Working The City

I recently started a part time job where we live. It is a small position with very easy hours that are perfect for me now and I know I will be especially grateful in the fall when our son goes to back to school and I can be home in the mornings to see him off and be home after school.  I am glad to have a reason to get dressed in the mornings again and I don't necessarily feel like I am playing dress-up half the time.  Today, I got to spend most of the day in the city. I took my sister and her best friend with me and they hung out near the Embarcadero while I delivered some supplies and attended a meeting nearby. Once I was done, I picked up the girls and took them to the Fisherman's Wharf for lunch and spent the afternoon being tourists in the area. It was the first visit for my sister's bestie and she wanted to make sure she picked up some souvenirs.  I love San Francisco and I just love sharing it with friends and family.

I Am Wearing:

Blouse: Banana Republic (current)

Sweater: J. Crew Factory

Necklace: c/o Dogeared Jewelry

Earrings: Blue Nile

Denim: J Brand (current)

Clutch: Tory Burch

Flats: J. Crew

Visiting The Painted Ladies

We've lived in the Bay for over a year now and while we always make sure we take visitors to see the major landmarks (Golden Gate Bridge, Coit Tower, Bay Bridge, Alcatraz, Fisherman's Wharf, etc.) somehow The Painted Ladies always get cut from the list once time starts going fast.  Well, my sister visited last year for nearly a month and this time will be here for just over two weeks. We are saving the major landmarks for next week when her best friend visits, but we were near the Divisadero and the Western Addition for an event she wanted to check out, so we made a stop by Alamo Square to check out the famous Painted Ladies. It was disappointing that the park seems to be under construction, but the ladies looked beautiful and even in the middle of the week, there were plenty of tourists milling about.  San Francisco laughs at the Summer Solstice and it is cold and windy regardless of the season.

I Am Wearing:

Sweater: J. Crew on sale!

Sunglasses: Nordstrom (current)
Earrings: c/o Amorium Jewelry

Necklace: BaubleBar (similar)
Bracelet: Tiffany & Co.

Denim: Joe's Jeans

Sneakers: Converse

Kit & Ace shopping tote

Take a Gamble (Garden in Palo Alto)

My sister is in town! We went looking for something to do today and she suggested a garden. I really want to visit the Filoli Center, but their hours are restricted and their admission fee is $20 per person. It was already after noon when we decided where we wanted to go and we were still hungry, so we decided to check out the Gamble Garden in Palo Alto instead.  We were completely wowed! There was so much to see there from bee friendly flower beds to rose bushes and fruit trees heavy with citrus and kiwis. They had succulents and cacti as well as multiple water features. It was such a beautiful location that is open to the public during daylight hours and FREE admission! I was so thrilled to find this hidden gem on a street I've often driven on trying to get to my husband's office.  It truly was a treat.

I Am Wearing:

Top: Amour Vert (current)
Earrings: Blue Nile

Monogram Necklace: c/o Jane Basch Jewelry

Sunglasses: Ray-Ban

Clutch: Tory Burch

Pants: Gap

Sandals: Unisa

Time to Mead: Heidrun Meadery

The other stop during our day in Point Reyes Station was at Heidrun Meadery.  I was so glad that we stopped here! We did a sparkling mead wine tasting while we took a tour of the meadery and the property, which includes multiple honey bee towers, a chicken coop, and an organic garden that includes bee friendly flowers and organic fruit. After the tour, we each bought an additional glass of a wine we didn't taste on the tour and went to drink it under their backyard tree, which was AMAZING! We also bought a couple of bottles of their Sparkling Mead Wine before heading home.  While I still dream of a tropical getaway, this trip to Point Reyes was the perfect day trip. I hope you all have a wonderful Father's Day tomorrow!

I AM WEARING:

Dress: J. Crew (current option from J.Crew Factory)
Sunglasses: Ray-Ban

Turquoise Earrings: Plata (Splurge | Steal)
Turquoise Necklace: Taos Pueblo Handmade Jewelry (similar)

Apple Watch

Bracelet: Tiffany & Co.

Clutch: Prabal Gurung x Target (I also want this one!)
Wedges: L. K. Bennett (current)

Point Reyes Lighthouse

My husband and I keep meaning to take a vacation and somehow, we keep getting thwarted.  We were supposed to go to Puerto Rico for the wedding of friends last month, but my doctor asked me to reconsider due to the Zika pandemic in the region. Then we thought of heading to Lake Tahoe for a long weekend, but his work got crazy and he's ended up working non-stop.  Fortunately, I keep this trusty list of daytrips bookmarked on my browser.  So off we went to Point Reyes Station this past weekend when we had a day to kill.  The Point Reyes Lighthouse is said to be located on the windiest strip of the West Coast and I believe it. And did you know this lighthouse was the location for parts of The Fog? Scary!
Last weekend one of my friends wore this shirt and looked so cute while we were at Alcatraz Island.  I wasn't at all surprised when she told me it was J. Crew because of course it is.  Then last week I was in the store and saw it on the sale rack so I picked it up, too, and I was so glad once we were out on the windy steps leading to the lighthouse this weekend.  I wish I had brought my coat along and even my husband, who was in shorts and a polo, admitted that he was cold.  The hike back up from the lighthouse warmed us up and the spectacular views were well worth the wind, cold, and hike!

I Am Wearing:

Top: J.Crew (runs really large, I am wearing a small)

Earrings: Diamond Hoops (Splurge | Steal)
Necklace: Blue Nile

Sunglasses: Ray-Ban

Denim: Joe's Jeans

Sneakers: Converse

Mixing Patterns: Blue & White

We enjoyed a gorgeous and very warm day in the Bay yesterday.  It got up into the high 70's and it was perfect shorts weather.  I love these Tiki shorts from J. Crew. I bought them in LA when I was in town for the last LuckyFABB West in 2013 (see shopping recap here) and I wore them last fall when we got invited to Napa with friends.  I love patterned shorts and J.Crew always has great prints each season.  I pulled them out again yesterday when I realized it was too warm for jeans and I didn't want to get into a dress or skirt. Mixing patterns is not something I am very good at, but I figured that keeping the patterns in the same color palette would pull the prints together.  I am also trying to prep our house because my sister is coming to visit me next week and I cannot wait!

I Am Wearing:

Top: Amour Vert Dorian Tee

Sunglasses: Ray-Ban

Clutch: Tory Burch

Shorts: J. Crew (current option)
Sandals: Report (Current under $20!)

Alcatraz at Night

Our Alcatraz "Cellfie"

Saturday afternoon we'd chartered a boat to sail around the San Francisco Bay.  We had looked at Groupon or Living Social for a good deal, but there were so many restrictions and it felt like those usually sail fully packed.  We really wanted to have some down time and be able to move around freely without feeling like we had to keep track of our bags the whole time.  We ended up chartering a sail with Golden Gate Sailing Cruises, but they cancelled less than 24 hours before our boarding time with absolutely no explanation as to why we could not sail. It was very disappointing to say the least and it really put a damper on our enthusiasm for the Colombia vs. USA game. I was upset about it because I had been really looking forward to taking my friends on a relaxing boat trip.  But my girls are awesome and we ended up visiting Coit Tower and Fisherman's Wharf before heading to the Pier for our Alcatraz at Night Tour on Saturday.  And that was AMAZING!!  We had a grand spooky time and even got to see the hospital at the island which was so creepy.

I AM WEARING:

Top: Saint James x J.Crew

Denim: J.Crew Toothpick Jeans

Earrings: Blue Nile

Necklace: c/o Dogeared Jewelry

Clutch: Tory Burch

Sunglasses: Ray-Ban

Jacket: Henri Lloyd (current)
Flats: J.Crew

White Blooms

After the game on Friday, we really wanted to sleep in. BUT, we had booked tickets to Alcatraz at Night and we knew if we wanted to get to the city, it had to be early. So, we woke up early and headed straight to brunch at Vitrine at the St. Regis before descending upon the Conservatory of Flowers.  Wow! Were we glad we woke up early! The conservatory was having an exhibit on succulents and cacti, which one of the girls and I are obsessed with and the plants in the gardens were just gorgeous! We ended up all wearing white by accident on purpose.  The girls were staying at my house and when I came out two of them were wearing white, so I quickly backed up and changed into this favorite white dress and the fourth friend said, "Well I can't be the only one in color!" So we loaned her a dress and we all ended up in white. I got to wear my new threader earrings from Amorium Jewelry and I loved that they didn't get lost in my hair. We got some great group pics and I am thinking of printing copies of my favorite and buying them a cool frame to send them as a gift.

I Am Wearing:

Dress: 4SI3NNA (also want this cute romper!)
Earrings: c/o Amorium Jewelry

Sunglasses: Ray-Ban

Bracelet: Tiffany & Co.

Apple Watch

Clutch: Tory Burch

Wedges: Stuart Weitzman

**Thank you to Amorium Jewelry for partnering on this post.**