stumptown coffee. i’m obsessed.

so a few weekends ago i discovered the amazingness of STUMPTOWN coffee at morning glass coffee + cafe in manoa.  ever since this girl posted about it on her travels to portland and seeing it pop up around the blogworld, i have been desperately wanting to try this stuff.  and OH. MY. GOSH.  it did not disappoint.  not to be dramatic or anything, but whoah….i think it might be the best coffee i have ever had.  bold statement, yes.  i seriously contemplate taking a massive detour into manoa every morning on my way to work just to get a cup of the goodness.  it’s super strong (which i love) and really smooth.  if you live on oahu, you have to check out this super cute cafe.  because besides the amazing coffee, the food is really good AND the people that work there are super nice.  i mean, they even let me use their contact solution after my lens decided it wanted to fall out of my eye.  customer service, baby.

P.S.  i’ve got some kinda-sorta BIG NEWS coming up tomorrow on the blog.  seriously, people.  BIG stuff.

great aloha run 2012. (yes, i still run. sometimes.)

last monday i ran the 42nd annual 8.15 mile great aloha run from aloha tower to aloha stadium.  next to the honolulu marathon, i think this is oahu’s second largest race with over 20,000 people running it!  so that makes it really fun because it is kind of a big deal in the community (they even have a legit expo and they give out iced coffee after the race!!).  i have run it for the past three years and love the crowd support and the flat, easy course.  but do you see my stats for the past three years?  umm, yeah.  that’s not cool.  aren’t you supposed to get faster each year?!  i have a lot of excuses i’ve conjured up (tax season, tax season, and tax season) but i realize i’ve worked in public accounting for the past 3 years and have always been in busy season during this race.  hmmm.  looks like i need a new excuse.

in all honesty, my workout schedule is pretty craptastic right now considering i’ve been hitting the snooze button way too much in the morning and by the time i leave work after a 12 hour day, i am completely exhausted and i can hear my couch calling my name.  i’ve been averaging one run a week on a treadmill (wahoo!) so although i’m not too happy with my finishing time annual ascent, i guess 1:07 is semi decent.  all i know is that next year i’m quitting running if i get a 1:09.  for real.

INSPIRED BY: janelle edition.

via

meet janelle.  (seriously, how cute is this girl!?!?)  she is one of my nearest and dearest friends and has been uber fashionable since the day i met her.  when all of the rest of us were sporting brands like rusty and limited too in high school, janelle was on another level with fashion.  she was carrying kate spade bags and wearing seven jeans long before i had any clue about the world of designer fashion!  she has impeccable style and taste and i think you should go visit her adorable blog and tell her she needs to do more outfit posts.  like right now.  she may not have exactly followed my typical “inspired by” rules with being on-the-cheap, but that’s a-okay. we’ll forgive her this time because she does look ridiculously fab.  i only wish hawaii were 20* cooler so i could copy this outfit!  thanks so much janelle! (photo credit: her sweet bf kyle)

hat: f21//coat: j.crew//shirt: j.crew//shorts: vintage//tights: target//shoes: madewell//bag: j. crew

saturday.

saturday i snuck out of work early so reis and i could spend the day together.  he took me out to lunch at the cutest little organic cafe, sweet home waimanalo, on the east side of the island.  then for dinner he took me to haleiwa joe’s at haiku gardens.  such a treat to have 2 yummy meals in one day!  this place is amazing.  one whole side of the restaurant is completely open and looks down into this green and lush garden.  it feels super tropical and treehouse-ish.  the wait was pretty long (an hour and a half…and they don’t take reservations) but the food is worth it and while we waited we explored the garden!

four years.

4 years ago today we started dating (yes, he made it official the day after valentine’s day…he likes to be unpredictable that one).  and i could not be happier!  never would i have thought that i would uproot my southern california loving self and move to hawaii for a boy!  crazy how things work out.  we have plans this weekend to celebrate but as for tonight, we are getting take out from one of our favorite mexican restaurants and renting a movie.  pretty much my idea of a perfect night in.

happy anniversary to my favorite.

2012 calendar.

i make reis’ parents a calendar every year for christmas.  and every year, i don’t have time to make it until after the holiday craziness.  by the time i give it to them, it is mid to late january.  well this year i got smart.  knowing that i have a tendency to [without fail] be tardy with this thing, i made them a february 2012-january 2013 calendar.  genius, i tell you.  when designing this year’s cal, i went with a minimalist theme because i’m digging simple layouts, simple fonts, and the whole “less is more” movement.  here are a few of my favorite months.