 On the final full day of my spring vacation, we traveled back down to the Bay Area to visit one of my favorite cities in the entire world -- San Fransisco! Not only do I love the city for its crazy hills, beautiful houses and twisty streets, but the views at Pier 39 and the shopping downtown are incredible.  Needless to say, I did quite a bit of shopping on this final day in Cali! I got soooo many new clothing items that I can't wait to rock this spring, most of which I have been looking for for days. The best part? Most of the pieces were found at resale or thrift stores, or on sale at my favorite mall shops! I'm still debating whether I want to write up a haul post on the blog, or if I want to get adventurous and make my first vlog. Stay tuned ;).  This picture isn't the best, but I was soooo excited to finally get to step foot into an Express store that I thought it deserved one... even if I didn't buy anything there :( Other than shopping, my boyfriend and I mainly spent this day wandering the streets of SF and gazing at the beautiful bridges and bay fronts that line the city. It was a nice way to end our week in Cali, but I still wish we could have stayed longer!
Before heading out of town the next day, we stopped by the American River for some sight-seeing and picture taking. Even though today was just a travel day I wanted to look cute, and I was so excited to try out some of my new purchases! This Brandy Melville Jada look-alike and floppy straw hat are going to be perfect for the warmer weather, and I can't wait to rock them this spring.  Thank you all so much for following along with me during my spring vacations! Keep linking me to your own spring break posts because I love reading them, and I want to have something to procrastinate on while this term starts tomorrow ;). Stay tuned for my upcoming haul posts to check out everything I purchased during my trip! xoxo Lara  Bonus: I got to pump my own gas for the first time today! (We don't pump our own gas here in Oregon -- a neat way to create more jobs!)
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 Today was a pretty chill day that was mostly spent on the road. Once we finally got ourselves out of the house, we headed over to San Jose to see my dad! It had been such a long time since I saw him last, so it was great to be able to hang out and catch up with him. Side note -- I'm so excited for him to come up to Portland for my 21st birthday in 4 (!!!) days!  The fact that it was super bright outside + the fact that my dad always has to make me laugh right before photos are taken = cheesin' hardcore After I picked my dad up we were able to go and visit my grandpa, who I hadn't seen since I was about 3 years old! It was also nice that I got to see him since he just paid for my new car, which I can't thank him enough for.  After getting lunch with my dad, my boyfriend and I spent the rest of the day venturing around San Jose's cute little downtown area, where we did some shopping and FINALLY quenched our thirst for bubble tea. Whilst out and about I picked up the CUTEST Betsey Johnson wallet, which I will show you all on my roundup post or video at the end of my trip! ;).  Overall, we had a simple but fun day in San Jose, partly because of the 4+ hours of driving and partly because we were just plain tired! Tomorrow we are headed back to the Bay Area to visit one of my all-time favorite cities -- San Fransisco! Between the gorgeous views, the delicious eats, and the incredible new, vintage and consignment shopping, it is sure to be quite the adventure.
 Today's #ootd featured all of my current faves -- including this beautiful Love Tree fringe kimono that I scored at Freestyle Clothing Exchange for only $13! (It retails at over $60!). Also included were my trusty Just Fab sandal boots, my snakeskin Michael Kors Selma bag, my fave chain and charcoal statement necklace, and my new romper from Runway Fashion Exchange.
If you missed it, you can check out the adventures from my first day in Cali by clicking here! Until tomorrow, xoxo Lara  My boyfriend and I finally arrived in Sacramento around 4:30 am after driving 8 hours straight from Oregon! Since we were able to switch between who was driving, we decided to make the journey down overnight to increase the amount of vacation time we would have. All in all it was well worth it -- but I am more than ready to get to bed now that the day is over!  Due to our late arrival, we had a bit of a late start to the day. The first thing we decided to do was grab some lunch at In-N-Out Burger, because what else do you do when you're in California?! (I still stand by my words that Burgerville is better, though ;) ). Once we had eaten as much as we could, it was time to head downtown for some fun in the sun!
We spent a good deal of time just walking around the area, soaking up the sun and taking in the beautiful scenery. If you can't tell, I am strangely obsessed with palm trees. For one thing, they remind me of home (Arizona), but for another they just symbolize vacations and tropical paradises to me!
Sacramento is such a beautiful city, with a HUGE downtown area (~66 blocks worth!), and there is just so much to see and do! Outside of the main downtown area and business district, both Midtown and Old Sacramento are filled with shops, restaurants, and other attractions that can't be missed. My favorite shop today was a resale clothing place called Freestyle Clothing Exchange. It reminded me a lot of my store in Corvallis, and it was such a fun and neat place to shop! I came out with some items that I can't wait to share with you all a later on ;). We were also able to stop in to Midtown's fancier Goodwill store, and some of the things I found there were incredible. Soon enough, however, it was time for us to move the car to avoid being ticketed, so we ventured off to a nearby mall area where I treated myself to some colorful Lush soaps! Whenever I go in there it makes me sad that I don't have a bath tub, but their other products cheer me up nonetheless. Stay tuned for an upcoming haul video (or photo set... or vlog... not sure what I want to do yet! Any suggestions?) to see everything I got today and during the rest of my trip!  Overall, today was a great first day in Cali! I can't wait to see what the rest of my stay has in store. Tomorrow we are heading to the the San Jose/Los Gatos/Cupertino area to see my dad, as well as to indulge in even more shopping, sight-seeing, eating, and photo-taking!
Until next time, xoxo Lara  It's that time of the week again! Tonight I will be beginning my journey to Northern California, and I could not be more excited! There is plenty of shopping, sight-seeing, family visiting, and lounging around in 80+ degree weather to be had. I spent the first half of this week closing at the store every single day, but this is probably a good thing since I plan on spending lots of money over the next 4 days! Here is my upcoming trip at a glance: Where I'm headed: Sacramento, California and the surrounding areas (San Fransisco, etc). When I'll be there: Late Wednesday night - Sunday What I'll be doing there: Shopping, tanning, swimming, visiting family, sight-seeing... what WON'T I be doing?! Where I'll be staying: At a family friend's place -- you can't beat free room and board! As I sit in my room blogging, I hear the sweet sound of rain drops outside -- it can be refreshing at times, but I sure am stoked to be heading off to Cali! Keeping this in mind, I set down to plan out everything I would be wearing in a much different climate than my own. Also, coming from Oregon where there is no sales tax, I will have to be mindful about taxes and other differences as well! As I mentioned in my first Spring Break Essentials post, it is always a good idea to think about what activities you will be doing before you pack! Check out the linked post to see my packing essentials.  Since I dished out my packing essentials last time, this time I will be giving travel tips instead to help you have the best trip ever, no matter where you're going!
Have you blogged about your spring travels? Leave me a comment below with a link to your post -- I would love to read them during my downtime! Stay tuned on the blog for daily trip updates, and be sure to follow me on Twitter and Instagram to follow along as well! xoxo, Lara
My second day in Ashland was spent with the boyfriend's family, who had driven down to join us the night before. The sun decided to come out even more this day, which obviously made everything even better! For day two, I decided to wear a colorful maxi dress that is sheer halfway down with side cut-outs. I absolutely love the lace detail found on the skirt part of dress, which matched perfectly with my fave lace kimono that I tossed on to complete my semi-boho look. For shoes I again put on my trusty cognac Just Fab sandal boots (I challenged myself to only bring one pair of shoes this trip!), and as usual they were perfectly comfortable to walk around in while still allowing me to look cute and put together. I accessorized with my favorite statement necklace from chain & charcoal and, of course, my carryall bucket bag. (You can shop this look using the links above!)  After clearing our stuff out of the hotel, we meandered around downtown a bit through some of the shops and galleries. One of my favorites was a cute little resale clothing place called Avant Garb. They had so many cute trendy and vintage clothing items, shoes and accessories -- I almost left with a tan floppy hat, but I am trying my best to save my spending money for the real shopping that is to be had in California this week! We once again stopped for lunch before the play (I have enough trouble as it is sitting still for three hours on a full stomach), but this time it was a place we had visited the last time we were in Ashland a few years back. Not only is Zoey's Café a great downtown lunch spot, but they have even better ice cream! It's also nice that they are located so close to the theater, so we weren't in a rush to talk and eat. I had a melted croissant with ham and cheddar, but they also have delicious soups and salads!  The play we saw was Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, which I don't think I have seen or read before. It was an excellent modern rendition of the classic tale, and it was very well done. Between the beautiful costumes and set design, the incredible acting, the perfect musical selection, and the enticing lighting and effects, I'm not sure what my favorite part was! Overall it was the perfect mix of hysterical and emotional, and the ending left you wanting the right amount of more.  After the play we hit up the Starbucks next door, because who isn't a little drowsy after sitting around for hours?! I also went back to a shop I had visited on day one, Village Shoes, to snatch up these adorable A.J. Morgan Eyewear sunnies that I am too excited to wear next week in Cali! I love everything about them, from their cat-eye shape to the color of the lenses to the way the see-through yellow frame matches my new hair color.  Overall, this trip was the perfect escape from reality, and it was exactly what I needed coming out of a busy winter term. After having so much fun, it's crazy to think that my spring break is really just beginning! I'm back home for the next three days for work, but then it's off to sunny California for shopping, tanning, swimming, visiting my dad and more! Be sure to check in on the blog this week to see round 2 of my Spring Break Travel Essentials series, along with more posts about my upcoming travel adventures! Thanks for following along on the first leg of my Spring Break Vacay! xoxo, Lara P.S. ICYMI, here's Part 1 of my Ashland adventures! Affiliate links are used in this post.  
After the play, we meandered around downtown Ashland and perused the local shops. One in particular, PAPAYA! Art, really stood out to me! They have a beautiful shop with incredible clothing, jewelry, stationery products, decor, and more, and I am completely obsessed. The entire store is basically what I want my blog to look like in real life. Since I've been trying to save money lately I didn't leave with much, but I couldn't resist picking up this cute little tablet for planning my blog posts!  Watching theater, walking around, and shopping all day made us hungry, so we decided to try out this cute little Thai place downtown called Anya's Thai Bistro. It was delicious, and we even found out that the couple started their Mom & Pop in Portland! Definitely recommend this place 10/10.
Overall, today was lots of fun -- even if I did forget to bring ANY hair ties or bobby pins with me! I had fun DIY-ing a hair tie out of my chain & charcoal wrap bracelet, and after all, who doesn't love an excuse to go shopping?! I also leveled up my layering game with some of my fave c&c necklaces.
Now it's time to just chill around the hotel and blog (obvi). My boyfriend and I are headed to the hot tub a little later on, and his family is going to be joining us in town shortly as well! Tomorrow is sure to be fun, and I can't wait to continue to bathe in the incredible atmosphere that is found in little ol' Ashland, OR. Stay tuned for tomorrow's adventures <3. xoxo, Lara  Hello lovelies! This week is finals week for me, which hasn't been too bad since I took mainly project-based courses this term. However, I cannot WAIT for spring break! As I mentioned, I am headed to two destinations this break. This post will be part of a two-part series on my spring break essentials, and it is also part of a Spring Break Essentials Link Party hosted by the lovely Maria of Sea Salt & Sun! First stop, Ashland for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival! Where I'm headed: Ashland, Oregon When I'll be there: Thursday night - Saturday night What I'll be doing there: Attending worldrenowned plays, gallivanting through the downtown shops, enjoying the beautiful landscapes, relaxing at the suite and hopefully lounging in the pool/hot tub, and taking an online final... Where I'll be staying: the beautiful Ashland Hills Hotel & Suites When packing for a trip of any kind, it is always important to keep in mind not only where you're going, but also what you're going to be doing there! That way, you will be able to pack outfits that will work for whatever you have planned. The weather is supposed to be decent this weekend in Ashland, but not toooo warm, so I'm going to be sure to pack lots of interchangeable layers. I'm also going to want to bring shoes that are cute but also comfy enough to wear when walking around for extended periods of time.  What I'm packing:
Those are my main essentials for this trip, but I'm sure I'll think of others while I'm packing (and after I leave, of course!). I'll be posting daily during my trip, so keep an eye out to hear all about my adventures! I hope you're all having a great week! XOXO Lara  Happy #WanderlustWednesday, everyone!
It's dead week for me right now at college, and I'm seriously lusting for a nice, relaxing break at some tropical location... That being said, I've been feeling lots and lots of tropical vibes in my personal style lately! I'm really loving everything sporty and brightly colored right now as we are starting to see the first signs of spring here in Oregon. With less than two weeks until my spring break, I am getting super antsy to travel! It seems like it has been forever. This break I will be heading on a two part excursion, first to Ashland, Oregon and then to Northern California! Stay tuned for daily updates from my travels, as they are sure to be lots of fun and stylish as hell (duh). Whether you're already on spring break or you're stuck waiting like me, use the links above to shop these amazing island looks! It's always a good time to add some color to your wardrobe, so why not start now?! That's it for now! Next week's #WanderlustWednesday will feature my spring break essentials that I'll be packing up for my travels, so be sure to check back for some major vacation inspiration. xoxo, Lara |
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