Wise Words Wednesday - First Rate

"Always be a first rate version of yourself instead of a second rate version of somebody else". - Judy Garland

Illustration by Molly Jacques via Inspired to Share

Bullet Journaling by Ryder Carroll

For the longest time, I could never successfully keep my planner and note takings organized. I would always have a planner, and a small notebook. I would write some notes in the planner, some in the notebook. It became very confusing and disorganized.

Recently, I came across this article on Bullet Journaling by Tomasz Tunguz. Bullet Journal was developed by Ryder Carroll, an Art Director from Brooklyn. As Carroll explains, Bullet Journal is for those list-makers, note-takers, track-keepers, and doodlers. It will "help you organize the present, record the past, and plan for the future".

The idea is simple. You use various bullets to keep track of things. You create an index at the beginning of every journal, so you know where to look for a particular date or note. You have a calendar, and tasks for daily/monthly accomplishments. My favorite part about it, is that it forces you to think in the present, and not fast forward to months in advance, freaking yourself out that you'll forget to do something. I always had a bad habit of thinking too far ahead, and everything current I was working on, got pushed to the side.

Bullet Journaling allows you to capture all types of data in your everyday life, whether that be a daily plan, budget log, or a random drawing. You have one notebook, rather than several. You can identify what's working for you and what isn't. It will help you focus on your tasks, and keep you productive.

Fall Necessities: Oxfords & Elbow Patch Sweaters

What items/accessories do you crave the most during the fall season? My top picks would be my favorite pair of Oxfords, an old man sweater (complete with elbow patches), and my trusty Moleskine notebook. I also love my Madewell satchel (that transitions from season to season very easily).

Items: Satchel, Madewell (Spring 2013) | Oxfords, Ruche (Spring 2011)

Notebook, Moleskine | Sweater, Zara (Fall 2010)

Misc. Items: Delfonics Mechanical Pencil, Le Pen Felt Pen

Peony Lipstick (Anthropologie), Dachshund Notes (Anthroplogie)

Sleepy Weekend

Sometimes, my favorite thing to do on the weekend is just relax. Not have any huge plans, but just hang out, have a Star Trek marathon day, and drink mimosas. That's just what we did this past weekend. Our venturing outside consisted of having a nice family brunch with the pups, just to go back home and drink mimosas/beer on the couch with our favorite shows. It was perfection!

The Daily Prompt - Days 1 through 10

Hi friends! I had mentioned The Daily Prompt last week, and I just wanted to share my images with you, as we're already a third of the way through the month. So here are days one through ten!

Day 1 - Patterned | Day 2 - Solitude

Day 3 - I'm Grateful For | Day 4 - Vibrant

Day 5 - The Happiest Colors | Day 6 - Wild

Day 7 - Passionate About | Day 8 - Joy

Day 9 - This is Home | Day 10 - Adventure

The Daily Prompt - Via Creature Comforts

I've been always interested in doing monthly photo challenges, but I could never find one I really liked. Until Ez from Creature Comforts shared The Daily Prompt with us. It's not really a challenge, as a prompt, it's finding the things that inspire you the most through images and/or words. You should join in, too! So far, it's lots of fun, and you get to share your favorite things with others in lovely and creative ways! Use hashtag #thedailyprompt whenever you upload an image to Instagram or Pinterest!

Of course, don't forget to have fun! You can find my photos on my Instagram, and I'll share some on here as well.

[image via Creature Comforts]

Californian

It's taken a while, mostly due to my procrastination, partly due to my car malfunctioning, but I'm finally (officially) a resident of California (again). Woo! The license part was easy... okay, I had to take the written test twice (I missed by ONE the first time, and they were trick questions)... I know, excuses. Putt Putt (my little trustworthy Nissan) had muffler malfunctions which needed to be fixed in order to be smogged, and in order to obtain my new plates, I needed to pass the smog inspection.

Muffler was fixed, and Putt Putt passed! The two of us are now California residents for the second time. We sure do get around...

Wednesday Favorites

desk space | pink nails

blackberry margaritas | homemade zucchini chips

cold stone creamery chunky monkey | sleepy puppies

Wednesday Favorites

finding abita strawberry lager | eating maine lobster rolls in california

snuggly puppy harvey | snuggly puppy penny

venti filthy (2 shots) chai lattes | love notes on the stoop

{all photos by me}

Independence Day

Happy 4th of July!

It's an excellent weekend to eat the yummiest foods, go on picnics, hang out with your favorite people, or spend a night camping. What will you be doing to celebrate America? We plan on an evening picnic (to see fireworks) today, and the weekend will be sure to include hikes and adventure with some friends.

Enjoy the festivities and summer!

Summer Cocktail | Blueberry Pie

Lobster Rolls | Strawberries & Blueberries

Sunsets

I love love sunsets! I'm so lucky to live in California, where we receive the most exquisitely beautiful sunsets.

Happy Anniversary, Los Angeles!!

Today marks a year since I've been living in Los Angeles! It went by so quickly. I thought I would share some images I've taken throughout the past year with you. A little yearbook, per se.

I loved my apartment when I first moved in. Exposed brick walls, most exquisite views of Downtown LA and the Hollywood sign... but crumbly walls, bad management, and busy streets of Koreatown made it less than ideal. It was a cute little first place, though, but brick buildings are meant for the East coast, not the west.

Living in Los Angeles also means outdoor screenings at places such as Cinespia (where they show movies at the cemetery in Hollywood) and the Academy's Oscars Outdoors summer series.

The landscape and terrain is so incredibly different here than that of New England/New York. While the hustle and bustle of NYC caused me to feel claustrophobic frequently, Los Angeles is quite spread out, and laid back.

One of my favorite moments was when my mum visited for my birthday. It had been nearly 9 months since I had seen her, and I had so much fun showing her around LA.

As you can see, we're happy to not be in a long distance relationship anymore!

There's even foliage here! Even though it happens more around Christmastime. Culver City is also one of my favorite places (where we currently live), vastly different than Koreatown, and so neighborly, you forget you live in a large city.

I'm so thankful for the new people I've met too. I already had a rather nice selection of friends from when I lived here previously, and now I'm meeting more amazing people that I definitely want to keep in my life forever. It also helps with homesickness I may occasionally have.

I love my new neighborhood in Culver City. We're nestled between Kenneth Hahn Park, and the Culver City Stairs in a little tucked in residential area. Perfect for the puppies, and for staying active. It's also an easy and fast commute to our workplaces in Santa Monica, whether we drive or bike.

Elly the elephant also loves California!

I can never get enough of palm trees, the beach, or the sunshine. I love you, California! I look forward to many more years of adventure!