pink orchid love

time to move.

2011-10-29T00:34:00.000-07:00

because i'm (usually) ready to try something new, i've decided to continue my blogging here.
essentially the same blog, but brand new format and new URL, and from what i've tested so far, faster uploading which means more posts! yay!

thanks for reading!
xoxoxo

seeing these guys live next week at the music box!

2011-10-08T20:07:00.000-07:00

i heart flo.

2011-10-08T19:54:00.000-07:00

youth club

2011-10-08T19:45:00.000-07:00

aside from the kiddie celebrities like the olsen twins or justin biebers of the world, here's a random selection of assorted celebrity-types...when they were young for your time-wasting pleasure!
xo

farmer's market saturday

2011-09-10T15:52:00.000-07:00

torrance farmer's market is my new favorite saturday morning ritual. i love browsing all of the fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs...tasting all the free samples (!) and picking out some beautiful flowers to dress up my weekend.

make my weekend pretty.

the baby bamboo is going in my office come monday...

ensalada de nopales

sweet, sweet pluots! (apricot+plum hybrid)

yellow nectarines

beginnings of guacamole

these black grapes are so, so sweet.

delicious, fresh corn.

dwell on design + downtown

2011-06-26T16:22:00.000-07:00

yesterday cameron and i attended the 2011 dwell on design conference at the LA Convention Center, courtesy of my lovely friend, Lindsay, who was able to get us free tickets! (thanks, Lindsay!) there were tons of great exhibitions and vendors, with a little something for each of us...while i'm more into the interiors, cam likes the green building initiatives...and we both like the landscape design.

after checking out all of the exhibits, we visited the dwell store outside and i found a few new stores and objects of interest...

(books I want: The Edible Front Yard by Ivette Soler,

and Bohemian Modern: Living in Silver Lake, by Barbara Bestor)

Here's my rundown of notable DoD vendors...

Salvage Design Company in Costa Mesa, California

A+R Store in Venice, California

Scout Regalia in Los Angeles

Potted Store in Los Angeles

Fleet Objects in Vancouver, Canada

Lesley Anton, handmade ceramic lighting in Los Angeles

Wooly Pockets in Los Angeles

after finishing up inside, we headed out and decided that we had earned a meal. we agreed on Cole's on 6th and Main.

i always love it when we have excuse to hang out in downtown...it may not be the best downtown of any major city, but i kind of love that it's a little dirty and uninviting, yet there are some really cool places to eat, shop and see...you just have to know where to find them! (and we are just learning...)

so we made it to Cole's ("the originator of the french dip sandwich...not to be confused with Philippe's, the home of the original french dip sandwich...sanchwich wars!) and it wasn't yet the height of the dinner rush (the bar was full, but the restaurant was pretty much empty)...so our food came out quickly...and hot and delicious! unfortunately there are no pics because we were both so hungry we devoured our food as soon as it came. but, cam recommends the beef french dip (what cole's is known for), while i recommend the grilled cheese and tomato soup combo...yum....

happy and full we headed home after that to watch a movie and veg on the couch...perfect way to end an eventful, fun day!

un dia muy hermosa

2011-06-19T09:56:00.000-07:00

saturday was a great day for so many reasons. number one, i managed to sleep in until eleven o'clock a.m. - i NEVER do that. then, my wonderful husband made me chocolate chip pancakes and coffee, and i talked on the phone with my grandfather, then my sister and brother. all of which, i must say, are wonderful ways to begin your day.
to top it off, it was SUNNY before noon! now, those of you who do NOT live in southern california are probably thinking to yourselves, (this chick is crazy) isn't it always sunny in southern California?? (i might be a little crazy, but only in the absolute best way possible). please, let me explain that there are caveats with the SoCal sun.
i live very close to the beach. and yes, while it is a lot of fun and i love where i live - it is overcast. a lot. lately it hasn't really been clearing up much before noon on the weekends. also, right now we are in the midst of "june gloom," which i learned two years ago (when i moved here), is more overcast-type weather this time of the year. 1+1 makes for part-time sun, which i think is fairly typical of a beach town, and i happily live with it.

i digress, back to the day.

so it was sunny and we decided to go to the beach.

it was lovely. we packed our bag and rode our bikes down. we read for a few hours in the sand, and i snapped a few photos of our surroundings on my phone.
around three, we decided we were hungry and walked two blocks to a new restaurant in hermosa beach that apparently has everyone excited, hot's kitchen, on hermosa ave and 8th st. (i love the name).

they have a menu full of small plates for $3-5, mostly mini-burgers and an array of interesting tacos, plus a large assortment of wine and beer. we each picked out two two tacos and got their wine of the day special. we sat in the window and enjoyed the sun and view as we waited.

(Hermosa Ave)

i had meant to take a picture of all four tacos, perfectly lined on the clean, white serving plate, but i was so hungry when they came that i immediately started eating (it was a mahi mahi taco, and it was perfect). i remembered when there was only one left, my chipotle chicken taco (yum...). it was delicious. so delicious that i might even go back today.

when we finished up, we paid and walked back to our bikes for the ride home.

a glass of wine with a light lunch + heavy bag in front basket + uphill ride home = CHALLENGE.

but, i made it and cam took a picture of me outside our house to prove it.

when we got home, i quickly changed and was ready to continue my day of sun and play by working in my garden. see the fruits of my labor below...

(heirloom tomato)

(cherry tomatoes)

i ended up re-potting a few plants, moving some around in the garden (thankfully cam was willing to dig a couple up for me) and i ended up working outside til seven o'clock!

we stayed in for dinner, eating leftovers from an italian place we went to the night before, and catching up on this season of doctor who until the wee hours of the night... (oh yes, we love doctor who. another post, another time).

and of course, my two little furry loves were very excited once we came in and settled in for the night...of course, apollo had luna to snuggle on all day, so i think he may not have missed us all that much.

xxoo

a little motivation for the middle of the week

2011-06-15T07:39:00.000-07:00

can you tell i had a particularly challenging day yesterday? i need to remember this all day today (and every day).

...and if i start over thinking things at work, i will just remind myself of this. good advice, no?
but, in the midst of all the chaos that surrounds me, i'll try this out and keep on smiling!

xxoo

today's updates

2011-06-11T16:12:00.000-07:00

so i decided to update the look of the blog and the content of my photo albums after one of my loyal readers (rohit) complained that i wasn't keeping it up-to-date on what i've been up to these days...

i don't want to disappoint my fan base.

so here it is! the updated look of P.O.L. (with a new mobile-look for all you smart phone users) and i've even updated and organized my picasa albums for your viewing pleasure.

oh where does the time go? too much work and not enough play...or maybe, in my case, not enough blogging about my fun!

here's a preview of what's to come in some of my catch-up blogs that will be posted very, very soon...and feel free to browse my picasa in the meantime.

xo

Renters home improvement

2011-05-15T19:20:00.000-07:00

As renters, we happily share our front garden with our lovely and super nice neighbors Bret and Megan, and baby Asher. However, when we moved in back in September, I realized that along one side of the house was a completely unused space that had some potential. This is the side of the house that our laundry room, kitchen and bedroom faces, so all those windows, when opened up, just overlook a dirty red fence, concrete and the side of our neighbor's garage. So, when Cam's mom visited us back in March, she helped me plant some hanging baskets for that side of the house (which you'll see in the pictures below!), which got me on a roll and I wanted to do more...so one fine Saturday, I convinced my husband to do some heavy lifting, while I sucked it up and got my hands a little dirty....all to create our own little patio area.

Before, it was dirty, full of cobwebs and spiders and there was a pile of unused pavers that had been there for an indeterminable amount of time.

Spiders, dirt and dust...no me gusta.

Cam and I spent several hours (these things always take longer than you think they will take) sweeping, and spraying down the area to make it pretty.

As clean as it will ever be.

...And we found these two beauties covered in dust and dirt at the back of our little alleyway, so we sprayed them down and plan to re-stain them at some point...according to our neighbors they were left by a few tenants back before us. Finders keepers!

I wanted to add some plants back there so it would seem a little more welcoming, and a nice place to be while we're cooking out.

Cam got our barbeque all set up...and I added some outdoor lights for those evening cookouts.

And, of course, Luna and Apollo were right there watching us getting it all set up (our bedroom window is adjacent to our new barbeque spot).

Now we're all set to cook out and enjoy our own little space...

xo

railroad revival tour: pics!

2011-04-26T19:38:00.000-07:00

Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro, California.

Band transportation.

Food trucks! We had nomnom, it was YUM!

Open standing! We had to move around a few times for me to see :)

railroad revival tour: band members arrival in san pedro

2011-04-25T07:34:00.000-07:00

since i was busy all weekend and now my computer is being slow to upload all the pictures on my camera (a lot of them) i thought i'd at least post a youtube video from the railroad revival tour's youtube channel of mumford & sons, edward sharpe & the magnetic zeros, and old crow medicine show arriving on friday in san pedro at the port of los angeles. and yes, we were there!

the show was incredible and thank goodness for my music loving husband who had it on his radar to get tickets! all three bands are INCREDIBLE live. the show opened with old crow medicine show, then edward sharpe & the magnetic zeros, and closed with mumford & sons. and of course, there were random collaborations throughout all three sets, with the show closing with an encore with EVERYONE on stage, including the crew dancing and singing along. it really was kind of, dare i say it? magical.

with the bands traveling to six cities this month by train, you can get all the information you might want to know (and then some) from the RRT website and linked twitter and facebook (and of course, youtube!)

<3

pics to come!

xo

i don't skate, but...

2011-01-23T16:48:00.000-08:00

this short film, "skateistan: to live and skate in kabul" is pretty cool and very inspiring. the sundance film festival has a youtube screening room, where they will be bringing short films from past and present sundances to the world wide web.

from skateistan's website,

Skateistan is Afghanistan’s—and the world’s—first co-educational skateboarding school. Operating as an independent, neutral, Afghan NGO, the school engages growing numbers of urban and internally-displaced youth in Afghanistan through skateboarding, and provides them with new opportunities in cross-cultural interaction, education, and personal empowerment.

learn more about this unique organization and its mission at http://skateistan.org/

xo

end of year RUSH

2010-12-14T22:20:00.000-08:00

have you been feeling crazy busy lately? i don't know if it's just me, but it feels like i've just been all over the place! i'm trying to enjoy it though...

i love this time of year for so many reasons.

first of all, i get to listen to my holiday playlist on my ipod. this means non-stop charlie brown christmas, nutcracker, elf soundtrack and a bunch of random, awesome other songs. love it!

secondly, i have lots of excuses to go shopping and pick out fun gifts. now, i'm going to be honest: I LOVE SHOPPING. i don't even care if it is for me or for someone else, i just love it. HOWEVER, because i've been so busy with...mainly work...i haven't had as much time for all the holiday shopping FUN. i've mainly been browsing on my go-to online shops, checking out the wish lists of all the creative bloggers out there, and, i'll be honest, cultivating my own wish list of things i would like to buy for others and myself...(mainly myself)...so here goes...

above is the JONI scarf in lipstick red from one of my faves, WOOL AND THE GANG. the kit is $139 from the online shop, and includes yarn, needles, pattern and other goodies.

judging by the music video i so cleverly placed in my digital wish list, you can probably tell that i wish for some broken bells on my ipod, as well as on the ipods of my loved ones.

a little more practical, i wish for a lovely, old-fashioned daily planner to keep my thoughts, appointments and to-do list organized...and let's be honest, who wouldn't like such a useful gift?

almost last on my wishlist, this dream flat in buenos aires, profiled by LAMA. i won't re-post the pics here, but please check it out. it's kind of amazing.
and in BUENOS AIRES.

and last...

...i wish for a white christmas.

this is entirely possible and plausible, seeing as i will be spending christmas in michigan this year! my sister asked me the other day if i was ready for extremely cold, below freezing weather. and to be honest,YES. i am totally ready. bring it on for the entire seven days i will be in michigan. because, oddly enough, in my second winter away from michigan, i am still strangely missing REALwinter (i.e. with snow). i think the holidays bring it out in me...

happy shopping, dreaming, wrapping and enjoying this crazy holiday season!

xo

we decorated after all.

2010-12-10T18:58:00.000-08:00

cam and i were not going to decorate for the holidays. we literally just finished getting all settled in our house with our new furniture, etc. just a week before we had family stay with us for thanksgiving, and we had had a little overkill of decorating, buying stuff for the house, etc.

however...

cameron's company holiday party last saturday kind of got us in the holiday spirit...
so the next day we got a little christmas tree and pulled our holiday decorations out of the garage to decorate...

apollo got to relax while we decorated...

i hope you're enjoying the holiday season thus far as well!

feliz dia de gracias

2010-11-29T07:48:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! This year Cameron and I hosted our first Thanksgiving...and had our first guests in our new home :) Cameron's parents and sister came out for this whole week to visit us and spend the holiday with us. In the morning we went for a walk along the beach and got a little pre-Thanksgiving exercise...

Cori and I ran up for a couple quick pictures!

Upon our return, we found that Cameron had prepped ALL the food.

And then he cooked all the food.

Yep.

But, I set the table and put out the appetizers.

Luna helped.

Meanwhile, Keith and Cori watched football.

And Georgann got some sun...

Before Cam got us started with dinner!

I hope you had a nice Thanksgiving, too!

these days.

2010-10-30T18:56:00.000-07:00

wow, i cannot believe it's been a whole month and half since my last post. time flies when you are crazy busy. for one thing, i have been extremely busy with my new job (yay) and secondly, cam and i have been busy trying to get this house of ours put together...
we have been browsing, shopping, and browsing some more, finding a few goodies for the house. first up, is the first piece of art cam and i have ever both loved.

appropriately titled "LA grid," it's an over-sized, digitized, neon-colored view of the LA skyline and city surrounding. we are extremely happy with it - but i must say the photo i have of it above really does not do it justice :( just trust me on this one.
hot off the presses, we just picked up our new coffee table TODAY over at Plummers in the Helms Bakery District in our old neighborhood...

as you can see, it's got an industrial-esque feel to it, which is lately, pretty much the only style cameron and i can agree on for our home furnishings and accessories. i have an extremely eclectic taste, while cam is a little more conservative with the design choices he makes...shopping has been challenging at times, but we are determined to find some common ground. we got lucky with these two pieces, especially realizing it today when we looked about about 150 different recliners, accent chairs and other fun pieces, and didn't agree on a single one!

(via Departika)

being that southern california seems to be bursting at the seams with local artisans, today while waiting to meet up with cam today at Helms Bakery district i came across some Detroit Sprinkles sweatshirts at HD Buttercup:

the story behind the clothing line and the artists is that they are 3 detroit natives that moved out to LA. they handscreen every shirt and sweatshirt and no two are exactly alike. i definitely want to support my fellow michiganders (yes, that is what we call ourselves, and it's awesome), but i think i need to hurry up and pick out a few things to order because they seem to be running out fast.

xo

hermosa in the morning

2010-09-17T08:43:00.000-07:00

i took some photos on my walk down to the boardwalk yesterday morning. i love being able to walk out my front door and walk around town. hermosa may be small, but it has a lot of charm and many unique attributes that are fun to capture on camera.

probably one of my favorite things about southern california since moving here is experiencing the colorful and lush abundance of flowers, trees and other plant life that seems to greet you everywhere you go. the exotic flowers, the interesting cacti and succulents flourish in the most unexpected places among all the concrete that makes los angeles the sprawling city it is. growing up in michigan i was privileged to grow up with big yards, colorful and interesting seasons and beautiful greenery in the spring and summer...and while that will always be beautiful to me, experiencing a completely different climate is fun, interesting and has yet to cease to amaze me.

i even have a little urban jungle in my own front yard...

a little shabby, perhaps, but i kind of like it.

and of course there's the walkway...

to our front door...

inspired accessories for fall and beyond

2010-09-16T10:32:00.000-07:00

ever since taking up knitting this past spring, i seem to have a radar for handmade knits. i cannot help but think whenever i see knitted clothing, personal accessories and even home accessories...i bet i could make that.

however, taking some inspiration from the designs of rita cordeiro, i might need a bit more experience and practice to even attempt to duplicate anything similar...

the above three accessories are from rita's cooler shop. and i'm thinking, can be worn year round in a number of fashionable and seasonally appropriate ways ;) and as you can probably tell, at least from the first photo, many of her accessories from her cooler shop are malleable and you can maneuver them for your fashion needs.

ms. cordeiro also has her wooler shop, which has a number of fun fashions for cooler weather.

the shades of green remind me of the leaves in the final days of michigan summer...just before they start turning the warmer colors that accompany the cooler weather... (as well as the colors of palm trees year round here in sunny cali...)

i love the options with this one. oversize cowl...

cuddly hoodie...

but this one is my favorite. the little crocheted pieces strung together kind of remind of me of papel picado.

all images via rita cordeiro.

la cocina, #2

2010-09-15T11:53:00.000-07:00

the kitchen has wonderfully tiled counters right around the sink and a butcher block style bar, but the surface area is limited. when we moved to the new place, i thought i would repurpose an old tv stand i have kept as extra storage since college, as some extra counter space, as well as (temporary) storage, in our new kitchen.

the large empty corner across from the oven is now happily, and purposely filled with this old painted IKEA tv stand (yes, IKEA again, i know, i know. i swear that it isn't the only place i shop!)

i found some mexican oil cloth at the cotton shop in redondo beach. at $7.98/yd, it was easy enough to buy enough to cut to fit the three shelves inside, as well as the top (with extra to spare...)

and look how pretty!

the oil cloth will save the paint from being scratched and add some color to my clean, white kitchen.

if you're not familiar, oil cloth can also be used for a number of fun projects...

before and after outdoor bar photos via ReadyMade blog.

apartment therapy explores eight different fun ways to use oil cloth here. i'm particularly fond of the idea of the outdoor pillows...

image via apartment therapy.

if your local fabric store doesn't carry it, you can purchase it online (and find more inspiration) here.

xo

la cocina

2010-09-15T11:14:00.000-07:00

at 824, we have a lovely kitchen, bright with lots of natural light, and unique attributes, such as like our vintage o'keefe and merritt gas oven, which was most likely manufactured right here in los angeles.

a true antique, it does show the wear and tear of the years.

though overall i find it quite charming, and an interesting focus point in the white kitchen.

and it works just fine! so far we have used it to make yummy lasagna and some pollo asado (easier to make in the oven when i was unpacking at the same time...) and i'm hoping this weekend cameron might bake me something sweet.

xo

a little something to please everyone.

2010-09-15T09:36:00.000-07:00

cameron and i recently purchased some new rugs for our carpet-less home. one of them was this one, from IKEA.

IKEA is great for fast, affordable home purchases. particularly when we needed to find several rugs for around the house - fast - which is exactly what happened this past saturday.

i like this rug for many reasons. it is heavy, soft, it gives a punch of color on our neutral wood floors and next to the newly painted sandy colored walls. also, finally, the cats have come out of hiding.

and no, it was not my first choice, but my husband vetoed the expensive persian rug i first picked out :)

i am very satisfied with it though. while mass-produced, it claims to have been hand knotted, is made of wool (sustainable, naturally stain resistant) and judging by the selection at the store, no two were exactly alike. (hey, i'll take what i can get).

now i just need to take some time to find some accessories and art for the bare walls to make the room perfect for us...cam just hopes i can keep my eye on things within a reasonable price range.

xo

824

2010-09-12T11:32:00.000-07:00

it all happened really fast. cam found out he was moving projects about a month ago. we had been waiting to find out where he was going to be civil-engineering his days next, so when we found out it wasn't too far from the south bay, we started looking for possible places of residence in lovely hermosa beach.
we found 824 about three weeks ago, and next thing we knew, we were packing and renting a u-haul and the cats were freaking out...

(moving made apollo incredibly lethargic and moody.)

honestly, in two words? moving. sucks.
but, we did it. cam and i moved all of our furniture, all of our stuff, painted the bathroom, our bedroom, the living room and dining nook, and this past week i took off from work to clean (and clean and clean), unpack and organize.
and why do i share all of this with you? because it was a feat. and i'm pretty damn proud of myself!
so, in conclusion: this past week and half was crazy exhausting, there's still a ton to do, but we love our new home.

we love that we can just walk out our front door into a yard and out to our car (and it isn't parked a quarter mile away in a huge parking garage)

i love that i not only have one window in my kitchen, but three!

and i love that i have a garage to contain all the mess as i take my time organizing and decorating!

but, despite our excitement, there were two individuals in our family that were less than enthusiastic.

and because it's so freaking adorable, let's see it from one more angle...

saying that apollo did not take the move well is an understatement. as you can see from the pictures, we had our bed about 6 or so inches from the wall on two sides for the first couple nights so that that they could sneak back there and keep each other safe (or rather, luna keep apollo safe).
after we moved our bed up against the wall in the corner of our bedroom, apollo and luna took to the closet for safety. since then, luna has once again become very sociable and has been out with us a lot this weekend. apollo is still a little freaked out and stays in the closet most of the day. we went to get some rugs yesterday because now that we have all hardwood floors, the cats don't have has many soft surfaces to curl up on. it seems to have helped some, but he is still not eating a lot and has been acting out at night...this morning around 3 a.m. i woke up to a noise which turned out to be apollo up on a kitchen counter attempting to knock a pan onto the floor...it remains a mystery to us how he even got up there as he has never proved himself to be a very talented jumper...

xo

ocean-ographing...

2010-08-22T20:16:00.000-07:00

have you been watching blue august on the discovery channel lately? we have. we are kind of obsessed with it.
so this weekend we were inspired to experience the ocean first hand...

we headed over to hermosa beach on saturday and enjoyed the view.

the essentials for the day were my knitting and sunscreen....

and of course this guy.

then today, we took advantage of our membership to the aquarium of the pacific and went to see the new otter exhibit...

...among the other beautiful creatures.

happy swimming.

michael cera, he's so hot right now

2010-08-22T18:54:00.000-07:00

while he'll always be george michael to me...

scott pilgrim vs. the world is AWESOME. great music, cool special effects (the entire film references iconic old video games...so my gamer husband explained to me...), and an ensemble cast of hipster actors running around toronto, canada. it kind of made me miss snow...

Catalina Island

2010-08-16T08:23:00.000-07:00

cam and i took a day trip over to catalina island this past saturday and walked, biked and kayaked our way all over the island! well, at least a small section of it. we took the catalina express from long beach at 7:15 am (we're early risers these days...) and had a delicious breakfast at the cottage restaurant upon arriving. we walked around down to descanso beach and took (lots of) pictures along the way, then rented a couple bicycles and rode around the neighborhoods, checking out the island style and kitsch of all the little houses and shops.

after our bike ride we rented a kayak and paddled out around the island, past lover's cove, spotting a couple of sea lions, a ton of fish in the crystal clear water and even a bunch of baby jellyfish along the way! after kayaking we made it over to the lobster trap for a yummy lunch, then spent the rest of the afternoon shopping and checking out all the unique shops (well, i did, with cam in tow), and reading in the park overlooking the harbor.

there's so much more to do on catalina, such as a glass botttom boat tour, or one of the many other tours, so we are definitely looking forward to going back sometime! but, we definitely made sure we made the most of our day trip over there...we were so tired the next day, we spent the afternoon on the couch watching tv and movies :)

...as you can tell from the title, the glass bottom boat, starring my mom's all-time favorite actress, was filmed on catalina island.

xo

big and small wooly ambitions

2010-08-13T18:33:00.000-07:00

these are some of the knitted objects i've found online this week that truly inspire me. i love the idea turning a piece of string into these three dimensional, amazing pieces of art below...knitting has so many functionalities...kitchy art, high style and unique style, living room statement pieces...the list goes on and on. enjoy.

mini knitted cactus via latin america in the modern age.

minnie ears headband and chain scarf via yokoo.

knitted pouf (you can rest your feet on it!) via CB2.

psychedelic knitted bicycle via wool and the gang.

august 12

2010-08-12T20:33:00.000-07:00

on august 12, 1991, i got a little brother as my 6th birthday present. i have always loved sharing my birthday with jacob, and now that we live in different time zones, too far away to spend our birthday together this year, like we have almost every other...going out to movies and getting ice cream like we have in the past... and of course, our favorite, pf chang's birthday dinner...

even though i had a fabulous birthday this year, it will always seem a little lacking when spending it apart from my birthday twin, and favorite little brother.

happy birthday jacob! i love you!

hiking in palos verdes

2010-08-07T16:34:00.000-07:00

cam and i went hiking today in rancho palos verdes on the crenshaw extension trail and portuguese bend overlook. it was gorgeous. 3 miles round trip, starting in the del cerro park in rancho palos verdes which sits atop the palos verdes peninsula at more than 1,100 feet.

now, the hike started off pretty easy. and of course we thought it was easy...the first half was all downhill! and while we realized it was all downhill, we didn't really notice how much of an angle it was sloping downward until we got to the very bottom. the second half, therefore, was an entirely different experience. needless to say, it was a great workout!

yet, even when i was huffing and puffing up some of those incredibly steep hills...i could not get over this view!

after our hike we were famished. so we decided to have some lunch at pei wei, a wonderfully fast, affordable and yummy asian diner that we unfortunately don't have here in los angeles. we went to the one in torrance, which neighors palos verdes.
anyway, it was a great hike (and a delicious lunch!) and we will definitely be doing it again sometime soon. the water was such a fantastic deep aqua and blue that these pictures certainly don't do justice, but i couldn't help myself anyway.

oh! and see the rest of my photos from our hike here.

xo

oh happy day

2010-08-04T14:57:00.000-07:00

i found a special email from Equality California in my inbox when i came back from lunch:

Victory! After compelling testimony from California couples who are denied the freedom to marry, Federal District Judge Vaughn Walker ruled today that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional. The case will now move to the Court of Appeals.

i have to say...i was already having a pretty good day, but this just made my week.

(Legalize Gay Repeal Prop 8 t-shirt via AmericanApparel.com)

...looks like American Apparel may have ro re-print new t-shirts...

xoxoxo

i'll admit, it's taken me way too long.

2010-08-03T15:06:00.000-07:00

so let me preface this post by saying that i will be the first to admit that i procrastinate...a lot. however, i always finish what i set out to do...no matter how much time has gone by. my birthday cards may never be on time...i may pull an all nighter writing a grant, report, or presentation...but, in the end everything turns out pretty good if i do say so myself!

so, i finally posted the photographs our photographer took on our wedding day...may 23, 2009. i know it took me a long time, but there are a LOT of pictures and it took my computer a long time to upload all of them and well, i guess until now i was just too busy to upload them all...? okay, not busy, but lazy.

our photographer, kelly gillespie, from looking glass photography, was fantastic. and if you are looking for a professional photographer in mid-Michigan i highly recommend her.

looking back on these pictures puts a huge smile on my face...

...but, i was so nervous that day that it also kinda makes me glad that - as amazing as that day was - i will only have one big, elaborate, beautiful wedding in my life!

so if you want to see all of the 600+ photographs (yeah, it's a lot) looking glass photography took of cam's and my special day check them out on my picasa album page...and if you were a guest at our wedding make sure to take a look, because you might be surprised...kelly captured almost every one of our guests at least once...

xo

a weekend in chicago

2010-08-03T10:57:00.000-07:00

a couple weekends ago we went to chicago to celebrate my cousin danielle marrying her longtime boyfriend bryan jacob in a sweet, whimsical and unique ceremony at humbolt park boat house. the ceremony and reception were gorgeous and fun and we had a great time celebrating with them.

...and while there, we did a bit of exploring and site seeing...

check out the rest of the photos in my picasa album...yes, all 90 of them. i can't help it, i'm snap happy.

xo

the best kind of morning

2010-08-03T08:27:00.000-07:00

i had my coffee, my knitting and my cuddly apollo...plus i'm working from home today so no rush to get moving this morning.

however, a couple minutes after taking these pictures i had to scoot apollo off the table because he tried to drink my coffee...

but seriously, how could i get mad at him? ...he's just adventurous and likes to try new things.

xo

my new favorite shoes

2010-07-31T15:39:00.000-07:00

i often have difficulty finding shoes that are both cute and comfortable for me. i guess i just have sensitive feet - and having almost no arch does not not seem to help. i cannot run around in flip flops all day...(even though i do have a lovely assortment of havaianas...) and i refuse to wear tennis shoes except when i am running, hiking, working out, or maybe a random occasion when i am at a theme park on a family vacation...

so i was intrigued when i came across TOMS and thought they might be a good option for me...light, cute, nice arch support and best, the company has a social conscience.

(image via TOMS online)

With every pair you purchase TOMS will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need. ONE FOR ONE.

woo! so i'd been wanting to get some and finally had a chance to try some on at Nordstrom in Chicago (i never order shoes off the internet without having tried them on first...)

(image via TOMS online)

...and i decided on a simple black canvas pair that would go with everything. they are ridiculously comfortable and lightweight, and after running around Chicago in them for two and half days, i definitely will be ordering more from the TOMS store online. they were so comfortable that i even took them as a back-up pair to my five inch platform heels to my cousin's wedding...

so if you're looking to expand your shoe wardrobe (as i always am...) check out the TOMS store online and find out what local stores carry them so you can purchase a new pair of cute and comfortable shoes for yourself and a kid who really needs them!

xo

happy wednesday

2010-07-28T08:06:00.000-07:00

this is how luna doll hangs out at home. i hope your wednesday is just as relaxed!

inception

2010-07-21T09:30:00.000-07:00

okay, i'll admit i'm on a youtube kick lately (see my last two posts...) but i had to post one of the inception trailers because cam and i went to see it last weekend and we both LOVED it. it was absolutely the best movie i have seen in a really long time. it had you on the edge of your seat the entire time, not knowing what was going to come next, and it had the best of what makes good sci-fi - rules. there was a logic to the story and to how the events unfolded. so there's my 30 second movie review. go see it. it's amazing.

in remembrance

2010-06-25T09:41:00.000-07:00

among many of his songs, i really love this one.

toy story 3 and...other entertainment that's supposed to be for kids

2010-06-25T07:45:00.000-07:00

yes, i am so cool. i've been on a children's pop culture kick lately. and i blame it all on cameron. i love learning new, funny things about my husband...and a few weeks ago we saw a toy story trailer on tv and he goes, "oh, i love toy story!" and i said, "really? i had no idea! me, too!" so, naturally, being the tv and movie junkies we are, we wanted to then immediately watch the movies and i was surprised that we didn't already have them (i basically married into a dvd library). so anyway, i went out and got the blu-ray versions of toy story 1 & 2 (i know, we are so cool) and we watched them before going to see toy story 3 last sunday.

...and yes, we were the only couple I COULD SEE that didn't at least bring kids to the movie. whatever.

so anyway, now i'm all on my kids pop culture kick and i really want to go see despicable me (voiced by steve carrell! who also was in horton hears a who - which yes, i also saw in the theater). and i'm starting to re-read the whole harry potter series (because i LOVE hp, and did you know the trailer for the 7th film is debuting online next monday!? i will definitely be posting it on here...) and if we don't go see shrek 4 in theaters i'm sure we'll get it when it comes out on dvd to complete our collection.

ps. if you haven't gone to see toy story 3 yet, i HIGHLY recommend it. it's funny and really entertainment. whether you have kids to bring with you to the movies or not!

i heart knitting.

2010-06-25T07:27:00.000-07:00

so i've been knitting recently. a lot. i started, actually, in may, taking lessons at this great yarn shop in santa monica, wildfiber. my teacher, terri, and the other women that work and knit there are all awesome. they are so smart about knitting and fun to be around and going there every tuesday is one of my favorites parts of the week! so far i've knitted little projects, but am currently working on this awesome half-felted bag from boutique knits, by laura irwin.

(via boutique knits)

ah! i hope mine turns out as good. i'm hoping to be close to finishing it this weekend so i'll be posting up the finished version, along with my notes on it, etc. on ravelry.com. so if you're a knitter, look me up! my username is, of course, pinkorchidlove.

xo

Happy Father's Day!

2010-06-20T10:22:00.000-07:00

For my dad, who taught me to ride a bike, never worked too late so he couldn't spend time with me, always makes me laugh, and opened up the world's possibilities for me. Happy Father's Day!

364

2010-05-22T10:49:00.000-07:00

364 days plus tomorrow makes one year since i married my best friend.

home sweet home

2010-05-22T10:42:00.000-07:00

i've been away from my blog for a little while now...i suppose i haven't been too inspired lately and i just needed some time to focus on other things in my life. i love blogging and sharing my thoughts, ideas and inspiration, but not always do i feel compelled to write about everything. however, i am recently over my writer's block and have lots to share with you all!

last week i was very happy to take a trip home to michigan to spend some quality time with some friends and family...and not only that i got to spend some time in the house i grew up in.

and yes, that is my parents' huge backyard with pine trees and lots of space! if you are reading this and have ever spent any time in southern california, well, you know how limited space is...and because of this, i am going to share even more beautiful pictures of all the space my parents enjoy in michigan!

ah these pictures are so beautiful to me.

especially this one, because it's my sweet golden retriever, sophie...who loves me so much she recognizes my voice when i am video chatting with my family!

i love and miss my family and friends so much every day...hope you all enjoyed the pictures!
xo

pretty in peppermint

2010-04-12T09:33:00.000-07:00

eclectic vintage style for you and for your home...Peppermint Vintage Online has an assortment of quality vintage pieces of clothing, jewelry and decorations for your home.

and the best part is that for the most part, the prices are very reasonable. among the great selection of clutches and purses, this stand-out scarlet leather clutch is only $12. the kissing earrings below are also $12, and are not the only pair of fun, affordable jewelry on the site.

yum, popcorn! and seriously, what more fun way to enjoy it than in these adorable bowls, clearly dedicated for the crunchy treat, only $22.

now, there a lot of vintage peanuts memorabilia floating around, because, let's face it, the peanuts are the coolest, ever. the peanuts memorabilia peppermint vintage has in stock are, however, extremely unique and adorable! snoopy jars, $21. linus and lucy cookie cutters, $16.

happy shopping!

love free music

2010-04-12T08:32:00.000-07:00

25 songs. free. no strings attached. it's very easy, just go to this link, and follow the link to open your itunes. (i had trouble opening itunes from the link, it might just be my computer, but i had success when i opened itunes before clicking on the icon). the free download expires june 20, so make sure to get your freebies before then!

happy listening, xo

must paint!

2010-04-10T09:26:00.000-07:00

i really want to paint something. mainly my walls, but really, anything. we are planning to move this spring or early summer, so it is not really the time to get creative on my blank canvas walls, but it is not too early to gather my inspiration and start planning for my next place!

photos a la domino magazine archive, bloesem, and nestled in.

xo.

sugar-coated

2010-04-08T11:15:00.000-07:00

corinne bailey rae, i'd do it all again

2010-04-07T13:22:00.000-07:00

an evening with corinne bailey rae

2010-04-07T13:17:00.000-07:00

as a member of kcrw, i was very excited when they announced that corinne bailey rae was kicking off her tour for her new album "the sea" at vibianna in downtown los angeles on april 6.

before the show, we enjoyed tamales and strawberry lemonade in the courtyard.

the vibianna used to be a church, but is now a great venue used for a lot of great events.

yes, those are confessional booths.

corinne bailey rae is an amazing live performer. cameron had never really listened to her music before and he really enjoyed himself. she has this incredible raw energy and vulnerability on stage that you really latch on to...

after her first set, she sat down with kcrw's music director, jason bentley, to give an interview about her career thus far, newest album and tour.

after the interview she did a second set, and finished the show doing a couple of the songs from her first album along with a song tribute to jimi hendrix.

beautiful.

xo.

los angeles to leon in how many pictures

2010-04-06T12:27:00.000-07:00

i love my family and i miss them all dearly, every day that i am away from them. in tribute to my loving abuela, Luisa, here are some pictures from my trip down to leon, guanajuato about a month ago, when i went to visit her, along with my abuelo, my mom and my tia, for a week. the plants and flowers are so her...she has the most amazing green thumb and has these huge, beautiful potted plants all over her multi-story house in downtown, leon. i hope you enjoy the photographs...and glimpses into this part of my life.
xo.a little

peace.

2010-04-06T10:20:00.000-07:00

my sun salutations inspired a peaceful feeling in me this morning, and i wanted to share.

namaste.

my rejuvenated little garden.

2010-04-05T12:37:00.000-07:00

happy birthday to luna and apollo

2010-03-23T22:19:00.000-07:00

happy birthday to my two favorite furry friends! apollo and luna, our two little trouble makers, are one year old today. we feel very lucky to have them in our lives. we adopted them two weeks after our wedding, when they were exactly two and a half months old. we've witnessed them grow up from fuzzy little kittens to full grown cats. i love them so much and don't know what i would do without them in my life!

luna's likes include: napping on cam, chasing her toys, teasing her brother

apollo's likes: stretching out and sleeping anywhere at anytime, playing in water, playing/sleeping/laying on the computer

my little garden

2010-03-19T15:05:00.000-07:00

this weekend i'm looking forward to getting reacquainted with my little patio garden. last summer i maintained my plants and flowers quite beautifully, if i do say so myself.

and i even made it nice enough to be a little kitty playground. (this was when my kittens were tiny and very rambunctious...thus the mesh tube to contain them)...but sadly, i cannot say that these pictures are very recent. this weekend, however, i am planning to visit the Marina Del Rey Garden Center, where, little to my husband's delight, i will probably do quite a bit of shopping and buy lots of pretty new plants.
it's starting to be consistently very warm, but i'm not sure i will be planting too many flowers...i am a novice gardener, so i might stick more to plants and succulents, with a few pots of herbs and flowers mixed in.

almost the weekend.

2010-03-18T13:45:00.000-07:00

(found this at artpixie.tumblr.com)

(santa monica beach, 2009)

i woke up this morning and it felt like a friday. then, remembering it was thursday i hit the snooze and went back to sleep for another half an hour. but, less than two days until the weekend now! and hopefully i'll have some time to go enjoy the nice weather we've been having down by the beach.

too long.

2010-03-04T12:20:00.000-08:00

(Playa Vista, Taken July 2009)

it's been too long since my last post, and all i can say about that is that i've been busy! visitors, traveling and work has all occupied a lot of my time. but after about a month's hiatus, i'm glad to be back to my blog and posting about my little adventures and my daily inspiration.

this week my sister and her boyfriend are in town visiting cameron and me while on break from school at the University of Michigan (our alma mater, too!). the picture above was taken last July, when Katie came out to spend two lovely weeks with us. as you can see, the other two loves of my life, apollo and luna, took to her right away...and this time around they warmed up to her rather quickly, and Katie was surprised to see how much they had grown. we are very much enjoying having Katie and Brad here this week, showing them around town and sharing our home with them as they get a much-deserved break from studying and working hard at school.

snowmaggedon

2010-02-10T14:02:00.000-08:00

Washington, D.C.

Ann Arbor, Michigan

i have to say all that the blizzard conditions Washington, D.C., among other mid-Atlantic states, as well as the Midwest are all experiencing is lost on me. for the first time in my life, i am experiencing a snow-free winter. my initial reaction to this is pure bliss. i am not a cold-weather person, and i do not like snow. i do not like winter sports. i hate being cold, period. people who know me may even have recollections of me saying that i "hate" snow last from years past. however, being so far removed from it now, i cannot say either way, whether i hate it or not...all i know, is that growing up in Michigan must have had some sort of effect on me - well, that, or i just didn't get out soon enough! because i have to admit, there is a little part of me that *misses* the snow this winter! (gah! i must be crazy! no?)

Ann Arbor, Michigan

i guess even if i admit that out loud, i'm inclined to think that i'm just romanticizing it...if being stuck indoors for days, surrounded by feet and feet of snow and ice can be romanticized.

thanks to Jerrica and Katie for the pictures! stay warm!

xo

aqua cat.

2010-02-05T22:20:00.000-08:00

My approximately 18 lb, 10 month old kitten, Apollo, also enjoys having water poured or dripped on him, and splashing around in his water bowl.

Happy weekend!

comfort food.

2010-02-04T16:02:00.000-08:00

ah. i've come down with a mid-winter cold (hmm, but it's not really winter in los angeles...). it's nothing serious, but i'm just feeling a little bit under the weather. i left work early today, stopped by my local pharmacy and stocked up on my common cold medicine. i then headed to one of my favorite west-side restaurants to get some delicious indian food to-go. samosa house, on west washington and overland, is a great, affordable eat-in or take-out place in culver city. i've only been there twice now, but i'm already craving it again. yum.

french obsessed.

2010-02-02T15:01:00.000-08:00

today i keep going back to this blog by French photographer Eleonore Bridge (which is actually an anagram of her real name..ooh la la...). i keep browsing through her colorful and whimsical photographs. and even though you can read the blog in english, i keep it on the french page. you see, i like the challenge of testing my limited french in my intermittent views of her blog between answering emails and doing my "real" work...

(all photos by Eleonore Bridge)

happy hour.

2010-01-29T16:26:00.000-08:00

Yes. I am in my final hour at work. And yes, I took a five minute mental break to enjoy this hilarious blog. Ah, the poetic commentary on those dwell photos is just too much to keep in as I read silently at my desk...I must share it with you all!

My favorite?

"The octopus was full of judgment."

Happy Friday.

linked.

2010-01-29T11:19:00.000-08:00

Browse Redesign Technologies for innovative art and design.

Check out Olivia's blog (of bellavia fame) and learn about her 21 day journey.

N.E.E.T. magazine always has something inspirational, indie and fun going on, check out their blog.

Nichole documents her crazy adventures and revelations...among other hilarious things on her blog.

Daydream about Paris and enjoy some unique photographs of the city and anecdotes from an adventurous American.

Read about and listen to Lolo Beaubrun's voice of hope in Haiti.

If you're feeling crafty this weekend, get inspired by the purl bee.

itsy etsy.

2010-01-28T11:03:00.000-08:00

(Faythe Levine)

lately i've been enjoying looking at all of the original artwork, designs, jewelry, and other crafty items being sold online. one of my recent favorites is poppytalk, an online marketplace of various unique and creatively inspired handmade items by different artists are brought together for the internet browser's shopping pleasure.

then of course, there's etsy, where multitudes of artists and crafters have found an outlet to sell their goodies. some are even donating a portion of their profit to the haiti relief effort.

check out veronica's (of sfgirlbybay fame) etsy shop where she prints a variety of colors of the famed WWII poster keep calm and carry on.

one of my newest favorite shops is bellavia. made in los angeles by a friend of a friend, bellavia's jewelry is unique, affordable and pretty. what more could a girl ask for?

a little obsessed.

2010-01-26T18:47:00.000-08:00

over and over again, i keep going back to this site. i was introduced to her artwork by a co-worker and i can't get enough. i love the frida imaginings. and re-imaginings. i love the dia de los muertos inspired images. i'm thinking of ordering one, or two, or three prints soon, but i like too many. i just can't decide!

because this is just too funny.

2010-01-22T15:12:00.000-08:00

Do you sleep-talk? I have not been told that I sleep-talk, but one of my college roommates sleep-talked occasionally. She, however, was not quite as entertaining as this guy.

One of my favorites?

"Can you hold... can you hold my starfish? It doesn't like it when I'm getting excited. Oh look, it likes you! Its legs are all cree-py cree-py."

rainy monday.

2010-01-18T14:48:00.000-08:00

it's actually raining today. to practically the rest of the country, this is nothing out of the ordinary. in fact, i know michiganders would probably prefer 60 degree rain in january to the below freezing temperatures they've been experiencing thus far this winter. however, in los angeles, even the smallest drizzle of precipitation has people going crazy. angelenos forget how to drive, people stay inside as much as possible and frankly, i cannot blame them. palm trees just are not pretty in the rain!

out-of-towners.

2010-01-18T14:20:00.000-08:00

living so far from all of our best friends and family has made cameron and me very independent and adventuresome. however, we do miss everyone terribly and get lonely from time to time. these days, our closest friend lives six hours away!
however, six hours is entirely doable for the weekend. phoenix, az is where derek, one of our best friends from college happens to live, work and play. this last weekend he was kind enough to road trip it with his favorite girl, juli, to come visit us.
neither derek nor juli have been to los angeles before, so cam and i put our best tourist-guide skills to work. on saturday we toured culver city, hollywood and beverly hills, eating at jerry's famous deli on beverly blvd for lunch. then we headed over to the west side and walked around santa monica, enjoying the cool ocean air derek and juli were craving...

we enjoyed the view from the santa monica pier and ate some delicious pinkberry, before heading back home to recharge for the night.
after starting the night with our favorite drink (captain and coke, of course) we caught a cab to the backstage - a karaoke bar across from the sony picture studios in culver city - where we sang the night away!
and staying up past all of our bedtimes (yes, we are all very lame working-adults now) made us very tired on sunday. however, luckily, we were all loving the lazy-sunday...and after grabbing lunch at the counter in marina del rey and getting our starbucks to go...we headed back to our apartment for some sleepover-style-nfl-playoff-watching.

yes, we were that tired.

after our naps, we enjoyed some himym...

...and pasta a la cameron (yum), and then it was good-bye time...
the weekend went by so fast, but we had so much fun catching up with derek, and meeting and hanging out with juli. we can't wait 'til it's our turn to drive to phoenix!

xo

New Year Love

2010-01-01T20:43:00.000-08:00

Cameron and I celebrated the New Year by taking a walk on the beach in Playa del Rey this afternoon and enjoying the cool ocean air. Even though I dearly missed celebrating the New Year with our friends and family as we have in years past (and it certainly doesn't seem like January without snow!), Cameron and I made the most of our first New Year's as a married couple by enjoying what we have at our disposal (in our case, 65 degree weather and the beach...I know, don't hate me).

Happy 2010!