My Tiny Travels #7: Los Angeles

August was a whirlwind. I moved out of my parent's house and into my very own space. My roommate and I have been slowly creating a home out of our little place. The weekend after I moved in, I packed up my little weekend bag and made my way to LA. 

It had been a really rough Friday. I had received some bad news early on in the day and was still taking it all on as I headed to the airport. Real talk friends, I was totally the girl full crying at the airport. Thankfully, my plane was headed in the direction of all my favorite humans. So it was into the arms of loved ones I went. While it wasn't the most exciting or adventurous weekend, it was so cathartic and definitely, the space I needed to be in. 

My dear friend Neil picked me up from LAX, and we headed to Silver Lake -- home of the bougie coffee shops, unreal vegan restaurants, and many a wide brim hat. Once in Silver Lake, I was getting rather hangry, and demanded to be fed. Now, I have zero shame in telling you all this. But of the three days I spent in LA, I ate at Flore every single one. Please open a location in Sacramento so I can give you all my money. Their breakfast burrito is every vegan's dream: tempeh bacon, cashew cheese, potatoes, tofu scramble. (Insert praise hands emoji here)

After I fully stuffed my face with the most delicious seitan tacos, we returned to Neil's to catch up and watch my all time favorite movie: The Princess Bride. I cannot count how many times I've watched that movie.  I've also read the original novel it was based on, and if you've never considered opening it, you're sorely missing out. William Goldman is an absolutely brilliant author. It's so incredibly clever and well written. 

Now I didn't just head to LA all willy-nilly. The big, most wonderful reason for my visit was to see the ultimate sob queen, Adele. My college roommates and I had been planning this trip since last November. It was a great opportunity to see an incredible artist, but it was really just an excuse to catch up with my Summer '13 girls. 

As has been well established by now, I have a thing for walls. Bright walls, patterned walls, monochromatic walls -- basically if it looks hip as hell I'm into it. Silver Lake is covered in walls that just demand to be photographed. My absolute favorite was this piece, painted by Dallas Clayton a children's book author and illustrator.  

Saturday morning in Silver Lake was spent eating Flore, wandering the streets in search of wonderful walls, and a quick stop in the market down the street from Neil's place. After purchasing some dainty pieces of jewelry, Megan and I headed into downtown LA to meet up with Tanya.

Downtown LA is probably pretty cool? I'm really not sure. We spent all of 30 minutes wandering around, but it was mostly spent in front of three really eclectic walls. 

We hopped into a cab to meet up with the rest of our crew over in the Art District for a few beers at Angel City Brew. 

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A few beers, some wine, and a delicious Mexican meal later, we headed into Staples Center to begin an evening of laughter, music, and few tears. Okay, maybe more than a few tears. It was Adele after all. I have a few frames taken of the show, but we were so far from the stage, you wouldn't really care to see it anyway. Just know that she is an absolute angel, both vocally and as a human. For someone who creates such a heartbreaking music, she's the total opposite in between songs. There are very few other artists that create incredible art and are absolutely hilarious on stage. 

The following morning, it took us a while to get moving but we eventually found ourselves back at Flore to feast on all the vegan eats. Food coma or bust, we needed to head for coffee immediately. Luckily Silver Lake is inundated with amazing coffee shops. The previous day we'd wandered into Intelligentsia, so for our Sunday pick me up with strolled into the opposite direction towards Alfred Coffee & Tea. At the time of my trip they were doing a promotion with the dating app Bumble. Every coffee sleeve had a cute pun on it. Check these out. 

With the remainder of our Sunday, we headed over to Neil's Mom's house for an early dinner. His mom is the actual coolest. She's an author and has just a released her newest book, "Harley and Me". I have it sitting on my nightstand waiting to be read. I promise to get to it one of these rainy days. 

Less then 48 hours from when I arrived, I was in a car traveling back to the airport. It was exactly the kind of weekend I needed -- surrounded by my favorite humans, important conversations, and magical music. 

Weekender | V.10

Happy Friday friends! I've been curled up in my bed for most of this last week. I've been trying to fight off all the gnarly germs floating around, but they finally caught up to me. I was out most of the day Wednesday and Thursday. I'm starting to feel more human, but definitely not fully there yet. 

But I couldn't let another week go by without posting a new playlist. Especially since the last few weeks have been inundated with new albums. I tried to grab a few tracks from some of my new favorite albums. It's seriously been a month or so of fantastic album releases. Important new albums to note are: Bon Iver, Banks, The Head and the Heart, Kings of Leon, and Solange. I've been non-stop listening to the Banks and The Head and the Heart albums. Definitely take the time to listen to them all the way through. You'll find your gems. 

Have a great weekend. Hopefully this rain isn't going to get the best of you. 

My Tiny Travels #6: Napa/Sonoma

This summer's heat was brutal. What the heck sun? Why you gotta be so hot? Though I suppose it's something we expect living in Sacramento. Mildly rainy winters, disgustingly hot summers. I'm sure somewhere in the world there is someone who appreciates the sweltering summer, I, on the other hand, am a fall girl through and through. Yes, I am basic. But I don't care, there's something lovely about the autumn breeze, the falling leaves and layering up, that really pleases me. Though I am firmly against this ridiculous notion of putting pumpkin into a latte. Hard pass on that one. 

As the weather here begins to cool, I should probably recap my quick travel in July. In an effort to escape the heat, and to celebrate my Mom's birthday we hopped into the car and headed to Napa for the shortest day among the vines. 

Our first stop in Napa was the Oxbow Public Market. It's a frequent destination anytime the family heads to wine country. They have this restaurant there called Kitchen Door. It's so Instagram-worthy. Have a look: 

 

After an amazing lunch, we headed off in search of wine. My friend had told me about this winery/castle in Calistoga so naturally, we had to go there. We pulled up to Castle Di Amorosa, and it's actually the most stunning place. I'm sure there are hundreds of people that get married there. While it definitely had that Italian vibe to it, I could only think of the castles in Windsor and Kent that I visited in England.  Did I pretend like I was back there? Hell yes. All the castles, all the time, please. 

We wandered through the vineyards, the castle's walls, and eventually headed downstairs to taste the wine. They keep all their wine in the cellar, and in order to get to the tasting room, you have to wander through dusty, empty bottles. It was a bit crypt-like down there. The wine itself was pretty great, and while I'm typically a cabernet kind of girl, their rose´was worthy of the ultimate basic swoon.   

Pressed for time, we sped off towards Sonoma. My dad was desperate to get to Enkidu's tasting room. We had opened a bottle of theirs a few weeks prior, and it was fantastic. In a fashion very typical of my family, we got lost on the way and just barely made it in time to purchase wine. 

The owners of Enkidu recommend we head in Glen Ellen to the Girl and the Fig's sister cafe: The Fig Cafe. Apparently, Glen Ellen is a very tiny town, and they have a similar bridge to the opening credits of One Tree Hill, so you can bet that I sang Gavin Degraw's "I Don't Want To Be" the whole way across it. The Fig Cafe was excellent. It's just this little tiny place, but their food was all farm to fork; and they had figs everything -- the walls, the food, the drinks, even the soap in the bathroom was fig. 

We  sufficiently stuffed our faces with delicious eats, rolled ourselves back to the car, and returned to the heat of Sacramento.  

My Tiny Travels #5: San Francisco - Matt Corby & S.F. MOMA

When I told you we had a lot to catch up on, I was serious. It's been months since I popped into San Francisco on a random Wednesday in June to see Matt Corby play at the Fillmore. 

I rushed out of work with my backpack and a quick snack so I could hop on the 3 o'clock train to the city to meet up with some friends from High School. These two lovely ladies had been my concert buddies for years. We sat outside the shittiest venue in Sacramento many times waiting for shows, trekked to San Francisco a few times as teenagers, and we once spent a day in Six Flags waiting to see our favorite artists. I had texted them the week prior to see if they wanted to catch the Australian prince live in their city. Clearly the answer was yes, and after we grabbed dinner we headed to the venue. 

Let me tell you a secret friends, at concerts I always, always try to get close to the stage by moving to either side of the stage. If you get there early enough, you can usually get pretty close to the artists. It's no use trying to push your way through the center, those folks have that area locked in. You're not moving much, and if you push through you may become public enemy #1.  This method has proved solid for countless shows. Trust me. 

Just as he was the first time I saw him, Matt Corby continues to have the voice of an angel, and the stage presence of a scared spelling bee champion. To his credit, I think he's all about the process of the music, and doesn't necessarily care about live shows. He's not dull in the slightest, but he doesn't inherently rule the stage the way some artists do. But musically he can't be faulted. His voice is rich, and the way he can belt it out is astounding. He even broke out the flute solo. If you ever have the chance, I highly suggest catching one of his shows.

 

After the show we headed back to my friend's place, and stayed up late catching up on all the life we had missed. 

Luckily for me, I work for an amazing company that doesn't mind if I take a day off to spend sometime in the city. As my friends all woke up and headed to work early, I rolled out of bed (well, their futon) and snapped some pictures of their beautiful, super Instagrammable apartment. Then I headed out for the day's adventure. 

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My first stop was the Mill on Divisadero. I was told to order the toast but failed all those who told me so, and just ordered a latte. And boy, oh boy, was it a delicious latte. I sat outside for a while before the San Francisco chill got to me. I crawled back into the warmth of the coffee shop to one of their picturesque marble tables. After taking an obscene amount of photos (I mean... obviously), I sipped on my coffee and tried to figure out some semblance of a life plan. Clearly that's working out well for me.... jokes on jokes folks. Though I did hear the older couple next to me remark on how everyone in the coffee shop was wearing black and on their phones. Am I ashamed to admit I was definitely one of those people? Nope, not in the least. All black, always. 

Slightly caffeinated and bemused, I moved on to another coffee shop whose name escapes me. But they did have a great nitro brew. I tried to finish reading Girl Boss, but quickly realized that the significant amount of coffee, and severe lack of food was probably not in my best interest. Off to Herbivore I went (s/o to Tanya who found this gem with me many years ago before a Mumford and Sons concert). After downing their delicious vegan eats, I headed to the newly redesigned MoMA to cry about art, per my usual lifestyle choices. I mean, they have a giant Mark Rothko. It's both unnerving and calming at the same time. I basically sat in front of it for a good half an hour in happiness. 

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The rest of the museum was stunning. The walls were covered in some of my favorite artists. Each floor brought new delights, and some funny sights. I saw a squad of guys with massive cameras getting those Instagram shots (I feel you boys, I feel you). After exploring for a good few hours, I sadly had a train to catch. I powered walked those 20 or so blocks to the bus station, only stopping at the most glorious marble atrium on One Samsome Street. Then it was back to Sacramento I went.

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Life Lessons on Loss and Light

Oh man, it's been quite a while since I've actually posted content on here. In all fairness, I've been doing a lot of life lately. While I've been doing some great living, things like moving into my new apartment, jumping down to L.A. for a quick weekend with some friends and to see the ultimate queen Adele, a few trips into San Francisco to catch up with some of my London ladies. I also had to experience a hard moment in life. As a warning to you, this may get a little sad. 

When I was growing up, no one really warned me how truly difficult this whole life thing can be. They don't tell you that there are pieces of adulthood sometimes feel insurmountable. Whether that's figuring out the next step to take, realizing that friendship doesn't always last, or that despite how much you care about someone, their demons are not your responsibility to tame. But I think the hardest lesson I've learned is about death. I recognize that there are people who experience this early on in their life, and for that, I am so sorry. But this month gave me one of my first real experiences with death. 

I've felt deaths before. I cried many tears at my wonderful Grandmother's funeral. I've felt the loss of classmates and artists I've admired. This month the world lost one of the brightest lights I've ever known. I've been struggling for weeks to find the right words to honor how much she changed my life and influenced the person I am today. She was a coach, a mentor, a confidant, and the person I was most inspired by in high school. She was like the older sister I never had, but always imagined one to be. She pushed me to work harder, taught me about leadership, and granted me the opportunity to meet a phenomenal group of girls I still call friends. I've been so busy with work and traveling that I haven't had the time to really process this. I think I've been feeling a bit lost since I heard the news. Like it doesn't feel like it's actually happened. But I know it has. I also know that she was a woman who tried to fill as many moments as she could with love and delight. And that brings me, and I'm sure many others who loved her solace. She would want us to listen to our music, dance in our cars, adventure to far away places, and love ferociously.

And in her honor, I'm trying to move forward with her spirit in mind. I promise to always dance to the songs we loved and to find delight in the simple things. Even if I look like a loon in the middle of a crowded street.

There's a lot we need to catch up on friends. Stay tuned...

Weekender | V.9

It's finally Friday!! Let's celebrate!

This week has been busy in the best way.  I'm super excited to be working on a social media project for the office (hence the above gif of my lovely coworker tossing crumpled post-its). Basically, I get to turn my creative on. And as of tomorrow I will be fully moved into my new apartment. 

I was hoping this week's Frank Ocean rumors were true, and this whole playlist could have been his new album. But despite the mysterious video uploaded to his website, the wait continues. 

This Weekender playlist has some jams. I tossed in the new Ansel Elgort (from The Fault in Our Stars) track.  He's been DJing under the name "Ansolo" for a few years, but he actually sings on this new song 'Home Alone'. His voice reminds me a tiny bit of Sam Smith. I'm definitely looking forward to hearing more. The sounds of Eryn Allen Kane are the third track in. For such a tiny person, her voice is massive. The song 'Sunday' comes from her second EP "Aviary: Act II". She collaborated with ThirdStory (from Weekender | V.6) and the harmonies are insane. Another favorite from this week's playlist is 'Closer' by JMR. I've had it stuck in my head for a few days now.  

In case you missed it, Instagram just launched a stories feature. It's basically Snapchat stories. But I've been posting a 'Song of the Day' since Wednesday. So if you need something to hold you over in between playlists, find me @chaosofkyra. 

Next weekend, I head to LA to see the ultimate sob queen, Adele. Please anticipate bawling snapchats, and cheesy friendship photos. 

Photo Diary: Lissa's Too Good for You

I'm very lucky to have friends who are all kinds of hilarious, lovely, and gorgeous.  Lissa (or Liz) is annoyingly photogenic, and sassy. But she's also the best. I think for the last year or so, our Facebook profile pictures have been exclusively taken by each other. 

Last week, I decided we needed to channel Selena Gomez's video for "Good For You" in a photoshoot. Thankfully Lissa was down to get her model on at my old elementary school. I'm basically obsessed with how all of these photos ended up. Way to slay. 

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I even let her snap a few of me.

Fiction: "Curtains"

I spent my final year of university attending school at King's College London. It was the best decision I've ever made. I feel so lucky to have been able to immerse myself in the culture and academics of a English university. My absolute favorite class was a creative writing module with a (dreamy) Scottish professor. For our midterm, he challenged us to write a 500 word essay titled 'Curtains'. The only guideline he gave us was the title, everything else had to stem from our own imagination. The end result is a piece I'm very proud of. Here goes... 

 

After seventy-eight years of age Earl McMillan’s life has left canyons outlining his mouth and caverns where his fondest memories used to be. He carries lists in every jacket pocket containing his only son’s phone number, the name of the prescription he never seems to remember, and even his ATM code is scribbled on a scrap somewhere in his coat. He collects fragments of his days on the small bits of paper ⎯ phrases he hears others utter, observations from the subway, memories that suddenly re-emerge ⎯ but his favorite thing to do is go to the park at the corner of Fifth and Washington to watch the windows of the apartments across from the centre bench.

He has no recollection of his first discovery of the bench four years prior, but after long days of aimless wandering, those few hours spent there have become an evening ritual. Sometimes he just watches people pass him in the park, often counting the pairs of black shoes walking by. But as the sun fades behind the tall buildings, his attention turns to the spaces between the open curtains. It is there where his mind feels most at ease, allowing his imagination to concoct the lives of the people he sees through their window frames. Earl views each square as a story to be told.

The three windows that most draw Earl’s attention are located on the third floor; proximity playing a role ⎯ for his eyeglass prescription expired long ago. He likes to take notes on the routines of his three favorite residents, each offering a different plotline for his imagination to explore.

In the frame farthest to the right lives a young woman. Earl suspects she is about thirty years in age and lives very, very much alone. The woman, or “Abigail” as he’s labelled her, has lived in the far right window for the last year or so. He watches his “Abigail” come home weeknights in business attire looking as if she’s spent the day in a stressful environment. He sees her heavy sighs and hopes that she’s a lawyer fighting on behalf of those who need her skills most. Each night she carries a grocery bag home filled with fresh vegetables and Earl watches as she painstakingly prepares a meal for one. He’s only seen her with one other person, but that was months ago and the man in the fitted grey suit hasn’t been back since. He hopes she didn’t love him, for as he learned years’ prior losing someone so important leaves a feeling of emptiness that eats at the mind. Nevertheless, he feels something is missing from her life. Maybe it’s due to the stark white walls she refuses to decorate or perhaps it’s the way she often glances towards the street below; he likes to imagine it’s because she once dreamt of becoming a chef and instead was forced into a lifestyle she never desired. He feels like he understands the woman, as if her loneliness is his ally ⎯ a partner to his own isolation.

Through the curtains next to “Abigail’s” lives a family of five; a rambunctious bunch compared to the simplicity of the woman on the other side of their adjoining wall. The family consists of two teenage boys, a young daughter, and a pair of parents trying to keep their wits about them. He considers the older of the two boys a well-behaved young man, for he is always helping cook dinner and taking care of the young girl. In Earl’s mind the younger boy is undisciplined and disrespectful. The boy and his father get in arguments too many times to count. He imagines it’s because the boy is always coming home in the middle of dinner and sneaking out after the streetlights have turned on. Earl hopes the son’s disobedience is a result of a sense of responsibility for himself; that he is never home so that he can work and earn money towards college. But Earl also knows first hand the darkness the city has to offer; how it can consume a young life so quickly. Each night he sees the boy leave, praying he won’t have to watch the family learn about the harsh realities hidden in their home. He hopes with all his heart, if that day comes, they will close their curtains and ensure him peace.

In the final frame on the third floor lives a man whose arms are fully covered in tattoos, a trend Earl knows he’ll never understand. The colorful arms first drew Earl’s attention to this window, but when he saw those same arms lift up a small boy he knew that this scene would become his favorite. For the last four years, he’s watched the boy grow, discovering that it was only the two of them. He imagines that the father, despite his surly exterior, is a quiet man whose love for his son outweighs any anger he holds for the missing mother. Often, Earl wishes he could hear their conversations, the laughter escaping the young boy’s lips; even the occasional temper-tantrums haunt his ears. Earl envies the father’s dedication to his son, watching the two of them play until the child’s bedtime approaches. As the man carries his tired boy to bed, Earl knows it’s his cue to return home. He takes one last look at the scenes in front of him before wishing them goodnight.

Each evening he returns to the empty apartment he’s occupied for the last four years. The bare walls are an unwelcome sight after the warmth of the windows. He goes about his nightly routine always taking a moment to look at the old scrap of paper holding a long disconnected phone number and he makes sure to never close his curtains in hopes that someone, anyone, would be curious enough to care about him.

Weekender | V.8

I kid you not when I say that the last two weeks have been a whirlwind. But what it breaks down to is the fact that I am moving! I'm packing my records, wardrobe, and giant comfy chair and moving to Midtown. My dearest friend Teresa and I have found the cutest apartment in the perfect location. You guys, IT HAS A BALCONY. Picture me drinking all the coffee (and mimosas) on it. We move in at the end of the month... which means, I'm stressing about money, but looking forward to the DIY projects, cooking all the vegetarian meals my heart desires, and many Midtown photoshoots. (Seriously, let me know if you want to go exploring!) 

This weeks playlist is a bit of a mix. There's some bouncy tracks, mixed with a few softer sounds. I'm really excited about James Vincent McMorrow's new album. The first single 'Rising Water' is quite different from the ethereal landscapes he painted in his second album. But incredibly enjoyable. His vocals never cease to amaze me. (P.S. He's equally if not more stunning live. Go see him if you can.) I've also included some songs from a few of my favorite UK ladies: Lauren Aquilina, Gabrielle Aplin, and Nina Nesbitt. Nina's 'Live Take' EP used to be on constant rotation. I had a chance run in with her at a City and Colour concert in London a few years back. She was so lovely to speak with and I'm pleased she's started to release new songs. It's rad that her latest releases have been named after cities, like 'Ontario'. I've also thrown in some artists that were on V.7's playlist. Zak Abel did a collab with Tom Misch and Grace's full album 'FMA' was recently released. Her song 'Boys Boys Boys' is a jam. Lastly, I rounded up the playlist with Ryan Gosling (because swoon), his track from the upcoming movie LA LA Land is so good. I love the whistling throughout it.

 

Have a wonderful weekend friends. All my love. 

My Tiny Travels #4: Capitola

You know those days where you just need to get out of town? This was that Sunday for us. We packed our backpacks and headed out for a mini road trip.

Teresa and I have been friends for twenty-two years. Isn't that insane? We met when we were barely old enough to have a full set of teeth, and yet I bit her. The next day she bit me back, and we've been friends every since. I kid you not. Our mom's are the best of friends, and we joke about our days in daycare all the time. Our friendship has crossed states, countries, and the world. I'm so lucky to have her in my life. I hope you have someone in your life that has been there for every big moment. Friendship is an incredible thing. 

So now that you have the context of our friendship, let me tell you about our ridiculous trip to Capitola. The morning began with flashing lights and a speeding ticket.

Yes, I was pulled over for speeding.

Yes, I am an idiot.

Yes, I'm still bitter about it. 

After driving with the speed of your favorite cautious granny, I finally made it to Davis. Teresa helped me feel better about my stupidity and took me to Temple to ease my anger. We grabbed coffee and I forced her to stand in front of a wall (the first of many that day). 

 

Then we hit the road. Luckily, she prefers to drive, so I could sulk in my ticket shame. We made it to Capitola in a few hours and headed straight for food. We desperately wanted to go to Margaritaville. But there was an hour wait so we headed for the brightly colored walls of Capitola Venetian Hotel. I'm a sucker for bright walls, and so we had a mini-photoshoot. Teresa definitely didn't appreciate the amount of pictures we took, but like she's gorgeous so #sorrynotsorry. 

We finally ate some tacos and then proceed to wander all around Capitola. When we felt like we'd seen it all, we decided to head to Santa Cruz for some more coffee at Verve. 

 

Talk about the hippest coffee spot ever. They have these beautiful dangling lights there, the cutest baristas, and fantastic coffee. We were both heart-eye emoji over the whole thing.  We wandered around downtown Santa Cruz and then decided our time there was done. 

Our journey home was complete with early 2000's girl pop. I'm talking Hilary Duff, Aly & Aj, Ashlee Simpson, and Hoku (Do you remember her big song from the Lizzie McGuire movie?). I think we have some more day trips in our foreseeable future. 

Weekender | V.7

It's been a while since I've sat down to write here. Work has been crazy as per usual. But it's been a really good crazy. I had a chance to offer my knowledge of Instagram to a growing skincare company. It was such a strange thing to be pulled into a meeting just to spend an hour talking about tactics to improve engagement on Instagram. It got real nerdy, real quick. 

This past weekend I spent trying to catch up on things that I've been putting off for the last month or so. I really needed to sit down and work on posts for this blog, as well as fall down the research rabbit hole for grad school. It's only cursory research, I haven't made any real steps or progress towards applying. But it's nice to start considering the future. 

Which leads me to this playlist. It's has tracks from artists I think will really turn heads in the next few months or year. Daniel Caesar comes from the Toronto music scene, and vocally he makes me want to melt. I also really love Zak Abel's song 'Running from Myself'. Australian singer Grace (Sewell) reminds me a bit of Amy Winehouse. Her song 'Hope You Understand' has been on repeat for the last week or so.  Also, did you know Gossip Girl's Penn Badgley has a band? They're called MOTHXR. Check out my favorite track, 'Easy', from their album Centerfold.

Are you listening to anything interesting right now? Let me know below. 

My Tiny Travels #3: Santa Barbara

At an ungodly hour on a Friday morning in April, I quietly gathered my bags and snuck out of the house. I had a good 6 hour drive (if not more) ahead, and the best time to start the drive was clearly at 5am. I stopped in midtown Sacramento to pick up my travel buddy, and we began the arduous journey to our old stomping grounds. 

As the sun began to rise we passed the time singing old Disney and Motown songs. The roads were fairly empty, and I was convinced into taking a pass through some hills right next to a beautiful lake. We stopped in Pismo Beach to say hello to my travel buddy's parents. And then finished the drive singing ridiculous songs we'd almost forgotten about.

Upon arrival in Isla Vista, our first stop was Freebirds. We were starving and had been craving the I.V. staple for months. After inhaling nachos, we parted ways and I headed to my favorite place in all of Isla Vista. CAJE. I spent so many hours of my undergrad years drinking their soy honey lattes, writing papers, and catching up with friends there. I even wrote a 5 page paper on their lattes for my creative non-fiction class, oh so long ago. 

I met up with my former roomies, and the weekend went from there. In all honesty I failed dramatically at documenting our weekend because I was just so happy to see my friends. But it consisted of delicious food, alcohol, and my favorite faces. The drive home Sunday, was long and sad. But I was ready to be back in Sacramento. 

I love Santa Barbara, and all the amazing friendships and memories that were formed there. But I don't think I could live there again. The beach vibe was just a little to slow for my big city heart.

Here's all of four pictures I took that whole weekend.  

Weekender | V.6

Well, well, well, I've utterly failed to keep up on this. Sorry! I swear I have content floating around in my head. It's just the getting it to the internet thing that I'm having a hard time with. But I do have a Tiny Travels recap coming up. 

In the meantime, here's my most recent playlist. I tried to keep the songs relatively mellow. The new James Blake album is phenomenal.  Both 'I Need a Forest Fire' (with Bon Iver) and 'Points' really stood out to me. So soothing. Last week, Thirdstory released their first EP. They're known for incredible covers of pop songs. Like this Drake one: 

But their new EP is all original. I really love the song included in this playlist, 'Grows Old'. But their song 'G-Train' almost reminds me of the strange theme song from the movie "Holes". I don't really know why, but it does! Another highlight from here is Seafret. Their whole album has been pretty perfect for spring. I tweeted out a live version of their song 'Wildfire' a few days ago. Peep it below. 

I hope you're all having a lovely week (and hopefully an even better weekend). 

Obsessions: The LadyGang

So quite honestly I've avoided podcasts or like audiobooks for ages. I'm not exactly sure why, but it could be because growing up my mom used to listen to a lot of NPR and as a child it was incredibly boring. I typically like to jam out to music as I drive back and forth to work. But I was getting a bit over my commute and my standard rotation of music (because let's be real, I'm always running way too late to find a new playlist), so after saying "no" to podcasts for years I finally caved and downloaded every episode of the LadyGang podcast. Run by Keltie Knight, Jac Vanek, and Becca Tobin, this podcast has become a regular feature on my commute (at least until I catch up on all the episodes --- UPDATE 6/2: I'm all caught up and more obsessed than ever before). 

I've been following Jac and Keltie for a few years now. Buried in the dark depths of my Facebook is a picture of Jac and a very sweaty version of myself from Warped Tour 2010. Keltie's tumblr used to be one of my favorites as well. This podcasts brings their contagious laughter right to your  ears. It's a collection of  funny, relevant, and often times really uplifting conversations. And I find myself so often being like "SAME" to a lot of the things they say. They put out a new episode every Tuesday and I will definitely be looking forward to more. 

Now that I've broken my resolve to not listen to podcasts, please give me many more recommendations to spend my drives learning from. 

CultureKyra KloppComment
Photo Diary: Bubbles and Bloggers

A few weeks ago, I met up with the always lovely Meaghan (pebbleandpearl.org) to shoot photos for her Sacramento Fashion IG takeover. After grabbing coffee to cure the Saturday morning struggles, we wandered in search of new walls. 

Shout out to the homie, Scott, for his incredible bubble blowing (and occasional modeling) skills. 

 

Check out more of Meaghan's adventures on IG: @Pebble_and_Pearl

 

Weekender | V.5

Okay, listen. I've been indulging in some serious guilty pleasures this week. I just found out about this show called Outlander and I've been binge watching the first season (hellooooo Scottish accent swooning). I splurged on a glass of 'fancy' wine at dinner the other night. And I cannot stop listening Ariana Grande's "Dangerous Woman". I don't know why, but I have no shame on the amount of times I've hit replay. 

So naturally this playlist had to start with Ariana belting it. Despite my typical aversion to anything slightly country, I added in Chris Stapleton's "Tennessee Whiskey" because it's been stuck in my head repeatedly for a few weeks now. The rest of the tracks are a pretty mellow collection -- lots of piano action going on here this week.

I tried to post this on Friday, but things got a bit hectic. So here's a Monday Weekender (or Week-Beginner.)

Photo Diary: A Sunny Sunday

On a sunny Sunday in February I met up with my friend Melinda at one of my favorite Sacramento coffee shops: Old Soul at the Weatherstone. After successfully consuming almond milk lattes we took to the streets to see what my favorite J street alleyways had to offer.

Melinda Watts is a successful gospel artist and founder of Glam Camp for Girls, a leadership and mentoring camp for teen girls across the country. Melinda and I met a few months ago when a couple of her Glam Camp interns found me through Instagram. It's been such a pleasure getting to know her and learn more about the many hats she wears (mother, singer, songwriter, founder, wedding planner, etc.).  

To learn more, check out her out on Instagram: @melindawatts & @glamcampforgirls (www.glamcampforgirls.org/)

Weekender | V.4

I've been pretty sick the last week or so. It started out as a sore throat and decided to stick around as a full-blown cold. I've spent the majority of last weekend reading and watching the new season of Daredevil (Side note: Can I be Elektra? k. Thanks.)  In the spirit of willing myself to be healthy, I tried to fill this playlist with upbeat jams. 

I like to bump this whole playlist as I drive around running errands for work and I'm not 100% embarrassed to have people hear me sing along when my windows are down. Tame Impala's 'The Less I Know the Better' has been in constant rotation for a few months. The music video is definitely worth watching if you're a fan of strange things and monkey costumes. I really dig the song 'Bad Blood' by NAO (Sorry, it's not a T-Swift cover, but it's worth listening to). 

Hopefully the springtime weather continues to move in this weekend. I have some big brunch plans! Have a great weekend pals.