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    California Summer Bucket List

    June 22, 2015
    I’ve recently realized that this might be my last summer in California for a while since I’m moving to the Pacific Northwest this upcoming fall. Although I’m excited for this new turn of events in my life, there are moments where I wonder about how I’m going to deal with not being able to see my family and friends all the time, not making trips to my favorite coffee shop and simply leaving all the things that have become so familiar to me in the past few years. To make my transition a bit easier for me and make sure that I make the most of the time I have left in my home state, I decided to put together this short list of things I want to accomplish this summer.
    • Make time to visit Museums-It’s crazy, but I still haven’t been to the Getty Villa even though I’ve lived in the L.A. area my entire life! It’s also been a while since I’ve visited The Getty Museum, LACMA and MOCA.
    • Go to a couple of concerts-I want to catch a show at my favorite venue, the Hotel Cafe. I also want to make the most of the free concert series going on around L.A. such as Grand Performances, Saturdays Off the 405 and Levitt Pavilion.
    • Spend a day at the Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens-This is such a gorgeous place and I can spend all day just walking around the different gardens.
    • Explore bookstores around Los Angeles-Before I leave, I want to make sure that I make one last trip to The Last Bookstore, Skylight Books, and Vroman’s Bookstore.
    • Schedule a beach trip at least once a month-I am determined to put my bathing suit to use this year. Also, I made several trips to the beach last year and realized that I like making the time to sit down and just relax. My favorite beach is Strand Beach in Dana Point, which I discovered after my best friend Laura and I made it our halfway meeting point last summer.
    • Go out dancing– My favorite place to hit up is The Echo for Funky Sole on Saturday nights. I love that there isn’t a dress code and you get in for free before 10:30.
    • Tour Hearst Castle-I’ve always wanted to visit this place because it looks so gorgeous in pictures. I might stop here on my way up north and go on one of the tours.
    • Make a day trip to Salvation Mountain-I really want to make a trip down to this quirky landmark before I leave the State of California. That being said, I think that I’m going to have to make that trip by the end of this month, before the heatwave hits.
    • Spend a day in San Francisco-I’ll most likely stop in S.F. on my way up to Portland. I’ve charged my bestie Laura, who is moving up to the Bay Area this summer, with the task of finding all the best coffee and food places before I arrive.
    • Ride a bike-It’s been a very long time since I’ve been on a bike and I figured that I should try it out again before I relocate to a much more bike-friendly city. I’ll probably go on a bike ride during one of my beach trips–bike paths seem so much safer to me than riding on the busy streets of L.A.
    • Go on a coffee shop crawl around L.A.-Visiting new coffee shops used to be my favorite thing to do because it was a fun and inexpensive way to get out of my neighborhood and visit other parts of L.A.. I’ve become a creature of habit mostly because I found a coffee that I’m in love with near my house, but I want to try to make the effort to try something new. I also might just make a day out of visiting some of my favorites around DTLA such as Blacktop, Demitasse, G&B and Cafe Dulce, and then head back home and hit Copa Vida, Intelligentsia, Home Brewed Bar and Jones Coffee Roasters. I’m going to be so caffeinated!!!
    • Go on a metro adventure-I used to ride the metro more often when I worked in Downtown Los Angeles and had a monthly pass. I find riding the train to be a very peaceful activity and there are so many cool spots to visit along the different metro lines. I might make a day of it and visit a few places that I would normally avoid driving to due to traffic.
    • Spend time outdoors-I want to schedule in a few hikes on weekends and maybe have a picnic around the Echo Park Lake.

     

    That’s it for my bucket list. I want to keep it nice and simple so that I can make sure to do everything on my list. Do you have certain activities or goals that you want to accomplish this summer?
    —-
    I hope you all had a great Father’s Day weekends celebrating your fathers as well as the single mothers who went the extra mile to adopt that role. My sister Ale and I took our dad out to brunch, and spending time with him reminded me of how fortunate I am to have such a positive male role model in my life. He’s loving, supportive, and always inspires me to be the best version of myself that I can be. That must be why I have such high standards of all the men who enter into my life. All joking aside, he really is awesome and probably deserves to be reminded of that more often than just once a  year.
    Have a great week!
    xoxo,
    Helen
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    Outfit, Travel

    The Madonna Inn and San Luis Obispo

    May 25, 2015
    Photos by Ale Veyna, Sarah Veyna and Me
    I’m finally getting around to posting my pictures from my trip to The Madonna Inn and San Luis Obispo. I had been wanting to visit the Madonna Inn for quite some time and finally got around to planning a trip about two months ago. I decided to book a room for my sisters and myself after having a horrible week that convinced me that I needed to schedule time for self-care and relaxation. I’m glad I did because it was so much fun to get away for a weekend and explore a new place!
    Outfit Details:
    H&M Faux Leather Jacket (Similar)
    Handmade Gingham Top and Skirt worn as a dress (Similar here and here)
    Madewell Loafers (Similar here and here)
    ASOS Striped Bikini Top
    Topshop High-waisted Bikini Bottoms



    The exterior of the Madonna Inn is as cute in person as it is in all the pictures I had seen of the place before I visited. The entrance to the Madonna Inn is very colorful and cheerful. I also loved the beautiful winding staircases on the outside of all the buildings housing the suites and rooms.

     

    My sisters and I stayed in the Fleur de Lis Suite while we were at the Madonna Inn. I have to admit that it wasn’t my first choice room–I had listed the Sky Room as my first choice when I made my reservation– but it far exceeded my expectations when I arrived and was able to see how incredible it was. This suite is pink and decorated with French inspired paintings and wallpaper. My favorite parts of the room were the pink wardrobe, which looked straight out of a Disney movie, and the gorgeous light fixtures. I have to admit that I was definitely picking up some decor inspiration for my future home while I was there.

    My sisters and I ran to the pool and jacuzzi area almost immediately after we had checked into our room. We were lucky that the pool area wasn’t too busy when we got there, and most people left soon after, so we were able to enjoy it all to ourselves. That basically means that I didn’t have to feel embarrassed when my sister Sarah and I worked on our synchronized swimming routine. I’m just kidding! Neither one of us is coordinated enough to do that. However, we did have fun swimming around from one end of the pool to the other.

    Since neither my sisters nor I had been to San Luis Obispo, we decided to explore downtown. I liked that this area was very walkable and most places we wanted to visit were in close proximity. We got to see the mission, do some window shopping, and even managed to squeeze in a short coffee shop crawl during the few hours we were there. Our first stop was Scout Coffee which not only has amazing coffee, but is also beautifully decorated and even has an an atrium located behind the counter area. We also stopped by Kreuzberg Coffee Company, a cool coffee shop with a European theme.
    Before we headed back home, we had to stop by the famous Bubblegum Alley. All I have to say about the alley is that it was really cool and disgusting at the same time. My sisters and I walked in, took a quick peek around, and then turned around and headed in the opposite direction. Nevertheless, it was a fun way to end our trip.
    I hope you all enjoyed this post and thank you for stopping by my blog. Have a wonderful week!

     

    xoxo,
    Helen
    Follow me on…
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    Outfit, Travel

    Downtown Santa Barbara

    May 19, 2015

    Photos by Ale Veyna and Sarah Veyna

    Outfit Details:
    Forever 21 Wide-Brimmed Fedora Hat (Similar here and here)
    Denim Jacket (Similar)
    RVCA Shirt (Similar)
    Madewell Jeans
    Madewell Bag
    Madewell Loafers (Similar here and here)
    My sisters and I drove up to the Madonna Inn this weekend and decided to stop in Downtown Santa Barbara on our way there. I hadn’t visited Santa Barbara since my friends and I drove up the week before our college graduation, which was 4 years ago, so it was nice to do some exploring and get reacquainted with the city. We walked around and explored some of the cute antique and consignment shops in the area. We also stopped by The French Press, a cute coffee shop that I also visited last time I was in town. I was surprised that I still remembered where it was after not being there for a couple of years. That must mean that my coffee radar is on point!
    I have to say that I feel so happy and relaxed after this weekend. I have such a habit of always feeling like I need to be working on something, but I need to remember that sometimes it’s okay to take a break from it all and just focus on yourself. My sisters and I were quick to jump into the pool and jacuzzi after we checked into the Madonna Inn, where we were able to get in some much-needed rest and relaxation. We also had so much fun exploring the hotel, which is so cute. I’ll get around to posting more photos from my trip in upcoming posts, but I’m taking some time to let the experience sink in a little before I do.
    xoxo,
    Helen
    Follow me on…
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