Saying YAS to the Dress

With less than 6 months until our wedding now, planning is finally in full swing! And I could not be more excited.

Back in January I was tearing through wedding checklists like a maniac. But I quickly realized that this is the only time I get to do this. And I want this planning process to be fun and memorable and stress-free too (or at least as stress-free as it can be for a stress addict like me). I want to indulge in it a bit!

So when it came to shopping for The Dress, I decided to make a weekend out of it. Shanna, Makena, Bonnie and I headed up to Venice Beach the weekend after my birthday with a cute AirBnB booked and two dress appointments: one at Dreamers and Lovers in Torrance and the other at my bridal mecca, Grace Loves Lace.

Clean, Green Bathroom Routine

30 days ago, I joined Groundswell Community Project in a #NoPlasticNovember live-a-thon. The goal of the challenge was to get rid of one type of single-use plastic (or all plastic!) for the month of November and I decided to eliminate plastic-packaged bathroom toiletries.

It was a good place to start too, because I happened to have 80 of them lying around. 

The thing is, single-use plastics are killing our oceans. And the $432 billion dollar beauty and personal care products industry could really care less. Probably because every product we buy that's packaged in a single-use plastic is us voting for them to make more!

I used to not think that way. I used to pick up a plastic-packaged product and think, "Well. It's already made, so I might as well buy it, right? Also, what difference is one purchase by one person going to make?"

In fact, honestly? At one point, I used to not care at all. But now, after doing more research and watching documentaries like "A Plastic Ocean"on Netflix, I am heartbroken and ashamed. 

So I have officially started my plastic-free journey with a strong disclaimer: I don't claim to have the whole plastic-free thing totally figured out yet. I am simply committed to figuring out my personal approach and sharing that here in a way that's as personal and educational as possible. The last thing I want to do is come off as self-righteous or preachy... I have no right to be. And I'll share this all with the sincere hope that others will share their journeys with me in return or be inspired to try to reduce their own use of plastic. 

But, back to my bathroom. 

Giving up single-use plastic toiletries was a start, but it was only one step I took over the past month to make my bathroom a little more green and a little more zen in the process. And I did it all in four easy steps. 

Rose Bowl Flea Market

Sunday mornings are a great excuse to lay in bed and scroll through Instagram for hours longer than you normally would. But it's even better if it's it the second Sunday of the month... because then you can stalk all the hauls from the Rose Bowl Flea Market. 

I am obsessed with the amazing stuff that people find at this flea market and I have been for years. The envy is real and if I had a bigger house and millions of dollars I would go every month. Hands down, that's not even a question. Which is why I kind of avoided it for a long time... the temptation is just too much. 

After all, the Rose Bowl Flea Market is actually the greatest flea market on Earth. 

OB Love: 1502 Candle Co.

I have been saying for the better part of two years that I want to do more posts highlighting my sweet little neighborhood of Ocean Beach. However, like most things blog-related I haven't had time during this frantic year-long race to the finish of my MBA. #MBAproblems

Here's the thing: I knew OB was home the minute I first set foot in my friend Keri's apartment complex 7 years ago. Something about it just felt like what I'd meant whenever I said I wanted to move to San Diego. It was the vibe and community I'd been searching for my whole life. And even though it took me five years after moving to San Diego to move to OB, now that I'm here I don't ever want to leave.

San Diego is home, but OB is home.

West Coast Road Trip Part II: Big Sur to Santa Cruz

After a quick stay in Big Sur, it was time to cruise on over to Santa Cruz! (Sorry, I had to.)

On our way there, the original plan had been to maybe stop at Point Lobos, a gorgeous state reserve great for hiking and whale watching, but one that is unfortunately not dog-friendly.  Since this was the first time we'd been in the area dog-free, I had thought that maybe we should take advantage of it. But parking was backed out onto the road and we'd already hiked once that morning and besides... I wanted to make sure we had enough time to stop at the first (but definitely not the last!) tourist trap of our trip.

What tourist trap, you ask? Well... I don't want to keep it too much of a mystery. Heh. Heheheheh.

Next stop, Santa Cruz!

Shopped: Anthropologie, Westfield UTC

Nine times out of ten when someone asks me where I bought something, the answer is Anthropologie. In fact, people ask less and less... it's more of a statement now: "You got this at Anthro." Our duvet, our dishes, the sweater I'm wearing as I type this....

Hi, my name is Bri and I'm addicted to Anthropologie. 

(Hi, Bri.)

Shopped: Road Runner Sports, Kearny Mesa

It's time.

After months of stress fractures and stress eating and just plain old stress, it's no surprise that I have returned to my pre-FMD bod, my pre-marathon motivation, and my pre-San Diego happiness levels. Something is way, way off and if I had to put my finger on it, there's a 110% chance that it's because I'm not running.

Believe it or not, back in the day the main focus of this blog was running. And after spending the first half of 2014 recovering from stress fractures, I finally rejoined the world of runners when we moved to Ocean Beach in the fall. It felt great! But thennnnn daylight savings time happened, which makes it really hard for me find time to run and even though that's come and gone, I never started running again. I needed some motivation... something to make it fun...

It's pretty easy to see where I'm going with this: new shoes.

Shoppped: TOPSHOP Fashion Valley

IT'S HERE!

Do you know what happiness is? Happiness is falling in love with a store, a perfect, beautiful store while you're studying abroad in London. And then having that store open its third U.S. location in the city where you now live. And then being invited by said store to come and shop before the doors are opened to the public. And then getting champagne and a personal stylist to assist you while you do so. And THEN going to the launch party where you get to meet Devendra Banhart, drink for free and dance all night with your friends.

That, my friends, is happiness. And I am so, SO happy.

Topshop Fashion Valley is finally, wonderfully, dangerously open, but if you want a little sneak peek before you head to the mall, well, I'd love to share my happiness with you...

Shopped: Oakley Gaslamp

For most San Diegans, the Gaslamp (aka Downtown) is for tourists. To them, it's the equivalent of going to Times Square in NYC or Grauman's Chinese Theater in LA. And the Gaslamp in July? You can't throw a craft beer without hitting a bachelor/ette party, a group of foreigners, or a man in a Marvel costume. If you live here, it's to be avoided at all costs during the summer.

Which is really too bad, because there are tons of great restaurants and shops in the Gaslamp that we should be taking advantage of. And one of those shops is the Oakley store on Fifth Ave.

A lot of girls seem to have the wrong idea about Oakley. They think it's just another Billabong or Roxy surf brand style of apparel. Which couldn't be further from the truth: Oakley is a performance sports apparel brand. Sure, yeah they have the SoCal vibe; after all, they're headquartered just up the 5 in Orange County. But Oakley is for athletes. And with easy access to their new collections at their Gaslamp store, it's a shame more San Diego runners don't know that.

Shopped: Free People Fashion Valley

Say what you will about their prices, but I love Free People.

I love their clothes, I love their ads, I love their blog, I love their stores. They just provide such a great shopping experience: a respite from the doldrums of my daily corporate existence, made out of the same stuff as my boho daydreams. Their clothes are gorgeous and unique, combining femininity with a wild independence. And their store installations.. I mean... really. I die.

I was ec. stat. ic. when I found out they were opening a new store in the Fashion Valley mall, the mall that's closest to my little San Diego home. And even more amped when they told me I could visit before the doors opened to the public last Saturday.

Shopped: Revolucion Del Sueno

I've been going through Mexico withdrawals fairly often lately. 

It definitely has a lot to do with the fact that I'm almost done with my first four swimming lessons. I'm anxious to go back and see how different our trip would have been with this new found confidence around water. 

But, if it wasn't for our time there, I would never have become as desperate and ready to learn as I was after we left. Spending so much time in and around the ocean made me crave the freedom that everyone else had.

I hope/plan on going back to Sayulita, maybe even next year, but until then, I've just been sorting through pictures and trying to write a few final posts to share from the trip. And since one of my favorite things about Sayulita was the shopping, I thought I'd share some images from one of the chicest stores in town, Revolucion del Sueno.

What to Pack for Coachella: Festival Style

Breezy Daze

{{ mint playsuit - floral head tie - crochet cardigan - gladiator sandal }}

Back in Black

{{ karma made me do it tank - black denim shorts - floral kimono - studded booties }}

Desert Gypsy

{{ kimono - lace crop top - red shorts - fringe booties }}

White Hot

{{ sandals - lace dress - denim vest - turquoise mala }}

Need a little festival style inspiration? Here are some of the looks I'm messing around with as I start mentally packing for Coachella. By far, Coachella outfit shopping has become my favorite time of year to test new looks. Just make sure you have a way to transition each outfit into night... it gets cold in the desert! 

Are you all set for Coachella? 

What are some of your must-have fashion staples this festival season?

Shopped: SportRX in Bay Ho, San Diego

This past weekend I was invited to stop by the SportRx headquarters in Bay Ho/PB and check out their array of performance and prescription sunglasses. If I had to name one major difference in my outdoor fitness gear needs between Southern California and back home in Connecticut, it would be the importance of having a great pair of shades. The sun here is so bright and there's no escaping it under leafy trees, so lightweight polarized sunglasses are a must.

Honestly, if I hadn't had been invited, I never would have known that SportRx existed. For me it's only a short drive up the 5, off the Grand Ave exit, but it's tucked away on a popular cyclist backroad, Santa Fe Street. In fact, that's the first thing I noticed when I pulled up: they have a cyclist/runner refreshment station set up outside their store with water, sports drinks, and snacks. You can even pop in during your workout and have your sunglasses adjusted or cleaned. How awesomely thoughtful is that?

Inside, the store and back offices are situated in a bright, fun space lined with tons of cool art, not to mention a kegerator, a shuffleboard table, and a huge table made out of the most gorgeous driftwood from the SD harbor. In addition to being a retail space, it's probably one of the coolest offices I've ever been in.

Their Sports Optician, Tim, gave me a tour and let me try on sunglasses to my heart's content. I was so overwhelmed with the selection, from well-known brands like Oakley, Ray-Ban, Spy Optics, and Maui Jim to sports specialty or lesser known brands that are up and coming. After browsing for almost an hour, I decided that there's really no reason to shop elsewhere for sunglasses in San Diego.

It's a one stop shop for sunglasses, whether you're a runner, cyclist, motorcyclist, golfer, snowboarder, skier, volleyball player or just fashion conscious and looking to test drive some high quality shades. And it doesn't matter if you need prescription sport sunglasses or if you have 20/20 vision like me (have to brag while I still can, right?), SportRx can help you with the right pair with their Prescription Analyzer tool. Don't worry if you're not in San Diego: they're fairly well-known as the go-to place for prescription sunglasses online!

In the end, it was a tough choice, but I went with super cute Maui Jim polarized Pikake shades that will transition nicely from a hike to an afternoon out with friends. But I'll definitely be back for more... there were some adorable Smith Optics glasses that would be fun for Coachella, tons of Oakleys that I loved for running and I was intrigued by Spy Optics's Happy Lens technology.

It's basically a sunglasses heaven where fashion meets fitness meets a kegerator with local craft brews on tap. What more could a San Diegan ask for?

SportRx Showroom
5076 Santa Fe Street, Suite A
San Diego, California, 92109
Phone: (888) 531-5817

Shopped: Love & Aesthetics in Little Italy, San Diego

My favorite Saturday mornings are the ones I spend in Little Italy, picking up fresh food and gorgeous flowers at the Farmer's Market, popping into the new boutiques, getting coffee with friends and stopping by the art store. This past Saturday I got the chance to do just that and met up with Eva from The Fashion Fairytale.

I met Eva at the Get Fit San Diego party last week and just fell in love with her energy and style. We got coffee on Saturday at Pappalecco and chatted the afternoon away. She is one of those people that you just feel like you've known forever and it was so nice to have a conversation with a new friend who I could talk to like an old friend. 

On my walk home after our coffee date, I happened to notice a boutique that I'd never seen before called Love & Aesthetics. From coffee table books to dishware to Missoni towels, their eclectic and unique collection of home goods makes this a must-stop for any shopping trip to Little Italy. It's definitely on my list, only next time I'll make sure to stop in before carrying a bag of groceries that's demanding to be put away. :)

NEED this portable wine tote for the beach!

Love & Aesthetics
621 W Fir St
San Diego, CA 92101
Phone: (619) 354-8441