As far as pumpkin patches go, I'd always thought I'd be bundled up in a nice warm coat and a thick, knit scarf tucked around my neck. Alas, Southern California weather persevered into the high 80s the weekend we went to the pumpkin patch. This aztec print dress was a bit warm for such a day, but reds and browns were so perfect for an autumnal activity. I was more excited about the corn maze than the patch itself and was disappointed by how easy it was. I'd imagined an enormous field where I'd actually have to think to find my way out. The only other ones I'd heard of are the really scary ones and I'm too chicken to go out to one of those!

 I imagined this as more of a fall/winter dress with its vivid boysenberry hue, but I had an incredible urge to wear it the day we went to visit the Ghetty Museum. I used to associate September with the beginning of autumn, but I know now summer's will to live on into October is undeniable. I suppose my subconscious yearning for the darker, cooler days must have been quite powerful for me to have chosen such a color. I'm reminded of the plush red wine lipstick sitting in my makeup drawer and I want to smooth it over my lips. Opulent, somber velvet. I'm itching to slip into long sleeved blouses and cozy knit sweaters. And I'm even craving pumpkin already!

This post is picture heavy so I've manually added a jump break. Might consider doing this more often...!

With the force of a thousand unforgivable suns, this heat we've been experiencing the past couple of days have felt almost unbearable. Even the mere act of sitting and breathing has me breaking out in a sheen of sweat. So, we decided to escape it all and go for a picnic at the park. We had originally planned to go during lunch time, but menial errands pushed our picnic toward early evening. It was actually better that way. It was much cooler and we enjoyed a light evening breeze. Quiet and relaxing.

 This dress from UO, which I bought on sale for only $10, was light enough to withstand the oppressive heat. And despite being a white dress, the colorful floral print covered most of it, which meant I didn't have to worry too much about keeping it an immaculate white.

I made these cold pressed sandwiches for our picnic. It's quite simple, but does require some time to set. All one needs is bread, deli meat, cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted bell peppers, and some spinach. Whatever you want, really. Pinterest has a lot of great ideas. I made it the night before and weighed them down with two 8lb dumbells and left to refrigerate overnight. They're fun to make and look so pretty.

What I wore:

Dress: UO

Sandals: New Look

Hat: forgot (it's really old)

  As one who rarely ventures out to the beach, I often forget how nice it can be. The day after I came back from Catalina Island, my family decided to go to Redondo Beach. We used to come here when I was younger. It's been so long I had forgotten what it looked like. Didn't realize the pier was so big with numerous restaurants lining the beach. Guess what I ate? More fish and chips! I've grown to like this dish a lot lately. There's a small restaurant near me that - in my opinion - makes the best fish and chips. So crispy and crunchy. And don't mind me holding a rapidly melting ice cream cone. We were in a hurry to leave so these outfit photos were shot rather hastily.

 We never fail to rent a paddle boat whenever we come here. I suppose it's a kind of tradition for us. So, I should have known better and worn shorts underneath. As it was, I'm fairly certain a good number of people saw my undies that day.

Oh, the beautiful city of Avalon nestled in the mountainous hills of Catalina Island. John's family took his mom here as an early birthday celebration. I was fortunate enough to receive an invitation to come along. It wasn't nearly as crowded as I thought it would be - perhaps, because it was near the end of summer and most of the little ones had already gone back to school. We rented golf carts and drove around the entire city, which was how we came upon this stunning view.

 I'd never been to Catalina Island before this day so I was pretty excited. I wanted to be comfortable because I knew we would spend all day there and it was going to be hot. I brought a denim jacket just in case. It came in handy rather early. John and I were adamant about standing outside and watching the ocean while we sailed to the island. It was so cold that my hands turned numb!

I devoured my "Fresh Catch of the Day" grilled swordfish taco before I remembered that I wanted to take a photo of it. Oh, well. The guy who took my order recommended it. I did wonder if it came from that freshly caught one pictured above. Fresh or not, it was delicious. I liked it better than the fish and chips.

 We went on the Glass Bottom tour to see the many school of fish and coral reef. It was definitely a sight to see, but I was surprised to find that I liked riding around in the golf carts much more. The main mode of transportation here are golf carts. Actual cars are a rare sight, but they do exist. I thought it was a little bizarre at first seeing so many golf carts zipping around, but I got used to it. They're rather cute in their own way. Even the trucks are adorable. And can you believe gas here is around $7/per gallon?

  And here we are with John's mom and youngest sister. Hi family is quite large compared to mine, which makes for a very lively get together. They're not all pictured here as I'm not quite sure how personal I want this blog to be. I can be a rather private person. At the moment, I don't want to delve too deeply into the personal/lifestyle aspect of blogging. 

 P.S. I apologize for the long post. I seem to have a problem with posting too many pictures. I just can't help myself! I don't want to bore anyone, but at the same time, these are like journal entries for me to look back on, too...

 If you can believe it, this is my first time playing at the beach in years. I've gone once before to watch the sunset, but I don't really count that. This also means that I haven't worn a bathing suit in a long time. I'm glad I decided to wear this retro polka dot one-piece as I did feel a little self conscious. I bought it many years ago (on sale so it was quite cheap) with the intention of wearing it, but I never got around to going. So, although it's an old thing, it's the first time I've worn it out to the beach!

 We ended up at the area designated for owners with dogs. We were fine with that as it was less crowded than the other popular spot further down. We had decided to make a picnic out of our beach day as well. My friends brought homemade kimbap and mochi dessert while I brought sandwich rolls and figs. Sadly, I forgot to take pictures of our cute picnic. We devoured it with the hunger of a thousand hungry men. Our day turned into night as we roamed all over the city, talking over fresh juice/tea and strolling around the park. All in all, it made for a very nice and relaxing outing.

 We had always passed by the Santa Anita Arboretum on our way to the mall, and always wondered what was inside. Naturally, being that admission is free every third Tuesday of each month, we decided to pay a visit. We were unprepared the first time we went for the amount of walking we would be doing. We didn't think it would be so enormous. There are so many things to see and everything is gorgeous. I highly recommend wearing comfortable clothes and shoes. One could easily spend all day here. 

I used to think it was impossible to be comfortable while still looking nice or cute, and sometimes it is. I've learned over the years that a wardrobe should be cohesive in a way that can be suited for any occasion, but still exclusive to one's own style. It's definitely a learning process. While my wardrobe has been in the making for over five years, it still isn't perfect yet. Though I'm all for sandals, these Superga shoes are definitely my go-to for its casualness and comfort. I love its soft cornflower blue.

I had to really restrain myself while working on this post. I wanted to include many more pictures but the amount would have been ridiculous. Please bear with me. We've almost reached the end!

 And last but not least, the infamous peacocks said to freely roam the streets of Arcadia. I was surprised we didn't run into more of them this time. Probably hiding in the shade like this one and wondering why us humans are foolishly walking around in this awful heat.