In travel on
September 25, 2013

bonjour from nice!

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guess what? i’m finally posting! surprise! this will be my last post before closing my blog so if you want to continue to read, comment here or shoot me an email at thestardustsunrise@gmail.com (thanks to you who already have!). but i’m here! i’ve arrived! goodness this past week has been a whirlwind! getting here was quite the challenge. delayed flights, almost missed connections, lost baggage. sounds like a “worst case scenario while flying” list but i made it and i’m loving it here! it is beyond beautiful in nice. that’s probably why its called ‘nice’. ha. i’ve been exploring the city lately which is a huge deal because i usually hate going anywhere alone but it’s been good to see the places i want to go and to get some very important things done. like buying yoga mats and reading for hours in coffee shops and discovering how to order soy lattes in french. see? obviously really important things. but i have been picking up the language more and more and living with a woman who speaks hardly any english is definitely helping. i’m SO excited to start language classes and get on an actual schedule. while meandering the city is nice, everything is better when you do it with purpose. i’ve been scoping out coffee shops to do homework at and stationary stores to get school supplies at (though i’ve yet to find one like kikki k.) and i have quite a few things planned for the weekend. above are some of the things i’ve been seeing and experiencing lately. is it pretty here or what? i know i already said that but its worth saying again. if you want to follow my adventures, follow me on instagram at indiansummer6. i changed my instagram because i was hardly using the other (its a wonder why i ever had two to begin with) and wanted a more private space to post. so au revior for now and i’ll be sure to update here on a more regular basis. pinky promise.

In blogging on
September 16, 2013

going private

hey everyone! sorry for my extended blog leave! these past weeks have been crazy as i prepare to leave for france. we also had a health scare in the family (thank the Lord everything is fine now) and my external hard drive with my whole photo library broke once again but that is also all cleared up. after some time away from my blog, i’ve realized that due to my upcoming move to France and some recent privacy concerns, I’m making this blog private once i arrive in France. the internet can be a freaky place and just for precautions, i’m going private for the time being. maybe when I come back from France or once I get settled in, I might reopen it but for now, i believe this is for the best. if you want to be included on the reading list and keep reading about my adventures, please email me at thestardustsunrise@gmail.com or comment back your email address! thanks for understanding and hope to see you all around

In lists on
September 2, 2013

grateful for…

1. getting my visa for france (!!!)
2. homemade lemonade popsicle from my zoku
3. iced coffee after walks on balboa island
4. glorious new music pouring out of my record player
5. red lipstick that cheers up any outfit
6. fans on swelteringly hot days
7. afternoons of exploring in big sur
8. dairy free flavors at yogurtland
9. getting together with some of my new zealand girlies
10. inspiring documentaries like this one

what are you grateful for?
In eateries, food on
August 30, 2013

green house

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for another bible study meet up, ellie and i met at green house in long beach. this place was absolutely adorable and such a surprise! from the plants populating the balcony to their amazing hemp honey latte (a new obsession of mine), this place is heaven. there is even a juice and smoothie bar next door which basically means i could live here. we ended up staying for hours and hours talking and drawing as usual. if this place wasn’t so far from home, i would be here constantly. looking forward to my next honey hemp latte.

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In eateries, food on
August 28, 2013

portola

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theres no getting around it: portola is the gold standard of coffee shops. i mean coffee is serious business there. the baristas wear lab coats and make coffee in beakers and they have a testing lab in the back room. it’s that intense. but the coffee here is gooooood. not normal good but “spend-all-my-extra-money-on-soy-lattes” good. the fact that they have a tea bar next door and an acai bowl place down the hall doesn’t help the amount of time and money i spend at the mix mart. its so bad the people who work there are starting to know me by name. birdy, the place with amazing acai bowls, also carries brown bear eats baked goods, which is my friend and her moms cookie company that has the best treats i’ve ever tasted. and the fact that most things they make are gluten-free or vegan makes it all the better.

so with all the said, i thought that the mix mart would be my perfect place to take my friend christina who is visiting from arrowhead because she is a fellow fine coffee, veggie packed salads and gluten-free vegan baked goods lover. we had lunch at the new green leaf (so yum but a little too hectic for my liking) then headed over to portola for a drink. everytime i hang out with christina, i’m reminded why we are best friends and how blessed i am to have met her half way across the world. we had so many laughs and reminisced about good times and talked about our plans for what’s next in our lives. we always have a great time together but it’s really great to hang out with her on this side of the world. so blessed to have such great friends! love you girlie