Girl With the Golden Swan Bike

Girl With the Golden Swan Bike


Found this on Etsy today. I've always liked reading 'missed connections' so when I saw this i fell in love. Sophie Blackall, an Australian artist who has worked with Mika on several visual pieces, has just recently started an ongoing project; Missed Connections. She draws her inspiration from here and the "real, anonymous messages posted online by lovelorn strangers". I can't wait for the book to be released in 2012 when the project is complete. It will end up on my bookshelf next to all the PostSecret books, foshizzle.

Liberty Market

Liberty Market

Here's a trendy market/sandwich deli to check out if you're in Phoenix or the valley; Liberty Market on Gilbert Rd in Chandler. It's an upscale modern-rustic eatery right in the heart of The Heritage District, Gilbert’s historic downtown, which also happens to be biking distance from my house!  (Yay!) 


They serve awesome salads and oven roasted pizza and then there's the yummy E61 Espresso bar. Joe Johnston of Joe's Farm Grill and Coffee Shop in Gilbert is the owner. Kiersten, a super sweet down-to-earth girl, and her husband, David are the amazing chefs behind it all who opened up the restaurant in 2006. They are all awesome individuals with an evident appreciation for food and life. Click here to read their stories.


Kim is the has bought me lunch here a couple times already. She's the sweetest girl. (And fast with that credit card!)



I had the Sicilian portebello pizza with jalepeo garlic paste and the Farmer salad... Mmm it was de-lish!Kim ordered the Grilled Chicken Salad with cranberries, pecans, and apples.Another great dish- the Roasted Sweet Potato Salad. I don't normally enjoy sweet potato but this is good!The friendly chef dude that let me take his photo...Even the restrooms are fun to occupy because the walls are covered in handwritten recipes...(Photo taken by the lovely Kiersten herself)

Wheat Grass Shots Fired, Man Down

Wheat Grass Shots Fired, Man Down


Sometimes I do things, not for the actual experience, but just to say I've done it and check it off my imaginary to do list. I have to try everything once if it will broaden my horizons, and usually it's not like it`s going to kill me. 


Except this. 


Wheat grass could kill you. Seriously, the crazy little blades would probably team up and form a giant grassy villain and use their sharp grass swords to slice you open and rearrange your organs, then be all "YEAH, what's up now, biznitch" Okay, not actually, its just... the TASTE! Its like, why does grass have to suck so much?


But... to be honest it's super good for you and does amazing things for your body. The inventor, Charles F. Schnabel did the first experiments in 1930 and used  grass to nurse dying hens back to health and the hens actually got better and then grew wings and horns and flew off and dominated all the other hens in the land. Also not true, but the hens did recover and then produced more eggs than the healthy hens. Sooo yeah, if your life is needing a boost of Chlorophyll, try a shot of wheat grass. Just don't say I didn't warn you!


It looks all pretty and harmless, but that's part of it's ploy to get you to want to try it out and maybe bury your face in it and whisper sweet nothings. Then it'll get you when you're least expecting it.

It makes your tongue do crazy things, too.

Biiiicycle, BIIIIcycle, BIIIIICYCLE

Biiiicycle, BIIIIcycle, BIIIIICYCLE

It's ok Freddy, I don't believe in Peter Pan either. You are not alone in your skepticism. 

Wait, is Freddy Mercury still alive? Probably not. That's sad because I totally would have gotten along with him back in the day, because A- I would also never want to be the President of America; waaay too busy of a schedule going on already, pretty sure I don't have time for any of those shenanigans... and B- I want to ride MY bicycle. Like, everywhere, all day long, every day of the week, to every place I go. Its seriously, probably the greatest thing ever. I get on intending to go a mile and end up going four. And no, not always because I'm lost and can't find my way back. Only maybe 30% of the time.

I just love the feeling of fresh warm air blowing through my hair and not having anywhere in particular to go. Also, I feel very important on my bicycle. It makes me about 10 inches higher in life, and I have to sit extremely straight to stay on the seat because it has a slight forward tilt to it, which I'm sure is adjustable but the one time I tried moving it the handlebars got in my way an stabbed me in the eye so I got really mad and kicked it over and stormed off. But our spats are always very trivial and quickly passing so the next day I was back out riding it.

I love going on bike rides too because there is always so much interestingness out there. You don't have to go very far and you're pedaling down a dusty gravel road with hens and goats grazing on either side of the sort-of quaint, but mostly run down cottages. I ride around with my little white basket of flowers and fresh baguettes and I yell 'bonjour' to the animals and pretend I'm actually in some quiet little village outside Marseille. 

Then I get to the end of the street and the several million dollar estates with little mexicans grazing on either side, and I'm all, oh yeah- hi, America!

But still. My bicycle rocks, ya'll. 

Then I saw this coffee mug in Urban Outfitters and was like oh, whaaat? Was this mug made for me? I feel I would be messing up the order of things and letting down mother earth or something if I didn't buy this!

Right?? How cute is it?

Hens on the countryside in Marseille. Hey!! Fun fact: did you know that wheat grass can cure hens, of um, hen diseases and such like? (More to come)

Owner of hens: Very nice, friendly people.

Neighbour of Owner of hens: not-so-nice friendly people. I guess I was gawking a little too long cause they came out and got all 'Hey, Stare-y Manilow, whatcha lookin at?... Yeah, stop being such a Nosie O’Donnell'. 

SOrry, but like, you're not used to people passing by and staring a little? Ok maybe not stopping and taking out their giant cameras like me, and then asking you to take my photo in front of your 8 Lamborghinis, but still. You gotta be accustomed to some amount of gawkage.

Living Without Type 1 - Post 3

Living Without Type 1 - Post 3


I've always liked the farmer's market. The yummy smells in the air, all the things to see and buy, the people to watch.


When I was younger I spent my fair share of Saturdays wandering around the dusty rows of the St. Norbert Farmer's Market. My mom used to sell her handmade crafts there and I would wake up super early so I could go along and help. 


So I was 100% stoked last saturday when Kim invited me along to the Gila Rivers Farmers' Market with her and Kylie and their new friends, Dustin and Leah. A few weeks ago Dustin was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes and has just recently started following Kim's food therapy diet. The atmosphere was so awesome as we walked around and shopped for the foods needed for this week's meal plan.


And as usual, I did my part and took a couple million photos.

I snapped this photo just as Kylie was asking her mom if she could have the homemade brownie that the nice lady gave to her. Of course, it was made with gluten so the answer was no. I can't imagine how hard that is to do. In that moment I caught a glimpse of the challenges that must come with 'living without type 1' and I had a renewed admiration and respect for Kim and everything she is doing!

The little mexican man asked if he could take my photo, so I let him. I'm thinking of hiring him as my assistant!

Today I ♥ Pink

Today I ♥ Pink

In my opinion, every girl should have pink in her closet. And boys can have some pink too but but not lots. I've been adding to my pink collection lately...


♥ my this handmade pink rosette headband I got from a local seller on Etsy...

♥ ♥ ♥ the cupcakes at Joe's Farm Grill... seriously they're of the devil. The glittery pink Icing Devil

♥ the signs of spring everywhere...

♥ my new floral pashmina from Charlotte Russe...

♥ this sign I saw in the hippy store on mill next to a shoe display...

Life is Art

life is art.

Rememberies

Rememberies

I love thinking about the thoughts that I had when I was a little girl. 


Sometimes a formation of mental images will come into my head and I shut out the world around me and go into my soundproof little bubble and really let the thought unfold and try and draw out as much of it as I can remember. 


Even if some of them are simply from pictures I've seen, they're still fun to think about. Like I definitely don't think I actually remember the time my family sat around the table and watched as I used my 1st birthday cake as a full body mud wrap, covering my face and hair in pink icing. But it was awesome, I'm positive of that.


And I do NOT remember all the horrible things my parents did to my head and I'm sure if I had any say at all that I would NOT have permitted it. Like these AWful hats, and ODD haircuts!! 

I do remember things that were important to me however, like my sweet sticker collection and this bird that was SUPPOSED to be my pet until his wing healed an he got better and flew off and left me! Ditcher. He was probably scared of my hair and that diabolical glare!

Anyways now life is way not as fun. There is no more cake to rub in and around my eyes and I have to worry about stuff like paying bills and health and fitness and taxes and and all those mundane details that come with being a grown-up. And that stuff is definitely not as fun and pretty to organize in an album and trade on the sidewalk with your friends. So it's fun to bring up those memories from the past that make you smile and shut your eyes tight and not want to open them again. Kinda like when you try so hard to stay asleep and in the dream with Bradley Cooper and the delicious ice teas and the beach... 

I've been remembering some of the things that I wanted when I was younger.

-  A broken limb. Any limb that resulted in a cast would have been fine, although a leg would have been extra awesome because then I would needed crutches too.

- A tree house (preferably with electricity)

- An older brother.

- A years supply of gushers. My mom never bought them for us so I would trade my cheese & crackers for someone's gushers.

- A water bed. (Got it. And yes, it rocked my socks off)

- Retainer or braces. I used to suck on fruit roll-ups till they would stick to the roof of my mouth and pretend it was my retainer. My awesome retainer made of sugary goodness!

- World Peace. No, I seriously did. I never understood why the place that made money couldn't just make more of it and give some to the starving people in Africa and all the homeless people under the overpass in Calgary and then everyone would probably be happy. Probably.

I know I have a lot less going on in life than most people, I honestly can't complain. And I know in 10 years I'll look back and wish for today but today I'm looking back and wishing for the days when I could go a whole week with pigtails in my hair and shoes on the wrong feet. As long as my sticker collection was complete and in proper order, little else had much importance to me. A couple weeks ago I watched while these little girls played and laughed and sat on the grass with bare feet and not a single care in the world and I was glad for the reminder of those days.