#fourjunes

[fourjunes]

Top 3 places to take visitors in our cities

Natisha: San Francisco, CA

Crissy Field

The best place to take in the views of Golden Gate Bridge and downtown San Francisco! This is where we take all of our visitors. On a beautiful day, it may seem like all the residents of San Francisco are out at Crissy Field but it is definitely worth it.

Palace of Fine Arts

Originally built as an exhibition structure in 1915, the Palace of Fine Arts is now a beautiful landmark of San Francisco. On a nice day, it is a great place to take a stroll and you will often find people taking wedding or prom photos. It is located in the Marina district and a perfect stop after taking in the views of the city at Crissy Field!

B. Patisserie

Our go to for an afternoon break from taking in the sights! We always order their famous kouign amann and a latte. Everyone we’ve ever taken has enjoyed this stop! It will not disappoint!

Lauren: Seattle, WA

Sky View Observatory in Columbia Center

Columbia Center is the tallest skyscraper in Seattle & the observatory gives you amazing views of the city & surrounding areas. I recommend a visit around sunset! 

Ballard Ave

Ballard is a very interesting neighborhood in Seattle. It used to predominantly be occupied by fishermen, but now it is super gentrified. I like to describe it as the neighborhood, where yuppies move to have babies. Somehow this combination resulted in a concentrated area with fun shops, cute coffee shops, good bars, western music venues, and delicious food. Some of my favorites are Pestle Rock, Hot Cakes, Percy’s & Co., and King’s Hardware.

Gas Works Park

This is a park that I’ve taken all of my visitors. It’s a great place to relax & take in how beautiful the city of Seattle is. The park juts out into the northern part of Lake Union, giving great views of downtown, Queen Anne, and Eastlake areas. I recommend picking up some cold brews from nearby Fremont Brewery & sitting on kite hill & enjoying a summer day in the park.

Lucy: Dallas/Fort Worth, TX

Perot Museum of Nature and Science

This museum is somewhat new and has amazing architecture! They have a monthly exhibit, but you don’t even have to check those out. The regular stuff is amazing! There are about 6 floors of interactive displays! I love it! Definitely a place to visit!

Fort Worth Zoo

This zoo is better than the Dallas Zoo! This zoo is really spacious and there is a lot to see! I haven’t been in a long time, so I want to go check it out again! I have fond memories though.

Texas Fair

If timed right, I would definitely go check out the Texas Fair! Everything is bigger in Texas, but ALSO EVERYTHING IS FRIED IN TEXAS! There is an annual contest for fried foods! It’s usually around the same time as OU/TX weekend so there’s a huge football crowd as well! The vibes are always great and so is the food! Also don’t forget to get a pic with Big Tex!

Helen: San Francisco, CA

Moraga Steps

A quick hike up some gorgeous mosaic steps leads to a nice, quiet place to observe the city. From the top of the stairs, you can see all the way from Ocean Beach to downtown San Francisco! 

Alcatraz

Originally used as a high security prison, Alcatraz is used today as a National Historical Landmark which you can visit. I strongly recommend the audio tour because it includes the actual voices of the correctional officers and inmates that lived on “the Rock”. I was completely captivated the first time I visited, by all the eerie cells, barren halls and intriguing stories. And I still fully enjoyed it the second time I went!

Dolores Park

Dolores Park is one of most popular parks in San Francisco’s parks. The park contains lush lawns, shady trees, and lively playgrounds. On nice, sunny days, the lawn gets cloaked in people who are laying around, picnicing and enjoying the day. DP is also home to many festivals, performances and events.

[fourjunes]

Daily Makeup Routine: High School Students

Helen here! High school is a time to experiment with new looks, and this is one of my favorite go-to looks for when I’m too exhausted to do anything fancy lol. This simple look only requires 5 items and can be achieved in about 5 minutes!

Firstly, we’re gonna spice things up by filling in some sassy brows! You should always fill in your brows because they provide a more polished look and define your face. Also, I like to tie up my bangs on the top of my head so nothing’s in my eyes and face when I’m washing my face and applying makeup.

Next, we’re going to contour the face with a bronzing powder, or whatever you prefer. I like to use a concealer crayon in a darker shade because I find them easier to apply and blend. I contour my face so my nose appears slimmer, my cheekbones seem more pronounced, and my face has more dimension.

Then, apply highlighter to your brow bones, top of your cheekbones, the bridge of your nose, and the cupids bow of your lips. I’m using Benefits Watts Up, and I’m currently loving it. Highlighting your face is a trick used to enhance your bone structure and emphasize your best and slimmest features, such as your nose bridge. After that, lightly brush mascara through your curled eyelashes. I used a mixture a tarte mascara and a covergirl mascara, which worked out pretty well.

Now just blend everything out, and if you’re feeling adventurous, dab on some colorful lipstick, and VOILA! You’re done lol :D

[fourjunes]

Wecipe Wednesday: Pizza Bagels!

Yo it’s Helen, and today I'll be sharing with you a recipe you can easily try out after school, before starting on your mountains of homework, like any other high school student like me lol. It only requires 5 simple steps. "Pizza in the morning, pizza in the evening, pizza at supper time. When pizza's on a bagel, you can eat pizza anytime." :)

Ingredients: 1 Bagel sliced in half 1/2 to 1 Cup of Mexican Style Blend Cheese 2 Tablespoons of Pizza Sauce And any toppings you desire, but for mine I used: 6 Jalapenos Slices 12 Slices of Sun-dried Tomatoes 1 Precooked Sausage

Step One: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step Two: Slice the bagel in half and apply pizza sauce to each slice, then apply cheese, however much you want lol.

Step Three: Apply toppings, whatever and wherever you want them.

Step Four: Once the oven, or toaster oven, is ready, throw the pizza in on a foiled baking pan. Cook for about 6 minutes or until he cheese looks fully melted and delicious!

Step Five: Enjoy!

[fourjunes]

Saturday Shares

Let me DRAKE that for you!

Brontosaurus is back!

Sounds so perfect for spring! Will be looking out for rhubarb at the farmers’ market. 

Added this to my list of DIY projects. 

[Lounging Turtles by Lucy]

[fourjunes]

Saturday Shares

Full House in 2015 :)

I’ve really been enjoying The Stranger’s series of illustrated police reports. Here’s a recent one.

How cute is this monster salt cellar?

Do you have a favorite TJs list? Can’t wait to try some of these.

Confused and amused at the same time. What is this?!

How pretty are these scarves? I can’t pick just one!

Happy Saturday!

[Photo of Cozumel by Lucy]

[fourjunes]

Spring Goals

We were finding monthly goals to be a bit too short term so we've changed it to be seasonal goals.

Natisha Be the fittest I can be This has been on ongoing goal for me and I hope to continue this as one of my main spring goals. Eating healthy, exercising, and taking time for myself are all things that I think will help me the fittest I can be. I am going to use my future travel plans as motivation! 

Develop daily routines With the added goal of exercising and eating healthy, I am finding that having routines eases the pain a bit. It is when I don’t have a set routine, I let myself veer off path, eating unhealthy or finding excuses to skip the gym. I hope to meal plan, schedule fitness classes in advance, and perhaps even pick out my outfits the night before. I hear it is a thing. 

Design something This is a silly one as I am a designer and I design things all day long. But recently, I feel like I am in a bit of a rut. I want to be excited about a personal design project and hope to have something to share over the next few months. Wish me luck!

Lauren Get a bikini body Every spring, the weather starts getting nice & I always pretend that I'm going to get in awesome shape. Time to repeat the cycle. I already have a groupon for hot yoga & the intention of taking advantage of the sunny days with bike rides to contribute to my goals.

Eat my way through Europe Though this may make my first goal challenging, I will eat all the things during my two weeks in France & Spain. ALL OF THEM.

Be the ideal graduate student Since I have travel plans in the spring, I want to use that as motivation to work extra hard the rest of the time. I'm still working on building better habits of reading & writing like a researcher and always trying to be questioning/thinking about my chemistry. 

Lucy Make myself presentable This is a weird one, but lately I have not put in any effort to make myself up before heading out to school or church or anything. My go-to outfits have just been workout clothes or cut-off jorts and t-shirts. I DON’T EVEN DRAW MY BROWS IN!! So I want to take more time to do that haha.

Fitness Everyone else has a fitness goal. The last couple of weeks I have been slacking due to the stomach flu and then testing, so I want to make sure I get my workouts in everyday! 

DIY project I have been wanting to work on a specific DIY project (maybe I’ll reveal it later) for months now. Since my schedule is starting to open up, I’ll maybe take some time and work on it :)

Helen Take care of my skin My skin has been under the weather lately, it has been really bumpy and unappealing. I was recently given this new Kiehl’s face wash so I want to start washing my face more often and keeping it clean. 

Finishing my school year off strong My sophomore school year is coming to an end and I want continue to stay strong, work hard and achieve my grade goals. 

Focus on Dragon Boat Dragon Boat has recently become a major part of my life and I really want to commit to it without if interfering with my school work. It also helps me stay fit and I love it.

[Photo by Natisha in Sonoma]

[fourjunes]

What We Love About Spring

Today is the first day of spring and we wanted to share what we love about this season!

Natisha I looked forward to spring a lot more when I lived in cities with four distinct seasons but there are some things, even us people in California, love about spring—longer days, spring flowers, berries, and endless opportunities to have picnics. An excuse to shop doesn't hurt either. Happy Spring! :)   

Lauren Spring is one of my favorite times of year. I love the visible changing of the seasons. The days get longer, the clouds clear up, and flowers start blooming. It also kicks off outdoor activity season. I can't wait to fit some hiking, climbing, and camping into my life soon!

Lucy Spring is probably the most underrated season of the four. What I love about this season is that the weather is usually a nice range, where it’s not too hot or not too cold. Perfect for doing things outside. I also love that the days are longer because I feel more productive when it’s light out. The last thing I love about spring is that my birthday is in the spring haha. 

Helen I like spring because it's no longer winter lol. I love the warm weather, the sunshine and the flowers, so much more than the bitter cold and frost. That's about it.

Happy spring, everyone!

[Photo of anemones at Ferry Building Marketplace]

[fourjunes]

My Favorite Green Smoothie

Lucy here. Starting this semester, majority of my classes are early in the morning at 8 or 9, so I don’t have as much time to prepare a full breakfast to start the day. The last couple of years, I have tried out a lot of different combinations of veggies and fruits and this has to be my favorite. Green smoothies have many health benefits from the vitamins in smoothies. Most fruits and vegetables are high in vitamin A and C. Blended smoothies are also healthier than juices because you are getting all the vitamins and minerals like a juice, BUT you also get a lot of fiber from the drink. Another benefit is if you are not a huge fan of eating vegetables, you can just drink this and not really have it taste like veggies. It’s also really quick to make and are very filling. 

Ingredients:

- 1 cup of spinach - 1- 1&1/2 cups of kale - half a banana (freeze the other half) - 1/2 cup of pineapple and juice (I get canned in 100% juice) - 1/2 cup of coconut water - 1 Tbsp of chia seeds Optional:

- teaspoon of honey or agave nectar - scoop of Amazing Grass Green superfood powder Add all the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth and creamy. If you think it is too thick, you can add more coconut water or just regular water. 

You can drink this right away or store in a jar or airtight bottle and place it in the fridge for up to about 3 days.

Next time you need a quick filling breakfast, try this recipe out and head out that door!