When Corrine was little and we were really poor, no matter how much money I had or didn’t have – I always made sure she had her holidays. I made sure of that because, tradition. Not to start this post off all heavy and serious, but that was my life. It’s still a struggle being a parent sometimes but in different ways.
Holidays will always be special to us and it doesn’t take a lot of money or resources to make a day remarkable. Today I wanted to share with you our lil family’s Easter tradition!
” … it doesn’t take a lot of money or resources to make a day remarkable”
I should totally put that text on a teeshirt or mug 😉 So I texted Corrine on Easter morning (because ya know, millennial mom over here) and told her, “come out to the kitchen I have a surprise for you”. I’m like so cool right?! I placed this creepy yet super yummy bunny-shaped pancake on her plate with butterscotch candies for its eyes and mouth, and a cinnamon candied nose. She also got a bowl of fruit, a glass of milk, and a chocolate bar. Happily my lil angel face came to the table and merrily ate her lil pancake because we’re all 4 years old in this house!
I usually stay up late the night before Easter to tuck fake green grass under Corrine’s door and bunny prints that lead from her door to the living room, which guide her to a huge basket full of goodies. This year we were super busy so while I was making bunny pancakes, Joe ran to the grocery store to get candy and fruit! Team work makes the dream work! We did it and our girl was a happy girl!
We dyed eggs, we ate yumminess, and then we took Corrine hiking to a spot she wanted to explore! It was full of rolling hills and poppy flowers, though we missed the poppy field part thanks to California’s drought. Then we ended the day with Taco Bell and ice cream because as grown up as my Corriney is, she’s still a kid at heart, my baby forever- and she eats pizza and ice cream about 3-4 times a week! I love it! Oh to have the metabolism of an 18 year old!
I love establishing traditions with the three of us because it used to be just Corrine and I. It’s a beautiful thing to bring Joe into our day to day and especially into our holidays. It’s really special to me, the memories that we’re creating together- as a family, and that makes me so damn happy.
What are some traditions that you have with your family or your friends? Or even your special someone that only the two of you do!
If you don’t have any traditions yet start one, and I hope this inspired you to do some team building activities with your loved ones <333
Let me preface this with ‘my’ truths, ha, thought I should put that out there! So I recently wrote an article about the conscious choices we make in regards to what we do and don’t share publicly about our lives. Much of our audience has watched Joe and my relationship grow, but from a distance as we’ve been very private about it. Well on Christmas Eve Joe proposed to me in front of his entire family and I ugly cried through it y’all. It’s been 5 1/2 years and I think we’re finally ready to open up about our future plans, why we haven’t been so open until now, and what we think about sharing your life with the internet.
People are either all for marriage or all opposed, or so I’ve been hearing, and today I’ll explore both sides of it. Personally however, I was somewhere in the middle, yes leaning more towards the “if you’re a bird I’m a bird” mentality, I mean I’m a hopeful romantic. But I’m also the girl who’s been married before so I’ve got issues with marriage whether you see them or not. When I was 18 I married Corrine’s father. That didn’t last forever and I’m a “make it work no matter what, marriage is forever” kind of person, so that was ouchy. After the dust settled though, I knew that eventually I did want to get married again. If the right man came along and changed my mind about this forever business I’d do it, besides, I’m a hopeful romantic remember? Regardless of my feelings, I also didn’t want us to feel pressured into getting married just because it was the ‘next step to take’, even IF I’ve wanted to marry Joe since our 1st date! *more on that soon*
So many people get married for the wrong reasons. You reach a certain age or you date someone for a certain amount of time, and all the sudden everyone and their mother wants to know when are you finally going to tie the knot- especially your own mother. Don’t get me wrong, marriage can be AMAZING, but the pressure to do so is not so amazing.
Here’s the ‘opposed’ side of me. There are people who get married because they think they have to, it’s all that’s left to do… shit or get off the pot kind of thing, or the ‘oh crap we’re pregnant’ kind of deal. There are also those kinds of people who marry for opportunity and those situations are too heated for me to touch on in just one post, so I’ll save it. Then there’s those who do it because they want that huge wedding that is for everyone ELSE except for them. So firstly, shout outs to all my happy couples out there wed or not wed, and secondly, through all the BS and past mistakes I’ve made myself, I wanted to get married because I’d finally found my person, who is my life partner, best teammate, biggest cheerleader, and ride-or-die best friend when we have it all or nothing left. You sure do learn a lot when you get it wrong the first time. If you can’t be best friends with your partner, what do you have after the buzz from the wedding planning and honey mooning settles off?
With my first marriage I learned a lot about myself. I learned that I needed to grow up (a crap ton), that I was co-dependent (a crap ton), and that I had ZERO clue about who I was or what I wanted outside of this other person (#baggage). Mind you, I had a little human looking up to me for life coping skills, all the while- I myself was trying to learn how to navigate through life.
Here’s the ‘all for’ marriage side of me. Today looking to the future, I can confidently say (17 years later whew) that I love the person I’ve become, I love the man I’m with, and I love how healthy our relationship is. No relationship is perfect, but I think we work because I’m the hot head and he’s the calm and logical one. I’m the loud mouth and he’s there to shut me up when I irrationally roid out. I can get down with marrying that! Also, when he’s having a crap day I can be the rock for him too, and lastly, (and this is a big one) we’re not allowed to go crazy at the same time! Rock Paper Scissors for that if you have to! Life is too short to fight and it’s also too short to be with someone you really don’t like as a person.
So if I could share with you one thing about being in a relationship; not just being engaged or getting married, but being in a healthy relationship- it’s that the only person you can control is you. No one will ever change just because you want them to, and when you aren’t a whole person (we all have baggage don’t we now) you can’t expect someone else to fill that void. Marriage is a big deal and it should be the happiest of moments, not a forced or uncertain one. Lets be real though, I’ve been putting the pressure on Joe for like 5 years! When ya know ya just know!
This post somehow turned into a self-help for the emotionally-unavailable/ rant on love, but the point is that your relationship and your kind of love, is nobody else’s to judge or weigh in on. So you do you and don’t let marriage posts (like this- oh it’s about to get lovey) or FaceBook updates, make you feel like you aren’t a cool kid or hurried into doing something that you aren’t ready for. Also the point of this post was to share with you that we’re ready to share! The pressure of having a big wedding is big (I write these for me too), but we’re going to do it our way and I can’t wait to show you!
We’ll be answering questions on my YouTube channel about our wedding plans soon! I’ll also be creating posts for you here along the way in reference to my DIY happenings, or mishaps you be the judge, and posting my tips on how to stay sane because planning a wedding can be a BIT overwhelming! So until then, here are some photos we had taken while we were in Yosemite last weekend. Pre-engagement photos if you will, that we did spontaneously with our new friend Karl who just so happens to be an uber talented photographer! Thank you Karl for hiking up hills with us during the blizzard! Ha! You guys can check out his work here and give him a follow on Instagram!
Just before the moment pictured above, I fell into a 3 foot pile of snow and then jumped out of it to have that photo taken <3
Awww, just a couple of love birds in a snow storm. That is the metaphor for our life!
I hope you’ve enjoyed this rant of mine about love and my thoughts on marriage and unity. My heart is full and I feel content in my life for the first time in my life, and I’ve been here before, in this marriage place. So if you’re going through hell, keep on moving. *thank you dear country song for that one*
Boy oh boy is writing therapeutic!
SO, is marriage something you’re for or against? If you’re currently married, what’s one secret you can share with other couples? If you’re neutral on the subject, what do you think the hubbub is all about, this whole woohoo we’re getting marries stuff! I got all deep about the pressure of it all, so lets hear it!
I’ll see you later this week with my first wedding “Pinterest DIY-not” post! Oh Lordy, here we go! Wheeeee!!! PS if you’re a bird I’m a bird. Whew that was a wordy one.
If you’ve been following my adventure series than you know I’ve been on some pretty awesome excursions these past few months!
Our latest explorations brought us to Yosemite, CA with our good friends Esther and Jacob of Local Adventurer, who invited us to join them on a snow-shoeing snow-day extravaganza! Before hopping into the car and excitedly making our way from the sun to the snow though, I of course, had a meltdown … WHAT WAS I GOING TO WEAR?!?!?!
We live in L.A. so we’ve become a little lot accustomed to our ‘clear skies, perfect 75 degree, surf and swim’ conditions. So to prepare for what was predicted to be a winter storm with 10+ inches of snow and icy roads, I told myself, “meh, five layers will be fine!”
I searched high and low for good deals on the internet for a few reasons, 1) I had t-minus 4 days to get my butt in gear, literally 2) if you haven’t been in the market for snow gear lately, insider-tip: they’re expensive! 3) I’m not an insider so I have zero clue what I need, where to get it, or what I will actually use verses what I will buy just because it’s CUTE, hashtag Wanderlust.
So this is what I ended up purchasing, and I have to say, I did pretty good! *high fives self* I got most things on sale and on time (hallelu Amazon Prime)! I also got a few things in child sizes because, cheaper. I’m a size 5 1/2 in women’s shoes so that makes me a child size 4! Pro tip: you can apply this kind of calculation for purchasing Uggs and other expensive shoes that you’d like to pay 30-50% less for.
I didn’t know how ‘active’ we’d be on this trip and a lot of the gear was labeled ‘low to moderate’ activity. How does one quantify the level of activity snowshoeing will bring? So I assumed it wouldn’t be THAT strenuous (1st lie I told myself). So I layered up (pictured below), featuring the bottom layer, and I also wore some tights underneath and a huge winter coat over top.
Emphasis on waterproof for as much of the apparel as possible because when snow melts it becomes cold ice-water. You don’t want that pressed up against your skin when changing isn’t an option (oh you’ll be cute with less layers they said, it’s not that cold they said. Hashtag Wanderlust).
Well here I am, all geared up, layered up, and ready to go! How cute are Esther and I?! This is us attempting to throw a snow ball. Jacob snapped a few photos of us and then we all frolicked in the snow until we were ready to go inside to thaw out.
Snowshoeing with everyone this weekend in this snowy winter wonderland was wonderful! Also, it was a workout! Midway through the hike up a hill (that felt like it was an 80% incline but was probably not steep at all, 2nd lie I told myself!) I removed two of my layers and rolled them up into Joe’s backpack and honestly I was just fine for the rest of the trip. Blame it on sweaty me, huffing and puffing up the hill, but I didn’t need the extra layers at all.
This was the entrance to the short cut that Joe and I took back to the lodge to meet up with the group for lunch. How incredibly beautiful are these trees? Snow makes everything even more magical, but so does Joe’s photography skills.
This is tunnel view, looking out onto half dome when we first arrived into the park on Friday. Just moments before this photo was taken the clouds were dark and we thought we’d missed seeing the sun look over the mountains. Then, wouldn’t ya know it, mother nature peered her beautiful face through the clouds and we all went nuts!
This is from our second trip to tunnel view this weekend and the landscape looked completely different from the 24 hours before. Ominous and moody, I was happy that we could appreciate the contrast in views and see the beauty in both.
I was sad to leave this enchanted forest but I’m excited to come back this summer! It’s pretty remarkable the ways you experience nature just given the change in season.
I hope this post inspired you to visit a snowy scene near you AND informed you of how to properly layer up! To see more photos from this weekend’s trip check out the hashtags #yosemitesnowday #tenayalodge and #yosemite_dn. While you’re at it, catch up on all of my #FindYourPark happenings by typing in the hashtag and scrolling through!
I really had a superb time with all of these marvelous people; I loved meeting new faces and spending quality time with long time friends, so please head over to Esther and Jacob’s blog and check out their adventures! They inspire me so much!
What winter wonderland activity would you most like to do?! P.S. If you haven’t tried snowshoeing than you should because, easier than snow boarding!
Team Internet is back at it with another exciting and fun filled convention, and this year I joined Mashable and the National Park Service who brought me all the way to our nation’s capital for Playlist Live D.C.!
Video conferences like Playlist Live are a place for creators, brands, and audience members to gather and chat all things new media! It’s such an exciting time in our space and I’m so happy to announce that I’ve partnered with Mashable and the National Park Service and Foundation for their centennial celebration! 100 years of service!
In honor of this special occasion the NPS and Foundation launched operation #FindYourPark Press Play- and being the avid adventurer that I am, I was beyond excited to join the movement! It’s a YouTube based contest and the goal is that we inspire you to discover your National park and to share your adventures with us!
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
I kicked the campaign off for myself by hiking our favorite spot, the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (above) – where in ONE spot you can stand and enjoy views of both the ocean and the mountains. It’s my go-to place for a reset and reflection. As creatives, we’re required to pump out daily ideas and spontaneous creativity – and for most of us that requires us to be at home. A lot. It’s nice to get out and get moving to recharge your mind and body so no matter your occupation, here’s your friendly reminder to do that.
So with my hiking footage in tow, I traveled to D.C. to meet up with Park Rangers Emily and Mathew to help announce our mission, live on stage, to Playlist Live! Here we are, right after crushing it on the main stage in the company of our amazing audience members! P.S. I moon-shuffled off stage.
Jess Pointing At Rangers Pointing At Things
Me pointing at Rangers pointing at things. This is a meme everybody, you’re welcome. Also, we became the three best friends that anyone’s ever had.
After the event I went exploring, after all D.C. is my birth place!
The Washington Monument
I made it to the Washington Monument and in true Jess form, I took about 274,388 selfies with this beautiful landmark.
When in D.C.
I love Maryland for all of its seasons, good food, and good people. I can’t wait to come back! I really had a blast at Playlist Live with our team from Mashable and the National Park Service and Foundation. If you were there and we got a photo together, please TAG me on Instagram or Twitter! Perhaps you got some footage of me doing that awesome moon-shuffle off stage!
If you weren’t there here’s your chance to win FREE tickets to Playlist Live Orlando 2016, and if you were there, here’s your chance to COME BACK! 5 lucky winners from the #FindYourPark Press Play contest will win tickets to Playlist Live Orlando 2016 and here’s how you enter!
Visit a national park – find one close to you here
Record your adventures! Get creative and have fun … and remember, safety first!
Upload the video to your YouTube channel and don’t forget to include the hashtags #FindYourPark and #Contest in your video’s description
I can’t wait to see you next year, and guess what else!!! Amongst other awesome prizes, those 5 lucky winners will also have their videos featured on Mashable! So go be adventurous, discover your park, and share your explorations with us! You have until March 4th to submit your videos.
You can check out the article on Mashable that features my video here, and follow me on Snapchat for all of my Snap Stories! I’m back with our annual #30dayswithJess challenge, and we’re on day 5 so tomorrow we’ll take our #JessQuests on yet another adventure, and I will have that video up this Wednesday!
I’ll leave you with this photo, #SquadGoals, as you conjure up YOUR next exploration! Here’s a link to 37 National Parks you should visit recommended by my friends at montemlife.com!
Squad Goals!
This post is sponsored by Mashable in partnership with the National Park Service and Foundation. I am proud to explore our park for the #FindYourPark Press Play campaign.
“I’m going to have to ask you to check your luggage.” Oh those dreaded words. When you travel you’re frazzled! You’re trying to take off your shoes without your feet touching the germy ground, while taking your lap top out of its case, WHILE making sure you eliminate any kind of jewelry or metal that would cause TSA to have to frisk you! Pro tip: travel as light as possible.
Corrine and I are traveling to NYC this week and we’re so excited to share with you our city adventures, our shopping finds, and what all the hub bub is about! The hub bub yes! So if you’ve been watching my videos *ahem I’ll wait here while you catch up* than you know that Tula is a company I’ve been obsessed with supported since they were a start-up company who appeared on QVC.
Well we’re beyond happy to be joining them this week at their headquarters in New York, sitting down with Dr. Raj herself, and hosting the coolest Tula product giveaway you’ve ever seen! I have a few questions myself for Dr. Raj but I’d love to have some of your questions answered too, so be sure to leave them for us in the comments! So meeting the team behind one of the companies I’m so passionate about is such an exciting event and all I could think about was, “What am I going to PACK?”!
I know I know, you were thinking the exact same thing! Well have no fear lil grasshoppers today I’m going to share with you my top 15 must-have-at-all-times-no-matter-where-I-go- items!
1. Free People tote: this bag is perfect for traveling! It carries everything, I mean everything! It has two side pockets so that your phone and your card holder don’t get lost in the abyss, and it’s as deep as the Mary Poppins bag! To see my Mary Poppins take on hand bags click here!
2. Scentbird perfume atomizer: a lipstick atomizer that is travel friendly, you get a new designer fragrance each month, and it comes in the cutest packaging! You can try a new fragrance each day if you wanted! Hey a girl’s gotta have options!
3. Tula (for lyyyyfe) revitalizing eye cream:this eye cream goes on like butter, absorbs quickly, hydrates your delicate eye area like crazy, and smells like heaven.
5. Micheal Kors wristlet: this jet set travel wristlet is large enough to accommodate your iPhone 6, your Samsung, and keeps your entire life close by – i.e. ID, credit cards, and cash.
6. Louis Vuitton agenda: this is the small agenda, 6 ring, and cutest ever life organizer you can get your hands on! I love that it’s small enough to be toted with me in any cross body bag and has slots for credit cards and ID.
7. Lanza portable hairspray: airport security has confiscated enough hairspray from me to support a Texan pageant. So now I carry with me a portable hairspray and this Lanza one smells increds!
8. Itssewann cosmetic pouches: these are handmade, laminate pouches, machine washable, convenient and come in a variety of sizes. Perfect for packing toiletries and spillable items! She also makes custom snack bags!
9. Shiseido Benefiance eye masks: whenever I travel I feel jet lagged even if it’s from LAX to SF! So I always pack eye masks so that upon my arrival to said scheduled event – I don’t look like I’ve just flown in from Egypt.
10. Caudalie hand and nail cream: whenever I travel I also feel like my skin gets SO dry. This is the perfect hand cream, it smells fresh, hydrates your hands, and conditions your cuticles. It’s always been a favorite of mine!
11. Karen Walker sunnies: love love love these! I have a thing for oversized sunglasses and these tortoise framed beauties were worth every penny! I feel so chicin them even if they’re all I have on my face – even sans the makeup!
12. Asos hand lotion in cucumber: I told you, my skin gets dry! This is my back-up go-to hand cream. Smells like a refreshing spritzer, small enough to carry in your back pocket, and won’t break the bank!
13. Canon vixia mini camera: my one and only. My most prized camera, fits in any bag, comes with me everywhere, and gets the entire room with its fish eye lens! If you’re just starting to video blog, or take any video in any capacity I highly suggest this one. It’s user-friendly, auto focus, auto everything.
14. Mpow blue tooth headphones: teeny tiny, no cords smacking you in the head, and they fold up to be a nice little hand-held accessory (perfect for the gym!).
15. Josie Maran argan oil: not only do my face and hands get dry while traveling but so does my hair! What do they put in those airplanes?! So I always carry an oil of some sort with me. I’ve recently been loving this argan oil, it’s great for your hair, skin, and nails!
And not numbered in the photo are the little trinkets that are still a part of my must have items, they’re just more commonly found. These ear plugs are everything. You can find them anywhere and they will actually allow. you. to. sleep. Hallelu!!!
Hand sanitizer is a must, especially for this germaphobe *raises both hands* so I make sure to always have with me a travel sized hand sanitizer and this one smells like a vacation.
And last but definitely not least is my lip balm. All 587 of them! Of the seven I usually carry with me, this Smith’s rose minted balm is one of my most coveted! It comes in a tube so you don’t have to stick your fingers into a tub *where are my fellow germaphobes at?* It’s silky, hydrating, and smells like a tropical breeze.
Whew! There you have it! My top 15 products, each of these things I actually carry with me in my carry on. Call me crazy or call me genius, but if you ever need a shoe shiner . . . I’m looking out!
Okay okay now on to the world’s coolest giveaway! Not only are we doing a tour of the Tula headquarters but 7 of you lucky lil honey bees are going to win some of these amazing Tula products! I’ve tried each and every one of them and I’m so excited for you have them too!
Pictured are the goodies you’ll be entering to win, the purifying face cleanser, revitalizing eye cream, illuminating face serum, hydrating day and night cream, advanced neck cream, and the exfoliating treatment mask! If I had to choose a favorite I wouldn’t be able to, they’re all so beneficial! I have a post on Tula explaining my deep love for their products here, and to enter to win one of these prizes simply leave me a comment below telling me where you’re from and what product you’d be most excited to receive! You can also TAG me on Twitter or Instagram sharing your answers with me over there and you’ll be entered to win that way too! I’ll announce the winners next Monday July 6th here on my blog and in a video!
Good luck, enjoy your week, have a happy and safe Independence Day! Let us know what your plans are and we’re so excited to share our week’s adventures with you all so stay tuned for all the happenings!
Now that I’ve come down from my Mother’s Day weekend dream cloud, today I’ll share with you where we went, what we did, and what about this particular trip to San Diego made it so special.
We’ve been to San Diego before, Corrine and I took a day trip down there for Easter last month and although we’ve enjoyed every trip we make out there, this past weekend has evoked some much avoided conversation about relocating there. Avoided because we love Los Angeles so much, but we realized that SD has instant appeal with its differently paced lifestyle.
Much like L.A. it has its beaches, its hiking trails, its art district, and its blue collared corners. Different from L.A. however, is it’s less than enthusiastic infatuation with Hollywood and an overall city energy that we feel is much more calm and stress free than that of our L.A. hub bub. Just an opinion here but we really loved how calm everything felt. Blame it on the holiday weekend or the location we were at, either way we almost booked another two nights there.
This is the night view of the walk to our hotel room, complete with koi fish ponds and tiki torches that guided our way through the Catamaran Resort.
After we settled into our room we laid out on the beach for a bit and then headed into town for a romantical Mother’s Day dinner. Enoteca Adriano off of Cass St. in Pacific Beach offers up traditional Italian cuisine and gluten free pasta options which we were over the moon about since Corrine was able to enjoy one of her favorite meals with us. Pictured above, we had their meatball spaghetti, pasta bolognese, and Corrine’s GF spaghetti dish.
After dinner we took a complementary riverboat cruise that took us from the Catamaran to the Bahia hotel on the other side of the bay. During the day there are ‘family hours’ where you can bring your children and enjoy the views of the bay, and at night it offers live music and beverages to those who want to dance the night away.
The next morning before doing any exploring we took a short stroll over to The Mission Cafe on Mission Blvd which is a couple of hops and skips away from the hotel. We enjoyed a hearty breakfast with a side of their famous homemade rosemary bread and Corrine was able to enjoy their gluten free menu and specialty GF rosemary cinnamon toast! I also had a Vincent Vega, and holy moly- it’s a shot of espresso, cola, and vanilla over ice! Seriously so good!
We packed up our room (that we very comfortably settled into) and met up with our friends Esther and Jacob who just moved there from Las Vegas. Walking around Hillcrest this was our first stop, Flashbacks. It’s a vintage store located near a plethora of other fun shops and restaurants, and that would be a vanilla chai latte I’m holding from Kona Coffee Company. You’ll see me holding a few different delicious beverages throughout this post!
This is the world’s best tri tip sandwich and Corrine’s GF spicy tuna sandwich from Rubicon Deli, which by the way is the cutest deli ever! They have photos up from the 30’s and an entire wall covered in a beach photo taken from when the deli first opened its doors. Check it out if you’re ever in the area, it’s delicious and delightful! P.S. That’s totally a shirt slogan waiting to happen.
Here are those photos of me holding beverages as previously promised. The first is from T Deli in Hillcrest, a freshly pureed strawberry watermelon smoothie taken inside of Thrift Trader (all the thrifting courtesy of Corrine). The second was taken inside of Havana Kitchen on the drive back to L.A. in Temecula. It’s their house made sangria with peaches, watermelon, and strawberries. Not photographed were the Cuban sandwiches and rice bowl that we ordered.
I’m already on to the part where we drove home and I’m sure I didn’t touch on just how beautiful of a city San Diego is, but these were a few of the fun things we did while we were there. We are foodies at heart and adventurers by nature. We love exploring new restaurants and walking around unfamiliar cities. We especially loved the sparseness of the area if that makes any sense at all. It was just a different kind of vacation, sort of slow and chill which we loved.
I’ll end the post with this photo. It was taken on our first night in SD on the same dock that we took the Bahia Belle out on. It hasn’t been retouched or altered at all, and to me it looks and feels like a painting. There were so many beautiful homes and buildings in the distance and the darkness around it make it all so eerie, but in a good way! Ugh, can’t tell you how much I’d love to live there.
Have you ever been to San Diego? What was your most favorite thing to do? It was all my favorite, the food and the food! I hope you had an amazing Mother’s Day and I’ll see you later this week with all things thrifted and sifted! If you’d like to see a video blog of the weekend head on over to my channel, the video is up now!
We try and take each weekend to focus on family time, exploring the different festivals around L.A., and disconnecting from the work week by getting outside. This past weekend we attended a small festival called Mercado Segrado, in the Malibu canyons. It was a celebration of the canyon spirit, the arts, and an Earth-connected kind of experience. I’m all about that spiritual life so you know I got all kinds of loopy about this!
Set in a private oak grove in Malibu featuring hand made goods, artisan vendors, fresh food, and spiritual ceremonies (more on this in a bit). Above is the view from where we were when we entered the festival, from the far back white fence. Soooo beautiful!
This is that fence, and to the left you’ll see one of the vendors – a beautiful set up of what appeared to be made of paper mache and animals formed from what looked like beautiful pieces of color paper. Beyond the fence is a small pond and the rock formation that we’ll call the “disgruntled man”. If you were able to see beyond the weeping willow tree, you’d see groves upon groves of trees and green!
Here’s a man in the wild. Joe, barefoot, shoes in hand- we were headed towards the live band area and taco stand near the back. I’m not sure that he was just as in love with the festival as we were, as it was a very female heavy crowd and we were all barefoot and swaying with the wind, but he loved all that energy floating around him!
There were tents, open spaces, and racks full of vintage clothing and goods, handmade art pieces, and soy candles – pictured above is Corrine in her element- sifting through vintage pieces underneath a meadow of trees. It was just as magical as it looks here, the sun did this to the photograph, nothing I could do could have made it look so dreamy.
Corrine found a spot under one of the trees later in the afternoon to set up our blanket for picnic times. Look at her, my lil Earth baby. She found the event this day, she follows a lot of the vendors and artists that were there on Instagram. Here under the tree we had vegetarian tacos and a rice bowl . . under a tree you guys… on the grass. Makes me want a back yard. Now about that tea ceremony…..
The words you see on the piece of paper are the words that came to me after I participated in a tea ceremony. I sometimes go into things as a bit of a skeptic and I don’t mean to, but this was one of those times. Surprisingly, I really loved it though and I’m really really interested in learning more about plant science and plant medicine.
So we all sat in a circle- Corrine, myself, and a few other ladies. The first of 3 teas that we drank was a jasmine- pink rose- and lotus tea. We started off by meditating, then we introduced ourselves to the tea (this in of itself is a whole other article), we took in the aroma of the tea, and then we slowly sipped it. We let it sit in our bellies for a bit and then we meditated with it some more until we felt words or saw colors, whatever it was we wrote them down. These were the words I felt. If I learned anything from this experience it was that everything carries with it an energy, and each day the things that we do shift that energy. By the end of the tea ceremony, 3 teas after, and an hour later, my energy had shifted from feeling overwhelmed and rushed, to a more calm and grounded feeling. It was really interesting, you should try it out some time, even if you’re a skeptic like me.
This was my view from our picnic tree as I lay out, toes in the grass, listening to folk music on a sunny Sunday afternoon before we headed back home. It was beautiful and peaceful, so if you get a chance to get out this week do it! Nature can totally be cool!
Have you been to this kind of festival before? How about tea ceremonies? Too cooky for you or would you try it? I’ll leave my tea suggestions in another article for you all about tea ceremonies and energy shifts if you like, so let me know in the comments!
We’re experiencing some kind of heat wave out here in Los Angeles with our 90 degree plus weather. I can say with much excitement that the only nice thing that comes with warmer temperatures is the desire to be outside more. I’m a total Island Girl. . . ocean, beach, sun, hiking, all of the outside activities that we’re able to enjoy in the summer months, I’m ALL about it!
I’ve grown so fond of the events that L.A. offers to it’s Angelenos like art walks, open parks, and festivals! Corrine and I are still recovering from post Coachella blues, missing the music filled days and dance filled nights, and I’m so happy to have shared a first Coachella experience with my most favorite person. Today I’m going to tell you the top 5 things you’ll need to survive Coachella…. and any other festival you’ll attend this year.
1) Sunscreen: most festivals and art walks happen outdoors, where it’s warm and encourages people to walk around….and where the sun beats down on you. Even if you hate putting creams on your skin, opt for some fast aborbing sunscreen like THIS so that you’re not a glowing lobster tomorrow.
2) Ear plugs: they never tell you in pre-festival prep that earplugs are a necessity but they are. Unless you’re stading far from the speakers (where’s the fun in that?!) than your ears will be ringing for days, and they say every time your ears ring… an angel gets it’s wing….errrr that your cochlea hairs are dying. Sounds awful right? No pun intended. So with loud noise happening around you for an extended period of time, you’ll want to protect your ears, you can get them at your local drug store or click HERE .
3) A relaxing getaway: with loud noise happening around you all day and night, massive crowds, and sticky climates, you’ll want to be able to get away from all of the chaos so that you’re recharged to take on another day of the festivities. If you live close enough to the venue than you can drive or cab it up to and from home each day, lucky you!!! If you’re not, than I don’t suggest camping out (unless you’ve never done it, in which case you have to do it atleast once in your festival life), instead get a hotel room! You’ll be so happy to enjoy a cold shower after the day’s events, a cozy bed to recharge your tired feet, and a quiet place away from all of the noise and crowds. Corrine and I stayed at the Courtyard Marriott in Palm Springs during weekend 2 of Coachella, and we could not have been more grateful to have a quiet and cool place to unwind after the day. We all know that festival food is always so heavy and greasy, it was nice to have the option of ordering real food from a full kitchen. We enjoyed both breakfast and dinner at the Bistro at Courtyard and it was SO good! They have hearty breakfast options (pictured above featuring my “if Mondays had a face” face) for morning refueling, and pizza options for night time cravings. To see our full room tour and Coachella experience click HERE for the video! Huge thank you to Courtyard for it’s hospitality and most amazing coffee breaks! You can click here to see what locations they have near you to book a stay during your next festival outing!
4) Water: water water water! Staying hydrated is key to having an enjoyable experience but it’s the hardest thing to do in a festival atmosphere. There were 90,000+ people at Coachella this year and everyone was either in line at the water stations, or crowding around the food court to purchase water. The best thing to do is tote around at least 2 watter bottles per person and when one is empty, fill it up at a water station or fountain. The worst thing to do is to wait until you’re so parched that you feel like you’re going to pass out….and then you do and that’s definitely not an enjoyable experience. So pack that H2O!
5) Backpack or fanny pack: yes I really did just tell you to carry along a fanny pack. What can I say, I love those things! They keep your personal items close and aren’t bulky enough to get it the way of all of your groovy dance moves! If you’re totally against 80’s fashion than go with whatever backpack or bag you choose, but have a bag of some sort on hand – you’ll want a place to stick your water, sunscreen, ear plugs, room keys, and id, without over stuffing your pockets! Again, more room for your groovy dance skills! You can get a backpack like the one in our DSW posts HERE, but I think you should sport the fanny pack so everyone knows just how fun you are.
we were sad to leave our oasis at Courtyard but ready for the final day of Coachella
So those are our 5 top things you’ll need to survive any festival, and let me know what your go to items are and if you’re attending any festivals this summer! Corrine and I love checking out new venues so share with us!
FTC Disclosure: Compensation was provided by DSW® via Mode Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of DSW®.
Corrine and I are so excited to be joining DSW® at Coachella this year and sharing with you our Instagram takeover of our most favorite festival fashions! It’s here, festival season is upon us and we’re heading to Coachella this weekend to check out the festivities for the very first time ever! As Coachella newbies, you know we’ll be jotting down all of our Coachella 101 tips for you as we navigate our way through the fields, the fashion, and the performances!
Besides Coachella being known for it’s amazing line ups, surprise guest performances, and the infamous ferris wheel that makes its way into every Instagram photo from the venue….Coachella is a time for fashion! The most flowy, bohemian themed, tasselled trinkets come out of Coachella each year, inspiring the next year’s fashion themes. From bell bottoms to layered skirts, festival season has everyone’s favorite fashion items in mind and Corrine and I can’t wait to dance around in color and fabric this year! It’s a pretty awesome and pretty special thing to get to attend such a fun event with your daughter. I mean, how cool am I?!
It’s especially special for she and I to attend Coachella this year together, because Corrine is 17 now and her style is so different from mine. We look like loving yet rivaling sisters, she with a 70’s soul and a vintage heart, Corrine loves patterns and pastels. She’s obsessed with bright prints and flat sandals and loves to dress up. I on the other hand love muted colors and bohemian details, I’m more casual and I’m obsessed with wedges and contrast pairings.
I love taking a casual outfit and making something about it chic. An accessory, an iconic flair that’s most likely inspired by Corrine’s fashion sense. She loves taking something vintage and pairing it with an accessory opposite its era…. a 1930’s peacoat over a 70’s style dress. See where I’m going with this? Can you imagine how fun we look together when we’re out shopping, she makes me so proud to be her mom! So we’re really excited to share with you our outfit picks for this year’s event!
In preparation for our road trip up to the venue this year we’ve paired up our favorite festival style DSW® shoes with our most favorite fashion forward picks! 80% of festival fun is the walking around part, checking out the different stages, exploring the grounds, so to wear a comfortable (yet fashionable) pair of shoes goes without saying. Here are our picks for this year’s festivities!
I spy with my lil eye Corrine’s toes making a cameo
Later this week we’ll share with you how we styled these fun shoes and what theme we will accessorize each with. Shoes are meant to polish off your look, represent your personality, and add a lil sparkle even when you feel like a lil flare! Stay tuned for all the fun starting this Friday on through Sunday where we’ll catch you up on what we’re doing, what we’re wearing, and who we’re listening to live! Also please follow DSW’s Instagram as we’ll be hosting an Instagram takeover with our adventures featuring our looks from the event! You can follow along in our journey by using the hashtags #DSW #SaySomethingGreat!
We’d love it if you said hello if you’re on the grounds this weekend and be on the lookout for our posts from Coachella 2015! And here’s one more fancy footwork photo for the road!
Have a great week and we’ll see you this Friday!
xo- Jess and Corrine
At DSW®, we believe in the power of shoes, and in the power of shoe lovers. With thousands of fresh styles for men, women, and children, we’ve got something for everyone, no matter who they are or how they dress. Shoes say a lot about you. Say something great.
so that you’re not a glowing lobster tomorrow.
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