Five

I stole this title from Lauren, but then again, I'm not sure it's super original anyway. Either way, it's Friday, and it's time for a run down of the top 5 happy moments from this week!

Sidenote: I totally put the selfie in the larger box, but then I decided I was being too narcissistic, so I switched it out for the pretty scenery.

Clockwise from left to right: 

1. This is the boarding school where I'm teaching bio at summer school. It's the prettiest place on the planet, and they have their own bridge and creek! 

2. ELEPHANT TOOTHPASTE! The science department is doing this for department introductions, and it's absolutely amazing. 

Watch this video to see more!

3. My brother has cowboy boots. I'm jealous. 

4. I ducked into this store at Santana Row because it was really loud outside and I was on the phone, and then I was amazed by all the gorgeous stationary. I have way too many notebooks already, so it was a struggle to walk out of there empty-handed. What would you have done? 

5. I got a new scarf .It's gorgeous!

What were your favorite parts of this week? Let me know in the comments below!

xo, Hima

Bucket List Part Uno

I've always been really fascinated with the idea of a bucket list. I tried writing it down, but I lose so many things that the whole "keep a notebook for life" thing didn't work out too well. 

And, hey, you can't really lose the internet, can you? 

okay, bad joke. 

moving on...

Structure-wise, I'm probably going to do about 20 items per post, and this will just be an ongoing thing.  They are in no particular order, just as they come to me. Check under the Bucket List tab to see an updated list at any given time! 

1. Hike Mission Peak in Fremont, CA. It's only a half hour from my house, but an intense and rewarding hike! 

Who wouldn't want that view?

2. Get SCUBA Certified
3. Get CPR Certified
4. Sleep for 15 hours straight. The most I've ever slept is 12 and I want to break my record. Pitiful, I know.
5. Go to Switzerland and buy real Swiss chocolate.

6. Do the Color Run/Color Me Rad Race!
Hopefully this will happen this fall. So excited!

If this does not seem like a TON of fun to you, then I'm sorry. 

We can't be friends. 

Just kidding. 

maybe. 

Bottom line: I want to do this 5k really bad

7. Run a marathon. Anyone who can run 26.2 miles at a stretch has so much respect from me. I want that feeling from myself.

8. Throw a pair of shoes onto phone lines and get them stuck. 

Don't deny it. 

You've always wondered about those too. 

9. Learn to surf!

That was supposed to happen two weeks ago, but we didn't end up going to Hawaii! Next time...

10. Explore the nooks and crannies of San Francisco. 

Even though I've grown up in the Bay Area and I've been to SF more times than I can count,

I want to go beyond tourism, to truly know this city and experience the magic.

11. Eat Macarons

This will happen. Soon. 

12. Sprinkles cupcakes. Again, I've grown up 20 minutes away from the World's first cupcakery, yet I've never been.

Plus I just really want a cupcake right now.

C'est la vie. 

(SEE WHAT I DID THERE? because macarons are French and that was French?

You're right I'll stop now).

13.  Read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

I've heard SO much about it, both good and bad, but I'm just too darn scared to read it right now. 

14. Watch the entire "Fast and Furious" series. 

I've only seen the 5th and that was in theaters, so I'd love to see the rest!

15. Drive down the California Coast, from the beauty that is Oregon all the way down to San Diego and Sea World. 

Not just driving 14 straight hours, but wandering through small towns, checking out the local food. 

Come with me? 

And that just about wraps it up. 

What's on your bucket list? Do we have anything in common? Anything that should definitely be in the next installment? 

Let me know in the comments below!

XO, Hima

I'm going to tell you a secret....

I'm sure you're all out there wondering that my crazy secret is.

Well, I guess it's not really a secret if I'm going to post it on the blog for the world to see. 

Here's my big secret: 

I love shopping. 

Okay, so that was decidedly anticlimatic. Now that you're probably mad at me for getting you all psyched up, let's move onto to the real topic of this post. 

It's time for Wishlist Wednesday!

Everything on this list just screams summer to me, so I decided to make that my theme, if you will. 

1. Polka Dotted Chambray- Forever 21 ($29.80)- I don't own a single piece of chambray. This makes me very sad. 

2. The Help Quote Print- Etsy ($23.00)

I found another even prettier on for $5 but it was after I made the graphic and I was too lazy to change it. 

3. Mini Bubble Necklace- Etsy ($6.00)

4. Pink Polka Dotted Paper Straws- Sur la Table ($3.99)

5. Anchor Tank Top- Pink Mascara ($41.00)

So beautiful, but sadly far out of my price range! When you're 15, you don't buy a lot of $40 tank tops. 

6. White Wedges- Payless ($17.99)

What are your favorites? What's on your summer wishlist? Let me know in the comments below!

xo, Hima

Really? I Missed That?

As I was reflecting on life and trying very desperately to think of a topic to blog about (also known as spending way too much time on Facebook and blog-reading), inspiration struck. Although I'm not trying to be negative or anything here, everyone of us has regrets. Decisions you didn't make, things you didn't go to, you name it. 

So without further ado, 

7 Things I Shouldawouldacoulda done

1. Go to Alice's Summerthing in San Francisco on Sunday. 

I love any excuse to go to my favorite city. Throw in my favorite singers for free, and we've got a deal. 

2. Not quit swimming as a kid. 

I could have been really good! Man, I was the fastest swimmer in the pool in elementary/middle school. What if I had become an Olympian?

3. Not put off watching The Hunger Games until a couple of months ago. A movie is suddenly much less dramatic when you're watching it on the iPad screen and sweating on the elliptical. 

4. Gone to Hawaii a few weeks ago. 

Let's face it. Last minute cancelled vacations suck. 

Hopefully we can go to the beach sometime this summer (there's a reason I live in California!) to make up for it!

5.  Not stayed up this late trying to write a post. I'm tired ya'll. 

Aww, what an adorable baby. 

But then again I probably look more like this. 

Peace out, girl scout. 

xo, Hima

When Cooking Doesn't Always Work Out

I consider myself an okay cook. I can follow a recipe pretty well, and I usually come up with yummy food. I'm also a bit of a presentation freak, so I try to make my food pretty before I eat it. 

Need convincing? 

1. Happy toast 

2. Raspberry Chocolate Cupcakes!

3. Protein Pancakes

4. I'm fully aware that this isn't actually cooking, but I'm trying to reinforce the prettiness. See the face? 

(Should I be worried that faces on food seems to be a trend for me?)

No? 

Good. 

This weekend, I really wanted to make these birthday cake protein pancakes from the Clarkpharm blog for my little brother and myself. 

No, it's not either of our birthdays. We just love birthday cake everything! 

This is how they were supposed to turn out. 

All nice and fluffy and rainbow sprinkly. Well, we didn't have rainbow, so red sprinkly. 

This is how they actually turned out. 

Seriously, what are those? When something is that ugly I try to make it a little nicer looking.

So I drowned in in greek yogurt sauce (water + yogurt). It was so ugly I didn't even take a picture.

And then I devoured it. 

It was amazeballs. So even if they were really, they tasted great. 

Except for the fact that still kinda full. 

Nine hours later. 

Goal: Make them look pretty next time! 

That wasn't all. The pancakes were only part one of my cooking fiasco. Part two was a little worse. 

So for some reason, I thought that I'd play scientist and test what happened when you microwave cookie dough. 

Would it get all gooey and yummy? ('Cause you know I love that goo!) Would it just be an undercooked blob? 

I put it in and set the time for a 1:30. At 1:10, I decided to check on it to make sure everything was okay. I opened the microwave and clouds of steam poured out. It felt like in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire when Harry was fighting Voldemort in the maze. (Note: If you haven't read HP, we can't be friends.)

Just kidding. 

I'll love you anyways. Maybe. 

Moving on, the steam was all misty and scary, and then I started to smell the burnt...uh...everything?

I waited about 30 seconds until the plate was cool enough to touch and then I dumped that sucker in the sink and turned that water on. 

Craaaaaack! 

Half the plate falls off. 

How appetizing is that? 

I was grossed out just thinking about the carcinogens in that burnt lump, so I tossed it. 

Moral of the story: Even if you think you can cook, some things are just going to stump you. 

And just because I traumatized you so much, I will leave you with more visually appealing picture of my adorable little Bellatrix. 

(does this one post tell you how much of an HP fan I am?)

Have a great day ya'll. 

xo, Hima

High Five for Friday!

Alright ya'll. It's Friday. The end of another week and the beginning of the glorious weekend. Given that the reason I started this blog was to appreciate the smaller things in life, I thought I should recap some of the amazeballs things that happened this week. It's time for HH's first edition of High Five for Friday!

Note: My photography isn't exactly blog-worthy yet, so bear with me?

1. This lunch was the best thing I've had in a long time. 

The salad is bell pepper rings, cherry tomatoes, and veggie burger pieces over a bed of spinach, dressed with strawberry vinaigrette (Who else had no idea it was spelled that way?). The yummy looking stuff on the side is greek yogurt with green apple and chocolate chip cookie dough quest bar chunks. 

Seriously.

YUM.

2. I made this mug at Color Me Mine, a paint-your-own ceramics studio near my house, and I'm obsessed with it. 

The best part? Color Me Mine liked it on Instagram! (Follow me to keep up: @himahearts!)

The quote says "You can never have a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me." -C.S. Lewis. 

I love cold tea. It's a fact.

3. Introducing friends to Downton Abbey

Kristin first inspired me to watch this show and I was absolutely addicted throughout winter break! 

You can never get enough of the Dowager Countess's dry humor and blatant rudeness. 

Here's a list of her best quotes from the show, courtesy of Rolling Stone. 

This had me laughing out loud. 

4. A New Photo Board!

Although I'll always have these on Facebook or on my computer, it's a whole new story for them to be printed out.

Every time I look at the boards in my room, I get these warm fuzzy feelings!

I also put my favorite things: cards, quotes, conference name tags, and medals up there. Anyone else do something similar?

5. My best friend of 12 years (that's a LOT when you're only 15!) turned 17!

We had a little barbecue at their house and it was SO much fun. 

Barbecues don't exactly invite heavy cakes, so I just had to make this deliciously summer trifle. 

It's Pinterest-worthy, isn't it?

What were the best parts of your week? 

Leave me a comment below!

Happy Friday, friends!

XO, Hima