I feel it!

Summa summa summa summa summa time is HERE!

The sweet tickle of sun rays delight my skin and my entire self feels ...awake.

When I really think about it, it feels like my insides are consistently giggling, shaking off the dead weight of winter, the antisocial, scared tendencies, the thoughts of insecurities.

All of the "I can't"s fade away...

This Summer, I CAN.

Here is to Summer 2011, shaking my tail feathers, and trying new things.

First outfit post EVVAAARRR! Woah!?

The clothes come from:

Top: H&M

Shorts: Walmart (what what?)

Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell (from LF Sale years ago)

Purse: Dunno. (From LF Sale last year)

Bracelets: A beautiful selection of my Mommie's jewels.

Necklace: F21

My favorite dilapidated building in Prescott and a tiny bit of inspiration from a carpet scrap. Neat lil necklace, eh?

I will:

Walk longer

Love harder

Lounge better

Breathe deeper

Pay attention

Soak up the small things

Cry underneath Summer stars

linger in sunsets

Reach out

I will be back for more "inspiring" posts...but hot damn..I had to get this off my chest. An outfit post?? WOWIE! THIS IS BIG! :)

Gratitude, and my Thank You day

Friends, I want to share this with you. I wrote it on the 10th of February one year ago. I was having a grief-stricken day, when all I wanted to do was be in my head. So I skipped school, said fuck it to the world, and wrote. I ran, I sat, I stared, and...I wrote.

It was a day that started off filled with morose sobbing, but ended up being one of the most beautiful, memorable days I have experienced to date. And I want to share it with all of you beautiful people because...well...I just want to share it. It's humanity, is why. This whole thing, we're all just humans!

Hope you all are having a lovely day. And if not so far, maybe you'll end up having one of these. A day to be grateful. <3



February 10

The sun is giving me information. Spilling its guts, letting me in. Right now, at 3:38 PM, it is warming this book, illuminating this act. Me. This mattress receives it all. As the palm frond jets in front of my window. Old window, leaking air. Santa Monica airport fly-zone and the quiet clinking of my roommate's dining. I would love to nap as a distant car alarm sounds. But I'd rather be here, in this moment, while the sun talks to me in my room and my stomach bubbles in agreement.


I drive to Malibu




THANK YOU thank you thank you!!!

I ran all of this way to feel this warmth on my face, to feel this breeze on my chest and to touch the ocean with you by my side

THANK YOU for giving me this breath

THANK YOU for giving me these tears, this chance to be here

on the line between rise and set

The chance to chase the setting sun. To sit on this mass of concrete under this cliff, to watch the tide pools gather, to leave my sneakers behind, to watch the seagulls take flight and to feel connected to the man over there saying a prayer.



Thank you for telling me the stories of rocks.



THANK YOU for this appreciation

for making me laugh out loud all by myself

and to hear that silly little pug bark

This most honest moment here with you will be the best moment yet.



You've given me my spirit, my will and my smile, my heart, my hands and my feet. You've given me this.

THANK YOU FOR THIS "THANK YOU"

On the line between rise and set

Thank you.

my adventurous transition from "student" to "unemployed"

It's official. I'm a College Graduate.

It's official. I'm unemployed.

Wowie! What a whirlwind the whole thing was. I had to curate and install my senior show, take finals, write papers, finish my portfolio, business cards and resume, welcome all of my amazing friends and family, and finally say hello to the end of what has turned into a 6 year long college experience. Then, I had to pack up my life in Los Angeles, say goodbye to my beautiful supportive friends out there, and move back with my Dad in under 4 days.

EEEE!!!

It feels good to be done. But as I sit here with a beer in hand at 2 in the afternoon, I must admit I have serious mixed emotions.

Here is a small selection of the many photographs taken that weekend. They begin with my senior show.

It all began with this: a big ol empty room!

The minute I finished! Made and installed by yours truly (with lots of help from my friends!)

My best friend since Kindergarten!

Sweet Addison just got out of the car from his 6+hour drive

One of my dearest friends, Joey Wolf had a party going on through the back of this refrigerator. Complete with a DJ and beer, boxed wine and margaritas! You had to climb through the fridge to get there. It offered a great deal of solace on a busy, stressful night!

My amazing friends from Arizona in the fridge party. Scott, Paco, and Kirsten! Love you guys <3

My great friend Amber was able to make it that night, and hung out with us at my favorite bar for Karaoke. I'll never forget Foagie, Star, and Handsome Clyde!!

SO happy! On my way to get that piece of paper :)

SO, SO, SO happy! I'm there, second row back with my hands in da air!
YES! I did it!

My first friend at Otis, and creator of the party kitchen, Joey Wolf...he rocked his graduation robe, didn't he?
My best friend at Otis, Cathy. I love this girl, and I miss her already!

I HAD to put this one in for a number of reasons. #1: MY DAD! #2: My brother brought his girlfriend who I met for the first time! #3: LOOK AT MOLLY in the background! I love her so so much. She was my best friend when I went to college the first time around up in Oregon. THIS is why I love her
My Brother, My Sister, Me (I don't look annoyed AT ALL, huh? too too too many pictures!!!), My Aunt all the way from Pennsylvania!

OK! There are lots and lots more pictures, but that's the major gist right there! I'm bummed I only have that one picture of My Dad in this batch, but there are more of us together on other people's cameras. To all of my fellow graduates out there, WE DID IT! And to future graduates out there, HELL YES! ALMOST THERE!

I'm looking forward to the upcoming adventures my life has in store. I'm also looking forward to updating more frequently, and to having more posts about my galavanting around in my hometown.

A love note I've been meaning to write for a looonnnnggg time

Tonight, I met a girl named Adria Gail Smith. I call her Adie.

She is quite pretty, smart and creative. Tonight, we got lost in eBay land together, crocheted with strips of cheesy old sweatshirts and handkerchiefs. We cleaned her fucking messy room together, we took an important survey together, and I rubbed her tired feet.

She's about ready to go outside and puff on a cigarette for the damn hell of it and, yeah, I will probably go with her. She was talking about riding her bike and puffing on those silly sticks of cancer...and I'll probably go ahead and do that with her too.

When we get back, we're going to dance around in our underwear to Bruce Springsteen and read our horoscope.

I told her I really like hanging out with her...she really is something else. Honestly, I think I love her.

Tomorrow or maybe this weekend I'm going to take her to the beach or maybe we'll hang out on her roof in the sun together. I think when we're there I want to learn about gem stones with her.

You know, I kind of love it when she forgets to smile. I kind of love it when she sits in bed all day thinking and doing nothing. I kind of love it all.

I think when I get done writing this note, I'm going to tell her I love her. I'm going to tell her that she is a beautiful, magical universe and that her hair looks pretty today. I'm going to tell her I never want to be away from her again. Because, I tell you what, she has this weird sort of magnetism I can't ignore. I'm going to tell her this stuff everyday. From tonight for our whole lives, she deserves to know this. She deserves to know she always has me. She deserves it.

To all of my beautiful, supportive friends: I think we should all write ourselves a love note. We all deserve it!

rain, rain, rain, RAIN!!!!

Today's adventure: rain romping!

I woke up this morning with a lot of goals. I was going to work on fixing my portfolio (since I just found a job I want in Austin) and my resume....and work on homework, and clean my room....but instead, I took a look outside and said fuck it! I'm going out there!

Puddle romping from Adria Smith on Vimeo.

When I lived in Oregon, I was genuinely depressed most days and never wanted to leave my little room. I would have to FORCE myself to take walks by myself, and although I take walks a lot down here, those walks were ALWAYS the best. So often when I feel the most down, if I force myself to get out and adventure, those journeys are the ones that stick with me. So, I decided to capture that spirit in film here, and I am so happy I did!

Apparently I made the credits go by too fast in the video! So, incase you are wondering, I used Neon Indian for the music.

Letting my umbrella fly in the wind

I've always wanted a picture of this rippled asphalt

One thing I love about Venice: discarded furniture!

Hot damn, isn't LA beautiful?

I ripped my tights big time!

As always, I'm glad you guys stopped by for a read! I hope you all get the chance to romp around like this- -it's sure to make you smile!

-Adie

Mom's day

It was the one year anniversary of my Mom's passing on Friday, November 13th.

Obviously, it was a day laden with complex and mixed emotions, and I was unsure for months about what I should do on that day. Should I honer her by visiting where we scattered her ashes? Should I write something beautiful? Should I lay in bed all day and sob? Should I....uh....?????

SHOULD I GO BUY A 3FOOT TALL PINATA?

Ummm...yes! Cathy played hooky from school with me, and Ned did the driving to downtown Los Angeles' pinata district (I know...who would have thunk it...a whole district for pinatas??meh?) where we were all taken aback by the beauty of this amazing fiesta store we had found ourselves in! There was every type of balloon, large and small, hats, noise makers, streamers, sparklers, and at least 40 different kinds of birthday candles. As far as pinatas...don't get me started. There were princesses, lions, butterflies, and way, way more. When I found that huge dinosaur, though, that's when I knew we were in business.

The whole experience was a laid back kind of day. It was surreal, and bittersweet that I would find myself buying something so celebratory on such a horrible day. But, really, there is no other way my Mom would have wanted it! She would have driven out here just to see this mythical pinata district, if for nothing else, and I can't think of a better way to honor her. And, yes, I sobbed. I sobbed myself to sleep, but when I woke up I was one thankful 23 year old girl. Glad to be living here, glad she made it possible for me to live here, and glad she believed in me. Man, I am also glad she gave me this outlook.

And in case you're wondering...I haven't smashed the dinosaur yet. Just like my Mom, I've formed an attachment to the little guy and the smile he gives me when I walk in the house everyday. Maybe at the end of the year for graduation he will meet his demise. But that's my Mom's pinata...and it makes me so happy to say that out loud.

A zucchini Bread and Etsy kind of day

Yowza!

I am so glad I skipped class today. I got a lot done!

First, I slept in and then I wrote a little in my journal. After that, it was straight out of bed I sprang into the kitchen to bake some delicious Zucchini Bread for the potluck at school tomorrow. As I was baking, I was overcome with emotion and started crying a little....but it was a healthy light cry. It was then that I realized I needed to take the day to myself and get down to personal business.

The bread was amazing. I used this recipe: http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/my-special-zucchini-bread-recipe-recipe.html. I didn't put in the curry powder, and ended up putting in some extra crystalized ginger and a tsp of nutmeg. MMmmmmm

Then, DUN DUN dunnnnn...I finally set up my ETSY SHOP!!!! (go ahead, click the link!) I am so excited to have finally done that for myself. Took the time, put in the effort, all in peace in my own home hanging out with my roommates dog. That means a whole lot more to me at this point than being in school for the day.

So now I am set and ready for the new day. I'm going to make myself dinner tonight, too. Zucchini, lemon and garlic with pasta...ah I love zucchini huh?

For shits and giggles, here is the link again for my etsy. Tell me what you think!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Adiegator