The Good Life

Dress-Gap, Shirt-JCrew, Shoes-Vince Camuto, Necklaces-EmersonMade, Sunnies-Target

Our last day in San Luis Obispo was heavenly. We didn't have anything on our agenda except Family Dinner at K's parent's house(aka "vacation home"). We slept in, got coffee from the Coffee Bean(my fave place to get coffee), hit the shopping outlets (I scored HUGE at Coach and Nine West), and then had lunch at the Madonna Inn.  The Madonna Inn is where we got our wedding cakes from and that was the whole reason we went-to get a slice of cake. This time we had the toffee crunch (which was also one of the cakes we served at our wedding). It's crazy how yummy these cakes are. If you're ever in the area, you've got to stop here. It's a bit cheesy from the outside, but the food is good and the dessert-delish! Later that afternoon, we made our way to the "vacation home" for dinner. I love going there, it's always a wonderful time. K's dad concocted a new martini(one of his specialties) and it was to die for-peach jalapeno.  That small hit of heat really makes this drink.  Yum!  We spent the evening with her fam and then concluded the night out on the deck, sipping wine, watching the sunset. It was the perfect way to end a perfect trip. We'll be back soon, I guarantee it!

Yummy Peach-Jalapeno martinis

The ladies!

Not bad for a picture taken by a 4 year old :)

Cheers to 4!

Photo courtesy Colin Michael Photography

Our nephew Rohan turns 4 today...Happy Golden Birthday Rohan! I've met him in person only once at our wedding, but love him dearly. You see, he lives in Glasgow, Scotland and I can't visit him on a regular basis. I do get to talk with him on the phone, but our next big thing will be to Skype. He is such a character, and that accent he has! I just want to eat him up. We mailed the card I made him on Monday, let's hope it gets there on time.

Photo courtesy Colin Michael Photography

Materials:
Paper: Enchanted Evening, Stamper's Select white, Pure Poppy (All PTI)
Stamps: Enjoy the ride (PTI)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento), Moss Green, Sunflower, Red, and Frost White (All Colorbox)
Other: Enjoy the ride die (PTI), Banner die (PTI)

Chardonnay

While in California last week, we spent a good part of the time drinking wine. Shocking, no? On Saturday we took part in the 2nd Annual Chardonnay Symposium. It was a fun day, but starting with wine at 9:30am and knowing we had to get from Santa Maria up to Paso Robles that evening for the Train/Maroon5 concert made things a bit more sobering. We started the event at a discussion around "To Oak or Not to Oak". We tried 12(!) wines, each from a wine maker that either uses oak or doesn't. Typically, I like oaky/buttery chardonnay, but I did find a few that I liked that weren't oaked. The fun part was listening to each of the winemakers share their story about why they make wine the way they do-they have such passion. We then made our way another vineyard to have lunch, which was delicious. Once we had some food in our bellies, it was off to a third vineyard for the full wine tasting event. I think there were at least 30 wineries present, a silent auction and some fantastic food samples. It was a lovely way to spend the afternoon. Fortunately, we had time to squeeze in a quick cat nap before heading to the concert.

Tank-F21, Cardi-Target, Shorts-Banana Republic, Shoes-Vince Camuto,
Bag-Elliot Luca, Sunnies-Target, Necklaces-EmersonMade

Hearst Castle

Jumpsuit-F21, Tshirt & Cardi-Target, Scarf-Gap,Shoes-Vince Camuto, Purse-Elliot Luca,
Necklaces-EmersonMade, Sunnies-Target

I've been to the Central Coast plenty of times, but never have I had time to visit Hearst Castle. I'm so glad we were able to fit it in this time. If you ever get the chance to visit, I highly recommend it. It's hard to imagine that William Randolph Hearst actually lived here. After taking the bus ride up the winding mountain road, you are dropped off at the front stairs and feel like you have been transported back in time. Everything is set up as it was when he lived there. I was in awe the whole time I was there. We toured the house and then had some time to walk around the ground. They are unbelieveable. I've posted  a few (I think I took almost 100 pictures!) pictures below, but they don't do it justice. You must see it in person.

My Besties

Don't you love how we coordinate? Didn't even plan that!

I'm a Wave

Tee-Stylemint, Shirt and Vest-JCrew, Jeans-Citzens of Humanity, Scarf-Target, Shoes-Gap, Necklaces-EmersonMade, Watch-Coach, Bracelets-Maui and Target

Yep, I'm a wave. World's worst college mascot. I went to Pepperdine University and they are the Waves. So wrong. But, I loved going there and a silly mascot didn't get me down. When we were in California last week, I brought Ramesh up to Malibu to see my alma mater. He's heard me talk so much about it, it was great for him to finally experience it. It's a beautiful campus and when I was in school, I never took it for granted. I can honestly say I appreciated everyday I was there. Malibu has changed A LOT since I went to school there. They didn't have all the fantastic shopping they have now. Thank god! A college girl's budget wouldn't have gotten me very far and the temptation would have been unbearable. I did stop into the Malibu Country Mart to get myself an Iced Blended from the Coffee Bean(my favorite drink, and no a frappacino is not the same!). I used to sit there and study for hours...aww memories.

Too hot to travel

T-Stylemint, Vest-JCrew, Jeans-Paige, Scarf-Gap, Shoes-Vince Camuto, Necklaces-EmersonMade,
Bracelets-Maui, Watch-Coach

This was my planned travel outfit last week, but it was to flipping hot to wear jeans. While trying to get these pictures, I had to run into the house numerous times and stand in front of the fan. Can you see the sweat on me? Look closely, it's there. I heard someone say Satan went back to hell because it was cooler than here- can't blame him! HA! After many repeated attempts, I decided it wasn't worth the effort and switched to this little number. It was much cooler and still comfortable for the flight. Check back Monday for an update from my trip to California. It was so much fun, but I think I need a vacation from my vacation!

Stripes and Spots

Tee-Stylemint, Skirt-H&M, Belt-Limited, Shoes-Vince Camuto, Necklaces-EmersonMade,
Watch-Coach, Bracelets-Maui

Have you checked out Stylemint yet? It's a monthly tshirt line created by Mary Kate and Ashely Olsen.  Each tee is 29.99 and they release a new set each month. I just love the way this one hangs. It's comfy and soft yet looks stylish. I wore this numerous times while I was in California last week and see it becoming a go-to piece.

Flower Power

Dress-3.1Phillip Lim, Tshirt-H&M, Shoes-DV by Dolce Vita, Belt, Sunnies and Necklace-Target,
Earrings-Macy's, Watch-Coach, Bracelet-F21

My answer to a sweltering day-the perfect day dress. Remember when I wore it like this when it was freezing out? It's really a summer dress, made of lightweight linen. Perfect for the temps we had today. Fortunately, I leave for CA tomorrow. My girlfriend assures me that I will not have any humidity. YES! Speaking of which, I found a way to make my hair stay put-tease the crap out of it and then shellac it with enough hairspray to be considered a fire hazzard. What do you think? This is after a full day of 90+ degrees with humidity that makes it feel like 112! I'll be back on Monday with pics from the trip. Stay cool!

Wings

Blouse-Gap, Cardi-Winter Kate, Jeans-Paige, Shoes-Vince Camuto, Necklaces-EmersonMade,
Watch-Coach,Bracelts-Gift, Target

I was lucky to snap these shots between rain storms on Friday and the onset of what turned out to be a very hot and humid weekend. It was "You walk outside and instantly need to go back in and shower" humid.  Notice the progression of my hair in these pictures. It started out straight, and in a matter of 10 minutes, the ends started to wing up. Note, my hair was blown out by my hairstylist AND flat ironed just shortly beforehand... still didn't hold up to this humidity. Ugh. You should have seen it later that night. Picture Monica in the Friends episode when they went to Bermuda and her hair continued to grow throughout the trip!  I don't know what I'm going to do this week. It's going to be like this all week long. Any suggestions? I wish I could wear a head scarf to work, or better yet a hat! Oh, and I don't have air conditioning so spending hours drying and flattening it just don't work. I end up a puddle of sweat before I even get out the door.

Favorite Pants

Tank, Cardi-Target, Pants-Pure Joy(Nordstrom YEARS ago), Shoes-Seychelles, Bag-Coach,
Necklaces-EmersonMade, F21, Earrings-Limited, Bracelets-Target, Gift, local, Watch-Coach

You've seen these pants before (here). They have been favorites of mine for going on 12 years now. I have to stagger when I wear them as they aren't easy to forget. I'm loving this cardi paired with them that I picked up at Target. It's so soft and comfy. This piece will be coming with me when I travel to CA next week.  I'm counting down the days to spending some quality time with my girls. But first, a few days of work in Orange County. Then, I'm heading up the coast to San Luis Obispo. My favorite place to visit (not to mention we got married in Pismo Beach).  We plan to hit up the farmer's market, county fair to see Maroon 5 and Train, and some wine tasting in Paso Robles.