happy mardi gras + women's day



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So it's Mardi Gras. And  I have no idea what to give up for Lent.  I decided to construct a list of things I enjoy way too much to help me with my decision.

• My car. Haha, good one.  This one is ruled out by default.
• Glee. Seriously, this night's episode was SEXAAAY. No really, it was called "Sexy."  (And yes Blaine, in fact you do turn my knees to jelly.)  It was also very emotional!  I was so impressed by the writers of Glee for being so fearless and real.  I started to tear up a few times, but then Blaine would come on and I'd be like, EVERYTHING IS OKAY, FOLKS because he is such a sweetie (understatement of my life) and seeing him with one of my favorite characters (Kurt's dad) made me SO HAPPY.  Also, it was so great to hear Kurt's voice for the first time in decades!  Seriously!
• Darren Criss.  You guyzzzzz!  I haven't fangirled this hard since the 2010 outbreak of Stevens Fever.  I am losing my mind.  I listen to Not Alone on average of a 3242 times a day and Warblers songs are on constant repeat.  Can you blame me?  I have a weakness for intelligent and attractive musicians.  And Darren Criss is not only this; he is also a talented actor and writer.  And let's not forget he has PLAYED HARRY POTTER and is ON GLEE.  He is also so down-to-earth, sweet, and open-minded.  What more can you ask in a guy?  Answer:  Nothing.
• Yearbook.  NOT HAPPENING.  Yearbook is MY LIFE, my love, my joy, the love of my life, the joy of my being.  My one and only.
• Cuddling with my dog Izzy.  (See above)
• Gossip Girl. This would be cheating, because it isn't going to be on again until April 18th anyway.
• Tumblr, Blogs, Twitter, Facebook.  I gave up Facebook last year and it went alright...it just gave me more blog time. I honestly think that if I did this again I would end up just binge-tumbling and tweeting and blogging, which kind of defeats the purpose, doesn't it?
• Pushing the snooze button. The possibility of eight more minutes of sleep is oh-so-irresistible.  The possibility of 16...24...32... Well, I can't help myself.  It's so easy.
• Baking.  Let's level here; giving this up would be a lose/lose situation for everyone.

Oh my goodness!  This is going to be a tough one.  I think there is some room to compromise, though.

For Lent I try to choose things that will help me improve as a person and simplify my life.  I'm also always up for a challenge.  So this is my proposition:

1. Resist the urge of pushing the snooze button.  (The horror!)
2. Limit computer time to one hour a day.
3. Refrain from buying Glee songs on iTunes. (This will be slightly painful for me, but it will be worth it when I get to buy the Warblers CD coming out sometime in April!)

BTW, today is the 100th year anniversary of International Women's Day.  Woohoo!

eighteen

March 5th was my birthday.  I am now EIGHTEEN. 

Do I feel different?  Yes--MORE AWESOME.

Do I still get asked if I want a kids menu when I'm out with family?  Yes--BUT THAT IS OKAY.

Because you know what?  I AM STILL AWESOME.

This is how I spent my weekend, you know, being awesome:

Friday in yearbook, the always wonderful AJ made me the most attractive cake I've ever seen. (Note tiara on top of my hat.  Gotta love yearbook.)

Why was it so attractive, you ask?  Well, it had Darren Criss and the Hogwarts crest on it.  Also, it was pink with cream cheese frosting.  PERFECTION.

On Saturday, after a lovely breakfast of quiche, fruit, and expresso with the fam at home, Melanie, Erin, and I headed out to Tempe for macarons at Essence Bakery.  They were tres delicieux!

It was Melanie's first one, and Erin's first real one (she has tried mine).  I am so proud.

After shopping for beaucoup hours (I scored some beauties), we got sushi at Shimogamo.  Yum!

Next we went to see a production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee that our friend Dahlya is in.  I laughed so hard (and even got to go up on stage to spell a word...wrong)!

Yodipity came last; there's nothing like coconut frozen yogurt with some friends!

Sunday was family time.  I chose Joe's Farm Grill to celebrate my birthday with my mom's side of the family. It was perfect weather for eating outside on the picnic tables.  Happiness! (That is the dress I got while out shopping...My new favorite for sure!)  For dinner, we went out with my other set of grandparents at Oregano's.  It was a tasty weekend to say the least.

I got some lovely and thougthful gifts from my besties (they make me laugh and cry and make ingenious Gossip Girl and Sufjan and Dobby references) and family (Glee season one and iPhone anyone?) and my parents (they treated me to my fabulous day out with friends) but one gift I am still in shock from that I received from my grandparents.  I am seriously giddy out of my mind. 

I GOT A CAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Can you believe it? I had never been so surprised in my life when I was opening the last of my grandparents' gifts.  I got my license last August and I haven't been able to take out either of my parents' giant boat-sized vehicles even once.  I didn't mind much at first, but the past few months especially I have gotten a bit frustrated, especially when I need to get to a babysitting gig or have to rely on friends for rides (although this has done worlds for my patience). 

But now... Now I have my own set of wheels since my grandma just got a new car.  I am beside myself with happiness.  I have offically decided to dub it the "Gleemobile."  Not only do I plan on listening to an unhealthy amount of Glee while I drive, but I also discovered last night while showing off my new wheels at Erin's (to her whole family, no less) that on the back right corner it says "GLE." 

Oh yes.  I am awesome. xoxo

(500) doodles of words

THIS IS MY 500th POST!

Much has changed since December of 2007 when I wrote my first blogpost, but it's funny to see how much hasn't.  Here's a look at a few posts from my first year in the blogosphere.

That December I discovered Etsy and revived my love of tea parties.

That March I made my first of many pies.

That May I realized how cool Zooey Deschanel was. (current obsession? Try life-long.)

That June I met the love of my life.

Some things never change...

My love of Gossip Girl

My Harry Potter obsession

My lust over Ban.do (now I finally own one!)

My favorite blogger (who ironically lives in Portland)

My hobby of antiquing & movie-going

My favorite magazine & illustrator

Really bizarre...Looking through these brings me back to when I first wrote them.  It seems like just yesterday!  It honestly does.  I can literally remember writing a lot of these.  I really haven't changed much since, interest-wise.  It's weird to see my 14/15 year old self discovering the things that are all very much a part of me now. 

Thanks for sticking around.  Here's to 500 more!  xoxo

thursday thrills

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A vintage superhero wedding?  Best.  Idea.  Ever.

BTW, I'm pretty positive this wedding is a look into my future.

Check out this adorable YouTube channel.

Admire beautiful clothes from fashion week.  Fabulous!
Fall in love with this quirky brand of cute shoes.

Watch this hilarious short film.


Have an awesome weekend! I know I will--my birthday is Saturday!
xoxo

good, better, best

Sometimes an outfit just works the first time you throw it together.  The other night was not one of those times.  Thankfully I have gotten into the habit of blogging outfits, or I wouldn't have caught my repeated follies in the screen of my camera.  Here are some of my rookie mistakes:

First attempt: I am rocking the stripe pattern--brown, red, brown, red, brown--bor-ing.  The only thing breaking up the monotony is my glasses (which I do admit I sometimes use to pull black into an outfit), gold necklace, and ivory and orange cameo.  Plus, the tights aren't even the right shade of red!  Eeek.

Second attempt:  To save myself from my discolored red tights catastrophe, I opt for my cream socks with gold and orange stripes.  Finally, the cameo has a friend, and the glitter gold stripes set off the whale necklace.  However, the outfit still seems off. I also slightly resemble a bee-keeper.

Thrid attempt:  I lose the hat, add a cream cardigan, move the cameo to the cardigan, and viola!  The outfit flows together and I don't look too crazy.  (Maybe a little.)  I think the secret to odd color combinations is to get a little matchy-matchy.  Otherwise, the silhouette or structure of the outfit is lost in the process.  Just be sneaky about it, like pairing oranges and golds together, as well as browns, tans, and creams together.  Once you trick your outfit into "matching," you can get away with odd pairings like a bright red blouse (with green polka dots and buttons--they're hard to see) and a plaid skirt.

The next day I received four very special complements; two referenced Gossip Girl and the other two compared me to Rachel Barry.  Definitely worth the trial and error, I'd say!

blouse-Buffalo Exchange
necklace-Etsy
cardigan-Ann Taylor
cameo-great-grandma's
skirt-Pie in the Sky
socks-Kate Spade
shoes-Target