baby love

september 19th, welcome. today it was *not* at least 30 outside, which in fahrenheit is 86. so i guess it's fall? i've stopped wearing my crocheted tops and i even got a PSL the other day... but kudos to the girls in jackets. as much as i want it to feel more like autumn, my longings can't will me to overheat myself.

not all of california is quite this behind however. last weekend we spent some wonderful time in santa cruz (and santa clara), where the sea breeze made sweaters possible. 

i'm an extrovert for the most part, and i love discovering a special connection with those i come across, which can still be rare, being a stranger more than not. 

bradley, taylor, and parker have been one of those awesome connections. we had such a great time chilling this weekend and discovering all of our goofy similarities. even better yet, we're related! well at least blaze and brad are... second cousins :) needless to say the weekend was a treat, AND as an added bonus i got to see two dear friends from highschool that got married and work for apple now. 

picture warning: parker is one of the cutest babies i have ever come across. so there's a bit of a baby overload on here... 

BUT how could anyone resist that little face??

there's more to come... ;)

taylor and brad also have the cutest beach house ever

cutest family.

prettiest mama!

we took a little drive to big basin redwoods state park the one day. the trees were so majestic. nature like this puts things in perspective.

they have the same love languages... burping and bad skating

practice ;) / hollow trees

my FAVE of parker. lookin' at mama.

it's safe to say we're close friends with parker now. look at that smile! 

and i leave you with the most epic photo of the weekend. you have to be emotionless to not die over this picture.

just looking through these pix makes me miss that breeze and those folks!

i encourage you all to go out of your way this weekend for someone you want to get to know better. life is full of friends that we may miss out on if we don't try...

-teen

food for thought

with the california drought still going strong, let's remember why we should be putting mother earth before what we believe we are entitled too. make yourself uncomfortable so that the world is not unbearable for our future.

(a lovely taste of what i got to look at everyday while in yosemite park)

we don't inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.

david brower

when all the trees have been cut down,

when all the animals have been hunted,

when all the waters are polluted,

when all the air is unsafe to breathe,

only then will you discover you cannot eat money.

^^this cree prophecy was hung in a room where i spent many summers. i'm not gonna lie, it took awhile to process, but eventually it contributed to my beliefs today.

everything's better on a boat

last weekend may have been my favourite weekend of august. family, a gorgeous boat, and a delicious dinner. need i say more? i'll let the pictures do most of the talking today. thank you laurel for hostessing a wonderful night!

this beauty was ours for the night.

being handed a glass of champagne with a smile (and the man was canadian too!). i wish my mornings started like this. take note blaze.

sometimes i fall in love with a picture of mine and i just have to recreate it different ways. i think it's obvious why i fell in love with this one. look at those two pretty faces!

twisty staircases are my favourite / the bow

ryry!

on my bucketlist for sure. on a scale of one to romance, that gets a pretty high score.

balze being suave / the dirty shirleys begin

the in-laws / ellay films, is that you??

you may not be able to tell from my pictures, but i have an attractive spouse / 

stealing a kiss

there we go :)

sunsets on the water trump all other sunsets.

eating dinner on the top floor. the view with the night sky and stars all around.... no words / 

several dirty shirleys into the night

precious cousin moments as we say our goodbyes / i was in mid-laugh as ryan fell on her butt in the background

the most sought after kisses of the night!

and now i'm missing these faces extra... happy friday friends :) enjoy the last days of august!

-teen

"not too bad for a monday"... and this week's recycled goods

7:50 am... monday morning... you impressed? cause i am. it's a beautiful morning in the city and i'm glad i'm starting the week right, although this will probably be the only day i get up this early. tomorrow me and blaze head down to LA for one last week of summer awesomeness and i plan on not setting any alarms.

so. "recycled goods?" you inquire on this lovely monday.
yup. recycled clothes in fact.

i am often shocked (and confused if we're being honest) by the money people put out on clothing. if there's an industry i could spend all day ripping on, it's the clothing industry. but uh, i'll save that for when i'm more awake. 

i'm a thrifter. thrifting has been embedded deep into the hearts of pretty much everyone on my father's side, from the moment we've been placed in our hand-me-down cradles. some of my best childhood memories include garage sales, church bazaars, and trying to sell my used stuff to other people.

unfortunately clothes are something people seem to be more afraid of when it comes to second-hand. and i understand. i've been in those dark, musty hole-in-the-walls where i'm afraid to touch the clothes, nevermind wear them. luckily, thrifting has come far. so far, in fact, that i have gone long periods of time (we're talking years here), without buying a single new clothing item.

what's better than clothes at a super cheap price ... that aren't bad for the environment... or taking advantage of poorer cultures... nooooooot much.

check out some pictures of my latest and favourite thrifted finds, along with some tips for new thrifters.

scored this banana republic vest at a goodwill. can't wait to use it more this fall.

 

this collared top was like three bucks and it's everything i've ever wanted in a white button down. so soft and comfy, but still dressy enough.

if you don't like browsing for hours on end (or your husband just keeps saying it's time to go..), make a list ahead of time of what you need. almost all second-hand shops are organized by style and colour, so you should have no problem saving time!

this dress was made by buffalo. i'm not a lover of a specific label, but if you are, i can guarantee you that you'll be able to find its clothing in a thrift shop with a little dedication and patience! 

sometimes it's tempting to just buy everything that you touch when it comes to second-hand, because things can be cheap if you go to the right place. but be cautious. in my teenage years i bought a lot of things because of price, when in reality they didn't flatter me and just sat in my closet. this can happen in any shopping situation but it's usually harder to avoid when thrifting.

this dress is one of those examples. i've loved wearing it at a couple special things over the past months, but in reality is just doesn't fit right. i always have to use a belt, and the waist isn't in line with my own. thank goodness it was under ten bucks so i feel no remorse for re-donating it or giving it to a friend!

all these featured items cost between 3 and 9 bucks. find out when stores are having their 50% off days if you want to spend even less. admittedly some places can be a pretty pricey these days. that's why i usually avoid stores labelled vintage. 

i realized after looking through these pictures that all these pieces are from goodwills around norcal. this isn't usually the case, but because i don't know all the best places around here yet, i've stuck to goodwill a lot. 

^sk8er boi wanted a little feature too. thanks for being my photographer boo!

^now that's TALENT. i had an awful sprain recently and have been using a brace/crutches. woohoo for stupid ankles.

i hope this post has inspired you to at least consider second-hand next time you're on the hunt for something to wear. remember, it may not be brand new, but it's new to you!

have a great monday everyone!