A Day in Wine Country

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Last weekend my mom, old roommate, Becky, and I headed to the one and only wine country (in the States anyways), Napa. We started off the day by heading to my family's favorite winery. It was a gorgeous day, sun high in the sky and pretty warm out. Not much like fall weather, but I wasn't complaining! We did a little wine tasting and walked around the winery for a bit. As far as wines go, my favorite is rose, or a sweet glass of moscato, but I don't discriminate ;)


Instead of going out to a restaurant for lunch, we decided to stay at the winery. We went to their deli where we found a creamy gruyere cheese, a sharp, dry gouda, a fresh french baguette, sweet grapes, and of course, wine. I could seriously eat this every day! But I'm only fancy on special occasions.


Growing up in a Greek household, wine is kind of an integral part of our culture. I've had friends who think wine is disgusting or admonish me for drinking it since I was a toddler, but I look at it differently. In Greece, if you go over to someone's house for dinner, whether you are 60 or 10, the host offers you wine or beer. When you ask for water, they look at you like you're crazy. So there's my two cents. Drink up me hearties, yo ho!

Something About Autumn

There is just something about autumn that I will always love. I think when I was younger, the fact that school was starting and my birthday was at the end of September first sparked my love for this season. As I got older, the scenery during this time of year kept me happy. (Not to mention wearing my favorite clothes, boots and sweaters, everywhere!)


Something about autumn just makes me want this: sitting in the tub, writing or reading, sipping on delicious tea (or hot apple cider...yum!), with candles flickering everywhere. It's the simple things that always make me feel at peace. Too bad with today's crazy lifestyle this doesn't happen often enough.


I think in the end, the colors of fall really get to me. Sunset has always been my favorite time of day and the way the sun filters through the leaves in the fall is breathtaking. I even love the smell of the leaves. Weird, yes. But, what can I say? I don't know what I would do if I didn't live in a place that didn't have autumn.

A Weekend Away

Last weekend was the best weekend I've had in ages. My sister is all grown up and off to college, so I decided to give her a little 4-day weekend visit. Her school is in one of the prettiest places I've ever seen. Right by the sea, in the redwood forests, it's literally perfect.


I arrived on late Friday evening and we basically spent the night catching up, going to a pretty hopping party, and getting late night donuts. The next morning, we went to a cafe, grabbed some coffee, and headed off to the farmer's market. We bought some delicious grapes, apples, and the best lavender honey in the world. De-LI-cious. We saw quite a few bands playing around the market (my favorite included a banjo player & a lad on the spoons) and met a lovely young lady who sold poetry for "your subject, your price". Pretty neat-o. The poem she wrote for me is freaking amazing.


After hanging out at the market for a few hours, we took the goods we bought (along with some fresh bread and chai tea), and headed off for a hike. We came across a little hidden cove in the trees, nicknamed "Narnia" and enjoyed a little picnic. After the hike, we were wiped out so we relaxed, went out for a late birthday dinner, and came back to a night of movie watching.


Sunday we woke up and headed to our favorite little cafe for breakfast and then did some mosey-ing around the shops in town. We brought her guitar along and then headed to the park. Of course, being the amazing place this town is, people came around and sat down to either listen or join us playing. We ended my trip with a visit to an old friend from high school, complete with wine and more music playing. I am seriously contemplating moving there. Life there is so crazy relaxing.


Argh, I miss my sister. Just a few more weeks 'til I head back :)

Back, Again

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Well, hello there! I'm a bit bipolar when it comes to blogging. One minute I am updating all the time and then I drop it for a few months. So, yes, I am having withdrawals and feel it's time to come back! Sorry for annoying you with my blogging mood swings. There is just something about fall and blogging.

I've been getting into my photography again and felt the need to share, so expect more soon! (Also, I now have a tumblr, which I mainly use for posting random videos, music, and pictures that are mostly not my own. Hoorah.)

On a side note...I think I need to clean this blog up a bit. Expect a renovation, soonish.

Down the Hill & Across the Bay

photo courtesy of me :)

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Finally back from camp! Internet was pretty much non-existent up there so blogging wasn't really an option. Not to mention we worked 10 hour days with little kids... definitely the most tiring job I've ever had. But living in Tahoe was worth it! Still need to develop the pictures from my craptastic fake Holga camera.

Upon our return, my sister and I went to one of my favorite places in the world, San Francisco and more specifically, Ghirardelli Square. I love that place. I don't know why, but somehow I always feel relaxed while walking along the ocean by it. It's my little quiet spot in the city of madness.

Anyways, I am probably not going to be blogging too often (not that I really do anyways). It kind of sucks the life out of me preparing these time-consuming posts and getting lost in reading other blogger's posts. Bad bad! I'll leave posting to those moments of extreme boredom where there is nothing else to do....like now. Well, off to fill my day with non-internet related things.

Summer in the Air

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The sun is out. The cicadas are buzzing. Finals are over. Summer is finally here!

So yes, I was supposed to post yesterday, but the bed making turned into late spring cleaning and I was almost late to my sister's high school graduation. Ha. Woops... But alas, I made it and it was mah-ve-lous! She's all grown up now. Makes me sad. We went to a wonderful dinner with the familia and then headed out for a late night cup of coffee, just the two of us. It ended up turning into a night of surprising stories & confessions that we hadn't shared yet from the past school year.

As for summer plans, they are a total 180 flip of what I had previously planned, and I couldn't be any happier! I had planned on staying at my lonely studio at school, having a job, my radio show, and a boring internship. After realizing that being alone all summer was going to be a drag and a repeat of last summer, I decided I needed a change of plans. Luckily, a position opened up at the summer camp my sister works at and I decided to take it! So now, I'll be spending my summer in Lake Tahoe, working in the forest, making campfires & new friends, taking hikes, trips into snowboard/ski-bum town for burgers & movies, heading to the lake beach, all with the company of my sister. After a long year, it'll be the perfect escape.

I also bought this camera for the occasion. It's like a Holga, but cheaper. Oh hey! So, expect lots of pictures (once I can get to town & get them developed).

What are your summer plans?

Codes and Keys

source?

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Last night I was informed that Death Cab for Cutie has come out with a new album. It's debuting for free on NPR.org and you can read the article here and listen with the link above. I quite like it. Have a feeling it's going to be the soundtrack to this long week.
Hope everyone has a lovely one :)

Almost There

source?

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Another month has come and gone. And it was a crazy one. I haven't had much time for the blogging world, but do not worry, I didn't forget. School's out in three weeks and I will be a free bird, bombarding you with posts.

At the moment I'm feeling really unsettled because there is so much in the air for the end of the school year, my summer plans, life in general. It's driving me bonkers! But, no details yet. I'll wait until I know exactly what my plans are. I'm one of those people who hates not knowing what's in the future and not having a plan. Too much stress!

So yeah, besides working like a madwoman, studying, and going crazy over the future, my life is a bit of a bore, another reason why I have not posted. Not much to say. However, if the plans go my way, in a few weeks I will have a very exciting life with much to blog.

Mirah & Girls in Trouble

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Working for the university radio station has it's perks. I actually find out about shows in town! Imagine that. Last Thursday I was able to see Portland native, Mirah play a lovely set at the best bar in town. Opening for her was the happy and up-beat Girls in Trouble.
I wasn't able to get any pictures or videos because, lucky for me, I had to stand on the "under 21" deck and all of those of drinking age blocked my view. Blerg. But, it did not matter. I sat there, listened, and enjoyed. My friend and I grabbed some tacos before, so it was like dinner and a show! Take that 21 year olds! Ha, I kid. Only a year and a half to go...
To make up for it here is a live video of Mirah and here is a live video of GIrls in Trouble.

A Peaceful Wakeup

The Mountain from Terje Sorgjerd on Vimeo.

This was one of the first things I woke up to this morning. After a crazy long week and Picnic Day weekend, I needed this little bit of perfect.

I've been barely posting again. I think I've spread myself too thin this quarter. Between class, studying, volunteering at the university radio station, clubs, photography class, my new job, trying to find an internship, and jam-packed weekends, I am exhausted. Ugh. Well, now I must drive back home to pick up my tax forms (woops), drive back, do homework, and study for my psychology midterm tomorrow. Oy vey.

Starry Night Sky

photo courtesy of Kamila Pinto Keith

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Does anyone else feel like looking up at the starry night sky tonight? If not, I assure this song might make you want to.

Pretty Earrings for Sunny Weather

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The weather here lately has been just perfect. Sun out, cool breezes, and lots of smiling people make me a happy lady. I received these lovely feather earrings about two weeks ago from a giveaway on My Lovely Little Suitcase, courtesy of the Etsy shop, The Rusty Schwinn. I wear them EVERYWHERE! They go perfectly with this weather. Long dresses, french braids, droopy tees (like the one I attempted to make in these photos), and just about anything else pair up wonderfully with these beauties.

I find myself not posting til the weekend again. "Tsk tsk!", I've been saying to myself all week. However, I had my sister, Irene, staying with me. She followed me to my classes, helped me gorge out on donuts & boba tea, took me out for wonton noodle soup, and joined me for a walk of the art galleries in my town on Friday night. But, as usual, all good things must end. I love my little sister. Blahhhh, listening to sappy theme music while writing this isn't helping my emotions from going crazy.

Anyways, super excited for this week! I've finally gotten into actually getting involved with the KDVS radio station and am happy to announce that I'll be staying in my college town this summer with a job and my very own radio show! Woot woot! I'll most definitely be posting up the links to my weekly show on here when the time comes. I've also got my first photography class on Wednesday, a job interview (thank the lord! I'm going broke), and Picnic Day shenanigans lined up for the weekend.

Well my friends, until then, back to the books. Enjoy the last few hours of the weekend! I'll try not to go missing for another week. And sorry for the lame title....my creative juices are drained.

A Weekend in the City

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Sorry for going missing for a week again. I ended up getting really busy and this past weekend, snuck away to my favorite place in the world, San Francisco! My best friend lives there and this was the first time I actually went to go stay with her. I had been planning to go for months, but it never happened. So, this time I made sure not to tell anyone (well I told her obviously) and just go. It felt freeing. About time I started taking adventures!

The view from her window. Magnificent.


I arrived at 7:30 in the evening and picked her up from her belly dancing class in the Mission. From there, we headed to an art gallery a friend of her owns and enjoyed a glass of grape juice (cough cough) while touring the gallery. After a couple of hours hanging out there, we grabbed a slice of "San Francisco" pizza and bussed across town to Haight, to a house party her beau (who also owns an art gallery) was at. This house was amazing. It was five male cousins living together, right in the middle of everything. Art on every free inch of wall, people from every country imagineable living in the city, and a house full of handsome men....Heaven! After an eventful night, we headed back to her hilltop university room.



I woke up way too early the next morning and not wanting to disturb her, walked down to Haight & Ashburry for an apple fritter and a nice cup of drip coffee. I love how no matter what time of day (or night) it is, the streets of San Francisco are always bustling with people. After a couple hours of moseying around (and legs shaking from walking too much), I headed back to her place. We spent the rest of the day eating, napping, and hanging out with her guy. Later, we took a late afternoon walk and came back for warm showers and mac&cheese. That night we hung out with a group of her university friends, four guys on their way to making a career of music videos and movies. We walked around to some parties and ended up back at their place and played card games late into the night.



The next day we woke up and met the guys from the night before at an authentic Irish pub for some brunch. We indulged in some Bangers & Mash and said our goodbyes. My best friend and I decided to end my visit with a trip to Baker's Beach, with the warm sun out, cool waves washing up on our feet, and Golden Gate Bridge smiling down on us. I was sad to leave the city and my friend, but look forward to visiting her again very soon. Hope you all have a wonderful week!

Ready for the Spring

So this would be my first ever outfit post. I am in no way a fashion blogger, nor do I have or ever will have enough fashion sense to become one. I don't have the patience, money, or creativity to do all that, but I do enjoy a cute outfit when I see one. I got the shirt, skirt, and tights over break and felt the need to share them with the world.

I felt so awkward taking pictures of myself. Also, since I don't have a camera stand, I had to stand at really weird angles so I knew the camera got the whole outfit. That's my reasoning for looking like I'm about to fall over. Yes. I wore this today because I felt the need to welcome "spring quarter" with a "springy" outfit, hence the skirt. It was a bit nippy still so I had the black jacket which kind of detracted from the whole spring thing, but oh well.



skirt - forever 21 // shirt - target // tights - nordstroms // shoes - urban outfitters // jacket - mama

Still have puffy cheeks a bit but managed to hide them. And since it's a new quarter with "new beginnings" (I picture some cheesy professor saying this), these pictures have made me realize, I need to go to the gym. Not having a facebook and a bajillion pictures of yourself online makes it easy to forget these things.

All Good Things Must End

photo courtesy of me!

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As my spring break comes to an end, I have mixed feelings of sadness and extreme excitement. Even though I spent most of the week in misery from the wisdom teeth extraction, I ended up having a really relaxed break and spent some quality time with my family. I saw two of my best friends from high school (who I could trust not to laugh at my face) and finished Mockingjay!
Yesterday was probably the best day though. It was raining cats and dogs aaaaall day long. I'm not a big fan of rain. Or winter for that matter. So, to escape gloomy misery, my sister, Irene, and I headed to the mall. I replaced all of my ripped tights and bought two skirts & a dress from Forever 21 for under $30!!! Oh, how I love that store. Then we pigged out on a Cinnabon. De-LIC-ious!
The skies cleared almost the exact minute we pulled into our driveway at home. We decided to go for a walk and I saw that little beauty in the picture above on the roadside. Just lovely. Later we went to a $3 movie and saw Tangled...again...teehee. Just a perfect day with my sister.

Anyways, as I sit waiting for my laundry, I'm starting to plan out my new quarter that starts tomorrow. Looking forward to a photography class I decided to take at the last minute and possibly hosting my own radio show on the university radio station. Umm.....awesome! Also, with Picnic Day (a GIANT school festival/party), Whole Earth Festival, trips to San Fran, some concerts, and sunny weather, I am stoked. Oh and let's not forget more calculus, biology, and organic chemistry. Yay. -_-

Adieu! Let the rat race begin...again.

A Sunny Friday

photo courtesy of _______?

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The sun is out! I am going to take advantage of this lovely brief encounter with the sun today, put on a flouncy skirt, and go out on the town with my sister. We're going to take a bike ride to midtown and have a lovely cup of coffee to celebrate this fine Friday weather. Hope you are all having as lovely a day as it is here!

P.S. I'm going to try and start posting pictures taken by my own hands in the next few posts. However, my cheeks are still a bit puffy and have developed yellow bruises as big as baseballs. In all honesty, I'm a bit embarrassed to go out in public, but I can't be a mole for this whole recovery process...

Hair Obsession

My hair has been getting kind of long and ratty at the ends lately, making me want to do something to change it up. So, i have been obsessively looking for new styling ideas lately. Here are some of my favorites so far:
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Ombre hair! I love love LOVE this look.

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This hair color. Don't remember where I found it...

Sherri Dupree Bemis of Eisley. She has had every hair color imaginable and always has flawless bangs.

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Oh, how I love braids. Source unknown.

And fishtail braids.

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And french braids (which I finally learned how to do!) Again, can't remember the source.

So while I would love to dye my hair as in the first few pictures or get a cool new cut, I am a chicken. So, I will attempt the last few styles until I grow some and decide to make the big change someday. What's your current hair obsession?

P.S. I have reached chipmunk cheek stage. Gross. Just a few more days of eating mush and I can be alive again.

Back to Blogging World

photo courtesy of Following butterflies

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I'm back! Sorry for being gone for so long without any real explanation. Originally I needed a break from the distractions of the internet so I could focus on some decisions I was making in life (school, boys, my motivation, the usual college student girl stuff). Then midterms and finals came rolling around, so I decided just to continue my leave until they were over. And here I am, on spring break!

So, what have I been up to during these past couple of months? Well besides studying and trying to buckle down with school, not much. I haven't seen much of my band friends (remember the boy problems?....well there you go. Note to Self: Artsy-fartsy-musician boys may be fun, but cannot grasp reality or handle commitment.) However, after that I ended up making some new friends, reconnecting with old ones, going out on the weekends, and just enjoying life again!

I saw some pretty good movies that I never got to write about on the blog, so go watch these:
Tangled
Never Let Me Go
An Education

Watched the too short but hilarious show, Portlandia and both seasons of the hit British show, Misfits. SOOO GOOD! It's definitely rated R though, so you've been warned. I don't think they can put shows like that on American tv. (I also listened to a lot of Lily Allen while watching this show.)

And last but not least, today I got all four of my wisdom teeth pulled out. Yay -_- But I'll be spending the remainder of my break in bed, reading Mockingjay, by Suzanne Collins, the third & last installment of The Hunger Games. So excited! Hope you all have a lovely start of the week :)

P.S. I won these earrings in a giveaway on My Lovely Little Suitcase. So thank you Lane and Diane of The Rusty Schwinn! Can't wait to start wearing them :)

Goodbye for a Short While

photo courtesy of me

Hello lovely blogging friends. Some personal things have come up in my life recently and I feel I need a break from blogging so I can give them my full attention and deal with them without any distractions. I'm not sure how long I'll be gone; it could be days, weeks, months (hopefully not), but I'll be back eventually. So until then, I hope your lives are full of happiness and I look forward to catching up with everyone on my return. Adieu for now.

Bunting Time!

So yesterday I rediscovered my old friend, Photobooth. While being a dork and playing around with all of the silly settings and such, I came to the realization that my walls (besides the Renoir poster and giant "S") were pretty blank. And ugly. It needed a little something something.



In comes bunting. I've been noticing it on quite a few blogs lately and most recently, Elizabeth at Delightfully Tacky did a "how to" post the other day. As I was walking through the campus bookstore, I came across this pretty paper, right next to a roll of twine. It was a sign. And now I rhyme. Oh hey! So instead of studying for my O-Chem midterm tomorrow, I got crafty and now my walls are covered with pretty bunting. Bare walls no more!

In other news, I took a study break last night and made some French Toast with Kevin and his lovely neighbor. De-LI-cious. Can't wait for this darned midterm to be over so I can do more things like all of the above. Until then, back to the books. Happy Wednesday :)

Kind of Obsessed

I've been spending way too much time looking at pretty things online lately. I'm getting bored of my wardrobe and trying to dress up more often. Etsy is going to be the death of me. So, without further ado, things I am lusting:

1. Vintage wool skirts! I've seriously been contemplating throwing out all of my jeans. I love tights and skirts/dresses. Found here.

2. A pair of brown suede, beaded Minnetonkas. I'm a sucker for comfortable shoes. Elizabeth at Delightfully Tacky wears them quite well. Actually, I would pretty much wear anything in her closet. Found here.

3. Vintage ponchos + leather belt = perfection. Found here.

4. I originally saw Elsie sporting this starlette crown on A Beautiful Mess and with finally getting bangs a few months ago, I may actually be able to pull this off. Found here.

5. So perhaps you are aware of my obsession with copper. If not, well now you know. Found here.

I'm also really wanting some more dresses and a pair of brown leather oxfords to add to my closet. If money miraculously rained down on me, all of these lovelies would be in that closet. Until then, I'll keep lusting. On the bright side, I'm hopefully going thrifting on Thursday, so perhaps I will find some of these in a more affordable fashion. That's a jobless college student for ya.


And of course, I must leave you with some music. I heard this while taking a walk downtown with Kevin (boy in band with antique house) on Saturday night. Catchy tune!

Heidi Braids

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A long time ago, I came across this picture on Flickr and fell in love with the hairstyle. Sadly, my hair was too short (or so I thought) and I'm kind of handicapped when it comes to fixing my hair. The other day it was like a tornado rolled through town or something. Winds were at a bajillion miles per hour and my hair was blowing everywhere. And then I remembered the Heidi braids. I found this tutorial and voila! I've been doing this three days in a row now. Ha. I've also been experimenting with other hairstyles. Yay for de-handicapping myself!

On a side note, I've been eyeing this chair from UO for forever. No one has anywhere to sit when they come over to my place, so I figured this would be perfect. Problem was, shipping was $25. Bah. So yesterday I went to the store, where it was double the online price, but they honored the online price for me! Heck yes. Too bad the online price went down another $10 today. Ugh.
Also, I want to add something to spice it up. A throw? A pillow? Suggestions?

Finding Something that was Lost

photo courtesy of me!

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I found a love for photography some years ago, but after feedback that wasn't the greatest and a sense of disappointment in my work, I gave up. I got Photoshop and thought I'd give it another try, but I gave up on trying to figure out how to use that too. I don't know what possessed me to do it, but the other day I decided to sit and learn how to use Photoshop on some pictures I had taken last year. Low and behold, they came out to be what I always had hoped to get out of photography. I guess the point is, don't give up! You could be missing out on something beautiful.

P.S. Found this song yesterday. You can never go wrong with John Mayer. He never fails to impress...well, his music anyways.

Into the Woods

photo courtesy of slykendring

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I absolutely love three day weekends. Taking advantage of our lovely day off, the family and I headed to Muir Woods. This amazing redwood forest lies across the bay, north of San Francisco and was declared a national monument by President Teddy Roosevelt himself. I've gone to Muir Woods since I was a few months old, thanks to my once-upon-a-time adventurous parents. It's been a while since I've been there and I almost forgot how majestic the place is. I'll be returning soon, no doubt!
Hope you all had a lovely three day weekend!

P.S. Finally added some blog buttons. They're kind of an awkward size, but I'm working on it. I kind of fail at html.

Wrapped Around my Heart

1. Distorted Earth 2. MsRose 3. SpiralsandSpice 4. phoebestreasures

I've never been a big fan of silver and I like gold, but it always seems too fancy. Copper on the other hand, is probably my favorite metal. In Oregon this past summer, I encountered a LOT of copper jewelry and became fascinated with copper wire rings. Stupid me of course didn't bother to buy any and now that's all I want to wear. So here I am on the endless search for the perfect ring. I haven't quite found what I'm looking for and anything remotely close is out of my budget. Those are just some ideas up there. I'm thinking of going to Lowe's, buying some copper wire, and trying to make what I want. In the mean time, I'll keep looking.


onegarnetgirl
Yeah, I love this the most, but since I don't have $800 lying around, copper wire rings it is!