an "awesome job" on that story (when he assigned it to me, he said he expected me to write a "kick ass story," so I guess I pulled through).

3. Discovering this blog of sketches by Melissa Morris Ivone, a graphic designer as well as the promoter-of-kindness behind Operation Nice. I wish I could draw as wonderfully as she can. Unfortunately, I didn't get that creative gene.

This is one of my faves:

4. Finding out that there is such a thing as Nutella to-go. I have no idea where you can buy it, but I am overjoyed to simply know that it is out there. 

(Oh, and have you seen the Nutella commercial? My bestie facebooked me to tell me she saw the commercial and it made her think of me. I'm not sure that is a good thing . . . but I can't deny my obsession with the creamy, chocolaty hazelnut spread!)

5. This little pup peeking out from a line up of shoes, spotted on Oh Joy! Too cute, right?

6. Viewing the portfolio of colorful illustrations on Antoinette-Fleur. I cannot for the life of me remember how I came across the site, but I'm glad I did. The images are fun, whimsical, girly and I adore them.

7. The "Pet of the Week" we featured in the latest edition of the paper. Isn't Ariel just the sweetest little thing? Seriously, this photo prompted me to look at the animals for adoption at the local shelter for oh, about an hour and a half, at least. Eventually I came to my senses—I can't afford to take in another cutie pie and I can barely handle Hazel!

Photo by Jann Hendry

8. Listening to "old school" Michelle Branch while getting ready this morning. I love The Spirit Room and Hotel Paper. It's like I am in high school all over again when I hear her songs. I found out she performed a free concert at The Grove in L.A. last week and I am so bummed I missed it! (Click the video to be transported back in musical time to 2001.)

9. Learning that a bunny has better fashion sense than I do. What am I talking about? I'm talking about the glamorous Fifi Lapin, of course. I clicked on over to Fifi's very fun blog after seeing a post on another new-to-me site: Antler Mag. (Which is also definitely worth a look.)

10. Spending the afternoon with my dad at the Camarillo air show. (more photos to come...)

So what little things made you smile this week?

Be Happy image via i can read

All dolled up and nowhere to go

Starting Tuesday, I am officially on vacation. A paid vacation. That's a first for this working girl. And not-so-surprisingly, my "boss," my editor that is, practically had to force me to take one. See, I have this feeling that the paper might die without me. Which is not the case. But my editor might die without me. Ha! That might be a little true, but I'm sure he'll manage. (Plus, I have to write three stories before I go...)

All that being said, I have a bit of a problem: I don't know what I am going to do while on said vacation! Oh, how I would love to jet set off to some tropical island and sip lava flows poolside. Oh, how I would love to immerse myself in the buzzing energy of New York City, to which I have never been in all my 24 years. But alas, my finances don't quite allow for either of these fantasy vay-cays to become a reality for me next week. Heck, my bank account doesn't allow for me to do much more than sit at home and read a book next week! But as someone who works from home, staying home on my vacation is really not an option. Well, it's a sad option at best.

That's where you come in. I need your best ideas of what I should do next week. I've got six days, a limited budget and no time to plan. But I need your help or else all I will be able to blog about next week is me doing . . . nothing.

Thanks in advance! And happy weekend!

Image via ffffound, by buradori