hello stranger.

well, here i am world. back in action. okay, okay, so maybe it has been eight months. but, ya know. what are you going to do? sometimes life gets in the way of chronicling it all on my laptop to update the world (in theory) on the ins and outs of my life...of which there have been many.

since june 5th, my last blog post, there has been so much that has happened, and all i can say is that i'm so glad that it all did.

has it been perfect? of course not.

has it challenged me? most certainly.

have i loved every moment of it? hell yes.

so, let's give this a try - eight months in a hundred and fifty words or less:

bearskin. leaders-in-training. bed rest. chelliot. fresno. fake boyfriend and girlfriend. bridesmaid business. my best friend’s wedding. drinking. dancing. cuteness. giants games. “let’s make friends” party. sixty coors light. s’mores. rabbit. more lits. norovirus. lits again. red roof. drama. more lits. crystle caves. justin bieber. closing circle. missing camp. visits. giants games. oakdale. krystle. holly. santa cruz shakespeare festival. more giants. business law. giants fever. clinical trial. tumors disappearing. birthdays. lions pub. surprise lits. magnolia. lions pub, again. carrie underwood. beach blanket babylon. hardly strictly bluegrass. fake breakup. jack johnson. teen ed retreat. giants win nlds. sharktoberfest. phillies. palm springs. sisters. black. orange. pennant. rangers. WORLD SERIES! parade day. mixed results with trial. bernardo. thanksgiving. palm springs christmas party. finals. boulder. graduation. new iphone. “damn girl.” work. della santina’s. christmas. new years eve. scott. breanne. 2011. hip pain. goodbye mackensey and nardo. radiation. new treatment. sick. 26. birthday brunch. school.

smiling.

so. that is what life has been like. once again, ups and downs, but as usual, one day at a time. loving it as i go.

i do have to say that the giants being in the play-offs, followed by the world series was beyond exciting. the city was a-buzz, orange was everywhere you went, and everyone had a spring in their step.

the day the san francisco giants won the world series is a day i will never forget. we laughed, we cried, and we kept trying to pinch ourselves to wake up from this dream. still, now, just thinking about it makes me tear up a bit. honestly those were some of the most exciting, happiest, and completely unforgettable days of my life.

(here is my outdated homage to my favorite team in the world.)

in short, i guess that is what's up.

watch out blogosphere, i'm back.

embroidery.

something i've been seeing all over the place lately is really cute, often personalized, embroidery.

love love love.

all found on etsy.

regretsy.

kind of love this.

just a sampling of the great "finds" on regretsy:

found on decorno.

sing-a-long.

recently, while i was driving and listening to my xm radio, i started thinking of all of the fantastical songs that i will ALWAYS turn waaaaay up and sing-a-long to when they begin to play. here we go.

(WARNING: if you think i'm cool in any sort of way, it's probably best if you don't look at this super embarrassing list [mainly comprised] of guilty pleasures. VERY guilty in many instances.)

Taylor Swift - Love Stoy

Rihanna - Disturbia

Michael Bublé - Everything

Chris Brown - Forever

John Mayer - Waiting on the World to Change

Sara Bareilles - Love Song

Neutral Milk Hotel - King Of Carrot Flowers, Pt. 1

Jason Mraz - I'm Yours

Lady GaGa - Poker Face

Kelly Clarkson - Breakaway

Hanson - Lost Without Each Other

The Fray - Over My Head (Cable Car)

Coldplay - Viva La Vida

Guster - Happier

Britney Spears - Lucky

Death Cab for Cutie - Soul Meets Body

Sister Hazel - Your Winter

Christina Aguilera - What A Girl Wants

Christina Aguilera - Come On Over

Frank Sinatra - Summer Wind

Martina McBride - Wild Angels

Michael Jackson - P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)

The Temptations - My Girl

The Postal Service - The District Sleeps Alone

take me out.

with baseball season coming to a close, my heart grows weary with how i'll be spending my evenings. i'm sure i'll spend quite a bit of time looking forward to next season, possibly planning a trip to spring training and getting my orange and black wardrobe ready for april. in the meantime, i've managed to find some cute finds that i'm pretty stoked about, and i'll find some sort of excuse to get these all in the future.

i think these are absolutely fantastic, and i really look forward to my future mister (in my hypothetical, fantasy world and imaginary wedding) sportin' (pardon the pun) these down the aisle.

found on etsy.

i also really like these pens. if i had any vested interest in any of these ballparks, (which include yankee stadium, fenway park, wrigley field, busch stadium, and dodger stadium ) i would make sure to snatch one up. they are made of repurposed old wooden seats that have since been retired from the stadiums. they would make a great father's day present for a true fan.

found on red envelope.

my third and final tidbit of baseballness is something for the truly dedicated. these awesome cuffs are made from genuine leather baseballs. i think that they'd be really cute as a coach's gift. a perfect fashion statement? possibly not -- but once again, i believe in brownie point to concepts.

also, a couple months ago i briefly mentioned that i was the lucky recipient of a wonderful baseball wardrobe item (code for badass, super warm jacket) this season. this three-year-anniversary gift from my dear CP had managed to keep me warm at the ballpark and at home. not only is it official, authorized MLB merchandise, but it's also what the PLAYERS wear in the dugout! so awesome. i'm such a gamer. loves it.

found on sfgiants.

and last but not least, i need to mention one last thing:

GO GIANTS!

WE'RE IN THIS!!!

bubble yum.

this makes me happy. 

found on penelope dullaghan.

penelope dullaghan does some really cute things. ("things" meaning illustrations and prints.) 

you just can't help but smile.

there are more to be found here as well.

national watermelon day

i wish they had this in grown-up sizes.

found on gymboree.

though i'm glad that these tequila-soaked watermelon wedges are for the grown-ups.

a perfect poolside treat.

found on martha stewart.

adventure.

this month is indeed "American Adventure Month" and with that in mind, i made a recent purchase. as a self-proclaimed travel book junkie, i knew i had to pick this up when i saw it. 

Lonely Planet does great books and is always my go-to when it comes to travel, though for my past couple trips i've taken liking to the Fodor's guides.

found on lonely planet.

now, when there is a day of boredom or a few hours to kill, we can pick up the book and go on a little adventure. more things to add to our summer to-do list!

ruffle.

my dear KM went on vacation this past week and brought me home a bag i've been 

pining for over the past year. 

i am honored to say that i am the new owner of the adorable green version, 

though mine is in the more practical tote bag size. 

thank you!

found on india rose.

must have.

this is really cute. 

i wish i could guesstimate my size. 

found on fred flare.

woody

inspired by a potential camping trip this weekend, i think it is more than appropiate the share one of my latest obsessions:

wood grain.

i bought this great packaging tape today, and i can't wait to get some more designs. i'll have to find more excuses to send packages now. (not that i'm complaining.)

found on tapeswell.

love. love. love.

found on miniot.

as usual, pottery barn hits the mark. i wish that i could find a good spot for this in my apartment:

found on pottery barn.

keeping squeaky clean never looked this good.

found on gianna rose atelier.

and it's (k)not wood just fuels my fire.

final verdict.

i love chicago.

i can not wait to go back and i have about a million more things i will love to do.

what was accomplished?

deep dish pizza. architecture river cruise. navy pier. millennium park. el train. wrigley. white sox. humidity. magnificent mile. american girl place. cubs. hot dogs. art institute. grant park. buckingham fountain. field museum. university of chicago. hyde park. more deep dish pizza. john hancock observatory. oak park. frank llyod wright. o'hare.

take note.

these new moleskin volant mini ruled notebooks are my new favorite thing.

perfectly sized, wonderfully blank and amazingly durable.

i'll take one in every color.

found on moleskin.