post no. 134 -- What Inspires Me Wednesdays

 The Circus as a Wedding Backdrop

These places to call home. 

A big comfy sweater. 

post no. 133 -- Good and Bad

What Made Today Bad:

Kris having to leave tonight on another business trip. 

Migraines at work. 

Muscle cramps after the gym. 

Jack attacks. 

Spilled Kix. 

What Made Today Good:

Finally getting the garage door fixed.

Teen Mom 2 Season Finale

Spending time with Hubs. 

Feeling energized after the muscle cramps subsided. 

Ninja Sushi. 

One day closer to my birthday!

Discovering how many days are left before my best friends come visit/stay for keeps. 

Overall this day turned out much more good than bad. 

How was your day?

post no. 133 -- The Jack vs. Hyde Diaries v. 1

Hello all,

If you have not already heard all the fabulous things about me, now is your chance! My name is Jack. I am almost one years old, and I am big. I am an investigator of all of the best things. Like catching flies, and digging, and the itchies. My favorite colors are pink and I loves stuffingses and pulling it out of birds, and my toys. My least favorite holiday is Christmas so I try to kill all the ornaments I can before the next one.

This is me when I was little, I was so little I did not know how little I was.

Now I am big, I am almost one year old. For my birthday I want a big new bed that is red. The End.

post no. 132 -- Rik Lee

I just got done looking back at the blog stats for Pea Blossom, which led me to search for myself using the tags that have led some of you here. You know, just to see what pops up. Well in my quest, I discovered an amazing artist named Rik Lee.

To sum up a little more about him I'll pull from his site:

Rik Lee lives and draws in Melbourne, Australia. He has worked for a range of clients including Nylon, Puma, Wired, Vodaphone, Telstra, Vibe, Vice, Dotti, Clandestine Industries, Hurley, Honour Over Glory and Stussy. He works with grey lead pencils, textas, watercolours and his computer. When he’s not drawing Rik tries not to fall off his skateboard and enjoys talking in detail about the weather. Storms are his favourite. In the future he intends to draw more, travel more, get more tattoos, drive a ’67 Chevy Impala and move down the coast with his girl and his dog.

I'm dying right now. Love? Love. To check out some of his work for sale go here. 

post no. 131 -- Matrimony Mondays v. 2

To continue on with my new series, Matrimony Mondays, I wanted to feature some adorable ideas that have been scooting into weddings and receptions. From desert tables, to tea, these are great little features to any event. 

How much do you love the cake and desert table? 

post no. 130 -- Oh What a Week

I'm curled up on the couch right now with clouds around us outside. Kris is asleep, Jack is asleep, and Ashy is doing laundry and looking up cute blogs.

Last night was spent riding around the heart of Waikiki and stopping off at the Sheraton to say hello to friends. This morning Kris and I set out on a clean house mission, as well as a redecorate and organize the bedroom mission. I think we did well. Our neighbor had a garage sale and we snagged an old TV for free and it works perfectly as a curled up in bed alternative to watching movies in the living room.

The remainder of today will most likely be spent just finishing up laundry and cleaning up Jack's messes before tomorrow we're back at work. Hopefully we can get it all done!

Oh What a Week...

post no. 129 -- Things I Want Thursdays, Sunday

I've been working on post no. 129 since Friday. Pathetic, I vote yes. It's sort of a trend here on the weekends, I just don't post. I know I should, I think about it every hour, yet I just don't. I apologize.

I've been pretty materialistic lately, as the birthday is coming up and I'm excited to get a fatty paycheck, and well... invest, sure that's a good word. As some of you know I've been in a toss up for an iPhone, more tattoos, DSLR, Marc Jacobs bag, etc. Well yesterday I ordered my iPhone, and am in the market for one more spoil... Part of me wants to finish my sleeve, but the ADD-Ashley wants a random 20th birthday tattoo. I've decided on a cupcake, but the placement boggles me, so I think I might just wait on that one.

Anyways, this Things I Want Thursday, is going to occur on a Sunday... because I can, mwahaha! Enjoy!

iPhone 4 for Verizon, Shopping Spree from Ruche, New Wedding Band, Finishing my Sleeve, At Least Outlining My Sleeve..., A Wig for Going Out, Marc by Marc Jacobs Baby Aidan!

post no. 128 -- Happy Birthday Early!

Happy Birthday to Me! From HUBS

For my 20th birthday, which isn't until April 9th, Kris bought me a cruiser! Kris and all of his friends love to longboard around town so naturally they thought to include me in their missions via bicycle. The bike is white and black and came with these awful tribal decals but I've been spray painting over them... and so far it looks great. Ultimate plans, are for a basket either on the back or front and a bell, obviously. Oh and a card flapper! I love that I feel like a kid again at 20 years old!

We had so much fun yesterday. We started at the NEX, where we picked up my bike, and then headed down to Chinatown. Parking was over $10, but it was worth it. We cruised up and down the streets, making children laugh, and adults wish they could be carefree again. We're not as carefree as we look, at least me, but still I had a blast. After an hour plus of watching Hawaii 5-0 filmings, playing around the palace, and touring the old mission cemeteries, we headed over to Murphy's on Merchant St. It's a great Irish Pub that serves Nachos, Irish Style, which they call Potato Skins, but are delish whatever they end up labeled as. Potatoes, Cheese, Sour Cream, Bacon, and Chives can never really steer you wrong. After that we ended up calling it a night and heading home to pass out. 

The more time I spend downtown the more I love it. Other than the lack of outdoor areas for Jack, and parking, I would totally move there in a heartbeat. We live in the suburbs now, but it's great to be able to head out all over the island and just have a good time with friends. 

I didn't snap any pictures of our afternoon adventure, but rest assured that this weekend, other than morning meetings for work, will be filled with beach and bike activities!

post no. 127 -- What Inspires Me Wednesdays

Loving Yourself

post no. 126 -- ADHD and Organization

A few weeks ago my sister and I were on the phone long distance from Arizona to Hawaii. What a chat. She brought to my attention the fact that our whole family, thanks to my dad's genes, has ADHD. Literally. I was planning on waiting until I least started the medication process to break the news, but in the meantime this idea presented itself, so I decided to give it a go early.

I don't want to make this whole post about ADHD, as I intended this to be about organization and its importance, but I just want to pause for a second to touch on the subject. First off, I would honestly like to put it out there for the skeptics and critics, if you don't have the disorder please don't be derogatory and act like this is a "pharmaceutical scheme to make money by drugging up kids". Sure it might be aimed at kids, but for someone who is still trying to get by day to day as an adult, knowing they're doing everything in their power without medication and still having problems, it's hurtful. My parents did not medicate me for that very reason, and I wish they had addressed this issue before I hit high school, but I'm dealing with the issue now, and that's that.

I have had ADHD for a long time, it's pretty much been a denial thing up until this point. I started to notice that I had a hard time focusing and completing projects in my high school art classes, but I didn't want to admit it. It was not that I didn't want to finish, but that I got bored quickly and was constantly wanting to move to something new. Most people think this is where this disorder stops, it's not.

Most people picture some kid running around the playground like a baboon, but in the adult world, it's much more reserved than that. Symptoms like hyperfocus which, to put it simply, means obsessing, pop up in the adult world. When bored, I find something to distract myself with, shopping mainly, but growing up it involved researching things I wanted, making Powerpoint presentations for Christmas gifts, the works. (You think I'm kidding about the PPTs.. I'm not.) Hyperfocus, involves obsessing over something until someone or something physically causes you to stop. I can't tell you how many times I have gotten obsessive about buying something, moving somewhere, planning something, and on and on.

The next thing people don't realize about ADHD, is it makes you very impulsive. Not just like last minute snags off the shelf.. but saying things you don't mean, hurtful and rude things, being incredibly impatient over trivial things, and more. Certain things give me anxiety, like scribbled writing all over a page, because it reminds me of me. Having ADHD means feeling that despite everything you've accomplished, you're lacking. I have a short temper, am hypersensitive, and often get super irritable mood swings. It's like PMSing 24/7. For the longest time I thought it was just me, I was a bitch, but talking to my sister helped me realize there was light at the end of the tunnel.

It's actually somewhat scary realizing that you fit into every category listed on a symptoms page, but at the same time I find it kind of liberating. To learn more about ADHD and it's other symptoms, take a look here. My appointment to deal with this is April 4th, until then I'm trying to really work at correcting problems I recognize, such as organization. So I said all of that, to say this: Lets talk about schedules, organization, and such!

Blog schedules, work schedules, school schedules, life schedules, they're all important. We see them everywhere, from pre-school activities to NFL season playoffs. They're organized, clear cut, and to the point. Wouldn't it be great if life could be that way?

Most people have trouble getting organized and staying on top of things. I'm an example, obviously. But one of the main reasons why is because they can't get into a method of organization that suits them.

Monthly, weekly, daily, they can all start to blend together. So which one is right for you? Well, it depends. Typically, I buy daily and weekly planners only to realize that after about a month I no longer use them other than to document what happened last week. Why? Because I think big picture. Part of this is the ADHD, part of it is just personality, but I have a hard time focusing on 7am-8am this is what I am doing. Instead, I know that bills are due certain days and Kris leaves others. So, no matter how I try, a weekly planner isn't for me. Finding a little more about you and your likes and dislikes, can help in getting organized to the point you would like. 

From your home office to your laundry, another tip for staying organized is making sure everything has it's place. Knowing where an item belongs helps ensure that the item gets back to its proper place by the time you are finished. My mom used to always stress this to me growing up and I never really paid attention until I moved out on my own. Dealing with Kris and my chaos is a bit much sometimes, so having a certain place for certain things certainly helps in the long run. 

Labels are a great way as well to organize your closet, fridge, office supplies, etc. In your fridge it is also a great way to help know how long you've had those left overs, and exactly when that jug of juice is no longer good. 

Last but not least, a final tip to staying on top of things is color coding. Breaking down your to do list by color of importance, schedule by category, or closet by hue, can do loads of good. I break down my calendar with colors that make sense for the category, green for money and bills, red for monthly visits... , and on. It helps to look at your calendar and see exactly what you have going on for every group.

I hope this post has helped, whether you have ADHD, are slightly organizationally challenged, or are just looking for some new ideas to keep things clutter free. 

post no. 125 -- Ruche

I came across this great shop called Ruche a few days ago and I love everything about their collections. Feminine, flirty, yet something you can make a quick getaway in if need be. Think Anthropolgie, but affordable, they offer great quality pieces that can fit virtually every budget. Plus their look books... to die for.

Based out of my home grounds, Southern California, they advertise as "a modern boutique with a vintage touch", and that is exactly what they bring to the table. When I clicked the link to head over to their site I felt like I was stepping into a tea party. Needless to say I won't be waiting too long before placing my order, because they ship to Hawaii (and the rest of the world)!

post no. 124 -- Matrimony Mondays v. 1

So as some of you know I plan weddings for a living. I currently work at a company, but once we leave the islands I plan on getting my name out there independently. In the meantime, I plan events on the side for friends and family just to get some independent experience, in addition to the destination crowd I handle at work. Last week I began planning my friend Veronica's wedding this summer and came up with some ideas, which in turn inspired me to start my new Monday series on the blog, Matrimony Mondays, where I would showcase some gorgeous weddings both old and new.

This week's Matrimony Monday is going to be based around a pretty unique trend that's been popping up in the wedding world recently, and that is alternative bouquets. Be it buttons, leaves, paper, or drawer handles, these funky bouquets seems to be quite the rage lately.

I also love the use of succulents in some south west weddings lately, being a Californian through and through, I love the mix of coastal elements and natural elegance. This should be a fun new series, so stay posted for weekly updates and highlights!

post no. 123 -- Angelique Houtkamp

I'm so jealous.