where is the most beautiful place you’ve ever been}

March 11, 2022 xoxostacyb2 Comments

You guys, I stumbled on a Cup of Joe blog post titled: What’s The Most Beautiful Place You’ve Ever Seen?

I don’t want to admit how much time of my day I spent reading the comments on this post. It’s hands down one of the most dreamy threads I’ve ever been stuck on. Day dreaming. Wanderlust. All the new places I MUST go and MUST see. They way people describe these destinations is unreal.

If you have a lot of time to kill – Read it here: Comment Section

It got me thinking…..

Where is the most beautiful place I’ve ever been?

It’s a toss up. Other than Mexico, I have never left the country. Sad, right? But I have seen some places right here in the US that blew my damn mind.

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Adventure · backpacking · Cool spots · family · hiking · Outfit Details · travel

{sedona | travelogue}

March 8, 2022March 8, 2022 xoxostacybLeave a comment

📍sedona, az you showed us a damn good time. Hiked devils bridge + airport mesa and watched the sunset + cathedral rock at sunrise. Cory was like a kid again smashing the can-am 🏁 through the trails. We ate rattlesnake 🐍 and I found bud light lime 🍺 #iykyk. fave food: chicken scallopini @thehudsonsedona. fave bar: @cowboyclubsedona 🍹 unreal views that you just have to see for yourself!!

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Adventure · backpacking · Charlie the Goldendoodle · Cool spots · family · hiking · Lake Tahoe · mom & me · Target · weekend

{weekend notes}

March 23, 2020 xoxostacybLeave a comment

Smiling because we’re ordering margaritas to-go tonight and I think it’s about the coolest thing that’s happened in the past 10 days🍹

Intentions for the Week:

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Adventure · backpacking · Cool spots · family · mom & me · Random shit · Summertime · To-Do's · travel

{summer to-do’s}

June 21, 2019June 21, 2019 xoxostacybLeave a comment

It’s official – SUMMER 2019 is here and we couldn’t be happier!! Friday + the 1st day of Summer falling on the same day. Not a coincidence! HA! If you’ve been following for a while, then you know we’re BIG on seasonal bucket lists. It’s helps us make the most of the next few months and do all the fun things we’ve been wanting to do.

Keeping a running list is a great way to remember all seasonal things you enjoy doing or look forward to do. When we have a free weekend, I like to refer to our To-Do’s and check items off as we go.

Here’s to an amazing Summer. Cheers!

Make sure to comment below on fun things you’ve go on your to-do list.

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Adventure · backpacking · California · Cool spots · hiking · Summertime · weekend · Wine Tasting

{weekend notes}

June 10, 2019June 10, 2019 xoxostacybLeave a comment

In case no one told you today:

You’re doing great

Keep on truckin

You totally got this

And don’t skip your Monday workout.

This morning was so weird. Bay stayed the night at a friends house. I realized that we no longer have zero period drop off. Which means I get 30 extra minutes each morning. THIRTY minutes is life-changing. Especially in the mornings. And I haven’t seen my kiddo since Friday morning. I cannot wait to squeeze her this evening.

Intentions for the Week:

Find the perfect dress for Summerland 2019
Lunch date with my calendar
Work on a fun + festive 4th of July treat
Catch up on laundry
Spend some q-time with Bay
Practice on a lemon granita
Sit at the pool in the evenings
J.Crew Factory Try-on
Write a recipe for my Greek Burgers
Use the WW app like it’s my day job
Make my {homemade pesto}
Set a pretty red, white + blue table

This week on the xoxostacyb: Target Tuesday, since I found so much cute shit at my last trip. Can’t decide if I’ll share my crunch wrap recipe or my sheet pan salmon dinner? We’ll see! And lastly – fun dresses under $50 for summer parties + graduations + weddings.

Highlights from the weekend….

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Adventure · backpacking · California · Cool spots · family · Gift Guide · hiking · Holiday Whore · Holidays · kids · Lake Tahoe · mom & me · Products · ShopStyle · travel

{weekend notes}

November 26, 2018December 3, 2018 xoxostacyb4 Comments

Happy Cyber Monday friends. This is a sale I can get behind! It doesn’t require going anywhere. No lines. A shit-ton of good deals. All from the comfort of your own home….of office, in my case. Believe it or not, I didn’t make a single purchase on Black Friday. I probably would have, had we not been headed to Tahoe for the weekend. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise? Ha!

Is anyone else insanely happy that we still have 1 more week till December?!?! Just a little more time till the festivities really hit! I’m going to embrace this week to the fullest. We are going to get all the rest of our Christmas decor up tonight. Hoping to get it all on the blog next week.

Intentions for the Week:

Get in 15,000 steps per day…No matter what – I lost my fitbit 🙁
Pick up Trader Joe’s garland. How much garland is too much? Asking for a friend! – Gimme all the garland. I’ve gone the extra mile to take all the steps to care for it too
Hydrate (god knows I drank wayyy too much wine over the weekend) – Kinda sorta did a good job….till Thursday.
Find all the best Cyber Monday deals – Did anyone score an awesome deal? Tell me all about it.
Work on all the outdoor lights + garland – They’re up. Now to get our front porch tree lit up!
Dinner + drinks to celebrate Robin – Always a good time!!!
Get my pearly whites polished up – Bay + I are cavity free still
Share Bay’s Christmas bedroom decor – Thanks for all the love on Bay’s room ♥
Transfer dates to 2019 calendar – Didn’t even crack open the 2019!!
Dickens in the Valley Home Tour – Gorgeous homes….crazy inspired!!!
Make turkey noodle soup with our Thanksgiving carcass (I hate that word FYI) – It’s happening TONIGHT!

Let’s chat Cyber Monday first! These are a few of my favorite things….and a couple are on my list:

Click on any of the images below to shop…..

Couple other items that caught my eye today on Amazon…..

Ring Video Doorbell 2 with Echo Dot combo // AncestryDNA: Genetic Testing Ethnicity

Highlights from the weekend…..

Thanksgiving!!

“kid wine” cheers at the kids table!

Quick photo shoot with Gram + Papa ♥

The olive lover #olivejuice

Real men wear women’s aprons to carve the turkey!

I re-set my table…AGAIN! After the rotten pumpkin fiasco.

My mom collected the most beautiful leaves while we were camping at Casini Ranch the other weekend. These clipping lying across the table are the ones we stole off the side of the road. Festive AF! And free!

This is what our plates looked like. Although, we’re all eating turkey. I feel like everyone’s plate I saw on the ‘gram looked totally different. And I LOVED hearing about the weird menu item each family serves. Our’s is pretzel jello salad…yummm.

Friday morning we hit the road for Tahoe. With a pit stop in Placerville to pick up tree permits.

We picked up our permit at the Forest Supervisor’s Office: 3034 Briw Road. Placerville, CA 95667. Phone number: (530) 622-5061.

I called to confirm today and they do still have tree permits available. They are first come first serve. $10 cash each. 2 Tree permits per family.

Once you purchase your permit you’ll get the orange permits that you attach to the tree(s). And a map showing you all the spot for tree cutting.

Here’s more info on tree permits: Eldorado National Forest Christmas Tree Permits

Pit stop at Strawberry Lodge. It was raining + snowing.

My girl all bundled up…in my jacket…lol! The struggle is real!!!

Just a little snow….

Dressing the cabin up for the Holidays ♥

Avocado toast is my weekend jam #basic

I used the leftover Thanksgiving ham. Bomb.com

We hit the Fallen Leaf Lake trail from the campground. Such a pretty trail. Great for kids too!

Just give me all the snowy trails.

Then you get to this. I mean, could it have been a more beautiful day? The sky. The mountains. The lake. I can’t pick which one I like the most.

My people ♥

Continue reading “{weekend notes}” →

Adventure · backpacking · California · Camping · Cool spots · family · hiking · Kaia · kids · Spring · travel · weekend

{weekend notes}

April 30, 2018May 4, 2018 xoxostacyb2 Comments

Happy Monday! Did you know we are on week 18 of 2018? I read it somewhere and thought, WOW! That happened quick. This week is a busy week. Like real busy. I was updating my iPhone notes “shit to do” and it basically said: Spring Show shit. Monday – Sunday.

But, more importantly….how was your weekend? Did you get to enjoy some sunshine. Sleep in. Hang with your faves. And sneak in some relaxation + self-care.

I gotta say, we had a good one.

Intentions for the week:

~~Survive Spring Show~~ – barely
~~Try to cook/eat healthy during the busy ass week~~ – 1 minor pizza slip-up otherwise pretty damn good!
~~Send back all the ugly shit I ordered/bought~~ – thank god for free-returns
~~Blog: Currently Craving for May~~ – What did you guys think? {currently craving // may}
~~Kill it at Kaia. BRIK has officially begun~~. – Didn’t miss a class…whoop whoop
~~Chill on the chard….just a little.~~ – didn’t have a glass…WTF?
Celebrate my oldest nephew’s b-day – Missed it due to Spring Show weigh-in 🙁
~~GATE Art Show~~ – ♥
~~At home pedi’s with Bay~~ –
~~Move around patio furniture~~ – All the details coming soon!
~~Make pickled red onions~~ – OMG yumm!

Last weeks Intentions: {weekend notes}

Highlights from the weekend……

Casini Ranch 2018 camping trip was a blast!

You know it’s been a good weekend when your abs hurt from laughing so much. Never a dull moment with the family ♥

I never got around to blogging about our 2017 Casini Trip. It was equally as good! That’s what brought us back. The perfect campground for families. Daily activities for the kids. Ice cream social. Bonfires. Feeding the Casini horses. Panning for rocks. Bike rides. And of course the river. If you’re looking for a new place to camp, I suggest you try out Casini.

The Ukiah Brown fire-pit made its second appearance.

Messy camp

Burgers around the fire

Morning cuddle with my sweet nephew

He digs insta-filters

Queen of the castle

When Mom’s in-charge of breakfast….she doesn’t mess around.

Guernville has pretty walls

And so many fun spots

Guerneville Bank Club is the cutest. This place even has a photo booth.

Inside you find: Chile Pie Baking Co // Nimble and Finns Ice Cream // Jar Jam (local gems) // Tasting Room // Museum

Chile Pies Baking Co…..yummmm

I found my heaven! See ya later!

Ice cold $6 cans of chard can also be found here.

Home of the best town sign. I stop and snap a picture here every.single.time.

Ocean Trails

Necessities

Dead or alive? I have no clue.

Those succulents though

Our State Flower is breathtaking (excuse Callie ass for the photo bomb)

Scaling cliffs…in flip flops with a beer in hand! #skills

The fishing spots

Cory fishes

Callie + I collect coffee table treasures.

I came up with the best way to display these one-of-a-kind ocean finds. I’ll be sharing soon!

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Adventure · backpacking · California · Camping · Cool spots · Crafting · Decor · diy · family · friends · hiking · mom & me · travel · weekend

{push-pin map // travelogue}

April 11, 2018 xoxostacyb2 Comments

I’m a weekend explorer. But, you already knew that. Nothing better than getting out and finding new places. Hiking trails. Restaurants. Lots of bars. Parks. Beaches….you know I love a good beach. Vista points. Waterfalls. Random stops on the side of the road for oohs and ahhs.

That’s where this push-pin map comes into place. How fun is it to document where you’ve been on a map? Using little push pins to marks all the spots you’ve stopped.

Maps are so incredibly gorgeous. And the sad thing is, we rarely use or look at them anymore. I mean really, when is the last time you held a map and actually looked at it?

Look below…all the colors. Lakes. Counties. Freeways. Waterways.

Fucking beautiful, right?

Bay + I made a push-pin map for our home years ago. We’ve been pinning our fave places since. It just gets better and better as it ages ♥

We recently moved and it’s become my favorite wall art. Without fail, every time someone new comes into our home, we end up in front of this map.

Maps make great icebreakers. Not that I’m inviting strangers over…lol. But, as soon as you start looking over a map, inevitably, you start reminiscing. The town you grew up. The yearly family camping trip. That time you stopped and had the best meal of your life in such and such town. “This one time I picked up a hitchhiker”……

I love the conversations maps start.

(excuse my toter in the background)

So for Valentine’s Day, Bay + I decided to make Cory his very own. He’s been in love with ours for years.

I snapped some pictures on insta-stories and I was going and got lots of DM’s asking what I was up too. So here ya go. Another easy + cheap diy from xoxostacyb.

Here’s what you’ll need:

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Adventure · backpacking · California · friends · health · hiking · travel · weekend · Wine

{ojai // travelogue part #2 }

December 14, 2017 xoxostacyb3 Comments

It always takes me so much time to write these posts. So hard to recap such an amazing time. I don’t want to miss anything. But, it’s impossible. Unless you were there, you really just can’t understand. Unless your body was aching. Unless you were in desperate need of a shower. Unless your socks were full of dirt. Unless your belly hurt from laughing so fucking hard the night before. Unless your bond with 3 of your best gals grew a mile. Unless you just backpacked the Sespe Wilderness overnight, there is NO way possible I can explain how bad ass, strong, empowered, brave and relieved we all felt in this photo above. We were DONE! We survived.

We had our eye on the prize. We were headed for a night stay at the Ojai Valley Inn.

Our reward to ourselves.

Probably the most brilliant idea we’d actually ever come up with. I mean, the hike was for sure coolest part #2. Ojai Valley Inn…coolest part #1.

That’s why I saved the best for last. And I can 100% guarantee that we would all have to agree.

This place is like the best kept secret. A little gem in the heart of Ojai. A place I’d read about. Shit let’s be real, the Beverly Hills Housewives had 2 episodes taped here. Remember that? That’s how I really heard of it. Oh and remember Brothers & Sisters? That show took place in Ojai too.

Here are a few photos I stole off their website to give you a better idea of what I’m talking about……

(images via)

Ojai Valley Inn is by far the most gorgeous resort I’ve ever visited.

The luxurious amenities.

Best in class customer service. You guys, customer service is everything to me and I have never seen anything like it here. Friendly. Uber accommodating.

You really need to stay here. Trust me. I can guarantee you that you will have the most wonderful time.

The drive inn

You would have thought we were moving in. Nahhh, just a 24 hour stay 🙂

Our bell boy wan’t even slightly phased. He loaded up every bag and we leisurely followed him to our room.

The view from our patio wasn’t too bad either.

and a bed. After sleeping on the ground, this looked damn good!

The Pool(s) //

Is this heaven?

Yes, it is!

There is a pool to suit whatever your needs. Lap pools. Adult pools. Pool with bars. Family pools. Need I say more?

You could find me right here.

We just so happened to arrive at the pool for Happy Hour. My most favorite hour of the day. But, you already knew that!

Thank you!!!

Nicole + her Lavender Lemonade ♥

It didn’t just look pretty either.

The Spa //

Nicole + I slipped away to the Spa.

We both gave them an A+

A 50 minute relaxation massage after a backpacking trip. Yessss please.

When the masseuse asked me which “spots” to focus on…..

Back

Head

Feet

And she straight up killed it. Nicole would agree!!

Continue reading “{ojai // travelogue part #2 }” →

Adventure · backpacking · California · Camping · friends · hiking · travel · weekend

{ojai // travelogue part #1 }

November 22, 2017 xoxostacybLeave a comment

And it all started…..

(in Greta’s best Lester Holt voice) 4 girls set of to backpack in the wilderness…lol.

Backpacking trip #2. Same girls. Minus 1.

In case you miss the first backpacking trip, you can read more about that adventure here: {weekend notes}

Almost exactly 2 years later, we hit the road again. This time 320 miles south of home.

Ojai, CA.

I can honestly say, one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. Although, Ojai is far AF!

A long off the beaten path to our trail head. In the middle of fucking nowhere.

Piedra Blanca Trailhead

Los Padres National Forest – Sespe Wilderness

Here’s a map to give you a better idea.

We met our fearless Treks + Tracks guide, Nick. He was wayyy more chill than our last guide. She was cool as shit, don’t get me wrong. I think Nick may have hit the bottle pretty hard the night before. (I am in no was shape or form hattin on homeboy, it happens to the best of us) Anyway, we had no eating utensils and missing tent poles…thank GOD not ours.

We divvied up all the gear. Sleeping bags + bed rolls + food + tents + polls, etc. Loaded up our packs.

Heavy AF, let me tell ya.

Maybe we had enough food? Maybe we packed too much booze? Nahh.

Oh, and you know I made the girls goodie bags. Bailey’s for our morning coffee…a MUST! That shit was Folgers instant shit. Which I’ve never had till that day. Tylenol for the headache after a night of drinking cheap bagged wine. Glow sticks so we didn’t loose each other. And power bars.

Take a Hike!