Little Girl, Shiny World

Taking on a New Name

2012-01-24T07:00:00.000-08:00

So there are such idiosyncratic things about getting married. Things you probably never fantasized about as a little girl when you saw yourself in a big white dress, things your mind probably couldn't even comprehend at such an age.

Take for example, the name change. Such a romantic idea right? I will be folded into the arms of my new family, my first name soon to be cozied up against the surname their family has carried for millenia, marking me as part of their clan.

Which is true. And I'm waiting with great anticipation for this name cozying to occur.

On the other hand, I'm facing a bit of an identity crisis. On paper, I will not be the person I have been for the last 25 years. No matter how you slice it, hyphenate it, middle-name-your-maiden-name it, I won't be Rachel ____ ________ anymore. And it feels a little strange.

Guys, they pop out a ring, they put it on your hand, and then they sit back to taste some wedding cake and catering samples when asked (ok I'm being a bit dramatic, the bf has been amazing in all the planning, heart you bf!).They're still comfortably propped up by the name that has known them since birth, and so they contentedly snack away. Us girls, we are expected to do something only otherwise associated with a life of crime. That is, to become an AKA.

An AKA. It sounds so mysterious and exciting. And I am mysteriously excited about my new last name and all the meaning it brings with it. I just want to point out to all the girls out there, doodling in your notebooks. Writing his name, your name, both names. Circling these names and writing his last name, forever joining you in pink ink.

When you actually reach the stage when its real, your feelings can be more complicated than any doodles in a notebook could explain. Unless that is, you are a reaallly talented doodler.

Dramatic points aside, I found something that might ease this transition a bit. A simple thing that started this whole thought process in my mind.

A cute little clay pocket totem from HandyMaiden on Etsy. An object to be an emblem of our family ancestry (apparently that's one definition of a totem is according to my good friend Webster).

What? A little pocket Ocelot all my own to carry around with me?

Peace out last name, it's been nice knowing ya'

2011-12-23T07:00:00.000-08:00

Mixology: What to Drink & Dance-to for the Holidays

2011-11-21T07:00:00.000-08:00

Right now I'm sitting on my couch, semi-coherently listening to Brazilian Girls and downing a nice Vodka (Diet) Coke, and I ~~love~~ blame the internet.

Let me begin with a little cautionary tale of how I ended up here. . .

It's almost the holidays and I'm engaged.
This can mean only one thing:

I'm exhausted.

Actually being engaged is pretty comparable to celebrating a big holiday like Thanksgiving or Christmas.
For one, it's fun! It makes you inherently happier in the morning when you wake up, you find yourself smiling for no particular reason, you hum a few more tunes than usual.
You get dressed up! You have celebratory dinners, you get your engagement pictures taken, you commemorate things left and right.

You toast life more than you ever have before. You make fun decisions on things like outfits, and rentals, small-bites and the bigger ones too. Color schemes and china and

. . .

I have absolutely no room left for the normal decisions in life. Like what to cook for Thanksgiving. Or the solutions to the varied conundrums that inevitably interfere with my Norman Rockwell holiday fantasies.

So when I saw this website on Design Crush that tells you what tasty adult beverage to serve up with specific tunes, I about died. Music = Yes. Drinking = Yes. ONE LESS DECISION TO MAKE?

Amazeballs.

P.S. Apparently Billy Joel is synonymous with Miller High Life beer. PRICELESS lol

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T07:00:00.000-07:00

Daily Frivolity, The Color Bug

2011-10-27T07:00:00.000-07:00

Thanks Hair Romance for this Awesomeness! This is not my hair!

When you are turning 25 and getting married, you occasionally have one of those little freak out moments. Like, OMG, I'm an adult. Almost not a "young adult". When in the capital F did that happen?! Hopefully these moments are few and far between, and properly expressed in the privacy of your home. Or else you might get a few strange side-glances from the sales girl wondering why you are tearing up over trying on a super sequined mini dress (and it's because you are thinking HOLY S**T a day will come when I cannot wear this amazingess anymore without looking like a sad has-been showgirl)

If this happens just take a deep breath. Remember how happy you are. Remember how lucky you are. Remember that age is only a number. This will make you grin at yourself in the mirror in that same sparkly dress, in that same overpriced department store. The sales girl will now think you've really lost it, but whatevs she doesn't know you. She's probably still just a young adult. What does she know?

And if you can't remember all those great things about your life, and how far you've come in your 24 years on this earth, there's still hope for a little bit of happiness. And no its not a vodka tonic. Or I should say its not only a vodka tonic.

Buy Kevin Murphy's Color Bug. Indulge in the dip dyed, ombre hair look, temporarily. Because you're still young. Because you are hot. Because you f-ing can! (and if you can't I'm sure no one will be rude enough to tell you)

Engagement Shoot Style

2011-10-18T07:00:00.000-07:00

Steve Madden pumps (see more platform heels)

Wouldn't these be cute with a nude lace shirt, and a peach chiffon skirt?
I hope so. . .since I might wear it for our engagement photos.
Does anyone else get stressed by having their picture taken?

I am like SO awkward in pictures.

And if one more person tells me, "they last forever" I might throw up. A little. In my mouth.

P.S. I did the nails myself! Yay for a silver glitter french manicure. And crappy Iphone pictures :)

First Flavors of Fall

2011-09-28T22:04:00.000-07:00

Social media is starting to make me think, that perhaps it is an inherently female thing to love fall. I cannot count the number of women folk proclaiming their love for this loveliest of seasons all over the interweb.

Like that silent internal clock that ticks away until one day BAM you're 30 and you can't think of anything but babies (or so I'm told) I think we ladies have another little timekeeper that starts sounding the alarm right around mid-September. It shouts excitedly in our ears "the holidays are coming!" and "it's snuggle time!" as the air chills and everything seems a little rosier.

Falling prey to such biological nudging, I couldn't help myself when I saw this awesome recipe for Light Mussel and Pumpkin Soup from Saveur. I made it and it was amazing!

See below for instructions. I combined it with this recipe from Emeril. Basically I followed the Saveur recipe with a few Emeril additions. I added the garlic from Emeril's recipe when sauteing the shallots. I used a cup of chicken broth instead of Saveur's suggested cup of water, and I added a splash of heavy cream at the end. The result was a yummy kind of chowder-esque concoction that reminded me of potato leek soup, with a seafood edge. Oh p.s. I used a Japanese Kabocha Squash per Saveur's suggestion.

Saveur Light Mussel & Pumpkin Soup

6 tbsp. butter
1 shallot, peeled and sliced
1 lb. mussels, cleaned
3 cups dry white wine
3-4 lbs. of pumpkin, seeded, peeled, and diced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 sprigs parsley, chopped
1. Melt 2 tbsp. of the butter in a heavy-bottomed medium pot over medium heat. Add shallots, and cook until soft, about 2 minutes. Add mussels, wine, and 1 cup water; increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring frequently, until mussels open, about 5 minutes. Strain mussels through a colander set over a medium bowl. Set broth aside. Remove mussels from their shells (discard any that don't open), and discard shells. Set mussels aside.
2. Melt remaining 4 tbsp. butter in same pot over medium heat. Add pumpkin, and cook, stirring often, until soft and lightly golden, about 15 minutes. Add reserved mussel broth, and simmer until pumpkin is very soft and broth thickens slightly, about 10 minutes.
3. Working in batches, purée pumpkin in a blender until smooth. Return purée to pot over medium-low heat, add mussels, season to taste with salt and pepper, and heat until warm (do not boil). Serve in warmed soup bowls, and garnish with parsley

Little Gal, On the Go!

2011-09-21T12:13:00.000-07:00

So, I'm like officially an adult. Weeks away from 25 and the owner of a brand spankin new Iphone 4!

Oh ya, and this. Have I shown you this?

Me=thankful. At least for the moment, until someone annoys me. Lol

Signing off, from a 3G cloud somewhere over Santa Barbara

Grape & Goat Cheese Truffles

2011-09-07T21:11:00.000-07:00

Does anyone else dream in cheese?

A sweet triple cream brie, silky soft, spread on a buttery cracker. The kind of melt-in-your-mouth goodness that can only be enhanced by the perfect glass of wine. A certain dimly lit ambiance that lulls you into a perfect indulgence laden euphoria. . .

Hmm. Is that just me? Well, now you know my creepy fromagerie fantasies. Don't judge.

Anyway when I'm looking to satisfy my cheesiest urges, I head over to a local restaurant called Roy. It hits every single point delineated above. It's got a cool 60's lounge vibe, a great price point, and is seriously delicious. Did I mention they sell awesome funky art that really breaks up the whole "Santa Barbara landscapes" monotony that we call an art scene up here? But I digress. . . most importantly it's where I discovered my newest love: grape & goat cheese truffles!

Now normally I would never take on the task of "I tasted this in a restaurant and shall use my uber skills to recreate it at home".

Believe me, I know I'm not that good. But something about these little bursts of sweet cheesy crunchy goodness gave me this motivational push to say "yes I can!"

So here you go, my at home version of Roy's grape & goat cheese truffles. They are seriously impressive, and seriously easy.

Which we all know is the best combination ever!

Adapted from What's Cooking America

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds pistachio nuts, shelled, chopped rough (about 1 cup)*
8 ounces goat cheese, room temperature
24 seedless red grapes, stems removed and wiped clean

* Your favorite nuts (such as walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, pecans) may be substituted for the pistachio nuts.

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Spread nuts on an ungreased baking sheet and toast in the oven for 7 to 9 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool. In blender or food processor, process nuts until finely chopped.

Put one 1/2 tablespoon of the goat cheese in the palm of one hand and in it roll a grape, shaping the mixture around the grape to coat. Repeat process with remaining grapes and chill on a sheet pan for 15 minutes.

Roll the cheese-coated grapes in the nut mixture to cover completely and chill for 30 minutes or until

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Let's Get Married!

2011-09-02T07:00:00.000-07:00

So based on my lack of postings on the subject, you probably think I am one of those anti-bride type of brides. The too-cool-for-school, f-martha, style-me-ugly type of gal who just doesn't buy into the whole "i'm a princess welcome to world biatches" type of wedding day.

And there you'd be wrong.

You know that show Hoarders? That's like me, but instead of collecting piles and piles of crap and rodent excrement, I collect millions of wedding ideas. I hoard them in my mind, I obsess over them. Silk taffeta or silk satin for the bridesmaids dresses? Is champagne too close to ivory, is ivory different than diamond white? And like those many toothless hillbillies addicted to their stuff, I refuse to let things go.

"What bf, you don't like my idea to have trapeze artists wearing only body paint swing from the ceiling beams? HOW DARE YOU NOT LIKE MY ~~CRAZY~~ SUPER-GENIUS IDEA! Now we are DEFINITELY hiring them".

This is why I haven't shared the many awesome, beautiful and amazing wedding finds I've come across. I might not be able to stop myself. It'd be like a crazy train, you'd be both the passenger and the helpless maiden tied to the tracks.

Today is an exception. I just had to share this wedding from Style Me Pretty Australia. It's like if a wedding did it with a rockstar and had a baby that wore Betsey Johnson. It so not me, but its so cool.

And for the record, I wouldn't call myself a Bridezilla. I'm more of a Captain Jean Luc Picard.

"Make it so".

So Funny, So True.

2011-08-22T07:00:00.000-07:00

Do you ever read a blog post and go "omg, it's like you read my mind?"

Well that's how I feel today about this post by Design Crush.
It's a problem I've been struggling with for years, apparently diagnosed as:
Chronic Bitchface. Hahaha. This made my day!

Purchase the print here.

Art for a Petit Bebe

2011-08-19T07:00:00.000-07:00

I am not preggo. Not even close! wipes sweat from forehead. Whew, dodged that bullet for the moment.

No I'm not in the family way, I am more in the "constantly stalking 20x200" way.
Despite that fact, I'm sure I'll get a call from my mom in an hour or so say "WHAT, are you PREGNANT?"
She is the type of person who reads the opening line of an article and then gets too excited to finish the rest.

And then I'll have to explain, "no Mom, I was just stalking this site 20x200. . ."
Which will open a can of worms because she won't know what 20x200 is.
There goes the rest of my afternoon.

Anyway I just found these great prints of baby animals by artist Sharon Montrose. I think they would look killer grouped together in a nursery or kids room. I love them because they are by nature sweet and age appropriate for kids but at the same time aren't overly cartoonish or cutesy. Also I love the crisp white background which I think adds to the sophistication of each piece and allows for easy inclusion in any sort of decor scheme.

Bonus for all those "my kid is a genius in training" moms out there the prints can serve an educational purpose to teach kids different animals. Because you know playing them Baby Einstein videos isn't enough.

Friday Afternoon Haiku + O.M.G. Love

2011-08-12T07:00:00.000-07:00

Damn, long week fo' sho'
Friday, you're my bestest friend
Sunday, you old bitch.

Please forgive if my haiku skills are lacking. (meaning you counted and its not truly a haiku but just the crazy ramblings of a person who was a literature major not a MATH major. Jeez who ever counts syllables anyway?)

Anyways here's to having a great weekend, and check out these amazing scarves from lemlem

Mm. basically, I want those pretty badly.

It's Awesome, Because it's True.

2011-08-09T07:00:00.000-07:00

Dave Hill, via Design Crush

Becoming a Mrs.

2011-07-21T21:12:00.000-07:00

In exactly one year I will become a Mrs.

This time a year from now I'll be downing my last few glasses of ~~pure vodka~~ wine, dancing the night away with my new husband and lamenting the fact that I only have a few moments left in my beautiful white dress.

A day worth commemorating a year before its even happened.

A couple of Chocolate Bliss cupcakes and a

spliff of cheap champagne.

The only combination appropriate for this pseudo-celebration.

It's kind of like a teen romance. Where you celebrate your "one-month" anniversary.

Which looking back on you just laugh, but at the time you are so excited you can't not acknowledge it.

So cheers to being a Mrs.

Only 365 days to go.

Sweet Summer Pie Recipe

2011-07-06T22:07:00.000-07:00

Does anyone else think that the dessert you bake says something about the person you are? Chocolate cake: You're a classy classic. Espresso Ice Cream Cake: Probably a Starubucks addict (thats me!). Baking choices are quite obviously the window to a persons soul.

So, what dessert says: I am marrying into your family soon and I swear, I'm like, a really cool person. (please like me)

Last weekend we visited the bf's family and I was tasked with bringing dessert. I wanted there to be a taste of summer in every bite, something celebratory but without screaming "red, white and blue!"

So I made my very first key lime pie. And if I do say so myself--wow it was good. It was probably t~~he fact that I check millions of reviews before choosing a recipe~~ my baking skills. I think it won over the future in laws. At the very least it lulled them into a comfy after dinner food coma. Which is alright by me.

Find the recipe here. Make it. Its tangy-sweet goodness.
Oh yeah I made the graham cracker crust from this recipe. Its so good!

Weekend Review: Santa Barbara Solstice

2011-06-27T21:47:00.000-07:00

This weekend Santa Barbara enjoyed the first weekend of summer with its annual Solstice Parade. With its man made and operated floats, extravagant costumes and a general "carnaval" type of feel the summer solstice is one of my favorite times in Santa Barbara. Dancers, drummers, and Capoiera performers headed down State Street in joyous celebration of the upcoming warm breezes and sunny skies. Happy Solstice everyone!

O.M.G Love Art; Jane Mount's Ideal Bookshelf

2011-06-23T23:06:00.000-07:00

She actually hand writes a note to you. LOVE!

So I know I've already mentioned I go every which way for a piece of art that speaks to me.
Imagine my excitement when I found the amazing art series by Jane Mount called The Ideal Bookshelf.(did I mention I was also a Comparative Literature major in college?)

The Ideal Bookshelf chronicles exactly that, your dream world of literary adventures.

From side by side fashion faves to rows and rows of Harry Potter, to classics like Lolita and Don Quixote, her work embraces and exudes the idiosyncrasies of each bibliophile, everywhere. And if you don't see your bookshelf for sale, she'll make it!

I recently received my personal purchase of a wonderful list of cookbooks and culinary favorites that I am proud to display in my kitchen.

Please check her out. As an art lover and a supporter of the dying art of paper print, Jane Mount is a rockstar goddess to me.

DIY Statuette Necklace Holder

2011-06-21T20:01:00.000-07:00

Easiest. DIY. Ever. I have been loving all the uses of classical busts I have been seeing out there lately and I knew I just had to jump on the bandwagon somehow! It took me awhile to find the right one (thanks local thrift shop!). Many were just too expensive, or looked to "new". I just love the weathered look of this one.

Only $28, no more tangled necklaces, and it definitely falls within my "takes less than 20 minutes" rule of DIY!

James Victore Art Sale = Be Still Beating My Heart

2011-06-16T07:00:00.000-07:00

Go here. Buy now.

So I am an art slut. It's ok, I've come to terms with it. I am a whore for paintbrushes, ink smudges, and people's personal creations that I feel call my name. I might not be knowledgeable enough to sell it, but I am knowledgeable enough to waste all my disposable income on it. Lucky me!

I am also promiscuous in my pursuit of a good deal. I sign up for all the private sale sites and am always searching for a newer, better way to get the fancy stuff I want with the mere pennies I have.

Most recently I signed up for Fab.com a private sale site that specializes in specialty home decor, art. etc.

Holy crap, I think I'm in love. Today they are featuring something I just had to share.

Art Prints by James Victore! One of my favorite graphic designers. I think his work speaks so much to the dualistic role of design to create aesthetically pleasing art, and also communicate a message. Most of James prints for sale on Fab.com are some sort of advertisement designs, from subway ads to wine labels. And yet I would love to hang one in my home.

Sadly I can't afford even the discounted prices being offered. UGH! But please, someone take advantage of this. Or if you love me (hint hint fiance, friends, family, or the secretly enamored) I do have a wedding coming up, and I hear rumors that people buy you stuff for those things. . .

The Paris I'd Like to Share. . .

2011-06-13T21:24:00.000-07:00

It seems like only yesterday I was sitting on a 12 hour KLM plane ride to Charles De Gaulle, having my seat kicked in by a 3 year old on a rampage, drifting in and out of consciousness with Black Swan on in the background and thinking to myself "is this really my life?"

Seven days, a Japanese Tsunami, a Parisian adventure and an engagement later, I boarded the Air France jet still feeling strangely detached from the craziest week I have ever experienced. Ever. I thought back over the first sleepless night, waking up to watch the BBC coverage of the Japan disaster and eating pan au chocolate and some random (and not very delicious) hot milk that the bf had managed to conjure up from the only place open at 3:30 am in our part of Paris that also sold milk--Le McDonalds. I pondered the metro, with its surprisingly talented array of performers and constant bustle. Of course I went back and re-enjoyed all the delicious food I ate (except pate, sorry I tried but I don' t love you!) and I thought about how much my life had changed in one week.

When I came back I was immediately thrown into the whirlwind of "being engaged". Seeing the families, re-telling of stories, being asked the date (um, we've been engaged 3 days people lol) holding my hand out and gazing dreamily at the sparkly new adornment on my normally naked finger.

You would think someone who loves to share so much (the proof of which lies in this blog) would love to go over every detail of the trip and the proposal endlessly. At first its what I thought too, but then not so much. It was kind of like this secret that I wanted to tuck into my back pocket and relish all on my own.

The result was that I have been horrendously slow at posting pictures. Which I figure is ok, because plenty of you have been there, or live there, or blog there! But if not, above is the Paris I'd like to share. The good parts, the ones worth capturing.

In My Dreams, I Drive a Food Truck

2011-05-31T22:31:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the food gods shine down on this semi-little beach town, and grant us with a slice of culture not normally found amongst our consistently uniform terra-cotta rooftops.

This weekend was one of those times.
Bored on a Sunday afternoon I did what I always do when I'm bored. I started surfing the net. It's kind of where I find the best things in cyber-life (and real life too, like when I found Hicksville Trailer Palace)

Anywhoo I stumbled upon the fact that Santa Barbara was hosting a Food Truck Festival, at that very moment! A magical place where food meets means of transportation, sprinkled with a dash of alcohol and general gluttony.
Basically heaven. I found my way there as fast as my feet could take me.

And it was just that. Foodie-heaven. Who knew they had fro-yo food trucks? I enjoyed my first banh-mi experience, dined upon some pommes frites with wasabi-mayo dipping sauce and washed it all down with some tasty Kalyra Chardonnay.

I encountered some characters that I dont think fall under the category of "5 people you meet in heaven" (were talking 70's porn-star dude, and a creepy lone cowboy) but in my opinion, they made the event that much more interesting.

Don't mind me, I'm just a cowboy creeping up into your pictures

DIY Succulent Garden

2011-05-06T22:13:00.000-07:00

Trends are such funny finicky little things. Take for example, succulents. I remember growing up my mom had heinous amounts of them strewn across our patio each with its own terracotta pot painted some awful shade of 70's blah that I would just gag over and tell her how they looked "soooo outdated". Don't forget my well practiced eye roll.

Like many things associated with childhood and parents, I thought succulents were so uncool. Cue my surprise, when in 2011, I started seeing those fleshy little blossoms everywhere. And I kind of liked it. It turns out they are interesting, full of variety, color, shape and size. To my amazement, there's no law of nature stating they have to be planted in ugly pea green pots (heads up Mom! lol) They can be modern terrariums, pretty planters or kind of what I was going for which is a sort of neo-classicism.

Below is the result of my new found love for succulents. I bought this awesome cast iron pedestal planter ( If you are Googling, I think it's actually called an urn, but that sounds so morbid!). All I did was put some stones in the bottom, add the cactus planting soil, and stick those puppies in their new environment. I had a jar of smashed shell bits I got from Michael's like two years ago (any ~~hoarder~~ crafter out there can relate to having such random things in your house you never know how you'll use! ) that were shimmery and pretty so I put them on top of the soil for added sparkle. Succulents are pretty sturdy so it should be no problem and I would definitely recommend adding something decorative atop the soil or else it doesn't look as clean.

The best part of this is that succulents only require watering like every two weeks. So my chances of killing these things just got much, much smaller.

*Side note, this project does adhere to my "takes less than 20 minutes to do* rule of DIY

Paris Je T'Aime

2011-04-01T10:50:00.000-07:00

The ring was too big for the right finger!

Paris. The City of Love. The City of Lights. The City I got engaged in!
Yep, this little lady is engaged. How exciting right?

I waiver between total euphoria and absolute terror. I'm no fool, I have a great amount of respect for the sanctity of marriage, and as such I know what a huge deal this is!

It's like a crashing wave, a thunderstorm, a bolt of lightning. It's beautiful, it's magical, it's awe-inspiring but you know the force behind it is beyond you, and above you and totally greater than you could ever be.

I am so proud to be marrying the bf. I read this quote the other day (cheesy love quotes time) that said:

"Lovers don't meet somewhere, they're in each other all along"

and I thought it was so fitting for the bf and I. Even all those years ago I knew there was something in him that fit something in me. I didn't know we'd get married, and our love wasn't always easy.As Donkey from Shrek would say, we were like onions, many layers making it hard for us to see each other clearly. But that little seed was there. Little roots spread out between us and intertwined. I knew when one of our first official dates was sitting on his futon watching Ferngully & eating take-out Chinese--this was something special.

And now, many adventures later we are here. He proposed in a quiet courtyard in front of our Paris apartment. He got down on his knee, heart beating wildly ( I know because I felt it when he hugged me) and asked me to marry him so he could love me forever. I said yes, (and what? and omg? and really?) and now we're at this fork in our lives.
And it's so exciting.

Preparing for Flight

2011-03-01T14:29:00.000-08:00

Paris is oh-so-quickly approaching.
Despite all my planning, I feel completely ill-prepared.

Operation learn French in one month: fail.
My list of restaurants to visit is far longer than my stomach capacity is wide.
Sadly. **sigh**
And as the primary planner in our household I feel all the pressure of creating a successful trip full of wonderful memories.
The bf's only plan revolves around stuffing his face full of crepes.
Oh, and the daily bottle of wine and block of cheese he's been moo-ing about for weeks now.lol
( if you've never met the guy, he's real skinny, so i'm allowed to be bitter and crap-talk about his eating habits!)

I've been distracted lately with my graphic design class.
We've been learning a lot about the importance of having a strong concept for a project.

It's really had me thinking about this here little blog, and how I really need to focus in on a concept.
As you can tell by my ever changing decor around here, my ideas change with each shift in the wind and turn of my mood.
And Little Girl Shiny World, as cute as I think it sounds, well its a little long. and it might give the idea that I am a little girl, which my dears I am definitely not. I will share with you here that I am 24 years old. I don't play with dolls, and my view of the world can sometimes be quite cynical.. I wouldn't say the world is shiny all the time, some days it's barely a sheen for me.

The point is I've been doing some re-thinking about this blog. I would never abandon it. I love all the interesting blogs I've found and inspiration I encounter daily because of my outlet. But it needs some re-tooling. To be decisively me. Or decisively what I'd like to be, and share. A little cleaner, less scattered. More of me doing things that I love and searching out what those things are.

I think I'm having a kind of "Reality Bites" moment in life, and that extends into this realm as well.
(if you don't get the reference, Google it. 2 hours of 90's angst perfected).

So I'll be back--Paris beckons after all.
But don't be surprised if I've changed.
Perhaps a little wiser, most unavoidably older.

Or maybe just fatter. From all the damn good food I've eaten.
Stay tuned!

From Pa Design

**oh and I just had to share this. it's a tripod that can mount onto a water bottle. no more cutting each others heads off or long arm shots of you and your honey! if it actually works its genius**