Summer Dreaming

The California coast line...It is absolutely stunning. What else can I say? These photos were taken on a past trip to the Marin Headlands for a beach and hiking trip. The headlands are one of the most unique areas in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area because it covers various types of histories from the Miwok Indians to the Military, including historic Fort Barry and Fort Cronkhite, the NIKE Missile site and the 150 year-old Point Bonita lighthouse. Other attractions include varied hiking trails, dog friendly Rodeo Beach, and astonishing views of the coast and San Francisco. The trail itself was amazing since it wrapped around the coastline next to the water. Z and I were able to watch the sunset over the ocean as our little morbidly obese pug rested on the trail from exerting himself too much. Finnegan really loves going on these hikes, but tends to overheat easily. We stop to take little breaks for him so that we are not at fault for pug abuse and have some water for him to drink at hand. Poor little puppy face!

Outfit Details:
Tan Cardigan // Forever 21
Green shift dress // Vintage
Brown Woven sling-back shoes // Vintage
Market Bag // Etsy
Sunglasses // H&M

You can always gauge how energetic or tired Finnegan is based on the position of his tail. Usually when he is tired, his tail hangs limply or is positioned at half mast like a flag from a pole. I was looking online how other pug owners are able to hike with their fatty pugs (Gaw! I know I'm such a freaky crazy pug lady!), and found this hilarious blog post about using a pug stroller. I don't know if I am quite ready yet for that kind of dedication into Pug Lady-ness, but I am sure Finnegan would not mind being paraded around in his own carriage...he is after all--Prince Finnegan. Bow down.

City Sights

One of the things that I love about living in San Francisco is that each building can be completely different from its adjoining neighbor just by the style/shape or exterior paint colors. It is not your typical cookie-cutter suburban model with the manicured lawns and ranch style layout. Depending on the style of the building, you can also tell which neighborhood of San Francisco you are in from the Victorian-esque bay windows to the more modern sleek condos. It is the architecture (one of many assets) that makes San Francisco so wonderful and a vibrant place to live. 

Outfit Details:
Floral Crepe Dress // Vintage
Wool Cape Coat // Vintage
Black tights // Walgreens
Black Woven flats // Vintage
Carpet Bag // The Painted Bird

During this day, Z and I were wandering around and decided to try a new coffee shop in our neighborhood. Coffee shops are a dime a dozen here, but that's fine with me since I could always go for a freshly brewed cup.  Apologies for my chronic bitch face. I can't stop making it in my photos. I just feel so awkward posing and I don't really know what to do with myself. I swear I'm a really nice person in real life! Darn my awkwardness.

Fireworks in the Sky

Hello Blog! I know it's been far too long since I've last typed words into the text box, but please forgive me!  I'll try and update more soon, I promise! I finished my semester off with a 4.0 GPA, started swimming at City College to get my butt moving and in bit more in shape, and dealt with ailing family health (sadly)!  You can see what I've been up to on a more regular basis via my instagram. 

With the upcoming 4th of July celebration, I found some photos taken from a past family get together where we gathered some sparklers to honor America. This year I am planning on having a small get together at Precita Park to eat some food, drink, and then walk up Bernal Heights hill to watch some of the best yet illegal fireworks go off in the Mission. It's usually pretty cold here in the City (even though it is July), so I always have to bundle up in preparation for the wind. Hope you have a wonderful day with your family/friends and enjoy the good food / awesome fireworks that your place offers. Happy 4th of July!!!

Bella Vista

Z's parents gave us a groupon for nice French restaurant in Woodside called Bella Vista that we decided to use for our 5 year anniversary dinner. The drive there from the city was a bit scary since we had to drive up a tiny two lane road through forested area. I couldn't help but have flashbacks of all the scary movies I used to watch as a child about the crazy serial killer coming through the woods out to get me while menacingly waving a machete or chainsaw. After driving  the small winding road for what seemed like an eternity, we finally came upon the little cabin-like restaurant. The entrance area had a lovely fireplace going while we waiting for our table to be ready. The tables of the restaurant are facing wall to wall windows where diners can view the city lights amidst the redwood trees. The view was as the restaurant's namesake mentioned--beautiful.

The sitting area in the ladies restroom had the most lovely wood paneling and floral paintings hanging up. I felt completely ridiculous snapping all these photos, but it is not everyday that Z and I go to a nice classy restaurant. For appetizer, Z and I shared a bell pepper soup and some mussels. Immediately following this, the waiter served us a lime champagne sorbet. At this point, I thought it was so cool. (I had already drank 2 glasses of wine since we brought our own bottle to share.) After the sorbet, we had our entrees. I had the special of the night--lamb in wine reduction sauce, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, and green beans. Z had  Veau au Poivre--Sauted Veal with Green Peppercorns in a light Dijon Mustard Sauce with the same sides. We both tried a bit of each other's dishes and everything was delicious. For dessert, we shared a Grand Mariner souffle which was definitely more grand mariner than actual souffle...which was fine for 4 wine glass me.

I decided to wear my velvet dress from Vanessa of The Velvet Bird's holiday collection. All her dresses fit me like a dream and this velvet number is my new favorite dress. I added a cardigan clip of gold roses that I found on Etsy to add a little extra special something to my fancy collar.  If I could, I would probably wear this dress every single day! When we arrived back to the apartment, there was an anxious little pug waiting for us. His eyes were so sad and pleading that I just had to take a photo. Don't worry Finnegan...I only have pug eyes for you.

Outfit Details:
Velvet Collar Dress // The Velvet Bird
Gold Rose Cardigan Clip // Etsy
Black Mary Janes // Ebay
Brown Coat // H&M

An Anniversary of Sorts

I know that I've neglected to up date my blog for the longest time and I apologize for that! I've been busy with work and taking my Anatomy / lab class where all my spare moments are used to study for the endless amount of lab practicals and exams that I have lined up.  I've also gotten back into the pool and I am doing some lap swimming to get back into shape. One of my resolutions this year was to be healthier to honor my mother who fought cancer last year and survived. These little changes has actually made me feel better about myself. I guess it also helps that I have to walk up endless flights of stairs just to attend my Anatomy lecture/lab, which can be quite the work out when you're running late!

Today marks a very special day...it is the day that my boyfriend and I started dating...5 years ago! It was fun finding these pictures of us through-out the years for this blog post because you can watch Z's hair and facial hair change dramatically while I still look the same (thanks Asian genes!). Since Z has class tonight, we decided to celebrate a bit early and went to a beautiful French restaurant in San Mateo over looking some wonderful city lights. I'll post more about this later, but it was nice to waited and attended on for once since we do not usually eat so lavishly. Below are some photos of Z and I through-out the years. Happy Anniversary Z!