Sparkle Sparkle

I just got back from an amazing bachelorette weekend away for one of closest friends. 

The bachlorette theme was you guessed it Sparkle haha. We stayed up in San Lius Obispo at the famous Madonna Inn in the pinkest sparkliest room. The first room was classy with chandeliers, pink sparkly wall paper, a pink ceiling and a cupid hanging above the bed. Madonna Inn lives up to its reputation with unique rooms, magical princess castle styled buildings, famous men's waterfall bathroom (yes, all nine of us girls storming the male bathroom to see the waterfall urinal). 

With mimosas in hand we kicked off the party with a lingerie shower then headed to the pool to relax and get our sun kissed skin. Next a bit lunch and siesta before we put our pretty on and hit the town. 

Can you imagine nine girls showering, styling the hair, putting on the makeup, getting dress and strapping on the heels. I'm not going to lie it was a little br of mayhem but so much fun helping one other getting ready. 

We head straight to the Madonna bar causing a little bit of discraction hello we were all in sparkly dresses. Asking the sweet bar tender what is your sparkliest drink a French 75. 

Starving we set out for Nova for dinner. Oh my goodness I ordered a green chicken curry and it was amazing!!  We sat outdoors under a covering of string lights and stuffed ourselves full. Nova turns from a restaurant into a club so we got to dance the night away under the stars and disco ball. 

Waking up in a sea of air mattress after little sleep and cinnamon rolls from Old West Cinnemon rolls was reminiscent of childhood sleepovers. 

The weekend was so much fun and we celebrated and showered the bride to be from head to toe in sparkle!! 

November 14th can't come soon enough where we leave behind our Cougars of apartment B and officially are all wife's to three incredibly handsome men. 

 

So here is what you all really want to know...where I got my what my husband calls sequin space dress. ASOS, literally my all time favorite online store. They carry so many different designers, offer worldwide free shipping and returns and have the most incredible sales. I am probably on the site five days a week adding to my wish list of not purchasing the cutest stuff. Go look them up! 

That Nanny Life

 A nanny, childminder, Au pair, child care provider, or mother's helper.

 I currently work to jobs as a part time as an office manager and a nanny, I have been a nanny for almost two years, with two separate families. Being a nanny doesn't just mean looking after a child, you really become a part of their families which usually includes other responsibilities like running errands, some chores around the home, pet care, going to birthday parties etc.

 My first nanny family was for a two year old little boy. He was a dream, so intelligent, well mannered, well behaved and so much fun to play with. I had the privilege of helping teach him new skills and watching him develop. We had a great time together going to the library, park, beach, getting treats like cupcakes or cake pops, play dates, music classes and so much more. He was so sweet but as he turned three at the end of summer, it was time for him to start school. I miss him!

I found my next nanny family through a friends recommendation. I currently take care of a 18 month old little girl, when I started she was only six months old. Since then I have loved watching her learn how to sit up, crawl, walk, and talk. She is developing characteristics and forming her little personality. We take long walks with her dog Oliver, play at the park, and take long naps. This nanny position is very different from the last, a lot less active and more care taking is involved but we are starting to step into a whole new world of learning.

Being a nanny has taught me a lot about my future self as a mum, breaking down preconceived ideas of how I will raise my kids and learning not to judge people's parental skills. It is not always fun and games dealing with sickness, tantrums, learning styles and helping them discover themselves. I really try to follow the same rules and styles their parents use so there is a constancy but it is hard to do sometimes when my style is different. I enjoy sharing the moment with these littles and especially enjoy the long two to three hour nap breaks. I really do see my job as a privilege.

Mums major props to you, it's hard work!!!

I can't wait to start my own family but I feel although being a nanny is different from having your own kids I have learnt a lot, to name a few.

 

1. I love rules (will be pretty strict with my future babes).

2. Routine is a HUGE deal.

3. Choose your battles.

4. Be active. Staying cooped up in the house makes you all crazy.

5. Be in the moment, they change so much.

I am excited to see who I am as mum one day.

Indy

If you haven't heard of Indy Brand Clothing then you must live under a rock. I have adored this brand for a few years and now have a chance to partner with them in this collaboration. Indy brand is run out of Utah and you can clearly tell their clothing is influenced by the beautiful nature that surrounds them and adventures they personally take. This small home based shop is family run and has such creative and unique clothing. 

They have been so generous not only to me but also extended our collaboration to my husband. When I told him that he had been invited to pick his favorite tee, he was like a kid in a candy shop full of excitement. It took neither of us any time at all to choose the tees we loved (as we are constantly drooling over there clothing). 

 I swear I wear this tee at least once a week and it was the first thing I packed on our recent camping trip to the eastern sierras over Labor Day weekend. While fishing at Ellery Lake on our last day, we were both wearing our Indy tees so I of course turned it into a mini photoshoot whilst waiting for the fish to bite (I fact whilst taking photos we had to run back to our spot because a fish was on the line). This is the first time ever that Carl has willingly let me take his picture for my Instagram and allowed me to post him on a blog. Isn't he so handsome? So if you didn't know already from my Instagram this is Carl, my wonderful husband. Ignore his "fishing pants" that are covered in rips, power bate and fish guts. 

P.s if you have never been to Ellery lake over tiaoga pass you need to go!! It's so beautiful and my favorite lake so far that I've been too (I've only been twice, but I'm a huge fan). 

Follow them on instagram @Indybrandclothing // or go straight to there shop www.indybrandclothing.com

{Keep an eye out as they have giveaways and competitions}

Foxy

My husband, since he can remember has gone camping every year in the Sierras, California. This year with two big trips to Scotland and Italy we just haven't been able to get the time off or afford to go and he has been so sad about it. Well on wednesday night while laying in bed half asleep my husband whispers "we should pack up and go to the sierras this weekend" and I half jokingly said "sure why not". I just so happened to have Friday off work and obviously it's Labor Day weekend so we have Monday off too. I texted Carl the next morning and said "I think we should really go this weekend". You see earlier in the week my husband received a bonus from work so boom financially covered, I happened to have Friday off and my husband can set his on schedule. But here's the clincher randomly my father in law calls Thursday afternoon to see if we had plans this weekend, Carl said "well we think we might shoot up to Lee Vining for the weekend". Low and behold his dad had had the same thought and we all decided to go together.  That's not the end of the story, we go to get our fishing licenses and they said "oh you only need to pay for a one day license because Sunday is free fishing"... WHAT!!!! I stopped and thought to myself God really loves my husband and I because Carl's been pretty sad about not getting up their this summer and over the next 3 months (besides our trip in October) I am slammed with bridesmaids/matron of honor duties as I am in four weddings in the next 3 months plus I have all life's normal errands and stuff. Carl and I will most likely only see each other when we wake up and when go to sleep over the next few weekends, so this is a much needed little get away. 

When in the middle of the mountains what better to wear than my fox peak apparel tee "good things happen on mountians", it perfectly describes our weekend getaway. Fox Peak apparel are from Eugene, Oregon and are a rad etsy shop discovery. I am a complete sucker for anything outdoors and there brand has sweet mountain slogan and animal print tees for men and women. 

Find them on Instagram @foxpeakapparel or check out their shop on etsy. 

Infinite Youth

On the way to work this morning my husband made the observation that it's been super hot here in Southern California isn't helping our drought. With all the water limitations so much of grass has died and thatched, our trees leaves are browning and have began falling is making it look like we are in the middle of fall. All the locals are hoping for El Niño to hit this coming fall and revive our sunny state once again. 

I am in love with my new ' locals only' re from Infinite youth LA  which is based out of LA. They are an  independent etsy shop with sweet apparrel that you'll fall head over heels for . This 'Locals Only' tee is so rad!! It's not just extremely cool but it is made from organic materials. I love to support companies with good ethics and integrity and Infinite Youth fits right into that very small bracket within the big fashion world. 

This locals only tee is so easy to pair with all kinds of styles. Hit it yet there Instagram @infiniteyouthla or check out their etsy shop www.etsy.com/shop/infiniteyouthla

Temecula Sunrise Hot Air Balloon

My husband and I have a bucket list things we want to do (just like anyone else). So far in the three years we have been together we have crossed off parasailing, wine tasting and now hot air ballooning. We are also crossing off in October a trip to Italy where we will travel to Venice, Florence, Pisa, Tuscany and Rome. 

This weekend we woke up bright and early at 4:30am (well I did, a girls got to look cute) and off we went into foggy back lane of wine country to meet up with the flight crew. The whole experience was incredible as we watch them fill the balloon with air to hopping in the basket. Standing in the basket feeling the heat of the burners above you and seeing three men putting there whole weight on the outside of the basket so it stays grounded makes you feel an anticipation for flight. Taking off was such a trip! I can only equate it to how you feel watching the movie UP, as you see him float away up into the sky. You literally feel like your floating on thin air and it's overwhelmingly peaceful. Knowing there is only a wicker basket between you and a 6000 foot drop gives you quite a thrill. We watched the sun fully rise through the clouds and watched the fog recede, revealing miles of orchards winery's and family farms. One of the most amazing moments was looking out on the horizon and seeing at least six other hot air balloons taking flight, all at different altitudes. After about an hour of flying high and drifting a few miles we began our decent which I assumed would be the scariest part which it was. It was quite surprising how quickly we floated back down but that wasn't the scary part, it was the question of where do we land? Gliding over houses, lakes, cattle pens and vineyards, we came to a farm where our pilot literally shouts to someone standing outside in there yard "Is it okay if we land here?" they yell back "Sure". Coming in to land we bent our knees and held on tight...thump, slide, bump, slide, bump, slide and then the same three guys come running and jump on to the sides of then basket, finally we are grounded!

Ungracefully existing the basket we end our flight with a glass of champagne (or three), the pilot recites an old Irish flight prayer that is tradition after safely taking a balloon ride and hearing a little history of hot air ballooning.

Wow, what an experience that everyone would should try.