WALLS | verve coffee roasters.

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remember the last WALLS feature where i showed you laura’s adorable little beach cottage?  well we are staying in santa cruz, california for today’s feature at a coffee shop that she introduced us to while we were visiting.

i know i say “this is my FAVORITE coffee shop” quite a bit…but i think i really mean it this time.  this place is at least in my top five FOR SURE.  i’m excited to share with you verve coffee roasters!  seeing as it is my ultimate dream job to brand a coffee shop (hint hint any prospective coffee shop starter-uppers out there that might be reading my little blog), i was immediately drawn to verve for their amazing combination of great design + decor + really good coffee.  those edison light bulbs, that simple yet bold black + white menu, the product display cards, the packaging, the stamped to-go cups….ah!  all of it is just so dreamy.  perfection in a coffee shop in my opinion.

*there are 3 locations in santa cruz, but this is the downtown one located at 1540 pacific avenue | santa cruz, ca | 95062

genie pants.

Genie Pants | JayAdores Genie Pants | JayAdores Genie Pants | JayAdores

i guess i’m on a roll with unflattering clothing as of late, because these have found their way into my closet and i’m pretty happy about it.  they are the comfiest NON-sweatpants i’ve ever owned, no question.  reis and i had a coffee shop work date a few weeks ago on a rainy saturday and this outfit was the perfect “loungewear” i could scrounge up for working inside all afternoon in a public place.  because let’s be real, when i’m working from home, it’s pajamas all day, every day.  i’m trying to work on this…but somehow my closet gets surpassed on my way from our bed >>> my desk (a grand total of seven steps).  these genie pants (i think technically they are called harem pants, but i like the word genie better) sure do feel like pajamas so they just may make the cut for my working-from-home wardrobe….maybe.

CIRCLE ISLAND no. 02 | leonard’s bakery.

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whenever people visit us here on oahu, we usually take them to leonard’s bakery during their stay.  i might be one of the few people on this planet that actually doesn’t care for malasadas (those sugary fried dough balls pictured above)…only because i’m more of a chocolate-with-rainbow-sprinkles-donut kind of girl.  however, that doesn’t stop me from introducing our guests to this bakery since 99% of the population really love these glorified donuts.  (i personally take more interest in their cute pink boxes for their good design!)  a few things to note: you may wait in a pretty long line if you come here because tour buses drop people off here in loads throughout the day.  but if you go early in the morning, you might have a better chance of avoiding the crowds and getting a super fresh (and super hot!) malasada.  enjoy!

OUR WEDDING | shine blow dry bar with the bridesmaids.

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have you guys ever gotten a blowout at the dry bar?  well, the santa barbara equivalent is a salon called shine blow dry bar and it’s where all of my bridesmaids had their hair done the morning of our wedding.  the appointments started pretty early in order to fit all 9 of them in so it was a good thing they served coffee.  one thing for sure is that they do a really good job of pampering you there.  i went and hung out with them for awhile and the sweet stylists made me a mimosa that i sipped on before i headed back to the house to get my hair + makeup done.  we had the whole salon to ourselves since they don’t open until noon on sundays and i just loved the whole experience!

*once we get our professional photos, i’ll be doing just a few more wedding posts.  ha, SORRY if you are getting sick of our wedding!  these posts are actually serving as my digital scrapbook so i can remember our special weekend in more detail than i’m sure my memory will allow in the years to come.

**happy friday and happy weekend!

OUR WEDDING | the day before.

Jaymee + Reis Wedding WeekendJaymee + Reis Wedding Weekend

the weekend of our wedding, my parents rented a house in montecito for our family and my bridesmaids.  it was really fun to have everyone all together and to have a place where out of town guests could hang out (we had an ice cream party here after the rehearsal dinner!).  saturday before the wedding consisted of a morning starbucks run with my dad, a [heart-shaped] pancake breakfast, manicures + pedicures, a bridesmaids’ lunch at paradise cafe, and my bachelorette party (yes, the night before the wedding)!  meanwhile, the groomsmen were on a day-long hunt for shoes to wear the next day at the wedding, ha!  oh boys.  it all worked out because they ended up finding a major steal on vans shoes that not only had enough pairs AND in everyone’s size, but were only $10!

it was pretty awesome to be surrounded by my best friends in one place at one time because 1) they are all from different phases of my life (some family, some high school, some college) and 2) we all live pretty far apart from each other.  it was also fun to see how well everyone got along!  i totally knew they would, but it’s just cool seeing all of your best friends having a great time hanging out together.  bridal parties are usually a mix of friends, so i love when everyone bonds and it’s just one bff-fest all weekend long!  they sure did an over-the-top job of spoiling me that weekend and making me feel super special.  i am indeed blessed to have such amazing friends and i am grateful for each and every one of them!

*photos mostly by janelle, some by me & my sis – thanks again janelle for being my weekend photog!