DATE NIGHT {04} LONG BEACH FOOD TRUCKS

So when Gus and I had the choice to either go to the zoo or go to Long Beach to try some yummy food, well I opted for the yummy food.

While Gus made his usual stop to men's room, I walked myself to the food trucks, and stopped at "The Lobos Truck".

Once I looked at their menu I knew I had to order their "Wanchos", which consisted of basket fries, with blue cheese, bacon, green scallions, and buffalo sauce.

This choice made Gus was one happy guy, though he doesn't blatantly show it, haha...

Then we came across the "Crepe'n Around".

We opted for a crepe filled with Nutella and bananas and topped off with whipped cream! I don't care if I'm lactose intolerant, that crepe was delicious just the way it was.

Though the picture definitely does not show it, I was one happy gal =]

Afterwards, Gussie and I then did some shopping (I found a really cool stocking stuffer and he found a hat, haha). Then we went home to wrap some presents and drink a few apple ciders. I truly and honestly enjoy our date nights.

I WANT {01} GOLD SEQUIN DRESS

I want it and I got it, haha. I am currently infatuated with anything gold, and with the holidays already here, I figured I need a glitzy sequin dress. Best part of all, Asos still has a cyber Monday sale going on and I got this dress for $24! What a steal ^.^

RIFLE PAPER CO EVENT AT URBANIC

 A few weeks ago I went to a Rifle Paper Co. event at Urbanic in Venice Beach. I got to meet Anna Bond who is the creator and illustrator behind Rifle Paper Co. I'm such a big fan of her work, and I love the fact that her style is so recognizable as hers, I can spot a Rifle Paper Co product with ease. The event itself was so cool, it took place at Urbanic which is such a beautiful paper boutique located in the awesome area of Abbot Kinney Boulevard. If you're ever in the area, you need to spend a few hours checking out all the shops and at least two eateries. You'll love it!

DATE NIGHT {03} GRIFFITH OBSERVATORY

This date happened a few weeks ago, but like I mentioned in a previous post, I've been lazy and busy and my pictures aren't completely sorted out and organized... Anyway, I still wanted to blog about it, so here it is: Gussie and I are very familiar with the Griffith Observatory, but we're from L.A. so it's hard not visit this free and amazing site--especially when we're low on monies. With that said though, because we visit often enough, some of the excitement gets lost, and we spend less and less time exploring the site. It's sad to realize this because as a little girl (8 years of age to be exact) I bought a book at our school's book fair, and it was all about planets, moons and stars. It was a simple book meant to spark the interest of a 3rd grader, but I wish I still owned it. For the next two years I dreamt of becoming an astronomer until the 5th grade when I dug up the remains of a rat and archeology became my main interest.

Though I still find outer space fascinating, and tremendously frightening, one of the main reasons I like visiting the observatory are the beautiful sights of the city. I absolutely love the Los Angeles skyline and it makes me very nostalgic. On this particular visit we captured the sky during daylight and then as the sun was setting. Lovely, isn't it? I call this place home.

DATE NIGHT {02} DAY OF THE DEAD AT FOREVER HOLLYWOOD CEMETERY

So this date happened a couple of weeks ago, but we've been taking so many pictures recently, that going through all of them was a little daunting. Anyway, I finally organized myself enough to post these ones. They're not edited either because I'm waiting on Lightroom 4 in the mail (any day now!) Anyway, moving on to the actual date, Gus and I had loads of fun. We made it to The Day of the Dead Festival hosted annually at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery and we spent about an hour making our way through the crowds and looking at the altars, decorations and costumes.  We also ate churros, chicharrones, and mangos. I heard that there was live music and other activities, but we didn't get to see any of that because we had another place to be. A few weeks prior to this, I had purchased Gussie tickets to see Band of Horses play at The Warner Grand Theatre in San Pedro, and though I'm not their biggest fan, I really wanted Gussie to see this time around (he had missed them last time). I had never been to San Pedro at night, but the ride was so beautiful. We went over two bridges, and blue gleams and yellow lights guiding the way reflected so soft and sweetly on the waters of San Pedro's shore--definitely the highlight to my night. But going back to the concert--I must say I really did enjoy it. I can't really speak for Gus, but I think he had a good time too. Overall, it was a lovely night spent with my boo.

P.S. This was right before Halloween so I decked out my my lime green toes with spider webs! I'm still so proud of myself! Haha

MUSIC FIVE {01} EARLY NOVEMBER

So I wanted to share the 5 songs I've been listening to this past weekend. My music taste ranges a lot, so if this isn't your cup of tea, well, I have many other cups up my sleeve. Hope you do enjoy it though! Happy Monday!

INSPIRATION {01}

image source: SF Girl By Bay

What I wouldn't give to have such a lovely reading niche.

FILM FRIDAY {02} HEAVENLY CREATURES

*I do not own this image.

So last night Gussie and I re-watched Heavenly Creatures, a movie based on the Parker-Hulme murder case, and the diary entries of Pauline Parker (A.K.A Pauline Rieper). This film tries to interpret the events that led up to the killing of Honora Parker (Pauline's mother). It has been about 7 years since I last sat down to watch it, but I remember thinking it was great. However, it may be that my tastes have changed or that I'm no longer a teenage girl, but I found the characters oddly annoying, loud and obnoxious. I had to remind myself that they were playing 13 and 14 year old girls, but even then, I kept thinking, "This is taking place in 1952, why are the girls so openly rambunctious? And more importantly, why do they have refrigerators? I thought fancy appliances like those were only for the affluent..." hahaha... Anyway, trying to understand the structure of New Zealand families in the 1950's aside, the movie does get better as it progresses. At least, I found that the characters become more interesting and grounded in their madness. I know that last statement may not make sense, but at first it felt like the girls only saw themselves as genius, brilliant beings that were too good for everyone else, but as the film developed, it felt like they were coming to terms with the fact they might indeed be "mad". Their affection towards each other is not healthy, and it doesn't even have to do with them both being girls, or whether it was a homosexual relationship or not, but attachment like the type they had would make anyone cringe. I think the acting was good, but one might find it a bit exaggerated, though that might have to do with the nature of the characters and not so much with the talent of the actors. Anyway, I would still recommend this movie. It's an interesting and quite frighting tale, but it's also kind of fun. Just try to get through the first 20 minutes and the rest should be fine!

IT'S GOING TO BE 8 YEARS

Since Gus and I began to date. I can't believe how quickly time flies by! It's almost scary to think about it, but I just can't seem to wrap my head around it. 8 years... Goodness, all the things we have gone through, and all the things that we still want to go through. I'm just amazed, but I'm now trying to plan something special for our anniversary. Daunting but exciting task!

FILM FRIDAY {01} ME AND YOU AND EVERYONE WE KNOW

Last night Gus and I watched Me and You and Everyone We Know. Now, I don't know whether or not Gus actually liked this movie, but he was surprised to find out it's ratings, which were good. I'm assuming he was expecting crappy reviews because he probably thought it was indeed crappy. I on the other hand, really enjoyed the movie. It's a bit slow, but I didn't mind that at all. For the most part, I appreciate when movies take their time to develop characters and for the viewers to make observations. This movie showcased the many different quirks of people--people who are searching for love. Though we might not share many of the characteristics displayed in Me and You and Everyone We Know, I still found it to be relatable and fun. Watch it if you're interested. It's on Netflix.

DATE NIGHT {01} UMAMI CATESSEN

Gus and I went to Umami Catessen in Downtown Los Angeles last night. I had heard about how good their burgers were and since I eat at least one good burger a week, I decided that Gus and I should try it out. There are closer locations to us, but this location serves donuts as well, and I am totally into donuts (my eating habits and cravings are not the healthiest, I know) so off to L.A. we went. 

My first impression was descent. I found the place to be laid back, and the staff was friendly...BUT (and there is always a but, isn't there?) the place was also very cozy in terms of their seating arrangement, and man oh man, we had the lovely fortune of sitting next to two extremely loud and very drunk men. This was sort of bothersome for me, because quite frankly, I couldn't hear myself think next to these men and I was getting irritated. Gus, being the concerned boyfriend he is, suggested for us to move, but I thought it would seem rude so we stuck it out. Sure enough we got used to the loud men, and as the night continued. they kind of became amusing. 

Looking at the menu, it was difficult to decide what to order, but that's probably because I'm the most indecisive person alive, so I asked the waiter for his recommendations. I wish Gus and I had gotten a little adventurous and ordered the fried mashed potatoes, but meh, you can't go wrong with a side of fries and a "Manly" burger. The burger itself was delicious, but rather small for the price and since Gus and I have made a deal to share all our meals in the attempt to not over eat or overspend, we must share everything even if it's small. So we obviously didn't get full. Then our neighbors to the side (the loud obnoxious men) ordered a donut and a cappuccino each. They were so happy and dunk that they started to praise themselves for coming to the restaurant and eating such a delicious food. One of them kept saying, "man, that is some good cap" haha, so we were intrigued.  Following their recommendation, we ordered ourselves a cappuccino and a tres leches donut to split. The men were right about the donut, not so much about the "cap", but overall we were content with our dessert. Gus and I left Umami with satisfied bellies, and happy that we didn't overspend. We then went back to Long Beach and had some drinks. It was a good night.