What's in My Bag

When Danielle from Sweet Nothings asked me to participate in her "In The Bag" series, I was hesitant. I mean, some days I don't even know what's in my bag and I thought the contents might bring shame or embarrassment to me and/or my family. At times I have wads of receipts, napkins, half eaten granola bars (learned this one from my mom), or handfuls of candy stored in there. However, I try to clean out my bag before going out of town and I had recently done a clean out for our Scottsdale trip. Is it scary that these are what I consider the "essentials"? Thank goodness for large handbags!

-Alexander Wang Rocco Mini Duffle Bag. I have to admit, part of what perked my interest in doing this post was my excitement over my new bag!

-Ray-Ban Cat eye sunglasses

-Notebook and pen to jot down my style and outfit ideas, to do lists, etc.

-My eyeglasses (Ferragamo) that I probably should wear all the time but mostly only wear to drive and watch tv.

-Hobo wallet. I've had this wallet for years and I still love it.

-iPhone. I never thought I needed a smart phone, but now I can't imagine how I survived without it. Similar to how I felt after getting tivo years ago.

-Camera case. I'm obviously using my camera for this photo, but it's always in my purse to catch any shots throughout the day. I use a really old Canon PowerShot Elph. I think it was one of the original digital cameras. It's completely outdated, but I can't give it up. Gabe's been trying to convince me to get a new one for years. Maybe I'll finally give in and put a new camera on my Christmas list.

-Essie Cuticle Oil because you never know when your cuticles will need to be moisturized.

-Mini sunscreen. This has come in handy more times than I can count.

-Dental floss. I like to be prepared.

-Bath & Body Works hand sanitizer.

-Hair bands

-Blue tooth

-7 lip glosses. Why? One for each day of the week? I'm not sure.

Check out Danielle's post (and her awesome blog) here. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Guest Post at Under the Sheets~Shhh

photos by Raya Carlisle

Laura from Under the Sheets recently asked me to guest blog for her and I was beyond thrilled and completely honored! Her blog is full of gorgeous pictures, interesting stories, and uplifting concepts. I've fallen in love with her blog and I know you will too. Laura and her fiance are getting married this weekend, so best wishes to them on their amazing journey together! I'm excited for you to read my guest post on the story of how I met my husband at Under the Sheets~Shh. Come check it out! Here's a copy of the post:

I was 20 years old and a college junior on Spring break in Cabo San Lucas Mexico with all my girlfriends. A few of us split up for the day and some of my girlfriends met some guys from Colorado at the beach while I was spending the day walking around town. Well, one of my girlfriends was interested in one of these CO guys and we decided to meet up with them later that night for a drink. We walked into the restaurant and I was immediately drawn to one of them and chatted with him all evening. We had so much in common and I remember laughing until my stomach hurt from his infectious sense of humor. His smile lit up the room and we had so much fun together.

He called my hotel room the next day and wanted to hang out again. So for the rest of our trip, my friends and his friends continued to spend time together- on the beach, getting happy hour drinks, lunches at The Office, etc. Before leaving to return to Los Angeles, I said my goodbyes thinking I'd never see him again. I mean, he lived in Colorado and was 26 (what I thought was too old for me at the time). He did ask for my home phone number before leaving and when I returned home he called all the time! I really liked him but I didn't understand what he wanted to come of this. Soon after, he came to visit LA to interview for a job and we had our first real date. It was perfect, but I got the distinct feeling that he was interested in getting married and having kids soon (although I realize I was way off on that) and I officially decided he was too old for me and we lost touch for a while. I moved to San Francisco after graduating and he moved to Los Angeles to take the job for which he had been interviewing. I thought of him fondly from time to time, but never expected to see him again.

More time passed and I eventually moved back to LA. Five years after our initial meeting on Spring break, I ran into him at a happy hour in Venice Beach! We were both single at the time and things just progressed smoothly from there. Now we've been together for 5 years and married for 2 and things couldn't be more wonderful. Sometimes we still cannot believe that we met on Spring Break in Cabo and 10 years later we're happily married.