Friday Letters

dear five dollar concert- i know you were over a week ago, but i thoroughly enjoyed you (and i wanted to share the picture above). kip moore and gloriana were so amazing. i am sad the the july five dollar concert with scotty mccreery and joe nichols sold out so fast =( dear fourth of july- you are my favorite holiday! and you are next week! eeeeek! dear SYTYCD- you are quite possibly one of my favorite shows of summer. dear june- see ya next year! dear blog- you and i have some scheduling to do this weekend to cover my upcoming time in LA and Vegas! dear friends- thank you for reading, and for all the sweet ways you've let me know you like what i've got goin on here =) i love the love and i love you back!

Go link up with Miss Ashley and share your Friday Letters!

Reading Machine

I've mentioned my extreme love for Goodreads before; this website is awesome.

You can keep track of what your reading, rate and review books, peruse friends/strangers thoughts on their recent reads, and so much more.

I've challenged myself to read 40 books in 2012 (although I would really like to make it 50...) and so far I am at 15. According to Goodreads, this means I am still three books behind where I should be at this point in the year... but I'm feeling so accomplished having read that many books!

For me, it feels like its been years since I've been able to read this much for pleasure. Throughout high school and college, there were always other books I was supposed to be reading that took precedence over fun books! Sadly, with grad school just two months away(!) I know that will soon be my life again so I am taking full advantage of this time I have to read for fun!

Here's a few of the books I've read recently:

Divergent/Insurgent- Veronica Roth

These books were awesome. I am so disappointed that I have to wait until next year to discover how Tris' story ends! If you liked The Hunger Games, you will like this series too.  Read these books. I'll leave it at that.


That Boy- Jillian Dodd
I picked this up because it was only $2.99 from the Kindle store. I enjoyed this story of a girl and her two best (boy) friends. It's a little predictable, but I was entertained as we followed her story from a 10 year old fifth grader to a 22 year old post grad. This is actually part of a series as well, but I have not bought the next book (This Wedding) because I am content with the ending and don't feel that reading further drama about these characters would really do anything for me.

In Too Deep- Amanda Grace
Another cheap buy from the Kindle store, this was a very fast read though I don't think I would recommend it. There are better books out there. I wanted to strangle the main character, Sam, the entire time. Essentially she finds herself at the center of a vicious and un-true rumor. She could have righted the entire situation immediately but she doesn't and drama ensues. I wanted to strangle her because she is an idiot and should have told the truth right away, then nothing bad would have happened... But then there would have been no story.


Stories I Only Tell My Friends- Rob Lowe
I LOVE Rob Lowe. He is quite possibly the sexiest 48-year-old I've ever seen. Reading his book was a lot of fun. He has had interactions with some really amazing people. One thing that really stood out to me while reading about his life is how much times and people have changed in the past thirty years. Some of the things that happen to him would never happen today. If you enjoy memoirs, this is a good one to check out.

MusicWednesday: California 37

I don't know HOW I missed the release of Train's California 37 back in April but

I just noticed it was out,

downloaded it,

listened to it all the way through,

and LOVED it!

via

I'm not particularly surprised by how much I enjoyed this album though.

I liked "Drive By" enough to mention it here in another MusicWednesday post back in February.

After some rough times in the mid 2000s, these guys have been on a roll since the release of "Hey Soul Sister" in 2009. And lets be real, I definitely could be found rocking out to some of their 90's stuff when I was younger. "Meet Virginia" was a particular favorite. 

I love that they've infused so much California in to this album (as they began to on the last album, Save Me San Francisco). As a Cali girl, their sound is captivating and it's so much fun to hear them mention places I know in their lyrics.

I'm not sure I can pick a favorite song- I like them all THAT much- but if

I had to maybe it would be

"Bruises ft Ashley Monroe"

"50 Ways To Say Goodbye"

&

"This'll Be My Year"

Ok, I realize that wasn't picking a favorite, but I can't do it!

The album is just too dang good!

If you haven't heard it yet, I certainly recommend that you check it out!

Listen to "Bruises ft Ashley Monroe" below.

P.S. How many times did I say "love" in this post... do you believe me yet?

P.P.S. I recently created a MusicWednesday page up there next to my "About Me" tab so you can go back and check out previous music posts, if you want to.

Ohio Blogger Meet Up

Last week I discovered that there is an Ohio Blogger Meet-N-Greet going on in July, and I am beyond sad that I will not yet be in Columbus to attend. 

I can only hope that another similar event will take place after I've moved in August.

Blogging seems to be a much bigger pastime of those in the Midwest/South than it is of those of us here on West coast. 

Don't get me wrong I follow some great West coast bloggers like StressCase and of course my good personal friend Bethany over at Life So Sweet.

But the large majority of girls I follow are not from over here in the best coast, and not gonna lie... I'm pumped to be joining the midwest bloggers soon. However I will be sad to be leaving the land of sand and sun.

I may or may not have stalked the link list of those attending and followed a bunch of Ohio bloggers, in hopes that I won't miss the next Ohio blogger Meet-N-Greet!

Little Trip To Lake Tahoe

And just like that, the weekend is over and another week is upon us...
I certainly hope that you all had a wonderful weekend, mine was nothin special BUT I haven't shared anything from my trip to Tahoe yet, so let's do that now.


A little over a week ago I took a little trip to Lake Tahoe with my family.

I had never been to Tahoe before, so it was really fun to get to explore the area a little. 

Lake Tahoe is absolutely gorgeous.

I passed by at least three weddings taking place on the edges of the lake. As much as I wanted to be sneaky and take pictures, I thought that might be a little bit creepy... So I refrained.

Anyway, I didn't take too many pictures but here are a few of the ones I did take.

Dad and me on the boat cruise we all took on father's day

Super cool detailing on cabins from the 1920's

We joked about building a pond like this in our backyard.

A little birdie friend that followed us through the trees while we were hiking.

I figured I wouldn't overwhelm you guys with pictures, so if you want to see more of the trip, you can do so after the break.

Friday Letters

I've come to really love Friday Letters.

It's really the only link up I consistently participate in... so let's get to it!

dear Alex- our conversation on the phone this week made me even more excited for ohio (if that is possible). i can't wait to go to the lake, play freshmen, get free stuff, and shop for my apartment. let's take a little trip back in to the mindset of the two girls in the above photo. dear justin bieber- my life has been full of you this week and i've loved every minute of it. i'll never call myself a "belieber" but you are one talented kid. i'm with Kristen who explained it perfectly here.  dear LA- it's been too long. no worries though, i'll be back for the 4th of july!  dear summer- you may have just "officially" arrived this week; but for me you've been here for awhile... i would appreciate it if you never leave. dear shane @ whispering sweet nothings- thanks for creating such a cool little map of bloggers with your 'Bloggers Coast To Coast' . It's a super fun way to find new blogs to follow! If you guys want to participate too click her button below or in my sidebar!





Happy Friday lovelies!

go link up with Ashley to share your letters

Big Comfy Couch

As an undergrad at UCLA I lived at two addresses. The first was in UCLA's dorms- the Courtside building to be exact- and the second was my Alpha Delta Pi sorority house. That means I never lived in my own apartment (ok technically I lived in an apartment for one summer but it was just a sublet).


Anyway, the point is that this August I will officially be moving in to a place that is all my own! I will be living there for both my years in OH so I definitely want to put a nice looking place together. And I need your help/suggestions.

Source: thejewinjcrew.tumblr.com via Ashley on Pinterest

I am pretty much starting from scratch when it comes to furniture, which means I will be buying most things out there. I definitely plan to do some shopping at Target and Ikea so that I won't be breaking the bank. But what about the bigger stuff- like a couch or a bed?!


I spend a lot of time sitting, laying, lounging, & sleeping on both of those pieces of furniture, and I want to make sure they are super comfortable. I have sat on many a friends Ikea couches, and let me tell you, they have not been very comfy...


I am not trying to spend Ethan Allen type dollars here, but I'm not opposed to spending more than Ikea's prices. If I have time I would be totally open to searching yard sales/craigslist (maybe...), but I currently am moving in 2 days before starting school! That does not leave a ton of time to get settled! 


Sooo... Where did you shop when buying pieces for your first place? Any suggestions of where to look would be greatly appreciated!

MusicWednesday: Five Dollar Concert

Yes, yes Justin Bieber's new album, Believe, came out yesterday. 
Obviously I downloaded it immediately. 
And I love it. 
Actually, I was kind of surprised by how much I love it. But his new, "grown up" sound is great. Every song on this album kicks the hypothetical butt of "First Dance" (an embarrassing song from his first album, My World). 
But, the Biebs album success aside, today I'm going to be talking about something else...

Via

Tomorrow I will be hanging out with a friend here in Fresno

at our local Woodward Park, seeing a $5 concert featuring:
Whisky Row

Kip Moore

&

Gloriana!
Pretty darn good for five dollars, if you ask me.

So, this being MusicWednesday I thought I would feature my 

favorite song by each of these artists.

Whisky Row- I'm starting with Whisky Row because I had no idea who they were until I googled them. Turns out they are a duo from right here in the central valley. 

I am assuming they will be first up on stage since they are the least well known. 

Regardless, their self titled album is available on Spotify so I gave it a listen and chose "Rollin With The Punches" as my favorite song. They're not really anything special, in my opinion. There just wasn't much variety in their songs... Hopefully they will play some good covers!

Kip Moore- Most country fans will recognize Kip's "Somethin Bout A Truck", a very catchy, stereotypical country song. But I prefer "Fly Again", "Hey Pretty Girl", or "Beer Money". 

Plus, who knew Kip Moore is such a cutie?! 

Not me!

I guess I had never seen his video, and for some reason I was expecting an older, mustachioed country man. Something like this:

Via

but in reality he looks like this:

Via

Yeah, I'll take that.

Gloriana- I am so excited to see Gloriana! I have loved them ever since their first single, "Wild At Heart", was a free single on iTunes. They NEED to release a new album ASAP. 

I love both of the singles they've released since their self titled 2009 album; "Kissed You (Goodnight)" and "Wanna Take You Home". 

But my favorite songs still come from that self titled album. 

"Lead Me On" is probably my personal fave, although the whole album is darn good.

I can't wait to see them tomorrow night!

Music & Lyrics

I have an odd ability to remember song lyrics. 

I'm talking put on Aaron's Party and I'll sing you the whole thing, Spice Girls- I got you, Blow The Whistle by Too Short- I probably can rap 95% of the lyrics without missing a beat, just about any top 100 country song in the past 5-10 years there is a good chance I can at least sing the chorus, the Eagles/Bruce Springsteen/Pat Benatar greatest hits- yep I know that too.

Even random obscure songs- example "Me & You" by Cassie came on the radio the other day... don't remember it? Yeah, thats because it wasn't very good. I'm pretty sure I wasn't even a fan back when it was rockin the TRL charts six years ago, but somehow there I was singing along with a decent amount of the song. 

It's weird. 

I'm convinced that real, important information doesn't fit in my brain because it's already full of unnecessary song lyrics. 

But I digress...

My ability to remember song lyrics, gives me a special connection to lots of songs.

A song can remind you of a person, event, feeling etc. This is the reason I love music. When I hear those songs it's like I'm transported back in time. Transported back to how I felt, what I was thinking, or what was happening when a certain song ingrained itself in my memory for good.

So... What songs take you back in time?

Via

As Promised- DailyLook OOTD/Review

Last week I mentioned my new favorite online shopping site- DailyLook.

Well, as promised, here is my OOTD post with my new items from DailyLook!

My first DailyLook purchases included:

Button Down Top w/ Back Buttons in mint by Sans Souci. 

Matte Chain Link Cuff in gold.

I wanted to keep the outfit very daytime and summery; but the great thing about these items is that you could easily take them from casual, to business, to going out.

For my OOTD I paired the top and bracelet with jean shorts from American Eagle, and my gold Sperry's.

I love the high-low thing this top has going on, and the back button detailing is super unique. I would love to pair it with dark jeans and some awesome wedges for a night out.

Overall, I am now officially in love with DailyLook. 

Quality items and great sale prices! I couldn't ask for more.

And as always when it comes to outfit pics- Here I am looking like a goofball =)

Friday Letters

dear photo above- you are awesome. without a doubt this was the best six flags trip ever (summer '10). i can't believe that three of us in this pic have graduated and/or will be graduating this weekend. where did the years go? dear current UCLA seniors- don't graduate this weekend. stay in college forever. life is easier there. plus you graduating means it's been an entire year since i graduated. wow. dear dad- happy father's day weekend! love you! dear ohio state- i have football tickets! weeee! dear readers- get ready to see me looking like a goofball with an OOTD post next week =) dear veronica roth- i would appreciate it if you would hurry up and finish book number three in the divergent series. i flew through Divergent and Insurgent and i really don't want to wait a whole year for the final book. please and thank you. dear lake tahoe- me and the family are coming for you this weekend. lets have some fun, k?

have a wonderful weekend everyone! i will be in lake tahoe for a few days, but for once(!) i actually pre-scheduled posts. no more getting behind!

go link up with Ashley to share your letters

Pinterest Inspired

We all know that Pinterest is wonderful and amazing and gives us tons of ideas that we may or may not ever actually attempt. But, for me, just knowing that I have boards full of inspiration if and when that desire to decorate/craft/cook hits makes me feel good.

Last week I decided to actually attempt something I had pinned, 

and I must say it turned out wonderfully!

Here was the inspiring pin, simply captioned "scrapbook in a frame."

Source: Uploaded by user via Ashley on Pinterest

I keep all kinds of tickets, notes, stickers, pictures, guitar picks, etc from all the concerts, sporting events, musicals, movies etc that I attend. Up until last week I kept them all in a little mason jar. This was, and still is, a great way to keep it all together, but my drive to have personal pieces on my walls in my new apartment drove me to try putting them together in a piece I could display.

Here's how I made my "scrapbook in a frame" and how it turned out!

1. My mason jar of mementos pre-project

2. I taped two pieces of 8.5x11 construction paper together to give myself a 11x17 size to work with. Originally I chose the blue thinking I might let some of it show in spaces, but in the end I liked it completely covered.

3. I layed out all my tickets, notes, and cards and moved it all around til I found an arrangement that I liked.

4. I used Scotch tape to keep it all together. I didn't want to use glue just in case I ever wanted to take something off in the future; Scotch tape gives me the freedom to do that, if I want to.

And here is a close up of the finished collage.

And here it is framed and hanging on my wall!

I'm so happy with it and I can't wait to find a place for it in my new apartment in Ohio!

Do you guys have a favorite pinterest creation you've made?

Music Wednesday: Distractions

The man with the beautifully deep voice, Mr. Josh Turner, released a new album yesterday, 
which you can stream on Spotify here. "Pallbearer" stood out to me as an early favorite, although it's a little on the sad side. But I didn't like the album enough to devote a whole post to it.


In fact, I had some trouble finding something to put in this weeks post. Nothing I've been listening to lately really jumped out at me. Therefore, I went on a search for something new (or at least new to me).
I explored Spotify for quite some time, and I came across lots of good stuff but nothing good enough... Maybe I was just in a picky mood.


In my infinite wisdom I decided to ask my brother what I should listen to... Huge mistake.
He decided to take that as an opportunity to annoy me with some of the worst songs of the past ten years. This included Soulja Boy's "Yahhhh!/Report Card". Terrible.


Unfortunately that journey took me to YouTube, and Soulja Boy reminded me of TRL...
So then I started watching old TRL clips...
and other odd MTV moments...
specifically old VMA performances...
which got me on a random Eminem tangent...
and then on to some Britney Spears...


Essentially I got really distracted.
The internet can do that to you sometimes.


And now I am left with nothing new/interesting to share with you today.


Here's a song I've been listening to a bunch lately... Kris Allen's "Loves Me Not"

Sorry this post is so random!
It happens =)

DailyLook

The other day, while watching one of my favorite YouTubers, Miss Glamorrazi, she casually mentioned a site she visits on the regular- DailyLook. 

Out of curiosity I googled it and found my new favorite online shopping site. 

Source: dailylook.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Last week I made my first purchase from this awesome website, which I fully intend to review for y'all once it arrives later this week.

The basic premise of this site is that it has two daily looks and on that day all of those products are on sale. You can also go back and look through past looks and purchase those as well (however past looks are no longer on sale).

It's awesome. 

And dangerous!

I've taken to checking it everyday, and at times I truly have to restrain myself from taking advantage of some of their great deals.

If you're interested I highly recommend you check it out here!

Congratulations Are In Order

Last week, I received some very exciting news...

My best friend got engaged!

Alex and I have known each other since the third grade, as evidenced by the photo below.

Alex and I (third and fourth from the left) in 4th grade circa 1998

Left- High School Graduation 2007; Right- My trip to OH fall 2010

Neither of us knew that when our third grade teacher teamed us up for Fresno's Peachblossom Festival in 1996, she was initiating a friendship that would last a lifetime. But that is exactly what happened. Ever since the third grade, Alex has been like my sister. We stuck together through elementary school, junior high, and high school; and our time as undergraduates in different states only proved how strong our friendship is. This fall we will be reunited when I begin my masters program at Ohio St.

Alex's engagement to her boyfriend of nearly five years, Bryce, is certainly a huge occasion for celebration (which we will hopefully have the chance to celebrate properly with a trip to Las Vegas in a couple weeks).

In the mean time...

Congratulations Alexandra and Bryce!

You two are both amazing individuals, and together I'm pretty sure there is not a thing you can't accomplish.

Minutes after the proposal =)

Friday Letters

dear life- can you rewind to the photo above? i would love to relive my senior year of college. i can't believe this was over a year and a half ago! dear June- i'm glad you are here, but I wouldn't mind if you went quite quickly. dear gym- thanks for welcoming me back with open arms. i know we haven't been on good terms lately but let's change that this month. dear far away friends- we are failing at skyping/google hangouts. not okay. i miss you. dear blog friends- thanks for always still being here after my random disappearances. you da best. dear jason derulo- your song Undefeated is probably one of the cheesiest songs i've ever heard... and i kind of love it.


Link up with Ashley to share your Friday letters!
I mean, where else can you write letters to ideological concepts, places, or celebrities??

Seemingly Impossible

My last couple posts have been on the longer side, 

so today I wanted to keep it short and sweet.

Something to remember on this lovely Thursday.

via

Music Wednesday: June Playlist!

It's a new month! 

That means it is time to freshen up my playlist!


If you have Spotify check out my (always in progress) June playlist here.

Here are a few highlights!

VIA

1. All Time Low- The Reckless and the Brave

Sadly this song is not on iTunes/Spotify... WTF ATL?! Anyway, I have mentioned this before in other posts, but All Time Low will always be one of my all time favorite bands. Recently they released a free version of their newest single, "The Reckless and the Brave", and to get it all you have to do is go here and tweet the pre-written tweet. Easy-peasy right? I fear the day when I don't appreciate the sentiment in this song. It's a young person's anthem. "Long live the reckless and the brave: I don't think I wanna be saved: My song has not been sung: Long live us"

2. Kenny Chesney- Come Over

I am a massive country fan (as most of you know) but Kenny has never really been my favorite... I think that may change with the release of his upcoming album "Welcome to the Fishbowl". I caught a sneak peak special of the album, and at first listen I liked most of the songs. "Come Over" is the quintessential country letting go song (themes reminiscent of Chris Young's "Tomorrow") and I love it!

3. John Legend- Tonight (Best You Ever Had)

For some reason I have not really listened to much John Legend. I mean sure I've heard "Ordinary People" and I love "Save Room" but I really haven't gone much farther in to his discography than that. Well, luckily the lack of new TV shows led me to watch duets and hear Legend sing this very sexy song. I certainly have plans to check out some more John Legend soon.

VIA

4. Justin Bieber- Die In Your Arms

His mother's day song, 'Turn To You", was a complete fail (in my humble opinion) but this most recent release from his HIGHLY anticipated album is quite good. "Die In Your Arms" has a sort of Jackson 5 vibe to the track, and I think I prefer this song to "Boyfriend" (maybe because he is actually singing and not just whisper talking). Also just yesterday Bieber has released ANOTHER new song, "All Around The World" ft Ludacris. It has the same club beat that EVERY dance/pop song has these days but it's not bad. 

5. Jon McLaughlin's New Album Promising Promises
I can't pick one song from here yet, because I don't know which one is my favorite. I do know that he has a song called A Little To Hard (And A Little Too Fast) that is NOT on the album, NOT on Spotify, and NOT iTunes, but is AMAZING. Truly as song everyone can relate to, about time moving too quickly and the way the we change as that happens.


6. Jana Kramer- I Hope It Rains
Jana's album FINALLY came out yesterday and I was so happy to see it was streaming on Spotify so I could check it out before buying. I definitely ended up buying it. One Tree Hill introduced me to Jana and ever since "Whiskey" I've been dying for her to release a full album. It's definitely cheesy, run of the mill country, and I don't anticipate her finding Carrie Underwood style success... But I enjoy it none the less. "I Hope It Rains" is one of my faves. Who hasn't had some not so nice thoughts when they see an ex moving on with someone new??


In the interest of not making this post any longer, I'll stop there. The playlist itself currently has about 20 songs on it (one of my shortest playlists!).
 As always I want to know what y'all think and what you're currently listening too! Lemme know!

Memorial Day Weekend: Vegas

Here's to the latest weekend update ever.

A bit over a week ago I headed down to sunny southern California to meet up with one of my best friends in order to spend the first weekend of summer in Las Vegas.

After about three hours from Fresno to Burbank, and another 5ish from Burbank to Vegas our little group of girls talked our way in to an upgraded room with a view and set about to get ready for our first night out.

We spent most of our night at Surrender, where Afrojack was the celebrity DJ on hand for the night. One mark of a successful night in Vegas- not buying ourselves a single drink =). Night one was definitely a success by that standard.

       
 

Night one also began a long string of pictures in which I preferred to give the camera some of my favorite cheer facials rather than simply smile.

Based on these pictures I clearly have two go-to faces if I'm not smiling.

We woke up bright and early Friday morning to make sure we got ourselves a good breakfast before hitting the pool. We hit up Grand Lux Cafe (basically Cheesecake Factory but Vegas-y) for some bomb.com breakfast food then headed back to Wynn/Encore to hang out at Encore Beach Club.

This place was over run with girls all looking for the cute guys (who were probably still asleep in their beds) but its always fun to hang out by the pool, drink(s) in hand. We found a few interesting characters to chat with and had ourselves a pretty darn good time.

Fast forward through more exploring, dinner at Earl of Sandwhich, getting ready, and some club struggles- we ended up spending the bulk of our night at Tryst. I have to say I am NOT a fan of clubs, but I somehow always manage to have a darn good time at Tryst. And hey any night spent chatting and dancing with cute boys from Texas is a good night in my book!

Having fun OVER doing the "skinny" pose. You know, chest up, butt out, hand on hip, and lean in. Haha

Pre-Pool

Fat Tuesdays Love- No I will not smile like a normal person =D

The only pictures from night number two...

Day 2 did not greet us with the same loving welcome that Day 1 did. After sleeping in, lounging around the room, and eating some lunch we started getting ready for the afternoon's highlight- the UCLA 8-Clap at the Bellagio fountain!

Just like last year I had a fabulous time meeting up with hundreds of other bruins at the fountain to loudly display our UCLA pride in front of one of Vegas' most famous sights. Of course, I did not take pictures with my fav adpi's nor any of the other friends I ran in to... but here's the couple of pics I did get there.

8 Clap Amazingness

 The rest of the afternoon/evening consisted of exploring the Cosmopolitan, napping, and another evening out. Overall it was quite the experience. I had no intention of returning before my move to OH, but I've recently been informed by my best friend and fellow buckeye (omg that still sounds so weird!) that she may be making her first trip to Sin City in July. I could not possibly miss that... so Vegas- it looks like I will be seeing you one more time, very soon.

Props to you if you made it all the way through this post. I love you, you're awesome.