Ukiah

A few weeks ago I got to take a (pretty regular) trip up to Ukiah to visit my boyfriend's dad. As always it was a fun trip filled with mini adventure's through the mountain. On my last trip over there a few friends and I built a swing but I never got to take photographs of it. A lovely swing it is :)

While there I had the opportunity to teach my friend Maricel how to use my camera. Not only was it a great refresher course for me, but it was great to be able to explain (out loud) how my camera works. It's one thing to be able to do something it's another to be able to teach someone how to do it.  Here's one last photo from the weekend...

What I'm Thankful For

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! You know what I love about Thanksgiving? It’s about being with the people that you love and eating a fabulous meal. There are no gifts or gimmicks, just food, joy and love. I have a lot to be thankful for this year and I’m sure you do as well. Here’s just a few of the things I’m thankful for:

·         My caring, supportive family

·         My loving, goofy, big hearted boyfriend

·         The best friends that a girl could ask for

·         A petite, semi-decorated roof over my head

·         A new found enjoyment for cooking

·         Getting into shape and having a trainer to help me achieve my goals

What are you thankful for this time of year?

Missing Las Vegas

Viva Las Vegas!! I was a lucky girl this year, I got to go to Vegas not only once, but twice. I'll admit, I didn't take too many photos cause I didn't want to drag my camera everywhere, but I did get a few good shots at my first stay at the Cosmopolitan Las Vegas. The view from the hotel was to die for, but the rooms itself was even better. 

What a view, right? I'm a little jealous because at the moment my mother and sister are in Vegas relaxing and enjoying some pricey shopping. When will the next Vegas trip be? Who knows, but until next time, I'll be missing you! 

It's The Most Wonderful Time

It’s not quite Christmas yet, I know, but when Fall hits and the weather turns crisp something inside of me switches from summer to fall. First it started with fall scented candles and then it slowly began to turn to arts and crafts projects. I spend a large portion of my evenings searching Etsy and looking for great gift ideas and purchasing random items (lately it’s been natural soaps). Sometimes when I search Etsy I get the same feeling I get when I go to the MoMa, “wow I could make some of this stuff!” and then I start to make things. Again, like I said, it’s not Christmas yet but I was inspired to make a Christmas wreath. It resulted in this…

I happen to think it’s pretty awesome, it’s not a traditional wreath, but it rocks. I have to give credit to my friend Amber who accompanied me to the craft store and picked out some remarkable flowers for this wreath, thanks Amber! Here’s to the beginning of the holiday season!

Getting Back In The Game

It’s been awhile folks! I haven’t been blogging because I’ve been hard at work on my fitness. Good excuse? Probably not, but it’s hard to believe how much time is consumed by cooking healthy and going to the gym. It can be hard to find time for anything else. Well, it has been months and I apologize. If for some reason you are still checking my blog, I’m sorry I disappointed you! However, to prove to you that I have been hard at work, here is proof:

Before

Now!

That’s just my face! I’ve lost almost 15lbs since June and I’m still going strong, wish me luck! The bad news is that I will no longer be talking about cupcakes and cookies, but I’ll be concentrating my energy into getting back to what I love, photography. I’m aiming for blogging at least once a week and starting and exciting photo projects.

Speaking of projects, this past weekend my sister and two of our friends got together to make Vision Boards. Have you ever read or watched The Secret? Well, if you haven’t I highly suggest you do. It’s all about positive thinking and getting what you want out of life. Part of that is having a vision and visualizing the things that you want. My current vision board is about health, fitness, eating right, photography and blogging. I’m really trying to concentrate on making myself a better person. Here’s how it came out…

I wasn’t the only one hard at work. Stephanie, Dolce and Isabel also had visions of their own. Their boards included marriage, health, happiness and prosperity. There weren’t kidding around.

This is what Stephanie, my sisters board turned out looking like…

This is Dolce’s board (almost completed)...

And this is Isabel’s…

This really was a great group project. The room was filled with positive energy, we helped each other find clippings in magazines, talked about all the things we wanted and really supported each other’s visions. Not to mention, a great craft day! If you looking for a fun, positive, bonding experience to do with your friends, this is it!

Thanks for reading! I’m going to be posting more consistently now so stay tuned :)

Champaign Brunch Cruse

Thanks to Groupon and Hornblower Cruises, my boyfriend and I were able to enjoy our 7 year anniversary on a beautiful boat on the bay, mimosas flowing. I wanted to fully enjoy the day, soak in the views and more importantly the company, so I didn’t bring my camera on this little adventure. However that didn’t mean I stopped myself from snapping a few shots with my phone.

It was Opening Day on the Bay so there were tons of boats sailing the waters. I highly recommend this cruise. Living in San Francisco you never get to fully appreciate the beautiful city that you live in. Seeing San Francisco from the water is one of the best ways to view the city.

Taking Care of Business

I have an exciting project ahead of me! My friend Serena owns a salon in the Sunset called TCB Salon (TCB as in Taking Care of Business). It’s a cute, perfectly pink salon named in honor of Elvis and his motto "Taking Care of Business". Serena has kindly offered her wall space to feature my photos! I am beyond thrilled that she has given me this opportunity and I began to compile a photo set together. I’ve taken a LOT of photos of tress, grass, leaves and things in nature so I decided I would go with a nature focused set, at least for now. My inspiration came from this photo…

My idea is to center this photo, as if the woman pictured is gazing at all the images around her. She’s peaking though the rusty door looking at all the things nature has to offer. Then, I would proceed to hang some of the following images around this central photo…

 

When it all comes together I think it’s going to look fabulous! The great thing is that in a month ot two I can switch the photos up with another themed project. It’s going to be fun playing around new themes and really getting focused on a project. I’m looking forward to giving the salon a little touch of my photography.

If you or anyone you know is looking for a new hair stylist, Serena is your girl, she takes care of business! If you want to contact her for a cut and/or color the Salon number is (415) 684-0308. Serena does amazing work and I wouldn’t trust my hair with anyone but her.

My Apologies

Wow, has it really been over two weeks since I last posted? I guess sometimes life just grabs you by the horns and runs away with you, quickly. I guess I've also just been lazy.

My last few weeks have been hectic to say the least. My boyfriend and I were pretty much forced to find a new place to live in a short period of time. There was apartment searching and planning followed by a bunch of packing and unpacking. This also came in the middle of a long planned vacation to Vegas with my sister and our friend Stephanie. It has been a busy few weeks, but I’m back! And I have a few things to catch up with.

I have a few projects planning for the new apartment and lots of photos to edit from Vegas and from Ceci’s Photo booth session.  There is also a exciting Salon project in the works! I’ll keep posted. I apologies for the hiatus, but I’m back :)

In the spirit of leaving my laziness behind me, here is an ode to the lazy.

Work It OUT Playlist

One of my passions is music. I think everyone loves music, how could you not. Last night I found myself wanting to compile a steller workout playlist. I went through most of my 7,000 songs in my iTunes library and was able to come up with a pretty solid list. Here are my Top 7. I'm warning you now that its REALY random but amazing.

Number 7


Number 6


Number 5


Number 4


Number 3


Number 2


Number 1



Random huh? I'll admit that I've been listening to a LOT of N Sync lately. I'm surprised there is no classic rock on here, again, its all about my current mood and that mood is making me want some pop music.. with a little Metallica and Biggy Smalls...

Feeling Lucky



Available from this Etsy Seller



I’m feeling pretty lucky today, for several silly little reasons, but it’s the little things that make me happy.

Earlier this year I got to see Lady Gaga in the Monster Ball and Britney Spears for her Good Morning America taping. Clearly I’m into all the girly music. Any who,  June will be an amazing concert/event month for me. I’m going to see Adele (after blood sweat and tears to get tickets), Natasha Bedingfield and I’ll be going to the SF Giants game on my birthday (they are giving away Huff bobble heads!!)  June 2011 might be the best birthday month ever. What will make it even better? My friend Alexa is painting me a masterpiece for my birthday! She gave me a sneak peak on her blog today and I couldn’t be happier! In my mind it will also serve as an excellent house warming gift as I have just been informed that I have to move (my landlord is selling his house).

Lots of change and exciting things ahead, now I just need to work on my hobbies, photography and apartment hunting…. Wish me luck! Apartment hunting is such a bother. I need to focus on staying positive.

Ctrl Alt Del

I've been a little behind lately. On my news, celebrity gossip, photography and particularly this blog, but I can't beat myself up about it. I came done with a little bug called the stomach flu. Not my idea of a stroll in the park, but after 3 long days in bed I came out of it alive and well. The good news is that I'm focusing on trying to stay healthy and move forward with some new projects.

Speaking of new projects, did you see these beautiful things? You might be wondering what those little black dots are in that photo. They are keys from old keyboards! My office was recycling a bunch of old computers and on their way to the recycling bin I halted them from them to stop. As quickly as possible I, with a help from my coworker Michelle (Thanks Michelle :)), we were able to de-key about 5 keyboards! The possibilities are endless. Should I make a ring? Maybe some modern art? I guess you will all have to wait and see. All I know that the first step for these bad boys will be a bath. They are DUSTY.

Brenalie

Oh Brenda, oops, i mean Brenalie. Why Brenalie? Simple, its Brenda (Brenda's first name obviously) and Natalie (Brenda's middle name) put into one name. It's like she's a celebrity couple.  Brangelina, Khlomar, TomKat...you get the gist of it right? 

Saturday Morning (Afternoon) Laundry

It's a wonderful Saturday afternoon at my parents house. What to do? Well, i did my nails (see picture above), laundry and i'm planning to help my mom make dinner after she's done skyping (yes she can use skype) with her cousin in Germany.  All this while watching the Giants kick some MAJOR Dodger booty. It's a nice relaxing afternoon thus far. 

I've also spent this afternoon thinking about what on earth to do with life. Do you ever feel like your brain isn't being stimulated? You don't have enough hobbies? Since I've graduated from college I've been struggling with not feeling... useful? useful probably isn't the right word, but I guess I just miss learning and stimulating my brain on a daily basis, learning new things and being interested in new topics or ideas. This has led me to think about what i'm interested and what I would want to do on the creative side of things.

I read Angel Babies, Paint and Cookies and Lola's Bohemian Rain on a daily basis. I know Hannah and Alexa and they are both extremely creative people. They both create such amazing pieces of art and it's really inspiring to see it all play out. Reading their blogs makes me want to paint. It's something that I was always interested in, but I never thought I had the talent. Painting seems so relaxing and therapeutic.

Music has always been a big thing in my life, I'm sure it is in yours too. When I was younger I played the piano and I've been wanting to pick it up again. Sometimes I beat myself up about giving it up. When I was younger I didn't want to practice or put time into it. I wish my parents forced me to do it. I would be so grateful for it now. 

Working out is another "hobby" that I need to keep up with. It's SO hard to get back into a routine when you get sick or go on vacation. After a recent sickness I find myself being lazy and wanting to watch movies all day. I just need to get up and motivate myself. It's so much easier when you have a friend to work out with. 

That's about where I am with ideas. Of course I want to continue with photography, that's a given. I have a few project ideas on that front, but I want to do more. Any ideas? What do you do to stimulate your brain? Any good hobbies I could try?

Haus of GaGa

Lalala.. Ok, I have a confession to make. I've LOVED Britney Spears my entire existence, until Sunday. I was lucky enough to get tickets to Britney Spear's free concert at Bill Gram Civic Auditorium in San Francisco for her Good Morning America taping. What a disappointment. Home girl doesn't sing live, (duh, she never did) barely dances and has no life to her. She's a puppet, almost a zombie. She's lost her performance gene. Her album on the other hand is phenomenal! It's a dance album with decent beats and catchy lyrics. It brings out the young teenager or the club goer in me. Performance, not so much. Maybe this youtube video will help you understand.. not to mention the editing here is horrible in my opinion. 

From seeing Lady Gaga perform just last week, Brit Brit isn't even close to the power house that is Lady Gaga. Gaga has heart, ambition, attitude, she sings all her song live (she makes a point to tell everyone this during the concert) and most importantly, she WANTS to be there. Britney, I love you, but you've lost it. I'm sorry. Regardless, the photo above is from my "pre-party" Monster Ball pictures. Just to show my dedication to my girl Gaga and brit I still love you, but not as much. I went off on a tangent, my bad. 

Defending World Champs SF Giants Opening Day

Black Orange and Cream

Congrats San Francisco Giants! You are our defending world champs! The entire city is routing you on, you have a power house behind you. There ain't no stoppin us now baby! I wish you the best for this season and am looking forward to attending a few games. Happy Opening Day SF Giants, BEAT LA!

In honor of today, here's a beyond amazing rendition of Don't Stop Believin' - Giants style. Go Team Go!!

Some Things Never Change

AHH! I was lagging. I was sick these past few days and completely neglected my blog. I apologize, but it’s hard to get your head straight and organized when you are feeling under the weather. Wouldn’t you agree?

Any who, I’m back! And today I’m back to sharing some of the old photos that I found at my parent’s house.  Isn’t this one a gem? I’m sure there are cars somewhat like this in other cities, but doesn’t this just scream San Francisco in the 1970s! It does to me. I’m pretty sure this car still exists, probably not in the same condition, but I’ve seen something like this rolling around the city.

A Whole Lotta Rosie

Rosie cheeks that is. :)

GaGa Oh LaLa

The Lady Gaga concert that I attended in Oakland on Tuesday was to die for! Spectacular show! I danced and sang my little monster heart out. I even have the bruises on my knees (from jumping up and down and banging my knees on the seat in front of me) to prove it. One tiny confession, a few months ago I went to her concert at the Bill Gram Civic Auditorium in San Francisco and I’ll say that show was a little better than her Monster Ball production. It was more intimate and she sang way more songs, played the piano more and had a little more audience interaction. Still, Tuesday’s performance was beyond words. Gaga made me laugh, cry, sing and dance.

Above are a few of the “getting ready” photos my friends and I took before the show. We decided not to go over the top with our outfits, so we went all out with the rhinestones on our faces. Totally Fierce. I didn’t bring my camera with me because the tickets specifically said not to bring any cameras, I should have known better but I didn’t want them to take away my camera. Here are a few of the photos I snapped with my camera phone.



Waiting for the show to start!

Hard to see, but the chick had an awesome skirt on.



Gives you a feel for how many people were there.

Thanks GaGa!! I'm looking forward to the next show in the Bay Area!

Girl About Town

Ohhh Brenda Wenda

Brenda and I met about 5 years ago while working at a little store called Gap. It turns out we had a mutual friend and were both starting at the same college in the fall. We ended up working at that store for about 3 years and finished out college together. We've been friends since our first interview at the Gap and a lot has changed since then (in a good way). We've grown up quite a lot, graduated college, gotten real jobs and started blogs! Brenda is pretty new to the blog scene, check her out! She focuses on her two loves, fashion and the San Francisco Giants. Home girl is a HUGE fan and has been since birth. Lets just say you couldn’t have a happier fan right now.


Thanks Brenda for being my model and for always being my blog editor! I can't spell for my life and my grammar is pretty questionable.  I don’t know where I would be if Brenda didn't help me out!  Also, today is kind of a historic day. Brenda, Kayla and I will be attending the Lady Gaga concert tonight! So, in honor of her Fab Majesty, here is a little preview of what I’m expecting tonight. Sheer amazingness. sdfjksdfkjs;fkb words can not describe the excitement. 

Where I Come From

It really has been a blast looking at old photos. I still have a lot more to come, but today I'm going to focus on my fathers side of the family. The photo above is my great grandparents Anna and Jan. They gave birth to Marie, the beautiful young woman in the following set of photos. Marie married Vaclav (pictured next to Marie) and they had my dad Joe and his brother (also named)Vaclav, which are pictured in the last set of photos. 

For me, this is a long line of family history. It seems like throughout the years a lot of photos have not been kept, or have been spread out to different family members. My parents left their home countries in their early twenties, so a lot of left behind. 

Again, this set of photos is of my dad and his younger brother Vaclav. Unfortunately, I was never given the opportunity to meet either Vaclav. My grandfather died in his early 50s and my uncle died when he was 40, both of heart attacks. Clearly heart attacks run in my family, my father had a heart attack in his early 60s and was thankfully given a second chance at life. He's changed his diet and began a cardio routine to stay active. One day I want to be able to meet my grandchildren. For me this means staying active. Heart attacks run on my fathers side of the family and diabetes run in my mothers. eek. I look forward to the day that I can show there photos to my children and grandchildren. Thank you parents for holding on to these memories. 

Flickr Friday: Coffee made with Love

Coffee made with Love, originally uploaded by Karen Tjøstelsdatter.

It's not a surprise that I, like many people, love coffee. I don't know where I would be without a cup of coffee every morning. You could say that it has become an addiction, but I think of it more as a necessity. It brings energy to my day every morning and on nights when I don’t sleep well I go for that second cup to reenergize. I actually read an article the other day that women should drink two cups of coffee a day to help prevents strokes. I’m sure there are so many more benefits to drinking coffee on a regular basis. Not only does it taste like heaven, but it brings people together. How many times have you asked a friend, “Wanna grab a cup of coffee and catch up?” It happens all the time. Thank you for being part of my day coffee.

What a Stud

My mother likes to go on and on about how handsome her father was, what great hair he had and how all the women loved him. Long story short, he was a natural ladies man (at least according to his daughter). By looking at this photo can you guess which one he was? If you guessed one of the fellas with the big ears standing on the side, you are incorrect my friend.  If you guessed the handsome stud in the middle you're correct! The man sitting and taming that beautiful beast is indeed my grandfather. Good hair right? Why didn't I inherit any of those genes? I sure know where I got my forehead from.. 

On a side note, I HATE to make this comparison, but doesn't the hair remind you of Pauly D from the Jersey shore? Ugh, I can't believe I just said that out loud. My mother would kill me. 

European Lifestyle

Everything about this photo SCREAMS Europe to me. Come on now, Five grannies in their undergarments and headwraps. Most, if not all, of them wearing socks with sandals or flats... this is the stuff that movies are made out of! I happened to stumble upon this beauty in a box of old photos. These aren't five random women from the Czech Republic, the woman all the way to the right of the photo is my grandmother (my dad's side of the family). Wasn't she a cutie? I'm thankful that I got to meet her before she passed. The one memory that I have with my grandmother is helping (more like watching) her bake a HUGE apple pie. I was probably only about 9 or 10 years old but it was pretty fun. It's also a coincidence to me that she happens to be holding an apple in this photo.  Maybe this is where I get my baking skills from? I know that she is for sure where I get my curves!

Natural Beauty

This past weekend I went to my parents’ house and found a TON of old photos. This is just one of many photos I found of my mom. Doesn't she look great? Needless to say, my mother was a babe, well what I mean is, my mother IS a babe (she would kill me if I said any different). I don’t know when, where or why this photo was taken, but she looks so angelic. It’s not posed or forced, it just is. The expression on her face really captures her youth. She will correct me if I’m wrong, but this photo was taken in Poland when she was in her late teens/early twenties. I’m lucky to have such a beautiful mama. Not only is she a beauty, but she's stylish too!

Now, let’s talks about this outfit. It’s amazing! I believe this photo is from the 80s but to me this outfit is still completely relevant. Everything goes and the belt is to die for. It really completes the look. My mom has been stylish her entire life, and still is to this day. Looking at this photo is kinda sorta making me want to recreate this ensemble.  

Birthday Cupcakes

This past Thursday it was my friend Kayla’s Birthday. We celebrated on Sunday night and had a delicious dinner at Nirvana. Her birthday present from me was, of course, cupcakes! Now, (hahahaha), what does this look like to you? I got a monster, dragon, bear, etc.. but no one guessed what it really was supposed to be. It’s a pink dinosaur! I guess if it was green it would have been easier to tell, but that’s ok, pink is Kayla’s favorite color. I still think it turned out great. Pink Monster works just fine for me. What it comes down to is that Kayla loved them and they were her favorite, funfetti!  Do you see that it’s a dinosaur? I guess I could have decorated it a little better, but it gets the job done.

Born to be Fab

In this photo, staring with the top row, my aunt, my grandmother and my mom. Bottom level is my cousin, me and my older sister. 

This past week I started a journey finding/looking/discovering old photographs that my parents have stuffed in boxes. Believe it or not, I've NEVER seen a photo of myself younger then 18-24 months. I came across this photo and was blown away. I mean, I don't want to brag, but to you see that cute baby in the middle? Wearing the pink one piece? Yes, that's me. I must have only been a few months old but quite possibly the cutest baby ever. Ok, I'll stop bragging now, but considering this is the first time i've seen myself this young, I think I have the right.

Any who, There are several other things that drew me to this photo, the furniture, clothing and overall theme to the room. Boy oh boy how things have changed. This is also of of the few photos that I have with all three generations. My grandmother lives in Poland and needless to say, we don't see her that often. When I was a baby she came over to the US once or twice, and I've been to Poland about 3 times, but I haven't been in years. There are the memories that are great to capture in photographs, so thank you to whomever took this photo many many years ago. It's created a great memory for me. 

I've been feeling nostalgic lately, so expect a lot more old photos to come. 

Flickr Friday: Twin Peaks Through A Pentacon Film Camera

Twin Peaks Through A Pentacon Film Camera, originally uploaded by Troy Holden.

One of my favorite SF photographers. He always does amazing work. This photo is beyond words to me.

Boom Boom POW

Kayla's her name and she's darn proud of it! Kayla probably only owns things with her name on it. No lies. Her Kayla ring, necklace, notebook, pencil... The girl's got pride. 

A Very Merry Happy Birthday to Kayla

Click here to view on Flickr

Today my friend Kayla turns 23 years young. Well, according to her facebook invite she is really turning "21 the trilogy" or something of the sort. In honor of her big 21+2 I thought it would be appropriate to share her photo booth session! I think it turned out amazing and Kayla was a great model. More photo booths to come soon!

Happy Birthday Kayla! I'm excited for 21+3! 

Flickr Friday: the decision

the decision, originally uploaded by Ąиđч.

Yesterday I discussed how music can turn a bad day around or inspire you to turn something negative into something positive. I was browsing Flickr and came across this photo. Now, records aren’t exactly the desired form in which we listen to our music nowadays, but this photo represents (to me) how promising a new record/album/song can be. I know I’m almost too young to remember the days of actual music stores and CD’s/records/cassettes, but there was always a thrill about walking into a store, not knowing what you will find and falling in love with a new artist or song.

Records remind me of having an all-around good time. Some of my favorite family moments are when we listen to old records with playing cards together. There is something about records that bring people together.