A Day Away

We all deserves little daycations every once in a while.

You know, those little getaways that really aren't far yet make you feel

all refreshed and brand new? Well, I had one of those today and

it involved berry picking, hanging out with one of my

favorite aunts who happens to be one of the best cooks

in the world, eating way too much cheese and artichoke

bread (to DIE for!) and enjoying my time with my mom and aunt.

I'm really trying to cherish these last few

moments at home before I leave and start my own life. :)

Absolutely gorgeous grounds.


Looks like something out of a fairy tale.
Goat cheese with flowers?? My kind of cheese. :) Seriously, this cheese in Pescadero is legendary.

What's your favorite kind of day away or daycation?

What I Love Right Now

These movie poster for Crazy Stupid Love. I love the colors

in the background how they're subtle yet beautiful.

The cut on this dress. Actually, the whole dress. Swoon!

Simple yet beautiful necklaces. I'm all about simplicity

when it comes to jewelry.

Such a fantastic 1920's dress. What is that you say? You

can buy this now? You don't need a time machine to go purchase

this? YES! It's from BHLDN. So is the

dress above and the necklace. Absolutely stunning.

I'm also loving the fact that I just bought my last Harry Potter

ticket and a midnight premiere and that I'm going

to American Idol Live soon! :)

Unexpected Times

I don't know why I try to control my life so much. I try to keep it on a tight leash and yet the leash always comes apart and every time I am surprised and frustrated. You'd think by now I'd be used to it, but sadly, I'm not.

I was so ready not to have a good time last night because it wasn't how I pictured every thing to go, yet it ended up being the best. I was able to have a really good conversation with my sister before I leave for college and just spend some time with her.

Being a planner has it's up's and down's, and I need to learn how to accept the times as they change. I can't control my life to a certain extent. Sometimes, you just have to let the wind pick you up and carry you as it wishes.

(Photo: Here)

A little inspiration

"For all the people that run from love when they start to

feel it, don't do that. Stop it. Just love; it's not scary."

-Jason Reeves

Loving Some Artwork

I've already decided, college it going to be a bit rough.

I love my family, my home, and my friends here. I'm not running away from any demons. I'm a happy gal. So the whole moving to another state for college, yeah, that will be difficult.

So I've decided I'm going to invest a lot of time and energy (and let's not kid, money also) into my dorm room. I need this room to be as homey as possible and make me feel comfortable.

I'm a dreamer. I know this. I have big dreams and aspirations for myself. Basically, I have my 10 year plan all mapped out. (But don't worry, I left room for road bumps.) But oftentimes, I have to stop myself and just breathe. Not worry about what's going to happen 10 years from now and just worry about tomorrow. OR not worry at all! (crazy thought!)

When I saw this art piece by Sam from Young and In Love, I fell in love. I decided I needed this to remind myself to start here in the present. Let tomorrow come as it may. So I bought it!

Because honestly, I'm that girl on the chair day dreaming about traveling the world, mission trips to Africa, and traveling as a Speech Therapist helping out people in other countries.

And I need to be reminded to slow down every once in a while. :) So that's why this print will go perfectly in my dorm.

My Room :)

Sometimes it's hard to face reality. And right now, my reality is that my sister is going to take over my beloved room come September. I have invested a lot of time into this room and honestly, it's what many would call a dream room. It has tilted ceilings and nooks, and natural sunlight all day long. I'm going to miss this room tremendously.

But for now, here are some pictures of my room:

"office" area (notice diploma and TOMS sticker on computer)

My vintage items

(a real 1943 yearbook, old Saturday Evening Posts's and vintage gloves. Also,

a picture of my cousin and I as babies)

My bed

Back corner area

Record player and jewelry

Big window with my records, painting, and body figure

bathroom with sunlight

entry area with my name spelt wrong

(I used to spell Allie like that but changed it.)

Door collage

It really is a fantastic room. Something I'll miss for a long time

once it's gone. :( But now my sister gets to move in

and design it her own way.

To an incredible dad

Father's Day means more and more to me as I get older.

As I grow and become more of who I strive to be, I realize that I'm turning more and more into my dad. When I was younger and he would be hovering over us telling us the dishes aren't clean enough and you shouldn't be lazy or I would roll my eyes and get annoyed when we'd all go on a walk and he'd have to bring a frisbee because walking just wasn't enough, I vowed never to do most of what he taught us. Or to at least not be as picky about certain things like he is. (Call it my selfish teenager phase)

But now as I become a growing adult, I realize I have all those little quirks my dad has and that obsessive need to make sure the dishes are sparkly clean before you put them in the dishwasher. I'll call him up and be freaking out that I just did something he always does and that I said I'd never do. Or do something he normally does and in his absence, I took over and didn't even realize I was channeling him until it hits me later. And now, I'm the girl who carries frisbee's in the back of her car at all times because you never know when you could stop at a park and who knew, but frisbee's are really fun!

Overall, my dad has been teaching me to be a fun and responsible human being from day 1. He's taught me to not dwell on a situation out of my control, to exercise as much as possible and get outside whenever you can, to live a life of laughter and smiles, and also, to shower the people you love with small surprises and love. He is always the one to bring us that occasional breakfast in bed just because it's a random Saturday or have little treats hidden somewhere in the house for us to find.

He's always open to new adventures and new discoveries.

And he's my hero.

Love you dad

(the picture is of my sisters, dad, and I hiking in Hawaii)

Arizona Days...

are hot! Holy bezeesus yes, they are.

I mean they tell you to prepare for this type of desert heat that swoops

all around you and dries your hair within a few minutes (actually, very cool

considering my hair dries for quite a long time typically) but dang.

Yesterday my cousin and I walked around campus until we couldn't

anymore and we found a bench to just breathe on. (I may be a little melodramatic

but I'm just trying to get the point across how hot it was.)

For you number people, it was 106. But as the Arizonians like to say,

"But it's a dry heat." Dry heat or no dry heat, it's just hot!

(me in front of my dorm)

Orientation was fun though. I met some very nice people and it got

me excited to start school in August. Oh yeah, and I get to take Italiano!

:) Italy, here I come!

Artsy Fartsy Type of Day

First of all, I saw Laura's at Meet Virginia tutorial on how to make a Father's Day card and decided I definitely needed to try. It was really fun to pick out the paper at Michael's and I love the map tie on the shirt. Overall, I am really glad I chose to make this for Father's Day.

See the end product:

Then, because I have seen these tissue paper flowers in places like Anthropologie and such, I decided if I'm already in this artsy mood, why not try one more thing? So while I was at Michael's, I picked up an assortment of tissue paper and some wire string and had fun with it! (With help from Martha Stewart's website of course.)

And wa-la! See the end product:

It was a fun and productive day!

Hot Summer Days

I am usually always thinking one step ahead. I am constantly anticipating what's around the corner.

Many would say it's not the best way to live since you're constantly reminding yourself to return to the present, but for me, it's normal.

Yet lately, I have taken a step back from the over-thinking and anticipation and allowed myself to breathe. And needless to say, it has been nice.

I've realized I can't think too much about what will happen in August when I'm on my own for the first time. So instead, I lay outside on our new outdoor furniture and fill my mind with stories and read books as much as one should consume water. I look around me at the rose bushes surrounding my chair and the birds singing and I'm perfectly content right in that moment.

Not thinking about what's looming around the corner.

Books are Magical

Books are magical. There are truly no other words to describe them.

I was just reminded of their sheer power and ability to take over one's mind and consume their every thought. I just finished reading My Name is Memory and could not put it down for 3 hours straight. That is when you know a book has captured your soul and taken it hostage.

Yet that kind of hostage is nothing I will ever complain about. Actually, I'll have books take me hostage every day of the week. It is a wonderful occurrence when you find a book that captures your spirit. It is something I wish happened more often to me.

For now, I will be content knowing I found a treasure and will be on the lookout for another piece for the collection.

Picture

Summer Nights

Lately I've been obsessed with this bridge. But who can blame me? It's beautiful.

The river was pristine last night, with the sun setting and my friends all around me, it was perfect.

We attempted to make a fire in our fire pit after we left the river but that failed. But then we just put some smores in the toaster oven and they came out perfectly. All about thinking outside the box I guess.

Now I'm off to the lake and to see some friends I've known my entire life.

I'd say life is good. :)

A Perfect Summer Day

A few days ago, I decided it was about time I took my new beach cruiser out for a spin, and so my mom and I rode our bikes to our historic district. It was the perfect day because it involved some exercise, some mommy & daughter time, some shopping, and later I met up with some friends for Taco Tuesday. It was jammed packed and just how I like it.

Now my mom is telling me and I need to start packing up my things early. I think she has caught on to my denial about me leaving in a month and a half. She's on to me...

Have a terrific Thursday!

Song of the Day:

Every Tear is a Waterfall- Coldplay

TOMS next chapter

This morning I went to the unveiling of the TOMS next chapter to discover they are now selling sunglasses!

One pair of sunglasses=sight for one person. Currently they are working with an organization called Seva to provide this service in countries like Nepal, Cambodia, and Tibet. It is an amazing thing what TOMS is doing and I'm so happy to be a major supporter.

If you don't own a pair, well go out and get a pair. :) They are incredibly comfortable and you're giving a child in need a new pair of shoes; perhaps their first pair of shoes. That's definitely something to smile about.

New books=happiness

For me, summer equals quality reading time. During the school year, my time is consumed with reading books that are required or homework. So for the summer, I like to make a nice stack of books to read and enjoy. Since my Nook was in the shop (don't get me started, this is why I don't trust technology) I decided to head to Target to pick up some books. I ended up caving and buying The Happiness Project and also The Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors.

I'm so excited to finally just read!

Do you have any good books to recommend?

A Quote a Day :)

"Most people don't know there are angels whose only job is to make sure you don't get too comfortable & fall asleep & miss your life. "

"Time stands still best in moments that look suspiciously like ordinary life."

"They came to sit & dangle their feet off the edge of the world & after awhile they forgot everything but the good & true things they would do someday. "

-Brian Andreas

Scenes from Truckee

We went up to Truckee expecting some colder weather but nothing that involved snow. But what really happened was that a lot of snow came to visit us. I didn't mind though. The snow was truly beautiful. There is something about the way snow falls that gets me every time. It's so unlike rain with its harsh drops and loud pounding. Snow is graceful and eerily quiet. Like the difference between a yell and a whisper.

Truckee was what I needed to appreciate all the friends I have accumulated throughout my four years. I am grateful for each and every personality and sad I won't be seeing these same, safe faces come August.

But that's what this college experience is all about; branching out and becoming something new. Well, maybe not someone new, since I don't really want to become a new person, just someone improved and who better fits into their body. Because all we ever want is to become a better person each and every day right?

Song of the Day:

Pumped Up Kicks- Foster the People