a hidden oasis... {w/ travel}

I know this isn’t a very new trend, but man, succulents are really popular right now.

If you told me this ten years ago I would have chuckled, 

and silently wondered how boring cactus plants could ever be interesting enough to be trendy.

You see, I’ve grown up in Southern California, where cacti and succulents abound.

I never thought of them as beautiful or unique, 

but only as dry, dull and pokey. 

Interesting how opinions can change.

Now I absolutely love them and have half a dozen little pots around my house and backyard. 

I wonder if my opinion of them has truly changed (I am 10 years older now) 

or if I’m just jumping on the bandwagon. 

My thought is probably a little of both. 

But somewhere along the lines of life and trends and style and what is “popular”, 

someone decided that succulents were cool. And that someone was pretty smart.

California Love {w/ travels}

hello friends! Today I am in New York City! I absolutely LOVE New York. There is just something about it! 

As much as I love to travel and see as much of this world that I can, my heart and home is in California. So it only seems suiting that my dear friend Katie from Unwritten is here today to share with you about California and her favorite places.

... 

Hello!

I am Katie and I blog over at Unwritten where I talk about my life, my guy, the amazing things I find on Pinterest, my love for coffee and lots of other random things.

Snapshots from the Napa Valley... {w/ travel}

hi friends.

Sorry for giving you the silent treatment this last week. We got away for a few days to celebrate our anniversary. Up the beautiful California coast, making stops at Disneyland, Santa Barbara, Monterey, San Francisco, and Napa.

I took plenty of real photos (i.e. on a camera, not my iPhone), but have been so slammed this week I haven't uploaded them to my computer. So for now, here are a few from Instagram.

A highlight of our trip was spending a day in the beautiful Napa Valley. One of the wineries we visited, Chateau Montelena, was inside a gorgeous 1860s stone castle. In 1976 it won a prestigious French wine award that blew the socks off the hoity French judges and officially put California on the map in the wine world.   

I got this half barrel at one of the wineries. I've seen them at Lowe's for $30. This one was actually used for wine (Merlot) and is awesomely stained on the inside. We picked it up for $15. Score. I will be great on our deck. Time to plant more...

More to come in the next few weeks, including descriptions of some of the amazing meals we had.

Let's just say, Club 33 at Disneyland is incredible.