Seventeen Going On Eighteen

Ah, yes. I am celebrating my birthday this Sunday, on August 1st! It's so hard to believe that I'm actually turning eighteen; it's still such a puzzling thought to me! All of my friends are going to be out of town, so I'm thinking about going bowling with my parents and then spending the evening at a nice restaurant for dinner. But, oh! If only I could have a grandiose summer party, and decorate with splendor! Now wouldn't that be exciting? Above I have enclosed a photo of something quite genius: a French macaroon croquembouche! While normally a croquembouche is made using cream puffs, I thought it was just a splendid idea to use the whimsical colors of the macaroons to play it up a bit. Isn't it just darling? If I were to have a party, I would wish to have it look something along these lines:

Wouldn't it be lovely? :)

Une Petite Ville Qui S'appelle Davis.

I visited the charming city of Davis, California over the weekend with my lovely friend Sheeva and her husband Chris. Since I'm going to school there in the fall, they gave me a tour of the campus and the downtown area. I must say: I have fallen in love with the quaint little stores and the endless rows of bicycles. Did you know that Davis is known as the bicycle capital of America? I believe that the bicycle population in Davis outnumbers that of cars! I haven't gone bicycle-shopping quite yet, but I can't wait! As I was walking along the tree-lined streets, I spotted the most adorable little boutique called Pinkadot. Isn't the name just darling? I ended up purchasing the Lollia perfume that you see above. It's such an enchanting fragrance-- flowering willow and lotus. And I just love the scripty, romantic bottle design.. Ahh, pretty fragrances, pretty boutiques, pretty trees.. All in a pretty town. Oh, I just can't wait for school to start. :)

Apologies smothered in hunny.

I sincerely apologize for my lengthy, and rather inexcusable, leave of absence of late! I have missed my friends here, and I know that I have been absent to learn of some rather exciting news from a few fellow bloggers! Rest assured, I am here to stay now, and will try but my very best to stay recent and updated. Do forgive me, please! And if you are wondering what I have been occupied with lately, I will admit that I have been frustrated with the layout of my blog.. I needed a space that would inspire me, and I was going frantic after months of searching for the "right" one. So thank you, oh-so-much, Danica Keeley, as well as Yummy Lolly, for getting me back up on my feet! You are so inspirational!

I simply adore this quote. I was reading the original story of Winnie the Pooh on my dad's iPad the other night, and I couldn't help but fall in love with that bear! I think what makes him so irrestistable is his innocent nature-- he has such a sweet and naïve disposition. Doesn't it make you smile, too?

Today I went to the state fair with my friends, and I was astonished to learn that a bumble bee only lives a mere forty days old! I've always been partial to bumble bees—they are delightfully fun to doodle along with their spontaneous flying paths; I just never realized how fleeting their lives were! While at the fair, my adventurous friends discovered a food vendor specializing in exotic meats, and we ended up chipping in to pay the astounding $8 price tag for a skewer of alligator meat. After twenty minutes of watching the vendor constantly shake seasoning and sauce onto the meat, he hands us a very tiny, very disappointing skewer wrapped in aluminum foil. Needless to say, it was a very sad and pathetic-looking little skewer. Unfortunately, we definitely did not get our money’s worth, as the meat was rubbery and tasteless, and it desperately needed a good pinch of salt; this was hard to believe, considering we watched the vendor pour seasoning like rain… But the experience was definitely one to remember; I can guarantee that none of us will ever, ever forget that hilarious moment of peering down at that awfully sad little stick of meat.