"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made..." Psalm 139.14

San Francisco | October 2016

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I could visit San Francisco a million times and never grow tired of it. It's such a beautiful city.  My mom and I went on a mini trip to NorCal last weekend and it was one of the best times for both of us.  I like taking trips with my mom because it gives me a chance to make special memories with her.  Next up, an international trip to Korea and Japan for my mom's 60th birthday (not for another year and a half though)!

This trip was different from our last one because we had a rental car.  One thing I learned on this trip is, one should always have a car in San Francisco.  Not because you can't do things without it, but you can do SO much more with a car.  We never had issues with parking and we covered so much ground!  It's so convenient to have a car in the city and very restful.  It rained while we were there, so our rental car also shielded us from the cold.  Anyways, here are some of my favorite moments from the trip!

P.S. We didn't take many photos on Saturday because we didn't do much. We picked up our rental car, grabbed dinner at a Korean restaurant in Palo Alto and headed to my uncle's house for my mom to handle business.  We checked into our very cool Airbnb condo a few hours later and went to sleep. 

Saturday | October 29 

I've got to say, the Long Beach Airport is pretty nice.

This is the camera I used on my trip.  My brother got it for me years ago for my birthday.  I used it a lot in San Francisco, but I still need to develop the film.  

Sunday | October 30

We went to Devil's Teeth Baking Company to grab breakfast before heading to church.  We shared a breakfast sandwich and beignets (which are only served on Sundays) and every bite was heaven!

I felt like a real local on this trip.

Even though it was POURING, we drove to a 9:30am service at Canvas Church in Presidio (worship was held in a theater).  Did I mention that we almost died on the way to church?  It was raining pretty hard, so driving was very dangerous at times.

Farmer's market | Richmond District


Getting to see the Golden Gate Bridge up close was a MUST, so we headed out to Fort Point after lunch.  The weather was a little sketchy, but we took our chances.  I looked up Fort Point on Google maps and off we went!  


Tada! We got our pictures and it pretty much started raining shortly after.  My mom and I ran to our car and laughed about getting drenched in the rain. We headed to back to our condo to dry up.


The 16th Avenue Tiled Steps.  Beautiful.    






 The wind was so strong. 





This is honestly my favorite place in San Francisco.  You won't understand until you're at the top of this hill.




These photos of the Golden Gate Bridge are from our second visit to Fort Point.  The weather was looking more promising, so we headed back after seeing the tiled steps. It was my mom's idea. Lol. 

 
Then, we headed to dinner at one of our favorite restaurants in the world - San Tung on Irving Street. Those dry fried chicken wings, man. They're to die for.

We tried a local gelato place, Holy Gelato! because you gotta have dessert! 

A rare photo taken together.  

Since it was still early, we drove to Pier 39 to get some seafood aka second dinner.  

 And, of course to see the very cute sea lions. 

We didn't visit the Ferry Building this time, but we drove past it.  It's so pretty at night, especially with the Bay Bridge lighting up behind it. 

On my next trip, I definitely want to go to a baseball game at AT&T Park.  Gotta check that off my list!   

Monday | October 31

Our breakfast at Andytown Coffee Roasters.  Coffee + a raspberry corn muffin and cheddar scallion scone.  These were so good. It was another local bakery that I fell in love with.


After breakfast, we walked to the beach (which was only 4 blocks away).  It was just us and the ocean.


This was the first whole sand dollar we found after seeing a thousand broken ones. 

Our not so cool photo of our feet in the sand.  I kind of want to delete this photo, but my mom and I didn't get to take very many pictures together on this trip.  Haha.

After the beach, we headed to the San Francisco Botanical Gardens.  There weren't a lot of people there because it was a Monday, so it was really peaceful.  My mom and I love nature, so it was an ideal way to end the trip.  




 We laughed so hard when we were trying to take jumping photos. Haha. So many failed attempts to get it just right.




 
 I love this tree.

Do you see the fish?






Our last stop for ice cream after our very delicious poke bowls.  We love ice cream, especially my mom.  Haha.

Stopped by the Painted Ladies before heading to the airport.

This house is so cool.

The end.
Posted by : Grace J. Lee
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The little things.

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Little things that make me happy:

1. My life stays in order because of Google calendar.  I used to write everything down in a physical organizer, but I don't do that anymore.  Why would I?  I have Google calendar!  I love adding things to my Google calendar from my phone because I can add emoticons to everything and who doesn't love doing that?  I keep track of everything on my Google calendar - when to pay my bills, film releases, family trip information, etc.  It's a great resource that everyone should take advantage of!

2. Scones. Specifically, blueberry scones.  The best and cheapest ones I've found are from Cream Pan in Tustin.  They're perfect.  Please try them some time. 

3. Watching movies on repeat.  Lately, I've been watching Spotlight, Brooklyn or The Intern.  They're my favorite movies from 2015.  Have you seen them?  If you haven't, please watch them. You won't regret it. 

4. Going to Starbucks is something fancy I like doing once in a  while.  I have to admit, the main reason I go to Starbucks these days is because of their amazing phone app.  You don't even need your wallet, people!  You order, the cashier scans the barcode on your phone and that's it - you're done. A few minutes later, you're sipping coffee on the way to your car.  It's genius.

There's honestly so much more that makes me happy, but I'll stop here - save it for later. Okay, goodnight! 
Posted by : Grace J. Lee
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Things to come.

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I'm really excited to take accounting classes starting this fall.  It's not the kind of excitement you feel when you're about to jump out of a plane (to skydive, of course) or the thrill treasure hunters might feel as they're about to discover long lost treasure.  It's the "I finally know what I want to do with my life right now" kind of excitement. 

I always imagined myself to be writing professionally at this point in my life.  If not for The New York Times, then for The New Yorker or Vanity Fair.  I'm still shocked that I'm choosing accounting over a writing career, but I can technically do both.  Accounting provides financial stability and writing allows my imagination to run wild.  I still love to write and I want to/will write a novel one day.  It doesn't have to be a best seller, but it'd be nice if it was.  I don't have to win the Pulitzer Prize or MacArthur Genius Grant, but again - it'd be nice if I did.  Hah.  Also, I'd like to write more than one book.

I want to be somebody's Judy Blume. I say that because I loved her books as a kid and she was my role model.  I named myself Grace Judy Lee when I was in elementary school.  All of my homework assignments had "Grace Judy Lee" written across the top in big block letters.  I want to be somebody's role model.

So, anyways - back to that whole accounting thing.  I'm excited to take my first accounting class this fall.  The finance industry intrigues me - there's so much to learn.  Here's to starting something new - yippee!
Posted by : Grace J. Lee
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June Beauty Haul.

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I've been trying more drugstore makeup products lately and it's been fun!  Here's some of my feedback about each of the products I've been using in June.  Also, I spent close to nothing on these products because of gift cards, store credit, etc. Yay!

I honestly don't really like these cleansing wipes.  I was hoping it would melt away my makeup (as advertised), but you have to rub pretty hard to remove anything at all.  I bought these because I wanted wipes for days when I'm too lazy to wash my face, but I guess my search for exceptional makeup wipes continues.  Conclusion: I wouldn't buy these again nor would I recommend them to any of my friends. 

I was looking for a cheap drugstore mascara that would give my lashes a lot of volume and this works great for that. It's waterproof, so it doesn't smudge or anything.  I like it so far!


I keep this concealer in my purse because you NEVER know when you'll need concealer.  I put on a different concealer in the morning, but I use this one throughout the day when I notice blemishes or hyperpigmentation.  The only thing I don't like about this product is the applicator, it can be unsanitary.

I'm really into pink eyeshadows lately, so I love this palette!  This formula isn't as pigmented as the Urban Decay Naked3 Palette, but it gets the job done.  I'm still learning how to apply eyeshadow, so I'm only using one color for now-the pink one.  Haha. 

5. NYX | Cream Blush in Natural
I absolutely love cream products, especially cream blushes!  A little bit of this product goes a long way!  They had different shades, but I wanted to try a more natural blush for everyday wear-it looks pretty natural when applied in moderation.

I got this eyeshadow base because it's half the price of the Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion.  It works pretty well, so I'm satisfied with my purchase.  The one con of this product is the packaging. You have to remove the lid and then unscrew the cap as well. Two steps??  Really?  =_=

-----Non-drugstore brands, but still inexpensive!-----

7. Glossier | Haloscope in Quartz
I keep this highlighter in my purse for touch-ups throughout the day.  I really like it. It's hydrating and provides the perfect amount of glow.  I still love the RMS Living Luminizer the most, but this one comes pretty close + it's much cheaper. 

This is my favorite Glossier Balm Dotcom flavor.  It's soothing and refreshing-love the smell too! I keep this in my purse for when I need to moisturize my lips (my lips are very very dry). 

9. Glossier | Boy Brow in Black
I love this product.  It gives my eyebrows depth and texture, something I desperately need because my eyebrow hairs are scarce.


Sheet masks are an essential step in taking care of your skin.  I try to do it once a week at least.  I wouldn't say these are best masks out there, but they're decent for the price.  Sheet masks provide your skin with nutrients and hydrate your skin.  Um, who doesn't love that?
Posted by : Grace J. Lee
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