one of those days.

you see all this chocolate?
i want to eat it. all.

it's a rare cloudy day in los angeles, and i really just want to cuddle up in bed all day with a good book and never-ending amounts of peppermint hot chocolate and sourdough toast.

instead? i'll spend eight hours at work, meet with one of my favorite professor's about my writing, and then hoof it to school for night class. Wednesday's are not my favorite.

So, in lieu of a long and convoluted blog post, i thought i would focus on some of my favorite things today. it's always good to find bits and pieces to make you smile, especially when the day seems just much too long! :)

{little lydia's sweet baby face}

{comfort food at puckett's} 

{old doors and antique stores} 

{downtown nashville//where the past and present meld perfectly} 

{long talks with mama + cinnamon rolls} 

{long hair/no make-up/sunglasses days} 

{the bleeker pizza from this place!} 

{old locks} 

{water wheels} 

 {old family photos//notice the golden gate in the background??}

 {words}

 {sleeping baby face}

{goldfish in class}

a day to remember.

{circa 2003}

i was a little girl eleven years ago today, one who woke up early in the morning to go to school and found her mom crying on the telephone. it was about something i didn't understand, so i made my oatmeal and sat on the cold bar stool, feeling strangely uneasy. 

i was small, and saw the tragedy through the innocent eyes of a child. 

now i look back and understand, with a strong feeling of love for my country. my family has a sturdy military background, and both of my parents have formerly worked for a bay area police department. we possess a respect for the first-responders, and also a fiery sense of patriotism. 

september 11 breaks my heart. i get teary-eyed thinking of all the families whose lives took a tragic turn that day, and chills when i hear stories of heroism. although my country isn't perfect, i truly do love it. i respect President Bush for his honorable and sweet actions in the classroom that day, and for the police officers and firefighters that gave everything to save those in need. 

we didn't have television in 2001, so my family bundled up the babies and went over to my aunt's house to watch the news coverage. it was a confusing time, one that infused a sense of heartache and unity throughout the whole country. one of my most vibrant memories comes in the form of a simple moment with my dad. 

my cousins and i were playing outside, when he called us in. 

i'll never forget the look in his eyes as he said, "you all need to come inside. your president is speaking."

my president was speaking. i was nine-years-old, and my father's words reverberated with a sense of respectful pride. my country had been attacked, but my president was speaking, and it was time to stand with the rest of my country and listen.

President Bush ended his speech with words that are still firmly branded in my mind. "i pray they will be comforted by a power that's greater than any of us, spoken through the ages in Psalm 23. 'even though i walk through the valley of the shadow of death, i fear no evil, for you are with me'....none of us will ever forget this day, yet we go forward to defend freedom, and all that is good and just in our world. thank you, goodnight, and God bless America."

the hollywood bowl.

{ready for a picnic}

have you ever seen the movie, "beaches?" it's pretty much my favorite movie...ever. i cry every time, and chocolate-chip ice cream has proven to be the perfect partner for, "the wind beneath my wings." in the beginning of the movie, bette midler is singing on the stage of the hollywood bowl in LA. {you can watch it here!} ever since, i've wanted to visit the renowned bowl. if not for my own experience, for the exciting idea that i was standing {kind of} in cc bloom's shoes.

this weekend? it happened.

some sweet friends from church gave us free tickets to see the LA philharmonic orchestra perform Tchaikovsky. Our program was complete with fireworks, the USC drum line, the LA children's choir and ballet performed by the American Ballet Theater. in a word? amazing. Tchaikovsky is well-known for penning the score to, "The Nutcracker," and "Swan Lake," music many of us have been accidentally exposed to over the years.

in all honesty? i was a bit nervous, especially before i realized all the neat perks our program had in store. i would never describe myself as, "cultured," and classical music goes right over my head. i love country music and bette midler for heaven sake! as far as i was concerned, Tchaikovsky was going to be accompanied by my nookbook and a bottle of lemonade.

it wasn't needed.

the hollywood bowl is absolutely gorgeous, nestled in the east hollywood hills. it's actually right off the 170, which is shocking.  the acoustics were mind-blowing, and the family atmosphere is incomparable in LA. we brought a picnic lunch and blankets {nights get chilly!}, and had a night more than worthy of bette midler. {sorry. i had to throw that in there!}

are you headed to the hollywood bowl?

1. don't use the parking that the bowl offers. it's insanely expensive/frustrating. there are numerous bus lines and shuttles that run the gamut around hollywood. at only $5 a person, you're set!
2. bring a lunch, and wine is welcome. food is a bit pricey, and it's more fun to pick up yummy deli sandwiches and macaroni salad from your local market.
3.  try the lemonade/garlic fries. okay. not at the same time, but they're both worth the price! {$10 for both}
4. keep it cheap. the bowl has hundreds of seats for you and your loved ones. you don't need to sit right up close. the farther you get from the stage, the more fun the atmosphere. in the summertime, nosebleed seats are only $1!! Can't beat that.

 {leading letters}

 {best friend waiting oh-so patiently}

 {lemonade!! watermelon lemonade!!}

{before the crowds// families + yummy picnics!}

 {ready for the show.}

yellow.

i have a favorite color...that's threatening to take over my life. most of the time i'll stick with neutral blues and creams, because i love the fresh and classic feeling the colors give a room. but i might have a not-so-secret obsession.

yellow.

i can't get over the color. it makes me smile, drags my pocketbook out of my purse and fills my fridge with unnecessary {yummy!} lemonade.

this week, instead of paying through the nose for skirts like this (got mine at foreign exchange!) or freaking my landlord out with painted walls, i decided to satisfy my love of everything yellow with a little natural coloring.

the result?
my house is oh so full of flowers.

 {the beginnings}

sprinkles.

have you made a trip out to beverly hills lately? if not, then i highly recommend it. once you push past the tourists ogling the rodeo drive sign, you can make your way to the line of people that stretches down santa monica boulevard. they wait for good reason.

sprinkles cupcakes is considered the, 'first cupcakery,' and caters to us LA people who have a sneaky sweet tooth. the bakery has since gone gone nationwide with beverly hills as the flagship store, which...just recently opened up an ice cream parlor, as well.

um, yes please.

the ice creams are extremely flavorful {try them first!} and intense, while the team puts together a 'cupcake sundae' that pretty much became my lunch/dinner. it was just as full of decadent goodness and calories as you may imagine. but it was oh-so yummy.

the store switches out ice cream and cupcake flavors daily, so you don't have to worry about this being any old cupcakery. instead, you can look forward to chai or dark chocolate or coconut...it just depends on the day of the week. make sure to pick up a calendar before you leave! {we promise. you will be back.}

**we got a dark chocolate cupcake with mint ice cream. what kind of sundae are you going to create?

 {ice cream recipe}

{love the fun layout!}

 {a sundae from heaven.}

{sharing}

{it didn't last long..}

labor day.

{yum.}

for labor day weekend, the best friend and i decided to head down to hollywood for some yummy pancakes and a day of low-key shopping. (this place was the best!) the city was surprisingly empty, and we hit absolutely no traffic. in LA? this is a miracle in itself. hope your day was just as exciting!

 {our view for the day}

{cutie ice cream}

 {lemon slush}

{slushie heaven}

 {strawberry slush}

 {in love with all the fun olive oil bottles}

 {chocolate, chocolate, chocolate heaven!}

 {jawbreaker the size of a baseball...}

 {lollipops}

{pretzel fun}

{99% cacao? too nervous to try $30 candy bars...}

 {best friend + pancakes = amazing.}

 {mounds pancakes? heaven.}

 {egg scramble}

{crazy/loud atmosphere}

 {happy/full best friends}

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Isn't it funny?

{rest.}

...to peruse the past? Sometimes I find myself startled at how much can happen in the course of a few months. It's shocking/insane/unbelievable.
To honor the end of summer, I thought you would enjoy a bit of what made it so unbelievably exciting.

Like this song.

And an article that makes you think.

The idea that this would be much more exciting if it was a love letter...

Can you believe there are real princess shoes?!?!

Thank goodness this is over...what a joke..

Best chocolate-chip cookie recipe. ever.

I bawled my eyes out during this ending scene...love/miss these girls! {forgive the subtitles}

New blog obsession.

The cutest baby in the world. {loving the name, 'eleanor' now!}

Next LA adventure for my sweet tooth...

I have to get over this movie obsession...and find a new book!

Fell in love with these prints...I bought one for San Francisco, and the other for LA!

Definitely just crafted this with an old copy of, "Wuthering Heights."

I hope your holiday weekend is as amazing as mine! I've been sleeping in until eight, (yes!) and eating lots of lemon sorbet. It makes for a wonderful long weekend.

ps: blog layout {with all the links!} credit goes to this inspirational blogger. I thought it was so fun I just had to try it. Thanks, Cup of Jo!