Always Buzzing Like Neon

Dreamy Poppy layered with a shade of Pink Confetti. Normally, at this point, my toes would be red and my nails would be blue in anticipation of the fourth, but that will have to wait until Sunday. This fun concoction is a perfect match to the dress I’ll be wearing to my cousin’s wedding on Saturday! Normally work flies by because I love my jam-packed, fun-filled days, but this week has been dragging because girlfriend (me!) is so excited... or essited at Rebecca Black would say.

What Up Wednesday

Sometimes I like to think the extra effort I make in the morning turns me into a stylish individual.



Jeans: Gifted R&R. Jacket: Macy's. Necklace: F21. Top: Ooh La La

Can I Have S'more?

All babygirl wanted for her birthday was nail polish. No joke, my soon-to-be 16-year-old baby sister asked for nail polish. And happily, I obliged. The checkout gal certainly thought I was having one of those midlife crisis kind of days, and this is a small sampling of what I scooped up for my dear. Thank goodness baby sister likes funky, awesome colors as much as I do! Does anyone else pick nail polish based on names alone? Co-bolt blue, In the Spotlight, Debutante, Get the Party Started, and Gray's Anatomy (ftw!) were part of my selection. So perf for my little one. Thank goodness she wont read this while she's in Colorado (or ever, really), but I surely cannot wait to snuggle with her this weekend!


I also accomplished this bomb recipe tn. Maybe accomplished isn't an appropriate word, but the fire hazard was certainly a deterrent. How appropriate is a S'more cookie for Americas birthday?!

Epiphany!

Okay, maybe this wasn't really an epiphany, but more of an 'aha moment!'

I love my job. I'm learning to love the bay. I love the confidence this new life has instilled in me. He is truly laying out the stepping stones for me, that's for sure.

Where am I going with all this positivity? Sometimes, I do wonder where on earth I'm going to fit in enough 'me' time when I'm working full-time. It may sound silly, but when will I learn to cook, or throw fabulous dinner parties, or visit my long lost relations in Ireland? When will I find the time to make sure all my friend know how much they mean to me when I'll rarely see them in the coming months? How can babygirl grow up in this world without me right beside her? These are the things that sometimes weigh heavy on my mind when I lay on my couch at the end of a long day and ask The Format to keep me moving forward.

And then I had this 'aha moment' as Mama O says. I am an avid blog reader of all shapes, sizes and forms. Babies, fashion, religion, I truly love it all! And last night, I discovered that one of my favorite bloggers, who is fabulous, fashionable, and oh so wise in the ways of the world, works for the same amazing company I do. And I wanted to die. I can do it all - work, shop, entertain and be the best friend/sister/daughter I can possibly be. Any 22 year old career gal would understand why this was such a good find. Not only can I do this, this thing I call my life and my career, but I can make it wonderful!

PS: I don't want to out my wonderful inspiration, since bloggers seem to make such a distinction from their work and personal lives. But I will happily let her know what her blog has meant to me :)

Recovery Sunday

I may not be able to navigate around the kitchen too well when it comes to making things like dinner, but baking and I are bffs. I take any holiday as an excuse to try new cookie recipes. And with limited tools - aka no Kitchenaid - I feel like I get a workout in when doing my mixing!

Pie pops are my new fave dessert of the moment. Easy peasy to make, espesh when you buy the filling, and deeeeelicious! I made strawberry pie pops this go-around, and they were a little harder to handle since strawberries are quite as teeny and flexible. However, I do love the even tinier size that this shot glass provided me.



These pillow cookies are also to die for. There is a brownie hidden inside the chocolate chip cookie! The recipe calls for them to be as big as the center cookie (the stigma of the flower?), but I tried to downsize since there will be so many goodies to munch on next weekend.

It's Alive!!!

Lappy has been MIA for approximately 10 days. Every six months or so, I can always count on my laptop to become deathly ill thanks to some kind of virus. Trust me, I cannot wait to get a Mac and never look back :)

What's been on my mind these last couple weeks?

This blog. Dear Photograph will make you cry. It's been making the rounds this week, and I cannot wait to submit one with the sisters.

San Francisco. I made a conscious decision to start my independent woman life in Mountain View, and I haven't had one regret since I moved into my precious apartment. This week, I spent a significant time in the city for work and fun. I can't say it made me like the city any more than I have in the past (no offense SF lovers), but it gave me a sliver of hope that maybe next spring, I'll be ready to make the big move. Waking up in a hotel on Union Square doesn't hurt either.



Eight days until my favorite non-religious holiday!

These shirts from J. Crew. So comfy, I die.

And seeing this guy. My cousin that I see once in a blue moon because he goes to school on the East coast and travels during the summer for a drum corps. Luckily, he was in my neck of the woods this weekend!

Love Me Some Graduation

Official graduation at UCLA was this weekend. Maybe I headed into the weekend with a slightly different perspective as many of my girlfriend, having lived in the so-called real world for the last two months. But it was exciting and beautiful and bittersweet nonetheless! I loved having two more precious nights in the HOP with my ADPi sisters, eating lunch in Santa Monica and shopping with my family, and looking at babygirl's face when Professor Allen delivered a speech at the English department graduation. I think the weirdest part of this weekend was thinking that my little group of friends and I will probably never live in the same house, even the same city again. Travel fund, you need to increase asap! I cannot wait to see what all my amazing friends accomplish, and return to UCLA as an official alumnae. What would Emily say in a moment like this?

That it will never come again is what makes life so sweet.

Scenes of the Weekend

Mad dash to Fres-yes this weekend to attend a graduation party and spend some quality time with my family. My camera continues to be lame, but this pic of my and sissy with the lil graduate also features Ronnie and Ursie, who took care of us before we were old enough to attend preschool. Seeing them sure brought back warm memories of all the fun we had in their home!


It sure has been a rainy week... June showers bring May flowers?

Sunday brunch!

Can you see the pups in the background?

No trip home is complete without quality time with the Pookster.