PANAMA

starting at 330 tomorrow morning chris and i are trading cell phones and desk jobs for surfing and island vibes for an entire week. i might not come back.

NACHO CAKE

julia and chris KILLED IT by making me with the most aaaaa-maz-ing nacho birthday cake EVER.

the chips = fondant

the guac and sour cream = butter cream frosting

the salsa = gummy worms

ground beef = crumbled brownies

and the best part is it's all on top of a layer of caramel brownies!!

yeah.

whoa.

chris took some process photos while they were putting it together if you want to see.

pic via sunny (@sshokrae)

ON THE EDGE OF 30

today i turn 29.

i couldn't be luckier to have everything that i do.

i have the most amazing boyfriend who not only got me months and months of caramels and renewed my national geographic subscription, but he's also getting me my very own very first surf board.

my family, which keeps getting bigger and better every year, is the most amazing family ever. i love them and miss them so much. i'm so lucky to have such supportive parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts uncles and cousins.

and my friends. whoa. my friends. i have so many amazing people in my life that i'm so lucky to call friends. camping trips, BBQs, craft nights, beach bumming, long phone calls, surf sessions, and dancing in my living room. my friends really are the best.

anywho.

i'm a lucky girl. a lucky 29 year old girl.

I LOVE CAMPING

i really do love my friends.

and camping.

MAKING ANDREA'S PIÑATA

i was recently hit over the head with inspiration when learning about Confetti System (site, blog), and knew immediately that a giant gold piñata would be the perfect surprise present for andrea's birthday.

here's how i did it:

sure, it was practically indestructible since i used cardboard instead of paper mache (i couldn't figure out how to make the sharp lines with paper mache), but pretty sure she had a great time beating the shit out of 30.

big thanks to chris and jen for helping me cut a million strips of gold fringed foil, and nina for being an amazing consultant (always). PS, if anyone at Confetti System wants to give me a job i'll take it.

YOU CAN HAVE THE CITY, I'LL TAKE THE WOODS

a group of us headed to the woods this weekend to celebrate andrea's birthday in the best way possible - a night away from everything in the middle of nowhere. we crushed the gold piñata i made her (more on that later), cooked hot dogs on sticks, and spent hours around the fire wearing homemade feather headdresses.

more pictures on the way.

TRUCKIN'

i'm getting excited about my camping trip tomorrow with an awesome group of friends. glad to get out of the city for a night. please stop raining. please stop raining. please stop raining.

LOS NIÑOS

the babies of the family - my nephew caden and niece becca sue

jefferson city, missouri

april 2011

BOYS AND THEIR PHONES

it used to be nintendo and xbox. now thanks to the iphone, girlfriends far and wide get to complain about their boyfriends constantly playing games on their phones.

whether it be a racing game or farming, those boys are addicted.

its kind of hilarious.

CARAMEL OF THE MONTH

that amazing boyfriend of mine surprised me last night with an early birthday present - a membership to Helliemae's Caramel of the Month club. (i love anything and everything caramel)

the first months shipment had two boxes, a box of assorted caramels to kick off the subscription, and a box of the special seasonal Jasmine Tea. such an AWESOME gift that keeps on giving!!

PICTURE TAKER

v. nina westervelt

brooklyn, new york

RED HOOK

red hook, brooklyn

march 2011

LUAU KITTY

luau kitty always makes me feel better

soda, march 2011

I HOPE THIS WORKS

For the last six weeks I've spent a good chunk of my time at home in bed on a heating pad (not this one, that's my old bed in my old apt, same heating pad though!) Or if I wasn't in bed I was moving slowly with a limp, or at times even a cane. The good old back has been being an asshole for six weeks now, making it hard to walk sit sleep or do anything.

But today I finally get the long awaited lumbar spinal injection! I've had a few in the past and it's not that big of deal. But fingers crossed it ends the pain for at least a little while.

So ready to be a normal person again.

HOT SAUCE OF THE MONTH

yes, we're members of a "hot sauce of the month" club.

and yes, this is chris's reaction each and every time we get the package in the mail.

PEEPING TOM

23rd street, new york city

april 2011

DIY: THE MACRAME FRINGE NECKLACE

i stumbled upon this necklace/belt in the most recent Free People magazine and decided it had to be mine. the only thing standing between me and this necklace was the hefty $198 price tag. you know what that means in christy world. DIY PROJECT!!!

after studying the picture i decided to go for it. i took a solo mission to Michaels last weekend, found all the right supplies and went to town.

a little macrame. a little beading. and voila.

sure it's a little jankier than the free people version, but it was way more fun to figure out how to make it than just buying another necklace.

oh. and waaaaaaaay cheaper.

JUICE'D

i bought a juicer a couple weeks ago and i love it

this is my favorite combo so far. kale + carrot + apple + ginger

GIRLS AND CAMERAS

v. nina westervelt

see the other side of the photo on her blog