Monday, August 30, 2010

final days


These are the final photos from the lake! After this it's back to the regular stuff. Well... for this week at least. :]


So these were taken at the breakwater down at our little beach/lagoon. We don't own the breakwater, but it's the best part of the lake. The lake's too cold for normal swimming, so we just climbed all over the rocks this year. It was a lot of fun!

I spent the weekend at my grandparents' house at the beach this weekend. It was really great to visit with family and relax for a few days. The new September issue of Vogue had arrived in the mail at their house on Friday too, so I spent a good portion of the weekend pouring over it's pages. And we celebrated my aunt's birthday all together tonight before we left to drive home too.

The main focus of the weekend was shopping with my brother and sister with our grandma. I ended up picking clothes out for my brother and sister... I tend to be a sort of stylist for them whenever we go shopping now. I was actually seriously looking for clothes for me at Urban Outfitters and in the zone when my grandma came over and said my brother needed my help. Turns out he needed me to pull clothes for him. I thought he needed my opinion on something! He didn't even have an idea about what he wanted! So I ran around the men's section with an armful of clothes for me digging around for clothes in his size one-handed. My response was just, "Seriously? I'm shopping for me! Okay, fine..."

I ended up with a pretty good haul. I was focusing on more autumnal/wintery pieces. It's not going to be summer forever! There's still a few things that I have my eye on that I didn't get, but I was trying not to blow all my money... Just most of it! Haha!

In just about a week (almost exactly), I will be back in Washington and moving in to my new room with my fabulous new room mate! I'm so very excited! I can't wait; I'm so ready to be back at school now! Last week was really stressful for me, but this week is destined to be even more so! I have cleaning and packing to do on top of work. And I have plans to solidify with friends for the end of the week... I'm so busy! But it'll all be worth it once I'm up there and moved in. Even moving in is going to be an adventure! I only have one full day to move in and then my dad is leaving really early the next day. It's going to be a whirlwind week! I need to just take it one day at a time, hour by hour.

And right now, I'm watching On the Road with Austin & Santino! It's become one of my new guilty pleasures. It's so cute and funny!
top, shorts, & necklace from Forever 21
gray beanie swiped from my brother
photos taken by my younger brother

Thursday, August 26, 2010

got me on the fence just waiting and waiting


I wore something very similar to this to work on Wednesday (yesterday?). So these will have to substitute since I got home and immediately changed into shorts and a t-shirt. It's just been so dang hot the past few days! It's even uncomfortable inside!

The only difference between what I wore to work and the outfit in these photos was a difference blue top, a thicker brown leather belt, and my blue cardigan (Because I have to keep it modest! So no bare arms...). And I didn't put contacts in today, so I was nerdy looking with my big prescription glasses.

The pretty awesome thing about this skirt is how light and flowy it is. It's a bit sheer, but I still love it. So on days when it's in the 100s all day and I'm cooped up in an office all day, I'm not uncomfortable or stuffy. Quite nice!


The past few days I've had to go into work earlier and it's been driving me nuts! Today (technically... it's pretty late/early right now...) I get to go in normal time, so hopefully it'll be better. I don't know if it's been the longer days or the fact that next week's my last week, directly followed by shipping back up to school two days later - maybe both, but I've been really restless at work this whole week. (Actually, maybe this whole past month...) I actually got so frustrated and anxious today that I had a bit of a breakdown towards the end of the day. Thankfully, I was working in the back and most everyone had left by then. Just the thought that I have to pack and clean before leaving and not having much time in the next week or so to get it all done is seriously stressing me out. I get home from work and I just don't feel like doing anything because I'm too tired. I wish I didn't have work next week so I could get ready, but I can't. So I sit on the couch and wallow...

Good news: I'm not working tomorrow (Friday) and am going to Six Flags with my brother and sister (ROLLERCOASTERS!!!). It's going to be fun and a good de-stressor if everything goes as planned. And then we're heading down to my grandparents' house on Saturday for the weekend. So I get to spend time with my lovely grandparents before I leave for school! And my grandma's taking me shopping! Whoo!

So today needs to hurry up and be over already!
Modcloth blouse & belt
Urban Outfitters skirt
Blowfish flats
Ray-Ban sunglasses

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

and so it goes


More pictures from the lake! These were kind of just photos for the sake of photos...


So this dock is kind of sketchy. It's really old and has gotten warped and worn down over the years. You can't walk on it barefoot in case of gnarly splinters that could get stuck in your feet. There are a few boards that have been replaced in the past few years, but it's you still have to watch where you're going. My heel almost went through a particularly thin section one day. But it's a great place to watch the sunset or just look out over the lake by yourself.


There's less than two weeks between now and when I leave for school. My best friend moves in tomorrow. Thankfully she's only about an hour away so I'll see her at least once more before I leave for Washington. It's so weird that people are starting classes this week and I haven't even gone up to school yet.

People keep asking me if I'm ready for school or excited to go back. And I am excited to go back. It's going to be a really good year. I'm really excited for my new room mate. She's fantastic! But I don't know if I'm really "ready" or in the right mental state for being back after this summer. I still have about a week and a half, but I'm working most of those days. I feel like I still have tons of time left, and I really don't. I don't have a week to clean and pack. I'm working right up until I leave. There's so much to do and so many people to see! And I feel like I have no time. And yet all the time in the world. This summer job routine has gotten me into this really weird funk...

Target romper
Modcloth belt & flats
Forever 21 cardigan
RayBan sunglasses

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

neverending summer

I don't think any of these photos are in focus... Oops...

Welcome to my front yard! It's been in the 100s for the past few days, so all the plants are dying. I really like how the whole summer up until now has been very mild and cool, and now that it's almost over, we're getting the "summer" weather. It's like it will never end! Oh wait. This is Southern California; it doesn't really end anyway... Good thing my office has air conditioning!

And my house is in the process of being repainted, so my usual spot for photos is a bit inaccessible at the moment...


So I dug this dress out of my closet today. It was just a whim that I even opened my closet. I couldn't figure out what to wear for work and didn't want to wear something that I've worn over and over again... So I opened my closet door and this dress was just hanging there and calling my name.

I'm pretty sure this was an Easter dress from a few years ago. And wearing it today I felt like I should've been at a spring picnic and not sitting at a desk for seven and a half hours. I needed a siesta by the time hour three rolled around and it wasn't even time for lunch... I think it's safe to say that a nine to five office job is just not for me if the normal five hours I work every day is too much for me.

I actually have a sea foam green vintage dress pretty similar to this one that I've worn to a few parties. (This one fits better, though.) I really like the sort of retro feel of it. Although it was clearly designed with taller people in mind. I might need to hem it a few inches in order to wear it with flats. (I just can't wear heels all the time to make dresses this length work for me...)
New York & Company dress
Target belt & sandals
Forever 21 cardigan

The Tradition: Mini-Golf











(If you look closely, you can see the cross my brother shaved into his leg a few weeks ago... haha!)
We play miniature golf every year when we go up to the cabin. This year was no different. I'm terrible at golf. There was a challenge issued by my brother that he would win and beat my dad for once. My dad still won - just like every year. It was a fun day, like usual. Even though my sister continued to have a fourteen-year-old attitude like she's had all summer. At least she perked up enough to enjoy and be enthusiastic about faux facial hair...! But who wouldn't?


(Please note the almost identical expressions on my brother's and my faces. Priceless.)
Last few photos thanks to my lovely parents.

Monday, August 23, 2010

if I had a mustache...


More photos from the cabin! Yay! There were so many great places to take photos that I took lots and lots. So there'll probably be a whole bunch of recaps this week. Maybe next week too!

So my little brother is making an appearance in these photos. I think these ones are really funny actually, because his personality is definitely showing through all the way. Although he doesn't normally dress like this. They're his clothes, but he's sort of intentionally channeling our older brother with how he styled them. We joke around and call my older brother Choncho because of the facial hair he currently sports. I think my little brother is taking on an alternate personality very similar to Choncho in these pictures, while still being himself. If that makes sense...

The day we took these photos, the whole family had gotten fake mustaches as a joke. I love fake mustaches! I even have a set of my own up at school. These were fun, so we kept them on for the first part of the "photo shoot." So this is what I'd look like if I had a mustache. Pretty classy, huh?

sweater, top, & skirt from Forever 21
white Blowfish flats
Rayban sunglasses

Sunday, August 22, 2010

beached boats



I wore this outfit on the drive home the other day. It wasn't completely practical because it was hot hot hot yesterday! But it's comfy, so I was okay overall.




At our cabin, we have this... collection of boats that are either broken or just go unused (at least by my family; my uncle might use them...). They looked cool though, so I "used" them for the setting of my photos. It's like a mini junk yard with the boats stacked on top of each other and wood pile next to our chain-link fence! I loved it!

So the really cool part about this top is the back. It has buttons in the front and the back! It's like a normal button-up shirt from the front with an added surprise in the back. I absolutely love it, love it, love it. And paired with skinny jeans and flats, it's simple and perfect (and exactly what I need for weekends when I'm not at work and running errands, hanging out with friends, or just lounging around the house).
blue button-up - Forever 21
skinny jeans - Pac Sun
white Blowfish flats
(photos taken by my brother and sister)