West Coast...

Best Coast- So Gone

Happy Monday Music!

I {love} when my worlds collide and it starts with a shoe.

who is she?

{photo credit}

she views the world through rose colored glasses • loves to throw dinner parties, but has been known to burn the roast • values eccentricity over convention • is the first to laugh at her own bad jokes • knows the cha-cha, the charleston, and the tango • paints her nails bright coral when she's feeling blue • is infinitely curious • could happily live off of red velvet cake • pens hand written notes to her grandmother • has a signature shade of lipstick • secretly thinks she may be babe paley reincarnated • she will never give up her library card • has a bucket list a mile long and dreams a dime a dozen • is smart, but never a show-off • listens to the day's forecast, but trusts her own intuition • never says no to a sunday matinee at the theater • is quick to blush, but never short of a witty reply • has a skip in her step and a twinkle in her eye • always shares her last piece of gum •

how do they know me so well!?

home.

Today I had one of those moments where I'm reminded that I'm back home in California.

I've been home for months, but it was today where a simple trip to Bonzai waiting and viewing the constant surf movies playing with the warm January breeze hitting my back. Where health-conscious beach-goers and overly laid-back surfers were also waiting for lunch on this extremely warm Southern California January afternoon, provoking every stereotype I secretly love about being from here when it hit me.

 Like a ton of bricks, it hit me.
I'm home.

And I couldn't be happier in this moment.

{this video is appropriate on so many levels...}

Favorite

things this week: City in a jar taking iconic city landmarks and making them wearable works of art.

I wonder if I could get Bologna, New York, Los Angeles and San Diego all in one jar?

Weekend

In true never-make-plans for life moments, my trip to Canada got postponed due to an unnatural force of nature, but luckily I'll should be heading back with warmer weather in May... the silver lining...everything's already set up for round two.

So I decided to spend the weekend in Orange County with this beauty and begin to challenge myself more physically which included a 4 mile hike through Peter Canyon {yes Tiara, first hike down...500 more to go} and then off-set it with homemade fondue, macaroons from Layer Cake Bakery, and some real Vietnamese Pho at Pho Bac {where your first sign that its going to be good- a menu in Vietnamese and pictures for all us English speaking folk}. All the while, soaking up that amazingly warm California sunshine.

The most perfect unplanned random weekend with the people I love most.

This is life's simplest pleasures at it finest

{photos by me and señor jefe} 

Music...

Wednesday!  ..as I totally dropped the ball on Monday Music..

I'm heading off for the next week to Canada, where life will be hectically (and happily) filled with model castings, television appearances, and lots of cold weather and snow (yay!) I'm leaving you with this amazing song from  Fleet Foxes, Mykonos (Live Abby Road from 2009)... and a little prayer that my luggage and I arrive safe and sound and in the meantime, you can follow my adventures here!

Da sola

{photo credit}

In challenging myself, I wanted to take the most frightening thing for me...and learn to break away from it. My biggest fear...being by myself. But not just being by myself, but to be comfortable doing things by myself.  The last seven years, I've had a partner in crime so to speak to share life experiences with, and while I think of myself as an independent woman,  I think when faced with doing things by yourself (and especially for yourself) we can tend to take a step back and let the fears or insecurities take over and miss out on something beautiful all together.

This week, amidst some crazy emotionally challenges, I took the opportunity to really start branching out on my own- breaking free of my comfort zone of friends.  I threw myself into new experiences, a new community group from my church, a meet up group of like minded non-Italians {and Italians} who've lived in Italy to speak and watch La Tigre e La Neve, and spending quality time just by myself {ok, so this one was a little easy to do- but it's good to do nonetheless}.

What did I learn...that I can do anything that I put my mind too. I met new people, made new friends, and found a new level of hope in myself.  I found that I can hush out any insecurities that come into my head, and the more I do...the more quiet they become. Re-building yourself {and your life} involves challenging yourself, and in challenging yourself becoming a better version of who and what you want to be.

Now, where will I go this week?

 {photo credit}

This last week was an emotionally difficult week for me, but it made me stop and think about all the wonderful things {and people} that are a part of my life right now...

This week I'm thankful and happy for:

* The warm weather!  There's no reason to be sad when it's almost 80 degrees out in the middle of January!

* My dad because along with his honesty, love and support, he also sends me photos of new record players for me to purchase and helps me dream up new dreams for Emily.

* Shower curtains {see below!}

* Baking brownies with Grandma

* Spending some quality quiet time with God 

* Challenging myself with new experiences...even if they're only two minutes away

* Friday morning coffee dates with ladies who challenge me to think outside of my own understanding

* Quality time with Emily- seeing my growth, challenging myself, learning to a better me. There's nothing quite better than that.

Gratitude

I love this photo from The Selby...it reminds me of our bathtub/semi-shower situation I had in Italy.

What I'm thankful for this week, having a shower with curtains.

Music Monday

I booked my first "offical" photo gig with these kids at the Detroit Bar in Costa Mesa. I've come along way from this show.

Enjoy!!

Asobi Seksu

Weekend

 

I'm not one for new years resolutions, in fact to be honest- I hate them, but this year I'm getting back into the groove of things. I may not be able to travel the way that I used to, but there are so many wonderful things right here, so this weekend I decided to not forget pick up my camera and wander around my own backyard.

1. Pannikin Coffee & Tea, Encinitas. I think I go there more now than I ever did in High School but it's a little bit of Brooklyn mixed in with some So Cal sun. 2. Moonlight Beach for a little stroll 3. Meeting up with papa p for a lunch date at Cessy's for some real mexican food 4. Carintas taco! 5. Walk around the farmers market in Carlsbad 6&7 Afternoon stop at the Mission San Luis Rey {can you believe I live right next to it!} I haven't been there since our mandatory fourth grade field trip to the California Missions, but I also appreciate better now than when I was 9.

Re-exploring my own backyard is, for me, taking time to enjoy what I have here, in this moment {and being better about blogging about it!}

The other weekend I learned how to play poker...

I learned about beginners luck

and how to bet big

I learned that it's better not to know how to play

and about finding my poker face

I learned that even my newbie buddy next to me learned the very same lessons

she won...big

I learned how to lose gracefully, and that I'm ready for more

Monday Music

BBC radio live I {heart} you, and The Gorillaz- Crystalised {The xx cover}

Enjoy!