i cannot believe it has been ONE WHOLE YEAR since this magical day! i love him more than i did a year ago, that is for certain (and i loved him a whole lot on our wedding day!).

we got home last night from a week spent in hawaii visiting family + friends and are off today for a few days in santa barbara – where it all began! and of course we are going to watch this (for the thousandth time) to reminisce.

photo by annie mcelwain

a few weeks ago for my birthday, reis surprised me and told me to pack an overnight bag + be ready at 6 pm because he was taking me somewhere when he got off of work. this was really exciting because 1) he’s never done that before, and 2) i love surprises. he took me to san diego for the night and we had the best time. we’ve been driving down south quite a bit lately but haven’t made it into the heart of san diego on any of our day trip excursions. he booked a room at hotel palermo in the gaslamp district and we ate dinner at osteria panevino. i highly, highly recommend this place. they have authentic + amazing italian food that made us feel like we were back in italy on our honeymoon! another noteable stop on our mini trip was the coffee and tea collective in north park. i actually think the first time i heard about this place was via a photo on pinterest. we love trying out different coffee shops in the places we go and this place did not disappoint (plus their logo/branding is pretty rad!).

thanks again to my main man for planning such a sweet surprise for me. you’re the best.

it’s probably pretty obvious by now that coffee + the beach are two of our favorite things. not surprisingly, both of these things are often involved in our days spent together. several weeks ago we headed down to encinitas for the day. i really love this cute little town, their gorgeous beaches, and their cute coffee shops (namely pannikin). it’s even better when reis’ day off lands on a weekday because we get places to ourselves and don’t have to deal with crowds!

the weather is starting to feel more like fall in these parts and that probably means beach days won’t happen as much…but i won’t say the same about our coffee consumption. i could not be more excited for this season! it’s my first fall with temps below 85* in the past four years so i say bring on the cold weather, layers, and hot drinks.

last monday, ann-marie, janelle, and i had a midday excursion to the arts district in downtown LA. the insanely talented photographers jessie webster and kim genevieve held a photography workshop and it was super interesting to hear about their techniques and processes. the temps were a blazin’ and i was roasting in black pants so i was ever thankful for the unlimited iced coffees (compliments of handsome coffee roasters). we took advantage of our midday hangout sesh and  followed the workshop with a little shopping at poketo and a delicious lunch at eat drink americano.

i’m constantly feeling grateful for the freelance lifestyle of making my own schedule and pursuing what i love. it has allowed me to do so many things (like going to a workshop on a monday afternoon!) that i wouldn’t have been able to do being cooped up in an office. i’m not sure how long we will live in los angeles, but i’m trying to take advantage of it while i can because this city is pretty incredible and has so much to offer!