Day Trip --> Santa Cruz

A couple weekends back we sought out warmer temps in Santa Cruz. We made our first stop at Henry Cowell Redwoods park for a short hike (one of the few parks in the area with dog friendly trails).

Catalog Love: J. Crew Style Guide

One glance at the cover of the J. Crew Style Guide when it arrived in the mail and I had to open it immediately. Their lucky crew flew off to Bali where they took advantage of the 1,000-year-old temples and the lush landscape to create an ad campaign that makes me to hop on a plan ASAP. My infatuation with the idea of a Bali vacation first took hold while reading the infamous Eat, Pray, Love.

West Coast Adventures

One of the best things about living in San Francisco is our close vicinity to so many other interesting cities and destinations. The little lady will be spending the summer with family and we plan to take advantage of our adult time to do a little (well maybe a lot) of exploring. It just so happens to be unseasonably cold in SF during the summer so it will be nice to escape to some warmer temperatures on the weekends.

Blithedale Summit trail, Mount Tamalpais in the North Bay 

Day Dreaming - Hammocks + Books

Now that things are beginning to settle down around the house my job search in San Francisco has begun. A gave my resume a major face lift and I am very excited about sending it out.

However, rather than sitting in front of the computer sifting trough job postings all day, I wouldn't mind being here right now with a good book and a refreshing beverage to sip on...

Blue Skies Ahead {road trip - part 7 - minneapolis}

Welcome to Minneapolis and our final road trip post.  Like most of the other cities I encountered along my trip Minneapolis had a different type of vibe than I had expected.

Blue Skies Ahead {road trip - part 6 - st.paul}

As we entered into the last day of our short 3 day road trip, we arrived in St. Paul. Prior to this trip I had never really thought about traveling to St. Paul and was pleasantly surprised by the city's upbeat vibe. 

Blue Skies Ahead {road trip - part 5 - madison}

This was my second visit to the charming little city that is Madison, Wisconsin. The city is home to the Westye Group where Wolf and Sub-Zero is sold, I visited the facility during my previous visit. It is also home to one of Frank Lloyd Wrights first silver level LEED certified convention centers, Monona Terrace.

Blue Skies Ahead {road trip - part 4 - chicago}

Only having two hours to spare, I didn't have much time to experience all the gloriousness that is Chicago.  My initial impression of the city it that it seems to have a hard shell that needs to be broken through to get to know all of the wonderful stuff tucked away inside.

Alys Beach

During a trip to Florida for our friend's wedding in May we decided that an afternoon spent photographing in nearby Alys Beach was a requirement. If you are unfamiliar with Alys beach your eyes are in for treat, if you are familiar you already understand our infatuation. Think crisp, white, and geometric architecture alongside sidewalks made of seashells and you have an idea of the beauty that is Alys Beach. Whenever I am there I feel as though the buildings are from a faraway place, it's nothing like anything I have crossed paths within the United States.

Blue Skies Ahead {road trip - part 3 - indianapolis}

Home of the Colts, Hoosiers, the Indy 500, and the Gary Indiana song from Music Man was pretty much all I knew about Indiana before my visit. We arrived in Lexington KY at 11 PM to find that our visit coincided with the Kentucky Derby.

Blue Skies Ahead {road trip - part 2 - nashville}

Welcome to part 2 of a 7 part series of my recent road trip.

 

We pulled into Nashville at dusk. The patios downtown were filled with people casually lounging. The expected blue jean skirts, boots, and cowboy hats were prominent.

Summer's Full {image + quote = inspiration}

There came a day at Summer's full, Entirely for me.

- Emily Dickinson 

Jona and I have decided for the sake of work/life balance to take some time off from posting new content to the blog. Jona started a new position this week and I need some time to brush up on my French for my upcoming trip (high school French class was 10 years ago!) and do some things for myself (like read a book!). During the break we will still be working to repair posts that are missing images as a result of the technical issues we recently experienced. We promise there are a lot of fun projects in the works, so please stay tuned! I hope you also have a little down time to enjoy the summer sun and catch up on things.

. . . 
Wonderlust Photography by Jona

A Little Birdy Told Me...

Follow our adventures in Atlanta, travels around the world, and explorations on the web through each of our twitter accounts:

Jona @wonderlustpics and Melanie @wonderlustlife

Tweet Tweet! 

Blue Skies Ahead {road trip - part 1 - chattanooga}

I have a goal set for myself to see all 50 states before I hit 30. So, when the opportunity arose for me to travel through several states with my childhood best friend, I could not pass it up. This is part 1 of 7 of my road trip adventure. Enjoy!

Travel Style

 It's been some time since I have done a Catalog Love post and had planned to use the most recent J.Crew catalog for inspiration when it arrived in the mail. However, as soon as I began flipping through I felt as though someone had been reading my mind. The catalog is dominated by a carefree vacation style very in line for what I have been imagining for my upcoming trip. Being the planner that I am, I have already been researching the appropriate attire.

London Calling

Source: photograph-london.com via Melanie on Pinterest

After some research I found that flying into London is a better deal than flying into Paris. It would be silly not to take advantage of the ease of travel between London and Paris so I have added in a few extra days to spend in London!! From there, I will take a train into Paris. Swoon. I couldn't be happier!

Paris, S'il Vous Plaît!

For those of you who know me well, you know I have been engulfed by wanderlust for several years but unfortunately have not been able to travel. Well, my time has come! I am planning a trip to Paris in August and I could not be more excited. Keep a look out for upcoming planning posts! 

In the meantime, I leave you with one of my all time favorites by Carla Bruni. She is perfect for dinner parties, smoothing ruffled feathers, and lovers.

{top image via pinterest}

{Away We Go} Seaside, Forida

I have been reflecting a lot lately with all of the changes going on in my life and the lives of those around me. It’s so funny when you take a step back and realize how often life has a tendency to come full circle.

 

Graphic Accents in Miami

Miami abounds with dynamic architecture, often in contrasting stark white and rainbow of hues that pierce it's blue skies.

 

I have an affinity for Art Deco so this city definitely hits the spot for me.

Inspired Interiors in Miami

Interiors in Miami range from the extreme modern to the wonderfully whimsical, making a visit feel like an escape from the everyday.

The Shelbourne Hotel where Jona stayed during her trip to Miami.

The decadent yet still crisp interior of the Mondrian Hotel. Jona's favorite
hotel, she describes it feeling like a dream she never wanted to leave.