Sam Shakusky.

sam shakusky is one of the protagonists in the movie Moonshine Kingdom. shakusky, along with suzy, are 2 misunderstood 12 year old kids who are experiencing teenage love for the first time and run away together to the dismay of the small town they live in.

some may feel that the movie is slow, but no one can deny the charming and artistic cinematography that Wes Anderson creates evoking the audience to step back, pause, and say hmmmm...i know that may not make sense to those who have not watched the movie, but for those that have, do i make sense?

moonshine kingdom is a mash-up of a little hipster, a little the wonder years, and a little the princess bride. here are some still images to illustrate my description of the movie:

i would recommend it for a girls night out. it's refreshing (in its own quirky way) amidst all the typical summer blockbuster movies out there in the theaters. go and see it!

Exclusively for dog owners and dog lovers.

image via

i know, i know, i got choked up too. now dry your tears and carry on. your weekend awaits.

HAPPY WEEKEND.

i hope you have an exciting, yet relaxing weekend. jam packed with naps, your favorite peeps, doggies, gastronomic adventures, the good 'ol outdoors, and some television to round things out a bit.

it's friday and i'm off. my niece, who also happens to be my goddaughter, slept over last night. tentative plans for us include: smoothies for breakfast, Brave AND Moonrise Kingdom (Brave-her pick, Moonrise Kingdom-my pick), and possibly a One Direction poster. boy bands never go out of style. lol.

Saturday is going to be spent at the hospital. but sunday will be spent celebrating the birth-day of my better half. the hubsters is turning 34, but doesn't look a day over 30. he can still run 7 miles like it's nothing, lift weights like he's popeye, and play basketball just for fun for a few hours, all in the same day. if that doesn't prove age ain't nothin' but a number, then i have no idea what will.

if your wondering what plans i have in store for the old guy, your guess is as good as mine. but i'm sure i'll post about it on this 'ol blog. so have a great weekend friends! i'd love to hear about your interesting weekend shenanigans...

and just for shits-and-giggles, here is a photo i took of J in new orleans.
at the time, i was just discovering all the cool photo editing
apps on my droid and thought that
this one was pretty awesome.

UWS and running.

last may, j and i went to new york and boston for a little rest and relaxation. we opted to forgo our usual digs of either brooklyn or jersey city (i have friends and family who live in both cities) and decided on going all out this trip and decided to stay in manhattan, the upper west side to be exact. i booked a 2-star hotel room via hotwire.com, that ended up to be The Days Inn. it was perfect! i highly recomend that hotel. not only for it's great location and fairly large room for NY standards, but for $150/night which included fees and taxes, you just can't beat it.

the upper west side is a quieter neighborhood in manhattan. it's between central park and the hudson river. it's more residential if anything. if you stroll the city blocks, you'll see a lot of moms/nannies and strollers. after a long day of manhattan shopping, eating, walking, sightseeing, and museum-ing it's nice to go home to the UWS. AND let's not forget the close proximity of the park, you know...theee park. oh that huge, glorious, mesmerizing, magical central park...how i love thee.

there's even a castle!

what intrigued me about this neighborhood was the amount of runners that are everywhere, running at all times of the day. it was inspiring and perplexing all at the same time. seeing that many people run, really really fast i might add, in the confines of the so called "concrete jungle" and within the beautiful setting of Central Park made me actually want to run too...i know, weird, right? so i did. and J did too. we ran in NY and in boston! we still run to this day 3 times a week around SF and the peninsula. so we thank you UWS for turning these 2 non-runners into runners joggers.

doesn't he blend in and look like an UWS-er?

A new york love affair.

HU2Design

have you ever been to NYC? if not, then you need to go! sometimes i catch myself daydreaming of the big apple. no matter how many times i go there (usually it's twice a year) there are still endless things to do, see, experience, eat, etc. what i love about the big city is the anonymity that one feels despite being surrounded by mass quantities of people. it's liberating. plus, there's all different kinds of beautiful-ness. nothing is cookie cutter in NYC. not the people, not the buildings, not the restaurants, the neighborhoods, ideas, art...the list goes on. being "cool and hip" is just being. isn't that a novel idea? you can be who you are, whatever you are and no one will judge you or even give you a second glance because eveyone else is doing exactly the same...just living and doing their best to survive the grind of NYC.

till next time new york...

google images

tribaltattoos24.com

nycgo.com

Shopoholics annonymous.

can a girl ever stop wanting to shop? nope. didn't think so. here's a few items i've been oogling over on the world wide web.

Gee Wawa
have you heard of flatforms? i like how these look a little funky,
a litte clunky, but still comfortable.
i think it would go perfect with a pair of skinny jeans.

ban.do
when i cross over to iphone territory i plan on getting this case.
i just love the red heart graphic.

jcrew
every girls gotta have a statement necklace, right?
i personally want a green one.

nike free
i need a pair of new running shoes. while i'm partial
to asics, i've been hearing good things about these nikes.

jcrew
what is it with these darn stripes that keep calling my name?

since we're on the topic of shopping, which do you prefer: ordering your stuff from the internet or shopping the old fashion way?

Through the years in travel photos.

traveling is really important to J and I. alas, my job (for the last 3 years) only allows me 2 weeks vacation until i reach the 5 year mark. which means no overseas trips for us. lord help me! i am a firm believer that going to new places and meeting new and different people are priceless experiences. it changes one's perspective in life. it allows you to see the world beyond your own little bubble, and that is oh so important.

if we ever when we have babies of our own, we want to travel with them to far away places so that they will be able to see the world. i must ask all of you moms and dads out there, how is it traveling with your little one or ones?

 i thought i'd share with you some of our favorite trips through the years. WARNING: this post is going to be obnoxiously pic heavy and its not even all of our trips. so sorry!

ATVing in maui

being silly in london

everyone has to do a luau

the enormity of the eiffel tower

the colosseum in rome

my favorite all time place, santorini

st. mark's square in venice

J driving the booze cruise drunk

cabo

the pantheon in athens

brazil

chichen itza. if you are planning to go, you can not climb
the temple anymore.

grand canyon

chicago

mykonos

nola

costa rica

A girl can dream, can't she?

as i mentioned in a previous post, we short saled our house late last year. to say that was a stressful time, would be the understatement of the year. if i started this 'ol blog then, you would probably be reading a whole lotta dark, stressed, and negative posts. i could fathom that a few post titles would be: why me?, i hate school, the ups and downs of marriage, infertility can suck it and so can the real estate market!, D&C...what's that?, getting older is for the birds. i could literally blurt out a zillion other depressing possible titles, but i'll stop right here. i decided 2012 was going to be nothing short of the polar opposite of 2011 for me. 2012 was going to be about hope, being thankful and humble, dreaming of the impossible and possible, drive and ambition, being kind and content.

J always reminds me that God gives you what you need and not what you want. so with that mantra, i'm going to surrender all my qualms about myself and my life to Him, and trust what He has in store for me.

speaking of dreaming, it's no surprise to any of our family members or friends that having our own little one would be the ultimate blessing/dream for J and i. i came across the glow and it pretty much translates a few of my dreams into photographs. here's a few

this site captures the magic and beauty of being a mom. i know that "real life" doesn't look like this. but since this isn't my "real life"...yet, i'll let my dreams of being a mom be filled with effortless beauty, grace, and perfectness, because that's what dreams are made for.

Recommendation: saltwater sandals, a must.

i wore my tan saltwater sandals today for perusing the aisles of west elm and chillaxin' with the fairfield fam bam for Tatay's birthday. i highly recommend them! super comfortable and really cute. i could literally walk for miles in them. wanna see?!

p.s.
Happy birthday Tatay! We love you very much.