Do you guys ever get anxiety about growing older/aging? Since college, I feel like time has just been slipping by and even I can’t believe I’m already 27 years old now! It feels like yesterday that I was 22 and starting my first full-time job, and it seriously feels like yesterday that I was just 23 and moving away for grad school….

I’ve always been aware of aging since I was very young. When I was 8 or 9, my fourth grade teacher had a minor heart attack that left us with a substitute teacher for almost two months. After he returned, he gave a passionate speech about how precious the time in your life is and how the hours and minutes and seconds that go by will never be yours again. Even then it felt like a heavy talk for us kids to grasp, but it stayed with me. However, it made me very sensitive about time and very anxious about how little control I had over it…when I turned 10, I knew that I would never have a single-digit birthday again, and when I first started high school, I distinctly remember thinking to myself that I would come to this place at 14 and I would leave it at 18, and that was a fact. In college, I was genuinely sad on my 20th birthday because I would never, ever be a teen again and it was so bewildering to know that these phases of my life could just move on without me, whether I was ready or not to move on as well…

But then, a couple of years ago, I came to the realization that aging is the best proof that we are indeed alive. Once that clicked for me, I felt such a great sense of freedom from worrying about the passage of time; instead, I started to see aging as a gift and I understood that my fourth grade teacher’s lesson to us was gratitude for time. When I came across the quote above today, it once again struck me how lucky each of us are to be able to get older every day, and what a privilege that truly is. On a related note, I also remember having a talk with a friend long ago that we wouldn’t plan for milestones in our lives, such as the age we’ll get married or the age we’ll have kids; instead, we would just always be the perfect age for wherever we were in life. (And really, what’s the fun in having everything planned out?)

How do you guys feel about getting older? Do you worry, do you not care? What matters most to you at this point in your life? I’d love to hear your thoughts. :)

{photos of Paul Newman & Joanne Woodward via}

Do you know what an alpaca obsession looks like? I do. And it’s name is my mom. A couple years ago, my mom got really into alpacas. I mean, really into them. She joined a club and everything. (I didn’t even know there was such a thing.) They sent her a postcard with a watercolor painting of an alpaca on the front and I laughed for days. And teased her mercilessly. That is, until she sent me the most amazing compilation known to man: 25 Alpacas with the Most Amazing Hair Ever. The title is true. They do have the most amazing hair ever. And looking through the list, I honestly felt as though I could identify every alpaca’s celebrity lookalike – or as I like to call it, “style icon.”

Mom, I apologize for my teasing. You’re right: Alpacas are quite incredible creatures — with a sense of style I can only hope to aspire to one day.

{Photo by Kerstin Joensson via Twisted Sifter}

Pretty hair inspiration just because. :)

And I hope you guys had a wonderful, relaxing holiday weekend! I had a great time visiting Kim and our friend Cheryl in Monrovia on Saturday, and my sister and I ate our hearts out in San Diego. Oh my, the portions at Hash House a go go are the biggest I’ve ever seen in my life, and the two of us dug into an amazing guava cake at Extraordinary Desserts (I would’ve loved to share pictures but my phone was dead for most of the weekend because I’m terrible at charging it). Gah, still full. But deliriously satisfied. Hope you had a fun one, too!

{hair photos via Kate}

Ah, Memorial Day weekend is so close! Do you guys have any fun plans? I’m going to visit Kim tomorrow in Monrovia, where she’s house-sitting, and we’re going to ride bikes and picnic at The Huntington. Then, the rest of the weekend will be saved for adventuring and eating in San Diego with the sister–I am dying to get my fill at Extraordinary Desserts!

Until Tuesday, I’ll leave you with a few fun things…

• The Great Gatsby trailer is out, and Baz Lurhmann’s adaptation looks decadent, glamorous, and totally wild.
• Warm weather calls for a sweet, cool treat…how about some Buttery Popcorn Ice-Cream?
• This wonderful, colorful dress.
• Two little girls learn how to say “popsicle.”
• An amazing shoe line! I can’t afford a single piece, but they sure are lovely to stare at. Especially the Agatha pair.
• A New York Times article on optimism.
• This photo! Kills me.
• Daily Candy editors pick their top summer vacation spots.

Well guys, this is real. Sprinkles, the beloved cupcake bakery, has opened an ice-cream shop next to their flagship store in Beverly Hills. Think scoops of creamy, organic ice-cream in flavors ranging from Salted Caramel, Coffee Fudge Almond, and Pistachio, to Cherry Vanilla, Cap’n Crunch, and Peanut Butter Cup. All this yumminess is served alongside fresh-baked cookies, brownies, or even sandwiched between two cupcake tops. And you can bet there’s also a Red Velvet ice-cream flavor and a Red Velvet waffle cone. Heaven…just in time for summer.

As silly as it sounds, there’s very little that makes me more excited for summer than the thought of sitting outside under a canopy of Christmas lights with a glass of wine and good company.

I’m beginning to think that these amazing little DIY jar lights from From Panka With Love might be even better. I stumbled across them on Pinterest this weekend, and I immediately had a flashback to the summers I used to spend chasing fireflies around my grandma’s neighborhood in Indiana.

The jars sound relatively easy to make, although like one commenter said, five hours for the larger jar seems like a bit much. Even if you just stick to the small variety, these would be such a beautiful addition to any evening summer hangout, don’t you think?

{Photo © Tulipanka Photography}

So, LIFE magazine did a photo spread back in the day on a family that actually kept a real-life, Narnia-looking lion as a pet. In their house, nonetheless! How insane is that? And hilarious, too, when you see him tucked into bed with the kids or just taking a lazy nap on the kitchen floor.

I tried to do some digging around for the original article, but no such luck (just the pictures, courtesy of Joanna). Some sites say the lion’s owners were Melanie Griffith’s parents(?). If any of you guys have more information on this, I’d love to know! The photos are crazy enough on their own, though… after looking through them, I think you’ll find this lion as charming and cuddly as a teddy bear. Maybe. :)

{photos via}

Sometimes when I go to places like Ojai or Los Olivos or watch Gilmore Girls or basically any show about suburban life in the ’50s, I wonder what it must be like to live  in one of these tiny towns where everyone knows everyone and people spend lazy afternoons eating ice cream in the park. I think I might finally know.

Last week, I started house sitting in Monrovia, a hidden gem (and virtual time warp) just off the intersection of the 210 and 605 freeways. I don’t know if it was just the particular weekend I spent there or if this is the norm in Old Town Monrovia (a stretch of small businesses, shops and restaurants extending down Myrtle Ave), but over the course of a single weekend, there was a street fair, a farmer’s market, a parade, music in the park, a clown on stilts blowing balloons, a woman playing a violin outside the local movie theater  … I mean, everything was just so pleasant it was hard to believe it was actually real. I had to resist the temptation to walk up to random strangers to ask if they were actually just extras in an elaborate remake of The Andy Griffith Show. The town is charming to say the least. And it seems so tucked away yet it’s barely 10 minutes from the freeway. Leaving Monrovia for a friend’s birthday party in Beverly Hills on Saturday felt like entering a foreign land — or maybe leaving one, I’m not sure.

Jury’s still out on whether small town life is for me. Perhaps if there were a beach nearby? I’m certainly a fan of the local eats. Here’s what I’ve tried so far:

The Peach Cafe – The Monte Cristo is to die for!

Cafe Massillia – A great spot for classic French dishes at reasonable prices — and they just opened a new location in Yorba Linda.

Mediterranean Garden Grill – All my favorite staples (tabbouleh, kibbeh, shawarma, kabobs, baklava) and a hookah happy hour if you’re so inclined.

I’m still eating my way through this quaint little town and trying to understand exactly how it can stay so quaint, but I would highly recommend a visit if for nothing more than to marvel.

{Photo via Gem City Images}

Would you guys ever go camping for your honeymoon? It definitely isn’t something that comes to mind for me, but after seeing this Green Wedding Shoes honeymoon inspiration–complete with cozy Airstream, daytime tents, boating, and roasting marshmallows–it looks like such a sweet, relaxing trip to take together! If you’re on a tight budget, it would also be a perfect alternative to expensive flights abroad. And hey, who needs a honeymoon for this adventure? Grab your significant other, friends, family, whoever, and make it happen for Memorial Day!

More photos below…have a great weekend, guys! xx

I’ve started seeing watermelon at the grocery store. Summer is almost officially here! Oh, picnics and outdoor events and beach days, how I cannot wait for you to arrive. So I’ll make you arrive early with this delightful watermelon juice recipe from Sugar and Charm that sounds perfect for an afternoon on the porch.

{Photos via Sugar and Charm}