July Goals

Hello, July! Here we are, halfway through 2018 already! Feels really strange when you put it like that. 2018 has been an interesting year so far, but I am hoping that the rest of the year won't be quite as hectic!

Palm Springs

In August, Dai and I visited Palm Springs for the very first time. We decided to spend this little weekend away relaxing in the desert to celebrate his 30th birthday (and our 6th anniversary that was a few days later!). Palm Springs has been on my list of places to visit for a few years now and it amazes me that we didn't make it until this summer. It is in California after all, and only about an hour from my dad's house!

As you may know, I have this sliiiiight obsession with cute houses and all things mid-century modern. For someone like me, Palm Springs is pretty much paradise.

We opted to stay at the Marriott Desert Springs Villas in Palm Desert rather than directly in Palm Springs and absolutely loved it! While one day I would love to stay at a cool, retro hotel in the heart of Palm Springs, this resort was a relaxing oasis for us, which was exactly what we needed on this trip.
We stayed for two nights and spent our one full day lounging in the pool (because there is no lounging by the pool when it's 110 degrees out!), sipping on drinks, and laughing together. We went out to Babe's BBQ for a special birthday dinner, which was so very yummy!

We spent our evening drinking Moscow mules in the coper mugs I got Dai for his birthday and watching Master Chef on my laptop, which really is our kind of low key night. On our way out of town, we also stopped at a coffee shop in downtown Palm Springs, because how could I go somewhere new and not find a coffee shop to try?

This desert sunset was unlike any I had ever seen before. There is just something special about all of the open space, mountains, and palm tree silhouettes.

All of the awesome, unique houses made my heart so happy. I truly felt like a kid in a candy store! Thankfully Dai was pretty patient with me and let me drive around the neighborhoods and hop out every time I saw a house that I just had to have a photo of (which was like every few feet haha).
This was definitely such a nice little trip for us and we are already dreaming of going back next spring or summer. It was a weekend of pure relaxation, which we totally need sometimes! Our trips are usually packed with activities and things to see, but this was different and a welcomed change. We both felt so refreshed after these couple days in the desert.

Can't wait for our next visit!

Currently // June

Now that this month is coming to a close, I thought it would be nice to take some time to reflect on how June has been and to document some things that happened...

Reading... The book Brooklyn. I have had it for several months now and am slowly getting into it.
Playing... Sudoku on my phone. I had never played before, but while I was in Chicago I gave it a shot and now I'm addicted.
Watching... The Bachelorette and the new season of Pretty Little Liars. What can I say, I just love trashy TV haha
Trying... To make plans for our anniversary getaway and for a trip I may be taking with some friends. So many details to work out!
Cooking... Everything on the grill! I grilled tri-tip and veggies by myself for the first time the other day and now I want to grill allllll the things. So yummy! 
Eating... Yummy catered breakfast and lunch at my internship everyday. Yes, we are very spoiled.
Drinking... Vanilla coffee. We have awesome coffee machines at work and I am trying to not get hooked on caffeine!
Texting... My sister because she is awesome and I miss her.
Pinning... Branding inspiration for a bakery I am designing things for!
Going... To bed early these days because I have been so tired from working so much!
Loving... Swimming pretty much every afternoon at my nanny job! Makes those 10 hour work days a lot better!
Hating... The fact that I have to get some stuff done to my car this week which just means $$$.
Discovering... What I am really interested in for a career and also what I do not want. 
Thinking... Of all the things I would like to accomplish this summer and that I should probably write them down so I can start working on them!
Feeling... Generally happy about life right now! Good things are going on.
Hoping (for)... A miracle to happen and I find a place to move to soon!
Listening (to)... The Gilmore Guys podcast. I still have not caught up to the present day episodes, but I have been loving listening to them while I drive everyday! Plus, with the GG revival coming, it's been extra nice getting ready for that!
Ordering... That pink donut pool float and other things from Amazon because Amazon is king. Gotta love that Prime shipping! My sister also introduced me to Jane.com and that site is dangerous too!
Thanking... Myself for finally getting a new iPhone. I love it! Oh, and Dai for putting up with my antics :)
Considering... Taking off on an adventure this weekend! It is a holiday weekend after all, so why not?
Starting... To blog more often! I have really missed blogging consistently and would like to get back into it!
Finishing... This post because I should probably get back to my actual work ;)

All in all, June has been a great month! It flew by way too quickly though and I just want summer to slow down a bit! I'm excited to see what July and the rest of the summer will bring :)

How was your June? Did you do anything special? How is summer treating you so far?

xoxo

Jess

The Busy Bee Update // 2

I have been on summer break now for 4 weeks and I am just now sitting down to finally write a blog post. I know you are probably wondering what in the world could now be keeping me from blogging now that school has ended. Well, let me just start by saying this: life has been quite the wonderful whirlwind!

Let's see...what have I been up to?
I went out of town for two weeks with my dad and took a road trip from Illinois to California.
The day after I finished school, I headed out to Illinois to help my dad and his siblings clean out their 92-year-old aunt's house since she unfortunately passed away in April. I had not been to my dad's hometown in 6 years, so it was nice to visit again and see some extended family. While I was there, we were very busy trying to sort through my aunt's belongings and clear the house out so it could be put up for sale. It was really bittersweet being at her house, but it was good closure and I really enjoyed getting to know her more simply through all of the things she had. She and her late husband built that house and had lived there since the 1950s, so as you could imagine, there were tons of things buried in there. I found many vintage treasures and am happy to have those momentos to remind me of her.

During the second week of my trip, my dad and I drove from Illinois back to California. I had never done a road trip like that, so I was very excited for this adventure with my dad! We left Illinois on Sunday and ended in San Diego late Thursday night. We took our time getting home and stopped along the way in Missouri, New Mexico, Arizona, the Grand Canyon, and Las Vegas. I will definitely be posting more about that very soon, but it was such a fun trip!

I started a summer internship!
Two days after I got home to the Bay Area, I started an internship at a company called RingCentral. I am working in the marketing department (no, nothing design related) and have really been loving it so far! I just finished my second week and it has been a fun new experience. I have made lots of friends with the other interns from various departments and I am enjoying the team I work on. I am still nannying in the afternoons though, so between the two jobs I am working 50 hours per week. It has been really great and fulfilling, but I am definitely tired at the end of the day!

I'm figuring out where I will be moving to in the next month or so.
Along with all these fun things going on, I also have to deal with the not so fun task of figuring out where I am going to be moving to. So far I haven't found any great options, so it has been a little disappointing. I am not sure what I am going to do yet, but I know everything will work out one way or another!

I've been enjoying my weekends and evenings completely free of homework!
Aside from everything else, I have been simply enjoying my evenings and weekends that have left me free to relax, go places, and just hang out worry-free! It is so nice not to have any school assignments hanging over my head! I have been hanging out with friends more and have lots of things lined up on my summer bucket list. I am definitely soaking up every moment of this freedom before school starts back up again in August!

I am currently at Blue Bottle Coffee in Palo Alto with Dai and we are having a lovely summer day out and about! We are sitting outside at this public workspace and it is so nice! I wanted to use this relaxing time to quickly write a post to check-in and update you all on what's been up with me. I haven't abandoned this blog, I promise, and look forward to finally writing all these posts I have drafted in my head :)

Have a wonderful weekend!

Outfit // Tie Dye & Sunnies with Francis Drake Eyewear

I love sunglasses, I really do. I usually have a hard time finding the perfect pair, so when I do, I wear those exclusively. I've been wearing the same pair non-stop for two years and had recently been thinking that it may be time to add something new to my collection to spice things up. It just happened to be great timing when I was contacted by Francis Drake Eyewear to test out a set of their frames!
Francis Drake Eyewear is based in the San Francisco Bay Area (just like me!) and offers prescription (or non-prescription) glasses and sunglasses, at a very reasonable price. All of their frames are crafted in Italy with non-toxic and hypoallergenic materials, and all sunglass lenses are polarized. Did you know that 78% of glasses in the US are imported from China, where the majority of factories do not have regulations? The materials tend to be lower quality, but more importantly, can be toxic?! Apparently, some glasses manufactured in these factories can irritate your skin because they leak acetone. Yes, that stuff in nail polish remover! I would have never thought to be concerned about something like that, but now that I know that is a possibility, I definitely would prefer to steer clear from those materials! Thankfully, Francis Drake Eyewear is a wonderful and safe alternative choice!
There are a few things that I look for in a pair of sunglasses: a slightly retro shape, an interesting or classic color scheme, and quality materials. After browsing the Francis Drake site, I decided that the Montclair frames would be best for my style and face shape, and that I had to have them in the color 'champagne' since it was unlike anything I already owned. After I picked my pair, they thankfully arrived to me very quickly (I'm not too patient when I really want something haha) and so far, I have been really happy with my choice! In case you were interested, I also really like the Belvedere frames and had a hard time choosing! I think it is also pretty cool that all of their frames are named after places or cities around the Bay Area :)

These frames are pretty lightweight and are comfortable on my face. You can definitely tell that they are made from quality materials! They also came in a cute red pouch with a cloth so that I can keep them clean and scratch free. I have never had polarized lenses before, so I am adjusting to the way things look through them and have no complaints!
An awesome feature that I found on the Francis Drake website is virtual try-on! You can "try-on" any pair of frames using your webcam to see how they will look on you! I tried it and it is pretty darn cool :) They also have a nice guide so that you can see what style of frames is most flattering on your face shape, which definitely helped me!
I've been so excited about my new sunglasses that I forgot to talk about the rest of this outfit! I wore this breezy ensemble on my last official day of summer break. It seems like a great summery outfit, doesn't it? I got this fun tie-dye esque dress at a little surf shop while we were in San Diego and have been loving it! Secretly, it is actually a swim cover up and that's what I intended it to be when I purchased it, but I have been enjoying wearing it as a sundress too! I figured it would be perfect with a jean jacket and gold glitter sandals, because those are great accessories for any outfit :) Plus, my new sunglasses happen to go pretty well with the whole look too!

I'm really happy that Francis Drake Eyewear found me and that we will be able to team up in the future to help this wonderful Bay Area grow! With their great styles, high quality products, and reasonable prices, they deserve to be known by all! Thank you to them for choosing me to represent them here on the blog :)

Sunglasses // c/o Francis Drake Eyewear
Dress // local surf shop

Sandals // Target
Jacket // American Eagle

Disclosure: This was a sponsored post. While I may have been compensated in some way, all views and opinions are my own.

The 'I Love Summer' Giveaway!

Happy August, friends! To celebrate summer and this new month, I've teamed up with some of my blogging pals to give away a special prize! So, here it is, the "I Love Summer" Giveaway!

The Bloggers:
Leah of Leah Joan
Abby of Little City Adventures
Danica of Dust Particles
Morgan of The Flame Dame
Emily of Emmyjake
Laura of Inspiration.Sparks

What one lucky winner will get:
+ 1 palm tree printed tote bag
+ 1 beach towel
+ 1 mason jar tumbler
+ 2 Starbucks Via Instant packs
+ 1 EOS lip balm
and
+ a $25 Target gift card!

Pretty exciting stuff, right?! Enter to win below!
* A winner will be selected & announced on Monday, August 10th! Unfortunately this giveaway is open to US residents only. Thanks for your understanding!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck! I hope everyone has a great week and a lovely August!

How To Enjoy Your Summer

Summer is arguably the best time of the year and I have been doing my best to soak up as much of the wonderful parts about it as possible this year. Late nights, a day in the sun, iced coffee, hanging out at the pool... I've been loving it all!

In case your summer hasn't been your greatest, here are my tips for having a summer to remember ;)

+ Buy a new bathing suit

Because you need to be ready and looking fabulous for all of your aquatic summer adventures.

+ Find a pool to relax at
Because an afternoon lounging poolside is the epitome of summer fun. Bonus points for fun pool floats!

+ Go to the beach
If the beach is accessible to you, that's even better! Nothing beats some time laying on the sand and splashing in the waves. The view is hard to beat, too!

+ Take time off of work (if you can!)
Because summer is the greatest time to play hooky from all responsibilities and we can all use a little extra time to work on our tans. YOLO!

+ Eat lots of ice cream
Because tis' the season to get away with eating all the ice cream your little heart desires sans judgement. I highly recommend taking advantage of it ;)

+ Have a BBQ
Because grilling food and eating outside is just the thing to do in warmer months. Plus, grilling makes pretty much everything taste good!

+ Stay outside past sunset
Because warm evenings are one of the best things about summer. Enjoy it while you can by going for walks or hanging out around a bonfire.

+ Read books
Because whatever reason, it seems like a great season to have a quiet afternoon alone with a book (and maybe even a short nap :)). It is the perfect time to make a dent in your reading list!

+ Spend time with friends
Because people tend to have more flexible free time during the summer and what's better than doing all of these things with your BFF or a friend you don't get to see that often? The possibilities for fun are endless!

You can stay up to date with all of my recent summer adventures by following along on Instagram :)

What do you love about summer? What makes summer awesome for you?

Life Lately

I never know what to title these kinds of posts (or most posts really) and maybe this sort of "update" post should be its own little series, but here I am to fill you in on what's been going on in my neck of the woods the past few weeks! It has been a pretty busy time for me, though there have been a lot of fun things sprinkled in. Let's see... Where shall I begin?

+ One of my best friends got married! I am so happy for her. It was a beautiful backyard wedding and I had the privilege of being in charge of all the decorations. I loved spending the day with her and being there to help her get ready and spend those last moments with her before she walked out to meet her husband. It is kind of crazy to think that people I know that are my age are starting to get married (and that my sister got married when she was my age!) because I am so not there yet. Don't get me wrong, I'm in a happy, loving relationship, but I still want and need to grow up and learn things on my own first before I embark on that journey. So, for now I will settle with showering my friends with love on their special days and dream of what I want my own wedding day to be like!

+ Tomorrow I'm heading to San Diego! I have the next week and a half off of work, so I'm going down to Southern CA to hang out with my family. Gosh I just love my family. I always feel so lucky when I have the time to get away and spend time with them. I'm really looking forward to just relaxing, going to the beach, and doing other fun things while I'm there.

+ I have another week off at the end of July! I know it is good to work to make and save money, but I'm secretly (or not so secretly!) happy that I have two whole weeks off this month! My friend and I were planning to take a road trip, but that sadly isn't going to work out with her schedule, so now I need to decide what to do with my free week. I am thinking of going back to Southern CA just for fun because why not?! Or, maybe sticking around town to work on whatever projects I have been putting off and connecting with friends. I don't know! Either way, I am pretty grateful to have some time off, especially since I start at my new college next month :)

+ I have been taking a typography class! For the past four weeks, I've been making my way through a summer typography class and tomorrow is actually the last class session. I wasn't really sure what to expect from the class, but I have really been enjoying it. It is actually pretty fun and fascinating! It helped me feel like I am getting closer to being a real graphic designer, which is really awesome. As a class assignment, we had to make an online portfolio of some of our work from the class, so I chose to make a Pinterest board for mine. You can check it out here if you're interested! I'm definitely the most proud of my midterm project.

+ I love summer! Even though I'm working more than usual and have been taking a class, I've had plenty of time for some fun! Going to the pool has especially been one of my favorite things. I recently got a new high waisted bathing suit (ahh! I'm still not sure how I feel about it, but oh well!) and a sun hat, so I've been feeling kind of stylish while hanging out pool side :) The warm weather has also been quite nice for evening walks and staying outside longer. Summer usually brings less work and more fun, so I'm quite the fan!

Well, that's what has been up with me! How about you? How is your summer going?

A Summer Bonfire

For the past several summers, something that has been on my list of things to do has been to have a bonfire. Something has always prevented us from actually planning one, but now I can proudly cross it off my summer bucket list this year! This past Friday evening, Dai and I finally had a bonfire at the beach with some friends and it was a great time :)

Our friends were the ones to actually plan it and invited us to join in on the fun, which is probably why it actually happened this time ;) At any rate, we had our fire on a small stretch of beach in Half Moon Bay, a little town nestled on the coast. I love that there are so many beach access spots tucked into neighborhoods, so when you get out of your car, you are surrounded by cute little houses and a nice view of the mountains. I just loved these tiny white flowers too!
It was a pretty cloudy day, but luckily it wasn't too cold. I kind of liked the gloominess, although it sadly didn't make for much of a sunset. There was something calming and quiet about this beach that made up for it though! Also, believe it or not, we were the only group of people hanging out on it!
We roasted hot dogs over the fire and filled up on other snacks too for dinner. And of course, we made lots and lots of s'mores for dessert! Side note: Replacing chocolate with a brownie bite in a s'mores is quite sinfully wonderful.
Another nice thing about this beach is that you can just dig a hole anywhere you would like and start a fire instead of having to fight other people for a fire pit. One time, we actually went to the beach to have one, but weren't able to because all of the fire pits were taken! It was such a bummer.
We stayed around the fire until nearly midnight, listening to music and laughing at silly things. Even though it took us forever to have a bonfire, it was the perfect way to kick off summer and I would definitely like to have them more often :)

Though it is technically not summer for another couple weeks, I am definitely feeling the summer spirit and want to do all the activities! Gosh I just love summer and having a nice break from school!

What is your favorite summer activity? Do you have any summer traditions?

Have a great week! Considering I don't have school, am going to take a teenage girl clothing shopping while I'm at "work," and I'm having a girls night with those lovely gals pictured above, it's off to a pretty great start :)

Dream Summer Travel Plans

Now that the weather is getting nicer and I am officially on summer break, my wanderlust is kicking in hard. So many places to go, things to see, and adventures to be had! I just wish I had the time and money to do allllll of them this summer. Traveling is my love language (if travel can really be one's love language, that is) and I love the feeling of breaking free of my day to day schedule for a while. It is refreshing and renewing for the soul.

Since I know that it won't be possible to visit all the places my little heart desires to this summer, I thought I would share a list of them anyway because, after all, a girl can dream, right? :)

Palm Springs, CA (image via)
This is the most realistic and likely trip to happen this summer, which I am super excited about! Plans are actually in the works :) But at any rate, I have been seeing so much about Palm Springs via Instagram and other bloggers the past couple years, and have really been wanting to go! Even though it is fairly close to San Diego, I have never been. Hopefully that will change this summer! I just want to lounge by the pool, explore the town, go shopping, photograph everything, hang out with friends, and look cute while doing it :) I'd love to stay at this colorful hotel pictured above!

Austin, TX (image via)
Though summer is just about the worst time possible to visit this state, Austin still makes my list! I visited for the weekend in the summer of 2013, when I was temporarily staying in Texas, and I have wanted to go back ever since. I had a great time exploring this city with my family and wished that I could have stayed longer! It is a really cool place with pretty interesting people, night life, and things to do. I would love to pay this vibrant city another visit this summer, despite the heat!
Big Sur, CA (images via & via)
This beautiful spot is just a few hours south of where I live, yet I have never visited it! I hear it is a wonderful place to camp and hike, which is exactly what I'd like to do! I have also heard of its beautiful beaches and breathtaking sights, plus it is a nice balance of forest-y and coastal scenery. What a lovely combo! Nestled on the central coast, it is a quiet getaway within my home state!

Tulum & Cabo, Mexico (images via & via)
I have never been to Mexico before, but would definitely like to take a relaxing trip down there! Like Palm Springs, I have been seeing a lot about Tulum from other bloggers and it seems like such a beautiful place! I would love to take a walk along those sandy beaches and explore the ruins that are there. I also wouldn't mind sipping drinks poolside at a Cabo resort and going out for tacos for dinner :)
Los Angeles & Disneyland, CA (image via)
It has been a few years since I have been to Disneyland and CA Adventure, so it has been high on my list to visit with Dai again! I don't think I will ever outgrow the magic of Disneyland :) While we are in the area, it would be nice to hang out with friends who live there and spend some time on the beaches of Los Angeles!

Wouldn't all of these trips together make just the best summer?! Hopefully I will be able to cross at lease a couple of these off my list :)

Where would you love to travel this summer? Do you have any trips planned already?