I'm a bit of a wanderlust who is over the moon for life and in love with the dearest boy whose heart is bigger than the galaxy. I spend everyday trying to encompass the space inside a heart, measure the length of a smile, capture the sound of laughter, and record the simple happiness of my world with the love of my life. This little blog is where I bury all of our treasures - the good fortunes of our days with the hopes and joys and dreams we hold inside. This is our adventure together.
Oh, how I wish I had such a glamourous event to attend just so I can twirl and twirl around in a beautiful sequined tulle gown.. I would run through an amber-hued wheat field and just twirl and twirl.. these were my favorite Oscar dresses this year. I think everyone will say hands-down #1 goes to Mila Kunis in her beautiful lavendar Ellie Saab gown, but I really just LOVED Michelle Williams simple, understated look - her hair and makeup is just simple but breath-takingly stunning when I saw her walk down that red-carpet. Some people might disagree with my Cate Blanchette pick, but she just carries it so well and it is just so different from the normal strapless or spaghetti strap or lace dress.
yes, it's been over 7 months since my last blog post!! i'm terrible.. i've been caught up on so many things with taking extra courses, taking hobby courses, running marathons, going to Paris, and my book club socials... ahh, yes, my book club socials.. these girls take up the chunk of the little free time i have.. i love these girls and i love my book club socials... i love it so much, that we started a new BLOG about books, cooking, dinner parties, and entertaining...
So most of the time, you will find me over there... But don't fret, my blog-friends (or what little of you i have left).. Oh, Red Balloon will always be here and will always be my baby...
so recently, hubs and i went and cleared out our closets with bags and bags full of clothes... well, fine, they were mostly my clothes - and i do believe i have a problem.. i had 2 bags full of dresses and skirts to give to good-will (even giving the nice stuff away to my sister and friends!).. husbone was in disbelief of how many dresses i own in my closet, but i can't help it.. a dress is oh-so-pretty and makes me, a self-proclaimed awkward tom-boy, actually feel like a real girl!
i will tell you, i never really wore dresses until college.. heck, i didn't even own a prom-dress, because i skipped out on my prom (again, another story)!! so i guess i made up for it by buying dresses all the time.. it's very rare for you to see me in anything other than a dress / skirt (and maybe my skinny jeans).. but i have a closet bursting full of colorful dresses.. shoes aren't my weakness, dresses are..
i tell him all the time, he is really lucky that it's not realistic to wear gowns everywhere (no, not just a red carpet or wedding, i mean EVERYWHERE); otherwise, my closet would be overflowing with beautiful gowns... seriously, i wish my life consisted of me just twirling in a wheat field with that perfect pink-yellow hued sunlight shining against my skin..
Did you ever have a penpal when you were younger? or maybe your school (much like mine) had a penpal program that linked you up with another student in another country and had each student exchange letters all school year?
well, July 9th is Write-a-letter-send-it-in-the-mail Day.. no, it's not a real holiday, but it's a new movement to bring back the art of letter writing.. no, not emails or texts.. before the digital era ate away all interpersonal communications we had with one another, there were hand-written letters.. penmanship used to be a major subject growing up in elementary school... i remember being as proficient in my penmanship as i did memorizing the multiplication table.. now, my penmanship is not as nice.. i got lazy.. it's so much easier to type -- or thumb my letters out on my blackberry, i admit.. nonetheless, i do want to bring back that excitement to get an actual letter in the mail.. have a penpal again.. much like julia childs and avis devoto..
but in order to start, we all need STATIONERY! oh, i do love stationery, but i don't own any! how can that be with such a love of paper products.. i guess the frugality inside of me thinks, why fork over the money on expensive letterpress stationery - when am i ever going to actually write a letter - i already hate writing in cards (although, MAKING cards is a love of mine).. but i do admire all the beautiful letterpress products that come out and wish i did have beautiful stationery...
so instead of actually buying letterpress stationery, i decided to go the easier route and get a personalized rubberstamp and stamp on top of nice cardstock paper.. just what i need, ANOTHER stamp to add to my 100s of other rubber stamps.. hehehe.. i ordered my stamp through terbear, who customized a rubberstamp for my wedding as well as a rubberstamp that i had created for my friend, melissa, for her wonderful baked goods.. below is my new stationery rubberstamp letterhead :)
Anyways, anyone else out there who might want to participate in this write a letter day? i really love the idea of having a new pen pal like julia childs & avis devoto... :)
this was featured in the NY Times last week, and i absolutely LOVE what sandra foster did to this old 9x14 foot hunting cabin in the middle of the catskill woods in NY... only $3000 worth of renovations to turn an old run-down cabin into a shabby-chic retreat for herself...
after some hard business times for her husband, leaving her, the fiscal administrator of a laboratory in Long Island, the sole wage earner, they have had to move onto much more meager livings.. nonetheless, after seeing this cabin, she was determined to make her dream home come true.. "This is a very special sort of dream house: the Victorian Ms. Foster has wanted since she was a teenager on Long Island and her middle-class family lost their home. It is a house that is as soul-satisfying as it was when she first imagined it as a 15-year-old, even with the ups and downs that grown-up life brings."
i absolutely LOVE how vintage accents inside of her house (and those pink wellies are pretty darn cute and perfect for this adorable dollhouse cottage)...
her small library is absolutely lovely! I am SWOONING over it.. i LOVE libraries.. i will have one in my home soon..
her loft bed is just heavenly.. it looks like a fluffy cloud that you can sink into and enjoy the beautiful sunlight shining in the mornings...
this dollhouse is just simply adorable.. i love that she made her dream house come alive..
in the spirit of the US soccer team having such a great showing at the World Cup games, especially with a big tie with england, a should-have-been-win tie with slovenia, and our big win against algeria, and upcoming game against Ghana on Saturday at 2pm, i thought this tshirt was funny and ingenious...
so to our soccer men out there who like to "bend it" like beckham, this week's song is:
AROUND THE BEND by THE ASTEROIDS GALAXY TOUR (p.s. i love the singer and her cute bangs)
our company commissioned artist, Beatrice Coron, to create a piece of work inspired by the transformation of the Meatpacking District in NYC.
"My intention was to catch the buzz and energy of the now trendy neighborhood, and recall some scenes of the past,.” said Beatrice of her new piece.
The work now sits in the window of the Meatpacking store. We think it catches the “buzz” perfectly, and can only imagine the stories these streets could tell!
"My work tells stories. I invent situations, cities and worlds. These compositions include memories, associations of words, ideas, observations and thoughts that unfold in improbable juxtapositions... My silhouettes are a language I have developed over the years; my point of view is both detailed and monumental. Cutting from a single piece of material, the profusion of individual stories creates a coherent universe... In my graphic style, windows are used not to see out but in, placing the spectator in an outsider/insider situation. Shadows, reminiscent of film noir and voyeurism, leaves room for multiple interpretations."
"run towards something, not away from something".. i'm not sure who the author of this quote was/is.. i'm sure it's a quote, because i heard it from somewhere.. just can't put my finger on it.. :)
but we have started our real training for the marathon.. i actually have 2 this year.. 13 half marathons (of which i've completed 5 so far) and 2 full marathons, the NYC and Philadelphia.. my sister and i plan to run the NYC together, and crossing the finish line together... i will be the first to admit, getting myself to run is quite a mental task, but once i start running, i feel so much better about myself.. i think anyone can do it.. and i think it's a great stress release.. it's not an impossible feat for anyone to start from 1 mile a day to at least 6 miles a day in a month.. so challenge yourself, physically & mentally... HIT THAT PAVEMENT! :)
this weekend is the start of the WORLD CUP! I'm so excited - GO USA, GO USA, GO USA!!
after the sad cancellation of pushing daisies a couple of years ago, i was saddened with no good television left.. i mean, it's hard to fill the void that Lee Pace left.. but now, i'm obsessed with Glee and Matthew Morrison has filled the space that Lee left.. so i leave you with them singing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow".. it's just a song that you can never ever get sick of or tired of.. it always puts a smile on everyone's face.. and it also makes me want to play the ukelele..
if you don't know, i have a black cat named Cat whom i absolutely adore - even though he can definitely be a punk sometimes.. i adopted him from a friend when he was 4 years old and i've loved him ever since - he is now 13 years old and going strong! I never really thought i would love cats as much as I do, being a dog-lover all my childhood, but after getting Cat, i'm just in love with cats... we want to grow our little animal family with a french bulldog eventually, but right now the landlord won't allow dogs.. we did think about adopting another cat companion for Cat though..
my cat, CAT - this is him, lying on our cool wooden floors, during the heat spells that we've been having lately.. poor little bubba - it's hard being a black cat in the humid east coast summers...
Cat loves ice-cold Brita water with an ice cube, although he definitely loves drinking out of the toilet or shower when he sneaks into the bathroom.. everytime i get home i pour him new brita water, but he stands at his water bowl and stares me down until i put the ice cube in his water.. he also loves tomato sauce, ice cream, artificial cheese flavoring on cheetos and doritos, and long belly rubs.. he's also the clumsiest ninja cat, you've ever met.. and he's the biggest fan of human beings and loves everyone...
a fellow NY blogging friend, Jamie, from Same New Story, started a new tumblr blog called sexy beasts where she features other people's pets as well as her own.. i LOVE her cats, dexter and oliver.. they are the cutest duo yet..
Jamie's Oliver
Jamie's DEXTER
Another blogger, Katie of Color Me Katie, has an adorable big cat named, Moo... i love fat cats.. they are just cute little fluff balls..
Color Me Katie's Moo
I just adore these kitties so much.. if you have any cute cats, dogs, pets - be sure to email Jamie over at Sexy Beasts so she can feature them on her tumblr :)
{photos courtesy of Jamie at Same New Story, and Katie at Color Me Katie}
Monday, February 28, 2011 at 7:00AM 
