things to do on the fourth of july.

Hello!

Happy almost Fourth of July!

Independence Day is one of my favorite holidays you guys.

I don't know if it's just the nostalgic summer days, BBQ picnics, romantic fireworks or what-

but I just love it all. 

So today I wanted to share some fun Fourth of July date ideas that are fun for you and your love- or the whole fam too!

As you can see from these photos, Liam is very patriotic and can't wait to celebrate America!

Fourth of July day time ideas:

- Scout out your home town parade!

- If it's hot out, do a fun ice cream crawl to a bunch of your fav dessert spots!

- have a patriotic picnic decked out with red, white and blue dishes!

- Rent a cabana poolside at a local resort, hello staycation!

- Get up early and head to the beach- make sure and snag a bonfire pit for a BBQ!

- Rent bikes and do a food tour near your closest downtown area!

- Have a water party- grab a slip and slide, water balloons and let the kiddos run wild!

- Go on a road trip to the closest small town near yah and just explore the area!

- Plan a quick camping trip for the day!

- Not feeling like going out and about? Stay home and have a patriotic movie marathon!

- Host your own pool party- tell friends and fam to bring their fav 4th of July dish!

- Celebrate outside by trying a new hiking spot!

- Spend the day at the lake, river or just any body of water!

- Put together your very own baseball game- hello Sandlot!

Fourth of July night time ideas:

- Make a fort in the backyard and watch the stars

- Bonfire on the beach with friends

- Watch fireworks from the top of a parking structure, mountain side or high school bleacher (you can see so much up high)!

- Have take-out in the car and watch the fireworks from the back seat!

- Find a local drive in theater, and watch fireworks after!

- Have a block party with neighbors!

- Make smore's on your BBQ and watch the fireworks from your rooftop!

- Night swim and have dinner al fresco!

- Rent a boat and watch the fireworks on the water!

- Any fairs going on?! Take ride on the ferris wheel during the grande finale!

- Stay in and have game night with your friends!

- Grab tickets to a nighttime MLB game!

- Throw a big dinner party and have everyone wear red, white or blue!

- Pitch a tent in the living room and camp at home!

- Check and see what concerts are in your area that night!

- Hire a sitter and call it date night for you and your love!

I hope you enjoy these ideas and have the best {and safe} holiday weekend!

A big thank you to the men, women and families who serve our country!

Happy Fourth of July everyone!

Oh and PS make sure you keep your pets safe! 

There's always pets who get loose and lost when they hear the fireworks going off!

And thank you Kiley Shai for these amazing photos!

If you're in need of pictures, make sure and check her out!

xoxo

h&m fourth of july tv segment.

Hello loves!

Today has been so crazy good!

It started bright and early around 4:00 a.m. and it's not slowing down anytime soon!

This morning I hosted a fun style segment on the local Fox 5 News here in San Diego with drum roll please...

H&M!!!

Dream come true right?!

I absolutely love freelance reporting, and hosting is just the best job ever!

For the first time H&M has a Fourth of July collection out now in stores and online-

they have the cutest American Flag apparel and red, white and blue outfits galore-

just perfect for Independence Day!

And for every purchase of selected tee shirts in this line, H&M will donate $1.00 to Girl Up-

A wonderful foundation that I talk all about in the clip below!

You can also read more about it here!

Cute, affordable and and helping out a great cause?!

You know I'm in!

Anywho, you can watch the clip below!

Hope you enjoy!

xoxo

san diego bucket list.

Hi friends!

Hope your day is treating you well!

We have family coming into town today and we CANNOT wait to show them all around San Diego!

There's just so much to do, it's endless!

And with Zak starting residency soon, traveling outta state is not really an option for us, so this summer we're traveling our own city!

We want to be tourists in our own home, really experience it all, come up with a Cali bucket list and take full advantage of living in paradise!

We're all about staying positive, and finding happiness in everything we do.

So while we might not be heading on a European vacation this summer, we will be hitting the beach enjoying all of what San Diego has to offer!

And you know Liam will be sporting his Gymboree outfits the entire time!

I swear, they have the best kiddo clothes for summer.

Cute, comfortable and light weight so they don't get hot!

And hello super affordable as well.

You can shop Liam's summer look here- and it's on sale big time! 

Here are a few of my SD bucket list items still:

- Continue eating our way through North Park

- Visit the Del Mar Fair

- Eat pizza in Little Italy

- Have a bon fire on the beach

- Learn to surf

- Explore Balboa Park

- Check out Liberty Station

- Take Liam on the Seaport Village Carousel

- Have chips and salsa in Old Town

- Ride bikes on the boardwalk

- Watch a movie in the park

- swim in the ocean

And the list could go on and on!

We took these photos with the talented Kiley Shai Photography while adventuring in North Park!

We love getting to know all the different restaurants, shop owners and our new neighbors!

Do you have any summer plans?!

Just remember, you don't have to have big ole grand plans to have the best summer ever!

It's the little things in life that make up one big happy!

We're so excited to cross off some of those bucket list items this weekend-

cough cough we're going to the fair tomorrow!!

Yipee!

Thanks Gymboree for sponsoring this post, Liam {and I} just adore your summer collection. 

xoxo

phoenix travel guide.

Hi loves!

I'm SO excited to share a big fun project I've been working on-

drum roll please...

my Newlywed Diaries Phoenix Travel Guide!!

I've always wanted to put together a list of our favorite spots around the valley, and now the amazingly talented Cass and Co Films has helped me do just that with the sweetest video below!

We could have shot for days and gone to a million places, but we just wanted to highlight a few and then I listed the rest in this post!

Arizona has some of the best restaurants, shops and activities for everyone to enjoy.

And again, I could go on for days with things to do, eat and see,

but I narrowed it down to a simple list.

All of these places hold a dear place in my heart.

So if you're ever in AZ, you'll have to check out some of these spots - promise you won't regret it!

PS I also want to say thank you to Toyota for loaning us the cutest Corolla XSE to cruise around in!

As you can see in the video, I'm a drive-thru junky and this little car was not only adorable, but super fun to drive too!

I also love that the cup holders are big enough to fit my XL Diet Coke, the air vents are crazy strong to keep Liam cool in his rear facing car seat and the back-up camera is literally my new BFF-

I don't know how I ever drove without it!

Perfect mama car!

So without further adieu here's my list!

I broke it down into the cities we most often visit, and tried to link as much as I could.

Hope you enjoy!

Things to do/see/eat in Gilbert:

Downtown Gilbert

There's a billion spots to eat and it's a perfect place to walk around explore with the family!

- Water Tower Splash Pad - right behind Liberty Market!

- Veteran's Park - just South of the splash pad, across the train tracks!

- Liberty Market - we like to eat there and then head to the splash pad! My fav dish is the vegan breakfast scramble, but everything is amazing!

- Petite Party Studio - cutest party store in all the land!

- Peterson's Ice Cream - darling ice cream shop 

- Hale Centre Theare - they put on all kinds of cute little plays for kiddos

- Sodalicious - gimme an XL Diet Coke and original sugar cookie please!

- Art House-   look for the "you had me at Gilbert mural" on the side of the building!

We usually park near the Hale Theatre and then do a big loop working from the Northern end of Gilbert Road, heading south along all the restaurants and shops! Then we'll head South all the way down to the Art House (cute spot for pics), then we stop by Veteran's Park, walk across the tracks to grab dinner (we always go to Liberty), maybe snag ice cream at Peterson's and then end the night playing at the Splash Pad- it's one of our fav spots in AZ! You can also grab food to go and have little picnic under the water tower too! So many choices!

Agritopia

We love to playground hop through this darling neighborhood and then walk to grab food!

- Joe's Farm Grill - greatest veggie burger and sweet pot fries!

- Barnone - fun to look at all the shops inside!

- Pick your own fruit - you can go play farmer in the orchard!

We usually Park in Agritopia (we have family who live there), playground hop throughout the neighborhood- there's lots of trails that wind through the community! The houses are adorable, so it's always fun to stroll the streets while looking for the next park- plus there are lots of places to take cute pics too! Then we walk through the farm to Joes, grab a bite to eat, and wonder over to Barnone and the Orchard! Another super cute and fun place to visit!

Things to do/see/eat in Queen Creek:

- Schnepf Farm- we love going in October, but they have events all year round, perfect for the whole fam!

Things to do/see/eat in Chandler:

Downtown Chandler 

Fun place to walk around, dip in and out of the shops and grab a bite to eat!

- Wimpy's Paradise- delicious and affordable! The owner is so sweet!

- Crowne Plaza Resort- reminds of what Hawaii might've looked like in the 1950's- so beautiful and historic!

- Ice Cream Sammies- I mean the name says it all!

-Serrano's- our fav place for endless chips, salsa and bean dip (they have other locations too)!

Things to do/see/eat in Scottsdale:

Old Town Scottsdale

Another perfect place to walk around, tons of shops and restaurants!

- Sugar Bowl- our favorite spot in all of AZ!!!!!

- Ruze Cake House- the decor in here is unreal, and so are the sweets!

- The Saguaro Hotel- colorful walls, gorgeous pools and just a block from the Sugar Bowl!

- Arcadia Farms Cafe- cutest historic home made into the yummiest restaurant! You have to go!

- Scottsdale Mall- when it's hot outside the child's play area is great!

Central Scottsdale

-McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park- there's a train, grassy areas to picnic, playgrounds, a carousel and more at this stunning park!

- Camelback Mountain- one of the most popular hikes in the city!

North Scottsdale

- Scottsdale Quarters- tons of shops, restaurants and super cute to walk around!

- Restoration Hardware- a home decor dream store!

- S.Q. splash pad- in the heart of the mall, super fun for kiddos!

- iPic Theatre- perfect for date night!

Things to do/see/eat in Mesa:

- Idea Museum- great inside area for hot days!

- Mesa Temple- gorgeous grounds to walk!

- Mango's Cafe and Bakery- good spot for chips and salsa!

- Slickables- cookie ice cream sandwiches you guys!!

- Mesa mural- huge wall painting in the heart of town!

- Worth Takeaway- try the banana pudding!

- Old Brick House Vintage Market- only open once a month, so check the dates- so many cute vintage home good finds!

- Stonebridge Manor- where we married! We love to walk the grounds (they're gorgeous and eat at the cafe)!

We usually park near the Idea Museum, go to Worth and the Old Brick House (if open) then do a big loop down Main Street, stopping at all the shops and restaurants listed above! Or sometimes we do it vice versa and start at the Temple! It's a long walk, but super fun if it's not too hot. They also have seasonal events- so check the calendar before going!

Things to do/see/eat in Tempe:

- BoSa Donuts- locations all over the valley! Hands down, best donuts in AZ!

- Genuine Fresche- delish Acai bowls!

Berry Divine- another amazing acai bowl spot!

- Hike A Mountain- fun to watch the sunset from up there!

- ASU Campus- visit Old Main and the Secret Garden- prettiest spots on campus!

- Pita Jungle- my FAV restaurant in AZ! Try the chicken with hummus appetizer! They also have lots of locations around the valley!

The Baked Bear- cookie ice cream sammies on Mill Ave.!

- Tempe Town Lake- you can rent bikes or boats! We also love walking all the way over the bridges as well- especially during winter when they're decked out with lights!

We usually park at ASU near Gammage (free parking on weekends) and then stroll through campus, heading North to College Ave. through the new Annex area. Then you can hike up the side of A mountain, and then come back down the other side, swing into the Tempe Town Lake Park area for some play time, and then walk South through Mill Ave.- if it's not too wild! ** Not the kid friendliest of places!** to about 5th Street and take that East to College Ave. and back down through campus and to our car!

Things to do/see/eat in Phoenix:

- Phoenix Zoo- go early in the morning, members get in at 8 am! They have two splash pads, a tot lot, an inside play area, puppet shows and a carousel! Great for early morning play dates before it gets hot!

Arcadia

- Arcadia neighborhood- cutest homes in the heart of the city! 

- El Chorro- GORG date night restaurant! Nestled in Paradise Valley!

- Kachina Park- nice clean park in the heart of Arcadia!

- La Grande Orange- best {and cutest} spot for pizza and dessert!

- Flower Child- delish healthy food- and super cute too!

- The Henry- great brunch spots- and cute photo ops too!

Central Phoenix

- Pizzeria Bianco- three locations, all super good pizza! Worth the wait!

- Cibo- darling historic home converted to a restaurant! Perfect date night spot!

- Last Chance- a Nordstrom lover's dream! 

- Windsor- Amazing veggie burger! Have date night dinner there and then head next door to Churn for dessert!

- Churn- cutest ice cream parlor!

And now here's the video!!!!

PHOENIX TRAVEL GUIDE with the Newlywed Diaries from Cass & Co. FIlms on Vimeo.

Thanks again Cass and Co Films and Toyota for helping me put this Phoenix Travel Guide together!

Hope you enjoy adventuring around Arizona as much as we do!

xoxo

i got it from my mama.

Hi Friends!

I kinda wanted to just do a May life update since sooo much has happened!

If you don't already know- surprise we moved to San Diego!

It was a stressful process to say the least... but we made it here and not one thing broke!

Woot woot.

My mom was a miracle worker and not only helped and watched Liam while the crazy move was happening, but then drove one of our cars to San Diego for us and then stayed with me for THREE weeks!

The's literally the best.

This was the first night we got to Cali-

We stayed in Old Town and were so relieved to just be there. 

We let Liam run around, he was throwing pennies in the fountain like a champ and it was like we could finally breath for a second!

So happy we made it!

After those first few days of living in a hotel, finally getting our things dropped off, everything unpacked and somewhat organized we decided to spend a day at one of our fave places-

Coronado Island!

We walked around the gorgeous neighborhoods, ate Gelato on the sidewalk, shared some delish pizza and of course took Liam to check out the beach!

I mean, house goals- am I right?!

He was so giddy when he saw the waves!

He'd run back and forth and was just so dang happy.

Everyone thought him and his belly were just the cutest-

and I agreed!

My mom was so great-

she unpacked boxes, organized our house, painted furniture, ummm watched and played with Liam hello, grocery shopped, cooked, did laundry, walked Romie, hung everything up and adventured around our new hood with me!

I'm so happy we got to spend this time together- and extremely thankful for such a caring mama!

We would switch off having work days and then we would have fun days and just get outta the house!

One morning we decided to head to North County {where we're from} and stop at all the places my mom would take me at Liam's age.

It was so fun and cool to walk down memory lane!

We went to Ki's for lunch, VG's for donuts, said hi to old neighbors, took a tour of our previous home and then ended the day playing at Powerhouse Park in Del Mar!

It was a really sweet afternoon.

And please look at that food- SO GOOD!

In our old front yard!

We live in such a cool neighborhood- and very trendy might I add!

So we just had to explore.

We would load Liam up in the stroller and then just find a little restaurant that was having a happy hour and split a meal to test out the place.

We ended up trying soooo many good joints.

I love just getting to know our neighbors and all the little mom and pop businesses in the area!

And now Zak and I are continuing this activity!

Last night we walked into town, checked out a couple local stores and then tried Thai for dinner!

And tonight we're going to walk to our library for PJ story time and maybe snag dessert-

I just love this place!

This was for taco Tuesday- I CANNOT wait to go back!

Every Thursday is the Farmer's Market so we would bring Liam and he would just chow down on fruit-

I think he loved it more than us!

Oh and this store above, Pigment is heavenly!

Like mix Antrho, plus Rifle Paper Co, a pink ombre wall a kiddo section-

and this is what you get.

It's also very dangerous- I could spend sooo much there!

One of the last days my mom was here we explored Little Italy and Seaport Village-

two gems in San Diego!

We went to the San Diego Architectural Salvage Company- if you're a fan of Fixer Upper, this place is a must and then weaved in and out of all the little antique shops and markets.

We took Liam on the carousel near the water and he was a little skeptical lol..

his face here kills me!

And then we had to treat my mom to some froyo-

it's the least we could do for everything she did for us!

Froyo is her fav so I think she approved!

Lolz this sign- I need it in my life asap.

We had such an incredible time with my mom-

Liam loves his bun bun {her nickname} soooo much!

I couldn't have done this move without her.

Thanks mom, you the best!

Now come back and see us already!

xoxo