travel

Birthday Getaway at Lake Arrowhead

My boyfriend and I had the BEST time in Lake Arrowhead this weekend! We packed our bags and booked an Airbnb in celebration of Justin’s big 30th Birthday.

We stayed at a lakefront cottage complete with a fireplace, jacuzzi, and panoramic views of the lake…it was heaven! Once we arrived, I decorated the cottage while Justin ran to the store.

I wanted to surprise Justin with a cake when he returned from the store, but I needed his help finding it since the cake actually got delivered before we arrived. Apparently, the cleaning crew signed for it (thinking it belonged to the homeowner). We had to sneak into the detached garage to find the package containing the cake…it was quite an adventure.

Luckily, the cake was completely boxed up still and had little ice packs to keep it fresh! Close one, haha.

I managed to get a picture of Justin and the birthday decorations! He loved them.

We had the best time playing in the snow, visiting the Lake Arrowhead Village, and driving around the snowy streets. I’ve only seen snow a few times, so it was really exciting for me to see the trees and snow-covered meadows.

Justin actually spent quite a bit of time in Lake Arrowhead while growing up (he had some family there), so it was cool to see all of his old hangout spots and the house he used to live in. He was a great tour guide and answered all of my random questions about living in a snowy area, haha.

The lake views were absolutely stunning!

I can’t stop thinking about how beautiful the views were from our cottage! I hope this Airbnb stays in business so we can revisit sometime soon…I’m already mentally planning our next trip.

Categories: Lifestyle, travel

Secret Rosé Garden at Beverly Wilshire

First things first – I moved! I’m Beverly Hills’ newest resident. I couldn’t be happier to be writing this blog post from my distresses-to-perfection shabby chic dining table, which is strategically placed right next to an AC vent because it’s so hot out (an apartment tour is coming soon, haha). This heat wave is killer, especially when you’re struggling to assemble impossibly complicated furniture…

I have to tell you guys about an incredible pop-up that I visited a few weekends ago! As soon as I heard about the Secret Rosé Garden at Beverly Wilshire, it shot up to the very top of my “must visit” list. This roses + rosé themed pop-up certainly took us by surprise.

I’d been to Beverly Wilshire quite a few times in the past, but I had never stayed there as an overnight guest, so I wasn’t sure what to expect beyond what I had already seen at The Blvd and in the hotel lobby. The hotel was built in 1928 on the site of the former Beverly Hills speedway – which, coincidentally, also used to occupy the land where my new building stands today (the speedway was MASSIVE and took up 275 acres of Beverly Hills).

To put it short, the hotel has an incredible history. I also must mention that Pretty Woman was filmed here, because I’d be a horrible Richard Gere fan if I didn’t, haha. The hotel has no shortage of interesting historical facts, so check them out here if you’re curious.

Anyways, back to the fabulously floral pop-up.

Not a single detail was overlooked – I honestly can’t say that I’ve ever been to a better experiential pop-up in my life! The only event that’s ever matched this level of thoughtfulness, originality, and detail was the Chanel Beauty House, which says a lot.

GUYS.

The MENUS. The FLOWERS.

The ATMOSPHERE.

We sat in the open-air dining area and ordered a picture-perfect assortment of pink items from the menu. The food and drink offerings were so fun and imaginative. The ambiance and service were also noteworthy. If you couldn’t tell already, I highly recommend visiting this pop-up!!!!

We ended our outing with a sunset game of badminton on the large, grassy rooftop lawn while admiring Beverly Wilshire’s picturesque view of Rodeo Drive. We had the BEST time!

P.S. I’m honestly DYING to do another home tour for my new place – so let me know in the comments if you’d like to see one on my YouTube!

Categories: Lifestyle, Style, travel, Uncategorized

Mission San Juan Capistrano + Ghost Stories…

Today I’m sharing a few pictures I snapped while visiting Mission San Juan Capistrano a few weekends ago. I actually went to school in San Juan Capistrano for what felt like forever (preschool – 8th grade), so I’ve been to this location quite a few times in the past for school and family related events. This time, I got to explore the Mission at a more leisurely pace and take in the history alongside my boyfriend who had actually never visited Mission San Juan Capistrano before.

It is no surprise that hundreds of people visit and re-visit the Mission every year! It was so beautiful and calm, but you could feel the dense, mixed history as you walked around the grounds.

I vividly remember kids from my elementary school joking around the day before our group tour about the ghosts that “continue to haunt the Mission.” I went home and Googled a bunch of ghost stories about the Mission and completely freaked myself out about the class tour….but I am happy to report that on my most recent visit, we did not see any ghosts (hahaha). I might have been a little (OR A LOT…) freaked out while visiting this location with my school as a kid, but now I think the Mission is equal parts beauty + history. The buildings and gardens are so beautiful and well maintained – it is no wonder that so many photographers, couples, and families visit this location for photo shoots. This is a must-see if you’re in Southern California – the grounds are so uniquely picturesque!

Categories: Lifestyle, Style, travel, Uncategorized

ROSE GOLD MINNIE EARS + DISNEYLAND TRIP!

Disney’s official website was sold out of the ever-so-Instagram-famous rose gold ears, but I found these EVEN BETTER and incredibly well made Rose Gold Minnie ears for only $30 online! They are truly SO unique with their plush bow design + beautiful rose gold sequins. I got so many compliments on these ears while we walked around the park! We had a great time and skipped the massive lines by going on a random Monday and getting as many FastPasses as Disneyland would allow. I can’t wait to visit again with my stylish Rose Gold Minnie ears!

Are you also a fan of unique Disney finds?! I saw so many cute pairs of ears while walking around the park and couldn’t help wanting to purchase them all, haha. I’m always interested in checking out other fashionable Disney pieces for future trips, so feel free to share your favorite Disney finds in the comments section! xo

Categories: Lifestyle, Style, travel

The Flower Fields | Carlsbad, CA

My mom and I heard about The Flower Fields from one of our relatives and knew we just HAD to go! We did a little research online and made a quick trip to Carlsbad to visit the fields. It looked even prettier in person with all of the flowers in bloom! The hills were so colorful…it felt like we were walking in a fairy tale. It was a little windy and cloudy, but the flowers didn’t seem to notice 😉

If you’re in Southern California, you really should see the fields for yourself. The flowers cover a beautiful 50 acres and can be toured via an antique tractor wagon (how cute is that?!). It is a great spot to take special occasion photos or to relax with family!

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Categories: Lifestyle, travel

New York || Travel Photo Diary

I hope that your 2016 is off to a fantastic start 🙂 I started the new year off with a quick trip to New York City with my boyfriend, Julian, in celebration of his 25th birthday! We were only in NYC for a few days, but we managed to fit in just about everything on our to-do list.

The highlights of our trip include taking the subway to Brooklyn for a Nets game, enjoying an Afternoon Tea at The Plaza Hotel, visiting SoHo’s amazing consignment shops, grabbing lunch with a fantastic view on the top floor of Saks 5th Avenue, ice skating at Rockefeller Center, eating brunch at Laduree, walking through Central Park, and only getting lost on the subway one time! We were on our feet the whole time and pretty tired from the flight but it was totally worth it. I have to say that my absolute favorite parts of the trip were ice skating and experiencing my first snowfall (I have been to the snow before, but I have never experienced the snow actually falling!).

The only thing that I really wish I had gotten to show Julian in NYC is the view from the One World Observatory. I got to experience the incredible view of NYC from the One World Trade Center just last year when I visited Conde Nast’s headquarters for their Teen Vogue event and would have loved for Julian to see it as well! The pictures I showed him from my trip of the view just didn’t do it justice! Unfortunately, it was super cloudy and snowing on the day that we were exploring by the One World Trade Center, so we decided to save visiting the Observatory for another trip when it was clear enough to see the view. It is at the top of our list for our next visit (whenever that may be).

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy these photos of our trip! 🙂 If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments section!

Categories: Lifestyle, travel

Travel Photo Diary

My mom, dad, and I recently spent 2 weeks exploring Italy and France and it was absolutely incredible. It was my first time going to Italy and my second time visiting my favorite city on the planet, Paris. Specifically, we visited Rome, Tuscany, Florence, Venice, and Paris. Instead of writing on and on about the places we saw, I though I would share some of my favorite pictures from each location that we visited. I tried to narrow them down, but I’ll be honest…there’s quite a few!

We made sure to visit all of the typical tourist locations such as the Colosseum, the Spanish Steps, the Duomo, Fontainebleau, Tuscany, the Eiffel Tower, Vatican City, and Piazza San Marco (among many others!). My mom and I are super lucky that my dad is a TOTAL history buff because he would stop periodically to tell us information about sites we were passing by. I keep joking that we will move to Europe and my dad can become an official tour guide since he is doing it already on our trips, haha!

We spent the rest of the time shopping, eating, and enjoying what each location had to offer in terms of fashion, of course. The fashion highlights of the trip include visiting the Gucci Museo, Galeries Lafayette, Valentino’s headquarters, Avenue Montaigne, Rue Cambon, Via Condotti, leather shops in Italy, & the oh-so-fabulous showrooms of Paris Fashion Week. I’m so happy that my parents enjoy fashion as much as I do! We were running around the entire time but it was totally worth it. My parents are the best travel buddies. If you have any questions about the locations pictured, feel free to drop me a comment below! Enjoy 🙂

ROME

TUSCANY

FLORENCE

VENICE

PARIS

Thanks for stopping by!

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