long distance.

the move from LA to Nashville has been rough. i would be lying if i said it wasn't. i miss the warm weather and the fast pace of everything, the way the 170 highway dips into stunning views of hollywood/downtown. that one iconic sign on the hill, the ocean, the palm trees and the need for sunglasses. a place to call my own, lemonade on melrose, ice cream in brentwood, movie sets and my best friend. i know, dorky, hey?

i almost titled this post, "two weeks in tennessee," because just fourteen days in, I was ready to head back out. nashville is full of sweet people and home cooking, but the rough edge and beauty of that one city i left? it's hard to forget. for now, i'm a long distance best friend, a long distance california girl, and  a long distance LA lover. i've promised myself a year in nashville. one year to upend this city, to explore chicago (only seven hours away!), pop down to new orleans or springfield or birmingham, visit the civil war sites (i'm a closet history buff), and take advantage of all the free country music i can.

for now, i'm in a city where johnny cash sang, where he fell in love with a lady named june. where patsy cline crooned, and elvis danced. this is music city, usa. not los angeles, not san francisco. but nashville. it's been a battle to recognize that if i spend all my time mooning over what once was, i'm never going to appreciate the beauty of what is.

excuse the short post, everyone. but it's about time i put a little 'california' in tennessee. care to join me?

moments with the media.

it's awards season in LA...and i've been watching movies non-stop. kind of. isn't it funny how millions of people get excited because of someone's...acting ability? at least for me, i've never seen anyone hold a party for when the winner of the nobel/pulitzer prize is announced. it's as soon as the SAG awards/goldenglobes/oscars roll around that the popcorn gets popped and the dress analysis begins. 

i don't know. 

maybe it's cliche, and maybe it's a little bit silly. but i can't wait to host an oscar party, one day when i finally get the chance to watch it on my own tv. this amazing blogger did it so well, that i think it will be fun to have one of my own. thus, lots of thoughts about movies, and what makes a movie good. is it really the acting? or is it the story? the characters and the setting and the script writing? or, is the value of a movie simply in the eyes of the beholder?

i mean, i have a few favorite movies. it's such a form of excitement to love/learn from/enjoy quite a few that tell stories about: 

the heartbreak of poverty. 

the fragility of young love. 

the power of hate. 

the sweetness of friendship.

the spontaneity of the unplanned life.

the disjointed solidarity of family.

the beauty found in a mistake.

and...i can't wait to watch this one. if you have, tell me how it is. because i'm extremely excited. 

do you have any ideas? what are your favorite movies, and have they affected you at all? the way you look at the world, or maybe, the way you don't? 

{{ps. i'm tired of michelle williams being jipped out of an oscar. i mean, seriously!?!? (check her work out here and here and here)}}

hollywood hills.

if you guys have been reading my blog for awhile, you know that i love my little home in LA. when i first moved down here a couple years ago, though, i was a bit more hesitant to enjoy the smoggy place that's home to movie stars, high taxes, and sunny days galore. honestly? i'll always be a san francisco girl at heart. you can't get past the nostalgia of childhood, and the sweet memories i have there are priceless.

but.

that doesn't mean LA hasn't squeezed it's way into my prejudiced heart. i'm really struggling with the idea of leaving...and it's hard to think that i won't be able to pop down sunset blvd whenever i want to.

i love the hollywood hills and mulholland drive, brentwood and tiny coffee shops and adventures with the crazies on the streets. i love driving down hollywood blvd late at night and looking at the lights and laughing with friends. i've gotten stuck in oscar traffic and visited studios and film sets. i've spent the morning in hollywood, the afternoon on the beach and the night in downtown, run into celebrities and driven a stick shift up hills that rival my city by the bay.

i laugh at tourists (sometimes) and know all the back roads. i've attended book signings by my favorite authors, been stuck on the renowned 405 freeway for hours and can recite hollywood trivia with the best of them. this is my home. yeah, you can criticize california for our ridiculous amount of debt and crazy-daisy politics that keep us bound to high taxes and expensive living.

but.

it's in LA that i've really bolstered my love of writing, where i met people that had a sweet bit of faith, and told me it was possible. newfound friends/professors encouraged me in the smallest ways, and people here work hard.

you come to LA with a dream...mine was to be a writer. to gain experience and find a story to write. in a place that's made up of artists, it's not difficult to find inspiration. i came to LA with a dream (like here and here), and with a couple rejection letters, sturdy criticism and the hardness for heated debate, it's well on it's way. this is a city of dreamers, and you can't get out untouched.

i'm leaving, but maybe you aren't. and all i have to say to you?
welcome to hollywood. what's your dream?

{drivin' the back roads}

{fall}

{my pretty best friend on our favorite route in the hills}

{hollywood hills}

birthday in the city.

a couple of weeks ago, i celebrated my twenty-first birthday. with a whole lot of family in nashville and friends that are far away, my dad decided to make his way down from northern california to celebrate. to say the least? i was excited. it's nice to drive around los angeles in a bmw instead of my college kid jalopy, and i got to show dad all of my favorite places in the city.

dad treated at the bonaventure, where i had my first drink (a lemon drop martini!) and got to patter around in my favorite sky high heels. the hotel is gorgeous, by the way, and stuck right smack dab in the middle of downtown. i have an old friend who always wanted to go, and they spoke of it highly. when i realized that there was a restaurant, i just couldn't resist. the cocktail lounge slowly revolves, so you can see the whole of the city. it was amazing. sweet and simple, just the way i like it ;)

i'm very thankful my dad decided to take a whole weekend off of work to spend time with his displaced daughter. this california girl is now excited to see the whote family again, when we can all hang out together in that place called nashville. such a sweet daddy, huh? :)

{dad's a big fan of hollywood...}

{we clean up pretty good, hey?}

it's autumn in LA!!

 {there's a storm a'brewin over my pretty city}

los angeles is a very sunny city. It's bright and big and crazy, wacky and hysterical and eclectic...and it also finally welcomed autumn in december. crazy, hey? as you can tell from this post, i was a little frustrated way back when because it was much too hot. well, november just had to die a slow, heated death to give way to the pretty-ness that is: december. 

is it still fall in your neck of the woods? i'm seeing pictures with snow/christmas trees, and i can hardly believe it. time really does fly. i have nine days to soak up some rain, some pretty la sunsets and hollywood crazies, before my life gives way to summer again, all the way over in africa. a bbq for christmas? bring it on.

 {leaves}

 {love love loving the dark clouds}

{proof of the rain in the 'ol 90210}

i'm baaack....

oh my heavens. oh wow. i haven't blogged in two weeks...and it feels sad. there's nothing up on this little piece of the internet other than a picture of my hands on a keyboard.

um, not fun.

that's why i've planned a bunch of neat posts for the rest of december. (can you believe it's december?!?!) there's going to be some dreaming, a little DIY, packing heart attacks and an impending trip to africa. christmas is coming and i'm leaving the country for the first time and leaving my pretty little california. needless to say, there's so so much going on in my life. you're going to hear lots, so get ready! ;)

i can't wait to revive my teeny-tiny place that i love.
see you tomorrow!!

A week too late.

oh, everybody. i have been a bad blogger lately. for some strange reason i thought, "well, meg. you're going to night school and work a full time job and serve at church and are in the middle of moving and celebrating your twenty-first, so why don't you start a membership with NaNoWriMo?"

ah, yes. i'm so intelligent sometimes.

long story short? the reason i'm not blogging is because i'm stuck writing 2,000 words a day to beat out 50,000 words of a novel by the end of november. as much as i love each and every one of you {and your comments!}, it's going to be a bit slow here in this end of the woods.

i'm writing a story.

happy {post} election day!

Well. Happy post-election day, everybody! This means there will no longer be election coverage all over the news, big signs in everyone's lawn or picketers on your street corners. That, in itself, is a little exciting. For some, today is joyous, and for others, it is a bit bleak. 

 Yesterday, I did my duty as an American, as well as what I feel is my duty as a Christian, and cast my vote in a tiny LA polling place. With the slew of heated words and the spiteful nature, it made me nervous to share my views while out and about, and especially on social media. I was wondering last night, as I watched the results trickle in, if I should write a blog post on my ideals and concern for this great nation. I respect everyone's views out there, but I was a bit nervous that I would lose followers or become harassed with mean/uncouth comments about my ignorance or stupidity.

But. I am the child of an amazing King, and I feel that in my blog I want to honor him. Which, in fact, is why I'm writing this post today. You may have seen the following post on Facebook, and I think it represents my views perfectly:

How will I vote?

1. I will vote for the most pro-life candidate, because God hates the shedding of innocent blood (Prov.6:17).

2. I will vote for the most pro-Israel candidate, because God blesses those who bless Israel & curses those who don't (Gen.12:3).

3. I will vote for the most pro-marriage candidate, because God is for marriage as defined in Genesis 2:24.

4. I will vote for the candidate who most closely believes government's purpose is to reward the good & punish the evil (Romans 13).

5. I will vote for the most pro-debt reduction candidate, because the borrower is servant to the lender (Prov.22:7).

6. I will vote for the most pro-work candidate because God says if a man does not work, let him not eat (2 Thess. 3:10). With the exception of those who can't work, whom I desire to take care of in times of need; the disabled, the widow, and the orphan (James 1:27, Isaiah 1:1.)

Finally, I will vote based as close as I can on God's Word (2 Tim.3:16). Knowing that whoever gets elected, God is the one who puts all men in authority (Dan.2:21).

I will vote.

** I am thankful for God's sovereign plan, as well as the man who He has planned to be sworn in as president, once again, this January. President Obama has my prayers and my appreciation for the drive to serve our country. I hope he leads in a way that is God honoring, and that represents true American ideals. As always, may God bless America. 

halloween treats.

you've seen sprinkles cupcakes before on this blog, and for good reason. they're very yummy. and...they just happen to be my favorite treat for any season/holiday. i {love} fall, but am not such a fan of the treats. mainly because they're full of pumpkin. i know, i know. sacrilege. but i just don't like it. instead, i scoured the web for some fun...not so pumpkin-y sweets for the halloween season. as much as you all don't want to say it, there are some of you that stand with me. right?

tasty popcorn balls

molasses spice cookies

an amazing new take on cinnamon rolls

apple crisp - my favorite!

halloween cupcakes that look too cute to eat

candied apples with a twist

mini pretty pastries

okay, okay. enough with all these tasty things. they make we want to go to the store and buy everything in the baking section. hope you've found something fun and new to try...i know i have. happy halloween, everybody!

four on friday.

{quality time with my crafted camera bag from this post}

it's been such a fun week. i don't know about you, but this has definitely has been a good one. monday night was full of laughter and fun with some friends, tuesday? criminology class. honestly, you can't mess that up. wednesday was a lazy/homework/catch up on 'desperate housewives' kind of night...then thursday. the best friend and i got to enjoy lots of pizza and packing. yay. 

but the best part?

i might have maybe...woken up early to watch the first episode of,'american horror story: asylum.' it's pretty freaky/phenomenal. if you like watching psychological thrillers with not too much gore? then you're all set to get hooked on a new tv show. it's definitely a lot eerier than season one. which was amazing too, if you get the chance.

 here are a few pieces of the last couple days that simply made everything just that much better. it wasn't a crazy week, but the weekend is sure to be filled with loving family/my favorite city.

i'll be in san francisco. 

 {the first cup of cocoa}

 {reading this book on my lunch break. amazing.}

{it's fake fall in LA. we're still in shorts.}

'wuthering heights' bites.

in my humble opinion: "wuthering heights" is one of the most beautiful literary classics ever written, and the author emily bronte is an absolute genius. she creates a separate world out of excessive emotion and obsession, and it's just amazing. i may have reread it every single december since i was thirteen...maybe.

that being said.

do not ever, in your whole entire life, watch this version.
it was base, awful, painfully long, and doesn't even manage to tell the true story {as bronte intended it}.  the film focuses on cathy and heathcliff in their childhood, and continues with quite a few disturbing and just downright weird twists. the acting is sub-par  and the movie makes you feel raw and chapped as the wind whistles and rushes by the camera {much too often, at that}.

 a couple of girlfriends from work and i made our way down to the nuart theater this past week, which is one of the best indie theaters in los angeles. we stopped by sweet rose creamery in brentwood, laughed about boys/work/celebrities, and then took big brown bags of popcorn into the theater with high expectations.

it was a sweet night with some pretty amazing ladies, but the movie fell short. if any of you are indie film/wuthering heights fans like me, spare yourself the time and the money. it was as if the director was bashing us over the head with random metaphors and lack of dialogue, trying {in vain} to create something artistic. if you're looking for a good version, you don't have to look any farther than this one from 1992. it's heathcliff and cathy the way they're supposed to be, in a movie that i have never been able to leave behind.

 {loved this place!!}

 {salted caramel ice cream, with coarse sea salt}

{excuse the blurriness, friends!}

visiting seattle grace.

you all are going to laugh at these photographs, and i am sorry. but this was just so exciting! how do you NOT blog about a visit to seattle grace, of "grey's anatomy" fame? even though it is only in LA, not seattle...and closed on the weekends. it's the sepulveda ambulatory center, and it's fairly far north of the city in {wait for it} north hills.

i'm not crazy about going to movie sets or anything, and i don't stalk hollywood boulevard for all those premieres that go on and on and on. since i do have to plan around oscar/emmy traffic, however, i think it's okay to have my fill of the entertainment industry every once in awhile. here are a couple of pictures from this pretty little hospital on the hill, i hope my other "grey's anatomy" fans are with me when i say that this made for an incredible saturday morning.

i think you all know what i will be doing thursday night.

{remember these benches?

 {an alzheimer's clinic? this might have made me very happy because of this}

four on friday.

it has been a crazy, hectic week. one complete with a bout of the flu, lots of orange juice, biology lab and eighties rock music. i was supposed to head up to san francisco this weekend to see my favorite lady {great-grandma cusamano}, but i don't want to bring all my germs up north. i'll be up there next week, thanks to my sweet/flexible aunt. you can be sure there will be lots of san francisco lovin' on the blog soon!

this saturday? is a special day in los angeles. not hollywood, not santa monica, but los angeles. downtown los angeles. {i might have watched this movie recently..} i hope your weekend is just as amazing, full of skyscrapers and crazy people and good food. i can't wait to catch up on all your blogs on monday and see how each and every one turned out :)

 {fried egg gummy candies!}

 {too many pictures}

 {black tea lemonade, courtesy of the best friend}

{baking cookies on sunday afternoon}

do you look single?

i was buying a nice little stack of candy at the work cafe the other day, when the cute little cashier looked me up and down and said, "you're single, huh? enjoy it. this time is much too short." it was a random/weird out-of-the-blue statement that made me stop in my tracks.

um, hello? do i just "look" single?

wow. i kind of smiled, (emphasis on the 'kind of'), and walked nice and fast out of there. is it because i buy airhead candy with little to no fear of hip expansion? maybe since sometimes i just throw on shorts and a t-shirt for work, because i'm too tired to do anything else...is it the book i always read on my breaks?

i have no idea, but i had to laugh. what else do you do in a situation like that? i have been in relationships before {i only have good memories, guys! ;) }, and just recently dodged a MAJOR bullet with someone else. it's not the question of actually "getting" into a relationship. i'm just a bit picky. if i'm going to invest my heart in you, to make an "us," i want to make sure that it's worth it. i take heartbreak extremely seriously, and i don't think ben and jerry's markets enough flavors to keep me occupied.

i just recently celebrated my second straight year of singleness after the absolutely hardest break-up i have ever had to endure. the first year afterwards i vowed not to date at all, but instead to invest in the well-being and care of myself, as well as the necessary upkeep needed for my faith. i didn't want to rebound with someone i didn't feel strongly about, and then deal with the same issue all over again. so now here i am, twenty whole years old and singlesinglesingle. it's not a bad word, guys. come on.

that sweet little cashier was right. single life is just as precious as being in a relationship, and so is this period of 'singleness'. there have been a couple boys this semester at school (future police officer + a film maker who has worked with james franco. i love LA), but none of them have really struck a chord. i like to flirt and smile and have fun. (i also might have ditched in the middle of class with the boy who sits next to me, just to eat top ramen outside and talk about san francisco.) but i don't want anything other than that. it just simply, isn't the time. i feel like there's too much to do.

i wouldn't have stayed in LA if i was in a relationship. i never would have had those midnight trips into santa monica, or the hours giggling with my roommate. i wouldn't be moving to nashville in a couple of weeks or going to africa. there are so many doors that were opened due to my crazy "on my own" mentality, and it's good. it's good and i'm happy (by the way. the boys in nashville? SO cute.) I know that the butterflies will make an appearance again in my life, and i'm excited for that time. hopefully it occurs after january.

one day i want to find the harry to my sally, i want to be "princess vivian" and wear a pretty white dress with a bunch of friends and family. i want to be able to tell an engagement story and laugh with my husband, to grow old with another hand clutched in my own, to make memories with him and tell stories. but this time is sweet, and much too short. for the one to ten years i stay single after college, there are many more married years to make up for them. this is one single lady that is begging, please. do not put a ring OR a label on it. friends are good. because this?

this is adventure time.

making it yours {2}

last week, i got to share with you a bit about decorating that usually messy, white bathroom counter we all have {see this post}. it wasn't until late on friday night that i figured out what i was going to be doing this week:

decorating a camera bag.

since i bought my sweet little canon rebel a couple of weeks ago, i've been cradling it like a small child and trying to keep it out of harms way while still camera bag-less. i checked etsy and amazon, chain stores and friendly recommendations for my "bag-mate." there simply wasn't anything that fit my flair for girly-vintage fun. since i was going to be carrying it around everywhere, i needed to make sure i wasn't cringing at the sight.

then came a fateful trip at the cusp of the weekend. we were hunting through mountains of old purses and totes when my best friend found an old camera bag. it was black and painfully beat up, with a wiry strap that bit deep into my shoulder. but with a little tender loving care? it became a home to my little camera. i might be a little {a lot} ecstatic. with a bit of paint+patience+broadway tunes, i've finally made this precious little bag my own.

{all crafting materials found at jo ann}

{before: wiry plastic strap and all}

{after}

four on friday.

{late nights here}

last week, i decided to pull a little inspiration from emily schuman over at, 'cupcakes and cashmere' and write out a list of five inspirational bits of the week. well. instead of doing five, i think i would feel much more excited/happy if it was made four. as you know from this post, it's my favorite number. long story short? every friday from here until the end of my bit of blogging time {that will hopefully be a long way away!}, i will be posting four special moments from the week. 

they may be sweet memories, exciting travels or the simplistic {annoying} complaints of a college student. feel free to leave something special that happened during your week in the comment box below. my followers are my favorite people {pretty much ever}, and i adore hearing from you!

 {tickets to an oh-so close dancing tour!}

 {light curtains tied with lace}

{the "finding nemo" exhibit at the el capitan theater}