Check out my layout!

Sometimes bloggers casually throw a brand new, gorgeous layout onto their blog and everyone comments with their oohs & ahhs. Then the blogger is like, "Oh, this little thing?" Yeah, I'm not that sort of blogger.

You guys. LOOK AT MY NEW LAYOUT(!!). At the end of September, I sent the hilarious, cute & ridiculously artistic Suzy an e-mail with a couple basics + a really crappy drawing of a grilled cheese sandwich.

After a few exchanges, Suzy transformed my drawing into the best blog design ever. This is seriously the graphic I sent her:


You might be wondering what the significance of the iron and the grilled cheese is. One of my favorite movies of all time is Benny & Joon, starring Johnny Depp, Mary Stuart Masterson, and Aidan Quinn. The movie is about Benny (Aidan Quinn) and his mentally ill sister Joon (Mary Stuart Masterson), and the dynamic that is created when Sam (Johnny Depp) begins living with the siblings as the result of a wager in a poker game. (Despite Benny protesting, "You can't bet a human being!")

Suddenly, though, Joon and Sam are falling for each other. The scene where I squeal the most is when Sam makes grilled cheese sandwiches for Joon with an iron. (You can see part of the clip here.)

Benny & Joon is so quirky, passionate, and charming and I thought a tribute to one of my favorite movies would make a nice blog design.

I gave Suzy a deadline and some small guidelines, but I basically told her to run with it. I told her to have fun playing with the colors. And I ended the e-mail with "Hope to hear from you soon!" You know, because I was like, "Maybe she will run the other direction when she opens this e-mail with a numbered list of all the things I want."

Suzy watched Benny & Joon - as research! - and created & finished this beautiful layout several days before the deadline. Then, she thanked me, offered to throw in an About Me page, and installed the layout while I was sleeping! I mean, seriously.

It was a blast working with Suzy and it could not have gone smoother. She is absolutely brilliant and super sweet, and if you don't already read her blog, I suggest you click away from my pretty new layout and check her out. She said she had a lot of fun designing the layout, so if you have been considering a new layout (and feel as lost as I did here), Suzy is your girl.

Thank you so much, Suzy! I really appreciate everything you have done for me and like I said, it was phenomenal to work with you.

A couple more things, you guys. You can now grab my button and adorn your blog with it, if you would like. And if you want to read the back story on the name of my blog, click here.

A post about my step-sister's wedding will be up later today. Definitely come back!

Announcing: My new blogspot address.

Remember this post/plead for help? I'm excited to announce a little makeover is underway for Mocha Mornings! The first change? A new blogspot address.

Super loud and cliché drum roll, please...


The name Mocha Mornings was getting a little stale, and I wanted to switch things up when my blog turned one...six months ago. I'm very happy with the name change and I hope you guys love it, too. It has a ring to it, no?

I decided on 'magnificent' after the infamous quote by Marianne Williamson floating around the Internet. You know the one.

"...We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be?..."

And the back story on the name Lou:

Eons ago, my youngest cousin asked me if people ever call me Mary Magdalene. My family shortens my first name to 'Mer', and as a 7 year old my cousin associated the nickname Mer with the name Mary. The answer, of course, was: uh, hardly. My little sister and I found it hilarious and she began calling me several variations of Mary Magdalene: Mary Mag, Mary Maggy, Mary Magoo. And nicknames somehow get re-written over time and one day you wake up and wonder why you call your dog Cheddar Skywalker.

But I remember how my sister got there. My nickname went from Mary Mag to Mary to Mary Lou. Eventually, all the Marys got dropped and I became Lou.

And it stuck. All of my birthday cards from my sister are addressed to Lou. If we go shopping and she wants me to check something out she'll say, "Lou! Come look." When we are hugging, she'll say "Bye, Lou." You get the point.

The new name is in dedication to myself and my incredible little sister, who means the world to me. And you guys. Because who are we not to be magnificent? (And worthy of quirky nicknames.)

So #2 is crossed off. I will reveal the rest of the makeover by the end of the month. I'll be keeping the Mocha Mornings header I currently have until then.

I hope you all enjoy the new name. I'm wildly stoked to share the rest!

Blogging 101.

Hi, everyone! It's early and I haven't had my coffee, but I am ready to get down to business. I have loads of questions for anyone who is reading and I appreciate any conducive feedback. This is a little housekeeping post, if you will. I'm dusting the cobwebs of my little corner of the Internet this morning.

Basically: I want a better blog.

1. How much does it cost to have someone design a personalized blog layout? And where do I find these artistic geniuses?

2. I don't like the name of my blog anymore. I'm a huge mocha (or should I say grande mocha?) fanatic, but mornings make me cringe. I thought it was cute that the name of my blog and my initials are synonymous, except now I'm all: "This blog name is worse than watching paint dry slash it has nothing to do with what I blog about." So question #2 is: How do I change the name and the URL of my blog? (Is that possible?)

3. Would anyone like to see some DIY projects here? (Albeit cheap and small projects because I'm a college student.)

4. Should I start including pictures of myself? This is the one I toy with the most. I think including pictures of myself/friends/family would make the blog more personal, and therefore, better (the main goal). I was looking at a gorgeous and well-written blog the other day when I noticed the blogger never included pictures of herself/himself. And I kept thinking: "What an anonymous weirdo." Then I was like: "Oh, yeah. That's you, too."

5. Is it annoying to say things like "boyfriend M" and "my best friend ADP"? Because if I were y'all, I'd be like: "Um, who?" I think I'll start using first names.

Blogging is one big experiment to me. I'd love to see my blog transform into something worth reading and perhaps worth loving. Please leave feedback in the comments or in my e-mail inbox (cafemochadreams@gmail.com; also cringe-worthy, I know!). Thanks, you guys!

Post #100!

So this - this - is my one hundredth post. I wanted to make it grandiose. I can't make confetti fall from my blog, though. I don't have a giveaway to do. I wish I could send you all a cupcake, but I don't know how well cupcakes would ship in the mail. (Plus, I'm not that domestic.) Instead I will introduce myself in the form of a choppy, clumsy story. Just in case you've only recently began reading or if you need a refresher on who I am. This isn't all of me, but it's a start.

I was born in 1989. I barely made it as an '80s baby, but don't worry - I got to experience the '90s. My little sister was born in '91, and I called her "Baby" for awhile after she was born. I was the flower girl for my cousin when I was three-ish. When I was four I wore red cowboy boots with everything. And when I went to kindergarten I began wearing Tasmanian Devil (Taz - from Looney Tunes) Converse with everything. My mom wanted to divorce my dad when I was five. When she announced the news to my sister and me, all I said was: "But who will mow the lawn?" I was five, you know. Divorce to a five year old means nothing. It doesn't hurt. The divorce didn't go through, though, and mom and dad tried to work it out. My childhood was filled with piano lessons, softball, basketball, gymnastics, and Gargoyles. Yeah, sure, we had Barbies, but my sister and I usually played with Gargoyles. We never stayed inside and watched TV/movies. We were always outside. My childhood neighborhood had at least one kid in every house, so summer evenings were spent with our neighborhood friends going on adventures, building clubhouses in trees, and rolling sticky hedge apples down the slope of our neighborhood street. In school I was terrible at math. In fourth grade I had to miss a class Valentine's Day party because I didn't complete a math assignment and I lied about turning it. (This is when my struggle with math began. Age 9.) However, I loved to read. I remember going to a wedding shower when I was 10 and having the woman serving punch - who happened to be my elementary school's librarian - telling me with a wink that the only way I could have a glass of punch is if I returned all my library books. I always checked out the maximum number of books and read them as quickly as possible, but I was awful at returning them. Even though mom and dad were trying to work it out, I feel like my mom mostly raised me. Dad usually lived in an apartment across town. As an 11 year old, I decided my dad had a lot of secrets. So mom raised us. She bought the groceries. She would play "Bitch" by Meredith Brooks in the car, but she always took us to church. And we faked some things. We went on a couple of vacations. Mom would make us the best potato soup on earth. And at Christmastime, she made the green Christmas tree cookies, which we devoured as soon as they came out of the oven. Once she took my little sister and I out of summer camp/daycare to take us to the grand opening of Old Navy. She did everything to make my sister and I happy. And we were very happy. And then 2001 came. My uncle - who I felt super close to - passed away. My parents finally got a divorce. (Their marriage couldn't be fixed.) And it hurt. I barely cried. I understood it this time and it hurt. I got a puppy. She was a Beagle. It wasn't because my parents got a divorce. It was just a "Your dad hates dogs and he no longer lives here so now we can get a puppy" thing, I think. Months later mom lost her job. I was in junior high; I wore skate shoes, took guitar lessons, and cursed every other word. In 9th grade I did something that I really regretted until recently, when I decided to let the regret drift from my chest. Anyway. Mom got a new job and met a great man. My grandma passed away and it was very sad. High school was fine. I played softball, I was on the student council as the parliamentarian, and I had some really amazing friends. I wasn't popular and I wasn't a geek. In fact, I think I was a nobody. Mom married the man I told you all that she met (and I got three new step-sisters!), I developed a love for journalism, and I couldn't pass algebra. I listened to Weezer constantly. It took me forever to get a decent score on the SAT and I didn't start driving until I was almost 17. Prom was kind-of a joke. I vacationed to California, New York, South Carolina, Florida, and Mexico. I graduated high school with an average GPA and I didn't really care if I went to college or not. All I wanted to do was travel. The night of my 18th birthday (a balmy summer evening) I smoked a cigar just because. The following August of 2007 I moved three hours away to a different state for college. I cried all night the first night I was there. Then I made friends, joined the university's activity board, and declared a journalism major. I developed an obsession with coffee and Diet Coke. I met boyfriend M. I went to a million sporting events and explored my new college-town. My grandfather - Papa - passed away in spring of 2008 and I cried really hard. I changed my major to hotel and restaurant administration. Spring of 2009 I was diagnosed with PCOS. In the summer of 2009 I traveled to Europe with my dad and sister. In December of 2009, one of my best friends married the love of her life. March of 2010: traveled to Destin, Florida with my roommates, boyfriend M, and a couple other friends for spring break. This past summer I did an internship, turned 21, and went on vacation to Michigan. It was - for reasons I won't say - the hardest summer of my life. This fall I have taken the most difficult classes I've ever been enrolled in. At times I wanted to throw my hands up and quit, but I'm so close to finishing. One more year. Of course, in my twenty-one years so far, I've also performed in talent shows, gone to the zoo, had my first kiss, gone to concerts, written poetry, gone to plays, jumped off bluffs at the lake, and all the other events that make up the fabric of my life. I am still pathetic when it comes to math, I still love to read - really bury myself in a book, and I could eat five bowls of mom's potato soup this very instant. Every single thing that has happened in my life has molded me, made me who I am. I am - nevertheless - finding how what "who I am" means. But I know some of the things I want. I know post-college I want to live in Denver, Colorado or Washington, D.C. - just for a little bit. I know I want to hang maps on the wall and put globes on the mantle. I know I want to dance to Etta James and Zooey Deschanel at my wedding. I know I want to paint in the living room with M, curl up next to him every night in a bedroom that has tiny white lights hanging on the walls, and I want to make him mom's green Christmas tree cookies. I know I want to write for a newspaper and sell homemade greeting cards. I know I want my kids to have the incredible childhood I had. (And I know I want to name them June and Benjamin. Yes, I love the movie Benny and Joon.) I know I don't ever want to get a divorce. And I know I want to travel somewhere new as much as I can afford to. I'm still learning who I am, but I know I am someone who is strong and bold because of everything I have experienced - the good, the bad, and the trying times. I am very fortunate. I definitely believe - despite the worst times - that I am blessed and have had an exquisite life so far.

Thank you so much for reading. I started this blog as a little journal to share a small piece of my world. I hope you have enjoyed the journey so far, and I hope you will continue to come along with me. I am really excited to continue living a brilliant, beautiful life. I'm excited for next month, next year, and of course - the next 100 posts.

*I apologize, but I don't have the source for the photo above. Anybody know where it's from?

Housekeeping.

Warning: this post is going to be boring. (You know, because all my other posts are edge-of-your-seat-captivating.)

I feel like a lot of my posts are recaps of what I have been doing. For the record, this week I: took another difficult law exam, got bangs a la Zooey Deschanel (and relished in the compliments; especially from strangers!), and had an unusual, delicious lunch with roommate J at a pub downtown. I want my blog to have more variety, though, so I am brainstorming several ideas.

I also want to give my blog a "make-over". Can anyone recommend a good blog designer that makes blah blogs beautiful? I know what I would like, but I have no idea how to create it. (I'm also playing around with the fonts, which is why the fonts vary in some of my latest posts.)

This blog is essentially a way for me to document some of the things I do during my time in college, but I want this little "journal" to look pretty, too.

Pardon my housekeeping post; I tried to keep it short.

Have a great Thursday!

Prelude.

I am a student studying event planning. I am a woman. (Made of sugar and spice and everything nice.) I am a traveler. I am currently battling addictions to coffee (especially if it's cold), Diet Coke, and cheese; all habits I'm not willing to kick. I am here to share my ideas and dreams with you, whoever you are.

I have eaten dinner next to Kirsten Dunst at the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles. I have soaked up the Mexican sun in resort-style beds in Cancun, Mexico. I have canoed with alligators in Tybee Island, Georgia. I have seen "Hairspray" on Broadway in New York City. I have watched a water tornado on the ocean in Portofino Island, Florida. I have witnessed a protest on a corner in Washington D.C. And I have toured the Colosseum in Rome, snapped photos in the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City (which is not allowed), celebrated my dad's birthday in Florence, dipped my toes in the waters of Venice, and spent an entire day at the Musee Du Lurve in Paris on a two-week excursion in Europe.

Welcome to my blog. I hope you enjoy it!