June Budget

The thing about shopping bans is that sometimes they backfire and as soon as I can shop again I immediately purchasing everything I'd been coveting.

Combine that with being on vacation with nothing but time and shopping aplenty, not to mention downtime in airports and the ease of mobile shopping, well, the results are as follows:

Gap Black Maxi Dress, $3 (after discounts & rewards)
Gap Brown Leather Flip Flops, $3.96 (after discounts & rewards)
Gap High Rise Flares, $2.65 (after discounts & rewards)
Victoria's Secret Bikini Top, $25.50
Banana Republic Peplum Top, $12
Forever 21 Slip Dress, $10
H&M Tassel Tee, $18
H&M Open Shoulder Blouse, $15
H&M Striped Top, $18
Eileen Fisher Black Vest/Dress, $22 via consignment
Soludos x Lemlem Espadrilles c/o Shopbop
Rebecca Minkoff Waist Bag c/o Shopbop
Vionic Jura Slide Sandal c/o Vionic

Total $130

I make no apologies. It was a month of indulgence, a month of shopping. Never mind the underlying issues causing me to refresh a product page dozens of times waiting for my size to pop back rather than just accepting that it might be sold out and moving on. Never mind the desperate belief that a purchase will bring me happiness beyond the initial thrill. I know the compulsion is something I need to work to break myself from, I know I need to learn how to actually be happy. But this is where I am right now, forever shopping for the life I want, not the life I have.

San Diego

We've come to the end of the California photos, with our last stop in San Diego. By far the most mellow of the cities we visited, we stayed in another Airbnb which was walking distance from the Seaport Village, which reminded me a lot of Mystic Seaport.

We drove to La Jolla and visited Seal Beach, it was crazy how close you could get to them, if you were daring enough, and we got to see the cutest baby seals! We also went to Coronado to see the famous hotel, walked along the beaches, got our toes wet for the first time during the trip.

If I could do it all over again, knowing what I know now, I probably would. After the first few days of carrying my camera around I grew very tired of it, hence only having seven sets of outfit photos for a 14 day trip. I wish I'd known about June Gloom, I would have packed more jeans and left my beach towels at home! Also would have been nice to have known my sister wasn't old enough to drive the rental car, 800 miles was a lot for me. I only had one really big melt down (maybe two?) which is pretty good considering how much I dislike driving. At least the car had a backup camera, which was probably more a blessing for my sister since I didn't have to make her get out of the car every time I needed to parallel park - and that was a lot!

I'm also sad I didn't get a chance to meet Alice or Carrie, but who knows, maybe next time?

The Rundown
Lemon Print Skort Topshop similar
Teal Blouse Old Navy similar
Jeweled Espadrille Sandal Dune London similar
Brown Leather Tote Hobo via ebay similar
Beetle Earrings Banana Republic
Turquoise Necklace Gift similar
Gold Bracelets The Cavernous Jewelry Box
Nail Color "It's a Boy" OPI

Linking up with I Do deClaire's Confident Twosday

and

Cute and Little's on Trend Tuesday

Canals in Venice

With traffic and my knack for missing exits we arrived in Los Angeles well after dark, too exhausted to do little more than settle into our Airbnb and munch on the snacks we'd picked up earlier at Trader Joe's.

Staying in a guest house in a residential neighborhood a couple miles from Venice Beach, we'd planned on our stay having at least one or two beach days, but ultimately, due to the gloom (which did lift for at least a couple of the afternoons we were there) it was still too cold. We'd also deliberately chosen the Airbnb we did because they offered two cruiser bikes for us to use. Both bikes were large and set up for use by tall people, the seats so high I could barely touch the ground on tip toe. We asked our host if he'd adjust the seat - he said he would, but then never did.

I tried to ride anyway one morning, with google navigating from the bike basket we set out to get breakfast at 26 Beach - delightful options for french toast and egg scrambles with pasta along with an eclectic decor. We got there and back, though I ended up walking my bike for a lot of the trip, when I wasn't liking the combination of a busy road, no helmet, and barely being able to reach the pedals. Since we weren't going to be able to ride the bikes to the canals like we'd planned we tried driving, but after not being able to find parking we drove back and Ubered.

The Rundown

Little White Dress Macy's similar

Espadrilles Soludos x Lemlem 

Brown Leather Tote Hobo via ebay similar
Bling Earrings JoJo Loves You
Ascension Necklace House of Harlow via TJMaxx
Cuff "Vista" Gorjana via Rocksbox
Gold Bracelets The Cavernous Jewelry Box
Thin Gold Ring Etsy via Sweet Olive Jewelry
Sunglasses "Meteor" Ray-Ban c/o TJMaxx
Nail Color "It's a Boy" OPI

Linking up with Pink Sole's How I Summer

and

Fizz & Frosting's Mix it Monday

and

Monday Mingle

Palms in Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara was another short one night stay. We had our horseback beach ride scheduled for that evening and it was my first time riding a horse, pony rides aside. My horse was named Bacio, and while she didn't really care to run through the water, I did have fun attempting to learn how to trot and canter as the sun set and the waves rolled in.

The next day we spent strolling down State Street, a two mile stretch of nothing but shops and restaurants, and of course they were all the stores you can find anywhere; Banana Republic, Free People, Gap, Express, you know. This did not stop us from going in, nor did it stop me from picking up a peplum top at Banana Republic that I'd been eyeing since April, finally reduced to $12.

This is one of my favorite outfits of the trip, partly because I had been dreaming of having photos in this palm print top with palm trees in the background, and partly because it's the debut of the waist bag, or belt bag, or fanny pack, if you prefer.

Despite both Sean and my sister telling me that the waist bag should not be a thing, and despite the fact that even at 40% off this bag still cost $116, I was set on having it. It was a combination of my still remaining love of Fiona from Burn Notice, with having credits to spend at Shopbop and Amazon Prime, so even though I waited until the last possible moment it would still arrive before my departure.

While the waist bag is so deeply embedded in all things unfashionable, and I got a kick out of this blog post I read, likening designers trying to make waist bags popular akin to "trying to make fetch happen", I am completely happy with my purchase.

The Rundown

Palm Print Top Joie via Roundabout similar

White Jeans Old Navy

Distressed Denim Jacket Gap similar

Jeweled Espadrille Sandal Dune London similar
Waist Bag "Wendy" Rebecca Minkoff
Beetle Earrings Banana Republic
Turquoise Necklace Gift similar
Cloudy Agate Bracelet J.Crew
Thin Gold Ring Etsy via Sweet Olive Jewelry

Sunglasses Kenneth Cole Reaction via Marshalls

Nail Color "It's a Boy" OPI

Linking up with Jeans and a Teacup's Flashback Friday (One year ago today)

Big Sur

Big Sur is beautiful. Every mile of the coast, every ancient redwood tree, it's just stunning. The thing about Big Sur however is that it's mostly for camping and thusly people who like to camp, and hike, and be close to nature.

While I'm not opposed to nature, and spent many a weekend in my childhood as a Girl Scout camping and hiking, these days I tend to identify more with Troop Beverly Hills. So when I saw that Fernwood Resort had an "Adventure Tent" to rent, I was all about my night of glamping in my tent with electricity, a queen size bed, and a heater in case it got to cold. There were two other Adventure Tents on the grounds who we shared a private bathhouse with, which did not have coin operated showers, like the bathhouses for those more accustomed to roughing it did.

After a long day of wandering through the woods, that bed felt so good.

No outfit photos for Big Sur - I foolishly only packed my white converse, and you do not want to see what happened to them!

Flowers in Carmel

After procuring our rental car, a cute little grey Jetta, we started our journey south to Monterey and Carmel-by-the-Sea. The gloom held fast and despite our hopes that as we headed down the coast things would warm up, our stroll along the brick sidewalks of Carmel was a chilly one.

That aside, Carmel is a charming little town. It's downtown area is full of shops and restaurants and no stretch of sidewalk or storefront is without flowers or succulents and I became so enamoured with the succulents that I desperately want to plant them in my own little 'garden' now.

The Rundown
Floral Maxi Dress Banana Republic
Distressed Denim Jacket Gap similar
Sandals "Keira" Trask via in.d giveaway
Brooklyn Camera Bag ONA via Young Adventuress Giveaway
Bling Earrings JoJo Loves You
Pineapple Necklace Moon & Lola via Rocksbox
Gold Bracelets The Cavernous Jewelry Box
Gold Wrap Ring gift from Meg similar
Nail Color "It's a Boy" OPI