PALMS ON THE BRAIN

so, yesterday it rained. it is supposed to rain again today and for some strange reason my brain is all "i want palm springs and nice warm weather" which is nooot like me at all. now all i can think about is going on a mini vacation to palm springs with some girlfriends, (hey ladies, ya down) ordering some room service, and just relaxing. even just for night. it just sounds perfect right now.

maybe i will just have to plan something and get the girls in on it.

but, for now i shall enjoy this lovely cold weather that we are experiencing here in southern california. enjoy your weekend! -e

photo found here

I BEGIN

guys, i felt very uninspired for a couple of weeks recently and i was in such a rut that i was afraid it was going to take a lot to get me out of it. and slowly but surely i have been feeling a little better. yesterday, i woke up and thought it was time to start a new big project. to really put myself out there and go all the way. it might happen the way i want or it might not. but, it's not about that...it is about finally doing something i have secretly wanted to do for a while.

i cannot even handle the idea of ever getting stuck in a job that will make me miserable and sometimes i fear that this will happen to me which is why i have been trying to take baby steps towards what i want for my future.

as an "artist" i want to know that i am always giving my all...sometimes that leaves me feeling vulnerable and that is scary, but exciting at the same time.

i am crossing my fingers this project of mine leads me to new places and opens new (cool) doors for me. -e

I LEFT MY HEART IN SAN FRANCISCO, AGAIN

i am back in orange county (insert sad face here) and because i didn't come home until late last night there was no time to post a music monday. but today i bring you some photos from my last minute trip to san francisco.

the way this trip happened was pretty great. i was in my graphic design class on friday and saw one of my friends post something about one of our best friends being up in san francisco and right then and there i decided i was going to go up that weekend. checked out student universe, jetblue, and southwest airlines for flights. student universe had a flight for the next day and it was super cheap. so, what do you do when you only have to buy a one way and it happens to be less than $100...you book the flight, duh!

it was a nice quick getaway, exactly what i needed. i ate some great food, had some good drinks, and loved every second of it. i miss san francisco already, but i will be back in november! for those of you who know me you know i have left my heart in san francisco and hope to one day move up there for a couple of years. for now trips every few months will do, kinda.

guys, if you are ever in san francisco i highly suggest mission beach cafe. it is one of my favorite restaurants there and even though we had to wait almost two hours this time around...it was so totally worth it! their sunday brunch is perfect. oh, and order their parmesan truffle fries. your life will be changed...forever.

PS how cute is my friend emily?!

-eli

SAN FRANCISCO BOUND

there is nothing better than a spontaneous last minute trip. while in my graphic design class yesterday i decided to look up flights to san francisco (my favorite city) because one of my best friends is up there right now and is driving back down monday.

found a super cheap flight and guess what...i booked it!

i try to take trips to san francisco a few times a year and was already planning to go up next month (which i might still do) but sometimes you just gotta do it. and by it i mean book a flight and just get the hell out of your city and somewhere else.

be back next week!


background photo found here

PRETTY COLLECTIONS

i found this fun photo of lots of gorgeous stamps and came up with a brilliant plan...

i want to start collecting fun and pretty stamps. i already collect matchbooks and stamps from all over the world seems appropriate since i love pretty things and i want to continue traveling all over this lovely planet of ours. do any of you collect pretty things?!

do you collect or want to collect anything or things?

photo found here

ARCHITECTURE LOVE

there are very few things that make my heart skip a big huge beat: really pretty paper stores, ryan gosling, and fantastic architectural works. like, come on, who doesn't go crazy over wonderfully designed buildings.

i love going through photos and fantasizing that i lived in those great buildings. i like to imagine the types of parties i'd throw (because i promise you, that is all i would ever do) and how i would decorate my home. i go a little crazy. judge me, world.

so, basically, the first home would be my winter home where i would go with some friends during the cold months and hangout and do lots of fun stuff that people would normally do in awesome homes like this one. ha ha. that second home is just great!

those outside patios are awesome. i would love a big ol' loft in new york with a private patio like this one. a girl can dream, can't she? and that restaurant looks great, i want to eat there...or drink there, i don't know.

do you fantasize about fantastic buildings like i do sometimes? i hope so!

photo found here / here / here / here

ROAD TRIP

so, i am not a huge fan of hot weather. currently in southern california we are dealing with a bit of heat (it's like gross) and somehow it reminded me of a mini road trip i took with some friends of mine to a lovely place called salvation mountain. it is about a hour and a half from palm springs and it was built by a lovely old man named leonard knight. isn't this place cool?!

if you have watched into the wild than you might remember that some scenes with emile hirsch and kristen stewart were shot right at salvation mountain! to those of you who have never watched the movie...what are you doing with your lives!? just kidding, but go watch it.

so, guys, if you are ever in desperate need of a mini road trip (we all need one every once in a while) and don't mind the windy drive...go to salvation mountain! grab a couple of friends and stop by trader joe's or better yet whole foods to get yourselves some tasty snacks for the road. 

if you are currently in southern california, i hope you don't die in this heat.

I HEART YOU, SAN FRANCISCO

last month i took a mini-vacation (it was so needed) to good ol' san francisco to visit a friend. it is one of my most favorite cities, ever. one day i would love to call it home. i spent five days eating, walking around, and shopping. i wish my life could be a mini-vacation?

i took my dslr with me, but didn't use it once! what a shame, but the feeling of just roaming a city without having to worry about snapping photos here or there was a nice little relief. i did however snap some shots on my trusty iphone.

i really envy my friend for getting to wake up to this morning after morning. lovely view, right?! the weather was pretty great while i was up there & i wasn't complaining! i am more of a gloomy weather kind of girl, but cold weather while the sun is out is probably the best weather for a trip. i brought enough clothes for cold weather, but on the last day i was there it was pretty hot and my wardrobe wasn't expecting it.

on easter sunday we had went to service and somehow landed in probably the hilliest part of san francisco. our poor feet had to endure our couple of hours of being lost. on this little "lost" trip we did some shopping, eating, and walking...a lot of walking. we eventually located where we were and ended up outside of marc jacobs. we walked in and decided to make it a tradition to get something from that exact store every time i go visit my friend (when i was up there in november i bought myself a lovely wallet and earrings) so i bought myself some cute earrings.

how cute does emily look with her flowers for her family? that bart trip was funny and long!

i had a wonderful time and cannot wait to go back! what are some of your favorite things to do on mini-vacations?