I've Moved!

This girl has too many blogs to keep up with, lol. Some of the older stuff can be found at PictureSmiths, while all the newest posts can be found here, dear readers: Sweet Home Pasadena. See you there! :)

XOXO,
~Rachelle

South Pas Arts Crawl Summer 2013

Family Outing to Mission Street, South Pasadena

The South Pasadena Arts Crawl was tonight, so we ventured out to Mission Street with my sister, "Bean" (our resident artist). She's an art teacher for K-8 and loves stopping in a good gallery to peruse new creations and gain inspiration. And what a great way to celebrate South Pasadena's 125th Anniversary!

The Arts Crawl is a great event for art lovers, collectors, and families to explore the wonderful galleries and shops along and around Mission Street in the heart of South Pasadena. An added bonus? Most places had great cheese, crackers, cookies, water, wine, fruit, and live music to add to all the festivities.

First stop, SPACE Arts Center, where they had markers out to coax your inner artist into transforming their storefront into a work of art. The Monkey was game:

We found a lovely little shop tucked in the back of a toy shop. Kidd's Jewelry Heist is charming place where you can create your own custom jewelry--perfect for kid's parties, girls night out, bridal showers, or just some time out with the kids:

Marz beckoned to us and I picked up the most charming set of salt and pepper shakers. And these little piggies were on sale for only $9!

To mark South Pasadena's 125th Anniversary, photographic artist J. T. Burke created a 38-foot digitally assembled photograph presenting over a mile of South Pas streetscapein his “Mission Street Scroll". The scroll was rolled out in the City Hall courtyard where everyone was invited to become part of South Pas history by writing down favorite memories. The scroll will be opened in 2088 for the city's 200th Anniversary!!

Here's our contribution. Hopefully, the Monkey will still be around to see the scroll exhumed from the time capsule! And maybe he'll remember all those times he shared a banana split at the Fair Oaks Pharmacy with his mom and dad:

There were plenty of stops along the way, including a detour to SOPA where we enjoyed meeting artists and taking in the great live entertainment:

Dinner was found at a selection of food trucks along Mission. I grabbed some delicious grub at the Gastrobus--a sweet corn and cherry tomato salad with a spicy cilantro dressing. Just the right size for a light dinner. Washed that down with a refreshing watermelon juice--wonderful!

And, of course, dessert must be had at our Fair Oaks Pharmacy. For under $10, you can feed an army a trough-full of strawberry, vanilla, and chocolate ice cream topped with whipped cream, chocolate syrup, strawberry sauce, pineapple sauce, bananas, nuts, and maraschino cherries. The banana split is out of this world!

Last stop--"my" salon, lol. It's not everyday that I find my name anywhere, let alone on an awning on Mission Street. I'll add this photo to my annual pics in front of Rachelle Salon during the Arts Crawl.

Thanks for joining us on our South Pasadena Arts Crawl evening. We had a blast and can't wait for the next one. Happy Birthday, South Pas!

Recipe

Ingredients:

1 easy-going father-in-law

1 energetic mother-in-law

1 neurotic daughter-in-law (with control issues)

1 easy-going husband

1 hyperactive son (vintage 2004)

3 bedrooms

3 bathrooms

1 roof

Add all ingredients, crank up the heat, and hope for the best.

In order to achieve certain goals, you might want to have a plan in place. And if we’re really serious about moving back to Pasadena by next summer, it has to be a *good* plan. What would you say if I told you we were planning on moving in with the in-laws when we get to Pasadena? The reason is two-fold: my father-in-law is retiring and they will be down-sizing and doing a lot of traveling. On our end, we want to save up to buy our own place in Pasadena after a couple of years. Of course I have some apprehension about a home that isn’t completely “my own”, but I can’t help but feel a little bit excited about it, too.

I get along with my in-laws. Sure, we’ve had our squabbles (some uglier than others, lol), but we’ve manage to rise above it all and co-exist peacefully for all the right reasons. Plus, I really do love them. They’re wonderful, smart, and fun people. They are kind, loving, and have generous hearts. It will be a blessing for the hubby to spend more time with his parents. They’re very close. And the Monkey (aka, our son) will finally get to share everyday moments with his grandparents. So far, my family has had him all to themselves on account of them living much closer to us these 9 years. And with the in-laws traveling a lot, there will still be quiet moments for just the three of us. Besides, it will only be for a couple of years, so…….……it’s manageable. Practical. A good thing. Right?

What about you? Could you survive two years living with your in-laws?

Preface

I’m a fraud. I don’t even live in Pasadena. And although my family and I spend nearly every weekend thereabouts, I can’t really call Pasadena my home. Geographically speaking, at least.

Once upon a time, I lived in Camelot. The hubby and I had a perfect little place we called home. We’d walk to the farmers market, stroll down Colorado, worship at St. Philip. We loved driving through the neighborhoods, admiring mansions, bungalows, and everything in between. Dining out was always fantastic. Then two became three and how even more wonderful it all was. But then it came time to leave, putting down (shallow) roots as far east as we could possibly imagine—the Inland Empire (egads!!). Ever since then, we have been inching our way back to where our hearts call home.

So, what is this blog? A tribute? A journey? Yes and yes. The goal is clear: Pasadena, Summer 2014. So between now and then, I will fill these virtual pages with musings of our favorite town, everyday nothings, and our journey back to our sweet home, Pasadena.