In travel on
August 11, 2014

girls weekend in palm springs

for my friend kayla’s birthday, we spent the weekend at the ace hotel in palm springs. it was hot hot hot (like 105 degrees hot) but we spent lots of time sipping drinks by the pool and chilling wherever there was air conditioning to be found. we explored the downtown and some of the local hotels in the area but always ended up back at ace. we found a private pool in the back which was a nice way to stay away from the crowded and crazy atmosphere at the main pool. it was a nice time of getting to celebrate kayla in such a beautiful and fun place. it was so sad to leave but i’m looking forward to more girls weekends like this in the future.





















In lists on
August 9, 2014

summer(ing)



eating // scallops! probably a product of watching too much top chef
drinking // lots of iced coffee from my new nespresso vertuo
practicing // yoga outside in 100 degree palm springs weather (yikes!)
learning // lazy days are sometimes the best days
playing // iggy azalea, arctic monkeys and riptide by vance joy
reading // eat to live and the beginning of everything
walking // crystal cove state beach
loving // being in the same place as so many of my friends
cooking // life changing bread
wearing // lacy shorts and birks
craving // farmers market fruit (especially green figs)
working // as a wedding coordinator and florist! so fun
traveling // up the coast (big sur, carmel, slo) and out to the dessert (palm springs)
anticipating // the road trip to ohio and COLLEGE!!

{photo via this sweet girl}
In life on
July 14, 2014

cincinnati revisited + an announcement

i’ve been pretty quiet about my next step on social media but i’m finally ready to blog about it. i am happy to announce i have been accepted to the premiere college in the nation for my major and i couldn’t be more excited! this has been my dream school since i was seven years old and my friend’s father, a shoe designer for nike, told me it was his alma mater and the best place to study design! when i was a senior in high school and making the big decision of what schools to apply for, i visited university of cincinnati, along with ohio state and cedarville, where i eventually ended up. i was beyond impressed with uc’s industrial design program and the school in general but the art department was undergoing some big changes and it just didn’t feel right for me at the time. the program encourages so much independence that i don’t think my seventeen year old self was ready for. fast forward a few years and i finally decided to apply last summer. i knew i was a transfer student so it would be next to impossible to get in but God is a god of the impossible and if He wanted me there, i knew i would get in. after months and months of prolonged waiting, i got my acceptance email during my last week in york! it was bitter sweet because i knew my time in england was over but i am over the moon for what is next. i leave in august so i still have a little of summer to savor but i am counting down the days till we road trip out to ohio. while looking through an old hard drive, i found these pictures i took when i visited all those years ago. little did i know down the line, after i had already experienced a year of college, made so many amazing friends, learned another language and lived in three different countries, that i would be back as a student. God surely works in mysterious ways.


{my first memory of ohio}


{football stadium in the middle of campus!}


{inside the daap (design, art, architecture and planning) building}



{seventeen year old me // six story tall trophy case}



{classic ohio fast food}


In eateries, food, travel on
July 10, 2014

le pure cafe

on our last night in paris, after a busy day of sightseeing and exploring, emily and i ate at le pure cafe in the 11th arrondissement. its adorable and quintessentially french but what makes it truly special is that it was the location of one of my favorite scenes in before sunset. i was so starstruck just by being there and i completely lived up to my expectations. it’s small and quaint but really comfortable and the food was so delicious! i had the most amazing crab cakes i have ever encountered. if i had to pick something for my last meal on earth, it would be those wonderful crab cakes. yum! emily and i really embraced the experience and stayed late into the night, drinking and eating and chatting. it was magical! and here ends my paris series. sorry it was so long but i really wanted to do justice to how wonderful of an experience it was.







In travel on
July 8, 2014

monet’s garden

there are very few books I remember reading growing up but Linnea in Monet’s Garden is one of the ones I distinctly remember. even since reading that book, I always wanted to go there and wander around the grounds and stand on the famous bridge. so when I found out Emily’s class was going and I could tag along too, I was overjoyed! it was a grey, rainy day but that didn’t even deter from the beauty of the gardens. the gardens feel much more quaint and intimate that I imagined they would which made me like them even more. we wandered around and visited the gift shop, which used to be Monet’s studio, and took quintessential pictures on Monet’s green bridge. overall, Monet’s garden definitely lived up to my childhood expectations.


















In eateries, food, travel on
July 5, 2014

ten belles

while researching places to go in paris, ten belles came up again and again. everyone seemed to be raving about the adorable exterior, friendly service and most of all, the great coffee. the coffee truly was worth the hype. i still don’t think it was quite on pare with intellegensia and some of my other favorite los angeles joints but it was rich and delicious and just hit the spot after wandering around all day. the cafe is tiny inside but we were lucky enough to snag a seat upstairs to people watch and enjoy the environment. after our coffee break, we took advantage of the surrounding area and explored this hip, up and coming district. the people here were probably the most stylish i saw in all of paris! i will never forget the girl i saw wearing striped ankle socks with mens pants and tank top looking oh so stylish with a cropped parisian haircut or the guy who looked straight out of the 1900s with round glasses and a baguette under his arm. if i ever get the chance to live in paris, the tenth arrondissement is definitely where you’d find me.






Belle7

//around the 10th arrondissement//