– submitting this guest bedroom to the Gatehouse Home Store’s “Win a Room”  contest to win a $2500 gift card to Gatehouse along with free design services from the owner. You can enter by following Gatehouse on Instagram and Facebook and sharing a photo of the room you want to makeover, the reason why and tag #winaroomwithgatehouse! More info here. And can we talk about this adorable mug? –

– finishing my one-month trial with ClassPass –

– candy goodies from my friend who just traveled to Japan –

– this colorful gem of a photo with my blogger babes My Style Diaries, Haute off the Rack and A Pinch of Lovely that makes me want to live in a Yurt on the beach –

– fresh berries and coffee on the patio –

We had a fun week babysitting my brother and sister-in-law’s miniature dachshund, Pollack, and joking about becoming a “family of five.”  I’m not even kidding, I felt like I had kids! Waking up earlier to take each dog out on leash, they each have different routines, trying to keep Polly from harassing Lula LaShonda (a three-legged cat can’t really swat at a pestering dog… so the poor thing just looks at me and we communicate through her expression, “help me!” which means take me to your room so I can sleep on the bed away from these minions), the list goes on.  It was fun to keep her and Bailey most definitely loved the company.

This week I finished my one month trial with ClassPass, and I have to say it was a very cool experience. For $79-$99 a month (it varies by your city) you have access to a plethora of exercise classes in your area.  I tried out two different Pilates studios, a Yoga studio and Spin class.  The site is extremely easy to use, and it was really fun to try some studios and gyms I may have never otherwise visited. It does cap you at three visits per studio in a month, which really does force you to try new places.  You can read more about it on their FAQ page. Have any of you tried ClassPass?  What did you think about it?

We’re heading to LA this weekend to celebrate my brother’s 30th birthday, and don’t tell him – but I’m really most excited to see my niece and nephew!  Edie is obviously a fan favorite and Rowan is just a chunky five-month old.  Those two are so squeezable it’s delightful.

What’s going on this weekend? And who else wants to cover their body in flash tattoos like the above group pic? Obsessed. Thanks so much for reading and a triple thank you to all of your incredible comments on Wednesday.  You guys are so inspiring!  XO –

– the most awesome spoon ever –

– I cannot resist a good sale –

– I love some pink and red –

– bright beach accessories with the most adorable tote –

sweater | phone case | lipstick | swimsuit | shades | hat

– a balcony sunset that I could’ve watched for hours –

This week went by in a blur.  I was actually listening to a podcast on the way to work this week and the interviewee was saying, “you know how a year felt like SO long when you were younger and now it feels like no time at all?”  I was all (insert praise hands emoji), right?  California looks and feels almost the exact same every day of the year, so it’s like Groundhog Day over here.  When I stop to think about the fact that we’ve almost lived here two years, my jaw practically drops.  I want to do a Zack Morris and freeze time so I can stop to enjoy the days rather than breezing through them!  #firstworldproblems

Moving on, this weekend Christian and I plan to slow down.  We’ve been getting home at 9PM or later, and Christian has stayed up late working while waking up at 4:30AM to head to the hospital.  The poor guys is a walking zombie, so we’re going to put all those “to do’s” on hold and have a major breakfast in bed Saturday and wander over to do some strawberry picking at a local farm in the afternoon.  I haven’t started off a Monday feeling refreshed and revamped in quite a while – so that’s this weekend’s mission!

How do you slow down when you’re feel like the Tasmanian Devil (am I the only one who uses that reference when I’m feeling spastic)?  I’d love to hear.  Thank you guys always for reading and sharing – I love your comments! XO-

– dreaming of this perfect snow day last weekend –

– a quick stop by the gorgeous Convict Lake (scary name, I know!) –

– celebrating Christian’s birthday cooking together and watching Modern Family (this was his birthday cake of choice) –

– jeweled sandals that are going to live on my feet this summer –

– coffee just tastes better when it’s cold, don’t you think? –

Hey Friday!  The week following a vacation is always a little sad, am I right?  We had such a blast skiing (and thank you for the recommendations!  We didn’t make it to the brewery but did make it to Gomez’s – YUM), but I came back with a nasty cold that has slowed me down more than I’d like to admit.  NyQuil has been my bestie, although I wake up in a cough syrup haze.  I felt like Meg Ryan in You’ve Got Mail (PS – check out that website if you want to travel back in time) when she’s in her bed surrounded by tissues.

I am excited to welcome my blogger friends from Louisiana to California, and we have a fun staycation planned for the weekend – more on this next week!

Lastly, I wanted to share this article on CBL from the fabulous online magazine, Established California.  Love what this entire site is all about, and it was my privilege to be featured.  Another thanks to my friends at INPink for this sweet mention!

I hope you guys have an amazing weekend!  Thank you so much for reading – XO –