25 by 25

Oh man, I can't believe I'm going to be 25 next year. Ok, that's giving me a little bit of a headache, so let's just move on to the list, shall we? 

First, I put anything I didn't do on my 24x24 list on this list. 

1. Move out. 

2. Hike Half Dome.
3. Go kayaking
4. See a movie at our local theater that serves dinner and drinks.
5. Go on a fabulous vacation. (I have decided this should be on my list every year!)
6. Add more color to my wardrobe. I own a lot of gray - it's time to spice things up.
7. Go on the Santa Monica Ferris Wheel.
8. Make a scrapbook of my college years.
9. Go to Diddy Riese.
10. Try paddle boarding.
11. Stretch and improve my posture.
12. Wear bright lipstick with confidence.
13. Expand my musical horizons. (I'm a little embarrassed to tell you how much music on my ipod is from my high school years.)
14. Go beer and/or whiskey tasting.
15. Go to Chocolatine.
16. Go to the Natural History Museum and see their new dinosaur exhibit.
17. Revisit some of the classics I read in high school.
18. Read Johnathan Strange and Paris: A Secret History. These have both been on my bookshelf for a while, but their length has stopped me from picking them up, so I'd like to finally read them.
19. Watch the first seasons of 30 Rock, Community and Friday Night Lights.
20. Participate in Operation Beautiful.
21. Make this hot chocolate.
22. Start writing again. I was really into writing poetry in high school, but haven't written anything for the past few years.
23. Get crafty. Maybe try my hand at painting.
24. Visit San Francisco - one of my absolute favorite cities.
25. Have an amazing 25th birthday party. Since my birthday always falls so close to Thanksgiving, it's hard to party it up, but I'm determined to make my 25th a big celebration.

Birthday wish list

Since my birthday is next week, I thought I'd put together a little birthday wish list. You know, just in case you're reading this, mom. 

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To get in touch with my inner French girl.

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I love the zipper detail on the back of this sweater.

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Sparkly flats would put a spring in my step.

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Well, it is a dream list, right?

Holiday craft

This weekend, mama and I were out trying to holiday shop (we came home with more for ourselves than anyone else - doesn't that always happen?!) At Anthro, we saw these cute mason jar snow globes. But $30?? Really? I decided these looked like a good DIY project. 

These were fun to make, and better yet, super easy. All you need is a mason jar, hot glue gun, Christmas tree (or anything else you can think of!) and some glittery snow. It only took me about 5 minutes (and $6) to make two of these. They would be perfect holiday gifts, or great decorations done in a variety of jar sizes. 

Life

So....life. 

There hasn't been much of note lately, except it is now dark all the time and it's throwing me off. But that darkness signals cold weather and that means I get to wear these: 

And these:

And drink this everyday:

That's about it. Also, birthday is in a few weeks, so that means a 25 x 25 list. (Wow!)

Sweet November

Life as of late:

The weather has finally cooled off a bit, so I've been baking more. Last weekend, mom and I made some carrot cake from scratch for dad's birthday (yeah, we kinda like him). Carrot cake is not normally my fav, but it was good! 

I also made these for my Halloween work party. They were really good, but I didn't really taste any pumpkin, which was a bummer. 

Speaking of Halloween, I decided on Sunday that I wanted to be Buzz Lightyear. Luckily I already had a pre-printed Buzz shirt, so with the quick addition of white pants and green duct tape, I was set! 

Also - my cousin and I went hiking in Runyon Canyon this past weekend. Note to self: don't trust your iphone map to get you there, it will only take you on weird side trips up in the hills. Once we finally got there, it was a really good hike (with great views!) And we even brought a picnic lunch to finish the day with. 

What I'm reading: October

Holy cow, I can't believe we're at the end of October already. Time is flying by! 

Here is what I read this month:

The History of Love. I had heard really good things about this book, so I was excited to start it. It would be best as a book club book. I say that because, I needed someone to talk about it to figure out what the heck was going on. The first half of the story, I felt really lost. I actually had to read the synopsis online to find my way. It contains 2 stories that intertwine as the story goes on. The second half of the book clears things up, so I would have seen the light eventually. I really liked Krauss's writing style, even though this might not be my favorite book.

Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M. I have a deep love for anything Audrey Hepburn or Breakfast at Tiffany's, so of course I loved this book. 

What's your favorite scary movie Sydney?

Sidenote: the title of this post was asked of me incessantly throughout middle school. Thanks, Scream. 

What's your favorite scary movie? Most people I know don't like them, but I love them. I definitely prefer suspenseful scary, not blood and guts scary. And no better time to catch up on scary movies than Halloween. Here are my favs:

Hocus Pocus. Technically not a scary movie, but I have to watch it every year. In fact, I'm watching it right now. 

The Others. I've seen this a hundred times, and it still creeps me out every single time.

Shutter Island. Wonderfully dark and unsettling.

Psycho. There's a reason this is a classic. Hitchcock is the master of edge-of-your-seat suspense. I love how the story builds and builds and just gets creepier and creepier. 

The Shining. The book was so scary, Joey on Friends had to hide it in the freezer. The movie definitely belongs in there too. Watch this one in the daytime.