UO purchases

I was in desperate need for some new jeans.

$70 high-waisted Cheap Monday skinnies

And because both items were on sale...

$9.99 white fringe tank

$6.99 black circle-frame sunglasses

I couldn't resist. I can't wait for them to come in!

existentialism at it's finest

"A man who as a physical being is always turned toward the outside, thinking that his happiness lies outside him, finally turns inward and discovers that the source is within him."

- Søren Kierkegaard

photo via skullset

top five music picks (as of late)

I was lazy with my new music research for a while, but a helpful little bird has motivated me to be much more proactive in my endeavors. It's certainly been an inspiring conquest, so I'd like to share a few of my favorite sounds with everyone!

1. M. Ward's new album Hold Time

I've been listening to it nonstop since it's release less than a week ago. M. Ward is wonderful, and I must say that choosing Zooey Deschanel to accompany him for two of the songs on the album was pure genius. Their voices sound brilliant together. Plus, the album artwork is quite lovely.

2. Animal Collective's new album Merriweather Post Pavilion

Observation 1: THE ALBUM ARTWORK IS TRIPPAYYYY. Observation 2: The song "My Girls" has been stuck in my head for days now. All in all, however, Animal Collective has produced ridiculously amazing albums over the years and it's no surprise that this one was just as innovative. It's a great, great, GREAT listening experience.

3. The Acorn's Daytrotter Session with songs for their album Glory Hope Mountain

The session was released just yesterday and the album was originally released in October of 2007, but it's definitely quite amazing. I've been listening to it when taking breaks from M. Ward. :]

4. The Honey Tree's new EP Wake the Earth

I must say, I've always found their leading lady, Becky Filip, very inspiring. I've kept up with their MySpace updates because the songs would typically be available for a free download. The music is all very whimsical and angelic, which I just love. This is their first EP and it was certainly worth the wait. 

5. Noah and the Whale's Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down

This number 5 spot was a tough fill. It was between this and Blitzen Trapper's album Furr. I chose Noah and the Whale because their album is so well made as a collective whole. It's actually perfect for making art. I always take my iPod to my drawing class to get myself in a "flow" and this is usually what I'll put on. It's just got a great consistent beat. Now, about Furr: Blitzen Trapper failed to create a cohesive sound on that album. As much as I love the thing, it's just not top 5 worthy. Sorry, boys.

P.S. When I say "as of late" I actually mean "over the past three days or so."

uncaged

"It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird; it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad."

- C.S. Lewis

photo via skullset

oh... i want that.

So, I went to Sonoma County, California this past weekend with my mom, her fiancé, his daughter & her husband, and, of course, my lovely Valentine. It was absolutely wonderful -- even though it was raining all weekend. How in the world is it still ridiculously beautiful there regardless the weather? I ask that, but I'm actually quite happy it's that way or else the trip would have been a little miserable.

I would bore you with details, but instead I'll share a few pretty pictures.

morning of Valentine's Day

 

Hello, adorable boy! (at Flying Goat Coffee in Healdsburg)

"the swing of a life"

 

I hope to have a swing like this one day.

He is amazing.

I plan to edit this post. I'm still a little jet-lagged (or perhaps I'm using that as an excuse because I may always be pretty tired). I need to work on my sleeping schedule (and caffeine intake at that). Yes, I do.

sixth folder; sixth photo.

So, Tori tagged me in this very creative little thing called "6th folder, 6th photo" where you post a picture from the sixth photo in your sixth picture folder and blog about it.

I'm so glad that this was the picture simply because it's just so me. I found it online when looking for inspiring images. Most who know me well are definitely aware of the fact that I love lions. The lion is my animal. It fully symbolizes my personality (aside from the fact that I'm a dead-on typical leo). The wall decal is wonderful! I love the the pattern and the colors. And, of course, I love, love, love children. This picture just reminds me of what I hope to have one day: beautiful children running around and neat lion related things in my home (not to mention clean walls and hardwood floors as well). The image may just be pretty cute to some, but it fully encompasses what I aspire my life to result in, which, in short, is a happy household filled with love.

i'd rather dance with you

Bouncing back from a weekend like this past one has been quite the challenge. Friday was the ever-so-wonderful Cool Shoes. Of course, I danced by limbs off with my new favorite dance partner and was privileged to see more beautiful faces than I ever thought possible. I spent Saturday with Marly, which was much needed. We grabbed lunch at Boulevard and ran a few errands. It was actually a lot of fun. We haven't spend time like that together in too long. My dance partner took me on a "hot date" that night, which consisted of Greek dinner at Layla's, coffee at Starbucks, seeing Slumdog Millionaire (a MUST SEE), watching SNL with Daddy Lepine, picking up his brother from a post-dance party, pigging out, then a sleepover... [It's not quite over yet] The "hot date" fell into Sunday, which consisted of church at Redeemer, "Soup-er-bowl" lunch, the Andy Warhol exhibit (with Marly as well), coffee, church at Vintagenxt (of which I plan to become a regular attendee), then a pseudo-Superbowl watch party at my house with my family. My intention wasn't to bore you with the juicy details, and I apologize if I did, but I can't think of the last time I had such a fulfilling as well as spiritually uplifting weekend.

I've decided to be much more productive. I've gotten lazy because I allowed myself to get a little behind, so when I wasn't doing schoolwork to catch up, I was relaxing due to exhaustion. Now that I'm completely caught up, I want to pick up a few projects. After my current project (which I won't mention because it's a surprise for someone), I plan to do this button beanie:

 

It won't really take much effort because I have millions of buttons. I just have to find the perfect beanie... and that's going to be tough I'm afraid.

I suppose that's all for now. I hope everyone's having a great week. :]