Friday

Whew! The weekend has finally arrived. You know how it goes when you come back to work from vacation, the week seems like it will never end! I have been working so much (and I probably have to work tomorrow) that I really miss my husband and I hope we get to spend some quality time together this weekend. I feel like all I posted about this week was our California trip, but i had such a great time and I love reliving it all in pictures! I only have a couple more posts to share on that subject then it will be back to the boring everdayness that is my life. Get excited peeps!
I want to start your weekend off right so I am going to share with you some Japanese sticker pictures I took with these Korean girls I met on the corner. JK guys! They beez mah family!



We be workin' it right?

Here are some links I enjoyed this week:
I have been wanting to buy a backpack and I am really loving Joannas round up here

I will be re-reading this and pasting it all over my house when I have a daughter

You know this episode of Saved by the Bell made us all grow up just a little

I can't wait to try this triangle manicure

K-Stew would totally bite her lip at this via @Katemiss

My husband is so cute

Do you regret not going to Comic-Con? I do! Thankfully CROMEYELLOW has posted great recaps from the whole weekend and more! See Day1 Day2 and Day3

Have a great weekend everyone!

Snap it Pretty...

It just so happened, I would be in town the same weekend Ruby and Danni were hosting Snap it Pretty, a photo workshop with the lovely and talented photographer Jen Young. I most definitely took this as a sign that I had to attend, and I am so glad I did! Since I purchased my DSLR I have been taking pictures, crossing my fingers, hoping for good shots but not really knowing how to use it to its full potential.


Jen is such a great teacher and explained and demonstrated the basics of how to use the camera in manual in a way that was easy to understand and fun!

We were immediately greeted with an adorable entry table with programs and lovely crepe paper flower name tags.



Ruby and Danni set up a beautiful table with so many cute vintage touches that provided photo opportunity after opportunity!



Not to mention the delicious desserts they had available!



Sandwiches and chips were served for lunch and wrapped in handmade cloth napkins. We gathered on vintage quilts to eat!



We were then given the chance to try our hand at styling with a blank table and lots of lovely knick knacks.



It was great to be able to immediately put to use the tips and tricks we just learned. In fact, all the photos featured in this post were shot in manual!

Ruby and Danni did such an amazing job hosting, setting everything up and just making everyone feel comfortable and welcome. I cannot believe it was the first workshop they have ever done! It was a joy to hang out with all the lovely ladies and I am happy to have made some new blogging friends!
Thanks again to Jen for sharing her great skills with us and to Ruby and Danni for putting together such a top-knot event. I only hope to attend more in the future! Make sure to check out their blogs for more photos!
P.S. we also were lucky to receive great gift boxes that are so cute it deserves it's own post so I will be back later with that!

Lemonade..

Before I arrived in L.A. Debbie had told me about a great restaurant called Lemonade she had recently visited and insisted that I had to try. On Friday, we took a trip to Venice Beach and decided to have lunch there. It certainly did not disappoint! Super cute and delicious!



Of course, they have a great selection of Lemonade. I tried the blood orange and it was extra refershing!






Just to be clear, there is lots to choose from that is not green.



This is Debbie and you should always trust her opinion on food.


Try and check out Lemonade if you are ever in L.A. There are locations in both Beverly Hills and Venice. Enjoy :)

Our Trip in Photos...

So instead of a weekend wrap up, I decided to share a random bunch of pictures I snapped this weekend. I had really intended to take a ton more (and trust me I have dozens of my darling little niece) but I actually did not end up with too many. I guess that means I was just having too much fun to think about taking pictures and I am totally okay with that! Sometimes it is nice to put down the camera and just enjoy what is going on around you. It was so great to see my brother and Liela and I had a blast hanging with the girls (plus Kienan!) all weekend. I rarely get to spend this sort of quality time with these lovely people so I totally ate it up. Debbie and I even stayed up till 6:30 in the morning chatting! Tim came back with Ryan and Sal from Comic-Con all giddy about his weekend and it was super cute to see them all geek out, haha.

So here is a little round up of our trip...

Dinner Party @ Ryan and Debbie's


Beach with Kyle, Liela and Debbie



Venice Beach



Jerame with a Debbie selected Henna tattoo


Irvine Spectrum w. Debs, MIL and SangAh


Japanese Sticker Pictures


Sunday Lunch







Look forward to a couple more L.A. posts throughout the week.
I miss them already and can't wait to come back next month!

Talks with TK...

So I know you all had to suffer through another week with no TK post but we were on vacation, so, ya know. I must say, I do get a lot of conversation regarding these TK posts. It is hard not to love him right? Well today I wanted to give you an example of one of the many attributes that makes up Tim Kim...Frugality. I don't know anyone that gets as excited as Tim does to use coupons at the grocery store or has a coupon for almost every restaurant we go to. I've grown to adore and expect (and appreciate!) his penny pinching but sometimes, even I am surprised.

One night, while Tim was fetching dinner for us from our fave local Mexican joint, he gives me a call...

TK: Hey Bri, do you still want a bean and cheese burrito?
BK: Yeah, why?
TK: Well the bean burrito is only 0.99 today, so I was thinking, we have some cheese in the fridge...maybe I can just buy you the bean burrito and you can add cheese to it?
BK: Wow.

we are home!

and super tired from all the fun we had this week. I think this picture basically sums up how I feel right now...


I just wanted to drop in for a quick hello and thank my guest posters once again for sharing! Make sure you check out the posts by Katherine, Emily and Kara if you have not already done so.
I will be back later with pics from our trip. Hope everyone has a great Monday :)

Guest Post: Kara from Sunshine Cupcakes!

Today, I am excited to have Kara from Sunshine Cupcakes! I also met Kara at the AZ Blogger meet up and she has since become one of my fave blogs and daily reads! Since I had a couple girls who are now living in AZ talk about their hometown, I thought we should have someone who is a native of AZ tell us what is so great about living in this hot state! (because honestly, when it is 115 outside, it gets hard to remember!) Make sure you check out Kara's blog and be prepared to want to come visit AZ after reading this! Thanks again Kara!


Hi, guys! I'm Kara. Bri asked me to write a lil somethin' somethin' about my great love for my very hot home state, Arizona, while she's out on vacation. So sit back, grab a beer and a pool floaty and let's chat!




24 years ago, my parents brought a very chubby, happy baby home from the hospital to their single family dwelling in Phoenix. That person became a less chubby, happy adult who has since (thank God) moved out and started her own life. I live in Downtown Phoenix with my handsome fiance, Ryan, and our dog Eva. Here are just a few of the things we LOVE about Arizona.

1) Scenic, beautiful, cooler places are 2 hours or less by car from the city. While we do live in the Valley of the Sun, you can hop in a car and be in the cool pines of Flagstaff within 2 hours. Scenic Jerome and Sedona are close by as well. Bisbee, Tubac, Sierra Vista, and Prescott are close enough to enjoy on a day trip. The Southwest boasts SO much history. If you have a thirst for knowledge and adventure, you could spend every weekend exploring the state and find something new every time! It's so big!!

Hi, bestie!

Hi, fiance!

2) We've got the city AND the suburbs. Wanna live in a hip, urban environment where the local art scene is thriving? Come live downtown, with us! Wanna be in a posh neighborhood on your own acre with horses? Head towards central Phoenix or Glendale. Wanna have a great family-friendly community with wholesome parks and agriculture? Go to Gilbert. There's truly a neighborhood for everyone's needs here.


3) Our winters rule. Ok, so we had a 118 degree day last week. But in the winter, Arizonans enjoy temps in the 60s and 70s with more sunshine than you can possibly handle. And it's hardly ever humid!

Springtime in Phoenix

Winter in Indiana

4) We're on a grid system. Having spent time in Washington and Oregon, I now know that an easy-to-navigate road system is not something everyone gets to enjoy! We've got streets, we've got avenues, and we've got highways. Not a lot of complicated business going on there. 


5) We have the BEST community of local artists, musicians, small business owners and photographers! I run out of fingers when counting on my hands all the local friends I have who are following their passions to make a living. 

One of our engagement photos. Shot by Efrain Robles in downtown Phoenix.

One of many locally owned boutiques!

Those are just a few things I love about my home state. Visit me at Sunshine Cupcakes! and tell me what you love about your home state (extra points if it's Arizona!).

Thanks for having me, Bri!! <3