obsessed.: November 2011

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

LAdventures: food truck party!

i was out running errands downtown the other day

and came upon a food truck party on wilshire across the street from LACMA.

15 food trucks all in a row. aaaaaamazing!

my tumbly was a grumbling so naturally i stopped.

there were so much deliciousness to choose from but i couldn't

resist the food truck of my people: lidia's dominican kitchen.

roasted chicken. red beans. rice. TOSTONES?!!!

heaven.

i love LA.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

a toast! to french toast.

last week, i came into a large amount of baguettes.

(left over catering from a shoot i worked on)

wanting to mix it up i decided to try making french toast.

i gathered up some eggs, cream, vanilla and cinnamon

to begin the adventure.

honestly, i didn't measure out the ingredients.

(eyeballing it is how i roll in the cooking department)

but here are some discoveries i made:

make sure to cut the baguette thin enough or let it soak long enough that the egg mixture gets soaked all the way to the middle. otherwise, you end up with an egg-y outside and a dry inside. nobody likes that.

we were low on syrup, so i combined some cinnamon and sugar in a separate bowl and dipped the french toast in it right after pulling it out of the pan. delish! you could also put it back in the pan for a sec to caramelize the sugar. worth the few extra minutes (promise).

i'm no genius in the kitchen but this was super easy. it's a great way to use bread that's a couple days old and kinda crusty. the egg mixture softens the bread right up!

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

genius.

i just discovered the genius playlist function.

basically, you take a song that you love on your ipod,

click genius and it uses your music library

to create a playlist for you based around that particular song.

uhhh...game changer.

example. so i'm rollin' with m'girl renee and robin thicke's "get you alone" comes on.

we both start car dancing like crazy and i say: "i need to build a playlist around this song."

and miss renee "i'm so smarty pants i passed the bar" says: "let's see what genius comes up with."

oh, only the best playlist everrrrr! including:

prince - musicology

marvin gaye - got to give it up

beyonce - get me bodied

112 - dance with me (!!!)

estelle - more than friends

GENIUS!

what song would you build a playlist around???

Monday, November 21, 2011

gratitude: day 21.

holidays alone are no fun at all.

LUCKILY, m'peanut is coming to visit.

eeeeeiiiiiii!!!

i'm headed to OC for turkey day.

i'm grateful i don't have to be alone for thanksgiving!

gobble gobble.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

gratitude: day 20.

i'm grateful for rain in los angeles.

the sky is usually hazy with smog

but after it rains in LA,

the hills are so green and the sky is so clear.

it's gorg.

it rained last night and it POURED today.

love it.

gratitude: day 15-19

fail.

look, nobody's perfect.

i'm grateful for that.

WINK!

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

LAdventures: firefly

so technically, this isn't unique to LA

but since it's been an integral part of my LA experience thus far

we're calling it a LAdventure.

space western.

two words i'd never think to string together.

one delightful tv series.

(honestly, they had me at nathan fillion)

my roommates + some new friends gather together most every sunday

catch a couple episodes on netflix

eat some cookies

and remix the theme song

eat some more cookies

talk about how we never want the 13 eps to end.

basically, we just dork out a bit.

nbd.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

LAdventures: royal donuts croissants

there's a donut shop

that is THE donut shop.

a little mom and pop place

that is positively delightful.

in the words of my lovely roommate:

"this ish is delish."**

seriously people.

best. donuts. everrrrrr.

go {there}.

**may not have been said specifically about royal donuts croissants, but prolly was. and either way, it's a fitting statement.

the hunger games.

oh man oh man oh man.

loved the books,

super excited about the movie...

are you?

Monday, November 14, 2011

gratitude: day 14

i'm grateful for the book of mormon.

i made a goal to read it from

start to finish between now

and the end of the year.

so far, so good.

i feel peace when i read it.

and i'm reminded again and again

that jesus is the christ.

the book of mormon is true.

learn more about the book of mormon {here}.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

gratitude: day 13

i'm grateful for music.

sometimes i sing.

sometimes i'm sung to.

i love it all.

i sing praises to God.

i sing along to the radio.

it all makes me pretty happy.

what kind of music do you love?

Saturday, November 12, 2011

gratitude: day 12

i'm grateful for creative friends.

i have friends that blog.

friends that don't.

friends that sew.

friends that decorate interiors.

friends that write

friends that sing.

each of them have worked hard

to hone their skills.

it's very inspiring

and i'm grateful.

Friday, November 11, 2011

11.11.11

i just felt like i needed to post

on 11.11

at 11:11.

that is all.

did you do anything special to celebrate?

gratitude: day 11.

i'm grateful for couples in happy, healthy relationships.

sure, i'm not currently half of such a relationship...

but i'm still grateful.

i'm grateful for the small acts of kindness

the warm looks

the kind words

the displays of affection

really, i am.

seeing people happy in relationships

gives me hope for the future.

my future.

sure it's not always rainbows and roses

i get that.

but it's something to be grateful for.

and i am.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

gratitude: day 10

i'm grateful for my body.

i don't always take the best care of it.

i don't let my body sleep enough.

i feed it too many bad things and not enough good things.

i often criticize it for being a bit on the chubby side.

but through it all, my body takes me from point A to point B and back again.

it allows me to dispense hugs and high fives.

my body is a miracle.

chi-town.

took a quick trip to chicago last week.

ate pizza (twice) that knocked my socks off.

visited one of my fave OC girlies, her bun and her hubby

(thanks for puttin' me up matt + cassie!)

saw the sights

(and by sights i mean a giant statue of marilyn a la 7 year itch)

chicago is my fave.

will definitely be going back.

i need more of that pizza in my life.

have you ever been to chicago?

any fave places?

Wednesday, November 09, 2011

gratitude: day 9

i'm grateful for the business of beauty.

as a hairstylist, i'm in the business of making people feel beautiful. it's so rewarding to be able to take time everyday to make someone feel just a little bit better about themselves.

as a cosmetology educator, i have the opportunity to share my passion for people and my love for the beauty industry with students who are new to the business. it's so rewarding to see it "click" with a student, which in turn fires them up to go out into the world and make their mark. it's very inspiring.

i'm grateful for all the wonderful people i meet in the various aspects of the industry. in the school, on set or in the salon, i'm constantly exposed to so many different types of people from all walks of life. it definitely gives me the opportunity to learn something new from someone new, every single day.

quanto sorprendente!

just found out that a shoot i did with DQP

was featured on the vogue italia website.

holy frijoles!

or whatever the italian equivalent is...

kind of exciting.

Tuesday, November 08, 2011

gratitude: day 8

i'm grateful for the technology that allows to review general conference talks throughout the year. i've gotten into the habit of listening to a conference talk every day and it seems like i always catch something new that i didn't hear or learn listening the first time.

i'm grateful for the technology that allows me to keep in touch with my family. my 3 year old nephew knows how to call me via skype on his own. it's amazing and endearing and i'm so grateful. it's nice to know that even though we're far apart from each other, my family is only a phone call or video chat away.

i'm grateful for the technology that allows me to participate in family history work. i'm new to the genealogy game but i can't image how daunting a task it was before family records were searchable online. i'm grateful it's MUCH easier now and i'm excited to learn more about my family lineage.

my ty.

popped over to denver and had a quick visit with this handsome gent.

our time together was limited, but we made the most of it.

stove top s'mores

delicious brunch

card games

it was easy breezy and way too short.

but i'll take what i can get with this dreamboat.

miss you, tyler!

Monday, November 07, 2011

gratitude: day 7

via

i'm grateful for the opportunity and motivation to always be improving myself.

sometimes the motivation comes from friends or family.

sometimes from relationships. wherever it comes from, i'm grateful for it.

i'm grateful for the sense of accomplishment that comes from a job well done.

a love of hard work seems to be a learned behavior.

i'm lucky to have parents that taught the value of work at an early age.

i'm grateful that each day is a new opportunity to be the best i can be. some days don't end so well, so it's always nice to know that tomorrow is another day

and a new chance to do and be good.

dear diary...

i've never been great at keeping a journal.

keel's simple diary is a game changer.

its no pressure, fill-in-the-blank format is perfect for someone that needs a little push in the journaling direction.

such a fun birthday gift or great for the holidays.

i've been using it for the past little while and i'm obsessed.

the prompts help create a little snapshot of your day in a fun and unconventional way.

maybe someday i'll graduate to "real" journaling, but for now this works for me.

do you keep a journal? how often?

Sunday, November 06, 2011

gratitude: day 6

i'm grateful for people that are kind.

i'm grateful for people that are patient.

i'm grateful for people that are generous.

Saturday, November 05, 2011

gratitude: day 5

is it weird to be grateful for beyonce? cause i am. i recently stumbled upon her documentary "beyonce: year of 4" and, in a word, i'm obsessed.

3 reasons why i'm grateful for bk:

she shows that when you combine talent with hard work,

amazing things can happen.

she encourages people to reach for the stars

and not accept anything less than EVERYTHING the world has to offer.

she's a strong willed, independent woman.

sure, she's got a man...but she was her own woman first.

"i don't need people to think for me.

i've never been that way

and i don't ever want to be that way."

you go, beyonce. you go.

Friday, November 04, 2011

gratitude: day 4

i'm grateful for friends that want to hang out on the weekends. seems silly, i know. but a girl can only stay at home alone so many friday nights before it starts to affect her self esteem. seriously.

i'm grateful for my roommates. we're each so different but they love and accept me just the way i am. they make me laugh...like everyday. it's the best.

i'm grateful for hugs. sometimes, i hug too much but i rarely hug too little. hugging makes me happy. the best is when people hug me without having to be asked. have you hugged a friend today?

never too old.

spent the evening as the hamburglar

hung out with the likes of marge simpson (angel westover) and kim kardashian (tiffany jordan).

we mingled

we danced

we laughed our heads off.

you're never too old for halloween.

did you dress up?

Thursday, November 03, 2011

gratitude: day 3

santa barbara. may 2011.

i'm grateful for california sunshine. when the sun is shining, you can't help but feel like everything's gonna be alright.

i'm grateful for all the amazing friends i have made in the 6 years i've been in california. people so amazing that we've become more than just friends; we're a family.

i'm grateful for the opportunities i've had in california: personally, professionally and spiritually. being down here on my own has been an interesting and awesome experience. i wouldn't trade the experiences i've had while here for anything. in fact, i look forward to many more wonderful experiences!

LAdventures: tara's himalayan cuisine

met up with the lovely erin elton for lunch at tara's himalayan cuisine.

i'd never had himalayan food before

(not even sure i could point out the himalayas on a map)

but was delighted to find it similar to indian food, a fave of mine.

our waiter recommended the chicken chili and it was DELICIOUS!

topped off with some naan and a little rice, i was in heaven!

what're your fave food spots in LA?

Wednesday, November 02, 2011

gratitude: day 2

photography by DQP. september 2011.

i'm grateful to FINALLY have found my calling in life.

i'm grateful for mentors that love me and push me to do better.

i'm grateful for the Paul Mitchell culture and the encouragement to be nice (or else!).

Tuesday, November 01, 2011

gratitude: day 1

m+d. los angeles. december 2009.

i'm grateful for a Heavenly Father that knows me, loves me and is mindful of me.

i'm grateful for the most loving and supportive parents a girl could ask for.

i'm grateful for each of my five siblings. we're all so different, but the older i get, the more i appreciate those differences.

thankful in all things.

the church released this video last year and it delights me as much now as it did when it first came out. there's something about listening to people express gratitude that is so inspiring.

"let us be grateful for what we are and for the circumstances God has given us for our personal journey through mortality...when we understand that God offers us opportunities for blessings and blesses us through our own adversities and the adversities of others, we can understand why He has commanded us again and again to 'thank the Lord in all things.'" - dallin h. oaks

it's the time before the most wonderful time of year. a time for gratitude. i'm committing to take time every day this month to list something i am grateful for. some will be serious, some will be silly...they'll all be true. get excited.