SantaMonicatime

Life plan for right now:

Step 1- Get rich

Step 2- Live on Third Street Promenade

Step 3- Die happy

As I walked around the famous Hollywood and Highland intersection today, I couldn't help but imagine what tourists from New York must think. Not only does NYC contrast greatly with LA with respect to culture, but size-wise, LA's Hollywood/Highland must really be a surprise as compared to Times Square. And yet somehow the media does a really great job with making LA appear to be a sprawling city of glamour. Spoiler alert: It's not. When traveling through most parts of LA, it'd be more than smart to double check your locked doors.

However, the shining light for me in the disappointment that is Los Angeles, is Santa Monica. Santa Monica is a magical little place near the water that promises you both the sandy beaches and an almost city life. I just can't get enough of the cuteness that is Third Street Promenade. There's actually good street musicians, water bottle refilling fountains, modern age parking structures, and, of course, shopping. It really is the perfect life.

Now if only it can stay LA's beautiful, hidden sister city forever.

Boatcruise

Bakingtime

I decided that I needed to get back to baking. Some of my life choices recently (excessive shopping/Kardashian purging) have been slightly less healthier than I would have liked. So in honor of my mother's birthday, and with the intention of fixing my life of course, I decided to bake a cake.

Now to preface this, I love chocolate, I've just recently come to terms with my addiction. Sadly I feel addiction may be more than an appropriate word choice in this instance. Without a few days of chocolate, I crave it. But I felt like making something new and different than I usually do today. So after flipping through a few hundred pages of one of my mother's cookbook, I decided upon a cake that I thought would be a nice change of pace: carrot cake.

I haven't always been a fan of carrot cake. My thought process was: when I eat cake, I'm going to enjoy it and splurge- not go halvies on this carrot crap. Not long ago though, I tried a carrot cake cupcake and just about died. The cream cheese frosting really complemented the spicy flavor of the cake. So today when I saw the carrot cake recipe, I wrote down a few ingredients that I needed for the recipe and returned shortly from the grocery store.

This cake wasn't really a challenge, now that I look back on it. All it consisted of was combining the dry ingredients, pureeing the sugars and eggs, and mixing in the blended carrots until you can pour the batter into a sheet pan. After about forty minutes the cake was finished and I quickly whipped up a batch of the cream cheese icing. All in all, a great recipe and a great cake.

I think the thing I like about baking is that it's straightforward. They give you the instructions, step by step, all you have to do is follow them. In the words of Chef Gusteau "Anyone can cook!" 

Kardashiantime

I seriously need a new hobby.

Besides shopping and watching Keeping up with the Kardashians, I've got just about nothing at home to keep me entertained. Looking back on the past week, I've been to a variety of different malls more than six times and watched almost four seasons of shows related to the Kardashian family. This can't be healthy. I've been reading this whole post in my to Kourtney Kardashian voice.

A google search of "popular hobbies" tells me that reading, watching TV, family time, going to the movies, fishing, computer, gardening, renting movies, walking, exercise are the top ten hobbies. My first question is, how is going to the movies and renting movies any different? Can we not just make "movies" a hobby and save some time for everyone? But for real, I already partake in about half of these activities and I'm not exactly feeling fishing and gardening, sorry 'bout it. So what's left...? Coloring? Maybe I'll start knitting soon.

Highlight of my week: Getting a smiley face written on my drink by a cute barista at Starbucks. I'm kind of a big deal.

Lost in the Everglades. Actually priceless.

Kris- Look at yourself, you're wearing a chain around your neck.

Loving the fact that Khloe's mugshot is freaking framed in the background. 

RIP Princess- you only had so long to be toted around in Kimberly's purse. You will be missed.

Goodbyetime

Sometimes I have moments where I realize I'm grown up. Like I'll be twenty one next year. When did that happen?! It seems so long ago that I counted out the years until I would be able to drink alcohol for the very first time (Uhhh.) But now I can't even say that I'm a teenager anymore. Assuming I'll live to be one hundred, the first fifth of my life has passed me by. Yes I wrote that right. One. Fifth.

Today was one of those times when I was hit hard by growing up.

You know that feeling of This will be the last time I'll ever be at this school? Or this is the last time I'll ever play soccer with this team? Recently I've asked myself, Is it better to know it's the last or to not know? I've had moments where I know it'll be the last, and I don't even know what to do with myself. Take a picture? Write a letter to myself? I don't know. How do you capture all of these mixed thoughts and emotions? I guess it's nice to know it's the last time when when you're moving on to bigger and better things. I know that leaving something for the last time isn't all too difficult when you see the bright and shining new road ahead of you. I can appreciate the experience and respect the past with a sense of hope for the future. 

But what about for the things you're sad to leave? This is the last time I'll be in this pool. This is the last time I'll sit at this kitchen counter. This is the last time I'll relax in this bed. I think that these are the toughest moments of life. When you realize all the history and experiences and time spent here will now just be memories. No matter how much I want it or how much I miss it, I can never go back to that time or place. Ever.

For me, growing up isn't my first day of preschool, my first goal, or my first best friend. I know I'm growing up when I walk off my middle school campus for the last time, play my last soccer game, and say goodbye to my best friends.

Today I learned that the first times may be milestones to remember, but it's the last times that are my life turning points. 

Southerncoasttime

San Clemente-- Dana Point-- Laguna Beach-- Corona del Mar-- Newport Beach-- Huntington Beach

Top Two:

• Young and Beautiful- Lana Del Rey
• Royals- Lorde

Shoppingtime

I've gotten in one of those moods lately where all I want to do is BUY. It involves a lot of me thinking to myself, I have the money therefore I must buy this. Maybe it's because I have a slight income now and I feel that that justifies buying nearly anything I want.

Speaking of things I want, feel free to start a kickstarter to raise enough money for me to buy this purse. I've somehow convinced myself that I need it and now that I'm thinking about it again, I've got some pretty solid arguments. Like for example, I need a small bag for both day and night activities in Belgium. This Michael Kors one is basically perfect for my Brussels travels and I need it. Now.

 Fun story of the day: I was walking around Fashion Island alone when I noticed a guy standing against a wall looking at his phone. Super casual, didn't think twice. But then he started to stare at me, which I tend to be overly paranoid about because I get fairly self-conscious about my bad leg. I gave him a smile/smirk as a kind of "Hey, you're staring, it's rude, stop," and went on my way. About three stores down, however, I caught a movement following shortly behind me in the reflection of a store window. Now, like I said, I'm pretty paranoid, so I thought I would head into a store real quick to see if this guy was actually following me. I meandered in Lush for a bit, pretending to be interested in their overpriced glitter soaps, and walked out about two minutes after. Much to my horror, the guy was sitting outside of the store. I quickly picked up the pace and headed in the direction of my car. As I walked, I noticed a figure getting closer and closer until he was no less than an arm's distance from me. At the height of my uncomfortability, the guy says to me, "So you just shopping today?"

I laugh to myself and realize, "Jess, it's just a sales pitch, he's obviously some kind of business-y businessman getting information about Fashion Island shoppers." I agree and continue to walk, interested in where this conversation is going. The guy introduces himself as Nick and awkwardly proceeds to tell me about how he had just spent the day reading at Barnes & Noble.

This is not a sales pitch.

He finally stumbles through something along the lines of, I want to hang out with you/can I get your  number/I'm trying to meet people. After learning from previous mistakes, I decided to take his number and quickly say my goodbye before heading into a very populated, brightly-lit store where I try to evaluate what the what just happened.

The whole encounter made me think, am I one of those girls who is too quick to call guys creepers, or was he genuinely creepy. Considering the guy followed me for nearly ten minutes from one store to the next, I decided to go with the latter.

Fun side note: This is the highlight of my love life right now. Thrilling.