Scenes from the Weekend

Our walks by the beach

Gabe's enjoying the view

a crystal light slurpee, my favorite

Taco night

Thai Spring rolls at Bangkok West

I had the most relaxing weekend, filled with long walks, beach side bike rides, Thai food, tacos, and a movie night at home (we finally saw The Fighter and loved it).  It feels like Spring has finally arrived and we took full advantage of the 80 degree weather by spending most of our time outdoors.  How was your weekend?

Hug Deli

While riding our bikes at the beach on Saturday, Gabe and I passed the "Hug Deli" and were instantly intrigued. As I mentioned here, this isn't the first time I've witnessed people giving away something unusual for free on the Santa Monica beach. But there's something about a hug that seems so much more personal to me than free advice. In contrast to the free advice station, the Hug Deli was flourishing, with people lined up down the beach to receive their free hugs! After receiving their hugs, they couldn't wipe the smiles off their faces. The Hug Deli has an extensive menu of bear hugs, warm & fuzzies, gangsta hugs, and awkward hugs (Vince Vaughan from Wedding Crashers comes to mind) and the "payment" is to pay the hugger two compliments. Research shows that those who have human contact and people they rely on live longer, healthier lives than those who isolate themselves. Maybe the Hug Deli is onto something. How would you feel about a stranger hugging you in exchange for a few compliments? Would you welcome this gesture?

photos via facebook

Kauai

The view from our hotel room
Lunch at Brenneke's after swimming in the ocean
Every girl loves a pina colada once in a while. Extra whipped cream, please!

Gabe with his kindle and coffee

Dinner at Red Salt

Julie Brown dress, banana republic earrings, Ray-Ban sunglasses, Gorjana ring

Watching the sunset over Poipu Beach

Mai Tai Hour (those aren't both mine)

"Hula Girl for the gentleman"

Aqua dress (Bloomingdale's), Franco Sarto wedges, Michael Kors watch, Ray-Ban sunglasses

As I mentioned here and here, Gabe and I spent our two year anniversary in Kauai last week and we couldn't have asked for a better way to celebrate! We stayed on the South side of the island at Poipu Beach and the weather was perfect, 80 degrees and sunny every day. We spent most of our time relaxing on the beach or by the pool, swimming in the ocean, reading magazines and books in the sunshine, taking long walks, drinking tropical cocktails, eating delicious food, and enjoying the fact that we had an entire week to spend together! It was one of the best vacations I've ever had and we enjoyed every minute of it.

Lunch at the Beach

Forever 21 Classic Silk Shirt $29.80
Delias Taylor Jean Shorts $34.50
Mossimo Penny Suede Flat Sandals $22.99
Forever 21 Floppy Sun Hat $10.80
Gap Jute Belt-$19.50
Forever 21 Gold Aviators $5.80
Forever 21 Vanguard Cuff $10.80
Forever 21 Intrigue Leatherette Tote $27.80
Forever 21 Dimpled Circle Chain Necklace $6.80

After 4 years of living by the beach, I've started to develop what I'd consider a very casual uniform. Usually this involves a t-shirt or tank top with boyfriend jeans or shorts, flip flops and an enormous handbag. In the summer I throw sundresses into the mix as well, but you get the picture. I've been trying to branch out a bit for the last few summers and try new looks with something other than sundresses or tank tops and pairing white shorts with a bright button down is one of my new favorite looks. This outfit would be perfect for a summertime lunch or daytime outing at the beach.

Breathe Easy

The beach

yoga
dinners with girlfriends

driving range with my husband

Whenever I'm having a stressful day and need to decompress and relax I turn to a few different activities to aid in my mental (and sometimes physical) health. These are a few of my favorite relaxation/unwinding/mental health activities:

yoga
long runs
going to the beach
bike rides
chats/activities with my husband, girl friends, family, etc
reading a good book
baking/cooking

I'm hoping to do lots of relaxing over the weekend. What are your favorite ways to relax?

The Best Bikini in Town

Women's String-Bikini Tops $16.50
Women's String-Bikini Bottoms $16.50
Women's Jersey Tube Sundown Gowns $20 (sale)
Women's Hammered Metallic Rings $7.50
Women's Pyramid-Embossed Flip-Flops $3.50

I know this is a bold statement, but hear me out before you make any assessments. Hands down, Old Navy has the best string bikini around. During the summer, I spend the majority of my free time at the beach and therefore practically live in bikinis and sundresses when the weather is warm (at least on the weekends). Every year, I'm on the lookout for the perfect bikini and every year I'm appalled by the price tag on every swimsuit I find. But tried and true, Old Navy always comes through for me and provides the perfect string bikini at the right price. They fit well, machine wash nicely, and have cute styles look great all summer long. You can almost always find a coupon code or sale somewhere online to make it even cheaper. The rest of the clothes at Old Navy are very inconsistent in my opinion. Once in a great while I'll find a sundress, sweater, or tank top that I can't live without and wear as if it's my uniform, but these cases are rare for me. So go for the bikinis and take a look around. But go early, they sell out fast.

Cruising Together

The sun finally came out in Santa Monica on Sunday and I was able to go for a bike ride along the beach path with Bunz and Kati. Although it was cold and windy, it was a fun weekend activity and a great preview for the Springtime/Summer ahead.

Sunset over Santa Monica

It's days like this when I'm so thankful for the weather in Southern California. I love living in Santa Monica and being able to walk to the beach. Gabe and I went for a sunset stroll yesterday and enjoyed watching the sun go down together. It was nice to take some time to appreciate our surroundings and savor the last minutes of sunlight for the day.