Loving this right now
I need to remind myself sometimes to find joy in even the smallest bits of life! Here is a collection of some moments, places and things that have made me smile lately:
My neon yellow Hot Tools curling iron
I needed a new one, it was on sale at Ulta, AND I had a coupon, so, done. When you have curling iron storage that's on semi-display (mine is housed on the side of the vanity and plugged in INSIDE the vanity, by the way, yes, living that dream) there are lots of extra arguments to be made for it needing to be insanely cute, as well as functional.
Spending time at Crystal Cove
Crystal Cove State Park is our little piece of heaven on Newport Coast, and we stay in the historic cottages there as often as we can - we even designed our guest room after one of them. On last week's visit, Johnny got me out onto the tidepools, and it was pretty majestic.
Adding to our collection
We got these vintage drawers (it looks like they used to store hardware for sale) for just $5 each at an antique store. Now they live on the bottom shelf of our coffee table, and when we can, we add little collected pieces of driftwood and heart-shaped rocks that we find on our travels.
Getting to greet Heather's online guests
Heather Armstrong is the sweet, kind and very talented photographer who captured our engagement session and wedding day. I was completely blown away and honored to see our smiling faces greeting her guests on a recent visit to her website! I found Heather a few years ago when my best friend was getting married. She had a frantic moment when all the photographers in her area had already been booked up for her date. Heather came in from out of town and gave her the most stunning photography that truly captured the genuine love felt on that day. I flew Heather out for my own wedding, and she gave us such a gift with her skills behind the lens. It was her website that convinced us to book her, and so I can only hope that we help convince others!
Cloudy, cozy days
This will always, always been my absolute most favorite thing there is. We don't get many days like this in Southern California, but when the skies are overcast and the temperatures are cool, it feels like permission to just snuggle up in a blanket, light a candle, and recharge. Interestingly enough, the first day of summer was one of those days, and I soaked up every moment I could before we snapped back into the 80-degree, relentlessly-sunny norm.
A bright, blooming garden
The sunshine does have its benefits, however. I got home from work on Friday in the daylight, a rare occurrence for me during the week, and noticed the garden next to our front walkway blooming more vibrantly than I had ever seen it before. I just had to stop and take a picture.