Shop My Closet!

Well, once again I screwed up with my finances. I am really starting to consider locking myself away at some poor budgeting rehab center or something. I decided to go all hay day with my recent paycheck just days after pay day and load up on everything I wasn't able to buy myself previously because of my last small paycheck (the downside of traveling for us non-paid vacationers). But what I wasn't thinking about while I was loading up on my expensive supplements and grocery items and paying off my credit card was the fact that this paycheck was also small because of my New York trip. Therefore, I should have really paid attention to my budget and considered all my expenses before going crazy with the debit card. Will I ever learn? I'm really starting to wonder. After deciding to get out of denial and finally look at my checking account I was really in for a shocker. Let's just say I'm going to have to get really creative between now and the 15th, starting with a closet sale I launched tonight on Facebook! It's not exactly Carrie Bradshaw's closet but who knows? You might find an item or two that catches your eye. I've had this idea for a while now after seeing my friend make some good sales that way and of course felt motivated to launch it right away after looking at my checking account today. Be sure to check it out! I also ship for $5 extra. Let's hear it for finding creative ways to make some extra moolah in a pinch!

Shop my closet here! More items to come!

Food for Thought

This is me and my sis Chelsea eating at our favorite burger joint down the street that officially closed today. How sad is it that when I finally find a burger place I actually like with the most incredible gluten free buns I will ever have it closes on me? Let it be known that I am not, nor have ever been a burger person. Sure I love an In n' Out but doesn't everyone? Rarely do I ever actually crave a burger and even rarer do I order one. But this place changed everything. Thank goodness they are holding onto their other location! Chels was visiting over the holiday weekend from school where she is studying to be a dietitian. I have to say it is getting more and more informative talking to her whenever I see her because of what she is learning. Shhh don't tell her but I'm thinking about interviewing her on here to get the most important diet information she has learned so far! It helps so much to learn how our bodies work and process certain foods and what happens when we deprive them from certain foods. She is who I credit for helping me come to terms with my eating disorder and who encouraged me to talk about it and get help. And now her and I have good discussions about diet, health, and people we wish we could help see the light. We also like to vent our frustrations about how messed up our culture is about health and body image and how we wish there was some way we could change it or at least make a difference. We decided the most important way to start making a difference is by contacting the magazines and even clothing companies that we feel deserve feedback and voicing our opinions both good and bad about what they are doing for women's body image. After all, we are the consumers/readers. They want our feedback! I already started yesterday and it feels good even though I know it may take ages for someone to actually read it. Thanks Chels for holding me accountable and giving me a healthy perspective on what I struggle with most. This post is for you.

New York New York!!

I'm baaaack! Do I have a legitimate excuse for my much-too-long absence from the blogging world? Not exactly, and therefore I apologize. Although I have been more actively social as of late, I still owe a little time to the blogging community so I promise I will try to be more active on here. I just got back from my favorite city in the world and future home New York City and of course the time went by way too fast. Here are a few highlights:

1.) Going to the Alexander McQueen Savage Beauty exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Best. Exhibit. Ever. No words can describe the incredible way the genius artist was represented there. It was no wonder we had to wait in line for an hour to see it.

2.) Seeing Chicago on Broadway even though Christie Brinkley should never be casted on Broadway especially in a leading role. Seriously, just take my word for it. Still, the experience was awesome and the show was incredibly entertaining.

3.) Going to the Book Expo of America and taking two hours to make the complete rounds, collecting candy and free stuff at countless booths. Aaand meeting Florence Henderson who is Carol Brady from The Brady Bunch who was there promoting her book! My mom grew up on that show so it was especially exciting for her.

4.) Going to the raw food restaurant called Pure Food, a celeb hot spot that my dad discovered a couple trips ago and has been wanting us to try ever since. I know, you'd think it wouldn't be good but it was actually incredibly tasty! The pic above is their signature dish raw lasagna but my favorite by far were their desserts. You would never think they're raw and sweetened with agave! Still don't believe me? You might just have to go to be convinced.

5.) Having movie references for almost every place we visited. New York is a movie buff's dream city.

6.) Going to the Audie Awards, the audio book equivalent of the Academy Awards and pretending I was Serena van der Woodsen for a night. An excuse to dress up, eat lots of good food, drink champagne, and almost pee my pants laughing at the hilarious host this year? Yes please. The stressful time I had getting ready ended up being completely worth it. (I curse false eyelashes and dresses you have to pull over your head!)

7.) Going to our favorite tea spot Alice's Tea Cup as our last stop before we had to leave. The place is adorable and completely Alice in Wonderland themed and has scones to die for.

The lowlight? Saying goodbye to my future home. Until next time NYC!

LA Adventure Highlights

Trip highlights:

- Spending the entire weekend after I arrived with Brittnee helping her prepare for her art show. I never get time with this girl so believe me I soaked up every moment of it!

- The gorgeous weather we had throughout the entire trip. I was beginning to forget what the sun looked like!

- Watching the royal wedding from beginning to end with my parents, grandparents, and aunt at my grandparents' house, commenting on every detail, and picking apart every hideous hat.

- Shopping in Pasadena...mostly at H&M. Enough said.

- Staying in possibly the coolest hotel I have every stayed in in downtown LA. (See picture above with all the cool towers.) Yep, the hotel had 4 or 5 different towers and the elevators were glass so each time we went up we got an awesome view of the city! Not so awesome for those afraid of heights.

- Having drinks with my parents on top of our cool hotel in a rotating room and not realizing we were moving for several minutes.

- Seeing James Blunt and one of my new favorite artists Christina Perri in concert!!! I didn't even realize she was opening for him till right before the concert started!! I was freaking out the entire time. I managed to get Christina Perri's autograph (see above) but she was out of time for photographs by the time I got to her.

...And a couple lowlights:

- Re-injuring my bad knee on the morning of our last full day there. By the time we were heading to the airport I could barely walk and had to be wheeled to my gate. Thank goodness my mom was with me! Don't know what I would have done without her.

- Having our flight delayed for 5+ hours and not arriving home till around 1 in the morning. I hate Allegiant. I did get to make a considerable dent in The Help, the book I bought at the airport and am loving it so far.

I am so glad the not so great parts of the trip happened at the very end and that even with them, I still had a great time overall. Mom, you are the best. I'm so glad I got to travel back with you. You made all those potentially crappy hours at the airport so much more bearable. Happy mothers day!!

Bad Knee & Daydreaming About Balls...

There is only one other event that comes in as close a second to attending the Oscars on my "I Could Die Afterwards Because My Life Would Be Complete" list and that is the Metropolitan Costume Institute Gala. Basically, it's the fairy tale ball I've always wanted to attend come to life. Call me crazy, but I'd even go as far as to say that I'd rather attend this than...the royal wedding! I know, I'm nuts, but when else would you have an excuse to play dress up in a dramatic ball gown and mingle with every celebrity on the planet while celebrating the art of fashion at one of the nations top art museums? The answer is only at the Met Gala. So, while I lay in my hotel bed with my knee propped up because I think I re-injured it I will now transport myself there in my imagination and pretend I am amongst those invited to this elite event, dressed to the nines, and knee pain? What knee pain?

Here are some of from the evening that grabbed my attention:

What do you think of Christina Ricci's extravagant look? Love it? Hate it? For a complete gallery of all the evening's dramatic and elegant (as well as some atrocious) looks and the designers behind them click here. I can't wait to post pics from my LA trip! Up till today it has been wonderful. Now here's hoping my knee allows me to get around tonight and tomorrow when I fly back home...

LA Trip Prep

{tank: American Eagle; cardigan: American Eagle; shorts: Zenana Outfitters; tights: H&M; shoes: Payless}

This evening was spent in preparation for my weeklong trip to LA tomorrow! I am going down for my amazing friend Brittnee's senior art show at Biola. She's graduating in June with an art degree and I am oh-so proud of her. She'll be on Spring break so it'll be nice to just hang out and help her with any last minute prep work for her art project. On Tuesday my parents are taking her and I to a James Blunt concert! I'm so excited about that. What I love most about this trip is the fact that other than the concert and the art show I don't really have an agenda other than having fun and spending time with family and friends and relaxing. Nothing sounds better to me right now. I'm happy that I'm finally learning to live a little and stop stressing about everything which I have a tendency to do quite often. One thing I'll be bummed about is missing the royal wedding. Surely I'll be able to see it somehow, right? Let's hope so. If not, I am making sure to TiVo it at my house and plan on having a belated viewing complete with tea and girlfriends when I return. Packing went unusually well tonight. I think it was because I completely arranged every outfit so I wouldn't be stuck with a bunch of random clothing items and not knowing what to do with them. Typically, I pack way more than I ever end up using and end up wishing I had packed other things so I'm trying to eliminate the issue by planing every outfit down to the last detail. So far it has actually made the whole process easier and I actually look forward to getting dressed down there. Maybe now I won't be as tempted to shop because I have nothing to wear...

I might be absent for a while till I get back but I'll try to squeeze in a post or two while I'm down there. Now I must get my beauty rest before our flight tomorrow. Well, after catching up on Modern Family of course ;)