Things I Love Thursday

I've decided to follow suit with awesome bloggers The Shoe Girl and Gala Darling by starting a weekly posting of:

Hiking

Practicing my ukulele at the beach

Danzig
Catching up with good friends and their babies

Petit cereal bowls w/ breakfast

Forever 21 sweater, vintage t-shirt

Twerk it

Recently some of my amazing girlfriends were in town from San Diego, Palm Springs and Baltimore. We had a great weekend filled with food, parties and laughter! The Friday they arrived, I had an awards reception at work so my coworkers and I invited them as our dates. The party also allowed me to wear the other dress I bought from Grandma Darlings. Like the first, this dress fit me perfectly and was just right for the occasion.

    

Vintage dress, Forever 21 faux leather jacket, Marc Jacobs heels (me standing like a man)

We also went to Disneyland which was a blast. I still turn into a kid every time I go. And you may be asking if I bought a ticket and no-I did not. I know some people (thank you Usi's ;)

Forever 21 everything except Converse shoes, Burton backpack

Can't wait to see everyone again in August! xo

In search of sunnies...

I have been dying to find a new pair of sunglasses. I have looked on Etsy, eBay and Craigslist for what I have in mind but each search has been unsuccessful. So of course, I decided to stop into H&M to see if they had what I was looking for. Aaaaaand they did. I contemplated having my mom buy them for me or me buy them and not tell anyone but I did neither. I will continue to search for something similar online.

Vintage Indian Motorcycles sweatshirt, B Makowski purse, H&M sunglasses, OPI nail lacquer

After torturing myself, I went to Buffalo Exchange and bought shoes. It made me feel better.

Active pants, Jessica Simpson heels

Vintage menswear spectators

Weekend Road Warrior

I have a confession to make: I bought something new! It was a really hard decision but there was no way around it. Last weekend I participated in a road bike race down in San Diego. With road bikes like any other bicycle, there's always a chance of getting a flat tire. When you're riding long distances you can't depend on someone to help change it or pick you up if you're 30mi away! I went to REI prior to leaving for SD and purchased a CO2 inflation capsule. These inflators are like mini tire pumps but 5x smaller than a regular pump and have enough air to fill one tire. They're great to keep on hand instead of riding with heavy gear. If it wasn't for my safety, I wouldn't have felt the necessity to buy it but I consider this one of the few exceptions. Also, I feel like I can justify it because the store was having their anniversary sale so it was discounted!! Don't judge me. ;)

It was a beautiful weekend and I'm so glad I participated but it was rough! I chose the 66mi race and knew it would be difficult since I had already done a 50miler last year. The terrain for this race was much different and I didn't train at all leading up to it. The entire course was uphill then downhill then repeat. At least I brought plenty of snacks....

There were pit stops every 20mi or so which include food to stay fueled and water. I brought my own because I wanted to stick to my vegan foods but I did enjoy the fruit. The breaks are great because it allows you to chat with other riders, check out their gear, get tips and apply more sunscreen!

I stayed the weekend in Carlsbad at the Park Hyatt Aviara. The resort was absolutely beautiful and in close proximity to the starting line so I got to sleep in until 5:15! My mom came down to stay with me after the race. We relaxed, walked the grounds of the resort, read, napped and ate, a lot. I look like a beast below after the race. I had stuffed as much in my face as I could to get the calories and it shows. I was exhausted, layered up and freezing cold at the pool in the 80+ degree heat with my ginger ale.

Matix flannel, Vintage Harley Davidson t-shirt, Forever 21 hat, Anon sunglasses, Active pants

My beautiful mama

Victoria's Secret pants, Haviana sandals

Just off our balcony, there was a huge Birds of Paradise plant. It was three stories high and I loved it! Small birds would fly around it and some would rest on it's many branches. It reminded me of my grandma.

Hollywood Highs

I have really made an effort to be more productive on my time off, especially in the last couple months since I am limited with what I can purchase. I've had to change my mindset about where I can go such as the mall-I have no reason to go there anymore! Also, my priorities have changed over the years; I decided to stop drinking a year and a half ago and it has really shifted my focus for weekends. Before, I would plan them around parties, bar hopping and who I would be hanging out with. Normally it meant staying up too late and sleeping in the next day, followed by a lazy afternoon. Now I go to bed at a decent hour, get up earlier and head out to enjoy the beautiful Southern California weather.

Recently, I hiked up to the Hollywood sign. I was really looking forward to it since hadn't before and it was convenient since my main man Buster moved into a new place just down the road. Now I plan to hike there often! It was an easy course but took about 3 hours from start to finish so it definitely felt like a workout by the time I made it back to my car. The trail head is in a quiet neighborhood with plenty of street parking. The first 800m is covered with trees and there's a small park for children. Once you start climbing, you leave shade behind but the views open up. There was a lot of traffic but it's wide enough so it didn't feel congested. Unfortunately it takes you to the backside of the sign so you're not able to get a really good picture of it but it is an amazing landmark and very cool to be so close to it. The letters are much larger than I expected!

Take Canyon Dr toward the mountain from Franklin Ave

The next day, I hiked the sister trail to the Griffith Observatory. It starts down at the Greek Theater and has several different routes. Some are easy and others could really cause some damage if you were not skilled or prepared. This trail had a lot of traffic as well but again, they are wide enough to get around people.

Take Vermont toward the mountains, park near the Greek Theater

Vintage Harley Davidson shirt, Active pants, Keen boots, Forever 21 hat & glasses

The Observatory is so beautiful. I love the architecture and colors. There are always zillions of tourists but that is part of the fun. I heard people speaking French, Portuguese and Chinese. The view of the city is breathtaking on a clear day and the panoramic view allows you to see most of Los Angeles.



Speaking of views, I drove up to Mulholland Dr. at dusk recently. There's no hiking involved but it is a great spot to park and view the city. It reminds me of the viewpoint in Peyton Place, except we have a view of the city and they had a view of a lake. I guess it isn't that similar...



Boyfriend button up, Active pants, Forever 21 scarf & glasses, vintage Harley Davidson boots

(I've bought a lot of Forever 21 crap over the years. Disposable clothing as my mom says. Don't judge me!)

Office Life

Unfortunatley, I can work 50 to 60 hour weeks when I am really busy. I got to thinking that my office should really reflect who I am more than it has for the last three plus years. I've had the boring, black, plastic business holder on the corner of my desk and a generic, clear, plastic pen holder next to my phone for too long. They were functional but so bland and stale. So just this last month, I "revamped" my office. I put it in quotations because I really didn't make many changes but it made a huge difference to me!

I have a lot of glass in my home, and I try to reuse it as much as possible and in a number of ways. Rarely do I throw out food jars, spice bottles, or any other glass container since I can't buy Rubbermade, Tupperware or any other organizers for storage. I decided to pull a couple of these items for my office to help keep things contained as well as personalized. Below are the changes I made:

tapanade jar

flower vase

milk glass for candies and a tea cup for business cards

cool vintage post cards from an antique mall

my plant egg

Here are some other ways I reuse my glass:

Large vase = holds my tea bags

Wine bottles = candle holders

Kombucha bottles = water bottles

Food jar = hold matches, pens, plastic bags, food storage like tupperware

Shot glass = q-tips

Consider reusing something before you throw it away. With all of the food purchases you make weekly, the jars could come in handy. If you can't think of a use for them right away, store them in the same place you would tupperware. Or you could use them as cups like mason jars and keep the lids in your silverware or utility drawer. I have an eclectic, vintage style but clear glass blends well in most settings including modern, French country, shabby chic or any other style if used in the right places.

Wedding Darlings

I had the pleasure of attending the beautiful, love-filled wedding of Jack & Dawn Rodriguez. Their partnership and joy for one another is inspiring! The ceremony and reception took place at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles last weekend. The weather was comfortable, the location was fresh and the decor was over the top! Of course, I only have my iPhone 3GS (ancient along with the taxidermy in the museum) so my pictures are horrible but you get the idea.

They had shaved ice. It's SO good with our without the condensed milk.

 Vintage (family) rings, Deborah Lippmann nail lacquer, Forever 21 clutch

Since everyone loves to dress up for weddings, I wanted to find something new for the occasion. I found the most amazing dress at an antique mall and it could not have worked out more perfectly! I go to Grandma Darling's looking for milk glass mugs and other household trinkets on a pretty regular basis. Antique malls are typically owned by one person but hold a number of vendors' items. This mall is mostly collectibles, household goods and jewelry but there is one vendor that has a room full of old dresses, shoes, hats and gloves from the 40's to 80's. I thought I would try on a couple dresses that caught my eye to see if they worked. When I came out of the dressing room, looking for someone to zip me up, the owner of the room was standing there. I didn't know who she was but she started squealing about how perfectly the dress fit me. She was so excited to see someone else wear her old dress. Right away, she said she would give it to me for half off because it fit so well!!!!! (Oh, ok sure. I'll take that.) So the dress was originally $90 but I got it for $45 as well as another sleeveless dress that will be great for summer. Below is what I whipped together for the night, including hair, make up and shoes which I already owned.

Vintage dress, Jessica Simpson heels, vintage (family) brooch, Makeup Forever eyeliner

It was a beautiful night with wonderful friends and I am so happy for the lovebirds who are currently celebrating with a month long honeymoon in Europe! Congrats you two. :)