29 March 2008

MasterCard Commercials

They ALWAYS make me tear up.

ALWAYS.

Some of my favorites:







25 March 2008

Been awhile

Too long. The last day that I posted was...Mom's birthday!

Happy VERY belated birthday, mommy! Here's a cake for you:

[photo via chotda]

On her birthday, I did a lot of things.

Kaylen's day of activities, March 19, 2008:

7:30 AM: Arise, shower, and attempt to eat breakfast through shut eyes and sore throat
8:30 AM: Head over to the BSC to take silly standardized test
8:47 AM: Decide to never give a standardized test to ANY of my students
12:47 PM: RELEASED! FINALLY! I trudge back to Pete's apartment after getting some food from ABP and collapse on the futon
12:55 PM: Call mia madre and say feliz cumpleanos! Make plans to meet up later tonight for bowling and apps.
2:55 PM: Wake up and attempt to paint.
4:00 PM: Pete gets back and we laze around and watch the tellie.
5:15 PM: Depart for Jimmy John's
5:55 PM: Head to Flamingo Bowl to meet up with Mom, Dad, Emme, and Uncle Wayne for the party extravaganza!
6:38 PM: Remember how much I really have no business bowling without bumpers in the lanes.





[mom and dad, so so cute!]

8:14 PM: Depart Flamingo Bowl after two unsuccessful bowling games for everyone except for Dad and Uncle Wayne and head to Washington University, where seats are reserved for the press writer, thank you very much, for Jose Gonzalez

8:37 PM: Meet up with Pete in the freezing cold near a greenhouse. Sometimes I think that Wash U. is so much better than SLU. If I had the money/grades I totally would have opted for there.
8:54 PM: Rudely find out that someone has taken the seats that were supposed to be reserved for me! Horrid!
8:56 PM: Find other seats, sit, watch Mia Doi Todd open and then...JOSE!
9:15 PM: Chat with Cameron and Todd, two good friends that will someday blow up and be bigger than life itself, you'll see.
9:36 PM: Jose comes on!


[both shots via Todd]

10:54 PM: Encore begins.
11:14 PM: We leave. I'm tired. Pete's tired. We're driving to Cairo in the morning.
11:32 PM: Stop for Shamrock Shake at McDonald's. Not a huge fan of Mickey D's, but I do love me my seasonal Shamrock Shakes.
11:40 PM: Pete's apartment. I eat my sandwich from JJ's, drink my shake, and crash crash crash.

In short, it was a loooooooooong day. But a really, really good one.

19 March 2008

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder?

I would have said I was on a brief surprise vacation somewhere amazing and that's why I've been absent from my blogging, but I haven't. I WISH.

I spent ALL DAY working Monday and Tuesday. It was a LOT of work, spending nine hours with twenty kids under the age of ten. By the time that I got home each night, I was so exhausted that I pretty much crashed into bed and didn't wake up until the NEXT morning...where I did it all again the next day.

Then today, I took the C-BASE. Ugh. Four-hour standardized test. Needed to take it to continue on with my education, or something. Still don't quite understand.

But now I'm back! My spring break is halfway over and I guess I'm finally starting it today! I tried to take a nap but couldn't fall asleep and now I'm watching Tyra. I'm still not really sure why. Luckily, though, the show is all about birth order and I've found that absolutely fascinating since a class I took last year.

Yay for more posts later today!

14 March 2008

Finished with midterms!

I don't really have a lot of stuff planned for break...I'm not going to any exotic places. But if I had my way, I would be bopping up and down the CA cost over the next week.

What does that mean? IMAGINARY FIELD TRIP!

First I would fly into LAX.


Then I would check into the Beverly Hills Hotel (aka The Pink Palace)


I would spend lots of time...
hanging out at Venice Beach


playing at the Santa Monica Pier


and shopping a lot.

Then I would rent a car and head up to San Francisco, making stops along the way in
Santa Barbara


Monterey


Big Sur


and Santa Cruz


Oh, and Hearst Castle...B-E-A-UTIFUL


And then...I'd be in San Francisco. EEEEE! One of my favorite cities.




A Positive Experience with Sushi

I'm not a fan of sushi. I don't like raw fish.

Buuuut when I was working diligently on a bulletin board on my floor the other night, the lovely Leah stepped off the elevator and brought me sushi from Whole Foods. Leah is amazing. I'm obsessed.

Anyways. It's veggie sushi. It was pretty good. I documented the situation. I was bored. It was late. I was tired. It's midterms week. Those are all the excuses I have.


I love sushi packaging/bento boxes/whatever they're called. So cute and perfect.



Unsure.


Yummy!

Again, sorry for being vain. I was bored.

12 March 2008

Treehouses

There is some (probably drunk) girl screaming screaming screaming outside my window and seven stories down...and it's keeping me awake. So, I decided to jump online and make a quick blog post.

My dad, the wonderful man that he is, built a playhouse for me and Emme. Someday I'll get some old pictures and scan them onto good ol' happy notions (mostly because there are some really, really cute ones of me and Emme...we used to have huge huge HUGE dimples and extremely curly hair). But ANYWAYS. I loved that treehouse. It was two stories, there was a ladder, a bridge, a slide, and even windows and a steering wheel! We used to act like we were high up above the water, lost at sea...and when one of us or our friends went down the slide, they became mermaids in the swirling waters...

Anyways. So I decided that one of the things that I am doing PRONTO, like, as soon as I move into the house that I want to start a family in, is to build a treehouse in our backyard. I loved mine and I know my kids will love the one that I (help to?) build. The Treehouse Guide seems like a good place to start, with blueprints and tips and stuff. I would come home from ballet class, and dad would be in the backyard, already out of his work clothes and into his icky jeans and shoes and undershirt, cutting wood and staking the ground and then...a month or two later, there it was, majestic and wonderful!

Some flickr favorites:

via D'Arcy Norman


via The Impression that I Get

Ooh la la. Well, now it's 12:41 AM and I'm listening to Sea and Cake and they're really good but I'm sleepy and have a loooooong day tomorrow/today.

In conclusion, I shall add "build kids a treehouse" to my "things to do in the future" list I have going on. It's a long list. And it's VERY exciting!

11 March 2008

I want spring.

This picture, by Sarah Jane, is exactly what I want. I even want the outfit. But I probably wouldn't wear it, it just doesn't fit in with my style.



Regardless, it's an adorable print and I want St. Louis to be WARMER. I want pastel colors to go along with EASTER, which is in a little over a week.

06 March 2008

I like these things.

5 images (not photos from family albums) I love and why:

this picture will always remind me of that wonderful day in the park


My dad's a photographer and I feel like I really got a good shot of him here. I love how the sun plays off of his face.


I have such an amazing floor. Here we all are posing around our fireplace at Christmastime, wearing our floor shirts. All the smiles could cure the world.


Seeing this picture of Louie makes me want to cuddle him for forever.


Lastly, Natalie Dee sums it up perfectly.

5 years ago I was ...14 years old. I was in my second semester of high school as a freshman and I still didn't really like it, although I was constantly hanging out with Katherine, Kevin, and Sam. It's funny because I haven't talked to Kevin since this time and I hardly ever see KAR and Sam. I was just about to start working at Joanie's, too. At this point in the year, though, I still had a social life.

5 months ago I was ... working on Christmas gifts, in the middle of a huge artsy session- St. Louis' International Film Festival was going on and I was about to see Regina Spektor and Of Montreal. Good times indeed.

5 hours ago I was ... just starting my Professional Ethics class with Dr. Shore, one of the coolest dudes in the universe.

5 minutes ago I was ... working on this survey? And generally feeling cranky.

5 things on my 'to do' list today: 1) go to class; 2) wake up on time; 3) think positive; 4) talk to Cassie; 5) homework homework homework (I'm kind of boring today)

5 recent pieces of mail I've received: a coupon for Victoria's Secret (addressed to Lkaylen...what?), my voter registration card (finally, yay!), the April issue of Nylon Magazine, a CB2 catalogue, and the newest ReadyMade magazine.

5 things I would do if I became a billionaire: drop out of school and become a crafty fiend, travel to Europe, pay off all the current college debts, buy a trillion art supplies, and make my daddy retire from his job

5 of my bad habits: worrying too much, procrastinating on work, generally being lazy, getting angry at stupid people easily, and generally hating on technology when I don't understand it

5 good memories: family vacations (especially the Southwest and California), good grade school experiences (somewhat few and far between), spending summers outside in the sprinklers, helping mom work on art, and seeing The Parent Trap in theaters about nine times.

5 films I watch over and over again: Amelie, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Royal Tenenbaums, Pretty in Pink, Sleepless in Seattle

5 places I've lived: Hmmm. House in Soulard, Gries 5th floor, Village, Gries 7th floor...?

5 songs I love: "D.A.N.C.E." Justice; "Heartbeats" Jose Gonzalez; "Falling in Love in a Coffee Shop" Landon Pigg; "Naked Eye" Luscious Jackson; "Love Shack" The B-52's

5 jobs I've had: busser at Joanie's/Vin de Set, conference assistant at SLU, worker at the soccer park, RA, extended day counselor at Wilson School

5 things most people don't know about me: I easily cry at sappy commercials (example: Sea World, Kodak, RICE KRISPIES...), I'm extremely overprotective of my family and friends (especially my residents), I get nervous easily but I wish I was fearless, I'm not really addicted to Facebook, and I know how much time I waste each day on the Internet- about five hours. Sad, sad, sad.

5 things in my virtual shopping bags: Clear bubble umbrella from Target, Candy Glass Pedestals from Urban Outfitters, Madame Powder Puff from Bell'ochio, Alphabet Stamps from Cox & Cox,
and the Eames Hold-it-All from MoMA.

5 books I love to death: Weetzie Bat, The Time Traveler's Wife, Eat Pray Love, The History of Love, Naked

5 things that are out of place around my house: my winter coat, a ton of picture frames, dishes, cookies, and crafty supplies

5 films I want to see: 12 Angry Men, Junebug, Saturday Night Fever, Run, Fat Boy, Run, Mrs. Pettigrew Lives for a Day

5 things I love to eat: Samoas, Babybel cheese with Cracked Pepper & Olive Oil Triscuits, Ding-dongs, apples

5 destinations I'm dying to see: Paris, France; all of Italy; all of India; Bali, Indonesia; more of New York City

5 scents I love: rain, Chanel Chance, caramel, the ocean/beach, leather

5 people (who are not blood relations or in-laws) who have had a positive impact on my life: Ms. Vilimek, Megan K., Pete W., Kathleen O'M., Alyson D.

via la vie en rose


My favorite finds of today (so far)

One of my favorite things from when I was little were my jellies. Now J.Crew offers a more lady-like, updated pair:


Also from J.Crew, I love this entire outfit:


Finally, yes, I did watch Project Runway last night. I was definitely rooting for Christian Siriano, although Jillian Lewis really is a fantastic designer. I was really happy when he won. But Jillian created a jacket that I would wear every day of my life...if I had it. Which I don't. And probably never will.

Paperclips

I like giant-sized things that are normally small. I saw these gems over on apartmenttherapy this morning. They would be fun to arrange in an entryway.

Project Runway II

I mean, c'mon, we all knew he would win. You just didn't want to admit it.

Snow pictures

I really like snow...especially if I don't have to drive in it.

















All pictures taken on SLU's campus, when I went on walks to get out of Pete's icky apartment.

04 March 2008

Bassinet

I am so excited to have kids of my own- not that I'm in any hurry (geez, just trying to get through my American Politics class this semester...) but so many other bloggers have children and I'm creating quite the savings account for my future kiddies (I decided I want four- two girls (Zoe and Madeline Mae) and two boys (Rusty and Oliver).

I really like this bassinet. It reminds me of a castle.


Folding Bassinet - Sparkability

Hampers

I love these. Found via apartmenttherapy.

Desirables: Old Navy

Otherwise known as: stuff I want.

Shirred Tube Top



Cropped Cardigan


Belted Safari Jacket


Striped Cuff-Shorts

Clean Front Shorts

Low Rise Cuffed Bermudas


Accessories:

Bowler Bag


Satin Flats


Pretty pretty things.