the library of congress, signs of spring and other weekend things.

hello! how was your weekend? 

most of sunday we stayed in and watched the blacklist for too many hours. i still don't know how i feel about it even after finishing episode 10. {does anyone else watch?}

on saturday we drove out to dc with some bossa nova playing in the background {yangkyu's favorite rainy weather music} and hung out at the library of congress. 

the library of congress is actually located in four buildings in washington d.c. and virginia. we only checked out the thomas jefferson building, which is the oldest of the four. 

i think my favorite part was the old maps and globes. it's part of the mapping a new nation and exploration exhibitions. it was so amazing to see how cartography evolved and how states and countries have changed in such a huge time span. both yangkyu and i also enjoyed thomas jefferson's library exhibition. it was incredible to see - works of cicero, virgil, shakespeare and more. oh and one more highlight, the ceilings inside the thomas jefferson building are beautiful. we spent a lot of time looking up and admiring all the details, words and colors. 

 // we had to get on a quick moving line to see this reading room. you don't get a whole lot of time in this overlook area because you have to keep on moving. i think we were literally in there for 10 seconds! // 

after the library of congress, we strolled around dc for a little bit before heading back home to pick up piri from his grooming session. oh he looks like this by the way {so cute, no?} 

we've been talking for a while now about actually moving to dc when our lease is up. i think yangkyu wants to stay where we are now, but i'm itching to be in dc. when we lived in silver spring, maryland, we were right on the border so it was easy to go into the district. not so easy now. but while dc is tempting, it's also hard to give up all this green we have and the large space and storage in our apartment that comes with reasonable/affordable rent. we have a few more months to decide, but we're gonna have to figure out what we're willing to give up.  

 // i can't get enough of this dc charm. // 

 // oh hi there, us capitol. // 

 // signs of spring! i think the latest on cherry blossom peak bloom in dc was from april 8 to the 12th. we can't wait! // 

hope you have a great week. i'm cooking up lots of korean side dishes and meals, scrubbing the tub and taking longer walks with piri. it's supposed to be 70 on wednesday! 

caught a happy sunshine in the middle of a rain storm.

guess i can cross that off the bucket list now. 

weekend to-do: keep hands out of the cookie jar.

i baked white chocolate chip and macadamia nut cookies a couple of days ago and we just cannot keep our hands out of the cookie jar. they are so soft, chewy and tasty. i'm not much of a baker, but i think i hit it out of the ball park with this one. we seriously hope it won't be gone come monday.

what do you all have going on over the weekend? 

piri is turning into a little chewbacca and so he's headed over the groomer on saturday. he'll get a shave down and it'll feel like we have a piglet with floppy ears for a few weeks, but that's ok because he's still so adorable with a short cut. 

just sharing one link again today -- which miyazki character are you? {seriously, where do they come up with this stuff!}. i got chihiro from spirited away. i'm the ultimate underdog, fighting no matter how hard times can get. 

happy weekend! 

a fairy tale tag {yes, there is such a thing}.

last month, mei over at ice pandora tagged me for a cute get-to-know-me q & a called the fairy tale tag. i've seen quite a few tags out there but this one is in a league of its own. ha. oh, and i found old photos from when i used to have a tumblr page for my random photos. i thought i'd use them here. completely not related to fairy tales but hey, they'll just have to do. 

snow white -- do you consider yourself beautiful? 

everyone has the capability to be beautiful and beauty comes in many forms. i think {or at least hope} that i embrace traits that are considered beautiful. 

sleeping beauty -- how many hours do you sleep at night? 

8 hours. 

cinderella -- do you have a curfew? 

{chuckle} nope. 

rapunzel -- do you love being outside? 

i'm a homebody but i do love the outdoors as well. 

red riding hood -- do you trust strangers easily? 

the scary thing is, i used to. and the sad thing is, i don't anymore. 

the wolf and the seven young kids -- are you easy to be fooled? 

yes! 

beauty and the beast -- what makes someone beautiful in your eyes? 

someone who tries their hardest. who is honest, genuine and realizes their faults and can admit to them. someone who knows how to connect with people in a real way and who does good, not for fame or spotlight, but because they know it's the right thing to do. 

the little mermaid -- what would you sacrifice for love? 

this is such a hard and silly question at the same time. thank goodness i didn't have to ever sacrifice anything for love. but having yangkyu in mind, i would sacrifice a lot for him. 

the frog king - what do you find disgusting? 

dishonesty and people taking short cuts or being conniving to get a leg up. 

jack and the beanstalk -- what plants do you have? 

unfortunately not many. i have one cactus that is dying and another one that is barely there. but another green plant is actually doing really well. i hope to have a greener thumb. we're trying our container garden idea {which failed miserably last year} again soon. crossing my fingers and everything else!

puss in boots -- do you have pets? if not, do you want them? 

yes! piri the cocker spaniel of course. 

bluebeard -- what is your weak point? 

saying no. i think i've gotten better but i know that i can be better at saying no and not having to always explain myself or feel bad. 

pinokkio -- what is your biggest wish? 

just happiness, health and well being of all my loved ones. 

peter pan -- what is your mental age? 

i actually took two quizzes on this and one said i was 19 while the other said i was 41. 

the star money -- what is your most valuable possession? 

in the past i used to say my family but i've come to realize that the people i love are not mine to own. now it's old family photos of when my parents were young, and other things that my mother recently gave me, like her old casserole dishes, her favorite rings and her mother's {my grandmother} old wooden spools. 

golden mary & pitch mary -- are you a hard worker or a lazy one? 

i tend to think that i'm a hard worker. i always believed in quality getting work done and going above and beyond -- not just doing what is asked or needed. 

the snow queen -- who is your best friend and what would you do for her/him? 

i have four very close girl friends who are like my sisters. i am there for them for their joys and their sadnesses. 

the princess and the pea -- are you sensitive? 

yes. sometimes it gets the better of me. other times i wish more people were sensitive.

godfather death -- what qualities make a good parent? 

a loving one. and i think there are many ways to show love. there isn't one path to be a good parent.

the worn-out dancing shoes -- do you like parties? 

i do but when they involve a handful of people i know. i don't like going to random parties with people who i don't know at all. the best kind of parties for me though involve someone's {or our} home and board games.

the emperor's new clothes -- do you care a lot about your clothing? 

yes. and i'm learning to have a wardrobe that is quality and not quantity. 

the brave little tailor -- do you consider yourself brave? 

no. but there are a few times when i've done things that even surprised myself. i've spoken up to playground bullies and called out people for being inconsiderate with their remarks. i don't do this often because i'm always afraid of hurting people's feelings or starting a confrontation, but sometimes i guess i can't help myself. 

i'm supposed to tag a few people, but i think i'll leave it up to anyone who wants to play along. let me know if you plan on doing a post and i'll be sure to check it out. thanks for reading! 

life lately, according to my iphone.

some instagrammed, some not. 

xoxo, 

jane

now playing: songs that make us want to do cartwheels all day long.

we haven't done a 8tracks playlist in a while so i thought today would be a good day to do so because we're feeling happy and want to do cartwheels all day long. here are some tunes that are making us feel this way. hope you catch the cartwheel bug too. 

01 // move like saturday night - frances england 

02 // every weekday - camera obscura 

03 // you sexy thing - hot chocolate 

04 // all i know - matt the electrician {introduced to us by the cat, you and us}

05 // rainier valley rhythm - glenn crytzer and his syncopators
06 // don't leave me {ne me quitte pas} - regina spektor
07 // this will be {an everlasting love} - natalie cole
08 // bitty boppy betty - pink martini

we think piri is secretly a superhero dog and so i made up a song just for him. because you know, every superhero dog needs a theme song.

i made up a superhero song one day and yangkyu reacted by saying "what is that supposed to be?" his face almost looked like he ate something really bad. i don't think i will ever sing this song out in public because it's just too embarrassing. but the melody sounds like an 80s robot anime theme song.. or maybe something like speed racer. there are only two words to the entire song. it's piri's nickname we have for him. yangkyu thought it was pretty weird until one day he started singing it too. i knew then it was truly a superhero song. cos you know, it's super catchy. and all superhero songs are catchy. heh.

we sing it now when piri tries to run away from his bath (because that takes real superhero dog skills) or when he comes trotting to us when we hold up his collar and leash for his walk (his time to go save the world). 

// linking up with blogpaws wordless wednesday bloghop. 

oh hi! just one more thing. we're over here today!

it's a perfect day to be guest posting about our january jamaica trip over at diva in me today because it's been snowing here nonstop since the morning! i keep looking back at the pictures and remembering how warm the sand and water was.

head on over here for a recap of our favorite moments and sites we'd love to check out if we're ever over there again. plus there is a little "him & her" things to take to jamaica list that i think you'll enjoy.

from where i stand {in kuala lumpur, malaysia} by yen.

today's "from where i stand" post comes from yen who blogs at diva in me.

the outfits that she puts together are nothing short of amazing and her travel diaries are definitely something to check out. 

 // shoes: miu miu // 

from where i stand,
at the porch waiting for a cab to go to the airport. kuala lumpur, malaysia. 

our next destination - bali. i thought a pair of glittering blue shoes can relate to the clear blue water which will be our destination soon. 


###

thanks, yen!

*** see other from where i stand posts

*** click here to see how you can submit a photo as well! 

this series is inspired by the instagram hashtag #fromwhereistand 

happy monday!

over the weekend we.... 

laughed so hard listening to our favorite radio game show - wait, wait don't tell me. 

added three more vinyls to our collection. 

picked up sunny sunflowers to brighten up the eat-in area. 

watched the life of pi.

played too many hours of dr. mario on wii.

ate pizza. two whole pies of it. 

had move like saturday night by frances england on repeat. 

mostly stayed indoors because it was chillier than we thought. 

and i was sick. 

this week...

we hope the snow storm will miss us entirely. 

i am baking cookies with macadamia nuts. 

painting my nails in a shade of spring. 

have a dance party in the kitchen. {do you love me by the contours is on our new vinyl}.

and watch the great gatsby.

happy monday!

// piri is only interested in what yangkyu ate for lunch. // 

heading into the weekend. i'm seeing a pattern here...

last weekend, the weather was beautiful and then temperatures dropped and we got snow. well, it's supposed to be high 60s on saturday {again} and guess what? there is a little snowflake next to "tuesday" on my weather app. what? {face palm}

well, i'll be enjoying that sunny weather on saturday with a nice walk around the neighborhood and a froyo in my hand.

before we welcome the weekend, i wanted to share two of the many highlights from this week {which, i may add, was a really good one}. 

 // new prints for our gallery wall arrived. one on the left is by jessica from the creative index. the one on the right is by danielle from lucky number seven studio. they both opened shop on society6 and their designs are delightful. i can't wait to frame them and hang them up. and you know what? it's great to be supporting these two talented ladies and their work. blogging has been a gift that keeps giving -- in this case, meeting wonderfully creative people. // 

// thank you everyone for all your birthday wishes for piri. i think turning 15 felt a little like christmas for him. when yangkyu came home from work, we celebrated with a meatball cake i made using mixes from your dog's diner {i just recently bought three of these packages because they're fun and easy to make and piri loves them}. we also got a few things from his wish list. his haul included shampoo from dogtails, petosan toothbrush and toothpaste and sniff candle in field of dreams {which smells incredible by the way}. we're looking forward another year filled with piri's mischief, shenanigans and cheer. //

hope you have a great weekend!

from where i stand {surrounded by love} by carmen.

this "from where i stand" post is from carmen {aka mrs. ShuGar} who blogs at ShuGar Love!

she writes everything about the heart and is currently on a beautiful journey to motherhood. she also has the all you need is love project you should definitely check out.

 // shoes: pink bow shoes, imagination world brand, purchased during our honeymoon in sydney, australia // 

from where i stand in los angeles. 

all around me, my closest family and friends are celebrating our baby shower. i see smiles, i hear glasses clinking and bursts of laughter, i smell tacos grilling, and i feel our ShuGar baby dancing in my belly. overall, i am surrounded by love. 

###

thanks, carmen!

*** see other from where i stand posts

*** click here to see how you can submit a photo as well! 

this series is inspired by the instagram hashtag #fromwhereistand 

hello world! piri is 15 today!

all of piri's fwends {his toys} came out to wish him a happy birthday. 

have a pawsome day little guy. 
oh and you know, we kinda love you to bits and pieces.
so  there may be lots of random kisses, hugs, dancing and singing throughout the day.
just fyi.

happy 15th birthday, piri!

 // 15 wishes for piri. 

 // diy party hats. 

 // healthy pet birthday wish list. 

 // guide for a doggy birthday. 

 // linking up with wordless wednesday blogpaws bloghop. 

unplanned weekends are the best kind of weekend.

hello! did you all have a good weekend? what did you end up doing? 

we reached the sixties on saturday, although the wind made it a bit chilly. we didn't plan much but ended up doing quite a few things like going to watch frozen {which unfortunately i didn't like too much. i know, i must be the only person on the planet to think so!}, grabbing some pizza, playing some kingdom hearts on our ps3 {so fun}, meeting up with yangkyu's acquaintance and his wife, 4 month old baby and their shiba inu named hiro at a nearby dog park and grabbing coffee with them, playing around with sparklers at night and walking around one of my favorite areas in dc - eastern market and checking out the flea market {scored a cute cardigan sweater as well at ken and kay vintage}. 

i'm almost sad that the weekend is over although i try to welcome and be happy about mondays now. but it's kind of hard to when  we got another few inches over night! one good thing is that yangkyu is working from home today so we may just put on our snow boots and go play around in some snow again. 

have a good week! here are some pictures from our weekend. 

 // this has got to be one of the best dog parks around here. we can't wait to go again. this one dog outed me as the "lady with the treats in her bag" and i was swarmed by 10 dogs trying to give me kisses and sticking their heads in my bag for some. // 

  // hiro and piri. it was hiro's birthday this day. he turned 5. // 

 // we bought some sparklers at a local party store and played around with them at night. i played around with my camera settings too and we tried making shapes - stars, hearts, circles. i think next time we'll try to spell something out. i don't know why but sparklers remind me of summer time and i can't wait for it to be summer. it's my favorite season. // 

  // i've seen ken and kay vintage before at the fleat market at eastaern market. they have some of the cutest clothes and decorations and throw blankets {although this day it was mostly clothes and shoes}. i bought myself a cardigan sweater. the kind that is perfect for snow days. // 

 // scored at the flea market. // 

^^ it's piri's birthday week. you think he's hinting? // 

// our flowers for the week. gerberas. //