A Fashion Show

Somebody needs to stop using Instagram photos on the blog.

That someone being me...

But I digress. The other day I went to a Fashion Show,

and these are some photos from the event.

 I was this close to the runway. Yeah, it was incredible.

 This is what I wore. 

 With some yellow wedges to make it more summery!

And this was the whole gang. We went to the Launch Sacramento

Fashion Show for my cousins fiance's girls night out/meet the family.

I was in charge of the evening and therefore knew it would take place

in Midtown. We shopped around a little bit, ate delicious pizza at 

Pizza Rock, and then went to the fashion show.

Also, my little cousins had never had a fancy hot chocolate

before (meaning never had fun foam designs on their drinks) and 

I surprised them with some big mugs of hot cocoa before the show.

They were dying over the designs. It was so fun!

Tahoe Days...

I've spent the past 2 days on a lake. There wasn't a spot of make-up on my skin,

I have a slight burn on my shoulders, and my body hurts from water skiing. 

It was the ultimate little getaway. I love these people because we can go out on

the water and water ski or tube or just be content reading our books on the dock. 

And when we were sun tired enough, we would head to our favorite coffee

bar and order drinks from the British man that works there. 

I skied on vintage 1970's skis that say USA on them because I'm way into 

representing America in the Olympics... and they were the only ones on the boat.

Also, when I don't wear eye makeup, my eyelashes become transparent. Fun fact

of the day. 

A New Obsession

Have you guys heard of a Smash Book?

(No, not like Mean Girls... though that's what I thought at first...)

A Smash Book is basically a scrapbook but it has some

of the work already done for you! (Basically my dream.)

In addition to what you may already own craft-wise,

you can also purchase small items to enhance your smash

book like stickies, quote books, fun tape etc.

My sister totally got me hooked and now I'm all

into "smashing" my high school memories. I can't

wait to buy the International book for when I study

abroad! 

The picture above is my page using my corsage roses

from my high school dances. :)

The Step

I've been thinking...


It seems that there are a lot of unspoken rules we are expected to go by. These rules aren't anything people will speak out loud but if you don't follow them, just expect the sideways scathing glances. 


But what I would like to propose is that we create our own rules. We create the guidelines to how we act towards friends, family, life etc! Stop listening to the world and sound off! Listen to ourselves...to God...


I did just that this weekend and you know what...I. Feel. Great.
Seriously. I think everyone should take a dose of what I did this weekend. I stopped following unspoken rules that didn't apply to my morals, stepped back, evaluated, spoke to my much wiser younger sister, and decided to step...


and i like to think it was a move forward.

Thankful Thursday

Dear family, thank you for standing by my side this summer (as it's been a doozy) and always giving me a helping hand when needed and knowing when to let me stumble a bit when necessary. Dear friends, thanks for letting me realize what true friends are and what my standards should be from now on. Dear Bachelorette, thanks for being my guilty pleasure. It's been nice this summer. Dear Jef, if you and Emily don't work out, call me. (Even though I would love for you two to work out!) 7 year difference isn't too bad right? Dear future someone, I wouldn't mind if you hurried up a bit coming into my life. Or if you are already in my life, I can't wait to get to know you better. Dear God, it's me Allie. (just kidding) Thank you for always providing for me even when I don't understand why everything happens as it does, I think I am finally beginning to see the path you're laying out for me and that light is getting brighter at the end of the tunnel. And dear overcast weather, I love you. Please stay because I'm not looking forward to 100's this weekend.

Poster Making

 While on Pinterest I ran across this poster of my favorite Audrey

Hepburn movie and decided right then and there I needed it.

But I didn't really want to find the place that made this exact one

nor pay for shipping so instead I thought I'd make my own.

 I love the look of watercolors but honestly, had never used them except

for once or twice in an art class in elementary school. But I found this Mauve

color and decided, this is it.

 Wa-la! It's not perfect (I wouldn't want it to be) and I like the shadowing

around the actual picture. I think this could look really cool in the house

I'm moving into. We are going to be creating a gallery wall. :)

In other news:

 Back in May I planted a baby vegetable garden and 

 look at this baby now!!

It's a little pepper growing! I feel like a proud mama!

Divided

Recently I feel divided. Part of me wants to go back

to Tucson as soon as possible and the other part of me doesn't

ever want to leave California. Whenever I start expressing emotion about

Tucson, I feel as if I'm cheating on home. 

Will there ever be a happy medium? A time when I'm perfectly content

being home or being in Tucson? I guess this is what college is

all about. The finding of ones identity and "home" wherever that may

be. Maybe it won't be in California and maybe it won't be in Arizona. 

All I can do is hope I find that new sense of home sometime in my life. Or

maybe it's possible to have many places to call home. 

I think I'll go with option two. 

Photo Cred goes to my sistor

Weekend Shenanigans

Tamara and I have been friends for 15 years. Which basically means

we know too much about each other to let the other one go. :) She came

up to visit me this weekend and it was wonderful. Here we are in 

front of the Cathedral in Downtown. 

Playing with my cousins new puppy, Baylee. I'm obsessed.

Getting lavender latte's from Broad Acre Coffee and LOVING it. 

Plus this place is just too cute. 

Why don't I own this??

We also creeped on a wedding being held in the cathedral. So completely

normal right?

 And found some poppies on our walk back to the car. 

It was a great weekend! Thanks for staying with me Tamara. :)

Aptos/Capitola

Aptos/Capitola also stole my heart. We stayed at a beach house (see that roof 

I'm standing on and the view? Yeah, that was our view.) and a bed and breakfast

and my sister was convinced we were going to die. It was pushed back from

main streets and surrounded by lush trees and blooming flowers.

Basically, I was in a fairy tale and my camera was taking photos

as quickly as it could. These are an assortment of photos

from those days including what we ate and my sister

trying to be thug. Oh and those flowers in the photo?

Completely real. 

Beginning Anew

Source

Lately, I've been doing a lot of thinking. And this quote

comes to mind: "We accept the love we think we deserve." 

(It might also be because I'm re-reading The

Perks of Being a Wallflower before the movie comes out.)

This whole summer thus far has been about being disappointed

in people and situations and I realized, if this is the love I am 

allowing myself to receive, then this is the love I feel I deserve.

But the truth is, I deserve so much more. As do we all. 

Instead of crying about moments that have happened recently 

or becoming increasingly angry over things I cannot change, 

I will rearrange my standards and realize I deserve a lot more

love than I have been receiving.

Close the chapter of past disappointments, learn from them,

and begin anew.   

Pacific Grove

 (where I bought my first pair of TOMS and thus the obsession began)

I left my heart in Pacific Grove. There is something about the quaint

shops, the kind locals, and the love for all things Giants that

really made me love this place.

The water was so peaceful and filled with shades of blues and greens

mixed with a sky that was the bluest of blues. Each morning you would

wake to an overcast sky (expected) and then by noon the sky

would welcome you to the day ahead. 

It was a great first stop. 

Why Hello There!

I'm Back! I'm also exhausted. This week has been a whirlwind

but a blast all the same. We stayed in 4 different places in one week.

There were 3 bed and breakfasts' and one beach house and at

all times 5-7 people present. Lovely chaos.

Beach house view in Aptos. I could live here and raise barefoot

babies and live in a bathing suit with a constant shade of red across

my nose from endless sun. 

 My favorite sistors in Pacific Grove. 

The last destination--Carmel. One of my favorite places on Earth.

I feel so at home there. On the last night, my cousin brought his guitar

and we sat around a fire listening to him play and sing original

songs. 

It was perfect. 

(non-Instagram pictures coming soon...)