"You are Perfect Just As You Are" Playlist

Image By Marc Falardeau via Flickr

Hello again! I feel like it has been ages since I've stopped in, yet I don't think it really has been. That just goes to show you that any time away is too long (awww, sappy sap).

Now, you may recall that one of my recent posts was on how we all need to give ourselves a little more love.You may also remember that I said that this was a theme that I hoped to continue on Sunshiny Beat because I believe it is extremely important that we all begin to view ourselves as beautiful, strong women. Well, I am a woman who sticks true to her word and thus, am back with some more self-love.

You are in luck though, because rather than getting back on my soapbox for another week, I am going to let the music speak for me. For this Music Monday, I have found a collection of songs that emphasize the perfection that is YOU.

You'll notice a lot of the songs are by (shocker!) boybands. This isn't just me trying to fit them into the conversation whenever possible, although that does tend to happen. From what I've noticed, boybands just seemingly appreciate the quirky girl in the corner before she even realizes that she is fabulous. For all you not down with the whole synchronized dance choreography, don't worry, there are other artists on the list as well. So, without further ado, onto the music!

Big Time Rush- "Cover Girl"

"It's what's underneath your skin, the beauty that shines within"

O-Town- "Shy Girl"

"Don't you realize, how beautiful you really are"

Kimya Dawson- "I Like Giants"

"Cause all girls feel too big sometimes, regardless of their size"

Jimmy Eat World- "The Middle"

"live right now, yeah, just be yourself, it doesn't matter if it's good enough for someone else"

Mika- "Big Girl (You are Beautiful)"

"Big girl, you are beautiful"

McFly- "Smile"

"You don't have to be skinny, baby, if you want to be my girl"

Christina Aguilera- "Beautiful"

"I am beautiful in every single way, yes, words can't bring me down"

I hope you enjoyed the wide array of music and remember, you are beautiful!

Now on BlogLovin!

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

A Foggy...San Diego Town?

I looked out the window this morning to see everything shrouded in this eerily beautiful fog. I tried my hardest to get a few pictures, I apologize for the lack of quality.

Isn't it slightly creepy? Now, I will admit that I only ever experience fog once in a blue moon, so it is entirely possible that I am too fascinated by it. But seriously, it is really awesome, in a horror movie kind of way.

 

 

I think this next one is particularly spooky. I just imagine a ghost or UFO appearing in the corner or something. If you couldn't tell I used to watch a lot of X-Files as a kid. The theme song used to scare my sister and I half to death, I think it was something about that whistling that made it so unnerving. Naturally, my brothers noticed this fear and played the song as loud as the TV would go whenever they got the chance. It was a bit traumatic, actually. 

Do you get the same creepy vibe? I won't be offended though if you say no.

Love YOURSELF Day

Image Courtesy of trashselector.com

Valentine's Day has come and gone, and hopefully you all have had the opportunity to spread a little love to the people who mean the most to you. For this week, however, I am proposing a little twist on that sentiment. I am asking you, lovely readers, to look in the mirror and tell yourself "I Love You".

I am asking for everyone to take a little time to appreciate and love themselves. I mean, if you can't love yourself, how can you love anyone else, right? Now, I am not talking about a day of pampering or self-indulgence, even though that is always an excellent pick-me-up. What I am suggesting goes a lot deeper. I want you to look at yourself and rather than on focusing on your supposed "flaws" I want you to notice all of the things you love about yourself.

Now, you might be wondering what spurred this sudden reaction in me and I will tell you. I am currently taking a women studies class and today we were discussing body image and the perceived "ideal image".

As the class was coming to an end, one girl rose her hand and shared a story about her younger sister. This sister had just turned six and the family was planning a trip to the pool. The sister had a bikini swimsuit, but when it came time to go, she refused to wear it because she thought she was too fat. She cried until her mom bought her a one-piece suit and they ended up not going to the pool at all.

Can you believe it? A six year-old, who is too afraid to wear a bikini because she believes she is too fat?! I was so heartbroken after hearing that story. I couldn't even comprehend the kind of world where first graders are already self-conscious and upset with themselves. Yet, that's the same world we are living in right now. Girls, and boys too, are taught at such a young age that if they do not fit into the "ideal", than they will never find love or happiness.

Image Courtesy of Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty

It is time to stop this cycle. It is time to stop obsessing over our weight, skin, hair and clothes. We don't need a magazine or the media to tell us what is beautiful, because there is already beauty all around us. Just look in the mirror and you'll find it. I am ready for a change. Are you?

I hope to continue this kind of conversation on Sunshiny Beat, because I believe we all need to remind ourselves that we are perfect; not after we lose five pounds, not after we get a makeover and not after we buy new make-up, but just the way we are. Hopefully, we can work together and inspire each other to see the beauty in ourselves. Only after we learn to define beauty on our own terms will we be able to change a world that makes six year-olds feel bad about themselves.

 I am sending oodles upon poodles of love out to all of you! I hope you all have a lovely Monday and remember, you are beautiful!

Leave it to Mark Darcy to know just what to say:

Love Day

Happy Love Day Everyone! Now, I know battle lines are drawn whenever Valentine's Day comes around. Some people love it, others wish they could hide inside until the day passes by completely. Well, I don't want to push any of the latter group members away, but I must admit that I am lover. I mean, I'm sure most of you would have already guessed that anyway, but now it has been confirmed.

I simply love all the cliched, cutesy stuff. You name it, I love it: conversation hearts, heart balloons, stuffed animal puppies that say "I woof you", pink, red, pink and red together, pretty much everything.

Most importantly though, I love all of the acts of love carried out through the day. Now, I'm not just talking about the girl in class whose boyfriend sends her flowers, although that is quite adorable. I'm talking about the mom who packs an "I love You" note in with her kids lunch, or the roommates who exchange chocolates with one another, or the best friends who send each other care packages across the country just to show that they care.

A lot of people view Valentine's Day as a time to focus on what they don't have. Single Awareness Day, anyone? That is definitely a reasonable reaction, but it is also the beginning of cupcake binge fest and a pity party no one will want to be a part of.

What I suggest, (although I realize you didn't ask for my opinion) is to use Valentine's Day as a way to focus on who you do have in your life. It's not all about a significant other or spouse, you know. Chances are, you all have someone: a friend, family member, pen pal, fellow book club member, barista who always remembers your order, that you can extend a little love to today. It doesn't have to be anything outrageous, I bet a simple thank-you will even be appreciated.

Love comes in all forms, afterall

 So, to extend my love to all you, I have a playlist for you to enjoy! As I said, I realize some of you don't like the holiday, even after my whole speal just now, so I have two playlists. One for all those in camp Valentine and one for those in camp Anti-Valentine. Regardless of the side you choose, I guarantee you'll have a few good tunes.

Valentine Playlist

Hunter Hayes- "Ain't Love Sweet"

McFly- "Falling in Love"

Sinead O' Connor- "Nothing Compares to You"

Dean Martin- "Ain't It a Kick In the Head"

Barry White- "Can't Get Enough of Your Love Baby"

 Anti-Valentine Playlist

Hunter Hayes- "Everybody's Got Somebody But Me"

Lady Antebellum- "Love Don't Live Here Anymore"

Frankie J- "Don't Wanna Try"

Taylor Swift- "Picture to Burn"

Kelly Clarkson- "Since You Been Gone"

However you choose to celebrate today; whether it be a romantic meal with candles and the whole nine yards, an anti-love day with your girlfriends or whatever in between, I sincerely wish you all an extremely delightful holiday. I wish you a day full of love and appreciation whether you wish to take that day today or raincheck it for tomorrow. Until then, toodles!

It's Alive!

I am naturally referring to my Poppy plant, of course. I put the classic clip from "Frankenstein" in because I was pretty much at his level of excitement when I saw the first few sprouts popping up through the dirt. I even brought her downstairs and tracked down all my roommates so they, too, could marvel at the little fellas. They were significantly less excited than me. But seeing as I was like Dr. Frankenstein, you can imagine that that level would be hard to mimic.

Doesn't she just look gorgeous?!

My side plant is also growing especially well. I think I shall call him...........Sonny.

With the so-far astounding success of my little plants, I was in a very nature-centered mood and decided to snap a few more pictures of our outside flowers. Apparently, we have Daffodils growing and I didn't even realize it.

I also have quite the fondness for Dandelions. I feel like they are so overrated. I mean they might be weeds, but you can't really ask for a prettier weed. I love how they just speckle the grass with pops of color.

Plus, when they die, you have something to make a wish on. Such a giving little flower.

I hope I didn't bore you too terribly with all this flower talk. Lately, I have found myself really loving flowers, plants, gardening, the whole nine yards really. I don't really know why. Maybe it is the thought of Spring in the air?

Wanted Recap

Okay it's time to get down to the nitty gritty. I had a few days to process it all and I am finally ready to tell you about the day when all my boy band dreams came true.

Image Courtesy of BBC

First up, we have a full view of my outfit for the night. The heeled boots were duel purpose, Firstly, they gave me a more mature, going-out on the town look that I assumed the Wanted Boys love. Secondly, they helped me see over a good majority of the shorter tween audience; a valuable advantage in making some full-blown eye-contact with the men.

The boys played at the House of Blues in downtown San Diego. I've never been to this venue and I wasn't too sure what to expect going in, but I can safely say I was pleasantly surprised. I assumed it was going to have more of a hard rock and roll kinda vibe to it, but nay. It's actually more of a peace and love, free love kinda feeling and, I gotta say, I dug it.

As the above picture only slightly hints at, it was packed. The show actually sold-out! I would estimate that the majority of the crowd was probably in their early to mid-teens, but, surprisingly, the bar section was pretty significantly full as well. My friend and new concert partner, Jenny, and I braved the mosh of adolescents though. She would probably say that I was actually more excited, more enthusiastic and screamed a whole lot louder than many of the girls around us. I'll own up to that statement too. I mean, it was the Wanted. It's a pretty big deal!

Can we just talk about how close we were?!

It was almost too much to handle. I had the distinct feeling I could die right there and go to Boy Band Heaven. I mean, I wouldn't exactly be complaining.

They sounded absolutely amazing. I know what you are thinking, "of course, she thinks they sounded good, she is clearly infatuated with these guys". Again, I say nay to you! They sounded far better than even I expected them to. I would go so far as to say that their vocal quality live is equivalent to the quality on their recorded tracks. There. I said it. 

But, you don't have to take my word for it because I recorded three of their songs. You can watch and see for yourself. You will, however, have to excuse both the slight bounciness in some of them and the very high-pitched screams coming from me.

The first recording is them performing "Lose My Mind"

Next up, we have "All Time Low" one of their biggest hits off their first album.

Finally, they performed two cover songs. "Animal" originally by Neon Trees and "Iris" originally by the Goo Goo Dolls. I recorded "Iris" for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!

Their voices are simply melodic, no? They were true entertainers; keeping the crowd jumping, dancing and singing along through the whole concert. I think they were surprised by how many of their songs were known by the crowd actually. It is their American debut after all.

I don't think they even anticipated the level of success they would encounter in this short stateside tour (their debut single "Glad You Came" is currently #9 on itunes and will be featured in an upcoming Glee episode). After seeing them perform live though, I believe they deserve every bit of this success. They sounded amazing, they were enthusiastic and fun performers, they cared about the crowd and genuinely seemed to be enjoying themselves and they were hilarious when talking both to the crowd and each other. I already can not wait for them to come back!

Basically, I would say that I'm glad they came!

By the way, their encore of this song was absolutely insane! The ticket would have been worth it purely based off of that performance!

Dinner, New Outfits and WANTED Ads

Today's post is a bit of a Hodge-podge of pictures, passing thoughts and fun facts. This is because

• A.) I have a ton of photos that I take with the intention of sharing them on here, but then I forget or don't feel like they fit in well with my post topic and they go unused. 

• B.) I do not have the mental capacity today to stay focused on anything for a prolonged period of time.  

I'll address point B.) first actually because I am too excited to put if off any longer. You might recall my absolute infatuation with boy bands? If not, just be aware that they aren't even classified as a guilty pleasure for me, they literally make-up the bulk of my music playlists. Knowing that, you can understand my excitement level when I tell you that I am seeing The Wanted perform tonight!

Image Courtesy of Liverpool Echo

Aren't they absolutely adorable? They are a boy band from England making their American debut this year. You might have heard their single "Glad You Came" on the radio. I mean, that's if you listen to pop stations. If not, here is the official video for the song.

Needless to say, I'm completely stoked for this concert! I have the feeling it's gonna be amazing. My friend, Joni, went to their sold-out show in New York and said they were fantastic so I can only imagine they will be equally as great here. Plus, I even made a shirt for the occasion. That pretty much guarantees a good time.

 

Please note the great puff paint-menship. That, plus my witty message, is sure to convince them that I'm perfect for them. Now, I will most certainly tell you all how amazing it is and if my come-hither tee shirt is a success or not. I legitimately just can not wait to go. Only a few more hours!

So, for part A.) of my reasoning I have a few pictures to share with you. First of all, yesterday I tried out this new outfit that I felt worked out splendidly.

I bought the shirt last year at a Valentine's Day sale and then never wore it. It is one of those shirts that I absolutely adore, but could never figure out what to wear it with. Well, success! I think we found a winning pair. 

Sorry for the horrible mirror picture

In other news, the other night I made this dinner that turned out more delicious than I even anticipated. It was a rice stir-fry of sorts, but not really. I think a picture will describe it better than I will.

It was Uncle Ben's Boil-in-a-Bag rice, mixed vegetables and grilled chicken strips. Now, I don't like to toot my own horn, especially in the cooking realm where my skills are less than extraordinary, but this was pretty darn tasty if I do say so myself. I really wanted to tell you about this, so I could put up the picture. For some reason I was quite proud of it. I think it's the peas that make it pop a bit. Look at me, I'm talking about the visual aesthetics of peas. This is why I need the concert to come faster.

Well, I think that is all I had stored up to show you. At least for now anyway. I'll leave you to ponder the photographic quality of peas. Enjoy!

Santa Barbara Getaway

Image Courtesy Stearns Wharf

Isn't that simply gorgeous? Don't you just wish you could be there right now, feeling the salt spray off of the ocean? Well, pack your bags because we are going on a journey!

My friend Joni and I were daydreaming over the perfect day trip to Santa Barbara the other day. Do you ever catch yourself doing that at work or while driving? Imagine the perfect little mini-vacation for yourself? If you are feeling the desire to escape, then take a look at the itinerary we set-up for ourselves. It is sure to be a lovely little excursion!

First, I'm thinking we can enjoy a lovely late morning brunch at Jeannine's Restaurant. The menu looks like a delectable combination of baked goods and traditional breakfast and lunch items. I mean the picture below was enough to convince me that it would be the perfect start to our trip.

Image Courtesy of Jeannine's Restaurant

After our lovely little Brunch, I think we should check out the shops downtown along State Street. There are certainly enough of them. We won't even have to choose which ones to go in, we'll just see them all! For a full list of shops, check here. There are so many dots on the map, it looks like Santa Barbara has chicken pox!

Image Courtesy of Santa Barbara.co

Image Courtesy of PinkGurl81 on WeHeartIt

One of my favorite boutiques to go into is definitely Betsey Johnson's. You just have to be okay with the fact that you are going in to take it all in, absorb the atmosphere and buy absolutely nothing at all. It's just a sense-oriented experience. Leave the wallet firmly in your purse.

Now, I will warn you that my friends and I are notoriously bad shoppers. We like to go shopping purely for a purpose. So if we go on an excursion without a specific end goal, we generally become overwhelmed and cranky. In an attempt to steer clear of such disaster, I suggest that now would be a fantastic time to soak up some positive ions.

So, off to the beach we go! I figure we will be having a large dinner, but we should grab some sandwiches and drinks on our way to tie us over until then. What could be more relaxing and enjoyable than laying on the beach, warm sand between your toes, a delicious sandwich in your hand as you watch the waves break? Nothing. That's the answer I am looking for. I mean, who could really turn up their noses to this?

Image Courtesy of World Map USA panoramia

After achieving the perfect bronze glow (Fear not, safe sun was practiced, of course), it is now time to fill our bellies. For dinner, we shall be going to The Enterprise Fish Co. because absolutely no trip to Santa Barbara, let alone the perfect dream trip, would be complete without it.

Image Courtesy of GoGoBot

No amount a rave reviews would be enough for this little gem. Everything, from the bread delivered to the table, to the saltwater taffy left at the door, is exceptionally delicious. I feel myself slipping into a food coma just thinking about it. Did I mention that the waiters are inevitably all incredibly good looking? Well they are. In fact, I would say even if the food were bad, they would almost make up for it. Life loves us though because we get both beautiful waiters and scrumptious food!

After the fantastic meal, our day will be winding down and we can close with a stroll along Stearns Wharf. We can take-in the last bits of sunlight as the final rays reflect off the water. I can only imagine that that is as lovely as it sounds. 

Image Courtesy of LA Times Anne Cusack

From here, we might be interested in scouting out some of the bars along State Street, or we might not. I feel like this would be the perfect moment to go with the adage: "Just do what feels right".

Gosh, just imagining this little vacation has me feeling more relaxed and happier already. How did you enjoy the trip? Is there any activity or sight that I forgot? Hmm...I wonder where our travels will take us next?