31 October 2014

BOO!


HAPPY HALLOWEEN!! 

I wish I was sharing pics of my Halloween cookies + cards (like the ones I made last year) but alas this year it just didn't happen. I bought the blank black cards that I intended on using to make my Halloween cards, but when news of my acceptance into my very first art exhibit arrived the cards + cookies got totally pushed to the side as I need to focus all of my time + energy into preparing for the show. So sorry folks! Definitely will be making my Christmas cards though this coming December!  

Since I don't have any crafted Halloween goodies to share with ya I thought it'd be fun to share this pic of my favorite Halloween decoration of all the Halloween ones we have (there are many as my mom is a holiday decorating extremist)! We've had this little house for years now, but it's still the one I look for first when it's time to decorate! :) 

Hope you all have a fun + safe holiday from us here at BSOM!!

Until next time friends....Cheers!!

<3 Noonie 

29 October 2014

Savory Oats | Middle Eastern Style




On this particular day I was craving something savory + filled with cumin; but I didn't have any of the usual culprits around the house. I was trying to think of a concoction that would be quick, easy, + give me the flavor I so desperately wanted. And so, the Middle Eastern Oats were born.
I did a quick google search on 'savory oats' to see if other people had ever tried their hand at these little buggers, + gee-golly alot of people had!

Now, after trying these I have to say I wish I had made them sooner! They are quick, easy, delicious and customizable to your mood! I made mine in more of a 'risotto' style, which I like to believe enhanced the flavor... But who am I kidding I'm sure they would be equally delectable in the microwave or any other manner in which you like to create your oatmeal!

28 October 2014

Past Greats: Egon Schiele

I think I've mentioned this before on BSOM but I took an Art History class a few years back + it really sparked my desire to learn all about artists of the past, from the more well known to the not so well known. Prior to taking this course I knew a little about art history, but primarily only about 'household name' artists, such as Van Gogh or Monet. My knowledge about other historically important but not as infamous artists was very slim, but upon taking this Art History course I fell in love with lots of these not so well known artists, including Egon Schiele who became one of my all time favorite artists from the past. I'm sure there are some of you out there who have never heard of this artist so I thought it'd be fun to tell ya a little bit about him + share some of his works with you because they are not only amazing, but they have a timeless essence about them. Enjoy the show...!


Mr. Egon Schiele

27 October 2014

Portals + Stairs


Please enjoy a few images from my recent Urban Excursions around San Francisco!
-Nelli

26 October 2014

AFOMFT 9

"...these are a few omfavorite things". If you're new around these parts AFOMFT is a weekly series that entails my favorite things of the week. I'm constantly finding new quotes I like + new favorite paintings/artists etc. + I thought it'd be fun to share my favorites of the week via this series! :)

Enjoy!


THIS POEM:


25 October 2014

Grapes + Pancakes



Today I woke up craving pancakes.

As you all know, I recently moved to San Francisco, + so far it has been a whirlwind running around to see apartments, looking for jobs, trying to make friends, experiencing new restaurants, and the like. About a week ago I finally got an apartment (in what is now the most difficult place in the country to find one)!!!! That means I can finally get back into my cooking habits, relax a little but, and best of all decorate! Throughout this process I've been eating a bunch of junk food, easy to access, and already made so I (more than anyone) is excited to get back into cooking!

24 October 2014

Noonie's SN&R Newsstand!


I've always admired SN&R (Sacramento News & Review) newsstands as most of them are covered with original artwork done by local artists from the area. No 2 newsstands are alike for this reason, which is why every time I see one I always take a minute to check out it. You'd be amazed at the variety of different styles/works of art you can find on SN&R newsstands as many different levels of artists have created works on them, from beginning artists (even children) to professionals. As I was to find out none of the artists are paid to embellish the newsstands, which just makes them all the better as these artists created works on them out of pleasure not gain (although it is a good way to promote ones work).


As it turns out I've become one of these newsstand artists, + I couldn't be more excited to share with you my newsstand story! A few months ago I was reading SN&R + I happened to stumble upon an ad calling for local artists who were interested in artsying up their very own newsstand. As soon as I saw the ad I jumped on the opportunity + emailed SN&R telling them I was very interested in the opportunity + the next day I had a response from them telling me to come pick up my newsstand - which I did that exact same day. 


22 October 2014

Carmelita's + Classic Signs


Weekend was good. I finally got around to trying this one local Mexican restaurant that goes by the name of Carmelita's. My bf has been telling me about it for some time now as it's his favorite one in the Sacramento area + after trying the food I can see why! I ordered the Enchiladas Verdes plate which consisted of 2 Shrimp enchiladas topped with green enchilada sauce (which I normally don't like but I loved it!) + served with sliced avocado, rice + black beans. Everything tasted so delicious + fresh, I was quite impressed! I also had a fruit infused Margarita which was pretty tasty too, although it could've been a bit stronger (lol). The food wasn't the only thing that impressed me about this restaurant though, the service was outstanding + it was also very beautifully decorated both inside + out! Very ornate. I will definitely be going back! :)

19 October 2014

18 October 2014

Forgotten Resource




If you've been around here for a while you'd know how much I love the blog Carrie Ellen's Art Studio! In fact she was even featured right here on BSOM before :) Her work is just so inspiring and I love how she's always experimenting with different mediums, like myself. Recently she published a post on her blog titled Good Reads, which was all about her trip to the local library in search of some inspiration. I'm talking about art books. She found a ton of inspirational ideas from these books + so she prompted us her readers to check out our local libraries so we could do the same. Of course I did just that. 

17 October 2014

Welcome Home!


As you may have figured out by now, my new home is..... SAN FRANCISCO!
I am so excited for all of my new adventures here!

15 October 2014

Moody CA Skies

A few weekends ago the weather was super odd + I had written this post about it, but hadn't had the chance to post it for your viewing pleasure until now.

Enjoy! 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



The past couple of days the weather has been really weird. I'm talkin' odd shades of reds, oranges + purples in the skies + thunder + lightning storms out of no where. Kinda gloomy + grey, although I have been enjoying the cooler weather a bit. I got to bust out a long sleeve shirt this morning, which was a nice change. On days like today I really just want to stay curled up in bed, passing the day with movies, such as The Goonies. There's just something about gloomy weather that makes me want to watch it. 

Anyways wanted to share this clip I captured of the lightning storm...




Until next time friends...Cheers!!!

<3 Noonie

14 October 2014

MOTW 5 | Halloween Edition



Musings of The Week. I mean, weeks. If you're a newbie around here let me explain. I started this series MOTW, as a way to help keep me inspired + focused on my current ideas + thoughts. It's easy to get caught up in the BS of day to day living, which often leads me to becoming uninspired, or to lack to energy to create, at least that's what happens to me from time to time. Which is why I thought a weekly check-in with what my current ideas for future projects or what I'm currently thinking about would be quite helpful to me, + it has been! Now I should mention when I initially started this series it was going to be a weekly one, but I've been brimming + boiling over with ideas + the results of these ideas that there wasn't enough space to share them all with you in one week. Sooo I've cut my MOTW back to a bi/tri-weekly series instead, so there will be more space to share all of my current thoughts, ideas + projects. As this series is going to be cut back I plan on including even more of my currents thoughts, ideas + projects because I'll have the time needed in order to share them + the results with ya, so it's definitely a good thing! For those who have read my MOTW before, I hope this series has rubbed off a little on you + has inspired you to dig a little deeper + start checking in with yourself a little more. There are all sorts of ideas swimming around you just have to look for them! :)

Anyways let's get down to business!


Artsy Projects:

Current art projects I'm thinking about trying in the coming weeks...


+ Halloween Cards: YES! The season has come for homemade Halloween cards! One of my favorite holiday activities to do! With all those exclamation points I'm sure you can tell just how excited I am about this project! :) I made these cards last Halloween + I think I'm going to stick with tradition of what I did last year + make my cards using glue + glitter again. It worked well for me last year + the cards definitely stood out with all their sparkle :) Halloween is fast approaching so I'm going to get on this project ASAP + share the results with ya soon!

+ Pumpkins: Of course this is a given. I so love getting to carve pumpkins + this year is no different! I did see this really cute idea though for decorating pumpkins using glitter on Carrie Ellen's blog + I'm somewhat tempted to try her technique this year instead of the usual carving. Just for something different, but we'll see. Maybe I'll have to get 2 pumpkins so I can do both lol. 



Recipe Aspirations:

'New to me recipes' I'd like to try...


+ Pumpkin Pie: Yes I've made pumpkin pie before, making the pie crust from scratch + filling it with canned pumpkin. I've done it this way plenty of times. But I've never made actual homemade pumpkin pie before. I'm talking about the pumpkin part of it. My family + I have always used canned pumpkin, it's convenient + delicious. But this year I thought I'd challenge canned pumpkin + try to make my own pumpkin filling for the pie by prepping + scooping an actual pumpkin. I'm not exactly sure just yet what the whole process entails, but I'm pretty excited to try my hand at it! Will be sure to let ya know how it turns out ;)



+ Halloween Cookies: Okay so I'm kinda cheating with this one as the recipe I'm going to use for my Halloween cookies is the same one I used last year. Caz if it ain't broke don't fix it. Looking forward to getting into the spirit of the holiday by eating my way there with these cookies lol. Be on the look out for pictures :)


MOTW | 4 CHECK IN:

As I mentioned before the goal of this series of posts is to help keep me inspired + focused, 
accountability is part of it too. Here's how my last MOTW projects + ideas went...

Art Projects:

- Abandon An Inspirational Rock + Sea Shells: CHECK. It felt good to get out there + abandon some art! It had been a minute since I had done so + I had forgotten just how much fun it is! Will be sharing photos of my abandoned rock + shells here in the next few days! :)


- Fuji Instax Photo Projects: FAIL. I've been keeping busy with other art projects that I completely forgot about this one! Will work on something in the coming weeks!

Recipe Aspirations:

- Mini Chicken Pot Pies: CHECK. I've already shared my experience making these along with the recipe. If ya missed it, check it out! :)

- Chocolate Avocado Mousse with Sea Salt: CHECK. OMG this dessert was sooo good! I've already shared the recipe for this bad boy as well, you can find it here :)


Pretty happy with how my MOTW have been going :) Can't wait to catch up with ya up + let you know how these newest upcoming projects go on my next MOTW!



Until next time friends...Cheers!!

<3 Noonie

12 October 2014

AFOMFT | 8


"...these are a few omfavorite things". If you're new around these parts AFOMFT is a weekly series that entails my favorite things of the week. I'm constantly finding new quotes I like + new favorite paintings/artists etc. + I thought it'd be fun to share my favorites of the week via this series! :)

Enjoy!


THIS QUOTE:

"Drowning Time" Painted by: Yours Truly

You may already know this if you're a regular around here + caught this post, but I LOVE Surrealism. So it goes without saying I of course love Dali's work + I really liked this quote I found of his because it very much applies to me. I'm usually pretty easy going about a lot of things, far from a perfectionist. But as soon as I pick up that brush/pastel/marker etc. I become a huge perfectionist. It only gets worse once I'm "done" with the piece + I usually end up spending just as much time doing touch ups on the piece as I did actually painting it, trying to perfect each + every little nook + cranny of it. I just can't help myself. Even when I finally decide I've had enough + declare the piece completely finished I'll come back to it later + still not be completely satisfied. (*I should note that I don't feel like this about all of my pieces, just most of them lol.) But this my friends brings us to this quote, Dali was spot on right. I'm not going to reach complete perfection with all of my pieces or even most of them, but at the end of the day I can chalk up those imperfections as experiences. Now I'll know next time what to do/what not to do, so in the end it's all good. :) 


THIS PAINTING:


"The Harlequin's Carnival". Okay so I didn't really discover this Joan Miro painting for the first time this week, but I did re-discover it. I first learned about this piece while taking an art history course a couple of years ago + I immediately loved it! I mean all of Miro's work is exquisite. So when I found out about the Miro exhibit at the Carnegie Arts Center in Turlock I was beyond excited! There's only a 2 hour drive that separates me from seeing actual Miro Printmade pieces + you bet I'm going to be making that journey sometime soon before the exhibit is over. But I've got a little time to get to it as it ends in January of next year. 

Check out the art center's page for more info! 


THIS GUY: 


Bryce Petty. Oooo-Wweee! ;) I am a newbie when it comes to watching Football. I had never paid much attention to the sport because no one in my family ever played or watched it so I never learned the logistics of it, that is until as of lately. My bf is a huge football fan + when he heard I didn't know the game he told me "well you're goin' have to learn if you're goin' be hangin' out with me" lol. That morning I learned the game of football + while I was watching this hottie ^^ popped up on the screen! Needless to say the Baylor Bears are now my favorite team hehe ;)


THIS PHOTO: 


Evidence of the changing Season. I snapped this photo a few weeks ago as I was in awe of the red, orange + yellow leaves. These were the first leaves I had seen this year that had already changed colors so I thought it'd be cool to capture this moment of me officially saying hello to Fall + goodbye to Summer


THIS INSTA ACCT:


James Tillery. I can't recall how I came across this lovely poet's page, but when I did I scrolled all the way to the bottom + read every single one of his amazing poems. The love poem pictured above was one of my favorites of his, but he also writes poems about a variety of subjects. Such a talented poet! 


Go check out his Instagram page to see what I'm talkin' about! :)


THIS MEAL DESSERT:


Chocolate Avocado Mousse. Well I guess it could be a meal ;) lol. Might sound familiar as I did just share the recipe for it a few days ago, but it was seriously soo good! + if your faced is all twisted up right now after reading that, you need to try the recipe even more! I swear it'll make a believer out of you! :)

These were just a few of my favorite things from this week, but I'd like to know... 
What was your favorite thing from this week? 
Comment below <3

Until next time friends...Cheers!!!

<3 Noonie

10 October 2014

Urban State of Mind | Nathan's San Diego


Putting together Feature 'Blogorations' has been so much fun for me! 
I've gotten to meet new people + I've had the opportunity to get to know those I do know a little better. The later is the case with today feature.

Meet Nathan (+ San Diego)! 
He is a friend of Nelli's who I have met a handful of times + you may recall Nelli + he collaborated on a post earlier this year: Caramelized Leek, Basil, + Black Pepper Biscuits
Nelli wanted me to be the one who interviewed Nathan because:
1) She wanted us to get to know each other more intimately
2) I'm the 'feature lady' at BSOM. 
So, Nathan + I came together to bring you this lovely Urban Feature on what his life was like when he lived in San Diego, CA.




"I'm 26, born and raised in Sacramento, graduated from NewSchool of Architecture + Design in San Diego + work as a Designer at the architecture firm Lionakis in Newport Beach,CA I love traveling, photography, cooking, wine, + great cocktails." - Nathan










Current City: Irvine, CA



BSOM: Where are you originally from + why did you move to San Diego?
Nathan: I was born in Sacramento, and moved to San Diego in 2010 to complete my Bachelor's of Architecture degree.

BSOM: What's the biggest difference between Sacramento + San Diego?
Nathan: San Diego reminds me a lot of a 'Sacramento by the beach,' with the city sprawling out with lots of suburban areas, but a really exciting and lively urban core downtown.

BSOM: How long did you live there + why did you move away?
Nathan: I lived in San Diego for 3 years, from July 2010 - August 2013. I moved because of a job opportunity in Newport Beach. I think that if I didn't have that opportunity, I would have stayed in San Diego.

BSOM: What did you enjoy most about life in SD?
Nathan: Living in downtown San Diego was always exciting, there was always something going on and you could just walk out your door and be within walking distance to restaurants, the nightlife, basic amenities. I liked how relaxed the atmosphere is, the weather was always nice (even when it wasn't it was great), and there's a scene/neighborhood for everyone.

BSOM: Best experience you had living there?
Nathan: It's hard to pinpoint one particular experience that I had, I think that it was a great place for me to transition from living at home to being on my own.

BSOM: What negatives (if any) were there to living in SD?
Nathan: Relative to the whole of San Diego, the downtown is very small; while this created some interesting pockets within the sprawling neighborhoods, the vast suburban neighborhoods were also a major detractor in creating a vibrant urban environment outside the downtown area, and walking between the neighborhoods didn't really happen. 

BSOM: One piece of advice you'd give someone who is considering moving there?
Nathan: Spend some time in San Diego exploring the neighborhoods before you commit to moving to any area, and realize that most of San Diego isn't at "the beach".

BSOM: What was the biggest change you've had to make in order to adapt to life in SD?
Nathan: I had a pretty smooth transition, I moved down with a lot of friends from home and knew a lot of people in San Diego prior to moving down. I think just finding a place to live was my biggest obstacle. 



BSOM: Transportation: How did you get around?
Nathan: For getting around most of the time downtown, I would drive just because my daily schedule of activities was very unpredictable, but I more often than not walked to class because parking enforcement was terrible.

BSOM: Favorite "locals only know about it" hang out spot?
Nathan: The funny thing about San Diego is that so much of the population are from elsewhere, and not many people are actually "locals". And San Diego is also a huge tourist town, so even the "local" non-Gaslamp places will often have plenty of out-of-towners. My favorite place in the East Village (the "artist/up and coming part" of downtown SD east of the Gaslamp) is called Neighborhood and the attached Noble Experiment speakeasy with their amazing mixologists.

BSOM: Any local artists/street art you recommend we check out? 
Nathan: A classmate of mine started to make a name for himself doing live art pieces at venues and in the San Diego art scene, his name is Max Mcilwee. He specialized in urban art work with spray paint as his medium. 

BSOM: Favorite restaurant + coffee shop in SD?
Nathan: My favorite restaurant is Underbelly in Little Italy, a hipsterized/trendy ramen restaurant in a converted wine bar. Local beers, great food, and windows that fold down into communal tables. Caffe Calabria in North Park is a great cafe with cold brewed iced coffee.

BSOM: Favorite "day trip spot" in SD?
Nathan: I have two favorite spots to just walk around and enjoy the city, both different but equally the epitome of San Diego. The first place is The Prado in Balboa Park - what started off as the stage for the Panama-California Exposition is now a concentration of museums, art and culture, and gardens with great views of downtown sitting above the city. The second place is the Cabrillo Point tide pools, natural unobstructed, non-tourist overcrowded waterfront with incredible views of the setting sun.

BSOM: If someone only had one day to experience your city, what would you recommend they see/do?
Nathan: Eat and drink you way through San Diego, avoid the Gaslamp unless you're going clubbing, and stroll along the wind sandy beach front of the Hotel Del Coronado.


BIG thanks and shout out to Nathan for his contribution to this blog!!

Until next time friends...Cheers!!! 
<3 Noonie


P.S. Would you like to be featured right here on BSOM?! Email us! We'd love to hear from you! 

Check out our Contact page for more info! :)




The Prado in Balboa Park

Hotel Del Coronado


08 October 2014

Urbanized



Getting myself into the 'planning spirit' this morning by watching this documentary I found online: Urbanized.
If you are interested in urban planning, care about your community, live in a city, or just want to learn something I highly recommend this documentary. Its basically everything I've learned throughout my Masters Degree program.

Which gets me thinking, what is the best way to plan a community? and is there only one 'best outcome'? I don't think that we have an answer for either of these questions, but they are a good place to start the brainstorm. I am personally in favor of planning through community involvement + self organized urbanism.
Planning with community is definitely taking off across the USA, this mode of re-designing a city involves talking to the community and understanding what they need, want, and desire to make their spaces better. The first step in any planning process should be to understand the community, we start by looking at demographics, understanding the street grids, knowing where the parks are, what economic activities occur, what leisure activities take place, and what the built environment consists of. The next step is almost always walking the area, surveying to understand if all of the statistics you just found are indeed correct or if the demographics are wrong, if the stores have all closed, maybe you find out that the kids play kickball in the street and the cars stop for them... These are the details that create each community and give it its personality. These are the things you could never find through statistics and research. Surveying, or people watching, is a major part of our profession; not to mention the most fun! Hopefully through your surveying you get to know community members, talk to them, and start holding referendums where they can convene and discuss as a whole their desires. After awhile, the planners start drawing up plans and proposing changes. These changes would ideally be proposed to the community so they might give input.

You can understand how after this lengthy process each community might need something different. One community might need a new grocery store, while another wants a park, and another needs the city to repair damaged roads, etc. Which brings me back to my question 'What is the best way to plan a community?' and the answer is: that there is none.
This is a unique process where the possibilities are endless and the changes can be infinite.
It is a process none-the-less that will always be needed for societies across the earth, so long as humans inhabit the earth; and at the rate we are going, cities are growing exponentially and by 2050 we are expected to have 75% of the human population living in cities. While this impact will not likely be felt within North America or Europe, across Asia, Africa, and South America this will be drastic! The 'developing cities' are growing at a rate previously unseen, what are these cities to do? They definitely should not be following the old model that was set up by the west, but what type of new models should they introduce? How should they organize? What functions do they need? What resources?

I am both excited and frightened at the world we are creating, and I am sure many critiques will be made, yet the possibilities are so great that I don't know if it really matters. At the end of the day, if you can improve the lives of your citizens, even just one person, then isn't that what we are here for?

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**Now that I have re-read what I just wrote, I'm not really sure I got us anywhere more than a simple rant.... But hopefully I can make just one person think a little bit more about the process


07 October 2014

Chicken Pot Pie Muffins


If you happened to catch my MOTW | 4 you'd know I had set my sights on making this dish, I did just that + the results were delicious! I had never tried to make pot pies before, but I really liked this 'muffin' version of it, which is why I chose to use this recipe. It is somewhat of a non traditional pot pie recipe as there isn't any gravy involved, but I really liked it + I know you will too! 

Grab your ingredients + let's make some pot pies! :) 


Whatcha Need:

  • * 1 T. Baking Powder
  • * 1 t. Salt
  • * 1/4 t. Pepper
  • * 1 1/4 C. Milk
  • * 1/4 C. Butter, melted
  • * 1 Egg
  • * 2/3 C. Parmesan cheese, shredded 
  • * 1 C. Rotisserie Chicken, shredded
  • * 1 C. Frozen Mixed Veggies, thawed

Note: I only had grated Parmesan Cheese on hand + it worked just fine for this recipe. I also didn't have Rotisserie Chicken so I used boneless, skinless chicken breast which I diced + boiled before getting everything else together. Be resourceful! :)  

How To: 

- Preheat oven to 400.

- Combine flour, baking powder, salt + peppa.

- In a separate bowl whisk milk, egg + butter, add to flour mix.

- Fold in cheese, chicken + veggies into the dough, 
be sure not to overwork

- Grease a 12 count muffin tin + fill each cup 3/4 full, 
sprinkle some Parmesan Cheese on top.

- Place in oven + bake 25 mins.

Fresh out of the oven!

- Serve with butter, ketchup, or hot sauce on the side or go crazy + add some hot Velveeta Cheese or Country Gravy right on top! Enjoy!

Dense, layered goodness!

Really loved this recipe + definitely plan on using it again in the future! I served my pot pie muffins alongside some Mac n' Cheese + salad, + it was the perfect combo! In fact it was the Mac n' Cheese that made me think of trying Velveeta cheese on top of the muffins next time! I think it'd be so delicious! My bf suggested these muffins would also taste great with some Country Gravy on top + I totally agree! I think the gravy would also kind of convert these non traditional pot pie muffins into more of a traditional pot pie. These muffins warm up well microwaved + if you have leftovers changing up what you top these with will almost make it seem like you're eating a whole different meal when really it's just your leftovers :) I think next time I make these I might try a different variation on this recipe, a couple of ideas my bf + I came up with...

* Chicken Cheese Broccoli Muffins
* Chicken Bacon Cheese Muffins, dipped in Ranch 
* Turkey + Cranberry (would be great for the upcoming holidays!)
+ 1 more variation which is currently top secret info, just know it's going to be good! 


There really are so many different variations + toppings one could try with this recipe which is really why I liked it so much. Plus it's super easy to put together + like I said the muffins reheat great! Will be sure to catch up with ya later about the top secret variation of this recipe that's currently under works! ;) 

Until next time friends...Cheers!!

<3 Noonie

06 October 2014

Celebration | Westward Bound


Seventh Stop: CELEBRATION

My last destination on the East Coast was Tampa, Florida. One of my best friend's lives here with her family so it seemed only fitting as my final (and longest) destination spot.
As a City Planner I have spent time researching cities across this great country, big + small, urban + rural, particular + typical; so when I realized that Celebration, Florida was right outside of Tampa I decided that I just had to go!
Celebration is a Disney Designed Community, created to replicate different types of American houses as well as create a walkable community with sidewalks, water features, and small clustered shopping areas. Upon arriving in Celebration I could not overcome my excitement when I saw the little downtown strip. The 'downtown' has brick streets, a lake at the end, little shops to buy trinkets, banks, a movie theater, restaurants, and a surprising number of real estate agencies. We walked around for a little while before stopping at the corner diner for a quick lunch. The food was nothing special, but large portions for the price, and the kiddos got balloon lightsabers (how cool is that?!). After lunch we departed, but not before driving around and checking out a few more homes.

My two-cents:
From the outside Celebration seems like a typical suburb, nothing that would particularly stand out to the laymen. However, the fact that these shopping centers and walkability were worked into the community is particularly unique. While they are not my 'preferred' restaurant quality, stores, or style I do appreciate that Disney took the time to try something new + different, not to mention that the development is basically sold out which shows me that people want to live in communities with easily accessible shopping + activities. So cudos to them!

** I refrained from writing about Tampa, FL as I wrote an in depth blog about it last year.

Previous Posts:
Nelli is Moving
Baltimore
Virginia
Asheville
Greenville
Columbia
Charleston
Tybee Island








05 October 2014

We Interrupt Your Regularly Scheduled Program...

to bring you...The Drags. That's right no A Few of My Favorite Things this week kids. If you're a newbie around here let me explain, every Sunday I usually post a blog about my favorite things from that week. But this week I thought I'd mix it up, just to keep it interesting. But don't be mad, AFOMFT will be back next Sunday. :)


On with the show!

I've been a fan of classic cars ever since I can remember. In fact my very first car was a '61 Mercury Comet. Her name was Delia (yes I name my cars lol) + she was a badass car. I'm sure Nelli remembers her!


For some reason I never took a picture of Delia, but she looked just like the one picture above. You may have noticed the past pretense I just used, Delia + I ended up parting ways after she got hit in an accident, but my love of old cars didn't die with her. In fact a piece of Delia didn't die either as I still have a hubcap of hers that I took off before she was hauled away. But like I said my love of old cars didn't die with her as there's just something about a classic car that lights me up! They just have so much character, with their sometimes large fenders + unique body lines + the details of the car make them so much more pleasing to the eye, at least to me. I mean yeah some newer cars are cool but few of them can compare to the beauty of a classic car.


One of my favorite cars of the day!

After reading all that I'm sure you can tell how much of a classic car enthusiast I really am. So when my bf suggested we go to the drags (that's drag races) out at the Sacramento Raceway a few weekends ago I was so down! Although I've been to plenty of classic car shows over the years, I had never been to the drags before so I was super excited to go see both classic + modern cars racing, trying to cross the line closest to their specific set time!

Love me a classic Chevy! 

I also got to see Jet cars for the first time, which was pretty damn cool! A Jet car is a suuuppeerrr fast race car that has an actual engine from a Jet plane! This souped up car not only shoots out super long flames, but also goes an impressive 300 MPH in 5 seconds while doing so! Talk about an intense piece of machinery! But the passes we saw we're not only of cars, but of motorcycles too! Souped up nitro powered Harley's to be exact, now that was a sight to see! I've never seen a motorcycle go so quickly! I'm talkin' speeds of up to 160 + MPH! Now that's quick for a 4 wheeled vehicle, let alone a motorcycle! 

This bad boy had 2 engines! 

It was quite impressive to see these skilled drivers doing what they do best! Although it was a hot day, I had such an awesome time with my bf watching the drags for the first time + checking out all the awesome cars! 


Ready...Set...GO! 
| Sacramento Raceway|

You bet I'll be back out at that track again soon! 

Until next time friends...Cheers!!!

<3 Noonie