Category Archives: my life

DAY TRIP TO SAN CLEMENTE

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in continuation of this post last month…here are some photos from the rest of our day spent in san clemente! we went for a “hike” (if we can even call it that) on the rancho san clemente ridgeline trail. it’s definitely more like a paved walk, but it was still a nice little jaunt! our walk was followed by tacos at the renowned pedro’s. california mexican food wins big time in my book. we ended our day with a few hours at the beach and a walk along the esplanade with coffee and frozen yogurt. there are so many incredible places to explore in california and i am looking forward to many more adventures here with my main man. i am just praying some waves will decide to show up so reis can get his surf-fix soon…

LIFE LATELY.

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blogging is kind of like working out.  the less often you do it, the easier it becomes to not do it.  that’s kind of what happened this past month.  now that we are in the middle of september (how did that happen!?), i feel like the fall calls for fresh starts and i want back on the blog wagon!  starting with a brief recap of what i’ve been up to lately.

 

this summer was busy but in a really good way.

1) i really love exploring the city by myself.  (i also love doing this with reis but since he works a million hours a week, i fly solo pretty often.)  i find myself going on lots of errands throughout LA so i take advantage of the freeway treks and make stops into shops and cafes.

2) we try to make the most of reis’ days off with quick day trips to pretty socal beaches.  these days are my favorite.

3) i’ve been designing a lot this summer!  lots of fun projects for rad clients and lots of personal projects too.  i’ve been experimenting with hand lettering the past several months and these invitations for my niece’s first birthday were so much fun to create!

4 + 5) getting settled is a never-ending process.  we’re a few pieces of furniture shy of being [almost] done, but we are getting there!  we made lots of progress in the paint department and my dad and i built a bar and some shelves for our kitchen/living room (hooray for more counter space!).

happy monday!  i’m looking forward to being back on this space more often.

I’VE GOT A THING FOR PONCHOS.

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it’s no secret that i’m rather obsessed with bag-like, one-size-fits-all clothing.  i recently bought this poncho (and maybe a few others…woops) and i am in love.  it is super comfortable.  but that’s not surprising since i am basically wearing a blanket with a cutout for my head.  it’s kind of awesome.  i remember loving ponchos back in high school and then they went out of style.  sooo, to say i’m super excited they have made their way back into the fashionable clothing realm is an understatement.

these photos are from a little day trip we took to san clemente last friday (more on our adventure to come later this week!).  oh how i love that little town!  cheers to ponchos and day trips and reis getting days off.

GIRLTIME + MANHATTAN BEACH.

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a few weekends ago, two of my best pals janelle and ann-marie came down to redondo to visit our new digs.  we went to manhattan beach for dinner where we dined at lemonade (our favorite), walked along the pier, and snapped lots of photos of the gorgeous sunset…and each other.  this tends to happen when you get 3 bloggers in the same place, HA!  as i get older, i have been thinking about how much i really, truly appreciate my friendships with my girlfriends.  being married is the best, but every girl still needs time with her ladies!  i’ve known these girls since elementary school and high school and we just know each other SO well.  being back in california i have loved getting to see them more often without the time restraints of a temporary visit.  i am especially looking forward to ann-marie’s wedding coming up this october!!  lots of celebratory festivities are coming up real soon for this beautiful bride-to-be and this means two things: 1) lots of fun times with all of our high school friends and 2) lots of crafting.  both of which make me very happy.  thanks for coming down to visit me, gals!  more adventures coming right up…california, i love you!

OFFICE UPDATE.

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so my office is far, far from being how i envision it looking, but we are making progress people!  last week i painted the walls white (as you can see they were grey before and it was just too dark.  my workspace needs to be white and bright!) and stained the desktops so now they are a darker wood.  the day we moved in, we found these ikea desks on craigslist at an office liquidation sale in pasadena.  we got ’em for a major bargain too which always feels good.  and a bargain of an ikea price really should qualify as a triple bargain!  the only bummer about these desks is the fact that they have no drawers or storage component.  i resolved this with a dresser and some shelves that are all set up now on the wall opposite of the one shown in the photo.  next up is finding some artwork for the walls and some bulletin board type fixtures to use for inspiration boards.  it’s shaping up in here.  will share more soon!

FREELANCE THOUGHTS | COFFEE + SLEEP.

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this is a little snippet of life lately.  lots of coffee.  and lots of catching up on sleep in our big ol’ comfy bed.  my body is currently on the wonkiest of schedules.  when reis was on night call a few weeks ago, i aligned my work schedule with his and pulled lots of all nighters.   now i’m trying to get on an early morning schedule and off of my nocturnal regimen.  i’ve seen the four AM hour a few times too many and it often results in sluggish mornings and a daily nap time.  naps are great, but they definitely make me feel unproductive and quite lazy in the middle of the day (they are so necessary for my functionality, though!).  the past few days have been on the up and up and i’ve been starting my work day at 7!  so hoooooray!  i’m hoping i can keep this up and the night owl in me will call it quits around the midnight hour.  oh freelance life, how i love you so.