Weekends

I’ve realized that my weekends this semester have been really relaxed. With having Mondays off, I really get the chance to use the weekends as a time to rest and just enjoy friends and family. I’m feeling really blessed right now because of that fact.
My brother, who lives an hour away, came and spent the weekend with us! It was great to have him home. I noticed our house feels the most normal when the whole family is in. Friday was spent sleeping in and kind of just hanging around the house. Also, I meant up with two close friends for a group we started. It’s kind of about being a Christian while also being in a relationship. It is a really interesting dynamic to try to work out. We told our stories of how we met our boyfriends, the story of what it’s been like together, etc. I’m looking forward to exploring this topic and hearing others perspectives on what it’s like being a Christian and being in a relationship. I think there is going to be a lot to learn and opportunities to individual grow as well as grow in our relationships. The rest of Friday was spent with my parents, and then later in the evening I hung out with Daniel. We went to a local diner to get pancakes at 11pm. It felt like a food one-night-stand as I haven’t had pancakes in quite some time and it was a pretty rash decision. I definitely regretted it as they made me feel incredibly sluggish and full afterward. For people who have seen the movie Juno, when Juno tells her friend that she believes she is pregnant her friend asks her if she is sure it isn’t a food baby. I adopted the term and now whenever I am super full I call it a food baby. I usually name the baby based on what time of food I am eating. Pancake baby in a diner, I probably would name him Skip or something.
Anyways! Saturday was a really enjoyable day. My family went for a hike at a recreation area close to my home. We went on a beautiful hike that overlooks green landscapes and California hills. California is so beautiful.

Part of the trail we hiked 

This is my dog max...he is pretty adorable.

California is so beautiful!

My outfit from Friday:

 This is such a fun tunic!

Tunic: Gift, from a small boutiqe
Leggings: JC Penney's
Boots: Thrifted
Socks: $1 Store
Earrings: Betsey Johnson, gift
Necklace: Forever 21
Necklace: vintage

These were a gift from Daniel for Valentine's Day! They are really versatile and go with a ton, I find myself wearing them a lot!

Cute pocket detail.

My brother came home, got to spend some time with him, and we had a family bbq. My grandmother and Daniel came over too, and my Dad barbequed prime rib and chicken, and it was served with beans, baby potatoes and vegetables. Delicious meal and we probably way over ate, but it was worth every bite! We capped off the night, in the living room, enjoying conversation and laughter. I went to be quite happy Saturday night!

Today, Sunday, went well! I woke up, spent the morning with my family, had some cereal, got ready, and went to spend the day with Daniel. We went thrifting a bit and he found a really cool vintage looking brief case and I found a shirt dress. We also went and got sushi together (yum!) and then went to church. Church tonight was another great teaching on Ephesians. It really hit me in some areas as it discussed the topic of bitterness.

Afterward, came home and just relaxed with Daniel and my parents!

Outfit for the day:

  Shirt: Kohls (hard to tell but it is a light pink, more of a sweater)
Denim Shorts: Kohls
Tights: Target
Flats: Target
Blazer: Old Navy, thrifted
Earrings: Betsey Johnson, purchased at Ross

I'm still in disbelief I can wear my hair in this high of a bun! 

Now, time to go into Monday knowing that it is already blessed.

Wishing everyone great Mondays! 

Bold in Red

Thursdays are some of my favorite days. It is my last day of school before the weekend, I have bible study, and get to spend time with my closest friends. That is always a good day!
Today, my chemistry class was canceled so I was able to have some free time, buy snacks for my bible study, and get some lunch. My co-leader, Tim, and I went over to the grocery store to get supplies for our bagel bar we planned for study. It was a pretty big hit too! Tim brought a toaster from home and we had cream cheese, jelly and butter with blueberry and cinnamon raisin bagels. They were fattening and delicious. Everyone seemed to enjoy it as well. On top of that we had a really good study and we began to learn what Jesus says about justice. It is also really interesting how many different opinions people have about justice. My eyes have really been open to just how broad of a concept this is and how many different ways it could go. So learning about what God might think about justice, and how He would define it was good and interesting. We have a few more weeks and passages to dig into while still exploring this and being challenged in our own preconceptions.
After bible study, I went with the best friend, Kylie, to Target. Like always, Target is always fun. Even when it is buying shampoo or other domestic products. I really love domestic shopping, not sure why, but I do enjoy it. Afterward, we had a yummy dinner at El Pollo Loco, and talked for a few hours over some diet coke (I know, not Pepsi, I was just as disappointed.)
The rest of the night will be spent at home with my family and some quality time with Daniel :)

My outfit for today:

I found this dress at the thrift store last week and just loved the button detail!

Dress: thrifted
Shoes: Payless
Belt: Ross

A close up to the button detail on the dress. So cute!

I'm happy that my hair is finally getting long enough to do a high bun!

Super versatile pair of heels, they go with a ton of outfits! 

Wishing everyone a super fantastic Friday! :)

Wish I Was Sailing

We had amazing and beautiful 80 degree weather today! It is crazy, just last week we were bundled up because of freezing winds, and now, sunny and completely warm. I definitely needed the break from the gloom. However, by the paleness of my legs, you can definitely see that I haven't had much sun in a while. Despite that though, it felt great to show some bare leg, wear sandals, and not have to wear a sweater!
I accidentally stayed up way too late last night, so I felt rather tired most of the day. My government class went well, kind of slow though. Chemistry was good to as we just went over an exam and got to watch my teach make a gummy bear burst into flames by dropping it into some Potassium Chloride. Pretty good day! Also planned bible study with my co-leader Tim and enjoyed catching up with him like always! The rest of my night was spent doing homework, and I am looking forward to hitting the hay very soon.

Outfit for today:

I think you can tell where I really wanted to be today! I would have loved to have had a relaxing day at the beach or maybe off sailing somewhere... :)

Dress: gift, ralph lauren

Belt: came with dress
Scarf: thrifted
Sandals: Payless

My boyfriend and I went thrifting together and he came upon this scarf. Thanks for finding it! I really love it, perfect for some nautical themed outfits I have planned!

Happy Wednesday everyone!

Hello Blog, I've Missed You

I have updated since Thursday! I am behind!
This weekend was really nice though. Friday I spent most the morning at home, then got dressed and ready to go over to Daniel's. We grabbed some dinner at El Pollo Loco, and headed to his softball game. He plays on an all mens team for the church that we go to. The team they played was pretty good but them came out winning! It is always fun to watch him play. They even got jerseys now! It's so cute! Afterward, we went back to his house. Unfortunately he hurt is ankle pretty badly while playing. So he iced it and kept it elevated. Even though we had already eaten dinner, we were pretty hungry around 9:30pm. We pulled out some frozen orange chicken and fried it up in a pan. We couldn't find any white rice so we substituted that for some angel hair pasta! We weren't completely sure how it would turn out, but it was really good! We ended the night watching T.V. and being lazy!

On Saturday we went to visit some close family friends and to see their new puppy. It is an Australian Shepperd named Kira. She was so adorable and fluffy, she looked like a little bear!

 Here is Daniel playing with the adorable, fluffy thing! :)

We also bought a game for Wii called Just Dance. And oh boy, is it FUN. But a work out for sure! Here is the trailer for it:


Daniel and our friend Tasha were probably the best at it. I just love dancing games too. DDR and Just Dance, I'll in shape in no time!

Also, I got a scaled on Saturday and was able to weight myself for the first time in a while. I realized I lost 6 pounds from cutting out almost all fast food from my diet! I was really excited! I have about 6-10 more that I'd like to lose and I am happy to be on the right track.
Also got to see my brother on Saturday, him and his girlfriend came up for a visit and it was lovely to see them!

My outfit from Saturday:

 

Shirt/Dress: Gift, from a small boutique

Leggings: Vera Wang for Kohls
Shoes: Thrifted, from Target
Necklace: Same boutique

This necklace is a bottle cap with a heart on it. I think it is so cute and creative!

Some detail of the back, it adds such a nice and feminine touch to the kind of 'boyfriend' style shirt.

The location of these pictures was at our close friends, Dough and Tasha. They have a lot of land behind their house, it's perfect for photos.

Daniel and I looking so serious.

Sunday was nice as well. Thrifted and found some lovely items! Also, went to church to hear a great message and organized my room a bit.

Altogether a fun and busy weekend!

Wishing you a lovely Tuesday :)

Finally the Weekend

Wow! Has this felt like a long week! I had two exams today, in political science and chemistry. On top of that I had a quiz for my sociology class. I didn't post last night because I pretty much did an outfit repeat from a few weeks ago and I just had too much studying to do. I know my blog is thrilling to read, but this is the real life of my academic career! I feel pretty confident about all the tests I had, but am even happier to have them done! We also had Bible Study today and had a great discussion on the concept of justice. It was really interesting to listen to everyone opinions and to just see how differently we all viewed it. I'm looking forward to really looking into some passages and trying to discover what Jesus says about justice. We also had a longer time just hanging out and playing games. We made hot dogs too. In a hot dog toaster. Yest, it exists! It is a toaster with circular inserts where you stick the hot dog in and inserts shaped as the hot dog bun, and you push the lever down like a regular toaster, and it cooks your hot dog and toasts your bun! It was such a cool thing! So we had a lovely and fattening meal of hot dogs and potato chips, everyone seemed to be happy :)
Rest of the night was spent with my best friend, family and boyfriend. We ate yummy and healthy burritos, along with watching Survivor and Project Runway. Lovely night I would say!

Outfit for today:

This skirt is from my jr. high and early high school years when I considered myself a bit of a rocker chick. This is probably the only remaining item I have from that era, so it's probably about 5 or 6 years old! It is a little hard to tell in the photo, but the skirt is pink!

Skirt: Dickies, bought at Ross
Shirt: Small store in a nearby city
Cardigan: Thrifted
Tights: JC Penney's
Shoes: Macy's

Headband: Claire's

Better view of the shoes, I love them!

Also, typically my completely awesome Mom takes my photos, but on these Kylie (best friend) took them for me! Thank you guys! 

Happy Fridays everyone!

We Came to the Conclusion

That March just isn't a great month. Partly, or maybe mostly, because of it's name. My best friend, Kylie, and I cam to this conclusion about 4 minutes ago. Nothing has really been wrong, but I just felt such a better vibe from February, and I am really looking forward to April. Sorry March, maybe you'll get better? So far, definitely not my favorite month!

But today was pretty good. Very windy and in turn incredibly cold! I had classes today and then attended a study group for an upcoming Chemistry Exam. Fairly productive day! Until I got home, and mostly relaxed and hung out with my family and Daniel. :)

Outfit for today:

I really liked this outfit today. I know I have done the navy and brown thing a few times already, but I really have been loving the combination!

Dress: gift
Tights: Kohls
Coat: Target
Boots: Thrifted
Beret: Target
Necklace: gift

I have had this beret for at least a year or two and this is my first time wearing it! Definitely helped keep my head warm today.

Some detail of the owl.

Kind of a short post tonight but I am quite tired, wishing everyone happy Wednesdays!

California Cold

Today I had the complete intention of waking up early and being incredibly productive.

Did that happen?

Not at all!

Anyways, I slept in today (and it did feel great despite the fact that I shouldn't have), had brunch with my Mom and played some Dance Dance Revolution to get some exercise and warm up. It was really cold today accompanied by chilly wind. We bought two new dance games and it was fun trying them out. I still need some practice before I'll be back to being as good as I used to be.
Afterward, I got cleaned up and dressed and went to work at a the kids after school program I work at every Monday. The group of girls that came today were very hyper, so it kept me more on my toes today! I really love watching the kids grab a board game, coloring book, or some other toy, and just be so entertained by it. It is cute watching their mind work and be so focused on their project. Hanging out with the kids is a nice escape from real life and gives good perspective when we are called to have "child-like faith."
I then met up with my best friend, Kylie, and we were able to catch up over some diet Pepsi's. I know they are bad for you. Yes, I'm probably addicted. I was so happy to just get to hang out and laugh over various things in our lives. With school being so busy for both of us this semester, it seems we see so little of each other! Last semester, we were together all the time!
I ran by the grocery store to pick up a few things and then headed home for some dinner with the family. Rest of my evening consisted of homework and now blogging. I have a quiz tomorrow in my Political Science class, and then an exam for it on Thursday as well as a Chemistry Exam. Going to be a busy week but I know it will be worth it come Friday! I love the feeling of accomplishment toward the end of a week.

Outfit for today:

 

It was so cold today! Well, cold for California, in the 50's!
 Also, kind of an awkward pose, but I love the natural smile that was captured.

Cropped Jacket: Old Navy, thrifted
Sweater: Old Navy
Jeans: Kohls
Boots: Thrifted
Necklace 1: Vintage
Elephant Necklace: Kylie went to England and got me this! :)

 

  

  

Detail of the necklaces and sweater.

 

Can't believe I found these lovelies at a thrift!

Wishing everyone fabulous Tuesdays!

Great Day to End the Weekend

I wasn't sure what to expect of you Sunday, but you made me quite happy :)

Today, around 11 o'clock, my family, Daniel and I headed off to the beach to go for a walk and take my dogs for a walk. It was freezing and windy, but we toughened up and endured the elements. We were all a bit taken aback with just how cold it was when we arrived at the beach. My hair was flying everywhere with the wind and I felt so cold! 

Fortunately, Daniel had this beautiful hat that he so kindly let me borrow. I felt completely ridiculous, but my head has never felt so warm and comfortable. I understand now the appeal of these kind of hats 100% and wouldn't mind having my own if I ever live in a place with incredibly cold temperatures. I probably seem like a wuss here because I'm in California and think that 50 degrees is too cold!

 

This was my silly outfit I wore to the beach. I'm a wuss in the cold!

Jeans:Kohls

Shoes: Vans, bought @ Takkens

Sweatshirt: Bought at a camp I worked at

Shirt: Little store called French Quarter
Hat: Daniel's (the boyfriend)

Scarf: Grandmother's

Bag: Target

A little fence photography...

Daniel and I also just took some time to take some photos of each other in some very lovely areas!

  

Amazing hair...

Really can't describe how much I love this boy.

  

  

  

  

Thank you for the portraits of me Daniel!

These are my parents and dogs, they are wonderful!

And Daniel and I were wearing the same shoes...

So blessed to live only 20 minutes away from this...

Afterward we grabbed lunch and went to a nearby thrift store. I didn't find a lot, but I did purchase a denim jacket (Old Navy for only $4!) that will be great come springtime! 

In the evening we had night service at my church, came home, and relaxed. 

Well, goodbye weekend, and hello week. Let's make it a good one!

For more photos from today visit Daniel's flickr or blog.