Pretty in Pink

Pretty in Pink by rachelbalich featuring wedge shoes

Adventure No. 4!

So today I got to have a really fun adventure. A bunch of us from church went down to Santa Monica and biked the boardwalk. It was SUCH a pretty day outside! The sun finally broke through later in the afternoon, but the whole day it was warm, and I was by the ocean...so I was happy!

I was happy already just being on my way!


So I was READY to go! I had my little hat...and I had my cute romper on from Target (thanks, Mom) and I rented my bike...and then I leaned over to my friend Laura and told her something that I haven't told may people...

"I never learned how to ride a bike without training wheels as a kid..."

I know...I'm all sortsa embarrassed about it. Sure I wobbled around on one a few times when I HAD to as a kid...but since I was never taught, I sorta just said "forget this!" and put my roller blades on. So, I was slightly nervous that I wasn't gonna do as well as I would hope.

Oh my goodness.
That is pitiful.
And so embarrassing.
But true.

So I had avoided bike riding moments until now...but not anymore! I'm tired of not doing things now just because I had never done them as a kid. May be a bike ride doesn't sound that adventurous to you, even now as I type, it sounds kinda silly. But that's ok.

Long story short...I got the hang of it...sorta. I fended for myself for about half the way...then my awesome friend Laura asked if I wanted to ride tandem. She had never done it before and wanted to try. It was so fun! We were cracking up the entire way about what a cute "couple" we made.

And let me tell you...when it comes to riding tandem in the back...I've got skills ;)



Aren't we cute? =) After our ride we walked to Tender Greens where I had the most amazing meal (complete with a to die for cupcake) in the world. And don't even get me started on their lemonade!



Poundcake cupcake with blackberry frosting? My day/life was complete.

So there was my adventure for the day...may be nothing too grand, but I got out, I did, I experienced. And I now have a new mission...get really good on a bike...because it was so fun! (not to mention this post is just a little too embarrassing =) Adventure No. 5...here we come!

OOTD: Casual Feminine

What do you guys think of this look?
The shirt was one of my garage sale finds! Its Forever21 brand.
The shorts were a steal a few summer's back at Ross.
The shoes are from Target
The bracelet is Forever 21 as well.
Some stud flower earrings and a top knot and I was all feminine, all the way! What do you think?

The Men in My Life

Earlier today I was planning out all the many blog posts I have in my brain to share with you all. And it dawned on me, that here I am telling you all about myself and my adventures, and I barely even dive into one of my main sources of support in my life. The men in my life.










My dog, Linus, and my cat, Fox. Why, what did you think I meant?
Now I already did a blog way back when introducing you to Linus, so if you would like to see his baby pictures, scroll on back. But for now, I'll just show him to you as he is. BIG =) Now, to some, Linus may give off a different impression than he means to. (He's very protective of my family and I. We call ourselves his "peeps"). But even though when he barks he may sound like he wants to have you for dinner...


He really is just a big softy. If puppies had a school picture, this next one would be Linus'

In all seriousness though, I LOVE this dog. To sound incredibly cliche, he has seen me through a lot of hard times. Whenever I'm upset, he knows. If I start to cry, he rushes up to me, licks the tears off my face, and sits with me. One time I was really sick, he started laying toys next to me on the couch. Usually if he wants to play he holds the toy in his mouth and begs. But this time, he just began setting them next to me one by one. He would set a toy down, lick my face, and walk away. By the end of the day I had all of his toys. What a generous little guy =)

Then along came Fox. Now, Fox isn't technically my kitty. He actually belongs to a friend, but he has been living at my house for around 9 months now....so he is sort of like my foster child. Regardless...I'm his mommy. =)As soon as Fox and Linus warmed up to each other, they were inseparable...

Fox's favorite pastime is being under, or in things...




When he was just a couple of months old, he was a TOTAL cuddler. He slept in my arms the whole night! =) So cute. Now that he is older he is a bit more independent, but he still likes sleeping in my bed. Which I don't mind at all! I mean who WOULD mind waking up to this hunk every morning?

I'm so glad I got to introduce to you to these stud muffins. Who are the most important furry members of your family?

ABRACADABRA! Adventure No. 3

I love it when an adventure calls for dressing up, don't you? That's why I was SO excited when my friend Brian asked me to come with a group of friend's to the MAGIC CASTLE in Hollywood. If you know anything about the Magic Castle, then you know it is a very exclusive club, and you can only get in if you are a member, or are a guest of one. Needless to say I was pretty excited. I've always loved magic. As a kid I had a magic kit that came with a book, cards, a wand, etc. I walked around the house doing "tricks" for my family. I'm sure I had some exceedingly clever name like "The Great Rachel." =)

I was also so excited because I had an excuse to wear the dress I scored at my friend's garage sale for $5! (Plus the shoes I bought from her too!)

I looove this dress. I even got compliments from women I didn't know at the Magic Castle on it! Score!

I paired it with a purse of my mom's that had a vintage feel that I felt really went with this look. Slap on some garage sale heels and a rose pearl bracelet from Forever 21 and I was good to go!

I can't wait to try this dress for another event. A friend of mine suggested cowboy boots for a more casual event. How about a night out at the Malibu Winery, or something like that? Ok. =)
The only bummer thing was that we weren't allowed to take pictures inside. So I scored a bathroom shot once I got the chance =)

My friend Lauren said the bathroom made her feel like she was in Moulin Rouge. I couldn't agree more! What girl doesn't like light bulbs around a mirror, I mean...really?
I took a few shots before we went in. My friend Katie and I, the outside of the Castle, (which doesn't even begin to do it justice, this place is to die for beautiful inside) and all the ladies outside the door. Don't mind my awkward pose in that one haha.




I had SO much fun at the Magic Castle. I even reached my one and only goal for the whole night...I got called on and got to participate in a magic trick! (Which completely BLEW MY MIND!) If I'm ever really really wealthy...may be I'll be a member and go, oh I dunno, every two days or so ;)

Adventure No. 3...you might be my favorite yet. On to the NEXT!

Sabo Skirt...Must Check it Out!

Hey guys! As you know I've been loving the website Polyvore.com. It's such a fun way to create your own look and to discover new online clothing stores that you would have never seen before! I recently stumbled on a website that I HAD to share with you guys. The clothes are fun, bright and very original. It's called saboskirt.com, and no, they don't just sell skirts, they sell all kinds of clothes and it's all fabulous!

Here are some of my favorite looks on the site:








Aren't those looks amazing?? Now, they are on the slightly more expensive side, but they aren't outrageous so I feel like getting a special piece here and there for special occasions would be the way to go. May be when my clothing fast is done I'll have a special event just so I can snag one of these looks! Haha =)

Side French Braid Tutorial

Hey guys! Check out my 2nd video!! Woo hoo! Super easy and fun hair tutorial!

BANG! BANG!

I'm on a roll, guys. Recently, I decided I was gonna start really living life to the full and take advantage of not being in school.

I
Love
It.

So for adventure No. 2 my friends Katie, Brian, and I all went to the shooting range. Brian wanted us to teach him a few things about guns. Right...that's it. It was such a fun day. Every one should try this once in their life...it makes you feel like a secret agent. Especially when you get to shoot a glock 23 .40 cal. That's right, I just used that in a sentence. Watch out bad guys.

This was my favorite one to shoot, I felt pretty hardcore.

This next one scared me a little bit hahaha...But it was SO COOL. And I was the most accurate with this one, so it was really fun to shoot. There is something strangely satisfying when you hear the *ping of hitting your target. Here is a shot of Brian teaching me how to use this massively large gun haha.

Who says a girl with fabulous nail polish can't shoot a semi automatic weapon?

And here's a little collage of a few more pics from the day.
Check out Katie's face in the bottom photo...hahaha that was her face after she shot the first gun...priceless.

So adventure No. 3? Oh...don't you worry, It's already all lined up. Just keep on checking in to find out!

Trash to Treasure: DIY Summer Shorts!

I love summer time. Shorts, skirts, dresses...I love all the "beat the heat" solutions =). This summer I really wanted to have lot's of different options for shorts, but I only had a couple pair.

So I made some! I was cleaning out my drawers and realized I had a few pairs of jeans that I never wear anymore. The first one tore after the second time I ever wore them...I was soooo sad. The second pair were all destroyed at the bottoms because I never got them properly hemmed...whoops. And the third were a distressed pair that I had bought that were now...far beyond distressed. These jeans were distressed, depressed, and falling to pieces, literally.




So in order to get a nice even cut,I took a pair of shorts that I already had and really liked the length of and put them on the pants, so my pants were "wearing" the pair of shorts.


Then I drew a line with a pen so I could follow along the nice curved shape you need. Then, snip snip! I folded the edge up and ironed them with a lot of steam. I'll go back later when I can use my sister's sewing machine to put in a stitch. What do you think of my new summer creations??

June Favorites! First VIDEO BLOG!

My very first video blog!

OOTD Simple Black

Yesterday I decided to sport my new heels with some oldies but goodies from my closet. I kept it very simple...but I felt very chic! What do you think?
Black tank: Forever 21 Low rise flare jeans: Forever 21 Pumps: Two Lips Bracelet: A friend got it for me from the Philippines, Ok Ok so not a totally fair thing to try to match =)
And there's my "Simple Black" look!