Fall/Winter 2010 Trends

Happy Fashion Forward Friday! 
As I posted yesterday, I am picking themes throughout the week for various days to get the creative juices flowing. Friday is now designated as Fashion Forward Friday. I will discuss all things fashion...after all, it is my passion!

Your input is greatly appreciated! See a trend or something I post about that you like? Let me know and I'll post more like it :)

With it already being September (the summer flew right on by didn't it??), cooler weather is fastly approaching. That means that Fall/Winter fashion trends are very close at hand. I must say, I looooove great jackets, boots, and accessorizing with amazing scarves and CAN NOT wait to be wearing them! I did some research and have found some of the main trends that we will be seeing our near future.

1. Velvet and Velour. Yep, it's back. There are several different ways to wear it. You can go grunge, modern, classy, or feminine. It wasn't my cup of tea when I first saw it, but I can't doubt that I will probably own something that is velvet in the near future. Please note, this trend does not mean you can now wear velour tracksuits (I know you want to dress like Julie Cooper from the OC, but don't).

2. Capes. They sort of add a new swing to your average coat, and I think I like them. Sleeves are overrated anyways. Also in the mix are wraps, shawls, and stoles.

I absolutely love the model's outfit on the left. So chic by Ralph Lauren.

An assortment of capes. Note that animal print is also very big.

3. Camel Coat. In general, neutrals will be a big hit, but I've seen a lot of the camel coat. Its classic touch is what makes it an instant winner. No more stark black and grey coats, bring in the camel. I want one now!

4. Leather Clothing. Apparently you name it, and it will be made out of leather. Leather pants, shorts, skirts, leggings, etc. I guess I'll have to see it to believe it.

5. Lace. This was seen a lot in the Spring, but it will be revamped for Fall/Winter using more vintage style fabrics.

6. Late 50s/ early 60s. The silhouette of the housewife, cinched waist, full skirt, fur, leopard print, and red.

7. 70s. Woodstock with a twist. For day - high waisted pants, neat bow blouses (particularly silk or satin), roll neck sweaters tucked into pants or skirts. Layered with a beaded necklace or vest. For night - shimmery fabrics that tightly hug or drape over the body. Basically, long slinky metallic gowns with a low neckline.

8. Shoes. Knee high boots are already becoming popular, as are kitten heels. Socks will be worn under socks (WTF?) and clogs are making a comeback (God help us all).

Well, there you have it. Happy shopping and Happy Fashion Forward Friday!

Top 10 Places to Visit

Happy Top Ten Thursday!
To motivate myself to write more often, I'm giving myself a goal. On different days throughout the week, I will have a specified thing to do for that day. Every Thursday will now be "Top Ten Thursday."

Top Ten Places I Want to Visit:


1. New York City.  I really want to visit NYC during the holiday season, where everything sparkles. I think I will really like that city and could see myself living there, even though I've never been there.

2. Hawaii. Surf, sun, sand. Need I say more?

3. Ireland. I want to marvel at the greenery and experience the people there.

4. Scotland. The people in Scotland are said to be the nicest people ever. We met a couple on our tour of Napa Valley and they were the sweetest and most welcoming people. I'd love to be in a country where everyone is so nice! Plus, isn't there accent the coolest? Also, I want to search for Nessie...I'm sure I'd find her!

5. Greece. My hometown of Tarpon Springs, FL has the largest Greek population outside of Greece. I love the culture, and have seen some beautiful pictures of Greece. All those white houses on the cliff looking out onto a bright blue ocean. Ahhh beauty.

View of Tuscany through the window of the train.

6. Tuscany, Italy. I have been fortunate to visit Italy (Rome and Florence), but didn't get the opportunity to visit Tuscany. On the train from Rome to Florence, I could see it out the window and it was sheer beauty. A nice wine tasting experience in Tuscany wouldn't be so bad either. Oh, and I want to go to Venice as well. I want to ride in a gondola boat haha.

7. Las Vegas. Glitter, gambling, clubs. This isn't a place that is necessarily on the top of my list, but it is definitely something I want to experience once in my life. I'm not a big gambler (the sight of watching my money disappear stresses me out) and clubbing isn't exactly my scene, but I think I could make an exception in Vegas. Hopefully I wont either wake up married or with a random baby in a closet, tracing my steps from the night before. (Movie references, sorry if you didn't get it.)

8. Figi. Doesn't that photo just scream relaxation? This place would be ideal for a honeymoon, or for an anniversary. Definitely the ideal for romance and for enjoying your surroundings.

9. Germany. My great grandparents were from Germany, and I'm somewhere around 70% German, so I'd love to see where my family originated from.

10. Egypt. It seems very hot there, but I'd trade the heat for seeing the Sphinx and a bunch of pyramids. So much history!


Other things I want to see: (I'm exceeding the limit a bit...)
The Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, Africa, China, Alaska, Nashville, Australia, Yosemite National Park
There's more, but I'll spare you and stop there. More Top Ten Thursdays to come!

Have you been to any of these places?? Comment your favorites or write this subject in your blog and tag me to it!!

Rides with "Friends"

Day 4.
We got up early (the story of our trip!) and rented bikes in Santa Monica. It was a foggy morning and was pretty chilly, but it cleared up nicely by the end of our bike ride. We rode along a trail that was right by the water. It was a beautiful ride!

We stopped and ate in Venice Beach at the Sidewalk Cafe, where we were thoroughly entertained the duration of our meal. There were sooo many crazies out that day, one of which who was our favorite. He spent the most of the our lunch time with a empty Naked juice bottle on the top of his head, while kicking a wooden bowl at random pedestrians. He almost tripped several skateboarders, smirking afterwards.

From there, we hit up the Santa Monica Aquarium for literally 10 minutes, then set off for our WB Tour in Burbank. That tour was unbelievably amazing, I will definitely be taking it again. We were shown the streets where many shows/movies have been filmed, and got to see the soundstage for the show Pretty Little Liars! One of the best parts of the tour was getting to see the set of Central Perk from Friends, I almost couldn't breathe I was so excited! Of the images below, the first is us at Central Perk and the second is the iconic shed from Pretty Little Liars.

For the evening, we went back to 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica for about an hour so Brittany could see it, then went to the Santa Monica Pier to enjoy some rides. We rode all the rides and had a blast!

Roll out the red carpet

Day 3.

Another busy day we had! First off, we took a tour of the Kodak Theatre, where they hold the Academy Awards, So You Think You Can Dance, and American Idol. No pictures were allowed (sorry!)

Next, we went on a double decker bus around the city, and had the most obnoxious tour guide. He did give some interesting information in between his horrible jokes though. We saw the Chinese Graman Theater (where there was the premiere for the movie Lottery Ticket), the Walk of Fame (the stars), and even got to go to Madame Tussauds Wax Museum where we posed with Robert Pattinson!!

After the wax museum, we did a little souvenir shopping. We were standing across the street from the movie premiere, just watching the action, and were approached by people from the Jimmy Kimmel show. They asked us if we would want to be extras for a skit that Jimmy Kimmel was doing on the show. Of course we would!! We were standing right next to the giant slide used in the skit, and even got to be on TV quite a bit! Brooke took tons of pictures of the TV while we watched it when we got home that night. Look at the close up Brittany and I got!! Sooooo cool!!

For dinner, we ate at the original Mel's Drive In...good milkshakes!!

The Price IS Right!

Day 2.
We rose VERY early to wait in line for the Price is Right. I didn't know the grueling process for being on a game show, but it's very tedious and time consuming for an hour and a half of taping. We got to the line around 6am and prevailed with a voucher to return in another hour. 

After a quick breakfast, we returned to the studios and waited and waited and waited. They called the numbers for the numbers on the vouchers, and those people were for sure going to be in the studio. If you have a group already designated (15-20 people) you automatically get to be in the studio, and there's a good chance that one of your group members will make it onto the show. So they finally called our number and we made it! You then wait a little bit more, and are then interviewed to possibly be selected to be a contestant. If they like you, they ask a lot of questions...if not, they just ask you what you do for a living and move on.


So, while waiting in line for what seemed like an eternity, we were behind another studio. There was this gate, which out walked Neil Haskell and Dominic from So You Think You Can Dance season 3 and were all stars this past season. That made my day right there! I looooooove Neil, so seeing him in person was the highlight of my day...forget Price is Right (haha)!


The show was so much fun, Drew Carey was a lot funnier in person that I gave him credit for. I always found him a bit lame, but he redirected my persona of him. The announcer for the show was a guy from Who's Line is it Anyway? as well, which was cool.


After the show, we practically flew to LAX to pick up Brittany (who was waiting there for a few hours...poor thing!) We needed food pronto, so we hit up In N Out Burger (delish!!)

We then did a quick wardrobe change and went out to dinner at Ketchup, a place that they visited on The Hills, and where Kim Kardashian has been seen too. We met up with a few of Brittany and Brooke's friends who happen to be bloggers as well. It was a great evening and it was great to meet new people in LA. 

It was a long, but amazing day :)

Return to sender

It's been a week since I've been back from my trip to California, and I had such a great time! We had quite the jam-packed schedule, but managed to fit in everything that we wanted to see. It was crazy how it worked actually. We would rule something out due to time, then going to the place just "happened", and we ended up seeing it anyways! Gotta love when that happens!

(Kim and I shortly after we landed)

On day 1, Kim and I landed around noon. Brooke picked us up, we went to lunch and grocery shopping. Then, we did a quick change of outfit and went to 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica. There are a lot of cool performers (others that are not so talented). We then went to sleep fairly early because we were waking up around 3am for...wait for it...The Price is Right!!

I can't wait to get a ride to California...

So the time has finally come! My bags are packed and I am ready to roll! Kim and I leave early in the morning for our 9am flight and I can't wait. I hope I can sleep tonight and am not kept all night from the excitement!
This past weekend, I designed a rough template for our Price is Right T-shirt (we are going on Wednesday). I brought it into the T-shirt Cafe in the mall, and the guy tweaked my design to make something so awesome, I couldn't imagine it to come out so great!! I'll hopefully keep you posted during my travels. If not, you'll hear all about it when I get back :)

Things you probably didn't know

I've been thinking recently about some facts that I've learned through life (and the internet) that could be helpful to everyone else. I have compiled a list and hope they help you in some small way. Some wont help you at all. Some are incredibly random. Some are very interesting.

1. When emptying the dishwasher, start with the bottom row because the water in cups on the top row will spill onto the clean, dry dishes on the bottom.
2. Dentists recommend you keep your toothbrush at least 6 feet away from the toilet.
3. On average, people who are right handed live 9 years longer than people who are left handed. (whew!)
4. 12 newborn children will be given to the wrong parents daily.
5. In honor of Shark Week (which I now love): sharks are immune to all known diseases.
6. When cutting an onion: if you put it in the freezer about an hour before use, the toxins aren't released which make you cry. Also, chewing gum helps in reducing the tears too.
7. The average American consumes enough caffeine in one year to kill a horse. (Good thing I quit!)
8. The human eye detects 10 million colors!
9. Kissing helps prevent tooth decay. It also is healthier than shaking hands.
10. Apples, not caffeine, in the morning are more efficient in waking you up in the morning.
11. More than 90% of plane crashes have survivors. (Did you read that Brooke???)
12. Watching TV can serve as a natural painkiller for children.
13. On average, a 4 year old asks 437 questions a day. (I wonder how many of those are "why?")
14. The stall closest to the door in a bathroom is the cleanest, because it is the least used.
15. The correct response to the Irish greeting, "Top of the morning to you," is "and the rest of the day to yourself."

You're welcome.

Today is...

My sister's birthday.....
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHELBY!!!

The countdown begins!!

I usually don't get excited about something until the day before, or even the day of....but I am getting excited now!! Tuesday I will be jet-setting off to Los Angeles and I can't wait to get there. I'm stoked to see Brooke, to experience wonderful weather, and to put my new camera to work. Isn't it so cute and little?? It takes AMAZING pictures too!!

We are going to see so many awesome things, I'm just ready to experience it. This is my second visit to California, but I didn't get to really see much during my first trip. Los Angeles will be all new to me. I will be frolicking around L.A., San Francisco, and San Diego with 3 of my best friends...what more could a girl ask for? With me will be Brooke, Brittany, and Kim. Some of the many awesome things we will be partaking in are: The Price is Right, WB Tour, Wax Museum (Robert Pattinson is there!), all the cool Hollywood stuff, Napa Valley Wine Tour, The OC, and much much more!!

I can't wait!! Stay tuned to hear about my experiences!!