I did something really good for myself this past weekend guys, I went on a girl date!

One of my personal goals is to develop deep friendships with folks in proximity to me, people who have roots or are interested in building roots in the bay area. So, even though my life has fallen apart around me, there’s no time like the present, right?!

We took a stroll around the ferry building Saturday morning; it was great to connect with someone who has so many similarities and parallels to my own life. The weather was gorgeous — I mean — how many days a year can you wear shorts in SF?

We were introduced through a mutual friend {the person who recently broke my heart, incidentally}. Our date was made a little easier by the fact that we had corresponded a bit over email. Honestly, I’m bad enough at potentially romantic blind dates, let alone platonic friendship-based ones. All in all, it was good times! Yay!

Sneak peek into my storage and organization habits! I wish I could say I was a minimalist because I really don’t like clutter. But, I have a hard time when it comes to jewelry. And books…and mail. I build little piles, everywhere. I’m a piler, guys.

But they’re really pretty piles:

//Piles of bows//

//Piles of rings and sparkly things//

//Piles of paired earrings//

//Bins baskets and bowls, oh my!//

I recently had the opportunity to help put together a newsletter for ZooStores.com. It was a lot of fun, but there were so many products that I had a hard time just choosing a handful! Today’s newsletter featured 4 cohesive looks — check out a couple of my favorites, below!

Y’all, I will be moving to a lighter posting schedule indefinitely. I’m not quitting blogging, but you can expect to hear from me more like once week rather than several times a week or every day. I am quite ill {Thanks, Crohn’s} and my heart is shattered into about a million tiny pieces. {that his & hers series was short-lived, wasn’t it?}

This blog is my happy place and I want to keep it that way; I will only be posting when happiness comes to mind. Thanks for understanding. Life sure can be cruel.

But on a brighter note: if you’re interested in guest posting and driving some extra traffic to your own blog, I would be happy to have you! Either email me {katemfranco at gmail dot com}, or leave a comment below.

A few things I need to share about these photos:

• Original source of inspiration found here.
• I know that these are not technically good photos, in fact I’m quite unhappy with them. Harsh lighting and shadows, etc. etc. But I liked the outfit enough to share it anyway.
• Both the whiteness of my legs and the trash in the 3rd photo speak to authenticity; it’s how you know I’m a real San Franciscan.
• Also, I’m having a supremely good hair day, and you can’t see it in any of these photos, which was disappointing to me. So, I used my computer. Apparently, I also had a good hair day in 2010, because I named another photo the exact same thing, “goodhairday”

…things to tell my 13 year old sister.

Did you know that I have a sister and that she’s awesome? She’s a kick ass soccer player, and a spitfire to boot. She is the youngest of the 4 of us. My nickname for her is Mocha; she gets tanner in the summertime than anyone else in our family {I’m the whitest, by the way}. She’s way cuter than I was at 13, for sure.

High school is not the height of your existence.

People who talk about high school as the best time of their life are people who haven’t achieved anything great. Aim higher. Expect great things of yourself.

There will always be mean girls.

…even now I come across them. Don’t let them phase you; being mean makes you an ugly person in my eyes. You can’t change how people treat you, but you can change how you react. Instead of being passive aggressive, address situations head on.

You have to plan for the future.

It’s hard to plot a course when you’re invested in *fun* things like prom and getting your driver’s license. Even though it doesn’t seem like it, right now you’re making decisions that will impact the rest of your life. School is cool — the people who were geeks in high school are the cool kids you want to hang out with when you grow up.

Some makeup is good. Less makeup is better.

Enhance beauty, don’t mask it. People want to see your real face. And along the same lines, dress for respect. You might think you want to be noticed, but really you want respect. Get respect by respecting yourself. Dress appropriately. I don’t want to see any bootie shorts or bandeau tops, missy!

You are extraordinary.

Throughout your life people will try and bring you down. Somehow you’ll get the idea in your head: You aren’t skinny enough, You aren’t blonde enough, You aren’t young/old enough, Your hair isn’t straight enough, You aren’t rich enough, You aren’t smart enough. Listen now: You are more than enough, you are extraordinary. And you can do ANYTHING you set your mind to. Push yourself.

Trust me. Love you mija.

1. Sometimes I can say what they’re going to say on Law and Order SVU before they actually say it. Don’t judge.
2. Change & difficulty mark progress. Have faith.
3. I started watching The Walking Dead. I’m not really into the gore and all that, but I do love me a good post-apocalyptic drama. Sped through the first season, only to realize last night that there is only one season available on netflix. #fail.
4. Saving my tax refund this year. Are you saving or spending? Are you buying something awesome I should know about?!
5. I really want to go to Miraval AZ for a relaxation retreat, and there’s a special on Rue La La. Who wants to come with?!?!
6. “Success is dangerous because often you don’t understand why you succeeded. You almost always know why you’ve failed.” – Mark Pincus via Businessweek.
7. I paid off my student loan in February and didn’t even realize it! Three cheers! Being 100% debt free feels AWESOME!
8. Justin Timberlake getting into home accents? See the newest addition to the Mint family, here.
9. Sometimes I hate the way my hair looks right after it gets cut. Also, I’m a bit fed up on this growing it out shenanigans. Sooooo boring.
10. I have just one more thing for you: http://www.getshitter.com/

Probably, maybe one of our biggest differences is gold versus silver. I love anything with a shimmery gold tone: rose gold, bronze, brass…you name it, you can count me in. I also love to mix metals. He’s more of a hi ho silver kind of guy. No gold. Ever.

His Desk Lamp, Her Desk Lamp

1. Determined to try Art Uncorked sometime, just waiting for a painting I like to NOT be sold out. Note to self: check on the 20th of each month.
2. Baby powder gets oil/grease stains out of silk. Probably better if you don’t get canned soup all over your new Madewell blouse at all though. just sayin’
3. Rejection and abandonment are at the root of all my fears.
4. I’m like a child really. When I’m upset it helps if someone rubs my back; I also clench my jaw and grind my teeth. I don’t usually stomp my foot though.
5. Don’t forget to sign up for the friendship bracelet swap! It’s about to get crafty up in hurr!
6. In 8th grade I made $300 selling friendship bracelets and then I blew it all at the mall. Should have bought some stock instead.
7. Fruit Ninja on Kinect. Oh. My. God. So fun! Especially if you do kicks and spins like a real ninja {wait, what?}
8. I missed my last hair cut and my hair is out of control. I’m kind of looking for a new color. If you guys have suggestions or have seen any awesome curly hair styles, let me know!
9. Thanks for a great time Seattle ladies {and gents! Andrew, Alex, I’m lookin’ at you.}
10. I’ve officially made the switch off dairy; except for all that fondue I eat.