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    Outfit, Travel

    It’s Beach Time!

    June 2, 2014
    Photography by Laura Nolan
    Outfit Details:
    Forever 21 Sunglasses
    Old Navy Chambray Shirt
    Forever 21 Crop Top
    ASOS High Waist Linen Shorts
    H&M Strappy Sandals in Black (Not Pictured)
    My best friend Laura and I met up in Dana Point this weekend, since it’s our halfway meeting spot between L.A. and San Diego. I had only been to Dana Point once before on my first year of college, and I basically spent all day seasick on a boat collecting water samples for my marine biology class. Needless to say, my first visit to the area wasn’t a memorable experience. Thankfully, this trip made up for my last. Laura and I decided to head over to Dana Strand Beach while we were there, and I loved how calm and relaxing it was. I’m not much of a beach person, and I’m used to frequenting busy L.A. beaches that offer limited and expensive parking. Unlike most beaches that I’ve visited, Dana Strand Beach had tons of free parking, and it had a very calm vibe to it.
    What I really loved about Dana Point is how friendly everybody was. People noticed Laura and I taking pictures of each other–she took outfit pictures of me for my blog, and I took pictures of her in various yoga poses for her Instagram–and they were quick to offer to take a picture of the two of us together. Laura thinks that many of the beach goers had a friendship crush on the two of us. However, my guess is that many of them were probably super impressed by Laura’s awesome yoga poses. She is currently participating in Free People’s Instagram Yoga Challenge, and where else can you find a more serene spot to practice yoga than the beach? I can only dream of the day when I’ll be as strong and graceful as my best friend. You should all go check out her pictures on Instagram and cheer her on throughout the challenge.
    After lounging at the beach for a couple of hours, Laura and I decided to head out for lunch. Thanks to recommendations on Yelp, we ended up going to the Hummingbird House Cafe in nearby San Juan Capistrano. Little did we know that this particular cafe was located on Los Rios Street, which just happens to be the most darling street I have ever laid eyes on. Los Rios Street is located behind the San Juan Capistrano MetroLink Station, and is lined with houses that have been converted into shops and restaurants. These businesses all had a boho chic and vintage feel to them, and every store we walked into had a nice garden and lounging area which made you feel right at home.
    This was the outdoor dining area of the Hummingbird House Cafe.
    Las Catrinas, a cute and colorful shop featuring Mexican/Mexican-Inspired Jewelry, Crafts and Artisanal Products.
    Laura has the coolest laid back beach style.

    I can’t believe June is here already! It’s already starting off to be an exciting month. Not only did I meet up with Laura this weekend, but I also had the opportunity to celebrate my friend Sara’s birthday at a cute restaurant called Abricott in Pasadena. It’s seems like it was only yesterday when I had made my New Year’s resolution to start this blog, and made a commitment to doing new and fun things. I’m very proud of myself for keeping up with it.

    What was your New Year’s resolution and are you keeping true to it? Are you making any new resolutions now that we’re halfway through the year? Let me know, I’d love to hear from you.

    Love,
    Helen Grace
    Outfit, Travel

    San Diego: Day II

    May 5, 2014
    Photos by Laura Nolan
    Outfit Details:
    Forever 21 Fedora Hat (Similar here)
    CottonOn Tank
    CottonOn Chiffon Blouse
    H&M Jeans
    H&M Strappy Sandals
    Crocheted Tote (Handmade by my Grandmother)
    I’m super excited to share with you my last few pictures from my trip to San Diego. I was so happy to get to spend some much needed time with my best friend, and to just get out of Los Angeles for the weekend. Looking through these pictures gives me the opportunity to kind of relive our time together.
    Browsing through these pictures is also fun because I’m wearing a hat that I bought about two weeks ago, when I was going through my extreme moody phase. On a particularly bad day, I decided to put it on and was surprised of how it instantly boosted my mood. It’s really funny how something so simple like putting on something that you like, drinking a cup of coffee or doing something that you enjoy, can positively impact the way that you feel. Some of my coworkers and I even talked about how it would be fun to have a hat day at work in order to have a fun activity to break up the week.

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    Outfit, Travel

    San Diego: Day I

    April 28, 2014

    San Diego Travel Diary Day 1

    Photos by Laura Nolan

     

    Outfit Details:
    Anne Klein Satchel
    Maxi Dress from ANGL
    H&M Pleather Jacket
    H&M Strappy SandalsI drove down to San Diego this weekend to visit my best friend Laura, after not having seen her in person for almost two months. Laura is my former roommate, and it is strange to think that I now have to drive miles to see her instead of leaving my room to go knock on her door. It is really funny, though, because when we were first assigned as roommates, Laura and I both didn’t think that we would have that much in common. Before meeting in person, we both had looked at each other’s Facebook profiles and had developed preconceived notions of what the other would be like. However, once we actually started living with each other, we found out that we both had very similar interests and values. Laura and I quickly became inseparable, and developed a very special bond. We’ve been friends for more than 7 years, and I couldn’t be more thankful to have found such a wonderful and supportive best friend.

    Balboa Park in San Diego, CA
    Laura was such a wonderful tour guide and made sure that I got to see the best of what San Diego has to offer. After I arrived at Laura’s house and got settled in, our first stop was at Cabrillo National Monument, which is located on the Point Loma Peninsula. This weekend’s weather was quite unusual for California, and was rather cold and windy. Most of the time that we were at Cabrillo National Monument, Laura and I felt like we were going to be swept away by the wind. Regardless of the weather, Point Loma was beautiful and I definitely want to stop by again next time that I am in San Diego. 
    Laura and I also stopped by Balboa Park, which is the home to an array of museums and gardens. It is very easy to spend the entire day there since the park is so beautiful, and there is so much to see and do. While I was there, I really enjoyed stopping by the Botanical Building because there were so many unique plants, and it was very peaceful despite it being a very busy day. I also loved walking through the Spanish Village Art Center, which features several studios and galleries with work from local artists; the center is very colorful and unique, and I felt like I was transported to a completely different world. It is definitely a place to visit if you’re in a creative rut, and you want to find a place where you can be inspired.
    Aside from driving all over San Diego, Laura and I had the opportunity to catch up and do our favorite things such as eat ice cream and watch Parks and Recreation (we’re really easy to please). We even managed to squeeze in a Skype date with our other best friend Kelsey. I couldn’t ask for a more perfect weekend! I’m sad that I had to leave San Diego, but I am so thankful that I got to spend time with my best friend.
    I hope you enjoyed this blog post, and thank you for stopping by! I’m really looking forward to sharing more pictures from San Diego with you next week, because it will give me an opportunity to look back at this amazing weekend.
    Much Love,
    Helen Grace