quote of the day

"Sometimes you are aware when your great moments are happening, and sometimes they rise from the past. Perhaps it's the same with people."

- James Salter, Burning the Days

simple pleasures

currently listening to "here comes your man" by meaghan smith

im officially starting my journey back to dallas today, but first ill be traveling to la for a few days then to dallas to look endlessly at apartments, maryland for job training, boston to ship some belongings, and finally settling back down in dallas.. all within 3 weeks! ill be posting about all of my travels, but bear with me as it will likely be incredibly sporadic. but yes, today is finally here and it is my last day in monterey.. i cant even believe it. thank you for all of the wonderful memories, sunny little monterey! i will miss you very dearly. here are a few shots of happy things from my last week here:

{not your basic sandwich: pastrami, arugula mix, and mustard on whole wheat sourdough bread}

{the vibrantly painted mural that i pass everyday on my daily run}

{pretty paper decorations made from the pages of winnie the pooh}

{i literally squealed (understatement) when i received this in the mail!}

{cloudless skies and sailboats}

poppy king

currently listening to "two against one" by danger mouse & daniele luppi featuring jack white

oh sweet and perfect new lipstick.. im already in love with you. i am a firm believer that lipstick completes any look.. so much so that i stock up on way too many lip shades for my little pout to handle, oh well i had to buy this one -- just had to! this poppy king for j.crew lipstick is magnificent in every way: the color works beautifully on practically everyone as seen here, the formula is so creamy and never dry (really! i felt like i was wearing a chapstick), and it stays put. magic. 

sailboats and candy

currently listening to "fragile bird" by city and colour

for those of you who didn't know, i have been living 7 blocks from the pacific ocean. yes, 7 blocks.. rough life. anyways, along the coast there are just the cutest places to go to, including monterey's old fisherman's wharf. besides being able to sample every restaurant's "award-winning" clam chowder, there's also a shop that makes salt water taffy on a daily basis. i bought 3 bags of the golden nuggets and another bag of coconut peanut brittle.. i seriously cant wait to try them all!

hidden treasures

currently listening to "mykonos" by fleet foxes

ive taken it upon myself to spend this last week as a tourist, well technically, i guess i am a tourist since ive only lived in monterey for two short months. nonetheless, i have been shopping and sightseeing around town and the truth is is that ill really miss this little old place. there is so much history and little pockets of hidden treasures throughout the town that im just beginning to discover, but im happy that i was even given the chance to live here for the summer and (plus!) i got to avoid the astronomically high texas temperatures, so not looking forward to moving back to that. 

these are pictures from my trip to the cannery row antique mall from over the weekend. this place was really just beyond lovely. i spent so much time roaming around admiring all of the exquisite trinkets. i almost left with a 3-strand gold chain bracelet, but practiced self-control (a real rarity) and told myself to walk away before i dropped more cash on jewelry that i didnt need. the older gentleman who was helping me with opening up the jewelry cases reassured me that even if i didnt end up buying anything that at least i was able to "walk down memory lane"... priceless. 

life in technicolor

currently listening to "pacific coast eyes" by graham colton

since moving here, i havent had a sunday where i didnt work, but for the first time i did! so i took advantage of having the day off and headed to yet another farmer's market in town. if i wasnt moving in a few days, i would've surely bought at least a dozen crates of strawberries and loaded up on all the other delicious goodies that caught my eye (do you see the beautiful carrots below?!) and i dont think its a secret that i have a love affair with strawberries.. i guess its because, in the summers growing up, mom would have strawberries out at the dinner table after we had all finished our meal and next to the ruby gems, there would be a nice little tray full of sugar for dipping... strawberries dipped in sugar is about the most heavenly pairing ever. forget that strawberries and cream stuff! im all about the sugar.

oh and gerbera daisies... my absolute favorite. they just make my heart light up with happiness.

i missed you

just a cute little ditty to help get you through those horrible mondays!

quote of the day

"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." - Plato

simple pleasures

currently listening to "calgary" by bon iver

{very meticulous packing}

well it is has obviously been a very crazy week.. ive spent the past few days working with apartment agents in dallas to find the perfect place to live which can be just a tad bit stressful considering the thousands of options to choose from. luckily, i have the best friends in the world and they've all been helping me with the search. in addition to the apartment headache, im trying to get everything together for my upcoming trips to la, dallas, maryland, and boston.. oh and not to mention MOVING. trying to pack for all occasions is not an easy task, but somehow im managing quite well (as a result of  spending hours trying on all of my clothes in front of the mirror - i clearly have no life). 

and so, today is officially the start of my last week here in sunny little california.. im going to try my best to soak up the beautiful and perfect 70 degree weather and cherish the time that i have left with the wonderful friends that ive made here. here's to hectic weeks that make us so very thankful for the little things that are oftentimes ignored. 

{australia's favorite cookies.. im addicted}

{new perfect-for-every-occasion heels}

{starting new chapters in the good 'ol book}

{dark chocolate brownies laced with coffee made for a friend's birthday}

{STRIPES}

she's like texas

yes, its true... im moving to dallas in a month!

after much prayer and anticipation, i have accepted an offer to be apart of a marketing rotational program in dallas which i believe to be a great stepping stone for my career. over the course of a year, ill be working alongside 3 different marketing companies for 4 months each on various projects and will also be attending conferences in boston and new york which will give me an unprecedented amount of exposure to the world of marketing. the interview process for this program was held throughout the spring and well into summer and although it was extensive and nerve-racking at times, im really happy that i persevered with it. the program is only open to recent college grads and candidates from all over the country applied to be apart of the 3 participating cities holding the program; i was just one of the lucky few (8 in the nation) who was invited back for it! i feel so honored that i was chosen to be apart of such a prestigious program -- being able to work alongside such incredible marketing corporations and network with top industry executives is just a dream come true.

the past few weeks have definitely been a whirlwind of changes and an endless emotional rollercoaster with graduating and moving all the way out here to california, but i do feel incredibly fortunate that i was able to have this experience. living in cali for the past two months has been so much fun; i feel as if ive already grown and learned so much in just a short period of time. part of me still wishes that i could stay here longer, but im confident that everything happens for a reason and i believe that moving back to texas will be such a positive move for both my personal and professional life. 

i have met some really incredible people along my journey here in california that ill be very sad to leave, however, texas has always felt like home so i feel lucky that god has blessed me with the opportunity to go back there to live and work. i am especially looking forward to being able to spend time with all of my best friends again and cant wait to see what kind of adventures ill have while living in the city... im sure this blog will be alot more fun to follow in the coming months!

get ready dallas.. here i come :)

ps im sorry if this is an impersonal way for me to tell some of you this news, please feel free to call or text me anytime and id be happy to talk about this in detail!

grenade cover

i finally uploaded this video to youtube about a month ago so i thought id share -- my very talented friend taylor and i played this cover at a benefit concert last spring. i absolutely love this song.. enjoy!

quote of the day

"Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening." 

- Coco Chanel

simple pleasures

currently listening to "what part of forever" by cee-lo green

as with every saturday -- here are just a few things that make my week go by a little bit faster :)

{trader joe's oatmeal cranberry dunkers with white fudge drizzle}

{watching musicals on my day off}

{handwritten letters from my friends always make me smile}

{the unbeatable view i pass everyday while driving to work}

driving to san francisco the other day was just painful. i never realized how much i hated traffic until i was stuck on the highway en route and got so frustrated that i literally almost parked my car to make the rest of the trip on foot, luckily i gathered my senses and waited the mere 20 minutes of bumper-to-bumper traffic so that i could go on my lovely way. needless to say, i wish all of my LA friends the best of luck this weekend with what i hear has been dubbed as "carmageddon" -- for those of you who arent aware, interstate 405 (one of the nation's busiest highways) will be closed for a reconstruction project for 60 hours, or for LA residents, a lifetime. i cant even handle bay area traffic so its difficult to wrap my mind around what kind of mayhem this shutdown will bring. if anything, just do what i do: stay home, watch good movies, and eat cookies.. its clearly the way to go.

life is like a box of chocolates

currently listening to "beyond the blue" by josh garrels 

just a few shots from yesterday's trip up to san francisco.. happy thursday everyone! :)

colors of summer

currently listening to "silver lining" by rilo kiley

yesterday, i had the morning free so i thought id stop by the farmers market that ive been wanting so badly to go to. there were only a handful of vendors, but the market had such a cute and quaint atmosphere that it made up for the lack of variety. i didnt end up getting anything, but i did sample a handful of deliciously fresh fruit. 

well today im driving up to san francisco (again!) to see my friend christina (or my better half, for those of you who know us better as "chrennifer brang"). i get to spend the whole afternoon with her and then i have dinner plans with some family! of course, pictures to come soon... most likely tomorrow, lets just be honest.

in-n-out

currently listening to haley reinhart's cover of "bennie and the jets" on repeat

once in a while you just gotta treat yourself and since there is no chick-fil-a or whataburger anywhere remotely close to where i live (pause for reaction).. i thought id give in-n-out, a california staple, another shot since i havent had it in a few years. i literally drove half an hour to the closest one, had to park on the street, wait in the line that was out the door, then waited another 15 minutes just to get my food.. and this was at 4 in the afternoon! totally worth it though. 

i ordered a double-meat, animal style burger; fresh cut fries; coke; and a neapolitan shake which is a mix of their strawberry, vanilla, and chocolate -- basically the perfect shake for the indecisive people of the world such as myself. 

band spotlight: ivan and alyosha

found this band off of noisetrade -- i cant believe it has taken me this long to hear about them! their sound reminds me of the past work of one of my favorite band's augustana.. my personal favorite is "everything is burning" which is not performed in the video below.


they are currently working on their first full length album so be on the lookout for it!

quote of the day

"Love is, is too weak a word for what I feel - I lurve you, you know, I loave you.. I luff you, two F's, yes I have to invent."

 - Annie Hall

simple pleasures

currently listening to "i found a reason" by cat power

{new timex watch and sparkly j.crew bracelet}

this week was so busy! san francisco was a great break from working tirelessly for the past few days. i love keeping myself busy, but still try to take the time and notice the little things that make me happy.. here are a few things that kept me going this week!

{gifted strawberries from a co-worker}

{new dainty gold necklaces from y & i clothing boutique}

{root beer floats and a stack of fashion magazines at work during my break}

{$1 oysters on the half shell at chotto}

{letters from sweet friends}

pretty little things

currently listening to "sweet disposition" by the temper trap

as you may have already guessed -- i love accessories.. maybe a little too much, but theres just something so great about how an outfit can look and feel completely different by simply adding an accessory. here are a few of my current favorites!

also, thanks to everyone for continuing to visit and support my blog... it has hit over 1,000 pageviews in just one month!