cute little zoo...

While I was visiting my friend Sarah, we took a trip to the Greenville Zoo...so cute! I think it was the smallest zoo I've ever been to (except Atascadero, but I haven't been there in years), and yet they had a lot of animals. I had completely forgotten about the pictures until today, so I thought, "Hey, why not post them now?" My fave pic is the leopard. It took me about 10min and A LOT of pics to take get that shot...he didn't want to make eye contact with me. But I finally got it! Oh so exciting. :)

cupcake comfort...

So, Mother came home today...unexpectedly early. My Dad and I were just heading home from doing some errands when we saw her zoom by in her little blue Focus. I thought, "That can't be her!" Then I realized that we're one of the only people that have a blue focus in SLO...oh crud, it's her! My Dad and I drove back as fast as possible, but alas, out efforts were in vain...she beat us home. We hadn't cleaned up the living room yet, and I hadn't frosted my beautiful little cupcakes. Thankfully, Dad was able to sneak in the flowers and put them into the vase before she came in.
Since she got home early, and nothing was really ready, I think I was just kind of stressed once she came in and started unpacking and whatnot. She didn't seem to really appreciate all of the hard work I put into re-organizing/cleaning the house (My Dad was definitely more grateful and happy about it than she was). It's not like I turned everything upside down, I just put things in their proper places. She just didn't seem to really appreciate it, is all...Oh well, at least it's clean and I can actually find what I want...for now.

Well, after the whole un-appreciative thing, I didn't really feel like finishing my little cups of cake. But then I thought, "Well, I already took pictures of how I made them. I can't stop now!" So, I rolled up my sleeves, avoided eye contact with my Mother, and frosted the little beauties that were my chocolate comfort. I think I ate about 4 mini-cupcakes. Food is definitely my comfort thing. You know. Some people like hugging pillows. Some dive into a movie. I bake...a lot, if I'm really upset. It's therapeutic...and it tastes good...REALLY good. Chocolate's good too. :)

cleaning, cleaning, and MORE cleaning...

As I had mentioned in my previous post, I was at home alone the ENTIRE day today, which gave me the opportunity to do one thing: clean the house!
I started with the kitchen, which ended up taking up most of the 5 hours that I spent cleaning today. I had to re-organize a few of the cabinets (no easy task) and take care of the usual dishes and what-not...let me tell you, you get WAY more accomplished when you listen to up-beat music...and it's just fun to dance around while you clean...burns calories too. :)
Next, I moved onto the family room. Not much to do there except vacuum. Then I took a short laundry break (I took a few of those throughout the day), then made my way to the living/dining room. Our living room is filled with Christmas stuff right now, but all of that will hopefully be gone by tomorrow (Dad has a certain way he organizes it...I dare not touch it, haha). I took the HUGE pile of Dad's mail/papers and put them into a small basket we got as part of a Christmas gift package...I love useful gifts. After I cleaned off and took a leaf out of the dining room table, I put the spring table cloth and an empty vase on top. I hope to fill it with flowers tomorrow and possibly make a little "welcome home" banner for Mama...if not the banner, I'll just make cupcakes. :)
Last, but most certainly not least, I ended with the bathroom. Always fun. I think I have it down to a science now, though.

So, after my 5 hours of cleaning, I still just have the living room to do. I might bathe the dogs tomorrow...might...if I have the time. :) I also need to do that little thing called homework (blah), but that will be last on my list. So, how do you end a very long day of cleaning? A nice warm shower, some hot tea, and good ol' television. The perfect end to a successful day of cleaning.

SIDE NOTE: my fave tea right now? Winter Solstice from Peet's. The perfect mix of sweetness and strength. Tastes great when paired with a little sugar cookie!

vintage trends...

Isn't it incredible just how many people (mostly women) have started a business, not thinking it will really go anywhere -- just give enough income to pay the bills -- and then some 5 odd years later, it's their life?? It really is the trend right now: women buying hand-made, vintage, home-style items from other women who then get ideas of their own, so then they go out and start a business of their own, having the same mentality of 'just enough income to pay the bills', and then their business booms...example: Etsy. It's crazy!
My friend and I were talking about vintage things tonight, and it got me thinking, "Would I be into vintage items if it wasn't the trend right now?" The answer: probably not. I realized that I really do like a lot of the trends out right now, which is great! But then what will happen when this hand-made, vintage-feeling trend is over? Me? I'll move onto the next big thing...but what about all of these small businesses? That's where flexibility comes in. The person who made the business has to constantly be keeping up with all of the latest stuff; the latest trends. That will determine if they are a good business owner. Not someone who makes up a business based solely on the current trend.
This is why I will never be a small business owner. I have always loved trends, but I could never keep up with them. :) Even now, I LOVE all of the vintage beach themed home goods out there, but alas, I have no home of my own to decorate! So, I will keep my eyes peeled for the next big trend. My guess? Go back to hand-crafted new furniture (not vintage/aged), then futuristic metals/angles (clean = good), then back to victorian vintage...it's a cycle. :)

Random thought (it's 12:10AM, I have a lot of them right now)! My Mom is on a Woman's Retreat for the weekend, which means I have no car, so that means I'm stuck at the house all day tomorrow and possibly Sunday. I'm hoping to clean/re-organize the house tomorrow as kind of a "welcome home" thing...she probably won't notice, but hey, I'll be happy (and not bored stiff). My organization: a place for everything, and everything in it's place. My Mom's organization: if it fits, put it there! In conclusion: the house is always in some sort of state of unorganized chaos. Another reason I REALLY want my own house to decorate: I'd know where everything is! She blames it on "no pull-out drawers in the kitchen." I think it's her "organizational" skills, lol. I love my Mom SO much, I just don't want her touching my stuff. :)

warm weather = ocean...

With all of the un-seasonably warm weather that's hit our central coast, I can't help but think that summer is right around the corner! I LOVE summer. Not just because school's out, but because I get to spend a lot time at my favorite place in the world: the beach. I love the beach, but I love the ocean even more...good thing I'm wanting to major in marine bio, right? :)
I've been debating on what internships to apply for in the Spring 2012 semester. There are A LOT of internships out there, and it's super hard choosing just a few to focus on/apply for! More specifically, I'm debating on whether or not to apply for an internship that has more of a "zoo manager"-type position (taking care of a wide variety of animals), or one that focuses more on what I'm interested in (marine animal behavior/biology). The first looks better on a general resume, but the second is, again, what I'm interested in. Gah! SO hard to decide!
Well, that's when God comes in. He'll make the choice that's best for me, and all I have to do is apply to both and then pray about it...I love how He always takes care of me. :)

BTW, the pic above is from our (my Dad and I) recent trip to San Fran on the way back from our friend's wedding. I really like the SF area: vintage yet modern, sweet but stylish, unique (big one) yet classic. My Sis wants to go to SFSU in the near future...I'll definitely be making some visits to see her!...and maybe get some sushi while I'm there. ;)

fun-filled day...

My Dad and I had a long--but fun--day today...mostly consisting of me doing my random shopping errands, but hey, it was fun none the less. :) Since I really haven't been out all that much (except going to school and work), I decided to take my camera along and see what kind of pics I could get. Here's what my day consisted of:

~My baby, thinking, "Why are you taking ANOTHER picture of me?"...She's so patient. :) ~

~ A rose in our front yard. A box I made about 1 year ago...and it still has nothing in it! ~

~ My Dad and I stopped by In-N-Out for lunch...YUUUUM! ~

~ My friend Garrett is an art student down in LA, and let me tell you, his sketches blow my mind. I love his art work. So, while I was at Target today, I picked up some $3 frames and finally framed his work...it now hangs proudly on my wall. On the right is a graduation card he made me titled: "Cuttlefish Tea Party" (amazing!!). On the left is a thank you card he also made for me...isn't the bird adorable?? ~

All around, a very fun -- yet tiring -- day. Tomorrow? Homework...Oh joy. :)

wonderful weddings...

For some reason, weddings have been on my mind lately...more specifically, wedding photos/photographers. There are no better pictures than some amazing, original, unique, adorable, pure, sentimental wedding photos. I feel like it's the pinnacle of photography...you're not a true photographer until you are able to capture real memories of wedded bliss.
I just recently discovered this photographer. I LOVE his pictures. They're classic, yet original and tailored to the subject/person he's shooting...you can really tell that the people are having a great time, which is the most important thing! I especially like his latest post on his blog. The lighting and quality of the pictures inside the house? AMAZING! Knowing how hard it is to get a picture like that just makes me love it even more.
I can't wait until I have some free time to take my camera out for a spin! Maybe this weekend?? :)

new camera!...

As I had said in my last post, my Dad bought my new camera while I was away on vacation (can you say best dad ever??), and I'm in love with it. I haven't been able to take it out much since I've been stuck at home, sick (coughs are never fun). But once I feel better, I'm definitely taking it out on a photo adventure...can't wait!! These pics are just a few from around the house. I especially love the detail the camera captured in the bird statue. So cool. :)

bananas & blizzards...

I visited my dear friend Sarah in Greer, SC this past week. I had such a great time. It was SUPER relaxed and laid-back, which was exactly what I had needed...we pretty much just played Wii and watched movies all day (now that's what I call a vacation!). Needless to say, we did actually go out and do some healthy, non-brain-melting activities, such as: go see Tangled (definitely one of my fave new movies; a must see), go to the Greenville Zoo (super cute!), and take some epic photos (the banana pics are my fave). Overall, a wonderful, well-needed vaca with my bestie. Love you girlie!! :)

PS, my Dad surprised me with my NEW CAMERA yesterday!!! YAY!!!! I'm sick right now (boo), but the minute I feel up to it, I'm taking my camera out on a photo-date...wish me luck! ;)

friends and flying...

Well, the day has arrived: I'm going to visit my wonderful friend Sarah tomorrow!! I'm SUPER stoked to see her, but I'm kinda nervous about the whole first-time-flying-alone thing. We (my padre and I) already printed out my boarding passes, so that definitely makes things a little easier.
The nice things is that I'm definitely not afraid to ask random people odd-ball questions, if necessary; or ask really obvious questions like, "Where's gate 2A?" when I'm standing next to gate 1A...I hope I'd be a little more observant than that, but hey, if I'm not then I'll just ask (it never hurts to ask). I'll let you know how everything turns out!
Also, I won't have any internet access for the entire week! Oh my goodness, how am I ever going to survive?? ;) I'll let you know if I make it through the week. :)

epic photo shoot...

My cousin and I went on an epic photo shoot a couple of days ago...and I must admit, the pics turned out awesome. When I arrived at my cousin's house, she said, "Here. She's all yours." and I was able to play with her Nikon for the entire photo shoot! Oh my goodness, I've never wanted an SLR camera so badly. I had so much creative freedom! It was SO cool!!
I'm going away to visit my good friend Sarah this Tuesday (my first time flying alone!...Scary!), and I was hoping to get my new camera by then. Sadly, the store didn't have the camera in stock, so I have to order it, so I won't be able to get it until after I get back (in one week). I'm kind of glad I don't have it yet. It's definitely less stressful then having to worry about it breaking or getting lost when I'm traveling...I'm gonna be positive! Haha :)
The ring in the last picture is from Lisa's shop (where I work). I love the inscription: LOVE ALWAYS. The ring is actually a little too big for me...I'm hoping that when I get married I can give it to my husband to wear, so that every time I see him, I'll be reminded to love him always, because God loves me always, and His love will be the foundation of our marriage. Yes, I know, it sounds a little cheesy; but hey, I like cheesy romance stories. :) Check out the ring here!