oh snap dis monkey be cute

das right.

perfection.

aaaahhhhh.

these are the most perfect shoes in the entire universe!!

aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!

these are funny

am i right?

right? :)

yoda tassels

Lego Store and Brothers

without a doubt, one of the many perks of being newly single is being accountable ONLY TO ME for my spending.

well, within reason. (Hi Parents who go out of their way to help and support me!)

But let's say that, as I should, I plan and save my money for my future and my bills the way I should.

and because I have a very blessed life, I'm also able to plan and save money to BUY PRESENTS FOR MY BROTHERS!

Happy Birthday Chester!

I recently sent him the above military lego soldiers (recognize a Toy Story reference, anyone?). I thought perhaps a child's imagination should tie into his real-time life, and since T-Bone just hit it up in the Marines, military men it is.

And then, this one. FIREMEN. and an awesome FIRE TRUCK. How cool is that? Duane, my oldest bro, is a fireman/paramedic, and he's the bomb.com. I'm happy to love almost all my brothers by creating a relevant present out of them.

Well, actually, I owe it to them. Once, when I was a little girl, I decided one day that I was REALLY MAD at all my brothers. So I wrote them hate notes.

"Dear Duane and Tim,

You are terrible brothers and buttheads.

Love, Jared"

Of course, I got into all kinds of trouble, as I should (even though I wasn't trying to get Jared in trouble. I just wanted to remain anonymous."

But seeing as I printed the hate notes off of the computer and decorated them, it wasn't hard to figure out they originated from me. :P

And then! Guess what!

I got "Creationary" for Duane.

Have you guys seen it? It's like pictionary except you build things out of legos, which is WAY more fun, and WAY cooler. If you've played it, let me know how it went. I want to play!

No reason, except that I love the crap out of my big bro who always checks in on me and tells me he loves and misses me. I miss him too!

I've decided to start being a woman worth her weight in love. The way to get is to give, and giving is my favorite thing to do. So when the choice was between a new pair of sexy shoes, or giving Duane a surprise awesome present, hands down, no argument, the present goes to Duane.

I love you brothers! and I love the Lego Store!

AAAAAHHHHH!! I LOVE THIS!!

it's totally an alligator clutch.

ahaha! so brilliant!

masks

mahalo

is kicking butt with these

kings and queens

this is awesome

6,000 dollars, anyone?

things work out just right

i've been saving these photos for awhile, and noticed just today that they go together.

nice how that works out, isn't it?

:)

Mom and Popcorn

Remember when I was singing the praises (as they should be sung) of Loco Cowpoke a few weeks back?

Well this store, the Mom and Popcorn Co., are almost on equal par.

The aforementioned Kristen and I were sitting outside the Loco, waiting for the Madre to pick us up. It was hot, and we needed some respite.

I quickly scanned the street, looking for a shop that would annoy me the least.

Lo and behold! A cute sign! And a cute name! Mom and Popcorn, makers of gourment popcorn. Duh. Too cool.

We sauntered over, sauntering really the only thing one can do in Texas. The heat will immediately render you unable to lift your feet at all really, and so you end up just kind of sauntering everywhere, trying not to let your thighs touch.

Was that TMI? hmm...maybe.

Point being, we ended up inside a DELIGHTFUL candy store, totally adorable. One wall was lined with glass candy jars, a second of barrels full of nostalgic candy (oh so fun!,) and the counter was immediately facing the doors. The Counter, was beautiful. They absolutely do specialize in gourment popcorn, and they show it off well. Oh so beautiful, at least twenty flavors, all varieties (including my favorite "Texas White Trash,) :) and too many things for one to look at.

Kristen and I didn't spend as much time in there as I'd like. Well, we did spend SOME time, but it was the kind of time where's there's a lot of people in a boutique shop and so you all kind of ebb and flow your way along the walkways, not really getting to indulge in any of it. But we did make it out of there with a few treasures: two gigantic jawbreakers for my brother and cousin, nostalgic mint tins for the twins, candy cigarettes with Texas cowboys, a bag of White Chocolate covered Caramel Popcorn for Mom, and authentic Taffy strips for a friend.

My only hang-up was the staff, a little bit. I explained to them what I'd like in terms of the items they already carried on their popcorn menu, and they were unwilling to combine my order into one bag, saying simply that they didn't have a way to ring it up. Hello? I'm a customer, and I want to buy something special that you carry. I don't actually care if you charge me a little bit more for it, I just want it done. Period. The end. I'm sure you have a little misc. button somewhere, let's use that one.

OH NO!

Once upon a time, I put this video on youtube as a way of finding housing in Hawaii for an internship I was slated to do with Manoa Valley Theatre in Honolulu:



And instead of watching that video, everyone at the theatres watched this one instead (embarrassingly also available on my youtube channel):



i became instantly recognizable for reasons I didn't predict.

**note** i'm not actually wearing pants in the first video. watch it again. and know that, now. ;)

BEST. PRESENT. EVER?

Let's say that you like to give people really good presents.

In fact, you love it.

And you're reeeealllly, reeaaaalllly good at it.

You find cool things all the time, and when you do, you think, "huh. this would make a great present for my friend leah. or my sister, stephanie. or my friend mary. or heck, i'd even love it for myself."

and then you find out that this really, really awesome present is totally customizable with a cartoon portrait of yourself/your intended, and it then the present reaaaaaally takes the cake.

like this one. from printerette press.

oh, how lovely!

authenticity

found a great series of a bride keeping it real on her day.

you can see the gallery here via the image is found

With Love from Texas

I am a very lucky woman.

Very, very recently, a handful of people reached into my life and helped me get out of a terrible situation, a dangerous situation.

It is my greatest pleasure to tell them "thank you," and send them my love in a wonderful form.

Because, honestly, really, who doesn't like receiving gifts? :)

Gift Box #1 included two vintage bottles of Dr. Pepper, a Texas cookbook, nostalgic taffy, Texas wildflower packets, and a horseshoe, for good luck. This is for an established couple who love to garden, and are known to have cook-outs.

(My Dad grabbed the horseshoes for me--they're authentic.) :)

Gift Box #2 goes to a bad-ass woman who is today's version of Carrie-Ann Moss from the Matrix. She gets two bottles of specialty salsa, a jar of cinnamon honey butter (oooohhh sooo deeellliiiicccciiiooouusss,) two bags of novelty western candy, two nostalgic Dr. Peppers, a "Don't Mess with Texas" lighter, and a horseshoe, for good luck.

All items are obviously, authentically Texan.

Gift Box #3 goes to a rockabilly rough couple with good jobs, huge hearts, and a penchant for doing the right thing. They get three jars of salsa (actually, one is a cheese dip,) two novelty Dr. Peppers, a bag of authentic hard candy, two packs of novelty candy cigarettes, and a Texas Ranger badge. :) Adorable, right?

I had such a blast putting together these gifts. I LOVE telling people thank you by doing something delightful, something fun and happy. Now let's only hope they get them before they see this post! :)

Crazy, Stupid, Love

Mom, the Twins, and I saw "Crazy, Stupid, Love" a few nights ago, aka "when i was in texas".

What a hilarious, sweet, wonderful movie!

First of all, the actors are incredible. Steve Carell, always an absolute favorite, Julianne Moore, Emma Stone, Analeigh Tipton (who I recognized from ANTM,) Marisa Tomei, Ryan Gosling, and some awesome young little kid who plays a lovestruck thirteen-year-old (his name's Jonah Bobo.)

The film's just awesome. Easy to watch, sweet and pleasing. Lots of small moments suddenly explode into a cacophony of unbelievable chaos, and kicks the whole thing into high gear immediately. DEFINITELY WORTH IT.

Also, can we talk about the fact that Emma Stone is two months YOUNGER THAN ME, and has the career that I want?

Oh, Jesus, it kills me that I'm not in New York yet.

I. Have. Got. To. Get. There.

Happy Birthday Mikayla Stanley!

I have a present for you!

and it's awesome. :)

Happy 22nd Bday!

Graceland

Have you been to Graceland?
The home that Elvis Presley purchased at freaking age 22 for a little over 100,000 buckaroonies?

It's pretty awesome.
It's pretty awesome if you're mom just met you in Jackson, TN and on a whim you both decide it's actually a good idea to take advantage of the truly unfortunate situation and learn a little bit about American Pop Culture.


Let me just say this: IT WAS AWESOME.

and not an understated awesome, at all--an IMPRESSIVE AWESOME.

Elvis Presley's home was IMPRESSIVELY AWESOME.



And let's be real, here: the fact that's it's been preserved for so long is just as great. Hello, 70s reality!

Fabric covered walls.

Amazing.

Can you do this in your home?

NO? I didn't think so. :)

And if you can....hands down, you are amazing. No doubt. Thank you for adding variety to the human race.

So happy to have made such a good trip.

It's the small things that really perk up a life, you know?

Any other roadside attractions I should know of? Have you ever hit up a cool one? Where shall we send me next? Let's be real, I take on the world. Let's DO it.

Guilty as Charged

I have a guilty pleasure, and that guilty pleasure is called Starbucks.

Lucky for me, i know what I'm getting into.

Starbucks is, undeniably, a very good place to accidentally drink eight thousand calories.

It also is a very good place to suck up all your money.

...lucky for me, this babe gets Starbucks fo' FREE.

That's right, I do! I've never been a gal to get free drinks, anywhere.

Free Drinks = Why are you buying me a drink, and what do you want from me?

The "what" in that equation usually ends up being a something I don't wanna give. So I've always cut free drinks down by the knees as soon as I didn't know what was up. Give me equality or give me death. :)

But here, here! At my closest Starbucks, I get free drinks for saying hello. and remembering my barista's name. And always tipping. (definitely learned from the J--tip well, and appreciate) :)

and lately, it's won out by surprising me with free drink-os. So, cool. Cool cool cool.

Cool.

oh, ps, the cake pop up there? I LOVE THOSE. I'VE ALWAYS LOVED THOSE. My dear friend, Sandy Jacobs, made four boxes of them for my graduation party and I swear I ate 1.5 boxes by myself. OH YUM.

Single Lady Clothes

Can I tell you a secret?

These are called "Single Lady Clothes."

Pretty things I dreamed about buying for months, but couldn't.

And now...I CAN.

And I will. When I deem it appropriate.

So here's goodbye to months and months of denying myself, and here's hello to working hard and enjoying life.

Thank you, Life, for allowing me to LIVE.

also, p.s. how young and sexy and hot and alive am I going to look as I go to the theatre in these frocks?!?! OOH LA LA i'm so excited. :)

Genevieve Sullivan has such great style

following her on pinterest,

tis the bomb.com

color scheme/ SHIFT

i LOVE carnivals in bright/bold colors!

but check out this inspiration list in sepia...it's amazing.