A moment of silence please

Smith & Hawken is going out of business.

New motto

This may need to be my motto for the next couple weeks. Thank you, King George, for your words of wisdom. I'm feeling a little fragile here. Erica is going home on Monday to be with her family for a couple weeks and I will be here. In California. Looking for a job. So I can get an apartment. That's the way it will need to be. Ohhh making the drive to L.A. from Huntington Beach by myself will be interesting. I'll just use that time to be introspective. New category: Soul-searching on the 405/What I learned about myself from sitting in traffic for 2+ hours. That is two full-length albums. At least I'll get to know my music better...or, end up hating everything I have. Another new challenge! Just add it to the list. "Puuuut it on my tab." Dan, from Dan In Real Life? Yes? No?

Erica and I met up with a friend from high school who now lives in Huntington Beach and is a police officer for Long Beach. Rough work, getting punched in the face and dealing with people with guns. Lunch was fun and tasty--we ate at Longboards, a place on Main Street. Then we walked around a little bit and went out on the pier. The US Open of Surfing is on Saturday--sounds like we just got our weekend plans. Just found out that Mat Kearney is playing there next week Saturday--sounds like we just got our next weekend plans.

These are some miniature strawberries that Erica and I got at the Farmer's Market. They weren't bought miniature on purpose. But! They are cute, aren't they? Just ignore the fact that one of them is slightly...riper, than the others...andddd that I zoomed in so close that you can't actually tell that they are smaller than usual. Great.

Ze market and ze beach

Today was a good day. Erica and I went to the Farmer's Market in Santa Monica. We got strawberries, blackberries, tangerines and asparagus. Very nice. There were tons of flowers there--didn't get any because they would have died in the car. No one likes wilted flowers at the end of the day.

Cosmos at the market

Craspedia aka Billy Buttons

Sunflowers (obviously)

Erica at Perry's at Santa Monica beach

El Matador beach past Malibu

I fell asleep on the beach. I also got more sunburned from driving than laying out. Hello farmers tan. Good thing I went to their market this morning.

Late night chips and salsa

What a pretty picture. Party dress and fairy lights. Fancy.

Photo by Bethany Howson

I love watching Bones. I am not ashamed. I also love eating chips and salsa. The hotter the better.

Tomorrow morning Erica and I have an appointment to look at a townhouse in Laguna Hills. I'm hoping it will be one of those Hallelujah chorus moments where the sun shines down and we just "know" that it's the one. I've been waiting for one of those for a while. Sidenote, I was able to have a nice video chat with Dana tonight--it had been forever since I saw her. :( Well, more like a week. I wish I could just travel and explore...and somehow make a living...and somehow do graphic design...and somehow be with my friends but be by myself at the same time. If anyone knows how I can do this, let me know. Bahah.

Flowers make my heart sing

It's true.

Ranunculus! (Sounds like a Harry Potter spell)

Peonies!

Just a few of my favorites.

Erica and I went to the Renegade Craft Fair today, held at the California Market Center and it was great. That's all. I got a letterpress poster for $5. Yessss.

The Etsy booth. Free posters and lip balm. Vegan lip balm. Bonus.

Someone posed for my picture. Thanks moustache lady .

Yay!!!!!

Well, we start the apartment search again tomorrow. It is our Orange County day. If we get frustrated or discouraged, we will most likely go to the beach. Good thing it's only getting hotter here...

Lend an ear

Songs on repeat

Keep On Tryin' * Poco

To Take You Home * Frank Turner

I Run to You * Lady Antebellum

My Traveling Star * James Taylor

Birthday * The Bird & The Bee

One of Those Days * Joshua Radin

Girls Just Want to Have Fun * Cyndi Lauper

Here's the thing...

I want to do something with paper--stationery-wise. The only thing is, I'm not quite sure how to go about getting connected with people who know the biz (I just used the word "biz" and I liked it). This is my current brain stumper. That and trying to find an apartment/house in our price range in Orange County. And trying not to miss my dear dear friend Dana who is back in Birmingham.

Oh but yes, Orange County. I know that I had been saying Los Angeles, but after spending two full days in West L.A., driving around with Erica, looking at apartments, we are thinking that we are a litttttle bit more laid back than we thought. I'm realizing that I need air and space to breathe. The hustle and bustle and noise and grime of the big city is not quite me. So we expanded our search to include Huntington Beach and Laguna Hills (Hills, not Beach = cheaper), which we are going to check out on Monday.

Tomorrow is the Renegade Craft Fair and I'm excited. 11 am to 7pm. Get ready, cause here I come. I would like to be in this one day...looking for a partner--who's with me?

I posted this picture somewhere else tonight and thought I would share it again! Thanks to poppytalk. It is such a pretty photo. I love it.