Modern Monday

After my typical peruse of Architectural Digest online, I always find some inspiring spaces.  Recently, they’ve featured interesting restaurants and other modern kinds.  There’s something so exciting about the next cutting edge of an industry and I love the architecture of things.  I think I pick this up from my father who would always have Architectural Digest laying around the house.  I always loved the photos in these magazines.  All photos in this post are directly from the Architectural Digest link above.  It would be a dream to learn how to shoot some of these incredible photos, maybe I’ll put it on my bucket list 🙂

Mexico City – Tori Tori

Paris – Sur Mesure

Hong Kong – Ozone

Brooklyn – Isa

There are so many great aspects of architecture that I just am awe-struck by on this site.  I always gravitate towards the 10 greatest spans post on their site as well.  Here are some of my favorites.

Big Sur, CA

Fayetteville, VA

(near) Boulder City, NV

I could post pictures from this site all day.  It’s really amazing the things that can be created with a talented eye for design.  I hope everyone had a great weekend!

Fun is contagious.

How many people can pond skim one sled?!

On our beautiful Sunday snowmobile session, there happened to be an ever-growing pond forming in one flat of the mountain that we decided needed to be explored.  We decided after a bunch of individual pond skimming that we would really just pile people on one sled to really Spring Break it up.  I literally was laughing the entire time.  It was so much fun.  There are some pretty funny photos, too.

This is how the small pond started.

The guys worked on carving it out more.

Emily and I doubled for the first team effort.  We could not stop laughing.  We love being goofy and doubling together to do silly things.  Last time we doubled was to do donuts on the Phaser… People said they could hear us laughing from a ways away.

Contemplating how to fit more on.

Then we made three on one sled happen.  Easy.

Although, now the pond is growing.

But we made it!

For the grand finale.  Let’s add two more!

We made it!

Celebrating!

Fun is so contagious.

Happy Friday – go have limitless amounts of fun this weekend 🙂

How to enjoy the California snow when it’s Spring time

Well with the warm weather upon us and summer on the verge, you can still enjoy snow in the sunshine.  On Saturday, we headed to Squaw early morning for lots of runs and then the pool and lake in the afternoon.

Matt and Em!

The later in the day it got, the heavier and slushier the snow got.

They have some awesome lake views at Squaw.

For a weekend, there was hardly anyone there.

After our day at Squaw, we headed to a friends house on the lake.  They had the most amazing grassy yard and this incredible pier to lounge on.

The scenery at the lake NEVER gets old.

It was a perfect 75 degrees.

On Sunday, my friends and I hit Mt. Rose on snowmobiles to enjoy one of the last weekends before all of the snow melts.  However, they had a decent amount of snow up there!  It was very warm though, when not riding we were in t-shirts and tank tops.  It was more than a blast and I snapped a ton of photos along the way.

Climbing.

She’s tiny but she’s so strong.

The boys were launching.

Scoping.

Relaxing.

Balance.

We’d snowmobile for a while and then take a break to relax.  Then head back out again.  It was perfect.

One of the guys got a little stuck and had to roll his sled out of this predicament.  It was pretty entertaining to watch.

The sled rolling down the hill.

I’m not sure what was happening at this point in time.  Two sleds sliding.

Perfect skies.

We made a few marks in the snow on Sunday.

I wouldn’t have had it any other way 🙂

I’ve saved the best for last tomorrow.  We found a pond to skim while snowmobiling and things got a little crazy.  I have some AWESOME photos to share of it tomorrow to close out the week : )

Friendship

I know in my last post I talked a little bit about Emily and the friendship we’ve maintain for now *gasp* twelve years.  It seems so weird to put a number to the time and definitely doesn’t feel like that long.  We’ve been through the waves of motion in life and haven’t always lived right next door to each other (even though that’s how it began) but we’ve always been able to pick up right where we left off.  I’ve been really aware of the amazing people in my life lately and I really hope they know how much I appreciate them.  I try to tell them as much as possible and I appreciate them all more than they will probably ever know.  It’s so important to keep the strong, supportive and FUN people in your life.  Fun is contagious and there’s absolutely no reason to stop the good times with the people you care for.

Now onto the good stuff, here’s some more photos that Em and I took while down at the lake over the weekend.  It’s a continuation of sorts from yesterdays post 🙂

Coffee together is always the best.  Tahoe House in Tahoe City is one of the best bakeries and coffee shops in between the North and West shores of Tahoe.

Being silly.  We literally might be the most silly people when we get together.

Naturally, we also bond over music.  Em was making a playlist for our lake lounging.

  I’ll leave you with some words of wisdom I read yesterday.  Another great friend, Chelsea, sent me this link to a bunch of motivational and inspiring quotes and there was one I wanted to share.  Every now and then it’s nice to read something that can empower you at the start of your day.  Happy Wednesday!

Silhouettes

While in Tahoe last weekend with nothing but perfect weather, I got to spend time with some of my best friends.  Emily and I headed down to the lake one morning with coffees, catching up on life and snapping some photos.  It’s so nice to spend time with genuine friends that you don’t get to see in your everyday life.  Emily is one of the most beautiful people I know inside and out and not to mention has modeled for companies like Apple.  Needless to say, these photos of her are flawless!  I have a few more to post later in the week.

This is my absolute fav0rite of her.

I’ve never seen the lake more calm.

Tahoe has half of my heart.  I would love to have a place in Tahoe and in the city.  I miss these views every morning but now whenever I go up there, I appreciate every second I spend there.

Geese.

Out on the pier.

I just love her.

Beach strolling.

Em snapped a few photos, too.  She likes photography as well and actually has her own blog here.

I have many more Tahoe photos from my weekend with her and Matt to post this week so I’ll continue to post this week 🙂

We got it all right here

I’ve been a little M.I.A from blogging lately because I’ve had a lot going on with work and travels but I’m going to be the come back kid this week and hopefully get back in gear!  Coachella was naturally one of the most amazing weekends and it was followed up by another amazing weekend in Tahoe.  Above is me and one of my best friends Em just having fun on a pier in Tahoe.  It was the most amazing weather this weekend and Em and her husband, Matt, are some of the best people I know.  We always have such a good time together and I’ll see Em again when we head to the Neon Indian show in SF this week.  I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and I look forward to catching up on your blogs as well 🙂

Coachella – There’s no stopping us right now

Wow is all I can say.  With being the music lover I am, I cannot believe I missed so many years of the infamous Coachella in Indio, California.  Every year I had to miss out for one reason or another and always was so bummed to hear what a great festival I missed out on.  Well this is my year of no regrets and so far I think I’m doing pretty well.  A lot of large changes but all have enhanced my life and have really allowed me to spend close time with some of the best friends the world could give you.  We packed our bags and hit the road for one of the most epic weekends I’ve ever experienced.

I was a little bit hesitant to how the festival would be because I don’t always do well in large crowds and feeling trapped but this was a mass of people that were all there for the same reason – to enjoy some of the best music the world has to offer.  It was impossible to catch every band that I wanted to but some of the highlights for me were: Miike Snow, Feist, Calvin Harris “Feel so close” and Rihanna’s guest appearance for “We Found Love,” Grouplove, Justice, the Shins, M83!!!, and so many more.  There were guest appearances left and right on any set stage and the music was going all weekend long.  The sound quality was nothing short of excellent and the Tupac hologram that performed was UN-REAL.  Snoop and Dre were a set I wasn’t sure I’d like but ended up loving.  Eminem, 50 cent, Wiz Khalifa and Usher were all guest rappers to close out the weekend of all time.

The weather was the coolest it had ever been for Coachella and I was not complaining.  At a perfect 70-75 degrees the entire weekend, we maintained the sun living while not sweating our lives away in the normal 100 degrees this festival usually is.  The forcast for weekend 2 is hitting triple digits so bring your water bottles to the festival to re-fill at all of the watering stations.

I couldn’t bring my nice camera in and my little camera wasn’t always charged but I tried to shoot some photos of the atmosphere of Coachella is like so that if you’ve never been you can have a little taste of it for yourself.  On the grounds were some of the largest art sculptures and lights to just add another amazing element to the scene.  Oh and did I mention this is held on polo fields so there are horses everywhere?!  Talk about my heaven!  I’ll have some more posts this week on Coachella Weekend 1 but for now I give you these, enjoy!

The iconic Ferris Wheel.

Palm trees.

Just ONE of the many stages/tents.

Dance parties everywhere.

Grouplove ❤

Cooler weather rolling in for the night time.

Sculpture made out of recycled cans.

Huge light sculpture by the main stage.

The light sculpture from far away.  Gives you the idea of how large it is!

All of the past Coachella line-ups.

Sunshine and balloons.

Manchester Orchestra!

If you are going for weekend 2 be prepared for nothing short of amazing.  However, be careful with the scorching weather and go prepared.  I can’t wait to share the rest of my experience with you all!

Summer Music Festivals: Don’t forget!

I’m heading off to Coachella this afternoon and while packing I realized there are some crucial things you could forget so I thought I’d make a list for other concert goers.  No matter where you are staying for any large music festival, there are some essentials that you need not forget!  Here’s a list of music festival essentials.

Sunscreen!  Even if it’s not scorching, it’s always good to be covered because most likely you will be standing outside for longer than 5 hours.

(photo)
A hat and/or sunglasses for sun coverage.

Ear plugs.  You don’t have to use them but I almost always do, especially when shooting photos because you are so close to the speakers.  Trust me, you can still hear every bit just as good as without them.

Closed toed shoes.  Always good to keep a pair in your bag.  If there aren’t perfect conditions, you might encounter mud or extreme amounts of dust.  Some vans or boots make it a little easier to trudge through.

A poncho or make-shift rain poncho in case of unexpected rain showers.

Chapstick.  I never regret bringing a chapstick.

Your tickets and ID card with some cash.  You don’t need much cash but it’s handy in case of emergency or for food/drinks, etc.

And there are some obvious essentials that I don’t like to forget no matter where I’m going which include: toothbrush/toothpaste, underwear, make-up remover/facewash, etc.

Some places allow you to bring your own re-fillable water bottles which is nice so that you can stay hydrated.  I would definitely recommend that but check with the venue before bringing one in.  Add any that I forgot in the comments section and I’ll try to update the post so that it’s complete 🙂  Happy summer concert season everyone!

Lemon Bar Goodness

For Easter, I wanted to make a dessert that was Easter colors and delicious.  One of my all time favorite treats would happen to be lemon bars.  I never thought they’d be an easy thing to make though so I never tried.  However, this year I decided to take a stab at them with this recipe and found they aren’t hard to make at all!  Not to mention, they are sooo good.  I doubled the recipe to make a huge cookie sheet of them so that everyone could have a taste but you can also make a much smaller batch.  I thought about adding ginger again since I just love the combo of the two but decided to keep it simple since I was sharing with everyone.  This recipe is definitely one I recommend for the lemon lover!

Happy Baking!

Comic relief for the animal lover

Chelsea introduced me to the Yapsie fan page on facebook and “liking” the page has been one of the best things I’ve done since I’ve joined facebook.  They post the cutest and funniest photos of animals all the time.  I thought I’d share a few of my favorites from Yapsie’s page.  I had to stop myself from downloading the entire page.  They post a new one pretty much daily.  Highlight of my facebook day 🙂  Enjoy!