postcards from california

A quick look at our little Californian adventure.

We arrived late Friday night, as it took a couple more hours to get there than normal, due to some strange traffic and construction. We were staying with Dustin's brother and sister-in-law, who just moved to Long Beach from San Diego! Danny and Erin are expecting a baby boy this October, so they're currently living with her parents until their new house is ready. 

We went to Trump International, walking along the golf course and hiking down to the beach. It was a bit muggy and overcast, but beautiful. We grabbed fish tacos for lunch in the sketchiest of all neighborhoods, fearing for our lives when a set of firecrackers went off. I think they must play that trick a lot. Dustin ducked to the side like a pro, but I'll mention that he did not try to save me from the faux-bullets. 

After that we went back to the house to get ready! That evening we were renting a Duffy boat for a few hours, to eat out on the water and toast to Dustin finishing the bar exam. A few other couple friends of ours drove out to join us, which was so much fun. We ate our gourmet hand-chosen dinners from Gelson's supermarket and chatted. It had been a long time since we were able to visit all together! All three girls were bridesmaids in my wedding, so it's always fun to look back over the course of our marriage and see how much everything has changed for everyone. I'm so glad they're still in my life.

After the Duffy boat ride a few of us went back to the house and relaxed in the hot tub in the backyard, and then ate some ice cream in front of the fireplace! Our friends then had to drive back home, so the four of us got in our pjs and slept like babies. It was the perfect day.

Sunday morning they took us to The Hangout for brunch at Seal Beach, then took a few minutes to walk along the pier. We had a long drive ahead of us, so we said goodbye to Danny and Erin and headed towards Riverside! Dustin and I went to CBU for college, so we couldn't help stopping by for some quick reminiscing. We went by our old apartments, walking hand-in-hand as we took in everything that has changed since we went to school there. It was pretty overwhelming!

We actually got stopped by a campus policeman, who apparently thought we were pretty fishy, taking photos and laughing and sighing at everything. I think he thought we were dangerously emotional. 

We grabbed some much-needed Starbucks and hopped over to Redlands to see my cousins, who just moved into a gorgeous new home (actually, into a gorgeous old home). 

It was such a fantastic weekend. Even though it took us a freakish 8 hours to get there, and almost 9 to get home (more weird traffic/construction/storm damage), it was well worth the drive. We love California!

the fairgrounds

There's something enchanting about a fair.
Especially a State Fair - it sounds so grand and invigorating, something that unites everyday locals by serving them junk food with twinkling music and bright lights and games that you know are rigged but you can't help but play anyway. It's competitive and recreational, playful and intoxicating.

We went to a State Fair this past Saturday and stood around various food booths for at least an hour straight when we first arrived.
Bloomin' onions, mini donuts, hot french fries with vinegar, corn on the cob with cajun and parmesan, fried cookie dough and frozen cheesecake dipped in chocolate. For some reason nothing at the fair actually fills your stomach - it all just makes you more hungry. It's bewitched.

It was a pretty busy night, and we arrived right at sunset so we got to enjoy the fair right at the beginning of its glorious night time glow. We didn't ride any rides because the lines were so long, but we did sing, dance, skip, eat, laugh, play, eat, eat, and eat.

Last year was my husband's first time going to a State Fair, so I'm glad we were able to go again this year -- and this time with friends, who grew up in the area and have gone every year since they were little! It's a fun tradition and it was even more fun to hear their favorite spots, and to see how quickly they could find their way in the maze of littered popcorn and bustling strangers. 

Last year was so warm, but this year it was slightly drizzly at first and stayed pretty cool throughout the evening. I love this dress for its endless versatility (see it remixed here), and I kept it pretty casual with an open plaid top (remixed here), tights and boots, and a coat for the rain and chilly breezes.

It was fun to experiment with a photo shoot at night --- I always try to avoid those, but there are so many lights and so many colors that the pictures turned out pretty cool. We also got to enjoy a fireworks show later that evening! 

It was the perfect way to pretend to be a kid again, road tripping and skipping around the fairgrounds on a dreary Saturday night. 

birthday!

My best friend and my husband and I left on Friday afternoon to spend the weekend in Washington D.C.!
It was the perfect birthday getaway. Becky had never been, and what better way to spend a birthday celebration than eating out at great restaurants every meal, bike riding around the city, and visiting our favorite monuments?

Right before we left on Friday we had a bunch of cards and boxes delivered for my birthday, and one of them was from my mom, containing three amazing dresses from Ruche and the most amazing blush pink boots, which I'll be wearing very soon.
This dress is one of them! I love it. I've been wanting to snatch up one of their Aztec print dresses for a while, and now I have three of them. I love this one in particular because it reminds me so much of Arizona, my home state and soul home.

One of the bloggers I met through Cara Box, Amanda (see her blog here!), told me about a trip she took to Scotland, and how she remembers writing in her journal that if people had soulmates, then maybe they also had soulhomes - and if so, Scotland was definitely hers.
I absolutely love that idea. I felt a similar connection to Ireland when we went, and it's so poetic to think that Ireland and I were destined to meet.

But if I have only one soulhome, it's most definitely Arizona.

Dress (shop!)/sunglasses (shop!): Ruche, Bangle (shop!): gifted/Kate Spade 

I love this best friend bangle from Kate Spade -- Becky and I made a pact to buy it for each other randomly, and I gave her the gold version on New Year's Eve last year, and she gave this silver one to me for my birthday.

Despite the government shutdown, we were able to have an amazing Saturday in DC!
We even got to witness some fervent patriotism, as busses of veterans arrived and people cheered them on into the WWII memorial while the rangers stood by the open barricades, stating that "the park is closed", but not stopping anyone from entering.
It was a rather powerful display!
At one point, Michelle Bachmann moved the barricade and led a large group of people up the steps into the Lincoln monument - it was open for about ten minutes before the police arrived.
Crazy stuff!

While in town, we hit some of my favorite food spots: Oyamel, Good Stuff Eatery, Filomena, and Georgetown Cupcake!

Here are a few snapshots of the day:

(Yeah, we even saw a fox - happy birthday to me!)

weekends away

Earlier this summer, my husband and I made a little getaway to Richmond.
We booked a hotel smack dab in the middle of downtown, with a great room and an incredible view.

It's amazing how rejuvenated we felt after such a small getaway. Richmond is only a little over two hours away from us, but we felt like we were far from home and ready for adventure.
Being in a city environment with new restaurants and new shopping areas (and a big theme park that we went to on Saturday!) was like being in a whole new world.
We walked around holding hands, went into a beautiful historic hotel, stopped for coffee, went shopping, and even went to one of those phenomenal theater experiences where they serve you food at your seats. We had delicious blue cheese nachos, pasta and coffee while we laughed out loud at The Heat (and the incredibly drunk girl sitting behind us that had to be escorted out.)

As I was thinking about summer coming to an end, I was looking back through this trip and remembered taking a few outfit photos on our last night. We got dressed up and went to a super cool restaurant called The Boathouse which sat right on the water and overlooked the Richmond skyline. It was a lovely weekend, one I hope we're able to repeat with similar mini getaways to nearby places. Sometimes you don't have to go that far to feel like you're whisked away to something exciting.

Dress: London (similar, similar), Shoes: Poetic License (shop, shop)