witchy vibes in Joshua Tree

Joshua Tree at sunset just begs for some witchy vibes. All black everything, a big floppy hat, and a a matte black skull? Obviously. All we needed was a rattle snake, but thankfully, they stayed away. Most likely due to the fact that I ever-so-nonchalantly made lots of unnecessary noise and chatter with each step I took...I'm currently listening to the Wild audio book, and am more aware than ever that we're living in their territory. And that my own survival skills are slightly lacking. 

I am very happy to add another National Park to my list; I had never seen Joshua Tree before, and Evan hadn't visited since he was 13 on a trip from Alaska, so we had a wonderful, sun-soaked adventure through the cacti. Many more photos to share. 

p.s.: the skull is now hanging safely in our living room, and was my birthday gift to Evan from Near & Deer. 

california green

We've been trying to either hike in the hills or walk around our neighborhood most evenings at dusk, and it's causing me to begrudgingly fall a little bit in love with Los Angeles. Most people teased me when I mentioned moving to Glendale. I heard a lot of "oh, so you're not going to be in LA" and the like, which, as a small town girl, is very much alright with me. I love how quiet the neighborhood is, how every home has its own eclectic architecture and color palette and garden aesthetic. As much as I  miss the evergreens and clear blue water of my northwest home, I'm growing a bit obsessed with all the different hues of California green--from cacti and succulents to the citrus trees and dark ivy covering the buildings and street signs. And at golden hour, they all light up and sing together. Oh, west coast. I'll always love you.

hat: Nordstrom, boots & jacket: Forever 21

l u c k y

when the grey-blue suddenly melts and bursts into deeply saturated pink and gold, and a brush dips into the ocean bleeding purple paint onto the tips of every wave, the browns of the cliffs deepen and the palm trees silhouette into inky black. and you just happen to be there to see it with the one you love, who you usually have to be apart from when the sun sets. that's a good day. 

L A e s c a p e

LA in August is hot, crowded, busy, sticky, and just really h-o-o-o-o-t. So the Botanical Japanese Gardens were a welcome retreat for us last week--quiet and lush and green, just what two kids from Washington always find themselves craving. 

skirt & shoes: Target // top: Forever 21

the watering hole

Here are the rest of the photos from our adventure with Indy Brand. It isn't an adventure unless something goes wrong, yeah? Like when two Pacific Northwestern-ers trek through a park named for its creek, walking in the hot sun much further than they ought without sunscreen and water, only to finally get to the creek and find it completely and utterly bone dry? Yeah, we kinda forgot that California is in a drought. You can't imagine the sad, pathetic looks on our faces when we came upon that dry stream bed--we are still used to to western Washington, where there is a body of water on every corner. And oh, we were hot. But, we kept hiking and found this little watering hole where kids were wading, teenagers were drinking cheap beer, and we got to cool down. We learned some lessons for the next adventure, missed the PNW just a teensy bit, and had so much fun photographing these tees--livin' the dream is right. All part of the story, all part of exploring with my love.

on him: 'find home' tee in green

on me: 'livin' the dream' tee in grey