Valentine's Sleepover in Pictures

Our 6th Annual All Girls Valentine's Sleepover could not have been more fun (okay it could have, but only if my far away peeps could have attended, and/or if Tim Riggins had been our personal exotic dancer).  There were 14 or 15 of us total (some on the early side, some on the late), and we did not disappoint in terms of girliness; we talked about boys, friendship, bras, and birth control.  Ha!

Anna, Myisha, and me drinking Valentinis and eating cupcakes

fake flower says wassup to real flower.  holla!

in my right hand: The Slammer wine

in my left hand: Poet's Row wine

pretty much sums up my life

triptych with Diana :)

at my house, everyone is offered a snuggie

Ellie and Anna were my only takers

Erica, on the left, is my next door neighbor

Yael, on the right, is the life of the party

And did I mention we had gift bags with red eye masks (thanks Faiza!), candy heart bracelets, heart notepads, and love lotto tickets??  I already can't wait till next year!

Friday I'm in Love!

Summergirl

1. This Saturday is my 6th Annual All Girls Valentine's Sleepover!

I am so excited, and I'm telling you, my apartment's gonna look like a Cupid explosion!  I've been gathering banners, flags, napkins, plates, cupcakes, red candy dishes, heart placemats, etc.  It's pretty much gonna be amazing.  Especially since Amy got me some Spanish conversation hearts for the party. ;)  Pics to follow!

from

2. My friend Elena is arriving from San Diego today!  

I'm going to pick her up after school.  Can't wait!  We went to grad school together for a year, and then she moved back down to San Diego, so we only get to see each other once or twice a year.  Yay for visits from far-away friends!  We're gonna have dinner & drinks in my hood in Oakland tonight--keepin' it low-key so we can gear up for tomorrow's shenanigans.  

3. Homeroom

What's better than a school-themed mac & cheese restaurant?  Well . . . not a whole lot.  There's a new spot (just opened) in north Oakland called Homeroom (um, how cute is that?) that specializes in all kinds of mac & cheese.  Do yourself a favor and check out the menu here.  I'll expect you all to book plane tickets to the bay shortly thereafter. ;)

You know what I'm not in love with?  This d-bag who kicked Jacee out of his group on Wednesday night.  WTF, yo.  Go back to your karaoke bar, cause there's no room for @$$holes on Idol!

Clint Jun Gamboa

Who are your faves?  At this point, I think the 15 year old Lauren with the wavy blonde hair is pretty top-notch.  That girl has a powerhouse voice!  I also love the Seth Rogan lookalike who rocked the upright bass last night.  Whoa!  And homeboy can scat.

Happy Friday! xo

My little valentine

Jude Freitag puts all other men in my life to shame.  He beams at me, snuggles with me, and gives me lots of hugs.  He's my sweetest little valentine every day of the year!  Don't those dark brown eyes bear straight into your heart?

p.s. His older brother, Milo, who proudly gave me a Dora the Explorer valentine card, isn't so bad himself.

p.p.s. And a big thank you to their parents for sharing them with me!

Festive.

Today I am sporting my red Miu Miu slingbacks*:

and this little headband in my hair:

from Gracie Bella Butterfly

toting these for my lil' monster-students:

and with copies of this poem to share with them:

First Poem for You**

            Kim Addonizio

I like to touch your tattoos in complete

darkness, where I can't see them.  I'm sure of

where they are, know by heart the neat

lines of lightning pulsing just above

your nipple, can find, as if by instinct, the blue

swirls of water on your shoulder where a serpent

twists, facing a dragon.  When I pull you

to me, taking you until we're spent

and quiet on the sheets, I love to kiss

the pictures in your skin.  They'll last until

you're seared to ashes; whatever persists

or turns to pain between us, they will still

be there.  Such permanence is terrifying.

So I touch them in the dark; but touch them, trying.

***

Seriously: what's not to love about Valentine's Day?  However, my Valentine's Day promises to be quite untraditional, as instead of savoring a romantic dinner tonight, I will be teaching love poems at San Quentin State Prison.  What a hilarious place to spend the day of love!  It will certainly remind me that there are far worse positions to be in than dateless. ;)

What are y'all up to today??

*Let it be known that I will not be wearing said Miu Miu slingbacks to the prison tonight.
**Did you notice it's a perfect Shakespearean sonnet?

Friday I'm in Love!

Summergirl

It's Friday, and I'm exhausted.  But I'm wearily in love with these things:

1. All the Valentine's love  that's been pouring in my mailbox!  If you're struggling with making your own Valentines, check out Micaela's gorgeous, hand-crafted cards.  Hers put mine to shame!  And check out this loot--Faiza sent decorations for my all-girls V-Day sleepover, and my friend Linda sent hilarious chocolate.  So excited:

this is just the beginning!

2.  This blog's  layout and design.  I love it!  I came across it through Carrie's white denim in winter challenge, and I immediately emailed the sweet blogger, Kai, to ask who did her design.  Now, to spend $60 on a new blog layout or not to?  Isn't her blog perfect looking?  I'm smitten.

3. These Jeffreys:

cutttteeee

Normally I like super-feminine shoes, but something about these clunky, modern platforms has me all atwitter.  

Hope everyone's having a delightful Friday!  It sure is easier to get through the day knowing there is a weekend ahead of you.  Unfortunately, I will be hunkered down all weekend staring at my computer screen since I have an upcoming deadline for the Voice of Witness project I'm working on (transcribing the interviews I've done and turning them into first person narratives).  I love the project so dearly, and I'm so fortunate to be a part of it . . . but man, is it time-consuming!

XOXO

Call me crazy . . .

but somehow, I really do love Valentine's Day.

I've rarely been coupled on Valentine's Day.  I have an uncanny ability to end up in the midst of a break-up, or arrive at some sort of ending, right before February 14th (this year being no exception).  And yet, I can't help it--I still love the holiday.

Maybe it's that I love love, maybe it's that I love chocolate, maybe it's how cute conversation hearts look in Spanish:

llame me?  cuuuuuute.

My girlfriends and I have had an all girls Valentine's Day sleepover at my house the past five years, even those years we've been in relationships.  The V-Day sleepover always involves mac & cheese, pink lollipops, Valentini cocktails, funfetti cupcakes, nail polish, copious amounts of Sex and the City, and silky jammies.

doing my nails at V-Day sleepover 2006

I think this was 2008--we even had heart-shaped ravioli!

part of last year's spread

It's totally a controversial holiday.  Some people love getting super mushy with their lover, some couples think it's cheesy and commercial, some single people get bitter & boycott, and some single people--like me--embrace it as a day that celebrates LOVE!

Occasionally a little bit of self-pity begins to sink in, but then I remember how amazing my girlfriends are and how much fun the V-Day sleepover is every year.  And it's kind of cute that my coffee table is turning into a Valentine factory:

Plus, I bought this from Gracie's etsy shop last night:

What do you think of Valentine's Day?