I’m thrilled to finally be able to share a little secret I’ve had in the works for awhile now. It was the sort of opportunity that came out of the blue (as almost all good opportunities seemingly do!) and felt like a solid partnership, especially once I met the team in person. Good things ahead!!
xoxo
While in Salt Lake last week for a lighting-fast business trip, I had every intention of taking lots of photos of all the things that I miss most about living in Utah. The snow-capped mountains. Waking up to fresh powder outside my window. Rows + rows of thrifty goodness at the DI (oh, the DI). All of my amazing friends whom I miss terribly. The reality? I filled up my memory card with TONS of images from my breakfast at Eva’s Bakery in downtown SLC. I mean, I couldn’t help myself! Everything about this place is what designer dreams are made of, from the blue and yellow patterned flooring to the calligraphed labels in the bakery case to the gorgeous menu typography. I was in heaven (literally…this is Utah, after all).
Oh, and the food? DIVINE.
xoxo
Lots and lots of work lately means plenty of time spent sitting at my desk. But with the right podcast, fresh flowers from Trader Joe’s, and a neverending glass of iced coffee close at hand, I’m not complaining.
xoxo
When Saturday rolls around and John and I are looking for a fun way to spend the afternoon, Ventura often seems to top our list of places to go. And why not? It’s such an underrated little beach town so close to where we live. The weather is always nice, the parking is always plentiful and FREE (take note, LA!), and there are so many fantastic thrift shops on Main Street that we could spend hours wandering though. Oh, and we’re totally getting married there in October! Needless to say, we love it.
On the way home, we stopped at our wedding venue to see what it looks like at night. Despite my previous concerns that the lighting wouldn’t jive with my vision, I am happy to report, it looks SO GOOD! Warm, cozy, and ready for an all-night fiesta! Am I killing you with the wedding stuff yet? My apologies friends, but we’ve got a loooong (but not that long – ahh!) way to go! And speaking of wedding stuff, lately I’ve been sending e-mails with potential vow material to myself whenever a poignant thought crosses my mind. This includes, but is not limited to, grabbing my phone to write out my thoughts in the middle of the night while still half-dreaming (nightmaring?) about arriving at the ceremony only to realize that I forgot to write any vows…! (P.S. I woke up the next morning to some surprisingly decent work!) I am LITERALLY writing these vows with my eyes closed. If only the rest of the wedding planning could be so easy!
xoxo
Colorful notes to friends. Taking time to smell the roses. Lots of time spent soaking up the sunshine. Clean desk (well, mostly). New maxi dress + cheery yellow bag. Knitting projects galore. New candle making my space smell like a chic boutique. JT on replay, all day, everyday. Lots of planning, organizing and writing in my journal. Setting goals + making things happen. Happy Spring!
xoxo
On Sunday, I convinced John and my brother Andy to go with me to Disneyland, partly because the weather was springtime perfection, but mainly because I wanted to test my new 50mm lens in the most colorful setting possible. Mission accomplished.
As far as camera equipment goes, this macro lens is such a steal considering just how fantastic it really is! The sharp depth of field blows my mind every time… even if does force me to stand a mile away from my subject to get more than just their nostrils in the shot – ha!
xoxo
Last week I got a fun e-mail from Urbanic letting me know that I had won their giveaway from The Cream…! I can’t even tell you how excited I was, especially about this wedding planning binder that I’ve had my eye on for quite some time. The truth is, I didn’t even get a good look at the prize while I was at the event, but as a matter of principle, I always throw my name in the hat if Urbanic is hosting a giveaway. Always.
While I was down in Venice, I decided to wander around a bit, pick up a latte from Intelligentsia (even if I do feel entirely uncool while I’m there), stop by Firefly (another great little boutique!), and take a bunch of photos before the braving the 405 at rush hour. Totally worth it.
xoxo
From left to right:
xoxo
The time change has made for some interesting ebbs and flows in my energy levels this past week, to say the least. On Monday I was FULL SPEED AHEAD and on Tuesday I was…not.
On Monday, I got myself out of bed and straight into a Zumba class with time to spare (a rare occurrence). I then came home and set out to clean my desk so I could get work done in a clean space, but in the process, ended up reorganizing my closet, my shipping supplies, my bookshelf, and my nightstand. I would have kept going (!!!), but I had work that needed to be completed in a time-sensitive manner so I focused on that instead. Of course, I then decided that I should take the dog on a nice long walk to wear him out a little bit. So we did. For an hour and a half. And after that, I jumped right back into work until 3am before I realized that I should probably get some sleep. It should also be noted that I had little appetite the whole entire day and I wasn’t the least bit tired. WHERE DID THIS ENERGY COME FROM?
On Tuesday, I woke up and immediately regretted that decision. My sky-high energy from the day before had OFFICIALLY left the building. So…I spent a good portion of the morning (ahem…and early afternoon) working on my wedding pinning in my pajamas. (That’s somewhat productive, right?) I also made sure to chug as many glasses of water as I possibly could and that definitely seemed to help. Luckily, it was the most beautiful day of all time, so I was eager to sit outside and bask in the glorious California sunshine while answering e-mails from my phone (where would I be without my iPhone?). From that point on, I had a better grip on my energy. I packed and shipped a bunch of orders. I did a little grocery shopping. I took Wally on another long walk. I accomplished only what I needed to accomplish and left it at that.
I am always analyzing, always rethinking, always trying to find new ways to be BETTER, you know? I want everyday to be like Monday, but clearly that is SO not going to happen. Some days are good, some days are great. I just have to roll with it.
How do you maintain your energy levels? I would love to hear your thoughts!
xoxo
THE CREAM! Where do I even begin? So many talented vendors in such a stunning location. It was pretty much the best of the wedding blog scene mixed in with super stylish vendors + guests (wearing their “blogger’s best” as my partner in crime Janelle so aptly put it) topped with a killer soundtrack that had everyone moving + grooving. Those Bash, Please gals sure know to get things done right.
P.S. You can see our Vine videos from the event at @Ann-Marie Morris and @The Style Eater!
xoxo
