santa cruz, taken by me

What a lovely weekend. More great food & a lot of listening. I really had a chance to hear people this weekend which is something I've been working on in my relationships. My Dad shared a lot with me about trees, crops, his Dad & how he wants to mend relationships. I heard my old friend Jeremy talk about the past and the present & we've known each other since I was 17, when I wasn't so interested in others. I heard my brother & although I'm worried I feel like I know him better now. We played pool, ate sushi and laughed a whole lot. What a wonderful weekend. I love the charm of Santa Cruz, Ca. I love the homes and the artisan food. I love the colors everywhere. What a wonderful weekend. 

How terribly difficult is my life? This week has consisted of amazing food, new friends, a beautiful gift from a dear girl & an aromatherapy facial from one of the most talented skin care therapists in Southern California. Roller Derby with great girls and inspiration coming out of nowhere. It's so strange how quickly the tides change for me. The special gift is a pair of custom painted TOMS Shoes done by none other than the absolutely lovely Laura Palm. She was asked to do an event with Nectar, a clothing store- our neighbor to the left- where she was asked to give 15 minutes of a small custom painting on each pair of TOMS shoes sold that day. I knew I had to jump on it- but I had something very specific in mind. Everyone knows of my affinity for parisian culture- but what better way to promote my love of all things à Paris than with a custom Eiffel tower design! Laura took them home and surprised me only a few days later with my new very favorite pair of shoes! I almost died when she showed them to me! They're perfect- I'm so blessed!

Have I talked about my love for Claremont lately? Yes? Well here I go again... Colors 91711, located at 248 Harvard Ave, in the city of everything amazing. It was actually last weekend at the farmers market that I met miss Amanda Rios, the owner of Bobby Soxie & since I didn't really get a chance to shop- I found her etsy shop. I ordered a couple of things (yellow things to be exact) & she told me she'd be happy to waive the shipping if I just walked to her work in the village. She informed me that she teaches knitting at Colors, a cute little shop full of colorful yarn and delightful people. Strangely enough, the owner of the spa I work at had just introduced me to the co-owner earlier on that week. The universe is really pointing me in that direction! After some talking I knew it was time to take up knitting again. I'd taken a class in Riverside a couple of years ago but the shop had closed down before I really got to learn anything. I seriously cannot wait! My first class is tonight at 6pm- and I'm super excited to get my knit on. Long story short, Claremont is awesome- I'm totally learning to knit tonight!

This weekend I was invited to go to Santa Cruz, which thrills me because I get to see more of my brother now. Also, I plan to stop by the Penny Ice creamery, my very favourite ice cream shop in the world! The first time I went there I tried lavender ice cream and simply died and went to creamy heaven. I'm also looking forward to seeing a dear friend from the Bay Area & hitting up the thrift stores. Like I stated, my life is so difficult- I don't know how I manage sometimes!