Raiding My Mom's Closet

The little snoop that I am, I was going through my mom's dresser drawers and closet about a week ago when I stumbled across some of her old threads!

Whether you like to call 'em old, retro, or vintage, I love finding garments from decades past. It really goes without saying that most clothes from the past were made better than the sweat-shopped clothes we find today (that tend to fall apart in a couple years time, it seems).

Also, my mama had style! (Refer to picture below).

She was quite glamourous, no?(Also, that's my dad, see the resemblance?)

I was happy to find out that I could fit in my mom's old clothes, so I begged her to have them. Two new editions to my closet!

It's funny because these sweaters have come back in full force!

A wavy ring that belonged to my American grandmother.

A necklace (with a picture of my sister and I--we are 20 years apart) from my Turkish grandmother.

A shirt with cute detail that I often wear to work. My boss asked if I had made it cause the stitching was so good. Nah, clothes were just better back in the day!

The awesome part: I didn't have to pay a cent for any of these great new items! Score!

Photo Shoot Nerds

A friend of mine is a professional photographer, so it was decided that there should be a mini-photoshoot between me and a few friends. Well, they decided and I said I would join.

It was one of those stormy, rainy days:

We all rushed inside to keep dry (although I wanted to stay outside, you know how I love rain).

Ummm....I won't lie. I feel a bit awkward posing for pictures with a professional camera. I'm too self-aware.

But despite being a little disheveled from the wet weather (and too aware that a camera was in my face), it was sort of fun to act like a model for a night.

A Day in a French Cafe (In San Diego)

Just like I love seeing a day in the life where all of you fine people are, I also love sharing a day in my life.

In lieu of the fact that I can't be visiting France every month, how convenient is it to have our own mock French cafes in San Diego? It makes me mighty happy. So without further ado (how do you like that spelling, Emily?), I give you pictures:

I'm always in a tremendously good mood when I get to wear my favorite red dress. So much so that it was completely appropriate to pose on the street corner like a little tart!

Lavender lemonade really is a little piece of heaven on earth...hmmm...must find out how to make a homemade recipe. I'm sure it's embarrassingly simple to make!

The last couple pictures were taken in the dressing room of a little boutique, where I succumbed to buying an overpriced room spray called "An Afternoon in Versailles," because it smelled so good, and I love Versailles so much!

You gotta love French-inspired days...

My Perfect Saturday

Ahhhh. You know when you just have one of those great days? As if your lungs have expanded because you've been breathing in life?

Saturday was one of those days. It was a day where we did nothing more but shoot the breeze, take lots of frivolous photos and celebrate Lucille Ball's 100th birthday with some red lips painted on our faces (might as well have painted a constant smile on mine).

Oh wait, you wanna see the photos? Oh okay. Be warned, I said frivolous for a reason...

My chip is bigger than Lainey's; Ummm...flexibility much?; Christian feeding me gelato, and me totally hamming up this picture.

The silliest pictures were a result of us waiting for our friend's salon appointment to finish. When you combine a sunny day, a sense of humor, and a camera, this is what you get:

Notice Christian acting very sneaky...the progression of these shots cracks me up...

Where are your hands going, Christian?

HIGHLY INAPPROPRIATE :)

After our scandalous photo shoot (there are more dorky photos I refuse to show), we decided to wander over to a cafe, naturally. Good thing we were in Little Italy and I was in the mood for a cappuccino.

I was loving the indulgence. Can't wait to one day indulge in real Italy.

We returned to the salon to find that our friend was finally finished. That's when Shakira came on the salon's radio. When Shakira plays, you can do one of two things: 1. Pretend that you are nonchalant and sit in your chair, or 2. Let the beat take you over and have a dance party.

We chose the later.

Bethany and I are actually shimmying here. The only way to tell is to look at my key necklace.

Sadie, the hairdresser, teaching the girls how to shake their hips.

I love it when I capture candids when no one realizes ;)

Dancing in salons works up an appetite, so next we devoured a meal in the heart of Old Town. Afterwards, I stumbled upon a divine sign:

How convenient! I've been looking for those.

No, you dork. Not imaginary swords, there are real ones if you follow the arrow!

The sword shop had every sword imaginable, and even some weapons I'm pretty sure are illegal in the U.S.; maybe that's why I wasn't allowed to take photos...hmmm...

We ended this perfect day with a I Love Lucy marathon, and I was complete. It was all a reminder that it doesn't matter where you are or what you are doing; rather, it's completely about who you're with.

So won't you join me next time?

Love, Love, Love

I had another friend that got married about a week ago, so I wanted to share come lovely photos of the wedding (set at a winery).

The cute-as-a-button couple ♥

Fun shots by the winery!

:-)

Candace and "Pilot Man"

The cute cake (they also had cupcakes).

Time with friends, watching other friends get married.

Good wedding...yet kind of trippy to see all these friends of mine get married. Well, it's weird and not-weird at the same time. Each individual couple is ready at their own rate, yet what's weird is seeing some people that you've known for years move from one stage of life (college and being a twenty-something wanderer) to GETTING MARRIED--a very monumental stage of life.

And so, all these weddings I have been to have been trippy in that sense, because I am so not in that stage of life.

This is not a good or bad observation; rather, just an observation on how we (or I) perceive changes. Yeah...I think that sums it up!

Daydream Believers & Homecoming Queens

I had the song in my head, and it seemed like an appropriate title for the pictures I am about to show you.

Plus, my friend Beth and I were wandering around Hillcrest, the well-known gay district, so there were a lot of "queens" around. ha.

Manicures...yay!

Tea Time, anyone?

At Pinkberry getting some frozen yogurt :) I put EXTRA mochi in mine.

I had to borrow tights from Beth (I am surprised they fit) because it got cold and windy today. HELLO FALL!

MacBook Photo Monday (and a side of High Fidelity)

Thought this would be a fun and colorful addition to dreadful Mondays...and MacBook photos are addicting-ly fun to take. So why not share them on my blog?

Me in different pop-art-inspired colors! YAY! ^

Also, I wanted to share this quote that has been circulating in my head. It's from the book High Fidelity, where Laura tells Rob:

"You just...you just don't do anything. You get lost in your head, and you sit around thinking instead of getting on with something, and most of the time you think rubbish. You always seem to miss what's really happening."

Hmmm...I feel like this is ME. I do this all too often. Well...I am proactive on some things: I wanted to volunteer, so I did it; I wanted to travel last summer, so I did it.

But I can do more. And I need to do more, before my life runs out. haha. Funny thing to say in your 20s, but it's coming from an old soul (I get called that a lot) who realizes that life is gonna fly by faster than I can say "Carpe Diem."

It's Not Easy Being Pink...

I didn't alter this picture, it was just the kind of light they had in the bar.

Just wanted to post a cheeky photo, that's all :)

Annnnnnnnddd...

...mention that I saw Donnie Darko for the first time. Can I just say, INSANE movie? But kinda brilliant. And kinda head-scratchin', in a frustrating way at first. But then it really makes you think. And so yeah, it was pretty brilliant.

Guess this is a random post. I'm just gearing up for the holidays and some time off (2 weeks). I feel relaxed, I feel happy and I feel at peace. That ain't bad, if I do say so myself.

And I even went to the gym today! I, like, totally get a gold star.

Snipity Snip

Yeahhhh, basically I chopped off all my hair. haha. I get bored too easily--I decided to get this haircut in all of like, 5 minutes. But that's the best way to do it!

I've never had it this short! But now I can rock the messy do and no one can complain. ha.

Fun in Dresses

So you should know by now that I really like making my own photo shoots. It's too fun (for girls and gay guys, at least).

So my roommate and I gave ourselves a reason to take photos: we wore ball gowns and frolicked around Downtown San Diego. Our friend Sonja (who's studying abroad from Norway) came with us :)

Pictures of our enchanted evening (hehe) :