The River House

Over the weekend, one of my best friends Bianca & her fiancé Bobby hopped in a car to drive from San Diego to Phoenix for the weekend for a family visit. Lucky for me, I happen to be in Phoenix! And was able to steal away a little of their time for dinner at Postino, and catch up over a delicious glass of cab. 

I realized that I had never shared the photos I took from over the summer, where I met Bianca & her family halfway between Arizona and California for a weekend of boating, sun & card games at their river house.

The sunsets we saw looking out from their patio, perched at the top of a hill, were magnificent. The photos don't even do them justice. Having the best of friends so spread out around the country can be tough, but little surprises & visits like these make those relationships so very special to me. Counting down the days until I make the trip to San Diego, where I'll get to stand up beside my best friend as she marries her future husband Bobby. The very thought gives me chills.

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Walking Tour of Bisbee AZ

Bisbee was the cutest town. Which allowed for entirely too many hipster photo opps, almost regretful antique purchases, and several delicious coffee stops.

As we toured, the weather slowly turned to an overcast moody day. A light sprinkle of rain kept us running in and out of the local shops, pondering our need for vintage luggage, giant outdoor furniture, and the amount of junk/treasure we could realistically fit in the car.

A favorite moment must have been when we stumbled on the most odd, creative art installation - which seems to have been completely random, and built up over time. There were no names to credit, and no reason to when or why this cropped up, other than an opportunity to beautify an old empty lot. People's minds are fascinating sometimes.

The Raven Cafe, Prescott

Prescott is just close enough to be the perfect day trip from Phoenix. A little planning ahead of time, an early set alarm clock, some great car tunes to entertain you during the drive and before you know it you've arrived.

Even close enough for the adventurous types who want to try a new coffee shop or cafe. Strolling through the city's cute weekend art markets, antique shops, or laying on the big lawn out front of the court house can be exhausting. Raven Cafe is just the spot if you're up for the hour, day, or weekend.

My beautiful mom and I drove up for precisely all of those things - to explore the new town, grab a coffee, see if there were any vintage goodies at antique shops I needed to own, etc. We had heard great things about the Raven Cafe, mostly from locals & Yelp, and decided to get a quick bite to eat before heading out of town.

The line to order was long, but the wait for our food was not bad. The place was packed - apparently we weren't the only ones to know about this local favorite! With a few ominous clouds in the sky we opted to sit inside, but if you're there on a nice day you must check out the upstairs patio. What a great view! I love a good restaurant patio.

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Tartine, revisited

As I sit here and type this on a Monday night, it already feels like Thursday, or maybe even Friday. So many fun, exciting, scary changes happening in my life at the moment and the last thing I feel like doing is writing. Getting cozy on the couch and soaking up this feeling of exhaustion sounds like a much better plan. While oogling pictures of my recent trip to Tartine in San Diego. Which I am way too addicted to. See here for previous restaurantgush.

Sharing is caring.

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A Glimpse of Prescott

When my mom & I traveled up to Prescott for the day, we had absolutely no plans set in stone. I had heard Prescott is a cute town that it offered great antiquing, but didn't have any recommendations outside of that.

The drive up was not bad at all. About an hour and a half of crusin along looking at wide open views and beautiful skies. We kept an eye on the thermostat as it continued to drop a few degrees as we went further and further north. A break from the inferno in Phoenix was so nice!

An hour and a half later we arrived. First stop, Cuppers. 

We toured the cute fair, sampled homemade candies, smelled special soaps and lotions, saw the the work proudly displayed by local artists. As the day went on, the ominous clouds begin rolling in and we knew our picturesque sunny summer day was coming to an end. 

 And wow, did it ever! We made it through one antique shop and lunch before the skies opened up and dumped what seemed like GALLONS of rain and hail. It was a beautiful sight from inside, so we continued hopping into different stores to wait it out. Once our chance was clear, we be-lined for the car to trek back to Phoenix. It was a little scary of a drive, but brought me right back to living in Seattle. A bittersweet, frightening moment!

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Prescott Tour: Cuppers

As a two year Arizona native, I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I haven't taken the time to visit a few of the state's most popular destinations. Namely, Prescott and Tucson. Thankfully, my mama is always game to travel around the state and experience new things on her vacations, so we made the trek up to Prescott on Saturday.

Naturally, our first stop was a coffee shop. After some quick yelp research, we decided that Cuppers was the best place to go and set off on foot in search of the bright red overhang. On the journey, we stumbled on a full fledged weekend fair, some hottie firemen, and what seemed like the entire town bustling around the court house eating picnics and soaking in the beautiful sun. I felt a little like we had teleported to Stars Hallow and no one told me.

It was pretty adorable and homey on the inside. We sat down at a table topped with postcards from someone's world travels, and planned out the rest of our day. Our plans included lunch at a yelp-approved restaurant, antiquing, hottie fireman oogling, and checking out the fair. All in a days work.

I mean, right? Also, I've got to get my hands on those posters. 

A great success. We cheers-ed our mexican chocolate americanos and felt caffeinated enough to take on the day. It was great! I'd definitely stop by again the next time I'm in town. 

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{Powder Room Fashionista - Week 10}

Ahh 4th of July weekend. My annual escape to San Diego to unplug, unwind & breathe in the clear ocean air. A packed weekend filled with wedding planning, new restaurant trying, neighborhood touring and shopping was more fun than I could have imagined. Now back to reality for at least a few days, until my mama gets in town! It's already been a great summer. Keep it coming, universe!

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{Crawfish Boil}

The last of my new orleans photos that I'll be sharing on the blog are a bit of a mixed bag, which I've dumped into one post (kind of like a certain seafood, veggie, spicy boiled dinner item - clever, I know). Quick snapshots of some of the big highlights on the trip. As sad as I am that this trip is over, taking the time to revisit each day and each memory has made my time in the south much more special.

It's definitely hard to narrow it down, but I have to say that Commanders Palace was the best experience of the entire trip. Kenz surprised Devin & I, making reservations for the restaurant's famous brunch more than a month before our trip. Three full courses, mimosas & bellinis, live jazz sang at our table, personal waiters who lowered each dish in a clearly rehearsed theatrical manner, a maître d' who insists on escorting women to the restroom with linked arms, pale blue searsucker suits and loud southern accents...that morning was incredible, and I'll never forget it. Thank you times a million kenz.

{my future house}

{a southern delicacy}

{drive-thru shrimp po boy stand & a louisiana sunset}

{Jackson Square - the site of our psychic readings}

{daiquiris & putting our toes in the river}

  {my first experience eating baby lobsters crawfish, the only veggie on the menu (fried cauliflower?), and red beans & rice. A true southern meal)

 Take me back.

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