LOITERING IN BLACK

Once again we loitered in our favorite parking structure and took a quick ootd. We dressed up to eat some sushi and look at cool art, which you'll be seeing soon in another post. We decided to keep our looks very casual for the day and, as usual, black. Anyway, keep an eye out for new YouTube Content!  The summer is coming to an end so we're trying our best to wrap up all our projects and check everything off our bucket list.

We hope you're enjoying what remains of the summer!

SUMMER READING THAT COULD'VE HAPPENED

As our summer daze comes to an end we'd like to review our checklist. We had a lot of things on our checklist for this summer and one of  them was to do some summer reading. Summer reading. Let's be real with each other right now, It's not going to happen. Regardless of the fact that there will be no reading done these remaining weeks we decided we'd share our reading list with you!

I must mention that both Alex and I already own these books...we just have to actually read them. In our defense we have actually tried to read them. I've read the first and last pages of  On the Road and it seems like a great read *laughing emoji*. Yes, I'm that person that reads the ending before starting the book. It gets me excited to read the book!

This "summer" reading list will probably go on to be  a "fall/winter" reading list. One way or another these classic novels will get read!

So what's on your summer reading list?

ROAD TRIP DIARY | TEXAS

-PREFACE -
Remember when I made a post about wanting  to go on an epic road trip? Well this is not that road trip. My cousin from El Paso ,Texas was getting married over the weekend. My uncle wanted to attend the wedding but didn't want to drive by himself so logically he asked his niece, the one that's never driven on a freeway or for longer than an hour, aka me, to join him on this road trip. The trip already seemed like it could be a  disaster but I was very excited because I got to visit a state I've never been to and see family I hadn't seen in a long time.

Alright! Let the road trip begin! *nervous laugh*

-TEXAS BOUND-
Thursday 8:30 PM -
We left at night in hopes of avoiding traffic and for the most part we did. We wanted to get to El Paso before Friday afternoon but to do so it meant that we would have to drive all night. I was a little nervous about that since the main reason I was invited on this trip was to help my uncle with the driving. You see, my uncle could quite possibly be  half koala since he must sleep for over 11 hours a day in order to function. His sleeping habit would mean I would drive for most of the trip.

-Friday 2:30 AM
I still hadn't slept when we made it to Phoenix, Arizona which is where my uncle handed me the keys and I drove until we made it to the boarder of New Mexico. Driving is boring, especially when all your uncle likes to play is country music. The scenery was absolutely amazing though.



- Friday 10:00 AM
I've been awake for about 24 hours but I felt okay. We stopped one last time in Las Cruses, New Mexico for a scenic view. There was a large bird built out of shoes, computers and golf sticks and a beautiful view of the city ahead.

-Friday 12:00 PM, Officially in El Paso
I was sooooo done. Whenever I'm tired I get really moody and laugh uncontrollably. Let me tell you that I was laughing hysterically at this point about things that weren't even funny. At this time we officially reached my families' home in El Paso. Our arrival was very anti-climatic because they weren't home but they left the doors open for us so we walked in and fell asleep until they woke us up. I said a brief hello and went back to sleep for another 2 hours. lol.



-ANGELENO IN TEXAS-

I couldn't help being confused by the city of El Paso. I couldn't decide if it looked more like Mexico or the U.S. Since Mexico is literally down the street it's very difficult to not see the clash of cultures.I immediately saw this mixture in the street names (i.e Valle Suave rd, honey mesquite st ) and I found it both creative and amusing. I also immediately noticed that during the day there is not a single person outside. No one walks or does anything outside during the day. Which is understandable since a regular day in El Paso could be over 100 degrees. Which leads me to my last observation ; there weren't any stereotypical cowboys in sight #sad

-Saturday
I spent the majority of the trip bonding with my family and getting to know cousins I wasn't aware existed. We didn't really leave the house since they were busy prepping for the wedding but it was fine because I rarely get to spend time with any of my family so it was nice to just be with them.

-11:00 AM
My cousin James takes us out to eat to a very popular fast food place in Texas, It's called What A Burger and it's supposedly rival to California's dearest In N Out. James happens to work in their corporation or something like that so he really wanted us to try it. I have to say that their burgers were really good! But it's not fair to compare it to In N Out since they have 4 burgers on their menu while What A Burger has about 20. When the workers heard we were from California they immediately said it was going to be better than In N Out. One of the workers even brought us complimentary dessert and said, "Here's some dessert! You see In N Out won't do this for you".The whole situation was really funny to me.

-5:00 PM
The wedding itself was very beautiful and I'm very glad to have been there to celebrate with everyone.

-Sunday 12:00 PM
During this trip I also reconnected with a friend that happened to be stationed in Fort Bliss.  He's the reason I got to do some sight seeing and exploring. I documented my entire trip on Snapchat and he saw my geotags and immediately snapped me saying that he was in El Paso too! It was so exciting to find out I had a friend in Texas, It had been almost 3 years since we last saw each other but I didn't seem like it when we met up! He knew I loved coffee so he took me to the most hipster coffee shop I've ever been too. There was even a record store and other locally owned stores. Afterward he took me Scenic Drive [pictured above] which is like the Signal Hill or Griffith Observatory (without the observatory) of El Paso.

-THE DEPARTURE- 
-Sunday 6:00 PM
My return home wasn't as bad as I was told it would be. I had to ride a bus back home because my uncle was continuing the road trip into Mexico. Besides the fact that I almost missed my bus the trip was uneventful. I arrived home safe and happy. This road trip was full of firsts for me and although it was a very brief visit, I really enjoyed my stay in El Paso, Texas.

Until next time,

Carolina xx

THE BEST FRIEND TAG

We thought it was time to get a little more personal on our YouTube Channel so we filmed the Best Friend Tag. We've been friends for over 10 years so we thought this tag would be appropriate. I personally wasn't very keen to film this because I think some questions are dumb and some answers are constantly changing or could be multiple answers, hence my attitude in the the beginning of the video so keep in mind that some answers were serious while others not so much. Regardless, I must admit that this video was very fun to film. Maybe we will do more sit down videos in the future! Who knows.

Thanks for watching!

BACK ON THE INSTAGRAM GRIND + POW WOW

FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM HERE

We're on Instagram! We finally added some content and we're totally loving it! Last week we headed down to Long Beach (ha no surprise there) The week before Long Beach had been hosting it's very first Pow! Wow! and it was amazing! The Pow Wow is a week long arts festival that features great artists from around the world. It first started in Hawaii and pretty quickly gained traction and became a huge event in the art scene. Throughout the week artist painted murals around the city and some held lectures and live installations in galleries and Art Museums in LB. There was also a concert series the last day of the festival which featured Long Beach's very own Tijuana Panthers. WE ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT THERE NEEDS TO BE ONE NEXT YEAR! *WINK WINK* There was so much art everywhere! We still haven't fully explored all of it, but, Long Beach is so BIG! our little feet can't handle all the walking and our wallets are so flat gas is not an option LOL But That day was full of Instagram opportunities so I took advantage. YES THIS WAS ALL ONE DAY! I KNOW IM AMAZED TOO Long Beach is a beautiful city and I believe we definitely captured it. There are so many palm trees everywhere, and if its one thing we're suckers for its palm trees. Check out our photos! Theres A LOT! 

BTW A VIDEO WILL BE ON ITS WAY 

TIJUANA PANTHERS + GR8 FOOD

This summer is just beginning and we've already gone to more concerts than I imagined. This time we attended the first event of the  Summer and Music Festival in Long Beach where there was food trucks, a skating area and live music. Tijuana Panthers was a band we've wanted to see live for quite sometime and we got the opportunity to do so for free! They gave a good live show and, I have to say, they have the coolest fans. The amount of diversity in the crowd was insane to me. By "diversity" I'm referring to the surfer dudes and the rocker dudes and the hipster dudes and the older dudes etc all moshing and rocking out together. It was really cool to see that all in one crowd. Oh and too add to this great experience it was also the first time that we joined the mosh pit. All I have to say about that is that it wasn't as terrible as I thought it would be.

So check out the vlog below to check out our experience!

CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH!

Once again, Alex and I confidently ride public transportation and it's a disaster  Well, it wasn't a complete disaster but it did feel like the odds were against us. I, Carolina, won tickets to the tenth anniversary tour for Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! at The Troubadour via Twitter. I'd never heard their music before but I thought it was a great opportunity regardless. We spent most of the day on public transportation but it was fine because the concert was worth it. I personally had a lot of fun! The opening act and the band gave a really good show!

You can watch our entire adventure in the vlog below!