Day 3: Jake Graduates

Congratulations to my little brother Jake, who graduated college and is moving to Southern California. Enjoy your trip across the country :)

Food prep for the graduation party!

I made yummy chocolate strawberries

Lots of desserts

Cousins L-to-R Jake, Rebecca, Me, Dale

Day 2: Wedding #1

Last night I went to Sarah & Steve's wedding at the Quidnessett Country Club in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. Sarah's been my friend since we met in 2000 at college. She met Steve when we were sophmores and they somehow managed a long distance relationship while both in school. She looked beautiful, but my camera settings were messed up, so most of my photos didn't come out that well.

Sarah & her mom

Sarah & Steve

You may now kiss the bride!

The First Dance

Close up

Me with the Bride

Cutting the cake

My friend Kristin & her boyfriend

Some Sigma Kappa girls (and Kristin and Ashley)

Singing to Bon Jovi (or something similar)

Day 1: Foiled by Thieves!

I spent Thursday night and Thursday morning traveling from California to New York to Boston to Rhode Island. I had a three hour layover at JFK and I sat there exhausted. When I finally arrived at the rental car place in Boston, I pulled out my wallet only to find my debit card and one credit card was missing!!

I knew I hadn't used them in New York or Boston. It turns out someone, somehow took them out of my wallet which was in my purse. But they didn't take my license or my passport or my cash.

I called my bank and credit card company and within a few hours someone had made 6 charges using my account in New York City! Unbelievable.

Fortunately they are mailing me new cards next week before I leave for Europe. But it wasn't a fun way to start off my vacation...

This Is It!!!

I've waited three years to say this: "I'm on sabbatical!"

Seriously, what a good feeling! (Background info: my company generously gives you a four week paid sabbatical every three years)

I'm still packing, but I leave in a few hours to fly to Boston. Wedding #1 is tomorrow, so I will be posting some photos this weekend.

Tomorrow I have to drive from Logan Airport to North Kingstown, Rhode Island. If my flight is delayed I may seriously be late to the ceremony.

Cross your fingers for me that I make it on time!

I Found My Outfit For Wedding #2 Here...

Look at these gorgeous fabrics...The store I bought my outfit from specializes in designer and custom-made sarees, as well as appropriate outfits for a sikh wedding. Wait until you see mine~it's bright green and pink!

I had to resist the urge to buy jewelry!

(This has been edited since I used the same picture twice, thanks for catching that Fab)

Petite Anglaise

Buy it, Read it, Love it.

It's so good, I read it in two days. If I didn't have to work, I would have read it one day.
Now I want to read the British English version.

Fabien recently told me that I have "no life" because I spend all of my free time reading about other people's lives on the internet. Oh whatever. I read about people who are doing interesting things with their lives.

Need Some Inspiration...

"Once in a while it really hits people that they don't have to
experience the world in the way they have been told to."

-Alan Keightley

My inspiration and motivation for the week.

On Thursday I leave for Boston~cross your fingers for good weather because I arrive on the East Coast mere hours before my friends wedding starts...this trip is going to be a wild one!

How I Furnished My Beach-side Apartment

When I moved out on my own my rent nearly doubled, but now I have my own space and I'm even closer to the beach than before!

I wanted to share my experience with how I furnished my entire (tiny) apartment.

In a previous lifetime (or perhaps in my fantasy world where someone else was paying) I would have bought everything new from Ikea or Pottery Barn or Cost Plus World Market.

When set off to buy all of these shiny new things for my new apartment somewhere along the way I suddenly realized that buying everything new might not be the best way to go. So before I started buying things I made a concious decision to try to buy used furnishings for my apartment to help me keep my costs down and use recycled items.

As I mentioned, quite a few friends helped out by donating leftover utensils, chairs and things that they don't need anymore. My friend April gave me a chair, but it turned out to be too big for my apartment (and it only really sat one person comfortably).

I bought a working microwave at a yard sale for $5, and a stool (to reach my highest cabinets) for $8.

Fabien found me a blue/gray leather couch for $30. (It's soooo comfortable)

Then Fabien & I scoured craigslist for weeks looking for a table. And guess what? Fabien found me a wooden table that is the perfect size for my apartment for FREE.

I held off getting chairs until this past weekend. But suddenly I woke up on Saturday morning with dinner plans for that night (at my apartment) and no chairs. So finally this weekend, after a brief trip to Walmart (I know, sorry) I went to ikea and picked up 2 Stefan chairs (pictured above). Just before we headed to the checkout, Fab & I took a quick look at the "Clearance" section of ikea and found 2 Stefan chairs (already assembled) that cost $12 less than the news ones.

Today my co-worker gave me a ton of stuff that I can use that he was about to take to Goodwill. I scored 2 nice folding chairs, a playstation, a phone, a clothes drying rack and a new showerhead. He was relieved to have gotten rid of his stuff and I was thrilled about getting some things I actually needed for FREE. No, I don't need a playstation, but that's for Fabien to thank him for all the hard work he did to find my furniture.

Moral of the story? I feel better about how I went about furnishing my apartment and my wallet does too! Plus, I waited until I found tasteful and furniture I liked before I bought or picked it up, so it's not like I'm stuck with hideous things that I hate.

Second moral of the story? If you need to find, buy or sell something on Craigslist Fab's your guy.

The Cali K&K Meetup

Since I was so jealous that I couldn't make it to see everyone at the K&K picnic, Katie & I decided to throw our own California party...

On Friday night I met up with Katifornia and together we explored the Musée Mécanique along the Fisherman's Wharf. The Musée has very old, but still working games from a long time ago. Katie was armed with tons of quarters and we both brough M&M's to munch on!

Here Katie was told she (by the career pilot) that she would grow up to be an Adagio Dancer

Is the beau hitting the woman? So weird...

It's just silly ok!

Ou la! La brouillard

Miam the sourdough!

A little doughy turtle

If you don't have sourdough bread near you, let me tell you that you're missing out!

Mmm clam chowder and champagne! Fun!

Well of course we thought that Kyliemac would love this shirt, we found it at Steve & Barry's

Friday's Feast 139

Appetizer

Do you consider yourself to be an optimist or a pessimist?

I'd like to think that I'm mostly an optimist, with a hint of pessimism from time to time.

Soup

What is your favorite color of ink to write with?

Anything that's not blue or black and with a calligraphy tip.

Salad

How often do you get a manicure or pedicure? Do you do them yourself or go to a salon and pay for them?

I never get manicures, but I do get pedicures once a month. It's necessary because we show our toes all-year round here in California :)

Main Course

Have you ever won anything online? If so, what was it?

Online? No, but my mom is always entering me in contests, so I'm bound to win right? (there's some optimism for you)

Dessert

In which room in your house do you keep your home computer?

Mostly in my "living room", but sometimes in my bedroom.

TGIF...more feasts here.