[S O R T o f S I M P L E]

{wrangling the wilderness}

2010-08-05T15:15:00.000-07:00

i feel like i was born camping. i literally should have been delivered in a tent, that's how much my family loves the outdoors. however, my life has been totally void of camping in the six years i've lived in san diego. luckily, i have a roommate who is an excellent planner & a willing adventurer. we gathered friends {who then gathered their friends}, food & equipment and were off! we chose the lovely lake elsinore so we could use our friend's jetskis & get out of town.

i'm completely fine with roughin it when camping, but this was, by far, the most i've ever seen packed into a car.

it was a weekend of eating smores {mmm}, bbqing, playing in the lake, relaxing & getting back to those outdoorsy roots.

exactly what i needed.

{country concerts: where the green grass grows}

2010-08-05T14:47:00.000-07:00

to put it simply, country concerts bring me back...back to being a teenager, back to [HOT] norcal summers, back to tailgating in the dirt & back to not having a care in the world. southern californians just don't have the same love for country music, so, obviously, i was overjoyed when my roommates/friends wanted to tailgate & bbq for the tim mcgraw/lady antebellum show.

it was a blast...

...and totally brought me back.

{YO MOMMA}

2010-05-04T13:33:00.000-07:00

after, gosh, YEARS [!] i got to spend mothers day with my momma in person! she & my dad visited for the weekend & it was wonderful.

we ventured up to the san diego botanic garden in encinitas for the chocolate festival. that's right, beautiful scenery + chocolate! pretty much what my momma and i would consider heaven.

aren't my parents cute?

even though the gardens were just a short drive away, they made me feel like i was on an exotic vacation...

the rest of the weekend was filled with shopping & enjoying time together. i am so blessed to have the family i do. they are absolutely the most caring and kind people i know.

{2-4}

2010-04-28T15:59:00.000-07:00

L O V E them. what's better than celebrating a loved one [or yourself]?

my birthday was over two weeks ago so, naturally, the entire month of april became a collection of celebrations...thanks to some lovely friends!

it all began with manfriend coming to visit for the weekend in the beginning of april! we celebrated with a night out at a snazzy seaside restaurant & walk along the beach.

my actual birthday could not have been more relaxing. after a huge work event the day before, my goal was to refresh my body/mind/spirit. it was a perfect day with church, a much-needed hair appointment, a pedicure, yoga & a trip downtown to extraordinary desserts.

the real celebration came a week later with a getaway with the girls to santa monica. hotwire came through in the clutch & i scored a great deal on a room three blocks from the beach! cute, right?

one of my best friends, a brilliant artist, made me this piece for my birthday. one of the coolest & most meaningful presents i've ever received. her collections are here.

the little birthday fiesta took place at the yard [chef chris jacobson was on top chef]! it's just blocks from the beach & the creative cocktails were DELISH.

the next day, we drove up the coast to explore the serra retreat in malibu. the views of the pacific were absolutely breathtaking.

i am blessed with a beautiful life & beautiful friends.

{ciao}

2010-04-23T18:08:00.000-07:00

this is the beginning of something interesting.

it will be a journey of discoveries, creativity, and most likely, some mistakes. i have no idea where it will take me, and i simply cannot wait to find out!

<3