Today is a praiseworthy day. I was up at the crack of dawn, and off to work at 7:15am, that’s not the praiseworthy part. Mid afternoon I was out on site taking field measurements of existing conditions for a project. Tape measure in hand, and like a busy bee working away…all of the sudden these words rolled off of my tongue…”it is so darn Hottt todaaaaaaaaaa…..”. I completely stopped mid sentence. And as fast as they came out, I totally rolled those words right back into my mouth, and swallowed them whole. What was I thinking? Am I the same girl that was just complaining about how she hates the cole, and how she wanted the sun to shine and warm temperatures to visit? We always want what we cannot have, but today I realized that I was totally wrong about that. I am so THANKFUL for the BIG, WARM, ball of fire that kept me warm and sweaty while I worked away today! I wouldn’t of changed the mid- 70’s and sunshiny day for ANYthing!
Now a little sunshine for your night:
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make sure you check out the etsy site for book bound bindery. click on the link in the side bar or right here.
Her love for collecting the things that inspire her, whether it be ideas, relationships, memories, or beauty—led to the exploration of the art of bookbinding, which led to these bookbinding kits:
that make pretty books like these:
and you’ll find other FAB things like these below:
make sure you check out this sweet gals ETSY site today!!
I just got back from a fun-filled, SUN-SHINING getaway from Orange County, California. Leaving home in “brrrr”-worthy temperatures + a 5-1/2 hour plane ride from Atlanta, left me bracing for more cold as I gathered my bags and swiftly exited the terminal at the airport in CA. Of course I knew to expect warmer temperatures, but this never-ending coldness at home left me expecting the worst. The doors automatically slide open, and crisp+clean 70 degree weather greeted me: “welcome to our climate where it is always nice”. My boyfriend, who lived here in CA for two years in high school, was arriving from NYC to meet me. We were meeting to relax, travel around, and visit sweet friends. Well some of you might know that up in the northeastern neck of the woods God decided to unloaded buckets and buckets of snow onto NYC that very day. I was convinced I was going to be flying solo for the weekend, but Hey…I’m sure not going to try to fight mother nature. I’d called my precious and FUN aunt who lives in Tucson, AZ to inform her that I might be requesting her company b/c she was visiting friends in LA at the time. But, God was good to us. 8 hours later, waiting at Newark airport, 1.5 hours on hold with Hertz, lots of headache, and for me “entertaining myself time”…he made it!! Whew…..
And the pretty Pacific coast quickly erases the o-so-unglamorousness of traveling.
Let me frame for you what it’s like to experience the beautiful landscape of the southern coast of California:
Now I might not be thank goodness one of the Real Housewives of Orange County, but I did come to find out “there’s a mystique to living behind the gates.” What a better way to explore the “unseen” than to explore over the top resorts, and all of the beautiful amenities they have to offer. One of them being the Montage Resort & Spa.
The landscaping was flat out immaculate. I was in awe, and like a tourist taking lots of pictures. I sucked up the embarrassment. I was just keeping my blog friends in mind, without pictures to show would you really believe me when I tell you about it on here?? This place isn’t kidding when they say, “a hotel is where you stay, Montage is here you live” because it’s a place of “ultra luxury”.
the resort:
the restaurant: appeals to the pallet [a Modern French cuisine with California influences] and the eyes [set "high on an oceanfront bluff with panoramic views].
the arts&crafts style charm and, designing every little detail…like these gas lantern fixtures I really loved:
The touring doesn’t end there. We headed South on Pacific Coast Highway [as the name implies, we were driving along the coast] to San Diego, La Jolla area, and then to Coronado:
The hotel was lots of fun. I’d been here once as a child, so the memories flooded back quickly. I pointed out places I’d played, stores I’d visited and even one of the restaurants I’d dined at. Remembering the cuisine, not so much. I’d probably chosen the kid’s chicken fingers and fries knowing my lack of desire to try new things as a child. My do things change, I think that was probably the last of my fried food days, because I’m not a fan any longer.
On the way back north, post “tsunami advisory” [you might of heard the fear for BAD weather in OC] Despite a short afternoon shower we didn’t see a tsunami, just a rainbow:
Which guided us to a pot of gold aka yummy dinner here, where I really liked the women’s bathroom:
Not only did we dine here, but here, here, here and here as well. We were for ever thankful for lots of yummy food, which let us to a Sunday morning church service at Mariners Church. We met one of my boyfriend’s friends and his wife for the 9am service.
As part of their “Be the Change” series, we were blessed in hearing Pastor Muriithi, from Kenya, speak. He was beyond amazing. I encourage you to watch to his sermon here. Really watch it :: CLICK HERE :: it’s worth your time. The outline version here. The sermon was great, but the worship was FAB. I should of worn my dancing shoes, we sang praises to Jesus “Kenyan style”: It’s You, Under the Rock, Stir in Me.
The new Chapel:
After the service, after all that dancing for Jesus, we went to brunch with friends at Bayside where you find “creative cuisine that bedazzles the bay”.
The afternoon led us to Roger’s Gardens. All I can say is, it’s a good thing Delta won’t allow me to lug some of these things home as a “personal item” carry-on because it could of been detrimental to the bank account. This place was fabulous.
bedding plants:
unique potting options + baskets + landscaping tools:
citrus plants: (+ fresh flowers, orchids, garden gifts, gourmet treats, and MORE!)
For our last little Hoorah…we made homemade pizzas with friends. Being the design freak I am, I got the pre-dinner personal “detailed” tour of the whole house. I mean WHOLE house. From the custom closets to the Rocky Mountain Hardware, it was fabulous! As far as dinner goes it was right on up there too. Only one of the pizzas stuck to the non-stick yeah-right pizza stone, but it made for ultra-thin crust so all was good in the end. The fellowship, praise and worship music, splendid pizza, fine wine and FAB interior made for PERFECTION. We couldn’t of asked for me, we were honored to be their guests. A perfect sh………BANG to a warm trip! Now back to a cold, rainy, gloomy day AND real life! Like dentist appointments, hair cuts and BUSYness.
