vous etes mon coure. [you are my heart.]

i've been obsessed with gungor's music.
even more so, ever since anna ordered their newest album off amazon . . .
and i've been able to listen to nearly everything else on spotify. [thank the Lord for spotify.:]
if you're into music, what artist/s have you been listening to lately?

tuesday, the girlies in our family went on a day trip sort of thing.

trader joe's.

that place just makes me happy.
especially the way that certain store is set up.
their coffee is a lovely price...
and their chocolate...don't even get me started on their chocolate.
have i written about that stuff before?
their dark chocolate covered caramels are the bomb.
and their dark chocolate caramel bar with the roasted black sea salt....oh. my.
you know, they also have tons of other stuff; like a normal grocery store...but that's not the section i shop in at this point in my life.
oh...and their mango-apricot greek yogurt. sheesh. that stuff is too good.
their naan bread is awesome.
and that's where my trader joe rant ends.
next, we went to.....

the children's place.

i get so bored in there.
anna just ponders every other outfit looking for Christmas presents for the kiddos she nannies --sam and reese-- and all the other littles we know.
finally, we got out of there...
and i got to stop in at alterra coffee and buy the largest --a 20oz-- of one of their brews. not too bad. but not as smooth as some of caribou's or berres brothers. mmmm. :)

then...we hit the mall.
yikes.
this is where you lose me.
ask anyone who's ever gone shopping with me; i'm not good company for shopping till you drop.
nopity-nope.
in the mall, we found something that obviously was in the internet's bermuda triangle --a forever 21.
pretty sweet; i love that place. but...i only brought $9, dude. coffee and food. i'm all into the necessities only of life. ;) honestly, though, i don't need anything really right now in the way of wardrobe...just a few wants. you know how that goes? yeah.
so the second i step into forever 21 with my mom and 3 sisters, the metal detector goes off.
way to make me feel like an oddball.
because, obviously, i'm not a criminal yet.
right???
i step out...just to see if it was me, after all.
step back in...yes. it's me. must've been my camera hanging in its case by my side.
i don't think 20oz cups of alterra coffee would make store security go bonkers.
thankfully...no one paid attention to that episode.
oddness, i tell you.
:P
i browsed. seriously, some of their stuff is just strange.
i love their accessories, though. awesome prices for earrings that are not as cheap quality as other places....heckyes.
soon enough, i was done. i went out and sat on a bench, for pete's sake.
that's how not-into shopping i am......yeah.
i feel kind of guilty typing that out.
i like going with a purpose, with the money i need for what i need, and that's that.
oh --and i'm a cheapo.
i'm not into stuff that's not on sale. :P heheh. :]
so i sat on a bench, sipping the last of my coffee, watching a diverse couples and crowds pass by.
finally, my people came out of charlotte russe, the place they had migrated to.
we left and went to teavana. 

great place.
love that place.
except for, you know, the sky-high prices and delicates all over the place.
there was indian music coming over the speakers, and darnit if lyddie didn't start doing some subtle zumba moves....my sisters and mom are obsessed with zumba. they go nearly every thursday and/or monday.
and i stay home...maybe make dinner....write certain people.....and, you know, i don't zumba.
i just don't.
it's not my thing.
now, yoga....yoga is a whole other story. :)
it's relaxing...stretches you....it's quiet...and the studio is clean, organized, and oh--all those lovely hardwood floors....

after a little while, i got nervous and/or bored, and took the younger girls outside.
yay for photoshoots when bored. ;)

awww, rach. you're too cute. :)
lyddie put one of those little suction rubber circles on her forehead the other night, and she's still living away the repercussions of such a smart decision. ;)

okay, this is the part of the post where i start smiling just thinking about typing.
i walked into this kitchen store with everyone....

sur la table.

and that everyone faded away.
i fell in love.
yep i did.
just like a new girlfriend confessed the other night about her love for looking at athletic shoes, i walk into a kitchen store and love the shapes and colors of the spatulas.
the pots and pans...the aprons.
[now...an apron, i did get....for christmas, from the 'rents. it's kinda gorgeous. i have a thing for aprons. :]
the shine of stainless steel.
the texture of le creuset cookware.

ahem.
enough about the kitchen place...
onto the next subject.

we found this little place...charming charlie.
full of pretty stuff. accessories. awesome hats. gorgeous scarves....some regular clothing and shoes/boots.
pretty sweet place, too.
i kept my eyes open for things in the colors of heather's wedding...plum....gray...... :)

i love sisters.
:)
and no, sadly, i did not buy that hat....i had thought i had lost the can-do for rocking hats since i got my hair chopped, but anna tried to reassure me otherwise...
oh well. maybe next time.

we went to qdoba for the first time ever...
i got a mexican gumbo.
ohhhhh, yum.

on the way to david's bridal [to find anna a bridesmaid/wedding coordinator dress for heather's wedding, and to order my dress, yay!] and on the way home, rach and i played hangman....
my new favorite game to play with siblings.
totally awesome bonding time.
i can rock at it...
because i love words...
but man, i just hate when rach says "hey, let's go with just a subject. bugs."
whaaaaaat?!
yeah, those are the times that i totally suck at the game.
heh.

i love these two quotes about life.....
and this picture.
it makes me want to cry.
anyone else??

my formula for living is quite simple. i get up in the morning and i go to bed at night. in between, i occupy myself as best i can.
[Cary Grant ]

people living deeply have no fear of death.
[Anais Nin]