birds of a feather.

ooh boy, we had a FUN day at blogshop!

i am obsessed with all the new tricks i learned,

and with the fun ladies i met.

want a preview of something pretty i worked on?

...and i get to go back tomorrow. yay!

{images clockwise: girl, feathers, girl 2, dreamcatcher}

peachy.

i'm more of a nectarine girl {the peach fuzz was never my favorite}.
though i did know a guy from memphis who called me "miss peaches"...and that was a favorite nickname!

i couldn't resist these farmer's market beauties, especially the guy with his leaves still attached. so summery & delicious.

who knew i love camels so much?

i love jose.

{as any photography fan does}

but this one takes the cake.

it's a camel! 

he's so amazing...

and the photos are just beyond perfect. 

sigh.

inspired.

my hood: peach, teal, and curly-cues.

the beacon.

if i was going to write a "favorite things" series about lake tahoe, the beacon would be at the top of my list.

located directly on the beach at camp richardson, this gem of a restaurant offers amazing people {and goose} watching, a gentle noise backdrop of the boats & the lake, and the scenery of the mountains. oh yes, and rum runners, their famous drink. ;)

my mom planned it perfectly, and we arrived at the golden hour, 7:30pm, to watch the sun start dipping. your journey at the beach rail of the patio looks something like this...

sun & the remnants of the beach day:

a rum runner & ridiculous steak salad, complete with scary carving knife
{they served it that way, i'm not that intense...}:

a pre-dessert sunset, complete with funny frolicking teenagers:

a perfect tahoe night, completely dark except for the sweet lights of the beacon:

highly recommended if you're visiting south lake tahoe!

tales of the city - the musical!

around this time last year, i wrote about one of my very favorite books: tales of the city by armistead maupin. it's a hilarious, touching book about the lives of several san franciscans in the 1970s, and it was recently brought to life in musical form (!). misha, selin and i checked it out last night, and it was so much fun....and looooong {over 3 hours!}.

the inside of the theater was AMAZING - i love all the old glamorous touches.

and of course i came home all giddy to bust out the book again, read the entire program, and relive all the fun. this face below probably explains why i was so tired this morning. :)

birthday wishlist for leo ladies.

i absolutely love making wish lists from my bookmarked faves, especially when it's with a purpose...aka a birthday. ;) i thought a lot of my picks lately have been stereotypically "leo" - reds & yellows, bold, free-spirited. check them out!

emersonmade lion necklace - $68

kate spade london calling bracelet - $78

urban outfitters coral studs - $14

anthropologie voluminous scarf necklace - $38

shopruche printed tank top - $29

urban outfitters braided feather & bead headwrap - $19

asos bow skinny belt - $10

shopruche yellow striped sweater - $33

marc jacobs daisy perfume - $53

strawberry lip balm - $7

opi "what's with the cattitude" nail polish & "mod about you" nail polish - $6 each

making a tourist trap fun!

the fisherman's wharf/pier 39 area of san francisco is generally avoided by sf residents - it has a bad rap for being touristy, overcrowded, and full of cheesy souvenir shops. and yet i accompanied danelle & her husband's extended family there on saturday, and we found plenty of things to love:

boudin sourdough:
bread bowls with soup {tomato basil for me, clam chowder for danelle}, and amazing bread animals made in the window of the factory. i like the crab & koala bear.

the carnival atmosphere:
my favorite carousel {especially striking on a foggy day like we had} and the candy barrels full of 100+ kinds of saltwater taffy. i bought a huge bag, but it was mysteriously gone later that day. hmm.

and last but not least, who could be disappointed with neon tourist tees?? {take note of the cheese-tastic alcatraz striped number behind us}. 

summer reads.

while i was soaking up the sun in lake tahoe i absolutely devoured kathryn stockett's the help. i realize i'm officially the last person on earth to read this gem, since it's been on the nyt bestseller list for over a year. it was such a compelling read, and i became obsessed with all the characters.  

all this despite my concern that the most vile characters are both chi omegas and junior leaguers {aka, me - ha!}. ;)

it made me think about summer books that i've absolutely cherished. there are the typical harry potters, twilights, and shopaholics of the world {all of which have their place in my heart, don't you worry}, but something about these 6 faves just make them totally re-readable and memorable for me. links & descriptions below, clockwise from top.

1. judy blume, summer sisters : first read this my freshman year in high school, re-read about 17 times since. just a perfect story of female friendship evolving. and looking back now, it's sort of racy, i guess? haha! judy blume for adults, let's say.

2. tom robbins, still life with woodpecker : oh man. read this in college and the quotes became my aol instant messenger away message statuses for about a year. please tell me you did that too? such beautiful writing, and descriptions of the girl i wanted to be.

3. ernest hemingway, a moveable feast : read once in high school for class, fell in love with it in college as i was studying art history and becoming fascinated with paris. it's so...magical!

4. chuck klosterman, sex drugs & cocoa puffs : i'm not sure i've ever laughed so much in a book. if you like david sedaris, bill simmons, or any sort of pop culture/sports reading, you'll love this.

5. paulo coelho, the alchemist : have we all read this? i'm guessing so. a short, sweet book, and the message can apply to any sort of personal crisis/issue/love story you have going. another highly quotable "kelly in 2003" book, i'd say. re-reading it always makes my stomach twist and feel the emotion again.

6. arthur golden, memoirs of a geisha : i never saw the movie, which i've heard may make me un-love this. it's been a dog-eared favorite, and i read it about every 2 years. something about this epic story just gets me.

what are your favorites? i want to know what to read next!

quick san diego trip.

well, more accurately: quick coronado island trip.

despite being in a conference room for 3 days, there was plenty of southern california goodness to enjoy! perfect weather, ocean views, fire pits, delicious mexican food, and some of the coolest people i've ever met through a work event.

as we know, i'm obsessed with san francisco, but i did get semi-nostalgic for my college home {go tritons!}.

what summer looks like.

checking in.

this week has been great, and weird. being back at work for 2 days...and now a weekend? i could get used to this! this weekend i face the arduous task of a deep apartment clean, along with sorting the millions of photos i took of my adorable nieces from our vacation. oh, and trying to maintain the tan i FINALLY got from being outside of foggy sf for more than 48 hours. ;)

4th of july!

tahoe friday.

this is where i am for an almost-week of glorious vacation & family time - so excited! 

hope you have a happy and safe weekend leading up to the fireworks!