i love this city.

every time i come around the big curve on the 101 and see san francisco's skyline, i fall in love all over again. today is gloriously sunny and i have the next three days off.

that means: brunch.pedicure.shopping.cleaning.camp programming.itunes organizing.crafting.flea market.graduation parties.airport.mary.probably total aussie chaos.

all in san francisco sunshine.

hard to complain about a weekend like that.

the look: summer 2010

okay, okay. so...this isn't really THE look, it's more like MY look for what my summer is going to consist of.

i pretty much hold it down with all the classics: a well-fitted tee, a little sun protection and my go-to j.crew khaki shorts. i like to consider it the middle ground between the staff that are unshowered in sweatpants, and those that look ridiculous in full hair and make-up, thinking that the middle of the woods is a place where accessories and perfume are required.

for me, i tend to be satisfied if i find a clean shirt, slap some deodorant on, and wash off my feet before sticking them into my sleeping bag. at camp, it really is all about the little things.

1. giants hat 2. rainbows 3. american apparel {sheer jersey short sleeve women's summer t}

4. j.crew {9" chino short} 5. ray-bans {large aviator} 6. straw fedora

7. tom's {ash canvas classic} 8. j.crew {broken-in boyfriend chino short} 9. merrell {siren sport}

song for the dumped.

so, about an eon (ok, so maybe a little over three years) ago, my little sister got dumped. her first big heartbreak, blah blah blah. being the big sister that i am, who was living a few states away at the time, i made her a mix.

well, a few months ago, appropriately so, PB found it in her car, and couldn't help but send it in my direction. and i must say, i think that this is a playlist that certainly gets the point across and makes me laugh at the same time. while being incredibly big sister-little sister appropriate.

songs for the dumped

Growing Pains Theme Song

*NSYNC - Bye Bye Bye

Nancy Sinatra - These Boots Are Made For Walking

Destiny's Child - Survivor

JoJo - Leave

Justin Timberlake - Cry Me A River

Natasha Bedingfield - Unwritten

Hilary Duff - Why Not

Britney Spears - Stronger

Aretha Franklin - Think

Christina Aguilera - Fighter

Jessica Simpson - A Public Affair

High School Musical - We're All In This Together

Whitney Houston - I Wanna Dance With Somebody

The Beatles - Here Comes The Sun

Michelle Branch - Are You Happy Now?

Gloria Gaynor - I Will Survive

Peggy Lee - Sisters

i love you sister.

flicker of the campfire.

well, it's official. summer 2010 is upon us and i could not be more excited.

this summer, i'm headed up to bearskin meadow camp for the 19th year.

when i was 16 & 17, i was a counselor-in-training at bearskin and can confidently say that it was one of the most impactful experiences of my life. those two summers influenced me to challenge myself and better my life through friendships, teamwork and leadership. it lead to my employment for six of the past seven summers, college admissions, an internship and experiences i never would have pursued otherwise. most significantly, my experience at camp has led to some of the most meaningful relationships i have ever had.

i could not be happier to say that i will be returning this summer. i was offered the position of leader-in-training (the updated cit program) coordinator, and i immediately knew that i had to take the position. it has been my dream since i was 16 to be able to influence teens the way my cit coordinators influenced me (thank you jeff, suzy and tracy). with careful medical schedule planning, and perfect timing for MM & TM's wedding, i was able to make it work. none of it will be easy. i have been interviewing teens for the past few weeks, and the expectations are high. more than anything, my expectations for the program are the ones i have to worry about. because this program has made such a difference in my life, i want it to mean the same thing to the participants.

i will have to take a break at some point during a session to come down the hill to get treatment back here in the city. knowing that, i told JG (my camp boss and previous fellow 2001/2002 cit) that i will need strong support staff that i can rely on when i have to return to the real world for 36 hours. luckily for me, after nearly 5 years, i have reunited with EW, a dear friend from my first summer as cit. i am so happy to have him back in my life, and the even better news is that he has decided to work the program with me, and "inspire the next generation of us" as he likes to say.

i am incredibly excited to spend six weeks of my summer in kings canyon national park and at the place that i will always be able to call home.

a-dorable.

so, today, while cruisin' around etsy (as i so often do on lazy afternoons), i found this most adorable of sellers, and these cute, cute bags.

found on etsy.

i'm not usually one to go the nautical route - often a little to east coast for this left coast gal - but between the bold yellow color (she also does navy, red, and green), and the over-exaggerated rope handle, i'm kind of in love.

i will be the first to admit, i have a certain addiction to tote bags. i easily own more than 15 totes and rarely have a use for them. i am hoping that summer will bring more opportunity, especially if i'm going to try and justify a cute, new striped one.

(i don't think have a yellow one yet!)

finals.

so close, yet so far.

amazing.

i. absolutely. love. these.

i have no idea where they would fit into my life, both physically and aesthetically, but i think there is something so entrancing about them.

also, i'm sure that my rather colorful book collection would not too nearly as chic as the white and grey palette they have going.

you can find more gorgeousness here. god damn. love those italians.

found on splendora.

great american grump out day.

being a grump is not my scene. though, if it were, i would make sure to not be a

grump on may 5th, great american grump out day.

*pout*

while i am rarely a grump (in my own humble opinion), i do have a special affinity for pouting. luckily, i am not only aware of it, but I am very willing to admit it. frequently while pouting over the phone or via text or email, i will make sure to let all parties involved that my lower lip has made its way out from beneath my top lip.

does it achieve anything? i doubt it. but hey, sometimes a girl just needs a good pout.

flippin' amazing.

(i wish that i could apologize for when i get cheesy and lazy and put up these inspiration posts, but i can't. because i love them.

so deal with it.)

room revamp.

project #1:
DESK

so, luckily, i work in a world of inspiration and am able to get an overload of ideas on a constant basis.

so far, i have the starts of a new and improved desk that i'm hoping

will not only bring a wonderous GPA, but it will also get those creative juices flowing!

here's a taste for you:

one liners.

one of my new favorite things is this book called

one line a day: a five year memory book.

of course it's a brilliant product of chronicle books, and i totally adore it.

found on chronicle books.

i have always tried to be a diary-keeper, though it has never, ever been successful. we're not even talking about slacking off after a couple of months, weeks -- we're talking about days. i've always found it so high-pressure and i hate forcing myself to write, especially when there's pressure to have it be obnoxiously meaningful or something.

SO, this is the perfect book for me. incredibly portable, a great color, and lines that don't take much to fill. while it's not exactly "one line," it is a perfecctly brief amount of space for a witty sentence or two,

or just enough room for me to say that it was a pretty boring day. (which is perfectly okay!)

the book starts on January 1st, so in a perfect world, everyone would pick this book up on the 31st of December and we'd be a wonderfully journaling population. though, in reality -- not so much the case. since i was delayed and didn't get it until after the first of the year, i decided to start it on my 25h birthday, simply 26 days after the start of the year. the coolest part is to think about finishing it on my 30th birthday. so far i've kept it up, which is saying a lot...that's like, 7 weeks or something.

i would strongly recommend it to anyone who has attempted the whole diary thing before. it's amazing what two sentences can tell. and i honestly go throughout my days thinking to myself, "what am i going to write tonight? how will i sum this up?" it's a fun game to play.

maybe tonight i'll write about how i essentially just ate an entire jar of trader joe's sandwich pickles. eek.

put on your floaties.

times they are a-changin'.

ok. it's official. room cleanse 2010 has begun.

new duvet cover, new shams, new furniture.

so far, i'm incredibly inspired by yellow and grey, which i love.

and with yellow being my most favorite of colors, i'm excited to use it to bring joy and happiness into my room!

plus, after seeing that amazing chair at crate & barrel the other day (see previous post),

i have made the executive decision to add an aqua color into my mix.

fantastic. i'm loving it.

so now, mini-totally-random-insportation-board:

and of course the girls over at j.crew know what they're doing.

updates to follow, of course.

full.

i am a big fan of perspective.

often times life will indeed throw you the occasional curve ball, and we have got to try our best to work it all out.

is life always perfect? no. HELL no. but we will do our best to make it as grand as possible.

and let's be honest -- who wants a half-empty glass anyway?

that just sounds like left-overs.

chin up.

fun and games.

this wedding was featured on 100 layer cake today, and i love the fun that has gone into this wedding.

the couple got married at fox farm, up on vashon island, near seattle. with a combination of vintage linens, farmer's market flowers and their homemade blueberry pies, they were able to keep their budget at $8000, and still include all of their fun extras.

the sno-kone idea is the one that caught my eye right off the bat. i think it is absolutely genius. the couple used organic ginger ale, pomegranate and grapefruit flavors to flavor themhow fantastic would it be to have a bounce house at your wedding? i think it would be amazing, and as you can see, a great chance for photos full of character.

i've also love the idea of having a bocce ball court set up at a wedding, or something similar to that for folks less than likely to hit the dancefloor. this croquet set up is adorable, and the little handwritten rules and regulations make it so individualized and special. and really, all for under $8000? i'm impressed.

found on 100 layer cake.

(UPDATE: photos have been deleted, so we'll just have to visualize and appreciate the concept.)

i. love. this.

found on crate & barrel.

rock out like a hair band.

so, with the development of my newfound confidence with my short hair, i've been enlightening myself with hair flair, if you will. i'm so glad that headbands and cute little clips exist and i'm having fun with them. unfortunately, i have a fairly round, young face, so i have to make sure i don't look like my 3rd grade school picture by doing anything too frilly. but i will most certainly give bold a try.

photo by anna wolf, found on oh joy

here are my latest and future investments (thankyouverymuchretailtherapy.)

clockwise from left, l.erickson, the urban trends, l.erickson, sparklepower

warning.

homegirl got herself dumped last night, so while i'm going to try and

keep the emo crap off of my precious blog, i cannot make any promises.

(please reference previous post for prime example of what the future may hold.)

the finish line.

room explosion.

as usual, my room is a mess.

i seem to have a highly scientific and well-designed plan of throwing clothes on the floor. clean, dirty, worn, changed out of -- it is a serious situation, and CP will tell you the same. though, despite the chaos that is my clothing situation, i feel that my biggest storage problem is all of my books.

we have two separate bookshelves, one that is a hutch that is quite large, but still her constantly have overflow. with the addition of multiple text books to the mix, our room quickly turns into some disgruntled library full of mcsweeny's, entrepreneurship (mine) and virology (his) text books, the stray us weekly, and those "must-haves" that i can't keep myself from buying as i pass a bookstore. of course, it doesn't matter that i probably have 50 books on my to-read list, i need that one i just saw on jon stewart, or the follow-up to the other one i really liked. oh? a book about cancer? i better get that too. a huge interior design coffee table book -- well, it will be gorgeous on a hypothetically empty coffee table one day.

obviously, it is a problem. i probably need some time of support group for such things. in the meantime, I can just hope that i can get organized.

as a completely visual person, this is my bookshelf goal.

a girl can dream, right?

found on flickr.

embrace your inner princess.

one of my birthday treats that i make sure i don't go without is the wonderfully delicious swedish princess cake (know as prinsesstarta in swedish).

traditionally the cake is comprised of three layers of genoise (italian sponge cake), filled with raspberry or strawberry, with a hint of a custard layer and generously topped with whipped cream. it is then it is wrapped in a pale green marzipan that protects the cake that is quite delicate, and topped with a marzipan rose in the center. not exactly sure what the story is behind the color of choice, but supposedly the cake was made for the four daughter of the king of sweden to compensate that none of them were going to be heirs to the throne.

though i'm not sure if it would distract me from the fact that i wouldn't become queen, it sure tickles my fancy on my birthday! and thank you KM for making sure i got one!

found on whale's belly.

this year my cake from the historic victoria pastry co. in north beach. though, while in my hometown of sonoma we use scandia bakery. (which i feel very lucky to be able to find princess cake in a town of only 9,000!)

cruisin'

for my 25th (!!!) birthday on tuesday, my dad and stepmom are sending CP and me on a cruise! we're thinking eastern caribbean. anywho. this is pretty much what we're planning on looking like for 9 days:

p.s. i'm sorry i'm a bad blogger. i'm so ashamed. i'm REALLY going to try and work on it.

hard to argue.

life is too short to NOT be nice.

and it does not cost a penny.

a good ol' fashioned recession pick-me-up if you will.

ode to hair.

for awhile now i have been sans hair (working on nearly 9 months...), though i often feel the way that amputees are said to feel -- that there is a phantom limb, or in my case hair, that is still there. i find myself brushing "hair" off my neck, attempting to bundle together enough hair to tie it up into a ponytail before i heard to bed, or to pull it down before hopping in the shower, and even gracefully pulling my hair over one shoulder from time to time.

i know, it's odd. and though i know i shouldn't even be comparing it to losing a limb, i haven't really heard anything that even sounds similar to what i've been experiencing since losing my hair.

i can deal with it. i tend to wear a hat well, and that has worked to my advantage. clips, styling wax and a little bit of confidence from my family and friends has also helped immensely. every once in awhile, i see a picture, or an occasional commercial, and i really miss my hair. i know, i know, it'll grow back, but it is taking a lot of patience, and i'm not the most patient person in the world.

well, here it is, some of the photos that cause my phantom flowing blond locks to ache.