Okay my friends, here's the first post about my vacation. 

I still haven't downloaded my pictures off my camera (I've been kinda preoccupied with car searching)...but these are from my momma's camera. 

So the first couple of days we headed down to New York to take in some of the tourist attractions and spend some time in the city. 

Here's a tiny view of the upper side of Manhattan from on top of the Empire State Building. 

I'm really glad we spent the moolah and went (virtually) to to the top. You can seriously see the whole city from the top of it. And we splurged for the nerdy little audio tour devices--which were so interesting. They described all the different views and things you were seeing from each point. It was fascinating.

Mikaela, me and Ben with Lady Liberty. 

We lined up super early (okay so it was like 10 am...but I was jet lagged still) to catch the ferry out to Liberty Island to see the Statue of Liberty. It's truly a spectacular sight. There are so many portions and pieces to the statue. And I love what it stands for. That people were so desperate to come and have a better life and when they saw this--they knew America was right there and they were being welcomed into the country. 

"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Sen these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door."

Mikaela, me, Dad and Mom on the ferry to Ellis Island. 

And dude it was 95+ degrees that day....I was DYIN. SO HOT.

After mom and I toured the facility and discovered all the things immigrants had to do, endure, and be to get into the US...we headed back downstairs because in the basement of Ellis Island they had a "Barbies of the World" exhibit -- and I HAD to participate.

Me at 30 Rock! 

This was one of the simplest yet most interesting points I saw. Rockefeller Plaza is pretty cool. It's where they put the big tree at Christmas, where NBC's studios are -- and I loved seeing where the Today show is filmed. Plus -- "I want to go to there."

and there's plenty more to come...

i want wednesday

So I have a bunch of things to tell you.

But I'm not QUITE finished polishing them up or (in some cases) writing them.

So for now, here's a look at stuff I'm TOTALLY lusting after.

Sephora's felt tip eyeliner. It's like a marker. And it's amazing. And I want it. B-A-D BAD.

image via weheartit

A king sized bed with a big fat mountain of pillows on it.

A vacation at this house on the Oregon coast. Or this one.

MOM come visit so we can all go stay at that house!

this cardigan vest. the color is clutch.

still those freaking glasses.

 This swimsuit. I have it in black ... but I love the striped top. They also have the solid one (that I have) in teal. I love that, too.

AND I WANT SUMMER. 

or at least consistent sunshine -- it puts me in the BEST mood. just ask my co-workers.

a trip to see this awesome lady. she is seriously the bomb dot com.

what are you wanting?

xoxox.

Tuesday Toesies

Once again it's Tuesday Toesies or Feetsy Fotos (as I like to call it).

So join on in! And make sure you post your link over at My Teacups In Peony, to share with everyone!

This comes from the summer Dani and I went to Denver together and saw a Bronco's game. 

These are my summer feet at Bronco stadium with bright orange nail polish. 

{And the requisite cup of diet coke.}

I love this picture because in it, I can FEEL summer. 

Still.

xoxo.

showin off my feetsees

One of my favorite bloggers, Nicole over at My Teacups In Peony, has started a weekly posting trend I REALLY LOVE.

I LOVE FEET PHOTOS. 

I take a lot of them. 

In fact, last night I went to take one of my new highlighter pink toesies ... but my camera battery is dead. 

Woh Wohhhh. hahahaha. 

So here's my Tuesday feet photo.

Me and miss Lyndsi Shae at the coast when she visited last April. 

She's the super tan one ... I'm the ghost white one (yay pasty!). 

I love love love the coast. I have so many pictures of my feet in the water. LOVE IT.

i'm alive and i don't need a witness to know that i've survived

So...workaholics that we are...Bonnie and I decided to take little break (i.e. our day off) and go see The Fray and Jack's Mannequin in concert in Portland.

I must give you a little background.
I've already told you I have a thing for well written music/lyrics.
These two bands are ones that make me giddy.
I geek out over stuff like this.
And I have been IN LOVE with Andrew McMahon since high school --Something Corporate being one of (if not my very) favorite bands of all time. I think the man is a genius. And he's honestly one of my idols. But seeing as SoCo doesn't exist anymore, Jack's Mannequin has moved in on their turf.


The opening act wasn't very good.
So Bonnie and I played up our narcissism.
Say it with me now: "Oh, wow."


This is my face when Jack's made their way on stage.
P.S. my hair is HUGE.


I LOVE them.
They're meant to play live--they're fantastic entertainers.
And half way through their set Andrew began the next song with ... "So, we're gonna play a little something from my other band. So all you Something Corporate fans--this is for you."
I think I almost passed out.
He was jumpin all over the place, on the piano, off of the piano, off the metal parts of the set.
It. Was. EPIC.


The Fray was equally amazing.
They played stuff from both albums and did an amazing job.
Their drummer is INSANELY good. (And fun fact: he's from Poland.)
For their encore they played my favorite song of theirs--even though it's not off the current album. And their encore lasted four more songs (including Kanye's Heartless. mmmmmMMmmmm.).

It was a fantastic evening.
(Preceeded by a great afternoon of scoping through the outlets. Yay new Nike kicks on super sale. (yes, I have freakishly small feet. i can wear kids shoes.))

i know i had the best day with you, today.

I think my camera broke.
(I'm dying as a result.)
I thought it was just the batteries...but it wouldn't turn on even with fresh batteries.

And this MOST unfortunate because if it had worked I would have fun pictures of all the AWESOME things I did this weekend.
(Not quite as awesome as seeing Jimmy Fallon and lake-ing at Winnipesaukee, but still.)

Saturday morning I got up at the butt-crack of dawn (seriously, 6 am on a Saturday?! without diet coke?! me?!) to go Wakeboarding with a couple of my favorite people.
It was LEGENDARY.
It looked a lot like this (only with some Nirvana mixed in):

Well, for one of us it did.
Then when he tried to teach me it looked less like that and more like... crashing.
He was so patient.
And it was RIDICULOUSLY fun.
Plus it included some lake swimming--always a fun time.

After boating was through, I was starving so Bonnie and I decided to head to The Glenwood to get some food.
(Yes, total cosmic sign that Eugene has a restaurant with the same name as my college residence.)
It's some of my favorite food in Eugene -- and one of the most interesting settings: it's in an re-done old house on the corner of UO campus.
And as I went to pay for my awesome French Toast--I literally found $10.
AWE-SOME.

Then there was some packing and moving things over to my new place (pictures maybe to come later if I can figure out what's wrong with my camera...or maybe from the cell).

After that, I joined the lovely Whipple family for a rockin BBQ and fireworks spectacular.
I spent most of that night playing with my 3-year-old BFF, Gavin.
We watched fireworks, snuggled, ate cookies, and he told me I was his favorite friend.

All in all, spectacular weekend.