Senior Picture Time!

Haha. Do you recognize me? Since I'll be graduating from college in exactly one month and one week (eek!), I thought it'd be fun to post my high school senior pictures. It'll be great to compare this set to the college senior pictures I'll be taking soon.

Here's the thing though: I've picked up my commencement ceremony tickets, bought my sash and tassel, and even joined my school's alumni association, but I am still far from ready for that exciting day. I have no idea what to wear for the photo shoot and for graduation day under my cap and gown. I would love to find a dress similar to the one I wore for the photo on the right - something with a square or scoop neckline and cap sleeves. I'll be sure to keep you all updated on what I find.

Anyway, have a great weekend!

A rose is a thing of beauty

I had a second blog on Tumblr a while ago. (I think my last post on it was around September-ish.) Anyway, I pretty much abandoned and deleted that blog because 1) I had no idea what I was doing at the time, and 2) It quickly became pointless since I rarely updated it. That being said, I'd like to invite you all to check out my new and improved secondary blog, A rose is a thing of beauty.

I'm already starting to understand what people mean when they say that Tumblr is addicting. I plan on using mine to post images that don't quite fit into any of my Pinterest boards but are still way too gorgeous to not document somehow. After all, who doesn't love to be surrounded by pretty things?

Hello, Instagram!

As many of you know, the ever popular photo app Instagram finally became available for Android this past week. Despite an overwhelming amount of snobbery from some iPhone users (eye roll!), I was one of the super excited Android users who jumped at the chance to finally join in on the fun. I imagine this app will be a great tool to help me document my daily life in photos.

This is a photo of mine and Luke's shoes from when we were waiting in line at Disneyland. It was our two year anniversary and we figured there would be no better place to celebrate than at the happiest place on earth! Most of the elementary to high school kids were on spring break though, which meant long lines galore!

I snapped this photo of Luke while we were sitting on the couch, flipping back and forth between the Angels opening day game and the Lakers game. Obviously, he was just thrilled to have me taking random pictures of him.

This is one of my favorite purses for spring, even though I did use this purse for Thanksgiving. By the way, I will admit that I cheated. I actually edited this photo with pixlr-o-matic and then uploaded it to Instagram. I highly recommend that you all check out that app too. It has way more filters and special effects than Instagram, even though it's pretty much useless in terms of social networking.

This is my first self portrait taken with Instagram. I was having my first good hair day in a long time. This is currently set as my profile picture on Facebook and Pinterest.

I am absolutely in love with my boyfriend's grandparents' backyard. Isn't this such a cute garden shed? It reminds me of a little barn or an old schoolhouse.

Here is another treasure I found at Luke's grandparents' house. Yes, he did have an afro in high school. Haha. I really can't help but laugh every time I see this picture. And I'm also grateful that he no longer has this hairstyle.

Feel free to follow my photo stream here. :)

Hello there!

Wow, this entire month has been an absolute blur. I hope you will all forgive the lack of posting lately. I've been insanely busy, even with school being out.

As you've all noticed, I gave Pemberley Rose another huge makeover. I love the simplicity of this layout and how it'll make all my future content really stand out. I promise when I get back to regular blog posting, I'll have even more Style Posts, inspiration boards, and all things I find inspiring.

Anyway, thank you all for your kind support for my blog this past year. It was all of you lovely readers who made my first year of blogging a truly wonderful experience. I'll be back in 2012 with more and better. Until then...HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

This makes me smile...

A friend of mine showed me this video clip recently and I literally laughed out loud when I watched it. I hope you all enjoy it too.

Have a good day, everyone!

Hiatus

Hello everyone!

I'm finally back after a 10-day long hiatus from blogging. (Has it really been that long? Yikes!) Two of my classes were cancelled last week, but I was still super busy writing two papers and preparing for two group projects. The good thing though is that I've still been enjoying my favorite time of the year. :)

And in case you're wondering what's the point of this photo of me...

This faux Instagram-esque photo is the result of today's failed Style Post photo shoot. The boyfriend and I were actually busy running errands all afternoon and we didn't have time to take pictures until around 5-ish. Of course, thanks to Daylight Savings Time, it was already too dark. Oh well. I definitely need to do a proper Style Post with this beret soon because I love, love, LOVE it.

Anyway, I'm back to regular blog posts now...yay!

Black Swan, White Swan

Halloween is three days from now and I am beyond excited to finally show all of you my Black Swan costume. But of course, I'm going to have to prolong the suspense a little longer. In the meantime, enjoy these beautiful photos from my huge we♥it collection. They all inspired me while I was creating my costume.

[all images from we♥it]

Things I Love: List Pads

I'm a huge fan of making lists. There are very few things that are more satisfying than being able to check off relationship milestones, accomplishments, or simply groceries on a pad of paper. I have a few list pads with very pretty designs from the Target's bargain area, but I also really love these clean and simple designs:

Here's a pre-printed grocery list - perfect for eliminating those all too common "Oh crap, I forgot to get milk!" moments. I like how this one lets you add your own items too.

I literally laughed out loud when I saw this "Make a Decision" list pad. This would have been so helpful in high school back when I had so many so-called "life changing" decisions. :)

I really like the simplicity and tongue in cheek-ness of this list pad. This would work as a to-do list and a shopping list. Let's face it, how many times a day do you think about all the crap you have to get done?

And speaking of simplicity...At first glance, this probably seems like the perfect list pad for the underachiever. However, I do like how it could encourage you to simplify your life and focus on the really important tasks.

Bicycle, Bicycle

Just a heads up: This is a very picture-heavy post.

With the days finally getting warmer and the gas prices being as ridiculously high as they are, I've been considering getting a bike for going on short rides around town and running errands. I really love the look of classic beach cruisers in candy colors. I would love to have one in either pink or mint green (right now, I'm leaning more towards mint green). I'm already having daydreams of me on a warm, sunny day, riding a mint green bike with a wicker basket full of pink flowers and a loaf of French bread.

 [all images from we♥it] 

The thing is, I haven't ridden a bike since I was about 10 years old. (Fun Fact: During my freshman year in college, I used a skateboard to get around campus. This was before campus police started giving out tickets for riding on campus. Booooo...) Anyway, I figured that one can never really forget how to ride a bike anyway. So we'll see how it goes. :)

I'm all over the place!

I really am all over the place, in more ways than one. First of all, this was finals week. I didn't actually have any exams to take, but I had two projects and two papers to write. Now it's Friday afternoon, and believe it or not, I still have one more paper to write before I can officially start summer vacation. It's due at midnight, and yes, I am procrastinating.

Second announcement: Considering all the fashion/lifestyle/inspiration/social networking websites I'm on (Blogger, Facebook, Twitter, Polyvore, we♥it, Chictopia, Weardrobe, & IFB), I hope you're not all sick of seeing my face yet. :) One of my friends from high school, Bernadette, inspired me to add another blogging platform to the list: Tumblr. I'll be using it for more random, non-style related posts, i.e. "musings on life" that don't really fit in on this blog. If you're interested, feel free to visit me at oh, hello gayle.

And now for my third, unrelated announcement. As you may have noticed, I haven't done a Style Post in a while. Don't worry, I haven't abandoned my personal style blog! I promise once my PICC line rash has healed a little bit (and doesn't look so much like a third degree burn), I'll have new Style Posts on this blog. In the meantime, I'll still be posting other things, fashion-related and otherwise. Again, thanks to all my readers for following me. You guys are the best!

Now if you'll excuse me, I should probably get started on my final paper...Happy Friday!

Let's Play the Name Game

Stephanie of love&lace posted this questionnaire a few days ago and I thought it would be a fun post to do on here as well...so naturally I stole it. :) This has apparently been floating around the blogosphere for a while, so feel free to play along too.

1) How did your parents decide on your name?

My dad thought it would be cool to name me after Crystal Gayle, the country singer from the 70s and 80s. I was born in 1989, which probably explains why I have never met any other Gayles even remotely close to my age. In fact, the last Gayle I met was my friend's mom, a 50-something year old white lady. Haha. My mom told me recently that she had wanted to name me Isabella. "Isabella De La Cruz" would have definitely been a very pretty, very Spanish-sounding name for me. And I'm sure if I were Isabella or Bella, the baristas at Starbucks wouldn't have such a hard time spelling my name. (I've gotten everything from "Gale" to "Gail" to "Gaile" to "Gayel.")

2) Do your initials (first/middle/last) spell anything funny?

No, but if my mom had kept her maiden name and passed it on to me as my last name, my initials would have been GAG. For that reason, I'm thankful that I got my mom's maiden name AND my dad's last name.

3) Did you take your middle name from childhood or did you drop your middle name and take your maiden name as your middle name?

I technically have two middle names, including my mom's maiden name. I'm not sure if I want to make my maiden name my middle name someday or keep my mom's maiden name as my middle name and just have two last names (are you still with me?). Either way, I definitely want to drop my first middle name, Alexis. I hate it because 1) that's what my mom used to call me when she was mad, and 2) it sounds like a porn star name - no offense to anyone reading this whose name is Alexis. As for changing my last name when I get married someday, I have to admit that I have some reservations about it. It's not like my current last name is super rare or anything. (My dad's side of the family is so huge that I know they'll never have a problem with holding onto their family name.) It's just that the last name I have right now is the one that's on my high school diploma and the one that will be on my Bachelor's degree. But like I said, I wouldn't mind making my last name my new middle name or having two last names.

4) Are you or will you name your children systematically? (ie, same first letter, same orgin, etc)

That's what my parents did. All of our first names begin with the letter G and my brother's first middle name also begins with an A. That's not really something I plan to do though. I'd rather choose names based on whatever sounds good with my future husband's last name or whatever name has meaning for both of us.

5) Did you decide on baby names as a little girl? Did you stick to them or change your mind?

Actually, no. I always thought that was something I'd want to sit down and decide with my future husband. :)

6) Does your family have any names that have been passed down through generations?

Like I mentioned, my second middle name is my mom's maiden name. For that reason, I'm pretty sure I'm going to want to keep it for life.

7) Do you look at the meaning of the name or just the name itself?

My understanding is that Gayle means "lively" and that it comes from the Hebrew name Abigail, meaning "my father rejoices." Hmmm...Maybe my dad was happy that he got to name me?

8) Do you name pets with human names or pet names?

I think it's much more fun to give pets human names. I'm not the kind of girl who would ever name her dog Rover or Spot...though I did once have a fish named Bug-Eye.

9) Are there any names that you have an affinity or dislike for based on a childhood experience/someone you once knew?

Other than names of my ex-boyfriends or names of his ex-girlfriends, there aren't really any names that irk me so much that I have to avoid them like the plague. On a related note, I do like the name Jennifer but I know I will never name any future daughters that, just because that name is so popular.

 
10) What are some of your favorite names & why?

Since I don't plan on having kids for a long time, I'll tell you all of my favorite dog names instead. :)

Boys: Rafe, Hunter, Henry, Ben, Dieter

Girls:  Sasha, Emma, Mischa, Lacey

I Won!!!

Yes, I know I haven't updated this blog in 4 days...and believe me, I have LOTS to share with everyone. I have pictures from Luke's and my anniversary, a very special Lovely Things post, a new Polyvore inspiration board, and an award post!

But first, I'd like to share some good news: I won a giveaway! That's right, I am now the proud owner of a $50 gift certificate from Style by Marina, courtesy of Breanne from Flattery. (Be sure to check out her blog. She has some of the most amazing outfit posts I've ever seen!)

Anyway, that's all for now. I'd love to stay and post some more, but I have a morning class. More updates soon!

Goodnight all!

I'm Social, Part 2

I'm not sure what happened to my last "I'm Social, Part 2" post, but since I'm sure most of you didn't get the chance to see it before it disappeared, here's a redo...

I am now on Twitter as well! Follow me for even more updates!

And of course, I'd be glad to follow back.

I'm Social

This is just a quick update to let all my readers know that My blog is now on Facebook. Yay! I've been thinking about getting a Twitter account for this blog as well, but I've never used it before. We'll see how it goes...

In the meantime, follow me on Facebook for up to the minute updates on Love. Life. and Style. 

Thanks a bunch!

Pemberley Rose

Promote Your Page Too

I'm totally excited about...

[image source: Big Sur Chamber of Commerce]

...the camping trip that Lucas and I will be going on in May. 

For weeks, we've been contemplating where we should go on vacation once this semester is over. We considered San Diego (it's close enough that we could easily go anytime), San Francisco (I've been there more times than I can even remember), and Yosemite (he usually goes with his brothers). Just a couple days ago, we finally decided on Big Sur and Monterey.

I'm super excited because 1) I love hiking but I've never gone camping before - like with an actual tent and sleeping bags, 2) the beaches in Central California look much nicer than the ones close to where we live, and 3) This will be our very first trip together. :)

[image source: Big Sur Chamber of Commerce]

I'm sure even the 6 hour drive won't be that bad because the Pacific Coast Highway is beautiful. And now I'm even more ready for this semester to be over already! Just a month and a half to go...

Say Hello to My New Layout

I'll be the first to admit it: I am a perfectionist. That's why I spent way too much time changing things around on my blog until I was satisfied. Really though, all I did was change my background and the fonts on my header. Oh yeah, and I came up with a cute little slogan too: Love. Life. Style. 

- because I blog about love, life, and style

...as well as my love life and my lifestyle.

How clever and English majorly of me, right? Hehe.

Studded Belts & Converse

Yay! It's my birthday! My plans today include: lunch at Red Lobster with my family, a trip to the mall, and to top it all off...homework. That's what I get for procrastinating. Haha.

 

Speaking of procrastination, I didn't start planning my dinner with friends until two days ago. It was way too short notice to have it today, so it'll be this Friday.

Until then, let's take a trip down memory lane. These are pictures from my 18th birthday photoshoot.

It's pretty hard to believe that it's been four years since I was a senior in high school.

In case you're wondering, yes, I do still wear Converse. Studded belts? Not so much. :)

I'm also amazed by how skinny and utterly curve-less I was at 18. O.O