101 in 1001

inspired by Danni's list of 101 things to do in 1001 days, so I decided to make my own.  will be continually updated as things get accomplished!
legend: in progress (13) || completed (32/101) || completed after 1001 days (2)
start date: Thursday, 8/29/2013
end date: Tuesday, 5/31/2016

TRAVEL & OUTDOORS
01. visit chicago
02. hike up half dome in yosemite
03. visit san francisco again
04. go tree house camping
05. ride in a hot air balloon
06. go on a road trip (maybe with #3?)
07. visit europe
08. visit an independent bookstore
09. visit another three lighthouses (0/3)
10. spend an entire day enjoying nature and nothing else
11. sleep under the stars
12. watch a meteor shower
13. go on six new hikes (sturtevant falls, devil's lake, night hike at the uw arboretum, governor nelson state park, pheasant branch creek, governor dodge state park) (6/6)

s'mores party

My high school friends and I do s'mores at least once a break.   They're usually just your average s'mores, made over a bunsen burner (so nerdy!), a bonfire at the beach, or the fire pit in my parent's backyard.  This time, though, I wanted to make it a little more exciting.

hand-lettering

(a blog post for Holstee!) I've been blessed with neat handwriting since I was a child, but I never really saw it as a form of art until recently. Despite short stints of trying to learn calligraphy from a kit (I'll master it eventually), I've learned that you don't need any fancy equipment to get some pretty neat results. Just a ballpoint pen will do. Here are some little projects I've accomplished (lazy instagram pictures are the best!).

[i carry your heart with me(i carry it in] by e. e. cummings 

grown-up dinner party

I feel like graduation is the line between pseudo-adulthood and actual adulthood.  To celebrate our entrance into the world of 9-to-5 jobs and bills and loan-repayments, I hosted a dinner party in July for a couple of my high school friends.  It was a pretty simple set-up, but came together to look pretty fancy.

Spring Break Round-up

I love visiting other cities whenever I get a chance, and being on the East Coast means that I have so many choices to choose from. This spring break, I went to Washington, D.C. and New York City.  Here are some my favorite places.

WASHINGTON, D.C.

Food:

Founding Farmers: we were in the area on a Sunday night, when the streets were all empty.  you wouldn't have realized it from the restaurant, however; both floors were completely packed.  good food and quality ingredients that are made in-house or carefully sourced.

Standard: great barbecue. 'nuff said.

Shopping:

GoodWood: they have a shop puppy that makes a visit worth it.  They mostly carry 19th and 20th century antiques, other vintage finds, and some locally-made products.

Tabletop: a wonderful collection of modern accessories.

Proper Topper: runs the gamut from hats, dresses, baby toys and clothes, books, and more.  good for treating yourself with something beautiful or for gifting a friend.

Trohv DC: huge place chock full of home goods, furniture, party accessories, and more.

Other:

Museums (obviously).  Most of the Smithsonian museums are free, which just makes it all better.  The most popular are the Air and Space Museum and the Museum of Natural History, but some other gems include

National Gallery of Art: beautiful art in a beautiful building.

Freer/Sackler Gallery of Art: Asian art plus a random gallery of American Art.

Museum of American History: I learned so many new things about this country.  Made me proud to be an American, even with all the hiccups we've had (and are still having).

Botanic Garden: and many other gardens dotted between the museums are beautiful.

NEW YORK CITY

Food:

Doughnut Plant: huge donuts with innovative flavors.

Russ and Daughters: cream cheese and cured salmon all made in-house.  lines are long, but worth the wait.

Patisserie Claude: best croissants ever.

Pearl Oyster Bar: lobster rolls and shoestring fries

City Bakery: pretzel croissant.  better than it sounds.

Eataly: Mario Batali's food extravaganza.  a mix between grocery store, deli, cafe, and restaurant.

Momofuku Milk Bar: crack pie is a must-have.  cereal milk ice cream as well.  heck, just try everything.

il laboratorio del gelato: wonderful flavors.

Mast Brothers Chocolate: handcrafted dark chocolate with beautiful packaging.

The Cinnamon Snail: vegan food truck bursting with flavor.  the pastries are wonderful too.

Shopping:

Brooklyn Flea: better in the spring/summer, but still great in the winter.  fantastic collection of clothes, craft, antiques, and food.

Papel New York: cute shop featuring cards and paper goods

Moon River Chattel: kind of like a thrift store, but classier and higher quality and wonderfully curated.

Brook Farm General Store: possibly my favorite store ever.

Purl Soho: quality yarn and fabric shop.  their website also has free patterns for a variety of projects.

Other:

High Line Park: built on abandoned railroad tracks above the city, with great views of the Hudson and surrounding streets

beach day

It rarely ever gets cold in southern California.  One fine day in the middle of winter break, my family and I cruised around the beaches dotting the coast.  We drove up to Seal Beach, and then hit Huntington and Sunset Beach before ending at Newport Beach.  Along the way, we drove by a dog beach that I need to revisit because puppies.  That is all.

a brief foray into food photography

Over winter break, I commandeered my mom's DSLR, and basically took the camera everywhere for two weeks.  Most notably, I baked up dozens of cookies, which were meant to be gifted to our neighbors.  They ended up not getting any (sorry neighbors!).  Most were eaten at the gatherings we had at our house, but there is still a tin with some leftovers.  I bet they'll still be there when I go home for the summer.

I started off using the lenses that came with the camera, but my dad later picked up a Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 lens that multiple bloggers suggested.  So I went back and reshot some of those original photos.

Now that I'm back at school, however, I no longer have the camera at my disposal.  Boo hoo.