This is my fourth year picking up an advent calendar from Naptime Diaries ( 2013, 2014, 2015) but this year the company has a new name - Amen Paper Company. I couldn't find the new name more fitting. Four years ago I picked up the advent guide because I so desperately wanted to make the Christmas season more intentional. It is one of the most magical times of the year but it is also filled with so much noise and so much rush. I wanted a way to intentionally celebrate. To begin traditions in my ... continue reading...
Snapshots from SoCal
Our time in California was too short - five days can fly by so quickly. We stayed in the LA area the entire time because there was so much to do in that area. While we were planning, we thought about flying into LA and then flying out of San Francisco making the drive in our rental car up the coast but we just couldn't fit it in and didn't want to feel like we were rushing too much. All that to say, our trip left us hungering for more. More California trips are now on our travel list - San ... continue reading...
Newport Beach California
I think I speak for us all when I say we loved Newport beach! There was just something about it so down-to-earth yet hip! We loved walking from our airbnb to the beach in the mornings and stopping for local goodies along our way. The streets were lined with fun shops and eateries and the beach was wide and expansive. Staying in Newport Beach and adventuring out from there was totally a highlight from our trip. One of our mornings there we woke up and walked along the beach until we hit ... continue reading...
Venice Beach California
We had some time before out flight back home so we wanted to explore some near by locations. Venice beach was right by the airport so we spent the afternoon there at the beach and hitting up In-N-Out for one last time. Venice beach is a quirky place. The beach itself was so beautiful and I loved walking along the shore, staring up at the mountains in the distance. It really is a beautiful site to have height near such depth. But it being so close to the heart of LA and their airport, ... continue reading...
The LA Arts District
When we knew we had two days open to explore LA, we connected with the people at Journy and let their local guides tell us where to go (side note: This is a really fun app for new places!!!) The Arts District in LA was on the list and we couldn't have loved it more. In fact, we all wished we could have been able to eat at every restaurant and drink all the beers. We met some people at the wedding we attended that told us Wurstkuche was one of the best places to eat so we got brats there and they ... continue reading...