every year, i purchase my coachella tickets in june for the following april (before the lineup even is released). shortly thereafter, we book a house. no later than january, i am searching high and low for outfit options. this year, that did not happen and i was PANICKED.
early last week, it occurred to me that i had done zero shopping whatsoever and that coachella was less than two weeks away. every year, at least one of my outfits has been from asos. i quickly went to their site to see if there was anything that caught my eye and immediately fell in love with this little fringe number!
coachella vip – weekend one – day one
i never say no to a little black and knew as soon as i tried it on that i would be wearing it long after coachella. it was initially $50 which i would have been happy to pay, especially because a dress is an entire outfit. imagine my surprise when it was on sale for just $30?! getting it was a no brainer.
one of the things i love most about asos is their inclusive sizing. whether you wear a 00 or a 28, need short pants or an extra long pair, need maternity wear or a wedding dress in an extended size, they have it all.
if you go to coachella, where is your favorite place to get outfits from? do you go for aesthetics, comfort or both?
to round out our time in the south bay, my mom and i did lunch at one of my favorite italian spots. afterwards, we picked up some of my favorite women on earth and made our way to napa.
we checked into my favorite hotel there (the archer) before freshening up before dinner at a restaurant i have to go whenever i am in town (celadon). while i had never been there for dinner before (my friends and i often end up there for boozy brunches), it didn’t disappoint. i was so glad that my godmother happened to be in sacramento that week for work so she joined us for dinner and drinks at the hotel afterwards. we shared so many laughs over dinner – nearly three hours felt like 30 minutes.
celadon has the absolute BEST calamari (i used caps so you know it’s real)
wednesdays are meant for wine and we definitely did just that. first, we started with breakfast at charlie palmer steak. it came highly recommended and a couple of weeks before our trip when i mapped it, i realized it was in our hotel. somehow (even though i had stayed at the archer before), i had no idea it existed. i had definitely been missing out because we all enjoyed our meal so much.
avocado toast (with smoked salmon, cucumber, watercress, pickled red onion and a poached egg)belgian waffle (served with butter, strawberry compote, blueberry compote and maple syrup)huevos rancheros blood orange 75 (gin, blood orange liquor, lemon and sparkling wine)
i would absolutely go back again and i would recommend ordering a savory dish for yourself and splitting the waffles with another person or two in your party. and even with me being a vodka girl, i had to have a couple of blood orange 75s. they were absolutely delicious. if you want to go to charlie palmer, make a reservation via opentable.
next, our wine tasting tour began. my mom had never been to napa so i was excited for her to get to experience it, especially with women who we both love so much. our first stop was artesa!
the view of napa from entrance of artesa me + melissa 🤍interior of artesa complimentary glass while we waited for our table. this yellow jacket is my new favorite item in my wardrobe. it’s by lezé the label and is part of hayet rida’s honey glow collection she released. it is so soft yet heavy enough to keep you warm while being so breathable. my dress is from asos. sofia 🤍mom + sofia 🤍🤍
artesa is a winery i had always wanted to visit but it seemed impossible to land a reservation on any of my weekend trips. i figured i would try my luck since we were going on a wednesday and booked it immediately. since i am a member at the two wineries we went to next, i knew i would be able to secure a reservation at each of those easily. we all loved the service at artesa and i thought their rosé and their reds were perfect. i think on my next trip this june, it is likely i will become a member. afterwards, we made our way to madonna estate.
the fields at madonna – we had perfect weather me + mama bear 🤍the garcia sisters + me 🤍🤍🤍alexz hates pictures but we take such good ones together that she ends up forgiving me melissa – quite literally my lifesaver
we all did tastings at madonna but ended up purchasing multiple bottles afterwards that we loved to enjoy there while we soaked up the sun, took photos and talked about anything and everything. melissa was such a fan that she became a member. i know she won’t regret it – i certainly haven’t. after leaving madonna, we drove just up the road to a winery that has my favorite views in all of napa – domaine carneros.
the squad.
we went all in. tastings. charcuterie plates. bottles. smoked salmon plates. we laughed. we cried. it was the most like myself i had felt since before being hospitalized last summer. it was just the most magical day.
sparkling chateau tasting charcuterie bottles on bottles on bottles. smoked salmon lil’ spoon + melissa 🤍🤍🤍loves of my life
after leaving domaine carneros, felecia and i dropped the girls off, went to the airport and flew home. each part of my birthday was exactly what i needed it to be – from la to the bay to napa, i was surrounded by love and laughter. no matter what part you showed up for, just now how grateful i am.
i cannot believe today is the last day of february. while january may have moved at a glacial pace, i feel like i blinked and february zoomed by.
while my 32nd birthday was on the 13th, my mom always taught me to celebrate birthdays for a full month. over the next week or so, i will be sharing about each of my birthday celebrations.
part one was on the 12th. i wanted to do an outdoor boozy brunch so naturally, we went to plate 38. it was sheer luck that the weather was even more gorgeous than anticipated. it was 81 degrees with the perfect little breeze. i honestly cannot remember the last time i had this many people i loved in one place – likely before the pandemic started. about 25 of us met to up to celebrate another trip around the sun. there were people present from all stages of my life – my immediate family, my extended family (all connected through my godmother), friends from elementary school, high school, college and my work family (both from the automotive industry and the education field). it made my heart incredibly full.
tj – aka my little big brother since he is 6’9”hayley – recently did the math and realized we’ve known each other since 1997 drew – little brother from scu ajaya (ram ram) – my aquarian bffmama bear, auntie sheila, auntie rene, godmother, charm + my godsister alan aka sonny my godsister – been doing life together since 1990reena, mama bear + mayra – true love is driving up from san diego through brutal traffic for brunch reena totally makes me want blue hair all over again!my convent cuties – these girls from my last job feel more like family now. also, if you love jumpsuits as much as i do, this loveappella number is currently on sale at nordstrom! while i am wearing it in olive, it also comes in a gorgeous burgundy.
my brother and his girlfriend took me out after brunch to continue the party. afterwards, the after after party was at my mom’s. then there was a pregame at my place before going out that night. *note to self – i am now 32 and not 22. my hangover on super bowl sunday highlighted that in a way i can hardly put into words. even still, the love i was surrounded with made it all worth it.
pooh bear 🤍jordan 🤍the only proof that i made it out the night of the 12th is this photo with annie
each birthday, i select a word to serve as my theme for the year. for 32, the word i selected is: intentionality. it is defined as the fact of being deliberate or purposive. after having a close call last year due to covid, i am intensely aware of how fragile life can be. to say it is important for me to be deliberate with my actions, purposive with my work and intentional about the relationships i pour into would be a gross understatement. each person present on the 12th was someone who showed up for me and/or my family during the time it was most needed last year. i am eternally grateful.
it is a beautiful thing to be able to tell the people you love that you love them while they are here to hear it. if there is any piece of advice i can give with my additional year of wisdom, it is to not wait another minute to say “i love you.”
what is something you plan to be more intentional about this year?
at the beginning of the month, i was fortunate enough to spend a week in puerto rico with some of the most wonderful humans i know. while a recap of the trip will likely be up eventually, i had to show you all one of my new swimsuits from old navy right now!
something i love is that you can mix and match them since they are sold as separates. and, if you are fuller on top or in the trunk, you can buy the size to accommodate that. old navy has tons of bathing suits that are inclusive in size.
i don’t know if it is because the weather forecast shows that it’s going to be in the 80s this weekend or if it is me being water obsessed but summer really is calling my name. i will be posting more suits soon. i hope everyone’s week is off to a solid start.
it seemed like it had been forever since i had put on something new to go out. that being said, a girls trip to vegas seemed like the perfect excuse to snag something fresh. i wanted to look and feel good for our night out at crimson in bloom. this combo from asos + nordstrom definitely did the trick.
the skirt with suspenders was a new purchase from asos. the leather jacket is an oldie but a goodie (also from asos). while it has been in my closet for over a year (thanks, COVID), the goldenrod bodysuit is from nordstrom’s bp section and was only $15! while this particular one is sold out, they have plenty of other options for both color and cut offered in sizes from xs to 4x. what i loved most about it was how soft and smooth the ribbed detail was AND there was no annoying snap closure – i just stepped right into it.
here is a close up shot so you can see a little more detail:
i have already thought of a million other ways to style this skirt with suspenders – an oversized sweater with high top sneakers, a sleek black bodysuit with heeled booties, a pastel pink scoop neck with ballet flats. the possibilities are endless.
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