Hi friends! How's your week going? I've been having fun hanging out with my cousin Noelle and her boyfriend, who are in town from the San Francisco area. It's kind of funny how Noelle and I grew up in Jersey together, and now we are both Californians! I've been having fun playing host taking them to do some fun activities around San Diego, including a hike up Iron Mountain yesterday. And speaking of doing fun touristy things, today I want to talk about a very touristy area of California: Los Angeles. Admittedly, LA has, at times, underwhelmed me. It's a city that is hyped up so much, I imagine that there are a lot of people out there that have felt this way. Another cousin of mine, Michelle, was living there when I first moved to California, and in visiting her, I've spent ... [Read More]
travel
7 of My Go-To Healthy Habits While Traveling
Hello, hello! I'm back home in California after a successful work trip in Las Vegas, followed by 5 days full of family celebrating my brother getting married in New Jersey. It was quite the trip, and as per usual, I'm feeling like I love traveling, but I also love coming home. I'm ready to be home without life being quite so chaotic as it has been the past month! {Check out my Instagram for more wedding weekend photos!} On my flight home last night, I started thinking about the healthy habits that I routinely do when I'm on the road. I tend to splurge more when I'm traveling [translation: eat dessert a lot and enjoy alcoholic beverages daily!] than I do when I'm home, and these habits help to offset those extra things & make me feel healthy & happy. Here are 7 of my ... [Read More]
Weekend Getaway to Idyllwild: Where to Stay, Play & Explore
Last weekend, my husband and I decided to seize the holiday weekend and take a quick road trip together. We both have been super busy and have travel coming up, so we welcomed the thought of getting to spend time together in a relaxing setting. Having done so many road trips around California, I started looking for a place we'd never been to before. I wound up finding a place we had never even heard of called Idyllwild. Located a few hours from busy San Diego life, Idyllwild is a little town nestled in the mountains with a population of under 4,000 people. It sounded like the perfect getaway spot! Where to Stay. After doing some research, I booked us a suite at The Grand Idyllwild Lodge. Described as the boutique luxury lodge, the hotel has a modern but woodsy kind of feel to ... [Read More]
How to Spend a Weekend in Santa Barbara
"We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open." - Jawaharial Nehru One of my favorite things about California is how there are endless road trip options within the state itself. Two weekends ago, my husband and I went on our first road trip of 2017. For this little getaway, we traveled up to the charming central California coast city of Santa Barbara. Situated next to the Pacific Ocean and Santa Ynez mountains + wine country, Santa Barbara is a popular tourist destination - and for good reason! Even though we've been to Santa Barbara before in passing through on bigger road trips, this was our first time where Santa Barbara was our end destination. I love planning ... [Read More]
2016 East Coast Holiday Vacation Recap: Cookie Baking, Christmastime in Philly & More
Hi friends! How did your first week of 2017 go? I was fighting an annoying cold all week (not my favorite way to start off a new year!) and feeling pretty worn out, and I'm happy that I'm starting to feel more like my energetic self again in week 2 of the year. Today I'm looking back at my 2016 Christmas to share what I've been up to lately. My holiday trip to the east coast included lots of family time and good food, with some workouts sprinkled in, and a day in Philly! My hubby and I kicked off our Christmas celebrations with our annual early gift exchanging prior to our holiday travel. I made us a picnic in the living room and we enjoyed some food and wine while opening presents and watching How the Grinch Stole Christmas. He gave me a new camera for Christmas, which I'm ... [Read More]
Chocolate Pumpkin Spice Cereal Bars [gluten free]
As a traveler, I'm not usually the person that seeks out the best shopping spots in a given area. I'm not huge into shopping and my husband absolutely loathes it, so shopping is never on our vacation checklist. While I prefer making memories, taking photos, and going on adventures while traveling, I do enjoy nabbing a souvenir that reminds me of the trip and is unique to the area. For instance, I picked up coasters in New Orleans that have the city's symbolic fleur-de-lis design on them. When I put my drink on one, memories from my time there come to mind. The last time I was in Italy, I bought a bracelet from a street vendor. Every time I wear it, I think of the magic of Venice. During my trip to Ireland a few months ago, the souvenir that I took home was a jar of locally ... [Read More]