fam photos with minted

fam photos with minted

Hi! We recently had some family photos taken via Minted’s new Photo Op program and I wanted to share them on my blog! We took our photos a few blocks around our apartment, including in Alamo Square (our go-to park for picnics and dog adventures). Minted’s Photo Op program allows you to set up and schedule a convenient 30-minute family portrait mini session and holiday card styling for just $100. It’s a perfect and affordable way to get high-quality, professional photos that you can use for holiday cards, hang in your home, or just to keep for yourself. More details below! I really love how our […]

Weekend Trip: Monterey County

One of my very favorite things about living in San Francisco is how easy it is to get to some incredible places, like Yosemite, Wine Country, and Lake Tahoe, in just a short drive. Another super easy (and beautiful) drive is taking Highway 1 south to the Monterey County area. I’ve been down there several times and have stayed in different areas, from camping in Big Sur to different Airbnbs in small towns like Pacific Grove, Carmel and Seaside. I’ve even stayed at arguably the *best* Best Western along Highway 1 in Monterey County (LOL)! As I’ve mentioned before, I have a lot of happy memories adventuring […]

#LoveOfTheJourney: On entrepreneurship & Wente Vineyards

I recently discovered Wente Vineyards, a winery based a few hours from San Francisco in Livermore. I learned that Wente has been around for more than 130 years and is the country’s oldest continuously family owned and operated winery. While I looooove a good trip to a winery to sit in the sun, casually drinking wine, I haven’t had a chance to visit the Wente winery in person yet. I did pick up a bottle of the Wente Southern Hills Cabernet Sauvignon here in SF and enjoyed it recently during a picnic in the park! Wente Vineyards recently launched their #LoveOfTheJourney initiative, celebrating the brand’s heritage and story. Their family – and brand […]

trip to monterey & big sur

Last weekend, my parents and sister Hope were visiting California and we decided to break up their visit by spending some time in San Francisco and the rest down in Monterey County! This area of California is one of my very favorites; I have very fond, happy memories (including getting engaged!) visiting places like Monterey, Carmel and Big Sur with both Eric and my parents in the past, and also it’s arguably one of the most beautiful drives along Highway 1 in California. I was SO excited for this trip! It’s been wayyy too long since my last visit (November 2014 for engagement) and I was due […]

Experiences Over Things: Dinner Party with IfOnly

“Spending money on experiences ‘provide[s] more enduring happiness’…Experiences tend to make people happier because they are less likely to measure the value of their experiences by comparing them to those of others…Those waiting for experiences were in better moods than those waiting for material goods.” – Excerpt from Buy Experiences, Not Possessions article You’ve likely seen things like the above pop up in your newsfeed in the past, all about why you should spend your time and money on experiences vs. possessions. While I love getting a new purse or pair of shoes (#notsorry), it never quite competes with an amazing experience, whether that’s a concert, vacation or […]

Meditation & Living a Calm(er) Life

“We all want the kind of mindset that allows us to be calm while driving to work in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Or the calm that helps us to stop ruminating about the past or worrying about the future so we can sleep well at night. For many of us, the stress and anxiety we experience seems to be greater than ever before. We rarely pull away from our digital devices and we end up feeling overwhelmed and overstimulated. We’re so focused on ‘the next thing’ that we regularly miss what’s happening in front of us. We fall into bed exhausted, waiting for weekends to come around, and when […]