becoming one of those people I hate that are obsessed with their dog....

 My dad was actually upset that we bought/ forced Phinnie to wear this Santa Suit.

Santa Barbara

A bunch of Santa Clara friends and I met in Santa Barbara to watch UNC play in the college soccer cup.  So cool to be there for this! 

I convinced everyone to go to the beach because it was 77 degrees. I tried to participate in this football game for about 5 minutes; I dont think the boys were sad to see me quit...

Pierce drove me all the way back to LA in time for my flight. Thank youuuuu

Seasons of LOVE

My family loves this song from the musical RENT. Reminds me of Christmas too :)

image from WeHeartIt

Home

Love going home. Here are a few pictures from my trip home for Thanksgiving...

Pregamed at Tim's apartment, there is nothing better than highschool friends...poor Andrew :(

Snow on Thanksgiving Day!

Bobbin and Shelley made it!!! The best part of being home!

 Louie and Phinneus

 Louis and I went ice-skating. We left after 30 minutes and got pretzels and popcorn from the concession stand because 'his back hurt."

 Maddi, Mikey, Marge, Bu

Phinnie got caught in a mouse trap...

Home by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

Skinny Love by Bon Iver

Image via Le Love

Selma Gomez

Casi was inspired by Selena Gomez's tweet showing her dark nail polish topped with sparkles. So we went to Walgreens, tried on all the $1.99 polishes in the store and tried to imitate the Disney star. Then I tweeted a picture of it...but my iPhone self corrected "selena" and turned it into "Selma" and then I received a text from my sister "who is selma gomez?" Feeling less cool and hip by the moment...

Laundry

Attached to the laundromat by my house is the cutest coffee shop. Sundays in here are packed with people on their computers, reading,  and drinking coffee while they wait for their laundry. And of course because I live in San Francisco, there is quite the interesting mix of people. The lady behind the counter has streaked cherry red hair and a nose piercing ( one of those that goes in between your nostrils... how does she blow her nose?), the two middle aged ladies next to me are talking about weed brownies and how they really think they deserve medical marijuana cards for their migraines, and I just saw a girl approach a guy and ask him about what he was working on his computer screen and now they are sitting side by side holding hands (love?) and I'm positive they were strangers ten minutes ago. I like this place... minus the folding and carrying my suitcase of clothes back up the hill to my apartment...

Birthdayyyy

I had one of my best birthdays so far on Tuesday. Work surprised me with flowers and a cake (candles and singing included) which was a welcomed surprise. The day continued with two more deliveries of beautiful flowers, one from my parents and one from Maddi :) . After work, Steph and I went shopping and then met Casi, Gillian, Rose and Brandon for drinks at Butterfly, a fun restaurant at Pier 33 and then spent the rest of the night enjoying the view on my roof with a bottle of wine, or 4. Thank you everybody for your calls, emails, facebook posts, and tweets; I think 23 is going to be a great year...

from Maddi

from Eastwick

and mom and dad!

 Birthday, by Kings of Leon

I like watching people fall...

There is nothing funnier than watching someone wipe out. I feel like as someone who has endured some of the most epic falls of all time, I have earned the right to enjoy watching it happen to others.

Most recent example here - Laugh

Loving this song right now...

You belong among the wildflowers,

You belong in a boat out at sea,

Sail away, kill off the hours,

You Belong somewhere you feel free
- Wildflowers, Tom Petty

Giants

My first baseball season in San Francisco and the Giants won the World Series!!! I admit I feel like a bit of a traitor jumping on this band wagon (still love the Cardinals of course). My office took a break in the morning to go to the parade where 1.4 million people crowded the streets downtown to welcome the team back, each player in their own SF cable car. So much fun...

Weekend

Spent Saturday picnic-ing by the beach with Casi and Steph and walking around this lake at the Palace of Fine Arts. Met a strange couple who found out I was from Saint Louis and said "oooo it's so hot in the summer, but you're lucky that there are so many cute bunny rabbits there." I guess?

Happy Halloween!!! (dedicated to MM)

The title of this post is a little deceiving because, call me a grinch, but I cannot stand Halloween. The idea is so great, but the execution...painful. Maddi and  I have been total Halloween haters since we met in 7th grade and nothing has changed. It's 8:30 and my costume consists of suspenders, a green wig, and a headband with puppy ears attached. What costume does that make??

The highlight of my night so far was talking to Maddi and having her tell me that she was reluctantly out, dressed as a conservative flapper with a cardigan and that Tim was dressing as a 'slutty mailman.'

LOVE YOU and miss you, especially tonight on our mutually hated holiday xoxoxo

And I hope the sun shines
And it's a beautiful day
And something reminds you
- Taylor Swift, Last Kiss

"I am so lucky that my life is filled with people who constantly remind me that the world is filled with more good than bad, more hope than doubt, and more love than pain." - Jillian Costello

Just got an e-mail from Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation that announced this year's Jog for Jill raised $360, 000 for lung cancer!!! Amazing :)

Do you remember when we first met?

I sure do,

It was some time

In early September,

-Jack Johnson, Do You Remember

So the half marathon was a success (finishing counts as success, right?). Steph was overly enthusiastic skipping and singing techno (is that possible?) all thirteen miles while I counted down the minutes til it was over. Feeling motivated we went straight from the race to Target and apartment shopped and finished moving in! Our apartment is the greatest place ever and the neighborhood is amazing; we are in heaven. Currently sitting at a laundromat/coffee shop enjoying the free WIFI (our comcast is still not set up and we do not have a washer/dryer). ohhh city life; i love you.

1/2 Marathon Tomorrow!

Tomorrow morning I will be running the San Jose Rock 'n' Roll 1/2 Marathon. Steph, Sarah and I did it last year and this year Steph and I will be doing it again but this year with Audrey. Haven't really been training so it should be interesting! Steph and I will be the ones in matching hot pink headbands-- updates to come later...

A pic from last year's race-hope we're still smiling this big post race tomorrow!

Silly Things

Sleeping in socks freaks me out

I hate olives and pickles

I like my candy bars frozen

I think being tickled is amongst the scariest experiences in life

I think its gross when people use the word "rally" in reference to going out

I have a strong desire to learn to sail, and to play the piano

Before I eat m& ms, I have to line them up in straight lines with the same number of each color. And then eat them in backwards rainbow order (brown, blue, green, yellow, orange, red)

I like country music more than every other type of music

I crack my knuckles, my back and my neck...and I think its rude that people think its rude

I want to go to a carnival...

In my daily scouring of photo blogs, I ran across these pictures. I have the itch to go to a carnival.... probably a result of waiting all winter and spring for the St. Clare Carnival in Santa Clara and it never coming (remember our disappoinment Case?)

(photos from We Heart It)

My little brother who started college a few weeks ago in Burlington, VT already has his own radio station show starting soon. So proud of this guy! Here are the deets...

WWPV 88.7 The Mike
"Frank and Joe on the Block of Mischief"
Tuesdays 2-4
Listen!

Awoken at 6:30 am this morning by these two sleepy loves wanting to cuddle and use my laptop's Photobooth to take silly pictures; could there be any better way to start the day?

Guster Forever

But you can't hide standing under these stars,

They know everything, they know where you are,

You're in your head, you're all turned around with it,

And they're shining down their light to bring you back again

- Careful, Guster

(Image from LeLove)

Life is Sweet...

Sourness and bitterness come from the interfering and unappreciative mind. Life itself, when understood and utilized for what it is, is sweet.
- Tao of Pooh, by Benjamin Hoff

City Livin'

     So my first weekend in San Francisco is over! It has been an amazing few days; full of unsuccessful apartment hunting, lots of exploring, even more time spent being lost, running on the wharf, going out in new places, and feeling more than confident that moving here was the best decision I could have made!

     We went out in the Marina Friday night, and in North Beach Saturday. Pierce got in a confrontation in a bar in my honor with a meathead fire fighter (thank you?) and Casi fell down a flight of stairs while trying to make a grand exit in front of a group of boys. Also, the hills are killing me, my butt has never been so sore. Love this place...

Picture from last night

San Francisco

First day in San Francisco!! Foggy and beautiful, here's a pic from my morning run on the wharf...

Now I'm off apartment hunting, wish me luck!

Good Clean Fun

Saturday night, Marisa, Maddi, Sara, Meg, and I went to Forest Park and biked in the 47th annual Moonlight Ramble! The five of us (along with 10,000 others) rode either 9 or 19 miles (take a wild guess which route we took); SO FUN :)

My Competition

Right before the race started

Packing?

Starting to pack for my move to San Francisco on Wednesday...my room is a scary situation right now. So, so excited though!

Gloriously Reunited At Last

Going Away Dinner at Atlas tonight!

We're finally all back together for the first time since Christmas for one week! Love my family (Jeff and Tina included of course :) 

Lilly IPhone Cover

I got my Lilly Pulitzer Iphone Case in the mail today. Just to remind myself I'm a Saint Louis girl :)
(Thanks Tina for the idea!!)

Here's the SITE to buy them! I chose the style called "Checking In."

(from Tinabells and PreppyPrincess.com)

That I can change the world
I would be the sunlight in your universe
You will think my love was really something good
Baby if I could change the World
-Change The World, Eric Clapton

“Life is like a box of crayons. Most people are the 8-color boxes, but what you’re really looking for are the 64-color boxes with the sharpeners on the back. I fancy myself to be a 64-color box, though I’ve got a few missing. It’s ok though, because I’ve got some more vibrant colors like periwinkle at my disposal. I have a bit of a problem though in that I can only meet the 8-color boxes. Does anyone else have that problem? I mean there are so many different colors of life, of feeling, of articulation.. so when I meet someone who’s an 8-color type.. I’m like, “hey girl, magenta!” and she’s like, “oh, you mean purple!” and she goes off on her purple thing, and I’m like, “no – I want magenta!”

- John Mayer

(from Jeff)

Perfect song on the radio
Sing along 'cause it's one we know
It's a smile, it's a kiss
It's a sip of wine, it's summertime

- Summertime, Kenny Chesney

STL Adventures

Pierce came to Saint Louis!!! So happy to see this guy- we've missed you!

The Arch

Two boys afraid of heights, one girl with claustrophobia- finally made it to the top!

Watching Jeff's Game!! Louie cried when the ref took away Jeff's goal which was apparently offsides. He told Pierce and I "the refs are cheaters."

This was without a doubt the boys' favorite part of the weekend.

At the Dubliner!

My personal favorite parts of the weekend:
 - Pierce and Jeff waking up my mom at 4:30 AM debating about Lil Wayne's effect on the modern rapping style
- Getting lost downtown on the way to Crown Candy and ending up at the mall food court's Chik-Fil-A
- The hot dog stand on Washington Avenue
- Pierce admitting right before he left that he broke the blinds in Annie's room

<3 <3 <3