Summer Check In

Hi! I hope you've had a glorious summer. It's been treating me pretty well.
This photo was taken by my friend P when we all visited Portland. I'm wearing a 1960s ascot pleated dress from the Pasadena flea market.

Summer Wish List Update:
 -visit our friends in Portland  done!
-explore some secret beaches not so secret but Edmonds!
-eat at the Honey Hole
-see a couple of Seattle museums Experience Music Project, Seattle Art Museum and Oregon Museum of Science and Industry!
-find the best Indian restaurant Seattle has to offer The Taste of Seattle in U District
-explore some small towns in the Washington/Oregon state area Edmonds
-more karaoke at Rock Box twice!
-visit my family at least once once!
-Thanksgiving in July seriously worth it
-take a dance class
-take some photos on my lomography camera still going!
-collect more 90s/millennium indie/emo music I love Spotify
-go on a ferry ride we took a tour of Seattle in the sound


I was able to accomplish most of the goals on my summer wish list! I'm sure I'll dine at the Honey Hole in the near future. I tried to find some dance classes, but they all seem to clash with my schedule, so I'll opt for a YouTube video instead.

I will admit that half of these were rushed in the last month. There were times where it felt like my summer was mostly spent at work, but I really felt like this summer was worthwhile. I had a blast! (more on that later) My summer will end with a bang, and I'll be seeing a TON of my favorite bands next week like The Pains of Being Pure at Heart and Old 97s!!!!!!!!

I'm going to make another wish list for the fall! A pumpkin patch visit, attempts to make mulled wine and pumpkin bread making are definitely in order. What are your plans? Do you have any suggestions for me? ;)


xo
jv
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Pen Pals & Snail Mail

Earlier this year, I received some sweet treats in the mail from my lovely pen pal and friends.

Brooklyn's decadent delights. Another extremely thoughtful care package from the great American novelist aka. My pen pal L.





Auckland's dreamy music sweetheart Chelsea Jade sent me a postcard from NYC.






My longtime Vegas turned Seattle adventurer LSL sent me Vogue's Amanda Brooks "I <3 Your Style." There are hundreds of style books out there, but this one's actually a really fun read.

Deary deer Crassy Wallace sent me this houndstooth bag (and a mod belt!)




My mother-in-law gave me this beautiful Kiwiana photo album. I plan to fill it with lomography photos.

 

I'm going exploring with LSL today, so we'll put my restless lomo cam to good use!

Thanks everybody for the sweet gifts!

xo
jv
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Sunny Day Real Estate

Hello, it's been a while since my last style post. I was a lot better at the before, and I apologize. I'm hoping the next time I get back to Vegas I can bring back my tripod! And then I won't have to bother Chris anymore. We walked home after dinner; he was holding our leftovers and took two photos as fast as possible. HAHA!
Missoni for Target blouse (gifted from Melissa!) | F21 shorts | World New Zealand shoes | gold watch gifted from my mom | H&M purse

I wasn't in New Zealand when the Missoni riots broke out. This was a nice surprise when my buddy in NZ gave this blouse to me. She said it was more me. We swapped more clothes later! I love bold prints.

This blog has gone in many different directions. Today, I really wanted to blog about all the old music I've been listening to lately. When I was a teenager, I grew up listening to punk, pop punk, hardcore and emo. Today, I couldn't stop listening to Sunny Day Real Estate which is so fitting since I now live in Seattle!

Some of my other old forever favourites bands from that time were Saves The Day, Lifetime, Kid Dynamite. I want to make a 90s/00 playlist. I also want to share a summer playlist loaded with all the Brit pop/indie/shoegaze/nugaze airy music that I also love.

xo
jv



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New Zealand Wedding

In March, I took photos as a second shooter at my friend Maggie's Samoan/Niuean themed wedding. It was the first Pacific Island-themed wedding I've ever been to. I say that- as that's exactly what the groom asked me! (I went to a Maori wedding in 2010 where they sang in Maori, served a hangi and did several hakas! It was also held inside the Destiny Church. Needless to say, it was an amazing experience. Although, I'm unsure if Maori people consider themselves as Pacific Islanders but Polynesians.)

As the second photographer, I captured so, so, so many tender and memorable moments. My favourite part was when the wedding party stepped outside the church. Everybody was hooting, howling and grinning ear-to-ear. I met Maggie's bro who was the videographer, who's also an amazing photographer. Turns out he's a prominent Australian contemporary dance choreographer who travels around the world for dance companies. It was inspiring just being in his presence. This day was so inspiring.

The wedding continued on with several cultural traditions like singing, chants, dances, Nieuan cloths rolled out where money was collected. Apologies as I don't know what it was called, but it was a Nieuan tradition! There were Hawaiian, Tahitian, Samoan, Cook Island and Niuean dances! And then eventually the bride's family ended the reception with an amazing hip hop dance. The people at this wedding were so enthusiastic about dancing. I honestly want a CD mix of the fun Samoan dance music I heard that day. I can see why our friend Jeff had such a great time in Samoa dancing there!

Here are a few of my favourites that I was fortunate to catch:

Dream Spaces

I love living in the city, but it comes at the expense of small apartment living. I wish we lived in a wide open space. I'm excited with the possibility of owning our own property one day.

 We haven't decorated our apartment yet. These are all ideas that I adore from afar.
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xo
jv

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What Happens in Vegas... Funny Faces

It's imperative that funny face photos are taken whenever I touch down in Vegas. I don't know what it is about that place. The (lack of) water, the desolate desert in general, people in Vegas tend of have an extremely laid back sense of humor. Extremely uninhibited west coast vibes! This is why I love these people so much.

I cried into laughter and started having convulsions because of this.

Don't ever let anybody talk crap about where you're from. I am determined to break down every stereotype wrongly sent my way. I had a good life and opportunities there. My friends were amazing too.

xo
jv

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