Sunday Brunch

FRESH SQUEEZED ORANGE JUICE. Delicious. Mmm. Yum. Yes please. One for me. One for you.

We intended to walk around the marked and then get coffee and the most delicious chocolate filled almond croissants, but were completely sucked in by this massive breakfast burrito, with garlic chicken sausage, cheese, french fries and vegetables (were there vegetables?) inside. We split one.. and the half was as big as my head. More than enough food, completely satisfying.. we saved the croissants for later :)

Beach Day!

I love the beach! I feel lazy to say that we don't go to the beach often when it's so close.. but going to the beach is a process. It's not a quick trip.. you have to plan and pack and prepare and travel and set up and it can be an all day event. When we make the trip to the beach, it's usually just for a walk along the shore or to see the sunset.

But, we finally went. We took a picnic lunch and donned our swimsuits. One of us even took a dip in the ocean. Can you guess who? Ha.

And, truth be told, it wasn't as much work as we thought. Easily accomplished in one afternoon. We'll be going back. It was a perfect day, and I'm finally realizing how great these California summers can be.. and this one is just beginning!

Beach Day in Santa Monica from Jennifer on Vimeo.

surprises are my favorite!

Look what I came home to today! It's a print from the beautiful Mary Wangerin as a "thank you" for designing her Etsy banner (and subsequent business cards) a few months ago.

It says "You should be kissed, and often (by someone who knows how)" Agreed! :)

Mary and I went to design school together, and she is now painting and selling her fun, whimsical art online :) Visit her shop to see some of her work!

Now I just have to go buy a frame and find some wall space.. Thank you, Mary!

study date

I've been trying to write. Attempting to write. Struggling to write.. Mostly I've been putting it off, and I'm running out of time. My cousin Melissa introduced me to a company that buys how-to articles and I signed up with them to try it for a month. It sounds easy enough right: 20 articles (minimum) a month? Turns out it's harder than it sounds.

I need to write about 15 articles over the next three days in order to meet my deadline. I haven't exactly kept on course. So, this past weekend, we decided to have a "study date" at a coffee shop so I could write and he could work/play/whatever as long as I forced myself to focus.

I blame the internet. And the sun. And naps. Too many distractions.

It's not my personality.. or my study habits.. or my ability to thrive under pressure.. or my wont to procrastinate.. it's something external, for sure ;) right?

I did get some work done (two articles!). Creating a time and a space really helped me. (and giving myself a deadline! I took my laptop but not the charger. Feeling the pressure of my computer slowly dying was a big motivator).

Anyway, I have to figure out a system. Our study date was a good start :)

I got my hair done, nails done, everything did..

I colored my hair again... I haven't yet decided if it's actually a problem or if it's just a hobby... :)

I think this is the darkest my hair has ever been. This picture is as true to actual color as I can get:

I know in a week, it'll be another color entirely.. which is why I'm not too stressed about it.

I read elsewhere in internet land recently about the "wonders of argan oil".. so, I picked some up, and used it on my WRECKED hair (which has been processed 6 times in the last 6 weeks.. oops), and I haven't really noticed a difference yet, but it seems to go on without leaving a greasy residue behind, so I'm hopeful.

Do you see my white nails?
I love them.
I first saw them on a friend a couple years ago, but she used white out :) bored in class, I'm assuming.. but they're fun, right?

you fancy, huh..

another day. another walk.

put on your dancing shoes!

I was trying to figure out the other day how long it's been since I started dancing West Coast Swing.. it's really hard to pinpoint. I can't even log into our old college network to look at my transcripts anymore. They would be able to tell me exactly when I took my first class. I should have printed those off..

I know that I took WCS2 both Fall and Winter terms of my last year (Fall 08 and Winter 09) which means that I must have taken WCS Spring of 08?.. I'm assuming. I started to take that class once before, maybe Fall of 07, but I had to drop it for a few different reasons.. Either way it was after I'd taken a few ballroom and latin classes (ugh.. and tap. what was I thinking? it was not as fun as it looks.)

So yes. Okay. I started dancing WCS in March of 2008. That's the official word from me. Which means that I've been doing this for three years now.. crazy. I still consider myself a newbie, still figuring it all out.

But, you never stop learning this dance. Maybe that's part of why I love it, it seems like growth is endless. And the "growing" part is actually fun :) When does that happen, really?

So.... come play with us! There is a FREE dance this coming Monday night at the Ford Amphitheater in Hollywood.. It's early, in a crazy cool location, live music AND dj's, and it's FREE. Come by and join in the fun if you're in the area.. (free beginners lesson at 7pm!) I think it's really going to be a great night. See you there?

TOMS

I bought my first pair of TOMS this year.. And I do love them. And I love the pattern.
But I chose the wrong color. I don't wear them with jeans or with anything white.. it just makes them look dingy.

So...... I'm going to dye them!
But I am currently wavering between a few options. The pattern will show through.. I'm pretty certain.

What do you think?

My gut leans toward just dying them black.. with the pattern still showing (I hope), next the navy blue (but again, the jeans issue), or pearl grey (still might seem dingy) ..or what if I go crazy and try teal or scarlet? 

HELP.

Working, The Musical

Last weekend, we went to see the "Working, the Musical" at a TINY theater in Hollywood. It was great.. I really enjoyed the characters, and their stories, and the music. I've been finding great deals using Goldstar for shows all over the Los Angeles area. It's been really fun because it's introduced us to new venues and new productions at typically HALF the cost. Perfect for poor people like us :)

From the show's website:

In the musical, twenty-six workers, including a parking lot attendant, corporate executive, schoolteacher, gas man, housewife, fireman, waitress, millworker, sailor, etc., sing and talk about their jobs, defining not only their daily round, but their hopes and aspirations as well.

Disclaimer:
The sky was not this color (nor is my hair fuschia in the first photo).
This is what happens when you give a girl an app.

along the PCH

The other night, I drove up the PCH to spend some quality time with my cousins, a little "kick off the summer celebration" that included Whale Wars, board games for the competitive ones, pizza, salad, and brownies a la mode with latte's for dessert. Again tonight? Okay. See you in a few hours..

Can I just say, I love driving along the PCH. This time of year especially, as soon as you roll the windows down you can smell all of the bonfires and barbeques.... mmmmm. I love this place.


pictured: my rear view mirror accoutrement, including two headbands, 3 mardi gras necklaces from a parade in Venice, a gifted prayer box necklace from a co-worker that I got about 6 years ago (it still has my 19 year old self's prayer for her life rolled up inside), ridiculous F21 sunglasses, and a clothespin that the boyfriend threw at me from his car into mine one day.



Meet Tank. The little wonder dog. He's just cute right? And heroic. And bigger than his tiny body gives him credit for? 

Whale Wars. I hadn't seen any of the new season, so we watched the first three episodes last night, and now I'm up to date. I was on the edge of my seat for half of the time.. it's just amazing what those people are willing to sacrifice and go through to try to stop the Japanese Whaling Fleet.. But, how amazing would it be to see one of those massive icebergs up close? Really amazing if you could put the whole Titanic incident out of your mind..

walk with me // talk with me

I took a walk on my lunch break the other day... the sun has been hiding a lot these days, so when it comes out I feel like I have to take advantage of it...

After work, I came home to find my Uncle painting in his studio.. It's always fun to see a "work in progress" and hear about his process. I told him I liked it just how it was, but according to him there is still work to be done..

let's have a picnic. you and me.

Happy First Day of Summer!

take me to the market // fathers day 2011