flight plans

I just bought a airplane ticket to Washington DC for my best guy friends wedding!

gosh, buying airplane tickets online is so exciting! The excitement builds and builds as you click through every one of the 15 reservation confirmation pages.

off with the old...

...on with the new!

if not for the witty remarks, inspiring photos and simply keeping tabs on my life, a new design should keep you coming back for more!

top fives

TOP 5 THINGS UNDER $5 I CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT
1. double tall extra dry cappuccino from Ladro
2. J.crew catalog
3. votive candles
4. plastic bracelets
5. Vogue

TOP 5 FAVORITE MOVIES
1. Paris Je T'aime
2. Factory Girl
3. Amelie
4. Closer
5. A Good Year

TOP 5 BABY NAMES I LOVE
mmmm. I don't believe in picking names until you've picked your babies daddy

TOP 5 SONGS I COULD LISTEN TO OVER AND OVER AGAIN
1. The Cure- Just Like Heaven
2. Ryan Adams- New York New York
3. Sigur Ros- Hliomalind
4. Jimmy Eat World - Night Drive
5. Bob Dylan - Lay Lady Lay

TOP 5 BOOKS I LOVE
1. Eat, Pray, Love by
2. Front Row: Anna Wintour by Jerry Openheimer
3. The Art of Travel by Alain de Botton
4. Larousse Gastronomique
5. A year in Provence by Peter Mayle

TOP 5 THINGS THAT ARE ALWAYS IN MY PURSE
1. iphone
2. Keihls minty lip gloss
3. moleskin notebook and precise V5 rolling ball point pen
4. camera
5. sunglasses

TOP 5 MOMENTS THAT CHANGED MY LIFE FOREVER
1. moving to Seattle when I was 10
2. throwing a party in high school while my parents were gone and my punishment was going to Judy's house to take care of her
3. moving to Scotland
4. moving back to Seattle from Scotland
5. traveling through Europe in July '08

TOP 5 CURRENT OBSESSIONS
1. Jeff from Flipping Out
2. Juicing
3. root beer
4. Ballard
5. vanilla soy latte

TOP 5 PLACES I’D LIKE TO GO
1. Spain
2. Portland, again and again, and again...
3. Prague
4. Savannah, Georgia
5. Capri, Italy

TOP 5 APPLIANCES/KITCHEN TOOLS I CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT
1. wine opener
2. copper crepe skillet
3. Juicer
4. wooden ikea drying rack
5. glass mixing bowls of every size

dreamy

Could anything be better than this?


well, maybe if she wasn't alone.

(a photo still from one of my favorite musicians, Jessie Baylin's new music video shoot.)

juice

With our weekly trips to the Ballard Sunday Market and the purchase of her new juicer, Lo (The roommate) has been juicing like a mad woman.

Carrots, beets, kale, apples, oranges...


they died for a good cause.

family dinner

Sprinkles cupcake tower.
blue cheese burgers.
couples.
grill lighting on fire...in a bad way.
Matt's mix cd's.
sisters dancing.
wine.
wine.
mohitos.
wine.
old friends.
new friends.
driveway full of cars.

twenty-five

My 25th birthday was SO much fun and the beverages were flowing so graciously that I don't exactly remember the details of the night as well as I 'd hope to, so a picture blog will have to suffice...enjoy!

After a massage in the morning and a special delivery from lolo (pretty flowers!! and not a baby's breath in sight!): I got ready to have dinner at one of my favorite restaurants in Seattle: Purple Wine Bar! I love the atmosphere there and the food is great.

this is what I ate:


this is what we drank(5 bottles!):


this is who came:














From there, we went out to King's Hardware, a bar in Ballard. We continued to take photos and thank goodness because I look like I'm having a lot of fun, right?







Happy birthday to me! Now, go to sleep!

PDX...better late than never!

ok, I'm so sorry. this post is so long over-due. Maybe it's work, the beautiful weather, or the handsome ginger who floats through my mind all day long that's been keeping me busy? All I know is that PDX is still on my mind...

It was a beautiful Friday morning when Megan and I began to anticipate our weekend away to Portland, Oregon. But before we could hit the open road, we stopped for our usual Ladro caffeine fix (she got decaf) and two delicious rasperry scones(actually, they're horrible. Don't go buy them. ever.). After admiring the sexy baristas, we were I-5 southbound! Our only stop along the way was to deliver a cappuccino to JSW while he was slaving away at his desk all day. I couldn't drive by without saying hello, now could I? After a quick chat and a kiss goodbye, we continued the rainy drive south with Kate Nash & Jenny Lewis as our musical guides.

A couple hours later we were crossing the Columbia River Bridge and exiting into the Pearl District, Portland's art district which is filled with sweet boutiques, cafes and beautiful, ivy-covered brick buildings. After dropping our bags at Megan's moms condo, we headed out to explore. After walking just a few blocks in a torrential downpour, my shoes were filled with water and the umbrellas obviously weren't doing their job, so we spotted the best rainy-hideout ever: Whole Foods Market! After a quick bite to eat, a chat with a lovely lady who was visiting from the East Coast for the first time, and a moment to compose ourselves, we headed back onto the rainy streets. I suppose the rain was a good excuse to pop into shops along the way. We stopped into Powell's Books, a knit shop, and a cute French-inspired boutique called The Bubble Boutique where I scored the most amazing party dress - on sale no less! It was the perfect way to start the weekend!

The afternoon escaped us and soon it was time to meet Megan's aunt Liz and brother DJ, for some happy hour sushi and sake bombs! Megan's brother couldn't of been sweeter and her aunt couldn't of been crazier. She kept us all laughing and incessantly made fun of me for being on my iphone too much. Sake was only the beginning of our first night of mayhem in Portland. We hopped onto The Max, Portland's lightrail train and made our way to The Bitter End pub. Much praise should go to PDX's public transportation system. We took the lightrail and the streetcar all around the city so easily. Seattle should get a clue from our southern neighbors. Anyways, back to the drinks and bars: at The Bitter End, we kept the jute box blasting hits all night and played some pool. From one bar to the next we went but our night was not complete until Megan's mom picked us up and took us to the McDonald's drive-thru!

Saturday was filled with exploring all of Portland's unique gems and every eclectic neighborhood we could find. From cappuccinos and pastries at St. Honore bakery, lunch at Elephant's Delicatessen, exploring the Saturday market under the Hawthorne bridge, a raining drive through the Hawthorne district, wine tasting at David Hill and Appeloni Vineyards in the country with Megan's mom and then a pint with Joel, Megan's other brother. It was a long, exhausting, exciting day, but there was no sign of slowing down as we went from one thing to the next and then finally had a moment to take in the memories from the day over one of the best meals I've ever had at a restaurant called Roux. The food was mouth watering, the wine was delicious, and our artistic, Spanish waiter was both. He was cute enough for Megan to slip him her phone number after he had suggested she visit his favorite street corner in NYC when she moves there one day. After dinner, there were more spots in the city to take in and drinks to be drank. We went to Oba and met Arsenio, a handsome bartender who kept our drinks full for the remainder of the evening. If we weren't surrounded by enough gorgeous Oregonians, Megan's mother's friends Bruce and Chris joined us and were comedic relief and homosexual eye-candy all night long. Eventually, we did have to stumble home, crawl into bed and rest up for our next and last day in PDX.

Before we said our goodbye to our weekend in Portland on Sunday morning, we enjoyed breakfast at Rose's Delicatessen on 23rd street where DJ works. The food was yummy and the service was impeccable! ;) After filling our bellies we were back in the car and headed North on I-5, heading out of Oregon and leaving Portland's wonderful charm in the distance. Once again, it was only right that we stopped in again to see JSW, and with the hope of introducing Megan to the best hot dogs I've ever had at The Red Hot, sadly, it was closed for the day and we settled for nachos and beers at Masa. Unfortunately, we weren't entertaining enough, as PDX had sucked up all my energy, so our stay in the smelly city was shortened.

As we drove back into the city, rounding the corner on I-5 where you can spot the Seattle skyline in the distance, I remembered every memory that was made in Portland over the weekend and hope to return there again soon, possibly even to live one day.

The End!

PDX

I'm headed on a road trip to Portland, OR with Megan (Oregonian native extraordinaire) for the weekend!

Couldn't be more excited about this adventure! I'll post pictures and funny anecdotes of the journey when I return on Monday.

Until, have a good weekend & Happy St. Patty's Day!

jealous

my parents are *here right now:






*

she's "friendly"

new friends, old friends, close friends, distant friends, friends with benefits, friends with money, little friends, foreign friends, everyone's a friend!

This past week, I've been so incredibly blessed by my friends. I've celebrating the 27th year of birth for a friend (Kate), the arrival of a friend (Lo), the honesty of a friend (Megs) and so much more!

An ode to my friends:


happy day of birth to the hottest 27 year old momma I know!


must've been something good to make us all smile...


Brian...sex wax, sticky bum, comes into town to pay us rainy day kids a visit. welcome.


Lo and our new friend, who I think, resembles Jesus.


Janie makes being sick look like fun! Oh, and I've been elevated to "auntie" status! success!


every moment with my chum is photographic

Sunday rituals & drugs

Barnes & Noble is my drug-dealer and Vogue is my drug of choice.

Most Sunday mornings are spent sitting outside of Cafe Ladro on 15th with my chum (Megan). We sip our respective tea and double tall extra dry cappuccino as we watch the people walk by with their cute dogs, hipster threads, hungover stares, in search of the same end as us - caffeine.


After getting "our fix" we go to to the closest literary mecca (also the least "green" place in Seattle)...a book store. I could spend hours in a book store wandering up and down the aisles, searching for my newest addiction. Today was solely for the purpose of attaining Vogue. Vogue is one of the few magazines I continually buy and don't need/care about whether the content is good enough for a purchase. I've cut down on my magazine obsession over the years but Vogue will never be forsaken. I should have a subscription, but there's something refreshing about walking up to it sitting there on display and purchasing. Also, you never doubt the content in Vogue. The issue I bought today has Drew Barrymore on the cover (sold!), 660 pages of spring fashion must-haves (sold!) and it could double as a 10 lb weight for getting my daily exercise regimen completed (sold!). There's nothing better than Vogue on a sunny Sunday afternoon, if I do say so myself. After I purchase Vogue, there is no possible way I will be able to not rush home, curl up on the couch and begin reading. From the moment of purchase, it calls out to me. Yearning to be read and re-read... and re-read.

How do you read a magazine? Front to back? Back to front? Skim it first and then reread it in depth? I have a way of going about reading magazines that never fails me. First, I open it up and skim every single page, front to back. Then I go back and study the advertisements and look at the clothing, font, and colors that are full of inspiration. For the third and not even close to final time, I read every article from beginning to end. The art of reading Vogue can take a couple hours, which is why it's best to save it for a Sunday afternoon.

cue the violins

sorry for the delay. I've sunk into a lethargic, melancholy state. Seems that SAD has taken over. I thought i had a hold on it. I thought I was making it through this long, dreary, cold winter just fine. I have some bright colored scarves, the sun is shining today, I am in no means alone & secluded, so why all of a sudden has it hit me? The last few days in Seattle have even been sunny and in the 50s! What gives? Has it been building up and I've just suppressed the inevitable? I came to a realization that I was being SADly affected when i found myself driving out of my way to stop by the mini-mart for milk duds or Peanut Butter M&M's just because and if I'm bored at home at night, I'll self-medicate with a large glass of wine and/or Benadryl to sleep through the boring night (averaging once a week.). What will cure this? Tanning? Shopping? One of those big lights you sit in front of for an hour and it's supposed to simulate the effect the sun has on you?

Tell me: How do you beat the winter blues?

lent

I've never been one to give things up for Lent. I can't stick to those kind of forced, socially-pressured rules but I just thought of something everyone should do (especially you, WLA)

Give Britney up for Lent!!

I wonder if I should try and give up reading Perez Hilton for 40 days? Think I could do it?

update: I've given it some thought, and I'm going to give up reading Perez Hilton for 40 days. Starting today! I'm not Catholic but what the heck! It will be interesting to see how my world view changes and what I could spend my time doing instead of reading Hollywood gossip....stay tuned!

wanted:

someone needs to apply for this position ASAP! Even if you're remotely qualified, I'll make sure you're hired. JSW is picking up the slack for both his job and this empty position in his office and it's taking time out of our daily emailing and I've become increasingly bored. Please help me!

https://www.fhshealth.org/job/default_start.asp *click on admin. assistant/ marketing

pour l'amour de la France !

along with their food, wine and literature, I happen to adore French films. Amelie, Before Sunrise, Before Sunset tops my list and je t'aime paris is not far along either. The scenery, language and romanticism is what makes those films so appealing to me. Last night I watched the film "2 Days In Paris", which is set in Paris, staring Julie Delpy and Adam Goldberg. It was comedic, romantic, and strangely reminded me of anther cheeky, sarcastic, witty couple I know all too well. It's the story of this couple who have just traveled around Venice and they make a 2 day stop in Paris to visit her family and see her friends before heading back to NYC. What seems like a romantic European get-away trip soon starts to unravel and it becomes hilariously chaotic and dysfunctional. This film is a must-see...and don't worry, this isn't like my "Crossroads" movie recommendation. Trust me...

Along with loving French films, I've decided to learn to speak French for my upcoming trip to Paris and Provence in June. I've been to France so many times before and plan on returning for the rest of my life (maybe even living there one day?) and it would be the most beautiful language to speak. Also, it helps to have someone learn it with you, which is why I've enlisted JSW to learn with me. I found a great album to learn French from on itunes called "Rapid French". They place drum & bass music in the background while reciting French phrases along with the beat. I think it's a brilliant way to learn a language because you know how easy it is to get a song and a beat stuck in your head? - well now you have French stuck in your head all day long and I've already learned so much. They also have a great "Rapid Italian" that I will learn once I've mastered French.

au revoir!

Tom Brady better get some tonight.

...that's the only way this day's going to turn around for him.

I hate football, so excuse me while I don't go into detail about the huge upset or anti-climactic ending to this years NFL season. I just don't get football. I suppose it has a lot to do with a.) I don't enjoy watching many sports on television, b.) I feel that football is a wimpy American version of rugby - where those guys really get the crap beaten out of them and that's true entertainment! and c.) i like to be different. Now that football season's over, my Sunday's just got a lot more interesting. Friends will be coming out of the wood-work like you wouldn't imagine. You know who you are... you can't hide in your home on Sunday afternoons anymore. I won't allow it.

and a year went by...

this could be a fleeting feeling, but I've decided to start up my blog again. I've been writing a bit more lately and I feel like my life has become somewhat interesting again so why not broadcast it? Since I haven't written for a year, here's a bit of a catch-up:

- In April of 2007, I moved back to my Seattle home after 5 months and 27 enriching days in Glasgow, Scotland. Left ex-boyfriend, North Face puffy coat and heavy bag of books there - took my independence, fond memories and skinny TopShop jeans with me.
- restlessly lived at home for 2 months while I figured out a living situation back in the city...eventually bought a condo with a view.
- since July I've been working for a card & stationery design company called Pinkerton Design
- cut most of my hair off on a whim (and all those dead ends I've accumulated over the last 3 years of my life)
- Most of my friends have either left the Seattle area or they're engaged/married and have some kids to take care of now. It's a crazy phenomenon, that ticking clock is.
- It's been almost 9 months since I've been to Europe. That's the longest I've gone in the last 4 years.
-still enjoy drinking tea, listening to British music, organic grocery shopping, making coffee & latte art, saying "bollocks", "bugger", "cheers", "bloody-hell", and "ginger"
- these days I'm most likely reading a good book, drinking a glass of wine, texting on my iphone, making to-do lists, dating a ginger-headed guy, wearing black ballet flats and a cardigan and hopefully, blogging.

i've been living in Glasgow for 4 months....4 MONTHS!!!....and these are the first pictures i've been able to take since i've been here. That fact just makes me want to cry. The moment i got here, my camera broke and until a few days ago I had given up hope on it's revival. It still "works" fine and takes pictures, but the screws that hold it together have all fallen out, so basically you just have to hold the camera together, and take a picture and it works! Oh well, at least I was able to capture some moments of my friend Waynes visit to Glasgow. Wayne and I are long-time friends! :) We met 6 years ago in London while Lauren, Whitney and I took a trip to Europe just before I went off to college. He's originally from South Africa but for the last 3 years he's lived in London and the last few trips I've taken over the pond I've been able to visit him. He even came over a few years ago to Seattle and visited me and Lauren! This weekend was a short trip for him due to work but we made the best of it. From drinks out with friends at Brel, a favorite Ashton Lane pub of mine, to sightseeing and being touristy all day long on Saturday. We walked from one end of the city and back - never missing a spot in between - and ended up watching Rugby. Scotland got their butts beat sooo badly, but so did England, so all is fair in the United Kingdom. Saturday night it was off to a Cuban street party where we were on the guest list- which meant complimentary drinks! :) There were cuban dancers, great bands and a famous cuban cigar roller flown in from Havana to roll cigars all night long. It was alot of fun dancing to cuban music and sipping our mohitos! Here are some pictures I took of our weekend sightseeing....


....wayne and I outside Kelvingrove Museum (sorry, you can't see the museum. My arms not long enough.)

...me on top of the Lighthouse, Scotlands center for architecture and the designs of Charles Rennie Mackintosh

....the view of Glasgow city centre from the Lighthouse

new loves...

new love #1: Rugby

Currently the Six Nations Rugby Tournament is going on all over Europe i couldn't help but not get into it. As an American, where rugby is such a foreign sport, i knew very little about it. I didn't even know that after the man with the ball was tackled, the game keeps going and they basically rip and tug and pull at each other until the ball's free. It's good fun seeing those boys get all dirty and bloody- no padding mind you! That's a true sport! I don't know what American football fans think they're watching - a bunch a big guys with PADDING running 5 yards then falling, 5 more yards then falling, then maybe 15 more. So what the Six Nations is all about is Scotland, Ireland, France, Italy, England, and Wales will play each other twice, once at home and once away. This last weekend I sat at the pub with my friend Becs, my Rugby guru, for about 5 hours watching England v. Wales and Scotland v. Italy. Scotland WON!! :) In order to keep our seat in a crowded pub we had keep ordering drinks and food so we had a 3 course meal with dessert and drinks! It was good fun!

new love #2: grocery shopping:

I have my cool, eco-friendly, canvas bag that I fill up with my fruits and veg, yogurt, porridge oats and muesli and other nibbly bits and it never cost more than like 10 pounds or so. Such a good deal for organic! I also have loved shopping every few days or so. I'm buying fresher foods and alot more fruit and veg. I think I'm eating alot better since I've lived in Glasgow - besides the endless coffee and occasional, not nearly as many as before, cakes and pastries from work. hehe. ;)