BFFS-4EVA

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not the most organized host. Sure, I'll save you a cat-free pillow case, fluff you a comforter, vacuum the couch, and have Jackie make pumpkin pancakes in the morning...but when it comes to figuring out what to do throughout your stay, I won't have an entire agenda planned. LA is a wonderful city with a lot of things to do but it's so widespread that you almost have to choose only 1 or 2 things a day. Typically those activities include food, shopping, or something active like a hike or a yoga class.

When Erin came to town, we didn't do much of any of those things! I've known Erin since first grade, so whenever we're together, it doesn't take much to keep us happy and I love that about her. Instead of stressing over where to take her or what to do, we just decided to do whatever would make us happy at the moment, which ended up being the Stanley Kubrik exhibit at the LACMA (probably the closest either of us will get to seeing The Shining since we're both babies!), climbing walls at Rockcreation, skipping the gym to play card games and eat pastries at Sweet Lady Jane, taking our time shopping/gawking at LA Marathoners at the Promenade, split-and-swapping at the new Burger Lounge, and a few more...[life-changing, totally awesome, wish-i-could-post-photos] unmentionables.

Come back soon, Erin! I promise not to plan anything!

Rainy Sunday

I love being home, especially when my neighborhood is covered by a cozy grey cloud. Laundry is done, floors are swept, furniture has been de-catified, counters wiped, and all the dishes are clean - WIN - I can take slow sips my coffee, finally hang some more art up on the walls, scour the world wide web for Christmas presents, and watch as many episodes of Breaking Bad as I want! Great weekend.

Starting a Garden

Here I go adding to my list of old-people leisure activities....

Before beginning our veggie garden, we went to the farmer's market to talk to a seasoned farmer about the best ways to begin. As we suspected, he told us that we need to prep our soil before even thinking about what we want to grow. He suggested getting a few bags of EB Stone Planting Compost (no chemicals, no sir!) and mixing it into the soil so that's exactly what we did. Thankfully, the people who had this raised bed before us cleared everything out...just leaving behind a few grape tomatoes.


We got on our hands and knees and cleared out as many roots and leaves that we could!
We were told to water the soil and give it a few days to let all the nutrients seep in...hopefully this will set a good home for our veggies. Now we wait...I can already tell that this whole process will be a long lesson in patience!

In a few days, we'll probably head back to the market to get some veggie starters. Instead of starting with seeds, this will give us a few months head start. Maybe one day we'll start from seeds, but I don't mind a little cheating here and there to keep my confidence levels high.

I got a little crazy in Photoshop and I doubt that this will all fit, but here's what we'd like to do:


If anyone has any tips, I'd love to hear them! More later!

Focusing on the Horizon

New expensive hobby alert (will it ever end?): stand up paddle boarding.

I've lived in the Santa Monica & Malibu area for almost six years and even though I love the ocean, it's taken me this long to try a water sport. SUP ended up being easier than I thought...much more exciting than kayaking but not as challenging or scary as surfing. Once I got past the fact that I wasn't going to go anywhere fast, I started to appreciate how slow the whole process is. Before paddling out, I was advised to focus on the horizon to help keep my balance and now that I think of it, that sounds like a line I would hear in a yoga class. Balance is key to all aspects of my life and it's true - focusing on the horizon, being aware of the bigger picture, does help me keep my head from spinning. I found myself zoning in on the sound of my paddle hitting the glassy water and all the sudden I understood how some people start every day paddling out into the sea. 

The visibility into the ocean was so clear. At one point, we were even able to see some fish swimming underneath us through the kelp beds. When we had reached our turn-around point, our guide gave us some time to jump in and cool off, or in my case, lie down. It was dangerously comforting to get rocked by the waves while being warmed by the sun. To seal the deal, a family of young dolphins swam past us only about 15 feet away...I'm hooked!

This post deserves a "#lovemylife".

*Photo credit: here

The Seafood Shack

While on a Craigslist mini road trip to pick up a fantastic mid-century modern dresser in Laguna Beach, Jackie and I discovered a little hole in the wall seafood joint along the way called The Seafood Shack. What started as an innocent craving for some shellfish quickly spiraled into a messy, finger-licking, two-hour feast! This was my first seafood boil experience and I loved every moment of it - from the second they put down the paper table cloth (more like drop cloth), scissors, lobster crackers and a huge bowl of lemons, to when I had to go to the bathroom to literally wash all the yumminess off my hands and cheeks (no napkins or utensils!).

We ordered the Taste of the Sea (1 whole lobster, 2 pounds of crawfish, 1 pound clams, 1 pound of shrimp, corn and sausage) and an Oyster sampler as an appetizer.  Our waiter couldn't believe he was taking down an order for two small females. He must have announced it to the kitchen because throughout the entire meal we had waitresses coming to check in and root us on. I have to admit that I was a little nervous about an allergic reaction to ALL that shellfish since it had happened to my brother, but I am happy to say that I am in the clear!



I wish I had more photos of the night, but after this point, our hands were MESSY. That night, I learned how to crack a crawfish. I also learned that crawfish heads are pretty darn gross. Maybe one day I will be cool enough to suck out the heads...
For the record, we finished it. All of it.

Best Weekend.

Why do awesome sun-filled weekends make for the most difficult Mondays? It's been a while since I wrote a "Weekend Vacation" post, but these last few days definitely qualify. Productivity mixed in with fun and sun - what more could a girl ask for? Since I'm way too lazy to put together full sentences, here are my weekend highlights:

• Signed a lease! Friends and family, I'll be sending around my new address shortly. Spoiler alert: we're graduating by about 20 blocks towards the ocean!
• Spent some quality time on the sand. Jackie taught me some volleyball tricks and I have the forearm bruises to show for it.
• Filled up our fridge and freezer with goodies for the rest of July -- nothing like being fully stocked with veggies, lean meats and acai bowl fixings!
• Bruce got a wash and smells of jasmine...gone are the obscene messages written on my windows (thank you Santa Monica street parking)
• Hour and a half of Power Yoga with Vytas ... SWEAT ...
• One of the best smoothies I've had in years at Moonjuice in Venice (tried the Mint Chip and recommend it wholeheartedly!)  

Creator.

A few posts ago I mentioned that Santigold's set was one of my top Coachella memories (click if you've ever wondered what it might feel like to perform on the Main Stage...don't click if you get dizzy easily!!) I wasn't too familiar with her music before seeing her, but she had/has amazing energy and oh MAN her dancers were out of this world!

She's a mix between MIA and Tegan & Sara and I can already tell that her new album is going to be playing all summer long. Preview it on NPR here and if you find yourself in a creative funk, take a listen to this song...

Lately...

A few quick updates since I haven't posted in a while...

1. Coachella #4 - my fourth time attending, but first (and probably only) time I will be considered VIP!!


I didn't bring my camera into the festival, but managed to take a few photos pool-side. We had a blissful weekend in the desert filled with amazing live performances. St. Vincent, Bon Iver, Santigold, Dr. Dre/Snoop/50 Cent/Eminem and Feist are my top picks of the weekend. It still baffles me that I can list those artists in one sentence.




Take me back to that lazy river, pronto!

2. Muay Thai Boxing - a fun workout that has me sore for days...according to our trainer, the bruises and cuts are the sign of a true bada** fighter. Great. Looks like I'm well on my way! ...Do bada** fighters also have blue toe nails?



3. Low-Carb Challenge: 5 days ago, I was challenged to cut out carbs after breakfast. After getting over the initial shock of taking rice and noodles out of my diet (umm...noodles are my life), it's actually been fun to try and be creative with what goes into my body. When you're writing down everything you eat, it's much easier to say no to unnecessary foods. Side-note for the Con readers: Supposedly I am subconsciously dreading the moment I have to turn down BonTon cake...I dreamt about it last night! BonTon must be my most beloved indulgence. Please feel free to take advantage of this confession the next time I visit.


(Hoisin pork loin veggie skewers - a delicious, low-cal Real Simple Magazine recipe!)

espresso + cookies

Tatsuro is another one of my best buds living up in Seattle and we were lucky enough to get an hour or two with him and Strider, his puppy. Since there is an independent coffeeshop on just about every corner of Seattle (the stereotype is true!), he took us out for espresso and cookies and I only wish we weren't a flight away so that we could do this more often.

*side note: speaking of flights, a special thank you goes out to my deaaaar father who woke up at 4:30am to drive us to SEATAC for our return flight :)

Holga Adventures

Holy moly, what a great start to 2012. It feels like summer in LA and I don't mind! Not one bit. For my day off, I took advantage of the beautiful weather and went for a little jaunt around Runyan Canyon with Jackie. It was especially busy - it felt like we were hiking in an amusement park! I don't know if the three day weekend, the weather or new years resolutions are to blame. Probably a combination of the three.



We brought along my trusty camera and experimented with the Holga lens, as you can see. After some indoor experimenting, I decided that the Holga lens was much more appropriate for outdoor settings and I love the vignette effect that I got on a lot of these shots. I kept thinking that it was funny to use a plastic toy lens on such a nice digital SLR. Don't these remind you of those disposable camera shots that you would get developed from summer camp?

Sidenote: I didn't take a photo of it, but the Kale and Coconut smoothie from Naturewell in Silverlake is definitely worth mentioning. There is nothing better after a dusty LA hike! Go brave the hipsters and get one, if you are in the neighborhood.

B&W

This weekend was spent inside, under blankets and with lots of tea in hand.

Hiking it Off.

When the parents are in town, it's all about eating and shopping. Factor in Thanksgiving and Black Friday and we already had a pretty full agenda lined up. To balance out the heaviness of sweet potatoes and mac n' cheese, we suggested dragging everyone up the Hollywood hills to the Griffith Observatory. With the forecast reading 80 degrees and sunny, it ended up being the most perfect afternoon outing.

Weekend Vacation

Crafts! Need I say more?

Lauren lugged over her kaboodle full of beads, charms, chains, feathers and tools. She braved beading with the help of Moby while I finally dusted off the sewing machine. I have a little leather clutch in the works and can't decide on how I want to attach a strap. Craft time is so much more fun with friends!

Janae has a fun new blog in the works...watch out world for my debut "style" post coming to the internet very soon! In my sister's words "aiyaaaah".