P E N T A S K I

"We cling to our tried and true, and ya know we're creatures of comfort and we find our patter and stick to what we know best. But there's a big, wide, beautiful world out there. For those that want it, it's out there!"  "Nothing ever stays the same. You can't build fences around life... it's just this on going process. All you have to do is keep paddling. Simple... there's always gonna be another wave coming." -Gerry Lopez  

“I get worried for young girls sometimes; I want them to feel that they can be sassy and full and weird and geeky and smart and independent, and not so withered and shriveled.”  —Amy Poehler I'm a lot of things in life.  The jack of all trades is the master of none,  but ya know what?  She's fun!  And I think more girls should know that they can be whatever they want. Really, they can! Sometimes I get so  embarrassed about the things I do because I assume people think I'm posing or trying to be cool or what have you.  But that's just silly because in the end, what matters is that I'm having fun learning new things. And all the time too!  I'm learning new things all the time.  I love to bake. I love to paint. I love to sing. I love jazz music I'm learning to play drums and picking back up the guitar. I'm always skating and reading about physics. Sometimes at the same time!  Okay that's a lie.

Lake Street Dive.  I'm obsessed.  Incredible right? So much to aspire to.  Koko

Inspiration in the form of a biography .  Go big or go home sister! Life is what you make of it.  XoXo Koko

It's a hot tea, house to myself, Sufjan Stevens kind of day.  Enjoy! "I'm not afraid to get it right, I turn around and I give it one more try."  XoXo Koko (P.S. Doesn't Sufjan remind you of a modern day Moondog ? Sort of? Just that whimsical feel? Alright maybe I'm just crazy.) 

Oh life is funny isn't it? It feels as though whenever I decide to just give up, or more accurately let go, thing's seem to fall into place. I know God is BIG and has big plans for me but I still fight it all the time. I almost always have a better idea of how my life should go. But here's the thing, I don't. I finally let go of all my big plans and told God I wanted him to take me wherever he wanted after my big fun summer of escaping my small town and lo and behold! He kept me here... literally shut every door I tried to creep open and run away through. But I think it's been the best thing for me to be honest. I'm living in an incredible house of girls in an awesome area. My parents are close enough to run away to if I get tired of the city. And I'm involved in an incredible music project here in town. Like, what is going on? I couldn't be more grateful! But then came this week... And here's where things get weird. Out of no where one

 Here's what I'm listening to at four in the morning.  (I should be doing homework) 

Rainy Days call for coffee and reggae.  It's just a fact of life.  This song is from A Brokedown Melody, one of my favorite surf films.  Just good vibes all over. Nothin' crazy or progressive.  What do you guys do on rainy days?  Most people know Jack Johnson for his music, but really he makes phenomenal films. Check them out!   If you want another, try this Gorillaz cover from Trey Anastasio from Phish. And last but not least here's one last super chill cover I love. Not so reggae but great none the less!  Find what you love in life and go for it!  Today, that's yoga and coffee.  Kelly 

Today is definitely one of those days where I drank wayyy to much coffee and felt  fantastic all day long and then hit the point (the point when I should be doing homework) where I want to sleep for three days straight. Thanks for the confusion, caffeine.

“ Normality is a paved road. It is comfortable to walk but no flowers grow on it. ” — Vincent van Gogh

Would someone please take me back to the ocean now. My soul longs.  If this town had an ocean I think I might die. I'm always so torn between the things I love!  This happens to you too, yes?  Le sigh. 

If you're not listening to David Bowie, you're doing it wrong.  XoXo

It's a dance in the kitchen spill coffee down my front listen to Regina Spektor kind of day.  Love it.  XoXo

If you need some songs for your lazy day here are a few of my favorites: I know, terribly cliche right? But alas I do love them. 

Today is a lazy kind of day. It's the smell of clean laundry and coffee kind of day. It's a pajamas all day kind of day. It's a cuddles on the couch kind of day.  I start school tomorrow. (!!!)  And it's actually beginning to feel like fall around here.  I don't think I'm ready yet! Today is chilly and overcast and I have on classical piano and am going through my list of things to get together by tomorrow.  And boy, is it long.  But I do love the feeling of getting organized again.  Don't you?  After a long summer of running around and never knowing what day it is it always feels a little nice to open up a planner and get on a schedule again. It's been a fabulous  summer though if I do say so myself! I don't think I've ever had more fun.  It will be missed!  Here's to big scarfs, falling leaves and lots and lots of coffee. (pumpkin spice lattes please!)  I can't wait.  Here's what I've

I am lucky enough to have three  of them.  And I wouldn't trade them for the world!  They know me better than anyone.  And when they know me so well, things like this happen: This cracked me up. I dyed my hair yesterday.  Great minds think alike I guess?  Hope you guys are having a great week!  XoXo Koko

You might recognize him for his famous tunes in Charlie Brown , but Vince Guaraldi is one of, if not the, coolest cat around.  Calling Dr. Funk is one of my all time favorite tunes of his. Mostly for the name, of course.  Don't you feel like you should be at a rooftop garden party in SoHo? I love it. So next time you need some good dinner or background music, try some Vince!  Alright, alright, I'll stop tryin' to sell ya'll. I just really love his stuff! And that mustache?...  Now, switchin' it up a bit. But are you ready for your heart to melt? Listen to this:  This song is called Windsong and it's a collaboration between America's John Forte   (from The Fugee's ) and Ukrainian band  Sunsay .  This was all part of Forte's beautiful project "From Brooklyn To Russia, With Love" , a film documenting his nearly two month long tour through Russia and Moscow, as he puts sharing and learning.  I hav

Did I ever tell you all of my love for Kate Spade ads? I love Kate Spade ads. Two of my favorites: The story:  This is the story of a charming girl. She laughs out loud, sings off key and believes in taking chances. She is quick and curious and playful and strong. She lets her imagination run away with her. She has never been one to stick to convention. She is fond of daydreams that take her places. She can order a cocktail in six different languages. She feels that understated is overrated. (love this.) XoXo Koko

This movie looks sort of odd and silly, per anything Andy Samburg does, but it does  have all of my favorite actors and actresses in it! Rashida and Samburg? Oh, gosh. You guys remember when I posted the new Avett Brothers song ? NPR posted a great live version of it today. Check it out! Do you prefer the live versions of your favorite songs or the quiet composure of the studio version? I love live versions personally. Especially in the car, when you roll up to a stop light with the windows down and it sounds like you have a whole crowd of people in your car ;) I also heard on NPR the other morning about a new coffee roast, called Death Wish , with 200% more caffeine as normal coffee. (!!!) Read the full article here . Hopefully y'all are enjoying your morning today and won't be needing any Death Wish! XoXo Koko

Job hunting.... is like sticking your hand in a pile of needles and hoping you'll pull out a strand of hay. It's like waking up in the morning and saying to yourself "Hmmm. Self? Have you thought about having a bad day today? Because I have a great idea if you haven't yet!" It's like dreaming of that rich chocolatey double swirly cone, but they only have strawberry. Doesn't anyone need a college educated barista anymore?! 

Today I: Continued planting my garden. Baked bread. Painted some of the drift wood I brought home earlier this summer. Picked up my sister at the airport. Went for a run. Met friends for dessert. It's amazing what you can get done when you don't work!  You should all try it sometime, really. ;) ... but seriously. I need a job.

Ahhh...  Do some bedtime yoga, drink some tea, and listen to minor threat. Wait?? I think I may have done that in the wrong order.  Xoxo Koko

Tonight I am  loooving  Beyonce's 'Love On Top'  Luh-huh-uhhhve.  Also, have you heard the New Band of Horses? Because it rocks.  But not as much as the new Avett Brothers.  I've had this one on repeat for literally, two weeks. Maybe. It's so good!  And I'm in love with this boot by Hudson.  http://www.hudsonshoes.com/etty-brown.html This lovely list is brought to you by our fabulous sponsor "Kelly's messed up sleep cycle"!  XoXo Koko

Sorry for falling of the blogging bandwagon. I've been a rather busy girl this summer! I'm surw someday I will get around to posting about my grand road trip up the west coast but for now, let me tell you it was AWESOME! But now I am happy again here in Oregon. :) Here's the thing, I moved to Oregon a couple of years ago in the middle of High School and it has been the greatest thing that's ever happened to me. Changed me, stretched me, showed me a completely different side of life that I never even knew existed... that's Eugene for you! Ha! But really, if you've never moved somewhere new in your life I highly  suggest it. It is so good for you; for your soul.   Get out of your comfort zone.  Now that I'm planning on moving to San Diego at the start of the year (which will be a whole new  adventure in and of itself) I'm really trying to soak up some of the amazing things around while I still can, and Oregon is great for that because everything is S

“I beg young people to travel. If you don’t have a passport, get one. Take a summer, get a backpack and go to Delhi, go to Saigon, go to Bangkok, go to Kenya. Have your mind blown. Eat interesting food. Dig some interesting people. Have an adventure. Be careful. Come back and you’re going to see your country differently, you’re going to see your president differently, no matter who it is. Music, culture, food, water. Your showers will become shorter. You’re going to get a sense of what globalization looks like. It’s not what Tom Friedman writes about; I’m sorry. You’re going to see that global climate change is very real. And that for some people, their day consists of walking 12 miles for four buckets of water. And so there are lessons that you can’t get out of a book that are waiting for you at the other end of that flight. A lot of people—Americans and Europeans—come back and go, ohhhhh. And the light bulb goes on.” - Henry Rollins This hilarious music video to The Talk

So far Sophie and I made it up to San Luis Obispo to see some of my best friends in the world for the Fourth of July and then back to my sisters house in the Central Valley.

I love getting older and letting go of the feeling that I need to prove myself, to anyone at all.  Family brings you down to earth, reminds you of who you are and who you always want to be. Traveling opens your eyes, to different lives and the way things could or even should be. Reading opens your mind, to different adventures and opinions and ideas you would have never thought up alone. To be in good company, is the key to enjoying the moment, but to be good company , is the key to enjoying life.  Inspiration is motivation, don't stay stagnant.  When I get some time, (most of my time right now is spent running around or enjoying my company sans computer) I just might fill you guys in on what I've been up to on this trip!  But really, get inspired and  get out there .  XoXo Kelly 

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived."  - Thoreau

Portland, Nashville, Seattle, Eugene, Austin.  Charm.  A city either has it or it doesn't and the more I travel the more I appreciate it.  When a city has charm you feel at home; cozy; comfortable.  Lots of plants and friendly people alw ays help but there's something about a collection of like minded people gathering in a city and building a community.  Nashville with music/ Portland with art.  (A few cute antique shops doesn't hurt either...) I can appreciate any city I'm in, especially when I'm with the right people. But when I really love  a city, it feels like home. It has charm.

I'm loving me some Dolly Parton today. And some Elvis. Sophie and I leave for our little road trip back up the coast tomorrow and I could not be more excited. So today has been a lazy day just gettin' ready and dancin' around the house. 

I.D.W.P from Edwin Europe on Vimeo . I absolutely adore this video.  Edwin is a denim company based out of Japan with an oddly rugged all american feel to it. And we all know what a sweet sucker I am for good denim and motorcycles...

Today I listened to a lot of this: The Dear Hunter, Matt Costa, Copeland, Dustin Kensrue and Margot and the Nuclear So and So's.  I did some exploring by myself. A grand solo  expedition ! One of my favorite and simultaneously least favorite things to do.  With no one else to think about, you're free to take your time and explore any cove, alley, nook and cranny your little heart desires all up the western coast!   So today I woke up, played some guitar, did some yoga, ate fruit and honey for breakfast, showered and packed up! I know, it's not fair right? I'm jealous of myself right now.  I drove up the coast winding through all the little sections of San Diego through bird rock and up to La Jolla which is where I decided I loved Bird Rock and hated La Jolla. Too snooty for this girl; drivers honking at each other for silly things like leaving the stop sign at the same time, tall ritzy shops...   So I went back down to bird rock grabbed some