Weddings

How beautiful are these images?! Even the one on the top, which is slightly blurred!
Still incredibly moving, in my opinion. Can I turn back the hands of time and have
my wedding photos taken like this? In some vineyard, with bottles full of fireflies? Sigh...


{via onelovephotography}

Summer Reading

I think if I had the option of camping out in a library, I'd do it, and love it.


*Sorry been slacking. Trying to get things together before Vegas.

{via jen bekman}

The Colors Of Breakfast

I LOVE this! Makes me feel both hungry and inspired. The colors are amazing.

{via bowhaus}

Smoke & Mirrors

Little Criminals from Jon Hardy & The Public on Vimeo.

Practice Photos

One of my best friends is getting married in December, and i'll be taking
her engagement photos! I've never done this in my life so
I'm a little nervous. I just want to make sure she gets some really good
shots that she can look back on and be incredibly happy with.

I asked my husband if he could accompany me to the park to shoot some
practice shots. Here's a few that I ended up with. What do you think??
I tried not to use any post-processing. Only really post-processed one.
You'll know which. Also tried working on Diptychs, which is why almost
all of them are combined photos. :)














Here's the post-processed shot. Personally, I like it better than the non processed one,
below. What do you think? Yay? Or Nei?


I used two different images for the previous two. They look quite similar.

Well, my friend's engagement shoot is next week in Vegas. Wish me luck!
I'm so excited.

Have a great Sunday night!

xx

Still In Love

With everything affiliated w/ summer.

It's the weekend!! I thought it would never come! Yesterday we met up with my old
co-worker/friend from Hawaii. I haven't seen her in over a year. I use to work with
her in the buying department at my old job. I think about the job from time to time
and find myself missing little things about it. Yet, the deeper I reminisce, the more I
realize just how unhappy I was working for that company as a whole. The big
picture was rather tragic and discouraging and I'd never get thanked or recognized
for any job well done. Wait, does that even happen at jobs anymore?

We ended up going to a Dodgers vs. Cubs game. Got there early for batting practice
and stayed after the game for Friday night fireworks. Feels like I haven't watched
fireworks in a really long time. I guess I was a little spoiled back home. We watched
fireworks every Friday from our balcony. One of the hotels did a fireworks show from
Waikiki beach every week.

It was nice spending a night with good friends and just enjoying the game. I need more
living-in-the-moment type of days, instead of being surrounded by negative energy/
people/situations.


Today we went to another Dodger game. I KNOW! It was actually free tickets, from
collecting gas receipts and sending them into Dodgers Stadium. We ended up in
Bleacher Beach. I was praying to God that they didn't have some girl in a tiny bikini
shooting the crowd with a water hose, because that's what they normally do at
Bleacher Beach. AHH. I kept running through my mind, what I would do if someone
was shooting a hose. What would I do with my hair? AND MY CAMERA? I think we'd
just move down to seats lower than us, actually. Anyway, It never happened. There
was no girl, and there was no hose. Even though at one point I kinda wished there
was! It was blazing hot, and I could see my skin quickly changing from ivory to hot
pink.

It was a really good game, and I got a mild sunburn. The day was going good. After
it was done, we went to the market and picked up food to cook tonight. I made a
Baked chicken breast stuffed with asparagus, and cheddar cheese. Pretty easy to
make, surprisingly. You just get a chicken breast, slice it from the side, stuff it
with the asparagus and cheddar and tie it with a few strings to keep the insides
from falling out. Make a little boat out of foil and place the chicken breast in there,
along with a little butter and olive oil, and whatever spices you want to use.
Then preheat oven to 350º and bake for 35-40 minutes, and you're done. It's
really good, I think i've found a new favorite.....for the time being.

Now i'm just relaxing and drinking some tea. Which reminds me, I'm low on ginger.
Need to pick some up tomorrow! These tea bags have little quotes on the end
of the string. I love reading them, they're so positive and cute. Tonight's msg
was: Grace brings contentment. :)

Need to sleep. G'night, everyone. Have a relaxing weekend.

Fountain Of Youth

The youth of today. Run by the age of technology? Controlled
by the internet and fast food chains? Do kids still go out and
build bicycle ramps out of concrete bricks and old doors and
play outside till the sun slips behind their little paint-chipped
houses? I'm not sure, but what I do know, is that the children
of today are WILDLY inspirational and extremely talented, in ways
I could have never imagined.

I stumbled across Chrissie White's photos while browsing the
www and am baffled. Is it possible to be this talented at the
tender age of 16? Apparently so. Don't be fooled with what
you're lead to believe about the next generation. They are
full of magic..

{via chrissie white}

Vinaigrette + Bookstores

We had dinner down the street at this little Italian restaurant with pretty chandeliers.
Surprisingly affordable, too.


They have the best vinaigrette dressing i've ever tasted. When my sister came to
visit us, they gave us a little vile of the stuff to take home. I don't think she ever
used it. I wonder what happened to it?


My husband doesn't like this photo, but I do :)


After dinner we went to a bookstore around the corner. My husband wanted to pick
up a book on meditation/clearing your thoughts. I suggested the book my
grandma gave me before moving up here & the author Lauren first told me about,
years ago! Eckhart Tolle-The Power Of Now. I'm not really into these type of books
on the regular but these are good. I read it on the airplane, in between anxiety attacks.
It actually got me to calm down a little. Anyway, I just ended up buying a magazine.


Now we're home, watching the Dodgers game. We got some free tickets in the mail today.
The date is set for Saturday, day. I'm going to get a really bad sunburn, I just know it.
Also, my friend Gayle and her husband are coming in and want to go to a game on
Friday! This is getting out of hand...

Time to head to dreamland. zZz. G'night!

Sleep Alone

Anyone know where I can find a neon heart for my bedroom?

Glow Worms

"Sometimes the simplest ideas have a big impact."

The title of this post inspired me to google "Glow Worms", hoping to find the
80's toy/doll in which I use to sleep with as a little girl. My Glow Worm was
the perfect night light :). Anyway, HERE. An interesting article.

New York, I Love You

Actors + Actresses:

Bradley Cooper, Shia LaBeouf, Natalie Portman, Blake Lively, Christina Ricci,
Orlando Bloom, Justin Bartha, Hayden Christensen, Robin Wright Penn, Rachel Bilson,
John Hurt, Ethan Hawke, Anton Yelchin, James Caan, Cloris Leachman, Andy Garcia,
Olivia Thirlby, Drea De Matteo, Chris Cooper, Julie Christie, Jacinda Barret, Eli Wallach,
Eva Amurri, Qi Shu, Burt Young, Irrfan Khan, Emilie Ohana, Ugur Yucel, Taylor Geare,
Sinsu Co, Ashley Klein, Eliezer Meyer, Jordann Beal, Richard Chang, Amy Raudenbush,
Gary Cherkassky, Juri Henley-Cohn, Gurdeep Singh, Andy Karl, Loukas Papas, Eddie D'vir,
Adam Moreno, Carlos Acosta, Vedant Gokhale, Cesar De Leon, Simon Dasher, Jeff Chena,
Robert d Scott, Adam S. Phillips, Duane Nakia Cooper, Aron Charach, Himad Beg,
Brad Napixas, Youri Cho, Kimberly Dorsey, Tanzeel Kayani, Rebecca Merle, Liza
Petrosyan, Max Robkoff and Harry L. Seddon.

Rose Season Closure

Lately I can feel a slight clill in the air, and the need for a light cardigan after 7pm, when
the sun is setting behind the california palms. The roses planted in public gardens aren't
as vibrant and plump as they were when spring rolled over and passed into summer. I've
been feeling the need to lay out in the grass, under the white gazebos and enjoy as much
as I can before the sunny warmth and sweet smell of roses disappear. I don't want summer
to end. I've never really paid much attention to seasons, mainly because I grew up in Hawaii
and lived there up until last year. When I was a little girl, all the way up until I turned 29,
i've loved the winter and the subtle chill it sent through my bones on cool winter days in
Honolulu. This past winter was my first winter in California. Our office doesn't use a heater
and I've spent many days in an non-insulated cubicle, rubbing my hands together and blowing
warm air into them. Maybe that makes it all the worse for me, along w/ the gray gloom that sits
on the city for weeks and weeks and never parts. I like the colors of summer, the happy smiles,
picnics, beaches and bikinis, sandals and tank tops, shorts, fresh berries, the sound of
little children laughing in the parks, baseball games, 4th of July fireworks, farmers markets,
and kite flying. Everything is so much brighter, I don't know why I didn't notice it all before.
In Hawaii, it's always warm and bright, like one long endless summer. I loved and hated it
all at the same time. Everything was perfect and beautiful but I needed a change. Distance
has made me appreciate the little and big things now, something I really needed. I can now
see clearly.

*photos- Cutest little vases for flowers. I've slowly been collecting random flower vases.
The flea markets have a lot of adorable vintage bottles and mason jars. Some are a little
pricey but like everything else, if you dig around you can find a good deal. I'll post a few
later when I get some flowers. :)

Last post of the night, I think?

Goodnight xx

{photos via *designsponge}

Batting Cages + Pepperoni Pizzas

Didn't end up at the beach, In fact, we stayed home 1/2 of the day watching
the Dodgers vs. D-backs game. When it was done, my husband somehow talked
me into going to the batting cages! It was okay though, they had really good
pizza and a bunch of video games. Good thing I'm a sucker for both. I don't remember
the batting cages in Hawaii to be as fun as the ones here. It felt like a time warp back to
the 80's. The restaurant inside took me back to 5th grade, and pizza parties w/
my elementary school friends.


Pepperoni + Cheese


When we got home, I asked to sit out on the patio for a while, to get a little more air
before going back into the apartment cave. Sat out on the wooden tables, with the
bees and plants for a while, talking and taking photos. The first photo is from the patio.
I don't usually spend time out here, even though I should. The light under the canopy is
always really pretty.

Have a great remainder of the night! Need to lay down a little. zZz

xx

*

Not something I normally would listen to, but definitely a nice change.

Mass Appeal

This one is for L. Bicycle basket full of hydrangeas=yes please.


Ricotta dumplings (gnudi) in a sauce that combines roasted fresh corn, salt pork, and
scallions.


Afternoon alfresco meal. I can't stop looking at this, it looks like the perfect day.

{via martha stewart living magazine | print}

City Views + Concrete Seats

Room W/ A View

Flickr Fave.

This is what I call a view!

{via Javiy}

Drives and Shabu Shabu

This was at a lookout, overlooking Los Angeles. Not a very clear day today, but the view was still
amazing and the air was cool and dry. We sat around staring at miniature buildings in the
distance and catching stray ladybugs. It was nice. There was a big colorful structure at the
lookout with little stone seats built into the concrete floor, covered in graffiti and glass
bottle debris. Very odd little structure, with no sign or plaque to explain what it was
for. We spent a good 30 mins enjoying the view and talking, and then left.

The sun was slowly setting and we were already on our way down the mountain when we decided
on eating Shabu Shabu in Pasadena. I still think I prefer homemade Shabu over any Shabu house i've
been to so far. I'm keeping my eye and mind open for a good one in LA. Anyone have any leads?
Still working on researching different restaurants in California. So far, I've found so-o many! I'm
loving the variety here. The possibilities are endless!

After dinner we drove home and watched the baseball game my husband recorded on DVR. Looks
like it's going to be another lazy night spent indoors, in front of the t.v. Looking forward to
waking up early and getting out of the house. Not 100% sure what we're doing yet, but I have a
feeling it has something to do with an ocean, a surfboard and a towel for me to sit on while
bird and pier watching. We'll see if my intuition is right, tomorrow.

*Side note: Feeling a little under the weather, some kinda sinus issue again.

Gonna try to rest my head and sleep earlier than usual. Have a good night!

xx