We're Getting Married!

I always thought that I would know when to expect a proposal.

Not that Weston isn't good at surprises, but because I am so good at figuring things out. ;) I guess I just assumed something would be out of the ordinary - he'd be nervous, or he'd plan something special for us to do that would tip me off, or he'd be extra affectionate that day..

Well, we are engaged! And I was 100% completely blindsided.

Weston picked me up for our favorite kind of Sunday morning - brunch in Downtown Claremont, followed by a stroll through my go-to farmers market. We chatted over champagne cocktails at breakfast and afterward, Weston offered his arm to me and we walked through the market, sampling food from different vendors and purchasing some fruit.. and of course, sunflowers too.

The streets downtown and near the Claremont colleges are notoriously pretty. Gorgeous old houses, little white fences, brick buildings, and big trees that hang over the streets. We were making our way back to the car when I asked Weston if he'd take a picture of me with my flowers. He was strangely compliant and actually suggested that we find a really pretty place to take the photo! So we wandered a few streets over, where nobody else was walking, to take a few pictures before heading home.

I asked if we could take a photo together and was trying to gather the rest of our market loot to display in our picture ("just let me grab the cherries really quick…") when I heard him say from behind me, "I have something a little bit better…"

I turned around to see the small box in his hand.

He shared a few sweet words with me before asking me the big question and my answer, of course, you already know.
I hugged him for a few minutes (lots of shocked "oh my gosh"-es) before he laughingly reminded me, "Don't you want to see the ring?"

While we drove to my house afterward, to celebrate with my family, Weston turned on my favorite song which I always listen to on my happiest and most monumental days and that's when it hit me and I suddenly started crying. And not to totally rat anyone out, buttttt let's just say I wasn't crying alone… ;)

Weston had spoken to my parents about his plans the day before, so when we arrived at the house my brother met us at the door, champagne in hand. My parents were blasting Marry You on our living room stereo and having a family dance party that the Bravermans would be proud of.

A little while later, we headed over to Weston's house, where his family was having a little get-together and we got to share our news with all of them in person. My family joined us shortly after and we spent the rest of the perfect afternoon celebrating with the people we love most.

Thank you so much to everyone who has congratulated us and sent us well wishes these last few days.
We feel very lucky to have so much support and love in our corner as we plan our lives together! xo

The Getty Center.

Since my mom's birthday is coming up, this weekend we set aside a day to celebrate as a family. She mentioned that she had really enjoyed getting to visit the observatory when we went a few months ago and asked if there was anything else in LA that my brother and I thought she might like, so I suggested The Getty Center and it was a hit!

We walked around the gardens (although the spiral hedges were under construction - such a bummer!) and explored a few of the exhibits, admiring the architecture and people watching too, of course!

Also, just wanted to share this picture to remind my brother, that when YOU are the person who calls out, "funny picture!" 

and then you're the ONLY one who doesn't make your face look like a ridiculous mess… 

You're the one who looks like a fool, bro. ;)

A Picnic For My Mama.

Lately, more than ever, I've been wanting to spend a day celebrating my mom and reiterating how much I appreciate her. Mother's Day gave me a perfect push to do just that. My mom has always been the person who has supported me the most in everything and during the last year, she's been especially supportive with my health. She's held my hand at every doctor's appointment. She'd wake up at all hours of the night to make sure I got my medicine on time. She's just unbelievable, I'm telling you.

I think part of the reason that I'm fighting so hard for the chance to be a mom someday is because I want to give my children the kind of life that I have, where I never have to question or wonder if my mom loves me, because her actions and words show it a thousand times a day.

So there's that sappiness.

More than anything else, I thought my mom deserved (and would like) an afternoon out of the house.
So I planned us a little picnic.

^ Sometimes, overestimating the amount of time before a self-timer photo is taken.. makes for an awkward candid shot haha. 

I kind of like it. :)

It was unanimous that our favorite snack from the picnic was the pears with goat cheese and dried cranberries. I definitely encourage you to try that combo sometime, if you haven't already. It's a winner!

Also, super proud of that little floral monogram that I made my mom. Pressed flowers are the prettiest!

Already trying to figure out when we could have our next relaxing afternoon.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom.

the postal service @ the fox theater pomona.

Last night, Weston told me that the first time he ever heard The Postal Service, he was in middle school, sitting at his grandparents house, watching the TV guide channel. And in the top corner, where they were always playing something to distract you during the channel scrolling, they were showing The Postal Service.

I don't remember the very first time that I heard them,
but I do remember having Such Great Heights as my profile song on MySpace.
(holla for my top 8, what whaaaat)

And more than anything, I remember listening to them in the car on my first date with Weston.
Which is a top 10 favorite memory for me.

I was completely elated that we were able to grab a couple of tickets to their show in Pomona, especially considering how quickly they sold out! And I was even more happy when the day arrived and I was feeling well. :) Little victories!

The day before the show, I found out that my cousin was going to be the stage managing that night and he was able to snag us a couple wristbands for the pit! It was suuuuper nice just showing up when we wanted, without having to wait in line forever and still getting pretty close to the front! More little victories!

I was so happy that Jenny Lewis performed with them and I was so happy that they sounded just as wonderful in person and I was so happy that they played every song I'd hoped to hear and I was just so happy about everything.

Be still my heart....

low key.

this was a quiet weekend.

stayed home on friday and saturday, but in an effort to get out of my house at least once this weekend, i met weston out in orange county yesterday evening and treated him to dinner at native foods as a thank-you for taking care of me on friday. i also attempted to impress him by ordering what can basically just be described as a big bowl of kale (with other assorted veggies) and forcing myself to eat almost all of it until finally giving up and just settling for a peanut butter parfait. maybe one day i will be as healthy of an eater as weston but that day is not today.

after dinner, we decided to stop over at disneyland for a few hours. we just bought annual passes a couple weeks ago and have a goal to go on every ride in both disneyland and california adventure before the year is over. last night the park cleared out pretty early so we knocked out 12 attractions in the short time we were there - including the autopia (which weston had never been on in his 25 years of life.. how is that possible?!)

the night ended even more perfectly when we realized we weren't going to have to pay for parking.

i would call it a success on all levels.

the weekend.

my oh my.
it was a lovely preview to summer.

i feel completely rejuvenated after this weekend.

it seems so silly because i did find myself working at least an hour every day, even though i had sworn not to - but not having to worry about class on top of that really made a big difference.

i thrifted for the first time in months.

traveled out to delano to film a little 15 minute documentary for my pop. 

(which ended up being a super great and really rewarding experience - i'll share more about that later) 

made a long overdue trip to ikea.

saw moonrise kingdom after months of anticipation and loved it.

dinner at stout and dessert at the pie hole.

munched on cherries from the claremont farmer's market.

bought the little red toy piano that i've had my eye on for months.

watched 'the sandlot' in the backyard with my family. 

(we bought a movie projector recently - amazing summer purchase! i know we'll be using it constantly)

made smores around the fire pit

(i definitely recommend using cookies and cream bars instead of regular hershey's chocolate.. i tried it at a bonfire a few months ago and i am officially hooked)

and then spent today with friends and family, swimming and eating. 

also... june first is on friday. :) exciting.

goodnight, friends.

five days.

this month has been terribly uneventful.
as i'm sure you can tell if you read this thing.

and yesterday, i had probably the worst day of the whole month so far. so after my 3 hour astronomy lab (which was a mess on it's own) i called weston. and somewhere in between telling him about the rejection e-mail i got about a job i'd really been hoping for, and the presentation i had tonight in which my partner didn't show up, the miscalculations during my lab and everything else that went wrong that day.. i started crying.

'i just want to go home,' i said.
but before i could collapse into the drivers seat of my car, i saw him standing there in the parking lot.
and he had brought me dinner.
and he gave me a big hug that i had needed so much.
and we sat out there and had a romantic dinner.
in the school parking lot. eating out of takeout boxes. on the worst day in a while.
and afterwards i felt a lot better.
he's a good man.

this morning, after class, i was set free for an amazing (and much needed) 5 day weekend. and i'm determined to make the most of it because once i'm back in class next week, it's crunch time until finals. and then i start summer school. (and ballet! exciting!)

so for a few hours this afternoon, we ate, swam, and relaxed.

and it was just so wonderful to be away from my work and away from school for a while.

i have a whole weekend to slow down and i'm really excited about it.

jump.

today my aunt and uncle renewed their vows in palm springs.

this meant quality time with some of my cousins.
(plus weston and devon) 

jellyfish.

it's been a bit of a stressful couple of days.

health issues, midterms, and deadlines.

but in perfect timing, this afternoon, weston sent me the music that he wrote for this video.

so i put my film and his (amazing/perfect/beautiful) music together

and for a few moments i got to relive that lovely weekend we spent in monterey.

it's nothing too special or exciting.
just bits and pieces of a "home video" i guess you could say.
but it makes me happy.
maybe you will like it too.

xo.

american idol & my bff deandre.

a few weeks ago, i surprised my mom with tickets to an american idol taping.
so tonight, we ventured out to hollywood.

"do you want to stand in the pit?"

we were almost to the front of the line when one of the staging ladies asked me this question.

"oh, no thank you" i said, "i'll just sit."
"well, either you and your mom can sit together in the back, or i can split you up and you'll have better seats."

i looked at my mom. and nodded to her that i wouldn't mind splitting up, knowing that she wanted to be as close to the front as she could. "we'll split up" my mom said.

we grabbed our tickets, went inside and my mom took her seat in the second row, while i took mine in the third. "i really don't want to be on tv" i had told her "but i know you do - so you should take the second row seat. you'll have a better chance of being on camera that way."

moments before the first performance, a stagehand walked up to my row and told the girl on the end "you're going to have to move during the first song because deandre is going to start his song here."

a performer was going to be 2 seats away from me?
yikes - that was dangerously close to some potential camera time.

i laughed with the girl next to me about how excited she was to sit next to him and i helped her fix her hair for the inevitable tv debut she was about to get.

as deandre made his way over to our row, another stagehand motioned for that girl to scoot over to the end, leaving an empty chair in between she and i.

an empty chair for deandre.

you have GOT to be kidding me.

he sat down next to us and i couldn't decide whether i should say something, or just let him get in the 'zone.' that's what the contestants do before they sing, right? they get in the zone?

i decided to quietly wish him good luck.
he didn't respond.
i concluded that he was, indeed, in the zone.

then a few moments later, he turned to me and squeezed my hand.

"ah, i'm sorry! thank you so much!" he said.
crap. i had brought him out of the zone.
"i like sitting out here, this is nice!" he said.
okay, don't worry guys. i was forgiven.

but apparently, i had broken the barrier of silence.
"I LOVE YOU. YOU ARE MY FAVORITE ON THE SHOW." gushed the girl on the other side of him.

then there was a 10 second countdown, a blinding light on our faces, and.....
30 of the most awkward seconds of my life took place.

the whole way home, before having watched it, i was anticipating it to appear on t.v. as awkward as it had felt in real life. but as it turns out, i did a pretty good job of hiding my extreme spastic tendencies. (go me!) and it was pretty funny to see myself on the show and get texts from people who were surprised to see me while they were watching.

so there you go. my unexpected, national t.v. debut!
and now, i officially know not to audition for any television shows, because apparently i get pretty nervous having a camera in my face, even when i'm just sitting down. hahaha
i can not imagine having to sing under that kind of pressure.

i also realized that i will go fan-girl over just about anyone that i've ever seen on tv. case in point : tommy hilfiger, nigel lythgoe, and j-lo, who i actually said 'i love you' to. not sure why. that isn't even true. but she said it back so now we're both liars and it's all good.

lots of fun at american idol!

p.s. i was suuuuuper bummed that my favorite got voted off last week! i just missed you, heejun! but you'll always be MY american idol! 

lacma & umami.

i had a paper due tonight for my art class about some of the artwork at lacma.
so obviously, i went to the museum yesterday.

it's seriously too bad that procrastination is not something you can major in... because i'd be all about that.

also, i have to be honest.
we went to umami burger for lunch yesterday...
and i asked our server if i could have the truffle burger (my favorite) with a veggie patty instead of beef and she said no. the kitchen is really strict about modifications.

and the temptation was just way too much for me at that moment.

so.... sadly...
i got the truffle burger with a beef patty.

but ALSO honestly..

i only ended up eating mayyyyybe half of it. the beef was not nearly as good as i remembered it being!
so in a way, i think my slip-up was a good thing! because now i am more sure of my choice to gradually give up red meat permanently!

and hey, a little cheat here and there might happen at first - it is darn hard to give up something cold turkey! but even still, i'm sure my body greatly appreciates how drastically i cut back on red meat in the last 2 months. so i refuse to feel tooooo guilty for giving into my tastebuds this once... :)

i hope you aren't too disappointed in me! ah!

see you soon, friends.

<3

birthday cake {made of fruit!}

i am a dessert kind of girl.
if i had my way, it'd be apple pie for breakfast. chocolate cake for lunch. and maybe a brownie or two for dinner.

so you can probably imagine the crestfallen look on my face when i asked weston what kind of a birthday treat he wanted me to make for him last week and he said 'salad.'

salad.

of all the sweets in the world, weston wanted a salad.

'wait.. salad?' i asked him
'yeah.. or i don't know.. something healthy.. maybe like... a fruit salad!' he said excitedly.

but since i couldn't stand the thought of a birthday with no cake... i respected his fruit salad wishes... in cake form.

(in hindsight, i wish i'd taken better pictures, but this will do!)

i took a medium sized watermelon and cut the edges off, then trimmed the rind off until the melon was flat on the top and bottom and circular on the sides. i used toothpicks (a lot of them - be prepared! haha) to stick the different fruits onto the sides : mango, raspberries, blackberries, kiwi, grapes, and strawberries, spread a 'frosting' layer of pomegranate seeds on top of the melon and topped it off with some blueberries for the '25.' it was time consuming but super easy once i knew how i wanted it to look.

while i worked on the cake, i also had some cupcakes baking in the oven. since weston had to work on his birthday, i popped some of the extra fruit onto the cupcakes and surprised him and his students with them at their drumline rehearsal. 

so it didn't end up being a TOTAL dessert loss. :)

and i guess it's good that one of us has nutritional boundaries. 

happy birthday again, weston. you're the best and i love you.

even though you think salad is an appropriate birthday treat.

newport kayaking.

i don't know what is wrong with me, but i have been terrible about blogging and photo taking lately. i hardly ever remember to bring my camera anywhere, and even when i do, i either forget to take pictures or i take pictures and then never share them.

another thing i can't really explain to you is where exactly my obsession with canoes and/or rowboats came from. it may have been on one particular visit to the rose bowl flea market where i saw a canoe for sale and at that moment decided that it was my destiny to become this generation's pocahontus. unfortunately, it seems that the only people who have canoes or rowboats these days are people in other states (jealous) and the hipsters at the flea market.

so when weston's family invited me to go kayaking with them, i was thrilled. because everyone knows that if you can't have a canoe, a kayak is the next best thing.

i mean, am i right? or am i right?

on friday morning we all went out to newport, rented kayaks, and spent an hour speeding through the water. (okay, honestly it was pretty hard to 'speed' for more than 2 minutes at a time, but when we DID get those bursts of energy we were definitely going fast haha) it was a great workout - especially since i have bad knees, this was perfect because it's all core and upper body!

plus, it didn't really feel like a workout at all. it was wonderfully fun.

these pictures are so dorky! they just crack me up. i love them.

kayaking was followed by a picnic lunch (best sandwiches ever by shelley - thank you!) and coldstone's ice cream. cake batter to be exact. 

holy moly, tomorrow is april.

how the heck did that happen?!

irish soda bread.

from the time i was little, my grandpa instilled a pretty strong sense of irish pride in me.

i mean... my name is kelle o'connell, for goodness sake.
it would be a waste of a name if i weren't proud of it haha.

the traditions that i hold onto nowadays are mostly just things that remind me of my grandpa.
this was our second st. patrick's day without him and it's still an emotional day for me, but this year i reflected a lot on happy memories instead of just being sad that he wasn't here.

my favorite irish tradition of all is irish soda bread, which my mom makes every year around st. patrick's day.

now, i know i'm a little late on posting this, considering st. patrick's day is over - but that's mostly because i've been too busy (practically single-handedly) eating 3 loaves of soda bread this week (seriously) to take pictures or write about anything over here. haha. but we made another loaf yesterday for the actual st. patrick's day holiday and paired with the rainy weather... perfection.

basically, during the potato famine, poverty swept ireland and this bread was the easiest, cheapest thing for families to put on their table. there is no yeast in it, which makes it very dense and heavy, but extremely delicious!

whenever i mention irish soda bread, people seem to assume that there is some kind of carbonated soda baked into it hahaha. in case you are one of those people, that's not the case - it's baking soda that the title refers to. and there's a lot of different variations of how to make it and what to include, but i will share the o'connell family recipe with you here. :) just in case you ever feel inclined to make some yourself!

{ irish soda bread }


ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/4 cup)
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg

set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees

in a mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, soda and salt.

use a pastry blender or a fork to cut the butter into the mixed dry ingredients.

stir in the caraway seeds and raisins (i skip the raisins but it's all a matter of preference)

in a small bowl, whisk the buttermilk and egg together and stir into the dough mixture.

turn the dough out on a floured surface and fold it over on itself several times, shaping it into a round loaf. 

transfer the loaf to a cookie sheet covered with parchment and cut a cross in the top. 

bake for 15 minutes then reduce heat to 350 and cook it for about 15-20 minutes more, until well colored.

then, just let it cool and enjoy it. 

good luck!

haaaaa. (pun totally intended. i'm cool.)

monterey.

hello again!

this morning, i got all bajillion of my pictures from the weekend whittled down to a few that i thought would be fun to share, so here they are! :)

as an early birthday present to weston, i planned a john steinbeck (weston's favorite author) inspired trip up to the monterey area this past weekend. we left early on saturday morning and drove until mid-afternoon when we arrived in salinas to visit the national steinbeck center and the steinbeck house.

the drive to monterey from salinas was beautiful and we got to our hotel just before sunset. after dinner at a greek restaurant downtown, we explored the area for a while (sans camera, as you might be able to tell by the lack of photos) before it started to rain.

i slept with my fingers crossed, in hopes that the next day would bring sunshine and tadaaaa! it was bright and beautiful! sunday started off with pancakes at an organic cafe (obviously weston's call) and then we headed over to the monterey bay aquarium. 

 and of course we all knew i would say this, because i'm such a nerd about these things...

but the aquarium was amazing!! especially the jellies!!

 i think we ended up spending about 4 hours inside the aquarium, enjoying everything that there was to see! at first, i had been a tiny bit apprehensive about spending so much money on tickets (they're like $30 a pop!) but afterwards we agreed that it was definitely worth it. super fun!

when you exit the aquarium you get plopped right out onto cannery row, so we walked up and down the street, grabbed an early dinner, and tried our best to avoid the shade, and stay in the gorgeous sunshine.

the rest of the day was spent exploring cool places that we had heard about, but my favorite place was one that i noticed as we were driving right past it. after i excitedly (and accidentally loudly) blurted out 'oh my gosh, can we pull over and hang out here?!' we got out and walked along flowery grass to a wooden bench with a beautiful view.

and life just felt pretty much perfect right about then.

i am a big supporter of weekend getaways.

short, little road trips to pretty places with people you love.

doesn't get much better than that.