This is what happens...

           

This is what happens when your laptop craps out on you. You disappear for what feels like an eternity. And are forced to take pictures with your phone instead.

The Little Black Dress

I love little black dresses. There's just something so elegant and sexy about them.

Holding onto summer

Fall is approaching and I'm a little saddened that summer is almost over. I'm a bit of a cold weather wimp; which is why summer is my favorite season (aside from the fond memories of summer vacation). I'm going to wear shorts and tanks until the chilly breeze prevents me from doing so.

The improved selfie

What does one do with time off of work? Take blog photos of course! 

Light and Breezy in Napa

A few weeks ago the hubs and I went to Napa to celebrate our anniversary.  As we were walking around I spotted this cool brick wall and thought it was the perfect backdrop. If backdrops had a personality, this would be me.  A little bit urban-esque and and little bit vintage countryside-esque. (Don't mind the furrowed brow... it was a REALLY sunny day. unfortunately. and my eyes are super sensitive to bright lights. boo)

Summer Lovin'

What's more wonderful than a wedding? A summer wedding of course! This past weekend I had the pleasure of attending my beautiful cousin's wedding in Pasadena. Here's a preview of my outfit:

San Diego in Pictures

This past weekend was THE weekend of the San Diego Rock n Roll Marathon.  I thought the best way to recap the entire weekend would be thru pictures. Instagram style.

The night before the flight: packing last minute like a true procrastinator #procrastinationFTW

Color makes me happy

A couple of weeks ago I placed an order on Sephora for some makeup goodies.  I finally got around to testing them out so I thought I'd share my thoughts with you.

Try day Friday: Nordstrom and Forever 21

This past weekend I met up with a girl friend for a quick shopping session since Forever21 had a 21% off sale. 

Before meeting up, I had to stop by Nordstrom to make a return.  And on my way out I spotted a table full of sunglasses so of course I had to look. When it comes to sunglasses, it's very difficult to find a pair that frame my face in a flattering way, let alone stay on my face.  You see I have a low bridge which makes it frustrating to shop for glasses.  Not having anyone around to ask, I decided to text my sister and get her opinion (does anyone else do that too?).  The following convo ensued:

Liebster Award

Imagine coming home after a long tiring day and finding a wonderful surprise sitting in your inbox! I want to thank Olya from Creative Side of Me for the nomination.  I am genuinely flattered and still a little shocked to be nominated, no less by someone who's blog I love reading.  Olya always has such effortless style.

For anyone who's curious as to what a Liebster award is, ”It is an award given to inspiring bloggers that have less than 200 or 300 followers to help spread the word of their inspiring sites.” I could not be more honored to have the chance to participate in this. 

So first, I will answer the questions asked by Olya:

1. Why do you blog?  I consider myself to be a rather introverted person and therefore find it rather difficult to express myself in person so I chose blogging an outlet.
2. Do you enjoy writing? It's kind of funny, but I would say that I'm one that has troubles putting my thoughts on paper (so to speak).  I do enjoy writing; I just don't think I'm very good at it.
3. What do you think you are better at writing or speaking? If I had to choose one, I would say speaking.  I can deliver a rehearsed presentation like no one's business but I'm horrible with improv.
4. Do you consider yourself a creative person? I would say so.  I consider myself to be a more artistic person and am always inspired by the possibility of creating something new out of random objects.
5. Do you enjoy reading? Yes. I find it rather relaxing when I can just get lost in a book.
6. What is your favorite book?  Charlotte's Web.  It was the first big girl book I remember reading in school and I remember really empathizing with the characters.
7. Do you consider yourself an organized person? In most ways, yes.  But if I'm really tired I kind of just leave things around. But I know where EVERYTHING is. It's organized mess.
8. Did you ever meet one of your virtual blogger-friends in real life? Not yet, but I hope to one day!
9. What is the one thing you’d most like to change about the world? I would like everyone to be more open minded to people and things that are different. There's no need to tear other people down.
10. Is there anything you’d like to change about yourself? Yes! I wish I wasn't as shy.  I think I can come across as apathetic or disinterested but really I'm just excessively filtering thoughts about what I should and shouldn't say in my head.
11. What are you most grateful for?  I'm grateful for everything that I have. Wonderful friends and family and a roof over my head.

I'd like to nominate a few bloggers. Please check out some of my fellow bloggers who continually inspire me as I try to find my voice on this blog:

1.  http://perpetuallycaroline.blogspot.com/
2.  http://0liviaschoice.blogspot.com/
3.  http://astyleinprogress.com/
4. http://www.thesagaofatwentysomething.com/
5. http://pinklovelaugh.blogspot.com/
6. http://brewedtogether.blogspot.com/
7. http://www.cupcakesncouture.com/
8. http://www.josephinacollection.com/
9. http://isntthatcharming.blogspot.com/
10. http://mevamarie.blogspot.com/

 Here are some questions for the nominees:

1. How long have you been blogging?
2. What inspires you?
3. What is one random fact about yourself?
4. Are you more of an outdoor person or indoor person?
5. What is your number one beauty essential?
6. What frustrates you the most about blogging?
7. What do you love the most about blogging?
8. Cats or Dogs? (or neither)
9. Where is your dream vacation?
10. What is your all-time favorite food?
11.  Name a current favorite TV show.

Please leave a comment letting me know you've answered the questions so I can learn more about you! And don't forget to pass the award on! (and ask some new questions!)

Happy Blogging!

The Gear I Wear

Hello! I hope everyone is having a decent Monday!

Yesterday was the SF Rock n Roll Half Marathon. It was definitely a fun race with excellent running weather. I'm not gonna lie though, I am just a tad bit sore from all those hills! The pain (and struggle of waking up at 4am) was totally worth it as the views were spectacular and running across the Golden Gate Bridge is an unforgettable experience.  I'm all about hoarding medals so I was so happy to add another one to my (slowly) growing collection!

Try Day Friday: Forever21 and Target (and H&M)

It's finally Friday again! Hooray!

For this Try Day Friday, I have a mini haul from H&M, Forever21, and Target.  Let me preface all the photos by apologizing for the clutter in the photos (a very unfortunate byproduct of home remodeling). 

I'll start with my one shirt from H&M.  I already have plenty of chambray shirts but I really liked this one.  I talked myself into getting it since this one has a different pattern and wash than my other ones.  Does anyone enable themselves like that too? Or maybe I'm weird. Anyway... this shirt has a very subtle yet pretty pattern (not quite floral but not dots either).  Kinda hard to explain exactly what it but hopefully you can see it in the photo.  This top was a little under $30 if I remember correctly.  I find the fit to be very flattering and the material to be a good weight.  I would recommend this if you're looking for a non-plain/solid chambray shirt.

Drugstore Eyeliners

Happy Humpday, people!

I'm always on the lookout for good dupes at the Drugstore since I hate (HATE) spending extra money on things that I don't have to.  I mean, why would I pay 20something dollars for a good eyeliner if I can get an equally good one for a fraction of the cost??

In the top photo from back to front: Rimmel Scandal Eyes waterproof eyeliner (in Brown and Taupe), Maybelline Master Drama eyeliner in Coal Commander,  and Jordana FabuLiner liquid eyeliner (in Black and Brown)

The Weekend

Why do the weekends always seem too short? I guess in this case it was shorter... damn time change. Anyway, I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend!

I started my Saturday with a 12mile training run (btw, if anyone is interested I found these magical supplements that help with your recovery) and ended the day at the lake for dinner with a view of the sunset. Oh yes, just about as romantic as you can get... sitting on the bench with a burrito in hand. And a Coke Zero on the bench next to me. But really though, it was a very enjoyable meal.

Try day Friday

Happy Friday everyone! I thought I'd try to be more consistent with my posts.  I'm going to institute try day Friday where I'll post pics of all the things I try on (or what I remember to take pictures of anyway).  Let's kick this off with goodies from my favorite store, Forever21.

Now this first dress, I just about died when i saw it.  It's very retro-vintage to me.  I picked the navy one over the white one (because you know how things can tend to look a little see-through; especially from F21).  It has little white hearts all over it and ties across the waist.  I think I'm going to replace that belt with a red one for an extra pop.  And when I saw the price, I died again. $13.50! how can you not love that.

Heart dress

This second dress looked waaay cuter in person.  It also comes in coral! Actually, when I first looked back at the photo I took it almost made me not buy it.  I thought it cut me off and made me look short(er) in the photo.  But it was so cute in person that I couldn't resist! Excuse the clutter and my barefootedness in these photos. I'll try to do a better job of keeping it presentable next time. Although one could argue that you can't make Toms work with this dress anyway. ;)

Unfortunately, I can't seem to find it online anymore, but here is a similar one. And this tie-dye one is super cute. I wanted to buy this one when I first saw it online. But I don't wanna go hi-low crazy here.

And just because it's Friday, here a picture of things that make me happy. I like how 3 out of the 4 are food items. Gosh I'm a fatty. Have a happy Friday and enjoy your weekend!

Going clockwise: Chanel Fracas nailpolish, Grilled cheese tomato bacon sandwich with tomato soup from The Melt, Sprinkles Raspberry Chocolate Chip cupcake, and Philz Iced Mint Mojito

Final Europe Recap: Paris

I can't believe I'm on the very last recap of the trip!  I hope you've found them somewhat amusing and not a snooze fest.  In the last photo from the previous post, I was on the train bound for Paris.  Now, I was a little worried about traveling to Paris seeing as how neither the hubs nor I ever took french.  And what little french we learned on the crash-course audio guide was very very basic. Both of us took spanish in high school so when we were in Spain it was pretty easy to get around. But France is a whole new ball game. You can't even try to make it out cuz it's nothing like spanish! Luckily the Parisians speak a fair amount of english so we were never had any problems.

Here's the apartment where we stayed.  It was really lovely (minus the four flights of narrow wooden steps that we had to carry our suitcases up and down).  The landlady was super nice and even printed out maps with restaurant recommendations!   

San Sebastian Spain

On with the European vacation recaps!

After spending 3 days in Barcelona, we took a plane over to San Sebastian.  It was a relatively quick flight (I believe it was about an hour) but when we arrived, there was not a bus in site. For OVER an hour.  Now let me back up and mention that our hotel (as well as many hotels and travel sites) recommend taking the bus from the tiny commuter airport since it's a relatively easy commute and about 1/4 of the price of a taxi. But for some reason there was not a bus in sight! And to make matters worse, the airport was so small that they pretty much closed up after our flight landed. Cuz we were the ONLY flight of the morning (maybe even day). Some passengers got weary and just took a taxi. In the end we got tired of it too and did the same.

Our hotel was pretty old school and it had this cool elevator that reminded me of something from Disneyland's Haunted Mansion for some reason.

 

Forever and a day...

Hi! Feels like an eternity since I've been on here.  So much has been going on and I feel awful for neglecting my blog.  I've missed reading all of your blogs too! So here's a quick recap of all the things going on:

1. We're REMODELING! Yup, that's right. our home is a big dusty mess (and will remain one for 3 months).  As of last week the kitchen is no more! Where once stood cabinets and counter tops is now one huge void.  And we have plastic drop sheets all over the house. It's seriously like a scene out of Contagion or something.  Meals have consisted of Subway sandwiches and Trader Joe's salads and entrees. Quite frankly I'm starting to miss a good home cooked meal.

2. I signed up for my first full marathon on a whim. Well, somewhat of a whim. I've been teetering back and forth about whether or not I really want to do it and the hubsters pointed out that there was a special one day only discount. So I did it.  Oh dear god what did I do?! So now most of my mornings consist of training for the race. Here's to 20 weeks of training!

3. A little bit of sad news.  We lost our dear rabbit over the holidays.  It was an especially tough time for me as it happened very suddenly.  It took a long time for me not to feel sad every time I thought about him or every time someone asked how he was doing and then I would have to tell them what happened. 

That's pretty much all that's been going on.  I just haven't had the energy to blog or work on creating new pieces of jewelry for my Etsy shop until now.  I feel horrible for neglecting it for so long but I'm also very glad to be back now!  I still need to finish my Europe recap! sheesh! Talk about procrastinating. I'm going to post our San Sebastian pictures next time *promise*.

I'm going to leave you with a few pictures of our little bun bun.  We loved him very much and will always remember all the good times we had together.