Travel Diary: Santa Barbara

November 11, 2019

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Now that it's been almost two months since I went to Santa Barbara it's about time that I document the trip! My mom, sister and I went in September and had a wonderful time. None of us had ever been but it had come up as a possible destination a couple times so I'm happy we were able to make it work. When I was telling people about the trip several commented that it was our annual girls trip and the more I thought about it, it's kind of true. We don't intentionally plan a trip just the three of us every year but that does tend to be our travel pattern! 

The hotel was lovely and our room had a beautiful view of the water from our balcony (seen below). None of the properties in SB are right on the water so this was about as close as you can get. The location was central to most places we went and the pool and restaurants we tried were all good. I'd definitely recommend!
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Day one: Travel day/getting settled. 
We flew into LA early on Thursday and then drove up the coast making a stop to explore a bit in Malibu. We grabbed coffee from Malibu Farm and sat on the pier for a while watching the surfers. None of us had ever been before so it was fun to see such a famous city. I can see why celebs choose to live there!
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Once we made it up to Santa Barbara we were famished so we dropped our stuff off at the hotel and ventured out to Bella Vista at the Four Seasons for lunch. We sat outside with a view of the water while we enjoyed a G&T and the best sweet potato fries I have ever had in my life. Truly the best.santa-barbara-travel-guide
After lunch we went back to the hotel and walked along the beach into downtown SB. It was only about a ten minute walk which was very doable. We explored the Funk Zone a little bit which is basically a cluster of cool restaurants and shops. We grabbed a drink at Test Pilot which was very Instagrammable and yet I didn't get a picture! You'll just have to take my word for it that the drinks were equal parts delicious and pretty. The bar and drinks all had a tropical theme which I loved. Since we had a late lunch we ended up just having some apps back at the hotel after drinks and calling it an early night. 6AM flights will take it out of you!
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Day two: Wine tastings. 
We of course had to have a day of wine tastings! I did some research and came upon the tour company Sustainable Wine Tours which had excellent reviews so we booked a group tour. There were about eight of us total on the tour so not too big. They have a little coach bus that they picked us up in at the hotel and took us to three different wineries/vineyards for tastings. As their name indicates they only work with sustainable vineyards which is obviously pretty cool. All of the places they took us for tastings aren't open to the public which ended up being such a cool experience because you know that not many other people get to tour these locations and we even met with the actual winemakers. We would all definitely recommend Sustainable Wine!
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Our first stop was at McKinney Family Vineyards. The property was beautiful and this was definitely our favorite location of the day. The owner lives on the property and his partner was the one who we did the tour and tasting with. I always love tastings and learning more about wine so this did not disappoint and it was extra cool to hear about it from the guy who literally stomps the grapes himself.
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They had some adorable goats and a few dogs on the property which gave it an extra bit of charm. We were even able to feed the goats grape leaves as a treat. S'cute. We bought a few bottles and signed up for the wine club at McKinney which we plan to enjoy together at Thanksgiving. They only produce a few thousand cases of wine each year so it feels really special to have a few of those bottles for ourselves!
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Our next stop was at Happy Canyon Vineyard. Their property and tasting room (pictured above) were beautiful. We didn't really get a tour of the property and mostly just spent time in this beautiful space tasting some delicious wines. 
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Our third and final stop of the day was at Santa Ynez Valley Wine Club. This place was really unique. They let really small winemakers who can't afford to have their own properties or tasting rooms grow their grapes there and they feature the wines from those small winemakers at their tastings. I'm not sure how many winemakers use their property but we got to try five or six different kinds which was really special. The guy who did our tasting was amazing and super knowledgeable. One of the wines we tried that day was his own which was fun to hear about directly from him. I didn't get any great pictures at this location but they don't have an indoor space, you're just seated in the shade next to a pond and it's just lovely. The above picture was take with some of the vines from this spot as the backdrop. We also signed up for the wine club here so we'll get a few bottles every couple months. Again, these wine makers only make a few hundred cases a year so it feels so special to be a part of that!

My dress is from Everlane and I while I love it I was unpleasantly surprised when I was getting out of the tour van at the first winery and one of the straps snapped. Cue lots of embarrassment at being the center of attention while people tried to think of ways to fix it. I ended up just unbuttoning the other strap and tying it as a halter for the day which worked out but wasn't ideal!
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After we were dropped back off at our hotel we headed to the pier for dinner. It's fun to see the pier but I honestly wouldn't recommend eating there. The restaurant we went to was solidly meh. It was fun to sit outside but the food and atmosphere were just okay. 
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Day three: lounging/sailing.
We wanted to make sure we got in some pool time so we spent the first half of Saturday drinking piña coladas and reading poolside. Is there anything better than eating chicken fingers by the pool with a good book and a fruity drink? Didn't think so. 
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Saturday night was spent at sea. I read about Sunset Kidd tours on Jess's blog and it did not disappoint. We opted for the sunset sail which is a two hour tour at, you guessed it, sunset. It was really nice to have a glass of wine and just enjoy the views.
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After our sailing tour we had a late dinner reservation at the Boathouse at Hendry's Beach. We weren't able to be seated outside but it was pretty chilly so we didn't mind our indoor table. Not to mention that it was already dark but I do think it would be fun to eat there outside when it's light out because it's right on the water. Anyway, we all really enjoyed our food that night. I had the best lobster and truffle mac and cheese of my life and paired it with a glass of champagne so I was one happy gal. 
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Day four: travel day.
We didn't have much time before we had to head to the airport so we took some snaps with the Rainbow Gate and then made the drive down south to the airport to head home.

We had such an amazing time but I think I could have done with one more full day! We tried to go to the mission one day but it had already closed and we didn't get much of a chance to walk down State Street and explore. I'll just need to plan a trip back! California is really special to Mark and I, as you'd probably guess since we lived there, and have talked about retiring back there. We've always said Carmel would be a great place to retire but I told him that Santa Barbara is definitely a contender now so I'll need to take him so he can see for himself!

xo Catherine 

My Favorite Things

September 30, 2019

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Today's post is a random collection of things but I wanted to share some of my tried and true favorites with you. These are all things I use at least every week, if not every day, and they're just too good to keep to myself!

Core 10 joggers. One of my coworkers introduced me to Amazon's athletic brand Core 10 and so I decided to try out their joggers a few months ago and the rest is history. I now have two pairs of these because I was always so sad when they were in the wash. They're that good. I am not a leggings person so I've been reaching for these as an option for walking the dog or running a quick errand. They are so so cozy and under $30!

Everlane cashmere sweaters. Cashmere is the ultimate luxury in my opinion because it feels like you're wrapped up in a hug. Can't beat that! This was the first sweater I bought from Everlane over two years ago in heather grey and I've since bought it in camel and the v-neck in black too. That's how much I love these. They're so cozy, the fit is great (TTS for me) and they hold up well over time. I wear one of my Everlane sweaters at least once a week year-round. 

Remington sweater shaver. In order to keep all of my sweaters in tip-top shape I use this sweater shaver for pilling. I was introduced to this gadget when Mackenzie posted about it a few years ago and was very intrigued. You have to be careful with these because I once accidentally made a hole in my sweater when I pushed too hard but I've since gotten the hang of it and now my sweaters are pill-free! 

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Everlane Day Market tote. I am an Everlane fangirl now, I guess! I bought my first Day Market tote early last year after seeing Meghan Markle with hers and I loved it so much that I bought another one after the original was looking a little worse for wear. I now have it in the "Saddle" color and love it. I use it every day for work and it's my go-to personal item for flights. 


Cuyana travel set. I think the moment I realized I was an adult was when I was excited about a fancy toiletry kit. I'm kidding, but I really was thrilled when these Cuyana pouches arrived. They feel so luxurious and help me stay organized. I use the smaller one in my everyday tote to hold lipstick and other beauty products and I use the larger one for travel. I agonized over what color to get and went with the blush. I was worried with them being such a light color that they'd get dirty and scratched but they've held up quite well after a couple of months!

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Oribe texturizing spray. My new hair salon uses Oribe products and I have fallen in love, which is bad news for my wallet because they come at a pretty penny. I bought this texturizing spray on sale during the Nordstrom Sale and I am both happy and sad to report that it is excellent. Happy because it works so well (and smells amazing) and sad because it is definitely an investment. I try to save it for special occasions or when my hair is in dire need of some volume!

Yeti water bottle. Mark got a Yeti water bottle when he worked at Cisco and then became a superfan of the brand. We now have pretty much every size that they make and I use their water bottles every single day. I have three water bottles I rotate between and typically use the straw top which helps me drink more water. I love these because they really do work at keeping things hot or cold and they're dishwasher safe as well as V. durable.

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Revlon ColorStay lipstick. I dedicated a whole post to this lipstick but wanted to share it again because I still love it that much. It's pretty much the only lipstick I wear and I have four colors I rotate between. It lasts all day, layers nicely and the colors are great. My favorites are "Supermodel" and "Fashionista" for fall/winter and "Finale" and "Socialite" for spring/summer. 

Sally Hansen Miracle Cure. This has made the biggest difference in my at-home manicures lasting a full two weeks. I use the Essie Gel Couture polish and top coat which are great but when I put this on first it will last for two weeks with minimal chipping!

Have you tried any of these products? Would love to know your thoughts!
xo Catherine

Recent Reads Vol. 22

September 3, 2019

I have so many good books from this summer to catch you up on so let's just get right to it!

Children of Blood and Bone. This is the first book in a YA fantasy series that takes place in the kingdom of Orïsha. The kingdom used to have magic until the king took it away in the raids, leaving Zélie's magical mother dead. Zélie is a maji, which means she would have developed magical powers if the king hadn't stamped out all of the magic. An opportunity arises for Zélie to go on an adventure across Orïsha to bring magic back and it looks like she's the only one who can do it. This book follows her adventure to bring magic back to Orïsha along with her brother and the princess of Orïsha. The plot is hard to explain but just trust me that you will be very into it and counting down the days until the next book comes out! 
Rating: A

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. This was my June book club pick and everyone really enjoyed it! Evelyn Hugo is reminiscent of Liz Taylor or Marilyn Monroe and has been married an astonishing seven times. Sometimes she married for love and sometimes she married for opportunity. Now that she's at the end of her life she has decided to tell her story to Monique, an unknown writer. Monique doesn't know why Evelyn has chosen her to write the tell-all book about her glamorous and torrid life and career but she decides to do it. The story jumps back and forth between Evelyn's history and present day where Monique's life is unraveling. I loved everything about this book. There was mystery, drama, love and scandal and it kept me enthralled the whole time.
Rating: A

The Silent Patient. Alicia has it all, the husband, the big house in London and the successful painting career. So why does she ruin her perfect life one night when she shoots her husband five times and then refuses to speak? Theo, who is the new criminal psychotherapist at Alicia's facility, has made it his mission to find out. This wasn't my favorite thriller ever but there was a good twist and I definitely wanted to find out what happened next.
Rating: B+

The Banker's Wife. Annabel's life in Switzerland is turned upside down after her devoted husband Matthew's plane mysteriously goes missing and then is found downed in the Swiss Alps. Matthew was a banker at Swiss United, which has some seriously shady clients with offshore accounts. Annabel starts digging into her husband's mysterious death trying to find out if it was really an accident or not. The other part of the story is told from Marina's perspective. She is a journalist in New York who is asked to dig into some of Swiss United's clients by her mentor who then winds up dead. Will Marina and Annabel's digging turn up the truth about these mysterious deaths and how they're connected? You'll have to read the book to find out! While this book was pretty suspenseful it didn't feel like a true thriller to me but I still couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen.
Rating: B+

Defending Jacob. Andy Barber is a district Attorney who lives in a small Massachusetts town with his wife Laurie and son Jacob. After one of Jacob's classmates is murdered Jacob becomes the lead suspect. The Barber family is put through the ringer as the trial starts and Jacob is the defendant. Andy and Laurie have to ask themselves the question that no parent wants to think about: is their son a murderer? We read this for my book club last month and while it wasn't something I would normally pick up on my own I enjoyed it. You find yourself flip flopping constantly about whether Jacob is guilty or innocent and there's a good twist in there too.
Rating: B+

Red, White and Royal Blue. If you've been reading here a while you'll know that I lap up pretty much any royal romance book and this was no exception. Alex is the first son of the United States (his mom is the first female president!) and his enemy is the Prince of Wales. After some bad publicity about Alex and Henry's rivalry they're forced to spend time together in an effort to reset the narrative around them. Neither one of them expects to become friends let alone more than friends. This book was truly delightful in every way and perfectly steamy. I didn't want it to end!
Rating: A+

Verity. Lowen is a relatively unknown author living in NYC when her agent calls to set up a mysterious meeting. It turns out that Jeremy Crawford, husband of famed author Verity Crawford, is looking for an author to finish his wife's most famous book series. Verity has been in an accident and has serious brain damage so she cannot complete the books herself. Lowen moves into the Crawford home to go through Verity's notes and do research for the book. While there she discovers Verity's very disturbing autobiography that reveals all sorts of secrets about the family. Lowen starts to have feelings for Jeremy so she wrestles with whether or not to tell him about the autobiography and the secrets she's uncovered. There were some seriously disturbing and creepy moments in this book but I was hooked the whole time! If you're into thrillers I'd definitely recommend.
Rating: A

I'm currently reading Three Women and have mixed feelings about it so I want to wait until the end to give my final verdict! Have you read anything good lately?

xo Catherine 

Deck Updates + How to Build a Faux Boxwood Wall

August 12, 2019

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This post has been along time coming but I knew it would take me a while to put together so I've been dragging my feet. That seems to be the theme of all of my posts lately, doesn't it? Oh well, that's just the season of life I'm in right now. Anyway, I am excited to finally share our finished deck with you! I was putting this post off because I wanted to take DSLR photos but my camera hasn't been working so these iPhone pics are just going to have to do. I realize it's mid-August and you're probably not looking for deck inspiration but better late than never! black-and-white-deck-inspiration
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The first step was to build a faux boxwood wall. Our deck is a really nice size and I wanted to make sure we took advantage of Minnesota summer but knew that since our neighbor's house was so close we would feel uncomfortable being out there without any sort of privacy. We looked into buying a retractable option like this or planting some tall, thick plants but neither option was quite right. I then remembered that Hitha (a favorite follow!) had shared Meg's post about how to build a boxwood wall and that idea stuck. I loved the idea of something that provided privacy and would also look nice. Right around the time I was deciding to build my privacy wall Hitha had one put in in her backyard and it looks so so good! I tackled mine a little bit differently than Meg suggested because I didn't want anything permanent but her post is a great one to reference if you're planning to do something similar. 
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I decided to use these trellises as the base. We rent our house so I didn't want to be drilling anything into the deck so I just used a ton of zip ties. I ended up with five trellises and zip tied them together and to the deck railing. The fifth trellis went over the edge of the opening for one of the sets of stairs but I don't really care and think it looks better than having it end before the railing ends. 
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I did some searching on Amazon and these faux boxwood panels had good reviews so I bought two boxes and ended up with some left over. The worst part of the whole project was fastening the panels together and zip tying them to the trellis. They're pretty scratchy and you have to really get in there so my hands got a little scratched up. It only took a couple of hours and then voilà it was finished!

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It didn't end up totally straight and so you can see it doesn't line up on the right side but I wasn't going to redo it so it's good enough!

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The wall made the biggest difference and has definitely served its purpose! I'm also happy to say it's stayed standing and still seem very sturdy even after several windy storms. Still trying to decide if we should just leave it up through the winter or not. 
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The next step was to get a rug. I was between doing a blue and white or black and white color scheme and ultimately decided to do black and white since I'm definitely feeling the neutrals right now. I used pins like this, this, this and this as my inspiration. I realize that getting a partially white outdoor rug isn't the smartest move but it was relatively inexpensive so if we only get 1 or two years out of it I won't be devastated. This is the rug we got and it's currently out of stock but this one is very similar.
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Next up was picking out a furniture set. We were able to snag this one when it was on sale and have been very happy with it so far. 
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Next was the lights! I went with these ones. I stole the idea from my friends to get some pieces of wood, spray paint them and zip tie them to the deck to hang the lights from. I tried hanging them with command strips and found out the hard way that that wouldn't work so then we stapled them and they've stayed put. I don't have a great picture but you can see the posts in the one below. 
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My sister-in-law got me this fun outdoor cart and I decided to turn it into a plant stand. Unfortunately half the plants are already looking pretty sad but I wanted to add some greenery and color to the space. 
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The finishing touches were this geometric table (similar), a portable fire pit, citronella candles and lanterns.
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black-and-white-deck-inspiration
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Well there you have it! I'm so happy with how it turned out and we've already gotten a ton of use out of the space having friends over and even watching Twins games out on the deck. You can find me here until the first snowfall!

xo Catherine 

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