June 18, 2013
I really really miss living by the beach. After I graduated college and got married, my Mr. and I moved to Sarasota for a year. It was glorious. I worked four long days and had three days off each week. I knew living in Sarasota was somewhat temporary so I took full advantage of that year and went to the beach every chance I got. We lived in a tiny (as in 400-square-foot tiny) blue house in downtown Sarasota. It. Was. Awesome. An adventure.
The beach relaxes me. Gives me clarity. Helps me think. I can hyperfocus. Read pages and pages of books and magazines. Walk up and down it for hours. It’s a pretty endless source of entertainment for me.
After my brother’s wedding, me and 17 members of my mom’s side of the family graced the beaches of Gulf Shores, Alabama. After a jam-packed wedding weekend, it was perfect to just — do nothing. Be with family. I didn’t fully unplug because the wrath of that is more email than I can handle when I get home, so I did a little work here and there, but minimal.
I played in the ocean with my niece and nephew, drank some wine with the adults, and played Mexican Train Dominoes with my cousins. We rented a beach house (right on the beach) with a screened in porch and a open air deck. I didn’t leave it to go anywhere. Not the store, not out to eat. Nowhere. Just stayed in the beach house, and went to the beach.
Did I mention I miss living by the beach? I miss living by the beach. The waves are the most beautiful natural white noise. The water is beautiful and warm in the Gulf. The beaches are powdery. The breeze is constant…
My mom, her husband, and my nephew.
On the beach with my niece. Continue reading…
June 13, 2013
Seven essentials for a day at the beach!
ONE // Wide Brim Fedora
Seriously, my hat (I have this Panama hat in natural) has been my savior this week at the beach. I’ve worn one every day and will never go to the beach again with out one!
TWO // Windowpane Beach Blanket
I love a giant beach blanket.
THREE // Shiseido Oil-Free UV Protector SPF 42
You really just can’t NOT use sunscreen. Don’t ruin your vacation the first day by burning — reapply!
FOUR // Bobbi Brown SPF 15 Lip Balm
The last thing you want to burn is your lips, so applying lip balm with an SPF throughout the day is a must.
FIVE // Joie A La Plage Sandals
I love these simple contrast sandals! Perfect for the beach, and all summer long.
SIX // Suboo Sun Kissed Nirvana Bandeau Bikini
Avoid getting tan lines with a bandeau bikini!
SEVEN // Warby Parker Everett Sunglasses
I’m so glad Warby Parker started making prescription sunglasses. Being someone that wears contacts, I like to give my eyes a break and wear my glasses a few times a week, but I used to have the sunglasses issue — not anymore!
June 12, 2013
Bodyboard, Antoine Rose
Being at the beach this week, it’s all that’s on my mind. Recently I did a post on beach photography, but hadn’t found this photographer — Antoine Rose. I love the green color of the water in his photos. These are from his UP IN THE AIR series.
About the adventurous working process of aerial photography Rose once confessed in an interview: “Shooting from helicopters, all doors removed, 300 feet above earth at 20 knots and getting tack sharp images that can be printed as large as 10 feet wide is quite a challenge.” (copy via Samuel Owen Gallery)
You can purchase these prints at Samuel Owen Gallery.
Line Up, Antoine Rose
Photos via Samuel Owen Gallery
June 3, 2013
May flew by (as all months seem to do nowadays). May was a fun month — two quick trips up to NYC, two of my best friends came to visit me from Kansas City, celebrated 8 years with my Mr., and a few additions to my wardrobe that I’m still on a high about. (Above) This Mexicana Clutch from Cleobella (gifted) has me jazzed. The inside of it is filled with all of the perfect nooks, crannies and pockets for everything you need. I also loved the cover of VOGUE with Kate Upton. The shoot was amazing!
I took two business trips to New York in May (love. my. job.) and one of my favorite drinks while in town was at The Standard. (Sunglasses are these Ray Ban Emma Sunglasses).
The Mr. and I went on a hike in the George Washington National Forest. This was the view from the top of the mountain. This photo doesn’t do it justice so … Continue reading…
May 10, 2013
I’m reliving my 2008 trip to Puerto Rico today. My husband and I went for a fun relaxing vacation almost five years ago (whoa!). It was so easy to travel to Puerto Rico since it is part of the U.S. you don’t need your passport, your cell phone works, and car insurance isn’t extra (check yours but ours was fine), it was an easy trip to plan. After a lot of research and reading reviews on TripAdvisor I decided on La Concha. We got a great deal on our room and we loved the hotel. It’s right on the beach and has two pools — possibly more now. It was undergoing a large renovation and addition while we were there (which we hardly noticed) so I’m sure it has changed since we went. Note that these photos were taken off a point-and-shoot.
We also had fun celeb spotting at the hotel. At the time they were filming the movie The Men Who Stare at Goats and the cast just happened to be living at La Concha for the time (no I didn’t know that when I booked it) — so yes I saw George Clooney almost every day for a week! He is way skinnier and shorter than I thought he’d be, but definitely just as handsome as you’d expect. Also staying there was Kevin Spacey, Jeff Bridges (so tall!), and Ewan McGregor. They were always hanging around the pool and no one bothered them, which I’m sure they appreciated. Then Lindsay Lohan’s mom and sister Ali showed up. Everyone just kept to themselves, it was lovely.
When traveling to Puerto Rico, I would make sure to take some tennis shoes or really comfy sport sandals if you plan to hike through the El Yunque rainforest as it can be wet and slippery. In my research for the trip is said that the rainforest was, well rainy, and to bring a poncho. Which I did like a dummy. Unless you plan to hike all day, and don’t want to get wet, you really don’t need a poncho. We wore our bathing suits on the hike so we could get in the waterfall!
I’m a huge fan of the Kindle since you can download multiple books without adding the bulk to your bag, and you can see it in the sun. We brought our laptop so we could lookup restaurants while we were in town which proved helpful when trying to figure out who Ewan McGregor was. We also rented a car, which I suggest if you plan on leaving your hotel (which you should). Puerto Rico is small, so you can go all over the island, but you need to be on your driving game when you drive.
Puerto Rico Packing List: Continue reading…
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