california dreamin'

This weekend I had the pleasure of traveling to Sacramento, California with my best friend. Lexi (aka alexis, lu, lex, my boo) and I have been friends since high school and I'm not sure who I would be if I had never met her. If there is such a thing as a soul mate best friend, this girl is mine. I love her to death.  I know that I can always count on her for a shoulder to cry on (and I mean literally) a friend to giggle with, a person who will always give me honest advice and her best opinion, someone who truly appreciates playing "what if & would you rather" scenarios, and someone who will always take my weirdness to the next level. I have shared so many amazing memories with this lovely lady some of which have resulted in belly laughs so hard that i've started crying. It's kind of nice to have someone that just gets you without having to explain anything at all. Throughout the years her family has become my family (and vice versa) I wouldn't have it any other way. 

So, this weekend Lex, Ames (lex's mom her real name is Amy) and I went to visit Brandon (lexi's brother) in Sacramento. We decided to take a trip to Pebble Beach and Monterey, CA where Brandon surprised us with tickets to see the AT&T PROAM golf tournament. Although lex and I work an annual golf outing every year and play a little we like to consider ourselves "golfers", but this was unlike anything I had ever been to. We were able to see Phil Mickelson, Wayne Gretzky and many others golf and were even lucky enough to sit close to John Daily while we ate pizza for dinner! (Although we didn't talk to him or get any pictures... except a creepy one). After a full day of watching golf Brandon took us to Carmel Beach in Carmel, California. A little town by Monterey. It was so, so beautiful!

It was a great trip with lots of good eats, bonding and most importantly laughs! Here are some pictures of our trip. O! And by the way, California had been going through a terrible drought, so while we were there it decided to rain most of the time! At least when the sun shined it was gorgeous and we even had a nice enough day to learn how to longboard ;)

First stop: In- N- Out. Our first experience and it was delicious!!

Later that night we went to Old Town Monterey. It was so cute and the sights were beautiful, it was located right on the Pacific Ocean.  We also helped a lost little boy find his dad!

The next morning we woke up bright and early to get on the bus to Pebble Beach!

The golf course was beautiful! This picture doesn't do it much justice. (We were't allowed to take pictures during the tournament so in order to capture some pictures we had to be incognito... although Lex got a little carried away and had some fingers pointed at her haha)

 After the golf tournament Brandon took us to the beach. This was in a little town called Carmel, CA. It was a little chilly, but the sights were gorgeous.

 A few years ago Lex and I were in San Francisco, CA. And wrote "livin' the dream" in the sand, so while we were on the beach in Carmel we decided to recreate our picture, but and "still" of course because we are so blessed with the life we live and the adventures we get to go on!

The beach was so beautiful, I wish we could've gone for a swim! There were also a few random caves along the shore.

xo

shabby-chic.

Sunday is quite possibly one of my favorite days, because it's cleaning day! (Although I am a clean freak and clean everyday). While I was cleaning I realized that I haven't taken any pictures of my apartment. I snapped a few photos of some of my favorite spaces that make this little place feel like home. 

This is my bathroom. In August I decided to try the hottest "pinterest" creation and made these cute little string letters. And L and J for our bathroom. I used three different strings (light pink, cream and white), 1/4 inch nails, a hammer and 2 inch thick wood blocks. I was able to find everything at Joanne Fabrics!

Since our towels are all the same design and color, we quickly realized that these cute little monograms made the easiest and perfect way to determine what towel was ours!

My favorite part of the bathroom is this perfectly ruffled shower curtain that I searched all over for! I was finally able to find one at Pier One and couldn't wait to hang it up. I love that the ruffles and shaggy bath mat make this space feel so "shabby chic" and perfect for relaxing.

 This is how it all looks together, the bathroom is an odd shape because there is a walk in closet on one side of it. I tried to get the best picture I could but lighting wasn't on my side.

My second favorite spot in my apartment is a little nook in my room that I decided to use for studying, reading and relaxing on days where I don't feel like doing either. 

I love being surrounded by pictures of family and friends that are closest to my heart, because being away at school doesn't always make it easy to see everyone. 

This is my comfy-cozy nook. I decided to make a picture wall because I didn't have enough room on my end tables for all the pictures I wanted to display in my room. Then I wanted a chair that was comfortable enough to be in, yet still cute. I bought all the frames and the chair/ ottoman from ikea. Although of course I didn't like the pattern cushions ikea had (surprise, surprise Jonthaon would say) I decided to buy a cream one and reupholstered it with the fabric I wanted and the help of my mom!

I also wanted a unique little stand or table that would fit in the space and I wanted it to be antique of course. I ended up finding this mirrored, three tier table at a flea market this summer and it ended up being the perfect fit.  I added a few things to it that went perfectly with the chic-ness (is that a word?) of the rest of the room!

christmas break.

I can't believe my very last Christmas break is already coming to an end. I am so glad I have been able to spend time with family and friends and make memories that i'll never forget.

One of my favorite memories this winter break was going with Jonathon on his family ski trip. We had so much fun hitting to slopes and giggling with each other. It was pretty chilly so we found ourselves stoping in the ski lodge to grab some hot cocoa and hang out with his family. We skied all day, but my favorite was going night skiing under the lights. Sometimes it's good to do things out of the ordinary to spice things up from the normal everyday.

Over break we also went to a Lion's football game (represent Detroit!) J's family rented a party bus and we drove down to Detroit to have some fun. Although the Lion's lost we had a great time with his family!

I love Christmas and the holiday season because it brings to many people together we don't get to see everyday. I was thankful to be able to spend time with my mom and dad's family and share in the laughter the holidays brought us!

I can't believe it was my last Christmas break, then again maybe i'll decide to go to grad school! ;)