California Dreamin'

I am back from our week long family trip to California! We decided to do a multi-city trip to please everyone in the family-golf in Palm Springs, basketball on Venice Beach and fancy resorts with beautiful ocean views. Guess who picked the last one? If you guessed me you would be right! We were all excited about the cooler weather since the Texas heat hit us hard at the end of May.

We started the first leg of the trip in Palm Springs. Well, it was actually Palm Desert. It was difficult to find a hotel to fit all of us, but we finally found a two bedroom suite. We stayed at the Renaissance Indian Wells. It is so pretty! 

The property is huge and there's so much to do there. The best part is our suite was enormous! We had a huge living room, dining room, three queen beds, two bathrooms, two kitchenettes and three balconies. I also liked that this was a large resort with a lot to do on property. My husband and older son took the SUV we rented to the golf course the only full day we had there so we needed restaurants and activities to keep us busy. We only stayed two nights because I wasn't sure there was enough for us to do there, but I wanted to experience it and maybe come back later if we liked it. 

The first thing I did was hit the pool! Only Aidan, my youngest son, wanted to go swimming since the other two were tired from the two hour drive. 

We didn't stay long because it was getting late and everyone is was getting hungry for dinner. We decided to eat at a restaurant on property since we were all a little tired. The minute we walked out to the pool after dinner the boys "came alive." The movie screen was set up and and they all wanted to stay and go swimming. My husband and I were zombies at that point so we promised we'd go the next day.

My husband and oldest son woke up really early to go play golf the next day while the rest of us slept in. We were stuck without a car so I ordered room service for the kids. It was pricey, but I did get a kick out of seeing them have room service for the first time. Ryan, my 12 year old, actually requested it. You would have thought it was a normal occurrence by their nonchalant reaction of being brought breakfast.

Ryan loving hotel life in his robe!

We made it back out to the pool for a couple of hours until lunch. We were walking back to the room and Aidan ran ahead of us. We turned a corner to see him waiting for us like this!

After lunch at a Triple D restaurant (Diners, Drive-ins and Dives on The Food Network), we checked out Palm Springs. Honestly, I was disappointed in Palm Springs. It wasn't what I expected based on the photos of The Parker Hotel and the mid-century modern architecture. It was rundown, but that's okay because I loved Palm Desert where our hotel was located. I am glad we only stayed two nights there because there wasn't anything except the pool that interested my younger boys, and they get bored with it fast since we swim so much at home. They loved eating out at the restaurants though! I tried to find kid friendly places, but the only one I would recommend is Eureka! because even if it is burgers and tacos it is really good. I doubt we'll all go back to Palm Desert as a family, but I know my oldest son and husband would love to go back and play golf.

The next day we were headed to Newport Beach! I decided I wanted to go to Newport because one of my favorite TV shows is Behind the Gates on AWE. So many of the homes they feature are in the area. I knew the views and weather would be amazing. I chose Newport over the other local towns because I found the most amazing hotel. I knew it by looking at the website, but once we drove up to Pelican Hill Resort my jaw literally dropped.

My kids took one look around the valet area when we drove up with the fancy cars and asked if we could really afford to stay there. I kind of had the same thought with McLarens and antique Rolls Royces parked next to us. I did get a really, really good deal there. It normally is very pricey, but the rates at that time plus a night free special made it very affordable. We really just got lucky. I didn't mention this on my Instagram stories when doing a room tour, but they also include a butler when you rent a villa. I wasn't exactly sure what to do with a butler. He even called at one point to ask how we were because he hadn't heard from us. We finally felt like we had to give him something to do so we had him make our dinner reservations.

We got there early and our room wasn't ready, but we got to check out the villa clubhouse and pool. I love the decor!

We took a hotel shuttle to Crystal Cove Beach to wait for a call about our room. Crystal Cove! I hear about it on Behind the Gates all the time. The shuttle driver had bags for all the guests with beach towels and bottled waters, which was perfect since our beach gear was packed up in the car.

So Baywatch right here!

So...biblical here? Ha!

Now this is where the butler came in handy. The hotel called and said our room was ready while we were at the beach. Instead of taking the shuttle our butler offered to come pick us up and take us to the villa. No check-in either!

The Villa

Can I just live here? Our view of the ocean was blocked by trees unless I stood on the chaise lounge, which I did of course. We had a living room, dining room, full kitchen, two bedrooms and three bathrooms. It even had a foyer!

 


The butler sent up a nice cheese, bread and fruit platter that evening. The kids have since rediscovered fruit.

It got cool that night so we took full advantage of the fireplace.

We explored the area the next day-Dana Point and Laguna Beach. We even drove down to La Jolla in San Diego for lunch since it was only an hour away when we were in Dana Point. The boys were not happy driving around so we kept that short. We went to Laguna Beach so Ryan could play basketball and Aidan could go to the beach. It was cool and gray, but that didn't stop them! We all had such a good time. We met a local and chatted while Ryan and his son played basketball together.

The next day we were supposed to go to Catalina Island, but it was another cool and gray day. Our only indoor activity was to go to Griffith Observatory in LA. We were up early already so we decided to drive there instead. We ended up getting there way too early because it wasn't open until noon, and actually never ended up making there. We spent forever in traffic finding a restaurant and then the boys decided they wanted to stop in Hollywood. They don't know many celebrities, but they liked how exciting the area seemed. It turns out Jimmy Kimmel was about to start filming. Sandra Bullock and Kobe Bryant were the guests. You already know I have a son obsessed with basketball so I felt terrible I didn't get tickets ahead of time. At least we took this picture outside the set!

I thought it was cool how the Hollywood sign can be viewed here.

The restaurant was in Beverly Hills and my husband made sure to walk me by my favorite spot from a trip years ago. They had the display on the street so I had to get the boys to take a picture.

I have to tell you the funniest story! We were leaving the parking garage next to The Jimmy Kimmel show right before they started filming. The parking garage attendant directed us toward the alley between the garage and show building. I guess this is where celebrities get dropped off because there was a crowd of people on both sides of our SUV waiting, which happened to be a large and black. I looked up and these people had these ecstatic expressions. Some were even recording us on their phones. My husband started dying laughing because he realized they thought we had a celebrity in the back of our SUV. The boys were dying laughing too! My husband asked me if we should stop the car and let our older son out and see if they thought he was a celebrity. I said no, but it would have been funny! I have to say that if celebrities get that kind of attention it's pretty cool. These people were seriously thrilled to see us!

Thankfully, the next day was sunny and warm! I think this was my favorite day. We stayed in the Newport area because we were DONE with the traffic. We went to Balboa Island. It is so adorable! The beach, homes, shops, and restaurants are picture perfect!

The boys rode on the Ferris wheel at the pier after lunch. Dylan being the big brother he is had to rock it to scare his younger brothers.

I think this was a day we all had fun together as a family. Maybe it was the sunshine or the view? I don't know, but it was a good day. We ended it with a nice dinner that ended up being my favorite place of the trip.

Javier's-Not everyone liked their food, but it didn't go to waste!

The decor was beautiful. I love these lanterns!

The next day was our last full day so we decided to check out the hotel pool. You can see the golf course and the ocean in the background here. What an amazing view! Even though the pool in Palm Desert was nice it was so crowded that we couldn't relax. This was so calm and almost spa-like in contrast. I would pretty much curl into a ball if I were at one of those crowded pools in Las Vegas. Just the photos of that many people makes my anxiety spike!

We left after a couple of hours to get ready for a date night. We ordered the boys room service for the second time. It was outrageous, but I consoled myself by reminding myself it was vacation. We made reservations at the Italian restaurant at the resort. The best part was the view.

I was sad to check out the next day! Here are some other cool things from our trip.

The Quiet Woman-I was just sitting in traffic and looked to my left and noticed it. If you are a Real Housewives of Orange County fan you will know the significance of this restaurant. This is where a fight (verbal) went down between Kelly and Shannon. My kids wanted to know about it so they looked it up on Youtube and got a big laugh out of it.

I also found my dream house! It has an amazing ocean view too!

We were headed to Santa Monica next for our last night. This was the boys absolute favorite day! They loved the beach and the rides at the pier.

We let the older boys go on the rides while we had lunch at Shutters nearby. My little guy isn't a fan of rides, which worked out since he's still a little young to go even with his teenaged brother watching him.

After lunch my husband went to follow the older boys around and I took Aidan to the beach. They met us after a while and all went in the water...until I saw a fin not far from the boys. I freaked out! We kept seeing fin after fin even if not at the same time so it was probably a pack of dolphins, but they were way too close for comfort!

The weather was perfect. It was warm enough to sit on the beach, but we weren't sweating either.

We still had all afternoon to kill so we decided to head to the Venice canals. I have always wanted to check them out. My older two boys stayed behind at the hotel, but that was probably a good thing because I can't see them enjoying it.

We didn't stay long, but it was nice to see. That night we had dinner by the pier and the boys rode a few more rides. Aidan even decided to get on one of the smaller rides!

The next day we were leaving, but we had the most important stop to make. Ryan had to check off playing basketball on Venice Beach off his bucket list. He's been talking about it for years! We heard it gets kind of crazy so our plan was to wake up at 6am and take him there. I didn't sleep that night (random insomnia) so I stayed behind to get rest while my husband took him. They were the only ones there so he had the court to himself!

I am so sad I wasn't there, but I am so happy we could do this for him! It was the main reason we chose to go to California. I can't wait to blow this photo up and hang it in his room!

I hope you enjoyed my California trip report!

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Summer Dresses

It's the end of the school year, which means events to attend and vacations to get ready for in our family. I have bought so many summer dresses the past month from casual to cocktail. I wore two of

them this week! I went to Austin for a night earlier this week to attend the Reward Style city tour. It was so nice to meet other bloggers and social media influencers. Honestly, I just wanted a reason to go to Austin with my friend Melissa who was also invited. I've been dreaming of taco trucks and live music for months! It was too quick of a trip to really enjoy the city, but I got my taco. Unfortunately, I  burned my taste buds by adding too much green sauce I poured on it. Let's just say that was not guac. I should have known because guac is always extra!

I wore this red dress that has just a hint of orange. I love it because it's flattering, the color is great for photos, and it works for an event that is in between casual and cocktail. I found earrings to match it perfectly that you can't really see in this photo. I linked them below for a closer look. I wore wedges instead of heels because I knew we'd be in the grass. I was a little hesitant to even try on these 4 inch high wedges because I felt like I may fall or my feet would be killing me later, but they were so comfortable and I didn't even come close to toppling over. The sales girl kept saying the platform made them easy to walk in. I inwardly rolled my eyes at that, but she was right!

Isn't this just the cutest trailer with those flowers?

I had to rush back the next day so I could attend my oldest son's golf banquet. He's a freshman on the high school JV golf team. Most of the event was focused on the seniors headed off to college. I just couldn't believe my son was at the same event as college bound adults. He was just in junior high last year and now he has friends that have cars. We were leaving the golf course after practice earlier this year and he pointed to a Mustang next to us and said that was his friend's car. I said,"The person driving?! You have a friend that DRIVES?!" That was a wake up call that he is not little any longer if the facial hair, deep voice and five inches of height over me didn't do it.

We had a bit of last minute drama over his clothes. He said he was convinced he was going to wear his high school golf shirt, but it turns out he needed a button down shirt like the one I tried to buy him weeks ago. Yeah. The only shirt he had was one from Christmas. At least it isn't flannel!

I just love the orange color of this dress! It's so well made too, but that's not surprising since it's Trina Turk. My mom found it out shopping a while back and bought it for me. I linked similar ones below since this one is no longer available. I wore the same wedges from the night before since they were so kind to my feet!

I've linked other dresses and wedges I've had my eye on, too. There are so many great options right now!

Backyard Reveal

Happy Mother's Day! I hope everyone had a great weekend. We didn't do much today, but I made sure to take the kids to visit my mom. My parents usually come to our house since we always cook, but it was a nice change of pace to visit them at their house. It's been a while, but my youngest son remembered exactly where the candy dish was in the living room! Saturday was spent hanging outside by the pool with the kids, and I snapped a few photos while drinking my pina colada that you may notice in several photos. I had to put it down and it was great for staging!

The first thing I want to show you is the new seating area by the pool. We have the sectional under the covered porch, but it gets blasted by the sun late in the afternoon since it faces west and it doesn't get the breeze since it's protected by the brick walls. That's great in the late fall and winter when it's cool, but not so much when it's hot. When I mention breeze, I really mean wind gusts! I've never experienced anything like this before, but it's almost like being on a beach sometimes. I'm guessing it's because there's not a barrier between the lake across the street and our house. Except for the constant breaking of umbrellas, it's amazing!

The lounge chairs and dining table set from Target has held up so well I naturally went with the seating from the same collection. I carried the light and dark blues from the covered porch out here as well. The darker blue seemed a little harsh next to the gray-brown color so I went lighter blue on the pillows and mixed in the dark blues as an accent. The "coffee table" is actually a fire pit. I can't even begin to describe how pretty it is with the fire on when it gets dark. The boys immediately broke it in by making s'mores. We also have solar lights on the retaining wall for extra lighting. They were so inexpensive and work so well. It's nice not to have to worry about using more electricity either. We're going to put even more of them out here soon.

The rosemary next to the sofa makes the entire seating area smell amazing!

I am pretty much obsessed with my lemon tree. I inspect the progress at least twice a day.

Here's my little guy making his s'more!

This is definitely an unstaged photo! The umbrellas are absolutely necessary for that west facing sun I mentioned earlier. We tucked them underneath the railing so they wouldn't blow over and I didn't want to have to try to put them back, but they aren't the prettiest en masse like this. Once we tilt them in the afternoons they shade the entire dining and bar area.

I mentioned this striped umbrella in a previous post, but here it is in my own home! The spot with the towel is my favorite. It's because it's completely shaded once I tilt the umbrella. I do not need any more sun spots!

The view from the terrace. We've been getting quotes for landscaping, but I could put my son halfway through college just to landscape half of the fence you see here. You know what this means, right? If you've followed my blog long enough you know how cheap I am. I'll just do it myself! Somehow it all works out in the end.

This purple tree is one of my favorites! Next to the navy striped umbrella it takes my breath away. The pictures do not do it justice.

There's my pina colada again! You can make these without alcohol too, which is great for a lightweight like me. I can drink as many as I like right in the middle of the day!

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Mother's Day Gift Ideas

I hope everyone is having a great weekend! We spent yesterday out by the pool for Cinco de Mayo. My husband made fajitas, but I ended up getting full off of homemade tortilla chips, guac and homemade queso. I'm looking forward to the leftovers today! He also made my mom and me pina coladas to sit by the pool and watch the boys swim. 

The boys may be older and good swimmers, but we have to keep an eye on them because they can be really rough at times. I just love the dynamic between the three of them. There is less fighting and more laughing as they get older. They still love to make fun of each other, but it's all in good fun.

Mother's Day is next weekend so I know a lot of you will be going out today or some time this week to pick up gifts. Most of us know our moms and wives well enough to pick out their gifts...just kidding! I rounded up a list from handbags to jewelry. I even included a feminine set of luggage since summer vacations are right around the corner. My favorite Longchamp bag is also included. I noticed so many women of all ages traveling abroad had this nylon tote that comes with a zipper. The turquoise jewelry made the list because it pairs perfectly with summer clothes. It's made of real gemstones and 18 kt gold plated over silver at a reasonable price. The company will even re-plate the jewelry if it tarnishes. My favorite reasonably priced handbags are on this list. I've been eyeing the lookalike Chanel bag for a while now, but the See by Chloe bag is brand new. I couldn't believe how close it resembles it's big sister Chloe bag at a fraction of the price. Happy shopping!