sunglasses, swimsuit, coverup c/o

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to spend the day at the brand new Villas Fashion Island apartments. We were wined and dined by True Food Kitchen, enjoyed a tour of the beautiful grounds, had a special fashion presentation by Fashion Island and ended the day relaxing by one of their gorgeous pools. It was pretty amazing.

hat, dress c/o, necklace c/o, purse, shoes

Happy Friday! Hope you have fun plans to look forward to this weekend, we’re supposed to get more record setting rain here today so naturally I’m flashing back to sunnier days last weekend. Jeff and I celebrated a relaxing little babymoon about an hour down the coast at The Hyatt Regency La Jolla. It was the perfect travel distance for me at over 8 months pregnant – no long car rides, no flights, no complaints. We were so spoiled all weekend, I want to go back and do it all over again!

I’m a sucker for a brightly colored wall, so when I spotted this one out of the corner of my eye while driving home from Trader Joes awhile back I made a mental note to bring Jeff back here to shoot an outfit. Luckily a month of so later I finally remembered. There are some parts of blogging that seem really strange to other people. Like stopping in a random neighborhood on a Saturday morning and posing in front of a strangers fence while people drive by. But over time you kind of learn to roll with the punches.

I was a journalism major in college and one of our assignments was watching the local news nightly, reading the Orange County Register and even submitting pieces to it. Several of my professors also wrote for the Register and I learned so much from them. I got kind of addicted to local news and love reading about what’s going on in my community. It’s a great way to discover hidden gems like a farmers market or new restaurant I’d miss otherwise. Plus, in a world that’s so digitally focused, it’s refreshing to actually pick up a copy of the paper.

Now that it’s officially summer, Jeff and I are trying to spend as much time outdoors as possible. Especially on the weekends! We’ve traded our lazy mornings making breakfast and coffee at home for a trip to our favorite spot where we grab the OC Register while enjoying a leisurely morning in the sunshine. It’s fun to comb through the paper to find new local spots we want to try.

When we were house hunting the  Real Estate section was so helpful, and I’m still enjoying reading through it. It’s kind of like sneaking a peek in your neighbors houses or finding a cool neighborhood you never knew existed.

j. crew hat, westward leaning sunglasses, gorjana necklace, banana republic shirt, bathing suit c/o, forever 21 shorts, tkees flip flops

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This post was sponsored by The Orange County Register and The Press-Enterprise but all opinions are my own.

One of our favorite things to do in the evening is drive down to the beach and watch the sunset with a picnic. We’re so lucky to only live a few miles away and try to take advantage of this as much as possible.

This round blanket was the perfect addition for our last picnic and it paired pretty well with my off the shoulder top. A trend I just can’t get enough of right now!

j. crew hat (old /similar), similar sunglasses, tobi top c/o, forever 21 shorts, kitsch round blanket c/o

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TGIF! Thanks for reading and enjoy your weekend!

Ever worn a crop top to a carnival? Me either. Spoiler alert: I wasn’t actually going to a carnival here, I just made Jeff pull over and shoot the look. Unfortunately the carnival wasn’t open yet. However, if there was ever a crop top and matching skirt set to wear to a carnival, this would be it. The colors are so carney-esque, don’t you think?!

j. crew hat, karen walker sunglasses via DITTO, crop top and skirt c/o, luana italy bag c/o, old sandals (similar)

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Hope you have a great day – thanks for reading!