home for the holidays

The same banner has been draped across Main St. every holiday season for as long as I can remember. It's nice to be home.

going home

tonight we fly

52 weeks

7/52

Julie
Caroline

two friends
an ocean apart
post one photo a week
with no rules or themes
and no idea what the other is up to.
in a year we'll see.

Full explanation is here.

finally

Ryan has returned home from the land down under.
This is how we celebrate those sorts of things.

wardrobe inspiration

both via Copenhagen Street Style

Um...who knew "mom pants" could be so attractive? These girls, apparently.

Also of note, both these photos were taken in Denmark, and according to this, that's where the happiest people live. I'm ready to move.

why it's no fun to hate christmas

I used to hate Christmas. Really. It was my job that did it. For a few [too many] years I was employed by a company which specialized in hanging holiday lights during the winter months. It was always stressful and hectic (and very cold). By the time December rolled around, I'd already been living in Christmas purgatory for months, and didn't want anything to do with the holiday. That ended up working out fine since I also generally became violently ill the moment I had any time off anyway. I could not have been more pleased when that chapter of my life came to a close. I'm also pleased now to be able to enjoy the season for what it is rather than worrying about how perfectly fluffed the garland is...seriously.

I'm happy to report that I had nothing to do with the preparation or installation of any of these lights, nor do I care how evenly spaced they are or whether any of the bulbs have burned out.































































































































Also, I am still (obviously) loving poladroids.

good advice

Somebody wants to get the word out...
Makapu'u Lighthouse Trail,
October 2008

Halekauwila Street, Honolulu
December 2008

favorite portraits

1 of 3

2 of 3

3 of 3

52 weeks

6/52

Julie
Caroline

two friends
an ocean apart
post one photo a week
with no rules or themes
and no idea what the other is up to.
in a year we'll see.

Full explanation is here.

a does impressions

She does different voices for an ever growing set of characters. If there is a treat to be had, every person in her repertoire asks for a bite. Her voices for Kermit and Miss Piggy are the most fun, and they are actually pretty spot on.

an online chat and some other things

r:  Oh my.  You need to know what I just remembered to tell you.

c:  Oh?  Tell me.

r:  The doormen and bellhops at this hotel have the most amazing uniforms.

c:  Go on...

r:  Well, I'll start at the feet - square toed black dress shoes.

c:  Umhmmm...(nodding in approval)

r:  Then the socks - grey and black checks, but they are silky.

c:  Oooh...getting better.

r:  All black dressy knee length knickers.

c:  Amazing!

r:  White long sleeve shirt with a tie.

c:  Yes, yes.

r:  Black and grey sweater vest over the shirt.

c:  Incredible.  Tell me there is a hat involved!

r:  Topped off with an old timey black and grey newsies cap.

c:  Gah!  You've made my day!  Best uniform ever!

r:  Amazing, right?

p.s.  The week long business trip that R was supposed to be on has turned into a two (with a high probability of turning into three) week nightmare which has included him having to stay in some random fellow's apartment for the first week and a half until a hotel room became available.  Weird, right?

Gladly, once he finally managed to get into a hotel, he found the aforementioned bellhops to be to his liking.

In other news, it's been raining all day long here.  Lots of rain.  More like a downpour, really.  When we were living in Georgia there was an ice cream shop near our home that offered an extra scoop for free if you stopped in while it was raining.  Every time it rained, we'd make our way to that ice cream shop as fast as we could.  I was definitely wishing there were free ice cream here today.  A and I opted to venture out for donuts instead.  They were not free.  They still managed to be delicious.

sweet figments

Vintage ABC TV Tortoise and Gold Men's Driving Glasses from Chigal, $10

I've put together another vintage buyer's gift guide for the fine readers of Sweet Figments.  There's something for everyone! Pop over for a look, if you like.

pretty things

1
2
3
These polar bear prints are really pretty.
They are tv stills.
They were taken by Kate Sawyer.
She is selling them here.

I have a friend named Grace.
Grace has a husband named Garrett.
Garrett likes polar bears.
Pretty polar bear prints make me think of him.

I think it's really cute when couples have the same initials.
Grace and Garrett are cute.

I am feeling very cold now.

variations on a theme

coordinating colors in a city block

brick & mortar

There is a flickr group devoted entirely to photos of walls.
This pleases me.

photos via here, here, here, here, here, here & here

ring of fire

parade on King St.

night lights

Honolulu City Lights.

a light parade
fire throwing
hot malasadas
a countdown
bagpipes playing Christmas carols
clapping
crowds
local musicians that I can still hear through the window

first friday

On the first Friday of every month a slew of art galleries in Chinatown keep their doors open late, and lure folks in with snacks and drinks. Some friends were kind enough to let A and me tag along with them last night, giving me the opportunity to fall in love with the work of local artist, Christopher St John.

I jotted down the name thinking a quick google search would yield some further information along with an image to show you. Wrong. All I could scrounge up was this - his wife's military career is the reason for their family's Hawaii residency. Basically, you'll have to trust me on this...it was good stuff.

p.s. R has been in Australia for the past week, and no one knows when he'll be coming home - not even him.

52 weeks

5/52

Julie
Caroline

two friends
an ocean apart
post one photo a week
with no rules or themes
and no idea what the other is up to.
in a year we'll see.

Full explanation is here.

thirteen is my favorite number

I'm pretty excited to be headed home to Utah for the holidays.  So excited, in fact, that I've been working on adding to and whittling down this list of things to do when we get there since August.  When I was able to finally narrow it down to a manageable size, these are the things that remained.  So, aside from the loads of time with our family and friends (obviously), this season I am most looking forward to:

1. going through piles of old family photos.  both sides.
2. snowboarding at Brighton.
3. an afternoon at Ken Saunders Rare Books.
4. bundling up for walks in Liberty Park.
5. shopping trips to Abode.
6. scouring the DI racks many times over.
7. defying gravity by idling up the hill behind the capitol.
8. reliving many childhood weekends and school field trips at the Bean Museum.
9.  walking around downtown at night where everything is lit up.
10. taking a lot of photos.  especially getting one of the buffalo heads on the side of the building on 300 S (if I remember correctly).
11.  TRAX rides with Ava.
12. sledding.  the lame kind on a small (maybe slushy) hill in a park.
13. stocking up on wishes by counting train cars.

wardrobe inspiration

via copenhagen street style

It's another blonde in a floral skirt.
I'm going to try to make a skirt with that cut.

no smoking

scenic overlook

Yesterday morning while it was still chilly and foggy, and before the sun had worked it's magic, we took a drive. Where we stopped, we found a trail that we have never seen before winding down the mountain. On the trail we met a man with his dogs. We chatted and played with the dogs, but I forgot to ask if he knew where the trail went. I wanted to follow it to the end, but we weren't prepared to go too far. Next time.