Meet me at the Fair

Nothing screams adventure like deep fried chocolate-covered bacon or a 2-foot-long corn dog. And at the Orange County fair, such dishes are a commonality. When my mom propositioned me with the idea of taking my new-in-town cousin to the fair, I was delighted. I'd heard of the fair before but I'd never had the chance to go, it was sure to be an adventure. Of course, all adventurers need companions so I asked the one and only Jesse if she'd like to accompany me. We departed from her house at around eleven in the morning, car full of people and the sounds of bad radio music. Although the drive there was long, it felt like no time at all.

(My brother Enzo, my cousin Sam, Jesse and I)

As we steered our way through the hordes of people, we caught brief glimpses of some of the food that was being sold. Our reactions were generally that of mutual hilarity and disgust. After all, who really wants to eat bacon and Nutella? No, instead of struggling to find edible food we opted to take on some of the rides. The first ride we tried was, for lack of a better phrase, a ball buster. The colorful, spinning contraption took the rider high up into the air and flipped them round and round until they were weak at the knees and purple in the face. The second ride we braved was the ferris wheel. We must have been on that rickety old thing for at least 20 minutes before they let us off. 

(Jesse and I infront of a booth that sold deep-fried Oreo sundaes)

As terrifying as the rides were, the food was the most intimidating part of the fair. For lunch, Jesse and I settled for a pulled pork sandwich so big that the two of us couldn't even finish it. And there's no better way to cool off in the Cali heat than slurping away at a cool Icee. We took a ski-lift from one part of the park to the other, where we rode two more rides. The logging ride left us all water-logged and the swings were delightful and didn't last long enough. 

(shameless selfies and slushies with Jesse)

Finally, with our caramel apples in hand, we decided to set off for home. The whole experience was so new and so much fun. Today could have been just another Sunday spent at home in my air-conditioned room, but instead it was transformed a wonderful adventure. But the friends we travel with are just as important as where we ultimately go. And I am so thrilled to have been able to share this wonderful day with four of the people I love most. Next time a fair roles around your hometown, grab a couple of your closest friends and ample amounts of sunscreen and have yourselves an adventure. 

Until next time...

♡

Laptop Lovin'

This is a very special post for me as it is the first post published from my brand new laptop! After months of groveling and pleading, my parents agreed to get me one for graduation. But in my household, nothing ever runs on time. I graduated in early June and I just got the computer today. Unbelievable. But good things come to those wait, and after several long months I finally have the computer of my dreams.

Everybody meet Mr. Spock of Nazareth, the love of my life. His handsome, sleek, silver exterior is only one of the many reasons that I love him. But the best thing about him is that he's all mine. For many years I shared a large desktop with my younger brother (ugh) and there were constant disputes over things like the desktop image and what made the bookmark bar. Now that I have my very own computer I have complete control over everything from my desktop to how many hours I can binge watch my favorite television shows. 

Above is the image I chose to use for my desktop. This beautiful drawing is of my role model, Jehan Prouvaire, and was made by the beautiful Liv. For the rest of my appliances I am choosing a more muted and subtle color pallet with lots of olive and gold. For this I used the app CandyBar which has been marvelous so far. 

Anyways, that's enough bragging for one day. I promise that my blog will be less dead next week than it has been lately. Have a lovely, lovely weekend everyone!

♡

Bromances aren't just for boys

Everybody has that one friend. A person who knows them better than anyone, who's just as good for profound moments as they are for a laugh. This person hasn't necessarily known them the longest, but it certainly feels like they do. For me, this friend is Jesse. I've known Jesse my entire life, literally. Only six weeks older than me, she has been my friend since the day I was born. Weekends were spent in each other's yards and I was never absent from her annual Halloween and Easter parties. Throughout my entire life, she has been there. For fourteen years, I have had a wonderful companion to share my adventures with. And I couldn't be more grateful for it.

(Jesse and I at Oxnard)

I don't see Jesse as often as I did when I was younger, but we still maintain a close friendship. Even if we go for weeks and weeks without seeing each other, we can still easily slip back into out old patterns. It is immensely reassuring to have such a stable friend. It is safe to say that in my entire life I have never had any other best friend. It's like having a sister but without the fighting and competition. In ways, it is the best kind of relationship to have. If there is one thing that I am sure of, it is that I will never lose touch with Jesse. We could be on opposite sides of the world, but no amount of sea or sky could ever breach our friendship. 

I hope that all of you have a friend like her, someone to support you and love you for who you are. 

♡

10 miles to the other side of the world

Over the weekend my lovely wifey, Maisie, and I took a trip downtown to Little Tokyo. Although the little city is just several miles away, entering the tiny plaza is like going to another world. The signs were all in Japanese and the words swirling through the summer air were spoken in a foreign tongue. It was utterly enchanting. I have, of course, been to little Tokyo before. In fact, my 13th birthday was a scavenger hunt that took place in the plaza. My friends and I dashed through the stores, attempting to find the things on our lists. But this newer experience was much more intimate, much more personal than the last time. This time 'round, Maisie and I took time to enjoy ourselves. There was no harried rush, no sense of urgency to our adventure. Rather it was an opportunity to spend time with one another.

(ootd: dress - Urban Outfitters)

Some highlights from the trip included:

- Our trip to the Sanrio store where we saw Hello Kitty dolls dressed up as Kiss band members (they wouldn't let us take photos)

- Getting Maisie to try boba for the first time. This type of drink is a favorite of mine and the place near my work makes the best coconut boba ever!

- Trying macaroons for the first time! This was super exciting for me as I have a certain affinity for French things, and the small cookies did not disappoint. We got two, raspberry and salted caramel. I had a hard time deciding which one I liked more.

- Going into a video store where none of the movies had English titles and the children's movies were a bit to close to the porn section, which we wandered into by accident. As soon as we realized what was going on, we ran out of the store and started laughing hysterically. I don't think the lady who worked there was too happy with us.

- Visiting the Japanese-American culture museum. This was super interesting and had some wonderful art and photography exhibits. I highly recommend going. We also wrote our blog url's down in the message journals they had there. So if you found us in there - thank you for taking the time to visit.

The thing I love most about Little Tokyo is that it gives you a chance to experience a totally different culture without going so far away. If you ever have a free weekend, you should go check out whatever little city is closest to your home. There is no such thing as too much cultural exposure!!

♡

confessions of a thriftaholic

Hello my name is Sofia, and I am a thriftaholic. Like most things of the past, I find old clothes to be beautiful. Thrifted clothing is softer, cheaper and full of stories.

Thriftshop part I:

I have only ever been thrifting twice and found it to be a most enjoyable experience. The clothes were conveniently arranged by type of apparel (jeans, shirts) and by color, this made it quite easy to find whatever type of garment you were looking for. I personally believe that keeping an open mind at the beginning of any shopping endeavor is the best strategy. Do not expect to find exactly what you're looking for, that rarely ever happens. Instead, try to focus on a specific color or clothing style and see if anything speaks to you. The first time I went thrifting I did not quite know what to expect, but the experience was everything I loved about shopping and more.

(Eden and I in our newly thrifted clothes)

I went to the Pasadena Goodwill with my friend Eden. Goodwill may not seem like a hip or trendy place to shop for clothes but they had a wonderful selection of garments to choose from. Eden and I had so much fun sifting through the different racks of clothes, bagging the things we loved and ridiculing the things we hated. In the end I bought four things: 

- A vintage houndstooth coat (pictured above). The weather near my home is not exactly suited for heavy coats, but the coat was only $8 and in perfect condition. It was an offer I couldn't refuse. It fits really well and is SO retro-fabulous. I can't wait until winter rolls around and I can wear it out!

- A grey dress (pictured above). The dress is not vintage, but was also in perfect condition. It fits so well and I happily added it to my collection of dresses.

- A sleeveless yellow button down. The soft linen fabric is super breezy and very summery. It is quickly becoming a staple in my wardrobe.

- A red knit cardigan. I am of the opinion that a girl can never have too many cardigans or sweaters, and therefore my closet is overflowing with them. The original buttons on this cardigan were rather hideous faux-diamond things, they made the garment rather senior citizen. But the situation was easily righted when I swapped the buttons for some of my own. With its new mis-matched blue and gold buttons, the cardigan is simply darling.

Thriftshop part II:

(OOTD: Headband - anthropologie | sunglasses - Madewell | belt & shoes - Gap | skirt - handmade | 

top - thrifted from last time!)

This thrifting escapade was less fun than the first. This was largely because of the company I was with. Instead of being with one of my closest friends I was accompanied by my mother (shh she is a great shopping buddy), her friend and her friend's daughter. I found the latter two to be difficult companions with troublesome taste in clothing. They were set upon visiting the "trendy" vintage boutiques and out-of-the-way shops. Most of these places were closed and/or awful. By the time they finally agreed to go to the Glendale Goodwill, I had become very frustrated indeed. This store had a much smaller selection than the other Goodwill I had been to and I only bought 2 items:

- A sleeveless cable knit turtleneck. As weird as that sounds, it's actually really cute. It has the cozy feel of a proper winter sweater but its lack of sleeves makes it much chicer and practical. The nice off-white color adds to the retro feel.

- A small leather bag. The pouch is like a tiny backpack, not built to hold more than a few essentials. There was a small smudge of paint on the back, but it is not noticeable when worn. I love how cute and effortless the bag is. Plus, it's black which means it goes with almost everything!

If you haven't ever been thrifting, I highly recommend it. It is an affordable and fun way to shop for garments you may not have bought in a regular store. I spent a total of $38 for BOTH trips. So crazy! I hope to be able to do it again soon. After all, a girl can never have too much clothing.

♡

Kids in the riot

Recently my friends and I took a trip to Disneyland. As a small child, the park was a place of wonder and adventure. A place where princesses roamed among the common people and I could come face to face with my childhood hero, Peter Pan. In my later stages of childhood I lost interest in the park, it seemed too childish and immature. Enjoying princesses at that age would have been, well, embarrassing. But now, as a teenager, I have been returned to that place of childhood wonder.

As we grow older, we find ourselves more attracted to the things of our past. There is something so joyously thrilling about being reconnected with the things of the past. Being in that park was like being a child again. For several hours the strain of the outside world was lifted from our shoulders and we were able to simply be. I loved every minute of it.

(splash mountain is the greatest ride. shhhh don't argue)

I think I got more out of Disneyland as a teenager than I did as a child. Being older allows you to appreciate the beauty of the world that Walt Disney created. It lets you have the freedom to explore that you didn't have as child. It's nostalgic and lovely and fantastic. That night, as the three of us lay exhausted upon the hotel lawn, we agreed to make this trip an annual event. There is something about this comfortable sense of false childhood that keeps us all grounded. In this crazy world, it is something we all sorely need.

welcome to the land of lost things

I'm Sofia and sometimes I write, or draw, or sing. This blog is my everything bagel for wonderings, ramblings and tiny glimpses of life. If I told you about this blog I hope you like whatever you may find here. And if you found this blog on your own just know that there is always a place for you here. 

♡