I Spy...

With my little eye...

Cotton Candy Clouds

Elizabeth Banks & Jeffrey Campbell

A very old school headset my dad refuses to give up

Poppa Jack

A serial killer's dream come true

Marie Antoinette

A room with a (crappy) view

Big sales in dire economic times

A burning car on the side of the freeway

4000 feet elevation

My dad had a business meeting in Vegas this week so my mom and I tagged along for a mini-vacation. We got there Wednesday and came back this morning. Unfortunately, I didn't feel like carrying my mondo-camera around so I didn't really get any pictures IN Vegas, just a few from the car on the way there and back. I spent most of my time in my room and then meeting up with my mom to eat and shop a few hours a day. As you can imagine, going to Las Vegas with your parents isn't exactly thrilling, but it was still nice to relax in the middle of the week. For those who haven't been, Las Vegas is like Disneyland on crack for adults. It's absolutely tacky, slot machines ringing in your ears, smoke in your eyes, people wearing fanny packs, sweltering desert heat, awake 24 hours a day, but that's what I enjoy about it.

Sleep

Calling it a night. 

4 and 3/4 years

Sometimes, when I can't sleep, I stay up late doing fractions in my head...

A fortune cookie:

So maybe those words were borrowed from Marcel Proust, but I don't mind.

Another lovely Saturday.

TGIF

Okay so technically it's Thursday night but the weekend is here-- yay! A mostly routine week, I didn't really get to take any pictures, so instead I thought I'd share some half-assed photos of what I did:

I went to Game 1 on Tuesday night; luckily, the Lakers won!

Some light reading

Wrote with an exceptionally large pen. When I saw this pen at the store, it was so ridiculous, I couldn't resist buying it.

Doodling...

Three-- yes, you read correctly-- THREE trips to Target. 

Started making more friendship bracelets/headbands

And now the long weekend is upon us! Any special plans for Memorial Day weekend? 

50 Nifty United States...and other lists

I was born and raised in Southern California and I'm just now realizing, some twenty two years later, that I've only been to a handful of the United States. I'm no Miss America (nor do I really care to be) but before I die, I'd like to say I've seen a fair amount of the country I spent my entire life in. So, over time I've slowly developed a list of places within the United States that I'd like to see sometime in the next 50 years. It's short, but it's a list in progress. 

• North Carolina- Bald Head Island, Cape Feare, Wilmington
• Savannah, Georgia
• Salem, Massachusetts 
• Mojave Desert
• New England

On the subject of Lists, which I love to make oh so much, I also started a life list sometime back in college. There aren't really many significant items on it-- a lot of them are everyday things I've overlooked-- but it's mostly just for fun.

1. Learn to speak another language fluently
2. Sing karaoke in front of a large crowd
3. Fall in love
4. Bowl at least a 200
5. Go to a rave
6. Get married
7. Camp out for Black Friday
8. Write a short story/book
9. Have an elaborate birthday celebration
10. Start a blog
11. See/swim under a real waterfall
12. Learn to play piano
13. Visit Versailles
14. Take a rowboat into the middle of a lake
15. Take a dance class
16. Master the art of photography
17. Take classes at OTIS.
18. Buy a photo booth for my future home
19. See a show at the Moulin Rouge in Paris

Currently working on #16.

And now for some favorites:

Places: The Village in Claremont; Maui, HI; Disneyland (I know, it's a cliche)

Foods: Popcorn, French Fries, Plain Yogurt. I couldn't live without these 3.

Music: Red Hot Chili Peppers, always will be no matter who else comes along or came along before them (although, I am a sucker for classic rock)

Movies: When Harry Met Sally & Home Alone-- still a child at heart :)

Color: Red

Accessory: My camera

Musical: I could never pick one....Grease reminds me of my childhood, The Sound of Music is a classic and personal favorite, Chicago is timeless, Rocky Horror Picture Show: no words necessary

Season: Autumn, but I do enjoy summer nights

I'll stop before this turns into a Personals Ad...

Feel free to add any suggestions for either list! What are somethings you've always wanted to do before it's too late?

Lovely Saturdays

Doesn't that look yummy? I baked cupcakes this weekend and remembered that I had found this on howdini the other day, so I decided to try it out. In case you didn't click the link, it's actually an ice cream cone made with cupcakes. 

What you need:  Ice cream cones, frosting, cupcakes (regular and mini. If you don't have a mini pan, it still works well with just a regular sized cupcake), sprinkles.

What you get:  Yummy cupcake cones that won't melt in the sun!

I like semi-homemade baking, so something like this makes it a little extra special and creative. These cones would be a great treat on a hot summer day or for a child's birthday party.

Why?

Why not?

Retro

A nice, laid back day, lovely weather, so I thought I'd take a break from digital and share some polaroids.

A gigantic patch of flowers I found in our backyard

Summer's almost here!

It's the perfect day for a picnic. I think I'll eat some ice cream and listen to oldies. What do you all do to enjoy this weather?

Nostalgia

I've had a fascination with hotels since the first time I stayed in one at age 2. Something about staying somewhere so luxurious and carefree still resonates with me to this day. When I was younger, my dad travelled a lot locally for work and as a result, stayed in a lot of different hotels. This picture is of a note my dad brought back for me when I was 3. I was so happy when I realized that I had saved this sentimental heirloom all this time, almost 20 years.

I was a spastic kid so my dad had a lot of funny nicknames for me.

I was cleaning out my room today and took some time to go through some boxes (which is when I found the old note from my dad). I have about 3 or 4 different "memory boxes" that have filled up with old cards, pictures, notes and little keepsakes from throughout my life. I've always been pretty sentimental and so I have trouble throwing things out. What's neat about it now is that I'm old enough that some of this stuff is truly nostalgic. Here are a few other things I found:

That's me, about 8 years old. Obviously I didn't take this picture but I always liked it.

A sweet (albeit cheesy) friendship bookmark my best friend gave me in 5th or 6th grade. The note on the back is so cute.

A card I bought awhile back just because it reminds me of me and my 3 sisters.

We used to have a larger version of these elephant figurines from Pakistan when I was much younger. On my last trip back, I had to buy these because they reminded me so much of my childhood.